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Not only that: a big-ass telescope that you can attach a camera to.

The Celestron CGE 1400 Aplantic Telescope is not for amateurs, unless you're an amateur with $10,000 to blow on a telescope that looks like it wouldn't fit in most single-car garages. For all you true Astrophotographers out there, the full details are available from Celestron. For those of you who'd rather just make jokes about what Adam Frucci may be looking at, I highly recommend the comments section below.

We just couldn't help ourselves. Qualcomm's Mirasol display technology has the potential to upend the e-book reader market, and possibly even do some warfare with the LCD-based slate PCs we've been seeing out and about. We already did a hands-on with the little 5.7-inch prototype Qualcomm is showing at CES here, which we have a hunch could be Kindle-bound, and now we've got a second, closer look with a full 1080p trained on the display to give you as good as possible of an indication. We also pulled away a few more tidbits about the tech:

• The display could be paired with a capacitive or resistive touchscreen, though it would impair visibility slightly (just as it's been accused of doing with E-ink). A best case scenario is apparently optical touch (like we've see on some all-in-one PCs recently), which has less of an impact.
• There are edge-lighting methods that would allow the display to be illuminated from lights built into the device that could provide even lighting across the display.
• The first display to the market will indeed be this very 5.7-inch, XGA version, which is 240ppi pixel density and a 6x power advantage over E-ink in a typical usage scenario (despite the fact that it's doing full color video).
• Our Qualcomm rep personally views dedicated e-readers as merely a "head fake," and that the category isn't going to be around for long -- which seems to imply that he sees Mirasol being used for a lot more than thumbing through a virtual novel or magazine.

Alright, enough facts? Check out the video after the break, or download the full-res video from the link below!

Download 1080p file (right click to save)

Continue reading Qualcomm Mirasol display video hands-on in glorious 1080p

Qualcomm Mirasol display video hands-on in glorious 1080p originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Say, for a moment, that you're Microsoft and you're on the cusp of releasing a version of the much-maligned Windows Mobile 6.5 that actually made it touch-friendly for once -- but like all WinMo versions before it, you're relying on carriers and manufacturers to wage an inexcusably slow, arbitrary, incomplete upgrade campaign. Wouldn't you think that quietly burying its launch amongst a sea of more interesting (and less controversial) products might be a good idea? Indeed, that appears to be the angle Microsoft is taking at CES by discreetly showing off a Toshiba TG01 and Pharos Traveller loaded with the long-rumored 6.5.3 with "tiles" along the bottom and finger-friendly adjustments throughout the UI. As far as we can tell, this truly is what 6.5 should've been -- in our quick look, we're finally comfortable not having a stylus handy, even on a resistive display. It's still not pretty, but this is a case where function is at least earning its money trying to trump form.

Gallery: Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5.3 shown off very, very quietly

Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5.3 shown off very, very quietly originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 12:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most press kits are given out on USB flash drives at events like this, which is both convenient and pretty cool, since you get a free flash drive! But Monster Cable instead opts for the cheap printed CD-R. Classy. [Giz@CES]

Usually, people know better than to actually use a display toilet, especially one that's on a show floor for an event with tens of thousands of people in attendance. Usually.