Canon's upcoming 5D Mark III firmware update brings uncompressed HDMI output support, enhanced AF functionality

Proud owners of that sleek and relatively powerful Mark III will be happy to know Canon has just announced a firmware update for its flagship 5D model. The Japanese camera maker is touting this upcoming release as one that will bring clean HDMI-out support to the EOS shooter, which should be great for folks who would like to monitor their recordings in real time. Additionally, Canon's improved the Mark III's AF functionalities yet again; this time out by enabling the unit's auto focus system to adequately adjust to the type of lens that it is paired with. Unfortunately, it looks like users will have to wait a little while to install the new firmware, as the company won't be making it available until April of next year -- at which point it can be grabbed from the soon-to-be bookmarked source link below.

[Source: Engadget]

Nikon 1 V2 unveiled: 14.2 megapixel ILC shoots 15fps stills for $899.95 in November

It was just over a year ago when Nikon first dipped its toe into mirrorless waters with its first two 1 System cameras, the V1 and J1. Now, the company has released the V1's successor, the aptly named V2. Like its elders, the V2 has a 1200fps slo-mo capture mode, a 3-inch LCD display on the back, a high-res (1.4 million dot) electronic viewfinder, and does 1080/30p and 1080/60i video capture (Alas, 4K recording capability didn't make the cut). Unlike the V1, the V2 comes in only black or white and uses an upgraded 14.2-megapixel CMOS sensor with an ISO range of 160-6,400. It also packs a new Expeed 3A image processor in tandem with Nikon's Advance Hybrid AF to deliver higher speed shooting. That autofocus system is comprised of 73 phase detect sensors and 135 contract detect sensors, which enables the V2 to capture stills at up to 15fps for 45 continuous frames -- and it can shoot 60 frames continuously using fixed focus.

[Source: Engadget]

HP fills in pricing and availability details for its sprawling Windows 8 line-up

HP has just announced pricing and availability for its burgeoning Windows 8 lineup of hybrid PCs, notebooks, all-in-ones, desktops and business PCs. The company seem to be wooing every niche out there with a huge (and confusing) array of products running the newfangled OS, and though we already knew the score on many, the picture is now (almost!) complete. The 11.6-inch Envy x2 hybrid (shown above), powered with an Intel Clover-Trail flavored Atom processor will come on the scene on November 14th starting from $850, for instance, and we also have the scoop on the HP Envy TouchSmart Ultrabook 4, HP Phoenix h9 desktop PC and HP Pavilion dm1 (with new 4G connectivity) after the break. Finally, HP still hasn't released pricing or details on its once-mysterious ElitePad 900 business tablet, but they did say that customers who nab one early next year will receive a 50GB Box cloud storage account, gratis.

[Source: Engadget]

Nintendo reports continued first-half losses for 2012, is waiting on the Wii U

Nintendo's reported its financial results for the first of half of the year, and things are still a little rocky. Net sales in the last six months have decreased 6.8 percent compared to the same point last year, while net income continues to drop, this time by 27,996 million yen. As of September 2012, Nintendo has now sold over 22 million 3DS units (three million more since last quarter), while the Wii remains just shy of the 100 million milestone, settling at 97.2 million units sold. Nintendo looks to be in a similar position to last year, with customers still waiting for the company's next big console to appear -- and the gamesmaker hoping they will. Laying blame at the strong yen, the company has dramatically cut its forecast for the rest of the year, down from 20 billion ($250 million) to 6 billion yen ($75 million), pinning its hopes on 3DS sales ahead of the Wii U's global launch later this year.

[Source: Engadget]

Digital Storm Bolt stuffs full-power graphics into a mini gaming desktop, stretches laws of physics

Attempts to create truly small gaming desktops usually involve at least some kind of performance hit. Even HP's category-bending Firebird, one of the few stand-out examples, had to use toned-down graphics to succeed in a tiny enclosure. Digital Storm might have broken the trend towards sacrifice with its new Bolt desktop: although it's just 3.6 inches wide and 14 inches tall, the Bolt can cram in as much as a GeForce GTX 680 and will even let gamers upgrade the graphics like they would in a full-size PC. The seemingly logic-defying (if also finger-defying) case still allows room for as much as an overclocked 4.6GHz Core i7, 16GB of RAM and storage options that meld a spinning hard drive with up to two SSDs and a DVD burner. Digital Storm isn't even setting an absurd base price, but it's in the cost that we finally see the catch to the miniaturization tricks. The $999 entry-level Bolt carries a modest 3.1GHz Core i3, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and GeForce GTX 650 Ti, while it takes a staggering $1,949 to get a fully decked-out Core i7 system with a GTX 680. Those prices might be worthwhile for anyone who has ever strained while lugging a traditional tower to a game tourney.

