The gang over at Talk Android have gotten the scoop from Rovio — makers of Angry Birds – about their immediate plans for Google’s mobile OS. In an email to TA, Rovio writes:

This week, we were planning to run a closed beta test of Angry Birds Lite for Android. Due to the massive response and demand from the Android community, we have decided to make Angry Birds Lite Beta available for everybody through the Android Market this Friday.

Please note that this will be the beta version of the application which is still undergoing final testing before official release. Angry Birds Lite Beta is presented on an “as is� basis, and we cannot guarantee its functionality on every Android device.

Excellent news for all those Android fanatics who just can’t get enough of the addicting, bird-slinging, green pig-slaying game (present company included). Android user productivity begins its steep decline on Friday; who’s excited?

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You noticed, we noticed, everybody noticed. The Apple Store is unsurprisingly down. Look for new stuff to hit it later, after our live coverage of Apple's fall event is all over.

The Apple Store is down... move along originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to a little email sent out by the developer of Angry Birds, a full beta test of the Android version will arrive this week. The game that Apple people go on and on and on about launched on WebOS last week, so it's really about time it hit the rampant Android platform. Register your interest here and you'll be on the beta distribution list. [Droid-Life] More »

BeamAtic Premium headlights let you keep you high beams on all night long originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey, what's this? We just started hearing rumors this morning that Microsoft was planning a new Xbox 360 controller with an improved D-pad, and bang -- Major Nelson just went live with a YouTube video detailing the new piece. The new D-pad is a trick new patented design that's just as we heard from Joystiq: it's a disc in the normal configuration, but a quick twist raises the crossbars about a quarter-inch, making it eminently more usable. (That sound you hear is joyous weeping.) The analog sticks have also been slightly tweaked to be concave, and -- wonder of wonders -- the ABXY buttons are now translucent monochrome instead of colored. Wild. The new matte silver controller will only come bundled with the Play and Charge kit for $64.99 when it launches on November 9 in the States and replaces the existing wireless controller -- it'll hit Europe around February. Yep, it definitely seems like a major upgrade, but we've got a couple questions: when will it replace the packed-in controller? What about all the people who just bought new Stealthboxes and got the older controller? And, most importantly, when can we have one to try out? We're pressing for answers and we'll let you know -- check the video after the break in the meantime.

[Thanks, Bill]

Continue reading New Xbox 360 controller with improved D-pad confirmed by Major Nelson, $65 on November 9

New Xbox 360 controller with improved D-pad confirmed by Major Nelson, $65 on November 9 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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These days, trying to score an HTC EVO 4G is like trying to photograph a giant squid; you know that both exist, and it should technically be possible, but they are nearly impossible to find. Well, Wirefly has just dropped us a note to say that they have taken shipment of some EVOs and will be selling them tomorrow via Facebook. Here is the exact email we were just dealt:

Wirefly Reserving HTC EVOs for Facebook Fans!

Wirefly has received a cache of EVOs today! As you know, HTC Evos have been hard to come by online or in stores. Because of the huge demand for the amazingly hot superphone and the limited supply constraints, we are reserving this offer to our loyal Facebook fans.  Sometime tomorrow, we will announce the HTC EVO 4G sale on Facebook– at a very special Wirefly price.  To take advantage of this offer, customers must be a ‘fan’ of Wirefly.     Here is how it works:

• Sometime tomorrow, Wirefly will announce the launch of the HTC EVO 4G sale on Facebook.
• Wirefly will publish a link to purchase the Evo on the “Friends Onlyâ€� tab of its Facebook page.
• Non-fans will not will be able view or access the link.
• Those not familiar with Facebook: To become a ‘fan’ of Wirefly, go to www.Facebook.com/Wirefly and click on the ‘LIKE’ button at the top of the page.

Reminder:  The EVO will not be available on Wirefly.com.  To access this limited-time offer, you must “Like� Wirefly’s Facebook page

So, if you don’t mind giving Wirefly a “Like” on the “Facebooks” you can afford yourself the opportunity to score an EVO 4G. Good luck and happy hunting.

