Showing posts with label unboxing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unboxing. Show all posts
Friday, June 26, 2009
Sharp’s Mebius NJ70A is still too rich for our blood – $1,000 or thereabouts is simply too much to pay for a netbook, no matter how slick its touchscreen trackpad - but that doesn’t mean we’re not interested in lapping up all the information about the distinctive ultraportable that we can. UMPC Fever have acquired one of the Atom N270 netbooks and promptly shot a video unboxing.
It’s not just the trackpad – which is actually a 4-inch optical-touchscreen running at super-crisp 854 x 480 resolution – which makes this netbook stand out physically. The huge Mebius logo, basically a stylized Möbius strip, certainly stands out on the lid, but it’s arguably more attractive than a massive Sharp logo.
Inside, there’s an easily accessible Gigabyte WiFi module and Fujitsu 160GB hard-drive; the RAM also looks pretty easy to reach too. We’re just hoping that Sharp see sense and drop the touchscreen into their more grown-up ultraportables; pair it with something other than an Atom N270 and a somewhat more realistic price and you’d have a real winner.
It’s not just the trackpad – which is actually a 4-inch optical-touchscreen running at super-crisp 854 x 480 resolution – which makes this netbook stand out physically. The huge Mebius logo, basically a stylized Möbius strip, certainly stands out on the lid, but it’s arguably more attractive than a massive Sharp logo.Inside, there’s an easily accessible Gigabyte WiFi module and Fujitsu 160GB hard-drive; the RAM also looks pretty easy to reach too. We’re just hoping that Sharp see sense and drop the touchscreen into their more grown-up ultraportables; pair it with something other than an Atom N270 and a somewhat more realistic price and you’d have a real winner.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
After mintpass made a few pre-release mintpad MID units available to touchscreen-loving early adopters last week, the first English-language unboxing and hands-on for the 2.86-inch device is here. We’re entirely unsurprised to see that Jenn from Pocketables is first; she’s already impressed with the build-quality of the WiFi-enabled mintpad, together with the range of accessories they include.
There are a few design frustrations, such as the microSD card slot being underneath the battery and the mintpad only having 4GB of its own onboard storage, but general things are looking good. mintpass even include a second sync/charge cable for use with the docking cradle, which is something plenty of other manufacturers could learn from.
As it stands, the firmware still has untranslated menus in the browser, and the file-manager and “ad-hoc chatting” aren’t ready for use. All that should change by June 30th, though, at which point an upgrade will be available. This is looking to be a very curious, very distinctive little device, and we’re looking forward to Jenn’s full review.
There are a few design frustrations, such as the microSD card slot being underneath the battery and the mintpad only having 4GB of its own onboard storage, but general things are looking good. mintpass even include a second sync/charge cable for use with the docking cradle, which is something plenty of other manufacturers could learn from.As it stands, the firmware still has untranslated menus in the browser, and the file-manager and “ad-hoc chatting” aren’t ready for use. All that should change by June 30th, though, at which point an upgrade will be available. This is looking to be a very curious, very distinctive little device, and we’re looking forward to Jenn’s full review.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Novatel Wireless’ MiFi intelligent personal hotspot was one of our top 5 gadgets from ShowStoppers back in April, and had floored us a few months earlier in Barcelona. Having released their CDMA EVDO Rev.A MiFi 2200 on Verizon and Sprint to very positive reaction, the company is now launching its GSM 3G HSPA model, the MiFi 2352. As well as the ability to share a single mobile broadband connection among up to five WiFi users, the MiFi 2352 brings a few new tricks to the table; check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
For the full rundown of what’s in the MiFi box, check out our video unboxing. Basically, in its SIM-free form as you see here, Novatel Wireless supply a global power-adapter with various plug inserts, a USB to microUSB cable, rechargeable 1,530mAh battery and a small printed Getting Started guide. The MiFi 2352 supports various connection speeds, from quadband (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GPRS/EDGE up to triband (900/1900/2100MHz) UMTS HSUPA/HSDPA. Network-depending, you can theoretically see up to 7.2Mbps downlink rates and up to 5.76Mbps uplink rates.
