Dausen iPhone pico projector battery case at Computex 2012 (hands-on video)

Dausen iPhone pico projector battery case at Computex 2012

It's not the first iPhone 4/4S pico projector battery case we've come across here at Engadget, but we spotted this little number at Computex 2012 and just couldn't resist sharing it with you. What makes this accessory a bit more unique is that it incorporates the latest in DLP technology from Texas Instruments. As such, it's capable of projecting a 640x360-pixel image up to 70 inches across with 1000:1 contrast ratio. The 2200mAh battery lasts about 3 hours on a charge an can even top off your iPhone in a pinch. Additional features include a built-in speaker powered by a 0.5W audio amplifier. We spent a few minutes using the pico projector and while it works pretty much as advertised, it clearly struggled with the harsh lighting conditions of the show floor. Stay tuned for pricing and availability, but don't miss our hands-on gallery below and our demo video after the break.

Continue reading Dausen iPhone pico projector battery case at Computex 2012 (hands-on video)

Dausen iPhone pico projector battery case at Computex 2012 (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jun 2012 02:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Open-mesh PC case keeps heat, dust bunnies at bay

open-mesh-pc-case-keeps-heat-dust-bunnies-at-bay

If you haven't done it in a while, opening your PC case can be like a slasher flick -- you know you'll see something disgusting, but you're never sure what. Taiwan's YoungYear Electronics claims to stop the horror with its Green Mesh case, which has neither fans to suck dust, nor filters, and keeps your components cool with a "chimney effect" instead. It's this same action that repels dust out the top, so that only one quarter the usual amount of filth is drawn in -- according to the company. The only downside is that with poor heat dissipation, the maximum power supply unit size is 300 watts -- which probably scratches it off the list for most modders or power-users. For the rest, if you don't mind your computer's innards blowing in the breeze, at least you'd have no nasty case-opening frights.

Open-mesh PC case keeps heat, dust bunnies at bay originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 19:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Computex 2012 wrap-up

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After getting our hands on more than three dozen Ultrabooks, tablets and plenty of other miscellany over an intense gadget-fueled week in Taipei, Computex is finally winding down, and we're packing our bags for the 24-hour journey back to New York. There's no question that Windows 8 stole the show, with hundreds of devices making an appearance both at flashy press events and on the exhibit floor -- Release Preview in tow. We happened upon quite a few surprises on that front, including a touchscreen-based ASUS Zenbook UX21A and Intel's prediction that the majority of next year's Ultrabooks will be touch-enabled, along with the unique (and perhaps even slightly bizarre) TAICHI, which will change the way we interact with at least two clamshell models. We've barely scratched the surface here, however -- you'll find direct links to all of our Computex coverage just after the break.

Continue reading Computex 2012 wrap-up

Computex 2012 wrap-up originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Ultrabooks of Computex 2012

It was last year that Intel chose Computex, a computer tradeshow in Taiwan, to introduce its Ultrabook concept to the world. Twelve months later, 110-plus models are in the pipeline, which meant the Taipei Convention Center was overrun by skinny, lightweight laptops. Make that skinny, touch-enabled laptops. Between those new Ivy Bridge chips and Microsoft putting the finishing touches on Windows 8, this week's show was nothing if not a five-day-long wedding between two tech giants: almost every device on display here was a vehicle for showing off Microsoft's glossy new OS. At every turn, a celebration of touchscreen notebooks.

With more than 30 hands-on posts this week, we can see where one Core i5 laptop might look like the next, or how you might have failed to keep up with Jonney Shih's rapid-fire product announcements. Now that we're wrapping up here in Taiwan, though, we're ready to take a step back and think about what it is we just saw. Whether you felt overwhelmed by our wall-to-wall coverage or just need to catch up, we suggest you meet us past the break for a quick recap of all the new Ultrabooks. Oh, and if you're in the market for a new laptop, you can check your trigger-happy finger at the door. With few exceptions, we're not expecting these to go on sale until the fall, when Windows 8 is expected to start shipping.

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The Ultrabooks of Computex 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TI demos Windows RT on OMAP 4470, we go hands-on (video)

TI demos Windows RT on OMAP, we go handson

It seems like every ARM chip manufacturer wants a piece of Windows 8 here at Computex 2012 -- and for good reason. Hot on the heels of Asus' Tegra 3-equipped Tablet 600 and Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4-based development tablet, Texas Instruments is showing Windows RT on its very own OMAP 4470-based system. The 1.5GHz dual-core SoC features a PowerVR SGX544 GPU and leads the competition with a dual-channel memory interface. We chatted with Bill Crean, Product Manager of the OMAP Processor Business Unit who showed us Microsoft's latest OS running on TI's development tablet. The demo looked snappy enough, providing some insight about what to expect from some of Toshiba's upcoming devices. No word yet on a quad-core version. Enjoy our hands-on gallery below and take a peek after the break for our demo video.

