Spam Flood Blog: Interesting Stuff

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Interesting Stuff

6/7/2007 7:07:00 AM

Filed under: Laptops

We've definitely seen some shady reports of a quad-core laptop make the rounds, and it looks like geographically misnamed Canadian laptop outfit Eurocom is going to be first off the line with a Intel Core 2 Quad notebook. A Eurocom spokesperson apparently confirmed to Laptoping that the company is prepping a quad-core Phantom D900C -- which probably means that monster-laptop Clevo (or whichever company is their ODM) is working on a quad-core D900C, since the Phantom is yet another rebrand. Laptoping says the 17-inch machine will feature a 2.4GHz Q6600 "Kentsfield" Core 2 Quad and dual SLI-capable GeForce Go 8700 or Quadro FX3500 graphics, an HD DVD drive, and up to three drives that can be run as a RAID 0/1/5 array -- all of which means battery life on this 11.9-pound monster will probably run down faster than a 6-minute mile. Still, the idea of stuffing four cores into a laptop gets us all excited, but the current $3,200 pricetag on the dual-core Phantom doesn't bode too well for the double the power.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/07/eurocom-kicks-out-a-quad-core-laptop-the-phantom-d900c/#comments

6/7/2007 6:00:00 AM

Filed under: Gaming

It's not like we didn't see it coming or anything what with Sony's game division -- home of the PS3 -- recently posting a $1.91 billion loss for the year. But man, our hearts go out to those whose jobs at Sony Computer Entertainment are now on the chopping block. Thing is, Sony, while announcing plans to cut jobs in the US, is only turning the screw deeper by not providing any details. The move comes as Sony struggles to keep up with Nintendo which again snagged top-honors for the 4th consecutive month in the US market: 360,000 Wiis sold to the PS3's 82,000 while Microsoft sold 174,000 Xbox 360s. The gap between the Wii and PS3 sales in Japan is just as bad, if not worse. Fortunately for Sony, their Bravia LCD TVs, VAIO computers, and Handycams are all doing well enough to (mostly) offset the PS3 related losses. We'll have to wait and see if Sony's summer game catalog, bigger disks, and possible price cuts can reverse SCE's fortunes.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/07/sony-announces-ps3-related-job-cuts-in-us-forgets-to-mention/#comments

6/7/2007 5:26:00 AM

Filed under: GPS, Wireless

We'll admit, Zoombak's a bit late the Fido tracking game, but we're sure that pet owners won't complain about a bit more competition in the pet location biz. According to documentation at the FCC, this here device is most effective on animals that weight 15 pounds or more, and essentially consists of a wireless transceiver and Li-ion cell wrapped within a semi-rugged, water resistant enclosure. The 73-gram box straps around your pet's neck and purportedly communicates with a variety of GSM bands in order to keep you notified about your animal's location. Unfortunately, details surrounding the actual operation of the device is still scant, but it shouldn't be too long now before Zoombak is cleared to offer these up for (straying) pet lovers everywhere.

[Thanks, Rich]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/07/zoombaks-pet-locator-hits-the-fcc/#comments

6/7/2007 3:53:00 AM

Filed under: HDTV, Portable Video

The Pinnacle PCTV USB Stick that you may have grown quite fond of over the past year has finally decided to get with the times, as the newest iteration throws HD capability into the minuscule tuner while still ringing up a penny under a Benjamin. The Pinnacle PCTV HD Stick steps it down a notch from its Professional sibling, but still allows users to "view live television on their PC with pause, rewind, and fast-forward timeshifting functionality." Pinnacle's latest USB 2.0 tuner is "about the size of a key," gets all the necessary juice right from the USB port, supports NTSC and ATSC broadcasts, and comes bundled with the firm's TVCenter Pro software. Best of all, this no frills portable TV tuner can get live programming on your laptop or desktop right now for a mere $99.99.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/07/pinnacle-kicks-out-100-pctv-hd-stick-usb-tuner/#comments

6/7/2007 2:32:00 AM

Filed under: Robots

While some researchers over in Raleigh are having fun tinkering with PlayStation 3 farms and dodging the RIAA, NC State's Drs. Tushar Ghosh and John Muth are occupied building prototypes with fibers they say "resemble human muscle and can exhibit muscle-like capabilities when electrical currents are applied." The duo sees the development as paving the way for "advancements and potential applications in robotics, smart textiles, prosthetics, and biomedicines," as they have reportedly found that polyurethane and silicone tube structures shaped like human muscle strands can be manipulated with electricity. It was noted, however, that the current models are using strands "roughly the size of a pencil lead," but the next step is to scale down the fibers and integrate them into a robotic Mr. and Mrs. Wuf.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/07/nc-state-researchers-uncover-muscle-mimcking-fibers/#comments

