u-turn
Latest
The best turntable
By Chris Heinonen This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full guide to turntables. Whether you're buying your first turntable or returning to the hobby after a long absence, we think you should get the Denon DP-400 because it delivers the best combination of sound quality and user-friendly features. It has a built-in phono preamp for hassle-free setup, offers above-average adjustment flexibility, and sounds great out of the box. The Denon DP-400 has a very clear and detailed sound, was the most speed-accurate of any turntable we tested, and played with very little distortion. It has an integrated phono preamp, so unlike many higher-end turntables, it doesn't require extra hardware to get started. The DP-400 offers convenient features like a speed control dial and automatic platter stopping with tonearm lift when a record finishes playing. The turntable performs very well with the standard cartridge, but if you attach an upgraded cartridge like a premounted Ortofon Red or Blue, you'll have a system that's so good that you'll never feel the need to upgrade further. If you're willing to sacrifice some convenient features—like easy speed switching, auto-stop, and a cue lever to raise and lower the tonearm—the U-Turn Orbit Basic offers good sound quality at a great price. The Orbit Basic takes almost no time to set up and is highly customizable. You can order it with a built-in phono preamp, choose a different color, upgrade the cartridge, and even add a cue lever later on. Its simple design works well.
Modern Warfare 3's July content for Elite PS3 and Xbox 360 subscribers
Call of Duty Elite members on Xbox 360 will get a new content drop in Modern Warfare 3 on Tuesday, July 17: three new multiplayer maps and a Spec Ops mission.The multiplayer maps include a graveyard of derelict ocean liners called Decommission, an oil rig built for sniping called Offshore, and the remake of Modern Warfare 2's Terminal map, available to Elite members on Tuesday and free for the rest of Modern Warfare 3's Xbox 360 players the following day. In the Spec Ops mission, Vertigo, players must take down enemy troops and helicopters while perched atop the Oasis hotel.On Thursday, July 19, Call of Duty Elite subscribers on PS3 get to tussle with three new Face-Off maps and a Spec Ops mission, content released on Xbox 360 back in June. Multiplayer maps include a tornado-rocked town called Vortex, a dilapidated middle-eastern highway in U-Turn, an urban NYC-based map called Intersection, and the Spec Ops mission, Arctic Recon, which tasks players with assaulting a Russian warship.%Gallery-160351%
Phone or yo-yo? ModeLabs unveils new concepts
Never mind those fancy fuel cells -- just knock that phone around a bit to keep it juiced. At least that's the idea with three new concept handsets introduced by France-based ModeLabs, the same company hooking up with Levi's (to produce phones with decidedly less fancy recharging technology and more denim, we imagine). First up is the aptly named "YoYo," a puck-shaped device (pictured) designed to be worn around the neck that draws power from a combination of solar cells and the user's movement. Next up, the "U-Turn" somehow managed to eke out some electrons from the opening and closing of its keyboard, while the fitness-themed "Runaway" gets regenerated while strapped to the wrist. Of course, none of these are anywhere near production, but the folks at ModeLabs are apparently gunning to market the technology to manufacturers before too long.[Via textually.org]
