Third Generation

Imation's USB bracelet goes 1GB

2006-10-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

You know those USB flash drive bracelets no one is wearing? Well, consider 'em bumped to a full 1GB in your choice of 8 colors to match you collection of ironic T-shirts. And if you feel like branding your enslaved wage donkeys, you can even order in bulk replete with your own corporate logo. On sale in Japan starting September 21st. Good times.

Xbox 360 Premium pack

2006-10-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

Xbox 360 console (soon with 1080p output!
20GB drive add-on
Wireless controller
Xbox headset
Component high def AV cable
Ethernet cable You'll have until Thursday the 28th to enter; we'll pick somebody at random who tells us in the comments what their favorite 360 game is, and who follows these rules:

The latest PS3

2006-10-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

With next-gen console news being released at such a fast and furious pace these days, it's starting to feel a little bit like Joystiq around here, so instead of reporting and analyzing every little snippet of new information in separate posts, we've rounded up the latest and greatest PS3 revelations into one tight bit of prose. Since pricing is such an important issue to most consumers, we'll start there -- but unfortunately, the news ain't good. You probably already heard that those lucky gamers in Japan will be able to pick up their 20GB boxes for the equivalent of $428, but despite all the hoping and praying you've been doing, Kaz Hirai has reaffirmed that the recent price cuts apply to Japan only -- though he threw the rest of the world something of a bone when he also announced that everyone will be getting an HDMI port on his/her low-end system. Speaking of high prices, Impress is citing "multiple sources" in predicting that most Japanese PS3 games will cost in the neighborhood of ¥8,800 to ¥9,800, which is between $75 and $85 here in America -- ouch, that's like a whole month's allowance for us, and well above the going rate for 360 games. As long as we're dwelling on the negatives, we should also mention that not only will HDMI cables be absent from the box, both Hirai and Ken Kutarai are leaning away from even including component action with either package. Now on to the good stuff (sorry, there's not much). First of all, it's been confirmed that all PS3 games will indeed ship region-free (though it's up to the developers to code in multilingual support, and Blu-ray movies will remain region-locked) and secondly, the inclusion of Dolby Digital and Dolby TrueHD (7.1 channels) is a done deal. Finally, and perhaps least importantly after all these downers, is the fact that the Wii-inspired, rumble-free controller has officially been dubbed "SIXAXIS" -- though without the shakin' action, we imagine that many of you could care less what they chose to call it. Anyway, that's all for now from the exciting PS3 frontier, but keep your broswer tuned to this channel, as we'll have just a little more Sony-related amusement for you later today.

Nokia's N95 smartphone

2006-10-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

We're still struggling with a spat of fainting fits across the Engadget HQ, but that Nokia N95 pre-release info leak last night wasn't no hearsay. Nokia just dropped their complete fanboy specsheet of a S60 phone in the Nokia N95 today, including a 5 megapixel camera, integrated GPS, 802.11g WiFi, HSDPA, microSD, 150MB of internal memory and pretty much any other spec you could ever care to have stuffed into your phone by a Finnish "multimedia computer" manufacturer. The 2.6-inch QVGA screen should provide plenty of room to partake in all this specification glory, and there's a full-on 3.5mm audio jack to enjoy your multimedia in a convenient manner. Of course, that 550 euro pricetag ($700 US) wasn't no joke neither, but luckily we have until Q1 '07 -- that's when they're busting this thing out in Europe -- to get all practiced up on our petty thievery. Keep reading for the pr0n.

Nokia bumps the stakes to 8GB on their N91

2006-10-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

The HDD-based, music playin' N91 might've been panned by the critics, but a 4GB musicphone still isn't nothing to scoff at, and now the phone is doubling up the memory with 8GB, for even less scoffing opportunity. It's also been spiffed up in a slimming black -- this phone needs all the slimming it can get -- and now features A2DP support for some much-needed stereo Bluetooth action, but otherwise remains the same old clunker with a heart of gold. We would think at least they could've added in some stereo Bluetooth support, but no dice there. The good news is that Nokia has beefed up the software support with their new "Music Range" phones, so things should be a bit more enjoyable on that front. As for price, you're looking at a hefty 550 euros ($700 US), the same as Nokia's new N95 awesomephone, and a release date sometime before the end of the year. Keep reading for a few more pics

DirecTV, Intel to connect DVRs with Viiv PCs

2006-10-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

In case 80 cores doesn't get you going, perhaps this will: in other news to come out of the Intel Developers Forum, DirecTV and Intel are joining forces to produce the DirecTV Plus HD DVR -- which we first heard about all the way back at CES -- allowing viewers to check out content via the interweb when connected to a Viiv PC. In addition, there will be a new software update for DirecTV subscribers by the end of the year that turns subscribers' set-top-boxes into digital media adapters, the companies said in a press release earlier today. The new DVR, to be released later this fall, will capture 200 hours of standard definition programming or 50 hours of HD, or whatever combination of the two your little heart desires.

