Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Saturday, June 14, 2008

ASUS Eee PC 1000H already unboxed on video

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/311225535/

Filed under: Laptops

Okay, so that was eerily fast. Merely two days after ASUS' Eee PC 1000H went on sale in Taiwan, the cats over at TweakTown managed to secure a unit and curb their excitement long enough to unbox the thing, snap some photographs along the way and even capture the experience on video. Here's a hint: it's an Eee PC, it has a 10-inch display, and it's leaving its original packaging. Video after the break.

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EFiX wants to bring OSX86 to the masses

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/311493216/

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Word in the OSX86 world is that a new product will revolutionize (and simplify) the process of installing OS X on a PC -- and that product is called the EFiX. The USB dongle allegedly pops into a free port and allows you to install the retail version of the Mac operating system on just about any system by automatically locating the proper hacks and drivers needed. Famed OSX86 hacker Netkas has demoed a beta unit on video (which you can see after the break) and claims that it's working as it should. The manufacturer is aiming to have models available for purchase by June 23rd... barring any more "sabotage." This sounds like a much more reasonable solution than marketing a Mac clone -- feel free to send one our way whenever you like guys.

[Via Boing Boing Gadgets]

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Toshiba Qosmio G55 features SpursEngine, visual gesture controls

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/311675651/

Filed under: Laptops

Looks like Toshiba's not too far out from a new Qosmio called the G55, which LAPTOP says is on sale next month for $1,550. Listed among the specs are an 18.4-inch (1680 x 945) display, Centrino 2 CPU, GeForce 9600M GT, 4GB of RAM, dual drives, and the "Quad Core HD processor" (probably the commercial name for the Cell-based SpursEngine), which powers many of the media functions, including its camera-based visual gesture control system. LAPTOP calls the gesture system groundbreaking, but we're clearly two sides to the same coin: the demo they gave looks cumbersome, inaccurate, and incredibly frustrating. And besides the fact that it requires "steady hands" and "can't be used by people with wrist problems," even if the gesture controls were well done, holding your arm in the air for minutes at a time is nowhere near a practical for regular use. Is it sad that we still kind of want it, though?

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Green Plug starts small, signs on Westinghouse

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/311881405/

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

Remember Green Plug? That universal connector we detailed last month which aims to replace wall warts and help Mother Earth out in the process? Turns out, said outfit has just landed its first real believer as Westinghouse committed to using the smart power technology. Even Darwin Chang, Westy's CTO, admitted that his firm "wasn't the largest, but somebody has to be the first." Chang is hoping that utilizing said tech will help it cut costs by eliminating the need to ship power adapters with its wares, but we'd say that's being pretty optimistic. Really, the only way that will go over well is if hordes of other firms jump on the (currently desolate) bandwagon in short order -- any takers?

[Via PCWorld]

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NVIDIA and friends working on alternate USB 3.0 spec, SiS joins in, Intel uninvited from everybody's birthday parties

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/311949912/

Filed under: Peripherals

Remember middle school? These guys do. NVIDIA, AMD, VIA and now SiS (only two capital letters? Not trying hard enough) have all teamed up in a fight against Intel of truly pubescent proportions. Intel has denied accusations of hiding the USB 3.0 spec, since it's not their spec to hide, and claims it has no obligation to disclose its actual host controller specification before it's ready. This apparently has the other chip makers scrambling to make their own host controller, so they aren't beholden to Intel's schedule. That could cause problems for the end product -- if they don't build theirs exactly like Intel's, and with Intel's already being on the market by the time they're done, they'll have to return to the drawing board and possibly delay their release by nine months. They claim this could give Intel two years of zero competition in the USB 3.0 space, but Intel figures since it plans to release the spec for free, is investing heavily in its development, and isn't done yet anyways, it doesn't owe those companies a thing. This just gets better and better.

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Bomomo Makes Abstract-ish Art Simple [Art]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Seriouslytechnology/~3/312017883/

Webapp Bomomo is a drawing application that’s slick enough to make random squiggles seem elegant, but also lets you fine-tune your design. Whether you’re looking for a change of desktop wallpaper, wrapping paper that’s really unique, or just an intriguing background, Bomomo’s results almost always look pretty decent. And while the colors are randomly generated, they tend to come in complementary waves. Bomomo is a free to sign up for and use.

Bomomo [via MakeUseOf.com]

Friday, June 13, 2008

Soon, Your iPhone Won't Just Store Music, It'll Generate it For You [Music]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/310474125/soon-your-iphone-wont-just-store-music-itll-generate-it-for-you

iPods and iPhones are great for loading up with prerecorded music and everything, but no matter how large your hard drive is you're going to run out of new stuff to listen to eventually. But now that these devices are getting powerful enough to run robust programs, you'll soon have the ability to listen to new, actively-generated music on your iPhone that's completely unique.

While we already saw a program for creating music demoed at WWDC, what'll be really interesting is seeing programs that create music without user input. I'm not talking about music like new Coldplay songs, but rather electronic music that can be written as a set of procedures rather than a series of notes. Back in 1996, ambient music pioneer Brian Eno released Generative Music 1, which came on discs and used early Koan software.

It's only a matter of time before contemporary experimental electronic artists such as Keith Fullerton Whitman start releasing music that creates itself on your portable device. And while it's doubtful that you'll want to get rid of all your familiar music for some esoteric actively-generated music, it'll be a pretty awesome alternative to listening to those same 10 albums over and over again. [PSFK]

Hitachi To Sell 1.5-inch Ultra Thin Plasma Next Year [Televisions]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/310564820/hitachi-to-sell-15+inch-ultra-thin-plasma-next-year

At CES, Hitachi showed off an impressive 1.5-inch-thin plasma display. Today at the CEA industry update the company has told us that the concept will become a reality when the televisions go on sale in the US sometime during 2009. They also hinted that LED-backlit LCDs could be available in as little as 6 months. As for OLED, that's still a ways off.

