Friday, January 11, 2013

Sharp's 32-Inch 4K Igzo Monitor Might Be What Makes All the 4K Hype into a Real Thing

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5975022/sharps-32+inch-4k-igzo-monitor-might-be-what-makes-all-the-4k-hype-into-a-real-thing

Sharp's 32-Inch 4K Igzo Monitor Might Be What Makes All the 4K Hype into a Real ThingSharp is showing off its Igzo 4K monitor at CES, but so what—everyone's showing off a 4K something or other. Except Sharp's actually getting ready to sell these things.

We've told you about Igzo tech before, and its myriad benefits to phones and tablets due to its thinness and power efficiency. But the Igzo tech is also what lets Sharp mass produce these things, instead of just showing one-off prototypes at tech shows.

So how's it look? So good. Very really extremely good. The viewing angle is absurdly good, the clarity is nuts, and the resolution makes even very small type readable. You can't really go into too much depth with an eyes-on from a show floor, but suffice to say this is what you want your super expensive beauty queen of a monitor to look like. And it's pretty damn exciting that we (or at least the disgustingly wealthy among us) will be able to buy these things. Now all we need is some content.

Read More...

This Is the Most Badass PC Case

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5974911/this-is-the-most-badass-pc-case

This Is the Most Badass PC Case Need to protect your PC from earthquakes and catastrophic clumsiness? Not opposed to ridiculous design? In-Win's D-Frame PC case might be up your alley. This little monster is so ugly it wraps back around to awesome.

The case's pipe-y frame is made from aluminum and the plate that protects the components isn't plastic, but actual glass. It comes in two equally garish colors—orange and red—and the flashy, skeletal sucker is going to cost you a bit. A D-Frame will run you $399, and they're only putting out 500 of them, so if you want one, you'll have to act fast. Or you can just opt for something a little less over-the-top. That'd probably be cheaper anyway.

This Is the Most Badass PC Case

Read More...

Achros Titanium Hands-On: For $119 This Tablet Gets the Job Done

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5974953/achros-titanium-hands+on-for-119-this-tablet-gets-the-job-done

Achros Titanium Hands-On: For $119 This Tablet Gets the Job Done You may remember the rumors of a $99 Nexus 7 that were popping up a few months back. That never came to pass, but it looks like Archos is trying its hands at that pricepoint now with the new line of Titanium tablets, including a $119 7-incher. And it feels...OK.

Archos has rolled out a metric shit-ton of different varieties of tablets in the line, including the 7-inch ARCHOS 70 ($119), the 8-inch 80 ($169), the 10.1-inch 101 ($200) and the 9.7-inch 97 ($250). All of the tablets share basically the same core specs: dual-core 1.6GHz CPUs with quad-core GPUs, 8GB of storage (upgradable to 64GB by microUSB), lackluster 2MP front-facing cameras, and they all run Jellybean 4.1. The Archos 9.7 boasts a 2048 x 1536 display, but the rest aren't so lucky.

As for how they feel, well, they feel like they cost. The beauty of the Nexus 7 was its low-price point and smooth experience, and in that respect, the Achros 70 is no $99 Nexus 7. While the performance seems serviceable, there's definitely a certain jankiness to the scrolling, even on the home-screen. It's workable, but clearly sub-optimal. The tablets themselves feel well-made, but there are little points of cheapness that stick out. The buttons, for instance, were somewhat loose and plasticy and just felt crappy.

It's hard to make a real judgement with just a few minutes of hands-on time, but I'm not going to let that stop me. It seems like the Archos 70 (and its kin) are pretty damn good considering their low price-point, but you'd get so so so so much more bang for you buck if you pony up the extra 80 for a Nexus 7. But if you can't spare the extra scratch, the Archos Titanium line looks like a promising budget offering. But it's just that: budget.

Achros Titanium Hands-On: For $119 This Tablet Gets the Job Done

Read More...

Geonaute's 360 degree sports camera catches all the action, even our hands on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/geonautes-360-degree-sports-camera/

Geonaute's 360 degree sports camera catches all the action, even our hands on

Sport and action cameras are big business, and even though there are a couple of main players, it doesn't stop other's trying to get a bite of the apple. Geonaute, however, have come at the situation from a different angle. Heck, they're coming at it from every angle, with its 360-degree offering. Equipped with three 8-megapixel wide-angle lenses the camera captures an almost spherical field of view. This might initially sound like a strange idea... after all, who wants all of that in one video, won't it all be warped beyond recognition? The short answer is no, in fact it's much better than you would ever have thought, and we'll explain why shortly. Going back to the camera itself, it looks a little like the innards of those security cameras you find in government buildings etc that peer at you ominously. However, in this case, the three lenses have color detail around them which makes them look anything but sinister, and the circular base section might look a little large, but in fact it's light in the hand -- and actually helps it sit quite comfortably atop a helmet.

