MIT app turns your Android phone into a supercomputer... of sorts Oh, sure -- a few people have called Google's Nexus One a "superphone," but suddenly, that nickname has taken on a whole new level of meaning. A team of talent from MIT has put its head down in order to concoct a new Android application that can come darn close to solving complex computational problems in just a fraction of the time that it'd take a bona fide supercomputer. The goal here is to let researchers and scientists convert to Google's mobile OS, but if you aren't falling for that one, it's also designed to "let engineers perform complicated calculations in the field, and to better control systems for vehicles or robotic systems." Of course, the models that are hosted on the phone do require a supercomputer to create, but once certain formulas are embedded, the app can then compute approximations in mere seconds rather than hours. Best of all, rbAPPmit is available for download as well speak in the source link below, but we'd probably wait for the (presumably thick) user guide to surface before diving in headfirst.
[Thanks, Alasdair]MIT app turns your Android phone into a supercomputer... of sorts originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Alleged Samsung NX100 pics and specs surface We're not quite sure what to make of this, as our first reaction is to label it a fan made render and move on. But it's a very detailed render, so let's hear this one out in between bites of freshly grilled burger (or whatever you do to celebrate Labor Day; we think more working is an appropriate course of action, but to each his or her own). So what you see surfaced on the Digital Photography Review forums is an apparent render of the Samsung NX100 and a diagram pictured after the break -- labeled by number but missing the complementary key. We still don't know much about the forum poster nor the images' origins, but later on he or she did provide supposed dimensions and some display specifications: 4.74 x 2.8 x 1.36 inches, 9.95 ounces, an external GPS receptor, an external EVF with 201K resolution, and a (non-articulating) display that's 921K AMOLED. We're intrigued to say the least, but nothing tangible at the moment.Continue reading Alleged Samsung NX100 pics and specs surface
Alleged Samsung NX100 pics and specs surface originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Toshiba AC100 Android smartbook hits the United Kingdom Hey, there little guy! That's the Toshiba AC100 -- an Android 2.1 smartbook with Toshiba's custom user interface -- on show in the UK, where you can now grab one up. The 10.1-inch, 1.9-pounder has yet to show its face anywhere near the US, but as for specs it's got a 1GHz Tegra 250 SoC, a 32GB SSD, 512MB of DDR2 memory, 802.11n WiFi, optional 3G, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, and an HDMI port. While it's listed on Amazon you still can't actually order one of these bad boys stateside, but if you're in the UK, you can grab one up for £292.52 (almost $450) for the non-3G model. Video of the little guy in action back in June is below.Continue reading Toshiba AC100 Android smartbook hits the United Kingdom
Toshiba AC100 Android smartbook hits the United Kingdom originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Nokia said to be launching E7 smartphone next week Well, it looks like the mystery of Nokia's Symbian^3 slider may soon be solved -- Reuters is reporting that the company will introduce its new "flagship" E7 smartphone at its Nokia World event in London next week, and it says that the device will pack both a "large" touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard. That's further backed up by the existence of an XML file on Nokia's own site, which seemingly confirms that the E7 does indeed run Symbian^3, and that it boasts a 640 x 360 display along with that QWERTY keyboard. Not much more than that at the moment, but those previous leaks suggest that we're basically looking at a slider version of the Nokia N8.
[Thanks, Wes]Nokia said to be launching E7 smartphone next week originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Electronista | Reuters, Nokia (XML) | Email this | Comments
Sleek Audio's SA7 earphones briefly tested, dubbed 'stonkingly good' We didn't get to hear them for ourselves at IFA 2010, and it sounds like we missed out -- a pair of publications are already showering Sleek Audio's nigh-bulletproof SA7 buds with praise. The tightly-woven carbon fiber casing may look stylish, but both SlashGear and TrustedReviews were even more impressed by the sound, calling the combination of dual-armature drivers and one-piece aluminum housing "more precise" and "stonkingly good" respectively. Both noted hugely powerful bass that sounded fantastic alongside the trebles and mids, rather than drowning them out, and high frequencies that remained comfortable to listen to even at higher volume -- a mark of excellence, to be sure. Of course, one typically expects quality audio when slapping four Benjamins down -- we'll have to hear how these stack up against other audiophile buds.Sleek Audio's SA7 earphones briefly tested, dubbed 'stonkingly good' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | SlashGear, TrustedReviews | Email this | Comments
Carl Zeiss Cinemizer 3D Plus glasses get OLED infusion, still no attention Carl Zeiss keeps on making minor improvements to its Cinemizer head-mounted display, announced way back in 2008 and intended to be the most amazing way to watch stuff on your iPod. They didn't exactly catch on then, and two years later we're not entirely sure that the latest revision will either. The tiny screens that sit a fraction of an inch from your eyeballs have been upgraded to OLED, which should make them bright and lovely as they pummel your rods and cones, but sadly they're still stuck in VGA land -- 640 x 480 is not a lot of pixels these days. This version also pledges greater compatibility with non-Apple devices, a welcome change, and even more welcome is the new visual styling, which makes you look a little less walleyed than the last model. Despite this the price hasn't changed much, estimated to be around €400 ($515), but that's still a lot to pay just to have the coolest Frozone costume ever.Carl Zeiss Cinemizer 3D Plus glasses get OLED infusion, still no attention originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Windows Phone 7 ad promises 'the revolution is coming' (video) Usually we'd advise you not to read too much into this -- we'd point out that this was a themed ad served up before the showing of Lawrence of Arabia at London's Secret Cinema event -- but what the hell: Microsoft says the revolution's coming. It's on now!Continue reading Windows Phone 7 ad promises 'the revolution is coming' (video)
Windows Phone 7 ad promises 'the revolution is coming' (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | windowsphoneuk (YouTube) | Email this | Comments
Scientists using metallic wastes to generate clean energy Solar farms are swell and all, but they aren't exactly fit for laboratories or studio apartments. Thanks to new discoveries by gurus at the University of Birmingham, though, we could be on our way to a far more diminutive method of creating clean energy. As the story goes, we could soon be using microbes to transform wastes in metals into energy. The team managed to pinpoint Hydrogenase enzymes and BioPd in their research, which they believe can be used as catalysts for the treatment of persistent pollutants. The overriding goal, however, is to "develop a one-step technology that allows for the conversion of metallic wastes into high value catalysts for green chemistry and clean energy generation," but it's difficult to say at this point how close they are to realizing it. The best news? This is bound to start a new rash of Cash 4 Gold commercials.Scientists using metallic wastes to generate clean energy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Physorg | SGM Journals | Email this | Comments
Nuu Mini Key adds a bulky physical keyboard to the iPhone 4 For all the benefits of touchscreen keyboards, there are many who maintain a steadfast allegiance to the gods of tactile feedback. So how does this Mini Key case with sliding QWERTY for the iPhone 4 strike you? Unfortunately, the keys were a bit hard to press on the backlit prototype keypad handled by Engadget Spanish, and it links to the iPhone via Bluetooth, not the iPhone's dock connector (there's a cutout at the bottom for a cable to pass through). And no, all that added bulk still doesn't include an extended life battery pack. Perhaps some of this will change before it goes on sale before the end of the year for $60 / €60, we doubt it though.Gallery: Nuu Mini Key adds a bulky physical keyboard to the iPhone 4
Nuu Mini Key adds a bulky physical keyboard to the iPhone 4 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nokia N8 launches September 30, says senior manager Tapani Kaskinen is Nokia's Senior Comms Manager, so it's fitting that he'd be the first person from the company to communicate a solid release date for its long-awaited N8 handset. The gent in question told Finnish newspaper Kauppalehti that advance orders of the N8 will "begin shipping 30 September." Bear in mind we're chewing through a machine translation here, but that part's pretty unmistakable. It also meshes perfectly with earlier speculation surrounding Nokia purchasing Google AdWords -- that indicated a one-week exclusive starting on September 23rd for Nokia's UK online store, which, if you do the math, again points to a wide release at the end of the month. We asked Nokia about it ourselves and they're remaining mum on the matter, but chances are looking pretty good that October will start with the N8 finally in eager users' hands.Nokia N8 launches September 30, says senior manager originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink E's Phone Blog | Kauppalehti.fi, NokNok | Email this | Comments
Samsung N350 throws LTE and HSPA+ into an intriguing new netbook proposition Yeah, we thought netbooks were old news too, but if they all start strapping up with the latest in 4G connectivity, we might have to give them another look. The Samsung N350 is just such a machine, with dual-mode LTE and HSPA+ built in. You won't be surprised that almost everything else is par for the affordable laptop market course: a dual-core Atom N550 CPU, that boilerplate 1,024 x 600 resolution on a 10.1-inch matte screen, 250GB of storage, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, a multicard reader, and a trifecta of USB ports. The basic wireless options are keeping up with modernity, however, with 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 on board, both of which are nice to see. The 3-cell battery should last up to 6.7 hours and the whole package is expected to retail for €429 ($553) in Germany this autumn. You can probably expect a rebadge under the Go label for the US and a relatively swift launch over here as well. Continue reading Samsung N350 throws LTE and HSPA+ into an intriguing new netbook proposition
Samsung N350 throws LTE and HSPA+ into an intriguing new netbook proposition originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Mini-notebook-laptop.com | | Email this | Comments
Creative Sound Blaster Wireless MultiPlay System untethered from FCC Here we go again. Another FCC filing of an unannounced product, this time in the form of Creative's Sound Blaster Wireless MultiPlay system. We're looking at a trio of new products including the MultiPlay Transmitter with its USB extension dock, a rather clunky looking Touch Controller (that we've seen before) resembling an old Sonos CR100, and Wireless Receiver. The idea here is to attach the transmitter to your PC and install the Creative Music Server software, connect the receiver to a pair of amplified speakers and then control the whole kit with the supplied controller. You can even push the audio out to Creative's existing wireless speakers or headphones as long as you don't exceed four devices in total. The transmitter and receivers pair automatically when turned on and you can attach additional audio devices (like an old CD player) for broadcast via a 3.5-mm stereo cable. Creative's pitching this as a multi-room solution with the ability to setup and then control zones of music throughout your house over a 2.4GHz connection. In other words, don't expect it to be very robust -- not when the user manual explicitly warns: "Refrain from doing large file transfers via the wireless internet or Bluetooth connection while you are streaming music." Expect it to be cheap though.Gallery: Creative Sound Blaster Wireless MultiPlay System untethered by FCC
Creative Sound Blaster Wireless MultiPlay System untethered from FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Samsung excuses absence of Super AMOLED on Galaxy Tab with Super TFT (video) A Super AMOLED 7-inch tablet was highly unlikely to ever materialize in a marketable form, but that didn't stop many of us from dreaming about one. Consequently, there was palpable disappointment when Samsung failed to deliver on our unicorn hallucinations with the Galaxy Tab, but the company says not to worry. The Tab's 7 inches of glorious visuals are being handled by a Super TFT panel, surely the Korean company's answer to Sony's Super LCD. It's a screen technology that has been developed "alongside" Super AMOLED and just so happens to offer better battery performance and an obvious saving in cost. We're usually inclined to consider such moves cynical marketing ploys -- keep the Super branding, drop the actual super hardware -- but the SLCD display on the HTC Desire gives us faith that perhaps TFTs really can be souped up. Video after the break.Continue reading Samsung excuses absence of Super AMOLED on Galaxy Tab with Super TFT (video)
Samsung excuses absence of Super AMOLED on Galaxy Tab with Super TFT (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink OLED-Display.net | Samsung Hub | Email this | Comments
IBM claims world's fastest processor with 5.2GHz z196 Remember when a 1.4GHz processor was deemed the world's fastest? Man, that was ages ago. Recently, IBM has laid claim to that very record, with its 5.2GHz z196 processor being the focal point. Of course, we've seen a number of consumer chips hum along at speeds well beyond that (thanks to sophisticated cooling systems, of course), but this here enterprise chip does it without any liquid nitrogen-based assistance. It's a four-core slab that was manufactured using the outfit's 45 nanometer technology, boasting 1.4 billion transistors and the ability to handle more than 50 billion instructions per second. Interestingly, Fujitsu's Venus CPU is said to handle a staggering 128 billion calculations per second, so we're guessing that IBM won't be snagging this crown without any debate from the competition. At any rate, there's a very convincing video waiting for you after the break, and no, you won't find this thing in your next Alienware anytime soon.Continue reading IBM claims world's fastest processor with 5.2GHz z196
IBM claims world's fastest processor with 5.2GHz z196 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Hot Hardware | IBM | Email this | Comments
Apple sucks at Photoshop too Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the new fourth-generation iPod touch: it's so much like an iPhone that it has a Phone app (wait, what?). Better yet, if you do a Spotlight search on it, it'll return results from a messaging app it's not supposed to have. How's that for value? This would all be a great big enigmatic mystery if we weren't ourselves familiar with the practice (and pitfalls) of splicing disparate images into unholy creations. Well, at least now Microsoft isn't alone in making self-published Photoshop gaffes.
