Boxee Box ditches NVIDIA's Tegra 2 for Intel CE4100, pre-orders start today at $199

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/boxee-box-ditches-nvidias-tegra-2-for-intel-ce4100-pre-orders/

The wait for the Boxee Box is nearly over -- pre-orders begin today -- but before you drop a stack of change on D-Link's half-sunk cube, know that there's no longer an NVIDIA Tegra 2 under that tiny hood. At the last minute, Boxee switched to the Intel Atom CE4100, the same up-to-1.2GHz Sodaville chip powering Google TV. That's not all, as manufacturer D-Link told us our good friend Avner Ronen may not be able to keep his promise -- though the company still expects the Box to hit the streets at under $200, we're now looking at a $229 suggested retail price. What could possibly have happened to make these drastic changes? We visited Boxee in person to get an explanation, and you'll find the surprisingly simple (yet NVIDIA-damning) answer right after the break.

Update: We just learned that Amazon will be selling it for $199, though the MSRP will remain $229.

Gallery: Boxee Box final hardware, hands-on

Continue reading Boxee Box ditches NVIDIA's Tegra 2 for Intel CE4100, pre-orders start today at $199

Boxee Box ditches NVIDIA's Tegra 2 for Intel CE4100, pre-orders start today at $199 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Defy hitting T-Mobile this holiday season, details to come... on Oprah

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/motorola-defy-hitting-t-mobile-this-holiday-season-details-to-c/

Remember that Defy that Motorola outed at the front end of this month? Turns out the Europeans won't be the only ones seeing it this Christmas, as Moto has just revealed that it'll be hitting US airwaves exclusively on T-Mobile "in time for the holidays." You already know the details -- a 3.7-inch WVGA scratch-resistant touchpanel, plenty of rigidity, Android 2.1, the ability to withstand dust and water, a five megapixel camera (with flash and auto focus), DLNA support and the outfit's own Blur interface (despite Jha's claims that it would fade from view) -- but it looks as if you'll have to wait a tick to find out anything about pricing. How long? Tune into today's farewell season premiere of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to find out. Yeah... strange. But true!

Gallery: Motorola Defy for T-Mobile USA

Continue reading Motorola Defy hitting T-Mobile this holiday season, details to come... on Oprah

Motorola Defy hitting T-Mobile this holiday season, details to come... on Oprah originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel: Sandy Bridge CPUs will ship in early 2011 (update)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/intel-sandy-bridge-cpus-will-ship-in-early-2011/

We're live from the 2010 Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, where we've got an interesting tidbit of news -- those long-awaited and often leaked Sandy Bridge processors will "begin shipping in very high volume" early next year in both laptop and desktop PCs. Now called the "2nd Generation Intel Core processors," the new chips will feature Intel's new 32nm architecture for everything, including the integrated graphics processor and memory controller, which will hopefully reduce their power consumption even as the new hardware's not terribly friendly to overclockers. PR after the break.

Update: Intel's on stage explaining a bit more about how Sandy Bridge works -- apparently the Turbo modes introduced in earlier Core chips (which dynamically clock individual processor cores based on how much thermal headroom they have) now works dynamically with the silicon's integrated graphics as well. Intel says it can actually exceed the TDP thermal envelope of a chip now to further overclock multiple cores at once, or switch off between overclocking graphics or CPU cores for differing workloads. See a few example images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Intel Sandy Bridge's advanced Turbo mode

Continue reading Intel: Sandy Bridge CPUs will ship in early 2011 (update)

Intel: Sandy Bridge CPUs will ship in early 2011 (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Liquid Metal handset confirmed for end of October in UK, has Froyo filling inside

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/acer-liquid-metal-handset-confirmed-for-end-of-october-in-uk-ha/

Acer's UK press team has been atypically loquacious today in disclosing the expected launch window and Android version for its upcoming Liquid Metal handset. We've confirmed ourselves that the end of October is the period now circled on Her Majesty's calendar, though we suspect the rest of Europe, if not the entire world, will be getting to grips with the Froyo-packing smartphone at about that time as well. The unconfirmed specs (gotta keep a little mystery, right?) include the same 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 as inside the T-Mobile G2, a 3.6-inch display with 800 x 480 resolution, Bluetooth 3.0 onboard, and the handsome backplate you see above, which seems to have been made out of brushed aluminum. So how do you feel, is there room for yet another contender on your smartphone wishlist?

