iPad 2 mockup teases 128GB storage, exhibits speaker grille we’ve seen before
January 6, 2011 No Comment
Apple itself might not be at CES, but the prospective upgrade of its iPad to version two has accessory manufacturers (or at least manufacturers’ imaginations) working overtime. We’ve just come across our second iPad 2 mockup, this one a lot more comprehensive than the first, which seems to mesh well with some earlier imagery we’ve seen of the supposed next-gen Apple tablet. Not only that, its rear label reveals an A1337 product code — one that’s also shared by the current iPad WiFi + 3G — and lists 128GB of onboard storage, two times the current tablet’s maximum. We don’t know what material it’s made out of, but it felt felt the same as the current iPad’s aluminum shell. All that said, this is still just a mockup from a no-name accessory maker and we’re just as willing to believe it was put together on the basis of some decent rumor research as we are to think that it really is the iPad 2. No harm in browsing some pictures of this 9.4mm-thick device, though eh? Gallery: iPad 2 mockup teases 128GB storage, exhibits speaker grille we’ve seen before iPad 2 mockup teases 128GB storage, exhibits speaker grille we’ve seen before originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …GE gets official with 2011 camera lineup: X500 bridge camera, point-and-shoots aplenty
January 6, 2011 No Comment
General Imaging is mixing some of the old in with the new here at CES, but it does look to be slowly but steadily improving its game when it comes to its GE-branded cameras. One of the standouts is the X500 bridge camera (pictured above), which packs 16 megapixels, a 15x optical zoom, an electronic viewfinder, and plenty of manual controls to go along with the usual point-and-shoot features — all for $150 (actual image quality is another matter, of course). It’s joined by the E1680W, E1450W, J1470S, A1456W, and C1433 point-and-shoots, which all pack 14 or 16 megapixels, 3x to 8x optical zooms, and varying degrees of thinness for between $80 and $160 dollars. Hit up the press release after the break for some more details, and look for all the new cameras to roll out in February or March. Gallery: GE’s 2011 camera lineup Continue reading GE gets official with 2011 camera lineup: X500 bridge camera, point-and-shoots aplenty GE gets official with 2011 camera lineup: X500 bridge camera, point-and-shoots aplenty originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Razer’s adjustable Onza 360 Tournament Edition controller hands-on at CES 2011
January 6, 2011 No Comment
Not so fond of the resistance level on that stock Xbox 360 controller? Hello, solution! Razer just trotted out the Tournament Edition and Standard Edition controllers, and we stopped by to have a look. The company told us that it has been working on perfecting the resistance mechanism on the Tournament Edition ($49.99) for months on end, and the end product was as solid as a rock. Both analog joysticks are capable of being independently tightened or loosened with respect to resistance, and it also touts an added shoulder button that can be reassigned to do pretty much anything via an intuitive button / menu process on the rear of the controller — that’s shown in more detail down in the gallery below. There’s also a rubberized feel to the grip, backlit buttons and a braided cable, whereas the $39.99 Standard edition lacks the adjustable resistance, backlighting, rubber finish and cable braiding. Representatives for the company noted that the next logical step would be to concoct a wireless version and to eventually introduce a PlayStation 3 variant with resistant analog sticks, but no one was ready (or willing) to talk release dates. As for these Onzas? Pre-orders will start on the 17th, with shipments to hopefully follow in a few months. Gallery: Razer’s adjustable Onza 360 controller hands-on at CES 2011 Razer’s adjustable Onza 360 Tournament Edition controller hands-on at CES 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve been dying to play with a third-party AirPlay speaker system ever since Apple opened the tech up, and iHome was happy to oblige here at CES with the new iW1 . The wireless speaker system features two three-inch woofers and two one-inch tweeters with Bongiovi audio processing, a built-in lithium-ion battery with a grab-and-go charging base, and capacitive touch controls — and, just as we suspected, AirPlay compatibility courtesy of BridgeCo . iHome’s also developed a new iOS configuration app called iHome Connect that’ll help you get the iW1 on your WiFi network quickly, although regular WPS setup is also supported. You can also charge your iPhone or iPod by plugging into the USB port in the back — iHome is packing a cable in the box. Streaming from iOS was just as simple as with the Apple TV or Airport Express, and we only saw minimal lag between control inputs like volume and track changes, just as with an all-Apple setup. Interestingly, iOS only supports point-to-point AirPlay streaming right now, so you can only use a single speaker at a time, but if you’re streaming from iTunes you can hit multiple speakers at once, regardless of vendor. iHome is still tuning the audio performance, so we’ll reserve judgment on that until we get a review unit — which should happen when this guy ships for $300 in March. Video after the break. Gallery: iHome iW1 AirPlay speaker dock hands-on Continue reading iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless speaker hands-on iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless speaker hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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So, Microsoft doesn’t have a press-ready demo of its new Avatar Kinect , but we at least got to see it in action today. To keep the unwashed masses lining up to try Kinect at the booth entertained, Microsoft has a comedian (dubbed “Mr. Kinect”) controlling an Avatar with Kinect, heckling the queued-up folks with his digital puppetry. The good news is that he’s working it from a seated position, the great dream of folks tired of standing up to get their motion gaming on. The bad news is that you only get control of your arms, face, and head — you won’t be walking around and punching your friends in the face, sadly. We saw a couple of settings — sadly, not the AA-style setup we witnessed during the keynote — which are pleasant but a little generic (like most of Microsoft’s Kinect titles right now). The actual facial