Nyko's PlayPad and PlayPad Pro Android tablet controllers (hands-on)

There's a great video game land rush happening on the mobile front, as developers and hardware manufacturers work map out precisely how users will play with their smartphones and tablets. We've seen plenty of peripheral makers give it a shot, hoping to transform decidedly clunky touchscreen gameplay into something more akin to devoted consoles. Some, like Ion, have taken a fairly whimsical approach to the process, giving the world the iCade, a tablet controller shaped like a small arcade cabinet. Nyko's going a much more straight forward route with PlayPad and PlayPad Pro, Bluetooth controllers that intend on bringing console gaming over to the mobile side. The PlayPad is the smaller of the two devices. It ships in a spring loaded eyeglasses-style...

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Nintendo Wii U and games hands-on (video)

Nintendo's pre-E3 media briefing has wrapped up and the doors have opened, doors containing the latest and final revision of the Wii U hardware. Reggie & Co. failed to give us any concrete launch details beyond "holiday" this year, so we can't quite be sure of a date or a price or, really, much of anything. But, we do know about more of the launch titles. NintendoLand is, apparently, the premiere title, a sort of touchscreen-friendly version of Wii Sports that digs up many of the company's storied brands and squeezes them into mini-game format. How does it play? And, how is the new, refined Wii U controller? Join us after the break to find out! Hardware The Wii U controller is subtly different than we saw last year....

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Microsoft SmartGlass hands-on

Sure today's Microsoft E3 keynote was jam-packed full of high octane explosions, but the biggest excitement from the hardware-free event was arguably SmartGlass, a new technology from Redmond that promises to help to bring together users' diverse array of screens. When it was initially leaked ahead of the event, SmartGlass looked to largely be a somewhat straightforward AirPlay competitor. Judging by Microsoft's flashy demo video, however, the company is clearly looking to build it into its own beast all together. Thankfully, we got to play with it a bit -- albeit for a very short amount of time, given the fairly early state of the technology. Let's start thing off by clarifying a big question surrounding the somewhat enigmatic demo that...

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Samsung demos Series 5 Ultra Touch and Series 5 Ultra Convertible Ultrabooks, we go hands-on

Well, look at what we have here! We just swung by Samsung's booth at Computex, and the outfit is showing off not one, but two touch-enabled variations of its Series 5 Ultrabooks. These include the Ultra Touch, a classic clamshell laptop, along with the Ultra Convertible, whose 13-inch display folds all the way back (not unlike the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga). Both devices are on their way stateside; it's just not clear when or how much they'll cost. Until then, we've got hands-on preview photos below, along with detailed impressions and a pair of walk-through videos. So join us, won't you? Look and feel Samsung didn't come all the way to Taipei to show you the great things it can do with metal unibodies and backlit keyboards. No,...

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Samsung teases Series 5 Hybrid PC, a Windows 8 tablet with magnetic keyboard dock and pen support

You wanted Windows 8 tablet / laptop mash-ups, you got 'em! On the heels of some rather inventive product launches from Acer and ASUS here at Computex, Samsung is teasing a Win8 device of its own, the Series 5 Hybrid PC. For now, Samsung's not sharing many technical details -- we don't even know the screen size! -- but the concept, at least, is self-explanatory: this is a Transformer-like tablet that slots into an accompanying keyboard dock. In an interesting twist, though, this device doesn't make use of your run-of-the-mill latch mechanism; instead, the slate attaches magnetically. The Hybrid is rated for 10 hours of battery life and has a pair of 2- and 8-megapixel cameras. It also supports pen input, and will come bundled with the...

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Garmin outs motorcycle-centric zumo 350LM

Garmin's torn the wraps off its zumo 350LM for those of you who prefer to zip around on two wheels. Though its 4.3-inch glove-friendly touchscreen is encased in a waterproof exterior to withstand a beating from the elements and "fuel sprays," it'll happily sit inside your car with an included mount and built-in speaker. Those sticking to motorcycles, however, can pipe turn-by-turn voice-guided navigation through the sunlight-readable device to compatible Bluetooth headsets or helmets. Stat-happy bikers can record their chopper's maintenance work with the service history log feature and use Garmin's Basecamp utility to plan out trips beforehand. The zumo's expected to ring up at $699.99 -- as pricey as its older siblings -- and roll out...

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