Let’s be clear about something: Microsoft’s Touch Mouse isn’t just another one of Redmond’s interesting looking computer peripherals, it’s the result of one of the company’s well-known research projects . There are lots of concept mice that Microsoft has been toying around with in its labs (one even has a webcam inside ), but the Touch Mouse is specifically based on one called the “Cap.” Led by Hrvoje Benko, the aim was to put advanced touch capabilities into a mouse that wouldn’t require users to adjust their usual pointing and clicking habits. And that’s exactly what the $80 Touch Mouse does — from afar it looks like any old wireless mouse and you can right and left click with no issue, but up close the area covered with small Xs is actually made of a matrix of capacitive touch electrodes. We caught some time with Benko this afternoon and he spilled all about the mouse and also gave us a lengthy lesson on the touch and gesture capabilities. We have to say there are lots of gestures, and if you’re coming from using Apple’s Magic Mouse or touchpads it could be a bit confusing, but there are some very unique shortcuts, including the ability to just swipe a thumb to move you backwards and forwards and minimize windows by swiping two fingers down. As for the actual hardware, it really feels like any other mouse, but we do have to say that the smooth plastic coating feels very nice on the fingers. We could go on and on, or we could just show you how it’s all done in the video below. Oh, and also don’t forget to check out some pictures of the original Cap mouse in the gallery below. Gallery: Microsoft Touch Mouse hands-on Continue reading Microsoft Touch Mouse: the history and hands-on Microsoft Touch Mouse: the history and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Mustang next to get SYNC AppLink smartphone integration, we hope to be next to get a Mustang
January 7, 2011 No Comment
If you’ve been paying attention to our auto coverage from CES this year, posts with pictures of pretty cars that go tearing down the page amidst the flood of tablets and superphones, you might have spotted our hands-on with SYNC AppLink . It’s making its debut in the 2011 Ford Fiesta, letting smartphoners stream Pandora and a few other apps right through the car. Now Ford is confirming that the 2012 Mustang is going to be next to get the nod and, like on the current Fiesta, it’ll be free. That said, if you can’t resist ticking the boxes next to the premium options you can choose to add voice-activated navigation, which includes an 8-inch touchscreen that also displays AppLink information. No word on cost for that just yet, but you can check out the interface in the pictures below. Gallery: Ford Mustang SYNC AppLink Continue reading Mustang next to get SYNC AppLink smartphone integration, we hope to be next to get a Mustang Mustang next to get SYNC AppLink smartphone integration, we hope to be next to get a Mustang originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Samsung made a lot of noise about its first-party Smart TV initiative yesterday, so we had to stop by and check things out — especially that new WiFi-based RMC30D Smart Touch Remote , which comes bundled with all new 8000-series TVs and above. (It also works with the 7000 series, but you have to buy it separately.) Unfortunately, things weren’t working so well — tons of WiFi interference in the area made control hard to do, and the system itself was a confusing UI nightmare made worse by the remote’s slow resistive touchscreen. Oh, and did we mention that the remote itself is a straight-up iPhone 3G KIRF? Because yeah — it is. Things were slightly improved when we loaded up the soon-to-be-released Android control app on a nearby Fascinate, but that didn’t fix the essential issues with the UI — it’s very much just a picture of a regular remote drawn on the screen, which rarely works well on a touchscreen device. Don’t just take our word for it — check the video after the break. Gallery: Samsung RMC30D Smart Touch remote hands-on Gallery: Samsung Smart Touch Android remote app hands-on Continue reading Samung Smart Touch Remote and Smart TV hands-on Samung Smart Touch Remote and Smart TV hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 18:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Last year at CES, we had a surprise visit from RED’s Ted Schilowitz showing off their non-functioning RED Scarlet prototype. Ted just stopped by our trailer again, this time with a working version and it’s a seriously impressive piece of hardware. We grabbed a camera and sat down with Ted for an in-depth hands-on, so head on past the break for the exclusive video and some details! Gallery: Hands-on with the RED Scarlet 3K at CES 2011 Continue reading Working RED Scarlet appears at our trailer, we go hands-on! (video) Working RED Scarlet appears at our trailer, we go hands-on! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Tick, the CPU and GPU get integrated into the same 32nm die , tock, they both go down to 22nm with the latter gaining DirectX 11 support. Intel’s only just unveiled its Sandy Bridge processors, but the next update to the company’s desktop and laptop hardware has already gained an important detail. Mooly Eden, general manager for the PC Client Group, has disclosed the news that Ivy Bridge — the die shrink of the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture — will include DX 11 graphical capabilities when it arrives late in 2011. We’re inclined to agree with Intel that DirectX 11 really wasn’t a necessary implementation for Sandy Bridge given its humble gaming credentials, but Mooly expects a lot more applications will have harnessed the available APIs by the time we come to cross the Ivy Bridge. Let’s hope it is so. Intel’s next CPU refresh will include DirectX 11 graphics support originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Two packages sent to Maryland’s governor and transportation secretary that ignited when they were opened contained the same note railing against highway signs urging motorists to report suspicious activity, investigators revealed Friday. (Jan. 7)
Continue reading …
You know about Kno right? Yep, it’s that giant dual-screen tablet up there that’s meant for students, and while we had seen an early version of it and its single-screen brother about six months ago, we figured we’d take a closer look at the shipping versions here at CES. Our first impression of the thing is that it’s one awesome tablet for taking notes. Both the dual-screen and single-screen versions come with a magnetic stylus, which not only latches onto the side of the screen but provides an incredibly smooth inking experience. As you will see in the video below, you can write over text in a textbook and even create a Post-it note. The palm rejection is also top notch, and considering your entire wrist has to rest on the display to take notes at the top of the screen, it’s pretty clutch. The rest of the hardware is equally as first rate — the metal make obviously makes ‘em both quite heavy (the single tablet is 2.6 pounds and the dual-screen one 5.6 pounds), but they feel very rigid and we really dig the etched edges, which were designed specifically to mimic pages in a textbook. The bright 1440 x 900-resolution IPS displays provide very wide viewing angles. So, how’s the Linux-based software interface? Unlike the version we saw a while back, it was pretty responsive and intuitive. You’ve got the My Apps section, which contains links to web applications, and the My Library section, which is where you’ll be able to purchase books and open them. The browser supports multiple tabs and the on-screen keyboard is obviously quite wide. At this point there’s no way to convert handwriting to text, so you’ve got to use the keyboard within web apps. We’ve got to say, Kno has made a solid piece of hardware with an equally impressive textbook reading and note-taking experience, but we’re still not convinced that anyone out there wants to carry around one, nevertheless two 14-inch touchscreens. (Kno claims that students actually carry more weight around than that between textbooks, laptops, etc.) But hey, the only way we know how to find that out is to get one of these, throw it in the backpack, and try using it in real life. Until that happens, hit the break for a hands-on video. Gallery: Kno single and dual-screen tablet hands-on Continue reading Kno single and dual-screen tablets hands-on (video) Kno single and dual-screen tablets hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Viliv had its new Android tablets on display for us to get our grubby hands on, and the company continues to impress us with its sleek designs and attractive feature sets. The X10′s claim to fame is its monstrous 8300 mAh battery which should yield over ten hours of use even with its 10.2-inch display. What we saw was only a prototype, but it doesn’t seem that the battery added any additional bulk to the svelte design. The X7 seven inch model should look pretty familiar, considering it has essentially the same exact enclosure as that X70 slate we spent time with earlier (the only difference is the OS and some tweaked buttons). Both tablets have a Cortex A8 