Mobile Devices

Chumby is the gadget that wants to be loved by developers and geeky dudes who didn’t have dates for Valentine’s Day. Sometimes, both of those consumer demographics signify the exact same people, and they might like this one if they can get over the fact that it looks like a toy for a 12-year-old girl.

Available beginning this week, the Chumby mini-computer streams personal music channels like Pandora, checks on your favorite social networking sites for updates, and can be used as a photo frame by grabbing your pictures over-the-air from the net and streaming them on its 3.5” LCD screen.

More interesting is that it’s open-source and Linux-based, with acceptable specs and user support that a good modder could use for tricks and endless enjoyment. For example, there’s a Chumby Wiki support page for developers and a widget-maker page that can take advantage of the specs, with the clear hope that it will build a Chumby-friendly community.

Photo (right): Miss Rogue/Flickr

Ever since the open gadget was announced early last year, Chumby has been wooing the Linux crowd with promises of the available user support groups and feeding ideas about how cool it would be to modify a small computer into weird formats (like the bear at right).

In addition to the LCD touchscreen, the Chumby includes two external USB 2.0 ports, a 350 Mhz ARM processor, 64 MB of SDRAM (flash), an accelerometer, and a Wi-Fi connection. And of course, it includes stereo speakers so that it function as the slightly more interesting alarm and radio that it looks like.

The Chumby is available in three difference colors for $180 (pre-tax) right here. 

Chumby’s Developers Page: http://www.chumby.com/developers

Our sultriest gadget fantasy? Wirelessly combining a PC chocked full of HD content with a  HDTV…and then adding a deadly laser network to deter anyone brazen enough to  muck with the carefully calibrated settings. It may be a dream deferred (for now), but in the meantime we’ve been watching pr0n tinkering with the next closest thing — SageTV’s STX-HD100 media extender. At its core, the STX-HD100 is a by-the-numbers extender: We installed the software on our home theater PC (turning it into a server), threw the unit onto our network, and then streamed all our landlocked content via the HD100’s high-def video outputs. With its codec support (h.264, WMV9, MPEG-2, MPEG-4.2, et al.), and file formats (AVI, MPEG, QuickTime, DivX, MP4, WMV, et al.) we had no problems watching all sorts of saved content on the big screen. Complimenting this versatility was the HD100’s responsive menu system and buttery smooth HD video playback — the latter being a bit of a rarity for extenders. We even tried to throw it a curve by outfitting our test rig with an HD tuner, but it still produced a consistently sharp 720p picture. Aside from its price and lack of fringe benefits (helloo? Wi-Fi?), the HD100 is a solid choice for bridging the gap between home theater computing and HDTVs. At least, until our HDTV/ Star Wars defense grid mashup hits the market.  —Terrence Russell

WIRED Living room ready in both size and operating volume (0db). Smoothly streams up to 1080p playback. YouTube and Google Video accessible right from the menu. Versatile outputs: HDMI, component, composite, S-video, and optical. Easy to operate, customizable user interface. Files with commercial skipping embedded play without a hitch. Includes remote control. No DRM restrictions with playback — eat it Microsoft!!

TIRED What’s up with the 2 disabled USB ports on the front? Necessary video cables are MIA. No wireless support. Remote only controls extender, not other components. No CableCard support means no encrypted channel access. Installing SageTV’s extender software is non-negotiable. Only available in the U.S. and Canada.

$199, sagetv.com

Posted Feb 20th 2008 12:00PM by Ryan Block
Filed under: Announcements, Features
We’re creeping up on the Oscars, which means it must also be time for you to vote in the 2007 Engadget Awards! Based on your nominations (and a couple of our own) we’ve compiled a list of over 150 gadgets and technologies that made 2007 the blockbuster year it was for consumer electronics.

Votes will be tallied until Saturday, March 1st; after we’ve checked for abuse we’ll publish the results alongside our own Editors’ Choice picks the following week. May the best gadgets win!

2007 Engadget Awards - Gadget of the Year

Amazon KindleArchos 605 WiFiApple iphoneASUS Eee PCHTC Kaiser / AT&T TiltNokia N95 8GBMicrosoft Xbox 360 EliteMicrosoft Zune 80Vote

2007 Engadget Awards - Worst Gadget of the Year

Apple TVEverex gPCMicrosoft Vista*Motorola RAZR2Palm Foleo*VUDUVote
*Vista and the Foleo, while not really gadgets released in 2007, were included by popular demand.

