Hasta La Gadget!

PC startups, take note — this is how you cut through the noise and get recognized. Rather than simply copying Alienware or some other boutique gaming outfit, BFG Technologies is introducing its first line of high-performance PCs with quite the unusual extra. Sure, the 3.2GHz Core i7 965 Extreme Edition is totally expected, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 GPUs aren’t all that shocking, but the complementary concierge service is certainly a step in a new direction. With each Phobos purchase comes six months of said service, which includes “expert in-home installation and a six month follow up maintenance visit.” Check the full release after the break for all the deets, but you can count on spending at least three large to get in.

Continue reading BFG Technologies’ Phobos gaming PC packs Core i7, personal concierge

Filed under: CES, Desktops

BFG Technologies’ Phobos gaming PC packs Core i7, personal concierge originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unless you’re a math prodigy, you probably need a calculator. HP is launching three new calculators at CES.

• The HP SmartCalc 300s scientific calculator ($14.99) has a remarkably large, muli-pixel Textbook Format Display which allows students to see math problems as they look on paper. Students can use the navigation pad to move around within an expression to change it and watch the result. The calculator has 249 built-in functions.
• The HP EasyCalc 100 ($7.99) will make a nice, light, compact calculator for a young student to carry in their backpacks. Pretty basic, but the bright blue color will make your student that much cooler.
• The HP OfficeCalc 300 ($29.99) has a special “Check and Correct” function that allows users to edit any of their last 105 entries without having to re-enter the whole problem. The calculator also has built-in functions for common business calculations like tax and percentages. <./ul>

  The calculators will be available in March through HP Home and Home Office Store, HP Small and Medium Business Store , and other retailers.

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Go ‘head, D-Link, get down with your bad self. Seriously, we can’t remember the last time a router got us all hot and bothered, but this one’s just too wild to not get stoked about. The Xtreme N DIR-685 is hailed as an “all-in-one home network router,” and we’d say it puts a new meaning to “all-in-one.” Aside from handling the normal duties of an 802.11n wireless access point, the device also includes a 3.2-inch LCD for displaying photos and / or widgets. As if that wasn’t zany enough, it also supports both UPnP server functions and BitTorrent downloads. How so, you ask? The twin USB ports on the rear enable users to plug in vanilla external hard drives and essentially convert them into NAS drives, making the data on each accessible over the web. Sadly, no price is mentioned for this conglomerate, but we don’t expect it to come cheap.

Filed under: CES, Digital Cameras, Displays, Networking

D-Link’s Xtreme N DIR-685 router is also a digiframe / NAS device originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logitech’s last Harmony launch was of the subtle and sneaky variety, but there’s nothing at all quiet about this one. The big, bold and brash Harmony 1100 is showing itself here in Las Vegas, and the primary selling point is the customizable, 3.5-inch QVGA full-color touchscreen. Rather than getting your buttons all gummed up with pizza grease, you can now smear a nice, innocent panel as you attempt to alter volume and change channels. As expected, the unit packs a rechargeable battery and RF capabilities, and the guided online setup should make programming a lesson in simplicity. Can’t wait to get your own? Tough luck, ’cause this one’s not shipping to the US and Europe until next month for $499.99.

[Via Electronic House]

Filed under: CES, Home Entertainment

Logitech’s Harmony 1100 remote is more touchscreen, less buttons originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all yearn for a life lived sans wires, yet many of us still find our media players dangling from the things. Mono Bluetooth headsets are already everywhere, but this could be the year that those of the stereo variety take off, and Altec Lansing’s hoping its new BackBeat series will be a contender. They’re made in partnership with earpiece-guru Plantronics, so callers will find integrated voice dialing, omnidirectional microphones, 7 hours of talk time, and AudioIQ to boost volume when you’re in a noisy situation. For the music listener the sets include tune-channeling, canal-sealing buds, a behind-the-head band, and support for A2DP, AVRCP, HSP v1.1 and HFPv1.5. For those devices that list doesn’t cover (we’re looking at you, iPhone), the $130 BackBeat 906 includes a small transmitter. Everyone else can opt for the otherwise identical but transmitter-less BackBeat 903, which is $30 cheaper. We look forward to getting our ears on these at CES — hopefully after they’ve had a thorough cleaning.

[Via iPodNN]

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio

The word is on the street about Altec Lansing’s BackBeat Bluetooth headphones originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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