The Gadget Geek

PrimeSense fesses up: it’s the magic behind Microsoft’s Project Natal

Up until now, we haven’t actually been able to find out too much about the ins and outs of Project Natal. For all we knew, it’s a technology designed in the back stall of a unicorn barn, and the final name will somehow involve diphthongs from both “lasers” and “Robot Apocalypse.” All jesting aside, this really does mark the first bona fide announcement about the nuts and bolts behind Microsoft‘s forthcoming motion sensing add-on for its Xbox 360, and lo and behold, the revealing is being done by the same company we sat down with earlier this month at GDC. Quite a few of you assumed that PrimeSense’s webcam was indeed Project Natal in camouflage when we posted up our original hands-on, and while we couldn’t confirm or deny those suspicions at the time, we can today. So, what’s this mean for you? It probably means that PrimeSense is actively looking to get its 3D-sensing technology (which has obviously been tweaked quite a bit by Microsoft, to its credit) into as many living room scenarios as possible, so what you’re seeing in Natal might just appear elsewhere in the very near future. Did your imagination just run wild? No? Have a look back at our GDC experience and try again.

Continue reading PrimeSense fesses up: it’s the magic behind Microsoft’s Project Natal

PrimeSense fesses up: it’s the magic behind Microsoft’s Project Natal originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SanDisk Sansa e280 MP3 Player
SanDisk Sansa e280 MP3 Player

Creation Tech’s $65 UMPC is cheap and unlovable

Creation Tech’s $65 UMPC is cheap and unlovable originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
E3 2009: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Ears-On With V-Moda Remix Remote Headphones
V-Moda’s cellphone-compatible earbuds annoyed me the second I squeezed them into my canals. Then, bit by bit, they grew on me, until now they’re the favorite set of headphones I have on test in Gadget Lab’s Spanish bureau. The Remix Remotes are noise-isolating earbuds, the kind that cut down on external sound by sealing your ears [...]

Novatel NovaDrive cloud-based unlimited storage preview

Novatel NovaDrive cloud-based unlimited storage preview originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Mar 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JooJoo tablet now shipping, should greet US consumers on March 29th

We noticed a minor textual change on the JooJoo order page just a few days back, and apparently it was no mistake — Fusion Garage has announced today that its long-awaited tablet PC has started to ship from the factory. For those who pre-ordered (and stuck with it), they’ll get theirs as early as March 29th, while everyone can get in line by plopping down their $499 after the fact. So, who all here is fully anticipating seeing their Joojoo arrive on Monday? Anyone taking a sick day in order to enjoy it? Don’t fret — we won’t tell.

Continue reading JooJoo tablet now shipping, should greet US consumers on March 29th

JooJoo tablet now shipping, should greet US consumers on March 29th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: The Conduit
E3 2009: The Conduit
Fallout From Wired.com s iPhone App Payola Story
The iPhone community has reacted strongly to the Wired.com report that some app-review sites have pay-to-play policies. Last week Gadget Lab reported on payola practices prevalent at several websites dedicated to reviewing iPhone apps. At least two authors of one site, TheiPhoneAppReview.com, recently required money from iPhone developers in exchange for reviews. Those demands were at odds with [...]

‘The Panel’ rechargeable LED monitor sentences you to a more productive life

“It would let me set up shop at that posh cafe down the street.” That’s how you justified your laptop purchase — but as you sat, gently sipping your macchiato, you realized it would never work without your decidedly non-portable 24-inch Cinema Display‘s extra real estate. We’ve been there many a time, and apparently so has a startup named MEDL Technology, which has just finished prototyping the answer to our telecommuting (and portable gaming) woes. Going above and beyond the average, tiny secondary display, “The Panel” is an honest-to-goodness 13.3-inch LED-backlit monitor that’s less than an inch thick, but packs incredible connectivity (DVI, VGA, Component, S-Video, mini-HDMI and USB) in addition to a sweet folding stand and up to five hours of rechargeable battery life. MEDL told us that should they secure funding, the firm’s looking to launch The Panel in Q4 2010, and is hoping to first sway business users with a sub-$350 price point. To work surrounded by coffee — without being employed by Starbucks — that’s a small price to pay.

