EOS Rebel T5 is Canon’s cheapest DSLR, priced at $550 with 18-55mm lens
If you’re on a tight budget and looking to buy a DSLR, we might suggest you consider a mirrorless camera instead. But if you’re dead set on building out your EOS lens collection, Canon’s Rebel T5 is at least a more capable choice than its predecessor, the 2011-era T3. This year’s model includes an 18-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, a DIGIC 4 processor, a sensitivity range of ISO 100-12,800 and 1080/30p video capture. There’s also a 9-point AF system and 3 frames-per-second continuous shooting — generally not much to write home about, but as a starter cam it’ll do just fine. The T3i will remain for sale, and can be had for $509 including a lens over at Amazon. The T5, for its part, is set to retail for $550 including an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, or $450 for the body only. Expect to see it in stores next month.
Sony’s A6000 is the mirrorless camera you’ll want to own, ships this April for $800 with lens
Well, Sony’s really done it this time — your still-crisp NEX-6 may now be marked for an early retirement. The A6000 is here to replace one of 2012′s most exceptional shooters, and despite the NEX-6′s success, this fresh 2014 model is the one to own. There’s a brand new 24.3-megapixel CMOS APS-C sensor paired with a BIONZ X processor at the core, enabling what Sony’s calling the “world’s fastest autofocus.” We’re talking lag of just 0.06 second, thanks to the 179 phase-detect and 25 contrast-detect AF points. You also get 11 fps continuous shooting with tracking AF. Those focusing improvements are most notable in our book, but the price drop is surely worth a mention, too. The A6000 will ship for $800 with a 16-50mm power-zoom kit lens, compared to the $1,000 Sony was commanding for the NEX-6 back in 2012.
Like other recent Alpha CSCs, the A6000 includes an OLED viewfinder with 100-percent frame coverage and a tilting 3-inch 921k-dot LCD. You have two interface options here: the love-or-hate-it six-tile NEX menu that dates back to 2010 with the NEX-3 and NEX-5, or the recently refreshed tab-style Alpha UI, which we prefer. There’s a pop-up flash, a Multi Interface Shoe, 1080/60p and 24p video capture with clean HDMI output, seven customizable buttons and 4K still image output to a compatible TV. Like its predecessor, the A6000 also includes WiFi and NFC, so you can shoot via the Android or iOS app, or transfer images from the camera to a smartphone or tablet. You also get a handful of apps on the camera itself, ranging from the free Direct Upload (for sharing images online) and Photo Retouch applications, to a few that you’ll need to purchase, such as Time-lapse and Lens Compensation (for minimizing lens distortion).
We had a few minutes to check out the A6000 ahead of CP+. We poked around the new interface, which we found to be a refreshing change from the NEX format of yesteryear. The A6000 is actually noticeably larger than the NEX-6, but not significantly so. The design aesthetic is similar, though the newer model has a slightly more premium look and feel than its predecessor. There are separate dials for shooting mode and settings adjustments, compared to the two-in-one control on the NEX, but the button layout is quite similar otherwise, and if you’re familiar with previous NEX cameras, you should feel at home here. You can try one out for yourself at retailers this April, or peruse our hands-on shots in the gallery below.
Sony’s VAIO Flip 11A convertible is now available for $799
Even though the VAIO Flip 15 and 13 are both pretty solid PCs, some people might find one to be too big and the other too expensive. To alleviate this, Sony introduced the VAIO Flip 11A, an 11.6-inch laptop with the same Yoga-like design as the other, larger Flips. Available now for $799, Sony’ newest convertible ships with Windows 8.1 and is powered by Intel’s 2.16GHz Pentium N3520 CPU. What’s more, there is also that included copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements 12, a 1,920 x 1,080 IPS screen, NFC Support and 128GB of solid-state storage alongside 4GB RAM. It appears Sony is only selling its Flip 11A in the US at this time; that being said, let us know in the comments if you see it up for grabs elsewhere. Or maybe it’s all part of the company’s new business plan.
Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Sony
Source: Sony
Daily Roundup: alleged Windows Phone 8.1 leak, ARM’s Cortex-A17 processor, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Samsung Galaxy S5 teaser
Samsung’s next-generation Galaxy S5 handset is set to launch at this year’s Mobile World Congress. And though we have relatively few details on the device itself, the company’s event invitation hints at a couple of new privacy and fitness features. Click the link for details.
Windows Phone 8.1 leak
A Reddit user claims to have grabbed the above screenshot from a developer preview of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8.1 SDK. Though we don’t see any hints of the rumored Action Center or Cortana virtual assistant, the image may provide new insight into Redmond’s unification of Windows Phone and Windows RT. Read on for more.
Google acquires NASA hangar
Google has many interesting irons in the fire (robots, barges, et cetera), but its latest endeavor is no less intriguing. One of the company’s subsidiaries, Planetary Ventures, took ownership of NASA’s “Hangar One” with plans to transform the enormous building into an educational facility. Follow the link for more information.
ARM announces new Cortex-A17 processor
ARM plans to bring even better speeds to the mid-range smartphone and tablet markets with its new Cortex-A17 processor. And while there’s no release date just yet, we can expect to see a huge push for the A17 come 2015. Click on through for details.
HTC’s next flagship phone spotted with on-screen buttons, familiar design cues
We hope you’re ready for a rather interesting month for smartphones. Judging from the teasers, announcements and leaks, nearly all the major mobile players have something big to show in Barcelona next week. What you’re looking at above is HTC’s own next big thing, a new flagship smartphone that’s doing the rumor rounds under the codename of M8. Looks familiar, right? However, there’s already some notable changes, including an increase to three Android buttons, which are all now part of the screen. Having said that, according to mob.hr’s leak, a bar with HTC branding means the screen will still takes up the same proportion of the phone’s surface. Thankfully, the M8 appears to be made of metal just like last year’s One, with the same micro-drilled holes for the speakers. According to this leak, expect a flip-top cover to go along with it too — presumably with peep-holes for both of those rear-facing cameras.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
Source: Mob.hr
Pebble engineer explains why its Android app isn’t ready yet
iOS users have been enjoying the new Pebble app store for the past week, but the Android version of the app is still MIA. Sure, you can download the beta if you sign up to be a developer, but if you’d rather wait for the final product, it’s still in the works. What gives? Pebble engineer Keon Wong wrote a bit about the subject on the company’s official blog about the process involved. The Cliff’s Notes version is that there are two factors at play: one is how complex it can be to develop an Android app, and the other is a lack of resources.
Wong explains that the team has to make the app jive properly with several environments of the OS, such as Bluetooth, Javascript runtime, the internet, background processes, several versions of Android and hundreds of different devices with different specs. This isn’t unlike what many developers run into when writing apps for Google’s mobile OS, but Pebble’s complications with engineering run a couple layers deeper than most others because it’s an accessory that involves its very own app store.
Next comes the matter of available resources, which Wong explains is because Pebble has had a small team working on the Android app for a long time. “In order to ship a high quality, reliable Android experience that will work for many thousands of users across the myriad of devices and operating systems, we need engineers working on the Android app who are both fantastic engineers and great Android developers.” This is where existing devs come in handy — the more feedback Pebble receives, the better. The bad news is that the team doesn’t have an ETA on Android release as of yet; on the bright side, however, the company apparently needs a few extra hands to help out, if you’re on the hunt for a job.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Mobile, Google
Source: Pebble
iOS 8 ‘Healthbook’ App Depicted in New Mockups
Several concept images for the rumored “Healthbook” app that may be included with iOS 8 were today published on design site Behance. According to 9to5Mac, the site that shared the original Healthbook rumors, the app mockup “vaguely” resembles the actual app that Apple is working on and thus gives some hints at what such an app might look like.
According to sources, the mockups are “vaguely” the right idea. Of course, Apple is likely testing multiple different user-interfaces for this software, and since we are several months out from an official introduction, things can and likely will change (even drastically)…
Healthbook, which is a health-related app reportedly in iOS 8, is said to pull in health-related data from several sources, including Apple’s much-rumored sensor-laden iWatch and the iPhone itself. Healthbook may be able to manage and track weight loss and monitor and store fitness statistics like steps taken, calories burned, and miles walked.
