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Jan 07

Samsung NX11 hands-on

Posted in: hands-on, samsung, Today's Chili

It’s always a shame we don’t have more time to play with every gadget at monstrous trade shows, and that goes double for cameras. So while we can’t give you more in-depth discussion on the image and video quality, we will say that Samsung’s NX11’s inclusion of the i-Function lens is a decided victory. For those who don’t know, it’s a special lens with a ring and i-Fn button you can use to manually adjust various settings (exposure, ISO, shutter speed, etc.), and it works like a charm. Looking at pictures of a picture-taking device is some form of awesome, right? Right.

Gallery: Samsung NX11 hands-on

Samsung NX11 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 07

Verizon and Panasonic demo broadcast Full HD 3D at CES

Posted in: Panasonic, Today's Chili, verizon, video

Currently the only way to feed your 3DTV full HD 3D (1080p per eye) is to watch a Blu-ray disc, which is great and all unless you’re a sports fan, than not so much. Motorola and others have been working on ways to deliver Full HD 3D via typical broadcast delivery avenues — yes, we also want to know what happened to 1080p60 2D — but at the CES Bloggers Lounge Verizon and Panasonic were demoing said 3D format over a Verizon FiOS TV lab setup. The press release and embedded video (after the break) were short on details, but Verizon did tell us that it takes twice the throughput of 1080p 2D — which isn’t actually the case, but what do you expect when you don’t get to talk to the engineers? We assume the demo is using H.264 Multiview Video Coding like Blu-ray uses — especially since the demo was on a Panasonic Blu-ray player — but many in the industry question this codec’s application in the broadcast world since ESPN claims that its backwards compatibility with 2D isn’t as valuable as Dolby and Sensio’s way of encoding full HD 3D, which are more efficient. We’re very skeptical that this demo will actually amount to any foreseeable measurable benefits to consumers, but are reassured that both companies like 3D enough to spend the time to get together and make a demo happen.

Update: Verizon PR responded and confirmed that the demo is using the same format as 3D Blu-ray; H.264 Multiview Video Coding.

Continue reading Verizon and Panasonic demo broadcast Full HD 3D at CES

Verizon and Panasonic demo broadcast Full HD 3D at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 07

Gaming on the Motorola Atrix laptop dock… upside down

Posted in: motorola, Today's Chili, video

The Motorola Atrix is definitely one of the more impressive devices to launch at CES this year, but we’ve been wondering how stable that laptop dock is — if the phone is prone to falling out it’s really not much use at all. Well, worry no more — we just watched a Moto rep boot up Need For Speed: Shift while docked up, and in addition to playing the game normally, he flipped the whole rig all the way over to show off how tightly the phone is docked. Video below.

Continue reading Gaming on the Motorola Atrix laptop dock… upside down

Gaming on the Motorola Atrix laptop dock… upside down originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 07

Audi gets on the LTE bus, wants to make infotainment more modular

Posted in: NVIDIA, tegra, tegra 2, Tegra2, Today's Chili

Another automaker getting on the bus with 4G? Yes, it’s Audi, who doesn’t actually make busses but is the latest to announce its LTE intentions, though not exactly what it intends to do with it. Mobile SkypeHD video calling? They wouldn’t be the first. Audi has also indicated that its 2009 partnership with Elektrobit, dubbed e.solutions, is coming to fruition. The result is a way to build a layer of abstraction between the car and the hardware running the infotainment system. Currently Audi is down with NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 but obviously that’s not going to be the new hotness forever, the idea being that users could swap out units at their dealers whenever they want a taste of what’s new and good. You know how you pulled the factory head unit and its big, scratched up knobs out of your ride in ’96 and threw in that Clarion unit with all the blinkenlights? Like that — but probably a lot more expensive.

Audi gets on the LTE bus, wants to make infotainment more modular originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 07

Crapgadget CES, round one: the Magic MousePad returns!

Posted in: multitouch, Today's Chili

We stumbled upon Fortrend here at CES expecting to find their existing Magic MousePad and were shocked to discover something else entirely: a new and improved Magic MousePad! You’ll still get the same multitouch trackpad / keypad combo as before, but it now comes with a “high texture” glass surface, and “friendlier” design available in a range of colors. We’re sure you’ll agree those changes make all the difference.

Gallery: Magic MousePad hands-on

Crapgadget CES, round one: the Magic MousePad returns! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 20:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 07

Calibur11 Vault eyes-on, protecting your Xbox from tactical nukes and stuff

Posted in: case, Games, gaming, hands-on, Today's Chili, xbox 360, Xbox360

Although it won’t protect your console from a certain red ring, the Calibur11 Vault will fend off pretty much everything else. Calibur11 claim that the MLG approved plates that latch on to your Xbox 360 increase console airflow, while adding an integrated game interaction through the use of LED / USB lighting effects and the extravagant 3D extremities protruding from the sides of your console. The pieces themselves are interchangeable as well as customizable with colors, decals, nameplates and accessories packs. Calibur11 has several versions of the Vault available, including an MLG special edition as well as an upcoming chainsaw-wielding blockbuster-title special edition sometime in Q3. Calibur11 plans to release at major retailers like BestBuy in March 2011, so we’ll have to keep our consoles safe from nuclear attacks the old fashion way till then.

Gallery: Calibur11 Vault Xbox 360 case eyes-on

Calibur11 Vault eyes-on, protecting your Xbox from tactical nukes and stuff originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 20:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 07

The Best New Blu-ray Player [BestOfTheBest]

Posted in: blu-ray, LG, Panasonic, samsung, Today's Chili, top

Click here to read The Best New Blu-ray Player

They’re the cornerstones of our home theaters—and there’s always an ungodly number of them at CES. We scrutinized this year’s more intriguing 3D Blu-ray players and found the one that looks like the king of the hill. More »

Jan 07

Dish Network’s Sling Receiver lives

Posted in: hands-on, Today's Chili

Originally shown at CES last year, the Sling Receiver promises to bring HD content from your Sling enabled Dish Network box to another TV in your home, as well as the rest of the DVR’s UI. What we hope is the big difference this year is that the device actually ships to Dish Network customers and brings the dream of multi-room viewing — like the other satellite TV provider has. No word on exactly when it will be available or how much it’ll cost, but for all those that are delaying upgrading to the ViP 922 because of the lack of TV2, you will finally be able to stop waiting.

Dish Network’s Sling Receiver lives originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 20:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 07

Karotz: The New Nabaztag

Posted in: Today's Chili

I actually said “oh, Nabaztag!” outloud when I approached the company’s booth. But alas, it was no Nabaztag. It was something called “Karotz.” After a little confusion, I realized that, for all intents and purposes, Nabaztag and Karotz are one in the same. The little ambient rabbit was actually renamed after its maker went bankrupt.

Karotz is a little light up bunny that can be connected to your RSS feeds, Facebook, Twitter, and more. The bunny also sports voice and facial recognition. Inside, you get 256MB of storage, 64MB of RAM, and a 400MHz ARM processor.

He’s hitting our shores next month, for somewhere in the neighborhood of $200.

Jan 07

Turtle Beach Earforce PX5 gaming headset preview

Posted in: bluetooth, headset, impressions, preview, Today's Chili

On the show floor of CES the madness is virtually endless. But lucky for us, within the sea of rabid gadget lovers and enthusiasts we came across Turtle Beach’s booth and got our greasy In-n-Out Burger fingers on the just-announced Earforce PX5. Not only did we get to wear the headphones and feast our eyes on the wireless hub, we experienced Dolby 7.1 surround sound while playing Halo: Reach on the Xbox 360. We’ve got pics and our initial impressions after the break, so hit it!

Gallery: Turtle Beach Earforce PX5 gaming headset hands-on preview