Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Friday, May 07, 2010

Google Goggles starts to get useful, adds text translation

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/06/google-goggles-starts-to-get-useful-adds-text-translation/

In our experience, about the only thing Google Goggles is good for is telling you that your can of Coke looks like someone's face, but the company's just-released version 1.1 sounds like it might be on a whole new level of awesomeness. Basically, Goggles can now recognize text within the "region of interest" that you specify on the screen then give you the option to translate it to any language of your choosing. Between this and Google's already quite good Translate app, Android devices are getting dangerously close to letting monoglots (thanks for the great word, Google) travel safely and effectively in foreign lands. Other improvements in Goggles 1.1 include better barcode and image recognition (thank goodness), an improved UI, and the ability to initiate identification from your gallery, so it sounds like a must-download if you've got a phone running Android 1.6 or better. It's available now.

Google Goggles starts to get useful, adds text translation originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 11:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Organic Light Emitting Transistors might make us forget all about OLED

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/06/organic-light-emitting-transistors-might-make-us-forget-all-abou/

Organic Light Emitting Transistors might make us forget all about OLEDs

Still waiting on that big-screen OLED TV? Yeah, so are we, but here's some news that could mean they're coming soon: OLED tech has just been obsoleted. Seriously. We still can't even afford an 11-inch model and now we have to start pining for something new: OLET. That's Organic Light Emitting Transistor, tech that researcher Michele Muccini at the Institute of Nanustructured Materials has just proven can be between two and 100 times as efficient as OLED. OLETs rely on three layers of material, with the bottom layers carrying a charge, the middle layer (the meat in this high-tech sandwich) emitting photons when excited by the bottom, and the top layer selectively letting those photos through. All three combined are just 62nm thick. It's this separation of layers and horizontal flow of current that gives OLET its efficiency and it's believed that it could not only be used for (next) next-generation displays but also for on-chip optical interconnects. When will an OLET HDTV will hit the market? Don't even go there.

Organic Light Emitting Transistors might make us forget all about OLED originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 13:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visa and DeviceFidelity working to bring mobile payment functionality to iPhone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/06/visa-and-devicefidelity-working-to-bring-mobile-payment-function/

This ain't the first rodeo for Visa and DeviceFidelity, and if we had to guess, we suspect it won't be the last. Just a few short months after teaming up to bring contactless payments to any mobile with a microSD slot, the two are at it again -- this time aiming for the oh-so-tantalizing iPhone market. Reportedly, the tandem is toiling away in an effort to concoct a protective iPhone shell with a secure memory card that hosts Vista's contactless payment app, payWave. As it stands, the product would only function on the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, leaving upcoming iPhone 4G / HD / Barhopper buyers out in the cold. As with any other payWave-enabled handset, this would allow users to simply tap and go when checking out, a process that our pals over in Japan have had down for centuries now. If all goes well, market trials of the payment-enabled iPhone are set to begin this summer, or approximately six months too late for anyone to seriously care.

Continue reading Visa and DeviceFidelity working to bring mobile payment functionality to iPhone

Visa and DeviceFidelity working to bring mobile payment functionality to iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Distributor roadmap shows super speedy 900GB, 2.5-inch HDD

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/06/distributor-roadmap-shows-super-speedy-900gb-2-5-inch-hdd/

Got a hankering for smaller, faster, more capacious magnetic storage? Compellent says you'll get it soon, at long as you're buying for the IT market. According to The Register, the enterprise storage provider listed 900GB, 10,000RPM 2.5-inch hard drives on its product roadmap, as well as 300GB models that spin at 15,000RPM. Sure, we've seen smallish drives with those speeds or that capacity before, and you can get a 600GB, 10,000RPM Velociraptor even in the consumer marketplace, but it seems like the puzzle pieces are all coming together. Quick disclaimer: Compellent doesn't actually make hard drives, but it most certainly sells them, so we'd expect a company in their position to know what's what. That, or they could be making stuff up. Perhaps platter density makes those sizes and capacities inevitable, but we can't pretend that we're not jazzed about the possibilities.

Distributor roadmap shows super speedy 900GB, 2.5-inch HDD originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ExoPC Windows 7-based slate not coming until September, will play 1080p vids

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/06/exopc-windows-7-based-slate-not-coming-until-september-will-pla/

There's still no official word on whether HP's Slate has been canned, but the more we hear about ExoPC's slate, the more we think it could be a pretty stellar Win 7 tablet option. The company's founder just told us that the tablet is slated (pun intended, good sirs) for a September 7 launch date in the US, Canada and France, and that the 32GB version will retail for $599. As for the specs, the capacitive 11.6-inch tablet will still be using an Atom N450 processor, but will be paired with Broadcom's Crystal HD card to enable 1080p playback. And that's not all, they also sent us some more shots of the ExoPC UI Layer, and the interface appears to be incredibly sleek -- it looks like you can even save web shortcuts to a Connect Four type layout. There will also be an app store, and the dev kit will be available at the end of June. That's all beautiful, but hear us out, ExoPC: we're counting on you to put an end to the Win 7 tablet vaporware trend, okay?

