Hasta La Gadget!

Toshiba has a long history of making highly desirable ultraportables. Now, if today’s rumor pans out, it seem set to bust out another in the form of the world’s lightest (less than 1Kg with SSD) 13 incher. Besides sporting a 16:9 aspect ratio, USB 3.0 dock, and standard voltage CPU (a Core i5 is teased), this slim lappie features a 2nd SCiB (Super Charged ion Battery) power source that we’ve seen charging to 90% in just 10 minutes in prototypes from way back in 2008. No idea what “Blaze Mountain” cooling is… but we want it, assuming this is anything more than a prototype. Ah hell, we want it anyway. Check the illustration after the break.

Update: New details just came in: available in Core i3, i5, or i7-620 configurations with 4GB of memory, 500GB hard disk or optional 512GB SSD. And after talking to vozExpress, we have every reason to believe that Toshiba will be making this official in short order. New pic with Toshiba branding added after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba building world’s lightest 13-inch laptop with fast charging SCiB battery?

Toshiba building world’s lightest 13-inch laptop with fast charging SCiB battery? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 May 2010 06:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Much of the appeal of the original Olympus Digital Pen, the EP-1, was in its design. The metal body was a retro-classic, and went a long way to balancing out the camera’s flaws. So when the EP-2 arrived clad in boring black, it looked both pedestrian and clunky. Worse, it didn’t fix the slow autofocus or low-res screen of the original.

Now, with a new silver version, the EP-2 has at last regained its looks. Should you buy this instead of an EP-1? No. Not unless you want to use an electronic viewfinder, or plug in an external microphone. The only real hardware difference between the Pens one and two is the electronic socket behind the hot-shoe, into which these accessories can be plugged.

The new colorway comes to the west next week, and will sell for €800 ($1,000) in a kit with the Zuiko Digital ED 14-24mm ƒ3.5-5.6 lens.

PEN E-P2 now available in stylish silver [DP Review]

See Also:

• Olympus EP-2 Comes Out Early, Almost No New Features
• New Olympus Pen Adds Flash, Loses Good Looks
• Hands-On With Panasonic's Leica-Lite GF1
• Olympus Pen E-P2
• Olympus EP-1 Pen Gaining Fans Daily

Ricoh has announced the new P10 lens/sensor module for its weird GXR camera. The GXR, you will remember, is little more than a shell with some buttons and a screen. The lenses come with their own matched sensor and plug in as an entire unit. This one has a 28-300mm (35mm equivalent) range paired with a 10MP backlit CMOS sensor. It will capture RAW images and shoot 720p video. The aperture range runs ƒ3.5-5.6 and there is image stabilization built in.

There are a few ways to look at the GXR. You could view it as a way to perfectly match sensor and lens, using a smaller sensor in a long telephoto, say, for better magnification. This is doubtless the line Ricoh is pushing. You could also see it as a technological millstone: Where lens tech is mature, and a good piece of glass will outlast you, sensors are still improving fast. Tying the two together is a great way to spend a lot of money on future upgrades.

We do like Ricoh’s innovation, though. As well as this new lens (to be available in summer 2010), the company has shown off a range of planned add-ons, including a remote-controlled waterproof unit, a GPS add-on, a printer and a projector. None of these is coming to market soon – Ricoh says it is concentrating on expanding the range of lenses – but it shows some clever thinking.

Ricoh unveils P10 28-300mm [DP Review]

See Also:

• Ricoh's Inside-Out GXR Puts Its Sensors Inside the Lens

You’ll recall, studious little gremlins that you are, that we recently saw the venerable first-gen iPhone prancing about with an unusual little green droid providing it with operational commands. Well, the coder behind that project, David Wang, has now stepped his game up to the iPhone 3G, which has been outfitted with an almost complete implementation of Android. Audio support is the last missing piece of the puzzle, but the groundwork has been laid and it too should be ready for some unholy Apple plus Google action within the next few days. Downloadable binaries are currently being prepared, so we thought we’d help you fill the time with a video demo of the port, which may be found just past the break.

[Thanks, Andrew]

Continue reading iPhone 3G gets an Android port to call its own (video)

iPhone 3G gets an Android port to call its own (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 May 2010 03:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’ve waited long enough AT&T customers. So long that the Palm Pre is now the Palm Pre Plus and Palm, well, isn’t even Palm anymore. But you just never mind all that, what’s important is that AT&T subscribers will finally have dibs on the Palm Pre Plus starting May 16th, nationwide. No mention of a free 3G mobile hotspot capability like that offered by Verizon, but you will have free access to AT&T’s 20k-strong network of fixed hotspots. Now we just need a price — an interesting dilemma after VZW lowered the PPP to just $30 on contract.

Our tipster also tells us that AT&T will be rolling out its 3G MicroCell from coast-to-coast on the same day. Makes sense since AT&T already gave us a mid-April date for its little signal boosting wonder.

[Thanks, D.]

Update: We just spoke to AT&T about this whole ordeal; they wouldn’t confirm or deny the Pre Plus situation, but we were told that there’s “no change” in the MicroCell plans — May 16 won’t be a nationwide rollout, and there will be more rollouts in the weeks after.

AT&T Palm Pre Plus and 3G MicroCell available nationwide on May 16 (update: not quite nationwide) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 May 2010 01:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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