Xbox veteran Ed Fries joins Razer in an advisory role, probably to work on something awesome
January 28, 2011 No Comment
What do you do after spending nearly three decades tinkering with software — from the humble Atari , through Microsoft Office, and into the modernity of Xbox gaming? Well, in Ed Fries’ case, we’re guessing you go to CES , find the wildest, most awesome gaming concept around, and sign up with its maker to help guide its development. Again, we’re guessing that’s what Ed’s done, we can’t know for sure what he’ll be doing as a member of Razer’s Board of Advisors, but there’s no denying the proximity of the Switchblade ‘s announcement and his joining the gaming peripheral company. Even if the kindly gent’s focus isn’t on Razer’s portable gaming device, we imagine he’ll be a good influence on other products going forward. After all, when has it ever been a bad idea to have more veterans on your team? [Thanks, JL] Continue reading Xbox veteran Ed Fries joins Razer in an advisory role, probably to work on something awesome Xbox veteran Ed Fries joins Razer in an advisory role, probably to work on something awesome originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 06:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The National Federation of the Blind demonstrate technology that will allow a blind person to drive a car during pre-race activities leading up to the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. (Jan. 27)
Continue reading …Fujitsu’s tablet is easy like a hammer, cozy as a scarf, and never scratchy like Windows 7 (video)
January 28, 2011 No Comment
There’s no denying that Meinolf Althaus brings some personality to an otherwise stoic slate. Good thing too, because the idea of Fujitsu and Microsoft spawning a stylus-driven tablet from a session of ugly-bumping doesn’t elicit much excitement in the burgeoning tablet space. Enter Mr. Althaus who begins his lesson with an explanation that software user elements must be based on recognition and not on something that’s remembered. You know, like a hammer (or Fujitsu’s new slate) which is obvious in its usability and function. He then likens the current crop of consumer-based tablets to chocolate bars: they’re great for consumption but do little to help with content creation unlike Fujitsu’s Windows-based slate that’s optimized for corporations — spreadsheets naturally, not music or illustrations . The highlight, however, has to be the point in the video where he equates the Windows 7 user experience to a “scratchy” kitchen sponge that’s useful for utilitarian tasks like cleaning the dishes. Fujitsu’s tablet, he contends, is “cozy” like a silk scarf thanks to a custom-built layer that sits on top of the standard Win7 desktop. Brilliant. We’ll take two… Meinolfs that is. You will too after watching the video embedded after the break. [Thanks, Hanson] Continue reading Fujitsu’s tablet is easy like a hammer, cozy as a scarf, and never scratchy like Windows 7 (video) Fujitsu’s tablet is easy like a hammer, cozy as a scarf, and never scratchy like Windows 7 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 05:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Egypt enters communication blackout with disruption to internet, SMS, and BlackBerry messaging
January 28, 2011 No Comment
We don’t know what exactly is going on over in Egypt, but the country’s government seems to have decided that keeping in touch with the outside world is no longer desirable and has almost completely shut down internet, SMS, and BlackBerry communications. It’s not surprising, therefore, that reports are emerging in rather piecemeal form at the moment, though Renesys has hard data showing that almost all routes for exchanging internet traffic with the country have been shut down, with only Noor Group excepted from the block — a move the internet analytics company theorizes might have been motivated by a desire to keep the Egyptian Stock Exchange online. The reasons for this blackout remain open to speculation and interpretation — most of which, we remind you, has better destinations than your favorite tech blog — but its content is clearly an extreme step for any government to take. Check out the links below for further details. [Image credit: seandenigris.com ] Egypt enters communication blackout with disruption to internet, SMS, and BlackBerry messaging originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 04:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …New adapter from Mitsubishi brings Samsung’s old 3D-capable TVs up to spec
January 28, 2011 No Comment
Although 3D as a feature didn’t become commonplace on HDTVs until 2010, Mitsubishi and Samsung have both been shipping a number of 3D-ready models for several years . However, they rely on a different input format than the one used by 3D Blu-ray movies, 3DTV broadcasts and most 3D videogames so an adapter is required to make it work, which Mitsubishi released for its own DLP TVs last year . While enthusiasts on AVSForum quickly developed workarounds to get them working with some of Samsung’s DLPs as well, those won’t be necessary now that Mitsubishi is releasing the 3DC-100S, which will work with Samsung’s TVs (only projection sets, not plasmas) right out of the box. right now it’s available as a part of a $449 MSRP starter pack bundle but word is it should be available on its own shortly, in case you want to check out some ESPN 3D action without shelling out for a brand new TV set, press release is after the break. [Thanks, Paul] Continue reading New adapter from Mitsubishi brings Samsung’s old 3D-capable TVs up to spec New adapter from Mitsubishi brings Samsung’s old 3D-capable TVs up to spec originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We haven’t always gotten along with Monster or enjoyed the MSRP of its products, but this latest one shows a bit of promise — and a bit of price gouging too. It’s the Monster iMotion, a car adapter for your iPod or iPhone that not only will charge it via the cigarette lighter but lets you get your motion control