In theory, we can't really harsh on a diminutive little gizmo that can play back MP3s, record voice notes, capture live video, snap a few stills
and double as a card reader in a pinch, but there's just something about this thing that screams infomercial. As for specs, it's got 2GB of built-in memory, a microSD expansion slot, USB 2.0 connectivity, a rechargeable Li-ion and a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. Unfortunately, the thing's selling for an almost astronomical $60 before shipping, which definitely pushes it into "won't ever sell without Billy Mays' endorsement" territory. Seriously, check the vid after the jump if you think you're immune to coercion.
Continue reading 5-in-1 multi-function MP3 player could use a plug from Billy Mays
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Misc. Gadgets
5-in-1 multi-function MP3 player could use a plug from Billy Mays originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Looking for something to pass the time, scratch that robotic itch
and come in at under a Jackson? Look no further than WowWee's
Lightstar, the latest and greatest addition to the outfit's growing
FlyTech family. The robot lovers over at
RobotsRule were able to get their grimy hands around this here flying blade, and while they weren't expecting much for just $20, they came away delightfully enthralled. Essentially, there's no way to steer the chopper, but you can vary the acceleration and bounce it off of walls in order to keep your brain stimulated and a grin on your face. The real excitement kicked in when all the lights were flipped off and the
Pink Floyd was cranked to 11. For a look at what we mean, check out the demonstration vid just past the break -- looks like $20 well spent from here.
Continue reading WowWee's Lightstar flying blade reviewed: a cheap thrill
Filed under: Robots
WowWee's Lightstar flying blade reviewed: a cheap thrill originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Maybe we're just hot for sleek, thin, ultra sexy renders of handheld computing devices, but we dare anyone to call the unit pictured above unsightly (and mean it). Shortly after showcasing its
swiveling S7 at CES,
Viliv has taken the wraps off of its X70 Atom Communication MID. The handheld comes stocked with a 1.33GHz Atom Z520 CPU, a 7-inch WSVGA touchscreen, your choice of a 30GB / 60GB hard drive or an 8GB / 16GB SSD, Windows XP or Linux, a battery good for six hours of continuous movie playback, 1GB of RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, an SD / SDHC card slot, optional WiMAX / HSDPA modules, stereo speakers, a USB port and a built-in microphone for good measure. There's nary a mention of pricing / availability, but we're almost ready to hand over whatever it takes. Almost.
[Via
iTechNews]
Filed under: Handhelds
Viliv uncovers gorgeous X70 Atom Communication MID originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments It's no huge surprise, since Microsoft was
planning on improving performance on this front, but now we've got some of our first solid numbers on Windows 7 Beta SSD performance. Nothing crazy spectacular, but Windows 7 looks to have a slight edge over Vista pretty much across the board, with better speed, access time and lower CPU usage -- not bad for a beta, let's hope things continue to improve as we approach "Microsoft would like your money for this" status.
Filed under: Storage
Windows 7 Beta takes another crown, besting Vista in SSD performance originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jan 2009 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments It's been just about ten full months since
Myka's BitTorrent box was formally introduced to Earthlings, but it seems like the wheels are finally turning on production way across the way in China. According to a promising update on Myka's official website, "production is in full swing," which means that boxes should start arriving to eager consumers in around four to six weeks. For those unaware, this here box pulls down torrents as you sleep and then plays 'em back nicely on your connected HDTV. Users can also load up additional media on the inbuilt 80GB, 160GB or 500GB hard drive, but first you'll need to hand over $299, $349 or $459 depending on just how capacious you like your media servers.
[Thanks, Julio]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Media PCs
Myka's BitTorrent-friendly home media player now in production originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Right in line with
reports we heard earlier, it looks like Helio's second iteration of the Ocean could be going on sale as early as next month.
Silicon Alley Insider has it that the
Ocean 2 could be loosed in America "sometime this quarter," though sooner rather than later is looking mighty promising. It's still unclear how much
Helio plans on charging for this long, long,
long awaited handset, but we'd say it'll have to lowball pretty hard if it plans to distract anyone already focused intently on a G1, iPhone or Palm Pre.
[Via
UnwiredView]
Filed under: Cellphones
Helio's Ocean 2 could set sail next month originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jan 2009 02:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments
It's pretty simple, really: these "clicking cursor" oven mitts (which aren't clicking, but whatever) would make a completely, mind-numbingly awesome addition to any gadget-lover's kitchen. We want them now. Too bad they're not available... yet.
[Via
OhGizmo!]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
'Clicking' cursor oven mitts let you mouseover baked ziti originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Oh, how the times change! In August of last year we were
talking up a 128GB SSD drive for Dell's XPS laptops like it was some kind of hotness --
and only $450! Now that same drive is a mere $200 upgrade, while a new 256GB SSD has been introduced to Dell's XPS M1330 and M1730 laptops for "only" $400. Sure, six months from now we're gonna be chatting up a slightly cheaper 512GB SSD and laughing at our January selves, but we just can't help ourselves and this pesky linear of progression of time we're so beholden to. Dell's also now offering a 7200RPM 500GB HDD as well, and plans to introduce both of these upgrades to additional laptops in the next few weeks.
Read - Dell XPS M1330
Read - Dell XPS M1730
Filed under: Laptops, Storage
Dell adds 256GB SSD option to XPS M1330 and M1730 laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 21:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Back in our day, if you weren't busy walking up uphill both ways, you'd write your own dang fake reviews on Amazon, but apparently
Belkin's Michael Bayard -- or a clever impostor looking to smear the man's good name -- decided it'd be easier and totally non-obvious to hire people on Mechanical Turk to do it for him. For a whopping $0.65 cents you can write a 5 out of 5 review of a Belkin product, and downrank negative reviews while you're at it. Michael Bayard is a Business Development Representative at Belkin, and seems to have pulled the Mechanical Turk posting, but the him and his company have yet to comment publicly. Say it ain't so, Mike!
Filed under: Networking
Belkin rep hiring folks to write fake reviews on Amazon? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Well tell ya, these cats at
XCM really know how to craft some irresistible gear. After making us wait seven painstaking months for a new gadget to drool over, the creators of the
Mega-Cool component-to-VGA converter have announced that the Dominator Joystick for PlayStation 3 is all set to ship next week. The highly programmable arcade-style stick includes a Combo Attacker and Rapid Fire mode for borderline cheating, and the four memory buttons enable macros to be stored and kept at arm's reach. Of course, a gaming joystick wouldn't be a gaming joystick without a superabundance of blue LEDs, so you'll certainly find those there as well. You can toss in your pre-order now if you'd like, but make sure you've got $89.99 free and clear before doing so.
[Via
Slashgear]
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals
XCM Dominator joystick for PlayStation 3 ships next week for $89.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
Just days after its arrival on the market,
Laptop Magazine's had some in person time with the
CTL 2go Convertible Classmate PC. They found the little convertible tablet -- which has an
8.9-inch resistive touchscreen (with 1024 x 600 resolution) -- to be a more grown up version of its predecessor, heavier than other, similarly-sized netbooks, and they love the overall aesthetics of it. It falls a little short in a few categories: they found the
60GB hard drive to be "sluggish" and the keyboard to be "cramped," but overall, they're pretty into the Classmate, even going so far as to suggest that adults might just be covetous of the netbook. Hit the read link to check out the full review which, incidentally, is written entirely in crayon. (Note: totally kidding. We write in crayon, though. Sometimes).Filed under: Laptops
CTL 2go Convertible Classmate PC reviewed: good enough for big people, too! originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
Compaq Presario's got a new 4.41- x 10.71- x 9.69-inch box for your consideration, and it goes by CQ2009F. 'Course, those following the scene in Taiwan probably know it better as the mini-Q, but apparently the model name had to be purged of any personality before being introduced to America. The so-called nettop (or maybe mini tower is more fitting here) houses an Intel Atom 230 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, GMA 950 graphics set, a 160GB 7,200RPM hard drive, Ethernet, integrated audio, a 6-in-1 card reader, a few USB 2.0 ports, VGA output and loads of additional software that you'll have to quickly uninstall upon arrival. You'll find Windows XP running the show, and the built-in DVD burner should handle the storage duties. Nah, performance junkies won't find much (read: anything) to love, but who wouldn't appreciate the $269.99 price tag?
