Hasta La Gadget!

When Google TV was shown to the world a couple weeks ago, only Logitech was on stage as a hardware partner for peripherals. Google would do well to check out the offerings of the Taiwanese-based Cideko. At Computex, it’s showing several new devices that would fit very nicely within the Google TV ecosystem–or, since it’s DLNA-compliant, even the Windows environment.

The Air Player (photo after the jump) is a device that can stream audio and video from multiple interfaces over to your HDTV. It can connect to your PC, external hard drive, or memory card and wirelessly transmit audio and video. And the Air Sender delivers up to 1080p A/V programming from your PC, external hard drive, or memory card and transmit it wirelessly up to 100 meters. The Air Player can then receive those signals and play them on your HDTV or any other remote monitor.

Although no one wants to keep a keyboard on the coffee table, console controllers have certainly found a home there. Cideko’s Air Keyboard Conqueror (above) offers the flexibility of a game controller with a full QWERTY keyboard. It also works as a 3D gyro mouse, so you can point and click on icons on your HDTV.

Cideko reps can’t say when, or if, these products will hit the U.S. But if the connected living room is going to catch on it will need products like this, or something a lot like them.

Check out our ever-growing slideshow of Computex 2010 at PCMag.com.

Like it or not, T-Mobile has now officially turned its myTouch brand into an entire franchise, thanks to the addition of a second model and an entire line of styled accessories — but it’s not just about the hardware. Far from it, in fact: with the myTouch 3G Slide, the carrier has actually built a custom skin on top of HTC’s Sense for Android 2.1, and all kidding aside, this phone represents one of the deepest carrier-customized experiences we’ve ever seen. Seeing how this phone arguably represents the true successor to the G1 — T-Mobile’s (and the world’s) first retail Android device — it’s pretty important that they get this right, particularly considering how critical it is for a carrier’s bottom line to capitalize on the meaty, profitable midrange of its smartphone lineup. Does the myTouch 3G Slide live up to the G1’s good name? Read on.

Continue reading T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide review

T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Often, iFixit needs to wait for a product to be released before it can spend a few hundred bucks buying one and tearing it asunder — but in the case of the EVO 4G, Google’s pre-release of units to attendees at IO appears to have been just the kind of event these guys needed to get in the door early. Taking the phone apart is described as a “wonderfully easy” process, and changing the screen’s glass is said to be pretty easy as well — good news considering how easy it’ll probably be to crack those 4.3 inches of pure WVGA glory. There aren’t any surprises in terms of silicon, but we’ve got one tip for you, HTC: if you’re going to take this color-the-inside-of-the-phone business seriously, would you do us a favor and match the color of the circuit board, too? Seriously guys, go big or go home. Follow the break for iFixit’s full rundown of the process.

Continue reading HTC EVO 4G splayed, found to contain wires, chips

HTC EVO 4G splayed, found to contain wires, chips originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For this week’s Shooting Challenge, 168 of you were brave enough to not only share your photography, but to share a little piece of yourself with it. The results are sometimes funny, sometimes haunting and sometimes beautiful. More »

The Control Freak is a Creative Effects SLR camera lens just released from Lensbaby, and it’s meant for tabletop macro photographers who demand extreme control in their work. Use it to compress and blend the lens to find your desired focus, then lock it in place. Once locked, you can fine-tune the focus using the fine focus ring and fine-tune the tilt by rotating the knobs on the end of the Control Freak’s three metal rods.

The Control Freak is compatible with the Lensbaby Optic Swap system. Push out on the collar to focus as close as 9 inches away from your subject, or use it in conjunction with the Lensbaby Macro Kit to get in even tighter. It’s a perfect choice for tabletop photographers who have a methodical, step-by-step approach to their work. You can pick it up for $350, list.