Wednesday, March 31, 2010

IT News HeadLines (Engadget) 31/03/2010



Seton Hill University hands out iPads to students
If there's one thing that universities are good at, it's dreaming up trendy technology initiatives. Apple knows that (as does McGraw-Hill) so it's no surprise that the company's been pushing to get the iPad adopted by schools around the country. And so it begins: Seton Hill University, a school in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, has announced that starting this fall all full-time students will get a slate of their own. We thought that the Kindle as textbook replacement idea was a little whackadoodle, and we don't have much hope in the iPad as a textbook replacement either. But if the school's aim is to get students playing Super Monkey Ball and up-to-date on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, then we might have a winner here.

Seton Hill University hands out iPads to students originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TUAW | sourceSeton Hill University | Email this | Comments
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Pixel Qi and OLPC to share all current and future screen tech
Our man Nicholas Negroponte was certainly excited about pushing the state of the art forward with future versions of the OLPC when we hosted him on The Engadget Show earlier this month, and now he's got one more tool to help make that happen: the OLPC Foundation and Pixel Qi just signed a permanent and free cross-license on a slew of next-generation screen technology patents, including Pixel Qi's sweet dual-mode displays. If you're recall, Pixel Qi's Mary Lou Jepson actually developed part of the 3Qi screen tech while at OLPC, so there was some mild confusion over who owned what -- but the two organizations have solved that problem by cross-licensing all future and current IP covering multi-mode screens. See, it's easy for two tech companies to get along... especially when one is actually a charity that's not at all concerned with profits. Super simple. So -- let's get working on that OLPC XO-3, shall we?

Pixel Qi and OLPC to share all current and future screen tech originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceBusinesswire, OLPC News | Email this | Comments
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Modern Warfare 2 map update leaves Xbox Live in a world of hurt
We've held off as long as possible, but the tips just keep flooding in -- Xbox Live has a problem, and evidently it's a rather noticeable one. Word on the street has it that a new Modern Warfare 2 map update has made a number of Xbox Live features unusable, including online MW2 gameplay. We're also hearing that the Xbox Live Marketplace is off-and-on, and even Microsoft admits that quite a few other things are acting quirky. The good news is that a fix is on the way, so we'd suggest grabbing that lunch you've been denying yourself and trying again later. Hey, aren't you supposed to be working right now, anyway?

P.S. - Let us know if you're running into any issues in comments below, cool?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Modern Warfare 2 map update leaves Xbox Live in a world of hurt originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceXbox | Email this | Comments
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Screen Grabs: Nate Archibald dials up Google Latitude to locate poor Jenny
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com.

Oh, Jenny Humphrey -- will you ever learn? It's not at all smart to sneak out at night wearing a seductive outfit, only to find your way into a club, get plastered and open yourself up to all sorts of regrettable mischief. Thankfully, Gossip Girl's own Nathaniel Fitzwilliam Archibald is an experienced Droid owner, and he's also in the business of saving damsels in distress. Having Google Latitude just a click away sure is convenient, but having this particular gal's phone number just a Tommy Tutone jam away doesn't hurt, either. Makeshift vid of the rescue is just past the break.

Continue reading Screen Grabs: Nate Archibald dials up Google Latitude to locate poor Jenny

Screen Grabs: Nate Archibald dials up Google Latitude to locate poor Jenny originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-shirt modded to let you know when you have new emails, won't tell you why your friends are avoiding you
You probably don't have enough reminders that you're always a little behind, right? Well Chris and his wife Madeline decided to make one more for themselves: a t-shirt that lights up when you have new emails, and also tells you the number in your inbox. Using an Arduino Lilypad microcontroller, a few LEDs, conductive thread, and a Bluetooth dongle to communicate with an Android phone nearby (which has access to the inbox), Chris took a custom printed shirt and rigged up this badboy. It's actually pretty good looking as far as these things go, but we still don't know if we need this in our already alert-ridden lives. Regardless, the video's after the break if you're thinking about cobbling together your own.

[Thanks, Juergen ]

Continue reading T-shirt modded to let you know when you have new emails, won't tell you why your friends are avoiding you

T-shirt modded to let you know when you have new emails, won't tell you why your friends are avoiding you originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceChris Ball | Email this | Comments
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Engadget test drives the Chevy Volt (video)
For a car that's been as eagerly anticipated and hyped as the Chevrolet Volt, seeing it in person is not exactly an awe-inspiring experience. In fact if you don't look twice it's very easy to mistake it for Chevy's Cruze, an eco-friendly (though decidedly traditionally powered) small car. The Volt is, of course, a little more special -- a car with both electric and internal-combustion engines on-board. That's not a particularly rare thing in this age of the Prius, but Chevrolet is being very clear: the Volt is an electric car, not a hybrid, and if you read on after the break we'll tell you exactly why -- and what it's like to drive one.

