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Cowon D20 launches in Japan, keeps MP3 players alive 90 hours at a time
There's no denying it: the MP3 player market is in free fall, and competitors often have to either go big or go home if they want to justify their work over the many smartphone alternatives. Cowon is still kicking, and the extreme battery life of its new D20 player may be a good explanation as to why. Along with 13 hours of video, it can play 90 hours of music on a charge -- enough that the tunes could blast non-stop through a long weekend. Not that the player will otherwise rock the boat, as it's still carrying a 2.5-inch, 320 x 240 resistive touchscreen, 8GB to 32GB of built-in storage, an SD card slot and Cowon's familiar (if hyper-stylized) interface. The company is partly counting on a low cost to get its foot in the door. Following a tease earlier this month in Russia, the D20 is launching in Japan at prices between ¥11,800 ($125) and ¥16,800 ($178) -- not a bad deal, so long as endurance rules your world.
IRL: Canon Powershot D20, FX Photo Studio and Nikon's 35mm f/1.8G lens
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. It's photo week here at IRL. Turns out, quite a few Engadget editors are in the mood to talk up their shooting gear lately. On the camera side, Edgar recently took the PowerShot D20 on his honeymoon in Jamaica, while Darren's been giving FX Photo Studio a whirl (spoiler: he still prefers Snapseed). And say hello to our new copy editor Philip Palermo, who says if he had to live with just one lens for his Nikon D90, it would be the 35mm f/1.8G.
Canon's waterproof PowerShot D20 now shipping: customers who purchased this item also loved Swimmies and flip-flops
Planning on trekking down to Costa Rica this summer? How's about a jaunt to Moorea? Or, you know, the local YMCA. Wherever your summer (or winter, for those south of the magical equator) journeys take you, Canon's PowerShot D20 is eager and willing to capture memories without worrying over being splished or splashed. The aforesaid waterproof camera -- a healthy refresh to the D10 we so loved years back -- is now shipping, with Amazon listing it at $309. For those who've forgotten, there's a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, a 5x image-stabilized zoom, 28mm wide-angle lens, inbuilt GPS tracking for the avid geotaggers (which sadly doesn't work underwater) and a three-inch LCD 'round back. Feeling the urge? Hit the source links below to exchange currency for hardware.
Canon PowerShot D20 ruggedized point-and-shoot camera hands-on (video)
Remember the Canon PowerShot D10? The company's first ruggedized underwater cam was a solid snapper, but its bulky submarine-like design made it impractical for most surface-based shoots. The PowerShot D20 offers a drastic improvement over its predecessor in the appearance department, more closely resembling a compact point-and-shoot than a subaqueous vessel. We can't speak to the cam's image quality just yet, but assuming its on-par with the D10, we'd say the latest D model is worth some serious consideration as an upgrade, even for a reduction in footprint alone. The D20 includes a 12.1-megapixel HS (high-sensitivity) CMOS sensor, a bright 3-inch LCD and a 5x 28mm optically stabilized zoom lens. It's waterproof to depths of 10 meters (33 feet), can survive drops from a height of 1.5 meters (5 feet) and can operate in temperatures ranging from 14 degrees to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. There's also a top sensitivity of ISO 3200, and a built-in GPS.We spent a few minutes with the D20 at Canon's booth at CP+ 2012 in Yokohama, Japan, and were quite impressed with the improved design. Naturally, it's a solid-feeling point-and-shoot, with protected components and airtight port covers. Company reps didn't bat an eye when we unintentionally tested the camera's durability with a mild drop. There's a standard-issue PowerShot interface, with a fairly straightforward menu structure, and the camera felt plenty snappy, focusing and firing off an image almost instantaneously. It's noticeably larger than the company's more compact land-limited models, but there's no reason you wouldn't feel just as comfortable using this to shoot your child's first birthday party as you would their first scuba lesson. The $349 PowerShot D20 won't be hitting stores until May, but you can jump past the break for a quick look in the meantime.
