Jan 21

Apples Tablet: What Do You Really Want?

Posted in: Today's Chili

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3G connectivity? A (relatively) low price? Long battery life? What are the make-or-break features for you in the still-theoretical-but-we-all-know-it’s-coming Apple tablet, likely to be announced next week at the company’s press event?

Electronics shopping and review site Retrevo announced results from an informal customer study asking this very question. Most respondents want 3G and would really hate a monthly data plan; and interestingly, many want solar charging capability. Other requests: an e-book store and a book-like double screen.

So what would make you plunk down some cash for the Apple tablet? (Notice I’m staying away from calling it the “iPad”–I still hold out hope for a better name.) What would be a deal-breaker for you? Let us know in comments. 

More of Retrevo’s findings after the jump.

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Jan 21

Dave Smith’s Mopho keyboard prototype wows analog fanboys at NAMM (video)

Posted in: Today's Chili
Dave Smith’s name is as revered in the synth business as those of Tom Oberheim and “Handsome Ron” Casio. Having had his hands in everything from the Prophet 5 synth to developing the MIDI specification to his own company (Dave Smith Instruments), the man has given electronic musicians plenty to be thankful for. The boutique’s latest, the Mopho Keyboard (seen here in prototype form at NAMM 2010) takes the existing Mopho synth module — a pretty sweet deal with its sub-octave generators, audio input (you know, for modulating stuff), and feedback options — and adds a thirty-two key keyboard and a whole mess of controls. Like original, this new Mopho has a 100 percent analog signal path, ships with a sound bank editor for both Windows and Mac, and it sounds pretty, pretty bad ass. Look for it in the near future for around $800. Video after the break.

Continue reading Dave Smith’s Mopho keyboard prototype wows analog fanboys at NAMM (video)

Dave Smith’s Mopho keyboard prototype wows analog fanboys at NAMM (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 21

HP molds itself an entry into the 3D printer market

Posted in: HP, printer, Today's Chili

Don’t let HP’s involvement confuse you, there’s a very good chance John Q. Consumer won’t be able to afford a 3D printer anytime soon. But the company is dipping its toes into the industry thanks to a deal with Stratasys. The latter will produce an “exclusive line of 3D printers based on Stratasys’ patented Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology.” Those will be sold under HP branding targeted at the Mechanical Design (MCAD) market. The specific product details are still shrouded in mystery (that’s just a quick Photoshop, left), but for perspective, Stratasys’ cheapest printer is the uPrint, which can mold 8 x 6 x 6-inch models for a smidgen under $15,000. Still interested, despite price deterrent? Don’t forget there’s some DIY options for you out there for less than a grand.

HP molds itself an entry into the 3D printer market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 21

Sony Ericsson Unveils Vivaz Phone

Posted in: cellphones, Sony Ericsson, Today's Chili, video

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Sony Ericsson has launched the Vivaz, a touchscreen 3G cell phone that captures high-definition 720p video, and also snaps photos with an 8.1-megapixel camera that includes face detection and geo-tagging.

The Vivaz features a TV-out for displaying video on an HDTV, YouTube compatibility, aGPS, and Wi-Fi. It measures 4.2 by 2.0 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighs just 3.4 ounces, and also includes a 360-by-640-pixel 16:9 touch screen.

The Vivaz is a quad-band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and tri-band HSDPA (850/1900/2100 MHz) device. It will hit the market sometime in Q1 2010 in “select markets.” If it follows recent high-end Sony Ericsson releases, that means the Vivaz will be available unlocked first, and possibly with AT&T later.

