Canon EOS-1D X field review

DNP Canon EOS1D X field review

Just before Halloween in 2009, Canon announced its most powerful DSLR to date. The $5,000 full-frame EOS-1D Mark IV was the company’s answer to Nikon’s market-leading D3S, which rang in just shy of $5,200. On the basis of price alone, Canon won that round. Then, after two years of silence, the company launched its new flagship, the 1D X. The date was October 18th, 2011 — roughly 10 (or “X”) years after the very first model in the series was announced, way back in 2001. A decade ago, Canon priced that introductory 1D at $5,500 — a princely sum considering the 4.15-megapixel CCD on board. Now, the 1D X, which is arguably the most powerful sub-five-figure camera available, commands 6,799 of your hard-earned dollars, or $800 more than the D4, Nikon’s $6,000 equivalent. All this talk of price may seem to skirt the camera’s long list of lust-worthy features, but when the cost of any piece of hardware approaches a year’s tuition at a public university, a purchase decision deserves thorough consideration.

A camera in this league is absolutely to be used as a professional tool. And while deep-pocketed amateurs may pick one up — in the way folks with cash to burn may build a collection of overpowered two-seaters — the vast majority will live in $30,000-plus kits, where they’ll reach six-figure shutter counts, and will likely change hands several times before their eventual retirement. Right now, you’re probably researching the 1D X as exhaustively as you would a new car — in fact, you may have even lined up a test drive, through the company’s Canon Professional Services group. Many months after it was first announced, we’ve had an opportunity to take the new eXtreme model for a spin ourselves, and it’s every bit as impressive as its price tag suggests. Canon’s top model isn’t any smaller or lighter than its predecessors, the 1D Mark IV or 1Ds Mark III — but is all that bulk justified, despite strong contenders like the workhorse 5D? Buckle up and join us in the field (ahem, after the break) to find out.

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Canon EOS-1D X field review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Distro Issue 54 arrives with the complete Engadget back to school guide!

Distro Issue 54 arrives with the complete Engadget back to school gear guide!

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
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

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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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Verizon Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Hands-on with LTE

Verizon has come forth with a 4G LTE mobile data connected version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, and today we’ve got our hands on it as it appears in stores across the USA. This device comes with a 30-pin USB data cable, the tablet itself, and a mobile data connection to the big red 4G LTE network here in the USA. Have a peek at a few tests we’ve run on the device and let us know if it all seems fabulous enough to pick up to you.

This device is essentially the same device as was released several months ago which you can see in our Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 full review. The big difference is, of course, in the mobile data connection Verizon gives this version of the tablet. Have a peek first at some Speed Tests conducted on the device in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The device also comes in black and has a texture backing so you can grip it quite nicely. There’s a front-facing VGA camera for video chat and the back-facing camera 3 megapixels strong. This device has a slightly different processor under the hood with a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S3, but works with the same 7-inch PLS 1024×600 display. Inside you’ll find 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. You also get a microSD card slot to expand your memory by 32GB if you wish.

Tab 2 7.0 is Samsung Approved for Enterprise with 256-bit AES encryption and support for Microsoft’s Exchange ActiveSync as well as support for VPNs and MDM solutions. Below you’ll find a couple benchmark examples so you’ll be able to compare to other devices in this same category. Another device you’ll want to check out that’s got slightly higher-grade specifications and a bit higher price is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE – it’s thinner, has a higher-definition display, and is slightly more powerful too.

Both devices have an IR-Blaster so you can change channels on your television from your tablet, this possible basically regardless of the brand of your set. Have a peek back at our review of the Galaxy Note 10.1 as well to see another example of a Samsung tablet that’s got an IR-Blaster.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 will cost you $350 off-contract and is almost certainly already in your local Verizon outlet right this minute. Let us know if you’ve got any questions about this device as it exists here on Verizon’s high speed network, otherwise feel free to head back to our original Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 full review!

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Verizon Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Hands-on with LTE is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Gigabyte P2542G gaming laptop hands-on (video)

Gigabyte P2542G gaming laptop handson

While we managed to get our hands on Gigabyte’s latest graphics card-toting Ultrabook back at CeBIT, we’ve just finished handling the P2542G (its high-end gaming sibling) at the laptop and motherboard maker’s UK launch event. Packing a 15.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080 display, it runs on an Ivy Bridge Core i7-3610QM, with a 2GB NVIDIA GTX 660M card to power PC gaming’s latest and greatest. Add in a Blu-ray player and THX-certified dual-woofer sound system and you have the makings of pretty capable beast — not to mention looking the part with a yellow paint job and dual exhaust vents along the back edge. Read up on our impressions and check out our video hands-on after the break.

