Hasta La Gadget!

Skullcandy is hitting CES with a characteristically bold claim: its new Fix in-ear headphones are touted as the first to never fall out of your ears, irrespective of the intensity of your physical activity. We’ve matched them up against the Yurbuds Ironman Series, a rather larger pair of in-ear speakers, which makes the exact same assertion. Both companies have patented their particular technology and both claim to be the one and only true solution. Obviously targeting runners, vigorous exercisers and discreet headbangers, they’re priced at $70 for Skullcandy’s Fix and $50 for the Yurbuds Ironmans. We’ve had a pair of each to play around with for a few hours here and sound quality is generally satisfactory on both. The Ironmans are much punchier in the bass range and offer significantly better sound isolation — a lot of external noise leaks in through the Fix’s seal, but the oversized Ironman buds netralize the vast majority of it. Both sets feel comfortable in the ear and shouldn’t cause any grief if you opt to wear them for prolonged jogs outdoors … or impromptu indoor moshing sessions.

Skullcandy Fix versus Yurbuds Ironman … battle of the in-ear headphones! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 13:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Netbook Navigator NAV7, NAV9 and NAV10i hands-on with full specs and video

Netbook Navigator NAV7, NAV9 and NAV10i hands-on with full specs and video originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Among tons of generic GPS devices at its booth, Garmin had the new GTU 10 GPS locator out for the world to see on the CES floor. If you need a refresher, this little tracker connects to AT&T’s network and and lets you keep tabs on anything you choose to hook it onto. The signage showed the compact locator on a dog collar, though there’s also a carabiner attachment so you can attach it to pretty much anything. We spotted the tracking app running on a Galaxy Tab, so it looks like Android support is definitely on the table — we’re still in the dark on compatibility with other mobile operating systems. Other than that there’s not much to say, but feel free to peruse our shots of the discreet black blob in our gallery below.

Garmin GTU 10 GPS locator hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 12:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ambidextrous, capacitive, programmable, open source, five simultaneous touch inputs. The Misa Digital Kitara has quite the laundry list of goodies to boast about, but we couldn’t let it slide through CES without getting our fingers on it and exploring for ourselves. The first thing that strikes you about this guitar-shaped synthesizer is its weight distribution — it’s no heavier than a good electric guitar, but a lot more of that weight is contained within its neck — and the second will inevitably be its lightning-quick response to touch. Misa tells us latency is less than 5 milliseconds and it felt like it.

There are two main modes of operation: a string mode, as seen above, and a ball mode allowing for even more adjustability. Both modes can then be further tweaked by choosing between the red and blue setting, with the former allowing for the performance of hammer-ons. Sliding your finger around the 8-inch touchscreen can do all sorts of wonderful things as well, such as altering pitch, tempo and volume, while those fearful of having no tactile feedback in string mode can apply a clear sheet over the screen that has tiny little ridges where the strings would usually reside. We say “usually,” because you’ll be able to configure the distance between the imaginary strings for yourself. The Kitara runs an open source Linux OS, which will be updatable via USB and is already compatible with Mac, PC and, naturally, Linux machines. It also has more than a hundred sound presets and we’ve been promised the option to customize them and create new ones by playing around with the algorithms in the future.

The black Kitara is made out of good old plastic (but it’s made very well) and costs $849 whereas the silver one you see in the gallery below is constructed out of a single block of aluminum and will set buyers back $2,899. Pre-orders are going on now through Misa Digital’s online store and shipping is set to start on April 3. Video follows below.

Continue reading Misa Digital Kitara hands-on preview (video)

Misa Digital Kitara hands-on preview (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last year Hughes Telematics had the Mercedes mbrace iPhone app on display, providing some OnStar-like functionality like locking your car remotely, unlocking your car remotely, and even getting navigation to your car for those times when you park way out in the lot and can’t find it again when you’re suffering from post-shopping marathon mental lethargy. Now there’s a new version coming, getting submitted to Apple at the end of the month for a February release, and it adds a suite of new navigation features. Full details after the break.

Continue reading Next-generation Mercedes mbrace iPhone app hands-on (video)

Next-generation Mercedes mbrace iPhone app hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 02:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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