Nikon’s D300S isn’t exactly tailor made for D300 owners, but for those waiting patiently to jump into the semi-pro DSLR game, it offers up a pretty delightful array of specs. Boasting SD and CF slots, a 720p movie mode and 12.3 megapixels of sharp shooting goodness, this here cam received overwhelmingly positive reviews late last year. Strategically positioned between the full-frame D700 and the lesser-specced D90, we’re sure the D300S found its way into quite a few hearts (and under quite a few trees) between then and now. If you’ve been firing off snaps with one of these for a few months now, we’re curious to know how you’d tweak things if the power were yours. Does the “S” really add enough to the D300 package to warrant the boost in price? How’s the image quality? Is the video mode a-okay for your purposes? Spill your heart out in comments below — we’re here to hold your hand if necessary.

How would you change Nikon’s D300S? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just a hunch here, but we’re guessing that Alienware’s CES stash all hit the production line at right about the same time. During the past day, we’ve seen the company’s M15x, M17x and OptX AW2310 hit the shipping stage, the latter of which is the firm’s first-ever 3D monitor. Checking in at 23-inches and boasting a full 1080p panel, this one also packs a 3 millisecond response time, 120Hz refresh rate and stereoscopic support when NVIDIA’s GeForce 3D Vision Kit is utilized. It’s up for order right now at $469, but if you follow that Logicbuy link down there, you’ll be able to snag it (for a limited time) for $449.10. Too bad that 3D kit will set you back another $200, but hey, no one said that witnessing the third dimension was cheap. Or remotely interesting. But mostly cheap.

Alienware now shipping 23-inch OptX AW2310 1080p 3D monitor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just a hunch here, but we’re guessing that Alienware’s CES stash all hit the production line at right about the same time. During the past day, we’ve seen the company’s M15x, M17x and OptX AW2310 hit the shipping stage, the latter of which is the firm’s first-ever 3D monitor. Checking in at 23-inches and boasting a full 1080p panel, this one also packs a 3 millisecond response time, 120Hz refresh rate and stereoscopic support when NVIDIA’s GeForce 3D Vision Kit is utilized. It’s up for order right now at $469, but if you follow that Logicbuy link down there, you’ll be able to snag it (for a limited time) for $449.10. Too bad that 3D kit will set you back another $200, but hey, no one said that witnessing the third dimension was cheap. Or remotely interesting. But mostly cheap.

Alienware now shipping 23-inch OptX AW2310 1080p 3D monitor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iPad may not have a camera in its current incarnation, but Apple’s at least laying the foundation for one: we just confirmed with extremely trusted sources that iPhone OS 3.2 contains rudimentary support for video calling, which could explain that mysterious space at the top of the device in our leaked pics. We’re told that there are hooks to accept and decline a video conference, flip a video feed (which suggests a front-facing camera) and — most importantly — run the video call in either full screen mode or in just a portion of the screen. That means you’ll be able to chat and do other things at the same time, which could mean there’s at least some type of multitasking going on here.

We can also confirm that iPhone OS 3.2 supports file downloads and local storage in the browser, which means you’ll be able to pull files off the web and use them in other apps, and there’s at least the beginnings of SMS support buried within the code — a fact we were able to verify with noted iPhone jailbreaker chpwn, who sent in the above screenshot from a hacked-up copy of the iPad simulator. (The simulator always says “iPhone simulator” in the menu bar, but that’s the iPad.) chpwn also tells us he’s found some inklings of actual phone support, there’s a spellchecker, and that both the new landscape orientation for the homescreen and keyboard support appear to be destined for the iPhone itself when 3.2 comes out.

We’re not sure what any of this means at this point, or if any of it will ever be implemented, but we’re definitely starting to get the impression that Apple didn’t tell us everything there is to know about the iPad on Wednesday — and we’re even more curious to find out what iPhone OS 4.0 will look like when it arrives.

P.S.- chpwn was also able to port iPhone multitasking hacks ProSwitcher and Backgrounder to the iPad simulator, which is certainly going to be useful if an iPad jailbreak exploit is eventually discovered. Check out a shot of it going in the gallery below, along with some other settings panels the coder dug up.

Update: We just got another tip from iPhone jailbreak dev Ryan Petrich, confirming that there’s a spell checker with multiple dictionaries and user-added entries (huzzah!), much richer text support for apps, the ability to selectively draw to external displays (using the VGA or component adapters, we’d imagine), location-aware ads in Maps and possibly other programs that use the Maps API, file upload ability in Safari, a modifiable cut / copy / paste menu, and, most interestingly, prototype support for a “handwriting keyboard.” Maybe we’ll see some stylus action on this thing after all. Peep Ryan’s take after the break.

Continue reading Confirmed: iPhone OS 3.2 has support for video calling, file downloads, and SMS (update: handwriting keyboard?)

Confirmed: iPhone OS 3.2 has support for video calling, file downloads, and SMS (update: handwriting keyboard?) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iPad may not have a camera in its current incarnation, but Apple’s at least laying the foundation for one: we just confirmed with extremely trusted sources that iPhone OS 3.2 contains rudimentary support for video calling, which could explain that mysterious space at the top of the device in our leaked pics. We’re told that there are hooks to accept and decline a video conference, flip a video feed (which suggests a front-facing camera) and — most importantly — run the video call in either full screen mode or in just a portion of the screen. That means you’ll be able to chat and do other things at the same time, which could mean there’s at least some type of multitasking going on here.

