Now that it’s official and priced, Panasonic seems much happier to show off its wireless HD-sporting, ultra-thin Z1 series, and it’s quite the sight to behold. The 54Z1 we got to look at was very strikingly clad in brushed metal gray — compared to the regular black of most of Panasonic’s TV lineup — and of course incredibly thin. The wireless HD receiver box was across the room and working flawlessly, and it was nice to see that the included remote is an RF unit, capable of non-line-of-sight channel changing — it’s starting to feel like the 21st century around here! The plasma picture was of course very good, and we’re really feeling those Viera Tools icons across the bottom. $6,000 though? That’s your call.

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Wireless

Panasonic’s ultra-thin 54Z1 plasma in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Much like Sony’s Rolly, we’re still struggling to piece together exactly how iriver’s WAVE-HOME device is supposed to revolutionize our lives. And, you know, figure out what exactly it does. Thanks to a unit floating out in South Korea (in black attire, no less), we’re given a decent look of the internet phone / do-it-all home appliance getting unboxed and setup for the first time. Aside from phoning people, we’re told that the handset can also double as a TV remote or controller for a radio / music player. We’re still eager to get our own palms around one of these curious creations, but for now, you can tap the read link to get a few JPEGs closer.

[Via Portable Alliance]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

iriver WAVE-HOME internet phone thingamajig seen in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Low light, candles in the corner — seriously folks, these shots are downright sultry. Optus’ HTC G1, er, Dream has been spotted and photographed in some random corner of the world, and while it basically looks like every other G1 you’ve ever seen in this hue, we’re absolutely certain that Australians in attendance are more than happy to have a look. You know where to head for the rest.

[Thanks, Tom]

Filed under: Cellphones

Optus’ HTC Dream spotted, photographed passionately originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 05:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PCs have fallen wildly in price over the past couple of years, but while the prospect of a “real computer” (well, almost) for a mere $100 isn’t completely outlandish these days, it’s still rare. The Nova Navigator, built for the India market, is actually down from its originally-projected $199 pricepoint, and commands a monthly subscription fee in the vicinity of $15 and up — the more you pay the more online storage you get, with 50GB as a baseline. On its sparse 256MB of built-in storage, however, you get a full build of Linux with Firefox and OpenOffice, and the ability to access Windows with a Remote Desktop client. The unit doesn’t come with a keyboard monitor or mouse, so once you get around to supplying all that and paying for a few months of service, you might’ve been better off with a cheap netbook, but the expansion and peripheral-compatibility afforded by this desktop form factor might just make it worth the hassle.

Filed under: Desktops

$100 Nova Navigator cloud-powered nettop in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Mar 2009 22:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There it is, folks — the BeBook 2. We knew Endless Ideas was bringing its next-generation BeBook to CeBIT, but we had no idea it’d be this well under wraps. We chatted with the company’s CEO and managing director a bit about the direction of the BeBook as a whole, and they’re very much believers in keeping format support wide open and giving readers the choice of where to pull content from. We were blessed with a few minutes of hands-on time with the new and improved e-reader, and while the software was still not finalized (thus our inability to photograph it more), we were impressed with what we saw.

The next iteration of the BeBook should be a serious contender in the e-reader market, particularly in Europe where Amazon’s Kindle has yet to invade. The inclusion of WiFi and 3G is a good move (great move, actually), as those two additions open up all sorts of possibilities that non-connected readers simply can’t access. As for the device itself? We’re digging it. The build quality felt remarkably sturdy, the aesthetics were beautiful and the thinness was certainly notable. The e-ink display has also stepped up the greyscale level from the original BeBook, and battery life should remain the same despite not being as bulky. As you can tell, the screen also supports doodling, and it tracked inputs as well as we could’ve hoped. We still couldn’t pry out a price, but you can be on the lookout for this to drop worldwide somewhere in the Q3 to Q4 2009 time frame.

Filed under: Displays, Handhelds

BeBook 2 e-reader revealed and in the wild at CeBIT 2009! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, this upcoming iStation T3 PMP from Digital Cube does little that you can’t coax out of your average cereal box toy in Korea, but it sure looks pretty good on camera. iStation is apparently running some promotions to get folks stoked for the thing, and AVING has the sexy photos to prove it. Our Korean is a little non-existent, but Portable Alliance claims that the unit will be offered in standard, academic and DMB flavors — still no word on price.

