Anyone remotely familiar with the KURO brand knows that with it comes the expectation of awesomeness (and a large price tag), and the question on everyone’s mind has been: will the KURO LCD line live up to the name? According to TrustedReview’s critique of the 37-inch KRL-37V, the answer is a resounding “yes.” The reviewers put together five long-winded pages detailing the ins and outs of this here set, but in general, they found that it produced better pictures than most other LCDs on the market today, and that’s saying something. Sure, it wasn’t without its flaws — there were occurrences where odd color tones popped up in SD footage, black levels weren’t astonishing and the viewing angles weren’t the greatest — but the colors in HD were simply terrific. ‘Tis a shame we North Americans will have to wait until sometime next year before we can even have a look for ourselves, but those in Europe may want to give this one some serious attention.

[Via HDTV Lounge]

Pioneer’s 37-inch KRL-37V KURO LCD reviewed: other LCDs should be scared originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already seen a few benchmarks of Intel’s new Core i7 processor, but if you’re still craving some more details about Intel’s latest and greatest you now have plenty more than that to chew on, with reviews, overviews, and yet more benchmarks pouring in left and right. As you might expect, most sites are describing the CPU as a very big deal for Intel, with the folks at Maximum PC even going so far as to call it the company’s “most significant CPU launch in, well, ever.” What’s more, as those early benchmarks hinted at, it doesn’t look like there’s too many folks disappointed with the new processors, with even the “low end” Core i7 920 able to defeat the higher clock speed Core 2 Quad Q9650 “over and over” according to TechSpot, a feat due in large part to the CPU’s on-die memory controller and Intel’s new QPI technology. The first few systems shipping with the processor also look to have been fairly well received, with Slash Gear finding that Gateway’s new Core i7 920-based FX6800-01e delivered a reasonable but not revolutionary upgrade over its Core 2 Quad-based predecessor, and Computer Shopper also finding plenty of things to like in new systems from Falcon Northwest and iBuypower, though the price of each of those systems is another matter. That, of course, is just skimming the surface, and if you’ve got a few hours to spare, you can find plenty more to keep you busy by diving into the links below.

Read - PC Perspective. “Nehalem Revolution: Intel’s Core i7 Processor Complete Review”
Read - Techgage, “Intel Core i7 Performance Preview”
Read - Maximum PC, “Core i7 Dissected and Benchmarked”
Read - Computer Shopper, “Intel’s Core i7 Debuts: Systems, CPUs, and Motherboards Reviewed”
Read - HotHardware, “Getting To Know Intel’s New Core i7, Video Spotlight”
Read - HotHardware, “Intel Core i7 Processors: Nehalem and X58 Have Arrived”
Read - TechSpot, “Intel Core i7 920, 940 and 965 Extreme Edition review”
Read - Custom PC, “Intel Core i7 - all you need to know”
Read - SlashGear, “Gateway FX6800-01e Review”

Intel Core i7 review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s hard to say if Amazon’s recent fire sale of the Dash Express was an indicator of all this, but Dash is making some serious changes, regardless. Reportedly, the outfit has slashed 50 employees — or around two-thirds of its workforce — which will leave 30 workers who will operate primarily in engineering and support. According to now-CEO Rob Currie (who has replaced founder Paul Lego by Lego’s choice), Dash “wanted to launch its device in the retail channel, but the economic changes made it rethink its business focus.” To that end, Dash will actually cease making and selling its own hardware, and instead it will “license its platform to makers of automobile on-board navigation systems, smartphones, netbook-style mobile internet devices and other consumer electronics.” So, what does it all mean? It could mean that the connected Dash platform is on the way to an automobile or cellphone near you, but we suppose only time will tell. As for existing Dash owners? Continued software updates and an online Dash Driver Network has been promised.

Dash cuts 50 employees, drastically changing business model originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll be completely straight-up with you: we don’t believe this for a second. Okay, maybe for a nanosecond, but not a full-on second. An unnamed source close to Motorola has reportedly informed Register Hardware that in order to maintain the AURA’s appearance of exclusivity, buyers will be required to “sign into a contract that states they can’t sell it on eBay.” As if that wasn’t preposterous enough, this so-called “source” also added that “if an AURA owner wants to sell their phone after they’ve bought it then they’ll only have one option: to sell it back to the manufacturer.” Even if this does miraculously prove true, we can’t imagine Moto actually doing anything should someone decide to sell, and besides, there’s always Yahoo! Auctions the flea market, right?

