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Samsung WiFi Washer and Dryer hands-on (video)
We've all needed to keep the laundry going while we're out and about. Samsung is looking to help with that and let us in on their plans at yesterday's presser. The WF457 washer and dryer set houses an 8-inch touchscreen, is WiFi-enabled and can be controlled from inside or outside of the home via a mobile app. With your smartphone or tablet, you can choose the cycle, duration and set-up notifications on your mobile device once the job is done. Neither are available as of yet, but rest assured, this will be a neat piece of tech you should consider. Want a demo? Head on to the gallery below and video. After spending some time controlling a few eight second demo cycles, we were pretty impressed with the system as a whole. Amazingly enough, our load of towels was completely dry. The app worked well and stayed connected for the most part -- granted, we were in the midst of the CES WiFi crossfire. We did encounter some issues when controlling the dryer with a smartphone and then interacting with the appliance's touchscreen. The SmartHome tech seemed to only like to take orders from one source at a time. Other than that, everything went off without a hitch and the phone notification feature is quite a nice touch. Either way, not having to get up to fluff those 400-thread-count sheets is a luxury we can all enjoy in some capacity.
Ask Engadget HD: What's the best large LCD (42-inches and up) for the buck?
It looks like the time is right to pick up some the best HDTVs 2008 had to offer on the cheap and Louis has the same question as most of us, which one to pick? "My old CRT is on its last legs and I've decided my next HDTV is an LCD for my TV watching and Blu-ray needs, but with all the options I'm having trouble telling the difference. I'm not worried about any extra features unless they affect picture quality, and I want to go bigger than my last (40-inch) TV. Samsung, Sharp, Sony or ?????? -- which one should I be checking the sales pages for?" We've done this on the plasma side recently, but surely some of you are among the many rocking brand new LCD sets. Let us know which of the outgoing models made your eyes happiest in the last year.Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
What 3.1 means for PvP
Wow. Have you caught your breath yet? Patch 3.1 looks like it's going to be a massive one, with the promise of Ulduar and now a preview of some of the upcoming class changes. Things are to change quite a bit. While a lot of the changes apply to PvE, Blizzard seems to be sticking true to its lofty ambition of balancing both the PvE experience right along with PvP. Even the biggest change across the board, intended for PvE, will be felt in PvP.The massive mana regeneration changes should have a palpable impact, particularly in Arenas, because once you get past the burst and Resilience begins to stack up, it becomes a healer's game. It becomes a game of endurance and a matter of burning through the opposing team's healers' mana pool. The nerf to Spirit's contribution to mana regeneration is huge -- one of the prominent trinkets in professional Arena play in 2008 was the Earring of Soulful Meditation because of its on-use Spirit bonus. We'll have to see exactly how harsh the changes will be, but hopefully these changes are a step towards tuning down healer dominance in high rated Arena play. One proposed change is the increased heal penalty for Divine Plea, which is one of the tools that have propelled Holy Paladins to the top of Arena rankings. However, Blizzard notes that certain mana regeneration talents will be buffed, so these changes might balance out, anyway. Let's take a look at the impact of different class changes after the jump.
Rock Band 2 hands on, live shots, Ion drum kit, first impressions: woot!
If you're jonesing to get your Rock Band 2 on like we are, you'll be all over these new shots of the game's upcoming controllers that we got all grubby on today at E3. First, the new guitars not only look better, but they will include some welcome hardware tweaks. The new axe includes an optical sensor that will make syncing the game to your display a breeze. Rather than go through that annoying tap..tap...tap synchronization scheme, all you'll need to do is hold up your controller to your display and it will figure things out with you based on your screen's refresh rate. In addition, the new guitars have been updated with slicker fret controls that make it easier to slide from one to the other. Meanwhile, the strum bar has been tightened up a bit. No clicking, though -- the guys at Harmonix say no one "dreams of playing a metronome" anyway. A dig at Guitar Hero? Perhaps, but if you're looking for some click feedback from your controller, look elsewhere.%Gallery-27915%
