The Gadget Geek

Rhea Jeong’s Void LP player concept cheats at gravity

Designer Rhea Jeong’s Void LP player seems devoid of reality, but it was inspired by the very real and very cute “Vinyl Killer,” a little VW Bus that can propel itself around a record and play the tunes with its tinny speaker, naturally wearing out the precious LP in the process. The Void LP takes the concept of a self-sufficient speaker, amp and needle (the red ball), and then tosses them all into the air with a magnetic saucer. We’re sure it sounds terrible, and it seems a little fantastical, but one thing’s for certain: we want.

[Via The Rock and Roll Star]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Household

Rhea Jeong’s Void LP player concept cheats at gravity originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba’s new Satellite M500 and U500 mid-tier laptops “shine” in the flesh

You know, at one point chrome accents and glossy plastics were novel additions to previously staid consumer electronics — now they make us want to punch a hole in the nearest smarmy LCD display. While HP has tried its best to be the worst offender in its consumer line, Toshiba is really giving it a shot with the M500 and U500 series laptops — the U500 is pretty outlandish, but at least it offers a ribbed, almost-desirable matte surface of sorts, while the M500 (pictured) makes everything else look tame in comparison, and has the plentiful finger smudges to prove it. Both of the laptops offer chrome trim, overdone speaker grills and light-up accents. The textured trackpads are probably a love it or hate it thing; in fact, most of these “style” choices could be termed as such, but we’re sure you’ve ascertained by now where we stand. Sure, the so-called general consumer apparently eats it up, but the charm is lost on us. On a gentler note, the M505 we looked at was running Windows 7, something we more commonly see being demoed on a touchscreen PC or something otherwise Windows 7 specific. Obviously it’s not shipping with that OS yet, but the pining is palpable.

Filed under: Laptops

Toshiba’s new Satellite M500 and U500 mid-tier laptops “shine” in the flesh originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ReQuest S4 2500 Music Server
ReQuest S4 2500 Music Server
iPhone 3GS Driving 400-Percent Growth in YouTube Uploads
Video uploads to YouTube have increased 400 percent a day since the launch of the iPhone 3GS, according to YouTube. In a blog post, YouTube officials Dwipal Desai and Mia Quagliarello cited three factors driving an overall growth of 1700 percent in uploads in the last six months: new video-enabled phones on the market, improvement of [...]
The Futuristic Automotive Top 10
Honestly, this is probably only the first of a few top 10s dealing with the automotive category from YD; we be driving. Today’s list is the future. From wild wheels to perfect seats to flying cars, this is the way we’ll be crashing into each other when tomorrow rolls around. …

Gateway unveils DX mini-tower and SX small form factor PCs

Nettop? All-in-one? Sometimes you just want a good ole’ fashioned desktop, and that’s where Gateway‘s new DX and SX PCs come into play. The SX small form factor, pictured above, has packed in a 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Quad with GMA X4500 integrated graphics, 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, 640GB HDD, a 18x DVD writer, multi-card reader, nine USB 2.0 ports, multi-card reader, firewire and eSATA, HDMI and VGA outputs, and Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit. Asking price for that setup is $499, but if you’re looking to game, we don’t see much room for adding a hipper graphics card. On the slightly heftier side, the DX mini-tower boasts either an Intel Core 2 Quad or AMD Phenom X4 with NVIDIA GeForce G210 / ATI Radeon 4650 graphics cards, respectively, up to 8GB DDR3 and 1TB HDD, eight USB 2.0 ports, and all the other amenities of the SX for a starting price of $750. Both models are expected for release end of June, which means pretty much now-ish. To top it off, the company’s also just released a new FHD display series in 21.5, 23, and 24-inch varieties, and it looks like there’s been a spec refresh to its LX and FX desktop lines. Full press release after the break.