on, too. A wave of the mitten can be used to change tracks and the universally familiar “talk to the hand” gesture can pause. It doesn’t look quite as comprehensive as EyeSight ‘s tech, but it does have the advantage of being available now — for $120. Hey, check out that gold-plated connector! Monster iMotion adds gesture control to your iPod, cigarette lighter originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Oh, woe is us. Users of Gmail ‘s web client are reporting a most unwelcome new visitor to their communication service: display ads. The right-most column that Google reserves for ads has heretofore been populated only by easy-to-ignore text links, but as of the past few of days, image-based advertising has also been sneaking out to unsuspecting emailers. The guys over at Search Engine Land have done a bit of digging and received the following statement from Google: “We’re always trying out new ad formats and placements in Gmail, and we recently started experimenting with image ads on messages with heavy image content.” This little trial does seem to be taking place on a very limited basis, which is why there’s been no outrage since it began last Friday. Let’s just hope that the Google Display Network that’s responsible for these pictomercials thinks better of it and leaves our Gmails alone. We’d hate to have to leave the beautiful web for some impersonal mail-serving app. [Thanks, Greg] Google testing display ads in Gmail, our patience originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 02:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Motorola will enable Atrix 4G’s 1080p video recording in post-launch software update
January 28, 2011 No Comment
The software on Motorola’s upcoming Atrix 4G has already been subject to some stern (and premature ) scrutiny, but here’s some rather more concrete information about it, courtesy of the company’s own spec page for the device. As it turns out, Moto intends to launch the Atrix with some of its hardware capabilities clipped — specifically its Tegra 2 -derived power to encode 1080p content — but will deliver them to users in an update (hopefully soon) thereafter. LG’s Optimus 2X, which is built around the same dual-core chip from NVIDIA, has been spending its time before launch showing off exactly what those 1080p encoding skills can deliver — both with video recording and through its HDMI connection — so it’ll be a downer for Moto fans to learn that their hallowed new superphone won’t be able to match up at launch. Then again, when we think about how often phone makers fail to tap the full potential of their hardware, maybe we should just be happy that 1080p abilities are coming to the Atrix at all, eh? [Thanks, Mr. techcrunch] Motorola will enable Atrix 4G’s 1080p video recording in post-launch software update originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 02:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony says NGP will be ‘affordable,’ won’t cost $599, WiFi-only version also coming
January 28, 2011 No Comment
We had quite the interview with Sony’s Jack Tretton, but we certainly didn’t corner the market on hot new NGP details — Eurogamer and Game Informer quizzed the company’s Andrew House and Shuhei Yoshida, respectively, and came out with some important tidbits about the quad-core gaming handheld , particularly regarding pricing. Though Tretton seemed to suggest we’ll see a price somewhere northward of the Nintendo 3DS’s $250, Yoshida was quoted as saying “It’s not going to be $599,” laughing off the idea that the system would cost as much as the PlayStation 3′s infamous appraisal at launch , and House said that Sony “will shoot for an affordable price that’s appropriate for the handheld gaming space.” While none were willing to cough up a real ballpark estimate, the SCEE president revealed one way that the cost might come down: pushing out a lesser model without cellular connectivity, a strategy we’ve seen before . House said that while all devices come with WiFi, “a separate SKU will have 3G,” making us wonder which of the handheld’s other groundbreaking features might carry a premium. After all, OLED screens don’t come cheap. Find the rest of Eurogamer ‘s excellent interview (including a bit about how Sony will prioritize downloadable content over physical media) at our source link. Sony says NGP will be ‘affordable,’ won’t cost $599, WiFi-only version also coming originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 01:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …VZ Navigator Version X breaks cover, adds ‘virtual city’ maps, social features, and more
January 28, 2011 No Comment
Paying a monthly fee — or any fee, for that matter — for turn-by-turn navigation on Android devices has felt pretty unpalatable ever since Google Maps Navigation happened, but Verizon’s still trying to make things interesting with the latest version of its VZ Navigator product. A quick feature rundown of its new “Version X” is up on YouTube right now, and we’ll admit, we’re a little intrigued by some of this stuff: realistic 3D buildings in major cities (unlike the nondescript boxes in Google Maps, we imagine), some form of dead reckoning capability for those times that you don’t have GPS reception, satellite maps, overhead street signs, social integration for letting folks know where you are, and a whole bunch of views for customizing the experience. We’re assuming service is the same $9.99 a month that Big Red charges currently, but there’ll also be a free version — VZ Navigator Maps — that dispenses of some of the crazier features. We’re hearing this might be officially announced in a few hours, so more details will presumably be in tow; in the meantime, follow the break for the teaser video. [Thanks, Misty] Continue reading VZ Navigator Version X breaks cover, adds ‘virtual city’ maps, social features, and more VZ Navigator Version X breaks cover, adds ‘virtual city’ maps, social features, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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