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Saturday 30 April 2011
Digi WWWOW Award
SIM-sized satellites to lift off with Endeavour this afternoon
They won't be beaming GPS or radio signals back to Earth anytime soon, but these one-inch-square satellites could one day travel to distant planets -- without fuel. Developed over a period of three years by a team of undergraduates at Cornell University, the Sprite chips could eventually be used for communication, flying in clusters like tiny space plankton. After hitching a ride on-board the final space shuttle Endeavour mission this afternoon, the three prototype satellites will be mounted outside the International Space Station, where they'll sit for the next few years, exposed to conditions found only beyond our atmosphere. Perhaps someday we'll even see some "Spprite" KIRFs by the time China's own space station is ready to hit the launchpad in 2020.
Formula 1 cars set to go all electric in the pit lane from 2013 onwards, racing purists outraged already
Formula 1, the pinnacle of gas-powered racing, is more often at odds with the eco-conscious electric car movement than in tune with it, but here's an exception to that rule. The FIA, the sport's governing body, announced back in December of last year a move to a hybrid four-cylinder turbocharged engine, which is still on track to be introduced in the 2013 season, and Williams boss Adam Parr has now enlightened us on some of the benefits of the new power setup. Noting that future cars' kinetic energy recovery system will be four times as powerful as on current models, Parr says enough electric juice will be available to power each one-seater through its journey into and out of the pit lane. That would mean that at least for the tame, speed-restricted portions of a race, the F1 gas guzzlers you know and love will be humming along in almost perfect silence while using good old electricity. Unfortunately, it's exactly that lack of vroom vroom that old timers like Bernie Ecclestone and Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo are afraid of, describing the new hybrid stuff as sounding "terrible" and insisting on the sport sticking to its V8 roots. Then again, as Parr says, if you don't move with the times, the times leave you behind.
VIA Engadget, CNET
SOURCE Reuters
Intel touts 50Gbps interconnect by 2015, will make it work with tablets and smartphones too
Woah there, Mr. Speedy. We've barely caught up with the 10Gbps Thunderbolt interconnect, debuted in the new Macbook Pro, and now Intel's hyperactive researchers are already chattering away about something five times faster. They're promising a new interconnect, ready in four years, that will combine silicon and optical components (a technology called silicon photonics) to pump 50Gbps over distances of up to 100m. That's the sort of speed Intel predicts will be necessary to handle, say, ultra-HD 4k video being streamed between smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes and TVs. Intel insists that poor old Mr. Thunderbolt won't be forced into early retirement, but if we were him we'd be speaking to an employment lawyer right about now.
VIA Engadget, TG Daily
SOURCE IDG News (PC World)
White iPhone 4 thickness creates issue for case makers, owners
By now you've probably seen the latest spectacle to consume the white iPhone 4: it's thicker than the black model. The image above illustrates the point using a piece of lead from a mechanical pencil. So what, you say, in righteous indignation to a device that shipped ten months late. Well, the size difference creates a potential consumer issue since cases (at least the good ones) are manufactured against the tight tolerances supplied by Apple. We've confirmed ourselves, that an Incase slider that fits a black iPhone 4 just fine has to be forced into place on the new white model. Unfortunately, Apple's own spec page doesn't highlight the change in thickness (measured at 9.5mm by TiPb). Instead it still shows a 9.3mm depth with a tiny disclaimer stating, "Actual size and weight vary by configuration and manufacturing process." The result is confusion -- will this case fit or won't it? -- which is never a good thing for consumers.
But why is the white iPhone 4 thicker? Phil Schiller mentioned that Apple needed to add extra UV protection among other tweaks, in an attempt to reduce the "unexpected interactions" between the white cover and the internal components. As such, Apple apparently needed to sacrifice some slimness for a better functioning white phone. In the end, we have what looks to be four different size / button configurations that must be considered when purchasing a shrink-wrapped case for your white iPhone 4, black iPhone 4, white Verizon iPhone 4, or black Verizon iPhone 4. Good luck with that.
VIA Engadget
More Coverage Mac Rumours, TiPB
LG's MeeGo smartphone and tablet prototypes to be demonstrated next month
VIA Engadget
SOURCE Meego Experts
Friday 29 April 2011
Samsung Galaxy S II review
If you don't already know all about the Samsung Galaxy S II, where have you been the past two months? The successor to one of the most popular Android handsets to date carries a burden of expectation almost as sizable as its 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen. It promises to be thinner, lighter, and faster than the Galaxy S that preceded it, while garnishing Android 2.3.3 with a set of TouchWiz customizations that might actually enhance, rather than hinder, the user experience. As such, the Galaxy S II earns Samsung full marks for ambition, but does this slinky new smartphone live up to its interstellar hype? Continue your read here.
SOURCE Engadget
Ubuntu 11.04 'Natty Narwhal' brings new Unity UI, controversy to the desktop
VIA Engadget
SOURCE Ubuntu
Sunday 24 April 2011
Dell's 10-inch Android and Windows tablets get names, specs, release dates
Well, well, what have we here? A pair of 10-inch Dell tablets, one running Windows 7 on those fancy new Oak Trail chips from Intel and the other pushing Android 3.0 with a Tegra T25. We already saw these devices leaked in February, but now we have some specs and release dates. The Wintel powered Latitude ST boasts a resolution of 1366 x 768, 2GB of RAM, up to a 128GB SSD, GPS, an accelerometer, both front- and rear-facing cameras, an 8-hour removable battery, and "1080p video output," which we assume means HDMI-out. The Android-flavored Streak Pro opts for a 1200 x 800 panel, but keeps the pair of cameras (and two mics) for video chats, while adding an unspecified mobile broadband radio and slathering Dell's Stage UI on top of Honeycomb (whether or not that's a good thing is purely a matter of taste). Pricing is still up in the air, but the leaked roadmap indicates the Streak Pro will land in June, followed by the Latitude XT3 convertible tablet in July, and the Latitude ST in October.
VIA NetbookNews, Engadget
SOURCE AndroidCentral
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 shows up online, looks freakishly thin
ThinkPad aficionados mourning the loss of the X300 series of ultraportable laptops might have something mighty fine to look forward to in the near future. A ThinkPad X1 has shown up at Swiss e-tailer Tell IT systems and other online locations, replete with a 2.5GHz Core i5-2520M CPU, a 160GB SSD, a 13.3-inch Gorilla Glass screen, and as you can see above, a profile thin enough to rival the likes of the Samsung Series 9 and Apple MacBook Air. The X1 is said to be 21.5mm thick, so it doesn't quite match those crazy cats, but -- provided we're not looking at an extremely elaborate hoax here -- it'll still be the thinnest ThinkPad by far when it launches. One 8GB stick of RAM, an SDXC card reader, and a 1366 x 768 resolution fill out the list of salient specs, while a price of 2,585 CHF ($2,920 / RM8 789.56) sits alongside a promised delivery date of May 20th on Tell IT's website. You'll find a couple more images of Lenovo's purported new bread slicer after the break.
The GigaPan Epic Pro has been privy to the making of some pretty monumental and highly detailed panoramic images, and now the gigapixel gadget is getting an upgrade. The latest firmware update to the robotic camera mount brings even more exposures per position, a "dedicated mirror lock-up" for bulky lenses, and a time display that tells you how long it will take to work its panoramic magic. Among other things, the update also includes a set of new aspect ratios and the ability to take time lapse panoramas. If you're already packing a GigaPan Epic Pro, you can download the update at the source link below for free -- a brand new rig, on the other hand, will set you back a substantial $900 (RM2709.10). That ain't cheap, but there's a reason it's called the GigaPan Epic Pro. Full PR after the break.
Mitsubishi i MiEV priced to move, rolls out slowly across US
Saturday 23 April 2011
Ford makes list of the 25 most EV-friendly cities, still likes selling cars to residents elsewhere
So, you saw a Volt, Leaf, or Focus Electric and were convinced to go green, but are unsure whether your local municipality is as eco-friendly as you are. Well, Ford has done your homework for you (without even demanding your lunch money in return), and identified the "25 Most Electric Vehicle-Ready Cities" in the US. What makes a metropolis worthy of such status in the eyes of the Blue Oval boys? A utilities structure that allows off-peak charging, for starters, plus reduced red tape for getting your EV permits and inspections, incentives for offsetting up-front customer costs, urban plans for charging infrastructure, and EV-friendly city advisory committees. If your town's lacking in those areas, perhaps it's time to give your city counsel a ring -- part of being an eco-warrior is political activism, right? PR's after the break.
