Ultrabooks invade IDF 2011, Toshiba Portege Z830 makes cameo (video)

While we’ve already seen Ultrabooks from a bevy of brand name manufacturers — Toshiba (which we caught on video below), Lenovo, ASUS and Acer — ODMs are now joining the thin and light party here at IDF. There’s one catch, however: this row of Ultrabooks from the likes of Pegatron, LG, Invetec and Foxconn aren’t nearly as svelte as their branded counterparts, leading us to believe that Intel’s specs aren’t quite as rigorous as we’d originally thought. Video proof after the break.

Myriam Joire contributed to this report.

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Ultrabooks invade IDF 2011, Toshiba Portege Z830 makes cameo (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 02:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Asus UX31 vs. UX21… fight! (video)

We’d handled ASUS’ UX21 back at Computex, but we’d never gotten up close and personal with its larger brother, the UX31 — until now. We spotted the 13.3-inch aluminum beaut just chilling at the Ultrabook pavilion at Intel Developer Forum. With the same 0.67-inch profile as its smaller sibling, that larger footprint means it’s naturally a bit heavier (2.9 pounds), yet it’s available with the same Core i5 (or optional i7) innards. Expect more when the duo goes on sale later this month, but for now take a peek at our hand-on video after the break.

Myriam Joire contributed to this report.

Continue reading Asus UX31 vs. UX21… fight! (video)

Asus UX31 vs. UX21… fight! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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My Keepon drops by for a brief hands-on, we can’t handle the cuteness (video)

See that little dude up there? That’s My Keepon, and it should look familiar if you’re a fan of Spoon or keeping up with autism and related human interaction research. It was just about four years ago when we glimpsed the original dancing research robot by BeatBots dubbed Keepon, and now the $50 toy version we’d been teased is finally set to make its debut this holiday season. Considering its Pro sibling costs nearly $30k, we were curious to see how well this version made by Wow! Stuff would keep the original’s essence in tow. To find out, we spent some time with a pre-production unit and had Marek Michalowski, co-inventor of the robot, walk us through it.

Continue reading My Keepon drops by for a brief hands-on, we can’t handle the cuteness (video)

My Keepon drops by for a brief hands-on, we can’t handle the cuteness (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 8 for tablets hands-on preview (video)

Just last week, we got our paws on Samsung’s Series 7 Slate, and it’s already making its second debut. This time around, however, it’s sporting a much more mouthwatering setup. No, it’s not dawning Lady Gaga’s edible leftovers; this new look comes courtesy of Microsoft’s much teased and hotly anticipated touch-friendly OS, Windows 8. As you’ve likely already heard, the latest incarnation of the operating system is something entirely new for Redmond, and, as it turns out, the world. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, but that won’t stop us from making comparisons.

Like Apple’s latest attempt at a desktop OS, Windows 8 borrows largely from its mobile kin, Window Phone 7, bringing its signature live tiles to tablets and PCs, and from what we’ve seen it does so effortlessly. Before we go ruining a good thing, however, we have to point out that this isn’t everything Windows has to offer — it’s still a developers preview (and in turn, an OS under construction), and the device it’s running on hasn’t been approved as an official Windows 8 slate. Got all that? Good. Read on for our first impressions!

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Windows 8 for tablets hands-on preview (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 8 Slate Hands On: It’s Fantastic. (But Don’t Sell Your iPad.)

A Microsoft tablet with Windows 8 has been a long time coming, but it’s finally here. Sort of. We got our hands on a developer’s preview yesterday and while flawed, it’s extremely impressive. More »

Wacom Cintiq 24HD hands-on (video)

We’ve felt a strange attraction this 24-inch slab of professional graphics wonderment ever since we caught it trying to sneak its substantial bulk through the FCC. How do we feel about it now that it’s all official, priced up at a daunting $2,500 and we’ve had some time with it in the flesh? Check out the galleries below and then head past the break for our hands-on video and impressions plus full PR.

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Wacom Cintiq 24HD hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wacom Inkling digital sketch pen hands-on (video)

Wacom’s new digital pen can’t help but stand out from the competition. It’s a specialized device that makes no apologies for catering to graphics enthusiasts at the expense of casual note-takers. Moreover, it does something pretty amazing: instead of just turning your sketches into simple bitmaps, it can also export them as vector-based images with multiple layers, which means they can be directly used as the basis for more complex and final art. The Inkling will cost £150 ($230 converted) when it reaches European stores in October, but in the meantime we’ve got some early hands-on impressions right after the break.

Continue reading Wacom Inkling digital sketch pen hands-on (video)

Wacom Inkling digital sketch pen hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sinch takes aim at headphone tangles, we go hands-on

The Sinch is not much to look at, we’ll give you that, but it is rather an interesting little thing. Intended to keep your headphone cable a little more tidy, it’s just a couple of slender magnets encased in a rubber band with a hole punched on one end. It’s a remarkably simple design, and a surprisingly effective one, too. We got a chance to wrap our cables around one, so read on for some quick impressions.

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Sinch takes aim at headphone tangles, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony brings new media streaming box and updated Google TV hardware to CEDIA

Yesterday was the big day for Sony’s 4K projector (still no exact price, but reps mentioned it would be sub $25k — we know you can afford that) and the US debut of its funky 3D helmet, but now that the CEDIA show floor is open we stopped by its booth and got our hands on a couple of other treats. In one corner we’ve got its Google TV hardware, updated with a near-release upgrade to Honeycomb and showing off some highlighted apps picked by Google. Over in the other, we have its new SMP-N200 streamer. Check the gallery for a few snaps of us pawing the SMP-N200 (smaller than a bread box, way bigger than a Roku 2) and after the break, a live demonstration of Google TV running Honeycomb — it’s not much, but consider this a taste before Google delivers the Market and other goodies around the end of this month.

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Sony brings new media streaming box and updated Google TV hardware to CEDIA originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JVC shows off projectors with 4K precision, but not quite 4K pixels

JVC first brought 4K home with its $175k DLA-RS4000 and now it’s back with four new models with greater than HD resolution at much easier to swallow prices. You’ll note the term used is “with 4K precision”, because strictly speaking these don’t project over 4,000 pixels of horizontal resolution, coming in at a still impressive 3,840 x 2,160 resolution. While this is still about four times the number of a standard HD image, it’s less than say, Sony’s VPL-VW1000ES. Filling in the difference is JVC’s e-Shift technology, which was originally developed for its 8K projector. It works by creating two 1080p frames, with one shifted down diagonally and alternated at 120Hz to create the effect.

The scheme is not far off from the old wobulation technology featured in some “1080p” DLPs once upon a time, but this time there are no moving parts as it’s all being done electronically. Shown off with an HD resolution source the upscaled image was still impressively sharp to us, even up close, while it also handles native 4K feed. While JVC may not be winning on raw pixel count, what it does have is a serious price advantage. Sony indicated its hardware would be available for “less than $25,000” but the top of the line JVC has an MSRP of just $12k, while the cheaper model will be $7,999 when they all ship in November. Check out the press release after the break and images in the gallery for details, including those so rarely seen native contrast ratio measurements.

Continue reading JVC shows off projectors with 4K precision, but not quite 4K pixels

JVC shows off projectors with 4K precision, but not quite 4K pixels originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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