P.S. -- There's one more misplaced app on this magical device, but we'll let you figure it out for yourself!
[Thanks, Michael and Rory]
Update: Apple's now finally rid itself of the ignoble image above, but the lower two remain.Continue reading Apple sucks at Photoshop too
Apple sucks at Photoshop too originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
WeTab tablet spotted running MeeGo at IFA Remember the WeTab? Or the WePad, perhaps? While we can't say we had much confidence in ever seeing the tablet again after a seemingly endless series of false starts and delays, it has turned up at IFA, and with something of a surprise no less -- it's running a customized version of MeeGo. Those customizations look to keep things mostly in line with the interface we saw during the device's WePad days, but it does seem to be a bit more responsive, and is seemingly in a nearly final state. Of course, it's not quite final enough to avoid another delay -- it's now apparently set to roll out in "late September." Head on past the break to check it out in action. Continue reading WeTab tablet spotted running MeeGo at IFA
WeTab tablet spotted running MeeGo at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Keepin' it real fake: Dyson's Air Multiplier gets ripped off, multiplied a few more times We never really understood the value proposition behind Dyson's (admittedly boisterous) Air Multiplier, but that's mostly due to the $300+ MSRP. Cut that back to right around $40, and you just might have us singing a different tune. Thanks to the wonders of KIRFing, Dyson's bladeless fan has seen itself duped and multiplied over in China, with a 10-inch version now selling for just $41.05 so long as you buy ten or more units. Abiko seems to the company hawking the knockoffs, with its version reportedly "indistinguishable from the original." So, what's it going to be? The real deal? Or the real deal?
Update: Dyson requested that we add this comment, so we're more than happy to present you with it. "The Dyson Air Multiplier[TM] fans were launched in 2009 after four years of research and development. A team of specialist Dyson engineers have refined and patented the technology: illegal copies are of significantly inferior quality. Dyson rigorously defends its intellectual property and treats any infringement very seriously. Dyson is taking legal action against anyone who copies its technology."Keepin' it real fake: Dyson's Air Multiplier gets ripped off, multiplied a few more times originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink CNET | Ali Express | Email this | Comments
ExoPC preorders open to all from CAD $649, tablet loses GPS but gains SanDisk SSD First the good news, for those who've waited months to get their paws on that 11.6-inch multitouch capacitive screen: there's no longer anything stopping you from dropping a stack of change on the Windows 7-wielding ExoPC. Originally restricted to the first 1,200 dedicated fans, preorders are now open to all, with the 32GB tablet setting you back CAD $649 (about $624) and the 64GB version CAD $749 (about $720), with both models featuring up-to-160MB/s fast SanDisk P4 mini-SSDs and up to four hours of battery life. The bad news is that you'll no longer find GPS on that 64GB model, as the prototype didn't pan out, and we're afraid that September 30th ship date has already slid back to October 15th. Take a gander at our hands-on preview (or better yet, wait for our review) if you've yet to make your mind up.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]ExoPC preorders open to all from CAD $649, tablet loses GPS but gains SanDisk SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
'Classic White' DualShock 3 appears at e-tail, dreaming of an alabaster console While the white PS3 Slim pictured above decidedly belongs to Japan, the "Classic White" DualShock 3 alongside has just appeared for preorder at e-tailers based in the US. Now, we wouldn't go so far as to claim that an ivory 160GB game system will follow this controller across the Pacific, but let's just say we won't be surprised if Sony reveals one anyhow before these preorders (tentatively) ship on October 15th. After all, Sony already sells a "Ceramic White" controller, and unless you're attempting to match colors, a single shade of eggshell paint is generally all you need.
[Thanks, William]'Classic White' DualShock 3 appears at e-tail, dreaming of an alabaster console originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 22:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Amazon, Buy.com | Email this | Comments
Inhabitat's Week in Green: solar robots that fly, CO2 fabric dye, and the dark silicon that boosts battery life Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.
Solar power blazed a trail this week as we took a look at several hot new technologies, starting with SkyFuel's SkyTrough, which is being billed as the world's most efficient solar collector. We also saw solar energy take to the skies as designers unveiled plans for a fleet of high-flying solar robots, and we were surprised to learn that common household dyes could significantly increase the efficiency of photovoltaic panels by optimizing their color absorption spectrum.
Speaking of dye, from the realm of wearable tech we also brought you a breakthrough new technique for dying fabric that saves water by utilizing fluid CO2. We also saw a prototype for a wired "safe cuddling" suit for kids that wards off improper touching by sounding an alarm, and if you're a fan of high-tech footwear, check out these tricked-out kicks that do double duty as Wii controllers.
This week also saw a tremendous green boost for bits and bytes as the University of Leicester switched on its hyper-efficient ALICE supercomputer, which is ten times more powerful than its predecessor and stands to reduce yearly CO2 emissions by 800 tons. Meanwhile, researchers at UC San Diego revealed work on a new mobile phone chip that harnesses "dark silicon" to boost smartphone battery life by a factor of eleven.
We also showcased several efficient autos as Southern California rolled out a fleet of all electric buses that can recharge in 10 minutes flat, and the hyper-miling Avion car embarked on a trip from Canada to Mexico with just 14 gallons of gas. And if you'll be doing some traveling of your own back to school this fall, you wont want to miss this chance to pick up an awesome solar-powered Sakku satchel. Finally, with Labor Day on its way why not upgrade your BBQ with an adorable altoids tin mini grill - it's curiously awesome!Inhabitat's Week in Green: solar robots that fly, CO2 fabric dye, and the dark silicon that boosts battery life originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Entelligence: A tale of two TVs Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.
This week at what's become Apple's fall music event the company unveiled a revised Apple TV. The small $99 device delivers a new rental model and support for Netflix, but there are no apps, contrary to much of the speculation leading up the event. That's in stark contrast to the Google TV project announced at I/O last spring. Unlike Apple, Google is looking to provide DVR functionality, search, and an app marketplace. Some say Apple isn't being bold enough, but I think Apple might be right.
Google wants input one on your TV. Apple wants input two. The difference? Input one is where your cable box goes. Input two was where your VCR or DVD player used to live. It's a port that's up for grabs.Continue reading Entelligence: A tale of two TVs
Entelligence: A tale of two TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Samsung suggests Galaxy Tab will cost between $200 and $400 on contract -- also coming to Vodafone Early reports indicate Europe will pay a pretty penny for Samsung's Galaxy Tab, but the 7-inch tablet may cost a good bit less when it comes to US shores -- the Wall Street Journal paraphrases a Samsung executive who claims it could run between $200 and $300 depending on the all-important carrier subsidies. The Korea Times, meanwhile, suggests a $300 to $400 retail price according to a different Samsung bigwig, who added that the Tab "will cost slightly more than the Galaxy S smartphone." As you're probably aware, Sammy's Galaxy S typically retails for about $200 in the US -- excepting Sprint's Epic 4G at $250 -- so if you held a bursting Li-ion battery to our head and forced us to guess, we'd say the latter range of dollar signs is far more likely.
By the way, Vodafone shows the Galaxy Tab as "coming soon." Hit our more coverage links for details.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Samsung suggests Galaxy Tab will cost between $200 and $400 on contract -- also coming to Vodafone originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Wall Street Journal, Korea Times | Email this | Comments
PS3 jailbreak adapted to Nokia N900, Palm Pre in wake of Australian ban (video) Two weeks ago you'd have to pay an Australian importer for a specialized USB key. Four days ago open-source software let you roll your own. Today, there's no need for any of that -- you can hack your PS3 with a tethered smartphone. Working closely with the PSGroove team, hacker Kakaroto adapted the same jailbreak to the Nokia N900, and the open-source community lost no time porting it to the Palm Pre as well. If the videos after the break are any indication, both versions work just as well as the original, and you too can get your game on with downloads and detailed instructions at the source links below.
Sadly, the aforementioned Australian importer OzModChips is a casualty of this little story, with all its shipments of the PS Jailbreak dongle seized (and the item subject to injunction) by an Australian court, but we suppose knowing its product has enabled the hardware hacking community thus might somewhat soften the blow.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Continue reading PS3 jailbreak adapted to Nokia N900, Palm Pre in wake of Australian ban (video)
PS3 jailbreak adapted to Nokia N900, Palm Pre in wake of Australian ban (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Maemo.org, Exophase, BBC News | KaKaRoTo's Blog, PSX-Scene | Email this | Comments
Toshiba fulfills your need for speed with UHS-I SDHC and microSDHC cards Panasonic must be mighty annoyed right about now, because Toshiba's seemingly got it trumped -- when the first batch of lightning-quick UHS-I cards ship in November, Toshiba's chips will be faster and larger on day one. As you can no doubt see immediately above, the latter company's fielding full-size SDHC UHS-I cards at up to 32GB that promise maximum read and write times of 95MB/s and 80MB/s respectively, not to mention tiny microSDHC units that still manage a very respectable 40MB/s and 20MB/s. As usual, these numbers are fast and loose, so don't be surprised if you get a good bit less in practice, but you should be able to rely on well above the quoted minimum transfer rate of 10MB/s. No ludicrous early-adopter memory prices quite yet, but we imagine your ego will write the necessary checks as soon Toshiba takes care of that. PR after the break.Continue reading Toshiba fulfills your need for speed with UHS-I SDHC and microSDHC cards
Toshiba fulfills your need for speed with UHS-I SDHC and microSDHC cards originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Engadget Japan | | Email this | Comments
Caption contest: nothing easy about this rider Sony Ericsson's booth at IFA this year includes an Xperia-themed chopper that you can sit on and have your picture taken -- with a Sony Ericsson cameraphone, of course. As of press time, no word on when it'll be updated to use unleaded gasoline.
Chris: "It'll be available at local dealers mere moments after you finally stop wanting it."
Nilay: "Unfortunately, it runs Android 1.6"
Darren: "A fine substitute for the PSP Phone you've been dreaming of."
Laura: "Fail hog."
Ross: "Still no pinch-to-zoom, but at least here, that kind of makes sense."
Don: "Mr. Stringer, your chariot awaits."
Vlad: "Sony just couldn't help throwing in a bit of product placement in its Terminator 2 remake."
Tim: "It's bigger, heavier, slower, and way more expensive than other models -- but hey, look at all that chrome! Oh, yeah, the bike isn't bad either."
Sean: "Active shutter glasses sold separately."
Thomas: "**Model shown is coming soon. Actual product is a horse."Caption contest: nothing easy about this rider originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Panasonic HDC-SDT750 3D camcorder preview THREEE DEEE. Sorry, just had to get that out of our system. We just played with Panasonic's HDC-SDT750 THREEE DEEE, er, 3D camcorder, and it certainly works as billed. The lens is designed for close-up depth perception in the 3 to 15 foot range, and doesn't have any zoom capability. Luckily, it isn't too hard to pop the screw-on lens off, giving yourself a regular zoomtastic 2D camcorder. When you do pop the 3D lens back on there's a quick set of setup menus, which let you adjust the dual lenses within the 3D add-on with a few knobs hidden under a door on top of the assembly.
We didn't get to do any free roaming with the camera, but that's none too thrilling anyway: your preview image is a slightly fuzzy 2D on the built-in LCD. What we did do was watch the camera feed its 3D capture live to a Panny 3D TV (in one of the hilarious outfits provide for us by Panasonic, as pictured above), and while the 3D effect is certainly for-reals and non-janky, the actual image quality takes an obvious hit from the fact that a 1080p sensor is being cut in half to capture the dual images. It almost took us back to the early days of HD cameras, or your friendly neighborhood "HD" webcam, where the output resolution is clearly higher than the sensor is physically capturing. Similarly, we doubt the early adoption of cameras like this is going to be dramatic at first, and even after the tech is perfect we're unsure how big of a consumer need there is for something like this, but with easy options like Panasonic's own Micro Four Thirds 3D lens, the barriers to adoption are quickly disappearing. Er, we merely mean to say, THREEE DEEE. Gallery: Panasonic HDC-SDT750 3D camcorder preview
Panasonic HDC-SDT750 3D camcorder preview originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 10:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
LG LEX8 'Nano LED' TV eyes-on While we admire the impulse to best your South Korean neighbor and build the world's thinnest X (in this case, the world's thinnest full LED LCD TV bezel), you can't help but notice the base at the bottom where all the components that used to be in the back have been crammed seems to grow ever larger with each passing tradeshow. Still, LG's LEX8 8.8mm thick LCD is impressively thin and the picture quality, thanks to that localized "Nano LED" dimming, is stellar. Hit up the gallery for a requisite thickness comparo with an iPhone -- next year we're just gonna pack some razor blades for comparison shots. Gallery: LG LEX8 'Nano LED' TV eyes-on
LG LEX8 'Nano LED' TV eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Efika MX Smartbook now on sale for an exceedingly unattractive price Ah, ha! If you'll recall, we happened upon a Lenovo-branded netbook of sorts back in June, but curiously enough, Freescale and Pegatron components were powering the thing. Now, it seems that yet another flavor has emerged as the Efika MX Smartbook. Frankly, we aren't too sure this thing fits into the 'smartbook' category (given the comparatively spacious 10-inch display), but we are sure that the $349 price point is borderline absurd considering the wealth of decent netbook options at or below that very MSRP. At any rate, those still interested should know that there's an 800MHz i.MX515 processor under the hood along with 16GB of NAND Flash, an MMC / SD card slot, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, integrated 1.3 megapixel camera, a 1,024 x 600 resolution panel and enough oomph to power through HD video, supposedly. Tap that source link if you're looking to take a risk, but we'd probably recommend against it.Efika MX Smartbook now on sale for an exceedingly unattractive price originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 06:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Evolution of the Species | Genesi USA | Email this | Comments
Garmin's nuLink! 1695 attracts high-end GPS buyers, nuvi 2200 and 2300 mop up the rest Looks like Garmin's cellular nüLink! service was something of a success -- it's now become the brand of the company's new top-tier GPS. The Garmin nüLink! 1695 replaces the nüvi 1690 with a model nigh-identical on the outside but for a larger, 5-inch touchscreen, but imbued with the traffic trending features of the 3700 series -- in other words, pretty much just what we expected. Unfortunately for spendthrifts lusting after its connected search functions (including traffic, weather, Google, fuel prices, flight times and more) and new integrated services store, the price is about what we expected as well, starting at $450 for the unit with a year of nüLink data and $5 a month thereafter. However, if that's out of your price range Garmin's not going to let you go without a fight -- it's also introduced no fewer than eleven new nüvi 2200 and 2300 series PNDs with a wide variety of features at nearly every wallet size. Press releases after the break, and find the full lineup at our source link.Continue reading Garmin's nuLink! 1695 attracts high-end GPS buyers, nuvi 2200 and 2300 mop up the rest
Garmin's nuLink! 1695 attracts high-end GPS buyers, nuvi 2200 and 2300 mop up the rest originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
HTC's dual-mode CDMA / GSM Android slider hits the FCC, decked out in shades of Verizon Remember that big, honking red-and-black HTC slider that dwarfed an EVO 4G? It's back sporting Verizon colors just as we were told, and with a few more confirmed specifications thanks to the ever-reliable FCC. The HTC "PD42100" is still missing a proper internal codename, but test reports confirm it's ready for at least CDMA 2000 and GSM 850 plus EV-DO Rev. A, Bluetooth and 802.11b/g/n WiFi at 2.4GHz frequencies. There's no word on that 1.2GHz processor or 4-inch display, but it's clear we're looking at some chunky chiclet keys and there's definitely a removable battery. We can't wait to get our hands on what surely looks like the new king of Droids. Gallery: HTC's dual-mode Android slider at the FCC
Update: As it turns out, the size of the screen has been staring us in the face for hours -- we just had to think back to high school geometry class, specifically the Pythagorean Theorem. Starting with the FCC's handy-dandy picture of the phone's rear next to a square ruler, we had only to superimpose an image of the front on top, then calculate the diagonal (after translating to inches, of course) to discover it was a 4-inch display all along. Oh, and the phone has EV-DO Rev. A for data. [Thanks, Mark]HTC's dual-mode CDMA / GSM Android slider hits the FCC, decked out in shades of Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 23:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Dell moves back up to #2 position in global PC sales, Acer slips to 3rd, HP still reigns supreme Acer Chairman JT Wang is quick to say that he thinks that iPad sales are only going down from here, but maybe he should listen to that age-old idiom: people in fragile economies shouldn't throw stones. According to iSuppli's latest report on the global PC market, Acer slipped down to third place after losing 6.2 percent of its market share compared to last quarter. Dell, meanwhile, lost a relatively slim 1.2 percent of its share, bumping it back up to second place -- a position it had previously given up to Acer. Meanwhile HP still sits on top, commanding 18.1 percent of the market share, though that too is down, 6.3 percent over last quarter. Still, all three are well up over last year, an encouraging sign in these supposedly troubling times.Dell moves back up to #2 position in global PC sales, Acer slips to 3rd, HP still reigns supreme originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 23:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink The Inquirer | iSuppli | Email this | Comments
BlackBerry Torch 9800 gets the Colorware treatment, sees value increase infinitely So look -- RIM's BlackBerry Torch 9800 isn't exactly the barnburner-of-a-smartphone that we were hoping it'd be, but at least it looks snazzy, right? Right? Regardless of your answer to that, it's a bona fide fact that Colorware has outdone itself on this one. Usually, it's most fun to toy around with the company's endless array of hues in order to create the most hideous version of your favorite gadget before pretending to hit the order button, but for whatever reason, the first handset to ship with BlackBerry OS 6 actually looks dapper in red and white. Or maybe that's just the Wolfpack in us talking. Either way, it's available to customize now in the source link for $250 (send your own) or $1,050 (buy new sans a contract). Video's after the break, should you need one.Continue reading BlackBerry Torch 9800 gets the Colorware treatment, sees value increase infinitely
BlackBerry Torch 9800 gets the Colorware treatment, sees value increase infinitely originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Mr. Extreme Closeup suggests next-gen iPad is testing FaceTime... right now Honestly, from this distance it's hard to tell what's going on, but 9 to 5 Mac says we're looking at a next-gen camera-equipped iPad fielded specifically to test video calls. As you may recall, iPhone software surfaced with a very similar menu just weeks before the iPhone 4 came out, which either means someone was inspired to create a clever 'shop, or that we just got our first real glimpse at iProd 4,1. Oh, and Mr. Extreme Closeup? He's our friend Blurrycam's old college roommate, didn't you know?Mr. Extreme Closeup suggests next-gen iPad is testing FaceTime... right now originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
An IFA 2010 moment of Zen We're not sure why, but Panasonic loves to trot out human exhibits whenever it wants to promote new additions to its camera line. Here's what they used at IFA 2010 in Berlin. Unfortunately, we're too freaked-out to remember anything about the camera.An IFA 2010 moment of Zen originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Android accounts for one-quarter of mobile web traffic, says Quantcast digg_url = 'http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/04/android-accounts-for-one-quarter-of-mobile-web-traffic-says-qua/'; It's terribly difficult to get reliable statistics, as numbers tend to vary drastically depending upon whom you ask, but if you're inclined to believe that Android is mopping up Apple and RIM's declining mobile mindshare in the US, you'll find nothing but corroboration from Quantcast. The analytics firm reckons a full one-quarter of mobile web traffic stateside comes from devices running Google's OS, though it's important to know that the iOS tallies apparently don't include the web-friendly iPad. You also might want to note that this is mobile web traffic here -- these days, we spend an increasing amount of our internet time in apps -- and since we're on a roll with the disclaimers, let's just add that these numbers have nothing to do with a company's financial success. Nokia can attest to that.Android accounts for one-quarter of mobile web traffic, says Quantcast originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Apple Insider | Quantcast Blog | Email this | Comments
Logitech's new PC Gamepads offer a 'familiar' design Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and mighty oaks from little acorns grow. What do these two phrases have in common? Not much, really, but we'd say Logitech's new line of gamepads have rather a lot in common with not only Sony's line of dual-analog controllers but also gamepads from Microsoft. Logitech itself says these have a "familiar, comfortable" design, and that's obviously in reference to the DualShock-aping style. Meanwhile, those buttons are a dead ringer to the Xbox 360's candy-like inputs, and the shape of the grips looks to have been lifted from there, too. But, hey, nothing wrong with a little inspired design, and the Gamepad F310 is the lowest end, selling for around $25. The Rumble Gamepad F510 offers dual vibration for about $35, and the Wireless Gamepad F710 moves up to 2.4GHz wireless and an MSRP of $50. You can pre-order yours at Logitech's site -- or just connect one of your existing Xbox 360 controllers to your PC and get the real deal.
Gallery: Logitech gamepads
Logitech's new PC Gamepads offer a 'familiar' design originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Switched On: FaceTime prepares for prime time Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
Perhaps the most-predicted announcement from Apple's September 1 press event is the addition of two cameras to the iPod touch. Long before Apple revealed its FaceTime videoconferencing software with the iPhone 4, various disassemblers noticed that there seemed to be a place left open for a camera in the last iPod touch, despite Apple's claim that the product didn't "need more stuff." Nonetheless, few could deny the usefulness of such an add-on, particularly when paired with the touch's relatively generous internal memory capacity.
Now, though, adding image and video capture to the touch makes even more sense. Apple's FaceTime video chat software is Wi-Fi-only, and while 3G support would certainly make It more useful on the go, imbuing the iPod touch with the ability to make video calls greatly expands Apple's addressable market with FaceTime, brings the touch into a whole new category and possibly makes it the first affordable, carrier-independent mass market videophone.Continue reading Switched On: FaceTime prepares for prime time
Switched On: FaceTime prepares for prime time originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Engadget Podcast 211 - 09.04.2010 Do you have two hours to spare? Maybe you're taking a road trip. Maybe you have an hour commute and can listen to one half on the way to work and one half on the way back. Maybe you're a marathon runner. Whatever. Obviously, there was a ton of stuff to talk about this week in the World of Tech and the Engadget Podcasters have got it all covered - just for you. Complete with Neo Geo, TurboGrafx 16 and Atari Lynx + Jaguar references.
Update: We had a bad link in here for one of the files, it should be fixed now. If you got the last podcast instead of the new one, try again!
Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Monkey Wrench
00:03:40 - Live from Apple's fall 2010 event
00:04:04 - The new Apple TV for $99
00:10:40 - Apple's AirPlay music streaming coming to third party speaker docks, receivers, and stereos
00:12:45 - iHome teases first AirPlay-compatible portable speaker dock
00:18:50 - Amazon streaming 99-cent ABC and Fox shows... right now (update: purchases, not rentals!)
00:19:20 - Roku lowers prices across the board: HD box now $69, $99 HD-XR to get 1080p support
00:21:15 - Apple claims 50 percent of portable gaming market, iPod touch 'outsells Nintendo and Sony combined'
00:23:00 - Apple TV (2010) first look / hands-on! (updated with video)
00:25:00 - Apple TV vs. the competition -- how does it stack up?
00:29:19 - iPod nano redesigned: smaller, lighter, better and costing $149 for 8GB or $179 for 16GB
00:29:51 - iPod nano (2010) first hands-on! (update: video!)
