Archive for March, 2009
March 25, 2009
Looking to find out what’s the better gaming experience out there right now — Windows 7 beta or Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 — the folks at PC Perspective put both operating systems through the ringer with help from seven graphics cards running the gamut of price ranges. Overall, three ATI Radeon HD and four NVIDIA GeForce cards were pitted with six games and applications in one of the lengthiest benchmarking features we’ve ever read. AMD / ATI gets credit for being the first to release combined drivers that work on both OSs, and with one lone exception, performance on the Windows 7 machine was equal to or better than Vista. That said, the reccomendations for each system is the same: ATI gets an advantage here for cards in the $120 to $130 range, but the competition is much closer as you start looking at more expensive models. Hit up the read link for technical details that you can shake an anti-aliased stick at.
Windows 7 edges out Vista in thorough gaming benchmarks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 25, 2009
[Via Joystiq]
Filed under: Gaming
GameTrak Freedom motion controller for Xbox 360 outed at GDC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 25, 2009
At least one in five Engadget staffers can attest: car stereo crime was all the rage in the 1990s, and needless to say, we were all on the losing end of the deal. These days, however, larceny cases involving in-dash head units has dropped dramatically, and we’ve generally got no one but the auto makers to thank. Back in the day, factory stereos were downright laughable, and considering that most 1- and 2-DIN aftermarket decks could be installed in almost any car, the street value for those puppies was pretty high. Now, it’s tough to find a vehicle without a marginally decent player already in it, which has led to a 50 percent decline in reported car stereo thefts over the past 15 years. If we had a gun to our head, we’d guess these folks have all moved on to swiping iPods.
[Via Fark, image courtesy of Notla]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Portable Audio
Car stereo thieves looking elsewhere to make those ends originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 25, 2009
We know, you’re a firm believer that there’s evidence of thaumaturgy splattered all over here, but believe it or not, all it takes to create a camera in a new color is powerful signature and a little paint. As Pentax has done so often in the past, it’s pumping out new editions of old cameras with fresh hues. The latest duo to don new Springtime wardrobes is the K20D — which is now outfitted in titanium — and the K-m, which now sports an absolutely peculiar olive shade. Both models are being limited to 1,000 in quantity, and while no price is mentioned, we get the feeling a ticket to Tokyo may be your only shot at acquiring one.
Read – Olive K-m, via PhotographyBLOG
Read – Titanium K20D, via PhotographyBLOG
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Pentax douses K-m in olive, K20D in titanium originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Good news for those of you going bonkers over your expired DTV converter coupons — the voucher waitlist has been cleared out a little early and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is ready to accept new applications. No word on how many vouchers are left in the budget or how long it’ll take for this last batch to clear out, but hey — you should have had this taken care of months ago, Chico. Hop to it.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
DTV voucher waitlist gone, expired coupon holders can re-apply originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 24, 2009
Most of us are going to have to wait until at least May to get our hands on a 9630, but for well-connected individuals whose blogs rhyme with “Soy Beanius Report,” patience isn’t in the vocabulary. BGR’s gone and landed a 9630 and put it through its hybrid CDMA / GSM paces, and in short, it sounds like it’s a phone worth waiting for (not to say you’ve got many other options if you’re tied to Sprint or Verizon anyhow). Voice quality is described as “the best phone we’ve ever used,” battery life seems to be enough to get through a full day of use (and we wouldn’t be surprised to see this get better as the firmware continues to get tweaked ahead of launch), the screen is as good as the Bold’s amazing example, and the keyboard is “just right.” What’s amazing is that RIM’s managed to package all of this action into a device considerably smaller than the Bold — and if only they’d manage to throw in WiFi, it seems like we might be looking at the closest thing to BlackBerry perfection here. Verizon, Sprint, your move.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
BlackBerry Niagara 9630 reviewed in all its prerelease glory originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 24, 2009
If you’re still on the fence about picking up the Snap-on TV DVB-T tuner for your Archos 5, the crew at the French-language site Archos Lounge have snagged a copy and run it through the ringer. Turns out that even with that extra antenna, you’ll still need to be reasonably close to the signal source and preferably not blocked by too many walls if you plan on enjoying a broadcast. If all the conditions are optimal, they say it’s a pretty decent attachment. If that’s not enough, they also produced a “moving pictures” version of their review, completely with a rather kicking soundtrack. Dim the lights, grab some popcorn, and check out the video after the break.
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
Archos 5 Snap-on TV DVB-T tuner reviewed on video with disarmingly alluring soundtrack originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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For a company that gets so much (deserved) guff for endless, boring product iterations, ASUS also manages to sneak in a good amount of crazy functionality — some of it more gimmicky than others. ASUS has been doing multitouch trackpads since before they were hip, is toying with dual touchscreens and is even crazy enough to build the Fold / Unfold computer. Next up for the firm is voice control, with a whole team dedicated to voice recognition, and plans to ship Eee PC and Eee Top products by Q3 or Q4 of this year. According to ASUS CEO Jerry Shen they’re working with third parties in this effort, so we’re guessing they’re not going to reinvent the voice recognition wheel. Still, it’s a promising development for a line of computers that seem to suffer most when it comes to input methods — we’ll wait and see how well they pull it off.
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
ASUS promises voice-controlled Eee products by end of the year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 23, 2009
Calm down, vaquero. You’ve definitely seen this sucker before, but it was rockin’ the BeamBox Evolution R-1 label and headed for a release across the pond. Epoq‘s iteration, however, is on track for a US release, and in fact, it can be ordered up right this moment for those interested. Specs wise, you’re looking at a 640 x 480 resolution, 30 lumens of brightness, a 100:1 contrast ratio, SD card slot, a USB port and a size of 108- x 59- x 28-millimeters. Get in line for “just” $339.95.
[Via AboutProjectors]
Filed under: Displays
Epoq’s HH07 pico projector now on sale in US originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 23, 2009
Call it coincidence or call it fate, but nary a month after Microsoft filed a patent lawsuit against TomTom over Linux-based GPS systems, TomTom has just been taken into the warm, loving arms of the Open Invention Network. Said company, which was formed to “enable and protect Linux,” has just extended the Linux ecosystem with the signing of TomTom as a licensee. What this means is that TomTom is now cleared to leverage the benefits of Linux and all patents owned by OIN; the only catch is that TomTom cannot “assert its patents against the Linux System.” ‘Course, TomTom has been friends with Linux for quite some time now, but this deal could lead to faster development and enhanced innovation compared to what we’ve seen in the past. Color us intrigued.
Filed under: GPS
TomTom becomes Linux licensee, minds are filled with wonder originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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