Friday, April 19, 2013

DARPA flaunts HD heat vision camera small enough to carry into battle

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/19/darpa-small-heat-vision-infrared-camera/

DARPA thermal camera

Thermal imaging cameras are highly useful tools for military and law enforcement types, letting them see humans inside buildings or land a helicopter in the fog. High-definition models are too heavy for servicemen to tote, however, so DARPA and a private partner have built a 1,280 x 720 LIWR (long-wave infrared) imager with pixels a mere five microns in diameter. That's smaller than infrared light's wavelength, allowing for a slighter device without giving up any resolution or sensitivity while costing much less, to boot. Researchers say that three functional prototypes have performed as well as much larger models, allowing them to see through a simulated dust storm, among other tests. If DARPA ever lets such goodies fall into civvy hands, count us in -- you can never have too much security.

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Via: Gizmag

Source: DARPA

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Facebook launches real-time graphs to highlight its data center efficiency

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/19/facebook-pue-real-time-charts/

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Curious as to the effect that your poking wars are having on the planet? Facebook is outing power and water usage data for its Oregon and North Carolina data centers to show off its sustainability chops. The information is updated in near-real time, and the company will add its Swedish facility to the charts as soon as it's built. The stats for the Forest City, NC plant show a very efficient power usage effectiveness ratio of 1.09 -- thanks, in part, to that balmy (North) Carolina air.

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Via: GigaOm

Source: Facebook, Open Compute Project

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Ridiculously thin and light laptop unveiled in Taiwan: the 10.7mm, 1.9-pound Inhon Blade 13 Carbon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/19/inhon-blade-13-carbon/

Inhon unveils Blade 13 carbon, claims its the lightest, thinnest laptop

Never heard of Inhon? That might change with the Taiwanese computer maker's Blade 13 Carbon laptop, which it claims is now the world's thinnest and lightest. Tipping the scale at 870g (1.9 pounds) and 10.7mm, the company says it undercuts NEC's 12.8mm Lavie X by a whopping 2mm, while nipping the 875g LaVie Z by 5g. There are still weighty specs crammed into the package, however: a Core i5 or i7 CPU, 1080p screen, 128GB or 256GB SSD and 4GB of RAM. If you're looking for that kind of unencumbered power, the Carbon will also lighten your pocketbook to the respectable tune of $1,350, while a dialed-back 1,600 x 900 fiberglass version -- still radically lean at 12.6mm and 1,195g (2.6 pounds) -- will run a grand or so. These models will arrive in Taiwan in June, with no sign that it'll come to relieve us overburdened laptop users stateside.

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Source: Engadget Chinese

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Thursday, April 18, 2013

drag2share: Butt-On With the Magical Machine That Finds the Perfect Pair of Jeans

source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/vip/~3/5NQaCi3GM3M/butt+on-with-the-magical-machine-that-finds-the-perfect-pair-of-jeans

Butt-On With the Magical Machine That Finds the Perfect Pair of Jeans

Apr 18, 2013

Butt-On With the Magical Machine That Finds the Perfect Pair of JeansAnyone with legs and a butt knows finding a pair of pants that fits just right is challenging. No two bodies—or jeans for that matter—are alike. But Me-Ality is a magical machine that takes just 10 seconds to tell you exactly which brands, styles, and sizes are your perfect match.

Bloomingdale's recently installed Me-Ality sizing booths in the women's denim departments of several of its locations. I made a trip up to the 59th Street store in Manhattan this morning to give the virtual tailor a try. And it might have changed my life.
Butt-On With the Magical Machine That Finds the Perfect Pair of Jeans

Here's how it works: You stand still inside a big white, glass-windowed booth that looks like an adapted version of the elevator from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with y! our hand s by your side. A big wand passes by you twice to collect 200,000 measurements. The booth uses light radio waves (the equivalent of 1/1000th of a phone call, says Me-Ality's PR head) to detect the moisture in your skin to sniff out your size. You don't have to strip down or wear any special suit or anything, but if you're wearing heels, you'll have to slip them off because it will throw the height detection off.

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Archos dips into smartphones with the 35 Carbon, 50 Platinum and 53 Platnium

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/18/archos-dips-into-android-smartphones/

Archos dips into Android smartphones with the 35 Carbon, 50 Platinum and 53 Platnium

While Archos has long held dreams of expanding into smartphones, we've seen it run into its fair share of roadblocks along the way. Thanks in part to a sharpened corporate focus, that vision is at last becoming real with the company's first, honest-to-goodness smartphone range. The 35 Carbon, 50 Platinum and 53 Platinum all cater to the budget, carrier-independent crowd with common foundations of unlocked 7.2Mbps HSPA 3G, dual SIM slots (only one being 3G) and stock Android. We also see a rather skimpy 4GB of storage, although a microSD slot on each phone helps make up for the difference.

