| Atari's Pong Indie Developer Challenge is a real coin opportunity Feb 29th 2012, 14:57 Atari's legendary Pong has captured plenty of hearts and minds over the years. Now, to celebrate its fortieth birthday, the gaming stalwart is offering up $100,000 for you to re-invent it for iOS as part of its Indie Developer Challenge. To be in with a chance of winning the cash, developers are being asked to recreate the time-honored classic in a new and original way. Then, simply submit your idea, or playable demo and keep your paddles crossed. Those creations that make it to the final will get published under the Atari brand as an official release, and you get eternal bragging rights (and the cash). The competition is open now, and you've got until March 31st to be in the game. Feel like a winner? Then bat your eyes down to that source link for the full deets. Atari's Pong Indie Developer Challenge is a real coin opportunity originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  The Next Web |  Atari | Email this | Comments | | Hands-on with the Acer Liquid Glow at MWC 2012 (video) Feb 29th 2012, 14:36 Given the phone's name, you'd think the Acer Liquid Glow would be best shown off in an infomercial, but in reality it's the next in line for the long-running smartphone series. The Glow hasn't been quite as popular as the CloudMobile at this week's MWC, and for good reason -- its bigger brother won an award in product design, after all. But that doesn't mean it should have to suffer the anguish of living in the shadows. The Liquid Glow is quite a bit smaller, offering a 3.7 inch WVGA display, 5MP rear camera, 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon S2 CPU and 512MB of RAM. The device will run on its own customized ICS ROM at launch, but it was using stock Android ICS this week. The UI, we've been told, will be lightweight with a homegrown tweaks to the lock screen, status bar, messages and the phone dialpad. The Liquid Glow is just a tad thick, but we enjoyed how it felt when holding it as a result of the phone's curves matching the contours of our hand. If you have large hands or just crave a device with a bigger screen, this will probably be a little too small for you. In fact, the handset feels like it's smaller than it really is -- for those who prefer tinier phones but still desire as big a display as possible, this may be a rather good compromise. Its overall design scheme actually reminds us a lot of the CloudMobile, especially given those curves and Acer's signature arcs found on the top and bottom of the device. There are some major differences in terms of overall design, such as the inclusion of capacitive navigation buttons on the Glow as well as the lack of a soft-grip textured back, but the family resemblance is certainly there. We didn't notice any lags in software performance, but we'll need to check back when production-quality firmware is available at its launch. All in all, we think the Liquid Glow will wind up being a worthy competitor as long as it's reasonably priced. No availability date has been set, but we should expect to see it in stores sometime this summer. Our video and image gallery will guide you through the radiant goodness below. Continue reading Hands-on with the Acer Liquid Glow at MWC 2012 (video) Hands-on with the Acer Liquid Glow at MWC 2012 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Option XYFI is 'world's smallest' personal hotspot -- we go hands-on! Feb 29th 2012, 14:29  Option's XYFI (pronounced ex-WiFi) was announced earlier this week with little fanfare but piqued our interest with its claim to being the world's smallest personal hotspot. We had an opportunity to look and discuss it at a quiet table at MWC today, a nice change from a showy booth. Option has been out of the data connectivity game in any significant way -- for what seems like forever -- in a segment it once led with some 70% of market share. The XYFI is indeed small and at first glance looks like a simple USB modem and not an access point that can support up to 8 people's roaming internet needs via WiFi or 3G connectivity. The USB plug swivels open in switchblade-style -- we found that little button somehow so soothing -- and then pops into your desktop for a quick 4-step setup. As you've likely sussed, the XYFI doesn't have a battery of its own but rather relies on a beautiful 4000mAh xpal adapter the Option device plugs into -- and once connected we're told you can expect about 8 hours of battery life. Option's other accessories for the XYFI include a plug for the car and AC adapter. We'll admit that Option has a steep hill to climb in the mobile hotspot world, but we're sold already. Pricing should be sub $100 for the XYFI alone and we'll be back with details on the accessories and launch date as soon as can. Gallery of this really sharp looking device follows. Option XYFI is 'world's smallest' personal hotspot -- we go hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | ZTE PF 100 hands-on at Mobile World Congress 2012 (video) Feb 29th 2012, 14:18 ZTE's been making some slow, but steady progress as it transitions from no name, white label manufacturer to more of a well-known brand. Aiding the company in that exact mission is one of its latest tablets, the PF 100, shown off by NVIDIA at this year's Mobile World Congress. The apparently