| Please add updates@feedmyinbox.com to your address book to make sure you receive these messages in the future. | |
| Nokia 6216 Classic packs NFC for contactless payments
April 23, 2009 at 5:48 am
|
| It's 2009 and we're still waiting for the Near Field Communication revolution. However, due to tough economic times and a lack of consumer devices, planned commercial NFC rollouts will likely be pushed into 2010. Still, we can add one more device to the NFC tally -- the Nokia 6216 Classic. The 6216 is Nokia's first handset with an embedded NFC chipset that communicates with NFC applications stored on the SIM. That little trick keeps the carriers happy while allowing consumers to keep their credit card info and contact-less ticketing and payment applications on the SIM for easy mobility between NFC devices. A good thing too, since this middling 3G candy bar with camera, FM radio, and microSD slot will be of limited appeal to most.
Read -- Nokia 6216 Classic
Read -- Economy, standards stand in the way of NFCFiled under: Handhelds Nokia 6216 Classic packs NFC for contactless payments originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 superzoomer reviewed
April 23, 2009 at 5:38 am
|
| | Sure, it's got that funky flip-out display, in-camera panorama stitching, HD video recording and a host of other fancy features for its $500 pricepoint, but does Sony's new Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 give DSLRs a run for their money? Digital Photography Review doesn't seem to think so. The camera has a lot in common with Canon's similarly-positioned SX1 IS, and even bests it in some departments with that 10 fps continuos shooting mode, but the actual image quality just isn't in the same ballpark as a barely more expensive DSLR, and DP Review figures that if you don't need the 20x zoom or other more gimmicky features, most folks would probably be better served by saving their pennies for the real deal. Filed under: Digital Cameras Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 superzoomer reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Leica M8 Special Edition White on sale in June for a very special $9,000
April 23, 2009 at 4:49 am
|
| | Sure, that white leather and chrome looks good now, but how's it going to look after a few months of handling? Is a beige Leica M8 with muck and ass accents really worth ¥882,000 (about $9,000)? Rangefinder fans will undoubtedly say yes when this goes on sale in Japan in June. Filed under: Digital Cameras Leica M8 Special Edition White on sale in June for a very special $9,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Hualu UCG501 MID packs everything but a release date
April 23, 2009 at 3:58 am
|
|  Well, here's an interesting little number. While there's little in terms of actual specifics, this new UCG501 MID from China's Hualu does make a lot of bold promises, including a purported "high-performance integrated graphics card," built-in GPS, some mobile TV of some sort, CDMA2000 connectivity, built-in Bluetooth, a "high capacity" 4700 mAh battery, and even a built-in optical mouse (yeah, we're still trying to figure out how that last one's supposed to work too). Of course, there's no word of a price or release date just yet, nor is there any evidence that it is anything more than a prototype at the moment -- and, judging from the unit display, one that either lacks an accelerometer or has a not entirely functional one. [Via Pocketables] Filed under: Handhelds Hualu UCG501 MID packs everything but a release date originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| MSI, others to showcase Android-based netbooks at Computex?
April 23, 2009 at 2:57 am
|
| | It was at the 2008 Computex show in Taipei where we saw the coming-out party for Atom-based netbooks running XP. With any luck, Computex 2009, which begins June 2nd, will usher in the era of the Android-based netbook. That's where the Economic Daily News claims MSI will "showcase" its Android-based netbook as MSI begins shopping reference designs around to the major PC vendors. Of course, HP, Dell, ASUS, Acer, and others have already been seen experimenting with Android netbooks. XP may be paranoid, but it's no android. Filed under: Laptops MSI, others to showcase Android-based netbooks at Computex? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| The terrifying Probo in pictures and video
April 23, 2009 at 2:22 am
|
| Have you ever dreamed that you stared into the ineffable face of the abyss... and the abyss stared back? Well dream no more, friends, and witness the gallery of photos and video below of Probo, the Belgian, Bill Gates-backed, huggable, robotic Alf wannabe. We saw a bit of the little guy earlier today, but now we've found a treasure-trove of media and wanted to share. One thing that's been bugging us: he's supposed to help kids who've been through traumatic experiences, and, you know... cheer people up -- but doesn't this bot look profoundly unhappy? Take a peek and judge for yourself.
Continue reading The terrifying Probo in pictures and video Filed under: Robots The terrifying Probo in pictures and video originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Verizon Hub getting price cut Friday -- Hub 2 drawing near?