6/7/2007 1:16:00 AM

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Storage

You dealt with it when Apple switched you from MFS to HFS, and again you were switched from HFS to HFS+ (and even journaled HFS+), and you'll deal with it again: according to Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz (whom you may know for his totally righteous pony tail), Apple is going to use Sun's crazy advanced ZFS filesystem when they move users over to Leopard. The material advantages may not be immediately apparent to the average user (when was the last time you whipped up a multi-exabyte file?), bile?), but it will do some excellentay things like storage pooling (aka virtual storage), block-journaling, and plenty of other nerdy things about which you can read up on elsewhere. Expect to hear more about this one next Monday at WWDC.

Watch - Schwartz talks it up [Via MacRumors]
Read - More about why this is a Good Thing (TM)

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/07/sun-says-apple-is-switching-to-zfs-in-leopard/#comments

6/7/2007 12:56:00 AM

Filed under: Desktops

While Itronix's latest GoBook should handle your workload whilst on the go, Tangent is hoping that you'll look its direction for a rugged PC in your home or underground bunker. Quite frankly, the company claims that its Rugged Mini Fanless machine is "designed to take a beating," which apparently includes the ability to withstand "shock, dust, vibration, humidity, extreme cold and heat, and even electromagnetic interference." Externally, this thing is certainly on the opposite end of sexy, but it's the inside that counts; packed within is your choice of an Intel Celeron M, Core Solo, or Core Duo processor, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics set, up to 120GB of hard drive space, optional external DVD writer, 802.11a/b/g, FireWire, a pair of PS/2 ports, six USB 2.0 connectors, VGA / DVI outputs, audio in / out, and Ethernet. Furthermore, you'll purportedly find "no moving parts" (aside from that HDD spindle, eh?) as its cooled by a passive convection-based system, and you can snag one right now with Windows XP Pro for $1,195.

[Via Gearlog]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/tangents-rugged-mini-fanless-pc-resembles-a-giant-heatsink/#comments

6/7/2007 12:03:00 AM

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

DV-HD805

While Onkyo has been a part of the HD DVD promotions group as long as we can remember, Onkyo really hasn't done much. We have heard rumors about a HD DVD player from Onkyo for some time, and there was even a mention of it at CES this year. Our friends over at FormatWarCentral have discovered a few details in an otherwise obscure Onkyo post on a UK site that we find very interesting. Apparently Onkyo expects to launch the DV-HD805 this autumn, and it will be based on the Toshiba HD-XA2 player -- with a few yet to be mentioned tweaks. We are excited to see another HD DVD player on the markthe market, but we hope it's not just a re-badge of the HD-AX2. Before any format fanboys get too rabid; the Onkyo rep also mentioned that officially Onkyo supports both formats.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/onkyos-new-hd-dvd-player-the-dv-hd805/#comments

6/6/2007 11:19:00 PM

Filed under: Gaming

We've officially got a new gadget-related medical term on our hands people, coined by Dr. Julio Bonis, who woke up one morning and realized his Wii was causing him sports-injury like symptoms. Wiiitis is the name (yes, it's different from Nintendinitis), learn it well. Although it's only good for categorizing one specific type of Wii-related bodily injury, it has been canonized in a letter published by the New England Journal of Medicine, Unfortunately, the treatment may be worse than the disease for some: Bonis prescribed "ibuprofen for one week, as well as complete abstinence from playing Wii video games". Just think of it as a chance to play with your BlackBerry, get in some time with your iPod, make some calls on your high SAR cellphone, or generally geek out with other portable electronics. Hey, doctor's orders.

[Thanks, Neil and Josh]

Read - CNN
Read - NEMJ [Warning: subscription req'd]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/wiiitis-on-the-rise-with-wii-players-reports-doctor/#comments

6/6/2007 10:48:00 PM

Filed under: Desktops

A couple commenters confirmed those leaked Dell specs we posted earlier, and now we've gotten our hands on this Sunday's Wal-Mart flier -- the first to feature Dell's new in-store action. The numbers on the $698 Dimension E521 pictured line up with everything we've heard -- dual-core Athlon, 1GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, Vista Home Premium, and a 19-inch monitor -- but there's nary a mention of the rumored $498 model. We suppose Dell and Wally have got to keep us guessing until the 10th somehow, right? A close-up of the ad after the break.

