Hasta La Gadget!

We already ran through Powermat’s new wireless charging lineup, but in case you wanted to see it in action — you skeptic, you — there’s video after the break.

Continue reading Video: Powermat’s wireless charging lineup in action

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals

Video: Powermat’s wireless charging lineup in action originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behind closed doors at the Haier booth, we got a chance to check out two Ibiza Rhapsody PMP prototypes, codenamed Rumble and Rumble mini. Here’s what we know so far: the Rumble’s got a 2.8-inch WQVGA capacitive touchscreen, 8GB NAND flash, and a Freescale i.MX37 ARM 11 processor. It also has a Webkit-based browser, but it — along with most of the operating system and virtual keyboard — wasn’t functional at the moment. There’s support for AAC, MP3, and WMA, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H263, H.264, VC-1, and DivX. The Rumble mini trades out touchscreen in favor of an input pad and a smaller 2.2-inch screen. Beyond Rhapsody service, both models will feature integration with Flickr, Audible, and the ever-vague “popular social networking” sites. Battery life for the Rumble is expected to be about 15 hours for audio and 6 for video, while for the mini it’s 14 and 4, respectively. It’s surprisingly lightweight at the moment, but other than that we really don’t have much to say until we can see the interface in action. Both players are on track for a June release for a penny under $150 for the touchscreen and $100 for the mini.

Filed under: CES, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Ibiza Rumble prototype hands-on: a touchscreen PMP with Rhapsody, webkit browser originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Multi-touch is where it’s at, but what if you already have one of those lame, obsolete, big-screen, flat-panel displays that accept only smudges from your fingers? What you need is a Multi-Touch G2 from PQLabs, an overlay that attaches to your existing 32-inch (or larger) set with double-sided tape, adding the multi-touch sensitivity that your fingertips have been yearning for. The company has also announced its upcoming iTable, effectively a multi-touch panel with a built-in computer, having something in common with Microsoft’s Surface, but nothing with Apple’s iPhone (from which it dishearteningly takes a naming cue). We spent a few minutes with our fingers stroking both the iTable and the Multi-Touch G2 and were impressed by both; they initially seemed a bit unresponsive but, within a few seconds, we were browsing media, building grunts, and decimating forests in no time. Playing an RTS like Warcraft 3 with gestures is a fantastic experience no strategy gamer should miss, but, at $2,399, is one that only the richest of tacticians can put in their buy queue. No pricing for the iTable just yet, but expect it to be more.

Continue reading Video: PQLabs iTable digits-on lets us touch orcs, movies, me-too branding

Filed under: CES, Desktops, Displays, Gaming, HDTV

Video: PQLabs iTable digits-on lets us touch orcs, movies, me-too branding originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OK, the Motorola Aura isn’t new at CES this year, but honestly, how could you expect us to pass up an opportunity to check it out? So yeah, we might have been harsh on it when we were talking price, but up close this is an amazing little phone. The housing material, build quality, keys, assisted-opening blade mechanism, and sapphire crystal lens are all perfectly done, the display — while admittedly tiny — is nothing short of completely stunning. This is without a doubt one of the nicer phones we’ve handled, though the jury’s still out on functionality. Follow on to Engadget Mobile for a gallery loaded with pics that we’re hoping show just how beautiful this thing really is. End of gush.

Filed under: Cellphones, CES

Motorola Aura hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been five months since we first heard about the convertible Classmate PC, and now we’ve finally gotten a chance to get our hands on it at the Intel booth. It feels pretty durable — especially that kind of important display swivel — but we take issue with how lopsided the weight is towards the back. The Quick Launcher Windows XP shell lives up to the name and is indeed very fast and easy to navigate. When we rotated the tablet on its side, however, the interface awkwardly fills in only the top half. According to the rep, there’s no US distributor yet for retail. Glamor shots in the gallery, or check out video after the break. Is it too much to ask for capacitive multitouch next time?

Continue reading Video: Intel’s convertible Classmate PC hands-on

Filed under: CES, Laptops, Tablet PCs

Video: Intel’s convertible Classmate PC hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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