Hasta La Gadget!

Innovation. According to one Mads Thimmer, it’s a word that held a great deal of mystery some 10-plus years ago, but today, “it’s thrown around as a cliché.” When you really get down to it, though, the art of innovating is a hugely delicate and complex one, fraught with frustration and a curious passion for never settling on the here and now. In covering the world of consumer technology, I’ve come to form my own understanding of what innovation is, what it isn’t and how companies are embracing (or outright shunning) the idea. After an evening with the cofounder of Innovation Lab, however, I was rightfully ready to toss my own preconceived notions aside.

Continue reading Dreams, curiosity and a passion for what’s next: picking the brain of Innovation Lab’s Mads Thimmer

Filed under: Misc

Dreams, curiosity and a passion for what’s next: picking the brain of Innovation Lab’s Mads Thimmer originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last week, the tech world focused on Berlin for IFA 2012. Those few days were jam packed full of 84-inch 4K televisions, super-sized smartphones and both Windows 8 slates and hybrids. In the latest edition of our weekly tablet mag, we take a look at the best of what IFA had to offer this time around — including all of the devices that made a lasting impression. In case you’ve been napping, the last few days have been all about phones. In “Hands-on” we take a closer look at what Nokia and Motorola revealed in recent press events. On the review front, we put the Canon EOS-1D X and the Sony Reader PRS-T2 through the wringer and offer our detailed analysis. “Eyes-on” catches a glimpse of the Jambox Remix, “Weekly Stat” compiles smartphone screen sizes, “IRL” has even more of our daily gadgetry and meme maker Mr. Weebl admits in the Q&A that all he really wants is a keytar. This week’s issue is bursting at its e-seams, so grab it via your download method of choice to get the weekend reading started.

Distro Issue 56 PDF
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Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile

Distro Issue 56 is here with smartphones, Windows 8 hybrids and the best of the rest from IFA 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, friends, back to school season is in full swing. For some, it’s a time of great sorrow, but for others it’s a glorious time that usually means some new tech is on the way to combat the year’s upcoming workload. Lucky for all of those in the latter group, the folks here at Engadget HQ have done our homework and compiled our picks in 14 different categories for your buying reference. In this issue of our weekly, we give you the full rundown on what to look for when you’re in the midst of your back to school gadget shopping. As you might expect, some of the usual suspects are here as well for your weekend reading exploits — including a closer look at the Wacom Cintiq 24HD touch, hands-on with a few of Gamescom’s gadgets and a list of “Rec Reading” for the end of this seven-day period. Don’t wait any longer, though. Hit your link of choice below to grab an end of summer guide of your very own.

Distro Issue 54 PDF
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Filed under: Announcements

Distro Issue 54 arrives with the complete Engadget back to school guide! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Almost every day it seems like folks are finding a way to add to the number of practical uses for 3D printers. What was once a hobbyist’s dream gadget is now being used to produce faux arteries for lab-grown tissue and Magic Arms. As the pricey peripherals work their way into the mainstream, are they soon to be found in most homes? That’s the quandary we tackle in this edition of our weekly tablet mag as Brian Heater spends some quality time with the MakerBot Replicator at Engadget’s NYC Headquarters. Not really into $2,000 output devices? No sweat. The Meizu MX 4-core, Toshiba U845W and Parrot Zik headphones all get the proper review treatment. “Hands-on” visits SIGGRAPH, “Weekly Stat” examines the shortcomings of our handsets, “Reaction Time” discusses THQ, “IRL” packs in three more of our gadget confessions and GameStop CEO Paul Raines admits his affinity for Jelly Bean in this week’s Q&A. Go on and usher in the weekend by hitting up your download link of choice down below.

Distro Issue 52 PDF
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Filed under: Announcements

Distro Issue 52: Does the MakerBot Replicator signal the dawn of in-home 3D printing? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geotagging. It’s not exactly a long, lost art, but it’s certainly not something most folks bother to do after a trip. Avid travelers, hikers and the general outdoorsy crowd have been embracing the feature for years, though, and it’s actually seeping into the mainstream without most individuals even noticing. How so? Smartphones. Given the proliferation of iPhones, Android handsets and Windows Phone devices making their way onto the market — coupled with the explosive use of geo-minded social networks like Path, Instagram and Foursquare — an entire generation is now growing up in a geotagged world. Phone users have it easy; so long as there’s a data connection and an embedded GPS module (commonplace in modern mobile devices), there lies the ability to upload a photo with a patch of metadata embedded. Snap a shot at a national park, upload it, and just like that, viewers and friends from around the world now have an idea as to what a specific place on the Earth looks like.

Solmeta N3 geotagging module review

Columbia’s GPS Pal app for Android and iOS

Casio Exilim EX-H20G (with Hybrid GPS) review

For travel hounds like myself, that’s insanely powerful. I’m the kind of person that’ll spend hours lost in Google Earth, spinning the globe around and discovering all-new (to me, at least) locales thanks to the magic of geotagging. It’s sort of the photographic equivalent to putting a face to a name. By stamping latitude, longitude, altitude and a specific time to any given JPEG, you’re able to not only show the world what you saw, but exactly when and where you saw it. It’s a magical combination, and with GPS modules finding their way into point-and-shoot cameras — not to mention external dongles like Solmeta’s magnificent N3 (our review here) — there’s plenty of opportunity to start adding location data to your photos. For more on the “Why would I want to?” and “How would I best display ’em?” inquiries, let’s meet up after the break.

Continue reading Embracing geotagging: how to journal your trips (and contribute to Google Earth) with snapshots

Filed under: Digital Cameras, GPS

Embracing geotagging: how to journal your trips (and contribute to Google Earth) with snapshots originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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