Is that Leica M9 Titanium announced at Photokina last month not limited enough for you at just 500 units available? Then take a gander at the Leica M9 Neiman Marcus Edition pictured above, which is available exclusively through Neiman Marcus’s Christmas Book, and is limited to a mere fifty units. The camera itself is, of course, the same M9 you already know and covet, although it’s wrapped in a brown ostrich leather trim this time around, and it comes paired with a chrome-finished Summicron-M 35mm f2.0 ASPH lens for this occasion. Sure it costs $17,500, but that includes Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 and a personal delivery from a Leica photography expert, who will also provide a private training and orientation session. It’s really quite a bargain when you think about it. Continue reading Leica announces Nieman Marcus Edition M9: $17,500, limited to 50 Leica announces Nieman Marcus Edition M9: $17,500, limited to 50 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Worried that the Samsung Transform would be a slatephone? Don’t be — it’s more of a miniature Epic 4G . The Android 2.1 device’s got a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen, 800MHz processor and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, plus front- and rear-facing cameras for video chat — though they’re pretty low resolution and there’s no 4G to pump their streaming video data. We just got hands-on with the phone, and came away mildly impressed — though it’s a little sluggish compared to the Epic, it’s got much the same build quality, and the exact same hinge and buzzy vibrator if you want to get specific. There aren’t a lot of fancy functions on the keyboard, but it’s arguably got an even better layout that caters to landscape touch-typists like us — the keys are plasticy little numbers like those on the Samsung Intercept , but they’ve got a nice click and this time, a logical layout. The screen’s bright and clear enough, but unless our eyes deceive us it’s no AMOLED. Expect it to drop on October 10th for $150 after a $100 mail-in rebate, and be sure to watch a Sprint rep show off the phone’s Sprint ID functions after the break. Continue reading Samsung Transform, first hands-on! Samsung Transform, first hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If this little puppy looks familiar, well, it should — it’s basically an Americanized version of the Optimus One announced earlier this year. In that regard, T-Mobile’s Optimus T is a bit of an anti- myTouch — a relatively low-end Android smartphone fit for the masses with a 3.2-inch HVGA display (touted as being fashioned of tempered glass), a 3 megapixel cam with video capture, Froyo , and Swype pre-installed. As you can see from the press shot up there, the UI isn’t quite stock — but happily, it doesn’t look like LG has done anything too egregious to muck it up. LG Optimus T budget Android phone comes to T-Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sprint guns for mid-range Android: $149 Samsung Transform, $99 Sanyo Zio, and $49 LG Optimus S include ‘Sprint ID’
October 6, 2010 No Comment
The rumors were dead-on — the Samsung Transform and Sanyo Zio are headed to Sprint this week, and by the end of the month the carrier will play host to an LG Optimus smartphone as well. Priced at $150, $100 and $50 (after $100 mail-in rebates) respectively, they’re definitely not high-end phones, but if you’re looking for a capable QWERTY messenger (with video chat!) the Samsung Transform just might fill the bill. In many ways it’s a scaled down Epic 4G, with the same look and feel, though a somewhat slower 800MHz processor, a 3.5-inch screen, and no 4G support, obviously. We weren’t terribly impressed with the Sanyo Zio the last time we saw it , but we’re happy to hear it’s now sporting Android 2.1 and hopefully some bugfixes, and we’re eager to try the LG Optimus S simply because it’s got Froyo at the $50 price point. Hardware’s only half the story here, however, because these three phones will ship with something completely new — a settings / apps / widgets / themes packaging solution the company’s calling Sprint ID. Rather than fill the device with bloatware apps or overlay a custom UI, Sprint’s installed a software button that takes you to a store exclusively designed for Sprint’s new Android devices. You pick a package — say, Business Pro — and it downloads a specific set of apps, widgets and a custom wallpaper targeted at business owners, though if you’d rather decline you can use a package that’s pretty much stock Android. The carrier’s launching Sprint ID today with 17 partners and 13 free content packs, with more on the way. There’s a Sprint exec waiting to walk you through Sprint ID in a video after the break! Continue reading Sprint guns for mid-range Android: $149 Samsung Transform, $99 Sanyo Zio, and $49 LG Optimus S include ‘Sprint ID’ Sprint guns for mid-range Android: $149 Samsung Transform, $99 Sanyo Zio, and $49 LG Optimus S include ‘Sprint ID’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Logitech Revue and accessories hands-on! (Update: video of video calling!)
