Oh M8, you've grown up before our eyes. It seems like just yesterday we were looking at your early incarnations and their uncanny similarity to certain other devices. And how could we forget those times we spent together waiting for you at trade shows, and mockingchecking out your early hardware? And now look at you, all grown up and caught on video doing your thing. You know what? This actually looks pretty damn nice. Sure, the obvious major iPhone influence is still there, but we have to say, Jack Wong and co. have done a pretty good job of smoothing out this UI -- and we didn't expect to see multitouch working this nicely. Of course, the clip says more than we ever could, so go and wrap yourself in your grandmother's afghan, grab a steaming cup of coffee, head out to the porch of your 19th century farmhouse, and just listen to the wind chimes and smooth sounds of this video as you take a tour of the Meizu M8... after the break.
19 Nov 2008 23:35:00 | Darren Murph | 1080p,120hz,55-inch,audio,flat-panel,hdtv,lcd,lcd hdtv,lcd tv,LcdHdtv,LcdTv,sound bar,SoundBar,speaker,speakers,subwoofer,VA19,VA22LF,VA26,VF550XVT1A,VIZIO,VSB210WS,wireless subwoofer,WirelessSubwoofe | Comments
Chrismakwanzika has come early for anyone remotely interested in Vizio kit, and quite honestly, even for those that aren't. From the top, we've got the 55-inch VF550XVT1A, a 1080p HDTV with 120Hz Smooth Motion Video technology, a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, five HDMI inputs, SRS TruSurround HD and a $1,999 MSRP. Next up is the firm's own soundbar and wireless subwoofer kit (VSB210WS), which has finally escaped rumor purgatory to pop official. The kit sports four 3-inch speakers alongside a single 1-inch tweeter for each channel, and the long throw 6.5-inch subbie makes sure the lows are well addressed, too. Just a single cable is needed to connect the VSB210WS to any flat-panel, and just $349.99 is needed to bring it home. On deck are a trio of smaller LCDs: the 19-inch VA19 ($249.99), 22-inch VA22 ($349.99) and 26-inch VA26 ($449.99), with the middle guy becoming Vizio's smallest 1080p HDTV ever. Closing things out is the 26-inch VMM26, a 25.5-inch 'multimedia monitor' with a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, HDMI / USB ports, touch-activated menus and a $429.99 sticker. All but the first two products mentioned are on sale now, while the first two will be available just before your '09 Super Bowl bash.
19 Nov 2008 23:13:00 | Tim Stevens | agere systems,AgereSystems,intellectual property,IntellectualProperty,lawsuit,mylo,network walkman,NetworkWalkman,patent,psp,sony | Comments
Way back in 2006, Lucent-spin off Agere Systems filed a lawsuit against Sony, claiming the electronics behemoth had infringed on not one, not two, but eight of its patents. As it turns out a prior deal with Lucent gave Sony the rights to use seven of those, but that one unlicensed patent became Sony's weak point, allowing Agere's lawyers to inflict massive damage(s). The jury's findings state not only that Sony wrongly utilized Agere's intellectual property in the mylo, Network Walkman, and the PSP, but that there was 'clear and convincing evidence that such infringement was willful.' In other words: big payout, in this case an eye-opening $18.5 million. Don't blame us Sony, we told you to settle! [Warning: PDF read link]
19 Nov 2008 22:55:00 | Tim Stevens | 3g,dot,netbook,packard bell,packard bell dot,PackardBell,PackardBellDot | Comments
Oh, look! It's another netbook in the wild! This one is Packard Bell's dot, and according to the boffins at Pocket-lint it's now available for purchase across the pond by anyone who can find a reason to care. The Aspire One-like specs and style are just what you'd expect (do we really need to recount the Atom 270 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 160GB hard drive yet again?), and while there's the promise of being able to add internal 3G connectivity at some point in the future, right now the only thing setting this one apart is the red dot on the hinge. (Which, we confess, is a nice look.) Still no mention of when or even if this one will be appearing domestically -- though if it does it'll probably be as an Everex anyhow.
19 Nov 2008 22:29:00 | Samuel Axon | efficiency,exro,power,turbine,wind,wind power,wind turbine,windpower,windturbine | Comments
Still addicted to oil like the rest of the world? You might reconsider wind power rehab now that a startup called ExRo has developed turbines that it says are consistently 30% -- and in some situations as much as 100% -- more efficient than the standard kind. The traditionally-used mechanical transmissions have been replaced with an inexpensive electric alternative that can adapt to changes in wind speed more efficiently. Also, many small generators are used instead of a large one, so the turbines can be customized in production to suit the intended installation site. If this is the real deal, it beats the 0.1% increase we saw in solar cell efficiency a few months ago, and those Maglev uber-turbines are still on the horizon. Hey Sun -- jealous yet?
