Microsoft has long been pushing to get the Xbox 360 into as many living rooms as possible, and it looks like it could now be about to attempt a new tactic to further expand its reach. According to The Verge's sources, the company will launch a new bundle next week that will include both a 4GB Xbox 360 console and a Kinect sensor for just $99 -- the only catch being that you'll also have to sign a two-year contract at a rate of $15 a month. That will give you access to the Xbox Live Gold service, and potentially some additional streaming content, as well as a two-year warranty (there's also naturally an early termination fee for those that break the contract). From the sound of things, though, the new offering could be getting something of a soft launch -- the only outlet mentioned for the bundle so far is the rather limited number of Microsoft Stores in the US.

Microsoft reportedly launching subsidized Xbox 360 bundle next week for $99 with a two-year subscription originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In an attempt to stop people from queuing up unpopular songs in its public Spotify-powered sound system, the folks at Agency Republic created this interactive wall poster that can be used to easily skip tracks. All you have to do is slap, hit, fire, or throw something at it. More »

Last week, Apple and Proview initiated talks in an attempt to resolve an ongoing legal dispute over the iPad trademark, and the Chinese company is confident that it will receive a settlement offer from Apple, the Associated Press reports. “It is likely that we will settle out of court. The Guangdong High Court is helping to arrange it and the court also expects to do so,” said Ma Dongxiao, a lawyer for Proview. “Actually Proview always expected to settle out of court from the beginning. I don’t know if Apple has changed its attitude, but I believe that the key point now is the price.” In a previous statement, Apple claimed it would never “knowingly abuse someone else’s trademarks,” and said that Proview “still owe a lot of people a lot of money, they are now unfairly trying to get more from Apple for a trademark we already paid for.” Fu Shuangjian, the Deputy Director of China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce, however, has already stated that Proview is still the legitimate owner of the iPad trademark in the country. If the companies cannot reach a settlement, the Guangdong High Court will rule over the matter.

Read[Associated Press] Read [WSJ]

In an attempt to reduce the number of accidents caused by in-car distractions, AT&T Labs, working with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, have created a vibrating steering wheel that provides navigation directions instead of voice cues or an on-screen map. More »

In an effort to bypass censorship as well as heat from authorities and copyright owners, The Pirate Bay on Sunday unveiled new plans to “experiment with sending out some small drones that will float some kilometers up in the air.” The GPS controlled drones will hover over international waters and host parts of the website. “Everyone knows WHAT TPB is. Now they’re going to have to think about WHERE TPB is,” The Pirate Bay team told TorrentFreak. “We’re already the most resilient and the most down to earth. That’s why we need to lift off, being this connected to the ground doesn’t feel appropriate to us anymore.” The Pirate Bay has been the subject of a number of raids and investigations stemming from numerous claims of copyright infringement. In order to stay afloat, the service seemingly must find new and innovative ways to reach the masses. ”We’re just starting so we haven’t figured everything out yet. But we can’t limit ourselves to hosting things just on land anymore,” the team stated on its blog. “These Low Orbit Server Stations (LOSS) are just the first attempt. With modern radio transmitters we can get over 100Mbps per node up to 50km away. For the proxy system we’re building, that’s more than enough.”

[Via TorrentFreak]

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Holy crap! CyanogenMod, the custom ROM of choice for many power users, will no longer offer root access upon first install. Now before you panic, let's make this part clear: everyone so inclined may still enable superuser access -- for ADB, apps or both -- from the Developer Options menu. The biggest change, in fact, is that CyanogenMod is making a significant departure from the majority of custom ROM developers, which offer root access to all users by default (and often without their knowledge). The move is an attempt by CyanogenMod leaders to make the platform more secure, and given the number of ROMs that are based on CyanogenMod (or glean its packages), we wouldn't be particularly surprised to see this feature become more commonplace amongst other custom Android ROMs. To learn more about the rationale of the project leaders, be sure to hit up the source link below.

CyanogenMod disables root access by default, now requires user configuration originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Details are still fairly light at the moment, but The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that Google could be about to make big push into the hardware business. Citing people briefed on the company's plans, the WSJ says that Google is now developing a home entertainment system that would stream music wirelessly throughout the home (including to web-connected devices and "Google-made speakers"), and be able to be controlled using a smartphone or tablet -- making it sound a whole lot like a Sonos competitor. What's more, unlike current Android and Google TV devices, this system will reportedly be marketed under Google's own brand. An attempt to really turn it up to eleven, perhaps?

Google reportedly working on wireless home entertainment system to be sold under its own brand originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Say hello to The Bold Team. Sadly, this animated foursome is RIM's attempt to capture the youth market. They urge the younger generation to "Be Bold". Something tells me it won't work. More »

Continue reading Editorial: Don't call it an ultrabook

Editorial: Don't call it an ultrabook originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Editorial: Don't call it an ultrabook

Editorial: Don't call it an ultrabook originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Editorial: Don't call it an ultrabook

Editorial: Don't call it an ultrabook originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Editorial: Don't call it an ultrabook

Editorial: Don't call it an ultrabook originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Editorial: Don't call it an ultrabook

Editorial: Don't call it an ultrabook originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In an industry that changes minute by minute, a year's worth of news is a lot to digest. We combed our archives in an attempt to drown out the noise and came up with a short list of the stories that made 2011. Consider this an abridged look back at the year that was. Head past the break to check it out.

Continue reading 2011 Year in review: A timeline

2011 Year in review: A timeline originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's always amusing to see companies offering crappy offers in an attempt to boost sales. The latest is from Kobo, which is offering a free book every month to new Touch eReader owners. Amazon must be terrified. More »

In a slightly underwhelming attempt to match Amazon's Lending Library proposition, Kobo will start to offer a free download each month to new Touch eReader owners. Starting in January, customers will be able to pick from the decidedly broad selection of Pride and Prejudice, HBR's 10 Must Reads: On Managing People and Star Wars Vs. Star Trek. Unfortunately, the offer is limited to devices purchased between November 24 and March 31 2012, but Kobo is hoping that the ability to hold on to the titles indefinitely will cancel out Amazon's legion of free rentals. Users can sign up to the ebook's offers mailing list for the full details. Remember: A book is for life, not just for Christmas.

Kobo offers one free book a month, brings peashooter to the e-reader gunfight originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Times are tough in Syria right now, but that isn't stopping the Assad government from making things a whole lot worse. The nation's customs department, a branch of the Syrian Finance Ministry, has officially banned the iPhone in an attempt to curb citizens from sharing news and videos of the massive protests and violent crackdowns throughout the nation. For those not keeping score, foreign press have been largely barred from the nation since March, which necessitated the use of citizen journalism as a means to report news from the streets. As Syrians come to grips with new economic sanctions against the country, the banning of the iPhone is, sadly, certain to escalate the unrest.

Syria bans iPhone in attempt to curb protests and silence citizen journalists originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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