Sony's making a whole bunch of announcements at tonight's E3 press conference, and GTA V is on the list. The company just unveiled a bundle and headset for the PlayStation 3. Included in the package is a 500GB PS3, a Blu-ray copy of the game, 30-day trial PlayStation Plus membership, a custom GTA V Pulse and a special audio mode. If you're still in the market for the current-gen console despite tonight's revelations of the PS4, expect the bundle to arrive on September 17th, and it'll cost you $299 for the whole package.
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Sony's feeling pretty unstoppable right now, and it's adding to the momentum by announcing that the PlayStation Plus edition of Driveclub will be free for the first year to Plus members. The game, which was announced alongside a litany of other PS4 titles in February, is a team-based driving game that features realistic vehicles modeled after their real-life counterparts. Alongside Driveclub you'll find Don't Starve, Outlast and Secret Ponchos as part of the PS Plus instant game collection as well.
Follow our liveblog for all of the latest news from E3 2013.
More and more video discovery apps are starting to pop up, with even big-name brands such as Samsung joining the race to have the best offering out there. But while this particular field is still relatively young, startups like Showyou are already thinking ahead by launching creator-focused programs of their own. With the newly minted Showyou Channels, the service is taking a slight cue from sites who are familiar with creating and distributing videos (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), announcing that the idea is to provide users with a hub where they can make original content and easily share it with the world. What's more, Showyou also has a revenue model in place which allows people to make a little cash from their vids, though that won't necessarily be a requirement. Only time will tell how far Showyou can go, but, if anything, we're definitely interested in seeing how its evolution plays out.
On stage at Acer's press event at Computex 2013 in Taipei, wrapping up a day of new Ultrabooks, tablets and smartphones, it revealed the Orbe, a new storage hub that connects to AcerCloud. You'll be able to tap into 2TB of storage with the curiously-shaped device, which will connect to... yep, Ultrabooks, tablets and smartphones -- something that's particularly useful given the cloud service's relatively recent update allowing any Android or iOS device to connect. Unfortunately we have yet to dig up any more specs on the device, but you can take a closer look at the hardware in our hands-on photos below.
A few folks have already picked up LG's 84-inch monster Ultra HD TV, but most videophiles are looking for something that'll actually fit in their living room. Thankfully, the firm is prepared for those buyers too, and is now taking pre-orders for its 55 and 65-inch 4K Ultra HD TVs. Korean customers with money to burn can pick up the 55-inch set for 7.4 million Won (about $6,541) and the larger variant for 10.9 million ($9,635). Hardly cheap, but comparable to the competition and definitely an affordable alternative to LG's $20,000 display. Check out LG's official (machine translated) announcement at the attached source.
Acer keeps the product announcements coming here at Computex, adding a new (and big) Android phone to its new Ultrabooks and Windows tablets. The Liquid S1 arrives with a 720p 5.7-inch display, matching ZTE's Grand Memo in screen size, and marking Acer's first contribution to the five-inches-and-over smartphone club. The phone is bound for Asia and Europe (no US release is planned for now), and it comes appropriately equipped with twin SIM-card slots. There is, however, no LTE radios, something that Acer admits will be arriving in its smaller Android devices first.Other notable specs include a Mediatek quad-core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of memory to aid Android 4.2. It's worth noting that the UI here, like we've seen from Acer in recent years, is largely a stock one, both in functionality (the two-finger drag-down menu for settings toggles is here, take that HTC One!) and looks, although there's some additions to the software that we'll outline later. We've managed to get some playtime with the device ahead of its big reveal at Acer's press event, so check out our (literally) earth-shaking first impressions and hands-on video after the break.
Gallery: Acer Liquid S1 hands-on
Gallery: Acer Liquid S1 and Samsung Galaxy Note II comparison
Not to be outdone by some of its music-streaming counterparts, Rhapsody's releasing a revamped version of its iOS app today. Taking on a newly minted look, the service promises this version will make it simpler for subscribers to access and manage their tunes within the application. Rhapsody added features such as a "personalized" organization that, as you'd expect, organizes your jams under the My Music section and splits them into two different categories: Library and Downloads.
Much like on the Android flavor of the app, Rhapsody also updated the Album and Artist pages to display more useful info and tools, including reviews and additional music controls. In theory, these should pair nicely with the all-new fullscreen player and a pop-up menu that allows you to easily add songs to the download queue. Rhapsody tells us the update will be hitting the iOS devices soon, so keep an eye on the App Store if you'd like to be one of the First! first to test out the goods.
Update: It's live now, and we've added the link below to help you get started with the download.
Gallery: Rhapsody for iPhone redesigned
Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Software, Mobile
Join UFO Robert Bingham in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 18th 2013 from 11AM to 2PM as he once again does the incredible and summons UFOs for the Public. All are welcome - Believers, Skeptics, Debunkers and anyone else who is interested in the UFO phenomenon. Be sure to spread the word and bring a friend along with your Cameras, Camcorders, Binoculars, Chairs, Water, Snacks, Sunscreen and any other outdoor supplies you may need to keep yourself comfortable while keeping your eyes to the sky. We will meet @ 11AM in front of the Eagle Obelisk that is facing 6th St.
