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Didn’t I just blog yesterday about the wisdom of Pioneer opening its second U.S. retail store?

Well, I guess these companies have a better bead on what’s going on the minds of their consumers because now HP is planning to launch 7,500 stores across Asia.

(That is a serious amount of stores!)

Hewlett-Packard plans to focus on China and India when it establishes these stores in 1,000 Asia-Pacific cities.

One of the largest computer companies in the world, HP is striving to offer an enhanced retail experience as well as improved customer support.

As well as appeal to nearly one-third of the world’s population — much of it moving steadily upward.

More at The Economic Times (India). 

Tags: hp, pioneer

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Original post by nafiz

Don’t know why gadget companies want to open up their own unique stores, but Pioneer has opened its second U.S. retail store in Phoenix.

The 3,200 square-foot store showcases Pioneer’s state-of-the-art products in a comfortable home environment with six vignettes, each featuring unique themes and different technologies, as well as a revamped mobile electronics section bringing an interactive shopping experience to customers.

Well, I guess I do know, but don′t think that Pioneer ranks up their with Apple or Bose as a big draw.  

But maybe I’m wrong.  

Would you rather shop at an all-gadgets retailer like Best Buy or head to a unique manufacturer-only site?

Or are you comfortable doing both?

Tags: apple, best buy, bose, mobile electronics, pioneer

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Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Robots

If Yujin Robot has its way, cafes the world over will someday replace their waitstaff with robots like CAFERO (shown above at Robot World 2008 in Seoul). Details are scarce, but apparently the automaton takes orders on a touch screen and fills them with the help of a human operator (though it’s only a matter of time before the carbon-based barista is obsolete). Robot waitresses don’t flirt and they don’t ask for tips: does CAFERO represent food service utopia or a chilling vision of the future? Only time will tell.

[Via Hallyu Tech]

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Original post by Joseph L. Flatley

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

By this point, you should fully understand that “Dubai” and “world’s largest” go hand-in-hand, so it’s quite fitting that said city is receiving the planet’s most humongous LED screen. Designed by UAE development company Tameer Holding, the 33-story high display will reportedly be “embedded on an intended commercial tower in the Majan district of Dubailand,” where it will stand tall and blast out advertisements to onlookers some 1.5-kilometers away. Dubbed Podium, the building will also house 33 levels of “premium commercial office space, two floors dedicated to retail and four floors for parking.” There’s no word on when the project will be completed, but we don’t suspect Tameer will be dragging its feet in getting this up.

[Via Coolbuzz]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

When a major player like Google comes up with a new mobile operating system that’s better than the competition and is totally free, you would certainly expect handset manufacturers to be interested. But there’s interested, and then there’s interested. After lingering for nearly a year in the former category Motorola is now firmly moving to the latter, hiring and headhunting in an effort to build up a 350-person group entirely focused on development of Android phones. The company was one of the original members of the Open Handset Alliance, but seems to have waited for the release buzz from HTC’s G1 before diving in head-first. There’s talk that Nokia (and its “real phones“) may be feeling the vibrations too, allegedly forming an internal team to do the same — on the down low.

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Original post by Tim Stevens

-

The G1, the first Android-powered headset, could be transformed in ways that maker HTC and carrier T-Mobile can’t imagine. Google’s Android is open to developers, who could write apps to unlock T-Mobile’s G1, tether it as a modem or other things, an analyst said. 

Google is calling the announcement of the T-Mobile G1 an important milestone in the young history of Android. The first Android-powered handset to come to market is made by HTC with a touchscreen and a slide-out keyboard.

The combination of Google′s open-source Android mobile operating system, T-Mobile service, and HTC manufacturing comes less than a year after the Open Handset Alliance unveiled plans for Android.

Developers will have unfettered access to the ˇ′s hardware and software capabilities to inspire innovation. The possibilities are vast, and more than 1,700 applications were developed during the Android Developer Challenge. Google engineers have also developed applications.

Developers will soon be able to distribute their applications to real handsets through the beta version of Android Market. Handset manufacturers and wireless carriers will be able to incorporate Android innovations into their own new handsets and service offerings. And users will get better handsets and more choice. 

When the G1 comes to market in October, legions of developers and hackers will transform the device in ways that HTC and T-Mobile can’t even imagine, predicted Michael Gartenberg, vice president of mobile strategy for Jupitermedia.

Not only does Android allow applications access to the phone’s functionality, but the platform itself will also be open. The Open Handset Alliance plans to open-source the entire Android platform by the end of the year. 

For a decidedly other look at the G1 , check out Gizmodo.

Tags: android developer challenge, Ї, google, htc, open handset alliance, t-mobile

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Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals

While you may be more familiar with the word Gyration paired with mouse, Movea has decided to combine its excellence in cursor-pointing with its knowledge of remote-making. The HTPC universal remote, christened Gyration Air Music Remote, includes a backlit LCD that can display music choices from WMP / iTunes, a motion sensor for inputting mouse commands from your couch (up to 100-feet away) and RF / IR support. If all that fits your bill, you can grab one now for $179.99 or $229.99 when bundled with a wireless portable keyboard.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: GPS

Just over a month after the internet got all fired up about the problematic AVIC F-Series navigators, Pioneer has come to the rescue (we hope, anyway) with a free firmware update. Aimed specifically at the US-based AVIC-F90BT, AVIC-F900BT and AVIC-F700BT, the update will reportedly “improve overall system performance and resolve certain software issues.” The outfit also notes that the AVIC-F500BT doesn’t need the upgrade, and even if your unit has been a-okay thus far, it still recommends applying the software. Take ten minutes or so and see what the latest firmware has to offer, and be sure to let us know if all (or some) of the kinks have indeed been ironed out.

