Hasta La Gadget!

Denon’s got the Apple AirPlay bug and bad. The company was showing off several AirPlay compatible 2010 receivers (models ending with “11”) at the CEDIA show last week including this new RCD-N7 CD jobbie. The $599 unit coupled with a pair of $199 SC-N7 speakers features an iPhone dock (or USB jack) for local music sourcing. Otherwise, it’ll stream audio from the likes of Rhapsody, Napster, Pandora and Last.fm. Better yet, the receiver also features a Party Mode Plus setting for a five-system multi-zone setup scattered throughout the home, all managed by Denon’s new iPod / iPhone / iPad Remote App. Look for it to hit shelves in October along side Denon’s $49 AirPlay update. That’s right, it’s no freebie — an unfortunate precedent for anyone hoping to update their existing audio gear.

Denon RCD-N7 loves a wireless party, AirPlay too after $49 update originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 06:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big surprises, eh? Sony Ericsson has been playing fast and loose with its calendar yet again, as it has just announced that the hotly (and by now angrily) anticipated upgrade to Android 2.1 for its X10 family of devices won’t be happening until late October. We were given the gravest of assurances that the end of September would be the time our tragic wait would end, but nope, apparently “we need a couple of more weeks before we are ready to start the roll-out.” Just so we’re clear, this isn’t Android 2.2, which is Google’s current highest iteration and has been around for months now — this is the upgrade to 2.1, aka Eclair, aka the software that’s not too far away from its first birthday. SE is trying to console users with promises of HD video and continuous autofocus bundled into the Xperia X10 update, but then there’s also word that different configs of the phones will get the update at different times. So don’t be surprised if your French-speaking X10 Mini is still doing the Donut deep into November.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Sony Ericsson pushes Android 2.1 upgrade for X10 family back to ‘late October’

Sony Ericsson pushes Android 2.1 upgrade for X10 family back to ‘late October’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android phones and their eternal struggle to get the latest version update, it’s a book that needs to be written. It was only last night that we were hearing that the Froyo upgrade for Spanish Galaxy S users would be pushed back till late October, yet today our emotions are swung back the other way by news of T-Mobile UK promising the exact same update by the end of this month. If our solar calendars are accurate, that means there’ll be no more than a 10-day wait left for T-Mo customers using this 4-incher. We’ll bug the other UK networks as well to see whether their 2.2 updates are in the mail or still lost somewhere in the frozen isle.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S meets Froyo by month’s end for T-Mobile UK customers

Samsung Galaxy S meets Froyo by month’s end for T-Mobile UK customers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What better way to read up on your Republic of Gilead lore (whether or not such country allows you to read in the first place) than on a digital screen via firmware that’s just a tinge futuristic. Amazon is offering an early preview of software update 3.0.2 for the latest generation of its Kindle reader. It’s as simple dragging-and-dropping a file onto your device, jumping through the right menus, and waiting patiently for several minutes. What does it offer? “Web browser and general performance improvements,” according to the site, and while the browser did seem a tad snappier, that could very well be a phantasmagoria of our optimism. Still, you do get to show all your friends you’ve got a newer version, and that’s what really matters, right?

Early third-generation Kindle software update improves web browser, provides new way to feel e-litist originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s press event kicked things off here in Cologne, and Photokina 2010 just wouldn’t be Photokina 2010 without oodles of talk about mirrorless cameras. After talking up its NX100 for the better part of an hour, the company took a moment to answer a few questions from the crowd. The biggest news, however, was the unveiling of the price point. Up until now, Sammy has remained mum on how much its latest and greatest compact would run, but we were told the 20-50mm bundle would ship at some point in the near future for $599 (we’ve confirmed that it’ll ship in October), while the 20mm pancake lens bundle would go for $649.

In related news, last year’s NX10 will be gaining a huge level of functionality thanks to an October-bound firmware update, which will add full support for the company’s range of i-Function lenses. You heard right — the NX10 you splurged on last year will soon be able to play the same tap-and-scroll settings game as the NX100. Speaking of lenses, Samsung also confirmed that it would be willing to “provide technical information” to other companies in order for third-party i-Function lenses to be created. We didn’t get the impression that any other outfit had come forward with interest, but we couldn’t be happier to hear that there’s no walled garden surrounding the technology — particularly with how impressive it was during our initial NX100 hands-on.

Lastly, the company admitted that it’s hoping to have a 1080p model ready at some point in 2011, and it’s also hard at work on an APS-C sensor that’s better geared for low-light situations. Music to our ears, to say the least.

Samsung NX100 priced at $599+ for October release, NX10 gaining i-Function lens support in October originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 09:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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