19 Nov 2008 21:46:00 | Darren Murph | 64gb,DataTraveler,DataTraveler 150,Datatraveler150,DT150,flash drive,FlashDrive,kingston,thumb drive,ThumbDrive,usb drive,UsbDrive | Comments
You've got entirely too many RAW files and uncompressed David Bowie albums to be slamming everything onto a 16GB thumbdrive, so Kingston Technology's coming to the rescue with a new pair of ultra-spacious DataTraveler 150s. Arriving in 32GB and 64GB flavors, the DT150 becomes the largest in the outfit's entire DataTraveler line, and it even works with Windows, OS X, Palm OS and Linux! Both sticks come with a five-year warranty (as if you won't lose it before then) and will sell for $132 and $177, respectively.
19 Nov 2008 20:55:00 | Joseph L. Flatley | pmp,portable audio,portable media player,portable video,PortableAudio,PortableMediaPlayer,PortableVideo,teclast | Comments
So far it doesn't look like Teclast's OEM is trying to fool anyone with their new as-yet-unbranded media player, which is sort of disappointing -- we know how much you love a good KIRF. Aside from the uncommon (and theoretically stunning) 3.5-inch OLED widescreen display, this seems to be a pretty benign device. Features include capacitive touch controls, support for CMMB and DVB-T broadcasts, and if their past products are any indication you can probably expect output to TV or FM transmitter. You can expect this to ship in China under the Teclast flag eventually, but at the moment we've got no name, no price, no storage capacity, no release date -- just the above facts and one lonely picture to keep you warm on those long winter nights ahead.
19 Nov 2008 20:04:00 | Thomas Ricker | breaking news,BreakingNews,bruce lee,BruceLee,n96,nokia | Comments
OMG OMG OMG... sorry, but our inner japanese school-girl was just unleashed with the arrival of the Nokia N96 Bruce Lee Edition. If Nokia had any sense, they'd expand the action-doll bundle to the world beyond Hong Kong. Even for 8,788 Chinese Yuan (about $1,286) we're seriously tempted. Watch Bruce clean up at ping pong in the Nokia video posted after the break -- no, really.
19 Nov 2008 18:54:00 | Thomas Ricker | asus,breaking news,BreakingNews,easy mode,EasyMode,eee top,EeeTop,et1602,hands-on | Comments
Our brothers in gadgetry over at Engadget Chinese are at ASUS' Eee Top unveiling in Taipei. They've already been hands-on with the 15.6-inch all-in-one touchscreen PC and consider the build quality to be 'ok,' consistent with the traditional (read: non-S101) Eee PC netbooks. And while it includes an 'Easy Mode' UI that runs on top of XP, launch anything other than an ASUS-built application and you're right back into XP's less finger-friendly interface. That's where the included stylus (hidden in the keyboard) comes into play. We also have a price: 18,900 Taiwanese dollars which is a tax inclusive price of about $580 in the US. It's available today in ASUS' home of Taiwan -- everyone else will have to wait for their local announcements. 'Till then, pics, plenty of pics.
Update: Today's announcement is only for model ET1602. The ET1603 with better graphics and battery (whose existence is in dispute based on contradictory press reports and product specs) is still not available.
19 Nov 2008 18:26:00 | Darren Murph | core i7,CoreI7,Dell,gaming desktop,gaming pc,gaming rig,GamingDesktop,GamingPc,GamingRig,review,reviewed,XPS,XPS 730x,Xps730x | Comments
Whenever Intel (or AMD, for that matter) drops a wicked quick new chip, everyone knows it ain't gonna be cheap. Critics over at Computer Shopper would like to remind you to keep that in mind as you scope out Dell's Core i7-powered XPS 730x, 'cause the thing sports a price tag that's rather absurd. Dollars and cents aside, the machine is about as powerful as one could hope, offering enough muscle to churn through the most demanding of games. The biggest issue these reviewers had was that many other capable Core i7 rigs could put up similar FPS numbers for substantially less dough, and in the end, it didn't find the flash in Dell's enclosure to be worth the surcharge. Granted, that didn't stop the beast from snagging an 8.1 out of 10 on the review scale, but that's probably assuming you've got the disposable income lying around and ready to burn.
