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Walmart clearing off shelf space for $599 HP TouchPad?

Hey now, what's this? Looks like Walmart has made some space on its crowded shelves for the HP TouchPad. An eagle-eyed tipster sent in a shot from his local Wally World of a tag and some room just waiting to be filled up with the planet's first webOS slate. It's always possible that someone's just throwing out their latest Photoshop masterpiece, but the $599 mark certainly has an air of legitimacy (and matches what we saw, back in May). So why not swing by for a better look? And maybe pick up a few dozen iPhones while you're at it.

[Thanks, Mitch]

RSA offering SecurID replacements following Lockheed Martin attack

We'd already had a pretty clear indication that information obtained in the massive RSA hack back in March was used in the attack on Lockheed Martin last month, and RSA has now confirmed that itself for the first time. What's more, Executive Chairman Art Coviello has also announced that the company is willing to provide security monitoring services to those concerned, and even replace existing SecurIDs free of charge for "virtually every customer" it has. Considering that millions of the tokens are now in use, that could add up to quite the bill. Not surprisingly, however, he isn't divulging many more details about the attack itself, noting only that the attacker's "most likely motive" was to use the information to "target defense secrets and related IP, rather than financial gain."

Sony's PlayStation Vita: a closer look (updated with video!)


We told you what Sony's PlayStation Vita felt like, but here it is in the glossy plastic flesh -- all five-inches of vibrant OLED display, two cameras, dual analog sticks, twelve buttons, two capacitive digitizers and a D-pad. Check out the gallery below for some close-up shots, and hop on past the break for some video footage of the quad-core handheld in action
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Walmart temporarily drops iPhone 4 price to $147, not that you'll be able to find one

Quick! Someone tell Walmart Black Friday isn't for another five and a half months. With no new iPhone in sight, the retailer is selling the 16GB version for $147 on contract -- the kind of stunt we'd expect it to pull in an effort to reel in holiday shoppers. Why do we sound so unappreciative, you might ask? Easy: because you probably won't be able to get your hands on one. The sale, which applies to AT&T and Verizon models, lasts until June 30, and only an unspecified number of "select" stores will even be participating. No word on how many discounted phones Walmart has to shill, but both the black and white versions are sold out online, which doesn't exactly bode well for your chances of scoring one in person.

Kinect Star Wars hands-on: Engadget and Joystiq get in touch with the Force


We've been waiting for nearly an entire year to carve up battle droids with a Kinect-controlled lightsaber, and we got the chance last night, donning virtual Jedi robes alongside our friends at Joystiq and calling upon our inner midi-chlorians in a series of brief co-op fights. The interactive demo of Kinect Star Wars version is a fairly scripted affair -- your light side avatars automatically dash from encounter to encounter with the occasional cutscene between, without any prompting from you, and when you get into a melee, the computer controls which enemies you face as well. Still, there are quite a few maneuvers available once combat begins in earnest. You can swing your right hand to swipe with the lightsaber, bring up your left for a powerful Force Push, jump to flip over hapless destroyer droids, step forward to dash directly at a foe, and tilt your body to dodge and flip. There's a bit of a delay between the time you gesture and the time the game recognizes your actions, but it generally seemed to follow our saber strokes, and a product manager tells us a lag fix is inbound. Long story short, we can't tell you quite yet if your 1:1 slicing fantasies will be fulfilled.

Nintendo Wii U console eyes-on

Sadly we weren't able to get our hands-on the new console that's going to come along with the Wii U controller. Every operational unit is clad in shimmering Lucite and locked away. But, from what we can see peering through the glass it's more or less a curvaceous Wii. It's a little bit chubbier, maybe a hint taller, but the design is much the same: glossy white and a big disc slot. Nintendo definitely isn't giving up on physical distribution for this round. All that we can see beyond that is a power button, a reset button, a red sync button, and a little flip-down door much like on the Wii. What's behind the door? Memory cards? More buttons? Magic? Feel free to speculate wildly in comments.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Toshiba Thrive hands-on (video)

Toshiba didn't exactly jump into the tablet market head first, but now that it's come clean with the Thrive, its first pad for the US market, it's wasting no time -- we just got some hands-on with the 10.1-inch, Android 3.1-powered slate -- which, by the by, is the first that we know of to sport a removable battery. It's also got a few more rarities: full-sized USB and HDMI ports and a full-sized SDHC / SDXC slot. Oh, and its $429 starting price ain't bad either. So was Toshiba's entry into the world of Android tablets worth the wait? Join us for a tour past the break, and decide for yourself.
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IBM puts Watson's brains in Nintendo Wii U

