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Sanyo's VPC-CA102YL waterproof HD camcorder, your perfect accessory for visiting Sealab 2021
Sanyo isn't breaking out the hyperbole with this water-resistant full HD pocket camcorder -- that honor went to the DMX-CA100 back in May -- but the VPC-CA102YL does boast a spec sheet as impressive as its product name. We've got 1920 x 1080 / 60i video in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format, 14 megapixel stills, an articulating 2.7-inch wide LCD, 12x dual range zoom on video, and 5x optical zoom on photos... and did we mention it's waterproof up to 10 feet under? Connectivity options include USB, mini HDMI for TV sets, and a SDXC card slot. Due out this month -- perfect for capturing the very last bit of Summer -- for a penny under $350. Product shots below, press release after the break. (P.S. -- 10 feet to the bottom of the ocean? Bizarro!) %Gallery-98922%
Smartroi Android powered TV is officially headed to Korea
Remember our slight skepticism in April over reports that South Korean manufacturer GPNC would soon be releasing TVs running Android 1.5? Well it seems our clairvoyant powers that day were on the fritz, since the company has now officially announced the launch of an Google-powered TV dubbed Smartroi. Other hard details on the unit are predictably slim, but GPNC has confirmed that the TV will be sold in Korea and sport a 42-inch Full HD LED backlit screen, a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a 500cd/m² brightness, and USB connectivity. There's no verification on what version of Android will ship with the unit, but support for OS upgrades in the future has been hinted. Not satisfied with those measly tidbits? Neither are we, but considering Google still labels GPNC's site as suspected of malware, we're content to just keep letting updates flow to us.
ASUS' 23-inch VG236H 3D monitor gets reviewed: pricey, but a real looker
ASUS' VG236H was quietly announced back at CeBIT, but the 23-inch 3D monitor is just now getting around to making itself known to worldwide retailers. On sale now for a penny under $500 (which includes the complete $180 NVIDIA 3D Vision kit), this 1080p display has also managed to hit the test bench over at Hot Hardware. Critics over there found that it was amongst the nicest looking TN (boo) panels out there, and that the third dimension had no issue popping out on command. In fact, they had little to complain about, noting that it "consistently hit the mark in their testing [while producing] a fantastic image, whether it be 2D, 3D, work or play." Granted, it's not like you've too many options when it comes to snagging a 3D LCD, but at least we're hearing this particular one is worth a look (or three).
Evoluce 47-inch HD multitouch display gets off-screen gesture control
Evoluce, the manufacturers of that mammoth 47-inch full HD touchscreen, are out of control! Apparently, they've decided that unlimited simultaneous touch inputs (and thus unlimited simultaneous phalanges) was not enough, so they've gone an' added gesture support -- up to half a meter from the device. Apparently this bad boy supports Windows 7, although if you want your interface du jour to put the "unlimited" in "multitouch" you'll most likely have to roll your own. Interested? Wealthy? Check out some righteous video and PR after the break.
Lenovo IdeaCentre Q150 upgrades to Atom D510, keeps NVIDIA Ion, 1080p playback, and ultraslim look
The world might be all abuzz about Ion 2 already, but we reckon we can still make room for an NVIDIA Ion nettop that measures a malnourished 21mm in width and offers full 1080p video playback. The successor to Lenovo's IdeaCentre Q110, the Q150 is built around a pair of Intel Atom options -- the single-core D410 or dual-core D510, both running at 1.6GHz -- and will come with Windows 7 Home (Basic or Premium) preloaded, built-in WiFi, a quartet of USB 2.0 ports, and an HDMI output should you pick up the Ion option. The wireless Multimedia Remote with Keyboard is also optional, but Lenovo seems to rightly expect you to want one in order to match the stylishness of the machine. The starting price for this little beaut is listed at $249, with availability by the end of June, but expect to pay quite a bit more for the fully outfitted option above. One more intimate pic of the Q150 awaits after the break.
