Jul 20

Apple store goes down, all is quiet before the Lion roars

Posted in: Apple, breaking news, macbook air, MacbookAir, os x, OsX, refresh, Today's Chili

And so it begins. The Apple Store has been taken down for updating and it probably won’t reappear until it’s rocking the hotly awaited $30 Mac OS 10.7 upgrade. We’ll have a full review of Lion later in the week, but if you can’t wait that long check out our hands-on preview. There’s a chance we’ll see some MacBook Air action today too, so we’ll keep you posted. Oh yeah, and this store is the real deal.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]

Apple store goes down, all is quiet before the Lion roars originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 05:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 05

Sprint updates Samsung Galaxy Tab to Gingerbread, gets over post-holiday blues

Posted in: froyo, galaxy, GalaxyTab, gingerbread, honeycomb, ota, refresh, samsung, Sprint, tab, tablet, Today's Chili, update
Samsung Galaxy Tab owners in the US have been anxiously waiting for their prized possession to get an update to Honeycomb and its tablet-optimized wonders, only to be warmly greeted by crickets for months. Fortunately, as we reported last week, Sprint’s taken the first step in the right direction by bumping its Tab up to Gingerbread and throwing in a few standard maintenance fixes at the same time. The new build, also known as “GINGERBREAD.EF17,” will be sent out OTA in stages; the deed should be done for every Tab on the Now Network over the next four days. To see if your tablet is ready to get its refresh on, go into settings, choose “About My Galaxy Tab,” and select “system updates.” Be sure to set aside five minutes for Gingerbread to download and install on your device, and you’ll be good to go. It’s no Android 3.1, of course, but at least Sprint’s one step ahead of the pack.

Sprint updates Samsung Galaxy Tab to Gingerbread, gets over post-holiday blues originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 05

Terrafugia Transition aircraft gets DOT roadworthiness sign-off, can now drive you to the airport

Posted in: car, refresh, safety, Today's Chili


For most experimental aircraft, earning an airworthiness certificate is enough of a challenge. But the Terrafugia Transition is a unique type of flying machine, requiring approval not only from the FAA, but also from the USDOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), since this air / land hybrid is likely to spend just as much time cruising down the highway as it will flying 5,000 feet above. The Transition is now slightly closer to takeoff, with the NHTSA granting exemptions for absent airbags, a missing electronic stability system, and the plane’s lightweight polycarbonate windows (polycarbonate is lighter than automotive safety glass, and won’t shatter and obscure a pilot’s vision in the event of a bird strike). Unfortunately the Transition still has other hurdles to fly over — its cabin is limited to carrying 330 pounds when fully fueled, including passengers, and the price has jumped 41 percent, to $250,000. In the meantime, Terrafugia hopes to move forward with production later this year, bringing the ‘flying car’ slightly closer to a runway (and highway) near you.

Terrafugia Transition aircraft gets DOT roadworthiness sign-off, can now drive you to the airport originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 04:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 01

Samsung refreshes 13-inch Series 9 laptop, adds two 11-inchers to the mix

Posted in: refresh, samsung, Today's Chili

It’s only been three months since we drooled over the thin, powerful, expertly built — and expensive! — Samsung Series 9. Of course, that’s dog years in the world of consumer electronics — the company has just refreshed its premium 13-incher, adding a Core i7 processor option, a 256GB SSD (up from 128GB), and 6GB of RAM to the highest-end model. While Samsung was at it, it added two 11-inch models, the lower-end of which which starts with a Core i3 processor, 64GB SSD, and 2GB of RAM. All told, you’ll find two 11-inchers and three 13-inch models, ranging in price from $1,049 to $2,049, leaving the one we reviewed three months ago $300 cheaper. Full PR and a list of basic specs after the break.

Continue reading Samsung refreshes 13-inch Series 9 laptop, adds two 11-inchers to the mix

Samsung refreshes 13-inch Series 9 laptop, adds two 11-inchers to the mix originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 30

MacBook in short supply, stirs rumors of imminent refresh, rebirth of white plastic?

Posted in: Apple, laptop, Mac, macbook, Mini, notebook, refresh, thunderbolt, Today's Chili, update
MacBook in short supply, stirs rumors of imminent refresh, rebirth of white plastic?

