We all know how the British hate lagging behind the French, so it's no shock to see bmi
following Air France in the
in-flight communications game. The airline has just announced that it will soon launch a six month trial of the OnAir service, though not surprisingly, voice calls will
not be a part of said run. Instead, users in a single A320 making loops from London to Moscow will be able to send text messages whilst airborne, and in case that's too boring, users with GSM data cards will also be able to hop online. There's no mention of a VoIP ban, but given the clear anti-voice stance, we doubt the kind attendants would let you chatter long before giving you the evil eye.
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation
bmi launches in-flight communications trial, voice gratefully excluded originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
There's certainly no shortage of
devices out there that promise to alert you when you're approaching a red light or
speed camera, but if you're looking to keep things as simple as possible, you may want to consider this new so-called GPS Angel device, which pares things down to a couple of buttons and blinking lights. As with similar devices, you're also able to sync it up to your PC to ensure you have all the latest camera locations (Mac users are on their own, unfortunately), and you don't have to worry about a monthly or yearly subscription fee for the service. Head on past the break to check it out in action, and get ready to fork over $129 if you think it'll do the job for you.
Continue reading GPS Angel promises to keep watch on red light and speed cameras
Filed under: GPS
GPS Angel promises to keep watch on red light and speed cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Palm's newfound place back on
the map of relevance has people all sorts of excited, including one Douglas C. Jeffries. The former chief accounting officer at eBay has been appointed CFO at Palm, taking the place of the
occasionally cagey Andy Brown. Mr. Jeffries will officially be wearing his new badge in January, though Andy will stay on into the new year to ensure "a smooth transition." Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer, stated that he was "delighted to welcome Doug Jeffries to the Palm team," noting that his "extensive financial, operational and strategic experience will contribute enormously to Palm's future success." Of course, we'd say that a
fresh OS and / or device at CES would contribute infinitely more to this strange beast called "success," but maybe we're underestimating this man's clout.
[Via
Palm InfoCenter]
Filed under: Cellphones
Douglas C. Jeffries replacing Andy Brown as Palm CFO originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
You might not have received your
Pandora yet, but certainly you'll be happy to know that the Open Pandora team has got Angstrom up and running on the open source device. Remember a couple months back, when someone got
Ubuntu running on a Pandora devboard? Prepare to relive all of the stylus-poking excitement as the developer fires up Firefox and rocks out to GIMP, all in a show-stopping YouTube video. Just keep in mind that, like the device itself, this is still a work-in-progress, with all sorts of tweaking and customizing yet to come. So check out the video if you're curious -- just don't ask us where your handheld is.
Continue reading Pandora runs Angstrom, still in hiding
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds
Pandora runs Angstrom, still in hiding originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments So as you may remember, back in May Monster Cable pulled one of its sad bully tactics and
sued a company called Monster Mini Golf, claiming that the glow-in-the-dark putt-putt outfit was somehow harming its trademarks -- a
nonsensical brand of idiotic evil that we were so tired of implicitly condoning that we held a vote on whether or not we'd even continue to cover Monster at all. Not surprisingly, 60 percent of you responded in the negative, and we've dutifully ignored the company, its
ridiculous cables and overblown power strips ever since -- and, to be honest, we've been fine with it.
Well, it looks like Monster's trying to rehab its image: the company's put up a site today called "Monster Mini Golf Truth" that apparently makes public a proposed settlement agreement between Monster Cable and Monster Mini Golf. As you'd expect from a company as ham-fisted and reflexively nasty as Monster Cable, it's basically another attempt to exert a death grip on the word "Monster." Monster Cable says it's dropping the lawsuit and that the mini golf people can still be called "Monster Mini Golf," but only if they pay a $100 / month license fee and agree that Monster Cable owns the mark outright. In turn, Monster Cable will donate $100 each month to two different charities, including one that gives Segways to disabled veterans. Sure, it sounds nice, but it's notable that Monster Cable is trying to settle this in public rather than in the conference room of a law firm -- Monster Mini Golf stands a fair shot of winning this one in court, and we'd bet they've already turned this offer down privately. We don't know how this one will end, but we
do know you probably shouldn't have the CEO of your company saying things like "We're not some big corporate Mongols" in a video designed to sway public opinion. It's after the break, in case you were wondering why the ban on Monster still stands.
