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Nikon D5000 hands-on
We knew good and well Nikon's highly anticipated D5000 was supposed to start shipping today, and ship they did. Our own unit just arrived courtesy of an altogether suspicious unmarked white van, but rather than questioning the driver, we figured it prudent to just give you a closer look at what exactly comes in the box. Obviously, we got ahold of the D5000 Kit, which runs $849.95 and comes bundled with an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Nikkor lens. Initial impressions are as follows: it's lightweight, it's sexy and the articulating display is downright spectacular. Sure, it lacks some resolution compared to the D90's fixed LCD, but it sure shines bright. Expect a more thorough rundown in the not-too-distant future; till then, enjoy the gallery below!
Samsung's Android-powered I7500 caught in smudgy Russian wilds
Frankly, if we were forced to choose between smudgy and blurry, we'd take the former each day of the week. Russia's own Mobile-Review has somehow already managed to wrap its paws around one of the newly released Android-based I7500s, and while it's not really a drastic departure from Sammy's other smartphones of late, it's still worth a peek if you're suddenly in the market for one. Check the read link for the goods.[Via ForoAndroid]
Nikon's D5000 DSLR unboxed ahead of schedule
Well, well -- what have we here? With 24 hours to go before Nikon's D5000 hits the streets (at least at Amazon), one lucky soul has managed to stumble upon one early. The D5000 kit, which contains Nikon's first DSLR with an articulating display, has been officially unboxed in glorious fashion, and Kadath's Flickr account also shows a few test shots for those curious about image quality. We're expecting one of these into our own labs any moment now, but for the time being, hit up the read link to enjoy the early-bird spoils.[Thanks, Sam]
Plantronics Voyager PRO gets purchased, unboxed early
Plantronics isn't planning to share intimate details about its Voyager PRO Bluetooth headset until April 23rd, but evidently its supply chain executives didn't exactly touch base with marketing before sending out stock to Best Buy. Jeff and John both managed to procure the $119.99 Bluetooth headset over the weekend, and we've got the shots to prove it. Based on the teaser site down in the read link, this here headset should be it's most advanced yet, but for a buck twenty, it better answer and respond to our calls without us having to intervene. Update: Plantronics pinged us to say the price point here should be $99. Interesting.[Thanks, Jeff and John]
MSI's Wind U123 netbook gets unboxed
We already caught MSI's upgraded Wind U120 (which goes by U123, if you must know) sitting pretty at CeBIT last month, but the crazy cats over at PortableMonkey have gone and got a model fresh in the box. Needless to say, this retail edition (which is hitting Japanese shelves any moment now) didn't stay packaged up for long, but we are happy to say that we've been cordially invited to feast our eyes upon the unboxing process. Right out of the gate, we have to share the disappointment in the lack of a rear panel for easily accessing the internal RAM and HDD, but at least the Atom N280 is a (minor) step above what we've grown accustomed to. Check the read link for all the pictorial delight.[Thanks, Peter]
HP's Pavilion dv2 spotted in the wild, on sale in Thailand
The first machine to rely on AMD's Neo MV-40 processor has officially been spotted outside of a show floor, though you'll have to jet to Bangkok if you're looking to touch one yourself. The atypically well-specced 12.1-inch Pavilion dv2 has been spotted over in Thailand for around $720, and while it doesn't look drastically (or at all, really) different than what we saw at CES this year, it's good to see this bugger finally creeping into homes. Check the read link for a few more angles and impressions, and feel free to get your hopes up for a US release in the not-too-distant future.
Foxit's eSlick e-reader ships out, gets photographed
It didn't quite make it out in January, but Foxit's eSlick is still about the cheapest way to get an e-reader in front of your retinas. Granted, only the earliest of pre-orderers are seeing their units ship, and if you try to jump in now, you'll be greeted with a note to not expect it for another fortnight or so. In fact, all three hues (black, grey and white) are currently sold out, with new batches expected to be ready by April 10th or so. Thankfully, the kind folks over at GearDiary have hosted up a few photos and have promised impressions in the not too distant future, so head on over if you're anxious to see just how far this thing is from being a Kindle.
