Posted by kenmay on October - 26 - 2011
The comparisons between Siri and HAL 9000 were pretty tough to avoid, and the folks at ThinkGeek have now come through to do what they do best: take things to a ridiculous extreme. In this case, that comes in the form of the IRIS 9000, a familiar-looking fellow that doubles as a dock for your iPhone 4S. It has a remote that lets you activate Siri from afar, a built-in mic and speaker that lets you interact with Siri (or make phone calls) and, of course, a glowing red LED eye that makes Siri suitably menacing. Now, ThinkGeek has been known to produce some faux products in the past, but last we checked it wasn’t April Fools’ day , and the company has assured us that this is indeed real and set to be available in the spring of next year for $60. Video of your new favorite desk mate is after the break. Continue reading ThinkGeek IRIS 9000 promises to make 2012 a desk-bound odyssey ThinkGeek IRIS 9000 promises to make 2012 a desk-bound odyssey originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted by kenmay on October - 24 - 2011
As far as product launches go, Dell didn’t exactly rip the Band-Aid off the XPS 14z. After teasing it back in September, the company let all the specs out of the bag , but stopped short of naming a price and ship date for the United States. Well, now we know: this 14-incher will be available in the US and Canada November 1, and will start at $1,000 — a price that puts it in direct competition with the likes of the HP Envy 14 and Sony VAIO SA series . Like these other laptops, the 14z commands a premium over cheaper models, with beefier specs and a (supposedly) more luxurious design. With Core i5 and i7 processor options, discrete graphics, USB 3.0 and an optional solid-state drive, it offers a lot of the same specs as its peers, though it manages to stand out in a couple key ways. One, it sports an LG Shuriken display, which crams a 14-inch screen into a chassis normally reserved for 13-inch systems (translation: its bezels are super narrow). And with a starting weight of 4.36 pounds, it’s lighter than a lot of the other laptops you’re probably considering. But are these bullet points enough to make it a smart buy? Read on to find out. Gallery: Dell XPS 14z Gallery: Dell XPS 14z review Continue reading Dell XPS 14z review Dell XPS 14z review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted by kenmay on October - 22 - 2011
Typically, road rage responses range from a flip of the bird to some gentle highway drag racing. For an enterprising hacker by the name of Gagandeep Singh, however, those on-road hijinks have given way to a more eloquent, albeit LED-lit resolution. Conceived as means of informing errant drivers of their transportation follies, Singh rigged up a 40 x 16 LED matrix display and affixed it to his car’s rear window. Using an AT89C51 micro-controller, hard-coded messages and animations are then fed to the 2cm x 2cm grid, much to the chagrin of reprimanded drivers following close behind. Eventually, this helpful hack’ll hookup with a mobile phone over Bluetooth, delivering real-time updates (and insults?) to the display. Until then, you’ll just have to make due with Singh’s step-by-step DIY at the source. Jump past the break for a scrolling view of this corrective driving tech. Continue reading Rear window LED hack minds bad drivers’ manners, has nothing to do with Hitchcock (video) Rear window LED hack minds bad drivers’ manners, has nothing to do with Hitchcock (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Oct 2011 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted by kenmay on October - 19 - 2011
Ready for the world’s first consumer light field camera — you know, the spiffy kind that can infinitely focus? After demoing the tech earlier this year , Lytro’s unveiled the world’s first shipping product — a little something it calls the Lytro camera. Within the anodized aluminum frame, the consumer-friendly camera totes an f/2, 8x zoom lens which utilizes an 11-mega-ray light-field to power all that infinite focus magic. It’s instant-on and the rubber back-end wields only two physical buttons: one for shutter and the other for power. The company’s added the ability to change the focus on-camera, a task accomplished via its touchscreen glass display. It’ll ship in two versions: the $399 8GB flavor can hold 350 pictures, and comes in graphite or blue, followed by a $499 16GB model, which sports an electric-red finish and stores up to 750 images. Pre-orders go live at Lytro’s website today, and will ship in early 2012 on a first-come first-serve basis. Our hands-on impressions are here , with PR and sample images after the break. Gallery: Lytro camera press shots Gallery: Lytro camera up-close Continue reading Lytro introduces world’s first light field camera: f/2 lens, $399, ships early 2012 Lytro introduces world’s first light field camera: f/2 lens, $399, ships early 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted by kenmay on October - 18 - 2011
Google has taken the stage in Hong Kong to make the next version of Android OS, nicknamed Ice Cream Sandwich, a thing of reality. Better known as Android 4.0, the update offers a massive redesign to the user interface and adds a plethora of new features. Some of the highlights include an NFC-enabled feature called Android Beam , offline search in 7989*33Gmail, new lock screen features and a fancy unlocking method called ” Face Unlock ,” which uses facial recognition to ensure strangers can’t use your phone without permission. Ice Cream Sandwich also includes enhancements in almost every native app within Android itself. The SDK is already available for Android 4.0, and the update itself will make its first public appearance on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus , also unveiled tonight . After the break, we’ll cover all of the nitty gritty details, along with some excellent screenshots below. So come along, why won’t you? Gallery: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official Gallery: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Screenshots Continue reading Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official, includes revamped design, enhancements galore Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official, includes revamped design, enhancements galore originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted by kenmay on October - 18 - 2011
Google has taken the stage in Hong Kong to make the next version of Android OS, nicknamed Ice Cream Sandwich, a thing of reality. Better known as Android 4.0 appears to offer a massive redesign to the user interface and adds a plethora of new features. So here’s what’s new: first, we’re seeing a new notification menu, as well as NFC-enabled Android Beam, video snapshots and an improved task manager. ICS also includes a fancy unlocking method called “Face Unlock,” which uses facial recognition to ensure strangers can’t use your phone without permission. Ice Cream Sandwich also includes enhancements in almost every native app within Android itself. After the break, we’ll cover all of the nitty gritty details. Gallery: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official Developing… Check out all the action on our liveblog happening right now! Continue reading Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted by kenmay on October - 14 - 2011
NVIDIA’s 3D Vision is impressive and all, but one trade-off you’ll have to accept when you put on those active shutter glasses is a markedly dimmer field of view than what you’d get if you settled for plain-Jane 2D gaming. Well, the outfit just unveiled the second generation of the technology — appropriately named 3D Vision 2 — and this go ’round it promises not to strain your vision quite so much. These shutter glasses have a lens that’s 20 percent larger, promising a brighter experience. As an added perk, the frames have been rejiggered to be lighter and more flexible so that you can comfortably wear headphones without pinching your lobes. As for the newest 3D Vision monitors and laptops, those panels promise reduced ghosting, as well as 120GHz 2D gaming. In tandem with today’s announcement, NVIDIA announced that a trio of products — the Toshiba Qosmio X770 / 775 , Toshiba Satellite P770 / P775 and ASUS’s 27-inch VG278H 1080p monitor — will support now 3D Vision 2. If a new rig’s not in the cards, the company also assures us that these glasses will be backward compatible with older 3D Vision panels. Look for them this month in the form of either standalone frames ($99) or as part of a $149 kit. All those details and more in the PR tucked after the break. Continue reading NVIDIA intros 3D Vision 2 glasses with brighter field of view, comfier design NVIDIA intros 3D Vision 2 glasses with brighter field of view, comfier design originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