Continue reading Sunday's Wal-Mart ad confirms $698 Dell specs

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/sundays-wal-mart-ad-confirms-698-dell-specs/#comments

6/6/2007 9:46:00 PM

Filed under: HDTV

Sony didn't limit its Bravia updates to LCDs today, as it also dropped five new SXRD rear-projection units. Like the other new Bravias, the three new A3000 and two new XBR SXR sets feature 1080p resolution, Motionflow 120Hz high-framerate technology, and the x.v.Color extended color gamut system. The SXRDs also get Sony's new PhotoTV HD feature, which Sony claims "brings the look of actual printed photography to the set." We're not sure what 70-inch prints of our vacation photos would look like, but sure. The new units, which are 40% thinner than the models they're replacing, are also compatible with Sony's Bravia Internet Video Link, for streaming HD video directly to the set, and feature the XMB crossbar interface that Sony hearts so much.

The $3,000 50-inch KDS-50A3000 (pictured), $3,300 55-inch KDS-55A3000, and $3,500 60-inch KDS-60A3000 units all run the Bravia Engine EX scaler (which only scales up to 1080i), and have interchangeable-color speaker grilles, while the $5,000 KDS-Z60XBR5 and $6,000 KDS-Z70XBR5 feature Sony's "floating glass" look and up the scaler to a 1080p-capable Bravia Engine Pro chip. The A3000s should drop in August, while the XBRs are due this fall. Peep the super mod KDS-Z70XBR5 after the break.

Continue reading Sony updates SXRD line with five new sets

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/sony-updates-sxrd-line-with-five-new-sets/#comments

6/6/2007 9:02:00 PM

Filed under: HDTV

We glimpsed the future of the Bravia XBR LCD line back in March when Sony showed off the Japanese-only X2550s, and now it looks like that premonition was dead-on, as the nine new Bravias introduced today feature Sony's x.v.Color wide color gamut system, 10-bit 1080p panels, Bravia Engine upscaler, the oh-so-popular XMB crossbar interface, and compatibility with Sony's Bravia Internet Video Link to stream HD video directly to your set over the 'net.

The $4,300 52-inch KDL-52W3000, $3,500 46-inch KDL-46W3000, and $2,700 40-inch KDL-40W3000 all come flossing a standard brushed-metal case, while the XBRs feature Sony's "floating glass" look, Motionflow 120Hz high-framerate technology, and Bravia Engine Pro.

The KDL-46XBR5 and KDL-40XBR5 will drop in August for $4,100 and $3,300, while the KDL-52XBR5 model (pictured) will come out in September for about $5,100. Those looking to burn a little less cash can pick up the XBR4 series with interchangeable bezels -- the 52-inch KDL-52XBR4 will set you back $4,800, while 46-inch KDL-46XBR4 and 40-inch KDL-40XBR4 are $3,800 and $3,000, respectively.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/sony-releases-nine-new-bravia-lcds-with-xmb-and-internet-video-l/#comments

Wed, 06 Jun 206 Jun 2007 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Displays

It had been a tick since we'd heard from I-O Data's LCD department, but its latest offering steps it up from the 22-inch version seen earlier this year by expanding the screen real estate and adding new inputs. The LCD-MF241X sports a 24.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 panel, comes in black or white motifs, and offers up DVI, VGA, composite, S-Video, and twin HDCP-compliant HDMI connectors. Additionally, you'll find a trio of USB ports mounted on the side, and a wireless remote can switch the inputs for you while kicked back on your couch. Unfortunately, you'll just have to wonder what the eventual price and release date will be, but feel free to click on through to see that port assortment up close.

[Via Electronista]

Continue reading I-O Data's 24-inch LCD-MF241X offers dual HDMI ports

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/i-o-datas-24-inch-lcd-mf241x-offers-dual-hdmi-ports/#comments

6/6/2007 7:58:00 PM

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

You already knew that our Chinese brethren were tearin' it up at Computex 2007, but this one is of particular interest here in the US. Turns out that Asus' OCgear overclocking module actually doesn't have a graphics card integrated in, rather, it's simply an extra peripheral that will connect up to your card via USB or PCIe. Reportedly, a proprietary connector was initially considered, but the tried and true connectors proved quicker in the end. We have to admit, it certainly adds that finishing layer of geekness to the front panel of the PC, but why not hit the read link and view the gallery of hands-on snapshots for yourself, cool?

