Tech News Updates

The Ramos W7 Android-powered MID has come to pass, but for the last year one question’s remained: where is that RK2808-based handset we were promised? Finally Rockchip has provided us with some pictures of its prototype called, of all things, Smart Phone. There is a dearth of specs at the present time, but from what we do know it will have a predictable emphasis on multimedia playback (including H.264, RMVB, MPEG-4, AVS, WMV9, and 720p video). If you’re a manufacturer (or would like to be), drop ‘em a line — presumably, you’ll be able to get more complete specifications. And then be sure to drop us an email with the info. We’d appreciate it! Continue reading Rockchip’s prototype RK2808-powered Android smartphone spotted… finally! Rockchip’s prototype RK2808-powered Android smartphone spotted… finally! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Those whispers you might have heard of a Pro version of Samsung’s delectable Galaxy S have just turned into a booming roar, thanks to Eldar Murtazin apparently confirming the existence and prospective arrival of the rumored handset. According to the legendarily loquacious mobile reviewer, Samsung will be strapping a QWERTY keyboard onto the already potent Galaxy S hardware and upping the pricing ante with an extra €50 (about $67) charge. He also manages to give us a June launch date, but pictures of this device are predictably not yet available. We’ll just have to let our imagination do the work until Mr. Blurrycam gets on the case. Screenshot of the relevant tweet after the break. Update: HDblog.it has thrown up a pretty realistic (though fake) render of the rumored model, and if the real thing is anything like this, Sammy might have a contender on its hands. Now we sit and wait for June, eh? Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S Pro to come with a QWERTY keyboard in June, says Eldar Murtazin Samsung Galaxy S Pro to come with a QWERTY keyboard in June, says Eldar Murtazin originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Let’s just be nice and feign surprise , okay? Good. With that out of the way, Microsoft has announced a 64GB version of Zune HD, due out April 12th via the Zune online store (and later via other retailers) with a handful of color options and a strapping $349.99 price tag. Not to be outdone, the 16GB and 32GB will each receive a $20 cut on the MSRP, to $200 and $270, respectively — whatever Amazon and Newegg slash beyond that is up to them. It seems “as soon as possible” is the motto for when the price drop is taking place, so if your favorite online / brick-and-mortar retailer isn’t yet honoring the extra Andrew Jackson in your pocket, have patience. So now we’re left with a v4.5 firmware release date as the remaining piece in this puzzle, but Microsoft promises to solve that riddle wrapped in an enigma “in the coming days.” Right. Press release after the break. Continue reading 64GB Zune HD launching April 12th for $350, current models reduced $20 64GB Zune HD launching April 12th for $350, current models reduced $20 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

We know that you really had your heart set on that 14-inch Envy, but until they finally arrive from Shangri-La, the “mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a lamasery, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains” (the same place whose Apple Stores stock the iPhone nano , incidentally) might we offer you a cut-rate 15-inch model as a consolation prize? As brought to our attention by the savvy shoppers at I4U News , the company is currently offering a $450 rebate on your next HP Envy 15 Core i5 (2.26GHz) lappy. And what’s more, your $950 sale price includes shipping — and not on the back of a unicorn, either. Just head on over to the HP store (hit the coverage link), throw in a 640GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive (you have to do this part — it’ll bring your total up to $1,399 and make you eligible for the free shipping) and apply coupon code NBMY33241 at checkout. HP Envy 15 shipping for $950 after rebate originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

The latest version of doubleTwist for the Mac (1.0b1b to be precise, available now) adds a whole new Android Market element to the application. Much akin to the iTunes Store for apps, doubleTwist lets you browse Android apps in a beautified, desktop interface, but the “twist” is that you can’t actually download and sync apps with your phone. Instead, the Android Market browser presents QR codes for scanning with your Android phone and directly downloading the apps on the handset like you do already. Sure, desktop app downloads, backup, and syncing would certainly be better, but this is a nice start at least. D-Twist (as we like to call it) is also getting audio playback on the Mac, as well as podcast search and playback, with podcast subscription and syncing coming next (it’s already on Windows). Meanwhile, Windows users will have to wait until the next major version for Android Market. Not to worry, you can do the exact same sort of app browsing at apps.doubletwist.com on any plain old browser. You can even check out the Engadget app right here . Update: We’re trying to play around a bit with the app, but at the moment the search functionality is broken and most of the QR codes are handing us bad URLs for apps. Hang tight! Every once in a while we see a blip of non-brokenness, but we’re guessing there are some server hiccups at the moment holding us back from Android Market enlightenment. New doubleTwist for Mac adds built-in Android Market functionality originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

For most amateur photographers, Leica’s legendary M System represents a virtually unobtainable holy grail, a line of cameras so unspeakably expensive, rare, and coveted that even having the opportunity to hold one — much less own one — is a somewhat unrealistic goal. Why is that, exactly? It’s a combination of things, really; sure, Leica’s brand cachet undoubtedly factors into it, but in reality, it’s much, much more than that. For our money, nothing demonstrates that better than a day or two with the M9 , the company’s latest flagship rangefinder with an 18 megapixel CCD sensor sourced from Kodak. And what, exactly, does it feel like to carry $11,695 worth of rangefinder body and lens around? Follow the break. Gallery: Leica M9 hands-on Continue reading Leica M9 hands-on; or, The Tao of Leica Leica M9 hands-on; or, The Tao of Leica originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

We’ve been fortunate enough to spend a bit of time with an Eyefinity setup before, but up until now, it’s been somewhat of a hassle to get a fully functional six-screen setup into a consumer’s home. Today, AMD is taking the legwork out of the equation with the introduction of the Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition, a standalone GPU with 2GB of GDDR5 memory and innate support for pushing a half-dozen panels at once. Outside of that, it’s essentially the same card that we saw last September , and based on the cadre of reviews that we rounded up, the doubled memory bank doesn’t do much to boost frame rates. What it does do, however, is enable six-screen gaming. Unfortunately (though understandably), this type of gaming scenario is only meant for a select segment of users, and many critics found the novelty wearing off exceptionally quick. In fact, it wasn’t long before NeoSeeker became fed up with the bezels ruining the experience, and just about everyone agreed that you needed to sit a good half-mile away to really enjoy it. Either way, we’d encourage you to hit up Hot Hardware ’s collection of videos before biting the bullet, buying up an extra five LCDs and then regretting it for the rest of your Earthly life. Read – Hot Hardware Read – AnandTech Read – NeoSeeker Read – Rage3D Read – PC Perspective Read – TweakTown Read – FiringSquad Read – Tom’s Hardware Read – ExtremeTech Read – Hexus ATI Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition review roundup: novel, but not for everyone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

We’ve seen plenty of the headline 1080p / 30fps video mode on the Rebel T2i, but what’s been missing till now are the equally comprehensive reviews of this new 18 megapixel shooter ’s other talents. Starting off with image quality — still the bread and butter of any DSLR — Camera Labs informs us that “the EOS 550D / T2i delivered images which were essentially the same as those from the EOS 7D,” describing them as highly detailed and exhibiting no greater noise than can be found on Nikon’s 12 megapixel competitors . An impressive feat, you will agree. Further appreciation is meted out for the newly improved LCD screen on the back, whose 3:2 ratio matches the sensor’s dimensions, but there’s also warning that the 7D retains a significant advantage in terms of ergonomics, weatherproofing, continuous burst mode, and autofocus. Even so, both reviews were happy to pin their “highly recommended” badges on the T2i, and you can discover the more nuanced reasons for doing so at the source links below. Canon Rebel T2i / 550D receives plaudit-heavy reviews originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

We’ve been hearing about the ET2010 model since CES , then got another glimpse at CeBIT a few weeks ago, and now the all-in-one machine is making its international debut — and ASUS has more than one to share with us. The five models range from the ET2010AG, with an AMD Athlon II processor, up to the ET2010PNT, with an Atom D510 . All models have a 20-inch, 1600 x 900 displays, but only two of them sport multitouch. Storage ranges from 160GB to 500GB, 1 or 2GB of RAM is available, and graphics options include an integrated Intel GMA chipset, ATI’s Radeon HD 5470, or, most interestingly, Ion 2 graphics in the two Atom-powered options. All offer a DVD drive and all sport the same, wall-mountable and 1-inch thick design. What we don’t know is when these will be shipping or how much they’ll cost, but you’ll surely be the first to hear after we do. ASUS’s 20-inch ET2010 EeeTop models with Ion power detailed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 09:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

So here’s the sales pitch: Amazon wants to film the packaging and preparation of your goods as they get ready to ship out in order to make sure your order is properly fulfilled and addressed. Stills or the whole video are then forwarded along to you, so you can check ‘em out. Granted yesterday, the patent for this oh-so-complex monitoring system is actually quite specific — it’s only operative if your order includes “at least one book, food item, bottle of wine, flowers, or jewelry,” so it’s not like Amazon can keep everyone else from doing this — but hey, it also references verification of “collateral items,” which is a fancy way of saying it’ll be used to make sure third party fliers and advertisements make it into the box along with the stuff you actually want, so it’s not all roses and sunshine. [Thanks, JagsLive] Amazon patents packaging surveillance, says it’s for our own good originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink