Sony applies next-gen snowflake tech to boost VAIO W's appeal

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/sony-applies-next-gen-snowflake-tech-to-boost-vaio-ws-appeal/

When Sony's VAIO W netbook was released, we said the company would "have to do better than put a pretty face on a vanilla set of innards to get our next five Benjamins." So what has the company done to raise the appeal of its little netbook? Boosted the processor? Added a big SSD? Lowered the price? Nah, it went ahead and painted some snowflakes on the lid. Pretty though they may be they still hide the same 10.1-inch, 1366 x 768 LCD, 1.6GHz Atom, and 1GB of RAM. There are some improvements: storage is upped a bit, a 250GB HDD instead of 160, and it now includes Windows 7 Starter instead of XP. And there are snowflakes. Still $499. Get yours before they melt!

[Via Sony Insider]

Filed under: Laptops

Sony applies next-gen snowflake tech to boost VAIO W's appeal originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Addonics Mini NAS: when RAID is too much to ask for

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/addonics-mini-nas-when-raid-is-too-much-to-ask-for/

If you're in the market for a single bay network drive, your options have certainly been piling up lately -- and now the kids at Addonics are premiering their aptly named Mini NAS. Billed as "the world's smallest," this guy is roughly the same size (and roughly as attractive) as a small hub, and it sports 10/100Mbps Ethernet, a 2.5-inch drive bay, a USB port for printer sharing, and support for SMB, Samba, and iTunes music sharing, FTP access (up to 8 simultaneous users), and a BitTorrent client. Yours now for $69. PR after the break.

Continue reading Addonics Mini NAS: when RAID is too much to ask for

Filed under: Storage

Addonics Mini NAS: when RAID is too much to ask for originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bowers & Wilkins somehow makes PC speakers interesting with MM-1

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/bowers-and-wilkins-somehow-makes-pc-speakers-interesting-with-mm-1/

Outside of factory keyboards, there's hardly anything more boring than a set of PC speakers. They're typically unsightly, add to the rat's nest of wires behind your rig and force you into a life of dependency. And then there's Bowers & Wilkins, a company that excels at pumping out products with lust-worthy designs. Somehow or another, the outfit responsible for the dirigible-inspired iPod sound system has produced a set of standard computer speakers that are actually rather inspiring, as the Zeppelin MM-1 touts no extra subwoofer, a simple USB connection and an inbuilt headphone socket. There's nary a mention of price (trust us, it'll be up there), but we should hear more when they ship in January.

Filed under: Portable Audio

Bowers & Wilkins somehow makes PC speakers interesting with MM-1 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon EOS 7D impressions for filmmaker wannabes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/canon-eos-7d-impressions-for-filmmaker-wannabes/

Chad Mumm is our video producer at Engadget, doing work on The Engadget Show and filming shorter-form stuff when we need it. He recently acquired the 7D for personal and work use, and we asked him to put together some thoughts on the camera in terms of using it primarily for video. You can check out our traditional review roundup for the 7D here.

These times are strange. Five years ago if you walked onto the set of a movie, TV show, or music video -- before you got kicked out by a strung out production assistant -- you'd have probably seen a bustling group of workers huddled around a giant camera changing out huge spools with Kodak or Fujifilm logos on them. The RED ONE camera shook up the industry when it was released two years ago and those cans of film were replaced with hard-drives and digital technicians. Now, we're in the midst of another monumental camera shift, and it's not the 3D revolution that everyone predicted. Nope, in 2009 we make our movies on DSLRs. Just how good are they? Well, the recently released Canon EOS 7D may just be the new Engadget workhorse. Read on for the inside scoop on our ridiculously cinematic new rig.

Gallery: Canon EOS 7D video rig

Continue reading Canon EOS 7D impressions for filmmaker wannabes

Canon EOS 7D impressions for filmmaker wannabes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PrimeDTV further saturates HD media streamer segment with PHD-HM5

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/primedtv-further-saturates-hd-media-streamer-segment-with-phd-hm/

Look, we're all for competition, but it's about time for some of these guys to stop copying and start innovating. As if your noggin' wasn't already spinning enough as you attempt to whittle down your laundry list of HD media streamers, in flies PrimeDTV with yet another hopeful. The PHD-HM5 looks to be fairly standard in terms of features, with HDMI / component outputs, a lengthy list of supported formats, an Ethernet socket and a pair of USB 2.0 ports. You won't find WiFi or any internal hard drive, and you'll have to live with the fact that this thing is akin to some lackluster AV component from the early 90s. Oh, and then there's the chore of actually finding one for sale (not to mention an MSRP), which should probably be just enough to push you towards Popcorn Hour.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

PrimeDTV further saturates HD media streamer segment with PHD-HM5 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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