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Lumigon T2 hands-on at MWC 2012 (video)
We've been waiting for Lumigon to get around to launching its Android opus for a while now. Fortunately, MWC is precisely the right kind of place for a new company to catch the eye of the mobile press. With Ice Cream Sandwich and Bang and Olufsen involvement, we had to take a look at the Lumigon T2 for ourselves. First impressions are after the break, with a video run-through of the stainless-steel lined phone thrown in for good measure.
Lumigon's T2 smartphone wants to control your TV, obey your commands
Ever notice how often you lose your TV remote, but how rarely lose track of that social lifeline you call a smartphone? So did the folks at Denmark-based Lumigon, that's why they've put their Scandinavian heads together to build the Lumigon T2, a Android 4.0 smartphone that's also a universal remote control. In addition to this handset's 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 8 megapixel rear facing camera and Bang & Olufsen ICEpower sound, this phone's northern lip can copy commands from remote controls and emulate them using on screen buttons or programmable gestures. Above the T2's 3.8-inch Gorilla glass screen is a dual-action "activity button" that can reportedly be programmed to perform any function the phone has to offer -- like activating an LED flashlight, initiating speed-dial or even turning on and off your TV. Sound pretty sweet? Sure it is -- just don't lose it in the couch. The T2 is scheduled to hit select markets in Europe in Asia later this year, hit the break for the official press release.
Bang & Olufsen's Beolit 12 sends the FCC a little bit of Don Draper
Imagine when the Bang & Olufsen Beolit 12 (label after the break) came through the double doors of the FCC's underground bunker. Seeing the golden honeycomb speaker and faux-Bakelite styling, the technicians all dashed home to slick back their hair and put on sharp suits before subjecting this particular iPod dock with AirPlay capabilities to the usual multimeter and rulers treatment we expect from our boys. The top area is hollow to keep your futuristic-looking iDevice from sticking out and ruining the illusion that you're living in 1964 (did you see the brown leather carrying strap?). Since it's been approved by the Government, we can only assume it's not long for these shores, and since it's a B&O device, we can expect it to retail for four or five times what you'd expect to pay.[Image courtesy AMC TV]
ASUS N55SF, N75SF multimedia laptops are back... in piano black
If your laptop spends more time spinning Netflix hits from yesteryear than yomping around campus, you'll probably love these new offerings from ASUS. It's launching the 15.6-inch N55SF and 17.3-inch N75SF laptops -- depending on budget, you can select an Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 chip and a variety of displays that go up to 1920 x 1080 on the high-end units. Each model gets a HD webcam, instant-on (which picks up where you left off in under two seconds) and USB Charger+, a USB port powered directly from the battery for hasty, direct charging. The company is pushing these as multimedia machines, bundling in Bang & Olufsen's ICEpower tech and a standalone SonicMaster subwoofer as standard -- the latter isn't recommended for those frequenting the library, of course. 15-inchers will arrive later this month, with pricing to start at around €1,100 / $1,500; meanwhile, the larger ones will arrive in early October and begin closer to €1,350 / $1,800. Oh, and we've got some press shots to whet your appetite. They're below. %Gallery-133035%
Bang & Olufsen's BeoSound 5 Encore redefines 'affordable,' looks good doing it (video)
It's certainly been a while since Bang & Olufsen's given any love to its gorgeous (but pricey) BeoSound 5, but refining self-proclaimed perfection takes... well, about three years. The more affordable $3,350 BeoSound 5 Encore carries over the svelte 10.4-inch LCD / scroll wheel toting controller from its predecessor, but nixes the BeoMaster music server requirement, allowing it to run headless (and in turn save you bookodles of cash). So how does one play tunes if it rides solo? With a bevy of new connectivity options: content can now be slung over USB (be it via a "mobile device," thumb key or hard drive), from a NAS, over A2DP Bluetooth, or from one of 13,000 internet radio stations. It'll ship in August, which'll leave you plenty of time to count those pennies, and perhaps to ponder why it couldn't spring for finer graphics in the video that awaits you beyond the fold.
