unboxing
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Found Footage: self-unboxing iPad
This is -- for me, personally -- one of the greatest unboxing videos I've ever seen. Not to oversell it, but the sheer simplicity of a self-unboxing iPad is beautiful. The complete lack of commentary (or even a human) makes it short enough that even my attention span, frazzled by years of short songs and too much sugar, can consider it a pleasure to sit all the way through. In case you're wondering (and don't feel like watching, for whatever reason), it's a stop-motion animation, complete with a hovering X-ACTO blade, created by Brian Stark. Playtime with his new iPad was delayed for over an hour as he created this piece; he's suffered for his art, and for that, we commend him. Read on and watch the video to see for yourself! [Direct Vimeo link for iPhone/iPad users]
TUAW TV Live -- Unboxing the iPad
If you were watching TUAW this morning, you probably saw blogger Steve Sande doing live video from the Aspen Grove Apple Store in Littleton, CO. He's home now, and will be doing live streaming video of the unboxing!
TUAW Video: Unboxing the iPad
Video number one appears above, and the other videos appear in the posts linked below. We are deeply appreciative of the opportunity to get our grubby palms on the iPad early enough to get these clips to you now. They may not have the smooth production values of Apple's walkthroughs, but they were made with love. Special thanks to IPEVO for their P2V camera, which was used to shoot the iPad demo. Switched to YouTube versions to get around Brightcove issues. TUAW Video: iPad Accessories TUAW Video: iPad Keyboard Dock TUAW Video: More iPad Applications TUAW Video: Safari & Games on iPad
The JooJoo is here... seriously (updated with video)
Of all days for this thing to arrive... it had to be today. Yes folks, as you can see in our gallery below, the JooJoo is not only real, but we've got one. We're not going to go into details right now, as we've got our hands kind of full this week, but we suggest you hang tight until our review hits (probably early next week) so you can make the final decision if it's going to be this thing or, you know, some other tablet. Or maybe you just want to keep that $500. Hey, it's your call, pal. For now, check out our unboxing, and at least breathe a sigh of relief that if you did shell out for one of these, it's likely going to hit your doorstep pretty darn soon. Update: Hey folks, we've got a video encoding right now which runs through some of the UI of the device. We hear you in comments, and would like to let you know that there's no conspiracy here -- it's a question of spending time with a device to review it properly. Unless you know what our schedule is like, we'd appreciate everyone chilling out on the episodes in comments. We're happy to shut them off on this post if you can't control yourselves. Update 2: Comments are off, video is after the break. Thanks for being mature. Just kidding. %Gallery-89564%
Stephen Fry unboxes his iPad
Actor/comedian Stephen Fry has published a brief but oh-so-tantalizing iPad unboxing video. Above you'll see Stephen open the Apple-branded case, the iPad itself (complete with a dramatic and thoroughly warranted wooshing sound), the 10W adapter and keyboard dock. He also grabbed the non-keyboard dock. Yes, it's brief but it gives us a nice idea of what the packaging is like (the iPad's box is thicker than I imagined) and, frankly, the sheer joy of opening such a snazzy toy. He's begun playing, too, and is sharing his experience via Twitter. So far, he's called the Gray Wolfram Periodic table "gorgeous" and "alone worth iPad," and posted a screenshot of Scrabble. Thanks for sharing, Stephen, and keep those tweets coming!
Nintendo DSi XL review
Since Nintendo first asserted sole domination over the handheld gaming market with the release of the paperback-sized Game Boy in 1989, the company has striven time and again to make its pocket systems smaller, meeting fantastic financial success along the way. Nintendo did it with the Game Boy Pocket, the Advance SP, the Micro, the DS Lite and again ever so slightly with the DSi -- the last even at the expense of backwards compatibility and battery life. Now, for the first time in the company's history, it's made an existing platform bigger, with questionable reasons as to why. Does the Nintendo DSi XL squash its predecessors flat? Or is Nintendo compensating for something? Find out inside. %Gallery-89058%
TiVo Premiere review
When we first heard rumors of new TiVo hardware back in April of 2009, our imaginations started racing. The current TiVo HD and HD XL have been the best DVRs on the market for their entire three-year run, and while they've received significant feature updates in that time, the overall experience of using a TiVo simply hasn't kept up with the explosion of online content and the revised viewing habits of consumers -- in fact, the interface has remained largely unchanged for nearly a decade. So while the actual TiVo hardware has actually gotten smaller and simpler, it's the software that's received a substantial makeover this time around -- it's migrated to Flash, and the main elements have been totally redesigned for HD displays and the invisible integration of online video services. Is it enough to keep TiVo afloat in a sea of cheap cableco DVRS? It is worth upgrading from an existing TiVo HD? There's only one way to find out -- read on for our full review. %Gallery-88972%
T-Mobile's HTC HD2 gets purchased and unboxed early (video)
T-Mobile's not officially selling its world-beating HD2 until Wednesday, but if you've a Walmart nearby and hankering to get HTC's latest and greatest a few days early, it might be worth a trip out. JDMiPhoner managed to score one from his local Wally World a full four days early, and he's been kind enough to unbox it, boot it up and give us a few first impressions on video. Is it really worth a couple of Benjamins with Windows Phone 7 Series just a few months away? Head on past the break if you'd care to be reminded of just how painful it is to know that this WinMo 6.5-packin' gem won't ever be upgradable (natively, anyway) to WP7S. [Thanks, Andrew] Update: Windows Mobile Nation got one as well (also from Walmart), and has hosted up a nice gallery of shots here.
