Sep 14

Iomega Mac Companion 2TB hard drive on sale now for $240, we go hands-on

Posted in: Apple, charging, hands-on, hard drive, HardDrive, ipad, iPhone, Mac, storage, Today's Chili, usb, video
The Mac Companion hard drive that we told you about back in early August has started to ship from Apple’s online store and is ready to take its spot beneath your iMac’s monitor. We got a little hands-on time with the the HDD and have to say, it’s a slick peripheral that will certainly fit in with the collection of the aesthetic-conscious Apple devotee out there, with a metal-bordered exterior that seems to have taken a few fashion cues from the iPhone 4. On the front of the drive are four white LEDs, which turn off one by one as you fill up more space, letting you know how much room is left on the thing.

The top of the drive is a glossy black surface, which is a bit of a fingerprint magnet — again, familiar territory to those with Apple products. Upon plugging it in (Iomega gave us the 2TB version to play with, though there’s also a 3TB model), the Mac Companion will ask whether you’d like to back your system up via Time Machine. Transfer-wise, the drive does USB 2.0 and FireWire. In our limited testing, we got around 35MB/sec and just under 60MB/sec, respectively.

The Mac Companion also doubles as a hub for your peripherals — with two USB ports on the rear and a 2.1 Amp port on the side. The ports on the rear require the drive to be connected to a computer to charge and sync devices. The high-powered port on the side, however, will charge up devices like an iPad or iPhone even when the drive isn’t connected to your Mac.


The Mac Companion is a fairly straightforward, good looking drive, which worked quite well out of the box on the Lion system we tested it out on — and the fact that it does double duty as a USB port sets the thing apart from much of the pack. The 2TB version will run you around $240 online.

Gallery: Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive hands-on

Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive hands-on

Iomega Mac Companion 2TB hard drive on sale now for $240, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 14

This Insanely Fast Gear Is Why Thunderbolt’s Gonna Matter Real Soon

Posted in: intel, thunderbolt, Today's Chili, top

The Thunderbolt I/O interface is the darling of Apple and Intel. Introduced on the MacBook Pro line in late February, the port is still largely collecting dust. More »

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Sep 14

We’re live from the Tokyo Game Show 2011!

Posted in: Japan, kinect, Today's Chili

That’s right! We’re back in Japan for this year’s Tokyo Game Show, and obviously we’ll be getting intimate with the closer-to-final PlayStation Vita along with, hopefully, some of its just announced launch titles. While Nintendo’s absent as usual (though it did throw its own party on Tuesday), we’re still expecting some fresh goodies from the Xbox and PlayStation folks that should keep us entertained for awhile, plus we’ll be scanning the show floor for the eccentric peripherals and other odd pieces, so wish us luck. Oh, and be sure to also check out our sister site Joystiq to get your extra dosage of TGS — you know you want it.

To follow all the action from TGS, use the tag TGS 2011.

We’re live from the Tokyo Game Show 2011! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 14

McAfee and Intel partner up to put anti-theft tech in Ultrabooks

Posted in: intel, security, Today's Chili
Intel Anti-Theft

Intel has long provided hardware-level anti-theft technology, primarily for its enterprise customers. But, as users become increasingly mobile, the need to extend those protections to average consumers has become more and more apparent. McAfee is teaming up with Chipzilla to create a consumer-friendly software package that will interact with the chip-level anti-theft tech that will be packed into every Ultrabook. Details about the software are pretty slim for the moment, but we know it’ll feature remote lock, remote wipe and location tracking to help you recover you precious lappy and keep your personal data out of the hands of ne’er-do-wells. The suite will start shipping alongside the tiny notebooks next year, but while you wait, check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading McAfee and Intel partner up to put anti-theft tech in Ultrabooks

McAfee and Intel partner up to put anti-theft tech in Ultrabooks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 14

Volkswagen Nils concept has an HTC Desire HD dashboard, seats one Engadget editor

Posted in: Android, electric vehicle, ElectricVehicle, ev, hands-on, HTC, Today's Chili
VW Nils

Audi isn’t the only one with a tiny little EV with exposed wheels at Frankfurt this year. Parent company Volkswagen has one too, but this is even smaller. It’s called the Nils and it’s designed for commuters in the “world of tomorrow” — commuters who will be very thin and, apparently, short. Big people just don’t fit well into this tiny thing, but if you’re of modest size or below this could be an interesting little ride. It has only 34-horsepower (25kW) available from a rear-mounted electric motor, but since it weighs just 1,000-pounds (460kg) that should make for some peppy commutes — of less than 40 miles (65 kilometers), which is the maximum range here. More details after the break.

