Sunday, October 18, 2009

Verizon's anti-iPhone gets its first commercial: 'Droid Does' (update)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/17/verizons-anti-iphone-gets-its-first-commercial-droid-does/

We knew Verizon Wireless would soon be throwing caution to the wind in an effort to sway uncommitted smartphone buyers towards Big Red, and it looks like the November-bound Motorola Droid will be VZW's anti-iPhone. The spot, which launched tonight and can be view in its entirety after the break, is a 30 second clip that begins by mocking Apple's cutesy music and iconic font typically seen in iPhone plugs. It reels off a number of things that the iPhone can't do, and then abruptly goes into full-on tease mode by flashing glimpses of a robot-controlled future and a tagline that simply states: "Droid Does." No shots of the actual Motorola Droid (or Sholes, as it was known in the past) are shown, but a dedicated teaser portal has already been erected; through that, we're told that the phone will boast Android 2.0 and a 5 megapixel camera. At this point, we'd say the gloves are definitely off -- AT&T, have anything to say for yourself, or is the iPhone doing just fine on its own?

Update: See that alien counter that's just sitting on the lower end of the teaser page? As reader Craig N. and a number of others have pointed out, a quick perusal through the page's XML file reveals the end of that timer to be October 30th -- not that we expect to be waiting that long for more Droid news, but it's something to keep in mind.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Verizon's anti-iPhone gets its first commercial: 'Droid Does' (update)

Filed under:

Verizon's anti-iPhone gets its first commercial: 'Droid Does' (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:04:00 EST. Please see our te rms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 9:31 PM

Dell's $2,000 Adamo XPS launching October 22 with heat-sensing open latch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/17/dells-2000-adamo-xps-launching-october-22-with-heat-sensing-op/

Dell has been teasing its ultrathin Adamo XPS for weeks now, but all that goofing off will come to a solemn end next Thursday. On the same day that we sit down with Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer (and a little OS by the name of Windows 7 hits store shelves), Dell will also fully reveal the planet's slimmest laptop. The 0.39-inch Adamo XPS will cost $2,000, and while the nitty-gritty details are still under wraps, a new Business Week article notes that it'll boast a "heat-sensing strip on the lip that, when swiped with a finger, glows white and automatically opens the aluminum lid." The glamorous machine is part of a larger effort within the Round Rock powerhouse to revitalize itself and get people talking once again, and while this particular slab will obviously not be a high volume product, it could very well get a few more eyes pointed in its direction. Call us crazy, but we're guessing next week is going to be a wee bit zany.

[Via Pasta Tech]

Filed under:

Dell's $2,000 Adamo XPS launching October 22 with heat-sensing open latch originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 9:31 PM

Patriot's $130 Box Office 1080p media player streams on the cheap

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/18/patriots-130-box-office-1080p-networked-media-player-streams-o/


Eying a Popcorn Hour device, are you? We know Patriot isn't exactly the first name you think of when pondering your next media streamer, but the $129.99 price tag affixed to the black box shown above definitely piqued our interest. Like most of its rivals, this one features a 2.5-inch HDD slot (though you'll need to bring your own drive, obviously), a trio of USB sockets, 10/100 Ethernet for content streaming, UPnP support, a rather decent file support list and a bundled remote. There's also an optional USB WiFi adapter for those not keen on running 80 feet of Ethernet cabling through their den, and while the GUI won't revolutionize your life, it certainly ain't bad given the low barrier to entry. Too bad it's still stuck in that painful-to-watch "pre-order" stage, huh?

[Via thegadgetsite]

Filed under:

Patriot's $130 Box Office 1080p media player streams on the cheap originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 07:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 9:31 PM

AMD's Congo platform getting really official next month?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/18/amds-congo-platform-getting-really-official-next-month/


AMD's never been much for keeping to the roadmap, and it looks like the curious launch of its Congo platform is evidence of that very fact. If you'll recall, we actually saw a Congo-based netbook launch way back in June, and it was expected that a flood of other ultrathin machines would follow shortly thereafter. According to DigiTimes, the demand in the market just wasn't there (thanks, recession!), so everything was pushed back until November. Lo and behold, our Gregorian calendar has that very month on deck for next, and according to mythical sources at laptop makers, the platform should make its super-duper official debut within a matter of weeks. The dual-core Turion Neo X2 L625, Athlon Neo X2 L335/L325 and / or single-core Athlon Neo MV-40 should be front and center, and AMD is apt to announce progress on its Nile and Brazos platforms -- both of which should help carry the chip maker through the next two years. Look out Atom, you've got some delayed competition coming your way.

Update: Seems as if this may all just be a "second wave" of sorts when many PC makers choose to launch machines based on this platform alongside Windows 7's debut. AMD informed us that the November delay notion was also false, and we get the feeling that Congo's just been waiting for Win7 to really get itself out there.

Filed under:

AMD's Congo platform getting really official next month? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 9:31 PM

HP Envy, dv8 Quad, Mini 311, and numerous other Windows 7 machines now available to order

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/18/hp-envy-dv8-quad-mini-311-and-numerous-other-windows-7-machin/

Since today really needs a good heap of news to somewhat balance out yesterday's glut, HP has updated its online store to give it an abundance of new and revised Windows 7 machines, including the Envy series (Beats edition and all), Pavilion dm3 with AMD Neo or Intel CULV chips, Core i7-packing dv6t/ dv7t / dv8t Quad editions, and the not-so-netbook CQ61. We're still not seeing the previously-leaked dm1 ultraportable anywhere, but the Mini 311 and a slightly updated Mini 110 are, with the option to jump from Windows XP to 7 for a cool $50 / $30 respectively. Most everything in the store, desktops and laptops, has been updated to at least include Windows 7 as the standard shipping OS, and while all claim free 2-day shipping, estimated shipping dates begin sometime the week after 7's Oct 22nd launch -- no early chances here, folks. Browse the read links and keep an eye on the shiny red "new" icons (no flashing GIFs, we're afraid) for the entire revised lineup.

Update: As a number of you have pointed, the Envy product page is a bit, well, sloppy. Typos and missing commas notwithstanding, it seems to biggest laugh is the cost of customization, i.e. $800 more to downgrade from a 500GB HDD to 320GB or 250GB (same price), or $900 more to downgrade from 6GB or 4GB of DDR3 memory. Yeah, it might be best to hold off on that one until HP get the kinks worked out.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Read - Desktop lineup
Read - Laptop lineup
Read - Envy series lineup

Filed under: ,

HP Envy, dv8 Quad, Mini 311, and numerous other Windows 7 machines now available to order originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Posted by Augustine at 9:30 PM

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)