Hasta La Gadget!

We’re in our seats and eagerly awaiting the start of Steve Ballmer’s (and Microsoft’s) CES 2010 keynote. Hang tight for just a few, and the proceedings will get underway.

Check back at 6:30PM PT — that’s when the real action begins.

Continue reading Live from Steve Ballmer’s CES 2010 keynote

Live from Steve Ballmer’s CES 2010 keynote originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T’s quick tease this morning has finally materialized: introducing the Motorola Backflip, a QWERTY device with WiFi, five megapixel camera, and Android 2.1. It’s not a slider; instead, it’s got the keyboard on the outside and flips outward. Motoblur‘s the skin of choice here, and before you say anything, Sanjay Jha himself says “we’re still working on battery life.” He wouldn’t confirm a carrier, but “unique form factor” and previous leaks all but guarantee this is its inaugural Ma Bell Android phone. And don’t fret Cliq / Droid users, Jha wants you to know that Android 2.1 is coming to all its Motorola devices, including Cliq, and Droid’s getting Flash 10.1. So hey, there’s something you can really look forward to.

Continue reading Motorola Backflip now official, Cliq promised Android 2.1 and Droid Flash 10.1

Motorola Backflip now official, Cliq promised Android 2.1 and Droid Flash 10.1 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not planning to make the jump to 3D this year? Panasonic is still working on hardware for you too. Continued revisions of the UniPhier processor and PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus hardware at their core to improve picture quality, reduce size & power consumption, and lower the bootup time from off to playing to just 14 seconds. The DMP-BD45 foregoes any VieraCast features beyond BD-Live hookups, while the BD65 and BD85 (above) add access to streaming services, expanded audio codec processing, and in the case of the BD85, additional hardware tweaks to keep audiophiles happy. Check the PR after the break for every detail except price and shipping dates — we won’t call you Luddites for living in a 3D-less world, just think (& Twitter) it.

Continue reading Panasonic’s other 2010 Blu-ray players keep making 2D look & sound better

Panasonic’s other 2010 Blu-ray players keep making 2D look & sound better originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve seen 3D on every type of TV/glasses combo, but up until now, the video feed itself was always streamed from Blu-ray. So with DirecTV announcing three 3D HD channels arriving in 2010, I just had to try it out.

My verdict: After about 5 minutes of watching the feed on a 50-ish inch Panasonic plasma (using shutter glasses, of course), I think DirecTV’s broadcast is about as good as any 3D I’ve seen for the home theater market.

Really, while I despise the low quality of my HD DirecTV channels at home, the 3D stream gliding to the floor of CES is not nearly as compressed as the crap subscribers have been looking at. It’s actually quite sharp—as sharp as any 3D I’ve seen.

But that’s not to say the same issues I have with shutter glasses 3D aren’t there—I still feel an inherent distance from the screen, and frame rates tend to get choppy on sports—choppier, I suspect, than the sports footage I’ve seen on 3D Blu-ray. Skin tones, too, seemed to be lacking that extra bit of color data that makes them pop—and color information is the first thing to go in video compression (but without a side-by-side of the same TV with the same video clip, it’s tough to control for the testing).

Footage of Toy Story 2, meanwhile, was fairly brilliant (and colorful!), as were the crashing white caps of a waterfall from some nameless nature documentary. As sharp as Blu-ray (for all intents and purposes), I have to say, DirecTV sure can make a pretty picture when they’re trying.

It’s just too bad that DirecTV needs the pressure of 3D to do it, and 5 minutes of the experience gave me a headache that’s still bothering me even now.

We’ve got plenty of options for would-be Cyber-shot owners coming out of the Sony press event, so let’s get right into it, eh? For those with a little money to burn, the DSC-HX5V and DSC-TX7 compact digital stills rock full HD (1920 x 1080 60i) AVCHD video, Backlight Correction High Dynamic Range (said to improve shooting in low light) and that world famous TransferJet (perfect for moving data back and forth between all those new Sony Memory Sticks and Vaio F Series notebooks). The former includes GPS + Compass and Optical SteadyShot with Active Mode, while the latter has a slim, swanky form factor. On the lower end of things, the DSC-W370 and DSC-W350 are 14MP shooters, while the DSC-W330, DSC-W310, and DSC-S2100 rock a longer zoom and wide-angle lenses. Speaking of that world famous Sweep Panorama, both the W370 and W350 Cyber-shot models can take up to 243 and 268-degree pictures, respectively, “in one easy press-and-sweep motion.” And no, this ain’t even the best part, for all the new Sony cameras support both dual-SD and MemoryStick. You’re pretty stoked, right? Prices, release dates, and PR after the break.

Continue reading Sony Cyber-shots go ‘Bananas!’ with GPS+Compass, SD card, HD video, TransferJet

Sony Cyber-shots go ‘Bananas!’ with GPS+Compass, SD card, HD video, TransferJet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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