Hasta La Gadget!

You might say Dave Zatz just had a happy accident. While he was hunting for the as yet unofficial Logitech Harmony Touch in Best Buy, he discovered the Slingbox 350 and 500 — two more living room gadgets that have yet to receive an official introduction. The placeshifting hubs both look to be major improvements over the aging Slingbox Pro HD and Solo, making 1080p streaming available as long as the connection is up to snuff. Those who spring for the 500 should also get long overdue support for WiFi without having to use a wireless bridge, although they may miss the Pro HD’s ATSC tuner. Outside of the networking, Sling Media is making expansion its upsell angle: the 500 supports USB media sharing and HDMI, while the 350 has to make do with whatever can pipe through its component and composite jacks. Zatz was unfortunately foiled in an attempt to buy one of the new Slingboxes and couldn’t get final pricing, but Best Buy’s suggestion to try again around mid-October hints that we won’t have long to wait for a much-needed upgrade to our remote TV viewing.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Slingbox 350 and 500 show up unannounced in Best Buy, flaunt 1080p and built-in WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In theory, Apple’s AirPlay technology is great – effortless mirroring or streaming to media players from an Apple device. But in reality, AirPlay is severely limited by a couple of factors. It’s only compatible with a handful of media players – including the AppleTV – and it needs an Wi-Fi connection to work. Which is why I think the AirBridge is going to be a massive hit.

The AirBridge is primarily made of three things: an adapter that plugs into iOS devices, an app, and a receiver with HDMI, VGA, 3.5mm aux and USB inputs.  With the AirBridge you can do everything you can do with AirPlay compatible devices – stream videos, music and pictures, mirror your screen, play games on a bigger display – but that’s not all. The AirBridge can also stream content from one iOS device to up to 10 iOS devices at once, and allows those with the app to upload and share files with each other straight from and to their iOS devices.

The AirBridge does all of this without the need for an Internet connection. And since it works with any device with an HDMI, VGA or USB port, it’s compatibility far exceeds that of AirPlay. It also has a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 3 hours, so you can have a totally wireless setup for a good amount of time, enough for meetings or parties.

Pledge at least $99 (USD) on its Kickstarter fundraiser to be the first to own an AirBridge. It will be available in two models – the high end AirBridge Pro  ($125) does all of the above, while the AirBridge Lite ($99) lacks the VGA and USB ports and won’t be able to stream between iOS devices.

Likewise, the AirBridge app will also come in a free and a $3.99 (USD) version. The $3.99 version has support for more file sharing services and has no size limit on file sharing, while the free version has a 10MB limit but is good enough if you just want to stream media. I really hope it goes into production and I can’t wait to get my hands on an AirBridge.

[via GearCulture]

We’ve all seen keyboards made for tablets, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a display made for tablets. It’s called the Monitor2Go, a 15.6″ display with a built-in slot for the iPad 2 and the new iPad. What’s next? an optical drive accessory?

Mobile Monitor Technologies (MMT), the company behind Monitor2Go, is positioning their product mainly for business use. The display connects to iPads and other mobile devices via HDMI – meaning you’ll most likely need an adapter – but it can also connect to other computers via USB so it can be used as a secondary screen. In fact you can daisy chain up to six Monitor2Gos thanks to the two built-in USB ports.

The display rests on a base and can rotate and pivot up to 180º, so other people can look at the display while you’re free to poke, jab and hog your tablet’s display. Of course you can also use it as a media player, especially since it has speakers.

Here’s a demo of the display shot by ITTV, back at CES earlier this year:

Whatever your purpose, it may seem silly to carry a tablet (or a phone), a cable and the Monitor2Go instead of one 15″ laptop. But I think it will have a niche, however small. What I think is silly is that the Monitor2Go has no built-in battery and thus needs to be plugged in. That takes away a lot of its portability. To be fair, MMT did say on their website that they will release a “battery power module” soon.

I’d tell you to hold off purchasing until then, but if you’re sold, you can order the Monitor2Go from MMT’s website. It’s available in two models – one that sells for $299 (USD) and has a screen resolution of 1366×768, and one that sells for $329 because of its 1600×900 resolution.

[via Fancy]

It’s not a secret in the least thanks to a video slip-up by Panasonic a few days ago, but today the company is ready to officially announce the successor to its venerable GH2, the Lumix DMC-GH3. This Micro-Four Thirds mirrorless shooter is nearly as big as some entry-level DSLRs, but it’s loaded with features to make up for it. Packed inside its dust- and splash-proof magnesium alloy body, you’ll find a 16.05-megapixel Live Mos sensor that’ll handle 200 to 12,800 ISO natively with extension from 125 to 25,600. Aiding it is Panasonic’s latest Venus engine, which enables 6 FPS burst shooting (20 in 4-megapixel mode).

Notably, Panasonic is pushing this as a “multimedia” shooter given its robust video features. Unlike many ILCs, the GH3 touts unlimited recording time, so you won’t be held back by the likes of the camera overheating — sadly, the approx. 29-minute recording restriction for PAL regions is in place however. You’ll be able to shoot in either MP4, MOV, AVCHD or AVCHD Progressive, with a maximum bandwidth of “72 Mbps (ALL-Intra) / 50 Mbps (IPB).” The formats can be recorded using frame rates of 24, 30 and 60p (excluding MOV and AVCHD), and you’ll even be able work with SMPTE time-codes for syncing footage easily in post production.

On back, there’s an articulating 3:2 614K-dot OLED touchscreen, which can be used for tap-focusing while recording video, along with a 16:9 1,744K-dot OLED view finder — both of which provide 100% frame coverage. Thanks to included WiFi connectivity, you’ll be able to control the camera from your mobile device — although, its HDMI out may be better suited for film-making. Along the side, there’s a duo 3.5mm jacks for monitoring and recording audio straight from the camera with a mic of your choosing or a Panasonic’s optional shotgun mic. Speaking of accessories, an F2.8 35-100mm lens will also be introduced with the camera, touting a dust- and splash-proof design. There’s no word on price just yet for the GH3 or its accessories, but we’re told the camera will hit shelves for a number shy of $2,000 when it’s released later this year. The unit we got eye-on time with was an admittedly rough and early build, but you can check it in detail at the gallery above while we get some more impressions at Photokina. You’ll also find extended details in the press release after the break.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Continue reading Panasonic’s GH3 mirrorless camera gets official: 16MP, WiFi and 72Mbps HD video in a ruggedized body (hands-on)

Filed under: Cameras

Panasonic’s GH3 mirrorless camera gets official: 16MP, WiFi and 72Mbps HD video in a ruggedized body (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has already announced a 30-pin adapter for the iPhone 5’s new Lightning standard, but its product page betrays a pair of limitations: “video and iPod Out not supported.” That’s nothing another accessory can’t fix, of course. According to The Verge, Cupertino has plans to release Lightning to HDMI and VGA cables “in the coming months,” giving early adopters something to pine for on day one. No word on pricing or specific availability of course, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see it hover around the existing adapter’s $29 price tag. Fine by us, assuming it pulls its weight.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Lightning to HDMI and VGA cables incoming, says Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 04:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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