Hasta La Gadget!

Besides being a lightning rod for the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD wars, the Transformers series also racked up some of the biggest HD sales ever, and now we’ll see if the latest entry, Dark of the Moon, keeps up that trend. Paramount has announced it will be released September 30th in Blu-ray/DVD combo form for $29.99, with a “deluxe” release including Blu-ray 3D expected in “the coming months.” There’s no specifics on any extras included in this release, but it looks like PHE is going the Avatar route and saving those for later. For those anticipating the 3D release, hopefully this doesn’t equal a similar exclusivity period, but until the disc is actually announced we won’t assume anything. If 154 minutes of Michael Bay exploding things sounds like a good idea to you, check after the break for a press release and schedule that Friday off — you have somewhere to be.

Continue reading Transformers: Dark of the Moon Blu-ray due September 30th, 3D version later

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Blu-ray due September 30th, 3D version later originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 21:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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They didn’t earn highlights during Sony’s IFA 2011 keynote, but it did slip out a few more pieces of home theater hardware that are more likely to end up in your living room than its outlandish 3D helmet. The SMP-N200 replaces the earlier Netbox that debuted last year with a refreshed design and support for HD and 3D. Unsurprisingly, this Blu-ray player (without the Blu-ray) also supports DLNA “throwing” of content, making it a natural Apple TV-style tie-in for the Tablet S and Tablet P once they launch. Moving on, the VPL-VW95ES is a proper replacement for last year’s VPL-VW90ES that we’ll probably get more properly acquainted with later this week at CEDIA. For 2011 it’s been refreshed with 3D conversion capabilities, an integrated 3D emitter to sync the glasses and the ability to set and memorize different lens positions to switch seamlessly between 16:9 and ultrawidescreen projecting. Finally, the BDP-S185 Blu-ray player was announced, with compact size and power consumption that Sony claims is 47 percent less than the previous year’s models as its most notable features. All should start shipping in October, no specific word on pricing yet.

Continue reading Sony’s new internet TV box, projector and Blu-ray player make an appearance at IFA

Sony’s new internet TV box, projector and Blu-ray player make an appearance at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we’re getting our game on — and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here!

Let’s be honest, balancing coursework with recreation is just as important as maintaining a balanced food diet — perhaps even more. After you spend countless hours hitting the books, cramming for tests, and writing papers, you’re just going to need something to turn your brain to mush. Don’t worry, we have just the thing: video games. It doesn’t matter how many midterms you have, we’re sure we can find something to help you slack off. Of course, it’s not going to be easy; you’ll have to wait until next semester (at least) to get your hands on the PlayStation Vita, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have options now. Jump past the break — we can probably help you find something to get you through mid-terms with your sanity intact. Don’t want to shell out cash to have fun this semester? Enter our back to school sweepstakes! Simply leave a comment below for a chance to win, and drop by our giveaway page for more details.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: gaming

Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re still in a holding pattern waiting for the NFL regular season to start and fall TV shows to premiere but luckily college football is here to save the day. It’s not alone though, check out our highlighted picks of the week right here, followed after the break by our weekly listings of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

College Football
While the pros — a distinction that is getting fuzzier and fuzzier *cough* Miami *cough* — get ready for their season to start college football teams will be getting back to it this weekend. UNLV and Wisconsin have the first high profile matchup of the year on ESPN (and ESPN 3D) Thursday night while Oregon and LSU play Saturday in a game that could have National Championship implications right away. We’ll include some of the high profile national matchups on our schedule, but you can click here to find out where every nationally broadcast game will be on throughout the season — we know how tough tracking Middle Tennessee can be.

The Hour
BBC America will air the third of six episodes of this drama on Wednesday night as it takes us behind the scenes of a 1950s TV news show featuring The Wire’s Dominic West. While it’s a period piece with plenty of sex, sexism and whiskey if you’re looking for a Mad Men clone you’ll likely be disappointed. The short story arc doesn’t build Don Draper-like lead characters, but the Suez Crisis, spies and a suspicious death form a strong enough backdrop for us to sink our teeth into. If you’re a fan of British TV we’d rate this one below the excellent Luther, but well above Law & Order: UK — check out a trailer after the break.
(August 31, BBC America, 10 PM)

Madden NFL 12
It’s that time of year again, when Madden comes out and we resort to couch based battles of supremacy for bragging rights and more. As usual, not that much has changed from year to year, but there are updates including a new collision system that promises to improve tackling, custom playbooks and new camera angles cribbed from NFL Films archives. After generally positive reviews — it snagged a 3.5-star rating from our friends at Joystiq — we won’t stop you from laying down $60 one more time for EA’s annual refresh.
($59.99, August 30)

Continue reading Must See HDTV (August 29th – September 4th)

Must See HDTV (August 29th – September 4th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you were in need of HP news that has nothing to do with the sold-out, overnight sensation that’s become the TouchPad, then read on. The company’s just announced a new all-in-one desktop solution for the enterprise set — the Compaq 8200 Elite. Starting at a wallet-pleasing $1000, the 1920 x 1080 23-inch full HD monitor comes outfitted with your choice of Intel’s Pentium or vPro line of chips, up to 8GB DDR3 SDRAM, HDD storage that ranges from 250GB to 1TB, six USB 2.0 ports, an optional Blu-ray drive, and a six-in-one media card reader. As you might expect, the machine also comes pre-loaded with MS’ ever-handy Office 2010 starter pack and Norton Internet Security. Sound like the sort of refresh you so desperately need for your cubicle? Then check it out for yourself at the source below.

HP’s Compaq 8200 Elite all-in-one desktop coming to a cubicle near you originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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