Saturday, November 07, 2009

Building a NAS? Skip the Performance Drives [Nas]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/kmd9yrY5Wk8/building-a-nas-skip-the-performance-drives

A while ago I was considering putting low-powered 5400 RPM drives into a NAS. I was worried about performance, but Tom's Hardware shows us that drive speed isn't the bottleneck, and how slower drives can even beat faster ones.

The main bottleneck in any NAS is the RAID engine. Since many NAS units don't include a dedicated controller, oftentimes the speed of the drive just doesn't matter. If you're using a blazing-fast hardware RAID card in your own custom built setup, then drive speed might make a difference. But for most consumer units, the controller is the bottleneck.

With that in mind, you can go with slower 5400 RPM drives that reduce power consumption, generate less heat, and will likely cost less up front too. Even if you have a dedicated RAID card that could let a 7200 RPM drive do it's thing at full speed, I'd consider the benefits of low-power drives to outweigh the marginal speed increase you might see.

This chart shows the difference between Samsung 7200 and 5400 RPM drives in various RAID configurations:

Not much, right? So think twice before you drop more than necessary on 7200 RPM drives for your backup unit. Check out the link for the full test rundown. [Tom's Hardware]




Read More...

Best Buy stocking Nokia's Booklet 3G on November 15th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/07/best-buy-stocking-nokias-booklet-3g-on-november-15th/

We knew good and well that Nokia's Booklet 3G was coming to Best Buy sometime "during the holidays," and now we've got something a bit more precise to share. Starting now, Reward Zone members can waltz into their local store and place a pre-order, while public availability is pegged for November 15th. As we'd heard, the 2.76-pound, Atom-powered netbook will be sold for $299.99 with a 2-year AT&T data contract or $599.99 straight-up. Oh, and if you're looking to get your order in early, we'd recommend printing out that image above just so you don't baffle anyone with your otherworldly request.

Filed under:

Best Buy stocking Nokia's Booklet 3G on November 15th originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Inspiron Zino HD now configurable, available to order on Dell's website

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/07/inspiron-zino-hd-now-configurable-available-to-order-on-dells/

Dell may be focusing the bulk of its attention on the white-hot Adamo XPS, but it looks as if its attempting to slide the Zino HD into the wild without anyone noticing. If you'll recall, we snagged a little hands-on time with the box back in August, and now we've reason to believe that an official reveal is just moments away. The Zino HD is now listed on Dell's main "Desktops" portal (a screen cap is after the break), though the accompanying link leads to nowhere. However, one vigilant tipster managed to find a backdoor URL that allows you to configure and order your own Inspiron 400 (its "other name," just so you know) right now. We're seeing the machine available in a slew of colors ($10 to $30 options over black), a 1.5GHz AMD Athlon 3250e or 1.8GHz Athlon 6850e CPU, Windows 7 Home Premium, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 500GB (7200RPM) hard drive, 8x DVD burner, a 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4330 GPU, bundled keyboard / mouse and a 20-inch ST2010 LCD thrown in for good measure. The total package described above looks to start at around $807 with a November 27th ship date, though we suspect cheaper models will be available once things get ironed out.

[Thanks, Chuck and Douglas]

Read - Dell's desktop page
Read - Zino HD order page

Continue reading Inspiron Zino HD now configurable, available to order on Dell's website

Filed under:

Inspiron Zino HD now configurable, available to order on Dell's website originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

chocolate cookies in 90 seconds (Martha Stewart) - using Waffle Iron

Chocolate Waffle Cookies

4 Ratings (See All) | 2 Comments

Chocolate Waffle Cookies

Ingredients

Makes about 4 dozen

  • 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus 2 tablespoons for icing
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
  • Vegetable oil cooking spray

