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HTC to buy a chunk of Beats Electronics, keep Dr. Dre in a lab with a pen and a pad
HTC's been making money hand over fist lately, and it looks like all that cash is burning a hole in its pocket. First, the Taiwanese company bought cloud services firm Dashwire and now it's looking to buy the lion's share of Beats Electronics. For a cool $300 million, HTC plans to up the ante in mobile audio with the expertise of Dr. Dre baked into its future handsets. The deal is set to become final later this year, and we'll see phones packing the big red 'b' this autumn. Feel free to peep the PR while you wait for 'em to drop.
HP TouchPad review
As things get older they tend to get bigger. It's the same for people, corporations, models of cars, budget deficits... and so it is for webOS. As Palm was in the process of being subsumed its great mobile operating system was being eyed for much broader things, far bigger than the little phones it had previously been flashed on. Things like printers and desktops and laptops, but for its first proper foray outside of a phone it has a tall task: compete in the brutally vicious tablet space. Its weapon is the TouchPad, a 9.7-inch tablet from HP that got official back in February and will be available July 1st (if you don't manage to find it earlier) -- $499.99 for the 16GB model, $599.99 for 32GB. That's exactly on parity with the WiFi iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1, current kings of the tablet court. Does this plus-sized Palm progeny really have what it takes to hang at that price point, or is this just a chubby pretender that's outgrown its britches? Read on to find out. %Gallery-127378%
HP Envy 14 Beats Edition gets a slice of Sandy Bridge silicon, costs $1,050 at Amazon (updated)
HP's Envy 14 is quite the looker of a laptop, with its etched aluminum skin beckoning you to explore the capabilities of the Sandy Bridge CPU that lies beneath. For those who prefer the murdered-out look, the HP Envy Beats Edition is the preferable PC, but until now it lacked the upgraded Intel innards of its showy stablemate. That's right, Amazon's offering a second-gen Intel Core i5-2410M chip clocked at 2.3 GHz to go with those dark Dr. Dre aesthetics you crave (oddly it's not yet for sale on HP's website). The inky Envy with the big red "B" is priced at $1,050, or half a hundred more which is actually 30 bucks less than than buying its equivalently-equipped cousin direct from HP -- awfully nice of the good Doctor to give us a discount.
HP gives TouchSmart 610 a second crack, this time with Sandy Bridge CPU options
HP may have announced its TouchSmart 610 all-in-one just a shade too soon for it to ship with Core 2011 processors, but that doesn't mean the company was above pushing out a refresh just a few months later. Now, this 23-inch beast is on sale with a variety of quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 Sandy Bridge CPUs. To recap, what makes the 610 special is its rigid hinge, which allows the 1080p display to slide down so that it's face-up, and nearly flat at a 60-degree angle -- a more ergonomic position for poking 'round the TouchSmart software while standing. Like pretty much every other HP computer on the market, it comes standard with Beats Audio and, depending on how much money you're willing to shell out, you can trick it out with up to 16GB of RAM, 2TB of storage, and your choice of NVIDIA or ATI graphics with up to 2GB of video memory. Those Sandy Bridge models are available now starting at $1,100, though as always, you can get an entry-level configuration with quad-core AMD innards for $900 and up. %Gallery-124132%
HP unveils the Pavilion dv4, Envy 14 with Sandy Bridge, and a redesigned Mini 210
With a Sandy Bridge refresh, a new 14-inch mainstream laptop, and a redesigned netbook, HP's latest crop of consumer systems offers a little something for everyone. First up, there's the 14-inch Pavilion dv4 (not to be confused with the metal-clad dm4), which bears the same Imprint finish and CoolSense technology as its siblings and ushers in a striking cobalt blue color option, as you can see in the photo above. Look for it on May 18 with a starting price of $600. Then there's the revamped Mini 210, which swaps last year's not-too-glossy plastic lid for candy-colored lids, and adds a seamless touchpad, edge-to-edge 10.1-inch display, and a flush six-cell battery promising up to 8.8 hours of battery life -- an upgrade over last year's standard four-cell. Spec-wise, nothing has changed from the current 210, except for the addition of Beats Audio, something you'll find across HP's notebook lineup. It'll be available on June 15 and cost $300 for the charcoal version -- alas, you'll have to pony up $330 for one of the punchier colors. For now, be sure to check out our video hands-on. Lastly, HP did the predictable and refreshed the high-end Envy 14 with Sandy Bridge CPU options and USB 3.0. It also promises an improved touch experience -- something we bemoaned in our review last year -- with a trackpad that uses optical sensors to analyze your multitouch gestures. That will go on sale June 15 for $1,000 and up. %Gallery-123016% %Gallery-123021%
