We knew it was coming … and you know what happens to things you know are coming? They eventually come. Case in point: Amazon’s Kindle app for Windows Phone 7 , first teased in October and now available to anyone with a WP7 device and a desire to read stuff. Grab it now, if you’re into that sort of thing. [Thanks, Tiziano] Kindle for Windows Phone 7 goes live originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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AMD’s already gotten official with its Atom-challenging Fusion processors that promise a whole host of benefits for mobile users — namely 10+ hour battery life and significantly improved GPU performance — but the chipmaker isn’t about to leave its desktop CPUs behind here at CES. The company has also just announced its new 3.6GHz Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition and 2.9GHz Phenom II X6 1065T processors, the former of which is AMD’s fastest quad-core processor to date, while the latter promises to combine high performance with a low 95W TDP (relatively speaking), and AMD’s own Turbo CORE technology. What’s more, unlike the Fusion processors, these are apparently both available immediately, and they’ve already garnered a few early reviews. Hit up the links below to check a few of those out, and head on past the break for the official press release. Continue reading AMD announces speedy new quad-core, six-core Phenom II processors AMD announces speedy new quad-core, six-core Phenom II processors originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony shows off 11.6-inch VAIO laptop with AMD Zacate goodness inside (hands-on)
January 5, 2011 No Comment
AMD’s Fusion processors might finally be well and truly official, but all the hardware that will wrap around them hasn’t yet filtered through into public knowledge. One such machine is the above, as yet unnamed, VAIO laptop from Sony. It’s an 11.6-inch machine driven by an E-350 Zacate chip (meaning a dual-core APU running at 1.6GHz ) and the particular unit we handled also came with 4GB of RAM, 500GB of HDD storage, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth and that utterly delectable pink lid. Construction felt solid enough, with little to no flex in the keyboard and a sturdy display hinge. This HDMI-equipped laptop also feels pretty light in the hand and is easy enough to hold and to adore with just one hand. The one thing that shocked and disappointed us was that once we unplugged it from the mains, the VAIO offered us a measly three hours and six minutes of autonomous runtime. Before you rush to accusing AMD of over-promising with its Fusion chips, do note that it was running an Internet Explorer-based graphical benchmark, which obviously isn’t your typical usage scenario, as well as Sony’s excessively frugal 3500mAh battery. This thing with a beefier power cell could be a pretty gorgeous lightweight mobile computer, in our opinion, let’s see if Sony decides to give us such an option when it makes it official some time soon. The AMD rep informed us that this and all the other Zacate laptops should be making their way to market in the next six weeks. Gallery: Sony shows off VAIO laptop with AMD Zacate goodness inside (hands-on) Sony shows off 11.6-inch VAIO laptop with AMD Zacate goodness inside (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Even though we’re still not convinced we’d ever need a videophone , we’d be remiss if we neglected to tell you that the kids from Leadtek have announced the US launch of the AMOR8210. Already making a pretty big splash in Taiwan, this bad boy features a cordless handset, VoIP and plain ol’ telephone support (via respective RJ45 and RJ11 ports), widgets (including audio and video players) and integration with surveillance and health monitoring devices. Pretty, pretty, pretty good, if you ask us. Interested? PR after the break. Continue reading Leadtek AMOR8210 videophone makes US debut at CES Leadtek AMOR8210 videophone makes US debut at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Seagate reveals 9mm 2.5-inch GoFlex external HDD, third-party GoFlex certification process
January 5, 2011 No Comment
CES is just kicking off in earnest tonight in Vegas, and Seagate’s wasting no time in dishing out a smattering of new releases. Up first is the outfit’s slimmest external drive yet: the new, ultrathin GoFlex HDD, which holds a 2.5-inch drive within, but measures just 9mm thick — that’s 38 percent slimmer than the existing GoFlex drive. At least initially, it’ll only be offered in a 320GB model, and the USB 3.0 port ensures that it’ll run laps around your older USB 2.0 model. Mum’s the word on pricing, but you can expect it to ship out this spring. Moving on, there’s a new raft of GoFlex for Mac external drives, which arrive HFS+ formatted and ready to play nice with Time Machine. Each one ships with FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 adapters, but allow for USB 3.0 or eSATA to be used with Windows PCs. The GoFlex for Mac houses a 2.5-inch HDD and will sell for $199.99 (1TB) / $249.99 (1.5TB), while the limited edition of that very product will only be available in a 1TB ($199.99) version. There’s also a GoFlex Pro for Mac, housing a 7200RPM 2.5-inch HDD and costing $149.99 (500GB) or $179.99 (750GB). Wrapping up this collection, there’s a GoFlex for Mac drive that’ll go for $219.99 (2TB) or $279.99 (2TB). Lastly, and potentially more importantly, Seagate is finally opening up the GoFlex standard that it has been pushing so vigorously of late. As of now, the only products that support the GoFlex platform — which allows various connectors to be attached to your existing HDDs — are Seagate-branded. But today, Seagate’s revealing a Certified GoFlex Storage System that’ll enable third-party vendors to make wares that are also welcome in the family. Here at CES, the company is planning to showcase a line of prototype concept devices, and while we’ve yet to see what exactly those are, we are told that the certification