tracking and body tracking worked, but the motions seemed a little minimal. Kinect is obviously completely capable of great skeletal tracking, so we’re hoping for a bit more expressiveness, but we’re still early on, so things could always be tweaked a bit before launch. We did confirm that S teve Ballmer’s Avatar appearance last night was a canned recording, so we are looking at software that isn’t ready for prime time. Overall we think Avatar Kinect is a great idea, and an excellent way to show off Kinect’s exclusive motion control prowess, we just look forward to a future where we have even more control over our Avatars — isn’t that the whole point of Kinect, after all? Let us free, Microsoft. We just want to be free. Check out some video of the setup after the break. Gallery: Avatar Kinect in action Continue reading Avatar Kinect in action: prepare to be mildly diverted Avatar Kinect in action: prepare to be mildly diverted originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Now look what we have here, the long awaited HDHomeRun Prime triple CableCARD tuner for Windows 7 Media Center . Originally announced at CES last year , the little black perforated box is already in production and will soon be selling for $250 after it makes it ways through the final stages of CableLabs certification. The sad fact is there is no way to know when that cert will be sealed, but when it is you’ll be able to pre-order and then you can expect to receive it 30 days later. The other little tidbits we picked up from the booth is that SiliconDust is working on a six tuner rack mountable version that should ship later this year and that the ATSC and QAM version we’ve loved for years has a new case a new price of $129 and will be shipping in February. Gallery: Hands-on with the HDHomeRun Prime Gallery: Hands-on with the new HDHomeRun Hands-on with the HDHomeRun Prime CableCARD tuner originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Dell refreshes Alienware M17x, Dell XPS 17 with 120Hz 3D HD screens, Sandy Bridge CPUs
January 6, 2011 No Comment
Got a hankering for some NVIDIA 3D Vision in a new laptop PC? Dell’s making it happen with some component upgrades on its high-end Alienware M17x and XPS 17 laptops. It seems Round Rock came across a few shipments of a 17-inch, 1080p panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, perfect for interfacing with NVIDIA’s shutter glasses , and is including it (along with a new NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M for the XPS 17) as premium options. They’ll also both sport Intel’s new Sandy Bridge processors. Dell’s press release doesn’t specify if a set of 3D glasses will come with the new laptops, nor how much the upgrade will cost, but a 3D-capable M17x will start at $1,499 starting January 10th, and a stereoscopic XPS 17 will run $1,449 on February 1st. You do the math. Continue reading Dell refreshes Alienware M17x, Dell XPS 17 with 120Hz 3D HD screens, Sandy Bridge CPUs Dell refreshes Alienware M17x, Dell XPS 17 with 120Hz 3D HD screens, Sandy Bridge CPUs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We just finished up a meeting with the folks from Snapstick and we came away surprisingly impressed with their foray into the increasingly cramped space of the connected living room. Snapstick’s concept isn’t the most novel we’ve seen, but it’s implementation definitely is unlike most other solutions currently available or announced. Read on past the break for a quick rundown of the tech that makes the Snapstick system work, as well as a video of the system in action. Gallery: Snapstick preview at CES 2011 Continue reading DNP Snapstick preview and hands-on DNP Snapstick preview and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Chumby 8 announced: like a Chumby, but more normal (hands-on with video!)
January 6, 2011 No Comment
The original plush Chumby will always hold a special place in our hearts, but let’s be real: the average human doesn’t know what to do with a plush, huggable touchscreen that runs Flash Lite . The new Chumby 8 — leaked not long ago — is now official, featuring a revamped user interface that allows you to access music from the home screen, manage apps without using the web-based portal, and use internet radio stations as alarm sounds. Where does the “8″ in the name come from, exactly? That’d be the 8-inch 800 x 600 resistive touchscreen, a heck of a lot bigger than the 3.5 inches on that Chumby One you’ve got kicking around. The core of the Chumby 8, of course, remains the Flash Lite-based apps, and those remain unchanged and totally compatible so that you’ve got access to the existing lineup of 1,500-plus options. You’ve got a pair of USB ports, a stereo headset jack, and both CF and SD slots for powering your little desk-dwelling sidekick with media of your choosing. No word on pricing or availability, but it looks like Chumby will be offering these to third parties looking to customize and deploy or resell them — so our dream of an Engadget-branded photo frame might yet become a reality. Follow the break for our video hands-on! Gallery: Chumby 8 announced: like a Chumby, but more normal Continue reading Chumby 8 announced: like a Chumby, but more normal (hands-on with video!) Chumby 8 announced: like a Chumby, but more normal (hands-on with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Verizon’s 4G LTE line: Samsung and Novatel MiFi, 4G Galaxy Tab, netbooks (hands-on)
January 6, 2011 No Comment
The LG Revolution , HTC Thunderbolt and Samsung’s SCH-i520 were the obvious stars of Verizon’s 4G LTE presser today, but a truckload of lesser devices are sure to delight end users when they ship later in the year. 4G mobile hotspots were on hand from both Novatel Wireless and Samsung (with the former working on both 3G and 4G networks), as were a pair of netbooks from HP and the LTE-enabled (and Hummingbird -powered) Galaxy Tab . The MiFi devices were decidedly thicker than our existing MiFi 2200 (shown left, above), but it’s a price we’d be willing to pay for the ability to surf on both of VZW’s networks. Gallery’s below for those seeking a closer look, and you should expect the whole lot to hit your local VZW store between March and July. Myriam Joire contributed to this report. Gallery: Verizon’s 4G LTE line: Samsung and Novatel MiFi, 4G Galaxy Tab, netbooks (hands-on) Verizon’s 4G LTE line: Samsung and Novatel MiFi, 4G Galaxy Tab, netbooks (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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