Monday, January 04, 2010

Toshiba mini NB305 adds Atom N450 to a successful formula (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/04/toshiba-mini-nb305-adds-atom-n450-to-a-successful-formula/

Toshiba hasn't strayed far from its NB205 series of 10-inch netbooks with the all-new mini NB305, but the few tweaks made are welcome. Obviously the Atom N450 processor is the central attraction, but tweaks like a 250GB hard drive, less protrusive 6-cell battery (which clocks in a purported 11 hours of battery life), and a slightly lighter finished product (2.6 pounds) all add up to a compelling offering. The regular version of the laptop with "true" chiclet keys goes for $400, while a black version with a less impressive keyboard takes the entry spot at $350.

We got a few moments to play with the netbooks, and came away pretty impressed. It might not be quite the bang-for-buck on offer from other manufacturers, and the lack of a higher-end graphics option is a little off-putting, but as for simple build quality and usability (we're particular fans of the oversized trackpad), the NB305 might be hard to beat. Toshiba's also pursuing the software angle here with a Media Controller app to expose some of Windows 7's media streaming abilities, along with a visual search app called RealTime and a fridge-style Bulletin Board.

Toshiba mini NB305 adds Atom N450 to a successful formula (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CinemaNow 2.0: 3D, 1080p, Android & WinMo get a taste of online movie distribution

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/04/cinemanow-2-0-3d-1080p-android-and-winmo-get-a-taste-of-online/

Thought digital delivery would get left behind in the jump to 3D? Roxio's CinemaNow 2.0 platform is ready to build on the success of its predecessor -- already embedded in many devices and powering the online stores for Blockbuster, Best Buy and Zip.ca -- and flip the switch bringing streamed or downloaded 1080p or 3D, plus the ability to add additional background info on each movie or previously disc-exclusive extras like multiple audio tracks, subtitles and more. Also new for 2.0 are plans for access on Android and Windows Mobile devices. We're still thinking a combo of lower prices, all you can eat subscriptions or a disc tie-in is the logical next step, but we'll wait for a CES demo to ask about that, and whether the new features will be backwards compatible on old hardware.

CinemaNow 2.0: 3D, 1080p, Android & WinMo get a taste of online movie distribution originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skiff Reader is largest yet, will be hitting a Sprint Store near you

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/04/skiff-reader-is-largest-reader-yet-will-be-hitting-a-sprint-sto/

Skiff Reader is largest, thinnest reader yet, hitting a Sprint Store near you
Amazon's Kindle DX may be big, but it's not the biggest any more. The Skiff Reader is here to take that crown -- despite being a mere quarter inch thick. It packs a 1600 x 1200 11.5-inch touchscreen (finger and stylus) that, as you can see from the above screenshot, should do much better justice to magazine and newspaper layouts than we've yet seen from an e-ink-based reader. That's exactly the sort of advance Hearst was promising when it first mentioned the device last month. Skiff includes 4GB of on-board storage (just over 3GB is available for content) with SD card expansion, and there's a 3.5mm headphone jack for tunes and, hopefully, text-to-speech. Content can be side-loaded over a mini USB jack or delivered via WiFi but, more importantly, 3G is also on offer thanks to Sprint, who will also dedicate some space in its retail stores to sell the thing when it launches sometime this year. Price? That we don't know.

Skiff Reader is largest yet, will be hitting a Sprint Store near you originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BenQ's Joybook Lite U103 packs an SSD for when you're feeling frisky, HDD for when you're not

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/04/benqs-joybook-lite-u103-packs-an-ssd-for-when-youre-feeling-fr/

BENQ's Joybook Lite U103 packs an SSD for when you're feeling frisky, HDD for when you're not
If money were no issue we'd all be rocking slinky notebooks with terabytes of flash-based storage, but alas this recession means a more budget-conscious approach is warranted. BenQ's solution is to offer a bit of both with its latest Joybook Lite, the U103, offering a large (500GB max) HDD paired with an optional 32GB SSD. Install your OS and critical apps on the SSD, dump everything else to platter, and make the most of what the company advertises will be an eight hour battery. That the laptop packs what is advertised as "Intel's new Atom" processor (surely the N450) is a good sign that battery life will indeed be good, something that should also be helped by a 10-inch, LED-backlit display of indeterminate resolution. Also on the docket is pseudo-3D sound from the two integrated speakers courtesy of SRS TruSound HD, a multitouch trackpad, and a weight of just 2.4lbs. No price yet, but that should change soon enough.

