The Gadget Geek

WinMo-powered iCEphone comes to life, looks scary

Filed under: Cellphones

Edinburgh’s own The Medical Phone is just about set to unleash the mobile for the true argonaut in the iCEphone. The Windows Mobile-powered “Swiss Army knife of mobiles” is dubbed a micro-notebook by its manufacturer, and while we’re hesitant to go along with that, we can’t deny the utility here. Sporting a Jacob’s Ladder-style hinge and a full QWERTY keyboard, the unit features three independent panels, a 3-inch 400 x 240 resolution touchscreen, a mouse / tracker pad, dual SIM card slots, HSDPA support, quad-band GSM connectivity, GPS, a 3.1-megapixel camera, WiFi and a 532MHz Freescale iMX31 CPU. We’re told that the phone is just weeks / months away from a release in Thailand, and it should be hitting the UK sometime in the March – April time frame for around $1,000. Bonus video coverage after the break.

Continue reading WinMo-powered iCEphone comes to life, looks scary

WinMo-powered iCEphone comes to life, looks scary originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Keepin’ it real fake, part CLXVII: 2PG PSP knockoff adds second controller, nothing else

Filed under: Gaming

The 2PG TC8281 is one hard working portable game console — and trust us, it ain’t easy trying to make a living under the shadow of the PSP and its less expensive (and downright irreputable) siblings. Don’t blame the poor guy if he was born with “brand name style,” as they say in the business — what he lacks in originality, or in technological ability, he more than makes up for in hard work. Yours for just under $50, this handheld is compatible with the ever-popular Cool Boy game console, and ships with 117 games (5 on-board, 112 on the cartridge) including Milk Nuts, Space ET, Zippy Race and perennial favorite Mappy. And if all that weren’t enough, the device includes A/V outputs for bringing the party to your television, and a separate Playstation-like controller so you can get your game on multi-player style. Ready to take a chance? More pictures after the break.

[Via Technabob]

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake, part CLXVII: 2PG PSP knockoff adds second controller, nothing else

Keepin’ it real fake, part CLXVII: 2PG PSP knockoff adds second controller, nothing else originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Samsung LN46A630 LCD TV
Samsung LN46A630 LCD TV
Flip Mino Camcorder Shoots for High-Def
The vastly popular, low-end Flip mini camcorder treaded into high-definition territory Wednesday. Pure Digital Technologies is pricing the Flip Mino HD at $230 about $50 more than the previous standard-definition model. Weighing 3.3 ounces, the Flip Mino HD captures…


It?s a BabyQ
Bring the BabyQ by Erik Lieberenz to your next gathering for some offhand fun. It s small enough to fit in your bag, but big enough to fill 2 to 3 empty bellies. Each half is made from stainless steel, and nests together when not being used. It even comes with …

Dell’s 32GB Inspiron Mini 9 netbook blushes pink and red in Japan

Filed under: Laptops

What’s black and white and now red in Japan? Why Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 of course — who reads newspapers? Starting tomorrow, Dell’s little netbook will finally be available in red to match the initial teaser shots that had the entire laptop world looking Dell’s way back in May. Pink too, to offset the decidedly more staid, obsidian black and alpine white versions available elsewhere. Japan also nabbed an Inspiron Mini 9 Platinum Package that features a relative biggie 32GB SSD for a tax inclusive price of ¥54,980 or about $565. No word on a rest of world release date for these Mini 9 updates but we expect them go Stateside in time for Cindy-Lou Who. Mini 9 in pink after the break.

[Via Impress]

Continue reading Dell’s 32GB Inspiron Mini 9 netbook blushes pink and red in Japan

Dell’s 32GB Inspiron Mini 9 netbook blushes pink and red in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Switched On: Riding Shotgun in a traffic jam

Filed under: GPS

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Often, a shotgun is used at the beginning of a dash, but not so in the world of connected GPS devices, where Telenav launched its Shotgun portable navigation device days after Dash decided to exit the hardware business with its pioneering Dash Express.

