Hasta La Gadget! Page not found

Dec 30

Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness hands-on

Posted in: ericsson, hands-on, HandsOn, sony, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili, xperia

Occasionally, a phone exists simply because it can. Not because it’s powerful; not because it offers amazing bang for the buck; not because the manufacturer negotiated some lucrative exclusivity agreement with a major carrier, and certainly not because it’s introducing some groundbreaking new smartphone operating system. Yeah — not even Sony Ericsson is attempting to frame or formulate a legitimate business case for the sinfully hedonistic Xperia Pureness, because they don’t have to. One look at that wild transparent display and you’ll either be smitten or confused and dismayed by the $1,000 sticker price. It’s that simple.

Anyhow, we’ve just taken delivery of a Pureness today and have had a few fleeting moments to check it out. If it weren’t for the screen, you’d be looking at a $30 prepaid candybar here — you don’t have a camera, a high-res display, or any sexy metal or soft-touch bits to give the phone a premium feel. The UI is about the simplest possible incarnation of Sony Ericsson’s typical dumbphone platform, owing largely to the fact that the display’s just grayscale; you’ve got an FM radio (with a headset attached) and a basic music player and browser, but if you’re in North America, don’t expect any 3G.

That said, seriously, look at that shot we took up there: the display is insane. We can’t quite get over it — it’s the ultimate conversation piece. Motorola Aura owners looking for a fresh way to draw a crowd might look at this as their next purchase, but if you’re looking to do anything but talk (and occasionally browse an eerily translucent version of Engadget), make no mistake, this isn’t your phone. Did we mention we want one really, really badly?

Gallery: Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness hands-on

Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Dec 28

NorhTech Gecko netbook loaded up with AAs and booted

Posted in: hands-on, HandsOn, netbook, Today's Chili, video

It’s been a while since we first saw the $199 NorhTech Gecko hit the scene, but the AA-powered netbook looks to finally be hitting US shores in proper fashion, and the crew at Lilliputing just got their tester. Inside it’s no great shakes, with a 1GHz Xcore86 processor, 512MB of RAM, an 8GB SD card, and an 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 display — but almost every component can be swapped out for a more powerful variant, including the processor. That’s certainly intriguing, especially for the education market NorhTech is targeting, but we’re mostly on the edge of our seats waiting to find out how long those AAs last under some real use. Check one video after the break and another at the read link.

Continue reading NorhTech Gecko netbook loaded up with AAs and booted

NorhTech Gecko netbook loaded up with AAs and booted originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source Lilliputing | Email this | Comments

Dec 05

Nikon Coolpix S70 unboxing and hands-on

Posted in: Features, hands-on, HandsOn, nikon, point and shoot, PointAndShoot, Today's Chili, unboxing

Previous reviews haven’t been all smiles, but we’re finally able to pick up Nikon’s Coolpix S70 and see for ourselves. On form factor alone, it’s a pretty alluring build — even the faux leather front is tastefully done. While the tap-to-focus feature is a nice addition, we’re less enthused about the OLED screen’s viewing angles when outside — and seeing as we’ve go no other way to see the memories we’re framing, that’s pretty disappointing. We’re still putting it through its paces before we dole out full impressions, but in the meantime, enjoy our unboxing and hands-on photos.

Gallery: Nikon Coolpix S70 unboxing and hands-on

Nikon Coolpix S70 unboxing and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Dec 04

Barnes & Noble’s Nook gets a brief and early hands-on

Posted in: barnes and noble, barnes noble, BarnesAndNoble, e reader, e-book, e-book reader, E-bookReader, hands-on, HandsOn, nook, Today's Chili

Thanks to a very generous anonymous tipster, we’ve gotten a number of hands-on pics of Barnes & Noble‘s soon to be released (for some) Nook e-reader. The impressions we’ve been given, however, weave a tale of a laggy Android interface, which sounds like what we noticed with the first introduction video. Other fun facts include in-store WiFi browsing coming in 2010, and an important clarification that cover-to-cover book browsing over BN’s network only works for an hour at a time, not unlimited. We’re itching to get our own hands on it, but in the meantime, gloss over these gracious pics. Excerpts from the tipster after the break.

Gallery: Barnes & Noble’s Nook gets a brief and early hands-on

Continue reading Barnes & Noble’s Nook gets a brief and early hands-on

Barnes & Noble’s Nook gets a brief and early hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Nov 27

Nikon D3S unboxing and hands-on!

Posted in: dslr, Features, hands-on, HandsOn, nikon, Today's Chili, unboxing

Our Black Friday just got significantly more awesome — a new Nikon D3S showed up on our doorstep a moment ago, along with a super-hot NIKKOR AF-S 24-70 f/2.8G ED lens. We’re just about to dive into this thing’s incredible ISO 102,400 performance (well, we will when it get a little darker) and full-manual 720p24 video mode, but for now we thought we’d hit you up with some unboxing shots — check ’em out!

Gallery: Nikon D3S unboxing and hands-on

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Nikon D3S unboxing and hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Nov 16

Nokia N900 quick hands-on

Posted in: Features, hands-on, HandsOn, maemo, nokia, Today's Chili

We’ve finally had a chance to play around at length with a very late pre-production version of Nokia’s N900 (retail units are already shipping, but not to our neck of the woods just yet) and we wanted to scribble out a few notes for you before taking delivery of a final build for a full review hopefully in the next week or two. Here are some highlights we’ve noticed so far:

Processor, processor, processor. Oh, and did we mention the processor? The N900’s Cortex A8-based core yields significant improvements in day-to-day usability over the N810’s ARM11 unit.
Though it’s still quite raw and feature-incomplete, Maemo 5 is by far the most user-friendly version of the platform to date, if for no other reason than the fact that it’s very pretty. Screen transitions are smooth and look great, the home screen is as attractive and versatile as any widget-based home screen on the market today, and the Expose-style task switcher is a welcome addition.
The N900 may very well offer the best browsing experience of any smartphone on the market today (yes, including the iPhone). What little ground it gives up in user friendliness is more than countered by the fact that you have the closest thing you can get to a desktop-class browser in a device of this size and form factor; it’s straight-up Mozilla, after all, and everything renders faithfully. Flash doesn’t blaze, but at least the Cortex A8 makes it usable.

