Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Belkin Home Base brings wireless printing and file sharing to any PC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/belkin-home-base-brings-wireless-printing-and-file-sharing-to-an/


You've been looking for it, we've been looking for it -- heck, displaced Martians have been looking for it. We're talking about that mythical, magical box that adds all sorts of connectivity to any networked PC, and rather than making consumers purchase separate devices to add NAS capabilities and wireless print sharing to one's home, Belkin's Home Base does it all. This sleek little box includes four USB 2.0 sockets and an Ethernet jack, and when connected to one's home router, a printer and at least one external hard drive, any machine on the network instantly gains wireless printing abilities as well as network access to your USB HDD(s). Furthermore, Home Base can wirelessly backup your connected PCs behind your back, and with the automatic sharing feature, your most intimate photos can be whisked away to Flickr-land without you having to know. Are you as giddy as we are? Pull out $130 and get to shoppin' -- it should be available today.

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Belkin Home Base brings wireless printing and file sharing to any PC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos phone tablet teased: Android, 4.3-inch touschscreen, 1GHz ARM processor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/archos-phone-tablet-teased-android-4-3-inch-touschscreen-1ghz/

In an all-too brief teaser at a press conference across the pond, Archos decided to give a few more details and a teaser pic of the Android phone it announced back in February. According to the slide, it's got a 4.3-inch touchscreen with 854 x 480 resolution, a 1GHz ARM processor -- likely comparable to Archos 5, but pretty powerful considering what all other Android phones have so far arrived with -- and a 10mm-thick shell. Size and specs-wise, it matches up quite handily to the Snapdragon- and Windows Mobile-powered Toshiba TG01, although that one's already taking up retail shelf space, and it looks like we'll be waiting for some of those infamous Archos leaks if we want any more information the phone tablet in the near future.

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Archos phone tablet teased: Android, 4.3-inch touschscreen, 1GHz ARM processor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volkswagen E-Up! concept rolls into Frankfurt, hits the road in 2013

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/volkswagen-e-up-concept-rolls-into-frankfurt-hits-the-road-in/


Volkswagen's E-Up! concept vehicle has been making the rounds for a little while now, but it looks like the automaker has really stepped up its game (and hype machine) for its appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show, where it also took the opportunity to announce a launch date. That will apparently happen sometime in 2013, when Volkswagen hopes that the vehicle will become nothing short of "the Beetle of the 21st century." A lofty goal to be sure, but the E-Up! does have quite a bit going for it compared to other all-electric vehicles, including a new "lightweight," five hundred pound lithium-ion battery pack, a promised range of 130 kilometers, a full recharge in less than five hours, and even some solar panels on the roof and the sun visors to add a bit of extra power to the car's electrical system. Hit up the link below for the complete rundown, and plenty of pics courtesy of our pals at Autoblog Green.

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Volkswagen E-Up! concept rolls into Frankfurt, hits the road in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI ships 12.1-inch, Athlon Neo-equipped Wind U210

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/msi-ships-12-1-inch-athlon-neo-equipped-wind-u210/


MSI's Wind U210 has certainly been making the rounds, but it has yet to plant its feet firmly on US soil. Until today, obviously. Checking in at 3.2 pounds, this 12.1-inch netbook is equipped with a larger-than-usual 1,366 x 768 display, AMD's 1.6GHz Athlon Neo MV-40 processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 250GB hard drive and a 6-cell battery that's reportedly good for four hours of usage. The rig's also packing an ATI Radeon X1250 in the graphics department, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, HDMI output, three USB 2.0 sockets, a VGA port and a 4-in-1 multicard reader. For those interested in buying a Vista-equipped machine just a month before Windows 7 swoops in to save the day, both Amazon and NewEgg would be more than happy to make your wallet $430 lighter.

Continue reading MSI ships 12.1-inch, Athlon Neo-equipped Wind U210

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MSI ships 12.1-inch, Athlon Neo-equipped Wind U210 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo T400s touch hands-on and impressions

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/lenovo-t400s-touch-hands-on-and-impressions/

From the outside, the new Lenovo T400s touch doesn't look all that exciting -- unless you're the sort to get excited over ThinkPads, in which case you're probably quite stoked that it looks exactly like the non-touch T400s. But it's actually a pretty crazy product -- it's a regular laptop with a high-end four-finger capacitive touchscreen. Not a tablet, not a convertible, just a laptop. And a ThinkPad, so you've already got both a touchpad and a TrackPoint to get around. It's a little puzzling until you use it, and realize that just casually reaching out and touching the display sort of makes a lot of sense. Sort of -- there aren't a lot of apps that take advantage of multitouch right now, and while Lenovo's SimpleTap app launcher / control panel system is a cool demo, it's more of a nifty feature than a killer app. Still, it's nice to see a responsive capacitive touchscreen make the touch features of Windows 7 much more fun to use, and while we didn't end up trying to touch our regular laptop screens when we were done with the T400s touch, we'd certainly spring for the option if we were in the market. Check a little video after the break.



