by Laura June, posted Jul 1st 2009 at 11:52AM
We see so many flash drives around these parts, it is truly, truly hard for any to distinguish themselves in our eyes. These ones? Well, we'll admit it: we have a giant soft spot for their massive noggins.
Not the first Star Wars flash drives we've seen -- this newest set store up to 2GB per drive -- which isn't anything to throw a party over, but they're really cute, right? The set, which includes
Darth Vader, Yoda (look at his toes!), a Stormtrooper and Boba Fett, will be available starting in October for $25 each.
[Via
Technabob]
by Laura June, posted Jun 30th 2009 at 4:17PM
Admit it: you've been sitting around all day waiting to hear tell of the latest
Joybook offering from
BenQ, right? Well, have we got the story for you! BenQ's just dropped word of its newest -- the Joybook Lite U102. While we don't have full specs, we do know that this 10.1-inch baby boasts a 16:9 WSVGA backlit LED, an Intel Atom CPU, and a 250GB HDD, with a 90 percent-sized keyboard. Pretty generic
netbook specs, but its super-shiny black shell also makes it decently attractive. The BenQ Joybook Lite U102 will be available any day now in Taiwan, Thailand, and China.
[Via
FarEast Gizmos]
by Laura June, posted Jun 30th 2009 at 12:10PM
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got an Altec Lansing octiv Air (a "wireless 80 watt wall of sound for your iPod") on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!
Big thanks to Altec Lansing for providing the gear!
The rules:
- Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too.
- You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
- If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine.
- Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Altec Lansing octiv Air. Retail value approximately $399.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
- Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, June, 30th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
- Full rules can be found here.
by Laura June, posted Jun 30th 2009 at 9:44AM
Microsoft's unleashed several guided tour videos of
Windows 7 on its website. All of the videos are hosted by Latika Kirtane -- Product Manager for Internet Explorer -- who, in around two minutes, goes over some of the simplest features of Windows 7. Some of the sexier topics covered are Windows Search, setting up a home network, and the joys of parental controls. There's nothing earth-shattering that we didn't already know covered here, but you'll still probably want to check out the videos after the break, and hit the read link for all four.
[Thanks, Alex -- via
Neowin]
by Laura June, posted Jun 29th 2009 at 9:20PM
Sungale's recently unleashed a WiFi-enabled, widget-having
digital photo frame -- the ID800WT -- and the fine folks over at
Zatz Not Funny have taken it for a little spin. The 800 x 600 resolution touchscreen boasts 512 MB of internal storage, and widgets for weather, news, Picasa,
YouTube, Gmail, and Internet radio. The reviewer didn't find the widgets to be particularly awesome, in many respects -- their implementation, for instance, made the Gmail app "nearly useless" because it displayed only a few lines at a time, and many had trouble connecting to the internet properly. It wasn't all doom and gloom, however -- they really liked the frame in theory, and thought that the company was shooting for the right idea -- they just didn't actually succeed. The frame will be available sometime in the coming month for about $165.
by Laura June, posted Jun 29th 2009 at 7:19PM
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute -- partnered with project HYPOLED -- have created an OLED
mini projector prototype for mobile phones. Unlike many previous iterations of similar technologies, this new prototype doesn't need an additional illumination system, instead relying on a lens system to project images produced by an OLED onto a screen or wall -- making it both smaller and more energy efficient. The prototype currently displays a monochrome image with a brightness of 10,000 candelas per square meter, and color images with a brightness of about half of that. The lenses are also made of glass at this point, though cheaper and simpler plastic ones are in the works. No word on when we might see these prototypes hitting the streets in actual projector phones, though.
[Via
Gizmag]
by Laura June, posted Jun 29th 2009 at 3:39PM
ASUS has taken a pretty basic USB
Blu-ray drive and given it a fine veneer of high-gloss looks. The SBC-04B1S-U isn't fancy stuff -- 4.8x maximum Blu-ray disc reading, 8x DVD burning, a USB 2.0 connection, and Windows (but not OS X) compatibility. The bright blue 'X' on the side also flashes and has a dedicated app just to control its brightness. None of this will help, of course, when the strobing 'X' attracts the attention of the entire underground world of paranormal
conspiracy theorists to your bedroom as if you threw up the alien Bat-Signal -- but, you know, whatever. There's no word yet on pricing or availability for this attractive, skinny dude.
