Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, February 19, 2009

AMD nets final approval to create The Foundry Company

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/19/amd-nets-final-approval-to-create-the-foundry-company/

After having to delay the final vote earlier this month due to a lack of participation (d'oh!), AMD has dotted the final 'i' in its attempt to spin off semiconductor manufacturing. Said company, along with the Advanced Technology Investment Company, have now secured the final approval necessary to create The Foundry Company. Stockholder approval was the only remaining hurdle to be jumped, and the joint venture transaction is expected to fully close by March 2nd of this year. By the numbers, AMD stockholders approved a proposal to issue 58 million shares of its common stock along with warrants to purchase 35 million shares of its common stock and 35 million shares of the company's common stock upon exercise of those warrants to an affiliate of the Mubadala Development Company PJSC (perplexing, we know). Now, let's see if AMD can keep up with Intel's own $7 billion investment.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

AMD nets final approval to create The Foundry Company originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Mobile Hits Windows Mobile [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com:80/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/-FDLCqyjnGI/google-mobile-hits-windows-mobile

Windows Mobile only: Google Mobile for the likes of the iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry have been around for a while. Now the autocompleting, quick search application is also available for your Windows Mobile phone.

While the WinMo version of Google Mobile isn't quite as saucy as the iPhone or Android versions—which support search-by-voice features—but the app is still a winner for quick and easy searches from your phone. Hit the link below for a closer look at the Windows Mobile page, or go to the main Google Mobile page to check in on the availability of Google Mobile for your phone.

Google Mobile App for Windows Mobile [Google via Official Google Mobile Blog]

iPodME Converts Your Video to iPod Friendly Format [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com:80/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/DtRG_deHFpY/ipodme-converts-your-video-to-ipod-friendly-format

Windows only: If you're looking for a fire-and-forget video converter to help stock your iPod, iPodME is a dead simple and lightweight tool for bulk converting your video files.

iPodME is a completely portable standalone application—a GUI wrapper of the venerable ffmpeg for the curious among you. Operation is as simple as running the application, dragging and dropping a list of video files you want to convert onto it, and adjusting the basic video settings. You can select the video dimensions and the quality using the plain English metric provided--slow, quality or turbo, size for instance—to determine the conversion speed. If you dig into the options menu you can also tweak the process priority. The default for the application is to take advantage of idle cycles and back off when you're actually attempting to do work. Using the fast, quality setting and leaving it on the default of idle, it took approximately one hour to convert 20 episodes of Fraggle Rock into iPod-compatible MP4 files. An unexpected bonus in such a small package is support for SRT subtitle files, if you have them for your favorite foreign media you can embed them as you convert. If you'd like more fine tuned control over your video conversions, check out the candidates in the Hive Five Best Media Converters and the Top 10 Free Video Rippers, Encoders, and Converters to fulfill your tweaking needs.

iPodME [via Freeware Genius]

How Can I Download Every Attachment From Gmail? [Ask Lifehacker]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com:80/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/C1ZkuOwiS28/how-can-i-download-every-attachment-from-gmail

Dear Lifehacker,
Over the years, I've accumulated lots of images/files in attachments throughout my email. What I'm looking for is a way to download ALL Gmail attachments in one fell swoop.

Sincerely,
Gmail is Great

Dear Gmail is Great,
There may be several ways you can accomplish this, here's how we'd do it: You can easily download every attachment in one fell swoop using a combination of Gmail's IMAP capability, Mozilla Thunderbird, and the AttachmentExtractor extension for Thunderbird. We'll take you through the steps, which might take a little while but will end up with a local folder full of attachments.

Use our guide to turning Thunderbird into the Ultimate Gmail IMAP client to setup local access to all of your email. Make sure to fully sync all folders, including your All Mail folder.
Install the AttachmentExtractor extension by going to Tools \ Addons and dragging in the downloaded file.
Sort the All Mail folder by the attachment icon, and then select all the email that has attachments. Right-click and choose "Extract Selected Attachments to..." from the menu, and pick a folder to save your attachments.
Wait, for probably a very long while, for all the attachments to download.
All done!

This technique should work for any email account that works in Thunderbird, so you aren't limited to Gmail. For an alternate wa! y to acc ess your Gmail attachments, check out Adam's guide to advanced file and attachment management in Gmail.