Bang & Olufsen's 85-inch 3DTV comes to North America for $1,000 per inch
Because the current lineup of 3D capable HDTVs just aren't exclusive enough, Bang & Olufsen has expanded its lineup with the BeoVision 4-85 plasma which will be available to North American buyers next month for a mere $85,000. While we prefer to save our riches for even rarer sets like Panasonic's 152-incher, the BeoVision system does include the triangular BeoLab 10 center channel speaker and a motorized stand that lowers it when you're not watching. Either way, we won't tell you how to spend your (presumably ill-gotten) ducats beyond pointing out the specs in the press release below, but those interested in staying one step ahead of the Joneses should remember a refreshed version of the 103-inch edition with 3D will be available this summer as well.
Bang & Olufsen announce chip co-op deal with Intel
Well, along with all the other things that happened this year at CES, Bang & Olufsen announced a new cooperation agreement with Intel. What does that mean to you, the consumer? Not terribly much, on the outside -- B&O products have carried Intel chips in the past, but this marks the first time the two companies have had an official relationship, and should mean we'll be seeing refreshes of B&O products every time Intel brings forth new chips. And that's always great news, isn't it? Hit up the source link for full, flowery quotes from reps at both Intel and Bang & Olfusen. Full press release is after the break.
Bang & Olufsen adds WiFi to Beo6 remote control, doesn't think to mention it
It wasn't easy, but we finally managed to spot a few differences between the old Beo5 remote control and Bang & Olufsen's new Beo6 that just appeared on B&O's pages. To start with, the hyperbolic product page for the controller is a word-for-word copy of the old, only with each instance of a "5" replaced with a "6." The user guide doesn't provide much assistance either stating that the "Beo6 is fully compatible with Beo5" right down to using the exact same menus and controls. So what's new? Well, the new "wireless setup" chapter seems to be a clue indicating that the Beo6 can connect to your WiFi network to enable 2-way control with other Bang & Olufsen products supporting 2-way communication -- naturally, these aren't listed and any configuration of the controller will have to be done by a B&O retailer. We did manage to dig up an old article from BeoWorld claiming that the Beo6 would feature a touch (not pressure like the Beo5) sensitive widescreen display to show information like cover art and tag data just as soon as B&O's BeoSound 4 Encore and BeoSound 5 could support it. While this kind of product perplexity would be a knock against any other mainstream consumer electronic remote, B&O owners can rest easy knowing that their man servant will sort it all out.
Bang & Olufsen rolls out 32-inch BeoVision 10-32
It's still a long way from the more budget-friendly model you may have been hoping for, but Bang & Olufsen has now at least introduced a smaller BeoVision LCD TV. That comes in the form of the company's new 32-inch BeoVision 10-32, which hangs onto many of the features of the other BeoVision 10 series TVs, including edge LED-backlighting, a DVB-HD module, and a pair of built-in speakers that B&O says offers a sound quality that is "quite superior compared to the market level for TVs of this size" -- you can even add your choice of one of two motorized stands. Just how much will it cost you? Try €4,000, or roughly $5,500. Full press release is after the break.
Lumigon T1 with ICEpower amplifiers officially unveiled, to arrive 'by the very end of this year'
Just as promised, Denmark-based Lumigon has finally lifted the curtains over its much hyped T1 Android handset. Specs include an 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 chipset with an optional Qualcomm HSDPA modem, along with a 3.5-inch 480 x 800 capacitive touchscreen LCD, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, A-GPS, Bluetooth and FM radio. What the Scandinavian company's really selling here, though, is the phone's multimedia features: not only does it have a FM transmitter, a HDMI dock and Bang & Olufsen's renowned ICEpower audio amplifiers, but it also doubles up as an "innovative" universal remote control for your various AV devices -- pretty unique for an Android device, we'll give you that. Interestingly, the press release omits any mention of Froyo, so here's a glimmer of hope that Lumigon will manage to skin whatever the latest version of Android will be in time for the launch -- a few lucky outlets will receive the phones "by the very end of this year," just in time for your Christmas refunds. Oh, and remember the sister handset S1? We're now told that this T9 slider won't be out until Q3 2011. Sometimes it's better to take one step at a time, eh?%Gallery-105684%
ASUS N53JN and N73JN with Blu-ray and SonicMaster sound now available in the UK
So it's been six months since ASUS announced its new N Series laptops, but who's counting? Okay, we are, but there's good news, at least for the dear Brits -- the 15.6-inch N53JN and the 17.3-inch N73JN are now available in the UK. The N53JN will range from £649.99 to £999 ($1,005 - $1,545) and has an impressive array of specs, including a Core i5 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GT325/415M graphics with Optimus, 320GB of storage, a Blu-ray drive and USB 3.0 ports. The wider £1,099 N73JN is pretty much identically configured, but has 640GB of storage (with two 320GB drives). However, ASUS is hoping the major lure of these systems will be its new SonicMaster sound technology, which has been developed with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower. The press release claims the audio feature is not a "gimmick" and that ASUS's "Golden Ear" team toiled over the audio fidelity...for months we assume. There's some bold assertions, but we guess there's really no knowing what these bad boys really sound like until you take one home and pump up the volume. %Gallery-100272%
Bang & Olufsen announces 40-inch BeoVision 8 LCD
Come on, admit you: you know want a Bang & Olufsen LCD. Well, the BeoVision 8 which has just been announced, is a smaller, slightly less expensive one than the BeoVision 10 is -- so maybe you'll be able to afford it, after all. The 40-incher boasts 240Hz motion processing, resulting in a picture refresh rate that the guys at B&O say is nearly double conventional LCDs. Of course they've packed some banging B&O sound quality in there too -- and the BeoVision 8 will be available "this summer" for something in the neighborhood of $5,400. Full press release follows.
