Jan 14
Jan 14
Sony VAIO GS series pops up in the FCC — a cheap Sony ultraportable?
Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, sony, Today's Chili, vaio
We don’t have a lot to go on, but a machine called the VAIO GS just popped up in the FCC database, along with the usual nasty gub’ment photos. Doing some extremely rough back-of-the-napkin calculations, it looks like it’s Sony’s answer to the Dell Mini 12 — 11 inches wide with a 12ish-inch 4:3 screen. We’re also seeing an optional built-in optical drive, WiFi, Bluetooth, three USB ports, a PC Card slot (that’s what it’s marked — let’s hope it’s really ExpressCard), a Memory Stick slot, Ethernet and modem ports, and VGA out. We’re guessing the optical drive explains the netbook-ish hinge battery placement, but nothing explains how ugly this thing is — let’s hope the downgrade in style from the VAIO P comes with a corresponding downgrade in price. A few more shots after the break.
Update: As a few astute commenters have pointed out, this could be an updated US-bound version of the Japan-only VAIO G from 2006 — if things haven’t changed too much, you’re looking at a two-pound machine with a 12.1-inch display. We’ll see — the exterior is definitely a little different, and we don’t think the market is right for the VAIO G’s original $2,000 pricetag.
Continue reading Sony VAIO GS series pops up in the FCC — a cheap Sony ultraportable?
Filed under: Laptops
Sony VAIO GS series pops up in the FCC — a cheap Sony ultraportable? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan 14
I’m not much a gamer myself, but I have to say, King of Kong was one of the most entertaining documentaries I’ve seen in the last few years. It portrayed the drama and excitement of professional gaming, rarely seen by the outside world. For those who find that such sentiments are just a distraction from raw lists of numbers, however, “The Guinness Book of World Records” has announced the release of its second annual “Gamer’s Edition.”
The book comes out on February 4th, with a $21.95 cover price. And it does feature more than lists of numbers. While details are scarce about the forthcoming edition, last year’s had reviews of games, interviews with pro, and gaming tips and cheats.
Personally, I hope they keep some of the regular “Guinness” oddball stats intact. World’s fattest gamer, anyone?
Jan 14
Mmmm, delicious frozen steaks…
We’re only a couple of weeks into the new year, but we’ve already run into what will likely be one of the top 10 weird swag boxes we’ll see in all of 2009.
The fine folks at EA, in an effort to promote the upcoming skateboarding game Skate 2, sent journalists a Styrofoam freezer box with some frozen Omaha steaks in it, along with a press release and an asset CD (wisely sealed in a ziplock bag).
The tie-in? Well, the words “skate” and “steak” contain the same letters, and the game apparently has a mode called the Hall of Meat in it, so it’s not as random as it seems.
Enjoy these photos of frozen video game meat. …
Originally posted at Digital City Podcast
Jan 14
(Credit: USB Geek)I just can’t get behind the concept of waterproof gadgets. An iPod Shuffle that you can submerge is kinda cool, but you still need waterproof headphones. Maybe you can use it in the shower with these speakers. But do you really need a waterproof mouse?
Your wallet says no, but USB Geek says yes. This five-button USB optical mouse is made with sealed silicone, making it completely waterproof. Despite how uncomfortable you feel about mixing water and lasers, USB Geek claims the optical sensor maintains precision on any surface. So in case you misplace your waterproof mouse pad, feel free to use that sea turtle’s shell next time you’re scuba diving and simply must check out what’s new on CNET.
The mouse will also come in handy if you suffer from hyperhidrosis, no sweat. More pics after the jump.
…
Jan 14
Nikon D3x reviewed: unmatched image quality, steep price tag
Posted in: dslr, nikon, review, Reviews, Today's Chili
While all of the Nikon D3x previews from December largely heaped praise on the camera, Thomas Hogan’s recent review is decidedly more evenhanded. Though lauded for what he calls the best image quality of any DSLR on the market, its $8000 price tag receives some harsh criticism. Compared to its D3 predecessor, he says you’re paying a $3600 premium for what is essentially just twice the pixel count (12.1 megapixels vs. 24.4). If you’re the kind of person who needs the higher resolution, this is the camera for you. For everyone else, it might be worth a pass. Hit up the read link for an exhaustive analysis.
[Via 1001 Noisy Cameras]
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Nikon D3x reviewed: unmatched image quality, steep price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan 14
ATT Texting Customers American Idol Spam
Posted in: att, Today's ChiliTechnology has long found new and innovative ways to annoy us with advertising. Just when you though that businesses had exhausted the avenues by which to pitch their products, you get a text message. From AT&T. Telling you to watch the season premier of American Idol.
The wireless carrier did that yesterday, texting a “significant number” of its customers and telling them to watch the show. AT&T, a sponsor of the show, has the market cornered on Idol voted, meaning that every time the show is on, the country’s largest wireless carrier gets a huge chunk of dough.
Jan 14
Last year, Intel’s Atom processor ruled the netbooks market. This year the Via Nano processor is set to make a splash starting with Samsung’s upcoming netbook, the NC20.
Through a leaked manual posted on the company’s UK website, Samsung confirmed that the NC20 would have a 12-inch screen and sport a 1.3GHz Via Nano processor. While lightweight, the screen size raises questions on whether the NC20 is really a netbook or a mini-notebook.
The NC20, which is likely to be out next month, will also come with Windows XP, 1GB of RAM, 160GB of hard drive storage and weigh 3.3 pounds. The netbook is likely to be priced at around $500—which will make it more expensive than most of its peers.
Photo: SammyNetbook.com
[via SlashGear]
Jan 14
Accelerometers are all the rage these days, with Apple’s iPod Touch leading the way. Incidentally, the iPod Touch has also touted itself as a gaming platform, which has to rankle Nintendo, which sells the most popular platform in the portable gaming market, the Nintendo DS. Nintendo also was first to the market with a touchscreen device too, let’s remember.
Oh, and then there’s the Nintendo Wii, of course, which uses both an accelerometer as well as a motion-sensing device.
So it’s really no surprise that Nintendo has patented a “direction” card for the Nintendo DS, according to Siliconera, which translated the Japanese patent application. It’s important to note that the patent covers the “DS Houi Sensor Card,” with “Houi” meaning “direction”. To me, that doesn’t necessarily specify either an accelerometer or motion-sensing device. Either, however, promises a new generation of oddly bobbing, bouncing gamers on the go.
Jan 14
Yes, we’re just as shocked and horrified to hear the news as you are, but it seems to be true. Pioneer, the last major electronics manufacturer to continue production of laserdisc players, has announced they’ll discontinue all three of the models they currently offer, leaving dozens of hardcore fans in the dust. But cheer up: we’ll always have the memories, and this poster.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Pioneer finally kills production of its remaining laserdisc players originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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