Monday, March 16, 2009

Nextar's MA809 PMP is seductively thin, still too pricey

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/16/nextars-ma809-pmp-is-seductively-thin-still-too-pricey/


We'll hand it to Nextar here, the MA809 is sexy enough to roll with the hottest PMPs on the market today, but the pricing strategy needs a serious revision. Said player sports a 2.8-inch display (400 x 240 resolution), an integrated voice recorder, support for MP3 and WMA files, an FM tuner / recorder, built-in speaker and a stopwatch to boot. Furthermore, it includes 2GB, 4GB or 8GB of storage space, while the microSD card slot leaves open the possibility for expansion beyond that. Nextar claims that you'll get up to eight hours of continuous music play or up to three hours of video viewing with a fully charged Li-ion, but we still don't see it really breaking through by being hosted up at Sears for $99.99 (2GB), $119.99 (4GB) and $149.99 (8GB). Maybe we just need a little hope, though. The full release is after the break.

Continue reading Nextar's MA809 PMP is seductively thin, still too pricey

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Nextar's MA809 PMP is seductively thin, still too pricey originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motion's J3400 rugged tablet PC boasts dual batteries, outdoor display

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/16/motions-j3400-rugged-tablet-pc-boasts-dual-batteries-outdoor-d/


Need a tablet PC that'll last all day, do ya? Care for one that you can also see whilst outdoors? Look no further than Motion's brand new J3400, a rugged (albeit sleek) new tablet that comes equipped with dual battery compartments and an outdoor-visible LCD. Other specs include an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1.8-inch shock-mounted HDD (a 64GB SSD is a worthwhile option), 2 megapixel camera, GPS, a biometric sensor, multicard reader, Bluetooth 2.1, Qualcomm's dual-mode Gobi WWAN chip, WiFi and a chassis that's IP-52 rated and meets MIL-STD-810F specifications. In other words, a three foot tumble onto plywood won't even faze it. This beauty can be yours to ruin in the field for the low, low starting price of $2,299, and yes, it's ready to ship this very moment. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading Motion's J3400 rugged tablet PC boasts dual batteries, outdoor display

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Motion's J3400 rugged tablet PC boasts dual batteries, outdoor display originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is Netflix putting caps on computer-based Watch Instantly users?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/16/is-netflix-putting-caps-on-computer-based-watch-instantly-users/

Is Netflix putting caps on computer-based Watch Instantly users?

Depending on your choice of computing platform, possession of dedicated streaming hardware, and love of otherwise forgettable '80s films, Netflix's Watch Instantly service is either a godsend or a gimmick. Regardless, nobody likes arbitrary bandwidth caps, and that's what Riyad Kalla at The "Break it Down" Blog claims to have spotted, finding that Watch streams on his Xbox take multiple minutes to buffer, but that those on his PC (using the same connection) can take hours -- if they work at all. Doing a little snooping he found he was being capped to about 50 KB/sec per download thread on his PC, but if he spawned ten such threads he was able to get over 700 KB/sec. Something, it seems, is issuing a per-thread cap, but is it really Netflix? Or, rather, is it his Qwest DSL line doing a ham-fisted job of managing bandwidth? We've seen similar issues intermittently, but nothing consistent, so we're not quite ready to call this an internet-wide conspiracy just yet, but would love to hear about your streaming experiences lately.

Update: Based on the volume of "It's working just fine for me" comments both here and elsewhere it seems safe to say that if there is a conspiracy at work here, it's not Netflix's.

[Via Slashdot]

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Is Netflix putting caps on computer-based Watch Instantly users? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 07:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Update: Lenovo leaks Pocket Yoga mystery netbook pics

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/16/lenovo-leaks-pocket-yoga-mystery-netbook-pics/


The mysterious netbook that Engadget Chinese hepped us to from the floor of Lenovo's Beijing office now has a name -- if little else. Images have surfaced on the company's photostream with this bad boy in a number of compromising positions, showing off its convertible design and touchscreen stylus capabilities. Tantalizing, yes? That's it for details, but be sure to hit up that gallery for those red hot pics.

Update: The mystery is solved, folks. According to Johnson Li, the director of Lenovo's Beijing Innovation Center, the device is a two-year-old laptop design concept that features a leather exterior and detachable keyboard. You know what? We still want one.

[Via Electronista, Thanks Luigi]


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Update: Lenovo leaks Pocket Yoga mystery netbook pics originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI Wind U110 Eco rocks ATI graphics, 9-hour battery life

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/16/msi-wind-u110-eco-rocks-ati-graphics-9-hour-battery-life/


Looks like MSI's trying some new things with its next generation of netbooks -- instead of the expected Atom N280 or the NVIDIA Ion platform, the new Wind U110 ECO pairs a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 and Intel's traditionally MID-oriented Menlow chipset with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 to achieve nine hours of battery life. Of course, it remains to be seen what that number translates to in the real world and we've got questions about performance, but it's an interesting mashup of laptop, netbook, and MID parts -- let's hope pricing stays firmly in netbook territory.

