Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Filed under: Portable Audio

Back by popular demand, it’s the Walmart DRM servers! You heard right — just days after Wally World announced its plans to turn the screw on its digital rights management servers, we’re now being shown a big “just kidding.” According to an e-mail (posted in full after the break) sent out to previous downloaders, the mega-corp be leaving things as-is for the foreseeable future, and it’s all because of “feedback from the customers.” In other words, those actions it urged you to take late last month are no longer required, though we’d still back those tracks up on CD just in case. Can’t be too careful, you know.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Walmart has a change of heart, decides to maintain DRM servers

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Forget the lames waiting for a New Xbox Experience to bring Netflix streaming to the console, the latest edition of Media Mall’s PlayOn Media Server beta includes Watch Instantly support right now. An update notification should be on the way to anyone already testing things out, the impatient can grab it from the website. Also streaming Hulu, CBS, YouTube, ESPN and others to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, HP MediaSmart TV or other DLNA hardware (Nintendo Wii’s still on the coming-soon list) the presence of Netflix (and the recent Watch Instantly additions) gives even more reason to check it out. Since its still in beta don’t be surprised to find a few issues, but considering our smooth sailing so far, the list of reservations over its $30 price tag (after the 60 day free trial period is over) is rapidly shrinking.

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Original post by Richard Lawler

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Here′s an interesting one. That red / black Xbox 360 controller that was showcased back in July is now available to any ole consumer in the US, Canada, Latin America New Zealand and Asia, and it comes bundled with a Play & Charge Kit and red rechargeable battery for $64.99. For whatever reason, Microsoft’s totally missing a golden opportunity to cash in on the holiday shopping season by reserving the green counterpart as some “promotional item.” C’mon guys, is it really that hard to understand how irresistible a red and green gamepad tandem would be in late December?

[Via IGN]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Gaming

Hey, those Jaspers we’ve heard so much about are finally popping up in Xbox 360 consoles — a bit behind the anticipated August release date, but better late than never right? If you’ll recall these boards come equipped with 65nm chips that draw significantly less power, along with reduced heat output. If you’re thinking about picking one of the new models up, you might want to check that the manufacture date is no earlier than August 6, 2008, and lot number is 8031 or above. So if you just bought a new console, it’s time to go foraging for that receipt, but if you’re still not sold there’s always Valhalla to look forward to.

[Via Joey Gadget]

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Original post by Stephanie Patterson

Filed under: Gaming

On a serious note, we′re telling ourselves that there’s just no way this happens in even a meaningful amount of Gamestop locations, but more than anything, the video waiting just after the break is for chuckles and chuckles alone. Apparently, one quick-thinking videographer-to-be captured a few stacks of Xbox 360s and PS3s in the store bathroom. Yes, the store bathroom. So the Gamestop-sourced console you’re playing on right now could have all sorts of restroom-related germs on it. Yikes.

[Thanks, gamestopped]

Continue reading Video: game consoles stored in Gamestop bathroom

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Simmer down folks — everything is going to be a-okay. Yes, ‘tis true — Microsoft has indeed scheduled for Xbox Live service maintenance and Zune service tweakage to take place at the exact same time this coming Monday, but it’s probably not worth losing your mind over. In fact, Major Nelson goes out of his way to affirm that “when [Xbox Live] service returns, you will not have any new features and you will not have the new Xbox experience update.” Point being, your Zune Social, Zune.net forums, all of the Zune Marketplace and Xbox Live services will be offline for up to 24 hours (48 hours for the Zune suite) starting at 12:01 PST on September 29th, but don’t expect a Zunephone to pop out of your now-forgotten HD DVD add-on when things come back on. Or you can, but we′d be prepared for unprecedented disappointment.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - Xbox Live down time
Read - Zune services down time

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Gaming

We received an interesting tip that we thought we’d share with the group. Windows expert and all-around bon vivant Paul Thurrott recently previewed Microsoft’s new Arc mouse on his personal blog, detailing the device with a handful of photos. In the final shot of the series, what appear to be two Xboxes side-by-side can be seen in the lower right-hand corner… but one of those consoles looks thinner than the other. The appearance of what might be a slimmer Xbox 360 has (needless to say) sparked a debate amongst our editors here. Some say it’s nothing — a matter of angle — while others argue that this could be just the scenario in which you’d see a leak of a new form factor. Either way, you can’t simply brush off the differences here, and a little Photoshop matching on our end proved that these edges are decidedly different in angle. So we put it to the Engadget reader: is this a sign of things to come, or just our imaginations running wild?

