Hasta La Gadget!

One thing’s for sure: we’re utterly thrilled with the direction that ruggedized cameras are heading. Canon’s PowerShot D10, while impressive, was more like a small stone than a bona fide P&S, but it wouldn’t take much convincing to make someone believe that Fujifilm’s FinePix XP30 was just another run-of-the-mill compact. Our pals over at Photography Blog already ran this thing through the wringer earlier in the year, but we couldn’t resist the opportunity to take it to a few other places for testing. Namely, the Big Island of Hawaii. We spent a solid week with the XP30 and Samsung’s W200, and while neither ended up impressing us from a visual standpoint, they both shared one common lining of the silver variety: price. At just $184, the XP30 is quite the bargain given its neatly trimmed exterior, but was the performance enough to warrant a recommendation? Head on past the break for out thoughts, as well as a heaping of sample shots and even an underwater video taken… after dark.

Continue reading Fujifilm FinePix XP30 hands-on: a week of underwater testing (video)

Fujifilm FinePix XP30 hands-on: a week of underwater testing (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’d be hard-pressed to find many phones that look relatively stylish, are thin and light enough to carry comfortably in your pocket, and can hang out underwater for ten minutes. That’s why, we suppose, the Motorola Defy became popular worldwide; it’s difficult to build a device to be a tank without looking like one, and it’s even more tough to do it right. Naturally, when you’ve got a good thing going, it’s ideal to improve upon that model. The Motorola Defy+ aims to do just that — keep the form factor, Gorilla Glass and IP67 certification, but beef up the internal components and throw in better firmware. The new iteration — slated for a Q3 release — will house a single-core 1GHz TI OMAP 3620, Android 2.3.4 with Moto’s latest UI skin (still curiously referred to as MotoBlur) on top, and a 1700mAh battery while the rest of the specs remain the same as its predecessor. No word on specific carrier availability was given, though HelloMoto aims to launch it in Asia, Latin America, and Europe in the fall. Full press release can be found after the break.

Continue reading Motorola Defy+ leaves the gym, coming this fall with slightly more muscle

Motorola Defy+ leaves the gym, coming this fall with slightly more muscle originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Panasonic outs Toughbook S10 with Sandy Bridge, USB 3.0, and 12.5-hour battery life

Panasonic outs Toughbook S10 with Sandy Bridge, USB 3.0, and 12.5-hour battery life originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you have been looking for a case that would protect your iPad against anything short of a nuclear explosion, and at the same time make it look like a really tacky Dell laptop from the late 1990s, then today is your lucky day.

The case is from Pelican, and if you know anything about Pelican gear you’ll know that it is pretty much indestructible. The Pelican 1075 HardBack is designed to work with the iPad or iPad 2, but is big enough to fit a netbook if you still have one that works. In the latter case, you can install the standard “pick and pluck” foam lining, or a netbook-shaped pad.

For either iPad, a custom-shaped insert is available. This will also prop up the iPad when the case is open, letting you put a Bluetooth keyboard on the bottom section and making the thing really look like an old, ugly laptop. These is also space under the keyboard for various cables and accessories — this isn’t the case for you if you want something slim and stylish.

In fact, the Pelican is most likely to be used by people in harsh environments. Tony Stark might use it next time he takes a trip to the Middle East, for example.

The case is pretty reasonable. And calling a Pelican case affordable says more about the crazy overpricing in the iPad case world. You can pick on up for $70.

Pelican 1075 HardBack [Pelican. Thanks, Kiersten!]

See Also:

• Review: Pelican HeadsUP Lite 2670— Dull Even in the Daytime …
• Dell’s Rugged Notebook Drops From the Ugly Tree
• Rugged, Waterproof Hard Drive Keeps Your Secrets Safe

It’s a shame this steel-encased touchscreen PC from Habey USA arrived too late for our violent outburst on the Engadget Show, but at least it has some broadly agreeable specs. The PPC-6512 can reel off 1080p vids on its 12-inch screen while consuming just 30W thanks to its 1.8GHz Atom D525 and NVIDIA Ion GT218 combo. An empty 2.5-inch removable HDD tray and eSATA port give it potential as a networked storage hub, and an old-school serial port lets it handle home automation controls too. It could also be used as a comms or security terminal, as there’s a 1.3MP webcam on board, vesa mounting holes and four USB 2.0 ports. Heck, we’d buy three and rig our whole house up — were it not for the $800 price tag, the apparently limited availability on Habey USA’s underloved Amazon page, and the fact that we like our terminals to show a bit of emotion. Full specs in the PR after the break.

Continue reading Habey USA’s 12-inch panel PC brings that rugged look to your home

Habey USA’s 12-inch panel PC brings that rugged look to your home originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jul 2011 11:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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