Hasta La Gadget!

Worried that Panasonic would kill off Sanyo’s signature pistol-grip camcorders after it bought its rival last year? Fear not — Panny just went and resurrected Sanyo’s ergonomic design with three new models – slapping its own brand on ’em, of course. And, in a move that would do Sanyo proud, Panasonic brought back the DMX-CA100 / VPC-CA100, a 1080p camcorder Sanyo released last year under the same name. It’s gotten a spec boost, though, with the ability to snap 16 megapixel still photos, up from 14.4. The other two — the HX-DC15 and the HX-DC1 — both shoot 1080p video as well, with the DC15 offering 16GB internal memory and a 16 megapixel sensor, and the DC1 able to take 14.4 megapixel stills. No word on availability outside Japan, but we’re sure those of you with a penchant for flip-out displays and candy-colored plastic will find a way to snag one.

Panasonic resurrects Sanyo’s pistol-grip camcorders, trots out three new models originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 14:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For years, Dell’s been teasing supermodel-thin laptops, each one flawed out of the gate: too pricey, too underpowered, and with underwhelming battery life. This time, Dell told us we’d get something different: a laptop without compromise. Recently, Round Rock killed off the Adamo and nixed the XPS 14, and then rumors started to spin — a spiritual successor would be the slimmest 15.6-inch notebook we’d ever seen, be crafted from “special materials” and yet cost less than $1,000. Dell even stated that it would have an “innovative new form factor” of some sort.

The company neglected to mention it would look like a MacBook Pro.

This is the Dell XPS 15z, and we’re sorry to say it’s not a thin-and-light — it’s actually a few hairs thicker than a 15-inch MacBook Pro, wider, and at 5.54 pounds, it weighs practically the same. It is, however, constructed of aluminum and magnesium alloy and carries some pretty peppy silicon inside, and the base model really does ring up at $999. That’s a pretty low price to garner comparisons to Apple’s flagship, and yet here we are. Has Dell set a new bar for the notebook PC market? Find out after the break.

Continue reading Dell XPS 15z review

Dell XPS 15z review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 21:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember Dimenco? A four-man splinter group of former Philips employees, the company has been hard at work refining its glasses-free 3D display tech and today some of the earliest fruit of its labor is going on sale. Nissho Electronics in Japan is beginning sales of a 52-inch LCD panel that can pump out full 1080p of 3D vision without requiring any headgear from the viewer. Initially, this big lenticular display will target businesses, who’ll be among the few to be able to afford the ¥1.7 million ($20,820) asking price. Other specs include a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, 8ms response time, 700 nits of brightness, and a 60Hz refresh rate. The 3D on this TV is actually described as a unique “2D + depth” implementation, which can also be used to convert 2D images in real time. Great, now take a zero out of that price, ship it westwards, and watch the sales really take off.

Nissho starts selling 52-inch, glasses-free 3D TV with Full HD resolution in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 07:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When HP’s Pavilion Quad Edition dv6t and dv7t went on sale three months ago, we couldn’t think of too many detractors, but we did take issue with the fact that these 15.6- and 17.3-inch screens maxed out at 1600 x 900 resolution. If you fall into that camp, well, the Powers That Be over at HP heard you — both machines are now available with 1080p displays, for an extra $150. As before, both come standard with 2GHz quad-core Core i7 processors, AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics with 1GB of video memory, 4GB of RAM, and 640GB hard drives. HP is also offering free upgrades to 6GB RAM and 750GB hard drive space, though no promises on how long that’ll last. Before you get too excited, though, 1080p displays are only an option on these so-called Quad Edition models and the dv6t Select Edition — meaning, you can’t opt for a lower-end dv6 or dv7t and expect to upgrade it. Confusing naming conventions aside, if you’re tempted, we suggest you avail yourself of some sweet coupons at the source links.

[Thanks, Sourabh]

HP’s Pavilion dv6t and dv7t available with 1080p screens, people who bought three months ago sigh originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 20:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Right on schedule, Panasonic’s gone and made its thinly-veiled Lumix DMC-G3 Micro Four Thirds shooter official. The camera succeeds the G2 with a 16 megapixel sensor, support for 1080p AVCHD video recording with stereo audio, 4fps burst shooting at full resolution, and an articulating, 3-inch touchscreen that supplants some of the dials adorning the last-gen model. In addition to poking around menus, you can touch that display to focus on your subject, and slide your finger to tweak exposure, white balance, and depth of field — all in all, not unlike how you might interact with a smartphone camera. And, at 11.8 ounces, the aluminum-clad body weighs about ten percent less than its predecessor. Look for it in June for $700 in brown, red, and white — in addition to your garden-variety black. In the market for something more compact? Panny also trotted out the Lumix-FH7, a 16 megapixel point-and-shoot with 4x optical zoom and 720p movie recording. Oodles of photos below with a press release after the break.

Continue reading Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 ups the interchangeable lens ante with fancy new touchscreen

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 ups the interchangeable lens ante with fancy new touchscreen originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 May 2011 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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