A free PDA that came with a magazine subscription in 2002? An early
Peek prototype? No, this is the humbly named USB Wireless Handheld Keyboard and Touchpad that’s now available from USB Geek, and it just might be the sort of device you never knew you were looking for. As the folks at
CrunchGear have noted, while the device is simply being marketed as an all-in-one wireless touchpad and keyboard, it actually has all the makings of an ideal HTPC controller — not to mention an entirely reasonable price of $62. No multitouch, no LCD — just a plain old trackpad, a wireless USB dongle, and a QWERTY keypad that should be adequate enough for tweeting your reaction to the TV show remake du jour. Video after the break.
Update: And here comes a review!
Continue reading Wireless USB keyboard / touchpad is more than the sum of its parts
Wireless USB keyboard / touchpad is more than the sum of its parts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Befuddled by the Blobo squeezable game controller developed by an upstart company out of Finland? The FCC probably was to, but that didn’t stop ‘em from putting it through their usual battery of tests, tearing it apart, and giving us a glimpse at the user manual and our first real up-close look at the device itself. Of course, it is just a rubber ball packed with Bluetooth and sensors — but if you’re curious, you can find more pics where this one came from at the link below. And if, by chance, you missed out on all the Blobo details earlier this week, you’ll no doubt want to check out the helpful and informative video after the break.
Continue reading Blobo squeezable game controller bounces through the FCC
Blobo squeezable game controller bounces through the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’ve already seen a few Japanese department stores employing virtual makeover machines, and it looks like Philips is now hoping to bring a similar service to an even wider audience. Dubbed “Crystalize,” the company’s latest off the beaten path device makes use of some cameras normally used for medical purposes to take extreme close-up shots of various parts of your face, which are then analyzed for four different conditions (skin type, redness, sun damage, and smoothness). That will apparently cost you $90, which will also get you recommendations for various products to improve your skin (for which Philips apparently doesn’t receive any remuneration), and access to a social networking site for continuing service. For starters, however, the service will only be available at one store in Santa Monica, but Philips says it plans to make it available “across the world” in 2010. Video after the break.
Continue reading Philips’ Crystalize service promises to cure your skin care dilemma
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Philips’ Crystalize service promises to cure your skin care dilemma originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It may not be the first electric skateboard, or the
fastest, or the least
skateboard-
like, but Xero’s new eBoard Neo is controlled by a gun, and that’s got to count for something. In addition to attracting attention from
the law, this board will propel you along with ease at 14 miles per hour, hit 0 to 20 (kilometers, presumably) in just four seconds, and last for around 13.5 miles on a single charge — a complete recharge will take three to four hours. At £220 (or just over $360), however, this one doesn’t exactly come cheap, although you can also snag the slightly less speedy (and gun-less) eBoard Junior or eBoard Flow for £120 and £150, respectively, or step up to the heavy duty eBoard Pro for £250.
Filed under: Transportation
Xero’s eBoard Neo skateboard is battery-powered, gun-controlled originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’ve already gotten a few brief, mysterious glimpses of Lenovo’s thin-and-light ThinkPad X100e (sometimes known as the X200e), but it looks like things are now starting to get a bit more real. Contrary to previous speculation, this one’s not, it seems, a ThinkPad netbook, but an “entry ultraportable,” which apparently means that it is small, thin and light just like a netbook, and has a “netbook-like price point” — it’s just… not a netbook. Less nebulous are the device’s specs, which include an 11.6-inch, 1366 x 768 display, an AMD Athlon Neo processor, support for up to 4GB of RAM, up to a 320GB hard drive, optional 3G and GPS and, of particular note to some particular folks, a distinctly ThinkPad keyboard, trackpad and trackpoint. Still no indication of a release date just yet, but it looks like you will at least be able to get this one in your choice of black, red or white, despite its distinctly business-minded nature.
Filed under: Laptops
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X100e gets detailed: AMD Neo-based, not a netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Well, go figure. It seems like some companies see Microsoft’s new and pricey
Wireless N adapter for the Xbox 360 as a prime candidate for some competition. One of the first out of the gate is Mad Catz, which has just released its new Wireless-N Gaming Adapter that packs a slightly more reasonable MSRP of $80 (twenty bucks less than Mircosoft’s), and should no doubt see even bigger discounts than the official Microsoft option. As you may have already guessed, however, this one is actually just a standard wireless bridge aimed at the gamer crowd, which just so happens to mean it’ll also work just fine with the PlayStation 3 if you’re looking to step-up to 802.11n or take advantage of the forthcoming
Adhocparty service.
Filed under: Gaming, Wireless
Mad Catz takes aim at Microsoft with its own Wireless-N Gaming Adapter originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The BBC’s
iPlayer streaming video / radio service has been available on the Wii in the form of a browser-based app for some time now, but it looks like it’s now set to step up its game considerably with a full-fledged iPlayer Wii channel. Launching in the UK on November 18th, the new channel boasts a streamlined, Wii-friendly interface that was apparently the result of extensive testing, and includes a number of other smaller design touches, like some nifty background animations during radio programs, and some use of the Wiimote’s rumble feature for added feedback. Best of all, the whole thing’s completely free — now, about that UK-only part…
[Thanks, Lenny]
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment
BBC redoubles its Wii efforts with dedicated iPlayer channel originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Gamers in Japan with both a PSP and PS3 have been able to use the adhocParty service to expand their multiplayer gaming options for quite a while now, and it looks like folks in North America will soon finally be able to get in on the action as well. For those not up to speed on it, the service effectively lets you use your PS3 as a gateway to let you play PSP games with an ad hoc mode (like Gran Turismo or Monster Hunter) over the internet instead of simply with other PSP users near you. You’ll also be able to make use of the PS3’s wireless headset or PlayStation Eye for voice chat with the service, but you will have to make sure your PS3 is connected to the internet via Ethernet or a wireless bridge (since it makes use of the built-in WiFi to connect to the PSP). Still no firm word on a release date, but it will be a free download from the PlayStation Store.
Filed under: Gaming
AdhocParty for PSP coming to North America ’soon’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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GameStop has been dropping hints about its digital download plans for a little while now, but it looks to have done its most extensive and official talking about the matter yet at the recent BMO Capital Management Digital Entertainment conference, where it confirmed that it will start testing the program “early next year” with kiosks in an unspecified number of stores. That program will apparently work in conjunction with services “such as Microsoft Corp’s Xbox Live and Sony Corp’s PlayStation Network,” and will focus primarily on add-on content rather than full game downloads. Why’s that, you ask? Well it seems that GameStop thinks “a large market for full game downloads is not imminent, (but) the add-on downloadable market will grow” — a view that some would obviously beg to differ with.
[Via Joystiq]
Filed under: Gaming
GameStop to start testing game downloads early next year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It’s not quite as sleek as
some homebrew-minded handhelds, or as full-featured as some
others, but anything that hearkens back to the days when videos games were measured in bits gets a few points in our book, and this new Neo Slim 3000 looks to have things well covered on that front. While complete details are still a bit light, this one is said to pack a 3.5-inch 320 x 240 display, 2GB of built-in memory, an SD card slot for expansion, a full range of PMP features and, most importantly, support for NES, SNES, Genesis, and Game Boy Advance emulation right out of the box — with other options presumably also available depending on the device’s capabilities. Still no word on a price just yet, but the folks at Neoflash say this one is “coming soon.”
[Thanks, Craig]
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds
Neo Slim 3000 handheld promises game emulation and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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