Hasta La Gadget!

This is where we’ve come as a society. No longer are external speakers, pillows or even laptop cooling apparatuses enough to satisfy us. Instead it takes a conglomeration of all three to prop up our hapless “portable” computers as we wallow in our Snuggies and fat free comfort foods. The new Logitech Speaker Lapdesk is one such $80 conglomeration, with two-inch stereo speakers, a built-in fan and a nice bit of padding to keep the whole assembly from frying your lap. It all plugs in over USB, both for audio and for fan power, and there are hardware buttons for switching the fan on and off and changing volume.

We gave it a quick trial run, and can certainly vouch for its comfort and protective qualities, though at the same time we’re not quite sure why it’s so enormous. The speakers are decently loud and clear, and the fan noise wasn’t loud enough to be heard over the general din of the tradeshow, so there’s really not much to complain about if you can stomach the price. But for anything smaller than a 17-inch laptop this is probably overly large for no apparent reason. There’s a quick demo video after the break.

Continue reading Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700 comfily enters the burgeoning speaker-lapdesk market

Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700 comfily enters the burgeoning speaker-lapdesk market originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was 2001 that Bill Gates first introduced the Tablet PC in Las Vegas. Tomorrow will see the launch of what could be Microsoft’s next take on the Tablet PC right here at CES if the New York Times is correct. According to “people familiar with Microsoft’s plans,” Steve Ballmer will introduce an HP-built “slate-type computer” during the opening CES keynote. The rumored device is said to be a “multi-media whiz with e-reader and multi-touch functions” in tow that could be available by mid year. So what will it be? The Courier supported by a full-suite of content partners, or will it be just another Windows tablet in search of mass market acceptance? You’ll find out tomorrow right here at Engadget.

Microsoft to reveal HP built Courier slate tomorrow? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Optoma announces PK201, PK301 pico projectors

Optoma announces PK201, PK301 pico projectors originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marvell has a new smartbook design on display here with its Armada 510 processor under the hood, and it’s one of the skinniest we’ve seen yet. What’s more surprising, however, is that the device is actually built pretty well, and we even enjoyed the classic-style keyboard spread across its 12.1-inch expanse. The unit was built by an unnamed ODM who is currently shopping it around to manufacturers (or perhaps someone’s bitten already, who knows), and we’re getting a ballpark $200 pricepoint and a promise of about 4 hours of battery life with regular use. Apparently the big trend with these low-power ARM processor-based laptops is to trim down on battery size and therefore cost, and so we’ll have to see where the market settles on preferred batter life: 4 hours might be too few, but at $200 it’s surely tempting. The machine runs full Ubuntu plenty well, including 720p movies, and we were even digging the screen brightness and color — basically, if Marvell’s partners can get this on the market in short order, it might have a significant leg up on the rest of the smartbook competition, at least in terms of sheer quality and sex appeal.

Update: We grabbed a quick video — check it out after the break!

Continue reading Marvell shows off an ODM smartbook thinner than strict decency permits (hands-on with video!)

Marvell shows off an ODM smartbook thinner than strict decency permits (hands-on with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spring Design was poised to take the official wraps off of its dual-screen, Android-based ereader this Thursday, but we were able to catch an up close and personal glance at the device today here at CES Unveiled. Highlighted over at the Marvell booth (understandable given the choice of processor), the reader was intensely thin and remarkably snappy. We had some gripes with the speed of the Nook, but every action we took on the Alex was relatively lag free. We even downloaded a book and watched it open up immediately, and the touchscreen response was also satisfactory. Spring Design also opted to expose the microSD card slot on the rear; you simple mash your card into the slot and listen for the click, and mash it once more to eject it. You better hope nothing pushes it by mistake, but hey, at least you’re not stuck removing some rear cover just to swap cards. We’ve gotta say — we’re digging this thing based on our brief time with it, and we’d invite you to have a peek at the gallery below till our demo video is prepped.

Update: Video is after the break!

Continue reading Spring Design Alex hands-on (Update: video!)

Spring Design Alex hands-on (Update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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