[Thanks, Steven]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Storage

Sans Digital caught our eyes earlier this month with a simple, albeit remarkably nifty CF to SATA adapter, and now it’s doing so again with a 2-bay NAS enclosure. The AccuNAS AN2L is a RAID 0/1 chassis that supports file sharing in Windows, OS X and Linux, and it also enables playback of files via a PS3 / Xbox 360 or any other UPnP / DLNA-certified device. You’ll also find that this thing doubles triples as an iTunes music server and BitTorrent client, which makes it all the more tempting, does it not? No word on pricing at the moment, but if you’re strangely uncomfortable with loading in your own HDDs, the outfit will be selling these with 500GB to 2TB pre-installed for an undisclosed premium.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Storage

This week’s Ask Engadget question is a bit on the specific side, but it’s one we’ve heard asked time and time again. Thus, we figured it was time to finally get it out in the open for you readers to debate.

“I have an extensive DVD library that I would like to archive on a network drive and be able to access via my Ṕ, menus and all. I am currently using TVersity to stream videos from my PC to the console. I’ve seen walk-throughs for archiving DVDs, but I haven′t seen anything that will present these via a DLNA server (to my Ṕ) with their original menus intact so that you can access special features such as commentary tracks and featurettes. I am not even sure that it is possible to navigate the menus via the Ṕ remote. Any recommended solutions out there?”

Can’t you just hear the hopelessness in poor Ron’s voice? Throw the guy a bone, will ya? And while you’re at it, throw our highly sophisticated email sorter a question of your own at ask at engadget dawt com.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Screen grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today’s movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com.

Though we’re breaking slightly from our typical Screen Grabs format (movies, TV), we could never live with ourselves if we didn′t share these shocking gadget appearances from Metal Gear Solid 4. That’s right, despite being on some kind of deadly spy mission, Solid Snake will find time to bro down with a fifth-generation iPod (above), while some lovely cohort of his dials up for pizza on a Sony Ericsson W62S clamshell. More pics after the break.

[Via iLounge / CellPassion]

Continue reading Screen Grabs: Metal Gear Solid 4 gets iPod and Sony Ericsson product placement

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Quick, what’s the best way to dress up an otherwise dry piece on how companies can register non-traditional trademarks? If you answered “mention Apple and the iPod,” you’re the big winner — and you’ve gotten yourself published in the Wall Street Journal. We’ll be the first to admit that Apple’s January registration of the three-dimensional design of the iPod strains credulity, but the simple fact is that non-traditional trademarks have been around for a while now — we seem to remember a little kerfuffle regarding magenta recently, but we can′t quite recall the exact details. Similarly, Nokia trademarked the 12 notes of its default ringtone back in September (even though they’re part of a larger piece written in 1902 called “Gran Vals”), NBC has a mark on its ding-ding-ding station ID, and Coca-Cola has registrations for basically every bottle design it sells. Still, you can bet Apple legal threw quite a pizza party when this mark was approved — and we can only imagine the kind of buttoned-down corporate lawyer jam that’ll go down if the company succeeds in getting a mark on the design of the iPhone, which it’s currently applied for. Hope you’re ready for some more funktastic control layouts.

Read - WSJ article
Read - Apple iPod design trademark

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Original post by Nilay Patel

If you’re a fan of those little robot dogs and other assorted Japanese innovations you might remember the Miuro, a mobile iPod dock on wheels that offered such fancy features as wireless connectivity to stream your tunes and a built in digital camera.

We wouldn’t blame you for balking at the rather extortionate $1000 price tag, but if you were intrigued by the idea you might be interested to know that it has a little baby brother on the way.

The ODO is basically a scaled down version, sans wireless and camera, but is still capable of darting about the room in time to your music and showing it’s current ‘emotion’ via the LCD display.

If it starts getting out of hand you can use the supplied remote to reel it back in, or alternatively drive the thing into whichever room you happen to be sitting in.

The best news is that the ODO will be available for a rather reasonable $150 (about £75) so if you’ve been teetering on the edge of a Miuro purchase, there’s no reason not to take this one for a spin. – Paul Lester

[UberGizmo]

Sega robots ipod dock

Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Laptops, Portable Audio

Owners of yesteryear Apple products (and consumer advocates) had a pretty solid week. Friday it came to light that more than two million 2001-era PowerBook owners could be eligible for refunds between $25 and $75 in a class-action settlement (which is set for final approval on September 8th) over faulty, sometimes even sparking power adapters. But that’s not all: Apple is also offering up $45 credits to any Canadian iPod owner that bought before June 24th, 2004 as part of a class-action suit claiming Apple misrepresented the advertised battery life of the players.

Read - Power adapters
Read - Canadian iPods [sub req’d]

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Original post by Ryan Block

Gear4, wanton producer of accessories and all things iPod, today launched the DUO, a 2.1 home stereo system with a detachable portable speaker.

Phew – we’re glad there’s something unique about it since iPod speakers are barely worth announcing these days there’s so many of them.

The system comprises of a bass unit and satellite speaker, which can either be used together as a powerful home system or you can remove the satellite and carry it around with you in the garden or on your travels.

It has a rechargeable battery for such purpose, which automatically charges when attached to the bass unit so seems pretty convenient. You’ll also find a compartment here for a second battery, handy for boosting the charge if you’re on the move.

There’s 38W of total power which is surprisingly distributed almost evenly between the two components, with the sub taking 20W as the lion’s share. It seems like the satellite should have quite a bit of ‘oomph’ to it then, and based on the rather unique design we’d be quite keen to see how it performs.

It’s available now, but it better be good since it’s priced at £149.99.

[Gear4]

gear4 ipod portable speaker

Original post by nafiz