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Monday, February 23, 2009

MSI'a X-Slim X340, X600 Are Two More Sub-$1000 Macbook Air Lookalikes [Laptops]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/HkEi6B9X1a4/msia-x+slim-x340-x600-are-two-more-sub+1000-macbook-air-lookalikes

We don't know much about MSI's X-Slim netbook line being touted in China, but from the looks of it, these machines are winners: super-slim form factors, light-weight, 13.4 or 15.6-inch screens, and low cost.

Thus far the X-Slims have only been unveiled in China, and details, such as the processor and chipset platform, are still unclear. It was reported that MSI might go beyond the typical Atom package and offer these with a beefier Pentium-class chip, or perhaps even utilize Nvidia's Ion platform for HD graphics (HDMI output coming standard on these machines seems to make a decent case for the later scenario).

Pricing is apparently between $700 and $100 for the newly unveiled 13-inch X340 (a previously announced X320 is the same form factor sans some of the extras like HDMI. Brings these to the states please, MSI: with your history of supporting the Hackintosh community, these would make fine, fine OS X machines. [Engadget Chinese]

Sony scouting a tester for unreleased new product?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/21/sony-scouting-a-tester-for-unreleased-new-product/

While the rumors of a PSP2 and PSP Phone have calmed down of late, they're never truly dead. According to a fluent Japanese speaker translating a Sony Japan job listing for GameSpot, the company is on the hunt for an "evaluator / assessor for a new game machine." More specifically, that elusive machine is said to be a "part of the PlayStation or PSP series and their peripherals." The listing goes on to state that the lucky winner will "be part of an advisory staff that will play PlayStation series software on this new machine and check its functionality," and they'll also be able to "test game machines not yet released or new functionality of PS3 peripherals before they are released." From there, it's up to your imagination to determine what exactly this could be alluding to, but we're setting our expectations remarkably low as to not be disappointed.

[Via GameSpot]

Filed under: Gaming

Sony scouting a tester for unreleased new product? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Feb 2009 06:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola with big touchscreen emerges, doesn't disgust

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/21/motorola-with-big-touchscreen-emerges-doesnt-disgust/

What's this, a high-end slate from Motorola that we can all cautiously get behind? Hard as it may be to believe, it seems that Moto might be working on some serious hardware to compete with... well, anything. We don't have any information on this device we're seeing here beyond what we can make out from the picture -- 5 megapixel Kodak-branded camera, big touchscreen, TV-out, and a xenon flash -- but the tip suggests that this could be Moto's first Android device. We tend to think that's not very likely, since we don't have Home or Back buttons on the front (which would also rule out Windows Mobile 6.5 without a Start button), but we suppose they could be hiding out on the side somewhere -- and frankly, we don't see Motorola blowing anyone away with a touchscreen version of its proprietary platform any time soon. At any rate, let's just hope this shot is real, and the phone's almost ready for retail.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Motorola with big touchscreen emerges, doesn't disgust originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Feb 2009 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MyRacer's lisse T10 PMP subtly takes a hint from iriver's SPINN

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/22/myracers-lisse-t10-pmp-subtly-takes-a-hint-from-irivers-spinn/

MyRacer's lisse S10 was too simple to really attribute any level of knockoff status to it, but there's little doubt that the company's lisse T10 took a lesson or two in design from iriver's SPINN. For whatever reason, the SPINN seems to be quite popular in the KIRF circuit, and while the T10 is still different enough to keep it from being the next in our growing list of blatant rips, we're definitely not giving MyRacer any innovation credits here. All that aside, this here PMP is said to feature a 2.8-inch display (320 x 240), 2GB / 4GB of internal capacity, support for a litany of audio and video file formats, a built-in FM tuner and recorder, a text reader and support for an undocumented list of "games." There's no word on a price or release date, but we wouldn't count on it drifting far from its home nation of South Korea.

[Via DAP Review, thanks Michael]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

MyRacer's lisse T10 PMP subtly takes a hint from iriver's SPINN originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 05:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver's gorgeous P7 gets itself a web address

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/22/irivers-gorgeous-p7-gets-itself-a-web-address/

Unfortunately, we're still no closer to finding out when the iriver P7 will be available, but given that it's now showing up on the company's worldwide web portal alongside scads of other beautiful pieces of hardware, we'd say it's certainly closer than before. None of the listed specifications look to have changed, but there sure are a lot of purty images to look at there in the read link. Grab a tissue, place it beneath your chin and head on over.

[Via DAP Review, thanks Jeff]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

iriver's gorgeous P7 gets itself a web address originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPoint 3D brings gesture-based inputs to 3D displays

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/22/ipoint-3d-brings-gesture-based-inputs-to-3d-displays/

Just in case you've been parked out under a local stone for the past six months and change, we figured it prudent to let you know that the 3D bandwagon has totally regained momentum. So much momentum, in fact, that the brilliant minds over at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft have decided to bust out a 3D innovation that actually makes us eager to sink our minds into the elusive third dimension. The iPoint 3D, which we're hoping to get up close and personal with at CeBIT next week, is a technology that enables Earthlings to interact with a 3D display via simple gestures -- all without touching the panel and without those style-smashing 3D glasses. The gurus even go so far as to compare their creation to something you'd see in a science fiction flick, with the heart of it involving a recognition device (usually suspended above the user) and a pair of inbuilt cameras. There's no mention of just how crazy expensive this would be if it were ready for the commercial realm, but we'll try to snag an estimated MSRP for ya next week.

[Via Physorg]

Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets

iPoint 3D brings gesture-based inputs to 3D displays originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC says Touch Pro2 will be "broadly available," North America included

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/22/htc-says-touch-pro2-to-be-broadly-available-north-america-inc/

In October of last year, HTC informed us that the Touch HD would sadly not be coming to the States via its Twitter feed. Shortly after Mobile World Congress, that same feed has delivered much, much better news in regard to the Touch Pro2. Directly from HTC: "And to answer the big question on everyone's minds, the Touch Pro2 will be broadly available in all major markets, including North America." A followup tweet affirmed that a launch date and country wasn't yet set in stone, but that the phone would begin shipping out in "late Q2." Oh, where art thou, May through July time frame?

[Via Brighthand]

Read - HTC tweet I
Read - HTC tweet II

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC says Touch Pro2 will be "broadly available," North America included originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee PC T91 sits down for photo shoot, early critique

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/23/asus-eee-pc-t91-sits-down-for-photo-shoot-early-critique/

Much like the S101, the T91 isn't exactly "Eee PC" material. Sure, it's small and ASUS-branded, but design wise, it's a pretty bold departure. bit-tech was able to sit down and take an early look at the Eee PC T91 convertible tablet, and while the machine is still a few months out from release, it seems that you can curb your enthusiasm in the meanwhile. Critics found the touchpad to be a hair less awesome than those on other Eee PCs, the lack of multitouch to be a real bummer and the uncanny ability of the LCD to attract fingerprints as just plain annoying. Of course, their unit was still subject to alterations, so the crew isn't completely giving up hope that things won't improve by launch day. In fact, it noted that the inclusion of a DVB-T tuner, WWAN support and GPS functionality were very nice touches, but it still maintained that a standard netbook would likely suit you best unless you're just head over heels for touching.

Filed under: Tablet PCs

ASUS Eee PC T91 sits down for photo shoot, early critique originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI unveils new X-Slim models ahead of CeBIT

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/23/msi-unveils-new-x-slim-models-ahead-of-cebit/

MSI unveils new X-Slim models ahead of CeBIT

We certainly aren't tired of the X-Slim 320 laptop from MSI, with its Air-like form-factor in less expensive and slightly more practical packaging -- it's still many moons away from release, after all. Despite that, MSI felt the need to announce two new models to round out the still unreleased lineup: the 13.4-inch X340 and 15.6-inch X600. We don't know much about these two yet except that the X340 is slated be priced somewhere in the (wide) range of $699-$999 in the US, that both offer HDMI in addition to VGA output, both are Centrino 2-based, and that the X600 even has an eSATA port on top of its two USBs. We'll surely be seeing a lot more of this pair (plus the X320 as well) at CeBIT in just a few weeks, and are hoping that MSI will go ahead and maybe release one before introducing any more.

Filed under: Laptops

MSI unveils new X-Slim models ahead of CeBIT originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung intros 12 megapixel duo: TL320 and HZ15W

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/23/samsung-intros-12-megapixel-pair-tl320-and-hz15w/

What's this, Samsung? Announcing a few new cameras each week until PMA hits us when we least expect it? Just days after the firm expanded its less than enthralling SL lineup comes two new 12 megapixelers. The TL320 is the same one we spotted earlier at Amazon, though some of those specs were -- shall we say, preliminary. The official specs sheets lists a 12.2 megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom, 3-inch HVGA AMOLED display, 720p movie recording, HDMI output, dual image stabilization and twin analog gauges for checking out memory capacity and battery life. As for the ZH15W, that one checks in with a dozen megapixels even, a 10x optical zoom, a 3-inch LCD monitor, 720p movie mode and most of the same features as the aforementioned cousin. Both shooters should be available this May for $379.99 and $329.99, respectively, and you can catch the full release after the break.

