We all knew it would come to this, right? Tech corporations have apparently taken a cue from the blogosphere and started tearing down their own devices for all the world to see. Sony’s in-house gadget site SGNL opened up the company’s Bloggie 3D pocket camcorder , thankfully enlisting the supervision of Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit . But while he does seem genuinely intrigued at taking apart and explaining the way the 3D camera works, there’s not much in the way of the depth we’ve come to expect from the site, and Sony manages to make the whole thing a not-so-subtle plug for a newish device. Now who wants to buy a disassembled camcorder? I hear Sony’s selling one cheap. Continue reading Sony tears down Bloggie 3D, iFixit helps (video) Sony tears down Bloggie 3D, iFixit helps (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 09:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Blake Griffin gets Vizio Tablet before you can, proves famous people get special treatment
June 14, 2011 No Comment
Being Blake Griffin has its perks — he’s NBA Rookie of the Year and a millionaire, plus he’s got the adoration of millions and the ability to posterize fools with prodigious power dunks. He also got the Vizio tablet before it goes on sale to the general public, and posted a video showing off his new VIA Plus -equipped slate. We’re glad that Blake Superior’s enjoying the tablet’s portrait and landscape stereo speakers and its universal remote function… really, we are. But, we’d rather be watching him catch alley-oops and throw down windmills on a tablet of our very own — c’mon Vizio, quit playing favorites. Blake Griffin gets Vizio Tablet before you can, proves famous people get special treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Kobo eReader Touch does more than words, handles Sudoku and web browsing on the side (video)
June 14, 2011 No Comment
The Nook WiFi may have been rooted to play Angry Birds , but Kobu’s competing eReader Touch Edition can apparently show off its gaming capabilities with factory settings. It turns out that aside from the Nook-like embedded web browser we uncovered in our review , the e-reader also comes pre-loaded with Sudoku — perfect for some pattern deducing fun between reads. YouTube user codystheory has posted a video showing the quick sequence of taps needed to access the game, and we can definitely say it looks much easier than installing a custom ROM . We’ve placed the short clip after the break if you’d like to see for yourself. [Thanks, Nate] Continue reading Kobo eReader Touch does more than words, handles Sudoku and web browsing on the side (video) Kobo eReader Touch does more than words, handles Sudoku and web browsing on the side (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Project Blox is like any other toy that comes with 300 pages of documentation (video)
June 14, 2011 No Comment
If your kid (or inner kid) turns their nose up at those delectable Sifteo Cubes , it’ll obviously be because they want open source smart building blocks instead. So oblige the budding geek with Project Blox, courtesy of electrical engineering students at the University of Texas at Austin . Every toddler-friendly block has its own LCD and touch panels, plus motion sensors and wireless comms that let it interact with other blocks in weird and wonderful ways — like the maze game you’ll see in the video after the break. Project Blox is still very much a project, unfortunately, but its creators have put all their code and schematics online so baby Einstein can have a go at building his own. Continue reading Project Blox is like any other toy that comes with 300 pages of documentation (video) Project Blox is like any other toy that comes with 300 pages of documentation (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 05:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The latest announcement at the 2011 Cable Show comes from the seemingly unlikely pairing of Comcast and Skype , who have arranged to enable video calls through the cable box. All it takes is a camera, adapter and ‘specially-designed remote’ to turn HDMI-equipped Comcast boxes into Skype-on-TV machines when they start trials in the next few months. Senior Comcast VP Cathy Avgiris tells the Seattle Times that video will max out at 720p to start but will be ugraded to 1080p eventually. The tie-in will also means Skype features for the Comcast Xfinity apps on tablets and phones, but according to Avgiris it won’t “necessarily be limited to triple-play” (TV, phone and internet) customers only. Skype has already partnered with several TV manufacturers for HD calling in the living room , but working through cable boxes means a much greater prospective installed base. Beyond the still-unanswered questions of pricing and release dates, we’ve already seen enough Cable Show demos that didn’t amount to much (*cough* tru2way ) so this will goes on the shelf with the others until it’s spotted in the wild . Continue reading Comcast invites Skype into its cable boxes, mobile apps Comcast invites Skype into its cable boxes, mobile apps originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 06:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Not that it’ll do you much good in the US — an unlocked iPhone 4 will still only work on AT&T’s 3G bands — but Apple has just started selling