The Gadget Geek

Cisco unveils Cius Android tablet with HD video capabilities

Cisco‘s just announced a business-aimed Android tablet, and it’s calling it the Cius. The tablet will offer HD video streaming, real-time video, multi-party conferencing, plus all the regular tablet functions like messaging, email, and browsing. We’re not sure about the size of the device yet, or any of it technical specs, but we do know that it’s going to weigh in at 1.15lbs, so it can’t be terrifically large. There’s also no word yet on pricing yet, but expect to see the device the first quarter of 2011; we’ll let you know about the former as soon as we do, okay, businessmen? Full press release is below.

Continue reading Cisco unveils Cius Android tablet with HD video capabilities

Cisco unveils Cius Android tablet with HD video capabilities originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Jimmy Fallon Test: is the iPhone 4 dropping fewer calls?

If you watched the most recent episode of The Engadget Show, then you know that Jimmy Fallon had a lot to say about the iPhone — particularly the fact that he’s been fed up with his 3GS’ dropped calls, and was planning a jump to an Android device on Verizon if the iPhone 4 didn’t improve things. You see, he takes a path through Midtown Manhattan where his calls are dropped in two specific locations on a daily basis. In his words: “It cuts out at 27th st. and cuts out again around 47th st., and it’s awful, I can’t take it.” Jimmy told us that he’d test the path with the iPhone 4 and see if things improved, and he’s recounted what happened yesterday in an email:

I did the experiment. I tried to stay on the phone from downtown Manhattan to Midtown with no dropped calls. (usually I get 2 drops)

I got….. (drum roll)

No dropped calls!!! Not one.

I’m a believer.

iPhone 4.

So like us, he’s getting better reception on the new phone (despite the antenna issues). What about you guys? We know that there are definitely noticeable, real signal issues, but how has your connection been? More dropped calls or less? Let us know in the poll below!

View Poll

The Jimmy Fallon Test: is the iPhone 4 dropping fewer calls? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple iPod nano 3G
Apple iPod nano 3G

Malaysia Airlines now offers iPad check-in (video)

It’s getting easier and easier to enjoy in-flight entertainment on Apple’s briskly moving tablet, but why wait till you get to the gate to dive in? If you’re flying out of Kuala Lumpur, you can play with that 9.7-inch IPS touchscreen while you daydream of that time that watched Entrapment with your soulmate, book your flight, find departure times and even check in at dedicated kiosks. Adapting its iPhone application MHMobile for iPad use, Malaysia Airlines has installed five terminals at Kuala Lumpur Sentral so far — where the company presently serves just 900 customers a day. See the interface in action after the break, or just download the existing app at our more coverage link if you’re in search of that elusive globetrotter feeling.

Continue reading Malaysia Airlines now offers iPad check-in (video)

Malaysia Airlines now offers iPad check-in (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell prototype fuels our electric dreams with 526 horses

Oh, electric supercar, why do you tease us so? Mercedes is latest to throw up a prototype of what it expects future rubber burners to look like, and its SLS E-Cell doesn’t disappoint. Based on its petrol-guzzling SLS AMG model, this beast produces 526 horsepower and 649 pound-feet of torque, thanks to four motors (one for each wheel) allied to a battery array that can provide an industry-leading 480kW of juice. How fast does that get you to the magical 60mph marker? Try four seconds. There’s a handsome 10-inch infotainment panel in the center console, which you may see after the break, but the best news is that this prototype can be driven now and could well turn into a production Benz at some point in 2013.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell prototype fuels our electric dreams with 526 horses

Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell prototype fuels our electric dreams with 526 horses originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver E100 MP3 Player
iriver E100 MP3 Player
First iPhone 4 Reviews Mostly Sing Its Praises
Just when you thought a few lucky customers beat the rest of the world to getting an iPhone 4, some technology journalists with early access to the device just published their reviews. Apple typically handpicks a select group of publications to get early review units, and the first round of reviews comes from The New York [...]

Best Buy’s iPhone 4 inventory plans revealed by another purported leak

Seriously, can’t we keep any mystery in our lives anymore? After we saw what’s purported to be Best Buy’s “playbook” for the iPhone 4 debut yesterday, today we’re being treated to an inventory list revealing the stock ordered up from Apple for the big retailer’s launch of the new handset. Black 16GB variants of the iPhone 4 dominate, with up to 70 per store, but the leak also includes smaller orders for the white 32GB units as well. None of these are in stock yet, mind you, and that playbook did serve up some confusing messages as to whether Best Buy will have any unreserved iPhones to sell at all on launch day. Still, at least you’ll now have a better idea of which locations stand the best chance of dishing out some of that Apple pie you crave so much.

Best Buy’s iPhone 4 inventory plans revealed by another purported leak originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Philips 42PF9831D LCD TV
Philips 42PF9831D LCD TV
Dance Dance Revolution: 20 Robots Think They Can Dance
When 20 robots wave their mechanical hands and bend their knees in harmony to French composer Maurice Ravel’s masterpiece Bolero, it is a sight worth seeing. A troupe of Nao fully programmable robots developed by a French company are doing an impressive song-and-dance routine at the ongoing Shanghai World Expo. On Monday, which is the France [...]
Food Cuts with Cute Cups
Actually they’re more like tiny bowls. This right here is a fantastic, I daresay essential tool for your kitchen if you’re really into chopping. I’ve got a major love for chopping, most people who love chopped up fruits and vegetables love chopping, we ALL love chopping. So this is the …

$149 WiFi-only Nook confirmed, 3G price dropped to $199 (update: official)

Turns out all our snooping was spot on with this one. We first spotted a simpler, cheaper Nook making its way through the FCC late last month, and then only last night we got tipped off to a $150 price point for the e-reader sans cellular connection. Now Best Buy has confirmed the whole thing with its listing of the BNRV100 model, which comes in over $100 cheaper than Barnes and Noble’s original ($259), although Best Buy has seen fit to give that a price trim as well. We like where this is going, especially if it triggers B&N’s competitors to lower their own fees.

