[Engadget] 23 New Entries: Details flow on Netgear's EVA9150 Digital Entertainer Elite

Details flow on Netgear's EVA9150 Digital Entertainer Elite

We had the bare essentials when we spotted Netgear's Digital Entertainer Elite trying to waltz through the FCC unnoticed, but now we've got the hot, juicy details required to make those things called "purchasing decisions." Wired has it that the media streamer will check in during Q1 2009 at $400, which will buy you a roomy 500GB hard drive, "an updated user interface that allows users to choose content from free sources such as YouTube and Flickr," full 1080p support and the ability to swap out the HDD should the owner choose. The catch, however, is that the box is currently disconnected from most major content providers, and without a link to Netflix (or similar), users will have to either provide their own material or simply surf over to online portals such as Hulu. Four bills is a lot to ask for something in the "been there, done that" bucket -- we'll give it three months before the first substantial price cut.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Details flow on Netgear's EVA9150 Digital Entertainer Elite originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Delta pushes in-flight WiFi plans ahead, Gogo to hit 2,000 planes in 2009

Here's something that doesn't happen everyday with legacy airlines -- an announcement that something is actually ahead of schedule. After hearing that Delta would equip its entire US fleet with Aircell's Gogo in-flight WiFi in 2009, along comes a release from Aircell that says otherwise. In fact, it proclaims that "Delta Air Lines is expected to launch service before the end of 2008." Furthermore, the company has confessed that "most major US carriers are in advanced discussions with or are already contractually committed to Aircell," which certainly bodes well for avid travelers who take issue with long periods of disconnection. Aircell is hoping to have its in-flight internet tech installed in 2,000 commercial aircraft by the end of 2009 -- talk about making the friendly skies "friendly" again.

[Image courtesy of Gadling]

Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

Delta pushes in-flight WiFi plans ahead, Gogo to hit 2,000 planes in 2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Logitech G18 gaming keyboard shows its not-so-ugly face

We spied the Logitech G13 Gamepad when it was announced earlier today, and now Engadget Chinese has caught wind of something else that may be in store for us. The keyboard pictured above is apparently the G18, and we while we have almost no solid info on it, we can glean a few things, such as the apparent groupings of fast function keys on the left side of the board (some which seem to be numbered G11-G15), not to mention that tiny display at the center. We don't know when we can expect this beast to arrive, but the G13 Gamepad is expected in January so fingers crossed.

Filed under: Gaming

Logitech G18 gaming keyboard shows its not-so-ugly face originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mercedes-Benz intros SPLITVIEW COMMAND system

It's hardly the first example of the technology -- we saw a very similar system from Delphi in action at CES last year -- but Mercedes-Benz's new SPLITVIEW COMMAND system appears to be one of the first instances of it being used in a production vehicle, and that certainly counts for something. From the looks of it, the system is very similar to the Delphi one, with the 8-inch display able to let the driver keep an eye on the GPS while the passenger simultaneously watches a DVD or something equally distracting on the very same screen. That's done with the use of a special filter that masks the display and only lets the proper pixels slip into view depending on where you are seated. No word on what sort of premium the system will demand, if any, but it'll apparently be available on all S-Class models starting in the summer of 2009.

[Thanks, Ashley]

Filed under: GPS, Transportation

Mercedes-Benz intros SPLITVIEW COMMAND system originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Japan installs cellphone jammers near ATMs to prevent fraud

If you're tired of being scammed at ATMs by kind, gentle-hearted con artists (and then forgetting it ever happened), you'll be stoked to know that Japan is looking out for you. Chiba Bank has installed phone signal jammers at four unnamed ATMs at bank branches in the Tokyo region, and while it has gone down as the first institution to go to such lengths, we highly doubt it'll be the last. It's not entirely clear what exactly the criminals were able to convince people to do via mobile, but it's probably something like "psst... get me out some cheddar and meet around back." Not that we have any experience in the field or anything...

[Via textually]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Japan installs cellphone jammers near ATMs to prevent fraud originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Tunebite lets you enjoy Nokia's Comes with Music service, DRM-free

Not that you'd be interested, because DRM isn't a clumsy or expensive solution to a problem that exists largely (or even solely) in the heads of the film and music industries, but a new version of Tunebite is out, and among its many features is the ability to make unprotected dupes of tracks downloaded from Nokia's Comes With Music service. This isn't the "crack" everyone's talking about -- there's nothing new about software that records protected audio off the sound card -- but this package does so at speeds of up to 54x. Not bad, eh? But please, don't use it. Kanye needs our money if he's going to keep scarfing up all those awesome gadgets.

