Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Video: Spawn Labs HD-720 aims to be the Slingbox to your game console, we go hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/video-spawn-labs-hd-720-aims-to-be-the-slingbox-to-your-game-co/

Sure, your heart may be aflutter with thoughts of gaming cloud services like OnLive and OTOY, but quietly making its debut this week is Spawn Labs with its "Bring Your Own console" HD-720 video game streamer, due out this November for $199.95. In a nutshell, the device works as a Slingbox for your Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS2, or GameCube and lets you play those consoles over the internet on your Windows PC (a Mac client is said to be in the works). The AV cables -- component or composite, no HDMI at this point -- are connected and can be then passed through to a TV as normal. A USB connection is used to sync up the controller, and there's also an IR signal for turning the connected system(s) on and off. On the computer, you can log the Spawn Labs website and play either your own system or jump onto one of your friends' systems for some faux-local co-op or to be a spectator.

We had a chance to take a look at the streamer and talk with some of the minds behind it at TechCrunch 50 to fill in some of the missing details. In a fairly controlled environment -- the device hooked up via ethernet to a private router on the show floor -- we were able to competently play Soul Calibur IV with what we were told was around 100ms audio / video and 5ms controller lag. Under ideal situations, it streams 720p / 30 frames per second in H.264 video with AAC-LC audio, but that can automatically downscale when the connection slows -- should we decide we're too lazy to make it from our bedroom to the couch to play Halo (an all too frequent scenario), it'll clearly work fine over a local network, but it's gonna be how well it works across that internet that's the real deal-breaker, and we weren't able to test that. Cross-continent play isn't recommended, but you can have spectators from all over the world and it won't at all affect your latency. Any PC controller can work and be custom-mapped, including just keyboard and mouse, although if you're wanting to use a PS3 pad you'll have to find the drivers for it yourself. The game window itself has buttons along the bottom for pulling up the system's specific guide menu or recording the video for upload to YouTube. What's impressive to us is that it's said to work with any computer that can handle a 720p video stream, and so far in the labs they've apparently got it working well on an ION-based netbook -- but we didn't get to see that for ourselves, so we'll hold applause until we can put it through its paces ourselves. See a video demonstration for yourself after the break.

Continue reading Video: Spawn Labs HD-720 aims to be the Slingbox to your game console, we go hands-on

Filed under:

Video: Spawn Labs HD-720 aims to be the Slingbox to your game console, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 8:54 PM

Archos 5 Internet Tablet makes an honest PMP out of Android

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/archos-5-internet-tablet-makes-an-honest-pmp-out-of-android/

Android has become many things to many people, but high-powered media devices haven't latched on to the OS just yet. Much of it has to do with the Android's immaturity: from what we hear, it doesn't even support hardware graphics acceleration, much less embrace multimedia and games. Archos has punched through that barrier by porting over its existing media-happy application layer from Linux to make good use of the 800MHz OMAP3440 processor they've stuffed inside the brand new (much leaked) Archos 5 Internet Tablet. The tablet runs a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 screen, and can pump out 720p video (including WMV and H.264) over HDMI. Because it's Archos' own special sauce, the device also supports protected WMV and protected WMA (hooray PlaysForSure), a rarity for Linux. With the optional DVR Station the device can do VGA TV recording, though you'll probably want to spring for one of the beefy HDD models, which offer capacity up to 500GB, but double the girth of the basic 0.4-inch thick flash player. There's also 802.11n WiFi, a bit of a rarity in portable devices like this, and quite a treat for 2.4GHz-addled city dwellers.

But that's all pretty regular Archos-ey stuff. The newness for Archos comes in the form of Android, which has been fairly seamlessly melded with the Archos layer -- which hovers over the vanilla Android install when needed. The OS scales up pretty nicely to 800 x 480, which is a relief because the touchscreen keyboard is a bit of a chore with the 5's resistive touchscreen. Since it's not a Google-blessed device, you'll have to score a copy of Gmail on your own time, but the regular Market is available if you want to risk going around the 5-optimized AppsLib store. Several third party apps are included out of the gate, including ThinkFree Mobile, which should be updated to allow for document editing in the near future. When plugged into a dock and paired with an optional mini-QWERTY keypad (or any regular Bluetooth keyboard and mouse! ) the 5 becomes a rather nice way to surf the internet on your TV. It's missing in-browser Flash, but there should be an update to rectify that soon. Out of the house the tablet offers a high-end GPS experience, including hugemongous birds eye photo maps of major cities, and can tether with a 3G phone over Bluetooth for a bit of data. So, Archos 5 might not be Android's killer device, mainly because it isn't a phone and doesn't make for pleasurable mobile data entry or consumption. Still, it's doing stuff with media that the relatively sluggish crop of Android handsets have failed at so far, and hopefully will spur the community to greater heights. The player is available as of today, with prices ranging from $250 to $440, not to mention accessories galore. Check out videos of the tablet in action after the break.