Continue reading Lenovo T400s touch hands-on and impressions

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Lenovo T400s touch hands-on and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: How Motorola's Cliq could start to drag

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/switched-on-how-motorolas-cliq-could-start-to-drag/

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
For many celebrities, 2009 continues to be a year of endings, but at least two handset pioneers have pinned their hopes on rebirths this year. Following Palm's return to its roots with a homegrown operating system earlier this year, Motorola has committed to a new smartphone direction with Android and its Blur social contact architecture. Motorola's first announced Android device, the Cliq, is less distinctive than Palm's Pre or Pixi, but advances the horizontal keyboard slider form factor that provided a successful launchpad for the T-Mobile G1. With high-volume competitors Samsung and LG also planning to release Android devices and HTC marrying Android to its Sense user interface, though, Motorola has incentive to differentiate with software.

All smartphones must decide where they want to integrate and where they want to provide a platform for innovation. RIM, for example, has integrated what is still the best e-mail management application into the BlackBerry (although its lack of HTML email and IMAP support are real drawbacks these days) and Apple has integrated both its own Safari browser as well as services such as Google Maps. But now companies such as Palm and Motorola are integrating social networks, and that could have some downsides.

Continue reading Switched On: How Motorola's Cliq could start to drag

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Switched On: How Motorola's Cliq could start to drag originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, September 14, 2009

Swiveling Touchscreen Viliv S7 Spotted With Lofty Asking Price [NetBooks]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/blZQjX0Lsjo/swiveling-touchscreen-viliv-s7-spotted-with-lofty-asking-price

The Viliv S7, that hot little number we spec'd for you in January, is all but out and about today with one little caveat: Its not so little asking price is pegged between $630 to $800, depending on options.

If that drew a bit of a dubious whistle out of you, you're not alone. Comments over at CrunchGear echo the sentiment, and cast just the slightest bit of uncertainty over this impressive little rig's shiny sheen.

A recap, if you please:

There's a substantial seven hours of video playback on a swiveling 1024x600 7-inch touchscreen, thanks in part to the energy-sipping internals. An impressively sized keyboard sits on top of standard netbook specs, including an Atom processor (up to 1.86 GHz), 1 GB memory, 60 GB HDD/16 GB SSD, and Windows XP.

Not bad, but the price is pushing it, if ever so slightly. Or maybe you disagree. Thoughts before the inevitably soonish release? [Dynamism via CrunchGear]




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Volution Bluetooth Headset Concept Almost Makes Headsets Cool— Almost [Headsets]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/AXCv-Ln881k/volution-bluetooth-headset-concept-almost-makes-headsets-coolalmost

Bluetooth headsets suck, mostly due to the fact that they're butt ugly and turn users into talking-to-themselves crazy people. But this latest design takes care of the first issue—so long as you're a lady (says designer Fandi Meng).

As you can see, the headset is more earring than funky robotic ear leech, and it actually looks kind of nice in a futuristic fashionista kind of way.

Like a traditional headset, you tap the sensor to answer an incoming call, and talk into the air like a idiot as normal. But you look good, especially if you happen to be a model. [Fandi Meng via Design Blog]




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MIT Students Explain How to Photograph Space for $150 [Photography]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Fm0DljhtLvY/mit-students-explain-how-to-photograph-space-for-150

On September 2, Justin Lee and Oliver Yeh successfully took these images of Earth's curvature and the blackness of space using only a weather balloon and off-the-shelf components—without complicated hacks. Total cost: $148. Here's how they did it.

First up, their rig used a Canon A470 camera with 8GB SD card that they bought used on Amazon. And instead of the expensive GPS radios commonly used by weather balloons, they used a prepaid Motorola i290 GPS cell phone to receive location text messages.

