Hasta La Gadget!

Acer’s dual-screen Iconia laptop is bold, for sure — eschewing a physical keyboard for another display — but its LCD panels are also mighty glossy. If you’ve got a light in the vicinity above you, there’s gonna be glare — we saw it on stage, and we just saw it now in person. That said, the screen is clear and the touch functionality is pretty clever (five fingers open up a widget where you can scroll through other touch-friendly apps). The keyboard, on the other hand, is pretty hard to use — even the rep admitted there’s a learning curve. You can’t rest your fingers down without hitting something, of course. We managed to browse to Engadget, but it took several tries. Check out the photos below!

Update: Now with video! It’s after the break.

Continue reading Acer Iconia first hands-on! (update: video!)

Acer Iconia first hands-on! (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll admit that sometimes it doesn’t take much to get our engines running here at Engadget HQ. If you can throw a couple of knobs, exposed circuitry, a 9v battery, and a sense of adventure into a semi-coherent package, we’ll be pleased as punch. The SuONIO synthesizer, therefore, makes us very happy indeed.

SuONOIO is the band of former Nine Inch Nails keyboardist Alessandro Cortini, and SuONOIO is a pint-sized slab of silicon that comes bundled with a digital copy of the band’s latest album. Delivered bubble-wrapped in a hand-stamped cardboard box — if you’ve ever had the pleasure of unboxing an Arduino kit, you’ll know the feeling — it’s pre-loaded with two banks of samples that were used to create the album.

Although it’s a sample-based instrument, it’s the user’s job to create new noise using an array of jumper-activated effects and mixing techniques. It’s not quite as expansive as an MPC, but as any good experimentalist knows, there’s a lot to be gleaned from limitations and new interface paradigms.

Read on for our impressions of the noisebox and a tour of its inner workings!

Continue reading SuONOIO synth takes soundgeeks from zero to tweaking in fewer than 60 cycles (video)

SuONOIO synth takes soundgeeks from zero to tweaking in fewer than 60 cycles (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The best looking Lenovo IdeaPad ever? Yep, that’d be the U260. Not since the IdeaPad U110 has Lenovo’s consumer line been home to a really striking laptop, but the U260’s leather-like palmrest, magnesium-aluminum alloy lid and bottom cover change all that. We got a chance to check out the new 12.5-inch laptop a few days ago, and came away seriously impressed with not only its contrasting black and brown aesthetic but its build quality. The entire .7-inch thick frame feels solid and the curved keys, which are similar to those on the U160, are especially delightful. Unfortunately, the model we got to see didn’t have the glass trackpad that we’ve heard about, but our review unit should be here sometime soon. Until we get to put the system’s Core i3-380UM processor and 4GB of RAM to the test, hit the gallery below for a few hands-on pictures of it and some crazy platinum, diamond-encrusted U160 that Lenovo brought along.

Lenovo IdeaPad U260 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Nov 2010 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a precarious time to show off new tech at this point — can’t make it to stores in time for holidays, guaranteed to get more exposure if debuted at January’s Consumer Electronics Show. Not that Marvell cares, since its expertise is semiconductors — the stuff with which OEM’s dreams are made. The company was on hand at Pepcom showing off some reference designs for HD tablets with Android 2.2: 10-inch, 1280 x 780 resolution, and an Armada 600 chip. Reportedly it can also output to two external monitors, but all we got to see was one hooked up mirroring our game of Angry Birds. Thin and light, if a bit flimsy in its prototype form. We’ve been told the reference design has been used for a handful of products that’ll show up on the CES show floor. Also on hand were a couple of more education-targeted slates with Armada 100 chips and price points planned in the $100 range (Moby, OLPC, is that you?). Check out our hands-on pics below!

Marvell prototypes a few good Android tablets, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That’s right, just as we had heard, Dell is finally putting an end to the Inspiron Duo’s mysterious marketing videos and officially spinning its screen for the world to see! You won’t be able to hit the order button on the totally unique 10.1-inch tablet / netbook hybrid today, but according to Dell, it should go up for pre-order sometime soon and start shipping out the first week of December. As for pricing, the base model will start at $549 (£449), and will pack a dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor, 2GB of RAM, a Broadcom Crystal HD accelerator, 250GB of storage, and Windows 7 Home Premium. Naturally, you’ll be able to configure it with a larger hard drive, and adding that JBL speaker dock will bring the price up to $649 (no word on what it will cost on its own). We’re guessing those are the details you’ve been waiting on, but undoubtedly you’ve got to be dying to know what we think of that crazy-looking laptop. Well, we’ve got you covered there too — hit the break for our impressions and a brief hands-on video.

Continue reading Dell Inspiron Duo finally official, can be yours the first week of December for $549

Dell Inspiron Duo finally official, can be yours the first week of December for $549 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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