Hasta La Gadget!

Earlier today, Sharp and Pioneer re-launched the Elite brand, with its Pro-60X5FD and Pro-70X5FD LED LCD TVs. Both models cater to the high-end home entertainment crowd, with pricing set at $6,000 and $8,500, for the 60-inch and 70-inch sets, respectively. We had a chance to take a look at the larger model at an event in New York City this morning, and were certainly impressed with its high contrast and excellent deep black levels. Set against a black wall, it was nearly impossible to distinguish a black image from the TV’s brushed aluminum bezel or the wall behind it when viewed in a pitch-black room. Plasma TVs, such as Pioneer’s discontinued Kuro, have been able to achieve deep black levels for years, but LCD TVs like the Elite we saw today historically suffer from light bleeding, which causes black images to appear gray.

The Elite TV also includes built-in speakers, which sounded fine in a noisy room, but considering that you’ll be spending north of $6,000 for the smaller set, we imagine you’ll be pairing either model with some external speakers as well. Internet connectivity alone certainly isn’t going to motivate anyone to spend this much to outfit their home theater with a high-end set, but streaming is important nonetheless, so we were happy to see that Sharp included a somewhat diverse offering of services. The TVs ship with apps for Netflix, Vudu, CinemaNow, YouTube, along with Facebook and Twitter — there’s also a dedicated Netflix button on the remote, letting you access the movie streaming service without clicking through several menu levels. Overall, we were impressed with the Elite during today’s brief demonstration, but we’ll need to wait for the full review before we can determine whether Sharp can justify those sky-high price tags.

Continue reading Sharp Elite LED LCD TV hands-on (video)

Sharp Elite LED LCD TV hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today’s Samsung event in New York City was a strange scene — the company collected Galaxy Tabs from the journalists in attendance and handed back coat check receipts, promising to give the devices back after the press conference ended. One Samsung executive acknowledged the unusual nature of the event, explaining that, “this is the first time we’ve held a news conference for a software update, and it probably won’t be the last.”

The event marked the pre-launch of a major software update for Samsung’s slate — one that is set to get wide release on August 5th. Members of the press, however, were given a side-loaded preview of the tablet UI — as were New York City Galaxy Tab 10.1 owners who showed up to the Samsung store with tablet in-hand. We’ve been playing around with the update for a bit and have a full hands-on preview for you after the break.

Continue reading Hands-on with TouchWiz UX for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Hands-on with TouchWiz UX for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here they are folks. Months after we first got our hands on pre-release Torch and Bold Touch handsets, RIM is finally ready to show off its latest hardware. They’re all powered by a 1.2GHz processor, have 768MB of onboard RAM and — most importantly — run the latest operating system BB OS7.

RIM claims its new OS is 40 percent faster at browsing compared to OS6-based smartphones, and 100 percent faster than OS5 handsets. It also supports RIM’s Liquid Graphics technology, which uses a dedicated graphics processor for smoother scrolling, zooming and panning.

Hands-on impressions and video follow after the break.

Continue reading RIM launches BlackBerry Torch 9810, Torch 9860 and Bold 9900, we go hands-on!

RIM launches BlackBerry Torch 9810, Torch 9860 and Bold 9900, we go hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A native Skype app for the iPad has finally appeared, opening up your Apple slate for voice and video chatting with others on Macs, PCs or even TVs. It’s not listed as an update to the existing iOS app, but as a separate Skype for iPad download that’s only shown up in certain countries so far — at first we couldn’t find it on the US iTunes but it finally appeared after some searching. Just like Skype for iPhone, everything works over both WiFi and 3G, but one key difference is the ability to instant message during video calls. Check after the break for the full release notes and the demo video that leaked in June.

Update: So, we’ve just taken the app for a quick spin via a 3G to WiFi call and it’s laid out very nicely — maintaining the familiarity of its desktop client. Getting a video chat started was quick with acceptably clean audio and mostly consistent video streaming (aside from an occasional freeze-frame). Whether you’re in landscape or portrait mode there’s access to recent conversations, and you can even start conversations within your current chat; we’d say that the former works out better for getting around, although it does make it hard to stay in frame. Overall it feels like a souped-up version of the iPhone release, and impressions aside, the gallery down below should give you a better look at what to expect.

Update 2: Just as suddenly as it appeared, it has now been yanked from iTunes stores everywhere. A Tweet from the official account says it went live “prematurely” — your guess is as good as ours as to when it will return.

Update 3: Aaaaand… she’s back! Or, at least it sure looks like it. Hopefully for good this time!

Continue reading Skype for iPad is finally out (hands-on!)

Skype for iPad is finally out (hands-on!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tablets and smartphones might rule the present, but if you ask the folks at WIMM Labs, the future of data consumption is a one-inch by one-inch square. The Palo Alto startup just revealed its new, wearable computing platform, developed, in part, through a partnership with Foxconn, that it hopes will change the way we look at computers. Currently known as the WIMM wearable platform, this new modular device packs a full-color 160 x 160 touchscreen, WiFi and Blutetooth connectivity, an accelerometer and magnetometer, and runs on good old Android. What’s more, it’s waterproof. Basically, it’s a tiny, multifunctional computer, packed with “micro apps” that can make it anything from a smart watch to a health monitor, from a mobile payment device to an all-in-one remote. As of now, the company doesn’t have plans to market it direct to consumers, but says it has a few partnerships in the works that could bring a WIMM-powered something to market by year’s end; a developer kit will go on sale in the next few weeks for an undisclosed price. If you’re itching to ditch that tired old diamond-encrusted nano watch, check out the galleries below and hop on past the break for our first impressions, video, and full PR.

Continue reading WIMM Labs introduces tiny wearable computer platform, we go hands-on

WIMM Labs introduces tiny wearable computer platform, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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