Gizmodo: a5

Archos Android Tablet Price and Pictures Leak

Dan Nosowitz — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT

Archos's 4.8-inch-screened A5 series (the A stands for Android!) has already been given the FCC treatment, and now retailer B&H has listed the price and capacities of the device ahead of its September 15th launch.

Looks like the A5 will come in two flash and two hard drive capacities, with a 16/32GB SSD or a 160/500GB HDD. Prices are $294 for the 16GB, $370 for the 32GB, $320 for the 160GB and $420 for the 500GB. The A5 is rumored to have 720p video output, but like the Zune HD, you'll have to buy a dock, and the A5's is a pricey one with DVR functionality at $130. We'll keep you updated once the product is officially announced on September 15th. [ArchosFans via Engadget]

Fold-Up Plane Finally Shown Folding Up

Mark Wilson — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:45:00 EDT

At last week's EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, aircraft startup ICON showed up with their folding-winged A5. On display, one setup showed it being towed, propped on a standard trailer and pulled by a standard vehicle. The company hopes to appeal to those who've always been interested in flying but have felt intimidated by all of its attached responsibilities including licensing (you don't need a full-out pilot's license to operate this) and storage (it really can fit in a large garage). And yes, their cockpit resembles a car's dash in a completely scary/awesome way. Here's our full gallery from the event:

The ICON A5 has been flown successfully, but a funny side note—the company announced the plane before testing it in the air. Good thing it works!

Foldable Airplane Is Designed For Thrill-Seeking Wusses

Mark Wilson — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:40:00 EDT

The ICON A5 is a light sport airplane (LSA) designed for everyday people (who happen to have enough money for not only a second car but a first plane). Aside from the fact that an LSA takes less training to pilot, the A5 focuses on the little things that almost make the idea of owning a plane feasible—easier storage and death-free landings.

Because when the A5 isn't being flow around...wherever people fly these days...its wings can fold up (manually or automatically) for storage in a large garage—which makes a lot of sense for a plane that features a dash that more closely resembles a car than a jet.

But maybe the best part is that the A5 comes with a parachute for the whole plane. So if you are too nervous/inebriated to land, just let the wonder of cloth do the work for you, landing you safely on someone's roof (and subsequently their living room). Order yours today for a refundable $5,000 deposit. [ICON via popmech]

Gizmodo Theme Song Winner

Travis Hudson — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:45:27 EST

Congrats to Tekmo and K.O. who won the pair of Audioengine A5 speakers in our Theme Song contest. It was a tight race and their song edged another song by seven votes. Hit the jump to hear the winning tune.

Thanks again to everyone who submitted entries and to Audioengine for sponsoring this contest.

Hey, you! Go Vote for a Theme Song!

Travis Hudson — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 16:15:36 EST

Our Theme Song Contest finished up last week and after narrowing down the entries to the top nine or so we leave it to you, the readers, to vote for a winner and potentially a theme song that will appear in our original content videos.

So, follow the link below to listen and vote (if you haven't already). Thanks to Audioengine for sponsoring this contest and to everyone who submitted entries.

Gizmodo Theme Song Contest: Vote for the Winner

Travis Hudson — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 13:56:14 EST

The Gizmodo Theme Song Contest finished up last week. I compiled nine of the better entries and now leave it to you, the readers, the vote for the winner. The winner will receive of pair of Audioengine A5 speakers valued at $350. Big thanks to Audioengine for sponsoring this contest. Now, hit the jump to listen to all of the entries and vote for the winner. Voting ends on Wednesday.

Gizmodo Theme Song Contest—2 Days Left!

Travis Hudson — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 18:35:35 EST

Our theme song contest is still going strong. Don't know what I'm talking about, it's okay. Hit the link after the jump to find out all of the details and hear a sample of a song from Josh S. and JahFurry. Contest ends Friday. Thanks to Audioengine for sponsoring this contest.

Gizmodo Theme Song Contest

Gizmodo Theme Song Contest: Day 4

Travis Hudson — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 15:45:11 EST

This is a quick reminder that our Gizmodo Theme Song contest is still going on. Follow the link to find out what you need to do to win, and what prize we are giving away. Thanks to Kevin for his entry below—nothing wrong with some good old fashion softcore porn background music.