[Via Engadget Spanish; thanks TheLostSwede]

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MSI Wind U110 Eco rocks ATI graphics, 9-hour battery life originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel threatens AMD with termination of x86 license within 60 days

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/16/intel-threatens-amd-with-termination-of-x86-license-within-60-d/

Intel's been making noise about AMD's Globalfoundries manufacturing spinoff potentially violating the two companies' patent cross-licensing agreement for a while now, and it looks like things are escalating: AMD's latest SEC filing says that Intel's formally threatened to terminate the license if AMD doesn't make it better within 60 days. It's not clear exactly what Intel wants here -- we doubt anyone thinks AMD is going to undo the spinoff -- so we'll see what happens next, but we've got a feeling Intel's trying to put the boot down while AMD's on the ground.

[Thanks, Chris]

Read - Reuters
Read - AMD SEC filing

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Intel threatens AMD with termination of x86 license within 60 days originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, March 15, 2009

Tasks tweaks: Move to list and split/merge

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OfficialGmailBlog/~3/33lR3uAWeNM/tasks-tweaks-move-to-list-and.html

Posted by Michael Frederick, Software Engineer

Sometimes, in a frenzy of productivity, I'll create a bunch of tasks on my main list. Later on, when it's time to start prioritizing, I'll realize that some of those tasks make more sense on another list (GTDers, take note!). But until now I wasn't able to move all of those tasks without tediously re-entering them.

Now you can easily move a task (and all of its sub-tasks) to another list. To do this, simply click on the arrow (or use Shift-Enter) to the right of the task. At the bottom of this screen is a drop-down with all of your task lists. Simply select another list, and leave the screen by clicking "Back to list."



Poof! Your task will magically migrate to the other list. To convince yourself it's still there, visit the other list in the list switch pop-up.

Another new feature should help with those times when you write what's really two tasks as a single task. Or maybe you hit Enter a little too quickly and continued typing something in a new task that was meant for the previous one.

Now, you can split a single task into two tasks or merge two existing tasks. If you've ever used a word processor, you already know how to do this. Simply use Enter and Backspace as you would normally.

If you're not already using Tasks, turn it on from the Labs tab under your Gmail Settings. Once you do, you'll see the "Tasks" link right near your Contac! ts. Just click it to get started. We're working on a number of small tweaks like this to make Tasks more useful, so let us know what else you'd like to see.

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Intimidate Neighbors And Cook Their Food With Uber Manly Imperial Grill XL [Grills]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/0ByauGvmI6E/intimidate-neighbors-and-cook-their-food-with-uber-manly-imperial-grill-xl

It's a balmy 58 degrees in Boston today, and spring is just around the corner. Time to talk grills. What better place to start than the Imperial Grill, which is held together by pure testosterone?

Housed within this stainless steel propane-devouring beast are two separate ovens and two cooking surfaces that erupt with up to 60,000 BTUs. The looks are pretty pedestrian (where is Leonidas, screaming with fury on the facade?), but the sound of all those burners charring the food inside will probably make up for that minor quibble. Hope your neighbors like a little side of "wet their pants" with their steak.

The rig costs $1,800, which is also the amount of money you'll need to keep this thing running all the way through spring and summer. Keep an extra propane tank or ten handy. [Born Rich]



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OLED market set to skyrocket in 2011, says DisplaySearch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/15/oled-market-set-to-skyrocket-in-2011-says-displaysearch/


You've seen the prototypes tucked away in trade show corners, and you've seen the demise of existing generation technologies -- it doesn't take an industry expert to realize that the door is wide open for OLED to walk through. According to a new report from -- who else? -- industry experts, the OLED lighting market is set to boom in 2011, with OLED revenues expected to surpass PMOLED displays in the 2013 / 2014 time frame. Specifically in the OLED TV market, manufacturers are scrambling to assemble large-screen OLED TVs that are even close to affordable, and estimates we've personally heard put those on the market just after the next decade begins. Clearly, the biggest hindrance from OLED domination right now is the prohibitive pricing, but once those XEL-1s are given away inside King Size cereal boxes, we'll really be onto something.

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OLED market set to skyrocket in 2011, says DisplaySearch originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Mar 2009 08:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LittleShoot Brings BitTorrent to Any Browser for the Uninitiated [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/fMZGZGEaimM/littleshoot-brings-bittorrent-to-any-browser-for-the-uninitiated

Windows/Mac/Linux: Browser plug-in LittleShoot integrates BitTorrent downloads into virtually any web browser—including IE, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari—making BitTorrent dead simple for those who can't wrap their head around the popular file sharing protocol.

We're big fans of uTorrent around here (and apparently so are you)—it's our first recommendation for anyone looking to make some really great BitTorrent sauce—but as much as we've tried to make it dead simple to get good with the many BitTorrent tools, there are those folks who still just don't get it. (As TorrentFreak points out, you'd "be amazed by the number of people who just don't understand why their Windows Media Player won't play back this damn torrent file.") LittleShoot aims to solve that problem by plugging into virtually any browser on your system for seamless downloads whenever you click on a torrent file.

