And here we thought that electricity was only good for reanimating monsters. Continue reading Erase a CD like a boss (video) Erase a CD like a boss (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 06:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’re firmly of the belief that SSDs are our future and Samsung would seem to agree. The Korean electronics giant has just now announced that it’s selling its hard disk drive-manufacturing division to Seagate Technology for a handy $1.375 billion in equal measures of cash and stocks. As a result, Samsung Electronics will own approximately 9.6 percent of Seagate and get to nominate one new member to join Seagate’s Board of Directors, while the companies have further agreed to deepen their strategic relationship with related cross-licensing and supply stipulations. Samsung has agreed to provision Seagate’s solid state drives with NAND flash memory, a gesture which will be reciprocated by Seagate furnishing Samsung’s PCs, laptops and consumer electronics products. [Thanks, Pavel] Continue reading Samsung sells HDD division to Seagate for $1.375 billion Samsung sells HDD division to Seagate for $1.375 billion originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Apple spent nearly $5.7b on Samsung parts in 2010, faces ‘strong’ response to its patent suit
April 19, 2011 No Comment
Want some numerical context to last night’s revelation that Apple is suing Samsung Electronics for copying the iPhone and iPad ? How does $5.7 billion sound? That’s how much Apple spent on buying up parts from Samsung last year, according to the AFP , which cites the Cupertino company as Samsung’s second-biggest client after Sony. Given the breadth of Samsung’s component manufacturing, these expenditures can and probably do span everything from flash storage and RAM to processing chips to displays. What’s fascinating here — and illustrative of the psychopathic nature of corporations — is that in spite of this massive interdependency, Apple’s lodged a broadly worded patent assault on a major prong of Samsung’s business (smartphones and tablets) and now Samsung’s been quoted as saying it has “no choice but [to] respond strongly.” A company official has apparently expressed the belief that Apple may be infringing on some of Samsung’s wireless patents, which means we can probably look forward to another fat batch of papers being submitted to the Northern District of California court. Lovely. Apple spent nearly $5.7b on Samsung parts in 2010, faces ‘strong’ response to its patent suit originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Gigabyte motherboard with Intel Z68 Express chipset on sale in Taiwan ahead of schedule
April 19, 2011 No Comment
Intel’s Z68 Express chipset and its SATA 6Gb/s connections, CPU and memory overclocking, and SSD caching capability weren’t supposed to hit store shelves until the eighth of May . But, at least one Taiwanese retailer didn’t get the memo — or maybe it’s just another instance of Intel’s early far-east distribution on the down-low — because pics from across the Pacific show a shiny new Z68 Express motherboard from Gigabyte can already be had for the princely sum of NT $11,900 (about $407 here in the land of greenbacks). That’s quite a stack of cash for a place to put your speedy Sandy Bridge CPU, but perhaps its expeditious performance can be had for a more reasonable price once it lands on western shores… or maybe we should just start saving now. [Thanks, Daz] Gigabyte motherboard with Intel Z68 Express chipset on sale in Taiwan ahead of schedule originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 01:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …BlackBerry PlayBook now on sale in the US and Canada, starting at $500 with 16GB of storage
April 19, 2011 No Comment
Today is the day in BlackBerry land. The wait for a dual-core device with an up-to-date operating system and that stylized BB logo is now over, and a vast array of stores in the US and Canada are now ready to sell you your PlayBook . Whether you’ll actually want to buy one is less clear-cut, however, as basic productivity apps like native email and calendar aren’t yet available, Android app compatibility hasn’t yet been rolled out, and the PlayBook has an unfavorable dependency on having a BlackBerry smartphone nearby in order to be the best tablet it can be. Still, if you believe in RIM’s ability to overcome those early software hurdles, the PlayBook’s ready for ownership in exchange for $500 for the 16GB model, $600 for the 32GB version, or $700 for the 64GB-equipped top option (prices are the same in both US and Canadian dollars). BlackBerry PlayBook now on sale in the US and Canada, starting at $500 with 16GB of storage originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 02:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Verizon brings out LTE-riding MiFi 4510L, asks for $100 on a two-year contract or $270 without
April 18, 2011 No Comment
We saw this little guy back at CES in January and then last month heard it wouldn’t be long before it started retailing around the good old US of A. That day has now come, with Verizon officially kicking off sales of its first LTE MiFi device, the 4510L. It’s not cheap, at $100 on contract (with a $175 ETF, to boot) or $270 when bought by its lonesome. Still, if you can afford it, this Novatel-produced gadget will turn the nearest Verizon airwaves (4G or 3G, it can handle both) into familiar 802.11b, g or n WiFi signals, which your laptop, smartphone, tablet, or LAN rig can then gobble up with gay abandon. It’s capable of serving as a mobile hotspot for up to five devices at a time, and promised LTE speeds range between 5Mbps and 12Mbps on the downlink and 2Mbps to 5Mbps when uploading. Check out the press release after the break or the source link to get your own. P.S. — Verizon has also tweeted a promise that it’ll be launching LTE service in ” a mess of new cities and towns ” on Thursday. Continue reading Verizon brings out LTE-riding MiFi 4510L, asks for $100 on a two-year contract or $270 without Verizon brings out LTE-riding MiFi 4510L, asks for $100 on a two-year contract or $270 without originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Galaxy Tab 10.1v up for pre-order at Vodafone Australia, shipping to start May 1st
