Look, we don’t normally get too stoked over workstations , they remind us too much of “work.” Also, “stations.” Still, a chance to see some unreleased workstations from Dell? That actually look pretty sweet? Sure, we’ll go in on that. A tipster found these “Fractal design language” renders just floating helplessly around the internet and forwarded them over. They presumably relate to the upcoming Precision T7600, T5600, and T3600 lines (refreshes for the T7500, T5500, and T3600 , respectively). One of Dell’s favorite design houses is responsible for the images, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the final products will look like this. We also don’t know anything about internals, but it seems like a brand new look would fit with those brand new Sandy Bridge chips Intel is about to push out. Oh man, CAD is gonna be so much fun next year. [Thanks, Stephen F.] Gallery: Dell ‘Fractal’ Precision T7600 designs Gallery: Dell ‘Fractal’ Precision T5600 and T3600 designs Dell ‘Fractal’ workstation designs revealed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Comcast ‘Xcalibur’ test program brings web video, unified search to cable boxes
December 14, 2010 No Comment
There’s not a lot of details available yet, but according to the Wall Street Journal , Comcast has begun testing features that rival what Google TV and TiVo are doing in the living room by letting cable set-top boxes access streaming video from the internet. Known to participants in Augusta, Georgia as Spectrum and within the company as Xcalibur it combines a DVR with unified search across cable VOD and the internet, plus social media tie-ins, but does not include a full web browser. So far the available content is described only as “limited,” so we’re going to guess that Netflix isn’t on the menu but with rumors indicating it could launch to other areas in 2011 it could very soon be taking its place as the next Xfinity branded tie-in next to current efforts bringing TV content to iOS , Android and other platforms. Comcast ‘Xcalibur’ test program brings web video, unified search to cable boxes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Microsoft to demo new slate PCs, Windows 8 tablet functionality at CES?
December 14, 2010 No Comment
The CES 2010 Ballmernote has become something of a black mark for Microsoft — the company’s delivered almost nothing in the year after Steve demoed the HP Slate and talked about future Windows 7 Slate PCs — but as one would assume, Redmond’s expected to pick up right where it left off in just a few weeks at CES 2011. According to the New York Times, Microsoft’s prepping to explain how it will target the iPad with the help of a number of partners, including Samsung and Dell. While the article is quite vague, it looks like the keynote will include a few new tablet demos, including one of a new Samsung device that sports a “slick” slide out keyboard — we’d put money on that being the 10.1-inch Gloria . The Times says the Samsung tablet (not to be confused with the Samsung Galaxy Tab ) will run some sort of software layer when “the keyboard is hiding and the device is held in portrait mode,” but Microsoft’s is also reportedly eschewing a central app store for native tablet apps and instead encouraging software companies to build HTML5 -based web apps. That certainly sounds a lot Google’s Chrome strategy (and a strategy that could backfire since HTML5 apps will work on Chrome OS devices and iPad equally well ), but the Times ‘ source didn’t know if these “apps” would be ready for CES as they are “still in production.” As far as we can tell, a lot of this is still built upon Windows 7, but it’s also rumored that the Redmond gang will tease Windows 8 on stage — something that sounds extremely plausible to us, since we’ve heard from numerous sources that Microsoft’s real tablet strategy will rely on Windows 8 and a new all-touch interface that the company has been working incredibly hard on. While Windows 8 isn’t due out until the later half of 2011, Ballmer would do well to use his CES time to tell us about Microsoft’s “riskiest” product bet and finally do something to address Microsoft’s notable absence from the modern tablet market. Of course, nothing’s for sure, except for the fact that we’ll be there, providing live coverage of the entire thing. Microsoft to demo new slate PCs, Windows 8 tablet functionality at CES? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Shocker! Internet use now ties TV in time spent avoiding outdoor activity
December 13, 2010 No Comment
Despite a huge dropoff in cable subscribers this year, Forrester Research’s 40,000-strong survey pegs consumer TV consumption at about 13 hours weekly, same as it ever was. But lo and behold, reported internet use has also risen to 13 hours weekly, a veritable tie to which we naturally reply, “what took it so long?” This number represents a 121 percent uptake in the past five years and attributes its success to multitaskers and those who are spending less time with radio, newspaper , and magazines — again, nothing too mind-blowing to our perception of reality. If the survey has revealed anything surprise to us, it’s that email is only used by 92 percent of those questioned, leaving at least eight percent classically trained in case the post-apocalyptic world of Kevin Costner’s The Postman ever becomes reality. [Image Credit: ICHC ] Shocker! Internet use now ties TV in time spent avoiding outdoor activity originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It doesn’t appear to involve the biometric IDs that were first proposed by NATO, but the Afghanistan government has just announced plans to issue electronic ID cards to everyone in the country — an undertaking that it hopes will be complete in five years. That admittedly difficult effort got off to an official start today with the signing of a $101 .5 million contract with Afghan company Grand Technology Resources, which will apparently be responsible for producing the wallet-sized cards themselves. In addition to the usual identification, those will each contain a chip that stores the individual’s drivers license, vehicle registration, signature and voting registration records — the latter of which is particularly key, as one of the main reasons for the cards existence is to ensure ” fairer, more transparent and efficient” elections in the future. Afghanistan moves ahead with plans for national electronic ID cards originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Chevy Volt starts shipping to customers, most of whom forgot they ordered one last decade
