Internet Enabled TV Reviews

You can get it for 450€ ($580) and it supports Flash while it’s not just a big expensive smartphone. Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), optional 3G (UMTS/HSDPA), 16 / 32 GB, Extension with SDHC Card up to 32 GB. The expensive version has Full-HD 1080p video output. Supported TV and Video Formats: H.264, AVI, WMV, DivX, MOV, OGG, FLV. Would you rather buy something as limited as a giant smartphone? Check out all the specifications here.

Toshiba are finally offering their AC100 MID, the Tegra 2 based smartbook running Android 2.1 with the company’s own custom UI.  Priced at £292.52 including tax ($449), so far only the non-3G AC100-10Z model – with WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth and 8GB of flash storage – is available.

Its 3G sibling, the Toshiba AC100-10U, is still unavailable for order.  It will have a 2100MHz UMTS/HSPA modem for use in Europe, along with quadband GSM/EDGE.  Both get HDMI ports, 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 displays and 512MB of RAM.

The AC100 has also been listed at Amazon, though the retailer is still showing shipment delays of 1-2 months.  Last week at IFA 2010, Toshiba unveiled the Folio 100, a touchscreen slate version of the AC100 expected to be priced at £329 when it launches in a couple of months time.

Toshiba AC100 hands-on:

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Samsung’s Galaxy Tab was always expected to have a high sticker price for the unsubsidized European model, and it seems Amazon Germany has dashed any hopes that it might not be the case.  The online retailer is now listing the Froyo slate for a whopping €799 ($1,030).

That gets you the 7-inch Super TFT display, 1GHz Hummingbird processor, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and an unlocked HSDPA/HSUPA modem, of course, but it’s still considerably higher than we’d hoped it might be.  Subsidized prices are tipped at somewhere in the region of $200 to $400, according to the latest leaky figures, still leaving plenty of room for an expensive US SIM-free model.

Samsung told us that they plan to launch variants of the Galaxy Tab on multiple carriers in the same territory, as they’ve done with the Galaxy S in the US, so the one hope might be that competition between operators pushes the subsidized price down.  However, that’s still likely to leave anyone looking for a contract-free Galaxy Tab paying through the nose for the privilege.

Samsung Galaxy Tab hands-on:

[via NetbookNews]

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Tapani Kaskinen is Nokia’s Senior Comms Manager, so it’s fitting that he’d be the first person from the company to communicate a solid release date for its long-awaited N8 handset. The gent in question told Finnish newspaper Kauppalehti that advance orders of the N8 will “begin shipping 30 September.” Bear in mind we’re chewing through a machine translation here, but that part’s pretty unmistakable. It also meshes perfectly with earlier speculation surrounding Nokia purchasing Google AdWords — that indicated a one-week exclusive starting on September 23rd for Nokia’s UK online store, which, if you do the math, again points to a wide release at the end of the month. We asked Nokia about it ourselves and they’re remaining mum on the matter, but chances are looking pretty good that October will start with the N8 finally in eager users’ hands.

Nokia N8 launches September 30, says senior manager originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink E’s Phone Blog | Kauppalehti.fi, NokNok | Email this | Comments

Oh boy. 799€ ($1030) for the Tab is definitely a whole bunch of money for something you probably don’t need. It’s still a better deal than $150 for the new Apple TV. You could also buy a mac and actually do stuff with it. Or netbooks for the whole family.

[via Giz]

The public hasn’t responded nearly as well to 3D TVs as many manufacturers of the sets had hoped. Many TV makers expected people to rush to buy the sets for their homes and that just hasn’t happened mostly because of the high cost, the need for glasses, and the lack of 3D programming.

LG and Best Buy are teaming up to show college football fans that are watching the game today between Boise State and Virginia Tech at FedExField what they are missing The partners will be putting 300 LG 3D TVs in the stadium for people at the live game today to watch. Best Buy kiosks on the club level of the stadium will available too.

Those Best Buy Kiosks will be built around eight 55-inch LG Infinia LX9500 screens with Best Buy staffers to answer questions. Am I the only one who finds it odd that they are setting up 3D kiosks for watching the game in 3D for people who are already at the game? Those kiosks would be better in stores for people not at the game I think.

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The G-Drive Mini has a lot to offer for people who need FW and USB connectivity. This of course comes with a price of $250. $1 for each GB is obviously not satisfactory for someone who needs a normal portable HDD. For this price you can get two Toshiba Canvios and get 2 TB of storage. What can the Mini offer? Click to read my review.

The Mini is very light (9 oz) and has the usual G-Drive case as all other models. The test unit has 2 Firewire 800 and one USB2.0 ports (triple interface). There is also an on/off switch and a 12V DC in. As usual you can find all the USB and FW cables in the box. The drive is formatted for OSX, and Time Machine (?) which is generally a good thing however Windows users will have some trouble setting up the Mini for on first use. Inside the rugged aluminum enclosure is a 5400 rpm drive that can do good speeds over the Firewire ports. As for USB speeds were okay but nothing special really. My early conclusion is that if you want to use this device over USB, look for something else.

What I really liked when testing the SSD version of the same drive a while back was the SSD. No moving parts, no second thoughts when dropping my bag with the drive in it, and great speed. That drive had a retail price of $1300 for the 250GB version. This is all gone with the new Mini. I have a constant fear of killing it because of the HDD – just like with any other portable drives. I believe that this Mini could (should) have an SSD instead. It’s portable, yes, you can move it around and it’s very light. But you can’t just toss it in the backpack because you’ll eventually break it. And then there are cheaper models with a lot more storage that you can break.

Above connectivity, the industrial design can be a selling point of the Mini. It really looks good just about anywhere you place it. I even tried out with the Xbox and installed games on it and it blends well with the TV and all the other stuff in the living room. But then again this is supposed to be a portable drive.

If you need an external HDD and you are a heavy Apple user you will appreciate the Mini. It will look good with all the Apple stuff you have, you can use Firewire and it’s very light to carry around. I would definitely go for the SSD version and possibly save $ on broken drives. USB 3.0 would be a great addition and it would also justify the price. SSD with USB3 and FW ports and we have a deal.

The good:

• Light (only 9 oz)
• Industrial design: looks good, blends with everything that’s made by Apple
• Connectivity: 2 Firewire, 1 USB is all you’ll ever need

The bad:

• No USB 3.0
• HDD: no SSD
• Price: $250 for 250GB

Specifications:

Ultra portable external storage solution
Storage capacities up to 500GB
Time Machine ready
Mac OS formatted out of the box (Windows compatible)

Two high performance versions:
Combo Interface: (1) FireWire 400, (1) USB 2.0 Port
Triple Interface: (1) FireWire 400, (1) FireWire 800, (1) USB 2.0 Port
FireWire Bus powered – no AC adapter required
Compact size, weighs less than 9 oz
Unique silent cooling technology with high quality all aluminum enclosure
Industrial design complements MacBook Pro and other laptop computers
Standard 3-year factory warranty
MSRP: $129.00 for 160GB (combo interface) and $319.00 for the 500GB (triple interface)

The Sony Bravia EX710 is actually an update version from the EX700 series. The new model features a smaller bezel in order to create a more streamlined design and minimalistic look. This HDTV produces a 1920 x 1080p panel, edge-lit LED backlighting, and a Motionflow 120Hz processing. What makes the Sony Bravia EX710 more interesting is that it has a Presence Sensor that will automatically turn off the picture when you leave the room. There are also a zero-watt Energy Saving Switch and an Ambient Sensor that adjust the best brightness level for you. Additional specs include four HDMI inputs, a USB port, and a PC input. The Sony Bravia KDL-32EX710 and KDL-40EX710 are now available in Japan for 140,000 Yen and 170,000 Yen, respectively. [Akihabara]

Toshiba has unveiled a new LED TV at IFA 2010. Known as the REGZA 42SL738 series, this entry-level LED TV provides a full 1920x1080p HD resolution, allowing viewers to enjoy stunning HD content in maximum detail. The 42-inch LED TV also boasts a refresh rate of 100Hz, a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, a USB 2.0 port, an Active Vision M100 that delivers vivid image reproduction and ultra smooth motion, and four HDMI inputs that provide concurrent connectivity with Blu-ray players, high definition set-top boxes, gaming consoles and HDMI-enabled laptops. The new Toshiba REGZA 42SL738 series will be released in October 2010. [Akihabara]

Online publishing company Wetpaint has been undergoing a strategic shift in its business model over the past year. Wetpaint began as a simple wiki/social publishing tool but then started to build entertainment sites for big brands, including MSN. And the a href=”http://techcrunch.com/2008/05/18/wetpaint-raises-25-million-and-launches-wetpaint-injected/”>heavily funded startup succumbed to layoffs last July and December. But today, Wetpaint is taking the company in a new direction: original content. The startup is launching Wetpaint Entertainment; a TV news site that covers news and gossip from over 15 major TV shows, such as Glee, Grey’s Anatomy, and Gossip Girl.

Each show has a dedicated online channel (the site is launching with 15 channels), and will compile the most popular photos, videos, fashion gossip, and headlines to provide one place for all the information about fans’ favorite shows.

Wetpaint’s founder and CEO Ben Elowitz says that each show will have roughly 20 posts of information per day and will include a live updating news feed on the homepage. Roughly 30 percent of the content on the site will be written and curated by Wetpaint editors while the 70 percent of content will be sourced from other sites. However, Elowitz says that editors won’t simply repost another site’s news with a link; Wetpaint will add its own editorial spin to repurposed content.

Wetpaint’s entertainment platform has also created Facebook pages for each show; allowing fans to interact with content and editors via the social network. The company says that 500,000 fans have joined Wetpaint’s Facebook pages over the past few months. In fact, Facebook, says Elowitz, is currently accounting for 40 percent of traffic to the site (which soft launched a few months ago). He believes that the cross platform integration with Facebook will help differentiate the site from its competitors. And with limited exposure during the soft launch, traffic to the site is growing by 50 percent monthly.

Starting today, Wetpaint Entertainment includes channels for “The Vampire Diaries,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “America’s Next Top Model,” “Castle,” “Hellcats,” “Nikita,” “Glee,” “Dancing With The Stars,” “Top Chef,” “Pretty Little Liar,” “Bachelorette,” “The Bachelor,” “Gossip Girl,” “Jersey Shore” and “The Real Housewives of DC.”

The startup plans to launch mobile apps later this year and may eventually move into other verticals in entertainment and arts. At the moment, the site faces competition from many of the entertainment and gossip news sites that cover TV news such as Entertainment Weekly, People.com, and US Magazine.