Beats by Dr. Dre get the ColorWare treatment, minus the color (video)
Now, you'd think ColorWare would be working furiously to release some flashy iPad 2s, but that's not what we're getting today -- instead we now have a pair of Monster headphones to complement that ever-so-necessary neon Dyson Air Multiplier we assume you've already added to every room in your tastefully decorated mansion. These very limited edition ColorWare "Chrome Beats" headphones don't actually have any color, but they admittedly do look pretty slick, excepting the $1,000 price tag necessitated by this perfect storm of overpriced branding. ColorWare is only decking out 50 of these 'cans, so grab that platinum card and head over to our source link to get your pair.
HP's 9.7-inch TouchPad: webOS 3.0 tablet with 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon, coming this summer
There she is, the HP TouchPad. It's the webOS slate we've been yearning for ever since probing (then) Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein on our first-ever Engadget Show, but sadly, it looks as if HP has yanked any and all Palm labeling from the final product. Introduced today in San Francisco as part of a newfangled webOS triumvirate, the TouchPad (previously known by Topaz) is shaped almost exactly like the iPad. It tips the scales at 1.6 pounds and measures 13.7mm thick, which is somewhat of a downer for those already put off by the heft found in Apple's slate. As we'd heard last month, HP's shipping this one with its own Beats audio engine, Touch-to-Share (a feature that lets users easily transfer a website, document, song, text or call from the phone to the tablet -- or vice versa -- simply by tapping the two devices together) and a huge reliance on the cloud. Also of note, Jon just mentioned that this is only the "first in the webOS TouchPad family," hinting that the Opal may be just around the bend. Other specifications include webOS 3.0, "true multitasking," Touch-to-share, instant-on productivity, a 9.7-inch display (1024 x 768 screen resolution), a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon CPU (!), inbuilt gyroscope, accelerometer, compass and 16GB / 32GB of internal storage space. There's also a front-facing 1.3 megapixel webcam, support for video calling, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, A-GPS (3G model only), "twice the memory of a Pre 2" and a set of stereo speakers. Rubenstein claims that this here tablet is "screaming fast," and the software UI we're seeing looks downright luscious. There's a new paneled email application a Growl-like pop-up notification system, support for Skype calling, compatibility with Amazon's Kindle e-book store, plenty of cal / email integration courtesy of HP Synergy, a slick virtual keyboard, VPN support, wireless printing as well as Google Docs, QuickOffice, Dropbox and Box.net compatibility. One of the killer features that can't be found on a competing tablet right now is this one's ability to talk to the Pre 3 -- so long as there's a Touchstone involved, one can have their Pre 3 and TouchPad communicate, even piping over notifications and texts from the phone onto the slate. It's a brilliant idea, and we're obviously amped to see just how well it's implemented. Over on the accessories front, there's a case / stand (which includes a handy flip-out kickstand for desk use), a wireless keyboard (yeah, this one!) and a new Touchstone dock that enables all of the wireless communication magic between webOS devices. If you're curious about specific models, the first out of the gate will be a WiFi only version, with 3G and 4G variants to follow suit in due time. As for the all-important pricing and availability? "Coming this summer," with pricing to be determined "at a later date." Bah, humbug! Update: Video after the break, and have a look at our hands-on here! %Gallery-116085% %Gallery-116097% For more on all of HP's webOS announcements today, click here!
HP's Pavilion dv6 and dv7 get Envy-like features, g-series loses the bargain basement looks
We know the story: all you want is an HP Envy 14 or 17, but you just don't have the cash. Well, as it turns out, HP's been thinking long and hard about your issue, and its new Pavilion dv6 and dv7 may very well be what the doctor ordered. Pulling out some of the higher-end Envy features, the new 15.6- and 17.3-inch laptops have been refreshed not only with Beats Audio speakers, HD webcams, and HP's CoolSense technology, but they've also been given "dark umber" metal lids / palm rests. Oh, and did we mention the light-up touchpads? Okay, so it's not the same as the Envy's etched-metal case, but they're certainly a step up in design from the previous glossy rigs, and for their respective $750 and $1,000 starting prices, there's no arguing that it's a pretty sweet deal. Spec-wise the machines are just as impressive -- they boast Intel's latest Sandy Bridge Core i5 and i7 processors, AMD Radeon 6000M graphics, and USB 3.0 ports. Additionally, both models will be available with Blu-ray drives and up to two terabytes of storage. Want it tomorrow? We don't blame you, but you'll have to wait until "sometime in March" to order these bad boys. On the lower end, HP's refreshed its Pavilion g-series, and you know what? For under $500, they don't look half bad. Yep, HP's gone ahead and given its budget mainstream line a total makeover with colorful lids (name a color, they've got it), a pseudo-chiclet keyboard, a touchpad that is totally flush with the palmrest, and Altec Lansing speakers. But while you may be able to take the bargain look out of the laptop, it's hard to remove those bargain specs -- the 14-inch g4, 15.4-inch g6, and 17.3-inch g7 get cut off at AMD's Athlon and Turion and Intel's Pentium and Core i3 processors. Still for the $450 to $600 price points, it's not too shabby. The g-series will be available on March 13th, but until then enjoy the hands-on shots below and the full press release after the break. %Gallery-115866% %Gallery-115873%
HP twirls out TouchSmart 610 and 9300 all-in-one PCs
When almost every other computer manufacturer has copied its touchscreen all-in-one, what's a company like HP to do? Create a totally crazy pivoting and reclining one, of course! Yep, HP's newest TouchSmart 610 and 9300 Elite Business PC may look like typical 1920 x 1080-resolution, 23-inch all-in-ones when positioned upright, but that all changes when their screens recline up to 60 degrees or the entire body of the rig swivels around to do a 180. It's one seriously flexible AIO, but the new design isn't just about yoga-like tricks -- it aims to make touch interaction more comfortable and ergonomic, and on that vein HP has also updated its TouchSmart 610 consumer model with its latest TouchSmart software layer, which includes finger-friendly Hulu, Netflix, and Twitter apps as well as a TouchSmart Apps Center. The 9300 Elite Business all-in-one, as you may have caught from its name, is meant for enterprise and "customer spaces" (aka kiosks, counters, etc.), and thus only comes loaded with Windows 7. Spec-wise, the 610 can be configured with Intel and AMD desktop processors, up to 16GB of RAM, a terabyte of storage, a Blu-ray drive, while its 1.3 megapixel camera and Beats Audio speakers come standard. Naturally, the 9300 has to keep up its professional reputation, and though it cuts out the Beats, it gains Intel's latest Sandy Bridge processors, a 160GB SSD option, and a higher quality two megapixel cam with facial recognition software. You know, for "enhanced security." So, when can you pick up one of these monsters? The $900 610 is expected to start shipping on February 9th, while the 9300 will hit in May for an undetermined price. We're hoping to bring you a full review of the 610 soon, but we can tell you from our early look at it that the viewing angles were sufficiently wide and the tilting mechanism fairly rigid. Man, it's already turning out to be quite a week for HP -- that webOS event is coming up on Wednesday, but in the meantime you'll want to hit the break for the full TouchSmart press release and a short video of the reclining mechanism in action. %Gallery-115790% %Gallery-115791%
HP / Palm's 9.7-inch Topaz tablet to use 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8660, Adreno 220 GPU
Looks like those whispers we heard about HP's Topaz having a 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU were true. The folks over at Pre Central just scored an internal document detailing presumed specifications of HP's forthcoming 9.7-inch tablet, and it looks like the aforesaid CPU will be joined by an integrated Adreno 220 GPU, 512MB of DDR2 memory, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and dual-band 802.11b/g/n WiFi. We're told to expect an oleophobic Gorilla Glass screen with a standard XGA (1024 x 768) resolution, options for 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, optional WWAN, an accelerometer, gyroscope, light sensor, microphone and a battery that'll last for around eight hours in ideal circumstances. Naturally, webOS will be onboard, and we're hearing that a WiFi-only model will indeed hit the market at some point. As for the connected versions? HSPA, LTE and CDMA variants are rumored, with the former two likely to be SIM-locked while all three carry A-GPS. It should be noted that these documents were apparently fresh as of last fall, so everything is clearly subject to change. That said, we're digging the reports that HP will be doing everything it can to fully support Flash on this here slate, and it may also consider a partnership with Blio for the digital bookworms in attendance. Naturally, cloud services is shaping up to be a huge deal, and it'll definitely support inductive charging via the Touchstone v2. These docs also affirm what we'd heard about integrated Beats Audio technology and Tap to Share, with the second-gen Touchstone to also handle wireless picture sharing, cordless audio streaming and tether-free video beaming (just to name a few). Hit the source link the full skinny, and feel free to pressure HP to move February 9th a little closer to today. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HP / Palm tablet to feature Touchstone dock, cloud storage, Beats audio and Tap-to-Share smartphone integration
Now that the kitty's out of the gemstone bag, we're slowly starting to connect the dots that obscure the details of Palm's soon to be announced "Topaz" and "Opal" tablets. First up is information from one of our original trusted sources who claims that the Opal will measure 180 x 144 x 13mm (making it a bit shorter and wider than the 190.1 x 120.5 x 12-mm Galaxy Tab) and feature a 1,024 x 768 pixel TFT LCD display. We're told that the bigger Topaz tablet will ship about three months before Opal and measures in at 241 x 190 x 13mm (making it nearly identical to the 242.8 x 189.7 x 13.4-mm iPad) with a pixel resolution that could be the same as the Opal (our source wasn't 100 percent on this). We're also hearing that the "premium audio" we saw on that leaked marketing slide will indeed be powered by HP's Beats audio processing, and that the tablets will be provided with "tens of gigabytes" of cloud storage -- so much that it dwarfs the local storage on the devices. Good, because you're going to need it from the looks of some additional information we just received. Click through for the detail.
Video: DJing on an iPad
In the video below, you'll find a pretty rocking DJ set thanks to an iPad and some other pretty gnarly hardware. This isn't exactly a DIY solution, since DJ Kutski is using Traktor Pro (that's the software on the screen above) and an X1 controller, both of which are pretty significant pieces of DJ gear. But the iPad is definitely a big part of the equation, and it's running TouchOSC, a neat app that allows you to hook up sound interfaces over Wi-Fi using some very configurable abstract graphics. There's not much in the way of explanation. You can definitely see him changing pitches and adjusting the volume in real-time (pretty impressive just running the controller over Wi-Fi), but non-DJs will probably have to look elsewhere to figure out exactly what's happening here. Then again, if nothing else, you can enjoy some nice iPad-driven beats on this Christmas Eve. Enjoy!
