Fanatec’s ClubSport racing wheel is definitely not for Sunday drivers (video)
August 22, 2011 No Comment
The Fanatec ClubSport is coming this winter to steer that fine line between desirable and ridiculous. The wheel rim can be quick-released from the all-metal, ultra-customizable base, allowing you to switch between a Formula style wheel (depicted), or GT, NASCAR and rally styles. Pricing will be equally hardcore: $450 (excluding taxes) for the base, plus between $150 and $300 for each rim, and an extra $200 if you want machined aluminum ClubSport pedals to match. Full demo in the video after the break. Continue reading Fanatec’s ClubSport racing wheel is definitely not for Sunday drivers (video) Fanatec’s ClubSport racing wheel is definitely not for Sunday drivers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 08:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide ! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we’re tapping away on our smartphones — and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here ! Now more than ever, collegiate studies require a wide variety of devices to help you get that prized “A.” The thirst for knowledge you so desperately seek can strike at any time, and you’re not always going to have that desktop or laptop nearby to find the answer to a burning question. Perhaps you just need to hurl birds at pigs for a while to blow off your stress. Whatever the case, you’ll need something to help you study, store (and edit) all of your important term papers, keep you in touch with classmates or family, and everything in-between. What better way to get all of that than with a smartphone? We’ve picked nine respectable candidates that can help you through your upcoming semester — three for each budget level. Oh, and while you’re looking, we’re giving away $3,000 worth of essential back to school gear to 15 lucky readers, and you can be one of them by simply leaving a comment below! So, which phones are most likely to help you get smart? Head past the break to find out. Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: smartphones Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Netduino and WP7 used to remotely control sprinkler system, show off Microsoft’s DIY credentials
August 22, 2011 No Comment
Arduino , Android and the iPhone usually get all the DIY love, but Mike Linnen, he has taken the road less traveled by — turning to Windows Phone 7, Azure and a Netduino Plus to get his home hacking on. The .NET-powered microcontroller is the heart of Linnen’s new sprinkler system which can be scheduled to turn on and off automatically or manually triggered remotely from his WP7 handset. The system also monitors weather forecasts and, if the chance of rain is above 39-percent, any sprinkler activity for the day is canceled to avoid over watering the grass and plants. It’s all pretty neat, and there’s some DOS command line action thrown in for good measure. Check out the lengthy demo video after the break, and hit up the source for more detail and the necessary code to set up your own. Continue reading Netduino and WP7 used to remotely control sprinkler system, show off Microsoft’s DIY credentials Netduino and WP7 used to remotely control sprinkler system, show off Microsoft’s DIY credentials originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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As expected, the BlackBerry Torch 9850 and BlackBerry Bold 9930 went on sale at Sprint yesterday as part of its BlackBerry 7 lineup. Both phones feature 1.2GHz Snapdragon processors and five-megapixel cameras, but the 9850 has a 3.7-inch touch-only display compared to the Bold’s 2.8-inch screen and keyboard combination. Purchased online with contracts and after rebates, the 9850 is selling for $150 while the 9930 is going for a cool $200 — a departure from the originally announced Bold price tag of $249, with no mention of cash back. For Sprint users, a rebate is clearly better than no rebate — even if it does require a stamp. BlackBerry Bold 9930, Torch 9850 go on sale at Sprint for $200, $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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When Acer unveiled its first Timeline laptops in 2009, these slim numbers felt like a revelation. Imagine: thin notebooks rated to last hours and hours on a charge and priced well under a grand! Fast-forward two years and that proposition seems a bit quaint, doesn’t it? Pretty much every PC maker has been working on slimming down their wares and extending battery life with — shall we say? — mixed results. Still, Acer has kept on keeping, and its latest TimelineX laptops carry the torch as thin, long-lasting and inexpensive. As always, the company released Timelines in assorted screen sizes, ranging from 13.3 to 15.6 inches. We took a look at the 15-incher, the $800 AS5830, which promises to last up to nine hours unplugged and also packs a discrete graphics card – a feature many of its competitors have been skipping. But are impressive battery life and a relatively trim physique enough to make this notebook stand out in a crowded field of inexpensive, good-enough laptops? Let’s see. Gallery: Acer TimelineX AS5830TG-6402 review Continue reading Acer TimelineX AS5830TG-6402 review Acer TimelineX AS5830TG-6402 review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Didn’t see any budget phones on our Back to School