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Samsung Show projector phone landing this month in Korea, soon in Europe
We knew that Samsung's Show (or "the projector phone") would be headed to South Korea first, but now we've got official confirmation on exactly when from both Sammy and partner Texas Instruments. The W7900 is expected to go on sale later this month in South Korea, while Europeans will get the I7410 in the very near future. There's no mention of any other corners of the globe getting a taste after that, but maybe Samsung's just testing the waters before it really cranks up that supply chain. As for a price? Take a wild guess -- you might be close.
Video: Samsung Show W7900 projector phone gets specced, demoed
Samsung's Show (formally known as the W7900) made a brief but resonating appearance at CES this year, and now, the lucky kids over at PopSci have managed to acquire a few more juicy specifications as well as a few moments of coveted hands-on time. The forthcoming projector phone, which is apt to land in South Korea first, includes a 3.2-inch OLED display (400 x 240 resolution), quad-band GSM connectivity, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, a five megapixel camera, support for video calling and the obligatory ten lumen projector that shoots 480 x 320 images out at up to 50 inches. The entire device measures in at 4.4- x 2.2- x 0.7-inches, and it actually doesn't emit a half bad image when the lights are all down. Have a look for yourself just after the break.
WoW Insider Show live this afternoon
Our podcast is back for another day today, and it's going to be a good one. We're welcoming to the airwaves the first ex-Blizzard employee we've ever had. Michael Sacco, aka Belfaire, aka The Talbuk, is going to be live on our show, and we'll talk to him about what it was like to be an actual Blue. Turpster will be on as well (and you know it's a good time when he's around), and we'll be chatting about whether Heirloom items are worth the purchase, the most embarassing things we've all done in Azeroth, how to dive into Heroics right around when you hit level 80, and we'll try to conquer some of the Death Knight changes in the upcoming patch.And as usual we'll answer your emails and just generally have a great time. The show starts at 3:30pm Eastern, 8:30 GMT over on Ustream or right here (we've put an embed of the feed right after the break, so you can listen right from our site). Remember, if you're in the chat and you want to change your name, use "/nick name" (where name is the name you want), and if the feed cuts out for any reason, you can probably refresh the page and it'll come back up. Please keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times, and please don't feed the Turpster, his trainers give him plenty to eat as it is.See you at 3:30 Eastern! Enjoy the show!
Samsung Show finally makes projector phones sexy
Is 2009 finally the year of the projector phone? Eh, not likely -- but there are finally a few models filtering into retail after years of talk, prototypes, and empty promises, including the Logic Bolt from independent manufacturer Logic Wireless and this puppy from Sammy. We're told that the aptly-named Show is inbound for release in South Korea before the end of the month, it runs Samsung's ubiquitous TouchWiz platform, and it packs DLP-based pico projector tech from TI, but that's about all we (and Samsung's US reps) seem to know about it. The projector can be used to view media stored in phone memory, pull up mobile TV via Korea's T-DMB airwaves, or simply project light, a function luddites may know better as a "flashlight." Most importantly, it actually isn't half-bad looking -- a symptom of a major manufacturer getting involved and throwing some won and industrial design staff at the thing, we bet.
WoW Insider Show live this afternoon on Ustream
Our podcast is back as usual this afternoon, and it looks to be a great show. We'll have the results of Turpster's authenticator contest (there's still time to put the code word -- it's "bananas" -- in over on Facebook, if you haven't entered yet), and as usual, we'll do what we always do, which is answer reader email and chat about the most popular posts of the last week. This week, that'll include what's going on with professions lately, and how Blizzard might make them better, whether Ulduar will be harder or not, how some folks see WoW as offensive, and the new time limit on Arena matches (and whether it will make a difference or not).And of course we'll talk about what we've been up to in the game lately, and if you stick around afterwards, we'll be live on the aftershow, when you can talk directly to us from the comments without those pesky recorders taking down our every word. It all kicks off at 3:30pm Eastern (8:30pm GMT) over on our Ustream page.And as usual, I've also embedded the feed live in the second half of this post, so you can just click through to join in on the show and the conversation today. Whether you're raiding or soloing this afternoon, feel free to jump in the chat and give us a listen!
