Archive for May 8th, 2009

Well, this is certainly one rumor that just won’t die — nor is it likely to, not as long as the company has its hands in both manufacturing handsets and game consoles. According to an article in the Financial Times, Sony Ericsson president Hideki “Handsome Dick” Komiyama discusses his struggle to reposition the company as one the world’s top three phone makers. Among bright ideas and desperate measures mulled over, the man in charge lets slip that no plan is too crazy or far-fetched to consider. Even a PlayStation-branded phone? “Could happen,” he is quoted as saying. And there you have it! Begin warrantless speculation: now.

[Via Unwired View]

Filed under: Cellphones

Sony Ericsson president: PlayStation phone “could happen” originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 May 2009 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/nintendo/Survey_Nintendo_to_be_the_most_reputable_game_company’; It’s fresh from celebrating the Game Boy’s twentieth birthday and solid sales of the DSi, but it looks like Nintendo already has some more good news to boast about, with the Reputation Institutes’s annual survey finding that it is by far the most reputable game company around, and the sixth most reputable company overall. That ranking is made all the more impressive by the fact that Nintendo apparently wasn’t even in the top 200 in last year’s list, and by the fact that it’s the only strictly gaming company on the list at all, although Microsoft and Sony come in at 30 and 126, respectively. Hit up the read link below to check out the complete rankings.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

Survey finds Nintendo to be the most reputable game company originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 May 2009 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini HDMI connectors aren’t exactly anything new, but a number of companies have now produced some prototypes based on the latest Type D spec set for inclusion in the next HDMI standard, which they hope will be more suitable for cellphones, GPS systems, and other portable devices. One of those comes from Molex Inc and, like the others, is half the size of a regular HDMI connector (or about the same size as a micro-USB connector) but employs the same 19 pins as the standard HDMI design. That’s joined by a similar connector from Yazaki Corp of Japan, as well as a connector designed specifically for automotive use by Japan Aviation Electronics Industry Ltd, which supposedly boasts improved reliability and durability. Still no promises as to when any of these specific prototypes will actually materialize, of course, but the first few mini connectors of some sort could start appearing as soon as the second half of this year.

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Latest mini-HDMI connectors get shown off in prototype form originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 May 2009 15:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s pretty unusual for a manufacturer to take a global model and swap out a component as significant as a camera for one carrier, but it looks like that might just happen with T-Mobile USA’s myTouch — or G2, or Magic, or Sapphire, or whatever the heck it ends up being called. Boy Genius Report’s leaked picture of the back of the carrier-branded handset prominently says “5.0,” and since it’s safe to assume it’s not packing a 5.0-liter V8, this is probably referring to sensor res. That would be a marked upgrade from the 3.2 megapixels launching on the Magic everywhere else — and interestingly, this kinda falls in line with T-Mobile USA’s seemingly active effort to launch high-megapixel devices across the lineup over the past several months. This is more solid evidence than a spec sheet — since spec sheets have a tendency to be filled with fallacies and typos — but we’ll hold off on saying this is a lock until the phone launches.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

T-Mobile’s Magic / Sapphire / myTouch / G2 getting 5 megapixel cam? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 May 2009 15:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, you love the Engadget Podcast… but how much do you love it? Allow the power of your undying devotion to the sounds of Engadget chatter be tested this week as Josh, Paul, and Nilay take a journey through space and time. This week, you’ll hear the guys dissect Amazon’s Kindle DX launch, wax excited about Android v1.5 (that’s Cupcake for us pros), talk openly about Google’s netbook designs, and generally rap about a whole bunch of really cool junk. Don’t miss it. Seriously.

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: Take On Me

00:01:04 – Amazon Kindle DX announced: $489, ships this summer
00:37:44 – Android 1.5 coming to T-Mobile UK now, USA next week
00:52:00 – Is Dell cooking up an Android-powered netbook?
01:00:20 – HTC working on an Android netbook for T-Mobile?
01:02:50 – Xbox 360 to get motion-sensing add-on with full body game control?
01:13:37 – DJ Hero announced at last, along with Band Hero for the family and Guitar Hero 5 for the face melters

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Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast 145 – 05.08.2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 May 2009 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen a lot of ASUS’ Eee PC 1008HA Seashell in recent days, and now the thin little fella’s been unboxed for all to admire. If the details have already slipped your mind, recall that the Seashell boasts a 1.6GHz processor, a 160GB hard disk, and GMA graphics. The glossy, tapered edges of the 10-incher are looking pretty fine if you ask us, furthering our opinion that the 1008HA is a stylish piece of work. The newest addition to the Eee PC family will be available as of May 15th in the UK for £379 (about $565). One more shot after the break, and hit the read link for the whole, glorious set.

Continue reading ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Seashell unboxed, deemed the slimmest, sexiest model yet

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Seashell unboxed, deemed the slimmest, sexiest model yet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 May 2009 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/T_Mobile_G1_revision_revealed’; If this looks vaguely familiar, that’s because it likely is — we suspect this image out of Boy Genius Report is a newer (or older) render of the “G1 v2″ called out on the recently-leaked Android roadmap out of T-Mobile. It’d make sense — by October, when this is allegedly hitting retail for $150-ish, the G1 will be getting long in the tooth. What’s more, this sucker’s clearly running Android, and it’s a whole hell of a lot better-looking. More on this as it develops, of course, but in the meantime, that myTouch is looking just a bit less appealing, isn’t it?

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

T-Mobile G1 revision revealed? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 May 2009 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been playing with the Tonium Pacemaker pretty much non-stop since we got it, and while we’re not terrible DJs, we thought we’d bring in some big guns for a demo — so we asked our buddy Carlos from Chicago’s CAPCOM crew to come in and spin a few tracks. Check out the video and our in-depth impressions after the break!

Continue reading Video: Tonium Pacemaker in action

Filed under: Portable Audio

Video: Tonium Pacemaker in action originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 May 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know, for a device as potentially bad ass as the Martin Jetpack is — the company boasts a maximum range of 31.5 miles at 63 mph, and the ability to hover at 8,000 feet above ground effect — the video we’ve seen thus far has been pretty lackluster. Of course, you can’t actually get your hands on one anyways (check back in January 2010), but that isn’t stopping the company from accepting your $10,000 deposit for the opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Despite all that, we couldn’t help but feel all a-flutter when we watched the newest clip and realized that someday soon our dreams of super heroism might be fulfilled — and with a rocket strapped to our back, no less. Check it out for yourself after the break.

[Via Oh Gizmo!]

Continue reading Video: Martin Jetpack flies again, but you still can’t buy one

Filed under: Transportation

Video: Martin Jetpack flies again, but you still can’t buy one originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 May 2009 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The gang at Photography Blog have got their hands all over the PowerShot D10, and it looks like Canon didn’t fare too badly with its first “adventure camera.” Even if the reviewer didn’t really drop it from a helicopter or shoot it with a bazooka (as we had originally hoped) the unit was found to be as intuitive, sensible, and dependable as the company’s other point-and-shooters. Of course, a device with this robust of a design is going to suffer in a few areas, and the 3x, 35-135mm zoom lens and 2.5-inch display can easily be considered “rather hum-drum” for a camera in this day and age. That said, the lens is “quite fast,” great for underwater use, and the display is bright enough for all of your spelunking needs. The verdict? If you’re going to be dropping from airplanes or scavenging sunken treasure (actually, make that “reading on the beach” and “taking the kids snorkeling”) this summer, you could do worse than shell out $329.99 for this bad boy. Hit the read link for the usual exhaustive review.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon’s PowerShot D10 adventure cam shot with a bazooka in this in-depth review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 May 2009 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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