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Walt Mossberg gets his brain (DS) trained
They've sold Brain Age in Japan by the millions, used it to demonstrate disruptive market strategies (in multiple keynotes), and now the folks at Nintendo have dropped their brain-sharpening baby into the hands of Walter S. Mossberg.Mossberg, the powerful Wall Street Journal tech writer, has wielded quite a bit of influence in the gadget world, even giving praise (with strong reservations) to the PSP and Xbox 360 when each of those platforms launched. But what does he have to say about Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day (for the DS)?Walt actually likes the game... with a caveat, of course: his ability to knock down his purported brain age down to 20 (the youngest possible) in the course of a day "didn't inspire confidence in the program's scientific accuracy." But at least it was fun. And even if that creepy Kawashima head isn't fully localized yet ("the setting sun sure does put spots in my eyes"), at least the older mainstream--okay, Engadget--crowd will get some exposure to this supposedly beneficial game through this coverage.[Thanks, Michael; image from the Radio And Internet Newsletter (RAIN)]See also: GDC: The Nintendo keynote blow by blow [free Brain Age for all!] Japanese doctors recommend Brain Training for seniors Walt Mossberg on the 360 PSP: Wall Street Journal gives us its impressions
Engadget Podcast 072 - 03.07.06
We've been a little while since our last podcast, but we're back, and just in time, too. After last week's Apple non-announcements, we got some blockbuster business news: RIM and NTP finally settled? AT&T buying BellSouth (and thus the controlling stake of Cingular) for 67 billion dollars? Microsoft learns how to launch a buzz campaign with Origami? And if that wasn't enough Engadget turned two years old last Thursday. It's been loads of fun, but we're only getting started. Also, be sure to phone, Gizmo, or email in your usual questions and comments -- and especially your tech support horror stories for our support nightmare podcast later this week. Thanks for the last couple of years, here's to a couple more! Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS] Add the Engadget Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically (MP3). [MP3] Download the show (MP3). [AAC] Download the show (enhanced AAC). [OGG] Download the show (OGG). [Vote] Vote for us on Podcast Alley! Hosts Peter Rojas and Ryan Block Producer Randall Bennett Music J J J - 'Suits' in Japan Format 1:26:10, 39.7 MB, MP3 Program 01:48 - Engadget turns two! 06:16 - Steve Jobs Keynote 11:47 - Intel Mac Mini 12:14 - iPod Hi-Fi 15:28 - Microsoft's Oragami 27:26 - AT&T buys BellSouth, Ma Bell is back 35:11 - RIM & NTP settle for $612 million 40:59 - Former Gizmondo executive's wrecked Ferrari 47:34 - ROKR E3 exclusive 52:18 - Listener Voicemail 84:43 - SXSW, and the week ahead LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET, Engadget (Gizmo Project) or podcast at engadget dot com
It's our 2nd birthday and we're giving you the presents!
Ah, it's ok, you can admit that you forgot our birthday. It's not too late to send us gift basket or anything, but you know how we roll here at Engadget, and so to celebrate our 2nd anniversary we're blowing it out with seven days of giveaways. We're kicking things off with chance to win a brand new Slingbox. Winning this fine prize is easy: just tell us what's your favorite Engadget post of the past year. It can be anything (except this post): a regular post, an interview, a how-to, a review, or whatever, just post a comment below with a link to it along with a couple of lines about why it's your fave and we'll pick a winner at random. Three runners-up will each win an Engadget t-shirt.A couple of things: 1. You can only enter each day's contest once. If you post more than once you'll be automatically disqualified and barred from all future giveaways. (Yes, we're checking thoroughly to ensure fairness.)2. You can only win once. (If you win and go for a second prize, you'll be automatically disqualified and barred, etc.)3. Contests are open to anyone, anywhere. Unless you work for Engadget or Weblogs, Inc.We'll keep comments open for about 24 hours, best of luck to everyone and thanks for all of your support for these past two years!
Congrats to winners of Engadget's WWJD contest
Above you see the winning entry to Engadget's 'What Would Jobs Do' contest. Adam K's Apple Tablet netted him a brand new iPod nano.Check some of the other entries and see what other Apple folks can do with a little Photoshop and a dream.
Zenview: Not QuadHD but still impressive
You know whats better than a 24" Samsung 1920x1200 LCD screen with component inputs? 6 (Is that the number of the day or what?) 24" Samsung 1920x1200 LCD screens with component inputs.$12k gets you the screens above on a desk stand, the Zenview Command Center Elite seems like it would be perfect for.....well anything. We honestly can't imagine blogging on anything else. Sure it doesn't have the zip zoom pow of CMO's offering, but we'll sell our souls for one try to get a hands-on review.[Via Engadget]
WWJD? Results @ Engadget
Because the day isn't complete without a Mac rumor, and in lieu of more real Apple rumors, Engadget decided to have their readers make some up. In answer to the question "What Would Jobs Do?" in his surprise announcement tomorrow, readers created their own potential Apple products.Although it only garnered an honorable mention, this one was our favorite for obvious reasons. Check out the rest, there are some really talented and funny photoshoppers out there.
High definition DVD launches are back on again
In the on again-off again world of next generation DVD formats, everything appears to be on again. The AACS conflict from last week has been settled with an "interim" agreement that will allow manufacturers to start making players. With that, HD-DVD should be on shelves in late March, followed by Blu-ray in May. Excellent, the day when HDTV owners can buy high priced, high DRM but low functionality DVD players is nearly upon us, are you guys excited yet?[Via Engadget]
Engadget: How to scale video
The talented Engadget crew has a fantastic tutorial showing you how to build your own HD video scaler. The pic above shows a before (clearly on the left) and after (even more clear on the right) using the DIY setup. Descaler is the free software app that the Engadget team uses, so you'll want to download that when you get a chance. If you've got a home theater PC with a capture card like we do, just follow the simple steps and you'll increase video quality on your PC in a simple and painless way. Note: This pics above are from a VHS copy of Titanic by by Mark Rejhon.
Introducing Engadget Mobile
We know you guys are into portable gadgets, so we thought you'd interested in meeting the newest member of the Weblogs Inc. family, Engadget Mobile. What's over there that's so interesting? Ruthlessly efficient mobile phone news coverage, that's what. Check it out before that cellphone melts your brain.
Apple products in the Engadget awards
Engadget has compiled their list of tech awards for 2005, as selected by the readers and Engadget editors. Categories ranged from "Gadget of the Year" to "Disappointment of the Year." Apple received six readers' choice awards (but no editors' picks, oddly enough). So, here's how Apple fared, as selected by Engadget readers: Gadget of the Year: Apple iPod 5G (Editors' pick: Xbox 360) Desktop of the Year: Apple Power Mac G5 Quad (Editors' pick: Sony RC series) Laptop of the Year: Apple Powerbook 15" (Editors' pick: IBM Thinkpad Z) Media PC of the Year: Apple iMac G5 with FrontRow (Editors' pick: Niveus Media K2) Portable Audio Device of the Year: iPod nano (Editors' pick: iRiver U10) Portable Video Device of the Year: Apple iPod 5G (Editors' pick: Cowon A2) While not really an Apple product, Disappointment of the Year went to the Motorola ROKR E1. I whole-heartedly agree.
Sony KDS-R60XBR1 is Engadget's Readers Choice
The 2005 Engadget Awards are out and we quickly skipped past all of the uber-cool, but not so high-def devices until we found the Engadget HDTV of the year. Looks like there was a split on this one, but we can see why. The Engadget Readers voted the Sony KDS-R60XBR1 LCoS HDTV as the best high-def set of 2005. Several of our readers also like the 60-inch Sony so we can't argue with that pick. Engadget picked the Toshiba SED set and after personally viewing it at CES, we understand. The SED sets aren't available for consumers yet, and likely won't be until very late this year, so we're expecting to see the SED set top the list for the readers next year.What HDTV sets would you consider as the top high-def TV for 2005?
360 is Engadget's Gadget of the Year
The Xbox 360 won Engadget's Pick for the coveted "Gadget of the Year" award, beating out the Reader's Choice, the ever popular Apple iPod (5G). Congratulations Xbox 360, you deserve it, even if it has been a little bumpy. The 360 also handily won both Reader's Choice and Engadget's Pick for "Game Console of the Year," naturally.Oh, and I hate to spoil the party, but there was one device that won both Reader's Choice and Engadget's Pick for "Most Anticipated Gadget of 2006": the Sony PlayStation 3. Oh man, 2006 is going to be fun!
