No money? No problem! The world of craptablets has grown significantly over the past dozen months, and you won’t find us encouraging anyone to add another to the pile. But AOC has actually managed to make a fairly decent name for itself over the years, albeit one in the LCD industry. In fact, this here company claims to be the world’s largest manufacturer of LED / LCD monitors, but it’s tough to say how that type of expertise will translate in the tablet arena. The newly launched Breeze bucks two screen size trends and splits the difference — there’s an 8-inch touchpanel here, complete with an 800 x 600 screen resolution and a row of physical keys along the right edge. You’ll also find a Rockchip processor, an outdated copy of Android 2.1, not to mention a USB 2.0 port, 3.5mm headphone, inbuilt speaker, 802.11b/g WiFi, 4GB of internal storage space, a microSD card slot and a battery that’s supposedly good for up to 12 hours of audio playback or (six hours of video). We’re still waiting to hear back on what type of CPU is under the shell, but for under $200, we’re going to hazard a guess that it’s not the quickest silicon in the shed. Anywho, it’ll be splashing down at “major retail chains” later this month, likely going toe-to-toe with Augen for your bargain-bin bucks. Continue reading AOC’s 8-inch Breeze Android 2.1 tablet goes for broke, sells for $200 AOC’s 8-inch Breeze Android 2.1 tablet goes for broke, sells for $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …A.C. Ryan FLUXX media player capacitates full HD streaming with its Atom CE4150 processor
January 3, 2011 No Comment
It’s been about a year since A.C. Ryan Shrinky Dink’d its Playon!HD to make the Mini media player , and now another generation is upon us. Relying on the Intel Atom CE4150 processor, the same little beauty humming away in Google TV devices, along with 1GB of DDR3 memory, it’s capable of connecting via gigabit Ethernet or (optional) 802.11n wireless to stream 1080p media over the network, or pull it from an internal SATAII drive bay. Video output options include component, composite, and HDMI 1.3a, while there’s also an optical audio port if you’re still into that sort of thing. What it sadly doesn’t have is Google TV itself, nor an MSRP, nor a release date, but perhaps that info can be gleaned at a little media event happening this week. [Thanks, Nash] A.C. Ryan FLUXX media player capacitates full HD streaming with its Atom CE4150 processor originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Vizio details specs on VIA Tablet and VIA Phone, reveals VIA Plus is Google TV
January 3, 2011 No Comment
Vizio has unveiled more about its plans for the new year which seem to consist largely of a huge push on Android, from the 4-inch phone and 8-inch tablet running a (still unspecified) flavor on their 1 GHz processors, to new VIA Plus HDTVs and Blu-ray players with Google TV built in. The VIA Tablet and VIA Phone (not necessarily final names, judging from the PR) have a few other details mentioned — though we don’t know if the phone is GSM or CDMA, it does have a 4-inch screen, WiFi N, GPS, MicroSD slot, dual cameras and HDMI output, while the 8-inch tablet brings similar chops minus any sort of 3G connectivity. With the new Vizio Internet Apps Plus, it aims to provide a seamless experience from the handheld to the big screen, including the ability to pause and resume content across devices. Judging by the screenshot, it looks like the company may be wrapping its own Yahoo! Widgets -like skin around the Google TV experience in a way we haven’t seen from Sony or Logitech yet. Another pic and the full press releases await after the break, the rest will have to wait until we get our hands on the devices in Las Vegas. Continue reading Vizio details specs on VIA Tablet and VIA Phone, reveals VIA Plus is Google TV Vizio details specs on VIA Tablet and VIA Phone, reveals VIA Plus is Google TV originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 08:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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No, not that Yoshi , but the real, officially licensed critter with a penchant for chomping Goombas and dropping eggs. Nintendo’s 3DS handheld has, according to 3DS Buzz , been stolen from a Chinese manufacturing factory and leaked all over the Internet. This version is a little different than what we saw at E3 and even the “official” version from the September 29th announcement , the Select, Home, and Start buttons having been made flush into the screen bezel. Also, a 1300mAh battery is confirmed, as is 96MB of RAM. We have another picture of it below, showing it’s size compared to everything from a Game Boy Micro to a DSi XL , nicely demonstrating that Nintendo’s new hotness is a little bit smaller than even a standard DSi . That’s progress for ya, folks. Update : David T. wrote in with a video of the thing in action — well, in non-action, really. It’s embedded below, and as you can see the poor backless 3DS is decidedly non-functional. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading Nintendo 3DS escapes production line, strikes a pose with Yoshi (video) Nintendo 3DS escapes production line, strikes a pose with Yoshi (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 07:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nexus S overclocked to 1.2GHz, runs too damn fast for its Bluetooth to work
