CD players are fast becoming an endangered species; the next generation of high-end music players are going to look like Bryston’s BDP-1. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-20008850-47.html” class=”origPostedBlog”The Audiophiliac/a/p
Well, this must be one of the most epic “I told you so” moments in the history of consumer electronics. Professor Gert Frølund Pedersen, an antenna expert over at Denmark’s Aalborg University, managed to get his concerns about the iPhone 4’s external antennae on the record a cool two weeks before the phone was even released. In an interview on June 10, the Danish brainbox explained that he wasn’t impressed by Steve Jobs’ promises of better reception, describing external antennas as “old news,” and suggested that contact with fleshlings could result in undesirable consequences to the handset’s reception:
“The human tissue will in any event have an inhibitory effect on the antenna. Touch means that a larger portion of antenna energy becomes heat and lost.”
Machine-translated that may be, but you get the point. Researchers at Gert’s university have already shown that over 90 percent of any phone’s antenna signal can be stifled by holding it in the right place, but he’s highlighting the specific exposure to skin contact as a separate issue to be mindful of. Good to know we’ve got sharp minds out there, and as to his suggested solution, Gert says phones should ideally have two antennae that act in a sort of redundant array, so that when one is blocked, the other can pick up the slack. So, what are we going to do now, Apple?
[Thanks, Andrew]
iPhone 4 antenna problems were predicted on June 10 by Danish professor originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 18:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Multi-monitor gaming is hardly uncommon these days, but 3D gaming on the PC is, well, decidedly less common. Perhaps it will be the merging of the two immersive approaches that finally gets 3D going on the PC, and Sapphire is showing that it’s possible. A single ATI-based Sapphire graphics card with Eyefinity support powered these three Zalman Trimon 3D displays, which use simple (and cheap) polarized glasses to make those boomers in Left4Dead really pop. No word on the overall cost of the system, but we’d hazard a guess it wouldn’t be significantly higher than a triple-monitor setup woefully stuck in just two dimensions.
Sapphire makes multi-monitor 3D gaming a reality with a single video card originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 17:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | 
3D Radar | Email this | Comments
We just couldn’t leave this face-off of superscreens alone, and went back for another bite at the cherry. Admittedly, we found out the Galaxy S had a browser-specific brightness setting that we hadn’t maxed out before setting off our camera hounds, so we’ve gone and remedied earlier comparison shots with the gallery below, and just as a bonus, we’ve now also run a HD video clip on both phones. This was to see how the Hummingbird and A4 SOCs, considered close siblings, handled some taxing video work and also to again compare performance deep down on the pixel level. What we can tell you now is that both handsets chewed through the 1080p clip with ease and that both gave results we have no hesitation in describing as sublime. Click past the break for the up close and personal video comparison action.
Continue reading iPhone 4 vs. Galaxy S, part deux: HD video playback (video)
iPhone 4 vs. Galaxy S, part deux: HD video playback (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
In this video, an iPhone 4 owner demonstrates how the antenna problem also affects transmission in voice calls. Using only one finger, the voice quality degrades, even dropping completely. He explains the process: More »
CNET reviews the Pure Evoke Flow, a portable Wi-Fi radio with a quality design and touch interface.
You know, people loved the last commercial-free Engadget podcast we did, last week. And they said we couldn’t replicate its success for yet another week, so deep in the throes of summer. Well, we’re here to tell you that we’ve done it again: a-NOTHER commercial-free rock block of Engadgety bliss: wrapping up the week with a distinct brand of humor, polish, and forward-thinking insight that only the Engadget Podcasters can deliver. Oh, and one more thing: it’s free. Hear different.
Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: jumpcatchmushroom – Bulletproof
Hear the podcast
00:01:38 – The Engadget Show – 010: Jimmy Fallon, Kudo Tsunoda, Microsoft Kinect, iPhone 4, Samsung Captivate, Droid X
00:04:00 – iPhone 4 review
00:04:25 – First iPhone 4 units being delivered
00:04:35 – iPhone 4 launch day line watch (update: Woz in action)
00:04:50 – Poll: is your iPhone 4 retina display seeing yellow spots? (update: losing bars in the hand?)
00:05:08 – iPhone 4’s yellow spot issue goes away with a bit of time?
00:06:07 – Some iPhone 4 models dropping calls when held left-handed, including ours (Update: Apple responds)
00:08:10 – The Jimmy Fallon Test: is the iPhone 4 dropping fewer calls?
00:11:00 – iPhone 4 antenna woes contextualized by dude in the know
00:15:42 – Apple responds to iPhone 4 reception issues: you’re holding the phone the wrong way
00:20:00 – Apple: white iPhone 4 not available until second half of July, ‘more challenging to manufacture than expected’
00:27:20 – Hey Apple, you’re holding it wrong
00:30:00 – Okay, you’ve got an iPhone 4 — now what?
00:35:29 – Gyroscope gunning on the iPhone 4 with Eliminate: Gun Range (video)
00:45:00 – iOS 4 apps: the best of what’s new and updated (live updates!)
00:48:25 – Motorola Droid X for Verizon official: July 15 for $200
00:49:40 – Live from Verizon’s Motorola Droid X event!
00:52:55 – Motorola Droid X first (official) hands-on and unboxing! Update: video!
00:55:00 – Droid X vs. iPhone 4… hang out!
01:02:05 – Android 2.2 coming to Droid in ‘late July,’ Droid X in ‘late August?’
01:02:25 – Android 2.2 Froyo source code available today
Subscribe to the podcast
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).
[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.
[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.
[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace
Download the podcast
LISTEN (MP3)
LISTEN (AAC)
LISTEN (OGG)
Contact the podcast
1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
Engadget Podcast 202 – 06.26.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
There are a few things in life you can count on. And we mean really count on. You may argue “taxes,” but as one Wesley Snipes has so clearly proven, even those can be evaded given the right motive. Instead, we’re arguing that the next installment of Crapgadget is indeed more likely to be unavoidable, evidenced by the fact that you’re reading this right now. What’s up in today’s best of the worst? Oh, just a USB arm wrestler, a knockoff Land Rover mobile phone, a faux gold World Cup trophy storage device and a handgun that’s anything but. And that’s just for starters. Dive in below if you’ve got a stomach of steel and a thing for sick jokes, and be sure to cast your vote for which turns your evil smile up the most.
Read – USB arm wrestlers
Read – Land Rover phone
Read – Transformers USB drive
Read – World Cup Trophy USB drive
Read – USB handgun
Read – USB itch removal instrument
Crapgadget: frightening party favors edition originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 11:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Expansys becomes exclusive retailer for Huawei S7 Android tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
There’s no great fix for the iPhone 4 reception issues right now. Here are the best pseudo-solutions so far. More »
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.
