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Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

While the idea of Commodore showing off some early prototype devices isn’t exactly the sort of thing that’d normally get many folks’ hopes up, the never-say-die company looks to have managed to impress the doubters at IFA, where it had a number of intriguing-looking concepts on hand in addition to that soon-to-be-released netbook we saw yesterday. That includes two Pocket PC devices — one with a sliding QWERTY keypad and one that opts for a folding design (pictured above) — as well as a much slicker-looking netbook than the one that is actually going to be released, naturally (check it out after the break). Of course, specs for any of those are virtually non-existent, although there’s apparently some talk that the Pocket PCs could sell for between €100 and €150 (or roughly $220 to $290) whenever they’re actually released. Be sure to hit up the gallery below for plenty more shots courtesy of Engadget Spanish.

Continue reading Commodore impresses with prototypes at IFA, really

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Source: Donald Melanson

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We won’t lie: this started as an excuse to do a visual gag pertaining to the abundance of Nintendo Wiis in action at IFA 2008 (that most excellent headline pun is just a bonus). But we got carried away and ended up with some deeper impressions we took away from the show, which took place last week and this week in Berlin, Germany.

The Wii was naturally not the only thing we saw at IFA. Panasonic was back with its 150-inch plasma, a large rock garden of displays backed by a row of 103-inchers and its fully-featured Blu-ray players. Sony’s gigantic room-within-a-room forest was mesmerizing, and the surrounding technology like that paper-thin LCD (though Philips got the last laugh) and intriguing Sountina were no doubt of interest. Samsung brought its A-game once again, with a breathtaking wall of LCDs, and enough miscellaneous gadgets to significantly, literally raise the temperature in the back of the booth. Toshiba’s more modest affair hid many technology demos and futuristic technology like a Cell-powered television and resolution upscaling. LG was a tad subdued, but by “subdued” we mean “not as insane as Samsung.” A slew of a Europe-only companies weren’t slumbering either, with wild displays of their own, primarily of televisions.

Continue reading Sights and sounds of IFA 2008: look how far Wii’ve come

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Source: Paul Miller

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

Word on the street is that Philips has decided to dip its collective toes into the DVR world with a new line of products that appear, at least ostensibly, to compete with TiVo. Like the “TiVo Suggestions” feature that the recorder-company offers, Philips’ new devices tout user preference tracking, which will “learn” different user’s likes and dislikes, and create custom sets of programming geared towards those tastes. The new line will also be able to access and download YouTube and other internet video, as well as podcast content. Advertising on the new boxes will also follow user’s watching habits, thus ensuring a steady flow of laser-targeted ads beamed directly at your face. Apparently the new products will begin their lifecycle as software for PCs, but will eventually become set-top boxes for the living room. What’s really interesting here is that Philips used to manufacture TiVo hardware, which increases the chances of cross-pollination (and lawsuits) oh… about tenfold.

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Source: Joshua Topolsky

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Keepin’ things fresh in Berlin is MPIO, which has apparently unveiled not one, but five new media players during IFA. Up first is the MG200, which looks to tout 2GB of flash storage, an SDHC expansion slot, 1.5-inch OLED display, an FM tuner, and support for MP3, WMA, and WMA-DRM. The MG300 steps it up by including a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, 4GB of capacity, and the ability to handle AVI, JPEG, and BMP files in addition to the aforementioned formats. The diminutive MD100 plays nice with MP3, WMA, and OGG files, boasts an FM tuner and lasts up to 60-hours with the LCD flipped off, while the 2GB OG21 rocks a 1.8-inch screen and also does video. Bringing up the rear is the OG23, which packs 8GB of space, a QVGA display, and SDHC support to boot. Per usual, mum’s the word on pricing and availability, but click on through for a few more snapshots of the group.

[Via AnythingButiPod]Continue reading MPIO shows off five new media players at IFA

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

Although amBX was launched some two years ago, not a whole lot has come of it. Earlier this year, Philips briefly mentioned the technology during its CES press conference, and now we’re finally getting more details on its range of amBX-enabled peripherals. Reportedly, the lineup will be clad in graphite and silver and include “a pair of left and right satellite lights, a pair of left and right satellite 2.1 speaker lights and subwoofer, a pair of desk fans, a wrist rumbler, and a directional wall washer light that doubles as controller unit.” The lights, of course, are meant to “change color and intensity in the context of what’s happening onscreen,” and the 160-watts of power should provide plenty of juice to rock your room of choice. Philips will be offering up four different kits depending on just how immersed you’d like to be, and while the starter kit will run you €199 ($272), the Premium Kit is likely to cost you quite a bit more when it lands in “select European markets” later this year. Check out another shot after the break.Continue reading Philips touts amBX gaming peripherals at IFA

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: HDTV, Storage

If a couple of new HD DVD players weren’t enough for you, Toshiba is also launching an ultrathin, highly portable HD DVD burner for playing back high-definition flicks and writing massive amounts of data to single or dual-layer HD DVD-Rs whilst on the go. The simply titled HD DVD-Writer is reportedly the brother of the HD DVD Super-Multi, which only supports CD, DVD+/-RW, and HD DVD-ROM. Both units supposedly measure in at just 5.04- x 4.96- x 0.51-inches and weigh 5.82 ounces, and best of all, they’re said to be available right now across the pond for £200 ($403).

[Thanks, nfinity]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays

Not satisfied with just unleashing a pair of HD DVD players for the European crowd, Toshiba has now announced a forthcoming digital photo frame for the same set that does a whole lot more than shuffle through old photo albums. The DPF7XSE boasts a seven-inch 800 x 480 resolution panel, dual one-watt stereo speakers, SD / MMC / CF / Memory Stick support, USB 2.0 connectivity, and 256MB of built-in storage space. Most notable, however, is the supported format list, which includes JPEG, MP3, WMA, MPEG4, and DivX. Currently, Tosh hasn’t released details surrounding a price for the fall-bound frame, but users picking this one will reportedly find an infrared remote and USB cable bundled in.

[Via TrustedReviews]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Features, Portable Audio, Portable Video

We like to give Venzero a hard time about appearing completely sketch and vaporware-ish in most of its product announcements and subsequent delayed releases, but it turns out the company very much exists and very much is building and releasing the DAPs of which we speak. So very many DAPs. In fact, Venzero just released that WiFi-capable LINQ player we were talking about a week or so back, which is the company’s main offering that really has much to unique or ergonomic to offer — the SLICKR and the mini are a bit of a pain to use in the button department. Unfortunately, the LINQ doesn’t support player-to-player sharing just yet, but the internet radio features and home media streaming are pretty extensive, and further functionality is planned for down the road — along with some other nifty releases we can’t mention just yet. Oh, and before you jump into that gallery, Venzero would like us to remind you that the player interfaces are soon going to be getting a significant upgrade in the sub-menu department, so hopefully the players won’t look like shady also-rans for too much longer.

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Source: Paul Miller

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