Continue reading Monster Cable still evil, will allow Monster Mini Golf to exist for just $100/month
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Monster Cable still evil, will allow Monster Mini Golf to exist for just $100/month originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Ah, dear old dad. Chances are, this is the guy who got you interested in gadgets in the first place, so what better time to repay the favor? Now, shopping for the old man isn't quite what it used to be -- you can't just get away with a few power tools or some Stones tickets (well, actually, those probably still work). Your dad is a pretty savvy dude, and even though he's set in his ways, we're pretty sure he'd like some new tech to toy with this holiday season. That's where we come in. Engadget makes buying a gift for your dad less of a chore and more of a pleasure, so you can leave time for the important things... like mixing that next drink. Read on for our picks, and be sure to check out all the guides
right here!
Continue reading Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for dad
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for dad originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
Microsoft long ago fessed up that the Xbox 360 was capable of scratching discs, and it even offered a (somewhat limited) exchange program for damaged games, but some recently unsealed documents from an ongoing lawsuit now suggest that the company was well aware of the issue for about as long as the console has been around. According to The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Microsoft first discovered the problem in September or October of 2005, and it even went so far as to send a "team of engineers" to stores across the US to determine the best course of action. Apparently, they came up with three options, two of which proved to be impractical, and one of which (installing small bumpers in each and every console) proved to be too expensive, leading Microsoft to offer the disc exchange instead. What's more, the documents apparently also revealed that some Microsoft employees thought that the warning labels on the console were insufficient, and that the company has received complaints about the problem from more than 55,000 customers as of April 30th of this year. No word on any movement just yet in the lawsuits themselves just yet but one of them, filed back in July of 2007, is seeking class-action status on behalf of everyone that's bought an Xbox 360.
[Thanks, Lyons]
Filed under: Gaming
Documents suggest Microsoft knew Xbox 360 could damage discs all along originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
People will go to
great lengths to
steal your gear --
no big surprise there. In a nice, semi-ingenious twist, though, one Xbox 360 thief on campus at Missouri State has gotten caught by the dupe himself. Thievery victim Ryan Kestenbaum was able to connect the controller (which the crook had left behind) up to the console, which of course meant that it was nearby. He then went on a fantastic journey with the controller, allowing the LEDs -- which flash if the controller is out of range -- to guide him to the room of the thief. Kestenbaum contacted the dorm's advisor, and the Xbox was recovered, although it had sadly been reformatted and all of Ryan's saved games were gone. He said he plans on prosecuting the thief "to the fullest extent of the law," which we hopes means he'll be getting back the thousands of bottle caps lost.
[Via
Daily Tech]
Filed under: Gaming
Stolen Xbox recovered by victim using controller, science originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
It may be leaving things a little late, but Viewsonic is apparently hoping that its new 24-inch VT2430 LCD TV will attract the eyes of a few holiday shoppers and, judging from the specs, it seems to stand a pretty good chance of doing just that. Leading that list is full 1080p resolution, which is certainly a nice bonus on a set this size, as is the promised 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, assuming the results actually live up to that number. Otherwise, you can expect a built-in ATSC / NTSC / QAM TV tuner, HDMI 1.3 connectivity, 250 nits brightness, and the usual VGA, component, s-video, and composite inputs to accommodate your non-HDMI devices. Best of all, it packs an MSRP or just $399, which likely means you'll find it even cheaper if you do a bit of shopping around.
