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Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Acer launches first NVIDIA Ion-based nettop: AspireRevo

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/acer-launches-first-nvidia-ion-based-nettop-aspirerevo/

Yet again, the rumors were (almost) true. A day earlier than anticipated, Acer is launching what amounts to NVIDIA's first Ion-based nettop beyond those on display at CES and the like. The AspireRevo is debuting today alongside a plethora of other Acer wares, boasting a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 230 processor, up to 4GB of RAM, up to 250GB of HDD space, a 4-in-1 card reader, HDMI / VGA outputs, gigabit Ethernet, six USB 2.0 sockets, audio in / out, Windows Vista Home Premium / Basic and a svelte black and white enclosure that measures just 7.1- x 7.1- x 1.2-inches. The built-in Ion GPU means that this bugger is completely capable of handling 1080p (and thus, Blu-ray) content, DirectX 10 and even mildly demanding games such as Call of Duty 4 and Spore. Acer's staying mum on a price and release date, but we're still hearing that the late Q2 time frame is a safe bet. Check the full release just past the break.

Gallery: Acer launches first NVIDIA Ion-based nettop: AspireRevo

Continue reading Acer launches first NVIDIA Ion-based nettop: AspireRevo

Filed under: Desktops

Acer launches first NVIDIA Ion-based nettop: AspireRevo originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer's 18-inch eMachines EZ1600, 24-inch multitouch Aspire Z5600 all-in-ones unveiled

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/acer-unveils-18-5-inch-23-inch-hd-all-in-ones/

Some more tidbits from the Acer event: new all-in-ones. The eMachines EZ1600 (pictured) boasts a 18.5-inch 16:9 screen and up to 720p resolution, an Intel Atom N270 processor with 945GSE chipset, 2 slots of SO DIMM memory, up to 160GB HDD, DVD-RW, Wi-Fi and a card reader. No price or availability, but you'll be able to pick one up in either silver or black. On the classier side of things, we've got Acer Aspire Z5600 AIO with a 24-inch multitouch display that outputs a 1080p picture. It's got the "latest generation of Intel," up to 2TB hard disk space, a TV tuner, webcam and DVD/Blu-ray writer combo drive. Color us intrigued, but we'll await judgment until we see some price points -- if the Timeline's any indication, we might be in a for a pleasant surprise.

Gallery: Acer's 18-inch eMachines EZ1600, 24-inch multitouch Aspire Z5600 all-in-ones unveiled

Continue reading Acer's 18-inch eMachines EZ1600, 24-inch multitouch Aspire Z5600 all-in-ones unveiled

Filed under: Desktops

Acer's 18-inch eMachines EZ1600, 24-inch multitouch Aspire Z5600 all-in-ones unveiled originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Timeline hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/acer-timeline-hands-on/

We just got all friendly with Acer's new Timeline lineup, and while couldn't technically grasp at the hours upon hours of battery life they're promising, we could definitely feel the palpable presence of longevity. The laptops are very much an interesting blance; they're thin, but not astonishingly thin, they're heavy for their looks (especially the 15.3-inch), and they're styled aggressively in some ways while incredibly conservatively in others. We're not sure we're sold on the funky trackpad setup -- the right and left buttons aren't articulated, are sunken below the level of the touchpad, and are rather hard to touch -- but we like that Acer is really embracing multitouch here. The chiclet keys have a lot of great travel to them, but the board overall felt a little cheap and "prototype-ey" -- it may very well be a prototype.

Gallery: Acer Timeline hands-on

Filed under: Laptops

Acer Timeline hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Voice App Comes to iPhone and iPod Touch Soon [Google Voice]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/kaTF9uDmej8/google-voice-app-comes-to-iphone-and-ipod-touch-soon

Google Voice, the recent reincarnation of GrandCentral that gives you voicemail transcription, call control and so much more, is about to hit iPhones by way of an app.

