If Danger’s going to switch up its Hiptop platform strategy in the era of Microsoft ownership, you think that it might be to… oh, we don’t know, something even remotely Microsoft-related. Granted, shoehorning Windows Mobile 6.1 onto a Sidekick LX sounds like a match made in hell, but at the very least, they could start with a Windows CE base and attach a bunch of Danger-specific stuff with wood glue until the end result looked familiar to users. Alas, Hiptop3 is reporting its own sources in combination with some telling open job positions and notes from Danger employees to suggest that the upcoming Sidekick LX 2009 — possibly to be known as the Sidekick Blade — will actually feature an entirely new kernel based on NetBSD. Our only guess is that this fancy little project started well before the acquisition completed, and in the interest of getting a thoroughly modern, 3G- and GPS-equipped Sidekick into the market as quickly as possible, maybe Redmond begrudgingly greenlighted the remainder of the project. Good on you, Microsoft.

Filed under: Cellphones

Sidekick LX 2009 running Wind… er, NetBSD? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 05:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It may not be quite the all purpose OS that Windows XP has become, but Windows 7 is certainly proving to at least be a good deal more versatile than its immediate predecessor, and folks just can’t seem to stop testing its limits. One of the latest to be put through the wringer is the Amtek U560 UMPC, which is based on a pre-Atom A100 processor that clocks in at a mere 600MHz. Despite that, however, and the system’s paltry 512MB RAM, the UMPC seems to have been more than up to the task, with it snagging a passable Windows 7 Experience Index rating of 1.2. Head on past the break to check it out in action.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading Windows 7 gets installed on Amtek U560 UMPC, what’s next?

Filed under: Handhelds

Windows 7 gets installed on Amtek U560 UMPC, what’s next? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 04:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo’s 15.4-inch IdeaPad Y530 has been around the block a time or two, but if you’ve been putting off a buy as you wait for someone to test this puppy out good-fashion, your day has arrived. The benchmarking fiends over at HotHardware have abused (in a good way, of course) the Y530 in pretty much every way possible, even straining the Core 2 Duo CPU and the NVIDIA GeForce 9300M to see how they fared in gaming scenarios. Critics were particularly wowed by the display’s crispness and overall stability of the machine — not once during the gauntlet of tests did this bugger crash or weep under pressure. Of course, serious gamers should probably look elsewhere, but those scouting a do-it-all laptop at a sub-$1,000 price point should definitely dive into the read link below.

Filed under: Laptops

Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 tested in every way imaginable originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 02:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that Moblin is out in all of its alpha release glory, we’ve been preparing ourselves mentally and physically for the flood of videos we’re sure to receive as folks start installing the OS all over the place. For our inaugural Moblin Movie, the kids over at Laptop Magazine have got it happily running on a Samsung NC10 and — despite booting off a USB thumb drive — the speed of the thing is pretty impressive. WiFi and ethernet did their thing with minimal effort, the mouse and trackpad worked like a charm, and all in all things look swingin’. But don’t take our word for it — catch the video after the break.

Continue reading Video: Moblin finds a home with the Samsung NC10

Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

Video: Moblin finds a home with the Samsung NC10 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look, we fully understand that only a handful of you were willing to force your kid to pay for their own education while you spent that eight grand in savings on the D3x, but for those hardcore enough to do just that, here’s your venting post. This beast of a DSLR has been rumored, teased and taunted for what seems like ages, and now that the 24.5 megapixel shooter is finally making its way out on armored UPS trucks, we’re anxious to see what early adopters are loving / disappointed in. For starters, was it worth the price? If not, why? What could Nikon have tweaked to justify the sticker (if anything)? Get vocal in comments below!

Filed under: Digital Cameras

How would you change Nikon’s D3x DSLR? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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