New Gadget Technology

OCZ gets official with Z-Drive PCI-Express SSD

2009-04-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

by Darren Murph,
Technically, OCZ outed this here PCI-Express SSD way back at CeBIT in March, but it's just now making things super official. Now available with a fresh face and hard specifications, the Z-Drive is aiming to take on wares by firms like Fusion-io and provide blistering transfer rates to anyone who buys in. Essentially, this device removes the SATA bottleneck by employing the PCIe architecture and four Vertex controllers configured in four-way RAID 0 array. Curious about performance? Read speeds can hit upwards of 510MB/sec, while write speeds top out at 480MB/sec -- plenty respectable in our eyes. OCZ's planning to push these out in 250GB, 500GB and 1TB capacities, and while final pricing is still being kept under wraps, we're told that it'll be kept "competitive."
engadget.com

Keepin' it real fake, part CCI: dirty Vegas plays Orange UK

2009-04-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

by Chris Ziegler,
Attention, Orange and the random supplier who's manufacturing these ripoffs: the world has moved on from the original HTC Touch's design language. Hell, we've actually moved on twice now; once to the Touch Diamond, and once to the Touch Diamond2. On that note, we're not sure what's possessing a Western European carrier to release a cheesy rip of a such a well-known late model phone -- whose manufacturer Orange has a great relationship with, no less -- other than the fact that they're looking to give entry-level customers a really inexpensive way to get into the touchscreen game. Indeed, the prepaid device will apparently run just £48.50 (about $71) when it launches, but in return, you're only getting a 1.3 megapixel camera, presumably EDGE data, and the mocking of everyone you've ever known -- including your own mother, who we understand uses an actual HTC Touch.

[Via mobile-review]
engadget.com

Engadget's recession antidote: win a 500GB Toshiba USB 2.0 portable HDD!

2009-04-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

by Darren Murph,
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got an 500GB Toshiba USB 2.0 portable hard drive, complete with a swank black / white motif and a nearly unlimited amount of room for, um, whatever the heck you want. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!

Huge thanks to Toshiba for providing the gear!
engadget.com

Windows 7 RC 7100 making its way to OEMs, a torrent tracker near you

2009-04-24T12:15:00.001-07:00

by Paul Miller,
It seems a little early in the game to be talking Windows 7 release candidates, but that's just the way we like it. Apparently build 7100 has made it into the wild, complete with release candidate plumage and naturally rapid dissemination. Word has it that this could be the RC version Microsoft is planning to release to its MSDN / TechNet subscribers on May 5th, but we'll have to wait until next month to find out for certain sure. The less scrupulous among us should have no trouble tracking down RC 7100 in the meantime.
engadget.com

[Via ITavisen]

Samsung is back in the money, but a whole lot less than last year

2009-04-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

by Tim Stevens,
Hot on the heels of Apple announcing it's officially ripping this recession a new one and making more money than ever (hooray!), Samsung has released its financials for the first quarter and things are a little more, erm, glum. (Boo?) The company has at least partially recovered from its first ever loss in the fourth quarter of last year, making a tidy $459 million so far in 2009. That's the good news. The bad news, however, is that $459 million is 72 percent less than the company pocketed in the same quarter in 2008. But, profit is profit, and a 36 percent increase in revenue from the company's cellphone division is also promising -- especially given Nokia's recent bad news. Must be thanks to all those Omnia fanboys and girls.
engadget.com

Nikon's D5000 DSLR (and its articulating display) shipping April 27th

2009-04-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

by Darren Murph,
Oh, goodie goodie! Merely ten days after the D5000 was formally introduced to the world -- and just hours after Amazon's pre-order page went live -- we're now being told that Nikon's first DSLR with an articulating display will be shipping in three short days. Starting on April 27th, the cam will begin making its way out to those who pulled the trigger early on... at least in kit form. We don't expect the body-only configuration to leave the docks for at least a week or so later, but you can rest assured we'll be giving one a go and letting you know if it's worth the cheddar.

[Thanks, Jonathon]
engadget.com

China Blue HD players revealed, second stage of the format war is officially on

2009-04-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

by Richard Lawler,
China's alternative to Blu-ray finally has some hardware to show off, with players from TCL and Shinco making their debut this week. Priced at less than 2,000 yuan ($292) they're reportedly 40% cheaper than the competition, and while the promised support from Warner Bros. has yet to materialize it plans to release 100 movies on the CBHD format by the end of the year. That's about all the machine translation could help us make out beyond the usual promise of lower licensing fees for Chinese manufacturers, but a better look at the latest (and by far most legit, although that's not saying much) Blu-ray fighter is beyond the read link.

