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Filed under: Digital Cameras

Now that Nikon has deftly slipped the full frame (FX) D700 into the already tight slot separating its mid-range DX D300 and pro FX D3, we know what you’re thinking. Huh? Fortunately, both Rob Galbraith and DP Review have given this a thorough analysis along with a titillating preview courtesy of DP Review. As Rob puts it, “If you own a D3 and a D300, then you have in two separate bodies most of the key bits and pieces that comprise the D700.” While the choice between the $1,800 D300 and $3,000 D700 is more clear, prospective $5,000 D3 buyers won’t be blamed if they profess a desire to hold-out for the 24.39 megapixel D3X expected within the next 12 months.

Read — Rob Galbraith’s take
Read — DP Review preview

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Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio

The latest label following BMG to join Nokia’s Comes With Music service bandwagon is none other than Warner Music Group. The third-largest label joins the powerful cadre of labels on the service, which as of this posting lacks only EMI for a full major label lineup. As a reminder, the service allows you to download music for 12 months and then keep it as long as you own the device or transfer to a PC. Now, of course, we just need to wait for the devices to roll out.

[Via Yahoo News]

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Filed under: Desktops

AMD just pranced out its latest trio of desktop processors including its new 2.6GHz quad-core Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition ($235) — AMD’s top o’ the line desktop proc. The Black Edition branding makes this processor ideal for tweakers and overclockers. HotHardware’s already done the job of putting the procs through their respective paces. As you’d hope from AMD’s flagship desktop CPU, the X4 9950 is faster across the board than the previous AMD title holder, the X4 9850, albeit, just 5%. That puts it about level with Intel’s Quad Q6600 processor but no match for Intel’s Core 2 Extreme QX9650. AMD continues to lag Intel in terms of performance per watt as well. Hit up the read link when you’re ready to sprinkle a little silicon speak onto your morning ritual.

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Last week, DISH Network’s DTVPal, was made available for purchase. DTVPal is an affordable digital-to-analog converter box required to watch broadcast TV with an analog TV after the Digital Transition on February 17, 2009. For those not familiar with the term, the Digital Transition is when digital TV broadcasts will replace analog TV broadcasts. If [...]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Well, we can finally put the D700 rumors to bed. The beast that houses Nikon’s newest monster (near) full-frame FX format 12.1 megapixel CMOS (not dissimilar from that found in the D3) is officially announced tonight, and it takes UDMA CompactFlash, and comes packing with a live view 3-inch display, 51 point autofocus (with 3D tracking), scene recognition, four-speed active dust reduction, ISO up to 6400, 5 or 8 fps full-res shooting, HDMI out, and a whole lot more. Expect it in July for $3,000 US (for the body).

Also being released are the SB-900 speedlight (August, $500), and the PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED and PC-E Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D lenses (August, $1,800 and $1,740, respectively).

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Filed under: Transportation

Man, Tesla’s been busy today — in addition to the announcement of the Model S and Elon Musk’s promise of a sub-$30K electric car in four years, word on the street is that the company’s inked a deal with Daimler AG to supply it with lithium-ion batteries for upcoming electric cars. Daimler’s CEO has said the company was open to leasing battery tech to get out an electric Smart by 2010 and it’s rumored that the German marque is looking to ditch gas entirely by 2015, so going to Tesla, which has been working on battery tech for some time, isn’t a totally out there proposition. Just a rumor for now — given Tesla’s generally-prickly relationships with others, we’d wait for an official announcement before getting too excited about a Roadster-powered SLR, but it’s certainly intriguing.

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

We’ve been teased with the inevitable launch of the Nikon D700 DSLR, but it looks like our introduction is pretty much here with the nascent of a product presentation video that’s supposed to hit the internets tomorrow. Observe as the nice man rubs the camera and says naughty things in French (hopefully we’ll have a translation soon). He goes on to show off the new interface, quick menus, battery port, pop-up flash, and even gets a nice shot through the new viewfinder. In all seriousness, this is looking like a slick new camera. You’re still looking at around €2,600 ($4,000), a July release, a 12-megapixel sensor, and sensor cleaning system. More information is sure to surface tomorrow when our friends across the pond wake up. Hit the continue link to be taunted a second time.

[Thanks, Pete]

Continue reading Nikon D700 presentation video revealed early, it’s very nice

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Filed under: Displays, Gaming

It’s never clear how a company plans on implementing a given patent, but Sony’s patent application for a haptic touchscreen composed of “tactile pixels” lists former Sony Computer Entertainment chief Phil Harrison as the inventor and makes several references to potential use in “a game device” and to “game events,” so it’s a safe bet that it was at least developed with the PSP in mind. The patent app describes a sophisticated haptic feedback system that goes well beyond the basic rumble of today’s device — the pixels themselves are able to move up and down between two positions, providing direct feedback to user actions. That’s certainly an interesting idea, but like all patent news, we’re not going to hold out hope for it to surface in a consumer device anytime soon — but we’re willing to be surprised, you know?

[Via PSP Fanboy]

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Filed under: Laptops

The non-stop barrage of Eee-branded gear from ASUS continues on today, with the first appearance of the Eee PC 903, 904 (above), and 905. It’s not clear exactly what the differences between the three models are, but as we’ve heard, they’re all basically the Eee PC 901’s Atom-based guts shoved into the Eee PC 1000’s case — which means you’re getting a larger keyboard, but the 8.9-inch display will have a pretty significant bezel around it. As before, final specs and pricing aren’t available, but since these are destined to replace the 900 and 901, we’d expect pricing to remain in the $600 range.

[Thanks, Sascha]

Read - Eee 903
Read - Eee 904 and 905

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Among the many ducks that Sprint (and Verizon?) will need to get in a row in order to launch their own version of HTC’s Touch Pro, FCC certification ranks pretty freakin’ high on the list. No worries, though — it’s all good, because that just happened. An HTC device with model number “RAPH800″ has now popped up in the filing system, featuring CDMA with EV-DO on the 850 and 1900MHz bands. Of course, certification is certainly no indication of when a product’s actually going to launch, but if (heaven forbid) the glossy QWERTY WinMo slider gets delayed, at least we can call out anyone trying to slide the “we’re waiting on FCC clearance” excuse past us.

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