Gallery: Samsung intros 12 megapixel duo: TL320 and HZ15W

Continue reading Samsung intros 12 megapixel duo: TL320 and HZ15W

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Samsung intros 12 megapixel duo: TL320 and HZ15W originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The $1.94 reason micro-USB is the new phone charging standard

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/23/the-1-94-reason-micro-usb-is-the-new-phone-charging-standard/

Yep, we're all gonna get squeezed for accessories again as the member companies of the GSM Association begin standarizing on micro-USB chargers, and while we're happy that the madness is over, we can't help but feel the decision to use micro-USB over the already-ubiquitous mini-USB was purely greed-driven -- sure, micro-USB's supposedly more robust connector can handle something like 10x more disconnects, but if mini is good enough for everything from pro-level DSLRs to rugged portable hard drives, it's probably good enough for your average flip phone, don't you think? Sigh.

[Via Geardiary]

Filed under: Cellphones

The $1.94 reason micro-USB is the new phone charging standard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, February 20, 2009

Run Silverlight Plug-In on Google Chrome [Google Chrome]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/gexWVTj9qO0/run-silverlight-plug+in-on-google-chrome

For those Google Chrome users who need access to one or two Silverlight sites, a Microsoft developer offers a file-tweaking work-around to get access to certain sites.

The Chrome/Silverlight hack requires grabbing a few .js files normally intended for Silverlight developers and tweaking them to have Silverlight sites accept and provide content to Chrome. By downloading the .js files and modifying them a bit, you should be able to access, as the developer rates it, "most" Silverlight apps, but your mileage will certainly vary.

Moonlight 1.0 Released, Silverlight script updated – and a Chrome hack [Tim Heuer via FavBrowser.com]

How Can I Sync Bookmarks Across All Browsers? [Ask Lifehacker]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/tUR3xOwENwQ/how-can-i-sync-bookmarks-across-all-browsers

Dear Lifehacker,
How can I sync favorites in Opera, IE7, Chrome, Safari, and Firefox? Is there any way to do it, beside manually export everyone and then painfully editing the HTML?

Best Regards from a Daily Reader

Dear Daily Reader,

For Firefox and Internet Explorer, at least, we'll whole-heartedly recommend the newly IE-friendly and Safari-friendly Foxmarks. It doesn't have the password support of its Firefox iterations, but it does do an admirably swift job of keeping your bookmarks and toolbar favorites synced up in the background.

As for Chrome and Opera, well, that's a trickier task. If you're using all four browsers equally, you might want to consider using the long-standing, well-tested Delicious as your primary bookmarking tool, since its accessible from anywhere, keeps everything in sync with or without your action, and has handy bookmark bar tools for reading and saving bookmarks from any browser. When you import your bookmarks from any browser, they'll be set to private by default, saving you a whole bunch of work. The minor pain is that new bookmarks can't be set to private by default (correct me if I'm wrong, readers!), but it's truly the only way to keep your bookmarks in sync without a lot of import/export/save shuffling.

Unless, of course, one of our readers have a smart solution for shuttling or syncing each browser's HTML bookmark files around—maybe an AutoHotKey script? A clever use of syncing tool Dropbox, simila! r to how we utilize it as the ultimate password syncer?

Peace and soul,

Lifehacker

So Who's Selling the Most Flat Panels in America? [Televisions]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/urZ6Ko6lc2c/so-whos-selling-the-most-flat-panels-in-america

Samsung. They're still on top, leading the US flat panel market with 20% of the market share. But Sony, who used to be in second place, has been pushed to third. The culprit? Vizio.

Here's how the flat panel television market looked as of Q4 2008:

20.2% - Samsung
14.3% - Vizio
13.5% - Sony
10.7% - Panasonic

So why is Vizio doing so well? We're guessing people like buying cheap televisions. But incidentally, if you're in the market for a cheap set, we recommend the Toshiba Regza. [Reuters]

Mac Mini 2009 'Leak' Analyzed, Declared Fake [Rumor Smash]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/IM7spch2h_E/mac-mini-2009-leak-analyzed-declared-fake

In the age of Photoshop, it can be impossible to discern a forgery with the naked eye. But one PCB (and imaging) specialist has analyzed the recent Mac Mini "leak" and declared it fake.

As you can see in this image, the general "dispersion of artifacts" is not consistent with an unedited picture. In other words, all of that confetti you're seeing around the ports and power plug are pretty suspect. Zoomed in to the pixel, the image also reveals the use of multiple macroblock types.

But apparently the expert's most damning argument has nothing to do with the image quality itself. It's the placement of the Mini DisplayPort and Mini DVI—the ports don't appear to be lined up with the motherboard, which is a big design no-no. [9to5Mac]

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