Hasta La Gadget!

We know… this can be something of a sad time. Seasons changing, vacations ending, schools opening, and days shortening. But don’t be down, dear reader, because we have a heck of a party planned, only a day away. The NYC Engadget Reader Meetup is Thursday, August 25, it’s totally free, and you’re invited.

We’ve lined up an array of exhibitors to show their latest and greatest toys, including AT&T, Samsung, HTC, RIM, and Motorola. We’ll also have an electric Mini Cooper to check out, a glasses-free 3D display from Magnetic 3D, a recharging lounge to refill your electronics, and snacks and desserts to refill your stomachs. AT&T will be bringing artist Matt Siren to do a live piece of art inspired by your stories, and we will of course have a massive pile of goodies to hand out from companies like iRobot, Western Digital, and Pioneer, plus a special giveaway you’ll need a QR reader to win — so don’t forget those smartphones. (Not that you would.)

The party is at Guastavino’s, which is located at 59th Street in New York City. Things will kick off at 6:30pm that night and run until 10:30pm. It’s an all-ages event, but we can only manage 1,000 people in there at a time, and it’s first-come first-served, so don’t be late. Want to come? Just show up by 6:30! You don’t need to pre-register.

We’ll have a boatload of Engadget editors on hand fielding questions, good friends from Joystiq and TUAW will be in attendance, and we’ll be doing a Q&A-focused live podcast (which we won’t be able to broadcast, but look for the recording later). If you’re a member of the media who would like to attend, please e-mail us at meetup at engadget dot com. Everybody else, get ready to party, and if you want to share with your friends the Facebook event is here.

Continue reading Engadget’s NYC Reader Meetup happens August 25!

Engadget’s NYC Reader Meetup happens August 25! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You might have noticed a few changes this morning. Starting today, content from our HD and Mobile sites will appear right here in the main flow, respectively highlighted in red and magenta. It’ll help you stay better informed about what’s going on in this great, wide world of tech, but we’ve made these posts mini-sized — like our Alt section — so you can cruise right over them if you’re not into home entertainment or cellphones. And, if you really, really want to ban those posts from sight, just use this link: www.engadget.com/classic

We’ll also be running the occasional mini-post for classic Engadget content, shorter entries highlighting bits of news that just don’t need the full expository treatment. And don’t worry, because hd.engadget.com and mobile.engadget.com still work just like they did before, as will all our myriad RSS feeds. So, to summarize: new nuggets of short-form coverage will be popping up from time to time, while HD and Mobile content is now mixed-in and multi-colored. Same great flavor, just more (more, more).

Introducing mini-posts, plus integrated HD and Mobile content! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Growing up in the 80’s, many kids used their Little Tikes easels to sketch their homes, or their families, or a football or two. Mine was littered with pictures of ceiling fans. But not just the ceiling fan mounted above my playroom — no, these fans were upside-down (like a model I saw in New Orleans), daisy-chained (seen at a local arcade), and connected to a gas-powered motor (as I once noticed at an Amish farm). My obsession with ceiling fans, and really any motor-powered gadget, ran deep. At one point, shortly after I took my first steps, I began refusing to eat in restaurants that didn’t have fans. And when a particular establishment was sophisticated enough to have installed that ever-so-necessary exposed air circulator, you better believe that it needed to be running, and at full speed.

My seemingly bizarre obsession with powered devices didn’t stop there. I also had an unlikely fascination with vacuum cleaners. Not with their ability to pick up dirt — I don’t believe I had any interest in what they were actually used for, much to the chagrin of my mother — but with the loud motor that sprung to life when I flipped the power switch, and the uncannily bright headlight that lit the way. Sure, vacuums today feature quiet motors and highly maneuverable ball designs, and even though life was simpler two decades ago, that mesmerizing loud hum, and bright, guiding light would be all it took to get a two-year-old me hooked. But electricity became more than a casual curiosity. My most prized possession was a wood-mounted set of outlets paired with matching switches — one was fixed, and one dimmed. My grandfather helped me build it after one of our weekend trips to the hardware store.

Continue reading Growing Up Geek: Zach Honig

Growing Up Geek: Zach Honig originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You probably don’t think “top-tier audio” when you ponder the wonders of Colorado Springs, but sure enough, one of music’s best kept secrets is headquartered there, camped out slyly in quite the nondescript building. A few months back, we were granted unprecedented access to Westone’s lair (just a year and change after visiting Klipsch’s HQ), and they even let a film crew in for good measure. The goal? To show you, the budding audiophile, exactly how a set of custom in-ear monitors are crafted, and what kind of work goes into creating one of the planet’s most diminutive speaker arrangements. We’ve whipped up the entire experience there in the video above, but if you’re looking for a more textual perspective, head on past the break.

Continue reading Westone lab tour: how in-ear monitors are made, from impressions to impressing (video)

Westone lab tour: how in-ear monitors are made, from impressions to impressing (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’ve seen us on Flipboard, Boxee, Roku and even the world wide web. And now, you can see even more of us, slotted between some of the world’s greatest technology sites in Editions. It’s a snazzy new iPad news app, taking its place alongside a smattering of formidable alternatives while presenting a highly customizable view. Upon first launch, you’re presented with a veritable plethora of options, enabling users to create an “Edition” consisting of local news, technology, business, politics, etc. You’re even able to add and subtract actual news sources from within a category, amongst other subtle personalization tweaks. Of course, you can download our app on a handful of platforms, but if you’re looking for a bit of variety (and really, why wouldn’t you be?), hit the source link to give ‘er a go. It’s free, after all.

Update: Seems to be US-only for now, but we’re told it’ll hit the UK and Canada “in the coming months.”

Disclaimer: This app was created by AOL, who keeps the lights on around here.

Editions iPad app: yet another way to ingest your technology news (and Engadget!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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