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Friday, January 22, 2010

3D stole the show at CES 2010

Source: http://hd.engadget.com/2010/01/21/3d-stole-the-show-at-ces-2010/

Panasonic RealD active shutter glasses

Not sure why we've been putting this off, but we'll just come right out and say it: there's no doubt that this was the year for 3D at CES. We walked the show floor for countless hours and can tell you that just about everyone was showing something related to 3D at their booths. Most of these demos required a bit of a wait to experience them (thanks, hype), and everywhere you went people were talking about 3D. Granted, not all of that talk was positive, but it was talk nonetheless. Whether or not the technology will be seen in history as a success in the market place is obviously still up in the air, and much like a finely crafted episode of Lost, 3D at CES this year was littered with more questions than answers.

Continue reading 3D stole the show at CES 2010

3D stole the show at CES 2010 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViewSonic VPC08 MID/phone appears on video, fails to steal xpPhone's thunder

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/viewsonic-vpc08-mid-phone-appears-on-video-fails-to-steal-xppho/

Maybe it's all the talk of the ITG xpPhone that's made ViewSonic's VPC08 come out of hiding, but the phone/MID contraption is finally making a video appearance and revealing why it's so damn thick. Unlike the xpPhone the VPC08 is actually an ordinary feature phone with a 2-inch display stuck on top of an Atom Z500-powered 4.3-inch MID. Uh, innovative? Not so much since it doesn't appear that the two work in conjunction, but we do know that the phone supports EV-DO, and that the MID portion packs 512MB RAM, an 8GB SSD with Windows XP, and WiFi. For those that are at all interested in holding this mega-device up to an ear, it looks like it will be sold only in China for a whopping 4800 Yuan ($705). No word if that price includes pants with extra-large pockets. We'll be waiting for the Moorestown-powered LG GW990 to get Atom in a phone, but we do urge you to check out this beast of a "phone" in action in the video after the break.

Continue reading ViewSonic VPC08 MID/phone appears on video, fails to steal xpPhone's thunder

Filed under: Handhelds

ViewSonic VPC08 MID/phone appears on video, fails to steal xpPhone's thunder originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Corsair pushes speed envelope with 2,333MHz Dominator GTX RAM modules

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/corsair-pushes-speed-envelope-with-2-333mhz-dominator-gtx-ram-mo/

Corsair and speed generally run in the same circles, so it follows logic to see said memory outfit cranking out the planet's fastest Intel XMP-certified RAM. The 2,333MHz Dominator GTX now has Intel's stamp of approval, and it easily surpasses the company's 2,000MHz stuff that was king of the castle just yesterday. As the story goes, each module is "hand screened" and tested to the hilt before being shipped to end users, which apparently explains the $200 per 2GB stick that you'll be asked to lay down. Speed kills... the wallet.

Corsair pushes speed envelope with 2,333MHz Dominator GTX RAM modules originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Origin's Genesis gaming desktop gets reviewed: blisteringly fast, but oh-so-pricey

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/origins-genesis-gaming-desktop-gets-reviewed-blisteringly-fast/

The latest high-fashion gaming outfit (known as Origin 'round these parts) has just started shipping its beastly Genesis out, and if you've ever wondered what five large could get you in the land of desktops, wonder no more. The crew over at Hot Hardware managed to procure a darn-near-loaded machine, complete with a Core i7-920 CPU (overclocked from the factory to 3.8GHz), 6GB of Corsair DDR3 RAM, twin ATI Radeon HD 5970 GPUs, a liquid cooling system, 80GB SSD boot drive and pretty much every other top-of-the-line component you could imagine. How'd it stand up to testing? Well. Really well. It crushed every benchmark that dared get in its way, and we're told that when pressed, the company's explanation of its warranty was truly best in class. What's interesting is that the MSRP of the test unit can be halved by simply opting for a few marginally weaker pieces, and we're guessing that the overall performance wouldn't suffer a huge deal. Hit the source link for all the bars, charts and in-depth analysis you can handle.

Origin's Genesis gaming desktop gets reviewed: blisteringly fast, but oh-so-pricey originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twin Video camera has two lenses, two mics, one body

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/twin-video-camera-has-two-lenses-two-mics-one-body/

Ion Audio, who seem to enjoy doing unconventional work in the electronic peripherals space, are back with a two-way pocket camcorder that records both sides of a conversation, literally. Strapped with pairs of microphones and cameras, it is capable of doing picture-in-picture or split-screen recording, and can selectively switch between the audio streams depending on which side you want to hear at which time. Just skip along past the break and all will be elucidated -- price is not yet specified, but the Twin Video cam should be arriving at some point in the first half of this year.

