Hasta La Gadget!

Nothing spices up waning interest in an aging console like a special edition, and while one could say that announcing three special editions is something of a stretch for the word “special,” these certainly are some… vibrant color schemes. At its press event yesterday, Sony announced a couple of new, pupil-assaulting two-tone color schemes for the PSP, along with a Monster Hunter edition that left many an otaku fainting in the aisles thanks to its gold highlights and redesigned analog nub. Read on for our impressions of all three noble beasts.

Continue reading Pictures of Sony’s new technicolor PSPs, and Monster Hunter 3 Special Edition preview

Pictures of Sony’s new technicolor PSPs, and Monster Hunter 3 Special Edition preview originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’re sick of audio docks, we know. So are we. But as much as we wanted to skip merrily along beyond Logitech’s S715i set, we couldn’t help but note that it’s something of a rarity. Whereas most other iDevice speakers tend to keep themselves safely tethered to the nearest wall plug, this unit claims it can get an ambitious eight hours of music playback from its battery, while boasting a whopping eight drivers (two rear-firing ones on the back) in total, including a pair of “laser-tuned” neodymium 3-inchers for midrange delivery. We could hardly gauge audio quality in our noisy environment, but we’ll say this much: Logitech isn’t fooling around with the volume the S715i can put out. Even our video after the break doesn’t do justice to the surprising roar you can generate from this otherwise compact package.

A standard 3.5mm audio input will let you stray outside of the Apple product family if you wish, and there’s a bundled remote too. Yet, in spite of all these goodies, we still can’t recommend this as a sage purchase at Logitech’s lofty $150 price. Don’t get us wrong, the S715i looks neat, just not that neat. We also managed to grab a few images of its family mate, the Z515 Bluetooth speaker, which similarly rolls on its own power (for up to 10 hours, it’s claimed) and captures tunes from your nearest Bluetooth-equipped device. It’s another well built and easily portable little thing, priced at $60 $100 by Logitech.

Continue reading Logitech S715i and Z515 portable speakers hands-on (video)

Logitech S715i and Z515 portable speakers hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 07:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By and large, there aren’t really any surprises with the Galaxy Tab we just tried out — it was only two weeks ago that we tried it at IFA. We did hear from Samsung that the company might change the back, but what we said about hardware and experience before remains true here. The Media Hub, which is new, is sleek and convenient, and the Iron Man preview we watched looked great on the screen. If you’re in need of more Tab pictures, we got you covered just below.

Update: We’ve got video, just after the break!

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab for US (and Media Hub) hands-on (update: video!)

Samsung Galaxy Tab for US (and Media Hub) hands-on (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 20:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When you consider that there are probably loads of AirPlay-equipped speaker docks waiting in the wings, it’s hard to get all giddy about XtremeMac’s Tango TRX. Although the dock has… well, a dock and a line-in jack, it also packs Bluetooth 2.1. On the sound quality end, it boasts a 2.1 digital audio system along with midrange drivers, two dome tweeters and a subwoofer. We got a look at it yesterday, and its orange LED status lights and patterned sides make it fairly handsome, but we couldn’t really get a handle on the acoustics as it was being demoed in a space with lots of loud and rowdy technology journalists. There’s no physical remote included, but XtremeMac is offering a Tango TRX app. Of course, if you’re streaming that music over Bluetooth you could just control it from the device itself, but the app does let you adjust the various EQ settings. The basic model will hit for about $180, but Apple will be carrying an exclusive TRX D version with a separate charging dock for $200. Hit the break for the full PR and the gallery below for a closer look.

Continue reading XtremeMac Tango TRX iPod dock hopes you’ll prefer Bluetooth to AirPlay

XtremeMac Tango TRX iPod dock hopes you’ll prefer Bluetooth to AirPlay originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Digg So we’ve just had a chance to take our iPad out for a spin sporting iOS 4.2… and it’s pretty great. The addition of multitasking, folders, and big improvements in mail (amongst other things) finally make the device feel more like a computer and less like a gigantic iPhone. Ironic really, since these updates rolled out to the iPhone first. In our brief use of the new and improved iPad (and particularly with multitasking), we’re impressed to see that there doesn’t seem to be any lag or slowdown on the device while swapping between apps (despite the smaller amount of RAM on board here) or throwing together folders. We’re pretty heartened to see performance matching what we’ve come to expect on our iPhone 4 — admittedly we had reservations about what the experience would be like. Folders are an especially notable inclusion here due to the pure silliness of scrolling through multiple iPad pages, and we’re happy to see them intact on the bigger device.

We get the sense that this update is going to be a huge improvement for general navigation, but there’s also going to be a learning curve because it changes the overall feel of the iPad (for the better, of course). The device has gone from seeming bulky and sluggish to something far more sleek. With the addition of multitasking and folders (along with sizable usability improvements) the iPad finally begins its evolution into the product it’s seemed destined to be — the middle ground between netbook, game device, and media hub. Keep on reading after the break for a look at some of the major changes in 4.2, as well as a quick walkthrough video of the OS in action.

Continue reading iOS 4.2 on iPad preview (video) (updated)

iOS 4.2 on iPad preview (video) (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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