April 23, 2009 at 1:13 am
|
| | Verizon's landline-slaying (read: self-slaying) Hub will be getting a $50 price cut on a two-year contract come this Friday, which brings the grand total down to $149.99; alternatively, you'll now be able to get it for $219.99 on a one-year commitment or $299.99 completely devoid of the legal paperwork. According to the shot we have, Verizon is "reinventing" the price, but let's be honest -- either this thing isn't selling worth a damn or they'd like to move some inventory in preparation for the Hub 2 launch. Either way, it's an exciting time to be in the market. Filed under: Household Verizon Hub getting price cut Friday -- Hub 2 drawing near? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| The Daily Roundup: here's what you might've missed
April 23, 2009 at 12:39 am
|
| The Daily Roundup: here's what you might've missed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Aliph Jawbone Prime hands-on and unboxing
April 22, 2009 at 11:46 pm
|
| We've got Aliph's new Jawbone Prime in hand, and while it's not much different to look at compared to its predecessor, there's enough new on the noise reduction and ergonomics front to warrant a quick look. Follow along after the break.
Continue reading Aliph Jawbone Prime hands-on and unboxing Filed under: Peripherals, Wearables Aliph Jawbone Prime hands-on and unboxing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Aliph Jawbone Prime arrives to coddle your ears, raid your wallet
April 22, 2009 at 11:00 pm
|
| It's been almost a year since Aliph last graced the Bluetooth headset world with its presence, and now it's back with the Jawbone Prime to reclaim the throne. The Jawbone Prime is only a minor update -- on the surface, anyways -- to its predecessor, and in fact the only visible change is a slightly different surface pattern and a minor indentation to denote one of the headset's two invisible buttons. Other than the quite welcome addition of Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR (multipoint connections, easy pairing), almost all the improvements under the hood have to do with the algorithm tweaks of NoiseAssassin 2.0 to improve noise reduction. It's really too bad the original isn't firmware-upgradable (we asked). The Prime will be replacing existing Jawbones at retail for the same old $130 pricetag, and comes in Blah Blah Black, Coffee Talk and Going Platinum, while an "EARCANDY" edition is available in Frankly SCARLET, 'YELLO!, Drop Me A LIME and LILAC You Mean It. Both will be available at retail on May 2nd.
Filed under: Peripherals, Wearables Aliph Jawbone Prime arrives to coddle your ears, raid your wallet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| LG Versa game pad module now available
April 22, 2009 at 10:04 pm
|
| If you've been getting bored of your Versa's QWERTY module, boy, have we got some splendid news for you: as promised, the snap-on game pad is now available. It slides along the back of the phone's body for storage (unlike the QWERTY, which requires that polarizingly-designed brown pleather wallet) and features an 8-way directional pad, four dedicated SNES-style gaming buttons, and the envy of absolutely everyone you've ever known. Grab it now for $29.99 -- you wouldn't want to be that one chump Versa owner who doesn't buy it, would you?
[Thanks, Daniel]Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming LG Versa game pad module now available originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Acer Aspire 3935 review roundup: sleek and affordable, but lacking gaming cred
April 22, 2009 at 9:02 pm
|
| If you're in the market for a new laptop / netbook, you might want to add Acer's just-released Aspire 3935-6504 to the list of potentials. The early reviews are in, and it looks like Acer's got an aggressively-priced winner on its hands. Laptop Magazine calls it "one heck of a bargain," noting particularly its sleek and sturdy design, backup and power saver buttons, full-sized keyboard, and the appealing $900 price tag. PC Magazine went so far as to give it the Editor's Choice award for budget laptops, lauding also its eco-friendly credentials and impressive battery life (4 hours and 50 minutes, by its metric). Both sites bemoaned, however, the lack of HDMI and eSATA ports and its inability to run games as well as competitors like the Dell Studio XPS 13 or HP Pavilion dv3z. Providing a less enthusiastic tone is Computer Shopper, who seems to take more of an issue with its gaming deficiencies than the other two reviewers. Still, the site recommends it for those consider style, portability, and price tag the main selling points. Check out the read links below for more thorough dissection.
Read - Laptop Magazine
Read - PC Magazine
Read - Computer ShopperFiled under: Laptops Acer Aspire 3935 review roundup: sleek and affordable, but lacking gaming cred originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Ugobe expects Pleo IP to fetch a pretty penny
April 22, 2009 at 8:33 pm
|
| Scientists may never fully understand why Pleo went extinct, but we've got a big hint for future generations -- it's probably because Ugobe was shipping products to customers who couldn't pay for them. That's at least the story according to Ugobe CEO Caleb Chung, who says that his robosaur was selling well to customers in Europe and Asia, but that the worldwide credit crunch meant that Pleos were just sitting in crates waiting for payment to arrive. It's unfortunate, but there's a silver lining -- the Pleo IP is expected to be a hot commodity during the bankruptcy liquidation, and not just with toymakers. Chung says he sees potential interest from lots of unexpected bidders "because robotics are the next PCs." We'll see about that -- hopefully Pleo is about to evolve.
