It’s Official: Samsung Omnia II Is $200 on Verizon [Samsung]

 

Last Friday’s tipster was right on the money: The Omnia II lands December 2 for $200 on contract (after $100 mail-in rebate). It runs WinMo 6.5, but that sweet-looking 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen gets the 3D cube TouchWiz 2.0 UI.

As we noted when we first saw the ai.rs video below, the TouchWiz 2.0 UI looks nice, but the resistive touch lag is a shame given the 800Mhz processor.

Key features:
• 3.7-inch ultra-brilliant (Wide Video Graphics Array Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) responsive touch screen
• Virtual QWERTY keyboard with Swype technology: input text faster and easier with one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard
• Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, which keeps customers connected with corporate and personal e-mail and synchronization of schedules and contacts
• Microsoft Office Mobile: manage Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents
• Enhanced 3D cube user interface
• Full HTML Web browsing capabilities with Opera 9.5 enhanced browser
• One-touch access to social networking sites via shortcut widgets
• Supports Verizon Wireless services, including V CAST Music with Rhapsody, V CAST Video on Demand, V CAST Song ID, Visual Voice Mail, VZW Tones, VZ NavigatorSM, Mobile IM and Mobile Email

Additional specifications:
• Full messaging suite, including SMS, MMS, Mobile IM, Mobile Email and Corporate Email
• Access to social networking applications, including YouTube, Facebook and MySpace, with Samsung’s TouchWiz 2.0 user interface
• 5-megapixel camera with flash and auto-focus and camcorder and decoder with DNSe technology and on-device editing capabilities
• 802.11b/g Wi-Fi (no N)
• Support for Divx and Xvid movie files
• 8 GB internal memory and expandable memory of up to 16 GB with microSD memory card (card sold separately)
• Bluetooth® profiles supported: headset (mono and stereo), hands-free (car kits), object push for vCard, basic imaging, phonebook access profiles. Also supports serial port, dial-up networking, object push for vCalendar, file transfer, basic printing and human interface device profiles

Available Colors: Black with red accents on the battery cover

It’s Official: Samsung Omnia II Is $200 on Verizon [Samsung]
Danny Allen
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:00:01 GMT

Technorati Tags: Cellphone,Verizon,WinMo,Gizmodo

Happy 4th birthday, Xbox 360

 

Cruising the Twitters, as we are wont to do, we stumbled upon a revelation, courtesy of one Major Nelson. That revelation: Today is the fourth anniversary of the launch of the Xbox 360. Yes, just four years ago, on November 22, 2005, the Joystiq universe was just buzzing with excitement. There were freezing cold lines to wait in, boxes to open and new games to play — in fantastic HD resmolutions! And then, of course, it began.
Check out a sampling of our Xbox 360 launch coverage after the break.

Continue reading Happy 4th birthday, Xbox 360

Happy 4th birthday, Xbox 360 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Happy 4th birthday, Xbox 360
Richard Mitchell
Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:30:00 GMT

Technorati Tags: Xbox 360,Gaming,Major Nelson,Joystiq

Microsoft says it’s ‘well within legal rights’ to ban consoles

 

In response to a possible class action lawsuit resulting from a recent round of Xbox Live bans, Microsoft has now asserted the legality of its position. A spokesperson has told the Financial Post that piracy is a violation of the company’s terms of use and that Microsoft is "well within its legal rights" to ban users from its Xbox Live.
It was reported earlier this month that the law firm AlbingtonIP is "investigating" the possibility of a class action lawsuit against Microsoft over the bans. The firm argues that timing of the bans — shortly after the release of Halo 3: ODST and just prior to the launch of Modern Warfare 2 — was designed to get as much money from Xbox Live subscriptions as possible. In other words, the firm believes that Microsoft personally waited for a time when many people — modders in this case — would be purchasing Live subscriptions for popular games — money that probably wouldn’t be refunded after a ban.
Joystiq’s Law of the Game columnist, Mark Methenitis, classified the suit as a likely "cash grab," explaining that anyone savvy enough to mod an Xbox would know to stay well away from Xbox Live. We might add that major releases, like ODST and Modern Warfare 2, are the biggest targets for piracy, and likely correspond with rises in illegal downloads. And that just might have something to do with the timing of the bans in question.
[Via Kotaku]

