Hasta La Gadget!

Jeff’s unwavering pessimism and general distaste for life might finally take a turn in his favor, according to research that claims grumpiness is good for you. If that’s true, then Jeff …

Originally posted at The 404 Podcast

We know you’re excited — the Nokia Twist finally has a legitimate competitor in the square-shaped pseudo-smartphone space! Motorola snuck up on us with its Flipout unveiling yesterday, so today we diligently trudged along to its local offices to get properly acquainted with this new Android handset. Running version 2.1 (Eclair) on a 600MHz processor might seem like a recipe for trouble, but it’s the same Cortex A8 (TI OMAP 3410) as used in the Droid, and our time with the little quadrangle revealed it could handle itself with aplomb. The Flipout also boasts a freshened up Motoblur implementation and 512MB of both RAM and ROM, but only 150MB for user storage — time to bring on Froyo, eh? With interchangeable back covers (two will come in the retail box) and that handbag-friendly form factor, the Flipout is unashamedly flirting with being a phone for style-conscious lady-geeks, but let’s see if it doesn’t appeal to gruff old types like us as well. Join us after the break for our full hands-on impressions.

Continue reading Motorola Flipout preview

Motorola Flipout preview originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Radio controlled airplanes aren’t quite as exciting as their full-sized counterparts, but they’re pretty darned fun just the same. What would be even more fun? Rigging up an RC craft so that you could see as if you were flying inside the thing, and that you can now do for less than you’d spend on a high-end servo. $47 gets you this aptly titled “RC Plane Camera,” a VGA quality cam that won’t deliver quality high enough to film an RC version of Les Chavaliers Du Ciel, but should be enough to see what your little plane sees. You can rotate the lens in any direction you like (while on the ground) and, since it weighs only 20 grams, it should work just fine even on a kite. What could you do with such a thing? Watch the video after the break and we think you’ll get some ideas.

Continue reading Cheap, tiny camera for RC planes captures video proof when you buy the farm

Cheap, tiny camera for RC planes captures video proof when you buy the farm originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We already took a closer look at ASUS’ minty fresh ROG G53 gaming laptop earlier in the week, but it was the outfit’s 17-inch version (the G73JW, predictably) used to showcase a new partnership with SiBEAM. The aforesaid rigs are the world’s first laptops to integrate SiBEAM’s 60GHz WirelessHD technology, essentially doing exactly what Intel’s WiDi does. For those unfamiliar with either technology, it enables the laptop to beam 1080p content directly to a receiver box (that tube you see above, which will be attached via HDMI in theory) from up to 30 meters away. Both machines are slated to be slinging HD sans cabling this Fall, though pricing for the upgraded beasts wasn’t available just yet. Still, we were treated to a demonstration over at the outfit’s Computex booth, and while it was dangerously close to the receiver, HD content still was streaming without a hitch. Granted, we’ve seen nothing but great things from other WirelessHD applications in the past, but it’s still lovely to see it humming along so nicely within a full-fledged computer. Have a look yourself just past the break.

Continue reading ASUS debuts WirelessHD-equipped G73JW and G53 laptops, we go eyes-on

ASUS debuts WirelessHD-equipped G73JW and G53 laptops, we go eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know that scene in Iron Man 2, where Justin Hammer asks Rhodey which weapons he wants inside War Machine—and Rhodey says “all of them”? That’s exactly how the Evo 4G was born. Somebody said “everything.” More »