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Altec Lansing shows off an iPod dock, AirPlay speaker, plus headphones for the ladies
Altec Lansing is showing off a handful of updates to its line of audio accessories this week at IFA in Berlin. At top of the list is the newly revealed inAir 5000, a hefty tabletop AirPlay speaker that the company is firmly positioning to take on Bowers & Wilkins' Zeppelin line (which also recently got its own AirPlay version). Like that system, the inAir certainly offers a unique take on aesthetics, with a teardrop design. The company opted not to install an Apple dock on the 110 watt system, given that compatible devices can stream audio wirelessly to the thing via AirPlay. The iMT630 Classic is, not surprisingly, a more traditional speaker dock. It's portable and light and features a docking shelf on the front that can be flipped out with the push of a button. Open up the stand on the back, and you'll find a spot for storing the speaker's remote. The remote itself is also magnetic, so you can stick it to the Classic's front grill (someone at the company has clearly lost a lot of remotes in their day). No word yet on pricing and availability for either speaker system. The company also showcased its Bliss Headphones, which are "designed for a Woman's ear." What does that mean, exactly? Mostly that their earbuds are smaller, fitting more comfortably in smaller ear canals. Altec Lansing assures us, however, that they're still capable of offering great sound, in spite of their size. And yes, they come in pink.%Gallery-132600%
Samsung's Furot II robovac wants a piece of your Roomba
Roomba not sucking the way it used to? Samsung sure hopes not, as it has just recently pushed out a robotic vacuum cleaner of its very own. Quietly showcased during IFA earlier this month, the Furot II packs an oh-so-familiar design and sports an integrated camera and mapping system that enables it to find its way, remember its course and clean your floors with practically no human assistance. There's also an array of sensors that keep it from slamming into this and that, and the rechargeable battery keeps it humming for around 1.5 hours before petering out and making a beeline for its charging station. We get the impression that it'll be available in both black and refulgent red, though no price and release date is currently available.[Via Coolest-Gadgets]
DigitalCube shows off sexy iSTATION S3 PMP
We'll just go ahead and get the bad news out of the way: if you call yourself a North American, and you're not gutsy enough to find an importer, you'll probably never own the downright beautiful device shown above. Known as the iSTATION S3, DigitalCube's latest arrives with 8/16/32GB of storage, an HDMI output, a battery good for 20 hours of audio playback (or 8 hours of video), an expansive 3.5-inch AMOLED display, WVGA (800 x 480) resolution and support for a veritable smorgasbord of file formats. Sadly, we've no price or release date to share, but by all means, give that read link a tap if you're looking for more eye candy.[Via OLED-Info]
Packard Bell debuts oneTwo line of all-in-one PCs
It seems like a no-brainer, introducing small footprint, multitouch Windows machines to rooms usually off-limits to PCs. HP's certainly taking a stab at it, and now the "trendy lifestyle brand" (ugh) Packard Bell is going for the gold in Europe. First up, the oneTwo L sports a 23-inch (1600 x 900) display, an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670 graphics, E-SATA, and optional Blu-ray drive and DVB TV tuner. For the more budget-conscious touchscreen fiend, the oneTwo M comes in with a 20-inch (1920 x 1080) display, Intel Core 2 Duo T6600, and ATI Mobility Radeon HD series 4500. Both will ship with Windows 7, up to 8GB RAM, PacBell's TouchGadgets (including TouchFriends social networking integration for Flickr and Facebook, TouchMusic media player, TouchMemo, and TouchMediaShare), a 5-in-1 memory card reader, and a webcam. You can expect to pay €999 ($1,452) for the former, or €599 ($872) for the latter. On sale October 22. Video after the break.
