Purported ASUS holiday roadmap pegs Windows 8 tablets at $599 and above

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/17/asus-windows-8-tablets-599-799/

Windows 8 tablets have had their specs bandied about for months, but their prices have continued to remain off the radar. Now, however, a purported ASUS holiday roadmap sent to ZDNet may give us a glimpse as to how badly bank accounts could be affected this fall. According to the slide, the ASUS Vivo Tab will carry a $799 price tag and its Windows RT counterpart will come in at $599, which matches the previously reported price difference between slates running Redmond's latest OS with Intel and AMD processors. The ASUS Taichi dual-screen notebook / tablet hybrid is said to ring up at a heftier $1,299. As for the firm's Transformer Book, it will supposedly set purchasers back $1,399. If these prices are any indication of what we can expect from other OEMs, Microsoft's Surface might be pricier than hoped.

Filed under: Tablets

Purported ASUS holiday roadmap pegs Windows 8 tablets at $599 and above originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 19:! 41:00 ED T. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC's 5-inch behemoth phone spied in press render, may be called One X 5

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/17/htc-5-inch-behemoth-phone-may-be-called-one-x-5/

Something big has been brewing at HTC, most often referred to as the DLX or by its less-than-flattering 6435LVW name. While there have been unconfirmed photos of prototypes floating around, a Sina Weibo user has posted what we have reason to believe is an authentic press image of the finished result: meet the One X 5. As the name and image suggest, the phablet-class device should be dominated by a 5-inch (and possibly 1080p) screen that makes even a regular One X look dainty. Internal details haven't been nailed down alongside the looks, although previous benchmarks have had it using a Snapdragon S4 that might ultimately be a quad-core S4 Pro. There's no immediate signs of a stylus or other tricks besides that sea of glass. We may not have long to wait before we find out, however. HTC just happens to have a New York City event planned for this Wednesday, and previously detected links between the 6435LVW and Verizon could see the One X 5 quickly reach the US if it's meant to show at that gathering -- although it might get another name change to fit into the Droid family.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

HTC's 5-inch behemoth phone spied in press render, may be called One X 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon PowerShot G15 features f/1.8-2.8 lens and DSLR-like controls, we go hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/17/canon-powershot-g15-hands-on/

Not completely sold on Canon's large sensor-packing PowerShot G1 X? The company's latest jumbo compact offers a comparable smooth focus effect, thanks to its super-wide f/1.8-2.8, 28-140mm optical zoom lens, with image stabilization that boosts your shooting capability by up to four stops. The camera, which is designed to replace the G12, features a 12.1-megapixel 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor paired with a DIGIC 5 processor, enabling RAW shooting, 1080p video and a top sensitivity of ISO 12,800 all in a body that's significant smaller and lighter than its predecessor. There's also a super-sharp 922k-dot 3-inch LCD (no touchscreen here, not that we miss it) and a built-in optical viewfinder.

The $500 G15 isn't set to hit stores until October, but we caught an early peek at Photokina today. A Canon representative also clued us in on the camera's naming scheme -- that jump from 12 right to 15. As we know, 13 is an unlucky number in North America and Europe, but the 14 was also avoided because the number four "sounds like an unlucky word" in Japanese. So, there you have it. Regardless of what it's called, though, the G15 is one powerful shooter, with a very solid design to boot. Though it is smaller than the G12, it's still far too large to fit in a pocket -- you'll likely walk around with this guy dangling from your neck. There's a mode dial up top, along with a dedicated exposure compensation dial, enabling more precise EV control. We weren't able to exami! ne sampl es in order to evaluate the camera's bokeh capabilities, but Canon reps said that the effect is on par with the G1 X. You'll be able to get your own mitts on the G15 beginning next month, and you can catch our hands-on photos just below, along with a video walkthrough after the break.

