Hasta La Gadget!

I received an e-mail from CEA this morning with this subject line: “CES Electrifies the Global Economy.” Honestly, I ignored it, initially. First of all, I’m pretty much done talking about the show for another year. And second, after working in technology journalism for years, I’ve grown accustomed to this kind of unprovoked self-congratulation.

I wouldn’t suggest that CES 2009 wasn’t a monster of a show. It was huge. I managed to walk every inch of the showroom floor and almost killed myself in the process. Still, now that the smoke has cleared, it’s hard not to raise an eyebrow at that subject header.

I had to scramble when asked by some colleagues to cull together a list of the show’s biggest hits. The floor is always largely occupied by minor products–I spotted a ton of iPod, Wii, and Guitar Hero knockoffs trying to pass themselves off as innovations. That’s nothing new. However, coming out of last year’s show, I remember a lot more clear winners. At the moment, I’m struggling to name many beyond a few obvious choices–like, say, the Palm Pre.

It doesn’t look like this one was actually on display at CES, but Italy’s Olidata does seem to have taken the opportunity to announce its shiny new Conte ultraportable, which takes square aim at the growing ranks of 13.3-inch ultra-thin laptops out there. From the looks of it, this one will be available in two different versions: one with a 16:10, 1280×800 display, and one with a 16:9, 1366×768 display, each of which will come equipped with a small form factor Core 2 Duo processor, optional built-in 3G or WiMAX, and a promised battery life of more than four hours (or seven with an extended battery). The 16:10 model will also add a few bonuses like Intel Turbo Memory, a fingerprint reader, a backlit keyboard, and 3GB of RAM as standard. Sadly, there’s no indication of a release’ round these parts just yet, but both models will supposedly be hitting Europe in May for “less than €1,000” (or somewhere under $1,300).

[Thanks, Faber]

Filed under: Laptops

Olidata Conte ultraportable makes its shiny debut originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well this was one for the record books. Between the full-court press of 3DHD, Sony’s announcement of the VAIO P netbook… er, ultraportable, and the nuclear bomb that was the Palm Pre announcement, no one will forget this CES anytime soon. As in previous years, the Engadget team came, saw, and worked nonstop to cover every piece of gear we could get our hands on. After keeping it in the red for days on end, we’re all feeling pretty burnt and ready for a long nap, but insanely stoked that we could bring you CES the way it’s meant to be experienced: like a screaming neon blur.

We’ll be back in full force for CES 2010, but until then, you can gestate on our hard numbers and sad trailer teardown video after the break.

Update: We’re adding pics to the gallery, and just added a new video of us working as we normally do.

Continue reading What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas — Engadget departs CES

Filed under: CES

What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas — Engadget departs CES originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whoa, Sharp — wait just a minute. Did you really just introduce a pair of music systems that get down with slotMusic players? Though it’s practically impossible for us to believe that such an occurrence has just, um, occurred, the 160-watt XL-DH258NH and 64-watt XL-DH228NH micro-audio systems actually do include a USB port for syncing up with SanDisk slotMusic players (along with any other USB-enabled PMP, we presume). Of course, Sharp did hedge its bets by including an iPod dock along with a universal auxiliary input, so we suppose we can’t harsh on ’em too much. Both units arrive in any color you like so long as it’s glossy black, and there’s even an AM / FM radio, six-band equalizer and alarm clock tossed in for good measure. Catch the XL-DH258NH this June for $199.99 or the XL-DH228NH in July for $179.99.

[Via iTechNews]

Filed under: CES, Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

Sharp does the unthinkable, intros slotMusic-friendly sound systems originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here at Engadget, we don’t spend an awful lot of time dabbling in operating systems, but when Phoenix Technologies offered us the chance to check out its HyperSpace instant-on OS, we just couldn’t resist. After all, it’s hard to ignore the allure of reported sub-10 second bootup times on portable-by-nature machines (often referred to as “netbooks,” for those camped under rocks). Considering that HyperSpace is well on its way to a netbook near you (we’re told that undisclosed partnerships should be completely hammered out within the next few months), why not follow us past the break to see if the system really is all it’s cracked up to be.

Continue reading Phoenix Technologies HyperSpace instant-on OS review

Filed under: CES, Laptops

Phoenix Technologies HyperSpace instant-on OS review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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