New Technology Reviews!.: electronics

Engadget's NYC Reader Meetup happens tomorrow!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;">
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;">
<img alt="The NYC Engadget Reader Meetup is less than two weeks away!" class="aligncenter" height="205" mce_src="http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/6417/gust20110812600.jpg" mce_style="margin-top: 4px; margin-bottom: 4px; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;" src="http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/6417/gust20110812600.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 4px; max-width: 640px;" width="360" /></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
We know... this can be something of a sad time. Seasons changing, vacations ending, schools opening, and days shortening. But don't be down, dear reader, because we have a heck of a party planned, only a day away. The NYC Engadget Reader Meetup is <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">tomorrow</span>, it's totally free, and you're invited.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
We've lined up an array of exhibitors to show their latest and greatest toys, including AT&T, Samsung, HTC, RIM, and Motorola. We'll also have an electric Mini Cooper to check out, a glasses-free 3D display from Magnetic 3D, a recharging lounge to refill your electronics, and snacks and desserts to refill your stomachs. AT&T will be bringing artist Matt Siren to do a live piece of art inspired by your stories, and we will of course have a massive pile of goodies to hand out from companies like iRobot, Western Digital, and Pioneer, plus a special giveaway you'll need a QR reader to win -- so don't forget those smartphones. (Not that you would.)</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
The party is at Guastavino's, which is located at <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">59th Street in New York City</span>. Things will kick off at 6:30pm that night and run until 10:30pm. It's an all-ages event, but we can only manage 1,000 people in there at a time, and it's first-come first-served, so don't be late. Want to come? Just show up by 6:30! You don't need to pre-register.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
We'll have a boatload of Engadget editors on hand fielding questions, good friends from <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">Joystiq</span> and <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">TUAW</span> will be in attendance, and we'll be doing a Q&A-focused live podcast (which we won't be able to broadcast, but look for the recording later). If you're a member of the media who would like to attend, please e-mail us at <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">meetup at engadget dot com</span>. Everybody else, get ready to party, and if you want to share with your friends the Facebook event is here.</div>
</div>
</div>

Engadget's NYC Reader Meetup happens tomorrow!

We know... this can be something of a sad time. Seasons changing, vacations ending, schools opening, and days shortening. But don'...

Motorola Remains Independent, No Necessary Nexus in Future

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;">
<div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;">
<img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="250" mce_src="http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/3166/googlenexusslive25580x4.jpg" src="http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/3166/googlenexusslive25580x4.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="google_nexus_s_live_25-580x447" width="324" />While Google’s purchase of the Motorola group may mean many things for Google, especially along the lines of patents, Motorola will, if Andy Rubin and Motorola’s Sanjay Jha are to be trusted, still act as a separate company. In addition, Rubin has doubly assured the Android public that the next Nexus device coming from Google will not necessarily be a Motorola device, and that Motorola “will be part of that bidding process” but will not necessarily be a certain lock-in.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"></span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
As it’s clear that every real hardcore Android fan’s true love of Android is shown in their wanting to see the next Nexus device, Andy Rubin released a set of words noting how it should be clear to everyone that Google’s acquisition of Motorola does not mean Motorola will be given any special favors:</div>
<blockquote style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 3em; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
“We have this lead device strategy, that strategy has worked quite well to help focus the team. What we do is select, around Christmas time each year, a manufacturer that we work very closely with to release a device in that timeframe, and that includes also some essential companies and all the components that go into the device. And essentially all the teams huddle together in one building, they jointly work and these development efforts go on for 9-12 months, and ultimately at the holiday season or right before it the devices pop out that are based on this effort.”</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
- Andy Rubin</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Publicly, as in sitting right alongside the official release of the acquisition of Motorola by Google, manufacturers Samsung, Sony Ericsson, HTC, and LG, have appeared rather positive about the deal:</div>
<blockquote style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 3em; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
“We welcome today’s news, which demonstrates Google’s deep commitment to defending Android, its partners, and the ecosystem.”<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;" />– J.K. Shin President, Samsung, Mobile Communications Division</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
“I welcome Google‘s commitment to defending Android and its partners.”<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;" />– Bert Nordberg President & CEO, Sony Ericsson</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
“We welcome the news of today‘s acquisition, which demonstrates that Google is deeply committed to defending Android, its partners, and the entire ecosystem.”<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;" />– Peter Chou CEO, HTC Corp.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
“We welcome Google‘s commitment to defending Android and its partners.”<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;" />– Jong-Seok Park, Ph.D, President & CEO, LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
What we’re looking at here instead will be Google acquiring a strong and significant patent portfolio, one that Motorola has very recently suggested that it was (and is) in a strong position to be on the patent offensive in the very near future. We can guess here that Google will now be able to hopefully defend itself against the current patent war going on in the streets.</div>
</div>
</div>

