Oct 06

3M’s MPro 120 pocket projector fights the good fight at CEATEC (video)

Posted in: ceatec, Features, now shipping, NowShipping, on sale, OnSale, pico projector, PicoProjector, projector, ship, shipping, ships, Today's Chili, video

3M’s MPro 120 didn’t really add a whole lot of spice to the currently drab pocket projector lineup, boasting a simple VGA resolution, 4:3 aspect ratio and image quality suitable for presentations alone. Granted, the 12 lumens and 4 hours of battery life both trump figures on the decidedly impressive SHOW WX (which has 10 lumens and 2 hours of life), but in the wide world of beamers, it’s the picture quality that matters most. We took a peek at the latest MPro here in Japan, and while the results were less than impressive underneath the lights, the sub-$330 street price in the US is definitely admirable. If you’ll recall, the laser / PicoP-based SHOW WX is slated to retail right around $500, while this bugger can be found right now in trusted e-tailers for over a Benjamin less. ‘Course, 3M might want to inform its booth attendant of this little matter, as the (erroneous) $600 price quote we got from a certain someone definitely shocked us momentarily. Video’s after the break.

Gallery: 3M’s MPro 120 pocket projector fights the good fight at CEATEC

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3M’s MPro 120 pocket projector fights the good fight at CEATEC (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 06

HTC HD2 hands-on and impressions… on video!

Posted in: Features, HTC, Microsoft, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile, windows mobile 6.5, WindowsMobile, WindowsMobile6.5

We had a chance to give HTC’s newest darling device — the Windows Mobile 6.5-sporting HD2 — a more thorough hands-on today, and we wanted to share our impressions. Firstly, we must say that HTC has done perhaps its most ambitious skinning job ever here. So while this does run atop Windows Mobile 6.5, you rarely see the OS poking through the gorgeous new Sense user interface the company has created. If you’re used to TouchFLO 3D (or Sense on Android), this should seem old hat to you, but keep in mind there are some major changes here that dramatically affect the Windows Mobile experience. As you probably already know, the Snapdragon-based device sports a 1GHz MSM8250 CPU, a massive, 800 x 480 capacitive display (with multitouch functionality thanks to more tinkering from HTC), a 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flashes, a 3.5mm headphone jack, FM tuner, and GPS chip on-board.

We were frankly blown away with how slick this phone is. Mind you, WM 6.5 still shows its not-so-fresh colors here and there, but the general experience of using the device is handled mainly through the Sense interface, and it blows the hinges off of any other Windows phone experience we’ve had. Ever. From the lag-free gestures which get you around the device, to image pinching and zooming with that aforementioned multitouch, the hesitation-free jumps in and out of applications, and typing on the sprawling, HTC-ified onscreen keyboard, using the HD2 is a joy. There’s no getting around the fact that the phone is still very much anchored to Windows Mobile, but what HTC has done here is nothing short of a revelation. Why Robbie Bach didn’t bring this up on stage today at Microsoft’s open house event is anyone’s guess — though we have to imagine that when your OS is this heavily gutted (HTC has even completely removed stock apps like calendar and contacts and replaced them with its own versions, and the company had to hand-roll the capacitive / multitouch interfacing), it might not be the best example of what you’ve done. We’ll be waiting with bated breath till we get more hands-on time with this phone, but until then, we can all enjoy some lengthy video of the device in action… so check it out after the break.

Update: Second video is up!

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HTC HD2 hands-on and impressions… on video! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 06

Toshiba’s DMFC fuel cell seen ‘powering phones’ at CEATEC (video)

Posted in: ceatec, Features, Japan, power, Today's Chili, Toshiba, video

Toshiba has been promising the world a healthy dose of fuel cell chargers for what feels like ages now, with its most recent swearing happening just two months ago. Here at CEATEC, the company’s wares were being trumpeted by KDDI. We witnessed a standard handset have its stock battery removed and replaced with an admittedly bulky fuel cell container. The booth attendant proudly juiced up the cell, clipped it onto the phone’s rear and mashed the power button. Within seconds, the device booted up normally, and a handy level indicator on the charger itself kept us in the know on how much life was left. Or — you know — maybe the whole thing was just an elaborate hoax to fool English-speaking media into thinking this stuff was really nearing its commercial release. Have a look at a brief video just beyond the break, but try not to get your hopes up too high. No need in having your heart broken again unnecessarily.

Gallery: Toshiba’s DMFC fuel cell seen powering phones at CEATEC

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Toshiba’s DMFC fuel cell seen ‘powering phones’ at CEATEC (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 06

Zoundry Raven: Free Blogging Software

Posted in: Features, Freeware, Software, Today's Chili, Windows

This article was written on December 04, 2008 by CyberNet.

zoundry raven.jpg
(Click to Enlarge)

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My favorite blogging software has always been Windows Live Writer because of the tremendous job Microsoft has done maintaining and adding more and more useful features to it. The interface is nice, inline spell checking catches mistakes as I make them, and the overall experience is very positive.

