Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Now that we’ve got the white-knuckle excitement of the Yoto M300’s Asian-only deut out of our systems, we’re getting hit with a sequel, the M400. Basically the same codec-friendly non-touchscreen PMP as the M300, it looks like the M400 features slightly better build quality in addition to adding PlayFX and TV-out. Oh, and it’s not a render, so that’s another tick in the plus column. Still, we’re not quite convinced we’re willing to travel to China and drop our hard-earned yuan on this bad boy yet — let’s see what the inevitable M500 has to offer.

[Via PMP Today]

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

We thought the RAmos V8 was looking pretty sleek in render form, but now that some real pictures of the black PMP with the 4.3-inch screen and 16GB of storage have surfaced, we’re really impressed — with how much this thing looks like an iPod touch. (We’ll be here all week, folks!) Of course, the V8’s codec support is way better, but without pricing info and a look at that UI we’re not ready to call this one a winner quite yet. Let us know if you hit China next month, okay?

[Via MP4nation]

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

The Professor rounds up a handful of interesting and informative gadget-related science stories from the week and presents them in an easily digestible liquid form.

Having trouble keeping your fingers, thumbs, or eyeballs on the pulse of modern science? Do you find yourself in the throes of panic due to misunderstandings in molecular goings-on? Did the latest aircar, split atom, or robotic insectoid go buzzing over your head before you had time to ready a response? Don’t worry friends, The Professor is here to help. Though not an actual scientist, professor, or even a college graduate, he can help guide you through the cascading, complicated, and spasmodic visionary vistas of human invention and achievement as smoothly as a hot knife descending into softened butter.

Continue reading The Professor: GM’s new old engine tech, moon mirrors, the dangers of space war debris

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: HDTV, Portable Video

Get a load of what just arrived at the doorstep of our European HQ — the world’s smallest 1080i camcorder, Sony’s TG3E. Otherwise known as the TG1 in the US, this pup is small and sturdy and definitely looks the part of a Full HD (as it’s defined for camcorders) 1080i shooter. Hell, Sony somehow managed to turn that boxy design into something sexy to hold. However, Sanyo’s 720p Xacti DMX-HD700 (in red) still trumps the TG3E in size and weight. Unfortunately, it gives up significant lines of resolution in the process and uses inferior materials to boot. We’ll be back later with a full review of this pup as soon as we find a nice, tropical island which can pamper this beast in the luxury a $900 camcorder deserves. So until then, check the gallery and call out in the comments with any questions you’d like us to tackle.

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Portable Video

Whether you call it the HDR-TG3E (as it’s known in Europe) or the HDR-TG1 (as it’s been dubbed everywhere else), it’s still the world’s smallest 1080i camcorder. Tracy and Matt got their hands on an early unit for all your unboxing and first-impression pleasures. They’re already “very impressed” with the “fabulous” image quality when viewed on their 50-inch plasma. Don’t let the Queen’s English and SCART adapter fool you, this is pretty much exactly what you can expect to land Stateside next month. Click through for the moving pictures then hit up that read link for a more detailed analysis — looks like Sony’s got themselves a winner.

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Portable Video

Whether you call it the HDR-TG3E (as it’s known in Europe) or the HDR-TG1 (as it’s been dubbed everywhere else), it’s still the world’s smallest 1080i camcorder. Tracy and Matt got their hands on an early unit for all your unboxing and first-impression pleasures. They’re already “very impressed” with the “fabulous” image quality when viewed on their 50-inch plasma. Don’t let the Queen’s English and SCART adapter fool you, this is pretty much exactly what you can expect to land Stateside next month. Click through for the moving pictures then hit up that read link for a more detailed analysis — looks like Sony’s got themselves a winner.

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Portable Video

Whether you call it the HDR-TG3E (as it’s known in Europe) or the HDR-TG1 (as it’s been dubbed everywhere else), it’s still the world’s smallest 1080i camcorder. Tracy and Matt got their hands on an early unit for all your unboxing and first-impression pleasures. They’re already “very impressed” with the “fabulous” image quality when viewed on their 50-inch plasma. Don’t let the Queen’s English and SCART adapter fool you, this is pretty much exactly what you can expect to land Stateside next month. Click through for the moving pictures then hit up that read link for a more detailed analysis — looks like Sony’s got themselves a winner.

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Portable Audio

Uh oh. Japan’s trade and economy ministry is now officially investigating the explosive nature of the iPod nano. The culprit is model MA099J/A — aka, the old black and white plastic model already reported to spew “chest high flames,” bedroom fires, and even exploded across the floor. The Japan incident occurred in January when an iPod nano reportedly “shot out sparks while recharging.” At this point, all odds are with the nano’s lithium ion battery. Apple Japan has been ordered to investigate the issue and report back to the ministry with the cause. Kind of like asking the fox what it was doing in the hen house, eh?

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a product proudly designed in Cupertino erupt, but it’s pretty safe to say this story could have had a much more tragic ending. Reportedly, an iPod nano owner recently awoke to a blaring fire alarm around 2:00AM, only to find his beloved PMP wrapped in flames on the bedroom floor. Thankfully, the fire was tiny enough to be extinguished without any major trouble, and no substantial damage of property or human flesh was tallied. As of now, we’ve no idea if the unit simply exploded or if surrounding circumstances are at least partly to blame, but you can bet your bottom dollar that be sleeping with one eye open (and on our media players) tonight.

[Thanks, Sandy]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops, Peripherals

We’ve all ideas the designers at Cupertino had good intentions when designing the MagSafe adapter, but just in case you can’t seem to find the value in said feature, the $11.99 MagStay Pro is out to remedy your curious quandary. As with the JerkStopper, this concoction actually plugs into your MBP’s nearby USB port in order to get a better grip on the machine. Apparently, this thing is designed to help you avoid any “unintentional disconnections” in power, but aside from totally blocking your USB port (no passthrough?), you’re also begging for some extraneous repair bills. To each his / her own, we guess.

[Via TUAW]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops, Storage

We know, we’re getting tired of Apple Blu-ray rumors as well — they’re right up there with refreshed Cinema Displays in terms of rumor persistence — but until Steve and the gang actually shove a drive into a machine we’re stuck with them. The latest says that Apple is actively pressing Sony for slot-loading BD-R drives but quality control issues are gumming up the plan. Reportedly, this latest ho-hum MacBook Pro refresh was to feature BD-R drives, but all Sony could muster up were Blu-ray / DVD±RW drives, which Apple refused. That seems a little odd, frankly — now that the format war is over and the competition’s already shipping mid-range laptops with slot-load BD-R drives, you’d think Apple would want to cash in that Blu-ray Disc Association membership card with whoever can supply the drives. As always, we’ll see when we see — it’s gotta happen sometime, right?

[Image courtesy of dadako.com]

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Features, Laptops

While everyone and their second cousin third removed had something to say about Apple’s ultra-sexy, ultra-hamstrung MacBook Air, we’ve a sneaking suspicion that folks previously eager about this week’s MacBook Pro updates will be equally vocal. For whatever reason, Cupertino faithful had February 26th pegged on their calender, and while the addition of a Penryn or two was nearly a given, the dreamers in the crowd had much higher hopes for that fateful Tuesday.

Nevertheless, the time came and went, and the re-opening of the online Apple store brought a whole heap of disappointment to many. Sure, folks still (somehow) enamored with the aging MBP design were thrilled to have access to a more potent, less scalding iteration of their favorite machine, but honestly, we’re still using the GeForce 8600M GT? Really, Apple? Needless to say, this refresh likely did little to satisfy your desire for a revamped MacBook Pro, but we’re interested in finding out exactly what it is you really wanted. An option for an SSD? What about a built-in Blu-ray drive? Would integrated HDMI make things more appealing? Or is a top-down case redesign the only thing stopping you from abusing your credit card in the name of Steve Jobs? Go on, we know you folks are chock full of good ideas, so let’s hear ‘em, shall we?

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Features, Laptops

We just got our 2.5GHz Penryn / 4GB fourth-gen MacBook Pro. Plenty of power under that hood, but the outward differences are few: it’s got the new, reorganized F-key layout (which we’re not all that fond of), and the trackpad physically the same (with the addition of multi-touch, which works just as well as it did on the MacBook Air). It’s definitely an anticipated upgrade to the flagship, but whether you think the form factor’s still got the longevity necessary to keep you coming back after, what, more than two years on the market with no major changes — well, we’ll leave that to you. We’ll have some updated benchmarks shortly.

P.S. -It includes the same model 60 Watt battery they’ve been selling on these for a while, for those puzzled about the battery life changes made to the Apple’s MBP spec page.

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Original post by Ryan Block

Filed under: Laptops

We’d love to tell you that during AnandTech’s dissection of the “new” MacBook Pros they made a shocking discovery about the internals of the systems that brought into light significant changes and / or upgrades to the computers. We’d like nothing more then to say that it appears Apple has completely reworked the architecture of these machines to be harder, better, faster, and stronger. But honestly? They’re exactly the same as the old models, save for those little Penryns, and as a result, kind of boring. Don’t believe us? Take a look at the photos — you’ll see.

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Features, Laptops

We all knew this day was coming. Apple’s previous MacBook Pro revision was certainly getting long in the tooth, a MacBook spec bump never hurt anything, and hey, Penryn isn’t getting any younger. Still, it’s pretty obvious that quite a few of the Apple faithful feel like the MacBook Pro and its cute little MacBook sidekick are in some serious need of a form factor refresh, and perhaps a little bit of SSD. We can understand Apple not wanting to steal the MacBook Air’s thunder, and to be fair most major manufacturers put the new Penryn chips inside existing form factors, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong for you to be upset. So, how do you really feel?

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Original post by Paul Miller