Dell trots out eight new LED-backlit LCD monitors, promises 21.5-inch multitouch IPS model

We had a hunch that Dell's latest quartet of LCD monitors would be making the short trip from Asia to America in the not-too-distant future, and sure enough, Dell's delivering the four we saw in September (along with four more) to US consumers today. Kicking things off is a new trio in the Studio line, which is available in 22-inch (ST2220), 23-inch (ST2320) and 24-inch (ST2420) sizes. The whole lot boasts a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, five millisecond response time, a 16:9 aspect ratio, ST panels (read: not IPS) and touch controls on the bottom right panel. You'll also find VGA and DVI ports, with the ST2220L ($199.99) / ST2320L ($229.99) / ST2321L versions adding HDMI. Moving on, there's a new pair of budget-friendly 20-inchers, the IN2020 and IN2020M. These guys tout a 1600 x 900 screen resolution, five millisecond response time and a VGA socket; the latter steps it up with the addition of DVI. Hit the source link for further details, including a brief teaser on a forthcoming ("later this fall") 21.5-inch multitouch model with an IPS panel. Mmm, delicious.

Dell trots out eight new LED-backlit LCD monitors, promises 21.5-inch multitouch IPS model originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson brings 16 megapixel Cyber-shot S006 cellphone to KDDI

KDDI may have done its best to bury it amongst the few dozen other phones it announced today (including that eye-catching X-RAY clamshell), but we're not about to let the first phone using Sony's new 16.4 megapixel CMOS sensor slip by. That honor naturally goes to Sony Ericsson itself, which has stuffed the sensor into the otherwise ordinary looking Cyber-shot S006 cellphone. In addition to all those megapxiels, you'll also get ISO settings up to ISO 12800, and the rest of the camera's specs aren't too shabby either, including a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 3.3-inch screen (said to be VGA, though we're assuming it's actually HVGA or WVGA), and built-in WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. Unfortunately, all of that is paired with Sony's own proprietary non-smartphone OS and it's, of course, exclusive to KDDI in Japan for the time being (and only being released next spring).

Sony Ericsson brings 16 megapixel Cyber-shot S006 cellphone to KDDI originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC HD7 versus Desire HD: battle of the 4.3-inchers

Come October 21, European smartphone buyers will be faced with the enviable choice of having to pick between two 4.3-inch handsets from HTC bearing the latest and greatest OS from their respective camps. The HD7 will be one of the flag-bearing Windows Phone 7 devices, whereas the Desire HD -- which is already sneaking out into retail in some small quantities -- offers the finest Froyo dessert Google has yet cooked up, replete with some extra sprinkles of Sense-ible enhancements. We'll have full reviews of both in the coming days, but for now, we thought we'd whet your appetite with a tour round their oversized bodies, both in pictorial form below and on video, right after the break.

Gallery: HTC HD7 versus Desire HD: size comparison

Continue reading HTC HD7 versus Desire HD: battle of the 4.3-inchers

HTC HD7 versus Desire HD: battle of the 4.3-inchers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MakerLegoBot is made of Lego, makes things out of Lego, is so meta it hurts (video)

Building things out of Lego? Lots of fun. Building a thing out of Lego that itself builds other things out of Lego? That's totally mindblowing, and that's what Mindstorm master Will Gorman managed here with his MakerLegoBot masterpiece. The machine takes input from a PC running MLCAD, a sort of industrial design tool for blocknauts, and then churns out anything you like -- so long as it is comprised of 1x2, 2x2, 3x2, 4x2, and 8x2 bricks. These are fed by the machine and methodically placed in exact position, as shown in the video below. If you're hanging out in The Netherlands this upcoming weekend you can also see the thing in action at LegoWorld in Zwolle, or just build your own with the detailed plans at the source link below. But, before you start assembling, know that you'll need 2,400 bricks and nine Mindstorms NXT motors.

Continue reading MakerLegoBot is made of Lego, makes things out of Lego, is so meta it hurts (video)

MakerLegoBot is made of Lego, makes things out of Lego, is so meta it hurts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How to Stream Media without Buying Any More Gear [Howto]

So, you'd love to get the movies, music, and photos from your laptop to your living room, but you don't want to buy another box, right? Well, If you have a game console, you're in luck. ZOMG IT'S SOOOO EASY.