Friday 22 April 2011
Gigabyte G1.Sniper X58 review
In a previous review I already mentioned that the Intel X58 chipset is a gift that keeps on giving, like a Duracell battery that keeps on going. Well, it's not so much the chipset rather then the stuff designed around it that keeps it going.
Two and a half years after its release new products still flood the market based on this chipset and as it seems, it's getting more and more high-end with each motherboard release we receive and test.
I mean you guys read the ASUS rampage III Black edition review not to long ago, and now it's time to go to Gigabyte. They decided to spice up and refresh their X58 series motherboards as well, armed with a snazzy marketing theme they wanted to build something for the true gamer and not so much the uber hardcore overclock -- and that might just work out really well for them.
And with much success, the Killer series was born, with good looks, excellent performance, great overclockability and then in addition to it all extra's, adding a SATA 6G controller, USB 3.0, but also the BigFoot KillerNIC has been integrated into this motherboard, and... Realtek audio? Heck it's been kicked out. There's actually a fully fetched Creative Labs X-Fi (20K2) DSP mounted into the motherboard to bring better audio capability into your PC. All in all it's a very impressive motherboard not only features wise, yet also in terms of sheer design. The motherboard as tested today actually brings back memories of the early X58 motherboards from eVGA styling wise with the black PCB and the green colored PCie slots. And considering these are good memories, heck have a look yourself, meet the Gigabyte G1 Sniper gaming edition motherboard as the design is a sheer class on its own.
Two weeks ago they already brought you a quick overview of the entry level Radeon HD 6450, well guess what ? AMD has more on the table. Three cards are now officially released in the low-end segment, namely the AMD Radeon HD 6670, HD 6570 and 6450.
All small, cute and tiny products that have been released by AMD to address a sizable market.. Products that could be handy for desktop usage and hey now, it might sit mighty fine in a HTPC.
The Radeon HD 6400/6500 and 6600 series addresses the low-level market yet AMD has decided to double the number of stream processors available to the Caicos (6400) core over previous products and Turks for the 6500 and 6600 series. All these cards come with:
- Graphics core DirectX® 11
- Eyefinity displays Up to 3
- Low Board Power
- Frame Buffer 512MB-1GB
- Memory Type GDDR5/DDR3
- Available Display outputs HDMI 1.4, DP 1.2, DVI, VGA.
- Form factor Low profile
- Thermal Active or Passive cooling
The three low-segment series 6000 cards"
Radeon HD 6450 -- All the graphics card have a 40nm based GPU and start at a very decent 160 SPs, as well as 8 texturing units, 16 Z/Stencil ROP units and 4 color ROP units for the 6450. The clock frequencies will vary based on models, ranging from 625 towards 725 MHz. The card can now be configured with faster GDDR5 memory, AMD is now allowing for up to 1GB of GDDR5 video buffer to be installed that can be clocked between 800MHz and 900MHz. The TDP is 20W for the DDR3 models adn 27 Watt for the GDDR5 models.
Radeon HD 6570 -- All the graphics card have a 40nm based GPU and start at a very decent 480 SPs, as well as 24 texturing units, 32 Z/Stencil ROP units and 8 color ROP units for the 6570. The clock frequencies will be 650 MHz. The card is configured with faster GDDR5 memory or could as well be equipped with DDR3 memory, AMD is now allowing 512 up to 1GB of GDDR5 video buffer to be installed that can be clocked between 800MHz and 900MHz. This card will have a 44W TDP.
Radeon HD 6670 -- All the graphics card have a 40nm based GPU, the transistor count for his model is 716M and is comes with at a very decent 480 SPs, as well as 24 texturing units, 32 Z/Stencil ROP units and 8 color ROP units for the 6670. The clock frequency will be 800 MHz. The card is configured with faster GDDR5 (4000 MHz effective) memory, AMD is now allowing 512 or 1GB of GDDR5 video buffer to be installed allowing it a 64 GB/s bandwidth. This card will have a 66W TDP.