00:36:00 - Apple announces redesigned iPod shuffle, brings the buttons back
00:35:26 - iPod touch gets revamped: retina display, FaceTime, HD video recording
00:37:28 - iPod touch (2010) first hands-on! (update: video!)
00:38:52 - Sony Bloggie Touch preview: an actually simple 'simple camcorder'
00:44:33 - Confirmed: the iPod Classic is alive and well
00:44:55 - Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping social network
00:45:55 - iTunes 10 (with Ping) mercifully becomes available for download (update: iOS 4 has Ping, too)
00:46:10 - Why did Apple take Facebook Connect out of Ping?
00:46:47 - All Things D: Facebook blocked Apple's Ping service for unauthorized use
00:52:50 - We're live from IFA 2010!
00:53:00 - Samsung Galaxy Tab preview
00:56:30 - Samsung Galaxy Tab rooted, just for bragging rights
01:00:14 - The Samsung Galaxy Tab: more relief on the go
01:02:40 - Samsung Galaxy Tab reported to retail at €699 and €799 in Europe (update: O2 Germany pricing)
01:04:18 - Galaxy Tab with WiMAX coming to Sprint this November?
Google agrees to pay $8.5 million to make Buzz privacy lawsuits go away Remember back when Google's Buzz social networking app shared user's private information without their consent? Heck, do you remember Buzz at all? Suffice it to say that some unhappy folks sued, and it looks like they're about to accept a hefty settlement in place of their day in court. Though no money's exchanged hands quite yet and a judge has yet to approve, Google's agreed to drop $8.5 million and "disseminate wider public education about the privacy aspects of Google Buzz" as part of a class-action settlement, according to court documents. While there's certainly a chunk of dough potentially being doled out here, we have to imagine individual Gmail users won't be seeing much -- most will go to "organizations focused on Internet privacy policy or privacy education" -- which makes us wonder if $8.5 million isn't a small price to pay to get Buzz back into the national news feeds.
In related (or possibly completely coincidental) news, Google took the opportunity today to revamp its master Privacy Policy. Read all about it at our more coverage link, if you're into that kind of stuff.Google agrees to pay $8.5 million to make Buzz privacy lawsuits go away originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Search Engine Land, Ars Technica | AFP | Email this | Comments
Sony shows off Google TV (or a video of it, anyway) at IFA 2010 It's not the full-on demo you're probably hoping for, but Sony devoted a section of its sprawling, city-within-a-city of a booth at IFA 2010 to diving into some of the capabilities its Google TV-enabled televisions will be offering when they launch in the US before the end of the year. The two-plus minute video loop runs through web search, Google Maps (which looks pretty awesome, we have to admit), YouTube and Picasa functionality, app favorites, and picture-in-picture, which means you don't have to miss those first few precious minutes of Iron Chef America while you look up desserts that use eggplant. Interestingly, we stopped by Logitech's booth today, who insisted there wasn't a Revue anywhere near the show -- despite the fact that beta units are in the field, the launch is coming up, and these guys are probably all looking to strike content deals with European providers right about now. In other words, we've got a sneaking suspicion there are Revues (and fully-functional Google TV sets from Sony) on the premises, they're just locked away in meetings where our press badges are... shall we say, "frowned upon." Follow the break for the full video.
Gallery: Sony shows off Google TV -- a video of it, anyway -- at IFA
Continue reading Sony shows off Google TV (or a video of it, anyway) at IFA 2010
Sony shows off Google TV (or a video of it, anyway) at IFA 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Zune HD taking to the skies with United Airlines in-flight entertainment trial Microsoft and United hooked up back in June for a hardware-less Zune partnership, which seems to have turned out pretty sweetly for both parties. Dave McLauchlan, chief Zune HD evangelist, has dished the news that the two companies are stepping up their relationship with a set of 500 Zunes being provided for long-haul flights to Hong Kong and Australia. Before you cry foul and say you never get on a flying tin can without your own media, Microsoft's angle here will be to preload those OLED-sporting babies with exclusive content, including flicks that haven't yet made it to a DVD release. Dave himself has been running around movie studios and closing deals, while the Zune HDs in question have now been encased in rubber, had their screens protected, and batteries charged. See them in a group shot after the break.Continue reading Zune HD taking to the skies with United Airlines in-flight entertainment trial
Zune HD taking to the skies with United Airlines in-flight entertainment trial originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Neowin | Zune Insider | Email this | Comments
AT&T technical support tool suggests Xbox 360 will bring IPTV to U-Verse households soon Originally the fevered dream of Microsoft executives circa CES 2007, the Xbox 360 IPTV box is rapidly becoming a reality, first sneaking into Canadian carrier Telus' Optik TV outlay and now reportedly in development at AT&T. Now, we wouldn't have blamed you for doubting Microsoft when it briefly mentioned U-Verse subscribers would get Mediaroom functionality in their game console later this year, but it's looking more likely now: a tipster just forwarded some legit-looking screenshots of Xbox prompts in AT&T U-Verse's technical support database. Our source claims the Xbox is presently being tested internally with friends and family of AT&T employees, and that it's likely only a couple of months away at this point. Not discussed: whether or not Xbox 360 will provide closed captioning for the "TV impaired." See what IPTV on Xbox might look like in our January eyes-on.AT&T technical support tool suggests Xbox 360 will bring IPTV to U-Verse households soon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iPhone 4 gets stuffed inside Canon SLR body While it's far from the most practical of ideas, people just can't seem to stop trying to make their iPhones more SLR-like. Joining that illustrious group is one Aniebres who, typos aside, has built one of the most impressive contraptions to date. We're still waiting to see what the end results look like, but the hardware side of things looks to be surprisingly solid, with the iPhone 4 slotting in with a satisfying click, while the entire lens mechanism has been shifted over to line up with the iPhone's camera (and make room for an Apple sticker). Head on past the break for a quick video of the rig.
Libratone Beats wireless speakers begin playing when you enter the room We're suckers for wireless speakers, but they have to work. We're not the least bit interested in streaming technologies that stutter from interference or compress the audio to preserve bandwidth. That's why Libratone caught our attention here in Berlin with its new Libratone Beat -- the "world's first high-end active speaker with wireless technology," or so they claim. The speaker features one 5-inch bass, two 3-inch midrange drivers, and two 1-inch ribbon based tweeters. In all we're looking at 50W of bass output and 2x25W at the tweeter / midrange. There's even a 3.5-mm mini jack to tether devices. The big question here is will they be worth the MSRP €595 / $655 when they start shipping across Europe and the US in January?
Well, we can't say for sure. After all, we could only listen to the speaker on the very crowded (and noisy) floor of the IFA trade show. But what we heard sounded decent and did manage to stream audio over its proprietary transmission technology even at a distance of about 50 feet. Very impressive considering the high concentration of WiFi hotspots and other wireless devices in use within just a few feet of the Libratone booth. Here's the catch: a dongle is required to communicate with the speaker -- a small version for the iPod / iPhone / Pad or a larger USB stick for your laptop -- both included with the purchase price. On the plus side, multiple Beats can play at once -- just wander into range of one or multiple Beats and they'll start (and later stop) playing automatically. Nice.Gallery: Libratone Beats wireless speakers begin playing when you enter the room
Libratone Beats wireless speakers begin playing when you enter the room originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Drift into a peaceful slumber with Panasonic's self-rocking Relax Chair Yasumi Paul Miller not included.Drift into a peaceful slumber with Panasonic's self-rocking Relax Chair Yasumi originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Klipsch Image S5i Rugged in-ear headphones earn our respect (video) "Rugged" is one of those terms thrown around pretty loosely by the consumer electronics industry. So when Klipsch, a name that's not exactly synonymous with husky men in the saddle, rolled out a rugged version of its S4i in-ear speakers under the Image S5i Rugged moniker, well, we just had to put them to the test. But first we had to give these $129.99 'buds a listen... from the very noisy floor of the Messe Berlin convention center. Fortunately, the oval ear tips did an excellent of job of isolating most external sounds, thus allowing us to hear a rich reproduction of lows and mids with a noticeable emphasis on bass. Not a surprise since the Image S5i headphones feature the same acoustic characteristics as the Image S4i and Image S4 headphones that came before them.
But what we really wanted to know was how that "moisture-resistant" (not waterproof) Apple-compatible three-button remote / mic would hold-up to a torture test. Fortunately, the Image S5i Rugged managed to keep the music playing and under control even after a generous bath of bottled water. Rugged and classy? Looks like iPod, iPhone, and iPad owners just made a new friend.Continue reading Klipsch Image S5i Rugged in-ear headphones earn our respect (video)
Klipsch Image S5i Rugged in-ear headphones earn our respect (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iriver Story Touch Edition preview Remember that iriver Story Touch Edition e-reader we spied last month? Well, iriver is showing it off at IFA this week, with plans to release the little 6-inch touchscreen device in Europe and Korea in the next week or so. We played around with it a bit, and while the 800 x 600 E Ink screen resolution is a little disappointing, and the resistive touchscreen layer impacts readability in a small but noticeable way, the software is certainly pleasant, and iriver is up to its usual standard in hardware design. There's a small included stylus that slots in at the top of the screen (or the bottom, the screen auto-flips vertically based on how you hold the device) but while the stylus is fun for drawing notes, all you really need is a light tap or swipe with your fingers to operate the device. With 2GB of storage, a €229-ish pricetag for the WiFi-free version (there's another WiFi version coming with an email app and a lightweight browser), and that low resolution screen, iriver probably wouldn't have much luck going up against the Kindle and its ilk in the US, but they're hoping to carve out a niche in Europe and Asia, and we can't begrudge them that. Gallery: iriver Story Touch Edition preview
iriver Story Touch Edition preview originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Samsung's new Wireless USB chipset enables HD streaming with less power It's a beautiful combination, really -- lower power consumption, and support for high bandwidth applications. That marriage is evident in Samsung's newest Wireless USB chipset, which was built around Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology and designed to enable high-def streaming between a mobile host device and a tethered device for viewing. According to Sammy, the two-chip solution will be aimed at cameras, camcorders, TVs, PCs, tablets, beam projectors, portable HDDs, Blu-ray players and handsets, and given that it can handle a theoretical high of 480Mbps with an average power consumption of less than 300mW, even the weakest smartphone battery should be able to stream at least a single episode of Family Guy to the tele. Mum's the word on who all will be lining up to adopt this stuff, but since it's slated to hit mass production in Q4, we'd say those details should be worked out right around CES 2011.Continue reading Samsung's new Wireless USB chipset enables HD streaming with less power
Samsung's new Wireless USB chipset enables HD streaming with less power originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 08:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
LG Optimus 7 Windows Phone 7 prototype flicks photos to TVs, launches October We were a bit surprised to find LG's prototype Windows Phone 7 device for developers, soon to be unveiled officially as the Optimus 7 when released in its production form, hanging out in the wilds of IFA. Nevertheless, there it was, streaming DLNA content to a WiFi enabled TV. LG worked with Microsoft to develop a custom DLNA media sharing capability for its GW910 handset. Just one of the ways hardware partners are able to differentiate themselves on the otherwise locked down Windows Phone 7 platform. It certainly makes sense that LG would play to its strengths in the television industry as it moves to market with the device as early as next month according to our sources. Watch the trick flip-to-TV photo sharing interface in action after the break.Continue reading LG Optimus 7 Windows Phone 7 prototype flicks photos to TVs, launches October
LG Optimus 7 Windows Phone 7 prototype flicks photos to TVs, launches October originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Unannounced Sony Walkman NWZ-S754 unearthed at IFA The Walkman section of Sony's booth at IFA this week has an automatic information system that pops up specs on a central display for each model as you pull it away from its base, but there was one unknown model chilling out that popped up nothing more than a "coming soon" message when you yanked it out. What gives, Sony? Why the mystery and suspense? Why are you doing this to us? Well, a little digging through the menu system reveals that it's the NWZ-S754, presumably the follow-on to last year's S745. Given the lack of specs we weren't able to glean much, but both the black and silver units on display were 8GB models; naturally, we'd assume larger capacities are also in the cards when it launches. The display was contrasty enough so that we're thinking it could be OLED, which would make sense -- they do OLED on a number of other Walkmen models already -- and the "Mickey Mouse effect" of the button layout has been diminished a bit. That's good or bad, we suppose, depending on just how hardcore of a Disney fan you are. More details when we have 'em.
