Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Major tech companies joining forces to create massive patent shell company

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/323935523/

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Yeah, we hate patent trolls as much as anyone, but the Wall Street Journal says that a group of major tech companies have created a patent shield organization to fend off trolls that sounds to us like it'll eventually just be an even worse troll. The foundation, called the Allied Security Trust, will take $250,000 in buy-in money and $5M in escrow from member companies -- Verizon, Google, Ericsson, HP, and Cisco are apparently the founding corporations -- and use it to buy up patents to prevent future litigation. After a member company buys a patent, it will grant itself a non-exclusive license and sell it to AST, which will then license it to the other members. Of course, that means that AST will eventually own a large number of patents on common technology, which means it could very well become a aggressive patent litigant itself. Not to worry, says AST CEO Brian Hinman: the group will "never be an enforcement vehicle," and it isn't anyone's intention to "make money on the transactions." Sure, sure -- but any time players this big start putting this much potential cash on the line, we're not going to take random promises at face value. See you in Marshall, boys.

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Monday, June 30, 2008

Home Floating Over the Pacific Brings Peace, Insane Envy [Architecture]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/323160049/home-floating-over-the-pacific-brings-peace-insane-envy

It may not be crazy high-tech architecture, but there's something about this Chilean home hanging over the Pacific—the breathtaking views, the clean design—that has me glued to the screen with a mixed feeling of complete awe, peace, and envy.

Divided in three floors, Casa 11 Mujeres (House 11 Women, named like that because it was designed for a family with 11 daughters, ages four to twenty) was built with bare concrete with wood floors, glass, and steel on a 45 degree slope looking down Cachagua beach, 87 miles north of Santiago de Chile. The bottom floor contains shared spaces, while the second level has the daughters bedrooms—all overlooking the sea—, and the top floor has the master bedroom, kitchen, living room, and dining room.

I don't know about the 11 daughters part, but sign me up for the rest. [Dezeen]

Mitsubishi's new iSP 149 series LCDs have it all in one place

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/322964353/

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

If you're a lazy ass consumer (the very best kind), bent on pulling a device out of the box, plugging it into a wall, and never messing with another bit of "setup" again, you're certainly not alone. In fact, most folks never lift a finger to calibrate their displays, plug better speakers in, or place those speakers in actually advantageous spots. To that end, Mitsubishi is debuting its new LT-46149 and LT-52149 LCDs with integrated 16-speaker sound projectors. Similar to the sound bars offered up by many home audio manufacturers, the "Integrated Sound Projector" (iSP) is designed to bounce sound off walls and around the room to give the illusion of surround sound. The perk of TV integration is an easy to use room configuration on-screen tool to specify your room's dimensions, couch placement and preferred sweet spot size. At the end of the day, your sound is all coming from one spot, so directionality isn't going to quite match a for-realsie surround sound setup, and the system we listened to was a little sharp in the high end, but it's certainly a unique and appealing offering from Mitsu to the everyman TV watcher. The TV itself is CableCard ready, can support sound over HDMI and PCM inputs, and offers Mitsu's 120Hz film dejuddering -- that rather awkwardly makes your favorite films look like they were shot by a TV news crew. The 46-inch and 52-inch LCDs will sell for $3,299 and $3,699, respectively.

Gallery: Mitsubishi's new iSP 149 series LCDs have it all in one place

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ASUS' bigger, badder Eee PC 904 and 905 in the chute?

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/323080869/

Filed under: Laptops

The price isn't the only thing swelling on ASUS' Eee PC. According to DigiTimes' proven ASUS sources, bigger Eee PC 904 and 905 models are cueing up for release. In a return to the Eee PC salad days of the big bezel, the new models will slot the same 8.9-inch display found in the 901 into a larger, Eee PC 1000-esque chassis with proportionally larger keyboard. Decisions about battery and storage have not yet been finalized although the new models would be priced similar to the 900 and 901 which they would ultimately replace.

