Dec 21

BlackBerry Curve 8530 impressions

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

We don’t know, but it seems like RIM has enlisted a couple more CDMA engineers because the gap between new devices launching on GSM and then making their way to CDMA has been getting noticeably smaller over time. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 was launched on T-Mobile only a few short months ago, and it’s already made its way to both Verizon and Sprint. It’s not the same powerhouse as its older sibling the Tour, but this device packs a heck of a lot of punch into a very pocketable package. Read past the break for our extended impressions.

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BlackBerry Curve 8530 impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 18

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Mini impressions

Posted in: audio, feature, Features, hands-on, impressions, Music, pics, pictures, speaker, speakers, Today's Chili
Bowers & Wilkins isn’t a name that’s generally associated with “mere mortals.” Sure, you’ll find B&W gear within palatial mansions and the drool-worthy motorcars, but by and large, these guys stick to the high-end and never bother coming down to the level of the layperson. Thanks to Apple, it seems that even this company couldn’t resist the temptation of pumping out its own iPod sound system, with the Zeppelin Mini being the second that it has sold. At $399.99 (MSRP), this one is positioned alongside more pricey options like Bose’s SoundDock, JBL’s On Stage 400P, Altec Lansing’s Mix iMT800, iHome’s iP1 and Boston Acoustics’ i-DS3. As is typical with B&W gear, the Zeppelin Mini is nothing short of beautiful, but do the acoustics really match the design? Read on for a few of our impressions.

Gallery: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Mini impressions

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Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Mini impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 16

Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000: the perfect travel keyboard?

Posted in: bluetooth, Features, hands-on, impressions, keyboard, Microsoft, pics, pictures, Today's Chili

Earlier this year, one of our dear readers wrote in asking the collective audience which wireless keyboard was the best out there for their living room. We’ve since seen all variations of that very inquiry, but the most common one was this: “what’s the best wireless keyboard for travel?” As more and more users resort to netbooks for getting things done on the go, more and more users are pulling their hair out as they attempt to bang out this month’s sales report on an 85 percent full-size keyboard. A few months back, Microsoft let loose a new Bluetooth ‘board that seemed perfect for the weary-eyed jetsetter, and we’ve been toying with it for the last little while. It’s easily one of the thinnest and lightest keyboards we’ve seen, and the carry-along-or-don’t numeric pad is certainly a nice touch. But is this slab of circuitry really what your digits need when typing on the go? Hop on past the break for a few of our impressions.

Gallery: Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000: possibly the perfect travel keyboard

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Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000: the perfect travel keyboard? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 01

Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Wireless speakers impressions

Posted in: audio, Features, hands-on, impressions, Music, sound, speaker, speakers, Today's Chili, usb, Wireless

Back in the day (or way back, as it were), we recall quite vividly the impression made upon us by Klipsch‘s ProMedia v.2-400. It wasn’t the cheapest four-piece speaker set for the PC, but compared to the competition at the time, it certainly offered up a sound rivaled only by much higher-end options — options that were generally tailored for home theater applications. Fast forward to today, and Klipsch is still carrying on the ProMedia line nearly a decade later. The latest set to waltz into our labs are these: the ProMedia 2.1 Wireless. Essentially, these are the exact same ProMedia 2.1 speakers that were released eons ago (in the midst of the Y2K chaos, if you’re looking for specifics), but with a wireless twist. Klipsch has integrated 2.4GHz wireless technology into the subwoofer, and it tossed in a USB dongle in order to beam out audio from whatever PC or Mac that you connect it to. Pretty simple, right? Hop on past the break for our two pennies on how this package performed.

Gallery: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Wireless speakers

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Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Wireless speakers impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 27

Adamo XPS hands-on impressions

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

You might’ve seen the Adamo XPS cameo on this month’s Engadget Show, or viewed our unboxing, but in case you’re averse to the long form, really want to dive deep, or perhaps just use some other trite phrase to describe yourself, we’ve done an in-depth video hands-on with the world’s slimmest laptop. The verdict? Well, it’s a well-made machine with a significant issue of a price to performance imbalance. Check out the video after the break to see if all this sexiness can win you over.

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Adamo XPS hands-on impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 17

Canon EOS 7D impressions for filmmaker wannabes

Posted in: Features, impressions, Today's Chili

Chad Mumm is our video producer at Engadget, doing work on The Engadget Show and filming shorter-form stuff when we need it. He recently acquired the 7D for personal and work use, and we asked him to put together some thoughts on the camera in terms of using it primarily for video. You can check out our traditional review roundup for the 7D here.

