Hasta La Gadget!

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is now good and official stateside, and you know that means Samsung has some new accessories to shill. On hand at Lincoln Center were leather cases in a variety of colors (including white, orange and brown) along with versions that mimic the flip covers for the original Galaxy Note and the Galaxy S III — the difference being that they don’t replace the Note 10.1’s backing, as that’s not removable. Samsung also had a keyboard case on display, though so far we’ve yet to see more details. For now, you’ll have to settle for our eyes-on photos below.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 cases and keyboard dock eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s pretty obvious from Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan’s one-man presentation at Gamescom that he’s buzzing about his new gaming keyboard. Ready to accompany the accessory maker’s Ouroboros gaming mouse (hands-on impressions coming very soon), the Deathstalker will arrive in Ultimate and Standard versions. They both plump for chiclet-style keys and the pricier (and larger) Ultimate felt both light and slim. The standard issue packs three backlit color options, while the bigger board adds in Razer‘s light-up Switchblade UI, seen on its first gaming laptop. The first part of this is ten LCD keys that can be customized to gaming buttons or more typical PC use. They’re still contextual, meaning if you launch the calculator from one of the keys, they will then transform into more appropriate calculator functions. Beneath that, a touchpanel LCD can act as a trackpad and accepts several gesture motions. It can also display your Twitter feed, game information and plenty more. The keyboard will also feature Synapse 2, Razer’s new cloud-based settings service. The CEO explained that a player’s custom layout and profile for the ‘board could be stored online and then accessed from any computer it’s plugged into, ready for your next (online) fight. Get our first impressions after our gallery and the break.

Continue reading Razer Deathstalker gaming keyboard announced, packs Switchblade UI LCD panels (hands-on)

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Razer Deathstalker gaming keyboard announced, packs Switchblade UI LCD panels (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the hubbub of a late evening soiree in the center of Cologne, Mad Catz unveiled its new gaming keyboard. While the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 keyboard is certainly punctuation-rich, it’s aiming to match all those periods with just as many functions and permutations. The keyboard has a modular design, including a new touchscreen interface offering up some new swipe and gesture controls across both gaming titles and day-to-day PC use. Mad Catz reckons it’s the final piece in their gaming range puzzle, complementing both the aforementioned R.A.T. mice and its F.R.E.Q gaming headsets. We take a closer look — and throw in the suitably bombastic promo video — after the break.

Continue reading Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 gaming keyboard announced at Gamescom (hands-on)

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 gaming keyboard announced at Gamescom (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 05:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Heads up, audiophiles! Here’s a little gem we spotted at the Hong Kong High-End Audio Visual Show over the weekend. Dubbed the Ultrasone IQ, these turn out to be the German company’s first ever in-ear headphones, and luckily they’re more than just ordinary buds. You see, packed within each aluminum alloy capsule is a combo of a traditional dynamic driver and a balanced armature driver, with the former taking care of the bass plus lower-mids, and the latter covering the rest — specific frequency response to be confirmed at a later date. The technology isn’t new, of course, but it’s all about the fine-tuning to match the price tag — we’ve been told to expect around HK$6,000, which is about US$770. This author was fortunate enough to try the pictured prototype at the event and was left impressed by its definition, but the final product will apparently perform even better when it hits the market in late September. Just to seal the deal for hardcore users, these buds feature MMCX connectors, meaning you can swap the original cables with the bundled headset kit (for iPhone and major Android devices) or other third-party wires.

Launched alongside the IQ were the Signature DJ and two new additions to the Edition 8 line: Romeo and Juliet, which seem like a nice idea for audiophilic couples. Alas, details are light here in terms of prices and availability, but at least Romeo and Juliet will perform identically as the original Edition 8. The new DJ cups, on the other hand, await official specifications. For now, hit the gallery to take a look at all of Ultrasone’s new offerings.

Ultrasone IQ unveiled as company’s first in-ear headphones, hybrid drivers in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve ever been to an amusement park, you may have noticed ride designers using some non-traditional platforms as projection screens — the most common example being a steady stream of artificial fog. Projecting onto transparent substances is a different story, however, which made this latest technique a bit baffling to say the least. Colloidal Display, developed by Yoichi Ochiai, Alexis Oyama and Keisuke Toyoshima, uses bubbles as an incredibly thin projection “screen,” regulating the substance’s properties, such as reflectance, using ultrasonic sound waves from a nearby speaker. The bubble liquid is made from a mixture of sugar, glycerin, soap, surfactant, water and milk, which the designers say is not easily popped. Still, during their SIGGRAPH demo, a motor dunked the wands in the solution and replaced the bubble every few seconds.

A standard projector directed at the bubble creates an image, which appears to be floating in the air. And, because the bubbles are transparent, they can be stacked to simulate a 3D image. You can also use the same display to project completely different images that fade in and out of view depending on your angle relative to the bubble. There is a tremendous amount of distortion, however, because the screen used is a liquid that remains in a fluid state. Because of the requirement to constantly refresh the bubbles, and the unstable nature of the screen itself, the project, which is merely a proof of concept, wouldn’t be implemented without significant modification. Ultimately, the designers hope to create a film that offers similar transparent properties but with a more solid, permanent composition. For now, you can sneak a peek of the first iteration in our hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Colloidal Display uses soap bubbles, ultrasonic waves to form a projection screen (hands-on video)

Filed under: Displays

Colloidal Display uses soap bubbles, ultrasonic waves to form a projection screen (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 12:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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