Hasta La Gadget!

What’s this? Just another USB 3.0 thumbdrive at IDF 2012? Not quite. You’re looking at Kingston’s DataTraveler Workspace, a storage device that incorporates bona fide SSD technology not usually found in thumbdrives — like a bunch of ultra speedy flash memory and a SandForce controller that supports TRIM and S.M.A.R.T commands. As such, it shares more in common with Kingston’s line of SSDs. It’s not really designed for data storage — instead, it’s meant to be used as a certified Windows To Go fixed drive, “a fully manageable corporate Windows 8 workspace on a specially configured, bootable USB drive”.

The idea is that corporate IT can deploy these thumbdrives to employees who can then run a secure, managed instance of Windows on a variety of PCs with a bootable USB 2.0 (or faster) port. Another interesting feature of Windows To Go is that Kingston’s DT Workspace thumbdrives can be removed for up to 1 minute without crashing Windows — the OS simply alerts the user to “keep the USB drive plugged in” and continues where it left off. Pricing remains a mystery, but the device will be available for business customers in 32, 64 and 128GB capacities when Windows 8 launches. Until then, you’re invited to peek at the gallery below and to watch our hands-on video past the break.

Continue reading Hands-on with Kingston’s DataTraveler Workspace at IDF (video)

Filed under: Misc, Storage

Hands-on with Kingston’s DataTraveler Workspace at IDF (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 06:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been very impressed with Olympus’ first OM-D camera, the EM-5. That model’s 5-axis image stabilization and super-fast autofocus won us over, while the retro design appeased nostalgics as well. Now, it’s time for that speedy shooting to make its way to the company’s other Micro Four Thirds models — the E-PL5 and E-PM2. Both models, announced today, offer nearly identical specifications, with notable differences on the form-factor front. The E-PL5 is the premium model of this bunch, coming in at $700 with a 12-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens or $650 for the body only, while the E-PM2 will run you 100 bucks less for both configurations. Both cameras include 16.1-megapixel Live MOS sensors, top ISO of 25,600, 3-inch 460k-dot touch-enabled LCDs, 1080i video and an 8fps continuous shooting mode. The EM-5’s five-axis stabilization is absent here, though a three-axis version should suffice in low light. Each model also includes an external flash and a rebate offer for a free Toshiba FlashAir 802.11b/g/n card, which enables connectivity with the OI Share apps for Android and iOS.

We had a chance to check both cameras out just before Photokina, and were quite pleased with the design, along with that OM-D-like focusing performance, which really is as speedy as Olympus claims. The camera focused instantaneously with almost all of the lenses we tried, though it was a bit sluggish, understandably, when paired with the 60mm f/2.8 macro. The displays were equally sharp, though the PL5 packs a nifty articulating version, which can tilt up, down or face forward for self-portraits. We also enjoyed shooting with the super-slim 15mm f/8 body cap lens, which features a tiny front element with a slide-over cover — while it’s limited on the aperture front and includes fixed focus, it’s arguably more useful than a traditional cap (Olympus hasn’t confirmed pricing for that optic, though it’ll likely come in below the $100 mark). That aforementioned dust-and-splash-proof macro will retail for $500 in early October, while a new 12mm f/2 lens will ship during the same time for $1,100. The “Mini” E-PM2 will be available in silver, black, white and red, while the E-PL5 will ship in silver, black and white — both versions will be available in October. You can take a closer look at each of the offerings in the gallery below, then jump past the break for the full rundown from Olympus.