Gallery: Chevy Volt test drive

Continue reading Engadget test drives the Chevy Volt (video)

Engadget test drives the Chevy Volt (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon begins Android 2.1 update rollout for Motorola Droid
Flippin' finally, right? Verizon Wireless put the long-awaited Android 2.1 update on hold for its cadre of Motorola Droid owners earlier in the month, with an all-too-vague "TBD" as the only detail as to when we could look for it to actually, really land. We've just happened upon what looks to be an internal Verizon email that went out this morning, and sure enough, it sounds as if the update will at long last begin hitting Droid owners in just a few minutes. At noon on 3/30 (that's today, vaquero), a grand total of 1,000 users will receive notification of the update, while 9,000 more will get a similar alert just before midnight. If all goes well, the rest of ya will see v2.1 slide down starting on Thursday, though it looks as if patience will be your only friend as you await your turn. Head on past the break for the full memo, but don't get your hopes up too high -- wouldn't want to be let down again, would you buttercup?

Oh, and drop us a tip if you see the update hit your phone, alright?

Continue reading Verizon begins Android 2.1 update rollout for Motorola Droid

Verizon begins Android 2.1 update rollout for Motorola Droid originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC EVO 4G dev guide released: it's really boring, but the phone is still cool
See that picture right there? That's a photo of the HTC EVO 4G, the universe's first Android-based 4G phone for the Sprint WiMAX network, plugged into a TV over HDMI. Sure, you could hit up this source link, a Google Doc guide for developers looking to sling together EVO 4G-compatible Android applications before the best-specced phone on the planet is released this summer, but you might get bored with the abundance of code and shortage of amazing photos like this one depicting the greatest piece of technology known to man. It's 720p out, just in case you were curious or lacking in faith.

[Thanks, Mika]

HTC EVO 4G dev guide released: it's really boring, but the phone is still cool originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MobileTechWorld | sourceSprint | Email this | Comments
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Samsung's SMX-C20UN is compact, oddly angled, and YouTube friendly
Samsung's had this thing with the angled lenses lately. Apparently the camera is much more ergonomic when pointed down 25 degrees -- which is probably a much less natural shooting position as well, but we'll leave that up to you to decide. Anyways, the company's newest such beauty, the SMX-C20UN, features a 2.7-inch display, 1/6-inch (680K) CCD sensor, 10x optical zoom, SDHC storage, and support for H.264 video. As is usually the case nowadays, video can be edited on the camera and uploaded directly to YouTube -- perfect for capturing those embarrassing v-blogs before you sober up and your social filter kicks in. Available now for $200.

Samsung's SMX-C20UN is compact, oddly angled, and YouTube friendly originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear | sourceSamsung | Email this | Comments
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Sling working on player for iPad, Windows Phone 7 Series
Looks like Zatz got the goods from the folks at Sling, who have a few interesting tidbits currently in the development pipe. Zatz not Funny is reporting that Sling's Mobile Prouct Marketing Manager, Dave Eyler, has told him that the company is "actively moving towards H.264" and Silverlight support, as well as delivering streaming with resolutions beyond the current 320x240. Though there are no firm details or timelines yet, this means we should definitely be expecting SlingPlayer Mobile versions for the iPad and Windows Phone 7 Series. While Sling says it won't have anything ready for the iPad's launch, we've got our fingers crossed that we'll see it soon.

Sling working on player for iPad, Windows Phone 7 Series originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceZatz not Funny | Email this | Comments
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WD intros standard-height 2.5-inch 750GB Scorpio Blue HDD
Western Digital already shipped the industry's first 2.5-inch 1TB hard drive last summer, but unfortunately for most, it couldn't be used as a drop-in solution for upgrading one's laptop drive. The reason? It relies on an unorthodox 12.5mm height form factor, while the vast majority of laptops only support 9.5mm height drives. Now, the outfit has pushed out a 750GB Scorpio Blue, a 2.5-incher that does indeed utilize the standard height form factor, and while this here unit includes Advanced Format and WhisperDrive, the 5,400RPM spindle speed is admittedly disappointing. It's tough to argue with the $149 price, though, and it's available now if you've been hankering for more space within your mobile workhorse.

WD intros standard-height 2.5-inch 750GB Scorpio Blue HDD originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceWestern Digital | Email this | Comments
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Dell Precision M4500 now shipping with $1,549 starting price
With specs and prices easily reaching into the stratosphere, we weren't quite sure where Dell's new 15-inch Precision M4500 workstation would land -- the 17-inch M6500 has a starting price of $1,799, but that's only after $310 of "instant savings." Well, it looks like we're getting off (relatively) easy with the M4500, with a Core i5-520M 2.5GHz model running for $1,549 and still managing to pack in those NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M Graphics. Of course, we imagine you'll quickly be running up that bill -- 2GB of slow RAM, a 1366 x 768 LCD, and no WiFi just aren't going to cut it -- but with tempting options like a secondary 64GB SSD minicard drive and the ever-frivilous Precision ON, it's not like we were sticking near that base price anyway. Expect to spec out something truly delicious in the $2,500+ range. Our biggest disappointment? Backlit keyboard is optional, something that's standard even on the Vostro line these days.

Dell Precision M4500 now shipping with $1,549 starting price originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceDell | Email this | Comments
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AT&T's 24Mbps U-verse broadband hits 22 new states, 120 new markets

Maybe you're sick of waiting for FiOS, maybe Time Warner or Comcast have rubbed you the wrong way, or maybe you just really want in on that mobile DVR action AT&T announced last week. Whatever the reason, if you're interested in U-verse the Max Turbo broadband service now available in 120 new markets across 22 states. That entails maximum download speeds of 24Mbps with 3Mbps upstream -- less than half the maximum speed offered by Verizon or most cable companies, but its cost of $65 per month actually makes it quite competitive against mid-tier broadband plans. What AT&T hasn't said is exactly which new states and markets can now join in the fun, but there's an availability checker on the site that will quickly tell you the good or bad news.

