xl

Direct flight traffic with the careful swipe of your finger using Air Traffic Controller

There are certain games that were meant for a touch screen; games in which buttons would be superfluous. Air Traffic Controller 4.0 XL Lite for iOS is one such game. While there will certainly be comparisons to other (one in particular) games in this niche, Air Traffic Controller manages to find its own way with a number of unique features, engaging gameplay elements, and challenges. The interface is simple enough, the menu bare-bones, and the Lite version has a number of ads, but the game itself is solid and while you won't have access to all 50 levels, … Read more

Simple solitaire

Solitaire XL is the Mac version of the built-in Windows application that lets you play card games on your computer. It might seem simplistic when compared with other games, but we found it very easy to use, and the app takes up very little space.

Solitaire XL has a very simple but well-designed interface with a few customization options to adjust the size of the cards and the background. It has a built-in Help file that will guide you through the app, but most will be able to skip this and start playing right away. We didn't find any … Read more

What will the smaller iPad be called?

Earlier this week I did a quick article on what Apple would name its next iPhone. Of the more than 4,000 readers who voted in our poll, 40 percent thought the next iPhone would be called "The New iPhone." Coming in second was "iPhone 5" with 34 percent of the vote.

If the rumors are true -- and there are plenty of indications they are -- Apple will not only be introducing a new iPhone in September, but a smaller iPad as well, despite Steve Jobs' apparent disdain for smaller tablets.

For a while, tech … Read more

Mountain Lion roars onto Macs

Mountain Lion roars onto Mac computers and Netflix is getting some new competition:

Mac users can now upgrade their operating systems to version 10.8. The official CNET review praises Mountain Lion for its cloud functionality and useful updates to some core apps. However, a lackluster gamecenter and a dictation feature that requires an internet connection are a bit disappointing. So should you upgrade? If it were any more than $20 we'd say no, but the price for this update is just right.

Apple also announced its Q3 earnings, and while iPad sales soared, a drop in iPhone consumption … Read more

Nintendo's 3DS XL comes with less glare, better 3D performance

Nintendo's 3DS XL might be larger than its predecessor, but the gaming handheld also comes with a few improvements that could make using it a tad bit more enjoyable.

In a recent question-and-answer session with Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata, Takashi Murakami, part of Nintendo's research and engineering department, said he had been working on reducing the glare in the 3DS XL "for quite some time." And it appears those efforts proved fruitful.

"Reflectivity on the Nintendo 3DS was about 12 percent," Murakami told Iwata in the interview. "We decreased that to about 3 … Read more

HTC confirms Android 4.1 update for One X, One S, One XL

HTC plans to update its One X, One S, and One XL smartphones with Android 4.1, also known as Jelly Bean, the company confirmed to Engadget today.

HTC confirmed the upgrade plans, but unfortunately didn't provide any specific detail on timing to CNET.

The company also said the updates would come to versions sold by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Rogers.

Updates to the latest version of Android have been a sore spot for consumers and handset vendors. They often come frustratingly slow, held up by the carrier approval process, as well as the need to integrate the … Read more

HTC prepping Android 4.1 update for One XL and One S

Users of HTC's One XL and One S phones are on the Android 4.1 update list, at least in Australia.

An update page posted by Australian mobile carrier Telstra points to an Android 4.1 'Jelly Bean' update in progress for both phones. The carrier says that HTC is preparing the update but has yet to confirm a date in which it will be sent to Telstra for testing.

No further beans were spilled as to a possible release date or availability for other HTC devices or other carriers around the world. But the handset maker has revealed … Read more

Nintendo goes big on 3D with 3DS XL

It's time to live large, change your fate and flip out:

Nintendo just ordered up a supersized version of the 3DS. Going on sale on August 19 for $200, the 3DS XL is 90% larger than the original 3DS. Nintendo could have taken this product in a new direction for gamers by using the extra space to add a second analog stick. But no, the XL has the same design as the 3DS. It's also a bit odd that Nintendo didn't announce this two weeks ago at E3.

So who would want the 3DS XL? Larger screens … Read more

Nintendo 3DS XL to pop out August 19 for $199.99

Nintendo has announced a new entry in its portable game lineup.

Dubbed the Nintendo 3DS XL, the device delivers the same glasses-free 3D experience as its predecessor, the 3DS, but comes with much larger screens. According to Nintendo, the upper display will come in at 4.88 inches, while the lower screen will be 4.18 inches. The 3DS currently has a 3.53-inch upper display and a 3.01-inch lower screen.

Rumors had been swirling for quite some time that Nintendo was planning to launch a 3DS with larger screens. However, last week, gaming icon Shigeru Miyamoto tried throwing reporters off the scent … Read more

Nintendo DSi and DSi XL drop to $99 and $129

It's been a tough time for handheld game systems that aren't phones or tablets. Sometimes, the only real solution is a price drop.

Nintendo is lowering the prices of the Nintendo DSi and DSi XL, the larger-screened version of the DSi, to prices that, frankly, most people probably imagined they'd be at anyway: $99 and $129, respectively. These prices take effect May 20. The Nintendo DSi currently has an MSRP of $149 while the DSi XL is $169, which seems ridiculous considering the more powerful but more battery-challenged Nintendo 3DS now costs $169.

Meanwhile, the Nintendo DS Lite … Read more