Architect Secretly Builds Epic Scavenger Hunt into NYC Apartment [Mysteries]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/310522403/architect-secretly-builds-epic-scavenger-hunt-into-nyc-apartment

Eric Clough isn't your typical architectural designer. Sure, he'll design you a fine den or kitchen, but he's clearly got a creative streak that goes much deeper than that. That's why, when given the opportunity, he secretly built an incredible scavenger hunt into a $8.5-million, 4,200-square-foot Park Avenue apartment that included ciphers, riddles, poems and a lot of hidden doors and compartments.

In any case, the finale involved, in part, removing decorative door knockers from two hallway panels, which fit together to make a crank, which in turn opened hidden panels in a credenza in the dining room, which displayed multiple keys and keyholes, which, when the correct ones were used, yielded drawers containing acrylic letters and a table-size cloth imprinted with the beginnings of a crossword puzzle, the answers to which led to one of the rectangular panels lining the tiny den, which concealed a chamfered magnetic cube, which could be used to open the 24 remaining panels, revealing, in large type, the poem written by Mr. Klinsky.

How amazing is that? It took the family months to discover the scavenger hunt and weeks after that to figure it all out. It's like the live in a children's book of some kind.

Unfortunately, magical things like this really are only possible when you're loaded enough to buy an $8.5-million apartment and then give someone another $1.26 million to renovate it without much oversight. But hey, maybe if you're nice to the guys installing your new fridge they'll leave a post-it note with a poem stuck behind it as a secret prize for when you move. Not quite as magical, but I'm trying to work within your means here.

BlackBerry "Seawolf" 9110 Clamshell for AT&T and "Aurora" Mystery Phone Surface [Rumor]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/310620906/blackberry-seawolf-9110-clamshell-for-att-and-aurora-mystery-phone-surface

BlackBerry's first flip phone, the Kickstart (9100), is obviously for T-Mobile, but Boy Genius has uncovered some stuff that refers to the BlackBerry Seawolf (9110). The model number indicates it's a version of the Kickstart with GPS for another carrier, most probably AT&T. The mystery phone is the Aurora, which is in the same series as the touchscreen Thunder, but with an indicator of SureType keyboard like the Pearl—BGR suspects it might be an R&D fossil we'll never see. Still, looks like the Kickstart won't stay T-Mo exclusive for very long (if at all). Check out the revealing code over there: [BGR]

NXP Cell Modem Will Pull Down 150Mbits, Connect to Just About Anything [Mobile Data]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/310710058/nxp-cell-modem-will-pull-down-150mbits-connect-to-just-about-anything

NXP's new softmodem will be the fastest in the world and work with a range of data protocols, including LTE, WiMax, HSPA, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS and GSM. While the modem's over-the-top theoretical speeds will be sharply limited by available cellular networks, its network-promiscuity will allow for actual global phones that would be able to connect to fast data services almost anywhere in the world. Expect the hardware to start turning up in phone starting Q2 2009. [SlashPhones]

British Farmers to Build Giant, Artificial, 220-Acre Farm Under Glass [Too Much Green]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/310810501/british-farmers-to-build-giant-artificial-220+acre-farm-under-glass

Apparently inspired by Buckminster Fuller's push for domed cities, farmers in Kent, England are building a 220-acre series of connected greenhouses, where nothing will be grown in soil. Instead, nutrient-packed water will be used to grow 1.3 million plants hydroponically. The seven greenhouses will increase the UK's green vegetable supply 15%, and the greenhouses will be self-sufficient during the dry season by collecting rainwater from October-April. No word on whether Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin will be allowed inside. [UK Guardian via Jaunted via io9]

Hyundai's W220S LCD: Google Earth, now in 3D!

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/310195730/

Filed under: Displays

Bust out the Aqua Net and tease-up your beehive because 3D is once again the rage. Hyundai just announced its W220S TriDef 3D LCD which packs the standard list of specs we expected in a 22-inch monitor: 1,680 x 1,050 WSXGA+ resolution, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300cd/m2 brightness and 5-ms response. Unfortunately the viewing angle is a mere 150-degrees up/down or 160-degrees side-to-side. Should you be bold enough to step into a pair of included polarized glasses then you'll also be treated to a suite of bundled 3D-apps including Google Earth 3D, a pair of 3D games, and TriDef media player for 3D video content. The W220S launches in Japan tomorrow for ¥98,000 (about $913). Pics of the face-specs after the break.

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Solar Soft House converts household curtains into household current

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/310323830/

Filed under: Household

Bravo Sheila Kennedy, bravo. You might just save us from our gadget-obsessed selves if the Soft House you've designed can pump the 16,000 watt-hours you predict. The design features thin photovoltaic films woven into semi-transparent curtains. The idea is similar to the solar power ski-suits (seriously) we've seen. Unfortunately, a home fitted entirely in solar textiles is still too costly at the moment. Cost measured in cash, apparently.

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Conceptronic ships Grab 'n GO Full HD media streamer

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/310392527/

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

In the quickly-growing realm of media streamers, there's at least a modicum of a chance that Conceptronic's oddly titled Grab 'n GO Full HD media player has slipped from the forefront of your mind. If so, the outfit is gunning to jar your memory by announcing that it is now shipping said piece to eager consumers. The release also noted that SAMBA and NFS clients have been added, and it's pretty much ready to "stream all digital media files to a TV in Full HD 1080p resolution." Furthermore, you'll find a gigabit Ethernet jack to handle all that data, and the built-in USB port enables external storage to be added locally. Sorry, still no price.

[Thanks, KJ]

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