Philips sticks to its guns with 16GB GoGear Muse PMP
Think you've seen this one before? Close, but no cigar. Philips' GoGear Muse doesn't deviate much from the path that has been chosen for it (and fittingly so, might we add), boasting a predictably glossy motif, 16GB of internal storage space and a 3-inch display. As it overtakes the Opus for the company's top-of-the-line player, it also gains support for BMP, GIF, PNG, OGG, APE, Real Video and Real Audio formats, and just in case you're curious, it'll also handle those ultra-rare "MP3" things as well. Philips asserts that users could see up to 25 hours of audio playback on a single charge, while watching Family Guy re-runs could suck it dry in just 5 hours. As with pretty much everything else that Philips produces these days, it'll first hit Singapore for S$349 (or around $244 in Greenbacks), with only a faint chance of ever seeing significant action here in North America. One more look is after the break.[Via CNET]
Packard Bell debuts 15.6-inch EasyNote Butterfly m laptop
Well, we didn't get a chance to check it out first hand at IFA, but Packard Bell did make a showing of its own at the show, and took the opportunity to debut this new EasyNote Butterfly m laptop. As you can see above, this new model one-ups the smaller 13.4-inch EasyNote ButterFly with a slightly sleeker design (and a shiny silver exterior), but it keeps things mostly in check inside, with it packing an unspecified low-voltage processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 graphics (which can be switched off to save power), a max 640GB hard drive, up to 4GB of RAM, and all the usual niceties like a multi-touch trackpad, Bluetooth 2.1, and 802.11n WiFi. Still no word on a release over here, but folks in Europe should be able to pick one up next month for a starting price of €599 (or just under $900).[Via Notebook Italia]
Entelligence: 3D may fall flat
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide. The big theme that stood out for me last week at IFA was the idea of 3D driving sales of new TVs. Both Sony and Panasonic made strong plays for 3D at their press conferences, although Sony did a much better job, giving the audience 3D glasses and showing the trailer for "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" along with footage of FIFA Soccer and Gran Turismo running on the PS3 -- the cockpit view in GT was particularly impressive. Panasonic's presentation was a little odder, with the audience being asked to "imagine" what 3D would look like during a slideshow of still images of various events like boxing matches. It was kind of like introducing color TV by showing off a black and white screen and asking the audience to imagine it in color. I understand the need to drive new sales of TV sets and find some sort of purchase driver. Let's face it. Screens have gotten large enough, perhaps even too large -- if I offered you a 150-inch TV, where would you put it? Resolutions have maxed out and it's hard to make sets much thinner. OLED displays could be a great purchase driver but are a few years off. So something new needs to drive the market. I'm just not convinced that 3D will really help move things forward.
Fujitsu Esprimo Q1500 flexes Blu-ray muscle on video
The Esprimo Q1500, which might remind you of a Mac Mini, is back with the mischievous intent to show off the wares that Apple won't let you have. Though we suspected the Intel CPU inside would be a CULV variant, it turns out to be no less than a 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo T9600 -- and it got a good workout by the awesome Engadget Spanish crew, who ran a 720p video in Windows Media Player alongside a Blu-ray movie without any hiccups. The good news extends to the machine itself, which remained quiet in operation and cool to the touch a full 10 minutes into its mini torture test. If we said prices for the top config might be a little cheaper than expected, would you finally be excited? Video after the break.
Sony Ericsson Aino and Satio hitting the UK on October 7
It's not like we didn't know this already, but Sony Ericsson has now officially confirmed an October UK release for its latest pair of handsets. The half-Swedish, half-Welsh mobile empire has set the seventh day of the tenth month of whatever year this is as the date for a nice little corporate get-together and unveiling of whatever little details haven't been seen or pored over by now. The Aino slider hopes to capture fans with its slender looks and PS3 Remote Play skills, while the Satio (formerly known as the Idou, pictured) works the multimedia phone crowd with a 12.1 megapixel cam and a 3.5-inch 16:9 display. The latter was recently handled by Engadget Spanish, who found it underwhelming and somewhat sluggish -- but rest assured, we'll be getting a lot more fingerprints on these touchscreen devices in the coming weeks.
Guangzhou Darling DP2000 is a nutty pc-in-a-projector that we kinda love (video)
What do you add to a pocket projector that already has a massive 640 x 480 resolution and the power of 9 suns lumens? Why, a WinCE-powered computer, of course. Now, when everyone else is fumbling around with their bulky laptops, you can bust out your Darling, use the top-mounted touchpad to navigate, and be the fastest projector gunslinger in the office. There's even a stand, a pair of mini-USB ports for hooking up a keyboard and mouse, and an SD expansion slot to augment the already super-generous 1GB of Flash storage. So how much does a PC with a huge display and SSD cost these days? $180. Don't tell us that ain't progress. Check it out after the break. [Via Pico Projector Info]
Nikon Coolpix S1000pj hands-on at IFA
We're still curious to see how well the integrated projector in Nikon's Coolpix S1000pj does under real-world lighting and usage conditions, but it sure seems pretty in the controlled environment of the company's IFA booth. The crew from Engadget Spanish say the novel cam is a lot thinner than you'd expect -- check out the video and a gallery of sample shots after the break.
