Thomas Ricker   Year:by , posted Feb 6th 2008 at 9:01AM   Source Site:engadget

Our dirtier, hairier sisters over at autoblog had the chance to get up close and personal with Fords 2009 F-150 at the Chicago Auto Show. Notable to gadget ruffians, and those of you posing as such on the suburban trek to the ice cream social, is Fords new "Work Solutions" option. It features a Microsoft Sync-powered in-dash computer (with wireless keyboard, Bluetooth printer, 6.5-inch touch-screen) from Magneti Marelli with built-in Sprint Mobile Broadband and Garmin GPS. It also features an RFID-equipped Tool Link system built in partnership with DEWALT and ThingMagic for a real-time inventory of your RFID tagged tools. The FWS option will be available on all 2009 F-150 XL, STX, XLT and FX4 trucks; F-Series Super Duty XL, XLT and FX4 trucks; and all 2009 E-Series vans. Couple FWS w...

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Thomas Ricker   Year:by , posted Feb 6th 2008 at 9:01AM   Source Site:engadget

Lets break it down TV junkie. Sonys new ?38,000 (about $355) XDV-D500 features a 3-inch, 432 x 240 pixel resolution display with 160-degree viewing angle, 500:1 contrast, and a battery capable of about 8-hours of TV reception. It can even record up to 10 hours of scheduled programming to 2GB of internal memory. The itty bittier XDV-G200 brings a 2-inch LCD to the show, AM/FM radio too, then ditches the EPG and recording function. This is Japan mind you, so these sets receive digital 1Seg TV -- in other words you can kiss your import fantasies goodbye. Gallery: Sonys tiny XDV-D500 and XDV-G200 Bravia TVs [Via Impress]...

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Paul Miller   Year:by , posted Feb 6th 2008 at 9:01AM   Source Site:engadget

If youve been at it long, youre probably tired of forking over $100 or so every year for the latest and greatest in wireless networking. The TEW-637AP, thankfully, takes a different approach. Instead of chucking your current router, the 300Mbps Wireless "Easy-N-Upgrader" just jacks into an extra Ethernet port on your existing router, and relies on that old box to do the "routing" part. The TRENDnet unit deals with blasting the 802.11n with MIMO, for theoretical speeds up to 300Mbps. Seems a bit silly, but the $64 pricetag certainly bests your average 802.11n router, so it might work out for you if youve got a good thing going with your existing setup, and just need a little extra push in the bandwidth department....

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Joshua Topolsky   Year:by , posted Feb 6th 2008 at 9:01AM   Source Site:engadget

Yeah, its no Spice Weasel, but were pretty sure this product concept would feel right at home in an episode of Futurama. Thats right kids, its the spice gun -- a handy device which would allow you to gun down your food in cold-blooded flavor. To use this killer, youd lock and load the barrel with a selection of your deadliest spices, then simply spin it -- Dirty Harry style -- to switch up ammo. We could go on all day with clever turns of phrase describing how much "kick" this thing has, suggestions that you load it up with radish-piercing bullets, and cautionary messages like, "Never point the spice gun at a steak unless you intend to season it," but well spare you the pain. Oh, whoops. [Via Uber-Review]...

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Chris Ziegler   Year:by , posted Feb 6th 2008 at 9:01AM   Source Site:engadget

No, its not that 700MHz spectrum, but the $2.5 billion sale of the airwaves to AT&T from private firm Aloha Partners could have implications as large as Auction 73s massive, open-access Block C itself. Given that Alohas Hiwire trials for DVB-H-based mobile TV have been playing in the 700MHz arena, we suspect this could spell doom for the whole project -- and on the heels of Modeos collapse, very likely spells doom for DVB-H on the whole in the US. Though thats great news for Qualcomm and DVB-H competitor MediaFLO, its awful news for the prospect of a global mobile TV standard, closely (if not eerily) following what happened years back with the European Unions selection of GSM and the rise of CDMA in North America. For its part, AT&T says its going to use its newfound airwaves -- w...

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Darren Murph   Year:by , posted Feb 6th 2008 at 9:01AM   Source Site:engadget

We want to believe, we really do, but these failed attempts and poorly-lit basement videos arent exactly confidence inducing. Nevertheless, Thane Heins Perepiteia generator has reportedly made its way down to a number of universities and labs across America, and while some onlookers did admit that "it works," none have been able to support any underlying theories. No need to keep dashing your dreams -- click on through for one more mind-numbing video of something akin to (but sadly, not) "perpetual motion." [Thanks, Mihir]...

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Joshua Topolsky   Year:by , posted Feb 6th 2008 at 9:01AM   Source Site:engadget

Attention voters: if youre casting your ballot for a special someone on this Super Duper Tuesday, you might want to hear what the folks over at Common Cause have to say. The nonpartisan, nonprofit voting machine watchdog wants you to know that six out of the 24 states involved in the presidential primaries today are using voting machines that are at "high risk" for malfunction or tampering. In all, 17 states have some risk factor -- based on the advocacy groups rating system -- though the machines in Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, and Tennessee are the most likely to give the votes to Darth Vader, Dr. Evil, or Lord Voldemort. You have been warned....

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Joshua Topolsky   Year:by , posted Feb 6th 2008 at 9:01AM   Source Site:engadget

Were not really sure what to make of this supposed HTC "Magnum" thats been doing the rounds today. Sure, it looks like a gigantic, touchscreen HTC phone -- but wed be hard-pressed to say this has any use outside of demo purposes and party time hijinks. Our guess is that this is a hilarious prank meant to thrill the interblogs, but it is possible that HTC has decided to move away from the tried-and-true handheld market to a more robust, manly line of products. Like a participant in a cat-fight, we wont "go there" on the specs, suffice to say, they make it sound really, really real. Check the video after the break to see the "phone" doing its thing, Ten Commandments-style. Update: Yep, not real. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]...

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Donald Melanson   Year:by , posted Feb 5th 2008 at 4:59PM   Source Site:engadget

EPIs Envision-branded monitors dont exactly do a whole lot to distinguish themselves from the pack, but the company sure is cranking em out these days, with it now adding two more reasonably-specd (and reasonably-priced) models to the lot. Those include the 19-inch Envision G917w1 and the 22-inch Envision G2219w1, the former of which boasts a 1440 x 900 resolution and a rather impressive 3,000:1 contrast ratio, while the later packs the usual 1680 x 1050 resolution and a slightly more common 1,000:1 contrast ratio. Otherwise, you can expect HDCP-capable DVI ports on each, along with a 5 ms response time and full compliance with Energy Star and ROHS standards. Look for both to hit in April, with the 19-incher running an even $200 and the 22-inch model setting you back $270. ...

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Nilay Patel   Year:by , posted Feb 5th 2008 at 4:59PM   Source Site:engadget

Teclast has always turned out some decent-if-unspectacular PMPs, and its latest, the T50, is basically more of the same -- but adds in a capacitive multitouch display. Apart from that, details are rather sketchy -- and the product shots pretty renderiffic -- so theres not much else to judge, but the promised RVVB, FLV, and dual independent audio processors will make this one to check out if it ever hits our shores. [Via thegadgetsite]...

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Ryan Block   Year:by , posted Feb 5th 2008 at 4:59PM   Source Site:engadget

You heard right, were giving away a sexy new Philips HDTV over on Engadget HD. For your shot to take home a 42PFL5603D 42-incher of your own, head on over and drop a comment! Want to find out more about the set? Hit up Philipss video here. Finally, dont forget about the other HDTV + Xbox 360 combo Old Spice contest were running, you can enter both....

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