Spring Design Alex finally up for pre-order, Borders eBook store launching in June
Well it's about time, Spring Design! After missing its February ship date, the company is finally ready for you to whip out the plastic and pre-order its Alex -- that dual-screen, Android-based ereader we liked so much at CES. While you can shell out the $399 today, you'll still have to wait until mid-April for the mailman to drop off the package. We'd like to say the wait stops there, but we've also learned that early buyers won't have access to the promised Borders eBook store until June. When we chatted with Spring Design CEO Priscilla Lu last week she confirmed that Borders will officially launch its store in the "June time frame," which will be around the very same time that the 3G version of the Alex will be ready to hit the market -- at least there's access to Google Books and an micro-SD card slot for sideloading in the meantime. With so much coming down the pike it may be worth waiting a bit more time for this one, but our own Alex arrived just last night so no matter what it'd behoove you to wait a few days for our review before you hit the source link to pre-order. Update: Well, this is odd. Even though this news hit the wires today, the shop page on Spring Design's website is definitely non-functional right now. Instead, you'll see a message to check back soon. We'll keep doing just that until we see signs of life... or hear otherwise. Update 2: And we're back...the pre-order page is finally up! %Gallery-88293%
Cowon V5 review
Cowon's V5 has been out and about in South Korea for just over two months now, but thankfully for the Yanks who are downright flustered with the existing PMP options here in the States, the company has decided to bring this beaut stateside. Boasting a 4.8-inch resistive touchscreen (800 x 480 resolution), a Windows CE 6.0 underlying OS, HDMI / USB sockets (via adapters from a proprietary socket), a voice recorder, integrated speaker, 3.5mm headphone jack, 8/16/32GB of internal storage, an SDHC expansion slot, a battery good for 45 hours of music playback (or 10 hours with video) and a format support list that would drive you batty to read, there's a lot (lot!) to love about this thing on paper. We were fortunate enough to get our hands on one of the first units to ship to America, so hop on past the break for our two pennies. %Gallery-88214%
Sony Ericsson X10 unboxed by -- who else -- Sony Ericsson
Guys, guys, look: unboxing is our job. We know it's fun and we know it brings eyeballs to your site, but we think your customers would be better served if you just concentrated on shipping the mighty X10 rather than teasing them with a product they can't yet have. Apparently, Sony Ericsson just took delivery of its first commercial samples of its inaugural Android device, so to kick off the occasion in style, a couple staffers have unboxed them in glorious high definition for us -- both the white and black versions, mind you -- using none other than their own Vivaz to maximize the meta factor. There's not a lot to the video, really (even the captions are disappointingly accurate), but if you're truly desperate for X10 eye candy as you wait for the retail launch, it's worth a gander. Full video after the break.
Fujitsu's LifeBook UH900 gets reviewed, notable flaws found
There's no question that Fujitsu's LifeBook UH900 is a niche device; much like Sony's VAIO P, there's just not a lot of demand for an expensive clamshell with an extremely high resolution and an exceptionally cramped keyboard. That said, there's a curious seduction surrounding this thing, and critics over at Pocketables seemed to agree. After spending some long days (and nights, don'tcha know?) with the Japanese version of this here device, they came away with a huge mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, the snappy performance and excellent portability made it difficult to put down, but the downright dreadful 2 - 2.5 hours of battery life more or less forced them to. There's also more gentle gripes about the screen color, the "toy-like" build quality and "useless multitouch." For us, that's probably one flaw too many to accept, but the forgiving among us should definitely check out the full skinny before making a final call.
