It feels like a long time from the early rumors to devices on shelves, but Microsoft’s latest PMP, the Zune HD, is finally here. Packing WiFi along with a touch-sensitive OLED display, the Zune HD is based on NVIDIA’s Tegra 720p-capable chipset and promises not only music and high-definition video but also Internet access and gaming.
Video unboxing and demo, plus gallery, after the cut
It’s not all premium ultraportables and new netbooks from HP’s holiday line-up. Elsewhere there’s a pair of new MediaSmart Home Servers, the EX490 and EX495, together with a compact home all-in-one, the HP MS200. Finally business users have the new HP Compaq 6000 Pro and 6005 Pro desktops and various new HP and Compaq LCD displays to choose from. More details after the cut.
HP has unveiled their holiday line-up, and the standouts are obviously the flagship HP Envy 13 and Envy 15 notebooks. Along with the two new Envy models, though HP have also announced a bevy of other notebooks and netbooks, including the business-centric HP ProBook 5310m, the entry-level HP Pavilion dm3, a special edition Studio Tord Boontje HP Mini 110 netbook and the new NVIDIA Ion based 1080p-capable HP Mini 311. More details of the full ranges after the cut.
HP has unveiled their holiday line-up, and the standouts are obviously the flagship HP Envy 13 and Envy 15 notebooks. Toting 13.1-inch and 15-inch LCD displays respectively, the Envy 13 tips the scales at 3.74lbs and measures just 0.8-inches thick, while the larger Envy 15 is 5.18lbs and just 1-inch thick. The Envy 13 uses Intel’s Core 2 Duo SL9400 processor, while the Envy 15 gets the new Core i7-720QM CPU.
The Bluetooth headset market has split in recent years, with the budget end of the market being served by low-cost, simple devices for $50 or under, and the high-end packing complex noise-reduction and DSP for $100 upward. Into that fray steps Motorola, whose Endeavor HX1 headset packs military-type bone conduction in order – they claim – to completely vanquish background noise. After the cut, check out the full SlashGear review and why we reckon the HX1 isn’t quite ready for the urban battlefield.
Apple’s traditional September iPod event last week failed to deliver the all-encompassing camera update widely predicted, leaving the compact fifth-generation iPod nano as recipient of the most attention. With video recording capabilities, a new radio and even a pedometer, the nano 5G certainly has a longer spec-sheet; has it managed to do what Steve Jobs predicted, though, and stomp neatly over the Flip camcorder? SlashGear set to finding out.
After announcing the Motorola CLIQ with MOTOBLUR yesterday, we grabbed some hands-on time with the new Android smartphone and persuaded one of the company’s demo team to give us a ten minute walkthrough of its capabilities. There’s plenty to like about this distinctive new addition to the Android stable; we didn’t have as much time to play as we’d have liked, but our early impression is that the keyboard is well made, sturdy and tactile, and the capacitive display responsive and accurate.
Video hands-on after the cut
Apple’s iPod event has only just ended, but we’ve already had a chance to grapple with what was probably the highlight of the day: the new iPod nano 5G. Now packing a 2.2-inch LCD display and a video camera on the back – complete with microphone and speaker – the nano is now set to take on Flip’s camcorder. Don’t expect it to necessarily replace your digital camera, though; the nano 5G only shoots video, not still photos.
Video hands-on after the cut
Rumors of Palm releasing a candybar phone with front-facing QWERTY keyboard have been around since the launch of the Palm Pre. Well, as of tonight the Pixi is no longer a rumor. Similar to the Palm Pre, Pixi is powered by WebOS and has a multi-touch capacitive display, 8GB of internal user storage memory, the same removable 1150 mAh battery and proximity sensor, among other things. However it squeezes all of that into an incredibly compact casing: just 111 x 55 x 10.85 mm, thinner than an iPhone 3GS.
There’s still some way to go before we can recharge our gadgets while they’re still in our pockets, but if the thought of plugging in your iPhone pains you then Duracell’s Smart Power system may go some way in helping. Based on a conductive charging pad which demands only that you sit a gadget on top in order to rejuice it, Duracell claim it’s a new stab at freedom from the regular grid; SlashGear cleared some desk-space to find out whether that was true.
SlashGear Japan