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/engadget-chinese-gets-hands-on-treatment-with-asus-ocgear/#comments

6/6/2007 7:20:00 PM

Filed under: Digital Cameras

While we thought we'd already seen the crown jewel of webcams before, Philips apparently thinks otherwise, as it boasts quite heavily about its new trio of display-mountable cams that were unveiled at Computex. All three devices support background customization and emoticon integration, wide-angle lenses, and face-tracking capabilities. The SPC620 holds down the low-end with a vanilla VGA CMOS sensor and will run you €49.90 ($67), while the SPC1000 includes a directional microphone and noise reduction filter, two-megapixel sensor, and a 5x digital zoom for the very same price. The €99.90 ($135) SPC1300 features Pixel Plus 2 technology seen in the company's Flat TVs, a six-megapixel sensor, audio beaming system, twin directional microphones, and Digital Natural Motion technology that purportedly nixes any frame rate flickers when video chatting. All three webcams should hit shelves in Europe, America, and Asia this August.

[Via TechDigest]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/philips-unveils-spc620-spc1000-and-spc1300-webcams-at-computex/#comments

6/6/2007 6:47:00 PM

Filed under: Laptops

As they are wont to do, the folks at Notebook Italia have turned up some details on a fresh new batch of laptops, including a bundle of new Inspirons from Dell and a pair of new models in the company's hereto unheard of "Vostro" line. The new entries in the Inspiron line include the 1520, 1521, 1720, and 1721, each of which pack either 15.4-inch or 17-inch displays, and boast either Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion 64 X2 processors. The Vostro models on the other hand, appear to be Intel-only (at least from what's been revealed so far), with the Vostro 1500 coming equipped with a 15.4-inch display and the Vostro 1700 upping things to a 17-inch screen. Unfortunately, those are about all the specs that are known at the moment, although it doesn't look like we'll have to wait long to find out more, as all but one of the laptops are reportedly set to be released on June 26th, with the Vostro 1700 following later in July.

Update: The laptop above is a new Inspiron, not a Vostro. Those, apparently, are all black.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/dell-reportedly-set-to-release-new-inspiron-vostro-laptops/#comments

6/6/2007 6:15:00 PM

Filed under: Laptops

Shortly after revealing that a quad-core laptop chip was indeed in Intel's pipeline for 2008, the firm has decided to go public with even more laptop-based processor details over at Computex. Intel's executive vice president Sean Maloney had the honors of "unveiling" the 3-Series chipset family (formerly known as Bearlake), which will of course support DDR3 RAM, PCI Express 2.0, HDMI, and can come stocked with G33 / G35 Express integrated graphics. More importantly, the outfit formally introduced plans for an Intel Core 2 Extreme mobile processor that should be released in Q3 of this year. According to Mr. Maloney, the chip is targeted to be the company's "highest-performing mobile dual-core processor that still includes energy-saving power features for laptop designs." No word just yet on whether or not this CPU will cost more than the rest of your laptop components combined (but we wouldn't be surprised).

[Via Laptoping]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/intel-talks-up-3-series-chipset-core-2-extreme-cpu-for-laptops/#comments

6/6/2007 5:46:00 PM

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Apple TV

Apple is known for the high profit margins on its consumer electronics, but according iSuppli Apple is only making $62 (or about 20%) on each Apple TV. As you'd guess the most expensive component is a slimmed down version of Intel's Pentium M processor at about $40, and the cheapest is the $0.75 RealTek audio chip. The new 160GB version's margin is much nicer at more than 30%, but only because Apple charges a $100 premium for an option that only costs an extra $36 to make. Hobby indeed. Of course the obvious reason is that Apple plans to make up the cash selling content, and maybe even more importantly: to get into your living room. While this seems like a great plan and all, we can't help but get stuck on the fact there still isn't any HD content from Apple for a device that supposedly requires a HDTV.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/isupply-sizes-up-the-apple-tv/#comments

6/6/2007 4:59:00 PM

Filed under: Laptops

Those as intrigued as we were with Asus' newly-announced Eee PC 701 ultralight will likely want to take the short hop over to Engadget Chinese, which has managed to gets its hands on the device and dig up a few more details on it. Perhaps most interestingly, Asus' product manger told them that while Windows XP has been successfully tested with the device, the final product will likely come with only Linux pre-installed, with XP driver support thrown in for good measure. What's more, Asus also said that the mini-laptop could eventually pack as much as 32GB of SSD storage, and even hinted at the possibility of either an optional built-in 3G module or a separate dongle. Asus also reiterated that seemingly too good to be true $200 starting price, adding that a version forsion for "English speaking countries" could be available "as early as August this year."