If 6.0.0 RC1 just wasn't cutting it for ya, CyanogenMod-6.0 has released what's being touted as the "first stable release based on Android 2.2" and has hit the target number of supported devices, which by our quick count includes EVO 4G, Slide, Nexus One, Dream / Magic, Aria, and Droid -- and we might be missing a few.. You know the drill; if you need a bit of Froyo in your mobile life.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Cyanogen Mod 6 -- the one with Froyo -- hits target list of devices, first stable release originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Explaining the differences between DRAM and non-volatile storage is about to get that little bit harder, thanks to Viking Modular. The company's decided to "borrow" the DIMM form factor for its latest enterprise SSD offering, equipping it with a 240-pin array to draw power from your spare memory slots. Of course, you'll still need to hook up a SATA cable to get data flowing to this SSD -- at a very respectable 260MBps for both read and write -- but we must admit we're in love with the very idea of it. This new design offers another option for consolidating storage right onto the motherboard and should help case modders yearning for ever-slimmer enclosures. Alas, the SATADIMM is only available to enterprise and OEM clients for now, but we can't think of any reason why it won't test the consumer waters as well -- if not by Viking, maybe someone else?

Continue reading Viking Modular's SATADIMM jacks an SSD into your memory slot

Viking Modular's SATADIMM jacks an SSD into your memory slot originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you wade through LG's alphabet soup of upcoming WinPho 7 goodies, you might recall that several of them seem to be headed directly for AT&T later this year. Evidence for one of them in particular -- the C900 landscape slider -- just got a little stronger this evening on news that a phone by the very same model code has just been hooked up with FCC approval in the past few hours. Indeed, a quick look at the SAR report shows that we've got WCDMA bands II and V here, which means it'll work like a champ on AT&T; unfortunately LG is (and always has been) particularly awesome at making its ID label documents useless for identifying phones, so there isn't much other evidence to go on from this. Needless to say, though, we're convinced it's going to be a very interesting fourth quarter of the year for the Microsoft camp.

LG's C900 Windows Phone 7 handset for AT&T gets FCC approval originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look: if you want an all-red Magic Trackpad, we can't and won't judge you. We can, however, judge you for spending $145 for the privilege of getting it. Like clockwork, custom paint job guru ColorWare has just flipped the switch on Magic Trackpad orders, letting you choose separate colors (in flat, metallic, or pearlescent paint) for the case and the pad itself. If you've already got a unit handy, you can send it in for $75, meaning you'll save a full dollar over the "buy new" option. It'll go great with your baby blue iMac and orange / black Magic Mouse, won't it? Peep ColorWare's promo video after the break.

Continue reading ColorWare's Magic Trackpad magically eliminates 145 magic dollars from your magic bank account

ColorWare's Magic Trackpad magically eliminates 145 magic dollars from your magic bank account originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iomega's already begun its transition to SuperSpeed USB 3.0 hard drives, but it's making a bit more news on that front today -- it's announced that it plans to keep all its USB 3.0 hard drives at USB 2.0 prices. As expected, that transition begins with its eGo line of portable hard drives, which are officially set to be available this October in 500GB and 1TB capacities, each of which will include Iomega's Drop Guard Xtreme to guard against drops of up to seven feet. Those will be followed by Iomega's Prestige line of portable hard drives, which will begin their transition to USB 3.0 sometime in the first quarter of 2011. We should note, however, that plenty of retailers are already selling USB 3.0 eGo drives now, but it seems that it'll take until early October for the full line to make the jump and receive the aforementioned price-match. Head on past the break for the complete press release.

Continue reading Iomega pushes ahead with USB 3.0 transition, promises to keep drives at USB 2.0 prices

Iomega pushes ahead with USB 3.0 transition, promises to keep drives at USB 2.0 prices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looking for yet another Mini 10 netbook? How's about one with a curvaceous chassis modeled after the Inspiron R series? Dell's just pushed out the Inspiron Mini 1018 across the pond, offering a £279 ($434) starting price along with a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 processor, a 10.1-inch WSVGA (1,024 x 600) resolution display, Windows 7 Starter, 1GB of DDR3 memory, 802.11n WiFi, a 250GB hard drive, inbuilt webcam and a fresh coat of Obsidian Black paint. It's available now for those in the correct region, but the outfit has already stated that it'll be shipping to other lands "soon." Stoked, aren't ya?

