Microsoft and Samsung unveil SUR40, the ‘Surface 2.0 Experience’ you still can’t buy (video)

Microsoft and Samsung unveil SUR40, the

It’s been years since Microsoft first wowed us with Surface, years that we’ve been looking at cool applications for the smart tables, but still Microsoft thinks you aren’t ready. Or aren’t rich enough, anyway. Samsung has unveiled the “SUR40 with Microsoft Surface,” a third-party implementation and what’s being called the “2.0 Experience.” On the outside things look a bit different, with a variety of pedestals that the thing can be mounted to, including one with two wood panels that flow up to cradle the display. But, if you like, the 40-inch, 1080p screen and the 2.9GHz AMD Athlon II X2 processor and Radeon HD 6700M behind it is now wall-mountable, meaning it really isn’t technically a smart table at all. Up top the interface looks more polished and refined, and naturally Windows Phone 7 support has been added, as you can see in the video below. It all looks rather good, we think, but it’s all rather focused on businesses as ever.

Continue reading Microsoft and Samsung unveil SUR40, the ‘Surface 2.0 Experience’ you still can’t buy (video)

Microsoft and Samsung unveil SUR40, the ‘Surface 2.0 Experience’ you still can’t buy (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMicrosoft Surface  | Email this | Comments

DXG gets vivacious with 1080p Twist and Luxe pocket camcorders

Surely you made a New Year’s resolution, right? Right. What better way to keep tabs on yourself than to nab a new pocket camcorder? DXG has just unveiled a new duo of handheld video cameras, so we won’t waste any time getting down to the nitty-gritty. The aptly-named Twist looks an awful lot like LG’s now-ancient VX9400 (or pretty much any phone with embedded mobile TV support), boasting a 3.5-inch widescreen swivel display and the ability to capture footage in 720p / 1080p at 30 frames per second. It’s also equipped with HDMI and USB 2.0 outputs, an SDHC card slot and a rechargeable Li-ion battery. It’ll be available around a month from now in pistol-grip (1080p and 720p) and traditional football grip (720p) variations, with a price point sitting at $169.99. If that’s a little too Plain Jane for ya, the 2011 Luxe Collection is bound to provide the sprucing you’re after. Available in a half-dozen patterns, this pocket camcorder offers a 3-inch touchscreen, a 1080p capture mode and a one-inch thick chassis. Naturally, HDMI and USB 2.0 ports are included, but before dropping your $149.99 to $199.99, we’d recommend thinking long and hard about what hue fits your personality best. Are you more of Maui hibiscus guy, or a Riviera quilted dude? Decisions, decisions.

Continue reading DXG gets vivacious with 1080p Twist and Luxe pocket camcorders

DXG gets vivacious with 1080p Twist and Luxe pocket camcorders originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Panasonic’s CES 2011 camcorder launch: 3D, HD, 3MOS and 1MOS all present

Panasonic already rolled out the red carpet to issue a gaggle of new cameras, but now it’s time to tickle the fancy of those who prefer full motion video. The company is introducing a metric ton (we checked, trust us) of new camcorders here at CES in Las Vegas, so we’ll be giving you the highlights just below. For those that yearn for more, the press releases can be peeked in full after the break.

