Jul 30

Zii EGG prototype gets a hands-on demonstration

Posted in: Android, hands-on, Today's Chili
Our interest was fairly piqued last week when Creative officially unveiled the Zii Egg handheld which we’d seen earlier at the FCC. Details are still a bit vague in some areas, but we know that the Zii Egg is really aiming at developers for its “Plaszma” platform. The Zii Egg also runs Android, though will not come pre-installed on the device instead coming as a download once the device is shipping. CNET Asia just got a chance to have a sit down with a pre-production model of the handheld, and here’s what we’re noticing in the video. The hardware, which looks pretty great, doesn’t look very heavy or substantial to us — which is not to say it looks cheap. The 10-point multitouch capacitive touchscreen was not operable at the time of the demonstration, but it sure sounds promising, and there also wasn’t any real display of the software or applications as of yet. It looks like Creative will be filling its pre-orders for the Zii Egg in the second half of August, so we don’t have too long to wait to see what this thing is all about. Hit the read link for the video.

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Zii EGG prototype gets a hands-on demonstration originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 30

Motorola Sholes Android phone headed for Verizon?

Posted in: Android, moto, motorola, qwerty, rumor, slider, Today's Chili, verizon, vzw

On the lookout for the Motorola / Android / Verizon trifecta, we dug up some handset renders over at motofan.ru that seem to fit the bill quite well, thank you. According to the site, “Sholes” is a 3.7-inch (480 x 854) touchscreen device that will make its debut in the U.S. in October, featuring: 512MB storage, 256MB RAM, support for microSD / microSDHC up to 16 GB (an 8GB microSD ships with the phone), a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, GPS, and the expected connectivity (USB, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi), audio, and video formats. And if the translation wasn’t hopelessly garbled, the source is also saying that this bad boy will support both CDMA and EVDO Rev A . No word on a price yet, but if this phone does make it to the realm of the real it’ll be nice to see a Moto / Android device that doesn’t look like it belongs in the hands of a tweenage girl (yeah, we said it, Morrison). See for yourself after the break.

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Motorola Sholes Android phone headed for Verizon? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 30

VUDU’s streaming service demoed live on an LG TV

Posted in: Features, hands-on, LG, Today's Chili

We’ve seen it in the flesh, and we must say VUDU is doing things right with its move to a device-agnostic service. They haven’t chucked a single feature, and the interface is rather responsive for a TV-based video service (though not quite as flashy as its PS3 and Xbox 360 counterparts). Even with a bit of crummy hotel internet getting in the way, the device managed to buffer streams of 720p and 1080p content at a fairly rapid rate — besting a best-case-scenario Netflix buffer time in most cases. It’s clear that the 5.1 surround, 1080p-equipped HDX format, which can downgrade its bitrate based on available bandwidth, is really going to eat up your pipes, but the 720p looks quite good even in the face of a somewhat limited connection. While LG and Vizio are the jumping off point for this service, it’s VUDU’s stated aim to land on pretty much any home theater device that’ll have them — we can’t imagine Microsoft or Sony taking very kindly to the offer, but it’s hard to argue with this level of HD selection. Video of the service in action is after the break.

Gallery: VUDU’s streaming service demoed live on an LG TV

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VUDU’s streaming service demoed live on an LG TV originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 30

Back-to-School Deals for Being a PayPal Member

Posted in: sale, Today's Chili

Dell & PayPalPayPal isn’t just great for shopping without exposing your financial information online; it’s also great for getting exclusive deals and offers.

Paypal is sponsoring a number of back-to-school deals at various retailers, including Sears, Wal-Mart, and Dell.com. We dug out the electronics-related deals for you in this handy list.

Here’s a taste of what PayPal members can get:

Dell.com – 5 Percent Off
Save up to $179 on select systems. Plus, take an additional 5 percent off top products. This offer is exclusive to all PayPal customers. Offer ends 8/4 at 11:59 p.m. CST.

TigerDirect.com – $1.99 Shipping
For a limited time only, shipping is just $1.99 on orders over $100 and 20 pounds or less.

Find out what other savings you can score, after the jump

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Jul 30

Samsung’s Solstice touchscreen phone bounds onto AT&T

Posted in: att, samsung, Today's Chili, touchscreen

The age of the touchscreen dumbphone is definitely upon us, is it not? Today AT&T and Samsung announced the availability of the Solstice, a phone featuring a 3-inch (presumably resistive) touchscreen, TouchWiz, and lots of funky social networking tie-ins. Still, one gets the overwhelming impression that phones of this ilk are simply trying to cash in on the buzz of like-minded devices, while not bringing anything particularly notable to the table. This 3G-equipped number comes loaded with a 2 megapixel camera, microSD support up to 16GB, and… not much else. The phone will be available August 2nd for $99.99 with a two-year contract. Call us crazy, but for that kind of money, aren’t there superior touchscreen devices on this network?