We can also confirm that iPhone OS 3.2 supports file downloads and local storage in the browser, which means you’ll be able to pull files off the web and use them in other apps, and there’s at least the beginnings of SMS support buried within the code — a fact we were able to verify with noted iPhone jailbreaker chpwn, who sent in the above screenshot from a hacked-up copy of the iPad simulator. (The simulator always says “iPhone simulator” in the menu bar, but that’s the iPad.) chpwn also tells us he’s found some inklings of actual phone support, there’s a spellchecker, and that both the new landscape orientation for the homescreen and keyboard support appear to be destined for the iPhone itself when 3.2 comes out.

We’re not sure what any of this means at this point, or if any of it will ever be implemented, but we’re definitely starting to get the impression that Apple didn’t tell us everything there is to know about the iPad on Wednesday — and we’re even more curious to find out what iPhone OS 4.0 will look like when it arrives.

P.S.- chpwn was also able to port iPhone multitasking hacks ProSwitcher and Backgrounder to the iPad simulator, which is certainly going to be useful if an iPad jailbreak exploit is eventually discovered. Check out a shot of it going in the gallery below, along with some other settings panels the coder dug up.

Update: We just got another tip from iPhone jailbreak dev Ryan Petrich, confirming that there’s a spell checker with multiple dictionaries and user-added entries (huzzah!), much richer text support for apps, the ability to selectively draw to external displays (using the VGA or component adapters, we’d imagine), location-aware ads in Maps and possibly other programs that use the Maps API, file upload ability in Safari, a modifiable cut / copy / paste menu, and, most interestingly, prototype support for a “handwriting keyboard.” Maybe we’ll see some stylus action on this thing after all. Peep Ryan’s take after the break.

Continue reading Confirmed: iPhone OS 3.2 has support for video calling, file downloads, and SMS (update: handwriting keyboard?)

Confirmed: iPhone OS 3.2 has support for video calling, file downloads, and SMS (update: handwriting keyboard?) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every indication we’ve had out of Microsoft is that Windows Mobile 7 is on track for a grand unveiling at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month, and indeed, Fox Business has none other than CFO Peter Klein on record saying as much — the closest thing we’ve had to a confirmation outside of Robbie Bach’s analyst remarks a few weeks back. At the 4:07 mark of the video, Klein says that the company is “heads down” on WinMo 7 and expects to have “much more to say” about the product out in Spain, which would mark the one-year anniversary since the announcement of 6.5 at the same venue. Considering the brutal response that last version endured over the better part of 2009, let’s hope they’re coming to the table with something much, much more delicious this time around.

Microsoft CFO says ‘we’ll have much more to say’ about WinMo 7 in February originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last October, we would’ve never guessed that T-Mobile would bother to circle back with HTC on the myTouch 3G to craft a slightly modified version that fixes everyone’s single biggest complaint — the lack of an integrated 3.5mm headphone jack — but here we are now in January with that very product resting in our hands. Even crazier, though, is that the only version of the modified phone (or, at least, the only version announced so far) is a limited edition tie-up with Fender and pitchman Eric Clapton. Strange bedfellows, indeed — maybe just strange enough to work. Seriously, who doesn’t want a phone endorsed by one of the hippest, most storied brands of the 20th century?

Continue reading T-Mobile myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition impressions

T-Mobile myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo introduces AMD-based IdeaPad G455A for China originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alienware didn’t drop too many details about how it was revising its M15x and M17x gaming lappies back at CES, but now both of those are finally ready to be ordered by the drooling masses. The “little” guy is available with a Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 processor, your choice of a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M or 1GB GeForce GTX 260M, a 1,600 x 900 or 1,920 x 1080 15.6-inch WLED panel, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 250GB HDD (or a 128GB / 256GB SSD for those with the coinage) and plenty of lights to go around. The big brother can be ordered with a Core i7-920XM processor, dual 1GB GeForce GTX 280M GPUs (or a pair of Radeon Mobility HD 4870s), optional Blu-ray drive and pretty much anything else you can imagine. Follow the links below if you’re eager to be first in line — the M15x gets going at $1,199 (and should ship early next month), while the M17x starts at $1,799 with a Core i7.

[Thanks, Joshua]

Alienware’s Core i7-equipped M15x and M17x now available to order originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cor blimey! Sir Richard Branson sure is ambitious. Just when you thought conquering the final frontier was all that the Virgin empire was fixated upon, today it announces a new product for its Limited Edition retreats on Planet Earth — the Necker Nymph aero submarine. As the ‘aero’ part implies, the vehicle relies on “downward ‘lift’ on the wings” to counteract its positive buoyancy during its two-hour dives, which probably means it can’t remain stationary underwater while you grab nearby weeds or whatnot in those open cockpits. Still, given the chance, we suspect any mere mortal would be up for a spin if beached on Necker Island — ‘course, coming up with the $25,000 per week lease rate may prove to be an insurmountable task.

Virgin goes underwater with Necker Nymph aero submarine originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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