Canon welcomes ELPH 530 HS / 320 HS, SX260 HS and D20 to PowerShot lineup
Alongside the new additions to Canon's A-Series of digital cameras, the company is also giving more demanding consumers a similar outpouring of love with four additional shooters in the PowerShot family, which sport a diverse array of features such as WiFi connectivity, 20x optical zoom and rugged designs. Leading the charge for the ELPH lineup is the 530 HS. Along with the 320 HS, it features the ability to wirelessly upload images to Canon's online portal, where users may then post their latest captures to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The ELPH 530 HS features a 12x optical zoom lens paired with a 10 megapixel sensor and is expected to retail for $349 in April. Meanwhile, the 320 HS delivers a 5x optical zoom lens and a 16.1 megapixel sensor. It'll carry a $280 price tag and is set to hit stores in March. Both ELPH models feature Canon's DIGIC 5 image processor, capture 1080p video and include a 3.2-inch LCD touchscreen.Those who roll Rear Window style may want to check out Canon's new SX260 HS, which packs a 25mm wide-angle lens that boasts up to 20x optical zoom. Like the latest ELPH's, it also offers the DIGIC 5 processor and captures 1080p video. Unique to the SX260 HS, it features GPS for location tagging and a burst shooting mode that captures a continuous 10.3 frames per second. It'll be available in March for $349 and is set to come in black, green and red finishes. Lastly, the D20 offers up a few ruggedized features for outdoor enthusiasts. It features underwater shooting abilities (including a specific macro mode), and is also said to be shock-proof and freeze-proof -- no mention of it tolerating heat, though. The D20 incorporates a 12.1 megapixel sensor, captures 1080p video and features a 5x optical zoom lens. It also offers GPS, but unlike the other cameras here, it uses the DIGIC 4 image processor. If you're considering the D20 for your next adventure, it'll be available in May for $349. You'll discover more about these four additions in the PR, after the break.
WRUP: Roll the dice edition
So what's the Massively team up to in-game this weekend? Apparently it involves non-virtual rolls of the dice.Kyle Horner: I'll be continuing in a little co-op action in Resident Evil 5, but I'll probably spend a lot more time concocting a D&D session for friends and playing a little Warhammer Online as well. Now if I could only find my cape...Joe Blancato: Friends don't let friends play D&D!Kyle: Listen Joe,We can D&D if we want to We can leave your friends behind Cause your friends don't D&D And if they don't D&D Well they're no friends of mine Say, we can go where we want to A place where they will never find And we can act like we come from out of this world Because you're one far behindKrystalle Voecks: *docks Joe 1d6+1 nerd-points* Dude, today is Worldwide D&D day! Joe: I have been shamed. I yield to you, sir! But in all honesty, I'm a White Wolf kid. D20 and I will never really get along :pOh, and some of the team might be playing actual MMOs, too. Read on to see what everyone's up to this week -- and to tell us what you'll be playing!
The Daily Grind: Dungeons and Dragons Fourth Edition?
Today's the day, long anticipated by tabletop gamers of the d20 variety; Dungeons and Dragons Fourth Edition releases today, coming to a Friendly Local Gaming Store near you. If you aren't familiar with the new edition of the game, Eurogamer has a great rundown on the system's ins and outs. For a more hands-on technical approach, you can't beat the official Wizards of the Coast site and their lengthy series of preview articles. You might have also noticed Penny Arcade's recent discussion of 4E. Though it requires a site login to reach, their hands-on playtime with PvP's Scott Kurtz is hilariously listenable.We ask, because we have to imagine some of you MMO fans out there also have occasion to 'roll the bones'. These games are ultimately all built on the foundation that the late, great Gary Gygax built, right? So, how about it: are you jumping to the newest edition?
projectiondesign to launch F10 AS3D active 3D stereoscopic projector
Look out, naysayers -- projectiondesign is giving this whole "3D revolution" thing some serious street cred with the F10 AS3D. Slated to debut at InfoComm 2008 in Las Vegas, the unit marks the company's first active 3D stereoscopic projector. Notably, this isn't the firm's first foray into the third-dimension, as eight of its F20 sx+ PJs are currently being used in a 3D visualization system at Munich University. Moving on, we'll also find its brand new three-chip DLP F80, which features a WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) resolution, ACOP (Advanced Color Optical Processing) technology and a stratospheric price tag (we're guessing on that last one). We'll be holding out for pricing / release information, but we don't suspect it'll be too long before those critical points get divulged.
Player vs. Everything: What if WoW sold its code base?
I could bore you all today by starting my article with a lengthy story about the pre-history of your beloved MMORPGs, but I'll cut to the important part: Once upon a time there was a little game called DikuMUD. Similar in nature to the popular Dungeons and Dragons tabletop roleplaying game, it quickly took off with the geek crowd and became something of a phenomenon. In 1991, the source code for the game was made public and it grew into the most popular code base out there for the creation of multi-user dungeons, largely attributed to the ease with which the code could be set up and run. This led to an explosion of rather similar games that eventually gave rise to the more modern virtual fantasy worlds like Ultima Online, EverQuest, and World of Warcraft (each of these have been compared to DikuMUDs at various times). What's the point of rehashing all of this? Simply this: While many people would probably disagree with me, the proliferation of a popular, established code base that was proven to attract players and was easy to set up "out of the box" allowed enormous innovation and creativity to flourish. At one point, there were so many MUDs available on the web that you could go to a website designed specifically to sort out what features you wanted in yours (and play it free of charge, most of the time). Given the wild popularity of World of Warcraft today, I can't help but wonder what would happen to the online gaming industry if Blizzard decided to start selling their source code to people interested in starting up their own game.