Zotac's ZBOX HD-ID11 starts shipping for $250
You've seen the sneak peek, you've dug into the review, and now you're more ready than ever before to part with $249.99 in order to get your grubby mitts around one of the world's smallest Ion 2-based small form factor PCs. You've already dreamed up the perfect application for this pint-sized rig, and now it looks as if Newegg is shipping out the orders that it receives right now. Go on and head down to the source link if your mind's made up, but remember, we can't be held responsible for buyer's remorse effective March 13, 2004.
Zotac ZBOX HD-ID11 and its Ion 2 innards reviewed
Small form factor? Check. Low power consumption married to 1080p video playback capabilities? Of course. Quiet cooling? Naturally. Those are the basic requirements for, and their fulfillment is the means by which we judge, a good home theater pc. They're also the highlights of Zotac's Ion 2-powered ZBOX HD-ID11 barebone (you have to add your own RAM, storage and OS) nettop, which recently visited AnandTech's labs for some old fashioned review action. It's a highly illuminating read, particularly for those interested in the differences between NVIDIA's Ion generations, which throws up a mixed bag of results. While you'll be quite alright watching Full HD Blu-rays on the ZBOX, Flash hardware acceleration -- yeah, that old nugget again -- is not yet implemented well enough, resulting in a maximum of 480p resolution before Hulu streams started glitching out on the reviewer. A June driver update from NVIDIA should rectify this issue, and we're encouraged to wait it out and see what we might see then. In the mean time, you can just delve into the complete analysis which awaits at the link below. [Thanks, Wowzers]
LG unveils first Full LED 3D HDTV -- the 22.3mm-thin LX9500
Well, here's a way to make those 3D tellies attractive -- slim them down to unreasonable proportions and kill as much of the bezel as you can. The newly announced LX9500 isn't quite as skinny as the stuff we saw LG show off at CES, but at 22.3mm it still makes the majority of laptops look on in envy. Paired to a pleasingly minimal 16mm bezel, it makes for quite the gorgeous living room accessory, whether on or off (one more pic after the break). The new LED-backlit set will offer a full 1080p resolution and a 400Hz refresh rate, which is more than enough to make those active shutter glasses useful. A 10,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio is given, but that number wouldn't impress us even if it was the total US national debt to 1, we want real contrast numbers or nothing at all. Anyhow, Reuters is reporting a 4.7 million Won ($4,134) launch price for the 47-inch model, which should go on sale a week from now in Korea. A 55-inch variant should also be available when these 3DTVs make the journey westwards in May.
Canon Rebel T2i / 550D demonstrates 1080p video mode, collects glowing early preview
We seriously need to open up an Austrian branch of Engadget. After treating us to a titanium iPhone, the Governator's homeland is now playing host to the first professionally shot 1080p video with the new T2i / 550D from Canon. Nino Leitner has shot a moody short film with a pre-production unit and his conclusion has been that the video you can obtain from the latest prosumer shooter is indistinguishable from the output of the mighty Canon 7D. High praise indeed, but not altogether unexpected considering the T2i sports an all-new 18 megapixel sensor (that is "very similar" to the 7D's) and has had its 1080p recording upgraded to the requisite 30fps to make it a viable shooting mode. Skip past the break to have a look at his results or visit the source for Nino's in-depth preview. Nikon, you've been put on notice.
MSI converges everything with 24-inch 3D HD Wind Top all-in-one
Now here's a spec sheet maven's dream: MSI has just announced its new Wind Top all-in-ones, and the top model brings every modern spec you can think of. Full HD resolution, 3D capabilities with 120Hz refresh rates, Intel processors up to Core i7, and even multitouch adorn its list of goodies. The new flagships will be known as the Wind Top AE2420 in the 24-incher category and AE2280 in the 22-inch class. They're joined by a selection of high-efficiency machines, such as the AP1920 and AE1920, which promise to cut down the electricity bills for "environmentally-minded business users." That's still hardly scratching the surface, though, as MSI is really preparing a small army of AIOs to display at CeBIT, and you can bet the house we'll be there to touch and ogle at their latest and greatest.