[Via SlashGear]Filed under: Robots Ugobe expects Pleo IP to fetch a pretty penny originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Time Warner and Embarq can't compete with city-owned ISP, trying to outlaw it
April 22, 2009 at 8:03 pm
|
| Man, Time Warner Cable -- you are some shady players. Hot on the heels of the ISP's decision to withdraw DOCSIS 3.0 trials from areas that have rejected its tiered billing plan, we're hearing that TWC's teamed up with Embarq to persuade the North Carolina state government into banning community-owned broadband services. Why? Well, turns out the 47,000 residents of Wilson, NC got tired of paying for slow broadband, so the city government launched its own fiber ISP called Greenlight that offers some pretty solid packages ranging from $99 for 81 cable channels, unlimited phone service, and 10Mbps (down and up) internet to $170 for every single channel including premiums and 20Mbps up/down internet. (There's even a "secret" 100Mbps up/down internet plan.) Of course, these prices blow TWC and Embarq out of the water -- the comparable basic Time Warner plan has fewer channels and less bandwidth for an "introductory rate" of $137 -- and rather than compete, the two giants decided to lobby the North Carolina legislature into proposing bills that outlaw community services like Greenlight. The argument is that the big companies can't turn a profit and compete against a community-owned enterprise that essentially sells service for cost, but we're not buying it -- if anything, TWC and Embarq can invest the extra profits they've been earning in other areas into building services that would blow Greenlight out of the water. Yep, it's definitely some dirty pool -- does anyone have any positive feelings left for these behemoths?
[Thanks, William]
Read - DailyTech article
Read - Greenlight home page
Read - Save NC Broadband blogFiled under: Networking Time Warner and Embarq can't compete with city-owned ISP, trying to outlaw it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| ASUS gets official with business-minded P30A laptop
April 22, 2009 at 7:36 pm
|
|  We already knew that ASUS's P30 laptop (or P30A, as it's now apparently known) would come equipped with Intel's latest and greatest anti-theft technology, but ASUS has only just now gotten fully official with the laptop itself, and dished out all the rest of the specs that at least some folks have no doubt been waiting for. This being a full-on ultraportable, you won't exactly get a ton of power, but you can expect a snazzy LED-backlit 13.3-inch display (1366x768 resolution), along with a low-voltage 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of RAM, your choice of 250GB or 320GB hard drives (in either 5,400 or 7,200 rpm variations), a DVD drive, HDMI out, a 4-cell battery, and even some built-in 3G -- all in a package that weighs in at just over three pounds. Still no official word on a price, but it looks like you should be able to pick one up any day now -- or you could just wait for a similarly thin-and-light and slightly more stylish Acer Timeline, your choice. [Via Electronista] Filed under: Laptops ASUS gets official with business-minded P30A laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Apple reports best ever March quarter with a $1.21b profit, calls netbooks "junky"
April 22, 2009 at 6:54 pm
|
|  The economy might be in a dumpster, but Apple keeps selling iPods, iPhones and Macs -- the company just reported a $1.21b profit on revenues of $8.16b, which is yet another record quarter. In fact, if you do away with that pesky subscription accounting that the company uses for the iPhone and Apple TV, the numbers are even higher: $1.66b profit on $9.06b of revenue. Mac sales did fall three percent compared to a year ago, but that was offset by a three-percent increase in iPod sales (particularly of the iPod touch) and a 123-percent jump in iPhone sales. So, now that the numbers are out of the way, let's let Tim Cook take some shots at netbooks, shall we?
When I'm looking at what's sold in the Netbook market, I see cramped keyboards, junky hardware, very small screens, bad software. Not a consumer experience that we would put the Mac brand on. As it exists today, we're not interested in it nor would it be something customers would be interested in the long term. We are looking at the space. For those who want a small computer that does browsing/email, they might want an iPhone or iPod Touch. If we find a way to deliver an innovative product that really makes a contribution, we'll do that.
Slamming the door while simultaneously leaving it open -- how very Jobs-like. Speaking of which, Cook wouldn't say anything beyond the usual "We look forward to Steve's return in June" line, so no updates there -- but were you really expecting any? We're still listening to the call, we'll update if we hear anything good.
Update 1: When asked about the Pre, Cook said "it's difficult to say anything about a product until it's shipped... I can't say anything intelligent about the Pre."
Update 2: When asked about taking legal action on IP (presumably about the Pre), we just got a straight-up repeat of what they said last time: "We think competition is great as long as they invent their own stuff."
Annnd, that's it -- we'd say the real fireworks are the numbers, since we'd already heard this line about netbooks from Steve himself. We just wish someone would've asked if Apple's reached out to Lauren and Giampaulo.
