Saturday, March 24, 2012

Your 2 hourly digest for Engadget

Engadget
Engadget
Digital gaming soars nine percent, still knows nothing of rarity value
Mar 23rd 2012, 17:36

Image
It's already chewed up some big names on the retail scene, but the game-downloading trend shows no sign of being sated. Fresh figures from market research firm NPD show that American digital game sales (including rentals and DLC) amounted to $2.04 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011, which represents a nine percent year-on-year hike at a time when physical game transactions fell three percent. Things are going the same way across the Atlantic, with the UK, France and Germany adding a further $1.29 billion to the burgeoning click-to-buy market. Industry types will surely welcome the news, since digital titles rake in higher margins (hello, PS Store) and reduce the trade in used discs, but what about those of us who'll one day want to swap our dusty copy of Fight Night Round Four for something more subtle?

Digital gaming soars nine percent, still knows nothing of rarity value originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TiVo Premiere 500GB coming Sunday along with lower prices for service, XL and Elite DVRs
Mar 23rd 2012, 17:15

The new TiVo Premiere featuring an upgraded 500GB hard drive (65 percent more storage than the old 320GB unit) that we spotted this morning is official, and will start shipping March 25th -- but that's not it. As we also noted, it only requires a one year service agreement at $14.99 per month or $12.99 for users with multiple boxes, which is cheaper than last year's $19.99 / month package (Lifetime Service is still available as well). If you need more hard drive space, THX Certification or more tuners then you're also in luck, as price cuts are in order for the 1TB Premiere XL (down $50 to $249) and the 2TB Elite models (down $100 to $399). The new pricing should let multi-TiVo homes compete even better with cable company DVR offerings, and once the new multiroom boxes arrive this summer things should only get better. Stake out various online retailers or your local Best Buy to snag one or three on Sunday, but until then check out the press release after the break for all of the numbers.

Continue reading TiVo Premiere 500GB coming Sunday along with lower prices for service, XL and Elite DVRs

TiVo Premiere 500GB coming Sunday along with lower prices for service, XL and Elite DVRs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia goes bullet time on snowboarders, the '90s wants its culture back (video)
Mar 23rd 2012, 16:41

Nokia bullet time

Nokia's been an annual fixture at the Open Snowboarding Championships for a few years. While one gets sponsorship dollars, the other gleans a slice of snow sport cool. At this year's event, Nokia rigged up 18 Lumia 800s to capture the snowboarders' mid-air posturing, recording the video with a specially developed app. After a WiFi hook-up (and presumably a little bit of editing), the result was the montage you can see up top, made from around 100 different videos. But where's the iShred?

Nokia goes bullet time on snowboarders, the '90s wants its culture back (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget Primed: Camera metering explained
Mar 23rd 2012, 16:00

Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day -- we dig deep into each topic's history and how it benefits our lives. You can follow the series here. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com.

Is learning how to meter with your camera really necessary? With all the intelligent models out today, who needs it, right? Well, you may, depending on the type of killer photography you hope to produce. When it comes to the person behind the camera, there are a few types of photographers. First, there's the photog who just wants to snap away, not terribly concerned about how their photos turn out -- or, at the very least, not interested in knowing how to alter the camera. If this describes you, that's fine -- the latest-and-greatest compact cameras may be your cup of tea. But then there's the amateur shooter who desires a better understanding of how their cameras determine exposure, and if you fit into this category, this piece should be right up your alley.

Metering is not a subject you can easily master, let alone explain entirely in an article of this length, but we can give you an idea of how it all works. I consistently see the faces of my workshop students glaze over as I wax rhapsodic about the wonders of metering, but I also notice wry smiles from time to time, which shows me the wheels are turning -- they begin to realize all the things they can do if only they can conquer this aspect of photography. However, comprehension and applied mastery are two separate balls of wax. Putting what you learn to practice is the start, and you can improve over a number of months, but true metering control in any situation requires years of practice.

So for our 2012 pre-apocalyptic installment of Primed, we'll break down the world of camera metering, giving you a bit of history, dissecting the main components, describing what your camera wants to do and telling you what the future may hold. By the end, you'll have a better understanding of this vital photographic topic... either that or you'll be in a nice deep sleep.

Note: Check out our recent Primed articles on aperture and image sensors to add to your metering knowledge.

Continue reading Engadget Primed: Camera metering explained

Engadget Primed: Camera metering explained originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Get your new iPad today in Austria, Ireland, Mexico and many other places
Mar 23rd 2012, 15:41

If your homeland wasn't part of the initial iPad roll out we've got good news -- today is the day for iOS tabletry. Maybe. The latest slab of Retina display-equipped machinery out of Cupertino is landing in 25 additional countries today, including Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. So, if you haven't been waiting on line since the 16th in anticipation of this day, then go to your local Apple store to score one. Or don't. For the full list of countries check the PR after the break.

Continue reading PSA: Get your new iPad today in Austria, Ireland, Mexico and many other places

PSA: Get your new iPad today in Austria, Ireland, Mexico and many other places originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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