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Jan 21

Alltel picks up BlackBerry Curve 8530

Posted in: Today's Chili

Alltel introduces its latest BlackBerry device, the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-10438765-85.html” class=”origPostedBlog”Dialed In/a/p

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Jan 21

The Cornucopia: MIT’s 3D food printer patiently awaits ‘the future’

Posted in: concept, mit, printer, research, Today's Chili, university

The traditional fast food business model just never had a chance, now did it? Marcelo Coelho and Amit Zoran, a pair of whiz kids doing their thang over at MIT, have developed what very well may be the next major revolution in food preparation. It may also be the only machine that keeps you alive when the Robot Apocalypse goes down, but we’ll try to stuff that to the rear of our minds for now. Essentially, the Cornucopia concept is a 3D printer that precisely mixes foods and flavors from a number of canisters in order to produce something that’s edible (and supposedly close to what you ordered). Able to deliver “elaborate combinations of food,” the machine also has a rapid heating and cooling chamber that purportedly allows for “the creation of flavors and textures that would be completely unimaginable through other cooking techniques.” Color us skeptical, but we’re guessing these government-issued MREs probably taste just as good — guess we’ll find out for sure if the project ever gets its date with reality.

The Cornucopia: MIT’s 3D food printer patiently awaits ‘the future’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 21

TomTom: U.S. Drivers Keep Speed Limit (Mostly)

Posted in: gps, navigation, Today's Chili, tomtom

TomTom_Speed_US_Map.jpg

Drivers in the U.S. tend to stay within the speed limit range on most major highways, according to new GPS data from TomTom. The company crunched numbers from its Speed Profiles database, sourced from TomTom’s Tele Atlas map business unit and a part of TomTom’s trademark IQ Routes feature that tracks the average actual speeds of drivers on typical routes.

It found that even drivers in the fastest stages–Mississippi, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, and Alabama–stayed either within or just over posted speed limits of 65 to 75 mph. This next bit is news to no one, but congested routes like I-95 on the eastern seaboard exhibit dramatically different average speeds in different sections, with the slowest being in Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Interestingly, Montana was nowhere to be found in the top group; that state famously lifted all numerical speed limits in December 1995 and replaced them with “reasonable and prudent,” and did things like issue $5 “energy use” tickets for anyone driving under 100 mph. That whole thing didn’t stand up in court very well, so it was repealed four years later.

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Jan 21

Would you share your tablet?

Posted in: Today's Chili

Rumors say the upcoming Apple tablet is made for sharing…but do you feel comfortable about co-ownership of your gadgets?

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Jan 21

ASUS’ Congo-based Eee PC 1201T pops up on Amazon’s German portal

Posted in: amazon, AMD, ASUS, availability, available, germany, netbook, now shipping, NowShipping, NVIDIA, nvidia ion, NvidiaIon, ship, ships, Today's Chili

Tired of waiting for the Eee PC 1201T to ship? Impatient, aren’t we? We’ve been wondering about the status of this here netbook since it came to light last November, and now it looks like the Germans are about to get a real, live taste of AMD’s Congo platform. Boasting a 1.6GHz MV40 CPU, the same look and feel that we’ve grown accustomed to on Eee PC netbooks, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, ATI HD3200 GPU and Windows 7 on the OS front, this is certainly one of the more unique machines in the sea of Atomized “me-toos.” The pain? €399 ($560), and the first batch is expected to ship out tomorrow. Here’s hoping the price dips somewhat when it makes its Stateside debut.

ASUS’ Congo-based Eee PC 1201T pops up on Amazon’s German portal originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 21

Palm Pre Plus shows off multitasking upgrade with 50 simultaneous apps (video)

Posted in: palm, palm pre, PalmPre, pre, smartphone, Today's Chili, verizon, video, webos

Yea, you read that right — fifty apps loaded side by side by freaking side on the Pre Plus, and the thing just kept on ticking. The chaps over at Pre Central decided to test out specifically how much of an improvement the doubling of RAM and storage in the new handset delivered, and they were not disappointed. Opening up the same apps on both phones, they found the original Sprint Pre (sporting a mere 256MB of RAM) ran out of puff at the 13 app mark, whereas the Pre Plus soldiered on until a nice round fifty was reached. Go past the break to see the video evidence for yourself — long live multitasking!

Continue reading Palm Pre Plus shows off multitasking upgrade with 50 simultaneous apps (video)

Palm Pre Plus shows off multitasking upgrade with 50 simultaneous apps (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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