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Thursday, March 19, 2009

Mamiya announces DL33 for those who need more than 28 megapixels

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/19/mamiya-announces-dl33-for-those-who-need-more-than-28-megapixels/

Mamiya announces DL33 for those who need more than 28 megapixels

Facing a little bit of competition from the hands of Nikon, and finding its earlier 28 megapixel DL28 to be something of a success (despite its $15,000 price tag), medium format master Mamiya is introducing a new model set to drive the megapixel wars to new heights. The DL33 sports similar specs to the DL28, including a 3.5-inch touchscreen on the back, but bests its successor with a 36 x 44-millimeter, 33 megapixel sensor. That means 16-bit capture, 12-stop dynamic range, and ISO settings from 50 to 800. Other tweaks include a faster autofocus motor and an improved UI, but with image files clocking in at 67 - 190MB you'll probably need some improved storage, too. The camera will be available starting next month for $19,999 including a 55mm f2.8 or 150mm f3.5 lens -- but only if you act now.

[Via Topix]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Mamiya announces DL33 for those who need more than 28 megapixels originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GIGABYTE BIOS hack subverts NVIDIA SLI certification, sticks it to the man

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/19/gigabyte-bios-hack-subverts-nvidia-sli-certification-sticks-i/

GIGABYTE BIOS hack subverts NVIDIA SLI certification, sticks it to the man

When NVIDIA announced support for SLI on motherboards sporting Intel's X58 chipset, there was something of a hidden catch -- manufacturers needed to pay to become "certified." Yes, you might have thought all you needed was a pair of parallel PCI-E slots and couple of matching video cards to get your SLI on, but non-certified boards find themselves shunned by NVIDIA graphics hardware. However, where there's a will there's usually a way, and for at least one of those woefully illegitimate mobos there's a workaround. GIGABYTE didn't bother to get certification for its EX58-UD4 motherboard, but it did for the EX58-UD4P, and it turns out the same BIOS works on both. Naturally it takes a little extra work to get the wrong version up in the right EEPROM, but the read link has all the details you need to re-flash with finesse.

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

GIGABYTE BIOS hack subverts NVIDIA SLI certification, sticks it to the man originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget's recession antidote: win a 22-inch iZ3D 3D monitor!

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/19/engadgets-recession-antidote-win-a-22-inch-iz3d-3d-monitor/

This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a 22-inch iZ3D 3D monitor on offer, ready to take you (and your mind) to a dimension rarely seen on typical computer LCDs. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting!

Special thanks to iZ3D for providing the gear!

The rules:

Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine.
Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) 22-inch iZ3D 3D LCD monitor. Approximate value is $399.
If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
Entries can be submitted until Thursday, March 19th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Full rules can be found here.

Filed under: Announcements, Displays

Engadget's recession antidote: win a 22-inch iZ3D 3D monitor! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA's PhysX SDK sashays onto Nintendo's Wii

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/19/nvidias-physx-sdk-sashays-onto-nintendos-wii/

Just two days after NVIDIA proudly announced that its PhysX technology was coming to Sony's potent PlayStation 3, the same can now be said in regards to Nintendo's decidedly less potent Wii. As the story goes, NVIDIA has just been approved as a third party tools solution provider for the Wii console, which inevitably means that the PhysX SDK is now available for registered Wii developers. Quite frankly, we're really interested to see where this goes; unlike Sony's SIXAXIS, Nintendo's Wiimote is highly based on physics already, so the possibilities here seem even more limitless. Get to work, devs!

[Via HotHardware]

Filed under: Gaming

NVIDIA's PhysX SDK sashays onto Nintendo's Wii originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Via announces Surfboard netbook with 1080p graphics

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/19/video-via-announces-surfboard-netbook-with-1080p-graphics/

Via Technologies has announced its new Surfboard C855 mainboard reference design directed at the netbook market. This guy is built around the company's new VX855 chipset and promises 1080p Full HD video playback, 8-channel HD audio, hardware decoding for H.264, MPEG-2/4, VC-1 and WMV9, and support for Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and 3G connectivity. According to the company, the thing will play HD video with under 40 percent CPU use, supporting up to 1366 x 768 internal display resolution (1920 x 1440 external). What do you think? Are you a would-be netbook developer looking for "a complete, ready-to-build solution," that offers "a superior multimedia entertainment experience?" Be sure to check out that video after the break.

Continue reading Video: Via announces Surfboard netbook with 1080p graphics

Filed under: Laptops

Video: Via announces Surfboard netbook with 1080p graphics originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bang & Olufsen's 103-inch BeoVision 4-103 plasma is gorgeous, pricey

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/19/bang-and-olufsens-103-inch-beovision-4-103-plasma-is-gorgeous-pr/

Plasma's dying, huh? Go and tell that to Bang & Olufsen. Just in case the 50- and 65-inch versions of the BeoVision 4 HDTV weren't expansive enough, the high-end home cinema outfitter has just pushed out news of an all new addition: the 103-inch BeoVision 4-103. If that number immediately rings a bell, here's a cookie. The 103-inch Panasonic TH-103PF9 panel is indeed the exact one used here, but B&O has obviously spruced up the design, added an automatic rising stand and incorporated the BeoSystem 3 and the VisionClear technology that automatically adjusts colors and brightness. Oh, and it tossed in a B&O logo, which is darn near priceless. Speaking of stickers, the set should be available this July for around €100,000 ($136,220) pre-VAT. Check the demonstration vid after the break.

[Thanks, John]

Continue reading Bang & Olufsen's 103-inch BeoVision 4-103 plasma is gorgeous, pricey

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Bang & Olufsen's 103-inch BeoVision 4-103 plasma is gorgeous, pricey originally appeared on! Engadget on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Why iPhone In-App Transactions Could Be a Disaster [Bad News]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Q1Pn8YoRPKA/why-iphone-in+app-transactions-could-be-a-disaster

Apple made a big deal about allowing in-app transactions with the new iPhone 3.0 API. It's great news if you're a developer looking to make more scratch, but it's potentially terrible news for users.

Basically, this is opening the flood gates for nickel-and-diming microtransactions from the App Store. Before, when you spent $5 on a game, you knew you were getting the whole game—with free upgrades. Now, you'll spend $5 on a game and you'll need to spend another $5 to unlock all the levels and weapons. And that's on legit apps. Just wait for the novelty fart apps with one fart sound that want you to pay for extras, or a flashlight app that wants you to pay for different colors.

This could easily turn tons and tons of apps into crippled trialware without consumers knowing, and it's going to make developers hungry for the extra cash they can make by charging you for extra feature they would have included in the full version anyways. Like a game charging you $3 for fancy horse armor on the Xbox 360, but without the filter than comes from the huge budgetary requirements of Xbox 360 games, this is going to open the floodgates for the sleaziest app behaviors possible. The worst part of it is, there will be enough people willing to pay a little here and a little there to support this kind of behavior. But I for one, am out. Do not want. [Gizmodo's iPhone 3.0 Coverage]

Smith Optics I/OS Interchangeable Snow Goggles: Lightning Review [Snowmodo]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/L0DCenPMWvo/smith-optics-ios-interchangeable-snow-goggles-lightning-review

The Gadget: Rimless goggles with a locking lens plate for switching up the glass for sunny or cloudy days. A follow up to their I/O googles, but with improved foam sealing and shape.

The Price: $180

The Rundown: Smith Optics is my favorite goggle company. I usually use their sensor phenom lens on cloudy/storm days, and their full on mirror for sunny days. This goggle ships with both, in a clever zip up nylon box, so you're covered in all conditions. The original I/O had some seal issues around the nose (it, uh, didn't seal well on most people's faces, narrow or broad) but the IO/S (and the improved I/O) fixes that with a piece of foam slit above the nose, with more material for closure. (The S shape is for smaller faces, but is the same concept as the I/O) The shape of the original was also really round, so if you tried to put it on your face, the seal on the lens twisted off the frame. Less so with these, but try them on before you buy. Unlike old swappable lenses on cheap goggs, these lock into place by way of the strap holders and two switches on top. Very sturdy. And, Smith Optics almost never fog, unless you're a sweatball or in a swampy storm. I still prefer to run separate goggles for sunny and cloudy days, because I don't like handling my lenses any more than I have to, but if you can only have one set and these fit, I recommend them for their amazing versatility. [Smith Optics, Snowmodo]

Snowmodo is our snow sport winter meet up at Lake Tahoe, with prizes, discounts, tons of fun snow activities, a party and GADGETS. If you can make it (and people are! coming from TEXAS) please RSVP and find out more info by clicking on the banner below. I'll let you wear my hat (below).

Super Thin, Flexible OLED Lights to be Available in 2011 [Oled]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/A83NYAx2_Ng/super-thin-flexible-oled-lights-to-be-available-in-2011

We've seen ultra-skinny flexible OLED sheets before, but it looks like we now have a date for when they're coming out. Korean company Modistech says it'll debut its thin-and-flexy OLED lights in 2011.

According to Aving.net, the company will begin mass production of the sheets later next year. Each sheet is expected to retail for $212. It's kind of expensive, especially if that price is just for the sheet in the picture, but that's par for the course with new tech – I'm just excited OLED sheets are finally stepping out of the research lab. [OLED Display]

Google Chrome Passes into 2.0 Beta, Chromium For Linux Gets a Simple Install [Browsers]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/uYc5INIfuSw/google-chrome-passes-into-20-beta-chromium-for-linux-gets-a-simple-install

Removing Chrome's 'beta' label couldn't have been easy for Google, but it looks like they're bringing it right back. Chrome 2.0 beta is now available for Windows, along with a little treat for Linux users.

Chrome 2.0 isn't a total overhaul, and to end users very little will seem different—until they start browsing. Chrome's rendering is said to be between 25% and 35% faster than the last version, with most of the speed gains picked up by streamlined javascript engine. The rest of the enhancements—form autofill, new tab options and custom user script support, a la Greasemonkey—are welcome, but as it stands, this looks a little more like Chrome 1.5 than 2.0. Justifying an entirely new version number would require something interesting like, oh, I don't know, that rumored extension support.