What you're mostly paying for is performance and screen size. The 35 Carbon ships with an HVGA 3.5-inch screen, a single-core 1GHz Snapdragon S1, 512MB of RAM, VGA cameras and Ice Cream Sandwich; move up to the 50 or 53 Platinum and you'll get their respective 5- and 5.3-inch qHD screens, a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Play, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front camera and Jelly Bean. No, we're not bowled over by the performance any more than you are -- but the respective contract-free prices of $100, $220 and $250 may have at least some trying Archos' first effort, even if the company's late May launch will only include Europe at first.

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Source: Archos (1), (2), (3)

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PanaCast brings panoramic HD video to conference calls in the palm of your hand for $599 (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/panacast-panoramic-hd-video-conferencing/

PanaCast brings panoramic HD video to conference calls in the palm of your hand for $599 handson

Video chats have become quite popular these days, whether you're using Facetime, Skype or are attending a Google Hangout. One problem with those platforms is that they provide a limited field of view and that view is static for attendees. PanaCast solves that problem with some unique hardware and software that provides a 200 degree FOV and a virtualized camera for each viewer. Its camera has six imagers, an SoC with dual ARM11 cores and a custom-built multi-imaging video processor (MIVP), along with an Ethernet port and a USB 2.0 port.

The MIVP, with an assist from some custom firmware, stitches all of the input images together to form a single 2700 x 540 video stream. That feed has enterprise-grade encryption and can run at up to 60fps over faster connections, but streams lower framerates over 3G as well. It works over the open internet and streams using a high-speed codec developed by Cavium Networks that needs only 350kb of bandwidth to function. After you're done perusing our gallery below, join us after the break to learn more about how the PanaCast system works.

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Source: Altia Systems

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LG's curved OLED displays to arrive in the second half of 2013

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/lg-curved-oled-launch-second-half-of-2013/

Alongside its wafer-thin 4K TVs, LG's curved OLED display was another product that occupies a special place in our CES memories. Fortunate, then, that the product has taken a step away from vaporware, with the company's Vice President of Home Entertainment Europe, Thomas Lee, confirming that its "world-first" curved OLED TVs will launch in the second half of this year. Given the Korean firm's tendency to test new models closer to home, we'd suspect this would be a native launch, but given that the company's 55-inch OLED display made it into at least one store outside of Korea, we wouldn't count out seeing an overseas retail appearance soon after.

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Lynx A 3D point-and-shoot camera/tablet does motion capture and 3D modeling, we go hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/lynx-a-3d-point-and-shoot-camera-tablet-hands-on/

Lynx A 3D pointandshoot cameratablet does motion capture and 3D modeling, we go handson

Earlier this year, a group of enterprising students from the University of Texas unveiled the Lynx A 3D camera and asked for money to fund its construction on Kickstarter. Since then, they've soared past their funding goal of $50,000, and are getting ready to ship out their first set of cameras. Today at DEMO Mobile SF, we finally got to see a prototype unit for ourselves and watch it scan someone's head in real-time. For the uninitiated, the Lynx A is billed as a point-and-shoot 3D camera that uses Kinect-esque hardware to obtain depth mapping and imaging info from your surroundings. Using GPU computing power and some custom code, it turns that data into 3D scene and object models or motion capture, and it displays the finished models on its 14-inch screen a minute or two after it's finished recording -- all for $1,799.

The Lynx A we witnessed working in person today was a prototype unit, so fit and finish were far from being retail ready, as wide gaps and exposed screws abounded. Lynx assured us that the units going out to its backers will not only have a more polished appearance, but also be six times more accurate and 30 percent smaller due to newer hardware components. Despite the prototype's rough appearance, the modeling process went off without a hitch. It was able to scan 2/3 of a human head in about a minute and within a couple minutes more it was displaying a 3D model ready to be manipulated and printed out by a Replicator or a Form 1. Don't believe us? See for yourself in the video after the break.

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LinkedIn launches redesigned iOS, Android apps with a focus on the news stream

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/18/linkedin-launches-redesigned-ios-android-apps-with-a-focus-on-t/

LinkedIn launches redesigned iOS, Android apps with a focus on the news stream

Recent moves by LinkedIn -- including its acquisition of Pulse -- suggested its eye was towards becoming a center of its users universe for much more than simple networking or job hunting, and its latest mobile updates continue on that path. Updates arriving today on the iOS and Android platforms are redesigned for more "delightful interactions" throughout the app. That means a shift of focus to the news stream, including conversations, updates from your network and of course, advertisements. Check after the break for a quick video demo of the new features or hit the blog for a description -- whether it's enough to overtake Twitter, Facebook or something else for your social dashboard remains to be decided.

