These three new Toughbooks from Panasonic, the CF-W5, CF-T5 and CF-Y5, aren’t quite the type of laptop you can leave out in the rain or dropkick across the room, but they should handle a bump or three just fine with their magnesium-alloy bodies and shock-mounted hard drives. To start things off, the 12.1-inch CF-W5 sports a 60GB HDD, Core Solo processor and a purported 8 hours of battery. The 1.8-inch thickness isn’t revolutionary, but the 3.1 pound weight isn’t bad at all. Next up, the CF-T5 has a the same specs except for a touch sensitive screen, 3.5 pound weight, and a crazy-silly-fresh 10 hour battery. Finally, the CF-Y5 (pictured) hits up a 14.1-inch display, Bluetooth and a DVD/CD-RW drive, while still managing to weigh a mere 3.5 pounds. All three of the new Toughbooks have options for EV-DO or UMTS/HSDPA wireless modems, but sadly RAM is capped at 512MB for the WF and T5, though the Y5 can scale up to 1.5GB. The two 12-inchers should be dropping in October for $1,899, while the CF-Y5 is coming in December for $2,199.

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from engadget

As we predicted, the TiVo Series 3 HD Box has finally been officially announced today, with availability coming “mid-September” according to the press release (or October?) — but as we already know, you can order one from TiVo.com immediately. Like we’ve reported countless times before, dual CableCARDs enable the recording of two different shows in HD simultaneously, and the whole package has THX certification. And yes, our pricing was spot on: $800 for this bad boy. Oh, and don’t forget to check out the new television commercial, featuring the little TiVo guy bouncing around and getting out of a limo, transitioning to the ever-popular Shanan presenting the features of the Series3 — you know, the one who looks like she’s straight out of the Broadway musical Cabaret.

Read- Official Series 3 press release
Read- Promo vid
from engadget

We can’t say with absolute certainty that every single device type known to man has now been outfitted or retrofitted with an iPod dock, but we sure are getting pretty dang close. ViewSonic‘s new ViewDock display series brings the iPod to your LCD, allowing you to view video, photos and those oh-so-cute menus at up to 65 times larger than an iPod screen. The displays also feature multiple USB 2.0 ports, an 8-in-1 card reader, a microphone, integrated speakers and a subwoofer to really bring the convergence. Of course, the average computer has most of those features already, along with copies of your iPod media if you’re docking at your traditional computer, but what’s the fun in that? We’re otherwise slim on details for the new displays, with ViewSonic merely claiming “ultra-fast” response times, “high” brightness and contrast ratios and “wide” viewing angles. We’ve also yet to find a pic of these ViewDocks, but we’ll be sure to update when we find one.

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from engadget

If you felt Logitech’s Xbox 360 remote was just too focused for your tastes, the Harmony 1000 should provide the depth and breadth you’re craving in a universal remote. Upping the ante on its long-standing lineup of home entertainment controllers, its new flagship unit sports a sleek silver and black finish, a 3.5-inch color touchscreen, internet programmability, rechargeable batteries, and a slew of one-touch activity options. Aside from completely pimping out any living room table, you can control nearly every electronic facet of your home via the IR emitter, and if you toss in the RF-enabling Harmony Wireless Extender ($149.99), you can dictate the gadgetry in any room of your crib. Sporting the Smart State Technology also found in the Harmony 890, the 1000 allows for automated control of various systems / activities with a single button press, and with an online stockpile of 175,000 devices at your disposal, setup shouldn’t cause too many headaches. If you have enough remotes to supply a small Radio Shack, and you’re looking for one ring remote to rule them all, the Harmony 1000 can get your setup(s) under control for $499.99 later this fall.

[Thanks, Gristle]
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from engadget

It’s official: i-mate isn’t just a HTC rebrand shop anymore. Their new JAQ and SPL models have just been announced for reals, and neither relies on their ol’ standby partner to provide the goods. The JAQ hails from Inventec, packing Pocket PC Phone Edition into a fairly clever looking (or different looking, if nothing else) QWERTY chassis with 128MB of RAM, 64MB of ROM, miniSD expansion, Bluetooth, and a 2.8-inch display. The SPL, on the other hand, bears a striking resemblance to a device we first saw outta TechFaith. The slim candybar Smartphone rocks stats similar to its JAQ sibling with the same 128MB RAM / 64MB ROM, miniSD, and Bluetooth, but with a more Smartphone-appropriate 2.2-inch LCD. i-mate is positioning both of these devices as mid-range, suggesting that they might be looking at non-HTC handsets to bring Windows Mobile on the cheap while their HTCs will stay positioned at the top. [Warning: PDF link]

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from engadget

While we’ve been in a tailspin with Apple and TiVo-related news, Sony decided that it didn’t want to be left out of the spotlight either. Today, that company announced its latest line of SUGO digital video recorders, the RDZ-D900A, RDZ-D800 and the RDZ-700. The higher model sports an HDMI port, an iLink DV connector (aka IEEE 1394), and a USB port, while all three have dual-layer DVD burners. The higher-end models, the D900A and D800 come with a 400GB hard drive, but their younger brother comes with a smaller 250GB drive. The sleek little box also has two terrestrial digital 110 degree tuners, so you can capture two shows at one time — gee, where have we heard that before? Plus, you can program the whole device from your mobile phone (ahem). What can’t the Japanese do with their cellphones these days, though?

[Via Akihabara]
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from engadget

The 2007 Audi Q7 is the world’s most powerful diesel passenger car, boasting a 6L V12 engine that generates an incredible 500hp and 738 ft-lb torque. It goes from 0-60 in just 5.5-seconds and has a top speed of 155mph. More pics after the jump.

The high-tech diesel engine, with the world’s first 29,000 psi Bosch Common Rail system…The V12 TDI transmits this power through a new six-speed tiptronic gearbox to the quattro permanent four-wheel drive system

[via Automotoportal]
from techeblog
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