Just over a year ago, we reviewed Amazon’s jumbo-sized Kindle — the Kindle DX. Just a few weeks ago, Amazon outed a new, $379 Graphite gray version of the DX, and this time, it’s got the new Pearl display from E Ink. The new Pearl display is supposed to boast a much higher contrast ratio than its predecessor, a faster page refresh rate, and it’s got a new, graphite gray casing. Other than that, you’re looking at much the same unit as a year ago, and if you like a large e-reader, that’s probably a good thing. Read on for our full impressions of the device.

Continue reading Amazon Kindle DX Graphite review

Amazon Kindle DX Graphite review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disgusted with Apple’s refusal to bestow honest-to-goodness backgrounding to the iPad, even though the (presumably) weaker iPhone 4 has been doing it for weeks? You aren’t alone. Syte Shirt, a new startup with a vision to change the world in a way you’ve never even dreamed of, has just announced its first product: the iPad-toting shirt that you’re undoubtedly gawking at above. This pre-shrunk heavyweight cotton tee sports a slit on the inside for sliding your tablet into, and there’s a window on the front that enables the wearer (or anyone else, for that matter) to fully interact with the tablet without you having to disrobe. Imagine that! Heck, there are even ports for accessing the dock connector and the 3.5mm headphone jack, which certainly helps to justify the otherwise unconscionable $49.95 to $54.95 price tag. Right? Right?

Continue reading iPad-toting Syte Shirt redefines ‘multitasking’

iPad-toting Syte Shirt redefines ‘multitasking’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We first learned of Horizon’s most recent fuel cell-powered aspirations back at CES, but the company has been radio silent ever since. Well, until today. As of this very moment in time, a trio of alternative energy charging solutions are up for pre-order on the company’s site, and while they promised that the family would be available by the end of 2010, it seems as if the first shipments will head out as early as next month. The Minipak — described as a charging device that integrates a passive air-breathing fuel cell and a ‘solid-state’ hydrogen storage unit — is up for pre-order at $99.99, while the monstrous Hydrofill water-to-hydrogen-to-power converter can also be claimed for $499.99. Last (but certainly not least), the Hydrostik can be reserved for a penny under a Hamilton. Go on, give that source link a look — your angered AAs will peter out before they’re able to take up arms, anyway.

[Thanks, Mitchell]

Horizon’s Minipak, Hydrofill and Hydrostik fuel cell devices go up for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It seems like everyone is cooking up their own touch-free gesture-based control technology, just like every blogger is destined to refer to it as “Minority Report-like” or “Minority Report-esque,” or “Tom Cruise-tastic!” Fraunhofer’s FIT, the newest such project, has recently appeared on the YouTubes, where we must say it looks pretty darn good. Not only does it not require special gloves or markers, this thing also works in real time and can support multiple users (and multiple fingers). The researchers hope to use this for working with complex simulation data and in education, although there are some kinks to be worked out: currently elements like the reflections caused by wristwatches and the orientation of the palm confuses the system. That said, the demo is pretty rad! See for yourself after the break.

Continue reading Fraunhofer FIT touch-free gesture-control for multiple users (video)

Fraunhofer FIT touch-free gesture-control for multiple users (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autom is a tiny robot, and he’s getting closer than ever to availability. His whole job? To coach you to lose weight… that’s right, Autom is a dieting robot. You start off by entering the details of your diet, fitness level, and exercise into Autom’s databank, and then he sits on your countertop and has daily ‘conversations’ with you — which we assume are full of a lot of reassuring aphorisms and ‘go get ‘em’ talk. Developed by Cory Kidd (who built the first iteration by hand) while studying at MIT, Autom is set to go into trials in the US sometime next year with a major insurance company. Now, we’re all for healthy living, and everyone knows we love robots, but we’re inclined to take a pass on Autom… if only because we can’t stand to hear the truth 100 percent of the time. If you hit up the source link, you can see a video of the little guy in action. A video of an earlier version of Autom is after the break.