[Souce: Engadget]

Apple introduces new Smart Cover for iPad mini

Not a huge surprise here, but Apple has also introduced a new Smart Cover for the iPad mini. The new smaller version does away with the metal hinge found on its larger counterpart, and again comes in a variety colors -- six, to be specific, including a Product RED model.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple announces iPad Mini with a 7.9-inch, 1,024 x 768 display

There it is, the long-telegraphed iPad mini has just been announced at Apple's late-2012 press conference. The 7.9-inch display device has the same 1,024 x 768 resolution as the iPad 2, which doesn't bode well for the elder slate's future. The new hardware is 7.2mm thick, .68 pounds heavy and has been manufactured with a new process with the same anodized edges as the iPhone 5. While Phil Schiller didn't mention the Nexus 7 or Google directly, he compared the new device against its rival in terms of its app library and screen size. He claimed that the .9-inch increase in diagonal space gives Apple's slate 35 percent more display area than Google and ASUS' collaboration.

If you were hoping for equal specifications to the current-generation iPad, you'll be mildly disappointed. The iPad Mini has Apple's A5 CPU, although it will run LTE and has a 5-megapixel camera. The lack of retina display may contribute to the reported 10-hours of battery life, despite its small size. For the base 16GB, WiFi only model, it'll set you back $329, while the 16GB, LTE version costs around $130 more per model. The WiFi models will begin to ship November 2nd.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple announces 4th generation iPad

It's not quite what we expected, but Apple has just introduced us to a new, 4th generation iPad at it's event in San Jose, California today.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple iPad sales topped 100 million two weeks ago

Just a couple years after creating the product line, Apple announced today it has already notched its 100 millionth iPad sold. While we're still expecting to see a new, smaller model unveiled today Apple is leading off its tablet talk with some chest thumping. According to its stats, it sold more iPads in the June quarter than any one PC manufacturers sold of their entire lineup, a hefty feat even if you take into account customers waiting for Windows 8.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple introduces 'Fusion Drive' as a build-to-order option for the new iMac

So you want the performance of an SSD with the extra storage of a good 'ole HDD? Apple has you covered with Fusion Drive for its new iMac. Unlike a standalone hybrid drive Apple is apparently "fusing" together the a separate SSD and HDD using software in Mountain Lion

[Source: Engadget]

Apple unveils next-generation iMac with slimmer design and Ivy Bridge

Who said Apple's event was all about the little things? Apple just unveiled its first redesign to its iMacdesktop in three years. The new all-in-one makes the widely expected leap to Intel's Ivy Bridge Core i5 and Core i7 processors, but also represents a much leaner and meaner replacement for the 2009-era template -- its edges just 5mm thick, and it's constructed with "friction stir welding" as well as a gapless, less reflective display that's laminated together with the glass. Screen sizes remain the same and include both a 21.5-inch, 1080p model and a 27-inch, 2,560 x 1,400 model -- sorry, no Retina displays this year. They share 720p-capable front cameras with dual mics as well as NVIDIA's GeForce 600-era graphics, up to 3TB of spinning storage (or a 768GB SSD) and a maximum 32GB of RAM.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple Mac Mini specs updated in two new flavors

Apple's smallest desktop, the Mac Mini, is getting a spec update just one year after its last refresh. Apple's rolling out two new Mac Minis with varying storage and processing capabilities -- first a $599 model with 2.5GHz spec with 4GB of RAM and 500GB HDD, and second a $999 server model with a 2.3GHz Core i7 with 4GB of RAM and dual 1TB HDDs.

[Source: Engadget]