SneakPeek -- Engadget

SneakPeek posts

Olidata Conte ultraportable finally shows itself, looks mighty good

by Darren Murph, posted May 31st 2009 at 11:07AM

My, my Olidata -- why on Earth have you been depriving our wandering eyes from this beauty for so long? After being originally introduced at CES, we've heard precisely nothing since... until now, obviously. At long last, the striking Conte ultraportable has found its way outside of the lab over in Italy, sporting an ultrathin frame, chiclet-style keyboard, a bezel that's a bit too wide for our tastes, an HDMI output and a price tag starting at just €799 ($1,129). From what we can gather, a few versions of the machine will be available, one of which sports an SU2700 CPU, 13.3-inch LED-backlit display, a 120GB hard drive, 3GB of RAM, Bluetooth, WiFi and a multi-touch trackpad. Another variant is slated to include a Core Solo SU3500 CPU and a 120GB HDD, while yet another gets a Core 2 Duo SL9400 and a 128GB SSD. Peek the read link for a few more looks, including one of the most bizarre advertisements we've ever seen for a mere laptop.

[Thanks, Andrea]

LG GC900 Viewty Smart gets coddled, previewed

by Darren Murph, posted May 5th 2009 at 8:48AM

After being officially unveiled (twice) for the European market last month, LG's GC900 Viewty Smart has finally arrived into the loving hands of those at GSMArena. The unit you see above is actually a pre-production unit, but it was baked enough to warrant a full-scale preview until review units start to ship. One of the biggest reveals was this line: "It's not a smartphone or anything, no matter how much we would have liked that; instead, it's a regular full touch feature phone, but one with a really polished UI and top-notch imaging capabilities." Critics spent a good bit of time checking out the still-novel 8MP camera, and while they were generally pleased with image quality and color, they weren't so stoked about the phone's ability to capture video. Overall though, they couldn't help but gush about the "gorgeous display" and "best-of-class user interface," which definitely leaves us even hungrier to wrap our own digits around a finalized unit.

Samsung's Android-powered I7500 caught in smudgy Russian wilds

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 27th 2009 at 10:17AM

Frankly, if we were forced to choose between smudgy and blurry, we'd take the former each day of the week. Russia's own Mobile-Review has somehow already managed to wrap its paws around one of the newly released Android-based I7500s, and while it's not really a drastic departure from Sammy's other smartphones of late, it's still worth a peek if you're suddenly in the market for one. Check the read link for the goods.

[Via ForoAndroid]

Plantronics Voyager PRO gets purchased, unboxed early

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 20th 2009 at 1:52PM

Plantronics isn't planning to share intimate details about its Voyager PRO Bluetooth headset until April 23rd, but evidently its supply chain executives didn't exactly touch base with marketing before sending out stock to Best Buy. Jeff and John both managed to procure the $119.99 Bluetooth headset over the weekend, and we've got the shots to prove it. Based on the teaser site down in the read link, this here headset should be it's most advanced yet, but for a buck twenty, it better answer and respond to our calls without us having to intervene.

Update: Plantronics pinged us to say the price point here should be $99. Interesting.

[Thanks, Jeff and John]

Gallery: Plantronics Voyager PRO gets purchased, unboxed early

New Pentax DSLR shots blur the boundaries of Mr. Blurrycam

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 19th 2009 at 3:13PM

Trust us, we've seen some significantly distorted sneak peeks before, but the three Pentax DSLR shots in the links below are certainly amongst the blurriest to ever tease our retinas. Obviously, it's next to impossible to glean anything other than the brand (Pentax) and style (DSLR) from the shots, though we will say that the mode dial's copious amount options has our interest piqued. Give 'em a look if you're not susceptible to motion sickness, and feel free to dish out your wildest accusations in comments below.

Update: Could these be non-blurry pics? Or just meaningless renders? You decide. Thanks, Andrew!

Read - First sneak peek
Read - The other two

Video: Samsung NX outfitted with massive lens, teased on rotating platform

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 10th 2009 at 6:56PM

Eager to get a few more dirty details on the heretofore elusive Samsung NX Series camera? Sorry, bub. Now that we've destroyed your wildest dreams, ruined your Friday and infuriated you beyond description, we will point out that Sammy has a new teaser video of the camera for all to view, and it's looking mighty special. The curvaceous cam is seen behind glass on an endlessly rotating platform, complete with a fairly large lens, a fairly large rear LCD monitor and... not much else. There's no audio to speak of (or hear, for that matter), but it's still a mesmerizing watch. Peek after the break if you're sitting squarely in the "yes Jim, tell me more!" camp.

[Via 1001 Noisy Cameras]

Continue reading Video: Samsung NX outfitted with massive lens, teased on rotating platform

Tesla's 4-door, all-electric Model S sports sedan gets pictured

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 24th 2008 at 11:28PM

We knew good and well it was on the way, but now we're bubbling over with excitement. The forthcoming Model S -- an all-electric, five passenger sports sedan that will ride on a platform developed entirely by Tesla -- has apparently been revealed. Of course, there's still a real possibility that the image you're drooling on above isn't a finalized look, but Road & Track has a pretty good record to fall back on. We're also hearing that the 2010-bound whip will get around 240 miles per charge while still doing the zero to sixty in under six ticks, and the $60,000 base price just makes it all the more appealing. For those with a thing for rear bumpers, check out Autoblog's link below for a sneak peek of the fanny.

