Fight -- Engadget

NVIDIA takes its feud with Intel to cartoonish new levels

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 5th 2009 at 8:21PM

Oh, boy. Just when you thought NVIDIA 's feud with Intel couldn't rise above endless name-calling, lawsuits and production shutdowns, NVIDIA does this. In a series of not-so-subtle cartoons on the recently established Intel's Insides website -- which NVIDIA's spokesperson has confirmed is, in fact, hosted by NVIDIA -- NVIDIA takes aim at Intel (and CEO Paul Otellini, specifically) over a range of alleged ill doings, and even goes so far as to include a cheeky disclaimer that the site "is not provided, sponsored or endorsed by Intel Corporation." Hit up the gallery below for a quick retrospective, and stay tuned for what we can only hope is a decent comeback from Intel.

[Via ExtremeTech]

Gallery: NVIDIA takes its feud with Intel to cartoonish new levels

David Pogue launches all-out war on canned voicemail messages

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jul 30th 2009 at 1:04PM

You know, we love fighting the good fight -- especially if it means calling out corporations on their untoward business practices. Today we're joining David Pogue of the New York Times in calling foul on cellphone carriers' insistence that users be forced to listen to those maddening, pointless 15-second canned carrier messages. In case you've held off on owning a cellphone or calling anyone who has one, they go a little something like this:

At the tone, please record your message. When you have finished recording, you may hang up, or press 1 for more options. To leave a callback number, press 5. (Beep)

Not only is Pogue mad-as-hell-and-not-going-to-take-it about the ridiculous idea that we still need to be told how to use voicemail, it turns out those additional messages are actually costing you cold, hard cash. He estimates that Verizon, for instance, is netting around $620 million a year thanks to these little annoyances. So what's to be done? Well Pogue wants the citizens of the internet to take up virtual arms... and complain like nobody's business. He's wrangled together all the best contact points for the four largest carriers in the US (included for your convenience after the break). Let them know you know don't want to pay for voicemail instructions. And hey, while you're at it, tell them the price-gouging on text messages needs to go, too.

Continue reading David Pogue launches all-out war on canned voicemail messages

HTC Hero vs. T-Mobile myTouch 3G... fight!

by Paul Miller posted Jul 8th 2009 at 7:04PM

Two long lost siblings, at last reunited. But can there ever be unity? We don't think so. At every turn, the HTC Hero seems to trounce the myTouch 3G -- it's really hardly a contest. The myTouch is certainly lighter, and in many ways "feels" smaller because of it, but the size differences really are negligible. They're still both great phones, but the Hero really feels like a million bucks, while the myTouch feels a bit like a toy. Unfortunately, only one of them just went up for pre-order on T-Mobile, and it's not the one we want to marry.

Gallery: HTC Hero vs. T-Mobile myTouch 3G... fight!

Kondo bot battles rage in Japan, vision of humanity's imminent destruction crystallize

by Joshua Topolsky posted May 10th 2009 at 4:16PM

You may be familiar with the modular line of Kondo robots sold in Japan -- but are you aware that a "Kondo Battle" exists where the bots duke it out to the death (or until they fall over)? Well, now you know... which is half the battle. You can pretty much see where this is headed -- life-size (or larger) Gundams going totally crazy on cityscapes across the globe. A picture says a thousand words, and video says billions and billions, so feast your eyes on the IDG News clip after the break, and to sweeten the deal, we've included a few videos of the actual fights as well.

Continue reading Kondo bot battles rage in Japan, vision of humanity's imminent destruction crystallize

Canon EOS Rebel T1i vs. Nikon D5000... fight!

by Darren Murph posted Apr 29th 2009 at 2:11PM

We can't quite recall if the last week in April of 2008 was jam packed with camera introductions, but you can go ahead and pencil this little stretch down as quite an important time in the lives of DSLR junkies. Nary 24 hours after we gave you our pair of pennies on Nikon's D5000, Canon's EOS Rebel T1i (its arch enemy, just so you know) has arrived. Based on specifications alone, the T1i looks like a much more serious shooter than the D5000, though its kit package -- which also includes an 18-55mm IS EF-S lens -- runs you $50 more and omits that all-too-intriguing articulating display.