Follow the break for more impressions and a quick rundown on video!

Gallery: Nokia N900 quick hands-on

Continue reading Nokia N900 quick hands-on

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Nokia N900 quick hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nov 13

Chumby One review

Posted in: Features, hands-on, HandsOn, review, Today's Chili

Let’s be honest: it’s really hard to dislike Chumby. In fact, you feel almost compelled to root for any company bold enough to put out a product as unapologetically wacky as the original Chumby, a device that somehow managed to marry a soft, cuddly vinyl sphere with WiFi and a touchscreen. It didn’t make a lot of sense, and as far as we can tell, the company didn’t really intend it to — they basically threw it out there and said, “hey, so we’ve got this… uh, thing… now let’s see what you can do with it.” It was an open platform, Chumby encouraged hackers to dig in and understand the guts, and over time, a small-but-vibrant community of users and developers emerged with several hundred widgets capable of doing everything from showing the time to cracking a few Chuck Norris jokes.

A quirky, overpriced alarm clock without broad market appeal can only take you so far, though — someone’s eventually got to pay the bills. Enter the $100 Chumby One, Chumby’s first attempt to grow up and produce an affordable device that loses a little bit of the Chumby Classic’s insanity while carefully staying true to the company’s roots. Will this be Chumby’s ticket out of the geek niche and into mainstream living rooms and offices?

Gallery: Chumby One hands-on

Continue reading Chumby One review

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Chumby One review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nov 12

BlackBerry Storm2 hands-on and impressions

Posted in: BlackBerry, Features, hands-on, HandsOn, review, RIM, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

For a company with the most starched, buttoned-up roots of any major wireless manufacturer, RIM’s venture out of its enterprise comfort zone to the consumer space went amazingly smoothly thanks to the introduction of the original Pearl, a phone that’s still sold in a variety of colors, configurations, and carriers to this day. At some point, though, it became clear that the industry was moving toward touch — a space RIM had never dabbled in — and the trend gave birth to the Storm, a product that had obviously been rushed to market with countless software bugs and a dodgy SurePress concept that caused more problems than it solved. With prototypes floating around in the wild mere months after its predecessor’s release, RIM’s message was loud and clear earlier this year: “we need to fix the Storm, and we need to do it quickly.” Ultimately, it’s ended up taking the company just about a year to get the Storm2 to market, a product that attempts to tweak Waterloo’s touchscreen strategy just enough to undo a few mistakes and send it down the right path. Mission accomplished? Read on.

Gallery: BlackBerry Storm2 hands-on and impressions

Continue reading BlackBerry Storm2 hands-on and impressions

Filed under: Cellphones

BlackBerry Storm2 hands-on and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nov 11

Imation Pro WX Wireless USB hard drive reviewed

Posted in: Features, hands-on, HandsOn, hard drive, HardDrive, review, Today's Chili, usb, Wireless

Imation was set to announce its first-ever Wireless USB hard drive a year ago, but it lost a dear friend shortly before it materialized and we’d heard nothing since then. Today Imation has returned — holding hands with its new partner, Staccato — to release the Pro WX 1.5 terabyte Wireless USB hard drive for both Windows and Mac. At $449.99, though, we thought to ourselves: does the Pro WX offer something extraordinary for the premium price? Or are you better off with a NAS device like Apple’s infamous Time Capsule? We ran some quick tests to find out — do read on for some juicy results.

Gallery: Imation Pro WX Wireless USB hard drive reviewed

Continue reading Imation Pro WX Wireless USB hard drive reviewed

Filed under: Storage

Imation Pro WX Wireless USB hard drive reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nov 05

Dell Adamo XPS coming ‘in time for the holidays’ for $1799 (unboxing and hands-on video!)

Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, Features, hands-on, HandsOn, Today's Chili, unboxing

Dell’s finally run its finger along the edge and unhinged the last bit of details for its enigmatic, 0.4-inch-thin Adamo XPS. As it turns out those leaked specs weren’t entirely off. We’re looking at a LED-backlit 13.4-inch, 720p widescreen display, 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo ultra-low voltage processor, GS45 integrated graphics, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 128GB thin-micro SSD, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. In terms of connectivity, there’s 802.11a/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, location awareness, DisplayPort, two USB 2.0 ports (one on each side). The 20WHr Li-Ion battery can last up to 2 hours and 36 minutes, or you can get the optional 40WHr version instead for 5 hours and 17 minutes of claimed, lab-tested use. Other packaged goods include dongles for ethernet and VGA / HDMI, and for an added fee you can nab a DVD+/-RW drive, a Blu-ray drive, or an external hard drive measured at 250GB or 500GB in capacity.

At $1,799, the price isn’t as bad as originally thought, but it’s still far from great if performance takes any precedence for you over style. Earlier this week, we got to spend some time with the ultra-thin chez Dell’s PR firm — not enough to really get a feel for how it performs, but enough to admire the hardware and enjoy unboxing what we’re told is the final retail packaging. We saw an expected launch date listed for this month, but a rep was quick to note the current line is officially “in time for the holidays” — just in case the company misses Black Friday, of course. Read on for some more impressions and video unboxing / hands-on!

Gallery: Dell Adamo XPS unboxing