Continue reading Gateway unveils DX mini-tower and SX small form factor PCs

Filed under: Desktops

Gateway unveils DX mini-tower and SX small form factor PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Garmin Nuvi 680 GPS
Garmin Nuvi 680 GPS
iPhone 3GS Trounces Predecessors, Rivals in Web Browser Speed Test
A benchmark test conducted by an iPhone analytics company indicates the new iPhone 3GS is three times faster with web browsing than the iPhone 3G and the Palm Pre. Conducted by Medialets, the test involved running a JavaScript benchmark called SunSpider using the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, T-Mobile G1 and Palm Pre. (SunSpider tests the core [...]

Toshiba’s TG01 running Snapdragon launched as T-01A in Japan

One of the hottest pieces of gear this year just made its way to retail in Japan. Less than a centimeter thick, the NTT DoCoMo T-01A is the same TG01 device revealed by Toshiba back in February running Qualcomm’s ultra-fast 1GHz Snapdragon chipset. As such, our far east brethren can lay claim to that 4.1-inch WVGA (800 x 480 pixel) resistive touchscreen display; HSDPA, GPS, and WiFi radios; and Toshiba’s custom-built UI meant to mask its Windows Mobile 6.1 core with a bit of Rothko misdirection. And now that Toshiba’s home country of Japan is all set, we hope to see the TG01 make its launch debute in Europe and beyond.

Gallery: Toshiba’s TG01 Snapdragon phone launched as NTT DoCoMo T-01A in Japan

Filed under: Cellphones

Toshiba’s TG01 running Snapdragon launched as T-01A in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Women Get In The Game
Women Get In The Game
Samsung Story HD Dials Style Up To Eleven
How do you decide on an external 3.5″ hard drive? What’s inside the box doesn’t really matter — anything made by Seagate, Western Digital, Hitachi, Toshiba or Samsung will work the same (exceptions are the high-performance drives with extra cache or 10,ooo RPM speeds). So the decision rests on a balance between price and looks. [...]
Magnetic Therapy
I m not here to give you the advantages of Magnet Therapy, but to tell you about the new Magnet Liteon Phone designed by Tryi Yeh. He s decided to use the advantages of Solar panel cells for powering the phone and a spacious OLED screen. Apparently the magnet on the cell …

Nokia E72 prototype gets manhandled, torn asunder

If you stop to think, really, about how much we take pleasure in seeing pictures of phones get utterly dismembered, it’s quite disturbing. So don’t think about it, and instead hit up the read link for a gallery showcase copious amounts of a prototype Nokia E72 innards, ripped apart alongside an E71 (on the right in the image above) for comparative purposes. There’s a very brief question-and-answer session just after the photos, but it’s definitely not gonna keep you satisfied between now and its third quarter launch window.

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia E72 prototype gets manhandled, torn asunder originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2009: Pioneer BD-Live and BDP-09FD Blu-ray Player
CES 2009: Pioneer BD-Live and BDP-09FD Blu-ray Player

Palm says no webOS SDK till end of Summer

So, you want to be a webOS developer, huh? That’s great kid, we’re excited for you, but there’s a catch: Palm won’t be handing out an actual SDK to most people until the end of Summer. In a post just published on the Palm Developer Network Blog, reps from the company say that although they’ve been cranking away on getting their full SDK in shipshape (the version given out to current devs is apparently pretty rough), they won’t have anything for a broader audience anytime soon. In their words:

With the Pre now in customers’ hands and reports of webOS hacks in the news, we know that you are more anxious than ever to get access to the SDK and start developing for webOS.

We’ve been working very hard on the SDK and are eager to open access on a wider scale, but the software and the developer services to support it just aren’t ready yet.

This should come as a bit of a blow to developers hoping to get cracking on Pre software, and will unquestionably turn those who can’t bear the wait towards the fully stocked iPhone or Android platforms. However, Palm does say that they’ll be opening the program up a bit wider, stating in the post that they plan to crank the number of devs with the early SDK in their hands up from “hundreds to thousands” over the next few weeks. Apparently, that’s part of process the company is beginning to ration out access, building to a full release.