Gallery: Canon EOS Rebel T1i hands-on

Instead, you get a fixed 3-inch Live View display (like the more expensive D90 over on the Nikon front), a 1080p movie mode (which trumps all Nikon DSLRs at the moment and matches the mighty EOS 5D Mark II), a ISO sensitivity up to 12,800 (the D5000 tops out at 6,400) and a 15.1 megapixel sensor (compared to the 12.3MP sensor in the D90 and D5000). We're going to run out and pit these two against each other in order to bring you a more thorough showdown soon, but for now, hop on past the break to see how the T1i -- which is shipping to the public today as well -- stacks up against the D5000 on paper. Oh, and check out the gallery if you're intrigued by world class knock-down-drag-outs.

Gallery: Canon EOS Rebel T1i vs. Nikon D5000... fight!

Continue reading Canon EOS Rebel T1i vs. Nikon D5000... fight!

MSI X-Slim 320 vs MacBook Air... fight!

by Paul Miller posted Jan 8th 2009 at 1:26PM

You knew the comparisons were inevitable, but have you braced yourself for how incredibly similar these two laptops are? MSI's new X-Slim 320 13.3-inch ultraportable is a teensy bit wider and a teensy bit thicker than the MacBook Air, but most of the dimensions, layouts and curves are uncannily alike. As for build quality, MSI obviously suffers a bit for its netbook heritage. The plastics aren't stellar, and the keyboard, while delightfully full size, is a tad squishy, but there's still no denying that this is a pretty wild deal for this very particular form factor -- plus that built-in 3G, VGA and Ethernet are just rubbing it in Apple's face.

Gallery: MSI X-Slim 320 vs MacBook Air... fight!

Nokia N97 vs iPhone... Fight!

by Thomas Ricker posted Dec 2nd 2008 at 3:51AM

Now this is a fight worth waiting for.

[Photo courtesy of Robert Scoble]

NVIDIA throws another punch, sez Larrabee would've been hot in 2006

by Darren Murph posted Aug 25th 2008 at 6:21AM

You've got to love it, don't you? The prolonged hatefest between Intel and NVIDIA is continuing on today, with Andy Keane, general manager of the company's GPU computing group, delivering the latest blow. While speaking to reporters at the outfit's headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, he was quoted as saying that there is still "an incredible amount about Larrabee that's undefined." Furthermore, John Mottram chimed in by suggesting that "as [blogger and CPU architect] Peter Glaskowsky said, the 'large' Larrabee in 2010 will have roughly the same performance as a 2006 GPU from NVIDIA or ATI." We're beginning to wonder if these guys aren't just passing disses while sharing a cold one afterwards just to get attention, but being that it's more fun to envision suits from rival firms intensely angry with one another, we'll just keep believing this actually isn't a joke.

[Via Slashdot]

Samsung i900 Omnia vs. HTC Touch Diamond... fight!

by Darren Murph posted Jul 4th 2008 at 12:36PM

At this point, neither the HTC Touch Diamond nor the Samsung i900 Omnia need any introduction, but we're happy to announce that these two have stepped into the squared circle and faced off in an epic nine-page battle. Reviewers manhandled both phones for an extended time and broke down the UI, hardware, features and overall usability, so if that sounds like something you'd be interested in, cover your face and head on down to the read link. We're warning you though, it gets ugly.

[Thanks, Chavdar]

Remote controlled bots do battle at RoboGames 2008

by Darren Murph posted Jun 19th 2008 at 10:30AM

Not like we haven't seen hordes of humanoids fight to the death (or malfunction, whichever comes first) before, but this agile duo is really something. Seriously, just watch those feet scamper about and try not to smile. We'll bet you lose it when the big fella drops that massive left hook (but fails to connect). Video after the cut.

[Via MAKE]

Continue reading Remote controlled bots do battle at RoboGames 2008

X300 vs Envy 133 vs MacBook Air... Fight!

by Thomas Ricker posted Jun 10th 2008 at 8:05AM

Suddenly the 13.3-inch ultra-portable market is looking a might bit crowded. At the same time, it's never looked better now that we have the choice of Lenovo's X300, Apple's MacBook Air, and Voodoo's just announced Envy 133. Decisions, decisions.