[Via
SlashGear]
by Laura June, posted Jun 29th 2009 at 10:38AM
Epson's started volume production of what it believes to be the "world's smallest" XGA high temperature polysilicon TFT (
HTPS-TFT) panel for 3LCD data projectors. The chip used (an L3P05X-91G00) is approximately 23 percent smaller than its predecessor, and the 0.55-inch panel boasts natural XGA (1024 x 768) resolution.
Epson says they're working to increase the resolution on these types of displays, which are currently being manufactured only for
3LCD data projectors. Pretty impressive -- though, we'll just hold out until they start putting these babies into really tiny television sets.
[Via
About Projectors]
by Laura June, posted Jun 27th 2009 at 1:15PM
Sure, these days, it can be pretty hard to get super-stoked over a
casemod... after all, they're basically a dime a dozen. We're always impressed with the
crazy ones though, and this one over at Million Dollar PC -- the Edelweiss (possibly named after our least-favorite song and flower), really takes the crazy and turns it up to 11. We're not even sure what's going on, to be honest, but we can assure you of this much: we're really, really fond of it. Two more shots after the break.
[Via
Case Mod Blog]
by Laura June, posted Jun 27th 2009 at 10:18AM
Acer's 11.6-inch netbook -- the Aspire One
751h -- has been available Stateside
since mid-May, and
Laptop's spent some quality time with it, delivering a full review. Overall, they found the nice, large screen to be welcoming, and the battery life (on their 6-cell configuration) was fantastic -- clocking in at over seven hours. They were, however, pretty disappointed in the
1.22-GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU, finding it to really slow the unit down. They note that other similarly priced models boast better processors, and might be a smarter choice. The Aspire One 751h runs $399 with a 3-cell battery, and $449 for the 6-cell version. Hit up the read link for the full review. One more shot after the break.
by Laura June, posted Jun 27th 2009 at 8:27AM
Pocket projectors -- if they aren't quite 'all the rage' -- crop up all over the place these days.
Beambox has teamed up with MiLi (makers of some
fine iPhone chargers) on this newest one. The MiLi Evolution Mini Power Projector works in conjunction with your iPhone or iPod touch, docking it into the unit which then acts as projector and charger in one. The LCOS projector boasts 10 lumens of brightness for VGA projection of an image from 3 to 70 inches. It'll be about $255 when it's released around the end of July. One more shot after the break.
by Laura June, posted Jun 26th 2009 at 4:55PM
Right after its launch, we noted the
sundry problems reported by new
iPhone 3GS owners, but this is the first time we've heard tell of this specific one... and it seems like a doozy. It's unclear exactly what caused this, but what is apparent is an unattractive, brownish / pinkish discoloration on the above handset. The user claims it was caused by overheating during a period of using the
GPS and 3G of the phone. Either way, it looks pretty crummy now, doesn't it? What about the rest of you with new, white iPhones? Anything to report? One more shot of this looker after the break.
by Laura June, posted Jun 26th 2009 at 4:22PM
Far be it from us to make fun of people for their favorite pastimes -- that would, in fact, be the pot calling the kettle black (considering that we're both addicted to gadgets and quilting, we have little room to point fingers). However, it's possible that you might be a serious nerd if you're caught gabbing on your iPhone in the midst of a hike during a reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg. Good sir, we salute thee!
Laura: "Are you telling me I'm not eligible for an upgrade until 1865!?"
Joe: "North and South could both agree that lack of Flash support was a grave oversight"
Thomas: "Robert E. Lee!? I thought you said rob a 3G"
Josh T: "What? I said 'what's so civil about war anyway?'"
Nilay: "An app store divided against itself cannot stand."
Don: "Scurvy? Nope, not an app for that."
Chris: "Yeah, I mistook it for a piece of hardtack last week, just came back out this morning. Works great!"
Ross R.: "I like that it runs Merrimac OS X."