Headphone shocker! Lady Gaga, Beats by Dr. Dre and Monster Cable join forces
We really can't think of a trinity unholier than that of Dr. Dre, Lady Gaga, and Monster Cable, who (protestations to the contrary) is not the only entity legally entitled to use the word "monster." Or "cable," for that matter. That said, our fair Lady has been going for broke with the elaborate costumes and set designs -- at least that's what we hear during our regular slogs through the Gaga fansites and forums -- so perhaps it's no surprise that she seems to be shilling extra hard lately. And for the fruit of this evil menage we need look no further than Heartbeats, her very own signature line of headphones. First, some product details: these bad boys feature a jewel-shaped earpiece that "literally doubles as a high-tech fashion accessory or attractive piece of jewelry," and they're available in October for prices ranging from $99.95 to $149.95. But the best part? Well, for that you'll have to dip into the PR: In the deepest hour of the night, I confess to myself three things; I would die if I was forbidden to write, forbidden to love, or forbidden to fashion. Heartbeats embody the trinity of my human-being, with one additional vow: that SOUND matters. Wear Heartbeats, love each other, and celebrate the art and lifestyle of music. Right. If you're morbidly curious, please feel free to hop on down to the ga-ga-gallery below. Update: Yes, we're still convinced that Monster Cable is pure evil -- but as always we reserve the right to stick our two cents in whenever we feel that something is too upsetting / hilarious to pass up. And we're sure you agree that this product is nothing if not upsetting / hilarious!
LG Etna Android phone sneaks onto the scene at IFA
Well, well, looks like LG's got more in its Android bag than just that GW880 for China Mobile. Vodafone was casually displaying the Android-based Etna at its IFA booth, and while we don't know too much about the QWERTY slider, we do have some basic specs -- you're looking at 3-inch touchscreen, a five megapixel camera, and what looks like a pretty stock Android install. No word on price or release date, but LG is supposedly launching three Android sets this year, so we're hoping we'll find out more real soon.Update: LG tells us that the Etna will be available in Germany "before Christmas."[Via MobileTechWorld; thanks Whois]
MSI's 24-inch, 1080p AE2400 enables multitouch identification of barnyard animals
All-in-one computers never die, they just keep getting wider -- and touchier, in this case. MSI's latest is the AE2400, a 24-inch, 1920 x 1080 panel with an integrated Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and NVIDIA GeForce 9400 graphics, doing all it can to make use of the multi-touch support in Windows 7. The machine is set to hit retail sometime in the months contained within the year 2010 at a price of roughly $1,000, which seems like a good enough deal to us, but you may think differently after watching the smudge-riddled video after the break.[Via Cloned in China]
NAVIGON dizzies with navigation options, then gets us pointed in the right direction again
Do you like having a plethora of navigation choices, Jefe? You'll love NAVIGON's offerings unveiled at last week's IFA, then, a suite of devices that spans from the low end to the high, all featuring pedestrian navigation -- in case you don't already look enough like a tourist. The most affluently wealthy sightseers will be nervously clutching the 8410 or 8450 Live models, both of which offer 5-inch capacitive displays made of honest to gosh glass, Real City3D offering "photo-realistic" navigation, and optional DVB-T reception to catch some Simpsons re-runs when you get lost. On the next step down are the 4.3-inch 6310 and 6350 Live, which lose the glass screen, fancy rendering (though certain landscapes and buildings are still 3D), and digital tuner. Next are the 3.5-inch 2400 and 2410, which sport up to four hours of battery life when wandering untethered around the city, while the 1400 and 1410 models round out the lineup on the low-end. The two Live models, the 8450 and the 6350, offer wireless traffic, weather, and even speed camera updates across 32 nations in Europe; a tidy bundle for those exploring the continent, but at €79.95 ($115) per year you're certainly paying for it. On the hardware side prices start at €129 ($185) for the 1400, then run all the way up to €499 ($715) for the 8450 Live.
Aiptek's tiny PenCam HD Trio camcorder looks more like a highlighter
Peoples' pants must be getting smaller, because so too are pocket camcorders shrinking down. Despite not making any dubious "world's smallest" claims, Aiptek's latest is one of the most slender we've seen that's able to shoot high-def video, and quite possibly the first with a 1.1-inch OLED screen on the back for previewing what your footage might look like on a First Class Forever stamp. It'll shoot video at 720p30, capture 5 megapixel stills, and record them both to 4GB of internal memory -- good for about two hours' worth of footage. You can upload to YouTube straight from the camera's (Windows-only) software, or spin it to your TV through the integrated HDMI port. It sounds like quite a nice little package, and while we wouldn't expect the video quality to knock anyone's proverbial socks off, given the brand we wouldn't expect a shockingly high price, either. But, that we can't say for sure, nor when these will be available. [Via OLED-Display.net]
Epson's EH-TW5500 and EH-TW4400 flagship projectors seen hanging out with high contrast blacks, Germans
It's that time again: the end-of-year rush to launch the best and brightest home theater projectors for the holiday cocooning season. Epson's casting its 2009 lot with the EH-TW5500 and EH-TW4400 3LCD projectors featuring Full HD (1920x1080) resolutions, a 1600 ANSI lumen brightness, and quiet 22dB operation. The TW4400 (aka, Home Cinema 8500UB as it will be known Stateside) touts a 130000:1 contrast while the TW5500 (aka, Pro Cinema 9500UB) ratchets the hyperbole up to 200000:1 -- that's about double the claim of Epson's previous high-enders that already featured excellent black performance. To be fair, Epson makes some of, if not the best, home theater projectors for the money thanks to its D7 C2Fine LCD panels manufactured in-house. Other specs include 12bit video processing, improved frame interpolation and 4-4 pull-down, x.v. color mode, 2.1x optical zoom with horizontal/vertical lens shift, and a range of inputs including 2x HDMI, YUV, and RGB.We gave the TW5500 an eyes and ears-on here are IFA in Berlin in a finely-tuned home theater setup and came away extremely impressed with the image -- enough so that we'd be tempted to layout the €3,299 European asking price (€2,799 for the TW4400) come November if only we had the space to let this baby shine. But let's wait and see what the competition has in response when CEDIA kicks off later this week -- it's best to be informed and 3 grand ain't exactly chump change.Read -- Press ReleaseRead -- Art Feierman's opinion
Video: Philips CushionSpeaker laptop stand combines cushion and speaker
It's half speaker, half cushion and 100 percent useful. Philips' recently unveiled CushionSpeaker laptop stand is designed for the bedridden among us, combining a soft laptop stand with a built-in speaker for amplifying those lap-based movie sessions. Of course, this thing probably won't do much for heat dispersion, but for those also looking for a personal heater, this thing just might be magical. The integrated speaker connects to one's laptop via USB, which just might put off netbook owners struggling to get by with just a couple of those very sockets. There's no mention of a US price and release date, but whatever it is, you know you'll pay it. The cutest video introduction you ever did see is waiting just past the break. [Warning: PDF read link]%Gallery-72000%
Philips serves up two new Senseo brewmakers at IFA, still won't dethrone Starbucks
It's been a full year since we asked if a few off-the-wall renders were indicative of Philips' next-generation Senseo, but at long last, the next in the long line of successful coffee making machines has come to light. Seven years after the first Senseo hit the scenes, the heralded machine will finally be made available in a new "square shape," with the appropriately named Quadrante doing everything a Senseo does but with edges rather than contours. Said machine will be available in Dark Stroke Black and Bright Style White, while the limited edition version by Marcel Wanders -- which hearkens back to the classic design -- spices things up with some fancy sequins atop a translucent red or translucent grey finish. For the java lovers in attendance, feel free to give the read links below a once over, and be sure to raise a glass to us while you're at it. [Warning: PDF read links]Read - Philips Senseo QuadranteRead - Philips limited edition Senseo
Zoom Q3 ears-on: it's like 'Stop Making Sense' saw your YouTube lip sync video and liked it
What's this blue monstrosity? A YouTube-happy concert bootlegger's new best friend. The Zoom Q3 (which is distributed by Samson in the States) pairs a decent stereo mic and some in-depth audio controls with a regular crappy pocket video camera sensor -- along with an oversized screen to make room for audio level meters. There are obviously limited situations where this is really necessary (there are plenty of much better dedicated mics for when you don't need the VGA video to go along with it), and all your cutesy Flip mino-toting friends are going to laugh at you, but at least you'll be able to crank up your recording to lossless and capture their cackles with eardrum shattering clarity. Check out a video of the Zoom Q3 shot with another Zoom Q3 after the break and decide for yourself if it's worth the slightly premium $249 pricetag.
