series

Pioneer's in-car AVIC F-Series unveiled

Pioneer's AVIC Z-Series has set the standard for in-dash navigation devices over the past couple of years, and so the release of a new line of a new family of products in the AVIC series is big news for car tech fans. The line-up starts with the entry-level AVIC-F700BT, which features a single CD/CD-R/RW playback mechanism, followed by the AVIC-F900BT and the AVIC-F90BT, which are both capable of reading MP3, WMA, iTunes AAC, and WAV audio formats as well as DVD, DivX, and MPEG4 video files.

Unveiled this week, all of the F-Series include flash-memory-based navigation and … Read more

Is this Lenovo's new ThinkPad lineup?

Gizmodo got its hands on what appears to be a photo and detailed specs on Lenovo's lineup of new ThinkPad laptops.

See the photo here.

It looks as though both the T- and R-series of Lenovo laptops will be updated this fall, and even more interesting, the first laptop to come standard with a solid-state drive, super-slim X300, will be part of a larger family of notebooks, including an 12-inch X200, 14-inch X400, and 15-inch X500.

Apparently, there will also be a new notebook series introduced, the W-series, intended as a workstation replacement.

Gizmodo does appear to be hedging … Read more

Sanyo introduces the Pro Series line of Direct Connect phones

Sprint announced a few Nextel Direct Connect phones at CTIA this week, and two of them are courtesy of Sanyo (which is currently part of Kyocera). Part of the new Sanyo "Pro Series" line, the Pro-200 and the Pro-700 are almost identical. Both feature a speakerphone, Bluetooth, Web access, e-mail, GPS, EV-DO, and of course, push-to-talk capability . Neither of them have cameras, but then, they're mostly meant for a work environment anyway. The one difference that sets the two models apart is that the Pro-700 is a military certified handset built to withstand dust, shock, and all … Read more

Championship Gaming Series to open training center in China

As I reported here a few weeks ago, professional video gaming leagues and organizations are hoping that, over time, their industry can be seen as a sport on par with soccer, baseball, football, and so on.

Now, one of those leagues, the Championship Gaming Series, has decided to up the ante by creating a training facility and a dedicated game playing arena in the booming Chinese city of Wuhan.

I talked to Andy Reif, commissioner of the CGS, the other day, and he explained that the idea behind building the training center is essentially that you can't build a … Read more

SXSWi panel: Professional video gaming is the sport of the digital age

AUSTIN, Texas--Professional video gaming could be the next great sport--and the one that will be the choice of the digital generation.

That was the prediction of a panel on the future of the sport at the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) conference here Friday.

Speaking with video game instant-messaging company Xfire's CEO, Adam Boyden, an impressive cross-section of the professional video game industry talked at length about why their chosen sport could join football, baseball, soccer, and basketball at the top of the athletics heap in the future.

Joining Boyden on-stage were Jason Lake, a former property attorney, and … Read more

Sony refreshes Bravia home theater line for 2008

In 2007, Sony extended the previously TV-only Bravia moniker to cover its flagship all-in-one home theater systems for the first time. The branding extension must've been a success, because a new round of Bravia home-theater-in-a-box systems (HTIBs) is on deck for 2008. All four 2008 Bravia models will include the following baseline features. (Where applicable, we've taken the liberty of translating many of the terms from Sony-ese into English.)

Single chassis DVD receiver: The amplifier/receiver includes a built-in five-disc CD/DVD changer, with built-in support for standard Dolby and DTS surround modes. HDMI output: DVDs can be upscaled to 1080p resolution when connected to compatible HDTVs. 5.1 surround sound: Each system includes five satellite speakers and a subwoofer. Bravia Theatre Sync: Sony's implementation of HDMI-CEC lets the system interact with compatible Sony TVs when they're connected via HDMI, automating some processes such as input switching. Digital Cinema Auto Calibration (DCAC): This is simply the company's name for the built-in system that customizes the speaker levels to the particular sonics of your room. Dialogue Audio Enhancer: Otherwise known as "midnight mode," this feature normalizes volume levels for late-night viewing. DM Port compatibility: All Bravia systems include support for Sony's proprietary DM Port accessories: the TDM-NC1 Wi-Fi music streamer, the TDM-NW1 Sony Walkman MP3 player dock, and the TDM-BT1 Bluetooth adapter, all of which must be purchased separately. Outboard iPod dock: The fourth DM Port accessory, the TDM-IP1 iPod dock, is included. Wireless rear speakers: Each Bravia model includes an option to set up the two rear speakers wirelessly. (Whether the wireless speaker accessory is included or needs to be purchased separately varies from model to model.) S-AIR compatibility: New for 2008, the Bravia systems are compatible with Sony's proprietary S-AIR wireless technology, meaning they can stream music to a small speaker system (the AIR-SA10) located elsewhere in the home. (Whether the AIR-SA10 and its companion transmitter is included or needs to be purchased separately varies from model to model.)

Specific details for each system are as follows:… Read more

Walkman E Series gets new wardrobe

Sony has always been all about style (hence the name of its e-tail site). And even though it's been thoroughly trounced by the iPod, it's determined to keep the Walkman off the walker before it's too late, even in its smallest forms.

This is not to say, of course, that it's always successful--quite the opposite, actually. So for those who suffer from occasional lapses in aesthetic judgment, or just change their minds a lot, Sony is offering a version of its E Series MP3 stick players on the Japanese market that can be customized with swappable shells, … Read more

Social shopping site StyleFeeder nets $2 million in funding

StyleFeeder, a social shopping site that aims to do for the retail sector what StumbleUpon did for browsing or Last.fm did for music, has announced that it's pulled in $2 million in Series A venture funding from Highland Capital Partners and Schooner Capital.

The start-up, based in Cambridge, Mass., plans to use the $2 million to hire more employees.

StyleFeeder, which has operated until this point on seed funding, operates a "recommendation engine" for fashionistas based on which products users rate and then purchase through affiliates. Much like other recommendation sites, StyleFeeder then suggests related products … Read more

Eyes-on with JVC's new line of TVs for the U.K.

JVC has previewed its product line-up for the coming year, and top of the list is a selection of LCD TVs that are--you guessed it--very thin. The top-end V series models measure just 39 millimeters at the narrowest point and 74 millimeters at the widest.

The 42DV9 and 46DV9 won't be around until later this year, but when they are they'll bring 42- and 46-inch 1080p televisual delight to U.K. living rooms. Each boasts an 8-bit panel with color bumped up to 12 bit for smoother gradations across colors. (See JVC's line for the U.S. … Read more