[Via MacRumors]Filed under: Misc. Gadgets Apple reports best ever March quarter with a $1.21b profit, calls netbooks "junky" originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Report: Nokia's Comes With Music not selling very well in the UK
April 22, 2009 at 6:31 pm
|
|  After hearing initial reports that Nokia's Comes With Music subscription service was doing "okay," word on the streets is now... even less good. According to estimates released by Music Ally at an Association of Independent Music conference in London, Nokia's gotten about 23,000 subscribers to the service since it launched last October. That's not a great number, if it's anywhere near accurate... though Nokia has "refused to confirm" whether or not it is. Tim Grimsditch, head of Nokia's product marketing division added that it's "a very new business model, we're live in five markets and the numbers only mention one. We're going to continue to develop the model and fine tune how we market it." That said, the report can't be terribly heartening either way you slice it, and is rather reminiscent of N-Gage's niche market status if you ask us. Filed under: Cellphones Report: Nokia's Comes With Music not selling very well in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| T-Mobile-branded HTC Touch Pro2 appears in the wild
April 22, 2009 at 5:56 pm
|
| It's really no secret that the Touch Pro2 is destined to arrive in the States on T-Mobile, but this is the first time we've seen the T-Mo edition not, uh, drippings with goo. And yes, that's a US-spec keyboard and the "fewer dots" US T-Mobile logo, so this looks like the real thing -- hopefully that means a launch is imminent. Hit the read link for a bunch more shots.
Update: Looks like the site is down for now, but thankfully Google cache has it on hand.
[Via Pocketnow]Filed under: Cellphones T-Mobile-branded HTC Touch Pro2 appears in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| EagleTec Nano flash drive makes losing data easier than ever
April 22, 2009 at 5:34 pm
|
| Still haven't found a USB drive small enough for your needs? Then you might want to consider EagleTec's new Nano flash drive now available from the ever dependable folks at Brando, which measures an impossibly tiny 19 x 15 x 6 mm and weighs in at a mere three grams. Despite that size, however, you'll still get a fairly generous 4GB or 8GB of storage ($22 and $33, respectively), and an included lanyard that'll let you attach it to something you're less likely to misplace, though you're on your own keeping the drive's cap from wandering off. [Via OhGizmo] Filed under: Storage EagleTec Nano flash drive makes losing data easier than ever originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Amazon Video on Demand supports 5.1 surround on TiVo (plus hands-on)
April 22, 2009 at 5:11 pm
|
| So we were pretty bummed in our early testing of Amazon's newly HD-enabled Video On Demand service to find that it only streamed stereo audio instead of full 5.1 surround, but it looks like that's actually device-dependent -- we just tried it out on our TiVo HD, and movies play back in Dolby Digital 5.1. Yeah, that's still no Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD, but it's definitely a vast upgrade from the sad two channels we got off the Roku Video Player. So why the difference? The TiVo doesn't stream content like the Roku -- it actually downloads a video file and plays it locally from its hard drive. That means that in addition to surround audio, we also saw a pretty dramatic increase in picture quality over the Roku -- not exactly Blu-ray, but at least on par with the Apple TV, which also downloads content locally. Sure, downloading first means playback can be much slower to start, but we'll take the delay over a blocky image any day. Our only gripe is that the TiVo interface is far less attractive and workable than the Roku's -- although it has a search feature, everything seems a little clunky and thrown together, and the UI just feels plain slower. Overall, though, it's hard to see TiVo owners complaining about this upgrade -- check out a hands-on video after the break.
Continue reading Amazon Video on Demand supports 5.1 surround on TiVo (plus hands-on) Filed under: Home Entertainment Amazon Video on Demand supports 5.1 surround on TiVo (plus hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| magicJack working with magicFCC and magicCarriers on magicFemtocell
April 22, 2009 at 4:48 pm
|
| It's been revealed that perennial SkyMall and late-night TV favorite magicJack has a bunch of new features in the works for its low-cost, USB-bedongled VoIP service including landline number portability and Linux compatibility, but that's not the real news -- what's got us all worked up is word that they're allegedly working on a GSM-based femtocell that'll hook your cellphone into magicJack's service when it's in range. Even better, it all fits into a box "just a little bigger" than the current USB stick, which would make it considerably smaller than any femtocell we've seen launched so far. We're not sure whether these guys have bothered consulting with the FCC or carriers on this, but we've got dozens of questions:
- Are these guys licensing spectrum from the gub'mint, sublicensing it from carriers, or just going rogue?
- Are any carriers in on this, and if so, why?
- If carriers aren't involved, why would they establish roaming deals that would allow carrier-branded phones and SIMs to roam on magicJack's rogue airwaves?
- If they're not working on roaming deals, the femtocells will need to spoof a carrier ID -- never mind the fact that TDMA femtocells are virtually impossible to design and install for technical reasons, which means these would have to be 3G. So magicJack's going to offer a UMTS femtocell?
- Do you get to keep your phone number when you roam on the magicFemtocell, and if so, how?
Helluva mess, isn't it? We're sure we'll eventually be able to find out the answers -- and a whole lot more for just one low price -- in a few months' time at 2 in the morning on your local Ion affiliate.Filed under: Cellphones magicJack working with magicFCC and magicCarriers on magicFemtocell originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Acer says it'll "likely" have one Android phone this year
April 22, 2009 at 4:23 pm
|
|  We've already heard plenty of talk that Acer would be rolling out one or more Android phones this year, but it looks like the company's head of mobile phone products, Aymar de Lencquesaing, has now come out and made the clearest statement yet on the matter, saying that while Acer has "not made any formal announcement of an Android-based device," it is "likely that we'll have one in 2009." No more details beyond that, unfortunately, but there has been some speculation that Acer's first Android phone would be known as the A1, which may or may not be similar to the mysterious C1 touchscreen phone pictured above, and could land as soon as September. In related news, Acer has also reaffirmed its commitment to become one of the top five handset makers by 2012, adding that it would need to sell 20 to 25 million devices a year to meet that goal. [Via mocoNews.net] Filed under: Cellphones Acer says it'll "likely" have one Android phone this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Viliv S5 unboxed in beautiful, epic video
April 22, 2009 at 4:01 pm
|
|  We've had our eyes and hands all over Viliv's S5 for quite some time now, but we'll freely admit that we kind of can't get enough of the little guy. Well, until now, maybe. jkkmobile's got an exhaustive video unboxing which shows the device off quite nicely -- its 4.8-inch haptic touchscreen looks super responsive -- and overall, this UMPC is shaping up to be one decently impressive piece of work. They're expected to ship around May 8th in the U.S. for $599. Video is after the break -- it's a little long, but be sure to stick with it until the end, when Ilsa takes off in a plane for America, leaving a teary-eyed Rick on the tarmac. You won't be disappointed. Continue reading Viliv S5 unboxed in beautiful, epic video Filed under: Handhelds Viliv S5 unboxed in beautiful, epic video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Bluetribe's new Bluetooth 2.1 audio receiver for iPod speaker docks
April 22, 2009 at 3:27 pm
|
|  While Bluetribe may sound like the name of the DJ collective you used to follow around back in your "rave days" (when you wore dangerously baggy trousers and never awoke before 2:00 PM), it's actually a Japanese outfit known for its Bluetooth headphones and accessories. The company's new Bluetooth Audio Receiver sits in your speaker dock in lieu of your iPod, letting you stream music to it from anywhere in the room -- the perfect gift for folks who hate to walk across the room to switch songs (the extremely lazy, for instance). Available in stunning black or pristine white, this bad boy supports Bluetooth 2.1 and should be hitting retailers in Japan sometime in early May, for a price yet to be announced. [Via Engadget Japan] Continue reading Bluetribe's new Bluetooth 2.1 audio receiver for iPod speaker docks Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio Bluetribe's new Bluetooth 2.1 audio receiver for iPod speaker docks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Seagate rolls out low-power Barracuda LP hard drives
April 22, 2009 at 2:57 pm
|
|  Seagate's Barracuda drives have been plagued with a few problems as of late, but it looks like the company is doing its best to push the line in a fresh new direction with its just-announced Barracuda LP series, which promise to cut down on power consumption without making too many compromises in performance. Specifically, Seagate says that the drives will use up to 50% less electricity than standard hard drives, while also cranking out 5,900 RPM, along with an average latency of 5.5ms, and a 32MB cache. No word on what so of premium, if any, they'll demand, but you'll apparently be able to get 'em in 1TB, 1.5TB, and 2TB varieties (all 3.5-inch) right out of the gate. Filed under: Storage Seagate rolls out low-power Barracuda LP hard drives originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Sonnet's Qio eSATA controller / all-in-one card reader
April 22, 2009 at 2:37 pm
|
|  Sonnet's a fun little company -- when not hustling iPod chargers and transmitters, it's providing the world with more sober, serious hardware, such as its RAID storage solutions. Among the company's newest kit is Qio, a media card reader / writer that includes a E4P SATA host controller, four eSATA ports, and the usual array of P2, SxS and CompactFlash slots. If that weren't enough, this device also includes an adapter so that your SD and XF cards don't feel left out. Available for both desktop (PCIe) and laptop owners (ExpressCard), the HDD controller supports port multipliers allowing users to access up to 20 drives. Available sometime next month, pricing to be determined. Filed under: Peripherals Sonnet's Qio eSATA controller / all-in-one card reader originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| AT&T now offering refurbished 16GB iPhone for $149
April 22, 2009 at 2:17 pm
|
|  It's always nice to see an already decent deal sweetened -- which is just what's happening over at AT&T these days. The company is now offering refurbished models of the 16GB iPhone 3G for $149 with a new two-year contract. That's $50 less than the previous price, so head over and save yourself a few bucks if you're so inclined. The 8GB refurb is still on offer at $99 with a two-year contract. It looks like the deals only apply to the black model, so you'll have to cough up full price ($299) for a new one if only white will do. Update: Looks like the white model's available for the $149 refurbished price, too. Good news! Filed under: Cellphones AT&T now offering refurbished 16GB iPhone for $149 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Western Digital finally releases the 1TB My DVR Expander, TiVo owners rejoice
April 22, 2009 at 1:55 pm
|
| | Finally! We've been waiting for Western Digital to put out the 1TB My DVR Expander for so long we almost thought that Amazon listing a couple weeks ago was a mistake. The external eSATA drive allows any number of HD DVRs to record an extra 120 hours of HD content, but the real noise is that it's certified to work with the TiVo HD and TiVo XL, which have locked-down eSATA ports that prevent you from using just any drive. (The original Series3 doesn't have this restriction.) Stupid, we know, but at $199 list and $167 at Amazon, the markup on this thing doesn't seem overly ridiculous, so we won't complain too loudly. Just ship 'em already, okay? Filed under: Storage Western Digital finally releases the 1TB My DVR Expander, TiVo owners rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Leaked AT&T doc slams the Palm Pre
April 22, 2009 at 1:32 pm
|
| | Need more proof that AT&T (and Apple, by proxy) is taking the Pre kind of seriously? Enter this internal document from the iPhone carrier exposing the Palm phone for what it really is -- a second-rate claptrap that is doomed to failure because of its inferior and stupid design. Among the highlights in this no-holds-barred slamfest -- similar to this Verizon / G1 hit piece -- is the comparison between WiFi (somehow the Pre has "limited WiFi access" because it can't connect for free in Starbucks), and the nasty burn which points out that the Pre is available "in black only." Ouch... Palm might want to stock up on aloe vera. In truth, though, the doc does point out some issues with the Pre that are very real, namely its lack of roaming capabilities outside of the US and an SDK which thus far won't allow for CPU-intensive apps like 3D games. It's significant that AT&T has deemed the phone worthy enough to address (internally at least), but it's also significant to see just how far the company seems to be reaching on a handful of these points. Just remember guys -- competition is a good thing. Filed under: Cellphones Leaked AT&T doc slams the Palm Pre originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Engadget's recession antidote: win a Joby Gorillapod Focus!
April 22, 2009 at 1:10 pm
|
|  This whole global economic crisis -- including today's new of AMD's gigantic quarterly losses -- and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got two Joby Gorillapod Focuses on offer -- that's right, two winners today... this is a sweet tripod for your camera, and it's crazy looking too, so that's a plus! Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!
Big thanks to Joby for providing the gear!
The rules: - Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too.
- You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
- If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine.
- Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Joby Gorillapod Focus. Approximate retail value is $110.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
- Entries can be submitted until Thursday, April 23rd, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
- Full rules can be found here.
Filed under: Announcements Engadget's recession antidote: win a Joby Gorillapod Focus! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| LG announces 1080p DivX support, release windows for new TVs
April 22, 2009 at 12:48 pm
|
| | LG's always done a good job supporting DivX in its players and TVs, so this morning's press release announcing that the company will offer 1080p DivX support in its latest gear isn't all that surprising -- we're mostly excited because it suggests that the latest round of LED-backlit LCDs will arrive in "late May and late April." That's, uh, real soon now, so those of you waiting on a little Scarlet action in your lives should look sharp. Filed under: HDTV LG announces 1080p DivX support, release windows for new TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 video hands-on
April 22, 2009 at 12:26 pm
|
| Our first glimpse of T-Mobile's new 2009 edition Sidekick LX was all too brief, so we've jumped back in for some in-depth video hands-on (embedded after the break). One word of warning: this screen is truly incredible, and we can't be held responsible for any instances of sudden onset Sidekick envy. Traipsing through the OS, we found most everything to be responsive, intuitive and actually pretty feature-packed. The Facebook and Twitter apps are some of the best we've seen, and Laura our demo person was actually brave enough to shoot, upload and stream YouTube live on video with us. The browser had a bit of trouble with the visceral multimedia experience of Engadget.com, but overall seemed fairly together. The Download Catalog is a little barebones at the moment, but promising. Overall the hardware will be totally familiar to Sidekick users, but there are enough enhancements and refinements to make this lust worthy to folks on both sides of the Sidekick fence. It's comfortable in hand, with soft touch plastic and a super solid build, despite our best efforts at wrenching that swivel-and-tilt screen from its magical hinge. The phone hits T-Mobile on May 13th for $199 after rebates.
Continue reading T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 video hands-on Filed under: Cellphones T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 video hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| VHS casette hacked into USB drive? Yes, please
April 22, 2009 at 12:02 pm
|
|  Don't bother asking questions, just admit to yourself that you really might want one (if not several) of these. Using very few materials, you can make yourself a USB storage device which looks just like a VHS tape with a giant wire sticking out of it! It's not a terribly complicated affair -- connecting the USB cable to a thumb drive inside the tape, some simple circuit board wiring -- and presto! If you're willing to spend three or four hours and around $10-15 a pop, you could finally make use of your lonely, disused 227 collection. Check out an informative, educational video of the process after the break.