Motorola to prevent secondhand AURA sales on eBay? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yachts are usually pretty environmentally unsound, so the DSe Hybrid just debuted by Island Pilot at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show should be a real breath of fresh air (literally) if green is your thing. And apparently it’s really about as eco-friendly as it gets — using a combination of diesel, solar and electric power (when it goes into commercial production it will also boast wind turbines) the vessel can cruise at up to six knots on a sunny day for an indefinite period of time without any fuel and zero emissions. Possibly best of all (for those like us with delicate ears, anyway), it’s virtually silent when not running on fuel. If you need to get somewhere in a hurry however, its Parallel Hybrid Propulsion System in diesel mode will move at up to 13 knots. There are all sorts of “luxury” amenities on board including a 26-inch HDTV and totally ferocious Bose home theater system. Island Pilot is taking pre-orders now (you have to lay down $5,000 just to reserve one) for delivery in 2009, but fair warning: this thing has a price tag of $600,000.

[Via gizmag]

DSe Hybrid yacht is super eco-friendly, totally unaffordable originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Call it Nintendo Darwinism: the evolution of the Wiimote over time due to survival pressures (or the simple desire to kick increasing amounts of undead ass). As a further example of the phenomenon, AcidMods’ Wii RapidFire kit adds full-auto functionality to either your A or B button, courtesy of a solitary chip and some pretty straightforward soldering. To sweeten the deal, they’ve added an on / off switch, and the old A button lights up to let you know when you’re in business. For some enticing photos and ordering info hit that read link, and be sure to check out some red hot video of the device in action after the break.

[Thanks, Mark]

Continue reading Wiimote RapidFire mod makes it easier to act on your pixel-based bloodlust

Wiimote RapidFire mod makes it easier to act on your pixel-based bloodlust originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember those delectable photos of the supposedly official 9-cell MSI Wind batteries we saw a few weeks ago? The ones we were told to expect in November? Well, only two days in and November’s apparently brought some of us something besides that rain we’re always hearing about: at least a few lucky Brits seem to have scored an MSI-sanctioned 9-cell for £70 (about $115) on the UK’s eBay. Photos of the battery submitted to the MSI Wind Forum show it to be totally gargantuan, but the juice times customers are reporting — 7.34 hours by one account — are impressive if accurate. We’ll give them this: it’s definitely handsomer than the DIY version.

Update: As some commenters have pointed out, it looks like this battery is manufactured by Medion, who also happen to produce a clone of the Wind.

[Via Wired]

MSI Wind 9-cell spotted in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yesterday news broke that Circuit City would announce the imminent closure of 155 retail locations, and this morning the company confirmed the news. Detailing its next plan of action in a lengthy press release, the electronics-maker blames “waning consumer confidence and a significantly weakened retail environment” (amongst other things) for the closings, and says that it’s considering “all available options and alternatives for the business.” In the short-term, this means that we’ll see store closings in 55 markets from coast to coast, and the retailer will axe 17 percent of its workforce. The company also plans to begin store closing sales this Wednesday, November 5th, so they’re clearly not wasting any time with the process. We’ve got more info in the read links below, as well as a full list of the closing stores — if you’re an employee, we hope your number isn’t on there.

[Thanks, Milachy]

Read - PDF List of store closings
Read - Circuit City to Retrench [Warning: requires subscription]
Read - Circuit City Stores, Inc. Provides Update on Liquidity and Announces Store Closing Plan

Circuit City announces store closure plans, full list of locations revealed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another month, another i-Station. This time, though, Digital Cube has really managed to pique our interest with the T5, a fifth-generation PMP that boasts such luxuries as inbuilt HSDPA and a 4.8-inch WVGA (800 x 480 resolution) display. We’re also told that it’ll be rocking a T-DMB TV tuner, an FM module, 3D user interface, SDHC card slot, 8GB / 16GB of internal storage space and an e-dictionary, of course. Pricing and release information has yet to be revealed, though you can bet it’ll be hitting up South Korea before it ships anywhere else.

[Via PMPToday]

Digital Cube reveals i-Station T5 PMP with HSDPA originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When it said evolutionary, it wasn’t kidding around. Alienware has just taken the wraps off of a relatively uninspiring (or, unworthy of hype, we should say) new laptop: the M17. Not to be confused with the M17x, this 17-incher is the outfit’s very first CrossFire X-enabled notebook, and those with the requisite coin can get one outfitted with a Core 2 Quad / Extreme CPU, up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, twin ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 GPUs, a WXGA+ / WUXGA panel, an optional ATSC HDTV tuner, up to 640GB of HDD space in a RAID 0 array, a dual-layer DVD writer / optional Blu-ray reader, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, gigabit Ethernet and a facial recognition sensor. As with most of its siblings, this one puts a beating on the scales at 9.5-pounds, and we’re certain you can deplete that 12-cell battery in no time flat. Granted, it does get going at “just” $1,399, but you can expect that figure to head far north when you add anything drool-worthy to the build sheet.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Alienware’s surprise: the CrossFire X-enabled M17 gaming notebook originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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