Star Wars fans and gamers alike have been waiting patiently for Microsoft to stamp an official release date for the movie themed hardware and software bundle. Well, the time has finally come. According to Xbox Live’s Major Nelson, the bundle–which includes an R2-D2-themed Xbox 360 console with custom sounds, a C-3PO-themed golden wireless controller, a white Kinect sensor, a 320GB HDD, a wired headset, and copies of Star Wars Kinect and Kinect Adventures–launches into the marketplace this spring on April 3. It is being valued at $449.99 and can be preordered today at Amazon and Gamestop. Take a gander at the sleek packaging above and mark your calendars appropriately.
In January at CES Motorola unveiled two new Droid-branded handsets: the Droid RAZR MAXX and the Droid 4. Shortly after slapping the former phone with a January 26 release date and a $299.99 price tag, Moto finally let slip the same information regarding the QWERTY keyboard wielding Droid 4. On February 10 the Droid 4 hit Verizon Wireless and can be bought for $199.99 with a new two-year contract. The 4G LTE capable phone packs a 4.0-inch qHD display, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, an eight megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture and a front-facing cam for video chat. It ships with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, with a promise to upgrade to 4.o Ice Cream Sandwich at some undisclosed point in the future. Want yours? Click here. PR after the break.
As we get closer and closer to the launch of the PS Vita, Sony is making it harder to resist the temptation to purchase the powerful mobile gaming platform. On Friday the company added a new bundle to the mix. At $299 the “special launch day” bundle will get you the PS Vita (3G + WiFi) hardware, an 8GB memory card, an AT&T DataConnect Session Pass that’s good for 250MB of data, and a free PlayStation Network game. Sony is also adding to the previously announced “first edition bundle.” In addition to the the PS Vita (3G + WiFi) hardware, a 4GB memory card, a copy of the Little Deviants game, and a limited edition case, early adopters will also receive an AT&T DataConnect Session Pass (250MB) and a free PSN game upon activating 3G on the device. This bundle will run you $349 and is now available for preorder. Order it today and receive the Vita a week before its official US release that is February 22. As for the newly announced “special launch day” bundle? That’ll release on the 22nd and will remain on shelves for a limited time “in the few days that follow.”
Earlier this month at CES Motorola announced the successor to the RAZR-thin Droid dubbed the RAZR MAXX. What makes the MAXX better than its predecessor is its superb battery life (it can last up to 21 hours on a single charge) and beefier interal storage (32GB). As of January 26 the slightly thicker RAZR (at 8.99 mm) is available at Verizon Wireless for $299.99 with a new two-year contract. Pick up the latest 4G LTE Droid today. But don’t forget–if you’re in the market for a smartphone packing a physical QWERTY keyboard, Moto also has the Droid 4 coming out of the pipeline soon. Continue reading Motorola’s Droid RAZR MAXX is out now on Verizon for $299.99→
Jason Mraz is–at long last–ramping up anticipation to his long awaited fourth studio album title still TBA. The followup to September’s “The World As I See It” is a lullaby with the theme of love called “I Won’t Give Up.” According to Atlantic Records this song is the lead single off Mraz’s upcoming album so it should give fans a hint as what’s to come when all the tracks release May 8. The mellow love song is acoustic in nature and does not feature Mraz’s signature horns that were so prominent on his last effort We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The chorus goes like this: “I won’t give up on us, even if the skies get rough. I’m giving you all my love. I’m still looking up.” His voice remains angelesque.
In an interview with Billboard, he shared some insight into the making of the new album and how it will differ from his previous ones. “This new album has less horns, it’s got more piano and guitar textures. A lot more vocal landscapes,” he says. “That, to me, has always been my favorite part of making music; the singing and what voices can do and the voices singing in harmony. It’s not a departure in the sound of the genre in any way, it’s just different tones, different textures. Musically, I think people are going to like it. It’s personal. It’s melodic. And it’s mellow. There’s a couple of up-tempo tunes, but mostly the rhythm of the heartbeat kind of takes precedence on this record. Medium-tempo tunes; which I love. It feels more like the pace of life. At least, based on my life and what I’ve been doing.”
He also has plans to change up the way he performs when he’s on tour. “I’m actually hoping in the future to try to pull off the record with a smaller band, but with more singers. The real basics: drums, keys, guitar, bass. But have everyone be a singer. I think our audiences, our listeners, have been mostly attracted to that throughout the years. They come and they sing. Most of our audience sings along.”
Watch the lyric video for “I Won’t Give Up” that’s embedded above and download the song at iTunes. You can expect a traditional music video for the track to release next month, around the same time the song hits the radio. Also, according to various sources Mraz is fine tuning an “electric” full-band version of “I Won’t Give Up” and it may land a spot on the album (perhaps as a bonus track). To reiterate, May 8 is the day it comes out, so mark your calendar!
When Kinect for Xbox 360 launched in November 2010, it changed the way gamers interacted with their Xbox consoles and games just like Nintendo did with the Wii. Since its release, Kinect owners have taken the power into their own hands by hacking the motion-sensing peripheral to make it function in all kinds of ways. Microsoft quickly took notice and announced in the fall that they would release an SDK to allow for more innovation with Kinect. Microsoft shares its plan in a blog post:
With Kinect for Windows, we are investing in creating a platform that is optimized for scenarios beyond the living room, and delivering new software features on an ongoing basis… In addition to support for Windows 7 and the Windows 8 developer preview (desktop apps only), Kinect for Windows will also support gesture and voice on Windows Embedded-based devices and will enhance how data is captured and accessed within intelligent systems across manufacturing, retail and many more industries. We are building the Kinect for Windows platform in a way that will allow other companies to integrate Kinect into their offerings and we have invested in an approach that allows them to develop in ways that are dependable and scalable.
