Last week we gave the Apple loyalists in attendance a chance to rip and rag the iPhone 4, and this time around we’re doing the same for Motorola’s best frienemies. The Droid X is without question the largest Droid in the family today, and calling it a showstopper on Verizon would probably be understating things. Now that it’s been on the market a few months, we’re curious to know how you early adopters like (or dislike) it. Did the massive screen end up being too large for comfort? Anything you’d tweak software-wise? How’s the VZW service been? Might your world change if Android 2.2 ever hits in official fashion? Go on and let us know how you’d alter this behemoth down in comments below — but give it some real thought first, cool? Cool.

How would you change Motorola’s Droid X? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, what do we have here? Looks like a Logitech beta user was kind enough to (potentially break his NDA and) show off his early grab: the Google TV-infused Revue. What follows is a series of blurred photos that’d make the FCC weep, but all the same, who are we to critique news? The little unassuming box has HDMI in and out ports, a couple of USB inputs, ethernet, and SPDIF. According to the handler, installation was a “12-step process includes asking the details of your Google account, your physical location, TV, cable box, amp, and more.” It works with any Harmony remote, an Android device (in this case, a Droid Incredible), or the packaged keyboard. That latter input we last heard was still in development, but it seems to be working fine right here: full QWERTY, a trackpad, all the necessary keys for GTV navigation. One more pic of the keyboard after the break, as well a video walkthrough.

[Thanks, Craig]

Continue reading Logitech Revue and Google TV get very early blurrycam impressions

Logitech Revue and Google TV get very early blurrycam impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sometimes we sit around at Engadget HQ and do informal, anonymous surveys of our favorite gadgets of all time. Cell phones are unsurprisingly always at the top of the list. But the bow and arrow always comes in a close second — call us closet traditionalists. Anyway, seems like a gang in Sao Paulo trained a 17-year-old to shoot arrows with cell phones strapped to the tips over a prison wall to communications-starved inmates. Apparently the misguided teen got at least four phones in before he fired one at a cop’s back. Whoops! Still, dang. We much prefer this practicality of this old-new mashup to, say, steampunk flash drives.

[Image credit: Robert van der Steeg's flickr]

Teen archer launches cellphone-laced arrows into Brazilian jail originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When we first caught wind of LG’s “180-inch plasma” we were understandably enthused (and just a little skeptical), but our excitement was quickly ruined with word that LG was merely sticking nine 600Hz 60-inch plasmas next to each other and calling it a day. We got a glimpse at the “multi-vision display” (LG shorthand for “a bunch of screens next to each other”) today, and it’s still decently impressive in its own right. LG’s managed to get the seams between the screens down to a mere 1.5mm, and while the lines are still noticeable, they could be a lot worse. While they lines certainly get in the way of entertainment, it actually provides an interesting effect when donning the 3D glasses — almost highlighting the effect of depth. LG has some pretty boring plans for the screens, like digital signage and education, and we’ll be sticking to projectors for our big screen needs, but we’re still saying a 180-inch straight-up, no funny business plasma would be pretty stellar.

LG’s 180-inch plasma that wasn’t originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That “leaked” low-end LG Android device from a few days back? Turns out it was nothing more than the Optimus Chic, one of two Google-powered phones that the company announced back in early July. They’re still not ready to let us touch the damned things here at IFA — apparently on account of the fact that they’re not commercially available yet — but we got close enough to conclude that you definitely won’t be fooling anyone into thinking that you’ve dropped many hundreds of euros on your phone. You could argue that Huawei set the tone for IFA’s small-but-notable mobile presence this year with its introduction of the Ideos — in other words, cheap Android gear — and both of these LGs look primed to go head-to-head with the Ideos in that arena. Nokia had long been hoping to totally own the smartphone industry in emerging markets by driving S60 into the bargain basement — but with this latest round of Android releases coming dangerously close to the same price points, we could have an interesting battle on our hands.

LG Optimus One and Optimus Chic eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What we’re watching tonight:

HDTV Listings for September 3, 2010 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last weekend Jeremy Hart — Wired.com contributor and a global traveller with 120 countries under his belt — left Los Angeles for a 60 day, 21 country, 15,000 mile drive around the world — in a Ford Fiesta.

Jeremy will be filing occasional updates here and on our sister blog Autopia. Here, he’ll be reporting on how well his various gadgets work in some of earth’s most amazing locations.

–

If you were the fisherman hanging over the edge of Santa Monica pier, the hobo foraging through a garbage bin or the glamour model squeezing into a dress (as shiny and pink as one of our two Ford Fiestas)  for a dawn photo shoot last weekend, then you would have witnessed this international escapade leaving the eastern edge of the Pacific. For us, it was the start of the Fiesta World Tour 2010.

In gadget terms the Fiesta is an iPod more than iPad. It’s funky, basic and functional. And it comes in a range of bright colours. It has built-in iPod connectivity, USB and aux jacks, and Sirius radio. All in all, it’s a good platform to bolt, strap, and load more gadgets onto — and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing.

Here’s a look at a few of the gizmos we’re taking on the start of the trip. (We’ve got plans to test more — many more — so this is just a beginning.)

Pocket video camera. I [...]]]>

Last weekend Jeremy Hart — Wired.com contributor and a global traveller with 120 countries under his belt — left Los Angeles for a 60 day, 21 country, 15,000 mile drive around the world — in a Ford Fiesta.

Jeremy will be filing occasional updates here and on our sister blog Autopia. Here, he’ll be reporting on how well his various gadgets work in some of earth’s most amazing locations.

–

If you were the fisherman hanging over the edge of Santa Monica pier, the hobo foraging through a garbage bin or the glamour model squeezing into a dress (as shiny and pink as one of our two Ford Fiestas)  for a dawn photo shoot last weekend, then you would have witnessed this international escapade leaving the eastern edge of the Pacific. For us, it was the start of the Fiesta World Tour 2010.

In gadget terms the Fiesta is an iPod more than iPad. It’s funky, basic and functional. And it comes in a range of bright colours. It has built-in iPod connectivity, USB and aux jacks, and Sirius radio. All in all, it’s a good platform to bolt, strap, and load more gadgets onto — and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing.

Here’s a look at a few of the gizmos we’re taking on the start of the trip. (We’ve got plans to test more — many more — so this is just a beginning.)

Pocket video camera. I have a TV cameraman (using Sony’s EX1 HD broadcast camera) and a photographer (Canon 5D) with me, so the need for extra filmmaking and photography kit is not crucial. But I now refuse to go anywhere without a Flip Ultra HD. Broadcast-quality and idiot-proof, it fits both my criteria. I have two of them on the trip – just in case.

I will be video blogging with them for easy editing and instant uploading. Take a peek at the one I did at a gun club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

We use Motorola walkie-talkies for car-to-car communications on the road.

Apple iPad. Against my better judgement, I have decided to get an iPad for the trip. It’s the Wi-Fi-only, 64 GB version. Roaming with 3G is so expensive, so I opted against that model. And I say that against my better judgement because I have, and am currently writing on, my MacBook Pro. I’ll be interested to see how the iPad fits into our trip — and maybe even improves it — or if I wind up shipping it back to London for my kids to enjoy.

GPS tracker. I have a Spot Tracker so you can follow our travels. It allows you to see exactly where we are (and please, come and see us if you are pretty, have freshly baked goods, or want to give us gadgets you’d like us to take round the world).

I’ll have it set up for the next entry here, and I’ll give you the link to follow us then.

The Virgin MiFi (in the foreground) is the key to making a trip like this work. Wi-Fi for all my friends!

Portable hotspot. But my favourite piece of kit, as I write this from the middle of Arizona, is Virgin Mobile’s MiFi. Just 100 bucks for the unit and around 60 bucks for 6GB of upload/download data. It is the godsend of the trip so far.

It works off Sprint’s network, turning the cell network into a mobile hub through which 5 users can surf. A colleague in our second Fiesta surfed from the adjoining lane on I-40 at one point. I was on the edge of the Grand Canyon yesterday, uploading video and copy faster than I had in my hotel room the night before.

Talking of hotel rooms, we stayed at the fantastic Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale. But, as with many 5 star places, the internet service is 5 star prices. Not with my little Virgin buddy it wasn’t.

And being an Englishman in your wonderful country, it means I can use my iPhone 4 as it should be used, without  having to pay huge roaming charges ($3,000 a month last year when traveling in Canada, US and Australia).

Virgin might be a British company, but I am not going to apologize for my nationalize when I pledge my undying love to Sir Richard Branson and his MiFi. I’m motivated purely by the bandwidth, I assure you. I just fear it won’t be there when I need it in the remote Arabian desert next month or the Malaysian jungle a few weeks later.

Right — I gotta go now. I’ll have more gadgets to report on next week.

