Jan 04

Alereon announces wireless USB NoWire laptop to HDTV extender

Posted in: Today's Chili
Looking to keep your computer-to-TV extender setup as basic as possible? Then you might just want to consider Alereon’s new NoWire wireless USB extender, which does away with the need for any software or drivers along with the wires. As you might have suspected, however, that means it simply uses the wireless USB dongle to mirror your laptop display on your TV, which itself must be outfitted with a shark fin receiver that connects via HDMI or VGA (with some help form a 3.5mm audio jack). That obviously limits your options a bit, but the good news is that the extender can also take advantage of some software and drivers for Windows for some more advanced functionality. No word on a price just yet, but it looks like the extender will be available sometime in March. Head on past the break for a quick video overview.

Continue reading Alereon announces wireless USB NoWire laptop to HDTV extender

Alereon announces wireless USB NoWire laptop to HDTV extender originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 04

BenQ’s Joybook Lite U103 packs an SSD for when you’re feeling frisky, HDD for when you’re not

Posted in: intel atom, IntelAtom, Today's Chili
BENQ's Joybook Lite U103 packs an SSD for when you're feeling frisky, HDD for when you're not
If money were no issue we’d all be rocking slinky notebooks with terabytes of flash-based storage, but alas this recession means a more budget-conscious approach is warranted. BenQ‘s solution is to offer a bit of both with its latest Joybook Lite, the U103, offering a large (500GB max) HDD paired with an optional 32GB SSD. Install your OS and critical apps on the SSD, dump everything else to platter, and make the most of what the company advertises will be an eight hour battery. That the laptop packs what is advertised as “Intel’s new Atom” processor (surely the N450) is a good sign that battery life will indeed be good, something that should also be helped by a 10-inch, LED-backlit display of indeterminate resolution. Also on the docket is pseudo-3D sound from the two integrated speakers courtesy of SRS TruSound HD, a multitouch trackpad, and a weight of just 2.4lbs. No price yet, but that should change soon enough.

BenQ’s Joybook Lite U103 packs an SSD for when you’re feeling frisky, HDD for when you’re not originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 04

Skiff Reader is largest yet, will be hitting a Sprint Store near you

Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, e ink, e reader, reader, Sprint, Today's Chili
Skiff Reader is largest, thinnest reader yet, hitting a Sprint Store near you


Amazon’s Kindle DX may be big, but it’s not the biggest any more. The Skiff Reader is here to take that crown — despite being a mere quarter inch thick. It packs a 1600 x 1200 11.5-inch touchscreen (finger and stylus) that, as you can see from the above screenshot, should do much better justice to magazine and newspaper layouts than we’ve yet seen from an e-ink-based reader. That’s exactly the sort of advance Hearst was promising when it first mentioned the device last month. Skiff includes 4GB of on-board storage (just over 3GB is available for content) with SD card expansion, and there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack for tunes and, hopefully, text-to-speech. Content can be side-loaded over a mini USB jack or delivered via WiFi but, more importantly, 3G is also on offer thanks to Sprint, who will also dedicate some space in its retail stores to sell the thing when it launches sometime this year. Price? That we don’t know.

Gallery: Skiff Reader press shots

Skiff Reader is largest yet, will be hitting a Sprint Store near you originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 04

CinemaNow 2.0: 3D, 1080p, Android & WinMo get a taste of online movie distribution

Posted in: 1080p, streaming, Today's Chili

Thought digital delivery would get left behind in the jump to 3D? Roxio’s CinemaNow 2.0 platform is ready to build on the success of its predecessor — already embedded in many devices and powering the online stores for Blockbuster, Best Buy and Zip.ca — and flip the switch bringing streamed or downloaded 1080p or 3D, plus the ability to add additional background info on each movie or previously disc-exclusive extras like multiple audio tracks, subtitles and more. Also new for 2.0 are plans for access on Android and Windows Mobile devices. We’re still thinking a combo of lower prices, all you can eat subscriptions or a disc tie-in is the logical next step, but we’ll wait for a CES demo to ask about that, and whether the new features will be backwards compatible on old hardware.

