Technology
VAIO TT disappears from Sony's US site (update: gone for good)
We've always loved the super-expensive
VAIO TT with a passion, but apparently the netbook onslaught was just too much for the
well-reviewed 11.1-inch machine to take: it's gone from Sony's US website, and we're guessing that it's not going to return. That's too bad, since we've always felt the TT was one of the
more beautiful laptops ever made, and while we could never justify its fully kitted-out $4,450 price tag, we always had one on our
want list. Hopefully Sony has some grander plans for this size point than the sadly-generic
VAIO W -- in the meantime, light a candle and check our unboxing and hands-on gallery below.
Update: We just heard back from Sony -- yep, the VAIO TT is gone, and it's not coming back. Shed a tear, will ya?
Filed under: Laptops
VAIO TT disappears from Sony's US site (update: gone for good) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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CommentsTo Article...Samsung's WEP870 Bluetooth headset comes with earbuds, bundles of joy
Nothing too exhilarating here, but if you're looking for something new to sit atop the peak on your ear,
Samsung's got a new trio it'd love for you to consider. The most interesting of the three is undoubtedly the WEP870, which marries a noise-canceling Bluetooth mono headset (with BT music streaming) to a set of earbuds. As with the less thrilling WEP850 and WEP470, this one also features multi-connection technology in order to pair with up to two BT devices at once. The 870 steps things up with an LCD screen to display battery level, call status and BT connection status, while the other two handle calls and little else. All three are available for purchase right now for $89.99 (WEP870), $69.99 (WEP850) and $39.99 (WEP470).
[Via
HotHardware]
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals
Samsung's WEP870 Bluetooth headset comes with earbuds, bundles of joy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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CommentsTo Article...PlayStation Home 1.3 will let you launch any game from inside the metaverse
Frankly, you've probably had
enough PlayStation news to last you a bit, but just in case the
PS3 Slim, firmware 3.0, and PSP Minis weren't enough, the company revealed today an update to Home. Like everything else it seems, version 1.3 is also due out in September, and in addition to things like in-store item previews, cameras, and other new objects, you'll now have the option to launch any game from inside Home itself. Some titles like
MotorStorm and
Far Cry 2 that fully support the universal game launching have their own special icons and multiplayer functionality, while others will simply open up to the main menu. We're interested in what integration those fully supported games might enable, but either way, that's still one less excuse for avoiding Home. Now if they could only do something about all those annoying avatars...
Filed under: Gaming
PlayStation Home 1.3 will let you launch any game from inside the metaverse originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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CommentsTo Article...NPD finds featurephones account for 72% of new handset sales in the US
Smartphone sales may be growing at a
steady rate these days but, if NPD's latest numbers are any indication, it looks like they still have quite a ways to go before they become the norm among cellphone users. As the market research group found during its latest survey, less expensive featurephones accounted for an impressive 72% of all new handset sales in the US during the second quarter of the year, which is only a 5% drop even in the face of a 47% jump in smartphone sales (to 28% market share) over the same quarter last year -- a 14% jump in overall handset sales accounts for some of that discrepancy. According to NPD's numbers, the
LG enV2 (pictured above) and
Samsung Rant were among the best selling featurephones during the quarter, while the iPhone 3G and Blackberry Curve were the best selling smartphones. Other interesting tidbits include the fact that the average selling price for a phone rose 4% over the year to $87, and that WiFi capability is now found on 20% of new handsets, while 26% of new phones have touchscreens (compared to 35% with QWERTY keyboards).
Filed under: Cellphones
NPD finds featurephones account for 72% of new handset sales in the US originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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CommentsTo Article...Snow Leopard box set makes short-lived cameo in Apple's online store
Whether or not
Snow Leopard build 10A432 is really the ready-for-shipment "golden master," Apple's own site is giving hope to the masses that its next platform iteration is gearing up for a launch sooner rather than later.
MacRumors is reporting that a Mac Box Set containing OS X 10.6 , iLife '09, and iWork '09 popped up on Apple's online store today priced at $169 for single users and shipping within 24 hours. The page itself no longer exists, although not before Google's spiders managed to pick up on it. It's probably wishful thinking to think this is indicative of a release before its projected September launch window -- and really, at this point, that's only a couple of weeks away -- if you were gonna hope for it anyway, here's some fodder for ya.
