Hasta La Gadget!

Well, it was only a matter of time — first the leaked press shots of this elusive HTC Spark (although possibly misidentified as the Mondrian back then — note the shinier earpiece in the leaked AT&T ad), and now the real thing is in the hands of some lucky hardware tester. Fortunately for us, this guy also happens to have a naughty friend over at xda-developers — you’ll see in his photos that HTC Hub is alive and well on this 8GB handset, but otherwise, there’s not much info coming out of here. Regardless, feel free to head over to the source link for more Windows Phone 7 eye candy — you’ll need to register first, though, so we’ve grabbed a few shots below to get things going.

[Thanks, Adam]

HTC Spark leaked in the wild, shows off plenty of WP7 goodness originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DSL cables might not really be the sexiest thing in networking anymore, but what they are is ubiquitous, so let’s not begrudge Huawei its feat here. The Chinese telecoms facilitator has shown off a new prototype that can pump 700Mbps of data across a 400-meter expanse. This is done by bundling four twisted pairs of copper wire together and sprinkling in some fairy dust to make them communicate at 175Mbps each. The clever bit here is in how crosstalk and interference are minimized, and Huawei claims a 75 percent improvement in bandwidth as a result. An immediate opportunity for these new cables will be, ironically, with fiber rollouts, as they could serve as the last connection between fiber hubs and your home. Then again, with Google and Chattanooga already looking at 1Gbps lanes, maybe the day of the copper wire has already passed?

Continue reading Huawei breaks DSL speed barrier with 700Mbps prototype

Huawei breaks DSL speed barrier with 700Mbps prototype originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 09:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus’ PR branch left us digging for details when announcing the outfit’s new Zuiko-equipped camera, a concept piece that’s actually on track for the real world in early 2011. It seems as if this, along with Fujifilm’s FinePix X100, is carving out a new niche in the compact space. It lacks the flexibility of Micro Four Thirds / mirrorless, but it packs a bigger quality punch than any other point-and-shoot on the market. At least with this guy, though, you’ll be getting an optical zoom. During our gaze session at Olympus’ Photokina booth, we spotted “optical zoom” labeling as well as a toggle switch for pulling the lens in and out, and we also found an HDMI output, video record button, hot shoe accessory port and a pop-up flash. Join us as we go round and round in the video after the break.

Continue reading Olympus Zuiko-equipped compact camera eyes-on: optical zoom, HDMI spotted

Olympus Zuiko-equipped compact camera eyes-on: optical zoom, HDMI spotted originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve heard Sony use the term “Advanced Model” when dealing with concepts before, and it seems that it’s using said code once more to disguise what may end up being the A77. Rumors have been flaring over the past few weeks, noting that this particular Alpha DSLR would be showcased at Photokina before being officially unveiled at CES 2011. Few details were given, but we’re able to tell that it’ll shoot HD video in AVCHD and will be compatible with a vertical grip. Moreover, it’ll ship with a translucent mirror (as found in the A55 and A33) and an Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor. At the company’s Photokina press conference, an executive noted that the cam will be “far more powerful than the a55,” and that it’ll be aimed at “serious enthusiast photographers.”

A slew of concept / prototype lenses were also encased (including a comically large 500mm f/4 cannon) at Sony’s booth, not to mention a few that’ll definitely be available from 2011 and 2012. Back at the presser, we were informed that a grand total of ten A-mount (Alpha DSLR compatible) lenses will be on sale by 2012, and it’s also considering working with a number of partners in order to develop third-party E-mount lenses for the NEX range. Moreover, a firmware update is slated for mid-October to bring autofocus support to A-mount lenses used on E-mount cameras, aperture control in video mode and customizable keys, while the NEX-VG10 Handycam will see an A-mount lens firmware update in November. Speaking of E-mount cameras, Sony’s also developing its own micro flash for use in low(er)-light situations, and considering that it recently grabbed a full 50 percent of the mirrorless market share in Europe, we’d guess it’s nowhere near slowing down on the innovation. Smiles all around, right?

Sony ‘Advanced Model’ (Alpha A77?) DSLR emerges at Photokina, E-mount firmware coming soon originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 11:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus isn’t saying much (and that’s understating things greatly), but it’s using this year’s Photokina trade show in order to tease a new integrated compact camera that’s meant to serve an exceedingly narrow niche. So far as we can tell, this new “flagship” compact camera is the world’s first with an “integrated Zuiko lens,” meaning that it’s actually not a Micro Four Thirds rig. We’re still waiting to speak with someone at the company to find out exactly what the purpose is here, but we’re getting the impression that it’s meant to provide extreme resolution in the palm of your hand — no need in grabbing the D3X if you can capture the next LeBron James mural with something this small, right? The press release insinuates that we won’t know much more until CES 2011 (or sometime in Q1 2011, anyway), but at least we know that the accessory port will enable it to play nice with PEN peripherals.

Continue reading Olympus teases Zuiko-equipped compact camera, leaves us desperate for details

Olympus teases Zuiko-equipped compact camera, leaves us desperate for details originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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