Bang & Olufsen announces BeoLab 11 subwoofer for mid-May
Not getting enough "sub" with your "woofer"? Tweeters tweeting all over the place, ruining your enjoyment of the low-end? Finding yourself unable to fully appreciate your King Tubby LPs? We hate that! And so does Bang & Olufsen, fine purveyor of home audio equipment we can't afford. The company's newest, the BeoLab 11 subwoofer, is vaguely pornographic looking, albeit in a surreal way (please try and control yourselves in the comments, people). This bad boy promises superlative bass quality in a "strong sculptural presence." At the very least, the designers here are trying -- which is more than we can say for almost every other subwoofer on the market (though we really did like the Rubik's Cube). Composed of two 6.5-inch drivers facing each other in an aluminum shell, this bad boy will handle the low frequencies (below 300Hz) and push 200W of bass in yo' face. Available in North America by mid-May 2010 in silver anodized aluminum or white; black, dark gray, red, blue, and golden anodized aluminum should be available shortly thereafter. Prices begin at $2,000. PR after the break.
Gigantic ASUS periodical reveals and specs numerous new laptops
Curious what's inside a new ASUS laptop? Then Notebook Review has the treat for you -- earlier this month, forumite David took the time to download the company's massive 108MB ASUS World Magazine PDF and laid out the spec sheets for not one, not two, but a veritable smörgåsbord of potent portables. There's 36 in all; we've told you about some of them before, to be sure -- but others are getting solid specs for the first time, and there are even a few diamonds in the rough. Enough chit-chat, on with the show! U-series: Otherwise known as ASUS' Bamboo Collection, the U-series laptops were highlighted at CES, where we discovered they would have Core i5 CPUs and USB 3.0 support. Well, that's not the whole story. They've also all got NVIDIA Optimus auto-switching graphics between an onboard Intel GMA HD and the GeForce 310M 1GB. Oh, and forget Core i5 -- these machines support processors all the way up to the 2.66GHz Core i7-620M. Highlight: The U30JC, with a combo Blu-ray drive and a chiclet keyboard that won a iF Product Design Award. UL-series: ASUS for "UnLimited," you can read UL as "ultra low," as in Intel's ultra low voltage (ULV) processors that provide 8+ hours of battery life and let these notebooks stay cool despite being under an inch thin. We saw the UL80JT sport NVIDIA Optimus at CES and got hands-on with the Optimus-equipped UL50VF; now, the UL30JT now has it as well. Highlight: That same UL50VF, with an estimated 12+ hours of battery life. More after the break -- save pricing and availability, unfortunately -- or feel free to hit up the source link to download the entire electronic magazine for yourself. %Gallery-89273%
Bang & Olufsen announces 46-inch BeoVision 10
Suddenly Bang & Olufsen's 40-inch HDTV seems like a consolation prize. While the BeoVision 10-40 is making its good will tour of the states, the kids in Copenhagen will be checking out the new standard in the company's lavish displays, the BeoVision 10-46. Aside from the 6-inch real estate boost, this thing sports "a new and exciting LED-based, 240Hz LCD panel" and unnamed "sophisticated motion compensation technologies" that apparently sport "a yet unseen level of smoothness." Can you handle all this sophistication? We didn't think so. To be unveiled on April 14 in Denmark, goes on sale this summer. No word yet on a price, but we're guessing you can't afford it anyways. Update: Special thanks to Jesper for sending the price our way: 54,990 DKK (or about $9,940). We were right -- you can't afford it.
Bang & Olufsen announces BeoVision 10 North American Tour
You're probably a little too old to rock out like you used to, and besides your hearing isn't exactly what it was when you first saw Purple Fudge open for Hendrix at Cafe Wha? in the village. That's okay -- we found something for you and the missus now that the kids don't come around as much as they used to. Bang & Olufsen have announced that its BeoVision 10 -- the 40-inch behemoth currently available overseas -- will be making its way to showrooms stateside this spring. To commemorate, the company is taking the thing on tour, with dates including Chicago on March 18, New York on March 25, and LA on April 8. To keep up with your forever escalating tastes, guests who attend the events can check out a special edition Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black (with Bang & Olufsen BeoSound DBS audio system) and enter to win a bottle of Dom Perignon Vintage 2000 champagne. You've certainly come a long way from sipping Narragansett draft at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, huh? Prices start at $6,248 and climb skyward rather quickly. PR after the break.
ASUS debuts Bang & Olufsen ICEpowered N-series laptops and 3D gamer displays
It's CeBIT time again kids; a chance for the world's vendors to show off much of what was already unveiled at CES in Las Vegas to Europeans for the first time publicly (what, the internet's not good enough?). Just announced in Germany is a trio of N-series laptops -- N43, N63 and N73 pictured above -- with USB 3.0, Intel Core processors, and Bang & Olufsen ICEpower audio that seems to contradict itself by offering affordable, yet "unflinching" audio quality. ASUS also unveiled its VG236H and PG276H Full HD 3D displays to augment its 3D laptops. No details were provided but we'll guess that we're looking at roughly 24-inch and 27-inch displays based on those model numbers. No pics of the displays but we've got a backside shot of the N63 after the break.
Bang & Olufsen introduces 46-inch BeoVision 10-46 LCD
A 46-inch LCD with some high-end, built-in speakers from Bang & Olufsen? Yeah, this one won't come cheap, but it will definitely make more of a statement in your living room than the average big-screen LCD. Of course, if this one does look a tad familiar, it's because this new BeoVisoin 10-46 is basically just a larger version of Bang & Olufsen's existing 40-inch BeoVision 10, which boasts the same brushed aluminum frame, 200Hz refresh rate, and LED backlight as it's new, larger counterpart. No official word on a price, but the 40-incher came in at just under $10,000, so you can draw your own conclusions. Look for this one to hit "selected markets" (in Europe, most likely) sometime in April -- and if it's still a bit too small for you, you can always consider B&O's 103-inch BeoVision 4. [Thanks, John]
ASUS NX90Jq hands-on: dual touchpads unite! (update: video)
At long last we can say we've experienced a laptop with dual, gargantuan touchpads. The new NX90Jq has squandered a large amount of base real estate on massive, plastic touchpads, and we're digging it -- even if we don't totally understand it. Of course, if you've ever plugged two USB mice into a computer at once, you know exactly how these two pads work in concert, which is to say they don't. Outside of that we've got some real design chops on display, and a nearly disturbing but ultimately pretty impressive mirror back. Update: There's video after the break, along with some more extensive impressions. %Gallery-81567%
ASUS NX90Jq is Bang & Olufsen designed, has dual, turntable-like touchpads
It seems ASUS has been spending some time with Bang & Olufsen's Chief designer to create a heck of a laptop. There's no denying this is one sleek looking lappie with a polished aluminum exterior, but it's got some pretty cool tricks too -- including dual touchpads that supposedly gives you a DJ turntable-like experience. The high-def, 18.4-inch display is flanked by B&O ICEpower speakers and is clearly meant to live in your living room. It's not all looks here, though. It's got a Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GT 334M graphics, support for up to 1280GB of storage (with dual drives), a slot-in Blu-ray drive and USB 3.0. We've got no idea what this thing is going to cost ya, but we're hoping to dig up some details and get a hands-on look so stay tuned. %Gallery-81552%
