Hasta La Gadget!

Qualcomm’s MediaFLO tech was originally intended for screens so small that resolution, artifacting, and wholesale crappiness don’t really matter, but when you’re building out a whole new wireless network for this thing, monetization is a high priority wherever you can find it. To that end, Audiovox is lending a helping hand with a new receiver launching later this year that’ll plug into most in-car video systems and deliver MediaFLO programming straight to your back seat, your front seat, or whatever bizarre place (engine compartment, maybe?) you’ve mounted a display. We weren’t terribly impressed with the video quality; generally speaking, DVD is probably the better entertainment option here, but if live shows are a must-have for you, this is just about the only cheap, easy way to roll. We’re told 10 to 15 channels will be available at launch — but unfortunately, Audiovox says that neither AT&T’s nor Verizon’s exclusive channels will be part of the lineup. Pricing hasn’t been announced; if we had to guess, we’d figure on something like $20 per month, so you’d better really desperately need blurry TV when the drive gets boring.

Filed under: Portable Video

Audiovox in-car MediaFLO hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI’s Wind U100 had a good run, but now it’s time for the U120 to take over. We caught wind of this one just a few days back, but once the show floor opened we were finally able to feast our eyes on one. We’ve gotta say — it looks mighty good, so feel free to have a look in the gallery below to see if you agree.

Gallery: MSI Wind U120 hands-on

Filed under: CES, Laptops

MSI Wind U120 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is it! Our first go-round with Palm’s newest entry to the smartphone field — the pre. Watch this page for updates on our first impressions, a live stream of photos after the break, and observations on the company’s rebirth into the marketplace.

1:19PM – First photos are up. They’re running us through a demo of the phone, so we haven’t gotten to touch it just yet — the tension is killing!

1:38PM – They let us play with it a bit — while they held the other end, of course. The keyboard is Centro-esque, with shallow presses and cramped spacing. The actual keys are rubbery and easy enough to find with the fingernails of our massive man hands, other folks might have better luck using the pads of their fingers. The touchscreen isn’t quite as responsive as the iPhone or G1 — or it could be the OS, there seems to be a tiny lag between a tap and an action — but it’s still pretty great. We spent mere seconds toying with the OS, but all the actions seem ultra-intuitive.

Update: You can watch some video after the break!

Continue reading Palm Pre first hands-on with live updates!

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm Pre first hands-on with live updates! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We just got a precious few minutes alone in a dark corner (or a huge, overlit booth) with HP’s 12.1-inch dv2 and the 13.3-inch dv3. They’re both slick little smudge-loving machines with handsome design sense and super glossy finishes. In case you’ve forgotten, the dv2 is the first netbook to have AMD’s Neo platform, and it boasts a 1.6GHz Athlon Neo MV-40 processo, up to 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive and starts at $699. The dv3 starts at $799 and comes in several configurations, including either a 2GHz Athlon X2 QL-62 or a 2.4GHz Turion X2 Ultra ZM-86, with ATI’s Radeon HD 3200 graphics, up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM, 160/250/320/400GB hard drive choices. They’re both available now, but check the gallery for some photographic evidence.

Filed under: Laptops

HP dv2 and dv3 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Like the Curve 8900, it turns out that Motorola’s SURF is a device that kinda needs to be seen in the flesh to be fully appreciated. In light of TouchFLO and its endless competitors, the skin Moto’s developed for this thing — while tasteful and seemingly finger-friendly — really isn’t anything to get terribly excited about, but it does an adequate job of making the superficial surface of Windows Mobile reasonably finger-friendly. The screen feels great, and yeah, the SURF includes a stylus — but hey, what WinMo phone doesn’t? Ultimately, we think it’s going to be a totally serviceable alternative to, say, a Touch Diamond — only problem is that the Touch Diamond is like 8 months old. If Moto had launched this running Android instead of WinMo, on the other hand, it would’ve been the runaway hit of the show. Follow the break for a super-quick video tour of the UI!

Continue reading Motorola SURF A3100 video (and pictorial) hands-on

Filed under: Cellphones, CES, Handhelds

Motorola SURF A3100 video (and pictorial) hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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