Hasta La Gadget!

Congo-based VMK has been blazing a trail for mobile devices in Africa: its Way-C tablet proved that the continent could go its own way without leaning on Asia or Europe. The company promised several months ago to address the same gap with smartphones, and the result is here in the form of the Elikia (“Hope”). The hardware won’t shake the cellular world’s foundations with its 3.5-inch (and 480 x 320) display, 512MB of RAM, a 650MHz processor and both 5-megapixel rear as well as front VGA cameras, but that’s not the point — at $170 US off-contract, it’s much more within the reach of Congo residents, and it even uses the unofficial Holo Launcher to bring a taste of Android 4.0 to what’s really Android 2.3 underneath. There’s also a minor revolution in app purchasing. As Google Play won’t take Congo’s credit cards, VMK has its own app store and prepaid gift cards to give the country a similar experience. You’ll have to sign on to local carriers Airtel, MTN or Warid to use an Elikia in the near future, but we’re hoping the phone expands its reach and levels the playing field.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

VMK preps Africa-designed Elikia smartphone with $170 price, fast track for apps originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Sep 2012 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blackmagic Design has thrown its Cinema Camera MFT into the Micro Four Thirds arena, but it will only work with lenses that have manual iris and focus capability. The shooter is otherwise identical to the original Cinema Camera, with a 2.5k, sub-MFT sensor; CinemaDNG RAW, ProRes and DNxHD capture formats; built-in SSD; capacitive touchscreen; and an included copy of DaVinci Resolve color correction software. That means cineasts already on board that format will have another mount for their glass, and MFT’s mirrorless aspect will also permit other lens formats, like PL or Nikon, to be added with third party adapters. So, if the relatively low price, claimed 13 stop dynamic range, higher-than-HD resolution and new mount is enough to push your “start” button, check the PR for the entire skinny.

Continue reading Blackmagic launches Cinema Camera MFT with Micro Four Thirds mount, sans autofocus, for $3K

Filed under: Cameras, HD

Blackmagic launches Cinema Camera MFT with Micro Four Thirds mount, sans autofocus, for $3K originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Sep 2012 06:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It isn’t quite ESPN, but sports fans who also happen to love technology — yes, they exist — will be happy to know that choosing Google Fiber doesn’t mean going without NFL Network and NFL RedZone. All Google Fiber subscribers will get NFL Network, while NFL RedZone will run you $10 a month, but for only four months of the year. Not exactly just in time, though, as you won’t be able to subscribe to NFL RedZone until one day after the first Sunday of football on September 10th. Either way, this is huge news if you’re a fan of the most popular sport in the US — but not so much for Timer Warner Cable which is the single biggest cable provider who doesn’t carry it, and happens to compete against Google for subscribers in Kansas City.

Continue reading NFL Network, a la carte NFL RedZone Channel are coming to Google Fiber subscribers

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

NFL Network, a la carte NFL RedZone Channel are coming to Google Fiber subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Sep 2012 23:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Onkyo’s CEDIA booth served as a way for it to show off all manner of new audio technology including this funky iLunar dock (above), which uses tech developed by Swiss audio company Sonic Emotion to create a “3D sound field” from stereo sources. We couldn’t get much of a feel for it on the show floor with the wide open spaces and noise, but according to Onkyo, its six full-range drivers and downward-firing subwoofer combine to send sound in all directions, resulting in a stereo experience no matter where the listener is seated in smaller rooms. There’s more details on that, as well as a few other mini audio systems and a new amp in the gallery and press releases after the break. One other development we noted was the Roku Streaming Stick-ready branding popping up on Onkyo receivers since its partnership was officially revealed, and there was even a dongle conspicuously front mounted right there in the booth. We’re still for a release date and pricing, but it looks like hardware partners are ready to go.

Continue reading Onkyo shows off a few mini audio systems, one amp and Roku-ready receivers

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Onkyo shows off a few mini audio systems, one amp and Roku-ready receivers originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Sep 2012 18:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinese tablet maker Ainol is stepping up from its ICS-running Novo 7 to the Novo 7 Crystal, a new dual-core 1.5GHz model running Jelly Bean for $139. Below the hood is an Amlogic 8726-M6 Cortex A9 processor, a Mali 400 GPU, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. The 7-inch touchscreen display sports a 1,024 x 600 resolution, and Ainol chose an IPS panel for wide viewing angles — that’s not exactly common for a tab in this price range. The whole package weighs 0.72 pounds (328 grams) and measures 0.4 inches (11.2mm) thick, and the tablet will be available in black and white.

The Novo 7 Crystal will be WiFi-only (802.11n), though there’s room for a 3G modem on board, and connections include a microSD card slot, mini-USB port and mini-HDMI. Notebook Italia says the Crystal will start shipping on September 28th, though we’ve yet to see any official word on availability. Click through to the source links for more details.

Filed under: Tablets

Ainol releasing dual-core Novo 7 Crystal tablet: Jelly Bean and an IPS display for $139 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Sep 2012 09:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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