Archive for August 29th, 2009

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: Rock You Like A Hurricane

Hear the podcast

00:02:27 – Snow Leopard review
00:23:40 – Editorial: Apple, the FCC, and the sideloading solution
00:37:20 – Sony announces Reader Daily Edition, free library ebook checkouts
00:53:40 – Nokia N900 running Maemo 5 officially €500 in October (update: Video!)
00:59:51 – Nokia introduces Booklet 3G ‘mini laptop’
01:07:48 – PlayStation 3 Slim review
00:12:10 – Xbox 360 price drops go global on Friday, it’s official

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Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget

Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast 161 – 08.29.2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Who needs press releases? You can snap up an MSI U210 pre-order right this second on Amazon, so why bother waiting MSI to actually confirm the thing for a Stateside release? Morality. That’s why. Kids these days think they can just drop $430 on any old Athlon Neo MV-40-powered (the same chips at the heart of HP’s dv2) 12-inch XGA ultraportable with 2GB of RAM and a 250GB HDD and 802.11n and not have to pay the consequences. Well, we’re not standing for it. That read link right below? Not an implied approval of these illicit activities.

[Via Mark's Technology News]

Filed under: Laptops

MSI’s AMD-powered U210 up for pre-order, still not ‘official’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whooo. (Not Wooo.) Amazing how a few well framed PR shots can reignite gadget lust, just when it seems extinguished. Sure, LG’s 15-inch OLED HDTV will probably follow the path of Sony’s $2,500 11-inch XEL-1 to the land of ridiculously overpriced trinkets that few can or will purchase and eventually falls by the wayside when larger, cheaper options become available. Still, checking out that ultra bright screen in these photos has us checking our bank account for an extra few grand, refreshing the feeling last experienced when we checked it out in person at CES. The appearance of these on LG’s Flickr stream would appear to support the summer mass production-December launch we’ve been promised, who else is wishing the 30-inch version wasn’t delayed until 2012?

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

LG’s 15-inch OLED screen is still drop dead gorgeous, likely priced to kill originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung has a new one in the works, the WB5000, presumably offering the price advantages of an 24x zoomin’ all-in-one with some of the features and image quality of a DSLR — that’s the dream, anyway. The camera shoots 12.5 megapixel stills, with full manual controls, face detection and support for RAW formatted images, while also offering HD recording and a relatively compact form factor. True details are scarce, but it sounds promising on the surface. The WB5000 should be out in the fourth quarter, no word on price just yet.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Samsung’s upcoming WB5000 24x zoomer shoots RAW photos and HD video originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In cities like New York, where bikers ride right alongside heavy traffic, bike helmets are a must. Trouble is, apparently plenty of riders don’t like wearing them because of vanity — most bike helmets aren’t exactly attractive, if you haven’t noticed. Well, the City of New York’s commissioned Projectfuse helmets — that combine safety with an attempt at decent stylings. The helmets feature a two-fold design, with an inner protective polystyrene, which is then covered with a customizable soft fabric that attaches with straps. No, you cannot buy them yet, and we don’t know anything about pricing or availability yet, but we do know that you can score one for free — yes, free — at various events around the city. Let us know if you snag one!

[Via Wired]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation, Wearables

Fuseproject commissioned by the City of New York to make bike helmets look less bad originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s PlayStation 3 already only does everything, so what more could you possibly need? Australians can find out for themselves with the Ultimate Blu-ray Movie Kit. Don’t let the name fool you, it’s really just the PS3 remote and two discs, but at $60 AUD (that’s $51 for US), it’s only one Banjo Paterson / $10 AUD more than what the remote retails on its lonesome. Both bundles include 300 as the first film, so you’re really choosing between 10,000 B.C. and Batman Begins. Not exactly a tough decision unless you already own Batman, but then again, you still might opt for a second copy instead.

[Via Kotaku]

Read – Batman Begins / 300 bundle
Read – 10,000 B.C. / 300 bundle

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

Australian PS3 Ultimate Blu-ray Movie Kit isn’t as ultimate as you might expect originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 06:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Something about Le Petit Prince, the mobile, plant-loving greenhouse robot makes us indescribably sad. Is it his one, massive adorable eye? Or merely the fact that he’s named after one of the most depressing books ever written? Either way, we can’t really argue with his usefulness — the concept can carry about plants and care for them, all the while ravaging the terrain for further specimens. He’s also designed to learn about the optimal growing conditions of the plants he collects, which really makes us want one to care for a certain, finicky houseplant we won’t call out by name (but we’re looking at you, Venus Flytrap). Check out the darling video after the break.

Continue reading Le Petit Prince roving greenhouse robot is overwhelmingly cute, useful

Filed under: Robots

Le Petit Prince roving greenhouse robot is overwhelmingly cute, useful originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pentax may not be the first name you think of when scouting a new DSLR, but it’s certainly closer to the top now than it was prior to the K-7′s release. The semi-pro cam saw positive review after positive review flow in, giving even the Nikon and Canon faithful reason to pay attention. At right under $1,300 for just the body it didn’t come cheap, though the high-def movie capture mode, ability to snap HDR shots natively and 14.6 megapixel sensor help to justify the MSRP somewhat. What we’re really after here are your thoughts; for those that bought in, have you been pleased? Is the low-light performance sufficient? Is the autofocus snappy enough for your tastes? Or more importantly, how happy are your clients with the results? Comments are all yours, so get to it!

Filed under: Digital Cameras

How would you change Pentax’s K-7 DSLR? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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	iPhone coming to China Unicom in Q4 — it’s official The carrier will offer two different “3G iPhones” to its 141 million subscribers and it will buy the phones wholesale from Apple — no revenue sharing deal here kids.		Creative Zii EGG orders shipped, hands-on videos posted “The screen,” he says, compares “very favorably” with the S Series Walkman, with colors described as bright and vibrant, even if the blacks leave something to be desired.
	PS3 Slim already sold out at many a retail store We know plenty of folks who’ve had no trouble scoring one online, but who knows how long that supply will last.	Other news of import Nikon D300s spotted and tested at Best Buy with its little brother, still does that jelly video thing Video: Pleo gets new dance moves, alpha dev kit Overheating iPhone reports ‘exploding’ all over France, Apple responds
	Clear QAM HD isn’t going anywhere! The bottom line is that local broadcast channels are available in HD to any cable subscriber with a clear QAM tuner, whether you have a set-top-box or not.		Vodafone kicks off 14.4Mbps HSDPA upgrade in UK Before Vodafone UK gets to HSPA+, it wants to take plain ol’ HSPA just as far as it’ll go by pushing downlink speeds all the way to 14.4Mbps.
1080p Android demo’d, set-top boxes prepare for a new master Blockbuster DVD kiosks creeping into New England supermarkets Ask Engadget HD: Best way to feed HD to two TVs?		Nokia N900 now giving Germany and Italy a way to pre-order HTC posts firmware update for Rogers’ Magic and Dream Motorola takes environmentally-conscious MOTOCUBO A45 to Brazil

The Daily Roundup: here’s what you might’ve missed originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Displays

Sony’s newest digiframe sports Swarovski crystals, little else originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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