The Current Buzz - Tech

Ace Computers promises $999 CableCARD HTPC at CES 2009

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:00:30 +0000

HTPCs may still be a niche market, but getting one equipped with a CableCARD for under a grand could do great things for adoption. Little-known Ace Computers will reportedly debut such a rig at CES, and the machine will be known as the LMS 250. It’ll be made available in a few configurations, one of which includes a triple-core AMD Phenom X3 and one that houses an Intel Core 2 Duo E7300; the former will be built around AMD’s Maui entertainment platform, while the latter could quite possibly be the last to use Intel’s own impossible-to-understand Viiv technology. Prospective customers with fatter wallets can upgrade the baseline rigs with a Blu-ray burner, but even the 9 edition will include 2GB of RAM, a 500GB HDD, internal ATI Digital Cable Tuner and between 8 and 12 USB ports. Sadly, we’re not tipped off on a release date, but hopefully we’ll learn of that — along with many other delicious, heart-healthy tidbits — in just a few days.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Media PCs

Ace Computers promises 9 CableCARD HTPC at CES 2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 08:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

VIA’s low-power Nano 3000 rumored to rival Intel’s Atom

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:00:27 +0000

Not that we didn’t already have a hunch that VIA was working up a dual-core Nano, but it seems that details are beginning to firm up just a bit. According to a new report over at China-based HKEPC, the dual-core Atom-killer will be dubbed the Nano 3000, and while it will still rely on a 65-nanometer manufacturing process, the power consumption should be much lower than existing Nano chips. Furthermore, it’ll reportedly boast SSE4 instruction support, integer / floating point enhancements and improved internal cache performance. The writeup has it that samples could begin shipping out as early as this quarter, with mass production expected to get going in Q3. So, is it safe to say this whole “netbook” thing has grown some legs, or is the Tamagotchi-like crash just around the bend?

[Via CNET]

Filed under: Laptops

VIA’s low-power Nano 3000 rumored to rival Intel’s Atom originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Toyota is definitely maybe developing solar-powered car

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:00:25 +0000

Around half a year ago, we heard that Toyota was engineering a Prius that would get part of its energy from the sun; now, we’re seeing an eerily similar story from Japan suggesting that the plan is still on. In a rather odd report, it’s noted that the automaker is “secretly (oh, is it now?) developing a vehicle that will be powered solely by solar energy,” though it’s also working on a partially solar-powered whip that’ll come out long before the pure solar alternative. Regrettably, details beyond that are few and far between, though the premise here is completely reasonable given the current economy and the desire for automobiles that run on anything other than petroleum. Guess we’ll check back in six months for yet another elusive report on the so-called progress.

Filed under: Transportation

Toyota is definitely maybe developing solar-powered car originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 06:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

A-DATA launches XPG Dual SSD RAID enclosure

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:00:19 +0000

So yeah, the easy part about getting the SSD RAID setup of your not-so-lofty dreams is the acquisition of A-DATA’s newest XPG Dual SSD RAID enclosure. The tough part is smuggling enough cash in through untraceable means to procure a few 256GB SSDs. For those who don’t mind living dangerously, the aforesaid chassis is compatible with twin 2.5-inch SATA SSDs and / or HDDs mounted on a standard 3.5-inch form factor drive cage. Users can connect it to a PC via SATA or USB once those drives have been acquired and installed, but you’ll have to wait until the end of this quarter to see it ship.

[Via Slashgear]

Filed under: Storage

A-DATA launches XPG Dual SSD RAID enclosure originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mysterious pink iPhone 3G hits eBay, cue onslaught of rumors

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 09:00:27 +0000

Say wha’?! An iPhone in a hue other than black, white, or silver? While a red model has been rumored since before the 3G even launched, we’ve never thought about a pink one — let alone one hitting eBay. The text on the back of the device convinces us that this isn’t a simple ColorWare job, but there aren’t any photos of the back of the packaging either. Our take? Some OEM in Asia whipping up custom colors. But hey, Macworld’s just under a week away, so who knows?