Buffalo's USB keyboard and Skype handset

2006-10-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

When technology and design diverge, out slops this USB Skype keyboard from the yawning crevasse of consumer hell. Buffalo went and super-sized a standard 109 key keyboard, shrunk a ma bell handset, and married the two in a fit of craplastic under the beelzebublian monikered BKBU-SKJ109/SV. In addition to the 12 function keys you've never quite figured out how to map, Buffalo throws another 13 hot keys at ya plus volume control for external headphones, not the handset. And while you might assume it includes a speakerphone, it doesn't, at least that capability isn't in the specs, so prepare to be tethered to that keyboard on an apparently short leash. Yours if you must, starting October for ¥6,993 or about $60.

Xbox 360 HD DVD drive

2006-10-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

Just like expected, Microsoft is busting out their Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on for a mere $199.99 in the US, while they're shipping the drive for €199.99 in Europe and £129.99 in the UK. The drive will also be bundled with Peter Jackson's King Kong and the Xbox 360 Universal Remote. The combined price of an Xbox 360 and HD DVD drive in each region adds up to basically the same price as a PlayStation 3, which doesn't give Microsoft much of an edge for console buyers who haven't bought a next-gen console just yet, but gives them quite the price advantage for current Xbox 360 owners. It looks like Japan FTW on this one, since they're getting their drive for roughly $170, and have a solid November 17th release date, while Microsoft is targeting mid-November for the US and Europe.

Logitech officially unveils FreePulse headphones

2006-10-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

While we gave you the initial smattering of details last week, Logitech has officially announced the FreePulse headphones on its website, and currently lists them for a single piece of paper with Ben Franklin's mug on it. As you already know, these headphones use Bluetooth 2.0 EDR with A2DP to let you jam to your tunes at a range of 33 feet (i.e. Class 2), and can rock on the MP3 player of your choosing with its adjustable transmitter (though the iPod adapter attachments aren't exactly a hinderance for uptake).

HP Pavilion m7600n Series,enjoy HD DVD flavor

2006-10-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

While we were all distracted with HP's recent acquisition of Voodoo PC, Misters Hewlett and Packard went and quietly released two new PCs sportin' that sexy HD DVD that we love so much. The first is the HP Pavilion m7600n Series PC (pictured) running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, which packs an Intel Viiv chipset with Merom chips -- or an Intel P965 Express chipset -- up to 4GB of RAM, up to 500GB of storage, that ever-so-lovely HD DVD drive, a TV tuner with PVR software, an FM tuner, optional second tuner, remote control, and of course standard wired and wireless networking. Its more practical counterpart, the Pavilion Desktop PC a1630 with HD DVD prefers the AMD action, with a 2.2 GHz Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core, a nVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE video chipset, up to 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and a front-panel 9-in-1 memory card reader. Now, while we love these glossy spec sheets as much as the next guy, what we'd really love to see are some price tags and release dates to go with 'em. [Warning: PDF link]

HP iPAQ rx5900 Travel Companion

2006-10-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

The folks at LAPTOP Magazine have come out with some pretty high praise for HP's iPAQ rx5900 Travel Companion (a slight variation of the rx5915, calling it the best GPS/PDA hybrid yet and bestowing its Editors' Choice award on the shiny little handheld. The iPAQ scored the most points for its top-end navigation software, courtesy of TomTom, which they say worked like a charm in conjunction with the SiRFstar III antenna. And, being based on Windows Mobile 5.0, the iPAQ also provided all the PDA functionality you'd expect from a regular handheld, with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth to round out the connectivity options. The biggest downside, not surprisingly, is that the battery will run down pretty quickly when you have the GPS turned on, lasting just 90 minutes with the backlight on as well. Although it does come with a car dock and charger, which will come in handy if you don't want to have to worry about getting stranded on your next cross-country trip.

SOME TORRENT SITES

2006-10-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

http://nigmae.net

http://www.torrentspy.com

http://www.torrentreactor.net/

http://www.torrents.to/

http://www.tamiltorrents.net/

Sony unveils HD options with HDR-UX1 AVCHD cam alongside HDD

2006-10-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

AVCHD, the new recording format from Sony and Panasonic for saving HD video to 8-centimeter mini DVDs, is making its first appearance in Sony's new HDR-UX1 upper-class consumer cam. For the most part the camera mirrors its SD siblings, with a side mounted disc drive, sizable 3.5-inch fold-out LCD, 4 megapixel stills and 2.3 megapixel shots while recording video. The snazz here is that the new AVCHD cam uses dual-layer mini DVD-R discs, making room for a full hour of 1080i video. The HDR-SR1 mirrors the functions of its UX1 brother, but replaces the DVD drive for a 30GB HDD, but still manages long recording times with the AVCHD codec. Both cameras have a mic inputs and manual focus rings, making them more appealing to the discerning prosumer than most Sony cams of late. Of course, all this new format action and prosumer appeal comes at a price: the HDR-UX1 should drop in September for around $1,400, while the HDR-SR1 should appear in October for $1,500.

