Hasta La Gadget!

Kind of unusual for a top-tier third-party retailer to beat everyone else (including the manufacturer and carrier) to the punch with a detailed live video of a new smartphone — but hey, really, who are we to complain? Wirefly has posted a nearly 10-minute introduction to the EVO 4G Shift that Sprint just made official this morning, comparing it to both an original EVO 4G and a Droid 2 so you can get a feel for the diminutive dimensions (relatively speaking, anyway). It looks pretty fast from the video, and the stock Quadrant score over 1,400 would seem to back up that impression — but naturally, we’re sure it can get even better with some careful ROM tweaking and a timely upgrade to Gingerbread. Follow the break for the full video.

Continue reading HTC EVO 4G Shift handled on video by Wirefly

HTC EVO 4G Shift handled on video by Wirefly originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 10:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Wirefly  | Email this | Comments

Apparently fed up with the fragmented state of home automation solution, Somfy, best known for its selection of automatic window coverings, just announced an automated home gateway of its own. TaHomA (get it? Total Home Automation) is very much a device like Mi Casa Verde’s Vera, only with what looks to be a much slicker Home Motion UI and support for Somfy’s proprietary wireless RTS communication protocol in addition to Z-Wave. Unlike MCV, however, Somfy is taking a more managed approach by offering an expert setup option performed by certified dealers. After which, you’ll be able to manage all of your wireless appliance modules and automatic scenes from anywhere in the world — via PC, iPad, or iPhone — thanks to Somfy’s remote support server. You can always make changes to Tahoma yourself or ask a dealer to do it on-site or remotely. Tahoma is set to launch in the US sometime in the first quarter half of 2011 for an undisclosed price. We’ll see what we can do about getting some hands-on time with it right here at CES before then.

Continue reading Somfy’s slick Tahoma Z-Wave and RTS home automation gateway

Somfy’s slick Tahoma Z-Wave and RTS home automation gateway originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Just when we were getting used to the introduction of passive glasses 3D into the formerly active shutter-only home arena Samsung LCD Business and RealD will show off another option at this year’s CES that is apparently based on the ZScreen technology RealD licensed last year. According to the two, RDZ LCD HDTVs are compatible with the cheaper RealD glasses already in use in theaters, by making the panel itself an active switching LCD instead. Compared to the patterned retarder passive 3D we expect to see from Vizio and LG, this has the advantage of not cutting the resolution of whatever you’re watching in half, although they would likely still claim advantages in brightness and lack of flicker. We’ll have to let our eyes tell us which is the best approach but the fact this is coming from Samsung’s business LCD division instead of its consumer arm suggests the price of any displays that are eventually released will be something beyond the 3D capable TVs we’re used to so far.

Continue reading Samsung, RealD announce RDZ tech that puts active shutter 3D into the TV instead of the glasses

Samsung, RealD announce RDZ tech that puts active shutter 3D into the TV instead of the glasses originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

We got a hint of this when Boxee announced one, but it’s clear now that Netflix’s plans are much larger as many of its hardware partners including Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, Dynex, Haier, Memorex, Iomega and Roku will also offer one-touch Netflix buttons on remotes for TVs, Blu-ray players and media streamers. It’s pretty obvious, Netflix Watch Instantly is a killer app for any connected TV platform at this point and one of the most used features, making access quicker and easier is a no-brainer.

Continue reading Netflix ‘one click’ remotes coming to nearly every device it streams to

Netflix ‘one click’ remotes coming to nearly every device it streams to originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Netflix  | Email this | Comments

Both DisplayLink and MMT seem pretty darn proud to be revealing the 15.4-inch Monitor2Go here at CES, but in reality, this unit has already been around the block. If you’ll recall, the Field Monitor Pro was first spotted a few weeks back, and now MMT is introducing a rebadged version in Vegas. The good news, however, is that we finally have a price to pore over: $279, and it’ll ship to consumers later this quarter. For those that missed last month’s slip, this fold-up monitor can be used alongside any machine (PCs are green-lit, Mac support is in beta) with a USB port, offering a 1280 x 800 screen resolution and a number pad to boot. Of course, since DisplayLink is behind the pixels, up to six screens can be daisy-chained off of a host computer’s single USB port to create a massive video wall — something we strongly encourage, of course.

Continue reading MMT’s DisplayLink-equipped 15.4-inch USB Monitor2Go given a $279 price

MMT’s DisplayLink-equipped 15.4-inch USB Monitor2Go given a $279 price originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments