Archive for May 19th, 2009

We’d ventured a guess that the Pre would run close to $500 off-contract, and it looks like we were in the ballpark — Sprint customer service is apparently telling people that Palm’s first WebOS device will run $549 without a two-year commitment. That’s just off-contract, not unlocked, mind you, so don’t get any ideas about throwing this thing on Verizon. We’re guessing most people will sign the papers on June 6th and pay $199 after rebate, so don’t get too worked up — just know that living a life free of attachment and responsibility will cost you $549 upfront.

[Thanks, Dustin]

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm Pre to run $549 off-contract originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, you already have piles of flash drives scattered around your apocalyptic nightmare of an apartment, but this one’s more special than those, right? Because it’s a Transformer– Ravage, AKA Tripredacus Agent. Ravage has outlived the age of cassette and is onto smaller, better things, and he can store up to 2GB of your most valuable data. He’s going to run $42.99 when he’s available in September, and can be pre-ordered now.

Update: It looks like the pre-order is already sold out! Wonder if the fact that we ordered 1,000 of them has anything to do with it?

[Via Coolest Gadgets]

Filed under: Storage

Transformers USB flash drive is ready to ravage your files, bring carnage to your desktop originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 16:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While Wal-Mart will always be our hot spot of choice for picking up a mixed assortment box of granola bars and meeting other thrifty, outdoors-loving singles, the retailer is on a course to upping its electronics game, in light of the void left by Circuit City’s closure — about $11.1 billion in annual revenue just there for the taking. The store is rolling out new boutique sections for Apple and Nintendo products to some of its electronics departments this week, is adding to its selection higher-end Sony and Samsung televisions, will be expanding its Blu-ray equipment and selection, is nabbing some Studio One 19 all-in-ones from Dell next month, and obviously is getting the Palm Pre next month as well. Apple has been traditionally slow to offer up its higher-end products to Wal-Mart shelves, so hopefully this means that not only will Wal-Mart be doing Macs “right,” but perhaps Apple will give a little in return and offer some more sub-$1000 macs beyond the Mac mini and low-end MacBook — some Laptop Hunters fare, if you will.

[Via AppleInsider]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Wal-Mart making move for Circuit City’s old slice of the pie, prepping for Apple sections, Pre sales and higher-end electronics originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 16:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Like the Rolly, it’s hard to say exactly why having an RFID-enabled Nano:ztag in your life will make sleeping, eating and breathing each day any easier. In fact, the jury’s still out on whether these things are simply novel or primed to take over where the Tamagotchi left off. Starting now, Violet is offering a rainbow’s worth of its micro Rabbit devices here in the US, with prices ranging from $6.90 to $12.90 depending on color. Now, if only you could figure out how to integrate RFID into your life, you’d be set.

Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless

Violet starts shipping Nano:ztags in the US originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eager to know if Logitech’s prayer-answering Harmony Adapter for PlayStation 3 really is as magnificent as you hope it is? Fret not, as our main men over at Engadget HD have the answer. They paired this up with their Harmony blaster and PS3 in order to see just how fantastic / terrible the IR-to-Bluetooth converter is, so head on over to read their two pennies. Go on, get!

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals

Logitech’s Harmony Adapter for PS3 reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 15:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On paper, LG’s X120 netbook is just another entrant in the Atom-filled sea of sameness — and, in many respects, it is. But it also gets a lot of little things right that too many manufacturers still invariably get wrong and, while it’s not entirely without its faults, it certainly merits some serious consideration alongside all the usual suspects already on your shopping list. The fact that it also doesn’t look too shabby doesn’t exactly hurt things either. Read on for our full review.

Continue reading LG X120 netbook review

Filed under: Laptops

LG X120 netbook review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We haven’t heard much from the Kleer / DigiFi combo since they finally brought their first Opera wireless earbuds to the US at the beginning of the year, but they’re now back with not one but two new sets of ‘phones, including the follow-up Digital Opera S2 and the Made for iPod Digital Opera S5. As you might suspect, both models are mostly identical, and pack the same 32 foot range and ten hours of playtime as before, along with the usual promise of uncompressed, CD quality audio. The S5 model, however, adds an iPod-compatible transmitter and some control buttons right on the headphones themselves, while the S2 opts for a basic 3.5mm-based transmitter to accomodate your non-Apple gadgets. No word on pricing just yet, but both should be available on June 20th.

Filed under: Portable Audio, Wearables

DigiFi and Kleer debut Digital Opera S2, S5 wireless earbuds originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 14:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Perhaps it should come as no surprise, given the pervasiveness of recent leaks, but word has it that the clickscreen-free BlackBerry Storm 2 could be hitting shelves as early as June, and no later than July. Word comes from Mr. BlackBerryOS.com himself, who got word from an “insider” who has proved reliable in the past. She says the internal deadline for training tech support is end of month, and while such an early followup seems like a bit of a raw deal for original Storm buyers, it doesn’t come as too much of a shock. Is it just us, or is this kind of shaping up into a “phone heavy” summer? Maybe it’s just the sunstroke.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

BlackBerry Storm 2 due next month? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You had to know we’d see a flurry of iPhone rumors and news as the Apple community reacted to the Pre’s official price and launch date, and right on schedule, we’ve got whispers that Cupertino’s next handset will be announced at WWDC, feature an OLED display and a glowing Apple logo, and launch on July 17. There’s also a longer list of detailed specs, but for the most part they’re just a combination of that matte black casing leak from February and those Chinese specs from last week. So are they the real deal? Well, the source and the site they’re on seem a little shaky to us, but the specs themselves don’t seem too far-fetched — OLED screens are getting cheaper and more prevalent, and we’re almost certain to see bumps in camera resolution and storage, so even if they are totally made up, we’d venture to guess they’re more right than wrong. That’s just us, though — check out the full spec list after the break and tell us what you think.

[Via Wired; image from MacRumors]

Continue reading Next iPhone to launch July 17 with OLED display and glowing Apple logo?

Filed under: Cellphones

Next iPhone to launch July 17 with OLED display and glowing Apple logo? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The summer looms, and so too does the summer vacation season. Despite the economy there are visions of great trips brewing in the backs of peoples’ minds, visions that will soon turn into (hopefully) great memories — and (hopefully) great pictures. Some folks wouldn’t dream of going on those trips without an SLR slung ’round their neck or hanging at the hip, but then there are plenty of others who’d much prefer something a little more pocketable. Even for aspiring photographers there are times when lugging around five pounds of glass just isn’t going to work.

There are dozens and dozens of cameras intended for casual shooters all the time or serious shooters some of the time, with models suitable for pockets of every shape and size — and for wallets of equally varying dimensions. So, let’s take a look at some of this summer’s greatest, and see which comes out ahead, shall we?

Continue reading Engadget Labs: The best point-and-shoot camera for under $400

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Engadget Labs: The best point-and-shoot camera for under $400 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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