Read - Snow Leopard box set briefly appears in Apple Online Store
Read - Google entry for now-defunct page
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Software
Snow Leopard box set makes short-lived cameo in Apple's online store originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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CommentsTo Article...The Daily Roundup: here's what you might've missed
The Daily Roundup: here's what you might've missed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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CommentsTo Article...Brando's Ultimate 3-Point Hand Strap will help you get attached to your DSLR
Sure, a regular wrist strap will probably stay attached to both your wrist and your camera most of the time, but why take chances when you can have something like this? Always on the cutting edge of inexpensive, occasionally useful contraptions, Brando is now offering this so-called Ultimate 3-Point Hand Strap, which attaches to your camera's tripod socket, its wrist strap attach point and, of course, your wrist -- all in the name of comfort and stability. Will it hold up to lugging your hefty DSLR around all day? Will your wrist hold up? It only costs $16 to find out.
[Via
Red Ferret]
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Brando's Ultimate 3-Point Hand Strap will help you get attached to your DSLR originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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CommentsTo Article...Microsoft tells WinMo devs they're beautiful, worth more than 99 cents
For many (if not most) iPhone developers, the App Store's overheated competition and bloated inventory have led to scorched-earth pricing that makes it virtually impossible to parlay mobile development into a valid for-profit business model without turning to subscriptions or in-app advertising. RIM's tried to nip that behavior in the bud by
capping the minimum sale price at $2.99, and it sounds like Microsoft feels the same way in light of the flowery, motivational language being thrown the way of developers at learning sessions ahead of the
Marketplace's launch. "I know, 99 cents is interesting -- yes, consumers like to pay 99 cents for applications," admits Microsoft's Loke Uei, "but 99 cents, come on, I think your app is worth more than that." You heard it straight from the horse's mouth, people --
your app is worth more than that. Ultimately, Uei says the goal is to set the bench higher by keeping low-quality apps out of the Marketplace, but to start out and beef up, they might consider taking all the crap they can get and worrying about stroking devs' egos after the fact. If the store's client app makes it easy enough to browse, search, and get to best-of-breed content, this point should be moot anyhow.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Microsoft tells WinMo devs they're beautiful, worth more than 99 cents originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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CommentsTo Article...Kohjinsha's 11.6-inch EX6 convertible tablet says XP, means Windows 7
With Windows 7 on the horizon,
multi-touch support in tow, people are suddenly interested in tablets all over again; a form factor that didn't quite revolutionize portable computing as envisioned by an enthusiastic Bill Gates showing that first prototype way back in 2001. And with an
Apple event just weeks away (presumably), fanboys of both persuasions seem convinced that tablets are once more the future of mobile computing. Manufacturers are
certainly on board. Case in point: Kohjinsha, that just announced its EX6 convertible tablet with 1366x768 pixels slathered across a 11.6-inch LED-backlit
capacitive resistive touchscreen. Inside you'll find a 1.6GHz Atom N270 and 945GSE chipset, up to 2GB of memory and 160GB of disk, 802.11n WiFi, gigabit Ethernet, a pair of front and back-facing cameras, 2600mAh battery, 2x USB, and slots for SDHC/microSDHC, ExpressCard 34 cards, and even DVDs. Unfortunately, it'll be shipped with XP when it hits retail at the end of this month for ¥59,800 (about $635) -- something we expect you'll rectify on
October 22nd. As to whether it'll support multi-touch under Win7, well, anybody see the
appropriate sticker?
Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs
Kohjinsha's 11.6-inch EX6 convertible tablet says XP, means Windows 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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CommentsTo Article...Ricoh CX2 has 10.7x optical zoom, CX1 pedigree
Ah, the cruelty of rapid refresh cycles. It was only six months ago that the
well reviewed CX1 hit the scene, but already Ricoh is trotting out its replacement in the form of the CX2. You needn't fret though, as the new shooter retains its predecessor's winning features while adding a few goodies of its own. The zoom has gone from 7.1x to 10.7x, taking it comfortably into the
superzoom category, continuous shooting gets upgraded from 4 to 5 fps, and face detection and AF have been enhanced. The latter features should make the new cam easier to use for novices, but when you add up the whole package -- including the already competent 9 megapixel CMOS sensor and
HDR imaging capabilities inherited from the CX1 -- you have to wonder if this camera isn't
too good for the point and shoot moniker. Suggested UK price is £299.99 ($495), and it should be available in early September.
[Via
Akihabara News]
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Ricoh CX2 has 10.7x optical zoom, CX1 pedigree originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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