Tech News Updates

We can’t say we’re all that surprised that Best Buy’s planning to start stocking tablets, but we are slightly shocked that its CTO Robert Stephens uploaded some pics of a RocketFish -labeled slate and blasted them out over Twitter earlier today. Beyond the shot above and the one after the break, we don’t know much about the HP Slate -looking tablet — although, Stephens tweeted later that it’s a ” form factor proto” with no guts inside. He had also said about a month ago on Twitter that ” the tablet has a front facing camera….runs Froyo 2.2.” We’re assuming that he’s talking about the same tablet you’re peering at above, but we never know what those blue shirts are up to. Obviously, we started following Mr. Stephens already and will be keeping a close eye on him and his new, apparently non-functioning gadget. If you just can’t wait to see what double B is working on, we’d probably suggest you do the same. Continue reading Best Buy CTO tweets RocketFish-branded tablet pics Best Buy CTO tweets RocketFish-branded tablet pics originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Well, well — what have we here? We already knew that Microsoft was planning to ship a 4GB Xbox 360 bundle that included Kinect , and now it seems as if the Big M will also package its forthcoming motion sensor with the 250GB ‘box. Based on the packaging of a 4GB bundle over in Australia, it definitely looks as if consumers will have a more capacious option if buying an Xbox 360 for the first time with Kinect, but we’re all waiting with bated breath to hear the official confirmation (or denial, but mostly just confirmation) from Ballmer’s crew. Anytime now, folks…. 250GB Xbox 360 Kinect bundle tipped on 4GB packaging originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

When we first heard through the grapevine that Best Buy was launching its own branded wireless data service, Connect , rumor had it that 4G was going to be baked right in there. We’d later learn that was just wishful thinking, but today’s announcement of a partnership with Clearwire makes it instead simply look premature. Starting sometime next year, Best Buy Connect will offer 4G wireless data over Clearwire’s WiMAX network — and that’s all the two are saying about this partnership right now. We’re hoping prices for these next-gen data plans stay with their current levels, $30 monthly for 250MB up to $60 for 5GB, but all that extra bandwidth might just make those caps feel even tighter. Continue reading Best Buy partners with Clearwire, will Connect customers to 4G Best Buy partners with Clearwire, will Connect customers to 4G originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Stuck on the Toshiba Portege R705’s magnesium alloy palmrest is a shiny sticker celebrating the company’s 25 years of “laptop innovation.” Now, we’re the first to hate on the plethora of decals that festoon Windows laptops these days — and this one also deserves to be peeled off and tossed into the garbage — but the sticker actually happens to speaks volumes about why the $800 R705 is such a big deal. We promise to keep the history lesson short, but for years the Portege series has been Toshiba’s top-of-the-line ultraportable brand, featuring the latest CPUs while usually setting the standard for portability, and always been attached to seriously hefty price tags. Take the Portege R500 , which was the worlds lightest laptop in 2007, and cost two grand. The Portege R705, which is exclusive to Best Buy for now, changes that formula. And in celebration of the big two-five, Toshiba’s put out a 3.2-pound, Core i3-powered stunner that’s less than half the price of past Porteges. Oh, and did we mention it has an on-board optical drive, 500GB of storage, Intel’s wireless display technology and promises 8.5 hours of battery life? We won’t beat around the bush — it’s impressive. But did Toshiba maintain the same Portege standards when creating the R705, or did it cut quality along with the dollar signs? That’s been our main question, and we’ll answer it and others after the break in our full review. Gallery: Toshiba Portege R705 review Continue reading Toshiba Portege R705 review Toshiba Portege R705 review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Sweatin’ those iPhone 4 reception issues ? Got a thing for beastlier phones? Still perturbed that your white iPhone 4 pre-order didn’t exactly ” work out ” as expected? If you’ve found yourself nodding that noggin’ up and down upon reading any of the above questions, you should know that Best Buy’s offering pre-sales of Motorola’s forthcoming Droid X starting today. The benefit, naturally, is that you can avoid Verizon’s pesky $100 mail-in rebate, paying just $199.99 (plus all applicable taxes and bribes) to BB while grabbing a coveting spot in line for the next giant Android phone. Not like you needed an excuse to take a half-day today, but hey — at least you’ve now got a legitimate one. Continue reading Motorola’s Droid X up for pre-order today at Best Buy: $200, no pesky mail-in rebates Motorola’s Droid X up for pre-order today at Best Buy: $200, no pesky mail-in rebates originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

A week back we got word that Best Buy house brand Insignia was moving in on Dash territory with the eight-inch, 800 x 600 Infocast Internet Media Display, and that it’d be releasing on June 20. Sure enough it’s now available online, and is also sitting on a shelf at every local store we checked, meaning this is perhaps the quickest and easiest way to get your cuddle-free Chumby on. At $169 it’s $30 less than the Dash, meaning it makes a little more sense than Sony’s option, but whether or not it’s actually good value depends on just how smart you need your alarm clock to be. [Thanks, Josh L.] Insignia’s Infocast Internet Media Display, the Dash-aping Chumby frame, now available originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Toshiba ’s announced more than enough laptops for us in the past week , but the 13.3-inch Port

The iPhone 4 at Best Buy on launch day? It’d be no surprise, really — after all, the retail giant had both the iPhone 3GS and iPad right from the get-go. We just got word from one of our trusted sources that Best Buy will indeed have the newfangled phone at launch, and even better, we’ve got some details on the inventory. A minimum of 30 units for the 32GB device and 15 of the 16GB will apparently be available at each store, and employee purchases are banned at launch. We can’t say for sure without more paperwork, but this source has been pretty reliable before — if nothing else, it should give you a decent idea just how early you should be preparing to wait in line. Oh, and RadioShack fanatics? Yeah, we’ve heard you can head down there for launch, too, but we don’t yet have a clue as to how many will be in stock. iPhone 4 at Best Buy for launch, at least 45 devices per store? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 22:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

PosiMotion certainly announced this one well enough in advance (all the way back in December ), but it looks like its Helix gaming grip for the iPhone and iPod touch is now finally available, and at Best Buy no less. In case your memory needs to be jogged a bit, this $20 contraption promises to be ideal for “virtually any game,” and let you use your iPhone or iPod touch in either portrait or landscape mode — it’ll also keep your headphones from getting tangled up for good measure. Still not convinced? Then perhaps the video after the break will change your mind — chains not included. Continue reading PosiMotion Helix iPhone / iPod touch gaming grip now available at Best Buy PosiMotion Helix iPhone / iPod touch gaming grip now available at Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 10:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

One of the things we bemoaned in our EVO 4G review was the lack of an included Micro HDMI cable in the box, mostly because they’re still somewhat hard to find, but that worry can now be allayed thanks to this newly uncovered HDMI dock from HTC. It will work with the Micro-USB port at the bottom of your EVO for data and power transfers, but the main attraction will obviously be its compatibility with the phone’s Type D connector and HDMI 1.4 connectivity. Before you rush to your nearest Best Buy to get one, though, there are a couple of caveats. PC Mag ’s testing of the HDMI output found some TVs only recognized a 480p signal when the EVO was sending out 1080p, and a number of apps, including Sprint TV, refused to send their goods out over the High-Definition Multimedia Interface at all. Might be worth trying before buying in this case, as in most others. HTC EVO 4G will have a HDMI dock, sold through Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 May 2010 03:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink