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Friday, December 11, 2009

HP Envy 15 review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/10/hp-envy-15-review/

There are laptops and then there are laptops. The Envy 15 has fallen into that second category ever since we got our hands-on: it's the first PC we've seen that really equals the MacBook Pro's unibody design and it packs a scorching-fast Intel Core i7 processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4850 graphics and Beats speakers. On paper, this is easily the hottest laptop we've seen in some time, but has HP really managed to deliver on that promise? We spent a few days with this $1,800 monster, so read on to see if it lives up to the hype.

Gallery: HP Envy 15 review

Continue reading HP Envy 15 review

HP Envy 15 review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 20! 09 17:45 :00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microvision's PicoP laser projector meets rifle-shaped motion controller, mayhem ensues

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/11/microvisions-picop-laser-projector-meets-rifle-shaped-motion-co/

How do you spice up the traditionally unexciting projector market? You take your finest laser projector, with its "infinite focus" skills, pair it with a weapon-styled motion controller, and you offer FPS gamers the opportunity to get out of their seats and perform their murdering sprees as nature intended. So Microvision thinks, and we've no doubt that the prototype being demonstrated over at the Intel Extreme Masters will be fulfilling a few fanboy dreams, but we're more interested in how it all works. If you remember the GameGun (and who could forget that mullet?), this'll be familiar territory: the projector reacts to movements of the controller so that the game view tracks your real world view, lending the experience a bona fide 3D feel. Microvision won't spill the full details just yet, but a video demo awaits past the break.

[Thanks, Tony]

Continue reading Microvision's PicoP laser projector meets rifle-shaped motion controller, mayhem ensues

Microvision's PicoP laser projector meets rifle-shaped motion controller, mayhem ensues originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entelligence: Lessons from the CrunchPad

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/10/entelligence-lessons-from-the-crunchpad/

Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

Last weekend, Nilay Patel did a great overview of the murky legal issues surrounding the mysterious CrunchPad -- now coming to market direct from developer Fusion Garage as the $499 Joojoo. While I won't get into the swirling controversy, I think there's a few important lessons to be learned from this great gadget debacle.

First, smart vendors under-promise and over-deliver. The hype and buzz around the CrunchPad were off the charts from day one. Everything from the delivery schedule to the initial price points were unrealistic, made moreso by continued promises to publicly show the prototype and targeted price points that kept rising with each announcement. Keep it low-key and simple -- then surprise and delight your customers with early ship dates and lower than expected prices. Too much promise with no delivery is the classic recipe for having a product get tagged vaporware. Always good to remember, "Whom gods destroy, they first make humble."

Continue reading Entelligence: Lessons from the CrunchPad

Entelligence: Lessons from the CrunchPad originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RAmos W7 in the wild and looking good

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/10/ramos-w7-in-the-wild-and-looking-good/

We've seen some video of the RAmos W7 running Android (with some pep), but these new photos of the device out and about are pretty promising. An Android slate with a 4.8-inch screen in a thinner-than-an-iPhone form factor? Look out, Archos 5. Hit up the source link for the rest.

[Thanks, Steve]

RAmos W7 in the wild and looking good originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VeriFone Payware Mobile iPhone peripheral looking ready to square off with, er, Square

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/10/verifone-payware-mobile-iphone-peripheral-looking-ready-to-squar/

Sure, it's not quite as elegant as a little cube jutting out of one corner of the iPhone à la Square, but it looks like the Payware Mobile could certainly double as a pretty sturdy case should it drop. More importantly, the backing of VeriFone means this mobile payment peripheral has some pretty important backing and should be able to hit the ground running. That magical date should be January 15th of next year, free on a 2-year Payware Connect contract, and pre-orders are now live on the website for those who want to join in on the phone. Just one word of advice: when you hand the iPhone over for someone to sign as proof of purchase, make sure you're able to outrun the chap. Just in case.

