Jan 09

Razer hits the Xbox 360 with Onza controller and Chimaera headset, we go hands-on (video)

Posted in: feature, Features, hands-on, razer, Today's Chili
Razer hits the Xbox 360 with Onza controller and Chimaera headset, we go hands-on (video)
Razer’s come from nowhere over the past few years to establish itself as a serious player in the PC gaming peripheral market. Now it’s hitting the consoles, starting with the Xbox 360, and the first iteration of offerings are already looking solid. They were announced yesterday and we got some time with both, starting with the Onza contoller, described in detail in the video after the break. Each stick’s resistance can be individually tweaked, there are additional shoulder buttons that can be assigned to replicate any other button on the controller (no more stick-clicking), and what’s pledged to be a d-pad that’s far superior to the generally junk one on the stock controller. Unfortunately they were still working on perfecting that, but everything else feels great already. The other thing on display is the Chimaera wireless headset, which uses a base-station to connect to the Xbox 360 (or other audio device) which doubles as a recharging station. Turn it on and it’ll intercept the audio, silencing your entertainment center, and with a built-in microphone you won’t have to stop the trash-talk. The Onza is set to cost $50 when it ships sometime by Q3, and the Chimaera for about $130 in the same period. We can’t wait.

Gallery: Razer Onza controller for Xbox 360

Continue reading Razer hits the Xbox 360 with Onza controller and Chimaera headset, we go hands-on (video)

Razer hits the Xbox 360 with Onza controller and Chimaera headset, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 22:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 09

Cyber Clean smears our keyboards, fills our nostrils as we go hands-on (video)

Posted in: feature, Features, hands-on, Today's Chili, video

You know that snotty, slimy stuff that you can get in vending machines for a quarter? The stuff that comes in the little, clear plastic bubbles and stains wallpaper and carpet instantly? Ever wonder what would happen if you gave it a refreshing lemony scent and then smeared it into your keyboard? We certainly never did, but Cyber Clean gave us the opportunity to find out anyway, handing us (and nearly everyone else at the show) a sample of the stuff. How does it work? How does it feel? How does it sound when it’s thrown at a camera and slimes the microphone? We’ve got the answers after the break.

Gallery: Cyber Clean

Continue reading Cyber Clean smears our keyboards, fills our nostrils as we go hands-on (video)

Cyber Clean smears our keyboards, fills our nostrils as we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 09

Cannondale’s mind-blowing Simon electronic suspension system hands-on

Posted in: feature, Features, hands-on, Today's Chili
Cannondale's mind-blowing Simon electronic suspension system hands-on

If you’re a bicyclist or just a tech-minded person with a hankerin’ for cool suspension technology, you’ve got to check out the videos after the break. One is a short demonstration to whet your appetite, the other a rather longer explanation from Cannondale engineer Stanley Song of just how the thing works. What is this thing? It’s Simon, a fully electronic and nearly-instantly adjustable suspension system that does away with all the complex mechanical internals of a traditional high-end suspension system (shims, springs, valves, needles, knobs…) and replaces it with an electro-mechanical device that can near infinitely vary not only suspension strength but also ride height instantly based on road conditions. It even has an LCD on the bars. Interest piqued? Click through to see it in action.

Gallery: Cannondale’s Simon hands-on

Continue reading Cannondale’s mind-blowing Simon electronic suspension system hands-on

Cannondale’s mind-blowing Simon electronic suspension system hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 12:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 09

Touch Revolution puts Android in a microwave and makes an updated Nimble tablet, we go hands-on

Posted in: Android, feature, Features, hands-on, Today's Chili
Touch Revolution puts Android in a microwave and makes an updated Nimble tablet, we go hands-on
Last year’s Nimble tablet was approved by none other than MC Hammer. So this year’s version… well, you just have to expect great things, right? Awash in a sea of keyboard-free devices we weren’t really expecting anything shocking and we didn’t get anything shocking. It’s still a seven-inch capacitive-screened tablet intended for use at home, replacing a landline phone and connecting exclusively over WiFi, providing VOIP calling and of course all the goodness that Android provides — Android 1.5. That’s a few versions behind where we’d like it to be, but given the stock OS install here that shouldn’t be too hard to rectify if/when this device comes to retail. More interesting? A microwave with Android. Intrigued? Close the door, press start, and click on through.

