Unreleased Nokia Lauta QWERTY slider emerges, shows where MeeGo might have tread

Those of us who remember Nokia’s late-stage MeeGo phone development will recall how the dreams fell apart: we got the N9 and the developer-tuned N950, but the future grew dark almost immediately as Nokia swung its attention further towards Windows Phone. If MyNokiaBlog’s prototype leak is accurate, however, the engineers in Espoo had planned at least one more MeeGo phone for the general public: meet the Lauta, or RM-742. It would have been an “immediate” follow-up to the N9 that brought a tilting, sliding QWERTY keyboard to the party, with performance identical to its touch-only sibling. Nokia was reportedly committed enough that it had fully functional prototypes and had penciled in a fall 2011 release to give the N9 some company. We don’t really know why Nokia scrapped the Lauta, although it’s not difficult to surmise that the company wanted to simplify its lineup at a time when profits were falling fast. The real tragedy may not be so much the decision to axe the Lauta as the absence of a true heir to what it represented — between Nokia’s public silence and recent departures from the relevant software team, MeeGo’s future is more in doubt than ever. by engadget

 

Apple announces presumed iPhone 5 launch event for September 12th; we’ll be there live!

Apple has just invited members of the press to attend a San Francisco-based product launch event on September 12th, where the next generation iPhone is expected to be officially unveiled. As rumored, it seems as if the company’s prior iPod-focused fall events may be split off into two. It’s been reported that an October event may follow this one, with a miniaturized 7-inch iPad on the docket for that. This event, however, seems a lock for the iPhone 5 — or “new iPhone,” or whatever it ends up being coined — and while CEO Tim Cook confessed at D10 that it would be doubling down on secrecy, leakers seem to have doubled down on tipping the world off on what’s to come. The keynote kicks off at 10AM PT in SF, and you can bet we’ll be there covering every second of it live. Didn’t have any “lunch” plans for 9/12? Looks like you do now. by engadget

 

Leaked photo shows Nokia Lumia 920 with five color options

Ahead of Nokia’s Windows Phone event, there’s been plenty of discussion about the Lumia 920’s PureView classification, and though the camera’s pixel count remains TBA, we’re still getting a few sneak peeks at the upcoming hardware. Yesterday, leaked press photos of a Lumia wireless charging pad suggested that the new phone will be available in yellow and red. Based on a tweet from EVLeaks today, it looks like the Lumia 920 will be available in a few additional shades: white, grey and black. EVLeaks previously tweeted pics of the Lumia 820 in seven different hues, so it looks like we’re in for a (ahem) colorful event tomorrow. by engadget

 

Amazon joins up with Epix, adds thousands of flicks to Prime Instant Video roster

Truth be told, Amazon’s Prime Instant Video selection isn’t the most comprehensive library on the net, but it’s well on its way, thanks to a new licensing agreement with the Epix. The entertainment network, which partners with studios that include Lionsgate, MGM and Paramount, brings access to recent blockbusters like The Avengers, The Hunger Games and Thor, along with evergreen gems like Justin Bieber Never Say Never. Most importantly, it means Netflix is no longer the only subscription streaming home for those titles after its two year exclusive deal ran out. Amazon’s streaming service, which includes thousands of movies and television shows, enables customers subscribing to Prime for $79 per year to stream content without additional monthly fees, in addition to benefits that include discounted shipping and a Kindle book loan program. The terms of the deal have not been announced, but the press release (available in full after the break) lists the partnership as a “multi-year licensing agreement,” benefiting customers in the US. by engadget

 

Sony NEX-6 spotted in the wild, electronic viewfinder and mode dial in tow

We’ve had furtive glances of Sony’s upcoming NEX-6 before, but only in the very clinical space of a government test lab. Apparently, no mere agency can confine it: photography workshop director Vincent Kang has posted a photo of the pre-release mirrorless camera on Weibo for all to see. Posing next to 24mm and 50mm lenses, the NEX-6 looks to be very much the in-between camera we suspected it was, without as much dedicated control as the NEX-7 but still carrying an electronic viewfinder, a pop-up flash and a dedicated function key near the shutter release. The dedicated mode dial is also more conspicuous — there’s no question that Sony wants to free up controls on the back for the future camera’s more experienced target audience. Between the new design and the already known inclusion of WiFi, it’s looking as though the NEX-6 may hit the sweet spot for shooters who want more control than the NEX-5R without sacrificing all its newer features. We just need to wait for official launch details to make it all real. by engadget

 