2007 Engadget Awards - Most Anticipated Gadget of 2008

128GB SSDsApple iPhone (3G)BD LiveGoogle Android-based phonesMicrosoft Zune (3rd-gen)OLED monitors and HDTVsOptimus MaximusSymbian S60 touchscreen phonesVote

2007 Engadget Awards - Cellphone of the year

LG PradaLG ViewtyMotorola RAZR 2Samsung F700Samsung U620Sony Ericsson K850Vote

2007 Engadget Awards - smartphone of the year

Apple iPhoneblackberry CurveFIC Neo1973Helio OceanHTC TyTN II / AT&T TiltLG VoyagerNokia N95 8GBSony Ericsson P1iVote

2007 Engadget Awards - Desktop of the Year

Alienware Area 51 ALXApple iMacDell XPS OneGateway OneHP Blackbird 002HP TouchSmartSony Vaio VGC-LTVote

2007 Engadget Awards - digital camera of the Year

Canon EOS 1DS Mark IIICanon EOS 40DCanon PowerShot G9Nikon D3Panasonic DMC-FX55Panasonic DMC-L10Red OneSanyo Xacti DMX-HD1000Sony Alpha A700Sony DSC-T2Vote

2007 Engadget Awards - Display of the Year

Dell 3008WFP UltraSharpDell SP2208WFPEizo FlexScan SX2461WGateway XHD3000Samsung 275TSony XEL-1Vote

2007 Engadget Awards - Game Console of the Year

Microsoft Xbox 360 EliteSony PSP SlimSony PS3 80GBVii, the knockoff WiiVote

2007 Engadget Awards - Game Device of the Year

Harmonix Rock Band ensembleMicrosoft Xbox 360 ChatpadNovint FalconNVIDIA 8800GTRedOctane Guitar Hero III Les PaulSony DualShock 3Sony playstation EyeVote

2007 Engadget Awards - GPS Device of the Year

Garmin nuvi 770HP iPAQ 310Mio C620tNavigon 7100Nokia 6110TomTom GO 920 TVote

2007 Engadget Awards - Handheld of the Year

Amazon KindleHTC AdvantageHP iPaq 210iRex iLiadNokia N810OQO Model 02Sony Reader PRS-505Vote

2007 Engadget Awards - HDTV of the Year

Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema projectorPanasonic PZ700U series plasmasPioneer Kuro series plasmasSamsung 81 series LCDsSamsung LN70F91BD LCDSharp D64U series LCDsSony XBR5 series LCDsSony VPL-VW60 projectorToshiba REGZA RF350U series LCDsVote

2007 Engadget Awards - Home Entertainment Device of the Year

Dell XPS 420 with CableCARDLG BH200 Blu-ray / hd dvd playerSanDisk TakeTVSlingbox SOLOTiVo HDVUDUVote

2007 Engadget Awards - Laptop of the Year

Alienware m9750Apple MacBook ProASUS Eee PCDell XPS M1330Lenovo T61OLPC XOSony TZToshiba Portege R500Vote

2007 Engadget Awards - Peripheral of the Year

Apple thin aluminum keyboardATI TV Wonder CableCARD tunerBelkin Network USB HubLogitech MX AirMicrosoft SideWinder mouseRazer LachesisWacom Cintiq 20WSXVote

2007 Engadget Awards - Portable Media Device of the Year

Archos 605 WiFiApple ipod touchCowon Q5WCreative ZeniRiver Clix2Microsoft Zune 80GBSamsung YP-P2Vote

2007 Engadget Awards - Robot of the Year

iRobot CreateiRobot Roomba 500 seriesKeeponKyosho Manoi PF-01Sony RollyTomy i-SOBOTUgobe PleoWowWee RoboquadVote

2007 Engadget Awards - Storage Device or Technology of the Year

Data Robotics DroboEye-Fi WiFi SD cardHitachi 7K1000 (1TB, 3.5-inch)HP MediaSmart Home ServerSamsung 32 / 64GB SSDsSandisk 8GB microSDHCToshiba MK3252GSX (320GB, 2.5-inch)Vote

2007 Engadget Awards - tablet pc of the Year

Dell Latitude XTFujitsu Lifebook T4220Fujitsu LifeBook U810Lenovo X61TMotion Computer LE1700Samsung Q1 UltraVote

2007 Engadget Awards - Wearable Device of the Year

Motorola S9 headphonesPhosphor E Ink watchPlantronics Voyager 855Sony Ericsson MBW-150 Bluetooth watchWiFi detector t-shirtYamaha’s BODiBEATVote

2007 Engadget Awards - Wireless Device or Technology of the Year

802.11n Draft 2.0Alereon DisplayLinkApple Starbucks WiFi music integrationChumbyT-Mobile HotSpot @HomeWildChargerWireless USBVote

Verizon Wireless began offering unlimited voice plans on Tuesday and it seems that T-Mobile and AT&T now want to follow suit. T-Mobile USA has announced that it too will offer unlimited calling and messaging plans beginning on Thursday. Unlimited messaging will include text messages, picture messages, and instant messages. The new unlimited plans will be available to new and existing T-Mobile subscribers. T-Mobile will continue to offer myFaves plans at US$39.99 a month.

