Hasta La Gadget!

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Ben, who needs a stylish way to carry around his electronics haul. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“Hey Engadget, I’m looking for your help in picking a new travel bag. Ideally, I’d like something that’s in a messenger format, but I’m open to other options if you can suggest them. Currently I’ve got a 13-inch laptop (and charger), iPad, noise cancelling headphones and the various bits and bobs that go with them. Any help you can provide would be great, thanks!”

This week, we’re revisiting a topic from January 2010, but given how much has changed since then, it’s well worth keeping it up to date. We’ve heard good things about the Timbuk2 Commute Messenger that we gave away as part of our Back to School sweepstake, but your humble narrator is still toting around a cumbersome (and less useful) Lowepro Fastpack 250, which the TSA doesn’t take kindly to. Still, that’s why we’ll open this up the floor and find out what you’re all rocking when it comes time for that gadget-laden cross-country jaunt.

Filed under: Misc, Peripherals

Ask Engadget: best carry-on electronics bag? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Sep 2012 22:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re building or upgrading a budget gaming rig, it’ll be hard to ignore the GeForce GTX 650 and 660. Whether or not NVIDIA’s new chipsets are worth the glance is another matter, and early reviews suggest that a sale depends on just which market you’re in. The GTX 660, by far the darling of the review crowd, competes solidly against the Radeon HD 7850 by outrunning AMD’s hardware in most situations while undercutting on the official price. Only a few have taken a look at the lower-end GTX 650, but it’s not as much of a clear-cut purchasing decision — the entry-level video often slots in between the performance of the Radeon HD 7750 and 7770 without the price edge of its bigger brother. Either card is much better value for the money than the GT 640, however, and looks to be a meaningful upgrade if you’re trading up from equivalent prior-generation gear.

Read – AnandTech (GTX 660)
Read – Benchmark Reviews (GTX 660)
Read – Bit-Tech (GTX 660)
Read – Guru 3D (GTX 650)
Read – HardOCP (GTX 660)
Read – Hot Hardware (GTX 660)
Read – PC Mag (GTX 660)
Read – PC Perspective (GTX 660)
Read – Tom’s Hardware (GTX 650 and 660)

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Peripherals

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 and 660 review roundup: hitting the sweet spot, sometimes originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yes, finally — finally — Apple’s years-long headphone debacle may finally be at an end, with the introduction this morning of redesigned earbuds. Their new name: “EarPods.” Like so many things from today’s Apple press conference, the new earphones look an awful lot like a leak we saw earlier this month. Apple says the new earphones feature, “a breakthrough design for a more natural fit and increased durability, and an incredible acoustic quality typically reserved for higher-end earphones.” As seen above, they feature a main and secondary grill on each “pod,” and the iPhone version has an inline remote / microphone built-in along the wire. The set looks starkly different from past Apple earphone offerings — no rubber, distinctly less visible metal, and an all-plastic outer shell.

Rather than create a plugged-up seal as most in-ear headphones do, the pods rest at the edge of your ear canal with the main grill directed straight into it. A port on the back of each bud helps airflow to enhance the midrange, while dual ports on the bottom of each stem helps the bass response. Overall, the intention is to maximize airflow for optimal sound quality. Apple claims the design results in, “overall audio quality [that’s] so impressive, they rival high-end headphones that cost hundreds of dollars more.” They’re available today for purchase as a standalone, and will ship with the new iPod Touch, Nano, and iPhone 5. A standalone set with an inline remote / mic will cost you the same $29 price point of its predecessor — and they’re already available at the source link below.

Joe Pollicino contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablets, Mobile

Apple’s signature earbuds rebranded for iPhone 5 as ‘EarPods’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Having somewhere to dock your laptop is insanely convenient. Of course, each manufacturer tends to have their own proprietary solution. And usually a different dock is needed for each model. Fun, right? Well, Kensington has their own universal solution that makes the most of the ubiquitous USB port and the unfortunately less ubiquitous DisplayLink. The company unleashed an update to its line of universal laptop docks today that takes advantage of the bonus bandwidth provided by USB 3.0. The Office Dock (sd3500v) and Home Dock (sd3000v) both offer USB 2.0 and 3.0 expansion slots, a gigabit Ethernet port, audio out as well as DVI and VGA ports for plugging in an external monitor. The Office dock ups the ante by supporting 5.1 surround sound via HDMI which, obviously, also gives you an additional video port option. Both are available now world wide, with the Home Dock retailing for $170, while its slightly more premium brother commands a $200 price tag. Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Kensington updates DisplayLink universal laptop docks with USB 3.0

Filed under: Peripherals

Kensington updates DisplayLink universal laptop docks with USB 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 02:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve certainly encountered a fair share of interesting speakers in our time, albeit most of them have had a different focus than Opalum’s new Flow 1010s. How so? It’s simple, really: these aren’t going to be known for their Bluetooth capabilities, oddly-shaped design or even being portable. Instead, Opalum’s hoping to take the living room by surprise with its “floating” aesthetics and patented Actisonic and Actiline digital audio tech — which, apparently, has taken decades of academic research to accomplish and, in the end, offers reverse filtering algorithms alongside state-of-the-art aluminum drivers that allow the Flow 1010 to have “control of the air movement.” Now don’t let the minimalist looks fool you into thinking these will come cheap, as the starting price point is a whopping £1,649 (around $2,700) — though, if it makes it any better, that does take into account an included “hub” and an RF touch remote. Be sure to read over the PR below, where you can find out where’s the nearest place to snag a set of Flow 1010 speakers for yourself.

Continue reading Opalum’s Flow 1010 TV speakers sport ‘minimalist floating’ design, get priced at £1,649

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals, HD

Opalum’s Flow 1010 TV speakers sport ‘minimalist floating’ design, get priced at £1,649 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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