| Panasonic Eluga now available unlocked in Europe, yours for £369 or €460 Apr 26th 2012, 08:27  Wouldn't ya know it, but Panasonic was spot on with its announcement of the Eluga smartphone's European arrival this month. The elegant, waterproof handset is now available unlocked from Expansys, where it retails for £369 and approximately €460, with slight variations among countries. While the phone supports quadband GSM, its UMTS / HSPA connectivity is limited to the 2100MHz and 900MHz bands, which makes it less than ideal for North American use -- though, if you really want one, it seems safe to peg this one in the $600 territory. Similarly available through NTT DoCoMo as the P-04D, we first managed to get a hands-on with the Eluga at Mobile World Congress. For those in need of a quick refresh, the phone features a TI OMAP 4430 SoC with a dual-core 1GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display, an 8 megapixel rear camera and a rather paltry 1,150mAh battery. The Eluga includes a heavily-skinned version of Android 2.3.5, although an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich has been pegged for release this summer. The phone represents Panasonic's return to the smartphone arena, and while it's a bit behind the curve, it's no doubt a fine starting point. Panasonic Eluga now available unlocked in Europe, yours for £369 or €460 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 04:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Android Central |  Expansys | Email this | Comments | | HP's On-Screen Display Utility released, aims to alleviate Envy 15 screen color complaints Apr 26th 2012, 07:57  Back when we reviewed HP's latest Envy 15, we found a glaring issue with its otherwise spectacular 1080p IPS display -- namely, its less-than-pleasing color reproduction. Making good on a promise it made back in March, HP has finally released its On-Screen Display Utility software for the machine in hopes of quelling user complaints. If you'll recall, HP stated that the displays are of a higher quality than other laptop panels, which can make colors look odd in comparison. That said, while this gesture is certainly welcome, at least one tipster wrote into complain that he "wasn't able to get a satisfactory change. It's basically just gamma adjustment and r/g/b sliders." Of course, we've only cited one anecdote here, so if you've got an Envy 15 you'd like to test this on, hit up the source link below. Be sure to let us know your results in the comments. [Thanks, Anthony] HP's On-Screen Display Utility released, aims to alleviate Envy 15 screen color complaints originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | HP | Email this | Comments | | Nintendo posts first annual loss of $460 million, predicts turnaround next year Apr 26th 2012, 07:37  Nintendo has announced its first annual operating loss following an initially lukewarm response to its new 3DS handheld and an aging Wii console -- set to be replaced later this year. Nintendo made an operating loss of 37.3 billion yen ($459.54 million) from 2011 to 2012, but intends to spin it around to a 35 billion yen operating profit in the forthcoming year. Net sales dropped by 36.2 percent compared to last year, despite price cuts on its existing hardware like the 3DS and Wii. The Japanese games manufacturer has also seen increased competition from new rivals like Apple and Android manufacturers as mobile gaming continues to go from strength to strength. Nintendo also laid some of the blame at the weakened yen in international markets, but expects the incoming Wii U, cheaper 3DS production and incoming titles like New Super Mario Bros. 2, Brain Training and Animal Crossing will all help turn its fortunes around. Nintendo intends to sell the 3DS "below cost" by the middle of the next financial year, following strong sales after a substantial price cut last year. The company sold 13.53 million 3DS devices and 36 million 3DS games, compared to 80.2 million on the original DS. The original DS still managed to sell 5.1 million units in the last year. Nintendo's main console, the Wii, sold 9.84 million units in the last year, with 102.37 million games sold. Nintendo posts first annual loss of $460 million, predicts turnaround next year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Reuters | Nintendo (PDF) | Email this | Comments | | Friendster reborn as a gaming site, wishes Facebook cared Apr 26th 2012, 06:39  Friendster's as good as dead to the western world (it hasn't really crossed our radar since 2005), but Forbes reports that the site is still huge in Southeast Asia -- though not for the reasons you might think. It was the original social network when in launched in 2002, but its acquisition by e-payment provider MOL Global in 2009 led to its reincarnation as a top online gaming destination for countries such as India, Indonesia and Malaysia. The new Friendster just officially emerged from beta as a game-centric site, and the remaining vestiges of its social networking past -- you can still add friends, after all -- are gamified with reward points. Moreover, owner MOL Global has added e-payments to the mix, letting users buy Friendster Coins to purchase virtual goods. Given predictions that the Asian gaming community will exceed 1 billion by 2016, the site's future is looking rosier than ever. That might lessen the sting of being plum blown out of the social networking game by the big dogs. Friendster reborn as a gaming site, wishes Facebook cared originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Forbes | | Email this | Comments | |