list that tempt you? Perhaps the Samsung Admire (aka the R720 ) on MetroPCS might make the grade. Launched today — earlier than its expected September release, we might add — the Gingerbread-laden handset is being offered for $130 with the carrier’s $50 unlimited monthly plan. All in all, it’s pretty decent underneath the hood; among the specs are an 800MHz CPU powering a 3.5-inch HVGA display, as well as a 3.2MP camera. It’s also taking advantage of a respectable 1600mAh battery, though the battery life is rated at three hours of talk time. Head on over to the source link to do your homework on the new prepaid device. Samsung Admire now on MetroPCS shelves, can be yours for $130 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you were planning on outfitting your arm with a new Meta Watch this month, you’re out of luck, because Fossil has just announced that the wristpieces won’t start shipping until September. The watches, which use Texas Instruments’ CC2560 Bluetooth controller to sync with smartphones, tablets or desktops, were originally scheduled for a July launch, but that timeline was eventually pushed back to August, due to part delays. Now, manufacturers have discovered a new batch of issues with the devices’ programming clips (used for micro USB connections) and the analog-digital version’s steel case, meaning that the pair won’t reach Hong Kong distributors until the beginning of next month, after which they may take another one to two weeks before shipping to consumers. The countdown clock continues to tick away, but you can still pre-order a Meta Watch for $200, at the links below. [Thanks, Glen] Fossil’s Meta Watch delayed once again, clearly has trouble keeping time originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s a pretty slow week while we wait for the fall TV season to get in gear and the NFL preseason comes to an end, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to watch. Check out our top three picks for the week right here, and look after the break for our weekly listings of what to look out for on TV, Blu-ray and videogames. Swingers Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau star in this classic flick that’s finally coming to Blu-ray in the US this week. Coming straight out of 1996 at a value priced $10.49, we’ll take every opportunity to see Wayne Gretzky’s head bleed. ($10.49 on Amazon , August 23rd) Doctor Who Season six of the popular British sci-fi show continues, with its summer premiere coming on BBC America Saturday night. Amy Pond and the Doctor have, as usual, a series of mysteries to investigate throughout time and space with a variety of aliens and famous historical figures tossed in. We preferred David Tennant’s Doctor but Matt Smith is holding down the role admirably for now — check out a prequel to this week’s Let’s Kill Hitler episode embedded after the break. (Saturday, BBC America, 9 p.m.) Little League World Series Seriously. This is one of the few youth sports that actually bears some resemblance to the pro version, and with teams coming in from all around the world to challenge the USA’s best, there’s plenty of national pride on the line, which is always a bonus. Finally, if you’re an early 3D adopter many of the games this week will air on ESPN 3D, check the schedule to find out which ones. (All week, ESPN & ESPN 3D) Continue reading Must See HDTV (August 22nd – 28th) Must See HDTV (August 22nd – 28th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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No points for calling this one, but Microsoft confirmed today that Windows 8 will indeed boast support for the USB 3.0 specification, and “robust” support at that. That includes not just the higher transfer speeds you’d expect, but the promise of better battery life thanks to the improved power management measures the specification allows. Naturally, Microsoft will also continue to support all of your less speedy USB devices, and says that it’s actually created a brand new Microsoft USB Test Tool (or MUTT) to ensure everything works without a hitch — it’s described as “1,000 devices on a USB thumb drive.” Head on past the break for a quick demo video. Continue reading Microsoft promises ‘robust’ USB 3.0 support in Windows 8 Microsoft promises ‘robust’ USB 3.0 support in Windows 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s been a long time since Intel tried to tempt the world with a new Itanium chip. The VLIW 64-bit processor last received a serious update in 2008, with the 2-billion transistor Tukwila . Now Chipzilla is upping the ante — moving to 32nm process, adding up to four more cores, and tacking on more than one billion additional transistors. Poulson also adds a new feature called Intel Instruction Replay Technology, which adds a buffer for more quickly recovering from errors, allowing the chip to pick up from the last known good instruction instead of having to completely flush the pipeline. Those looking to upgrade will also be happy to hear that the upcoming IA-64 CPU is pin compatible with Tukwila, so customers can simply drop the new processor in to existing systems. Check out the full PR after the break. Continue reading Intel talks up next-gen Itanium: 32nm, 8-core Poulson Intel talks up next-gen Itanium: 32nm, 8-core Poulson originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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