Continue reading VHS casette hacked into USB drive? Yes, please Filed under: Storage VHS casette hacked into USB drive? Yes, please originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Warner reintegrates HD DVD faithful with Red2Blu trade-in program
April 22, 2009 at 11:28 am
|
| U.S. HD DVD fans that passed up Best Buy's offer of $3 per disc, or just those who stocked up on cheap movies after the format gave up the fight have another option coming from Warner Bros. Send in the cover art sleeve (keep the disc) including UPC from your HD DVD case (plus $4.95 per movie and $6.95 / $8.95 per order S&H) and it will send you back a brand new Blu-ray copy. There's a few other restrictions, like 1 copy per movie and 25 different movies per household, but the biggest decision is likely to be whether giving up your precious I Am Legend sleeve is worth the trade, hit up Red2Blu.com for all the details and necessary forms. It seems to us like a decent offer to make HD DVD owners whole, we'd be surprised if Paramount and Universal came through with similar plans.
[Via DVDTown]Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment Warner reintegrates HD DVD faithful with Red2Blu trade-in program originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| OCZ's Neutrino netbook reviewed, deemed totally handy and easy to use
April 22, 2009 at 11:01 am
|
|  OCZ's Neutrino netbook looks much like any other 10.1-incher, but this DIY affair comes with no OS, hard drive, RAM or multicard reader, leaving the users to decide for themselves how to outfit it. The folks over at ExtremeTech are kind of unhappy about that point -- they'd like to see it be more customizable than it is for the truly nerdy, but they're still pretty happy with what OCZ's got to offer. They did a test run, installing a 60GB SSD, one 2GB SODIMM and WindowsXP onto the machine, all which went off without a hitch. They didn't try to use the Neutrino for gaming or anything, but it apparently handled everything else quite snappily, and overall, they seem to think that for $269 plus some parts and labor, you can't really go wrong. Filed under: Laptops OCZ's Neutrino netbook reviewed, deemed totally handy and easy to use originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| HP Pavilion dv3t hits the streets, starts at $799
April 22, 2009 at 10:31 am
|
| | Right on the heels of Dell's mainstream Studio 15 offering, HP has the Pavilion dv3t all tidied up and ready for retail. It's a 16:9 widescreen 13.3-inch sort of number, with Core 2 Duo T6400 under the hood, a Blu-ray option and a pickable 9-cell battery which boasts up to 7 hours of battery. There's also a webcam, up to 500GB of hard drive, and two options for colors: Espresso black (pictured after the break) and Moonlight white (above). Prices start at $799, but there's plenty of room to grow. Continue reading HP Pavilion dv3t hits the streets, starts at $799 Filed under: Laptops HP Pavilion dv3t hits the streets, starts at $799 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Texas Memory Systems goes Texas, hobbles together RamSan-620 5TB SSD "drive"
April 22, 2009 at 10:09 am
|
| Way to play to your stereotypes, Texas. Texas Memory Systems just announced what it claims is the largest SLC SSD on the market, with 5TB of single level cell (the good kind) flash memory spread across a 2U rack shelf. The drive can handle 250,000 sustained I/Os per second, churn through 3GB of data a second, and has 80 microsecond write latency. Texas Memory Systems claims that for similar performance from a HDD setup you'd need half a million dollars and consume 20x the power. TMS calls the system "affordable for mainstream IT shops" but hasn't mentioned a price or release date just yet. We'll take two.
[Via Channel Register]Filed under: Storage, Networking Texas Memory Systems goes Texas, hobbles together RamSan-620 5TB SSD "drive" originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| iSuppli: $359 Kindle 2 costs $185 to build, Whispernet says shhh
April 22, 2009 at 9:42 am
|
| | Ever wonder how Amazon was able to bundle unlimited Whispernet (Sprint EVDO) with the Kindle 2? To start with, eBooks are small, really small in the context of digital media downloads (music, audio-books, movies) so there's little impact to the Sprint network. Kindle 2 is also sporting a pretty healthy markup to cover the data fees. After conducting its own teardown and analysis, iSuppli estimates that the Kindle 2 costs just $185.49 for materials and manufacturing. The estimate does not include the costs related to marketing, distribution, class-actions, or the pain you feel at having learned the true definition of free. Full press release after the break. Continue reading iSuppli: $359 Kindle 2 costs $185 to build, Whispernet says shhh iSuppli: $359 Kindle 2 costs $185 to build, Whispernet says shhh originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Probo the huggable Belgian bot goes hands-on with kids
April 22, 2009 at 9:24 am
|
| | Oh Probo, you've come so far. Just a few years back you were an cute little green fuzzy thing trying to make a name for yourself by partying the night away with geek celebrities. Now you're out in the wild, looking tired, sporting a wrinkled flannel covering, proboscis hanging dangerously low, and a pair of eyes that truly tell the tale of all you've been through. Those eyes and that schnoz are fully movable and programmable, and that touchscreen on the belly can be made to show children's tales of all sorts, but sadly Probo still can't give the one thing he was made for: hugs. Maybe in his quest for fame he lost a little bit of his purpose along the way -- maybe it's for the best. Filed under: Robots Probo the huggable Belgian bot goes hands-on with kids originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Roboard puts an x86 PC in your little cyberguy's backpack
