Ask Engadget: best Micro Four Thirds / interchangeable lens camera on a budget?

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Terrillo, who seems eager and excited to make the leap up from the point-and-shoot universe. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I really want a new camera, but not a point and shoot — more like a DSLR or a Micro Four Thirds. My budget is $300 but I can go up to $400 if there’s sufficient reason. I really want to get a new camera before Christmas. Any suggestions?”

Suggestions? Boy, are there. The interchangeable lens / Micro Four Thirds market has exploded this year, making up nearly all of the news that flowed from Photokina in September. Panasonic’s GF2 has seen glowing reviews, as has Sony’s NEX line. So, readers, what do you recommend? Speak out in comments below.

Ask Engadget: best Micro Four Thirds / interchangeable lens camera on a budget? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 22:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ward’s 10 Best Engines Includes 2 Electric Motors for 2011

Nissan_Leaf_motor.jpg

For the first time ever, two of the world’s top car engines are electric motors, on the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and on the all-electric Nissan Leaf. They’re on the 2011 edition of Ward’s 10 Best Engines, awarded annually to the most technically advanced automotive powerplants. As proof of how rapidly car propulsion technology changes: Only two of the engines are carryovers from the 2010 winners, two are heavily modified repeaters, and six are new.

WWF file format: it’s like a PDF that’s impossible to print

Have you ever received a PDF in your email, only to find yourself weeping moments later after accidentally printing 349 copies and murdering six or seven endangered trees in the Panamanian rain forest? It’s more serious of a problem than you may realize. In order to solve spontaneous bouts of Accident Print Syndrome, the World Wide Fund For Nature has created the WWF file format. We’ll let the entity itself explain:

The WWF format is a PDF that cannot be printed out. It’s a simple way to avoid unnecessary printing. So here’s your chance to save trees and help the environment. Decide for yourself which documents don’t need printing out – then simply save them as WWF.

For now, it’s only readable on a Mac, which means that WWF files also cannot be printed from a PC. We’re envisioning a world of college professors using these to prevent printable study guides, but so as long as hackers also exist in that same universe, those who prefer their documents on paper — and HP’s ink department — will probably figure out their own road to nirvana. Must to the dismay of Ma Earth, of course.

WWF file format: it’s like a PDF that’s impossible to print originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 21:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Lifehacker  |  sourceSave as WWF  | Email this | Comments

Mac App Store launching in January sans Game Center and in-app purchases?

“Less” and “later” are some of our least favorite words, but they may apply to the Mac App Store, as one source claims it will miss Christmas, and another says the marketplace will have fewer features than its iOS counterpart. First off, The Loop‘s Jim Dalrymple believes that December 13th isn’t the magic date, claiming that his inside sources say the store will actually arrive in January — which, we must admit, would still be within the window of Apple’s October promise to launch within 90 days. Second and perhaps more importantly, 9to5 Mac reports that App Store developers are being told that their Mac endeavors will have a number of substantial limitations, namely no Game Center support, no in-app purchases, and no ability to offer demos, trials or betas. Sounds like those high-denomination iTunes gift cards you’ve been stockpiling in your basement will finally come in handy.

Mac App Store launching in January sans Game Center and in-app purchases? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 21:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink All Things D  |  sourceThe Loop, 9to5 Mac  | Email this | Comments

Sprint: 4G tablet coming in 2011

We can’t begin explain our exasperation at running a Samsung Galaxy Tab on Sprint’s 3G, knowing full well the WiMAX airwaves floating just overhead could make our experience speedy. Thankfully, we won’t have to dwell on our frustration for long, because a Sprint executive told Forbes that a 4G tablet will arrive in 2011. Sprint’s Paget Alves, president of business markets, wouldn’t say where it would be made, but hinted that the company intends to sell tablets running different operating systems — so it’s probably not another Android device. What could it be, then? We can’t say, but paired with the knowledge that Verizon also plans to debut LTE tablets in 2011 — possibly including one Motorola Stingray — it seems like 2011 will be a fine year for goodies on CDMA.