December 13, 2010 No Comment
Mark it down, folks — it’s a monumental day. In a way, this marks the end of one of the longest running sagas covered at Engadget, but in reality, it’s probably the start of something else entirely. Chevrolet’s Volt was once the starlet of the electric vehicle universe. And then 2009 happened . In the meanwhile, legions of other automakers have moved forward with hybrid and pure electric plans, with Tesla’s Roadster heading out to thousands of motorists and Nissan’s Leaf shipping to customers earlier this week (just to name a couple). Of course, GM still maintains that the Volt is the “world’s first-and-only electric vehicle with extended-range capability,” but we’re sure a laundry list of rivals would love to argue that point. Regardless of the hurdles and hardships, Chevy has still managed to turn a far-flung concept into reality for around 160 people this week, and a slow but steady trickle of these things should continue for the foreseeable future . If you’re wondering if placing an order is right for you, have a look at our most recent test drives . Continue reading Chevy Volt starts shipping to customers, most of whom forgot they ordered one last decade Chevy Volt starts shipping to customers, most of whom forgot they ordered one last decade originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Seagate trots out 2.5-inch 1TB Constellation.2 hard drive, dares you to wear it out
December 13, 2010 No Comment
Western Digital may have shipped the industry’s first 2.5-inch 1TB hard drive, and PureSilicon may have done likewise for the SSD sector, but Seagate is still finding a way to lay claim to a “first” with its newfangled Constellation.2. This here 2.5-incher is hailed as the “first 1TB 2.5-inch enterprise HDD,” with it being primed and ready for the insane demands generally found in DAS, NAS, SAN and other nonstop business environments. You’ll get 6Gb/s performance, T10 Protection Information (you know, for keeping your scanned travel receipts safe and sound) and 1.4 million hours MTBF. There’s a self-encrypting drive option for those who just can’t be too careful, and it’ll be out and about later this month in capacity choices of 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB. Mum’s the word on pricing, but Dell ought to be offering ‘em across its enterprise products before the dawn of 2011. Continue reading Seagate trots out 2.5-inch 1TB Constellation.2 hard drive, dares you to wear it out Seagate trots out 2.5-inch 1TB Constellation.2 hard drive, dares you to wear it out originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google’s Zeitgeist report for 2010: America loves the Bieb, already forgot about BP
December 13, 2010 No Comment
Google recently released its annual Zeitgeist report of hot search terms for the year, and if you ask us, what people aren’t searching for is just as interesting as what they are searching for. The climate is going topsy-turvy, oil sources have peaked (or are currently peaking), Afghanistan is a boondoggle, and the season finale of The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret was one of the least satisfying in the history of sitcoms — but what tops America’s primary concerns? That’s right: Justin Bieber , Nicki Minaj, Chatroulette, and Apple’s iPad. It almost makes us long for 2009, when Michael Jackson and the swine flu were all the rage. Almost. Continue reading Google’s Zeitgeist report for 2010: America loves the Bieb, already forgot about BP Google’s Zeitgeist report for 2010: America loves the Bieb, already forgot about BP originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Latest Boxee Box update lets locally stored content shine, adds 3D compatible UI and more
December 13, 2010 No Comment
Just a couple of weeks after its Thanksgiving Day refresh , the Boxee Box is getting another update that should hopefully appease users who prefer to stream their own content as opposed to media from internet sources. As seen above, one of the new additions is an option during the initial setup or in the options menu to indicate which source one prefers more. There’s also genre filtering and an alphabetical scrollbar for local files as well as the option to hourly scan SMB/UPnP/USB sources, and a settings toggle to make the onscreen display and any subtitles compatible with side-by-side or top/bottom compressed 3D content. Check the blog post for all the details and a long list of bug fixes, according to CEO Avner Ronen we can expect another one before the year is out that will bring improvements to the browsers and new content/apps. Latest Boxee Box update lets locally stored content shine, adds 3D compatible UI and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Pretty self-explanatory really: the T-Mobile G2 is now available to buy for a measly 50 greenbacks from its carrier’s online store. It’s a web-only deal, but it’s sweetened by free overnight delivery for anyone ordering before the 20th of December. So, $50 and two years of your wireless freedom in exchange for a phone capable of exploiting T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network and offering an almost stock Android experience? Decisions, decisions. T-Mobile drops the G2 to $50 on contract, really wants you to buy one originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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