19 Nov 2008 17:57:00 | Thomas Ricker | car,concept car,ConceptCar,fc sport,FcSport,fcx clarity,FcxClarity,fuel cell,FuelCell,honda,hybrid,la auto show,LaAutoShow,v-flow | Comments
If the Tesla Roadster has proven anything other than the disruptive effects of a hyper-inflated ego, it's that well designed eco-vehicles will sell... at any price. Yet the general design theme amongst hybrid builders appears to be your grandfather'sloafer. Honda too, just look at the FCX Clarity. So we're pretty stoked to see Honda roll out its FC Sport concept three-seater (driver front-and-center) at the LA Auto Show using the same V-Flow fuel cell stack and electric drivetrain found in the FCX Clarity. Only thing is, it's a non-functional concept with little hope of hitting the market anytime soon if history serves. Good news for GM but bad news for consumers. As a wise man of consumer electronics once said:
'You know how you see a show car, and it's really cool, and then four years later you see the production car, and it sucks? And you go, What happened? They had it! They had it in the palm of their hands! They grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory! What happened was, the designers came up with this really great idea. Then they take it to the engineers, and the engineers go, 'Nah, we can't do that. That's impossible.' And so it gets a lot worse. Then they take it to the manufacturing people, and they go, 'We can't build that!' And it gets a lot worse.'
Or to paraphrase: It's like asking for a Big Mac and getting a fish sandwich.
Read -- Parable of the Concept Car Read -- FC Sport
19 Nov 2008 17:38:00 | Darren Murph | 256gb,available,now available,NowAvailable,samsung,ssd | Comments
We can think of exactly one reason Samsung still won't dish out a price on its completely mind-melting 256GB FlashSSD: because those that have to know, can't afford. The drive, which was announced way back in May of the year two-thousand and eight, doubles the performance rates of the firm's 64GB and 128GB SSDs. More specifically, we're looking at sequential read rates of 220MB/sec and sequential write rates of 200MB/sec, and in layman's terms, it's quick enough to store 25 HD movies in 21 minutes and open basic applications 10 times faster than the quickest 7,200RPM notebook drive. In other words, you want.
19 Nov 2008 16:09:00 | Laura June | iphone,mms,mobispine,telia | Comments
We heard yesterday that Telia customers might be getting an MMS app for their iPhones, and that it was being developed by the carrier themselves, with plans to launch in the next two months. Well, today we've gotten word that Mobispine is likely the developer of said application, and that they have plans to offer it to carriers all over planet Earth. Mobispine says that the app will be branded to each particular operator, and distributed via Apple's App Store, but we don't know when all of this is going to go down. Now we'd just like to meet the caveman owner of the iPhone pictured above who needed to be told (on November 15th!) that 'Obama will be our next president.'
19 Nov 2008 14:49:00 | Laura June | caption contest,CaptionContest,cat,cats,roomba,video | Comments
This is one nonplussed feline, folks. No, he doesn't mind zooming around on the Roomba all day for the humans to videotape, upload to YouTube and laugh at around 'the office' all day. Sure, he'll humor you, go ahead and caption -- capshun, if you will -- him until you're blue in the face. He'll have the last LOL. Oh yes, he will.
Josh F.: 'The perpetual cat-hair, spot-cleaning cycle ultimately spelled doom for this unlucky Roomba, much like tic-tac-toe did in WOPR in 1983.' Paul: 'Must do no harm, must do no harm... wait, does that only apply to humans?' Chris: 'HOVERCAT IZ ON UR CARPIT / STEALIN UR DIRTZ' or 'iRobot's demonstration of Roomba's new 'fight or flight' algorithm is an unqualified failure.' Laura: 'What part of this is the food?' Thomas: 'Take your complaints up with the staff, Rrrroomba. There's one holding the camera now.'
19 Nov 2008 13:36:00 | Joshua Topolsky | blackberry,blackberry storm,BlackberryStorm,engadget review,EngadgetReview,features,multitouch,research in motion,ResearchInMotion,review,reviews,rim,smartphone,storm,touchscreen,verizon | Comments
By now most of us have heard this story in one fashion or another: when Steve Jobs and Apple were in the planning stages of the iPhone, the first carrier they brought the device to was America's largest network, Verizon. Even if you haven't heard how the tale ends -- Verizon refused and Jobs took his multi-billion dollar ball to AT&T -- you surely know the outcome. The iPhone has soared to become the ultimate smartphone, the must-have accessory that everyone from celebrities to your mom wants -- nay, needs -- to have in their pocket. It's changed the landscape of modern cellphones, put a serious dent in the sales of competing devices (just recently overtaking the venerable RAZR as the best-selling domestic handset), and unquestionably raised the bar when it comes to expectations for features in new handsets.
