Archive for May 16th, 2009

Well, no need to wait around for the Storm 2 to right all of the BlackBerry Storm’s wrongs, the Cool9500 is here to make it all better. Namely, the Cool9500 brings the all-important gold trim, something we always felt was a major shortcoming of RIM’s first stab at this form factor. There’s also an all-important TV tuner — another wild misstep in the original. Sure, we’ll miss SurePress and the usable software, but we’d say Cool9500 really hit RIM where it hurts with this impressive followup.

Filed under: Cellphones

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCIX: Fake BlackBerry Storm adds some gold trim, beats the Storm 2 to clickscreen-free living originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 May 2009 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After ages of monopolizing most of its add-on market for the 360, it looks like Microsoft is letting up a bit. Datel just came out with two new MAX Memory cards that are compatible with the console, in 2GB and 4GB capacities. That’s all well and boring, but the potential excitement here is that cards can also be augmented by a microSD slot, with support for up to 16GB cards, for some trippy card-within-a-card hijinks, and what might be one of the best portals for hackers yet. Or perhaps not, since it seems likely that Microsoft wouldn’t open up what it knew to be a major security hole, and given the numerous other interfaces with the console, the 360 is still pretty well on lockdown for the average user, after almost four years on the market. At least this should provide a slightly more flexible hard drive alternative for folks who don’t want to shell out for Microsoft’s overpriced humps. The Datel cards start at $40.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Filed under: Gaming, Storage

Datel gets first stab at third party memory card for Xbox 360, supports microSD expansion originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 May 2009 14:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Usually we see these Nokia knockoffs as Noklas or Mokias, but don’t be fooled: there’s nothing genuine about this E75. One tug on the side should prove that for you seeing how it doesn’t appear to have the real deal’s hallmark feature, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Then again, it does have flashing red and blue lights along the bezel, so it’s pretty much an even trade.

[Thanks, Jack]

Filed under: Cellphones

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCVIII: Nokia E75 isn’t a Nokia E75 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 May 2009 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/linux_unix/DisplayLink_makes_Linux_source_code_available_finally’;

The long-burning question on the DisplayLink scene (you know, with its DisplayLink bars and coffee shops, and the annual DisplayLink parade) has been: “When will Linux users be able to get in on some of that video-via-USB action?” Well, it looks like we have an answer for you, penguin-heads. As of today, the company is announcing the release of the open-source implementation of its graphics software, offering support for the Alex family (DL-120 and DL-160) chips. So prepare to go wild writing drivers for all of your favorite Linux-based devices, and be sure to drop us a line when you do. Seriously — it’s been a while since you called. Hit the read link to get started, or check out the full PR bit after the break.

Continue reading DisplayLink makes Linux source code available… finally!

Filed under: Displays

DisplayLink makes Linux source code available… finally! originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 May 2009 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So, we’re guessing that at some point in your life you’ve wondered whether or not your microwave oven has sufficient shielding. Well, we certainly haven’t — but maybe we’re the fools for trusting the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. Then again, in Russia they don’t even have a “United States Consumer Product Safety Commission” (for obvious reasons). Clearly, someone over there was nagged by the thought that this appliance was scattering radiation where it didn’t belong, so he got this bright idea: as microwave ovens operate at 2.45 MHz, and 802.11d WiFi operates on a 2.4 GHz frequency, any netbook placed in a closed microwave should be woefully un-pingable. And you know what? When he placed his netbook in a closed microwave, it couldn’t be pinged. Clearly relieved that his microwave oven was amply shielded, the author has one final piece of advice for any of you who might be thinking about conducting this test for yourself: “Don’t try to turn your microwave on, while experiment.” Action photos after the break.

Continue reading Stupid netbook tricks: DIY microwave shield testing

Filed under: Laptops

Stupid netbook tricks: DIY microwave shield testing originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 May 2009 07:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look, in real life, we all know that Batman’s car is called the Batmobile, NOT the Batman Mobile, and to be perfectly honest, we don’t know why it ever seemed like a good idea to name a phone after an auto anyway, but then again: it does look rather… awesome. No, it doesn’t look like the most comfortable phone, but as the Dark Knight himself would surely tell you, life is full of pain. This GSM bad mother’s boasting a whole host of whack features, including an FM radio, and a “pixel high definition camera,” plus “basic functions,” but we all know this one’s purely about style — which it’s got to spare. This bad boy seems to be currently available in China, and while we doubt we’ll ever see it on shores of the U.S., we can tell you this: we’d be willing to pay at least twenty-five dollars to add this to our NOKLA collection. There are a few more stunners after the break.

