Sorry if we're the sort of folks to look a gift SD card reader in the mouth, but while we're oh-so-happy that Apple finally opened up application-enabled hardware development in iPhone OS 3.0, we really wish an accessory like this had been available for the iPhone right from the start. The new zoomIt SD card reader from zoomMediaPlus adds a bit of external, swappable memory to the iPhone and iPod touch at long last, giving you the ability to store your iPhone's pictures on the card, or pull stuff off it onto your handset using the free zoomIt app. Interestingly, this is coming to light just a couple weeks after we saw Apple's own similar solution for getting cameras into the iPad mix -- the SD and USB-adapting iPad Camera Connection Kit, which will be a mere $30. There's no word if Apple's adapter will work with the iPhone (we doubt it) or if the zoomIt will work with the iPad (perhaps), but the $60 pricetag on the zoomIt is a bit of a turn off. Also, it won't be shipping until April (though you can pre-order now for a $10 discount), so Apple may very well make up our minds for us by the time March rolls around.

zoomMediaPlus' zoomIt is the iPhone's long overdue SD card reader originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With a couple of leaks to get our mouths watering, Pentax has at last confirmed its new trio of Optio cameras: the I-10 (pictured), H90, and E90. The SLR-inspired I-10 sports a 5x zoom, 12.1 megapixel sensor, 2.7-inch LCD and 720p / 30fps video capture. There's also optical image stabilization, smile capture, and face detection to round out the feature set -- not bad for a $300 camera. Meanwhile, the similarly classy, 80s-inspired H90 checks most of the same boxes (including HD video, 12.1 megapixel stills and 5x zoom) with a $180 pricetag -- we can only guess its sacrifices involve a downgraded lens, sensor or general sense of class. Finally, the E90 throws off all classic pretension and does up 10 megapixels, 3x zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD for a mere $100. No optical stabilization here, but the 6400 ISO and Digital Shake Reduction mode should help out a little bit. All three cameras ship next month. PR is after the break.

Continue reading Pentax confirms Optio I-10, H90, and E90 budget-friendly shooters

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Pentax confirms Optio I-10, H90, and E90 budget-friendly shooters originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This morning HTC announced that it will be releasing a new BREW powered smartphone dubbed the HTC Smart, perhaps better known by its former name the Touch.B/Rome. The goal of the HTC Smart, and future like handsets, will not be to blow us away with specs but rather to put affordable smartphones, with HTC’s Sense UI, into as many peoples hands as possible with an affordable pricetag — this may explain why the Smart will be running BREW as opposed to the rumored Android. The Smart will be packing a 300MHz processor, 255 MB of RAM, 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with QVGA resolution, 3G HSPA 2100 MHz, Quad-Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, Bluetooth 2.0, 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, and a microSD 2.0 compatible card slot. Look for the HTC Smart in Europe and Asia this spring. We’ve got the official release queued up for you after the break.

HTC Smart^TM Defines a New Category of
Smartphones for the Masses

HTC Smart’s friendly compact design and integration of HTC Sense will
appeal to a broad range of people all over the world

LAS VEGAS, Consumer Electronics Show (CES), – Jan. 7, 2010 – HTC Corporation, a global smartphone designer, today unveiled HTC Smart^TM, a new type of smartphone that creates a new category of easy-to-use, connected smartphones that are accessible by people all over the world.  The HTC Smart will be available this spring across Europe and Asia.

“HTC has always focused on listening to customers and setting the stage for new mobile categories and HTC Smart is the response to customer demand around the world for an easier-to-use, affordable smartphone,� said Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation. “Just adding a touch interface doesn’t mean a phone is a smartphone; The integration of HTC Sense brings an unparalleled smartphone experience for people looking to do more on their phone.�

Bringing HTC Sense To The Masses
HTC Smart begins with a friendly compact touch design and integrates an intuitive user experience that is centered around HTC Sense^TM, an HTC design philosophy that puts people at the center by focusing on three core areas: Make It Mine, Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected.  HTC Smart enables personal customization of each person’s own phone experience.  It also provides a quick and easy way to see what friends are up to via various social networks as well as quickly communicating over the phone, through text messaging or email.

