| Need a case for that Galaxy Camera? Samsung's got you covered (eyes-on) Aug 29th 2012, 19:17  We've seen the ins and outs of Samsung's first Android-based digital camera, but how about an outer shell? You likely won't be transporting this junbo point-and-shoot in your pocket, making a variety of protective options a necessity. First up is the Flip Cover -- a camera-friendly variant of the Galaxy original, with a slide-in design and a large protective flap to cover up the LCD. There's also a full-on carrying case, which slips open to reveal the lens while offering a bit more protection. And, if you're going au naturel, you'll want to suit up with a wrist strap at the very least, offering a bit of insurance against potential slips and spills. We don't have pricing and availability info to share, but like the camera itself, it looks like there's a bunch of color configurations to choose from, all pictured in the gallery below. Filed under: Cameras Need a case for that Galaxy Camera? Samsung's got you covered (eyes-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Logitech's UE Smart Radio, Boombox, and Mobile Boombox give you wireless audio on the go (hands-on) Aug 29th 2012, 19:09  In addition to producing a slew of new headphones, Logitech's latest collaboration with Ultimate Ears has produced a pair of Bluetooth speakers and a Smart Radio. The UE Smart Radio comes equipped with 802.11b/g WiFi on board to pull audio from directly from the likes of Spotify and Pandora or from local sources like Mac, PC, iOS or Android devices. A 2.4-inch LCD is on the front, along with the usual audio controls, plus there are six preset buttons that can be programmed to easily access playlists from myriad locales. It's also got a rechargeable battery, good for a claimed six hours of playback, and will set you back $180 when it goes on sale next month. Logitech's UE Mobile Boombox replaces the firm's Mini Boombox, but keeps its $100 price. It comes in five colors (red, yellow, blue, white and black) and can both stream your tunes via Bluetooth and serve as a speakerphone using its omni-directional mic. You can pair up to eight devices with the Mobile Boombox, and its rechargeable battery promises up to ten hours of listening pleasure. In our brief ears-on, we found it offered clear sound, though unsurprisingly, it struggled to pump out much bass. That said, we really liked its solid rubber construction, and can see it holding up well to abuse. Its big brother, the $250 UE Boombox, has much better low-end response and a fuller sound generally thanks to its eight drivers. Like the Mini, it also can pair with eight devices and has a rechargeable battery, though it promises only six hours of audio. We really dig its cast aluminum chassis and clean lines, and the handle on top begs to be used in old-school fashion -- with the Boombox propped up on your shoulder bumping some choice hip-hop. Both of these Bluetooth speakers start shipping this month, and our friends in grand Europa get them in September. Continue reading Logitech's UE Smart Radio, Boombox, and Mobile Boombox give you wireless audio on the go (hands-on) Filed under: Portable Audio/Video Logitech's UE Smart Radio, Boombox, and Mobile Boombox give you wireless audio on the go (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Logitech | Email this | Comments | | Gamera II hits new high with unofficial human-powered helicopter altitude record (video) Aug 29th 2012, 18:48  The University of Maryland team responsible for the Gamera II human-powered helicopter NAA flight time record may be on its way to bagging another one -- this time for altitude. With new freshman pilot Henry Enerson spinning the cranks, the gigantic four-rotor design ascended to eight feet, an unexpectedly lofty level, according to the team. The well-controlled 25 second flight was far less than the record 49.9 seconds Gamera achieved earlier, but the new altitude bodes well for its upcoming Sikorsky Prize attempt. That $250,000 award, unclaimed since 1980, requires a 10-foot altitude to be maintained for one minute, and now looks to be distinctly in the UMD group's sights. Check the video after the break, and marvel at the ungainly quadrocopter's latest aerial exploit. Continue reading Gamera II hits new high with unofficial human-powered helicopter altitude record (video) Filed under: Transportation, Alt Gamera II hits new high with unofficial human-powered helicopter altitude record (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Team Gamara (YouTube) | Email this | Comments | | Hands-on with the Samsung ATIV Smart PC (aka the Series 5 Slate) Aug 29th 2012, 18:31  Would a Series 5 Slate be just as sweet under any other name? We've already got hands-on with the ATIV Smart PC Pro (called the Series 7 Slate in the US) and now we're going to show you the wonder that is the ATIV Smart PC -- aka, the Series 5 Slate on this side of the Atlantic. And what can we say? It's a lot like the Series 7 we checked out, though this guy is of course a smidge thinner and lighter, given the fanless design and inclusion of an Atom-based Clover Trail processor instead of something in the Ivy Bridge family. Another difference: that 11.6 inch display. It's still bright, of course, but the resolution is a lower 1,366 x 768, as opposed to the 1080p panel used in the Series 7 / Smart PC Pro. That caveat aside, the Series 5 / Smart PC is still pretty sexy, with that vibrant display and brushed metal back -- though, as mentioned in our