Samsung shows off MBP200 pico projector
Tiny projectors seem to be popping up everywhere, filling press releases with amazing promise. However, it's still not too often that you actually get to see the things in action, so we were glad to see Samsung displaying not one but two prototypes of their upcoming MBP200 pico projector running for all to see. The Digital Experience room was rather well lit, not ideal conditions for a wee projector, but it threw a respectably bright image on a screen about three feet away, shown above. Not much bigger than a cell phone, the MBP200 sports an integrated 480 x 320 projector plus a 2.2-inch, 320 x 240 LCD for when you feel like being a little more private. It plays videos, music, and even office productivity files directly from a microSD slot, meaning, in theory, you can do your entire presentation with one device. It all sounds and looks fantastic, the only thing missing being some semblance of an anticipated price or release date more specific than "this year."
Microvision's PicoP-based SHOW WX pocket PJ makes debut
While Microvision isn't new (per se) to the pico projector arena entirely, it certainly lacks the namesake of, say, Dell or Optoma. Of course, it's not letting that fact damper its excitement about the PicoP-based SHOW WX. The pre-production device is being unveiled today at Macworld, and it promises to boast a 25% package-size reduction over the company's own SHOW prototype. The diminutive beamer will eventually arrive with a WVGA native resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, a battery good for around two hours of usage and a chassis that measures just 4.6- x 2.4- x 0.6-inches. The outfit anticipates that commercial production will get going in Q2, with mass availability ready by 2H 2009; regrettably, pricing still remains a mystery.
WoW Insider Show live tomorrow afternoon
Our podcast is back on the virtual airwaves (and by that we mean our Ustream page) tomorrow afternoon at 3:30pm Eastern, and we have the man himself, BRK, back on to talk about the biggest story of the past week: the Great Hunter Nerf of 2008. Turpster is also on with us, and we'll make sure to talk about more than Hunters -- there's news about dual specs, achievements and the rewards that come with them, and of course all of the class changes to cover.Plus, we'll be chatting live and answering emails as usual -- you can send us a note right now at theshow@wow.com. The show goes live at 3:30pm Eastern (here's a time zone converter), but I'm usually on a little while before that, playing some music and chatting with people about what's new in the World of Warcraft, so if you want to come by a little early, feel free. And if you can stay late, do that, too: the aftershow seems to get better and better every week.And of course we've placed the stream right on this post after the break again, so click the link below to head on down and meet some other listeners in the chat. See you tomorrow for the live show!
WoW Insider Show live with Phaelia of Resto4Life tomorrow afternoon
Our weekly podcast (we're working on a new graphic for the new theme, don't worry) goes live again as usual tomorrow afternoon at 3:30pm Eastern over on Ustream, and this week we are thrilled to welcome one of our favorite bloggers: Phaelia of Resto4Life. Listeners have requested some Resto talk, so we invited everyone's favorite tree Druid to come and let us know what things are like from the healer's perspective. And speaking of healers, we also invited a Priest and a Paladin along: Matt "Matticus" Low from World of Matticus (and our own Spritual Guidance column) will be on as a man of the cloth, and our producer Elizabeth Harper will be aboard as a woman of the plate. Looks like I'll have to rep Resto Shammy so we can get all the healers in the mix.Additionally, we'll be talking about patch 3.0.3, and all the chaos in the runup to the expansion, including where we're going to get our copies, and what we're going to do right after install. And we'll take a look back at the beta, and see if there's anything else we'd like to say about it one last time before we step into the same place on the live realms. If you've got questions or comments for the show, feel free to drop us an email at theshow at wowinsider dot com, and you might even hear it on the air.And of course you're welcome to join us during the recording for the live chat, our in-show polls, or a (hopefully not shortened this week) aftershow session with the guests. We'll be live at 3:30pm Eastern (time zone calc) on the Ustream page, or you can just join us right back here -- there's an embedded stream right after the break. See you then!
