Hasta La Gadget!

Diamond Multimedia’s more commonly known around the web for selling Mac and PC capture cards (among other things), but as of today, the company’s officially entering the set-top box game with its AMP1000. The media player itself is running a not-so-new flavor of Android — Gingerbread, to be exact — which will be used to bring a slew of familiar entertainment tidbits to the bigger screen, such as a media player capable of 1080p playback, an evolved internet browser and an oversized photo viewer, as well as other content like games, ebooks and magazines — all of which can be downloaded from Google’s Play repertoire. Although Diamond Multimedia’s formally pricing the AMP1000 at $120, there’s a Facebook-only offer that knocks the price down to a mere $100. Now, will it be enough to compete with, say, Vizio’s $99 Google TV box? We’ll let you be the judge of that.

Update: Well, in case you weren’t fond of the AMP1000’s Gingerbread innards, Diamond Multimedia’s got something in the works to solve that problem. A company rep has contacted us to let us know Ice Cream Sandwich will be coming to early adopters “later this week,” as well as noting that all future units will come with the creamy OS already onboard.

Continue reading Diamond Multimedia outs AMP1000 Android set-top box: Gingerbread-based, 1080p, sells for $120 (update: ICS coming this week)

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Home Entertainment

Diamond Multimedia outs AMP1000 Android set-top box: Gingerbread-based, 1080p, sells for $120 (update: ICS coming this week) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s Walkman Z had a frustratingly delayed journey to western shores, and when it arrived it offered a solid, if uninspiring portable media player. It certainly bested the competition in some areas, but the easily-chipped bodywork and closed-off Walkman apps that wouldn’t play nice with Google Music didn’t help those already invested in the rival service. Still, those you were desperate to avoid buying an iPod Touch who splashed out on one of these, how did you find it? If Kaz Hirai was asking your opinion on how to build the world’s greatest Walkman PMP, what would you say?

How would you change the Sony Z Series Walkman? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Aug 2012 22:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Engadget’s back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn’t nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we’re leaning back with our tablets — and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of August we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — you can hit up the hub page right here!

Your back may be straining from the textbooks, laptop, gym gear and lunch in that dangling overstuffed messenger, but you’re still gonna want to save room for one more item — a tablet. After all, while you can surf, tweet, play games and watch video from your other devices, there’s nothing like doing it from a simple glass window that sits in the palm of your hand. As the hardware gets more powerful, these devices are rapidly becoming versatile enough to let you justify leaving the laptop at home on less-intensive days, so why not check out our picks of the finest devices you should be using and abusing before, during and after class.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: tablets

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, that didn’t take long. Shortly after showing up in some leaked shots, Samsung’s Galaxy S Lightray 4G is with us yet again, save for this time around it’s an official appearance courtesy of MetroPCS. The underdog carrier’s announced the Lightray 4G will be the latest addition to its lineup of LTE-equipped handsets, with this new Galaxy also said to be the first one to offer speedy hotspot capabilities within the network. Additionally, Sammy’s Lightray features a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen, an undisclosed 1GHz processor and access to Dyle Mobile TV’s on-the-go entertainment service — that said, don’t expect an Ice Cream Sandwich here (better yet Jelly Beans), as all you’ll be getting is a taste of Mountain View’s popular Gingerbread. MetroPCS has the Lightray 4G up for grabs now on its site at $460, and for those interested, there’s a photo gallery down below as well as the official presser from the carrier.

Continue reading MetroPCS outs Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G: 4.3-inch Super AMOLED, LTE and Dyle Mobile TV

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

MetroPCS outs Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G: 4.3-inch Super AMOLED, LTE and Dyle Mobile TV originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei had said it would deliver the Ascend Q in August, and it didn’t waste a moment — Cricket is selling the Android 2.3 messager as of today for $140 on its prepaid smartphone plans. While the OS, 800MHz processor, 3.2-inch display and fixed-focus 3.2-megapixel camera won’t knock any socks off, we found the Ascend Q a solid phone for compulsive chatters when we tried it last month. There’s also a 4GB microSD card in the box to get the ball rolling. One minor surprise: Muve Music is getting a minor boost through DTS audio processing that reportedly fills out the sound. As long as there’s no expectations of a media extravaganza, Huawei’s new hardware could be one of the better bargains in Cricket’s stable.

Filed under: Cellphones

Cricket ships Huawei Ascend Q, offers Android chatting for $140 prepaid originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 23:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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