Hasta La Gadget!

Hey, remember that mystery tablet NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang was pimping a mere couple of weeks ago? Well, it’s made its way to London, and woe betide the Engadget editor who didn’t get a hands-on with such an exclusive piece of hardware. So what we’re looking at here is a Windows CE-powered, resistive touchscreen display spanning somewhere around 15 to 16 inches, with the same Tegra internals as may be found in the Zune HD or one of them smartbook devices. As we reported earlier, the company behind the machine is ICD, and this particular unit was built to try and entice T-Mobile into placing a few orders.

Being a prototype, the device on hand was quite literally rough around the edges, but what we saw was appetite-whetting. The overall construction is under an inch thin, 720p video playback was excellent, and there’s even a terrific-looking wireless recharge station cum base accessory — think of Palm’s Touchstone, only enlarged and magnetized to the point where it can support the whole tablet in an upright position. If somebody marries all that hardware potential with the Stantum multitouch firmware and a more finger-friendly OS, this thing just might make the whole Apple tablet brouhaha utterly irrelevant. Video after the break.

Continue reading NVIDIA Tegra tablet prototype hands-on

NVIDIA Tegra tablet prototype hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This writer is on record saying that gaming is the real killer app for 3D, and while we wait for 3D movies to find a home distribution method and start throwing some weight around, that continues ring true. Luckily, the ASUS G51J 3D doesn’t skimp on the graphics power, despite its almost-pretty-portable 15.6-inch size. We checked out Left 4 Dead 2 in 3D on the machine, using the included NVIDIA 3D setup, and were pretty impressed by the gaming graphics and what 3D adds the experience. The technology is obviously maturing, and the thought of being able to do this on a portable machine makes it even more consumer friendly — it’s not like anyone buys desktops anymore. Our only gripe with the machine is that it’s pretty generic and even ugly looking, and the display itself is sharp and bright but suffers from some odd viewing angle problems: the blacks have a tendency to flip out when we get slightly off axis. Viewing some stills shot on Fujifilm’s FinePix REAL 3D W1 camera, however, really showed off how vibrant the display is, and as long as you stay on the straight and narrow (most 3D applications are single user anyway) you should be fine.

ASUS G51J 3D hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No knock on Acer, who got here first with the Aspire 5738DG, but it sounds like the ASUS G51J 3D has the technology edge in the nascent 3D laptop category. We’ll have to see it in action to be sure, but the laptop is using NVIDIA’s 3D Vision tech for extensive game compatibility (around 400 games currently work with it), and a 120Hz, 15.6-inch screen paired with some active shutter glasses. We’ve found the shutter method to be typically a more enjoyable 3D experience than polarized solutions, with no knock on frame rate or resolution. The GeForce GTX 260M card with 1GB of DDR3 memory doesn’t hurt either, but that hugegantic USB IR blaster that has to sit on the desk and sync up with the glasses could be a problem for 3D-on-the-go. Of course, the benchmark friendly Core i7-based G51J which this machine is based on (the only real difference is the screen) was never much of one for portability. The laptop will be out soon, with a starting price of $1,700.

Filed under: Gaming, Laptops

ASUS G51J 3D sports NVIDIA 3D Vision with 120Hz display to bring ‘real’ 3D to laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Desktops

NVIDIA Tesla 20-series GPUs promise to dramatically cut supercomputing costs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That latest update to the Zune HD’s brainstem has unlocked an extra dimension to the multifunctional device, which can now boast “3D gaming device” among its many accolades. Aside from fixing a significant issue on the music side, the firmware refresh has given the green light for the following games to enter the Marketplace: PGR: Ferrari Edition, Lucky Lane Bowling, Vans Sk8: Pool Service, Piano, Checkers, and Audiosurf: Tilt. Yep, the music-surfing game that seems almost tailor-made for accelerometer-equipped media players is ready for your ownership and enjoyment. The best part? All the titles are free. So what are you waiting for, pilgrims, get downloadin’ and do come back to tell us how well that Tegra chip performs, won’t you? Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Zune HD Marketplace now loaded with free 3D games

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Zune HD Marketplace now loaded with free 3D games originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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