Hasta La Gadget!

Bang & Olufsen‘s new BeoVision 4-85 isn’t just another run-of-the-mill 3D TV for the unwashed masses. It’s a really pretty 3D TV, for the refined and the opulent. The 85-inch plasma screen comes encased in a high-grade aluminum frame, and combines anti-reflection coating with automated image controls, to guarantee crystal clear, Full HD viewing at any time of day. B&O’s first foray into the 3D/Full HD realm also features a BeoLab 10 central loudspeaker, which uses Acoustic Lens Technology to deliver consistently high-frequency sounds, regardless of where you’re sitting in relation to the speaker. And, much like its 103-inch brethren, this 85-incher comes with a motorized stand, which automatically elevates and tilts the screen to ideal viewing position whenever the system is turned on. Once you’ve finished marveling at the BeoVision 4-85’s robust design, you can turn it off and watch in awe, as the display magically lowers itself to “within inches” of the floor (where, incidentally, you’ll also be able to find your jaw). No word yet on the price of this experience, but we’re gonna go out on a limb and assume that it’s pretty steep. The beast is set to be unleashed in Moscow tomorrow, but you can check out an appropriately slick car commercial video on the BeoVision 4 family, after the break.

Continue reading Bang & Olufsen’s BeoVision 4-85 TV combines 3D and Full HD with superfluous sleekness

Bang & Olufsen’s BeoVision 4-85 TV combines 3D and Full HD with superfluous sleekness originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a familiar face, sure, but there’s a key ingredient thrown here that’s been lacking on JBL’s prior iDevice docks: AirPlay. We’re still waiting (and waiting) to see if Apple’s going to expand its licensing program to allow third-party vendors the ability to toss in AirPlay video streaming, but for now, JBL’s taking advantage of what’s out there. The On Air Wireless AirPlay speaker dock — which is shipping today to Best Buy and Apple Stores after being teased a few weeks ago — is now good and official, enabling consumers to wirelessly stream their iTunes library from Macs, PCs, iPhones, iPods or iPads right to the dock. Aside from a rather unorthodox design (which should go a long way to dispersing jams in a 360-degree fashion), you’ll also find a color LCD, digital FM radio, an inbuilt alarm clock, DSP technology and a proprietary adapter that enables it to be worn as headgear at your next rave. We’re guessing that final bit makes the $349.99 price tag entirely more palatable.

Continue reading JBL ships AirPlay-enabled On Air speaker dock, charges stiff premium for wireless luxury

JBL ships AirPlay-enabled On Air speaker dock, charges stiff premium for wireless luxury originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jordi Parra’s Spotify Box is a wonderful reworking of the mix-tape and the radio, all in a hot little Dieter Rams-inspired box.

It works like this. The “radio” part has (or will have) a Wi-Fi connection and runs the Spotify music-streaming service using libspotify on embedded Linux. The radio comes with a clutch of tiny RFID disks. These can be tied to any Spotify track or playlist, so when you pop them into the little RFID-reading circle on the front of the box, music starts to play. Buttons on the faceplate let you skip tracks.

Apart from the wonderful look of the box, I like the concept a lot. You get the convenience and huge music library of Spotify, but the physicality and hand-crafted playlists come from the days of CDs, vinyl and cassette tapes.

That perforated front isn’t just a speaker grille, either. LEDs behind the holes light up in a kind of dot-matrix to make numbers, letter and icons to let your know what is happening inside. Here’s the video:

Spotify box from Jordi Parra on Vimeo.

Parra plans on continuing with his project, and has even been in contact with people from Spotify. Right now the box is little more than a peripheral that needs to be connected to a computer to play music, but those are just details. The idea itself is a good one. And add in some kind of AirPlay or Bluetooth audio capabilities and you have a super useful — not to mention hot-looking — wireless speaker for the home.

Spotify Radio [Jordi Parra / Zenona]

See Also:

• Hands-On With Spotify for iPhone: Is iTunes Dead?
• Six Million Songs in Your Pocket: Apple Approves Spotify for …
• The Hidden Secrets of Apple's AirPlay

JBL’s OnBeat speaker dock fits an iPhone, iPod, or even an iPad

Gadget Lab Notes is an eclectic roundup of gadget news briefs and intriguing products that catch our eye.

