Items tagged with Handheld
There probably aren't as many Peek handhelds in use as there are BlackBerry devices. Or iPhones. Or Android smartphones. But quite a few are out there, and the company has managed to build a rather loyal following. The Peek Pronto and Peek Classic were both hits back in their day (to some extent, anyway), and in particular when sold with "lifetime" service plans. That plan was for the life of the device, but what happens when service dies for good... even after you've paid for a lifetime service plan? That's not a hypothetical question. Over the weekend, lots of older Peek devices hit a connectivity snag that now appears permanent. The official Peek blog has posted and confirmed the issue, but...
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Early on, the Peek was an email-exclusive handheld device. The selling point was its simplicity, as it only did email and nothing more. It was simple in every respect. Somehow, Peek has now broaden their horizons by offering the Peek 9, which is said to be 9 times faster than the Peek Pronto and capable of many, many more tasks. Over the years, Peek's devices have slowly but surely added features rather than simply refining the original formula. The guess was that some people wanted a simple way to check their email on the go, but communication has morphed so rapidly over the past few years that Peek has had to adopt Twitter and now Facebook in order to prevent being deemed irrelevant. After...
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A new gaming handheld? In a world dominated by Sony and Nintendo? Believe it or not, it has happened before. Pandora, a small startup, has captured the hearts of emulation lovers by creating an self-branded handheld gaming platform that mainly focuses on playing ROMs from consoles that have long since been retired. And now, there's another company hoping to fill yet another portable gaming niche: Ocosmos. It doesn't really roll off of the tongue, but it's probably a name you won't soon forget once you see what they've produced here. The OCS-1 handheld is a slider-type device that looks a lot like Danger's old SideKick cellphones. The rounded edges remind us somewhat of the PlayStation Portable,...
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Now, here's a tactic you don't see very often. In fact, we hesitate to even call it a "tactic." Most companies are deathly afraid of letting impending price drop information leak before the drop actually happens, primarily in fear of the information slowing existing sales. Not so with Nintendo, which just announced quite boldly that they will be dropping the price of their Nintendo DSi and DSi XL systems nearly 2 weeks from now. In other words, this is the moment when you put a hold on your DSi/DSi XL purchase and wait for September 12th to roll around. Nintendo's gaming handhelds have long since been the most popular around. Sony has struggled to match the popularity, and with the 3DS just around...
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When you think about portable gaming handhelds, you probably think first of Nintendo and Sony. Which is perfectly logical given just how important the Game Boy line was in the history of gaming and just how popular the PSP line is today. But the handheld gaming world is much, much bigger than just two giant companies. All sorts of smaller firms are also vying for your business, with GamePark being one of the underground leaders when it comes to producing emulator-ready handhelds. The company is best known for their GP2X and Pandora efforts, but a new device is looking even better than the one's that have come before. The GP2X Caanoo is an open source monster, with a Sega Nomad-esque appearance...
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It's true: Nintendo is entering the 3D world. With Sony already announcing that a number of future PlayStation 3 titles would support 3D, Nintendo has been quick to follow in order to keep pace. Microsoft is taking a slightly different route by focusing on mainstream tactics and a new all-body motion sensing technology, but we have to confess that taking 3D to the portable space makes a lot of sense. Not everyone will be eager to spend $2000+ on a new 3D HDTV, but spending a few hundred on a new portable handheld device is a lot easier to swallow for most. The Nintendo 3DS will ship with a 3.53" top display and a 3.02" bottom touch screen. It's equipped with three cameras (two outer; one inner)...
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We fully expect the amount of E Ink-based ereaders to dwindle in the coming years now that the iPad has been introduced, bringing full-color reading and 10+ hours of battery life to reality. But we're not quite there yet, and the ultra-cheap ereader market is still thriving. With Amazon's Kindle setting the bar at around $259, other companies with less marketing dollars are having to approach things differently, mostly by hacking prices and trying not to hack too many features in the process. ViewSonic is a name not normally associated with the ereader market, but that very company has just introduced a new pair of them to compete the barebones reader space. The VEB620 and VEB625 both have 6"...
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Oh, boy. 3D really might be taking over the world. In all honesty, we won't believe that until Google announces a 3D version of their search engine, but believe us, it's probably already in the works. Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be another 3D announcement on the horizon, Nintendo (of all companies!) comes out and hits the world in the face with this one: a 3D version of the popular DS portable gaming handheld. As you may expect, Nintendo will be calling the system the 3DS, which just happens to work out really well for them. But what's interesting isn't that a company who broke new ground by introducing the world to motion gaming (with the Wii remote), but how it'll be done....
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Uniforms, tighter schedules, banning of cellphones; could school possibly get any less organized? We're sure it could, but the higher-ups at Nintendo want to affect schools in a positive way by introducing their products into them, of course. We have previously heard of Dance Dance Revolution being used in select Physical Education programs in order to get students to become active when they otherwise wouldn't, but we have yet to hear of any school making a sweeping measure to accept gaming consoles as a part of their teachings. Nintendo Game Designer, Shigeru Miyamotocredit: Associated PressShigeru Miyamoto, who has had a hand in some of Nintendo's most popular titles,...
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Look, we love Twitter as much as the next guy. So much so, in fact, that we have our own dedicated Twitter feed! But shameless plugs aside, even we can't quite wrap our noodle around Peek's latest handheld.Peek, a company known for producing e-mail only handhelds that allow non-tech savvy individuals to stay connected to email on the go, has just issued the TwitterPeek, which does exactly what you'd think it would. It's designed to give users a handy look at their Twitter list, anytime, anywhere. But honestly, do you even need that?The TwitterPeek is made to only look at Twitter. You can only send tweets, look at tweets and send/receive direct messages. Email? Nope. Calling? Nope. IM? Nope. Just...
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Sony's PSPgo has really taken it on the chin. Reviewers around the Web have criticized the new gaming handheld for being too expensive, too limiting and just too backwards to be taken seriously. Of course, we also think the physical disc will soon die in favor of digital downloads, but obviously the PSPgo is just a few years ahead of its time.The console, which cannot accept PSP-3000 UMD-style games, can only retrieve games and content digitally. So you can either upload media from a flash card, your PC or over-the-air downloads. To some, this may not be that big of a deal; for those with vast PSP-3000 UMD game libraries, it's somewhat less appealing. But hey, we still think Sony will sell quite...
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Do you know what happens when you sell millions upon millions of units with no signs of slowing down? A couple of things, really. First off, your investors rejoice. Secondly, the planet's most pervasive social networks wants everything to do with you. Starting this week, proud Nintendo DSi owners here in American and in Japan can access Facebook Connect right on their handheld, which is a definitely step forward in finally taking advantage of the Wi-Fi capabilities that Nintendo oftentimes downplays in its machines.Using an Internet-connected Nintendo DSi system and the Nintendo DSi Camera application, Facebook members can take pictures with either of the system’s two cameras and upload their...
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In a development that's almost too silly to be true, a New York City teenage girl evidently fell down an open manhole as she walked down the street, distracted because she was...texting. MyFOX NY reports Alexa Longueira was strolling down a Staten Island sidewalk and was fiddling with her phone, preparing to send a text, when she disappeared down an open sewer access duct. Longueira is said to have suffered mild cuts and bruises, but she should be just fine. Workers told the girl's mother they left the manhole open and unattended for mere seconds as they went to grab some pylons from their trucks. The Department of Environmental Protection announced an investigation. Mercedes Padilla, of...
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Welp, looks like Sony's cat is sufficiently out of the bag. With E3 scheduled to get underway next week in California, Sony's biggest secret for the show is a secret no more. Just hours ago, official images leaked of what will reportedly be called the "PSP go." This new PlayStation Portable looks to be a smaller, more compact version of the existing PSP, and it looks as if it won't have a rear UMD slot. What's this mean for gamers? It probably means a cheaper PSP option, and it definitely means that more download-only games will be on the horizon.A leaked video showing off the device explains that it will be sold alongside the current PSP, leading us to believe that the PSP go will be priced...
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Gamers are well aware that E3 is just around the bend, and whispers are sure getting hopes up around the web. Microsoft is expected to unveil a motion sensing system to compete with Microsoft's Wii, Sony just might debut a new thin PlayStation 3, and the PSP just might snag game rentals and music downloads. According to various sources, we're learning that Sony may be in serious discussions with "some of the major recording companies" after offering up music downloads via the PlayStation Network, and considering just how successful iTunes has become (and the tiny fact that the PSP has a music player already built-in), this all sounds like a match made in heaven.In related news, curious surveys...