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Samsung’s Solstice touchscreen phone bounds onto AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 30

Samsung 8500 series LCD TVs feature local-dimming LED backlights, Yahoo! widgets

Posted in: hdtv, LED, samsung, Today's Chili

Sure, we might all just be getting used to LED-backlit LCD HDTVs, but this train ain’t stopping, Chico — Samsung just got official with the 8500 series, which features the next-generation of local-dimming LED backlights. The 54.6-inch and 45.9-inch 240Hz sets are just 1.6 inches deep and offer a 7,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, a 2ms response time, and an Energy Star 3.0 savings mode that continually adjusts the picture and backlight to optimize both picture quality and power savings. You’re also getting Samsung’s usual suite of connected TV features, like the Yahoo! Widget Engine, DivX playback, and DLNA support, but you’ll be paying handsomely for all this newness — the 45.9-inch UN46B8500’s MSRP is $3,599, while the 54.6-inch UN55B8500 will run you $4,499.

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Samsung 8500 series LCD TVs feature local-dimming LED backlights, Yahoo! widgets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 30

Nintendo Profits Drop 60-Percent

Posted in: nintendo, sony, Today's Chili

Thumbnail image for nintendo.jpgSo much for recession-proof: In the first fiscal quarter this year, Nintendo’s sales dropped 40 percent, with a 60.6 percent drop in profits from the same time last year. The company chalked the significant drop up to “an anomaly in its 2009 lineup,” according to Venture Beat.

This year, many of the company’s top games like Super Mario Bros. Wii and Wii Sports Resort are debuting in the second half of the year. The drop also likely has a good deal to do with the fact that video game sales have been down overall. Sony also had a rough quarter, reporting a 39.7 billion yen loss.

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Jul 30

Apple at CES 2010: Just Wishful Thinking

Posted in: steve jobs, Today's Chili

While CEA chief Gary Shapiro was in San Francisco, talking up CES 2010 at a private dinner with journalists, I was at a downtown Manhattan bistro having dinner with Jason Oxman, the CEA’s Senior Vice-President of Industry Affairs. Like the West Coast dinner, this one quickly turned to the subject of who would and wouldn’t attend the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2010.

Oxman readily gave up two major–though not surprising–keynote speakers; Intel CEO Paul Otellini and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Apparently there was a third big name, but Oxman wouldn’t divulge it, instead giving us cryptic clues about Detroit, Grosse Point and, possibly, music and cars (discuss).

Oh, yes: We talked Apple, too. As part of a game in which the assembled journalists made up names that rhymed with possible keynote speakers, someone threw in “Meve Slobs”–a pretty clear reference to Steve Jobs. Oxman didn’t say no, but laughed in a way that made me think it would be next to impossible. We also asked if Apple would have an official presence. Oxman never directly answered the question, but did say that the iLounge, an area devoted to third-party Apple accessories and peripherals, would be bigger than ever (25,000 square feet).

One thing we do know is Apple will not be at Macworld next year. (Will there even be a show? The site says yes). Does that mean Apple might finally grace CES with its presence? Unlikely. Apple never enjoys being one of many. It likes to control the venue and the message. CES is bigger than Macworld, making it even less attractive to Apple.

Speaking of size, Oxman did tell us that 113,000 attendees is the new normal for CES (previously, attendee numbers topped 150K). CEA execs believe it’s more manageable and valuable for attendees and exhibitors. One journalist at the dinner astutely noted that the show numbers had started to decline before the economic downturn; Oxman said it was by design–two years ago they started charging for attendance.

One other major move the CEA did announce is that it will no longer split the show between the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Sands Convention Center. In 2010, the show will be at the LVCC only.

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Jul 30

Robot with iPhone 3GS head reminds us of a cuter, more magnanimous Steve Jobs

Posted in: diy, iPhone, mod, mods, robot, Robots, Today's Chili, video, videos
Who’s this little guy? Oh, that’s just Robochan — the Kondo KHR-2HV bot with a fully-functioning iPhone 3GS fused to his head. Not interested? Well, hear us out — because we, too, have seen many an iPhone mod project in our day, leaving us jaded, easily susceptible to waking in the middle of the night to find ourselves shrieking out “fanboy!” for no reason, and finding that in general at this point — merely cranking the word iPhone into your DIY project is the easiest way to send us to Snoresville. But we’ll admit it: Robochan drew us in within ten — nay, five — seconds. His dance moves are killer, and his faces have stolen whatever remnants of a heart we had left. So take our advice: watch the video, which is after the break.

[Via Gearfuse]

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Robot with iPhone 3GS head reminds us of a cuter, more magnanimous Steve Jobs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 30

Zero Motorcycles bridges the dirt/street gap with the Zero DS electric motorcycle

Posted in: Today's Chili
Zero Motorcycles bridges the dirt/street gap with the Zero DS electric motorcycle

We love motorcycles, and we love things that help the environment, so it’s no secret that we loved the Zero S electric supermoto when we got to take it for a spin through the urban wasteland. That bike has now been set free from the world of asphalt, given some knobbies, beefier wheels, and brawnier suspension to make it just as good when the pavement ends, as the video below shows. It also has a much brighter light, which may put something of an additional drain on the battery (range is still rated at 50 miles), but will make it easier to find puddles to avoid — or to aim for. This bike fills the void between the company’s street and dirt offerings, and while it might not be quite as good over the yumps as the offroad-only Zero MX, it has the distinct advantage of not requiring a truck or trailer to get there in the first place. The DS costs $9,950, the same as the Zero S, and is available for order now.

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Zero Motorcycles bridges the dirt/street gap with the Zero DS electric motorcycle originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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