Sunday, November 16, 2008

Gizmodo's 20 Essential iPhone Apps [IPhone Apps]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/W6GEsgSMhFY/gizmodos-20-essential-iphone-apps

It's been four months almost to the day since iPhone 2.0 came, and we've been hitting the App Store hard every week ever since to sift through what's new in iPhone App land. This week, we've decided to hold back for a second, take a breath, and compile a different kind of list: the apps that many of us on staff actually use on a regular basis. If you have a new iPhone or iTouch just waiting to be filled up, or you feel like you may be missing some essentials in your collection, this is the list for you.

Pageonce Personal Assistant: Combines myriad online accounts, from banking and investing to bill paying to airline frequent fliers. Rather than hit 15 different sites for your montly bill pay/pain time, use this single app.

AOL Radio: Four letters: KCRW. AOL Radio pipes in the legendary LA station and for this we are thankful.

Fring: The only IM/messaing client you need. Covers Google Talk, AIM, Skype, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Twitter, plus VoIP calls over Wi-Fi if you're low on minutes at home or in the coffee shop.

Remote: One of the first apps we saw, and still among the best in terms of usefulness. If you use iTunes frequently at home and especially if you listen away from your desk via a stereo hookup or Airport Express, you need the Remote.

AirSharing: Our favorite file storage app—shoots files to the iPhone's flash memory via Wi-Fi for storage, transport, and easy retrieval.

Yelp: Taps into Yelp's community reviews to find good bars and restaurants based on your location. Essential for cities like San Francisco and New York where Yelp reviews are solid. When I'm out in the city and need a drink ASAP or the restaurant I was planning on going is too crowded/sucks, Yelp is what I reach for.

Routesy: Can't live in San Francisco without this app. I use it everyday to see when trains / busses are coming. Even if I am sitting at my computer I choose to look up the train / buss schedule via Routesy on my iPhone because it's just that much simpler.

City Transit: Ditto here for NYC. Even for locals, quick access to a subway map is always a good thing, plus constantly changing service outages are! impossi ble to keep track of, without an app like this. And if you're feeling old-timey, a vintage MTA map is here too.

Pandora: Best internet radio app, hands down. Smartly auto-suggests music based on other artists you like. Both on the go and while at home. Streams well over EDGE and 3G. Free. What more could you ask for?

VNC Lite: View and fully control my computer from anywhere, as long as I am on the same network. So I can basically be at my computer without actually being at my computer...

PanoLab: Who knew multitouch is the perfect interface for stitching photos together into panoramas? It is. Plus if the photo you just took doesn't work, toss it out and take another one immediately. A paid version adds even more features.

Bloom: Generative, ambient music by Brian Eno. If I need to say more, it's also a mini-sequencer: Drop your finger on the liquidy pastel screen, play a note, make simple loops. Music For Airports that you can make yourself. In an airport, even.

Shazam: This just doesn't get old: hold your phone to the air to grab the song playing at the supermarket (or being hummed by your friend), and have it identified in a few seconds. We live in a privileged age.


Simplify Media
: Stream your home machine's iTunes library and those of up to 30 friends to your phone. This app lives up to its name. Forget worries of filling up 8GB, or even 16.

Galcon: It's Risk, but in space, and instead of six hours it takes two minutes and you don't have to be shitfaced to enjoy it.

i.TV: Provides you with an elegant TV guide, movie listings and showtimes, and Netflix queue management all in one app.

MotionX Poker: The dice rolling in MotionX Poker is one of the most accurate and painstakingly simulated dice physics engines ever built. And it shows. Not a substitute for real dice behind your neighborhood bodega, but the closest thing possible.

Snow Reports: If you fait du ski/snowboard, ! Snow Rep orts will let you know when you should drop everything and head to Alpine Mountain for the weekend.

Google Earth: The same amazing Earth touring app found on the desktop, now spinnable via multi touch. Honestly if someone told me two years ago I would have a functional Google Earth app on my phone, I wouldn't have believed them. This is now.

Sketches: Brian likes this app because deep down, he's just a Japanese schoolgirl who wants to slap sticker graphics on photos of his dog. If you share this desire, Sketches: it's for you too.

Have an app you can't live without that didn't make our list? Awesome! Tell us in the comments so everyone can check it out. And for even more apps: see our previous weekly roundups here, and check out our original iPhone App Review Marathon. Have a good weekend everybody.


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Get Ready for Cheap Nvidia Graphics Cards [Hopefully]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/67bpTamljbw/get-ready-for-cheap-nvidia-graphics-cards

ATI has been hitting Nvidia hard with its 4000-series big guns like the Radeon HD 4870 X2, and they're starting to feel it, with ATI successfully clawing away marketshare from Nvidia. Which has Nvidia skurred. So, sources say, Nvidia's readying a barrage of price cuts to keep the territory loss to a minimum.

If it pans out, we should be in for some sweet deals—last time Nvidia played hard ball with ATI, they threw bricks, cutting their top-end graphics cards by $200 just a month out the gate, and let loose its GeForce 9800 GTX for around $200 as well. It could be a Merry Christmas after all. [Digitimes via Maximum PC]


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Matchbook-Sized Motor Sets 1 Million RPM Record [Rpm Record]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/AuxfWIDVI-4/matchbook+sized-motor-sets-1-million-rpm-record

Researchers from ETH Zurich's Department of Power Electronics have developed a matchbook-sized motor that can spin faster than any other machine in the world—over 1,000,000 rpm. In order to keep it from falling apart at such high speeds, the researchers employed a titanium shell, ultra-thin copper wire for the windings and a mysterious top-secret iron that is "previously unused for machines." So does this mean we will all be seeing million rpm engines and hard drives soon? Probably not—but products like faster drills may be feasible in the near future thanks to a Swiss company named Celeroton that has been formed to bring products based on the technology to market. [LiveScience]


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Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Review [Xperia Review]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/KUETjYeLARg/sony-ericsson-xperia-x1-review

The Gadget: The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 is the new flagship smartphone for the electronics giant. Packing the new "Panels" interface, a full QWERTY keyboard, 3G data and 800x480 touchscreen in a full metal body, is the Xperia X1 poised to challenge the top smartphones?

Price: $800 (no carrier or contract required)

Verdict: The Xperia X1 is kind of a mixed bag. For every good thing the phone does, there seems to be something detracting from it as well. From a hardware standpoint, this is a well built phone that feels extremely solid in the hand. But at the same time, it's not exactly the lightest or slimmest phone available (even for a slider). The 528MHz Processor and 256MB RAM also give the X1 enough horsepower to run smoothly...most of the time.

The 800x400 VGA screen is beautiful, considering all that resolution is tightly packed into a 2.8-inch screen. Videos and images are bright, vibrant and sharp. The fact that it uses resistive touch techonology, however, is not so great. But my favorite hardware aspect of this phone is the keyboard. The keys are well spaced, responsive and I rarely have typos in my texts; this lets me worry about what I'm saying instead of whether or not I'm typing gibberish. The phone also has an optical sensor stuck in the middle of the four-way directional pad that lets you flick your thumb over its surface, and it will scroll up and down, side to side. It's an interesting use of tech, but feels slightly awkward, a bit gimmicky since there's already a touchscreen and a d-pad make the sensor somewhat unnecessary.

On the! softwar e side, the big sell for the Xperia are its custom panel interfaces, which range from different types of homescreens, a media player interface, and even a Google-oriented screen. While selected, these panels serve as the default screen for your phone and all navigation tracks back to the panels. In theory, this is a good idea. But when you're in a panel that isn't built around a today-style screen, and you quickly want to check any missed calls or text messages you may have, this interface becomes a bit of a nuisance.