Microsoft says it’s ‘well within legal rights’ to ban consoles originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft says it’s ‘well within legal rights’ to ban consoles
Richard Mitchell
Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Technorati Tags: Xbox 360,Microsoft,Xbox Live,Gaming

BlackBerry Curve 8530 now putting Verizon through the rounds

 

Right on schedule, the latest BlackBerry to grace the Verizon’s CDMA spectrum, the Curve 8530, is now on sale. A 2.5-inch display, OS 5.0, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and yes, WiFi — take that, Tour. Price is $199.99 on two-year contract, with an added $100 discount if you buy it online. Let’s be honest, what else were you gonna spend that money on tonight, hm?

Filed under: Cellphones

BlackBerry Curve 8530 now putting Verizon through the rounds originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry Curve 8530 now putting Verizon through the rounds
Ross Miller
Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:12:00 GMT

Technorati Tags: Blackberry,Verizon,Engadget

Whitten: Xbox Live banning ‘a cat and mouse game’

 

Speaking to VentureBeat, Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten discussed the recent round of Xbox Live bans. According to Whitten, banning users from Xbox Live is "a cat and mouse game." Said Whitten, "These were people that were pirating software." He added that Microsoft looks at banning users "from a safety and anti-cheating perspective" and that the company looks out for its partners. Responding to the widely reported story that Microsoft banned over a million Xbox Live users, Whitten said that the figure is inaccurate. "I cannot explain to you why people would think it was a million people," said Whitten, then adding quite succinctly, "It wasn’t a million people."
Whitten went on to state his belief that Microsoft does "a really good job" of monitoring the activity on Xbox Live, specifically in terms of piracy and online harassment. He concluded that the company is "committed to making [Xbox Live] better and better."
The interview also covers the recent integration of Facebook on Xbox, the effect Modern Warfare 2 had on Live activity (hint: a big one) and whether or not we’ll be playing Facebook games on our consoles anytime soon. Don’t expect a straight answer on that last one though, as the closes Whitten gets is, "In the future, they will move much closer together."

Whitten: Xbox Live banning ‘a cat and mouse game’ originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whitten: Xbox Live banning ‘a cat and mouse game’
Richard Mitchell
Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Technorati Tags: Xbox 360,Gaming,News,Joystiq

Seesmic Releases Twitter Application For BlackBerry Smartphones!

 

[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

Seesmic, one the larger provides of desktop applications for Twitter has moved into the mobile market. As of now, heading on over to the Seesmic website from your BlackBerry will enable you to download the all new BlackBerry Twitter client.

Features:

• All your timelines-Seesmic for BlackBerry groups all your Twitter timelines into one simple application. Whether you want to scroll through your friends timeline, check on a saved search, view a list or want to find a private conversation with a friend, everything is one click away from the main menu.
• Saved search and list support- Searches and lists saved on your Twitter account are automatically imported and made available inside the BlackBerry application – a first for a Twitter application the BlackBerry.
• URL Shortening -We integrated the same URL shortening capability than in our popular Desktop client. Just type a URL, press the shortening button and we’ll transform your long URL into a really small one so you have more space for your tweets.
• Background Notifications -While it is running in the background, Seesmic for BlackBerry will alert you to received Direct Messages and @Replies that require your attention. This is done using the familiar system-wide icon notification bar that alerts you to new mail, sms messages and voicemails.

Two versions are currently available while in beta and alpha stages v1.0 for BlackBerry devices running OS 4.6 and higher, and an alpha v1.0b for the Tour 9630 and Storm series devices. no support to be found for anything less then 4.5 but in all reality who would be running anything less then anyways? Give it a shot, let us know how it works in the comments.

• More Information And Downloads Available Via The Seesmic Website>>

CrackBerry.com’s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Seesmic Releases Twitter Application For BlackBerry Smartphones!

