Hasta La Gadget!

The problem with 3DTV, as we’ve said, is that there normally isn’t a damn thing to watch. But the World Cup in 3D, that’s something to watch. More »

Count distributor number two (after DirecTV) and the first cable affiliate for ESPN 3D, now officially coming to Comcast when it launches June 11. That follows up on the Masters 3D event broadcast last month and will give 3DTV owning subscribers with digital cable their first linear channel and VOD package (albeit part time, at least for the first year) starting with the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Not into soccer action? The Winter & Summer X-Games are on deck as well as the 2011 BCS National Championship game next January, and whenever someone catches a football star behaving badly in a bathroom on their new 3D cameraphone, you’ll know where to go for the highlights.

Continue reading ESPN 3D will be on Comcast in time for the 2010 World Cup

ESPN 3D will be on Comcast in time for the 2010 World Cup originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 May 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drift Innovation’s X170 sports-camera, or “Action Camera”, is a great looking, lightweight camcorder with a lot of very clever features. It is let down by just one thing: a mere hour of battery life.

The X170 is a solid-state camcorder that records straight to SD (a half-hour will eat 1GB) and has a tiny 1.5-inch screen for playback (or more usefully, a quick check to see you got the shot). Video is shot through a wide-angle lens with a 170-degree field-of-view, and is recorded in 720 x 480 pixels at 30fps. Stills can be grabbed at 5 megapixels.

The camera comes boxed with a huge array of mounts: A helmet-grip, head-strap, goggle and handlebar mounts and a plain ol’ Velcro fastener for anything else. It also comes with an RF remote control with a five meter (16-foot) range. If you’re into any kind of sport and want to film it, you’re covered.

Which makes that battery life all the more annoying. We guess, though, that putting in a longer-life li-ion in there would mean that once the battery died, you’d be stranded. The X170 instead uses regular AAs, so you can just keep swapping them out until you land/crash/collapse of exhaustion. $200.

X170 Action Camera [Drift Innovation]

The Samsung-sourced femtocell that Sprint and Verizon have been offering (as the Airave and Wireless Network Extender, respectively) is all well and good, but it’s got one fatal flaw: unlike AT&T’s aptly-named 3G MicroCell, it doesn’t have support for 3G data — it’s compatible with CDMA 1x alone. Verizon’s fixing that later this year with an updated model from Samsung, but thanks to a fresh FCC filing, it looks like Sprint will be taking a different route by roping in Airvana for the Airave’s successor. On top of EV-DO, the interesting bit about this puppy is that it supports a VoIP-routed landline connection around back; we’re not sure whether Sprint actually plans on enabling this extra jack, but it’s specifically mentioned in the draft manual, so we wouldn’t doubt it. No word on a release just yet — but FCC approval is frequently one of the last steps on a product’s road to retail, so we might see it soon.

Sprint Airave gets remixed by Airvana, has VoIP landline and EV-DO support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The secret behind MSG’s surprise 3D broadcast of last night’s Rangers/Islanders hockey game? It came together in a two week turnaround which repurposed equipment laying around between stops at a recent Black Eyed Peas concert and next month’s NAB show in Las Vegas. Judging by the reviews it was worth the effort with more than a few indicating an interest in buying 3DTVs to check things out at home next time — while it aired on Cablevision, all the reports we found were based on the screens located at the arena itself. Not everyone agreed on the best aspects of the new production: Christopher Botta of Fanhouse preferred a lack of “reaching through the screen” gimmicks while the New York Times report asked for more opportunities to feel like the players are popping out at the viewer, even though they found the standard HDTV feed “flat, underlit and distant” in comparison. We couldn’t find any complaints regarding those ever-present 3D glasses, though issues like someone walking in front of the camera or on screen graphics appearing to leap off the screen revealed there’s still a few kinks to work out (camera placement may be further adjusted during an upcoming renovation.) The appeal of 3D sports for fans has already been established, we’re wondering if playing in a more 3D-ready arena might be used to convince Lebron or other stars to play home games at MSG, in the meantime, check out all the reviews and a few behind the scenes videos embedded after the break.

Continue reading 3D hockey nets positive reviews, biggest surprise of the night was a Rangers win

3D hockey nets positive reviews, biggest surprise of the night was a Rangers win originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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