[Thanks, V & Brian]
Filed under: Desktops
Atom-powered Compaq Presario CQ2009F desktop now on sale originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments The Hub is shaping up to being one of the greatest untold gadget dramas of the past decade. Okay, maybe that's an overstatement -- but seriously, what exactly is this thing? Part of the story is that it's a virtual corkboard and picture frame for families in the same vein as the
Verizon One and AT&T's
HomeManager, but we've also heard that it'll play nice with picture messaging and other services
from Verizon Wireless phones -- in other words, it's the secret sauce that'll let Verizon control your entire communications ecosystem. Word on the street is that Hubs have arrived in Verizon stores with strict orders from corporate not to bust open the boxes until told to do so, so in the meantime, enjoy a shot of the surprisingly attractive box design. We're being told that the official launch will come before mid-February, so we'll get this all sorted before too long.
Filed under: Household
Verizon's Hub ultra-deskphone finally coming soon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments No, seriously -- can you not envision that heinous object above suddenly conjuring up enough energy to transform into a real live, breathing, hungry alien?
Brando's USB Aircraft
Mouse is simply too frightening to recommend for children under the age of 25, but those hardened enough to control it can select one in five different hues (including camouflage, so you'll never even know when it arrives). We also get the idea that this thing is perfect for implementing carpal tunnel syndrome into your own life, which -- in our humble opinion -- is worth the $17 admission charge alone.
[Via
OhGizmo]
Filed under: Peripherals
Brando's USB Aircraft Mouse was likely used somewhere in AvP originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Man, it's been awhile since we've seen any miniature machines from the labs of Stealth, but the outfit is returning over a year after introducing its
LPC-350PCI with the even tinier LPC-650. Featuring a mildly attractive 6.54- x 6.18- x 1.89-inch aluminum chassis with a Core 2 Duo within, the micro PC is also stocked with gigabit Ethernet, a slot-loading optical drive, optional SSD, WiFi, 1GB of DDR2 RAM and a rather respectable array of ports including twin USB 2.0 jacks, HDMI, audio in / out and a RS-232 socket. Unfortunately, you'll be paying a serious premium for all the space savings -- it gets going at $1,595, and it's only up from there depending on CTO options.
[Via
AkihabaraNews]
Filed under: Desktops
Stealth introduces Core 2 Duo-equipped LPC-650 Mini PC originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 10:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Been hankering for a cheapo UMPC? Perhaps the folks at e-Loam can answer your strained prayers. Enter the F7, a VIA C7-based handheld with a 1.2GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 8GB (or 80GB) hard drive, WiFi, and... not much else. The teensy device boots XP, has Bluetooth, a 0.3 megapixel webcam, and features a resistive 7-inch touchscreen (cool stylus included). There's not much more info on this guy right now, but based on the pictures, it appears to have stereo speakers, and
Pocketables speculates there may be an optical mouse somewhere in this mix. Regardless, we spent this whole post trying to figure out how loam -- a fertile soil of clay and sand containing humus -- fits into the picture.
[Via
Pocketables]
Filed under: Handhelds
The e-Loam F7: it will drive you completely insane with jealousy originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 08:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Griffin Technology rolled out a
gaggle of new accessories at CES 2009, but curiously absent was this fellow. The outfit has announced today that its TuneFlex AUX SmartClick is shipping to those interested, and if you're still attempting to gauge your own level of excitement, let us detail what it does. Essentially, what we've got here is an in-car iPod / iPhone charger (via cigarette adapter) that comes with a wireless remote tailor made for slipping around your steering wheel. Also, there's no messy FM transmitter to bother with; instead, it relies on the much more solid auxiliary input connection. Yeah, $79.99 sounds a tad high to us too, but momma always said you can't put a price on keeping your eyes on the road.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video
Griffin ships iPod / iPhone-friendly TuneFlex AUX with SmartClick remote originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 06:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Since
Oakley can't be the only company controlling the fashionable Bluetooth sunglasses market, TriSpecs has unveiled its own technetronic eyewear compatible with Bluetooth-equipped phones and PMPs. The eponymous shades sport two uni-directional mics, one touch dialing, and retractable stereo earbuds that hang at the tip of the temples when not in use. They're expected to hit retail sometime this month for just under $200 and come in black, white, and metallic options. Attractive model companion is, as always, not included.
