Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve been keeping an eye on CTL’s 10-inch 2goPad SL10 since we saw it chilling out at Computex back in June, but as of today it’s no longer just another elusive Win 7 slate: the company’s finally boxing up and shipping the Atom-powered tablets. Compared to some of the other Win 7 Home Premium slates we’ve seen lately, the 2goPad has an impressive array of specs for the price — it packs a Atom N450 processor, 2GB of RAM, an 250GB hard drive, and a front facing VGA camera all for $499 (though, it will go up to $599 on October 20). However, it’s the touchscreen experience that’ll obviously make or break the SL10, and from what we’ve seen so far, it may just be one of the better ones out there right now. We just got our review unit yesterday, but we’ve been finding the capacitive display to be very responsive to finger swipes and light taps. Our major complaint about the screen is actually its distracting glossy coating, but at least it packs an accelerometer, which rotates the orientation at a decent pace. As for software, CTL’s preloaded something called QuickBits, which is really just a menu with large shortcut buttons, but it’s certainly better than nothing. Our full review of this pad should be ready soon, but in the meantime enjoy the gallery below and the press release after the break.

Continue reading CTL 2goPad SL10 with Windows 7 starts shipping for $499, arrives looking better than expected

CTL 2goPad SL10 with Windows 7 starts shipping for $499, arrives looking better than expected originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember when Displax teased us earlier in the year with a polymer film that could take any conventional LCD, plasma or RPTV and turn it into a touchscreen? Yeah, well now that very technology is shipping to Average Joes and Janes like yourself your good pal Jim. Starting nowish, the outfit’s customizable Overlay Multitouch will be heading out to screens ranging from 32- to 103-inches in size in order to add multitouch capabilities to a screen that previously hated even the thought of being groped. Of course, with a starting tag of €1,300 ($1,805), we get the impression that most of the orders (at least initially) will be coming from corporations looking to jazz up their boardrooms. In related news, the company is also debuting a 42-inch Windows 7-based multitouch table that can detect up to four independent touches at once. The Oqtopus uses a specific kind of optical technology that allows bare fingers, styluses and even gloved hands to operate it, but with a starting price of €4,500 ($6,250), we’re guessing your own personal Santa is already signaling “no.”

Displax Overlay Multitouch turns your LCD or plasma into a touchscreen, demands a pretty penny originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Missed out on the limited run of Windows 7 Family Packs back in July of last year? You aren’t alone. In fact, it sold out in record time, and now that you’ve bitten the bullet and ponied up for a trio of retail copies, the folks in Redmond are having a laugh at your impatience. As a way to celebrate the nearing of the one year Windows 7 anniversary, Microsoft is now re-offering the Win7 Family Pack on its online store. As a refresher, $149.99 allows for Windows 7 Home Premium to be installed on up to three PCs, but Microsoft warns that the offer stands only while supplies last. Oh, and if you live outside of America? Look for your opportunity to arise on October 22nd.

Update: Amazon has it for just $140. Thanks, Stephen!

Update 2: Best Buy also has copies… while supplies last!

Microsoft brings Windows 7 Family Pack back: $150 covers three PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 15:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Phone 7 is coming. Finally. Microsoft is holding an event in New York City next Monday to celebrate the launch–see, we’ve got the invitation to prove it [above]. Microsoft’s well-compensated CEO Steve Ballmer will be on-hand at the event, as will executives from T-Mobile and AT&T’s CEO, Ralph de la Vega.

The invite tells promises,

Enjoy light snacks, beer and wine while you get hands on for an exclusive showing of T-Mobile powered Windows Phone 7 devices and an early preview of some of our applications that will be available for launch.

Beer and tech at 9:30 on a Monday morning. Sounds like any other day here at Gearlog world headquarters.

Too little, too late? Maybe. But at least there will be beer on-hand to dull the pain.

It’s been over nine months since Steve Ballmer whipped out the HP Slate at CES and divulged that there’d be Windows 7 “Slate PCs” hitting the market. It sure was a memorable keynote, but since that fateful day all we’ve got to show for actual Win 7 tablets are a slew of leaked videos of HP’s elusive device, information / trade show sightings of lots of similar products, and the less than stellar Archos 9. Until now that is. A small company, interestingly and rather ironically called Netbook Navigator, has managed to get its act together slightly ahead of the rest with its Nav 9 Slate PC. Starting at $599, the 8.9-inch resistive-touch Windows 7 Home Premium tablet is powered by an Intel Atom N280 processor and can be configured with up to 2GB of RAM and 32GB of flash storage. Yep, it sounds a heck of a lot like your first generation netbook with its keyboard cut off… and, well, that turns out to be just one of the Nav 9’s major problems. You’ll want to see what we mean in our full review after the break.

Continue reading Netbook Navigator Nav 9 Slate PC review

Netbook Navigator Nav 9 Slate PC review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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