hands-on with the dock, that beauty clashes a bit with the relative cheapness of the keyboard. As you may have read, the two slates also have stylus slots, though the S Pen was nowhere in sight during our demo -- perhaps to keep it out of the hands of sneaky bloggers. In the meantime, we've got some hands-on photos, but we encourage you to refer back to our Series 7 / Smart PC Pro hands-on to compare the designs, and get a better feel for the custom apps Samsung has bundled. Dana Wollman contributed to this report. Continue reading Hands-on with the Samsung ATIV Smart PC (aka the Series 5 Slate) Filed under: Laptops, Tablets Hands-on with the Samsung ATIV Smart PC (aka the Series 5 Slate) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Netgear intros sharing-savvy N750 Premium Edition router, powerline and WiFi adapters for media fans Aug 29th 2012, 18:31  Netgear is giving its home networking the same sort of tuneup going into the fall that you'd give your car -- not a complete overhaul, but enough to keep it running in top form. Headlining the pack, the N750 Premium Edition router you're looking at above upgrades the original N750 through a better ability to play with others: the dual-band WiFi hotspot's ReadyShare file access expands to the cloud, while its USB support now envelops Apple's AirPrint and Time Machine as well as TiVo Storage. Media sharing mavens also get their own, more specific add-ons. The Powerline Media Extender can pipe audio (and USB printing or storage) over a 200Mbps link, with a major emphasis on AirPlay streaming; the N900 4-port WiFi Adapter is a slightly less exotic, 450Mbps wireless-to-Ethernet bridge for multi-device home theaters. If Netgear's refresh is tempting enough to prompt a trade-up, you can snag the N750 Premium Edition immediately for $120 or wait until September and October for the respective launches of the N900 adapter for $80 and the Powerline Music Extender in its single pack ($99) or dual-device starter kit ($139) editions. Continue reading Netgear intros sharing-savvy N750 Premium Edition router, powerline and WiFi adapters for media fans Filed under: Home Entertainment, Networking Netgear intros sharing-savvy N750 Premium Edition router, powerline and WiFi adapters for media fans originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Netgear (N750 Premium), (Powerline Music Extender), (N900 WiFi Adapter) | Email this | Comments | | Samsung brands its dockable, S Pen-touting Windows 8 tablets as ATIV Smart PC and Smart PC Pro Aug 29th 2012, 18:25  Samsung didn't leave its ATIV introductions to just an ARM tablet and a phone. We first saw them as the Series 5 and Series 7 tablets, which will likely be their final US names; to recap, though, the newly branded ATIV Smart PC and ATIV Smart PC Pro both look to capture some of that Transformer-like aura by mating an 11.6-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard dock for a laptop experience. Some of Samsung's own Galaxy Note vibe rubs off on them, too -- both carry an S Pen and a bundled S Note app for some on-the-spot writing. They likewise share support for 3G and 4G as well as micro-HDMI and USB, but there's a clear difference depending on what you buy. Going for the regular Smart PC loads in a modest Clover Trail-based Intel Atom processor and a 1,366 x 768 display, but offers a lengthy 13.5-hour battery life, 2GB of RAM, up to a 128GB flash drive, a rear 8-megapixel camera and a 2-megapixel front camera. Slap that "Pro" moniker on the front and you have to drop to eight hours of battery life and a 5-megapixel rear camera, but you'll get a much faster Core i5 processor, a 1080p display, 4GB of RAM and as much as a 256GB SSD. Unlike the ATIV Tab, we do know the Smart PCs will be available in the US on October 26th at $649 for a base Smart PC/Series 5, $749 for a bundle with the keyboard and $1,119 for a Smart PC Pro/Series 7 with a 128GB SSD built-in. Continue reading Samsung brands its dockable, S Pen-touting Windows 8 tablets as ATIV Smart PC and Smart PC Pro Filed under: Tablets Samsung brands its dockable, S Pen-touting Windows 8 tablets as ATIV Smart PC and Smart PC Pro originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Flipboard adds dedicated video channels, decides reading isn't everything Aug 29th 2012, 18:15  Flipboard supports video, but it's always been focused on modernizing the reading experience. Until today, that is. The app is taking advantage of YouTube channels to give readers -- sorry, viewers -- a steady stream of video pattered along common themes. Basic feeds for concepts like cooking, music and news sit side-by-side with more esoteric sections for 'influencers,' fashion and (our favorite) science. Is it the end of reading? We don't think so, but it does mean we won't have to hop to another app to get our moving picture fix, which we're sure is as much Flipboard's dream come true as it is ours. Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software Flipboard adds dedicated video channels, decides reading isn't everything originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  PaidContent | Flipboard | Email this | Comments | | Samsung ATIV Smart PC dock hands-on Aug 29th 2012, 18:05  And hey, what's a Windows 8 tablet without a docking station? Sure enough, Samsung was showing off a snazzy one tonight that turns your bright and beautiful ATIV Smart PC (which is a bit chunkier than its brother) into a notebook. The tablet slots into the top of the keyboard dock, with the Windows 8 button obscured slightly by the top of the dock. The device does look a fair amount like a netbook when it's firmly nestled inside. But we have to say, the quality of the dock doesn't match the beauty of the tablet itself, the plasticky bottom clashing with the brushed aluminum backing, particularly where the lip shows up slightly on the rear of the device. When using the dock, you're likely going to spend most of your time in the classic UI -- and when you want to switch, you can just hit the button at the top of the dock to release the tablet from its docky prison. The buttons and trackpad feel a bit like a low-end netbook, and we had to do some fiddling to get that mouse across the desktop. We're hoping that Samsung will either release a slicker version or we'll be seeing something from a third-party manufacturer. In the meantime, the dock feels more like a second home for the tablet, best saved for those rare occasions when you'll need to do, say, some serious word processing. Samsung ATIV Smart PC dock hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Time Warner Cable expanding fiber broadband coverage in NYC, only businesses to benefit Aug 29th 2012, 18:00  Google, we're not in Kansas anymore, we're in New York, where Time Warner Cable is planning to drop $25 million on expanding its (up to) 1Gbps fiber broadband infrastructure. Specifically, the additional network is hitting neglected areas in Brooklyn and Manhattan, but it's not for general consumption -- it's strictly for businesses. Don't feel too disheartened though -- you might not be getting a slice of this particular fiber pie, but it's all you can eat, all the time at the free WiFi buffet. Continue reading Time Warner Cable expanding fiber broadband coverage in NYC, only businesses to benefit Filed under: Networking Time Warner Cable expanding fiber broadband coverage in NYC, only businesses to benefit originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink CNET | | Email this | Comments | | Samsung Windows RT ATIV Tab hands-on (video) Aug 29th 2012, 17:45  Well, well, well, what have we here? It's yet another beautiful tablet from the folks at Samsung. We've got our hands on the Samsung ATIV Tab running Windows 8 on a low-power ARM processor (aka Windows RT) and it looks and feels fantastic -- and familiar. Yep, if you've ever seen or played with a Samsung Galaxy Tab, you'll know what you're in for, a solid and beautiful tablet with a brushed aluminum back. The screen is extremely vivid, and yeah, we had to turn it down to get some decent shots of the thing. The big tell, however, is the new square Windows button on the bottom bezel. Yep, this thing is rocking Windows RT, in all of its glory. The other big tip off: there's no stylus on the slate. You're going to be using you finger to navigate through the operating system -- sorry S Pen fans. The tablet is extremely zippy, as well -- and no question why -- the device is rocking a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor on top of 2GB of memory. Obviously the tablet is best suited to the tile UI, though you can swap between that and the older familiar one by clicking the right tile. We'll get you more information as it become available -- in the meantime, please enjoy the following image gallery. Continue reading Samsung Windows RT ATIV Tab hands-on (video) Filed under: Tablets Samsung Windows RT ATIV Tab hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Samsung Galaxy Note II getting redesigned S Pen with rubber tip, improved grip Aug 29th 2012, 17:33  Today at its IFA 2012 press conference, Samsung confirmed that the newly announced Galaxy Note II will make use of a new, redesigned S Pen. In addition to boasting an improved 8mm grip, it has a rubber tip. It also recognizes 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, which is already true of the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. Other than that, Samsung hasn't shared much in the way of specifics, but if you'd like to see video of the new Note in action, we can at least offer that. Filed under: Tablets Samsung Galaxy Note II getting redesigned S Pen with rubber tip, improved grip originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Samsung introduces ATIV Tab: a 10.1-inch Windows RT tablet Aug 29th 2012, 17:32  Samsung's busy cranking out its fall lineup here in Berlin, and among the new entries is the ATIV Tab, a Windows RT-packing cousin of the Galaxy Note 10.1. The new 10.1-inch slate isn't quite as aggressive as its Android counterpart and centers on a 1,366 x 768 display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, a 5MP rear camera paired with a 1.9MP front-facing cam, and ports for micro-HDMI as well as USB. Dimensionally, the tablet is as light and skinny as you'd hope: it weighs 20.1 ounces (570g) and measures a slim 8.9mm thick. The 32GB and 64GB storage options aren't shockers given the extra space Windows and the bundled copy of Office 2013 Home and Student 2013 will demand, but there's a treat for long-haul users in the battery -- it's been upgraded from the 7,000maH pack of the Note 10.1 to an ample 8,200mAh unit. Samsung hasn't handed out launch details, but it's safe to say that the ATIV Tab won't arrive any sooner than October 26th. Check out all of our IFA 2012 coverage at our event hub! Brad Molen contributed to this post. Filed under: Tablets, Wireless Samsung introduces ATIV Tab: a 10.1-inch Windows RT tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