[Thanks, Jason]

VeriFone Payware Mobile iPhone peripheral looking ready to square off with, er, Square originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MIT gestural computing makes multitouch look old hat

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/11/mit-gestural-computing-makes-multitouch-look-old-hat/

Ah, the MIT Media Lab, home to Big Bird's illegitimate progeny, augmented reality projects aplenty, and now three-dimensional gestural computing. The new bi-directional display being demoed by the Cambridge-based boffins performs both multitouch functions that we're familiar with and hand movement recognition in the space in front of the screen -- which we're also familiar with, but mostly from the movies. The gestural motion tracking is done via embedded optical sensors behind the display, which are allowed to see what you're doing by the LCD alternating rapidly (invisible to the human eye, but probably not to human pedantry) between what it's displaying to the viewer and a pattern for the camera array. This differs from projects like Natal, which have the camera offset from the display and therefore cannot work at short distances, but if you want even more detail, you'll find it in the informative video after the break.

[Thanks, Rohit]

Continue reading MIT gestural computing makes multitouch look old hat

MIT gestural computing makes multitouch look old hat originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia 5235 Comes With Music and a low price in Q1 2010

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/11/nokia-5235-comes-with-music-and-a-low-price-in-q1-2010/

The 5230 has only recently made its way out to stores, but that hasn't stopped Nokia from fashioning a KIRFy sort of successor for it. Meet the Nokia 5235, a spec for spec copy of its elder brother, including the same 3.2-inch touchscreen, 2 megapixel camera, and Symbian S60 5th edition. We thought we could spot a tiny difference in the materials being used, but otherwise you really are looking at the exact same handset. Your wallet would tell the difference, though, as the 5235 has a pre-tax and pre-subsidy price of €145 ($214), which is more than €100 cheaper than the previously noted 5230 CWM variant -- in other words, Nokia is renaming its CWM model and chopping the price nicely. Why, we don't know, but when is the first quarter of 2010.

Update: Poring over the spec sheets, we've finally noticed the big change in the 5235: it lacks GPS.

Nokia 5235 Comes With Music and a low price in Q1 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Asus Building Eee Pad to Counter Apple Tablet? [Rumor]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/aS9ctCMtJ-0/asus-building-eee-pad-to-counter-apple-tablet

According to DigiTimes, Asus is building a "4- to 7-inch panel...which will offer a combination of tablet PC and MID functions." And given Asus' experience in cheap portables (inventing netbooks, remember?), the plan could be a perfect fit. [DigiTimes]

Philips E-Skins Could Have Your Gadgets Changing Colors Like a Chameleon [Gadgets]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/l-1o_0tbTo4/philips-e+skins-could-have-your-gadgets-changing-colors-like-a-chameleon

This isn't the first time the concept of color-changing electronic skins has been tossed around, but Philips is a big name, and they have big plans that extend beyond your portable gadgets.

Electronic paper (e-paper) looks like conventional paper and the bright wash of color it generates uses the ambient light for rendition, just like conventional paint, so no backlight is needed. Which means that the vividness of the color is maintained, even in bright outdoor conditions. Philips' technology allows different colors of ink to be built into one layer with each color controlled separately. This means the layer can be transparent, the same color as any one of the inks or even a mixture of multiple colors. Moreover, the saturation of each individual color can be controlled accurately – so any shade can be produced. Recently, Philips successfully realized a simplified, yet advanced version of its e-paper technology: e-skin. Since it is less complicated and less expensive to realize, it enables new applications. And because e-skin makes use of the ambient light, it is an inherently energy-efficient system, making it particularly suitable for application in portable devices as well.

While portable devices might be the focus in the short-term, this sort of technology could also be used for larger equipment and even wallpaper in your home. In other words, it might not be long before we can change the color and the entire ambiance of a room with the push of a button. [Philips ! via Pocket-Lint]

AAXA P2 pico projector gets tested and lauded

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/10/aaxa-p2-pico-projector-gets-tested-and-lauded/

The first batch of pico projectors weren't exactly world-beaters; the resolution was low, lumens were lacking and MSRPs were startlingly high. Such is life on the cutting edge. But AAXA's P2 is riding the second wave, boasting a higher-than-average 800 x 600 resolution, 33 lumens of brightness, 1GB of onboard storage, a microSDHC expansion slot, VGA / AV inputs, a built-in speaker and an integrated media player to boot. Our good pals over at Gadling just got their paws around one, and they seemed duly satisfied with the performance. Unlike many first-generation units, this one managed to throw up a respectable image even in dimly lit rooms, and while the 40-inch image was understandably the best, it did manage to toss up a 100-inch visual when pressed. Hit the source link for the full writeup, and if you're planning on buying in now, it's available for a sale price of $319.

