You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
X2 is proud to bring you their latest gaming headset, the SolarBlast (X2-HS7502-USB). Corresponding to the 7.1ch virtual surround sound, this lightweight and durable gaming headset is equipped with a bass boost button and a volume control dial on the left ear cup, a microphone that folds into a slot on the side of the ear cup, and a USB connector. The SolarBlast (X2-HS7502-USB) has a retail price of $59.95. [Product Page]
Comcast announced plans for cloud based recordings with its upcoming X2 platform rollout, but FierceCable has spotted an iOS app in iTunes that’s ready for the feature. Published by Comcast Interactive Media, the Comcast Labs DVR app promises access to user’s cDVR service while behind their Comcast modem. What we can see of the UI is very basic, but the setup screens promise a “revolutionary new DVR that streams live TV and shares your recording to tablets, phones and all your TVs” and download recordings to mobile devices for viewing “on the go away from home – even offline.” There’s no hint as to when this will be available for more people, but the evidence is clear that it will take on competition including Sling, DirecTV’s Nomad and TiVo’s Stream.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: FierceCable, iTunes
Crying because your DVR’s hard drive can’t hold an entire season of Antiques Roadshow? If you’re a Comcast subscriber, there may be hope on the horizon. At The Cable Show in Washington, D.C., Comcast announced its next Xfinity-branded cloud solution: the X2 set-top box. Available later this year, the X2 will eschew hard drive saves in favor of storing recorded programs online. Additionally, both the forthcoming X2 and soon-to-be updated X1 are said to provide greater interface customization, smarter personalized recommendations, additional web content and enhanced multiplatform integration. If this news tickles your fancy, you can find more screenshots at the source link below or read the press release after the break.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Comcast
X2 has showed off a new mid-tower PC case to its line-up, the 6019. Designed for gamers, this steel case supports for both micro-ATX and ATX motherboards, and features a top-placed I/O panel with 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0 and 2x audio ports, four 5.25-inch external drive bays, six 3.5-inch internal drive bays, eight expansion slots and has three fans (1x 140mm blue LED fan front, 1x 120mm fan rear, 1x 140mm blue LED fan top). The 6019 will retail for $107.95. [Product Page]
The Envy x2 has never been our favorite Windows 8 tablet, but that hasn’t stopped HP from selling loads of them. The device has been such a success, in fact, that the company is expanding the x2 series to make room for two follow-on products: the Split x2 (a Windows 8 hybrid) and the SlateBook x2 (an Android tablet). Starting with the Split (pictured above), this is the first time HP’s made a laptop / tablet hybrid with a laptop processor inside, though Microsoft and others have of course done this already. In brief, it’s a 13-inch slate with a 1,366 x 768 display and your choice of Core i3 or i5 CPU (these are Intel’s Y-series Ivy Bridge chips we’re talking about). As you’d expect, the keyboard dock packs a second battery, though it also makes room for an optional 500GB hard drive to complement the SSD inside the actual tablet. Other specs include two USB ports (one 2.0, one 3.0), HDMI, Beats Audio, WiDi and expansion slots for both microSD and full SD cards.
The SlateBook (shown below) is a 10-inch tablet with a Tegra 4 chip — one of the first to be announced by any company, in fact. Though it’s a companion to the $169 Slate 7, it packs considerably higher-end specs. There’s that Tegra 4 SoC, for one, as well as a 1,920 x 1,200, 400-nit IPS display and the latest version of Jelly Bean (4.2.2). As with other dockable tablets, its keyboard has a battery built in. Here, though, the keyboard also includes a shortcut for Google voice search. There’s even a laptop-style trackpad supporting multitouch gestures — a rarity on products like this. The hardware itself weighs about 2.8 pounds in total, with a spec list that includes two USB sockets, stereo speakers and SD / microSD readers. Both products will be available in August, with the Split x2 priced at $800 and the SlateBook x2 going for $480 (docks included). Now all we need are some battery life claims. In the meantime, check out our hands-on photos below. (Pssst: the Split unit we photographed was just a mockup.)
