Friday, September 19, 2008

ASUS N Series: at long last, a laptop with a built in 'Air Ionizer'

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/396509440/

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Yesterday we finally got our hands on the N10 non-netbook, and today we'll be taking a look at the rest of the N Series lineup. There's a little something for everybody here, from the mobility-minded N10 to the higher-end N50. The models include Express Gate, and we're looking forward to finding out if the Super Hybrid Engine power management is all it's cracked up to be. All N Series models also include the SmartLogon facial recognition system (for those of you who are too busy to type a password), but so far the N50 is the only ASUS offering with a built in "Air Ionizer." Check out each machine in detail after the break.

[Thanks, Kunal]

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Posted by Augustine at 11:04 AM

Sanyo's 120Hz PLV-Z3000 1080p projector: $3,295 for USers

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/396582132/

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Thanks to Sanyo's quick-fingered Japanese branch, you already know the basics on the PLV-Z3000. For those that missed out, it's being hailed as the industry's very first 5:5 pull down beamer with a 120Hz Full HD panel. Furthermore, it boasts a 65,000:1 contrast ratio, TopazReal HD 3D color management technology, a pair of HDMI 1.3 inputs and 1,200 ANSI lumens. The best news here is the US price -- the converted yen amount is actually a fair bit higher than what Sanyo plans on charging in greenbacks, though $3,295 will still be tough to part with come December.
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Posted by Augustine at 11:04 AM

Thinkpad X200t and X200s announced

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/396642573/

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Lenonvo's ThinkPad X200t tablet finally made the trip Stateside after hiding out in Hong Kong for the past few weeks, and it's brought a little friend with it -- the X200s laptop. As expected, the X200t replaces the X61t, and specs for the new machines are right in line with that transition: available processors range from a 1.2GHz SU9300 Core 2 Duo to a 1.86GHz SL9400 chip, RAM maxes out a 4GB, there's a 128GB Samsung SSD option, graphics are integrated GMA 4500MHD, and WWAN, WiMAX and UWB are optional. Notable changes from the the X61t in particular include a dual swivel hinge, an LED backit 1280 x 800 screen, and claimed 50% improvement in battery life to 15 hours, reduced touch pressure with a Wacom digitizer, and built-in GPS when the WWAN option is ordered. Prices should start at $2325 when these start going out in October, less for the X200s -- we'll have a hands-on for you ASAP, but there's a vid after the break to hold you over.

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Posted by Augustine at 11:04 AM

Toshiba launches three XDE upscaling DVRs

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/396642572/

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Toshiba's going to have to eventually wake up and realize that consumers want to watch actual HD content on their HD displays instead of just upscaled SD, but until that happens we'd better get used to seeing a lot more devices featuring the company's Super Resolution Technology / XDE upscaling tech -- we've already got REGZA HDTVs and the XD-E500 DVD player, and now it's three new Vardia DVRs. The ¥140,000 ($1,339) RD-X8 (pictured) is the top of the line unit with Deep Color HDMI output, a 1TB drive, dual-layer burner, and MPEG-4 / H.264 support, while the ¥100,000 ($956) RD-S503 and ¥80,000 ($765) RD-S303 are 500GB / 320GB models that drop the Deep Color outputs. No word on whether these will make the jump to the States, but without CableCARD slots we doubt they'll be in huge demand.

[Via Electronista]
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Posted by Augustine at 11:04 AM

Acoustic Research doles out ARNC01 noise-canceling earbuds

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/396661158/

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Audiovox's extravaganza is closing up with the introduction of the Acoustic Research ARNC01 ($59.99) earbuds, which promise to use whiz-bang active processing to reduce noise for airline addicts and those with a crib full of rambunctious youngsters. The circuitry is housed in an in-line module with an On / Off button and a compartment for a single AAAA (yes, AAAA) battery, which should last you around 50 hours. You know, plenty of time to head off to Akihabara and back for a few new Japanese exclusives.
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Posted by Augustine at 11:03 AM

RCA unveils 4GB / 8GB Lyra Slider PMP

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/396661162/

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Whoa, wait up. You're telling us Audiovox hasn't abandoned the RCA Lyra moniker entirely? Storming back from the grave the unknown is the Lyra Slider, a PMP that could definitely go for $29.99 on contract from any major carrier with just a dial-pad and a CDMA radio. As it stands, this media player arrives with 4GB or 8GB of capacity and plays back audio, video, FM radio and photo slideshows. Furthermore, you'll find an integrated voice / media recorder, USB 2.0 port and a rechargeable battery good for up to 50 hours of music playback or 8 hours of video playback. Look for this to show up later in the fall for $79.99 (4GB) / $99.99 (8GB).
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Posted by Augustine at 11:03 AM

RCA takes EZ300HD Small Wonder camcorder to 720p

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/396661163/

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We won't front -- we weren't, how do you say, blown away with RCA's Small Wonder trio announced earlier this year, but we'll give this one a fighting chance. The EZ300HD can capture clips at 720p on the 2GB of internal storage or on any spare SD card you've laying around. You'll also find a 2.4-inch LCD, a low-res YouTube recording mode and a sure-to-be-awesome 4x digital zoom. Operation is supposedly dead-simple, and there's a USB port and video output just in case you feel like blowin' it up on the big screen. Grab it real soon for $159.99.

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Posted by Augustine at 11:03 AM

ASUS AiGuru SV1 Skype videophone hands-on

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/396834494/

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Sure, it's frumpy, overpriced and rather pointless for anyone who owns a computer with a webcam and knows how to use it, but ASUS and Skype are after the grandma / grandpa / computerphobic set with this here AiGuru SV1 videophone, and aren't doing horrible job of it. The screen is great, the icons are ginormous, and operation couldn't be much simpler. Unfortunately, the video quality is pretty inexcusable for a dedicated box like this: the VGA image is crap, and the framerate is totally weak -- it could've been a problem with the network we were on, but it looked like a straight-up wired router to us. What gives, ASUS?
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Posted by Augustine at 11:02 AM

Lenovo X200t swivel tablet hands-on

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/396854130/

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We're torn. Lenovo kicks ass in the tablet space, and the X200t is no exception to that rule, but we were hoping for a little more "X200" and a little less traditional Lenovo tablet action. Compared to its straight-up X200 namesake, the X200t is mega heavy, due to a different battery, screen and internals. It's not that it's bad, it's just a letdown compared to the insanely great engineering that Lenovo poured into the X300 and X200. We're also a little miffed that Lenovo hasn't worked out a capacitive touch option yet, though they claim that the X200t's dual-purpose touchscreen has been improved, including a method for switching off touch automatically when the pen is in close proximity to the screen, to allow for some palm resting. They were just showing pen-only units this evening, so we didn't get to test that out. Everything else is traditional love-it-or-hate-it ThinkPad design, quality and touchpad-freeness.
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Posted by Augustine at 11:02 AM

Lexar's "Shoot-n-Sync" Eye-Fi card in the flesh

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/396899685/

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We know, it's so exciting.
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Posted by Augustine at 11:02 AM

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Phone Jacks, Be Gone! One In Five May Go Mobile-Only

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.san&s=90844&Nid=47414&p=958345

by Mark Walsh, Thursday, Sep 18, 2008 7:00 AM ET
phone jack being cutHard-wired phones may increasingly become a victim of the tightening U.S. economy as consumers look for new ways to cut spending.

A new Nielsen Mobile study indicates that one in five U.S. wireless households could be wireless-only by the end of 2008. Already 20 million households, or 17%, are abandoning land-line phones in favor of mobile ones. That's up from only 8.5% in 2005.

With landline connections costing $40 monthly on average, Nielsen surmises the downturn is likely to turn more consumers into "cord-cutters."

"As wireless network quality improves and unlimited calling becomes increasingly pervasive, we expect the trend toward wireless substitution to continue," said Alison LeBreton, vice president of client services for Nielsen Mobile, in a statement. "In a tightening economy every dollar counts, and consumers are more and more comfortable with the idea of ditching their landline connection."

Underlying that assumption is that the majority of cord-cutters are at the lower end of the economic scale. Nearly 60% have household incomes of $40,000 or less, and 55% are renters rather than homeowners. They also skew younger, with 64% in the 18- to-34-year-old age range.

Not surprisingly, wireless-only adopters use their mobile phones 45% more than wireline subscribers. But they still save an average of $33 a month.

