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The Distro Interview: MSI Senior Vice President and co-founder, Jeans Huang May 2nd 2012, 17:14 The MSI brand should be no stranger to connoisseurs of desktop motherboards, graphics cards and gaming laptops, but did you know that this Taiwanese company started off as a computer terminal maker 26 years ago? To find out more, we sat down with the very likable Senior Vice President (R&D Division) Jeans Huang. Read on to hear the co-founder's interesting story on how MSI was formed by five ex-Sony engineers, his frank reason behind MSI's reluctance to enter the smartphone market, and his thoughts on 3D display on the PC. Continue reading The Distro Interview: MSI Senior Vice President and co-founder, Jeans Huang The Distro Interview: MSI Senior Vice President and co-founder, Jeans Huang originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 13:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments Yamaha outs RX-V773WA, RX-V673 receivers: AirPlay and 4K / 3D passthrough on board May 2nd 2012, 17:00 In case those RX receivers we saw last month weren't powerful enough for you, Yamaha's unleashing a couple of new beasts that may just meet all of your home entertainment demands. Similar to its V573 and V473 siblings, the RX-V773WA and RX-V673 are AirPlay-friendly and pack a 4K passthrough feature -- though, these also carry some PT action in 3D. Save for the YWA-10 WiFi adapter and an aluminum front panel on the V773WA, both newcomers are sporting identical traits. Among these are 7.2 channel audio, an enhanced YPAO calibration system, seven "intelligent" assignable amplifiers, six HDMI ports on each unit and an ECO mode to help reduce power usage. As far as pricing, you'll have to shell out $849.95 for the higher-end RX-V773WA and $649.95 for the RX-V673 when they hit shelves in June and later this month, respectively. Continue reading Yamaha outs RX-V773WA, RX-V673 receivers: AirPlay and 4K / 3D passthrough on board Yamaha outs RX-V773WA, RX-V673 receivers: AirPlay and 4K / 3D passthrough on board originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  Yamaha  | Email this | Comments T-Mobile officially adds Prism to its budget lineup on May 6th for $20 May 2nd 2012, 16:44 No surprise here, but T-Mobile has been prepping a low-end Android phone called the Prism for quite some time now, and it's finally time for the little guy to make its official debut. With a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 3.2MP fixed-focus camera and Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), it won't be the stuff dreams are made of. The CPU is also unspecified, which leads us to believe that T-Mo is leaving it out of the talking points for a reason -- yesterday's leak indicated that we can expect it to be 600MHz. That said, plenty of potential buyers wanting an inexpensive smartphone may be easily persuaded by its $20 price on contract (with a $50 mail-in rebate) or $150 without any sort of commitment. The Huawei-made Prism will make its first appearance at Best Buy on May 6th, followed by Walmart on the 9th and official retail channels on the 23rd. We have a press release awaiting you after the break, so take a peek if it interests you. Continue reading T-Mobile officially adds Prism to its budget lineup on May 6th for $20 T-Mobile officially adds Prism to its budget lineup on May 6th for $20 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments Amazon Studios expands into TV series, looks to load up on content for streaming May 2nd 2012, 16:29 Amazon has had a content development division for some time but today it's announced plans to expand from just movies to developing (and distributing, via its Instant Video service) original comedy and children's series. The new focus follows the competition like Netflix and Hulu which have both dived headlong into developing original TV show-style content that mirrors the content consumers seem to gravitate towards on streaming services. According to the press release Amazon Studios is willing to option one "promising project" per month for $10k and pay $55k to a creator if their series is selected for distribution. Submissions of 22-minute pilot scripts for comedies and 11-minute pilot scripts for children's shows are being accepted, which Amazon will either option within 45 days or the creator can choose between pulling it back and leaving it up for community feedback. There's more info at the site or in the press release after the break, but just remember: if we see any series picked up about dashingly handsome tech bloggers and the fast-paced lives they lead, we're coming for our cut. Continue reading Amazon Studios expands into TV series, looks to load up on content for streaming Amazon Studios expands into TV series, looks to load up on content for streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  Amazon Studios, AS Hollywonk blog  | Email this | Comments Amazon outs Cloud Drive desktop app for Windows and Mac, allows easy access to your digital wares May 2nd 2012, 16:11 If you've been storing part of your digital library on Amazon's Cloud Drive, access to your goods just got easier. The outfit has released a desktop app for both Mac and Windows machines enabling uploads and downloads with minimal effort. For starters, you'll be able to drag and drop files via a Cloud Drive icon and you'll be a brief right-click away from sending any file or folder to the repository. Downloads from the cloud run in the background and can be paused / resumed whenever you darn well please. Dropped your connection in the heat of battle? No worries. The app manages restarts and connectivity hiccups without losing your wares. If you're already signed up, hit the source link below to fetch yours. [Thanks, Max] Amazon outs Cloud Drive desktop app for Windows and Mac, allows easy access to your digital wares originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 12:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  Amazon  | Email this | Comments Target pulls Kindle from virtual shelves, physical ones may follow May 2nd 2012, 15:50 Since 2010, Target has happily hawked Amazon's e-reading wares. The retailer even carved out a branded corner of its online shop just for the Kindle. Now though, that store within a store is empty and conspicuously missing from Target's virtual shelves is Amazon's entire Kindle line. Sure, a few accessories remain, but the readers themselves are gone. What's more, according to an internal memo obtained by The Verge, the products will be cease to be restocked at the company's brick and mortar locations starting May 13th. The communique states that, after evaluation, Target "has made the decision to no longer carry Amazon hardware." The reasoning behind the banishment isn't clear, but the potential causes are practically endless. Amazon's vast online repository of goods, including some grocery items, makes it a direct competitor of the big box outlet. Target continues to carry the Nook and Kobo e-readers, but those company's don't challenge the retailer. It's also possible that, with mini Apple Stores opening up on its premises, Cupertino put some pressure on Target to clear out its competitors. It could also be as simple as collapsed contract negotiations, with Target failing to get as big a cut of sales as it wanted or, and this is a bit of a stretch, the Minneapolis company could be preparing to launch its own e-reading hardware. Neither Amazon nor Target has responded to our requests for comment at this time. Update: Target has affirmed the move to Reuters, with the following statement: "Target is phasing out Amazon- and Kindle-branded products in the spring of 2012." Target pulls Kindle from virtual shelves, physical ones may follow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 11:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink GigaOM  |  The Verge, Reuters  | Email this | Comments Microsoft reportedly launching subsidized Xbox 360 bundle next week for $99 with a two-year subscription May 2nd 2012, 15:37 Microsoft has long been pushing to get the Xbox 360 into as many living rooms as possible, and it looks like it could now be about to attempt a new tactic to further expand its reach. According to The Verge's sources, the company will launch a new bundle next week that will include both a 4GB Xbox 360 console and a Kinect sensor for just $99 -- the only catch being that you'll also have to sign a two-year contract at a rate of $15 a month. That will give you access to the Xbox Live Gold service, and potentially some additional streaming content, as well as a two-year warranty (there's also naturally an early termination fee for those that break the contract). From the sound of things, though, the new offering could be getting something of a soft launch -- the only outlet mentioned for the bundle so far is the rather limited number of Microsoft Stores in the US. Microsoft reportedly launching subsidized Xbox 360 bundle next week for $99 with a two-year subscription originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  The Verge  | Email this | Comments

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