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Source: LinkedIn, iTunes, Google Play

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WordPress 2.3 for Android gains Holo interface and menu drawer

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/18/wordpress-goes-to-holowood/

WordPress 23 for Android gains Holo interface and menu drawer

Bloggers have been getting plenty of love on Android as of late, and if WordPress happens to be your platform of choice, you'll be glad to know that your time in the sun has arrived. Similar to Tumblr's recent overhaul, WordPress was just updated with a new Holo interface, and it's really quite the looker. First and foremost, you'll notice that WordPress now looks like a proper Android app, complete with an action bar for tasks such as creating posts and sharing to other apps. With a flick of the thumb, you'll also notice a menu drawer that's accessible from the left-hand side, which replaces the old school dashboard interface that was found in previous versions of WordPress for Android. We can't say the new features will help you overcome writer's block, but at least you'll have something pretty to look at while you ponder your next great post.

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Source: WordPress

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Pantech Vega Iron brings a 5-inch 'zero bezel' display, where zero equals 2.4mm (update)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/18/pantech-vega-iron/

Pantech Vega Iron brings 1080p on a 5inch display with indisputably thin bezels

We've got to admit that we saw some rumors about a "zero bezel" Pantech a few days ago, but ignored them because we had no idea what that meant. Now we do, however, as Pantech has made the 5-inch 1080p 720p phone official, under the solid-sounding name of the Vega Iron. The bezels aren't quite zero, but they are small: just 2.4mm across on each side, which -- for reference -- is roughly half the width on an iPhone 5. This results in a viewable-to-total area ratio of 75.5 percent, which Pantech claims is a world beater. Other specs include a quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor, in-cell LCD display and Gigabit WiFi. We have no idea if Pantech has penciled the United States into the Vega Iron's release schedule, but the company is certainly trying to make an impression in this hemisphere and a phone like this couldn't hurt.

Update: The rumors were right about everything except the resolution, which now looks to be 720p rather than the big ten-eighty. Thanks to commenters who spotted the error.

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Via: The Droid Guy, Ameblo

Source: Pantech (translated)

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Sigma announces 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM zoom, breaks the elusive f/2.0 barrier

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/18/sigma-announces-18-35mm-f-1-8-dc-hsm/

Sigma announces rarest of birds 1835mm f18 zoom

After opening a lot of eyes with its 30mm, F1.4 DC HSM lens, Sigma's just thrown another curve at the photo community with a feat that the major players haven't managed so far: a zoom lens with a fixed, sub f/2.0 aperture. The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM launched today for Canon APS-C cameras without being on anybody's radar, bringing over double the light than the priciest zooms, which typically top out at f/2.8 -- except for Olympus' $2,300 14-35mm f/2.0 Four Thirds model. The extra third of a stop over that model may not seem like much, but the company said it needed to "solve a variety of technical challenges" to build it in order to minimize distortion and aberration. Sigma's also promising fast autofocus via a hypersonic motor (with full-time manual override) and rubber-coated brass construction. There's no pricing or availability yet, but don't expect it to be cheap (think $2k plus) -- after all, it's the only game in town for now.

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Via: Sony Alpha Rumors

Source: Sigma

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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Photoshop's Genius Shake Reduction Tool Fixes Blurry Shots Like Magic

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5994904/photoshops-genius-shake-reduction-tool-fixes-blurry-shots-like-magic

Everyone who is not a good photographer is a bad photographer—a condition that's only made worse because we insist on documenting our lives with abysmal smartphone cameras. And of all of the terrible things that ruin photos, blur from shooting at slow shutter speeds is amongst the most common ailments. Photoshop to the rescue!

In advance of Adobe's forthcoming Max conference, the company just released a video previewing an upcoming shake reduction tool that will be added to Photoshop in the future. One click, and boom, it's fixed. On the left you've got before, on the right after:

Photoshop's Genius Shake Reduction Tool Fixes Blurry Shots Like Magic

Not bad!

We don't know much about how the tool works just yet, but we're assuming there's a little more to it than just selecting it under the Filter>Sharpen menu. It can't possibly be as simple as it seems in the video, right? We can't wait to see what else Adobe has in store for us in the coming weeks. [PetaPixel]

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Toshiba KiraBook: Is an Amazing Screen Enough to Make a Computer Great?

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5994908/toshiba-kirabook-is-an-amazing-screen-enough-to-make-a-computer-great

Toshiba KiraBook: Is an Amazing Screen Enough to Make a Computer Great?Toshiba is taking aim at the MacBook Air. We know this not because its new KiraBook ultraportable, with its 13-inch 2560x1440 display, resembles an MBA—it doesn't, really—but because, over and over, Toshiba referenced ways it's better than or on par with a MacBook Air, as reps explained how the company's focus with the Kira revolves around design.

That's even true in places. But it might not be enough. Mainly because of the price.