Continue reading Archos 5 Internet Tablet makes an honest PMP out of Android

Filed under: , , ,

Archos 5 Internet Tablet makes an honest PMP out of Android originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 8:54 PM

Belkin Home Base brings wireless printing and file sharing to any PC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/belkin-home-base-brings-wireless-printing-and-file-sharing-to-an/


You've been looking for it, we've been looking for it -- heck, displaced Martians have been looking for it. We're talking about that mythical, magical box that adds all sorts of connectivity to any networked PC, and rather than making consumers purchase separate devices to add NAS capabilities and wireless print sharing to one's home, Belkin's Home Base does it all. This sleek little box includes four USB 2.0 sockets and an Ethernet jack, and when connected to one's home router, a printer and at least one external hard drive, any machine on the network instantly gains wireless printing abilities as well as network access to your USB HDD(s). Furthermore, Home Base can wirelessly backup your connected PCs behind your back, and with the automatic sharing feature, your most intimate photos can be whisked away to Flickr-land without you having to know. Are you as giddy as we are? Pull out $130 and get to shoppin' -- it should be available today.

Filed under:

Belkin Home Base brings wireless printing and file sharing to any PC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 8:54 PM

Archos phone tablet teased: Android, 4.3-inch touschscreen, 1GHz ARM processor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/archos-phone-tablet-teased-android-4-3-inch-touschscreen-1ghz/

In an all-too brief teaser at a press conference across the pond, Archos decided to give a few more details and a teaser pic of the Android phone it announced back in February. According to the slide, it's got a 4.3-inch touchscreen with 854 x 480 resolution, a 1GHz ARM processor -- likely comparable to Archos 5, but pretty powerful considering what all other Android phones have so far arrived with -- and a 10mm-thick shell. Size and specs-wise, it matches up quite handily to the Snapdragon- and Windows Mobile-powered Toshiba TG01, although that one's already taking up retail shelf space, and it looks like we'll be waiting for some of those infamous Archos leaks if we want any more information the phone tablet in the near future.

Filed under: ,

Archos phone tablet teased: Android, 4.3-inch touschscreen, 1GHz ARM processor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 8:53 PM

Volkswagen E-Up! concept rolls into Frankfurt, hits the road in 2013

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/volkswagen-e-up-concept-rolls-into-frankfurt-hits-the-road-in/


Volkswagen's E-Up! concept vehicle has been making the rounds for a little while now, but it looks like the automaker has really stepped up its game (and hype machine) for its appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show, where it also took the opportunity to announce a launch date. That will apparently happen sometime in 2013, when Volkswagen hopes that the vehicle will become nothing short of "the Beetle of the 21st century." A lofty goal to be sure, but the E-Up! does have quite a bit going for it compared to other all-electric vehicles, including a new "lightweight," five hundred pound lithium-ion battery pack, a promised range of 130 kilometers, a full recharge in less than five hours, and even some solar panels on the roof and the sun visors to add a bit of extra power to the car's electrical system. Hit up the link below for the complete rundown, and plenty of pics courtesy of our pals at Autoblog Green.

Filed under:

Volkswagen E-Up! concept rolls into Frankfurt, hits the road in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 8:53 PM

MSI ships 12.1-inch, Athlon Neo-equipped Wind U210

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/msi-ships-12-1-inch-athlon-neo-equipped-wind-u210/


MSI's Wind U210 has certainly been making the rounds, but it has yet to plant its feet firmly on US soil. Until today, obviously. Checking in at 3.2 pounds, this 12.1-inch netbook is equipped with a larger-than-usual 1,366 x 768 display, AMD's 1.6GHz Athlon Neo MV-40 processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 250GB hard drive and a 6-cell battery that's reportedly good for four hours of usage. The rig's also packing an ATI Radeon X1250 in the graphics department, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, HDMI output, three USB 2.0 sockets, a VGA port and a 4-in-1 multicard reader. For those interested in buying a Vista-equipped machine just a month before Windows 7 swoops in to save the day, both Amazon and NewEgg would be more than happy to make your wallet $430 lighter.

Continue reading MSI ships 12.1-inch, Athlon Neo-equipped Wind U210

Filed under:

MSI ships 12.1-inch, Athlon Neo-equipped Wind U210 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 8:53 PM

Lenovo T400s touch hands-on and impressions

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/lenovo-t400s-touch-hands-on-and-impressions/

From the outside, the new Lenovo T400s touch doesn't look all that exciting -- unless you're the sort to get excited over ThinkPads, in which case you're probably quite stoked that it looks exactly like the non-touch T400s. But it's actually a pretty crazy product -- it's a regular laptop with a high-end four-finger capacitive touchscreen. Not a tablet, not a convertible, just a laptop. And a ThinkPad, so you've already got both a touchpad and a TrackPoint to get around. It's a little puzzling until you use it, and realize that just casually reaching out and touching the display sort of makes a lot of sense. Sort of -- there aren't a lot of apps that take advantage of multitouch right now, and while Lenovo's SimpleTap app launcher / control panel system is a cool demo, it's more of a nifty feature than a killer app. Still, it's nice to see a responsive capacitive touchscreen make the touch features of Windows 7 much more fun to use, and while we didn't end up trying to touch our regular laptop screens when we were done with the T400s touch, we'd certainly spring for the option if we were in the market. Check a little video after the break.