Kinect for Windows hardware will be made available on February 1 in twelve countries (United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, and the UK )and will sell for $249.99 in “limited quantities at first.” The accompanying SDK and developer tools will be free. Preorder today at Amazon and let your imagination run wild.
The very first phone running Android 4.0 aka Ice Cream Sandwich is now available on Verizon Wireless. The 4G LTE compatible Galaxy Nexus by Samsung packs a 1.2GHz processor, a big 4.65″ HD Super AMOLED display, 5 megapixel rear-facing and 1.3 megapixel front-facing cameras, 1GB RAM, and 32GB on-board memory. Android ICS brings with it a whole slew of new features including Face Unlock, Android Beam, an enhanced Camera app, a new People app, and of course an entirely redesigned user interface. Get all the juicy details here. As of December 15 the newest Nexus was made available on VZW and can be yours for a cool $299.99 with a two-year contract. Pics below, PR and video after the break.
In October Nokia unveiled its Lumia range of Windows Phone-powered smartphones, the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710. This week T-Mobile became the official carrier of the budget-friendly Lumia 710 and announced that’ll be available next month. The 710, which features a 3.7-inch ClearBlack WVGA scratch-resistant display, a Qualcomm 1.4GHz Snapdragon processor, a 5 megapixel camera, and HSPA+ 14.4Mbps “4G” speed, is being touted by T-Mo as “the perfect first-time smartphone” at the low price of $49.99 after a two-year contract is signed. Also shipping with software like Nokia’s Drive and ESPN apps as well as T-Mobile TV and Netflix, the 710 comes to market in the US on January 11 in black and white variants.
It’s a shame Nokia isn’t promoting the fiercer Lumia 800 before its low-budget brother, let alone alongside it. In my humble opinion, Nokia is making a mistake by allowing customers to think that Windows Phones manufactured by Nokia are “cheap” or lacking competitive features. It would have been smarter to team the 800 with T-Mobile first so that the public could understand that the Finnish company is ready to battle the likes of Apple, Samsung, Motorola, and LG in the States, rather than push out an entry level smartphone for techies to scoff at. Nokia is a deserving phone maker, so here’s to hoping that they get their act together and release the Lumia 800 in the States sooner than later.
In a game-centric press release (in full after the break), Nintendo managed to squeeze in a single paragraph officially announcing a new accessory for the 3DS. The Circle Pad Pro, which launched on December 10 in Japan, serves as a cradle enclosure for the handheld device and adds a second analog stick to the right side and three shoulder buttons (L2, R1 and R2). Though it certainly makes your 3DS thicker and heftier, sources claim that the optional accessory adds a whopping 480 hours of battery life working off one AAA battery. In order for games to “see” the cradle and utilize the second analog stick and additional shoulder buttons developers will have to code their software appropriately. Nintendo says that upcoming releases Resident Evil Revelations and METAL GEAR SOLID 3D Snake Eater will in fact be compatible with the Circle Pad Pro. Want one? It will be sold exclusively through Gamestop starting February 7 and will sell for $19.99.
In early November Motorola unveiled the successor to the very first Honeycomb tablet, the Xoom 2. More recently plans were made to ship the curvaceous device stateside. US customers will see the Droid brand crossover from smartphones to tablets when the Droid Xyboard (Xoom 2 internationally) releases December 12 on Verizon Wireless. The device will come in five distinct variants. The Droid Xyboard 10.1 (boasting a 10.1 inch screen) comes in three models: 16GB for $529.99, 32GB for $629.99, and 64GB for $729.99. The Droid Xyboard 8.1 comes in two models: 16GB for $429.99 and 32GB for $529.99. All of these tablets are 4G LTE-ready and the prices are set at these marks so long as you agree to a 2-year contract with Big Red. And don’t forget–although this dual-core tablet will ship with Honeycomb 3.2, Motorola promises the Xyboard will support Ice Cream Sandwich when Google eventually releases it. Head over to VZW to browse and shop for the Droid Xyboard today. Peep the gallery below to eye the Xyboard from various angles. PR after the break.
In related news, the Droid RAZR is getting a new coat of paint. See it in white below.
HBO’s epic fantasy series Game of Thrones is coming to Blu-ray ($79.98) and DVD ($59.99) on March 6, 2012. In addition to all 10 episodes, the season one package is bundled with a ton of extras including never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage, making-of features, and interviews. Eye the rundown provided by EWafter the break. Continue reading ‘Game of Thrones’ season one releases on Blu-ray March 6→
Nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like a golden hued Nintendo 3DS. But this isn’t just a special coat of paint. What you see above is a special 25th anniversary limited-edition Cosmo Black 3DS marked with the Hyrule emblem and gold-colored embellishments! So if you’re a Zelda fan and still haven’t jumped to buy Ninty’s latest handheld, this is it. The Zelda-themed 3DS comes bundled with the Ocarina of Time 3D game and costs $199.99. It hits store shelves tomorrow, November 23, Turkey day. Also coming out of the gate tomorrow and at the same price point is a Flame Red 3DS bundled with the recently released Super Mario 3D Land game.
