Hasta La Gadget!

Yeah, we’re in full-on tablet overload mode, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any room for innovation. In fact, ASUS’s Eee Pad MeMO is surprisingly fresh in its take on this already-so-worn subject. The 7-inch, 1024 x 600 tablet runs Android 3.0 (which doesn’t exist yet, but we won’t tell ASUS if you won’t), with a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm 8260 processor under the hood and dual cameras (1.2 megapixel front, 5 megapixel rear with LED flash). That’s all very nice, but the highlight is a capacitive stylus and two included apps to make the best use of it. Media Note is a scrapbook / note taking application, while Painter allows you to use the stylus as a pressure-sensitive drawing instrument. They’re probably nothing too special just now, but the prospect of pressure-sensitivity on a handheld tablet is alluring, particularly for the artists among us that thought they’d left the iPad’s fingerpainting methods back in kindergarten. MeMO’s other standout might not win it so many fans, but it’s still worth noting. ASUS calls the device “a perfect blend of tablet and smartphone,” and uses a stereo Bluetooth headset dubbed the “MeMic” media phone extender to make the experience a bit more phone-like. We’ll reserve judgement for when we see more than a render of MeMic in action. No word on price or release for the MeMO right now, but hopefully we’ll know more soon. Until then we can keep our eyes set on Honeycomb’s supposed March timeframe — a river of tablets will carry us there.

Update: ASUS says the Eee Pad MeMO will start at $499, and debut in June.

ASUS Eee Pad MeMO tablet takes a pen out of the Courier’s book originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Would you look at that. The device above could very well be the long rumored Optimus Tab we caught hanging out in the LG booth here in Las Vegas just moments ago. It certainly looked to be running Android 2.x beneath an 8.9 inch display but there’s obviously no way to confirm the Tegra 2 processor. Whatever it is, LG was not very happy to have it on video judging by their quick “hey buddy!” request to shut down our camera. Specifically, the tablet was spotted in the floorspace occupied by LG’s new series of WiFi-connected Thinq appliances sporting an LG home automation skin or app. We get a first glimpse of the tablet (or at least a tablet with a rear-facing camera) at about 10 seconds into the video posted after the break — it’s being held by a man who just used Thinq from his office to remotely feed his dog while watching the whole thing go down from the camera on his HOM-BOT robotic vacuum cleaner. Bizarre, we know, but strangely compelling. Of course, with Samsung’s Galaxy Tab already on the market receiving its fair share of accolades, you can’t expect its cross-town Korean rival to stay out of the market much longer. The only question we have (which LG wasn’t about to answer) is whether this is a general purpose Android tablet or if it’s dedicated to Thinq appliance management. We’ll know soon enough as it’ll certainly be unveiled this week.

Update: LG’s official twitter account says it’s the KT Identity Tab.

Continue reading Exclusive: LG Optimus Tab revealed? (updated)

Exclusive: LG Optimus Tab revealed? (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s CES banners have been unfurled around the Las Vegas Convention Center here and one of them has a particularly alluring, and particularly skinny, phone to show us. The above image of half a touchscreen handset (more closeup photography of which you’ll find in the gallery below) shows a Sony Ericsson brand and what looks like a 3.5mm headphone jack — the latter of which would suggest that this phone is no more than six or seven millimeters thick. Even more enticing is the promise of “more entertainment at the touch of a button,” suggesting some processing and graphics firepower contained within as well — could it be SE’s answer to the dual-core LG Optimus 2X? We get the feeling we’ll love this thing whatever the hell’s inside it.

Update: Closer investigation of the imagery has led us to believe this is probably the Anzu / X12 that we first saw back in November. That device’s claim to fame was a 4.3-inch display allied to a “very, very thin” profile.

Sony poster at CES shows unannounced, extremely slim-looking phone (update: probably the Anzu) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seeing that Lucas & Co. already announced that the Star Wars series would be coming to Blu-ray we’re not exactly sure what will be announced on Thursday at Panasonic’s CES booth — please, please, please don’t say it’s another Avatar-style two year pack-in exclusive — but the invite promises it will be most impressive. Darth Vader and a number of Stormtroopers will be on hand and you know we’ll be ready to pass all information revealed onto you (given the parties involved we’re leaning towards some news about a home release of the 3D converted flicks), even if it’s just that ol’ George has decided to release the prequels ahead of the original trilogy.

Star Wars Blu-ray to get a ‘most impressive’ announcement at CES from Vader, Fox & Panasonic originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just when we were getting used to the introduction of passive glasses 3D into the formerly active shutter-only home arena Samsung LCD Business and RealD will show off another option at this year’s CES that is apparently based on the ZScreen technology RealD licensed last year. According to the two, RDZ LCD HDTVs are compatible with the cheaper RealD glasses already in use in theaters, by making the panel itself an active switching LCD instead. Compared to the patterned retarder passive 3D we expect to see from Vizio and LG, this has the advantage of not cutting the resolution of whatever you’re watching in half, although they would likely still claim advantages in brightness and lack of flicker. We’ll have to let our eyes tell us which is the best approach but the fact this is coming from Samsung’s business LCD division instead of its consumer arm suggests the price of any displays that are eventually released will be something beyond the 3D capable TVs we’re used to so far.

Continue reading Samsung, RealD announce RDZ tech that puts active shutter 3D into the TV instead of the glasses

Samsung, RealD announce RDZ tech that puts active shutter 3D into the TV instead of the glasses originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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