Directions

  1. Melt chocolate with 1 cup butter (2 sticks) in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Let cool slightly.
  2. Put eggs, vanilla, and granulated sugar in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale, 4 to 5 minutes. Mix in chocolate mixture, salt, cinnamon, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, and the flour.
  3. Heat a waffle iron until hot. Lightly coat grids with cooking spray. Spoon about 1 tablespoon batter onto center of each waffle-iron square to make 1 1/2-inch rounds. Close cover; cook until set, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, bottom sides up. Let cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter, coating grids with cooking spray after each batch.
  4. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add confectioners' sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons cocoa powder; stir until smooth. Stir in milk.
  5. Gently dip 1 surface of each cookie in icing so that just the waffle lines (not gaps) are coated. Repeat with remaining cookies and icing. Transfer to wire racks; let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Dust iced surfaces of cookies with confectioner's sugar. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Read More...

The iPhone-to-Android Switch: 10 Things You Need to Know [Android]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/YNwKlySRjIA/the-iphone+to+android-switch-10-things-you-need-to-know

You've had it. Maybe with AT&T. Maybe with Apple's crushing, dictatorial grip strangling the App Store. Whatever the reason, you're going to Android: Land of freedom, carriers not named AT&T, and the great Google. Here's what you need to know.

It's All in the Google Cloud

Android phones don't sync with your computer. That's because they don't have to: Your contacts, calendar and mail are all kept up in the great Googleyplex. Unfortunately, Google's Contacts manager, while it's gotten better, is kinda crappy, and all of your Contacts are beamed down to your phone from there.

So even after you get the actual contacts you wanna talk to exported to Google Contacts, one problem is that all of your Google contacts, like everybody you email, show up on your phone. What you have to do is either sort your contacts into different groups and tell the phone's Contacts app to show only the groups you only wanna see, or to only show you people with phone numbers. If you wanna sync your contacts, so you have a master copy on your computer and can manage them from there, that problem takes a bit of legwork—at least on Windows.

If you're on a Mac, it's easy to keep your Contacts synced—just tell Address Book to sync with Google. On Windows, you'll need a third-party app, like GO contact. That way, you can manage your contacts on your desktop, and have a local copy that's always synced up with what Google's got.

Calendars are easier: Google's got an app for that.

Exchange support varies from version to version: An droid 2.0 has it, previous vanilla versions of Android don't, but carriers like Sprint and hardware makers like HTC have been rolling their own Exchange solution into Android. Check the box, in other words.

The Gmail App Is Amazing

If your primary email account is Gmail, that's almost reason enough to go Android. Not only is Gmail pushed to your phone, the Gmail app is an absolutely perfect rendition of the Gmail experience for the small screen. Threaded conversations (hurray), full label support, starring, archiving and a true Gmail look-and-feel. It's even better in Android 2.0, which finally includes support for using multiple Google accounts with the Gmail app, and a few interface tweaks to make it easier to use.

For your non-Google accounts, there's a separate email app that's a pretty standard IMAP/POP mobile email app. Not amazing, not bad.

For That Matter, All of the Google Apps Are Amazing

You might be switching to Android for political reasons, or just to get away from AT&T, but what's gonna make switching actually work is that all of the Google services are fantastic, and often, more powerful than their iPhone counterparts.

Google Talk is the non-Gmail killer app for me, and highlights just how badly the iPhone needs a native messaging app—it's like BlackBerry Messenger, but for Google. (Or mobile AIM, but less shitty.) Keep in mind, anyone signed in to Gmail on a desktop browser can be reached through Google Talk if they've authorized it, so you've probably got more "buddies" than you might realize.

Latitude is actual! ly built into the Maps app; Google Voice integrates seamlessly; and Google actually frequently releases updates them the Android Marketplace. Oh, and did I mention Google Navigation? Yeah.

What Google hasn't gotten around to yet is integrating Google Docs, but the web version with Android's HTML5-superpowered browser is pretty good.

Not Being on AT&T Is Just as Liberating As You'd Hoped

I've never had full bars on any Android phone—on T-Mobile, Sprint or Verizon—and not been able to do something online. End of story.