Filed under: HDTV
Viewsonic introduces 24-inch, 1080p VT2430 LCD TV originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
Gresso, the Russian company known for its luxury electronics, is back with the scarily named (and strangely apt) Avantgarde Skeleton Collection. Another benchmark in conspicuous consumption, this Windows Mobile 6.0-sporting, Bluetooth 1.2-supporting brickphone is housed in a titanium alloy case "with high-tech ceramic coverage." But no, the luxuriosity doesn't stop there -- both the 240 x 320 display and the transparent back panel are made of crystal sapphire glass. The battery case is made of stainless steel, with a leather cover and magnet release, and the back of the handset features the Gresso logo covered with 10 micron gold. Sure "elegance" is timeless, but it ain't cheap: only fifteen of these guys will be made, and they'll be available for five grand. Tough choice between this and five
Kodak OLED frames, we know -- life is so hard sometimes.
Filed under: Cellphones
Gresso's Avantgarde Skeleton is both a limited edition and of limited interest originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Eagle-eyed Engadget readers have spotted two new listings on JR.com for dv6-series HP Pavilion laptops. The $800 dv6-1030us houses a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400, 320GB HDD, and Bluetooth, while the $1,050 model has a 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo P7450, 400GB HDD, 2 firewire ports, and a GeForce 9200M GS (oddly enough, the 1050 model has no mention of Bluetooth capabilities). Both laptops have a 16-inch, 16:9 screen, 4GB RAM, DVD±R/RW, a webcam, 802.11a/g/n and Vista Home Premium 64-Bit. The devices aren't listed on HP's US site, although support documents for the dv6 series are. No release dates given, but both models are currently available for pre-order.
[Thanks, Rodrigo]
Read -- JR.com listings
Read -- HP Pavilion dv6 series support page
Filed under: Laptops
HP Pavilion dv6 laptops show up online for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
Like your PMPs colorful, nondescript and exclusive to Korea? Then Big Beam's new Ken D player will no doubt be right up your alley. Available in pink and blue in addition to the usual black and white, this lightweight player (in more ways than one) packs a 2.8-inch touchscreen (we're guessing capacitive), and is available in both 4GB and 8GB versions, each of which boast support for most of the standard file formats and, apparently, not too many other stand-out features worth noting. There's no word on a price either, but you should be able to find it in at least a few Korean shops if you're willing to do a bit of digging.
[Via
PMP Today]
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
Big Beam kicks out Ken D PMP for Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
A new study in the
Journal of Consumer Research has confirmed something we suspected all along: consumers love specs, even vague ones, and when deciding between two products people will gravitate towards the one for which more specifications were given. According to the journal, the research sheds light on both how preferences are formed in theory, and on how marketers can sell you more
crapgadgets and
KIRFs. Of course, if you've begun your holiday shopping only to find yourself frightened and confused by all of the meaningless data floating around, you might want to take a peek at our
Holiday Gift Guide. One hundred percent of Engadget editors agree that it's the best Holiday Gift Guide on the site, this year.
[Via
Physorg]
Read - The Blissful Ignorance Effect: Pre- versus Post-action Effects on Outcome Expectancies Arising from Precise and Vague Information (Warning: subscription required)
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Journal finds that consumers prefer vague product specs to utter ignorance originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments We've seen
reviews,
videos, and
video reviews of Nokia's touchscreen 5800 XpressMusic, but sometimes you just can't get enough of a good thing, so luckily
Mobile Bulgaria's here to help you out with their unboxing video. You get a hot 19 seconds of the box just chilling all by itself on a table at the front-end of this celluloid masterpiece, then some real unboxing, handling action, all with a smooth, atmospheric soundtrack. You can check out the 5800 in the video after the break, or you can start the video, lay back and travel on a journey of the mind. Your choice.
Continue reading Video: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic unboxing
Filed under: Cellphones
Video: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic unboxing originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Pure Digital Technologies' Flip Video lineup is getting
Hello Kitty-fied with the Mino and MinoHD. Like their not-as-adorable kin, the camcorders sport one-touch video recording, a built-in USB port, and are able to record 60 minutes of video with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Most importantly -- and sure to tip the scales in Flip's favor over the
Vado HD 720p Pocket -- the camcorders come in eleven
different Hello Kitty designs. Far East Gizmos says the price will be $179.99 for Mino and $229.99 for MinoHD, which is the same price as the respective models without these adorable skins. Between this and last month's
C1 netbook, we hope this is a sign of an uptick in lip-bitingly cute Hello Kitty-branded tech gear.