We’ve already seen the MacBook Pro sporting new specs, and heard rumblings of a MacBook Air refresh coming soon, and now reports of dwindling supplies of Apple’s great white hope have the internets abuzz over a possible MacBook upgrade. AppleInsider did a little digging earlier today, and found that major online retailers, including Amazon, and at least one brick and mortar store were either running low or completely out of the last of the MacBooks. A similar fate has befallen stock of the Mac mini, inviting speculation that both machines will likely pop up post-Lion. We suppose there’s also a possibility that Apple’s ready to send the old workhorse to the glue factory, but we’d prefer a happy ending.

MacBook in short supply, stirs rumors of imminent refresh, rebirth of white plastic? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 06:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  sourceAppleInsider, Electronista (mini)  | Email this | Comments

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Jun 28

NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, availability in the Alienware M18x and MSI GT780R

Posted in: GraphicsCard, msi, NVIDIA, optimus, refresh, Today's Chili

We know you’re going to be shocked — shocked! — to hear this, but NVIDIA’s gone and refreshed its high-end line of GeForce GTX cards. The GTX 580M takes the place of the GTX 485M, and NVIDIA’s bragging that it’s the “fastest notebook GPU ever,” capable, we’re told, of besting the Radeon HD 6970M’s tesselation performance by a factor of six. The new GTX 570M, meanwhile, promises a 20 percent speed boost over the last-generation 470M. Both 40-nanometer cards support DirectX11, OpenCL, PhysX, CUDA, 3D Vision, Verde drivers, Optimus, SLI, and 3DTV Play. As for battery life, NVIDIA’s saying that when coupled with its Optimus graphics switching technology, the 580M can last through five hours of Facebook, but last we checked, that’s not why y’all are shelling out thousands for beastly gaming rigs. You can find the 580M in the Alienware M17X and M18X (pictured) starting today, though you might have to wait a week or so for them to ship. Meanwhile, the 570M is shipping in the MSI GT780R as you read this, and you’ll also find the 580M in a pair of 3D-capable Clevo laptops: the P170HM3 and the SLI-equipped P270WN. Handy chart full ‘o technical details after the break.

Continue reading NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, availability in the Alienware M18x and MSI GT780R

NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, availability in the Alienware M18x and MSI GT780R originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 14

Toshiba outs blingtastic Qosmio X770 for the US market, new P, C, and L series laptops

Posted in: Laptops, refresh, Today's Chili, Toshiba
See that refined beast? You’re looking at the Toshiba Qosmio X770 — that European gaming behemoth we ogled from afar last month — and in a matter of weeks, it’ll continue its world tour to land on US shores. To recap, the company shrunk the screen from 18.4 inches to a more manageable 17.3, gave it a paint job that ever-so-subtly fades from red to gunmetal gray, and added a matching red backlit keyboard. This beefy guy comes in $1,199 and $1,899 configurations, with the higher-end model packing a 3D display, quad-core Core i7 CPU, and a 1.25TB hybrid hard drive, and the lower end offering a dual-core Core i5 CPU and a 750GB HDD. Either way, though, you’ll get NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M graphics, 1.5GB of video memory, and MaxxAudio3 sound enhancement software.

Meanwhile, Toshiba streamlined its consumer laptops for those non-gamers in the back-to-school crowd, axing the A and M lines, and leaving just the P series, for “premium.” It’ll include 14-, 15.6-, and 17.3-inch models, all decked out in a textured, two-tone Fuxion X2 finish and featuring USB sleep-and-charge ports, HDMI-out, Harman Kardon speakers, and that same MaxxAudio 3 utility. Depending on the configuration, you can also score NVIDIA GeForce GT540M graphics, Intel Wireless Display, a 4G radio, a Blu-ray drive, and a 3D screen (only on the 15-incher). On the inside, you’ve got your choice of Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs or a spankin’ new A6-3400M accelerated processing unit from AMD. Look for the 14-inch P745 with a starting price of $699, and 15-inch P755 and the 17-inch P775 for $629 and up.

And, rounding out its portfolio, Toshiba refreshed its budget Satellite L700 series with Core 2011 processors and new AMD A4 and A6 APUs, while the entry-level Satellite C800 gets AMD Fusion C-50 and E-350 APU options. None of these laptops go on sale until later this month, so for now you can content yourself with those up-close-and-personal hands-on shots below.

