Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Canon EOS M review: was Canon's first mirrorless ILC worth the four-year wait?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/03/canon-eos-m-review/

Canon EOS M review was Canon's first mirrorless ILC worth the fouryear wait

It's here. Finally. Well, that is, if you happen to live in Japan. Canon's very first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera should be hitting shops the world over just as you begin to make room for that decked-out evergreen conifer, but the EOS M is already making the rounds in Canon's home country. It's available at select Japanese retailers for ¥109,900 (about $1,410, including sales tax). That lofty price will net you the EOS M in black, white or silver (the glossy red model remains elusive), complete with 55mm f/2 and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EF-M optics, a Speedlite 90EX external flash and the EF-M Lens Adapter, enabling full compatibility with any and all of your EF and EF-S lenses. The US variant, which comes bundled with only the black 22mm "pancake" STM lens, should run you $799 when it appears stateside beginning October 15th, though neither country's model carries a particularly competitive price tag, especially considering how diverse (and well-equipped) the mirrorless ILC market has become.

You might argue that Canon is borrowing a play out of Nikon's book when it comes to pricing the EOS M -- had the camera offered full DSLR functionality, including an advanced user interface, a $799 sticker might be justified. But the company has crippled its new compact shooter so as to avoid cannibalizing its still-successful full-size APS-C DSLR lineup, which includes models ranging from the Rebel T3 (about $475) to the EOS 7D (about $1,350). Appropriately, the EOS M falls right in the middle in terms of capabilities, with the added benefit of a new, nearly pocketable design that should win over more than its fair share of amateurs. That said, there's a reason larger SLRs remain on the market, and Canon very much wants to retain that solid footing. The EOS M isn't for everyone, and that's by design. But is it the right pick for you? Join us past the break as we try it on for size.

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Canon EOS M review: was Canon's first mirrorless ILC worth the four-year wait? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus G coming to AT&T and Sprint in the near (unknown) future

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/03/lg-optimus-g-att-sprint/

LG Optimus G coming to AT&T and Sprint

The LG Optimus G has already been confirmed to be heading to US shores, but we hadn't been given any details on specific carriers. AT&T and Sprint are the first to reveal their intent to carry the quad-core smartphone. still taking advantage of the 4.7-inch 1280x768 True HD IPS PLUS display, Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, Android 4.0, a 2,100mAh battery and 32GB internal storage (with expandable memory available). Sadly, it looks like AT&T is going with an 8MP rear camera, while Sprint will opt for 13MP. As often is the case, pricing and availability weren't announced -- we didn't even get so much as a "coming months / weeks" -- so we'll keep you posted as soon as we have it. In the meantime, have a look at the press releases below the break.

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LG Optimus G coming to AT&T and Sprint in the near (unknown) future originally appeared ! on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sandia Labs' MegaDroid project simulates 300,000 Android phones to fight wireless catastrophes (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/03/sandia-labs-megadroid-project-simulates-300-000-android-phones/

Sandia Labs' MegaDroid project simulates 300,000 Android phones to fight wireless catastrophes video

We've seen some large-scale simulations, including some that couldn't get larger. Simulated cellular networks are still a rare breed, however, which makes Sandia National Laboratories' MegaDroid project all the more important. The project's cluster of off-the-shelf PCs emulates a town of 300,000 Android phones down to their cellular and GPS behavior, all with the aim of tracing the wider effects of natural disasters, hacking attempts and even simple software bugs. Researchers imagine the eventually public tool set being useful not just for app developers, but for the military and mesh network developers -- the kind who'd need to know how their on-the-field networks are running even when local authorities try to shut them down. MegaDroid is still very much an in-progress effort, although Sandia Labs isn't limiting its scope to Android and can see its work as relevant to iOS or any other platform where a ripple in the network can lead to a tidal wave of problems.

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Sandia Labs' MegaDroid project simulates 300,000 Android phones to fight wireless catastrophes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD Trinity review roundup: good bang for your entry-level buck

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/03/amd-trinity-review-roundup/

DNP AMD Trinity review roundup not bad for the price

It's never easy playing second fiddle, but AMD is trying their best to keep Intel on their toes with its latest line of Trinity desktop chips. We were introduced to the Trinity last week, but now the official reviews are in from the usual specialist sites. The consensus seems to be that it provides solid performance for the price. The Trinity A10-5800K is in the same class as the Core i5 but sells at $130 on NewEgg, which is the going rate for the Core i3-3220 (Guess those price leaks were true). Hot Hardware notes that both the A10-5800K and the A8-5600K offer improved performance and decent overclockability, stating that it offers "roughly a 10 percent kicker in CPU performance" and "15 - 17 percent increase in GPU performance." As for power consumption, Anandtech claims the Trinity isn't quite as good as the Core i3, but "compared to Llano, Trinity is a bit more efficient" so it looks like there's improvement from past AMD chips. TechSpot points out the Trinity also requires a new Socket FM2 motherboard.

Like most reviews, Hot Hardware recommends the Trinity chips as a solid choice for those who want an entry-level system. However, those hungry for power are probably still going to go Intel. Legit Reviews states that the AMD Trinity will do just fine for everyday use and some light gaming, leaving the pricier Intel chips for performance-cha! sers. De finitely peruse the links below for more details before considering a purchase.

Read - Hot Hardware
Read - Tom's Hardware
Read - AnandTech
Read - Legit Reviews
Read - Benchmark Reviews

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AMD Trinity review roundup: good bang for your entry-level buck originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NHK demonstrates 8K 3D digital binoculars: 16x 'lossless' zoom at 1080p (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/03/nhk-8k-3d-digital-binoculars/

NHK demonstrates 8K 3D digital binoculars 16x 'lossless' zoom at 1080p

Alongside its Super Hi-Vision TV demonstrations, Japan's national broadcaster had some 3D goggles also taking advantage of that 8K resolution. With 16 times the pixels of typical 1080p content, these prototype binoculars provide the same multiple of zoom from an 8K feed -- that is 16x zoom without losing any of original data. We got to grips with a the master model here at CEATEC, and were able to pan up and down, as well as manipulate a lever to close in on views of both Mount Fuji and Tokyo's very recent Skytree tower. NHK mentions that it could see the devices being used to show off other sightseeing spots in the future, but we don't expect home installations any time soon.

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NHK demonstrates 8K 3D digital binoculars: 16x 'lossless' zoom at 1080p (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 08:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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