Drawback Archive

  • The 5 best features of the HTC EVO 4G

    The 5 best features of the HTC EVO 4G

    Posted on June 2, 2010 | No Comments
    The EVO 4G is a great phone with the notable drawback of its short battery life. But apparently a lot of you don't care judging by the comments on my full review. Fine by me. Even though it doesn't have the battery strength to make it through a day of moderate to heavy usage, there are still some serious advantages to this phone over others. Enough so that some buyers are probably going to camp out their Sprint Store this Friday. Here's my top five favorite features so far, including a few I didn't touch on at all in my review.

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  • Keepin’ it real fake: phoney Armani handset borrows some of that Samsung glamor

    Keepin’ it real fake: phoney Armani handset borrows some of that Samsung glamor

    Posted on May 13, 2010 | No Comments
    When we reviewed the Samsung Omnia II, we forgot to mention one major drawback: the lack of Giorgio Armani branding. Luckily the KIRFmeisters of Shenzhen have picked up where the original manufacturer dropped the ball. And they threw in a QWERTY keyboard to boot! No word on price or availability of the KIRF Samsung Omnia Pro Giorgio, but that's probably for the best. And yes, it has dual SIM cards.

    [Thanks, Hiroshi]

    Update:     Egads! We totally forgot about the actual Samsung Omnia Pro Giorgio! But let's be honest here -- it is highly forgettable.

    Continue reading Keepin' it real fake: phoney Armani handset borrows some of that Samsung glamor

    Keepin' it real fake: phoney Armani handset borrows some of that Samsung glamor originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 May 2010 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Virgin Mobile increases value for prepaid broadband data buckets — $60 for 5GB

    Virgin Mobile increases value for prepaid broadband data buckets — $60 for 5GB

    Posted on March 3, 2010 | No Comments
    Virgin Mobile’s Broadband2Go prepaid 3G data service made a splash last summer by offering no-contract plans that came close to competing with two-year offerings from the likes of Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. The major drawback was that the top plan, at $60, only allowed for 1GB of data usage, whereas you’d get 5GB on a contract plan.

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  • Build (or just buy) your own flying hovercraft

    Build (or just buy) your own flying hovercraft

    Posted on March 2, 2010 | No Comments
    Fancy having your own hovercraft? Want one that'll take off and fly? Well a New Zealand man designed, built, and flies his very own flying hovercraft. The drawback - you have to launch and land from on the water in order to actually be able to fly.

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  • Power Loader: Panasonic venture accepts orders for mecha robot suits (video)

    Power Loader: Panasonic venture accepts orders for mecha robot suits (video)

    Posted on January 28, 2010 | No Comments
    Walking vehicles, also known as mecha, don't play a big role in today's robotics industry, but that might soon change. (You might remember one of the protagonists in Avatar sitting in a mecha, called AMP in the movie, during the final fight.) Now Tokyo-based robot venture Activelink, a Panasonic spin-off company, says it can make one for you, too. The startup has begun accepting orders for their aptly named Power Loader, a power-amplifying robotic suit that enables humans to carry loads of up to 100kg. Users need to strap their feet to the mecha's legs and hold the grips to control the two utility arms. They are then able to lift heavy loads as high as 2m and carry them around.

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  • Thanko’s Micro Sport MP3 Player weighs just 8g (video)

    Thanko’s Micro Sport MP3 Player weighs just 8g (video)

    Posted on January 20, 2010 | No Comments
    Thanko, the Tokyo-based maker of all things USB, sometimes produces gadgets that aren't silly. Today, the company announced the Micro Sport MP3 Player [JP] that's supposed to be especially suitable for people who want to listen to music while doing sports. The only drawback is that the thing doesn't look to be designed for this purpose at all (but maybe that's just me). Integrating one earbud into the main unit might lead to problems.

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  • Why Desktop Touch Screens Don’t Really Work Well For Humans

    Why Desktop Touch Screens Don’t Really Work Well For Humans

    Posted on October 13, 2009 | No Comments
    Hewlett Packard refreshed their TouchSmart line of computers today. If you’re not familiar with these, imagine an iMac all in one computer that has a touch screen, and you’re most of the way there. I really like the TouchSmart line, and use a second generation machine as my main Windows test computer. The touch interface is done via infrared, which is a very cost effective way of creating a touch interface on a large screen. Microsoft, in fact, uses it in their experimental TouchWall product that can make a touch screen of virtually any size wall (more TouchWall footage). Overall I give the TouchScmart top marks – the only drawback is that it is inexplicably heavy at something like 60 lbs., and no one seems to know why. But since it sits on your desk, it’s not like you’re lifting it very often, so it doesn’t really matter. But the machine is still all wrong. Anyone who has used one for a long time will tell you that they quickly revert to using the keyboard and mouse. And it isn’t because of the software or touch technology – both are fine.

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  • Hands-On With Lonely Planet iPhone Guide NYC: Crashy, Handy, Bagel-y

    Hands-On With Lonely Planet iPhone Guide NYC: Crashy, Handy, Bagel-y

    Posted on June 16, 2009 | No Comments
    In order to bring you the best, most in-depth look at the Lonely Planet New York City Guide for the iPhone, I took a week-long trip to the Big Apple. Is there nothing I won’t do for you, the loyal Gadget Lab reader? A little over a week ago we took a quick look at the [...]

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  • Using your iPhone as a photography accessory

    Using your iPhone as a photography accessory

    Posted on June 5, 2009 | No Comments
    Photography is an expensive hobby. Between special lights, making sure your color balance is set right, and never mind the camera, you can spend thousands of dollars on expensive equipment, all to make sure you get that one perfect shot. Now, the clever programmers at Pixelexip have come up with a way you can use your iPhone to make some of those tasks easier (and less expensive).

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  • Dell Studio 14z hands-on

    Dell Studio 14z hands-on

    Posted on May 28, 2009 | No Comments

    We got a quick look at Dell's new Studio 14z thin-and-light, budget-friendly laptop, and were mildly impressed. The thing is lighter than it looks, has a great blend of performance, price, inputs and outputs, and doesn't even look too frumpy to boot. The chiclet-ish keyboard is fine, though not great, and while the lack of Studio XPS-style leather frills and capacitive touch controls might be seen as a drawback to some, we actually like the no-nonsense approach. The inclusion of HDMI, eSATA and an ExpressCard 34 slot are pretty clutch for this form factor and price, and while a cheap external drive might be necessary for occasional use at the desk, the removal of it makes total sense for the target audience of students. Perhaps most astonishing, however, is that Dell has finally figured out that people care what the bottom of their computer looks and feels like -- and this one feels great. It's a whole new world, people.

    Gallery: Dell Studio 14z hands-on

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    Dell Studio 14z hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 May 2009 16:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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