Hasta La Gadget!

Now this is more like it. Our favorite dude in the world (AKA the FedEx guy) just dropped this slab of nasty Apple magic on our doorstep. Not only is this system kitted out with a 256GB SSD, 8GB of RAM, and a 2.93GHz CPU, but the screen is — yes — anti-glare. We’re actually kind of stoked to put this one through its paces and see just exactly what it feels like (since we’ve already seen the other two new unibody models). And of course, we’re very eager to know just how robust that non-removable battery really is. So we’ll be covering the 17-incher a little more in-depth in the coming days, but for now, get a load of the unboxing.

Filed under: Laptops

MacBook Pro 17-inch unibody unboxing and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 10:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Razer’s Carcharias headset is yet another audio-related diversion for the input peripheral company, and as with its mighty impressive Mako 2.1 sound system, this here headset was remarkably solid. Originally announced at CES this year, this gaming headset is a multi-functional tool that works first and foremost as a two-way communication device for gamers who love to yap while fragging. Secondly, it can double as a really, really decent set of cans. The flip-down microphone can easily fold up and out of the way, and considering just how light these are, they can be worn for hours on end (trust us, we tried) without any sort of ear pain and unusual pressure on your dome.

The lengthy braided cable was slick, the in-line remote was a thoughtful touch and the headband was amongst the most comfortable we’ve had the pleasure of coming into contact with at this price point. When speaking with Razer CEO Robert Krakoff, he confessed that these were specifically designed to be worn comfortably for upwards of 10 hours, and we believe it. He also noted that customers were clamoring for deeper bass response in its headphone products, and yet again, it delivered in bringing the low-end to these cans. Not once did we feel the bass was magnified out of proportion, and while it’s obviously designed to let gamers feel the “booms,” we thoroughly enjoyed how it handled good ole rock ‘n roll.

All in all, we’re comfortable recommending these to PC gamers who could also use a new pair of headphones for music alone. At $79.99, these are solid enough to last you for quite some time, and the superior comfort level here is really what sets it apart. Razer may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think audio, but these are definitely worth a listen.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

Razer Carcharias headset: unboxing and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget Chinese managed to score some face time with MSI’s new X-Slim X340 at a pre-CeBIT press event today, and we’re seriously impressed — just like the Atom-based X320, the X340 weighs just 2.8 pounds with a four-cell battery and 1366 x 768 13.4-inch screen, but it’s got more horsepower with a ULV Penryn chip and GMA4500 graphics with HDMI out. Not bad, especially if this thing comes in under $1000 like we’ve heard — we’ll keep an eye out while you check out the rest of the pics in the gallery.

Filed under: Laptops

MSI X-Slim X340 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kensington promised us that the SlimBlade Trackball would turn us into “smooth operators,” and we certainly felt retro behind the ball — we hadn’t used a trackball since the original Kensington Turbo Mouse. Muscle memory issues and a loss of efficiency drove us back to our trusty MX Laser after just an hour or so, but overall the Slim Blade is a nice little peripheral with some slick drivers — mode changes pop up in an HUD, and spinning the ball latitudinally works like a scroll wheel — so if you’re a trackball fan, the gallery below is probably worth a long look.

Filed under: Peripherals

Kensington SlimBlade Trackball hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Haier’s offerings are always an adventure, and this year at MWC they didn’t disappoint. They were showing off an interesting assortment of MIDs, confusingly dubbed “NetBooks,” including a mini-laptop of sorts (left) that falls somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, we’re totally short on specs, release dates or other sorts of relevant informations, so what you see is pretty much what you get. On a similar note, Haier had two Android-based devices at the show, dubbed the G1 and the G2, along with a BlackBerry 8900 look-alike we didn’t see, and another phone that even the PR person wasn’t sure what it was. These two “Googlephones” (their word) were sadly out of battery when we went for a demo, but one of them bore more than a passing resemblance to the BlackBerry Storm, though it happens to be lighter, smaller and runs a new OS… maybe RIM can call up Haier for some pointers.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Laptops

Haier shows off mysterious “NetBooks,” Android phones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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