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iPad becomes ‘most quickly adopted non-phone electronic product,’ analysts get giddy

When the iPad finally dropped in April it was greeted with the expected fanfare, but opinions were rather divided about whether the thing would be a long-term success — even amongst we humble writers. Six months on there can be no doubt, with the tablet selling 4.5 million units in its first quarter of availability according to CNBC . The truly magical iPhone ? That managed a (relatively) paltry one million units in the same timeframe after launch, while the now ubiquitous DVD player pushed just 350,000 in its first four months of availability. You know what that means: it’s time for analysts to start breaking out the hyperboles — again. Colin McGranahan from Bernstein Research says “the iPad is a runaway success of unprecedented proportion,” meanwhile Pete Najarian from TradeMonster.com calls it a “total media device” and concludes “there’s not much a PC can do that you can’t do on an iPad.” That last bit is certainly debatable, and you know exactly where you can debate it. Just keep it respectful, yeah? iPad becomes ‘most quickly adopted non-phone electronic product,’ analysts get giddy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 09:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Samsung P2770FH dips down to 1ms response time, costs $400

Electronics manufacturers love to claim their product is entirely without precedent, but this 27-inch Samsung monitor has every right to crow about its uniqueness. It’s the first LCD to tout a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it 1ms response time, halving the previous best in this category of 2ms . It’s dubious whether you’ll notice the difference in casual use, but that growing class of professional gamers will probably appreciate the extra, barely perceivable, responsiveness. Then again, those same pros might be slightly put off by the lack of stand adjustment and Samsung’s Touch of Color enclosure — neither seem to fit in with the performance-oriented panel within. The spec sheet is filled out with standard fare such as 1920 x 1080 resolution, 300 nits of brightness, HDMI input, and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio. Should that sound like your perfect recipe, you’ll be able to pick up the Samsung P2770FH later this month for $400. Continue reading Samsung P2770FH dips down to 1ms response time, costs $400 Samsung P2770FH dips down to 1ms response time, costs $400 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 08:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Toshiba Regza GL1 3D preview: no frills, no glasses, some issues (video)

It’s with some surprise that we pen, finger to key to screen, praise for a 3D display — particularly one that is glasses-free (the staff is still a bit divided, for example, on Nintendo’s 3DS screen). But here we go. Toshiba’s 20-inch Regza 20GL1 3D set was on hand at CEATEC , and it’s actually a set we could see ourselves comfortably watching for a given span of time. Viewing angles are none too shabby, the refresh rate doesn’t visibly distract or inherently cause headaches, and at 720p, you can actually get an enjoyable image. The 56-inch concept conjured up a worthy picture as well, but then again, it’s a prototype with no immediate purpose other than causing attendee awe at this point. If we had to fault it, we’d say that the viewing angles where you see two distinct perspectives (see the picture above for an example) are too wide, which means you’d have to be really careful about where you sit on the couch if you were to buy something like this for your den. Also on hand was a notebook, which at this point just didn’t cut it. Perhaps it’s just too early in development, but what was saw had minimal depth and an unfortunately low resolution / perceived refresh rate; when the video loop it was playing switched to the Windows 7 UI, it looked grainy and extremely difficult to read — undoubtedly the side effect of trying to use a display designed for permanent 3D use in 2D mode. That leaves us to talk about 12-inch 12GL1, and what can we express other than disappointment? The 466 x 350 resolution (yes, that’s less than standard definition) is just awful, you can lose the 3D effect moving marginally to the left or right, depth is not pronounced, and medium-to-fast pace footage just doesn’t work. For all the warm-yet-cautious approval we give to the 20GL1, its little brother is quite the black sheep, especially at

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Gateway intros gorgeous 23-inch FHD2303L monitor, two new FHX LCDs

Whoa, Gateway ! Go on and get down with your bad self. The gem pictured above goes by FHD2303L, and it’s easily one of the sexiest LCD monitors that we’ve seen in recent memory. The company engineered the 23-incher with a transparent frame and an asymmetrical stand, and much like the glossy-bezel’d FHX2152L (21.5-inch) and FHX2402L (24-inch), it also packs a 12,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 1920 x 1080 native resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio. The FHD model boasts a five millisecond response time, while both of the FHX panels check in with a two millisecond response time; the whole crew offers 250 nits of brightness, VGA / DVI outputs and reasonable price tags. How reasonable? Try $249.99, $189.99 and $249.99 in order of mention. Continue reading Gateway intros gorgeous 23-inch FHD2303L monitor, two new FHX LCDs Gateway intros gorgeous 23-inch FHD2303L monitor, two new FHX LCDs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Ultrasone Edition 10 headphones sound and are expensive: $2,749 for one of only 2010 made