We mentioned LittleShoot last year, but the BitTorrent integration is new (and ultimately a little more interesting). Browser-integrated BitTorrent itself is not new (Opera has had it for years, for example), but LittleShoot integrates it with any browser you throw at it. So while LittleShoot is not our first choice, it may be worthwh! ile unde r the right circumstances. LittleShoot is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux.



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Touchscreen, Trackball-Less BlackBerry Bold Leaked [BlackBerry]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/v2l8AyqO8WE/touchscreen-trackball+less-blackberry-bold-leaked

That rumored BlackBerry Bold with a touchscreen was just a whisper before, but now we've got a shot of the packaging to prove its existence. Let's see what we know about this new hybrid.

We'd known it as the Pluto, but now it's been given a traditional RIM numeric identification as the 99xx series. It's got just about the same form factor as the Bold, including the QWERTY keyboard, but with one notable addition and one notable feature missing: It's got a touchscreen in place of the trackball.

This blurry shot shows a Rogers-branded 99xx (a major Canadian carrier), and the 3G device is allegedly due for a late 3rd quarter release up north. "Late 3rd quarter release" is code for "don't bank on this until the 4th quarter", but we're excited nonetheless. We'll continue with updates as we get more info. [CrackBerry]



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Toshiba offers up JournE air 801 / 1000 WiFi digiframes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/13/toshiba-offers-up-journe-air-801-1000-wifi-digiframes/


Another day, another digiframe to incite waves of yawns. This go 'round, we're looking at a pair from Toshiba, which have been announced for a bit now but just got priced across the pond. Both JournE air frames include built-in WiFi capability and offer online access to photo communities like Flickr and Picasa. As for the former, it touts an 8.4-inch LCD, dual 0.5 watt speakers, an exchangeable metallic silver colored frame, rechargeable battery, touch-sensitive buttons, 1GB of internal memory and a multicard reader that accepts SD, SDHC, MMC, Memory Stick, MSPro and xD cards up to 4GB in size. The bigger brother (that'd be the 1000, y'all) ups the ante with a 10-inch LCD and support for internet radio. Reportedly, these will run you £139.99 ($195) / £169.99 ($237), respectively, when they land sometime this quarter.

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Toshiba offers up JournE air 801 / 1000 WiFi digiframes originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Apple Nehalem-based Mac Pro unboxing and hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/14/apple-nehalem-based-mac-pro-unboxing-and-hands-on/


Here she is, fresh off the Saturday Express. Apple's latest Mac Pro is said to be significantly more nimble and entirely easier to upgrade than its Penryn-based predecessor, and while it'll take us a few days yet to check out the former claim, we can already assure you that the second one is valid. Upon unboxing this beast (to be fair, it's not all that monstrous), we immediately dug within the cover to see what was up with Apple's new tray system. Rather than forcing users to squeeze their hands into unfathomably tight places just to pop in a new DIMM or add in a fresh 2TB hard drive, the engineers at Cupertino found a way to place all eight RAM slots on a removable tray, meaning that you can actually take that piece elsewhere and operate under better lighting. The tray was dead simple to remove and replace, and while it's a small inclusion, it's definitely an appreciated one. We'll be stressing this thing out and writing up a more thorough review soon, but for now, enjoy the snapshots / video below and after the break, respectively.

Continue reading Video: Apple Nehalem-based Mac Pro unboxing and hands-on

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Video: Apple Nehalem-based Mac Pro unboxing and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Mar 2009 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry 9630 Niagara pops up in more glamorous spy shots

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/14/blackberry-9630-niagara-pops-up-in-more-glamorous-spy-shots/

Ladies and gentlemen, we now present even more shots of the CDMA-equipped BlackBerry 9630 Niagara that was caught strutting its stuff earlier this month. Not only is the phone turned on this time, but we've also caught it lying across some shagadelic leopard print. Additionally, the fine folks over at the Crackberry forums have a couple of less stylish pics, allegedly uploaded by someone trying to hawk the phone on craigslist for a cool $800. Those images show off what appears to be a battery slot on the back that's slimmer than current models. Until RIM decides to give us some official visuals, we remain ever-hopeful that someone with the leaked phone manages a sexier photo shoot. More spy shots, including that of the mobile's underside, after the break.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Read - Device-on photo
Read - Pics of underside

Continue reading BlackBerry 9630 Niagara pops up in more glamorous spy shots

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BlackBerry 9630 Niagara pops up in more glamorous spy shots originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubuntu 9.04 ported to Nokia's N8x0 Internet Tablets

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/15/ubuntu-9-04-ported-to-nokias-n8x0-internet-tablets/


Already bored with Cupcake, are you? If your Nokia Internet Tablet needs just one more operating system to test out, we've excellent news to pass your way. Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) is primed and ready for installation on Nokia's N8x0 family of handhelds, which obviously includes the N800 and N810. It should be noted, however, that Usplash and audio aren't working at the moment, but everything else seems to be humming along just fine. If you're looking for the step-by-step guide of hooking your handheld up with a real-deal OS, give that read link a long look.

[Thanks, Addae]

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Ubuntu 9.04 ported to Nokia's N8x0 Internet Tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Mar 2009 05:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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