Acer GD235HZ and Alienware OptX AW2310 do battle in 3D HD monitor faceoff
We know 3D isn't for everyone, but if you've got your heart set on jumping that bandwagon nice and early, here's a review for you. The folks over at Tom's Guide have sat down with 23-inch 3D displays from Acer (GD235HZ) and Alienware (OptX AW2310) and sought to figure which one offers the better gaming experience. After some sobering notes about the need for a high end system to run 3D games -- NVIDIA's 3D Vision solution renders each scene twice, meaning you'll need as much power to drive one 3D screen as you would a dual-monitor setup -- they delve right into some benchmarking and real world testing. The key differentiator between the two panels is in the price, with the GD235HZ costing $399 and the AW2310 asking for a steeper $469, though on balance it was felt that the Alienware justified its premium with a superior feature set and better overall performance. Hit the source for the full verdict. [Thanks, Ben]
Bang and Olufsen's 55-inch BeoVision 7 collects a review, much love
55.5 inches of 1080p goodness would draw attention in any case, but when they're supplemented with local dimming of an LED-backlit display, 6ms response time, a stonking 4,000:1 static contrast ratio, and an integrated Blu-ray player... well, our cup runneth over with interest. The BeoVision 7-55 is just such a monstrous, no-compromise display, and it's recently undergone a review over at Flatpanels HD. The reviewers were giddy with the versatile motorized stand and the Blu-ray player (which opens by you waving a hand in front of it), while describing the design and execution as "truly beautiful." Picture quality is no worse, mind you, and epithets like "extraordinary" and "fantastic" were used to describe the experience of watching HD content on this panel. The same words can also be applied to the $18,700 MSRP, but at least the review is free and can be found at the source link below.
ST-Ericsson's U8500 brings dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 to the Android world
Can't get enough of hearing about implementations of ARM's Cortex-A9 MPCore processors? Good. ST-Ericsson's powerhouse U8500 system-on-chip has come a major step closer to appearing in mainstream devices with today's newly announced support for the Android operating system. Having optimized the OS to take advantage of Symmetric Multi Processing -- a method for extending battery life by sharing the load between the two processing cores and underclocking when necessary -- the partner company is now ready to start dropping these 1.2GHz dual-core beasts inside the next generation of smartphones. The claim is that you'll get all that additional power while sacrificing nothing, as devices based on the U8500 would maintain "the cost and power consumption characteristics of a traditional feature phone." We're promised built-in HDMI-out support, 1080p video recording, and 120 hours of audio playback or 12 hours of Full HD video off a 1,000mAh battery -- pledges we'd very much like to see fulfilled.
Panasonic TH-P54VT2 takes plasma HDTVs into 3D territory
Finally making the transition from the trade show floor to retail shelving are Panasonic's famed Viera 3D plasma HDTVs. The company has just announced it will be launching two 1080p panels on April 23 in Japan, priced at ¥530,000 ($5,932) for the 54-inch P54VT2 and ¥430,000 ($4,813) for its smaller sibling, the P50VT2 (pictured after the break). For your money, you'll be getting those deep, deep blacks that ensure a ridiculous 5,000,000:1 native contrast ratio, a plethora of inputs highlighted by four HDMI jacks, and of course a pair of those inescapable active shutter glasses. Don't worry though, the screens are capable of working at the necessary 120Hz to ensure smooth frame rates for each eye. Whether the premium paid for 3D is worth it, on the other hand, remains a question best left for each deep-pocketed consumer to make on his own.
Sanyo bungs 23x optical zoom into Xacti DMX-SH11, Full HD into DMX-CG110
Ever tried operating a handheld cam at 20x optical zoom? Without a tripod, your recordings tend to look like they were taken in the middle of an earthquake, so quite frankly, we ain't so wildly impressed with Sanyo's 23x-rated SH11 camcorder -- okay, we are, but we thought we'd inform you that that silly large number comes with limited use scenarios. Freshly announced, carrying 16GB of internal storage, and coming to Japan in late April, this is part of Sanyo's Dual Camera series, as its CMOS sensor is capable of 4 megapixel stills as well as 1080i / 30fps video in MPEG-4 format. It'll be joined there by the pistol grip-shaped CG110, which improves on the previous CGs by moving up to Full HD recording, adding 16GB of built-in storage, and even supporting SDXC cards. Check the source links for more.%Gallery-83987%
Intel GMA HD graphics review deems them excellent for video, mediocre for gaming
Our Intel Arrandale / Clarkdale review bonanza was sprinkled with a few graphics benchmarks, but there was never a concerted effort to break down the specific upgrades on the 45nm GPU that comes as part of the new CPU package. That omission has now been corrected by Bit-tech, who've delved deep into the murky waters of embedded graphics and report that Intel's focus appears to have been firmly on video playback. Noting full bitstreaming (our HD editors inform us that's a big deal), Blu-ray with picture-in-picture, and HDMI 1.3a support, the lads commended the "very smooth" 1080p playback of h.264-encoded video. While their conclusion about gaming was less glowing -- finding that Intel's latest gen only keeps up with older hardware -- they couldn't help but recommend the new processors on account of their feature-rich video playback and energy efficiency. More benchmarks at the source link.
