The Gadget Geek

Engadget Podcast, live — now!

It’s been a crazy week of news, so get ready for an equally-crazy live podcast. We’re getting things ready to start broadcasting at 3PM EST, so settle into the chat below!

Update: And… it’s over! As always, our great listeners helped make that super fun — and if you missed it, the archive podcast post will be up tomorrow.

Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast, live — now! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iomega introduces StorCenter ix4-200d NAS

Iomega just expanded its StorCenter NAS line with the new-four bay StorCenter ix4-200d. Just like the smaller ix2, the ix4 can handle pretty much whatever you throw at it: filesharing over a laundry list of protocols, streaming to iTunes, an Xbox 360, handling your Time Machine backups — it can even take video directly off Axis-brand IP surveillance cameras. On the hardware side, you’re looking at dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, three USB ports for printer sharing and additional storage, and a “QuikTransfer” button that’ll let yo copy files directly from a flash drive to the NAS without a computer. The downside? You’ll have to pay for all that power: the 2TB version costs $700, and the top-of-the-line 8TB model will set you back a whopping $1,900. Yes, you can just get a dedicated server for that kind of money, but then you wouldn’t be able to say you were rolling with NAS, now would you?

[Via Yahoo]

Filed under: Storage

Iomega introduces StorCenter ix4-200d NAS originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
E3 2009: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Amber Alert GPS 2G lets you track your kids with a text

Still haven’t found a GPS tracker out there to suit your parenting needs? Then you might want to consider this new Amber Alert GPS 2G device, which, unlike some other similar products, is actually aimed specifically at parents, and promises to be straightforward enough for all parents to use. It’s main feature, of course, is to simply act as a wearable GPS beacon for your kids, which parents can call or text at any time and instantly receive a text back with its location, or track at all times on the web. The device also takes things a bit further than most with a so-called “bread crumbing” feature that creates a trail of your child’s route and alerts you when they reach their destination, and a safe zone feature that limits how far your child is able to travel. That peace of mind does exactly come cheap, however, with the device itself running $379.99, while the required monthly plans start at $9.99 and go up to $59.98.

[Via Coolest Gadgets]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, GPS

Amber Alert GPS 2G lets you track your kids with a text originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Laptop
Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Laptop
Lo-Fi Zumi-Cam Shoots Blurred, Film Style Video
Hi-Def, Schmi-Def. Everything is 720p, or a zillion megapixels up and down these days. Where to go for a bit of lo-fi relief? In the olden days, you could load up a 110 cartridge or one of Kodak’s dinky Disk Cameras and be guaranteed of grainy, blurred and generally washed-out images. These days you’ll need [...]
NYC Helmet, I?m Giddy With Excitement
Commissioned by the city of New York, the NYC Bike Helmet is designed with every rider, every season and a greener environment in mind. The modular system has a protective polystyrene inner shell and a soft fabric outer cover with integrated straps. Each owner can customize and personalize the outer …

Lucky Mac mini buyer got Snow Leopard disc in the box?

If his story is to be believed (and it seems pretty believable), an anonymous tipster to Engadget Japanese got a nice surprise with his recent Mac mini purchase: a Snow Leopard install disc. It’s one of those vanilla hardware-specific install discs, dubbing itself Mac OS version 10.6, and clearly packing the goods if the screenshots don’t lie. This only adds confusion to the ship date, which has been listed as August 28th on Apple’s online store, dubbed as “September” elsewhere, and obviously been totally disregarded in this specific case. No matter what, it looks like we won’t have long to wait. Hit up the read link for a couple of Japanese-infused screencaps.

Filed under: Software

Lucky Mac mini buyer got Snow Leopard disc in the box? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wiipod modder shoves an MP3 player in his Wiimote, calls it a day

Continue reading Wiipod modder shoves an MP3 player in his Wiimote, calls it a day

Filed under: Portable Audio

Wiipod modder shoves an MP3 player in his Wiimote, calls it a day originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vulcan FlipStart E-1001S UMPC
Vulcan FlipStart E-1001S UMPC
Test Rides: Virtual Bike Fitting Room in Your iPhone
Test Rides is a “virtual bike fitting room”, an iPhone application which puts you inside the computer and measures you up for the perfect-sized bicycle. Think of it s a little like Tron, but with real bikes instead of light-cycles. And math instead of impossibly exciting CG death-races. First up, you snap a picture of yourself [...]

Arduino binary clock doesn’t care to be useful, just wants to be admired

If there’s one thing we love about DIY projects, it’s the feeling that the outcome is more than the mere sum of its parts. This here binary clock is a prime example, being composed of scrap plastic, some dirt-cheap parts and a homemade Arduino board. And yet, after a few licks of polish and the inevitable LEDs, it looks like a true monument to geekdom, which is only amplified by the fact you can’t even use the thing without being familiar with binary code. But then again, if utility was a standard by which we judged homebrewed projects, we’d have a lot less to talk about.

