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Sprint's decision to take its LTE live in Kansas City marked a short prelude to a full orchestral performance -- the carrier's upgraded 4G network is now official. Kansas City and St. Joseph in Kansas, as well as 13 urban areas in Georgia and Texas, are taking the leap past WiMAX speeds as of today. Senior network VP Bob Azzi has warned the Kansas City Star that the current LTE access is still mostly for use outside until it expands to the 3G network's range, although he adds that there will be a coverage map available from July 16th onwards to let EVO 4G LTE, Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S III owners know when their phones reach full potential. Just remember that the real party starts in 2013, when Sprint hopes to both flick on voice over LTE and ramp up to extra-speedy LTE-Advanced.

[Thanks, Alex]

Well, lookie here. It didn't take long for Motorola's latest Atrix variant to go from unveiled to launched, as the Atrix HD is now on sale at AT&T for a wallet-pleasing $99.99 on contract. Sign the dotted line for two years, and you'll be getting a 4.5-inch Android superphone, complete with Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), a true 720p display, Kevlar-infused backing, a "splash resistant" casing and an LTE radio. Those who indulge quickly are set to grab a gratis Vehicle Dock for "a limited time," and you'll also enjoy the first Moto handset to bring the outfit's Circle Widget to the homescreen -- which is engineered to take owners directly to their AT&T account info, displaying data usage, battery status and more. The phone's listed right now in AT&T's smartphone section in Titanium and Modern White, but the link to buy it seems deactivated for the moment. Still, it's all square to go on sale today, so keep a close eye on the source link if you're dead-set on an upgrade.

Psst... you can learn more about the Atrix lineage through our original Atrix 4G and Atrix 2 reviews.

It's widely considered a tradition: Microsoft readies a new Halo game, and a new Xbox 360 bundle swings by stores to mark the occasion. The Limited Edition Halo 4 Xbox 360 follows that pattern, with a special (if minor) twist. No one will be shocked by the new Halo-themed artwork or the inclusion of a Halo 4 copy in the 320GB system's box, but the ring of light on both the console and its two matching gamepads will drop the Xbox 360's green glow in favor of a distinctive bright blue. At $400, the console arriving November 6th will aim chiefly at the hardest of hardcore sci-fi shooter fans -- although murmurs of an upcoming successor console could make the Halo 4 pack an unofficial swan song for Microsoft's market dominator. Consider the stand-alone $60 special edition wireless controller for a less expensive way to say goodbye.

Another day, another FCC filing. This time, though, the documents on offer aren't tipping us off to the impending arrival of some wunderphone -- it's just Sony's recently outed Xperia tipo. The diminutive 3.2-incher -- set for an official Euro bow this August -- is no screamer with its 480 x 320 TFT display and lone 800MHz Snapdragon CPU. The ICS handset's real claim to fame is its availability in single- and dual-SIM flavors. And based on the radios outlined in the corresponding Commission docs -- GPRS/EDGE/GSM 850 and 1900; WCDMA 850 and 1900 -- this modest phone could see a low-end berth on AT&T. Excited? Neither are we. Still, you can peruse the user manual, take a tour of the phone's inner workings and parse through dense legalese at the source link below.

Nikon's D4 is currently the only belle at the XQD ball, and until now, Sony was its only memory suitor. However, Lexar's just arrived with a new line of cards to compete for the D4's affections. The Fremont-based company says it collaborated with Nikon to build the PCI Express-based memory, and that they'll hit the market sometime in the third quarter of 2012 -- with no mention of specs or prices so far. Unfortunately, that means we don't know how Lexar's offerings will stack up against Sony's H-series or S-series cards already on the market. That said, while you wait for more details about Lexar's new cards, feel free to check out the lovely data the D4 will be putting on 'em when they arrive.

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from is from Kim, who wants to help her four-year-old play games and communicate in the home. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"I'm looking at getting a tablet for my four-year-old, developmentally delayed daughter. She uses an iPad with her therapist to play games and say what she wants, but I'm not sure if I should get the same for the home. Is there an Android alternative that's as useful in our special circumstances, and is it compatible with a sturdy, water-proof case for it?"

For our two cents, we'd say that in such circumstances, continuity is probably an important factor to take into account. However, we're also aware that some of the specialist apps run into the hundreds of dollars, which few can easily afford, so let's turn the question over to our community. Do you have experience in the area, or perhaps you've already been in this situation? Either way, why not share what you know?

We've certainly delved into Android 4.1 Jelly Bean's new features, but Google itself is just now giving us a full exploration of its update's sugar-laden heart through an official changelog. While Google Now, the updated camera app and other core components easily get their due, the checklist also has a decidedly more buttery feel than one would think -- key individual apps like Calendar now have more elegant transitions to go with the leaps and bounds in Android's overall speed. The breakdown even goes into corners that Google scarcely illuminated during the Google I/O keynote, such as accessibility and the finer nuances of the new keyboard. If you're the sort whose Jelly Bean fever has you checking for that Galaxy Nexus upgrade so often that you're nearly punching a hole in the screen, Google has your (no doubt temporary) placebo.

Spintronics? Not exactly a new term 'round these parts, but University of Utah physicists are applying it in a unique way that may eventually make TVs look even sharper than they do today. The entity is trumpeting a new "spintronic" organic light-emitting diode (that's OLED, for short) that's said to be "cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the kinds of LEDs now used in television and computer displays, lighting, traffic lights and numerous electronic devices." Z. Valy Vardeny is even going so far as to call it a "completely different technology," and better still, a prototype has already been made. The professor expects that the newfangled tech -- which produces an orange glow today -- will be able to product red, blue and white spin OLEDs within a few years. It's a lot to wade through, but here's our question: will these things make the Galaxy S XI impeccably visible in outdoor sunlight? (Please say "yes.")

We'll admit it: we're jaded. There is so much bad, middling and just okay stuff floating around in the portable speaker universe that we're tired of even thinking about it. We've had our distinct favorite -- the Tivoli iPal -- for almost 10 years now, and it takes a lot to knock it off its unglamorous, but distinctive, pedestal. And we predict that it will continue to stay there. But newcomer Beacon has a hot little number in a soft-touch red dress that we're willing to put right next to it on a slightly more diminutive pedestal. The $99, baseball-sized, Bluetooth-packing Phoenix has gotten under our collective skins, and we'd like to tell you why.

Beacon Audio Phoenix review

Live! from the Hamptons, it was Friday night! at the official Engadget Retreat Basement Garage Studio, where the surroundings are cozy, the recording is iffy, and the rabbit is always just around the corner. The Engadget Podcasters prove once again that there really is no such thing as vacation in their world as long as there are Tesseracts to chat about.

Hosts: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater
Guest: Richard Lawler
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Orbital - Never

02:05 - Thorsten Heins, Mike Lazaridis elected to RIM board during shareholders meeting
07:47 - Heins: RIM focusing on a 'smaller number of devices'
16:00 - Nintendo 3DS XL review: bigger is better, but it's still not quite enough
23:01 - Ouya's $99 Android-based gaming console meets Kickstarter goal: $950k in under 12 hours (update: it's a record)
08:00 - Ouya's Android-based, hackable game console now official: we chat with designer Yves Behar (update: funded)
33:00 - Viacom channels disappear from DirecTV after the two companies can't reach a deal
37:00 - LG Optimus Vu review: a 5-inch, pen-enabled phone to take on the Galaxy Note
40:12 - Nexus 7 pre-orders ship to some customers -- has yours?
49:15 - Marvel Cinematic Universe 10-disc Blu-ray box unveiled, Tesseract and all
52:00 - Columbia House still exists, launches first Blu-ray specific club



Hear the podcast

Sure, thin, light and power-efficient may be the latest trend in notebook design, but one category of portable computing isn't afraid of going against the grain: the oversized gaming laptop. These big machines often flirt with double-digit weights, with screens in excess of 17 inches and the most powerful chipsets under the hood. Samsung's Series 7 Gamer is no exception, of course, weighing in at 8.39 pounds and packing plenty of power. The machine's recent US debut isn't its first foray into the market, however -- this machine first appeared in Europe late last year, albeit with an older processor and GPU. Now, Sammy has brought the rig stateside, adorning it with new parts for the New World, namely a 2.3GHz Core i7-3610QM CPU and NVIDIA's GTX 675M graphics processor. How does Samsung's first oversized gaming machine measure up? Let's find out.

Samsung Series 7 Gamer review

Taking a virtual tour of the Amazon or Antarctica? Totally doable with Street View. But some of America's finest National Parks? Yeah, those have been a long time coming. Today, Google announced the inclusion of five California-based US National Parks in Street View, and for those who haven't had the opportunity (of a lifetime) to visit, they're absolutely worth a look. Starting at the top, Redwoods National Park provides a street level look at some of the world's most mysterious trees, while those looking for even more Treebeard-type characters can point their browser to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. Naturally, Yosemite and Joshua Tree (shown above) are included as well, and the 360-degree views Google's cadre of motorcars managed to capture really do a fairly astounding job at capturing the splendor. The toughest part? Knowing which one to traverse first.

BAE Systems' ASTRAEA isn't a new concept -- the company's been playing up its unmanned potential for quite some time now -- but it's all seeming entirely less pie-in-the-sky now that the Farnborough Airshow has kicked off. Typically, UAVs are thought to be smaller, drone-type apparatuses; these things are typically used in military exercises where remote gunfire or reconnaissance is required. Clearly, it's about time someone asked the obvious: "Why?" Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal, Engineering Director Systems and Strategy, Military Air and Information at BAE and ASTRAEA Program Director recently spoke at the aforesaid event, noting that this particular aircraft could "open up a new market." He continued: "Current search and rescue aircraft are limited by human endurance, however with a UAV there's no reason why they can't stay up for weeks." Sadly, he also affirmed that there aren't any plans to ship actual humans up in the air without a pilot onboard, but if you're rich and mettlesome enough to pull it off yourself... well, be sure to send us the video. Also, Godspeed.

Surprise surprise, after popping up on the iPad last year, XBMC developers revealed tonight that they've created a version of the media center that runs as an Android app. Currently the team has it stable on the Pivos XIOS DS set-top box, and posted a video (embedded after the break) showing it running on a phone and a tablet. Of course, the different varieties of Android hardware audio and video decoding is mostly a software only affair, but universal hardware decoding is in the plan. The truly dedicated can dig up the source code right now, but APKs for beta testers are promised "in the coming weeks." According to the blog post, it currently includes a community member created touch oriented skin and hopes to have more available before any version of this hits Google Play officially.

[Thanks, Bharath]