SecuriScan shoe scanner could make travel safer, security lines shorter
Huge shocker here: removing your shoes at airport security causes massive headaches and makes the wait longer for everyone. Now that we're all good with Captain Obvious' latest headline, let us point you to one prototype that's looking to solve said dilemma. SecuriScan, which has been developed by Professor Wuqiang Yang at the University of Manchester, would theoretically be able to "detect and pinpoint suspicious objects instantly," all without requiring passengers to remove their kicks. Better still, the system uses electric and magnetic sensing instead of a radiation source, which could also address safety concerns while helping you get where you're going more quickly. Moving forward, Yang hopes to develop a more advanced and realistic prototype for testing, and just in case you were doubting this guy's determination, he's also investigating a handheld version that could hastily screen abandoned luggage or packages.[Via Physorg, image courtesy of ChangeAirportSecurity]
Mac 101: Where'd my send button go?
More Mac 101, TUAW's series for beginners. My mom called me up last week with this question about Mail: "Where did my send button go?" Turns out she had mistakenly clicked the white chiclet (pictured) in the upper-right hand corner of her message's compose window, hiding her toolbar. When she clicked it once, Mail remembered her settings and hid the toolbar for other message windows, too. So, just clicking that chiclet showed the toolbar again, and brought her send button back. Magic. Also, you can hold down command and click the same chiclet to show and hide icons and text labels in the toolbar. Repeatedly clicking with the command key held down cycles through all your options. Now that my mom is happily sending emails again, I can sleep well knowing all about the new Bob's Big Boy and the local woman who was on Survivor.
Microsoft LifeCam Show and LifeCam VX-5500 make the scene
Man, with all these product intros today you'd think the world was going to end tomorrow or something. Anyway, just as predicted, Microsoft just kicked out the new LifeCam Show and LifeCam VX-5500. The $100 Show is a 2.0 megapixel cam that can take 8 megapixel stills, and a built-in mic with noise- and echo-cancellation, while the $60 VX-5500 does VGA video and 1.3 megapixel stills and has interchangeable faceplates. Both include a one-touch Windows LiveCall button that pops open your contact list and new LifeCam software which allows you to send video messages, share photos during calls, and initiate calls with a Vista gadget. Should be out in October -- check the VX-5500 after the break.
Live at CEDIA 2008: bring on the pixels
Now that IFA is behind us, the consumer electronics world is turning its attention to Denver, Colorado to see what CEDIA has to offer. We're expecting hordes of new HDTVs, projectors, speakers, AV receivers and even THX-certified soundproof doors (yes, really), but it never fails that at least something on the show floor completely takes us by surprise. We've touched down here in the Mile High City to bring you up-to-the-minute updates, and for the most obsessive coverage, be sure to point your browsers to Engadget HD for the next few days.
Nintendo supports Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2008
Nintendo UK, along with the Edinburgh Interactive Festival, are teaming up to offer patrons of this year's show a chance to try out some Nintendo products. The show itself is a 3-day event, which is held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, and will be conducted between Sunday, August 10th and Tuesday, August 12th of this year. We have no idea exactly what Nintendo will have available on the show floor, but you can bet the Wii will be there.David Yarnton, Nintendo UK boss, said Nintendo is "very proud to continue our support of EIF for the third year running. Edinburgh Interactive Festival raises our industry's profile into the wider cultural arena and celebrates the input, talent and creativity from all with a common interest in video games." EIFChairman Chris Deering also chimed in, commenting that "Nintendo's support of Interactive Festival in Edinburgh is great news and demonstrates an understanding of the importance of a cultural games event within the landscape of the world's biggest cultural Festival. Games and EIF have been embraced this year by Scotland PLC like no other year and the support of Nintendo is an important factor in encouraging these respected organisations' commitment to us." So, you Edinburghians are in luck, yet again!Having never been to the UK, we honestly don't know what to expect from these shows. Sure, the official website provides some insight, but we'd much rather hear from folks who've attended. So, have you been to EIF in the past?
