Hasta La Gadget!

Sony caved long ago and began producing sound systems for devices Designed in California[TM], so it’s no real shock to see it delivering yet another variant that handles iPods and iPhones. The CMT-LX30iR, which has yet to be certified as real by Sony in North America, will purportedly aim at lower-end consumers by giving ’em just ten total watts of oomph, a slot-loading CD player, FM / AM radio, line-in and a headphone jack. There’s also a remarkably basic 1-line LCD and a few equalizer presets, and the one-touch CD-to-USB Sync Recording is a fine touch. The unit has surfaced over on Amazon’s German portal for €161 ($202), though we’ve no idea how pricey it’ll be (or what it’ll be called, for that matter) whenever Sony decides to take a hint and ship it stateside.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Sony’s CMT-LX30iR USB micro system loves on Apple devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not sure what exactly Doraemon is? Haven’t heard all the rage over it in Japan? Fret not, as this here netbook is definitely none of your concern. If you just so happen to be in the opposite camp, you’ll certainly take interest in knowing that this Doraemon-splashed rig has been spotted in Taiwan, and so far as we can tell, it’s just a beautified version of the Classmate PC. Regrettably, there’s no word on actual specifications, and we’re hoping and praying the ¥48,000 ($497) price tag we’re seeing is a horrific typographical error. Even if not, we’re still tempted — just don’t tell anyone.

[Via PortableMonkey, thanks Peter]

Filed under: Laptops

Doraemon netbook has all the American kids perplexed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you ever want to get on airplane, you should probably not carry around these suitcases.

An artist in France has created a line of boxy luggage that uses toy weapons for decoration. It appears that the ‘weapons’ are cut sideways, stuck on the bag’s side, and then painted over to appear as if they’re jutting out from the case itself.

As can be seen in her website, the self-styled ‘hippie girl’ artist is trying to make a point about the apparent social behavior present in the current climate of fear when traveling. Mainly, that some people might only appear to be more threatening than others based on a physical perception.

She also believes these suitcases will foster a healthy, open conversation between strangers.

Here’s one possible convo: "Hey! You’re the one with that ‘Ax suitcase.’ Just wanted to say thanks. Without you, we would have left the tarmac by now. Instead, this five-hour postponement has made me realize how much I hate traveling and attention-getting fools like you. Thanks a lot, man."

You can buy the suitcase right here, for about $125, or you can email the artist through her site, where you can request a specific color/weapon combo.

Now that it’s official and priced, Panasonic seems much happier to show off its wireless HD-sporting, ultra-thin Z1 series, and it’s quite the sight to behold. The 54Z1 we got to look at was very strikingly clad in brushed metal gray — compared to the regular black of most of Panasonic’s TV lineup — and of course incredibly thin. The wireless HD receiver box was across the room and working flawlessly, and it was nice to see that the included remote is an RF unit, capable of non-line-of-sight channel changing — it’s starting to feel like the 21st century around here! The plasma picture was of course very good, and we’re really feeling those Viera Tools icons across the bottom. $6,000 though? That’s your call.

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Wireless

Panasonic’s ultra-thin 54Z1 plasma in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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(Credit: Parvus)

With the Zypad WR1100, we’re getting closer to “beam me up,” at least in looks, if not in actual transporter compatibility.

This bit of bling is a ruggerized wrist-worn personal computer designed for the bush. It contains a high performance CPU with 128MB of flash memory and …

Originally posted at Military Tech