Hasta La Gadget!

Surfing and science are something of an odd mix, but we’ve seen time and time again that the two subjects to together like, well, salt and water. The latest high-tech stick to hit that briney mix comes from a team at UC San Diego, who outfitted a board with eight sensors on the bottom that measure the speed of the water as it rushes beneath. All are controlled by a waterpoofed computer embedded in the nose, which transmits data wirelessly to an Eee PC left sadly on the beach while its partner splashes around in the waves. The goal is to attempt to determine what level of flex is optimal and, once determined, to create the ultimate board and rule the world… the surfing world, at least.

Continue reading Researchers use sensors to find the perfect surfboard, Gidget still looking for that perfect bikini (video)

Researchers use sensors to find the perfect surfboard, Gidget still looking for that perfect bikini (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You can read that as bitter hype; then again, we’re looking at a company that’s known to live up to its words. In a recent interview with UDN, Acer Inc. Chairman JT Wang echoed ASUS’ recent forecast regarding the iPad’s erosion of the netbook market in the US and UK, although he also pointed out that netbooks are still selling like hotcakes in developing countries. As for the tablet market itself, Wang believes that Apple’s closed camp operation will ultimately bow to other joint forces once the market matures, thus lowering the iPad’s current near-100 percent share to somewhere between 20 and 30 percent. Hell, the man even suggested this could be an over-estimation, and referred to the Mac’s minuscule 5 percent global share over the last few years. And you know what? He might be right. That doesn’t mean that the iPad’s days are numbered though since Apple’s never been interested in taking part in the “race to the bottom.” Apple measures success by profits, not market share — even a small percentage of high-margin laptop and smartphone sales has proven to be a very good thing for Apple’s bottom line. Besides, if open is such a great thing, we’d like to question Wang on what caused the Windows-based tablets to flop in the first place? Regardless, this would certainly be another prediction to look out for in a few years’ time.

Acer’s JT Wang: iPad’s market share will drop to about 20 percent, maybe less originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer’s just told us that it has “no imminent plans” to bring the dual-booting Android and Windows XP Aspire One D255 stateside, and after seeing an in-depth video (no, really it’s 14 minutes long!) of the 10-inch netbook in action we can’t say we’re all that upset about the news. Yep, the NetbookNews team snatched up a light blue version of the new netbook in Taipei, and though they were impressed with the thin design and included case, they had less positive things to say on the software end. Not only is the Windows XP desktop ridden with crapware, but the Android implementation is still half baked. Similar to the first generation Acer Aspire One D250, the Android 2.1 interface is really only good for searching the web and checking e-mail since it doesn’t have access to the Market. Of course, we urge you to sit back and watch the lengthy hands-on video after the break to make your own call on this $299 lappie, but ultimately, we’re assuming you’ll have the same question as us: Acer, how’s that Chrome OS netbook coming along?

Continue reading Android-booting Acer Aspire One D255 extensively demoed, yet far from loved on video

Android-booting Acer Aspire One D255 extensively demoed, yet far from loved on video originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Been waiting for evidence that the iPad will dent the netbook market? If you believe ASUS, that’s already happened, with the Eee PC vendor reporting fewer sales in the second quarter relative to the first and downgrading expectations for the usual peak season of Q3. Apple’s prodigious tablet is specifically named by ASUS CEO Jerry Shen as an invader that is “crowding out” netbook demand, though he remains firmly committed to the small and affordable laptop market. All the same, Shen does also point a finger to the horizon, where a trifecta of Eee Pads marches ever nearer with the intent to do battle with the iPad. So while netbooks aren’t going away in a hurry, these latest numbers seem to suggest they’re set to at least share the lower-end spotlight with touch-friendly slates, or rather Pads.

ASUS downgrades Eee PC shipment forecast, blames iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 03:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell announced this week that the new Inspiron M101z, a new ultra-portable laptop that has some features you would expect in a netbook, is available to order now and will start shipping soon.

The M101z features an 11-inch screen, gets over 6 hours of battery life, weighs less than 4 pounds, and features an AMD Athlon II Mobile dual-core processor under the hood, which makes it look a lot like a netbook. However, the M101z also has a full keyboard, on-board HDMI, supports up to 4GB of memory, and can come with up to a 320GB hard drive, which makes it look a lot like a low-voltage full laptop.

The M101z is one of the newest laptops to fit in the space between netbooks and thin-and-light laptops that offer modest features and portability at low prices. The starting price for the M101z is $449 at its base configuration, but adding more memory and storage will bump the price well over the $500 mark.

You can check out the full review of the Dell Inspiron M101z over at PCMag.com!