Hasta La Gadget!

Boy, we’ve gone from rumor to hands-on experience in just a couple of days with this thing. Microsoft’s November 9-bound Xbox 360 controller refresh couldn’t escape the clutches of Joystiq, who have put together a neat photo gallery and video overview. That chrometastic new D-pad is clearly the headliner here, and the early feedback is that it works well — it takes a bit of effort to transform from a flat button to the elevated four-way navigator you see above, but that’s apparently a good thing as it means you’ll never flip modes by accident in the middle of a hot and heavy gaming session. The analog buttons have also been subjected to some nipping and tucking and there is of course a new desaturated color scheme to explore as well. You’ll find a shot of the retail packaging after the break and a lot more at the source.

Update: Video now embedded after the break.

Continue reading Xbox 360’s transforming D-pad controller gets handled on video

Xbox 360’s transforming D-pad controller gets handled on video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the latest Powerline adapters from Netgear, finding a strong wireless signal is as simple as plugging in to an electric outlet.

The Powerline AV 200 wireless-N extender kit hooks into an existing wireless network. When the adapter is plugged into an electric outlet, the network signal travels along the electrical wiring and rebroadcasts elsewhere in the house. Any free outlet becomes a Wi-Fi hotspot.

If you have a weak to non-existent in certain parts of the house because of walls or the router is too far away, don’t bother with a repeater to just boost your signal. Plug in the Powerline extender kit and it will piggyback your existing electrical wiring all around the house.

Netgear also announced the Powerline AV 500 family, which uses the electric outlet to extend your gigabit wired network. The adapters connect to an Ethernet port on one end, and plug into the wall on the other. Plug one adapter into a free LAN port on your network router, and the second adapter into whatever device you want to add to your network.

It’s perfect for connecting HDTVs, Blu-ray players, DVRs, PCs and game
consoles. It can also connect to
Netgear’s storage devices to set up multiple video and music streams.

The Powerline adapters won’t cover up the second outlet when plugged into the wall, and more importantly, they include a pass-through socket so you don’t lose an outlet just because it’s being used for networking.

Because the signal is transmitted on the household cooper wiring, heavy electrical use will cause interference. You may want to hold off on using a vacuum cleaner or microwave if you are working on something critical, though.

The adapters are expected in Q4 of this year. Pricing is not yet available.

We have to say it’s a bit odd for HP to be announcing its own wireless streaming peripheral — it seems like something more up IOGEAR or Belkin’s alley — but the $199 Wireless TV Connect is exactly what we’ve been waiting for in some respects. Sure, the box that you have to connect to your laptop via HDMI and USB for power is a bit on the large side, but it’s capable of streaming 1080p content, including Blu-ray movies or protected content, to your TV and there’s absolutely no lag when controlling the desktop on the big screen. We’re not exactly sure what technology HP’s using here — we’re thinking WHDI, though the company wouldn’t confirm — but the two box set can be used with any laptop on the market that has an HDMI port. Take that Intel WiDi! This is one we’re absolutely planning to test out, but in the meantime check out the pics below.

Continue reading HP Wireless TV Connect streams 1080p video, hits Intel WiDi where it hurts

HP Wireless TV Connect streams 1080p video, hits Intel WiDi where it hurts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neat little update for Pogoplug owners today: the latest firmware update adds printing support, allowing iPhones, Android devices, and anything else that can hit the diminutive home server’s web interface to print files. Any HP or Epson printer from 2005 or later is supported over USB — network printers just need to be on the same network — and the firmware is rolling out now. Pogoplug is also shipping that 802.11 b/g/n wireless adapter it announced earlier this month today, as well as the more enterprise-focused Pogoplug Biz. We’re also told the new firmware will enable some other features, but there’s no breakdown yet — we’ll let you know when we find out. PR after the break.

Continue reading Pogoplug adds printing support, wireless adapter and Biz start shipping

Pogoplug adds printing support, wireless adapter and Biz start shipping originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Surfing and science are something of an odd mix, but we’ve seen time and time again that the two subjects to together like, well, salt and water. The latest high-tech stick to hit that briney mix comes from a team at UC San Diego, who outfitted a board with eight sensors on the bottom that measure the speed of the water as it rushes beneath. All are controlled by a waterpoofed computer embedded in the nose, which transmits data wirelessly to an Eee PC left sadly on the beach while its partner splashes around in the waves. The goal is to attempt to determine what level of flex is optimal and, once determined, to create the ultimate board and rule the world… the surfing world, at least.

Continue reading Researchers use sensors to find the perfect surfboard, Gidget still looking for that perfect bikini (video)

Researchers use sensors to find the perfect surfboard, Gidget still looking for that perfect bikini (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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