OUYA, the Android-based gaming console that was successfully funded through an $8.5 million Kickstarter campaign , will start shipping to backers on March 28 .
The company behind the console, which shares the same name, has revealed on its website that all of the parts needed for the system are now in the factory and the assembly lines are “buzzing.”
There are 63,416 backers to get through, but OUYA says it’s still on track to launch the console to the wider public in June. For this, OUYA has already announced a number of significant retail partnerships with Best Buy, Amazon, Target, and GameStop.
The company has warned that up until the official launch, they’ll be adding new features, tweaking the user experience and adding new games. That might just mean that the team is keen to improve the console as much as possible before it hits brick-and-mortar stores, but a reality could be that the team is up against it to release a finished product.
OUYA has created a significant amount of hype in part because of its open approach to video game development and distribution. The console is completely hackable, for example, and the company has in fact gone on the record to encourage modders to adopt the system.
Built on Android, the marketplace will also force every title to have at least some of the content available for free – be it a demo, free-to-play model or ‘lite’ version.
It’s also incredibly inexpensive and is expected to sell for about $100 – with additional touch controllers costing an extra $50.
Forget iPads: Emirates to outfit flight attendants with 1,000 HP Windows 8 tablets
Emirates announced on Monday at the Windows 8 launch event in Dubai that it is moving on up to Microsoft’s latest and greatest. The luxury airline has developed a Windows 8 app called Knowledge Driven Inflight Service (KIS) and plans to deploy it along with 1,000 HP ElitePad 900 devices across its fleet.
While other airlines are allowing pilots to use Apple iPads in the cockpit, Emirates is going with Windows 8. The airline reportedly chose the HP tablet because it apparently doesn’t need to be recharged on long-haul flights. Microsoft says it’s because the device is “thin and light, optimized for Windows 8, and built specifically for business users.”
The KIS app was first introduced for in-flight communication and customer relationship management device in 2004. Now it’s finally getting a major update, allowing flight pursers to brief the cabin crew before every flight, conduct in-flight upgrades to business class or first class, and solicit customer feedback that is immediately routed to headquarters upon landing. Details around previous trips, any issues a customer had during their travels, preferences (food, wine, seating, etc.) and so on are also stored in the app.
“At Emirates, we strive to deliver the world’s best in-flight experience,” Kevin Griffiths, senior vice president, Cabin Crew at Emirates said in a statement. “We constantly invest in the best aircraft, products and service. To support our crew, we have created an application on Windows 8 that delivers a unique, personalized experience with the necessary information for our cabin crew to better serve the needs of customers. The Windows 8 platform running on HP ElitePad 900 devices gave us this option, allowing us to create the KIS app that enables our crew to offer an experience not available on other airlines.”
So, when is this all happening? The HP ElitePad 900 was announced in October but will only be available to customers in January 2013. Emirates plans to roll out 100 devices by the end of January 2013, and 1,000 devices in total next year. By the end of 2013, a purser will be using HP ElitePad 900 running Windows 8 with the KIS app on every single Emirates flight.
Image credit: Paul Scott
Samsung’s flip screen Android smartphone gets official, but there’s no mention of a UK or US release
Sometimes rumors turn out to be nothing but meandering pathways leading away from the truth and sometimes they turn out to be bang on the money. In this case, it seems to be the latter: Samsung is going to release a dual-screen flip phone powered by Android 4.1 reportedly codenamed ‘Hennessey’.
Spotted by Pocket-Lint , the SCH-W789 (to use it’s official name), has dual 3.3-inch (320 x 480 pixel) displays, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, a 5-megapixel camera on the rear and 1GB of RAM to keep it all chugging along nicely. There’s also support for CDMA and GSM bands, but strangely there seems to be little-to-no internal storage at all. Instead it’s provided via a microSD slot.
If the thought of having two displays fills you with joy, don’t get too excited unless you’re based in China as there’s no indication that the phone will make it beyond the Far East. Naturally, we’ve asked Samsung for confirmation and will let you know.
➤ Samsung
Featured Image Credit – Getty Images