Gallery: ExoPC UI Layer

ExoPC Windows 7-based slate not coming until September, will play 1080p vids originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 17:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Viewsonic rolls out 27-inch VX2739wm LCD monitor with 1ms response time

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/06/viewsonic-rolls-out-27-inch-vx2739wm-lcd-monitor-with-1ms-respon/

If there's one thing LCD manufacturers live for it's "world's first" claims, and Viewsonic has now snagged yet another with its new VX2739wm monitor, which it claims is the world's first full HD 27-inch monitor with a 1ms response time. In addition to that standout spec, you'll also get a 100,000:1 contrast ratio, a pair of discreetly built-in speakers, an "anti-glare" panel, a four-port USB hub, and the usual trio of HDMI, DVI and VGA connectors -- not to mention a suitably slim design. Look for this one to be available from all the usual sources starting today for $349.

Viewsonic rolls out 27-inch VX2739wm LCD monitor with 1ms response time originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 20:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Homemade 16TB NAS dwarfs the competition with insane build quality (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/07/homemade-16tb-nas-dwarfs-the-competition-with-insane-build-quali/

From the man that brought you the OS Xbox Pro and the Cinematograph HD comes... a cockpit canopy filled with hard drives? Not quite. Meet the Black Dwarf, a custom network-attached-storage device from the mind of video editor Will Urbina, packing 16TB of RAID 5 magnetic media and a 1.66GHz Atom N270 CPU into a completely hand-built Lexan, aluminum and steel enclosure. Urbina says the Dwarf writes at 88MB per second and reads at a fantastic 266MB per second, making the shuttlecraft-shaped 12.7TB array nearly as speedy as an SSD but with massive capacity and some redundancy to boot. As usual, the DIY guru shot a professional time-lapse video of his entire build process, and this one's not to be missed -- it showcases some pretty spiffy camerawork as well as the man's welding skills. See sparks fly after the break.

Continue reading Homemade 16TB NAS dwarfs the competition with insane build quality (video)

Homemade 16TB NAS dwarfs the competition with insane build quality (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 May 2010 04:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iron Man 2: the gadgets (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/07/iron-man-2-the-technology-video/

When done right, a science fiction or fantasy film will leave audiences with a prescient glimpse into our actual gadget future. Remember the heady pre-iPhone, pre-Pureness days of 2002 when you first saw Minority Report? Staring silently, mouth agape, jonesing for a chance to partake in a multi-touch, transparent display future using nothing but gestures? Well now that Iron Man 2 has been released, we've got another chance to look into the high-tech crystal ball, this time envisioned by a team of artists at Perception who did the design, animation, and visual effects work that turned Tony Stark's transparent LG smartphone (pictured above), touch-screen coffee table, and holographic lab environment into an on-screen reality. The group was compelled by director Jon Favreau and the team at Marvel Studios to keep the UI elements "legible and logical, while still appearing to be several generations beyond the typical user experience." Perception tells us that some of its inspiration was directly attributed to Engadget as it researched near-term technologies for the film's future reality. No doubt, we do see influence from Emblaze's First Else navigation elements and limited color palette as well as Microsoft's InkSeine research at the heart of the doomed Courier UI. And if we're not mistaken, Stark's big ass computing table is almost certainly inspired by Microsoft Surface. Now get past the break and check out Perception's cont! ribution to Iron Man 2, the future of Google search alone is not to be missed.

Gallery: Iron Man 2: The technology (video)

Continue reading Iron Man 2: the gadgets (video)

Iron Man 2: the gadgets (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 May 2010 05:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba building world's lightest 13-inch laptop with fast charging SCiB battery?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/07/toshiba-building-worlds-lightest-13-inch-laptop-with-fast-charg/

Toshiba has a long history of making highly desirable ultraportables. Now, if today's rumor pans out, it seem set to bust out another in the form of the world's lightest (less than 1Kg with SSD) 13 incher. Besides sporting a 16:9 aspect ratio, USB 3.0 dock, and standard voltage CPU (a Core i5 is teased), this slim lappie features a 2nd SCiB (Super Charged ion Battery) power source that we've seen charging to 90% in just 10 minutes in prototypes from way back in 2008. No idea what "Blaze Mountain" cooling is... but we want it, assuming this is anything more than a prototype. Ah hell, we want it anyway. Check the illustration after the break.

Update: New details just came in: available in Core i3, i5, or i7-620 configurations with 4GB of memory, 500GB hard disk or optional 512GB SSD. And after talking to vozExpress, we have every reason to believe that Toshiba will be making this official in short order. New pic with Toshiba branding added after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba building world's lightest 13-inch laptop with fast charging SCiB battery?

