Archive for the ‘Engadget’ Category
Wii Fit push up bars make sense, but this one isn’t worth dollars
March 14th, 2010
Push-up bars for the Wii Balance Board? Now that sounds like a fantastic idea — just the thing broad-shouldered individuals need to play Wii Fit without backstrain. Too bad this particular set of bars isn’t worth the plastic it’s printed from. The latest and greatest from the minds in the chintzy plastic peripheral industry, the $25 CTA Digital Wii Push Up Bar is held in place by only your weight and a few foam strips without reinforcement of any kind, meaning it could detach itself with any significant exertion. The only good that comes out of all this is an embarrassing video demonstration after the break, which features a pair of smiling humans pretending to have fun with the contraption. QVC, eat your heart out.
Continue reading Wii Fit push up bars make sense, but this one isn’t worth dollars
Wii Fit push up bars make sense, but this one isn’t worth dollars originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jaxbot’s Windows Phone 7 Series Theme now available in beta (video)
March 14th, 2010
Continue reading Jaxbot’s Windows Phone 7 Series Theme now available in beta (video)
Jaxbot’s Windows Phone 7 Series Theme now available in beta (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’re still no closer to finding out whether this is the next iteration of the Bold, Storm or some other BlackBerry line, but the unofficially coined BlackBerry Slider continues to pique our interest. Here in the third round of spy shots, we’re seeing the elusive RIM-branded device from a few new angles, namely a round of side shots and a side-by-side with Curve 8900. You’ll notice that the new guys is a bit thicker and longer, and you’ll also see a complete lack of labeling beside the camera. There’s a fair chance that hitting that Source link will simply lead to increased frustration and stress in your life, but c’mon, anything to keep you from finishing up those 2009 taxes is worth a look.
BlackBerry Slider undergoes further undercover inspection, side shots emerge originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Odroid handheld game console due early March sportin’ Android 2.1
March 13th, 2010
Continue reading Odroid handheld game console due early March sportin’ Android 2.1
Odroid handheld game console due early March sportin’ Android 2.1 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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For those unaware, HDI’s flagship product is a planned 103-inch 3D HDTV that uses a proprietary technology in order to showcase content in the third dimension (or 2D, if you’d like). We sat down with Chris Stuart (Director of Technology) and Edmund Sandberg (Chief Technology Officer) in order to get an overview of the tech, set the story straight in regard to pricing and availability, and dig in a little deeper on its plans for distribution and expansion. We also plopped down in front of the company’s prototype 97-inch set and a 46-inch 3D LCD that has remained mostly a myth up until now, and we’ve certainly got plenty to share in terms of impressions. If you’re eager to learn more (and take a behind-the-scenes look at a television R&D lab), give that ‘Read More’ link a gentle press.
Gallery: HDI 3D prototype HDTVs
Continue reading HDI headquarters walkthrough: details galore on the new face of in-home 3D
HDI headquarters walkthrough: details galore on the new face of in-home 3D originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Ask Engadget: Best (useful) WiFi network detector?
March 12th, 2010
We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Mitchell, who couldn’t care less if you have a problem with his question. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
“I just got a new laptop and am looking for a WiFi detector. The catch is that I want one that will tell me if the network it is detecting is open or not. I can’t fathom the point of one that doesn’t tell you that information. If posted, this will probably generate a lot of snark, but whatever, I just want to be able to find open networks!”
You know, we appreciate the honesty here. And we totally feel you. If anyone out there has found a fantastically useful WiFi detector, throw your recommendation(s) in comments below!
Ask Engadget: Best (useful) WiFi network detector? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Barnes & Noble promises B&N eReader app for iPad near launch
March 11th, 2010
Need a bit more evidence that the e-book download business is a whole lot different than the music download business? Then look no further than Barnes & Noble, which has just announced that it plans to make its B&N eReader app available for the Apple iPad “around the time” of the device’s launch. Details are otherwise a bit light, but the app will be free, and is apparently “designed specifically” for the iPad, giving you access to all of the books, magazines and newspapers available in Barnes & Noble’s eBookstore. Could a Kindle app be far behind?
