$300 Nintendo Wii U; Apple Wins Lawsuit; 'Disappointing' iPhone 5

Topping tech headlines Thursday (non-iPhone 5 aftermath division), Nintendo's next-gen Wii U console finally has an official release date and a lineup of more than 50 games that will be release between November and March.

During a press conference, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime announced that the new console will begin shipping Nov. 18. Wii U comes in two flavors: a Basic Set, retailing for $299.99, and a Deluxe Set, which sports a few added amenities and a $349.99 price tag. Neither console will come with a remote, but are compatible with the Wii remotes users may already own. The device launch also came with a list of 50-plus games, expected to be available by March 2013, including several Nintendo Land mini-games, New Super Mario Bros. U, and Lego City Undercover.

Meanwhile, Apple scored another win this week in Germany against Motorola. A Munich judge found that Motorola infringed on Cupertino's "overscroll bounce" patent, which allows content on a screen to bounce back into place after being moved around on a gadget's screen. The ruling puts a damper on Motorola devices, all of which carrying the infringing patent must be recalled.

In other Apple news, Wednesday's iPhone 5 reveal left many consumers nonplussed about the incremental improvements to the phone. In a flash poll of 1,135 Americans conducted after Apple's Wednesday press event, CouponCodes4u.com found that 57 percent were "disappointed" with the new iOS device. The biggest gripe: the new 8-pin dock connector. Another bunch complained about the smaller, Nano-styled SIM card, and some were unhappy that Apple is not offering a 128GB model.

Also making headlines Thursday:

• Regional Carrier Cricket Lands iPhone 5: Cricket Communications announced Thursday that it's joining big boys AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon in offering the new Apple iPhone 5.
• Apple iPhone 5: What We Got vs. What We Wanted: Does the new iPhone 5 measure up after a closer look? Here's a look at what we were expecting versus what Apple has actually delivered.
• Verizon Offering FaceTime Over Cellular With Any Data Plan: Unlike AT&T, Verizon Wireless confirmed this week that customers will be able to tap into Apple's FaceTime over cellular feature on any of its data plans.
• Apple Shutting Down iTunes Ping on Sept. 30: Looks like the approximately five people who use Apple's Ping social network are going to have to find another place to talk about music.
• Instagram Revamps Mobile Photo Pages: Instagram's redesigned mobile photo page looks and feels more like the Web-based service.
• Pinterest Scam Pushes Spam Images to Facebook, Twitter: Pinterest users have been the victim of a recent phishing expedition, which pushed spam images through their social corkboard account and onto adjoining social networks.
• New U.S. Cellular App Makes Finding Wi-Fi Hotspots Easier: Regional wireless carrier U.S. Cellular today launched a new app that automatically detects and connects a user's phone to available Wi-Fi hotspots at coffee shops and other businesses.
• Victorian Pianist Clara Schumann's 193rd Birthday Honored With Google Doodle: German musician and composer Clara Schumann got the Google Doodle treatment today, in celebration of her birth 193 years ago.
• Google's Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: Is there an actor who is actually a full six degrees from Kevin Bacon? Google just made it a lot easier to find out.
• Latest Curiosity Landing Video Amazes in HD: Bard Canning's new real-time compilation video of last month's harrowing descent by NASA's Mars rover thrills with enhanced, high-resolution imagery and a bonus audio track.

For more from Stephanie, follow her on Twitter @smlotPCMag.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2409713,00.asp?kc=PCRSS05039TX1K0000749

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