There’s no driver disc, because there needn’t be any drivers. As standard Novatel require no connection manager – the software Verizon supply with their CDMA MiFi is their own decision; Sprint’s version uses no such app – presuming you’re using the 2352’s WiFi connection. Setup is as speedy as dropping in your SIM, holding down the single button until the lights begin blinking, and then waiting for the MiFi to start spitting out a wireless connection. The default SSID is a sensible “MiFi_2352″ and by navigating to “http://www.mifi” you access the device’s locally-hosted homepage showing the number of connected clients (up to 5 are supported simultaneously), connection details and battery status.
Since sharing a capped HSPA data connection via an unsecured WiFi network seems a recipe for overage charges or disconnection, the first step for most users will be accessing the admin pages and setting up WEP, WPA or WPA2 encryption. Thankfully that’s straightforward with the MiFi’s basic but speedy UI; there are also options for MAC filtering and recording various logs of WiFi connections and modem events. The MiFi can be loaded with up to six “internet profiles”, each with corresponding settings to a different SIM; that way, if you regularly switch between carriers (say, if traveling) then it’s simple to flick between the presets.
As on a full-sized router, there’s also port filtering support, the ability to set custom permitted applications, port forwarding, a switchable DHCP server and VPN pass-through support. Unlike a normal router there’s also an optional power management setting which can shut the MiFi down after between 2 or 60 minutes of idle time. Once you’ve made all the tweaks you want, you can backup the settings to a connected computer.
For the full rundown of what’s in the MiFi box, check out our video unboxing. Basically, in its SIM-free form as you see here, Novatel Wireless supply a global power-adapter with various plug inserts, a USB to microUSB cable, rechargeable 1,530mAh battery and a small printed Getting Started guide. The MiFi 2352 supports various connection speeds, from quadband (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GPRS/EDGE up to triband (900/1900/2100MHz) UMTS HSUPA/HSDPA. Network-depending, you can theoretically see up to 7.2Mbps downlink rates and up to 5.76Mbps uplink rates.
There’s no driver disc, because there needn’t be any drivers. As standard Novatel require no connection manager – the software Verizon supply with their CDMA MiFi is their own decision; Sprint’s version uses no such app – presuming you’re using the 2352’s WiFi connection. Setup is as speedy as dropping in your SIM, holding down the single button until the lights begin blinking, and then waiting for the MiFi to start spitting out a wireless connection. The default SSID is a sensible “MiFi_2352″ and by navigating to “http://www.mifi” you access the device’s locally-hosted homepage showing the number of connected clients (up to 5 are supported simultaneously), connection details and battery status.
Since sharing a capped HSPA data connection via an unsecured WiFi network seems a recipe for overage charges or disconnection, the first step for most users will be accessing the admin pages and setting up WEP, WPA or WPA2 encryption. Thankfully that’s straightforward with the MiFi’s basic but speedy UI; there are also options for MAC filtering and recording various logs of WiFi connections and modem events. The MiFi can be loaded with up to six “internet profiles”, each with corresponding settings to a different SIM; that way, if you regularly switch between carriers (say, if traveling) then it’s simple to flick between the presets.
As on a full-sized router, there’s also port filtering support, the ability to set custom permitted applications, port forwarding, a switchable DHCP server and VPN pass-through support. Unlike a normal router there’s also an optional power management setting which can shut the MiFi down after between 2 or 60 minutes of idle time. Once you’ve made all the tweaks you want, you can backup the settings to a connected computer.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Video glasses still haven’t caught on quite as manufacturers might like them to have, but that hasn’t stopped them from scaling up the specifications and the marketing hyperbole to try and tempt us in. Latest to cross the SlashGear test bench are Q-London’s 3D 80-inch Video Eyewear, billed as providing the same viewing experience as having an 80-inch TV two meters away. Bold claims; read on to see whether the Q-London system delivered.
