Archive for September 16th, 2009

Well, what do we have here? No sooner do we get a 250GB Xbox 360 on the horizon does this image land in our tip box, showing a PlayStation 3 slim bundle for Uncharted 2 that just so happens to have that 250GB hard drive we spotted in the FCC last month. We’ve been able to independently confirm that it’s legit, but beyond that we’ve got no clue when it’ll be announced or any price / release date information. We wouldn’t be surprised to see this hit stores in mid-October alongside Uncharted 2, but that’s just a guess on our part. With any luck, SCE exec Kaz Hirai will be shedding some light at his Tokyo Game Show keynote next week — c’mon Sony, don’t keep us in the dark too long.

Update: Joystiq points us to this rumor from last week that Uncharted 2, Assassin’s Creed II, and Gran Turismo 5 bundles are possibly slated for the UK in October for £299 ($494), just £50 more than the current 120GB model.

Update 2: We just got off the line with SCEA, who has denied the photo and told us quite plainly that there’s no bundles being planned for America, but that the rep can’t speak for other regions (e.g. Europe, Japan) — not surprising, of course, you can’t believe everything you read on the internet, right?

Filed under: Gaming

250GB PlayStation 3 slim Uncharted 2 bundle leaked? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 7 is almost here, and we get the feeling that the multitouch revolution (at least in the consumer realm) won’t be too far behind. Lenovo just dished out a pair of new touch-friendly laptops, Fujitsu spruced up its LifeBook T5010 with a multitouch panel and now Wacom is kicking out a finger-friendly Bamboo tablet. Just in case you figured that yesterday’s sneak peek was nothing more than an imaginative Photoshop, we’ve got another round of closeups today to prove otherwise. Tipster Jesus claims that he’s been using the $69 device on his Snow Leopard-equipped Mac for a tick, and he’s had no issues getting things working. There’s also mention of a full interactive tutorial that helps you setup customer application-specific gestures, which frankly, sounds like oodles of fun.

[Thanks, Jesus]

Filed under: Displays, Peripherals

Wacom Bamboo multitouch tablet is real, we’ve got pics to prove it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Long-lasting light bulb technology is nothing new — people have been trying to up the lifespan these bad boys for some time. Long-lived light bulbs are generally uber-expensive, too, but we like to keep our eyes on such things. Panasonic‘s just unveiled the EVERLED, a line of bulbs set to be launched in Japan at the end of October. Lighter and more efficient than other LEDs on the market, these babies use 85 lumens per watt for a 40W bulb. Though the bulbs are not going to be cheap — about $40 — the company claims they’ll have a lifespan of 19 years, bringing the overall costs down considerably. Still, we’d have to see them last that long to believe it.

[Via Inhabitat]

Filed under: Household

Panasonic’s new EVERLED light bulbs to light up your life for 19 years originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carl Archambeault: you sir, are a champion. We’re not exactly sure if you’re on a first-class seat to Redmond or not, but the boys and girls in Washington could probably stand to learn a thing or two from the Xbox 1080. ‘Course, that’s probably just the fanboy in us talking — after all, who wouldn’t want the powers of an Xbox 360 and a Zune HD merged into one beautiful handheld? — but could you imagine the market shakeup if this thing became real? Paging Mr. Benjamin J. Heckendorn!

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

Filed under: Handhelds

Conceptual Xbox 1080 handheld beautifully merges Xbox and Zune originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s been plenty of rumor and speculation regarding the HTC Leo as of late, all serving to pique our interest. If talk of a Snapdragon CPU and an updated TouchFlow 3D UI are not, in fact, greatly exaggerated, it looks like we might have a killer phone on our hands here. And now, to fill in the picture a bit, the kids at PocketPT have helped us to a demonstration of the device’s multitouch capabilities. Exciting, no? Make sure you check out the video below, which shows the Leo flipping through photo albums and zooming in / out of stills and video the with style and ease befitting a 1GHz processor. You’ll be glad you did.

