IOGEAR Wireless USB Audio / Video Kit, more wireless USB eyes-on at CeBIT

While wireless USB hasn’t exactly, um, taken off, there’s definitely still some promise here. We swung by the USB-IF’s booth today at CeBIT in order to have a look at a new single-chip Fujitsu Siemens’ solution along with IOGEAR’s recently released Wireless USB Audio / Video Kit. The former is mostly a European version of the Wisair Wireless USB Display Adapter Set, and while the latter seemed to work perfectly fine in the demo, the resolution was decidedly not 1080p. Nowhere close, actually. We reckon this stuff will get some real traction if and when two things happen: 1) the industry embraces it and begins embedding it into products (no one likes dongles, sorry!), and 2) when prices fall to reasonable levels. Can we get somebody on that, or what?

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IOGEAR Wireless USB Audio / Video Kit, more wireless USB eyes-on at CeBIT originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW designs PC case for Thermaltake

This new case for the fashion-forward PC gamer was dreamt up by the design wizards at BMW’s Designworks USA. Instead of throwing all the components in what essentially amounts to one big box (like practically every other case), Thermaltake’s Level 10 sees all the machine’s components — mobo, hard drives, optical drives, and so forth — seated in their own compartments. Constructed mainly from aluminum, this guy will make its official debut at Computex in early June. In the meantime, hit the read link for some more spy photos taken on the floor at CeBIT.

[Via Car Scoop]

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BMW designs PC case for Thermaltake originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CE 3100-powered Gigabyte / Yahoo! widgets box eyes-on

A lot has changed in the TV widget world since we first caught wind of Intel’s CE 3100 processor and Gigabyte’s connected box that took advantage of it. Mainly, a metric ton of new players have emerged, and many companies are simply shoving the widget functionality within the HDTV and bypassing the extra set-top-box altogether. Nevertheless, Gigabyte had its Yahoo! Widgets box (the MD300) on hand this year at CeBIT, so we sashayed over to snap a few shots. At this point, it’s tough to say just how viable this thing is. On one hand, it’ll be nice to give existing HDTV owners the option of adding access to widgets; on the other, Gigabyte has to know that the appeal is limited now that almost every HDTV hitting the market has this functionality baked right in. Have a peek below, won’t you?

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CE 3100-powered Gigabyte / Yahoo! widgets box eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clevo’s beastly 18.4-inch M980NU gaming laptop eyes-on

Ready for the duel of the 18.4-inchers at CeBIT? Just yesterday we took a look at Acer’s ginormous Aspire 8930, and today we popped in at Clevo‘s booth to snap a few shots of its mammoth M980NU. While the girth was impossible to not notice, the palm rest, keyboard and top control panel were downright ritzy. Yeah, the all-gloss finish was a fingerprint magnet, but we can’t say it wasn’t drop-dead sexy when wiped clean. Regrettably, we couldn’t figure out how to get that incredibly annoying plastic lock thing off of the keys, so we can’t personally verify whether this thing can handle the stresses of Quake I. Sorry, we tried.

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Clevo’s beastly 18.4-inch M980NU gaming laptop eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pretec 32GB SDXC, 666x CF card and 64GB ExpressCard SSD eyes-on

We first caught wind of SDXC back at CES, and just today Pretec announced the world’s first SDXC card. Much to our pleasure, said card was on hand at the outfit’s booth at CeBIT. Sadly, we were forced to photograph the one behind the glass bubble, as some incredibly evil individual managed to swipe the product sample from the outfit’s booth last night (seriously, the Polizei are out for you!). Also on hand was a devilishly fast 666x CompactFlash card along with a mighty capacious 100GB CF card that hums along at 233x. Last, but certainly not least, was the 64GB ExpressCard SSD, which looked suspiciously like most every other ExpressCard we’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, these newcomers were so new that pricing information wasn’t yet available, though all of the devices mentioned will be shipping this year. We’ll keep you posted on further deets, but till then, feel free to meander around in the gallery below.