Gallery: Unannounced Sony Walkman NWZ-S754 unearthed at IFA
Unannounced Sony Walkman NWZ-S754 unearthed at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 06:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Nikon wants to create a 'new market' with its new concept We thought Nikon just wanted to join the burgeoning ranks of mirrorless interchangeable lens shooters that bridge the gap between full-fledged DSLR and pocket-friendly compact cameras. But oh no, as company president Makoto Kimura puts it, Nikon wants to create a whole "new market" with its next big idea. Noting that his lab lackeys have tested all sorts of eccentric possibilities, such as a head-mounted display, Kimura says it's time for digital cameras to move with the times and Nikon will be ready to take up its usual leadership position. When might that be, you ask? Well, in classic bigwig style, he keeps the roadmap tucked firmly inside the breast pocket of his smoking jacket, but at least we know that Nikon won't be sitting on the sidelines and letting whippersnappers like Sony's NEX-5 steal customers away.Nikon wants to create a 'new market' with its new concept originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 06:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Electronista | Reuters | Email this | Comments
Ubuntu 10.10 'Maverick Meerkat' enters beta ahead of October 10 release Ubuntu version 10.10 is about to come out on 10/10/2010 and score a perfect 10 out of 10 with reviewers. Or so the devs hope. The successor to April's Lucid Lynx has this week shrugged off the alpha label and stridden bravely into the world of beta software. GUI modifications are of course apparent, along with performance tweaks promising even faster boot times, but on the whole it doesn't look to be as big a leap as there was between the Lynx and Koala versions. The default photo management program is now Shotwell, replacing F-Spot, and there's an update to the Software Center allowing you to purchase paid-for Linux programs in an App Store-ish sort of way. Nothing's available to buy yet, but the plan is for that feature to go live with the final launch in October. The most intriguing thing about this Meerkat for us just might be the Unity desktop interface, which is now the default for Ubuntu Netbook Edition. If you're unafraid of beta-stage bugs (and small furry mammals), you can hit the source link to try it out.Continue reading Ubuntu 10.10 'Maverick Meerkat' enters beta ahead of October 10 release
Ubuntu 10.10 'Maverick Meerkat' enters beta ahead of October 10 release originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink The Register | Ubuntu | Email this | Comments
The state of household robots in Japan: looking pretty great This crazy looking little fellow is Toshiba's ApriPoco robot, and we couldn't want to meet him more -- especially in his updated form. Designed as a home assistance bot, ApriPoco can learn to control electrical appliances using both IR and verbal commands. He's got some fine company in Japan, too, where household robots are starting to take off. As you'll see in the Japanese news report (which is embedded below), there are robots to help you do the dishes, move furniture, and even robotic wheelchairs to help you get around. Really, the only question that remains for us is... when do we move? Here's to the future.Continue reading The state of household robots in Japan: looking pretty great
The state of household robots in Japan: looking pretty great originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Technabob | Plastic Pals | Email this | Comments
Sharp's 10.6-inch parallax barrier display makes us love our 3D glasses (video) Now that the Nintendo 3DS is announced using a parallax barrier display, we bet that many of you were hoping to see a 10-inch 3D tablet or laptop with a similar glasses-less display. Hell, we were... until we actually saw Sharp's prototype 10.6-inch parallax barrier display here at IFA in Berlin. Unfortunately, the panel at this larger size suffers from some very serious vertical shadows (check the video) unless you're right in the sweet spot and alligned with the barrier's precision slits at a distance of about 20 inches. Even then, it's very hard to maintain your position, and the 3D effect isn't all that dazzling. Fortunately, this 3D (640 x 768) panel also functions in 2D (1280 x 728) mode. Guess a 3D tablet that requires glasses isn't so crazy after all. Wait, yes it is.Continue reading Sharp's 10.6-inch parallax barrier display makes us love our 3D glasses (video)
Sharp's 10.6-inch parallax barrier display makes us love our 3D glasses (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iOS 4.1 confirmed for September 8th on Apple's UK website According to Apple's UK website, iOS 4.1 will hit on Wednesday, September 8th. The US website still displays the non-committal "Coming Soon" message, so we'll have to keep our eyes peeled. We're going to go ahead and guess that all those shiny new iPods will come to retail that day too... but don't hold us to that one. Like we said, it's only a guess.
[Thanks, Luca]iOS 4.1 confirmed for September 8th on Apple's UK website originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
How would you change Motorola's Droid X? Last week we gave the Apple loyalists in attendance a chance to rip and rag the iPhone 4, and this time around we're doing the same for Motorola's best frienemies. The Droid X is without question the largest Droid in the family today, and calling it a showstopper on Verizon would probably be understating things. Now that it's been on the market a few months, we're curious to know how you early adopters like (or dislike) it. Did the massive screen end up being too large for comfort? Anything you'd tweak software-wise? How's the VZW service been? Might your world change if Android 2.2 ever hits in official fashion? Go on and let us know how you'd alter this behemoth down in comments below -- but give it some real thought first, cool? Cool.How would you change Motorola's Droid X? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
HP lists Photosmart eStation C510 printer with detachable e-reading touchscreen -- is this the Zeus? (update: yes) Now, we don't have any confirmation that the two are one and the same, but we just caught wind of a very intriguing printer on HP's website. The Photosmart eStation C510 is listed for $399.99 and, in addition to usual ink-plastering duties, has a detachable wireless 7-inch TouchSmart control panel for browsing content, printing (of course), and "brows[ing] the latest e-book bestsellers or old favorites." It all sounds well and good, and if you ask us, it rings a very eerily similar chord as the eStation Zeen / Zeus from early August. If so, that'd make this touchscreen an Android 2.1 tablet with "significant" Nook integration for e-reading. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what's under the hood, software-wise. What say ye, HP, how about throwing us a press release yonder?
Update: And just like that, the printer has disappeared off the face of the internet, without so much as a cached Google page to its name.
Update 2: A trusted source tells us this printer is indeed the eStation Zeus of yore.
[Thanks, Julian]HP lists Photosmart eStation C510 printer with detachable e-reading touchscreen -- is this the Zeus? (update: yes) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Fujitsu announces LifeBook T580 with four-finger multitouch We haven't spotted this one at IFA yet, but Fujitsu has taken advantage of the show to announce its new LifeBook T580, which it's going so far as to call "slate-beating." That apparently comes from the fact that it's not only a convertible tablet PC, but one with four-finger multitouch. Unfortunately, that's done on a 10.1-inch resistive touchscreen (complete with a stylus that can be tucked away), but the rest of the specs aren't too shabby, and include up to a Core i5 processor, optional 3G and GPS, a promised eight hours of battery life, and plenty of business-minded security measures -- all in a three-pound package. No word on pricing just yet, but you can expect this one to roll out in late November. Head on past the break for the complete press release, along with a quick demo of its multitouch capabilities.
Update: We're not sure why Fujitsu isn't playing it up more, but it looks like the T580 actually uses a dual-input capacitive display with an N-trig digitizer.Continue reading Fujitsu announces LifeBook T580 with four-finger multitouch
Fujitsu announces LifeBook T580 with four-finger multitouch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Panasonic's prototype Micro Four Thirds 3D lens and body arrive in Berlin And here it is, Panasonic's prototype G-series micro-four-thirds shooter with new interchangeable 3D lens. We caught the pair hanging out at IFA with nary a soul around to take notice. Too bad for them, good for you if you've made the jump to a panny MFT as the lens will ultimately be compatible with your Lumix G micro system... probably -- unfortunately, Panasonic isn't saying which cams will be eligible for the software update. From the sound of it, the whole kit will get official in just a few week at Photokina with a new G-series body playing host to the new 3D lens. Here in Berlin, however, we've got a G2 body with an updated 3D image processing system doing the dirty work. Nevertheless, it was fully functional and produced a reasonable 3D image with plenty of pop that was ready to view on a brand new Panasonic 3D television. Come on, a 3D television is nothing without 3D content. Sneaky Panasonic, sneaky.Gallery: Panasonic's prototype Micro Four Thirds 3D lens and body arrive in Berlin
Panasonic's prototype Micro Four Thirds 3D lens and body arrive in Berlin originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple's Ping gains a million users in first two days We're still trying to figure out exactly what Apple's new Ping social network is good for, but apparently quite a few people are curious about it: it's already racked up a million users in its first two days. That's just a third of the people who've downloaded iTunes 10, so we're sure the numbers are will grow even faster as more people snag iTunes and the network effect starts to kick in -- and things will get really crazy if Apple and Facebook ever work out their little tiff. Just remember: it's a social network... for music.Apple's Ping gains a million users in first two days originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Logitech Revue and Google TV get very early blurrycam impressions Well, what do we have here? Looks like a Logitech beta user was kind enough to (potentially break his NDA and) show off his early grab: the Google TV-infused Revue. What follows is a series of blurred photos that'd make the FCC weep, but all the same, who are we to critique news? The little unassuming box has HDMI in and out ports, a couple of USB inputs, ethernet, and SPDIF. According to the handler, installation was a "12-step process includes asking the details of your Google account, your physical location, TV, cable box, amp, and more." It works with any Harmony remote, an Android device (in this case, a Droid Incredible), or the packaged keyboard. That latter input we last heard was still in development, but it seems to be working fine right here: full QWERTY, a trackpad, all the necessary keys for GTV navigation. One more pic of the keyboard after the break, as well a video walkthrough.
[Thanks, Craig]Continue reading Logitech Revue and Google TV get very early blurrycam impressions
Logitech Revue and Google TV get very early blurrycam impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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LG Optimus One and Optimus Chic eyes-on That "leaked" low-end LG Android device from a few days back? Turns out it was nothing more than the Optimus Chic, one of two Google-powered phones that the company announced back in early July. They're still not ready to let us touch the damned things here at IFA -- apparently on account of the fact that they're not commercially available yet -- but we got close enough to conclude that you definitely won't be fooling anyone into thinking that you've dropped many hundreds of euros on your phone. You could argue that Huawei set the tone for IFA's small-but-notable mobile presence this year with its introduction of the Ideos -- in other words, cheap Android gear -- and both of these LGs look primed to go head-to-head with the Ideos in that arena. Nokia had long been hoping to totally own the smartphone industry in emerging markets by driving S60 into the bargain basement -- but with this latest round of Android releases coming dangerously close to the same price points, we could have an interesting battle on our hands.LG Optimus One and Optimus Chic eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Cambridge scientists develop lower-than-low power WORM memory Researchers at Cambridge University have recently published a paper on their new type of WORM (write once read many) memory which is even more low powered than the ones that came before it. The new electron-only design of the memory is solution processed, making it low cost as well as it requires no lithography. The device, using ZnO semiconductor nanoparticles to inject electrons into a polymer which is capable of conducting. The electrons are then used to program the memory by permanently lowering the conductivity of the polymer, producing insulation. This result is far lower power densities than previously recorded, by orders of magnitude. The research team believes that it can make further improvements to the device as they continue to work.Cambridge scientists develop lower-than-low power WORM memory originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
SD Card Association: flash card speeds to triple by 2012 The SD Card Association (truth be told, one of our favorite card-related associations) has a new spec in the works that will almost triple the speed of its SDHC and SDXC cards, according to CNET. The specification, which should be complete Q1 next year, will achieve 300MB per second by adding a second row of electrical contacts on the bottom face of the card, and will be backward compatible with older, slower devices. Although being referred to internally as SD 4.0, brand names for the technology are still being considered -- with UHS-II (the successor to UHS-I ultra-high speed bus cards) as one possibility.SD Card Association: flash card speeds to triple by 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Klipsch issues first on-ear headphones, Image S5i Rugged and bargain Image S3 earbuds It's been awhile since we sashayed through Klipsch's world headquarters back in December of last year, but the company certainly hasn't let off of the pedal. Today at IFA, it managed to introduce no fewer than three new headphones, including the outfit's very first on-ear set. The Image One was built to bring Klipsch's signature sound to folks who'd prefer cans over 'buds, and it's also amongst the first to have an Apple-centric mic and three-button remote for controlling music playback on iPods, iPads and iPhones. Travelers will be pleased to hear that the ear cups fold flat for portability, but you'll need $149.99 to call 'em yours when they ship this November. Moving on, there's the Image S5i Rugged (shown above) -- essentially, you're looking at the same sound quality we lauded last year, but with a rugged slant. These feature the aforesaid three-button remote / mic as well as a "safety case" that touts a built-in flashlight. We're expecting a demonstration of their toughness at IFA tomorrow, but in the meanwhile you can start sacking away $129.99 for their November debut. Finally, the October-bound Image S3 is the company's new low-end set, priced at just $49.99 but still shipping with a trio of oval ear tips, a carrying case and a choice of gray, red, pink or green hues. The full presser is after the break, if you're into that type of thing. Gallery: Klipsch issues first on-ear headphones, Image S5i Rugged and bargain Image S3 earbuds
Continue reading Klipsch issues first on-ear headphones, Image S5i Rugged and bargain Image S3 earbuds
Klipsch issues first on-ear headphones, Image S5i Rugged and bargain Image S3 earbuds originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
App Review: Angry Birds (Android) What does it take to make an addictive game? Not much -- just throw in some super simple controls, cute graphics, and basic physics. Rovio Mobile's Angry Birds is one such game that includes all these elements, and today the studio's just released a public Android beta to cater those without an iOS, webOS or Maemo 5 device. In case you're not already familiar with the popular title, the backstory is that a gang of hungry pigs snatched away some eggs from the birds, forcing the feathered creatures to embark on a rescue mission for the sake of their survival. The gameplay on the Android version is just as simple as before: in each level you use a fixed slingshot to fling the birds -- one at a time -- into the forts, in order to kill all the pigs inside. As a secondary challenge, you must also attempt to get a three-star rating depending on the amount of structural material you destroy, so the key is to perfect your shooting angle.