[Via Electricpig]

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio

Tunebite lets you enjoy Nokia's Comes with Music service, DRM-free originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sony's 240Hz BRAVIA KDL-52XBR7 HDTV reviewed: extra Hz not worth the $

Here it is, the review you've been waiting for. Are all those Hz worth all those dollars? If you believe CNET, the answer is "sadly, no." The 52-inch KDL-52XBR7 was all the rage upon its arrival, promising slick visuals and a dejudder processor that would wow, stun and awe. Unfortunately, it seems the set hasn't exactly lived up to expectations, as the deep black levels, accurate color temperature and color decoding, comprehensive complement of inputs and beautiful body weren't enough to overcome the breathtaking $4,200 price tag. Furthermore, the 240Hz refresh rate was found to offer "only minor improvements to picture quality," proving our fears of it being more about marketing than performance absolutely correct. Bottom line? Take your dollars elsewhere -- chances are, you won't miss the Hz.

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Sony's 240Hz BRAVIA KDL-52XBR7 HDTV reviewed: extra Hz not worth the $ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Inside an Xbox 360 Jasper: Ben Heck dissects the mythical console, then tells you how to find one

"Gentlemen! I give you... JASPER!" [lightning crackles, thunder sound FX]

Ace modder Benjamin J Heckendorn (aka "Benheck") has found -- and immediately dissected -- an Xbox 360 Jasper unit. As widely reported, it was inside an Arcade unit. In the following exclusive story, he not only details what he finds inside, but will also clue you in on how you too can find this unit on store shelves. Read on for the exclusive Engadget look at the guts and the glory!

Continue reading Inside an Xbox 360 Jasper: Ben Heck dissects the mythical console, then tells you how to find one

Filed under: Gaming

Inside an Xbox 360 Jasper: Ben Heck dissects the mythical console, then tells you how to find one originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Unibody MacBooks get first firmware updates

New unibody MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air users might want to fire up Software Update -- Apple's got some updated firmware for you. As usual, notes on what problems the new code might fix are pretty light, but let's hope they address the plethora of problems plaguing Apple's latest laptops. Give it a shot, and be sure to let us know how it goes in the comments.

[Thanks, Chris]

Filed under: Laptops

Unibody MacBooks get first firmware updates originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Best Buy rumored to be hoarding Wiis for holiday push

It's hard to say if this rumor is true, but it's not behavior that Best Buy has avoided in the past. In fact, we vividly remember this exact same scenario happening in late 2006 -- the difference? That was the Wii's launch year. This is two years later. Two. Years. Later. Oh, and it's totally a futile effort, considering that Wally World sold through "tens of thousands" in about four milliseconds. Seriously people, there's a new Elmo to wage holiday war on, you have no business scrapping for a Wii 25 months after it hit US shores.*

[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]

*Image above is assumed to be Photoshopped, as we cannot find a single human to confirm ever seeing that many Wii consoles for sale in one location.

Filed under: Gaming

Best Buy rumored to be hoarding Wiis for holiday push originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for mom

You know that no matter what gift you end up getting for your mom, she'll love you just the same. Still, it would be totally bodacious to get her the kind of present she'll really be over the moon about, right? When it comes to gadgets and moms, there's not a ton of crossover, so unless she's a hardcore geek, tech shopping can be a minefield. That's where the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide comes in, of course. Let us take all the pain and worry out of your shopping experience, so you can focus on the important things -- like calling your mother when you say you will. Read on for all the goods, and don't forget to check out all the other guides right here!

Continue reading Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for mom

Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for mom originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Palm's New-ness, coming to CES

You know, we see a lot (a lot) of PR for CES meetings, press events, booth tours, and even the occasional Jeopardy! contest. Rarely, if ever, do we get that geeky little skip in our hearts. We did, however, get one of those skips today when Palm mailed out its announcement for CES 2009, promising "all that Palm New-ness you've been waiting for." If you're an avid reader (and we know you are), then you're aware that the crew at Engadget has been waiting / wishing for said new-ness for a long, long, long time. Couple this news with recent chats we've had with sources close to the company suggesting that something kind of amazing is coming that "won't disappoint," and, well... you do the math. Seriously guys, this is the eleventh hour -- if you don't come out swinging this time, you might not get another chance at bat. Fingers crossed -- let 'em rip.