[Via CDR Info]
engadget.com

Army's multimode death ray knocks out IEDs, vehicles, whiners

2009-04-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

by Joseph L. Flatley,
While the US Air Force is dead set on shooting down missiles with airborne lasers, it looks like their colleagues in the Army are busy cooking up a little something called the Multimode Directed Energy Armament System (see our artist's conceptual rendering, above). According to Wired, this device uses an ultra-short pulse laser to create an ionized channel through the air, which it can use to send bursts of energy, conduct electricity, or act as a waveguide for an intense pulse of microwaves. If you're looking to knock out an IED, an oncoming vehicle, or an enemy combatant, this bad boy should do the trick just fine. The Army's Armament Research Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) plans on having a working prototype operating in a the real world sometime in 2011.

[Via Wired]
engadget.com

FINIS AquaPulse monitors, communicates heart rate to swimmers

2009-04-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

by Darren Murph,
Now that every kid on planet Earth is attempting to mimic the once-heroic Michael Phelps, it's only fair to equip them with the very best in training tools. FINIS, the same firm that's been cranking out bone conducting underwater MP3 players for years on end, has finally branched out a bit with the introduction of the AquaPulse. By utilizing an Infrared sensor, the device -- which straps onto one's goggles and rests on the temple bone -- can continually monitor heart rate and communicate it audibly to the swimmer via bone conduction in customizable intervals. Unfortunately, FINIS didn't think to integrate music playback into this for moments when it's not dishing out vitals, but you could also rock one of its dedicated music players on the non-dominant ear. Olympians-to-be can catch it this May for $139.99. Full release is after the break.
engadget.com

iHouse SmartFaucet with face recognition is more smug than smart

2009-04-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

by Thomas Ricker,
Ready for the ultimate in convergence overkill? Meet the SmartFaucet from iHouse; a tap with built-in face recognition technology that automatically adjusts the water pressure and temperature to your preferred settings. The touchscreen display even features widgets for at-a-glance access to eMail, appointments, and the outside temperature while LEDs illuminate the flow with temperature matching colors. iHouse's Fadec (pictured after the break) also adds face recognition to a 2.8-inch in-house remote control. That little trick allows the remote to respond to pre-programmed scenes (think AC, lighting, audio) customized by inhabitant. Too much? Never.
engadget.com

[Via BornRich]

Liquid crystal lasers will light up next-gen HDTVs, your life

2009-04-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

by Tim Stevens,
If you thought Mitsubishi's LaserVue HDTVs were the beginning and the end of laser-tech in boob tubes, think again. Mitsu's line is carrying on, but the brightness and depth of color offered by that telly are apparently just the beginning of what's possible according to researchers at the Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics at the University of Cambridge. They indicate that the use of liquid crystals in concert with a single, laser-based light source would result in the same color depth but at a lower cost and higher reliability than the LaserVue, which requires separate lasers for RGB. What cost, exactly? That, dear reader, remains to be seen, but given the source we're thinking you have plenty of time to save up -- and to practice those Dr. Evil impressions.

[Via OLED-Display]
engadget.com

Qtv launches console IPTV platform on the PlayStation.... 2

2009-04-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

by Richard Lawler,
In one of the more unexpected developments from NAB 2009, Qtv is pushing its streaming media player platform for consoles. Not an altogether radical idea we know, but what's different here is a plan to launch first on the PlayStation 2 and move to newer hardware later. From the makers of the Qcast technology behind the GameShark Media Player, Qtv includes YouTube and access to streaming video from other sources, plus pictures, music and video (DivX, h.264, XviD & more) from USB devices or networked computers. The PS2 may not be the first HD set-top box we thought of, it does have the highest installed base. The Qtv player launches later this year and will be available on Mac and PC as well for "less than $50," although thanks to the free 30-day trial the hardest part may be remembering where we left our PS2s.
engadget.com

Antiquarian peripherals play Bohemian Rhapsody

2009-04-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

by Tim Stevens,
Like many things in life, the whirrs and noises of old computers that were formerly annoying now inspire a nostalgic sense of retro glee -- the bleating of a fax modem, the blatting of a large-format dot-matrix printer. It's this sort of nostalgia that inspires some users to make them sing, like a YouTuber going by the handle of bd594 who orchestrated a collection of outdated gear to emit the soulful strings of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. It starts with an HP ScanJet 3C playing the part of Freddie Mercury, then an Atari 800XL makes the organ sounds, TI-99/4a handles guitar duties, and a selection of other archaic goodies make visual and aural appearances. While the scanner did need to be recorded four separate times for all the "vocal" tracks, nothing was pitch-corrected, meaning your old scanner is officially more talented than three quarters of the Weekly Top 40. See for yourself after the break.