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Hello Kitty Flip Mino can't stop recording self in mirror originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Headline pretty much says it all, and it's a big one. Tipping the scales at 377MB (or 190MB for some; see image after the break), the OS X 10.5.6 update is now available via Software Update. We're sucking it down and will report back with any changes. We strongly encourage you to do the same (if you dare).
Update: Apple has posted the
official changelog. Here are the highlights:
- Improves the reliability of AirPort connections, including improvements when roaming in large wireless networks with an Intel-based Mac.
- Improves reliability of Address Book syncing with iPhone and other devices and applications.
- Includes general improvements to gaming performance.
- Includes fixes for possible graphics distortion issues with certain ATI graphics cards.
- Contacts, calendars, and bookmarks on a Mac automatically sync within a minute of the change being made on the computer, another device, or the web at me.com.
- Improves Apple File Service performance, especially when using a home directory hosted on an AFP server.
- Improves reliability and performance for AT&T 3G cards.
- Improves printing for USB-based Brother and Canon printers.
- Fixes issues that could cause Time Machine to state the backup volume could not be found.
- Improves Time Machine reliability with Time Capsule.
- Adds a Trackpad System Preference pane for portable Macs.
- Personal Engadget favorite: Improves the performance and reliability of Chess.
- Nary a mention of Blu-ray. It's still hurting, we guess.
[Thanks, Fraser]
Continue reading Mac OS X 10.5.6 now available via Software Update
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Mac OS X 10.5.6 now available via Software Update originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments We already knew that Delta was
pushing its in-flight WiFi plans ahead, and starting tomorrow, a half dozen MD-88 shuttle flights will be live with internet from 35,000 feet. As with
Virgin America, Delta Air Lines will be relying on Aircell's
Gogo technology, though it will go down as the first US carrier to initiate a "fleet-wide rollout." Eventually, over 300 domestic mainline aircraft will enable guests to surf the intarwebz from way up high, and you'll know if the one you're boarding is lit if you see one of the above pictured "Wi-Fi Onboard" logos on the boarding door. The launch flights -- which will run from December 16th through the 31st -- will provide gratis access to the web, while standard pricing of $9.95 on flights of three hours or less and $12.95 on flights of more than three hours will presumably kick in on January 1, 2009. Happy trails, and don't forget to give us a visit while you're up there.
[Via
Switched]
Filed under: Wireless, Networking
Gogo in-flight WiFi taking off in six Delta flights tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Prior to
October 14th of this year, Apple hadn't updated its Cinema Display line in years.
Literally. There's no doubt that this refresh is entirely overdue, and we still hold that Apple should've taken the opportunity to refresh its now-archaic 20 and 30-inch counterparts. All that aside, this writeup is about the new 24-incher, a LED-backlit beauty that doesn't mind being called glossy and is clearly partial to notebooks. The screen packs the same 1,920 x 1,200 resolution that was on the 23-incher it replaced, but ditches that DVI connector in favor of the newer, less widely adopted
DisplayPort. So, is the newfangled screen worth $899? Read on to find out.
Continue reading Apple's 24-inch LED Cinema Display review
Filed under: Displays
Apple's 24-inch LED Cinema Display review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Remember those off-the-wall
delay rumors? Yeah, Cowon just put 'em to bed. All of 'em. As of today, the luscious
S9 PMP is off to America, bringing with it a 3.3-inch AMOLED display (480 x 272), 500MHz processor, capacitive touchscreen operation, Bluetooth 2.0 (for stereo headphones), a battery good for 11 hours of video (55 hours for audio), BBE+ sound enhancements, inbuilt microphone, line-in recording and enough codec support to make a grown man weep for joy. The device should be available on December 19th at a variety of e-tailers, and given the $199.99 (8GB) / $239.99 (16GB) price tags, we'd say a certain touch-friendly rival has a lot to worry about. Full release is after the break.
