VIZIO launches latest XVT series HDTVs, new Blu-ray players with 3D today

Say hello to the new VIZIO XVT 3D series, while the XVT Pro line announced earlier this year (and that 72-inch model we were drooling over) were not to be, these 42-, 47- and 55-inch HDTVs are real and on sale today through Amazon, Sam's Club and Target's online shops and should be on shelves later this month. Features like the number of LED backlighting zones (for the 47- and 55-, the 42-inch features edge LED lighting), claimed contrast ratio, WiFi N and VIZIO Internet Apps are consistent with existing models, so the big addition this time around is 480Hz refresh rate and obviously, 3D readiness (active shutter glasses not included). VIZIO's also announced two new 3D compatible Blu-ray players to match for $189, plus a new router and some high priced HDMI cables to fill out the lineup. Full specs and prices are in the press release after the break, but with a premium of $300-$400 on Amazon over the award winning 2D-only XVT3SV lineup (we have one in for review, hint: it's excellent), most will probably want to wait for some kind of package deal unless there's a copy of NBA 2K11 3D or Black Ops burning a hole in their console right now.

Update: It appears VIZIO's made one other change since its initial 3D announcement, these TVs feature 3D processing from RealD, instead of the SENSIO/XpanD combo announced for the XVT Pro line, press release is after the break. We asked if these glasses will be compatible with those from other manufacturers but haven't gotten an answer to that question yet.

Continue reading VIZIO launches latest XVT series HDTVs, new Blu-ray players with 3D today

VIZIO launches latest XVT series HDTVs, new Blu-ray players with 3D today originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

QNAP's TS-119P+ Turbo NAS offers a 'fashionably shiny design,' just one HDD bay

When it comes to external storage, the amount of gloss provided by the enclosure in question is really of paramount importance. QNAP knows this, and so it is touting the new TS-119P+'s "fashionably shiny design" -- oh, and its single HDD bay, iSCSI support, 1.6GHz processor, and 512MB of RAM too. It pulls down just 12 watts of power while in operation, five while sleeping, and thanks to the bevy of software sharing apps that come along with the thing you can stream media files straight to your iPhone or Android device, even host your Windows AD to unify login accounts. QNAP isn't saying how much you'll pay for this combination of features and style, but expect it to ship next week. BYO storage, of course.

Update: Uwe wrote in to let us know that this is actually available now in Europe at a cost of around 240 €, which corresponds to about $325.

Gallery: QNAP TS-119P+ Turbo NAS

QNAP's TS-119P+ Turbo NAS offers a 'fashionably shiny design,' just one HDD bay originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 09:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  QNAP  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

PeeWee debuts Pivot 2.0 spillproof, drop resistant netvertible for the little ones

Kids these days use gadgets almost as much as their less disaster-inclined adult friends, and PeeWee's been making laptops with that in mind for a while now. Well, the company's just launched its newest laptop for kids, the Pivot 2.0 -- which is basically the CTL 2go Convertible. This rugged little netvertible boasts an Intel N450 CPU, a touch screen that rotates 180 degrees and a webcam, and it's packed with 15 educational games onboard. As far as ruggedeization goes, the laptop boasts a water-resistant keyboard, a plastic shell that should withstand minor drops, and rubber grips for easier carrying. The Pivot 2.0 is available now and it'll run you $599. The full press release is below.

Continue reading PeeWee debuts Pivot 2.0 spillproof, drop resistant netvertible for the little ones

PeeWee debuts Pivot 2.0 spillproof, drop resistant netvertible for the little ones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Onkyo outs 3G Windows 7 tablet for Japan only

Onkyo's outed a new Windows 7 tablet -- seems to be all the rage these days -- with KDDI 3G onboard. The 11.6-inch TW317A7 tablet (which is essentially a re-badge of the ExoPC Slate which we reviewed) boasts a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 32GB SSD, plus Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, card reader, two USB 2.0 ports, and stereo speakers. The 11.6-inch multitouch display has a 1366 x 768 resolution, and the tablet brings with it Onkyo's new custom ExTOUCH software which is apparently designed to enhance finger input in the OS and boasts a dedicated app launcher. The TW317A7 will be available in Japan very soon -- as in this week -- but Onkyo has yet to announce pricing.