Continue reading Olympus E-PL5 and E-PM2: Micro Four Thirds cameras with OM-D-like focusing, performance boosts (hands-on)

Filed under: Cameras

Olympus E-PL5 and E-PM2: Micro Four Thirds cameras with OM-D-like focusing, performance boosts (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What’s red or black, 4 x 4 inches and exposes itself shamelessly on the show floor at IDF 2012? If you answered Intel’s Next Unit of Computing (NUC), you’d be right. The diminutive PC was on display at Intel’s Developer Forum along with its motherboard and cooling assembly. It comes in two flavors, a consumer-geared model with a single HDMI connector and Thunderbolt (in red) and a more business-centric version with two HDMI outputs and Ethernet (in black). Both mini-systems feature a third generation (Ivy Bridge) Core i3 CPU, QS77 chipset, two dual-channel DDR3 SoDIMM slots, mSATA and mini-PCIe interfaces (for SSD and WiFi cards), five USB 2.0 ports (two back, one front, two internal) and a socket for an external 19V DC power supply. The company hopes to get the attention of OEMs and DIY-ers alike when it makes this small, light and simple computer design available in October for about $400. Check out the gallery below and our hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Intel’s Core i3 NUC mini-system bares it all for IDF (hands-on video)

Filed under: Desktops, Misc

Intel’s Core i3 NUC mini-system bares it all for IDF (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been watching out for the D600 since images leaked a couple of months ago, and today it’s been made official: a full-frame DSLR that’s priced ever-so-slightly closer to the reach of mortals (read: “high-end enthusiasts”) who perhaps can’t claim everything off their tax. At just shy of $2,100 (update: €2,150 in Europe), the 24-megapixel camera’s US list price is significantly lower than that of the 36-megapixel D800, and undercuts Canon’s rival EOS 5D Mark III and Sony’s brand new full-frame Alpha A99.

What’s more, aside from the resolution, you’re getting something pretty close to the D800 — including a weather- and dust-resistant magnesium alloy build, fast Exspeed III processor, and AF that works down to f/8 — but here it’s all contained in a body that sheds a full 15 percent off the D800’s weight. It feels great to hold a full-frame DSLR like this, which is barely any heavier or more conspicuous than an APS-C shooter like the D7000.

Nikon is also making a big deal out of the fact that the D600 handles wireless transfers and triggers using the new WU-1b widget, which is identical to the familiar WU-1a we reviewed on the D3200 except that it plugs into the camera’s USB port rather than the HDMI port. There’s an Android app to allow your mobile device to communicate with the camera, and an iOS app is set to land by the end of September.

Read on a few more initial impressions and a quick look at the D600’s high-ISO performance.

Continue reading Nikon unveils lightweight, full-frame D600 DSLR — hands-on and low-light samples (video)

Filed under: Cameras

Nikon unveils lightweight, full-frame D600 DSLR — hands-on and low-light samples (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iconic and underwhelming: that’s been the recipe for Apple’s bundled earbuds with the iPod and iPhone so far, but the EarPods are here to hopefully change that. Packaged with the new iPhone 5, 5th-gen iPod touch and 7th-gen iPod nano, and also available for anyone with $29 to spare, the EarPods promise an affordable step up, but do they deliver? Check out our hands-on after the cut.

First things first: they’re a solid improvement over the standard Apple earphones. That wouldn’t take a huge amount, though, but it’s a welcome change for those picking up one of today’s new devices. Whereas before we would probably have recommended everyone replacing the standard set with some aftermarket alternatives, the EarPods are reasonable enough options to at least audition for a while before settling on a replacement.

The gimmick is in the trio of apertures for the sound, both at the tip as usual, but also arranged around the body of each bud. They also get a new design of casing, which is said to improve in-ear fit. We had no problems keeping them in place, and they do feel more secure than the version they replace, but a sturdy rubber or foam tip (or, better still, a set of custom-molded buds) will always feel less precarious.

What those options usual have against them is cost, and there the EarPods strike a balance. We’ll have to spend more time with them to figure out quite the quality difference – amid the noise of the demo floor they were certainly better than the old set, with noticeably stronger bass, but we won’t judge any more than that – and listening to other people testing them it was clear that these aren’t the headphones to choose if you want to keep your musical tastes completely secret. There’s definitely some overspill in noise.

Apple EarPods headphones hands-on is written by Vincent Nguyen & originally posted on SlashGear.
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