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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Adobe AIR 2.5 coming to Android in Q4 2010, but only to capable phones

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/16/adobe-air-2-5-coming-to-android-in-q4-2010-but-only-to-capable/

When will Strong Bad and company become native Android applications? Anytime after Q4 2010 -- that's when Adobe says it wants to have Adobe AIR for Android runtimes publicly available in the Android Market, along with an initial batch of apps, and fairly exciting potential for more. The Android release will be part of AIR 2.5 and grant would-be developers access to your smartphone's camera, microphone, accelerometer and GPS as well as providing hardware GPU acceleration and multitouch input, which could make for some exciting ~~PopCap games~~ completely serious and not at all game related utilities down the road. Don't necessarily expect them to work on every Android phone, however, as there are some prerequisites for AIR, namely an ARMv7 processor or better with a vector co-processor, OpenGL ES 2.0 and Froyo, but Adobe says if your device handles Flash 10.1, it'll probably run AIR.

On a related note, if you weren't yet sold on Google TV, a breath of fresh AIR might help -- Adobe told us it's presently pondering the correct time to add the cross-platform runtimes on Google's video streaming boxes as well.

Adobe AIR 2.5 coming to Android in Q4 2010, but only to capable phones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nikon Coolpix S1100pj projector cam arrives with USB projection and touchscreen telestrator capabilities; S5100 arrives in tow

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/17/nikon-coolpix-s1100pj-projector-cam-arrives-with-usb-projection/

Looks like those German Coolpix leaks were right on the money -- Nikon's just announced the Coolpix S1100pj and the S5100. The S1100pj is a seriously hot update to the original quirky and lovable Nikon Coolpix S1000pj projector-cam: not only is it thinner and sleeker, but the projector is brighter at 14 lumens and can now beam images off a laptop over USB. The control scheme also looks to have been simplified, with a new three-inch 460,000-dot touchscreen taking over most duties and enabling a wild telestrator-style paint mode which lets you draw right on top of projected images in real-time. Camera-wise, it's an iterative bump over the previous model: 14 megapixel sensor with 720p movie mode and ISO 6400 sensitivity, 28-140mm 5x optical zoom with five-way stabilizer, and the ability to detect faces, smiles and blinks. Perhaps best of all, MSRP has dropped $100 to $349, which actually makes it a somewhat reasonable consideration if you're shopping higher-end cams. Yep, we definitely want to play with one -- it'll hit in a bunch of colors next month sometime.

The Coolpix S5100 is a bit less interesting, slotting in between the S6000 and S4000. Nothing too complicated here, just a 12.1 megapixel sensor with ISO 3200 sensitivity and a 720p movie mode, 5x optical zoom with four-way stabilization, and a nifty tripod-detection function that automatically tweaks shutter speed and exposure to produce blur-free images when the camera is handheld. It'll be $179 in a bunch of colors when it hits in October -- check a shot after the break, along with the full PR for both cams.

P.S.- That's both of the leaked Coolpix models -- we've got a feeling we'll be hearing about that D3100 DSLR rather soon as well.

Gallery: Nikon Coolpix S1100pj projector cam arrives with USB projection and touchscreen telestrator capabilities

Continue reading Nikon Coolpix S1100pj projector cam arrives with USB projection and touchscreen telestrator capabilities; S5100 arrives in tow

Nikon Coolpix S1100pj projector cam arrives with USB projection and touchscreen telestrator capabilities; S5100 arrives in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fujifilm introduces Finepix Real 3D W3 camera, we go hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/17/fujifilm-introduces-finepix-real-3d-w3-camera-we-go-hands-on/

When reviewers call your product "the worst ____ ever made," do you give up and move on? Or do you build a second model and try to prove them wrong? After introducing the world's first consumer stereoscopic 3D shooter to dismal reviews, FujiFilm chose door number two, replacing the camera with a thinner, lighter, and easier-to-use version that addresses a host of complaints and costs $100 less to boot. The FujiFilm FinePix Real 3D W3 adds a larger 3.5-inch, 16:9 LCD screen, a 720p video recording mode, and HDMI 1.4 out for dropping images and videos right into your 3D-ready TV. Oh, and it actually feels like a real camera this time, our favorite feature by far. We got some hands-on time with the new cross-eyed shooter, read on for more!

Gallery: Fujifilm's Real 3D W3 camera hands-on

Continue reading Fujifilm introduces Finepix Real 3D W3 camera, we go hands-on

Fujifilm introduces Finepix Real 3D W3 camera, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Qualcomm to ship 1.5GHz QSD8672 Snapdragon processor in Q4

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/17/qualcomm-to-ship-1-5ghz-qsd8672-snapdragon-processor-in-q4/

And you thought a dual-core 1.2GHz chip was quick. If all goes to plan (that's a big "if," by the way), Qualcomm will one-up its Computex standout before the end of this year, with vice president of product management Mark Frankel affirming that his company is on track to ship a 1.5GHz dual-core QSD8672 chip prior to the dawn of 2011. He's quoted as saying that the blazing new Snapdragon could find a home in smartphones, low-cost laptops and tablet PCs, and while we're led to believe that the vast majority of said products won't actually greet consumers until early next year, a few aggressive partners may get wares out "by Christmas." For those unfamiliar, the fancy new 8672 is based on an ARM design and will be crafted using a 45nm process technology, and the individual voltage scaling will enable each core to be clocked independently of the other in order to maximize battery life and performance. Naturally, 1080p video playback will be supported, as will DDR2, DDR3 and HDMI interfaces. Oh, and don't sweat it -- you've still got plenty of time to get on Santa's 'good' list.

Qualcomm to ship 1.5GHz QSD8672 Snapdragon processor in Q4 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 03:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony's Ultimate Weapon Gaming headsets are as macho as the name suggests

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/17/sonys-ultimate-weapon-gaming-headsets-are-as-macho-as-the-name/

According to Sony, your Ultimate Weapon when it comes to schooling fools on the FPS battlefield is a 3D surround sound headset. Just like its newly minted DR-GA500 above, what a coincidence! Coming with a separate box to process your computer's audio into a 7.1-channel surround sound environment, this mic-equipped set of cans is targeted squarely at gamers looking to optimize every last inch of their fragging experience. There's also a GA-200 model that makes do without the extra audio processing. Both variants share the super special "triple enfolding" padding design, which is intended to make the headgear comfortable for prolonged use. Prices and retail dates aren't yet available, but just to underline that gaming connection one extra time, Sony will be bundling a free copy of the latest Medal of Honor with these 'phones starting in mid-October.

Continue reading Sony's Ultimate Weapon Gaming headsets are as macho as the name suggests

Sony's Ultimate Weapon Gaming headsets are as macho as the name suggests originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 04:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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