Hasta La Gadget!

The overwhelming mediocrity of Windows Mobile 6.5 gives us pause before saying something sensational like “it’s a great time to be a WinMo fan,” but we’ve got to admit, manufacturers are really stepping up their game to deliver these days — one need look no further than the mighty HD2 to see that. The Omnia II’s looking pretty solid, too, especially if you like your phones served up keyboard-free, and ai.rs blog has compiled a comprehensive screenshot gallery showing just how deep the TouchWiz integration really goes. Build quality is said to be top-notch, and it’s pretty hard to argue with a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED display — so as we go into 2010, it looks like we might be gearing up for an epic TouchFLO / TouchWiz showdown in the WinMo octagon. Who doesn’t like a good fight?

[Thanks, msav]

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Omnia II gets broken down, screenshot by screenshot originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’m sure you are all well-acquainted with the crazy quadrupled BigDog robot, but if it had a master to walk with, it would probably look something like the Petman.

Actually, the similarity is not surprising considering that the walking robot was designed by Boston Dynamics, the same company behind …

Canon’s $1,900 EOS 7D DSLR just started shipping a month ago to pros and those who’d like to be, and already the thing is causing all sorts of fits when shooting continuously. In a service notice posted today on the outfit’s website, we’re told that images “captured by continuous shooting and under certain conditions [can exhibit] barely noticeable traces of the immediately preceding frame.” The phenomenon isn’t apt to be noticeable with optimal exposure, but apparently a number of Photoshoppers have been irked by the additional (and unwelcome) elements added to their shots. Canon assures us that a firmware fix is on the way, and you can bet we’ll point you to a download link as soon as it hits.

[Via DPReview]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon’s EOS 7D experiencing ‘residual image’ phenomenon, fix is on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aw, snap. For years now, we’ve been waiting (and waiting) for solid state disc prices to stoop down from the realm of you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me, and now it finally looks like the everyman can ditch the HDD and get onboard with flash. Kingston’s newly announced SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive ain’t very capacious, but for just $84.99 (after rebates) at NewEgg, it’s definitely affordable. The drive itself isn’t slated to ship until November 9th, but the cool kids over at Legit Reviews seem to have already wrangled a unit for review. Kingston promises sequential read rates of up to 170MBps and write rates of up to 40MBps, and while that’s certainly not mind-blowing, it’s not too awful given the 2.5-inch form factor and bargain-basement price. Oh, and critics found that the drive far surpassed published speed ratings in testing, which is always completely and utterly awesome. Hit the via link for more, vaquero.

[Via Legit Reviews]

Filed under: Storage

Kingston’s $85 40GB SSDNow V Series SSD gets heavily benchmarked originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jedi trainees can stop wandering the neighborhood looking for a kindly old man or frog-like hermit to train them in the ways of the force. Uncle Milton’s new Star Wars The Force Trainer can help them hone their mind-object control skills. I’m no longer a kid, but I grew up with Star Wars and still secretly (well not so secretly now) wish I had Jedi mind skills.

The $99 product arrived in our offices last week, and I took it for a test drive earlier today. It takes AA batteries and three AAAs, but otherwise set-up is a no-brainer (get it?). The double AAs go in the base, which uses a fan to push a decorated ping-pong ball up a transparent tube. It communicates wirelessly with the adjustable headset, which features three sensors that ostensibly read your brainwaves and transmit the information back to the base. With the right kind of concentration (sit still, don’t hold your breath, and think about making the ball rise), you can make the fan blow harder (or softer) and send the ball up and down the tube. Training takes you from Padawan level to Jedi Master–Yoda is your audio coach throughout.

Virtually all promotion pictures and video show a boy with his hand stretched toward the device. This isn’t necessary, but a fair amount of concentration is. I didn’t break a sweat during the test drive, but I believe I may have, with Yoda’s help (he coaches you throughout), finally become a Jedi. The proof is in the video.

Check it out, after the jump.