Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Optoma Pico Projector gets pictured, specced and priced

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/xRAGChRmVmE/

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, Portable Video

We've been hearing about Optoma's Pico Projector for what feels like ages now, but at long last we've some concrete data on the minuscule beamer. Boasting Texas Instruments' DLP technology, the 2- x 4.1- x 0.7-inch device weighs in at just 4.2-ounces and features a native resolution of 480 x 320 pixels, 9 (yes, nine) lumens of brightness and a minimum projection distance of eight inches (with a maximum of 8.5-feet). We're also told that it can be recharged via an AC adapter or USB, but the 20,000-hour bulb is not replaceable. David Pogue was able to spend a little time with the unit, and overall, he was emphatically stoked. He stated that visuals were more than satisfactory when shot up on an airline seat back, and the general crispness of the picture was smashing, too. Contrary to previous reports, we've now learned that this critter will be shipping in a fortnight (or two weeks, for those who take issue with such a term) for $430, which means this can now skyrocket to the top of your holiday wish list.

Optoma Pico Projector gets pictured, specced and priced originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, November 03, 2008

Sprint's HTC Touch Pro now available for purchase online, as promised

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/8nAETbDEv0U/

Filed under: Cellphones

We heard last week when Sprint launched the HTC Touch Pro at "select national retailers" that the device would be available online on November 2nd. Well, it's November 2nd, and they've kept their promise. The base retail price of the QWERTY smartphone is $579.99, but an "instant savings" of $180 combined with a $100 mail-in-rebate brings the price down to palatable $299.99 (with a 2-year agreement, needless to say). Of course, if you're really starved for human contact, you could always head over to a Sprint store and buy one in person, too.

Update: Had a little trouble with those read links -- all fixed now.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Sprint's HTC Touch Pro now available for purchase online, as promised originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile offers Motorola's MOTOZINE ZN5 for $99 on contract

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Z14fh06GeRQ/

Filed under: Cellphones

Among American carriers, T-Mobile USA isn't typically the first that comes to mind when we're thinking of purveyors of bleeding-edge hardware -- but between the G1 and this, we might have to start rethinking that stereotype. T-Mob has officially become the first carrier in North America to offer Motorola's 5-megapixel MOTOZINE ZN5, a quadband EDGE candybar with WiFi, a morphing keypad along the lines of T-Mobile's own MOTOROKR E8, and a 5-megapixel camera with xenon flash that's been infused with a heavy dose of Kodak imaging wizardry. The best part about the whole thing might be the price -- just $99 on a two-year contract, which fills our hearts with hope that awesome cams on phones are now officially commodity items. Look for the ZN5 in "select" T-Mobile stores and online starting today.

T-Mobile offers Motorola's MOTOZINE ZN5 for $99 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung's T*Omnia: all that and double the i900 Omnia's resolution

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/iy4Drh4LwQg/

Filed under: Cellphones

Like the i900 Omnia, eh? We sure did. Well here's its prettier, smarter cousin tagged the T*Omnia. For the most part, it's the same quad-band, WinMo 6.1 candybar with 7.2Mbps HSDPA data, WiFi, GPS, 5 megapixel cam, and nifty TouchWiz UI we've seen for months. But this hometown Korean version bumps the display to a WVGA, 800 x 480 pixels (up from 400 x 240) while slapping in a DMB digital television tuner to ensure its non-Stateside status for eternity... at least with this specific configuration. Perhaps Verizon would be so kind as to make use of that display?

Samsung's T*Omnia: all that and double the i900 Omnia's resolution originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DSe Hybrid yacht is super eco-friendly, totally unaffordable

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/zD87Ji1vHV0/

Filed under: Transportation

Yachts are usually pretty environmentally unsound, so the DSe Hybrid just debuted by Island Pilot at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show should be a real breath of fresh air (literally) if green is your thing. And apparently it's really about as eco-friendly as it gets -- using a combination of diesel, solar and electric power (when it goes into commercial production it will also boast wind turbines) the vessel can cruise at up to six knots on a sunny day for an indefinite period of time without any fuel and zero emissions. Possibly best of all (for those like us with delicate ears, anyway), it's virtually silent when not running on fuel. If you need to get somewhere in a hurry however, its Parallel Hybrid Propulsion System in diesel mode will move at up to 13 knots. There are all sorts of "luxury" amenities on board including a 26-inch HDTV and totally ferocious Bose home theater system. Island Pilot is taking pre-orders now (you have to lay down $5,000 just to reserve one) for delivery in 2009, but fair warning: this thing has a price tag of $600,000.