AT&T's 24Mbps U-verse broadband hits 22 new states, 120 new markets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Cnet | sourceAT&T | Email this | Comments
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Celsius X VI II LEDIX, the $300k tourbillon dumbphone, gets handled
Celsius X VI II LEDIX, the $300k dumbphone, gets handled
Yes, folks, what you are looking at is perhaps the world's most overly complex cellphone, and it has been given an overly complex name to match: the Celsius X VI II LEDIX. All those roman numerals don't convey the sense of power you'll feel in holding this to the side of your face while yelling at your assistant in a futile attempt at gaining the respect of your peers. Despite the phone quite naturally having a battery inside, the (soon to be broken) watch mechanism is purely mechanical, given another three hours of life each time you open and close this clamshell. Inside you can gaze at a design straight out of 1998 and functionality not much more advanced -- a simple browser, text messaging, and tri-band GSM. 3G isn't even on offer here folks, but when you're this rich you can pay other people to download high-res lolcat pictures for you.

Celsius X VI II LEDIX, the $300k tourbillon dumbphone, gets handled originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceaBlogtoRead.com | Email this | Comments
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Dell Latitude E6410 and E6510 emerge overseas, Core i5 / i7 and all
We spotted this suit-and-tie wearing pair sneaking through the FCC's lairs a few weeks ago, and now we know the whens and wheres of buying one... in the UK, anyway. The Dell Latitude E6410 is currently listed with a base price of £749 ($1,128) and features a 14.1-inch display (WXGA and WXGA+ options), a Core i5 or Core i7 processor, Windows Vista or 7, a pair of DDR3 RAM slots, NVIDIA's NVS 3100M (512MB) graphics, a variety of storage options, a Blu-ray or DVD drive, optional mobile broadband and all the expected ports around the edges. The E6510 steps up to a 15.6-inch panel (with a 1080p version selectable) and offers up a few extra CPU options, but otherwise it's identical. There's no word on when these kind fellows will make their way stateside, but if we were the betting type, we'd put our pounds and / or greenbacks on "real soon."

Continue reading Dell Latitude E6410 and E6510 emerge overseas, Core i5 / i7 and all

Dell Latitude E6410 and E6510 emerge overseas, Core i5 / i7 and all originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Notebook Review, VR-Zone | sourceSpecifications [PDF], E6410, E6510 | Email this | Comments
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Motorola's i1 hitting SouthernLINC Wireless, Georgians and Alabamians rejoice
Motorola's i1 hitting SouthernLINC Wireless, Georgians and Alabamians rejoice
Moto's i1 went from rumored device to ready for retail over the span of just a few weeks, and now we're finding out just where it'll be available -- though the news isn't exactly good. Motorola is announcing that the iDEN device will be hitting SouthernLINC first, a rural carrier that you may not have heard of if you're outside of Alabama, Georgia, or the western half of the Florida panhandle. That is the extent of this carrier's coverage, and so it's not a huge coming out party for this military spec push-to-talk smartphone, but we're hoping down the road it gets a little more love from carriers with slightly broader coverage maps.

Motorola's i1 hitting SouthernLINC Wireless, Georgians and Alabamians rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceMotorola | Email this | Comments
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Microvision lets others sample its PicoP Laser Display Engine
Microvision lets others sample its PicoP Laser Display Engine
We're guessing that if you haven't bought a pico projector by now it isn't because they're just too big, but Microvision is doing its part to help make 'em smaller nonetheless. The company has begun initial shipments of its PicoP Laser Display Engine, found inside the Show WX, for other companies who want to make their own projectors -- or rifles. The circuitry that's half the size of the tech in competing pico projectors while still managing WVGA (848 x 480) resolution and a 5000:1 contrast ratio. No word on cost but we're guessing there's a discount if you buy in bulk, and shipping ought to be cheap.

Microvision lets others sample its PicoP Laser Display Engine originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceBusinessWire | Email this | Comments
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Large Hadron Collider to search for God Particle using 7 TeV proton collisions, via live webcast (update: first collisions, video!)
The Large Hadron Collider is about to turn useful, people. Having recently jacked up its particle acceleration power to create 3.5 TeV (trillion electron volts) collisions, the researchers are today pressing ahead with plans to go to a full 7 TeV, which -- you won't be surprised to hear -- has never been done before. Provided the requisite 3.5 TeV per beam is reached, sustained and properly channeled into creating useful collisions, CERN will finally have the data it needs to start its long-awaited physics program based off the findings provided by the LHC. Best of all? The latest world record attempt is being broadcast live over the web right now so why not hit up that link below to witness some history in the making?

Update: The momentous first protonic collisions at 7 TeV have just taken place, at just past 1PM CET. Now the time comes for researchers to parse all the incoming raw data, pore over it, analyze it, etc. We'll leave that to them, it's not like you can expect the God Particle to be discovered instantly. To fill the time, we invite you to come past the break for our blow-by-blow updating adventure from this morning plus video of the big moment.