Rumors suggest it can also monitor vital signs like blood pressure, hydration levels, and glucose levels, aggregating information to provide an overall picture of health. As pictured, the app is said to have a card-style design much like Passbook.
Along with commenting on the Healthbook mockups, 9to5Mac has reiterated some information on both the Healthbook app and the iWatch to refute a report from MobiHealthNews earlier this week that tempered some of the expectations surrounding Apple’s iWatch.
While MobiHealthNews cast doubt on the iWatch’s ability to sense glucose and hydration levels, 9to5Mac argues the device may indeed have those abilities as the Healthbook app is able to read glucose-related data and track hydration. It will not, however, track stress or women’s health/pregnancy as previously reported.
While many aspects of the iWatch and the Healthbook app remain unknown, iWatch rumors do generally agree the device will include several important health-related sensors able to track elements like sleep and exercise. As 9to5Mac points out, Apple has some significant hurdles to overcome with both hardware design and regulatory bodies, so it continues to be unclear what the final device and its accompanying app might include.
     |
Twitter’s latest test channels Pinterest and Facebook in profile redesign
That mobile-esque redesign Twitter pushed out last month? Forget about it: the microblogging is already testing another skin for user profiles — and it looks really familiar. Select users are reporting that their Twitter profiles look now look like a cross between Google+, Pinterest and Facebook, complete with large header photos (up to 1500 x 1500 pixels), left-aligned profile images and flat content cards representing each tweet. The entire redesign is a jarring departure from the Twitter norm, but it’s that last element that proves to be the most disruptive: rather than piling up in the normal vertical fashion, the new card layout allows tweets to lay side by side, a fundamental change in how Twitter displays content. There’s no word yet when or if this profile will available to the majority of Twitter users, but be warned: change is upon us.
[Thanks, @Ben_Haizlip!]
Filed under: Internet, Facebook
Source: Mashable
Must See HDTV for the week of February 11th: Winter Olympics, House of Cards
For the next couple of weeks it will be all-Winter Olympics, all the time, but what about TV that’s not curling, speed skating and some combination of skiing and shooting? Fans of Netflix’s House of Cards have had Valentine’s Day circled for quite a while now, since that’s when season two will make its streaming debut. Non-Olympic sports fans have NBA All-Star weekend and the beginning of Daytona 500 qualifying to look forward to, while games can check out World of Tanks on xbox 360 and Far Cry Classic on Xbox 360 and PS3. Check after the break for trailers plus our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and gaming.
Blu-ray, Streaming movies & Games
- The Jungle Book
- Ender’s Game
- Sherlock (S3)
- The Best Man Holiday
- The Counselor
- The Americans (S1)
- Chicago
- World of Tanks (Xbox 360)
- Far Cry Classic (PS3, Xbox 360)
- The Last of Us: Left Behind DLC (PS3)
Monday
- 2014 Olympic Winter Games, NBC, 8PM
- Almost Human, Fox, 8PM
- The Bachelor, ABC, 8PM
- Hart of Dixie (wonter finale), CW, 8PM
- Switched at Birth, ABC Family, 8PM
- Bitten, Syfy, 8PM
- Top Gear (season premiere), BBC America, 8:30PM
- Questioning Darwin, HBO, 9PM
- The Following, Fox, 9PM
- Being Human, Syfy, 9PM
- Beauty and the Beast, CW, 9PM
- The Fosters, ABC Family, 9PM
- Lost Girl, Syfy, 10PM
- The Devil’s Ride, Discovery, 10PM
- Archer, FX, 10PM
- Castle, ABC, 10PM
- Intelligence, CBS, 10PM
- Chozen, FX, 10:30PM
- Don’t Trust Andrew Mayne, A&E, 11 & 11:30PM