Tinkermite replaces the wooden barnyard shape puzzles of yore with a tablet

When we were young, our favorite toy was slotting the right trains from Thomas the Tank Engine into a wooden shape puzzle, but times have moved on since then. Now, Jacob Sullivan wants to give those baby toys a 21st century makeover, eschewing personified trains for teaching kids the inner workings of your Tablet PC. The Tinkermite comes with Camera, WiFi, CPU, Memory and Battery “modules” that you fit into the slots, while on the flip side there’s a magnetic drawing board for doodling. The project’s accepting your cash on Kickstarter, we’re just worried about what’ll happen if your kids mistake your $500 slate for their $50 toy and get a crash course in how these devices are really constructed. by engadget

 

Samsung Galaxy Stellar available through Verizon beginning Thursday, free after rebate

Samsung’s decidedly grounded Stellar smartphone just got the official nod from Verizon, launching on Thursday with a $50 price tag (before a $50 mail-in rebate). The “free” handset packs a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon, Ice Cream Sandwich, LTE connectivity, a 4-inch WVGA display an a rather modest image capture duo — a 1.3-megapixel camera up front and an autofocus-capable 3.2-megapixel snapper on the rear. There’s also 802.11n WiFi and support for microSD cards up to 32GB. As unimpressive as they may be, none of these specs comes as a surprise, following the smartphone’s early debut on Best Buy’s site last week. Still, if you’re in the market for an upgrade with a non-existent equipment budget, this little Galaxy may be just what Big Red ordered. by engadget

 

Pantech Flex coming to AT&T on September 16 for $50, offers ICS and new ‘Easy Experience’ mode

We’ve already been alerted to the existence of a Pantech phone by the name of Flex, but we only got teased with the fact that it’s heading to AT&T and will offer LTE connectivity and few (if any) other details. Fortunately, both the manufacturer and carrier are now ready to make the phone official, complete with images, pricing and availability. As you can see, the Flex is the device we leaked last week as the Magnus — and it’s actually much more unique than even the outer design would have us believe. First, the juicy specs: the Flex uses a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display and will run Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0). It’ll be powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 SoC, and we’ll be able to enjoy 8GB onboard storage, a microSD slot, 2MP front-facing cam and an 8MP rear camera capable of taking 1080p video. Finally, powering the device is an 1,830mAh battery.

The Flex, which weighs 4.6 ounces and will be available beginning September 16th for $50 after a two-year commitment, also has another clever feature: dual Android skins. While the main UI should be standard fare for Pantech devices running ICS, the secondary skin is a simplified system dubbed the “Easy Experience” mode. According to the press release, the new system is meant to appeal to new smartphone users hoping to ease into the transition from featurephones without too much trouble, though going back and forth between modes shouldn’t be terribly difficult. The announcement doesn’t go into much detail pertaining to what you’ll be able to do in Easy Experience (or exactly what makes it easier, aside from “[prioritizing] apps on the home screen in an easy-to-read format”), so we’ll choose to remain intrigued until we hear more from Pantech or AT&T on how it works. In the meantime, we have a few press shots below showing off the new UI as well as a press release past the break. by engadget

 

LG Intuition with Verizon 4G LTE gets official: $200 on contract starting September 6th

Just as rumors predicted, the LG Intuition for Verizon has been made official in time for a September 6th launch date. The phone, which is essentially the Optimus Vu with the carrier’s 4G LTE connectivity thrown in, will be available for $200 on contract on Verizon’s website starting tomorrow, and it will hit stores on September 10th. To jog your memory, the handset runs Android 4.0 on a 5-inch display, with a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor under the hood. The phone features the LG Tag+ app, which uses NFC to control phone settings, and two reprogrammable NFC stickers are included. Check out the press release for more info. by engadget

 

Popcorn Hour launches A-400 streamer for €289 with ‘studio-quality’ 3D video processing

If you’re a streamer who shuns plastic disks and their ilk, but still wants 3D, there’s good news: Syabas has announced the Popcorn Hour A-400 network media player. Thanks to a dual-core video processor, the box can mulch through 3D Blu-ray content (ripped, presumably), while also supporting studio-level features like detail enhancement and debanding. Like its A-300 predecessor, the streamer can dock a hard disk for content storage, and connects to your network via ethernet or optional WiFi. Other connections include an SD card reader, HDMI 1.4, eSATA and USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 (pending confirmation). On top of giving you access to your own content, the Syabas Apps Market brings YouTube, BBC’s iPlayer, and 90 or so other free or premium channels. It’ll hit stores in October with a €289 price tag, so if that sounds like your bag of popcorn, see the PR for more info. by engadget