October 6, 2010 No Comment
We just got some serious hands-on time with the Logitech Revue Google TV box, and it’s all pretty slick, hardware-wise. The Keyboard and Mini Controller are just as well-done as you’d expect from Logitech, and the video calling features worked pretty seamlessly. We also managed to confirm that the Dish Network DVR integration is exclusive to Logitech — it won’t work on Sony Google TV devices, which is totally strange. We’re headed back for video and we’ll have some more in-depth impressions in a bit, but check out the pretty pictures in the galleries below for now. Update : Dish and Google have both chimed in to clarify the “exclusive” deal. While Dish will exclusively sell Logitech’s Google TV hardware, any other devices, including the ones from Sony, will pair with its DVRs in exactly the same way. Fragmentation (apparently) avoided — for now. Gallery: Logitech Revue Google TV box Gallery: Logitech Revue Video Camera hands-on! Gallery: Logitech Revue Mini Controller hands-on! Continue reading Logitech Revue and accessories hands-on! (Update: video of video calling!) Logitech Revue and accessories hands-on! (Update: video of video calling!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony slips out second generation TransferJet chip, partners begin to take notice
October 6, 2010 No Comment
Bless its heart. Regardless of how loudly consumers yell, Sony can’t seem to understand that creating proprietary formats that no other company has any interest in adopting isn’t the brightest of ideas. The eventual fates of UMD , ATRAC , MiniDisc and countless others are proof of the outfit’s ignorance, but somehow or another, it seem as if TransferJet has a modicum of a chance to gain some traction. Nearly a year after outing its first generation TransferJet chip , Sony is using CEATEC to spring its second generation one into action. From what we can tell, the primary addition to this chip is its native compatibility with USB 2.0 and PCI Express, with hardware and software improvements credited with an effective data transmission boost to somewhere north of 300Mbps. Potentially more interesting, however, is the lower power draw, which could lead to TransferJet embeds within smartphones, tablets, netbooks and other low-cost mobile computers. Across the pond(s) in Tokyo, Toshiba has been caught showing off a TransferJet SD card that could allow a potentially wider swath of devices to support Sony’s wireless protocol, although the hardware typically has to be designed specifically to not interfere with the chip’s ultra short-range transmissions, and software drivers have to be built as well — not even all of Sony’s new Cyber-shots support its existing TransferJet Memory Stick. We’ll be digging for more details (ship date, price, etc.) just as soon as we can. Sony slips out second generation TransferJet chip, partners begin to take notice originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …It’s getting hard to keep track of, isn’t it? The way we hear it told, most of these patent disputes and overlaps in the mobile space used to be settled in quiet ways, mutually assured destruction-style, but lately there’s a whole lot of nukes going off . Motorola is now suing Apple over a wide range of technology patents which it claims Apple is infringing on with its iPhone, iPad, “iTouch,” and even some Macs. The company is leveling three complaints which include 18 patents on “early-stage innovations” by Motorola, covering a pretty wide swath of the mobile landscape, including WCDMA, GPRS, 802.11, antenna design, wireless email, proximity sensing, software application management, location-based services and multi-device synchronization. Outside of the devices, Apple’s MobileMe and App Store services get called out specifically. At the end of its press release Motorola makes a very similar claim to the one Nokia made at the outset of its own lawyer salvo against Apple: We have extensively licensed our industry-leading intellectual property portfolio, consisting of tens of thousands of patents in the U.S. and worldwide. After Apple’s late entry into the telecommunications market, we engaged in lengthy negotiations, but Apple has refused to take a license. We had no choice but to file these complaints to halt Apple’s continued infringement. We’ll of course be digging deeper as we get more info, and covering the blow by blow with perhaps just a little too much enthusiasm. Oh, and before you go, riddle us this: do you think this is a preemptive strike on Motorola’s part, afraid of another Android-related lawsuit from Apple, or has Apple been holding off for precisely the threat this lawsuit represents? Or maybe Moto’s still mad about that antenna thing ? Perhaps we’ll never know. Continue reading Motorola suing Apple for patent infringement Motorola suing Apple for patent infringement originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Not a ton of details on this one, but Logitech’s Junien Labrousse just responded to a question about possible Hulu integration in Google TV by saying that while Hulu is now actually blocking the box, Google and Hulu are currently in talks about bringing the service to Google TV — and, well, that’s about it. Missed out on the event? Be sure to check out our liveblog and our coverage of Logitech’s complete Google TV lineup . Google and Hulu in talks about Google TV integration originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …RIM pushes out software update for BlackBerry Torch, promises speed improvements aplenty
October 6, 2010 No Comment
Well, it looks RIM hasn’t been ignoring all those complaints about its less than speedy BlackBerry Torch — the company has just pushed out an updated version of BlackBerry 6 for the device that promises a whole host of speed improvements. That includes faster page loading and improved panning in the browser, improved responsiveness after unlocking the device, faster application launching, exiting and switching, faster rendering and smoother transitions on the home screen, faster rendering of thumbnails in the picture application, and faster and smoother scrolling in the message list and when reading email — oh, and improved audio quality too. Look for the update (v6.0.0.695) to begin rolling out directly to devices over the next week and a half, or simply hit up either RIM or AT&T below to skip the wait and download the update right now. RIM pushes out software update for BlackBerry Torch, promises speed improvements aplenty originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Logitech Revue with Google TV details: $299; free iOS, Android apps, accessories are extra
October 6, 2010 No Comment
Logitech’s big Google TV reveal is still ongoing , but the product page is live and allowing for preorders of the $299 package ($179 if you’re on Dish Network ) set to ship by the end of this month. For all of that dough you’ll get the Revue with Google TV box, keyboard with integrated touch and directional pad, an HDMI cable, one IR blaster and a couple of AA batteries just for good measure. Also up for your browsing pleasure are a few screens of the free Logitech Harmony App for iPhone and Android. Other accessories have been announced and are available for preorder as well, a $149 webcam, and the Revue-specific version of the diNovo Mini controller for $129.99 the larger keyboard is available if you need a spare or buy a different brand of Google TV appliance for $99. The Logitech TV Cam, with Carl Zeiss autofocus lens and dual microphones, ties into a Logitech Vid HD app that communicates with other similarly equipped units plus PCs or Macs running the desktop version of the software. Beyond just the mobile apps, Logitech also showed off its own Media Player app that pulls in video from connected hard drives or DLNA sources. Check the gallery for a few pictures of the hardware and after the break for a couple quick video breaking down all the features of the Revue, and demonstrating video calling. A press release full of details is now also available after the break. Gallery: Logitech Revue with Google TV & TV Cam Continue reading Logitech Revue with Google TV details: $299; free iOS, Android apps, accessories are extra Logitech Revue with Google TV details: $299; free iOS, Android apps, accessories are extra originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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