Hasta La Gadget!

Only a couple of months have passed since ViewSonic announced its new pair of wallet-friendly VA12 monitors as well as that larger, energy-efficient 27-inch VX2703mh-LED. Fast forward to today, and the company’s back with a trio of fresh VX70Smh-LED panels, including a lavish 27-incher in the VX2770Smh-LED, plus a couple of 22- and 23-inch monitors for those who prefer something a bit more conservative — all of which are equipped with IPS technology, a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution (30,000,000:1 MEGA Dynamic Contrast Ratio) and SRS Premium Sound. ViewSonic has said both the 23- and 27-inch VX70Smh-LEDs will be available “early October” for $189 and $319, respectively, while the smaller 22-inch VX2270Smh-LED is expected to hit shelves around December with a $159 price tag.

Continue reading ViewSonic’s new VX70Smh-LED IPS monitors arriving this month, pricing starts at $159

Filed under: Displays, Misc

ViewSonic’s new VX70Smh-LED IPS monitors arriving this month, pricing starts at $159 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 00:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Growing Up Geek, a feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. This week, we have our very own Nicole Lee!

My fondest memories of growing up in Malaysia don’t consist of balmy weekends by the beach or the bounty of fresh mangosteens in my grandmother’s kitchen. Instead, my childhood is a blur of video games, Saturday morning cartoons, Apple Macintosh Classics, IBM PC clones, and frequent trips to the local library where my parents would leave me alone for hours. Out of sheer boredom, I read every book I could get my hands on, and a lifelong love of reading was born. Parental neglect or ingenious education tactic? You decide.

Continue reading Growing Up Geek: Nicole Lee

Filed under: Misc, Alt

Growing Up Geek: Nicole Lee originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ever hemmed and hawed over buying AppleCare with your shiny new gadget? European chiefs are worried that you don’t know all of your rights. They’re concerned that Cupertino’s warranty-selling practices hide the fact that all customers are entitled to a statutory two-year warranty to fix defects present at sale. The company has already had to open its checkbook to Italian regulators, but pointed out that the protection plan is there to remedy issues that may crop up after you’ve taken your new toy from its perfectly-engineered box. Nevertheless, commissioner Viviane Reding is pushing for a Europe-wide inquiry into the company, contacting all 27 member states to look into the matter. In the meantime, we’re left working out how many times we’re likely to drop our new device in the next three years.

Filed under: Misc, Peripherals, Apple

Apple facing European investigation into how it sells AppleCare originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 09:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For the past two weeks Inhabitat has been reporting live from the Solar Decathlon Europe in Madrid, where 18 student teams from around the world have been competing for the title of the world’s most efficient solar-powered prefab house. As usual, suspense was running high in the final days of the competition, and we’re excited to announce that Team Rhône-Alpes’ Canopea House has been named this year’s winner! The beautiful modular house took top honors in the architecture and sustainability categories, and it features a 10.7 kW photovoltaic array on the roof that produces more than enough energy to power the home.

Some of the other standouts at the Solar Decathlon Europe include Germany’s ECOLAR House, which features a flexible, modular design that can expand or shrink to accommodate the needs of its owners. It came as no surprise that the German team was tops in the engineering category, and the team incorporated hemp insulation in the floors, walls and ceiling to prevent thermal loss. Team Andalucia’s Patio 2.12 House, which consists of four separate prefabricated modules built around an interior courtyard, scored high marks for energy efficiency and innovation. And although Italy’s MED in Italy House might not look like much on the outside, step inside and you’ll enter a different world altogether. The highly efficient home features a central courtyard and a rooftop photovoltaic array that generates about 9.33 kWh of energy per year — roughly double what it needs. Team Rome also added wall layers that can be filled with heavy materials to provide high thermal mass once the home is installed.

Continue reading Inhabitat’s Week in Green: ECOLAR house, transparent solar panel and Star Wars terrariums

Filed under: Misc, Transportation, Science

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: ECOLAR house, transparent solar panel and Star Wars terrariums originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 10:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With Logitech’s Squeezebox platform having quietly and unexpectedly reached its EOL status, the company found it necessary to let its customers know where they stand going forward. In a very detailed letter from UE product director Ariel Fischer, the Harmony maker reassured current Squeezebox owners it will continue to offer support for these products, adding that the current “mysqueezebox” website and certain apps will still work with existing devices. What’s more, those who managed to snag one of those Squeezebox Radios will have the option to upgrade to the outfit’s new UE Smart Radio service — which, according to Logitech, can play nicely alongside existing Squeezebox products, though this “will operate and be controlled separately.” All in all, it could be worse — and, in age where customer service can sometimes be rather unpleasant, we’re sure most of us can appreciate the transparency being shown in the open letter. Speaking of which, you’ll find that at the source link below.

Filed under: Misc, Portable Audio/Video, Software

Logitech promises continued support for Squeezebox, says it won’t force a switch to UE Smart Radio originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 06:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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