Monday, April 30, 2012

Nokia could sell luxury Vertu brand to VC firm for $265 million

Nokia could sell luxury Vertu brand to VC firm for $265 million

As much as it'd be interesting to see Windows Phone running on a $21,000 gold-plated cigar lighter, that's probably never going to happen. According to the UK's Financial Times, Nokia has been trying to hive off its luxury Vertu brand for months already, and has finally found a suitor with the right cash / sense ratio. Although still far from a done deal, we're told that venture capitalist firm Permira is willing to contribute up to $265 million to Nokia's needy coffers -- which might sound like a lot, but is mere costume jewelry to a manufacturer that just lost $1.7 billion.

Nokia could sell luxury Vertu brand to VC firm for $265 million originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, April 29, 2012

LG gives away 2,000 specially modified phones for the blind

LG gives away 2,000 specially modified phones for the blind

Skipping on the LTE, HD IPS screen or dual-processor is usually not a recipe that will land your phone on the pages of Engadget. But, these LG-LU2700Ss are not just any unspectacular flip phone. The handset has been specially modified for use by the blind and visually impaired. The manual is printed in braille and, rather than require the constant mashing of buttons, the phone is controlled primarily through voice commands. 2,000 of the devices were given away as part of the company's donation program. Now if only they would mass produce them, LG would earn some serious cred.

LG gives away 2,000 specially modified phones for the blind originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo's gunning for retailers, expanding eShop offerings for Wii U, 3DS

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Nintendo is going to sell its 3DS and Wii U games through the eShop as well as on the high street. Concerned about the money wasted in "inventory," the company will let consumers choose where they get their fix from. The first two games to get the treatment will be New Super Mario Bros 2 and Onitore Brain Training (working title) for the handheld, with more expected in the future. As consumers transition to downloads, the company will keep its brick-and-mortar partners on-side by allowing them to sell "activation codes" to the digital titles -- although that does mean you'll have to drive down to Gamestop and back.

Nintendo's gunning for retailers, expanding eShop offerings for Wii U, 3DS originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Usher To Preview Looking For Myself At Off-Broadway Show

Singer tells MTV News 'Fuerza Bruta' matches the 'more artistic' music on his upcoming album.
By Jocelyn Vena


Usher
Photo: Todd Williamson/ WireImage

This Saturday (and this Saturday only), Usher will appear in New York City's "Fuerza Bruta," an off-Broadway show where no one speaks, but the story is told through bright lights, music and dancing. In the lead role of Running Man, Usher will also use the show to preview his June album release, Looking for Myself.

Fans in the audience will likely get closer than they've ever been to the singer, as the audience stands during the performance, becoming another member of the company. With several weeks until his album release, Usher explained to MTV News at a rehearsal why he wanted to use this show to preview tracks.

"I felt like the natural elements as well as the emotion of 'Fuerza Bruta' would definitely speak or be significant to some of the stories and I guess hopefully a connection [was there]," he explained of tying this performance to his album. "When we began to explore different directions [for the performance like] maybe we use some of their music, maybe we use some of mine ... and before you knew it the idea came together. We tried it, I got on Running Man and it worked."

The show will stream his entire album, which drops June 12, and he thinks the mind-bending artistry of "Fuerza Bruta" works with the sound he's created on it. "This is more artistic of an album than I've had in history," he said. "And I felt like yeah, it would be a lot for me, but I was willing to at least try it. There were many times I had seen the show and I only hoped that I would be able to make it happen."

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Saturday, April 28, 2012

Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse Top Fans' Hologram Wish-Lists

Departed artists like Whitney Houston, Queen's Freddie Mercury and John Lennon also get mentions from fans in Times Square.
By Kate Callahan


Michael Jackson
Photo: Sony Music Entertainment

NEW YORK — After the Tupac hologram performance at Coachella made such a huge splash, the team behind the projection system floated the possibility this week of an Elvis hologram to perform with Justin Bieber. Even '90s girl group TLC is rumored to be considering a virtual version of the late Left Eye on their upcoming tour.

With all that talk, MTV News hit Times Square to ask fans which departed artists they would most like to see perform in hologram form. While some of those interviewed wanted to see other rappers like the Notorious B.I.G. or Nate Dogg, one fan thought Whitney Houston should get the honors.

"I love her, I grew up singing her [songs], just walking around the house when I was seven or eight," Shayana of Houston said.

Brits Amy Winehouse and John Lennon of the Beatles were also popular picks, and a few rock fans mentioned Queen's flamboyant frontman. "It would have to be Freddie Mercury because Queen were one of the all-time greatest bands and he was a showman," said a fan named Rob.

Blane Mader would like to see a hologram of another great showman, Michael Jackson.

"It's a really cliché answer, but in my time I've never seen him and it would just be something awesome to watch," Mader said of the King of Pop.

Members of the Jackson 5 recently announced that they would love to have a virtual Michael on their upcoming Unity Tour. "Wouldn't that be wonderful? As a matter of fact, we had that idea two years ago for Michael's Cirque du Soleil show," Michael's brother Jackie Jackson told E! News.

Share your wish-list for future hologram performers in the comments below!

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Engadget Podcast 291 - 04.27.2012

It's the Engadget Podcast, the only podcast in the multiverse that tried to change its name to "My Podcast Beat Up Your NPR's Science Friday."

Host: Brian Heater, Dana Wollman, Terrence O'Brien
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Orbital - Never

00:01:44 - Reminder: Webby Award voting ends tomorrow, give the Engadget Show some love
00:02:30 - The Engadget Show 32: ASUS, Huawei and a trip to Asia's gadget markets
00:05:00 - Google Drive official: 5GB of free storage, Chrome web apps, Wave-like sharing and editing (video)
00:18:33 - Apple's WWDC hitting San Francisco on June 11th
00:23:22 - Apple Q2 2012 earnings: $39.2 billion in revenue, net profit of $11.6 billion
00:28:10 - ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 review
00:35:00 - Tim Cook: Apple focusing more on iPad for enterprise
00:37:09 - Nintendo posts first annual loss of $460 million, predicts turnaround next year
00:38:45 - Nintendo confirms that it's selling 3DS at a loss, expects that to change
00:43:15 - Facebook updates S-1, adds Q1 earnings, revenue up 45% over last year
00:46:48 - Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight review
00:52:45 - DIY Cellphone has the footprint of an ice cream sandwich, definitely doesn't run ICS (hands-on)
00:58:00 - Star Wars Arcade gets fan-made mini-me, weeps tears of joy (video)
01:00:00 - Listener questions


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Engadget Podcast 291 - 04.27.2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opera 12 opens its beta doors: improves performance and stability, adds new themes

Opera 12 opens its beta doors: improves performance and stability, adds new themes

Similar to that other, foxy browser, Opera reached numerical version 12 (although in beta form), promising to be as fast and smooth as it's ever been. Included in the new revision are a slew of under-the-hood enhancements, along with a few cosmetic alterations. For starters, Opera 12 now offers complete 64-bit compatibility for both Mac and Windows, while "experimental" hardware acceleration and WebGL support are also in tow. Furthermore, the browser added a "smarter" tab-loading sequence, speed improvements for faster page uploads and a way to customize the look with a bundle of new themes -- of course, you can create your own as well. As for the backend tweaks, Opera announced it's abandoning its Unite and Widgets features in favor of an extension-driven model. Those of you eager to take it for a spin can hit the Opera link below to get started.

[Thanks, Yousef]

Opera 12 opens its beta doors: improves performance and stability, adds new themes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Distro Issue 38: a peek at the Navy's Robotics Laboratory and an interview with MSI's Jeans Huang

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Ah, yes. The end of the week is upon us. Of course, this means that the latest installment of our tablet publication has arrived. Stepping up to the plate this time around, Brian Heater takes a look inside LASR, the Navy's Robotics Lab, and Richard Lai chats with MSI co-founder Jeans Huang. After a strong debut last week, Ludwig Kietzmann is back with Reaction Time and his take on Journey. Our brand spankin' new hands-on section looks back at Spotify's Android preview, Alexandre Herchovitch's HP Pavilion DM1, MIT's Arduino-powered DrumTop and Google Drive. We spend some quality time with the T-Mobile HTC One S, LG Viper, ASUS TF300 and MSI GT70 while Switched On tackles Kickstarter project funding. Looking for something more? IRL reveals our personal gadget stash, the Stat takes a look at tech jobs, Tapbots co-creator Mark Jardine handles the Q&A and Box Brown offers the Last Word on Facebook's recent purchase. Go ahead and hit your favorite link below to snag your copy of this week's e-magazine.

Distro Issue 38 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro APK (For sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

Distro Issue 38: a peek at the Navy's Robotics Laboratory and an interview with MSI's Jeans Huang originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Five Reasons To See 'The Five-Year Engagement'

"The Five-Year Engagement" is not your typical romantic comedy. It has conflict built right into the title, instead of using a Nancy Meyers-esque turn of phrase. The writers behind "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, have reteamed to reflect on what comes after popping the questions, and Segel and Emily Blunt lead a [...]

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Friday, April 27, 2012

D?oh! Homer Simpson, And His Donut, May Show Up In Angry Birds Space

angrybirds_simpsons-580x326We heard from Peter Vesterbacka himself that Angry Birds Space would be Rovio's biggest launch yet. It's had crazy success since its launch in March, and in proper Rovio fashion, the company has just released an update to the next level: "Fry Me To The Moon." But with access to the next level, we also get a glimpse of what the level past that might look like, and guess what! It looks a helluva lot like Homer Simpson's favorite donut.

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Biden calls Romney foreign policy backward-looking (The Arizona Republic)

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