Archive for May, 2009
May 26, 2009
Face it: in between waiting for Windows 7 to launch and tweaking the XP build on your newly purchased netbook, there’s this little thing called Windows Vista that needs to be maintained. Today, Microsoft did its part and released the standalone installers for the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Service Pack 2 for Vista and Server 2008. Now it’s all up to you. Hit the reads link to patch the Wow with a little SP2 Meh.
[Thanks, Justin W.]
Filed under: Desktops, Handhelds, Laptops
Windows Vista SP2 is live, ready to download originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 May 2009 07:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
May 26, 2009
Fascinating. Sony just figured out a simple truth of ultra-portable computing: for all its beauty, elegant hardware packed into a diminutive chassis will never make up for a perpetually sluggish OS, at least not for long. While it comes late to this understanding, Sony is finally making XP a standard load on its new VAIO P model VGN-P50. Not exactly aspirational, mind you, and very netbook-like… but at least it gets the OS out of the way of your applications unlike the original VAIO P Vista build. Any by not having to downgrade yourselves (or upgrade to Windows 7 RC), you’ll keep all of Sony’s optimizations like the VAIO P’s XMB interface. Starting June 6th, our Japanese friends will also see a 2GHz Atom Z550 processor bump in addition to WWAN data as standard. They’ll even toss in a 256GB SSD if you tick the right box. While we’d typically expect these specs to go global, the fact that we’re still stuck with a 1.33GHz processor Stateside makes us doubtful, bitter even, and more than a tad envious.
[Via Akihabara News]
Filed under: Laptops
Sony VAIO P set free with XP, still not a netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 May 2009 01:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Lenovo did itself a solid by beating the likes of Acer and ASUS with its Ion-infused IdeaPad S12, and now we’re beginning to see a few more details on what performance will be like. We still wish the machine had something a bit more powerful than a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270, but despite the fact that it’s hobbling along on an aged CPU, the machine seems to handle 3D gaming and 1080p content with poise. The crew over at Notebooks managed to spend a little quiet time with a pre-production version of the S12, and it even managed to host up a few videos while the machine was kicking out content that would make the typical netbook buckle. Feel free to hit the read link to have a look yourself, and be sure to mind the three American SKUs. Here’s a preview: the Ion-powered version (read: the one you want) will run $499.99 and include 1GB of RAM, a 6-cell battery and a 160GB hard drive.
[Via GottaBeMobile]
Continue reading Lenovo’s Ion-powered IdeaPad S12 shows HD prowess on video
Filed under: Laptops
Lenovo’s Ion-powered IdeaPad S12 shows HD prowess on video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 10:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Are you a druggie? A hipster? A white-collar suburbanite? Good news: the Pre might be for you. If you’re an “IT Centric business user,” though, steer clear — the Treo Pro might be a better fit. That’s the takeaway (sort of, we’ve admittedly taken some liberties) of one of the pages out of Sprint’s business playbook for the phone that reminds sales reps in big magenta text that they “can’t afford to sell the Pre to the wrong customers.” There aren’t any big surprises in here, but the takeaway seems to be that Windows Mobile is more manageable as a fleet device (as is BlackBerry, coincidentally) than webOS — a complaint frequently leveled against another buzzworthy, up-and-coming mobile platform, Android. That said, if we walked into a Sprint store expecting to buy a Pre and somehow ended up getting talked into a Treo Pro instead, we’d be feeling more than a little short-changed.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Sprint doc implores reps not to sell Pre to the wrong people originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 04:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The previously rumored Motorola portrait QWERTY slider Iron Man has popped up again, this time as the AT&T-bound Heron, with listed specs being a 2.8-inch touch screen, 3 megapixel camera with flash, aGPS, 3G, and a big red “subject to change” notice since the device has moved to (drumroll, please) Android OS. Planned availability is said to be November 2nd here, but we suspect these slides are a bit dated and that may ultimately be wholly off target. Also on the menu is another portrait slider, the Sawgrass. This one may in fact be Alexander, and if that’s the case, at least we’ve got a cleaner press shot to put on its tombstone. Then again, we hear from Boy Genius Report that it’s reincarnated under the name Somerset. The information you (probably) seek is in the gallery below.