In the box, as you can see from our unboxing video below, Q-London provide the headset itself, a rubber light-shield and alternative nose-pad, an in-line control box and the Nokia-type rechargeable battery that powers it, and an IR remote control. There’s also a cluster of adapter cables, supporting standard composite input and the type of 3.5mm A/V you see on some cellphones and gaming devices. Finally, a USB charging cable and printed user guide round out the well-packaged set; if you want iPod/iPhone compatibility you’ll need your own adapter.
Compared to the Vuzix system we reviewed several months back, we prefer the rechargeable battery used by Q-London. The company themselves don’t quote specific usage times, but we found a full charge was good for a film or two, depending on brightness settings. The remote control is an interesting idea – allowing tweaking of 2D/3D viewing, PAL/NTSC/SECAM video formats, contrast/brightness and other settings – but given there’s no tactile difference between the buttons you’ll still have to peer outside the Eyewear’s viewfinder to make sure you’re hitting the right key.
In terms of comfort, the headset is relatively lightweight at 59g, though the bendy rubber arms grip the sides of your head more tightly than we liked. Being able to quickly unplug the standard headphones and use your own (plugging straight into the in-line control box) is a neat touch, and something we’d recommend you do as the supplied earphones are nothing special. The rubber light-shield fits easily into place and does a decent job of cutting out extra light, though it does make looking outside the Eyewear to see the remote a little trickier. Despite Q-London’s suggestion that the setup has a “trendy design”, you’ll still stand out when wearing it and it’s not necessarily a “good look”.
Aesthetics aside, our biggest complaint about the 3D 80-inch Eyewear is the absence of eye focus adjustment. The Vuzix set had two small wheels that could be used to individually adjust the focus of each eye-display; with the Q-London system you’re stuck using the standard settings. This is particularly frustrating if you wear glasses, since with the Vuzix you could fudge a passable setup to avoid wearing your spectacles. No such luck with Q-London, and the combined weight and bulk of spectacles, light-shield and Eyewear make it an uncomfortable prospect for anything but the shortest viewing session, or headache-inspiring if you attempt a film without your specs.
In the box, as you can see from our unboxing video below, Q-London provide the headset itself, a rubber light-shield and alternative nose-pad, an in-line control box and the Nokia-type rechargeable battery that powers it, and an IR remote control. There’s also a cluster of adapter cables, supporting standard composite input and the type of 3.5mm A/V you see on some cellphones and gaming devices. Finally, a USB charging cable and printed user guide round out the well-packaged set; if you want iPod/iPhone compatibility you’ll need your own adapter.
Compared to the Vuzix system we reviewed several months back, we prefer the rechargeable battery used by Q-London. The company themselves don’t quote specific usage times, but we found a full charge was good for a film or two, depending on brightness settings. The remote control is an interesting idea – allowing tweaking of 2D/3D viewing, PAL/NTSC/SECAM video formats, contrast/brightness and other settings – but given there’s no tactile difference between the buttons you’ll still have to peer outside the Eyewear’s viewfinder to make sure you’re hitting the right key.
In terms of comfort, the headset is relatively lightweight at 59g, though the bendy rubber arms grip the sides of your head more tightly than we liked. Being able to quickly unplug the standard headphones and use your own (plugging straight into the in-line control box) is a neat touch, and something we’d recommend you do as the supplied earphones are nothing special. The rubber light-shield fits easily into place and does a decent job of cutting out extra light, though it does make looking outside the Eyewear to see the remote a little trickier. Despite Q-London’s suggestion that the setup has a “trendy design”, you’ll still stand out when wearing it and it’s not necessarily a “good look”.