JBL OnBeat Speaker Dock Works With iPhone, iPod and iPad
The OnBeat is JBL’s first iPad speaker dock, and it will be available in April for $150. Touted as a loudspeaker docking station, you can stream Netflix, chat on Skype, or watch YouTube using the dock, or just blast some music. A universal connector supports iDevice docking in landscape or portrait orientation, and an IR remote lets you control it from the comfort of the couch.

OnBeat [JBL via Engadget]

iPod Batteries In Short Supply After Factory Closure
The factory supplying a particular polymer used to make the iPod’s lithium-ion batteries was closed after Japan’s March 11 earthquake, now leading to tight supplies of the eponymous MP3 player. The company in charge of the factory, Kureha Corp., plans to move more of its factories overseas. Although the factory itself wasn’t overly damaged, the port nearby has sustained sever damage, inhibiting the delivery of necessary chemicals.

Chemical Reaction: iPod is Short Key Material [WSJ]

Cosmonaut Stylus Feels Like You’re Using a Dry Erase Marker
From the makers of the Glif comes the Cosmonaut, a stylus designed to make writing on a tablet less awkward. The makers felt that using a pen on a tablet felt unnatural; it was like writing on a dry erase board, not writing in a paper notebook. So, they developed a tablet that grips like a dry erase marker. You can donate to their Kickstarter campaign now. The Cosmonaut is expected to retail at $25.

The Cosmonaut [Kickstarter via Core77]

Nokia E6-00 Pics and Specs Leaked: Yep, It’s a Nokia Phone
A prototype Nokia E6-00 was found and has bared all on some Nokia forums. It’s got a VGA resolution capacitive touchscreen (small – under 3-inches) with a D-pad and a physical QWERTY keyboard situated underneath. An 8-megapixel rear camera supports 720p HD video recording. There’s no HDMI port, but it does include a microUSB port and 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a 2mm charging socket. It runs a new version of Symbian^3 that’s compatible with the 4:3 aspect ratio display.

Nokia E6-00 Most Detailed Leak [My Nokia Blog via Slashgear]

Quadrocopters Tossing and Catching a Ball to One Another
Those quadrotor drones never cease to amaze. In the latest video from the Flying Machine Arena, a Swiss Federal Institute of Technology research facility, a pair of quadrocopters (and sometimes a human) plays catch with one another. The video title says they are juggling, but they’re not really juggling.

Quadrocopter Ball Juggling [Adafruit via Makezine]

Remember Tamagotchis? They’re Back (in Japan) With Color Displays
Maybe you missed this trend, but back when I was in 5th or 6th grade, everyone had a Tamagotchi. It was a little palm sized, black and white screened gadget that you let you raise and take care of a virtual pet. Bandai has now released the Tamagotchi iD L, which is available in 6 colors, with 32 virtual characters. I’m not quite sure if today’s smartphone toting, Internet-savvy pre-teens and tweens will dig this little electronic toy of yesteryear… Perhaps that’s why they’re releasing it exclusively in Japan first.

Tamagotchi iD L [Japan Trend Shop via Chip Chick]

Altec Lansing does it, as does Harman Kardon. Oh, and lest we forget about Beats. We’re talking about companies that have gone the extra mile (and paid a certain price) to get their speakers into the shells of laptops, and now the fine folks at Alienware are grabbing a top-tier name of their own: Klipsch. Despite being snapped up by Audiovox a few months ago, the outfit’s powering ahead with an apparent plan for expansion. Today, Alienware’s launching its first-ever Klipsch-equipped laptop, the 3D-enabled M17x. Not only will buyers find Intel’s newest Sandy Bridge CPUs, a 1080p 3D panel, custom lighting controls and an HDMI input, but they’ll also be gifted with a set of Klipsch drivers and MaxxAudio 3 software from Waves. Hard to say if the partnership will soon bleed over to even more of Alienware’s machines, but all logical signs are pointing to “yes.” As for this guy? It’ll ship this month starting at $1,499.

Continue reading Klipsch speakers coming to Alienware’s 3D-enabled M17x gaming laptop

Klipsch speakers coming to Alienware’s 3D-enabled M17x gaming laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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