Continue reading Lenovo T400s touch hands-on and impressions

Filed under:

Lenovo T400s touch hands-on and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 8:53 PM

Switched On: How Motorola's Cliq could start to drag

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/switched-on-how-motorolas-cliq-could-start-to-drag/

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
For many celebrities, 2009 continues to be a year of endings, but at least two handset pioneers have pinned their hopes on rebirths this year. Following Palm's return to its roots with a homegrown operating system earlier this year, Motorola has committed to a new smartphone direction with Android and its Blur social contact architecture. Motorola's first announced Android device, the Cliq, is less distinctive than Palm's Pre or Pixi, but advances the horizontal keyboard slider form factor that provided a successful launchpad for the T-Mobile G1. With high-volume competitors Samsung and LG also planning to release Android devices and HTC marrying Android to its Sense user interface, though, Motorola has incentive to differentiate with software.

All smartphones must decide where they want to integrate and where they want to provide a platform for innovation. RIM, for example, has integrated what is still the best e-mail management application into the BlackBerry (although its lack of HTML email and IMAP support are real drawbacks these days) and Apple has integrated both its own Safari browser as well as services such as Google Maps. But now companies such as Palm and Motorola are integrating social networks, and that could have some downsides.

Continue reading Switched On: How Motorola's Cliq could start to drag

Filed under:

Switched On: How Motorola's Cliq could start to drag originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 8:52 PM

Monday, September 14, 2009

Swiveling Touchscreen Viliv S7 Spotted With Lofty Asking Price [NetBooks]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/blZQjX0Lsjo/swiveling-touchscreen-viliv-s7-spotted-with-lofty-asking-price

The Viliv S7, that hot little number we spec'd for you in January, is all but out and about today with one little caveat: Its not so little asking price is pegged between $630 to $800, depending on options.

If that drew a bit of a dubious whistle out of you, you're not alone. Comments over at CrunchGear echo the sentiment, and cast just the slightest bit of uncertainty over this impressive little rig's shiny sheen.

A recap, if you please:

There's a substantial seven hours of video playback on a swiveling 1024x600 7-inch touchscreen, thanks in part to the energy-sipping internals. An impressively sized keyboard sits on top of standard netbook specs, including an Atom processor (up to 1.86 GHz), 1 GB memory, 60 GB HDD/16 GB SSD, and Windows XP.

Not bad, but the price is pushing it, if ever so slightly. Or maybe you disagree. Thoughts before the inevitably soonish release? [Dynamism via CrunchGear]




Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 2:41 PM

Volution Bluetooth Headset Concept Almost Makes Headsets Cool— Almost [Headsets]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/AXCv-Ln881k/volution-bluetooth-headset-concept-almost-makes-headsets-coolalmost

Bluetooth headsets suck, mostly due to the fact that they're butt ugly and turn users into talking-to-themselves crazy people. But this latest design takes care of the first issue—so long as you're a lady (says designer Fandi Meng).

As you can see, the headset is more earring than funky robotic ear leech, and it actually looks kind of nice in a futuristic fashionista kind of way.

Like a traditional headset, you tap the sensor to answer an incoming call, and talk into the air like a idiot as normal. But you look good, especially if you happen to be a model. [Fandi Meng via Design Blog]




Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 2:40 PM

MIT Students Explain How to Photograph Space for $150 [Photography]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Fm0DljhtLvY/mit-students-explain-how-to-photograph-space-for-150

On September 2, Justin Lee and Oliver Yeh successfully took these images of Earth's curvature and the blackness of space using only a weather balloon and off-the-shelf components—without complicated hacks. Total cost: $148. Here's how they did it.

First up, their rig used a Canon A470 camera with 8GB SD card that they bought used on Amazon. And instead of the expensive GPS radios commonly used by weather balloons, they used a prepaid Motorola i290 GPS cell phone to receive location text messages.

The Earth's stratosphere can get as cold as -67 degrees fahrenheit (-55 Celsius), but they couldn't afford expensive temperature-resistant housing. The solution: a styrofoam beer cooler, and an instant hand warmer. Awesome.

Their low-cost balloon-launch platform reached 17.5 miles high, into near-space. Using the GPS phone to track its location, they found the rig 20 miles away from the launch site about 5 hours later.

Total weight was 800g (about 28 ounces). Apparently FAA regulations only apply to balloons with payloads over four pounds. If you want all the details—including a full parts list—check our their site below.

While groups like EOSS (Edge of Space Sciences) have done things like this in the past, I've never seen it done so cheaply. High school science teachers, please take note! [L337arts via Slashdot]




Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 2:40 PM

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)