Another day, another tablet, and the ifive X2 that you see here might not amount to much, but let us not judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a tablet by its pedigree as well as family history, shall we? At the Hong Kong Electronics Fair, someone spotted an 8.9-inch tablet known as the ifive X2, where it will be powered by Rockchip’s quad-core processor and sport a High Resolution display to boot, now how about that?
Known as the Five Elements ifive X2 tablet, it will come with the aforementioned 8.9-inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel IPS display, in addition to the quad-core RK3188 processor, and 2GB RAM, accompanied by a microSD memory card slot for expansion purposes, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, a 5-megapixel camera at the back and a 2-megapixel shooter in front, with a 7,200mAh battery running the entire shebang. There is no word on pricing or availability as at press time though, and those living Stateside will most probably see this arrive as a grey import, if ever.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Hopscotch iPad App Aims To Teach Children Programming, Intel CEO Charts $200 Starting Price For Future Windows 8 Tablets, 
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They say that all good things are meant to be shared, so could this be the reason that the $139.99 Zumreed X2 Hybrid Headphones should be shared (its purchase price) with your sibling, so that the two of you are able to enjoy your favorite music pieces together? Just what are the Zumreed X2 Hybrid Headphones, and what do they do, exactly? For starters, the Zumreed X2 Hybrid Headphones will come with a unique switch that when turned on, will be able to send soundwaves all around you as the headphones now function as a pair of speakers, doing its bit to share your favorite tracks with everyone else in the room. Now, the issue arises as to whether they like your choice of music or not, but that is a different story for another day.
This pair of hybrid headphones will come with loudspeakers that have been mounted on the outside for instant sharing, and it is self-powered thanks to a built-in rechargeable battery so that you need not rely on your music-playback device’s battery source. Not only that, it can be juiced up by plugging it into a USB port, and will also play nice with any audio-source that sports a headphone jack. You know what the next generation model of the Zumreed X2 Hybrid Headphones should come with? Yes sir, I’m looking at a wireless capable model in the pipeline.
[ Zumreed X2 Hybrid Headphones copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Leica cameras have typically been more on the expensive side as we have seen today, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the company were to release a special and limited edition version, it would be just as expensive, if not more. Well for those who love their Leica and want to add another to their collection, the company has revealed a Paul Smith edition of the Leica X2. It is essentially the X2 camera under the hood but has been designed by Paul Smith, giving the camera a slightly more fashion-forward and edgier look.
For those who aren’t familiar with the X2, it features an APS-C format CMOS image sensor at 16.5MP and is combined with a Leica Elmarit 24mm f/2.8 ASPH lens. The camera can be switched between automatic or manual controls, depending on which the photographer prefers just to name some of its features. So how much will this Leica X2 Edition Paul Smith cost you? According to the press release, it has been priced at £2000 (~$3,247) and is expected to be available for purchase in October. Oh and did we mention there are only going to be 1,500 units available worldwide?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Leica’s Gorgeous New Rangefinder Cameras Are Impressive, Expensive, Leica releases making-of video for the limited edition Edition Hermès cameras,
Let’s say you’ve been considering a Leica X2 for the mix of a big APS-C sensor and retro styling, but a $1,995, fixed-range compact camera just isn’t exclusive enough. Leica has you covered with two extra-rare editions that rise above the pack. Provided you don’t mind someone else designing for you, the Edition Paul Smith spices things up with a mix of black, green and orange that reflects the UK fashion designer’s love of stripes and wilder colors. Is the small 1,500-unit batch of Paul Smith cameras still too common? There’s now an à la carte X2 option to limit the production run to exactly one. After picking from black, silver or new titanium colors for the main body, you can choose from a set of leather trim colors and get custom engraving to hedge against the unlikely event that anyone confuses your X2 with someone else’s. Prices aren’t immediately available for the October launches of both cameras. Not that it matters much — if you’re willing to even consider a special edition Leica, you already know that it’s within your price range.
Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Filed under: Cameras
Leica X2 gets à la carte, Paul Smith editions to help you stand out from plebeian photographers (update: hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 20:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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