LaCie serves up SSD-based USB 3.0 FastKey, charges a pretty penny for it
November 19, 2010 No Comment
Get it straight, vaquero — this ain’t your mum’s flash drive . LaCie’s newest diminutive slab of aluminum is a solid state drive for your keyring, boasting transfer rates as high as 260MB/sec, 30/60/120GB capacities, a rugged metal casing and a USB 3.0 interface. You’ll also get AES 256-bit encryption and 4GB of online-accessible Wuala storage, but you best not lose it. LaCie will be dinging your credit card for $149.99, $249.99 or $479.99 from least capacious to most, so you may want to take out an insurance policy on this guy before taking it out into the wild. Safety first and all. Gallery: LaCie USB 3.0 FastKey Continue reading LaCie serves up SSD-based USB 3.0 FastKey, charges a pretty penny for it LaCie serves up SSD-based USB 3.0 FastKey, charges a pretty penny for it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Yahoo! Connected TV store will let developers start charging for apps in March 2011
November 19, 2010 No Comment
Yahoo! has been building its Connected TV widget platform up since debuting at CES 2009 and opening up its SDK in 2010 , and it’s already getting started on a new push for 2011 – paid apps. Right now the various TVs from Samsung, Sony, VIZIO, Toshiba and LG based on its platform only offer free widgets but the Connected TV Store is expected to launch in March, letting developers hawk their wares at the remote-wielding masses for anywhere from 99 cents to $99, with Yahoo! receiving a 30 percent cut for its trouble. Kadoo, PlayJam, Virtual Nerd, ScreenDreams, Accedo Broadband and Mycast weather are already testing the waters and the company promises a full demo at CES 2011. Since we figure it’s only a matter of time until Apple works its app store into the Apple TV, Google has already announced its plans to add the Market to Google TV next year and everyone from Samsung to Boxee is actively courting developers in the living room, 2011 should be a very interesting year. Yahoo! Connected TV store will let developers start charging for apps in March 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …TikTok and LunaTik iPod nano watch kits look awesome, despite Ke$ha naming convention
November 18, 2010 No Comment
We know it seems like everyone and their mom is turning Apple’s latest iPod nano into a watch , but the TikTok and LunaTik concepts by Scott Wilson of Minimal Studios are definitely the best looking “iWatch” accessories we’ve seen to date. We say concept, because technically the products are still pipe dreams flowing through the funding platform Kickstarter.com — but seeing as it has already doubled its requested funding goal, there’s a very good chance these concepts will actually ship out. The TikTok features a simple snap-in design for quick wrist-mounting and is tentatively priced at $35. The LunaTik, on the other hand, is marketed as a “premium conversion kit” that secures the Nano in a two-piece CNC-machined aluminum case held together with stainless steel bolts, and should ship for $70. As with many Kickstarter projects, pledging some funding to the cause can score you either model at a cheaper pre-order price. Now if only the iPod nano was actually a good watch … Video after the break. Gallery: TikTok and LunaTik iPod Nano Watch Accessory Gallery Continue reading TikTok and LunaTik iPod nano watch kits look awesome, despite Ke$ha naming convention TikTok and LunaTik iPod nano watch kits look awesome, despite Ke$ha naming convention originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony sees RED with PMW-F3 camera, we go hands-on with the $16k "indie" (video)
November 18, 2010 No Comment
In the wild, wild world of film production it’s sometimes tough to separate the consumers from the prosumers from the independent filmmakers from the big studios — especially when more affordable technology makes it easier and easier for one class to imitate the other. Sony’s latest 35mm CMOS imager video camera is an attempt to cover lost ground in the “indie” realm of requisite low-budget and desired high production value, a market dominated by the RED One , and to some extent Canon’s 5D Mark II and 7D , for the past couple years. Sony’s PMW-F3 — shipping in February — is a considerable step up from the earlier EX3 . The most obvious change is the inclusion of the new Exmor Super 35 CMOS sensor and interchangeable lens mounts, facilitating shallow depth of field with a fairly impressive dynamic range. But at the price of a semester’s worth of film school, will this offering hold its own in the field? Read on for our full impressions — including all the gory details — and video of our brief encounter with the new shooter. Continue reading Sony sees RED with PMW-F3 camera, we go hands-on with the $16k “indie” (video) Filed under: Sony , Camcorders Sony sees RED with PMW-F3 camera, we go hands-on with the $16k “indie” (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Never ends, does it? The top four carriers in the US love slinging mud, but the trash-talking between Verizon and AT&T is always particularly vicious — and it’s showing no signs of ebbing. As you might expect, Verizon intends to use its new LTE network as a weapon in the fight, and like both Sprint and T-Mobile, Verizon will be very loudly labeling it “4G” to the ITU’s chagrin . The latest promotional posters compare maps of Verizon’s combined 3G / LTE network with AT&T’s 3G-only network, but considering how limited Big Red’s initial LTE launch is, there really isn’t much difference with what they’ve shown in the past . The posters also proudly proclaim Verizon as having “the fastest 4G network in America,” which is false on at least one level — LTE isn’t really 4G, as we said — and remains to be seen on another. At any rate, as always, it’ll be interesting to see how AT&T responds. Nerd fight! [Thanks, Kal] Verizon launching ’4G’ smack talk campaign against AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nokia says ‘very small’ number of N8s aren’t turning on, warranty will cover it
November 18, 2010 No Comment
We’ve been getting a few tips this week — and seeing a few things on Twitter — saying that N8s are failing in noticeable quantities, but we wanted to hold off until we’d figured out what was really going on. Well, Nokia’s own Niklas Savander is commenting on the situation now — so we’d say it’s definitely real — though he’s insisting the number of affected units is “very small” and that the company’s normal warranty rules apply, so owners of dead units should contact their local support number. That’s all well and good, but getting service on a paperweight is still a bummer, especially when said phone is your primary means of communication — so let’s hope these guys turn around serviced devices in a hurry. What do you call a dead N8, by the way? N8 owner: A tragedy iPhone owner: DOA Android owner: About as useful as any other N8 N900 owner: A missed opportunity Store sales rep: Dummy unit Symbian Foundation employee: Justice Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo: Karma A goat: Dinner [Thanks, John] Nokia says ‘very small’ number of N8s aren’t turning on, warranty will cover it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Feel like stretching the very definition of “phone” for the sake of functionality or sheer bravado? You get to be friends with us. We’ve always had a soft spot for ITG’s bizarrely conceived xpPhone , which does indeed run Windows XP, albeit the Embedded version, and the monstrous thing is now on sale after almost two years of teasing. It’s running for a mere $798 PayPal Bux in its 3G incarnation, $732 for 3G-free, and $666 (yes, that 666) for the 3G-less version with DOS instead of Windows. We could go on all day listing specs for this thing, so we recommend you hit up that source link and feast on them for yourselves — just make sure to have your PayPal login handy for when the irresistible nerdery of this thing reaches out and grabs you and never ever lets go. [Thanks, Eman Z] ITG xpPhone on sale at long last! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …The Windows PC ClickPad finally improved? Synaptics ClickPad IS Series 3 preview
November 18, 2010 No Comment
You’ll find a common complaint throughout most of our Windows laptop / netbook reviews . Nope, it doesn’t have to do with CPU performance, boot times, or graphics prowess; it revolves around touchpads, and notably those that have integrated buttons within the pad itself – what have come to be known as ClickPads. While we usually point fingers (oh yes, pun intended!) at the laptop manufacturers responsible for choosing the wonky pads (eh hem, HP and Dell ), Synaptics – the maker of those ClickPads – is the one behind the technology. Aware of the finicky multitouch gestures and jumping cursors, Synaptics has been hard at work on its next generation ClickPad IS Series 3, which will be hitting laptops sometime early next year. So, will the new image sensing and ClickEQ technology that’s been baked into the new pads finally solve all our complaints and let us put away the laptop mice? Hit the break to find out. Gallery: Synaptics ClickPad Series 3 Continue reading The Windows PC ClickPad finally improved? Synaptics ClickPad IS Series 3 preview The Windows PC ClickPad finally improved? Synaptics ClickPad IS Series 3 preview originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Seems Qualcomm wasn’t kidding when it said selling off MediaFLO’s spectrum was a possibility now that it’s cutting off direct-to-consumer mobile TV services. BusinessWeek is reporting that the company has sat down recently with “several carriers” — though only AT&T is being called out by name — presumably with the goal of fleshing out just how much dinero it could land for offing the spectrum MediaFLO uses to deliver programming. Qualcomm paid close to $700 million for the spectrum over the course of the last decade, and it lies in the 700MHz block — a block both AT&T and Verizon will be using extensively as they build out their next-gen networks — so it stands to reason they’d both love to buy in, likely at a healthy premium over what Qualcomm originally paid. There was a time that we loved the idea of multicast mobile TV programming, but at this point, doesn’t it seem like everything should be going to beef up wireless broadband? Qualcomm talking to AT&T, other carriers over MediaFLO spectrum sale? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Modu barely alive after failed bid for capital, laying off most of its employees
November 18, 2010 No Comment
Modu hasn’t really stormed the market with any of its miniature offerings just yet, and even with the just-announced Modu T and the upcoming Android-based Modu W offering a chance to turn things around, it looks like Modu is up against the financial ropes. Founder Dov Moran just announced that the company had failed to raise money in Tel Aviv, and he’s going to have to lay off most of his workforce to stay alive. Modu currently employs around 30 people, and it’s naturally going to have trouble building and selling phones with any fewer, but Dov says the company will “continue to sell its products” and he’s going to be on the hunt for “other sources of capital.” Modu barely alive after failed bid for capital, laying off most of its employees originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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