[Via
Engadget Germay]
Filed under: Portable Audio, Wearables
TriSpecs' Bluetooth sunglasses let you ignore the outside world in style originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 04:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Now we're talking. We don't exactly what's going on in the UK, but this
VAIO P for £300 (about $442) makes us seriously want to jet on over. The last time we saw one of these babies priced, we were looking at a
steep £1,368.99 (or around $2,017) -- though that was for the kitted out 128GB SSD version with 3G broadband on-board. Still, we'll happily take this 60GB HDD / 2GB RAM iteration at this price, since it actually hits that sweet spot we were hoping to find the first time around. The only question is whether or not this isn't just some kind of nasty glitch in the Matrix -- it does seem unlikely we'll see price fluctuations this wide. Any word Sony? We'll be reaching for our credit cards and international waybills while we wait.
Update: If it seems to good to be true, it probably is, right? Right. The price is now back to the astronomical figure of £740 ($1,090). Drat.
[Thanks, Varuna]
Filed under: Laptops
Sony's VAIO P priced at £300 on Amazon's UK site originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Cowon's
S9 portable media player had a lot of folks excited -- and understandably so. A bright, expansive AMOLED display. A sleek, curvaceous design. And a codec support list worth drooling over. During
our time with the unit, we found the user interface to still be lacking in a few critical departments, though we certainly found a long list of reasons to love it, too. Now that it's been
floating around on US soil for a hot minute, we're asking you how you'd tweak it. Are you completely satisfied with the UI? Are there any video formats that have inexplicably refused to play? Is the build quality up to your lofty standards? Let it rip below!
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
How would you change Cowon's S9 Curve? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
Sadly, there doesn't seem to even be so much as a prototype of this one just yet, but we're certainly hoping that this so-called Light Lane dreamed up by Alex Tee and Evan Gant of Altitude sees the light of day sooner rather than later. The idea, as you can see above, is to project a bike lane wherever the cyclist travels, which would give drivers a clearer indication of where not to tread than a simple safety light or reflector is able to do. The key to the setup is, of course, frickin' lasers, though it seems you'd have to provide your own "zoooommmmm" sounds as you pedal around town.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation
Light Lane concept would protect cyclists, bring Tron to life originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
Graphene-based gadgets are coming, we just know it. Trouble is, we're still a long, long ways away. That said, a team of South Korean scientists are bringing us ever closer to bendable, durable gizmos by creating a graphene film with a diameter of 10 centimeters by "adopting a conventional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique." Furthermore, the crew's development of what's being called the "world's first circuit patterning technology for the graphene film has the potential to replace silicon-based semiconductors." If this is just way too heavy for your mind to digest on a Friday, here's the skinny: the newfangled manufacturing process has, for all intents and purposes, overcome the limitations of graphene, which could not be made large enough for commercial applications in the past.
[Image courtesy of ScienceFriday, thanks Agustin]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
South Korean scientists get one step closer to graphene-based gadgets originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments The big
NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show is going on through this Sunday in Anaheim, California, so we thought we'd bring you a few of the highlights debuting there. Among the beauties on offer is Native Instruments' Maschine Groove Production Studio, a hard / software combo loaded with 5GB of samples, 16 illuminated pads for making beats and patterns, two high resolution displays, and eight rotary encoders. The Stealth Pedal maraudes as a wah, but acts as an assignable expression pedal, with a double footswitch and the option to add a third pedal via USB, with a 24-bit USB audio interface and software. The
Akai APC40 is a MIDI control surface designed in conjunction with Ableton to work out of the box with Live on a PC or Mac. Last (but surely not least) Roland's resurrected the AX-7 with the updated and delicious AX-Synth "shoulder keyboard" AKA
keytar. This bad boy's got 49 keys, 7 LEDs, tons of control options, and a 128-voice polyphonic sound engine which is editable with included software. Check the gallery of each glorious item -- and yes, we know that Edgar Winter's not playing an actual keytar in the video (it's just a giant keyboard strapped to his insane body), but seriously, who cares?
Read - Maschine Groove Production Studio
Read - The NAMM Show
Read - Stealth Pedal
Read - Akai APC40
Read - Roland AX-Synth
Continue reading NAMM Show 2009 round-up highlights: keytars and more!
