drag2share: Acer Aspire Ultrabook S3 hands-on (update: video!)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/02/acer-aspire-ultrabook-s3-hands-on/

If you haven't heard, Acer's gone and (officially) jumped on the Ultrabook bandwagon, announcing the 13mm-thin Aspire S3. We're here live at IFA in Berlin and just got some much-anticipated hands-on time. At the press conference that just wrapped, we were treated to a raft of promises -- seven-hour battery life, 1.5 seconds to resume from sleep, two to connect to a wireless network and "no compromise" performance courtesy of ultra low voltage Core i3, i5 and i7 processors. So did our first impression come anywhere near matching the hype? Read on to find out.

Gallery: Acer Aspire Ultrabook S3 hands-on

Continue reading Acer Aspire Ultrabook S3 hands-on (update: video!)

Acer Aspire Ultrabook S3 hands-on (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 05:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Samsung outs new Blu-ray and media hub drives, dammit, the ODD still lives

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/02/samsung-outs-new-blu-ray-and-media-hub-drives-the-odd-lives/

You've seen our musings on the continued relevance of optical drives and it seems Samsung agrees entirely: it's just announced two external spinners to keep pace with our "evolving mobile entertainment demands." Er, great Sammy, but how? First off, there's the USB-powered SE-506AB Blu-ray writer depicted above, which will give that awful Pacific boxset one last chance on your ODD-neutered Mac or netbook. But that's not nearly as interesting as the SE-208BW CD/DVD writer, which doubles as a WiFi media hub to stream music and movies to your smartphone, tablet or PC. It works the other way round too: letting you backup content from your mobile device direct to a disc. It even supports Dynamic DNS and can cooperate with a flash drive or HDD to become a "personal cloud server." Still not impressed? This wonder drive additionally functions as a WiFi extender, or it can create an access point from scratch when cabled up to your network. Man, that's ODD OD. The media hub will arrive at the beginning of 2012, while the new Blu-ray drive should be out any time now. No word on pricing, but check out the PR double-shot after the break for the full specs.

Continue reading Samsung outs new Blu-ray and media hub drives, dammit, the ODD still lives

Samsung outs new Blu-ray and media hub drives, dammit, the ODD still lives originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Fuji X10: The Pro Point-and-Shoot Fighter [Cameras]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5836467/fuji-x10-the-pro-point+and+shoot-fighter

A tinier, cheaper X100 this is not. Most significantly, the X10's 12-megapixel sensor is a smaller 2/3-inch chip and the lens is zoomy, not an ultrasharp 35mm prime. But that doesn't mean Fuji's not built a damn fine pro point-and-shoot fighter.

More designed to go against high-end point-and-shoots like Panasonic's Lumix LX5 or Nikon's P7100 than a Micro Four Thirds or luxury street camera, it's got the features and specs to match those. A 12 megapixel, 2/3-inch sensor that goes up to 12,800 ISO and can handle 7 full-res frames a second. A 4x (28-112mm) zoom lens with an F2-F2.8 max aperture. The full specs are here, but they're nothing you wouldn't expect frankly—just cast in a gorgeous magnesium alloy body, so it's at least as strong as the X100.

Which brings us to the real question: Is it worth it to carry on the name and goodwill of the X100 to a larger audience of quasi-camera nerds? We'll have to see. More camera features below:

X10 Key Features:
• 4x manual optical zoom featuring Fujifilm's new Intelligent Digital Zoom technology that doubles telephoto capabilities and provides up to 8x zoom
• Fast power start-up; the X10 is fully ready to shoot in approximately 0.8 seconds using the on/off power switch built into the lens ring (must be in Quick Start mode)
• High-contrast and wide viewing-angle 2.8" 460K dot high contrast LCD screen that provides excellent viewing even outdoors and in bright sunlight
• Diverse manual shooting modes that can be selected according to scene type (Program / Aperture Priority / Shutter Speed Priority / Manual)
• Four diverse auto bracketing functions for exposure, ISO sensitivity, dynamic range and film simulation
• RAW shooting and in-camera RAW processing (SilkyPix RAW conversion software supplied in-box)
• Best-in-class3 1080p Full HD movie recording capabilities
• Film Simulation Modes (eight setting are available, including Velvia / PROVIA / ASTIA)
• Manual pop-up flash with a range of 7 meters (approximately 23 feet)
• Electronic horizon leveling gauge to ensure that the camera is being held level, and histogram display to check image gradation
• Motion Panorama 360° for seamless 360-degree panoramic shooting

[X10]

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drag2share: Lenovo U300s Ultrabook Is Beautiful on the Inside and Outside [Lenovo]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5836577/lenovo-u300s-ultrabook-is-beautiful-on-the-inside-and-outside

Lenovo's ThinkPads have always been extremely well built, but pretty ugly. Lenovo's all-metal U300s is another story. Only 0.6 inches thick and equipped with a 1.8 Ghz Core i7, it's not merely interesting. Dare I say it's a little exciting?

Design-wise, the U300s has an all-metal body which strays from the usual plasticky designs of Lenovo's previous U-series devices. With the lid open, the U300s ultrabook embraces a minimal design comprised solely of the keyboard/trackpad/power button. With the lid closed, it looks like a book, with a lip that protrudes from the top and bottom edges. Not only is this probably Lenovo's best-looking laptop to date, it has a distinctive look.

The U300s boots in 10 seconds, has a 13.3-inch screen (1366x768 resolution), a 256GB SSD, and up to 4GB RAM. The battery lasts 8 hours and can charge to 50% in a half an hour. Compared directly against the MacBook Air and the Asus UX21, the Lenovo holds its own (on paper, at least). The Lenovo U300s will be available in November starting at $1200. [Lenovo]

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drag2share: Revo K2 is a mountainous slab of music-blasting aluminum

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/31/revo-k2-is-a-mountainous-slab-of-music-blasting-aluminum/

Revo's K2 can pull in FM, DAB and DAB+ broadcasts, stream internet radio and tunes from Last.fm. Not enough? Well you can hook up your iPod, iPhone or iPad too, and pull in music wirelessly from the library on you computer. It pumps out a total of 40-watts of "room-filling" audio using four drivers powered by a pair of Class-D amps. But let's be honest -- you want' it cause it's pretty. The hidden-until-activated OLED screen, aluminum body, and black rubber accents are the real draw here. Sure the iOS remote apps and DLNA compatibility are nice to have, but this £299.95 ($488) radio is all about drawing attention. The K2 is available for pre-order now and will start shipping on October 17th, while the Revo RadioControl app should land in iTunes around the same time. Check out the gallery below and the PR after the break.

Gallery: Revo K2

Continue reading Revo K2 is a mountainous slab of music-blasting aluminum

Revo K2 is a mountainous slab of music-blasting aluminum originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Samsung Galaxy Note announced: 5.3-inch display, built-in-stylus, custom 'S Pen' apps

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/samsung-galaxy-note-official-5-3-inch-super-amoled-display-s/

Until a few days ago we'd heard surprisingly little about the Galaxy Note, a handset rumored to be launching alongside the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Wave 3 at IFA. It's ironic, really, because of all the phones to have kept a low profile, this is a memorable one. Behold, a 5.3-inch handset with a stowaway pen for note-taking, drawing and grabbing screen captures. In other words, a Dell Streak-esque hunk of a device that blurs the lines between phone and tablet. You're looking at a Gingerbread-running HSPA+ handset with a 1280 x 800 Super AMOLED display, dual 8MP and 2MP cameras, a removable 2,500mAh battery and the same Samsung-made dual-core 1.4GHz processor you'll find in the just-announced Galaxy Tab 7.7. For a phone this gargantuan, it's actually quite thin at light, at 9.65mm (0.38 inches) thick and a reasonable 178 grams (6.3 ounces). We had a few minutes to handle the phone in advance of today's press conference, and found it surprisingly easy to grip, even in our small hands. As with the Infuse 4G --whose own 4.5-inch screen once seemed impossibly sprawling -- the thin shape makes it tenable, as does the lightweight, textured plastic lining the back.

As you'd expect, Android 2.3 comes layered with TouchWiz on top and, in this case, seven home screens and a touch-optimized interface dubbed "S Pen" designed to take advantage of that pen. These include S Planner, a native calendar and to-do list app, from which you can drag and drop appointments, changing time slots without having to open an entry. S Memo for note-taking, meanwhile, accepts voice, photo, text and handwritten input. We also got a quick glimpse of Virtual Whiteboard, a more collaborative form of note-taking. On top of that, Samsung says it's releasing the S Pen SDK to third-party developers, and the company's banking on more apps for organizing photos and drawing, among other things. For now, this is merely a global launch: Samsung says it's still in discussions with carriers worldwide, so depending on your neck of the woods it might be awhile before you hear anything definitive about pricing or availability. Find the some fancy press shots (and a promo vid) after the break, and stay tuned for our hands-on.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Note

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Note announced: 5.3-inch display, built-in-stylus, custom 'S Pen' apps

Samsung Galaxy Note announced: 5.3-inch display, built-in-stylus, custom 'S Pen' apps originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Samsung's Smart TV update will feature YouTube 3D videos

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/samsungs-smart-tv-update-will-feature-youtube-3d-videos/

Today at IFA 2011, one of Samsung's many announcements is an update to its Smart TVs that will place YouTube's library of 3D videos front and center for users to stream. So far one of the major issues for 3DTV owners has been a lack of content, but since it launched support for 3D videos two years ago, YouTube has accumulated quite a library of both professionally developed and user generated videos for viewing. HDTVs from LG added access to the site's 3D content earlier this year, and the update is expected to appear across the Samsung lineup across the second half of 2011. We spoke with one of the engineer's responsible for the initial rollout of YouTube's 3D support, Pete Bradshaw, and he mentioned the project's genesis as one of Google's famous "20 percent" projects that was worked on on the side, but has now drawn the support of a multiperson team to support, and a rapidly expanding number of viewers and content creators uploading videos to the service. The intent is to make viewing 3D just as easy as watching anything else, once users film in 3D with their phone or camera, they can upload it to YouTube and watch on TV (or mobile device) without worrying about the formatting and technology involved. We're still a few steps away from the magic bullet that removes the current hurdles for wider 3D acceptance in the market, but if you're one of the (not so early at this point) adopters with the hardware to handle it, you'll probably appreciate anything that makes more content available easily. Check after the break for the press release and a few sample videos to check out.

Continue reading Samsung's Smart TV update will feature YouTube 3D videos

Samsung's Smart TV update will feature YouTube 3D videos originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Samsung's NX200 camera: 20.3 megapixels, interchangeable lenses, full HD video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/samsungs-nx200-camera-20-3-megapixels-interchangeable-lenses/

Samsung continues its camera announcements today with the NX200, a 20.3 megapixel interchangeable lens system using the company's proprietary APS-C CMOS sensor. It also features a high-speed continuous mode that shoots up to 7fps and full HD video recording, 1920x1080 at 30p. If those specs aren't enough, notice the wide ISO range, from 100 to 12800, covering seven stops. Availability hasn't been announced yet, but pricing should run about $900 with an 18mm-55mm zoom lens and on-camera flash -- a number of other lenses will roll out in the coming months. Give your eyes a feast with the gallery below, and check out the full PR after the break.

Gallery: Samsung NX200

Continue reading Samsung's NX200 camera: 20.3 megapixels, interchangeable lenses, full HD video

Samsung's NX200 camera: 20.3 megapixels, interchangeable lenses, full HD video originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 official: dual-core 1.4GHz CPU, Android 3.2, HSPA+

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/samsung-galaxy-tab-7-7-official-super-amoled-plus-display-dual/

Here it is, official as official gets: Samsung just announced the Galaxy Tab 7.7. As the name suggests, it has a 7.7-inch (1280 x 800) display -- specifically, a Super AMOLED Plus panel. Like so many other 7-inchers hitting the market, it runs Android 3.2 and yes, that's a skinned flavor of Honeycomb, with Samsung's tablet-optimized TouchWiz UX layered on top. Inside, it runs the same Samsung-made dual-core 1.4GHz processor found in the new Galaxy Note, along with an HSPA+ radio promising theoretical download speeds as high as 21Mbps. Other specs for the 0.74-pound (335-gram) tablet include 16GB to 64GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, a 5,100mAh battery rated for 10 hours, 802.11n WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0 and dual 3MP and 2MP cameras. In a nutshell, it's the in-between-sized do-over a lot of folks have been awaiting since the original Galaxy Tab grew stale -- a slate that promises faster speeds and some seriously improved viewing angles. We'll be the judge of that in our review, but in the meantime stay tuned for some early hands-on impressions.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 official: dual-core 1.4GHz CPU, Android 3.2, HSPA+