Multitasking Is All It's Cracked Up to Be, Mostly

"Hey look, someone @replied me on Twitter!" Pull down the window shade, check it out, go back to browsing this month's custard calendar. "Oh hey, an email." Down comes the window shade, I reply, and then instantly return to drooling more over pumpkin-pie custard, before flipping to Google Talk to tell my friend when we're going to slaughter zombies in Left 4 Dead 2 demo. All in 10 seconds, while listening to Pandora radio.

The drop down window shade is pure genius, and what makes the cacophony of background notifications from all the apps you've got running work. See, you don't actually close apps in Android like on the iPhone. You just switch between them, and the OS takes care of closing apps you haven't used in a while in the background. (Unless inside of an app, you explicitly tell it to shutdown, like Twidroid.) Anything a background app wants to tell you goes into the notification windowshade. Sure, there's a bit of lag switching back to the browser and then scrolling is choppy for a second on some phones, but it's a small price to pay. And bigger batteries in more recent hardware, like the Droid, are enough to make it through the day.

Android Takes More Work

Every version of Android gets a little smoother, a little more user-friendly, but stock versions a! re prett y barebones. Want to read a PDF attached to an email? You need an app. Visual voicemail? Gotta download it unless your carrier preinstalls one. Want a notepad? Find it on the Market. HTC takes care a lot of these little humps with their custom builds—which includes a PDF viewer out of the box, for example—and generally speaking, there's an app for the basic holes that need to be filled in, but get ready to do a little bit of legwork.

It's Not Quite as Secure

The lock screen is a series of swipes—not an actual passcode—and there's no remote wipe out of the box. Granted, with the iPhone you need a MobileMe plan to get remote wipe, but you don't have to look for an app to install, like SMobile Security Shield.

It's also less secure in the app department, at least on paper: Under Android, you can opt to install unverified programs through the settings menu. This may be a good thing to you—even your reason for switching—but it carries obvious extra risks.

The Android Marketplace Isn't as Nice as the App Store (Yet)

The only place to look for apps and install them is directly on your phone, through the Android Marketplace. With Android 1.6, the Marketplace did get a lot nicer to browse, with a new interface and actual app screenshots, but categories are still too broad, and you still can't do any of this on your desktop, where you have a much bigger screen. Updating apps? You've gotta do them one at a time, which is annoying.

The App Situation Is Getting Better, But Isn't There Yet

So here's the thing. The app ecosystem on Android has absolutely exploded, so it's much, much be! tter pla ce to be than it was six months ago, much less a year ago. In fact, for a lot of your everyday iPhone apps, there's now an Android counterpart or equivalent: Facebook, Pandora, Slacker, Remember the Milk, Foursquare, Shazam, Flixster, etc. The problem is, they're universally not as polished or full-featured. Facebook's missing messaging and events entirely; Twidroid, the best Twitter app, is hideous compared to any of the top 5 iPhone Twitter apps; Photoshop's lacks some of the effects it has on the iPhone.

Gaming is probably the single biggest thing you'll miss. There are games, yes. Some of them good. There aren't as many and they're not as fantastic. There's nothing Star Defense caliber. Or Sim City. (Oops.) Partly, this is simply a numbers issue: Android's not as big as the iPhone yet. But the other aspect is that there's a serious storage limitation for apps—just 256MB in some phones—which seriously cramps what some games can do, as well as how many apps you can install on you phone. Apps will get better, the app economy will get better, this is true. But for now, be ready for some limitations and possibly, disappointments.

Music and Video? Just Buy a Zune HD

Kidding. Sort of. Getting music and video onto your Android phone is a purely drag and drop operation—there's no official Google sync application to organize and get your 10 gigs of music onto your phone. There is an Amazon MP3 store, and it's okay. There are third-party solutions, like DoubleTwist or Windows Media Player. But once you get the music on there, the music player itself k! inda blo ws. It's ugly and just not very nice to use. On the upside, it plays Ogg Vorbis, open source fans.

Movie watchers are in even worse shape with Android. Your best bet is to avoid the native player that's sort of hidden and to actually use a third party app, Meridian. Or just get a Zune HD for your music and video, and you'll be much happier.

