| Sony teases ruggedly handsome 'action camera,' has GoPro in its sights Jun 26th 2012, 23:03  It's lights, camera, action cam over at Sony's blog. The company is giving the world a teaser of a new "hi-def wearable video camera" that looks to be an answer to the GoPros and Contours of the world. Sony offered up a handful of shots, including one of the camcorder encased in rugged plastic, mounted atop a helmet. According to the blog, the lightweight camera features SteadyShot image stabilization and an ultra-wide angle lens from Carl Zeiss. Sony's promised more info to come, naturally, until then, you can peep more shots in the source link below. Continue reading Sony teases ruggedly handsome 'action camera,' has GoPro in its sights Sony teases ruggedly handsome 'action camera,' has GoPro in its sights originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Sony Blog | Email this | Comments | | Matrix One is a $99 ICS tablet that could ship to retailers next month... but probably won't (hands-on) Jun 26th 2012, 22:49  From Barcelona to Hanover to Vegas and Taipei, we've seen our fair share of low-end Android tablets, some of which actually offer a bit of promise, and get it done for under 200 bucks. And while even a few sub-$100 models have littered the exhibition hall floors, they're most often mere vaporware, never actually making their way to US and European retailers and online shops. The Matrix One, for its part, could actually get the nod of approval from big box execs, however -- according to company reps, at least. And it wouldn't be a half-bad option at $99, shipping with Android 4.0.3, a 2-megapixel webcam, 1.5GHz Cortex A8 processor and an 800 x 480-pixel 7-inch capacitive display. Those specs also make their way to a nearly identical $149 flavor, which ups its budget counterpart's 512MB RAM and 4 gigs of storage to 1GB and 16GB, respectively, while keeping the other components intact. While that display won't best any brand-name slab on the market, it's certainly usable, even in bright sunlight, as we experienced today at CE Week in New York City. The tablet performed just fine during our quick demo, which included navigating through some menus and watching a few HD video clips. The built-in speaker on the rear won't come close to filling a room (or even a noisy car, perhaps), but a headphone jack will let movie fans and youngsters alike appreciate content a bit more, especially if traditional tablets are priced out of reach. There's also an HDMI port for outputting 1080p video to a TV, along with one full-size USB port, a mini-USB connector for syncing and updates, a power port and a micro-SD card slot, for adding up to 32 gigs of extra storage. You'll also find a built-in mic and a two-megapixel webcam (no rear-facing shooter, however). All in all, the 11.1-ounce package is quite polished, especially given the price. We won't likely be adding the Matrix One to our personal collection, but if a $99 tablet is on your must-have list, this wouldn't be a bad choice -- let's just hope it does indeed pop up in stores, perhaps as soon as the tablet's ready to ship at the end of next month. There's a gallery below if you'd care to take a closer look, and do jump past the break as well -- that's where you'll find our hands-on video, with a lively Manhattan soundscape to boot. Continue reading Matrix One is a $99 ICS tablet that could ship to retailers next month... but probably won't (hands-on) Matrix One is a $99 ICS tablet that could ship to retailers next month... but probably won't (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 18:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Boogie Board Jot eWriting pad hands-on (video) Jun 26th 2012, 22:34  It's been quite some time since we've heard from Improv Electronics, maker of writing tablets such as the Boogie Board Rip. The company was on hand at CEA today to tease its latest device, the Boogie Board Jot, which like the Rip sports a reflex LCD display that doesn't require power to record your scribbles. In fact, the device only uses energy when you hit the eraser button, which means the battery should get you through some 50,000 erases. Unlike the Rip, this model has no on-board storage, which explains the cheaper $40 price. Another new feature is the redesigned stylus, which acts as a stand for the device when docked in the onboard slot. Improv Electronics will launch the Jot in September, but you can catch some of those back-to-school vibes in our hands-on video below the break. Continue reading Boogie Board Jot eWriting pad hands-on (video) Boogie Board Jot eWriting pad hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 18:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Polaroid Z2300 hands-on Jun 26th 2012, 22:21  Polaroid. The brand is iconic, to put it lightly. In the post film age however, the company has fought to stay relevant without completely sacrificing its identity at the altar of the digital photography gods. The solution has been cramming printers inside the bodies of its shooters (and partnering with questionably talented celebrities), hoping to recreate the experience of instantly coping a glossy copy to hang or hand out, while co-opting the benefits of the megapixel. The Z2300 is the latest in its effort to claim a chunk of the casual photography market. This 10 megapixel printer cam produces 2 x 3-inch prints that are also stickers in about 30-45 seconds. It's not quite as quick as the Polaroids of old, but at least you don't have to shake em. Continue reading Polaroid Z2300 hands-on Polaroid Z2300 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 18:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | FutureDash EnergyBuddy hands-on (video) Jun 26th 2012, 22:05  We've seen more than a few energy monitors, but how many of them offer a pretty light show on the side? The EnergyBuddy -- first unveiled as a prototype at CES but just now inching toward a full launch -- is a complete home energy-tracking system brought to you by Cali-based startup FutureDash. Starting at $99, it keeps tabs on users' energy consumption with a square-shaped gadget that connects to your network via WiFi or Ethernet. The square glows red, yellow or green depending on how much electricity you're guzzling, and you have the ability to specify what qualifies as acceptable usage. Naturally, the EnergyBuddy has a few peripherals in tow. A sensor installed at your electrical panel communicates with the rest of the system, and so-called Smart Plugs let you track the energy consumption of individual devices. The iPhone, iPad and desktop apps also offer some pretty in-depth stats, including dollars per hour spent on energy and a chart detailing consumption throughout the day. FutureDash is currently pushing the product on crowd-funding site Indiegogo, and though availability is TBD, you can take a peek at the system in our hands-on video below. Joseph Volpe contributed to this report. FutureDash EnergyBuddy hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 18:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Sony Xperia Neo L peels back the covers for FCC Jun 26th 2012, 21:59  Remember that low-end Xperia handset that surfaced earlier this month with a one-way ticket to China? Well that 4-inch ICS device, the Neo L, has just made its many assets known for the folks at the FCC, stripping down to its internal skivvies and leaving nothing to the (lawyer's) imagination. There aren't any surprises here -- no LTE or AWS support, but it does sport radios for EDGE / GPRS (850MHz, 1900MHz), GSM (850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz) and WCDMA (900MHz, 2100MHz). So, the good news is that if you have your eye on this Sony-made Android lightweight, then it should play nice with AT&T and T-Mobile. Whether it'll ever officially joins those carriers lineups remains to be seen, but don't let a little thing like that stop you from importing away. Hit up the source to trawl the mobile dissection at your leisure. Sony Xperia Neo L peels back the covers for FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | FCC | Email this | Comments | | Apple pitches data center near Reno, gambles iCloud will pay off among other puns Jun 26th 2012, 21:29  Apple data centers are popping up like spring flowers: following its North Carolina, Oregon and California plans, it's now pitching a fourth data center in Sparks, Nevada, just outside of Reno. The enigmatically named Project Jonathan hub is expected to light up before the end of the year if it's given the green light. Not surprisingly, Apple is promising jobs for the area, although the company is choosing the location for a reason: it's hoping for tax breaks on top of the advantages that previously led it to funnel some of its money through Nevada. We'll have a better idea as to the fate of the data center when Apple argues for the project on June 27th, but it's reasonable to think Apple is eager to make the Sparks location a reality. The more capacity and reliability it can build into iCloud and iTunes, the better. [Image credit: Amy Meredith, Flickr] Apple pitches data center near Reno, gambles iCloud will pay off among other puns originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  GigaOM | Reno Gazette-Journal | Email this | Comments | |