Another bit of puzzling wordsmithing in this post comes in the form of the company’s stance on homebrew and DIY “experiments” (their words) which have come to light in the past couple of weeks. So says Palm:

As on any popular platform, we recognize that some developers will experiment in ways that cross official boundaries, but we believe that our formal offerings – and community efforts built around those offerings – will provide the best experience for the vast majority of webOS developers and users.

So while it’s not exactly a keep-off-the-grass statement, it certainly reads vaguely as to whether or not the company will lock out jailbreakers hoping to dive deeper into webOS. Further confusing the matter? Palm has just released the Linux source code used to compile the Pre’s firmware, making the possibility of cooked / custom ROMs a very serious reality, and obviously opening the floor to a lot of said experimentation. Mixed messages? Yes. Our word to Palm right now? Put every effort into getting that SDK out, or you’re at risk of quickly burning through all the good will you’ve just engendered.

Update: We’ve added some info above which reflects Palm’s statement that it will be considerably widening its pool of developers over the next few weeks with access to the early SDK.

Read – An update on the early access program and the SDK
Read – Open source packages

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm says no webOS SDK till end of Summer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Hands-on with SPRXmobile’s Layar augmented reality browser for Android

We had a chance to go hands-on with Layar, the new augmented reality browser from SPRXmobile. Launched yesterday on Android Market in The Netherlands, we were curious to see how the software, that looked damn-impressive in the promo video, would function in actual use, in this case, from the living room of SPRXmobile’s Maarten Lens-FitzGerald just outside of Amsterdam. Our take? it’s the real-deal, especially for a v1 release. The software looks rock-solid and the initial data layers — ATMs, social joints like cafes and clubs, and job listings — appear fully populated and thus, useful. The ATM and cafe/club layers (or layars) are definitely helpful for serendipitous discovery though we’re still scratching our heads over the job search layar. See, what you’re discovering are jobs you can apply for from that particular employment office, not jobs necessarily available in that specific neighborhood or office building. Next month, Layar will have access to what could be its killer app (or killer data layar) called Funda, the site in The Netherlands for finding places to rent or buy. Of course, you can imagine travel guide companies like Let’s Go and Frommers jumping into this with huge effect as well. And really, it’s content that’s going to make this type of augmented reality software a success. Maarten tells us that more partner announcements are expected this week with expansion into the US, Germany, and UK anticipated later this year on Android devices and on the iPhone 3G S (compass required). Check the interview and demo after the break.

Continue reading Video: Hands-on with SPRXmobile’s Layar augmented reality browser for Android

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Interviews

Video: Hands-on with SPRXmobile’s Layar augmented reality browser for Android originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lacie and TrekStor High Volume External Drives
Lacie and TrekStor High Volume External Drives

Opera Unite: a cloud-based promise to ‘reinvent the web,’ again

Opera has a little surprise in store for you this morning with its Opera Unite service. A web-based application built into the Opera browser that the Norwegian-based company says will “reinvent the Web” as it makes your computer, data, and media available via any web browser through the Unite cloud. A bold claim, sure, but just look at the breadth of the cloud-based services available to Mac, PC, or Linux/Unix users:

• File sharing — securely share files direct from your computer
• Web server — turns your home computer into a web server via Opera Unite URL
• Media player — direct link to your music collection from any web browser
• Photo sharing — shares your image library over the web without requiring a photo service
• Lounge — self-contained chat service running on your computer
• Fridge — a place where friends and family can post notes

We’re taking the service / software for a spin right now and at first blush, we’re duly impressed by the ease of setup and control. Hit the links below to try it for yourself. Video introduction after the break.