The Earth's stratosphere can get as cold as -67 degrees fahrenheit (-55 Celsius), but they couldn't afford expensive temperature-resistant housing. The solution: a styrofoam beer cooler, and an instant hand warmer. Awesome.

Their low-cost balloon-launch platform reached 17.5 miles high, into near-space. Using the GPS phone to track its location, they found the rig 20 miles away from the launch site about 5 hours later.

Total weight was 800g (about 28 ounces). Apparently FAA regulations only apply to balloons with payloads over four pounds. If you want all the details—including a full parts list—check our their site below.

While groups like EOSS (Edge of Space Sciences) have done things like this in the past, I've never seen it done so cheaply. High school science teachers, please take note! [L337arts via Slashdot]




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GW620: LG's First Android Phone Gets Official [Cell Phones]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Jhwbwb8N3Ls/gw620-lgs-first-android-phone-gets-official

LG may have over 10 WinMo phones planned for the next year, but that hasn't stopped it testing out the Android waters. This QWERTY-slider (previously known as "Etna") has a 3-inch touchscreen, 5-megapixel autofocus camera, Wi-Fi and GPS.

LG says its first Android phone is about catering to diverse preferences, but beyond confirming a European release later this year, hasn't yet said if the GW620 will reach the U.S. [LG via KoreaNewsWire]




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Asus Eee Keyboard Confirmed For October, Wireless HDMI Included [Asus]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/I7Feg3V0070/asus-eee-keyboard-confirmed-for-october-wireless-hdmi-included

Hell yes. Asus has finally committed to an October U.S and European arrival for its entertainment-PC-in-keyboard. The sleek device has a 5-inch touchscreen and Ultra Wideband HDMI (with receiver) to connect to your TV. I want it on my coffee-table.

The Eee Keyboard's netbook-like specs include a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 16- or 32GB solid-state hard disk, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI, and battery (no word on its capacity).

The official confirmation backs up DigiTimes' "industry sources" who not only claimed that October looked likely, but estimated the price should be around $400-$500. Asus didn't elaborate on cost, but fingers-crossed that it can keep things that low. And with Windows 7 debuting on October 22, hopefully the Eee Keyboard will ditch XP altogether (though it may have a Mobilin Linux option). [PC World]




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HTC Leo Bares All: Huge 4.3-Inch Screen, 1GHz Snapdragon [HTC Leo]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/sFNkrfDiVSc/htc-leo-bares-all-huge-43+inch-screen-1ghz-snapdragon

Remember that gloriously powerful, oddly fake-looking HTC Windows Mobile 6.5 phone from a while back? Well, it's real, and it's huge. For reference, the phone pictured next to it has an already impressive 3.6-inch screen—this thing breaks 4.

All we've got here are a few images, but they confirm a lot: First of all, this thing does have the 1GHz Qualcomm 8250B processor, 5-megapixel camera with dual LED flash, and will be running Windows Mobile 6.5, otherwise known as Windows Phone. It's thinner than you might expect for such a powerful handset, apparently fulfilling earlier leaks' promises of 11mm thickness. And hey, that weird, un-HTC-like "Pro.Three" branding, complete with "Lorem Ipsum" filler text, is there too. That's one way to designate a prototype, I guess.

What can't really be confirmed from the pictures are some of the juicier specs, like the fact that the alleged 4.3-inch screen is capacitive glass, unlike most of HTC's larger phones, and that the battery is worryingly low 1230MaH unit—a potential dealbreaker for a phone with such a massively huge ! display to backlight. In any case, the Toshiba TG01 finally has a competitor in the Windows Mobile hardware porn category, so if that's your thing, there are a few more photos at the source. [PDA.pl via WMPoweruser]




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INQ picks Android for upcoming touchscreen handsets

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/14/inq-picks-android-for-upcoming-touchscreen-handsets/

We've enjoyed seeing what INQ is bringing to the featurephone space, most recently with the Facebook and Twitter-centric INQ Mini 3G and INQ Chat handsets (which still haven't been announced for the States), but things are getting a lot more interesting on word that INQ is going to be using Android for upcoming touchscreen smartphones. We're guessing INQ will be blending its Synergy-style blended social networking capabilities with traditional Android goodness, much in the way HTC and now Motorola are approaching Android. So far all INQ is saying is that Android hasn't done well against the iPhone so far, and that "you need to get the experience better," promising "cool things" in response to this self-defined challenge. You know what else is a "cool thing"? America.

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INQ picks Android for upcoming touchscreen handsets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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