Aesthetics aside, our biggest complaint about the 3D 80-inch Eyewear is the absence of eye focus adjustment. The Vuzix set had two small wheels that could be used to individually adjust the focus of each eye-display; with the Q-London system you’re stuck using the standard settings. This is particularly frustrating if you wear glasses, since with the Vuzix you could fudge a passable setup to avoid wearing your spectacles. No such luck with Q-London, and the combined weight and bulk of spectacles, light-shield and Eyewear make it an uncomfortable prospect for anything but the shortest viewing session, or headache-inspiring if you attempt a film without your specs.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
We already know that the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA trades a little of its 1008HA Seashell brethren’s waifish slenderness for a full sized VGA port and removable battery, and now we’ve got the first unboxing video. Liliputing acquired a 1005HA a little in advance of the imminent US launch; check out their video after the cut.
It’s early days for feedback on performance, but we’re expecting pretty mainstream things (for netbooks, anyway) from the Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 160GB hard-drive. More interesting is ASUS’ claim of up to 10.5hrs runtime from the removable battery; we’ll be eagerly waiting for Liliputing’s benchmarks on that.
Otherwise it’s more of the same which, if you’re a fan of ASUS’ teardrop-shape chassis and super-glossy displays, isn’t particularly likely to disappoint. We’re not entirely sure on when the Eee PC 1005HA will arrive in the US; one would-be buyer has apparently been told it’ll be late-August or early-September by a company representative.
It’s early days for feedback on performance, but we’re expecting pretty mainstream things (for netbooks, anyway) from the Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 160GB hard-drive. More interesting is ASUS’ claim of up to 10.5hrs runtime from the removable battery; we’ll be eagerly waiting for Liliputing’s benchmarks on that.Otherwise it’s more of the same which, if you’re a fan of ASUS’ teardrop-shape chassis and super-glossy displays, isn’t particularly likely to disappoint. We’re not entirely sure on when the Eee PC 1005HA will arrive in the US; one would-be buyer has apparently been told it’ll be late-August or early-September by a company representative.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Novatel Wireless’ MiFi 2352 is the third of the company’s “Intelligent Mobile Hotspots” that we’ve unboxed here on SlashGear, but unlike Verizon’s and Sprint’s the 2352 is a GSM/UMTS device rather than EVDO Rev.A. Launching today on Telefonica Espana [pdf link], the MiFi 2352 features 7.2Mbps HSDPA and 5.76Mbps HSUPA, sharing that connection out for up to five WiFi b/g clients. We caught up with Novatel in London today, to find out what else makes the MiFi 2352 special; you can also see the first video unboxing of the portable 3G router after the cut.
As with the Sprint and Verizon models, the concept behind the MiFi 2352 is simple: pay for one 3G mobile broadband connection, and share it between your various WiFi-enabled devices. The MiFi 2352 supports triband HSPA (900/1900/2100MHz) and quadband GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz) together with A-GPS, WiFi b/g and WEP/WPA/WPA2 security. There’s also a microSDHC slot, which you can use to share files between the WiFi clients.
Novatel are particularly proud of the MiFi’s ability to quickly serve up a landing page. The complexity of that page depends on the carrier: Sprint and Verizon have used the default setup system (and Verizon also use a connection manager, though Sprint’s MiFi does without) whereas Telefonica have gone one step further and created a new landing page with full microSDHC access, shortcuts to the carrier’s support pages and widgets. Right now the widgets include geotagging and geosearch, but Novatel talked about cloud-based storage back at CES and it seems likely that an enabling widget for that will arrive soon enough.
As with the Sprint and Verizon models, the concept behind the MiFi 2352 is simple: pay for one 3G mobile broadband connection, and share it between your various WiFi-enabled devices. The MiFi 2352 supports triband HSPA (900/1900/2100MHz) and quadband GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz) together with A-GPS, WiFi b/g and WEP/WPA/WPA2 security. There’s also a microSDHC slot, which you can use to share files between the WiFi clients.