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm's New-ness, coming to CES originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Psystar drops antitrust argument against Apple, throws copyright abuse at the wall

Oh, Psystar. Fresh from the court's smackdown of its antitrust claims against Apple, the wannabe Mac cloner has amended its lawsuit to ditch that argument and instead allege that Steve-o is committing the sin of copyright abuse by not letting it sell OS X compatible machines. Yes, copyright abuse. The little-known doctrine is generally used by by those being sued for copyright infringement as a defense, and Psystar's now questionably hotshot legal team is essentially throwing a Hail Mary by arguing that Apple's EULA is anticompetitive because it relies on the power of copyright law to restrict the use of OS X to Apple's machines. If you're thinking to yourself, "But imposing conditions on a licensee is exactly the sort of power granted to a copyright owner!" congratulations -- you have incredibly boring thoughts. You're also exactly correct -- we don't see this argument getting any farther than the antitrust one did. Honestly, at this point we're pretty certain Psystar is hurting the OSx86 movement way more than it's helping -- Apple's started making noise like it's coming after the hackers who make it possible, and that's the last thing we want to have happen. Maybe stop tickling the dragon, guys?

P.S.- The PDF of the new counterclaim is an entertaining read -- the law students out there might want to read it as reassurance they'll eventually be paid the big bucks to spew out some deep crazy.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Psystar drops antitrust argument against Apple, throws copyright abuse at the wall originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

T-Mobile produces official statement regarding international G1 data roaming

Okay G1 owners, so here's the end-all answer to your data roaming quandaries. For those not caught up, there has been quite the hubbub going around about the G1's inability to not suck down data whilst traveling aboard. Allegedly, the handset would continue to digest pricey bits and bytes overseas even after users had selected that data roaming be disabled. Now, T-Mobile has issued an official response (posted in full after the break) to clear things up, and the gist of it is this: for users with a bone stock G1, the "Off" selection in data roaming should work fine, but third-party applications can essentially override this command and wreak havoc on one's phone bill. From the horse's mouth: "Some third-party applications available for download on Android Market require access to the internet and have the ability to turn on data roaming when in use. Customers are informed whether an application will use this feature prior to downloading, but should also be aware when traveling outside the country."

Continue reading T-Mobile produces official statement regarding international G1 data roaming

Filed under: Cellphones

T-Mobile produces official statement regarding international G1 data roaming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

iriver e50 appears, charms us with its good looks

It seems like it was ages ago that we heard rumors of an aluminum iriver E100... then at the end of November, the E100 Season 2 appeared and the plastic was still in abundance. The E50 (supposedly pictured above) is, however, another tale entirely. The slim, brushed aluminum encased PMP -- which will come in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB models -- boasts a 1.8-inch color LCD, an FM tuner, and gets a rumored 52-hours of audio life. We don't have full specs yet, but the players will apparently appear in January with the 4GB costing about €69 (or about $90).

[Thanks, Greg]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

iriver e50 appears, charms us with its good looks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

FTC clears Verizon acquisition of Alltel, last hurdle crossed

It's already made it past the Department of Justice and the FCC after making a few concessions, and Verizon has now cleared the last major hurdle blocking its acquisition of Alltel, with the Federal Trade Commission today giving the deal its all-important stamp of approval. Unlike the other regulatory agencies, the FTC apparently didn't require that Verizon make any further concessions, and instead simply approved an early termination of their antitrust review and indicated that they had "no objections." For those keeping track, the deal easily pushes Verizon past AT&T to become the largest wireless carrier in the United States and, as we have heard, it'll also likely have the side effect of some job cuts from the Alltel benches.

[Via RCR Wireless]

Filed under: Cellphones

FTC clears Verizon acquisition of Alltel, last hurdle crossed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Video: Android rocking on the HTC Touch

If you're anything like us, you've been waiting for Android to work its way onto basically every device you own, so this video of the plucky open source OS getting busy on an HTC Touch is an encouraging glimpse of the future. Work has actually been going on for a while now, but this is the best we've seen so far --it's all there, including a custom soft keyboard, and it looks like it runs pretty well, although we're told there are some issues with scaling the UI to QVGA and that GPS, Bluetooth and USB aren't operable yet. The hack is actually available, and you don't have to be too daring to try it out -- all it takes is a restart to go back to WinMo. Who's taking the plunge?

[Thanks, Justin]

Continue reading Video: Android rocking on the HTC Touch

Filed under: Cellphones

Video: Android rocking on the HTC Touch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Quake ported to Chumby makes for an adorable first-person shooter

At first glance, you may wonder if Chumby is simply too lovable to rock a version of Quake, but after peeping ChumbyLurker's port of the game, we'll be darned if the two aren't perfect for each other. He's been gracious enough to make it available as both source code and a disk image, and installing the game is as easy as plugging in your USB drive and turning the machine on. On the video we've seen, the 350MHz device appears to keep up with things quite well, but the best part would have to be that the mouse and keyboard control inputs have been eschewed in favor of the accelerometer -- when Chumby leans forward you move forward, ditto left and right. The bend switch is used to fire, and the touchscreen used to jump or activate items. Unfortunately, there's no network support at the moment, so if you feel the need to go multiplayer, it looks like you'll be stuck with your Nokia handset. You can see a video of the thing in action after the break.