April 22, 2009 at 9:13 am
|
| | Most modern hobbyist robots (those that aren't giant beetles) are just collections of servos plumbed together, shipping with controllers accessed cloaked in proprietary programming environments. They make it easy to get up to speed, but for full control in a standardized dev environment like Visual Studio you want something like the £175.00 ($255) Roboard RB-100. It's built around a Vortex86DX system on a chip, capable of running various flavors of Windows (including XP and CE) or x86 Linux distros -- probably even OSX or Android -- and offering connections for 24 servos, USB, audio, a MicroSD reader, and even a Mini PCI slot. A few builders at the Robosavvy forums have been working with early boards for a few weeks now and one, ATebay, has found they mount easily to various bots, including his creation above that looks something like an armor-less Wolf Clan Mad Cat ready to conquer the Inner Sphere. Detail pic of the board and obligatory robot dancing video after the break. Continue reading Roboard puts an x86 PC in your little cyberguy's backpack Filed under: Robots Roboard puts an x86 PC in your little cyberguy's backpack originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Polymer Vision has Readius ready to go, needs cash to push it out the door
April 22, 2009 at 8:46 am
|
| A bit of delay is always worrisome, but it looks like Polymer Vision has more to worry about than just missing Readius' projected launch date: without some more cash, the little pocket-friendly e-reader might not launch at all. According the Polymer Vision CEO Karl McGoldrick, they've got the supply chain in place, but the product has been on hold since last year due to the company's financial woes. "We are ready to go into production but all depends on exactly when the funding comes through," says Karl. It's not exactly a hot market for venture capital at the moment, especially for something as potentially floptastic as an e-reader, no matter how great that e-reader might happen to be. Still, we would hope that with the device and component supply (supposedly) in the bag, and an arguably revolutionary form factor, Polymer Vision is gonna be able to scrape somebody's coffers for what it takes to get this into our awaiting hands.
[Via jkOnTheRun]
Filed under: Handhelds Polymer Vision has Readius ready to go, needs cash to push it out the door originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Panasonic makes school runs more cinematic with its in-dash Blu-ray player
April 22, 2009 at 8:14 am
|
| Finicky kids may have their opinions about which brand of peanut butter or sugar-crusted breakfast cereal they prefer, but surely every single one of them wants HD over SD for their in-car viewing experience. Panasonic's giving them just that, a pair of dash-mountable devices that will finally let you toss those DVDs Disney's been sneaking in with its Blu-ray releases. First is the CN-HX3000D Windows-powered device, with a 7-inch, 1280 x 720 display offering GPS, Bluetooth, a 40GB hard drive, and iPod/iPhone compatibility. Pair that with the CY-BB1000D in-car Blu-ray player (which, sadly, is not BD-Live compatible) and bam you've got all the high-def Chicken Little you can handle. Mind you all this will surely come with quite a price tag when it releases this fall, and while Panny isn't willing to say just much, isn't keeping your little videophiles happy worth any cost?
[Via Newlaunches.com]Filed under: Displays, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Transportation Panasonic makes school runs more cinematic with its in-dash Blu-ray player originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Compal, other manufacturers skeptical of MIDs
April 22, 2009 at 7:29 am
|
| | Remember the dedicated team that Compal had set aside back in 2007 to focus on all those Atom-based MIDs expected to flood the market? Pilfered, another victim blind-sided by the rise of the netbook. According to DigiTimes' moles inside the Chinese manufacturing juggernaut, Compal, Quanta, ASUS, and others are focusing resources on netbooks while remaining conservative on Intel's MID platform. Even with Intel's battery-sipping Moorestown platform around the corner, we remain skeptical about devices that are too large for the pocket and double the price of netbooks that bring twice the screen and full QWERTY keyboards -- for mass market consumption anyway. Filed under: Handhelds Compal, other manufacturers skeptical of MIDs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Lenovo's 14-inch IdeaPad Y450 now shipping
April 22, 2009 at 6:58 am
|
| Lenovo's 14-inch IdeaPad Y450 is now on sale from the company's online store -- about a month later than originally intended, but better late than never, right? Prices start at $679 for a 2.16GHz Intel Dual Core T3400 and go all the way up to $829 for a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400, 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, and 320GB HDD. All models feature an Intel GMA 4500MHD, DVD writer, Windows Vista Home Premium, and a 6-cell battery. If the 16-inch Y650 was just a little too pricey or bulky for your tastes, this should do the trick -- at least until the 15.6-inch Y550 pops in to fill that void in between.
[Thanks, Thai]Filed under: Laptops Lenovo's 14-inch IdeaPad Y450 now shipping originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 05:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| |
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu