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Samsung caught more than a few off guard with its US launch plans for the Galaxy S III, but primarily for what it didn’t do. Whether it was a variant for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon, the American versions had no arbitrary screen size bumps. No keyboards. Not even the customary navigation key changes that Samsung has implemented in US-spec Galaxy phones to avoid uncomfortable comparisons. Instead, the Korean electronics giant was dictating almost the entire device launch strategy to the carriers, which sounds a little familiar. While some would be cynical about it, it’s really the sign of a rethink at Samsung that’s giving the company the courage it needs to keep ahead — and which could trigger a wider change not just at carriers, but within the Android ecosystem as a whole.

Continue reading Editorial: The Galaxy S III in the US is giving Samsung a backbone

Editorial: The Galaxy S III in the US is giving Samsung a backbone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know how Tim Cook said Apple will be “doubling down on secrecy” for unannounced products? Well, the company’s hush-hush mentality seems to be informing the design for its upcoming Campus 2. According to plans and technical drawings on Cupertino.org, Apple could be moving its press events underground — into a mammoth subterranean auditorium that will no doubt also serve as Cook’s secret lair / bunker for tough times in the ongoing patent wars. You know what they say — out of sight, out of mind… and so beyond passé ground-level amphitheaters. Click the source link below for more images.

Apple’s Campus 2 will up the secrecy factor with an underground auditorium originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As E3 was coming to a close, we sat down with one of the men responsible for Nintendo’s 3DS, Hideki Konno. Konno’s official title is manager / producer, but because he’s involved at such a high level with both software and hardware development on the 3DS, our conversation covered quite the range of topics. When asked about the handheld’s performance in the last year, he drew parallels to the success of the DS that preceded it and he hopes that the 3DS will experience a similar growth curve. Due to the mention of the DS, we inquired about the possibility of a larger 3DS. While Mr. Konno wasn’t able to confirm plans for a super-sized version of the current-gen handheld, he did express his affinity for the DSi XL’s increased real estate — he finds the larger screen is much easier to gaze upon. You can draw your own conclusions as to exactly what that means. When chatting about mobile gaming, we asked about the impact of smartphones on the outfit’s handheld. Konno offered that Nintendo prides itself on surprising gamers with new “compelling experiences” that handsets can’t provide.

We asked if any of these new experiences would involve the integration of both 3DS and the Wii U, and Konno replied that he’s confident about those explorations will take place in future. In fact, a version of the Smash Brothers series is currently being developed for both 3DS and Wii U simultaneously. He indicated that it would be hard to believe that the two versions being developed in parallel wouldn’t provide some unique interactions between them and their respective platforms. Additionally, while it sounds like the Miiverse will only be available on Big N’s next-gen console at launch, Mr. Konno communicated that — depending out how well it’s received — we’re likely see the social element brought to the mobile gaming arena, too.

Michael Gorman contributed to this report.

Nintendo’s Hideki Konno discusses the 3DS and the element of surprise originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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