Hasta La Gadget!

If you don’t want to hate your current camera, look away now. Nikon’s 16 megapixel D7000 has landed into the world of officialdom with a bang, bringing with it an almighty 39-point autofocus system, 100 percent viewfinder coverage, 1080/24p and 720/30p video options, dual SD card slots, 6fps burst mode for up to 100 shots, and magnesium alloy top and back covers for that extra bit of metalized durability. The continuous video autofocus that debuted in the D3100 is here too, though bear in mind there’s a 20 minute cap on uninterrupted recordings. Video nuts might not like that, but at least there’s a stereo mic input and an added control dial for adjusting shooting modes. It’s looking like a thorough upgrade from the D90, but remember that Canon’s direct competitor — the 60D — costs a Benjamin less than the D7000’s $1,200 body-only asking price (or $1,500 with an 18-105 kit lens) , so take the time until this becomes available in mid-October to weigh up your options well. Oh, and the outfit’s also throwing out two new pieces of high-end glass alongside a new flash: an AF-S 200mm f/2G ED VR II for $5,999.95, an AF-S 35mm f/1.4G for $1,799.95, and an SB-700 Speedlight for $329.95.

Continue reading Nikon D7000 brings 39-point AF, 1080p video, and magnesium alloy construction to $1,200 price point

Nikon D7000 brings 39-point AF, 1080p video, and magnesium alloy construction to $1,200 price point originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Nikon (1), (2), (3)  | Email this | Comments

It’s September 15th somewhere, right? Er… right! At any rate, it looks as if the leaks we saw earlier this month were 99 percent accurate, with Olympus pulling the trigger this morning on its mid-range E-5 DSLR. Boasting a familiar design, this 12.3 megapixel shooter ups the ante with a 3-inch dual-axis swiveling LCD, a TruePic V+ image processor, full-time Live View system, splash and dustproof magnesium alloy body, 720p movie mode (Motion JPEG) with a 7 minute-per-clip maximum, in-body mechanical image stabilization and an 11-point auto focus system. There’s also wireless flash control, support for both CompactFlash and Secure Digital (SDHC / SDXC) cards and an ISO range from 100 to 6400. Unfortunately, this bad boy will set you back an almost unconscionable $1,699.99 for the body alone, which sure seems lofty given all the other options popping up. Something tells us you should wait for Photokina to conclude before pulling the trigger, but even if you managed to get a pre-order in, it won’t leave the docks ’til October.

Continue reading Olympus E-5 DSLR gets official: 12.3MP, 720p movie mode, swiveling LCD

Olympus E-5 DSLR gets official: 12.3MP, 720p movie mode, swiveling LCD originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 02:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Even without yesterday’s premature video promo, you had to know Motorola wouldn’t leave its international audience without a successor to the Milestone, so today — surprise, surprise — we’re being treated to the Milestone 2’s launch. The first thing to be said here is that if you’ve handled a Droid 2, you’ve also handled a Milestone 2 — the new phone follows Moto’s tradition of being a simple rebadge away from the Verizon-friendly Droid naming scheme, which means it retains the same 1GHz OMAP SOC, 512MB of RAM, 5 megapixel camera, 8GB of integrated storage (plus an included 8GB MicroSD card), and Android 2.2 as the default, albeit Motoblured, OS. Also, we got this straight from the Motohorse’s mouth: Motoblur’s not going anywhere, it’s the company’s “Android solution” and is here to stay.

One advantage over the Droid 2 here is the addition of 720p video recording. It’s still the exact same imager as on the back of the first Milestone, but now you can catch moving visuals in HD resolution. Moto were keen to point out the 5-device hotspot capabilities (courtesy of Froyo) on the Milestone 2, but they showed it off using a wired connection since the demo handset’s O2 SIM card wouldn’t permit wireless tethering. Well, that was a grand demonstration of how vulnerable our Android 2.2 goodness will be to the whims of mobile carriers. The Milestone 2’s expected to launch around Europe in Q4, with carrier-dependent pricing as per usual.

Update: Hands-on video now available after the break.

Continue reading Motorola Milestone 2 arrives, 720p HD video, Android 2.2, and Motoblur Enhanced in tow

Motorola Milestone 2 arrives, 720p HD video, Android 2.2, and Motoblur Enhanced in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

You’re sitting alone, your house is quiet. You turn your phone off and reach for a novel — your favorite novel. You run your hand along the book’s well-worn spine, then crack open the yellowing pages to the spot you were at last. Suddenly you put the book down. Where are you? You stand up and take off your glasses, looking around frantically at your surroundings. Where are you?

Well, you’re not in Berlin, Germany between the dates of September 1st and 7th, attending IFA. ViewSonic just announced, no, threatened an onslaught of 3D product for the upcoming tradeshow, including a 720p 3D camcorder that will pack a built-in 3D display for a mere $300 (we’re sure it will be delightful). Details are scarce, but our guess would be that it’ll utilize a glasses-free 3D display akin to Nintendo’s 3DS or the Fujifilm Finepix Real 3D W3. Other 3D members of the brood will include a 3D handheld TV, 3D stills camera, and a 3D photo frame — all of which will undoubtedly scream quality. As if that wasn’t enough, ViewSonic will also be showing off a 7-inch Android tablet dubbed the ViewPad 7, along with a 10-inch tablet that can dual boot to Android and Windows. PR is after the break, we’ll let you get back to your book.

Update: Does that 3D camera (the two images on the left) look familiar? It should, it’s almost certainly a rebadge of the Aiptek i2. Poor Viewsonic, what happened to you?

Continue reading ViewSonic doing 3D like crazy at IFA, plans to debut 3D camera, camcorder, photo frame, and portable TV

ViewSonic doing 3D like crazy at IFA, plans to debut 3D camera, camcorder, photo frame, and portable TV originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

What is there to do on a cloudy Friday in Britain? Why, scouring the web for your phone’s firmware update, of course. That’s probably how a Modaco member unearthed the Dell Streak’s latest Android 2.1 build (apparently just for locked O2 devices), anyway. Sure, the link’s quirky domain name and sluggish speed may arouse some suspicion, but our sources have confirmed that this non-final update is indeed coming from Dell (and you can expect the link to be killed soon). Many users — including ourselves — are reporting a successful update and enjoying the same goodies we spotted in our preview: 720p camcorder, a much improved keyboard, live wallpapers, etc. Fancy giving it a shot? Here’s how: copy the .pkg file to the SD card, rename it to “Update.pkg,” then boot the Streak into recovery mode (hold down both volume keys and then power on), and finally choose to recover from said file (your phone will be wiped!). Of course, as with any firmware updates, make sure you have some sort of backup somewhere and tread carefully.

In other news: as promised, Dell’s AT&T Streak ordering page went live today, and yes, it’ll still be shipped with Android 1.6. Looks like xda-developers and Modaco are well on course to beat Dell on releasing a 2.1 or even a 2.2 update.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: Looks like someone’s managed to get this firmware working on an officially unlocked Streak. Again, do it at your own risk. And if all fails, you can try going back to the 1.6 firmware.

Dell Streak gets leaked Android 2.1 update in the UK, but still the same ol’ 1.6 in the US originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Modaco  |  Dell (O2 2.1 update), Mediafire (mirror), Dell US  | Email this | Comments