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Microsoft worked with Vodafone late last year to deploy Surfaces to a few dozen stores in several European countries (much as AT&T has done in the US), and one of those units happens to be set up at the carrier’s IFA booth this week. The basic idea here is that each available model appears as a card that can be twirled, resized, and flung around the screen. When the software first starts, the cards start in a deck from which you can “deal” onto the table — but when we first approached it, the Surface had obviously already been played with because the cards were in complete disarray. Not too helpful when you’re a befuddled buyer trying to browse models and make a choice from a dizzying selection of handsets, but that doesn’t mean it’s not cool — if nothing else, parents, it’s something to babysit the kiddies for a few minutes while you go about your business in the store. Follow the break for video of the Surface in action.

Continue reading Vodafone’s Microsoft Surface: like Go Fish for phones

Vodafone’s Microsoft Surface: like Go Fish for phones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After The Dark Knight, there’s no doubt many Blu-ray fans can’t wait to see Christopher Nolan’s next blockbuster on their HDTVs, and now the Inception special edition has been listed for pre-order in the UK. Specs confirm Warner will include its Maximum Movie Mode where the director walks you through key moments of the film and two digital comics that serve as prologues to the film’s events. The packaging itself is also special, with a case resembling the PASIV (Portable Automated Somnacin IntraVenous) device that controls dreams in the movie, a spinning top to remind you when things are over and of course, DVD and digital copy version. Play.com lists a December 6 release date, here’s hoping the US gets a similarly full-featured treatment for one of this year’s biggest movies.

Inception European Limited Edition Blu-ray (w/ briefcase) listed for December 6 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This weekend, I’m going to be sparking up the grill with the Looftlighter, an electric firestarter that looks like an oversized curling iron, sounds like a hair dryer, and gets a good-sized pile of charcoal briquettes ready to grill in just a few minutes.

I’ll admit I was skeptical about the $80 Looftlighter, which comes from Sweden and whose name, I believe, must be pronounced with as much Nordic accent as you can muster. It’s basically an air blower tucked behind a heating element. The idea is that it delivers a focused blast of hot air out the front. It’s hardly the “flamethrower” I’d been led to believe it was, however, and an initial test in the Wired offices proved that it was incapable of doing much more than charring the edges of a business card.

Plus, it looks dorky and requires access to a three-prong 110v power outlet. Even with the built-in bottle opener on the bottom, this isn’t exactly a manly-man kind of gadget.

But I put my doubts aside and tested the Looftlighter on a couple of recent barbecuing occasions. To my surprise, it works.

The Looftlighter really does look like a curling iron. Photo courtesy Looft Industries

For the first twenty seconds, nothing seems to be happening. You have the ridiculous feeling that you’re blow-drying a pile of charcoal.

But then, [...]]]>

This weekend, I’m going to be sparking up the grill with the Looftlighter, an electric firestarter that looks like an oversized curling iron, sounds like a hair dryer, and gets a good-sized pile of charcoal briquettes ready to grill in just a few minutes.

I’ll admit I was skeptical about the $80 Looftlighter, which comes from Sweden and whose name, I believe, must be pronounced with as much Nordic accent as you can muster. It’s basically an air blower tucked behind a heating element. The idea is that it delivers a focused blast of hot air out the front. It’s hardly the “flamethrower” I’d been led to believe it was, however, and an initial test in the Wired offices proved that it was incapable of doing much more than charring the edges of a business card.

Plus, it looks dorky and requires access to a three-prong 110v power outlet. Even with the built-in bottle opener on the bottom, this isn’t exactly a manly-man kind of gadget.

But I put my doubts aside and tested the Looftlighter on a couple of recent barbecuing occasions. To my surprise, it works.

The Looftlighter really does look like a curling iron. Photo courtesy Looft Industries

For the first twenty seconds, nothing seems to be happening. You have the ridiculous feeling that you’re blow-drying a pile of charcoal.

But then, the heating element inside turns cherry red, and in short order the edges of the briquettes start to glow.

Sixty seconds in, you start to see flames shooting out of the briquettes in all directions. Fan the Looftlighter back and forth, and it quickly heats up the entire pile.

Within two to three minutes, your pile of charcoal is hot and just about ready to cook: Each briquette is glowing red on the inside and coated with a fine layer of white ash. Perfect.

It may be dorky, and it’s not suited for camping or picnic use — but for starting charcoal grills at home, I have to reluctantly admit that the Looftlighter works pretty well.

And it would probably be just the thing for starting a one-briquette Altoids tin mini-grill.

Wired’s review: No More Gas-Tasting Burgers: Super-Heated Air Lights BBQ Fire

Top photo credit: Dylan F. Tweney / Wired.com

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