It may seem unfair to open up the review of RIM's latest BlackBerry -- the Storm -- with a history lesson on the iPhone, but if you understand the market which Verizon and RIM hope to capture, then you understand the Storm, and it helps put this critique in perspective. The Storm, a widescreen, touchscreen device boasts many of the same features as the iPhone, but adds innovations like a clickable display, and comes packed with RIM's legendary email and messaging services. Mainlined into the biggest (and some say best) network in the States, the Storm is an almost deafening blast to the competition at first glance, but does it hold up on closer inspection? Read on to find out.
19 Nov 2008 13:35:00 | Darren Murph | audio,breaking news,BreakingNews,download,downloads,microsoft,music,subscription,zune,zune marketplace,zune pass,ZuneMarketplace,ZunePass | Comments
There's just nothing like the holiday season, folks. That warm, fuzzy feeling you get when spending your last dollar on a gift for someone you aren't even that fond of -- really, what else can compare? On second thought, maybe this can. Microsoft has just announced that, beginning today, Zune Pass users will be able to select ten tracks per month to keep forever (and ever, and ever), and the $14.99 monthly subscription rate isn't headed up. Agreements have been miraculously nailed down between Microsoft and EMI Music, Sony BMG Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, not to mention a number of independent distributors. We must say, we certainly appreciate the gesture here, but is it enough to make fencesitters buy in? What say you?
19 Nov 2008 13:20:00 | Darren Murph | AirTunes,apple tv,AppleTv,boxee,digital downloads,DigitalDownloads,firmware,infrared,IR,movie set-top-box,MovieSet-top-box,software update,SoftwareUpdate,streaming,update | Comments
For home theater junkies who've been having a difficult time taking the Apple TV seriously, you should definitely have a look at what the latest software update brings to the dinner table. First off, we should warn you that any non-Apple TV software (like, you know, Boxee) will be banished should you choose to update, but if you're kosher on that front, we'll continue on. Apple's changelog notes that AirTunes streaming is now enabled, meaning that tunes can be streamed from the STB to AirPort Express speakers or other ATV units nearby. Additionally, the box can now learn other remotes, meaning that you can probably get your universal remote to handle this bugger, too. The last big addition is that Playlists in iTunes can now be seen on Apple TV, and there's also support for volume control in Music. Grab the download from within your box now if you dare, and feel free to chime in with any other noteworthy changes you happen upon.
19 Nov 2008 12:42:00 | Joseph L. Flatley | green,green energy,GreenEnergy,hydroelectric,Searaser | Comments
A twist on the idea of the underwater turbine, the Searaser also uses the motion of the ocean to generate power. The device consists of two independent floats that move with the waves, pumping out seawater as they do. The water can then be pumped inland for hydroelectric power, irrigation, or to hilltop reservoirs for later use. One unit should be able to power 470 homes, and a six-month preproduction trial is currently being planned. You know, as quirky energy solutions go, this one doesn't actually seem all that far-fetched. At the very least, it seems better than going Micro-Nuclear.
19 Nov 2008 11:46:00 | Donald Melanson | freeagent,freeagent go,FreeagentGo,hard drive,HardDrive,portable hard drive,PortableHardDrive,seagate | Comments
Seagate kicked out a couple of FreeAgent Go hard drives a few months back, but it's now gone all out and let loose an even more colorful batch in the hope of attracting a bit more attention among holiday shoppers -- as usual, Festivus revelers luck out year 'round with the ever-present, aluminum pole-matching silver option. From the looks of it, the drives are still available in the same 250GB, 320GB, and 500GB capacitiies as before for $120, $150, and $200, respectively, and those that register their drives between November 28th and New Year's day will get a bonus multimedia package including 50 free songs from eMusic and some other goodies. You can also pick up a desktop docking station separately for $30, just don't expect to get it in matching colors.
Jealous your almost instantly-obsolete Eee PC doesn't have that speedy new SSD with integrated controller ASUS is using in newer models? Well, Runcore's got you covered -- it's just launched a line of MLC SSDs with similar integrated controllers that offer 70Mbps read and 50Mbps write speeds. Even better, they're pretty damn cheap: just $70 for 16GB, $199 for 64GB, and a slightly less cheap $389 for 128GB. Sadly, they're mini-PCIe, so you probably can't go sticking them in your daily driver machine for a little speed boost, but you can't have it all, Chico.
_l_thumbnail.jpg)
_l_thumbnail.jpg)
