Ben Heck makes Xbox 360 ‘Slim’ portable, still won’t make a briefcase feel fat (video)
October 12, 2010 No Comment
As always in the world of handmade portable consoles , the word “slim” is a very, very relative term. Appropriately you wouldn’t call Ben Heck ‘s latest creation svelte by any means, but it is considerably smaller than his 2009 version , 1.5-inches skinnier and an inch shorter. Despite that it now has an internal power supply and is even quieter than before. The system’s touch power and eject buttons work as expected here, and up top is a 17-inch Gateway LCD that manages a full 720p’s worth of pixels. Want one? The model pictured above is being given away as part of a contest on The Ben Heck Show , but he’s making two others that are available to, you know, purchase if you have the means. Continue reading Ben Heck makes Xbox 360 ‘Slim’ portable, still won’t make a briefcase feel fat (video) Ben Heck makes Xbox 360 ‘Slim’ portable, still won’t make a briefcase feel fat (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 10:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Olympus not looking to replace the everyman DSLR E-620, thinks PEN system fits the bill
October 12, 2010 No Comment
The E-620 from Olympus , the company’s latest attempt at an entry-level DSLR, was well reviewed upon release, said to be the best mix of performance and value of any of the company’s DSLRs released to date. However, that date is something of a problem: summer of 2009, and today’s camera fans are hungry for updates at least every year. Is a successor coming? No, according to Product Manager Toshiyuki Terada, at least not in the near-term. He believes that the “entry level SLR class can be completely replaced by the PEN system in terms of performance.” Yes, the compact, replaceable lens PEN system that’s currently found models like the E-P1 and E-P2 . Mind you, we definitely enjoyed our time with the lesser expensive E-PL1 , and all the little shooters have been impressing, but none quite delivers the DSLR feel that meaty-pawed amateurs covet. Maybe all they need is a little dose of 50 – 200mm telephoto to get over their anxiety. Olympus not looking to replace the everyman DSLR E-620, thinks PEN system fits the bill originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Looks like Amazon isn’t sleeping on this whole Windows Phone 7 launch shebang. The online retailer has unveiled its pricing for a pair of HTC handsets so far, with the 4.3-inch HTC HD7 costing €599 ($835) in Germany and the 3.8-inch 7 Trophy setting UK buyers back
Continue reading …Best Buy teams up with ECOtality to install EV charging stations at 12 stores
October 12, 2010 No Comment
Best Buy has already started selling some electric scooters and motorcycles in its stores, and it’s now about to expand even further into the EV business. The retailer has just announced a partnership with ECOtality, which will be providing Best Buy with some of its Blink EV charging stations that will be installed at twelve stores in Tucson, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego and Seattle by March of next year. That’s being done as part of the government-funded EV Project that ECOtality is overseeing, and Best Buy says that it may install chargers at additional stores if the initial test phase proves to be successful. Full press release is after the break. Continue reading Best Buy teams up with ECOtality to install EV charging stations at 12 stores Best Buy teams up with ECOtality to install EV charging stations at 12 stores originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 08:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Truly epic casemods grace the humble pages of Engadget from time to time, but here’s a spoonful of liquid awesome you might actually be able to try. Using an off-the-shelf fan controller, servo motor and Arduino board, plus some water-cut styrene parts he farmed out to an online shop, user SXRguyinMA outfitted his NZXT Tempest Evo case with a rad robotic cooling system. When the Arduino detects the temperature changing, it automatically actuates the servo to raise or lower the louvers accordingly, and the rig features a pair of supercapacitors that can store enough power to close the vents even if power is lost. There’s also the all-important little red button to instantly make jaws drop. Video after the break, full worklog at our more coverage link. Continue reading DIY casemod features fins, automatically vents your rig DIY casemod features fins, automatically vents your rig originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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HTC’s relationship with Microsoft is the stuff of daytime television. It was HTC’s commitment to building high quality QWERTY handsets for Windows Mobile that first gave the young Taiwanese company the spotlight. HTC then shifted its allegiance to Android just as the green monster was on the rise (and WinMo in decline). So where are we today? Well, of the ten Windows Phone 7 handsets