Continue reading Cowon ships S9 PMP to US soil
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
Cowon ships S9 PMP to US soil originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments It feels like a good couple millennia since we
first spotted these phones sporting US-friendly 3G, and now Nokia has done the unthinkable and actually released them in the States. As has become custom for Nokia around these parts, the phones aren't carrier branded or subsidized in the least, so you're looking at $550-ish for the
N85 and $400-ish for the
N79, depending upon the retailer. For some reason the N79 is listed as in-stock at Nokia's own store, while the N85 says "backordered," but over on Amazon.com you can nab the N85 -- with the N79 "temporarily out of stock" for whatever reason. It's a crazy, mixed-up world we live in.
[Via
Daily Mobile; thanks Daniel]
Read - Nokia PR
Read - N85 at Amazon
Read - N79 at Nokia
Filed under: Cellphones
Nokia's N85 and N79 ship Stateside at long last originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Although not officially posted on its website (yet), Realtek has reportedly been sending out an OS X driver for its RTL8187SE wireless card found in
MSI's U100 Wind. Various posters at the MSI Wind forums say they were sent the driver from Realtek employees after contacting the company, which invariably led to the drivers being uploaded to RapidShare for everyone to grab. Apparently the card isn't recognized as an Airport device, and forum users are suggesting to instead get the Real WLAN Client Utility. Supposedly, Realtek employees stated (via email) that the driver would be released before December 15, though according to some posters, the company has already missed a November date -- so if you want the driver now, your best bet is to start scavenging the forums.
[Via
GottaBeMobile]
Filed under: Laptops
Realtek employees leak OS X WiFi drivers for the MSI U100 Wind originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
Think digital photo frames are just an annoying passing fad? Samsung begs to differ, taking this market segment so seriously that it has developed a custom processor exclusively for use in the things: the 65nm S5L2010. It's capable of rendering a 57 megapixel JPEG in one second flat -- useful for the RED DSMC crowd but perhaps a bit overkill for the rest of us. However, everyone should be able to appreciate integrated decoding of most audio and video formats, support for nearly every shape of memory card under the sun, and out of the box handling for LED backlit LCDs, all integrated into the processor to save production costs. To all the digi-frame moguls out there: if you're looking to get started on the next generation, this is your ticket, leaving Q1 of 2009.
[Via Engadget Spanish]
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays
Samsung announces new 65nm ARM9 processor -- for digital photo frames originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
You know what they say -- another day, another hands-on look at the
N97. Although the folks at Mobile Review insist that this is not a formal review, they have been kind enough to post their extensive thoughts on the phone -- as well as more UI and comparison shots than you can shake a stick at. Overall, they seem to really dig the handset's design: sure, it's big (a shade larger than the iPhone), but it's well-proportioned, and doesn't seem bulky. And even though it's a slider, it doesn't have that "wobbly" feeling that sliders tend to have. Other features of note include a secondary camera that can serve as webcam and the 3.5-inch, 640 x 360-pixel screen, boasting 16 million colors, which they call "a true marvel." But that's not all! Hit the read link for thoughts on the new, improved music player, all those widgets that you crave, and comparison shots with the HTC Touch Pro, Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, and the Apple iPhone. Video after the break.
[Thanks, Imran]
Continue reading Nokia's N97 gets sized up, felt up, and photographed
Filed under: Cellphones
Nokia's N97 gets sized up, felt up, and photographed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Verizon may have been
bangin' on Sprint's iDEN network, but that's not stopping the yellow-faced carrier from introducing the "first ever" (wait, really?) push-to-talk BlackBerry on those very waves. Sprint is hailing the Curve 8350i as the "most advanced push-to-talk BlackBerry smartphone ever," and given the options in the past, it's hard to disagree. Thankfully, there's also integrated WiFi / GPS as well as support for Group Connect, international direct connect and Talkgroup; you'll also spot a 2-megapixel camera, multimedia player, speakerphone, video recorder, a microSDHC card slot, Bluetooth 2.0, a stereo headset jack and a removable 1,400mAh battery. It's available now in a rather stocky 4.4- x 2.4- x 0.7-inch frame for as low as $149.99 (after all applicable rebates) on a two-year plan.