Nokia has a WiFi video streaming device

2006-10-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

As a natural followup to their Wireless Audio Gateway AD-42W (pictured), it looks like Nokia might be getting into the video streaming game with a new WiFi device for streaming video from your phone. The rumor comes courtesy of T3, and deets are slim, but we're sure Nokia can figure out some nifty functionality for such a device if it does turn out to be real. We'd love to see such a unit act as a DVR and prep videos for your phone, but blurry and pointless camphone vids streamed from your Nokia onto the big screen will be nice too. We're not quite sure we'd be naming this thing a direct iTV competitor, but between this, a Slingbo, a Media Extender, an iPod video loader and an iTV, our TV setup is starting to look more device-laden than our desktop, so we're thinking something's gotta give.

Venturi's Eclectic solar / wind-powered car

2006-10-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

Forget biodiesel and fuel cell-powered vehicles, how about a whip that doesn't require any fuel whatsoever? The Venturi Eclectic, touted as an "autonomous energy vehicle," gets its charge from wind gusts and 8.2 square feet of solar cells atop its roof. The four-person ride boasts a 22-horsepower purely electric engine, is powered by liquid-cooled NiMH batteries, and can reach a (yawn-inducing) top-end speed of nearly 32mph. While it's no Wrightspeed X1, the designers had "daily driver" in mind when the Ecletic was crafted, but considering it'll only roll 31 miles on a full charge, you best take the scenic (read: sunny) route to work if you're facing a long commute. The car does sport an option to recharge via AC power, should you face darker (and calmer) than expected conditions, but since it weighs just 772 pounds, a foursome shouldn't have too much trouble using the tried and true "push method" if worse comes to worst. Scheduled for production in June 2007, this oh-so-green automombile will run you €24,000 ($30,511) -- if you can manage to score one of the 200 that'll be built, that is.

Live shots of the Black Diamond $300,000 smartphone

2006-09-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

We've managed to get our hands on some live shots of a prototype Black Diamond smartphone, a handset that's gained publicity not because of its feature set (WM5, 400MHz CPU, WiFi, quad-band GSM) or its design, but thanks to a $300,000 bank-busting pricetag and an exclusive five unit manufacturing run. Subtlety and style seems to be the main theme here, with the designers avoiding the obvious temptation to stick thousands of diamonds on the case. Click on for comparison shots with AXIA's EMXI 700, and for pictures of our lucky insider cradling the most expensive hunk of plastic he'll ever hold.

Apple launches "enhanced" 5.5G iPod

2006-09-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

Not quite the video iPod we were hoping for, not by a long shot, but Apple is refreshing their flagship iPod (with video) models today with a whole lotta' software love, and a couple hardware tweaks for good measure. The screen is now 60% brighter, the battery can last up to 3.5 hours during video playback, and the iPod includes new headphones, but otherwise the specs remain the same. As for software, the iPod is finally getting gapless playback, text-based search and brightness controls, along with a whole slew of games. The 'Pod has Bejeweled, Cubis 2, Mahjong, Mini Golf, Pac Man, Tetris, Texas Hold 'Em, Vortex, and Zuma bundled, and you can nab new games for $5 each off of iTunes. Maybe the best news is that Apple is dropping the prices and bumping the storage: you can get a spankin' new 30GB iPod for $250, and the new 80 gigger for $350. No word yet on availability.

World's smallest MP3 player iPod shuffle

2006-09-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Damn, looks like even the humble iPod shuffle is getting a bump today. After having sold 10 million of the first-gen shuffles, the new model is now reportedly the size of the iPod radio remote, comes in just a 1GB capacity, and sports a shiny new aluminum body with a clip for easy wearability. Steve's calling it the "world's smallest MP3 player" and hey, who are we to argue? It's available for preorder today and expected to ship with its itty bitty dock and ear buds sometime in October, for the bargain basement price of only $79.

2G nano announced!

2006-09-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

As expected, Apple's hot-selling iPod nano has been given a big-time update with some mini-like colors, new capacities, better displays, better batteries, and new pricing. They all sport an even-thinner aluminum case and are available in (again, mini-like) green, silver, black, blue, and pink. However, the 2GB and 8GB version are available in aluminum and black only, respectively. As for pricing, $149 for 2GB, $199 for 4GB, and $249 for the 8GB model. Apple sez: "Double the storage for the same price," and they're available today. What's more, the new packaging is 52% less volumetric than the old iPod nano, making it "environmentally friendly." Expect to see tons of these on the subway by next week.

