Hasta La Gadget!

We had a chance to sit down with VIA’s VP of sales and marketing, Richard Brown, earlier today to discuss the finer points of the company’s position in the marketplace. While it was a intriguing conversation (mostly about the state of netbook and smartphone CPUs in 2009), our eye was caught by a prototype netbook he’d brought with him. The ‘book in question is a Nano-driven model that will be sold under the “Dr. Mobile” brand name and dubbed the “FreeStyle.” The system boasts a 1.3GHz CPU (which can be clocked to 1.6GHz), runs atop the VX800 chipset, features an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display, a proper trackpad with two real buttons, and sports 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, and optional onboard mobile broadband. Besides having a truly healthy amount of screen real estate for such a small display, the laptop was surprisingly stylish and lightweight — a welcome change from the stream of generic netbooks we’ve seen as of late. The company expects it to clock in at $500 when it hits around February, and says that the CPU outperforms similarly-spec’d Atom chips, with decent support for Vista. We should see a working model on the floor at CES, so keep your eyes peeled for a followup. For now, enjoy the hands-on!

Filed under: Laptops

Nano-powered “FreeStyle” netbook hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If your budget just won’t stretch far enough to snap up a high-def camcorder, Canon’s also got a half dozen SD versions on the horizon. Here at CES, the company is unveiling the FS22, FS21 and FS200 Flash Memory camcorders, which are up to 17% tinier than previous FS models and include up to 32GB of internal memory to complement the SDHC card slot. The DC420 and DC410 DVD camcorders should explain themselves, and looking at the ZR960 MiniDV is almost like stepping back in time. A few more details are provided in the read link, but don’t bother hunting for a price or release date.

Filed under: CES, Digital Cameras

Canon keeps ’em coming with six new SD camcorders originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember the cute Wall-E robot-esque 3D webcam that was just a prototype two months ago?

It is ready to have its first public showing at the Consumer Electronics Association show later this week and start retailing on Amazon.com.

The attractive red webcam, Minoru, requires special 3D glasses to view the
feed from two cameras spaced roughly the same distance apart as the
human eye. Images from the two cameras are mixed together to create the
3D effect.

Minoru will be available from Amazon.com for $90.

Created by British designer David Holder, the 3D webcam can stand or sit on a desk, or perch on a monitor. Each order comes with five pairs of special colored glasses.

It can take still pictures, record 3D video for
YouTube and can also be used as a regular 2D webcam.

Also see: 3D Webcam Makes It Real

Samsung and Yahoo! promise the Best of the Web on select 2009 HDTV models, thanks to the Internet@TV widgets we snuck a look at a few weeks ago. Developers build Javascript and XML apps that then run directly on your Samsung HDTV, starting with USA Today, YouTube, eBay, Showtime and Yahoo properties like Flickr and Yahoo! News. Next up their sleeves? Video streaming and “other popular Internet services” running through the built-in Ethernet or optional Wi-Fi USB dongle. Also, unlike some others, the Internet@TV Content service isn’t just a U.S. thing, headed to 12 other countries this year: Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Having the Internet no further away than the nearest remote was your biggest request for ’09, right?

Filed under: CES, Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Networking

Samsung / Yahoo Internet@TV widgets revealed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Schwinn makes its first appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show this year to show off its Tailwind bicycle, which uses new battery technology from Toshiba to enable faster charging and extended battery longevity.

The Schwinn Tailwind can be recharged in 30 minutes as opposed to the four hours required by other so-called eBikes, which use an electric motor to assist the peddler when the going gets tough. In addition, Schwinn says, the Tailwind’s battery’s overall lifetime is twice that of the competition, with 2,000 recharge cycles.

"With the system turned off, the bike functions exactly like a
traditional bike," reads a note on the Tailwind site. "Flip the switch to on and it is an entirely different
experience. The powerful front hub motor provides just the amount of
extra help you desire, while the long-life lithium ion battery gives
you the power to go where you need."

With a light aluminum frame and a front suspension fork, the Schwinn Tailwind goes on sale at independent bike shops at the end of January for $3,200 — a steep price, especially considering that carbon-spewing cars will continue to ignore your existence while hardier bikers might even find cause to make fun of you. But for those with difficult commutes or low muscle-to-fat ratios, the aptly-named Tailwind could make fun, environmentally-friendly commuting much more attractive.

See Also:

• Jet-Powered Bicycle Makes 50 MPH Feel Waaaaay Too Fast
• Hands-On With the Topeak Bicycle Multitool
• Terrifying Robot Bicycle Shed Can Eat Over 9000 Bikes
• Where Are the Most Bicycle-Friendly Cities in the World?