Filed under: Cellphones
Sprint launches push-to-talk BlackBerry Curve 8350i originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments MiTAC already did a bit of
GPS reshuffling to start the year off, and now it seems a bit more of that will be required.
Magellan -- the makers of the RoadMate, Maestro and Triton navigation systems -- has entered into a "definitive agreement to sell its consumer products division to MiTAC International," which goes a long way in explaining why development was
suddenly halted last month on the promising Maestro Elite 5340 connected GPS. The deal is expected to close in January, and financial terms aren't being publicly disclosed at present time. So, what's this mean for both outfits at CES next month? It's hard to say, but we wouldn't count on a whole lot of new PNDs from Magellan. Hear that TomTom? You've got some slack to
cover.
[Via
GPSTracklog, thanks Rich]
Filed under: GPS
MiTAC buys Magellan consumer products division: 'take it away, Maestro' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments There's something just a little
skeezy about basing predictions for Important New Apple Products upon nasty renders of protective case mockups from China. Still, they've
panned out astonishingly nicely before, so we'll just have to suck it up. iDealsChina is reporting that XSKN is not-so-secretly working on a silicone skin for the upcoming "Nano iPhone" (or, more likely,
iPhone nano) a shorter, chubbier version of the iPhone 3G. According to iDealsChina sources, the phone will apparently sport EDGE data, but otherwise seems unsurprisingly identical in specs to its forebears, other than the obviously smaller screen. They're also saying Apple plans to sell these at high volumes for low prices at hip spots like Walmart, that the company will (naturally) be unveiling the new handset in January at Macworld, and even go so far as to say that leaked photos of the device should be surfacing in the next couple of days -- we'll be keeping our eyes peeled. Check out another couple of tantalizing case renders after the break.
[Via
PMP Today]
Continue reading iPhone nano revealed by (another) silicone case mockup?
Filed under: Cellphones
iPhone nano revealed by (another) silicone case mockup? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 12 months ago Fujitsu delivered the first
Penryn-packing ultraportable, and, though that 1.2GHz processor isn't quite the hot commodity today it was back then, it's getting another go-round in two new LOOX R ultraportable models shipping this week in Japan. The LOOX R/C70 includes a 128GB SSD carrying Vista Business or XP Pro, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and 12.6 hours of battery life for ¥280,000 (just over $3,000). The C50 offers only Vista Home Premium served on 320GB worth of platters, loses 30 minutes of battery life and the Bluetooth too, but also sheds about $500 in the process, going for a still rather pricey ¥230,000 ($2,500). Both offer 12.1-inch, 1280 x 800 screens, optical drives, and somewhat tired looking exteriors. But, they can both survive an 11-hour flight from LAX to Tokyo with battery life to spare, and chances are you wouldn't be looking too hot yourself after that.
Filed under: Laptops
Fujitsu's LOOX R ultraportable gets SSD, 12+ hour battery originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments If you're the sort who laughs at those
DSLR-lugging amateurs, deriding their attempts to stay current as the megapixel wars rage on, this may be the digital photo frame for you. It's called the DF24B from
Kairen, and is the perfect way to show off those crummy, pixelated shots accumulating on your flip-phone with its vertically-oriented (like most mobile pics) 2.4-inch, 320 x 240 LCD and 2MB of internal storage. Yes, that's
megabytes, enough to store 27 thoroughly compressed images according to the manufacturer. Why it has any storage at all is a bit of a mystery, though, since the thing requires a USB connection for power, meaning it might as well just suck those photos straight from your hard drive (unless you're rocking a dedicated
USB charger). No formal price has been set, but it's expected to release this month for around ¥6,800, or about $75. That puts it about $5 shy of
MIMO's 7-inch mini-display, which is a much smarter buy -- unless you're afraid to blow those pics up any larger.
