Now that LED backlighting has trickled down to nearly every HDTV lineup, it appears the big manufacturers will have to find new ways to differentiate their products, like LG's upcoming LEX8 television. Set to debut at IFA in Berlin before going on sale in Germany and Korea next month (no word on the US), LG claims that thanks to a 'thin film of miniscule dots positioned in front of a full array of LEDs' its Nano Lighting technology makes for a clearer, smoother picture, with the slimmest and narrowest outline of any LED TV, ever, at just .88cm thick with a 1.25cm bezel. Of course LG's NetCast widgets and Magic Motion remote are along for the ride as well, while we'll have to wait until the show opens later this week to get our eyes on this beauty, check after the break for a few more pictures.

Continue reading LG to unveil LEX8 3DTV at IFA featuring 'Nano LED' backlighting

LG to unveil LEX8 3DTV at IFA featuring 'Nano LED' backlighting originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canadians looking to score an unlocked iPhone on Friday may have to pay dearly for the carrier-free convenience being offered by Apple retail stores. According to CBC news, pricing for the unlocked version of the iPhone 4 will start at $659 — for the lower capacity 16 GB version — and climb up to $779 for the 32 GB version. If you can’t stomach the high cost of SIM-free ownership, you could always sell your soul and sign a contract with Bell, Telus, or Rogers when the handset makes its debut on July 30th.

Thanks to all who sent this in!

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Anxiously awaiting the 4G version of the Galaxy S? If you answered with an enthusiastic ”yes”, then you may be happy to know that Sprint’s second 4G handset might land in August, possibly on or before the 20th. This tentative launch date is a based upon the observation that the Epic 4G is scheduled to debut on Samsung’s Galaxy S On Demand Live Show website on August 20th. Both the Vibrant and the Captivate episodes debuted on or after the handset’s respective launch dates, so we would expect this trend to continue with the Epic 4G. Additionally, Samsung updated its Twitter status on Friday with the tantalizing tidbit that “the Sprint Epic 4G is arriving in a few weeks. It’s the 4G #GalaxyS”. Though it is not as solid as an official confirmation, these two pieces seem to point to an August launch for this highly anticipated 4G handset.

[Via Android Police]

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Salomondrin took BlackBerry’s upcoming webkit browser — expected to debut in OS 6.0 — and ran it through its paces using a BlackBerry 9800 Slider. Salomondrin subjected the browser to several acid tests, the de facto standard for browser performance, and compared the results with the iPhone 4 and the HTC Incredible. Much to the surprise of many a reader, the BlackBerry webkit browser scored 208 on the test and outperformed both the iPhone 4 which scored 185 and the HTC Incredible which scored 151. Salomondrin also put together a nice video review which compares the current non-webkit browser with the upcoming webkit version highlighting the goodness that is to come to the world of BlackBerry. Video is after the jump for your viewing pleasure.

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A product listing for a multi-touch mouse, dubbed the Arc Touch, from Microsoft has made its debut at several European online retailers. Details are sparse but the branding suggests that this new mouse may be the next generation of Microsoft’s current Arc mouse which offers a comfortable, curved shape but lacks multi-touch. Further adding a dose of credibility to the rumor is the fact that the domain name “arctouchmouse.com” was registered by Microsoft in March and points to Bing as a placeholder. Windows 7 users with a need for a mouse and a desire for multi-touch may want to hold off on buying that cheap $10 mouse from the big box retailer down the street and give Microsoft some time to possibly make this mouse official.

[Via istartedsomething]

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Sure low-cost carriers in the U.S. might have some of the best rate plans out there, but there’s no denying that when it comes to handset selection, Canada’s low-cost carriers have it locked down. A case in point is the HTC Legend, now available from Virgin Mobile. $349.99 on a 30-day contract or $79.99 on a 3-year deal will net Canadians a 3.2″ HVGA AMOLED display, 5 megapixel camera, 512 MB ROM / 384MB RAM, 600MHz processor, and Android 2.1 with Sense UI all crammed into a milled aluminum body. It’s not yet available in Saskatchewan and Manitoba because the network that Virgin shares with Telus and parent-company Bell hasn’t made its Prairie debut (Winninpeg excluded), but as of today it’s available everywhere else.

