Hasta La Gadget!

Remember yesterday… when everything was awesome and hopeful? Well, with this morning’s coffee came the cold hard truth once more: the economy is seriously stinking up the joint, and it only seems to be getting worse. Logitech‘s announced their third-quarter earnings (down 70 percent) and simultaneously said it’s going to shrug off 600 of its employees, while the folks over at Intel have said they’re shutting down a manufacturing facility in the Philippines which houses 1,800 employees. Sony‘s vaguely announced a “restructuring” which is bound to result in misery and job loss, while Sega confirmed that “about 30” people have been vaporized from the pay sheet. So… everything’s cool with this blogging job, right guys? Guys!?

Read – Confirmed: Sega cuts staff
Read – Sony announces restructuring plan
Read – Intel announces RP operation shutdown
Read – Logitech third quarter profits fell 70 percent

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Job loss roundup: like other roundups, only less fun originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We already had a little hands-on time with Logitech’s G9x, but TechRadar was able to spend a copious amount of time with it. So much time, in fact, that it wrote up a review explaining the pros and cons of owning one. The gist of it was that the G9x didn’t really mess with the original formula of the G9, and the 5,000DPI sensor was stellar under pressure. The scroll wheel and buttons were also found to be solid, and the accompanying software was also satisfactory. All in all, the G9x didn’t seem to really shock and awe, but if you’re currently in the market for a gaming mouse, this one should supposedly make it onto your “shortlist of candidates.”

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Logitech’s G9x gaming mouse reviewed, deemed worth a look originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 04:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We just had a chance to get our hands all over Logitech’s G-series peripherals, including the G19 keyboard, G9x mouse and G13 gameboard. The G19 keyboard feels very responsive if not a bit hefty, but the real catch here is the 320 x 240 LCD. You can navigate through YouTube using adjacent keys, and the Britney Spears video we ended up watching was particularly crisp. The rep told us it’d be able to play anything compatible with Windows Media. The G9x mouse is what you come to expect from earlier Logitech entries, with a very responsive scroll wheel. As for the G13 gameboard, the right side-mounted joystick felt very comfortable and all they keys well-placed. Programming the keys for the G13 and G19 was a fairly straightforward process with software. We also got some time with the Harmony 1100, but unfortunately we didn’t have a chance to see how well it interacted with the computer. The device itself is surprisingly lightweight and the screen very bright. Hit up the gallery below for pics.

Filed under: CES, Gaming, Peripherals

Hands-on with Logitech G-series peripherals, Harmony 1100 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flush with the success of its G13 gameboard, Logitech is now creating a whole series of peripherals that will all work together to celebrate the seventh letter of the alphabet. The G-series line includes a new $199 G19 keyboard, offering a 320 x 240 color LCD mounted on top and 12 “G-keys” that can have up to three macros assigned to each. Next up is the $129 G35, a 7.1 surround-sound headset with integrated “voice-morphing” options for those who’d rather sound like a space squirrel than domestic gamer. Finally, there’s a new flavor of the G9 mouse, dubbed the G9x, which loses the photo-overlay in favor of a maximum DPI of 5000 — that’s a whole 1800 more than before! Those extra dots will set you back $99 when the G9x releases in April, while the keyboard and headset should come about a month earlier.

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Peripherals

Logitech introduces G-series peripherals for gamers who need lots of buttons originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logitech may be bringing the heat at CES, but that doesn’t mean it’s not feeling the pinch. Alongside a few new pieces of kit, the outfit has also announced that it will be undergoing a serious restructuring as it moves forward. According to president and chief executive officer Gerald P. Quindlen: “During the December quarter, the retail environment deteriorated significantly, and moreover, we expect the economic environment to worsen in the coming months and we are therefore taking significant actions to align our cost structure with what is likely to be an extended downturn.” Sadly, those “actions” involve sending home some 15% of its salaried workforce worldwide, and it’s expecting the savings from all of this to show in Q1 of fiscal year 2010. Ouch.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals

Logitech axes 15% of salaried workforce as it restructures originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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