Hasta La Gadget!

The cat is already well out of the bag, but we finally have some official information about the new Logitech Harmony Touch universal remote. Its first addition to the line in a while, Logitech is pushing its center-mounted 2.4-inch color touchscreen with support for control by tapping, swiping or scrolling through up to 50 channel icons as a way to “unprecedented control” of your home entertainment system. We’re still not entirely sure about the transport controls being placed so far up top or the usefulness of a screen focused on direct live channel access in the DVR and streaming age (check out our thoughts on this week’s podcast), but it does bring the usual control of up to 15 devices and backlit keys. Just as we saw in the stores, the price is set at $249 and it controls only via IR, not RF like the pricier Harmony 900. Check out more info in the press release after the break (along with quick demo and how-to setup videos) or on Logitech’s blog, fans of the new device should be able to find them released widely in the US and Europe this month.

Continue reading Logitech Harmony Touch remote officially announced, brings swipe, scroll and tap LCD for $249

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Logitech Harmony Touch remote officially announced, brings swipe, scroll and tap LCD for $249 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP has outed its newest tablet, the ElitePad 900, a business-centric slate running Windows 8 and offering interchangeable jackets to add new functionality, battery life, and protection. Wrapping an Intel Clove Trail processor and 2GB of RAM inside a 1.5-pound brushed aluminum casing, the ElitePad 900 meets MIL-Spec 810G for dust, splash, and drop resilience, and supports digital pen input on its 10.1-inch Gorilla Glass display.

That display – which also responds to regular finger-touch input – runs at 400-nits, for outdoor usability, and at 1,280 x 800 resolution. Above it there’s a 1080p-capable webcam, while an 8-megapixel camera is on the back,  with LED flash, also capable of Full HD video recording.

HP ElitePad 900 overview:

Ports and connectivity include microSD and a SIM slot for the integrated 3G/4G modem, along with WiFi and Bluetooth, though to keep things 9.2mm thick the more typical PC ports have been relegated to adapter dongles. There’s a range of connectors, including ethernet, an SD card reader, VGA, HDMI, and USB. Storage is either 32GB or 64GB of SSD, and judging by the icon on the back panel there’s NFC too.

Alternatively, HP is pushing its docks and SmartJacket sleeves. The Docking Station is a low-profile block with four USB, wired ethernet, VGA, HDMI, power, audio-out, and a Kensington lock hole; with an external keyboard and mouse it turns the ElitePad 900 into a compact desktop.

It’s the SmartJackets that are most interesting, however, expansion sleeves that fit neatly around the ElitePad 900 and not only protect it but add extra functionality. Initially, there will be two to choose from: the Productivity Jacket, which adds a QWERTY keyboard, various ports, and an SD card reader; and the Expansion Jacket, which adds USB, HDMI, and other ports. The latter can also be equipped with a second battery, taking the total runtime to more than 16hrs; on its own, the tablet will run for around 10hrs.

Finally, there’s a Rugged Case for extra protection, and HP has made the ElitePad 900 to be easily opened up for those wanting to do their own maintenance. The company will provide the necessary tools to get past the magnetic clasps and other fasteners.

The HP ElitePad 900 will arrive in January 2013, though there’s no word on pricing at this stage.

HP ElitePad 900 tablet means business is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If little Johnny thought Build-a-Bear had nothing for his tech-savvy toddler sensibilities, he’d better think again. The plush toy-seller has just launched a new high-tech store concept that it hopes will help re-engage children otherwise distracted with tablets, phones and game consoles. The new additions include a 55-inch interactive digital sign out front, with touchscreen and Kinect functionality, complete with unlockable content via barcodes. Once inside, four Samsung SUR40 smart tables loaded with custom software offer a range of different parts of the teddy-making process, as well as interact with the toys in real-time — like a virtual bubble bath — thanks to a purpose-built tagging system. The sound side of things also gets a lick of paint, with six audio “zones” created, using ultrasonic speakers that can target sound to specific parts of the store and stop all the collective noise from reverberating like something from a bad dream. The first such shop is already open in St Louis, with five more locations to follow: Pleasanton CA, Annapolis MD, Troy MI, Fairfax VA and Indianapolis IN between October and November.

Continue reading Build-a-bear’s new store concept wants you to choose, love, stuff and fluff with high-tech (video)

Filed under: Misc, Alt

Build-a-bear’s new store concept wants you to choose, love, stuff and fluff with high-tech (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T has revealed its latest mobile hotspot, the MiFi Liberate, the first to include a color touchscreen. Running on AT&T’s LTE network, the Novatel Wireless-made gadget has a 2.8-inch multitouch display and can share its 4G data connection with up to ten WiFi-connected devices, while the battery is said to last for up to 11 hours of active use.

There’s also global support, with connectivity – albeit not necessarily at LTE speed – in more than 200 countries. The touchscreen can be used to monitor what devices are connected and manage security settings, as well as to arrange sharing of data from the microSD card slot using DLNA.

Novatel Wireless calls it the MiFi 2, and is unsurprisingly pretty proud of the new hotspot. The screen can be used to track account details, such as how much data a user has left in their plan, as well as to see a breakdown of roaming data usage. There’s also intelligent power management, which Novatel says automatically adjusts device performance so as to squeeze out the longest runtimes.

AT&T isn’t saying how much the MiFi Liberate will cost when it launches, nor indeed when we can actually expect it to go on sale exactly. However, it will be the exclusive carrier to offer the hotspot, presumably in the US market at least.

AT&T MiFi Liberate shares 10hrs of LTE with touchscreen simplicity is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Maingear is relatively new to the all-in-one space, having released its Solo 21 just this March. Now it’s introducing the Alpha 24 Super Stock, an AIO with a 24-inch, 1080p touchscreen and some solid specs under the hood. Processor choices include a Core i3-3240 chip clocked at 3.4GHz and a Core i7 option (both Ivy Bride, of course), and the AIO is configurable with up to 16GB of SO-DIMM memory. For storage, you’re looking at up to a 3TB hard drive and up to a 256GB SSD. Being a Maingear machine, the Super Stock is all about the graphics: an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 GPU comes standard, but that can be switched out for a GeForce GTX 680 chip. There are also two 8-pin PCI-E power connectors on board for good measure.

Also in line with the company’s DIY mentality, the machine meets Intel’s thin-mini ITX standard for assuring that next-gen components can be swapped in. Rounding out the feature list are an optional CableCARD tuner, an optical drive, HDMI, three USB 2.0 ports and a SD card reader. The Alpha 24 Super Stock will go for $1,349 and up starting today — check out the full press info below the break.

Continue reading Maingear announces Alpha 24 Super Stock AIO: NVIDIA graphics and Ivy Bridge power for $1,349 and up

Filed under: Desktops

Maingear announces Alpha 24 Super Stock AIO: NVIDIA graphics and Ivy Bridge power for $1,349 and up originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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