Our games are built on paper and dice
As a tip of the hat to the passing of a tabletop gaming icon, I thought it worthwhile to link back to a great article Allen Varney wrote for the Escapist website in 2005. Entitled "Our Games Are Built On Paper", it outlines the incredible impact that people like Gary Gygax and Dave Arenson have had on videogames in general and Massively Multiplayer games in specific. The piece notes the numerous PnP designers that have made the jump to videogame development; a reminder of the numerous people who have worked on City of Heroes and City of Villains that originated in the pen and paper world. It concludes by noting the advances of a more recent generation of tabletop designers, and fittingly begins with words that ring very true today:IN THE BEGINNING - which is to say, 1974 - there were E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, two tabletop miniatures gamers in Wisconsin who begat Dungeons & Dragons. And D&D begat an orc-horde of paper-and-dice imitators and emulators. And it was good.
The Daily Grind: What tabletop games would make good MMOs?
One of the tidbits of news that made many of us happy here this week was the claim (and yesterday's follow-up statement) that the MMO underway at Cryptic is most likely a Champions MMO. If the sheer geekgasm that occured amongst many veteran tabletop players is any indication, careful planning and design will likely make this a winning title, drawing quite a bit of player-base to it. Of course, this got us to thinking about some of the tabletop games we've played, and in turn this brought up a variety of interesting IPs that could be optioned for a MMO. Today we thought we'd ask you -- if given your choice of all the different tabletop RPG systems out there, which do you want to see as an MMO? Are there any particular rulesets that you think would lend themselves more readily to the workings of an MMO? Are there any niche games that the world never picked up, but would be fantastic for an MMO?
Attribute systems have -10 to Intelligence
As a gamer who was holding a controller long before I'd ever even heard of a D20, the attribute systems that seem to be standard in the world of RPGs were always a little foreign and foreboding. The idea of Strength and Dexterity were easy enough to grasp, but what the heck did Constitution mean? And for that matter, what's the difference between Wisdom and Intelligence? Even as an adult, the attribute system in a game like World of Warcraft is a bit strange to me. They give general descriptions on the website and in the game's manual, but when you start throwing in things like crit chances, the five second rule, and attack power, it all becomes a dense, tangled mess.On his blog, Brian Green ponders whether such a system can't be simplified in a way that would encourage a deeper understanding for players who don't take their games so seriously that they've got their gear progression mapped out in Excel. His first suggestion is to sweep away derived stats, or more accurately, JUST have derived stats, and ignore the base stats that influence them. Seems reasonable enough, if a bit more long-winded. His second suggestion is to take away the level curve, making stats behave the same regardless of the player level. It's an interesting idea in the abstract, but one wonders whether developers, and indeed the players they're developing these games for, are ready to put in such a radically different system.
iRiver's latest super e-dictionary, the D25
We got such a great response to our post on NHC's Magic-Talker Color Personal Multi-lingual Assistant that we knew you just couldn't wait for another "does-it-all" foreign electronic dictionary. This one, however, comes from a company that's a little more recognizable: good old iRiver. The third in their series of e-dictionaries, the D25 doesn't sound like it'll be all that different from the D20 we saw last year, although the subdued black and burgundy design has been replaced by a polished white perhaps meant to fool folks into thinking they're getting a Nintendo DS. As usual, machine translation has thwarted our best attempts to learn the full specs on this one; although we do know that it sports a 4.3-inch screen, 1.3GB internal capacity, SD / MMC slot, MP3 support, and an FM radio, we can't tell how many dictionaries are preloaded (our best guess is between 22 and 51) nor what type they are (some seem to be translation, while others probably provide definitions). Either way, there's definitely some conversation helpers in there to help you pass the TOEIC exam, as well as a strange pseudo-scientific feature that uses a "periodic hazard brain wave" to help the little ones get their study on. Since there's no mention of video playback here, we're gonna stick with the Magic-Talker for now, but die-hard iRiver fans should be able to pick these multifunctional wonders up as soon as next week.[Via DAPreview]