processor chugging away at 1 GHz, front and rear 1.3 / 3 megapixel cams respectively, and support for 3G. They were currently running Froyo but will ultimately ship with Gingerbread. When we mentioned Honeycomb we couldn’t exactly get a straight answer, but it’s a safe bet that won’t happen off the bat and a very vague “3.0 (TBD)” note in the press release doesn’t make anything more clear. Check out these twin tablets getting cozy in our gallery shots below. Gallery: Viliv X7 and X10 Android tablets hands-on Filed under: Cellphones , Tablet PCs Viliv X7 and X10 Android tablets hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Oliver Stone, Michael Mann and Baz Luhrmann extoll the virtues of Blu-ray, Stone suggests stocking up (video)
January 7, 2011 No Comment
Panasonic took a break from its usual CES business this afternoon to host the inaugural directors’ panel at the show (in conjunction with 20th Century Fox), where the unexpected trio of Oliver Stone, Michael Mann and Baz Luhrmann showed up to talk about technology in Hollywood, and Blu-ray in particular. As you might expect, the general theme was that Blu-ray is great, but the directors certainly weren’t shy to make their opinions known. While Mann said that Blu-ray would be the “premier format for six, seven or eight years,” for instance, he also took a moment to reminisce about the photochemical process used on Last of the Mohicans , which he notes still can’t be fully replicated on Blu-ray. Luhrmann also talked at length about the great colors Blu-ray allows, and stated simply that “it’s better,” before picking a fight with a noisy booth next door. Oliver Stone was unsurprisingly the most opinionated, however, and lamented the fact that Blu-ray will be “last hardware” in the face of digital distribution. He even suggested that people should “be different, go against the grain” and collect Blu-rays, which he says will be very valuable by 2050 or so in much the way comics and baseball cards are today. Incidentally, he also said that watching kids multitask so much these days is “very depressing to me” and that, in a way, “we are the last of the Mohicans.” Richard Lawler contributed to this report. Update : Now with video! Check it out after the break to hear their words directly. Gallery: Panasonic / Fox Directors’ Panel at CES Continue reading Oliver Stone, Michael Mann and Baz Luhrmann extoll the virtues of Blu-ray, Stone suggests stocking up (video) Oliver Stone, Michael Mann and Baz Luhrmann extoll the virtues of Blu-ray, Stone suggests stocking up (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …The Engadget Podcast Show 003: CES 2011 Part 3 [Blackout Edition] – 01.07.2011 (video)
January 7, 2011 No Comment![The Engadget Podcast Show 003: CES 2011 Part 3 [Blackout Edition] – 01.07.2011 (video)](http://newsbreakingonline.com/wp-content/themes/transcript/timthumb.php?src=%3Cimg+src%3D%22%22+%2F%3E&q=90&w=190&h=100&zc=1 "The Engadget Podcast Show 003: CES 2011 Part 3 [Blackout Edition] – 01.07.2011 (video)")
There’s only one way to stop the Engadget Podcast Show, and it’s cutting the electricity to our doublewide. Oh, wait, even that didn’t stop the Engadget Podcast Show. Watch, listen, and learn what survivalism means in 2011. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: What’s My Name C&S Blackout Frequency: Capsule – Future TV 02:30 – iRobot debuts AVA telepresence robot with tablet controls 12:00 – Mac App Store hands-on 19:00 – Apple’s Mac App Store goes live 23:00 – Google’s Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets: a guided tour of the UI (video) 24:23 – Live from Dell’s CES 2011 press event 26:53 – Dell Streak 7 first hands-on! (update: more video) 30:12 – Dell teases Streak 10 for literally five seconds, says we’ll see it next year (update) 34:48 – iPad 2 mockup teases 128GB storage, exhibits speaker grille we’ve seen before 36:55 – Live from Verizon’s CES 2011 4G LTE press conference 39:02 – HTC Thunderbolt first hands-on (update: video!) 45:05 – T-Mobile upgrading HSPA+ network to 42Mbps this year BLACKOUT Hear the podcast Subscribe to the podcast [ iTunes ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [ RSS MP3 ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [ RSS AAC ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [ Zune ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Download the video iPhone/Zune formatted Mobile 3G 720p HD Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget Filed under: Podcasts The Engadget Podcast Show 003: CES 2011 Part 3 [Blackout Edition] – 01.07.2011 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …