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Biscotti TV dunked in the FCC’s latte, still a bit hard

shaun — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:14:23 +0000

Webcams have certainly narrowed the distance between loved ones, but it’s hard to argue that two people hovering over their laptop screens can rival an in-person conversation. Moving things over to the big screen could make the exchange much more comfortable for everyone involved — you just need an HDTV, and a Biscotti. The small black box should be ready to turn the biggest screen in your home into a high definition video phone fairly soon, having just landed in the FCC’s living room. Packed inside is a camera, microphone and 802.11b/g/n WiFi — plug the contraption into your TV and you can instantly make calls to family and friends, with no monthly charges. A pair of HDMI ports let the device serve as a bridge between your television and cable box, so folks with limited connections don’t have to choose between Dad and Mr. Mom. Biscotti will also interact with computers, tablets and smartphones via an as-yet unnamed “video player” to bring life-sized video chat to the masses. There’s no word yet on pricing or availability, but if the FCC has finished nibbling at it, then it shouldn’t be long before we get a taste ourselves.

Continue reading Biscotti TV dunked in the FCC’s latte, still a bit hard

Biscotti TV dunked in the FCC’s latte, still a bit hard originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Inspiron R refreshed with removable lids and Intel’s latest processors

shaun — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:14:20 +0000

We’ll be honest, we’ve never been the biggest fans of Dell’s colorful, patterned lids — not because some of them are pretty ugly, but because once you choose one hue, you’re stuck with it forever (or at least until you need a new laptop). Well, Dell’s finally solved that piece of the puzzle with its new Inspiron R series — the 14-, 15.6- and 17.3-inch laptops all have swappable lids. Yep, it’s sort of like those interchangeable Swatch watch faces from the 90s — you can snap off the standard black cover, buy a new one for , and latch it right on. But that’s not all Dell’s changed with its mainstream laptops — the rigs now have new chiclet keyboards, HD webcams, and a design that’s similar to the new XPS line.

For a budget system — the 15R starts at 9.99 — they actually feel pretty solid and the internal organs fit the same description. All three of the machines can be configured with brand new Sandy Bridge Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, Blu-ray drives, up to 8GB of RAM, six or nine-cell batteries, and USB 3.0 ports. Dell didn’t forget about the graphics either — the 14 will be available with AMD Radeon HD 6000M options, while the 15 and 17 grab a hold of NVIDIA’s GeForce GT525. All three models should be up for order today on Dell’s website with them heading to retailers later this spring. Hit the break for the full PR / specs and don’t forget to check out the hands-on shots on your way.

Gallery: Dell Inspiron R hands-on

Continue reading Dell Inspiron R refreshed with removable lids and Intel’s latest processors

Dell Inspiron R refreshed with removable lids and Intel’s latest processors originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft in hot water over China factory conditions

othertech — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:00:02 +0000

Yet another scandal coming out of China relating to its factories. Last time it was Apple that got in trouble, now it’s Microsoft. An undercover investigation, carried out by the National Labor Committee over a period of three years, discovered that several factories there, including ones used by Microsoft to produce things like webcams and mice, were treating their workers like garbage. “We are like prisoners. It seems like we live only to work. We do not work to live. We do not live a life, only work.”

I had mentioned in our chatroom that I’m surprised these type of stories are still “news” to people, right or wrong. (Probably wrong.) When I think of Chinese factories, I don’t necessarily think of exquisite working conditions or kind and caring bosses.

That applies to all factories from the beginning of time, by the way, not just Chinese factories. It’s just that China is the world’s manufactory these days. A couple years ago you’d have stories about kids in Manchester textile factories putting up with pure hell. It’s simply the nature of the beast.

The NLC investigation says that it found workers would work for 15 hours per day at 65 cents per day. One-thousand workers crammed inside a 105 by 105-foot room doesn’t exactly sound comfortable.

Again, Microsoft is the biggest company implicated here, with some of its components being constructed in said factories. Other companies include HP, Samsung, Acer, Logitech, and Foxconn. Microsoft says it has launched an investigation of its own to figure out what’s going on.

That fancy new gadget you just bought? Odds are it wasn’t created in what you’d consider “nice” working conditions, at least by American standards.

Stories like these can easily mutate into “anti-China” stories, and that’s not really fair. If anything, they should be “anti-terrible working conditions” stories, and these have popped up through the ages.

Samsung’s new webcam sensors are “high performance, high definition” – kind of

othertech — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 01:30:53 +0000

When the first 720p webcams came out, I was pretty skeptical. And I still am, considering that their image quality isn’t very good. I mean, you may as well stick with 640×480; at least it’ll be clear. 1280×720 pixels is a lot to ask from a sensor the size of a ladybug. And those cheap little lenses simply can’t resolve the detail necessary to justify such a pixel count. But that won’t stop Samsung. They’re going to pump out tiny, “HD” sensors like there’s no tomorrow.

I don’t know, guys. It just seems silly to be pushing “definition” when the product really has none. I don’t speak merely of the Samsungs, which of course I haven’t seen yet, but pretty much every cheap HD product out there. What’s the point of resolution if you lose out on smooth motion, good color, and clear edges? But alas, “HD” sells. Expect even the lowest-end laptops to be sporting HD webcams soon. At least you can probably choose VGA in the settings.

HP Slate priced, dated, and spec’d?

othertech — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:12:24 +0000

The HP Slate has been showing up in all sorts of places since it’s CES 2010 debut. But we really never knew much about it. We didn’t know what CPU or GPU it was running, along with if it had 3G, GPS, webcams. But a Spanish site seemingly has all the answers and we like what we hear.

The Slate will rock an unspecified Atom CPU chipset that will handle Flash just fine. A memory card reader, USB ports, and a rear-mounted webcam are also mentioned to be included.

A €400 ($546) price is thrown around but let’s not speculate on the $549 USD conversion price. Products like the Slate can range in price dramatically depending on its target market, and let’s just hope HP has enough smarts to price it lower than the competing iPad. After all, so far we still haven’t heard anything about a 3G modem residing within the Slate’s sexy frame.

New HD webcams from Microsoft

othertech — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:00:52 +0000

Attention citizens! Your benevolent overlords have released three new entries in the LifeCam series. Now all of your long-distance correspondences can be in glorious 720p. Unfortunately, none of them are nearly as cool as the camera on the left.

The three new contenders are the HD-5000, 5001, and 6000 for notebooks. Real imaginative guys. In fact, I can’t find any real differences between the 5000 and 5001 models. All three offer 720p video recording at 30 fps and auto-focusing. The two desktop models have an aspect ratio of 16:9. All three are only Windows compatible, even back to XP, but do Mac users ever use external webcams? I think not.

All three run between $50 and $60. They aren’t available quite yet, but you can pre-order them on Amazon and feel great about yourself.

A Hypothetical Look Inside the Webcam-Spying Principal’s Office [Humor]

othertech — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000

You’ve probably heard about the school district that installed spy software on laptops issued to its students so they could spy on them without their knowledge. Creepy! Well, here’s a peek at the principal who came up with the idea.

The other fellow in the video is DC Pierson, of Derrick Comedy fame. He has a new book out called The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To. It’s awesome and you should check it out. He also co-wrote and co-stars in the new movie Mystery Team, which he made with the Derrick Comedy folks. That is also very much worth checking out! So do it!

Hold your Bad Idea Jeans up with this Playboy spy camera belt

othertech — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:30:00 +0000

Free dating tip: If the girl you’re talking to isn’t impressed by your Playboy belt, make sure to mention that it’s got a built-in spy camera capable of recording DVD-resolution video footage. If that doesn’t work, then clearly she’ll never be impressed by anything. Time to move on.

The belt costs $43 and is compatible with memory cards up to 16GB. Apparently it also serves as a USB webcam, too. Hold on, let me take off my belt and put it on top of my monitor real quick. Oh, you want to see who else is at the meeting? Okay, everyone, look at my crotch and wave to everyone in Zurich. Hi, Zurich! Great fourth quarter numbers, Zurich!

Belt Design Spy Camara with USB Webcam [ShopKami.com via ChipChick]

HP responds about its racist webcams

othertech — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:30:05 +0000

In case you need the backstory, watch this video that shows how HP’s new webcams discriminate against those with dark skin. Interesting, eh? HP no doubt got a bunch of emails over the last couple days and issued a response that basically says it was caused by the algorithm not properly measuring the light between the eyes and upper cheek. HP’s solution: “try to increase the light to the face while decreasing the amount of light in the background.”

[thanks for the tip, Tony]

HP webcams are racist

othertech — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:29:41 +0000

“As soon as my blackness enters the frame…” Listen, HP, this is the 21st century. Obama is in the White House. This needs to be fixed STAT.