| Vizio Thin + Light review (14-inch, 2012): what happens when a TV maker enters the PC market? Aug 10th 2012, 20:00  Nine months ago, Vizio didn't make laptops. Now, it's seemingly all our readers are writing in about. The company, best known for its value-priced TVs, is expanding into the PC market, with a collection of all-in-ones and thin-and-light notebooks. So why have we been getting so many emails asking when the heck we're going to publish a review? After all, it's not like shoppers have any shortage of choice when it comes to Windows computers. The answer: Vizio is taking the same approach with PCs that it does with televisions, which is to say it's offering impressive specs while undercutting its competitors. Case in point: all of Vizio's laptops have a full-metal design, solid-state drive, zero bloatware and a minimum screen resolution of 1,600 x 900. And yes, that even applies to the lowest-end notebook, which goes for $900. Can you see now where this would be a tempting deal for folks who'd like to avoid spending $1,100-plus on an Ultrabook? Well, for those of you who've been curious, we've been testing Vizio's 14-inch Thin + Light, and are now ready to unleash that review you've been waiting for. Meet us past the break to see if this rookie computer is as good as it looks on paper. Continue reading Vizio Thin + Light review (14-inch, 2012): what happens when a TV maker enters the PC market? Filed under: Laptops Vizio Thin + Light review (14-inch, 2012): what happens when a TV maker enters the PC market? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | DirecTV quietly updates iPad app, HR34 DVR Aug 10th 2012, 18:50  DirecTV has quietly updated both its iPad app and HR34 DVR with a variety of new features for Satellite-loving customers. The application will now resume from where you left off, comes with a much improved search function and best of all, a direct line into the company's support forums. Meanwhile, the HR34 swallowed a software package that included Pandora, a YouTube landing page and more readable closed captions amongst a raft of other nips and tucks. The former will be available through the app store, while the latter should have arrived on your box overnight, well before you start on that CSI marathon. Filed under: Home Entertainment DirecTV quietly updates iPad app, HR34 DVR originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Solid Signal, (2) | Email this | Comments | | Next iPhone's tiny docking connector possibly spotted Aug 10th 2012, 18:08  We've seen the rumored next iPhone's minuscule docking port more than once. Any of the cabling that plugs into that port, however, has been non-existent until today. If photos slipped to Nowhereelse.fr are more than just flights of fancy, they show a much narrower and possibly slimmer connector that matches up with the hole we've seen. It's so small that a full-size USB connector dwarfs it by comparison, and there's only eight contact pins per side (or possibly total) versus the 30 overall that we know today. We're not told if there are any special tricks besides the size reduction, though: while the new cable end looks dual-sided, there's no guarantee Apple will have eliminated the right-side-up requirement that afflicts just about every mobile-sized port format we've seen to date. If real, the redesign could lead to one less hassle for charging and syncing. It just wouldn't be much consolation to those who'd been hoping for a switch to a standard like micro-USB -- or, for that matter, to long-time iPhone owners who may have to give up or convert legions of accessories. Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs Next iPhone's tiny docking connector possibly spotted originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Nowhereelse.fr (translated) | Email this | Comments | | Google to downrank sites hit by valid copyright claims Aug 10th 2012, 18:08  Google has been dogged by claims that it facilitates the piracy of content through its search results pretty much since day one. Starting next week, the web giant will be taking a much more aggressive approach to sites hosting pirated material by downranking frequent offenders. The new results algorithm will take into account the number of valid copyright notices received against a site and penalize them appropriately in the rankings. Google says that this will allow consumers to more readily find legitimate sources of content such as Hulu and Spotify, but it's hard not to see the move as one intended to appease studios, content producers and government officials that routinely threaten to hammer companies like Google with lawsuits and restrictive legislation. Mountain View was also quick to highlight how responsive it's been to industry concerns -- citing the fact that it receives and processes more copyright complaints in a day than it did in all of 2009 combined. For more details, hit up the source link. Update: The MPAA has issued the following statement from Michael O'Leary, Senior Executive Vice President for Global Policy and External Affairs, in response to Google's move: We are optimistic that Google's actions will help steer consumers to the myriad legitimate ways for them to access movies and TV shows online, and away from the rogue cyberlockers, peer-to-peer sites, and other outlaw enterprises that steal the hard work of creators across the globe. We will be watching this development closely - the devil is always in the details - and look forward to Google taking further steps to ensure that its services favor legitimate businesses and creators, not thieves. Filed under: Internet Google to downrank sites hit by valid copyright claims originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Inside Search | Email this | Comments | |
