Lego Mindstorms EV3 arrives tailored for mobile, infrared and more hackability

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/lego-mindstorms-ev3-arrives-tailored-for-mobile-apps/

Lego's Mindstorms kits were born into a world where the PC reigned supreme for control; the company is ushering in 2013 with an acknowledgment that its build-it-yourself toy part of a much wider universe. Its updated Mindstorms EV3 runs on new Linux firmware that's ready for Android and iOS control out of the box, creates an overall more hackable platform and allows further programming on the core Intelligent Brick itself; accordingly, there's an SD card slot for local storage. A built-in infrared sensor expands the possibilities for a more autonomous design, as well -- Lego suggests that EV3 constructs can follow other moving gadgets, or even their creators, around the room. It should also be the first Lego bundle with its own 3D construction guide, as a new app built with Autodesk's help lets builders see the process from every angle. We won't have the chance to put a kit together until the EV3 line ships in the second half of the year, but Lego already expects the core unit to sell for $350.

Gallery: Lego Mindstorms EV3

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Filed under: Household, Robots

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Source: Lego

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HP intros its first USB-powered monitor, the U160; goes on sale this month for $179

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/hp-u160-usb-monitor/

In case you haven't noticed, HP's presence at CES 2013 pretty much boils down to monitors: the company just unleashed nearly a dozen models and, uh, very little else. As it is, we decided to round up most of the new displays into a single news post, but there's one we felt deserved its own story. That would be the U160, HP's first USB-powered monitor. Now of course, this is hardly the first USB display to hit the market, but it is the first made by HP, which seemed noteworthy enough, given how big a player HP is in the monitor space.

In any case, this has a matte 15-inch screen with 1,366 x 768 resolution, and comes with a built-in leather case allowing you to prop it up for presentations and whatnot. It weighs 3.4 pounds and measures 1.2 inches thick, which for comparison's sake means it's slightly heavier than whatever Ultrabook you're carrying around. Interestingly, HP won't discuss the other specs in great detail, except to say that the contrast ratio and brightness levels are comparable to most notebook screens. So we guess you'll just have to take HP's word for it? In any case, if you've been looking for a travel monitor and fancy this one, it goes on sale this month for $179.

Gallery: HP U160 USB monitor

Filed under: Displays, HP

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NVIDIA building Tegra 4 into a gaming controller / console, 'Project Shield'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/nvidia-project-shield-tegra-4/

A video shown on-stage during NVIDIA's press conference just unveiled "Project Shield," a gaming controller / portable console running Tegra 4.

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Samsung introduces its CES audio hardware, claims a world first

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/05/samsung-ces-audio-hardware/

Samsung's just unveiled its raft of audio products at CES and they're headlined by what the firm claims is a world's first: a sound bar to pack a built-in vacuum tube and Bluetooth for connecting to tubes of another kind (read: TVs). A portable wireless Bluetooth speaker (labeled the DA-F60), pumps out tunes with the apt-X audio codec and leverages NFC to connect to devices. Home theater buffs were also given a nod with a 7.1 channel surround sound system intended to be used with the firm's line of 2013 televisions. As for internals, the system relies on a Gallium Nitride amplifier for enhanced sound quality. If you're jonesin' for a new way to watch Blu-Rays to go along with the fresh audio hardware, Sammy's also unveiled a "premium" Blu-Ray player which upscales content to 4K. Head past the break for the press release and full set of glamour shots.

Gallery: Samsung CES 2013 Audio Hardware

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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Source: Business Wire

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Vizio debuts its first Windows 8 tablet, an 11.6-inch slate with a 1080p display, AMD processor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/06/vizio-tablet-pc-windows-8-tablet/

After breaking into the PC market last year, it was only a matter of time before Vizio released its first Windows 8 tablet. The company just announced the Vizio Tablet PC, an 11.6-inch slate running full Windows (i.e., none of this RT business). What's interesting is the combination of specs here: on the one hand, it packs a dual-core, 1GHz AMD Z60 chip, making it among the first Windows 8 tablets with an AMD processor inside. At the same time, it rocks a 1080p display -- not the sort of resolution you'd expect to find on a low-power tablet with a Z-series or Intel Atom CPU. Also, like the rest of Vizio's PCs, this has a Microsoft Signature software install, with zero bloatware. Otherwise, the specs are pretty standard: 2GB of RAM, 64GB of solid-state storage, a 2-megapixel front camera and micro-HDMI / micro-USB ports. Vizio hasn't announced pricing or exact availability just yet, but we hope to get hands-on with this thing very, very soon.

Filed under: Tablets

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