[Via Bunnie's Blog]

Continue reading Quake ported to Chumby makes for an adorable first-person shooter

Filed under: Gaming

Quake ported to Chumby makes for an adorable first-person shooter originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SRS Labs' iWOW adaptor for iPods changes the way we think about portable audio

You might not know this, but life as you once knew it is over. No, we're not talking about crises economic or environmental, the Red Menace, or the count down to the year 2012. Much larger than all of this, SRS Labs has announced its iWOW adapter for the iPod. This device is a hardware-based version of their "award winning" iWOW plug-in for iTunes, bringing the same "expansive sound stage" experience that you've been enjoying on your home computer to your iPod Classic, iPod 5G, or iPod nano 3G. Surely, one can't put a price tag on this sort of revolutionary, immersive audio technology, but if we did we're guessing it would be listing for $99 or so. What are you waiting for? The only real danger, as far as we can see it, is that the aural experience turns out to be so mind-blowing that you wind up as some sort of comatose vegetable. But you know what? It's probably worth the risk.

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio

SRS Labs' iWOW adaptor for iPods changes the way we think about portable audio originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Boston-Power signs up HP as first partner for next-gen batteries

It's not exactly much of a surprise given that HP has already shown some considerable interest in the company, but Boston-Power has now finally officially announced that HP will be the first laptop manufacturer to offer its long-lasting (and less explosion-prone) Sonata batteries, which HP will sell under its new Enviro Series brand. According to Boston-Power, those batteries will be available as an optional upgrade in early 2009, and they'll be compatible with the "majority" of HP's consumer laptops. What's more, HP will also be offering a three-year warranty with the batteries, which is apparently the longest one available from a laptop manufacturer and, just as notably, this also apparently marks the first time that a US battery company has sold batteries to one of the top laptop manufacturers. One detail that hasn't been announced just yet, however, is the price, though we're guessing that little detail should be making itself known before too long.

Filed under: Laptops

Boston-Power signs up HP as first partner for next-gen batteries originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot closing 112 stores

Office Depot's jumped on the "get outta town quick" train and announced it'll close 112 of its "underperforming" stores over the course of the next three months. The closures will amount to roughly nine percent of the OD's locations, and the company will also close six out of its 33 North American distribution facilities. All of this falls under the banner of cutting back costs, of course, in response the economy's woes and "no profits."

[Via TG Daily]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Office Depot closing 112 stores originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

MSI plots touchscreen Wind, 13.3-inch U300 ultraportable for CES

After hints aplenty, MSI has gotten super serious about what's going to go down in January at CES 2009. As expected, there'll be a Wind U110, U115 and redesigned U120 (pictured). Those will land in the States in January, and will co-exist with the U100. MSI's also prepping a 13.3-inch U300, which won't be part of the Wind line, but will be billed as an "affordable," thin and light ultraportable -- people will be "shocked," says MSI's US Sales Director Andy Tung. Shocked. MSI also promised to bring a touchscreen Wind to the show, but has no promises on the release front.

Filed under: Laptops

MSI plots touchscreen Wind, 13.3-inch U300 ultraportable for CES originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

VIA's ARTIGO A2000 wants to be your own private server

VIA's new ARTIGO A2000 is a low-power barebones masquerading as a miniscule server. The squat PC features a 1.5GHz VIA C7-D CPU atop the company's VX800 chipset, a whopping single slot for DDR2 RAM (up to 2GB), two 3.5-inch SATA II drive bays, bootable CF support, gigabit Ethernet (as well as an optional 802.11b/g module), a slew of USB ports, and the rest of the familiar jacks, nozzles, and switches. The company is aiming the system squarely at BitTorrenters and those in need of lightweight file serving, and with supposedly low-noise fan and small power footprint, we can't say we disagree. No word on price or street date -- but you'll know more when we do.

Update: Looks like the ARTIGO's going to sell for $299 and that it'll be available by the end of January of 2009.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Storage

VIA's ARTIGO A2000 wants to be your own private server originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

You received this email because you are subscribed to the real_time feed for http://www.engadget.com/rss.xml. To change your subscription settings, please log into RSSFWD.