Tata Nano photographed at official unveiling party
Make no mistake, that thing you see pictured above definitely looks no nicer than $2,000, but hey, at least it actually is just $2,000. Indian Autos Blog was on hand at the Tata Nano's official unveiling in Mumbai, and naturally, it fired off a number of images to share with those of us not able to hop a flight to see it in person. The car is set to take showrooms around the nation by storm starting this Wednesday, but for those of us stuck elsewhere on the planet just longing for a (new) beater car for under two large, the pics in the links will simply have to suffice.[Via AutoblogGreen]
Sony Ericsson's T707 photographed in the wild
Ah, the natural progression of a handset. Rumor? Check. Official launch? Check. In the wild spottings? As of now, check! Sony Ericsson's recently outed T707 flip phone has already been acquired and photographed over at DailyMobile, and while there's nothing here out of the ordinary, it's still a must-see for any SE enthusiast. Check the gallery in the read link below.[Thanks, Daniel]
Samsung's sleek BD-P3600 Blu-ray player gets hands-on love
Oh sure, we've already seen this thing spotted at Best Buy, but there's just something especially titillating about photos with clarity. CNET's UK branch managed to get their camera all up in the BD-P3600's area, and they definitely enjoyed what they saw. For starters, the 7.1-channel analog outs are a real boon to those still using that circa-1999 AV receiver, and the bundled WiFi dongle means BD-Live is now entirely more accessible. Granted, we aren't similarly impressed by the 40 second BD load time, but maybe we're just spoiled by the hasty OPPO BDP-83. Head on down for a few more looks.
Klipsch HD Theater 500 5.1-channel sound system hands-on
Klipsch stunned the boxed surround sound world back in late January with the announcement of three relatively affordable 5.1 sound systems. The middle guy (yeah, the HD Theater 500) just started shipping out to the earliest of adopters, and we just so happened to get our set in today. For $599.99 (MSRP), you get four surrounds, a center channel and a powered (100 watt) 8-inch subwoofer. Each satellite is a sealed enclosure finished in a high-gloss piano black, with a 2.5-inch IMG woofer (center channel has two) and a MicroTractrix horn-loaded aluminum dome tweeter (0.75-inches) packed within. We can say with certainty that these drivers are delightfully small, but if you're looking specifics, here goes: the satellites are 6- x 3.6- x 3.85-inches, while the center channel measures in at 3.6- x 9- x 3.85-inches. As for the subbie? 13.9- x 12.5- x 12.5-inches. We're setting this rig up as we speak to give it a listen and report back, but till then, feel free to peruse the unboxing gallery below.
Samsung BD-P1600 hands-on
Oh it seems just like yesterday that we were reviewing the very first Blu-ray player, which happened to also be a Samsung, and now here we are just a few years later with a sixth generation Blu-ray player from Samsung, the BD-P1600. At first glance you have to wonder what's new and is it worth the upgrade from the 1500? So far unless you're crazy about Netflix and Pandora support we'd say no, but we'll reserve the final judgment until after we've had enough time with it to do a proper review.
Images leak of Samsung's stylish S8000 touchscreen handset
It's hard to say if this elusive new touchscreen handset will indeed be slotted between a few of Samsung's other UltraTouch phones, but either way, we're digging it. We get the feeling this so-called S8000 was already shown to us in that now-famous slide of Sammy's upcoming lineup, but the whole "blur factor" kept us from really keying in on it. At any rate, we're really feeling the style presented here, and despite the fact that we know absolutely nothing about its specifications (save for the flash-equipped 5MP camera), we definitely want to hold one. Check the read link for a few more (amazingly clear) looks.
Canon's VIXIA HF200 HD camcorder gets hands-on love
Canon's VIXIA HF200, along with a slew of other siblings, are slowly but surely making their way out into the loving hands of the general public. Our brethren over at Engadget Chinese managed to get their palms around one, and naturally, it took the opportunity to photograph it up and share with the world. Hit the read link if you're interested in seeing more.