Getting Started

Seriously, on a scale of one to ten, streaming from your console to your home theater stack clocks in at super freaking simple. All you need is a wireless router (which you probably have), a console (which we're also assuming you have), and 10 minutes of setup time (come on, you know you have that!). One of the newer Wireless-N jobs is your best choice for buttery smooth HD-streaming, but it's not a must have. Wireless-G will work, and an Ethernet cable is actually your best option for glitch- and interference-free streams. Everybody's got one of those. OK, let's get to this.

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 plays really nicely with Windows (surprise!). When you combine the 360 with Windows 7's Windows Media Center, the Xbox 360 gets complete access to all the content on your PC, and can pipe it right into your TV. The 360 mirrors the same front end of your PC's Windows Media Center, and videos, photos, and music all plays as easily as it does on your machine.

But you don't just have to stick with PC—the 360 streams great with your Mac too. You'll need Vuze, a free, third-party streaming software (that's also a bittorrent client), to get it working, but there's actually an advantage to using Vuze: it converts any file to the proper format, meaning you can watch video codecs and formats that aren't officially supported by Microsoft. There may be some buffering time, but it's worth it for the ability to watch the movies you get from alternative, legally gray areas of the internet. The Windows Media Center solution, on the other hand, is limited to the file formats Microsoft officially supports.

•What you can do Stream music, movies, or photos from your computer to your home theater stack
•What you'll need
An Xbox 360, A PC with Windows 7 or Windows Media Center or a Mac running Vuze, and a home network
•Setup time
About 7 minutes if you have WMC (Xbox is, after all, a Microsoft product), or up to 10 minutes if you're working with Vuze

Here's how to set up your Xbox 360 as a Windows Media Center Extender:
• Fire up your 360 and go to the My Xbox Channel
• Select the "Windows Media Center" option (should be the 7th tab)
• Go through basic setup and it will display an 8-digit setup key—write that down.
• Head over to your PC, start up Windows Media Center and click Tasks > Add Extender
• Punch in the code
• Congratulations! You have now infected your living room with Internet porn.

And here's how to make Vuze work with your Xbox 360:
• Download Vuze here and install it
• Turn On "Devices" in the left panel of Vuze
• Turn on your Xbox 360 (an Xbox 360 icon should now pop up under "Devices" in Vuze)
• Drag and drop the video file you want to play to the Xbox 360 icon
• Go to the My Xbox Channel on your 360
• Select the Video Library tab on your Xbox 360 and select Vuze as the source
• Find the movie you've just dropped in Vuze and stream away

PS3

Streaming to the PS3 is wonderfully simple on both PC and Mac. Why? Because of a lovely little piece of software called PS3 Media Server. It's free, open source, and ridiculously easy to use. PS3 Media Server transcodes videos on the fly, which means your PS3 can stream pretty much any file type known to man. That's great and all, but the best thing about it is that there's hardly any setup. Once you get PS3 Media Server running, all of your computer's files are on visible on your PS. There's no need to pre-designate specific folders for streaming purposes.

•What you can do
Stream music, movies, or photos from your computer to your home theater stack
•What you'll need
A PS3, a PC or Mac, and a home network
•Setup time
About 5 minutes

Here's how to set up PS3 Media Server:
• Download PS3 Media Server here and install it to your computer
• Turn on your PS3
• Open PS3 Media Server on your computer
• Click on the PS3 Media Server Icon under the videos tab on your PS3
• Find your movie (song or picture)
• Make popcorn

Wii

Given its lack of HD support, the Wii isn't exactly the most powerful streaming solution around. But if it's all you got, you can definitely turn it into a solid option. The key to Wii streaming using the Opera browser to access your computer's content. You'll be using a third party streaming service called Orb, because Orb has a lovely webapp that you only need a browser to access. When you head to Orb's website, you'll be brought to a rather snazzy app that's surprisingly easy-to-navigate with the Wiimote. Movies are played through Flash, and, even though it's just a webapp, Orb on the Wii gives you most of the functionality you'd get with using Orb on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

•What you can do
Stream music, movies, or photos from your computer to your Wii's Web browser
•What you'll need
A Wii, Orb, Opera's Wii Browser ($5), and a home netowork
•Setup time
About 15 minutes

Here's how to get Wii to stream:
• Download Orb here and install it to your computer
• Set the folders you want Orb to access (i.e. your Movies folder)
• Go to the SHOP channel on your Wii and download Opera. It'll cost you 5 bucks.
• Open Opera
• Head to mycast.orb.com and plug in your Orb login deets
• Choose the category you want to stream, and knock yourself out

***
Special thanks to Leslie for this how to's inspiration.

If you've always wanted to learn how to do something but didn't know where to start, feel free to ask us how to here.

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