The Radeon HD 6670 is the card we'll briefly review today.
Continue reading at guru3d
SOURCE: guru3d
GeForce ForceWare 270.61 WHQL Released
This is the first WHQL-certified release from the Release 270 family of drivers (versions 270.xx to 274.xx). You can read more about this family of drivers on GeForce.com.
This driver package supports GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500-series desktop GPUs as well as ION desktop GPUs. This driver package also includes the 3D Vision Controller driver.
Razer Hydra motion controller gets summer release, Portal 2 bundle
Remember the Razer Hydra controller that let you materialize portals with a real electromagnetic orb? Those motion sensing sticks will be available for pre-order in May and will go on sale in June, two months after this week's release of Portal 2, the game it was first demoed with. However, Razer'll still charge you for a copy of the murderous robot game if you want the fancy gizmo, as it's pricing the bundle at $140 -- understandably more expensive that the "below $100" price that it was targeting for the controller alone. Two months is a pretty long time to wait to play the already-available title, and Razer isn't offering any info on a standalone version of the Sixense-based magnetic peripheral. On the upside, though, Joystiq got its hands on a list of compatible titles, which includes 122 games on top of the aforementioned sequel.
Tuesday 19 April 2011
White iPhone 4 used to demo new multitasking, Spotlight search in 'test version' of iOS? (video)
We've just laid eyes on a video from the prolific leaksters over at Tinhte, who claim they not only have a white iPhone 4 from Apple, but it's one with a "test version" of iOS that nobody else has yet seen. It's difficult to ascertain how legitimate this software is -- it could just be a neatly done jailbreak mod -- but that site has a track record of getting its hands on Apple gear ahead of the pack. With that said, the multitasking menu shown here substitutes the current use of apps' icons to represent them with a visual of each app's open window. You can tap on a window to expand it (replete with animation) to fill the screen or long-press on it to bring up the familiar "x" button for shutting it down. This is all accompanied by a new "Search iPhone" dialog at the very top, which sends you into Spotlight search that looks very much the way it currently does (though it seems to no longer be accessible with a left swipe from the first homescreen as on previous versions of iOS). Jump past the break for the video.
Update: A second video has been uncovered, this one showing that we're looking at a prototype unit and taking us on a tour around its body. A visit to the Settings menu shows a 64GB storage capacity, while app folder creation is also handled a little differently from iOS 4. The presence of the Touch Fighter app on this phone, which Apple built to show off the capabilities of earlier versions of the handset, and other internal-looking software seems to point to this indeed being some form of iOS beta build. Of course, it might not be iOS 5 at all, but simply a never-released version of iOS 4. All we know for sure is that the video's after the break.
Erase a CD like a boss (video)
And here we thought that electricity was only good for reanimating monsters. Video after the break.
Panasonic chains Toughbook to a snowmobile, shows signs of life post-torture (video)
We've never questioned the rigidity of Panasonic's Toughbook line -- after all, we've been shown just how rugged these things are time and time again -- but a new video from the company is just too clever to pass over. Sure, it hardly makes any clearer what's already clear, but just in case you were still having doubts, Panny's Toughbook line is mighty tough. As in, tough enough to survive being towed behind a snowmobile in bitterly cold conditions. Unfortunately, the company only shows the screen lighting up after the ride's done, so there's still the possibility that the keyboard is totally shot -- but hey, props for being alive at all, right? Have a look yourself in the video above.
VIA Engadget
SOURCE YouTube (Panasonic)
Apple spent nearly $5.7b on Samsung parts in 2010, faces 'strong' response to its patent suit
Want some numerical context to last night's revelation that Apple is suing Samsung Electronics for copying the iPhone and iPad? How does $5.7 billion sound? That's how much Apple spent on buying up parts from Samsung last year, according to the AFP, which cites the Cupertino company as Samsung's second-biggest client after Sony. Given the breadth of Samsung's component manufacturing, these expenditures can and probably do span everything from flash storage and RAM to processing chips to displays. What's fascinating here -- and illustrative of the psychopathic nature of corporations -- is that in spite of this massive interdependency, Apple's lodged a broadly worded patent assault on a major prong of Samsung's business (smartphones and tablets) and now Samsung's been quoted as saying it has "no choice but [to] respond strongly." A company official has apparently expressed the belief that Apple may be infringing on some of Samsung's wireless patents, which means we can probably look forward to another fat batch of papers being submitted to the Northern District of California court. Lovely.