Gallery: Volkswagen Nils

Continue reading Volkswagen Nils concept has an HTC Desire HD dashboard, seats one Engadget editor

Volkswagen Nils concept has an HTC Desire HD dashboard, seats one Engadget editor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 14

Six Tools to Get Up and Running as an Amateur Astronomer

Posted in: Today's Chili, top

NASA’s getting back in the swing of manned space exploration, but chances are it won’t be your butt strapped to the newly-unveiled Space Launch System whenever it takes off. So how’s a spacefan nerdboy to get his to-boldly-go fix? More »

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Sep 14

Wireless Keyboard Sports Slick Face, Retractable Keys

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, bluetooth, keyboard, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili, Wireless

The Levitatr is available for a $79 pre-order. Image courtesy Levitatr.

At rest, the Levitatr looks like a shiny, expensive glass rectangle in an aluminum chassis. Press the activation key, and up springs a backlit full-size 77 key Bluetooth keyboard.

Designer James Stumpf came up with the concept after becoming frustrated with typing on the virtual keyboard on his iPad. He imagined how great it would be if keys rose from the glass. This wireless keyboard is a start, but Stumpf hopes to get the technology integrated directly into a tablet.

The keyboard runs on four AAA batteries, and features a retracting aluminum stand to hold a tablet. It is compatible with the iPad, iPad 2, iPod Touch. iPhone, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and HP TouchPad.

The keyboard is currently a Kickstarter project, and is available for pre-order via donation towards his goal of $60,000. A minimum pledge of $79 gets you your own Levitatr.

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Sep 14

NVIDIA’s Kal-El reference tablet running Windows 8 at Build (eyes-on)

Posted in: hands-on, NVIDIA, tablet, Today's Chili, windows 8, Windows8

This may not be the first the world’s seen of NVIDIA’s Kal-El reference tablet running Windows 8, but it does mark our first up-close and (sort of) personal run-in with the much ballyhooed quad-core ARM processor powering the equally anticipated OS. As we reported yesterday, NVIDIA’s just launched its Windows 8 developer program, in eager anticipation of the new operating system’s release. That eagerness carried over into our short sit down with the outfit’s spokesperson, who wasn’t giving us much in the way of details. However, he did give us a clue about future benchmarks: NVIDIA expects to see significant battery life gains on Kal-El notebooks — as in days, not hours. Unfortunately, the reference tablet on display was locked away in a plexiglass cell, but we did manage to grab a few shots of the now familiar device running Microsoft’s latest. Those, as you can see, are in the gallery below.

Gallery: NVIDIA’s Kal-El reference tablet running Windows 8 eyes-on

NVIDIA’s Kal-El reference tablet running Windows 8 at Build (eyes-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 14

Ooma Telo and Telo Air wireless adapter hands-on

Posted in: accessories, hands-on, Today's Chili, VoIP, wifi, Wireless

Remember the Ooma Telo? It suffered the same fate as most home VoIP adapters: a lifetime chained to the home or office router, bound forever by a freedom-crushing Ethernet cable. But no. No more. The benevolent engineers at Ooma have decided to set the Telo free. Hello, Ooma Telo Air Wireless Adapter — you’re about to put VoIP in our kitchen.

Ooma’s Voice over IP service and the Telo adapter itself are hardly new, but we couldn’t resist giving the outfit’s new VOIP liberating dongle a try. Read on for more.

Gallery: Ooma Telos and Telos Air wireless adapter: hands-on

Continue reading Ooma Telo and Telo Air wireless adapter hands-on

Ooma Telo and Telo Air wireless adapter hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 14

Ooma intros Telo Air wireless adapter, liberates Bluetooth solution to the masses

Posted in: bluetooth, mobilepostcross, Today's Chili, VoIP, wifi

Heads up, Ooma fans: the equipment that you know and love for free local and long distance calls is now more flexible than ever, thanks to the Telo Air wireless adapter, which adds WiFi capabilities to the Ooma Telo. While the system previously relied on an Ethernet connection for quality calls, the adaptive redundancy of this $50 add-on is said to overcome any performance degradation that you might otherwise experience. Additionally, the Bluetooth adapter — once available only to Premiere subscribers — is now available for $30 to anyone who wishes to integrate their mobile phone or wireless headset with Ooma. Of course, you’ll need to remain within 30 feet of the Telo (due to Bluetooth’s technical limitation), but if you’re undeterred by the short leash, it could be a fine alternative to the company’s handset. The Bluetooth adapter is available today, and the Telo Air is expected to ship on October 1st. If you’re looking to ditch the local telco and save some coin, you’ll find the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Ooma intros Telo Air wireless adapter, liberates Bluetooth solution to the masses

Ooma intros Telo Air wireless adapter, liberates Bluetooth solution to the masses originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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