Telenav has long been a purveyor of navigation apps for phones, browsers, and cars, but today the company's revealed Scout for Cars: Built In to bring those platforms together. It's an in-dash system that provides both the form factor and UX optimized for autos and all the features of the Scout for Phones app. It works using Bluetooth to connect to iOS, Android, or Windows Phone devices to sync your info and let you access the mobile app's current map info. It also borrows your phone's data connection, which gives users access to voice control and search and discovery features, plus real-time weather and traffic updates using the in-dash touchscreen.
Scout for Cars: Built In can also seamlessly hand off navigation duties to the phone when you exit your car -- a convenient feature for folks as directionally challenged on foot as they are behind the wheel. And, if you're worried about getting lost should you forget to bring your phone, fear not, for Scout for Cars: Built In uses your handset to provide a better experience, but it's not dependent upon it, so it still gets you where you need to go on its own. The system is currently available to automakers right now, so the system should be finding its way into dealerships sometime soon.
First thought: "Ha!" Second thought: "Oh, wait -- competition is an excellent thing." While it's highly probable that AT&T is looking to both overshadow Google's launch party and maintain a foothold in one of its most prized states, the outfit's terse announcement of an impending 1Gbps fiber network should honestly be seen as nothing but excellent news for residents of Austin. Merely hours after Google and the city of Austin jointly made clear that Google Fiber would be hitting up local homes in mid-2014, Ma Bell has made public its "intent" to built a 1 Gigabit fiber network in the same area.
AT&T's expanded fiber plans in Austin anticipate it will be granted the "same terms and conditions as Google on issues such as geographic scope of offerings, rights of way, permitting, state licenses and any investment incentives." Of course, it's seriously unlikely AT&T will offer up basic fiber connections for free in the way that Google's doing, but on a macro level, we certainly hope this type of one-upping continues in more towns across the country. And, more specifically, that AT&T continues to roll out fiber networks on its own accord in various locales; with FiOS expansion indefinitely paused, we sure need someone to step up and keep the dream alive.
We have a feeling graphics artists are going to be begging their studios for Fusion-io's latest ioFX super-SSD. After receiving critical acclaim for its 460GB version, the company has today introduced a massively-speced 1.6TB variant at NAB. Despite the space increase, the new unit is not bigger than its older sibling. In related news, HP has also signed on to integrate ioFX into its HP Z 420, 620 and 820 all-in-ones, and it'll also give current workstation owners the option to simply add the card to their existing machines. Fusion won't be releasing any details about pricing for the 1.6TB ioFX just yet -- that'll remain under wraps until its released this summer. For now, movie makers can net the 460GB one for $2K (about $500 less that its release price). Full press release after the break.
Think $25,000 for an 84-inch 4K TV is a bit tough to swallow? You're certainly not alone, but if you're willing to compromise on a few viewable inches, you could very well save yourself quite a bit of cash. At Sony's NAB press conference today here in Las Vegas, the company finally shared pricing for its smaller 4K models, the Bravia XBR-55X900A and the XBR-65X900A, which ring in at 55 and 65 inches, respectively. That first flavor will retail for a mere $5,000, with its larger sibling due in stores for just two grand more. As we learned at CES, both models offer Triluminous displays with X-Reality PRO and Motionflow XR960 technology, WiFi and NFC one-touch screen mirroring, not to mention native support for displaying 3,840 x 2,160 pixels images. The more budget-friendly duo will hit stores on April 21st -- they'll also be available to order online in just two weeks' time.
Along with its new smaller (and cheaper) 4K TVs, Sony has announced its FMP-X1 4K media player and 4K video distribution service. Plans for both were first revealed at CES, however the official press release (included after the break) provides the full details, that it will be $699 and arrive preloaded with 10 4K films and shorts when it ships this summer. Starting in the fall, the video service will launch, with "fee-based" access to Sony's library of movies. Sony also revealed that it has started adding to the 4K movie collections for the buyers of its $25k 84-inch Ultra HDTV, delivering Lawrence of Arabia. Those buyers will be able to swap their current player for the FMP-X1 when the 4K distribution network launches in the fall. The "mastered in 4K" (but delivered in 1080p) Blu-ray discs are still part of the plan as well, and buyers of the new TVs can expect Spiderman, Ghostbusters and Angels & Demons as pack-ins.
At this year's New York International Auto Show BMW is expanding its portfolio of connected apps -- by four. The company announced iOS integration for Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody and TuneIn Radio and we couldn't help but swing by to check them all out. This integration (which also will work on Connected Minis) entails an update to those existing iOS apps. In other words, you won't need a dedicated BMW app nor second versions of these individual apps. You can use the ones you already know and love.
Join us below for a little more information on how that works, and a look at the company's in-car LTE router that's also on display.