CinemaNow 2.0: 3D, 1080p, Android & WinMo get a taste of online movie distribution originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 04

Toshiba mini NB305 adds Atom N450 to a successful formula (hands-on)

Posted in: Features, hands-on, netbook, Today's Chili, Toshiba

Toshiba hasn’t strayed far from its NB205 series of 10-inch netbooks with the all-new mini NB305, but the few tweaks made are welcome. Obviously the Atom N450 processor is the central attraction, but tweaks like a 250GB hard drive, less protrusive 6-cell battery (which clocks in a purported 11 hours of battery life), and a slightly lighter finished product (2.6 pounds) all add up to a compelling offering. The regular version of the laptop with “true” chiclet keys goes for $400, while a black version with a less impressive keyboard takes the entry spot at $350.

We got a few moments to play with the netbooks, and came away pretty impressed. It might not be quite the bang-for-buck on offer from other manufacturers, and the lack of a higher-end graphics option is a little off-putting, but as for simple build quality and usability (we’re particular fans of the oversized trackpad), the NB305 might be hard to beat. Toshiba’s also pursuing the software angle here with a Media Controller app to expose some of Windows 7’s media streaming abilities, along with a visual search app called RealTime and a fridge-style Bulletin Board.

Gallery: Toshiba mini NB305 press shots

Gallery: Toshiba mini NB305 hands-on

Toshiba mini NB305 adds Atom N450 to a successful formula (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 04

Interead expands COOL-ER e-reader line-up, announces additional content

Posted in: e reader, e-book, e-book reader, E-bookReader, Today's Chili
Interead already let out some early word about its COOL-ER 3G e-book reader with a little help from AT&T, but it’s now made things doubly official, and also take the opportunity to announce a new WiFi-equipped COOL-ER Connect model. While details on it are still a bit light, the reader will apparently boast a touchscreen of some sort, weigh just 5.8 ounces, and be available sometime this Spring (the COOL-ER 3G will follow in “mid-2010”). What’s more, Interead has also now announced a new range of content offerings for its e-book readers, including the Coolermatic application, which will give users access to more than 1,400 newspapers, along with “select websites,” and even Twitter feeds (no posting though, it seems). Still nothing in the way of pricing, but we’re hoping Interead will have more to say about that once CES fully gets underway.

Interead expands COOL-ER e-reader line-up, announces additional content originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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

MSI planning to a show dual-screen e-reader, 3D laptop at CES

Posted in: laptop, Laptops, msi, Today's Chili
We don’t have too many details here, but we sure are itching to get to Vegas to see if MSI really does have a dual-screen, Tegra-powered e-reader up its sleeve. Let’s have it MSI: are you stealing another page from your Taiwanese arch-nemesis ASUS and its dual-screen Eee Reader? Regardless, Digitimes reports that not only will it show a dual-screen gadget of sorts, but also one with a slate form factor. More believable is the 3D laptop that the Taiwanese company is said to be prepping. Let’s just hope they have gone with NVIDIA’s 3D Vision technology there. It’s only a matter of hours now until we find out about it all.

MSI planning to a show dual-screen e-reader, 3D laptop at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:36:00 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

Sprachts Bluetooth Headset Will Help Your Hearing Loss

Posted in: bluetooth, Today's Chili

spracht-aura.jpg

Eh? Can’t hear me? Maybe Spracht’s new Aura EQ Bluetooth headset will help. The Aura EQ is designed to be kind to your hearing, with a customizable 8-band equalizer that lets you change the tone of voices to make them more audible. Spracht hacked the popular CSR Bluecore5 chipset to deliver 25% more volume, according to the company.
When you’re not on a call, the Aura EQ becomes a sort of stealth hearing aid, using its external microphone to amplify voices around you, letting you hear faraway things clearly and sort out voices from noisy environments. 
The EQ doesn’t look dorky, either; as you can see in the picture at left, it has a sort of fighter-plane look to it, including a “capacitive volume strip” that you gently stroke to increase or reduce the volume. The headset will have eight hours of battery life, and will go on sale in March for $99.
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