[Thanks, iamnotjamesh]

Dell ships 10.1-inch Inspiron Mini 1018 to Europe, heading elsewhere soon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 04:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you waltz into your local Best Buy today, you'll find precisely one tablet for sale: Apple's iPad. By the time this holiday season rolls around, though, that'll all be different. We've heard from Steve Ballmer that Microsoft intends for Windows 7 to be powering quite a few tablet devices in the near future, but it's been somewhat difficult to nail down exact time frames for release outside of Samsung's Q3-bound Galaxy Tab (which won't even run Windows). According to Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile, the company will be making "tablets a focus... going into the holidays." He continued: "Like e-readers over the last couple years, we think customers will think of Best Buy for tablets and expect us to have the right ones." He wouldn't go so far as to confirm the models or brands of any headed Best Buy's way, but we're seeing even more hints that those Rocketfish images tweeted a few weeks ago may indeed foreshadow a holiday launch. We sure hope Santa's ready to deal with the onslaught.

Best Buy 'making tablets a focus' this holiday season, might stock one from Rocketfish originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Aug 2010 00:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last night, Business Insider sent foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley an email shortly after social networking giant Facebook announced the launch of their geo-location service, Places. The short email reads: “So is Facebook the location platform now? And is Foursquare an app on that platform?” Crowley responded with a few details about how his company will interact with Places, and their plans for the future:

No, we’re still a platform for location, specifically around sharing locations though check-ins, surfacing interesting things around you and using game mechanics to encourage and reward for certain actions and/or behaviors.

Facebook also launched a location platform, which appears to be mostly based on checkins (and common FB elements like comments/likes/photos).

We already allow users to publish their 4SQ checkins into the Facebook News Feed and we’ll eventually going to allow users to push them into the Facebook Checkin Feed.   I’d imagine we’ll prob pull FB checkins into 4SQ too.   We’re in the middle of a redesign and some new feature launches, so we’re going to get thru those before getting started on FB integration.

It will certainly be interesting to see how the two companies push each other and differentiate themselves while adding value to and growing their user-bases. What are your thoughts on geo-location social networks like foursquare and Facebook’s Places?

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NASA challenge searches for a solar-powered 'Night Rover' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The leaks weren't wrong, they just weren't the whole story. A 160GB PlayStation 3 Slim is indeed coming to the US -- Europe, too -- but additionally, there's a heftier 320GB Sports Champions Move bundle. The former standalone console is available now stateside for $299, and according to the GamesCom press conference, Europeans will have to wait until October for 299 Euros. As for the biggie, which includes the game and one-player Move package, that's due out September 19th in US (or September 15th across the pond) for $399 and 349 Euros, respectively -- just in time for holiday shopping sprees.

160GB PS3 Slim, 320GB Move bundle coming to US and Europe this fall originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It boggles the mind to think that one Fermi GPU could be fit inside a laptop, but two? Eurocom has just outed its 17.3-inch Panther 2.0 mobile gaming station -- which looks like a straight rebadge of the Clevo X7200 -- with the most overpowered set of component choices we've yet seen. You can go SLI with the GTX 480M or NVIDIA's more professionally minded Quadro 5000M, crank up CPU speed to 3.33GHz and beyond with the Core i7-980X from Intel (yes, the desktop variant), stash up to 24GB of onboard RAM, and jack in up to four storage drives, our preference being for the 2TB of SSD goodness option. Of course, if you prefer ATI's Evergreen side of the fence, dual Mobility Radeon HD 5870 GPUs are on tap as well. Sadly, we've no idea how much these spectacular specs will set you back, but launch is set for later this month and you can always call up and get yourself a quote; we're guessing it'll be in five figures.

Continue reading Eurocom serves up GTX 480M SLI and HD 5870 CrossFireX options, seasons with Core i7-980X

Eurocom serves up GTX 480M SLI and HD 5870 CrossFireX options, seasons with Core i7-980X originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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