VIA Engadget
SOURCE AFP (Yahoo! News)
HECTOR insect-inspired hexapod walking robot is a smooth operator (video)
We've seen some rather nightmare-inducing robots inspired by insects, but, once again, the folks at Germany's Bielefeld University have managed to turn something inherently creepy into a rather lighthearted affair. HECTOR, or hexapod cognitive autonomously operating robot, was designed to help its creators understand how exactly real animals manage to move so gracefully. Physically speaking, HECTOR sports six legs, with 18 joints in total, that protrude from an exoskeleton made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic. Its legs are given a rather life-like range of motion provided by a special set of "elastic joint drives" and a series of "biologically inspired" algorithms, and its exoskeleton can carry a load weighing 30 kilograms -- the robot itself weighs a mere 12 kilograms. What's more, HECTOR's built to learn from its experiences. Okay, so a three foot robotic insect that can carry nearly three times its weight does sound kind of creepy in retrospect, but HECTOR really does have some smooth moves. You can see for yourself in the video after the break.
Fastec's DSLR-sized TS3Cine does 720p at 720fps for $30,000
For years, consumers have been able to shoot slow-motion videos -- mostly with the help of Casio's line of slightly gimmicky point-and-shoots. But Fastec's TS3Cine aims for a more discerning customer -- the kind of videographer who might spice up a promo or short with some slow-mo action. Unlike Casio's cameras, which cut the resolution to little more than thumbnail-size as you crank the frame rate, the TS3Cine does 720p video at 720fps, and 1280 x 1024 at 500fps. It's only when you further slow down the video (up to 20,000fps) that the image size starts to shrink. This camera also has a badass design, pairing a DSLR-like body with a gargantuan 7-inch WVGA LCD that effectively eliminates the need for an external monitor. Pros have their choice of a C-Mount, F-Mount, and optional SL-Mount, and can upgrade to a 256GB SSD for a cool two grand if the standard 128GB one isn't roomy enough. It also has Gigabit Ethernet and USB ports, HDMI-out, support for an external power source, and a removable battery. Can't afford the $29,900 price tag? If you're in the Boston area, at least, you can rent it for $625 a day, a price that includes a tripod and two batteries -- enough juice for up to six hours of shooting. Head on past the break for a sample video clip and a tour of this beastly camera in action.
Redsn0w untethered jailbreak updated for iOS 4.3.2, still no love for iPad 2
Good news for all iOS jailbreakers: turns out the latest 4.3.2 update is still vulnerable to the same untethered hacking method used by redsn0w for 4.3.1, so Dev-Team's @i0n1c simply had to port his code over to the new kernel to keep the jailbreak alive. As before, the almighty iPad 2 is still not supported here, and ultrasn0w unlockers are reminded to wait for the new PwnageTool release later this week; but the rest of you can go ahead and grab the new tool at the source link.
Update: Eke! Looks like the existing build is causing issues for iPhone owners -- hang tight, we're hearing that a fixed version is on the way!
VIA Engadget
SOURCE Dev-Team
Apple sues Samsung for 'copying' the iPhone and iPad
Whoa! In the world of big-time lawsuits, this must be just about the biggest. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has sued Samsung Electronics for copying "the look and feel" of its iPad tablet and iPhone smartphone. This relates to the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the iPhone 3G / 3GS models, and the slightly less obvious Epic 4G, Nexus S, and Galaxy Tab (presumably the older 7-inch model, since the newer ones aren't out yet) devices. The claim for intellectual property infringement is phrased as follows:
The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of California on Friday and seeks injunctions against Samsung, damages (both actual and punitive), and a finding that the infringement was willful. Lest we forget, the rarest outcome in such legal tussles is for an actual judgment to actually be handed down, so the greatest likelihood is that this will just lead to another round of grudging handshakes and licensing going one way with money going the other way, but still, it's fun to see the big dogs barking at each other."Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smart phone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple's technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products."
