Samsung Preston Icon »
Samsung’s new Icon range is looking to grab a large chunk of the touchscreen market, and will be in Australia by the end of 2009. Of the four Icon models soon to hit the market, the Preston model will be targeted at entry-level consumers. This is a very attractive phone that will be made comparatively [...]
David Blaine now douching up your iPhone »
I don’t know if you guys are aware, but nothing is better for making people think you’re awesome than doing card tricks. No, seriously. Anyone you know with a ton of friends only has so many friends because of their card trick repertoire. Actually, there is one thing that’s cooler than doing card tricks: doing card tricks with virtual cards . For maximum cool, it must be done on an iPhone. Just when you started to think such incredible feats were impossible, David Blaine has saved the day with an iPhone app: David Blaine’s Street Magic: See-A-Card by David Blaine [brought to you by David Blaine]. For just $1.99, you can get all the benefits of knowing a card trick without actually learning a card trick. Whoever said you can’t buy friends? Crunch Network : TechCrunch obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies
Rumor: Nvidia Tegra phones in Q409? [Updated] »
We’ve been excited about Nvidia’s Tegra chipset making its way to mobile handsets for as long as they’ve been showing off their prototypes – which, to be clear, is quite a while. They’ve managed to jam a beast of a computer down into a itty-bitty chip and sink the power requirements down to less than one watt, all while keeping the thing cheap. In other words, straight ridiculous computing power (games, HD video output) on a handset that lasts, as Nvidia puts it , “days and days”. We’d heard whispers from Nvidia’s crew back at CES that this thing ought to make its mobile debut in Q4, but we had a hard time getting an official statement on the matter. Looks like it has become a sure thing since: in an interview with The Street , Nvidia’s GM of mobile Mike Rayfield fessed up that one of the big five manufacturers should launch a Tegra phone by the end of this year. We aren’t going to take a stab at which of the big five we’re talking about here, but we can make educated guesses as to which platform it’ll run. Last we heard, Tegra played friendly with Windows CE Embedded, Windows Mobile, and Android. If you see us around, pardon the shade of blue that has conquered our faces; we’re not going to stop holding our breath until we get a Samsung-made, Android-based Tegra phone. UPDATE : Looks like our own Peter Ha of CrunchGear nailed out this information in an interview with Nvidia last week . Not only that, but he took it one step further, getting pricing/carrier information; expect Tegra phones to launch in Q4 on AT&T/T-Mobile for right around the $199 price point. Crunch Network : CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
T-Mobile’s Green Perks app goes live »
I don’t typically cover apps or widgets that send e-coupons to my cellular phone very often or at all, but I kind of dig the Green Perks app from T-Mobile. It’s the Oregonian in me, I swear. So, what is Green Perks and why should I download it onto my T-Mobile device? That’s what you’re asking yourself, right? Well, it’s meant to send e-coupons from Green Perks partners who offer environmentally conscious products and/or services. Said partners include Method, Jamba Juice, Volcom, Roxy and Quiksilver. Quiksilver, for example, has a collection of Eco Friendly threads . Volcom also carries a line of 100 percent organic cotton duds under the V-Co.logical collection . So, yeah, those coupons might come in handy if you’re out shopping as they’re the POS type. Green Perks is just another facet in the Mobilize initiative from T-Mobile to help their customers be a little more green and eco-friendly. Check it out at T-Mobile Mobilize . Crunch Network : CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
Vodafone thinking of buying T-Mo UK? »
Vodafone, the world’s largest cellular operator, is thinking about buying T-Mobile UK, making the giant even bigger. The plan is under scrutiny right now as it would essentially create a massive Euro-monopoly on the cellular front. Vodafone declined to comment. But people familiar with the situation said the company was examining the case for making an offer for T-Mobile UK, or setting up a joint venture. In February, Vodafone and Hutchison Whampoa, the Hong Kong conglomerate, announced plans to combine their Australian mobile businesses. Shares in Vodafone rose 1.3 per cent on Monday to 117.9p, while Deutsche Telekom was 0.8 per cent higher at €8.30. If Vodafone were to buy T-Mobile UK, the company would be catapulted to clear market leadership, with a 40 per cent share of revenue paid by British mobile phone users. It seems this consolidation is taking advantage of reduce company prices during the downturn, placing Vodafone in the cat bird seat once things clear up. What would you UKites think if you had to switch to Vodafone? Crunch Network : CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Micro-USB to be the standard phone charging port of Europe »
In a move that should have been done years ago, the top mobile phone suppliers of Europe have all signed an agreement that micro-USB will be the standard phone charging port. Soon consumers will not have to fret over charging cables as all the phones from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG, NEC, Qualcomm, Motorola, RIM, Samsung, Texas Instruments, and even Apple sold in Europe will all charge via micro-USB. We’re just curious if Apple is going to finally retire the Dock Connector from the iPhone or produce some sort of micro-USB adapter to comply with this agreement. Chances are that the European market will see a dock connector to micro-USB port dongle before Apple gives up on the aging proprietary connector and goes micro-USB exclusive. After all, there are thousands of Dock Connector-compatible accessories that come from royalty-paying vendors and Apple needs to protect its income sources. Hopefully all these companies will come together yet again in the name of consumers and sign a similar agreement here in the States. We want a standard charging port too. Right? Right. Crunch Network : TechCrunch obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies
Scottevest Signature Jacket »
Have you ever fantasized about a piece of clothing that does everything you ever wanted? The ultimate gadget jacket, perhaps? Well, it might be impossible to ever have a ‘perfect’ piece of gadget clothing, but the Scottevest Signature Jacket comes pretty close.