The app comes with a dialer, which dials out (from your Google Voice number), and rings your iPhone to connect both sides. It works with a dialpad or your contact list, plus you can also SMS people the same way. There's other standard Google Voice features like call log and voicemail, which you can listen to much the same way as iPhone's voicemails.

iPod touch users, who can't really take advantage of the dialing stuff, can still use the GV app as a mobile control center to have it ring their standard cellphones. We'll let you know when the app hits. [Google and Sean Kovacs via 9 to 5 Mac]

3D Laser Scanners Capture and Translate the Alhambra Fortress's 10,000 Arabic Inscriptions [Archaeology]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/hSXEpJTLx6w/3d-laser-scanners-capture-and-translate-the-alhambra-fortresss-10000-arabic-inscriptions

The Alhambra in Granada is so vast and covered with carved Arabic writing that nobody has ever had the ability to catalog it all. Finally, using modern technology, it's doable.

According to the Guardian and the Independent, experts are hard at work collecting over 10,000 inscriptions that nobody has translated in over 500 years since Ferdinand and Isabel evicted the Moors from their mighty fortress. Using the high-tech gear, they've managed to translate about half of the job so far, and have compiled over 3,000 in a DVD. The work continues, and an updated DVD, possibly complete, will come out in 2010. Too bad nobody bothered to show the 3D laser scanner itself in action, because I assume it's a pretty cool—if painstaking—process. I've been all over the Alhambra myself—it'd be a pretty amazing place to "work."

What do the inscriptions say? Mostly the Nasrid motto: "There is no victor but Allah." But in accordance with that particularly fruitful time in Arabic culture, there are an awful lot of other things written on the walls, from poetry to aphorisms, such as "Be sparing with words and you will go in peace." Funny since that's one bit of advice the artists didn't heed themselves. [Guardian; Independent - Thanks James!]

Netgear rolls out 4-bay ReadyNAS NVX

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/06/netgear-rolls-out-4-bay-readynas-nvx/

Netgear doesn't exactly go all out with the styling or blinkin' lights on its ReadyNAS devices, but that all-business exterior is no doubt just what some folks are looking for, and it doesn't look like they'll be disappointed by the company's latest ReadyNAS NVX model. According to Netgear, this one offers "double the performance" of previous NV+ models, which is apparently explained in part by the addition of iSCSI support, along with a number of other new features like an improved ReadyNAS "RAIDiator" operating system (fully compatible with Time Machine) and, of course, a whole range of other on-site and off-site backup measures. That won't exactly come cheap, however, as the base 2TB model starts at a hefty $1,500, with an extra $5.95 to $19.95 a month required for Netgear's ReadyNAS Vault backup service.

Filed under: Storage, Networking

Netgear rolls out 4-bay ReadyNAS NVX originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus SP-590UZ (and its 26x zoomer) gets reviewed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/06/olympus-sp-590uz-and-its-26x-zoomer-gets-reviewed/

We're beginning to think there really is no number too high for the megazoom focal length. Back in the day, just boasting a 10x zoomer was enough to fall into said category; today, you best top 20x if you even want into the discussion. Olympus' 26x SP-590UZ is definitely amongst the craziest out there, sporting a 12 megapixel sensor, 2.7-inch LCD and a launch price of just under $450. Reviewers over at PhotographyBLOG were duly impressed across the board, with a certain critic noting that "the ability to go from capturing wide-angle landscapes to distant details in a four second zoom of the lens cannot be underestimated, especially as there's little distortion to worry about at either end and excellent sharpness across its entire range." Not surprisingly, the cam notched a "Highly Recommended" badge along with 4.5 out of 5 overall stars -- that said, are you really willing to buy in knowing a 58.983x successor is just around the bend?

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Olympus SP-590UZ (and its 26x zoomer) gets reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Impression now on sale at AT&T

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/samsung-impression-now-on-sale-at-atandt/

If you were waiting for a big-ass OLED display before pulling the trigger on a new North American handset, go ahead and get your wallet (or coin purse, or piggy bank, whatever) ready. The Samsung Impression has now officially launched on AT&T, bringing HSDPA, microSD expansion, landscape sliding QWERTY keyboard, and a 3 megapixel camera -- but the headlining feature clearly has to be that gorgeous 3.2-inch AMOLED screen clocking in at 400 x 240 resolution. $199.99 on contract after rebate makes it yours, if you think you can really handle everyone within a 50-foot radius being dazzled every time you turn it on.

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Impression now on sale at AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iTunes Store now infected with variable pricing, Amazon still $0.99

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/itunes-store-now-infected-with-variable-pricing-amazon-still-0/

As promised, variable pricing has now been implemented at the iTunes music store. Already, we're seeing most of top 10 singles and 33 of the top 100 hitting the top price-point of $1.29 (encoded as DRM-free 256kbps AAC). Interesting as Amazon's uncomfortably similar top 10 list has all these tracks priced at $0.99 (encoded as DRM-free 256kbps VBR MP3). A handful of tracks (nine in the top 100) do hit the higher $1.29 price further down Amazon's list. Now, if you believe Steve (someone who originally postured against this price structure), then it appears that the music labels are charging Apple more for the rights to sell its music than Amazon based on this quote attributed to Jobs in the Apple press release from January:

in April, based on what the music labels charge Apple, songs on iTunes will be available at one of three price points-69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29-with many more songs priced at 69 cents than $1.29.

Regardless, we know where we'll be purchasing our Miley Cyrus from now on.

[Thanks, Jesse]

Read -- January "Changes Coming to the iTunes Store" press release
Read -- iTunes top songs [Warning: iTunes App link]
Read -- Amazon top songs

Filed under: Portable Audio

iTunes ! Store no w infected with variable pricing, Amazon still $0.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netgear EVA 9150 Digital Entertainer Elite unboxed, previewed, well loved

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/netflix-eva-9150-digital-entertainer-elite-unboxed-previewed-w/

When we last got some hands-on time with Netgear's EVA9150 Digital Entertainer Elite at CES, we found it to be a pretty impressive media streamer. The aptly-titled MyDigitalEntertainer's managed to get an early unit -- packaged and everything -- and has provided ample unboxing pictures and some hands-on impressions. It's love all around, with a faster interface, extended support, and a new buffer ability that makes it a lot smoother than its predecessors. The RSS feature is functional enough, but any video podcast streams you subscribe to should be great. YouTube HD support is an added plus, but we've got no word on CinemaNow and we're admittedly a bit bummed by no Netflix. Hit up the read link for the full preview.

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Netgear EVA 9150 Digital Entertainer Elite unboxed, previewed, well loved originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Data Robotics goes large with 8-bay DroboPro

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/data-robotics-goes-large-with-8-bay-drobopro/

Not sure if you've been keeping tabs, but it's been just shy of a full year since we've seen a new piece of hardware from the labs of Data Robotics. 60,000 Drobos later, we're being formally introduced to the bigger, stronger and more capacious DroboPro. As the name implies, this 8-bay beast is truly aimed at small businesses and creative professionals, but there's nothing here that the average consumer can't fall in love with. Generally speaking, everything here has remained the same as the second-gen Drobo: it looks similar, it uses the same genius BeyondRAID intelligent data storage technology and it's not really meant to be used on networks. Interested to hear more? Hop on past the break for all the dirt.

Gallery: Data Robotics goes large with 8-bay DroboPro

Continue reading Data Robotics goes large with 8-bay DroboPro

Filed under: Storage

Data Robotics goes large with 8-bay DroboPro originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FDA Demands Pharma Stops 'Misleading' Ads on Google, Yahoo - http://ping.fm/WYxJy

Monday, April 06, 2009

Radical Image Optimization Tool Provides Side by Side Image Comparison [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/udEf29gapto/radical-image-optimization-tool-provides-side-by-side-image-comparison

Windows only: Radical Image Optimization Tool makes it easy to see how compression affects the image quality of the pictures you're optimizing with a handy side-by-side interface.

Sample photo by XirannisX back On.

Radical Image Optimization Tool isn't the best choice if you're looking to bulk re-sample images, but when it comes to squeezing quality out of every byte, it does let you exercise a high degree of control over the compression of an individual image.

Your images are laid out in a side-by-side format with immediate updates for any alterations you make to the level of compression or other settings. The file size of both the source image and the optimized image are also displayed above the images, so you can see immediately if the quality-to-size ratio is acceptable for your purposes. If your need isn't so much tight control but bulk converting, check out how to batch resize with Infranview and JPEGCrops, a speedy batch cropper that lets you specify crops on a per picture basis. Radical Image Optimization Tool is freeware, Windows only.

Radical Image Optimization Tool [via The Download Blog]

Roll Your Own Streaming Media Server with Subsonic [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/NKsFdSxv-cA/roll-your-own-streaming-media-server-with-subsonic

Windows/Mac/Linux: Is having your entire media collection on tap, ready to stream wherever you may be, too much to ask? Not if you're using Subsonic.

Subsonic can be installed on everything from a Windows-based computer to a home server running FreeNAS. Once installed, you can tune into your media collection from anywhere you access the web or use your mobile phone. Subsonic is a complete web-based front end for your collection. You can search tracks, listen to saved podcasts, assign ratings, add comments, and create playlists. Subsonic supports on-the-fly resampling to keep the quality high, even when you're using a lower bandwidth connection—you can turn the feature on permanently if you've got a bandwidth cap you're trying to stay under. If you're a fan of Last.fm, Subsonic has support for the service and will scrobble and update your now-playing status. There's a demo account available if you'd like to take the interface for a spin before installing it. Subsonic is free, open-source, and available for Windows, Mac, *nix systems.

Five Best Image Editing Tools [Hive Five]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/5qD-GmTGT5Q/five-best-image-editing-tools

Long gone are the days where snapshots came back from the photo lab and disappeared into albums and shoe boxes. Now, digital photos are tweaked, adjusted, and remixed in ways their analog counterparts couldn't imagine.

Photo by NoiceCollusion.

Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite image editing tool. The votes have been tallied and now we're back with the top five contenders for the crown of Best Image Editor.

Picasa (Windows/Mac/Linux, Free)

Picasa is the kind of application that geeks love because it's so simple and effective and non-geeks love because they usually don't have the time or inclination to get bogged down in the more technical aspects of digital photography. If your tech un-savvy mom or dad emailed you tomorrow and said she or he needed an easy-to-use program for organizing and editing photos, you'd likely send them to download Picasa. The built in editor is more than robust enough for most casual users and includes basic color correction, cropping, and a variety of special effects—the majority of which manage to avoid being cheesy. Picasa isn't a tool for deep and detailed editing, but it's extremely easy to use for the kind of quick crop and correct editing most digital camera owners need.

GIMP (Windows/Mac/*nix, Free)

GIMP has long been toted as the open-source competitor to Adobe Photoshop. Many people are quick to point out GIMP's shortcomings, claiming it isn't a true Photoshop replacement, but in the process they overlook what GIMP has accomplished. Without the extremely polished and commercially driven Photoshop to stand against, GIMP is almost entirely unrivaled in sophistication. Color correction, channel mixing, advanced cloning, paths, and layered compositions are all part of the GIMP package. There is very little the average Photoshop user does that can't be done in GIMP, and if you're not working for a company footing the bill for Photoshop, the free-as-in-beer price tag looks mighty fine.

Adobe Photoshop (Windows/Mac, $699)

Photoshop has achieved such status in the design community and such widespread recognition by the general public that even non-designers recognize what someone is saying when they exclaim, "That's photoshopped!" Many of the techniques and methods that are standard across photo editing software were pioneered in Photoshop, like layers, slices, and image correcting macros and filters. On its own Photoshop is a titan of photo editing power, but thanks to a nearly complete dominance in the graphic editing industry, there are entire companies devoted to creating plugins for it. When it comes to manipulating images, if you can't do it in Photoshop, there's a strong chance you won't be able to do it at all. Photo by HVarga.

Paint.net (Windows, Free)

Paint.net was originally the senior project of some computer science students at Washington State University, taken on under the mentorship of Microsoft. The project exceeded expectations and has been in development now for 6 years. Over the years it has grown to include layer-based composition, blending, and support for plugins—the majority of which are designed by an active support community. The interface of Paint.net is easy to pick up, and an unlimited undo function makes correcting your learning-curve mishaps a snap—making Paint.net a favorite among Windows users looking for a no-nonsense (yet powerful) image editor.

Adobe Lightroom (Windows/Mac, $299)

Lightroom is on the same branch of the editing family tree as Picasa: a hybrid of an organizational tool and a photo editor. Unlike its big brother Photoshop, Lightroom wasn't designed to be a detailed pixel-by-pixel editing tool. Lightroom focuses on being a digital darkroom for modern photographers, allowing them to quickly make the corrections necessary to their workflows. Lightroom excels at batch work and advanced color balance corrections; photographers can even tether their cameras to their computers with Lightroom integrating directly into their editing workflow. Photoshop might be the appropriate tool for giving a single image a deep and intense workover, but Lightroom is the tool you call on when you have a huge batch of images from a photoshoot that need to be cropped, corrected, and made print ready as soon as possible. Photo by M. Keefe.

Now that you've seen the top five contenders for best image editing application, it's time to log your vote to determine who goes home with the crown.

Which Image Editor is Best?
( online surveys)

Can't believe your favorite editor didn't make it to the top five? Wishing a copy of Adobe Photoshop would fall off the back of a truck for you? Sound off in the comments below with your photo editing opinions.

Radio Sure Streams and Records 12,000 Radio Stations [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/TiTKym-3ONM/radio-sure-streams-and-records-12000-radio-stations

Windows only: Pared-down portable application Radio Sure streams and records more than 12,000 channels of music and other radio feeds. If you can't find something to listen to, you're probably not looking hard enough.

The interface of Radio Sure is straightforward, if a bit cluttered. It starts with a master list of radio stations and a search box to narrow down the stations by genre, country, language, and other name. At the bottom of the window are some basic controls for playing and recording the streams, as well as information about the song if it's embedded in the source. If you're looking for even more online music, check out our feature on downloading and listening to free music on the web. If you have your own favorite means of streaming radio wherever you are, share in the comments below.

Radio Sure [Download Squad]

NanoCrowd Suggests Your Next Movie Based on Keyword Groups [Recommendations]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/1_LYTLpgrns/nanocrowd-suggests-your-next-movie-based-on-keyword-groups

It happens to the best of us. Confronted with the vastness of modern media, the hundreds of thousands of possible choices, you throw your hands in the air and say "What to watch?"

Nanocrowd is a crowd-sourced movie selection tool. Similar to previously reviewed TasteKid, you give Nanocrowd the title of a movie you've already watched and enjoyed. Nanocrowd then suggests six NanoGenres, groupings of three key words related to the movie. I searched for Big Fish as seen in the screenshot above and selected the grouping of "Fantasy, Wondrous, Surreal" as my NanoGenre. Did NanoCrowd succeed at suggesting movies I'd enjoy?

Its number one pick was The City of Lost Children a relatively obscure French movie released in 1995 that happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time. The rest of the 30 or so suggested movies were split evenly between movies I'd already seen—NanoCrowd has no way of knowing that of course—and movies I hadn't. Almost every movie listed I'd already seen, I'd watch again. If you give NanoCrowd a whirl, sound off in the comments below and tell us how accurate or inaccurate you find it.

NanoCrowd [via MakeUseOf]

Rumor: Nokia Is Gonna Make Netbooks [Nokia]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/9yITiKlL7vM/rumor-nokia-is-gonna-make-netbooks

TheStreet says that Nokia "has sealed its plans" to get into netbooks, which will be made for them by Foxconn (so it's cheaper, easier and faster for them to start). But here's the real question: What OS is it gonna run? [The Street]

MLB's Incredible Web Video Plans: HD With Mosaic Picture-in-Picture, Live Streaming to iPhone [Mlb]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/R47JOmdPl2c/mlbs-incredible-web-video-plans-hd-with-mosaic-picture+in+picture-live-streaming-to-iphone

MLB's awesome and feature-packed iPhone app could be getting that killer feature—live video streaming—this summer thanks to a new streaming tool in iPhone 3.0, says MLB Advanced Media CEO Bob Bowman.

Here's what he says specifically:

If there were a heaven and it came out in midseason, maybe we offer a game or two a day and that way we don't drop the price for At Bat. We would love to do live games on the iPhone. I think people would watch. A whole game? Probably not. But ten minutes?

Beyond that, MLB.TV is about to crush everyone's expectations of what live web video should be: More than 2,000 games in HD, which you can watch four of simultaneously with a mosaic picture-in-picture, multiple audio tracks to pick from and full DVR features like pause and rewind. They're also working on finally allowing in-market web streaming, so you can watch your local team online if you feel like it, not just on your TV.

