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VAIO P, now with more Windows 7
We just couldn't help ourselves, and put this Windows 7 .iso we had lying around exactly where it belongs: on Sony's VAIO P. After mucking around on "the internet" figuring out the best way to install it, we ended up going the lazy route and dragging / dropping the plain files onto a folder on a USB drive, hitting setup.exe and watching the installer do its magic -- and it worked flawlessly! We weren't timing it or anything, but we'd say 45 minutes or so is a good guesstimate for the install. A few thoughts: It boots fast! Not that Vista was that bad on the boot front, but we're pretty happy with this. No Aero. That's to be expected, but the lack of transparency and visual effects makes the OS look quite a bit different than most of the screenshots out there. It's very responsive. To be honest, a lot of that could be from the fact that this is a clean install, minus all the crap Sony loads on. Still, we're very happy for the start menu to pop open instantly, windows to redraw like God intended... it's pretty great. Browsing is 100% better. Internet Explorer pops open in a flash, and pages load in times nearly on comparison with "real" computers. Also, scrolling is ultra smooth, whereas with Vista it was stuttery all the way down. There's a lot more to explore. We've just scratched the surface, but we love what we've seen so far. Update: both videos are after the break!Update 2: for those who've asked: yes, the webcam works, and no, we haven't had any luck getting Aero up and running, though we have the video drivers loaded -- we're not saying it's impossible, in fact, it's likely very possible, since plenty of other similarly specced netbooks can pull it off, but it's just not happening for us just yet.%Gallery-41532%
Marvell announces 1GHz processor for tiny things that need big power
Everyone's heard of the Atom and its 1.6GHz worth of ubiquity providing the oomph behind many a netbook, and, while not directly targeting Intel's frugal juggernaut, Marvell may have itself a contender with the PXA168. It's an upcoming processor intended for mobile devices that's aspiring to speeds in the 1GHz and beyond range. While we're expecting it'll be most commonly found in smartphones and the like (particularly those from Asus), there's a chance these could show up in some low(er) cost netbooks, too, possibly helping to keep that race to the bottom going for a few more laps yet. [Via GadgetMix.com, thx Kamal]
Motorola Aura hands-on
OK, the Motorola Aura isn't new at CES this year, but honestly, how could you expect us to pass up an opportunity to check it out? So yeah, we might have been harsh on it when we were talking price, but up close this is an amazing little phone. The housing material, build quality, keys, assisted-opening blade mechanism, and sapphire crystal lens are all perfectly done, the display -- while admittedly tiny -- is nothing short of completely stunning. This is without a doubt one of the nicer phones we've handled, though the jury's still out on functionality. Follow on to see a gallery loaded with pics that we're hoping show just how beautiful this thing really is. End of gush.%Gallery-41529%
Video: 50-inch multitouch TV on display from Samsung
If there's one thing for sure here at CES it's that we've seen a bunch of multitouch devices, both good and bad. Add this 50-inch multitouch display from Samsung to the list titled "cool as hell." Once we were done snapping shots of the P3, we saw people surrounding this bad boy so we decided to see what was up. We don't have much info but one thing's for sure: these devices are much more fun when you're just playing around rather than using it for some more meaningful purpose. Peep the video after the jump.
Hands-on with the Bowers and Wilkins Panorama soundbar and XT8 speaker
Remember the "groundbreaking new product" that Bowers & Wilkins promised us for CES? We wouldn't have expected it from the Abbey Road Studios-approved speaker brand, but it turned out to be the Panorama soundbar. It certainly will break some ground in pricing (and wallets) when it ships for $2,200 in March, though. The all-in-one speaker packs three amplifiers, plenty of inputs for your Dolby Digital and DTS sources (2 analog, 2 Toslink and a SPDIF coax), and selectable settings for tuning the virtual surround effect based on the wall surfaces and whether you mount the Panorama on a wall or shelf. Also on show was the new design of the XT-series speakers, with the top-to-bottom grille -- quite handsome, but unfortunately silent.%Gallery-41522%
Video: Intel's convertible Classmate PC hands-on
It's been five months since we first heard about the convertible Classmate PC, and now we've finally gotten a chance to get our hands on it at the Intel booth. It feels pretty durable -- especially that kind of important display swivel -- but we take issue with how lopsided the weight is towards the back. The Quick Launcher Windows XP shell lives up to the name and is indeed very fast and easy to navigate. When we rotated the tablet on its side, however, the interface awkwardly fills in only the top half. According to the rep, there's no US distributor yet for retail. Glamor shots in the gallery, or check out video after the break. Is it too much to ask for capacitive multitouch next time?%Gallery-41408%
Video: Gibson Dark Fire guitar hands-on
We'll be honest -- we're totally in love with Gibson's Dark Fire guitar. The $3,499 update to the Robot guitar we played with at CES last year is lighter, faster, easier to use and features new Chameleon Tone technology that actually reconfigures the individual pickups to deliver different sounds. The FireWire / MIDI breakout box enables you to record directly to a computer, but you can also tweak presets and control the guitar from the included Ableton Live / Guitar Rig bundle. It's seriously hot -- and it's even hotter when it's being demoed by German inventor Chris Adams, who might be the single coolest dude at CES. Check it out after the break!%Gallery-41525%
Video: ASUS AIRO laptop with amazing sliding keyboard
ASUS was kind enough to take its beautiful AIRO laptop out from behind the glass at CES for an Engadget exclusive look at the functional sliding mechanism. The design raises the keyboard to cool the hot running components beneath allowing for a fan-less, convection-cooled design. Unfortunately, this prototype is just a chipset-less mechanical shell. Raise the lid and the keyboard slides back smoother than a greased-up Pete Rose. This allows for a larger, more comfortable wrist rest from which to slap those angled keys. Sexy? Oh yeah, with mojo to spare. Check the video after the break.%Gallery-41520%
Sony OLED Walkman NWZ-X1000 eyes-on
We've been trying to get a legitimate hands-on with Sony's OLED-infused Walkman since we first caught the device on Wednesday, but security's been super tight in the Sony booth and we couldn't distract anyone long enough to unscrew the casing. So we can't get an actual hands-on with the Walkman, but we don't need to touch it to know that the OLED is seriously gorgeous and the UI looks super crisp. Sony's reluctance to pull this out of its casing seems to show the player's not ready for primetime, but we'll keep trying to get something a bit more gratifying.Update: Engadget Spanish got a video of the device in action, so check after the jump if you wanna see more and learn a little español. %Gallery-41517%
Macrovision pushes "Neon" TV Guide
For 2009 CES Macrovision's showing off its new project "Neon", embedded TV Guide software for CE manufacturers it's pushing as an all-in-one homepage for digital content. Not only ready to help users find and watch regular TV shows, it's built for pulling in content from the Internet or locally connected PCs. Of course, among the nice features like Smart Recommendations and rich program descriptors / cover art of TV shows are bits like space for ad graphics loaded at the whim of the manufacturer. Check out the gallery for a preview and hope that gray box on the side isn't too annoying.%Gallery-41404%
VAIO P in-depth impressions
Yeah, we saw this when it first hit the FCC, nabbed blurrycam spyshots before the debut, got the drive-by snaps of the laptop at launch, and pitted this thing against an assortment of laptops the other night, but now that we've finally gotten some quality time with the thing, we've got a better idea of what the VAIO P is -- and isn't -- capable of, outside of inspiring deep, deep gadget lust and nerdy debates about netbook terminology. Check out our thoughts and some video after the break.%Gallery-41519%
Warner and Paramount sign up for movies on SD cards
If you've ever wished out loud for movie distribution on solid state memory, a glimmer of a speck of hope has just popped on to the radar thanks to a partnership between digital media delivery system company MOD Systems and movie studios. Anchor Bay, First Look, Image Entertainment, and -- wait for it -- Warner and Paramount are among the studios signed up to set 4,000 titles loose at a kiosk near you. The bad news is that only standard definition titles are going to be set loose to devices or SD cards. That standard def limitation is a whine, we know -- we like where this is headed.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 WiFi camera reviewed: wait for generation two
WiFi cameras are far from new -- over the past couple of years, we've seen P&S after P&S arrive with minimal functionality that would allow it to sync pictures with one specific online photo portal (or similar). Sony has stepped up the game for cameras to come with the Cyber-shot DSC-G3, which is the first of its kind to include a web browser for logging into pay-hotspots and uploading to practically any photo sharing site on the web. Popular Science got to handle one for a few weeks, and in the end, they were in love with the idea but hesitant to praise the execution. The T700-turned-wireless took satisfactory pictures, but the browser experience was less than awesome. You can hit the read link for all the dirty details, but unless you're willing to deal with "agonizingly" slow load times, you're probably better off waiting for the next revision. Or for some other company to whip out a bona fide competitor.%Gallery-41112%
HD roundup on the floor of CES 2009