[Thanks, Ethan]
by Laura June, posted Jun 26th 2009 at 1:27PM
Garmin's already firmly entrenched in the
GPS for outdoorspeople game with its
Oregon line of handhelds, and now the company's announced a new series, the Dakotas. Two models -- the 10 and 20, respectively -- have been launched. These bad boys supposedly have a 20 hour battery charge life, a 2.6-inch LCD (diagonally), and store up to 200 tracks. The higher-end Dakota 20 boasts a MicroSD slot, an electronic compass, a barometric altimeter, and wireless data transfer between compatible units. They're expected in the 3rd quarter and will run you $299.99 for the Dakota 10 and $349.99 for the 20. Full press release after the break.
[Via
GPS Tracklog]
by Laura June, posted Jun 26th 2009 at 12:00PM
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got an 8GB Kingston Technologies SDHC Video card on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!
Big thanks to
Kingston for providing the gear!
The rules:
- Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too.
- You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
- If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine.
- Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Kingston Technologies SDHC Video card.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
- Entries can be submitted until Friday, June, 26th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
- Full rules can be found here.
by Laura June, posted Jun 26th 2009 at 9:15AM
We've seen a bit of Sharp's
Mebius netbook around here -- and most of our attention has been focused on that
LCD trackpad (a 4-inch optical-touchscreen) -- but now it's been unboxed on video for all to wonder at. This 1.6GHZ Intel Atom N270-boasting baby has a 10.1-inch display (1,024 x 600), 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, three USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a multicard reader, and it runs somewhere in the realm of ¥80,000 (about $837). Video unboxing after the break -- and hit the read link for a photo gallery.
[Via
SlashGear]
by Laura June, posted Jun 25th 2009 at 8:28PM
Sharp's really been stepping up the e-dictionary game of late -- what with the
MID-looking RD-PM10. It's latest offering -- the Brain PW-AC900, however, is a little less exciting. It's very similar to its predecessors in the PW line --
PW-TC930 physically, but has a host of new features, including a simple text editor, multi-lingual dictionary, pronunciation, and vocabulary drills. It boasts a 5-inch VGA LCD, a text pad that's 30 percent larger than previous offerings, MicroSD and USB ports. It'll be available in Japan on the 10th of July. No word on pricing.
by Laura June, posted Jun 25th 2009 at 12:00PM
So now that you've got all the details on
Windows 7 pricing, you ready to try and nab a guaranteed pre-order sport?
Microsoft's hooked us up with 100 special pre-order codes for Windows 7, which are good for a 48-hour period starting tomorrow, June 26th, 2009. These codes (only available to U.S. residents) will guarantee you a pre-order of Windows 7 at the discounted prices of $49.99 for Home Premium and $99.99 for Professional, even if it sells out -- and it might, as it's a limited run!
Each code is good for three purchases, so if you win, you'll also be able to share the ability to pre-order via the MS Store with two friends -- or just go crazy with power and credit card numbers all by yourself.
We're choosing the 100 winners at 5:00PM EST today, so get to work! Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for discounted stuff!
Big thanks to
Microsoft for providing the gear!
The rules:
- Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too.
- You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
- If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine.
- Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) pre-order code for Microsoft Windows 7.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond by 10:00 PM EST on June 25th. If you don't respond by 10:00 PM, another winner will be chosen.
- Entries can be submitted until Thursday, June, 25th, at 5:00PM ET. Good luck!
- Full rules can be found here.
by Laura June, posted Jun 25th 2009 at 1:16AM
So, the first time we watched this
Macbreak video, we thought to ourselves, "now, this is downright silly" but the second time? Well... we probably won't be investing $300 in a pro Red Rocks Micro shoulder mount for any
iPhone 3GSs anytime soon, but the video does demonstrate what we all already knew: if you stabilize an even decent mobile phone cam, the results are better than if you don't. Insane? Surely. Hit the second read link for the video.
[Via
Wired]
Read - Video on the iPhone 3GS: How Far is Too Far?
Read - Video of iPhone 3GS with shoulder mount
by Laura June, posted Jun 24th 2009 at 8:11PM
Looks like those of you interested in ASUS' newest little netbook, the Eee PC Seashell
1005HA, won't have to wait very long to have your dreams fulfilled. In fact, it's popping up for pre-order right now. The 1005HA (which we just
played with extensively) is nearly identical to the already available 1008HA, but with a longer-lived, swappable six-cell battery, and without those little port doors we found to be somewhat troublesome in
our review of the unit. It runs $389 and is expected to ship on July 1st. Hit the read link to check out the pre-order good times.
[Thanks, Nate]