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Gamers across the pond (meaning Europe and Japan, specifically) have been able to handle Nintendo's smallest and most powerful DS system yet for some time now, but at long last the pleasure is finally coming to those who call North America home. Starting this week, gamers with a thirst for more on-the-go fun can part with $170 in order to bring home the much hyped DSi handheld.Early reviews have found the upgraded device to be far superior to its two predecessors. The loss of the GameBoy Advance slot is a surefire downer for those who adore legacy titles, but pretty much everything else is a definite leap forward. For starters, the display panels are enlarged, while the overall casing is smaller,...
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Ever had the desire to place a standard UMPC-type computer within a rugged chassis and check your email while trudging through mud, rain and sleet? Trimble has, and it's making sure that those of you needing a rugged portable computer don't go away empty handed. The all new Trimble Tablet is described as a rugged, versatile and fully connected handheld computer for heavy and highway and marine construction professionals. Of course, you could replace that last bit with "for anyone who computes in extreme environments" to make it more applicable to you.We're told that it was engineered specifically to take on the perils of the construction job site. That means it's "extremely rugged, with an IP67...
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AMD Sharpens Focus On Latest Multimedia Technologies To Create Immersive Mobile Entertainment Experiences - AMD Unveils New Mobile TV Solution, 3D and Vector Graphics, Audio and Multimedia Technologies for Upcoming Handheld Devices - BARCELONA, SPAIN - Feb. 12, 2008 - Today at the GSMA Mobile World Congress, AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced an expanded portfolio of products and technologies to enable such popular, media-rich applications as mobile TV, 3D games and high-fidelity audio, delivering immersive entertainment to tomorrow's mobile phones and handheld devices. AMD has enhanced its established line of innovative, open-standard handheld device technologies with upcoming AMD Imageon processors,...
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AMD Drives Industry Efforts to Enable Console-Quality Games for Handheld Devices -Technology, Tools and Support Enable Content Development on Open Industry Platform for the Ultimate Mobile Gaming Experience - SUNNYVALE, CALIF. - March 7, 2007 - AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced its strategy to enable visually stunning and immersive games and multimedia content optimized for handheld devices powered by AMD's next-generation graphics technologies. As a leading supplier to the handheld market, AMD is introducing a suite of tools to help content creators jumpstart the development of applications for handheld devices based on OpenVG 1.0 and OpenGL ES 2.0 industry standards and AMD's patented...
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AMD to License Graphics Technology Optimized for Handheld Devices - New Initiative Aims to Enable the Ultimate Visual Experience for Hundreds of Millions of Handheld Devices- SUNNYVALE, CALIF. - February 13, 2007 - AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced a new business focused on developing and licensing leading-edge graphics core technologies to semiconductor manufacturers throughout the handheld industry. This move is a part of the AMD commitment to enable The Ultimate Visual Experience(tm) across all devices from handhelds to PCs. As a result, new handheld devices developed with AMD graphics technology inside will reach a large audience of customers who want to enjoy stunning user interfaces, immersive...
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AMD to License Graphics Technology Optimized for Handheld Devices - New Initiative Aims to Enable the Ultimate Visual Experience for Hundreds of Millions of Handheld Devices- SUNNYVALE, CALIF. -- February 13, 2007 --AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced a new business focused on developing and licensing leading-edge graphics core technologies to semiconductor manufacturers throughout the handheld industry. This move is a part of the AMD commitment to enable The Ultimate Visual Experience across all devices from handhelds to PCs. As a result, new handheld devices developed with AMD graphics technology inside will reach a large audience of customers who want to enjoy stunning user interfaces, immersive...
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The guys at IGN have posted an intriguing article about the evolution of portable gaming units, from its early beginnings to what it has morphed into today.The gaming industry continues to gain speed, and we as a community are entering into yet another generation. We continue the progression from system to system, technology to technology, and innovation to innovation. No matter what console may be hitting shelves soon, there is already another in the future for us to look forward to. This industry has yet to be stagnant since its birth over two decades ago. When looking at the industry that publishers, developers and consumers have created, one can't help but be amazed. Gaming is a worldwide...
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