Panasonic Viera G2 HDTVs boast 5,000,000:1 native contrast ratio, coming soon
We told you Panny had some crazy low black levels in its 2010 plasmas, didn't we? Well, say hello to the retail products and their first price tags, both predictably found in Japan. The Viera G2 series is arriving within a few short weeks -- February 5 to be precise -- and will be headed by the 50-inch TH-P50G2, which is joined by 46- and 42-inch options. All panels boast Full HD resolution, have three ports each for HDMI and Composite cables, and are expected to cost ¥320,000, ¥260,000, and ¥220,000, respectively. That roughly equates to $3,500 for the whopper and $2,400 for the smallest family members, which when you think about that mercurial five million to one contrast ratio sounds almost like a bargain. If you can tolerate a measly 2,000,000:1 contrast, Panasonic is also announcing some more affordable S2 panels (pictured after the break), which you can have for as little as $2,100 in US money for the 42-inch variety. More machine translation-mangled information can be found in the links below.
Cowboys Stadium first to demo real time conversion of 2D HDTV video into 3D
The Cowboys might not be doing so well on the field these days, but that's not stopping Jerry Jones from constructing a gadget lover's nirvana for them to call home. The world record-holding Mitsubishi displays at the center of Cowboys Stadium will this weekend be treated to the first public demo of a new real time 3D conversion technology from HDlogix. Touted as a glasses-free autostereoscopic method, it will be demonstrated before Sunday's game against the Chargers, and used during the game on highlights and live video to give the good people of Dallas an extra dimension to their already supersized visual experience. The list of promises from HDlogix is mighty impressive, including the ability to convert to and from all the 3D standards floating around at the moment (more on that in the source PDF below), but we advise waiting until Sunday when said good people can judge for themselves. Full PR after the break. Update: We've received a quick note from the company to say that the actual feed on the Cowboys' megatron will be based on old school glasses-needy anaglyphs, since the humongous structure isn't capable of doing the more sophisticated stuff.
LG first to hit mass production with Full HD 3D LCD monitors
The 3D revolution, whether you like it or not, is gathering steam. LG has just announced the world's first mass produced Full HD 3D-capable monitor, which spans 23 inches diagonally and looks to sport a pleasingly minimal bezel. The company hasn't spilled much in the way of further info yet, though the PR blurb (after the break) makes mention of Korea's plans to introduce Full HD 3D broadcasts, as well as satellite 3D broadcasting trials set to take place in the UK and Japan. Based on shutter glasses tech -- which seems likely to be the way forward -- this panel benefits from such great buzzwords as a "copper bus line" and a "high performance 3D exclusive controller," the benefits of which we'll have to wait a little while longer to discover. CES 2010, here we come.
Dell SX2210T vs. HP L2105tm: optical multitouch head-to-head review
Dell and HP, HP and Dell. The United States' two biggest computer hardware manufacturers, and two of the world's top three, have tended to match each other step for step, so it's no surprise that Dell's recently released SX2210T was quickly followed by a Compaq L2105tm from its closest rival. Measuring 21.5 inches each, with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and optical multitouch technology under their chunky bezels, these two models represent the biggest mainstream push for touchscreen computing yet. Functionally identical to standard monitors, they offer the added benefit of letting you input your heart's urges and desires using swipes, gestures and flicks, and we've plucked one of each panel to see how this all plays out for ourselves. Join us after the break, won't you?