Monster sues Fanny Wang, purveyor of fine knockoff headphones
Monster Cable's reign of legal terror has resulted in several things over the years -- a tiff with the Chicago Bears over the "Monsters of the Midway" nickname, a lawsuit against a minigolf company, and eventually even a hard ban on the pages of Engadget -- but we can't say we ever expected the target of a Monster lawsuit to try and use the case for cheap free publicity. Well, surprises come in all forms: the delightfully-named Fanny Wang is now proudly proclaiming that it's being sued for copying Monster's Beats headphones and trying to score some free good press -- even though it appears that Fanny's headphones are indeed a fairly close copy of Beats. (Just check the image above.)To give you an idea of the ridiculousness at work, Fanny's presently hosting a copy of the Beats design patent and Monster's complaint on its own website, right next to a rebuttal of the charges. Fanny claims its headphones have different packaging and minor design differences such that "no reasonable consumer would likely confuse the two," which we suppose is arguably true -- but we'd also point out that Fanny's original press release proudly proclaims that "the same sound engineer who designed the Beats by Dr. Dre acoustics tackled the Fanny Wang collection." Copy, coincidence, or crafty PR strategy? You be the judge... for now.
HP Envy 14 Beats Edition no longer available with Dr. Dre endorsed headphones, results in price drop
The differences between the HP Envy 14 Beats Edition and the plain ol' Envy 14 have been primarily aesthetic -- it's got a black Beats branded lid and red backlit keyboard -- but HP's also included that set of Monster Beats Solo headphones you see up there. Sadly, that last differentiator is no longer. We'd heard from a few readers that their Envy 14 Beats Edition laptops arrived sans headphones, and HP has confirmed for us that due to "supply constraints" the Dr. Dre Solo from Monster headphones are no longer included with the snazzy black and red laptop. Hopefully those customers that paid full price for the laptop and didn't receive the Solos will get a refund, but we're told by HP that the price has been lowered by $100 since the cans went out of stock -- the starting price was originally $1,249.99 and is now $1,149.99. We're not entirely sure why you'd pay $150 more for the Beats version now, considering you get the same audio experience with the standard $999.99 Envy, but what do we know? There may be tons of diehard Beats Audio fans living amongst us. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Beats by Dr. Dre launching Beatbox iPod dock, along with LeBron and Bieber-branded headphones
Dr. Dre knows a hit when he sees one, and the already sprawling Beats lineup is getting five new products to hit just about every demographic you can imagine. First off is the Beatbox, a high-end portable iPod dock with 5.25-inch bass drivers and 2-inch high frequency drivers which will retail for $400. Next up is a LeBron James-branded set of athletics-friendly earbuds dubbed the Powerbeats. The $170 headphones include dual drivers and a design that lets in external noises. Meanwhile, the Beats Pro blows the lid off with a $450 pricetag and audio pro-style quality and performance. At the cheap end we have iBeats, a $120 pair of i-device friendly cans for the less discriminating, and our personal favorites: JustBeats. JustBeats are better than all the other headphones and we heart them and they're totally worth $200 for the on-ear and $120 for the in-ear versions because Justin Bieber is totally down to earth and sexy and probably the best singer ever. All of these should be landing in the next few weeks; we know you'll make the right decision. Update: Oh, and just so you know: we still hate Monster. You just can't pass up some Bieber, you know? %Gallery-103656%
Libratone Beats wireless speakers begin playing when you enter the room
We're suckers for wireless speakers, but they have to work. We're not the least bit interested in streaming technologies that stutter from interference or compress the audio to preserve bandwidth. That's why Libratone caught our attention here in Berlin with its new Libratone Beat -- the "world's first high-end active speaker with wireless technology," or so they claim. The speaker features one 5-inch bass, two 3-inch midrange drivers, and two 1-inch ribbon based tweeters. In all we're looking at 50W of bass output and 2x25W at the tweeter / midrange. There's even a 3.5-mm mini jack to tether devices. The big question here is will they be worth the MSRP €595 / $655 when they start shipping across Europe and the US in January? Well, we can't say for sure. After all, we could only listen to the speaker on the very crowded (and noisy) floor of the IFA trade show. But what we heard sounded