April 18, 2011 No Comment
Oh, sure — it’s pretty much an ultrathin Galaxy Tab 10.1, but then again, it’s an ultrathin Galaxy Tab 10.1 . The newly-christened Galaxy Tab 10.1v has finally found itself a pre-order host over at Vodafone Australia, with select customers receiving the newsletter shown above in their email accounts. Purportedly, this “exclusive” offer enables Vodafone customers camped out in the Land Down Under to pre-order the Honeycomb-based slate, with a trio of payment options available. A two-year agreement will cost you zilch upfront (but AU$39 a month over 12 months), a one-year plan dings your credit card for AU$259, and an off-contract option will demand a far stiffer AU$729. A book cover seems to be included with each option, and if you get your order in today, shipping should commence on May 1st. One nation down, six five continents to go. (Sorry, penguins.) [Thanks, Jeremy] Continue reading Galaxy Tab 10.1v up for pre-order at Vodafone Australia, shipping to start May 1st Galaxy Tab 10.1v up for pre-order at Vodafone Australia, shipping to start May 1st originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 01:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …iRobot Packbots enter Fukushima nuclear plant to gather data, take photos, save lives (video)
April 18, 2011 No Comment
iRobot recently deployed a pair of robots to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, where intense levels of radiation have made it increasingly dangerous for human rescue workers to operate. The remote-controlled Packbots entered one of Fukushima’s reactor buildings on Sunday morning, in the hopes of providing authorities with a better idea of what’s going on inside the plant’s nether regions. Each Packbot entered the facility with an attached video camera, allowing Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) to receive live interior images and temperature readings of the troubled reactor building. It would certainly be a daunting task for any human to undertake, but the Packbot is specially designed to cope with hazardous conditions (in the past, it’s been used to defuse bombs for the U.S. Army ). And the Packbot isn’t alone , either. Authorities are also using a mechanical excavator and transporter to wipe away some of the debris outside the plant, while an unmanned helicopter has been hoisted skyward, to take aerial photos of the area. TEPCO has yet to release information on the Packbots’ findings, but if Sunday’s mission proves to be a success, they’ll be sent in to two other reactor buildings, to do it all over again. Check out a video and an extra image of the Packbot, after the break. Continue reading iRobot Packbots enter Fukushima nuclear plant to gather data, take photos, save lives (video) iRobot Packbots enter Fukushima nuclear plant to gather data, take photos, save lives (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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For years, consumers have been able to shoot slow-motion videos — mostly with the help of Casio’s line of slightly gimmicky point-and-shoots. But Fastec’s TS3Cine aims for a more discerning customer — the kind of videographer who might spice up a promo or short with some slow-mo action. Unlike Casio’s cameras, which cut the resolution to little more than thumbnail-size as you crank the frame rate, the TS3Cine does 720p video at 720fps , and 1280 x 1024 at 500fps. It’s only when you further slow down the video (up to 20,000fps) that the image size starts to shrink. This camera also has a badass design, pairing a DSLR-like body with a gargantuan 7-inch WVGA LCD that effectively eliminates the need for an external monitor. Pros have their choice of a C-Mount, F-Mount, and optional SL-Mount, and can upgrade to a 256GB SSD for a cool two grand if the standard 128GB one isn’t roomy enough. It also has Gigabit Ethernet and USB ports, HDMI-out, support for an external power source, and a removable battery. Can’t afford the $29,900 price tag? If you’re in the Boston area, at least, you can rent it for $625 a day, a price that includes a tripod and two batteries — enough juice for up to six hours of shooting. Head on past the break for a sample video clip and a tour of this beastly camera in action. Continue reading Fastec’s DSLR-sized TS3Cine does 720p at 720fps for $30,000 Fastec’s DSLR-sized TS3Cine does 720p at 720fps for $30,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 22:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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For years, consumers have been able to shoot slow-motion videos — mostly with the help of Casio’s line of slightly gimmicky point-and-shoots. But Fastec’s TS3Cine aims for a more discerning customer — the kind of videographer who might spice up a promo or short with some slow-mo action. Unlike Casio’s cameras, which cut the resolution to little more than thumbnail-size as you crank the frame rate, the TS3Cine does 720p video at 720fps , and 1280 x 1024 at 500fps. It’s only when you further slow down the video (up to 20,000fps) that the image size starts to shrink. This camera also has a badass design, pairing a DSLR-like body with a gargantuan 7-inch WVGA LCD that effectively eliminates the need for an external monitor. Pros have their choice of a C-Mount, F-Mount, and optional SL-Mount, and can upgrade to a 256GB SSD for a cool two grand if the standard 128GB one isn’t roomy enough. It also has Gigabit Ethernet and USB ports, HDMI-out, support for an external power source, and a removable battery. Can’t afford the $29,900 price tag? If you’re in the Boston area, at least, you can rent it for $625 a day, a price that includes a tripod and two batteries — enough juice for up to six hours of shooting. Head on past the break for a sample video clip and a tour of this beastly camera in action. Continue reading Fastec’s DSLR-sized TS3Cine does 720p at 720fps for $30,000 Fastec’s DSLR-sized TS3Cine does 720p at 720fps for $30,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 22:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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