Wednesday, September 01, 2010

HP Mini 210 and Mini 5103 officially announced with dual-core Atom power

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/01/hp-mini-210-and-mini-5103-officially-announced-with-dual-core-at/

Netbook makers like Lenovo, Gigabyte and ASUS have been quietly releasing new systems with Intel's new mobile, dual-core N550 processor, but HP's not keeping its use of the fresh chip in 10-inch netbooks a secret... anymore. Just as we've previously heard, the professional-aimed $399 Mini 5103 will be getting a dual-core 1.5GHz processor option, which HP tells us can improve benchmark performance by up to 20 percent without a significant impact on battery life. It's also been updated with a new "espresso" color and will have HP's Day Starter instant-on OS -- no WebOS buried in there yet.

On the consumer end, the HP Mini 210 has also been refreshed -- actually, more like gutted -- with a new design. The 10.1-inch netbook is now available in a bunch of cleverly named colors, including crimson red and ocean drive, and has been revamped with a new back that integrates the battery into the bottom of the chassis. Don't worry: the battery is still swappable and you can open the bottom cover to replace the RAM and hard drive. It still has that chiclet keyboard we like so much, the rather hit-or-miss ClickPad touchpad and a Broadcom Crystal Accelerator option for 1080p playback. The Mini 210 will start at $330 with a single core Atom CPU and six-cell battery, but will be available with the N550 processor for a bit more (we're guessing around $75). The full release is after the break and some snazzy hands-on pics are below.

Continue reading HP Mini 210 and Mini 5103 officially announced with dual-core Atom power

HP Mini 210 and Mini 5103 officially announced with dual-core Atom power originally appeared on ! Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:27 AM

HP Wireless TV Connect streams 1080p video, hits Intel WiDi where it hurts

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/01/hp-wireless-tv-connect-streams-1080p-video-picks-up-where-intel/

We have to say it's a bit odd for HP to be announcing its own wireless streaming peripheral -- it seems like something more up IOGEAR or Belkin's alley -- but the $199 Wireless TV Connect is exactly what we've been waiting for in some respects. Sure, the box that you have to connect to your laptop via HDMI and USB for power is a bit on the large side, but it's capable of streaming 1080p content, including Blu-ray movies or protected content, to your TV and there's absolutely no lag when controlling the desktop on the big screen. We're not exactly sure what technology HP's using here -- we're thinking WHDI, though the company wouldn't confirm -- but the two box set can be used with any laptop on the market that has an HDMI port. Take that Intel WiDi! This is one we're absolutely planning to test out, but in the meantime check out the pics below.

Continue reading HP Wireless TV Connect streams 1080p video, hits Intel WiDi where it hurts

HP Wireless TV Connect streams 1080p video, hits Intel WiDi where it hurts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:27 AM

HP unleashes Envy 17 3D, HP Envy 14 Beats edition and specially-cooled Pavilion dm3

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/01/hp-unleashes-envy-17-3d-hp-envy-14-beats-edition-and-specially/

We know, it feels like it was just a few months ago that the new Envy 14 and 17 hit the market, but HP isn't quite finished tinkering with its aluminum laptops. First up is the new Envy 14 Beats edition, which just like the previous Envy 15 Beats has a totally different black and red design than the rest of the Envy line along with a a pretty awesome red backlit keyboard. Apart from the different aesthetics and bundled Beats headphones, it's essentially the same as the regular Envy 14, although the $1249 starting price is for big fans of beats or Dr. Dre only. The Envy 17 gets the most interesting update, though: it'll be available sometimes this holiday season with a 17.3-inch 3D Ultra BrightView display and active shutter glasses. Powered by AMD's 3D technology, the Envy 17 will also support 3D Blu-ray discs, and by that we mean Avatar when it finally hits in November. We got a chance to check it out a few weeks ago and the 3D content looked pretty, well... three-dimensional. HP says the rig will be priced south of $2,000 and claims it's been working very hard on improving viewing angles.

On the much-more-thin-and-light end of the spectrum, HP's also unveiling the improved Pavilion dm3. Starting at $549, the 13.3-inch dm3 will be available with Intel Core i3 and i5 processors and boasts HP's new CoolSense technology, which the company says combines hardware and software to keep the entire chassis cool. Beyond all that, the laptop is less than an inch thick and has been given a major makeover -- it has a very soft-to-the-touch lid and the same chiclet keyboard and ClickPad as the Pavilion dm4. We're planning to review a few of these, but until then head below to check out some hands-on shots and the full press release after the break.

