T-Mobile Drops Details on the Samsung Vibrant (Android)

T-Mobile has dropped details on the Samsung Vibrant, its upcoming Google Android “superphone” (God, I hate that term). With AT&T rocking the iPhone 4, Sprint selling out of the HTC Evo 4G, and Verizon dropping the Droid X in July, T-Mobile needed to show its superphone cards. Here are some details on the Vibrant:

  • The Vibrant offers a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor which is optimized for superior media viewing and game play.
  • The Vibrant has a 4.0-inch Super AMOLED touch screen display that gives you a bright, vivid viewing experience.
  • The Vibrant benefits from enhanced speeds with T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network, but it’s not an HSPA+ device.
  • The Vibrant is one of the slimmest smartphones on the market. The dimensions are 4.82” x 2.54” x 0.39”; weighs 4.16 oz.
  • The Vibrant’s 5 MP camera is equipped with digital zoom and autofocus. Comes with an HD video recorder too!

The Samsung Vibrant is expected to be available in late July 2010. Anyone hyped for this phone?

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Shigeru Miyamoto Says That Cats Are Like Girls

During a roundtable discussions at E3 2010, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that cats were originally part of Nintendogs, but they didn’t behave quite right. For example, when dogs are happy they wag their tail. Cats…not so much.

As with several Miyamoto games, a lot of the ideas behind Nintendogs + Cats were derived from his personal experience. As many of you know, a lot of his ideas from Zelda came from playing in caves, likewise for Pikmin and gardening, and finally Nintendogs and his family dog. Miyamoto picked up a kitten and was fascinated by the way it interacted with his dog.

Miyamoto jokingly stated that cats are similar to women:

Cats are interesting. They’re kind of like girls. If they come and talk to you, it’s great. If you go and talk to them, sometimes it doesn’t turn out so well.

Too true Mr. Miyamoto. Too true.

Fat Princess DLC Adds Three New Character Classes

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that the “Fat Roles” DLC for Fat Princess will be available for download on Tuesday June 29. “Fat Roles” will cost $4.99 in America. The DLC adds three new classes: pirates, ninjas, and giants. Here are more details from the PlayStation Blog:

Pirates can call in cannon ball attacks, Ninjas can hide in the shadows to sneak through doors, and the all-mighty Giants can cause rumbling earthquakes and gain health by chomping on their enemies.

Pirates are cool. Giants are cool. Ninjas frickin’ rule!!! I’m looking forward to checking out this batch of Fat Princess DLC next week. Anyone else down?

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Newer HTC Evo 4Gs Shipping with Inferior Screens?

Newer versions of Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G could have LCD screens that are inferior to those in the first batch. According to Android and Me, the older Evo model (hardware version 002) uses a better screen than the newer versions (hardware version 003). Here’s the skinny:

The newer Evo we had just purchased had a more “washed” out look to it while the older Evo had richer colors and better contrast.

There are two versions of the EVO (002 and 003). It appears the 002 models have a Novatel LCD while most of the newer ones feature an Epson LCD, although I’ve seen reports of these being mixed.

This is a bummer for those that are waiting to get their Evo 4Gs. It’s potentially bad for Sprint too. If the screens are really that different then people might flock to Verizon’s Droid X, AT&T’s iPhone 4, or T-Mobile’s Samsung Vibrant. And just in case you were wondering, my Evo 4G is a 002.

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Fake Steve Jobs Addresses iPhone 4 Reception Issue

In a post titled “You @ssholes need to stop sending emails to me about this antenna issue“, Fake Steve Jobs has hilariously addressed the iPhone 4 reception issues plaguing numerous first-world countries. The post is the funniest thing I’ve read all month and I highly recommend checking it out. Here are some choice clips:

First of all, this is not a big issue. If you’re experiencing this, most likely it’s not the phone at all — most likely you’re just living in a place where there’s bad reception, in which case the solution is simple: you need to move.

Or maybe you’re living in a place with good reception but you just need to buy a bumper for your phone and/or wear latex gloves while holding the phone.

Or you can try going bare-handed and just learn how to hold your goddamn phone properly. Either way, it’s no big deal.