AAXA P2 pico projector gets tested and lauded originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interead COOL-ER 3G e-reader announced, adds wireless to the mix

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/09/interead-cool-er-3g-e-reader-announced-adds-wireless-to-the-mix/

We are already fans of the COOL-ER e-reader: if anything, its playful look and decent price point has brought a smile to our embittered faces. But still, the lack of WiFi and a Whispernet equivalent is something of a buzzkill -- who wants to rely on a USB cable or SD card in this day and age? Good news, digital book fans: Interead has big changes in store for next year, including the aforementioned WiFi and deals with AT&T for bandwidth and NewspaperDirect for access to over 1,300 newspapers and magazines. Not bad, eh? If all goes according to plan, we can expect to see the COOL-ER 3G sometime in mid-2010. Hopefully, they can set the MSRP low enough to keep consumers' interest. PR after the break.

Continue reading Interead COOL-ER 3G e-reader announced, adds wireless to the mix

Interead COOL-ER 3G e-reader announced, adds wireless to the mix originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Aspire Timeline 1820PT now made to order in UK, estimated for January 25 launch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/10/acer-aspire-timeline-1820pt-now-made-to-order-in-uk-estimated-f/

Australia can't covet it all to themselves forever, right? Acer's Aspire Timeline 1820PT convertible has finally popped up on an UK retailer site with a £529.99 (about $858 US) price tag and a "due for release date" of January 25th, 2010. What's that? You want news about a stateside release? Keep sticking with the teaser, it's the best you're gonna get for now.

[Thanks, Andy]

Acer Aspire Timeline 1820PT now made to order in UK, estimated for January 25 launch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee Pad coming soon?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/10/asus-eee-pad-coming-soon/

ASUS is said to be quietly working on the launch of a new pad device, between four and seven inches in diagonal breadth, which should offer a combination of MID and tablet PC capabilities. That's the short, sweet and uncorroborated whole of what we know so far, though we might reasonably expect to see some variant of the Eee PC Touch UI making an appearance. For an indication of what to expect from an ASUS touchscreen device, you can check out our T91 review right here, and the comments are the place to unload all your wild and wacky theories about just what might be inside an Eee Pad. Get to it.

ASUS Eee Pad coming soon? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway [Science]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/-bnqdX-gSJ8/giant-mysterious-spiral-takes-over-the-skies-of-norway

People are freaking out all over Norway because of what you are seeing here. According to Norwegian news outlets, the spooky giant spiral was seen, photographed, and recorded on video from all over the country. Updated with video

Could it all be a hoax? Maybe it's a massive joke, but all kinds of Norwegian news sites are reporting on it. According to NKR—Norway's national TV channel—it could be related to a rocket fired from a Russian submarine in the White Sea. The Russians are denying any part on it at this at the moment. Nick Banbury, a witness located at Harstad, described how it all happened:

We are used to seeing lots of auroras here in Arctic Norway, but on my way to work this morning I saw something completely unexpected. Between 7:50 and 8:00 a.m. local time, there was a strange light in the sky. It consisted initially of a green beam of light similar in colour to the aurora with a mysterious rotating spiral at one end. This spiral then got bigger and bigger until it turned into a huge halo in the sky with the green beam extending down to the earth.

As hard as it is to believe, you can't dispute the fact that the strange spiral was witnessed and recorded by thousands of people from hundreds of miles away, which means that the phenomenon occurred at a very high altitude. Even Phil Plait from Bad Astronomy agrees that this is real, and says that it was probably a rocket out of control.

So barring any epic group joke, expect your new alien overlords to arrive at any time now. We can only hope they ! are all peace-loving voluptuous blondes with blue eyes. [Altaposten, VG, NRK via SpaceWeather via Universe Today—thanks Gonzalo Oxenford]

If you know Norwegian and have any information, contact me on AIM or by mail.

How Huge Is the Internet on an Average Day? [Data]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/W4LF5lm5brs/how-huge-is-the-internet-on-an-average-day

The internet is, like, big. So's this infographic showing just how crazy huge it is, and what 210 billion emails, 3 million Flickr images, 43 million gigabytes (on phones) sent on an average day really means. It hurts.

[Online Education]

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