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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Verizon ramps up trade-in, upgrade programs in advance of iPhone 4 launch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/verizon-ramps-up-trade-in-upgrade-programs-in-advance-of-iphone/

Not exactly a huge surprise here, but it looks like Verizon will be doing everything it can to pair folks with a new iPhone 4 when it launches on the carrier next month, even if they've just purchased a new phone on Verizon or another carrier. During an investor meeting this week, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo revealed that the carrier will be using its existing trade-in program (which launched in October) to lure would-be customers, with a Verizon rep further detailing that it will be "more actively" promoting the plan in the lead up to the iPhone 4 launch -- under that program, a 16GB iPhone 4 from AT&T will net you a $212 credit. In addition to that, Verizon is also rolling out a new "Special Upgrade Offer" that will let existing customers trade in a phone they've recently purchased for a Visa debit card ($200 for a smartphone trade-in, or $75 for a feature phone). Only those that have purchased a phone between November 26th, 2010 and January 10th, 2011 will be eligible, though, and you won't exactly get that cash right away -- you'll first have to first buy and activate your iPhone 4 at the full retail price, send in your trade-in phone within 30 days of activation, and then wait four to six weeks to receive the debit card.

Verizon ramps up trade-in, upgrade programs in advance of iPhone 4 launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Razer debuts Ferox portable gaming speakers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/razer-debuts-ferox-portable-gaming-speakers/

Well, it's not exactly the announcement we were hoping for following Razer's impressive showing at CES earlier this month, but the company has just gotten official with another product that will soon be available: its new Ferox portable gaming speakers. Described as a "sophisticated, modern day boombox for gamers," the speakers promise to deliver some "room-filling," 360 degree omni-directional sound, 12 hours of battery life from the built-in rechargeable batteries and, of course, full compatibility with anything sporting a 3.5mm jack. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look, and look for the speakers to be available by the end of the month for $60.

Gallery: Razer Ferox speakers

Continue reading Razer debuts Ferox portable gaming speakers

Razer debuts Ferox portable gaming speakers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon's 4G LTE dongles get Mac support in February

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/verizons-4g-lte-dongles-get-mac-support-in-february/

Verizon's LG VL600 LTE modem received a software update today, but there's no need to wake your MacBook from its peaceful slumber -- there still aren't any drivers for Apple computers, over a month after we were promised a relatively imminent update. That said, Verizon told PhoneScoop today that the carrier's LTE dongles will indeed support Apple at some point next month, which is itself only days away. Pantech UML290 owners can bide their time with a workaround, but we LG users will take what we can get, eh?

Verizon's 4G LTE dongles get Mac support in February originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Soundfreaq's SFQ-01R Sound Platform goes red and black for Valentine's Day

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/soundfreaqs-sfq-01r-sound-platform-goes-red-and-black-for-valen/

Remember that SFQ-01 Bluetooth audio system you were swooning over late last year? If you twiddled your thumbs on buying one, here's a shot at redemption: Soundfreaq has just pushed out a limited edition red and black version just in time for Valentine's Day, and outside of the color change, everything else remains the same. It's up for pre-order now at Amazon for a penny under $200, and trust us, your significant other will love it. Even if said SO is... you.

Continue reading Soundfreaq's SFQ-01R Sound Platform goes red and black for Valentine's Day

Soundfreaq's SFQ-01R Sound Platform goes red and black for Valentine's Day originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volkswagen's XL1 concept plug-in diesel hybrid has 313MPG fuel efficiency, questionable aesthetics

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/volkswagens-xl1-concept-plug-in-diesel-hybrid-has-313mpg-fuel-e/

Steaming down the autobahn could be about to get a whole lot more efficient. Volkswagen has carted out its newly updated Super Efficient Vehicle concept, now dubbed the XL1, which -- after a great deal of fuzzy math, we're sure -- is rated at a 313MPG fuel efficiency and produces only 24g of CO2 per kilometer traveled. There's an electric motor and a TDI diesel engine making all the buzzing and roaring noises inside, while the overall body design is focused on making the car as light and as aerodynamic as possible. Volkswagen has achieved a 795kg curb weight by using carbon fiber, magnesium, ceramics, and aluminum to shave down any excess portliness from the XL1, while wind-tunnel testing and optimizations have resulted in a rather exemplary 0.186 drag coefficient. It's rare to see such attributes on anything outside the supercar realm, but then there's a reason why this PHEV is still only a concept. FOF.

