ASUS Zenbook Prime review (UX51Vz): a blazing 15-inch Ultrabook with a lofty price

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/05/asus-zenbook-prime-ux51vz-review/

Windows 8 has ushered in an era of category-defying devices, with hybrid machines that bend, flip around, lie flat and otherwise contort flooding the market (and our offices). When virtually every Windows 8 product we've reviewed possesses acrobatic abilities, it's easy to forget regular ol' laptops are running Microsoft's new OS, too. One such machine is the $1,949 ASUS Zenbook UX51Vz (aka the U500), a 15-inch Ultrabook with the trappings of a multimedia powerhouse, including a quad-core Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GT650M graphics and a 1080p IPS display -- and no gymnastic tricks up its sleeve. Another thing it doesn't have: a touchscreen, which is available on plenty of other Windows 8 notebooks, not to mention other upcoming Zenbook Prime models. Considering that (possibly glaring) omission, is the UX51Vz still an attractive option at this premium price point? Head past the break to find out.

Gallery: ASUS UX51Vz review

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Filed under: Laptops, ASUS

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All Sony connected TVs to get Ensequence tech in 2013 to serve up contextual content

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/04/sony-connected-tvs-ensequence-2013/

Not getting your fill of connected TV action with contextual content and ads appearing alongside your soaps? Your hunger could be satisfied by picking up a Sony-made television in 2013, as Hirai and Co. have inked a multi-year deal with the folks at Ensequence to bake software for such experiences into all of their connected TVs starting next year. Ensequence leverages the automatic content recognition tech inside Sony's sets and provides a platform for content producers and advertisers to sling up everything from relevant coupons to trivia games on displays. If you watched the 2012 Olympics through Verizon FiOS, chances are you've glimpsed the company's technology in action. Proud owners of connected TVs made by Sony between 2011 and 2012 won't be left out of the contextual content bonanza, however, as a software update packing Ensequence's secret sauce will be available. For more details, and prognostications regarding the future of internet-savvy televisions, hit the jump for the press release.

Continue reading All Sony connected TVs to get Ensequence tech in 2013 to serve up contextual content

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Sony

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Source: Ensequence

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HP announces the EliteBook Revolve, a Windows 8 convertible for the business crowd (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/05/hp-elitebook-revolve/

See that laptop up there? Basically, HP has announced something like that every year for we don't even know how long. It's always a convertible PC of the traditional sort, one with a fixed screen that swivels around and can fold down into tablet mode. It always supports a mix of pen and finger input. It's always made of sturdy magnesium alloy. And it's almost always aimed at businesses.

All that's true of the EliteBook Revolve, the laptop HP unveiled today and which we've so helpfully featured in the photo gallery below. The difference, of course, is that this is the company's first old-school convertible to run Windows 8, whose finger-friendliness has the potential to change the way we interact with PCs like this. As it happens, you could configure the Revolve with Windows 7 and you could buy an optional pen to go with it, but obviously, if you'd prefer to use your fingers, you'll have a lot more luck here than you would have with earlier models.

In terms of design, this is indeed made of mag-alloy, with a total weight of three pounds, and it was tested in accordance with the military's MIL-STD 810G standards. Unlike previous EliteBooks, though, it sports soft, rubbery surfaces instead of the brushed metal we've come to expect from HP's high-end business machines. Lift the lid and you'll find a backlit keyboard and an 11.6-inch Gorilla Glass screen, with resolution capped at 1,366 x 768. Inside, it has pretty much the exact specs you'd expect to find on any new Ultrabook: up to 256GB of solid-state storage and your choice of Core i3, i5 and i7 CPUs. And though it doesn't quite make up for the middling resolution, there's at least an open memory slot, allowing folks to go beyond the standard four gigs. Rounding out the list, this thing has built-in NFC, TPM and a SIM slot supporting LTE in the US and HSPA+ everywhere else. That answers just about everything -- everything except for price, anyway. HP says the Revolve won't actually go on sale until sometime in March, so until then, your guess is as good as ours.

Gallery: HP EliteBook Revolve hands-on

Gallery: HP EliteBook Revolve

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Filed under: Laptops, HP

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HDHomeRun Prime is the first CableCARD tuner to deliver live TV to DLNA Devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/05/hdhomerun-prime-is-the-first-cablecard-tuner-to-deliver-live-tv/

Our favorite shows, anywhere, that's all we really want. Of course that is asking too much but we'll be closer to the dream now that Silicondust has announced its three tuner HDHomeRun Prime CableCARD is a certified DLNA Digital Media Server (DMS). While the options this opens are seemingly limitless, one specific use case is watching premium cable on a PS3. CableCARD tuners aren't exactly known for their ease of setup, but once you do get this working with your cable company and on your network, it'll show up like any other DLNA source to your PS3. From there you can browse the list of channels and watch any you happen to subscribe to.

The PS3 isn't the only DLNA Digital Media Player (DMP) or Digital Media Renderer (DMR) that works with a DLNA DMS, and plays MPEG2 video. However, at this point it's the only one we know of that also supports DTCP-IP, which is the DRM required to play premium content. A representative of Silicondust told us he's confident more compatible devices are on the way, while even more devices will support the unprotected content. Keep an eye out for an official list of compatible hardware on its site some time after this update starts rolling out later this month. Finally, yes, you will be able to use your DLNA Digital Media Controller (DMC) to record content to your other Digital Media Servers -- is that enough acronyms for you? If this interests you, then stay tuned for CES where Silicondust plans to announce phase 2, which is where we think things could really get interesting.

Continue reading HDHomeRun Pr! ime is t he first CableCARD tuner to deliver live TV to DLNA Devices

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Sonos for iOS adds direct device streaming, takes PCs out of the equation (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/05/sonos-for-ios-adds-direct-device-streaming/

Sonos has been steadily reducing our dependency on the computer as the cornerstone of its multi-room audio system, but there's been one link left to cut: local music. Outside of an AirPlay workaround, a PC of some sort has always had to stay awake to stream a personal collection. If you're an iOS user, it's now possible to go truly PC-free. A 3.8.3 update for Sonos' apps plays music stored on an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch directly through the system, with no hoop-jumping required. Local content is put on equal footing with pure internet sources, too -- the software can mix local tracks with those from Amazon Cloud Player, Spotify and other internet services as part of the same playlist. There's no official word of direct device streaming for Android, although we wouldn't be surprised to see it follow before too long.

We gave the update a quick spin of our own, and it works largely as you'd hope. There's a logical hierarchy for browsing music by categories; songs, albums and podcasts play almost as soon as you've added them to the queue, even if the Sonos app is in the background. We heard slight hitches when playing tracks meant to play seamlessly -- this may not be a dream Dark Side of the Moon setup -- but grouped speakers stay just as nicely in sync as they have in the past. The Sonos upgrade is more than good enough to save a w! alk acro ss the house for a favorite tune, and that's really all we need.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video, Tablets, HD

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Source: App Store (iPad), (iPhone)

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