Engadget Podcast 066 - 01.31.06
We may have lost the QRIO and the AIBO last week, but when one gadget company shuts a door, another opens a window: Nintendo announced the DS Lite, a smaller, um, lighter version of the DS. Microsoft also announced CableCARD 2.0 support for Vista (for a price, anyway), and one of their own, Ford Davidson, took a few to sit down with us and discuss Windows Mobile in the marketplace. And, of course, our usual dose of next-gen optical discussions continues, with a pinch of listener voicemail and a touch of gadgety democracy thrown in for good measure. Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS] Add the Engadget Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically (MP3). [MP3] Download the show (MP3). [AAC] Download the show (enhanced AAC). [OGG] Download the show (OGG). [Vote] Vote for us on Podcast Alley! Hosts Peter Rojas and Ryan Block Producer Randall Bennett Music J J J - 'Suits' in Japan Format 1:10:20, 32.1MB, MP3 Program 01:17 - Nintendo announces DS Lite 05:39 - Sony killed AIBO and QRIO 10:38 - Study finds robot pets as good as live ones 14:02 - Netflix to support HD DVD and Blu-ray 16:28 - Samsung SH-B022 Blu-ray burner reviewed 18:27 - Culprit uncovered in Core Duo battery drain: Microsoft driver 21:44 - CableCARD on Vista to require CableLabs certification 26:00 - TiVo undelete forthcoming! 28:31 - Interview with Ford Davidson of Microsoft's Mobile division 52:01 - Listener voicemail! 48:19 - Engadget Awards ending soon, and we're up for two Bloggies! LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Call up the Podcast at: 1-888-ENGADGET
Build a better HTPC with Engadget
Eliot Phillips just built a killer HTPC over at Engadget, maybe he had some DTV-envy from our WMCE how to? It's all good because he's got space for a killer amount of storage in the box: can you say 4TB in the future? There's no HDTV tuner in the box just yet, buy we forgive him; besides, he's already stated his intentions to add a card that's both OTA and QAM-capable. The HTPC costs a little more than a grand, but has some spunky components including an Intel P4 at 3.0GHz, 2GB of memory, and an inexpensive graphics card can power a 1920 x 1200 display. The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow if you want your very own HTPC that runs MythTV on Linux, but we'll warn you now: due to graphic pics of PC guts throughout the post, viewer discretion is advised.
Even the manufacturers don't know what is going on
More than a week later and I'm still trying to find out what Viiv is all about and why I should be excited. I'm not even the only one, our friends at Engadget have posted their reasoning for why no one knows the secret of Viiv, making for an entertaining read at the least.Also, over at CE Pro they're recounting just a few of the flubs and missteps live presentations had at CES, according to Intel with Viiv they have succeded in "making the PC more PC like". Yeah great job on that one guys.
So no Apple plasma HDTV after all :(
Blah blah blah, laptop, blah blah, iPod, blah blah blah, dual core Intel processor. No 50" plasma screens, no UDI. The best news we got was DVI out on the new laptops, no word if that will include HDCP, but unless they'll upgrade your laptop to Blu-ray or HD-DVD, who cares?I'm so disappointed, check out the rest of the coverage of the Jobsy one's keynote on Engadget and TUAW.
Who has bankrupted more companies?
So Engadget has another great interview with Bill Gates up, but there's this one part where Bill takes a low blow at Apple. Peter asks: "So you don't worry about Apple opening things up so an OEM like Sony could offer OS X?" And Bill replies, "Well, the last time Apple went out and licensed their operating system to people they changed their minds and they bankrupted all the people who had been involved in that, and I don't know if we'll see another round of Apple tantalizing people with that or not." Meanwhile, back here in reality: how many technologies and business moves have Microsoft backed out of that resulted in the bankrupting of regular people? I mean, hello kettle! It's a good interview though, so make sure you check it out.
ROKR disappeared from Cingular's phone list
Being that my family just switched to Cingular over the holidays, I've been poking around their site to see what it all can do. To my surprise (and delight), I no longer see the ROKR in their list of available phones. Now this could just be an issue in my zip code, but I verified with a couple friends across the US and they don't see it either. What this means, I don't know. Coincidence? Stock shortages? Some kind of event going on soon? I'll let y'all decide on that one.
Live Macworld coverage in Chinese
Good news for any of our TUAW readers who prefer Chinese over English: our sibling-blog Chinese Engadget plans to live blog all the announcements at this year's Macworld in both simplified and traditional Chinese. Very cool. I wish I knew some Chinese so that I could insert a very witty Chinese tag-line here.
CES: Comcast announces deals with Panasonic, Samsung on HDTV DVR's
As Engadget reported during the press conference, Panasonic and Comcast announced a partnership to distribute Panasonic set top boxes. No real information on how these will differ functionally from the Motorola & Scientific Atlanta boxes already in use in many Comcast areas, but the focus of the partnership appears to be using one remote to control a variety of devices, we'll see how that works out.Also, Comcast has announced a deal with Samsung to distribute their set top boxes, these will apparently feature the ability to connect digital music players and digital camera to the boxes. It will be interesting to see how all this works, plus we should be seeing the first Comcast boxes with Tivo software on them in 2006.
