|  |  |  | | | | | Engadget | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from is from Kevin, who's decided to abandon laptops for his Mac Mini. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "Hi All. I purchased a 2011 Mac Mini with dedicated graphics for PhotoShop and InDesign. I've grown tired of my Core 2 Duo Laptop, instead I want to bring my Mac Mini to and from work (I've got display, keyboard and mouse at both places so it's not a problem). It might be a weird idea, I wanna try it. Any suggestions on what I can use to carry it, as long as its discrete as I commute quite a bit. Thanks!" Well, we're impressed by his commitment and his plan, but has anyone else made the leap and lived to tell the tale? We've never seen a mac at a LAN party, but that doesn't mean there isn't some exquisite accessories available for the purpose. One, two, you know what to do.
(NB: If you don't know what to do, it's to give your helpful suggestions and personal experiences in the comments below)Ask Engadget: Best Mac Mini carrying case? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 22:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We've seen Pioneer stuff its VSX line with 3D and Bluetooth goodness in the past; now, the Japanese outfit is unveiling its 2012 AV receivers portfolio in an attempt to widen its offerings. Starting with the lower-end models, the VSX-522 and VSX-822 are both packing 5.1 surround audio, while the main difference between the two is the lack of AirPlay and Bluetooth on the former. If you are, however, looking to go the premium route, you can snag the VSX-1022 or the top of the line Pioneer VSX-1122 , which will get you 7.1 sound, DLNA, as well as 1080p upscaling. All good for your ears? Ready up your wallet, as you'll have to drop anywhere from $249 to $599 if you want to add one of these to your setup. Continue reading Pioneer launches its 2012 VSX AV receivers lineup, available now starting at $249 Pioneer launches its 2012 VSX AV receivers lineup, available now starting at $249 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 20:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Pioneer | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  If you've pored over the specs of Nokia's Lumia 710 and 800 handsets during the last few months, you've likely noticed the duo's lack of mobile hotspot functionally. Of course, the Finnish phone maker didn't completely abandoned the feature in Windows Phone, as the ability to turn your device into a portable access point will ship with its flagship Lumia 900 and the recently announced 610 at launch. Nokia admitted that the feature would be coming to the 800 months ago, and now Elop & Company have announced that the 710 is also on the shortlist. A recent Q&A post on its Connects blog explained that software updates will be "coming soon" -- by way of Zune update -- to remedy the discrepancy between the old and new. No word on what Nokia's definition of "soon" is, but you can find all the available details at the source link below. Nokia confirms Lumia 710, 800 to be knighted with mobile hotspot 'soon' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  TmoNews | Nokia Connects | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | If you've poured over the specs of Nokia's Lumia 710 and 800 handsets during the last few months, you've likely noticed the duo's lack of mobile hotspot functionally. Of course, the Finnish phone maker didn't completely abandoned the feature in Windows Phone, as the ability to turn your device into a portable access point will ship with its flagship Lumia 900 and the recently announced 610 at launch. Nokia admitted that the feature would be coming to the 800 months ago, and now Elop & Company have announced that the 710 is also on the shortlist. A recent Q&A post on its Connects blog explained that software updates will be "coming soon" -- by way of Zune update -- to remedy the discrepancy between the old and new. No word on what Nokia's definition of "soon" is, but you can find all the available details at the source link below. Nokia confirms Lumia 710, 800 to be knighted with mobile hotspot 'soon' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink TmoNews | Nokia Connects | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Need something to sate that Windows 8-lust Microsoft stirred up with its Consumer Preview? Then take a gander at this in-development vehicle control app shown off at the company's Redmond campus as part of this year's Worldwide Public Safety Symposium. Developed by Modularis, an outfit known for their enterprise, federal and OEM automation solutions, the Metro-style application turns its host slate into a virtual controller, granting users remote access to door locks, sirens, lights, as well as the ability to pull cloud-based data -- courtesy of Windows Azure -- from multiple cars to determine GPS location. And, as you'll see in the video after the break, it also has the unintended and wholly amusing benefit of freaking out innocent passers-by. Continue reading Windows 8 app keeps perps under virtual lock and key, frightens pedestrians (video) Windows 8 app keeps perps under virtual lock and key, frightens pedestrians (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | GeekWire | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Yeah, streaming Skyrim on a Tegra 3-powered Ice Cream Sandwich tablet is nice and all, but what about folks who want a more immersive experience with their beloved time sink? One tech-savvy gamer took matters into his own hands -- conjuring a bit of electronics alchemy by throwing together Sony's HMZ-T1 head-mounted display with a Kinect sensor, a TrackIR5 for head tracking and voice recognition software. The result is an experience that allows any wannabe adventurer to press onward into Tamriel's frozen north by marching in place while imbibing in a true, head-mounted first-person perspective. Admittedly, stomping around and flailing one's arms may lack the elegance and playability of The Gadget Show's $650,000 Battlefield 3 simulator, but at $1500, it's a homegrown virtual reality experience that's actually within reach. Now go forth and explore the video after the break. Continue reading Kinect makes pact with head-mounted display, virtual reality Skyrim ensues Kinect makes pact with head-mounted display, virtual reality Skyrim ensues originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Next Web | Zookal | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Co-founder of TiVo and CTO Jim Barton has long outlasted our deathwatch, but his time as an executive at the DVR maker quietly came to an end this week according to documents filed with the SEC. CEO Tom Rogers thanked Jim for his "commitment to innovation" in a statement, and the filing indicates he will stick around as a $25,000 per month consultant in "patent matters and litigation" among other things -- nice work if you can get it -- until March 15, 2015, but his reason for stepping down is unspecified. As Multichannel News notes, Barton was working with fellow co-founder Mike Ramsay (who left in 2007) at Silicon Graphics on a project for Time Warner when they had the idea for the DVR and eventually founded TiVo in 1997. That early movement may not have resulted in dominance over pay-Tv provided DVRs, but some favorable legal settlements and successful partnerships like its deal with Virgin Media mean he's leaving the company with its prospects looking a bit better than they did back in the dark days of '05.
[Thanks, David]TiVo co-founder, CTO Jim Barton resigns originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 13:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Multichannel News, TiVo | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The US Navy announced a new robotics research facility this week located within the existing Naval Research Laboratory's main site in Washington D.C. The Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research, or LASR, was created to support NRL research in "robotics and autonomous systems of interest to the Navy, the Marine Corps and the Department of Defense," wrote LASR director Alan C. Shultz, mentioning that a familiar sounding autonomous firefighting robot would be among the lab's projects. The new facility is kitted out with a litany of realistic environmental simulation bays, allowing NRL scientists to pit their research against the elements with ease. Researchers will also have access to machine shops stocked with 3D printers and other goodies, a power and energy lab, a sensor lab and what Shultz calls the "world's largest space for real-time motion capture." Sounds great, at least as long as the research projects never get ahold of a certain Navy-funded AI report. Check out Shultz' official statement at the White House blog link below. US Navy LASR research facility builds robots, not ray guns originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Information Week | White House blog, LASR | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The preliminary decision already determined that, in this case, Motorola Mobility hadn't violated any of Apple's patents with its Droid series, and now a final review has affirmed those initial findings. While this might not be a massive turn up for the books, it does close the doors on at least one big name patent dispute. That said, Apple can appeal to the Federal Circuit, and given that it has done before, it's likely the iPad maker will do so here. But, for now at least, it's cork popping time over in Libertyville. Final ITC ruling affirms Motorola Mobility didn't violate Apple's patents originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 12:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink FOSS Patents | ITC(PDF) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It's no secret Wacom has a firm grasp on what it takes to make great graphic input devices. Fresh off of its introduction of the Inkling last Fall, the outfit recently unveiled the latest member of its high-end pen tablet line, the Intous5 touch. Essentially, Wacom took what made the Intuos4 a great addition to any designer or illustrator's workflow and refined it, with this latest iteration sporting a new rubber-coated shell. It also implements touch gestures -- much like those on the fresh Bamboo models -- which can be customized to speed up tasks you need to be complete on the regular, preferably without the aid of a mouse. Sure, a new matte black suit and the ability to navigate Adobe Creative Suite