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wearables
NAMM Show 2009 round-up highlights: keytars and more! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments C'mon -- you could tell from the product description that the
2Wire-built BlockBuster MediaPoint player would be a disappointment, now couldn't you? A full month and change after getting
unboxed, the latest entrant in the surprisingly meaty movie set-top-box arena has been reviewed by the
AP. You know things are headed south when the reviewer starts off by stating that "three similar devices he tested over the past two years were all better than the MediaPoint." In fact, he straight up called BlockBuster out for not being at least as good as units that came out years ago. What could possibly be so wrong, you ask? You can't fast-forward or reverse content until a download is complete. The on-screen interface is downright "unattractive," and it even looks blurry on HDTVs. The remote is said to be "cluttered with cryptic buttons." Oh, and the critic couldn't even figure out what content was in HD and what was in SD. We'd elaborate further, but there's really no need.
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
Blockbuster's MediaPoint player reviewed: unsurprisingly disappointing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
Man, it just isn't fair -- we keep seeing all these kick-ass new
vending machines, but when we want a can of Mr. Pibb or RC Cola we're stuck feeding quarters into something that looks like it was last serviced whenever
Pac-Man Fever went storming up the charts. Then again, that's probably what we get for spending all our time in pool halls and bowling alleys. If you're lucky enough to head to one of the 190-plus (and growing!) malls owned by the Simon Property Group sometime in the not too distant future, you just might have the pleasure of getting your cold, satisfying beverage from one of the new-fashioned touch screen Coke machines from Sapient. The screen is pretty much the entire front of the machine, and the interface is simple (as you'd expect), but pretty cool nonetheless -- select your pop bottle, spin it around, take a look at the ingredients, and vend -- quasi-
Minority Report-style. "Futuretistic," no? This thing takes cash and plastic, and it should be out in the US soon enough -- readers in Europe and the UK will have to wait until sometime in 2010 to get in on the action. Video after the break.
[Thanks, Trent]
Continue reading Sapient's touchscreen Coke machine brings pop into the 21st century
Filed under: CES, Misc. Gadgets
Sapient's touchscreen Coke machine brings pop into the 21st century originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
It's not quite as elaborate as some
mirror /
display combinations, but Valli Arredobagno's new Hi_Mirror looks like it'll at least get the job done, and with a good deal more style than some
other setups we've seen. Unfortunately, the Italian design firm isn't all that forthcoming with technical specifications just yet, but it appears that the mirror contains a touchscreen-based device of some sort, which will let you check the weather, watch some TV, and enjoy a few other multimedia features while you check your hair or makeup. There's no word on a price either, but it does appear that the mirror is more than just a concept, with the firm's website promising that it and some other luxury housewares are coming "soon."
[Thanks, sk]
Filed under: Displays, Household
Valli Arredobagno Hi_Mirror lets you check the weather and your hair originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
Apparently, when Alesis looks at an iPod the company gets dollar signs in its eyes -- between the
8 track mixer for the home recording set, the pro audio-minded
rack mixer, and the
ProTrack dock / portable digital recorder, you'd think they'd have all their bases covered -- but that's clearly not the case. Among the many goodies making the scene at this year's
NAMM, JamDock is aimed at musicians who want to incorporate iPod audio into their performance. This bad boy sports two 1/4-inch inputs that support both line level and high impedance instruments, 1/4-inch monitor outs, and a single 1/4-inch stereo out for headphones. It can be mounted on a drum rack or stand using the e-percussion Module Mount (sold separately). Pricing and availability have yet to be announced. In the meantime, it looks like bedroom musicians will be stuck jamming to the
Miami Vice theme on their boomboxes, just like nature intended.
[Via
Music Radar]
Continue reading Alesis iPod JamDock plays the backing band to your Ashlee Simpson
Filed under: Portable Audio
Alesis iPod JamDock plays the backing band to your Ashlee Simpson originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Yes! Engadget is back from CES and ready for action. We thought this week might be a little quiet, but it's been quite the opposite. Listen in to Josh, Paul, and Nilay discussing the hot button items of our time: Steve Jobs, Windows 7, and Crapgadgets. Seriously, this is pressing stuff, people.
Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: Popcorn01:56 -
Steve Jobs is taking a leave of absence from Apple due to health reasons27:45 -
Microsoft temporarily removes Windows 7 Beta download limit57:00 -
Crapgadget Crapdown, CES: the best of the worst Subscribe to the podcast
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Filed under: Podcasts
Engadget Podcast 129 - 01.16.2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Related media files: http://www.engadget.com/podcasts/Engadget_Podcast_129.mp3
At first glance, there's nothing exceptionally, um,
exceptional about the new F50 and F70 lines from
ASUS, but upon further investigation, each family does actually do a decent job of differentiating. Both crews sport the "new generation Infusion styling," which is reportedly exactly like looking at the Aurora Borealis (really, ASUS?), and they also boast Full HD (1080p) panels, an HDMI port and a fresh "Chocolate keyboard" which melts in your mouth, not in your hand. The whole lot also features the
Express Gate instant-on OS, and hardware geeks will appreciate the upwards of 1TB of HDD space and optional Blu-ray drive. Per usual, ASUS isn't dealing prices or ship dates, but you can have a look at all possible configurations down in the read link. One more shot is after the break.
Continue reading ASUS spices things up with 16-inch F50 / 17.3-inch F70 laptops
Filed under: Laptops
ASUS spices things up with 16-inch F50 / 17.3-inch F70 laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Well, wouldn't you know it. It seems like West Virginia senator Jay Rockefeller has the same idea as the
Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA), as he introduced legislation on Thursday that would effectively
postpone the digital TV transition from its current date of
February 17th to June 12th. On top of that, John Podesta -- the co-chairman of Barack Obama's transition team -- has issued a letter to Congress signifying that the president-elect supports the aforementioned proposal. The delay would supposedly give the government more time to find funding for the now
2 million-deep voucher waiting list, and we're told that House lawmakers are "considering similar legislation and may schedule a vote as soon as next week." Here's a thought -- why aren't we spending our time getting the money now and keeping the confusion
to a minimum?
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
Obama's administration supports June DTV transition postponement originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
Not as exciting as an NES emulator, perhaps, but all the more useful, StyleTap's Palm OS emulator for the Symbian OS has finally been released, for real, for real -- if you rely on one of the 30,000-some apps that run on the OS (or all of them, for that matter) brace yourself for some righteous productivity. If that weren't enough, this bad boy includes enhanced display scaling, meaning that apps should look pretty good -- even scaled up to 320 x 320 resolution. And not only does StyleTap do the emulation thing, it handles most of your phone's hardware features -- including screen rotation. Are you totally psyched? We thought so.
[Via Symbian Guru]
Filed under: Cellphones
StyleTap's Palm OS emulator officially coming to Symbian OS originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Windows Mobile world got shook up a little
earlier this month when Microsoft's VP of Marketing for WinMo said that the company was looking to cut back on the total number phones out there in order to "be more focused," but it now looks like that may not entirely be the case. According to TamsPPC, a spokesperson from Microsoft Austria has relayed the message that while Microsoft's stepped-up efforts to work with its partners may well result in fewer phones, "the implication in
The New York Times that Microsoft will limit the number of Windows Mobile devices is not accurate." So, it seems that Microsoft isn't exactly throwing a firm number out there, but it also seems like it won't be too upset if fewer substandard phones make it to market.
Filed under: Cellphones
Microsoft spokesperson clarifies report of limiting number of WinMo phones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Rumors flying, sensational headlines, dogs and cats living together. Yes, its another apparent rash of hard drive failures -- this one centered on Seagate's spacious 1TB Barracuda 7200.11 drives. Apparently, the problem lies in a faulty firmware found on drives manufactured in Thailand, which causes them to fail before they're even able to boot up and leaves them completely inoperable, with some extensive data recovery measures the only option for those looking to hang onto their data. What's more, while Seagate is now said to be updating the firmware on newly manufactured drives, it's apparently not possible to update the firmware on the toasted drives, as they're not even able to be detected by the BIOS once they fail. Seagate still doesn't seem to be addressing the issue publicly, however, and as Tom's Hardware points out, they haven't yet issued a recall on unsold drives, so anyone planning on upgrading or building a new PC may want to proceed with caution.
[Via
The Register]
Filed under: Storage
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 drives said to be failing at an alarming rate originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments So, envision this -- a Mars rover of sorts, but on the battlefield. In a nutshell, that's what engineers and researchers at
MIT have created. The so-called semi-autonomous forklift could be loosed in war zones in order to unload cargo and move supplies for soldiers. Obviously, having humans behind unwieldy crates isn't the most ideal scenario when bullets are flying, so enlisting a robot for such duties is clearly preferable. The bot can even be remotely controlled, and an array of inbuilt sensors help to direct it around objects that can't be seen from in the brush. Gurus behind the project are hoping to include voice / gesture recognition in future iterations, so that simply yelling "unload the truck!" could give the machine all the direction it needs. Come to think of it, we could use one of these buggers around the office -- reshuffling hefty HDTVs can take a toll on one's back, you know.
[Via
PC World, image courtesy of
OneMansBlog]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
MIT concocts semi-autonomous forklift for war zone unloading originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Barely two months ago we found that
another round of layoffs would land
500 employees at AMD without a job. Now, we're hearing that the chip maker is looking to scale down its workforce by another nine percent, which means that around 1,100 positions will be vacated in Q1 2009. Also of note, the
arguably overpaid Executive Chairman Hector Ruiz and his buddy Chief Executive Dirk Meyer will each see "temporary" (what, like a day?) 20 percent cuts in base salary. Oh, and in case you needed a little more doom and gloom with your wine and cheese, the outfit is also suspending its 401(k) company match. Awesome.
[Image courtesy of
DavidWSmith, thanks Spencer]
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
AMD hacks another 1100 employees, cuts executive salaries by 20% originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
Engadget HD has an easily-digestible look at
the current status of LCD and plasma displays in the industry, what with market share falling fast for the latter, sizes rising for the former, and many manufacturers dropping support for plasma altogether. The verdict? Well, you'll have to click on over to find out! Don't you just hate that?
Filed under: Displays
LCD vs Plasma in 2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments We're not exactly sure what this says about the officially unofficial
App Store policy on explicit content, but David Carnoy's
Knife Music has just been approved for distribution in said marketplace after the so-called "
objectionable content" was removed. Essentially, the author decided to submit a copy of the novel sans a few foul words, with him noting that it was "more important to have people check the book out -- along with the whole concept of e-books on the iPhone" -- rather than take some stance for personal liberties and whatnot. For those interested, it's ready for download as we speak at no charge, but if you're the indecent type, you'll have to manually add in those swears as you go.
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets
Knife Music e-book approved for App Store after language modification originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments German and Latvian researchers at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) have successfully demonstrated how a single electron pump can be used to give the elementary particles a predefined "spin." Aptly titled
spintronics, the technology aims to manipulate a quantum-level property of electrons similar to the north-south axes in magnets. The results would be faster chips that require less energy than current electronics, which deal in electron movement. Of course, all of this is still a ways off from consumer use, so don't expect to be overclocking your electron pumps anytime soon. Science-minded readers would be advised to hit up the read link to peruse the research paper.
[Via
Nanowerk and
Spintronics-Info]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Scientists use single electron pump to take subatomic particles for a spin originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments While the Viviene Tam Edition Mini 1000
sure was pretty, it's hardly what you'd call "new." According to undisclosed sources cited by the always questionable
DigiTimes, Hewlett-Packard is toying with the idea of bringing a few new infants to market in the
Mini-note line. If all goes to plan, a WWAN-enabled Mini-note 2150 (13.3-inch, presumably) will hit the scene in early June. For what it's worth, a new 11.6-inch model is also mentioned, and as expected, the whole crew (however large) is apt to arrive with Intel Atom's within. Guess we'll just have to wait and see, folks.
Filed under: Laptops
HP rumored to have new Mini-notes on the way, father still unknown originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Wowsers, that little
App Store side project Apple has going on sure doesn't seem to be settling down. After launching in July of '08 and hitting 100 million downloads in September, the App Store has just crossed the 500 million download mark -- a mere six months after opening. Compare that to the iTunes Music Store, which took two whole years
to cross the 500 million mark, though to be fair we have little idea of the paid to free ratio of app downloads. There are over 15,000 apps in the App Store currently, and sure, 14,500 of them are crap, with the rest being tip calculators, but we gotta hand it to Apple for pretty much unprecedented success in the mobile download space -- now let us download SNES emulators!
[Thanks, Richard]
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
App Store hits 500 million downloads: thanks, iFart originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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