[Via Make]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Arduino binary clock doesn’t care to be useful, just wants to be admired originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Art of Video Games
The Art of Video Games
Hands-On With The MiFi Personal Hotspot
The MiFi is a little box, small enough to fit into a jeans pocket, and it has one function: to pluck the internet from the air using a cellular radio and share it with up to five other devices via Wi-Fi. It is essentially a wireless router with 3G inside, and it has been getting [...]
Gothic Gaudi Stool
The Gaudi Stool gets its name from the architectural influences of the Gothic Designer Anton Gaudi. Like his works, this stool derives its strength from the benefits of beam-grid substructures that support its thin carbon fiber shell. Rapid-prototyping techniques employed in its manufacture ensures that the cost of production stays minimum, …

Kohjinsha’s 11.6-inch EX6 convertible tablet says XP, means Windows 7

With Windows 7 on the horizon, multi-touch support in tow, people are suddenly interested in tablets all over again; a form factor that didn’t quite revolutionize portable computing as envisioned by an enthusiastic Bill Gates showing that first prototype way back in 2001. And with an Apple event just weeks away (presumably), fanboys of both persuasions seem convinced that tablets are once more the future of mobile computing. Manufacturers are certainly on board. Case in point: Kohjinsha, that just announced its EX6 convertible tablet with 1366×768 pixels slathered across a 11.6-inch LED-backlit capacitive resistive touchscreen. Inside you’ll find a 1.6GHz Atom N270 and 945GSE chipset, up to 2GB of memory and 160GB of disk, 802.11n WiFi, gigabit Ethernet, a pair of front and back-facing cameras, 2600mAh battery, 2x USB, and slots for SDHC/microSDHC, ExpressCard 34 cards, and even DVDs. Unfortunately, it’ll be shipped with XP when it hits retail at the end of this month for ¥59,800 (about $635) — something we expect you’ll rectify on October 22nd. As to whether it’ll support multi-touch under Win7, well, anybody see the appropriate sticker?

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

Kohjinsha’s 11.6-inch EX6 convertible tablet says XP, means Windows 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2009: HP IQ800 Series TouchSmart PC
CES 2009: HP IQ800 Series TouchSmart PC
Padlock Encrypted Hard Drive Secures Data With Keypad
The most obvious feature of Apricorn’s new Padlock Secure Drive is its drive-encrypting keypad, but the design has a few other touches that make this a rather well-appointed portable USB hard drive. The drive is encrypted in hardware, meaning that it will still be safe even if somebody pulls it from the enclosure and drops it [...]

Research finds iPhone hurting operators, Boy George unavailable for comment

We’ve long since known that Apple (as opposed to AT&T) was getting the better end of the pair’s exclusive partnership here in America, but new research from Strand Consult has found that the situation is fairly similar all around the globe. According to the report, nary a single telecom operator it studied had seen a boost in market share, revenue or earnings as a result of introducing the iPhone, and some carriers even issued profit warnings due to the heavily subsidized handset. The study goes on to shed pity on firms like SingTel and TeliaSonera, both of which are purportedly seeing margins and ARPU (average revenues per subscriber) sink due to Apple’s darling joining the fray. But really, we can’t help but express our doubts about the all encompassing, almost sensationalized nature of this; we’ve watched AT&T’s profits soar ever since it snagged the iPhone, and considering that every iPhone buyer also coughs up a significant monthly fee for a data plan, we can’t imagine revenues tanking that severely. Or, you know, maybe we’re all just getting a really good deal on our bloated iPhone plans.

Continue reading Research finds iPhone hurting operators, Boy George unavailable for comment

Filed under: Cellphones

Research finds iPhone hurting operators, Boy George unavailable for comment originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ainol announces V8000HD PMPs with HDMI, h.264 support

Well, well… it looks like Microsoft isn’t the only company overhauling, upgrading, and generally “swankifying” its handheld devices. We just received a dispatch from iMP3.net detailing the new V8000HD line from Ainol and, while we doubt we’ll be seeing one of these guys in the States any time soon, they do manage to pack a lot in a little package. Available in three flavors, the V8000HDA 4.3-inch / 800 x 480), V8000HDB (4.3-inch / 480 x 272), and V8000HDG (5-inch / 800 x 480) are being billed as PVPs (Portable Video Players) — because, you know, there aren’t enough arbitrary product categories out there as it is. According to the company, the PVP concept centers around full support for the H.264 codec (up to 1280 x 720), HDMI output (in addition to your standard component and A/V outs), and hi-def audio support. Also included is a USB port for access to external storage. No word on prices or release date, but we’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, feel free to feast your eyes on some Chinese-language PR in the gallery below.

[Via iTechNews]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Ainol announces V8000HD PMPs with HDMI, h.264 support originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Press Conference CES 2009
Sony Press Conference CES 2009

Samsung’s new compacts in person: front LCDs, GPS and WiFi don’t go to waste

We just got a quick look at Samsung’s new trio, the TL220, TL225 and CL65, and outside of some pretty impressive specs, all three cameras offer a nice bit of innovation and looks in their own special ways. The TL220 and TL225 are the most interesting, with those snazzy front-facing LCDs. Luckily, that creepy clown picture from the press shots is just for entertaining children, and it’s easy enough to switch it to a live view of our charming, MySpace-ready face. Meanwhile the CL65 offers WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth 2.0 in a rather attractive package, and has a surprisingly usable WiFi upload interface for launching pictures and photos up to the wide blue internets. Check out a video of the TL225 (which bests the TL220 with a supercharged 3.5-inch LCD) after the break.

Continue reading Samsung’s new compacts in person: front LCDs, GPS and WiFi don’t go to waste

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Samsung’s new compacts in person: front LCDs, GPS and WiFi don’t go to waste originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gateway One
Gateway One