Gallery: Touch Revolution Nimble Tablet hands-on

Continue reading Touch Revolution puts Android in a microwave and makes an updated Nimble tablet, we go hands-on

Touch Revolution puts Android in a microwave and makes an updated Nimble tablet, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 09

USB 3.0 SuperSpeed gone wild at CES 2010, trumps even your new SSD

Posted in: feature, Features, hands-on, impressions, Today's Chili, usb, usb 3.0, Usb3.0
USB 3.0 gone wild at CES 2010, trumps even your new SSD

Just in case you didn’t notice the arrow, that’s a USB 3.0 cable up there, plugged into a USB 3.0 port, running in a Fujitsu laptop that is the first to pack integrated support for USB 3.0. How fast was it? On the other end of this one was a Buffalo external enclosure stuffed with an old-fashioned, platter-based hard disk, which still delivered perfectly absurd transfer rates of about 135MB/sec. When another, similar setup ran with an Intel SSD what happened the results were even more impressive: a few ticks over 200MB/sec. Yes, we’re about to enter another dimension. A time when external drives are as fast as internal ones. Where the speed at which you can fill up your MP3 player is limited only by the speed of the storage on that device itself. You are about to enter… the SuperSpeed zone.

Gallery: USB 3.0 displays at CES 2010

Continue reading USB 3.0 SuperSpeed gone wild at CES 2010, trumps even your new SSD

USB 3.0 SuperSpeed gone wild at CES 2010, trumps even your new SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 07

Canon A-Series compact cameras hands-on

Posted in: feature, Features, hands-on, Today's Chili
Canon A-Series compact cameras hands-on
Compact cameras are produced in such great numbers and their models refreshed with such great frequency that it’s hard to get too excited with each new iteration. It’s particularly hard when that refresh is as evolutionary as it is here. But, if it ain’t broke you truly shouldn’t fix it, and it’s hard to find much fault with Canon’s compact line. So, the new A-series cameras announced earlier this week, ranging from the A490 all the way up to the A3100 IS, feature changes that are definitely of the evolutionary side. The primary difference is in the packaging, taking more styling queues from the Elph line and generally looking slimmer and sleeker than before. SDXC compatibility is in the cards if you’re the wealthy type, but otherwise these won’t break the bank, ranging from a thoroughly affordable $110 up to a still quite reasonable $180 for the A3100 IS.

Gallery: Canon A-series cameras hands-on

Canon A-Series compact cameras hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 07

Kodak touchscreen Slice camera, underwater Playsport camcorder, and friends hands-on

Posted in: feature, Features, hands-on, Today's Chili
Where do you show most of your digital photos to friends? Probably via Facebook or Flickr or the like, but many consumers simply do the most logical thing: turn their camera around and squint at the dinky LCD. That was the idea behind the Slice, announced yesterday and more or less designed around a lovely 3.5-inch touchscreen that may not be quite as big as a 4 x 6 print, but it’s far more versatile. The 14 megapixel camera has a solid feel in the hand and looks great. For those feeling a little more adventurous there’s the 1080p Playsport camcorder, which looks and feels more or less like a beefy Flip. To prove its disrespect toward moisture, the camera was unceremoniously plunked into a fish bowl, where it seemed hardly perturbed. Finally is the Pulse digital photo frame, a somewhat pedestrian-looking seven-inch, 800 x 600 model that sports the ability to receive photos via e-mail, so you can shoot those pics of the grandkids off to nanna without her having to touch a thing. Pictures of all that and a pair of new EasyShare models in the gallery below. Oh, and a crab, too.

