Archive for April 28th, 2009

When the New York Times sent one of its ace reporters to Shenzhen to check out the KIRF scene, they came to a startling conclusion: these things are really quite popular. And why not? Your iPhone might be a terrific device, but is it really $400 better than the Hi-Phone, or the iorgane? Well, it’s probably $400 better than the iorgane — we’ll give you that one. The article sites a general lack of concern from the Chinese government, new technology such as Mediatek’s turnkey circuit board solution, and a significant drop in the price of parts as reasons that knock-off phones are so prominent in that part of the world. There is also a bit of cultural pride at work, too: “shanzhai” technology, as it’s known, is seen as a way to thumb your nose at the big players in the industry and throw some work to your local bandit. That said, we do have to cry foul at the way the paper lumps our beloved Meizu M8 in with the usual assortment of knock-offs: the thing sports nary an Apple (or “organe”) on its handsome exterior. Check out the price breakdown on a typical $40 KIRF after the break.

[Thanks, Ben]

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake, part CCIII: New York Times undercover edition

Filed under: Cellphones

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCIII: New York Times undercover edition originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While a nationwide launch of the ad-based ZillionTV streaming service isn’t expected until Q4 of this year, it’s good to see that things are obviously on track. Just today, both the ZBar and ZRemote (shown after the break) — two crucial hardware components to the system — have splashed down in the FCC, giving those who just can’t shove enough set-top-boxes under their television hope that one more is destined for US shelves. Granted, an FCC appearance doesn’t guarantee an immediate market presence, but obviously the beta testing and collaboration with ISPs has been going well.

Read – ZBar filing
Read – ZRemote filing

Continue reading ZillionTV’s ZBar and ZRemote crash down in FCC’s database

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

ZillionTV’s ZBar and ZRemote crash down in FCC’s database originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Considering that Epson’s highest-end HTIB is nearly two years old now, we’d say an update was definitely in order. Today, the outfit has just taken the wraps off of its next-generation Ensemble HD Home Cinema, which gets updated by way of including the PowerLite Home Cinema 6100 or Home Cinema 6500 UB. As with the prior kit, these two also include a motorized 100-inch screen, integrated surround sound, AV controller with built-in DVD player, universal remote and all virtually components needed for installation. The only thing that’s glaringly absent is a Blu-ray player, which — at this point — is completely and utterly inexcusable. At any rate, those content with treating themselves to upscaled DVD can fork out $4,999 for the Ensemble HD Home Cinema 720p, $6,499 for the Ensemble HD Home Cinema 6100 and $7,999 for the Ensemble HD Home Cinema 6500 UB.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment

Epson launches next-gen Ensemble HD Home Cinema System originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When the heads over at the MOTO Development Group aren’t busy outfitting E-Ink devices with Android, they can often be found looking for bigger, better, and cheaper ways to build multitouch surfaces — and they seem to be on to something. The video below shows full multitouch on a 19-inch display, although the company promises it is scalable up to at least 50-inches — and it does this without the bulky projector. The capacitive touch screen forgoes the ITO (indium tin oxide) used in devices like the iPhone, relying instead on “extremely fine” wires to conduct the signals (which are lit up here for effect — the company assures us that this will not be the case in production units). You know what this means: we may be getting that touch screen coffee table sooner than we thought! And we won’t have to buy that yacht, either. But don’t take out word for it — peep for yourself after the break.

Continue reading Video: MOTO Lab’s multitouch display scalable up to 50-inches

Filed under: Displays

Video: MOTO Lab’s multitouch display scalable up to 50-inches originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After offering Sugar for the past while as an interface to run on top of your Linux distro of choice, Sugar Labs is prepping “Sugar on a Stick,” a Fedora 11-based LiveUSB distro that boots most any PC from a 1GB+ USB stick and lets a user carry their Sugar environment, files and settings wherever they roam. While the beta is currently up for download, there seem to be plenty of kinks to work out, but as the team expands and refines hardware support, we could see this potentially being more of a boon for education than the XO-1 itself; turning any PC into a Sugar PC, not just the dramatically green ones. It’s also nice to see how speedy Sugar can be free from the bonds of AMD Geode — even Atom provides quite a bit of relative pep. Check out a quick (and slightly hyperactive) hands-on video from OLPC News after the break.

Continue reading Sugar Labs debuts “Sugar on a Stick” beta, for LiveUSB-derived diabetes

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Sugar Labs debuts “Sugar on a Stick” beta, for LiveUSB-derived diabetes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That’s right: last week at SAE World Congress, Raser Technologies unveiled a prototype Hummer H3 that gets 100 miles to the gallon. Insane, right? We agree. Raser partnered up with FEV to turn the famously non-environmentally sound gas guzzler around. The prototype boasts an E-REV power train engine, and three lithium ion battery packs under the rear of the vehicle. The batteries provide enough juice for about 40 miles, when the range extender starts up, providing an additional 400 miles — averaging about 100 MPG — before it needs to be plugged in again. The company is looking to start up low volume production by 2011, though there is no word on possible pricing at this time. Hey — who says electric cars have to be small, tasteful affairs? Fierce! One more shot after the break.

