ESPN 3D launches in June with World Cup soccer — our football to follow later

Need any more proof this is the year of 3D? USA Today is reporting ESPN 3D will start broadcasting this summer with a World Cup soccer match, with additional content coming from the Summer X Games (we won’t have to wait for the flick to hit theaters this time) NBA games, and college basketball & football. DirecTV still hasn’t confirmed its rumored plans for 3D, but CableLabs CEO Paul Liao is quoted calling the level of engagement 3D sports presents viewers as “unprecedented.” More details on exactly how 3D in the home will happen are sure to come throughout the week — we’ve already been blown away by 3D sports, it looks like everyone else will have their chance in just a few months.

ESPN 3D launches in June with World Cup soccer — our football to follow later originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype HD: 720p videocalling from PCs or directly through LG & Panasonic HDTVs

Skype has already made an impact on the home phone, mobiles and PC desktops (couldn’t do our podcast without it) and now it’s taking on the living room. LG and Panasonic are already lined up to deliver new HD webcams for their internet connected plasma and LCD HDTVs that will enable living room-to-living room calling in 720p. With support for the service’s standard features like free Skype-to-Skype calling, voicemail, receiving inbound calls and more, using the TV to make calls should be just as easy (but likely more embarrassing, try some HD makeup — just a tip) as we’re used to. PC users haven’t been left behind with 720p HD streaming built into the latest client and new webcams on the way from faceVsion and In Store Solutions. Like the ones planned for the TVs, they handle video processing onboard so even older computers or underpowered netbooks can support HD streaming without bursting into flames. Let the good people at Skype explain it all to you in a video embedded after the break, we’ll wait to get our hands and made-for-SD faces some time with the new setup this week at CES

Update: We’ve found a few pics of LG’s version of the Skype HDTV experience to go along with the Panasonic rendering above, check the gallery.

Continue reading Skype HD: 720p videocalling from PCs or directly through LG & Panasonic HDTVs

Skype HD: 720p videocalling from PCs or directly through LG & Panasonic HDTVs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WirelessHD 2.0 spec speeds up to 28 Gbps to make room for 4K, 3D, portable devices

Two years after finishing up version 1.0 WirelessHD (WiHD) is still trying to come out on top of the no-cables-necessary high definition streaming dogfight, and it’s going to get a boost in that effort now that the 2.0 standard is available. Backwards compatible with existing WiHD hardware, the bandwidth has been upped to 10 – 28 Gbps (up from initial specs of 4 Gbps with a theoretical 25 Gbps limit) – enough to handle 4K resolutions, Deep Color, a newly specified 3D over WirelessHD set of standards, HDCP 2.0 DRM and even 1 Gbps file transfers between devices. Out of this world specs are just a matter of course for new hardware, but our focus is still on the group’s ability to get the price down this time around if it ever plans on going mainstream. With an investment from Best Buy just announced and a spot in VIZIO’s LCD lineup already confirmed, existing cable manufacturers may want to start developing Monster Air (10x higher transmission speed due to special platinum ionized molecules, of course) to sell sooner rather than later.

WirelessHD 2.0 spec speeds up to 28 Gbps to make room for 4K, 3D, portable devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ioSafe’s Solo SSD ditches platters, isn’t worried about buildings collapsing on it

Remember when ioSafe unveiled its original Solo right around this time last year? Man, that thing’s looking mighty sluggish now. This year, the company is introducing the Solo SSD, which is hailed as the planet’s first solid state external drive built to protect data from a building collapsing on it. Yeah, a building collapsing on it. It’ll be available with capacities as large as 256GB and will get connected via eSATA or USB, and if you care to know, the ruggedness is due to the firm’s own proprietary ArmorPlate steel outer casing. As for specifics, said tech helps the drive survive 5,000 pound crush forces, 20 foot drops onto rubble and blazing infernos to boot. It’ll be available next month in the US for $499 (64GB), $749 (128GB) or $1,250 (256GB), with the full details / press release hosted up after the break. As soon as we catch some benchmarks on this thing, we’ll be sure to pass ’em along.