Nintendo pulls out of Leipzig
European Nintendo fans eager to attend the biggest gaming show in all of Europe, take note. Nintendo has decided not to attend this year's show. Considering they had a great show last year, we honestly can't understand why Nintendo would back out. Their new focus will be to participate in "smaller, local events and national promotional tours."Any of our European readers saddened by this news? Were you planning on attending the show in Germany this year?[Via Nintendo Revolution]
Massively premieres TurpsterVision
We almost can't believe it's true, but it is. If you're a fan of the WoW Insider Show (and our representative from WoW Radio, Turpster), you won't want to miss Massively's new weekly feature, TurpsterVision. Every Tuesday, the loveable rogue (who actually plays a Gnome Warrior in WoW) will premiere a brand new video segment, full of Turpstery goodness. Massively, if you didn't know, is a blog like WoW Insider, but for all MMOs (not just Warcraft), and each week Turpster will examine another wacky game in the quickly-growing world of online gaming. And it's probably a good guess that he'll also do whatever else he thinks of, too-- his is a kind of rampant talent that you just can't control.This week, he examines The Endless Forest, an MMO that we don't recommend playing unless you really, really like deer and dancing in wooded graveyards. Yeah-- just watch the video over on Massively, and you'll see what we mean. We welcome Turpster to the Joystiq family (he's like the drunken, obscene cousin, but we totally mean that in a good way), and we're sure that the new TurpsterVision will be a must-watch every single Tuesday.
Microvision to launch pocket-sized projector at CES 2008
Ready for projectors to get really, really small? Enter aptly-named Microvision's latest contender in its ongoing attempt at mini-projector domination; a plug and play "pico" projector that aims to take mobile devices to slightly larger vistas. The handheld, stand-alone projector -- mysteriously code-named SHOW -- is based on the company's PicoP display engine, and is capable of projecting a 12-inch to 100-inch, 848 x 480 WVGA image for up to 2.5 hours on a single charge. The SHOW is clearly aimed at the emerging market of media-rich mobile devices, though aside from the projector itself, the company has plans to embed its PicoP chip in other consumer electronics, promising a future of blinding, surprise projections the likes of which never imagined. Of course, as we've seen it'll have some competition, particularly from Texas Instruments, which seems to have this concept on lock. The SHOW will apparently be available for manhandling at CES this year, and you can bet we'll be getting our grubby mitts all over it.
24 in 1994: the "lost pilot"
How did Jack Bauer ever get by without his magical Treo? We figure it must've involved a whole lot more eyeball threatening than he usually manages to cram into a season of 24. Also, according to CollegeHumor's "unaired 1994 pilot" episode, it involved a pager and some really bad early 90's hair. Consider yourself warned, video is after the break.
CEDIA 2007 roundup
CEDIA 2007 was bigger, louder and more pixelated than ever, and as always, we were live from the Mile High city to bring you (just about) everything the show had to offer. In case you blinked along the way, here's a rundown of our coverage, and don't forget to check out the rest after the break: CEDIA 2007: the pre-game show Hands-ons Hands-on with LG's BH200 HD DVD / Blu-ray combo player Hands-on with Sharp's AQUOS BD-HP20U Blu-ray player Hands-on with Toshiba's third-generation HD DVD player lineup Hands-on with Toshiba's REGZA Super Narrow Bezel (SNB) LCD lineup Hands-on with Philips' TSU line of remote controls Hands-on with Integra's DHS-8.8 HD DVD player Hands-on with Epson's MovieMate 50 / MovieMate 72 projectors Hands-off with Panasonic's PT-AE2000U 1080p projector Hands-on with EI's four-CableCARD 754 LifeMedia Server Hands-on with Alienware's Hangar18:HD media server Hands-on with Pioneer's BDP-95FD Blu-ray player Hands-on with VUDU's movies-on-demand STB Hands-on with Denon's pricey DVD-3800BDCI Blu-ray player Hands-on with Sharp's ultrathin AQUOS D64U LCD series Hands-on with Moneual's tubular I*magine HTPC Hands-on with Savant's $35000 ROSIE Coffee Table Hands-on with Niveus' Media Center Extender
Nintendo at Tokyo Game Show 2007?
The talk around town is that Nintendo might have a significant presence this year at the traditionally Sony-dominated Tokyo Game Show, going so far as to secure a booth. The video game trade show hasn't made much of an effort to include Nintendo in the past, as the company stuck to the Space World expo and its own events to make announcements. But with the Wii's current momentum and Dragon Quest IX: Defenders of the Sky set to appear on the Nintendo DS, leaving Nintendo out of TGS just doesn't make sense. Wired's Chris Kohler has an interesting post on how Nintendo's attendance at the September event will affect the console market in Japan and what the company might present at the convention. Playable DQIX demos of seem given, but we're sure that Nintendo has a lot more planned for the biggest dedicated video game show in Japan. What games and announcements are you looking forward to hearing about?