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Video: Eee Dock app launcher demoed on Eee PC 1008HA
While we've already shown you exactly what ASUS' new Eee PC 1008HA looks like, we stopped by again today to take a peek at a less obvious new addition. The Eee Dock app launcher is making its debut on this here netbook, giving users an easy way to access a few common areas from a pull-out dock that can be positioned on the top, bottom or left / right sides. While we assume the 1008HA we toyed with had been on for days sans a reboot, the Eee Dock was a touch sluggish, though it did seem to get the job done if you weren't expecting lighting fast reactions. Our biggest knock was the inability to customize what apps and locations could pop out from the main menu, though we're cautiously hoping ASUS adds that ability in the future. Hit play above to have a look, or feel free to browse the stills below if that's more your style.
OCZ's Z Drive puts 1TB of blazing SSD capacity in your PCIe slot: eyes-on
Here's a little something OCZ Technology cooked up just for CeBIT: a PCIe enclosure that'll contain 1TB worth of SSD storage with maximum read rates of up to 600MB/sec and maximum write speeds of up to 500MB/sec. Oh, and the sustained write speeds are right around 400MB/sec. Essentially, this device will contain four 256GB MLC-based OCZ SSDs along with 256MB of ECC DDR2 RAM; when slapped in one's desktop, they can choose to set it up as the boot disk or a slave. OCZ is also hoping to offer a 4TB edition by the end of the year, which is totally plausible given that 1TB SSDs are already a reality. The on-hand demo was just a mockup shell, but the finalized version shouldn't look much different than what's pictured in the gallery below. As for pricing and availability? It should hit the US of A in around six weeks for somewhere between $1,500 and $2,000. It's high-end, y'all.
OCZ launches first netbook with Neutrino, we go hands-on
Well, well, what have we here? Yet another entrant into the decidedly oversaturated netbook market, that's what. While waltzing through OCZ Technology's CeBIT booth today, we happened upon the company's very first netbook: Neutrino. After chuckling for a few at the empty Beck's bottle beside it (hey, we're in Germany!), we scoped out the specs (and chatted with an on-hand rep) and found that it will be shipping Stateside within nine or so weeks in two variations. The first is a "DIY" model, which will be "priced competitively" compared to similar sized netbooks and enable buyers to select their own RAM, HDD, etc; the alternative is an OCZ'd-out edition, which will cater to high-end users who won't mind the undisclosed price premium. The 10.1-inch machine will come loaded with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, a 945GSE chipset, up to 2GB of RAM, an optional 250GB OCZ SSD, 1,024 x 600 resolution LCD, VGA output, Ethernet, twin USB 2.0 ports, a 4-cell (2,200mAh) battery, WiFi and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. It'll weigh in at 2.86 pounds and come with Ubuntu or WinXP, and while we weren't thrilled with the trackpad performance, the keyboard was one of the nicest we've touched on a netbook, even nicer than the well spaced one on ASUS' Eee PC 1000HE. Check out the gallery below for more looks.
HTC black Magic (Sapphire) hands-on: a Vodafone exclusive
Make no mistake, the all-black HTC Magic is for real. Separated here at CeBIT from its glistening white counterpart by an equally white G1, this near-final Magic looked just stellar in its glossy dark coat. We chatted it up with an on-hand representative who confirmed that the handsets on display weren't absolutely finalized, and that when launched exclusively on Vodafone in Europe (you read that correctly), the Voda logo would be proudly plastered on. He stated that there were no immediate plans for selling an unlocked one in Europe or abroad, but that's just the standard line given when a carrier has yet to get their special toy. He also affirmed that HTC "believed deeply" in Android, and that the world at large would be seeing a lot more where this came from in the near future. Have a look at what these lucky Europeans will soon have access to in the gallery below.%Gallery-46910%
A-DATA launches laptop-ready 2.5-inch 512GB XPG SSD at CeBIT
We heard way back in January that ASUS' S121 would be the world's first laptop with a 512GB SSD, and now we've reason to believe that very drive could be coming from the labs at A-DATA. Here at CeBIT, the company has launched what it's claiming is the industry's highest capacity SSD (in the 2.5-inch form factor) with its 512GB XPG SSD. The drive promises to provide 230MB/s read and 160MB/s write rates while shuffling data around on the SATA II interface. As expected, it comes housed in a durable aluminum casing to shake off those occasional bumps and bruises, but there's sadly no word on price or availability. Next stop: 1TB. (Hopefully, anyway.)
MSI WindBOX dismounts LCD, acts all proper at CeBIT
Despite the fact that MSI's Atom-powered WindBOX is meant to ride your monitor while providing all the computing power it can handle, the employees at the company's CeBIT booth felt it more proper in public to simply leave it laying out front. Though we were a touch dismayed, this choice did give us a better opportunity to shoot it from all angles, and we must say, this sucker is pretty thin. We're still hearing that MSI is aiming this more at enterprise customers rather than mainstream consumers, but there's nothing you can't buy if you know the right channels. Peep the gallery for more of this awkward, dismounted nettop.%Gallery-46735%
Lian-Li's "Burj Al Arab" PC-888 chassis eyes-on
We didn't set out to find Lian-Li's Burj Al Arab-in-PC-case-form at CeBIT (okay, we did, so sue us), but the best part of finding the PC-888 wasn't the case itself. Rather, it was the fellow who spotted it just behind us for the first time ever. We can't replicate in words the amount of glee in his voice, as he obviously has spent at least one night in Dubai's most iconic hotel. Needless to say, we're guessing he left Hannover with one of these in his checked bag.%Gallery-46779%
LG BD370 Blu-ray player hands-on at CeBIT
While the vast majority of our CeBIT coverage is stored over on Engadget Classic, we just felt the need to pass this one on to our diligent HD readers. We've already seen the BD370 unboxed by others, but we couldn't let slip the opportunity to snap a few shots of the one we saw displayed here in Germany. The output was crisp and clear on the admittedly small display, but sadly, no internet was present to test out the network options. Feel free to poke around in the gallery below! %Gallery-46776%
Keepin' it real fake, CeBIT edition: Dancing Like The Stars
We just can't visit a trade show and not scope out at least one KIRF. It's just not possible. Here in Hannover, we happened upon a rather unusual one in a booth selling all sorts of DVDs to resellers willing to buy absolute rubbish and attempt to flip it. Apparently, Dancing Like The Stars is the long-tenured, very fake version of the show we Americans know best as Dancing With The Stars. A subtle difference, sure, but does this man above look anything like The Woz? No, no he does not. Not even at 800 percent magnification.%Gallery-46773%
MSI Wind NetOn AP1900, Wind Top AE line eyes-on
Ready for more MSI? Good. Just in case the flurry of other new gear from the company has yet to tickle your fancy, how's about a smattering of all-in-one PCs? The Wind NetOn AP1900 was on hand in Germany, as was the Wind Top AE1900, AE2010, AE2200. Straight up, we weren't particularly fond of any of 'em, with the enclosures looking downright shoddy from a few feet away. Maybe the design team has been too wrapped up in the X-Slim family to care about these guys, huh? On the plus side, the touchscreen on the Wind Top AE1900 was super responsive, but we know you'll only use it for the first ten or so seconds of ownership before reverting back to the tried-and-true mouse / keyboard tandem. The whole lot is shoved down there in the gallery!%Gallery-46765%
Acer Aspire One D150 hands-on
Acer's N280-powered Aspire One D150 has already been reviewed, but considering that we've yet to have the pleasure of meeting, we took that very opportunity today while parked at the company's CeBIT booth. A trio of colors were around for demoing, so we walked our camera around to tag all three. You know the critics think this machine's a-okay, but does it live up to your demanding style standards? Pop down to the gallery below to decide.%Gallery-46764%
BenQ GP1 (P1) LED pocket projector eyes-on
Remember that GP1 pico projector that was quietly announced alongside a slew of others at CES this year? Apparently it's sporting the P1 moniker in Europe, which is infinitely confusing given that BenQ used to have a PJ that looked mighty similar to this one, and yeah, it too was called the P1. At any rate, the GP1 you see here is BenQ's first ever LED beamer, and with it will come an 858 x 600 native resolution, 100 ANSI lumens, 2,000:1 contrast ratio, an integrated USB reader, TI's DLP technology and a lamp life of 20,000 hours. It should be out in Germany by April, but we're still expecting it here in the US next month for a lofty $599.%Gallery-46757%
Video: Nyko Wand Wii remote flung wildly in Wii Bowling
While focused on little gizmos like the Palm Pre at CES, we somehow missed the opportunity to play with Nyko's Wiimote wannabe back in January. Thankfully, the peripheral company was on hand here in Germany with its full lineup, and we dropped in for a few snapshots as well as a hilarious visual demonstration of just how suitable this thing is at replacing bona fide Wiimotes. As you'll notice in the gallery below, Nintendo's version is just a smidgen taller while the Nyko edition sports a covered back that's easier to grip; outside of that, however, the two feel generally alike when held. It should be noted that the Nyko reps had outfitted the actual Wiimote with its backing in order to prevent any unwanted LCD shatterings, and hey, we can respect that. We also threw in a few shots of the Wii Wand strapped inside the now-ancient Perfect Shot gun holster -- for no other reason than to say we wielded a weapon on company time, really.%Gallery-46716%Update: Nyko pinged us to say that the gun we toyed with is actually the newer, more refined version of the Perfect Shot, or more specifically, the Pistol Grip attachment for the Wand. It'll be available this Spring in the Wand Action Pack.
Western Digital 2TB Caviar Green, 8TB ShareSpace and friends eyes-on
Can't say we really expected to see anything from Western Digital here at CeBIT, but sure enough, it brought along its 2TB Caviar Green hard drive, WD TV HD media player and the new 8TB ShareSpace NAS. Along with oodles of other external, internal and somewhere-in-between drives, too. We actually kind of spazzed upon seeing two terabytes of empty space within a single internal HDD, but hopefully the blur isn't too noticeable. Enjoy!%Gallery-46751%
MSI Wind NetTop CD130 eyes-on
MSI's Wind NetTop CD130 was quietly introduced at the tail end of CES this year, and if you're suspecting that it's simply a cousin of the NetTop D130, you'd be right. We caught two of the boxes on hand at CeBIT, both of which were sporting a dual-core Atom processor and one of which was entirely more colorful than the other. Supposedly, these things only draw around 40 watts of power, but don't expect to do anything other than process Word documents, surf the web and send email with any amount of haste. Per usual, you'll find more images just there in the gallery.%Gallery-46749%
Canon PowerShot SX1 and company eyes-on
As with FujiFilm's latest bunch, we were quite shocked to see Canon's newest offering out and about in Hannover. Granted, most of the good one were caged under lock and key (yes, we're talking to you, elusive PowerShot SX1), but that didn't stop us from mashing our lens (and lips, we won't lie) up against the glass and pulling the shutter. You already know about the specs, now check out the skins and the European model names. Sassy.%Gallery-46743%
Researchers develop flying WiFi robots for disaster relief
Researchers at Germany's Ilmenau University of Technology are developing flying quadcopter robots that can be used to form a self-assembling ad-hoc wireless network in the event of disaster. Built with off-the-shelf parts (including VIA's Pico-ITX hardware and a GPS unit) the robots are designed to provide both mobile phone and WiFi access -- and they can do it far more quickly than a technician on the ground might be able to. The device comes in a kit for €300 (about $380), which includes all but the battery -- the batteries currently run around €1,000 (over $1200) and only offer up 20 minutes of flight time. Once the device has found a perch, however, it can operate for "several hours." If you'd like to see some more of this guy, be sure to head on over to FutureParc hall at CeBIT. Either that, or check out the additional picture after the break.[Thanks, David]
Video: Hama's iPod touch racing wheel exemplifies overkill
While most of Hama's CeBIT booth consisted of random USB drives, cases and other sorts of low-rate accessories, this particular low-rate accessory grabbed our hearts and wouldn't let go. The absurdly titled Game Wheel Speed-X is evidently geared to work with Apple's latest iPod touch, though we reckon an iPhone 3G should slide right in without too much effort. Clearly, this aims to be a Wii Wheel for your favorite Apple handheld, though we have to wonder how many individuals plan on carrying this ridiculously large piece of plastic around with their touch. Actually, we don't have to wonder. Jump past the break for a couple of video demonstrations.%Gallery-46741%
Acer's Atom-powered Altos easyStore eyes-on
While it was Acer's Windows Home Server-equipped easyStore H340 getting the Atom upgrade last month, we're taking a look at the Atom 230-packin' Altos easyStore here at CeBIT. Boasting four hot-swappable bays and a ravishing design, this here NAS device is suitable for avid home users and the everyday small business owner. 'Round back, we found four USB 2.0 sockets, an Ethernet jack and an eSATA port, but why not head to the gallery and see all of it with your own two eyes?%Gallery-46737%
Video: ASUS Eee Stick demoed at CeBIT
We already gave you a sneak peek at ASUS' Eee Sticks yesterday, but we couldn't resist video taping a fellow giving these a go today. The not-at-all-familiar tennis title worked about like you'd expect it to (if you've ever played a Wii, that is), but judging by the pent up frustration we felt from over on the sidelines, the learning curve on these is a bit steeper than advertised. Just mash play to live vicariously through this dude.%Gallery-46719%