09-May-07 20:31:00
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Rumblings about the layout and design of Apple's iPod scroll wheel in particular have been making the rounds for what seems like ages, but a new development from the Microsoft Research labs could nix the need to pull your DAP out and nearly collide with foreign objects whilst scrolling to a new tune. Aside from the glaring curiousness that stems from a Microsoft-derived project being dubbed earPod, the team has purportedly been working with scientists at the University of Toronto "on software that could make it possible to navigate the menus of gadgets that use circular touch pads with only audio cues." Essentially, touching the scroll wheel would provide audio clips to help you find your way through menus without ever seeing the screen, which would certainly prove useful on screenless DAPs. Currently, the system is quite limited in regard to the number of cues available, but here's to hoping that text-to-speech capabilities can b...
Source: Engadget
09-May-07 20:11:00
Filed under: Cellphones

When Helio, the EarthLink / SK Telecom was announced in early 2005 and launched in 2006, it held promise for the Engadget set to finally bridge the gap between America's laggard cellphone market and Korea's booming superphone business. It's taken Helio a little while to ramped up and iron the kinks out of the system so they could drop a bomb like the dual-sliding over-the-top featurephone that is the Ocean, but now that its launch is upon us, how do you think Helio's doing?

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: Engadget
09-May-07 19:53:00
Filed under: Laptops

There's not a lot of surprises given all the leaks we've seen, but HP has now officially taken the wraps of its expansive new lineup of laptops, all of which are based on Intel's new Santa Rosa platform. On the consumer front, the company's introducing a slew of new Pavilion laptops, including the dv2000 series, dv6000 series, dv9000 series, and the previously-announced beast that is the Pavilion HDX. Of the less gargantuan laptops, three new models pack 14.1-inch, 15.4-inch, and 17-inch widescreen displays, respectively, and each come loaded with a variety of Core 2 Duo processors, Nvidia GeForce 8400M graphics, built-in webcams (optional in some models), and integrated WiFi (including 802.11n in some models). Look for these to boast starting prices of $999, $949, and $1,199. For the more business minded, HP's also busted out a number of new laptops in its Compaq Presario line, including the 14.1-inch V3000 series, 15.4-inch V6000 series, the 17-inch 8...
Source: Engadget
09-May-07 19:45:44
Okay, he didn't specifically talk about the same Folding that the PS3 does, but a similar research application. Moore told Mike Antonucci of The Mercury News: Then if we truly believe that we can in some way marshall the resources of a much larger installed base of Xbox 360 owners, with a processor that's of equal power to the PS3, then you have my commitment that we'll look at that. And if we believe we can add value to solving a gnarly problem such as the medical problems and the health problems that Folding@home seems to be doing, then we'll certainly look at that very strongly. We've speculated about users developing their own research project as part of the XNA Game Developers Framework and our own Adam Frucci has begged for Folding to come to the Xbox 360, and it seems Microsoft is listening. It would just be so much easier if they just developed the project in house and included it into an update like the annual spring update, which went live today. –Travis Hudson
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Source: Gizmodo
09-May-07 19:31:00
Filed under: Cellphones, Features

The last time we got to hang with the Helio Ocean it was still technically a prototype -- albeit a unit obviously near completion. Today we finally snagged the real deal, and let us just say this Ocean runs deep. (Sorry, had to.) The Helio UI feels a lot snappier, screen orientation switching is nearly instantaneous, and our niggles thus far are few (we really wish it wouldn't kick us out of all apps when we're in "default" position). We'll have the full report on this in the near future, but until this thing officially launches (soon, soon) then feast your eyes on our retail unboxing and hands-on.

