Hasta La Gadget!

Ready for some churchin’ up? Then step on in to the house of Starck. Philippe Starck that is, the prolific designer who’s left his mark on hotel interiors, motorbikes, and toilets across the globe. His latest contribution to the economy of stuff also heralds a return to LaCie (remember his “toaster” series?) with a pair of new hard disk drives: the LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive and Desktop Hard Drive. Both drives are conspicuously inscribed with Starck’s name and flare for melding organic shapes within the rigid rules of geometry. Drives that must be pressed to flesh to be fully appreciated for their aesthetic and mass. And while the models we received feature off-the-shelf disks from Samsung and Hitachi, LaCie adds a few functional tricks to enhance that high-design form. Read on to see if the two struck the appropriate balance.

Continue reading LaCie hard drives stand in Starck contrast to the competition (hands-on)

Filed under: Storage

LaCie hard drives stand in Starck contrast to the competition (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following in ASUS’ hot sweaty footsteps today comes Yamaha with a pair of Skype-certified USB speakerphones. The PSG-01S ‘SoundGadget’ (pictured) aspires to be everything to everyone, by automagically switching between an all-party speaker mode and dressed-up speakerphone duty, depending on its vertical orientation. The PJP-25URS, on the other hand, seems pretty well identical to its predecessor, the PJP-25UR, but for its support for Vista (and presumably Windows 7) machines. That means you still get a crazy twelve mic array and those fetching swing-out mic arms that corporate types must be simply in love with, given the distinct lack of changes. Both are powered via the USB connector, sport dedicated Skype controls, echo cancellation, and noise reduction, and are expected in Europe and the US this month.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Portable Audio

Yamaha’s PSG-01S is the speakerphone version of a mullet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After the lustrous ManMan and retro Cool Man, Newsmy has now surprised us with a straight-laced number in the form of the 8GB 4.3-inch A8HD. Packing a pair of serious-looking speakers and a “high definition” microphone, this has all the intent in the world to break away from the cheap knockoff label, but you already know what you’re gonna get: a shiny pretty paintjob outside and someone’s leftover parts on the inside. Common audio and video formats are supported, and there’s even a rather dubious claim of 720p playback. Maybe once the price and release date are cleared up, we’ll saunter over to China and check it out for ourselves. Or not.

[Via Akihabara News]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Newsmy A8HD probably looks better than it really is originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are you a currently unemployed Software Engineer? If so, here’s a recession antidote of an altogether different stripe: Microsoft is taking applications for a LIVE Community Director, whose job it will be to manage “LIVE community strategy and execution across a range of properties, from Xbox LIVE to Windows Mobile.” The posting then goes on to discuss how the team will be tasked with constructing a next gen, LIVE-enabled platform across the web, the console, mobile and more… which, you know, sounds a little bit like the Live Anywhere concept. Either way, it sounds like the company might be doing a little more than merely contemplating its mobile strategy, Shane Kim’s recent interview notwithstanding. What are you waiting for? Dust off that resume and hit the read link.

[Via Ars Technica, thanks Adrian]

Filed under: Gaming

Is Microsoft gearing up for Xbox Live on mobile? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buffalo’s MiniStation DataVault series of drives is focused on data protection, from hackers and clumsy owners alike, with features like automatic full disk encryption and ruggedized shock-resistant design. The latest model, identified in Japan by the dry alphanumeric title you see above, sticks to the security-centric formula but bumps the storage to a sweet 500GB. ¥23,200 ($244) will be enough to snag the USB-powered 5,400RPM device in mid-August, and a prompt US / European release also seems highly likely. Judging by what’s already available in the US, you can expect a three year warranty plus preloaded auto-backup software and mobile versions of Firefox and Thunderbird for avoiding the scourge of IE wherever you may roam.

[Via PC Watch]

Filed under: Storage

Buffalo HDS-PH500U2 gives you 500GB of rugged, encrypted storage originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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