Hasta La Gadget!

Hey Apple, check this thing out! Toshiba just blazed into IFA on a 7-inch multimedia tablet, the JournE touch. It’s dominated by the touchscreen display, but underneath there’s support for a wide range of codecs (H.264, DivX, WMV), 802.11b/g WiFi, some online multimedia services like YouTube and Flickr, and some light internet duties thanks to Internet Explorer running on Windows CE 6.0 Pro. Despite the size and multimedia prowess (it can output sub-1080p video over an HDMI plug in the dock), the device measures a mere 14mm thick and weighs just under a pound. There’s only 1GB of built-in storage, but that can be expanded via the SD slot, and the device can access external storage over USB. Word is it’ll retail for 250 Euro in Q4 this year.

The device feels pretty nice in hand, but there’s still a bit of a prototype vibe about it — maybe because it’s still a prototype. It’s clearly a resistive screen, and the device will include a stylus for non touch-optimized apps. Toshiba seemed to be having fun with the multitude of Apple comparisons, namely since there isn’t an Apple device to compare it to yet. They also call the video output the tablet’s killer app, and promise to show more once they can track down a WiFi signal. Sure, it’s just a MID at the end of the day, but we’ll be happy to humor them — it’s a pretty hot MID.

Update: We’ve got some video hands-on of the JournE right after the break — gaze upon its G-Force displaying prowess!

Update 2: Added one more video after the break, just in case you didn’t get enough the first go ’round.

Continue reading Toshiba’s JournE touch multimedia tablet (updated with hands-on video!)

Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

Toshiba’s JournE touch multimedia tablet (updated with hands-on video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And so it is. Toshiba, the one-time cheerleader for HD-DVD, has now officially gone to the azure side with the BDX2000 Blu-ray player. It supports BD-Live (Profile 2.0) and REGZA-LINK (HDMI-CEC), outputs 1080p at 24 frames per second, and does Dolby True HD / DTS-HD Master Audio… but really, all that needs to be said here is that it’s a Toshiba Blu-ray player. Look for this one-time paradox this November for a penny under $250. As for yesteryear, we think this line from the press release says it best: “This product does not play HD DVD discs.” It’s at once both sad and poetic that this very well may be the last official line ever uttered in the once-promising format’s story.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Toshiba BDX2000 Blu-ray player coming November for $250, gives HD-DVD the final cold shoulder originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung just debuted its new X Series line, a trio of fairly thin big brothers to the new netbooks Samsung is also launching today. The X420 (14-inch), X520 (14.6-inch) and X120 (11.6-inch, pictured) all hover around 0.95-inches thick, and range from 3 ounces to 4.4 pounds in weight. Samsung is touting its new design language for the laptops, though at a glance it doesn’t seem too special — the scratch-resistant UV coating for the glossy finish is a nice touch, though. Under the hood we’re a little short on details, but an unannounced dual-core Intel CULV processor makes an appearance somewhere in there. Otherwise there’s the fairly standard WiFi, Bluetooth, card reader, and HDMI plug. Samsung claims some special mojo to squeeze 9 hours of battery out of its 6 cell batteries (in the X420 and X520, the X120 does 4 cell), with 6 hours of movie playback also claimed — we’ll believe it when we see it, but we want to believe. Prices range from 699 to 899 Euro (about $1,000 to $1,286 US), and the line should ship this month in Europe and Asia.

Filed under: Laptops

Samsung X Series thin-and-lights sport dual-core CULV procs, 9 hour battery life originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ladies and gentlemen, our long, global nightmare is over. Alright, that’s a significant overstatement — but Nokia’s lack of capacitive adoption has unquestionably hurt opinion of its 5800 and N97 models, the first to use its touch-ready S60 5th Edition platform. Happily, afterdawn.com is reporting — and we’ve been able to independently confirm — that the X6 will indeed be using a capacitive display, something that we suspect will significantly improve usability if you’re not interested in using a stylus (or plectrum, as the case may be) to navigate your way through the interface. For the record, Samsung’s already proven that S60 5th is totally doable with capacitive tech on its i8910 HD, so we’re sure Nokia’s going to be able to pull this off with aplomb — the real question might be whether this signals a wholesale abandonment of resistive across the range. Since resistive’s cheaper, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it continue to hang around on the low end for some time to come, but at least we’ve now got the choice. Sadly, it’s too late to save the N900’s screen — but now that Maemo’s made the bold leap into GSM telephony, maybe we’ll see some worthy capacitive action the next time around.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Nokia X6 confirmed to sport a capacitive display, we can finally exhale originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve been waiting with bated breath for some real news on the XPERIA X2, wait no longer. News has just broken that the re-styled, gutted refresh of Sony Ericsson’s popular (and expensive) X1 is due to hit “selected markets” in Q4. According to a post on SE’s Xperiancers blog, the company is in talks with various carries right now, and will be detailing the plans in the coming weeks. Additionally, the blog delivers some info on the device itself, calling out its 8.1 megapixel camera, inclusion of a standard 4GB microSD card, and 13 pre-loaded “panels” in its reworked Windows Mobile skin (which appears to have a new SDK for the forthcoming OS update). Oh, and speaking of Windows Mobile, it’ll be shipping with 6.5 onboard. To learn much, much more, check the two videos after the break. We’ll also be grabbing an up close and personal hands-on with the device in a few moments, so keep your inter-set tuned to the Engadget channel.

Continue reading Official: XPERIA X2 launching Q4, Windows Mobile 6.5 onboard (video)

Filed under: Cellphones

Official: XPERIA X2 launching Q4, Windows Mobile 6.5 onboard (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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