Acer Liquid Metal handset confirmed for end of October in UK, has Froyo filling inside originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DisplayLink aims for 'any device, any display connectivity' with USB 3.0

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/displaylink-aims-for-any-device-any-display-connectivity-with/

We'd heard back at Christmastime 2009 that USB 3.0-infused DisplayLink kit would be hitting shelves in 2010, and lo and behold, it looks as if someone is dead-set on keeping a promise. Here at IDF 2010, DisplayLink has come forward with public plans to gravitate towards "any device, any display connectivity" with its new USB 3.0 chip platform. The DL-3000 and DL-1000 single chip series are being introduced in San Francisco, with each offering integrated display and networking connectivity, HD video support and "third generation DisplayLink adaptive real-time compression technology that dynamically manages bandwidth, taking full advantage bi-directional throughput of SuperSpeed USB." The gist of all that? Thanks to SuperSpeed bandwidth increases, multiple full HD videos, high resolution graphics and networking data can be processed simultaneously, and there's even the potential to enable graphics delivery over gigabit Ethernet. Essentially, USB 3.0 has opened up an entirely new playing field for DisplayLink, and we're hoping that 2011 is the year that we finally put those resolution caps behind us on USB-enabled docking stations. We'll let you know if we hear more from the show floor -- much to our dismay, hardly anything is said about actual product implementation dates in the PR.

Continue reading DisplayLink aims for 'any device, any display connectivity' with USB 3.0

DisplayLink aims for 'any device, any display connectivity' with USB 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:16:00 EDT. Please ! see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel shows off WiDi-enabled Atom tablet at IDF 2010

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/intel-shows-off-widi-enabled-atom-tablet-at-idf-2010/

Sure, Intel's big push for its IDF 2010 keynote this morning was the new Sandy Bridge architecture, but within the confines of one awkwardly-presented tech demonstration, we got a glimpse at "Project X." Which, as it turns out, is a pretty interesting Atom-powered development tablet with WiDi technology. From a video conference window projected against the wall, our man Shashi was pushing his slate's screen wireless to the HD set in the background as he showed off some Starcraft II recap footage. We're still on the lookout for the device somewhere on the show floor; if and when we find it, you'll be first to know. One more shot after the break.

Continue reading Intel shows off WiDi-enabled Atom tablet at IDF 2010

Intel shows off WiDi-enabled Atom tablet at IDF 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive: Galaxy Tab, red / white BlackBerry Torch and Samsung Focus hitting AT&T in Q4

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/exclusive-galaxy-tab-red-white-blackberry-torch-and-samsung/

Mmm, delicious. That's the feeling we're left with after being inundated with yet another round of AT&T leaks, this time giving us insight at a few flagship devices on tap for the carrier's holiday push. First up is the Galaxy Tab -- an Android 2.2-based tablet that we had previously heard rumored for AT&T's airwaves. Thanks to a branded snapshot from the carrier's internals, we can confirm that the Tab will indeed be sold on Ma Bell, and it (along with three other new Android devices) will ship "prior to December." Moving on, we've got even more confirmation that the Samsung Cetus (i917) will be one of the operator's first Windows Phone 7 devices, and it looks as if a heretofore unheard of Samsung Focus and HTC Surround will be joining it. Better still, we've got it on good authority that three other WP7 handsets will be splashing down alongside those others in time for the holidays. As for the remaining BlackBerry loyalists, AT&T will be tempting you with a trio of limited run Torch motifs coming in "mid to late November," with an all-white version, red / black model and olive colored edition on tap. We'll be keeping an ear to the ground for more, naturally.

Gallery: AT&T holiday 2010 lineup leaked!

Exclusive: Galaxy Tab, red / white BlackBerry Torch and Samsung Focus hitting AT&T in Q4 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Revo 2 with RevoPad sports Intel CE4100, Windows Media Center Embedded, and a slide-out touchpad with disappearing keys (update: more video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/acer-revo-2-sports-intel-ce4100-windows-media-center-embedded/

Yes, you could certainly accuse us of being easily pleased, but there's just something inherently awesome about hiding a giant touchpad remote in the otherwise boring box that controls your TV. At IDF 2010, we spotted a pair of new Intel CE4100 set-top boxes from ASUS and Acer respectively, running the brand-spanking-new Windows Media Center Embedded. Both were so early in development that they relied on external USB tuners to do their thing, but the Acer Revo 2 caught our eye when we saw the ThinkPad aesthetic of the RevoPad. It slides right out of a charging cradle in the front of the box to become a mousing alternative (and houses a large volume dial on the side), but with the press of a button the surface shines light through tiny perforations and it becomes a touchscreen keyboard instead.