If I actually liked baseball, I'd pretty hyped right about now. But I wonder if their pay model would be able to be applied anywhere else—would people pay for network programming (Hulu) if it had this kind of functionality? Or just go to torrents?[Alley Insider, MLB.TV]

Mini Hydro Turbine concept could bring renewable energy production to your bathroom

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/06/mini-hydro-turbine-concept-could-bring-renewable-energy-producti/

Mini Hydro Turbine concept could bring renewable energy production to your bathroom

Environmentalists would have you believe that leaving the faucet running while you brush your teeth puts an unnecessary drain on the environment. We always disagreed, and if Jin Woo Han's concept Mini Hydro Turbine ever goes into production we might finally have something to back up our argument. The device would capture the "free" energy of your tap to spin a little generator, in theory producing enough juice to charge up an electric toothbrush or shaver. That actually sounds somewhat reasonable, but Han's suggestion of powering your boiler with this thing is probably a bit optimistic. It would also take quite an optimist to think this could some day appear in a bathroom made of tiles and not pixels, but we'll keep on hoping; pairing this with a turbine toilet might enable us to take our homes completely off the grid -- or our bathrooms at least.

[Via Gadget Lab]

Filed under: Household

Mini Hydro Turbine concept could bring renewable energy production to your bathroom originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG's new W53 SMART monitors pack more intelligence per pixel

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/06/lgs-new-w53-smart-monitors-pack-more-intelligence-per-pixel/

Just when we thought the desktop monitor market couldn't get any more staid, LG comes along and spices it up a little bit. The new W53 SMART Monitors series includes a few "smart" additions like ambient light detection for Auto Brightness adjustment (like some laptops have), a Cinema Mode for blacking out the rest of the screen when video is playing, a timer to remind you to take breaks (like right now, for instance... you feel yourself getting very sleepy...) and a proximity sensor to activate the monitor controls when your hand approaches the display, and hide them when you're not tweaking anything. Sizes range from 18.5- to 27-inches, and the models 21.5-inch and up do 1920 x 1080p Full HD at 16:9. The displays also offer contrast ratios up to 50,000:1, and 2ms response times. The lineup should hit worldwide this month.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Filed under: Displays

LG's new W53 SMART monitors pack more intelligence per pixel originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brando's fun lovin' SATA HDD dock / stereo speaker / USB hub

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/06/brandos-fun-lovin-sata-hdd-dock-stereo-speaker-usb-hub/

Brando, known for its zany USB gadgets (and for playing Superman's father Jor-El) is back on the scene with a combination SATA HDD dock / stereo speaker / USB hub. This might not come with the laugh appeal of, say, the Buffalo USB speakers -- and it may not tell you the temperature at your desk -- but if you don't mind one of these ugmos cluttering up your workstation we're sure you'll be able to put it to good use. Features include: compatibility with both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA hard disks, two USB 2.0 ports, USB audio, three watt stereo speakers (with "rich timbre"), and volume control.Yours for a smooth $59.

Filed under: Storage

Brando's fun lovin' SATA HDD dock / stereo speaker / USB hub originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung's new SyncMaster 70 displays consume 33% less energy, 0% less pizzazz

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/06/samsungs-new-syncmaster-70-displays-consume-33-less-energy-0/

Taking global climate change as seriously as anyone is these days, Samsung has trotted out a pair of new SyncMaster 70 series monitors, on the green tip. Coming in at your choice of either 20- or 23-inches, the displays sport a 50000:1 contrast ration, 2ms response time, and consume thirty-three percent less energy than previous Sammy outings. No word yet on screen resolution, release date, or price. Don't tell us that you're not a little bit excited. Just a little?

Filed under: Displays

Samsung's new SyncMaster 70 displays consume 33% less energy, 0% less pizzazz originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LED-infused HDMI cables add some light to your home theater

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/04/led-infused-hdmi-cables-add-some-light-to-your-home-theater/

We know what you're thinking: you've decked out your gaming rig with a translucent case and a string of LEDs inside, and gave similar treatment to the wall just behind your display ... so why not add that special glow to your connection, too? Enter these HDMI 1.3 cables from Donya, available in only the finest of patriotic colors -- red, white, and blue. It'll set you back 999 yen (about US $10) plus an unknown amount for shipping, but if you're impatient, we're sure there's a little DIY weekend project to take from this.