Hands up if you actually know what ruthenium is. Don’t worry if you don’t, it’s just used as an external plating on these extremely luxurious open-back cans . More familiar expensive materials can be found within, with titanium-plated 40mm drivers, silver-plated copper wires with 99.99 percent purity and kevlar-coated cables, and of course, for that extra special touch, Ethiopian sheepskin earcup pads. That’s skin, not wool, so bear it in mind if you care for the welfare of little fluffy ones. Either way, the Ultrasone Edition 10s do seem like they’ve packed just enough luxury and exclusivity to justify their $2,745 price — only thing we need now is a matching mahogany furniture set, preferably with some endangered species’ heads adorning our walls. Continue reading Ultrasone Edition 10 headphones sound and are expensive: $2,749 for one of only 2010 made Ultrasone Edition 10 headphones sound and are expensive: $2,749 for one of only 2010 made originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 07:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Internet Explorer falls below 50 percent global marketshare, Chrome usage triples

Oh, IE , it pains us to do this to you. You who once so mightily won in the battle against Netscape Navigator now seem to be losing your war against a battalion of upstarts, relatively fresh faces like Firefox and Chrome . According to StatCounter, IE’s global usage stats have fallen to 49.87 percent, a fraction of a tick beneath half. Firefox makes up the lion share of the rest, at 31.5 percent, while Chrome usage tripled since last year, up to 11.54 percent. Two years ago IE had two thirds of the global market locked down, and even if Internet Explorer 9 is the best thing since ActiveX, well, we just don’t see the tide of this battle turning without MS calling in some serious reinforcements. Continue reading Internet Explorer falls below 50 percent global marketshare, Chrome usage triples Internet Explorer falls below 50 percent global marketshare, Chrome usage triples originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 07:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Microsoft’s October 11 event could involve slate device announcements, unicorn sightings

Thought you knew all there was to know about Microsoft’s October 11 event already? Maybe you do, but it’s always good to pepper some good old fashioned rumors atop well established facts for that extra bit of spice. Neowin cites insider sources in reporting that Microsoft intends to use its Windows Phone 7 launch as a platform for revealing its plans for the tablet realm as well. Specifically, Steve Ballmer and crew are expected to “announce Slate devices which will be available for the crucial holiday season.” We can’t think of anything that would make the Redmond CEO happier, but let’s not go building our hopes up too high. Just one revolution from Microsoft will be enough for us. [Thanks, George] Microsoft’s October 11 event could involve slate device announcements, unicorn sightings originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 07:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Qualcomm launches augmented reality SDK in beta form, ready to rock your Android devices

By now you would’ve come across at least a handful of inspiring augmented reality apps (with a few exceptions , perhaps), and if you fancy having a go at coding one yourself, Qualcomm may be able to assist. Today, the giant chip maker is pushing out a beta release of its Android AR SDK, which has produced interesting demos like the digital photo frame concept showcased in London last month, as well as the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots game pictured above. In fact, Mattel’s so confident with the latter app that it’s planning on commercializing it, so who knows — you could be the next Peter Molyneux of the AR scene, or at least a winner of up to $125,000 from Qualcomm’s AR Developer Challenge. More details in the press release after the break. Continue reading Qualcomm launches augmented reality SDK in beta form, ready to rock your Android devices Qualcomm launches augmented reality SDK in beta form, ready to rock your Android devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Fring matches Skype, intros FringOut for low-rate Android calls

We didn’t think competition in the cheapo calls market was quite so intense, but here we are, with Fring and Skype gunning for each other with near-simultaneous launches. After Skype finally released its long-awaited Android app , Fring is countering with an Android rollout of its own FringOut service — an additional option to the chat and video calling client which lets you call phone numbers for as little as one American cent per minute. You’ll recall this addition started its life on Symbian initially, has now landed on Android, and will soon be making the transition to the iPhone. To experience it for yourself, update your Fring app to the latest version and enjoy the benefits of a competitive marketplace. Fring matches Skype, intros FringOut for low-rate Android calls originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Nokia’s MeeGo device chief resigns

The VP in charge of Nokia’s MeeGo Devices has quit. Ari Jaaksi confirmed to Finland’s Talous Sanomat that he resigned last week. According to a Nokia spokesman his departure does not affect MeeGo’s rollout schedule which calls for a first device to be delivered before the end of 2010. We’ve confirmed this with Nokia as well, who tells that an “update on MeeGo” (note the wiggle room in that phrase) will be announced before the end of the year. In case you’re keeping track, Jaaksi’s departure follows the high-profile exits of Nokia’s former CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo (replaced by Stephen Elop ) and the head of Nokia Mobile Solutions, Anssi Vanjoki . Notably, Nokia’s MeeGo team picked up Palm’s Peter Skillman as the head of MeeGo User Experience and Services during the same period. It’s also worth noting that just yesterday Mobile-Review’s Eldar Murtazin said that Nokia’s N9 hardware is “near perfect” but the MeeGo software build is “not so good at the moment.” Given all this, we can’t see how Nokia could possibly ship its first MeeGo handset — a device Nokia hopes to position against the best iOS and Android handsets in the US — in 2010, do you? [Thanks, JJ Ehto] Nokia’s MeeGo device chief resigns originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 05:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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