Continue reading Large Hadron Collider to search for God Particle using 7 TeV proton collisions, via live webcast (update: first collisions, video!)

Large Hadron Collider to search for God Particle using 7 TeV proton collisions, via live webcast (update: first collisions, video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceCERN (Live webcast), (Press release) | Email this | Comments
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Windows 7 is safer when the admin isn't around
Not that we necessarily needed a report to tell us this, but the fewer privileges you afford yourself as a Windows user, the more secure your operating system becomes. Such is the conclusion of a new report from BeyondTrust, a company that -- surprise, surprise -- sells software for "privileged access management." The only way we use Windows 7 is as admins and we've never had a moment's bother, but some of you like stats, and others among you might be involved in business, which tends to make people a little more antsy about these things. So for your collective sake, let there be pie charts! The report looks into vulnerabilities disclosed by Microsoft during 2009 and concludes that all 55 reported Microsoft Office issues and 94 percent of the 33 listed for IE could be prevented by simply running a standard user account. Or using better software, presumably. Hit the PDF source for more info -- go on, it's not like you have anything better to do while waiting for the Large Hadron Collider to go boom.

Windows 7 is safer when the admin isn't around originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 06:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET | sourceBeyondTrust (PDF) | Email this | Comments
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Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus approved for European vacation
With Palm's Pre Plus (model P101) and Pixi Plus (model P121) already granted US domicile by their FCC host, it's only natural that they'd seek adventure elsewhere before getting serious and going to work for AT&T. Now the Global Certification Forum (GFC) has approved what must be the European versions of Palm's Plus handsets: models P101UEU and P121UEU. Both are quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE as well as dual-band UMTS/HSDPA on the 2100/900MHz frequencies. Now if only Palm could get a few more carriers and countries on board it might actually move some meaningful device quantities in Europe.

Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus approved for European vacation originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 06:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceThe Unwired | Email this | Comments
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Amazon's frustration-free packaging is anything but for hard drives
It's all well and good to cut corners when you're ridding durable, miniature electronics of their brittle plastic clamshells -- but this time, Amazon's "Frustration-Free Packaging" initiative has gone too far. The company's shipping computer hard drives in the stuff. According to dozens of irate customers, Western Digital hard drives shipped by the e-tailer over the past several months have arrived in damaged cardboard containers, thin layers of bubble wrap, or even loose in a simple electrostatic discharge bag without an ounce of padding to keep them from harm. And while some buyers shipped them back immediately when they saw what had happened, many who tried them anyhow found their magnetic storage dead on arrival. While we're not certain whether Western Digital or Amazon was at fault for placing the drives on the "frustration-free" list in the first place (Seagate drive buyers haven't reported similar issues), Gadget Lab reports that Amazon is aware of the problem, and already working to ensure future (lack of) packaging avoids causing more frustration than it's worth. Read the horror stories with pics at our source links below.

Amazon's frustration-free packaging is anything but for hard drives originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 05:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gadget Lab | sourceAmazon 1-star reviews, Amazon customer images | Email this | Comments
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iGrip mount brings inductive charging to your windshield (video)
iGrip mount brings inductive charging to your windshield (video)
At CES this past January we took a look at a number of high-end concept dashboards destined to fill up the insides of the car of the future. One of those concepts, from Visteon, even had an inductive pad upon which you could throw your phone and have it charged up by the time you got where you're going. Cool, but it doesn't do those of us driving the car of the present much good. The iGrip could, based on WildCharge tech and installable into any car, so you can just insert your handset into this windshield mount and get juice on the go -- if it's wearing the appropriate WildCharge-compatible case, of course. That's the idea anyway, but rather sadly this too is just a concept that may or may not ever make it to production, so don't throw away that tangle of car adapters just yet.

Continue reading iGrip mount brings inductive charging to your windshield (video)

iGrip mount brings inductive charging to your windshield (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba K01 goes official as IS02 in Japan
Talk about a globetrotter. Toshiba's K01 has made the journey from the American FCC to a Japanese carrier in the space of just one day. AU, part of the KDDI group and one of Japan's big three network operators, has picked up the phone and promptly renamed it the IS02. Coming with a 1GHz Snapdragon core, a 4.1-inch capacitive touchscreen of the AMOLED variety, and that indispensable (for some) QWERTY keyboard, this WinMo 6.5 handset will be available to our Japanese comrades in the latter part of June this year. Given the long waiting times both for this and its brandmate, the IS01, we have to wonder what's up with Japanese carriers. Have they developed an aversion to the cutting edge or what?

Toshiba K01 goes official as IS02 in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceEngadget Japanese | Email this | Comments
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Sharp IS01 Snapdragon-powered 3G MID introduces AU to Android
After Softbank announced the HTC Desire and DoCoMo began pushing its very first Android smartphone (Xperia X10), Japan had big hopes for AU's press event today. An EVO perhaps, or maybe something more from this once proud home of the original superphones? Unfortunately, Engadget Japanese let out a collective meh in response to a 5-inch IS01 handheld from Sharp running Android 1.6 on a Snapdragon processor and measuring 83 × 149 × 17.9mm and 227g. While it looks like the classic Japanese eDictionary, the IS01 is meant to be used as a general purpose MID with a 5-row QWERTY, Sharp-built "New Mobile ASV" multi-touch capacitive display pushing a 960 x 480 pixel resolution and a 5.27 megapixel auto focus camera on back with a 0.43 megapixel jobbie up front for video calls. Rounding out the specs are 802.11 b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, microSD slot, 1Seg mobile TV tuner, IrDA, 4GB of internal storage, and Qualcomm 3G CDMA data. Look for it to ship in October while a developer friendly version (JN-DK01) should be available in May.

