Archive for September 29th, 2009

Well, it’s not the fifty bucks that OEMs are said to be paying for a copy of Windows on the average PC, but the pricing for individual OEM copies of Windows 7 has now finally been revealed by the folks at Newegg and, as expected, it’s still a good deal cheaper than the full retail price. Things start at just $99.99 (after a $10 discount) for a full version of Windows 7 Home Premium (compared to $199 retail), and move up to $134.99 for the OEM Professional edition, and $174.99 for the Ultimate edition (also after a pre-order discount that’s good until October 20th). Of course, there are a few limitations if you decide to go the OEM route yourself (like not being able to transfer the license between PCs, and a complete lack of an upgrade option), but we’re guessing that extra $100+ back in your pocket will more than make up for those drawbacks with plenty of folks.

[Via DailyTech]

Filed under: Software

Windows 7 OEM pricing revealed by Newegg originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesla Motors may now be banking on its Model S to help it snag a bigger piece of the electric car market, but it looks like the car’s platform may be the real key to the company’s near-term success. As just revealed in an official blog post by VP of Business Development Diarmuid O’Connell, Tesla will also be using the platform for a range of other “derivatives,” including a minivan, a cross-over utility vehicle and, yes, a full-fledged utility van for both industrial and civic use. Unfortunately, O’Connell didn’t have much to say about anything like a launch timeframe or any other details, for that matter, but we wouldn’t let that stop you from your starting to plan out some van art. Trust us. It’s coming back.

[Via Autoblog Green, image courtesy dcdan]

Filed under: Transportation

Tesla Model S platform to be used for electric vans and other vehicles, airbrushing optional originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You might think you’re hot stuff for carrying around a new Vertu Constellation Ayxta, but this is America, bub — and your blinged-up Nokia has to kick it at the FCC just like everyone else. Of course, without that fancy always-on-call Concierge service and Vertu Select, all you’re really looking at here is a pretty anonymous featurephone wrapped up in high-end garb, but you’re not spending your $10,500 on features here — you’re spending it because you’re too lazy and rich to buy something good.

Filed under: Cellphones

Vertu Constellation Ayxta luxo-flip slums it at the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Counting down the moments with your besties until T-Mobile USA opens up the pre-order page for Motorola’s first-ever Android device? Might as well do something more productive in the meanwhile, particularly since the aforesaid carrier has just announced plans to charge $199.99 for the CLIQ on a two-year agreement. Without a doubt, that’s quite a bit more than the $0.00 we gently expected (okay, not really) it to run, but it’s pretty much par for the course these days. Existing T-Mobile customers that are interested in getting ahold of this thing (in Titanium or Winter White) early can pre-order one from October 19th through November 1st, while newcomers and procrastinators can get theirs in-store starting on November 2nd. So — you in, or what?

Continue reading Motorola CLIQ coming to T-Mobile next month for $200 on contract

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola CLIQ coming to T-Mobile next month for $200 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It doesn’t matter who your carrier is, you’re gonna have some complaints. But is the grass always greener somewhere else? To answer that question, the kids at Laptop Magazine have conducted a test of the customer service practices of the big four (Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T) to ascertain each company’s friendliness, knowledge, and timeliness. The publication placed customer service calls twice during a week (once at midday and once during rush hour), visited two stores per carrier in New York City, and tried to find solutions to its problems using each carrier’s online knowledge base. Apparently, T-Mobile takes the prize for in-store assistance and web support, and Sprint, while not always able to answer questions, at least had taken steps to streamline the support process (and the fact that its employees were friendly didn’t hurt). Apparently Verizon Wireless offered solid in-store support (albeit with grumpy employees), “quick and accurate phone support” and “solid” online help. AT&T, sadly, was the loser here — Laptop says it left the store “shocked” that one representative couldn’t figure out how to get email up and running on its Blackberry. Shocking! Hit the read link to see for yourself.

