Jan 04

Casio Exilim G EX-G1 hands-on

Posted in: hands-on, rugged, Today's Chili, waterproof
Casio’s Exlim G EX-G1 certainly managed to turn a few heads when it was announced back in November, with it introducing a new angular design to complement its status as the “world’s thinnest shock-resistant camera.” Add to that the promise of being freezeproof, waterproof and dustproof, and you just know this is one we had to check out first hand. As we’re happy to report, the $299 Exlim G definitely feels solid and substantial from the moment you pull it from its packaging, although all that shock-proofing and weather-proofing does come with a few minor inconveniences compared to a standard point-and-shoot. The first of those is that the battery compartment requires a special tool and some pretty nimble fingers to open and, secondly, the two extra side protectors that provide even more ruggedness require that you first remove some very tiny screws from the camera and then attach the protector with some slightly longer screws (Casio thankfully provides a few spares). Once you’ve got things set, however, the camera should easily survive life in a pocket or backpack during even your most arduous travels — and take some decent pictures and YouTube-ready video, to boot.

Be sure to check out the gallery below for our extensive hands-on look at the camera, and check back later for some sample shots and additional impressions once we’ve had a chance to really put the Exilim G through its paces.

Casio Exilim G EX-G1 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 23

Motorola Droid and Dell Adamo latest to get Gorilla glass

Posted in: droid, motorola, rugged, screen, smartphone, Today's Chili

Corning’s darn-near-impenetrable Gorilla glass certainly isn’t new — in fact, we spied it in a few of Motion Computing’s tablets just a few months ago — but it’s still not commonplace on mainstream gizmos. Yet. SmartPlanet sat down with Dr. Donnell Walton, senior applications engineer at Corning, in order to discuss the merits of the display technology as well as its importance in the gadget space. The discussion also mentioned that both Motorola’s Droid and Dell’s Adamo (not to mention Cowon’s S9 PMP) are sporting the glass, which acts to make displays “damage-resistant.” Not surprisingly, the company is seeing huge demand in the smartphone arena, where touchscreen-centric phones are being shoved into pockets at random and then costing manufacturers big bucks as return rates creep up. It’s a pretty interesting read if you’re into that type of thing, and yes, we did just give you permission to try and split your Droid display wide open in a moment of frustration. Just don’t count on Motorola to accept that as a valid excuse for your RMA.

[Thanks, Jeff]

Motorola Droid and Dell Adamo latest to get Gorilla glass originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 14

CoolerBot photographs nature, gets its power from it

Posted in: diy, homebrew, photography, robot, rugged, solar, solar power, SolarPower, Today's Chili, waterproof

If you’re into real life bunny wabbits and other such wildlife, but not a fan of the cold, wet and windy outdoors, what do you do? We’d say just boot up the console and shoot you some pixelated peoples, but Steve Norris’ idea might be just a tad more practical. He has authored the above mobile snap-station, which is equipped with an infrared video camera, a Nikon DSLR, and pairs of motors, 10Ah batteries, and solar panels. Power flows from the latter into the former to turn wildlife stalking into a pleasurable pastime for even the most indoorsy of folks. Video demonstration of the hardware after the break.

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CoolerBot photographs nature, gets its power from it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 19

Ruggedized Casio Camera Is As Tough As it Looks

Posted in: rugged, Today's Chili

casio_exg11

Casio has realized that a ruggedized camera should look tough. Normally these kinds of shock-resistant, waterproof, dustproof machines come in big, bubble-shaped, brightly colored cases. The Exilim EX-G1, though, looks like a stealth fighter with knobs on.

So how tough is it? You can shoot for an hour at ten feet below the water, use it in cold weather down to -10ºC (14ºF), bounce it from seven feet (in tests it survived drops from 26 different angles) and generally treat it like Joe Pesci treats everyone in Casino, only it won’t die.

The camera is split into inner and outer sections, like a Casio G-Shock watch. The sealed inner part contains the electronics, and the outer part has extra sealing. The lens, for example, has a reinforced glass cover and a resin ring to absorb shocks. This all houses a 12 megapixel sensor, a 2.5-inch screen, a 38-114mm (35 mm equivalent) zoom lens and an 848×480 movie-mode. It’s enough to drive a man to violence.

Available December in black or red, for $300.

Casio EX-G1 press release [Photography Bay]


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Nov 18

Casio trots out world’s slimmest shock-resistant digicam: EX-G1 (video)

Posted in: point and shoot, PointAndShoot, rugged, Today's Chili, waterproof

Generally speaking, having something “ruggedized” ruins the aesthetic appeal. You trade style for function, and that’s been perfectly acceptable until today. The EX-G1, which becomes the first camera in the new EXILIM G line, takes a few cues from Casio‘s G-SHOCK line while being the planet’s thinnest shock-resistant camera. Furthermore, this thing is freezeproof, waterproof and dustproof, and at just 0.78-inches thick, you’ll hardly notice it shoved in your left rear pocket. As for specs, you’re looking at a 12.1 megapixel sensor, intelligent AF, a dedicated movie mode (848 x 480), 35.7MB of inbuilt memory (yeah, we know), a microSD / microSDHC expansion slot, 3x optical zoom and a 2.5-inch rear LCD with a 960 x 240 resolution. We’re told that the rechargeable battery should last for around 300 shots on a full charge, and the Interval Shooting function enables the camera to automatically fire at fixed points when shooting action sports. If you’re foaming at the mouth right now, your cure can be found this December in black or red for $299.99. The full release and a promo video is just past the break.