Continue reading Volkswagen's XL1 concept plug-in diesel hybrid has 313MPG fuel efficiency, questionable aesthetics

Volkswagen's XL1 concept plug-in diesel hybrid has 313MPG fuel efficiency, questionable aesthetics originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Compulab makes a tiny Tegra 2 computer for the lilliputian community

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/compulab-makes-a-tiny-tegra-2-computer-for-the-lilliputian-commu/

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that you can fit a Tegra 2 in your pocket -- how else could we have these phones? -- but it's still impressive to see the dual-core ARM Cortex A9 and GeForce ULP chip find its way into a bona fide fanless nettop that sips just three watts under load. This Compulab Trim Slice isn't nearly as powerful as the AMD Fusion model we saw last week, but it sure is svelte, with a die-cast metal case just six-tenths of an inch thick despite cramming in a SATA SSD, 1GB of RAM and most every I/O port you could want. You're looking at four USB 2.0 sockets, SD and microSD slots, HDMI, DVI, RS-232, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth, a pair of 3.5mm audio jacks and S/PDIF out for sound, not to mention JTAG, UART and SPI interfaces for extending the system on your own terms -- and analog video-in, for crying out loud. Look for it in April, priced "higher than a streamer, but lower than a tablet." Sound about right? Find another picture and the full PR after the break, while you make up your mind.

Continue reading Compulab makes a tiny Tegra 2 computer for the lilliputian community

Compulab makes a tiny Tegra 2 computer for the lilliputian community originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel hires Will-i-am as 'director of creative innovation,' whole world is nonplussed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/26/intel-hires-will-i-am-as-director-of-creative-innovation-whol/

You know a job title is tenuous when even the guys who announce it have to put it in quotation marks -- Intel's just signed up the Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am as a "director of creative innovation." The hip hop star responsible for flooding CES 2010 and every BlackBerry event since with an irritatingly cheery tune (which we're sure we don't have to name) is about to commence a long-term, "hands-on" collaboration with Intel on its development of "new technologies, music and tech advocacy." Basically, it sounds like he'll act as an ambassador for the chip company, who'll in turn pretend to listen to his zany ideas about mega-giga-bass. Then again, Lady Gaga's similar partnership with Polaroid produced these glasses, so what the hell do we know?

Continue reading Intel hires Will-i-am as 'director of creative innovation,' whole world is nonplussed

Intel hires Will-i-am as 'director of creative innovation,' whole world is nonplussed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maingear throws Sandy Bridge, GTX 485M into eX-L 15 laptop

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/26/maingear-throws-sandy-bridge-gtx-485m-into-ex-l-15-laptop/

Here's hoping you don't mind having your existing laptop made antiquated by this one. Just months after Maingear introduced its Clutch-15 and Alt-15 machines, along comes yet another 15.6-incher... and this one's claiming to be the world's fastest in its category. The eX-L 15 packs a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution (with glossy or matte options!), a variety of new Sandy Bridge chips (with the Core i7 2920XM capping things off), NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 460M (1.5GB) / GTX 485M (2GB), up to 16GB of DDR3-1333 memory, a 2x Blu-ray reader, HDMI / DVI outputs, gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports and a pair of USB 2.0 sockets to round things off. The starting tag of $1,579 certainly isn't easy to swallow, but where else are you getting a powerhouse like this with a Full HD matte display? Exactly.

Continue reading Maingear throws Sandy Bridge, GTX 485M into eX-L 15 laptop

Maingear throws Sandy Bridge, GTX 485M into eX-L 15 laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 02:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI CR650 scores an AMD E-350 Zacate APU

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/26/msi-cr650-scores-an-amd-e-350-zacate-apu/

There's no question that AMD's new Fusion Zacate platform is pretty killer when it comes to ultraportables or notbooks (as we like to call 'em), but there's no reason the affordable, solid-performing APU couldn't power a budget 15.6-inch system, right? Well, that's certainly the way a few laptop manufacturers see it. Following in the footsteps of Toshiba's Satellite C655D, MSI's decided to cram its 15.6-inch CR650 with AMD's latest Fusion APU. Equipped with a Zacate E-350 CPU with Radeon HD 6310 graphics on the same die (the same chip in the HP dm1 we just reviewed), there's no doubt the rig can handle full HD and light games without a hiccup. We're not exactly drooling over the design, but it does have the basics, including a DVD drive, six-cell battery, HD webcam, and speakers that claim superior SRS sound. It will also be configurable with 250, 320, or 500GB hard drive and DDR3 RAM. There's no word on the price just yet, but our guess it should ring up at under $600 when it finally hits shelves.

