Hasta La Gadget!

Get ready for a wave of Designed for Flip accessories that take advantage of Flip Ultra HD’s new FlipPort expansion port, people. First out of the gate is the Blue Mikey, which we’d heard about from Cisco already — it’s a condenser mic that plugs into the bottom of the Ultra and provides better audio, with automatic sensitivity, a mic-in jack, and a tripod mount. It’s powered by an AAA battery, which is sort of lame — we’d love to see something like this with a battery built-in that can charge the camera as well. Oh well, we can dream. The Mikey will run $69, but we don’t know when it’ll hit apart from a “debut” at CES 2011, which could mean almost anytime in the next year. PR after the break.

Continue reading Blue announces Mikey for Flip condenser mic

Blue announces Mikey for Flip condenser mic originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 21:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know what really bugs us about this Samsung Galaxy S Femme handset? No, it’s not that it once again trudges out the tired cliché that women must love pink — it’s that it presumes gents can’t appreciate the benefits of Aveda’s Damage Remedy and Hand Relief creams. We totally can! And we’d love to spend some quality time with the Aveda advisor app, which comes bundled on a 4GB MicroSD card, letting it identify for us the particular products we need to buy to keep our skin and hair looking their best. But, according to the packaging, this 4-inch, Gorilla Glass-bearing smartphone isn’t for us. Sigh.

Samsung Galaxy S Femme bundles sexism in with your smartphone purchase originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You might remember some discussion of the Lexikon about this time last month, a rumored Android piece from HTC sporting an 800MHz MSM7630 core, a 5 megapixel camera, 3.8-inch WVGA display, 4GB of onboard storage, Froyo with Sense, and a QWERTY keyboard. Sounds a little bit like the G2 / Desire Z, doesn’t it? Indeed, those other models use Qualcomm’s MSM7230 processor, the GSM version of the 7630 that’d be required for action on Verizon. Well, fast forward to a new ROM update leak, showing a rendered device with Verizon branding up top and a face that looks suspiciously similar to that dual-mode GSM / CDMA slider we’ve been tracking for a couple months (pay particular attention to the creases below the touch buttons). Separately, one of our time-tested tipsters has let us know that the Lexikon is the same phone as the so-called Merge; we hope you haven’t grown attached to the flaming red keyboard, because more recent hardware revisions don’t have it. Hey, maybe you’ll be able to accessorize like you can with the Droid Incredible, eh?

[Thanks, HTC Kid and patlex]

HTC Lexikon shows up in leaked ROM update: is it the Merge for Verizon? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been years of waiting, but Microsoft is finally expanding the Zune service internationally — a move that precedes the big Windows Phone 7 launch. Version 4.7 of the Zune software will be the desktop sync client for WP7 devices, and as such it’ll be available in more than 20 countries. Don’t get too excited, though — Zune Marketplace is a much more complicated situation, since Microsoft has to hammer our agreements in every country, and it’s not coming everywhere with every feature. Here’s the breakdown:

• The Zune Pass subscription service will hit the UK, France, Italy and Spain, offering unlimited streaming for £8.99 / €9.99 per month but no ability to keep 10 tracks a month as with the $14.99 US service.
• Music purchases will arrive in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and Germany, and the format will be unencumbered MP3.
• Video purchases will come to the UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with playback support across the PC, Xbox Live, and Windows Phone 7.
• Video rentals will hit the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and can be synced to the PC, Xbox Live, and Windows Phone 7.

Yep, it’s a little complicated unless you live in the UK or France, but we’re sure Redmond’s working furiously to wrap up all the deals it can. We’re also a little bummed that international Zune Pass subscribers won’t be able to keep 10 tracks a month, but hey — there’s a reason why America is awesome, and it’s not just football. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft expanding Zune internationally, Zune Pass coming to UK, France, Italy, and Spain

Microsoft expanding Zune internationally, Zune Pass coming to UK, France, Italy, and Spain originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s what you could be driving… if only you lived in Europe. Mercedes-Benz has announced, and promptly sold, a limited production run of 500 electric A-Class hatchbacks. Bearing the same E-Cell designation as the somewhat tastier-looking SLS model from the deutschen automaker, this little goer squeezes 95 horsepower and a 93mph top speed out of a 70kW motor. Those are relatively humble specs, but they also mean the electrified A-Class can last a healthy 124 miles between recharges. So long as this thing doesn’t go all Tata Nano on us — and Mercedes says its thermomanagement is top notch — we wouldn’t mind seeing a few more electro hatchbacks rolling off the assembly line and maybe even reaching markets outside the present France, Germany and Netherlands. Let’s make it happen, Daimler!

Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-Cell is an E-lectric limited production vehicle originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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