[Via Portable Alliance]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Digital Cube’s iStation T3 surfaces in the wild, primed for release originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After proving a bit of a white whale at CES, Sony’s new touchscreen Walkman NWZ-X1000 hasn’t been easy to come by. After Stuff’s general overview video hands-on, we’ve been waiting for some hard-hitting impressions, which Le Journal du Geek has finally provided, in French. Granted, they’re playing with a non-complete prototype, so we’d have to take these impressions with a grain of salt either way. From what we can tell, they’re certainly feeling the device aesthetically, and figure it’s totally usable one-handed. The OLED screen is great, the incomplete interface is so far familiar and the capacitive touch has an “impressive response,” perhaps even better than the iPod touch. The browser didn’t get such rave reviews, but overall they found it to be in their “top five” players, with great audio quality. So at least somebody likes this thing, we’ll hopefully have some more concrete impressions of our own to add as this thing approaches release in the coming months.

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Sony’s NWZ-X1000 gets handled in French originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading OpenFrame and O2 caught canoodling in the wild

Filed under: Household

OpenFrame and O2 caught canoodling in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/hardware/OLPC_2_0_dual_touchscreen_mockup_surfaces_in_the_wild’; What we’re staring at here is apparently the first “in the wild” shot of the promised dual touchscreen OLPC 2.0. As far as we can tell (thanks, Mr. Blurrycam), we’d wager this is a purely non-working mockup, since that “touchscreen” looks a bit too much like “glued-on paper” to us, but we’re really short on info otherwise. What is encouraging here is that apparently someone is taking this dual screen idea seriously, and it’s hard to deny that such an improbable form factor could really end up being the shot-in-the-arm this project needs.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

OLPC 2.0 dual touchscreen mockup surfaces in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thanks, Best Buy — we owe you one another. Yet again, we’re getting our first real live look at a recently unveiled Sprint handset courtesy of the big box retailer, and this time it’s the CDMA version of Palm’s Treo Pro. We’re also being blessed with a look at the specs sheet, which shows Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 512MB of storage (300MB available to the user), a two megapixel camera (with a digital 8x zoom and video capture), removable 1,500mAh Li-ion battery good for five hours of talking, a microSDHC slot, microUSB 2.0 port, 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, WinMo 6.1 Professional, a 528MHz Qualcomm dual-core MSM7501A CPU, 320 x 320 touchscreen, EV-DO Rev. A support, 802.11b/g WiFi and built-in GPS (standalone and assisted). So, aside from the cell radio, it’s pretty much the same Treo Pro we’ve grown to know and kinda-sorta love. No price was posted, but it’s not like Sprint hasn’t already told us — have fun in the gallery below!

[Thanks, Roel]

Filed under: Cellphones

Sprint Treo Pro spotted in the wild, specs and all originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Jan 2009 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The good news: odds are decent your local T-Mobile store has a Curve 8900 locked away somewhere. The bad news: you can’t have it. Word on the street is that T-Mob staff are under strict orders to keep the 8900 out of shopping bags until February 11, the last rumored launch date we’d heard, so keep saving your pennies… to, you know, bribe a store this week.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

BlackBerry Curve 8900 caught on the lam in some T-Mobile store originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We actually pondered aloud where all the standalone OTA DVRs were in this wild world earlier this year, and at long (long!) last, we finally have a new entrant into the all-but-dead niche. DISH Network’s DTVPal DVR, which was known in a former life as the EchoStar TR-50, has finally started to ship out to anxious buyers. For those who’ve forgotten, this box acts as a digital-to-analog converter and an HD DVR, capturing up to 30 hours of HD OTA material or 150 hours of SD content. Check the read link for a slew of in the wild / interface shots.

[Thanks, TOTA]

Filed under: Home Entertainment

DISH Network’s DTVPal DVR now shipping, caught in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Dec 2008 02:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cellphones

When we hear “hands-on,” we generally expect a smattering of images detailing the highlights — you know, about as many as a fidgety PR person will allow, or about as many as one can take before they succumb to self-indulgence. In this “first look” of Motorola’s ridiculously luxurious $2,000 AURA, however, the author not only took the time to detail his first impressions, but to also upload dozens of snapshots to show you exactly what this here handset looks like in just about every possible light. And that’s a good thing too, because the chances of any of us simpletons actually seeing one in the flesh is slim to none.