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Gigabyte P2542G gaming laptop hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 12:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audyssey’s Wireless Speakers can plug into your computer, stream tunes over Bluetooth (ears-on)

Audyssey Wireless Speakers

Remember Audyssey’s Lower East Side stereo speakers (now simply dubbed Media Speakers)? Well, the company has decided to give the stereo system a sibling, gracing it with wireless connectivity. The new Wireless Speakers are cut from the same mold, but feature redesigned drivers and Bluetooth functionality — not to mention a snazzy matte white with glossy black finish. $250 snags you pair of speakers, each loaded with two .75-inch tweeters, a duo of three-inch woofers and a dual four-inch passive bass radiators, and all of which are aided by Audyssey’s BassXT, EQ and Dynamic EQ DSPs for pushing sound out. We’ve had a some time to briefly test out the speakers, and putting it simply, they sure do sound as good as they look on a desk. Click on past the break for our initial impressions of these wired multimedia speakers packing a Bluetooth trick up their respective sleeves.

Continue reading Audyssey’s Wireless Speakers can plug into your computer, stream tunes over Bluetooth (ears-on)

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Audyssey’s Wireless Speakers can plug into your computer, stream tunes over Bluetooth (ears-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nikon Coolpix S01 hands-on (video)

Nikon Coolpix S01 handson

Another gem at Nikon’s unveiling today is this little Coolpix S01, and by “little” we really mean little. At just 96 grams, this is the smallest and lightest Coolpix device ever but it’s still surprisingly usable. But like our hands-on with the Android-powered S800c, we couldn’t walk away with any sample photos to judge the S01’s image quality. Just a quick recap: here you get a 10-megapixel CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom (29mm to 87mm), 720p video capture, several filter effects and a simple touch interface on a 2.5-inch LCD. We also saw five color options in Hong Kong: pink, black, white, red and silver (fingerprint magnet alert!). Our only complaints are that said camera uses a resistive touchscreen, and the lack of white balance options is also quite bizarre — $179 isn’t exactly a cheap enough price to justify this flaw. Still interested? Hit the video after the break for a quick tour.

Update: And the official sample shots are available now.

Continue reading Nikon Coolpix S01 hands-on (video)

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Nikon Coolpix S01 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 08:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nikon Coolpix S800c hands-on: a closer look at the Android camera (video)

Nikon Coolpix S800c handson a closer look at the Android camera

It was only hours ago when Nikon officially unveiled the Coolpix S800c, but we’ve already laid our hands on this eccentric device. As you’ve probably already heard, the main selling point here is that said “smart camera” is powered by a slick (and near-vanilla) Android 2.3.3 with Google services, so with the built-in WiFi, you can upload your 16-megapixel images or 1080p videos straight to your various social networks or other cloud services. Or you can, if you’re in the mood, just play Angry Birds on the S800c, but that 1,050mAh battery might not be ideal for prolonged entertainment. Sadly, we weren’t allowed to share any images taken with the demo units (sorry, usual Nikon protocol), but what we can tell you is that both the camera’s speed and quality weren’t bad at all, and likewise with the 3.5-inch 854 x 480 OLED multitouch display — the high pixel density makes the PenTile arrangement more forgivable.

The most interesting thing we discovered was that it seems the camera part of the S800c can run independently from Android while the latter is still booting up. You see, rather than letting the device stay on standby like most other Android devices, Nikon uses a shut-down timer that activates once Android goes on standby. When the camera’s completely switched off, hit the power button and you’ll go straight into camera mode which lets you shoot immediately, then about half a minute later the interface seamlessly goes back to smart mode, which is when you can hit the back or home button to toggle the Android unlock screen (though we’d rather go straight into the home screen). This cunning trick would probably explain why we couldn’t get any internal hardware detail from the few benchmark tools we installed, but we did squeeze out a score of 614 in Vellamo — detailed breakdown in the gallery below. Anyhow, you can see the camera in action in the video after the break.

The Nikon Coolpix S800c will be available next month for $350 in the US and £379 in the UK. As always, stay tuned for our review.

Update: Nikon’s released some sample shots. Take a look.