Another aspect to these proceedings that shouldn't be overlooked is that, on the software front, they boil down to iOS versus Android (again). When Apple calls Samsung uninventive in its user interface, it's talking more about Android's perceived imitation of the iPhone's interface than whatever TouchWiz tweaks Samsung has slapped on top. And hey, if you're going to sue Google indirectly, you can't leave a major player like Samsung outside the courtroom, it just wouldn't be fair.
VIA Engadget
SOURCE Wall Street Journal
Samsung promises a dual-core 2GHz smartphone 'by next year'
Are you ready for a scorching-fast future? Samsung sure is, as today the Maeli Business Newspaper reports "a high-ranking" company official has disclosed Samsung's intention to deliver a dual-core smartphone that runs at 2GHz. That's 2GHz for each core, not the specious 1GHz multiplied by two mathematics that Sanjay Jha likes to dabble in. ARM already has a dual-core Cortex-A9 design capable of scaling such speed heights, which is most probably the basis on which Samsung is building its future processor on. The report goes on to state that Samsung will consider selling the chips separately, so you wouldn't necessarily have to buy a Samsung-branded handset in order to have what's being described as desktop-class performance in the palm of your hand. Man, just as we prepared one dual-core comparison chart, here comes the next next big thing.
VIA Engadget, Daum.net, Mashables (Yahoo! News)
SOURCE Maeli Business Newspaper
Monday 18 April 2011
Viewsonic G Tablet gets firmware update with Flash, USB peripheral support
SPECIFICATIONS
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More details on the specifications at Viewsonic GTablet
SOURCE: Viewsonic, engadget
Thursday 14 April 2011
NASA animation depicts Curiosity's soft landing on Mars, courtesy of a 'sky crane' (video)
Sending a rover to a distant planet is no small feat, so we might as well make the landing even more spectacular, right? That's exactly what NASA has in mind for its Curiosity Mars rover, albeit for more practical reasons. Launching in late 2011 and expected to land on Mars in August 2012, this mobile laboratory will see a unique descent after entering the Martian atmosphere: there'll be the usual separation from the heatshield and backshell, but at about 380 seconds into the entry, the rover will be gently lowered down by wire from a "sky crane," as opposed to taking a leap of faith. Once the landing is complete, the hovering sky crane will then detach from the rover and fly off for a dramatic disposal -- let's just hope it won't hit the now-dormant Spirit. See for yourself in the video above.
VIA Space, Engadget
SOURCE NASA
Conceptual 'Fujitsu Lifebook X2' folds into quarters, makes regular notebooks look lame
Being that doomsday and the robot apocalypse are nearing quickly, now seems an appropriate time to gaze into the future of laptop design, right? Well, maybe those anomalies aren't actually around the corner, but you know us -- we always fancy a warm cup of concept tea. Designer Park Hyun Jin over at Yanko recently posted some renders of the Fujitsu Lifebook X2, a laptop-like invention of his fervent imagination that allows for two orientations thanks to its four folds. The design features a full QWERTY keyboard that can be used when the notebook is folded out in full, as well as a half-folded option with an onscreen keyboard, pictured above. Naturally, we'd love for this concept design to become a reality, but we can't wrap our brains around the seam between the two screens. Well actually, we could probably get used to it.
VIA Engadget
SOURCE Yanko Design
Crysis 2 Review
Tuesday 12 April 2011
That crazy new 326ppi device that Nokia busted out this morning has finally made contact with our eager hands. The E6 is extremely compact, stainless steel accounts for its back cover and camera bezel, but weight is feathery and general feel in the hand is terrific. You're limited to a 2.46-inch screen, but Nokia's otherwise standard resolution of 640 x 480 looks pretty awesome when squeezed into such dimensions. Check out the gallery of pics below and we'll have video for you soon as well!