announced yesterday, half were from HTC. If that doesn’t signal HTC’s commitment to Redmond then maybe a quote will. Speaking at a press conference in Taipei yesterday, HTC CEO Peter Chou said, “Right now we have Windows Phone 7 and Android, and focus the same on each, but let the market decide.” Peter then promised more WP7 handsets in 2011 without getting into specifics. So let’s check in next year and see how things go, shall we? HTC loves Android and Windows Phone 7 equally originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 07:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sony and Global HID are coyly batting their eyelashes at each other over a memorandum of intent to jointly develop an embedded contactless smart card reader platform for laptops. The idea is to create a single reader compatible with Sony’s popular FeliCa solution in Japan as well as NFC, HID Global’s own iCLASS, and more. As a refresher, about 315 million FeliCa cards are in circulation worldwide with another 67 million FeliCa-capable mobile phones in Japan used for electronic payments, access, interactive advertising, and membership rewards systems. Hell, Sony’s even got a FeliCa reading remote control . The dark arts of Near Field Communication have been given a boost recently with support from Nokia and the US carriers AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile . Even Apple is rumored to be getting in on the action. So let’s ink a contract already fellas, anything that will unify all these “standards” into a common embedded laptop reader sounds like a good idea to us. Continue reading Sony and Global HID to unify FeliCa and NFC laptop reader technologies Sony and Global HID to unify FeliCa and NFC laptop reader technologies originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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So what if Microsoft’s nicest WP7 slate phones all went to Europe and the rest of the un-American world? At least we’ll have the HTC 7 Pro , the true Windows Phone 7 workhorse, with its tilt-sliding QWERTY keyboard and compact 3.6-inch size. Well, as it turns out, that device will be availabe in Europe too! We’ve just confirmed with HTC that the 7 Pro is definitely headed to the UK and its Euro neighbors, with the current roadmap set for “early next year.” It’s still too soon to discuss potential carriers, but we’re sure our British buddies will be chuffed just to know the handset’s coming their way. HTC 7 Pro arriving in UK and rest of Europe ‘early next year’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 keynote video now available to watch… again and again
October 12, 2010 No Comment
In case a liveblog and a never-ending stream of Windows Phones weren’t enough for you yesterday, here’s a chance to relive Microsoft’s launch presentation of its grand OS redesign. It’s kicked off by the big dog himself, Steve Ballmer, followed by Ralph de la Vega and Joe Belfiore giving us the lowdown on carrier pricing and new features. It’s good, we promise. Though we can’t guarantee it’s quite as awesome as the UK presentation, which included a Stephen Fry soliloquy on the subject of smartphones, diversity, and Microsoft’s redemption. That one we’ve got stored in our hearts, which, regrettably, don’t yet come with a HDMI output. Video after the break. Continue reading Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 keynote video now available to watch… again and again Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 keynote video now available to watch… again and again originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 05:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Kensington’s ClickSafe security lock: ‘so easy, your employees actually use it’
October 12, 2010 No Comment
Nice going, Kensington — you just admitted to the world something we already knew. No one actually uses the lock slot / cable that’s issued to them on their first day on the job. It’s painful to envision the cash this company has made from mindless corporations who somehow think that employees are going to tie their laptops up each and every day, but now it has an alternative that it swears “your employees will actually use.” The new ClickSafe system essentially works as such: you insert a small locking nub into the lock slot that ships on (almost) every new laptop today, and then you clip the new locking cable on by hand. Once you’ve completed the first step, the cable connection is a simple motion each morning — in theory, at least. Peek the installation vid after the break if you’re still having your doubts, and feel free to blow $49.99 / $69.99 (depending on model) if you just know that this time it’ll be different. Gallery: Kensington ClickSafe Keyed Laptop Lock Continue reading Kensington’s ClickSafe security lock: ‘so easy, your employees actually use it’ Kensington’s ClickSafe security lock: ‘so easy, your employees actually use it’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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