These times are strange. Five years ago if you walked onto the set of a movie, TV show, or music video — before you got kicked out by a strung out production assistant — you’d have probably seen a bustling group of workers huddled around a giant camera changing out huge spools with Kodak or Fujifilm logos on them. The RED ONE camera shook up the industry when it was released two years ago and those cans of film were replaced with hard-drives and digital technicians. Now, we’re in the midst of another monumental camera shift, and it’s not the 3D revolution that everyone predicted. Nope, in 2009 we make our movies on DSLRs. Just how good are they? Well, the recently released Canon EOS 7D may just be the new Engadget workhorse. Read on for the inside scoop on our ridiculously cinematic new rig.

Gallery: Canon EOS 7D video rig

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Canon EOS 7D impressions for filmmaker wannabes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 11

ASUS UL80Vt review: thin and light on a budget

Posted in: ASUS, feature, Features, impressions, laptop, Laptops, review, Reviews, Today's Chili

With the release of Windows 7 has come a serious onslaught on new laptops. Great news for us, since we love choices — but we don’t really get a chance to take them all for a spin. ASUS’s UL80Vt caught our eye for a few reasons. The company’s increasingly attractive designs coupled with a really eye-catching price made it likely that this laptop (which is caught somewhere between a full-sizer and a netbook) could be on a lot of people’s radars this holiday season. The 14-inch, CULV laptop boasts an Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU and, interestingly, switchable graphics. So, we decided to give this bad boy a try for ourselves — so read on for our full impressions.

Gallery: ASUS UL80Vt hands-on

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ASUS UL80Vt review: thin and light on a budget originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 09

PowerGenix NiZn rechargeable AA batteries: finally, some cells worth buying

Posted in: Features, impressions, Today's Chili


It’s rare if a month flies by without some random university or DIYer proclaiming that the next major jump in battery technology is just over the horizon, and yet, here we are — in the year 2009 — still buying overpriced AA cells from Duracell and Energizer that deplete far too quickly given the technology available. Heck, even those standard rechargeable cells have seen their performance degrade hastily in our experiences, and we’ve been longing for a rechargeable cell that was actually worth its salt for a long, long time. Frankly, we passed off the PowerGenix NiZn battery as just another slice of vaporware when it was first uncovered in late 2008, but after they went on sale this summer, we decided to really put a set through the paces. Click on to find out how we feel about ’em after months and months of hardcore usage.

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PowerGenix NiZn rechargeable AA batteries: finally, some cells worth buying originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 04

BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

Posted in: BlackBerry, cellphones, feature, Features, hands-on, impressions, ResearchInMotion, review, Reviews, RIM, smartphone, Smartphones, Today's Chili

RIM’s successor to the original Bold — the BlackBerry Bold 9700 — has finally landed on our doorsteps. The 9000 is in many ways a hard act to follow. Hardware-wise, it lived up to its name, going where most phones never went with its retro, leathery, nearly clunky looks in an age of rounded edges and shiny curves. Don’t get us wrong — we loved the 9000’s aesthetics obsessively — which is why we couldn’t wait to get our hands on its newborn child. A few questions we had in mind: would the 9700 live up to its predecessor’s notoriously uncompromising fashion sense? Would the new Bold feel as good to hold and use in the hand as its loving parent? How would it stack up against other, new devices from RIM? If these are the kind of questions you think you might want answers to, read on for our impressions.

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BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 27

Dyson DC25 Blueprint impressions: is the ‘Ball’ worth it?

Posted in: Features, hands-on, household, impressions, Today's Chili

Dyson’s DC25 Blueprint just started shipping en masse this month, and with an MSRP of $529.99, it’s significantly more pricey that the “bargain-minded” DC23 Turbinehead that we had a peek at last month. The company’s range of ‘Ball’ vacuum cleaners have been around for years now, but this is the first chance we’ve had to roll one over our own carpet. With a striking white finish, impeccable build quality and a design to make any gadget nerd blush, there’s quite a bit here that you won’t find on your average vac, but is the sphere really enough to warrant the lofty sticker? Read on for our two pennies.

Gallery: Dyson DC25 Blueprint – Limited Edition

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Dyson DC25 Blueprint impressions: is the ‘Ball’ worth it? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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