Episode 48 of the Digital City, where we discuss fancy OLED technology coming to laptops; how the cheaper PS3 Slim doubled sales the very first week; which PS2 games should get the Blu-ray
…
Originally posted at Digital City Podcast
We’d have much rather gotten a VAIO X video promising us an upgrade to CULV internals over the Atom in the demo units, but instead we’re getting tinkling pianos and sword-based visual metaphors. At least there’s a hint of an “autumn” release date, we suppose. Full video after the break.
[Thanks, Bob]
Continue reading Sony VAIO X stars in esoteric promo video
Filed under: Laptops
Sony VAIO X stars in esoteric promo video originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 13:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We’ve already seen plenty of the Olympus E-P1, but when we dropped by Olympus’ booth today at IFA we just couldn’t resist slapping on the biggest lens they had, courtesy of the micro four thirds to standard four thirds adapter, and shooting a bit of dramatic show floor footage. The verdict? It’s totally impractical, especially because there’s no autofocus during video with certain lenses, meaning we’re stuck working the manual focus ring, D90-style. Still, we didn’t expect anything different, and our short film entitled “People Wandering Around, Totally Out of Focus” really made the effort worth while. Oh, and for our money? The white model is about twice as sexy as the gray. Videos are after the break.
Continue reading Olympus E-P1 meets 50-200mm SWD lens monstrosity, hilarity ensues
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Olympus E-P1 meets 50-200mm SWD lens monstrosity, hilarity ensues originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Though you might mistake Snow Leopard for plain old Leopard when you first boot it up, there’s a lot of subtle stuff happening on screen and under the hood. Here’s our guide to everything new in the latest Mac OS.
What It All Means: Snow Leopard Review
So much of what’s going on with Snow Leopard is almost invisible—especially until developers can take advantage of it—so what does all that really add up to?
The Real Cost of Upgrading to Snow Leopard
Sure the box price is $29—if you meet the right conditions, like running Leopard on an Intel-powered Mac. But what if you don’t? Find out what it’ll really cost you.
Getting Ready for Snow Leopard
For most people, Snow Leopard might be the easiest upgrade ever, but to make sure it’s really as painless as possible, there’s a few things you should to do to get ready, from better-safe-than-sorry sister site Lifehacker. (Backup! Backup! Backup!)
Hey, There’s Actually a Buncha New Features Here
While Snow Leopard isn’t pack the Leopard-like explosion of 300 new features, there’s actually a decent bit of new stuff going on: QuickTime X is a whole new QuickTime, there’s built-in text substitution, and the wireless networking interface is actually useful now.
Also check out the Buncha New Stuff, Express Edition, a condensed version of what’s new and noteworthy with 15 tricks you can actually see and play with.
Grand Central Dispatch, or Snow Leopard’s Embracing Multicore Awesomeness
One of the most key under-the-hood technologies in Snow Leopard, Grand Central Dispatch is Apple’s solution to the tricky problem of coding apps to take full advantage of the mostly untapped power of the multicore processors inside today’s computers.
GPGPU Computing Is Going to Make It a Little Toasty for Snow Kitties
The other major leap toward harnessing all of the power a modern computer truly offers is Snow Leopard’s inclusion of OpenCL 1.0, a framework that lets programmers easily use the tons of cores inside your graphics card for a whole lot more than gaming.
• The Snow Leopard Incompatibility List
• How to Build a Hackintosh With Snow Leopard
• What the Snow Leopard Box Should’ve Looked Like
• Snow Leopard vs. Windows 7
• 10 Takes on Snow Leopard
Is there something missing, a discussion you were hoping to have but aren’t seeing here? We want to be thorough, so let’s have it. Go ahead and hit us up, either in direct emails or to our tips line, with the subject “Snow Leopard Guide.”
We’ve covered Windows 7 from rumor to golden master. Now—as we wait for its Oct. 22 arrival—it’s enchilada time: Here’s everything of value that we learned about Win 7, packed in a complete, easy-to-read guide.
What It All Means: Windows 7 Review
So much anticipation has led up to the arrival of Windows 7, aka The Redeemer. But does it live up to the hype? Here we pass judgment, and then, because we like you, we give you a super-quick tour of its best features and tips.
The Real Cost of Upgrading to Windows 7
Now that prices are announced and it’s time to think about upgrading, here are all the different considerations you’ll have to make. It’s as smart a Windows upgrade as there ever was, but do your homework!