JBL ships AirPlay-enabled On Air speaker dock, charges stiff premium for wireless luxury
It's a familiar face, sure, but there's a key ingredient thrown here that's been lacking on JBL's prior iDevice docks: AirPlay. We're still waiting (and waiting) to see if Apple's going to expand its licensing program to allow third-party vendors the ability to toss in AirPlay video streaming, but for now, JBL's taking advantage of what's out there. The On Air Wireless AirPlay speaker dock -- which is shipping today to Best Buy and Apple Stores after being teased a few weeks ago -- is now good and official, enabling consumers to wirelessly stream their iTunes library from Macs, PCs, iPhones, iPods or iPads right to the dock. Aside from a rather unorthodox design (which should go a long way to dispersing jams in a 360-degree fashion), you'll also find a color LCD, digital FM radio, an inbuilt alarm clock, DSP technology and a proprietary adapter that enables it to be worn as headgear at your next rave. We're guessing that final bit makes the $349.99 price tag entirely more palatable.
P67, X58, And NF200: The Best Platform For CrossFire And SLI
Most enthusiast swing between buying a Sandy Bridge or Bloomfield processor for gaming, now that the pricing is almost similar. Buying a Bloomfield system opens the route to upgrade to a Gulftown 6-core processor when the prices comes down to reasonable rates while buying a Sandy Bridge setup will enable one to upgrade to the Ivy Bridge architecture later. However, there are pros and cons as in any case involving technology and money spent. The advantages and shortcomings of Intel’s mainstream platforms are well-known to anyone who follows technology. A total of sixteen PCIe 2.0 lanes originating from the CPU reduce latency (good) and total available bandwidth (bad) compared to Intel’s high-end X58 chipset which has up to 36 lanes. Which would be the best choice to spend your hard-earned cash on right now?
Nokia E6 and Nokia X7 Official
The largest phone manufacturer, Nokia has officially announced two smartphones running the Symbian "Anna" update aimed at different demographics. Welcome the new E6 for the businessman and the X7 for the multimedia addict.
Intel Z68 chipset to launch May 8
Intel’s new Z68 chipset is set to debut on May 8, just in time to commemorate VE Day.
The new chipset is designed with high-end Sandy Bridge processors in mind and it will deliver a few features lacking on P67 and H67 products. The Z68 should deliver improved overclocking performance, as well as support for RST SSD caching and a host of other features geared towards the premium markets.
Basically, Z68 will be the chipset of choice for Sandy Bridge processors and best of all, it shouldn’t end up much pricier than existing 67-series boards.
World's 1st Carbon Fibre Bluetooth Headset
The aptly named Carbon by Bluetrek is claimed to be the 1st carbon fibre bluetooth headset. It weighs in at a mere 5.9 grams, touts Bluetooth v3.0 support, and allows for four and a half hours of talk time or five days on standby. For those wanting to match your bluetooth headset with your sporty spoiler on your car, you are welcome to place an order at Bluetrek. For USD70 (RM212), it might just be the thing to fulfill your desire for all things carbon fibre.
Ralph Lauren's solar-panel backpack charges your phone in hours, your credit card in seconds
We're excited to see Ralph Lauren outing its first solar-equipped knapsack as part of its RLX sports line. Four solar cells around back harness the sun's power to generate 3.45 watts -- completely juicing up an iPhone in a purported two-to-three hours, assuming you've got "proper sunlight orientation," of course. Like the optional orange hue (it also comes in black), the sun-sucking cells aren't particularly low profile -- but for $800 don't you want something, uh, recognizable? Still, if you simply must be that guy be sure to hit the source link and don't look back, but for everyone else, might we recommend a portable USB charger for a little less coin?
Apple reportedly hires top UK gaming PR execs from Nintendo and Activision
VIA Apple Insider, Engadget
SOURCE MCV UK
Monday 11 April 2011
LG shows off 47-inch transparent IPS LCD with multitouch and Full HD resolution (video)
Where Samsung leads, LG inevitably follows (and vice versa, of course). The Korean electronic arms race has now heated up by an extra few degrees with LG's demo of a crazy new 47-inch display that packs in everything a geek could want: IPS technology, 1080p resolution, multitouch, and some good old transparency... just because. This so-called Window Display is sadly intended for advertisers and other digital signage proprietors, meaning that even if it wasn't still at the concept stage, it likely wouldn't be populating living rooms anyway. Ah well, so long as LG makes sure John Anderton and the precrime unit get one, we'll be happy. Video for the rest of us after the break.