Gallery: Casio trots out world’s slimmest shock-resistant digicam: EX-G1

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Casio trots out world’s slimmest shock-resistant digicam: EX-G1 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 11

ZyXEL’s MWR222 Mobile Wireless Router will stop at nothing to get you connected

Posted in: 4G, router, rugged, Today's Chili, WiMAX
ZyXEL's MWR222 Mobile Wireless Router will stop at nothing to get you connectedFinding connections on the road can be tough, but like a digital Sherpa ZyXEL‘s MWR222 will drag you straight to that bounteous broadband then sit by quietly while you take all the credit. It can act as a wired router, connecting to your DSL or cable line and beaming out 802.11g/b/n wireless, but also offers integrated 3G/4G support, meaning just about wherever and whenever you turn this on you should find a connection. It’ll even keep track of your monthly wireless plan quota and help you avoid expensive charges. An integrated battery means completely wireless operation and a rugged design means it won’t complain if you throw it in the bottom of your laptop bag when it ships sometime in Q1 of next year. That said, at $299 you probably won’t want to be too rough with it.

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ZyXEL’s MWR222 Mobile Wireless Router will stop at nothing to get you connected originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 09

Stealth’s rugged LPC-395F Mini PC: it’s like a caged monster, but weak

Posted in: PC, rugged, Today's Chili

Stealth Computer has been kicking, shoving and blasting ruggedized PCs out of its labs for years on end, and the latest mini PC is amongst the smallest we’ve seen to still sport such a hardcore shell. The LPC-395F is a fanless rig with integrated removable storage, featuring front-loading removable media slots (for HDDs and flash media), a 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, a metal chassis and an overall size of just 6.54- x 6.18- x 1.89-inches. As for ports, you’ll find twin gigabit Ethernet sockets, four USB 2.0 connectors, DVI and RS-232; there’s also an inbuilt WiFi module and room for 2GB of RAM, while the OS that arrives is totally your call. The base configuration checks in at $795, but you’ll probably end up paying well north of a grand when everything’s said and done.

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Stealth’s rugged LPC-395F Mini PC: it’s like a caged monster, but weak originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 27

Dell’s Latitude XT2 XFR rugged tablet gets official

Posted in: rugged, tablet, Today's Chili
As is often the case, the FCC spoiled the surprise on this one, but Dell’s keeping its PR machine chugging along with its new Latitude XT2 XFR rugged tablet nonetheless, and it’s fleshed out a few details in the precess. As expected, this one is more or less just a rugged version of the company’s existing Latitude XT2, including the same 12.1-inch multitouch display, a modestly upgraded Core 2 Duo SU9600 processor, up to 5GB of RAM, your choice of a standard hard drive or SSD, a range of hot-swappable modules (soon to include GPS) and, somewhat curiously, no Windows 7 option — just Vista or the ever popular XP downgrade. Of course it’s the ruggedness that’s the real selling point, and this one looks to deliver the goods on that front (for a starting price of $3,599) — just check out the video after the break.

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Dell’s Latitude XT2 XFR rugged tablet gets official originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 05

A-DATA’s SH93 hard drive is probably more daring than you are

Posted in: hard drive, HardDrive, rugged, Today's Chili, waterproof

A-DATA already has slim and colorful portable hard drives covered, but it looks like it’s now done one better with its new SH93 model, which adds a dash of ruggedness for good measure. That includes waterproofing compliant with IEC 529 IPX7 standards (or up to one meter deep for 30 minutes), shock-proofing to MIL-STD-810F standards for drops and general jostling and, of course, a bright yellow or red rubber enclosure that’s almost begging you to toss it across the room. No word on pricing just yet, but it looks like this one will be available in your choice of 250GB, 320GB, 500GB or 640GB capacities, and presumably sometime soon.

[Via OhGizmo!]

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A-DATA’s SH93 hard drive is probably more daring than you are originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 29

Panasonic adds Windows 7 to laptop line, unveils Let’s Note N8 and S8

Posted in: laptop, Laptops, Panasonic, rugged, Today's Chili, WiMAX

Oy vey! Today must be some industry-wide Windows 7 announcement day, as Panasonic is hot on the heels of Dell and Toshiba with no less than six lappies set to sport Vista’s agile younger sibling. The Let’s Note (ToughBook, to you and us) F8, R8, T8 and W8 models are likely to take on the new OS without alterations to their hardware, but the hot news comes in the form of the brand new N8 and S8. Powered by Core 2 Duo P8700 chips, both machines will come with 12.1-inch WXGA LCD screens, 250GB HDDs, up to 4GB of RAM, WiMAX, WiFi, HDMI and SDHC connectivity. They also share a stonking claim of 16 hours of battery life, and the one feature that distinguishes between them is the internal DVD burner on the S8. All that goodness will be out come October 22, with expected pricing around ¥200,000 (about $2,230) for the N series. You’ll find a gallery of the unveiling event at the Akihabara News link below.

Gallery: Panasonic N8 and S8

[Via Akihabara News]

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Panasonic adds Windows 7 to laptop line, unveils Let’s Note N8 and S8 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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