Hasta La Gadget!

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Justin, who can’t afford both a high-end HTPC and textbooks for next semester. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I am a college student looking for a cheap way to hook up to my standard-def TV. It’s not HD capable but has an HDMI input. What do you think would be the best sub $500 HTPC for my home use?”

We served up a similar question a few years back for the high-end crowd, and we taught you how to build your own Blu-ray-capable HTPC last year for a solid grand, but this sub-$500 territory is all new. Anyone have any decent HTPC options that won’t break the bank? Any tips on constructing your own from an older desktop? Go on and share in comments below — it’s good for the soul, we tell ya.

Ask Engadget: best HTPC for under $500? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey there, got any Objective-C experience and a desire to help out a budding young company? You’ll wanna hit that source link right quick, as Boxee is presently on the search for a Lead iPad and iPhone App Developer who will be responsible for starting the company’s Mobile Applications team. It’s no secret that Boxee is keen to get its media streaming software out on any and all hardware possible, and iPhone OS presents the company with an ever-expanding audience for its wares. Additional job requirements include a minimum of a year’s professional development experience and that you’ll have previously developed an app for the iPhone, though that last bit’s not exactly a high hurdle to overcome. We like the added note that Android dev experience is “a plus,” which suggests to us that the Mobile Apps team will eventually be spreading its wings beyond Apple’s mobile OS as well.

[Thanks, Abed]

Boxee seeks iPad and iPhone app developer, bigger slice of Apple pie originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 06:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seeing HTC leak a shot of a product through a confidential FCC filing is about as rare as a confirmed yeti sighting, so you can imagine our excitement with this fresh meat that just landed in the Fed’s files today. What is it, exactly? Well, it’s a smartphone running 3G on WCDMA Band IV, which — for those who don’t have their bands memorized — is the AWS spectrum that T-Mobile uses. In other words, we’d bet our bottom dollar that this is the rumored Android-equipped myTouch Slide that we’re looking at here — and with a Spring launch window having been rumored in the past, this certification looks like it’s running right on time. Your move, T-Mobile.

T-Mobile’s myTouch Slide earns its FCC wings? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You picked up an Okoro media PC last month, didn’t you? If you’re nodding up and down in a worried fashion, you’re probably better off ignoring everything else we’ll say in this post. For the rest of you HTPC hounds, the boutique outfit has something that’s very likely to pique your interest (and kick that upgrade itch into high gear). Announced today, the company is adding Core i3 and Core i5 processors to its 2010 media center PC lineup, and as if the extra horsepower weren’t enough, users will also find native bitstreaming of TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio on every system save for the Q100. You’ll also get a 64-bit copy of Windows 7, up to 8TB of internal storage space, optional Blu-ray playback, quad CableCARD support and the new holy grail of transfers, USB 3.0. You can hit up the outfit’s webstore now to configure your dream machine, and if you so desire, you can check out its dedicated trade-up program that’ll last through May 31st.

Okoro Media Systems upgrades HTPC range with Core i3 / i5 CPUs, bitstreaming and USB 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Like gaming? Move right along to the iBuyPower booth, please. Want an unobtrusive PC that will feed your Hulu and YouTube HD streaming addiction? Say hello to the ZBOX HD-ID11. It’s basically a desktop version of the same Ion 2 setups you saw announced on the mobile front yesterday, and as such should provide flawless Flash 10.1 playback while occupying an extremely lean footprint on your desktop. Zotac has matched MSI’s Wind Box DE220 with its inclusion of a dual-core 1.66GHz Atom D510 CPU, though it obviously differs with its NVIDIA Ion 2 graphics subsystem that includes 512MB of dedicated DDR3 memory. HDMI 1.3a and standard VESA wall-mounting are expected extras, with six USB ports, integrated 802.11n WiFi, dual-link DVI, and a 6-in-1 media card reader covering the rest of your bases. Check out some 1080p playback on a similarly specced system right here while you wait for pricing and availability to be revealed.

Update: We’ve heard directly from Zotac on the matter of pricing and we’re told that the American MSRP will be $209.99 for the barebones edition, which will require you to add your own hard drive, memory and OS.

Zotac’s ZBOX HD-ID11 has NVIDIA Ion 2 and Atom D510 to thank for excellent media playback (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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