Continue reading ioSafe’s Solo SSD ditches platters, isn’t worried about buildings collapsing on it

ioSafe’s Solo SSD ditches platters, isn’t worried about buildings collapsing on it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo busts out IdeaCentre A300, IdeaPad S10-3t and plenty of other solid Ideas

Lenovo already treated us to a slew of new ThinkPad machines, and now it’s time for the Idea line to get its due. Up first, we’ve got the IdeaCentre A300, which is hailed as the industry’s thinnest all-in-one desktop. Measuring just 18.5mm deep, the 21.5-inch machine sports a 1080p LED panel, Core 2 Duo CPU, WiFi and a bundled Bluetooth keyboard / mouse. The IdeaPad S10-3t (shown above) is the industry’s first multitouch capacitive netbook tablet, with Lenovo trumpeting the device’s ability to easily recognize fingertip input and plow through chores with an Atom N470 CPU and a 320GB hard drive. Moving right along, the 14-inch Y460 and 15.6-inch Y560 offer up respectable multimedia performance on a budget, while the 20-inch Lenovo C310 goes down as the company’s first multitouch all-in-one desktop. The Core i7-equipped IdeaCentre K320 caters to the gamers, and the G460 / G560 lappies are slated to suit those “mainstream” users who just need something basic to handle… well, the basics. Pricing, availability and detailed specifications await you just beyond the break.

Continue reading Lenovo busts out IdeaCentre A300, IdeaPad S10-3t and plenty of other solid Ideas

Lenovo busts out IdeaCentre A300, IdeaPad S10-3t and plenty of other solid Ideas originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo Skylight: its first ARM / Snapdragon-based smartbook, coming in April for $499

Remember that Snapdragon-powered Lenovo smartbook we peeked back in November of last year? No? Fret not, as the aforesaid outfit has just come clean with the details surrounding the previously elusive device. The Skylight is Lenovo’s first-ever smartbook, and while we’re still struggling to see what niche these things are designed to fill, we definitely can’t knock the internals. It’s the industry’s first ARM-based, Qualcomm smartbook, and it’s powered by a 1GHz processor. Other specs include a 10.1-inch display (1,280 x 720), a customized version of Linux, 20GB (total) of flash storage, 2GB of cloud storage, an 8GB miniSD card, twin USB ports, 1.3 megapixel camera, WiFi and a battery capable of humming along for ten hours on a full charge. It’s also apt to be a lot like the unorthodox IdeaPad U1 Hybrid on the software front. The clamshell enclosure weighs under two pounds, and the integrated AT&T WWAN module ensures that you can get connected wherever a tower is available. The unit will ship this April with 18 preloaded web gadgets (including portals to Amazon MP3, Facebook, Gmail and YouTube), and pricing is set for $499 (MSRP). We’re told that AT&T will offer it up as well, but it’s unclear whether or not it’ll subsidize the Skylight should you commit to a two-year DataConnect contract. Rest assured that we’ll be getting some face time with this bugger in short order, but till then, you can peek the press release and a promo /hands-on video just after the break. Oh, and we should mention that we snapped an extremely brief hands-on with the machine a small bit ago, and we’re still flabbergasted by how thin it was. Expect a more thorough look tomorrow!

Continue reading Lenovo Skylight: its first ARM / Snapdragon-based smartbook, coming in April for $499

Lenovo Skylight: its first ARM / Snapdragon-based smartbook, coming in April for $499 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Klipsch LightSpeaker makes whole home audio as simple as screwing in a light bulb (hands-on)

When we walked the sound-filled halls of Klipsch’s Indianapolis headquarters last month, the company insisted that it was always looking at possible expansions into new markets. Today at CES, it’s proving that those words aren’t being uttered carelessly. The all-new LightSpeaker is a unique and potentially game-changing device in the whole home audio market, as unlike similar contraptions, this one requires no external wiring or power. The device is designed to fit into normal 5- to 6-inch light recesses, which enables existing homeowners to easily retrofit these into their ceilings and walls. We were granted some hands-on time with the light, and put simply, you just screw it into a conventional fixture, dial up the desired zone on the bundled remote, and listen. A full-range driver sits just beneath the LED light, and it receives signals via a 2.4GHz base station that can be plugged into just about any source.

