Hasta La Gadget!

Looking to make the wild and not-entirely-wondrous world of printers exciting for the first time in decades, HP has just unveiled the “world’s first web-connected printer.” If you’re wondering how it plans on accomplishing such an impossible mission, let us just say this: the Photosmart Premium is going the way of the widget. Up on the 4.33-inch front panel is Touchsmart Web, a touchscreen interface with several bundled, online apps to accommodate usual paper-friendly tasks such as printing Google maps, tickets from Fandango, coupons, recipes, Sudoku, etc. There’s even a full-on HD Apps Studio just in case downloading new apps on one’s printer really becomes the new hotness. The API’s being made open for the entire realm of developers, but we have to wonder what kind of interest we’ll see here. Pricing is set for $399, and if you’re thinking “why not just buy a cheap netbook and plug it into my current model” we hear ya, but we get the impression this is aimed squarely at another crowd. Lots more details are just past the break.

Update: We just had a chance to try the printer / Touchsmart for ourselves. First off, surprise, the screen is capacitive touch, and it works well — but only one finger at a time. We asked a rep about multitouch and were told that while technically feasible, it’s not gonna be supported at this time. The widgets are created with a combination of HTML5 and Java, and much to our surprise, video streaming has been implemented. The Monsters vs. Aliens trailer we saw was decent resolution, but really, it’s not a place where we need pristine quality. More screens in the gallery below.

Continue reading HP unveils Photosmart Premium with Touchsmart Web: “world’s first web-connected printer”

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals

HP unveils Photosmart Premium with Touchsmart Web: “world’s first web-connected printer” originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, well — what have we here? HP‘s newly unveiled Pavilion dv2z just so happens to have a bit of fresh silicon within, as AMD’s latest Neo chips are front and center in the configuration options. The thin-and-light machine can be ordered with single- or dual-core AMD Athlon Neo and Turion Neo dual-core processors, and if you’re looking for specifics, you’ll find the new 1.6GHz Athlon Neo X2 L335 and 1.6GHz Turion Neo X2 L625. Other specs on the 12.1-incher include a LED-backlit WXGA panel, optional Blu-ray drive, discrete ATI Radeon graphics, up to 500GB of HDD space, a built-in webcam, WiFi, optional WWAN (Verizon, Sprint or AT&T) and a 6-cell battery. It’s up for order right now starting at $599.99, but if you’re looking to leave that aged Neo MV-40 behind, you’ll have to pony up a bit more than that. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading New AMD Neo Athlon / Turion chips emerge in HP Pavilion dv2z

Filed under: Laptops

New AMD Neo Athlon / Turion chips emerge in HP Pavilion dv2z originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Moblin — the Intel lovin’ Linux flavor we’ve heard so much about recently — just got some major support from Acer, who plans on slapping it on laptops, desktop PCs, and its Aspire One nettops. According to PC World, a press conference held today saw a wide range of Moblin versions (including Suse, Xandros, Linpus, Red Flag, and Ubuntu Moblin) installed on netbooks from companies that included HP, Asustek, MSI, and Hasee Computer; MIDs by the likes of BenQ and Compal; and even an Eee Keyboard. Not too bad for an OS that wasn’t even an OS when we first laid eyes on it, eh? We’ll keep our eyes peeled for those machines from Acer. In the mean time, how about that Tony Hawk Ride? Man, that looks sweet.

Filed under: Desktops, Handhelds, Laptops

Acer to join the Moblin Linux bandwagon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After being introduced to the world late last month, we’ve heard little else about HP’s lower-end MediaSmart Server LX195… until now, obviously. This little media streamer made its way into the HotHardware labs for a little Q&A, and it managed to escape with lots of praise, a mild amount of criticism and a price tag that’ll likely be too steep for most to swallow. As for performance and features, the LX195 was found to shine; the Media Collector, iTunes server and Time Machine backup functionality all worked great. Unfortunately, the “endless loop of updates” seen during the initial setup and the lack of an April update — which was sent out to the EX series last month — left somewhat of a bitter taste in reviewers mouths. Overall, the system delivered and worked as advertised, but the $360 to $400 street price is apt to turn all but the hardest of hardcore HP fans away, not to mention that the aforesaid EX update (which will hit the LX195 this fall) will require users to completely wipe their HDD and start over from scratch. Check the read link for the full writeup.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

HP’s MediaSmart Server LX195 reviewed: impressive, but flawed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 May 2009 09:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been quite awhile since we’ve seen a major recall surrounding volatile laptop batteries, but it looks as if HP is the company bringing the topic back to the forefront. Announced today, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with Hewlett-Packard, has issued a voluntary recall of about 70,000 Li-ion batteries. Reportedly, these cells can “overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers,” and so far, the firm and CPSC have received two separate reports of batteries that have overheated and ruptured, resulting in — wait for it — “flames / fire that caused minor property damage.” For a look at what units are affected, head on past the break — oh, and if you’re reading this on an HP lappie right now, go ahead and grab the fire extinguisher just in case.

Continue reading 70,000 HP laptop batteries recalled due to fire hazard

Filed under: Laptops

70,000 HP laptop batteries recalled due to fire hazard originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 May 2009 15:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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