Gallery: Canon PowerShot G15 hands-on

Continue reading Canon PowerShot G15 features f/1.8-2.8 lens and DSLR-like controls, we go hands-on (video)

Filed under: Cameras

Canon PowerShot G15 features f/1.8-2.8 lens and DSLR-like controls, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms f! or use o f feeds.

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Google releases new Java to iOS source code translator

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/17/google-releases-new-java-to-ios-source-code-translator/

Developers have their work cut out. Even if we (impolitely) sidestep the likes of Windows Phone, BlackBerry and the rest, those coders often have to pitch their work across web, iOS and Android. Google's trying to make that job a little easier, introducing a new tool that automatically converts Java source code into Objective-C, which is used in iPad and iPhone apps. While the J2ObjC tool can't tackle the UI for these, it does allow developers to craft other parts (including data access and nuts-and-bolts programming) into an easily shareable code without editing. Some existing Google projects already utilize the new translator, but its results remains a little temperamental -- the tool hasn't translated all possible paths just yet, and many Java devs have, according to the project page, "a slightly different way of using Java."

Google releases new Java to iOS source code translator originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 10:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic Lumix GH3: The Hacker's HD Video Camera Gets Its Bits Juiced [Cameras]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5943780/panasonic-lumix-gh3-the-hackers-hd-video-camera-gets-its-bits-juiced

A whole community of filmmakers—amateur and pros alike—turned the Panasonic GH2 into a surprisingly successful camera. It turned out, that with a simple to execute hack, you could use the camera to record ultra-sharp 100-Mbps+, 1080p HD video. The results were spectacular. With the new GH3, Panasonic has beefed up its stock camera to look more like the powerful hack.

Let's start first with the GH3's photo powers: the camera has a new 16-megapixel micro four thirds sensor that can now take photos all the way up to a standard ISO of 12800. In the past people complained that high ISO picture quality on the GH3 was too noisy, and Panny says it has fixed this. The GH3s also has a new contrast AF system that's supposed to be one of the fastest out there. As with any claims—especially about the speed of autofocus—we'll believe it when we see it.

But what's really impressive is the camera's video quality specs. Panasonic took a tip from hackers and now the GH3 can record HD video at a bit rate of up to 72Mbps—that's not as high as what the hacked firmware can do, but it should still capture a lot of detail for a camera at this price point. Unlike many other cameras, the GH3 can record video at 1920 x 1080 at up to 60 fps. Unfortunately, it won't be able to sustain that at the full 72 Mbps. When you shoot at higher frame rates your bit-rate will be limited to 50Mbps.

The camera's hardware has been upgraded as well. As with many other new cameras these days, the GH3 comes with built-in Wi-Fi that allows you to move you photos and videos wirelessly from the camera to another device. Panasonic also beefed up the GH3 so that it's now splash-proof and dust-proof. The tiltable touchscreen makes adjusting controls a breeze. There's also an electronic OLED viewfinder that'll be attractive to photogs who can't stand shooting on a 3-inch LED alone.

What's got us excited about the GH3 isn't actually one single feature—it's that the camera seems to embrace just about every technology out there, from its touchscreen and Wi-Fi to its high-quality video specs. It weighs just under 20 ounces without a lens, so considering how much camera you're getting, the DSLR-mimicking design is surprisingly efficient.There's no word on what this beast of a camera will cost when it's available, but we're hearing numbers in the ballpark of $2000—nearly twice what the GH2 cost. That's a huge bummer, but if this camera's s powerful as it looks, it might just be worth the money. [Panasonic]

Panasonic GH3

• Price: unknown
• Sensor: 16-megapixel, micro four thirds (17.3 x 13.0 mm)
• Max ISO: 12800 (Standard)/ 25600 (expanded)
• Video: 1920 x 1080 60/50/30/24
• Max Drive: 6 frames-per-second at full resolution
• Screen: 614,000 3-inch touch LCD
• Storage: SD card slot
• Weight: 19.4 ounces

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