MSI CR650 scores an AMD E-350 Zacate APU originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 06:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD Radeon HD 6990 shows up in its metallic flesh, looking larger than life

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/26/amd-radeon-hd-6990-shows-up-in-its-metallic-flesh-looking-large/

What does the next great superpower of desktop graphics look like? Well, it shares an unmistakable family resemblance to the current champ, but its dimensions have somehow been made even larger. Yes, we're talking about AMD's Radeon HD 6990 -- a dual-GPU monstrosity that's set to serve as the company's 2011 flagship -- which has just been shown off at an Asia Pacific Fusion Tech Day gathering. Aside from the crazy imagery (one more after the break and a gallery at the source), we've found a promise that this polygon deliverator will be available in late Q1 2011. Which gives us just enough time to rent out a room big enough to house it. Now, when's Crysis 2 coming out?

[Thanks, Christopher]

Continue reading AMD Radeon HD 6990 shows up in its metallic flesh, looking larger than life

AMD Radeon HD 6990 shows up in its metallic flesh, looking larger than life originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 07:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cirago launches CMC3200 media player, NUS2000 USB network storage link

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/26/cirago-launches-cmc3200-media-player-nus2000-usb-network-storag/

The media streamer waters are awfully crowded, but Cirago's paying no mind to that. The company has this month introduced its new CMC3200 media player, hailed as the only 1080p system to offer 2TB of built-in storage, a WiFi adapter and a full year of PlayOn goodness. It's priced at $299.99 with the hard drive included, and it'll sport all of the basic functions already found on the 500GB and 1TB CiragoTV Platinum devices. In related news, the outfit's also dishing out its NUS2000 Link+ adapter, which provides remote access capabilities to up to four USB-connected storage devices. It's a compact device that's obviously set to rival Pogoplug's stable of NAS enablers, boasting a $100 price point and a foursome of USB 2.0 sockets. Moving on, Cirago's also announcing that its NUS1000 USB Network Storage Link features remote access, so there goes your excuse to upgrade. Hit the source link for the whole schpeel.

Continue reading Cirago launches CMC3200 media player, NUS2000 USB network storage link

Cirago launches CMC3200 media player, NUS2000 USB network storage link originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 07:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Why the Limitations of SSDs Are Actually Good [Ssd]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5742045/why-the-limitations-of-ssds-are-actually-good

You've been holding off on buying an SSD for awhile now, telling yourself they're too expensive and too limiting. Well, you're wrong. Here's why.

The Higher Cost Will Pay Itself Off

Why the Limitations of SSDs Are Actually Good Solid-state disks are considerably more expensive than hard disks, which is likely the biggest barrier for most people. 128GB SSDs will generally run you about $200 and 256GB will run you closer to $500. While this cost might feel prohibitively high, it's not as bad as you think.

Let's take the higher cost of $500 for example and say you've purchased a 256GB SSD to upgrade your laptop. Straight out of the gate you have a leftover internal hard drive that you can either sell for about $50-75 or turn into an external. Being optimistic, you're down to $425. That's not a big savings overall, but if you upgrade your laptop every 1-2 years you can keep using the same SSD. When you buy a new laptop, remove its hard drive and swap it with the SSD in the old one. The old laptop you're going to sell will now have a larger capacity hard drive and you can charge a little extra when you sell it. Over three sales you'll probably make an additional $100, bringing us down to $325. When the time comes to upgrade to a new SSD, you can sell the original SSD alone or with your old computer. Mark up the cost of the machine by $325 and you've covered your original costs. $325 for an SSD laptop upgrade is a pretty good deal. Of course you'll need to buy a new SSD, but you'll have made back your money at this point while using your SSD for several years.

Note: SSDs don't last forever and performance can degrade over time with some models, so make sure you get a high-quality SSD that's rated for a long life if you're going to do this. You can use a tool like SSD Life to keep an eye on things.

Size Doesn't Matter (Sort of)

Why the Limitations of SSDs Are Actually Good After a recent reader poll asking how much hard drive space you actually need in your computer, I came to realize that you, our readers, are a bunch of insane hoarders. That's okay! I like to hoard stuff, too, but I'd never pay extra for more than 256GB of disk space. When you have more space, you're most likely going to use it. This puts you in the habit of storing useless files on your computer that you either don't need or rarely need. It's like living alone in a two-bedroom apartment just so you can use the extra bedroom as a storage closet. For the most part, you can get rid of a lot of the files you think you need.

