Hasta La Gadget!

Well, we can think of a few other devices we’d rather see get the smackdown, but we really got a kick out of the Vaio Z durability test videos on Sony’s site — and we think that you might too. Sure, the company stops a bit short of the Survival Research Labs treatment (nary a fireball, gunshot, or cloud of shrapnel in sight), but if you’re anything like us your inner child can’t help but smile at the thought of a robot dropping, slamming, or crushing a piece of consumer electronics. And to the little guy’s credit it does all right, surviving automated drops, shocks, spills, and other assorted abuses. In all, not a bad way to spend an afternoon — although we’re really looking forward to seeing what sort of trials the company has in store for the Vaio P.

[Thanks, Mehul J]

Filed under: Laptops

Sony’s durability test metes out years of punishment on the Vaio Z originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One night in Las Vegas, utilitarian hardware maker HP and boutique gaming manufacturer Voodoo totally got hammered, partied like maniacs, and blacked out. When they woke up the next morning, they were married and pregnant. The offspring from that evening now takes the form of wunderboxes like the Firebird 803. The progeny of two very talented parents, this PC is one of the smartest rigs we’ve tested. Here’s what reviewer Chris Null had to say:

HP and its boutique/luxe division Voodoo deserve serious praise for
what they’ve accomplished with the Firebird 803. Taking a mix of laptop
and desktop guts, juicing it up with high-end components, cooling it
with liquid goo instead of noisy fans, and encasing it inside a
gorgeous, curvy shell that would make most industrial designers weep
with envy, the Firebird is a testament to how the envelope can be
pushed in the typically boring PC world.

It’s also a veritable bargain, priced at $2,100, fully loaded.

$2,100 as tested, hp.com

Read the full review of the HP Firebird 803 With Voodoo DNA here.

This week, Donald and Jasmine take a look at a handful of extreme iPod accessories, some more ridiculous than others. Plus, a new pair of ultralight earphones grabs Jasmine’s attention and ends up earning an Editors’ Choice award. Also on deck: a closer look at the Cowon D2+, an iPhone app for Deadheads, and some unique earbuds that have Donald up in arms.

iTubes for iPods.

Listen now:
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Originally posted at MP3 Insider

Regional carrier Cricket has set about breaking the Guinness record for the world’s largest cellphone, crafting a giant Samsung Messager out of wood, metal, lights, wizardry, and love. It’ll be officially unveiled tomorrow, but in the meantime, we’ve been treated to some behind-the-scenes footage of the 8th Wonder Of The World’s creation. Follow the break for video.

Chris: “Leaving out the microSD slot was purely a design decision.”
Don: “Hey, anybody remember where we put the world’s smallest cellphone?”
Paul: “yo, david, can we meet up for this fight tmrw? me and my philistine buddies got totally wasted last night, got giant hangover. thx.”
Joe: “Sure, Cricket has a bigger network, but Boost Mobile has better ringtones.”
Josh T.: “And yet… the display is still cramped.”
Nilay: “Finally, we will crush the iPhone!”
Thomas: “Hold on, let me walk over to my inbox”
Jacob: “The good news? Grandma will be able to see the buttons. The bad news? She won’t be able to dial a number without an oxygen tank.”

Continue reading Caption contest: Cricket builds the world’s largest cellphone

Filed under: Cellphones

Caption contest: Cricket builds the world’s largest cellphone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on July 26, 2007 by CyberNet.

There was a lot of chatter yesterday about Joost and their recent milestone of one million beta users. One million is an impressive number for a start-up, there’s no doubt about that, especially since they haven’t officially launched yet. But, that doesn’t mean that those one million beta users that signed up are actually using Joost.

I saw Webware’s article today titled One Million Beta Testers for Joost, But Have They Stuck Around? which was exactly what I was thinking yesterday when I saw the announcement. We’ve already had a discussion here back in April when I asked what everybody thought of it, but now I’m wondering months later, do any of you actually still use it? I know for myself, once I was done sending out the invitations, I uninstalled it. The quality was mediocre and the selection of content was under-whelming. There was no longer a purpose to keep the application on my computer.

Remember all of the hype that Joost received? This is one of those instances where I think the hype made everybody expect a really awesome product, only to be disappointed and leave it behind. I think they really need to work on the quality, content, and stability of the app (some people are having issues with it crashing) if they want their public launch at the end of the year to be a success. Any thoughts?

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