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/engadget-chinese-gets-its-hands-on-asus-eee-pc-701/#comments

6/6/2007 4:13:00 PM

Filed under: Home Entertainment

We saw DivX posted looking for beta testers for "super-secret stuff" this week, but only now are we getting a slightly better idea of what's at hand. We have it from a trusted insider that DivX is at work on a connected hardware platform in the connected home devices category (PC-to-TV, see: SlingCatcher, Apple TV, Xbox 360, and countless other media streaming devices). We don't know what this hardware's actually going to be capable of, or what form it will eventually take as it makes its way into consumers' hands, but it stands to reason this is a proactive (and long overdue) approach on DivX's part to make sure more home media devices support that company's format, which is rarely found in US hardware these days.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/is-divx-working-on-hardware/#comments

6/6/2007 3:46:00 PM

Filed under: Storage

Western Digital has given a boost to its Passport line of external USB hard drives, today introducing a new 250GB model that makes the previous top-end 160GB drive look positively paltry in comparison. While the exact type of hard drive crammed in there isn't clear, like other Passport drives, it's most definitely of the 2.5-inch variety, with the entire enclosure measuring just 5.11 x 3.14 x 0.59 inches. You'll also get the usual complement of pre-loaded software, including Western Digital's WD Sync software and Google Desktop -- no Mac software here, although the drive itself will work just fine. If that'll do, you can get your drive now for an even $200.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/western-digital-intros-250gb-passport-hard-drive/#comments

6/6/2007 3:13:00 PM

Filed under: Storage

It seems that Hitachi has been basking in the glory of releasing the world's first 1TB internal hard drive so long that it let a number of others leapfrog it in the external sector, but nevertheless, the company's Easy Hard Drive lineup has now hit the mark. Split into two offerings, the AC-powered External USB Storage device holds 500GB, 750GB, or a single 1TB HDD within a matte black case, and while we're sure it's total coincidence, we can't help but notice the eerie resemblance to the the Xbox 360 Elite. Moving on, the Portable USB Storage unit now holds 160GB, 200GB, or a full quarter-terabyte of space within a pocket-friendly enclosure that's entirely powered via USB. Both drives should be available right now if you're brave enough to enter a Best Buy, and while the portable drives will run you between $139.99 and $249.99 depending on size, the 1TB desktop drive's price still remains a mystery.

[Via EverythingUSB]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/hitachis-external-easy-hard-drive-reaches-1tb/#comments

6/6/2007 2:42:00 PM

Filed under: GPS

Continuing in its tradition of improving the accuracy of portable navigation devices while completely butchering the capitalization rules that we all hold so dear, San Jose-based SiRF Technology Holdings Inc. has announced a new, um, technology called SiRFDiRect that promises to offer the same low-signal prowess in your nuvi or ONE that's normally found in those overpriced in-dash units pushed by car salesmen. Using a combination of fancy-schmancy algorithms and so-called "dead reckoning" hardware sensors (Dead Reckoning, DiRect, get it?), properly-equipped products will be able to maintain a course even in the complete absence of a signal by using heading and acceleration data to fill in the blanks -- perfect for traveling under dense forest canopies or through the dreaded urban canyon (pictured). Engadget-regular Mio will be the first manufacturer to incorporate this new tech -- branded "Navisteadi" -- in its wares, with other models that use the GSC3e/LP and GSC3f/LP chip sets set to get their reckonin' on in the third quarter.

[Via Navigadget]

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t;/p>

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/sirfdirect-promises-in-dash-gps-accuracy-for-pnds/#comments

6/6/2007 2:09:00 PM

Filed under: Features, Laptops

Turns out our local zombie-infested Apple store was already stocking yesterday's new Santa Rosa-based LED-backlit MacBook Pro -- and so naturally we had to do our own wholly unscientific comparison. Now, for starters, please note: all side-by-sides were taken with an 8 month old 2nd gen MacBook Pro with CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent tube) backlight and matte display on the LEFT, and the 3rd gen MBP with LED backlight and matte screen on the right. Apple told us the difference would be imperceptible -- was it? Check out the pics, and read on for some thoughts.

