Hasta La Gadget!

For this week’s installment of the Engadget Podcast, we present the audio stream from our recent Engadget Show, featuring a one-on-one with Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer! We encourage you to go and check out the actual show if you haven’t seen it, but for those of you on the move who can’t be looking at a screen, here’s the next best thing. Of course, Josh, Paul, and Nilay still tear through the week in news (and what a week!), and as a bonus, you get to hear some tunes from the ever so talented Bit Shifter. So what are you waiting for? Sit back, crank the PMP, and prepare to enter nerd heaven.

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel
Special guest: Steve Ballmer
Produced by: Chad Mumm
Directed by: Michael Slavens
Music by: Bit Shifter

Hear the podcast

00:01:22 – Steve Ballmer hasn’t seen the Courier video, promises Zune integration in next WinMo release
00:38:40 – Bit Shifter
00:41:37 – Windows 7 Launches
00:46:45 – Apple’s Magic Mouse: one button, multitouch gestures, Bluetooth, four-month battery life
00:47:50 – Unibody MacBook (late 2009) review
00:52:50 – iMac line updated with 16:9 displays, quad-core Core i5 / i7 model
00:52:48 – Barnes & Noble Nook dual-screen reader officially announced… for real
00:59:00 – Spring Design Alex: dual-screen Android-based e-reader (Update: not for Barnes & Noble)
01:00:05 – Motorola Droid

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Contact the podcast

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Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget

Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast 168 – 10.25.2009: The Engadget Show 002 with Steve Ballmer originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve never truly been at ease with that Geek Squad crowd. Something about “the people” they hang with and “the places” they hang at just worries us, so we’re pretty thrilled to see another mega-corp stepping in to take the place of the now-deceased Circuit City FireDog crew. Starting sometime before the holiday season, Wally World will be partnering with N.E.W. Customer Service Companies in order to offer in-home installation to customers buying anything from a wireless router to a HTIB. The service plans will be sold on prepaid cards ranging from $99 to $399 in value, and each install includes a “preliminary consultation and a tutorial after installation is completed.” Granted, it may be a bit tough to get the dude looking to spend $5 on a new plasma to spring for such a service, but hey, it’s not like competition is a bad thing.

[Via Hot Hardware]

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Wireless, Networking

Walmart to rival Best Buy’s Geek Squad with own in-home install crew originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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(Credit:
Matt Hickey)

T-Mobile on Sunday took the veil off of its rumored new aggressive pricing plans and made them official. And they’re not just attractive, they’re simple as well.

They are split into two major categories: the Even More Plus plans that don’t include hardware subsidization but has no contract, and the Even More plans that include hardware and have a two-year contract.

The noncontract Plus option looks great for people who already own hardware that would run on T-Mobile’s network, like an unlocked GSM phone. The top plan, at $79 a month, includes unlimited airtime, texting, and even Web browsing. That’s about $20 less than the full unlimited plan that is offered by Sprint, until now the best all-in plan around.

Don’t need data and just want talking and texting? That’d be just $49 a month for all-you-can-eat on both. Like we said, aggressive.

But just because they’re not subsidizing hardware with these Even More Plus plans, it doesn’t mean someone would be stuck with their current phone. T-Mobile’s offering these plans in conjunction with its Equipment Installment Plan, which allows a user to break up payment on a new phone into 4 or 20 installments on top of what they’re paying for their bill, and it’s interest free. A $399 G1 would be just $19.95 a month for 20 months. If you’re anti-contract, that’s a great way to go.

Of course, one could still go the traditional route and get a phone with the Even More plans and get a handset subsidized, but the Even More plans don’t offer an unlimited everything plan. Adding a data and text plan to the same G1 available on the installment plan takes the unlimited side up to $99 a month, on par with Sprint. In addition the G1 costs $129, leaving $270 to be made up for by subsidization. On a two-year contract that’s $11.50 per month.

But what’s the best way to go? This can get confusing, but bear with us here.
…

You Yanks won’t be getting your paws around this without a buddy in Japan ready and willing to ship it your way, but those camped out in the Land of the Rising Sun can soon jockey for an opportunity to grab the most colorful Pentax K-x DSLR of all time. The Korejanai K-x — which was engineered by the same folks behind the ‘Self Destruct Button‘ USB hub — looks as if it had all of its panels painted a different hue, and as diehard lovers of the iconic 1996 Volkswagen Harlequin Golf, we can’t help but drool here. Only 100 of these will be sold, and it’ll be bundled with a matching Korejanai Robot Model. Of course, the camera itself is identical to the standard version save for the paint job, but somehow we’re guessing you’ll appreciate this one just a wee bit more. It’s set to sell for ¥79,800 (around $880), with orders being accepted starting at 10AM JST on November 2nd. Best set your alarms, kids!

[Via Image-Acquire]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Pentax’s limited edition Korejanai K-x DSLR reminds us of Harlequin VW Golf originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Foot Flush is a revolutionary foot pedal designed to use in your home or office bathroom in order to keep away germs and promote better health.

Besides the obvious health advantages, The Foot Flush has received rave reviews from seniors and customers with back problems, arthritis, limited mobility, and other physical difficulties. The Foot Flush is also great for potty training, getting children to flush, and reducing the spread of germs in your bathroom.