Unlike Dash, Telenav was no newcomer to the guided navigation space, being a leading provider of turn-by-turn navigation services to cell phones. Its customers include Sprint and AT&T, and consumers can subscribe to the service directly through Telenav — even if their carrier doesn’t support it — as long as their smartphone does. The product is free to download, but carriers charge a subscription fee for unlimited use, or offer it on a per-diem price. Because it is designed for an inherently wireless device, Telenav software includes features such as traffic notification, which is a premium feature in portable navigation devices.

In addition to physical advantages such as the large screen, the Shotgun has at least one important advantage over Telenav’s cell phone services. Since its maps are local, the device continues to route even when you drive outside of cellular coverage areas. But there’s at least one holdover from its cellular heritage that Telenav needs to shed on the Shotgun — an unceasing, bright blue LED signaling wireless connectivity, which is hugely distracting to the driver, especially at night. Perhaps a bundled strip of black duct tape will do in the meantime.

Continue reading Switched On: Riding Shotgun in a traffic jam

Switched On: Riding Shotgun in a traffic jam originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Samsung PN50A450 Plasma TV
Samsung PN50A450 Plasma TV
$700,000 Worth of Fake Nike Shoes Found, Still No McFlys
U.S. customs agents have found $700,000 worth of fake Nikes in a shipment from China that allegedly pretended to carry $20,674 in kitchen cabinets. There’s no word on whether the Nikes involved in the sting operation were the Hyperdunk shoes…

Asus R50A finally arrives, jacks your wallet in the process

Filed under: Handhelds

If you’re looking to drop nearly $2,000 on a UMPC, well, first of all, you’re nuts, but second of all, you’re in luck, ’cause the Asus R50A is shipping at €1,475 ($1,878). They weren’t kidding when they said it would be above $500, but for the price you’ll be running Windows Vista on a handheld with a 1.33GHz Intel Atom processor, a gig of RAM, a 32GB SSD hard drive, a 5.6” screen at 1024 x 600, three USB ports, a microSD slot, a wireless keyboard, and an external DVD reader / writer. Connectivity options include 802.11 b / g WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G. These specs aren’t all that different from what you’d find in a netbook (save for the SSD), except you’re paying more than twice as much and you get to look like you’re playing games on a GP2X while you’re using it on the train. Maybe it’s supposed to be a status symbol?

[Via Pocketables]

Asus R50A finally arrives, jacks your wallet in the process originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 07:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Keepin’ it real fake, part CLXV: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic gets a little friend

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia’s 5800 XpressMusic isn’t exactly in the same league as some of the other high-end touchscreen smartphones hitting the market right now, but that doesn’t mean it’s not getting the Chinese KIRF love — and we’d actually say the flush-mounted touchscreen on the Li 5800 here is an improvement. The generic OS is obviously less attractive than S60 Touch, but not by much, honestly, and although the real 5800 should be pretty cheap on contract, we’ve got a feeling the Li here might undercut it significantly. Too bad they didn’t stick a random micro-projector in there, eh?

[Via UnwiredView, thanks Robin of Loxley]

Keepin’ it real fake, part CLXV: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic gets a little friend originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Samsung LN46A630 LCD TV
Samsung LN46A630 LCD TV
Dell Kills Music Player Plans, Leaves the Field Clear For Apple
It may have been a bad idea to begin with and Dell finally seems to have realized it. The company says it has now abandoned plans to launch a digital media player tied to an online store. Dell had planned…

Belkin Switch-to-Mac Cable automatically switches you to Mac, gives you a high-five

Filed under: Peripherals

PC-to-Mac USB file-transfer cables and migration utilities have been out for a while, but Belkin’s out today with a new take on the idea it says makes the transition “as seamless as possible.” We’re guessing that has more to do with the Switch-to-Mac Cable’s bundled software than the dongle itself — Belkin’s custom Migration Assistant (not the OS X assistant) automatically transfers your media, files, and internet prefs, leaving you free to try on mock turtlenecks and practice your air of quiet superiority. Should be out soon for $50.