Leaked slides detail forthcoming Samsung Trance
Just days after Samsung's SCH-U490 received a rebrand for use on Verizon Wireless, in flies a couple of leaked slides that give us a few more tasty tidbits to chew on. Said slides confirm that the phone will be a slider and include a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, a microSDHC card slot and a Mobile Web 2.0 browser. Outside of that, details are scant, but you can rest assured that we'll probably hear more at CTIA.
BenQ's nScreen i91 all-in-one PC gets the hands-on treatment
BenQ's nScreen i91 came straight out of left field around a month ago, and while it definitely looked striking in the press photography, the live-in-person look is even nicer. Said machine has been unboxed and photographed somewhere in Asia, and it somehow managed to pick up a svelte looking VoIP phone along the way. Hit up the read link for a few more good looks, and if you're a native Chinese speaker, you may even learn some of the pros and cons of ownership.[Via Engadget Chinese]
Razer Mamba wireless gaming mouse hands-on
Late last month, we had the opportunity to have a listen with Razer's Carcharias headset, and now we're seeing just how precise the same outfit's latest mouse is when it comes to clicking oh-so-carefully within Minesweeper. The downright gorgeous Razer Mamba just showed up on our doorstep, and we couldn't resist photographing the unboxing experience and hosting it up for all to enjoy. Our Mamba came housed in a special Razer suitcase that also included the aforementioned Carcharias headset. The mouse packaging alone was some of the most extravagant we've seen, with even the delightfully braided USB cable (yes, it's wired or wireless) encased in a soft black cover. Bottom line? The aesthetics here are top-notch all the way around, and while we plan on giving this thing a run-through over the weekend in order to speak on actual performance, we'd suggest diving in below to whet your appetite.
OPPO BDP-83 universal Blu-ray player hands-on
Here she is -- the world's very first universal Blu-ray player. Oh sure, we may have heard of Denon's absurdly expensive DVD-A1UD first, but that bad boy just got delayed for a second time over in Japan. OPPO, on the other hand, has managed to push out a few hundred of these BDP-83 decks to brave beta testers across America, and we were fortunate enough to score one. The player came boxed in what was far and away the most elaborate packaging we'd seen for a BD player -- particularly one that's priced at just $499 for the beta users (an MSRP for production units has yet to be finalized). All the goods you want are here, including Blu-ray Profile 2.0 support, internal decoding of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats, SACD playback and the promise of DVD-Audio compatibility in the future. Upon unboxing the unit, we were pleased with the rigid chassis and felt the design was simple yet classy. The remote seemed accommodating enough, and the port selection 'round back was admirable. We're planning to fire it up this weekend to see just how far along this beta firmware is, but 'til then, hit the gallery below to have a look at what's sure to become a favorite amongst well informed home theater aficionados.
Panasonic CES 2009 Blu-ray / HTIB lineup eyes-on
We were able to spot a few of Panasonic's latest innovations in the home theater space back at CES 2009, but we got a much more intimate look at things during a recent New York showcase. The new Blu-ray decks look nice, if not a touch plain. Not that everyone wants an Alienware-esque BD deck or anything, but we digress. The Blu-ray HTIB systems were particularly of interest, as these things are perfect for sneaking BD into homes that are currently DVD-only, and while we longed for more information on the portable DMP-B15, the on-hand reps didn't seem too anxious to gush over technical specifications with us. Their loss, totally.
Sony Ericsson's Idou stylus gets pictured, piques interests
We've already investigated every single nook and crannie involved in Sony Ericsson's 12 megapixel Idou, but here's something we haven't seen: an associated stylus. It's difficult to tell at the moment if SE plans to toss this in with the Idou (or whatever it ends being called) like Nokia did when it threw in a guitar pick with the 5800 XpressMusic, but either way, you can consider our interest piqued. Not that we're fans of using a stylus over our own digits, mind you, but we are fond of random, if not unnecessary accessories. Save the lecture, we realize that's odd.[Thanks, Jesper]