[Via Akihabara News]

Filed under: Desktops, Home Entertainment

LED-infused HDMI cables add some light to your home theater originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell netbook roadmap leaks out, get ready for the Mini 11

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/04/dell-netbook-roadmap-leaks-out-get-ready-for-the-mini-11/

Oops, it looks like a Dell middle manager somewhere got a little too excited and let a full set of netbook roadmap slides leak out. The biggest news is a planned Mini 11 due sometime between now and the end of Q3, but the Mini 10 is where most of the action is in the short term -- the current model will get options for Vista, a 3G modem, and potentially a 1.86GHz Atom on April 17th, a new 1.6GHz Atom N270 SKU will arrive in May and everything will be updated again in the second half of the year with Intel's Pine Trail processors. Interesting, but we're wondering when Dell will realize that the Mini 10's HDMI output and 720p screen are useless unless it can handle true HD video -- Ion, anyone?

Filed under: Laptops

Dell netbook roadmap leaks out, get ready for the Mini 11 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Apr 2009 20:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo MRT800 touchscreen PMP unveiled, pities no fool

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/05/lenovo-mrt800-touchscreen-pmp-unveiled-pities-no-fool/

On the surface, Lenovo's MRT800 doesn't seem to have any surprises, but if you look closer... well, it's more or less the same. The touchscreen PMP's got a 4.3-inch TFT LCD with 480 x 272 resolution, a microSD expansion slot, FM tuner, and a voice recorder. Codec support includes RMVB, AVI, ASF, MP4, and FLV for video, and MP3, WMA, OGG, APE, FLAC, and WAV for audio. Mum's the word on pricing, release date, or if anyone else mispronounces its name and gets the urge to watch A-Team reruns.

[Via iTech News]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Lenovo MRT800 touchscreen PMP unveiled, pities no fool originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia N97 hits FCC with glorious photography

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/06/nokia-n97-hits-fcc-with-glorious-photography/

We're not sure if these are false color images, weird lighting, a Finnish sense of humor, or an actual production color scheme for the N97, but regardless, we like it. Nay, love it. Ship it, Nokia. Anyhow, the FCC has published full submitted details of one of the non-North American varieties of Nokia's halo device for the year, putting GSM / EDGE 850 / 1900 and WCDMA band II (1900MHz, if you're curious) through their paces along with the FM transmitter, Bluetooth, and WiFi. We've also got a manual to peruse -- unfortunately, details on the Ovi Store are missing, but at least we can brush up on our phone basics before we get our hands on a device. Anyone else totally forget that it's got an internal magnetic compass, or was that just us?

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Nokia N97 hits FCC with glorious photography originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 01:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia's E75 now shipping to eMail lovers, pixel haters

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/06/nokias-e75-now-shipping-to-email-lovers-pixel-haters/

It's out, Nokia's E75 S60 QWERTY is now shipping according to a feverish Nokia press release. For Espoo, that leading "E" stands for businEss so this slider is all about corporate eMail -- a first handset to ship with Nokia's new eMail user interface -- as well as getting you connected to your personal accounts from Yahoo, Gmail, and Hotmail. Unfortunately, the decent quad-band GSM / EDGE and dual-band HSPDA data, WiFi, microSD expansion, 3.2 megapixel camera, and a-GPS specs are offset by that puny 2.4-inch QVGA (320 x 240 pixel) display. For our money, we'll be holding out for the 3.5-inch, 640 x 360 pixel N97 QWERTY slider just peeped in the FCC, thankuverymuch.

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia's E75 now shipping to eMail lovers, pixel haters originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TiVo update brings pause menu ads to Series3 & TiVo HD owners

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/06/tivo-update-brings-pause-menu-ads-to-series3-and-tivo-hd-owners/

TiVo heard you liked ads, so it's putting ads in your pause menu so you can watch ads while you skip ads. Already rolled out on older Series2 hardware last December, Dave Zatz posts that the 11.0c software update for Series3 / TiVo HD hardware brings the new "feature" of ads popping up while viewers are time shifting. That can show up as a "More information" prompt for some shows, as seen above, but will hold advertisements on certain programs. The prompt will only show up once per recording, but if this new form of advertising bugs you, TiVo Community user bfdtv instructs that permanently hiding the progress bar can be achieved by pressing pause, press down to hide the popup, press play again, then enter SELECT-PLAY-SELECT-PAUSE-SELECT, which can also be reversed by using the code again while watching a recording. Still, we doubt the ad skipping arms race will end here.

Read - TiVo's Pause Menu Spam Hits S3/HD Units
Read - TivoHD Overview, Q&A, Setup, Tips

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

TiVo update brings pause menu ads to Series3 & TiVo HD owners originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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