Nintendo's new console, the Wii U, was finally unveiled to the world today at E3 2011, and we got a glimpse of its graphical prowess at the company's keynote. Details were scarce about the IBM silicon Nintendo's new HD powerhouse was packing, but we did some digging to get a little more info. IBM tells us that within the Wii U there's a 45nm custom chip with "a lot" of embedded DRAM. It's a silicon on insulator design and packs the same processor technology found in Watson, the supercomputer that bested a couple of meatbags on Jeopardy awhile back. Unfortunately, IBM wouldn't give us the chip's clock speeds, but if it's good enough to smoke Ken Jennings on national TV, we imagine it'll do alright against its competition from Sony and Microsoft.
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Looxcie 2 wearable camcorder slims down, adds some accessories

The original Looxcie may not have quite made wearable camcorders as ubiquitous as Blueooth headsets, but the company's not giving on that dream, and it's now back with its all new Looxcie 2. As you can see above, things have slimmed down considerably this time around -- the new Looxcie is about half the size and 20 percent lighter than the original -- but the camera still packs all the same "lifecasting" capabilities you'd expect, including support for Looxcie's iOS and Android companion apps. You'll also get the same Bluetooth hands-free support as before, plus 480p video recording, a promised four hours of battery life, and support for some new accessories that will let you attach the camera to a cap or helmet. Look for this one to set you back $179 for the basic five-hour model, or $199 if you want enough space for ten hours of video.
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Nintendo Wii U controller, first hands-on! (video)

We just elbowed our way through the crowds and managed to get our first hands-on time with Nintendo's revolutionary new controller, the Wii U. As you can see in the images, it's a rather different thing than even the company's typically unusually styled contraptions. The dominant feature is the center-mounted 6.2-inch touchscreen, which actually looks really good. We'd expected Nintendo would cheap out to keep costs low, but that doesn't appear to be the case, at least not in our first impressions. Join us after the break for more details.
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Motorola clarifies position on Android apps, is still cool with developer community

Being an outspoken executive often involves a steady diet of crow. So, when Sanjay Jha seemingly threw Android developers under the proverbial bus with last week's comments, it seemed only a matter of time before the backtracking commenced. Motorola has fittingly issued a clarification on the CEO's statement, explaining that Jha didn't mean to suggest that apps were at fault for 70-percent of returns. Instead, they're a contributing factor, along with poor battery life and slow performance. The company also took a moment to point out its continued support of the Android developer community, just in case anyone on that side was planning on adding to the aforementioned return rate.

The Wii U controller, revealed! (video)

Whoa! The rumors turned out to be true: a 6.2-inch screen will be built into the controller for Nintendo's next-generation Wii U console. It'll also feature a microphone, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, dual analog controls, two shoulder buttons and two triggers, a front-facing camera, a stylus, and yes, it's a touchscreen, too! Satoru Iwata was careful to forewarn that the Wii U's controller was "not designed to be a portable game machine," even if it shares some characteristics with handhelds. You will, however, be able to game and video chat even without a TV. Screen resolution isn't given yet, but the display ratio is stated as 16:9, matching every other widescreen in your living room. Check the video after the break while we go try to hunt down some hands-on time with this multifunctional new beast of a controller.

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The Wii U, Nintendo's next console (video)

Coming in 2012, Nintendo's next home console will deliver "deeper game experiences" that aim to offer "something for everyone." And it'll be called the Wii U! A variety of new controls will be made available by that crazy new controller with a 6.2-inch touchscreen embedded in it. Most importantly, you'll no longer be tied to a TV to enjoy your home consoling action -- the Wii U controller can handle your gaming session when the television is needed for other purposes, while a built-in front-facing cam will let you video chat from anywhere too. Notably, you won't have to use the 6.2-inch behemoth if you don't want too -- the Wii U will be compatible with all current-gen accessories and software. Yes, your expansive Wii collection will play on the U version of the console as well. We've also seen some decidedly high-def visuals from Nintendo showing off the Wii U's graphical prowess. See video of the unveiling after the break!

Batman: Arkham City, an Assassin's Creed game, Dirt, Ghost Recon Online, Tekken, Metro Last Light, Aliens Colonial Marines, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, and Darksiders II all got a mention as coming to the Wii U. Yes! EA's John Riccitiello just said the Wii U will deliver "brilliant HD graphics." Finally, the Wii is going HD!

Speaking of HD, the fact sheet from Nintendo informs us that the Wii U can pump out 1080p video over HDMI. It'll also be compatible with component, S-video and composite cables. There'll be "internal flash memory" of unspecified quantity, which will be expandable via either an SD card or external USB HDD. IBM is, as with the original Wii, once again responsible for providing the processor inside. Four USB 2.0 slots are made available, while game media will be served up on "proprietary high-density optical discs." There's also another, worthwhile, reminder that the Wii U will play Wii games and their optical discs without a problem.

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Live from Nintendo's E3 2011 keynote!