Gallery: MacBook Pro backlight comparison: LED vs CCFL

Continue reading MacBook Pro backlight comparison: LED vs CCFL

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/macbook-pro-backlight-comparison-led-vs-ccfl/#comments

6/6/2007 2:05:00 PM

Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets

While it's hardly as big a deal now that Microsoft itself has let its much-anticipated Surface/Project Milan out of the bag, those that prefer to get their information in the form crude sketches and less-than-readable sentences can finally get their fix, as the USPTO has now revealed Microsoft's patent application for the device. Filed way back in November of 2005, the application describes a "function-oriented user interface," and lays out many of the features that we saw first-hand last week, including resizing pictures using two fingers, and dragging one element to another in order to initiate an activity. So, not a lot of new information, but if you're looking for something more to tide you over until you can get your hands on a Surface yourself, you can hit up the link below for a glimpse at its origins (and plenty more sketches).

[Via PC Joint, thanks Staksa]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/microsoft-surface-revealed-in-patent-form/#comments

6/6/2007 1:23:00 PM

Filed under: Storage

Philips certainly isn't the first company to shove 1TB of storage into some form of external enclosure, but the recently-unveiled SPD5130 does manage to strip the NAS niceties and add an eSATA interface all the while. Of course, users can still plug this one in via USB 2.0, and everyone should appreciate the 32MB included buffer for "enhanced transfer stability." Externally, the 1TB drive is wrapped in a thick aluminum shell that should protect it from minor battles, touts a one-click backup button, and it even includes an intelligent power management feature that powers it up and down with the PC it is attached to. Reportedly, the SPD5130 should be available to customers in Europe and the US pretty soon, and while we haven't seen anything official just yet, we're hearing that it'll run €449 across the pond and $499 here on American soil.

[Via Pocket-Lint]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/philips-spd5130-external-hard-drive-hits-1tb/#comments

6/6/2007 12:53:00 PM

Filed under: Laptops, Storage

If you were wondering who's responsible for the super-slim burner that allows Toshiba's waifish Portege R500 sub-notebook to sport an optical drive in such a small enclosure -- and who wasn't, really? -- it seems that Akihabara News has solved this non-mystery by outing Panasonic's seven-millimeter thick DVD writer as the guilty party. At only 99 grams heavy as well, the unnamed spinner reportedly stomps all over the previous record holder for slimmest notebook drive, which measured a relatively-bloated 9.5 millimeters from top to bottom. You'll probably be seeing this model all over the place soon enough; in fact, we wouldn't be surprised (well, maybe we would) if Samsung stuffs one into the first revision of the Q1 Ultra. or Mr. Hawkins employs it to add some value to the critically-panned Foleo.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/panasonic-has-a-7-millimeter-thick-dvd-burner/#comments

6/6/2007 12:14:00 PM

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

After teasing us for a couple of months, modder extraordinaire (and Engadget contributor) Ben Heckendorn has finally taken the wraps off his mystery commercial product, now revealed to be a gaming headset. Dubbed the Audio FX Pro 5+1, the USB (non-wireless) headset opts for an old school look but packs its share of newfangled features, including internal motors for some force feedback action, along with some virtual 5.1 surround sound. As a bonus, Ben Heck's also responsible for the product's packaging, which includes some copy you're not likely to find anywhere else ("hear the cries of dying noobs with perfect digital clarity"), not to mention some faithfully reproduced bullet holes that Ben himself created in a fit of ~~rage~~ inspiration. As promised, the headset also comes in at under $100 ($80, specifically), and is available for pre-order from eDimensional now, although there's no word yet on when it'll ship.

[Via Joystiq]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/ben-hecks-mystery-product-revealed-to-be-audio-fx-pro-5-1-heads/#comments

6/6/2007 11:50:00 AM

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

If Philips' portable audio division has one thing going for it, it's definitely consistency. While other manufacturers are tacking value-added features onto their products like WiFi, higher storage capacities, and more codec support, Philips just keeps on releasing the same damn model in slightly different form factors. Cases in point are the company's new SA9300 (pictured right) and SA5100 (pictured left) DAPs, which offer the same small color screens, FM tuners, limited file support, and maxed-out 4GB capacities that we've already seen a hundred times before on devices like the SA9200 and SA6045. GenerationMP3 spotted these units on Philips' German site, meaning we're not sure when/if the cookie cutter players will be hitting the States; pricing, however, seems to be in the €99 to €199 ($133 to $268) range, depending on model number and storage.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/philips-offers-more-of-the-same-with-sa9300-and-sa5100-daps/#comments

6/6/2007 11:25:00 AM

Filed under: Storage

We know that you've been barely able to sleep since the new miCARD memory card format was announced -- who would be the first manufacturer to get these out the door, you wondered -- so you can finally rest easy with the news that Pretec is showing off its own version of the multi-functional little wafers (pictured larger than actual size, of course) at Computex in Taipei. The company's S-Diamond line already tops off at an impressive 8GB (with theoretical capacities of 2TB, but we're not holding our breath), and like the flood of other miCARDs soon to hit the market, will work with regular SD/MMC-capable devices through the use of an adapter. Pretec still isn't being forthcoming with any pricing or release info on these, but since there's no miCARD-specific hardware on the market yet anyway, we doubt that many of you care.