stock Android 4.0.3 slate packs a Tegra 3 CPU inside and 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 display. The unit we saw is far from a finished production model, given the fact that it was literally bursting apart at the seams and appeared as if it'd been roughly handled. We imagine the final product will be a bit more hardy than the one we had in-hand, but that shoddiness aside, it's still a hulk of a tablet. Indeed you won't find the design at all charming; it's rough, thick and inelegant with a chunky bezel on front and mix of hard, grooved rubber and plastic on back. All of the ports and hardware keys are relegated to the top edge of the device with slots for both SIM and microSD covered by a single flap. There's also a dual camera setup, as well as stereo speakers and a proprietary dock connection on the base. As you might expect, performance on the tablet was incredibly fast thanks to its 1.5GHz quad-core processor and the one game we demoed loaded quickly, showcasing responsive controls. No further details about pricing, markets or availability have been announced at this time, but we expect those important tidbits to be forthcoming in the weeks ahead. You can check out a hardware tour of the tablet in the gallery below and be sure to jump past the break for a full video walkthrough. Continue reading ZTE PF 100 hands-on at Mobile World Congress 2012 (video) ZTE PF 100 hands-on at Mobile World Congress 2012 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Microsoft Windows 8 Consumer Preview detailed impressions Feb 29th 2012, 13:45 The early days of Windows were inauspicious ones. Sitting on top of DOS, it was hardly a revolution in personal computing -- instead it felt like a disjointed platform perched uncomfortably atop a command prompt, ready to come crashing down at any moment. That's what it was, and often that's what it did. The early days of Windows required constant jumps from GUI to shell as users ran a wide assortment of apps, only some of which played nice inside a window. It was over a decade later, after Windows 95, that the operating system would truly ditch its DOS underpinnings and feel like a totally integrated system. Why are we reminiscing? Because we're reaching that same point again. With the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, Microsoft is showing off the most complete version of the company's most modern operating system, yet in many ways it feels like 1985 all over again -- like there are two separate systems here struggling to co-exist. How well do they get along? Join us after the break to find out. Continue reading Microsoft Windows 8 Consumer Preview detailed impressions Microsoft Windows 8 Consumer Preview detailed impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Windows 8 Consumer Preview now available for download Feb 29th 2012, 13:42 Don't say we didn't warn you. As anticipated, Leap Day is all about Microsoft in Barcelona, and Microsoft is all about you, the consumer. Redmond today officially unveiled the Consumer Preview of its forthcoming desktop operating system. Want to get an early look at the OS? Peep the source link below. Keep in mind: you'll need a 1GHz processor, either 1GB (32-bit) / 2 GB (64-bit) of RAM, 16GB (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit) available disk space, DirectX 9 graphics with WDDM 1.0 or higher and 1024 x 768 minimum screen resolution to run the new OS. Or, for the more faint of heart, check out our detailed preview and have a look at the press info after the break. The beta version of Windows Server "8" is available now as well for those who may be interested, via the TechNet link that follows. [Thanks, all] Continue reading Windows 8 Consumer Preview now available for download Windows 8 Consumer Preview now available for download originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Microsoft, TechNet | Email this | Comments | | Toshiba Excite 10 LE gets March 6th launch date, confirmed $530 price, yet another name Feb 29th 2012, 13:34 First it was the AT200, then the Excite X10, and now it's the Excite 10 LE. But behind the onion-like layering of names sits a singular and rather beautiful slate, with a 10.1-inch LED backlit display, a 7.7mm (0.3-inch) chassis and a righteous 1280 x 800 resolution. Toshiba says it'll arrive at select US retailers on March 6th, which happens to coincide pretty closely with another possible technology incident. And since there could well be some tough buying dilemmas on the horizon, let's recount just a few more specs: The $530 version of the 10 LE has 16GB of storage, while 32GB can be had for $600. Both variants are WiFi-only and will run Android 3.2 out of the box, but they'll be upgradeable to ICS sometime in the spring. The 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor will whirr for up to eight hours on a charge; connectivity includes micro-USB, HDMI and microSD; the rear camera shoots 1080p video and 5-megapixel stills. There, does that make things any easier? No? Then there's a full press release after the break. Gosh, you're demanding. Continue reading Toshiba Excite 10 LE gets March 6th launch date, confirmed $530 price, yet another name Toshiba Excite 10 LE gets March 6th launch date, confirmed $530 price, yet another name originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