Love and Geekery,
Lifehacker

GigaPan Epic Review (Verdict: A Cruel Yet Fantastic Tease) [Review]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/eRHOXiCn124/gigapan-epic-review-verdict-a-cruel-yet-fantastic-tease

The gadget: The GigaPan Epic, the famous mechanism behind the 1,474 megapixel ubershot of the Presidential Inauguration that allows a standard digital camera to take massive landscapes.

The price: $380, plus your point and shoot digital camera of choice.

The verdict: The Epic really is an interesting product, but it's lacking the polish and execution that most of us expect in a $400 gadget. Let me explain.
The Epic is essentially a robotic arm that automates the process of large scale digital photography. Attaching to a tripod (or just sitting on a solid surface), you show the system the top left and bottom right corners of a landscape, and it will automatically tilt and pan your camera, snapping all necessary shots with a tiny arm that pushes down your shutter button.
You download the 100s of pictures from your digital camera to proprietary GigaPan software, and it will, over a few hours, stitch the photos together into magnificent landscapes.
And it works! With a few caveats.

You'll need to lock your camera's zoom, focus and exposure down, lest various pictures be lighter or darker than others. This can be easier said than done on the dummy point and shoot cam! eras tha t the Epic is designed for. And taking a large panorama is still a process that will take several minutes to complete, meaning that there's a good chance pedestrian will stop and stare into the lens in any public atmosphere you choose to photograph. Also, GigaPan's software essentially requires you to upload images to the web, then grab stills through that interface. A simple mega TIF output would have been a welcome option. UPDATE: Apparently I missed the export screen.

Still, check out the shot I was able to capture outside the Hancock building in Chicago, despite not locking down the f-stop. (Check it out for yourself here.)

Neat, right? You create a photo that can be zoomed in to the full potential of your lens while still maintaining a vast master shot.

Here's the real issue: Manual overrides are reasonable for the average Gizmodo reader. What's tougher is that the battery life is atrocious. The Epic runs off of 6 AA batteries that, for me, took about 200 shots (or two panoramas) before dying. (GigaPan has assured me that premium batteries can take 1,000 pictures at room temperature.) Believe it or not, 200 shots is a limiting proposition, especially for the average guy who would be interested in this unit. I actually ran out of battery during my example shot—a whole column of photos is missing. Why would a company design such a functional product with such an obvious Achilles' heel?

I can't deny that the GigaPan Epic is absurdly cool. And I can't wait for a sunny day when I can explore the city and grab some stunning, massive images through my dinky consumer camera. But I really don't want to find myself perched precariously on a ledge with the perfect shot, only to see the unit die with 60 pictures left to go.

Then again, give me a heftier battery option and maybe some SLR compatibility, and it's on.

GigaPan Epic In Brief:

My mom could use it, pending a brief tutorial

Works with simple consumer cameras

Facilitates truly amazing shots, even when you screw up a bit

An SLR-compatible model would be welcomed

Battery life severely cripples functionality

Dell Mini 10 Selling for $400 on February 26 [NetBooks]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/A1ZQRhHPChE/dell-mini-10-selling-for-400-on-february-26

If you were interested in the Dell Mini 10, Dell's latest netbook catered to playing back 720p video, it'll be available starting at $400 later this month. Specs include:

• choice of Z520 or Z530 Atom processor
• 1GB RAM
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• HDMI out
• 802.11g Wi-Fi
• 3-cell battery
• 160GB 5400rpm hard drive
• 4-in-1 memory card reader
• multiple colors (Obsidian Black, Alpine White, Promise Pink, Cherry Red, Ice Blue and Jade Green)
• Windows XP, Ubuntu to come later

You'll notice that the planned system does not include either Bluetooth or the promised 720p display, which is a bit odd. But those features, along with a TV Tuner, GPS and 3G connectivity are all planned as options "down the road." [Dell]

Mammoth 82-Inch 1080p LCD Coming From Honeywell (From Who?) [Big Ass Tvs]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/_b2_WwhvXhw/mammoth-82+inch-1080p-lcd-coming-from-honeywell-from-who

Here's a good reason to start saving for next fall's Black Friday: HD Guru says Honeywell will sell an 82" 1080p LCD in the US this year.