I think that covers the basics guys. Yeah, Android's not as polished or smooth, but you know what? It's actually quite livable over here. If there's something else you wanna know—or want to share—about switching, drop it into the comments.




Read More...

The Queen of Google: "I Do Code All Night!" [Google]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Y7lu8DaX7d8/the-queen-of-google-i-do-code-all-night

This is Marissa Mayer, the queen of Google. Every Google thing that you use goes through her. And she's nerd. So she says, sitting on her red ball in that red dress:

"When people think about computer science, they imagine people with pocket protectors and thick glasses who code all night. I do code all night! I am the stereotype, but I also break the stereotype."

Oh, if only there were more of you, breaking stereotypes. [Glamour]




Read More...

Intel Swears That It's Gonna Stop Its Firmware From Bricking Any More SSDs [Intel]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/85x2qnCOqaA/intel-swears-that-its-gonna-stop-its-firmware-from-bricking-any-more-ssds

A few weeks ago, Intel pulled a firmware update the day after it came out because many users running 64-bit Windows 7 found that it bricked their SSDs. Whoops. The good news though is that Intel has acknowledged and replicated the bug and is working on a fix. The bad news? There's no timeline for when the fix will come out.[Reg Hardware]




Read More...

ASRock ION 330HT-BD nettop gets unboxed and cracked open on video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/07/asrock-ion-330ht-bd-nettop-gets-unboxed-and-cracked-open-on-vide/

ASRock's family of nettops may not be anything special when it comes to design, but the ION 330HT-BD can definitely handle its fair share of multimedia. The Atom CPU could unquestionably use a bit lot more oomph, but the NVIDIA Ion GPU and the integrated Blu-ray drive make this little fellow quite the entertainer. Care to see what it looks like inside and out? Hop on past the break and mash play, then.

Continue reading ASRock ION 330HT-BD nettop gets unboxed and cracked open on video

Filed under:

ASRock ION 330HT-BD nettop gets unboxed and cracked open on video originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Sixth Sense creator to release code, wearable gesture interface becomes a reality for all

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/07/sixth-sense-creator-to-release-code-wearable-gesture-interface/

If we're being honest (and trust us, we're being honest), Pranav Mistry's Sixth Sense contraption has always baffled us. It's kind of like Sony's Rolly. It looks cool, it sounds rad, but we're fairly certain only 2.49 people actually know and fully comprehend how it works. That said, we're more than jazzed about the possibility of having wearable gesture interfaces gracing every human we come into contact with, and rather than attempting to make his invention "comply with some kind of corporate policy," he's purportedly aiming to release the source code into the wild in order to let "people make their own systems." Nice guy, huh? All told, the Sixth Sense can be built for around $350 (plus oodles of unpaid time off), and we're pretty certain that a few talented DIYers can get this thing whipped into shape far quicker than Mega Corp X. So, how's about a release date for that code?

[Via AboutProjectors]

Filed under: ,

Sixth Sense creator to release code, wearable gesture interface becomes a reality for all originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

PSA: Sears charging $50 less for new DROID activations than Verizon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/06/psa-sears-charging-50-less-for-new-droid-activations-than-veri/

If you walk into a Verizon store today and pick up a DROID, you'll be out $300 (before tax) out of pocket, then you'll twiddle your thumbs for a few weeks while you wait for some mysterious PO box in Texas to send you your $100 rebate on a debit card. Wouldn't you rather just pay $200 upfront? Or better yet, $150? Sears -- which, we have to admit, we didn't know sold phones -- is charging just $150 without a rebate for the DROID today, a full $50 less than Big Red proper with rebate. We don't know how good these guys are with customer service (Simplexity is running the store on Sears' behalf, it seems), but truth be told, we can deal with a little incompetency for $50.

