Hasta La Gadget!

When we first caught wind of LG’s “180-inch plasma” we were understandably enthused (and just a little skeptical), but our excitement was quickly ruined with word that LG was merely sticking nine 600Hz 60-inch plasmas next to each other and calling it a day. We got a glimpse at the “multi-vision display” (LG shorthand for “a bunch of screens next to each other”) today, and it’s still decently impressive in its own right. LG’s managed to get the seams between the screens down to a mere 1.5mm, and while the lines are still noticeable, they could be a lot worse. While they lines certainly get in the way of entertainment, it actually provides an interesting effect when donning the 3D glasses — almost highlighting the effect of depth. LG has some pretty boring plans for the screens, like digital signage and education, and we’ll be sticking to projectors for our big screen needs, but we’re still saying a 180-inch straight-up, no funny business plasma would be pretty stellar.

LG’s 180-inch plasma that wasn’t originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors is upgrading vehicle software remotely via its OnStar telematics system, meaning owners no longer have to visit the dealer if there’s a fix or improvement to the car that doesn’t involve a mechanical fix. It’s sent via OnStar.

What could be wrong with that? How about dealer reaction? Some auto dealers don’t like the idea of being left out of the loop, even if that’s easier for the customer.

Panasonic’s gone on a real tear here, releasing two new Toughbook models at once. While you grapple with the implications of such a thing, let’s get down to details. The new 31 and 19 Series Toughbooks are 13.1-inch and 10.4-inch models, respectively, and as far as specs go, they both pack in a 160GB hard drive, up to 6GB of DDR3 SDRAM (with 2GB coming standard), and Intel QM57 Express chipset, and 1024 x 768 resolution displays. Both come with Windows 7 Professional pre-installed, and the Toughbook 31 has a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 CPU, the 19’s go a 1.2 GHZ inside. Other than that they’ve both got Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, an HDMI slot, four USB ports, and an SD card slot. Of course, they’re also drop resistant in addition to being dust and waterproof. They’ll be available starting in mid-September in Japan.

Panasonic cranks out new 31 and 19 Series Toughbooks for Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The CDMA-equipped Samsung Galaxy Tab has so far been nothing more than a sticker in a random snapshot and some whispers about Verizon, but Boy Genius Report is saying that the Tab’s also bound for Sprint‘s network this November, on both its 3G and 4G (i.e. WiMAX) network — à la the Galaxy S / Epic 4G. No word from Sammy HQ on this one, but it’s worth noting that in our briefing, a Samsung rep mentioned that an American carrier could put Qik on it and, well, that’s kind of Sprint’s thing. We don’t suppose anyone heard its preferred dessert choice in the process, hm?

Galaxy Tab with WiMAX coming to Sprint this November? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shortly after one of the most popular games for the iPhone came out for Palm’s WebOS devices, Android users get it too.