| Zeiss Cinemizer OLED with head-tracking hands-on (video) Mar 6th 2012, 15:06 The Carl Zeiss Cinemizer OLED has been a long time in the making -- we first heard about the video glasses at Macworld in 2008 -- but the company has yet to push the head-mounted display past the prototype phase. We stumbled upon Zeiss' booth here at CeBIT, where we found a version of the glasses that look mighty similar to the mock-up we saw in marketing materials from 2010, but are now equipped with a pair of head-tracking modules to expand the yet-to-be released marvel's practicality. With head-tracking now on board, the Cinemizer can theoretically appeal to gamers, architects, even educators, who can use the glasses in the classroom. We took a look at an Inreal CAD app demo that lets the wearer navigate a yet-unbuilt house, walking through virtual rooms (a joystick is used for forward motion, so you won't be accidentally walking into physical walls) as you judge paint colors, furniture placement and try to convince your significant other that there really is room for a 65-inch HDTV. The tracking modules are located behind the ear rests on each side of the OLED glasses, which have seen a slight boost in resolution since we last heard about them, jumping from VGA to 870 x 500 pixels in each OLED panel. Tracking was responsive and accurate -- the experience of walking around a room felt almost lifelike. What's even more exciting than the device's performance is that we may finally see these hit stores in 2012, with a tentative summer ship date. And, while still a pricey addition to your display collection, the Cinemizer lands on the inexpensive end of the Zeiss product scale, ringing up at €649 (about $850), plus another €100 for the tracking hardware. Jump past the break to see it in action. Continue reading Zeiss Cinemizer OLED with head-tracking hands-on (video) Zeiss Cinemizer OLED with head-tracking hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | MSI outs new GT60 / GT70 gaming laptops, we go hands-on (video) Mar 6th 2012, 14:27 MSI already popped up on the rumor-radar this week, and now it's confirmed a pair of new gaming laptops at CeBIT. The main difference between the new boys -- that we can see so far, at least -- is the display, with the GT70 sporting 17 inches against the GT60's 15. Both rock an eye-tingling rainbow-effect "SteelSeries" keyboard, as well as some gaming focused hardware. If one hard drive simply isn't enough, then the G-series' support for two SSDs in a RAID 0 configuration, alongside a regular HD, should definitely keep you going -- and support for up to 32 gigs of RAM should help things tick along nicely. We don't have detailed processor specs to share, unfortunately, and the models that MSI had on-hand at the show were simply mock-ups with older components. After walking up to the duo, the first thing we noticed is how large they are -- especially after spending the day with a handful of Ultrabooks and tablets. The GT60 and GT70 aren't giants in the gaming world, but compared to other slim form-factor devices on offer, these are absolute monsters. We suspect this isn't so much of an issue, however, if you are in the market for this type of machine. The large size isn't wasted, either, with the both housing three USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports (only one for the GT60), an SDHC card slot, and full audio in, out, microphone and headphone ports for audio connectivity, plus an optical drive in each. The final machines will likely have Ivy Bridge processors and are penned in for an April release (provided that Intel's latest-gen processors hit the market by then). You'll be able to pick up the GT60 for around €1,999 (about $2,630), with the GT70 coming in at €2,299 (roughly $3,025). Scoot on past the break to catch our hands on with the pair. Continue reading MSI outs new GT60 / GT70 gaming laptops, we go hands-on (video) MSI outs new GT60 / GT70 gaming laptops, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Audi A3 with MMI Touch gesture-based entertainment system hands-on (video) Mar 6th 2012, 14:09 CeBIT isn't an auto show in the traditional sense, but we are in Germany after all, so we weren't terribly surprised to see Audi roll up with a brand new car. The latest A3 made its worldwide debut today, bringing with it that wheel-based menu navigation interface we saw in its prototype phase. The touchpad sits atop the jog-wheel and shrinks things down considerably compared to the original version found in the 7-series. To keep things nice and safe, Audi devised a system that recognizes letters you draw with your finger, enabling drivers keep their eyes on the road while selecting music, making calls or setting a destination in the GPS. Also, as is apparently the norm these days, there's Facebook and Twitter integration -- the car can even read updates as you drive. If you know, you can't wait until you're parked. As you might have gathered, the A3 is a connected vehicle, with a SIM slot or Bluetooth connection providing the car's link to the outside world. It offers another curious addition, too: a "Phone Box" signal boosting system. Details are sparse, but we do know there's an external antenna that relays the signal back to the handset. That particular feature is compatible with any phone you care to toss inside, and requires a wired connection only for charging (the box itself is amplified, so anything that sits within the enclosure will reap those boosting benefits). We managed to get the first hands-on demo with the car, and you can see all those new toys in the video and galleries below. Continue reading Audi A3 with MMI Touch gesture-based entertainment system hands-on (video) Audi A3 with MMI Touch gesture-based entertainment system hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | LG Optimus Vu launches in Korea, gets priced Mar 6th 2012, 13:28 LG's 5-inch smartphone has finally arrived -- at least over in Korea. While 4:3 ratio display raised a few eyebrows during its debut at MWC, the IPS display, lightweight frame and stylus has us chasing after a review model to give it the full run-down. Anyone in LG's homeland can beat us to the punch -- it's now on sale priced just under the Galaxy Note, a device that's been around for a few months. Expect to pay 990,000 won ($890) for a carrier-free version, but importers should 'note' that they won't be able to take advantage of that built-in TV tuner. We're still sniffing out details on prices and launch dates for the US. Hopefully, the international model will arrive with a rubberdium stylus -- we just want to know what rubberdium is. LG Optimus Vu launches in Korea, gets priced originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:28:00 EDT. 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