Among the biggest benefactors of the wireless-only migration have been regional service providers such as Cricket and Metro PCS, which began offering fixed-price, unlimited calling plans well before the major carriers joined that trend this year.

But the spread of all-you-can-eat plans will only further encourage people to give up their land lines. Among four the major U.S. carriers, Sprint and T-Mobile are more likely to count cord-cutters among their customers.

Nielsen points out, however, that opting out of traditional phone service doesn't always work out. The study found that 10% of land-line phone users said they were previous cord-cutters who had reconnected. These "cord-menders" came back because they needed the land line for another service, bundled it with other services, or because it was too costly or unsatisfactory to go mobile-only.

Beyond phone lines, what's the next cord to be cut? Nielsen found that wireless-only users are less likely to have satellite TV than average households (16% to 27%) and more likely to have broadcast TV (15% to 12%). They also represent the same demographic that reports watching TV on their PCs.

"Some wireless substitutors may, therefore, also forego the costs of cable or satellite TV by plugging their PC directly into a television to stream video, although the vast majority of all households continue to subscribe to some form of television service," the report concluded.

Mark Walsh can be reached at walsh@mediapost.com

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Posted by Augustine at 8:30 AM

Turn Gmail into a Tagged Knowledge Base [Gmail]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/394594817/turn-gmail-into-a-tagged-knowledge-base

Blogger and information junkie Steve Rubel details how he uses Gmail as a taggable, searchable knowledge base using previously mentioned tricks and tools like Gmail plus addresses, the Ubiquity Firefox extension, and Gmail Labs Quick Links. It's a fantastic system, not only because it works perfectly with apps you already live in (namely Gmail), but also because you can save and tag an entire web page in a few keystrokes. Likewise, you can access the information quickly and easily with Gmail's excellent search. I recently detailed how you can expand your brain with Evernote, a free, cross-platform note-taking application, but if you live and breath Gmail, Rubel's methods (which improve on similar Gmail solutions we've seen before) are worth a try.


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Posted by Augustine at 7:35 AM

Super-Skinny AOC V17 17-Inch HD Monitor Has Equally Diminutive Price Tag [Monitors]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/395212461/super+skinny-aoc-v17-17+inch-hd-monitor-has-equally-diminutive-price-tag

Can't vouch for general build or image quality on this AOC 17-inch panel, but the 12mm-thin housing is a great look for $200. The V17 has a resolution of 1440 x 900 with a contrast ratio of 5,000:1 and a 10ms response time. Good deal for a cheap desktop display that can also double as a bedroom HD monitor. AOC says end of 2008 for availability. [Slash Gear]


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Posted by Augustine at 2:17 AM

Full, Reliable Instructions to Load OSX on Eee PC [Eee]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/395494302/full-reliable-instructions-to-load-osx-on-eee-pc

We've seen demos where clever ubertechie folk run OSX on the Eee PC, but in case you wanted to do it yourself, Wired has published a complete wiki detailing the installation process. It's still not a one and done installation—plan to get your hands a little digitally dirty—but at least you won't be digging through message boards full of guesses and contradictions to get the job done. Wired's instructions are clear and easy to follow, and they mention the caveats like that the sound doesn't work (bye bye, iPod fatto). Ignore such crippling limitations; you have a Mac mini-note to create. [Wiki via Lifehacker]


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Posted by Augustine at 2:17 AM

Neuros Hackable Open-Source Set-Top Box Updated: OSD2 [Open Source DVR]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/395236424/neuros-hackable-open+source-set+top-box-updated-osd2

Neuros has taken another stab at the open-source set-top box market, and created the "Open Source Device 2." The original OSD was aimed at developers, but ended up finding use as a DVR. The new OSD2 has a more conventional box, can encode video at 720p in MPEG-4 format, H.264 D1 resolution (that's DVD quallity) from an analog video source, upscale video to 1080i or transcode it for a PMP. It's got a serial port, IRBlaster port, connections for Wi-Fi antenna, USB, LAN, HDMI, composite video and stereo audio, and even packs an SD port. It's shipped with a Linux-based firmware stack, but is completely open to user OS hacking. Available now for $250. [Linuxdevices]


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Posted by Augustine at 2:17 AM

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