Seesmic Releases Twitter Application For BlackBerry Smartphones!
Bla1ze
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:32:02 GMT

Technorati Tags: Blackberry,Seesmic,Twitter

Metareview: Left 4 Dead 2

 

Considering the devilishly heightened difficulty of Left 4 Dead 2, we’re surprised enough outlets managed to complete a single campaign in time to submit a review for the title. We have to imagine GameSharks were somehow involved. Regardless, here’s what other sites are saying about Valve’s follow-up to last year’s Zombocalypse survival sim.

• Eurogamer (9/10): "Whereas once we treated Left 4 Dead as a stopgap between Half-Lifes, this is no longer a weird little side project with modest expectations, and Valve is confident enough to play around with it, safe in the knowledge that you can trust your players. Left 4 Dead proved it. And whereas that game had a personality, this one is overflowing with it."
• IGN (9/10): "It remains one of the most distinctive co-operative titles out there, and allows for some of the most nerve-searing team-based multiplayer gaming on the market."
• GameTrailers (8.7/10): "Though not an astounding improvement over the original, Left 4 Dead 2 successfully rekindles that magical zombie-hunting feeling with great new content, and a cool competitive multiplayer mode to boot."
• Giant Bomb (4/5 Stars): "The core of Left 4 Dead may have lost some of its newness in the last 12 months, but the wealth of additions in this sequel ought to keep you blasting zombies and munching on brains for a good long while."

Metareview: Left 4 Dead 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Metareview: Left 4 Dead 2
Griffin McElroy
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Technorati Tags: Gaming,Xbox 360,Joystiq

Barnes & Noble Ruins Nerd Christmas [EReaders]

 

Nobody has any idea if the Nook is actually any good yet, but no matter: It’s the perfect holiday gift, in theory! Or at least it was, until Barnes & Noble ran out of them.

Granted, it’s a little worrisome that Barnes & Noble is taking preorders before letting reviewers have their say, so maybe this enforced waiting period is a good thing. At any rate, it’ll be January—well after we’ll have run B&N’s Android-powered ereader through its paces—before anyone else will be able to get one. [B&N via Bits]

Barnes & Noble Ruins Nerd Christmas [EReaders]
John Herrman
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:41:52 GMT

Technorati Tags: eReader,Barnes & Noble,Nook,Gizmodo

Sisimizi Organizes Your Game Catalog [Downloads]

 

Windows: Gaming is fun. Organizing your all you personal video games isn’t. Sisimizi takes the hassle out of managing your collection so you can get back to raiding villages and killing zombies.

Sisimizi Game Catalog is a free, open-source database application that supports classic and recent video game consoles. It retrieves game info from the internet, imports from other databases or formats, and even keeps track of games you’ve loaned out to friends. Sisimizi groups games by platform, year, or genre, and you can even tote it around on a thumb drive or USB stick.

Do apps like this help you manage your towering piles of video games or do you have a better method for keeping track of them all? Share your ideas in the comments. Sisimizi is a free download for Windows systems only.

Sisimizi

Sisimizi Organizes Your Game Catalog [Downloads]
Lisa Hoover
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:30:00 GMT

Technorati Tags: Gaming,Xbox 360,Windows

Review: Left 4 Dead 2

 

When Valve announced Left 4 Dead 2 during Microsoft’s E3 2009 press conference — less than seven months after the release of the award-winning original — gamers were, perhaps rightfully, shocked. This was the same Valve that spent nearly ten years iterating on Team Fortress 2 and whose experiment in episodic gaming has forced us to reevaluate our expectations for future installments of Half-Life 2 using the "Star Wars-definition" of episodic.
So when Valve announced a direct sequel to the ground-breaking Left 4 Dead on what could only be considered an accelerated schedule for normal developers (and an impossibly accelerated schedule for Valve) we had every right to be shocked. Valve answered this concern with assurances that Left 4 Dead 2 was an entirely new game, with changes that could not be simply grafted onto the original. And the team was right! … But that’s the problem.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2 (07/10/09)

Continue reading Review: Left 4 Dead 2

Review: Left 4 Dead 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Left 4 Dead 2
Christopher Grant
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:43:00 GMT

Technorati Tags: Gaming,L4D2,Xbox 360