Aside from the remote, the Revo 2's fairly well-connected to boot, sporting HDMI, Ethernet, optical and analog audio ports, and three USB ports, along with an internal hard drive of unspecified capacity and a slimline optical bay. The ASUS, meanwhile, has no drives, but an ATSC antenna, component and composite video to its name. Both boxes are slated for the first half of next year, though representatives weren't willing to talk price just yet. We're headed back for more, but in the meantime, check out video of the hardware after the break.

Update: We've got an expanded video walkthrough of Windows 7 Embedded now after the break!

Gallery: Windows 7 Embedded at IDF 2010

Gallery: Acer and Asus CE4100 set-top boxes, hands-on

Continue reading Acer Revo 2 with RevoPad sports Intel CE4100, Windows Media Center Embedded, and a slide-out touchpad with disappearing keys (update: more video)

Acer Revo 2 with RevoPad sports Intel CE4100, Windows Media Center Embedded, and a slide-out touchpad with disappearing keys (update: more video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Install iTunes 10 Without the Extra Bloatware [ITunes]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5635089/install-itunes-10-without-the-extra-bloatware

Windows only: It's no secret that the iTunes installer loads up your system with extra components you probably don't need, and there's no way to opt out—unless you crack open the install file, that is.

Over at ZDNet, Windows expert Ed Bott shows how to install iTunes components piece-by-piece, starting with extracting the components from the installer so that you can install each piece separately—he also walks through exactly which pieces you'll need to install depending on which iPod model you have, or which features you are using. It's a great read for anybody stuck using iTunes on Windows.

The unofficial guide to installing iTunes 10 without bloatware [ZDNet via How-To Geek ETC]

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Zumocast Streams Your Media Just About Anywhere [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5635092/zumocast-streams-your-media-just-about-anywhere

Similar to Libox, ZumoCast turns your Mac or Windows PC into a media streaming server that you can access through any web browser or iOS device.

ZumoCast is really easy to setup. After a quick signup process, you'll just need to select media folders for ZumoCast to scan for relevant media types (music, movies, etc.). It does this quickly, so you'll be able to log in to your account on zumocast.com and access all your files.

From there, find a song or a video you want to play and click on it. It'll play back from your computer, regardless of where you are. This is, of course, limited by your connection's upload speed and your machine's speed. Even with a Core i7 and 8GB of RAM, CPU usage was a little ridiculous:

In addition to streaming to and from Mac and Windows machines, you can also use ZumoCast to send video to your iOS devices. Browsing is a pretty simple experience, similar to what you'll find on their site (or really any standard file browser, for that matter). Again, ZumoCast relies on your computer to convert the video for iOS-friendly playback, so expect the same sort of limitations here. I found that MPEG4/H.264 content tended to stream more smoothly than anything else, whether it was to the web or to an iOS device. While this isn't all that surprising, the difference was pretty drastic. Other file types struggled quite a bit while MPEG4/H.264 didn't struggle at all.

If you are having any issues, ZumoCast has a download button. This is just pretty nice to have in general. If you want to download any of your media to your iOS device, you can just press the download button and you can start queuing up clips.

Important note: that's the awesome review of Star Wars Episode II depicted in the screenshot, not the actual movie (thankfully).

Zumocast is available now and works on both Mac OS X and Windows, plus your iPhone and iPad.

Zumocast

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Clementine Is a Simple, Amarok-Inspired Music Player for All Platforms [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5635020/clementine

Windows/Mac/Linux: There's no shortage of great desktop music players out there, but if you just want something simple that integrates other services better than iTunes, cross-platform Clementine might be just for you.

Amarok 2 has been out for awhile, but a lot of Linux users still prefer the less cluttered Amarok 1.4. Now, users of any operating system can get in on the action with the Amarok 1.4-inspired Clementine. it may not be as full-featured or unique as something like MediaMonkey or foobar2000, but more casual listeners unhappy with iTunes' lack of Last.fm or FLAC support will enjoy it.

It's a pretty basic playlist-based player, from which you can browse either a music library or just your hard disk. It supports a number of formats, including the oft-ignored Ogg Vorbis and FLAC, as well as a few different internet radio sources like Last.fm, SomaFM and Magnatune. It has support for notifications from both libnotify (on Linux) and Growl (on OS X) built-in, too. The only issue I had with it was that it didn't support the embedded cover art on any of my files—but its built-in cover art manager took care of that quickly by re-populating them all with info from Last.fm.

It's still in early stages, so it may become more feature-filled as time moves on, but for now it fits perfectly into the niche of people that don't need a superpowered music player but would like built-in support for some of the things that you need to install separately from something like iTunes (such as Last.fm, Growl, and FLAC).

Clementine is a free download for all platforms.

Clementine [via #tips]

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