[Via gizmag]

DSe Hybrid yacht is super eco-friendly, totally unaffordable originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel Core i7 review roundup

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/QBS9FMBidCE/

Filed under: Desktops

We've already seen a few benchmarks of Intel's new Core i7 processor, but if you're still craving some more details about Intel's latest and greatest you now have plenty more than that to chew on, with reviews, overviews, and yet more benchmarks pouring in left and right. As you might expect, most sites are describing the CPU as a very big deal for Intel, with the folks at Maximum PC even going so far as to call it the company's "most significant CPU launch in, well, ever." What's more, as those early benchmarks hinted at, it doesn't look like there's too many folks disappointed with the new processors, with even the "low end" Core i7 920 able to defeat the higher clock speed Core 2 Quad Q9650 "over and over" according to TechSpot, a feat due in large part to the CPU's on-die memory controller and Intel's new QPI technology. The first few systems shipping with the processor also look to have been fairly well received, with Slash Gear finding that Gateway's new Core i7 920-based FX6800-01e delivered a reasonable but not revolutionary upgrade over its Core 2 Quad-based predecessor, and Computer Shopper also finding plenty of things to like in new systems from Falcon Northwest and iBuypower, though the price of each of those systems is another matter. That, of course, is just skimming the surface, and if you've got a few hours to spare, you can find plenty more to keep you busy by diving into the links below.

Read - PC Perspective. "Nehalem Revolution: Intel's Core i7 Processor Complete Review"
Read - Techgage, "Intel Core i7 Performance Preview"
Read - Maximum PC, "Core i7 Dissected and Benchmarked"
Read - Computer Shopper, "Intel's Core i7 Debuts: Systems, CPUs, and Motherboards Reviewed"
Read - HotHardware, "Getting To Know Intel's New Core i7, Video Spotlight"
Read - HotHardware, "Intel Core i7 Processors: Nehalem and X58 Have Arrived"
Read - TechSpot, "Intel Core i7 920, 940 and 965 Extreme Edition review"
Read - Custom PC, "Intel Core i7 - all you need to know"
Read - SlashGear, "Gateway FX6800-01e Review"

Intel Core i7 review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pioneer's 37-inch KRL-37V KURO LCD reviewed: other LCDs should be scared

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/90dJWxC615g/

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Anyone remotely familiar with the KURO brand knows that with it comes the expectation of awesomeness (and a large price tag), and the question on everyone's mind has been: will the KURO LCD line live up to the name? According to TrustedReview's critique of the 37-inch KRL-37V, the answer is a resounding "yes." The reviewers put together five long-winded pages detailing the ins and outs of this here set, but in general, they found that it produced better pictures than most other LCDs on the market today, and that's saying something. Sure, it wasn't without its flaws -- there were occurrences where odd color tones popped up in SD footage, black levels weren't astonishing and the viewing angles weren't the greatest -- but the colors in HD were simply terrific. 'Tis a shame we North Americans will have to wait until sometime next year before we can even have a look for ourselves, but those in Europe may want to give this one some serious attention.

[Via HDTV Lounge]

Pioneer's 37-inch KRL-37V KURO LCD reviewed: other LCDs should be scared originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 7 installed on a new MacBook Pro, sparks fly

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/USTpSXZbye8/

Filed under: Laptops

It's a next-generation operating system and mirror all in one!

[Thanks, Brian H.]

Windows 7 installed on a new MacBook Pro, sparks fly originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel Core i7-equipped Falcon Northwest Mach V gaming desktop hands-on

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/UmWb0s2_90g/

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

Benchmarks and reviews of Intel's Core i7 processors are pouring in, and while mere mortals must wait till later this month to get their hands on the hardware, we spent much of our weekend working overtime with Crysis, Fallout 3, and Age of Conan on an $8,238 Core i7 965-equipped Mach V gaming desktop from boutique PC manufacturer Falcon Northwest. It's got the works and then some: liquid cooling, dual ATI Radeon 4870X2 graphics cards with 2GB of RAM on-board, 12 GB of DDR3 RAM, Blu-ray, HD-DVD (yes, you read that right), and over a terabyte of storage. Based on our dozen or so hours of grueling, utterly boring hands-on tests, all three games were plenty playable maxed out at 1920 x 1080 resolution with 4x anti-aliasing -- only Crysis ever dipped below 40 frames per second, and we never saw Fallout 3 under 60. We sincerely hope you appreciate the backbreaking, soulcrushingly hard work we do for you -- more photos and benchmarks in the gallery.

Gallery: Intel Core i7-equipped Falcon Northwest Mach V gaming desktop hands-on