Hasta La Gadget!

It seems Fujitsu’s got a thing for morphing PCs. Way back in 2006, we saw this mysterious tri-fold concept, which was rumored to be making the rounds inside Fujitsu R&D, and now the outfit’s short-listed this déjà-vu-inducing transformer for its 2011 “Life with Future Computing Award.” The Flexbook, designed by Hao-Chun Huang, features a foldable 21:9 touchscreen and similarly flexible keyboard that allow its users to switch from laptop to tablet to book-like e-reader. It’s also been designed to sport a number of interchangeable sleeves in a Benetton-esque array of colors and patterns. It might have seemed impractical five years ago, but with convertibles coming of age, we’d say the Flexbook isn’t really all that far out.

Flexbook concept serves up candy-coated convertible originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 May 2011 18:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are you starting to feel bad for Sony yet? No? Maybe this will change your mind. Sony Online Entertainment has, apparently, been the victim of another breach that has, according to Nikkei.com, resulted in the release of 12,700 credit card numbers — and presumably some other information as well. SOE’s online services were taken offline earlier today and, well, now we know why. We’re presently expecting further information from the company but, until then, feel free to continue cowering in the corner and quietly sobbing onto your compromised credit cards.

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Sony woes continue as SOE confirms data breach originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 17:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re not sure how this slipped past us at the Sony Android tablet event, but turns out the electronics giant also teased a couple of interesting VAIO laptops. First up is a “Freestyle Hybrid PC” that slides between tablet mode and laptop mode — very much like the Samsung Sliding PC, but with a seemingly slimmer bottom-half sans trackpad (though we can just about spot a pointing stick on the keyboard). No word on specs, prices, or availability here, but you may recall our proven tipster mentioning a 9.4-inch screen and a $799 launch in the fall. Could this be it? We shall see.

Also shown alongside is a swanky “Ultimate Mobile PC” — pictured after the break — with a hint of USB 3.0 and HDMI on a slim body, but again, there’s not much else to go with this slide. Hey, at least we now know it’s time to start saving up for these bad boys.

Continue reading Sony teases ‘Freestyle Hybird PC’ tablet slider and next-gen ultra-portable laptop

Sony teases ‘Freestyle Hybird PC’ tablet slider and next-gen ultra-portable laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 01:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paul Allen doesn’t give many interviews, but Microsoft’s famously eclectic co-founder recently decided to sit down with 60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl, to discuss his juicy new memoir, The Idea Man. It’s a book peppered with old stories of Allen’s early days as a programmer, when he and Bill Gates would spend their days searching for discarded code in dumpsters and building software for the original Altair computer. But the memoir’s most intriguing (and controversial) revelations revolve around Allen’s personal and professional relationship with Gates, whom he described to Stahl as a gifted businessman with a penchant for being a total jerk. According to Allen, Gates would regularly engage in testy shouting matches with his Microsoft brethren, and wouldn’t hesitate to sling “personal verbal attacks” against anyone who dared to disagree with him. Allen says he tolerated Gates’ explosions, for the most part, even though he desperately wanted to tell him that “working with you is like being in hell.” The two hit a particularly rough patch after Gates allegedly plotted to squeeze Allen out of the company, not long after he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphoma — an incident that spurred Allen to leave Microsoft, shortly thereafter. Gates, for his part, hasn’t commented on Allen’s tell-all, nor, apparently, has he even discussed it with his former partner. The next time the two men sit down for a chat, however, Allen says he expects a “heated discussion.” Naturally. You can watch the interview after the break, along with a glimpse at some of Allen’s most jaw-dropping toys.

Continue reading Paul Allen compares working with Bill Gates to ‘being in hell’ (video)

Paul Allen compares working with Bill Gates to ‘being in hell’ (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, a lack of first-party tools never kept you from bending the Kinect to your diabolical whim, but Microsoft’s taking some time out at MIX 11 to talk about the official Kinect SDK for Windows and show off a few demos. Mind you, all of that’s going to happen on stage over the course of the next hour, so we don’t have many details for you right now, but Redmond says devs will have access to not only the basic color and infrared depth cameras, but “robust skeletal tracking” of two simultaneous individuals as well, and perhaps most excitingly, full access to the Kinect’s array of four microphones for noise canceling and voice recognition complete with API support. Hate to say it, Kinect hackers, but the bar’s about to be bumped up. Keep it locked right here and we’ll let you know if the Microsofties reveal anything else fun!

Update: Yep, we’re getting some Kinect SDK details now — Microsoft says you’ll be able to write Kinect apps for PC in Visual Basic, C#, and C++, and they’re showing off basic coding now… with just a few minutes of work in Visual Studio, they had a program that could draw lines using the wave of a hand.

Update 2: Okay, we just saw some straight-up Minority Report fun here — a guided astronomical tour of the universe controlled by Kinect, and a motorized lounge chair! Connection permitting, we’ll have video up soon.

Microsoft details Kinect SDK for Windows PC, promises ‘robust skeletal tracking’ (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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