Jan 04

ZOMM uses Bluetooth to tether you to your phone, your phone to you

Posted in: bluetooth, Today's Chili
ZOMM uses Bluetooth to tether you to your phone, your phone to you
Missing cellphones are a fact of life for forgetful folks, and while the ‘ol “call yourself and hunt the feeble ringtone” technique works most of the time, some need a little bit more. There are plenty of software solutions out there, but ZOMM could be the perfect hardware option for any handset that supports Bluetooth. It’s a keyring that tethers wirelessly to your celly like a headset, starting to buzz, blink, and chime whenever you leave the phone — or the ZOMM — behind. It will also alert you to incoming calls and even let you take them, acting like a disconnected speakerphone. Appropriately, the poker chip-sized device will be on display at CES this week, where there will surely be no shortage of misplaced handsets of all shapes and sizes kicking around.

ZOMM uses Bluetooth to tether you to your phone, your phone to you originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 04

Scrybe from Synaptics brings new life to your tired touchpad

Posted in: multitouch, Today's Chili, touchpad
Scrybe from Synaptics brings new life to your tired touchpad
Did your laptop maker not see fit to include any jazzy gesture support into your touchpad? Did you buy early and miss out on the multitouch revolution? Synaptics wants to fill the gap for those portables (and suitably-equipped desktops) with its Scrybe software. It augments Windows’ existing touch functionality to add context-specific gestures and motions, and while jog-dial control for media has us most excited, you’ll also be able to edit photos, look up word definitions, and plenty more — even if you don’t have a 10-finger capable device. The plan is for the company to make partnerships with various manufacturers so that this software becomes standard issue stuff, but you can get a taste of it today thanks to a roughly 10MB beta preview downloadable now at the read link. Do let us know what you think.

Scrybe from Synaptics brings new life to your tired touchpad originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 04

QNAP gets serious with Turbo NAS line, packing Pineview, iSCSI, and VMWare certification

Posted in: intel, nas, storage, Today's Chili
QNAP gets serious with Turbo NAS line, packing Pineview, iSCSI, and VMWare certification
QNAP is generally known around these parts for its ever shrinking line of NAS devices that pack plenty of goods in a small space. The company’s latest series sets a new bar for functionality, but does so in a device you probably won’t be wedging in on a bookshelf between your well-worn (but never finished) copy of Ulysses and your leaning tower of software boxes. The latest Turbo NAS series is intended for small businesses, available in sizes ranging from one to the eight bay monster you see above, each packing an Intel D510 processor with enough oomph to fuel virtualized environments, so VMware vSphere4 certification and Windows Server 2008’s Hyper-V are on-tap. iSCSI is also supported, as is IPv6 and, in one small nod toward consumers, Apple Time Machine backups have been enabled. We’re expecting to see the full suite of devices at CES just a few days hence, while they’re all slated for retail release in the coming weeks at prices ranging from $599 for the two-bay TS-259 Pro all the way up to $1,499 for that eight-bay TS-859 Pro flavor. You didn’t think all this professionalism would come cheap, did you?

QNAP gets serious with Turbo NAS line, packing Pineview, iSCSI, and VMWare certification originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 07:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 04

HSTi Wireless Media Stick nixes the need for dedicated storage drives

Posted in: stream, streaming, Today's Chili, usb

The banners aren’t even officially up in Vegas yet, and already we’re catching a drift of what all will be unveiled in the days to come. Take this Wireless Media Stick for example, which is HSTi’s way of telling you that a dedicated storage drive beside your Blu-ray player or media player is completely unnecessary. Put simply, this device (and the accompanying software, we presume) plugs directly into any USB-enabled disc player or media streamer that’s connected to your television; from there, you can easily stream media that’s already shacked up within your main PC to your TV-connected device(s), which cures the problem of having your media fragmented between varying drives. We’re still waiting to hear exactly what kind of technology this thing relies on (we’re guessing 2.4GHz), but hopefully we’ll find out more (along with a price and ship date) real soon.

