Hasta La Gadget!

Oh hey, Sony, how nice of you to join the party! The console gaming headset party, that is (no, Bluetooth earpieces don’t count). Over a year ago the company had us yearning for a PS3-oriented headset after letting loose its duo of Ultimate Weapons headgear for PC gamers. Then in May, a glimmer of hope shone upon us when its PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset was announced for the DualShock-wielding gamers — and priced at a modest $100.

There’s no doubt that this playing field’s been blanketed with a saturation of wallet-tempting selections (we’re looking at you MadCatz, Turtle Beach and Astro), but Sony’s official kit has a few tricks up its sleeve for a potential home run. Despite the moniker, it’s capable of virtual 7.1 surround sound and displays onscreen status reports exclusively when used with a PS3. We spent a few fragging-hours over PSN to hear how well we could pin-point our enemies with sound to keep the kill streaks coming. You’ll find out the answer by hitting that “read more” link below.

Continue reading Sony PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset review

Sony PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s timing could have been better with the Reader WiFi PRS-T1. The device, which was unveiled back at IFA in late August, is set to launch within a fortnight. In the intervening time, Amazon, the clear leader in the space, unveiled two new readers — the fourth-generation Kindle and the Kindle Touch. Sony’s got a ways to go if it’s going to become a dominant force in the e-reader market outside of its native Japan, alongside the Kindle and the Nook. The PRS-T1 certainly takes some steps in that direction, both in terms of pricing and features — but is it enough to get consumers to stand up and take notice? Find out in our review after the break.

Continue reading Sony Reader WiFi review

Sony Reader WiFi review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second chances aren’t always easy to come by, and when Fusion Garage disappeared off the map following the unabashed failure of the JooJoo tablet, we certainly didn’t expect those doors would be opening again. But open they did, swinging wide as the company treated itself to a product launch of the sort usually reserved for big-named companies with big-named devices.

This time it’s the Grid10 tablet, a $299, 16GB, 10.1-inch slate that plays nice with Android while simultaneously thumbing its nose at the OS Google built, instead relying on the completely custom-built GridOS. This new challenger can run Android apps despite not actually running Android itself, purporting to give users another, better choice of armament in these tablet wars. Is it truly better, or is it just different? The answer is waiting for you just after the break.

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Grid10 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vizio is known for bringing pretty-good-for-the-price TVs to your living room. Now they’ve got an eight-inch tablet for you to cozy up with on the couch during those cold winter nights. But it’s like snuggling with a cat who’s had too many Cheetoes. More »

There’s little question that the Fire stole the show at last week’s Amazon event. After all, the new tablet marks a change for the company’s Kindle line, which until now has been defined by relatively simple E-Ink-based devices. The Kindle Touch, meanwhile, stepped up to bat to take on the likes of new Nook and Kobo touchscreen readers. But while most expected that device to become the heir to the Kindle throne, the company made a something of a surprise move, offering up a new device that will bear the reader’s name. Now in its fourth generation, the Kindle has shed its keyboard and been reborn as a pocket-sized, lighter-weight reader. And a cheap one, at that — $109 for the standard version and $79 for the ad-supported. So, is the new Kindle worthy of the name that has become synonymous with e-readers? Or did the company make too many sacrifices in the name of slashing prices? Find out in our review after the break.

Continue reading Amazon Kindle review (2011)

Amazon Kindle review (2011) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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