Continue reading Twin Video camera has two lenses, two mics, one body

Twin Video camera has two lenses, two mics, one body originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ARM-based processors to overtake x86 competition in netbooks and MIDs by 2013?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/arm-based-processors-to-overtake-x86-competition-in-netbooks-and/

We suppose industry analysts must be paid on account of just how grand their prognostications are. ABI Research know-it-alls have come out with their own spectacular claim today by asserting their expectation that x86 processors -- still dominant the world over -- will be swept aside in the rapidly developing "ultra-mobile device" space by the ascension of ARM-based processing architectures. That the Cortex CPUs have grown in popularity (and power) is undeniable, but who realistically expects Intel to sit back and watch all this happen? The x86 patriarch has even gone and created an Atom SDK, so we hardly expect the forecast table above to become reality. We're just happy to see that ARM's lower power profile is attracting investment -- it's always good to see a threat to Santa Clara's chokehold on the CPU market, and AMD's sleepwalking through the past few months hasn't helped things. Now if only those Tegra 2 smartbooks were on retail shelves instead of inside prototype shells, we could get started on this supposed revolution.

ARM-based processors to overtake x86 competition in netbooks and MIDs by 2013? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:26:00 EST. Pl! ease see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC HD2 extended battery with kickstand up for pre-order in the UK

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/htc-hd2-extended-battery-with-kickstand-up-for-pre-order-in-the/

British electronics e-tailer Clove has started listing a new £53 ($86) HD2 accessory that should be of interest to everyone who owns or plans on owning the device. We always thought that generous 4.3-inch screen could do with some backside support, and indeed the new kickstand-equipped extended battery will provide just that. You'll also get a nice energy bump, as the new accessory is set to double the 1,230mAh capacity of the default juice pack. Deliveries are expected by Clove in February, meaning it shouldn't be too long before this official appendage makes its global debut -- let's just hope other nations don't have to suffer as much wallet damage as the UK.

HTC HD2 extended battery with kickstand up for pre-order in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 06:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google devs reveal Chrome OS will have media player

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/google-devs-reveal-chrome-os-will-have-media-player/

If you thought Chrome OS was all about the Chrome, here are some words of reassurance from Google's Matthew Papakipos, engineering director for the project. In a marathon interview with Ars Technica, he notes that Chrome OS will have its own integrated media player, and although the focus remains on being "lean and mean," it'll not neglect basic system functionality. Current thinking is to keep JPEG and other media file handlers within the tab structure, with native and web apps being melded seamlessly into the browser experience. That may all still change, of course, since development is also noted to be a good year away from a consumer release. Hit up the read link for more, much more, on the past and future of Google's featherweight OS.

Google devs reveal Chrome OS will have media player originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon prices Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus -- offers a free Pixi Plus for limited time

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/verizon-prices-palm-pre-plus-and-pixi-plus-offers-a-free-pixi/

In case you missed it in our review, Palm has gone and spilled its Verizon pricing info on its official blog. The Pre Plus is hitting shelves at a cent under $150, closely followed by the Pixi Plus at $99.99 -- both after $100 mail-in rebate and on two-year commitments. Available to buy from this coming Monday, the new handsets are also incentivized with a free Pixi Plus coming with every purchase -- a limited offer running until February 14. That's after yet another mail-in rebate, meaning you'll probably be shelling out a cool $450 to get your webOS fix on Verizon, but we can't argue with the final tally after all the paperwork has been done, filed, triple-checked, lost, recovered, and your money's finally reimbursed.

Verizon prices Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus -- offers a free Pixi Plus for limited time originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Intel Reader Offers High Tech Help For Dyslexics and Visually Impaired [Intel]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/j6eumZvUwSU/intel-reader-offers-high-tech-help-for-dyslexics-and-visually-impaired

Intel's Reader, developed by a dyslexic Stanford graduate, is a powerful device for dyslexic and visually impaired readers, allowing them to scan entire pages of text to audio for immediate playback or later review.

The book-sized device is capable of capturing text from a variety of sources, ranging from restaurant menus to academic journals. That scanned text can be magnified and read on the device, listened to via on-board speaker or headphones, or exported to MP3.

Intel's Reader packs a high resolution camera and an Intel Atom processor, allowing it to quickly and accurately capture massive amounts of text.

The Intel Reader made its debut at CES and will be available for around $1500. It's not cheap, but it could be a life changing gadget for the 55 million people whose reading is challenged by dyslexia or vision impairment. [Intel via Fast Company]

Seven Futuristic Movies That Got It Right [Lists]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/4mhDG5mmPmk/seven-futuristic-movies-that-got-it-right

Mania has dutifully compiled a list of seven sci-fi movie technologies that have come to fruition. All I can say is well done, humanity! And don't worry, Sleeper fans: we'll get those Orgasmatron booths before you know it.

The usual suspects like Minority Report and Total Recall make the cut, along with a much-deserved nod to the Star Trek franchise. The list strays a little off target when it comes to non-gadget predictions like "geopolitical milieu," but it's otherwise a sobering reminder that with multitouch displays, private spaceflight, and even clamshell cell phones, we're all incredibly lucky to be living what other previous generations only dreamed. Or, in the case of Draconian, full-body x-ray scanning, feared.

Also: if you're going to have that much Arnold Schwarzenegger on that list, you really shouldn't forget Junior. [Mania via The Daily What]

NASA's Puffin is the latest personal flying machine that will never be produced (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/nasas-puffin-is-the-latest-personal-flying-machine-that-will-ne/

Yes, this is going to be another flying car post in which we lament our current, terrestrial ways and our predominantly Earth-bound means of getting places. NASA has what it thinks is the solution, a personal flying machine called Puffin that is just large enough for a person to wedge themselves into before lurching off vertically, powered by a pair of electric motors. These motors are said to make the machine almost silent so an initial application could be covert battlefield insertions, meaning yet again those military brats get to have all the fun -- in theory. However, we're going to be downers and say we don't think they'll ever get to use this thing either, as we're not seeing any room for battery packs in that man-sized fuselage. But hey, there's some rendered conceptualization after the break if you're a dreamer.

Continue reading NASA's Puffin is the latest personal flying machine that will never be produced (video)

NASA's Puffin is the latest personal flying machine that will never be produced (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba ships Tecra A11, Core i7-packin' Qosmio X500 and more

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/toshiba-ships-tecra-a11-core-i7-packin-qosmio-x500-and-more/

These didn't quite make it off the boat before CES, but if it's a new Toshiba laptop you've been searching for, you can still get some satisfaction before the end of this month. The outfit has just announced that four of its machines are available in the US starting right this very moment, including the 15.6-inch Tecra A11 (starts at $879). This one packs an integrated numpad, NVIDIA GPU, an undisclosed new Intel CPU and a charcoal black chassis. Moving on, that Qosmio X500 workhorse that we first heard about late last year finally has its shipping papers (and a $1,549 starting point), bringing with it a Core i7-720QM processor, a GeForce GTS 360M GPU, 8GB of memory, an 18.4-inch display, 500GB (7200RPM) hard drive, a Blu-ray drive and a vivacious color scheme that's guaranteed to polarize. The Satellite Pro L450 and Satellite Pro L500 are also slipping out to the suits in attendance, but with price tags starting at $529, the spec hounds probably won't be drooling much here.

Toshiba ships Tecra A11, Core i7-packin' Qosmio X500 and more originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Palm Pre Plus shows off multitasking upgrade with 50 simultaneous apps (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/palm-pre-plus-shows-off-multitasking-upgrade-with-50-simultaneou/

Yea, you read that right -- fifty apps loaded side by side by freaking side on the Pre Plus, and the thing just kept on ticking. The chaps over at Pre Central decided to test out specifically how much of an improvement the doubling of RAM and storage in the new handset delivered, and they were not disappointed. Opening up the same apps on both phones, they found the original Sprint Pre (sporting a mere 256MB of RAM) ran out of puff at the 13 app mark, whereas the Pre Plus soldiered on until a nice round fifty was reached. Go past the break to see the video evidence for yourself -- long live multitasking!

Continue reading Palm Pre Plus shows off multitasking upgrade with 50 simultaneous apps (video)

Palm Pre Plus shows off multitasking upgrade with 50 simultaneous apps (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS' Congo-based Eee PC 1201T pops up on Amazon's German portal

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/asus-congo-based-eee-pc-1201t-pops-up-on-amazons-german-portal/

Tired of waiting for the Eee PC 1201T to ship? Impatient, aren't we? We've been wondering about the status of this here netbook since it came to light last November, and now it looks like the Germans are about to get a real, live taste of AMD's Congo platform. Boasting a 1.6GHz MV40 CPU, the same look and feel that we've grown accustomed to on Eee PC netbooks, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, ATI HD3200 GPU and Windows 7 on the OS front, this is certainly one of the more unique machines in the sea of Atomized "me-toos." The pain? €399 ($560), and the first batch is expected to ship out tomorrow. Here's hoping the price dips somewhat when it makes its Stateside debut.

ASUS' Congo-based Eee PC 1201T pops up on Amazon's German portal originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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