HSTi Wireless Media Stick nixes the need for dedicated storage drives originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 04

CES 2010: Samsung Joins Rangefinder Fray With Large-Sensor NX10

Posted in: samsung, Today's Chili

nx10_f1_b_global-2

Samsung has jumped the CES 2010 gate and announced a new, rangefinder-style camera a couple days before the gadget-fest begins. The NX10 joins the Olympus Pen and the Panasonic GF-1 in a growing segment, made up of cameras with large, DSLR-sized sensors in mirror-less, compact bodies.

Samsung’s advantage is that its 14.6MP sensor is bigger than those of the competition, using a full APS-C sized chip – roughly 28.4 mm diagonally – instead of the Micro Four Thirds, which offers just 8mm. It also has a built-in viewfinder, unlike its rivals, although as it is electronic and has just VGA resolution, you might wish Samsung had saved the space and made a smaller body.

And it is a chunky camera. Samsung has opted to make a small DSLR-style camera rather than squeezing a large sensor into a compact camera like Panasonic and Olympus. Other features to be found inside are 720p video (MPEG4, with H.264 compression), a 3-inch OLED screen, a claim to faster autofocus (these cameras all use contrast-detection autofocus, so are slower than DSLRs), and that’s about it. Samsung clearly didn’t get the memo that the megapixel race is over — even on a big sensor, the camera only goes up to a pedestrian ISO 3200.

The NX10 will ship with three new lenses, based on a brand-new lens mount (35mm-equivalent sizes in brackets): a 30mm ƒ2 (42.6mm) pancake, a 18-55mm ƒ3.5-5.6 OIS (27.7-84.7mm) and a 50-200mm ƒ4-5.6 ED OIS 77-308mm.

We don’t know who’ll be buying these. The size advantages over a DSLR are real, but not that big. Prices are to be announced, probably at CES this week.

Samsung NX10 Preview [DPReview]

See Also:


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Jan 04

Popbox is Popcorn Hour evolved, with 1080p streaming and Netflix support

Posted in: 1080p, media streamer, MediaStreamer, netflix, Today's Chili

Love your Popcorn Hour? Ask creator Syabas Technology, and it’s just a prelude to the real deal, which it’s just announced as the Popbox. The evolution includes a revamped UI, “infoapps” showing weather and Twitter feeds whenever the viewer pauses, and expanded Popapps support to allow for Java, Flash, and Qt (why hello there, Netflix). Video processing now supports 100Mbps bitrate 1080p video. The box mockup is barebones and includes only the necessary inputs, and storage is relegated to SD cards and external USB drives. Price and release date? Electronista is saying it “should” be out in March to the tune of $129.

Popbox is Popcorn Hour evolved, with 1080p streaming and Netflix support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 03

Freescale reveals 7-inch smartbook reference design, hopes to see it ship for $200

Posted in: arm, tablet, Today's Chili

Freescale Semiconductor is helping to kick this year’s CES off with a bang, as its latest reference smartbook design actually has somewhat of a sexy flair to it. Currently, the model is little more than a great idea, but the company is hoping to have it available for partner evaluation starting next month. In theory, at least, this “smartbook tablet” would boast an ultrathin form factor, weigh around 0.8 pounds and get powered by a 1GHz i.MX515 processor. Other specs would include 512MB of DDR2 RAM, a 1,024 x 600 touch panel, 4GB to 64GB of internal storage, a microSD expansion slot, optional 3G WWAN module, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, a USB 2.0 socket, audio in / out, 3 megapixel camera, inbuilt 3-axis accelerometer, an ambient light sensor and a 1,900mAh battery. We aren’t quite sure what kind of bulk discounts Freescale is counting on, but it’s hoping that this design will “enable a second generation of smartbook products with prices less than $200.” We dig the ambition and all, but we’re guessing OEMs will actually want to turn a profit should they sign on to sell something like this.