Continue reading Nikon Coolpix S800c hands-on: a closer look at the Android camera (video)

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Nikon Coolpix S800c hands-on: a closer look at the Android camera (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 06:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Motion 4G for MetroPCS hands-on (video)

LG Motion 4G for MetroPCS handson video

The recent unveiling of that LTE-loaded Galaxy S Lightray doesn’t appear to have slowed down MetroPCS, as the Texas-born carrier’s quickly following up with yet another 4G handset to bring to its growing smartphone portfolio. Enter the economical 3.5-incher LG Motion 4G. Unlike the aforementioned offering from Samsung, however, the wallet-friendly network’s now betting high on selling this new handset on the cheap and, naturally, is flaunting the “4G LTE For All” unlimited access as one of the device’s biggest traits. But how exactly does it stack up in the real world? Well, the good news is we were amongst a select group of folks gathered at Manhattan’s Andaz, and were lucky enough to take it for a quick spin. So head on past the break to get a better feel for our first, early-on impressions of MetroPCS’ newest Android slab.

Continue reading LG Motion 4G for MetroPCS hands-on (video)

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LG Motion 4G for MetroPCS hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 13:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alpha Range iOS game requires a pico projector and laser pointer, we go hands-on (video)

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Granted, a magical little smartphone is all the gadgetry most casual gaming fans require to get their fix, but when LaserVR’s Travis Haagen popped by our informal meetup at Portland’s Ground Kontrol to talk about Alpha Range, we couldn’t help but be impressed by the project. The game has a classic Asteroids / Space Invaders feeling to it, but Alpha Range is more than just another bit of mobile nostalgia. For one thing, you’re going to need a lot more than just your phone, including a projector (pico will do fine for your needs) and a tripod. You project the game field onto a the wall (in the case of Ground Kontrol, we taped up a few pieces of paper, which worked fine) and interact with objects using a laser point.

When your iOS device is facing the wall, its camera monitors the field, using computer vision algorithms to detect your laser shots in real time, finally discovering a novel use for laser points that doesn’t involve annoying rock bands or cats. Hitting the circular enemies will cause them to vaporize or perform other functions like opening up a black hole, depending on their color. The game was pretty responsive and incredibly addictive — in fact, we were a bit bummed when we finally had to put the laser point down. Such fun isn’t cheap, however — it’ll run you $8 from iTunes, on top of the price of all the accessories involved it getting it off the ground. Still, it’s nice to see an innovative take like this on a classic gaming scenario.

We’ve got a video of the Star Trek: The Next Generation-inspired game after the jump.

Continue reading Alpha Range iOS game requires a pico projector and laser pointer, we go hands-on (video)

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Alpha Range iOS game requires a pico projector and laser pointer, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 19:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Photon Q Hands-on and Unboxing

Motorola is bringing on a brand new slider to the market with a QWERTY keyboard and the ability to connect to 4G LTE in the Motorola PHOTON Q. We’ve got our hands on this device today and are finding its lovely 5-row keyboard to be just as nice as past DROID products we’ve seen from the manufacturer, brought on here with the speed of a dual-core processor and some nice rounded corners to keep you comfortable. The bright and sharp 4.3-inch 960 x 640 pixel resolution qHD display as well brings on a powerhouse for the manufacturer’s line of like-minded smartphones.

You’ll find that this device falls right in line with the whole Motorola family that’s been released over the past few weeks and months. This means that if you’ve got a XYBOARD or a RAZR in one hand and this in the other, you’ll know good and well that they’re part of the same Motorola design generation. The slider is strong, the keyboard is lit all around each of the keys, and the whole package brings on the best Motorola device in this form factor that the manufacturer has ever produced.

The dual-core processor inside comes from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon S4 – an impressive beast in and of itself. You’ve also got a large LED notification light above the speaker grill that lights up whenever you’ve got something new coming in via email, Twitter, or whatever else you’ve got popping in on the mobile web. The back of the device is curved so as to allow easier gripping – new and a bit unique for the OEM.

There’s 1GB of RAM here, 8GB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot to expand your memory by 32GB. You’ve also got a VGA camera on the front, an 8 megapixel camera on the back, and a beast of a device all-in-all ready for your summer and fall season of mobile computing. Stay tuned as we give this device a once-over here on SlashGear with a full review coming up next week!

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Motorola Photon Q Hands-on and Unboxing is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.