Photoshop Touch apps and SDK extend desktop functionality to iPad and other tablets
Any discussion about Adobe and the iPad seems to always devolve into a Flash vs. HTML5 debate. For today at least, Adobe's hoping to temporarily refocus the conversation on a trio of new tools that extend desktop Photoshop functionality to the iPad via native iOS apps. First up is Adobe Eazel, an iPad drawing app that lets you create a five-fingered painting on the iPad before transferring it back over WiFi to the Photoshop application running on your Mac or PC. Adobe Nav turns the iPad into a Photoshop companion device by extending live controls and menu bars from the Photoshop workspace to the iPad's display. Finally, there's Adobe Color Lava which turns the iPad into a hi-tech color mixing palette. Of course, these are just the first in what Adobe hopes to be a full range of Photoshop extensions hitting app stores just as soon as devs get their talents around Adobe's Photoshop Touch programming tools (consisting of a Photoshop scripting engine and enhanced SDK) for Android, BlackBerry, and iOS devices (available for Mac and Windows platforms today). Expect to see the Eazel, Color Lava, and Nav Photoshop Touch apps arrive next month -- alongside the 5.5 update to Adobe's Creative Suite (and free Photoshop update for CS owners) expected on May 3rd -- with prices ranging from $1.99 to $4.99. Until then, why not feast your eyes on a video preview posted after the break?
US Navy's solid-state laser sets boat ablaze (video)
See that flaming wreckage in the picture above? A laser did that, mounted on board a second vessel similarly bobbing on top of the ocean last week. Yes, even though the United States Navy told us that legitimate seafaring death rays might take another decade to materialize, basic weaponized lasers are ready today, as the 15-kilowatt gun attached to the USS Paul Foster happily demonstrates. Of course, as you'll see in the video after the break, a beam of such minimal power takes a moment to burn through even an unshielded engine and ignite the fuel therein -- once we get some 100+ kilowatt lasers up in there, we shouldn't have such problems.
EraThink EraPalm runs like a netbook, looks like a portable gaming handheld
Looking at this odd bird of a device on display at the China Consumer Electronics Fair inspires tired cliches about mating gadgets. But really, it took a wild night between a Windows 7 tablet and a portable gaming console (with a possible cameo by a UMPC) to spawn the EraThink EraPalm. This handheld runs Windows 7 and has a 5-inch (800 x 480) capacative touchscreen that slides out to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard -- all of which is reminiscent of the extinct OQO Model 02, except for the gaming controls flanking the display. Newpad spent some with the little guy, and reports some netbook-like specs including an unspecified Atom Z processor, 3G connectivity, and Ethernet, HDMI, VGA, and USB ports. (Then again, it does one better with GPS and support for 1080p video.) Want a closer gawk? Click the source link for a couple more hands-on shots.
VIA Clonedinchina, Engadget
SOURCE Newpad
Samsung to release two Bada 2.0 handsets with NFC in Q4, software update in July?
Some of you Samsungers are probably anticipating the snazzy Wave 578 due out in May or June outside the US, but the sad news is it won't be shipped with the upcoming Bada 2.0 OS. Fret not, though, as Russian blog Bada World claims to have obtained some juicy details that'll cheer up Bada fanatics. The above slide -- apparently sourced from a Samsung France conference from a few days ago -- lists a pair of new but unnamed handsets that'll pack the new software, along with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, Bluetooth 3.0, and the seemingly trendsetting NFC. The difference between these two phones? One of them appears to be the flagship Bada 2.0 model, which expects a September launch with a 3.65-inch HVGA display, a 5 megapixel main camera, plus a VGA secondary camera. The second device will follow a month later, sporting a smaller 3.14-inch QVGA screen and just a 3 megapixel imager.
In related news, TNW India reports that Bada 2.0 will be "first experienced in India" around July, though no hardware is mentioned here. This could imply that existing Bada users in India -- where Samsung's R&D develops 30 percent of Bada applications -- may be one of the first to obtain the 2.0 update, and it shouldn't be long before the rest of the world get their share of this piping hot pie. Anyhow, be rest assured that we'll keep our eyes peeled open for more Bada 2.0 news -- it'll be interesting to see where Samsung's next big push will take us.
VIA Engadget
SOURCE Bada World, TNW India
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