[Via
Impress]
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays
Kairen's DF24B: the tiny digital frame for your tiny digital photos originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 08:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
We're not too sure what's up with New England-based institutions and inspiration from the depths, but the two seem to have some kind of intrinsic connection. The latest company to prove such a wacky assertion true is Boston's own Scallop Imaging, a Tenebraex subsidiary that has developed a "low-cost" security camera that sees 180 degrees of view without fisheye distortion or the lag present in pan-and-tilt alternatives. Additionally, the multi-eyed cam automatically stitches and downsamples images, and can capture a new 7-megapixel still to transmit over Ethernet "every second or two." It's small enough to be placed into a light socket-sized hole, and it's powered by the same Ethernet cable that links it into a building's surveillance system. Of course, the fun won't stop there, as the outfit is already looking at automotive applications of the Digital Window, including "distortion-free backup cameras for the rear ends" of vehicles.
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Scallop Imaging wide-angle security cams look to the sea for inspiration originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments We haven't seen a ton of
eSATA flash drives, but OCZ is entering the fray with the Throttle, which looks a lot like the
Ao-Lab unit we saw back in October. No pricing or release date is given, but Register Hardware estimates it'll be $32 for the 8GB model, $56 for 16GB and $160 for 32GB. For eSATA ports that don't provide power, the Throttle has a mini-USB port to give it some electrical juice that can also be used to transfer data, which should cover most scenarios unless you're at a phantasmagorical computer that somehow has only FireWire ports.
[Via
Maximum PC; thanks, Havok]
Read - Official press release
Read - OCZ readies USB eSATA Flash drive (Register Hardware)
Filed under: Storage
OCZ unveils Throttle eSATA SSD flash drive originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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When you pack a 16-inch laptop so full of technology that it requires water cooling, well, you have to expect some compromises. First, the Fujitsu LifeBook
N7010 is nearly 2-inches thick and weighs 7 and a half pounds. Then there's the little limitation of that 1 hour battery life. In return for your suffering you do get a built-in Blu-ray drive, a digital television tuner, 1.3 megapixel webcam, HDMI output, 4x USB, Firewire, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, gigabit Ethernet, eSATA, ExpressCard/54, fingerprint scanning security, and multi-touch touchpad. Oh, and it run Vista atop a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo P8600 processor, up to 4GB of memory, a 320GB disk, and 256MB of ATI Radeon HD 3470 graphics. As for that multi-function (media control, application launcher, etc.) 4-inch LCD touchscreen sporting 480 x 272 pixels,
Akihabara News says it "seems responsive." So there. Shipping December 26th in Japan.
P.S. The US version is shipping immediately (starting at $1,499) but without a TV tuner (naturally) or water cooling (odd).
[Via
Akihabara News]
Filed under: Laptops
Fujitsu's water-cooled LifeBook N7010 with secondary 4-inch touchscreen now shipping originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We've seen the Cyber Sport Orbita Mouse bouncing around the Internets for about a year in search of a manufacturer. Now they've got it, with a corresponding January 2009 retail delivery date to match. The big selling point on this 800 DPI mouse is the use of a spinning scroll-wheel that replaces the typical left and right mouse buttons (push down for left-click, squeeze for right) -- it's like a Griffin PowerMate riding optical wheels. That gives you 3-axis control over objects in 3D be they wireframe models, the world according to Google Earth, or a BFG 9000. It also makes for quick scrolling through documents or a low-cost jog dial for frame-by-frame video manipulation. Orbita communicates wirelessly over 2.4GHz "zero lag" RF to the USB charging base and includes PC and Mac compatible software to map the mouse to your different applications. $98.50, that's how much -- render of the Orbita docked after the break along with a video of an early prototype. We want.
[Via
The Gadget Site, thanks K.C. K.]
Continue reading Cyber Sport's Orbita Mouse is a revolution
Filed under: Peripherals
Cyber Sport's Orbita Mouse is a revolution originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 03:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments New-ness, anyone?
