Amazon fixed rate SIM card introduced in Japan

Nikkei reported that Amazon was working on selling prepaid 500MB SIM cards in Japan earlier this week, and it is said that those cards are now available on Amazon Japan for 1980 yen each month – which roughly translates to approximately $25 a pop. It seems that future customers will need to make an initial 'SIM package' purchase of 3,150 yen, and the moment you are done with your 500MB of storage space, you can pick up another 500MB of storage space for 1,980 yen using a credit card, which would equal to approximately $50 each month.

Ubergizmo, Amazon fixed rate SIM card introduced in Japan

Google springs for .lol, .youtube domains, we wonder if it's going TLD .crazy

Google just can't wait until ICANN reveals custom domain name bids in mid-June to say what it's trying to buy - and it's clear that Mountain View went on a shopping spree. Some of the top-level domains in the land grab are ones you'd expect safeguarding Google's prized possessions, such as .google, .youtube and .docs. Others make us fear for the future of Internet memes. Google claims that it's bidding for TLDs such as .lol to explore their "we have a hunch it's just taking the addition of LOL to the dictionary a little too seriously. The company does assuage our fears with a promise to prevent TLD abuse.

Engadget, Google springs for .lol, .youtube domains, we wonder if it's going TLD .crazy

XBMC audio engine gets big rewrite, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio hit your media hub

Fans of XBMC who've wanted their HTPCs to replace the higher-end components of a home theater setup, like Blu-ray players and higher-end receivers, are having their wishes fulfilled through a completely reworked sound system. AudioEngine, as it's called, can processevery stage of audio encoding and decoding, even with 7.1-channel formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. As the code uses more precise floating point math, the improvements can bolster heavily compressed audio and allow for upmixing from stereo to a native surround format.

Engadget, XBMC audio engine gets big rewrite, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio hit your media hub

Rumors give 2012 iPhone shiny new chip, 1GB of RAM, mystery iOS app

We've potentially seen a lot of the next iPhone's exterior; it may be the interior's time for a shakedown, as an unusually detailed rumor out of 9to5 Mac has claimed scads more about the processor and iOS 6. Going by the tips, the 2012 design would use an There would likewise be a new spin on the PowerVR SGX543 graphics from the iPad as well as 1GB of RAM - which doesn't sound like much next to a 2GB Galaxy S III, but stands to produce a similar speed boost for a lightweight platform like iOS.

Engadget, Rumors give 2012 iPhone shiny new chip, 1GB of RAM, mystery iOS app

Samsung Galaxy S III June 20 release date for the US seemingly confirmed in Australia

Yesterday, the Samsung Galaxy S III was officially announced for Canada. And it will become available over there on June 20. That's the exact same date that was rumored to be when the Galaxy S III would also make it to T-Mobile in the US. Yet up until now neither Samsung nor the magenta carrier have said anything official about this.

That could change pretty soon, since the June 20 US release date for Samsung's latest and greatest has been seemingly confirmed in Australia. Yes, quite far away from the US.

Unwired View, Samsung Galaxy S III June 20 release date for the US seemingly confirmed in Australia

MSI GT70 gaming laptop kindly updated with GeForce GTX 675M graphics

We sure hope you like surprises, because we've got a good one for you. It seems as if MSI wasn't quite pleased with the killer graphics on its feature-loaded GT70 laptop and decided to give it a quick boost. Earlier today, the outfit announced its fresh gaming machine will now ship with NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 675M GPU instead of that already powerful GTX 670M found in our review unit. MSI says the change was driven by the company's beliefs that "exceptional performance starts with outstanding components," and, needless to say, we're certain you'd agree.

Engadget, MSI GT70 gaming laptop kindly updated with GeForce GTX 675M graphics

VW considering new midsize utility for NA; Polo and Up! still on table

We've already heard word that Volkswagen may be considering a new Alltrack version of its Jetta for the North American Market, but TheDetroitBureau.com reports the automaker is also looking at other high-riding options. Jonathan Browning, Volkswagen Group of America CEO, says a new mid-sized SUV may show up in the lineup alongside the next-generation Tiguan (which itself is likely to get a trio of variants). The unnamed model would fit above the Touareg in size and price and would likely be co-developed engineers in the U.S. and those in another part of the world.

Autoblog, VW considering new midsize utility for NA; Polo and Up! still on table