[Via Boing Boing]
engadget.com

Cube H100HD PMP does 1080i in a tiny package

2009-04-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

by Tim Stevens,
hought 720p output from a PMP was impressive? Try 1080i on for size. Yes, Cube has seemingly one-upped itself, introducing a new PMP called the H100HD that, like its predecessor, sports a 5-inch LCD and support for a variety of video and audio formats, but adds in an FM tuner, support for simple Flash games, and another step up the HD resolution ladder, all in a package that's a bit more svelte than before. And yes, it still does 720p output for those progressive types. No information on price yet, but since the last one sold for under $75 don't expect it to break the bank -- also don't expect it to show up at whatever electronics retailers are still in business where you are.
engadget.com

Nabaztag's Violet RFID-readin' USB Mirror now available

2009-04-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

by Tim Stevens,
Looking for a brighter, cuter way to search for those RFID implants the government has hidden somewhere in your body? The Violet RFID Mirror is your gadget, and it's now shipping. Those not running from the NWO will find the $59.99 gadget has a myriad of other uses as well, letting you tag all sorts of things and have them trigger various applications. You could set your keys on it and have it launch a traffic report, or put your wallet on there to bring up your bank statement. You know, useless but still interesting stuff -- a lot like the company's multi-colored bunnies that seem to love to sit upon them.

[Via I4U]
engadget.com

Touchscreen calligraphy tablet concept gives linguists hope

2009-04-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

by Darren Murph,
Ah, now this is the spirit. Rather than concocting yet another handheld tablet that's good for nothing more than checking email and wowing onlookers, designers Soonkyu Jang, Chung Lee and Yonghuk Yim have come together to put linguists on the front burner once again. This here touchscreen concept is a calligraphy board that enables you to practice your stroke without ruining reams of paper and blasting through countless bottles of ink. Initially, at least, the board would only come loaded with teaching tools for the Korean language, but you know Leapfrog could hook this thing up with Lithuanian, Maltese and Slovak should it ever get involved.
engadget.com

Super Monkey Kong crams 14k of Jumpman excellence onto Meggy Jr RGB

2009-04-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

by Paul Miller,
Like we said at the outset, the incredibly inventive and fun handheld hardware of Meggy JR RGB is only as good as the games that hackers can manage to squeeze onto it. Well, we'd say the hackers have won. Steven Read has built a fully-functional Donkey Kong clone called Super Monkey Kong that plays out on that delicious 8 x 8 grid of RGB LEDs. It took him roughly 3,000 lines of code to do it, which compresses down to 14k, the max allowable by the AVR microcontroller in use. Check out the video at the read link to see it for yourself.

[Via Oh Gizmo!]
engadget.com

Zotac jumping in Ion-filled waters with new Mini-ITX motherboards

2009-04-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

by Darren Murph,

We'd heard a few whispers rolling through the gentle breeze that Zotac would be hopping on the Ion bandwagon early on, and sure enough, it looks like said firm is indeed latched on. Reportedly, the outfit will be producing a few Mini-ITX motherboards in the near future that support Intel's Atom 230 / 330 processors and come loaded with NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M G chipsets. The mobos would also include all of the basic amenities: Ethernet, two RAM slots, HDMI / DVI / VGA outputs, a trio of SATA ports and a WiFi module. There's still no word on what system maker is looking to slap these into their next-generation nettops, but who knows, maybe this will end up being the first standalone Ion-based board for the DIYers in attendance.

[Via Expreview, thanks Shawn]
engadget.com

Bee.One electric car to be tiny, cheap, and cute

2009-04-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

by Laura June,
British start-up Bee has just dropped some details on its forthcoming uber-affordable electric car, the One. This five-door affair will have a top speed of around 80 miles per hour, with a maximum range of 200 miles before needing a recharge. The car will run on two battery packs stowed under the floor, and will be easily swappable in case charging stations start popping up all over the U.K. The One will also have a constant 3G connection for management and performance system software monitoring and updates. The most exciting detail about the car, however (besides its adorable attitude) is likely to be its pricepoint: £12,000 ($17,700) plus the recent government subsidy of £5000 ($7400) for electric car purchases will bring this puppy down to about £7,000 -- or just over $10,000. Sure -- it's not Tata-cheap... but this one's electric! The One is scheduled to go into production during 2011 with an initial run of about 12,000 vehicles. One more render of the car after the break.
engadget.com

Fujitsu unleashes upgrades to its FMV-Deskpower series

2009-04-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

by Joseph L. Flatley,
When not busy revolutionizing biometric door access, it turns out that Fujitsu dabbles in computers. Crazy, huh? Its come to our attention that the company has just dropped the bomb on upgrades to a generous portion of its product line, including Blu-ray drives, storage and RAM upgrades for its all-in-one F-Series; a Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM and 1TB hard drive for its LX Series; and Core 2 Duos for the Deskpower CE series. If that weren't enough (and it's not) the company's EK Series' all-in-one machines got a refresh as well, sporting a 19-inch display, up to 500GB storage, and 4GB RAM. Sadly, the Deskpower CE machines still bear that same cringe-worthy look that's been upsetting those of us in the gadget community for years now, but maybe that's the kind of thing that turns you on? Hit the read link for the full breakdown and a red hot gallery.
engadget.com

MSI debuts Atom N280-equipped Wind U100 PLUS netbook

2009-04-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

by Darren Murph,
Frankly, we're beginning to wonder just how many iterations of the Wind U100 MSI can dish out before it's forced by riots and a bombardment of Molotov cocktails to come forward with a completely revamped Wind netbook. At any rate, today the company has just unveiled its U100 PLUS, a familiar looking fellow with a 1.66GHz Atom N280 processor, a hamstrung 945GMS chipset, Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics, up to 2GB of DDR2-533 RAM, a 10-inch LCD (1,024 x 600), 160GB hard drive, 4-in-1 multicard reader, VGA output, three USB 2.0 sockets, an optional 6-cell battery (3-cell is standard), WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. Crazily enough, MSI asserts that users can see upwards of 7 hours of use with the standard battery, which is easily one of the most unbelievable statements we've heard in the past 4.32 hours. Per usual, pricing and availability will come in due time.

[Via iTech News]
engadget.com

PSP firmware 5.50 arrives to fulfill your every subfolder exploration need

2009-04-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

by Paul Miller,
There's a new PSP update in town, so hold onto your calloused thumbs. Firmware 5.50 borrows the PS3's XMB "Information Board" (pictured) for getting PlayStation and PlayStation Store news wherever you've got WiFi and a yearning, and there's also a games information search that works straight from the XMB as well. The update also brings the incredibly tardy ability to browse Memory Stick sub-folders for media, and Trend Micro Security and Safety for protecting the browser from malicious sites and protecting kids from adult content. It's not a landmark update, but it's something.

[Via PSP Fanboy; thanks Allan M.]
engadget.com

Sony Ericsson CS8 passes FCC, looking T-Mobile bound

2009-04-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

by Chris Ziegler,
If you were looking for a C905 with just a little dash of AWS 3G thrown in, look no further than this little gem. The so-called CS8 breaks from Sony Ericsson's traditional model naming convention, but they could call this thing the Behold 2 if they wanted to -- all we care is that we're getting access to an 8.1 megapixel slider with myFaves (you can clearly see the myFaves logo plastered on the back of the user manual's diagrams, and yes, it's that important). It also sports Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, and our undying love and affection, so we hope to see you soon, dearest Cyber-shot.
engadget.com

Dell rolls out updated Studio 15 laptop

2009-04-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

by Donald Melanson,
Dell sort of spoiled the surprise by dishing out some of the details about its updated Studio 15 laptop on is support site a full two months ago (not to mention that little business in Singapore), but the company has now finally gotten fully official with the laptop, and made it available in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. The big news with this update is a new and improved 15.6-inch LED-backlit display, which packs a native 1366 x 768 resolution, and gets paired with some upgraded ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 graphics (available with 256MB or 512MB of on-board memory). Otherwise, you can expect the usual range of Core 2 Duo processors, a built-in 2 megapixel webcam, HDMI out, an optional Blu-ray drive, an optional backlit keyboard, and your choice of six colors, including the snazzy Black Chainlink design pictured above. This being the Studio series, you can also expect prices to remain at a reasonable $649 for the base model, with things moving up considerably from there if you opt for some of those aforementioned options.
engadget.com

TapeScape robot borrows a page from Soundwave's audiobook

2009-04-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

by Laura June,
Impressive robots are basically everyday fare around here, but we're always excited to see some DIY modding action like the above. This guy, called the TapeScape Audio robot, turns an everyday, old-timey boombox (remember those?) into a truck-like robot that's pretty charming. Needing almost no parts outside of the innards of the boombox plus two servos, this rolling rover's got a tape head mounted to it that is continually dragged over the audio tape, causing the truck to make little sounds as it goes along. There's a video of the peppy dude in action after the break, and hit the read link for full instructions if you just have to construct one of your own.

[Via Make]
engadget.com