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 official: dual-core 1.4GHz CPU, Android 3.2, HSPA+ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Samsung MV800 MultiView camera hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/samsung-mv800-multiview-camera-hands-on-video/

There's nothing all that exciting about most point-and-shoot cameras. You point, they shoot, end of story. But Samsung has been shaking things up as of late. First, the TL220 and TL225 added a second, 1.5-inch LCD to the front of the camera, making up the company's 2009 lineup of DualView cams. We've never actually seen anyone using them on the street, but Samsung reps insist that they've been an absolute hit. Well alright then. This year, CES brought the company's remote-shooting-enabled SH100, which lets you use a Samsung-branded Android smartphone to frame, zoom, and capture images over WiFi. A rather obnoxious delay doesn't make this a blockbuster feature, but still, this is pretty imaginative stuff.

Now this week at IFA, the company just introduced yet another completely original (and practical) camera design with its MV800. The camera's image quality isn't much to speak of (though we've only had a chance to use a pre-production model), but its MultiView flip-up LCD is pretty darn fantastic -- in concept, at least. The 16.1 megapixel cam's entire 3-inch capacitive touchscreen flips from flush with the rear up to a 180-degree angle (and anything in between), making it possible to not only shoot perfectly framed self-portraits, but also to have a direct view of the display when shooting both below, and above eye level. We love to see manufacturers continue to push the envelope when it comes to innovation, but how did the $279 MV800 perform overall? Jump past the break for our impressions.

Gallery: Samsung MV800

Continue reading Samsung MV800 ! MultiVie w camera hands-on (video)

Samsung MV800 MultiView camera hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Samsung unveils WB750 camera, with long zoom for all your paparazzi needs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/samsung-unveils-wb750-camera-with-long-zoom-for-all-your-papara/

Sometimes a photographer needs to get really, really close to his or her subject. And sometimes that requires a little help from a friend. Samsung has just that situation in mind with its new WB750, which features an 18x optical zoom with 24x Smart Zoom -- that's the longest zoom in the company's compact portfolio. The camera also sports a 12.5 megapixel CMOS sensor with Sammie's proprietary BSI (Back Side Illuminated) technology, and a redesigned image sensor, lens, and image processor. In addition to still photos, it also shoots 1080p HD video; a dual capture function allows you to shoot video alongside 10 megapixel pictures. Or, if you'd rather, you can take up to 10 frames per second in high-speed continuous mode. Pricing and availability have not yet been announced, but we have our fingers crossed it arrives before our next safari. See more pictures in the gallery below, and check out the full PR after the break.

Gallery: Samsung WB750

Continue reading Samsung unveils WB750 camera, with long zoom for all your paparazzi needs

Samsung unveils WB750 camera, with long zoom for all your paparazzi needs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Samsung Wave 3 hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/samsung-wave-3-hands-on-video/

Had enough Samsung this morning? Well, how about a little more Samsung, then. Also on the company's laundry list of new devices is the Wave, which was announced earlier this week. The Wave 3 is the highest end of the three new devices carrying that name, packing a zippy 1.4GHz processor, which seems to handle tasks with ease. Like most of the rest of the products introduced here at IFA, the screen is the centerpiece of the device, a brilliant 4-inch WVGA unit. Also like the rest of Samsung's handsets, the hardware is really terrific on the Wave, glossy screen complimenting a brushed aluminum back.

The handset runs Bada 2.0, which means that we're not likely to be seeing the thing in the US any time in the near future -- Samsung has largely backed away from US support for the mobile operating system, though it promises to expand its selection of applications from third-party app developers. Also new on the software front is ChatON, a mobile messaging service which we were unfortunately unable to give a spin here in Berlin.

Click on past the break for a hands-on video.

Gallery: Samsung Wave 3 hands-on

Continue reading Samsung Wave 3 hands-on (video)

Samsung Wave 3 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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