Carl Zeiss creates 5.5-foot long telephoto lens

2006-09-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

This new telephoto lens comes to us from the: "because we can" department. Lens manufacturer Carl Zeiss has just made what is probably the world's largest telephoto lens -- so big in fact, that you nearly need a construction crane to lift it up. Weighing in at 256 kg (564 lb.), this monstrosity of a lens has a focal length of 1700 mm (over 5.5 feet long!), a speed of f/4, and has 21x magnification. You can't miss it if you attend this year's Photokina convention in Cologne, Germany starting September 29. Based on the company's press release, it sounds like it was custom-built for a client who wanted to shoot wildlife at a distance on the very high-end Hasselblad 203 FE using 6 x 6 medium format film -- in other words, she/he has some serious cash to spend. No word on if it will be ever made available to the public, but it sounds like Carl Zeiss is open to ideas if you've got a briefcase full of euros to pay for the project, not to mention the means to get it from wherever you are to wherever you actually want to use it without scaring every living thing in your path.

Microsoft has internal HD DVD Xbox 360

2006-09-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, we've heard this plenty of times before, but one more time couldn't hurt, right? DigiTimes is reporting that Microsoft is hard at work at a second-generation Xbox 360 with internal HD DVD capabilities, and is currently selecting manufacturers in Taiwan to build the drive. Of course, they haven't even gotten their external drive out the door yet, so it seems just as likely to us that they're searching for another manufacturer for that drive. If this does pan out, DigiTimes is saying the internal HD DVD Xbox could be out as early as the first half of 2007. We're not holding our breath, but we can't say the idea of a souped-up Xbox 360 doesn't appeal.

Blu-ray writer

2006-08-27T00:28:00.000-07:00

Although still not shipping its internal Blu-ray burners, Lite-On has already announced an external counterpart for the drive-bay-challenged. Nothing too surprising here, but you can expect the USB 2.0-based LX-2B1U to handle both single and dual-layer Blu-ray discs, and both recordable (BD-R) and rewriteable (BD-RE) discs at 2x speeds, as well as DVD±R/RW for your less storage-intensive burning needs. Seemingly lacking, however, is CD-R/RW compatibility, which seems to be starting its long, slow trip the way of the 3.5-inch floppy. Look for this one "toward the start of 2007."

Core 2 Duo mobile launches

2006-08-27T00:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it's officially late August, meaning that the bit of buffer between Intel's Core 2 Duo desktop and mobile launches should be over any day now. Word on the street is Monday's locked and loaded for a barrage laptop releases with their latest powerhouse dual core mobile processor -- the one some may still know as Merom -- on board. (And thus, we ask for your forgiveness in advance when we have a slew of laptop write ups early next week.) In other words, if you were considering snatching up a laptop this weekend -- PC or Mac -- you'd probably be best off waiting until at least next weekend to do it; who knows what kinds of goodies we'll see in a couple days, right?

Plextor preps 'world's smallest' external DVD burner

2006-08-27T00:22:00.000-07:00

It looks like Plextor's going in for a piece of that "world's smallest" marketing action, with the launch of what it claims to be the most diminutive DVD writer currently on the market. Aimed at owners of ultraportable laptops that tend to feature bulky external drives (if they feature any at all), the latch-loading, 2/3-inch thick PX-608CU supports dual-layer DVD burning at up to 4x, single-layer DVD burning at up to 8x, and CD-R/RW burning at 24x speed only. The function that prospective light traveling, laptop-toting buyers will be most happy about is the USB 2.0-bus powered capabilities of the drive, which will save you from carrying around a bulky AC adapter. Apparently the drive will only consume 4.8 Watts of power when burning a DVD at 8x, which shouldn't put too much of a strain on your battery. No word on pricing yet, although we will say that the "world's smallest" tag generally doesn't come with a pricetag to match

Sony gets their 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray discs out the door

2006-08-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well, they missed their June launch plans by a couple of months, but Sony has finally managed to ship their 50GB Blu-ray discs to a doting public. Just as expected, the discs are going for that $48 slap-in-the-face of a pricetag, and you'll still be better off buying a pair of 25 giggers, or a few DVDs if you're looking for price-per-gigabyte. But if you've gotsa have the latest and greatest, or just would like to find something nifty to do with that new Blu-ray drive of yours, it doesn't get much hotter than 2x 50GB discs with AccuCORE protection. Sony is still promising rewriteables for later in the year -- these discs are just write-once -- and we're guessing prices won't stay so lethal forever.