drag2share: The Icon iDo Is an Audiophile-Grade Amp for the iPhone and iPad [Amps]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5838204/the-icon-ido-is-an-audiophile+grade-amp-for-the-iphone-and-ipad

If you want better audio quality from your iPhone or iPad, the Icon iDo is an amp that's supposed to pump out audiophile-grade sound. Just plug in your iOS device to the amp, plug the amp into your stereo system and enjoy the sweet sing songs of tunes.

We can ignore the fact that a real audiophile would probably skip listening to music from an iPhone or iPad altogether but the Icon iDo is supposed to improve your crappy mp3s and imperfect Apple Lossless songs by cleverly extracting the original audio data stored on the iOS device and converting the files on its own for bit-perfect playback. The idea is that music on an iPhone is limited by the iPhone's hardware, the iDo enhances the process. Less compression, less quality loss, better sound.

Alternatively, you could plug headphones into the Icon iDo and the iDo will figure out the optimal level to power your cans to maximizes audio quality. The whole name of the game is to make those little tweaks for delicious eargasm causing music. Sounds good to me. $250 [NuForce]

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drag2share: AMD ships 16-core Bulldozer chips for servers, makes consumers wait their turn

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/07/amd-ships-16-core-bulldozer-chips-for-servers-makes-consumers-w/

AMD's Interlagos, its server-styled Bulldozer chip -- Mr. Opteron 6200 to you and me -- is being pushed out to retailers and OEMs ready for an October launch. AMD is calling it the first 16-core x86 processor, although as we know from the required reading, it has eight two-core shared modules rather than 16 independent ones. The chips are compatible with Socket G34 motherboards, but most of this first production run will go straight into supercomputer projects. AMD remains mute on progress of the consumer-level Zambezi, but rumors are that the company can't clock it fast enough to compete with Intel's Core i7 -- the very class that Bulldozer was designed to bury.

[Thanks, Sebastian]

Continue reading AMD ships 16-core Bulldozer chips for servers, makes consumers wait their turn

AMD ships 16-core Bulldozer chips for servers, makes consumers wait their turn originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Magma ExpressBox 3T gives you 3 external PCIe slots over Thunderbolt

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/07/magma-expressbox-3t-gives-you-3-external-pcie-slots-over-thunder/

Laptops aren't exactly renowned for their expandability, especially those beautiful slivers of aluminum from Apple. (Simply upgrading the RAM on your Air requires you break out the soldering iron.) Magma has a solution, the ExpressBox 3T. This silver case houses its own 220w power supply and a trio of PCIe 2.0 slots. Two of those slots are of the x8 variety (though one can hold an x16 card) while the third is scaled back to x4. And they all talk to your notebook via that wonderful little port known as Thunderbolt. It even comes with a carrying case which, we suppose, makes this hunk of metal "portable," but we certainly wouldn't want to lug it around very often. Sadly there's no info just yet about price or release date, but we do have a gallery of images below and the complete PR after the break.

Gallery: Magma ExpressBox 3T

Continue reading Magma ExpressBox 3T gives you 3 external PCIe slots over Thunderbolt

Magma ExpressBox 3T gives you 3 external PCIe slots over Thunderbolt originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Sony announces a 4K projector for the home, prices HMZ-T1 3D head mounted display in the US

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/07/sony-announces-a-4k-projector-for-the-home-at-cedia-prices-hmz/

There's a new king atop Sony's line of ES projectors: the VPL-VW1000ES. Presented at CEDIA this afternoon, it bypasses all the beamers Sony's delivered for home use so far -- including the recent VPL-HW30AES and VPL-VW95ES models -- by featuring a stunning 4K resolution, four times that of standard HD projectors based on an all new SXRD panel. Scheduled to go on sale this December it also claims a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 2,000 ANSI lumens of brightness that allows it to project on screens of sizes up to 200-inches. Whether or not you can scrape together the ducats for a 4K projector this Christmas, there are other options for home theater nuts in the form of two new receivers for the ES line that will also be available. The STR-DA5700ES and STR-DA3700ES will ship in November but more than their hardware specs, they feature a new onscreen UI that's supposed to be easier to use. The only device at the presentation with a pricetag was the HMZ-T1 3D viewer we tried out at IFA last week, which has been announced for the US in November with a price "around" $799. Expect more in person pics in a moment, meanwhile the press releases after the break have all the information currently available.

Update: Now with more pictures. During the presentation Sony showed a 4K clip from its upcoming Spiderman flick on a VPL-VW1000ES that looked every bit as beautiful as you might imagine. Also in the gallery is a shot of the new "activity based UI" for the receivers that looks at least something like the graphical upgrade the XMB has always needed. You'll also spy one more device, the funky new SA-NS500 Network Speaker. It's a portable sound blaster with 6 hours of battery life and AirPlay compatibility for $399, shipping in November.

Gallery: Sony CEDIA 2011 presentation

Continue reading Sony announces a 4K projector for the home, prices HMZ-T1 3D head mounted display in the US

Sony announces a 4K projector for the home, prices HMZ-T1 3D head mounted display in the US originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: LG's 55-inch LW9800 3D HDTV earns THX certification, our home theater respect

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/07/lgs-55-inch-lw9800-3d-hdtv-earns-thx-certification-our-home-th/

Let's face it. We live in a world chock full of entertainment options. With more means of accessing the visual goods, comes less reason to leave the house. Well, LG's aiming to make the cinema experience even more passé with its 55-inch Nano Full LED Cinema LW9800 3D HDTV set. Recently shown off at CEDIA 2011, the slim, flat panel is the first passive 3D display to garner THX certification, delivering HD enthusiasts closer to true "movie experiences." The 480Hz TV utilizes film-pattern retarder tech to optimize 3D image separation, and also includes LG's Smart TV suite of streaming video services (Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, et al.) and app store. So, if you're ready to roll your eyes at Lucas' latest tweaks from the comfort of your couch, get set to fork over $3,800 and join the at-home grousing.

Continue reading LG's 55-inch LW9800 3D HDTV earns THX certification, our home theater respect

LG's 55-inch LW9800 3D HDTV earns THX certification, our home theater respect originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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