[Via I4U]

Filed under:

PSA: Sears charging $50 less for new DROID activations than Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Sony and Atracsys develop 3D interface for ORs, sci-fi franchises (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/06/sony-and-atracsys-develop-3d-interface-for-ors-sci-fi-franchise/

You know what the world needs? Another company peddling their take on the touch interface as being "just like Minority Report!" Sun, Raytheon, Oblong -- it's a pretty obvious press hook (as well as a pretty awesome area of research), but every once in a while some such technology does come around that begs for a closer look. A collaboration between Sony Europe and Atracsys (a Swiss company specializing in optical tracking) ICU is a dual camera-based system that tracks and analyzes body movements in three dimensions, in real-time. Initially designed for use with a computer in a sterile operating theater, the interface not only notices subtle changes in the position of your body, arm, hand, or finger position, but it's also determine rough age, sex, or facial expression of the user. We're guessing that this bad boy has some novel gaming potential as well (count on the folks at Engadget to bring everything down to their level)! PR / videos after the break.

Continue reading Sony and Atracsys develop 3D interface for ORs, sci-fi franchises (video)

Filed under:

Sony and Atracsys develop 3D interface for ORs, sci-fi franchises (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:37:00 EST. Ple! ase see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

LG to announce Snapdragon-boasting Android phone, Korea-bound in 2010

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/06/lg-to-announce-snapdragon-boasting-android-phone-korea-bound-in-2/

It's looking like LG will be offering an Android phone boasting Qualcomm's hot Snapdragon chip -- which has recently squeezed its way into handsets such as the Xperia X10 and Acer's Liquid. The new LG mobile phone is expected for the Korean market in the second quarter of 2010. While the device is still unnamed and specs are still a mystery, LG is promising that the device will be "more mature" than the GW620 Eve, an Android device announced earlier this week for Rogers in Canada. There's no solid word on what availability of the device will be like, though LG says its considering possibilities outside of Korea.

[Via Slashgear]

Filed under: ,

LG to announce Snapdragon-boasting Android phone, Korea-bound in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Unused Adamo XPS prototypes reveal touchscreen trackpads, key-less keyboard

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/06/unused-adamo-xps-prototypes-reveal-touchscreen-trackpads-key-le/

Dell certainly managed to cram plenty of inventive, even far-fetched touches into its Adamo XPS laptop, but it looks like it went even further out on a limb during the prototype stage, as PC World was able to discover during a brief hands-on time with a few cast off concepts. As you might expect, one of the ideas Dell toyed around with was a full-fledged touchscreen trackpad, which was apparently rejected because Dell couldn't justify the cost of the panel based how much people would actually use it. Another, possibly even more ambitious concept is one that would have completely replaced the traditional keyboard with a series of capacitive-touch buttons (pictured after the break), which would have allowed for a true zero-profile design, albeit at some potential expense to usability. Hit up the link below for a look at a few more prototypes.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading Unused Adamo XPS prototypes reveal touchscreen trackpads, key-less keyboard

Filed under:

Unused Adamo XPS prototypes reveal touchscreen trackpads, key-less keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Netflix instant streaming demoed on PlayStation 3 (updated with more video!)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/06/netflix-instant-streaming-demoed-on-playstation-3-video/

Aw, suki suki now! Those Netflix instant streaming discs that started floating out to anxious PS3 owners yesterday are obviously splashing down, with YouTube user (and avid Engadget reader) otimus posting up a stellar walkthrough showing everything in action. We've got to admit -- the whole thing looks exceptionally sleek, but given the PS3's multimedia prowess, we didn't really expect anything less. He stated that he didn't notice any stuttering as he sifted through films and mashed play, and that any jitters you see in the video (after the break) can be blamed on the janky TV capture device. So, any others receive their disc today? How's the experience?

[Thanks, Otis]

Update: Our best buds over at Joystiq got some quality hands-on time with this (video is now after the break), so be sure and check it out!

Continue reading Netflix instant streaming demoed on PlayStation 3 (updated with more video!)