In 360 video mode the advertised resolution is up to 2,048 x 1,024. In photo mode you'll get single shot, burst and time-lapse modes with a top resolu! tion of 4,096 x 2,048. The actual FOV is 360 degrees on the horizontal, and 150 degrees vertically, but the end result is a fairly complete viewing sphere. The 3,000 mAh battery should be good for two hours of footage, and the microSD card slot will take cards of up to 32GB. While there is a waterproof housing, the camera itself will take the elements on pretty well thanks to its IPX7 rating. Read on after the break for more impressions.

Continue reading Geonaute's 360 degree sports camera catches all the action, even our hands on

Filed under:

Comments

Read More...

BenQ unveils two 1080p 3D projectors at CES

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/11/benq-unveils-two-1080p-3d-projectors-at-ces/

BenQ unveils two 1080p 3D projectors at CES

BenQ isn't holding any keynotes, but the company does have a presence here at CES. In fact it rolled out a pair of 1080p 3D projectors today for the home theater enthusiast. The W1070 and W1080ST are the latest in the company's consumer line, and they're powered by DLP's Dark Chip 3 which is usually found in high-end models. But at $1,099 and $1,299, respectively, the W1070 and W1080ST certainly aren't priced for the high end. The 1080 can project images up to 100 inches wide from as little as six feet away. It's even ready for proper color calibration right out of the box. Both machines are also compatible with NVIDIA's 3D Play and DLP Link, plus they're sporting dual HDMI ports. Both are available now. For more info check out the PR below.

Continue reading BenQ unveils two 1080p 3D projectors at CES

Filed under:

Comments

Read More...

Plextor trots out M5M series mSATA drives at CES

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/11/plextor-m5m-msata/

Plextor trots out M5M series mSATA drives at CES

Plextor just unearthed a new lineup of mSATA drives that will be targeted at enthusiasts looking to give their ultraportables an additional shot of adrenaline. Known as the M5M series, the diminutive chips will come in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB sizes, each which boast a highly respectable sequential read speed of 540 MB/s. Meanwhile, sequential write speed for the three models is rated at 160 MB/s, 320 MB/s and 430 MB/s, respectively. The M5M series carries a mean time before failure (MTBF) of 2.4 million hours, and is said to become available this quarter. No word yet about pricing, however. To learn about the security features of the Plextor M5M series, feel free to hit up the PR after the break.

[Image credit: AnandTech]

Continue reading Plextor trots out M5M series mSATA drives at CES

Filed under:

Comments

Read More...

Thursday, January 10, 2013

BenQ's RL2455HM gaming monitor cranks up response time to 1ms

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/benqs-rl2455hm-gaming-monitor-cranks-up-response-time-to-1ms/

BenQ's RL2455HM gaming monitor cranks up response time to 1ms

CES rolls on, and BenQ's got a new monitor to vie for your gaming dollars. The new RL2455HM "professional gaming monitor" is based off last year's RL2450HT but with increased GTG response time, 2-watt stereo speakers as well as a pair of HDMI ports. BenQ's Black eQualizer, Display Mode and Smart Scaling custom settings will also be in attendance, but the company is pitching its new monitor at console gamers, with that zippy response time and 60Hz refresh rate hopefully making all the difference in high-tempo FPS' and fighting games. It'll arrive inside gaming dens this March, priced at $229.

Continue reading BenQ's RL2455HM gaming monitor cranks up response time to 1ms

Filed under: ,

Comments

Read More...

The Most Awesomest Televisions at CES 2013

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5974654/the-most-awesomest-televisions-at-ces-2013

The Most Awesomest Televisions at CES 20132013 is shaping up to be a huge year for huge televisions. Almost every major brand is rolling out gigantic sets and packing them with four times the resolution of current TVs. One curved display is even redefining what constitutes a "flat screen" TV, period. Here's what to watch in 2013.


The Most Awesomest Televisions at CES 2013

Westinghouse's 110-Inch 4K TV


It's 110 inches of 4K glory. It's also $300,000. This is the only television at the show that requires a second mortgage.