Gallery: Toshiba Qosmio X770

Gallery: Toshiba Satellite P700 Series

Continue reading Toshiba outs blingtastic Qosmio X770 for the US market, new P, C, and L series laptops

Toshiba outs blingtastic Qosmio X770 for the US market, new P, C, and L series laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 11

Bing Mobile updated, news and maps get minor facelifts

Posted in: Android, Apple, BlackBerry, Google, ios, ipad, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, maps, Microsoft, mobile, refresh, RIM, search, Today's Chili, update

How can you “be what’s next” without having what’s next on your phone? Bing is here to help you fulfill its tagline by updating its mobile site for any device that runs HTML5. If the update had a highlight reel to show off the newest features, here’s what would be on it: a carousel-like interface in the news section that lets you swipe your finger left or right to switch to other categories; maps that show directions together in split-screen format; a search history complete with trending topics; and the ability to share images and links on Facebook. The new enhancements are now available to iOS, Android, and BlackBerry, so it’s an easy jaunt over to your browser to check it out. Or, if you’re reading this on your phone, give the ol’ More Coverage link a quick tap.

Bing Mobile updated, news and maps get minor facelifts originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 09:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 05

Sony VAIO Z21 Series mentioned on various European sites, isn’t actually for sale yet

Posted in: leak, leaks, notebook, Notebooks, refresh, sandy bridge, SandyBridge, sony, Today's Chili, vaio

Here in the states, Sony’s 13-inch VAIO Z series has been missing from the company’s online store for months, but in Europe, at least, it lives on — a quartet of Z21 series laptops have surfaced on various e-tailers as the possible successor to last year’s Z11. So far, we’re seeing a pair of configurations with a Core i5-2410M processor and 128GB of solid-state storage and two more with a Core i7-2620M CPU and 256GB in storage. Judging by this sample, at least, 1600 x 900 resolution is standard, as is a backlit keyboard, 3G SIM card slot, fingerprint reader, 3D output, and an HD webcam with Sony’s Exmor imaging technology. Alas, the available specs suggest Thunderbolt’s a no-show, though rumor has it Sony’s implementation of Intel’s Light Peak technology will use USB connectors, of which this has three. Here’s to wishful thinking, right?

The peculiar thing is, you can’t actually buy it yet. F2F lists staggering prices ranging from €1,809 ($2,642) to €2,839 ($4,146), though it’s not, in fact, available. Meanwhile, search results turn up mentions on staticICE UK and Belgium’s Execute, but they’ve been scrubbed from the actual pages. So, it looks like it’s up to Sony to announce this already — and dish up some pictures while it’s at it.

[Thanks, Ihor]

Sony VAIO Z21 Series mentioned on various European sites, isn’t actually for sale yet originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 14:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink NotebookReview (forum)  |  sourceF2F (1), (2), (3), (4)  | Email this | Comments

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May 29

NVIDIA refreshes notebook graphics with GeForce GTX 560M, attracts ASUS, MSI, Toshiba and Alienware

Posted in: ASUS, msi, NVIDIA, refresh, Today's Chili, Toshiba, video

If you’ve enjoyed NVIDIA’s fine tradition of merely bumping along its GPUs time and again and affixing a new badge, you’ll like the GeForce GTX 560M — it’s much like last year’s GTX 460M, but with more bang for the buck than ever. ASUS, MSI, Alienware, Toshiba and Clevo have all committed to new notebooks bearing the graphics processor in light of the potent performance NVIDIA claims it will bring: Namely, those same 192 CUDA cores (now clocked at 1550MHz) and up to 3GB of GDDR5 memory (now clocked at 1250MHz, with a 192-bit bus) should enable the latest games to run at playable framerates on a 1080p screen with maximum detail — save antialiasing. Of course, that assumes you’ve also got a recent quad-core Sandy Bridge processor and gobs upon gobs of RAM, but NVIDIA also says that with the built-in Optimus switchable graphics, those same potent laptops should be able to manage five hours of battery life while idling.

If you’re looking for some inexpensive discrete graphics, however, NVIDIA’s also got a refresh there, as the new GeForce GT 520MX bumps up all the clock speeds of the GT 520M. When can you expect a mobile GPU to knock the GTX 485M off its silicon throne, though? Glad you asked: a chart shows a “Next-gen GTX” coming late this year. Meanwhile, see what NVIDIA says the GTX 560M’s capable of in the gallery below and a video after the break.

Gallery: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M brag sheets

Continue reading NVIDIA refreshes notebook graphics with GeForce GTX 560M, attracts ASUS, MSI, Toshiba and Alienware

NVIDIA refreshes notebook graphics with GeForce GTX 560M, attracts ASUS, MSI, Toshiba and Alienware originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 May 2011 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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