[Thanks, Drei Drei]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Here on the right coast of the US of A, it’s not quite October 14th. That factoid aside, someone has still managed to acquire one of Motorola’s peculiar (in a good way) Krave ZN4s from Verizon a few days in advance of its official release date. The touchscreen-heavy flip phone looks mighty impressive in the enviable photos waiting in the read link, and early impressions from the lucky owner assert that call quality is “very good,” texting on it is a breeze and the touch response in general is quite satisfactory. For those of you passing this off as a gimmick before, see if you’re still feeling the same way after having a look at the in the wild shots.

[Via phoneArena]

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Filed under: Laptops

Ah, how convenient! Just hours after finding out that Samsung’s NC10 netbook would one day be at home here in the United States of America, along comes a host of unboxing / in the wild photos and even a few benchmarks to get you ready for its arrival. Granted, the writeup is in translated German, but fortunately for us the photographs do most of the talking. For what it’s worth, the 10-inch NC10 seemed to edge out the Eee PC 901 in most tests, but not by any wide margin. Also of note, the keyboard was praised for having keys that weren’t bite-sized, though the trackpad beneath it was a touch on the small side. For a few more impressions and JPEGs penned in the universal language, give that read link a visit.

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

We’ll be frank — Mitsubishi’s 65-inch LaserVue L65-A90 was one of the most stunning things we saw at CEDIA 2008, so we’re not surprised to hear that one of the very first production units impressed the lucky folks over at TheTechLounge. Said individuals were able to take a first-hand look at Mitsu’s forthcoming beast, and while the situation was obviously optimal for viewing, they couldn’t help but praise the TV. The demonstration included two LaserVue sets, one of which was displaying 3D 1080p content from an HTPC and another that was setup beside LCDs for comparison. When staring at the aforesaid comparison setup, critics noted that “color performance on the LaserVue was noticeably more impressive.” There’s lots more reaction and images where this came from, so delve on into the read if this here set is on your wish list.

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Filed under: Laptops, Peripherals

We could tell from the press shot that this here laptop bag was far and away the most beautiful of the TSA-approved bunch, and a recent review over at Gadling confirms it. Put simply, the Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer is “fantastic,” and even the reviewer found himself startled at just how much he dug it. The build quality was remarkable, the ease of use was commendable and the design itself was obviously worthy of praise. The only real rub is the bloated sticker; the price of admission is a stiff $220, and that’s before you add in any useful straps or extra packing cubes. Unfortunately, the critic didn’t actually attempt to clear security at an airport with the bag, though we don’t suspect you’ll have any too many difficulties. Check the full writeup and a hands-on gallery in the read link.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Ah yes, the natural progression of a release. First comes the hands-on at the introduction, then comes the leaked user manual, then comes the pre-order fiasco — now, it’s time for those always titillating in the wild shots. The box and handset are nothing out of the ordinary / surprising (respectively), but at least you now know that bona fide unboxing images are just around the bend.

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

We’ve seen Pentax put the Midas touch on a few of its DSLRs before, but Nikon? In a rare effort to draw attention to its D60, the outfit has evidently unveiled a “Black Gold” edition which merely adds a few niceties in the way of revamped trim. In other words, you’ll see no upgrades on the camera that aren’t cosmetic, and unless you’re really into that gilded look, you may not even appreciate the Gold Edition strap, logo’d box, gold shutter button / strap lugs and the shiny new D60 badge. Is $50 too much to ask for those puny tweaks? Answer with your wallet, please.

[Thanks, Bo]

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Filed under: Gaming

We received an interesting tip that we thought we’d share with the group. Windows expert and all-around bon vivant Paul Thurrott recently previewed Microsoft’s new Arc mouse on his personal blog, detailing the device with a handful of photos. In the final shot of the series, what appear to be two Xboxes side-by-side can be seen in the lower right-hand corner… but one of those consoles looks thinner than the other. The appearance of what might be a slimmer Xbox 360 has (needless to say) sparked a debate amongst our editors here. Some say it’s nothing — a matter of angle — while others argue that this could be just the scenario in which you’d see a leak of a new form factor. Either way, you can’t simply brush off the differences here, and a little Photoshop matching on our end proved that these edges are decidedly different in angle. So we put it to the Engadget reader: is this a sign of things to come, or just our imaginations running wild?

Update: And we have our answer! Paul Thurrott has gone to the trouble of detailing just exactly what’s going on here, and it is an angle issue. Needless to say, we’ve got a lot of deflated dreams and lightened pockets in the office today.

[Thanks, Brian]

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