BusinessWeek is speaking in rather authoritative terms that we'll all be treated to the next generation of Palm OS --
Nova, as it were -- at a grand unveiling next month in Vegas. Details are still sketchy to say the least, but word has it that the company's engineers are super stoked about whatever it is they plan to unveil -- and considering the breadth and depth of the engineering team Rubinstein has managed to assemble over there, that's saying something (hopefully). The pub pegs Nova's commercial release for mid-2009, which jibes with
the latest we've been hearing, promising to deliver a platform for meeting the needs of the "fat middle" of the market that lies somewhere between the buttoned-up BlackBerry and the media-rich iPhone (and no, we didn't just call you fat). The company apparently wants to create devices that "make smarter use of data about you," but until we have a Nova-powered phone in our soft, supple hands, that little gem of marketing doublespeak really doesn't mean squat to us. Just a few more weeks, ladies and gentlemen.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Palm OS "Nova" -- and first Nova device -- look like a lock for CES originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 01:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Man, we're clearly in the wrong line of work. It seems that being in the
FCC means that you can basically ignore everything else going on so long as you squint really hard and pretend to make progress on an imminent event that's just over two months ago. Sure, we're just bitter, but we're struggling to understand why an agency this large can't work towards auctioning a slice of
soon-to-be-freed airwaves for
widespread internet use while educating consumers on the digital TV transition that's coming in February. Caving to requests from Democratic lawmakers, the FCC has canceled a December 18th meeting that would've been used to discuss the next step in making the most of white spaces, but unless we see these very suits walking the streets with signs saying "THE END IS NEAR!
FEBRUARY 17TH, 2009!," we're going to be rather peeved.
[Via
phonescoop]
Filed under: Wireless
FCC cancels white space meeting to focus on digital TV transition originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments We knew it was coming, but Amazon is now listing Kodak's Flickr-compatible
OLED 7.6-inch photo frame as in stock and shipping for $999.95. They say a picture is worth a thousand words -- here, that word is "dollar."
[Via
OLED]
Filed under: Displays
Kodak's 7.6-inch OLED photo frame now available on Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Well, that was fast. A poster by the name of StreetskaterFU has outlined what he claims is a method of hacking into
PlayStation Home's servers for download, uploading and deleting files. We're not able to verify his directions, but if true it would be a potentially calamitous oversight on Sony's part. Additionally, a PS3hax forum poster claims to have used StreeskaterFU's method and changed the movie posters and trailers (looks like it only affects what he sees locally; video embedded after the break). We haven't seen any signs of hacker malfeasance during our time with Home, but let us know if your virtual moviegoing experience has been drastically altered.
Read - HOME vulnerabilities disclosure
Read - How to mod Home with your own posters and movies
Continue reading PlayStation Home already hacked?
Filed under: Gaming
PlayStation Home already hacked? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It looks like all those crazy rumors are true -- we've just received word that the Celeron-based Eee Box B203 has popped up on Asus' website. Aside from the the Intel C220 processor, very little has changed from the Atom-based
Eee Box B202: it sports Windows XP Home, ships with up to 2GB RAM and 160GB storage, and measures a diminutive 222 x 178 x 26.9 mm (roughly 8.7 x 7 x 1 inches). Of course, it still ain't the prettiest device we've ever seen -- but if it's cheaper, faster, and small enough to fit behind your monitor anyways, we'll gladly overlook the paint job.
[Via
Liliputing]
Filed under: Desktops
Asus unveils Celeron-based Eee Box B203 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments After some
rumblings this past March, Microsoft has now officially joined the iPhone development community with Seadragon Mobile, a free app that lets you "infinite zoom" gigapixel-sized images. Although Seadragon is available as a Silverlight application on the desktop, Microsoft
isn't bringing Silverlight to the iPhone, so don't get your hopes up. We're itching to see if the company has any more apps in the pipeline -- we'll wish for an Office editor, but expect a Minesweeper variant.
[Thanks, Mikkel]
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Microsoft releases first iPhone application, Seadragon originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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