Etymotic EB1 and EB15 earplugs hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/11/etymotic-eb1-and-eb15-earplugs-hands-on/

Etymotic, a company we've seen here at CES and in the past, has developed a pair of earplugs that protect your hearing against things like loud explosions and gunfire. The EB1 and EB15 Electronic Blast PLG Earplugs, retailing for $449 and $499, respectively, are aimed toward buyers such as hunters, musicians and soldiers -- folks who are exposed to loud noises and need protection. The analog earpieces are powered by a 312 hearing-aid battery and will last three weeks. There's no on/off switch -- just a high and low gain control. High gain is used for environments that require an amplification and the opposite applies for low gain. In other words, if a soldier is out on the battlefield and needs to hear an enemy inside a house, he'd switch to high gain to generate a louder sound. The difference between the plugs is simple: the EB1 is for people who are going to be around one-off noises and the EB15 are for those who are going to be exposed to prolonged noises. We got a chance to test out the plugs on the loud show floor and we gotta say, the difference between high- and low-gain modes is easily recognizable and we feel like these earplugs will make superb head-hole protectors. Plenty of complicated graphs and numbers in the gallery below.

Gallery: EB1 and EB15 earplugs hands-on

Etymotic EB1 and EB15 earplugs hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 05:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype hits new record of 27 million simultaneous users in wake of iOS video chat release

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/11/skype-hits-new-record-of-27-million-simultaneous-users-in-wake-o/

Even though video chat has been available in some form or another for a good few years, it seems to only really be hitting its stride now, perhaps owing to the fact smartphones are no longer the brick-shaped and -sized beasts they once were. The latest evidence for this trend comes from Skype, who unveiled video calling on the iPhone a few days ago and yesterday managed to reach a new milestone in its history: 27 million users online at the same time. That comfortably overshadows the previous record, which wasn't even over 26 million, and while not all of those logged-in Skypers can be attributed to its FaceTime alternative, it's undeniable that the recent growth in Skype's customer base has been catalyzed by its introduction of video calling. And now that it's coming to Android phones and TVs of all creeds, that number should only continue to grow.

Skype hits new record of 27 million simultaneous users in wake of iOS video chat release originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 03:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Goggles now solves Sudoku, taking an interest in ads, clearly entering middle age

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/11/google-goggles-now-solves-sudoku-reads-barcodes-and-ads-clearl/

There are no surer signs of the apocalyptic onset of middle age than a preoccupation with puzzle-solving and an unhealthy interest in adverts and barcodes. And those just happen to be the three new features Google has added to version 1.3 of its Goggles software. The visual search application for Android is now intelligent enough to decipher tricky Sudoku puzzles (and thereby suck all the fun out of them), while its algorithms have also been tweaked to make barcode scanning "almost" instant. Popular printed ads will be recognized as well, taking you to a Google search on the relevant topic. US newspapers and magazines from August 2010 are being supported for now, but we can't imagine the rest of the world should have to wait too long for this added convenience. Video of the new Goggles' Sudoku skills after the break.

Continue reading Google Goggles now solves Sudoku, taking an interest in ads, clearly entering middle age

Google Goggles now solves Sudoku, taking an interest in ads, clearly entering middle age originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 06:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC 7 Pro arriving on O2 Germany 'next week,' priced at â¬569

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/11/htc-7-pro-arriving-on-o2-germany-next-week-priced-at-569/

Last we heard of the HTC 7 Pro, it was taking a casual stroll through O2 Germany's website, throwing around boasts that it'll be on sale come January 2011. Well, guess what? That promise has just been reiterated by O2's German Twitter stream, which says that the 7 Pro will be on sale next week for an unsubsidized price of €569 ($735). That's available via O2's usual MyHandy payment plan, where you dish out €29 in advance and then pay off the phone in equal monthly payments over two years. We can't imagine HTC leaving the rest of the world sitting idly by, twiddling their QWERTY keyboard-loving thumbs, so look out for this WP7 handset to filter through to your local market some time soon.

[Thanks, Mario]

Continue reading HTC 7 Pro arriving on O2 Germany 'next week,' priced at €569

HTC 7 Pro arriving on O2 Germany 'next week,' priced at €569 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 07:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Streak 7 torn down on video, we still can't find the reason it's running Froyo

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/11/dell-streak-7-torn-down-on-video-we-still-cant-find-the-reason/

The Dell Streak 7 might, in many people's eyes, be seen as what the original Streak should have been -- a 4G-equipped tablet with a spicy dual-core filling and the dimensions of a legitimate handheld computer. Unfortunately, it's launching quite a bit later than its precursor and few will be happy to hear it's running Android version 2.2 (Froyo) when we've just been graced by the brilliant light of Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) on other machines launching within the same time frame. That said, it's still a gadget, it's got circuit boards and connectors and tiny, minuscule things, and it's been tenderly disassembled for you on video right after the break. Why not try to figure out what makes the screen look so bland?

Continue reading Dell Streak 7 torn down on video, we still can't find the reason it's running Froyo

Dell Streak 7 torn down on video, we still can't find the reason it's running Froyo originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 07:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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