Portable Toaster »
For generations, toasters have provided a fantastic option for breakfast or a quick snack anytime during the day. For people who find it hard to palate soggy cereal or more exotic food first thing in the morning, toast is the key to getting the day off to a good start.
Toilet Tunes »
Have you ever thought there was something lacking in your bathroom experience? Perhaps you need something to help pass the time when you are on the loo, or something to help the time pass? The answer is Toilet Tunes, a fascinating and clever product from LGN Home Products.
Quick Review: Mass Effect Galaxy »
Have you ever gotten excited about a new title that just came out from a game shop that you admire and love, only to play through the game and think: that’s it?! I got all worked up for THIS?! Well, that just happened to me. It took me all of 3 hours to beat Mass Effect Galaxy . No, I didn’t cheat. No, I didn’t take shortcuts (I actually spent longer than I should have on some parts). And, no, I didn’t skip any cut scenes (tempting as it was). If that isn’t enough reason to refrain from buying EA and Bioware ’s most recent release, keep reading. Otherwise, save yourself the $2.99 and spend it on a Frosty or something. In Mass Effect Galaxy, you are Jacob Taylor and your mission is to stop a gang of alien terrorists from, well, terrorizing. You spend most of the game walking through a mildly interesting storyline and conversing with various intergalactic friends and foes. In each conversation, you decide what Jacob says: you can be a dick and tell the other person to get out of your way or you’ll blow their head off. Or, you can politely engage with them and dodge a fight altogether. I recommend the former, because you may not get to shoot anyone if you diplomatically avoid confrontation. And the game is short enough as it is; there’s no need to rob yourself of the few times you can actually play it. That said, the gameplay wasn’t a complete disaster. For the three hours that I spent on it, at least 30 minutes of it was worth my time. The gameplay was unique and interesting, but it got dull after the first three battle scenes. As a change from the traditional Mass Effect game, you view the screen from a top-down perspective. You are able to see all of the enemies ahead of time and plan your attack strategy from there. Not that you need an attack strategy: I was able to beat almost every battle scene by just running and gunning my way around the room. You control Jacob Taylor via a tilt-motion, which is a clever use of the iPhone’s accelerometer for first-person shooting games. But it got stale and I felt myself a bit disappointed with the way it handled. You just can’t engage yourself in a top-down first-person shooter. The real problem with the controls was that it AUTO-FIRES. Someone once told me that movies use voice-overs because the writer couldn’t come up with an interesting way to tell his story without it. Auto-firing is like the game developer’s voice-over. Unless there is a DAMN good reason for it, games should never have auto-firing (or auto-accelerate/brake for that matter). To top it off, the game takes like 30 seconds to load between each cut scene and battle scene. Given the fragmented nature of Mass Effect Galaxy, it is absurdly annoying to see the loading screen so frequently. Definitely one of many things that should be fixed if EA ever decides to build a complete Mass Effect game for the iPhone. Although never intended as a full-fledged iPhone game, Mass Effect Galaxy was still a major disappointment. To EA and Bioware: if you’re going to use it as a marketing vehicle for Mass Effect 2, then make it free (and cut out some of the features), or charge $0.99 for it. Regardless, as our Devin Coldeway predicted , this game simply dilutes the Mass Effect franchise. Crunch Network : CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors