Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Monday, April 07, 2008

Google's Zurich HQ: Office Fun For Everyone... Who Works There, Anyway [Google]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/265287210/googles-zurich-hq-office-fun-for-everyone-who-works-there-anyway

Ever looked around your office and thought "surely there's a better way than this soulless cubicle hell?" Well, there probably isn't. Unless you happen to work for Google in their Swiss HQ, that is. Because, frankly, their new office is awe-inspiringly amazing: it's an exercise in lateral-thinking, creativity-run-wild interior design. Slides to the canteen, cable-car meeting rooms, beanbags, fake snow, a multitude of colors. Check it out... you'll be as filled with envy as an envious person with a degree in enviousness.

See what I mean? Presumably it makes for a happy, fun-filled workforce. How they ever get time to do any work I don't know. Still, I work from my couch, so I could always put a slide in somewhere, and stick a bunch of beanbags about the place. It wouldn't quite have the same effect, though. [Swissmiss]

Thin is in: LG shares a glimpse of its 5 megapixel hottie phone

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/265455816/

Filed under: Cellphones

Great news, Mr. and Mrs. Tighty Pants: carrying five megapixels in your pocket is about to become a little less obvious! The latest member of LG's storied Black Label line -- other alumni being the Chocolate and the Shine -- is starting to break cover, and for what the slider might lack in sheer visual distinction, it makes up in technical prowess. The as-yet-unnamed slider promises to be the thinnest 5 megapixel cameraphone in the world when it launches, featuring a reinforced glass touchscreen up front (just a little Glimmer-esque, if you ask us) and a shell constructed from carbon fiber. Other than that, LG's being a little stingy with details at this point, saying that it'll unveil the handset's name later this month -- hopefully along with pricing and a full spec sheet. The phone will hit Europe first with a number of other launches across the globe thereafter, finally hitting LG's own South Korea in the second half.

[Via T3]

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Hynix ships fastest one-gigabit LPDDR2 chip for mobile devices

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/265508528/

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Though not quite as impressive as the idea of toppling Intel and AMD within the next ten years, Hynix Semiconductor still has a decent reason to brag today. The South Korean chip producer has announced that it has just started mailing out the "fastest data transferring advanced dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chip for mobile devices." Said chip is the one-gigabit LPDDR2 (low-power double-data-rate 2), which was crafted using 66-nanometer technology and features an 800-megabits per second operating speed at 1.2-volts. No word on exactly what devices will see the super-speedy chip packed within, but a company spokesperson did note that it plans on ramping up production during Q4 to meet "growing demand for flat-panel television sets and high-end handheld devices."

[Via Physorg]

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Sunday, April 06, 2008

Adobe Relinquishes Ownership of Photos Uploaded to Photoshop Express [Photoshop]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/264245106/adobe-relinquishes-ownership-of-photos-uploaded-to-photoshop-express

So, one of the big sniggles about Photoshop Express, Adobe's free online photo tweaker and sorta-kinda Flickr clone, is that using the service basically gave full control of your photos to Adobe. No more! They just emailed us that as of April 10, they're only claiming "those limited rights that allow us to operate the service" and they don't "claim ownership of your content and won't sell your images." Score one for internet rights and your mom's Photoshop dalliances. [PS Express Terms of Use]

Smart Green Cell Station Makes Africa a Cleaner Place To Ask "Can You Hear Me Now?" [Green]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/264651617/smart-green-cell-station-makes-africa-a-cleaner-place-to-ask-can-you-hear-me-now

In an effort to clean up Africa's dirty and diesel-reliant mobile network, Swedish start up Flexenclosure has designed a green version of a cellular base station. Called the E-site, it runs primarily on wind and solar power and utilizes an intelligent operating system that adapts to local conditions.

The new design comes at the request of Ericsson, which wanted an alternative to a purely diesel-run base station. Those consume roughly 20,000 liters (5,283 gallons) of diesel per year - an increasingly costly expense with rising world energy prices.

The E-Site draws its power from a wind turbine in the network tower and solar panels on the roof. Clean energy sources charge a battery that then powers the base station at night. The E-site also has a small diesel generator, just in case the batteries run out.

What's even more amazing is the E-site's operating system, which can learn to adapt its power-generating techniques to different situations. For instance, if the batteries are running low at night, but the system knows the sun will rise soon, it can decide to wait it out until morning rather than head straight towards the diesel. Good thinking, E-site! [Cnet]

Toshiba IK-HD1 is World's Smallest HDTV Camera [Camcorders]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/264957048/toshiba-ik+hd1-is-worlds-smallest-hdtv-camera

With vital measurements of 1-6-inches cubed and 2.3-ounces in weight, Toshiba's IK-HD1 waltzes in to easily steal the "Smallest HDTV Camera, Ever" title. Packed to the miniature eyeballs with three CCD chips, the 1K-HD1 can capture video at broadcast-quality at 1080i, but it won't be making its way to your camcorder anytime soon. The tiny marvel is actually intended for professional broadcasting, and needs to be hooked up to a rather sizable control unit, which can be placed up to 90-feet away. It appears Mr Professional Broadcasting wins again. Dammit. [DVice]

Fraunhofer's Kolibri Cordless sensor snaps 3D images on the go

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/263978833/

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Sure, it might look like a Viewmaster 3D from your childhood, but this here stripe projection 3D sensor from Fraunhofer IOF is so much less exciting. The concept is simple enough: the Kolibri projects a stripe pattern onto the subject, and then the two "eyes" capture slightly distinct angles of the image to compose a 3D model of the object based on the deducted geometry. The technology has been available for a while, but this is apparently the first device to cram it into such a small and portable form factor. Yeah... we'll stick with the Viewmaster.

[Via About Projectors]

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Quake 3 hits the iPod touch, makes for portable LAN party

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/264742890/

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Future generations will most likely divide the timeline of history at this point: when Quake 3 achieved motion-sensing, wireless network play on two iPod touches. Just think, less than a year ago we were salivating (or at least mildly enthused) at the prospect of rocking Doom on this thing, and now Quake 3 Arena is yours for the taking -- or at least will be once we get any sort of hard info on this app.

[Via PMP Today]

Continue reading Quake 3 hits the iPod touch, makes for portable LAN party

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