Just a month after pushing out a smaller duo of gaming laptops , Maingear has now revealed an entirely new line catering to mid-range gamers. The Alt-15 and Alt-17 both start right around the magical $1,000 point, and moreover, both rely on NVIDIA’s graphics-switching Optimus technology to conserve battery life when you don’t need the GPU pegged. The Alt-15 is a 15.6-incher with a Core i5 or Core i7 Mobile processor, NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 425M (1GB), up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, an optional Blu-ray drive, your choice of an HDD or SSD, Windows 7, a fingerprint reader, HDMI / VGA outputs, a USB 3.0 socket (plus a trio of USB 2.0 sockets) and a $1,049 base price. The bigger, beefier Alt-17 gets away with a 17.3-inch LCD (1080p) and most of the same specifications as listed above, though you’ll see a starting tag that’s $50 more. Hit the links below if you’re up for a little customization. Continue reading Maingear targets mid-range PC gamers with Alt-15 and Alt-17 laptops Maingear targets mid-range PC gamers with Alt-15 and Alt-17 laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 10:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nokia’s former MeeGo chief confirms new role as Senior VP of webOS at HP
November 20, 2010 No Comment
Ari Jaaksi, the former head of MeeGo Devices at Nokia has confirmed reports from last month identifying HP as his new employer. According to the latest update to his LinkedIn profile, Ari is now enjoying the mild temperatures of the San Francisco Bay Area and does indeed hold the title of Senior Vice President at Hewlett-Packard. That in itself doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the new head honcho for webOS and Palm devices , but clicking on his “Company Website” link takes you to Palm.com, which should dispel any lingering doubts. So now that we know he’ll be helping steer the HPalm ship, can we start sending Ari our mockups for the Pre 3 or what? Nokia’s former MeeGo chief confirms new role as Senior VP of webOS at HP originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 07:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nokero’s solar-powered, rainproof N200 light bulb: brighter, stronger, more flexible
November 20, 2010 No Comment
No one’s going to be calling Nokero out for falling behind. Just a few short months after revealing its first commercial light bulb for developing nations, the outfit has now rolled out a second version, the predictably titled N200. This guy strikes a vastly different pose compared to the original, with the LED enclosure hanging on a swivel that enables it to be positioned in a way that would optimally catch light. When night falls, users can flip the light north to create a lantern. Nokero claims that this edition is just as rugged and rainproof as the original, but it’s 60 percent brighter and lasts three times as long. A single NiMH battery is included, and that’s what is rejuvenated by the sun — once charged, it’ll provide between 2.5 and 6 hours of light, depending on the mode. It’s on sale now for $20 apiece (bulk prices are less), representing a modest $5 premium over the (still available) N100. Can’t say the Yankees will be looking to decorate their outdoor patio with lighting right about now, but for the nomads trekking to Panama to escape Old Man Winter… well, you know what to do. Vid’s after the break. [Images courtesy of Larry Bollig] Gallery: Nokero N200 solar-powered light bulb Continue reading Nokero’s solar-powered, rainproof N200 light bulb: brighter, stronger, more flexible Nokero’s solar-powered, rainproof N200 light bulb: brighter, stronger, more flexible originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 03:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Shocker! GameStop expects Kinect and Move to be in short supply this holiday season
November 20, 2010 No Comment
Are you prepared to be blown away? Have your mind flipped inside-out? Experience a revelation to end all revelations? Tough luck, bubs. During an earnings call yesterday, GameStop president Tony Bartel was cited as saying that both Microsoft’s Kinect and Sony’s PlayStation Move would both be difficult to find this holiday season, noting that the Kinect would be “a hot item through the holiday season and the key opportunity will be just to continue to keep them in stock.” He also stated that the Move would be “in short supply,” and even went so far as to predict that consumers would be “following the UPS truck to our stores to pick up that product as soon as they can find it.” Naturally, GameStop’s in-stock guarantee won’t apply to the two things it actually should (read: Kinect and Move), and Tony stopped short of providing hard evidence that this so-called shortage would in fact occur. But hey, no one ever said that drumming up demand for a product your store hawks was a bad business move, you know? And on the real, we’re guessing that Santa will actually have the hots for these things, and if you’re considering one, it’s always wise to be proactive. Or spend countless nights attempting to snipe Johnny Doe on eBay — your call. [Image courtesy of Geek In Heels ] Shocker! GameStop expects Kinect and Move to be in short supply this holiday season originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 01:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Without question, Apple’s latest iPod nano is its most interesting one yet. And considering that it’s the first nano with a color, multitouch LCD slapped onto it, it’s also one of the most multifaceted. The engineers in Cupertino certainly cut away from the nano’s past in order to create this new shuffle-like form factor, and it’s expectantly drawn quite a bit of heat from both side. Now, let’s say you were allowed inside the Apple lairs, and told that you could revamp the nano in any method you pleased. Aside from figuring out if it would blend or not, how would you go about tweaking the new nano? Enlarge the device (and thus, the screen) just a bit? Throw a second display on the rear for kicks and giggles? Throw in a pair of Bluetooth headphones? Talk to us in comments below. How would you change Apple’s iPod nano (2010)? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 23:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Casemate’s iPhone 4 Bounce case protects your noodle from inevitable radiation baking
November 20, 2010 No Comment
As the everlasting debate rages on, and brains continue to / not to melt with every passing phone call, Casemate’s taking no chances whatsoever. By collaborating with Pong — a company that makes its ends by “protecting users of cellular telephones from the potentially harmful effects of radiation exposure” — the Bounce was born. For all intents and purposes, it’s a simplistic form-fitting iPhone 4 case (BlackBerry models are en route), available in a foursome of hues and tested to reduce normal cellphone radiation (SAR) by at least 60 percent. Purportedly, the case can redirect your phone’s electromagnetic energy away from your head… right into the brain of some lucky chap sitting next to you on the subway. But hey, at least it serves another purpose: solving that blasted iPhone 4 reception issue . Two birds, one $49.99 dent in your credit card. Propaganda vid is just past the break. Continue reading Casemate’s iPhone 4 Bounce case protects your noodle from inevitable radiation baking Casemate’s iPhone 4 Bounce case protects your noodle from inevitable radiation baking originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 22:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Rage HD for iOS is a seriously gorgeous game — well worth the $2 , if you ask us. Now that he can look up from his monitor, id Software’s technical wizard John Carmack is making the interview rounds — let’s see what we can glean, shall we? On the subject of Rage itself, expect the first patch to add Game Center support as well as some bug fixes / minor tweaks to prettify the game further. And if you picked up the SD version, consider yourself among a more exclusive crowd: sales have been majorly lop-sided in favor of HD. “If it’s that big of a difference,” he told TUAW , “we probably won’t offer the low-end, standard def version [in future games].” We already know Carmack’s thoughts on the iPhone vs. Nintendo DS / PSP, as they’ve been echoed before once or twice , but here’s one new to us: “You should be able to do something that’s better on an iPad than anything that’s done on the Wii,” according to the John that spoke with Kotaku . That’s all purely theoretical, as it’s really up to the developer as to how much power it takes advantage of, and even with the tablet in question, “we’re nowhere close to maxing out what could be done on an iPad.” Oh, and Android? There’s work being done for the Little Green Platform as well, but via TUAW John, “there’s a lot of things with how the distribution platform works and the diversity of the platforms that you have to target, where things are still much, much nicer on the iOS world.” As for id’s next foray in the “iOS world,” Joystiq learned that a driving game based in the Rage universe is in the cards, and perhaps something inspired by Quake Arena: “maybe focusing on the lightning gun, and call it ‘Lightning Arena’ or something, that would be a full roam-around FPS game.” When asked about his resemblance to one Kevin Bacon, all reports indicate Carmack vanished behind a green-tinted smoke cloud of 1s and 0s, leaving in his wake a three-foot tall statue of Commander Keen made from old shareware discs. id’s Carmack talks Rage HD, iPad’s power, and future iOS games originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Unannounced 65-inch edge-lit LED TV with passive 3D glasses shows up on VIZIO.com
November 20, 2010 No Comment
Making plans to invite the whole neighborhood to watch the BCS National Championship in 3D ? For large groups, the best option may be this 65-inch Theater 3D LCD HDTV that posters on AVSForum spotted today on VIZIO’s website, since its screen is polarized for use with passive 3D glasses like the ones used at most movie theaters. Since all the cost is in the $3,699 screen, the individual pairs of glasses are far cheaper than the battery powered active shutter glasses used by other 3DTVs currently available. The specs show this one is a 120Hz edge lit LED unit, unlike the 480Hz local dimming 3D sets the company announced earlier this week , but we’ll wait for an official announcement and a release date before deciding if that makes a difference. Unannounced 65-inch edge-lit LED TV with passive 3D glasses shows up on VIZIO.com originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 20:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Didn’t get a Venue Pro when Microsoft threw a few on its store shelves ? Why, that’d be enough to make us mad, too — Ballmer mad , in fact. Fear not, though: as Dell tells it, the company has production ramped up for a “timely” launch on T-Mobile’s network. When? Wont’ say. Holiday season, at least? No release windows is given. And one more thing, too… Dell read our piece on the Windows Phone 7 microSD and wants you all to know that, no, you shouldn’t mess with the Venue Pro’s card, either. There’s no eject mechanism, and that’s supposed to be a not-so-subtle hint to stay back. Consider yourself warned, again . Dell: bigger Venue Pro launch coming, keep hands off microSD originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 19:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Rovio feels the burn of Android fragmentation, plans ‘light’ version of Angry Birds
November 19, 2010 No Comment
So, it’s real after all, huh ? Android fragmentation is making its way into the news again, and this time it counts. Rovio, developer of a little-known title called ” Angry Birds ,” has just penned a new blog post detailing the night terrors that have come with coding a single program to work on a cornucopia of platforms. In the weeks since Angry Birds was released to Android users everywhere, the company has been inundated with performance complaints, mostly from users with older / underpowered Android devices or phones using Android 1.6 or earlier. A laundry list of smartphones have now been added to the “unsupported” list (shown in full after the break), but thankfully for you, a “lightweight” version of the game is in the works. According to Rovio, that build won’t reduce the amount of levels (or amount of fun / frustration, for that matter), but will instead be optimized for dawdling processors and Android versions that have been helplessly malformed by carriers. Nice going, guys . [Thanks, Justin] Rovio feels the burn of Android fragmentation, plans ‘light’ version of Angry Birds originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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