[Thanks, Stephen]

Sprint: 4G tablet coming in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Luxury brands for cheap from enigma vending machine

A recent trip to the laid-back neighborhood of Sangenchaya, a wee bit west of Shibuya, I stumbled upon this bizarre and slightly mysterious vending machine.

Tucked very inconspicuously behind a mobile phone shop entrance, the King’s Treasure Box promised to give up top-end electronic devices, luxury wallets and more to any Aladdin who rubbed its lamp to the tune of just 1,000 yen (about $12). “Make your dreams come true,” it proudly declared!

japan-vending-machine-brand-luxury-kings-treasure-box-1

The actual product names and brands were not clearly marked, however. Instead there was just a vague poster covering the window with images of generic iPod-like gadgets, cameras and tempting fashion items. Clearly the excitement on not knowing what you will get is meant to be part of the lure. On closer inspection a notice stated that your purchase may possibly differ from the products depicted on the front of the vendor.

So, is this just a rip-off? You feed in 1,000 yen and get a tatty bit of plastic not even worth 100? Who knows. I did like, though, how it was opposite Seiyu, a famously low-cost retailer. Doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the “dreams” the vendor promises, or am I just being cynical?

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Checking online, there seem to be some others, including one in that den of strangeness, Akihabara. I didn’t have the bravery actually to make a purchase but it seems that you get a plain white box, inside of which is your unknown brand item. It reminds us of the fukubukuro lucky bags that are popular in the New Year sales in Japan, only with a little less class.

Any door can be a Star Trek door

DIY Star Trek door (which, of course, go where no door has gone before) could be what geek dreams are made of.

Flash working poorly on your Google Cr-48? Adobe’s working on it

Yep, that Flash error up there is one of many we got today on our Cr-48s. On top of that, as you may have read in our in-depth preview, we’ve been experiencing incredibly sluggish Flash performance, including choppy playback of YouTube and Hulu videos. It’s certainly not a good situation, but Adobe’s aware of it and promising that hope is on the way. Adobe’s Senior Director of Engineer
Paul Betlem has put up a post regarding the matter on the company’s very own Flash Player blog, and says that ” In terms of Chrome notebooks specifically… video performance in particular is the primary area for improvement.” He also goes on to promise that the updates will be seamless as the Flash plug-ins are integrated directly into the self-updating operating system. That sure sounds good to us, but in the meantime, we’ll be waiting for these Flash errors and stuttering 480p videos to disappear — or, you know, for HTML 5 to take over.

Flash working poorly on your Google Cr-48? Adobe’s working on it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 19:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Cr-48 Chrome laptop preview (update: in-depth impressions!)

Well, would you look at what showed up on our frigid doorstep this morning? That’s right, we are now the proud owners of Google’s first Chrome OS laptop — the Cr-48. Obviously, we ripped open the box and got right to handling the 12.1-inch, Atom-powered laptop. So, what does the thing feel like? How’s that keyboard? And more importantly, how’s Chrome OS looking? Stand by for our impressions, which we’ll be adding in depth over the day. First impression: this thing is different.

Mega update: We blew this thing out! There’s that video we already showed you, along with a way deeper dive into the hardware and the OS. It’s all after the break, and you’d be a fool to miss it.

Continue reading Google Cr-48 Chrome laptop preview (update: in-depth impressions!)

Google Cr-48 Chrome laptop preview (update: in-depth impressions!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 19:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sour’s ‘Mirror’ browser-based music video is absolutely wild

Is Japanese band Sour’s “Mirror” music video the single best thing we’ve ever seen in a browser? It probably is. Load it up in Safari or Chrome and make sure you connect your Facebook, Twitter, and webcam — we tried it out and it’s totally fine. In fact, it’s more than fine. It’s stunning. Why can’t HTML5 and Flash always play this nicely together?

Sour’s ‘Mirror’ browser-based music video is absolutely wild originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Fader  |  sourceSour  | Email this | Comments