Another day another liveblog, but not just another company. Today it's Nintendo that will be keeping us rapt with anticipation, and with any luck the big man, Reggie Fils-Aime, will be taking us on quite a ride. Will we see the unveiling of Project Cafe? Will Nintendo tell us just how its 3DS is going to compete in a PlayStation Vita world? Could we finally get that Nintendogs and Paper Mario mash-up we've been waiting for? We'll be going live shortly, at the following times below:

06:00AM - Hawaii
09:00AM - Pacific
10:00AM - Mountain
11:00AM - Central
12:00PM - Eastern
05:00PM - London
06:00PM - Paris
08:00PM - Moscow
01:00AM - Tokyo (June 8th)
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Nintendo announces gold Wiimote for Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Nintendo just announced at E3 that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii is "finally done," and it also revealed that it'll have something of a surprise to mark its release this holiday season: a limited edition gold Wiimote. That, of course, comes with MotionPlus built-in, but details (including a price) are unfortunately a bit light otherwise. We'll let you know more as we get it.

Sony S1 Honeycomb tablet slips through the FCC with AT&T frequencies and HSPA+ broadband module

Ah Sony, your S1 and S2 tablet secrets are safe with trusty ol' Engadget. Take these new SGPT113JP/S and SGPT114JP/S tablets that just passed through the FCC. We won't tell anyone that they're actually variants of your S1 tablet, that 9.4-inch jobbie with Android 3.x Honeycomb and custom-made "Quick and Smooth" UI and "Swift" web browser. And mum's the word on the 2.4GHz 802.11n WiFi and WCDMA bands II and V radios -- the latter making an introduction on AT&T (or perhaps Rogers in Canada) highly likely. And you won't hear us making a peep about the Ericsson F5521gw HSPA+ capable modem that's mentioned, the same module spotted in the S2's FCC filing. Really, we won't say a word until this PlayStation Certified tablet hits retail later in the fall.

BlackBerry PlayBook gets updated with new power menu, better Facebook app, and more

PlayBook power menu
The PlayBook isn't even two months old yet and it's already scored a second update to its QNX-based OS. First up from BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5 is an upgraded Facebook app, which is now a preloaded part of the system software and can do some really neat things... like delete unwanted messages. Devs will be happy to hear that they can include in-app payments, while our European friends should be excited about the expanded language support. There are a few other welcome changes, including some enterprise-friendly tweaks to video chat, a new pop-up power menu (pictured above), and the ability to charge even when the device is turned off -- a constraint we're sure had at least a few owners pulling a Picard-like facepalm. The update is available now and, while you wait for it download, check out the source link for more details.

RED Scarlet captures Hollywood-style street scene at 120fps (video)

The bad news is that the RED Scarlet is a still a prototype two and a half years after it was announced. The good news is that the folks at RED have shot some stunning test footage with the 8x fixed lens version to show off the Scarlet's prowess at 120 frames per second. Remember, every one of those frames is a 3072 x 1620 RAW masterpiece -- and while the video after the break obviously can't deliver that resolution, it can nevertheless give you a feel for the slow-mo power of this thing. Prepare yourselves.

[Thanks, Jarred]
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SSI's rugged Spark S9T brings triple-screen computing to power-hungry road warriors (hands-on)

A portable desktop tower with three LCDs mounted on its side, you say? Why yes, there is such a thing. At Computex, we spotted SSI's camouflaged booth demoing this eccentric Spark S9T rig: a rugged ATX case sporting a handle, a keyboard with a touchpad, plus three 17.3-inch 1920 x 1080 LCD panels. As you've probably already guessed, the keyboard and the screens can be folded up for storage convenience. Let's be clear, though: you'll still need to find a wall socket to power this beastly machine, but such all-in-one solution should still appeal to video editors, military personnel, or even gamers that are regularly on the road. Alas, we couldn't get a price for single purchases, but feel free to check out the full detail over at SSI's website -- maybe a nice postcard will get you a deal.

New and improved Droid Bionic getting a 4.5-inch display and docking connection?

Since Motorola delayed the launch of the LTE-equipped Droid Bionic to carry out "several enhancements," we've debated if this might entail swapping out Tegra 2 in favor of a PowerVR GPU. But now leaked photos are starting to surface, and it would seem that Motorola went and redesigned the body, too. These pics reveal a phone what might be a 4.5-inch qHD display running Gingerbread -- not the 4.3-incher with Froyo that was originally slated to ship this spring. Even more intriguing, the revamped handset sports an Atrix-like docking connection, suggesting that new and improved user experience will include the option of a so-called lapdock. And, as an added flourish, Motorola smoothed out the rubberized back cover, nixing the pattern it had at CES. No further word on a launch date, but for now you can get your fill of spy shots at the source link.
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