Continue reading HP unleashes Envy 17 3D, HP Envy 14 Beats edition and specially-cooled Pavilion dm3

HP unleashes Envy 17 3D, HP Envy 14 Beats edition and specially-cooled Pavilion dm3 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:26 AM

Sony slims down, speeds up, and adds touch to its entire Reader family

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/01/sony-slims-down-speeds-up-and-adds-touch-to-its-entire-reader/

With Amazon and Barnes & Noble both unleashing new e-readers under $150 it pretty much goes without saying that Sony's got to step it up, and its refreshed Reader family is what we've been expecting. Just like we'd heard and heard again, Sony's tweaked its entire Reader line up -- the Pocket, Touch, and Daily editions -- by adding improved optical touchscreens, speeding up page turns with E Ink Pearl displays and slimming down the brushed aluminum hardware. Beyond that, it's also updated its Daily Edition with WiFi -- there's still no connectivity options for the other two. We got to see all three a few days ago, so hit the break for our hands-on impressions and details on pricing and availability.

Continue reading Sony slims down, speeds up, and adds touch to its entire Reader family

Sony slims down, speeds ! up, and adds touch to its entire Reader family originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:26 AM

Motorola Milestone 2 arrives, 720p HD video, Android 2.2, and Motoblur Enhanced in tow

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/01/motorola-milestone-2-arrives-720p-hd-video-android-2-2-and-mo/

Even without yesterday's premature video promo, you had to know Motorola wouldn't leave its international audience without a successor to the Milestone, so today -- surprise, surprise -- we're being treated to the Milestone 2's launch. The first thing to be said here is that if you've handled a Droid 2, you've also handled a Milestone 2 -- the new phone follows Moto's tradition of being a simple rebadge away from the Verizon-friendly Droid naming scheme, which means it retains the same 1GHz OMAP SOC, 512MB of RAM, 5 megapixel camera, 8GB of integrated storage, and Android 2.2 as the default, albeit Motoblured, OS. Also, we got this straight from the Motohorse's mouth: Motoblur's not going anywhere, it's the company's "Android solution" and is here to stay.

One advantage over the Droid 2 here is the addition of 720p video recording. It's still the exact same imager as on the back of the first Milestone, but now you can catch moving visuals in HD resolution. Moto were keen to point out the 5-device hotspot capabilities (courtesy of Froyo) on the Milestone 2, but they showed it off using a wired connection since the demo handset's O2 SIM card wouldn't permit wireless tethering. Well, that was a grand demonstration of how vulnerable our Android 2.2 goodness will be to the whims of mobile carriers. The Milestone 2's expected to launch around Europe in Q4, with carrier-dependent pricing as per usual.

Continue reading Motorola Milestone 2 arrives, 720p HD video, Android 2.2, and Motoblur Enhanced in tow

Motorola Milestone 2 arrives, 720p HD video, Android 2.2, and Motoblur Enhanced in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:26 AM

Orange HD Voice service and handsets go live in the UK, we go ears-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/01/orange-hd-voice-service-and-handsets-go-live-in-the-uk-we-go-ea/

Good news for UK mobile addicts: Orange's long-anticipated HD Voice service has officially made it to the Land of Hope and Glory. Starting today, British customers can pick up a HD Voice-enabled handset -- including the Nokia 5230, X6, E5 and Samsung Omnia Pro at launch -- from Orange, and start buttering their ears with "crystal clear" phone calls while within the carrier's 3G coverage. Prior to the launch, we were fortunate enough to try out the new service on a couple of Nokia E5 prototypes in Piccadilly Circus, and boy, that was some pretty impressive stuff there -- the wider speech bandwidth really added a lot of clarity to the caller's voice, and additionally, the noisy traffic from the caller's end was well suppressed at where it'd otherwise crackle over a normal call. Perhaps the easiest way to put it is that this is much like jumping from a bad FM radio broadcast to some sweet CD audio, thus making conversations a lot easier to interpret, even if the recipient is in a noisy environment or has hearing problem (as proven by Orange's public trial). As always, hearing is believing, so do check out our sample audio clips after the break.

