Sep 08
Panasonic holds live tru2way demonstration on TH-50PZ80Q plasma
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment
They said they were going to do it, and do it they did. While Samsung’s tru2way “demonstration” was barely more than a hack job used to show off what the technology was about, Panasonic demoed the real deal at its CEDIA booth. The 50-inch TH-50PZ80Q plasma contained a real CableCARD (yes, we checked) and was receiving a live signal from Comcast. Denver is just one of a few markets where tru2way is theoretically ready to rock, and according to a Panny rep, the set we saw today is a production unit that will ship sometime “later this year.” The idea here is to provide buyers with the ability to insert any CableCARD from any carrier (if you move, for example) into an HDTV, thus eliminating the cable company’s stranglehold (best known as a “carrier-issued set-top-box”) on you. The demo we saw went over very well — everything was responsive and image quality was excellent. See for yourself in the gallery at Engadget HD.
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written by CoolGadget
Sep 07
La Machine’s spider-mech traipses through the streets of Liverpool
Filed under: Robots
France: it’s like Canada, only with less hockey, and more boring mechanical spiders. Those hosers have foisted this amazingly-styled and yet utterly dull “La Princesse” piece of street theater on the innocent, unsuspecting people of Liverpool, and the travesty is set to continue for another couple of days. Hit up the read link for BBC’s video of the mundanity.
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written by CoolGadget
Sep 07
Dell looking to sell factories to increase profitability
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
It looks like Dell is taking a rather drastic step to attempt to cut some of the costs that have been dragging it down in recent years, with The Wall Street Journal now reporting that the company plans to sell “most — and possibly all — of its factories” within the next 18 months — if it can find some buyers, that is. As the paper notes, the factories were originally built to serve a PC market driven by corporate customers ordering large volumes of desktop PCs, but they’ve fast become a drag on the company as growth has shifted towards laptops sold at retail stores. While nothing is anywhere near official yet, the Journal pegs big contract manufacturers angling for a bigger piece of Dell’s business as the most likely buyers, although there’s a number of obstacles that could block such a sale, particularly when it comes to Dell’s factories in the US. Dell is also said to be considering simply closing down some of the factories, and instead rely on those aforementioned contract manufacturers to build its PCs. Hit up the link below for the full saga and backstory.
[Via Blogrunner, image courtesy J.P.R Sdn Bhd]
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written by CoolGadget
Sep 07
Touching tale of heartbreak promotes Lenovo S10, rends our hearts in twain
Filed under: Laptops
While we’ve been dealing with short-form ad fare in the States, China’s gone all artsy on us, with Lenovo releasing a short film to promote its S9 / S10 netbook. We won’t ruin the plot for you — the dialogue is all in Chinese, so it’s not like we could — but suffice it to say that the Lenovo S10 and unrequited love play major roles.
[Thanks, Patrick]
Continue reading Touching tale of heartbreak promotes Lenovo S10, rends our hearts in twain
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Runco announces $20,000 VideoXtreme VX-8 projector
Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment
The fun has just begun in the Mile High City for Runco, which has followed up its outlandish flat-panel announcement with a replacement to the fabled VX-2 projector. The 3-chip VideoXtreme VX-8 is squarely aimed at those with fat wallets and the word “videophile” stitched into their Ralph Lauren scarfs, evidenced by the superfluous (but very appreciated) video processing capabilities via DHD with Vivix and three SuperOnyx DMDs. Additionally, you’ll find the outfit’s ConstantContrast tech, which delivers frame-by-frame contrast correction, while the CorrectColor brings “complete color calibration for D65 perfection.” For more technobabble on the January-bound unit, hit up the read link — but before you waste your time, let us remind you that this will cost $19,995.
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written by CoolGadget
Sep 06
iPod nano 4G leaked in actual, factual, really-real spy photo
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
Look, you know the drill here. This may be the painstaking result of some CAD-school-dropout’s nights home alone, or the latest in cheapo knock-offs from the Far East. You may be looking at a Photoshop spackled together from newspaper clippings, puppy dog tears, and Steve Jobs’ fever-dreams. Or, this could be a really crappy, actual photo of the iPod nano 4G in its packaging. It sure looks enough like what we’ve been seeing lately to be any / all of the above. Regardless, we’ll know the truth real, real soon.
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Canon starts teaser campaign, evolved 5D expected
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Canon just launched its teaser campaign dubbed, “Destined Evolution.” There’s no way at this point to know for sure, but that certainly looks like a compact, full-frame
5D body (pictured after the break) given the button locations, mode dial, and seemingly lack of a pop-up flash. Three years since the 5D was originally launched, Photokina suddenly can’t come soon enough.
Update: Another teaser shot with slightly more detail from Canon Japan posted after the break.
[Thanks, Andrew]
Continue reading Canon starts teaser campaign, evolved 5D expected
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written by CoolGadget
