launch

Yesterday, we got some new numbers on the number of Vita hardware and software units sold, so I thought it would be a good time for a Vita launch recap, with a quick look at what's gone right and what's gone wrong.

First, the numbers Sony says it has sold more than 1.2 million Vita units worldwide since the portable launched in Japan on December 17. As CNET blogger Don Reisinger noted in his post, Sony didn't break down the sales figures by country, but acknowledged that this month's launch across the U.S. and … Read more

Sony yesterday delivered a host of new games and applications to its PlayStation Store ahead of today's PlayStation Vita launch.

The game company delivered three augmented-reality titles to the PlayStation Vita's game selection, including Cliff Diving, Table Soccer, and Fireworks. Augmented reality is made possible with the Vita's cameras, which identify user movement. In my experience with it on the Vita, augmented reality is by no means a key reason to buy the device, but it's a fun add-on--especially when friends are interested in trying it out.

In addition, Sony launched a number of new Vita … Read more

I think the Vita is an amazing portable gaming system (check out my official CNET review), but owning one isn't going to be cheap. There will be a total of 25 games ready for launch on February 22, but not every single title is worth your hard-earned cash. The last thing you want to do is buy a launch game that you'll regret soon after.

Instead, shop with some insider knowledge by checking out what I think are (in no particular order) the Vita's best launch games. … Read more

The next-generation Intel chip destined to populate the upcoming crop of ultrabooks is delayed, an Asia-based report claims.

The delay of the "Ivy Bridge" processor is being reported by DigiTimes, a publication that typically voices the concerns of device makers. Those concerns are just as often opinion as they are fact.

That said, the key point is that volume shipments of Ivy Bridge won't happen until "after June," Digitimes said, citing sources at "first-tier notebook vendors [that] are having trouble digesting their Sandy Bridge notebook inventories due to the weak global economy."

A &… Read more

There's a new Apple launch event in February. No, wait, March.

It will be the announcement of the iPad 3. No, wait, it might be the iPad 2S.

For years now, the Apple faithful have allowed their nervous systems to respond to these excitements. For years now, the rumors have been even lengthier and more outrageous than the launch events themselves.

Yet, the whole purpose of these events wasn't merely to get the media, fanboys, and media fanboys fulminating. It was to allow Steve Jobs to use his enormous powers of make-believe in order to make everyone believe.… Read more

If you're one of those Facebook users who has seen Timeline and shunned it, the world's largest social network has some bad news for you: in the coming days, you won't have that option any longer.

Facebook announced in a blog post today that Timeline will be brought to all of the social network's 800 million users "over the next few weeks." Upon getting Timeline, users will have seven days to preview what's populated before it's automatically pushed live. Users that edit what they want people to see before that seven-day window … Read more

Don't mess with an angry mob of people waiting in line for a shiny new Apple product--especially if they've got produce on hand.

That was the lesson Apple's retail store in Beijing learned the hard way.

Bloomberg reports that those who had lined up for the iPhone 4S on its launch day in the country became incensed when the store did not open up for sales at the previously announced time.

According to the story, the 500 some person group began "pelting" the store with eggs, later transferring their rage to an unidentifiable "man … Read more

I'm always cautious when I hear that a particular service is the "next big thing" in social media.

The industry is littered with the remains of services that seemed to have potential, only to fall short before long. But a well-known serial entrepreneur is willing to wager that Pinterest might just succeed where so many others have failed.

In a blog post yesterday, Elad Gil took a deep look at how Pinterest's so-called "social curation" fits into a trend that has developed across the social landscape. He points out that around the turn of … Read more

Do you want to install Lion on your Mac, but use a program that extends your display? Not so fast.

You might need to first update the programs or even uninstall them to avoid a screensaver-related bug they could cause in Lion.

As Apple adds new services, device support, and other features to OS X, the included programming libraries that developers use to write their code also change, which can lead to problems. In the case of display management and extension programs, while the programs still function as they should, changes in the frameworks they use can prevent the system … Read more