[Thanks, Gav]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Mysterious pink iPhone 3G hits eBay, cue onslaught of rumors originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Voodoo Firefly gaming laptop prototype gets hands-on treatment

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:00:33 +0000

While most of the hype surrounding Voodoo right now pertains to the Firebird gaming tower, LAPTOP has discovered yet another undercover rig from the company’s arsenal worth swooning over. Before you go getting too excited, we must caution you that the Firefly is merely a prototype at the moment, but we all know concepts are made with the intent to commercialize. With the fine print behind us, it’s worth reading up on what this Voodoo DNA’d machine offered up; for starters, you’ll notice a 17-inch panel and a hefty 13-pound frame. There’s also a multitouch trackpad, keyboard with customizable backlighting, a secondary 4.3-inch 800 x 480 display sitting beneath the main screen, a 2.4GHz Core 2 Extreme CPU, 4GB of RAM, two ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 GPUs and a 250GB HDD. No benchmarks were allowed, but Far Cry 2 ran “silky smooth” even with details maxed. For the rest of the nitty-gritty, we’ll direct you to the read link, and before you get all irate that this isn’t available for purchase, just be thankful this post isn’t about yet another teaser from Mr. Sood.

Filed under: Laptops

Voodoo Firefly gaming laptop prototype gets hands-on treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 01:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ask Engadget: Best current smartphone for under $200?

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:00:26 +0000

It’s 2009, folks, so we figured we’d start it off with a bang (and about a gazillion comments in this post). George, a proud member of the USMC, is pondering what to do about a new smartphone, and given that your New Year’s resolution was undoubtedly to ditch your dumbphone in favor of a more sophisticated model, you’ll probably be interested as well.

“I am currently in the market for a new carrier and phone. I have Verizon now, but I am not all that happy with its service in my area. With the release of all the high end phones nowadays, one could get easily lost in the details. I currently have the LG Voyager; I like the phone, but I feel trapped and can’t do much with it unless I pay for every little thing. I would like a mobile with WiFi, camera (with flash if possible), touchscreen, etc. I would like to stay under 0 with a 2-year contract. Any advice would be wonderful.”

It’s tough, ain’t it George? There’s the G1, iPhone 3G, Bold, Storm — the list rolls on. So, let’s spark up a sane, intelligent conversation on the pros and cons of each, all while remembering that our ideal handset sadly didn’t arrive in time for Christmas. Interested in getting your own inquiry up in here? Send one over to ask at engadget dawt com.

Filed under: Ask Engadget, Cellphones

Ask Engadget: Best current smartphone for under 0? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 01:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Meizu opens flagship store in Shenzhen

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:00:20 +0000

If you’re going to go to the trouble of procuring an M8 from Meizu, you may as well turn it into an authentic, memorable, world-class experience by making the pilgrimage to Shenzhen, China to pick it up in its hometown. Oh, but don’t just pick it up from some random street vendor — do it up right by swinging on over to Meizu’s shiny new flagship store, where you’ll be able to select your M8 (or at least see renders of the M8) in a comfortable, relaxed environment while rubbing shoulders with Meizu employees. The fresh digs just opened today, and pictures from the grand opening show an epic mass of humanity waiting for the doors to unlock — a promising sign for Meizu, and an unfortunate sign that the enochlophobes among us probably ought to wait a few weeks to make the trek.

[Via Meizu Me]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Meizu opens flagship store in Shenzhen originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jan 2009 23:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Leaked G1 firmware lets you revert to RC29

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:00:22 +0000

Did you accidentally flip the switch on that OTA update to RC30 and currently find yourself stuck with a non-root lifestyle? Well thanks to forum member chavonbravo over at xda-developers, things are about to get awesome for you. You can now revert back to RC29 with ease by snagging the uploaded image, renaming, copying to your microSD card, and running through standard procedure for re-flashing the phone. We can attest that the hack does indeed work, so feel free to proceed. Word to the wise, though: getting up to a modded RC30 isn’t as easy as some might have you believe, so set aside a little time to walk through the steps (check out ModMyGPhone’s guide page for clear instructions).

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones

Leaked G1 firmware lets you revert to RC29 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jan 2009 22:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Speaker mod turns iPods into shells of their former selves

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:00:22 +0000

There’s certainly plenty of reasons not to turn a pair of iPods into some portable speakers — difficulty, inevitably poor sound quality, pains of regret — but we’re guessing that the sight of the creation above will prompt at least a few folks to start scavenging for parts. Apparently taking some lessons learned from previous Altoids tin speaker mods, Jordan Horwich crafted these for a total cost of 0, which includes the cost of some front and back iPod panels and some rather extravagant shipping rates. As you might expect, the entire project is a tad tricky, and involves a good bit of soldering, plus some Dremel work to make everything fit just right. Hit up the link below for the complete details and parts list.

Filed under: Portable Audio

Speaker mod turns iPods into shells of their former selves originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments