Hasta La Gadget!

Well, it looks like GameStop’s plans following its acquisition of Impulse and Spawn Labs may be even grander than we had suspected. At an investor conference today, GameStop said flat out that it is “becoming a technology company,” and that it does indeed plan to introduce a cloud-based gaming service similar to OnLive as a result of the Spawn Labs acquisition, while Impulse will be used to “compete fiercely” with Steam. But that’s just the start of things. According to the Dallas Morning News, GameStop also plans to expand the gaming service to a variety of mobile devices, and it’s apparently even entertaining the idea of a GameStop-branded tablet, saying that “if we feel like we could do a better job of making a tablet, we’ll do that.” Of course, some of that is still quite a ways off, but GameStop will be taking its first steps fairly soon — it’s already showed off a demo of how the service will be integrated into its website (see above, complete with a “try it now” option), and it plans to begin a public beta sometime this year before rolling out the full service early next year.

GameStop details plans for Impulse and Spawn Labs, says it’s ‘becoming a technology company’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 21:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All we really knew about Fujifilm’s FinePix X100 was that its looks (and pricetag) could kill, but Photography Blog has discovered that the gorgeous magnesium machine takes fantastic photographs too. You won’t actually be able to see any of them at this very moment — as it seems the website’s images are down — but the publication liberally praised the sharpness and lack of noise afforded by that F2 Fujinon lens, calling the X100 “right up there with the best APS-C sensor cameras on the market” in terms of image quality, and with “the best build quality of any camera that we’ve ever tested,” too. Strong words, to be sure, but the camera’s not without its quirks, including an obvious one — that 23mm lens is fixed to the camera’s front. Without a zoom, you’ll need to get up close and personal with your subjects to get that perfect shot, and yet it also lacks a mechanical focus ring (it’s a focus-by-wire affair here), which can make it difficult to quickly get your bokeh on. The publication remarks that both autofocus and manual focus are fairly slow, there’s no manual option at all when recording videos, and focusing macro shots requires switching to a separate mode that switches off the the optical viewfinder. Still, if you weren’t sold at first sight, you probably are now. Kiss your tax refund goodbye, folks — it’s been spoken for.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Fujifilm FinePix X100 reviewed: a stunning shooter through and through originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Planning on dropping $1200 for one of those gorgeous Fujifilm FinePix X100 cameras? Unfortunately, you won’t be able to get your hands on the 12.3 megapixel fixed-lens beauty as early as anticipated. Turns out Fujifilm sold more on pre-order than expected and despite ramping up production, the retro shooters won’t be available to US customers until the end of March or early April — just a few more weeks, guys. Feel free to watch our hands-on video to occupy yourself whilst you wait.

Fujifilm announces shortage of X100 camera, targets late March / early April US release originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shocker of shockers — the T3i really isn’t a monumental upgrade from the T2i that came before it. Granted, you could probably glean as much from the raw specifications list, but at least we’ve got a handful of reviews now to confirm it. The folks at Camera Gear Guide have a fairly exhaustive critique up, and while they lauded the overall image quality and the addition of the new video features (a digital in-shoot zoom and a swiveling LCD), they couldn’t wholeheartedly recommend it as an upgrade for existing T1i and T2i owners. Even for newcomers to the mid-range DSLR game, Canon’s own 60D seems infinitely more compelling at just $100 more, and it’s also hard to ignore Sony’s SLT-A55 for $50 less than what the T3i is retailing for. That’s not to say the T3i wasn’t impressive; quite the opposite, in fact. But it seems as if you’ll need to seriously survey the competition before deciding that this one’s worth your hard-earned Benjamins. Hit the source link for the full skinny, and hop on past the break for a preview video.

Continue reading Canon’s Rebel T3i / 600D reviewed: not exactly a compelling upgrade

Canon’s Rebel T3i / 600D reviewed: not exactly a compelling upgrade originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That satisfying clunk of the mirror swinging up and away, the rapid-fire clatter of DSLRs going into burst mode, could be on its last legs. Well, for Sony Alphas at least. The company has confirmed that its translucent mirror tech, most recently confirmed to be coming to the A77 and earlier shown on the A55 and A33, will be coming to the entire Alpha line. The sensor actually captures light through the mirror itself, which is just reflective enough to allow for real-time focusing even while capturing video. It’s something of a bold move in the generally stoic DSLR market, and only time will tell whether it helps to boost Sony’s street cred up to Canon and Nikon levels.

Sony indicates all future Alpha models will include translucent mirrors originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Feb 2011 02:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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