ThinkPad X300	Envy 133	MacBook Air
0.73 to 0.92-inches	0.70-inches	0.16 to 0.76-inches
2.9 to 3.1-pounds*	3.37-pounds	3 pounds
13.3-inch LED	13.3-inch LED	13.3-inch LED
1,440 x 900	1,280 x 800	1,280 x 800
Removable Battery	Removable Battery	Not Removable
Ethernet	External	via USB adapter
3x USB	1x USB, 1x USB/eSATA	1x USB
DVD	External	External
1.2GHz Core 2 Duo	1.8GHz Core 2 Duo	1.8GHz Core 2 Duo
GMA X3100	GMA X3100	GMA X3100
SSD only	HDD or SSD	HDD or SSD
Vista	Vista	Vista or OS X
$2,700 to $3,000*	$2,099 starting	$1,800 to $3,100*
Business minded	Instant on Voodoo IOS	Cuts cake

*Depending upon configuration

Asus Eee PC 1000 vs Atom-based 901 vs original 701... fight!

by Thomas Ricker posted Jun 3rd 2008 at 12:44AM

There you have it, the hotly anticipated 10-inch Eee PC 1000 sized up next to the 8.9-inch Eee PC 901 (center) and original 7-inch Eee PC 701. Feeling. Misty.

Here's the scoop from Engadget Chinese who just got out of the press briefing at Computex in Taipei:

New 6-cell battery offers up to 7.5-hours of battery for Eee PC 1000, 7.8-hours for 901, 7 hours for Eee PC 1000H
The "H" in the Eee PC 1000(H) model means hard drive, yes, hard drive up to 80GB. A first for an Eee.
The Eee PC 1000 will max-out with a 40GB SSD
Fully equipped with 802.11n and Bluetooth -- hoozah!
Intel's Atom across the board

More pics after the break.

Update: Detailed pricing and specs now in.

Continue reading Asus Eee PC 1000 vs Atom-based 901 vs original 701... fight!

iPhone vs. HTC Touch Diamond vs. Xperia X1... Fight!

by Thomas Ricker posted May 29th 2008 at 2:07AM

Would you look at that: a thick slab of iPhone meat in a Sony Ericsson and HTC sandwich. The iPhone's big screen is nice and all but the device is starting to look a bit portly given that the Xperia X1 sports a QWERTY with chewy HSDPA data, the latter shared with the ~~Raphael~~ Touch Diamond. Tasty, regardless.

Update: Er, that's not the HTC Raphael, it's their Touch Diamond.

[Via WMExperts, thanks Al]

Puppy vs. Roboquad: the ultimate man-machine showdown

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jan 27th 2008 at 8:13PM

Ever wondered what would happen if you were to pit the Wowwee Roboquad against an excitable, yapping puppy? Wonder no longer, friends, as the answer to this age-old question has been captured on video -- replete with NES sound effects and 8-bit scorecard. Watch the battle for ultimate supremacy after the break... our money is on the dog.

[Via Digg]

Continue reading Puppy vs. Roboquad: the ultimate man-machine showdown

Warner Home Video to support Blu-ray exclusively?

by Darren Murph posted Oct 30th 2007 at 8:01AM

Don't etch this one in stone just yet, but for those keeping a close eye on studios and which camp(s) they support, here's the latest. Reportedly, a so-called Blu-ray Festival has been raging in Hollywood, and aside from BD backers showing up in support of upcoming / existing films, there have also been a few interesting remarks uttered along the way. Most notably, Dan Silverberg, VP of high-definition media for Warner Home Video, stated that "one thing that may be changing is [Warner's] strategy," and he continued by proclaiming that hardware prices had reached a point where consumers "no longer wanted to decide" which format reigned supreme. The speech actually got interesting when he mentioned that the "notion of staying in two formats for the duration is something the company was re-evaluating." Beyond that, egos were simply inflated even more as recent BD vs. HD DVD sales figures were trumpeted about, but we think the aforementioned commentary is far more interesting that hearing about numbers we're already familiar with.

[Thanks, AG23]