without a pen seem impressive at first glance, but is the new model worth investing northward of $229? Are you better off sticking with the Intuos4 you splurged on a while back? Let's see. Continue reading Wacom Intuos5 touch review Wacom Intuos5 touch review originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Wacom | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Pioneer has been dishing out its line of digital DJ tools for long enough that you'd hope it knows what the spinners want, and these days it seems that's remixing tools. The RMX1000 is a new effects based unit, that looks like an evolution of the firm's EFX range. It still cooks up those chops, rolls, and reverbs, but also has a companion "Remixbox" software, as well as studio-friendly VST / AU functionality. The software lets you overwrite the default set-up with one of your own, and there's an SD card slot so you can leave yours at home, but still bring your settings to the club. Word is that pro DJ settings will be available for download, so nosey DJs can see how James Zabiela likes his high-pass filters. The effects themselves come in four flavors: Scene, Isolator, Release and X-Pad. Connectivity-wise it's rocking a pair of RCA and 1 / 4-inch plugs for both in-and out-put, and there's USB for the computer / MIDI hook-up. It's set to land in June with a $1000 price tag, but in the meantime if you want to see if it'll be worth your savings, hit-up the video after the break, or click the PR for the full specs. Continue reading Pioneer launches RMX1000 Remix Station, now no tune is safe (video) Pioneer launches RMX1000 Remix Station, now no tune is safe (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Electronista | Pioneer | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Are we shocked to see an untethered iOS 5.1 jailbreak for the new iPad? Not so much. Are we surprised to see it arrive so quick? Hell, yes. The iPad 2's untethered jailbreak took an eternity, whereas this new tunnel seems to have been dug during one fleeting Friday night. The hacker to thank is i0n1c, aka Stefan Esser -- a man who moves so fast his YouTube clip reportedly had 28 likes before it had even finished uploading. Just leap that final fence, Stefan, by releasing your jailbreak to the public, and we shall re-christen you bi0n1c. (Unless you want to keep your current handle, which would also be fine.) Continue reading Untethered jailbreak for new iPad shown on YouTube, not quite ready for download Untethered jailbreak for new iPad shown on YouTube, not quite ready for download originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 09:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Redmond Pie | xpI0n1c (YouTube) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | While it may not be the good news the Android army was hoping for, TWC's got some Big Apple-sized bits to share. Via its Untangled blog, Time Warner announced it's finally adding local channels to its iPhone / iPad app and TWCTV site, including CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC and Univision (because you can never have enough novelas). Unfortunately, the goodies won't be up for everyone's viewing pleasure, as the additions are only for folks within the NYC boroughs. That said, the cable giant plans to add "a few more markets by the end of the year." Want to find out if your favorite local news show made the cut? The full list can be found at the source link below. Time Warner Cable brings 26 local NYC channels to iOS app, website originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 05:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | TWC Untangled | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | If you've ever felt the burning urge to mirror your smartphone's display onto a larger screen, then you might consider stuffing GeChic's portable, 13.3-inch monitor into the ol' man purse for your next wayward outing. We're not promising that it'll be simple, but in addition to supporting laptops, game consoles and digital cameras, you can also rig up your smartphone to the On-Lap 1302 monitor -- with the assistance of a tangle of adapters, batteries and cords, that is. The product is said to be just 8mm thick, but most importantly, this 1366 x 768 display can be powered either from your laptop's USB port or an external battery pack. It includes proper hookups for VGA and HDMI video connections (via a proprietary 30-pin connector), but laptop users may also purchase a Mini DisplayPort accessory. Throw in Apple's Digital AV Adapter or an MHL to HDMI solution, and boom, you've also got support for your iPhone and many Android smartphones. Okay, so it's a bit convoluted, but the product's video touts this as, "The best idea ever," and along with its homespun production, we think you'll enjoy it for a good laugh -- so just hop the break. Those interested in such gear will find it on Newegg next month for $199. Continue reading GeChic On-Lap 1302 is a 'Secret Tool' to give your smartphone dual screens (video) GeChic On-Lap 1302 is a 'Secret Tool' to give your smartphone dual screens (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 03:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | GeChic, Newegg | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
