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Believe it or not, it was way back at CES that we first caught an in-person glimpse of iHome’s flagship AirPlay-enabled audio system — a guy dubbed iW1. We’ve seen a steady trickle of AirPlay devices announced in the time since, but the iW1’s been one of the earliest to splash down for the fall season. Priced at a moderate $300, it’s a potential option for A) those who aren’t keen on smacking down at least double the Benjamins for systems like the B&W Zeppelin Air or Libratone’s Live or B) an alternative to other wireless systems like the similarly priced Sonos Play:3.

Despite the iW1’s low(ish) cost of adoption, though, it’s packed with a bevy of tantalizing features (including app support, capacitive controls and a rechargeable battery), and a classy appearance, to boot. We put this modern-age boom box through its sound-reproducing paces for the past few weeks (much to our neighbors dismay). So, if you want to find out whether or not the iHome iW1 will pack a bang for your buck, hit that “read more” link below for our full review.

Gallery: iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless audio system review

Continue reading iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless audio system review

iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless audio system review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pioneer’s two new iPod docks allow wireless playback of anything that’s Airplay-ready, as well as basically anything connected to Wi-Fi. The tabletop-sized Pioneer X-SMC3-S Music Tap and X-SMC4-K Elite Music Tap are flexible little music systems. More »

There’s a new king atop Sony’s line of ES projectors: the VPL-VW1000ES. Presented at CEDIA this afternoon, it bypasses all the beamers Sony’s delivered for home use so far — including the recent VPL-HW30AES and VPL-VW95ES models — by featuring a stunning 4K resolution, four times that of standard HD projectors based on an all new SXRD panel. Scheduled to go on sale this December it also claims a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 2,000 ANSI lumens of brightness that allows it to project on screens of sizes up to 200-inches. Whether or not you can scrape together the ducats for a 4K projector this Christmas, there are other options for home theater nuts in the form of two new receivers for the ES line that will also be available. The STR-DA5700ES and STR-DA3700ES will ship in November but more than their hardware specs, they feature a new onscreen UI that’s supposed to be easier to use. The only device at the presentation with a pricetag was the HMZ-T1 3D viewer we tried out at IFA last week, which has been announced for the US in November with a price “around” $799. Expect more in person pics in a moment, meanwhile the press releases after the break have all the information currently available.

Update: Now with more pictures. During the presentation Sony showed a 4K clip from its upcoming Spiderman flick on a VPL-VW1000ES that looked every bit as beautiful as you might imagine. Also in the gallery is a shot of the new “activity based UI” for the receivers that looks at least something like the graphical upgrade the XMB has always needed. You’ll also spy one more device, the funky new SA-NS500 Network Speaker. It’s a portable sound blaster with 6 hours of battery life and AirPlay compatibility for $399, shipping in November.

Continue reading Sony announces a 4K projector for the home, prices HMZ-T1 3D head mounted display in the US

Sony announces a 4K projector for the home, prices HMZ-T1 3D head mounted display in the US originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Finally, a HomeShare speaker with built-in AirPlay for wireless streaming from your iThing or Apple TV. It’ll cost you though: when the NS500 arrives in stores around late October or early November you can expect to see a booming $399 price tag strapped around its logarithmic neck. Sony assures us you’ll get some heavyweight audio for that money, thanks to four drivers and a sub-woofer positioned in a “unilateral manner” to pump David Guetta into every nook and cranny. We’ll hold out for some proper review time to tell you just how good he sounds.

Sony SA-NS500 HomeShare speaker knows how to work a room originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The long awaited Boxee for iPad app is finally ready to launch, and coming with it is a fresh update for the Boxee Box, plus new Media Manager software for your PC or Mac to make streaming locally stored files to the tablet or PC even easier. We got an early look at the iPad app (which lacks access to the Box’s apps) and while the interface had been lightly reworked since our last hands-on experience at CES it was very crash prone, with a tendency to close suddenly while streaming videos from YouTube or a connected PC. Boxee Box owners may not have to worry about that however, since the new v1.2 update adds AirPlay compatibility as an “experiment” for any online content (check after the break for the full list of changes). The Media Manager software on the PC makes it easier to organize content for playback on the tablet or Box, while a new Watch Later Bookmarklet also makes one-click sharing of online video from browser to device possible. All in all the idea is to make Boxee the “one place to discover, watch and share video” no matter where you are and we can see it getting there — once everything stays up and running consistently.

Continue reading Boxee launches iPad app, new Box update, media server and bookmarklet today

Boxee launches iPad app, new Box update, media server and bookmarklet today originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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