Ready for your first helping of Ultrabook ? Because it’s here. Behold: Toshiba’s Portege Z830. Checking in at 2.5 pounds and 0.63 inches thick, the 13.3-inch magnesium-clad beaut that lies before you is 20 percent lighter and 40 percent thinner than its (relatively) svelte sibling, the R380 . But don’t be fooled by that diminutive profile, as Toshiba still managed to cram some serious silicon (an optional Core i7 CPU), up to 6GB of RAM and an eight-cell 47Wh battery inside. On top of those guts resides a keyboard that’s both backlit and spill-resistant (!), a 1366 x 768 display and a 1.3 megapixel webcam in the lid. Also onboard are three USB ports — one 3.0 and two 2.0, one of which does sleep and charge — an Ethernet jack, HDMI and VGA output and an SD card slot. There’s also the obligatory 802.11b/g/n WiFi radio, along with optional Intel Wireless Display . We’re still waiting for a full rundown of the various configurations and specs, but Toshiba did tell us that the Z830 line will start at under $1,000 when it goes on sale come November. Until then, hop past the break for some brief impressions of a prototype unit. Gallery: Toshiba Portege Z830 Gallery: Toshiba Portege Z830 hands-on Continue reading Toshiba’s Portege Z830 is an ultraslim, ultrasexy Ultrabook Toshiba’s Portege Z830 is an ultraslim, ultrasexy Ultrabook originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …BlackBerry Bold 9900 now available on T-Mobile, still late to the 7 OS party
September 1, 2011 No Comment
We knew this day was coming , so there are no surprises here. BlackBerry’s latest addition to its portrait QWERTY family, the Bold 9900 , is on sale now at T-Mobile stores. The chrome trimmed, 14.4Mbps HSDPA capable handset’ll run you $350 (before a $50 mail-in rebate) with a two-year commitment, or you can always fork over the full $600 if you’d rather steer clear of the carrier’s contract chains. In case you were in need of a refresher, the phone packs a zippy 1.2GHz processor, 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen and runs BlackBerry 7 OS. Feeling like it’s time to update your crackberry habit? Then head to the source below to get your order on. BlackBerry Bold 9900 now available on T-Mobile, still late to the 7 OS party originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Amazon’s @author lets you tweet, pester your favorite writers via Kindle
September 1, 2011 No Comment
If the Amazon Kindle’s passage-sharing Twitter integration wasn’t social enough for you, the outfit just unleashed a new option: @author. The new feature uses Twitter as a springboard to connect writers to their fans, giving users a chance to nitpick their favorite authors line-by-line. If you’ve ever shared a quote using the Kindle, you know the drill: highlight some text and type out your tweet — just make sure you preface it with the @author marker. This limited beta is launching with only a handful of writers, but between Robert “Rich Dad” Kiyosaki and Brad “Identity Crisis” Meltzer, we’re sure you can find something to ask. Amazon’s @author lets you tweet, pester your favorite writers via Kindle originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 09:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Samsung may have been talking up the Galaxy Note as the hottest new piece of hardware for this year’s IFA, but it’s the Galaxy Tab 7.7 that’s got us really excited. The device is the latest entry in Samsung’s popular Android-based Galaxy Tab line, and the thing is pretty darn slick. The 7.7-inch screen is in keeping with the company’s push toward devices that straddle the line between the tablet and smartphone spaces (see also: the Note), and it is indeed a terrific form factor. This isn’t going to replace your laptop or iPad (or Galaxy Tab 10.1 ) for lengthy multimedia marathons, but it’s a great size for watching quick videos and basic computer like checking your email. It’s also exceedingly portable at 0.74 pounds. Like so many other devices launched by Samsung this year, the screen is the thing, and indeed, that 7.7-inch 1280 x 800 Super AMOLED Plus display is quite sharp and extremely bright — in fact, we had to turn the thing down while doing the below hands-on video. Also new with the device is the addition of Android 3.2 — we didn’t notice all that much different on that front, however, seeing as how the tablet is still skinned with the familiar TouchWiz UX UI . There weren’t really any noticeable changes from the newly updated version for the 10.1. Check out our hands-on video after the break. Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 hands-on Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 hands-on (video) Filed under: Tablet PCs Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 07:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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How excited is Samsung about the new Galaxy Note? The company is convinced that the device heralds a whole new space for the industry, something in between the smartphone and the tablet. And what’s the space called? The Note, of course. At 5.3 inches, the thing does feel a lot more like a cell phone than a tablet — albeit a really large one. It’s still reasonably portable, certainly more so than the also recently announced Galaxy Tab 7.7 , but the added screen real estate might not be worth the extra pocket space for those who don’t use their portable devices to watch movies. Interestingly, the major application here actually seems to be enterprise users. While Android 2.3 isn’t particularly known for being a great business OS, the ability to scribble notes with the stylus, the “S Pen,” harkens back to the old PDAs and will likely appeal to users sick of typing with their fingers. That said, we had some difficulty mastering the pen in the short time that we spent with it. Despite Samsung’s instance on the thing’s accuracy, the stylus was quite slippery on the device’s glossy screen, and we had a lot of difficulty being precise for simple drawings — as you can see in the scribble above. All in all, it’s hard to envision the Note as a whole new space, and it remains to be seen whether the S Pen can indeed give the aged stylus new life. Check on our hands-on video after the break and see for yourself. Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Note hands-on Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Note hands-on (video) Samsung Galaxy Note hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 07:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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There’s nothing all that exciting about most point-and-shoot cameras. You point, they shoot, end of story. But Samsung has been shaking things up as of late. First, the TL220 and TL225 added a second, 1.5-inch LCD to the front of the camera, making up the company’s 2009 lineup of DualView cams. We’ve never actually seen anyone using them on the street, but Samsung reps insist that they’ve been an absolute hit. Well alright then. This year, CES brought the company’s remote-shooting-enabled SH100 , which lets you use a Samsung-branded Android smartphone to frame, zoom, and capture images over WiFi. A rather obnoxious delay doesn’t make this a blockbuster feature, but still, this is pretty imaginative stuff. Now this week at IFA , the company just introduced yet another completely original (and practical) camera design with its MV800. The camera’s image quality isn’t much to speak of (though we’ve only had a chance to use a pre-production model), but its MultiView flip-up LCD is pretty darn fantastic — in concept, at least. The 16.1 megapixel cam’s entire 3-inch capacitive touchscreen flips from flush with the rear up to a 180-degree angle (and anything in between), making it possible to not only shoot perfectly framed self-portraits, but also to have a direct view of the display when shooting both below, and above eye level. We love to see manufacturers continue to push the envelope when it comes to innovation, but how did the $279 MV800 perform overall? Jump past the break for our impressions. Gallery: Samsung MV800 Continue reading Samsung MV800 MultiView camera hands-on (video) Samsung MV800 MultiView camera hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Another day, another IFA live blog. We’re here, and the place is positively packed — people are literally pushing their ways through the door to get the best seats. This is easily one of the hottest tickets in town. Read along after the break. Continue reading Live from Samsung IFA 2011 press event Live from Samsung IFA 2011 press event originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Today at IFA 2011, one of Samsung’s many announcements is an update to its Smart TVs that will place YouTube’s library of 3D videos front and center for users to stream. So far one of the major issues for 3DTV owners has been a lack of content, but since it launched support for 3D videos two years ago , YouTube has accumulated quite a library of both professionally developed and user generated videos for viewing. HDTVs from LG added access to the site’s 3D content earlier this year, and the update is expected to appear across the Samsung lineup across the second half of 2011. We spoke with one of the engineer’s responsible for the initial rollout of YouTube’s 3D support, Pete Bradshaw, and he mentioned the project’s genesis as one of Google’s famous “20 percent” projects that was worked on on the side, but has now drawn the support of a multiperson team to support, and a rapidly expanding number of viewers and content creators uploading videos to the service. The intent is to make viewing 3D just as easy as watching anything else, once users film in 3D with their phone or camera, they can upload it to YouTube and watch on TV (or mobile device) without worrying about the formatting and technology involved. We’re still a few steps away from the magic bullet that removes the current hurdles for wider 3D acceptance in the market, but if you’re one of the (not so early at this point) adopters with the hardware to handle it, you’ll probably appreciate anything that makes more content available easily. Check after the break for the press release and a few sample videos to check out. Continue reading Samsung’s Smart TV update will feature YouTube 3D videos Samsung’s Smart TV update will feature YouTube 3D videos originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Global Internet Speedup pushes DNS opimization, wants to bring content closer to you
September 1, 2011 No Comment
When you think of factors affecting Internet speed, domain name servers probably don’t top your list. But a consortium including Google , OpenDNS and a number of content delivery networks believes otherwise, and wants to draw attention to DNS optimization. To that end they’ve proposed the Global Internet Speedup initiative. What’s that, you ask? The group wants to append truncated IP addresses to typical webpage requests: that will provide geographic information, letting providers make better choices about how to serve their users. For example, if a user in Kalamazoo, Michigan happens to have a DNS server in San Francisco, that server might pass the request off to the nearest content network – also in San Francisco. That means having to push data from SF to Kalamazoo, which is obviously a longer trip than necessary. If the DNS server knew just where its requests originated, geographically, it could make smarter choices about content providers: that Kalamazoo user, say, might instead use a Detroit content network. Not everyone’s on board with the plan; Akamai isn’t impressed, saying there are better ways to speed up the net. But you’ll surely earn geek cred for bringing up DNS optimization at your next cocktail party. Filed under: Internet Global Internet Speedup pushes DNS opimization, wants to bring content closer to you originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Zero1.tv’s Voomote Zapper brings remote-controlled universality to iOS users
September 1, 2011 No Comment
Back in July, we caught a glimpse of the Voomote One — Zero1.tv’s universal remote adapter for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Now, the company has just announced a slimmer, iPad compatible successor to its bulky peripheral, with the Voomote Zapper. Slated to debut at IFA later today, this paperclip-sized dongle attaches to your iDevice’s 30-pin connector, allowing you to remotely control any A / V gadget with the help of Zero1.tv’s free and customizable iOS app. The Zapper’s Room Control feature also lets you catalog all your infrared devices by location, while controlling multiple systems with a single button, thanks to its One View function. Its iPad-optimized TV Guide, meanwhile, allows you to fire up your favorite shows with even greater ease, using the app’s graphically-displayed programming schedules. No word yet on pricing or availability, but you can zap your way past the break for the full press release. Continue reading Zero1.tv’s Voomote Zapper brings remote-controlled universality to iOS users Zero1.tv’s Voomote Zapper brings remote-controlled universality to iOS users originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 03:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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