decent and did manage to stream audio over its proprietary transmission technology even at a distance of about 50 feet. Very impressive considering the high concentration of WiFi hotspots and other wireless devices in use within just a few feet of the Libratone booth. Here's the catch: a dongle is required to communicate with the speaker -- a small version for the iPod / iPhone / Pad or a larger USB stick for your laptop -- both included with the purchase price. On the plus side, multiple Beats can play at once -- just wander into range of one or multiple Beats and they'll start (and later stop) playing automatically. Nice. Update: We've added a second gallery of press images below. %Gallery-101388% %Gallery-103235%
HP unleashes Envy 17 3D, HP Envy 14 Beats edition and specially-cooled Pavilion dm3
We know, it feels like it was just a few months ago that the new Envy 14 and 17 hit the market, but HP isn't quite finished tinkering with its aluminum laptops. First up is the new Envy 14 Beats edition, which just like the previous Envy 15 Beats has a totally different black and red design than the rest of the Envy line along with a pretty awesome red backlit keyboard. Apart from the different aesthetics and bundled Beats headphones, it's essentially the same as the regular Envy 14, although the $1249 starting price is for big fans of beats or Dr. Dre only. The Envy 17 gets the most interesting update, though: it'll be available sometimes this holiday season with a 17.3-inch 3D Ultra BrightView display and active shutter glasses. Powered by AMD's 3D technology, the Envy 17 will also support 3D Blu-ray discs, and by that we mean Avatar when it finally hits in November. We got a chance to check it out a few weeks ago and the 3D content looked pretty, well... three-dimensional. HP says the rig will be priced south of $2,000 and claims it's been working very hard on improving viewing angles. On the much-more-thin-and-light end of the spectrum, HP's also unveiling the improved Pavilion dm3. Starting at $549, the 13.3-inch dm3 will be available with Intel Core i3 and i5 processors and boasts HP's new CoolSense technology, which the company says combines hardware and software to keep the entire chassis cool. Beyond all that, the laptop is less than an inch thick and has been given a major makeover -- it has a very soft-to-the-touch lid and the same chiclet keyboard and ClickPad as the Pavilion dm4. We're planning to review a few of these, but until then head below to check out some hands-on shots and the full press release after the break. %Gallery-100738% %Gallery-100739%
HP Envy 14 review
The HP Envy 14 is like the final revision of a C+ term paper that always had potential, but just needed an bit of extra information and refinement to get an A. In fact, when HP introduced the Envy 14, the company was rather blunt about the fact that many of the issues that plagued the original Envy systems had been addressed, including the lack of an optical drive and backlight keyboard, the frustrating touchpad and the heat caused by the Core i7 processor. On paper, the 14.5-inch Envy 14 has everything we wanted to see in those first models while still maintaining its beautiful yet tough etched aluminum chassis. It's also got a new lower $999 starting price, though our review unit rang up at $1,290. So, has the Envy 14 finally make its way to the head of the class? We've spent some quality time with the rig to find out. %Gallery-98777%
Diddy, Beats combine to make... Diddybeats
Not even Engadget's firm ban on Monster Cable can keep the word "Diddybeats" off these pages.
HP Mini 210 Vivienne Tam Edition leaps off the runway and into our hands
Paging all butterfly-admiring netbook lovers! With spring upon us, HP's officially launching the Mini 210 Vivienne Tam edition that it previewed back at September's Fall Fashion Week, and, well, it sure is unique looking. We actually got to take a peek at it a few weeks ago, and while the butterfly adorned cover may only appeal to a certain sex type, the gold covered keyboard is what you'd expect kings and queens to type on. Okay so, the design wasn't really in line with our tastes, but at least we're comfortable with the internal specs which are identical to the Mini 210 we recently reviewed (sans the Broadcom Crystal HD). And apparently the Mini should sound as good as it looks -- HP's updated Vivienne's netbook with Beats by Dr. Dre audio software, which to date has only been found in the company's Envy line. Interesting move, but of course it's still very hard for us to understand why anyone would spend $600 on a netbook that's got an extremely frustrating touchpad and only a three-cell battery -- but we'd guess that it probably has to do with that whole 'beauty is pain' thing. The full press release is after the break. %Gallery-87245% %Gallery-87324%
