Archive for September 27th, 2009

The white plastic MacBook has been looking pretty lonely at the bottom of Apple’s lineup ever since all the unibodies went Pro, but we’d been hearing Apple had some grand plans for the low-end — and now AppleInsider says revised MacBooks in a thinner, sleeker shell have hit manufacturing and could launch “in the coming weeks” alongside that rumored iMac refresh. AI also says there are hints at a new-school integrated battery and a white plastic case, but we’ll see what happens — anyone think Apple might cut prices below $999?

Filed under: Laptops

Apple about to unveil refreshed plastic MacBooks? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This sort of burst out of nowhere today, but word is that a new Nikon D3s will hit on October 15 — the crew at NikonRumors puts it at “99 percent probability.” The D3s is expected to add 1080p video and an 14fps burst mode to the D3, as well as a 1.6x crop mode, but other than that we don’t know too much. We’ll keep you updated, it looks like the leaks are coming fast and furious.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Nikon D3s with 1080p video rumored for release next month originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Miruko is the creepiest gaming device we’ve seen in a while — but it’s also downright awesome. A robotic interface boasting WiFi and a built-in camera, it’s designed to be worn and used in augmented reality, real life gaming situations, able to detect things — like monsters — that are invisible to the human eye. Once the robot detects the presence of said monster (or zombie), it fixes its gaze on the object, allowing the gamer to follow its line of sight and then.. you know, destroy it — using an iPhone camera. It’s also capable of locating and locking in on specific objects and faces, making it really useful in hunting down whatever imaginary creatures that have been following you lately. Check the coolness in the video after the break, but keep in mind — we’ve been able to see the invisible monsters all along.

[Via Pink Tentacle]

Continue reading Miruko wearable gaming eyeball robot turns the creep factor up significantly

Filed under: Gaming, Robots

Miruko wearable gaming eyeball robot turns the creep factor up significantly originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’re surely aware that your cellphone bleeds radiation into your face the whole time you’re on the phone with your mom, best friend or lover, right? Yes, it’s a fact we try not to think about most of the time, but now there’s a tool out there on the internets for the more reality-facing folks among us. The Environmental Working Group’s launched a website dedicated to rating cellphones on their radiation output alone. Ranking highly (meaning they put out the lowest levels of radiation) are the Motorola RAZR V8, and AT&T’s Samsung Impression. In fact, it seems that Samsung is cranking out the healthiest phones these days! Phones with poor showings includes T-Mobile’s myTouch 3G and the Blackberry Curve 8830. So hit the read link and tell us, how does your phone rate?

[Via bookofjoe]

Filed under: Cellphones

Website rates best and worst cellphones by radiation output levels — how does yours stack up? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a bit of a wait, but nettop enthusiasts are sure to be happy to hear this one. Acer’s NVIDIA Ion-powered Aspire Revo is now shipping from Newegg. The nettop — which boasts a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 230 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 160GB hard drive and Windows XP Home Edition — got itself a pretty solid review from Engadget back in April, though we did have some gripes about the CPU. It runs $199.99.

[Thanks, Kevin]

Filed under: Desktops

Acer’s Ion-boasting Aspire Revo nettop now shipping from Newegg originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While several shipping dates have come and gone, we’re still hopeful of seeing Garmin’s nuvifone in the flesh and on the street at some point in the future. If you’ve forgotten (and nobody would really blame you), the HSDPA, quad-band handset will boast GPS (of course), WiFi, Bluetooth, plus a full browser. The G60′s been available in Asia for some time now, and while a confirmed US launch has been much anticipated, no pricing has ever been announced. Rumors now abound that the device will carry a $300 price tag on contract, running about $550 without. Of course, it is just a rumor — and one that we hope is off base, too.

[Via Navigadget]

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS

Rumor: Garmin-ASUS nuvifone G60 to run $300? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 03:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was almost exactly a year ago that our hearts were stolen by Murata Seiko (Japanese for Murata Girl), the balance-blessed, unicycling robot. Murata Seiko didn’t perform surgery or serve cocktails at parties — she was no service bot… unless you consider pure, unadulterated, awe-inspiring entertainment a service. And we must admit, we do. Well, Murata’s going to be performing at CEATEC 2009, showing off her three-times increased speed, improved balance, and turning ratio. All of this culminates in her new-found ability to navigate a very thin balance beam. Check out the videos of her in action after the break.

Continue reading Murata Seiko unicycling robot gets an awesome upgrade

Filed under: Robots

Murata Seiko unicycling robot gets an awesome upgrade originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know, sometimes at Engadget, we feel compelled to cover a story not because it’s particularly new, or newsy, or relevant to the topics of the day. Sometimes, you just have to cover something because it’s amazingly cool. Enter this completely awesome video from the musician Denkitribe, wherein the DS, Korg DS-10 software, the software’s formant synthesis, and the natural talents of said musician are used to replicate the vocals from Daft Punk’s hit “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” There’s not much we can put in text which this doesn’t lay out in song. Check the whole thing after the break… you’ll thank us later.

[Via Technabob]

Continue reading DS, Korg DS-10′s formant synthesis used to create Daft Punk vocals, general awesomeness

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Gaming

DS, Korg DS-10′s formant synthesis used to create Daft Punk vocals, general awesomeness originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey, remember that totally wild, awesome looking “Atomic” Zune HD we spied evidence of in the source files a week or so ago? Well, we later saw an image or two of it, but now one’s shown up in the flesh on ebay — and for a starting bid of a mere 265 bones you might be able to snag it! This one’s a 32GB model, and while we still don’t know if it’s going to be officially released or not, we get the feeling that it probably will. Regardless, we’d advise starting a bidding war anyway. Oh, and we’re totally winning this one so hands off.

[Via Anything but iPod]

Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio

Atomic Zune HD explodes all over Ebay originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live Sky TV viewing via Xbox 360 didn’t make it into the most recent dashboard update, readers report page 17 of the network’s most recent SkyMag indicates it will arrive around mid-October. Additional details flesh out what’s available, while all Xbox Live Gold members (in the appropriate areas) will get access to the Sky Player similar to the PC implementation, you will need a Sky subscription with the appropriate channels to view sports and movie content. Look out for more updates at the skyplayer.com/xbox360 site, while those of us beyond the network’s reach wonder whether we can expect other features like Twitter (you’re following us, right?) Facebook and 1080p instant-on movie streaming to arrive at roughly the same time.

[Thanks, David]

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

Sky TV arriving on Xbox 360 in mid-October according to SkyMag; Twitter, Facebook & Zune to follow? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Sep 2009 19:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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