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake, part CCVII: NOKLA Batman Mobile phone gets all its signals crossed

Filed under: Cellphones

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCVII: NOKLA Batman Mobile phone gets all its signals crossed originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 May 2009 04:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We got a chance to check out ASUS’ K Series laptops way back at CeBIT in March, but it looks like the understated line has just now finally made its way over here, and seen a few changes in the process. The biggest of those is that this particular model, the K40IN-A1, now packs some NVIDIA GeForce G102M graphics (with 512MB of RAM) in place of the previous ATI option, although we assume that’ll still be available on some models if and when they join this one. Otherwise, you can expect a 1366 x 768 resolution on that 14-inch LED-backlit screen, along with a Core 2 Duo T6400 processor, 4GB of RAM standard, a 320GB hard drive, and ASUS’ trademark Super Hybrid Engine technology, which promises to let you get the most out of the laptop’s six-cell battery. $850 and it’s yours.

[Via Laptoping]

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS K Series K40IN-A1 laptop hits the US originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 May 2009 01:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Given the hideous MSRP affixed to the Adamo, we have all ideas that only a select few have chomped on what Dell’s offering here. That said, we also reckon those with enough cash to buy in are quite the critical bunch, and we’re interested to hear what y’all have to say. During our own testing, we were decidedly underwhelmed with the value proposition; in pretty much every meaningful way, it underperformed for the price. But hey, we can’t knock the styling. Are you cool with the ho hum performance? Would you throw a different CPU in there? Lower the price? Add a little thickness in exchange for a few more frames per second? Tell all, won’t you?

Filed under: Laptops

How would you change Dell’s Adamo? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 23:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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	Exclusive BlackBerry Storm 2 shots! What’s this we have here? A trusted source just hit us with a slew of beauty shots of the Storm 2 that leaked a little bit ago.		Zune HD (xYz) positioned to take on Apple, Sony, Nintendo and Google? Sounding too good to be true, the cats at Teamxbox have posted a lengthy piece from sources to claiming to spill the beans on what the Zune HD is and isn’t.
	Palm Pre pics released into the wild by Sprint freedom fighter You know, if you’re going to post pics of yourself onto the Internet goofing around with the Palm Pre in a Sprint back-office, Engadget’s going to be there to post them.	Other news of import Olympus’ Micro Four Thirds throwback beauty set to launch early July Tony Hawk’s new ‘Ride’ game includes motion-sensing skateboard controller for shredding your mom’s new carpet Guitar Hero 5 makes room for four drummers, axe slingers or screamers
	Logitech Harmony Adapter for PlayStation 3 now shipping Just try to wrap your minds around this, Harmony / PS3 owners: this weekend is the last weekend that your otherwise awesome universal remote won’t be able to power on your otherwise awesome Blu-ray / media player.		Firefox Fennec now available for WinMo in alpha form Up until now, if you wanted Mozilla’s dearly anticipated mobile port, you had a couple options: you could buy a Nokia N800 / N810, or you could score a Touch Pro and deal with a build ominously described as pre-alpha.
Samsung and LG cooperating on OLED R&D New cuttlefish-inspired display tech can change color, eat your pet guppy		Exchange-enabled HTC Magic explained: it’s not a “with Google” phone Verizon Wireless to light up LTE in 20 to 30 markets in 2H 2010

The Daily Roundup: here’s what you might’ve missed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 22:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sadly, we’re still no closer to understanding when iriver will allow its striking P7 to escape the chains of “pre-order status” here in North America, but geeks in South Korea can now feel free to indulge. 4.3-inches of luscious screen real estate slapped onto an 8GB PMP will set you back just under ₩200,000 ($160), and we’re guessing the more capacious 16GB variant will cost just a wee bit more. So yeah, we’re going out on a limb here and assuming that a homeland launch foreshadows a splashdown on US soil — don’t let us down, iriver.

[Via PMP Today]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

iriver P7 ships in South Korea, Americans look longingly across the sea originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 21:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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