Barnes & Noble promises B&N eReader app for iPad near launch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Intel’s Core i7-980X Extreme Edition ‘Gulftown’ review roundup
March 11th, 2010
Six cores. Twelve threads. A new flagship processor in Intel’s stable. Here at GDC in San Francisco, the world’s most widely recognized chip maker is dishing out its latest desktop CPU, and to say it’s a niche device would be greatly understating things. We spoke to a number of Intel bigwigs at tonight’s media event, and everyone confessed that the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition was a low quantity, high performance device aimed specifically at gamers and content editors that simply refuse to live anywhere other than on the cutting edge. Intel’s planning on selling these in retail, standalone form for $999 (MSRP), while they’ll soon be available in a variety of gaming rigs from the likes of Dell, Alienware and whoever else wishes to keep with the times. As for Apple? The company stated that Steve and Company “sort of call their own shots,” and that we’d have to dig at Apple if we really wanted to know what their refreshed Mac Pro would hold. We chuckled, nodded in understanding, and then learned that this here slab of silicon is a bit ahead of the software out there, with Intel noting that only games optimized for 12-thread use and benchmarking utilities that did likewise would really demonstrate the performance boost. ‘Course, anyone who spends a great deal of time multitasking will appreciate the extra headroom, and power users can always find ways to make use of more horsepower. Oh, and for what it’s worth, the company stated that this will be its lead desktop chip for some time to come, and if you’re looking for a mobile version in the near future, you can keep dreaming.
As for the critics? Just about everyone with a benchmarking license managed to get one of these in-house, and everyone seems to feel (mostly) the same way. There’s no denying that this is Intel’s speediest consumer chip ever, but you won’t find 50 percent boosts just anywhere. Yet. When the software catches up, though, there’s no doubt that this chip will make even the other Core i7s look downright sluggish. 50 percent more cores and 50 percent more threads than the prior kings of the line leads to fantastic gains when serious number crunching is involved (audio and video editors, we’re staring at you), with some tests showing upticks in the 30 to 50 percent range. As a bonus, the power consumption here is also extremely reasonable, with the shift to 32nm enabling it to even use less power in some circumstances when compared to the Core i7-975 Extreme Edition. Dig into the glut of reviews below if you’ve got a cool grand with “chip upgrade” written on it — you’ll be glad you did.
Read – Hot Hardware
Read – AnandTech
Read – Techgage
Read – Computer Shopper
Read – Bit-Tech
Read – PC Perspective
Read – Neoseeker
Read – Hardcoreware
Read – TweakTown
Read – PC World
Read – TechReport
Read – Benchmark Reviews
Read – Hardware Canucks
Read – Overclockers Club
Intel’s Core i7-980X Extreme Edition ‘Gulftown’ review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Boeing announces compact, energy-efficient 3D camera
March 10th, 2010
Yes, even the military has gone 3D. Helping it in that endeavor is Boeing, which has just announced a tiny new 3D camera that’s one-third the size and consumes one-tenth the power of comparable 3D imaging systems. While it will also be made available for commercial use, it seems like military will be first in line to use the cameras, with Boeing noting that it’s potential applications including “mapping terrain, tracking targets and seeing through foliage,” and adding that it’s already testing the camera on unmanned aerial vehicles. The biggest drawback to the camera at the moment is that it’s only able to take 3D still images, but Boeing says it will “soon” add 3D video capability as well. Details are otherwise pretty hard to come by, as you might expect, and pricing is no doubt best left unsaid.
[Thanks, Graham]
Boeing announces compact, energy-efficient 3D camera originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Leaked Dell Streak flyer shows multitude of color options, confirmed specifications
March 10th, 2010
There’s no denying that the Mini 5 is real, but up until now, we’ve had to provide all of our own promotional material. At long last, it seems as if the suits in Round Rock are finally getting around to crafting the first advertisements for the upcoming slate, and while we knew about the 5-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, capacitive touch front buttons, front-facing VGA camera (for video chatting) and the 30-pin docking connector, we weren’t aware of Dell’s plans to reveal a slew of vivacious color options. If this here flyer proves legitimate, we could eventually see the Mini 5 available in an array of premium finishes and hues (thanks, Design Studio!), and we’re hoping for a few different spec builds as well. So, are you opting for the pink, or are you crossing your fingers in hopes that Dell allows you to print that embarrassing shot of you and Mr. T on the rear of one?
Update: Oh, snap! We just landed a few more official slides from an internal Dell document, and it’s safe to say that the company is going to call this beauty the Streak. Or, at least that’s the internal codename. Better still, it looks as if it’ll launch with an Amazon content partnership, which will bring a Kindle e-book reader app, Amazon MP3, Amazon video streams and pretty much any other material that Amazon sells in digital form right to the slate. C’mon now — how’s about a ship date and a price?
Leaked Dell Streak flyer shows multitude of color options, confirmed specifications originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.