Filed under:

Netflix instant streaming demoed on PlayStation 3 (updated with more video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Myka ION brings Hulu, Boxee and other web content to your TV

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/06/myka-ion-brings-hulu-boxee-and-other-web-content-to-your-tv/

It's been almost a full year since we heard a peep from the fine folks at Myka, but it looks like we could be talking about 'em a lot more often judging by the specs list on its latest contraption. The simply-titled ION is an Atom-based media PC that relies on NVIDIA's Ion graphics set and a customized interface that brings Hulu, Boxee and pretty much any other web content you can stumble upon to your television. Within, you'll find a 1.6GHz dual-core Atom 330 CPU, up to 4GB of RAM, ten USB 2.0 ports, VGA / DVI / HDMI outputs, an eSATA connector, Ethernet and plenty of audio outputs. The fanless design ensures that things remain quiet, and for those oozing cash, a Blu-ray drive, HDD and WiFi module can be implanted. It's up for order right now starting at $379, but you'll be stuck waiting four to six weeks for delivery.

Filed under:

Myka ION brings Hulu, Boxee and other web content to your TV originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

iPhone coming to The Shack: Dallas and NYC this month, nationwide in 2010?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/06/iphone-coming-to-the-shack-dallas-an-nyc-this-month-nationwide/

So we knew a select number of authorized resellers would start stocking iPhones soon, and thanks to a tipster, it looks like we might be getting a glimpse at a none-too-surprising recipient of the new order. As these pics from an anonymous tipster show, "big hug for your mobile life" retailer The Shack will be getting AT&T's flagship device soon, with a letter supposedly from EVP of store operations Bryan Bevin (found after the break) adding that the 3G and 3GS rollout will begin this month at some company-owned locations in the Dallas Forth Worth and New York City areas, with a nationwide rollout in 2010. Not that you necessarily needed more places to tempt you with the device, but it's always fun to have options.

Continue reading iPhone coming to The Shack: Dallas and NYC this month, nationwide in 2010?

Filed under:

iPhone coming to The Shack: Dallas and NYC this month, nationwide in 2010? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | ! ;Comments

Read More...

Thursday, November 05, 2009

More Low-Tech Invisibility Cloaks, This Time in NYC [Invisibility]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/CZyaLetqV1k/more-low+tech-invisibility-cloaks-this-time-in-nyc

Yesterday, I showed you Liu Bolin's analog take on invisibility. Today, I've got more for you: say hello to Fred Lebain...if you can see him.

Fred's technique is similar to Liu's, but instead of painting himself, he uses large photographs. He goes to various spots in NYC, take a photo, then returns a few days later with a poster-sized print of the photo. When he holds it up in front of him, he nearly vanishes into his surroundings, save for some giveaway feet and shadows.

[DesignBoom via Neatorama]




Read More...

HD Media Player Battlemodo: Apple TV Killers [Battlemodo]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/PD1wLZHsLug/hd-media-player-battlemodo-apple-tv-killers

When Apple TV 3.0 came out, we were unimpressed. Readers asked what else they could use to play their many videos. Here are five nice ones to suit different needs—nearly all cost less, and do more, than ATV.

The goal here is simple: Play all the videos that I have ripped from DVD, downloaded from the web, shot with my own cameras or obtained in some other manner, no matter what the format. It sounds simple, but Apple TV can't do it. Neither can the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Video codecs and containers are a nightmare to keep track of, and even more of a nightmare to convert.

This isn't about photos and music. Apple TV is better at both of those than any of this stuff. It's also not about renting movies or buying movies, or even streaming movies from Netflix. Roku has a nice cheap box for that, and Apple TV is suitable if you just want to live inside Steve Jobs' media store. This is about playing non-DRM movies, pure and simple.

The names might be familiar to you: The Popcorn Hour C-200 by Syabas is quickly gaining cult status (and has its own hacker wiki), while the other four smaller boxes come from brands you probably have experience with, including WD, Seagate, Netgear and Patriot. None have built-in wireless, but they all have Ethernet ports.

My two main tests were simple—I loaded PC and M! ac forma tted external hard drives with a variety of files ranging from H.264 MP4s to WMVs of several vintages, from raw AVCHD files in MTS wrappers to the hot new DivX 7 MKV. Then I browsed through my local network to a NAS that had a cache of similar files. Could I see them? Could I play them? These shouldn't be issues, but they're big issues.

