Hasta La Gadget!

Are you one of those old-school types who still watches TV programs on an actual television? Then you probably also own one or fifteen of those cordless channel changer contraptions — you know, the kind that use AA batteries and magic beams of light to command station and volume adjustments. Well, set down the remote, lean back in that oversized plastic-covered velvet sofa, and get ready to toss out your last pair of alkalines. Zero1’s new VooMote Zapper remote module has been making the rounds at IFA, letting you use any iOS device as a universal remote. Sure, the concept itself isn’t new — there have been other iOS-integrated remotes — but the Zapper is small, relatively inexpensive, and interfaces quite nicely with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Your programmed selections are stored on the Zapper itself, so you can easily use it with multiple iOS devices.

The $70 device can be matched with identically colored cases ($20 and up), and also includes rather comprehensive TV Guide functionality, enabling you to see local programming, watch previews of unfamiliar content, and send an infrared signal to your TV to launch a program — during its scheduled airing time, of course. We took a look at the app / itsy bitsy hardware combo, and it seemed to work well, with an easy setup process (codes for nearly every device come preloaded) and fast response time. VooMote reps said the device has a range of 25 feet, which is more than plenty for our tiny apartment configs, but may not suffice in some stadium-style media rooms. At the end of the day, it’s really just a (very) elegant touchscreen universal remote solution, so we’ll leave it at that. Jump past the break to see the Zapper in action.

Continue reading Zero1 VooMote Zapper remote control for iOS hands-on (video)

Zero1 VooMote Zapper remote control for iOS hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 13:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After slowing its pace of adding HD channels dramatically as of late, DirecTV has finally satisfied one of the loudest and longest running customer requests by announcing AMC-HD will come to its satellites starting September 9th. There’s still a pretty long list of channels it’s not offering yet, but if you’re on contract and just want to enjoy some Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and Mad Men (when it returns in March) in HD then today’s Facebook posting (just hours after it was dug up by the satellite sleuths at DBSTalk) is exactly what you’ve been waiting for.

[Thanks, Joe & Casey]

DirecTV adds AMC-HD next week, too bad Mad Men is still six months away originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 23:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We like to call this edition of the Engadget Podcast The Engadget Podcast Without Borders because we just don’t care where the news comes from. If it smells like news, we’ll be there, no matter where there is, and we’ll come together every right here to boil it all down for you. It’s that simple. It’s the Engadget Podcast, now with more Richard.

Host: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater
Guests: Richard Lawler, Richard Lai
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Dancing With Myself

01:25 – Engadget NYC Reader Meetup recap
02:30 – We’re live from IFA 2011!
02:41 – Toshiba announces AT200 tablet, 10.1-inch display and only 7.7mm thick
03:25 – Toshiba AT200 hands-on (video)
06:10 – Lenovo announces IdeaPad A1, the $199 Android tablet, we go hands-on (video)
13:49 – Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 hands-on (video)
18:42 – Samsung Galaxy Note announced: 5.3-inch display, built-in-stylus, custom ‘S Pen’ apps
21:30 – Samsung Galaxy Note hands-on (video)
30:30 – Toshiba’s glasses free 3D TV launches in Europe as the ZL2 this December
32:50 – Sony HMZ-T1 headset hits IFA, we go hands-on (video)
34:53 – Lenovo announces U300s Ultrabook, U300 and U400 IdeaPads, we go hands-on (video)
38:30 – Toshiba’s Portege Z830 is an ultraslim, ultrasexy Ultrabook
41:00 – HTC’s 10-inch Puccini tablet gets official as Jetstream, brings LTE and laughable price to AT&T
42:00 – Exclusive: HTC Puccini in the wild, AT&T LTE support confirmed!
43:07 – Sony Tablet S preview
50:00 – Sony officially renames the S2 the Tablet P, opens up about the software (video)
54:22 – US government files to block proposed AT&T / T-Mobile merger (update: companies respond)
57:13 – Offline Google Mail hands-on
58:21 – Listener questions

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Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast 254 – 09.02.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a good time to be a stylus fan. Not only has Samsung debuted its handwriting-friendly Series 7 Slate and Galaxy Note tablets, but LG is also bringing the stylus into the living room with its new series of PenTouch plasma TVs. Available in both 50-inch and 60-inch varieties, each TV comes with a pair of Touch Pens that let you either control the TV and included software like a calendar and photo gallery, or simply draw on it to your heart’s content. As if that wasn’t enough, the top-end 60-inch model is also a 3D TV, and include one pair of active shutter glasses — it’ll run you $2,199, while the non-3D models come in at $1,699 and $1,099. Unfortunately, you’ll also have to supply your own Windows PC to take full advantage of that touch-functionality.

Continue reading LG goes big with stylus-equipped PenTouch plasma TVs

LG goes big with stylus-equipped PenTouch plasma TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve been waiting for someone to take the glasses part out of the current 3D TV viewing experience, Toshiba has finally put a launch date on its glasses-free 3D TV. The world’s first to be available to the public at the size, the ZL2 will take its place at the top of the company’s range of sets when it launches this December in Germany (no word yet on other European countries, or anywhere else for that matter) complete with an LED-backlit QuadHD resolution (3,840 x 2,160) LCD panel and Cell-processor based CEVO engine technology within. Check out the press release after the break for more of the specs, no word yet on how much it will cost but the glasses-based 3D ZL1 it’s replacing was rocking a £4,000 price tag.

Update: We have a price, as Toshiba’s German press site currently mentions the set will cost 7,999 euros when the 55-inch version launches. We’re figuring you can afford a couple of pairs of active shutter glasses instead at that price, but at least it’s still a 4K screen, right? [Thanks, Daniel]

Continue reading Toshiba’s glasses free 3D TV launches in Europe as the ZL2 this December

Toshiba’s glasses free 3D TV launches in Europe as the ZL2 this December originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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