Honeywell—better known for top secret government contracts—is really just licensing its all-American name to the Taiwan-based Soyo, who will be producing the 300-pound monster of a TV set. Features include 120Hz motion-blur reduction, a 178-degree viewing angle, 3 HDMI inputs (only 3?), and a stated dynamic contrast ratio of 120,000:1. Its model number is the painfully long MT-HWGWT8218AM.

Sharp and Samsung, competing LCD producers, have shown off the 82" size, but according to Gary at HD Guru, neither promised to product true HDTVs for public consumption just yet. Price is TBD, but while any 82" TV is definitely going to cost you something, it might not be as expensive, coming from a tier 2 (or tier 3) company like Soyo/Honeywell. Get the details, including its sick 5-year warranty, at HD Guru. [HD Guru and Honeywell CE]

Intel takes NVIDIA to court over chipset licensing

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/18/intel-takes-nvidia-to-court-over-chipset-licensing/

Oh, brother. Another Intel / NVIDIA paper fight? As fate would so fittingly have it, these two giants are meeting up yet again, this time in the courtroom. After talks "of over a year" failed to amount to anything, Intel has filed suit against NVIDIA that -- according to Intel -- "seeks to have the court declare that NVIDIA is not licensed to produce chipsets that are compatible with any Intel processor that has integrated memory controller functionality, such as Intel's Nehalem [Core i7] microprocessors and that NVIDIA has breached the agreement with Intel by falsely claiming that it is licensed." Of course, NVIDIA's official stance is that Intel is simply trying "stifle innovation to protect a decaying CPU business." We have all ideas that the whole truth (and nothing but the truth) lies somewhere in between, but we guess that's why we have people called "lawyers" heading to work each day. If you're daring enough to dig deeper, all the links you need are neatly positioned below.

[Via HotHardware]

Read - Intel's take
Read - NVIDIA's official response
Read - Further Intel comments

Filed under: Desktops, Misc. Gadgets, Gaming, Peri! pherals< /a>

Intel takes NVIDIA to court over chipset licensing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung WMG100 brings OmniaHD video to the television, via WiFi

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/18/samsung-wmg100-brings-omniahd-video-to-the-television-via-wifi/

Just how the Samsung OmniaHD's video could reach directly from phone to TV screen was a bit of a mystery until the Engadget Spanish crew spotted the WMG100. Don't already own one of Samsung's high end sets with WiFi and DLNA built in? This dongle bridges the gap with all the necessary tech built in, pushing a max 480p (whether HD streaming to other devices from the OmniaHD will work is unknown) from its mini HDMI or component outputs for around €160 ($200), and is already available in Korea with a European debut planned for this spring. The idea that we'd ever get tired of watching that sweet AMOLED display is a bit of a reach, but just in case check out the gallery for some hands on pics.

Gallery: Samsung WMG100 wireless DLNA device hands on

Filed under: Digital Cameras, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Samsung WMG100 brings OmniaHD video to the television, via WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigabyte shows off 10-inch M1028 convertible netbook

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/18/gigabyte-shows-off-10-inch-m1028-convertible-netbook/

If you thought Gigabyte's M912 mini convertible tablet was hot stuff, get a load of this. Expected to be officially unveiled at CeBIT, the company just couldn't resist bringing along a M1028 demo unit to MWC in order to mix things up. Reportedly, the swivel-screen netbook was equipped with a comparatively roomy 10-inch display (1,024 x 600), and packed within was a standard issue Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Bluetooth, WiFi, Ethernet, optional WWAN module, an SD card slot, ExpressCard, VGA output, a trio of USB ports, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and Windows XP Home. We ought to hear (and see) more when we land at CeBIT in just under a fortnight, but for now, you can see a Gigabyte-approved "sneak peek" vid just after the break.

