Unless you proposed from orbit, chances are your marriage request was not nearly as elaborate as Gary Hudston’s. And, perhaps outside of 2008′s homebrew Bejeweled proposal , no where near as geeky either. Hudston hired a skilled developer to create series of custom levels for Portal 2 that his potential betrothed would have to play through. When it heard about his apparently not so secret project, Valve even helped him secure Ellen McLain, the voice of GLaDOS, to record original audio. You can check out the hilarious and heartwarming video after the break or just play through the levels yourself by downloading them at the source link. Sadly, unless you happen to be the future Mrs. Hudston, you’ll be no closer to marrying yourself off after solving its puzzles. Continue reading Proposing with portals: how really romantic gamers pop the question Proposing with portals: how really romantic gamers pop the question originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Canon launches PIXMA MG6220 and MG8220 photo printers, trees fear for lives
August 24, 2011 No Comment
Canon’s not done insulting your Photoshop skillz , as it announces the PIXMA MG8220 and MG6220 Wireless Photo All-In-Ones. These 9600 x 2400 dpi color printer / copier / scanners promise wireless printing of pictures and more boring items like Google Docs, Gmail attachments and PDFs from phones, tablets, laptops and computers. Print wirelessly with Canon’s dedicated photo app (for Android and iPhone) and PIXMA Cloud Link, or access Picasa albums from the printer directly and add cool-ish effects like Fish-Eye, Miniature and Toy Camera using the touchscreen. When it comes to actually printing things, the $299.99 MG8220 is a step above its counterpart, with add-on features like a film adapter to convert old slides and negatives to digital. The MG6220 loses some of the high end features but keeps all the connectivity of the MG8220, for a much more reasonable $199.99 price tag. Inkjet enthusiasts, go ahead and check out the press release for all the dirty dpi details. Continue reading Canon launches PIXMA MG6220 and MG8220 photo printers, trees fear for lives Canon launches PIXMA MG6220 and MG8220 photo printers, trees fear for lives originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Good news everyone, we’ve got a new batch of Sammy smartphones to feast your eyes upon. Now for the downside: today’s announcement is meant only to whet your appetite for their official unveiling at IFA in Berlin. Fortunately, however, we do have a few tidbits to share. First, the Galaxy W features a 3.7-inch WVGA touchscreen, a 1.4GHz CPU and 14.4Mbps HDSPA connectivity. Along with that, we’ll see the M Pro, Y and Y Pro coming next week from Samsung — all running Gingerbread. If these letters are unfamiliar to you, they should be. You see, along with the phones themselves, we’ve got a new naming scheme to play with, which is designed to bring sanity (or at least a modicum of understanding) to Samsung’s product names. The Galaxy W is meant to imply wonder, which strikes a balance of style and performance into each Sammy, while the M lineup — which stands for magical — will bring a taste of the high-end with a lower price point. Finally we’ve got the Y, which is a budget contender that’s aimed at the youth and emerging markets. Looks like Apple and Nokia will have some competition, eh? As for the Galaxy S , its designation will remain for the premiere lineup, and the Galaxy R , which recently launched in Europe and Asia, will be one echelon below. It’s meant to imply the royal or refined qualities of the smartphone — Samsung couldn’t make up its mind on the last one. You’ll find the full PR after the break, which explains the finer details of Sammy’s scheme. See you in Berlin! Continue reading Samsung debuts new Galaxy lineup, refines naming strategy along the way Samsung debuts new Galaxy lineup, refines naming strategy along the way originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Summer is in full swing, but if you happen to take a peek at AT&T’s leaked roadmap for the upcoming two quarters, you might just sense the chill of winter in the air. While this doesn’t appear to be official from Ma Bell, or entirely exhaustive, we’ve gotten a spreadsheet that goes in-depth to out the carrier’s upcoming smartphones. A host of Android devices are on the list — all with Gingerbread — along with two handsets that strut Windows Phone 7.5 and another duo with BlackBerry 7. Of particular note, we see the Samsung SGH-i777 (otherwise known as the Attain ), along with the SGH-i927 for you QWERTY slider lovers. Both Sammy’s sport Category 14 HSDPA, or (up to) 21Mbps downloads. Curiously, the Impulse — Ma Bell’s rumored LTE phone — is nowhere to be found. The Motorola MB865, with a full gigabyte of RAM and 8 megapixel camera, aligns very well with the rumored Atrix refresh . You’ve seen the two phones from RIM before , and while Samsung’s Mango handset spent a brief moment in the wild, little is known about HTC’s counterpart. Hopefully we won’t need to wait for the actual change of seasons to learn more. AT&T’s fall and winter 2011 roadmap leaked in spreadsheet glory originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 03:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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When it comes to cameras, digital SLRs are a breed all their own. Many DSLR owners don’t upgrade their bodies often — if at all — and even fewer would consider a switch to a competing camera system, especially after investing in a handful of high-end lenses. Manufacturers need to push innovation even further to target this segment of the market — when some cameras cost thousands of dollars and already offer excellent performance, simply releasing a body with more megapixels and HD shooting options won’t prompt photographers to pull out their credit cards. With its excellent 24.3 megapixel sensor and high-res OLED electronic viewfinder, however, Sony’s $1,399 Alpha A77 may just be the DSLR upgrade you’ve been waiting for. We spent a few days with a pre-production A77 paired with Sony’s brand new 16-50mm f/2.8 lens ($1,999 in an A77 kit), and were very impressed with what will undoubtedly be a worthy successor to the well-received A700. Jump past the break for our initial impressions, along with plenty of still photo and HD video samples. Gallery: Sony Alpha A77 (hands-on) Continue reading Sony Alpha A77 hands-on preview (video) Sony Alpha A77 hands-on preview (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony announces entry-level A65, adds yet another DSLR to the Alpha family
