Gadget Train

ASUS may have been beaten to the punch by a few other companies and their bamboo-ensconced offerings, but it looks like it’s now getting its first bamboo laptop out the door at long last, and it’s taken the opportunity to finally get official with a price. Apparently, the first few 12-inch models will go on sale at Taiwan’s IT Month exhibition on Saturday, where they’ll run NT$59,900, or just over $1,800. Unfortunately, it’s not clear exactly which configuration that’ll get you, but, judging from the last word out of ASUS, even the base config seems to be pretty capable.

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS’ 12-inch bamboo laptop gets a price originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here in the US of A, we dedicate today to shoving copious quantities of food down our throats, meeting / greeting long lost family members and — most importantly — counting our blessings. Here around the Engadget table, we’ve found five “gadgets” (we’re being gracious here) that we’re absolutely grateful to not own. In fact, we’re thankful that we don’t even have to look at these if we don’t want to. ‘Course, we’re betting that you’re curious enough to give up that right to ignore in order to see just how pathetic these crapgadgets really are, but we’d recommend waiting at least an hour after your last gluttonous indulgence before clicking the links below. Obviously, we cannot be held responsible for any upchucking.

Read - Scale mouse
Read - Dual holster windshield mouse
Read - Disney’s Pixie Hollow Clickables
Read - Monkey USB hand warmer
Read - Red Piggy mouse

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals

Crapgadget: thanks for nothing edition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s Black Friday sales have appeared on their Australian site, giving us a little insight into the ‘deals’ we in the US can possibly expect tomorrow. It looks like the biggest cut will be on the new MacBooks and iMacs — up to $100 off, with some smaller discounts on iPods and the Apple TV. Everything else falls pretty much in line with what we’ve seen in previous years. It’s nothing terribly exciting or unexpected for sure, so if you were thinking about busting down the doors in search of a $7 iPhone tomorrow morning, you might want to cuddle in for a few extra winks instead.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Portable Audio

Apple’s completely unsurprising Black Friday deals appear on Australian site originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Nov 2008 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Twin Mount Windshield Holder is a sign of the times, eh? I can imagine that pretty soon we’ll have all sorts of equipment stuck to our windshields, GPS, cell phones, MP4 players, radar detectors, hot chocolate machines, you name it. Eventually it’s gonna be a bit tricky seeing past the [...]

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Here on Thanksgiving Eve, we’ve got two juicy Storm tidbits sure to make your Turkey Day that much more interesting. For starters, one fellow over on HoFo has purportedly unlocked his touchscreen BlackBerry for use on T-Mobile’s GSM network. Hot, right? The process involved sourcing a SIM unlock code from VZW, then updating the phone with software intended for the Bold. If you’re not confused yet, you’ll also need a dash of Elvish magic and a bit of luck, but you should know that you can’t tap into T-Mob’s 2G voice network and Verizon’s 3G data network at the same time. Next up, the Boy Genius has it on authority that two firmware updates are but weeks away, both of which will target some of the many issues that early adopters have been harping on since launch day. Hit the links below for more details on everything.

Read - Storm unlocked for T-Mobile [Via SlashGear]
Read - Storm updates [Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Cellphones

Two BlackBerry Storm updates imminent, handset unlocked for use on T-Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Deny it all you please, but the 3D revolution is here. LG is just the next brand in the growing line of consumer companies that are caving to the three-dee pressure, and according to Choon Lee, Vice President Director at the Digital TV Research Lab, LG will be launching at least one 3D TV next year. To quote: “3D TVs are the next big step for [LG]; we will try with one or two markets in 2009.” Regrettably, that’s about all the details he would give up, stopping short of confessing to which markets would first see the devices and when exactly during the course of next year they would launch. It’s cool, though — gives us ample time to get used to wearing those hideous glasses around the house without tripping over foreign objects.

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

LG to launch “one or two” 3D TVs in 2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So, you’ve a lead foot? What of it, right? Honda’s hoping to make that bad little habit vanish by using the tried and true guilt trip method, or more specifically, the Ecological Drive Assist System. For starters, the technology’s ECON Mode works with the CVT and engine to “support more fuel-efficient driving.” The real kicker, however, is the color-based “guidance function” — drive like a granny, your speedo lights up green, drive a little wilder, and things get a bit blue, and if you toss fuel economy to the wind and let ‘er rip, expect a full-on blue screen and the voice of God to come thundering through your sound system instructing that those horses be held. The EDAS should appear in the automaker’s Insight hybrid as early as Spring 2009, though there’s no word if it’ll be standard equipment on the rumored S3000.

Filed under: Transportation

Honda’s color-changing speedometer to drive out bad driving habits originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just six short months after Fedora 9 hit the tubes, in flies Fedora 10 to give you something new to tinker with over Thanksgiving break. The latest iteration of the Linux-based OS bundles in OpenOffice 3.0 and touts a “wide range of improvements in areas such as virtualization management, networking, boot time and security.” Don’t mind us, though — you can delve as deep as you like in the release notes while your download progresses.

[Via PC World]

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Fedora 10 goes live: your download awaits originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the battle between new 16-inch multimedia notebooks, it’s safe to say that Laptop Mag prefers Acer’s rig over Samsung’s R610. The Aspire 6930 (or 6930G-6723, if we’re talking specifics), was said to have an eye-catching design, great Blu-ray playback and solid all-around performance suitable for a media-minded lappie. Not to mention the sub-$1,000 sticker — that helped, too. In actuality, the only real knock was the fact that a 1080p display wasn’t included at the $999 price point, but we all know that’s just being greedy. These critics didn’t hesitate to dish out a 4 out of 5 star rating for Acer’s latest 16-incher, calling it “a winner” for anyone looking for a “relatively lightweight desktop replacement that’s not too expensive.”

Filed under: Laptops

Acer’s 16-inch Aspire 6930 reviewed: right on the money originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handhelds

Amazon Kindle 2 no longer rumored for this holiday season, according to rumor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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