[Via Everything USB]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/pretec-shows-off-first-micards/#comments

6/6/2007 11:04:00 AM

Filed under: Features, Misc. Gadgets

Day 1 at Computex has drawn to a close and Engadget's lovely sister site in China was at the heart of the action. First order or business: blow out the booths with all the photos and video they could shoot. Funny enough, even though the show is being held in Taiwan, favored son HTC arrived without their new Touch -- go figure. Don't be shy now, the important bits have all been translated into English. Hell, you might even get lucky and see a girl.

Read -- Grand opening 1
Read -- Grand opening 2
Read -- Microsoft
Read -- A-DATA
Read -- PQI
Read -- Transcend
Read -- RIDATA
Read -- Apacer
Read -- Kingston
Read -- Genius
Read -- Intel
Read -- NXP
Read -- Toshiba
Read -- Mio
Read -- Hitachi

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/engadget-chinese-hits-the-floor-at-computex/#comments

6/6/2007 10:44:00 AM

Filed under: Cellphones

If you've been keeping a keen eye out on the FCC findings of late, you wouldn't find it surprising at all that two of Samsung's latest are officially headed to the US of A. Turns out that the Samsung SGH-T729 and SGH-T419 are both slated to make their US debut on T-Mobile, and while there's not a whole lot here for the high-end customer, the lower-end crowd should certainly appreciate what they're packin'. The T729 slider dons a somewhat stylish exterior, 1.3-megapixel camera, 220 x 176 resolution display, sports the SureType keyboard, and reportedly includes BlackBerry Connect as well. The T419 bargain phone doesn't do much outside of accepting and dialing calls, but does manage to include a 160 x 128 resolution display internally, a simple greyscale LCD on the exterior, a paltry VGA camera, and a hint of the modern world with the inclusion of Bluetooth. No word just yet on pricing nor availability, but at least you'll know where to look.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!&l life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/samsung-sgh-t729-and-sgh-t419-coming-to-t-mobile/#comments

6/6/2007 10:24:00 AM

Filed under: Peripherals, Networking

Although there's never been an overwhelming amount of success in any one category, just about everything has tried its hand at traveling over power lines, but Icron looks to be the first to channel USB 2.0 over the medium. Taking advantage of Panasonic's HD-PLC technology and its proprietary ExtremeUSB magic that was already seen in a wireless USB endeavor, Icron's system "extends USB 2.0 over standard power lines enabling remote connection of standard USB devices such as keyboards, printers, flash drives, hard drives, and web cameras over the AC outlets in your home or office." (What, no hand warmers, aquariums, or drink chillers?) The prototype setup featured a four-port USB 2.0 OPL hub and dongle set that saw 190Mbps over standard power lines, and there won't be any additional drivers necessary for this to play nice with Windows, Linux, and OS X systems. No word just yet on when these kits will be available for sale, but we'd wait on a review before labeling ourselves an early adopter on this one.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/icron-offers-usb-2-0-over-power-line-solution/#comments

6/6/2007 10:04:00 AM

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Interactive billboards and advertisements have been (trying) to catch our eyes for some time now, but a team of Swedes are apparently hoping that adding speech abilities might convince you to take an even closer look. The Paper Four project has reportedly developed a prototype digital paper that uses embedded sensors to detect touch, and when you graze over a certain spot, it actually talks back to you via "printed speakers." Now in the fourth generation of development, the device combines paper with "printed graphic codes andodes and electronically conductive ink that is sensitive to pressure," and it is already being showcased as a way to invite tourists or other customers to get up close and personal with ads in order to hear auditory information. Best of all, the team has hosted up a video showing exactly how this stuff works, so do yourself a favor and hit the read link to catch a peek.