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Pretec 32GB SDXC, 666x CF card and 64GB ExpressCard SSD eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BeBook e-reader getting WiFi, new firmware update: eyes-on

Clearly, the big news from Endless Ideas today at CeBIT was its next-generation BeBook 2. But what about all those existing / to-be BeBook 1 owners? We’ve got a bit of excitement to share with you folks as well. While prying for information today in Hannover, we were informed that one of the biggest issues with the BeBook is being resolved very soon. Yes, friends, WiFi is coming. In just a few months, BeBook users will be able to buy a WiFi-enabling SD card (and download a new firmware update) which will provide wireless access to eBook stores, RSS feeds and lots of other goodies that can only be touched with a live internet connection. We’re told that the WiFi SD card will be sold directly on the BeBook website for around $40, and it should be listed for sale within the next few months. We took the chance to grab some hands-on footage of the original BeBook in video form for you Yanks who’ve yet to see one, and if you hang in there ’til the end, you’ll hear us get tipped off on the forthcoming card.

Continue reading BeBook e-reader getting WiFi, new firmware update: eyes-on

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BeBook e-reader getting WiFi, new firmware update: eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASRock debuts Atom 330-powered NetTop S330: eyes-on

We caught up with ASRock’s new entrant into the netbook world yesterday, but today it was all about the nettop. On display at the company’s CeBIT booth was this gem, the NetTop S330. Showcased in white and some strange, unusual other hue, the box was powered by an Intel Atom 330 processor and supports up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM. Other specs include a Super Multi DVD burner, gigabit Ethernet, 160GB 2.5-inch hard drive, audio in / out, VGA output and GMA950 graphics. We have to say, the design here is about as unimaginative as a nettop can get, but ASRock representatives informed us that it’ll be aiming at a lower-end market as the box should list for $399 or less depending on options. Anywho, feel free to poke around in the gallery below, and if you dig what you’re seeing, you can pick one up in America this April (or May if you’re in Europe).

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ASRock debuts Atom 330-powered NetTop S330: eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigabyte shows off GA-IBP Core i5 motherboard at CeBIT

What, what? Core i5? What’s that? In short, that’s the response we got when prodding for details on this here motherboard at CeBIT, but sure enough, the object you see above just might be the first mainboard shown off designed to play nice with Intel’s forthcoming Core i7 lite[TM]. The Gigabyte GA-IBP will reportedly be available to purchase around July, which — coincidentally enough — is right when we’re expecting the Core i5 chips to make their debut on the market. The on-hand Gigabyte rep wouldn’t talk about specifics, noting that most everything about this board was still under NDA; when we strolled into Intel’s hall, we were flat told that no Core i5 prototypes were available here in Hannover. At any rate, you can count on at least one motherboard to use on your next mid-range gaming rig, and you can peek that very board in the gallery below.

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Gigabyte shows off GA-IBP Core i5 motherboard at CeBIT originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: ASUS Eee Station PC NAS interface walkthrough

We’ve spotted ASUS’ D200 (or Eee Station PC NAS, as it’s apparently now known) once before, but we took the opportunity here at CeBIT to shove our camera all up in the touchscreen in order to give you, the prospective buyer, a look at what this here Atom-based NAS has to offer. The specs on this thing read like a bona fide PC: 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, room for two 3.5-inch SATA II drives, a 3.5-inch touch panel, 802.11n WiFi, DVD-RW slot-loading optical drive, four gigabit Ethernet ports, USB / DVI sockets and a built-in three-cell Li-ion battery to give you 15 minutes of emergency time should your power fail. Our experience with the touchscreen was less than amazing, with the edges seeming to be noticeably less responsive than the middle. Sure, we don’t expect you’ll be touching your NAS all that often, but hey, there it is. Visually, it was as sharp as it needed to be, and the whole unit just screamed sexy. Mash play above to check out the menus, or dive in below if still photography is what floats your boat.

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Video: ASUS Eee Station PC NAS interface walkthrough originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget Podcast 136 – 03.06.2009: Who nerds the Nerdmen?

Yes folks, it’s finally, really happening… again. The Engadget Podcast returns with Josh Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel, and a phantasmagoria of totally awesome awesomeness. Hear the guys wax excited about CeBIT, dish on the latest Apple spec bumps, reveal their innermost desires on the camcorder / DSLR front, and get seriously serious on a number of other heart-wrenching items of importance. Don’t miss out — listen now!

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: Forgot About Dre

00:01:50 – Jimmy Fallon and Engadget: together again, March 9th

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Engadget Podcast 136 – 03.06.2009: Who nerds the Nerdmen? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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