Filed under: Cellphones

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon goaded into customer service showdown originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you love nothing more than a Toshiba Satellite laptop announcement, so listen up: the company has just announced two new CULV ultraportables of the UK and stateside market: The Satellite T135 (or the T130 as it’s known overseas) is a 13.3-inch beauty with options including either an Intel Pentium, Celeron single core or Celeron dual-core CPU, up to 3GB of DDR3 RAM, and 250GB harddrive. The Satellite T115 (or T110 in the UK) sports an 11.6-inch display, either an Intel Pentium or Celeron single core CPU, and up to 4GB of RAM and 500GB harddrive. What’s more, the kids over at Laptop Mag have given the T135 the old once-over and found it to be a pretty good deal: “for slightly less than the competition,” they said of the $709 review unit, you’re getting “good performance and a stylish design.” Perhaps the single touchpad button and the quiet speakers will be a turn-off to some, but it takes all kinds, right? Look for the T135 and T115 on October 22nd, for $599 and $449 respectively — their UK counterparts should hit the streets on the same date, priced from £429.
Read – Toshiba Satellite T130/T135 and T110/T115 CULV ultraportables debut
Read – Toshiba Satellite T135 review

Filed under: Laptops

Toshiba launches new Satellite netbooks in the US and UK originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No, the device you see above is not simply a comically large smartphone (at least we don’t think it is). It’s actually a Snapdragon-powered, Windows Mobile 6.5-running tablet developed by the folks at C-motech. While complete details are still a bit hard to come by, this so-called “Mangrove” device reportedly packs a 7-inch touchscreen, along with a full range of connectivity options including WiFi, 3G and WiMAX, plus a pair of USB ports and a microSD card slot for a bit more flexibility. Of course, it is still just a concept at the moment, but C-motech is apparently looking at ways to bring it to market — although your guess is as good as ours as to whether it’ll actually hang onto Windows Mobile during that transition or not.

[Via jkkmobile]

Filed under: Tablet PCs

C-motech shows off Snapdragon-powered Mangrove tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’d think Sony’s ad teams would have learned to stay away from needlessly controversial imagery after that whole “White is coming” PSP debacle or even those “Take a Running Jump Here” ads, but… they haven’t. Check out these Chilean PlayStation 3 ads, which show a modern-day gamer giving a heart transplant to Joan of Arc and a blood transfusion to a Nazi. Yes, Sony has Godwin’d its own advertising. The Nazi in question is supposed to be Erwin Rommel, a highly decorated and respected German field marshal, but it’s not like Sony’s really riffing on that here, and making an ad with a swastika in it that relies on your audience to know the subtle nuances of WWII history just isn’t the smartest move in the world. It’s a pretty simple rule: if you make a video game ad with Nazis in it and it’s not about shooting the Nazis, you’ve screwed up. Let’s just stick with those creeptastic Japanese PS3 spots, okay?

P.S.- We’ll shut off comments in a heartbeat. Behave yourselves.

[Via Copyranter]

Continue reading Chilean PS3 ads show gamer giving blood transfusion to a Nazi

Filed under: Gaming

Chilean PS3 ads show gamer giving blood transfusion to a Nazi originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a move that’s sure to please a few million Windows users and break the hearts of a handful of anti-virus companies, Microsoft has now finally made the non-beta version of its Security Essentials software available to the general public, and it’s not even asking that you throw a launch party to get it for free. For those not in on the beta or following Microsoft’s exciting forays into freeware, the software promises to cover all the security basics and fend off viruses, spyware and other malicious software, and Microsoft even assures us that it’ll “run quietly in the background” and only intrude on your life when an action is required. You’ll also, of course, get free updates on a regular basis, and it’ll work just fine whether you use Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 — hit up the link below to grab a copy.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Software

Microsoft Security Essentials anti-virus software is now live and free originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hard Kernel has just announced that the developer version of the ODROID Android-powered portable gaming device is available for pre-order as of today. The device features an 833MHz Samsung S5PC100 processor (same as the iPhone 3GS), 512MB of RAM, and a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen. Sadly, there’s no integrated 3G, but WiFi b/g, Bluetooth and mini-HDMI output is supported. The Android OS 1.5 runs off a 2GB TFlash card, with an 8GB SD card supplied for storage. Also included are a download/charger cable, serial console debugging board and batteries. Going for about $320, this bad boy is expected to ship on November 5th. If all goes well, you can expect to see a consumer version sometime in December for around $250.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Gaming, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Android-based ODROID handheld available for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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