The Most Awesomest Televisions at CES 2013

Samsung's 85-Inch Ultra-HD TV

Samsung builds a gorgeous UHD display. Then, for reasons we may never fully understand, decides to mount it permanently into an easel like it's a dry erase board. Still, the monitor itself is stunning.


The Most Awesomest Televisions at CES 2013

Sony's 56-Inch 4K OLED TV

A brand new technology like OLED is good. A not-yet-on-the-market technology like 4K is even better. Putting the two together must be even better, right? Right.


The Most Awesomest Televisions at CES 2013

Hisense's 110-inch XT900

Hisense is a bit of a dark horse brand here in the states but with incredible displays like the six it rolled out at CES—especially like this 110-inch stunner—it'll be a household name in no time.


The Most Awesomest Televisions at CES 2013

LG's Curved 3D OLED TV

Why would you build a curved 3D OLED display? Wait a second. Why wouldn't you build a curved 3D OLED display?

Read More...

REDRAY Hands-On: A Giant Black Death Star Full of Beauty

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5974990/redray-hands+on-a-giant-black-death-star-full-of-beauty

REDRAY Hands-On: A Giant Black Death Star Full of BeautyThe only problem with 4K TV, other than being too expensive for anyone who isn't a Prince William, is that there's no good way to get 4K stuff to watch. Right? RED is selling a super-HD streaming box that says otherwise.

REDRAY Hands-On: A Giant Black Death Star Full of Beauty

The Redray—and I'm not going to spell it in all-caps anymore because I hate that—is a dedicated deck for 4K movies. It's packing a 1 TB hard drive inside, plus an SD port and USB 2.0 (ugh) for loading up video on that big sucker. You'll also be able to download films from a cloud service called Odemax, which I've never heard of, and won't tell us what movies will be available.

REDRAY Hands-On: A Giant Black Death Star Full of Beauty

So, on paper it's not that great. But on a Toshiba 4K display, the box beats its paper rep: even compressed way down in file size, the movies look phenomenal. And that compression bit is crucial: native 4K video is enormously, ludicrously giant. Nobody will be able to download them for a long time, and they won't fit on any disc. So knowing that shrinking them to 2.5 MB/sec doesn't ruin the footage—far from it!—is terrific news. Every single scene looked phenomenal, without any noticeable artifacting or video blemishes. So, if RED can solidify a less ambiguous means of buying (or renting!) 4K files, this thing could make owning a 4K set, someday, less painful. At least when (or if) it ever comes down from a pro-only price of $1,450. [Redray]

Read More...

AMD shows off a reference device with a quad-core, x86-based Temash chip

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/amd-temash-reference-laptop-hands-on/

AMD shows off a reference laptop with a quad-core, X86-based Temash chip

Earlier today AMD's director of global business units marketing, John Taylor, joined us on our CES stage to talk chips. Specifically, tablet chips, and laptop chips, and chips for products that have elements of both. While he was up there, Mr. Taylor flashed a reference device -- a laptop hybrid with the keyboard and touchpad built into the carrying case. Obviously, we weren't satisfied with just a quick tease, so we caught up with him afterward to learn a bit more. As it turns out, it runs a quad-core version of AMD's new Temash chip, which is being billed as the first quad-core, x86-based SoC. (There's also a dual-core version.) Built into the chip is an HD Radeon 8000 series GPU with AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture, so in theory you should be able to pull off PC-caliber gaming even on a tablet-style device.

All told, it promises 50 percent more performance than AMD's Hondo processor, which you can find in Vizio's new Windows 8 tablet. Of course, those are just marketing claims, and besides we haven't had a chance to benchmark either a Hondo or a Temash system yet. So, to put that in better context, it might be helpful to hear AMD talk about its competitors. Obviously, Intel is a biggie, but in particular AMD says Temash should be able to compete with Clover Trail tablet chips, going all the way up to Core i3 on laptops. We're told Temash will ship sometim! e in the first half of this year, and that AMD will be revealing more details about the platform at Mobile World Congress, which kicks off in late February. Until then, we've got hands-on photos of the unit below, along with some performance impressions after the break.

Continue reading AMD shows off a reference device with a quad-core, x86-based Temash chip

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Read More...

Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with ZTE's Lixin Chen

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/zte-interview/

It may not be the biggest mobile show around, what with MWC just around the corner, but ZTE's using this year's CES to make its presence known with the launch of handsets like the Grand S. We'll be joined on stage by ZTE USA CEO Lixin Cheng to talk about the company's place in the US market and around the world.

January 10, 2013 6:30 PM EST

Check out our full CES 2013 stage schedule here!

