Hasta La Gadget!

We knew the iPhone 5 was thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4S, but seriously, it’s thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4S. By a pretty notable margin. Picking up the iPhone 5 is almost jarring — it’s barely heavy enough to feel “premium,” and it’ll probably make you handle it with care for free of breaking it in half with too tight a tug. The new Dock Connector — also known as Lightning — is most certainly smaller, and looks most at home on the new iPod nano. Without further qualifying, have a look at the comparison gallery below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio/Video, Mobile

iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 4S (and old Dock Connector vs. Lightning): a photo tour originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s obvious that the iPhone 5 is the star of today’s show, but Apple’s not letting its iPod line go untouched. The newest iPod touch takes a note from the newfangled display on its cellular sibling, bringing a vaster panel (the same 4-inch, 1,136 x 640 one found on the new iPhone). At 88 grams and just 6.1mm thick, it’s also shockingly thin and light — of course, the anodized aluminum backing makes it feel like a premium piece of kit. Premium, as in, right up there with the iPhone. In a world where Apple’s seeing its iPod sales sink quarter after quarter due to self-cannibalization from the iPad and iPhone, it’s interesting (but appreciated) to see so much effort placed on the new iPod touch.

The introduction of the dual-core A5 chip (that’s dual-core on the CPU and the graphics side) is a huge boon for the touch. Apple’s claiming a 7x improvement in graphics, and given that this thing is claiming such a huge swath of the mobile gaming market, it’s pretty much a necessity. Indeed, our interactions with the device were notably faster than on the prior touch. We didn’t exactly have 40 hours here to test the audio playback claims (in fact, we didn’t even have eight to test the claims on video), but you can bet that’ll be a huge selling point.

Continue reading 5th-generation iPod touch hands-on!

Filed under: Handhelds

5th-generation iPod touch hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is engaged in talks with record labels to create a Pandora-like music streaming service. According to the outlet’s sources, the service will be ad-supported and will be accessible from Apple’s wide array of hardware — there’s even hope that PC users may be able to catch some of the action. However, it’s said that Android devices will be left out in the cold. The sources also say that the company had previously toyed with the idea of a service similar to Spotify with a monthly fee, but that this effort appears more serious. Licenses supposedly being sought by the House that Jobs Built could let them air songs more frequently than competitors and allow for additional interactivity. Since Apple’s negotiations are at an early stage, it’s expected to take months before the service materializes. At any rate, if you’re still jonesin’ for something fresh from Cupertino, we hear that something’s been cooked up for next week.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Handhelds

WSJ: Apple developing competitor to Pandora, could launch within ‘a matter of months’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 20:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Greetings from Berlin! We’re kicking this year’s IFA off right with a liveblog of Sony’s press event. If last year’s event is any indication, we can expect to see a little bit of everything this morning: phones, tablets, TVs and HD eye goggle thingies, amongst others. The announcements are sure to be fast and furious today, so grab a comfortable seat and stay tuned!

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Handhelds, Peripherals, Tablets

Live from Sony’s 2012 IFA press conference! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:00:00 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 helping you keep all your gear organized — 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 the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here!

Trying to pack a load of gadgets, peripherals and a laptop into your average book bag usually isn’t the most ideal setup — especially when it’s time to grab what you need throughout the day. To solve that dilemma, we’ve selected more than a handful of sacks and cases that’ll keep your gear at hand and organized so that you’ll spend less time rummaging for your gizmos and more time exploring your campus. Best of all, you can rest assured knowing many of the selections past the break are goods that we here at Engadget even rely on to get our gear in and out of the various events we attend — jump past the break to see our picks.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: bags and cases

Filed under: Handhelds, Wearables

Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: bags and cases originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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