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Thursday, December 17, 2009

Second Fuse UI video shows wild, dynamically lit 3D interface

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/second-fuse-ui-video-shows-wild-dynamically-lit-3d-interface/

We only got the briefest of glimpses at the new UI approach in Synaptics' collaborative Fuse concept handset, and now TAT (The Astonishing Tribe, the folks behind the original Android UI), has posted a brief clip that gives a better idea of the full UI. It's pretty wild, with some sort of rendering engine that really emphasizes depth, lighting and motion. We're not sure it's the most usable UI on the planet, but it's certainly one of the oddest we've witnessed. Check it out in motion after the break.

Continue reading Second Fuse UI video shows wild, dynamically lit 3D interface

Second Fuse UI video shows wild, dynamically lit 3D interface originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC debuts widgets for Sense-equipped Android phones

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/htc-debuts-widgets-for-sense-equipped-android-phones/

HTC was already in the Android software game by virtue of the fact that it drops a fully-customized UI and widget suite on some of its models, but this is new: they've migrated over to the Market. Now, what'd be insanely awesome here is if you could, say, buy Sense for $9.99 and install it on any Android device, but yeah, not so much -- what we've actually got here is a four-pack of free widgets that are compatible with the Hero and Droid Eris. Dice, Today in History, Tip Calculator, and Battery are each downloadable individually; none are particularly exciting or different than what's already available in the Market, but they've all got that famous HTC high style and the exclusivity of knowing that Motorola, Acer, Samsung, and Huawei riffraff can't use them. All four are available now.

HTC debuts widgets for Sense-equipped Android phones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AndroidCentral | source

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Is Believing in Behavioral Targeting Like Believing in Santa? - http://bit.ly/5aKbu4

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Tegra 2 Coming in January: Nvidia Promises Netbooks, Smartphones and Smartbooks Galore [Nvidia]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/dQuM79mrT0Q/tegra-2-coming-in-january-nvidia-promises-netbooks-smartphones-and-smartbooks-galore

The Tegra system-on-a-chip, the zippy hardware that powers the Zune HD, had so much potential. Then, the delays. Slow pickup. Disappointment. Whatever happened to the Tegra, Nvidia doesn't want it to happen again. This time, they say, will be different.

As for what the Tegra 2 is, nobody really knows, because the closest Nvdia execs will get to a spec rundown is to offer vague promises of MORE: evidently it will be at least twice as powerful as its predecessor, which was was impressive in its own right. We'll get a sense of how powerful it is at CES, but the major point Nvidia would like to make is that unlike last time, the Tegra 2 will actually get used:

At CES we are going to make a major announcement about Tegra family. It is highly possible that we will see some very interesting form-factors coming out at the same time. [There will be products] shown by our partners using the next-generation Tegra device. You are going to see roll-outs and deployments of tablet PCs, smartbooks, netbooks, MIDs throughout the first half [of the year]; and then you will see major roll-outs of smartphones in the second half

This jibes with chatter from the last few months that companies like Samsung, Nintendo and even Nvidia themselves have suddenly started working on Tegra hardware; we just didn't know until now that it'd be next gen. What we still don't know is what that means: If the original Tegra could decode 1080p video, what can the new one do? Decode 1080p video mo! re enthu siastically? [XbitLabs]

Shooting Challenge: Anthropomorphism [Shooting Challenge]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/MZSf8aIxUJs/shooting-challenge-anthropomorphism

You know what commercial I can't get out of my head? The Amex commercial the one where faces are found where they shouldn't be. That's the Shooting Challenge for this week. Make inanimate objects animate.

The rules:

1. Submissions need to be your own.
2. Photos need to be taken the week of the contest. (No portfolio linking or it spoils the "challenge" part.)
3. Explain, briefly, the equipment, settings and technique used to snag the shot.
4. Email submissions to contests@gizmodo.com.
5. Include 800px image AND something wallpaper sized in email.

Send your best entries by Sunday at 6PM Eastern to contests@gizmodo.com with "Anthropomorphism" in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs or GIFs at 800 pixels wide, and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Include your shooting summary (camera, lens, ISO, etc) in the body of the email. ALSO, AND THIS IS SOMEWHAT NEW, ATTACH A 2560x1600 JPEG AS WELL FOR PEOPLE TO DOWNLOAD AS WALLPAPER. [Image]

And for a little inspiration/free product placement:

AAXA cranks up the brightness on M1 micro projector

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/16/aaxa-cranks-up-the-brightness-on-m1-micro-projector/

We can't say with any degree of certainty that AAXA's recently announced M1 "micro projector" truly is the brightness of the miniaturized bunch, but it's certainly brighter than the vast majority we've had the ~~dis~~pleasure of seeing ourselves. Most pico projectors pack between 8 and 12 lumens, and up until now, AAXA's own P2 was widely consider the best for using in partially lit rooms due to its 33 lumen rating. The M1 doubles up on that figure, bringing 66 lumens to the table along with a native SVGA (800 x 600) resolution, 1GB of onboard memory, an SD card reader and optional iPod, PSP and DVD cables. Said display is up for pre-order as we speak for $299, while the M1 Plus -- which supports VGA and composite AV inputs -- will set you back $359.