AT&T also announced new unlimited plans beginning on Friday. Not coincidentally, it too will begin these plans at US$99 a month. AT&T will also make these new plans available to new and existing customers. Interestingly enough, AT&T made it a point to mention that these new unlimited plans will be available to new customers on a month-to-month, 12 month, or 24 month contract. AT&T will also offer unlimited messaging for US$35 a month. AT&T and T-Mobile’s unlimited plans will both include long distance and domestic roaming charges.

Read more from the T-Mobile press release and the AT&T press release.

Brian’s Opinion

You’ve got to love competition. I had a feeling it would only be a matter of time before competition would force wireless carriers to begin to offer unlimited plans. I just didn’t think that AT&T and T-Mobile would follow suit so soon after Verizon Wireless announced that it would begin offering unlimited plans.

The big question is, “Where is Sprint?”. I have no doubt that we’ll see Sprint offering similar unlimited plans soon. I guess the biggest question at this point is, “What is taking them so long?”. Sprint is showing itself as not being very reactive to the market.

AT&T and T-Mobile have shown they can quickly adapt to competition and continue to attract and retain subscribers. Sprint on the other hand by their inaction is beginning to show why they are struggling in this area. This should be a lesson learned for Sprint. Of course, they need to learn the lesson quick before subscribers start jumping ship to other carriers which offer unlimited plans.

Posted Feb 20th 2008 2:01PM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Gaming, Household
CYBER Gadget is really blowing our mind with this new battery-powered Wii sensor bar. Not only can it detect the motion of your Wii Remote via the magic of infrared, but it can also detect the motion of time as it flows through the fourth dimension. And all for a mere $18? A veritable steal.

[Via Oh! Gizmo]

Posted Feb 20th 2008 12:42PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: cellphones
After yesterday’s barrage of unlimited calling plans left us all terribly underwhelmed, it seems as if Sprint is hoping to emerge as the knight in shining armor by undercutting the oh-so-popular $99 price point. According to unspecified “analysts,” the carrier is gearing up to “offer flat-rate calling plans at up to a 40-percent discount to its rivals,” meaning that yappers could talk ’til their batteries died (and then some) for around $60 a month. Of course, Sprint has yet to confirm nor deny the reports, but we’re all for a price war in the cellular space, regardless.

For those who love typing late into the night (or surfing questionable websites), there is the Thanko SIRE2SET silent multimedia keyboard. I guess this is best used with an equally silent mouse that Thanko already has. The SIRE2SET keyboard can be hooked up to two PCs through a couple of separate USB connections, where you use a sliding switch on the keyboard to decide which PC you want to work with. Too bad this is a Japan-only product, retailing for $46. I can forsee folks with two workstations having this - one for them to surf the latest celebrity scandals, switching over to the actual work PC whenever the boss walks by.

Straight from the Dept. of Who Knew? comes news that your iPhone includes a moisture detector that tells you if the little slab of delight has been dangerously immersed in water, chicken soup, fruity cocktails, whatever.

So if you’re buying a used iphone and the little indicator dot at the base of the headphone jack is anything but pristine white, you’ll want to ask the seller if he’s forgotten to mention any unfortunate swims.

How to tell if your iPhone has liquid damage [iPhone Atlas]

Posted Feb 20th 2008 7:21AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: Misc. gadgets, Gaming
If you haven’t seen it by now, behold, the Gears of War, Nerf Lancer modification. Forsaken_angel24’s genius is rooted in the combination of a regular Nerf Longshot and toy chainsaw. Neither of which would cause the average Wal-mart parent cause for concern. Combined, they take on the form of this foreboding assault rifle with working chainsaw bayonet, LED lighting and sound effects… which shoots squishy balls at little girls. Full instructions for modders are posted over at the Nerfhaven forums. We’ve added a video after the break — not so much a how-to as a loving tribute to man’s god-given right to war.

[Via Hack n Mod, thanks Nick L.]

The Music Light concept is a light show device that measures certain sound frequencies in order to keep the crowd entertained. This concept takes the action up a notch as it is able to visualize sound by moving light pulses up and down, rippling and shifting colors simultaneously. As for the wearer, it probably won’t affect him/her that much since most people won’t bother staring at their cord, but the benefit targets passers-by more than anybody else.