For Ubuntu Linux users, the much rawer Chromium browser has always been a pain in the ass to install. Now the installation process has been dramatically simplified. Instead of all the previously-required downloading, compiling and terminal-delving, Ubuntu users can simply apt-get the 'chromium-browser' package and give it a whirl to confirm that, yes, it still sucks. Get well soon, Chromium. [Slashdot]

Dell Adamo to also come in $2,699 1.4GHz model with 3G

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/17/dell-adamo-to-also-come-in-2-699-1-4ghz-model-with-3g/

Dell's Adamo 13 might be a looker, but the 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo, X4500 graphics, and 2GB of RAM found in the $1,999 model announced last night are fairly underwhelming, and it doesn't seem like the $2,700 higher-end configuration reported by Laptop is going blow any minds either: Dell Australia has it listed with a 1.4GHz ULV Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM, and a built-in 3G card. That's a lot of money for integrated graphics in a four-pound machine -- anyone taken with Dell's artsy new image enough to shell out?

[Thanks, Ed]

Read - Dell Australia page with specs
Read - Laptop post with US pricing

Filed under: Laptops

Dell Adamo to also come in $2,699 1.4GHz model with 3G originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMS finally comes to Apple's iPhone 3G via OS 3.0

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/17/mms-finally-comes-to-apples-iphone/

Apple's done a decent job of implementing features that we've all been clamoring for into its forthcoming OS 3.0, and aside from copy and paste, there's probably no one single feature add bigger than this. You heard right -- multimedia messaging (MMS) is at long last coming to the iPhone 3G (sorry, first-gen iPhone owners) after years of dealing strictly with SMS. During the keynote, Apple was ~~pretty~~ remarkably short with details, simply noting that MMS "support" would be added. Frankly, we don't expect anything mind-blowing; it'll probably look a lot like the current SMS setup, and it'll definitely make AT&T happy when you start firing away picture messages without first subscribing to an unlimited messaging plan.

Update: Apple's official PR on the subject has given us just a bit more to chew on. We're told that MMS will enable iPhone 3G users to "send and receive photos, contacts, audio files and locations with the Messages app," hinting that Apple may just smash MMS and SMS together into a single 'Messages' app in OS 3.0. Also of note, owners will also be able to "forward and delete multiple messages."

Filed under: Cellphones

MMS finally comes to Apple's iPhone 3G via OS 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2G iPod touch to have Bluetooth capability unlocked by iPhone OS 3.0

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/17/2g-ipod-touch-to-have-bluetooth-capability-unlocked-by-iphone-os/

Looks like that Bluetooth chip in the iPod touch 2G we've always thought was for Nike+ suddenly got a lot more useful: Apple's Greg Joswiak said that Bluetooth can be "unlocked" on the device during the iPhone OS 3.0 Q&A session. That's two years of rumors put to rest, right there, and a solid move, seeing as three of the major 3.0 features are A2DP, wireless accessory control and peer-to-peer connections over Bluetooth. Any touch owners feeling more inclined to drop the $9.95 now?

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

2G iPod touch to have Bluetooth capability unlocked by iPhone OS 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA licenses PhysX technology for Sony's PlayStation 3

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/17/nvidia-licenses-physx-technology-for-sonys-playstation-3/

After being on the tip of gamers' tongues last summer, NVIDIA's PhysX technology has cooled a bit in terms of sheer popularity. That said, we've no doubt that the buzz will be back in force after this one clears the airwaves. NVIDIA has just announced that it has nailed down a tools and middleware license agreement for Sony's PlayStation 3, effectively bringing the aforesaid physics tech to what's arguably the most potent game console on the market today. As a result of the deal, a PhysX software development kit (SDK) is now available to registered PS3 developers as a free download for use on the SCEI Developer Network. What exactly this means for future PS3 games remains to be seen, but one's things for sure: it's only up from here.

Filed under: Gaming

NVIDIA licenses PhysX technology for Sony's PlayStation 3 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon readying subsidized HP laptops, Hub 2

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/17/verizon-readying-subsidized-hp-laptops-hub-2/

We just got a pair of small-but-juicy Verizon rumors from a very reliable tipster: first, we hear that HP and Big Red are working together on subsidized WWAN-enabled laptops for launch in Q2. Exactly what machines will be involved can't be confirmed, but if we had our guess we'd say Big Red's got a cheap Mini 1000 on a two-year contract in the works, since these so-called "netbooks" are all the rage these days. Second, a updated version of the charming-but-questionably-useful Hub "landline killer" home phone is due out in the second half of the year, and VZW's apparently retargeting it a little: we're told it'll be more upscale and boast even more features. And here we thought that internet radio widget was gettin' all crazy. No word on pricing for any of this stuff, but we'd bet we'll find out more soon.

Filed under: Household, Laptops, Wireless

Verizon readying subsidized HP laptops, Hub 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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