Continue reading Autom, the robot weight loss coach: we’ll just keep the friends that lie to us, thanks

Autom, the robot weight loss coach: we’ll just keep the friends that lie to us, thanks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic Japan’s push to bring 3D to wider audiences means more than just offering it in smaller HDTVs. The RT2B series plasmas announced today can record TV broadcasts onto their hard discs or Blu-ray drives, and are the first all-in-ones that play Blu-ray 3D movies as well. Available in 42- and 46-inch versions, it’s unlikely we’ll see them on this side of the Pacific, but much more likely to make the jump are some new 3D glasses (pictures after the break.) Now available in different sizes for the whole family, they also include sealed batteries rechargeable by USB, as opposed to the current one-size-fits-all design that relies on a replaceable watch battery. Two hours charging via USB should equal 30 hours of watching, and at 38g, Panasonic’s claiming the small kid-sized TY-EW3D2SW active shutter glasses are the lightest around. What hasn’t changed yet is the price — ¥13,000 ($149.) Barring bundle deals, outfitting the family for some festival viewing will still be an expensive proposition when all of these start shipping August 27.

Continue reading Panasonic adds Blu-ray 3D/HDD all-in-one plasmas; redesigned, rechargeable 3D glasses in Japan

Panasonic adds Blu-ray 3D/HDD all-in-one plasmas; redesigned, rechargeable 3D glasses in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Liu Jun, Senior VP and President of Lenovo’s Consumer Business Group, has revealed his company’s intention to deliver an Android tablet by the end of this year. To be known as LePad, this apparent resurrection of the Skylight / U1 Hybrid R&D effort seems destined to follow LePhone in seeking its fortunes in China first before expanding out to the rest of the world. Lenovo’s chairman did recently note that Apple’s relative inaction toward mainland China creates opportunities for others, so this may well represent the IdeaPad maker’s play for that burgeoning market. Of course, we’d love to be wrong and see a simultaneous release around the world — it’s about time the iPad got some legitimate competition in the slate realm.

Lenovo promises LePad Android tablet for the end of the year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM finally catches up to the competition with non-GPS-based BlackBerry ‘Locate Service’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like Seagate’s not content with giving users a choice of connector — the outfit’s latest GoFlex apparatus utilizes a docking system to give users an easier way to upgrade their NAS. ‘Course, those that really plan ahead will go ahead and grab a multi-bay device like Data Robotics’ Drobo FS, but for the money, it’s hard to argue with the FreeAgent GoFlex Home. Designed to work seamlessly with Windows-based PCs and Apple’s Time Machine, the 1TB and 2TB devices provide a NAS dock for the drive to sit in, and the dock itself also boasts a USB port for adding external storage to the mix or sharing a printer over the network. Seagate’s also tossing in its Share Pro service, which enables families to access content stored on the drive from mobile devices such as an iPhone, iPad or BlackBerry. Best of all, the $159.99 (1TB) / $229.99 (2TB) asking prices won’t totally crush the bank, so it seems like you’ve just about run out of excuses for backing up those childhood memories.

Continue reading Seagate’s FreeAgent GoFlex Home adds flexibility to your next NAS setup

Seagate’s FreeAgent GoFlex Home adds flexibility to your next NAS setup originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last we heard from Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, it wanted a neurally-controlled bionic arm by 2009. Needless to say, the school overshot that goal by a tiny bit, and have now been beaten (twice) to the punch. But DARPA sees $34.5 million worth of promise in their third and final prototype, which will enable the nine pound kit (with 22 degrees of freedom and sensory feedback) to begin clinical trials. Rechristened the Modular Prosthetic Limb, it will be grafted onto as many as five real, live persons, the first within the year. Using the targeted muscle reinnervation technique pioneered at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, patients will control these arms directly with their thoughts, and for their sakes and the fate of humanity, hopefully not the other way around. Press release after the break.

Continue reading DARPA-funded prosthetic arm reaches phase three, would-be cyborgs celebrate

DARPA-funded prosthetic arm reaches phase three, would-be cyborgs celebrate originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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