Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Despite a worsening economy, all three current-generation video game consoles had better U.S. sales in October than they did a year ago, according to the latest figures from The NPD Group.

And both Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii sold more units in October, a four-week reporting period, than in September, a five-week period. Wowwee!

Also the worst of the economic bad news had yet to hit in September.

Sony, however, saw month-over-month PlayStation 3 sales decline, while sales of its previous generation (and less expensive) PlayStation 2 remained strong. Also, the PS3 saw the strongest year-over-year sales increase in October.

Nintendo was again the market leader, even though Microsoft cut prices on its Xbox 360 line in September, making its low-end model the least-expensive console on the market. 

More at The Seattle Times.

(Can you blame them for that seemingly pro-MS plug …)

Tags: microsoft, nintendo, npd group, playstation 2, playstation 3, sony, video game console, wii, xbox 360

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Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Cellphones

You’ve seen HTC’s Touch Diamond, Touch Pro and Touch HD handled in separate instances, but CNET Asia took the opportunity to get all three of the handsets together for a little get-together. Atypical for most sibling relationships, these three seemed to get along fairly well, though we did overhear the Touch Diamond calling the Touch Pro “a fatso.” Hit the read link for a few more looks.

[Via SlashPhone]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Oh, come on, you know there’s a part of you that wants it. A big part, even. The Touch Diamond is the first new HTC piece to get teed up for Sprint, but the Touch Pro is hot on its heels a few weeks later — and with a QWERTY keyboard, it’s hard to ignore. Question is, is it worth the extra wait? Well, ease your troubled mind for just a second and take a gander at our gallery on Engadget Mobile — we’re not saying it’s going to make your decision any easier, we’re just saying everyone likes pretty pictures.

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Laptops

HP’s got some new 2133 configs out as of tonight, including options for “downgrading” to Windows XP on models over $700 — more or less as expected. They′re up to eight base configs ranging from $500 to $820, so if you’ve been thinking of picking one up you’ve certainly got plenty of options to choose from.

[Via HP 2133 Guide]

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Original post by Ryan Block

Filed under: Laptops

HP’s Mini-Note 2133 is due to get all-new Windows XP configurations this month, and it looks like early pricing details are starting to leak out. If the numbers are accurate, a base 1.2GHz rig with 1GB of RAM and a 120GB disk will run you $729, and bumping things up to 1.6GHz, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB disk will set you back $819. That’s pretty steep — but remember, early pricing info on the currently-available models was a tiny bit off, so these numbers could change when these hit sometime next week.

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays

Call it a hunch, but we wouldn’t be surprised one iota if you received some form of digital photo frame for Mother’s Day. If you′re a mother, that is. Digital Foci is sure doing its best to sway your kid’s purchasing decision by shipping its Image Moments 8 just in time. If you′ll recall, this one packs a respectable 450MB of internal memory, an 8-inch LED-backlit SVGA (800 x 600) display with a 500:1 contrast ratio, a multicard reader that handles CF, SD, SDHC, MMC, Memory Stick, MS Pro, MS Duo, MS Pro Duo and xD formats and an obligatory USB port, too. There’s even a set of integrated speakers and an audio output for placing a nice slow jam behind those honeymoon snaps. Take a look in the read link for the full rundown, and get set to part ways with $199 before May 11th (you know she’s worth it).

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays

Indifferent souls may have no qualms just snapping up the first digiframe they see, but that sect isn′t the target market for Parrot’s latest. The Andrée Putman-designed device is being shown around the UK at the moment, and aside from boasting a 7-inch display, a glossy black motif, rear-mounted buttons, auto-rotation, 10MB of built-in storage, an SD expansion slot and integrated Bluetooth (but no WiFi), you also get to hand over £250 to take it home. Right now, the piece is only available in London’s Few and Far store, but the company may try to roll it out nationwide if demand necessitates. Check it out on video in the read link below.

[Via CNET]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Displays

There’s nothing like an impending holiday to get companies rushing to get their appropriately-themed products out the door, and Viewsonic’s now following Memorex’s lead with a slew of new digital photo frames aimed at Mother’s Day shoppers. This latest batch includes ten frames in all, including 7-, 8-, and 10-inch varieties (both widescreen and 4:3), each of which boast interchangeable bezels to suit your decor. At the head of the pack is the 10-inch DPX1002 model (pictured above), which packs a decent 1024×600 resolution, along with 400 cd/m2 of brightness, a 400:1 contrast ratio, and the usual video and Ṃ playback features. If that’s a bit more than you′re looking for, you can opt for one of three variations of the 8-inch DPX802 model, which packs an 800×600 resolution and drops the video playback, or one of three incarnations of the 7-inch DPX702 model, which offers up a 800×480 resolution and drops the Ṃ playback as well. Rounding things out are the 7-inch widescreen DPX704WH, 8-inch 4:3 DPX804WH and 10-inch widescreen DPX1004WH, each of which boast white finishes, and include 128MB of memory, along with some basic media-playing features. According to Viewsonic, the whole lot is available now, with prices ranging from $130 to $209.