[Thanks, Paul]

Update: Barnes and Noble has now gone fully official with its new $149 Nook. The 3G version has taken a price drop to $199 as well, matching the pricing indicated by Best Buy. B&N is today also outing its firmware version 1.4, which allows the free use of AT&T wireless hotspots everywhere.

Continue reading $149 WiFi-only Nook confirmed, 3G price dropped to $199 (update: official)

$149 WiFi-only Nook confirmed, 3G price dropped to $199 (update: official) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logitech Z Cinema Surround Sound
Logitech Z Cinema Surround Sound

iPed tablet running Android 2.1 spotted in the blurry, blurry wild

Continue reading iPed tablet running Android 2.1 spotted in the blurry, blurry wild

iPed tablet running Android 2.1 spotted in the blurry, blurry wild originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Jun 2010 13:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Engadget Show returns Wednesday, June 23rd with Jimmy Fallon, Microsoft Kinect, and more!

That’s right, Engadgeteers — the tables have turned. Next Wednesday, June 23rd, the Engadget Show returns full force with a very special guest: Jimmy Fallon, host of NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (and also a major geek). Jimmy will be sitting down with us for the kind of frank, eye-opening, and downright thrilling one-on-one conversation only the Engadget Show can provide. Not only that, but we’ll have the Microsoft Kinect live and on stage for a hands-on demo — so you’ll get a chance to see it in action long before it hits shelves this November! And there are lots of other major surprises in-store.

We’ll also have music from the inimitable Glomag, along with some stunning visuals. Oh, and did we mention the crazy giveaways? Like… a pair of new Xbox 360s? Seriously, you do not want to miss this one — it’s going to be epic.

The Show will be taking place at the Rose Auditorium in Cooper Union’s New Academic Building, located in Manhattan at 41 Cooper Square. Seating is extremely limited, 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 5PM on Wednesday, doors will open for seating at 7:30PM, and the show begins at 8PM
• You cannot collect tickets for friends or family — anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket
• Seating capacity is limited (only about 200 seats in the theatre), and once we’re full, we’re full
• The venue is located at 41 Cooper Square New York, NY 10003 (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.

Sprint is offering 50 guaranteed tickets to the Engadget Show taping to the first 50 entrants who text “ENGADGET” to 467467 or enter online! Standard text messaging rates apply. Click for the Official Rules and see how to enter online.

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 returns Wednesday, June 23rd with Jimmy Fallon, Microsoft Kinect, and more!

The Engadget Show returns Wednesday, June 23rd with Jimmy Fallon, Microsoft Kinect, and more! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard
Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard

Kinect Adventures preview unearths our frightening lack of coordination

Maybe we came into it as pre-judgers, but there’s nothing about Kinect Adventures that really redeems the experience in our biased, fun-hating eyes. We’re not really sure if our bigger problem is with the loose controls or the actual gameplay concepts, but it’s certainly a mix of both. We started out with the mining cart obstacle course, which has a certain charm in its simplicity: side step, jump, duck, and the occasional arm spread to gather tokens. These grander gestures seemed pretty easy to handle, and while we’d certainly grow bored of the game after 30 minutes or so, it would at least be a good 30 minutes of cardio.

Things went downhill from those middling heights, however, with the very vague and unsatisfying block-busting ball game, that seemed hardly responsive to our quick, desperate motions (or maybe we just weren’t very good at it), and the frenetic but ultra-loose controls of the river rafting. At least the teamwork aspect of the rafting game is interesting, and we’d love to see how good we could get with a dedicated partner, but there’s just something about hopping and side-stepping that just can’t feel as complex and comprehensive as “real” controls. In all we recognize these experiences as stuff that could only be done with Kinect… we’re just not sure yet if they needed to be done. You can check out video of our miserable performance after the break.

Continue reading Kinect Adventures preview unearths our frightening lack of coordination

Kinect Adventures preview unearths our frightening lack of coordination originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
E3 2009: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Lens Adapters Put Leica, Nikon, Canon Lenses on Sony NEX
One of the biggest (and most overlooked) advantages of mirrorless cameras is that they can be adapted to work with almost any lens there is. The short distance between the throat of the lens-mount and the sensor means that there is a lot of space for an adapter. Rayqual, a Japanese manufacturer, has just announced [...]

Packard Bell Dot S4 netbook spied in Italy

Continue reading Packard Bell Dot S4 netbook spied in Italy

Packard Bell Dot S4 netbook spied in Italy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 21:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Press Conference Part 2 CES 2009
Samsung Press Conference Part 2 CES 2009
Concept Video Shows Tablet That Only Ultra-Geeks Could Love
Like many people, Yigit Cinar was frustrated with the limitations of Apple’s iPad and other tablets. Unlike others, he actually sketched out a vision of his ideal tablet computer. Using Autodesk Maya, Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Flash, he created a 3-D rendering and then produced a video showing exactly what he’d like his tablet to have. “I [...]
Power Up With An Icon
The Icon Battery Pack for iPhone matches the uber-sophistication of Apple and delivers the extra punch with its visible battery power status. It uses EL lighting technology (supposedly the first to do so in the world!) for indicating the power status on its display and looks really swank! Features include …