Filed under: Cellphones
Motorola’s Sawgrass, Android-powered Heron do the vertical slide onto AT&T? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 May 2009 22:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Palm Pre secrets? That’s very quickly becoming a thing of the past. After getting some pretty good shots of webOS last week, the “invisible man” from PalmPreForum.org has uploaded an absolute ton of videos — fifteen in all, at last count — showcasing the interface from a leaked emulator given out to early developers (available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, in case you were wondering). Browser, tasks, memos, YouTube, Google Maps, backup, settings, copy and paste — frankly, we’re still wrapping our heads around all of them, and while it’s a shame we can’t see any multitouch gesture since he’s limited to a mouseclick, we’re not gonna be choosy here. Clear your afternoon schedule and check out the video playlist we’ve embedded after the break — and not to worry, the audio clears up right around the 9th video.
Read – YouTube channel
Read – PalmPreForum.org
[Thanks, Michael]
Continue reading Plethora of Palm Pre interface videos emerge from leaked emulator
Filed under: Cellphones
Plethora of Palm Pre interface videos emerge from leaked emulator originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 May 2009 13:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Samsung’s been dousing just about anything it can get its paws on with that ‘Touch of Color‘ design scheme, and even the outfit’s latest digiframe wasn’t able to dodge the madness. The 8-inch SPF-87H, which was originally introduced to the world back in April, is now shipping to those scouting a multifaceted digital photo frame. Unlike traditional alternatives, this 0.91-inch thick frame can double as a secondary display (via USB), and the respectable 800 x 480 resolution panel ensures that you can fit more than just a weather widget on there. Other specs include 1GB of built-in storage, an SD expansion slot, 500:1 contrast ratio and a $129 price tag.
[Via HotHardware]
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays
Samsung ships $129 SPF-87H 8-inch digiframe / secondary monitor originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 May 2009 07:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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May 24, 2009
It’s not often that a Mattel toy targets the 18 – 128 demographic, but we’ll be frank — the Mindflex has us all sorts of intrigued. Originally introduced at this year’s CES, said game is a brain-powered fun-fest that relies on intense mental activity to control the height of a ball suspended in a column of air. Early on, we heard that it would land sometime during this year for $80, but it seems as if only one of those factoids will prove true. Indeed, Amazon has it listed to ship on October 1st, which gives proactive parents plenty of time to stock up for the holidays. Unfortunately, the price seems to have inched up by a Jackson, as it’s currently up for pre-order at $99.99. Rest assured, however, that said price is far less than what you’ll pay on eBay if you’re empty-handed come December 20th.
[Via I4U News]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Gaming
Mattel’s Mindflex coming October 1st for $99.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 May 2009 00:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We had the pleasure of checking out BenQ’s Joybee GP1 pocket projector back in March at CeBIT, and now the bantam beamer is just about ready to ship here in the States. Starting now (like, right now), interested consumers can plop down $499 in order to secure a place in line, ensuring that you’ll be one of the first on the block to take possession of the planet’s first LED-based PJ with a USB reader. Specs wise, you’ll find a DLP projection system kicking out an 858 x 600 resolution, 100 ANSI lumens, a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, a built-in 2-watt speaker and VGA / component / composite inputs. Five bills sounds a little steep for what it is, but hey, it’s a 1.4 pound projector — did you really expect it to be economical?
Filed under: Displays
BenQ’s $499 Joybee GP1 pocket projector up for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 May 2009 19:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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With the App Store, App Catalog, App World, Ovi Store, and all shades of third-party mobile software stores out in the wild, Microsoft’s undoubtedly looking at Windows Marketplace as being one of the more important features it’s bringing to the table in the fanfare surrounding WinMo 6.5. Differentiating features that Redmond can pimp against the competition — all of which sound like identical concepts from a quick glance on paper — could be a key offensive weapon in keeping 6.5 playing with the big boys long enough to get WinMo 7 out of the door, but one thing we now know won’t be a part of that is a useful app sharing concept. As it was originally understood, the idea was that the Windows Marketplace would allow you to share purchased apps with up to a total of five devices, meaning friends, family, and coworkers could exchange wares. Seems like a good idea to casually spread the word about great software, but Microsoft’s now followed up to clarify: turns out you’ll only be able to share the app with five of your own phones, the idea being that you’ll be able to easily transfer software licenses when you upgrade to new hardware. To verify the link, you’ll need to use the same Windows Live ID on all devices — so unless you plan on sharing your htc_blue_angel_4_lyfe@hotmail.com with everyone you know, you’re out of luck.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Microsoft wants you to share WinMo apps with yourself; others, not so much originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 May 2009 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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