At the beginning you're only given one type of bird that does nothing more than just headbutting, but throughout the game you'll come across six more birds, each possessing one special power: multiply, explode, accelerate, dropping egg bombs, boomerang, and extra strength. Don't worry, the instructions are pretty clear when you first meet these enhanced kamikaze birds -- most involve just a single tap anywhere to trigger their special abilities mid-flight. Once you get the hang of it, you'll soon be wanting to try out all sorts of trajectories to take vengeance on those cheeky green hogs. Seriously, the pigs really do laugh at you when your birds miss them.
While we're not familiar with the Maemo 5 and webOS versions of Angry Birds, we've definitely spent a fair amount of time on the iOS flavor. Sadly, since the latter's still running on a low 480 x 320 resolution, the blurred graphics on the notoriously sharp retina display does no justice to the game. On the other hand, the Android version looks a lot prettier on our Nexus One, Dell Streak and HTC Desire, as it runs on their native resolution of 800 x 480. That said, overall the Android beta didn't feel as well-oiled as its iOS counterpart -- we've noticed the occasional light hiccups while panning across the scene, so here's hoping that this will be fixed in the final release. Regardless of this minor flaw, we'd still highly recommend Android users to check out this free Angry Birds beta in the market -- go grab it while it's hot!Continue reading App Review: Angry Birds (Android)
App Review: Angry Birds (Android) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Vodafone's Microsoft Surface: like Go Fish for phones Microsoft worked with Vodafone late last year to deploy Surfaces to a few dozen stores in several European countries (much as AT&T has done in the US), and one of those units happens to be set up at the carrier's IFA booth this week. The basic idea here is that each available model appears as a card that can be twirled, resized, and flung around the screen. When the software first starts, the cards start in a deck from which you can "deal" onto the table -- but when we first approached it, the Surface had obviously already been played with because the cards were in complete disarray. Not too helpful when you're a befuddled buyer trying to browse models and make a choice from a dizzying selection of handsets, but that doesn't mean it's not cool -- if nothing else, parents, it's something to babysit the kiddies for a few minutes while you go about your business in the store. Follow the break for video of the Surface in action.
Gallery: Vodafone's Microsoft Surface: like Go Fish for phones
Continue reading Vodafone's Microsoft Surface: like Go Fish for phones
Vodafone's Microsoft Surface: like Go Fish for phones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Engadget Podcast, live at 4:30PM EST! Not much happened this week apart from a local fruit company holding a small event, a minor industry get-together in Germany, and Samsung releasing a giant Galaxy S. Yeah, yawn. Josh, Paul, and Nilay will be on hand at 4:30PM EST to talk it all over, so get cozy in the chat below and we'll see you then!
P.S. And don't forget that Ustream has Android and iPhone clients as well, if you're out and about and you can't join in on the Flash-based fun below.
Update: It's over, and man, that was a crazy one. Don't worry if you missed it, we'll have the regular podcast post up tomorrow!The Engadget Podcast, live at 4:30PM EST! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
LG's 180-inch plasma that wasn't When we first caught wind of LG's "180-inch plasma" we were understandably enthused (and just a little skeptical), but our excitement was quickly ruined with word that LG was merely sticking nine 600Hz 60-inch plasmas next to each other and calling it a day. We got a glimpse at the "multi-vision display" (LG shorthand for "a bunch of screens next to each other") today, and it's still decently impressive in its own right. LG's managed to get the seams between the screens down to a mere 1.5mm, and while the lines are still noticeable, they could be a lot worse. While they lines certainly get in the way of entertainment, it actually provides an interesting effect when donning the 3D glasses -- almost highlighting the effect of depth. LG has some pretty boring plans for the screens, like digital signage and education, and we'll be sticking to projectors for our big screen needs, but we're still saying a 180-inch straight-up, no funny business plasma would be pretty stellar. Gallery: LG's 180-inch plasma that wasn't
LG's 180-inch plasma that wasn't originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Panasonic cranks out new 31 and 19 Series Toughbooks for Japan Panasonic's gone on a real tear here, releasing two new Toughbook models at once. While you grapple with the implications of such a thing, let's get down to details. The new 31 and 19 Series Toughbooks are 13.1-inch and 10.4-inch models, respectively, and as far as specs go, they both pack in a 160GB hard drive, up to 6GB of DDR3 SDRAM (with 2GB coming standard), and Intel QM57 Express chipset, and 1024 x 768 resolution displays. Both come with Windows 7 Professional pre-installed, and the Toughbook 31 has a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 CPU, the 19's go a 1.2 GHZ inside. Other than that they've both got Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, an HDMI slot, four USB ports, and an SD card slot. Of course, they're also drop resistant in addition to being dust and waterproof. They'll be available starting in mid-September in Japan.Panasonic cranks out new 31 and 19 Series Toughbooks for Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Galaxy Tab with WiMAX coming to Sprint this November? The CDMA-equipped Samsung Galaxy Tab has so far been nothing more than a sticker in a random snapshot and some whispers about Verizon, but Boy Genius Report is saying that the Tab's also bound for Sprint's network this November, on both its 3G and 4G (i.e. WiMAX) network -- à la the Galaxy S / Epic 4G. No word from Sammy HQ on this one, but it's worth noting that in our briefing, a Samsung rep mentioned that an American carrier could put Qik on it and, well, that's kind of Sprint's thing. We don't suppose anyone heard its preferred dessert choice in the process, hm?Galaxy Tab with WiMAX coming to Sprint this November? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Droid R2-D2 gets docked -- not in a X-Wing Verizon's teaser site for the Droid 2 R2-D2 edition has been teasing a series of locked spokes, accessible by all as soon as anyone in the community solves the "puzzle." We don't know exactly what the magic code was, but regardless, thanks to David H. yesterday, we've got a new gallery of devices pics and -- oh, lookie -- a special edition Droid R2-D2 dock. We don't see room for a hyperdrive anywhere, nor wings, proton torpedos, or a cockpit for future Jedi to blast orbital space stations. So, let's just call it a vacation home for astromechs needing a respite.
Update: As a number of you have pointed out, it's "proton" torpedo in Star Wars canon, and "Jedi" is already plural. We're left with two options here: total retcon the scope of which would put midi-chlorians to further shame, or just fixing the copy. We'll let ya know what we decide.
Gallery: Droid 2 R2-D2 edition dock
Droid R2-D2 gets docked -- not in a X-Wing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget's back to school guide: Printers Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we've got printers in our sights -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides.
Even if your textbooks, your movies, your music, and the photographic evidence of your quasi-legal sorority hazing exists purely in the digital domain, you'll have to print out things like term papers and court documents sooner or later. (Thought we forgot about that hazing, didn't you?) We know that's money tight, so we've found something to suit every budget. Now, on to the printers...Continue reading Engadget's back to school guide: Printers
Engadget's back to school guide: Printers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
New official MeeGo screenshots show promise, influence MeeGo's official user interface guidelines could easily end up determining whether the platform sinks or swims -- no one wants a phone whose UI looks like junk, after all. The minions at Nokia and Intel's little pet project have posted new OS shots as examples of how to properly implement the interface in third-party apps, and we've got to admit -- things are looking a lot cleaner, prettier, and generally more modern than the first round of pictures we saw back in June, thanks in part to a demonstration of the platform's comprehensive theming capability that can totally revamp how UI elements look. We're definitely seeing shades of webOS in the task switcher (pictured above), but then again, Nokia's no stranger to borrowing ideas it likes. That's all well and good as long as it makes for a great platform... and obviously, we'd need some hardware to do that. O N9, where art thou?New official MeeGo screenshots show promise, influence originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Xbox 360's transforming D-pad controller gets handled on video Boy, we've gone from rumor to hands-on experience in just a couple of days with this thing. Microsoft's November 9-bound Xbox 360 controller refresh couldn't escape the clutches of Joystiq, who have put together a neat photo gallery and video overview. That chrometastic new D-pad is clearly the headliner here, and the early feedback is that it works well -- it takes a bit of effort to transform from a flat button to the elevated four-way navigator you see above, but that's apparently a good thing as it means you'll never flip modes by accident in the middle of a hot and heavy gaming session. The analog buttons have also been subjected to some nipping and tucking and there is of course a new desaturated color scheme to explore as well. You'll find a shot of the retail packaging after the break and a lot more at the source.
Update: Video now embedded after the break.Continue reading Xbox 360's transforming D-pad controller gets handled on video
Xbox 360's transforming D-pad controller gets handled on video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Rydeen hopes to cash in on tablet fever with Android-based, Armada-powered PND You may never have heard of auto electronics provider Rydeen Mobile, but it certainly knows of you -- or more specifically, your desire to obtain a slick new tablet PC -- and has thus created an 7-inch Android tablet that integrates the dedicated map functionality of its GPS machines. The "gPad" GCOM701 won't be a terribly high-end device, mind you, with an 800MHz ARMADA 166 SOC, 256MB of RAM, bring-your-own-microSD-storage and what we're led to believe is a resistive touchscreen, but it sounds like at least Rydeen isn't being stingy on the software front. You'll find a full suite of Google Apps, Adobe Flash Lite 4 and AVI support, not to mention 4 million points of interest thanks to the integrated Navteq client. Connectivity include GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, both mini and full-sized USB ports, plus a front-facing camera for video chat, and there's a 2400mAh battery the company claims will provide six hours of solid use. Find it this November at an unspecified price, no doubt alongside the pictured (but not mentioned) car dock.Continue reading Rydeen hopes to cash in on tablet fever with Android-based, Armada-powered PND
Rydeen hopes to cash in on tablet fever with Android-based, Armada-powered PND originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
New Jersey transit looks to add WiFi to its rail lines and stations, New Yorkers to pretend they didn't hear that A New Jersey Transit spokesperson has announced that its seeking a company to install WiFi on its rail lines and at its train stations. The installation would make New Jersey one of the few major transit systems in the country to have WiFi on its 165 stations and 12 lines. The spokesperson also said they hope to get the installation under way quickly, and to have the hotspots available to riders by next year.New Jersey transit looks to add WiFi to its rail lines and stations, New Yorkers to pretend they didn't hear that originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iHome teases first AirPlay-compatible portable speaker dock No surprise that iHome is first out of the gate with a speaker dock that's compatible with Apple's newly-open AirPlay music streaming system, but unfortunately the teaser page is maddeningly light on details -- all we know is that it'll have a rechargeable battery and be available for the holidays. We're actually pretty stoked for AirPlay gear -- the idea of setting up a quick mix-and-match whole-home audio system that can stream lossless audio straight from iTunes seems awfully hard to resist -- so we're eager to hear more about this thing, as well as the other third-party AirPlay devices like receivers and stereos that have been promised. We'll keep digging for more, so stay tuned.