Onkyo outs 3G Windows 7 tablet for Japan only originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Akihabara News  |  Onkyo  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Google Docs now supports mobile editing

While Android and iOS aren't short on productivity applications for cobbling together a .doc and sending it on its way, we've been really hankering for native Google Docs support since pretty much day one. Google is finally ready to deliver, and it looks like it's actually put some thought into the UI, particularly on the phone end of things. Edits show up in near realtime across platforms, and you can even edit tables embedded in documents -- though don't try to get too fancy, the tools still look pretty basic. Android also allows you to insert text using voice recognition. Currently Google Docs will be supporting Android devices with Froyo and iOS devices with 3.0 or newer (including the iPad), with the functionality rolling out over the next few days. There's a video after the break demonstrating the new features.

Continue reading Google Docs now supports mobile editing

Google Docs now supports mobile editing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 12:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Google Mobile Blog  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

AT&T starts selling Novatel MiFi at long last: November 21st for $50

AT&T's finally taking a cue from its mobile hotspot-equipped archrivals at Verizon and Sprint, launching a branded version of Novatel Wireless' MiFi 2372 this Sunday, November 21st, for $49.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. The device is a little more advanced that the one you're used to using on American CDMA networks, featuring an integrated microSD slot that can be shared among connected devices and support for built-in, browser-based widgets that can take advantage of the unit's AGPS for providing weather, local search, and so on. The unit tops out at 7.2Mbps on the downlink, which you'll be able to enjoy via AT&T's standard array of DataConnect plans: $35 a month for 200MB or $60 a month for 5GB, plus contract-free plans ranging from 100MB to 1GB.

AT&T starts selling Novatel MiFi at long last: November 21st for $50 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  AT&T  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Watch How This 1000-Bloom Mega Flower Was Grown [Manvsnature]

This is a single Chrysanthemum with 991 blooms, measuring 11 feet in diamater. It's the largest plant of its type ever grown in North America. Here's how a master horticulturalist and a metal fabricator teamed up to make it happen.

Gigantic mutant flowers don't just grow themselves. This one was crafted by master grower Yoko Arakawa and metal worker Dave Beck using a challenging Japanese technique called Ozukuri:

The rigorous, 18-month growing technique involves meticulous watering, pinching and tying of the chrysanthemum to a customized wire frame to train the plant to grow into the desired form. The blooms are painstakingly arranged in a dome shape, with the goal of achieving as many uniform blooms as possible.

Only a few growers in the entire world today are skilled in the techniques of training a Thousand Bloom.

The horticultural feat is on display at this year's Longwood Gardens' Chrysanthemum Festival in Kennett Square, PA, running through November 21. After that it will become sentient, unroot itself from its correspondingly large stand, and viciously devour everything in its path. [Longwood Gardens via Core77

Read More...

Summary only...

Confirmed: China's Supercomputer Really Did Kick Our Asses [Supercomputers]

The super-duper list of the world's 500 supercomputers has been published, and as the Chinese boasted last month, their Tianhe-1A supercomputer is the most powerful. Those 7,168 Nvidia GPUs and 14,336 Intel CPUs must be working hard. [BBC]

Read More...

Summary only...

Panasonic's 103-Inch Plasma TV Goes 3D [3dTv]

After falling in price to "just" $50,000 last year, Panasonic's five-year-old plasma has been updated with 3D technology. The TH-P103MT2 will sell for the equivalent of $101,900 in Japan—not including installation, naturally. [AkihabaraNews]

Read More...

Summary only...

How To Hack Kinect [XBox360]

You've seen the kind of cool stuff people can get up to when they hack their Kinect. Now you can too, with this simple rather complex guide.

Adafruit, the team behind the recent "bounty" on hacking Microsoft's new motion-sensing peripheral, have posted an in-depth and incredibly technical guide on how to get the camera doing your bidding rather than Microsoft's.

Be warned when we say it's technical: this is not the kind of thing your average person, comfortable with a console dashboard and Firefox, could pull off. But if you fancy yourself as a bit of a whizz with computer code, have at it! And if you get some cool stuff working, be sure to let us know.

DIY Kinect Hacking [adafruit]

Read More...

Summary only...

Google's Boutiques.com Website and iPad App Launches [Google]

As we told you two days ago, Google's launched Boutiques.com—a fashion site (and app!) based on Like.com's image-recognition technology following their acquisition. It's very much For Women Only (unless you're buying!), but great for Google. [Boutiques via GoogleBlog]

Read More...

Summary only...

Boxee Box review

It's a little strange that the Boxee Box by D-Link feels like a late entrant in this year's crowded smart TV market -- the core Boxee software has been around forever, and the Box itself was announced way back in January at CES. But a platform switch from NVIDIA's Tegra 2 chip to Intel's Atom-based CE4100 platform cost Boxee and D-Link valuable time, while the Boxee software went through a dramatic UI transformation from the beta to 1.0. What's more, Boxee's gone from being an upstart rock'n'roll rebel to a legit market player, with a Netflix deal on the books and -- wonder of wonders -- an agreement to bring Hulu Plus to the Boxee Box sometime next year. That's a lot of changes, and, quite frankly, a lot of hype -- Boxee's dedicated fans are expecting the small company and its asymmetrical Box to show up no less than Apple and Google. So have Boxee CEO Avner Ronen and company pulled it off? Is the Boxee Box the ultimate connected TV device? Or has a punk rock media revolution turned into just another polite New Wave streamer? Read on for the full Engadget review to find out!

Gallery: Boxee Box unboxing and hands-on

Continue reading Boxee Box review

Boxee Box review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Rumors: Samsung Nexus S using fancy curved display Sprint had to pass on, HTC EVO Shift 4G is the Knight?

We've been fed some information by an established tipster today that paints an interesting picture of what sort of Android gear Sprint will -- and won't -- be getting next. First, we're told that the EVO Shift 4G trademark HTC recently filed for is the device known as the Knight, a downsized EVO 4G with a four-row sliding keyboard and a larger battery. Interestingly, as far as our tipster knows, the front-facing camera is off the table -- but in light of all the buzz around video calling these days, we wouldn't be surprised if it had been added back.

Perhaps more interesting, though, is some buzz around the display on the Nexus S. You might remember that we noticed it's concave on the front during its brief reveal at the Web 2.0 summit yesterday, an extraordinarily unusual design element for a full-touch phone. Well, our tipster tells us Samsung's been shopping this curved display technology to carriers for a while -- as early as CES at the beginning of this year behind closed doors -- claiming that its research showed such a design improved perceived usability over a perfectly flat display. Sprint bought the line and wanted to get a curved-display model on shelves in time for the holidays this year, but Sammy was apparently unable to deliver product in the volume it was asking for... so that's where the Nexus S might come into play; seems the Google-branded model could be the first to ship with it. We're unconvinced that it'd be any better, but our judgment is fully reserved until we've got a device in our hands -- which hopefully happens sooner rather than later.

[Image via xda-developers]

Note: Commenters are pointing out that the Dell Venue Pro also has a curved display, but it's a different situation -- that's longitudinally convex glass over a flat display. Here, it's laterally concave -- though we don't know whether the underlying AMOLED component is curved or not.

Rumors: Samsung Nexus S using fancy curved display Sprint had to pass on, HTC EVO Shift 4G is the Knight? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Griffin gets in the iPod nano watch game with colorful, protective Slap wristband

Find some of the current iPod nano watch options a bit too subdued for your style? Then you might want to consider Griffin's new Slap wristband, which looks to be among the most protective and colorful options to date. Made entirely of a soft silicone, the Slap is available in no less than eight different colors, and it completely encloses your iPod nano (save for the headphone jack) but promises to still let you control the volume and sleep / wake buttons through the case. Still no word on a release date, but you can expect this one to set you back the same $25 that most other similar wristbands seem to be going for.

Griffin gets in the iPod nano watch game with colorful, protective Slap wristband originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Griffin  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Toshiba's newest hard drive is designed for 24/7 rugged use

It doesn't look like Toshiba's going to put an end to its awkward hard drive naming convention anytime soon, but at least we can call the new MK1060GSCX the "24/7 durable one." The 100GB, 2.5-inch SATA HDD is designed for "rugged operating environments" and continuous 24-hour operation. Obviously, Tosh has put this guy through the ringer -- it claims that the drive can withstand -15 to +70 degrees Celsius as well as operate at expanded altitudes. The sacrifice you make for that, however, is in speed -- the 4,200rpm drive has a 12msec seek time and 1.5Gbit/s interface speed. Of course, if you're looking for something faster -- one of Intel's latest X25-M SSDs would run circles around that. Toshiba will also offer an even smaller 80GB MK8050GACY version with a PATA interface. No word on pricing, but Toshiba expects the new drives to hit sometime in December -- hit the break for the full spec breakdown and press release.

Continue reading Toshiba's newest hard drive is designed for 24/7 rugged use

Toshiba's newest hard drive is designed for 24/7 rugged use originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Crunchgear  |  Toshiba (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...