Hasta La Gadget!

(Credit: CBS Interactive)

I have a question: is having a 16:9 aspect ratio monitor (as opposed to 16:10) really all that beneficial? The answer is, “It depends.”

If we’re talking strictly about resolution benefits, the specific size of the screen matters greatly. For example, a 16:9, …

Chinatown changed the game by inventing knock-off Burberry and Chanel bags. Now DXG, famous for inexpensive cameras, will bring Chinatown tactics to the tech world by introducing knock off Burberry and Chanel pocket high-def camcorders at Chinatown prices. These beauties will retail in August at $129, which is roughly the price of a Burberry or Chanel handkerchief. The camcorders capture HD video at 720p30.

DXG was extremely meticulous when ripping off these designs; the company nailed everything from embedding jewels on the Chanel model to adding a leather tag on the Burberry. The packaging will even match the design of the camcorders. The icing on the cake is that each HD camcorder will come will a matching case that looks like a mini purse!

DXG plans on selling the devices in its existing retail channels (Sears, RadioShack, and Wal-mart) but is also planning on breaking into upscale locations such as Bloomingdales. Call me crazy, but I expect these to A) sell like gangbusters, and B) get me out of any girl trouble. A $99 water-resistant model was also shown off. It was ruggedized and light, and offered 720p30 capture, MP3 player, voice recorder,offered in a few colors as well as a bad-ass “ice camouflage” design.

While second monitor status isn’t a first for Samsung’s picture frames, it’s nice to see the functionality be extended to this latest lineup, the “Touch of Color” SPF-87H and SPF-107H. Otherwise the 8-inch and 10-inch frames are pretty basic on features for the most part, including 1GB of internal storage, an internal rechargeable battery and a multicard reader in a 0.9-inch thick form factor. The folks at Digital PictureFrame Review had no luck getting the SPF-85V to work as an external USB display last time around, so hopefully Samsung has tightened up its software in that regard — though we’re not expecting Mac support of such functionality in this century. At least the price is right: in Taiwan the 8-inch frame, which is available globally this month, will go for NT$3490 (about $103 US), while the 10-inch version goes for NT$5290 (about $157 US) and will hit stores in May.

[Via Digital PictureFrame Review]

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays

Samsung’s new SPF-87H and SPF-107H photo frames pull double duty as secondary displays originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Let’s start this out with a word of warning: TheStreet.com’s latest report allegedly from deep within Espoo’s most secretive labs contradicts itself on a couple occasions — and Nokia has a decent (though not stellar) track record of keeping most prized secrets under wraps — so we’re bringing this up with a good deal of caution, healthy skepticism, and cold, hard reality on our minds. That being said, some aspects of the report seem totally plausible, particularly a new bit about a fresh MID (likely to replace the aging N810) in the works with a sliding keyboard and 4.2-inch display targeted for release before the holidays this year; Maemo 5 development is well underway, so we’d actually be kinda surprised if this didn’t happen. Odds are it wouldn’t be that rumored Sparrow-powered device, though, since we’d heard 2011 for that one.

Here’s where it starts to get a little strange — next up, the report mentions a “Nautilus project” intending to create an ultra-thin touchscreen phone of some sort that uses a “sensor” (you know, a “sensor”) to motorize the keyboard in and out of the body; what’s more, the keys would rise up when deployed for better feel. This sounds unlikely at best, considering the added weight, complexity, bulk, and reliability concerns around that kind of a mechanism, not to mention the fact that it’d serve almost no practical purpose whatsoever. At first, TheStreet says this is a device, then later changes its mind and says “the first Nautilus phone isn’t due out for another year” — but whether it’s a phone or an entire range of phones, we’re just not seeing it; it’d be fun to play with, yes, but we think this is the kind of thing where the engineers would putz with it for a while and realize that it’s a really, really bad idea.

[Via Unwired View]

Filed under: Handhelds

Nokia working on new MID for this year, wild QWERTY tech for next? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Believe it or not, the way to help us get out of this recession is to shop as often as you can manage. And Amazon just made it even easier for you to do that, if you have a BlackBerry.

(Credit: Amazon)

Amazon’s iPhone app launched in December, and …