AAXA cranks up the brightness on M1 micro projector originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pico Projector Info | source

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NVIDIA promises Tegra 2 chipset and third party hardware at CES

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/16/nvidia-promises-tegra-2-chipset-and-third-party-hardware-at-ces/

For an upstart mobile chipset, Tegra seemed off to a decent start in 2009, but with a minimum of actual hardware actually on shelves for the holidays, we're supposed to look to 2010 now for Tegra's big break -- according to NVIDIA, anyway. NVIDIA plans to unveil its next-gen Tegra 2 chipset at CES in January, which is rumored to be around twice as powerful as the original, and we're supposed to be seeing a bunch of "interesting form factors" along side (like that Tegra tablet pictured above, for instance). We're told to expect tablet PCs, smartbooks, netbooks and MIDs running Tegra in the first half of next year, but the real traction is supposed to take place with the first smartphone entries in the second half of 2010. It sounds like a long time to wait.

NVIDIA promises Tegra 2 chipset and third party hardware at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

SlashGear | source

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Flexible, organic flash memory on tap at the University of Tokyo

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/16/flexible-organic-flash-memory-on-tap-at-the-university-of-tokyo/

If the University of Tokyo has its way, we could be seeing an onslaught of flexible computing devices sooner than you think! Earlier this year the school made some noise with its stretchable OLED prototype and now a research group led by Takeo Someya and Tsuyoshi Sekitani has developed a non-volatile, flexible organic flash memory that may someday be used for large-area sensors, electronic paper devices, and non-volatile memory. Using a polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) resin sheet arrayed with memory cells, the memory can be bent until its curvature radius reaches 6mm without causing mechanical or electrical degradation. As it stands now, the device has a memory retention time of one day -- but the team maintains that this can be "drastically improved by reducing the size of the element and employing an SAM with a long molecular length." Piece of cake, right?

Flexible, organic flash memory on tap at the University of Tokyo originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Backflip / Enzo bringing Android contortions to AT&T

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/16/motorola-backflip-enzo-bringing-android-contortions-to-atandt/

Just when we though this decade had run short on phone form factors, Motorola comes along to blow our minds with this new Backflip / Enzo / Motus device. Amazingly, the most interesting part of this device might not even be the reverse hinge design, which flips the keyboard back behind the screen and faces out when not in use, but the fact that there's a clear-as-day AT&T logo on it -- something we'd heard rumored, but dared not believe until we saw it with our own eyes. The rest of the leaked photos go on to corroborate earlier rumors: there's a touchpad on the back of the keyboard to aid in no-look scrolling, it's running Blur on top of Android 1.5 (with a few AT&T apps, Yahoo search and no Gmail), and it runs the same 528MHz processor as the CLIQ. Hard to believe this very same company builds the Droid.

[Thanks, Jeff B.]

Motorola Backflip / Enzo bringing Android contortions to AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG eXpo goes on sale at AT&T, sans projector

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/16/lg-expo-goes-on-sale-at-atandt-sans-projector/

Anyone looking for the highest-end Windows Mobile experience you can buy on AT&T, go ahead and form a line to the left, please, because your knight in shining armor has arrived. The LG eXpo -- complete with a Snapdragon core, 5 megapixel camera, 3.2-inch WVGA display, fingerprint scanner, QWERTY slide, and optional microprojector -- is now available, albeit at a $199.99 after-rebate, on-contract price that puts it pretty far into the realm of the high-power smartphone elite. The downside is that the aforementioned projector isn't yet available for purchase, which makes the whole package a little less compelling -- then again, that means you're walking out of the store with $179 that you wouldn't have otherwise had, so just look at your eXpo purchase as a fantastic money-making opportunity.

LG eXpo goes on sale at AT&T, sans projector originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gearlog | source

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Sunday, December 13, 2009

MSI X-Slim X600 Pro tweaks the 15.6-inch thinsanity formula

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/13/msi-x-slim-x600-pro-tweaks-the-15-6-inch-thinsanity-formula/

The last time we bumped into MSI's 15.6-inch X-Slim X600 we were unimpressed with the build quality -- it just seemed like too much plastic in too thin of a form factor to be trusted. Well, the X-Slim X600 Pro seems to have addressed some of the perceived quality issues, with a new scratch-resistant surface and silver inlays, but we'll have to play with one before we really know if these refinements are merely skin deep. The largest hardware tweak is the new chiclet keyboard, while inside the laptop has scored "the latest" Intel Core 2 Duo CULV processor, matched with the same ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 graphics from last time. There's no word on price or availability, but we're sure we'll be seeing and hearing more at CES.

