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Archive for January, 2008

AgfaPhoto’s DV-5000G camera plays games, falls short of potential

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Posted Jan 31st 2008 3:31PM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Gaming
AgfaPhoto — you know, the company that used to just make really high-end gear, but now lends its name to lame sauce stuff built by plawa — has a new camera on display at PMA, the DV-5000G. In addition to the regular 5 megapixel camera duties, this thing works overtime as a 720 x 480 video camera — there’s 64MB of built-in memory, but we’re guessing you’ll want to hop to SD or SDHC in a hurry. Of course, most cameras do full-res video, but AgfaPhoto is also pulling a page out of DXG’s book and packing in video games, playable on the 3-inch “960 x 240″ screen (we’re guessing that’s a typo, and this thing is standard 320 x 240 QVGA). Unfortunately, the games are super weak, and there are no emulators in sight. We don’t think PMP or webcam functionality is going to save this one either, and the $260 pricetag seems a bit silly for what you’re getting. Let’s catch up at next year’s PMA, huh Agfa?

MythBuster vents about common tech headaches, offers fixes

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Posted Jan 31st 2008 11:31AM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: Misc. GadgetsThey’re about as far from myths as you can get, but MythBuster Jamie Hyneman nonetheless took it upon himself to explore seven tech headaches that many of you are likely all too familiar with in the latest issue of Popular Mechanics, and he’s offered a few suggestions on how companies could fix ‘em. Those headaches include the ever-popular cordless tools with endless varieties of battery packs and chargers (which he suggests should be replaced by stackable 6-volt modules), fancy flashlights that use pricey batteries (which he thinks we’d be better off without), and cars with obnoxious electronics and near-impenetrable encasements. Of course, cellphones and their myriad of charges and connectors aren’t spared either, although Hyneman sees some hope in the Open Mobile Terminal Platform that aims to make micro-USB the standard, and, as you might have guessed, he pays particular notice to computers that come pre-loaded with scores of unnecessary software. On that last note, he also offers some action consumers can take themselves: switch to Ubuntu.

[Thanks, Niall]

SanDisk pushes SDHC to 32GB

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Posted Jan 31st 2008 12:38PM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Storage
The bits, they just keep coming — now that 16GB SDHC cards are old hat, SanDisk’s gone and upped the ante with these new 32GB cards. That’s the new record, but you won’t be able to get your hands on one until April, when they ship for $349. A 16GB version and a new 8GB Ultra II SDHC Plus with flip-out USB connecter will also hit in March for $179 and $99, respectively — but you know you want the big’un, don’t lie.

AT&T wireless data outages hit the Midwest, other areas

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Posted Jan 31st 2008 12:13PM by Paul Miller
Filed under: CellphonesWe’re getting reports from all over that AT&T customers are having trouble with 3G and EDGE data. A majority of the complaints are coming from the Midwest / Chicago areas, where things seem to be down entirely, but we’ve also heard from folks as far away as Florida. Team Engadget hasn’t hit any snags in New York or Vegas where we’re currently situated, but let us know if you’re having troubles wherever you might be — and what color crayon to use for this fancy “threat level” printout we’ve got pinned to the wall.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Acer gobbles up 75% of Packard Bell

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Posted Jan 31st 2008 11:10AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Just like expected, Acer has formally bought into Packard Bell, snapping up 75% of PB Holdings, Packard Bell’s parent company. Things got a bit hairy for a bit there when Packard Bell started speaking with Lenovo as well, since Acer fears losing its strength in Europe to the Chinese giant. Luckily for Acer, Gateway was the real clincher here, since Gateway started talks with Packard Bell before getting bought by Acer itself, and had nabbed the right to counter any offers Packard Bell might get from other companies. The deal officially went through on Wednesday for $45.8 million.

Asus announces E-TV, E-DT, E-Monitor

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Asus will be adding to the lineup of Eee products, no longer will it just be limited to the much talked about ultra-portable Eee PC laptop. Asus will begin offering LCD TV’s, a desktop PC and all-in-one style computer similar to the iMac and XPS One.

The LCD TV line is going to enter the larger than 42-inch market and is expected to retail for no higher than $200 more than competing brands. They will “integrate the Linux-based PC functionality of other Eee PC products,” and are looking for a September launch.

The desktop PC will be the E-DT and will initially feature an Intel Celeron processor with later models to use Intel’s Shelton’08 platform with Diamondville processors and the 945GC chipset. The E-DT is expected to retail for $200-$300 and it will ship without a monitor. An April or May launch is expected.

The final product in the new lineup will be the E-Monitor, an all-in-one style computer that will feature a 19-21-inch display and include an internal TV tuner. The E-Monitor is expected to be available this September and retail for just $499. The E-Monitor will be using Intel’s Shelton’08 platform from the initial launch.

In a little bit of sad news for those waiting for the touchscreen Eee PC, Yen Ting Chen mentioned that their research indicated that there is not enough demand, so you can cross that off your wish list.

Via [DigiTimes]

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Pac-Man lights up your world

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Damn! Now why didn’t they have this during Christmas? Check out this Pac-Man lights that are truly a blast from the past while lighting up your world at the same time. I guess the little yellow fellow did just that back when you were a teen, hanging out at sleazy arcades although the glow from the arcade cabinet could not quite compare to this. Thanks to French lighting company Remake Design, these interlocking light blocks consist of colored ghosts, dots, as well as everybody’s favorite pie chart - Pac-Man. A set of four blocks will cost somewhere in the region of 1,200 quarters - that’s $300 for the mathematically-challenged.

Source: Technabob

Keepin’ it real fake, part CVIII: the PX-3600 gaming console

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Posted Jan 31st 2008 8:02AM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Gaming
We’re pretty certain middle schoolers across the world have sketched this exact console 10,000 times, but that still doesn’t make it right.

700MHz auction exceeds $10 Billion, open-access just one bid away

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Posted Jan 31st 2008 7:00AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: WirelessWith weeks still to go, your dysfunctional Uncle Sam is briskly rubbing his hands at having raised more than $10 Billion from the 700MHz auction. This, after just 16 rounds of bidding. But we’re not happy to say the least. The all powerful, all propagating 700MHz “C” Block continues to stagnate at a bid of $4.3B — unchanged since round 13. Perhaps the other contestants are waiting to see if Google carries through with their $4.6B pledge to trigger the open-access rule. Round 17 begins in just 3 hours and requires a minimum bid of $4,713,823,000. So let’s get the lead out bidders, what’s another $400 million compared to our undying loyalty?

Hands-on with the Canon EOS Rebel XSi DSLR

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Posted Jan 31st 2008 2:10AM by Steven Kim
Filed under: Digital Cameras
We got our hands on what’s probably one of the most anticipated cameras of the show, the Canon EOS Rebel XSi DSLR. The predecessor XTi model was crazy successful, so smart money says that the step up to a 3-inch live view LCD, 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, 9-point AF and Canon’s DIGIC III processing will help continue the trend. That’s a lot of features packed into this “starter” DSLR from Canon. With this body and all the lenses Canon has, this is one entry level that most folks will never need to leave.

Gallery: Hands-on with the Canon Rebel XSi DSLR