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Sony Ericsson MT15i / Vivaz 2 ensnared by Eldar Murtazin, given glowing preview
The choice of Android Gingerbread handsets just grew by one, courtesy of the Sony Ericsson MT15i and Russia's premier mobile reviewer, Eldar Murtazin, who has put it through his rigorous preview cycle. The typically curmudgeonly gent was pleasantly surprised by SE's latest (and entirely unofficial) handset, claiming that the company "has developed and is about to launch truly cutting edge devices and ... has almost nothing to fear in the hardware department as well." He has praise for the above-average front-facing cam, the endurance offered by the 1500mAh battery, and the 854 x 480 res on the Reality Display -- though he does warn that Sony's Bravia Engine is only used when consuming multimedia and therefore has limited impact on improving output quality. Internally, you're looking at 512MB of RAM and a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM7630 with Adreno 205 graphics, all of which resulted in perfectly smooth, lag-free operation. In spite of its many pluses, Eldar describes the MT15i as a phone targeting the mid-range, which invites all sorts of delicious pricing speculation, though we're not entirely sure we agree with his postulation that this handset will be called the Vivaz 2. The Xperia branding up front and the replacement of Symbian with Android would collectively suggest it'll bear an altogether new name when it's unveiled -- which we'll go ahead and presume is going to happen at MWC next month.
Logitech launches four HD webcams, we preview the 1080p C910
It seems like only yesterday webcams were struggling to shed their VGA roots; that megapixel cams were relying on interpolation tricks to falsely boost the pixel counts of their dinky sensors. No more. The age of the HD webcam is truly here, and Logitech has just announced a suite of the things, including the highest of the high: the 1080p HD Pro Webcam C910. It's fitting that the manufacturer behind the most iconic brand in webcams would jump straight to the top of the resolution charts, but do the extra pixels warrant the $99 price tag? Click on in to see the video proof and decide for yourself. %Gallery-94771%
Steam on Mac preview roundup: all but identical to PC
With that hotly-anticipated May 12th release date just around the corner, you might be wondering how Steam on Mac will perform. You're in luck, because some of our favorite Mac news sites have just finished testing the software's closed beta. The verdict? It's practically the exact same as the Windows version, except there's almost nothing to buy. Save for the Growl-like notifications at the top of the screen, the UI is all but indistinguishable, and as promised,data and purchases (if playable) automatically carry over in their entirety from your Windows Steam account. Team Fortress 2 even has cross-platform capability, allowing Mac users to play online with their Windows counterparts, though several journalists noted you might want to invest in a two-button wheel mouse if you don't want to be found out. Source Engine performance on Mac wasn't quite as good as on Windows in tests using the exact same hardware (thanks, Boot Camp), but admirably comes close nonetheless; Electronista was able to maintain a similar framerate in Portal just by disabling two levels of anti-aliasing. Not all Mac users will be able to partake in these games, however; though a MacBook Pro with a discrete 512MB GeForce 8600M card could run them well and a GeForce 9400M laptop managed on low settings, those with only integrated Intel graphics chips might find themselves in for a painful surprise. Read - Electronista Read - MacRumors Read - MacWorld Read - AppleInsider
NZXT's Avatar gaming mouse gets previewed, likened to a Razer
You don't even need to dig into the machine translated read link to understand that the gaming mouse you see pictured above looks a lot like a Razer, but NZXT's Avatar is a beast in its own right. Best known for lavish (and stylish) PC cases, the outfit has evidently seen fit to dip its toes into the wide, wide world of gamer-centric input peripherals. Boasting a 2,600DPI sensitivity rating and a rather unadventurous design, the Avatar should fare fine in heated deathmatches or WoW raids, though it's probably overkill for the Excel maven. Nevertheless, the currently unpriced unit has been previewed quite thoroughly by the folks over at TweakPC, so give the link below a look if you could ever see yourself wanting this in your arsenal.[Via I4U News]
XM XpressRC gets evaluated
We'll admit, the XM XpressRC sure looked mighty nice from a distance, and judging by CNETs take on it, it's equally fine up close. Quite frankly, this device was hailed as a notch above the alternatives, boasting a full-color display "that not only jumped out at you with its beauty, but could be easily read and understood while driving." Granted, not everything was entirely peachy, as the reviewer took issue with the knob's design and the small power button -- both grumbles that could certainly be overlooked. Additionally, the unit's ability to pause / rewind up to an hour of programming was very appreciated, and the other small bonuses (i.e. SongSaver) filled out the feature set quite nicely. All in all, this little gizmo was seen as "the way to go" if you've been scouting a device of this nature, but the $170 pricetag could still be a hindrance.
DirecTV's H21-200 HD receiver gets previewed
If you're quickly growing frustrated with the excess heat that tends to build up within your H20, the folks over at DBSTalk have managed to score a first look at its replacement, the H21-200. This HD receiver (read: no DVR capabilities) is essentially an upgraded H20 that sports a currently unused Ethernet port (shown after the jump), adds a coaxial digital audio output, reportedly responds "much quicker" to the remote than the HR20, and best of all, seems to "run much cooler" than the unit it will inevitably replace. Of course, we don't envision too many of you clamoring to get your palms around a device that doesn't record, but if you're interested in DirecTV's upcoming answer for your secondary (or tertiary) set, hit the read link and dig in.
Sony Ericsson's W910 gets previewed
Most wouldn't disagree that Sony Ericsson's W910 sure has the look, but how sexy does it remain after handling it for a few? The (lucky) folks over at PhoneArena were able to spend a few precious moments with SE's latest Walkman handset, and here's the low-down thus far. First off, the prototype they played with "would likely see changes" before its final release, which would certainly be beneficial considering the "relatively loud bang" heard when sliding it open, the need for more contrast on the display, and the somewhat tiny buttons. Still, the overall vibe on this one seemed generally (albeit not overwhelmingly) positive, and while it's easy to get stuck in the details, you're still better off waiting for a final review before cementing any judgments in your mind. Peep the video preview after the jump.
HTX Vox gets previewed, lacks 3G / touchscreen
If you had a hankering for HTC previews to finish off your January in style, today's your lucky day. While you're probably still gawking at the HTC Athena peek from earlier, the same lucky soul managed to get his palms around an HTC Vox, and being so kindhearted, we've got the results from another sweet photo shoot. It's about time we saw a few live snaps of this bugger too, as we've been waiting ever since it got official and was captured in the wild, and now you can get closer than ever without actually owning one yourself. Notably, a few more details were spilled out concerning the features (and lack thereof) of this smartphone, as we learned that it does indeed lack 3G as well as a touchscreen LCD. What you will reportedly get, however, includes Windows Mobile 6.0, 128MB of Flash ROM, a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, voice command recognition, QWERTY keypad and a numeric pad, 802.11b/g, two-megapixel camera, microSD slot, and a TI OMAP 850 processor clicking along at 200MHz. Of course, exact specs and inclusions could change on retail models, but if you're interested in seeing all sorts of angles, not to mention shots of OS, be sure to hit the read link after clicking through and scroll on down.
HTC Vox gets previewed, lacks 3G / touchscreen
If you had a hankering for HTC previews to finish off your January in style, today's your lucky day. While you're probably still gawking at the HTC Athena peek from earlier, the same lucky soul managed to get his palms around an HTC Vox, and being so kindhearted, we've got the results from another sweet photo shoot. It's about time we saw a few live snaps of this bugger too, as we've been waiting ever since it got official and was captured in the wild, and now you can get closer than ever without actually owning one yourself. Notably, a few more details were spilled out concerning the features (and lack thereof) of this smartphone, as we learned that it does indeed lack 3G as well as a touchscreen LCD. What you will reportedly get, however, includes Windows Mobile 6.0, 128MB of Flash ROM, a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, voice command recognition, QWERTY keypad and a numeric pad, 802.11b/g, two-megapixel camera, microSD slot, and a TI OMAP 850 processor clicking along at 200MHz. Of course, exact specs and inclusions could change on retail models, but if you're interested in seeing all sorts of angles, not to mention shots of OS, be sure to hit the read link after clicking through and scroll on down.
HTC Athena gets previewed and fondled
We'll admit, we're a bit envious of this one, as it seems one lucky soul has got his / her palms around an HTC Athena, and thankfully, hasn't kept it all bottled up. In a rather nice preview of the unit, we find an (expected) 624MHz Intel PXA270 processor, 128MB of RAM, 256MB of Flash ROM, 8GB hard drive, TV-out, five-inch 640 x 480 resolution backlit screen, three-megapixel camera, VGA mode for video telephony, rechargeable Li-ion battery, built-in microphone, GPS receiver, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, USB, and of course, a bevy of communication options including GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, and HSDPA. Yeah, we know you're burning through this text just to find out about the photos, so if you've hung in there this far, be sure to click on through for a few more shots, and hit the read link for even more pictorial delight.[Thanks, KC]