‘The Panel’ rechargeable LED monitor sentences you to a more productive life originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 01:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Engadget Show tapes tomorrow, with Nicholas Negroponte and PlayStation Move!

Can’t wait for another Engadget Show to roll around? Well you’re in luck, friend. It’s happening tomorrow at 5:00pm ET. We’ll be doing giveaways at the show taping only, so brave the glorious sunshine and join us in person for a chance to win great prizes!

Josh will be sitting down with Nicholas Negroponte of the MIT Media Lab and the OLPC project to discuss the upcoming XO PC and pontificate about the future of technology.

Sony will also be on hand to demo PlayStation Move motion controller and the company’s senior researcher Dr. Richard Marks will be there to give us the behind-the-scenes story. We’ll have live demos of stuff never-before-seen on Move, including some hands-on audience demos! Much to our excitement, the usual crew will be joined by Joystiq’s very own Christ Grant for the roundtable. You’ll also be meeting our new investigative correspondent Rick Karr and we’ll have plenty of amazing giveaways at the show. Also expect an out-of-this-world performance from minusbaby complete with stunning visuals from notendo, as well as some other big surprises…

As you may have heard, livestreaming is back by popular demand and so is live Twitter commenting! You will now be able to tweet your comments directly to the livestream! During the show, just include the hashtag “#engadgetshow” and look for your tweet to show up on the ticker at the bottom of the stream. One thing to note, The Engadget Show is a family program, so any single instance of swearing or trolling will force us to turn off the ticker… and it won’t come back on. So, keep it clean and have fun!

The Engadget Show is sponsored by Sprint, and will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues (see map after the break). Tickets are — as always — free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served… so get there early! Here’s all the info you need:

• There is no admission fee — tickets are completely free
• The event is all ages
• Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 2:30PM on Saturday, doors will open for seating at 4:30PM, and the show begins at 5PM
• You cannot collect tickets for friends or family — anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket
• Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we’re full, we’re full
• The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break)
• The show length is around an hour

If you’re a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we’ll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com.

Subscribe to the Show:

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Continue reading The Engadget Show tapes tomorrow, with Nicholas Negroponte and PlayStation Move!

The Engadget Show tapes tomorrow, with Nicholas Negroponte and PlayStation Move! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Press Conference CES 2009
Sony Press Conference CES 2009
iPad Developers Code Their Apps in the Dark
Apple on Friday said it would begin accepting submissions for iPad apps next week to launch with the grand opening of the iPad App Store. Apple’s e-mail, provided to Wired.com by a developer who asked to remain anonymous, told developers to submit their apps by March 27, 5 p.m. PT if they wished to release their [...]
This Clock is Not Upside Down
Hello you late to bedders, did you know we’re awake at the same time? The darkness makes it seem like you’re alone, but I will haunt you FOREVER! No, actually, what I’m saying is that lots of people, especially people who spend the majority of their time on these internets, …

Apple said to be preparing 12-core Mac Pros and 27-inch LED Cinema Displays
AppleInsider has rounded up its stable of “people familiar with the matter” and squeezed them for info on Cupertino’s plans for the near term. Firstly, they’ve heard that a 27-inch version of the currently available 24-inch LED Cinema Display is on its way, sporting a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution and targeted for release “by June.” The more exciting tip from those in the know, however, relates to the well aged Mac Pro and its future upgrade path. Apple has apparently firmed up plans to offer 6- and 12-core options (to replace the current 4- and 8-core variants), though the star of the show internally is said to be Intel’s Xeon 5600, rather than the similarly specced Core i7-980X that had been rumored. This seems to be motivated by the fact the i7 beast can’t do dual-CPU configurations, which are necessary to offer a dozen cores. Pricing for the single Xeon CPU model is expected to be close to the current $2,499 starting sticker, but release dates still elude us.

Apple said to be preparing 12-core Mac Pros and 27-inch LED Cinema Displays originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP Pavilion HDX Laptop
HP Pavilion HDX Laptop
Google TV: Google, Sony, Intel Team-Up to Make Television
Your next TV could be a Google TV, made by Sony and powered by Intel chips. The three companies have teamed up to build what will be called the Google TV, essentially a big-screen living-room computer. The TV project, according to the New York Times, is still under wraps, but that hasn’t stopped the details from [...]
Sikker Is For Safety
Oh but it’s much much more. The Sikker (Danish for safety) is a jack of all trades baby monitor, radio, alarm clock, and watch. One bracelet stays on baby; the other on parent. The units work in tandem with the base station to transmit basic biometric data about baby’s condition …

Windows Phone 7 Series emulator unlocked, shows a few surprises

Microsoft was kind enough to release the software development kit for Windows Phone 7 Series on Monday, and although there was some fun to be had by scrolling around and exploring, much of the cool stuff the company showed off at MIX last week is not included — or is it? As it turns out it’s in there; only a little help is needed to unlock ‘em and then all those magical hubs start them spinning for your enjoyment, including a few things not seen before. Most notable? A comprehensive looking file explorer and even a task manager, something a bit curious given the OS’s effective lack of multi-tasking. The unlock was discovered and initially distributed by engineer Dan Ardelean, but he has since recanted and pulled the required file. Naturally, though, it has been mirrored in numerous places, links to which can be found at the xda-developer forum if you’d like to try this yourself. Just keep in mind that this is a far from final version of the OS, so don’t be too disappointed if it doesn’t quite pop like it does when Anna or Luca use it.

Update: A couple videos of the unlocked features have been upped by TechAU.tv, head over to check ‘em out..

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Windows Phone 7 Series emulator unlocked, shows a few surprises originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Casio Exilim EX-Z77 Digital Camera
Casio Exilim EX-Z77 Digital Camera
Concept Notebook Has Handle and Stand
Remember the old toilet-seat iBook from Apple? What’s that, you’d done your best to forget it? Yeah, us too. Sorry to dig up those bad old memories. The point, though, is that the candy-colored computer had a handle, and despite its aesthetic flaws, a notebook with a handle is, well, handy. Zhang Shouze’s Playing By [...]
A Simple Problem Deserves A Simple Solution
Notice how most umbrella straps and fasteners only work unilaterally? Roll it up the wrong way and you’ve gotta undo it and start over. It’s never been an annoyance for me since I always make sure to roll it up the right way but that doesn’t mean it’s a problem …

Ben Heck completes the Bill Paxton Pinball machine, reasserts supremacy

Just in case you thought Ben Heck was being caught up by his acolytes, our favorite superhero modder has come back today with the completed Bill Paxton Pinball machine. You might remember the rough version of this glorious homage to one of the world’s most mediocre actors from that time we visited Ben at his home / lair. It has now been fully fleshed out, painted, spit-shined, tested, and slapped with a badge of completion. You want to see it in action? We’ve got video of that. You want to see how it was built? We’ve got video of that too. You’ll find the moving pictures after the break, but don’t neglect the source as it also contains photo galleries and a walkthrough of the design process.

Continue reading Ben Heck completes the Bill Paxton Pinball machine, reasserts supremacy

Ben Heck completes the Bill Paxton Pinball machine, reasserts supremacy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Philips SCD 589 Baby Monitor
Philips SCD 589 Baby Monitor

Qualcomm’s multi-fold mobile device is the future we keep waiting for

Qualcomm isn’t typically in the business of producing consumer-facing hardware — the company prefers to just build the chips that make your devices go “vroom” — but we’ve come across a patent application that details just such an idea. The multi-fold mobile device can be seen as either a foldable tablet or an expandable cellphone, but in either case its purpose is clearly to act as a hybrid device that performs both roles. With all least two displays on its three panels, this concept will also automatically reconfigure its UI based on a folding configuration sensor, and Qualcomm suggests you might also use it as a widescreen TV display, an alarm clock, a media player, or a web browser. Click past the break for a couple more suggested use diagrams, and feel free to write to Qualcomm with demands that this be put into production pronto.

Continue reading Qualcomm’s multi-fold mobile device is the future we keep waiting for

Qualcomm’s multi-fold mobile device is the future we keep waiting for originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2007: Keynote Part 5
CES 2007: Keynote Part 5