Gallery: Helio Ocean unboxing and hands-on
 
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: Engadget
09-May-07 19:15:00
Filed under: Laptops, Wireless

While Lenovo's ThinkPad T61 already showed off most of the the firm's newest laptop features, the R61 and 3000 N200 bring a little flavor of their own to the ever-expanding Santa Rosa funfest. These two tag along as some of Lenovo's "coolest, quietest, and longest running" lappies ever, and each sport the Top Cover Roll Cage (pictured after the break) that reportedly provides LCD support that's 20-percent stronger than previous models. The 14.1-inch R61 will sport an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, support for 802.11n and Bluetooth, Ultra Connect II, your choice of Intel or NVIDIA integrated graphics, a four-in-one media card reader, and an optional integrated webcam to boot. The budget-minded 3000 N200 opts for a 15.4-inch widescreen display, 802.11n, Ethernet, Bluetooth, an integrated fingerprint reader, five-in-one multicard reader, built-in camera / microphone, and Intel or NVIDIA chipsets running the graphical show. As with the T61, the R61 w...
Source: Engadget
09-May-07 19:05:00
Filed under: Networking
Two little words that could potentially give new life to copper, at least in the high-speed internet department, have found their way into the news once again, and this time it's Comcast who's showing us just what channel bonding can do. While you may have been scratching your head about Ambit Broadband's ridiculous claims, it looks like the technology may actually be edging closer to hitting the mainstream. Apparently, Comcast's CEO was able to demonstrate such a modem in front of the public and cable competitors alike, and while he claimed that it could reach speeds of 150Mbps, it was the testing that got everyone all riled up. Based on DOCSIS 3.0, the modem was able to download a 300MB file "in a few seconds," and he even snagged the 32-volume Encyclopedia Britannica 2007 and Merriam-Webster's visual dictionary in "under four minutes." Interestingly, it was noted that the FiOS competitor "could be available within a couple years," but if fiber crawls to o...
Source: Engadget
09-May-07 19:00:00
While Pioneer is wowing us with its eighth-generation plasma displays with their 20,000:1 contrast ratios, its other release trick is its Pioneer Elite BDP-94HD Blu-ray player that'll be shipping this month but is curiously devoid of new features. In fact, it's not even going for the latest HDMI 1.3 connection, still sporting that old and less-colorful HDMI 1.2 port that we've grown to know and love.
On the plus side, there is a Dolby TrueHD for some lossless high-end audio, but we're wondering what's so elite about this Pioneer Elite Blu-ray player, other than its $1000 price. Maybe we'll just pass, and wait for Microsoft to release a USB-connected Blu-ray player for the Xbox 360. – Charlie White
Pioneer Announces Elite BDP-94HD Blu-ray Player [CrunchGear]

Source: Gizmodo
09-May-07 18:35:00
Filed under: Laptops
If you haven't noticed by now, the laptop industry is going Santa Rosa crazy today, and for good reason: Intel's next-gen chipset is officially "out" as of now, following up the Napa / Yonah combo of last year. Intel is sticking with the Core 2 Duo "Merom" processor for the time being, but is releasing new, faster versions that take advantage of Santa Rosa's faster front-side bus, which is up at 800MHz, compared to 667MHz of prior versions. The new processors are odd-numbered to set them apart, and include the 1.8GHz T7100, 2GHz T7300, 2.2GHz T7500, 2.4GHz T7700, 1.4GHz L7300 and 1.6GHz L7500 -- with the latter two being low-voltage versions. As seen on many of the models announced today, or leaked in the recent weeks, the new Intel 965 Express Chipset includes more than the FSB goodies, with support for the new DirectX 10 and Vista-friendly Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics and the Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN 802.11n chip. That's the gist of the consume...
Source: Engadget
09-May-07 17:55:00
Filed under: HDTV, Laptops
Nah, it shouldn't surprise you one bit that Sony's officially squeezing in yet another option in the VAIO laptop lineup, but this 15.4-incher packs a media-centric attitude into a (debatably) lightweight package, and moreover, sports a pricetag that's very un-VAIO-like. Aside from the typical black / silver motif, you'll notice a widescreen XBRITE display, a bevy of multimedia controls atop the keyboard, Intel's Core 2 Duo processors, support for 802.11n, HDMI out, audio in / out, USB 2.0, VGA and S-Video outs, 4-pin FireWire, and the obligatory Blu-ray drive for watching HD flicks on the go. Additionally, the FZ will include an integrated webcam, LocationFree placeshifting niceties, an ExpressCard slot, and a Memory Stick reader. Fortunately for you, this fairly well appointed machine won't break the bank as you may expect, as the non-BD-equipped rendition will start at $1,400, while the "Premium" flavor comes in just $2,000. 
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Source: Engadget