Gallery: Freescale reveals 7-inch smartbook reference design, hopes to see it ship for $200

Continue reading Freescale reveals 7-inch smartbook reference design, hopes to see it ship for $200

Freescale reveals 7-inch smartbook reference design, hopes to see it ship for $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 03

Samsung hops on Atom N450 bandwagon with N210, N220, N150 and NB30 netbooks

Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, netbook, netbooks, samsung, Today's Chili

Keeping the news flowing fast and furious, Samsung has come out with a quartet of new netbooks, distinguishable primarily by their battery life. The N210 and 220 take the lead with a purported 12 hours of “connected mobility,” while the NB30 (11 hours) and N150 (8.5 hours) are none too shabby either. The N150 differentiates itself with an “integrated hinge,” while the NB30 focuses on durability with a HDD protection sensor and a water-tight seal that protects the netbook from up to 50cc of water. Still, the machines do share a lot, including an Atom N450 at their heart, and a 10.1-inch anti-reflective screen, plus — you’d be better sit down for this — mark- and scratch-resistant casing. Does this mean the end of the fingerprint-loving netbook? We can only hope so. Full PR blurb after the break.

Continue reading Samsung hops on Atom N450 bandwagon with N210, N220, N150 and NB30 netbooks

Samsung hops on Atom N450 bandwagon with N210, N220, N150 and NB30 netbooks originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 03

Dell, Toshiba and Gateway Core i3 laptops get revealed early, joined by Pine Trail netbooks

Posted in: ati, intel, laptop, Laptops, leak, netbook, netbooks, radeon, Today's Chili, Toshiba

And just like that, the CES 2010 on-switch has been well and truly pressed. After HP, Sony and Lenovo all exposed their hardware to the world prematurely, it was inevitable that other companies would “accidentally” follow suit. Thanks to CNET‘s snooping, we’re now staring at a trio of new Core i3 models from Dell, Toshiba and Gateway — highlighted by an unannounced ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 powering a 1600 x 900 15-inch display on the Gateway, which also squeezes 500GB of storage under a shockingly low $692 price tag. On the Atom front, the Mini 210 is joined by a Toshiba NB305 — sporting the N450, 250GB HDD, up to 11 hours’ claimed battery life, and a $438 sticker — as well as Gateway’s effort with a smaller 160GB HDD but also suitably reduced $285 asking price. Hit the links below to get freshened up on all the juicy details.

Read – FutureShop.ca (Gateway NV5905H)
Read – FutureShop.ca (Toshiba Satellite L500-00F)
Read – Costco (Dell Inspiron 15)
Read – FutureShop.ca (Gateway LT2102H)
Read – FutureShop.ca (Toshiba NB305-00F)

Dell, Toshiba and Gateway Core i3 laptops get revealed early, joined by Pine Trail netbooks originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 03

Samsung NX10 made official — APS-C sensor and AMOLED screen crammed into hybrid DSLR body

Posted in: 720p, breaking news, BreakingNews, digital camera, DigitalCamera, dslr, hybrid, official, samsung, Today's Chili

Samsung has just announced its NX10 “hybrid DSLR,” which aims to give you all the uncompromising image quality of a full digital SLR within a somewhat more pocketable body. A 14.6 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor is a good start on that road, while “fast and decisive” contrast AF and a snazzy 3-inch AMOLED display keep the momentum going. There’s 720p H.264-encoded video recording as well, but naturally you do have to make some tradeoffs for the reduced size. The mirror box is gone — leaving you with only an electronic viewfinder — and the brand new NX lens mounting system means you’ll have to purchase your favorite lenses all over again. We’ll wait and see whether the NX10 shows any appreciable advantages (such as price!) over the slightly smaller Micro Four Thirds shooters out there, but with a spring 2010 release date and a CES appearance on the cards, that wait shouldn’t be too long. Go past the break for the full PR and spec sheet.

Update: DPReview has an in-depth breakdown and a hands-on preview of the new shooter with a few sample shots posted from a pre-production unit.

Gallery: Samsung NX10

Continue reading Samsung NX10 made official — APS-C sensor and AMOLED screen crammed into hybrid DSLR body

Samsung NX10 made official — APS-C sensor and AMOLED screen crammed into hybrid DSLR body originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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