Thanks to Audioengine for sponsoring this contest.

Gizmodo Theme Song Contest Reminder

Travis Hudson — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 15:06:18 EST

Only one day into our Gizmodo Theme Song Contest and we are already have quite a few entries. To clarify it again, make sure your theme song is no longer than 30 seconds in length. We've received quite a few songs that consist of mostly techno loops with a robot voice saying "Gizmodo" in the background—not really theme song material. Below is an example of one of the more impressive theme songs we have received.

Thanks to "Big Phony" for submitting this little song. Follow the linkage below to get all of the details about the Gizmodo Theme Song Contest including what we are giving away to the winner. Thanks to Audioengine for sponsoring this contest.

Gizmodo Theme Song Contest

Travis Hudson — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 15:14:32 EST

Gizmodo readers are a melodic and creative bunch, and of course, you all love the Giz. The best way to show off this deep affection and talent is to enter the Gizmodo theme song contest.

The prize? We're giving away a pair of the Audioengine A5 book-shelf speakers. These are the same excellent speakers that I reviewed , and they happen to be valued at $350.

Here's how to win em: write and produce a Gizmodo theme song. Put that thing together, make sure it is no longer than 30 seconds, save it in an MP3 format and shoot it over to contests@gizmodo.com with Gizmodo Theme Song in the subject line. The contest ends next Friday, November 10. If the winning entry is good enough, we may even feature it as background music in some unboxing video in the future.

All of the standard Gawker Contest Rules apply. Big thanks goes out to Audioengine for sponsoring this contest.

Audioengine A5 Reviewed (Verdict: Diamond in the Rough)

Travis Hudson — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:19:21 EST

At first glance I was skeptical about the Audioengine A5 bookshelf-style speaker system. But once I received my unit and opened up the box I knew something was a bit different. First and foremost, the individual components were wrapped is cloth bags in the box rather than not wrapped at all or in traditional plastic zip bags. They have to be something special to be wrapped in cloth!

Jump for the full review of the speakers, and to find out how you can get a pair of these bad boys for yourself (for free).

Sound
The A5 speakers sound better than most speakers this size. It gives out rich, vibrant sound and good bass. There is even an option for an external subwoofer to be added to these already exceptional-sounding speakers with a sub-out connection

Each speaker has a five-inch Kevlar woofer and 20mm tweeter. The left speaker houses amplifiers for both speakers and the power supply, making it a bit heavier. The amplifier delivers 45 watts per channel with a frequency response of 60Hz to 22KHz. The beefy power supply also allows the optional auxiliary power input on the backside—Airport Express, anyone?

The line-in allows any kind of audio device to be plugged into the A5's, although it is apparent, especially with the included USB port, that these were designed with the iPod user in mind. The bit rate of the MP3 being played will determine the audio quality that is outputted. The higher the bit rate, the better the quality, but regardless the sound coming from the A5's are exceptional compared to other similar style speakers in the same price range. The Apple Hi-Fi doesn't have shit on these bookshelf speakers.

Design
As I mentioned previously, right out of the box I knew these speakers were something special. I guess I have just had to tear through way too many plastic bags during my time at Giz and I can really appreciate a company putting enough care and thought into cloth wrapping their speakers for shipment.

The speakers do not have grills covering the speakers, but they do not need them. In my opinion the speakers look better when you can actually see the audio components that output the sound.

The A5's are a tad heavy, but that is due to the integrated amp and power supply. I don't intend on taking these with me jogging, anyway.

I paired my A5's up with the Belkin Tunecommand AV for the iPod for a nice bookshelf speaker system for my office. A dock is not required for these to function with the iPod, it just makes it look prettier.

Bottom Line
The engineers at Audioengine has put a lot of work into making the A5's some of the best book-shelf style speakers out there. They are available for $350, which may sound like a lot for bookshelf speakers, but the A5's provide an exceptional sound capable of pleasing the ears of any audiophile. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Audioengine]

Oh, and about getting a pair of these for free. This is just a hint if you made it to the bottom of the review, but we will be giving away a pair of these starting tomorrow, stay tuned for details.