“HTC Smart breaks new ground in delivering the powerful, in-demand smartphone features that consumers want on a more accessible device for global markets,� said Paul Jacobs, chief executive officer, Qualcomm Incorporated.  “We are pleased to be supporting HTC as they utilize the capabilities of Qualcomm’s Brew Mobile Platform open operating system to offer high-end capabilities and a compelling mobile user experience at mass-market price points.�

Qualcomm Brew Mobile Platform (Brew MP)
HTC Smart utilizes Qualcomm’s Brew MP, a popular mobile operating system that enables smartphone devices to be offered at more aggressive price points, providing HTC with the flexibility to deliver smartphone features on devices across multiple tiers.

About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry and continues to pioneer industry-leading mobile experiences through design, usability and innovation that are sparked by how the mobile phone can improve how people live and communicate. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

Read

The yet-to-be-confirmed HP Mini 210 has popped up at a couple online retail spots already, but now it seems to have landed in the Real World courtesy of a Costco in Hillsboro, Oregon. We've seen the netbook listed at $280, $320 and now $350 pricetags, so we really don't know who to trust anymore (certainly not our parent's generation), but the sexy design, chiclet keyboard and unibutton trackpad certainly smack of progress.

[Thanks, Dustin W. who sent this in via our new webOS app!]

HP Mini 210 spotted at retail with $350 pricetag originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The stranglehold E-Ink has had on the e-book market is slipping. We've seen the tantalizing promises of Pixel Qi, mixing a color LCD with a low-power reflective display, but in the here and now we've got a new LCD-based e-reader from Aluratek. Extensively dubbed the "Libre eBook Reader PRO," the unit uses an unnamed 5-inch monochrome reflective LCD panel, with 24 hours of continuous use off a battery charge. Not as great as E-Ink, but it should be plenty for most people, and the resultant $179 price is hard to knock. The Libre is ePUB and PDF compatible, and comes with a 2GB SD card -- just the right sort of barebones-yet-functional we appreciate. We'll have to see how well that LCD performs in person before we pull the trigger, but for people looking for an alternative to the premium devices out there (or something with a faster page refresh rate), it might just fit the bill.

Aluratek Libre eBook Reader PRO sports monochrome reflective LCD, $179 pricetag originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just when you thought you'd seen enough of Black Friday deals (not to mention insightful analysis), the stragglers drop by to make you rethink the whole crazy day. Take this $197 HP G60, for instance. The laptop had been sighted for $300 at Walmart, but face it: this sub-$200 pricetag has you thinking about braving an early morning line for one of the five per store that will be available on Friday. Meanwhile Lenovo's got some pretty steep discounts across nearly its whole lineup, Verizon wants to put you in a netbook for $30, and Amazon has some pretty great deals on games -- including a PS3 bundled with Killzone 2 for $299. A lot of the online stuff starts tonight and tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled. Or be lazy and eat yourself into a coma tomorrow, we promise not to judge.

Bonus: Here's a list of our most recent other Black Friday round-ups.

Black Friday deals roundup: Walmart, Target and NewEgg
Black Friday deals bonanza round up
Black Friday ads leaking all over town, we've rounded them up
Sears Black Friday ad revealed, we'll be sleeping off our tryptophan hangovers

Black Friday deals roundup: Best Buy, Lenovo, Verizon and more originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Analysts Talk Apple Tablet, Make Ever More Predictions...Mad Catz Brings Cheaper Xbox 360 Wi-Fi Adapter, Still About $50 Too Expensive...Sony Reader Firmware Upgrade Is Surprisingly Difficult...B&N Giftcards Will Work for Nook Ebook Purchases, Soon...

Analysts Talk Apple Tablet, Make Ever More Predictions

CNN Money rounded up a bunch of analysts to basically talk about how great the Apple Tablet is, how it's going to cure cancer and save the publishing industry and keep your girlfriend from leaving you, and it's mostly a rehash of what we've already heard before with a dash of a few inane statements that are almost certainly not true. Check this one:

The device will come in several different models that offer varieties of Internet connections, such as Wi-Fi or 3G, perhaps through a contract with AT&T.