Read — Download
Read — Opera Unite press release

Continue reading Opera Unite: a cloud-based promise to ‘reinvent the web,’ again

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Opera Unite: a cloud-based promise to ‘reinvent the web,’ again originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Press Conference CES 2009
Sony Press Conference CES 2009
Study: iPhone Owners Are Older, Wealthier Than iPod Touch Users
Marketing research company ComScore recently conducted a survey highlighting socioeconomic differences between iPhone and iPod Touch users. First spotted by Fortune 500’s Philip Elmer-DeWitt, the survey discovered the following about the general iPhone and iPod Touch population: 70 percent are men 50 percent surf the mobile web more than they read newspapers or magazines More than 40 percent use [...]
JBL On Stage 400P Speaker Review
Really what would we do without music? I’m listening to it everyday. It provides the exact kind of ambient inspiration I need when working. Of course that means having something small yet powerful enough to really make all the money I’ve spent on digital music worth it. Enter the JBL …

Samsung Omnia Pro to be the Louvre B7610?

We’re actually surprised we didn’t make the connection earlier, but word on the street today is the the rumored Samsung Omnia Pro will actually be a renamed Louvre B7610, a set that’s been popping up a lot lately. Makes sense — the Louvre’s 3.5-inch WVGA AMOLED screen, 800MHz processor, and 5.1 megapixel camera match up nicely with the Omnia line. It’s running Windows Mobile 6.1 right now, but we wouldn’t be too surprised if the rumored August release date is held back to September or October to coincide with WinMo 6.5. One more pic after the break, couple more at the read links.

[Via Unwired View]

Read – Connect-UTB post
Read – Beyond3D forum post

Continue reading Samsung Omnia Pro to be the Louvre B7610?

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Omnia Pro to be the Louvre B7610? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Archos 9 pctablet resistive touchscreen impresses

Archos attempt to resurrect the UMPC category of devices got off to a good start yesterday in Paris with the launch of its 16-mm thick Archos 9 pctablet — a 8.9-inch 1024×600 pixel tablet riding an 800MHz or 1.2GHz Atom Z515 processor, 1GB of memory, up to 120GB disk, webcam, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g WiFi, and SIM card slot for WWAN connectivity. Archosfans just posted a video of the Archos 9 prototype in action and honestly, that resistive touch-screen looks pretty damn impressive to finger taps. However, since it’s running Windows 7, a full-blown desktop OS, you’ll still need to pull out the included stylus on occasion to interactive with the Windows 7 UI or applications designed for a mouse and keyboard. Fortunately, the Archos 9 offers an optical mouse on the right-side bezel and left and right mouse keys along the left. Other notable highlights include a removable battery of undetermined capacity, a docking port for added expansion (Ethernet, 2x USB, VGA output), stereo speakers, and an adjustable kickstand for viewing video or working on the Archos 9 with attached USB keyboard and mouse. The Archos rep says it’ll be priced between €450 and €500 when it ships around the time Windows 7 launches at the end of October. What we’re wondering is how much finger-friendly UI customization will be included by Archos and how they plan to market the device to consumers who already own smartphones, laptops, and even netbooks. Video after the break.

P.S. While Archosfans claims the Archos 9 is multi-touch, nothing that we’ve found supports that claim on the Archos site or in the video demonstrations. Nevertheless, multi-touch resistive touchscreen technology does exist as demonstrated to us by Stantum back in February. In fact, the ASUS Eee PC T91 also features an 8.9-inch resistive display that does support mult-touch.

Continue reading Video: Archos 9 pctablet resistive touchscreen impresses

Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

Video: Archos 9 pctablet resistive touchscreen impresses originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft Sidewinder Gaming Mouse
Microsoft Sidewinder Gaming Mouse
Chinese Bike Mod Floats on Water
For bike enthusiasts, ain’t no mountain high enough and now ain’t no river wide enough. A Chinese man has created an amphibious bike that travels as well on land as it does on water. A few large empty water bottles and a touch of madness is all it takes to do this mod. The bike uses eight [...]