Hasta La Gadget!

Often when you hear minimum spec doom and gloom, it proves to be wildly inaccurate, or only part of the picture. This time, however, it’s worth a closer look. PC Magazine‘s Sascha Segan is confidently citing the director of Enspert, a Korean consumer electronics company (which recently announced its own Android tablet), who claims that Honeycomb will require a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor. He’s also confident that Motorola’s tablet will be the first device to market with the new version of Android, and his other minimum specs line up with the idea of Honeycomb being initially a tablet-only release. Apparently 1280 x 720 is going to be the minimum resolution, with screen sizes “as small as” 7-inches, though it sounds like 10-inches could be the default. These specs seem to clearly leave out Galaxy Tab, along with anything else on the market or soon to arrive that doesn’t have a Tegra 2 chip. It also makes sense that the Galaxy Tab 2 is going to be using Tegra 2 — Samsung clearly won’t be deterred.

And how about phones for Honeycomb? The picture is decidedly murkier, other than the fact that we could see a temporary splintering of the platform while tablets show off their new Honeycomb digs, with enough battery to back up that dual-core proc. Of course, dual-core handsets are right around the corner, so we doubt handsets will be without Honeycomb for long — Google should know which side its bread is buttered on. There’s also the possibility that this Enspert source is only talking tablets, and phones (which are required to push way fewer pixels, and have much stricter battery requirements) will get a pass on the dual-core requirement altogether. No matter what, you should settle in for a year of entertainment as Google continues to iterate its wildly successful operating system, and manufacturers strain to keep up.

[Thanks, Jason]

Honeycomb to require dual-core processor, initially tablet-only? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 is shaping up to be a big year for tablets at the Consumer Electronics Show, and TV maker Vizio will be part of the touchscreen scene.

Attempting to beat the onslaught of product releases to come this week on the convention floor, Vizio announced the debut of its soVIA Tablet and VIA Phone, both of which will run on the Android OS.

As to whether the devices will run Froyo, Gingerbread, or another version of Android, Vizio isn’t saying. Both devices will, however, be running the VIA Plus skin, a new app platform debuting with the VIA models.

The specs on the VIA Phone sound enticing. The VIA Phone boasts a 1-GHz processor (manufacturer as yet to be named), 4-inch capacitive touch screen and HDMI output with HD video playback.  There’s a front-facing camera to make video chats possible, while the 5-megapixel rear camera allows for photos and HD video capture.

As for the VIA Tablet, it’s got most of what the phone has: a 1-GHz processor, an HDMI output and a MicroSD card slot for memory expansion. The capacitive touch screen measures in at 8 inches — slightly smaller than that of the 9.7-inch iPad.

But the real competitive advantage may end up in the price points.

“There is a huge gap in the market for people who can’t afford the iPad or whatever else,” Vizio CTO Matthew McRae told Bloomberg. The company hasn’t announced what the VIA Phone or Tablet will cost as of yet, but according to Bloomberg, McRae says that the products will be “very aggressively priced.”

In addition to Vizio, several key manufacturers, including Toshiba, LG and MSI, are expected to unveil tablet devices at this week’s show. Stay tuned on Gadget Lab for live coverage from the CES show floor.

Photo courtesy Vizio

Did you miss out on the Nissan Leaf pre-orders? Yeah, us too. Are you planning on cruising around in Costa Rica sometime after February? Sadly you can count us out there, but if you’ve checked both boxes you might want be interested to know that Mitsubishi’s i MiEV electric car will be available there starting next month, making it the first country in this hemisphere to sell them. The car offers a 100 mile maximum range and a top speed of 80, quite comparable to the Leaf, but the $61,500 price down there almost doubles Nissan’s offering up here. That’s also twice what the i MiEV is expected to sell for when it ships to the mainland this fall, quite possibly thanks to the massive import duties applied to cars in the land of Pura Vida. But, with as few as 25 of the machines offered for sale, this is something of a niche release anyhow.

Mitsubishi i MiEV electric car launches in Costa Rica next month for a mere $61,500 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 19:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know that feeling you get when you hop into a car you’ll never be rich enough to own? It’s full of fascinating technology, everything works great, it’s solidly built, it definitely won’t fit into the “compact” spots at 7-11 — and it just doesn’t care. If you’re a DJ, entering the world of Pioneer‘s DJM-2000 is a little bit like that. Read on for our impressions of the multitouch-laced behemoth to see if it’ll have you raving all the way to 2012.

Continue reading Pioneer DJM-2000 DJ mixer review

Pioneer DJM-2000 DJ mixer review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 19:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, would you have a look at this? Details are scarce right now, but by the looks of these ads outside CES, this Casio TRYX imager sports two hinges for the sake of versatility: one for the frame that doubles as a handle or a stand, and one for swiveling the display — presumably a touchscreen since there are just a couple of buttons on the body. Coincidentally, Google also led us to the TRYX’s stash of press shots which have now been pulled, but we’ve got you guys a screenshot for the time being — it’s not like it’ll be long before all is unveiled, anyway.

Casio shows off multi-hinged TRYX camera outside CES, prematurely outs press shots originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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