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Sunday, June 29, 2008

Matrox Reappears With Multi-Display Graphics Card Line For Professional Apps [Graphics Cards]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/322825462/matrox-reappears-with-multi+display-graphics-card-line-for-professional-apps

In the battle for video card domination, dark horse Matrox never seemed to even come close to keeping up with Nvidia and ATI's crazy GPU arms race. But after fading almost completely from the gadgetsphere, the company has suddenly returned with the launch of five new graphics cards under its "M-Series" line. The M-Series targets the multi-display market and consists of two low-profile PCIe cards and three standard formate ATX PCIe cards.

The cards range from $259 for the M9120 PCIe x16, which has a single DVI-I output that uses a breakout cable to run two independent displays, to the $599 M9140 LP PCIe x16, which can power up to four 1920 x 1200 screens.

Judging from the pricing and features no regular person would need, it seems that Matrox has bypassed the home consumer market in favor of "professional" applications. That's probably a smart move, considering how even Intel is having trouble wrestling control of the market away from our two graphics chip overlords now. [The Inquirer via Crunch Gear]

Chocolove

Source: http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2008/06/chocolove.html

Who doesn't love chocolate? Chocolove creates premium, organic chocolate. From their website:

"The idea was simple - a selection of distinctly flavored chocolate bars made with all-natural ingredients and the classic techniques of Europe's finest chocolatiers. The package design would resemble a love letter sent from a distant land, and inside each wrapper - a classic romantic poem. The cocoa content would be clearly indicated on the front of each wrapper, the tasting notes would be simple and approachable, and the price, affordable."

Chocolove now offers limited edition "bars of origin." I love that they've taken the language of the wine-world, and have translated it to chocolate. They produced 45,000 bars for each location. And the packaging is a testament to craftsmanship and history behind each bar.

Even the descriptions sound like they were taken from a wine journal:

Made from Trinitarios, a variety from Trinidad, this chocolate is true to the varietal; complex with hints of fruit. The aroma is like a glass of wine. The flavor starts with hints of tangy tropical fruits and wood, then transitions to dried fruit and on to a light dry finish.

Sign me up for a tasting!

The Bill Gates Timeline [Bill Gates Retirement Party]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/321515596/the-bill-gates-timeline

Here it is, the definitive Bill Gates timeline. It may contain some bugs and lack some features, but it works: from his parents to the last day of his work at Microsoft, the Bill Gates timeline shows his personal and business adventure—on the top—in relation to the tech industry—on the bottom—as his company takes over it all.

Click on the image above to access the full high-resolution version. [Bill Gates' Retirement Party]

Other Gizmodo timelines

Sony Trinitron Timeline Shows Why It Will Live Forever In Our Hearts
The Analog Cellphone Timeline
LEGO Brick Timeline: 50 Years of Building Frenzy and Curiosities
100 Years of Tech in the Times Square New Year's Ball

World of Warcraft Getting a Hardware Authenticator Tool [World Of Warcraft]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/321558635/world-of-warcraft-getting-a-hardware-authenticator-tool

The hacking and account stealing has gotten so bad on World of Warcraft that Blizzard has decided to release a hardware authenticator to make sure when you log in, you're actually not some dude in China who looks like me. (Unless you are.) The authenticator costs $6.50, and will spit out a six-digit code—much like the Paypal security key—that you enter into your account when you log in. You can use that one authenticator to any number of accounts, so if your whole family plays, you'll only have to pay once. [Blizzard via Wow Insider - Photo of Consumerist's Popken]

Cellphone Companies' Early Termination Fees Compared [Etf]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/321659063/cellphone-companies-early-termination-fees-compared

Consumerist's taken all the early termination fee news we've reported on lately and shoved them into an easy-to-read graph to show you what's up. If you're talking two-year contracts Verizon and AT&T are tied for the best at the start, but T-Mobile beats them somewhere around the 22nd month. For one year contracts, T-Mobile wins at about 7 months. Head over to the Cons to see the details. [Consumerist]

Google Media Server Helps Bridge Gap Between PC and TV [Google Apps]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/321673621/google-media-server-helps-bridge-gap-between-pc-and-tv

Google Media Server is a Google Desktop add-on that provides a way to get PC media content onto your TV. With the help of a UPnP device, Google Media Server collects all the relevant media files from your PC and makes them available over a local host. While it doesn't seem as direct as a device like SlingCatcher, it's probably a whole lot cheaper. Google Media Server is available for download here. [Google Media Server via Crunch Gear]

ATI Radeon Graphics Cards Running Nvidia PhysX Are Faster, Stronger, Awesomer [Ati]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/321673620/ati-radeon-graphics-cards-running-nvidia-physx-are-faster-stronger-awesomer

After Nvidia picked up PhysX, it was obvious ATI would probably get left out of Nvidia's efforts to spread the love to graphics cards and x86 CPUs (hence ATI hooking up with Havok). (Physics engines, for the uninitiated, are what make your body bounce around with aplomb after getting stuck with a grenade in Halo 3.) But some modders have fixed that and ported PhysX to ATI's Radeon 3800 cards, instantly improving benchmarks.

A Radeon HD 3870 system jumped from an overall 3D Mark Vantage score of P3800 to P4262. Though it won't be available for ATI's latest 4800 cards for a bit, you can download the PhysX enabler this weekend at NGOHQ, which should make your Unreal experience on ATI that much sweeter. [NGOHQ via TG Daily via /.]

ATI Radeon Graphics Cards Running Nvidia PhysX Are Faster, Stronger, Awesomer [Ati]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/321673620/ati-radeon-graphics-cards-running-nvidia-physx-are-faster-stronger-awesomer

After Nvidia picked up PhysX, it was obvious ATI would probably get left out of Nvidia's efforts to spread the love to graphics cards and x86 CPUs (hence ATI hooking up with Havok). (Physics engines, for the uninitiated, are what make your body bounce around with aplomb after getting stuck with a grenade in Halo 3.) But some modders have fixed that and ported PhysX to ATI's Radeon 3800 cards, instantly improving benchmarks.

A Radeon HD 3870 system jumped from an overall 3D Mark Vantage score of P3800 to P4262. Though it won't be available for ATI's latest 4800 cards for a bit, you can download the PhysX enabler this weekend at NGOHQ, which should make your Unreal experience on ATI that much sweeter. [NGOHQ via TG Daily via /.]

Mirage 3D DaVinci Driving Simulator Rig Lacks Wheels, Has Passenger Seat [Driving Simulator]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/322039170/mirage-3d-davinci-driving-simulator-rig-lacks-wheels-has-passenger-seat

We could only surmise that this "realistic" DaVinci driving simulator from Mirage3D is for teaching this morning. I mean, why else would this thing have a passenger seat? Riding shotgun for a video game? Not when the couch is so comfy, thanks. Then again, this is also the perfect gift for that cousin with a penchant for racing and DUIs, as it lovingly recreates the extreme driving experience with roll bars, uber-realistic, working gauges (controlled by an on-board PC), and Dolby 5.1 surround—all without the danger of having him sloshed on I-90. Oh, and there's a seat belt. That's the DaVinci, alright: safety first, dignity second.

[Mirage 3D via Born Rich]

Voodoo Envy 133 photographed gloriously in the wild

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/321563759/

Filed under: Laptops

No frontin' here: this is the most excited we've been about in the wild shots in quite some time. Not only do we have a veritable plethora of Envy 133 shots to glance at, but each one is high resolution and sharp as a tack. If you think your heart can handle checking out this slab of sexy from all angles, head on down to the links below and give it a go. From here, the only thing we're down on is that mirror they call a glossy display; otherwise, this thing looks downright heavenly.

Read - TheNextBench message board
Read - Envy 133 gallery

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Progressive MyRate drive-monitoring device goes national

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/322002945/

Filed under: Transportation

Progressive insurance has been testing out the MyRate driving monitoring system for a few years now (it used to be called TripSense), but it's finally taking the system national, bringing pay-as-you-drive insurance into the mainstream. The little blue box plugs into your car's ODB II diagnostic port (all cars made after 1996 have one), and studiously records your driving habits, wirelessly sending the data back to Progressive HQ (it's not clear exactly how). Every six months, Progressive will crunch the numbers and issue a new rate for you based on how you drive -- savings of up to 40 percent are possible. That's pretty tempting, depending on your current rates and driving habits, but we're not so sure we're willing to share that much data for an unspecified discount -- especially since we're confident the MyRate box will get cracked almost immediately.

[Thanks, Mike; image courtesy of Aaron Landry]

Read - MyRate press release
Read - MyRate video
Read - How MyRate works

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