While Orange remains a dominant driving force behind this mobile revolution, the carrier assured us that it expects other companies to pick up this open standard. That said, it's rather disappointing that current owners of the aforementioned handsets won't be getitng a software patch for the HD upgrade (we were told that no extra hardware is involved), but we can understand -- the manufacturers do need to sell new phones to stay alive in this rapidly changing market. Anyhow, here's hoping that the forthcoming flagship Android and Windows Phone 7 devices will also get a taste of this crystal clear call quality.

Continue reading Orange HD Voice service and handsets go live in the UK, we go ears-on (video)

Orange HD Voice service and handsets go live in the UK, we go ears-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:25 AM

XF105 and XF100: Canon's smallest professional camcorders yet

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/01/xf105-and-xf100-canons-smallest-professional-camcorders-yet/

Be clear on this, Canon's XF105 and XF100 camcorders are for professional videographers. Sure, they're compact enough to temp any new father... just as long as he's interested in recording his princess' first steps to hot-swappable Compact Flash cards in either 1080/60i/30p/24p or 720/60p/30p/24p using Canon's MPEG-2 4:2:2 50Mbps XF codec. Although crowned Canon's smallest professional camcorders, both manage to feature infrared and stereoscopic 3-D shooting capabilities (using OIS Lens Shift to optically align a pair of XF105 or XF100 shooters), a DIGIC DV III Image Processor, and a Full HD CMOS sensor for native 1920 x 1080 HD video. The two models differ only in support for HD-SDI output: the XF105 has it, the XF100 doesn't. Look for them at retail sometime in the first quarter of 2011.

Continue reading XF105 and XF100: Canon's smallest professional camcorders yet

XF105 and XF100: Canon's smallest professional camcorders yet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:25 AM

LG teases world's thinnest (2.9mm) OLED television, other goodies ahead of IFA

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/01/lg-teases-worlds-thinnest-2-9mm-oled-television-other-goodie/

We didn't catch any glimpses of an Optimus Pad or anything even close to the monstrous 180-inch plasma we've been hearing about, but a quick stroll through LG's still-under-construction facilities at IFA today revealed the kiosk for its insanely thin 31-inch 3D OLED television, whose price (if it ever even hits retail, that is) is likely to make even Black Card holders squirm. All told, LG's booth consumes an entire floor of one of Messe Berlin's many halls, so it's a big one; the emphasis is clearly on its flat panel TVs, though there are dedicated areas for its Blu-ray gear and store kiosk solution as well. More on all this after the show opens on Friday, no doubt!

LG teases world's thinnest (2.9mm) OLED television, other goodies ahead of IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:24 AM

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Turn On Hardware Graphics Acceleration in Chrome 7 [Chrome]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5625256/turn-on-gpu-acceleration-in-chrome-7

Turn On Hardware Graphics Acceleration in Chrome 7It's only available in the Dev and Canary builds of Chrome, and very few pages support it—for now. But if you want to get hardware acceleration running in Google's browser, it's just a simple command line switch away.

ZDNet's Googling Google blog points out that getting GPU acceleration going in your Chrome Dev version is simply a matter of right-clicking your Chrome shortcut and adding a parameter to the end, just as we've explained in the power user's guide to Google Chrome. In this case, that parameter (or "switch") is --enable-accelerated-compositing.

Where can you try out your new graphics-card-assisted browsing and rendering? Oddly enough, at Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 Testdrive site. There will be, assuredly, other sites that support GPU acceleration in the near future, but for now, it's neat to see how fast you can get your browser going.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:06 AM

Entri Creates Controlled Collaboration Spaces for Text Work [Collaboration Tools]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5625284/entri-creates-controlled-collaboration-spaces-for-text-work

Entri Creates Controlled Collaboration Spaces for Text WorkGot an article to write with a fellow classmate? Need some feedback on a blog post you're putting together? Entri lets you write with a good editor, grab the link, then share it with friends to chime in.

It's not a real-time collaboration tool, like Etherpad and its clones or other great picks, but that's probably a good thing if you're looking for a specific kind of back-and-forth. You can save your changes manually, or let auto-saving do the job. When you're done with what you're writing, you can offer your text up by sharing the URL to your "Entri," and letting your friends sign in through Twitter or as guests. If you're ready to move ahead, you can lock your text while you work on something else or pull your research.

Entri is a free app to use, and promises more APIs, WordPress integration, and more to come in the near future.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:06 AM

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