Hasta La Gadget!

We swung by D-Link’s booth at CES to check out its upcoming SideStage USB-powered monitor, hoping to see the thing in action and get some more details ahead of its release. What we found was quite familiar looking, to say the least. D-Link was disappointingly just demoing a Nanovision, but was quick to point out this would not be the product destined for a full US release sometime this summer. That new display will still be produced by Nanovision, but will be modified to better suit our market, graced with a different logo, and cheaper, too. No firm price yet, but the company is targeting sub-$100, which sounds good to us.

Filed under: CES, Displays

More details on D-Link’s upcoming 7-inch SideStage USB monitor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We didn’t notice nearly as much crap at CES 2009 as we did last year, but what we did see was pretty stunning in its mediocrity — and then there was the amazing Dragon gamepad, which in our opinion was single best product of the show. Pick your favorite of the contenders below, then hit your local dollar store to see ’em in person.

The nominees:
Crapgadget CES, round 1: Elvis Presley Plug ‘n Sing
Crapgadget CES, round 2: Stereo Bluetooth Sunglasses
Crapgadget CES, round 3: The iCap
Crapgadget CES, round 4: kinetic energy charger
Awesomegadget CES: Dragon Fire Breather
Crapgadget CES, round 6: New Generation Video Game System
Crapgadget CES, round 7: the furry phone
Crapgadget CES, round 8: Remote Control Cooler
Crapgadget CES, round 9: pimped Segway KIRF
Coby’s MP836 hands-on

View Poll

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Crapgadget Crapdown, CES: the best of the worst originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As promised, we’ve made a run over to check out Viliv’s forthcoming S7 netbook tablet, bringing along the ever-popular VAIO P to see how the two stack up (as well as an Eee 1000H for good measure). As you can see, the S7 actually isn’t that much larger than the Sony, maybe 30 percent thicker and a little bit wider, but also a bit shorter. The thing manages to find room for a track pad on top of the keyboard, but it’s an awfully small one, so thank goodness for the (non-multi) touch screen. Also small is that keyboard, which is one of the most painful we’ve yet experienced on a netbook, featuring arrow and punctuation keys that even a pygmy would fat-finger. But, compromises must be made when making machines small, and small this one is. Viliv has written a custom skin that overlays the Windows XP install, demonstrated in a video below. It’s reasonably pleasant to use (minimizing the need to rely on that tiny trackpad), but is also easy to exit if you’re not feeling it. We already know the specs of this tiny convertible, so the only mysteries left are “when” followed immediately by “how much.” The answers we received to those questions are unfortunately a bit vague: “before this summer” and a rather predictable “less than the VAIO P.” We’re guessing it’ll be a lot less. Oh, and for those examining the gallery, don’t worry about the rough edges you might spy: this is a pre-production S7, so things should be a good bit more polished when it hits retail.

Continue reading Video: Viliv S7 hands on and VAIO P comparo

Filed under: CES, Laptops, Tablet PCs

Video: Viliv S7 hands on and VAIO P comparo originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Multi-touch is where it’s at, but what if you already have one of those lame, obsolete, big-screen, flat-panel displays that accept only smudges from your fingers? What you need is a Multi-Touch G2 from PQLabs, an overlay that attaches to your existing 32-inch (or larger) set with double-sided tape, adding the multi-touch sensitivity that your fingertips have been yearning for. The company has also announced its upcoming iTable, effectively a multi-touch panel with a built-in computer, having something in common with Microsoft’s Surface, but nothing with Apple’s iPhone (from which it dishearteningly takes a naming cue). We spent a few minutes with our fingers stroking both the iTable and the Multi-Touch G2 and were impressed by both; they initially seemed a bit unresponsive but, within a few seconds, we were browsing media, building grunts, and decimating forests in no time. Playing an RTS like Warcraft 3 with gestures is a fantastic experience no strategy gamer should miss, but, at $2,399, is one that only the richest of tacticians can put in their buy queue. No pricing for the iTable just yet, but expect it to be more.

Continue reading Video: PQLabs iTable digits-on lets us touch orcs, movies, me-too branding

Filed under: CES, Desktops, Displays, Gaming, HDTV

Video: PQLabs iTable digits-on lets us touch orcs, movies, me-too branding originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not content with perusing the online reviews, we stopped by Nvidia to get some first-hand (or first-eye, rather) experience with GeForce 3D Vision eye wear. The glasses are lightweight and could still be worn comfortably over our thick-rimmed specs. We first tried Tomb Raider: Underworld to largely mediocre results, but Mirror’s Edge and Left 4 Dead really shined. When we took a step back to watch two screens, however, they couldn’t decide which display to sync up with and the flickering lenses managed to numb our brain. A surprisingly good experience, sure, but we can’t imagine paying upwards of four benjamins for these and a compatible monitor. If you’re wondering what the screen looks like without the eye wear, check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Video: Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision eyes-on

Filed under: Displays, Peripherals, Wearables

Video: Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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