Continue reading TI demos Windows RT on OMAP 4470, we go hands-on (video)

TI demos Windows RT on OMAP 4470, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 01:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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THD N2-A is a KIRF MacBook Air that runs Ice Cream Sandwich for $149, we go hands-on (video)

THD N2A is a KIRF MacBook Air that runs Android ICS for $149, we go handson video

It wouldn't be Computex without some KIRF Apple products. And what we have today isn't quite a MacBook Air. But it's amazingly close. The N2-A, as it's known in the OEM underground, is one of the most impressive MacBook Air lookalikes we've seen -- and one of the cheapest. $74,500 will net you 500 of these lovely 13.3-inch bundles of almost-Mac goodness, which comes out to just $149 apiece. The THD (Thread Technology Co.)-made clamshell comes complete with an LED-backlit 1366 x 768 LCD, 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, 1 gig of DDR3 RAM and 8 gigs of SSD storage. There's also built-in 802.11b/g/n WiFi (we're a bit devastated about the lack of 802.11ac), and the option to add a 3G dongle or Ethernet adapter via the pair of USB 2.0 ports. As you may have gathered from the image, there's a full-size QWERTY keyboard and a familiar, yet incredibly mediocre trackpad, along with a 2-cell 4200 mAh battery (rated to 8 hours), an SD card slot, a not-so-MagSafe 110-240-volt AC adapter, a headphone out, mic in and an HDMI port.

In typical MacBook Air fashion, the N2-A is very thin and quite light (1.55 kilograms or 3.4 pounds) -- it's not as svelte as a top-of-the-line ICS tablet, but it's manageable for sure. While it may look perfectly fine on camera, the device's build quality certainly isn't up to Apple's standards -- but then again, it doesn't cost $1,000+. After a few busy trade show days, the trackpad was noticeably scratched up, with plenty of other blemishes around the silver case to boot, along with some warping here and there. The N2-A wasn't hideous by any stretch, even upon close inspection, but any Apple newbie would be able to recognize that this didn't come out of Cupertino, even before noticing the missing Apple logo and the added Windows key (it's there to support the nearly identical N2-C, which adds a dual-core Atom processor and Windows 7 support).

ICS felt quite snappy, though without a touchscreen you're forced to use the unimpressive trackpad, which wasn't responsive enough for regular use. (You can always sacrifice portability and use a USB mouse instead.) Overall, the N2-A is a pretty slick device -- not to mention quite a bit of fun. Don't expect to see this KIRF in any stores in the US -- you'll need to order 500 units or more directly from THD to take advantage of that $149 price tag, though we may see the Android laptop make its way to the public through third-party channels, perhaps with a retail price of about $200. For now, you can take a closer look in our meaty gallery below, or in the hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading THD N2-A is a KIRF MacBook Air that runs Ice Cream Sandwich for $149, we go hands-on (video)

THD N2-A is a KIRF MacBook Air that runs Ice Cream Sandwich for $149, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Computex keynote now on YouTube: relive the excitement, the yelling

ASUS Computex keynote now on YouTube relive the excitement, the yelling

You think it's easy up there on stage? Then just try shouting "ubiquitous cloud computing era" at the top of your lungs without sounding silly. It's virtually impossible, as ASUS chairman Jonney Shih discovered 45 seconds into the video after the break. Fortunately, he quickly moved onto his company's rather stellar array of Computex reveals, including the dual-booting Transformer AiO (which doubles up as the "world's biggest tablet"), a couple of Windows 8 hybrids and the Taichi swiveller -- not to mention some live performance art ten minutes before the end. If you're the "Home C.I.O." in your family, then it could be professionally negligent to miss this.

Continue reading ASUS Computex keynote now on YouTube: relive the excitement, the yelling

ASUS Computex keynote now on YouTube: relive the excitement, the yelling originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on with the Honeywld Power Zest ICS set-top box at Computex 2012 (video)

Handson with the Honeywld Power Zest ICS set-top box at Computex 2012

Looking for an unwieldy product name for your next game of tech Scrabble? How about Honeywld Power Zest? Yes, don't adjust your television, there's no "i" in Honeywld. Speaking of TVs, this err... zesty little item we discovered here at Computex is a set-top box running Ice Cream Sandwich. Feel the power! To be clear, this is not a Google TV device -- it runs Android 4.0 with a heavily skinned, remote control-friendly UI.

The box (available in blue, red, yellow and black) is built around a 1.2GHz dual-core Marvell SoC featuring Qdeo technology paired with 1GB of RAM. An embedded 2GB microSD card provides flash storage for the OS. In front you'll find a power LED and infrared receiver, while in back there's a power button, 3.5mm AV connector (for analog audio and composite video), optical audio output, HDMI socket, two USB 2.0 ports, an 100BaseT Ethernet jack and a 12V DC power input. There's no wireless support.