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays

Oh sure, Mother’s Day is over a month away, but don’t let mama know that reading this post was the only thing that reminded you. If you′re suddenly stricken with panic, take heart, as Memorex has a new duo of digital photo frames sure to make the woman most special to you smile. Purposely designed with “feminine graphics,” the Special Occasions and Floral models both feature 7-inch 480 x 234 resolution panels and USB connectivity. As for the former, you’ll find four interchangeable inserts and a SD / MMC expansion slot, while the latter provides a 4-in-1 reader and oodles of floral patterns. Interestingly, we’ve no idea if either will be seen outside of K-Mart, but both frames can be purchased at the aforesaid retailer next month for $89.99 apiece.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Peripherals

While it’s likely not the first thing you look for in a photo printer, Sony’s addition of an HDMI out to two of its new models will likely help move a few more units, especially among those without an HDMI-equipped camera. Getting that welcome addition is the company’s DPP-FP95 and DPP-FP75 models, which are apparently virtually identical except for color and screen size, with the former boasting a 3.6-inch LCD and the latter packing a slightly smaller 3.2-inch display. Otherwise, you can expect support for Sony’s trademark BIONZ technology on each, along with support for wireless transfers to a PC with the addition of a Bluetooth dongle. No word on pricing or availability just yet though.

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Filed under: Cellphones

According to man-about-town, Robert X. Cringely, Samsung is readying not one, but two separate Android-based phones, one of which is due in September, with another model following around Christmas. If you believe what you read (and what his tipster says), these phones will not be labeled Samsung, rather they will be released as Google-branded gPhones. The model released in the Fall will be a “higher-end” model which apparently looks “somewhat like a Blackberry Pearl” but with a screen that flips and “a keyboard for texting” (though to be honest, that description makes little sense, as the Pearl has a keyboard). The second device will be a cheaper model (under $100), and will likely be released after the holidays. Of course, right now this is just speculation — given the large gap of time between now and September, these plans could be completely rearranged or nixed altogether… even if they are accurate.

[Via IntoMobile]

 

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Cellphones

If our solemn word wasn′t enough to convince you of trouble in retail-ville for Palm, take this news as empirical. According to the smartphone-maker, it is officially shuttering all of its retail locations but one over the next five weeks. Originally, we thought that the airport locations would steer clear of the axe, but news today is that 34 stores total — 26 airport-based and eight branded stores — will be saying adios before long. Sure, this news doesn′t sound real hot, but Palm claims they want to cut costs and focus on its next-gen phones, which is what we’ve been asking them to do all along… so maybe this is a blessing in disguise?

 

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Oh Palm, things just seem to be going from bad to worse. After your recent (and repeated) Palm OS II delays and employee layoffs, you really should be due for some good news — but that’s not the case today. According to a member of the TreoCentral forums who cites “sources,” Palm will be folding all but its airport-based retail locations by the end of January. Apparently, other forum members have checked in with their local stores and gotten word from reps there that the doors are indeed shutting, so it seems like this is a go. Palm, we’re not going to say you’re in your darkest hour just yet, but we’re pretty sure you can see it from where you’re standing. C’mon guys — get it together!

[Thanks, Anonymous]

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Very little is known about the glofiish V900 from E-TEN — in fact, nothing is known about it other than what we have on this promotional image advertising E-TEN’s presence at the GSM Association’s Mobile World Congress next month. What few details are revealed here, though, are pretty freakin′ notable. The V900 apparently supports DVB-H, DVB-T, T-DMB, and DAB broadcasts, unifying half a world’s worth of digital television and radio broadcast standards in a single device. We guess we’ll have to wait until the big show in a few weeks to figure out the rest, but if we were the betting types, we’d wager that it’ll probably be available in black and blue.

[Via Unwired View]

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: GPS

There’s certainly no shortage of GPS devices out there to aid your golf game, but the folks at uPlay seem to think they’ve got one to beat ‘em all, with them even going so far as to tout their new uPro device as the “iPhone of golf GPS technology.” Exactly what earns it that designation, we’re not sure, but the device will let golfers determine the distance to holes from their current location, and give them aerial photography, video flyovers, and details on course hazards, among other things. No word on a price or release date just yet, it seems, but we’d expect those details to be revealed when uPlay shows off the device at the 2008 PGA Show that gets underway in Orlando on January 16th.

 

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Original post by Donald Melanson