August 23, 2011 No Comment
Sony is on a roll with some fairly incredible product unveilings this morning. The Alpha A65 is almost an afterthought when compared to today’s NEX-7 and A77 announcements, but this $900 (body only) DSLR targets the vastly popular entry-level category, while still including a new OLED electronic viewfinder, 24.3 megapixel CMOS APS-C sensor, and 1080 / 60p AVCHD video capture. Many of the A77′s other features made the cut as well, including Sony’s Translucent Mirror Technology, an ISO range of 100-16,000, object tracking autofocus, and a high-speed shooting mode (though the pricier model can shoot 12 fps, compared to 10 fps on the A65). You will be missing out on the A77′s nifty three-way tilt and swivel LCD, though the A65′s display does support tilt. Also missing is a 19-point AF sensor (the A65′s has 15 points), a secondary text LCD, and support for an optical vertical grip. Jump past the break for a brief video walkthrough from Sony, along with a sneak peek at the A77. Gallery: Sony Alpha A65 Continue reading Sony announces entry-level A65, adds yet another DSLR to the Alpha family Sony announces entry-level A65, adds yet another DSLR to the Alpha family originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Have a gander. Take as long as you need. That , friends, is the AT&T-bound HTC Puccini, and it’ll be the first tablet to hit Ma Bell with inbuilt LTE support. According to our sources, the Android-based slate is currently in testing, and should be hitting the markets in the not-too-distant future. ‘Course, AT&T just started shipping its first two LTE devices, but having something other than a WWAN modem would certainly be appreciated. As for specs? We’ve confirmed that a 1.5GHz dual-core processor is onboard, alongside 1GB of RAM, Honeycomb, 16GB of storage and a 10.1-inch WXGA touchpanel. We’re digging for more as we speak, and will be updating accordingly. Meanwhile, feel free to peruse the gallery below — oh, and that “smaller” device? That’s the WiFi-only Flyer that we saw soar through the FCC in April. That’ll be let loose on US shores next month, and we’re sniffing around for a price as we speak. [Thanks, Anonymous] Gallery: Exclusive: HTC Puccini in the wild, AT&T LTE support confirmed! Exclusive: HTC Puccini in the wild, AT&T LTE support confirmed! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 01:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s been a bumpy ride, but we’re back with a new episode of the Engadget HD Podcast. This week brings multiple CableCARD tuners, iPad apps and even a few new projectors. Naturally, we eventually get into the discussion of the latest predictions for Media Center, but while Microsoft figures out where the Xbox 360 fits into its ecosystem, Sony’s snagged a sweet exclusive in the form on NFL Sunday Ticket. Finally, we wrap things up with what we’re watching this week and of course, some football talk. Get the podcast [ iTunes ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [ RSS - AAC] Enhanced feed, subscribe to this with iTunes. [ RSS - MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [ Zune ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace [ MP3 ] Download the show (MP3). Host s : Ben Drawbaugh ( @bjdraw ), Richard Lawler ( @rjcc ) Producer : Trent Wolbe 04:56 – Comcast’s Xfinity app debuts on Blackberry, updated on iOS 08:18 – Optoma delivers three new projectors, one does 3D for just $1,499 10:12 – Elgato HDHomeRun iPad app brings (some) cable channels to the tablet 14:28 – SiliconDust delivering HDHomeRun Prime preorders, 3 tuner ships next week 19:48 – HDHomerun Prime CableCARD tuner hands-on 21:00 – Ceton InfiniTV 4 USB tuner priced at $299, ships September 19th 29:04 – Sony drops PS3 price to $250 in US, €250 in Europe 34:00 – DirecTV brings NFL Sunday Ticket to Android tablets and the PS3 this fall 42:00 – Must See HDTV (August 22nd – 28th) Hear the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) Filed under: Podcasts Engadget HD Podcast 262 – 08.23.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Microsoft: Windows Phone Tango will be minor update, is meant for low-end handsets
August 23, 2011 No Comment
It looks like we have our Windows Phone roadmap filled out for at least the next year, as Tango has been confirmed by Microsoft as next year’s minor update preceding Apollo (aka Windows Phone 8). As mentioned at a MSDN seminar in Hong Kong, the successor to Windows Phone Mango will indeed be made for handsets in developing countries — a key method to make these devices more affordable. These targeted nations have been neglected to this point, the company said, and the Tango update would bring more Bing services to them at a lower cost. Will such a move help Ballmer & Co. achieve greater market share against Apple and Google? It’s hard to tell — we certainly don’t see this update coming to Vertu anytime soon, so we imagine that’s probably a good sign. Microsoft: Windows Phone Tango will be minor update, is meant for low-end handsets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Beating the man at his own game on Monday, a federal judge from the Eastern District of New York denied the US government’s application asking Verizon Wireless to hand over 113 days of customer location data. Washington has long debated whether or not the Constitution protects modern day communications that include a third party (like cell phone conversations supported by a carrier company), and non-conversational meta data (like cellular GPS location data). Some say that buying a cell phone and using a carrier’s services waives one’s privacy rights in that data, while others claim we have a reasonable expectation of privacy in such info under the Fourth Amendment. In making his decision, Judge Nicholas Garaufis held that “the fiction that the vast majority of the American population consents to warrantless government access to the records of a significant share of their movements by ‘choosing’ to carry a cell phone must be rejected.” As communications tech continues to change, these questions will likely be revisited. That’s why Judge Garaufis went on to say that “in light of drastic developments in technology, the Fourth Amendment doctrine must evolve to preserve cell-phone user’s reasonable expectation of privacy in cumulative cell-site-location records.” Get the full opinion by clicking the source below. New York judge denies government warrant for Verizon location data originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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