Belkin Switch-to-Mac Cable automatically switches you to Mac, gives you a high-five originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Logitech Squeezebox Boom
Logitech Squeezebox Boom
Gadget Lab Podcast #53: The Top Five Useless Gadgets and Election Day Holograms
In this week’s Wired Gadget Lab Podcast, Brian Chen, Priya Ganapati, and I go over the most useless gadgets that people still use regularly, like the trusty printer. We argue the reasons why these fogy gadgets can’t hack it anymore…


Where Have All the Collapsables Gone?
A time-honored challenge. An elegant design solution. The Fil Quadrat Design Team brings us the NewFuTi for dining and after-dinner coffee. Collapsable to two configurations, the NewFuTi is good for more than just the diner on the go: it’s togetherness in both forms makes for a fitting bit of furniture …

Optoma teams with Apple to launch DLP Pico projector in Japan

Filed under: Displays

At long last, an official release date for Texas Instruments’ DLP Pico projector. Mark it down, December 1st is the launch (delivered by December 19th) of the “world’s smallest / lightest” (51 × 105 × 17-mm / 120g) projector under the Optoma PK-101 branding. And in a smart, hip-by-association marketing move, it’ll be sold from the Apple Store in Japan with an iPhone / iPod kit and dock connector for a tax-inclusive price of about ¥50,000 ($511). It’ll work with non-Apple gear too, of course. With up to 2-hours battery life, an integrated 0.5 watt speaker, and white LED light throwing a 60-inch, “dazzlingly bright, sharp, vivid video image” packing 480 x 320 pixels from up to 8.5 feet away, Tokyo’s Golden Gai district will never be the same.

P.S. Encore video hands-on of the unit in action posted after the break.

Continue reading Optoma teams with Apple to launch DLP Pico projector in Japan

Optoma teams with Apple to launch DLP Pico projector in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Samsung HT-X710T Home Theater System
Samsung HT-X710T Home Theater System

Blockbuster could release its own movie set-top-box

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Well, well — what have we here? As Microsoft’s Xbox 360 skyrockets up the list of most wanted movie set-top-boxes and units like the Roku Netflix Player hold the promise of incorporating HD downloads in the near future, along comes the flagging Blockbuster to put up a mild fight. In a move that’s half baffling and half expected, the DVD rental company is reportedly looking to pump out a movie STB of its own for the holiday season. That’s according to CEO Jim Keyes, who said as much on a recent conference call with investors. Unfortunately, he passed along no other pertinent information whatsoever, though he did mention a “Blockbuster-branded widget on Intel-manufactured chips embedded in IPTV monitors” for next year. Good luck Blockbuster, you’ll probably need it.

[Via NewTeeVee]

Blockbuster could release its own movie set-top-box originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Sidekick 2008
Sidekick 2008

Switched On: The Peek of popularity

Filed under: Handhelds

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Last week’s Switched On delved into Celio’s REDFLY, an austere smartphone accessory designed for enterprise users who manage their digital lives on their smartphones. REDFLY has faced scrutiny from the geek elite who have noted that, for about the same price as a REDFLY, one can get an independently functioning netbook that does so much more. A similar argument has also been levied at Peek, a wireless e-mail appliance that delivers only a part of what most smartphones can do.

But the two products could hardly be more different. Whereas REDFLY is a smartphone companion, Peek is a smartphone alternative featuring a slim design and a commitment to simplicity that borders on obsession. For example, Peek, like many modern smartphones, will attempt to guess your mail server information by your e-mail address. But if your e-mail address stumps it, there is no way to enter a server name or IP address manually. This omission is intentional, according to Peek, which didn’t want consumers to have to find out technical settings. Instead, customers are directed to contact the company’s support line where a customer service representative will set up the account for them.

The approach is in lockstep with the device’s target market — busy and less technical consumers, particularly young mothers, who find themselves increasingly dependent on e-mail and don’t want the complexity of a smartphone or the high cost of running one on a 3G network. Peek provides an alternative to a growing movement within the cellular industry to force minimal data plans on advanced phones. And for consumers who find carrier stores less than inviting, Peek is sold at Target, and it works.

Continue reading Switched On: The Peek of popularity

Switched On: The Peek of popularity originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Logitech Squeezebox Boom
Logitech Squeezebox Boom
3D Printer Feeds On Paper and Glue
The two 3D models you see above are made from office paper. The one on the right cost $1 in parts to produce. The one on the left, just 37 . They were spat out by a new 3D printer called…