Monday, March 16, 2009

Nextar's MA809 PMP is seductively thin, still too pricey

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/16/nextars-ma809-pmp-is-seductively-thin-still-too-pricey/


We'll hand it to Nextar here, the MA809 is sexy enough to roll with the hottest PMPs on the market today, but the pricing strategy needs a serious revision. Said player sports a 2.8-inch display (400 x 240 resolution), an integrated voice recorder, support for MP3 and WMA files, an FM tuner / recorder, built-in speaker and a stopwatch to boot. Furthermore, it includes 2GB, 4GB or 8GB of storage space, while the microSD card slot leaves open the possibility for expansion beyond that. Nextar claims that you'll get up to eight hours of continuous music play or up to three hours of video viewing with a fully charged Li-ion, but we still don't see it really breaking through by being hosted up at Sears for $99.99 (2GB), $119.99 (4GB) and $149.99 (8GB). Maybe we just need a little hope, though. The full release is after the break.

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Nextar's MA809 PMP is seductively thin, still too pricey originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 6:14 PM

Motion's J3400 rugged tablet PC boasts dual batteries, outdoor display

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/16/motions-j3400-rugged-tablet-pc-boasts-dual-batteries-outdoor-d/


Need a tablet PC that'll last all day, do ya? Care for one that you can also see whilst outdoors? Look no further than Motion's brand new J3400, a rugged (albeit sleek) new tablet that comes equipped with dual battery compartments and an outdoor-visible LCD. Other specs include an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1.8-inch shock-mounted HDD (a 64GB SSD is a worthwhile option), 2 megapixel camera, GPS, a biometric sensor, multicard reader, Bluetooth 2.1, Qualcomm's dual-mode Gobi WWAN chip, WiFi and a chassis that's IP-52 rated and meets MIL-STD-810F specifications. In other words, a three foot tumble onto plywood won't even faze it. This beauty can be yours to ruin in the field for the low, low starting price of $2,299, and yes, it's ready to ship this very moment. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading Motion's J3400 rugged tablet PC boasts dual batteries, outdoor display

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Motion's J3400 rugged tablet PC boasts dual batteries, outdoor display originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 2:32 PM

Is Netflix putting caps on computer-based Watch Instantly users?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/16/is-netflix-putting-caps-on-computer-based-watch-instantly-users/

Is Netflix putting caps on computer-based Watch Instantly users?

Depending on your choice of computing platform, possession of dedicated streaming hardware, and love of otherwise forgettable '80s films, Netflix's Watch Instantly service is either a godsend or a gimmick. Regardless, nobody likes arbitrary bandwidth caps, and that's what Riyad Kalla at The "Break it Down" Blog claims to have spotted, finding that Watch streams on his Xbox take multiple minutes to buffer, but that those on his PC (using the same connection) can take hours -- if they work at all. Doing a little snooping he found he was being capped to about 50 KB/sec per download thread on his PC, but if he spawned ten such threads he was able to get over 700 KB/sec. Something, it seems, is issuing a per-thread cap, but is it really Netflix? Or, rather, is it his Qwest DSL line doing a ham-fisted job of managing bandwidth? We've seen similar issues intermittently, but nothing consistent, so we're not quite ready to call this an internet-wide conspiracy just yet, but would love to hear about your streaming experiences lately.

Update: Based on the volume of "It's working just fine for me" comments both here and elsewhere it seems safe to say that if there is a conspiracy at work here, it's not Netflix's.

[Via Slashdot]

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Is Netflix putting caps on computer-based Watch Instantly users? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 07:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 2:32 PM

Update: Lenovo leaks Pocket Yoga mystery netbook pics

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/16/lenovo-leaks-pocket-yoga-mystery-netbook-pics/


The mysterious netbook that Engadget Chinese hepped us to from the floor of Lenovo's Beijing office now has a name -- if little else. Images have surfaced on the company's photostream with this bad boy in a number of compromising positions, showing off its convertible design and touchscreen stylus capabilities. Tantalizing, yes? That's it for details, but be sure to hit up that gallery for those red hot pics.

Update: The mystery is solved, folks. According to Johnson Li, the director of Lenovo's Beijing Innovation Center, the device is a two-year-old laptop design concept that features a leather exterior and detachable keyboard. You know what? We still want one.

[Via Electronista, Thanks Luigi]


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Update: Lenovo leaks Pocket Yoga mystery netbook pics originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 2:32 PM

MSI Wind U110 Eco rocks ATI graphics, 9-hour battery life

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/16/msi-wind-u110-eco-rocks-ati-graphics-9-hour-battery-life/


Looks like MSI's trying some new things with its next generation of netbooks -- instead of the expected Atom N280 or the NVIDIA Ion platform, the new Wind U110 ECO pairs a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 and Intel's traditionally MID-oriented Menlow chipset with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 to achieve nine hours of battery life. Of course, it remains to be seen what that number translates to in the real world and we've got questions about performance, but it's an interesting mashup of laptop, netbook, and MID parts -- let's hope pricing stays firmly in netbook territory.

[Via Engadget Spanish; thanks TheLostSwede]

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MSI Wind U110 Eco rocks ATI graphics, 9-hour battery life originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 2:32 PM

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