BenQ's Joybook Lite U103 packs an SSD for when you're feeling frisky, HDD for when you're not originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, January 03, 2010

Build a DIY Camera Stabilizer to Capture Smooth Video [DIY]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/1hmsYWzORHk/build-a-diy-camera-stabilizer-to-capture-smooth-video

One aspect of professionally shot video that amateurs most frequently want to emulate is how smooth the footage is. Shoot your own jitter-free video with this DIY stabilizer

If the contraption here looks a little familiar to you, you're not imagining things. It's the 5th version of homemade steadicams built by YB2Normal, who has been tinkering away with DIY stabilizers for several years now. We shared one of the first incarnations with you earlier this year.

His newest version requires the most machining and fine detail work out of any of his previous versions, so if you're put off by that you might want to check out this simple design we shared with you, courtesy of Make Magazine.

If you want to check out all the builds YB2Normal has undertaken, check out his project guide here. Have your own video-related DIY project? Let's hear about it in the comments.




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Multitouch Browser Comes to Droid By Way of Software Hack [Droid]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/svYpllVEOMI/multitouch-browser-comes-to-droid-by-way-of-software-hack

We know the Europeans have been tooling around with Droid and mutlitouch since December, but today, courtesy a hack of sorts, we Yanks can have it too, albeit for a browser only in this particular case.

All you have to do is follow about five steps over at AllDroid and it's yours. You'll need to root your phone first, of course, so this isn't really a mom and pops operation just yet. There are also a few downloads and deletions to be aware of as well.

Voila. Users report that it works just fine on version 2.1, even as a beta. [AllDroid via Redmond Pie - Thanks, Taimur]




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Exclusive: Google Nexus One hands-on, video, and first impressions

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/02/exclusive-google-nexus-one-hands-on-video-and-first-impressio/

That's right, humans -- Engadget has its very own Nexus One. You've seen leaked pics and videos from all over, but we're the first publication to get our very own unit, and we plan on giving you guys the full story on every nook and cranny of this device. In case you've been living under a rock, here's the breakdown of the phone. The HTC-built and (soon to be) Google-sold device runs Android 2.1 atop a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, a 3.7-inch, 480 x 800 display, has 512MB of ROM, 512MB of RAM, and a 4GB microSD card (expandable to 32GB). The phone is a T-Mobile device (meaning no 3G if you want to take it to AT&T), and includes the standard modern additions of a light sensor, proximity sensor, and accelerometer. The Nexus One has a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, and we have to say so far the pictures it snaps look pretty decent (and the camera software is much faster than the same component on the Droid). The phone is incredibly thin and sleek -- a little thinner than the iPhone -- but it has pretty familiar HTC-style industrial design. It's very handsome, but not blow-you-away good looking. It's a very slim, very pocketable phone, and feels pretty good in your hand. Thought you'd have to wait for that Google event for more on the Nexus One? Hell no -- so read on for an in-depth look. C'mon, you know you want to.

Continue reading Exclusive: Google Nexus One hands-on, video, and first impressions

Exclusive: Google Nexus One hands-on, video, and first impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP Mini 210 spotted at retail with $350 pricetag

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/02/hp-mini-210-spotted-at-retail-with-350-pricetag/

The yet-to-be-confirmed HP Mini 210 has popped up at a couple online retail spots already, but now it seems to have landed in the Real World courtesy of a Costco in Hillsboro, Oregon. We've seen the netbook listed at $280, $320 and now $350 pricetags, so we really don't know who to trust anymore (certainly not our parent's generation), but the sexy design, chiclet keyboard and unibutton trackpad certainly smack of progress.

[Thanks, Dustin W. who sent this in via our new webOS app!]

HP Mini 210 spotted at retail with $350 pricetag originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quake ported to the Pre, webOS 3D gaming truly within reach

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/03/quake-ported-to-the-pre-webos-3d-gaming-truly-within-reach/

Yeah, hardware accelerating Doom is an important milestone in any fledgling system's career, but when you talk 3D acceleration, Quake is certainly a giant leap ahead of Doom in polygonal terms. The game has now been ported to webOS using the same new SDL library from version 1.3.5, and while it looks a little sluggish and crashy in the video after the break, it's clearly a landmark event just the same. Now if only we could get stuff like this in the App Catalog we'd be perfectly happy forever and ever. Or for at least a week.