its prized smartphone without any carrier partiality on its US online store. The big attraction is, of course, being able to take the phone abroad and switch MicroSIMs to your heart’s content, an experience that most other nations are already well accustomed to. Additionally, though the $649 (16GB) and $749 (32GB) levies may seem rather steep for American buyers, they’re quite a bit more affordable than the unlocked pricing elsewhere. You can have yours within three business days if black’s your color, or three to five if you’re after the snow white one. Apple starts selling unlocked iPhone 4 for $649 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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So, you’re looking to up your video chatting game using SkypeHD , but found that little camera in the lid of your laptop can’t cut the mustard? Good news, friend, because Logitech’s latest HD webcam, the C615, is here to shoot images of your face over the internet in 720p. Like its sibling, the C910 , it works with both Macs and PCs and has one-click uploads to Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Additionally, the new unit takes 8-megapixel stills and 1080p videos (software limits video chat to 720p), plus it packs a 360-degree swiveling autofocus shooter to make viewing those hard to reach places easy. It’s available now in the States for $79.99, and is making its way overseas in September. PR’s after the break. Continue reading Logitech lets loose HD webcam C615, $80 gets you video chatting in 720p Logitech lets loose HD webcam C615, $80 gets you video chatting in 720p originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 04:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Llano laptops are like buses. You wait two years for just one to arrive and then eleven come out at once. Yep, AMD’s long-awaited hybrid CPU / GPU has finally gone official today and HP is wasting no time in introducing laptops harnessing its Accelerated Processing powers . On the consumer side, the Pavilion dv (dv4, dv6, dv7) and g (g4, g6, g7) series are both getting in on the action, with the dv models touting fancier additions like Beats Audio and CoolSense as justifications for their dearer pricing. For the more demure or business-oriented AMD fans, ProBook laptops of both b (6465b, 6465b) and s (4535s, 4435s, 4436s) varieties are also getting A-series processor options. Pricing starts out at $600 on the dv line and $450 for the g series, with both expected to ship in July, whereas the ProBook models will be a bit more punctual and arrive on June 27th, provided you have at least $519 to splash out. Ful PR after the break. Continue reading HP upgrades 11 Pavilion and ProBook laptops to AMD Llano APUs HP upgrades 11 Pavilion and ProBook laptops to AMD Llano APUs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 02:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Toshiba outs blingtastic Qosmio X770 for the US market, new P, C, and L series laptops
June 14, 2011 No Comment
See that refined beast? You’re looking at the Toshiba Qosmio X770 — that European gaming behemoth we ogled from afar last month — and in a matter of weeks, it’ll continue its world tour to land on US shores. To recap, the company shrunk the screen from 18.4 inches to a more manageable 17.3, gave it a paint job that ever-so-subtly fades from red to gunmetal gray, and added a matching red backlit keyboard. This beefy guy comes in $1,199 and $1,899 configurations, with the higher-end model packing a 3D display, quad-core Core i7 CPU, and a 1.25TB hybrid hard drive, and the lower end offering a dual-core Core i5 CPU and a 750GB HDD. Either way, though, you’ll get NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M graphics, 1.5GB of video memory, and MaxxAudio3 sound enhancement software. Meanwhile, Toshiba streamlined its consumer laptops for those non-gamers in the back-to-school crowd, axing the A and M lines, and leaving just the P series, for “premium.” It’ll include 14-, 15.6-, and 17.3-inch models, all decked out in a textured, two-tone Fuxion X2 finish and featuring USB sleep-and-charge ports, HDMI-out, Harman Kardon speakers, and that same MaxxAudio 3 utility. Depending on the configuration, you can also score NVIDIA GeForce GT540M graphics, Intel Wireless Display , a 4G radio, a Blu-ray drive, and a 3D screen (only on the 15-incher). On the inside, you’ve got your choice of Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs or a spankin’ new A6-3400M accelerated processing unit from AMD. Look for the 14-inch P745 with a starting price of $699, and 15-inch P755 and the 17-inch P775 for $629 and up. And, rounding out its portfolio, Toshiba refreshed its budget Satellite L700 series with Core 2011 processors and new AMD A4 and A6 APUs, while the entry-level Satellite C800 gets AMD Fusion C-50 and E-350 APU options. None of these laptops go on sale until later this month, so for now you can content yourself with those up-close-and-personal hands-on shots below. Gallery: Toshiba Qosmio X770 Gallery: Toshiba Satellite P700 Series Continue reading Toshiba outs blingtastic Qosmio X770 for the US market, new P, C, and L series laptops Toshiba outs blingtastic Qosmio X770 for the US market, new P, C, and L series laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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