Gallery: Kodak Slice, Playsport, Beat, and EasyShare cameras

Kodak touchscreen Slice camera, underwater Playsport camcorder, and friends hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 06

MyFord dash and Sync App Ecosystem hands-on

Posted in: feature, Features, Ford, hands-on, Microsoft, sync, Today's Chili
MyFord dash and Sync App Ecosystem make us want a blue oval
You’ve read the PR, seen the press shots, and probably snickered a little at the quote from Ford’s Derrick Kuzak indicating that his company’s latest tech “will cause people to fall in love with their vehicles again.” After getting a chance to play with a few entrants into the company’s so-called Sync App Ecosystem, and getting behind the wheel of a MyFord-equipped mockup vehicle, we’re not laughing — but we are smiling. It’s impressive tech, so read on through to see some videos and check our impressions.

Gallery: Ford Sync App Ecosystem and MyFord

Continue reading MyFord dash and Sync App Ecosystem hands-on

MyFord dash and Sync App Ecosystem hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 06

Dell goes pro with 27-inch UltraSharp U2711 WQHD LCD monitor (hands-on)

Posted in: feature, Features, hands-on, LCD, monitor, Today's Chili

Dell‘s laptop and desktop lineups may hog all of the attention, but the company’s range of LCDs have proven to be contenders over the years. Not one to shy away from the professionals in attendance, the company has today released its first-ever WQHD monitor: the 27-inch UltraSharp U2711. Boasting a native 2,560 x 1,440 resolution, this beast just may pack enough pixels to sway you back into the single-monitor camp. Dell’s also trumpeting the unit’s “billion-color depth and IPS technology,” and the 6-millisecond response time, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 350 nits of brightness and a 12-bit internal processing help to round things out. For the pros who make ends meet by editing photos or video, you’ll probably enjoy knowing that this one boasts a 110 percent color gamut, factory-tuned Adobe RGB and sRGB modes (alongside a color calibration report), custom color adjustments and a smattering of mounting options.

You’ll also find just about every port known to man: HDMI 1.3, DisplayPort, DVI-D (x2), VGA, composite, component, USB (x4) and an 8-in-1 multicard reader. ‘Course, the actual aesthetics are nothing to write home about, but again, this one’s being targeted at end users who care less about the bezel and more about true-to-life pixel performance. We had a chance to toy around with the new beast, and frankly, we were mesmerized. Without an in-house color calibrator, we can’t speak for those who need oodles of numbers and bar charts to tell if a monitor is performing correctly, but we can say that the panel was remarkably sharp, crisp and accurate — more so than our (much adored) 24-inch 2408WFP, that’s for sure. Be prepared to catch this one next month with an MSRP of $1,049.

Gallery: Dell goes pro with 27-inch UltraSharp U2711 WQHD LCD monitor (hands-on)

Dell goes pro with 27-inch UltraSharp U2711 WQHD LCD monitor (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 06

iHome expands its portable offerings with trio of road-warrior iPhone and iPod accessories

Posted in: feature, Features, Today's Chili
iHome expands its portable offerings with trio of road-warrior iPhone and iPod accessories
What, this morning’s iPhone-friendly offerings from iHome don’t jive with your nomadic, cord-hating lifestyle? Check out the company’s next triumvirate of Apple-inclined accessories:
  • iP48 Portable Rechargeable Stereo Alarm Clock: Yes, it’s another alarm clock (pictured above), but this one zips shut to easily slip into your roller. It packs an internal, rechargeable battery and also will sync with your iPhone’s time, so no more late-night attempts at clock setting, you jet-setter you.
  • iP49 Portable Rechargeable Studio Series Audio System: We unfortunately don’t know what this one looks like, but we’re told it packs all the features of the home alarm clocks but with even better audio and, again, a rechargeable battery. A remote control is a nice bonus for when you’re too tired to wander across that 2,500 square foot penthouse suite your platinum reward status earned you.
  • iHM79 Rechargeable Mini Speakers: Perhaps the most useful of the three, the iHM79 (pictured after the break) is simply a set of tiny, portable speakers that will work with Apple devices or, indeed, anything with a 3.5mm output. They too are rechargeable and pack an internal amp.
Like before, no prices or specific availability dates for any of these, so you’ll just have to wait a bit on that. Yeah, we know, patience isn’t our strongest asset either.

Continue reading iHome expands its portable offerings with trio of road-warrior iPhone and iPod accessories

iHome expands its portable offerings with trio of road-warrior iPhone and iPod accessories originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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