Oh, really? Several different models, with varying internet connections? That sure sounds like Apple—they love confusing lineups that differ by virtue of technical specifications that only tech dorks like you and I understand.

Otherwise, nothing to see here, just more analyst talk. When something solid on the Apple Tablet leaks out, you'll know—and it ain't to be found in this article, which is why it lands, with a distinct PLOOP sound, into Remainders. [CNN]

Mad Catz Brings Cheaper Xbox 360 Wi-Fi Adapter, Still About $50 Too Expensive

I just got an Xbox 360 this weekend, and somehow did not realize that not only does the console not ship with included Wi-Fi, but an external Wi-Fi adapter costs about as much as my drinking budget for the month—in other words, way too much money. Luckily Microsoft's first-party adapter isn't the only game in town anymore: Mad Catz is entering the ring with an adapter of their own. Great news, right? Except not really, because while the Mad Catz adapter is $20 cheaper than Microsoft's that's still an $80 pricetag on an item that should be included in the first place. This thing should cost $30 at the most, not half the price of the console. It's in Remainders for that very reason: Yeah, it's a price cut, but it's still way too damned expensive. [Engadget]

Sony Reader Firmware Upgrade Is Surprisingly Difficult

The Sony Reader PRS-500 may not have the cachet of the Kindles and Nooks of the world, but Sony did just release an upgraded firmware supporting the soon-to-be-standard ePub format. Except I guess the upgrade is seriously difficult, because instead of, you know, pressing a button, like every other firmware upgrade for every other gadget in the history of the world, you have to mail the Reader back to Sony to get this one updated. What? Well, Sony's got an offer in case you find that as silly as I do: A trade-in program that gives you either $50 or $75 off the purchase of one of Sony's brand-new readers! Eesh, Sony. At least take us out to dinner before trying to screw us with our pants on. [Engadget]

B&N Giftcards Will Work for Nook Ebook Purchases, Soon

Remember when we reported that Barnes & Noble's popular giftcards would, for some unknown reason, not be allowed to be spent on ebook purchases? Well, our reporting did its job, and B&N has decided to change its ways and allow ebook giftcard purchases starting in mid-December. We did it, people! High fives and ass-slaps all around! [Barnes & Noble]

Bose unleashed its giant iPod dock, the SoundDock 10, back in August -- all 18 pounds of it. Well, iLounge has gotten their hands on one of these $600 beasts, and they've given it a nice once over. The SoundDock 10 has a nice solid build, and they grade the overall sound quality as decent... which probably isn't comforting to hear, considering the price, but they do say that it certainly outperforms its cheaper peers. They note the inclusion of extra ports -- an unusual and welcomed addition to a Bose unit -- though they also note the continued absence of video support in the dock. If you're in the market for a serious dock for your player, hit up the read link for the full review.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Bose SoundDock 10 gets reviewed, probably not worth the pricetag originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos has been on a real PMP tear as of late, releasing the Archos 2 Vision, 3 Vision, and the Clipper all in one pop back in August. The company's now launched yet another Vision model, the entry-level 1 Vision. This tiny little 4GB dude has a 1.5-inch LCD and supposedly gets about 20 hours of battery life per charge. No video support in this puppy, but the €30 (somewhere in the realm of $45) pricetag should temper some of your crushing disappointment over its lack of features. The Archos 1 Vision should be available in Europe by the end of November.

[Via PMP Today]

Super cheap Archos 1 Vision DMP set for release this month originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The big draw of the U MacBook sleeve is its external, two-segmented pocket for an iPod, phone, small notebook or whatever, but I'm more impressed by the understated style of the thing. My current black neoprene case suddenly feels so...middle-school.

Made of grey wool, dark leather and herringbone-patterned elastic, it's the first sleeve I've seen that matches both my shoes and my belt, which obviously is my most important criterion for gadget accessories. Unfortunately it has the pricetag to match, coming in at 79 euros (about $116USD). Guess I'll have to stick with the neoprene. [Hard Graft]