Sharp IS01 Snapdragon-powered 3G MID introduces AU to Android originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 03:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Japanese | sourceSharp (IS01), Sharp (JN-DK01) | Email this | Comments
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MapQuest iPhone gets free voice navigation; TomTom lifetime map and traffic PNDs now available (update: Navigon MobileNavigator 1.5 too)

Chalk up another two wins for cheap consumer GPS. Like Google Maps Navigation before it, the MapQuest 4 Mobile iPhone app has just now added gratis turn-by-turn voice directions... and ahead of schedule, TomTom has begun bundling its new 2010 Personal Navigation Devices, including the XL 340S and the XXL 540S -- with lifetime traffic and maps subscriptions. The latter are now available on Amazon for a $30-per-lifetime-subscription premium in a variety of increasingly feature-filled flavors, with helpful T (traffic), M (maps) and TM (traffic and maps) suffixes so you know which TomTom is which. If you prefer buying from brick and mortar, TomTom expects retail availability beginning in April. Full list of supported TomTom models and expected MSRP after the break.

Update: The 1.5.0 iPhone update to MobileNavigator from Navigon that includes MyRoutes, Facebook and Twitter integration, and Panorama View 3D is finally up on iTunes as well.

Continue reading MapQuest iPhone gets free voice navigation; TomTom lifetime map and traffic PNDs now available (update: Navigon MobileNavigator 1.5 too)

MapQuest iPhone gets free voice navigation; TomTom lifetime map and traffic PNDs now available (update: Navigon MobileNavigator 1.5 too) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceTomTom (Business Wire), MapQuest | Email this | Comments
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Gigantic ASUS periodical reveals and specs numerous new laptops
Curious what's inside a new ASUS laptop? Then Notebook Review has the treat for you -- earlier this month, forumite David took the time to download the company's massive 108MB ASUS World Magazine PDF and laid out the spec sheets for not one, not two, but a veritable smörgåsbord of potent portables. There's 36 in all; we've told you about some of them before, to be sure -- but others are getting solid specs for the first time, and there are even a few diamonds in the rough. Enough chit-chat, on with the show!
  • U-series: Otherwise known as ASUS' Bamboo Collection, the U-series laptops were highlighted at CES, where we discovered they would have Core i5 CPUs and USB 3.0 support. Well, that's not the whole story. They've also all got NVIDIA Optimus auto-switching graphics between an onboard Intel GMA HD and the GeForce 310M 1GB. Oh, and forget Core i5 -- these machines support processors all the way up to the 2.66GHz Core i7-620M. Highlight: The U30JC, with a combo Blu-ray drive and a chiclet keyboard that won a iF Product Design Award.
  • UL-series: ASUS for "UnLimited," you can read UL as "ultra low," as in Intel's ultra low voltage (ULV) processors that provide 8+ hours of battery life and let these notebooks stay cool despite being under an inch thin. We saw the UL80JT sport NVIDIA Optimus at CES and got hands-on with the Optimus-equipped UL50VF; now, the UL30JT now has it as well. Highlight: That same UL50VF, with an estimated 12+ hours of battery life.
More after the break -- save pricing and availability, unfortunately -- or feel free to hit up the source link to download the entire electronic magazine for yourself.

Gallery: ASUS eMagazine for March 2010

Continue reading Gigantic ASUS periodical reveals and specs numerous new laptops

Gigantic ASUS periodical reveals and specs numerous new laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Notebook Review | sourceASUS eMagazine | Email this | Comments
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Artificial Muscle ramps up production -- expect touchscreens that push back in 2011
Artificial Muscle makes touchy devices burlier
Last we heard from Artificial Muscle, the company was trying to convince hospitals, cell phone manufacturers and more that its technology -- a silicon film that expands and contracts with an applied voltage -- would provide a real sense of touch to their cold, hard touchscreens. On at least three counts, it has succeeded. The San Jose Mercury News reports that two cell phone manufacturers are planning Artificial Muscle-based products in 2011, and that an "electronics entertainment product" will be released this Christmas. The company also plans to produce 1 million of the electronic actuators per month to anticipate further demand. While the Mercury News notes that Artificial Muscle's product isn't the holy grail of haptic feedback -- the entire screen stiffens when pressed, not just the spot you touch -- its adoption means the company may have set events in motion to ultimately reach that goal.