Continue reading Quake ported to the Pre, webOS 3D gaming truly within reach

Quake ported to the Pre, webOS 3D gaming truly within reach originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T sued by Washington DC for unused balances on calling cards

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/03/atandt-sued-by-washington-dc-for-unused-balances-on-calling-cards/

Here's a superficially curious, but fundamentally quite important, bit of legal wrangling for you. Reuters is reporting that the District of Columbia has filed suit against AT&T Corp for the recovery of unused balances on calling cards purchased from the telecom giant. Estimated at somewhere between 5 and 20 percent of the overall value of the cards, the so-called breakage -- leftover credit that customers neglect to use -- has typically remained with the carrier as a sort of predictable bonus. The DC Attorney General, however, is seeking to have breakages treated as unclaimed property, which under district law means that after three years they must be returned to the state. Whichever side of the fence you sit on, the decision on this case will set a significant precedent for the future of such prepaid services.

AT&T sued by Washington DC for unused balances on calling cards originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/03/lenovo-thinkpad-edge-13-review/

Lenovo has always had a certain knack for producing some of the most reliable, ergonomic and slender ultraportables on the market (see ThinkPad X301 and ThinkPad X200). But they've always had one issue: prices that ring up at well over a grand. Where's the killer ThinkPad ultraportable for the rest of us been? Well hello, ThinkPad Edge 13 - a thin, light Intel ULV powered laptop with an entirely new design that starts at $549. Yes, $549. But at that price point and with some serious changes to some traditional elements can it live up to the ThinkPad quality that we've been accustomed to for years? And can it stand out in the overpopulated CULV-based laptop market? We spent a couple days putting a spec'd-up $899 model through our daily grind -- read on for our full review.

Continue reading Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 review

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 review originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell, Toshiba and Gateway Core i3 laptops get revealed early, joined by Pine Trail netbooks

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/03/dell-toshiba-and-gateway-core-i3-laptops-get-revealed-early-jo/

And just like that, the CES 2010 on-switch has been well and truly pressed. After HP, Sony and Lenovo all exposed their hardware to the world prematurely, it was inevitable that other companies would "accidentally" follow suit. Thanks to CNET's snooping, we're now staring at a trio of new Core i3 models from Dell, Toshiba and Gateway -- highlighted by an unannounced ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 powering a 1600 x 900 15-inch display on the Gateway, which also squeezes 500GB of storage under a shockingly low $692 price tag. On the Atom front, the Mini 210 is joined by a Toshiba NB305 -- sporting the N450, 250GB HDD, up to 11 hours' claimed battery life, and a $438 sticker -- as well as Gateway's effort with a smaller 160GB HDD but also suitably reduced $285 asking price. Hit the links below to get freshened up on all the juicy details.

Read - FutureShop.ca (Gateway NV5905H)
Read - FutureShop.ca (Toshiba Satellite L500-00F)
Read - Costco (Dell Inspiron 15)
Read - FutureShop.ca (Gateway LT2102H)
Read - FutureShop.ca (Toshiba NB305-00F)

Dell, Toshiba and Gateway Core i3 laptops get revealed early, joined by Pine Trail netbooks originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung hops on Atom N450 bandwagon with N210, N220, N150 and NB30 netbooks

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/03/samsung-hops-on-atom-n450-bandwagon-with-n210-n220-n150-and-nb/

Keeping the news flowing fast and furious, Samsung has come out with a quartet of new netbooks, distinguishable primarily by their battery life. The N210 and 220 take the lead with a purported 12 hours of "connected mobility," while the NB30 (11 hours) and N150 (8.5 hours) are none too shabby either. The N150 differentiates itself with an "integrated hinge," while the NB30 focuses on durability with a HDD protection sensor and a water-tight seal that protects the netbook from up to 50cc of water. Still, the machines do share a lot, including an Atom N450 at their heart, and a 10.1-inch anti-reflective screen, plus -- you'd be better sit down for this -- mark- and scratch-resistant casing. Does this mean the end of the fingerprint-loving netbook? We can only hope so. Full PR blurb after the break.

Continue reading Samsung hops on Atom N450 bandwagon with N210, N220, N150 and NB30 netbooks

Samsung hops on Atom N450 bandwagon with N210, N220, N150 and NB30 netbooks originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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