Motorola Remains Independent, No Necessary Nexus in Future

While Google’s purchase of the Motorola group may mean many things for Google, especially along the lines of patents, Motorola will, if ...

Sony in the red due to quake-hit production

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0.6em;">
<div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;">
<img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="90" mce_src="http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/9710/sonylogo200200.jpg" src="http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/9710/sonylogo200200.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="120" /></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Sony has reported that it made a net loss of 15.5 billion yen (£122 million) for the three months from April to June 2011, with sales declining by 18 per cent year on year.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
It blames the chasm in its finances on the earthquake that hit Japan earlier this year, which caused production delays and squeezed component supplies.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
It also reckons "unfavourable exchange rates" and "the deterioration of the electronics business environment" have had a negative impact.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">TVs down, gaming weird</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
The worst hit department was Sony's TV unit, which has also revised its sales forecast for the rest of the year downwards.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Sony's computer entertainment division had some interesting news; PlayStation 3 sales are down, possibly due to the PSN hack that took the gaming network down for over a month earlier this year.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
However, the outdated PS2 has seen sales remain pretty steady, down by only a couple of hundred thousand compared to the same period last year.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Also weirdly, the PSP handheld console has had a bit of a boom with a 600,000 sales increase to 1.8 million, no doubt due to attractive price cuts and new bundles in advance of the launch of the PS Vita next year.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
With regards to the cyber attacks on the PSN, Sony notes, "Most recently, user logins to PlayStation Network in North America have returned to a similar level as before the cyber attacks."</div>
</div>
</span></div>

Sony in the red due to quake-hit production

Sony has reported that it made a net loss of 15.5 billion yen (£122 million) for the three months from April to June 2011, with sales d...

Nexus S with AT&T bands available in white for $600, headed to Fido and Rogers

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/07/nexus-s-with-atandt-bands-available-in-white-for-600-headed-to-f/"><img alt="" border="1" height="300" hspace="4" src="http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/2026/nexussattbandsavailable.jpg" style="margin: 4px; border: 1px solid black;" vspace="4" width="290" /></a></div><br/><div>It's been a long time in coming, but it looks like Google and Samsung's love child, the Nexus S -- a favorite around these parts -- is finally available with AT&T's 850 and 1900 MHz 3G bands from online retailer Negri Electronics, for $600 in your choice of black <em>or</em> white. It's not the first time we've seen the elusive Samsung GT-I9020A in the wild: it's already appeared both in the hands of the FCC and on the Bluetooth SIG's website. We've also seen pictures of a Nexus S with a white battery cover before. And here's more: we already knew the AWS version of the Nexus S was coming to Canada via Mobilicity, but according to <em>MobileSyrup</em>, you'll soon be able to pick up the Nexus S on Fido and Rogers for C$500 contract-free or C$100 with a three-year commitment, and these two carriers use the same 3G frequencies as AT&T in the US. So, until we hear something official from Samsung or Google, hit up our plethora of source links below.</div>

Nexus S with AT&T bands available in white for $600, headed to Fido and Rogers

It's been a long time in coming, but it looks like Google and Samsung's love child, the Nexus S -- a favorite around these parts -- ...