[Thanks, Fred]iHome teases first AirPlay-compatible portable speaker dock originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Stealth's rugged USB keyboard is extremely badass, extremely pricey There are no hard and fast rules in the gadget game, but there is one bit of wisdom we generally stand by: everything benefits by being ruggedized. Sure, we know this speaks to a deep-seated need to smash things, drown things, run 'em over in a truck or shoot them -- and we're not making any excuses. Housed in vandal resistant stainless steel, the Stealth KYBX-400-DT-BL-TB-USB keyboard feature an optical trackball mouse, and NVIS-compliant red adjustable backlighting (just the thing for when you dig out the night vision goggles). If that weren't enough, the whole thing is environmentally sealed to NEMA 4, 4X, IP65 specifications (whatever that means). Yours now for $695! Get a closer look below.
Gallery: Stealth Desktop Industrial Keyboards
Stealth's rugged USB keyboard is extremely badass, extremely pricey originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Stealth's rugged USB keyboard is extremely tough, extremely pricey There are no hard and fast rules in the gadget game, but there is one bit of wisdom we generally stand by: everything benefits by being ruggedized. Sure, we know this speaks to a deep-seated need to smash things, drown things, run 'em over in a truck or shoot them -- and we're not making any excuses. Housed in vandal resistant stainless steel, the Stealth KYBX-400-DT-BL-TB-USB keyboard feature an optical trackball mouse, and NVIS-compliant red adjustable backlighting (just the thing for when you dig out the night vision goggles). If that weren't enough, the whole thing is environmentally sealed to NEMA 4, 4X, IP65 specifications (whatever that means). Yours now for $695! Get a closer look below.
Gallery: Stealth Desktop Industrial Keyboards
Stealth's rugged USB keyboard is extremely tough, extremely pricey originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Guitar Sidekick brings your phone to your guitar, while your guitar gently weeps digg_url = 'http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/03/guitar-sidekick-brings-your-phone-to-your-guitar-while-your-gui/'; You may not want to be seen rocking one of these at your next gig, but if you've been trying to juggle your phone and guitar while using some of the endless number of apps out there, you might just want to consider this so-called Guitar Sidekick from Castiv. As you can see, there's not a whole lot to it -- just a bracket that attaches to the neck of your guitar, and an adjustable mechanism that will accommodate just about any smartphone (or even a PSP). No word on an iPad version just yet, but you can grab this one right now for $30.Guitar Sidekick brings your phone to your guitar, while your guitar gently weeps originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Kodak PlayTouch preview While Sony's new Bloggie Touch provides the template for how simple and easy a touchscreen camcorder could really be, Kodak's similarly well built and attractive PlayTouch provides a stark contrast, with a modicum of simplicity on the surface, but a megaton of functionality to uncover. The PlayTouch isn't as pick-up-and go as the Bloggie, but the basic touchscreen controls can be quickly mastered. What sets the PlayTouch apart are the in-depth features like an external microphone jack (complete with gain control), video effects (like black & white and sepia modes), and the particularly ambitious video editor. You can only trim shots and extract stills from that latter mode, but paired with the newer generation EasyShare functionality that lets you pre-assign photos and videos for upload to YouTube and Facebook, among other services, you can almost completely avoid using your computer as anything but a dumb pipe to the internet.
The PlayTouch really isn't a "gift it to your grandma" sort of camcorder; even with a $230 pricetag you still have to bring your own SD card, there's no built-in storage, and most of the higher end functionalities like the external audio jack will be lost on the general populace. Still, if you're looking for a pocket camcorder that is more than just a dumb pocket camcorder, Kodak seems to be continuing the niche it carved out for itself originally with the Zi8. Gallery: Kodak PlayTouch preview
Kodak PlayTouch preview originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Global Qi wireless power standard released, Energizer and Sanyo announce products It's no good buying an eCoupled inductive charger if it won't work with your Powermat, or your Touchstone. Non-standard chargers suck, so we're glad to see that the Global Qi wireless power standard has been released, and the first products have been announced. A number of companies, Nokia and RIM to name but a few, have signed on their support, with Energizer stepping up first with the Energizer Inductive Charger. When it releases this fall it will initially work with charging sleeves for the iPhone 3G/S and BlackBerry Curve 8900, but we presume others will be coming. More promising is Sanyo, which is designing battery packs "without making any change in designs and aspects of existing mobile devices." In other words: they'll look and act like a normal battery pack, but also be able to be charged wirelessly. Beware, ubiquitous micro-USB charger: your days are numbered.Continue reading Global Qi wireless power standard released, Energizer and Sanyo announce products
Global Qi wireless power standard released, Energizer and Sanyo announce products originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Silicon oxide forms solid state memory pathways just five nanometers wide Silicon oxide has long played the sidekick, insulating electronics from damage, but scientists at Rice University have just discovered the dielectric material itself could become a fantastic form of storage. Replacing the 10-nanometer-thick strips of graphite used in previous experiments with a layer of SiOx, graduate student Jun Yao discovered the latter material worked just as well, creating 5nm silicon nanowires that can be easily joined or broken (to form the bits and bytes of computer storage) when a voltage is temporarily applied. Considering that conventional computer memory pathways are still struggling to get to 20nm wide, this could make for quite the advance in storage, though we'll admit we've heard tell of one prototype 8nm NAND flash chip that uses nanowires already. Perhaps it's time for silicon oxide to have a turn in the limelight.Silicon oxide forms solid state memory pathways just five nanometers wide originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sony Bloggie Touch preview: an actually simple 'simple camcorder' Maybe we're a bunch of idiots, but while the Flip and its ultra-simple camcorder ilk have certainly made shooting video simpler and more accessible for the masses, we still find many of these cameras surprisingly unintuitive or just "blah" at doing what they do (Kodak's otherwise excellent Zi8 and PlaySport cameras come to mind) when it comes to UI. After playing with the horrendous Flip Slide HD, we were almost sure touchscreens would act as another obstacle to using these things, but of all people, Sony has come to the rescue. We found the original Bloggie line very unimpressive, but this new Bloggie Touch crop is exactly as easy to use as you'd imagine a one button device would be.
That big record button on the front? You press it, and it records stuff. The responsive touchscreen UI takes care of secondary issues, like playing back that stuff you recorded, swapping resolution (it shoots at up to 1080p), setting a timer, and more detailed settings, with four well placed icons, while a touch slider operates the digital zoom. If you hold the camera like a still camera and tap the camera shutter button now naturally placed on the top you can take 12.8 megapixel stills (okay, we lied, there are two buttons, three if you count the on / off button). Despite the slim, sexy design of the camera, Sony still worked in a pop-out USB plug and a full sized HDMI jack. Even the $180 / $200 price (for 4GB or 8GB of storage) is surprisingly good. Just a reminder, in case you'd forgotten: the Bloggie Touch is built by Sony. We'll be looking forward to its October launch. Gallery: Sony Bloggie Touch preview
Sony Bloggie Touch preview: an actually simple 'simple camcorder' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Philips Dimenco glasses-less 3D TV of the future, hopefully our future The problem with the future is that it's always 3 to 5 years away. Nevertheless, what you're looking at is what Philips and Dimenco, a small company of ex-Philips engineers, say will be coming to the consumer television market as early as 2013 -- earlier if you're in the professional advertising business or just want to view your family photos on a small 3D photo frame. Just remember that Philips has been showing off variations of the glasses-free technology behind this prototype lenticular lens television for years, so we're not getting our hopes up. Nevertheless, Dimenco assured us that the path to the consumer market for its 3D display is clear.
So how did it look? Well, it was ok, we guess. It doesn't have that in-your-face pop of the current generation of 3D televisions that require 3D glasses. The effect is more subtle (or maybe the content was). Our biggest problem was with the sharpness of the display. Although the 56-inch prototype CCFL LCD was 4k (that's 4 times the resolution of your Full HD TV) the image we saw was coarse in appearance due to the lenticular lens required to refract the left and right images for each eye. Having said that, the lenticular lens technology used is certainly better suited for non-stationary viewing. While the border around objects on the screen tended to shift quickly and blur (see the video after the break) when looking at the panel frombetween any of its 15 viewing angles (spread across a 120-degree arc), at least it didn't exhibit those horrible dark vertical bands seen when changing your angle even slightly while viewing 3D panels based on the parallax barrier method of glasses-less 3D. Still, it was hard to find the viewing sweet spot and honestly, given the option to sit in front of this display and a 4k panel "limited" to 2D, we'd have to opt for the latter. Get back to us in 3 to 5 and see if we feel the same.Continue reading Philips Dimenco glasses-less 3D TV of the future, hopefully our future
Philips Dimenco glasses-less 3D TV of the future, hopefully our future originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iFixit celebrates Friday with teardown of Virtual Boy, the greatest game console man has ever known We still have memories -- some would say nightmares, but we digress -- of hanging out at a neighbor's house and taking turns playing matches of Mario's Tennis, our biological ocular displays assimilated into a rubber mask that engulfed our brains and left us in a permanent state of viewing the world in red wireframe. Crude 3D though it may be, it's still a part of history we must accept, and if you happen to own a Virtual Boy, we have just two things to say to you. One: we're insanely jealous. Two: if you ever need to know how to rip it to shreds for repair / stress relief, iFixit's got you covered. In the world of Man with Screwdriver vs. Game Console, yet again Man wins. Seems a perfect ending to a week that featured Atari 2600, Nintendo Famicon, RCA Studio II, and Magnavox Odyssey 100. Check out highlights in the gallery below, or hit up iFixit for the whole shebang. Gallery: Highlights from iFixit's Virtual Boy teardown
iFixit celebrates Friday with teardown of Virtual Boy, the greatest game console man has ever known originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Infrared Nerf autocannon hunts predators, little sisters too (video) When it comes to keeping unwanted personnel out of your property, whether that be an estate or an alcove, you can't be expected to hang around holding the big guns all day long. That's when you need an automatic-targeting turret, and Rick Prescott's Infrared Seeking Sentinel is a good, non-lethal choice. Built on a Nerf Vulcan EBF-25, he added an infrared tracker, motor, and battery pack to make the thing autonomous, capable of firing in semi- or full-auto modes. He's posted full instructions on how to make your own, and his effort won him the Make Gadget Freak Design Contest. It also won him something else: our admiration. Full explanation and demonstration after the break.Continue reading Infrared Nerf autocannon hunts predators, little sisters too (video)
Infrared Nerf autocannon hunts predators, little sisters too (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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LG's 31-inch OLED spin-slices its way into our cold LCD hearts Yeah, we spied a few of LG's new 31-inch, 2.9mm thick displays the other day, but we hadn't seen the standard TV-like configurations -- which don't mean too much, because this is still a prototype, but they're a comfort all the same. We also managed to peep a 3D setup with the screens, which used polarized glasses and was surprisingly sharp. We promised ourselves it would just be a quick look, and that we had important things to do today, and that we really don't need a new TV all that much... but three hours later we found ourselves still planted in the same spot, a small trickle of drool dripping all over our camera gear. When we finally managed to snap out of it, we clicked a few stills and grabbed a video of one of the screens spinning before running out of the LG booth with our eyes shut tight and desire still raging in our heart. Gallery: LG's 31-inch OLED
Continue reading LG's 31-inch OLED spin-slices its way into our cold LCD hearts
LG's 31-inch OLED spin-slices its way into our cold LCD hearts originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Microsoft Kinect starts making home deliveries to beta testers As beta testing programs go, Microsoft's Kinect venture has been kind of... leaky. No surprises, therefore, that we've now received our first in-the-plastic pictures of the motion-tracking camera peripheral, replete with a few select shots of its packaging. Redmond's promise that hardware was en route to testers was clearly not a hollow one, and we can now probably expect a bunch more unauthorized disclosures about the user experience with what should be final retail units. The outside of the packaging includes a couple of teasers encouraging users to pick up some of those bodacious PDP stands and wall mounts for their Kinect -- presumably the start of a tidal wave of Kinect accessories.