[Thanks, Brian]

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Gaming

We received an interesting tip that we thought we’d share with the group. Windows expert and all-around bon vivant Paul Thurrott recently previewed Microsoft’s new Arc mouse on his personal blog, detailing the device with a handful of photos. In the final shot of the series, what appear to be two Xboxes side-by-side can be seen in the lower right-hand corner… but one of those consoles looks thinner than the other. The appearance of what might be a slimmer Xbox 360 has (needless to say) sparked a debate amongst our editors here. Some say it’s nothing — a matter of angle — while others argue that this could be just the scenario in which you’d see a leak of a new form factor. Either way, you can′t simply brush off the differences here, and a little Photoshop matching on our end proved that these edges are decidedly different in angle. So we put it to the Engadget reader: is this a sign of things to come, or just our imaginations running wild?

Update: And we have our answer! Paul Thurrott has gone to the trouble of detailing just exactly what’s going on here, and it is an angle issue. Needless to say, we’ve got a lot of deflated dreams and lightened pockets in the office today.

[Thanks, Brian]

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Sony Corp just announced its new “Designed for Walkman” accessory program in a bid to boost third-party accessory development. Under the terms, any vendor that signs up gets full access to the specs for Sony’s proprietary WM-PORT terminal… about 3.5 years too late. In return, licensees can prominently display this fancy, “Designed for Walkman” logo on their packaging and products as they grab for a slice of the meager accessory revenues made possible by the 4th place Ṃ manufacturer owning just 2% market share. Hot Sony, hot.

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

LG have today announced their entry in to the sub-notebook category, the Netbook X110.
Joining the trend which started getting attention when the Asus Eee was launched, LG says that theirs offers “the full PC experience,” and comes in three colours white, black and pink. It runs Windows XP Home and uses the Intel Atom processors

Original post by Simon Perry

We’re liking the look of Lenovo’s late entry into the netbook market.

Original post by Mike Slocombe

We check out LG’s ultra compact, USB 2.0-powered CD/DVD drive.

Original post by Mike Slocombe

Filed under: Wireless

As the saying goes, the great thing about standards is that we have so many to choose from. Enter TransferJet, as much as we’d like to ignore it, it won’t go away. In fact, today the nascent close (real close, as in 3-cm or less) proximity wireless technology just snowballed itself into a proper consortium which lists a who’s who of consumer electronics and camera manufacturers including Sony, Canon, Panasonic, Nikon, Samsung, Kodak, and interestingly enough, Sony Ericsson. Sony will lead the effort to develop the specs, guidelines, and licensing schemes required to interconnect TransferJet-compliant products offering a 375Mbps data transfer rate (560Mbps theoretical) without requiring any complex setup (just touch the devices together). Right, they’re looking directly at your NFC and Wibree shortcomings Bluetooth SIG. Full list of TransferJet members after the break.

Continue reading TransferJet forms a consortium to confuse consumers

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Digital Cameras

We’ve already seen and heard a handful concerning Canon’s new entry-level DSLR, but now the company has finally given us some hard facts and figures to tear into like the rabid animals we are. The camera — which ships in August — will clock in at $699.99, and comes bundled with the EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens, rechargeable battery pack and charger, a handful of cables, and the assurance that your pictures will look markedly better than the ones you took with that camera you bought on vacation that was bright yellow and housed in cardboard. Check out the gallery below for a closer look at both the black and silver versions.

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon’s aiming for an all-new, entry-level DSLR class with the Digital Rebel XS / 1000D, so don’t expect to have your mind blown by the specs here, but that said, Canon isn’t just pussyfooting around in this market segment. LetsGoDigital calls the XS the XSi’s “twin brother” on the outside, with only minor differences between the two like the smaller 2.5-inch screen on the XS. On the inside, the XS is fairly similar to the XTi, with a 10.1 megapixel resolution, but Live View, DIGI III and auto ISO to keep things interesting. The 17.7 ounce weight is the lightest ever for a Canon DSLR, with a tiny battery and only SD card memory, and the price should be similarly miniscule when the XS lands this July.

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Original post by Paul Miller