Artificial Muscle ramps up production -- expect touchscreens that push back in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceSan Jose Mercury News | Email this | Comments
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Geohot advises against updating PS3, will find 'safe way' around losing OS support
In case you hadn't heard, there's a PlayStation 3 firmware update coming this Thursday that'd knock out the "install other OS" option and remove any currently-installed non-PS3 platform. Our guess is it's not going to affect the majority of owners, but the diehard users are certainly up in arms, and no one really likes losing a feature, even if it's rarely used. Leave it to Geohot, then, to right the wrong. Arguably the reason for Sony's reversal (see: PS3 exploit), the famed hacker has published not only a letter of sorrow at the company (unsurprising), but also a call for users not to update. Instead, he claims he will "look into a safe way of updating to retain OtherOS support" and issued a tech-savvy threat about "touching the CFW," much to the company's chagrin (trust us, you don't even want to know what he's talking about here -- far too scary). We wouldn't normally say a war's brewing, but ol' George Hotz has proven himself more than capable at starting something fierce.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Geohot advises against updating PS3, will find 'safe way' around losing OS support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 22:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourceGeohot (1), (2) | Email this | Comments
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Archos 7 Home Tablet up for pre-order, could ship first week of April
The first week of April is going to be a good one for prospective tablet owners. If a certain highly talked-about slate isn't to your liking, it seems that Archos 7 Home Tablet we spent some time with earlier this month will soon be making its debut as well. Both Redcoon.de ("usually ships in two weeks") and Amazon.de ("soon") have the 8GB model available for pre-order, for €180 and €200 (or about $240 and $270) respectively. Not the most stunning hardware, to be sure, but for less than $300 you can't really complain. Hit the source link to see for yourself.

Archos 7 Home Tablet up for pre-order, could ship first week of April originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 21:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear | sourceGeizhals.at | Email this | Comments
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US Airways finally secures Gogo in-flight WiFi, adding to all A321's by June
We heard last summer that 2010 would be the year for US Airways to gain in-flight internet, and sure enough, America's worst legacy airline has made good on said promise. As of now, a grand total of five Airbus A321 planes are equipped with Gogo, and if you're lucky enough to end up on one, you'll get a single free session through June 1st provided that you're a first-time Gogo user. Speaking of early June, that's when all 51 of the outfit's A321's will be lit with WiFi, and better still, you'll be able to see right away if your flight will be wired (or unwired, as it were) at the time of booking. There's no mention of expansion plans beyond that, and we still haven't received an apology for refusing us a gratis glass of water on a 6.5 hour flight in August of 2008. No, we're not bitter. At all.

US Airways finally secures Gogo in-flight WiFi, adding to all A321's by June originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone SDK 3.2 goes gold, seeded to paying dev program members
Us freeloaders still have a bit of a wait left, it seems, but paying members of Apple's iPhone Developer Program (which now services iPad devs, too) now have access to the Gold Master seed of the iPhone SDK for OS 3.2. This is a pretty big deal since it's the very first version of the operating system to support the iPad, of course -- and seeing how the first volley of iPads hits retail this weekend, it couldn't come at a better time. Let us know if you find anything wild in this new build, and we'll do the same, alright?

[Thanks, Kory H.]

iPhone SDK 3.2 goes gold, seeded to paying dev program members originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zune HD v4.5 firmware 'coming soon,' adds SmartDJ, new codecs, and Marketplace access via AV dock (update: video!)
We know you've been waiting at the edge of your seat for that added codec support and SmartDJ for Zune HD, patient ever since its CES unveiling, and now we're here to assure you that it's coming with the next firmware update, version 4.5. We had a chance to preview both SmartDJ and Marketplace access via the AV dock connection this afternoon (video coming soon) -- the former being very smooth and easy-to-use, the latter being convenient except for having to input text using the simple remote and an on-screen keyboard. According to Marketing Manager Michael Yaeger, there's nothing in the cards right now for a new, more text input-friendly remote. While we had his attention, we also asked him about Mac support and international Zune HD releases -- neither of which he could answer definitively, but it doesn't sound hopeful in the near future. As for release date, we couldn't get anything more specific than within the next few weeks, but at least it's next on the docket. Press release after the break; so with that out of the way, how about some answers on that 64GB model, eh Microsoft?

Update: Now with a video demonstration, after the break.

Gallery: Zune HD v4.5 firmware: SmartDJ and Marketplace access via AV dock

Continue reading Zune HD v4.5 firmware 'coming soon,' adds SmartDJ, new codecs, and Marketplace access via AV dock (update: video!)

Zune HD v4.5 firmware 'coming soon,' adds SmartDJ, new codecs, and Marketplace access via AV dock (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MEDL Technology's 'The Panel' hands-on
MEDL Technology's portable LCD display "The Panel" sounded like the perfect laptop sidekick, but would you really want to slip the 13.3-inch screen into your messenger bag? We invited company co-founder Eric Liao -- and his prototype Panel -- to a local Starbucks to find out. The verdict? Lightweight and incredibly easy to use, but at this point most features (including those all-important analog video inputs) aren't quite ready for primetime. Housed in a silvery frame that perfectly matched the brushed aluminum finish of our Mac and Dell laptops, the screen was equally easy to hook up to either one. Using a DisplayLink USB graphics chip, we only had to plug in an USB cable to instantly connect the external screen, once the driver was installed. The Panel was nice and bright, even eclipsing our LED-backlit XPS M1330 on maximum settings -- though the screen looked washed out, viewed from off-angles -- and featured smooth action and no perceptible audio sync issues when playing a DVD-quality movie. Basic functionality's all we got to test, sadly, but Liao made a number of intriguing promises for The Panel's future.