Gallery: Microsoft Kinect starts making home deliveries
Microsoft Kinect starts making home deliveries to beta testers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Samsung Galaxy Player 50 hands-on Remember how Samsung downsized the Wave to make the Wave 723 and killed off the pricey, fancy Super AMOLED display in the process? Yeah, well, the same rule applies to the Android-powered Galaxy line -- so if you were hoping to see some mind-blowing contrast ratios on Sammy's new PMP... well, you can just keep on hoping (and besides, even the mighty Tab has gone the TFT route for now). The Galaxy Player 50 is pretty cute in the flesh, featuring a 3.2-inch WQVGA LCD with multitouch capability, Android 2.1, and your choice of 8GB or 16GB worth of internal storage with microSD expansion up to 32GB. It's also packing a 2 megapixel cam on back and support for 802.11n -- and heck, like the Philips GoGear Connect it's even got a mic, basically putting it just one spec sheet line item shy of being an actual smartphone.
For all intents and purposes, the PMP feels like a midrange Android smartphone when you're holding and using it; it's reasonably responsive, and we were happy to see that it has Google Maps Navigation on board (along with the Android Market and all the other standard "Google Experience" Android apps). We found the keyboard a bit cramped, but there's only so much you can do with a portrait virtual QWERTY keyboard on a 3.2-inch display, and we imagine we could get used to it with time. Needless to say, the total package feels more put-together than the GoGear, and if we were rocking a dumbphone, wanted to keep our music compartmentalized, and couldn't stand the thought of adding an iPod touch into our lives, we imagine the 50 would be on our short list. Follow the break for Samsung's press release -- and don't forget to have a gander at the gallery!
Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Player 50 hands-on
Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Player 50 hands-on
Samsung Galaxy Player 50 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Plex announces partnership with LG, pledges to beat Boxee Box and Apple TV for free We're excited about the Boxee Box, and the new-look Apple TV is intriguing, but no single box is as good as a box that doesn't exist yet does the same stuff. Confused? Sit down, let us explain. That's the point Plex is making in announcing its new partnership with LG, which will integrate Plex software into its 2011 Netcast HDTVs and Blu-ray players. Plex enables the same sort of functionality as those smart little boxes mentioned above, letting you serve content from a machine running OS X and push it to your TV or to a mobile device (iPhone and iPad right now, Android coming). Plex also supports all the major online streamers, like Netflix, Hulu, and even the BBC iPlayer. Lack of PC support is something of a bummer, but a Windows version is said to be coming, so even your beige box can soon get in on the box-free fun.Continue reading Plex announces partnership with LG, pledges to beat Boxee Box and Apple TV for free
Plex announces partnership with LG, pledges to beat Boxee Box and Apple TV for free originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Nagoya Institute's folding X-Frame car lacks S-foils, hyperdrive, rolls on a big orange ball Welcome to the future, dear readers, where boring black tires are replaced with bright orange and yellow ones and where your car can dynamically expand or contract. This is the X-Frame Folding Vehicle, a concept from the Nagoya Institute of Technology that was first shown at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, but rolled out of hiding again for the city's recent Good Design Expo. The car changes shape to offer seating for either one or two and can raise or lower itself dynamically based on terrain, speed, and proximity of Clown Gang members when you're cruising in Neo-Tokyo. No word on when or if it will see production, but don't let a complete lack of crash-worthiness get you down on this vision of tomorrow.Nagoya Institute's folding X-Frame car lacks S-foils, hyperdrive, rolls on a big orange ball originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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For You Digital MX10 5-inch Android MID hands-on Who says the Streak is the only game in town if you want a 5-inch Android device? Well, no one, actually -- there are lots of generic options if you just want something with a 5-inch display running on Google juice -- but regardless, we had a chance to check out just such a device introduced at IFA this week, the so-called MX10 with Android 2.1 from South Korea's For You Digital. Our first impression on seeing the MX10 is that it's pretty stylish and doesn't give off the air of jankiness that you occasionally get with these off-brand MIDs; it's available in both black and white, and we especially liked the white which gets a matte silver ring around the edge (the black is paired with chrome, which obviously suffers from more fingerprint issues). There's no internal cellular connectivity (the "E" on the screen above seems to be a bug), but the device supports USB host mode, which means you can connect a USB modem from your carrier of choice when the 802.11b / g just doesn't cut it. Unfortunately, the MX10's Achilles' heel is its display, which we found to be exceptionally low-contrast -- putting it up against a Super AMOLED would be almost comical -- and resistive, which just isn't a good option for a platform as finger-friendly as Android is. If anything, this might make for a good media tank that you can use to carry around a bunch of movies, since it's available in internal capacities from 2GB up to 16GB and offers microSD expansion paired with HDMI-out (real HDMI, not micro) and 1080p capability. Check out some more shots (including more of the white) in the gallery.
Gallery: For You Digital MX10 5-inch Android MID hands-on
For You Digital MX10 5-inch Android MID hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Chrome is now 2 years old! Google celebrates with release of version 6 Two years. Can you believe it's only been two years since we started browsing the internet faster than a potato can tear through the air? Well, Google can, and it's certainly not been sitting around during that time, improving Chrome's JavaScript performance by a factor of 3, and throwing in a litany of additional features, like tab side-by-side view, themes, auto-translation, and bookmark and preference sync across machines. To celebrate the anniversary, the company's uploaded version numero 6 to its stable channel, which brings a few more GUI optimizations and some bug fixes to the table. Hardware graphics acceleration isn't yet included in the public release, but it too shall be joining the party before long.Chrome is now 2 years old! Google celebrates with release of version 6 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Huawei Ideos hands-on Chinese telecom giant Huawei -- which has been playing the Android game with major carriers around the world for some time now -- has selected IFA to debut the Ideos, a new entry-level model running Froyo in a variety of colors. Huawei's press release calls the Ideos "the world's first affordable smartphone" -- which seems like a bit of an overstatement (okay, a huge overstatement) to us -- but really underscores the fact that this thing is going to be launching for somewhere between $100 and $200 unsubsidized in Europe, Asia, and both North and Latin America. It's got 3G, WiFi, mobile hotspot capability for up to eight devices, and was apparently developed in direct partnership with Google, a sign that Mountain View is serious about taking Android 2.2 across the entire price spectrum.
We checked out the Ideos today and were pretty impressed; clearly, you're not going to mistake it for an EVO, a Droid X, or a Defy, but Huawei has definitely put some effort into engineering this thing so that they were able to make it cheaply without making it feel like it would come apart in your hands. The company is quick to note that 2.8-inch capacitive displays aren't very common -- and though we could've definitely used HVGA instead of the Ideos' QVGA, we were pleased with the responsiveness, both from a processor performance perspective and a touch sensitivity one. Add in the support for 7.2Mbps HSDPA and the stylish colors (black, yellow, blue, and purple) and Huawei might just have a winner here. More on this one when launch carriers start to come out of the woodwork. Follow the break for the full press release.
Gallery: Huawei Ideos hands-on
Continue reading Huawei Ideos hands-on
Huawei Ideos hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Lacie MosKeyto streamlines portable storage, invites bad puns Lacie's keeping up its eccentric branding strategy today with this pest-inspired new USB key. Measuring a mere 20mm in length and 10 grams in weight, the MosKeyto is ready to all but disappear once you plug it into your computer, and it'll outdo its physical counterpart by not only sucking data down but pushing it back out should you want it. Basically, it's yet another miniaturized USB drive and can be owned today, starting at $18 for the 4GB version. 8GB will set you back $28 and there's a 16GB variant to come as well. Got all that? Good. Now buzz off.Gallery: Lacie MosKeyTo press images
Continue reading Lacie MosKeyto streamlines portable storage, invites bad puns
Lacie MosKeyto streamlines portable storage, invites bad puns originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Mobee's inductive Magic Charger for Apple's Magic Mouse really is magical If you look deep enough into the halls of IFA, if you can see through the 3D television murk and tablet hype, you might be lucky enough to find a few gems. Like the Mobee Magic Charger for Apple's Magic Mouse making its worldwide debut today. So, what's the "magic?" Well, if you own a wireless Apple Magic Mouse then your biggest complaint is without a doubt battery life. That means you're either purchasing (and tossing) alkaline after alkaline or you're constantly swapping in a fresh pair of rechargeables to keep the juice flowing. The Mobee Magic Charger does away with that nonsense with its inductive charging mini-USB base station and battery pack that slots into Apple's mouse -- no special sleeve or bulky appendage required unlike many after-market inductive charging solutions. Oh, and the 1.30oz / 37g battery pack -- developed in-house by Switzerland-based Mobee -- is actually lighter than a pair of AAs thereby reducing the overall weight of the mouse.
Regarding specs, we're told that a Mobee charged Magic Mouse will last for 6 days under constant use. After that, it requires 6 hours to reach a full charge. Otherwise, the idea here is to park the mouse on its dock when not in use. While the company has considered an inductive charging mouse pad, they opted against it so that people can mouse on the surface of their choice and to keep the whole package portable and inconspicuous. The Magic Charger itself matches the materials, look, and feel of Apple's Magic Mouse perfectly. Oh, and the blue charging light you see above will be green once the product ships worldwide in mid-October for €49.90 (with tax) / $49.90 (before tax). At that price, it offers a 6-8 month break-even for the typical Magic Mouse user relying on disposable batteries. Honestly, the Mobee Magic Charger is an idea so good that it makes you wonder, why didn't Apple think of that?
Expect to see a "few more" Mobee products launch for Apple products before the end of the year and into 2011. While Mobee wouldn't tell us exactly what products are coming, it did admit to looking at Apple's new Track Pad, the iPhone 4 (we expect to see a case), and wireless keyboard. We look forward to it.Gallery: Mobee's inductive Magic Charger for Apple's Magic Mouse really is magical
Gallery: Mobee Magic Charger packaging press pics
Mobee's inductive Magic Charger for Apple's Magic Mouse really is magical originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Canon's PowerShot S95 gets reviewed, found to be worthy S90-successor Canon's PowerShot S90 managed to attract a considerable fan base with some stellar image quality and professional-level features, but it did have a few drawbacks -- most notably a lack of HD video that's hard to overlook these days. The new and improved PowerShot S95 promises to address that and other complaints, however, and according to PhotographyBlog, it succeeds on most counts. Not only does the camera maintain the same high image quality as its predecessor, but it offers some added flexibility with an improved lens Control Ring, improved image stabilization, a new HDR mode and, last but not least, 720p video recording. Despite those newfound HD capabilities, however, video still seems to be this camera's main shortcoming, as you'll have to make do without autofocus or optical zoom during recording. That wasn't enough to prevent it from getting a 4.5 out of 5 rating from Photography Blog, though -- hit up the link below for the site's full review.Canon's PowerShot S95 gets reviewed, found to be worthy S90-successor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Skype 5.0 beta brings 10-way video calling to the world Skype's Windows client is showing a bit of ambition today as its latest beta version now boasts a mighty 10-way video calling implementation. The earlier v5.0 beta threw up five-way vidchat, but it'd seem Skype kept its software engineers working through the summer and now we've got double the visual fun. Which would be awesome if we actually had nine other people we cared to see while talking to them. This update also brings a UI makeover, your typical stability and call quality improvements, and a neat automated call recovery feature. Download away, if you must.Skype 5.0 beta brings 10-way video calling to the world originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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MIT app turns your Android phone into a supercomputer.....