For some of us, we have a massive collection of crap we find comforting. For others, the space is necessary for large media projects. I fall into both of these categories, but external drives solve the problems far better than trying to manage huge amounts of data on the main internal drive. First of all, you get the benefit of virtually limitless space for your stuff. Second, you can organize your stuff by the drive if that helps. Third, if you need additional protection offered by, say, RAID, you can get that with external drives whereas you're not going to get that with a laptop and some desktops. Ultimately, the size of the internal disk in your computer can actually be bad for you after a certain point. For me it's around 250GB (I only use 200GB but I like to keep about 50GB of space free). For some of you it may be as little as 128GB, a size where SSDs are significantly more affordable.

In the end, the size limitations are going to be better for you. You can hoard your crap on external drives, stay more organized, and reap the benefits of a super-fast solid-state disk in your laptop or desktop computer.

When you decide to take the plunge, be sure to read how to take full advantage of your solid-state drive.

You can contact Adam Dachis, the author of this post, at adachis@lifehacker.com. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

TiltShift Generator for iPhone [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5742206/tiltshift-generator-for-iphone

iPhone photo apps these days have some sort of setting for "tilt shift," the popular photographic effect that makes scenes look like elaborate (and adorable) sets of miniature models. TiltShift Generator actually lets you control the miniature-making parameters.

TiltShift Generator for iPhone

What is it?

TiltShift Generator, iPhone, $1. Beginning as a popular web and Adobe AIR app, TiltShift Generator proved that you didn't need an expensive lens to make some pretty convincing tilt shift-y photographs. The iPhone app is the same idea—a dedicated, single-minded app for giving iPhone shots a quick and dirty tilt shift makeover. You can place the blur and adjust its radius, set sliders for saturation, brightness, contrast, and vignette effect, and save 'em to your photo roll. And they end up looking pretty damn good.

Who's it good for?

Budding iPhone photographers; people who want to feel like Godzilla compared to their iPhone photo subjects.

Why's it better than alternatives?

It gives you exactly the tools you need to make tilt shift photos on your iPhone 4 and shows you how to make them, with a built-in tutorial. It's cleanly designed, gives easy options for changing the export size of the photos, and it's only a buck.

How could it be even better?

Some other basic photo functions, like the ability to crop, would be welcome. And I wouldn't mind being able to tweak the settings in landscape to take advantage of all the real estate the iPhone has to offer.

TiltShift Generator, $1 | iTunes

We're always looking for cool apps—for iOS, Android, Windows Phone or whatever else—to feature as App of the Day. If you come across one you think we should take a look at, please let us know.

For more apps, check out our weekly app roundups for iPhone, iPad, and Android

Affinity Chair Sucks the Seated Into Michael Jackson's Dancefloor (Probably) [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5742567/affinity-chair-sucks-the-seated-into-michael-jacksons-dancefloor-probably

Ben Alun-Jones' chair either propels the user into a Billy Jean hellhole, or some sort of cruel '80s hairsalon vortex. Either way, the acrylic chair's sensors activate LEDs, forcing this ho-hum chair into a lit-up, flickering throne.

As you can see in the video above, it resembles just an ordinary chair before the sensors are triggered by nearby movement. I wonder if Alun-Jones could work the same technology into other furniture, such as a bed? I imagine for some people—such as Antoine Dodson's sister—that'd actually be pretty useful.

The Affinity chair can be checked out and set alight in LEDs at the Royal College of Art Interim Show in London between the 2nd and 7th of February, and after that at the Victoria and Albert Museum's digital festival on March 5th. [Ben Alun-Jones via DesignBoom]

Google brings Cloud Print service to mobile Google Docs, Gmail

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/24/google-brings-cloud-print-service-to-mobile-google-docs-gmail/

You'll still need to have that Windows PC acting as an intermediary, but folks looking to use Google's Cloud Print service now at least have considerably more devices at their disposal to print documents from. Following up its roll-out to Chrome OS netbooks last month, Google has now announced that it's begun rolling the service out to its mobile Google Docs and Gmail sites, which you'll be able to use to print documents from most mobile devices that supports HTML5 -- those running Android 2.1+ or iOS 3+, for instance. What's more, while you will still need that Windows PC connected to your printer for the time being, Google now notes that both Mac and Linux support are "coming soon."

Google brings Cloud Print service to mobile Google Docs, Gmail originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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