Continue reading Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with ZTE's Lixin Chen

Filed under: ,

Comments

Read More...

Silicon Image UltraGig 6400 wireless HDMI, hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/silicon-image-ultragig-6400-wireless-hdmi-hands-on-video/

Silicon Image UltraGig 6400 wireless HDMI, eyeson

Silicon Image is hoping that you'll want to play HD from your handheld device on a big screen without taking the more convoluted WiFi route using DLNA, Airplay and the like. As such, the company took its WirelessHD 1080p60 tech currently seen in bulkier gadgets like laptops and shrunk it to mobile size as the UltraGig 6400 wireless transmitter. It's now created a reference design for the tech in the form of the tiny chip shown highlighted in the image above, which it would like manufacturers to integrate in their handsets or tablets. To show how it works, they jury-rigged the chip into a smartphone and set up a receiver on an HD panel, so naturally we wanted to take an Android game for a spin on the big screen. The signal stayed solid thanks to the chip's focused antenna array and 30-foot claimed range, while distracting latency seemed to be minimal -- in line with the company's 5ms assertion. Silicon Image is still talking to manufacturer's to see who might like to integrate the tech into their devices, but until then, you can experience it vicariously in the video after the break.

Continue reading Silicon Image UltraGig 6400 wireless HDMI, hands-on (video)

Filed under: ,

Comments

Read More...

Transview touch-sensitive transparent display case eyes-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/transview-transparent-display-cases/

Transview touch-sensitive transparent display case eyes-on (video)

Transparent displays are nothing new, but while trawling the labyrinthine backstreets of CES in search of hidden gems, we couldn't help but stop at IL WOO's booth and ogle one. The company was demoing a couple of its Transview display cases with see-through Samsung panels, intended for interactive advertising and other commercial uses. We were particularly drawn to the 22-inch, 1,680 x 1,050 model with infrared touch control, mainly because of the nifty Flash program running on it, which did a great job of showing how the cases could be used. It was very much a treat for the eyes, so we'll leave it there and just point you to the gallery and video below.

Kevin Wong contributed to this report.

Continue reading Transview touch-sensitive transparent display case eyes-on (video)

Filed under: ,

Comments

Read More...

Hack Turns Cisco's Desk Phone Into a Spying Device

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5974814/hack-turns-ciscos-desk-phone-into-a-spying-device

Hack Turns Cisco's Desk Phone Into a Spying DeviceCisco's internet phones—which sit on thousands of desks around the world—have been shown to be easily hacked and turned into remote spying devices. The official announcement comes two whole weeks after Cisco first found out about the problem.

The exploit was discovered by Ang Cui and Salvatore Solfo, a pair of computer scientists from Columbia University's engineering department. They presented the finding at the 29th Chaos Communication Congress in late December. By attaching a small device to the local serial port on the phone, they were able to inject code that gave them complete control over the device—allowing them to remotely monitor phone calls and turn on the phone's microphone to eavesdrop on conversations happening near the phone. In a statement, Cisco explained:

"Cisco recognizes that while a number of network, device, and configuration based mitigations exist, there is no way to mitigate the physical attack vector on the affected devices. To this end, Cisco will conduct a phased remediation approach and will be releasing an intermediate Engineering Special software release for affected devices to mitigate known attack vectors for the vulnerability documented in this advisory."

The networking company will roll out a software patch later this month to remedy the problem, which currently affects a number of models in the CiscoUnified IP Phone 7900 series. Until then, be careful what you say while sat at your desk. [Cisco, Ars Technica]

Image by Cisco

Read More...

Amazon AutoRip deal gives a free MP3 version of any CD purchase made since 1998

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/amazon-autorip-free-digital-versions/

Amazon AutoRip deal gives you a free MP3 version of any CD purchase made since 1998

Amazon launched a new service that will start offering a free MP3 album of any CD you buy from them. Better still, you'll get versions of any album you've purchased in the last 15 years. The service will link to over 50,000 albums (with more incoming) and you'll be able to grab said digital copy before your new CD even arrives. You'll be able to play tracks on any Cloud Player compatible devices, including the Kindle Fire, Android devices, iOS devices, Roku, Sonos and Samsung Smart TVS, as well as the web-based player. It's already been activated and, better still, our previous music purchases are already on the Cloud Player ready to go -- no confirmation needed. We did note however, that some of our more obscure albums didn't transfer in full -- in some cases only half the tracks made the transition.

Continue reading Amazon AutoRip deal gives a free MP3 version of any CD purchase made since 1998

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: Amazon

Read More...