H Blog

Sony reveals Japan prices for Windows 8 VAIO machines Oct 1st 2012, 06:29 With Windows 8 finally launching this month, it's only a matter of time before the web is flooded with prices of upcoming PCs, the first among which this month hail from Sony VAIO's Japan branch. Starting with the Duo 11 slider PC, it's expected to go for about ¥150,000 ($1,930) when it launches in Japan on October 26th ( alongside Windows 8), and it'll come with a 1080p display, 1.7GHz Core i5-3317U, 128GB SSD, 4GB RAM and WiMAX. Then we have three flavors of the Tap 20 portable all-in-one which will range from about ¥140,000 ($1,800) up to about ¥180,000 ($2,310) come November 3rd, with the main differences being the CPU (1.8GHz Core i3-3217U, 1.7GHz Core i5-3317U or 1.9GHz Core i7-3517U) and the RAM (4GB or 8GB), but all three will feature the same 20-inch 1,600 x 900...

FreedomPop's pay-as-you-go data service launches in beta, offering 500MB of free WiMAX per month Oct 1st 2012, 05:00 It was almost a year ago that we first heard about FreedomPop , a startup built on the manifesto that every American (yes, you) should have access to free wireless broadband. Ten months later, the pay-as-you-go service is launching in beta, with "free" meaning 500MB of data per month. For the time being, the touted 4G service will come courtesy of Clearwire's WiMAX network, but FreedomPop says it will switch to Sprint's LTE spectrum sometime in early 2013. In the meantime, though, you can expect speeds anywhere between 4 and 10 Mbps down, and 1 to 2 Mbps up. To take advantage of the service, you'll need to either buy or rent some compatible hardware. Your options include the "Freedom Spot" hotspot capable of se...

HP announces the ElitePad 900, a business-friendly Windows 8 tablet arriving in January Oct 1st 2012, 04:01 Remember those hazy days of summer when HP ran an ad during the Olympics, slipped in a a shot of an unannounced tablet and thought we wouldn't notice? (P'shaw!) Well, you can finally lay your speculation to rest, as HP just formally unveiled the mystery tab, along with a slew of accessories. It's called the ElitePad 900 and, as rumored , it's a 10-inch Windows 8 slate meant for business users, with features like pen input, drive encryption and optional 3G / 4G. Like HP's high-end EliteBook laptops, the ElitePad has a premium look, marked by a machined aluminum back cover and 400-nit IPS display coated in Gorilla Glass. Also similar to the EliteBooks, it meets the military's MIL-spec 810G durability requirements, and can withstand ...

Lenovo intros ThinkCentre M78 with AMD A-Series APU and a starting price of $449 Oct 1st 2012, 04:01 There's never a bad time for computer makers to update any part of their extensive PC lineup, and today marks Lenovo's turn to introduce a new tower as part of its voluminous M Series. With the addition of this ThinkCentre M78, the Chinese outfit is touting the adaption of AMD's hot-off-the-press A-Series processors as one of the desktop's main features, plus there's also the inclusion of four USB 3.0 ports, the ability to add up to 32GB of DDR3 memory and support for as many as three monitors simultaneously -- all of which, according to Lenovo, make for a very "reliable PC with powerful performance, a high level of security and energy efficiency." Better yet, perhaps, is the ThinkCentre M78's decent starting price point of 44...

How would you change Nokia's Lumia 900? Oct 1st 2012, 02:17 While this regular feature is called How Would You Change, in the case of Nokia's Lumia 900, it seems more apt to change the question to "What Killed It?." The flagship was designed to break the US from its traditional indifference to the company, yet only 600,000 users took the plunge. Firstly, despite its low price and smooth performance, it had mediocre specs and a middling display, while customers were outraged when the incompatible Windows Phone 8 and the Lumia 920 supplanted it half a year later. This week, we're asking you to play armchair Elop and tell us what you'd have done differently if they'd asked you.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review Oct 1st 2012, 01:00 More Info Amazon announces $119 Kindle Paperwhite with illuminated, capacitive touch display Amazon Kindle Paperwhite hands-on Amazon breaks down its Kindle Paperwhite light technology (video) If you had told us at roughly this time last year that the e-reader race would be heating up going into the 2012 holiday season, we would have disagreed. If anything, 2011 seemed like the beginning of the end. Spurred on by the tablet explosion, companies like Amazon , Barnes & Noble and even Kobo were looking toward that space for inspiration, introducing flagship devices on which reading was just one of many features. Heck, even the readers themselves started to look more tablet-like, with many abandoning of physical keyboards in favor of infrared touchscreens. But here we are at the end of Sep...

Refresh Roundup: week of September 24th, 2012 Oct 1st 2012, 00:06 Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup . If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy! Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of September 24th, 2012

Slackware 14.0 now available, freshens and simplifies a Linux vanguard Sep 30th 2012, 23:15 When it comes to Linux distributions, Slackware could well be called the archetype. It's not just one of the longest-serving releases at nearly 20 years old -- it's designed to be "pure" and cut back on customized apps, many graphical interface assistants and the requirement to download anything during the installation process. Pat Volkerding and team have nonetheless given us a bit of a break with the launch of Slackware 14.0. While many open-source fans will be downloading a copy for the more recent Linux 3.2.29 kernel and other updated packages, ease of use is the guiding principle for the new build: there's now a graphical NetworkManager interface to manage wired and wireless connections, for a start. In tandem with the newer kernel, updated ver...

Engadget Engadget Slingbox 350 and 500 show up unannounced in Best Buy, flaunt 1080p and built-in WiFi Sep 30th 2012, 22:33 You might say Dave Zatz just had a happy accident. While he was hunting for the as yet unofficial Logitech Harmony Touch in Best Buy, he discovered the Slingbox 350 and 500 -- two more living room gadgets that have yet to receive an official introduction. The placeshifting hubs both look to be major improvements over the aging Slingbox Pro HD and Solo , making 1080p streaming available as long as the connection is up to snuff. T...

Engadget Engadget Switched On: iOS 6 gets back from the app Sep 30th 2012, 21:30 Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On , a column about consumer technology. Apple's App Store has more smartphone apps than those of its competitors. But the sheer size of the library is not the only source of consternation for Google or Microsoft, which would both readily concede that it's also important to obtain the kind of key apps, optimized apps and platform-first apps the iPhone enjoys. The iPhone's commanding marketplace lead is due to several f...

Engadget Engadget IRL: Dyson DC44, NUU ClickMate PowerPlus and the Galaxy S III Sep 30th 2012, 19:15 Welcome to IRL , an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Can't get more random than this, folks: in this week's edition of IRL, we have Darren recommending a vacuum cleaner, Dan Cooper continuing his search for a backup phone charger and Jon Fingas putting the Galaxy S III to the test against his beloved HTC One X...