Klipsch plans to ship these soon in two main packages: a kit that includes a base station and two LightSpeakers for around $600 and a single LightSpeaker by its lonesome for around $250. The bundled controller allows users to control two zones and two sources, and you can also adjust lighting brightness and volume via the main station or the smaller remote. Each zone can easily support four LightSpeakers, and when we asked if these could withstand the elements, we were told that they’d do fine in a covered patio but probably not within an unshielded pool deck. In other words, some humidity shouldn’t be an issue, but you probably wouldn’t want ’em to get rained on all night. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see a bundle in the future that includes a wireless subwoofer to really round out the audio, but don’t say you heard it from us. Peek the gallery for a closer look!

Continue reading Klipsch LightSpeaker makes whole home audio as simple as screwing in a light bulb (hands-on)

Klipsch LightSpeaker makes whole home audio as simple as screwing in a light bulb (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Viliv’s HD5 PMP leaked ahead of CES, packs Windows CE, 32GB of storage

Viliv's HD5 PMP leaked ahead of CES, packs Windows CE, 32GB of storage
We’re just a few days away from the opening of the show and, naturally, we’ve already seen a few notable leaks. This latest one, courtesy of Viliv, is perhaps on the lower end of the excitement spectrum, but is an interesting one nonetheless. The company that impressed us with a slew of MIDs and UMPCs throughout 2009 looks set to launch another PMP, the HD5. It has a much sleeker looking design than the S5 from last year (just 13mm thick), and higher specs too, packing 8, 16, or 32GB of storage plus SDHC expansion. There’s a DMB/DAB tuner, five-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen, HDMI output, and support for 1080p content. Somewhat curiously it’s running Windows CE, but we’re guessing that’ll be nicely hidden behind some sort of jazzy UI — which we fully expect to be experiencing in the next few days.

[Thanks, Gavin]

Viliv’s HD5 PMP leaked ahead of CES, packs Windows CE, 32GB of storage originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony launches Alpha A450 DSLR

Sony just expanded the Alpha DSLR with the new A450. It’s got the same 14.2 sensor and BIONZ processor as the A550, but it doesn’t have the fast-AF live view focus system or flip-out LCD screen — you’ll be looking at relatively small 2.6-inch fixed screen. Price doesn’t seem to be official yet, but we’re hearing it’ll come in under $1,000, so it could deliver some decent bang for the buck. Great — but we’re hoping we’ll hear some more about those rumored 3D Alphas later this week. Hit the read links for some more pics.

Sony launches Alpha A450 DSLR originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic’s CES Lumix sextet leaked: FP and FH models galore

Looks like some Asian website, as Photo Rumors puts it, made a boo-boo and published its Panasonic point-and-shoot a tad early. Specs for six (and press photos for four) Lumix cameras have come to light. Here’s what’s the gang reportedly found, in a nutshell: the very compact, 14.1-megapixel FP3 has a 3-inch touchscreen LCD, 4x zoom, shoots 720p 30 frames per second video, and comes in a variety of colors; the FP1 similar in stature but with 12.1 megapixels and a 2.7-inch non-touchscreen LCD instead. The Lumix F3 drops the “very compact” look of the FP1 but is also 12.1 megapixels / 3x zoom, 720p 30fps video, and 2.7-inch LCD. The FH20 has a 14.1 megapixel sensor, 8x zoom, 720p video, and a Venus Engine IV image processor, which is also reportedly claimed by the FH1 (12 megapixels, 5x zoom) and FH3 (14.1 megapixels, 5x zoom). It’s just that time of the season, eh?

Panasonic’s CES Lumix sextet leaked: FP and FH models galore originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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