  • Panny’s “full roster” of Full HD camcorders includes a half-dozen newcomers: the HDC-SD40, HDC-TM40, HDC-HS80, HDC-TM80, HDC-TM90 and HDC-SD9, all of which are stacked with a 1MOS sensor capable of capturing clips at 1920 x 1080. The SD90 and TM90 are even capable of shooting at 1080/60p, and if you toss on the optional CW-CLT1, you’ll instantly gain the ability to record in 3D. The whole lot is designed to handle low-light scenarios like a champ, and the each feature a 28m wide-angle lens. The aforementioned power duo also have a 40x intelligent zoom, and we’re told that these can withstand up to 135 minutes of continuous recording before the battery keels over. A select few also feature touch-screen operation, but absolutely none of them have a price or release date just yet.
  • What’s better than 1MOS? 3MOS, naturally. The HDC-TM900, HDC-HS900 and HDC-SD800 are also making their debut here in the desert, with 1080/60p recording, support for capturing 3D (when using the CLT1 conversion lens) and a manual ring on the TM900 and HS900. Those two also tout a 20x zoom and a 3.5-inch touchpanel, and Panny claims that these guys are good enough to handle “professional-level video shooting.” The whole bunch can record to SDXC / SDHC / SD cards, while the TM900 adds 32GB of internal memory. You’ll also find an optical image stabilizer, a Crystal Engine Pro processor and an Eco-Mode function on all three, while the TM900 and HS900 get gifted with five internal microphones for 5.1 recording. Per usual, your guess is as good as ours when it comes to a price and release.
  • Bringing up the rear are a handful of SD camcorders — the SDR-H100, the SDR-T70 and the SDR-S70 — all of which are on the lean side and boast a 78x zoomer. These three offer a 33mm wide-angle lens, optical image stabilization and an Active mode, the latter of which helps to reduce blur when zooming. The group stores clips on SDXC / SDHC / SD, but the H100 also has an 80GB hard drive and the T70 a 4GB slab of flash memory. All three will be available in March, but pricing won’t be determined until sometime next month.

Continue reading Panasonic’s CES 2011 camcorder launch: 3D, HD, 3MOS and 1MOS all present

Panasonic’s CES 2011 camcorder launch: 3D, HD, 3MOS and 1MOS all present originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePanasonic  | Email this | Comments

LG’s CES 2011 HD lineup: SmartTV platform, network Blu-ray players and HDTVs

Thanks to a couple of carefully planned slips over in South Korea, hardly anything about LG’s CES 2011 is apt to take you fully by surprise. But if you just so happened to disconnect over the holidays, we’ll break it all down below to ensure you remain firmly in the loop.

  • For starters, the outfit seems pretty darn proud of its new SmartTV platform. Hinted at last month, this system enables HDTVs, Blu-ray players and other sources to access all sorts of streaming media, apps and even provides users with a way to surf the web. Four main sections are given — TV Live, Premium Content, TV Apps and a Launch Bar — and for TV models, owners will control things with a wave of the hand (read: Magic Remote). SmartTV picks up where NetCast left off, offering access to Vudu, Netflix, YouTube, CinemaNow, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video on Demand, NHL Gamecenter, NBA Game Live and MLB.tv. This here functionality is baked into quite a few of the outfit’s 2011 HDTVs, but should own an older model…
  • Then there’s the all-new SmartTV upgrader! The ST600 is a minuscule set-top box that aims to transform any TV into a SmartTV. So long as your set has an HDMI input, you’ll be able to access the content mentioned above. But, of course, it’s on you to source your own Magic Remote.
  • If it’s an all-new TV you’re after, the company is also revealing its 2011 LED and LCD HDTV line. Nary a one is different than those we heard about last week, but at least you can now rest easy knowing that the LW9500 and LW7700 Nano Full HD 3D models will indeed see a stateside release this month. The best news here is the use of polarizing glasses — none of that headache-inducing active shutter mess. There are 13 new LED LCD models in all, with nine of ’em shipping with the SmartTV platform embedded. Unfortunately, LG’s not dishing out pricing information on these bad boys just yet.
  • Not so keen on picking up an LCD? Plasma still lives, you know! LG’s rolling out its 1080p Infinia PZ950 and PZ750 lines here at CES, with both available in 50-inch and 60-inch class sizes. Both lines come equipped with the SmartTV platform, a gesture-based Magic Motion remote andl as a free Android / iPhone app if you’d rather use your phone as a remote. The 50- / 60-inch PZ550 is saddling with NetCast 1.0, but it — along with the PW350, PZ950 and PZ750 lines — can handle 3D imagery. Sadly, LG’s also straying from providing pricing details on these.
  • Wrapping things up, the company is debuting its 2011 line of networked Blu-ray players and home theater systems. The BD690 supports 3D BD playback and ships with an inbuilt 250GB HDD and the SmartTV platform. The majority of LG’s line also includes WiFi, DLNA streaming support and a MusicID feature by Gracenote that enables consumers to play a song from a movie of TV show by mashing a single button on the remote. The BD670, BD650, BD640, BD630 and BD650 are also seeing the light of day, with the latter being LG’s first portable BD deck.
  • Finally, LG snuck in an image (seen above) of a 3D mobile TV prototype. We’ve no details whatsoever to go on, but you can rest assured we’ll be scouring the show floor in search of just that.

For more information on all of the goods here, head on past the break for the full releases. Don’t expect to find any pricing information, though.

Continue reading LG’s CES 2011 HD lineup: SmartTV platform, network Blu-ray players and HDTVs

LG’s CES 2011 HD lineup: SmartTV platform, network Blu-ray players and HDTVs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceLG  | Email this | Comments

WHDI breaks out at CES 2011, brings 1080p streaming to TVs, PCs, tablets and a projector

We’ve felt the rush a-comin’, and it looks as if 2011 may finally be the year that Amimon (along with its competitors) gets the break it has been yearning for in the consumer market. With wireless HD streaming options becoming more plentiful (and prices heading southward into a realm of feasibility), the WHDI standard is making a stand at this year’s CES. Right around a dozen new products will be introduced this week with WHDI embedded, including HDTVs from Haier, PC-to-TV adapters from Asus and LG Innotek, tablets from First International Computer (‘Jacob’ prototype shown above), Malata and Gemtek / Ampak, a projector from Vivitek and a mobile-to-TV solution from 35.com. The goal here is pretty obvious — Amimon would love for you to have a house full of WHDI-equipped gear, in turn creating an ecosystem where these devices could talk to one another and stream in a variety of directions. We’ll be scouring the floor to see who’s buying in, but it sounds as if that won’t be too difficult a chore.

Continue reading WHDI breaks out at CES 2011, brings 1080p streaming to TVs, PCs, tablets and a projector

WHDI breaks out at CES 2011, brings 1080p streaming to TVs, PCs, tablets and a projector originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Warpia’s wireless StreamHD USB-to-HDMI adapter supports 1080p, 5.1 surround sound

Let’s try this again, shall we? We were none too impressed with the first iteration of the device you see above, mostly because it failed to support audio. A few generations later, and seems as if Warpia may finally have its ducks in a row. The StreamHD is a USB-to-HDMI adapter, presumably relying on Wisair technology to whisk 1080p content from one’s USB-enabled laptop or desktop onto your HDMI-equipped television. It’ll handle material with resolutions as high as 1920 x 1280, and we’re told that both Hulu and Netflix content will be passed along sans issue. Hooking things up is a lesson in simplicity (in theory, at least) — just plug the USB dongle into your Windows PC, and the transceiver dock into your HDTV. High-def content and 5.1 surround sound should be transmitted, and there’s a reported range of 30 feet. It should be popping up any moment now on Amazon for $169.99, and yeah, that does include an HDMI cable and a S/PDIF cord. How thoughtful.

Continue reading Warpia’s wireless StreamHD USB-to-HDMI adapter supports 1080p, 5.1 surround sound

Warpia’s wireless StreamHD USB-to-HDMI adapter supports 1080p, 5.1 surround sound originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

A.C. Ryan FLUXX media player capacitates full HD streaming with its Atom CE4150 processor

A.C. Ryan FLUXX media player capacitates full HD streaming with its Atom CE4150 processor

It’s been about a year since A.C. Ryan Shrinky Dink’d its Playon!HD to make the Mini media player, and now another generation is upon us. Relying on the Intel Atom CE4150 processor, the same little beauty humming away in Google TV devices, along with 1GB of DDR3 memory, it’s capable of connecting via gigabit Ethernet or (optional) 802.11n wireless to stream 1080p media over the network, or pull it from an internal SATAII drive bay. Video output options include component, composite, and HDMI 1.3a, while there’s also an optical audio port if you’re still into that sort of thing. What it sadly doesn’t have is Google TV itself, nor an MSRP, nor a release date, but perhaps that info can be gleaned at a little media event happening this week.

[Thanks, Nash]

A.C. Ryan FLUXX media player capacitates full HD streaming with its Atom CE4150 processor originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceA.C. Ryan  | Email this | Comments

MSI details Sandy Bridge, Fusion all-in-ones ahead of CES, teases a sliding screen

We just finished reviewing a feature-packed MSI Wind Top, but come CES next week we’ll have three more to try: the AE2410, AE2210 and AE2050, each with the very latest silicon inside. Notebook Italia reports that the Taiwanese computer company’s using Intel’s new Sandy Bridge CPUs in each of its 24- and 22-inch rigs, and grabbed a low-power AMD Brazos APU for the likely budget 20-inch model — which will reportedly still include a Blu-ray drive like its Core 2 Duo cousin. All three will sport 1080p touchscreen displays and USB 3.0 ports, but also a spiffy new feature called Super Charger that will charge attached USB gadgets even when the computer is off. Innovations, to be sure, but perhaps not as exciting as the concept items pictured above and below — up top is the MSI Butterfly, which reportedly has a sliding multitouch screen with ten points of contact, and after the break, see the luxurious MSI Angelow. Here’s hoping for prices, specs and high-res pictures once we get to the show.

Continue reading MSI details Sandy Bridge, Fusion all-in-ones ahead of CES, teases a sliding screen

MSI details Sandy Bridge, Fusion all-in-ones ahead of CES, teases a sliding screen originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Jan 2011 19:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNotebook Italia (1), (2), (3)  | Email this | Comments

Nikon patent app details lens with manual and electronic zoom, videographers rejoice

We reckoned it was only a matter of time, and sure enough, it seems as if the engineers at Nikon are already one step ahead of everyone else. For those who’ve attempted to shoot video on a conventional DSLR, they’ve most likely ran into one problem in particular: zooming. It’s fairly difficult to manhandle a D3S under ideal circumstances, but try holding it steady while also keeping a firm grip on the zoom and focus dials. Without a camera rig, it’s essentially impossible to get anything more than novice captures, complete with oodles of blur and more Jellyvision than you could shake a butter knife at. If all goes well, the next Nikkor lens you purchase may make the aforementioned tragedy just another comical part of history. Nikon is apparently dreaming of a single lens that can be zoomed both manually (for still photography) and electronically (for video), and better still, there’s nothing stopping this from also supporting the outfit’s sure-to-be-forthcoming EVIL line of mirrorless cameras. Then again, it’s not like a patent application dictates a near-term release, but if we all cross our fingers in unison and pledge allegiance the Big N, who knows what kind of magic could happen.

Nikon patent app details lens with manual and electronic zoom, videographers rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Dec 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista, Nikon Rumors  |  sourceEgami  | Email this | Comments

ASUS O!Play Mini player ditches the USB 3.0 but keeps the 1080p

ASUS O!Play Mini streamer ditches the USB 3.0 but keeps the 1080p

The O!Play HD2 may be the first media device to support USB 3.0, but we’re guessing that hasn’t exactly inspired too many of you to run out and buy the things — assuming you can actually find one for sale. Maybe a slimmer, shapelier form factor would do the trick. That’s the new O!Play Mini, a much more petite entry into the series that makes do with a single USB 2.0 connector along with an SD/MMC/MS/XD card reader up front. Around back are optical audio and an HDMI 1.3 connector, through which it will pump 1080p video and up to 7.1 audio in Dolby Digital AC3, DTS 2.0+, even TrueHD and DTS-HD, plus a variety of other formats. There are also RCA outputs if you prefer your digital steam in audio. File format support looks pretty legendary, including all the usuals plus less commonly supported extensions like MKV, MTS, OGG, and FLAC, even RighTxT subtitles. No word on price or availability yet, but with the HD2 clocking in at $129.99 we wouldn’t be surprised to see this slotting in somewhere under $100.

ASUS O!Play Mini player ditches the USB 3.0 but keeps the 1080p originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Dec 2010 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceEngadget Spanish  | Email this | Comments