But the one panel that does stand out is the Media Player. Sony Ericsson took their design cues from the PSP and PS3 and created an interface that is equally appealing as it is functional. Clean and streamlined, the media player features large icons and buttons that work well without a stylus. From the screen, you can watch movies, listen to music, view photos or even bring up your contacts list to make a quick call. Aside from the keyboard, this is probably my favorite feature of the Xperia X1.

In terms of calls, signal strength and call clarity were generally good in the parts of the Bay Area I tested in, but phone screens could be better designed. When you hit the call button from your home screen, it brings up your keypad with a list of recent calls. A series of icons for call logs, favorites, and contacts sit above the keypad. In the call log subscreen, it's a bit tough to tell what are missed calls, dialed calls, and received calls at first glance.

Battery life is great, as I can make calls, browse the internet, and watch videos at a moderate level for two or three days without charging it. The 3.2 MP camera has a pretty good sensor that takes crystal clear photos, and uses your touchscreen taps to autofocus on a specific object. But a slow shutter—especially in low light—detracts from the camera experience. Other than that, the software experience on the Xperia is pretty standard WinMo fare.

Overall, the custom software upgrades Sony Er! icsson a dded to WinMo 6.1 are good, but feel tacked on; ths ranges from random 6.1 elements popping up over the custom UI when you get a call or text, text messages and missed calls that go unreported or the frozen screens that occur when you try to transition to another panel/app. It feels like Sony Ericsson chose WinMo by default, not because it's the mobile OS they really wanted.

To be blunt, the Xperia X1 isn't quite up to snuff with the top smartphones in the market from an overall standpoint. Whether you're talking about its $800 price tag, stylus-based resistive touchscreen or 3.2 MP camera, this is a phone that would have fared better amongst early adopters a year or two ago. This is not to say the Xperia X1 is a bad phone—on the contrary, it's a very respectable piece of hardware. It's just not good enough to justify the cost when better, cheaper phones are available. [Xperia on Giz]


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Verizon's Samsung Saga shows its face, as anticipated

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/14/verizons-samsung-saga-shows-its-face-as-anticipated/

Filed under: ,


Nothing new or unexpected here: just like we said a few days ago, the Samsung Saga, one of the bluest handsets in recent memory, is now available online at Verizon. Also filed under "things we already knew," the globetrotting GSM and CDMA-enabled smartphone with EV-DO is selling for $199.99 (with a 2-year contract and one of those mail-in rebates we all know and love), though apparently you won't be able to walk into a Verizon store and pick one up in person until December 1st. Hit the read link for more granular details should you really, really want them.

Verizon's Samsung Saga shows its face, as anticipated originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Matrox Iris GT smart camera brings Windows CE to Atom-land

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/14/matrox-iris-gt-smart-camera-brings-windows-ce-to-atom-land/

Filed under: ,


Matrox's new Iris GT "smart camera" doesn't mark the first time that the Atom processor and Windows CE have run into each other, but it's certainly one of the most interesting encounters, even if it's one that most folks likely won't see first hand. Apparently, the camera is intended to be used in various "machine vision" applications, like locating and reading barcodes or measuring the geometry of 2D objects, but we think you'll agree that it has one other, not quite official use written all over it: robot eye. The camera's specs certainly seem to make that a possibility, and include that ever-present 1.6GHz Atom processor, 256MB of RAM, 1GB of flash storage, a gigabit Ethernet port, and USB 2.0 and RS232 ports, not to mention accommodations for a number of interchangeable lenses -- it's even dust-proof and "washable." No word on a price just yet, but Matrox says it'll be available sometime in the first quarter of next year.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

Matrox Iris GT smart camera brings Windows CE to Atom-land originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD says it's "ignoring" netbooks, will focus on ultraportables

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/14/amd-says-its-ignoring-netbooks-will-focus-on-ultraportables/

Filed under:

It seemed earlier this week that AMD's new Conesus chips would take on Intel's dominant Atom platform in the netbook market, but it sounds like that was just wishful thinking -- according to CEO Dirk Meyer, the chipmaker is "ignoring the netbook platform" in favor machines "above that form factor." AMD says that it's seeing high return rates on netbooks, a phenomenon it's chalking up to an unsatisfactory user experience on smaller machines. Of course, that doesn't quite jive with the sales numbers being posted by Acer, ASUS, and HP -- and although return rates are indeed higher for Linux machines than for XP, we're puzzled as to why AMD cares about anything other than raw chip sales to OEMs, since we were under the impression that that's how AMD makes money. Of course, really smart companies don't just sell what people want, they convince people to want what they sell, and that seems to be AMD's tactic: it says that the higher-powered, dual-core Conesus with ATI RS780M graphics will deliver a full-featured user experience that more people will spring for, even if it's in a slightly larger package. We'll see if this strategy plays in the market -- while we'd love to see a machine like the Inspiron Mini 12 with some real horsepower in it, it's hard to argue with a $280 Atom-based Eee.

AMD says it's "ignoring" netbooks, will focus on ultraportables originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oblong's g-speak: the 'Minority Report' OS brought to life

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/14/oblongs-g-speak-the-minority-report-os-brought-to-life/

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If you've been waiting for that Minority Report-style interface to really come to fruition, you can finally exhale. One of the science advisors from the Steven Spielberg film -- along with a team of other zany visionaries -- has created an honest-to-goodness, real-world implementation of the computer systems seen in the movie. Dubbed g-speak, the mind bending OS combines "gestural i/o, recombinant networking, and real-world pixels," to deliver what the creators call "the first major step in [a] computer interface since 1984." There are some things that need to seen to be understood, so watch the video after the break, and prepare to have your mind thoroughly blown to bits.

[Thanks, Jamie]

Continue reading Oblong's g-speak: the 'Minority Report' OS brought to life

Oblong's g-speak: the 'Minority Report' OS brought to life originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel Core i7 listings show up on NewEgg to tease you, then split

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/15/intel-core-i7-listings-show-up-on-newegg-to-tease-you-then-spli/

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Listings for Intel's new Core i7 processors popped up on NewEgg for a couple hours yesterday before getting pulled back into the pre-launch ether -- a cruel tease to desktop PC hardware aficionados counting down the nanoseconds till that red letter day, November 17th. We knew it wouldn't last, but we're glad of the error, 'cause now we've seen pricing info which should reflect what we'll be paying next week. The 2.66GHz 920 was listed at $319.99, the 2.93GHz 940 at $599.99, and the 3.2GHz Extreme 965 at $1,069. Benchmarks have shown even the 920 besting top-of-the-line Core 2 Quads, so the entry point is alluring, but if you're a True Gearhead we expect you'll embezzle a grand to afford the Extreme chip.

[Thanks, Staff]

Intel Core i7 listings show up on NewEgg to tease you, then split originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canonical bringing Ubuntu to ARM-powered devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/16/canonical-brings-ubuntu-to-arm-powered-devices/

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It was inevitable, really -- now that ARM processors are bound for netbooks and the like, it follows logic that ARM would tag team with Canonical to bring along Ubuntu support. The two firms have collaborated in order to "bring the full Ubuntu Desktop operating system to the ARMv7 processor architecture (targeting the Cortex-A8 and Cortex -A9 in particular) to address demand from device manufacturers." They even go out of their way to assert that this is all about bringing Ubuntu to "new netbooks and hybrid computers," though we're still hopeful that the OS will find its way into even more diminutive ARM-powered devices in the future. Sadly, you'll have to wait until April of 2009 to see the fruits of this so-very-special relationship.

[Via CNET]

Canonical bringing Ubuntu to ARM-powered devices originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 06:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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+vdimm +i7


anyone following the vdimm i7 issue?
Nehalem News - The latest news on Intel's next generation microarchitecture.
Core i7 - Is High VDimm really a Problem? (AnandTech)-bet365-happy ...
Numerous articles and forum posts have been popping up recently about the potential of high VDi ...,i bet you will be happy 365 days here.

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