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If the whole "smoke -> fire" adage proves true once more, it's looking like Verizon loyalists can expect to see a Shadow at least a few milliseconds before a CDMA iPhone. Following up on months of leaks and rumors, we've got yet another snippet of evidence pointing towards a VZW release of the so-called Motorola Shadow. Spotted here in the carrier's inventory database, the MB810 moniker aligns perfectly with that WiFi certification we saw earlier in the month. Combine that with the fact that this is definitely some sort of Motorola smartphone, and you've got everything you need to start pinching those pennies for a June / July debut. Oh, you already threw down a Benjamin for Memorial Day grub? Good luck with that return policy.

[Thanks, tuan tran]

Motorola Shadow slithers into Verizon's inventory database as MB810 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 May 2010 12:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As if resident of the UK didn’t already have a line-up of handsets to chose from that would make even the most reserved American green with envy, today Dell announced that it and O2 will be releasing the Dell Streak in early June. A giant amongst smartphones, the Streak features a 5″ WVGA capacitive touchscreen display, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, 16GB of internal memory, support for microSD cards up to 32GB, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, 7.2Mbps HSDPA and 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. To debut with Android 1.6, Dell says the Streak has been “designed with the future in mind” and will be subject to OTA updates which will bring Adobe Flash 10.1, Android 2.2 “Froyo”, and video chat apps to the Streak before the year’s end. Pricing has yet to be announced, but the Dell Streak will be available online and in stores from O2, at Carphone Warehouse, and later “later in the month at Dell.co.uk.” Oh, anyone whose thinking of making an easy buck brining these bad boys over to the US better move fast — it’s coming here “later this summer.” Click through for the press release.

DELL STREAK TABLET ENTICES PEOPLE TO WATCH, SURF, CONNECT, LISTEN, AND PLAY ON 5″ OF POWER AND PORTABILITY

• Streak to launch early June in the UK exclusively on O2
• Available at O2 stores, O2.co.uk, The Carphone Warehouse and later next month at Dell.co.uk
• U.S. availability to arrive later this summer

BRACKNELL, UK – May 25, 2010 – Today, Dell released plans for Streak, a 5-inch Androidâ„¢-based Tablet designed to provide people the best “on-the-go” entertainment, social connection, and navigation experience. Early this June the Dell Streak will be available across the UK at O2 stores, O2.co.uk, The Carphone Warehouse, and later in the month at Dell.co.uk. Pricing and data plans for the UK will be announced by O2 ahead of availability. Later this summer, Dell plans to make Streak available in the U.S.

The Dell Streak is a compact and powerful companion for people who want to expand their ability to access their digital lives on the go, and realize tomorrow’s technology today. The spacious 5-inch screen is ideal for experiencing thousands of Android Marketâ„¢ widgets, games and applications, all without squinting or compromising portability. Built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and available 3G connectivity brings easy access for downloading and listening to music, updating social networking status in real-time, and staying connected to friends and family through e-mail, text, IM, and voice calls.

On-the-go students, mobile professionals, and active families will find Streak’s web-browsing capabilities as natural as a laptop. The 5-inch screen is large enough to present Web pages in their natural form, create a comfortable viewing experience, and make turn-by-turn navigation simple and safe. The Dell Streak leverages Qualcomm’s Snapdragonâ„¢ solution with integrated 1GHz processor to combine basic functionality, performance, and benefits of a laptop in a pocket friendly size.

“The Dell Streak hits the sweet spot between traditional smartphones and larger-screen tablets,” said Ron Garriques, president, Dell Communication Solutions Group. “Its unique size provides people new ways to enjoy, connect, and navigate their lives.”

The Dell Streak was designed with the future in mind and will support over-the-air updates including platform upgrades, Adobe Flash 10.1 on Androidâ„¢ 2.2 later this year, video chat applications and other software innovations.

Dell is a member of the Open Handset Allianceâ„¢ (OHA), a group of technology and mobile companies working together to accelerate innovation in mobility. Together, the OHA created Android, the first complete, open, and free mobile platform to provide people a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience.

Key Features:

• Integrated Google Mapsâ„¢ with turn-by-turn navigation, street and satellite views
• A full screen browsing experience with a 5-inch capacitive multi-touch WVGA display
• Easily integrated social media apps: Twitterâ„¢, Facebook, YouTube
• High resolution 5 MP camera, VGA front facing camera, removable battery, built-in Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth connectivity options
• 2GB of internal dedicated storage provides plenty of space to access and download Google Android Market’s many options
• Packaged with cushions made from 100 percent sustainable, compostable bamboo

Specifications:

• Android platform complete with Android Market and Dell user interface enhancements
• ARM-based Processor: Qualcomm’s powerful and efficient Snapdragon chipset and software platform with integrated 1GHz processor
• 3G + WiFi + Bluetooth * UMTS / GPRS / EDGE class 12 GSM radio with link speeds of up to HSDPA 7.2 Mbps / HSDPA
• 5 MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash. Easy point, shoot, and uploads to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and more
• User accessible Micro SD expandable memory available up to 32 GB*. Store up to 42 movies or 32,000 photos, or 16,000 songs with 32GB* Micro SD

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Apple may be a despot of its own walled garden, but that doesn't mean it's not benevolent. The iPad's international launch on May 28 has prompted the company to open Stores an hour early, at 8AM local time, in order to give its devotees a reprieve from hours of queuing outside. Then again, that little asterix up there points us to an ominous "while supplies last" note at the bottom, which together with current pre-orders being fulfilled at some unidentified point in June, might force the most impatient to just get to the Store even earlier. UK buyers will get an alternative option thanks to Dixons Group stocking Apple's slate in Currys and PC World outlets, an arrangement that we keep hearing might be exclusive for the first sixty days after launch. Either way, you've been warned, don't be tardy if you wanna be trendy.

P.S. The iBooks app has also made its debut outside of the US today, though at present it's limited to just freebie titles, and the iBookstore is still described as "US only."

Apple will open international Stores early for iPad launch this Friday, iBooks app available now originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel's churning out the mobile chips like nobody's business -- no sooner does it admit the existence of Core i5 and Core i3 ULV CPUs, the chipmaker finds itself with more explaining to do. That's because dedicated Hewlett-Packard fans just found references three new standard-voltage Core 2010 chips in the service manuals for the new HP Envy 17 and Envy 15 gaming laptops. The i7-840QM appears to be Intel's new top-of-the-line quad-core CPU, sporting a 1.86GHz clock that turbos up to 3.20GHz (or 3.20MHz, if you believe the above screencap) and 8MB of L3 cache; the i7-740QM is two steps down with 1.73GHz / 2.93 GHz clocks and a 6MB L3 cache; and the i5-450M appears to be indistinguishable from the existing i5-520M with 2.4GHz / 2.93 GHz clocks and 3MB of L3 to help it along. Given the megahertz typo above and the fact that none of these new processors appear anywhere else in the documentation, we wouldn't be surprised if these specs weren't rock-solid... but if they are, the new Envy may well live up to its name. Full PDF available below.

[Thanks, Reznov]

New Core i7, Core i5 mobile processors to debut in HP Envy? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 May 2010 18:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ATI's Radeon HD 5870 first saw the (official) light of day in late September of last year, but the GPU has managed to age well. In the months since that original debut, we've seen an Eyefinity 6 Edition hit the market for multi-monitor maniacs, and quite a few factory overclocked options have also made their way out. The benchmarking gurus over at Hot Hardware scrounged up three of the latest and greatest, all priced just below the $500 mark, which have core clock speeds that are 100MHz higher than standard and memory clock speeds that are up 50MHz above the norm. Cards from MSI, HIS and Gigabyte were represented, and while each of 'em put up a better-than-average fight, the latter card came out on top in nearly every single test. Gigabyte's Super Overclock technology tended to outperform the other OC'ing solutions, but the whole lot managed to show up the non-overclocked alternatives by a good bit. Still, you'll be forced to pay a 25 percent premium for an 11 to 16 percent boost in performance, so these are still probably best for enthusiasts who can't stand to leave a single frame behind. Peep that source if you're in need of more coaching before pulling the trigger either way.