January 3, 2011 No Comment
Even at its default 1GHz speed, Samsung’s Hummingbird is one of the finest mobile processor around, but are you really going to complain about getting the option to crank an extra 200 milion clock cycles out of it? Morfic over on the xda-developers forums has delivered a kernel permitting Nexus S owners to achieve just that, although he still has to fix an issue that disables the phone’s Bluetooth capabilities.Still, if you value ludicrous speed over wireless peripherals, the source link is your friend. Nexus S overclocked to 1.2GHz, runs too damn fast for its Bluetooth to work originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Can’t say we’re surprised — after all, last time we checked in the tally was hovering around 9.3 million — but now Samsung has officially met its goal of 10 million Galaxy S phones sold around the globe. That’s less than seven months since the device first hit the market, which by Sammy’s fuzzy math averages to about one unit for every two seconds it’s been on sale. According to Samsung Tomorrow , North America contributed the most with 4 million in sales, followed by Europe at 2.5 million. Let there be cake, and once that’s over, let there be progress on those Froyo updates . Samsung reaches goal: 10 million Galaxy S phones sold worldwide originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 05:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …McGill University researchers show off lunar rover prototype with unique ‘iRing’ wheels
January 3, 2011 No Comment
We’ve already seen researchers at the University of Chicago and Cornell use coffee grounds to develop an entirely different type of robotic hand , and it looks like some folks at McGill University in Montreal, Canada have also been taking a similar approach to quite literally reinvent the wheel. That’s being done as part of the Lunar Exploration Light Rover (or LELR) project, which is aiming to build a lunar rover that’s light and able to navigate difficult terrain (i.e. the surface of the moon) with ease. One of the key aspects of that, of course, are the wheels, and the McGill researchers’ solution is something called the “iRing” — a wheel made of a chainmail-type fabric and filled with “granular particulate matter” (or tiny pieces of metal). That creates a wheel that’s heavy and sturdy enough to avoid bouncing around on the moon, but still flexible enough to absorb shocks and overcome any obstacles. Will it actually wind up on the moon? That remains to be seen, but the researchers expect the final prototype of the complete rover (which could even carry a crew) to be complete in the spring of 2012. Be sure to hit up the via link below for the best look at the rover on video. McGill University researchers show off lunar rover prototype with unique ‘iRing’ wheels originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 04:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Toshiba announces unnamed Tegra 2-powered Android tablet, waits only for Honeycomb
January 3, 2011 No Comment
Let the Tegra 2-powered, Android Honeycomb tablet announcements begin! Apparently (and understandably ) staying away from a Folio 2 moniker, Toshiba is kicking off CES with its new unnamed 10.1-inch Android tablet, and we have to say from our brief look at a non-working unit a few weeks ago, it may just have what it takes to stick out from the rest.. at least on the spec and manufacturing quality front. The tablet has a capacitive, high 1280 x 800-resolution display along with an accelerometer and ambient light sensor (or what Toshiba has dubbed as Adaptive Display technology). It also has a 5 megapixel rear camera as well as a 2 megapixel front-facing one. Yep, this one is well stocked and just a quick look at the pictures below will show that the slab has got full sized USB and HDMI jacks, a single mini-USB socket, and an SD card slot. While we couldn’t turn on the dual-core Tegra 2-powered tablet, which will eventually run “the next version of Android designed for tablets” aka Honeycomb , we have to