We took the device for a spin using the supplied IR remote (which includes a mix of standard buttons plus the home, back, menu and search keys required for Android) and the experience was a bit of a mixed bag. It certainly worked as advertised but navigating Android with just a D-pad and four buttons was quite frustrating. Text entry was painful and buggy (an infrared keyboard will be offered as an extra accessory) -- then again, the box we used was still running early firmware.

Honeywld plans to make the Power Zest available to Taiwanese retailers late July for somewhere between $95 to $120. Retail pricing will be a a little higher depending on markups. Until then, feast your eyes on the gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video.

Continue reading Hands-on with the Honeywld Power Zest ICS set-top box at Computex 2012 (video)

Hands-on with the Honeywld Power Zest ICS set-top box at Computex 2012 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 05:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on with the Honeywld Power Zest ICS set-top box at Computex 2012 (video)

Handson with the Honeywld Power Zest ICS set-top box at Computex 2012

Looking for an unwieldy product name for your next game of tech Scrabble? How about Honeywld Power Zest? Yes, don't adjust your television, there's no "i" in Honeywld. Speaking of TVs, this err... zesty little item we discovered here at Computex is a set-top box running Ice Cream Sandwich. Feel the power! To be clear, this is not a Google TV device -- it runs Android 4.0 with a heavily skinned, remote control-friendly UI.

The box (available in blue, red, yellow and black) is built around a 1.2GHz dual-core Marvell SoC featuring Qdeo technology paired with 1GB of RAM. An embedded 2GB microSD card provides flash storage for the OS. In front you'll find a power LED and infrared receiver, while in back there's a power button, 3.5mm AV connector (for analog audio and composite video), optical audio output, HDMI socket, two USB 2.0 ports, an 100BaseT Ethernet jack and a 12V DC power input. There's no wireless support.

We took the device for a spin using the supplied IR remote (which includes a mix of standard buttons plus the home, back, menu and search keys required for Android) and the experience was a bit of a mixed bag. It certainly worked as advertised but navigating Android with just a D-pad and four buttons was quite frustrating. Text entry was painful and buggy (an infrared keyboard will be offered as an extra accessory) -- then again, the box we used was still running early firmware.

Honeywld plans to make the Power Zest available to Taiwanese retailers late July for somewhere between $95 to $120. Retail pricing will be a a little higher depending on markups. Until then, feast your eyes on the gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video.

Continue reading Hands-on with the Honeywld Power Zest ICS set-top box at Computex 2012 (video)

Hands-on with the Honeywld Power Zest ICS set-top box at Computex 2012 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 05:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigabyte GSmart G1362, G1342 and M1348 at Computex 2012 (hands-on video)

Gigabyte GSmart G1362, G1342 and M1348 handson at Computex 2012 video

Want a dual-SIM phone running Ice Cream Sandwich? You've come to the right place. Here at Computex in Taipei we uncovered three of the handsets Gigabyte announced yesterday -- the GSmart G1362, G1342 and M1348 -- and took two of them for a spin.

First up is the G1362 which sports a 4.3-inch FWVGA (854x480) display, 5 megapixel AF camera with LED flash, 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 CPU, 512MB or RAM and 4GB of internal storage. Next is the G1242, featuring a 3.5-inch HVGA (480x320) LCD, 5 MP autofocus camera with flash, 800MHz single core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM and a lowly 1GB of built-in flash. The M1320 M1348 was non-functional and hidden in a display case. It's expected to match the G1342 in specs but uses a 1GHz MediaTek CPU and offers 4GB of built-in storage. As previously mentioned, all three phones include two SIM slots (one of them HSPA 7.2Mbps-capable) and run Android 4.0.4.

Despite packing a Snapdragon S4, the G1362 looks and feels like a mid-range handset, with a less-than-stellar display (poor brightness and viewing angles). The UI was reasonably responsive, however, which is pretty much what you'd expect from a phone with such a powerful processor. As for the G1362, it's basically your standard fare low-end Android handset albeit with dual-SIM support and ICS. Build quality was in line with other prototypes we've handled -- that is to say a little rough around the edges. Of course, it's important to keep in mind that we played with pre-production units running non-final software.

The G1362 should be available in July for less than $300 unsubsidized, the G1342 is shipping this month (June) for under $200 and the M1348 is expected later this summer at a sub $150 price point. Want to know more? There's a gallery below and a pair of hands-on videos after the break.

Continue reading Gigabyte GSmart G1362, G1342 and M1348 at Computex 2012 (hands-on video)

Gigabyte GSmart G1362, G1342 and M1348 at Computex 2012 (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 04:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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