Overclocked ATI Radeon HD 5870 shootout: HIS, MSI and Gigabyte trade blows originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 May 2010 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's always good to see rumors coalescing into neat little bundles, which in Microsoft's case means that its expected 360 hardware refresh and Natal re-introduction will coincide at E3 this year. Surfer Girl, one of the gaming industry's more notorious rumor hounds, is telling us that Microsoft is about to unveil a slimmer Xbox 360 at the upcoming E3 in June, together with Natal hardware bundles. She describes the new system design as "pretty neat" and suggests there'll be a shift to black as the console's primary color, to go along with Natal's darker hue, which in turn was dictated by the fact it'd have to sit alongside dark and moody HDTV sets. Very feng shui of Microsoft indeed. For the final, and most unbelievable of her predictions, she tells us -- while highlighting the initials M.G.S. -- that we'll be "very surprised and very pleased" by one of the Natal games revealed at the show. Seriously, Metal Gear Natal?

[Thanks, Lander]

Slim Xbox 360 and Natal bundle to debut at E3? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 03:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We have more details on that impending Eee Pad for y'inz. Interested? Of course you are! Speaking at a conference in Taiwan, Asustek Computer chairman Jerry Shen recently announced that the device will get its official introduction at Computex 2010, the first week of June. With any luck, the thing will hit retail channels the third quarter of this year -- possibly as early as July, a DigiTimes' source reports. Shen said that the device is meant to be all the things that the iPad is not: expect Google Android, USB, an integrated webcam, and Flash, for starters. The aforementioned source went on to state that, after wireless provider subsidies are taken into effect, the thing should cost around $15,000-16,000 TD (or about $480-510).

Android Eee Pad to debut in June, could ship as early as July originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Initially appearing as a five-inch model, Dell promised that the small but sexy Streak was only the first in a series of tablets that will be offered in an array of screen sizes. Apparently those promises were not empty, as a press photo showcasing both a seven-inch and a ten-inch model of the Android-powered tablet made its unofficial appearance yesterday. Along with the pretty picture, there is also word of tentative launch dates with the five-inch Streak expected to land first at an undisclosed date later this summer. Fans of the larger seven-inch model will have to wait until the end of 2010 to get their grubby mitts on this black and shiny device, while those that prefer the screen real estate of the ten-incher may have to wait an agonizing eight months until early 2011 for this proverbial iPad competitor to make its debut.

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ABC reveals iPad app statistics, says it's 'pleased' with results originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, it's taken quite a while since its debut at CES in January, but Viewsonic has now finally managed to get its 23-inch VT2300LED LCD TV out the door. While there's not exactly a ton of stand-out features here, the side lit LED backlighting does apparently help to deliver energy savings of 30 to 50% over traditional LCDs, and you'll get some decent specs all around, including a full 1080p resolution, a 5 ms response time, an ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner, and three HDMI ports, among other standard fare. What's more, while this one has a list price of $399, it looks like some retailers (including Amazon) are already selling for it as little as $299.

Viewsonic rolls out energy-efficient VT2300LED LCD TV originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oregon Scientific only introduces a few new products each year, so when we heard that a new pair were making their debut, we couldn't help but take notice. Unfortunately for those in favor of fantastic overhauls, you won't find a whole lot here to cheer about; for those that can appreciate subtle but satisfying updates, you might just be in heaven. Up first is the new +ECO Solar Projection Clock, which is equipped with a detachable solar panel and an integrated projector that beams the time out onto a nearby wall. Second, we've got the Helios Weather Station, also outfitted with a built-in solar panel; it's designed to forecast the weather in your location for the next dozen hours, and it'll also spit out indoor / outdoor temperature and humidity readings in up to three locations around your abode. We're told that the former will be available for an undisclosed amount next month, while the latter can be snapped up now for $54.99

Continue reading Oregon Scientific debuts solar-powered weather station and projection clock

Oregon Scientific debuts solar-powered weather station and projection clock originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Mar 2010 05:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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