say the EasyGrip, spill-resistant, rubberized back felt really solid in hand and the 1.7-pound, .6-inch thick tablet felt comparable to the iPad in terms of portability. Oh, and did we mention that the aforementioned rear cover is swappable, so not only can you change its color but you can replace the battery? We told you it had some of the ingredients to make it go far, but we’re obviously lacking quite a bit of information here to make any further decisions. Toshiba’s maintaining that the tablet will be released in the first half of 2011 and the pricing will be competitive, but we’ll be digging for more when we get to Vegas and hopefully reporting back with some impressions of a working unit. Gallery: Toshiba 7-inch tablet hands-on Toshiba announces unnamed Tegra 2-powered Android tablet, waits only for Honeycomb originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 03:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung crafts ‘world’s lightest’ 3D glasses in partnership with Silhouette
January 3, 2011 No Comment
You had to know that once LG sought a designer’s inspiration for improving its 3D eyewear, Samsung too would be recruiting outside help with its three-dee goggles. Sure enough, Sammy has partnered up with Austrian design firm Silhouette to deliver what it claims are the world’s lightest 3D glasses, weighing a measly 28g. The design is such that all the electronics are housed in two compartments at the rear of the specs, permitting for a perfect weight balance between the front and back. They’ll supposedly fit on adults and children alike, will recharge wirelessly, and will also detect when 3D content is being beamed at them and automatically switch on and off. Their ability to deliver compelling content to make 3D TVs worth it, however, remains a mystery. We should be seeing plenty more of these active shutter lightweights at CES this week. Continue reading Samsung crafts ‘world’s lightest’ 3D glasses in partnership with Silhouette Samsung crafts ‘world’s lightest’ 3D glasses in partnership with Silhouette originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Intel to launch Insider movie service with 1080p content, WiDi 2.0 will let you stream it to your TV
January 3, 2011 No Comment
We knew it was Intel’s plan to launch its Sandy Bridge or Core 2011 processors at CES , but leave it to Chipzilla to throw in some total surprises ahead of the show. Yes, you read the headline right — Intel’s planning to launch its very own movie and video service in the first quarter of 2011. Unlike iTunes or really anything else out there, Intel’s Insider will allow those with Core 2011-powered laptops or desktops to purchase or rent the latest movies in full HD — yes, good ol’ 1080p. But, why exactly is Intel teaming up with studios, content owners, and video distributors when so many others out there are trying to do the same thing? In essence, the company sits in a good place to combat a lot of the issues movie studios have had with HD video distribution — Insider is tied to the new 2nd generation Core processors, and thus provides hardware protection, rather than software protection of the content. According to Intel’s Erik Reid, the company has already struck deals with CinemaNow and Warner Brothers, and the plan is for all content to be made available at the same time as the DVD or Blu-ray release. It is unclear whether there will be an Insider portal for all this content or if other services will just be certified to work on the hardware platform, but we will be finding out much more once the show starts. Naturally, Intel doesn’t only want you to watch those brand spankin’ new 1080p movies on your laptop screen — it is pushing WiDi in a big way, and the second generation, which will be baked into new Core 2011 systems, will support 1080p streaming and will eventually enable streaming of protected content, including DVDs and Blu-ray discs. WiDi 2.0, as they are calling it, will work a lot like the original version we like so much and allows you to extend your desktop to an HD monitor, but unfortunately, it will require a new HDTV receiver to enable the full HD capability and it still has that two second lag. No word yet on who is making those boxes or how much they’ll cost, but we’re hoping to learn a few more details about Intel’s big push to tie video content to its new processors at its CES press conference in just a few days. Continue reading Intel to launch Insider movie service with 1080p content, WiDi 2.0 will let you stream it to your TV Intel to launch Insider movie service with 1080p content, WiDi 2.0 will let you stream it to your TV originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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