Read - Road & Track writeup
Read - Sneak peek of the rear

Sony's 16.4-inch VAIO FW laptop gets previewed

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 28th 2008 at 6:25AM

Maybe it's the 16.4-inch panel, or maybe it's the built-in Blu-ray drive. Whatever it is, Sony's VAIO FW has garnered quite a bit of attention. Just a fortnight after getting (extra) official, this nimble monster made its way into the loving arms of NotebookReview, where critics couldn't resist giving us a sneak peek before penning the fleshed-out review. We'll just get it out there -- initial impressions are really positive. Fit, finish and build quality were all deemed "excellent," and the overall design was dubbed "beautiful." Performance seemed to be above par during limited testing, though the screen is apt to be one of those love it or hate it ordeals. Check out the read link if for nothing more than a couple more shots.

Update: CNET has a full review of the unit.

RED delivers new rendering of Scarlet 3K camera

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 10th 2008 at 6:09PM

From the word go, amateurs and professionals alike were hot for RED's (relatively) minuscule Scarlet. After all, can you really go wrong with a 3K camera in one hand and a Dairy Queen dipped cone in the other? (No, no you cannot.) Nevertheless, those anxious to see more as the run-up to its early 2009 release continues can feast their eyes on an all new rendering. Oh, and if you're the talkative type, tag the read link and join in the 8+ page discussion about that image you're eyes are still fixated on above.

[Thanks, anonymous]

OpenMoko's FreeRunner interface gets peeked, inspected

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 9th 2008 at 11:47AM

For those folks who don't mind -- nay, who strongly prefer -- a terminal screen on their smartphone, we know you've already thrown down the plastic on OpenMoko's FreeRunner. If you're going insane waiting to get your hands on it, what better to do than read through a remarkably thorough writeup detailing the user interface and all the goop behind the pretty scenes that makes this thing tick? Oh, and if you're just now getting up the courage to see what the brouhaha is all about, you've chosen the perfect time to get schooled. See that read link? Hit it.

[Via BoingBoing]

First spy shot of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo surfaces

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 23rd 2008 at 1:00PM

It's not often that we get to cover spy shots here at Engadget, but we're as giddy as school children about this one. The SpaceShipTwo design was officially rolled out in January, and if Flightglobal is to be believed, that image above is the first capture of the craft. Reportedly, the shot was taken in Mojave, California where the vehicle is being constructed at Scaled Composites. One step closer to the next big leap for mankind? Sure looks like it.

Onda's VX777 touchscreen PMP gets spotted

by Darren Murph, posted May 28th 2008 at 8:12AM

Don't deny it -- the render / picture / whatever the heck that was of Onda's WiFi-equipped VX777 looked ~~pretty~~ mighty rough. Thankfully for all those potentially interested in this portable media player, the real deal actually looks a good bit nicer than we were led to believe. Not that it's touting a revolutionary design or anything, but like gramps always said, don't fix it if the cool kids aren't fed up yet.

Acer's Aspire Predator gaming PC gets previewed

by Darren Murph, posted May 22nd 2008 at 12:57PM

Look out, Alienware -- your fancy new Area-51 ALX has a carnivore hot on its trail. The Acer Aspire Predator, which was officially unveiled yesterday, has already found its way into the loving arms of Bit-Tech. Over there, folks were able to spend a good bit of time with the rig, snap a smattering of photos and dish out some initial impressions. There's some pretty interesting tidbits to be had (for example, every single part possesses its own bar code, the motherboard is a customized MSI nForce 780i SLI, etc.), so be sure and tap the read link to get their view on how this beast will likely shake out.

[Thanks, Daren]

John Mayer secures a BlackBerry Bold, makes world envious

by Darren Murph, posted May 16th 2008 at 3:40PM

See how easy it is everyone? All that's required to snag a BlackBerry Bold well before its public release is to become a Grammy award-winning artist, sell out shows worldwide, date a smattering of superstars and convince Fender to create and sell your own branded guitar. While you're off working on step one, John Mayer is living it up with his brand new BlackBerry Bold. Granted, he can't claim to be the very first with said handset, but it's likely the first completely legitimate edition let loose. Of course, once you've landed the Curve and MacBook Air before everyone else on the planet, snagging a Bold is just child's play.

Guitar Hero IV drum kit gets pictured, "cymbals" and all

by Darren Murph, posted May 14th 2008 at 11:08AM

Game Informer is at it once more: after securing the first snapshots of Rock Band's prototype drum set and microphone last summer, the gaming mag has now produced the first image of Guitar Hero IV's kit. Apparently designers wanted this one to resemble an actual electric kit a bit more than the one bundled with RB, most evidenced by the pair of "cymbals" perched atop the trio of circular pads. Upon banging on a "first-run prototype" in the Neversoft offices, Game Informer was fairly impressed with the layout, but we're still left to wonder if these will be compatible with Rock Band (or vice-versa). Another faux drum kit in the den and we'll be struggling to maintain sanity (and a functional relationship).

[Via Joystiq]