Hasta La Gadget!

To cut a long story short, Onkyo’s LPF10M01 is basically a netbook’s screen sans (most of) the netbook. 10.1 inches of LED-backlit LCD get covered in a 1,024 x 600 pixel array and are backed up by 250 nits of brightness and a 500 to 1 contrast ratio. The big selling point here is the inclusion of an HDMI input — still something of a rarity in picture frames — which sidles up alongside a USB port, SDHC and Memory Stick card reader, and 512MB of integrated memory. We’re fancying the flexibility of using it as a secondary display or as part of some truly minimalist desktop environment, but doubt many will be won over by the austere 140 degree horizontal viewing angle, which narrow down to a zany 110 on the vertical axis. Anyhow, it launches on August 6 in Japan for around ¥19,800 ($227).

Onkyo busts out HDMI-connected 10.1-inch picture frame originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The phrase “netbook powerhouse” would typically be considered an oxymoron. That was before ASUS announced its Eee PC 1215N bumpin’ a 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Atom D525 processor with NVIDIA Optimus to intelligently switch between its NVIDIA Ion discrete and integrated graphics. That means it’ll cut through 1080p video without any problem when displayed on the 12-inch 1,366 x 768 pixel display or out to an HDTV via the included HDMI jack. Other specs include Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11n WiFi, integrated webcam with lens cover, choice of 250GB or 320GB hard disk drives augmented by 500GB of ASUS WebStorage, and pass-through USB to charge connected devices like cellphones when the Eee is powered off. Sorry, no mention of battery performance, price, or availability on this so-called netbook.

Continue reading ASUS Eee PC 1215N with NVIDIA Ion and dual-core Atom D525 is a netbook powerhouse

ASUS Eee PC 1215N with NVIDIA Ion and dual-core Atom D525 is a netbook powerhouse originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The HTC EVO 4G for Sprint is big for a smartphone, but small for a device that outputs HD video over an HDMI cable. So today Monster Cable showed off a “SuperThin” Micro HDMI cable that is perfect for connecting smartphones to big-screen TVs. Monster’s SuperThin cables, introduced last year, are 65 percent thinner than standard HDMI cables, measuring 3.5 mm in diameter.

Of course, the new cables will also work with the upcoming Motorola Droid X, if the Droid X’s HDMI port is a standard Micro HDMI. We’ll find out tomorrow when the Droid X launches.

Monster said the SuperThin Micro HDMI cables are so new, they couldn’t provide a release date or a price. Generic Micro HDMI cables are selling online for $12-20, and you can bet Monster’s versions will cost a lot more. SuperThin cables with standard HDMI connectors cost $79.95-119.95 when they launched last year.

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

As TVs and Blu-ray players increasingly feature internet connections, content partnerships, and now even open operating systems, they’re turning up the pressure on of standalone devices such as Apple TV and the Roku player. Indeed, Steve Jobs has said the demanding existence between the rock of the connected television and the hard place of the closed cable system is what’s relegated Apple TV to “hobby” status.

In the Windows world, several companies in the netbook space such as Asus, Acer and Lenovo have popped Atom processors into slim desktop enclosures, dubbing them nettops. Dell has gone a somewhat different route, opting for more powerful desktop components in its chunky Inspiron Zino HD desktop/home theater hybrid. And now, the Mac mini has taken a step toward this role as Apple, which has been a strong backer of DisplayPort, has adorned its only display-free Mac with an HDMI port.

Continue reading Switched On: New Mac mini a mixed Apple TV alternative

Switched On: New Mac mini a mixed Apple TV alternative originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has updated the little desktop Mac Mini, and if you were thinking about buying a new MacBook or iMac, you might think a little about grabbing this instead.

The new Mini comes in a slim unibody case, 1.4-inches tall, shrinking from 2 inches, and gains an SD-card slot, an HDMI port for true media-center integration, faster NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics hardware (up from the old 9400M graphics). It also keeps FireWire 800, Mini-DVI Mini DisplayPort (and an HDMI to DVI Adapter in the box), four USB ports and Ethernet.

There are two models. One costs $700 and comes with a 2.4-GHz processor, 2 GB RAM and a 320-GB hard drive. The other is $1,000 and drops the optical drive in favor of 4 GB RAM, two 500-GB hard drives and a 2.66-GHz processor. This version runs OS X Server. Both have removable bottom panel for easy access to RAM.

That Apple would release such a big update with nothing more than a short press release used to surprise us, but these days its pretty standard. With HDMI, this is clearly aimed at the home entertainment market, but it could also be a great new Mac for anyone who has an iPad already. In fact, if you already have a monitor in the house, you could buy a Mac Mini and an iPad for $1,200. That’s the same as you’d pay for the cheapest MacBook Pro.

Mac Mini [Apple]

See Also:

• The Mac Mini: Apple's Red-Headed Stepchild
• How Do You Love the Mac Mini? Let Us Count the Ways
• Mac Mini
• Many Faces of the Mac Mini