Here's a rundown of each machine, and how they fared in testing:

As you can see, there were clear leaders given my criteria above, but what struck me was how each one differed. Truth is, depending on who you are, any one of these might be the best fit. Here's what really separates them:

WD TV Live - $150

I would have given this thing the solo spot at the top if it weren't for a few dings that might very well be fixed in a firmware update: It won't show you DVD menus on ripped DVD images, and when you play files with the suffix .m4v, it won't fast forward or rewind. Weird bug, and can be fixed if you just change .m4v to .mp4, but since that's! the def ault file naming for Handbrake's "Apple TV" profile, it could be a problem for people, like me, who spent months ripping their entire DVD collection that way.

WD's strengths include a friendly user interface with handy video previews, some promising early online services (including Pandora), and the most reasonable photo and music handling I've seen in this cluster of gadgets.

Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ - $150

I loved this when I tested it a few weeks ago, despite its fugly interface, and it holds up under testing. It does better with ripped .ISO files than WD, doing both DVD menus and chapters (and it doesn't have that weird .m4v bug either). Video was better, especially when running 1080p content. And when it came to browsing my Linksys NAS in search of movies, it could reach more and read more than the WD.

The tradeoff is that the interface is bad, and there's almost nothing in the way of online services. It gets points for making an attempt at sorting music, and displaying photos, but if that's a priority, WD is the better call.

Popcorn Hour C-200 - $300

Hardcore AV nerds love this thing, and I understand why. There are more ways to get at video content than in any other set-top box I've ever seen, and if you really know how to hack, there's really not much it can't do.

It's a big ole thing—they call it a "network tank," and despite remind me of the far cooler ones in Tron, I get it. It has an internal BitTorrent client and you can plug in a Blu-ray drive, for God's sake. I found very few video formats that it wouldn't support (FLV was one) but I had to take major points off because for being so big, it has a lame interface, and it comes with an RF remote that only worked when I stood within 3 feet. They even mention that there might be problems with interference, and that if people experience that, they can buy the IR remote. Great, thanks.

My only question—and, commenters, it's not rhetorical—is why spend $300 on this (plus extra for the optional internal HDD and the IR remote) when you can just buy a home-theater PC?

Patriot Box Office - $130

This was the dark horse of the group, being a late entry by a company known only for computer memory. I was surprised at how well it held up. It actually could decode more tested formats than any other device in this lineup—it did Flash video (FLV), which the three! above c an't render. Only the WD and the Patriot show you video previews, too. As small as it is, there's a space for a 2.5" SATA drive in there, and even a BitTorrent client. You can copy files to and from different drives and the network, and it's the cheapest of the lot, at $130.

So why did it come in a distant 3rd? Unlike the three above, it can't read Mac formatted hard drives, and its video quality was noticeably the worst of the batch. That said, if you are a hacker sort and want something to play with that doesn't cost as much as Popcorn, set your sights on this.

Netgear Digital Entertainer Live

As you can probably tell by now, Netgear had the most disappointing box of the lineup, despite its Apple TV ripoff of a look and feel. Lack of Mac media support and the inability to read key file formats, like DivX 7 and AVCHD, meant it couldn't pass muster with real video fanatics. Its biggest point of woe was the fact that it didn't support any file over 720p in resolution—whether that's a software thing or a hardware thing, it's sure not future-proof, and probably best to stay away.

I also didn't like the fact that its interface is laid out entirely for retail, like an Apple TV without the panache, or a Roku box that costs more and doesn't do Netflix. Local files were not a priority, and despite the friendly interface, it doesn't even make an attempt to differentiate phot! os and m usic. I did give it a gold star for online services, but only because it had the most in this group—if online services are what you love, buy a Roku, or a TiVo, or an Xbox, or a friggin' Apple TV.

Still not sure what you're looking for, check the spec comparisons here:




Read More...