[Via jkkmobile]

Continue reading Gigabyte shows off 10-inch M1028 convertible netbook

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

Gigabyte shows off 10-inch M1028 convertible netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos 10 netbook now available for purchase

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/18/archos-10-netbook-now-available-for-purchase/

So, the last we'd heard, Archos' 10-inch netbook was going to be available in April, but here it is -- the middle-to-beginning-of-the-end of February, and it's available to order now. If you'd forgotten, the little guy boasts a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, up to 1GB of RAM, the 10-inch screen has a 1024 x 600 resolution, and it runs Windows XP. The starting price for this one is $399.

Filed under: Laptops

Archos 10 netbook now available for purchase originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RAmos T9 iMovie 2 PMP: 800 x 480, 16GB, $132

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/18/ramos-t9-imovie-2-pmp-800-x-480-16gb-132/

Yes, the kids at RAmos have arrived with that 800 x 480 PMP we first espied sometime in December. As you might have guessed, the T9 iMovie 2 is the followup to the smash hit T8 iMovie, sporting a polished aluminum alloy frame, 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen display, and 16GB storage. No further details at the moment, but if you can track this guy down he'll run you about $132.

[Via PMP Today]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

RAmos T9 iMovie 2 PMP: 800 x 480, 16GB, $132 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Mini 10 shows up for pre-order... from QVC?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/18/dell-mini-10-shows-up-for-pre-order-from-qvc/

You'd think with an in-demand new product like the Mini 10 Dell would want to snag as many pre-orders as it can for itself, but it looks like none other than QVC will be getting first dibs on the company's latest netbook, as Dell has now confirmed after the netbook made an appearance on shopping channel's website. Starting today, it'll apparently be offering one configuration of the Mini 10 for $559, which includes a 1.6GHz Z530 Atom processor, a 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, Windows XP and, of course, that 10.1-inch SVGA display. Shortly thereafter, on February 26th, Dell will begin taking orders itself for a couple more configurations, including a base $399 model that includes a 1.3GHz Z520 Atom processor and a 3-cell battery. Dell isn't getting any more specific than "next month" with an actual shipping date, however, although those orders from QVC will supposedly be shipping out on March 20th.

[Via NotebookReview.com]

Update: It looks legit! QVC gets first dibs (saywha?), with Dell.com taking orders on the 26th.

Filed under: Laptops

Dell Mini 10 shows up for pre-order... from QVC? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google demos offline Gmail for iPhone, Android at MWC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/18/google-demos-offline-gmail-for-iphone-android-at-mwc/

If you were thinking offline Gmail on your desktop was the greatest thing since sliced bread, prepare yourselves people. If an MWC keynote from Google's VP of engineering, Vic Gundotra, is any indication, the same functionality might be coming soon to an iPhone / Android phone near you. Amongst other things, the souped up web app boasts an overhauled interface, supports labels, and of course, offline access. Despite our own hunch that Google's just using black magic and voodoo to make this happen, Gundotra claims that it's all made possible through HTML5 standards -- AppCache being the biggie. This development certainly opens the doors to more offline-enabled web apps in the future -- Docs, anyone?. Of course, we know Apple has a thing about people messing with its own apps, so it's probably going to take some time / knee-breaking to get them to come around, but for some reason, we don't think it'll take as long with Android. There's a demo video available after the break, and please, try to contain yourselves.

Continue reading Google demos offline Gmail for iPhone, Android at MWC

Filed under: Cellphones

Google demos offline Gmail for iPhone, Android at MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulu asks Boxee to pull content, it complies

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/18/hulu-asks-boxee-to-pull-content-it-complies/

Hulu on Boxee

That was short lived -- it hasn't been six months since Boxee added one of its most popular features yet and now Hulu is putting a stop to it. A real reason wasn't given -- big surprise -- but Hulu is saying it was at the request of the content providers. While no one really knows what Fox and NBC's objections are to Boxee, we're sad to say it actually kinda makes sense to us. Both media giants make most of their money from traditional cable and broadcast TV, and offering this content on your TV in a convenient way threatens the current model (read money) -- you can't say you haven't thought about getting Hulu on your TV so you could cancel cable. The real bad news is that we'd bet that this is just the beginning, and that every STB out there with Hulu will follow. Of course some of them won't comply, but either way it puts them in a bad situation. Hopefully this won't another trend and that the likes of ABC, CBS and Netflix don't follow.

[Via Boxee Blog]

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Hulu asks Boxee to pull content, it complies originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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