Hasta La Gadget!

Ever find yourself wishing your iPad iPad 2 was free from the fickle whims of wireless internet connections? Neither do we — but, if you’re the cable-dependent type, your prayers may not go unanswered for much longer. Redpark (who gave the iPhone an RJ-11 dongle) has created the Console Cable with the ubiquitous 30-pin Apple connector on one end and an RJ-45 plug on the other. The $69 device is used in conjunction with a $9.99 Get Console app to allow Cisco engineers to use their iDevice of choice to perform maintenance out in the field. Cable and app are exclusively compatible with Cisco devices, however, so no Ethernet on the iPhone… yet. It’s only a matter of time before someone makes it happen — your move, hackers.

Redpark Console Cable gives iDevices an RJ-45 connector, not Ethernet access originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Pocket-lint  |  Redpark  | Email this | Comments

In this week’s Gadget Lab podcast, we kick off the show with a quick look at some weird fungus that’s apparently turning certain ants into zombies. Gross and awesome.

Moving on to gadget land, we waste some time playing with Zibits, puny robots controlled with a two-directional “joystick.” They aren’t very useful, but they’re charmingly simple.

In more serious news, we cover the highlights of Apple’s new iPad 2 tablet computer launched this week. It’s thinner, faster and lighter than the previous iPad, with the same $500 starting price.

The iPad 2 also includes two cameras: one on front for video-conferencing and the other on back for snapping photos, which are a neat addition, but they look like they’re pretty low-quality cameras.

Apple is also selling a pretty interesting protective cover for the iPad 2 called the Smart Cover, which has a magnet to clip the accessory right on to the side of the tablet. It’s a neat cover, but we’re more interested in Apple’s business strategy in the accessories game than in the product itself.

We wrap up the podcast with some of our favorite hacks for the Microsoft Kinect. Some clever nerds have hacked Microsoft’s Kinect controller to use it to control music, give themselves boob implants and create 3-D models, among other applications.

UPDATE: To enter the contest mentioned in the podcast, post your answer below by 5pm Pacific on Wednesday, March 9, 2011.

Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast on iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our unholy on-camera talent, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds.

Or listen to the audio here:

Gadget Lab audio podcast No. 106

http://downloads.wired.com/podcasts/assets/gadgetlabaudio/GadgetLabAudio0106.mp3

Every year CBS has enhanced its March Madness On Demand experience, from HD VOD on cable boxes to HD streaming on PCs before adding PiP and paid mobile access last year. For 2011, a new deal has brought in Turner Sports to not only provide enough channels to air all the games in high definition (we figure you’ll find CBS, TNT and TBS on the channel guide with no problem, but with some of the games diverted to lesser known TruTV HD check the HDSportsGuide link below to see if it’s in your area yet) but also expand the streaming experience by promising higher quality video, personalized channel lineup and social tie ins. If you’re on the go, the mobile client for iOS devices (sorry, no Android or other mobile OSes) is free this year so you can keep that fiver in your pocket this time. There’s another pic of the iPad client, a video trailer and all sorts of details waiting after the break, so click through to find out more or just wait for the free apps to hit iTunes March 10th.

Continue reading CBS & Turner Sports are streaming all the March Madness games to PCs, iPhones & iPads for free

CBS & Turner Sports are streaming all the March Madness games to PCs, iPhones & iPads for free originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Continue reading New SteelSeries gaming headsets come to CeBIT, now iPhone compatible

New SteelSeries gaming headsets come to CeBIT, now iPhone compatible originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  SteelSeries (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft is finally issuing its full-fledged answer to the iPad. Next year. Word is that the company’s long awaited consumer tablet OS will finally be hitting the market, just in time for back to school 2012, which will likely put the tablets in direct competition with the third generation iPad.

According to “people who declined to be identified because the plans haven’t been disclosed publicly,” cited by Bloomberg, Microsoft is set to begin public testing on the tablet-friendly version of Windows 7 later this year. The update will be designed specifically to work on touchscreens, taking advantage of tablet screen size and battery concerns.

Apple, of course, currently dominates the market, with the latest figures somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 percent of tablet sales in the U.S. Google’s Android is set to make a big grab, thanks to the recently released Motorola Xoom and a slew of upcoming tablets that will take advantage of Google’s tablet-oriented Android Honeycomb.

Unless Microsoft hits back with a downright revolution, the timing certainly doesn’t bode well for the software giant’s chances in the market. Sure the company got good reviews and even some moderate sales with Windows Phone 7 devices, but failed attempts to offer tablets to consumers in the past aside, Microsoft is really starting from scratch on this one.