Archive for December 29th, 2009

LG just announced its first commercial products for the fledgling US Mobile DTV standard approved in October. First up is what appears to be a DTV-ified LG Lotus clamshell — a phone first introduced in 2008 but now capable of extracting digital TV from the aether with an assist from that telescoping antenna. Also set for a CES launch is that DP570MH portable DVD player that lets viewers watch up to 4-hours of ATSC-approved Mobile DTV broadcasts before heading back for a charge. LG’s also promising more ATSC Mobile DTV devices from Dell (laptops), Kenwood, and others including in-car receivers all using LG’s LG2160A ATSC-M/H tuner chip. Still, mobile antennas and DVD players… how can something so new feel so retro?

LG goes nouveau nostalgic with first US Mobile DTV devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Physicists created the first black hole in an Bose-Einstein Condensate (albeit a sonic one)

Acoustic Black Hole Created in Bose-Einstein Condensate

The creation of an acoustic black hole leaves the way open for the discovery of Hawking radiation

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If you thought the automakers would be leaving CES to the TV and PMP makers, Ford would like to have a word with you. A few words, actually. Aside from announcing that in-car WiFi will be available next year, the iconic blue oval is today calling itself the first car manufacturer to offer factory-installed HD Radio with iTunes tagging capabilities. Slated to become available on select 2011 Ford models sometime next year, the implementation will enable listeners of HD Radio to “tag” songs they like via a single button press; from there, the song information will be logged within the radio’s memory, and up to 100 tags on Sync can be stored until an iPod is connected to suck them down. Once that data hits the iPod, users can then preview or purchase them conveniently through iTunes. There’s no word yet on pricing (we’re being forced to wait until CES), but we’re guessing it’ll demand quite the premium.

Continue reading Ford becomes first automaker to offer HD Radio with iTunes tagging

Ford becomes first automaker to offer HD Radio with iTunes tagging originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you thought the automakers would be leaving CES to the TV and PMP makers, Ford would like to have a word with you. A few words, actually. Aside from announcing that in-car WiFi will be available next year, the iconic blue oval is today calling itself the first car manufacturer to offer factory-installed HD Radio with iTunes tagging capabilities. Slated to become available on select 2011 Ford models sometime next year, the implementation will enable listeners of HD Radio to “tag” songs they like via a single button press; from there, the song information will be logged within the radio’s memory, and up to 100 tags on Sync can be stored until an iPod is connected to suck them down. Once that data hits the iPod, users can then preview or purchase them conveniently through iTunes. There’s no word yet on pricing (we’re being forced to wait until CES), but we’re guessing it’ll demand quite the premium.

Continue reading Ford becomes first automaker to offer HD Radio with iTunes tagging

Ford becomes first automaker to offer HD Radio with iTunes tagging originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a while since we first saw the $199 NorhTech Gecko hit the scene, but the AA-powered netbook looks to finally be hitting US shores in proper fashion, and the crew at Lilliputing just got their tester. Inside it’s no great shakes, with a 1GHz Xcore86 processor, 512MB of RAM, an 8GB SD card, and an 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 display — but almost every component can be swapped out for a more powerful variant, including the processor. That’s certainly intriguing, especially for the education market NorhTech is targeting, but we’re mostly on the edge of our seats waiting to find out how long those AAs last under some real use. Check one video after the break and another at the read link.

Continue reading NorhTech Gecko netbook loaded up with AAs and booted

NorhTech Gecko netbook loaded up with AAs and booted originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, well, it looks like Camangi’s WebStation is finally making good on its shipments. The first of Gear Diary’s two pre-orders arrived and the gang has been more than happy to put together quick unboxing video for us to enjoy. It’s a pretty standard box with equally customary assortment of packaged accessories, suction cup stand (pictured) notwithstanding. The 7-inch Android tablet looks pretty matched with the Nook in terms of overall size, but by design that lends itself to having a larger overall screen. Not much in the way of impressions at this point, but if you’re the type of person who can be satisfied with a video and a handful of product / comparison shots, hit up Gear Diary for the still frames and stay tuned after the break for the “moving pictures” version.

Continue reading Camangi WebStation lands in American hands, promptly unboxed on video

Camangi WebStation lands in American hands, promptly unboxed on video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’d heard webOS 1.3.5 would be coming to the Pre on Sprint today, and here we go — it’s being pushed to devices right now. The official changelog is quite long, but the big-ticket tweaks include the removal of the app storage limit, better performance, and improved battery life. We’ll let you know how our update goes — you let us know the same now, kaykay? Kay.

Sprint now pushing webOS 1.3.5 to the Pre originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Finding itself with a wealth of a additional bandwidth thanks to a new satellite going up today, DirecTV may have already decided its first big addition will be 3D. Citing the always popular unnamed sources, HD Guru says we should prepare for a CES announcement that the bird will be up and running by March beaming down a collection of movies, sports and TV shows in 3D HD, requiring only a firmware upgrade on existing set-top boxes to tune into the new stations. UK satellite provider Sky has already tipped its hand about 2010 3D plans, with a newly freshened HDMI spec expected to ease things along and nearly every manufacturer either already producing compatible displays or planning to announce them in less than a week there’s very little doubt remaining about whether broadcast 3D is coming home this year, only how and when.

DirecTV 3D broadcasts coming in early 2010? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he’ll explore where our industry is and where it’s going — on both micro and macro levels — with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

Harry McCracken has a great post on Technologizer reviewing the tremendous buzz around the iPhone right before it launched — it was about three years ago at this time that rumors were swirling around Apple getting into the phone market. All sorts of predictions had been made for years, dating back to a 2002 New York Times piece in which John Markoff said “Mr. Jobs means to take Apple back to the land of the handhelds, but this time with a device that would combine elements of a cellphone and a Palm -like personal digital assistant.” Of course, it took until 2007 for Apple to announce the iPhone and nearly six months longer for Apple to actually ship it.

The rumors of Apple doing a phone back then were at about the same fever pitch of the recent Apple tablet rumors. Like the iPhone, the tablet rumors aren’t at all new — in this case we can go back to 2003 for some of the earliest stories about this mythical device. Will Apple introduce a tablet in 2010, as some predict? Will there be in an introduction in January? What features might it have, and how could it be sold and positioned? I’m not going to speculate on those things for two reasons: first, if I don’t know, my guess is as good as yours — and second, if I do know, I probably couldn’t tell you anything, could I? Having said that, I find it remarkable that the latest tablet buzz so closely echoes the run-up to the iPhone. Call it déjà vu all over again.

Continue reading Entelligence: iSlate or just uWish?

Entelligence: iSlate or just uWish? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey, now this isn’t your average, everyday, boring netbook now is it? Well, at least not in looks, anyway. The Sheng T108, which has recently been spotted in Shenzhen, China, has a brushed aluminum chasis that makes it stand out from the crowd, to be sure. Internally, you’ll find this 10.1-incher boasting an Intel Atom N280 CPU, 2GB of DDR2 memory, and a 250GB hard drive — nothing volcanically surprising, but not too shabby either. It’s also got a 3-cell battery, a VGA port, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi support, a built in webcam, and a SIM card slot for 3G connectivity. The pricing is said to be somewhere in the realm of $300, and while there’s no word on availability of this puppy outside of China, we’ll certainly keep our eyes peeled for you. One more shot after the break.

Continue reading Sheng T108 brushed aluminum netbook appears

Sheng T108 brushed aluminum netbook appears originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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