The Kira is better at nearly everything than any other Toshiba laptop by almost comical margins. That's not as impressive as it might sound, considering Toshiba's been bringing up the middle-rear of the pack lately. Still, Kira is legitimately good. The magnesium frame and aluminum base are sturdy, and the trackpad is big and responsive. The hi-res screen looks great, and it's accentuated by big, beautiful visuals in Windows 8, though it's a little darker than the equally hi-res Chromebook Pixel when examined closely. And while the rounded design might not be as eye-catching as the starker lines of an S7 or Pixel, it at least feels like a valid design decision based on ergonomics, not a screwup.

Yes, it's thin and light. And Toshiba also did a good job of limiting stickers and bloatware. It even comes with free, full versions of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements.

The other guts in the Kira are what you'd expect from a high-end ultrabook. All configs start at 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. They'll also have third-gen Ivy Bridge i5 and i7 processors, with upgrades to Intel's next-generation Haswell guts as the new architecture rolls out. It's 2.6 pounds, and 0.7 inches thick. And the Harman Kardon sound, which is traditionally not a big deal for laptops, is just about as loud as the super duper loud Pixel.

Toshiba KiraBook: Is an Amazing Screen Enough to Make a Computer Great?

But it's also clear that "good" is relatively new ground for Toshiba here. The keyboard is improved from other Toshiba laptops, but is still a little rigid, with keys that aren't quite as comfortable to type on as the best out there, like the Pixel's or a MacBook's. The finish on the lid and makes it more comfortable to hold because it doesn't get cold, but it also robs it of the satisfying cool metal feeling of other laptops. It has the effect of making the premium material feel less premium than it really is. The touchscreen version has a black edge-to-edge glass display, but the non-touch has a black plastic bezel that looks downright tacky. And while the hinge is improved—Toshiba increased its imprint from 2mm to 5mm—the lid still wobbles some when poked, which you don't see, really, from the Pixel or a MacBook.

We didn't get a chance to compare the Kira to a retina MacBook Pro, but side-by-side, the screen does hold up to the Pixel's. Text especially looks crisp, and Toshiba has used its first party software (puke, usually, I know, but welcome here) to make the magnification and text scaling options in Windows more easily accessible. That's a start; it was a big issue with the Surface Pro. But the larger problem is still Windows itself. Unlike OS X's quad scaling or even Chrome OS's web-based approach, too many Windows 8 UI elements are either unaffected by magnification or blown up to look fuzzy and terrible. This is something that will hopefully be addressed at some point in the future, but for now, it leaves super hi-res displays on Windows a less than optimal experience. Which is a real shame.

Toshiba KiraBook: Is an Amazing Screen Enough to Make a Computer Great?

Toshiba only has three configurations of the Kira. It'll start at $1,600, and the highest config, with an i7, is $2,000. That's asking a lot. First, it is literally asking for a lot of your money. But more so, it is asking for your trust. To that end, Toshiba's offering two years of complimentary 24-hour phone support for both the computer and Windows 8 in general. But it's still asking for you to jump in with two feet and lots of cash for the first super-high-end laptop Toshiba's made in quite a while. One that's not quite as elegant as it wants to be.

That doesn't mean the Kira sucks. It's a very good laptop. But just like the Vaio T was mostly fine last year, the Kira feels like an amazing first step into making legitimately good computers. It just comes a little late. Other companies have already taken that step, and the second leg almost always feels much more complete than the first.

So, keep your eyes out. This is the first super hi-res Windows 8 laptop that you can buy. And it might end up being the best of the year. But you should probably hold out for similar from companies that have a riper track record on "good."

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HTC, Huawei, LG and Samsung join Power Matters Alliance, AT&T pledges wireless charging by 2014

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/att-pma-wireless-charging/

The Power Matters Alliance (PMA) just scored another major boost. AT&T has announced that it will integrate wireless charging within select smartphones by 2014. Those TBA handsets may be manufactured by BlackBerry, ZTE, or any of the organization's latest members: HTC, Huawei, LG and Samsung. Notably absent is Apple, so don't expect PMA-compatible devices to make their way out of Cupertino anytime soon, but with chipset makers like Broadcom and Texas Instruments on board, we could very well be seeing quite a few handsets pop up by early next year. Integration may be implemented directly within the chipset, or it could be delivered through an add-on device, such as the Wireless Charging Card (WiCC) in the image above.

A PMA membership doesn't necessarily represent a commitment from manufacturers to release products that support the technology -- joining the alliance requires just "a few thousand dollars" in dues, but Duracell Powermat President Daniel Schreiber seems confident that all of the smartphone makers now on board will have releases of their own in the near future. The next step, of course, would be a widespread rollout of PMA-compatible charging stations, such as those manufactured by Powermat and installed in Boston Starbucks stores and Madison Square Garden in NYC. PowerKiss, which has begun similar trials in Europe, also joined the PMA recently, and may have compatible devices in place in several McDonald's restaurants and train stations throughout the continent by the second half of ! this yea r.

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Doodle3D aims to make 3D printing easy enough for anyone, is totally rad

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/doodle3d-kickstarter-launch/

Doodle3D aims to make 3D printing easy enough for anyone, is totally rad

You'll forgive us for frontloading this informational post about Doodle3D -- a simple sketching software tool, complete with hardware dongle, that's being Kickstarted -- with superlatives like "totally rad," but it's difficult to feel otherwise. The software is very accessible, enabling 2D drawings done on a computer, tablet, or smartphone to be wirelessly sent to a hardware dongle attached to a variety of 3D printers. Just like that, drawings are magically turned from crude 2D images into physical 3D objects; this principle is demonstrated in the group's Kickstarter video (below the break), which features a variety of non-techie folks using the application to thrilling results. More importantly? Not a single companion cube!

If you'd like to contribute, several tiered options are available. The early bird special affords 100 lucky folks a Doodle3D WiFi box for just $88, but that's quickly running out. The box will otherwise run you (at least) $99, and the team is expecting to ship them sometime in September -- should the project reach its $50,000 goal, that is. With 35 days to go and just over one fifth of that goal already funded, it's looking like that won't be an issue.

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Via: Twitter - @tha_rami

Source: Kickstarter

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Tiny lithium-ion battery recharges 1000x faster than rival tech, could shrink mobile devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/researchers-devise-fast-and-powerful-microbattery/

Researchers devise 'most powerful' batteries in the world, shame supercapacitors

Supercapacitors are often hailed as the holy grail of power supplies, but a group of researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a lithium-ion microbattery that leaves that prized solution in the dust, recharging 1,000 times faster than competing tech. Previous work done by Professor William P. King, who led the current effort, resulted in a fast-charging cathode with a 3D microstructure, and now the team has achieved a breakthrough by pairing it with an anode devised in a similar fashion.

The resulting battery is said to be the most powerful in the world, avoiding the usual trade-off between longevity and power while having a footprint of just a few millimeters. By altering its composition, scientists can even optimize the contraption for more juice or increased life. It's expected that the technology could make devices 30 times smaller and help broadcast radio signals up to 30 times farther, but it'll still be a while before it winds up in a super-slim phone within your pocket. For now, the researchers have their sights set on integrating the tech with other electronic components and investigating low-cost manufacturing.

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Via:< /strong> Eureka Alert

Source: University of Illinois News Bureau

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Most Popular Small Form Factor PC Case: BitFenix Prodigy

Source: http://lifehacker.com/most-popular-small-form-factor-pc-case-bitfenix-prodig-473239688

If you're planning your next system build and want a PC that won't take up a ton of space, or you're building an HTPC that needs to fit nicely next to the TV, a PC case on the smaller side might be a good option. Last week, we asked you which small cases you thought were the best. Then we featured the five best small form factor PC cases. Now we're back to highlight the winner.

The BitFenix Prodigy took an early lead and held on to the top spot through the finish, eventually nabbing over 50% of the votes cast. It's a bit on the large size among the other contenders, but it's still a great case, and we love it as much as you guys do.

In second place with just over 23% of the overall vote was the Fractal Design Node 304, a gorgeous small PC case that'd look beautiful on your desk or in your entertainment center. The battle for third place is where the real action was however: the difference between third and fourth was a mere five votes, with some of them coming in right under the wire as the poll closed. In the end, the Silverstone FT03/FT03-Mini took third place with 10.36% of the vote, and the Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced fell to fourth with 10.23% of the votes cast. Bringing up the rear in fifth place is the admittedly un-sexy but very definitely the smallest case in the roundup, the Mini-Box M350 Universal Mini-ITX case, which is so small you can mount it on the back of a monitor safely.

The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it's not because we hate it—it's because it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!

Photo by docklandsboy.

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Intel execs predict Bay Trail touch-enabled laptops for $200 - $300 by the holidays

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/intel-bay-trail-200/

On the earnings call after Intel released its Q1 numbers, its executives faced many questions from analysts, including some asking what to expect from the company in Q4. According to CEO Paul Otellini and CFO / EVP Stacy Smith, among the reasons for investors to be optimistic are the prospects of cheaper touch screen computers powered by its upcoming Bay Trail (quad-core Atom) and Haswell processors. Just how cheap you ask? According to Otellini, as transcribed by SeekingAlpha:

We have a certain spec for ultrabooks, and that is the product that Stacy said is going to be centered at as low as $599 with some [diverse] SKUs to $499. If you look at touch-enabled Intel based notebooks that are ultrathin and light using non-core processors, those prices are going to be down to as low as $200 probably.

We'd put more weight in those figures if they were price tags attached to products or at least from the OEMs that will build them, but at least there's a target. Whatever happens, there's sure to be a flood of new ultrabooks, tablets, convertibles and detachables hitting the streets later this year, and if the price is right (along with some Windows 8 tweaks) maybe they'll be worth the wait.

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Source: Seeking Alpha

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Mid-range HTC 606w spotted with front stereo speakers and dual soft key design

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/htc-606w-leak/

HTC 606w

While the HTC One is facing much anticipation ahead of its launch in more regions, its price tags may not be everyone's cup of tea; but judging by the above leak, it looks like Peter Chou's willing to spare a couple of notable features for a more affordable model. According to last week's filing on China's TENAA database, the back of this 606w takes design cues from the China-only One SU (especially around the camera), but flip it around and you'll notice what appears to be a pair of front-facing stereo speakers (aka BoomSound as it's marketed as for the One), as well as the same dual soft key implementation on the company's latest flagship.

The rest of this Android 4.1.2 phone is a bit of a mix: there's a 4.5-inch 960 x 540 display, a quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB RAM, an 8-megapixel main camera (so not UltraPixel), a 1.6-megapixel front-facing camera, WCDMA radio and microSD expansion. It's easy to see how these specs are carefully crafted to avoid directly clashing with the recently launched E1 (603e) as well: lesser front-facing camera but better processor and display here (presumably). And no, this is clearly not the rumored M4. As always, we'll keep an eye out for the 606w's official announcement.

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Via: PhoneArena

Source: TENAA

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BlackBerry Q10 hits the FCC en route to a spring launch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/blackberry-q10-fcc/

Image

We're fairly certain that the BlackBerry Q10 will make its hometown debut on April 30th, but Thorsten and Co. haven't been very precise about when the handset will land in the US. Thanks to the FCC, however, we know that it can't be too far out, as the first BB10 device with a physical QWERTY keyboard has been passed fit for human consumption by the federal agency. We'd have guessed that professional keyboardist Alicia Keys would be first in the queue, but she probably got a freebie ahead of time.

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Source: FCC, Bluetooth SIG

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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Seiki 50-Inch 4K TV Eyes-On: How the Hell Is a TV This Beautiful So Cheap?

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5994765/seiki-50+inch-4k-tv-eyes+on-how-the-hell-is-a-tv-this-beautiful-so-cheap

Seiki 50-Inch 4K TV Eyes-On: How the Hell Is a TV This Beautiful So Cheap?Yesterday, Chinese OEM Seiki officially priced its 50-inch Ultra HD TV at $1500, making it the cheapest 4K television in the history of absurd resolution. It's cheaper even than the last round of super-cheap Chinese 4Ks we saw. The price is so low, in fact, and the brand name is so unfamiliar, that you had to wonder if this television was a joke—or worse—a piece of garbage. I'm one of the first people in America to see this mythical creature, and I'll tell you right now: I can't believe my eyes.

We got a chance to watch 4K content on Seiki's 3840 x 2160, 120Hz LED beast for about 30 minutes today, and it was totally breathtaking. Much of the footage was stock 4K so, you know, it was amazing and perfectly shot and calibrated. But even with that knowledge in mind my brain was bombed by the clarity and detail of the picture. It's hard to get over the thrill of squinting at a TV up close and not seeing a pixel or a blur.

While watching footage of a tokyo cityscape, I could see the tiniest details like, for example, a tiny train navigating its way through skyscraper canyons. I also watched a 10-minute clip of animated video designed to be representative of 4K video content, and it was totally enrapturing. The TV was only 50-inches, but the picture was so immersive that you could've told me I was in movie theater.

Now, this wasn't a full, formal test of the TV so we can't argue for sure that it's a keeper, but for a 4K, it is unbelievably cheap. Please remember, too, that there isn't a whole lot of 4K content out there, but a lot of big companies like Sony are planning to start delivering large amounts of it within the next year. 4K is a fairly safe bet for the future. Investing in a 4K panel doesn't seem as crazy today as it did a few years ago. The power of the television's 4K-scaling engine will also be a very important measure of its worthiness and we haven't seen any 1080p content on it yet.

Seiki also told us that there would be a one-year, no-questions warranty. The company is hoping to have a 65-inch 4K TV ready by mid-summer.

Now, the TV is cheap in part, because it doesn't come with any bells and whistles. It's just a straight up beautiful panel with three HDMI inputs. The simplicity is a clear rebuttal to Sony, Samsung, LG, et al, and we're willing to bet that Seike is is right about one thing: People don't really care about connected TV crap and 3D or even a brand name enough to spend $25,000 on a TV. People just want simple, beautiful televisions they can afford. What good is a television the price of a sports car? Sure, at $1500, Seiki isn't gonna going to make any R&D money—but the company might actually sell some TVs. We're intrigued.

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Panasonic Lumix GF6 announced for the US, shipping in June for $600

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/16/panasonic-lumix-gf6-ships-in-june/

Panasonic Lumix GF6 announced for the US, shipping in June for $600

Panasonic's latest entry-level Micro Four Thirds cam appears to follow the design language (and perhaps usability) of its GF predecessors, but at least it's got WiFi, right? We'll hold out on passing further judgement until we have the camera in hand, but if past models are any indication, you'll definitely want to try the Lumix GF6 on for size in a retail store before handing over a cool 600 bucks. That said, there are some major improvements here -- there's NFC and WiFi functionality, as we mentioned, and the 1,040k-dot LCD is certainly a step up from the GF5, as is the top sensitivity of ISO 25,600. There's also a dedicated mode dial (always a plus), a pop-up flash and a bundled manual-zoom 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. The new MFT camera, which was announced for Japan just last week, will be hitting US retailers in June.

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KidDIY: 2013 National STEM Video Game Challenge aims to shape future of innovation

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/15/stem-initiative-2013/

KidDIY A look inside Sesame Workshop's game development lab for kids

The New York Hall of Science is hidden away in the Corona corner of Queens, N.Y., a primarily Hispanic neighborhood below the city's 7 subway line. Pupuserias and bodegas line pedestrian-filled 111th Street as it leads to the open swath of land occupied by the hall, making the sudden appearance of Cold War-era space rockets all the more jarring -- they jut into the sky, taking advantage of Queens' lack of skyscrapers. Not that 50-year-old rockets are at home anywhere in New York City, but they serve as a fitting backdrop for the day's event: the culmination of the 2013 National STEM Video Game Challenge.

The challenge aims to enable America's youth of today to become tomorrow's innovation leaders. In so many words, the US government is hoping these kids won't just go on to create the next big shooter franchise, but, say, the next iPod. Or the next SpaceX, perhaps.

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Titan supercomputer to be loaded with 'world's fastest' storage system

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/16/titan-supercomputer-to-be-loaded-with-worlds-fastest-storage-system/

Titan supercomputer to be loaded with 'world's fastest' storage system

If you figured Titan's title of the world's most powerful supercomputer would give the folks at Oakridge National Laboratory reason to rest on their laurels, you'd be mistaken. The computer is set to have its fleet of 18,688 NVIDIA K20 GPUs and equal number of AMD Opteron processors paired with what's said to be the planet's speediest storage system, making its file setup six times faster and giving it three times more capacity. Dubbed Spider II, the new hardware will endow the number cruncher with a peak performance of 1.4 terabytes a second and 40 petabytes of storage spread across 20,000 disk drives. Behind the refresh are 36 of Datadirect Networks' SFA12K-40 systems, which each pack 1.12PB of capacity. For more on the herculean rig's upgrade, hit the jump for the press release.

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BitTorrent Surf plugin launches in beta on both Chrome and Firefox

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/16/bittorrent-surf-plugin-beta/

BitTorrent Surf plugin launches in beta, available for both Chrome and Firefox

After four months in the alpha incubator, BitTorrent has released its Surf file-sharing plugin in beta not just for Chrome, its initial browser, but for Firefox as well. In an effort to make downloading and discovery easier, the new plugin has a status window for monitoring file progress plus a recommendation engine that'll offer suggestions based on search terms. BitTorrent claims the results "prioritize legitimate content" and will "help creators and fans connect." With ventures like SoShare, Sync and live-streaming in the works, this is yet another sign that a brand (arguably) once synonymous with illicit activities is at least trying to go legit.

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Source: BitTorrent (1), (2)

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Thanks to HTML5, Streaming Movies on Netflix Might Suck Less

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5994732/streaming-movies-on-netflix-might-suck-less-soon-thanks-to-html5

Thanks to HTML5, Streaming Movies on Netflix Might Suck LessNetflix currently uses Microsoft's Silverlight plugin to run its streams. It's an inelegant solution that sometimes makes for subpar and bogged down streaming experiences. But Silverlight is possibly dying! And Netflix wants to get better! So Netflix is planning to move on from streaming on Silverlight and move towards HTML5 video. When that happens, streaming movies on Netflix might suck less.

Netflix detailed its goals to move away from Silverlight because of the limitations of browser plugins in general: Users have to install a plugin, users may be wary of security and privacy risks that come with plugins and probably most importantly for Netflix, not many mobile browsers support plugins. The future for browser plugins such as Silverlight is not bright. Enter HTML5.

Netflix has been trying to make HTML5 ready for "premium video playback" (which basically means putting all those DRM chains on its movies) by working on three W3C initiatives: streaming media through JavaScript, slapping DRM on its streams and maintaing the security of its streams. Two of those extensions are already working on ChromeOS (WebCrypto—the security one is not, Netflix is using a plugin for that right now). Eventually HTML5 Netflix streaming will trickle down to everybody else. Or that's the idea, at least. [Netflix via The Verge]

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Monday, April 15, 2013

Comcast to encrypt basic cable channels, require set-top box for all content

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/15/comcast-encrypt-basic-cable/

Comcast to encrypt basic cable channels, require settop box for all content

Well, this is quite a blow to basic cable viewers. Up until recently, Comcast has allowed subscribers to access certain channels without adding a set-top box for every TV -- instead, you'd simply connect your TV directly via coax (how quaint!). Now, certain customers have received word that their free ride will soon be coming to an end. The media giant will begin is expanding the area where it encrypts basic cable channels, requiring a single STB for each and every television that you plan to use. A Comcast Q&A document only addresses home users, so it's unclear whether enterprise subscribers would also be affected -- though that wouldn't be out of the question.

We think the move could mean a more complicated (and pricey) installation at hospitals, university dorms and even neighborhood gyms, where TVs installed in cardio equipment often plug directly into wall jacks, not to mention the inconvenience you'll be facing at home. This latest setback, of course, follows an FCC decision to allow companies to encrypt their basic cable channels -- the authorization was reportedly granted to cut back on service theft, among other concerns. Comcast will be issuing up to two adapters to each subscriber at no charge for up to two years, assuming you request your equipment within four months of the date of encryption. That's the good news, but encrypted content is quite a bummer, nonetheless.

Update : Comcast has already implemented encryption in certain areas -- this latest move simply represents a wider rollout. Additionally, Comcast-issued set-top boxes are not required when a CableCard solution is in use. Boxee TV owners can receive a new E-DTA that turns Comcast's encrypted cable channels into IP streams, as specified in an earlier agreement.

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Via: GigaOM

Source: Comcast

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Galaxy S 4 pre-orders live in Canada today, $199 on a three-year commitment

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/15/galaxy-s-4-pre-orders-live-in-canada-today/

Galaxy S 4 preorders live in Canada today, $199 on a threeyear commitment

Samsung's next Galaxy flagship is seeking a new home in the land of hockey, maple syrup and politesse. Starting today, Canadian subscribers on Telus, Rogers or Bell will be able to pre-order the 16GB Galaxy S 4 for $199 on a three-year plan. Shipments of the TouchWiz-laden überphone are slated to begin later this month on the 27th, with Telus committing to an in-store date of May 3rd. Of course, you needn't sign away such a significant chunk of your wireless life for subsidized GS4 privileges -- the handset can be had outright for $700 CAD. Whether you go all in or opt for the monthly payment package, you'll at least have your pick of carrier poison.

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Source: Rogers

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Seiki officially prices its 50-inch 4K TV at $1,500 with a late April launch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/15/seiki-offcially-prices-its-50-inch-4k-tv-at-1500-for-late-april/

Seiki 50-inch 4K set

When Seiki's 4K TV set popped up on retail listings with a price that's just a fraction of what we've seen from its more expensive rivals, we were almost convinced it was a site glitch -- that couldn't be real, could it? The company would like to reassure us that it's quite serious. The 50-inch Ultra HD set is officially shipping to the US later in April, and it will still carry that regular $1,500 price tag when sales expand from TigerDirect (which claims to have stock today) to include Amazon and QVC, among others. We'd remain cautious about leaping in when Seiki is trying to skip a year or three of the usual commoditization process, but those who insist on their 4K bragging rights won't have long to wait before they can start boasting.

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Source: Seiki, TigerDirect

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13-inch ASUS Taichi 31 with dual 1080p displays finally shipping after long delay

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/15/asus-taichi-31-availability/

ASUS Taichi 31 almost ready after long delay a 13inch Ultrabook with dual 1080p displays

If you saw our review of the 11.6-inch Taichi 21, you'll know that its unusual dual-screen design had a pretty bad impact on battery life. ASUS is taking another crack at the whip, however, this time with the 13.3-inch Taichi that is finally shipping after a major hold-up in the US and promises a big boost to stamina -- a max of seven hours of use rather than five. If this claim stands up to scrutiny, the Ultrabook's other advantages should come back into play: namely the presence of pen or multi-touch input on the outer screen, excellent viewing angles and speakers, and a range of configurations based on either a Core i5 or i7 with SSD storage. We have no idea how pricing will compare to the $1,300 base of the 11-incher and the Taichi 31 hasn't appeared at any major retailers yet -- i.e., it still isn't quite as "available" as ASUS claims -- but we'll bring you an update when that changes.

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Via: TechPowerUp

Source: ASUS< /p>

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