[Via BBC]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/paper-four-initiative-developing-talking-paper/#comments

6/6/2007 9:44:00 AM

Filed under: Laptops

General Dynamics Itronix certainly has the rugged computer gig down pat, but the GoBook VR-2 scales things back a bit and only gets the "semi-rugged" treatment. Don't think this bad boy's not a workhorse, however, as this machine was reportedly designed to "meet the demanding needs of mobile workers in a variety of commercial, field service, public safety, and military markets." Among the niceties that make the day-to-day a bit easier is a 13.3-inch XGA DynaVue touchscreen display, Intel's 2GHz T7300 Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of RAM, up to 120GB of hard drive space, an optional HDD heater for those chilly morns in Killington, DVD burner, PC Card slot, optional ExpressCard slot, VGA output, audio in / out, four USB 2.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n, integrated fingerprint reader, optional WWAN / GPS, Bluetooth, and a three-year warranty that should keep you feeling secure. Of course, this beast can handle a decent amount of shock, dust, and humidity too, but we wouldn't expect anything less with a base price of around $3,500. Click on through for a few on-the-job snaps.

Continue reading Itronix's semi-rugged GoBook VR-2 gets a day job

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/itronixs-semi-rugged-gobook-vr-2-gets-a-day-job/#comments

6/6/2007 9:14:00 AM

Filed under: Robots

Quite a lot has transpired in the android universe in the past two years, and it's fairly safe to say that Kansei has made a few solid strides during that time as well. A Japanese research team has purportedly crafted a working prototype that can "pull up to 36 different facial expressions based on a program which creates word associations from a self-updating online database of 500,000 keywords." According to a professor at Meiji University's School of Science and Technology, the idea of the project is to "create a flow of consciousness in robots so that they can make the relevant facial expressions," and the device relies on 19 movable parts and a silicon face mask in order to work its magic. Developers also noted that speech abilities should be added within a few years, and while we doubt you had to guess, it's quite likely that fully developed Kanseis will one day roam nursing homes as Japan seeks to care for its quickly growing geriatric set.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/kansei-makes-a-comeback-with-reactive-facial-expressions/#comments

6/6/2007 8:24:00 AM

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

We don't know why, but in a game where numbers are king we bring you the world's smallest HDTV. Measuring in at just 7-inches, Xceive's "Breckenridge" reference design is currently on display at Computex in Taipei. Unfortunately, Xceive is only showing off their XC5000 silicon tuner in the press release, but we've got a sneaking suspicion that they're using that ~~Sanyo~~Seiko-Epson 7.1-inch, 1080p-capable LCD panel (pictured) first floated back in October. Xceive's contribution to the 16:9 HDTV is the crazy small, 2.75 x 4.75-inch main board capable of receiving all 18 ATSC formats or NTSC signals via terrestrial or cable implementations. Unfortunately, you'll have to sit about 6-inches away from the display for all those pixels to matter. Still, it is just a reference design. In other words, Xceive is looking for someone with the manufacturing skills to take this to market. Sammy, Sony, Philipps... any takers? Read-on to peep the XC5000 chip just for kicks.

[Via DigiTimes]

Continue reading World's smallest (7-inch) HDTV on display at Computex

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/worlds-smallest-7-inch-hdtv-on-display-at-computex/#comments

6/6/2007 7:47:00 AM

Filed under: Laptops

Egads NEC, show some pride... a Hello Kitty LaVie? Say it ain't so! Your LaVie series of laptops were already totin' some serious Alice-the-housekeeper frump, and now this? What can we say, that puss dominates Japan like a pink, mouthless Godzilla... really, what could poor NEC do. Available now for ¥199,500 or about $1,645 with plenty of pasted-on Swarovski nuggets destined for the recessed folds at the pit of your man-bag. Sure, you'll buy it for your daughter but we know who'll use it... sissy.

[Via Impress]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/the-hello-kitty-lavie-is-this-really-the-life-nec/#comments

6/6/2007 7:01:00 AM

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS is showing of its design chops this morning with a trio of laptops made from wood. Of course, these aren't the first (and certainly not the last) pieces of consumer electronics kit to go au naturel. We've even seen other wood-cased laptops before including ASUS' own EcoBook. But man, is the above "laptop" design practical by any stroke of the imagination? Still, kudos to you ASUS for pushing the design envelope. If these are the gaffes required en route to your product successes then we're willing to suffer (a little). Read-on for a few viable designs which, knowing ASUS, could see limited production runs.

Read -- model 1
Read -- model 2
Read -- model 3

Continue reading ASUS' wooden "laptop": kills trees and reason with a single swing

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/asus-wooden-laptop-kills-trees-and-reason-with-a-single-swin/#comments

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