also endorses the soon to be established SATA-IO Universal Storage Module (USM) specification. Better still, a number of other companies (Antec, GIEC, Hi-Sense, Ionics and Thermaltake) are planning to showcase GoFlex-approved gear here at the show, including a TV, a laptop, desktop PC, “plug computer,” DVR and docking station. Needless to say, the possibilities here are near-endless, and we’re definitely looking forward to see just how many odd places a GoFlex adapter ends up . Update: We just got a look at what the SATA-IO USM modules slots might look built into the likes of a ThermalTake case — spot them immediately below! Gallery: SATA I/O Universal Storage Module at CES 2011 Continue reading Seagate reveals 9mm 2.5-inch GoFlex external HDD, third-party GoFlex certification process Seagate reveals 9mm 2.5-inch GoFlex external HDD, third-party GoFlex certification process originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The battle for the connected living room is about to heat up in a big way: the Wall Street Journal reports that Cisco will announce a new series of connected cable boxes here at CES tomorrow, as part of a larger announcement that combines online video with recorded and live television. You scoff now, but keep in mind that Cisco owns Scientific Atlanta, which makes an absolutely huge number of cable boxes for providers like Time Warner and Comcast — and if Big Cable embraces connected TV by distributing integrated Cisco hardware, well, we’d say upstarts like Apple and Google might just go home with their tails between their legs. On the other hand, the WSJ says “cable operators will be able to customize the software interface and decide on pricing” for Cisco’s new boxes, so it’s possible America’s favorite corporations will completely bungle everything at the first opportunity. We’ll be there live tomorrow, so we’ll see what happens. Cisco joining connected TV party with updated cable boxes at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Yeti Pro USB condenser microphone touts 24-bit / 192 kHz digital recording, XLR output, we go hands-on
January 5, 2011 No Comment
Who says you have to wait until NAMM for new audio gear? Blue Microphones is on-hand here in Vegas to introduce its newest and Yeti-est USB condenser microphone to date: the Yeti Pro. Picking up where the original Yeti left off, this professionalized version offers the same THX certification along with a 24-bit / 129kHz digital recording resolution, analog XLR output and a proprietary triple capsule array. We got a chance to fondle a unit a little early and, as expected, it feels decidedly top shelf. Knobs turn smoothly and with just the right resistance, stand is heavy and secure. It’ll ship later this month for $249, and you can catch the entire release just after the break. Gallery: Blue Microphones Yeti Pro hands-on Continue reading Yeti Pro USB condenser microphone touts 24-bit / 192 kHz digital recording, XLR output, we go hands-on Yeti Pro USB condenser microphone touts 24-bit / 192 kHz digital recording, XLR output, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Ok, this display at the CES Unveiled event has been wrapped in some funky curved frame yet, but Samsung is showing it off because by producing a 1080p 240Hz LCD with edge lighting only on two sides instead of the traditional 4, it uses 52 percent less energy than existing models. While we still prefer plasma or LED backlighting for picture quality, viewed in the light of this showcase it didn’t seem to particularly suffer compared to its edge LED lit brethren. It won’t hit the sweet spot for everyone,but if you pay as careful attention to the energy bill as you do your HDTV then it might have an impact, and has already done enough to nab Samsung a 2011 Innovation award,. Continue reading Samsung’s most energy efficient edge lit LCD eyes-on Filed under: Displays Samsung’s most energy efficient edge lit LCD eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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There isn’t much to go on here, but a supposed snapshot from Microsoft’s CES keynote has surfaced with the name Avatar Kinect displayed front and center. So, what is that, exactly? Chances are it’s not the Avatar Kinect we were dreaming of earlier this week, but if we had to guess from the picture and the name alone, you’ll probably be awkwardly moving your body to see just how well your on-screen representation can mimic the motion. Winrumors goes a step further, claiming (without citing any sources, though) that there’ll be a separate channel for the Avatar coming via an Xbox Live software update. Nothing’s confirmed here, but given Microsoft’s CES keynote is tomorrow, this rumor’s shelf life is thankfully pretty short. Microsoft to announce ‘Avatar Kinect’ at CES? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Joby is here at CES Unveiled, and this year they’re introducing two new interesting cases for a certain tablet you may have heard about. The “Yogi” for iPad draws on Joby’s roots, essentially pairing its successful Gorillapod stand tech with a hard plastic iPad case that you can dock in either portrait or landscape. The folks at the booth envision usage scenarios on uneven surfaces, or even for wrapping the gorilla legs around a car headrest for easy on-the-go use. More interesting, however, is the “Ori” case, which puts a new spin on convertible cases for the iPad. Made out of strong, lightweight aluminum, this case has a continuous hinge, folds into multiple positions, and has a swivel so you can tilt your ‘pad in nearly any direction you wish. Check out the crazy origami-action in the video after the break, and glamour shots of this beauty in nearly every contortion imaginable in our gallery below. Gallery: Joby Ori and Yogi iPad cases hands-on Continue reading Joby Ori and Yogi iPad cases hands-on Joby Ori and Yogi iPad cases hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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