At 80 percent brightness, Liao says the device's 4200mAh rechargeable battery gives it 4 to 5 hours of spreadsheet slinging bliss, and those buttons on the right side might be used to control more than brightness and contrast -- should the company adopt wireless USB as originally planned, Liao intends to have them double as arrow controls, allowing you to cut the cables and still have basic e-reader functionality. A headphone jack is still in the works, which should allow audio passthrough from HDMI and possibly USB. Last but not least, there's a reason The Panel looks so good lying prone next to that Macbook: should cost decrease, future revisions may include a tablet-style touchscreen. Shame most of these ideas are still on the drawing board, but even the primary product is shaping up nicely. Hit up our gallery for the visual scoop.

P.S. Those blotches on the LCD screen? Liao says that's a manufacturing defect, and that MEDL is testing LCD panels from a variety of manufacturers to avoid such mishaps in the final product.

Gallery: MEDL Technology's The Panel hands-on

MEDL Technology's 'The Panel' hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba introduces Canvio line of portable hard drives
Toshiba hasn't exactly flooded the market with external hard drives since jumping into the game a couple of years back, but it has now expanded its offering a bit further with its new Canvio line of portable drives, which keep things about as simple as can be. Available in 500GB, 640GB, 750GB or 1TB capacities, the less than six ounce drives all come bundled with the Windows-only NTI BackupNow EZ software, which promises a "set-it-and-forget-it" operation, and they're each available in your choice of five different colors. Look for the whole lot to be available from all the usual sources starting today, with prices ranging from $119.99 to $199.99.

Toshiba introduces Canvio line of portable hard drives originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | sourcePR Newswire | Email this | Comments
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WSJ: Apple 'developing new iPhone,' plus another for Verizon (update: iPhone HD, front-facing camera?)
You heard right, folks -- according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is currently "developing a new iPhone to debut this summer," and as if that weren't enough, it's also "working on another model for US mobile phone operator Verizon Wireless." As of this moment, details about the break are nowhere to be found, but it's not like either tidbit is shocking. This summer will mark the one-year anniversary of the iPhone 3GS, and if the Cupertino-based company keeps with its historical refresh pattern, we're just a few months out from seeing the latest and greatest iPhone. There's also been no shortage of iPhone-to-Verizon rumors over the years, with the latest of 'em happening during the run-up to the iPad's launch.

Update: We're now learning that the "next iPhone is being manufactured by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry," which just so happens to be the same outfit responsible for crafting all prior iPhones. That's according to "people briefed on the matter" and sourced by the WSJ. It's also stated that the world's first CDMA iPhone will be manufactured by Pegatron Technology, which we caught just last week dabbling in some of NVIDIA's Tegra 2-based wares. If all goes well, Pegatron could begin mass production of the CDMA iPhone (exact model not disclosed) this September, so it's hard to say if Sprint or Verizon would have access before the all-too-lucrative holiday season. As for quotes on the matter? Most everyone involved wouldn't say a word, but an AT&T spokesman did utter the following: "There has been lots of incorrect speculation on CDMA iPhones for a long time. We haven't seen one yet and only Apple knows when that might occur."

On a week that couldn't possibly get any bigger for Apple, that's exactly what just happened. Everyone suspected that a fourth-generation iPhone was in the works, but having an outlet like the WSJ confirm it just makes the summer that much harder to wait for. There's also the possibility that 2010 will be the final year that AT&T retains its death-grip on the iPhone, but by the sound of this report, it still seems as if the nation's largest GSM carrier may nab exclusive rights on the latest iPhone. We also can't help but wonder about the future of a true 4G iPhone -- will Sprint manage to grab a WiMAX-enabled version? Will Verizon get its grubby paws on an LTE model? We figured only Jobs would know, but now... there might just be someone else out there willing to spill the beans.

Update 2: Soon after the news broke, we were informed that the next-generation iPhone would be announced on June 22nd (a Tuesday, naturally) and would be dubbed the iPhone HD (a name that has been tossed around before). That certainly makes sense given that Apple almost certainly has to up the pixel count in order to rival the EVO 4G, HD2 and all of those other high-res handsets, but we're still reserving judgment until we see that fateful media invite hit our inbox.

Update 3: John Gruber's just weighed in with some more tidbits, in his characteristically polite way. Gruber says the next model will have an A4-class SoC, a 960 x 640 display, a front-facing camera, and that iPhone OS 4.0 will enable third-party multitasking. A pretty safe set of predictions, in all, but Gruber's done pretty well in the past, so we'll just have to wait and see.

[Thanks, Chris]

WSJ: Apple 'developing new iPhone,' plus another for Verizon (update: iPhone HD, front-facing camera?) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI Wind U250 receives Energy Star leaked status
Well, here's a bit of a surprise. Not only have the folks behind the ever-present Energy Star label revealed the existence of a previously unheard of MSI Wind U250, but they've been kind enough to provide some details on the device as well. Apparently a convertible laptop (or some other form of notebook / tablet), the U250 will pack a dual-core, 2.6GHz processor of some sort, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and a video card with 512MB of dedicated memory -- all for a list price of $600. Unfortunately, while Energy Star lists a release date of March 15th for the device (hence the appearance on its site, presumably), that has obviously come and gone without so much as a peep from MSI about this particular model.

MSI Wind U250 receives Energy Star leaked status originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Spanish | sourceEnergy Star | Email this | Comments
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Windows Phone 7 Series screwed and chopped onto HTC Touch Diamond (video)
If there's any better argument for rigid spec requirements for Windows Phone 7 Series hardware, it's this video of an HTC Touch Diamond running the OS at an especially syrupy pace. Indeed, the lag is so severe that it could very well be some trickery in the form of a RDP client running on a 7 Series emulator, which is in turn running on a PC -- which, now that we think of it, is a pretty good possibility. Whichever way they achieved this feat, it's certainly not a recipe for a viable handset. But we do know that these sort of "ports" are only going to increase as time goes on. See for yourself after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: Sure enough, the author of the video has fessed up that this is an RDP hack job -- in other words, it has absolutely zero bearing on how WinPho 7 would actually perform in some post-apocalyptic future where it's been successfully ported to the Touch Diamond (that being said, we certainly wouldn't be surprised if the herky-jerky action ends up being just about accurate).

Continue reading Windows Phone 7 Series screwed and chopped onto HTC Touch Diamond (video)

Windows Phone 7 Series screwed and chopped onto HTC Touch Diamond (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inhabitat's Week In Green: 3D printed veins, solar cell towers, and the Ingocar
At Inhabitat we've seen 3D printers that create entire buildings out of stone and complete meals out of simple ingredients, but this week we watched in awe as scientists used a 3D printer to create the world's first "printed" human vein. And if advances in biotech get your blood flowing, you'll be excited to hear that this week a team of researchers successfully tested a new type of nanobot that travels through the bloodstream to turn off tumor cells. Contact lenses are also getting a much needed upgrade as scientists unveiled a new type capable of fighting glaucoma and other diseases by dispensing a powerful dose of medication.

In other news, solar energy is lighting up the world at large as India gears up to power all of its cellphone towers with photovoltaic cells, saving 5 million tons of CO2 and $1.4 billion annually. And speaking of silicon cells, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently unveiled its latest creation: a super robot capable of assembling an entire photovoltaic cell in 35 minutes flat. We also looked at a prototype of a prismatic solar balloon that uses a colorful new type of solar cell to soak up the sun's energy from high in the sky.

Finally, this week we took an in-depth look at the Ingocar, a hydraulic hybrid drive vehicle so light and efficient that it promises a mileage of 170MPG. This next-gen vehicle uses hydraulic fluid under pressure to accelerate, brake, and eliminate the need for a heavy mechanical drive train, making it 50% lighter than hybrid electric vehicles. And if you've ever experienced the maddening anxiety of circling for a parking spot on crammed city streets, relax - there's an app for that!

Inhabitat's Week In Green: 3D printed veins, solar cell towers, and the Ingocar originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Innoband HomePlug AV+802.11n AP Starter Kit review
HomePlug has been around for years now, nearly as long as mobile broadband, Windows Mobile and sliced bread... combined. Unlike any of those three, however HomePlug hasn't exactly caught fire in the industry. For those unaware, the general principle with these devices is to send network signals (or other signals, we suppose) over a home's existing power network. In theory, this would prevent someone from being forced to run a 50 foot Ethernet drop, instead using the 50 feet (or more) or power wiring that already resides within the walls of a given abode to transmit the same signals. For whatever reason, early models were plagued with flaky performance and speeds that were far less than advertised. Granted, things have progressed quite aways since the HomePlugs of old, but has the tech finally reached a place where it could be adopted en masse?

We recently had the chance to test out Innoband's HomePlug AV+802.11n AP Starter Kit, which is a two-piece solution that consists of a transmitting unit (which connects to your router or modem via Ethernet and plugs into a nearby wall outlet) and a 802.11b/g/n WiFi transceiver, which is designed to be plugged into a different wall socket where you need an Ethernet connection or extended wireless coverage. Curious as to how things stacked up? Tap that 'Read More' link for the rest of our review.

Gallery: Innoband HomePlug AV+802.11n AP Starter Kit

Continue reading Innoband HomePlug AV+802.11n AP Starter Kit review

Innoband HomePlug AV+802.11n AP Starter Kit review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive: Dell Aero hands-on and UI walkthrough (video)
We took a look at the Dell Aero during last week's CTIA bonanza, but AT&T and Dell weren't exactly forthcoming with letting us take the UI for a spin. Luckily, we're pretty resourceful folks, so we've wrangled some face time with a functioning device, and walked away with some insight into the phone's unique personality. Read on after the break for a bulleted breakdown of exactly what this phone is all about, a video of the Aero in action, and make sure to feast your eyes on the gallery below.

Update: We've just been contacted by an AT&T spokesperson and told on no uncertain terms that the final version of the Aero will definitely have the Android Market, so that's a relief -- and it also means we should be able to get our hands on Maps, even if the firmware doesn't include it.

Update 2: We've also had Dell reach out to us, who adds that "since the Dell Aero is not generally available, this is not representative of the final product." Seems like the software deficiencies here have riled up carrier and manufacturer alike, which is probably a good thing.

Gallery: Dell Aero hands-on and UI walkthrough

Continue reading Exclusive: Dell Aero hands-on and UI walkthrough (video)

Exclusive: Dell Aero hands-on and UI walkthrough (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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