For most global phone users, subsidized hardware is pretty uncommon. Of course the positive to paying $300, $400 or $500+ for a phone is that you also get it unlocked and sans monthly contract, free to roam until your hearts content. In the U.S., however, things are quite different. Most high-end phones are $200-$300 max. In exchange for cheaper up front costs, U.S. consumers are required to sign a multi-year (usually 2) year contract tying them to a particular carrier and…

For many guys, the “throne room” (aka: bathroom) is the sole place of true solace. Free from crazy kids, frustrated wives/girlfriends and whatever else distractions life may throw your way, the bathroom is a place where men think. This Mario/Donkey Kong/Pac-man bathroom owned by Technabob reader Gregory Pinzone is the god of all throne rooms, at least for geeks like us. Not only can you think about life’s current toils and tribulations, but re-live the…

If the mobile gods had so chosen, the Samsung Nexus S would not have been a “pure” Google phone on in Google’s flagship Nexus line. Instead, the phone you see above, codenamed “Zeus”, was going to take the cake. (Image comes from a slide in the ongoing Oracle vs. Google trial.) The dual-slider featured a slide-out game pad much like the Xperia Play but also a second slider that slid out over top of the game pad. Now we know what…

Want a reason to put on your rage face this afternoon? Look no further than Crytek’s Director of Creative Development, Rasmus Højengaard, who told gaming cite, CVG, that it would be “absolutely awesome” if next-gen consoles blocked used games. What. The. Fuck. On the surface, the argument that game developers lose quadrillions of dollars on second-hand sales makes a tiny bit of sense; games bought and sold after the initial first sale bring monetary…

Reuters have highlighted the difficulties Nintendo faces in these tough economic times as the gaming giant announced an operating loss deficit of 37.3 billion Yen, roughly equivalent to $458 million. This news comes just after Nintendo celebrated the one year anniversary of the Nintendo 3DS launch, and close to the highly anticipated announcement and launch of upcoming powerful and innovative home console, the Nintendo Wii U. Analysts and bloggers around the world are…

Status icons in Facebook chat are a handy way for your friends to know a few basic things you’re doing at any given point. Currently, Facebook shows simple green dots for people online and actively using said service and a little mobile phone when they’re signed in on their mobile devices. So we’d naturally assume this new(?) controller icon found by one of our readers would indicate the Facebook user in question is actively engaged in a game. According to…