[Via WMPoweruser.com]

Continue reading HTC Leo caught on video demonstrating its multitouch display

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC Leo caught on video demonstrating its multitouch display originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s certainly no shortage of hurdles to cross in building a competitive, all-electric race car, with the weight of the vehicle (and requisite battery pack) being particularly high up on the list. While the folks behind this new E-Wolf e1 vehicle have indeed managed to get the weight down to an impressive 500 kilograms (or just over 1,100 pounds), they’ve also taken another somewhat unique step to ensure the performance is just right: limit the weight of the driver to 150 pounds. That, combined with a 110kW, quadripolar, liquid-cooled, AC induction motor, apparently allows the car to hit 0 to 100 km/h in less than five seconds, achieve a top speed of 230 km/h, and last a full 300 kilometers on a charge. Of course, it also costs €150,000 (or over $220,000), but it is apparently street-legal, and definitely won’t be mistaken for a Tesla Roadster.

[Via Autoblog Green]

Filed under: Transportation

E-Wolf e1 electric race car could create new class of racing jockeys originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen our fair share of scary robots in these parts, and we’re not going to mince words here: there is no way we are going anywhere near one that’s armed with a hypodermic needle — and we sure as hell aren’t going to sit still and let it draw blood! Currently being developed by a team at Imperial College in London, the Bloodbot is designed to probe your arm for the presence of a vein, stick you with the needle, puncture the vein, and then stop short of rupture. The system, which has thus far only been tested on one patient (sounds like we’re not the only ones with reservations regarding the device) has been accurate about 78 percent of the time, meaning it only resulted in screaming fits 22 percent of the time — unlike your friendly neighborhood nurse or medical technician, who is accurate nearly 100 percent of the time (and still inspires the occasional fit, but that’s another story).

[Via Switched]

Filed under: Robots

Bloodbot draws blood, inspires fear originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swedish manufacturer QPAD may have started out as a purveyor of high-end gaming mousepads, but it’s slowly been branching out into the realm of actual peripherals, and it’s now bolstered its offerings a bit further with a new gaming mouse that may just change gaming mice forever — or not. While the company’s claims that its QPAD 5K mouse boasts an “innovative shape” and “ground breaking technology” may be overstating things just a tad, the mouse should indeed meet the needs of all but the most demanding gamers who are looking for full customization options (five buttons, in this case) and a suitably high resolution sensor. Unfortunately, there’s no word on a release ’round here just yet, but folks in Europe will be able to pick this one up next month for €60, or just under $90.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

QPAD 5K gaming mouse is ‘innovative,’ ‘groundbreaking,’ Swedish originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A mere eight years in the making, the Haiku Project has announced the release of Haiku R1/Alpha 1, the first official development release of the low footprint open source OS formerly known as OpenBeOS. Since it’s an alpha release, you’ll be expected to do your part identifying bugs and reporting glitches and the like — but here’s hoping that they at least got Firefox to run in relative stability this time ’round. We know you’re too damned giddy at the prospect of installing this thing on your netbook for any more of our prattle, so why don’t you just hit the read link and get started, then?

[Thanks, Hawkje]

Continue reading Haiku Alpha 1 available now: BeOS lovers of the world rejoice

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Haiku Alpha 1 available now: BeOS lovers of the world rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Have a habit of losing those DSi carts on the bus, in between the couch cushions or in other darker, more taboo locales? Fret not, as the carefree crew over at Blaze has your best interests in mind. Hailed as the first 3-in-1 game selector for Nintendo‘s DSi, this mildly unsightly attachment simply plugs into your game port and then houses a trio of your favorite titles. Once you’ve got it mounted, just flip the switch to change the title, though we’d suggest powering your DSi down before doing so. It’s available now to solve a problem you probably only think you have for £14.99 ($24).

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Blaze Nintendo DSi game selector improves cart management, uglies up your handheld originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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