- Inside Comedy: Jonah Hill/Alan Arkin, Showtime, 11PM
Tuesday
- Dads (season finale), Fox, 8PM
- 2014 Winter Olympic Games, NBC, 8PM
- 138th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, USA, 8PM
- Pretty Little Liars, ABC Family, 8PM
- New Girl, Fox, 9PM
- The Goldbergs, ABC, 9PM
- The Biggest Loser (season finale), NBC, 9PM
- American Experience, PBS, 9PM
- Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
- Twisted (winter premiere), ABC Family, 9PM
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fox, 9:30PM
- Trophy Wife, ABC, 9:30PM
- Justified, FX, 10PM
- Killer Women, ABC, 10PM
- Opposite Worlds, Syfy, 10PM
- Cougar Town, TBS, 10PM
- Kroll Show, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
- Are You The One?, MTV, 11PM
Wednesday
- 2014 Winter Olympic Games, NBC, 8PM
- American Idol, Fox, 8PM
- Melissa & Joey, ABC Family, 8PM
- Opposite Worlds, Syfy, 8PM
- WWE Main Event, ION, 8PM
- Baby Daddy, ABC Family, 8:30PM
- Super Fun Night, ABC, 9:30PM
- Workaholics, Comedy Central, 10PM
- Men at Work, TBS, 10PM
- Nashville, ABC, 10PM
- CSI, CBS, 10PM
- Fleming: The Man Who Would be Bond, BBC America, 10PM
- Broad City, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
Thursday
- 2014 Winter Olympic Games, NBC, 8PM
- Nets/Bulls, TNT, 8PM
- American Idol, Fox, 8PM
- The Taste, ABC, 8PM
- Rake, Fox, 9PM
- King of the Nerds, TBS, 10PM
- Thunder/Lakers, TNT, 10:30PM
- Jerks with Cameras, MTV, 10:30PM
Friday
- House of Cards, Netflix
- NBA All-Star Weekend Rising Stars Challenge, TNT, 9PM
- 2014 Olympic Winter Games, NBC, 8PM
- WWE SmackDown, Syfy, 8PM
- Cold Justice, TNT, 8PM
- Enlisted, Fox, 9PM
- Banshee, Cinemax, 10PM
- Helix, Syfy, 10PM
- APB with Troy Dunn, TNT, 11:30PM
Saturday
- 2014 Olympic Winter Games, NBC, 8PM
- NBA All-Star Saturday Night, TNT, 8:30PM
- Atlantis (season finale), BBC America, 9PM
Sunday
- Dayton 500 Pole Qualifying, Fox, 1PM
- 2014 Winter Olympic Games, NBC, 7PM
- 2014 NBA All-Star Game, TNT, 8PM
- The Walking Dead, AMC, 9PM
- True Detective, HBO, 9PM
- Downton Abbey, PBS, 9PM
- Shameless, Showtime, 9PM
- House of Lies, Showtime, 10PM
- Talking Dead, AMC, 10PM
- Girls, HBO, 10PM
- Looking, HBO, 10:30PM
- Episodes, Showtime, 10:30PM
- Comic Book Men, AMC, 11:59PM
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:45PM ET
It’s Tuesday which means it’s time for the Engadget HD Podcast. We hope you’ll join us live when the Engadget HD podcast starts recording at 8:45PM. We knew HBO made money but who knew it was that kind of money? We’ll discuss that, as well as a few Xbox items and our thoughts on Sony getting out of the TV business. Oh, and other top HD news. If you’ll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break — then do everything else you’ll need to do in order to be ready to participate in the live chat.
Time Warner reveals how much money HBO makes, and why it’s not splitting from cable yet
Amazon Prime snags ‘Archer’ and five more Fox series, launches 10 free pilots
Hulu Plus adds new and classic CBS shows, boosts Kids offering with Fraggle Rock spinoff
You can now relive the Beatles’ US invasion on your Apple TV
Xbox One is getting a biographical show about Nas, of course
With Xbox, you can enjoy Bonnaroo from your couch
Xbox One’s first major update split in two, launching in February and March
Xbox One’s second big update focused on multiplayer ahead of Titanfall’s March arrival
Sony sells its VAIO PC business, is splitting TV arm into a separate company
LG cuts the price of its curved OLED TV to a vaguely reasonable $7,000
Comcast’s Xfinity On Demand now sells Warner Bros. movies and TV shows
Comcast is bringing its online Olympics coverage to Xfinity TV subscribers
Must See HDTV for the week of February 11th: Winter Olympics, House of Cards
Filed under: HD
AIVAnet 