CES 2009 didn't seen any new size records in terms of diagonal size, but it was still a huge year for high-def. 3D was absolutely everywhere, Blu-ray players were impossible to miss and the internet finally found its way to the HDTV. For a look at all of the hands-on coverage that didn't make it over on this side of the slate, wade through the links below to get caught up.Read - Engadget HD podcast: CES editionRead - XStreamHD still kicking, showing off updated hardwareRead - WirelessHD hands on & recklessly-interferingRead - Live from the '09 BDA press conferenceRead - Sling Monitor in-home placeshifter hands-upRead - TrueHD on an HTPC caught in actionRead - Eyes on Memorex's new MVBD-2520 Blu-ray playerRead - DISH Network ViP 922 HD DVR hands-on and videoRead - Hands-on with ZeeVee's ZvPro and ZvBoxPLUSRead - Hands on with Dynaudio's updated Focus 220 II loudspeakersRead - Video: Windows Media Center 7 with touch interface
Unify4Life's BlackBerry products demoed at CES
A duo of products on display from Unify4Life shows us just how much less productive we could be on our 'Berrys if we had 'em on us. The AV|Shadow and Garage|Shadow connect over Bluetooth and let you control a bevy of AV devices and your garage door, respectively. The demo we saw had the app controlling a PS3 and allowed use of the BlackBerry's keyboard and trackball to input text and move around, and it seemed to work pretty well. The Blackberry app itself looked pretty customizable and the UI was nicely done. Check out the gallery to see the photos of our demo with the PS3, but strangely they couldn't bring in a garage door to show us that product -- but we'll just have to take their word for it.%Gallery-41509%
CES Caption contest: What happens in Vegas
Ross: "Woody Woodpecker officially hits the lowest point of his career."Tim: "World's biggest Twitter fan shows up at CES."Ittousai: "Alien Guts from Ultra Seven?"Ryan: "Twitter has officially jumped the shark."Joe: "I guess Geek Squad wasn't hiring."Thomas: "I think you should stop blowing now."Jose: "I'm a big, big thinker."Josh T: "The doctor will see you now."Steve: "I'm looking for some headphones."Chris: "Did you see that redhead bird by the Casio booth?"Sean: "Man, I thought that pimple would pop all by itself"Nilay: "The chicks in Vegas are crazy."Richard: "This really reinforces my reputation as an untouchable"Paul: "So, what do you guys think about the Pre?"
Poll: What HD-related technology stole the show at CES 2009?
As we talked about on the podcast, a lot went down at CES in the high-def arena. The world's first portable Blu-ray player, even skinnier sets, the global emergence of the connected HDTV, a deliberate focus on eco-friendliness -- and we're just getting started. In case you've missed anything over the past few days, have a look back and then drop your comment / vote in below. What was your favorite HD-related product or technology at this year's show? And yes, you can have two. %Poll-24890%
Palm Pre's "New-ness" event video now viewable
Sure, you might've enjoyed the highs and lows (mostly highs) of Palm's Pre presser through the magic of written language in our liveblog of the event, but there's something about watching it unveiled in person by utterly enthused execs that can only be conveyed by video. Palm's got its own video of the event now live on its site, so grab your favorite Saturday hangover cure, pull up a recliner and start soaking up Palm's own special brand of RDF.Update: We've got the video embedded after the break.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Dell Mini 10 hands-on
We just caught up with the Dell Mini 10, and while it's not as crazy hot as the white Adamo, it's still pretty sweet -- much nicer looking than the Mini 9, and more compact than the Mini 12. No wonder Dell's calling it a "perfect 10." The multitouch trackpad is really similar to the one on the newest Macbooks, but it's a little less intuitive -- the buttons are pushed into the corners, so a middle press doesn't do a lot. On the other hand, it's a little more useful -- not only can you do the usual zooming and scrolling, laying three fingers on the pad brings up a slick little launcher screen. Too bad we don't have pricing or availability -- if this thing comes in at a reasonable number, it's going to be our favorite netbook. We stacked the 10 up against the 9, the 12, and a MacBook Air, check it all out in the gallery below!%Gallery-41432%
Palm Pre Touchstone eyes-on
This isn't a Palm-branded party favor, a paperweight, or a doorstop. Actually, sure, it could be any of those things if you really wanted it to be -- but Palm's Touchstone is mainly about charging your Pre and making sure it looks pretty while it's getting juiced. It's a pretty wild product (and the first accessory purchase for many a would-be Pre owner, we'd bet), so we wanted to spend a little quality time with it. We weren't allowed to do much charging on our own, but the magnets buried in the Pre certainly seemed to do their job of keeping it glued to the base in portrait and landscape orientations. Oh, and just to validate what we know you're thinking right now, yes: we overheard several Palm employees call it "the puck," so you should, too.%Gallery-41501%