[Via Inhabitat, Autoblog Green]

Continue reading Raser Technologies develops 100MPG Hummer H3 just to spite Al Gore

Filed under: Transportation

Raser Technologies develops 100MPG Hummer H3 just to spite Al Gore originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Once assumed to be a physically smaller version of the original Instinct (affectionately referred to as the Instinct Mini), the Instinct s30 is actually not an Instinct Nano. Sure, it’s trimmed up and a bit more curvaceous, but those accustomed to the original won’t notice a great deal of weight loss here. Unlike the original, Sprint’s (smartly) not pushing this handset as an iPhone killer; instead, it’s letting it be exactly what is it, which is a decent featurephone with a few unique niceties and nothing whatsoever that’s mind-blowing. So, is the second iteration of the Instinct worth your time (and by extension, money)? Head on over to Engadget Mobile to find out!

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Instinct s30 review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/Ten_years_of_TiVo_how_far_we_haven_t_come’; We’ll be totally honest here: we love TiVo. TiVo DVRs of every vintage are scattered throughout the Engadget editorial ranks, and Series3 units are our preferred hardware for HD Netflix streaming and Amazon’s nascent HD Video on Demand service. And, well, using a TiVo is just fun in a way that no other DVR ever is — those booping noises still provoke smiles all around.

But here’s the thing: it’s been ten years since TiVo first introduced the Philips-built HDR110 at NAB, and while the company’s name has since become synonymous with time-shifted digital video recording, it’s not because its products have achieved runaway success. In fact, it’s the exact opposite: most consumers choose to get by with awful cable- or satellite-company DVRs, and TiVo’s only just barely pulled a full year of profitability, two factors that have kept it firmly on deathwatch since 2005. Not only that, but while TiVo might have pushed the DVR into the mainstream, it hasn’t meaningfully innovated since — apart from HD output and the aforementioned streaming services, you’d be hard-pressed to tell a brand-new TiVo HD from an original unit by using it for five minutes. Worse, the entire DVR category’s essentially remained stagnant as well — one study found that the average DVR-enabled family records just 15-20 percent of the TV they watch, a startlingly low number by any measure.

So look — it’s not working, guys. We’re happy that Comcast is now offering the TiVo interface in certain markets as a paid option, and we’ll be pleased as punch when those long-promised new DirecTiVo units ship out, but the simple fact of the matter is TiVo can’t continue to rely on the same strategies and ideas that haven’t worked for the past ten years. What TiVo needs is a new plan — and we’ve got five simple ideas that might help kickstart the company and the DVR market for the next ten years. Read on for more.

Continue reading Ten years of TiVo: how far we haven’t come

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Ten years of TiVo: how far we haven’t come originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We like how you’re thinking, AMD, and we don’t say that everyday — or ever, really. During a time when even hardcore gamers are having to rethink whether or not that next-gen GPU is a necessity, AMD has pushed out a remarkably potent new graphics card for under a Benjamin, and the whole world has joined in to review it. The ATI Radeon HD 4770, which was outed just over a week ago, has been officially introduced for the low, low price of just $99 (including rebates, which should surface soon). Aside from being the company’s first mainstream desktop GPU manufactured using a 40nm process, this little gem was a real powerhouse when put to the test. In fact, critics at HotHardware exclaimed that this card “offers performance in the same range as cards that were launched at the $299 to $349 price point only a year ago.” The bottom line? It’s “one of the best buys” out in its price range, and even with all that belt tightening you’ve been doing, surely you can spare a C-note, yeah?

Read – HotHardware (“Recommended; one of the best buys at its price point”)
Read – XBit Labs (“the best budget graphics accelerator [out there]“)
Read – LegitReviews (“great performance, low power consumption and low noise”)
Read – PCStats (“strikes a balance between performance and price”)
Read – TechSpot (“an outstanding choice in the $100 graphics market”)
Read – NeoSeeker (“a good value”)
Read – PCPerspective (“impressive”)

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

ATI Radeon HD 4770 GPU review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/Microsoft_s_Pink_Smartphone_To_Rival_iPhone_On_Verizon’; It’s crazy, we know. Just hours after hearing shockingly believable whispers that Apple’s white-hot iPhone 3G could be sashaying over to Verizon Wireless, in flies a Wall Street Journal report asserting that the suits in Redmond are (also?) in talks with America’s largest carrier. ‘Course, we’ve heard rumors that Microsoft was banging out a smartphone behind closed doors for centuries now, but much to our chagrin, there’s no mention of “Zune” in “Project Pink.” Instead, we’re told that said handset is a touchscreen-based multimedia phone that will aim to extend the Windows Mobile OS while “adding new software capabilities.” Not surprisingly, the article also mentions that Windows Marketplace would be front and center on the phone, and potentially most interesting is this tidbit: “a third-party is expected to make the device.” Hey HTC — seen any strange calls originating from the 425?

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Filed under: Cellphones

Microsoft’s “Pink” smartphone could rival iPhone on Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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