I’ve tried out a lot of other blogging applications (both paid and free), and none have come close to all the features Windows Live Writer has to offer. There’s one alternative, however, that’s almost there: Zoundry Raven. It supports nearly all blogging platforms, will let you preview posts just as they would appear on your blog, and much more:

  • Tabbed WYSIWYG Editing

    • True WYSIWYG writing and XHTML source editing
    • Drag and drop images, video, and text from the Web
    • Unicode (UTF-8) support
    • Preview posts in your blog’s template
  • Improved content management

    • Built-in indexer allows you to see posts by blogs, links, tags, and images
    • View tag cloud and browse to posts containing specific tags
    • View posts independently of where they were published
  • Manage multiple media storage services

    • Set up different media services (Picasa, Image Shack, Ripway, custom FTP) for different blogs
    • Share single media service with multiple blogs
  • Manage multiple blogs offline

    • Publish and update the same post to multiple blogs
    • Manage multiple blogs within multiple accounts
    • Now supports extended entries
  • Raven2Go

    • Install Raven as a Portable Application on your flash/thumb drive
    • Raven will stay out of your Windows registry and let you take your blogging on the road
  • WordPress 2.2+ Page & Tag support

    • Use Raven to create and modify your WordPress Pages just like any other blog post
    • Set WordPress tags as well as import tags from all of your posts

I’d say that Zoundry Raven is almost on par with Windows Live Writer. It did have troubles importing the template for one of my blogs, and the spell checking is on-demand instead of inline, but overall I’d say this has a chance of becoming a popular blogging tool.

Get Zoundry Raven for Windows
Thanks Jason!

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Oct 06

Robbie Bach sits down for a roundtable discussion, Engadget is there

Posted in: Features, Microsoft, Today's Chili

We’re currently at a multi-purpose Microsoft event right now — an event touring the company’s holiday lineup, as well as today’s launch of Windows phone devices (AKA, Windows Mobile 6.5). We had a chance to sit down with Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices Division, and ask him some questions about where the big M is headed with its recent lineup. Here are a few of our takeaways.

  • We asked about convergence (or lack thereof) across Microsoft products. Zune, Xbox, and Microsoft phone products don’t really play nice at this point. Robbie was hesitant to tackle the actual question, sticking mostly to the party line, though he did admit that their plans stretch further down the road than this — a theme thus far. It sounds a lot like Microsoft isn’t where it wants to be. In a later question, he asks us to “look where [Microsoft] is in two or three years.” That’s a long time to wait guys.
  • An HTC HD2 is doing the rounds at the show (though it’s in someone’s pocket) — when we asked why the company hasn’t highlighted the device (which is pretty darn slick, by the way), Robbie seemed to glaze over the presence of the device. The line was “we want to work with all our partners.” Why they wouldn’t call out what is a groundbreaking device for Windows Mobile is somewhat perplexing.
  • Michael Gartenberg, one of our contributors, asks about if the company is “still committed to pen computing” — Robbie says yes, and that there’s a lot of “research” going on right now. “The pen has been around for a long time,” he says. “There’s work that has to be done.”
  • Robbie says, “Microsoft is as proactive as it is reactive.” On the Zune HD “Where we broke through is in software.”
  • Gartenberg asks about “devices that fall between a PC and a phone.” Robbie chuckles pretty hard at that one. “Here’s my favorite survey of the year… which will you buy, a Microsoft tablet or Apple tablet?” “Do I believe there are other devices out there that people want to use, like a Kindle-like device… yes.”
  • Peter Rojas asks about the company’s acquisition of Danger. Robbie: “There were clear reasons for us to acquire Danger — I think in time that will pan out. It wasn’t another OS, it was services… the Sidekick isn’t our brand, it’s T-Mobile’s brand.”
  • We ask Robbie about Pink and if a Microsoft phone is in the company’s future: “I don’t see that.” Robbie was pretty vehement that making a piece of hardware for the mobile space isn’t really in the company’s plans. “Apple demonstrated that the end to end experience worked, so we did that with the Zune.” He says he doesn’t think it makes sense for the scale of the mobile market. On the experience with current Windows Mobile devices: “We’re part of the way there with Windows Mobile 6.5.”
  • Andrew Yoon from Joystiq asks: “When can we stop calling it Natal?” Robbie laughs: “When we tell you to call it something else. I’ll tell you this — when we announce what we’re calling it, you guys will report it, and people will get it.”
  • A question about Google’s business model being similar to Microsoft’s — Robbie laughs and makes a face: “I’m confused about you calling it a ‘business model’… I’m not sure what they’re doing exactly.” Ouch. “If you use a Google phone, that’s fine, but what do you do about your music experience? What do you do about your photo experience? Then it starts to feel like another version of Linux.”

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Robbie Bach sits down for a roundtable discussion, Engadget is there originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 06

Logitech Squeezebox Radio review

Posted in: feature, Features, logitech, radio, review, Today's Chili
Logitech Squeezebox Radio review

Everybody knows internet radio is a hit when you’re at your computer. Away from your computer? Not so much. Getting your streams into your living rooms, bedrooms, and semi-detached servants quarters is rarely easy, and rarely fun. Logitech’s Squeezebox series has been one of the most seamless ways to make it happen, and with the Squeezebox Radio it gets even better. It’s cheaper and prettier than the Boom we enjoyed this time last year, and, a little more fun too. How much fun? Join in and see.

Gallery: Logitech Squeezebox Radio unboxing

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Logitech Squeezebox Radio review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 06

LaCie hard drives stand in Starck contrast to the competition (hands-on)

Posted in: desktop, feature, Features, hard drive, HardDrive, portable, Today's Chili

Ready for some churchin’ up? Then step on in to the house of Starck. Philippe Starck that is, the prolific designer who’s left his mark on hotel interiors, motorbikes, and toilets across the globe. His latest contribution to the economy of stuff also heralds a return to LaCie (remember his “toaster” series?) with a pair of new hard disk drives: the LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive and Desktop Hard Drive. Both drives are conspicuously inscribed with Starck’s name and flare for melding organic shapes within the rigid rules of geometry. Drives that must be pressed to flesh to be fully appreciated for their aesthetic and mass. And while the models we received feature off-the-shelf disks from Samsung and Hitachi, LaCie adds a few functional tricks to enhance that high-design form. Read on to see if the two struck the appropriate balance.

Continue reading LaCie hard drives stand in Starck contrast to the competition (hands-on)

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LaCie hard drives stand in Starck contrast to the competition (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 06

HTC’s HD2 gets official, we get our hands-on it (Updated: with video!)

Posted in: Features, hands-on, HandsOn, HTC, Today's Chili

Our friend Drita at Engadget Spanish was lucky enough to spend some extended moments with HTC’s just announced HD2 — also known as the Leo. It’s got exactly the same specs we just heard about: a 4.3-inch WVGA capacitive display, a 1GHz MSM8250 Snapdragon processor, integrated FM radio, a 5-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. They found this Windows Mobile 6.5 baby to be elegant and light feeling in the hand, the touchscreen to be responsive and quick, and HTC’s Sense UI beautiful. The phone’s also quite snappy, and we have to say we can’t wait to get our hands on one ourselves. As far as availability goes — well, we know it’s going to run €649 and it will be available in November on Vodaphone in Spain (we’ve also heard it’s headed to T-Mobile UK), with additional carriers following after December. Check out the gallery, and head over to Engadget Spanish for a fuller hands-on experience.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Gallery: HTC HD2 Hands On

Gallery: HTC HD2 Press Shots

Continue reading HTC’s HD2 gets official, we get our hands-on it (Updated: with video!)

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HTC’s HD2 gets official, we get our hands-on it (Updated: with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 06

Nissan’s Eporo robot car heads to the races, slow and steady

Posted in: ceatec, Features, hands-on, HandsOn, robot, Today's Chili

Curious to see just how Nissan’s crash-resistant Eporo “robot car” is faring? We caught a presentation at CEATEC today, and besides looking infinitely more adorable than last year’s model, it also did a good job keeping things out of its personal bubbles in its slow-moving travels — it even managed to avoid some of our obnoxious hand waving just over the course’s boundaries. See it for yourself in video after the break.

Gallery: Nissan’s Eporo robot car heads to the races, slow and steady

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Nissan’s Eporo robot car heads to the races, slow and steady originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 06

KDDI Polaris Robot concept — it’s like Rolly, but with a purpose

Posted in: ceatec, concept, Features, interface, Japan, robot, Today's Chili, Wireless

Being a Japanese carrier and all, it’s no shock to see KDDI with a large presence at CEATEC. What was surprising, however, was the cute little device you see pictured above. Showcased in an “early prototype” form, the recently introduced Polaris Robot looks eerily similar to Sony’s befuddling Rolly. Thankfully for KDDI (and all of humanity, really), this creature actually has a purpose. Packed with speakers, an array of wireless sensors and the ability to send video signals to your TV sans cables, the concept docking station is meant to stylishly hold your KDDI handset (lots of ’em will be compatible in due time) and beam a blown-up version of your phone’s UI onto your television or LCD monitor. The good news here is that the system actually displays a far more intuitive menu layout on the screen than what’s available on your dumbphone, enabling users to flip through schedules, photos, videos and playlists with ease. Technological details — as well as information surrounding price and release — were scant, but you can whet your appetite by peeking the video just past the break.

Gallery: KDDI Polaris Robot concept — it’s like Rolly, but with a purpose

Continue reading KDDI Polaris Robot concept — it’s like Rolly, but with a purpose

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KDDI Polaris Robot concept — it’s like Rolly, but with a purpose originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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