Viliv S10 Blade tablet unboxed and multitouched (video)
Viliv's latest touchable objet d'gadget is the S10 Blade convertible tablet, a slim and sophisticated little thing that looks like it will elevate the company out of the ultraportable business and into the realm of things that take up a little bit more room in your messenger bag. Chippy over at UMPCPortal was granted access to a pre-production unit and has delivered this exhaustive unboxing and hands-on video, featuring no less than two minutes of multitouch scribbling. The device looks like it's a very good size, the form factor looks simple and solid and, with an MSRP starting at just $699, we're quite eager to see how it holds up in a full review. All in good time, readers. All in good time.
Fujitsu's LifeBook UH900 gets unboxed, sized up against the competition
Fujitsu's LifeBook UH900 started shipping to Americans just over a fortnight ago, and now one has landed into the capable hands of Pocketables. Boasting a 2GHz Atom CPU and some of the most unsightly adapters we've ever seen, this flip-open handheld -- which just looks too lovely to be saddled with the "UMPC" moniker -- strangely stirs something within our heart. It's one of those "I know I don't need it, but I just have to have it" things. Don't agree? Hit the source link, scroll all the way down, think about the upcoming weekend, and then see how you feel. Oh, and feel free to check out those size comparisons if you need extra encouragement in the "ooh" and "aah" department.
Motorola Devour goes hands-on, hits Best Buy for $99 this week (update: video!)
We've got Motorola's latest Blur handset in hand, Devour-ing ill-advised puns like it's a full time job. You can check out this aluminum slider in all its consumer-friendly glory in the gallery below, see it sized up against big brother Droid right below that, and there are some initial impressions and a video walkthrough after the break. %Gallery-86221% %Gallery-86230%
Lenovo's IdeaPad S10-3t gets unboxed on video, multitouch screen and all
Lenovo's aiming at a narrow niche with its IdeaPad S10-3t, but for those interested in things like "multitouch tablets of the netbook size," the video after the break would probably tickle your senses. Shortly after going on sale here in the States, the good folks over at Netbook News were able to procure one and unbox the whole thing on film. It's not quite seven minutes in heaven, but it's frighteningly close. Have a look beneath the break, won't you?
Near-final Pandora handhelds start shipping, proves that dreams really do come true
It's been over two solid years since we first caught wind of this here gaming handheld, and while we were initially led to believe that finalized units would be in the hands of emulation junkies long before now, we suppose loyalists are finding that late really is superior to never. After months and months of "almosts," the first wave of final Pandora handhelds are shipping out, with many community followers posting up unboxing shots as they come. We're also expecting a flood of homebrewed applications to start surfacing as more of these filter out, so be sure and drop us a line if you discover and / or create something otherworldly. Plenty more shots in the links below -- you know, if you're still patiently awaiting the arrival of your own. [Thanks, Paul] Update: A community member pinged us to say that these units actually aren't final in terms of the cases they're in. They're only being sent out now to a few members so "development [can begin] on actual Pandora hardware." Sigh.
Lenovo T410 gets unboxed, handled, reviewed
Ready for some hot ThinkPad action? Lenovo's shipping out its new ThinkPad T410, and like clockwork an unboxing video has arrived. (This is the Core i5 T410, not the brand-new Core i3 T410i -- confused? Yeah.) Changes to the venerable T400 formula are minor, apart from the new Core 2010 processors inside -- the trackpad is the same nice dimpled multitouch unit we fell in love with on the T400s, a powered USB port for charging other devices, a DisplayPort instead of DVI, and... a modem port? You just keep on being crazy, Lenny. Don't you ever change. Check it on video after the break. Update: Laptop has a review up -- as you'd expect, it fared quite well.
2K unboxes the extremely rare $15,000 version of Bioshock 2
The $99 special edition for Bioshock 2 is a stylish little bundle, replete with art deco flyers and a record containing the game's atmospheric soundtrack. The video after the jump features an all-inclusive unboxing of the package, courtesy of 2K -- however, it also includes the world-exclusive reveal of the game's "Uber Edition," which costs $14,999, and only includes a copy of the undersea action title, and a real life Big Daddy. We're still trying to make sense of this whole thing. Why would 2K expect anyone to pay 15 grand for a single game? Is it even legal to sell an actual sentient being in this manner? What are the ramifica ... what's that? It's a joke? Oh, yeah, that makes a lot more sense. Thank goodness.
Unboxing the Star Trek Online Collector's Edition
Today, we launch into Star Trek Online! Our ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before. Well OK, not since beta, anyway. Still, it's always exciting to hold a shiny new MMO box in your hands -- made even nicer when you're a huge Star Trek fan and have managed to get your hands on the Collector's Edition. Curious as to what came in this shiny metallic box now that you've checked out all of our launch day coverage? Well, travel along with us as we put it into warp and set off for a gallery look in the package. %Gallery-84513%