MSI X-Slim X600 Pro tweaks the 15.6-inch thinsanity formula originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joojoo tablet gets its first batch of press shots, $30 dock accesory

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/12/joojoo-tablet-gets-its-first-batch-of-press-shots-30-dock-acce/

Up until now, the only official shot of the Joojoo tablet was that seductive snippet of the corner. 'Course, you got a pretty good look of the thing if you bothered to watch our sit-down with Fusion Garage's Chandra Rathakrishnan, but it's still a pleasing sight to see the company push out a nice gallery of press shots to really tickle the senses. We aren't exactly sure if these guys have Cameron's approval to use Avatar screen shots to promote their product, but at this point, we wouldn't put anything regarding the Joojoo beyond the realm of feasibility. Oh, and if you were wondering how you'd eventually use this thing as an at-home movie viewer, the $29.99 dock accessory pictured above is the answer. One word of caution, however: given all the drama surrounding this thing, use that pre-order button at your own risk.

P.S. - Our good pal Chippy is suggesting that the only possible CPU / GPU tandem that could result in the claimed 1080p support and 5 hours of battery life is the Atom Z530 and the GMA500, both from Intel. Hopefully we'll hear something official in short order.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Gallery: Joojoo tablet gets its first batch of press shots, $30 dock accesory

Joojoo tablet gets its first batch of press shots, $30 dock accesory originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HDI's 100-inch, laser-driven 3D HDTV gets $10k to $15k price tag

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/12/hdis-100-inch-laser-driven-3d-hdtv-gets-10k-to-15k-price-tag/

Thought Mitsubishi's LaserVue set was pricey? Hah. HDI, the California startup with dreams of producing a 100-inch 3D HDTV that's driven by lasers, has just released the first hint of a price range, and as predicted, it ain't cheap. The set -- which has already been deemed a favorite by The Woz -- has reportedly had its first batch manufactured over in China, and we're told that a smattering of 'em should be available by May. If all goes well, the HDTV should be in full-scale production mode by Christmas of next year, and we've learned that the whole thing will measure around 10-inches thick. Amazingly, it'll also go relatively easy on the power meter, but the $10,000 to $15,000 price estimate is bound to shock some. Of course, Panasonic's own 103-inch 3D HDTV is currently pegged at around $75,000, so when you think of it from that perspective, HDI's offering is a bona fide bargain. And totally worth liquidating your future kid's college fund for.

HDI's 100-inch, laser-driven 3D HDTV gets $10k to $15k price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

3D-Display-Info | source

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San Jose Business Journal | Email this | Comments

Piixl EdgeCenter 3770 media PC slides behind your flat panel, doesn't get the attention it deserves

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/12/piixl-edgecenter-3770-media-pc-slides-behind-your-flat-panel-do/

Unorthodox media center PCs aren't anything new; if you can dream it up, there's most likely an option out there with your name on it. Piixl's newest entry, however, has a fairly decent shot at appealing to more than just the home theater junkies, but only time will tell if the London-based startup can convince consumers that they really need another slab of machinery behind their flat-panel. The EdgeCenter 3770 is essentially an ultraslim HTPC with an enclosure that's engineered to mount directly behind flat-panel HDTVs through their VESA mounting interface. The whole thing is just 30mm deep and can fit screens ranging from 37- to 70-inches, and if you're worried about it being underpowered, don't be. The base configuration is equipped with a 3Ghz Core 2 Duo chip, while Core i5 and Core i7 options (not to mention discrete GPUs) are available for those with the spare poundage. Interested parties can order theirs now starting at £2,490 ($4,043), though it's frighteningly easy to push that well into five figure territory.

Continue reading Piixl EdgeCenter 3770 media PC slides behind your flat panel, doesn't get the attention it deserves

Piixl EdgeCenter 3770 media PC slides behind your flat panel, doesn't get the attention it deserves originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia Booklet 3G slips to $199 on contract 'through the holidays'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/12/nokia-booklet-3g-slips-to-199-on-contract-through-the-holidays/

Few people were debating that the $299 on contract price for Nokia's Atom-powered Booklet 3G was a bit steep, but now it has fallen more in line with its closest competition thanks to a price drop at Best Buy Mobile. From December 13th "through the holidays," the Windows 7-packin' machine (which we just recently reviewed) will be available for $199.99 with a two-year AT&T Data Connect plan. Of course, there's a good chance you'll regret the decision to jump on this when the next-generation Atom hits at CES (which is happening, right Intel?), but hey, Santa's got to do what Santa's got to do.

[Thanks, Hary]

Nokia Booklet 3G slips to $199 on contract 'through the holidays' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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