Hasta La Gadget!

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.

Continue reading Canon EOS-1D X field review

Filed under: Cameras

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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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!

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.

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)

Filed under: Home Entertainment

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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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)

Filed under: Digital Cameras

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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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)

Filed under: Gaming

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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