How To Use Windows 7, or Why The New UI Is So Great
Windows 7 is Microsoft’s biggest user-interface overhaul since Windows 95. It’s no surprise, then, that even Windows veterans could use a crash course on how to use it.
Device Stage Hardware Fun, Plus More Productivity Tips
Device Stage, the instant recognition of cameras, printers and other peripherals, is candy for the gadget-addicted, but knowing what works and what doesn’t definitely matters.
Windows Media Player and Media File Compatibility
Music and movies—not only are they more important than they were when Vista came out, but they also come from more sources in more formats. Windows 7 attempts to master them all.
Couch Tricks: New Features for Windows Media Center
Our favorite “10-foot” media software shows up in Windows 7 with loads of new features—if you haven’t yet seen why Media Center makes even TiVo look dated, you better pay attention.
Important Changes to Networking and Security
When it comes to life online, there’s no way to underestimate advances in networking and security. Windows 7 is full of them, and it pays to know what they are and how to use them.
Natural Interfaces: Pen, Touch and Multitouch
Windows 7 comes of age at a time when the keyboard and mouse are giving way to newer more instinctive controls—luckily, it’s got many of those controls built right in. Bonus: Here’s a first look at the fun Surface-like Windows 7 Touch Pack which may soon be available on all touch PCs.
Got Troubles? Here’s How To Shoot ‘Em Down
Even a good operating system can be bad once in a while. During the Beta test, we had our share of issues. Here’s a discussion of many of the problems that can be solved, and a few that can’t.
Is there something missing, a discussion you were hoping to have but aren’t seeing here? We want to be thorough, so let’s have it. Go ahead and hit us up, either in direct emails or to our tips line, with the subject “Windows 7 Guide.”
(Credit: Tomy)Japanese toymaker Tomy has released a new dog translator gadget that can turn barks into words.
Bowlingual Voice is an update to Bowlingual, first released way back in 2002. The new version speaks with a human voice from a handheld unit wirelessly linked to a microphone around the …
While Nokia wouldn’t invite us to Nokia World this year, we were fortunate enough to discover a pair of its new X6 handsets on the IFA floor here in Berlin. On hand were two engineering prototypes, one of which was peeling away from its plastic shell while the other seemed less responsive to our finger-taps. Still, it’s clear that the capacitive touchscreen is far more responsive to human touch than the resistive screens found on its N97, or the 5800 XpressMusic especially. This was made abundantly clear when using the on-screen keyboard although some of our swiping gestures were inexplicably ignored in other elements of the interface. But given the choice of the screen being awesome or super-awesome (remember, we’re comparing it to Nokia’s resistive touchscreen legacy), we’ll have to settle on the former for now. Of course, underneath you’ve still got S60 5th, for better or worse, pumping away inside a chubby little candybar — no screen tech can change that. See the action in the video after the break then jump into the gallery to see it sized up with a few of its S60 cousins five times removed.
Continue reading Nokia X6 video hands-on: proof that capacitive touchscreens are better
Filed under: Cellphones
Nokia X6 video hands-on: proof that capacitive touchscreens are better originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 09:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Handhelds
Boston prep school nixes all the books in its library, replaces them with 18 e-readers originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Nokia's X3 makes music.
(Credit: Nokia)
It’s been a busy week here at Crave with a whole lot of gadget news coming out of IFA 2009 in Berlin, including Toshiba announcing a touch-screen tablet called the JournE. This is, perhaps, Toshiba’s effort to take on Apple’…
For all its good looks and lickable icons, the BL40 hardly feels like a “Chocolate” phone — abandoning the featurephone functionality and slider form factors that are usually associated with the moniker. Well, the newly surfaced BL20 (previously spotted as the BL42) is here to solve all that. The slider handset has capacitive touch controls below the screen, but the screen itself is not a touchscreen. The functionality has also been trimmed back from the BL40’s app extravaganza, but the interface looks and actual hardware seem very similar. We had a little trouble getting around in the German interface, but if you can handle our bumblings you can check out a video of the phone after the break.
Gallery: LG BL20 hands-on
Continue reading LG BL20 hands-on: putting the ‘slider’ back in ‘Chocolate’
Filed under: Cellphones
LG BL20 hands-on: putting the ‘slider’ back in ‘Chocolate’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 07:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
