Toys & Gadgets

When we first caught wind of HDI’s “world’s first laser-based 3D HDTV,” we were cautiously hopeful that it’d be ready to go (at least as a prototype) at CES 2010. Looks like we may actually get our wish, as the company has today announced that its magical set has reached the manufacturing stage. What’s it all mean? It means that the set is being fast-tracked for release in 2010, meaning that you’re just months away from having stereoscopic 1,920 x 1,080 content in your living room… provided there’s actually any programming to view, that is. Of course, it’ll handle the 2D stuff too, and the twin RGP LCoS micro-display imagers in there ought to provide plenty of crisp imagery regardless of the source. We’re still not sure if the Woz-approved 100-inch version that’s being shown to curious onlookers is the size that’ll be pumped out to the mainstream, but we’re hoping for at least a few smaller siblings for those of us with last names other than Kennedy, Gates, Buffet and Ellison.

Continue reading HDI’s laser-driven 3D HDTV hits production, should ship next year

Filed under: Displays

HDI’s laser-driven 3D HDTV hits production, should ship next year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s DROID week, and that means we’re doing the podcast live. Josh, Paul, and Nilay will be going on-air at 4:30PM EST to talk about what Motorola, Verizon, and Google’s impressive new smartphone, as well as the other big stories from the week. It’s all going down soon — and you can jump into the chatroom below right now.

P.S.- Leave your DROID questions in comments, and we’ll definitely try to get to them if we can!

Continue reading The Engadget Podcast, live at 4:30PM EST!

Filed under: Podcasts

The Engadget Podcast, live at 4:30PM EST! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already seen some sample footage from Canon’s new professional EOS-1D Mark IV DSLR (and should be seeing plenty more come December), but a pre-production version of the camera has now turned up at the Canon Pro Photo Solutions 09 show in London, and TrustedReviews managed to get an early hands-on with it. As you might expect, the camera definitely seems to impress in person, with the 1.2 kilogram body providing a feeling of “solid reliability and competence,” while its ergonomics also apparently represent a more subtle but welcome improvement over previous Canon offerings. Unfortunately, the folks at TrustedReviews weren’t able to share any sample shots, but they did get a chance to try out the camera’s 45-point autofocus system, which is said to be “extremely fast,” and its tracking function reportedly had no trouble focusing even in dark, low contrast situations with a 400mm telephoto lens. Hit up the link below for a few more hands-on shots and impressions.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV lands for a pre-production hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Xperia Pureness unboxed, performs for the camera (video)

Filed under: Cellphones

Xperia Pureness unboxed, performs for the camera (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Klipsch Image S4i earphones are nearly identical to their sibling, the Image S4. They provide the same comfortable fit and stellar sound quality, but also offer the added bonus of an integrated mic and call answer button, as well as volume controls and remote playback for the iPod. Call …

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas

Some people prefer earphones that blend in so much no one can tell they’re even being used, while others like their ear cans to stand out from the crowd. If you fall into the latter crowd, the Skullcandy Icon 2 headphones will probably be right up your alley. This …

Originally posted at iPod accessories

Filed under: Cellphones

November 6: stores open at 6AM for DROID, Droid Eris? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I am not concerned about the future, only because I am told that humans will soon be in the clutch and thrall of robots and perfect harmony will be enjoyed by all. However, I must register the initial frisson of disturbia I experienced on reading a report from the Boston Globe magazine that suggests the iPhone may be a wise toy for 3-year-olds.

No, this is not some mocking suggestion that those who use an iPhone do, indeed, have the minds of children less than 4. It is, rather, a fascinating analysis of what happens when you just hand a 3-year-old an iPhone with the initial aim of keeping the little rodent in your life quiet.

It seems the iPhone’s happy, colorful design is not only a great attraction for a little child’s imagination, but the keyboard tends to suit tinier fingers rather better than larger ones.

Indeed, there is a considerable possibility that the iPhone might just help in children’s education, something app developers have not been slow to realize. The Globe tells us that 60 percent of the apps in the education section of the iTunes store target extremely little people.

Now I know there will be those who worry that if you give a little one an iPhone they will be zapped with gamma rays and all sorts of deleterious electronic waves that will seep into their brains and be an enormous health risk.

One might heed the words of Dariusz Leszczysnki, a researcher for the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Finland, who told a Senate subcommittee: “In my opinion the current safety standards are not sufficiently supported because of the very limited research on human volunteers, children, and on the effects of long-term exposures in humans.”

But most of the things parents give children to keep them quiet carry a certain risk to health: plastic toys that kids lick, bite, and try to swallow with the result that all sorts of paint and gunk might enter their bodies; candy that children lick, bite, and try to swallow with the result that they then put on weight; and let’s not even start with the quality of teenage babysitting in the world.

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Originally posted at Technically Incorrect

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You probably haven’t heard of Envizen, but it’s one of several off-brand companies putting out new digital portable TVs to replace all the obsolete analog units that were toted to sporting …

Besides a slew of new LG phones, the biggest news out of the Federal Communications this week is the approval of the Palm Pixi. In light of its November 15 release date, the Pixi’s appearance here is not surprising. We also spied the Google Android-equipped LG GW620.

Because the …

Originally posted at Dialed In Podcast