Archive for June 10th, 2009

Well, well — what’s this? Amazon’s Kindle DX just arrived a little earlier than we expected, looking every bit like the big brother to the Kindle 2 it did at launch. Seriously — apart from new, less comfortable keyboard, externally you’re just looking at a Kindle 2 with a bigger screen. Turn it on, though, and you immediately notice the orientation sensor, which is almost too sensitive. We’re loading this thing up with content and putting it through its paces right now, but in the meantime hit up the gallery below for the unboxing and some comparison shots.

Filed under: Handhelds

Amazon Kindle DX unboxing and hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don’t get us wrong, we’re completely enamored with the idea of having a real laptop-style keyboard in a pocket-friendly form factor, but based on our quick look at a very rough mockup of the device today, we’re not so convinced that CTD’s “crossfolding” Dragonfly MID will be the one to bring it to market. We spoke with Edward Bullister, an MIT grad with a PhD and some Intel connections, who is hard at work on the device, and while we admire his enthusiasm and DIY ethic, we’d say he seems a little overly optimistic when it comes to the tech necessary to pull this off.

His plan is to stick a Moorestown chip inside, with Windows XP as a primary OS, but perhaps a dual-boot option to Moblin. He’s totally serious about the two fold-up LED backlit LCDs, though he admits the dual-sided screens depicted in the renders will have to wait for a later generation. More incredulously, he claims the device will have “all day” battery life, and be ready to ship by the end of the year. Yeah… we doubt it. No manufacturer is lined up currently, and he seems pretty distant from even having a working prototype. Still, we can’t deny how great the form factor would be for pounding out a writing assignment on a plane, or wowing friends and family members (though we’re not stoked about his ideas for using an external mouse as a primary input). So, best of luck Edward — we’d love to be proven wrong on this one.

Filed under: Handhelds

CTD’s incredulous Dragonfly concept in the flesh — needs a few more years in the oven originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Mobile‘s just announced a prepaid 3G service under the Broadband2Go moniker, which will offer customers a contract-free internet option. The Novatel MC760 USB dongle — which will be available exclusively at Best Buy — will run $150, with fixed data rates of $10 for 100MB, $20 for 250MB, $40 for 600MB and $60 for 1GB. The $10 bundles will expire ten days after purchase, while the rest of them will expire after 30 days. Virgin’s Broadband2Go will operate on Sprint’s network in conjunction with Novatel Wireless. It’s a tiny bit pricey if you ask us, but then — most things with no strings attached are, right? The new service will be available starting late June.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Virgin Mobile USA launches prepaid Broadband2Go 3G service originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reaction to the rumored X2 pictures leaked this far has been lukewarm at best, but hold up — it’s looking a whole lot different (and arguably better) in silver. We can certainly buy that this is dead-on real, since… well, it looks real, and also because the X1′s also available in both shades. We’re still not convinced it outshines its predecessor for sheer sex appeal, but an 8.1 megapixel camera upgrade is hard to argue with, isn’t it? Anyhow, with this many units seemingly floating around in the wild, let’s hope we’re not too far off from an official announcement.

[Via Daily Mobile, thanks Daniel]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 shows up again, this time in silver originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not all that easy to make a keyboard that stands out these days, but the folks at Econo-Keys have managed to do just that with their new EK-76-TP model, even if they may not have gotten the whole “usefulness” thing down pat. As you can see above, this one’s claim to fame is a trackpad on the underside of the keyboard, which the company says can be “conveniently” used if you flip over the keyboard, or “used from underneath while typing.” The keyboard also looks like it’ll hold up well to life on the road, with it conforming to IP67 standards for dirt, dust and water resistance, and able to hold up to hospital-grade cleaning agents. Just don’t expect it to come cheap, as Econo-Keys is asking $146 for this little wonder.

[Via OhGizmo!]

Filed under: Peripherals

Econo-Keys EK-76-TP portable keyboard packs a touchpad on the flipside originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It wasn’t all that hard to see a bit of a brouhaha erupting now that all three console makers are more or less firmly committed to motion-control technology, but it’s still always notable when one of the big three throws a shot across the bow, and Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata did just that in a recent interview with the Financial Times. According to Iwata, Nintendo actually tried out camera-based motion control technology similar to what both MIcrosoft and Sony have now adopted, but found that it got better results with the accelerometer-based tech that ultimately wound up in the Wii remote. Iwata did also say, however, that “until they say when they’re releasing it, how much it costs and what software it comes with, we won’t know whether that is the route we should have taken,” although he added that he thought “they couldn’t choose to release exactly the same thing” that Nintendo did.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

Iwata says Nintendo tried and rejected camera-based motion control originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, this isn’t the sexiest MID render we’ve ever seen, but it does make for a fun little video. Cambridge Technology Development, known around MIT and environs for fluidic device design, CFD analysis, and a number of other things we know less than nothing about, have designed a collapsible, pocketable PC that they call the Dragonfly. This bad boy can take the form of a flip phone, a straight-up netbook, or it can lay flat, in “table mode,” ideal for pen and touch input. Of course, this isn’t a real device — and there’s no telling when or if it’ll become available. But when it does, how about floating us a review unit? Check ‘er out yourself after the break.

Continue reading Video: CTD’s MID concept fits comfortably in freakishly large pockets

Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops

Video: CTD’s MID concept fits comfortably in freakishly large pockets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cool holster, dude.

Filed under: Cellphones

Obama makes a grave mistake originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re not down with waiting for Toshiba’s internet-connected range of HDTVs — which, by the way, should be out before the dawn of 2010 — here’s a bit of excellent news: the REGZA ZV650 and SV670 series are now shipping. Both of the sets were initially announced way back at CES, and the latter of the two is Tosh’s first-ever LED-backlit HDTV. Said set also packs local dimming, ClearScan 240 dejudder technology, PixelPure 5G 14-bit video processing and that questionably useful Resolution+ system. There’s also a USB socket, four HDMI connectors, IR pass-through, a PC input and REGZA-LINK (HDMI-CEC). As for the other guys (yeah, there’s more), head on past the break and take notes on the ones relevant to your interests.

Continue reading Toshiba ships REGZA ZV650 and SV670 HDTVs

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Toshiba ships REGZA ZV650 and SV670 HDTVs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s being pretty cagey with the hard specs of the iPhone 3G S, but apparently T-Mobile Netherlands didn’t get the message — it’s just posted up a specs page listing 256MB of RAM and a 600MHz CPU. That’s up from 128MB and 412MHz in the first-gen and the 3G, and it’s basically exactly what was rumored. Of course, the 3G S also has that new PowerVR SGX graphics chip that supports OpenGL ES 2.0, so the total speed boost is probably more than just pure clock speed, but we’ll find out for sure when we get our hands on one.

[Via iLounge]

Filed under: Cellphones

iPhone 3G S processor specs: 600MHz CPU, 256MB of RAM originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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