AllThingsD says if it’s really true that all mobile phones have this exact same problem, “why haven’t we heard complaints like this about `every wireless phone?’ Why hasn’t RIM issued instructions for a proper BlackBerry handhold?”

The answer, of course, is that RIM doesn’t care about customers the way we do. Honestly, what other company has a billionaire CEO who will sit at his desk for hours and hours personally answering thousands of emails, one after another, telling people how to hold his product? And can I tell you how hard I am fighting the urge to suggest to people that they try shoving the thing up their butt and see what kind of reception they get then?

It’s just brilliant, brilliant stuff. Head on over to Fake Steve’s site and read it in its glorious entirety!

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Coffee Talk #165: What Game Have You Played the Most?

Today’s Coffee Talk is super simple. I want to know what game you’ve played the most. Easy, hey?

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, all four major American mobile carriers having hot phones in July, the Chicago Bulls getting a ton of salary cap space, or holding your phone properly, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today’s Coffee Talk is super simple. I want to know what game you’ve played the most. Easy, hey?

As for me, it’s definitely Pokemon Pearl. I spent a year writing a Pokemon column for GamesRadar. I also happen to love the series. Put those two things together and you get 600+ hours of Pokemon Pearl. It seems rather insane after typing that number out.

Now it’s your turn! What game have you played the most? Kindly give a guestimate of the hours you’ve put into it. This will be a fun getting-to-know-you exercise. I can’t wait to see your comments!

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

E3 2010 is finally out of my head (i.e. I’m no longer having flashbacks), so it’s time to get gaming again! I recently picked up Turtles in Time: Re-shelled and want to get my t-u-r-t-l-e power on. My ankle is gimped, so I’m going to use that as an excuse to stay in bed and play Glory of Heracles.

How about you? What’s on you weekend playlist?

Hulu Possibly Coming to iPad, PS3, and Xbox 360: Do You Care?

You’ve already heard the rumors that Hulu is headed for the Apple iPad and Microsoft Xbox 360. Today rumors are swirling that it’s headed for the PlayStation 3 as well. Do you guys and gals care about Hulu on portable devices and consoles?

I think Hulu is a great service, but I’ve never used it consistently. I’ll go through phases where I watch a ton of Hulu for weeks and don’t touch it again for months. Perhaps my usage will be different when it’s available on something that I use more for entertainment than work. Perhaps Hulu on a console is just what I need…or perhaps not. I’d like to have it on my consoles, but I won’t lose any sleep if it doesn’t happen. How about you? Kindly make your selection in the poll and elaborate in the comments section.

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Apple Gives Official Statement on iPhone 4 Reception Issues

Apple has released an official statement on the iPhone 4 reception issues that some users have been complaining about. I think it’s pretty hilarious. Check it out:

Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.

I agree with RPadholic smartguy — Apple should be giving away its “bumper” cases for free if they really clear up the issue. Now don’t get me wrong, I still think the iPhone 4 is an impressive piece of hardware, but Apple’s “solution” to this problem cracks me up.

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Last Batch of Shacknews E3 2010 Stories

Finally…Raymond has returned to RPad.tv!!! It’s fun talking like The Rock. It’s also fun writing for Shacknews. Here’s the last batch of stories from E3 2010. Check ’em out and shoot off any questions you have about the games/people. (And yes, this post means that my full attention is back on this site.)

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West: This is a pretty cool action-adventure game with unique tandem gameplay mechanics and a really cool setting. Plus it has Gollum from Lord of the Rings.

Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma Talk Zelda: Skyward Sword: Aonuma spills some details on the story while Miyamoto briefly talks about the art direction. You know…it’s frickin’ awesome that I got to hang out in the same room as Aonuma and Miyamoto.

David Cox Talks Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: As a huge Iga fan, I’m approaching this game cautiously, but the crew seems to be doing a great job. Cox talks about working with Kojima, being compared to other God of War, and the game’s WTF moment.

Virgin Gaming: Virgin’s supplementary service lets you bet on your online matches and win some cool prizes. The company claims that Virgin’s other branches will throw in prizes too. Virgin Galactic anyone?

The Sims 3: The console version of The Sims 3 is shaping up to be the best console Sims yet.