Hasta La Gadget!

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

A decade ago at Macworld Expo, Steve Jobs provided a rare look into the vision guiding Apple. Breaking with naysayers foretelling the demise of the PC, Jobs said that the PC was now entering a third golden age of “Digital Lifestyle,” following those of productivity and the Internet. In this era, the PC would serve as a digital hub.

The presentation was rife with references that are amusing with a decade of hindsight, one in which Apple has received more attention for its work in advancing popular digital spokes. For example, in pointing out some peripheral devices that will connect to the digital hub, Jobs showed the Rio flash-based MP3 player as well as the Palm V, both of which would succumb to Apple’ own iPod and iPhone.

Continue reading Switched On: Why the digital hub died

Switched On: Why the digital hub died originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’d heard rumors that a new Zune was on the way, but here’s a spot of evidence that something’s actually up: Microsoft’s adding a senior mechanical engineer to help build “the next generation of portable entertainment and communication devices.” While the job listing in question is technically for Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business, which oversees Windows Phone, it’s clear that some things have changed since the Entertainment & Devices shakeup: “We are the team that shipped the Zune HD,” the post reads. It appears that there’s a new group within Microsoft called the Portable Entertainment Group which isn’t afraid to design its own hardware and includes the Zune team, though whether that hardware be Zune, phone or something more obscure still remains to be seen.

Microsoft job posting hints at another Zune, or perhaps an internally-developed phone originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG is touting its plasma PX950 as the first THX-certified 3D HDTV, and while we didn’t run into it at IFA, the company held a press gathering this week in New York to make up for it. So if this set meets THX’s rigorous demands — 400 bench tests and 1,000 data points spread out over 30 test categories — how does it look to the average consumer? Well, LG certainly has done a lot to prevent ghosting — that is, image doubling from sync issues with the glasses — and we were able to enjoy some pretty extreme horizontal viewing angles. What did bother us, however, was the 600Hz sub-field refresh rate; though not an issue with slower-moving footage (a camera-loving fish from “Under the Sea” comes to mind), any quick movement felt jarring to our vision. Can’t say for sure if it was the content or the display, but we’d like to presume LG would showcase with only the top-notch visuals. The tech is still young, but when you’re asking $200 to $300 more over the 2D equivalent (and that’s before having to pick up the requisite glasses separately), the benefit of 3D still isn’t quite as prevalent to us yet.

LG’s THX-certified PX950 3D plasma TV eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just like its older sibling the GTX 460, NVIDIA’s GeForce GTS 450 is hitting online stores, even though we’ve yet to hear a word from NVIDIA itself about the new Fermi-based graphics card. While we can’t confirm rumors that the GTS 450’s got a new GF106 chip under that plastic shroud, it seems evident we’re looking at a somewhat less powerful board — shipping samples from ASUS, EVGA, Gigabyte and Palit show just 192 CUDA cores (down from 336) and a narrower 128-bit memory interface. That doesn’t mean the GTS 450 won’t necessarily be a capable gamer, though, as the graphics and shader chips are actually clocked closer to 800MHz and 1.6GHz respectively this time, and so far they’re all paired with a full 1GB of GDDR5 memory with the same 3.6GHz effective rate — no 768MB cop-outs. At around $130 a pop, we imagine dedicated graphics enthusiasts will spend the extra to get those bonus cores, but if you’ve only got three portraits of Ulysses S. Grant to spare, this might just be your board. Don’t take our word for it, though — if history’s any indication, we’ll have plenty of reviews come Monday morning.

[Thanks, Chris S.]

NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 on sale at Newegg, ahead of official release originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Sep 2010 13:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s the deal: you’re pouring out thousands on Flexjet’s fractional aircraft program in order to get where you need to be, when you need to be there. The last thing you’re looking for is another bill to ensure you’re connected while jetting from point A to point Z. Thankfully, the aforesaid company has just inked a deal with Aircell that’ll place Gogo Biz in-flight WiFi into each of its private jets at no additional cost to flyers — a move that’s likely meant to counter NetJets’ recent announcement. Of course, that “annual price bump” will more than likely take care of things come December, but hey — what’s the use in filet mignon on a Challenger 300 when you can’t tweet a picture of your indulgence? Exactly. Head on past the break for all the installation plans.

Continue reading Flexjet hooks private jet travelers up with free Gogo Biz in-flight WiFi, as well it should

Flexjet hooks private jet travelers up with free Gogo Biz in-flight WiFi, as well it should originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Sep 2010 11:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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