Novatel are particularly proud of the MiFi’s ability to quickly serve up a landing page. The complexity of that page depends on the carrier: Sprint and Verizon have used the default setup system (and Verizon also use a connection manager, though Sprint’s MiFi does without) whereas Telefonica have gone one step further and created a new landing page with full microSDHC access, shortcuts to the carrier’s support pages and widgets. Right now the widgets include geotagging and geosearch, but Novatel talked about cloud-based storage back at CES and it seems likely that an enabling widget for that will arrive soon enough.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
It feels like we’ve been waiting a long time for the HTC Touch Pro2 to arrive, though really it was only announced back in February at Mobile World Congress. The flagship smartphone - which packs a 3.6-inch WVGA resistive touchscreen, 3G HSPA, WiFi b/g and a full QWERTY keyboard - is the second half of HTC’s two-part Touch refresh, along with the Diamond2, and you can see our video unboxing after the cut.
First impressions of the HTC Touch Pro2 are good; it’s a solid, weighty phone (the full specifications say 178.5g) and not exactly small at 116 x 59.2 x 16.65mm, but it feels well made and sturdy. The metal screen bezel is a nice design element, though we’re glad to see the rear panel is matte rather than the fingerprint-grabbing gloss of the Diamond2.
Software is the usual Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro - with a 6.5 upgrade catered for with the requisite buttons - together with HTC’s TouchFLO 3D UI. That’s had a neat upgrade to deal with the Pro2’s horizontal orientation when the keyboard is out, and of course includes the People-Centric tweaks we appreciated on the Diamond2. The keyboard itself is tactile and has an impressive amount of button-travel considering the size; we’ll be battering away at it some more before giving our final opinion. Until then, enjoy the unboxing video and short demo below!
First impressions of the HTC Touch Pro2 are good; it’s a solid, weighty phone (the full specifications say 178.5g) and not exactly small at 116 x 59.2 x 16.65mm, but it feels well made and sturdy. The metal screen bezel is a nice design element, though we’re glad to see the rear panel is matte rather than the fingerprint-grabbing gloss of the Diamond2.Software is the usual Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro - with a 6.5 upgrade catered for with the requisite buttons - together with HTC’s TouchFLO 3D UI. That’s had a neat upgrade to deal with the Pro2’s horizontal orientation when the keyboard is out, and of course includes the People-Centric tweaks we appreciated on the Diamond2. The keyboard itself is tactile and has an impressive amount of button-travel considering the size; we’ll be battering away at it some more before giving our final opinion. Until then, enjoy the unboxing video and short demo below!
The first examples of nettops based on Pegatron’s UltraSlim design are showing up, and it’s Ruvo with their Mini Cap 7 that’s the first to reach reviewers. UMPC Tips have a photo unboxing of the Intel Atom 230-based mini-desktop, and while it’s too early for a full review the initial hands-on feedback is tentatively warm.
While it may use the same casing as Pegatron’s NVIDIA Ion based IPP7A-CP, the Ruvo Mini Cap 7 doesn’t have the GPU prowess. Instead the graphics are courtesy of SIS, though they do support DirectX 9. Other specs include 1GB of RAM, either a 16GB SSD or 160GB hard-drive, and gigabit ethernet; ports include six USB 2.0 (two up front, four on the back), audio in/out (plus a headphone socket on the front), and either a DVI or D-Sub video output.
The fanless Mini Cap 7 measures just 172.5 x 153.5 x 20mm, and according to Frank from UMPC Tips came without cables or an installed OS. The latter seems to be the case at online retailer Farandsoft, where the Ruvo Mini Cap 7 is available to order for €236.25 ($330) before taxes.
While it may use the same casing as Pegatron’s NVIDIA Ion based IPP7A-CP, the Ruvo Mini Cap 7 doesn’t have the GPU prowess. Instead the graphics are courtesy of SIS, though they do support DirectX 9. Other specs include 1GB of RAM, either a 16GB SSD or 160GB hard-drive, and gigabit ethernet; ports include six USB 2.0 (two up front, four on the back), audio in/out (plus a headphone socket on the front), and either a DVI or D-Sub video output.The fanless Mini Cap 7 measures just 172.5 x 153.5 x 20mm, and according to Frank from UMPC Tips came without cables or an installed OS. The latter seems to be the case at online retailer Farandsoft, where the Ruvo Mini Cap 7 is available to order for €236.25 ($330) before taxes.
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