Toshiba building world's lightest 13-inch laptop with fast charging SCiB battery? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 May 2010 06:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel plans to stuff more than 8 cores, extra speed into 2011 server chips

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/07/intel-plans-to-stuff-more-than-8-cores-extra-speed-into-2011-se/

Yeah yeah, "more cores and faster speeds," you've heard it all before right? That'd be our reaction too if we weren't talking about the successor to the Nehalem-Ex, Intel's most gruesomely overpowered chip to date. Launched under the Xeon 7500 branding in March, it represents Intel's single biggest generational leap to date, and with its eight cores, sixteen threads, and 24MB of shared onboard cache, you could probably see why. Time waits for no CPU though, and Intel's planned 32nm Westmere-Ex successor will move things forward with an unspecified increase in both core count (speculated to be jumping up to 12) and operating frequencies, while keeping within the same power envelope. Given the current 2.26GHz default speed and 2.66GHz Turbo Boost option of the 7500, that means we're probably looking at a 2.4GHz to 2.5GHz 12-core, hyper-threaded processor, scheduled to land at some point next year. Time to make some apps that can use all that parallel processing power, nay?

Intel plans to stuff more than 8 cores, extra speed into 2011 server chips originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 May 2010 07:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, May 06, 2010

Apple's Seamlessly Embedded Heart Rate Monitor could turn the iPhone into a new-age mood ring

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/06/apples-seamlessly-embedded-heart-rate-monitor-could-turn-the-ip/

Nike is making millions from its Apple-friendly wares, designed to turned technophiles into fitness freaks. Imagine the possibilities if the iPhone could not only track your running stride but also monitor your heart rate while doing it. That's one of a suite of potential uses for this patent app from Apple, a Seamlessly Embedded Heart Rate Monitor. The design is for a series of electrodes that are, well, seamlessly embedded into the shell of a given device in such a way that they are "not visibly or haptically distinguishable on the device." The device could then, with a touch, measure heart-rate, uniquely identify a user, and even "determine the user's mood from the cardiac signals." Just imagine the new flood of EKG-related apps: iPalpitate, Murmur Maker, Cardiac Arrest... the possibilities are endless.

[Thanks, Staska]

Apple's Seamlessly Embedded Heart Rate Monitor could turn the iPhone into a new-age mood ring originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 07:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Camera Kite Sails High For Rude Aerial Photos [Cameras]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5531537/camera-kite-sails-high-for-rude-aerial-photos

Camera Kite Sails High For Rude Aerial Photos Taking photos from a digital camera attached to a balloon, floating 20m in the air could get you into a lot of trouble. You could get it wrapped around a power line, for example. Or injure a low-flying bird.

This aerial camera is the work of Matthew Clark, who claims it'd be ideal for using at weddings and festivals, with the inflatable balloon sailing high into the air, but remaining tethered to your hand by the reel. A switch on the reel takes photos, which can then be transferred to a computer via USB. Being a film shooter, I'd like to see a 35mm version with some lo-fi lomo-esque lens. Make it happen, Matthew. [Coroflot via Yanko]

This Piece Of Paper Is a Solar Panel [Solar Power]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5531805/this-piece-of-paper-is-a-solar-panel

Researchers at MIT have figured out how to create solar cells thin enough to be pasted onto sheets of paper, with an applicator that works sort of like an inkjet printer. (Note: We are apparently stuck with inkjet printers, forever.)

In their current state, the cells are just under 2% efficient at converting sunlight into usable electricity, as compared to typical rooftop solar cells—you know, panel panels—which can exceed 20%. But you can't staple a solar panel to your roof! No, seriously, that's what the researchers are suggesting is possible here:

If you could use a staple gun to install a solar panel, there could be a lot of value.

True! Instead of hiring a team of laborers to install your home's new solar power system, you could send your kid up to the roof with a helmet and staple gun. Kids love staple guns.

As is always the case with stories like this, there's a sobering caveat. Vladimir Bulovic, director of the project, told CNET:

I'm giving you a whole bunch of hype. It usually takes 10 years from the time between when you invent something and you commercialize it.

This does raise some interesting possibilities, though. The above demo is pasted to paper, but if solar cells are this thin, and can eventually be manufactured at a low price, why not just stick them on everything? A car covered in photovoltaic film converting sunlight at 10% efficiency might not run entirely off of solar energy, but it could stay on the road a little longer. [CNET via Inhabitat—Photo credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET]

How A Cellphone Call Works (An Infographic That's Actually Informative!) [Cellphones]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5531818/how-a-cellphone-call-works-an-infographic-thats-actually-informative

Want to know why providing cell service is tricky? This great infographic from Cellphones.org helps you understand the basics of how your magic phone actually works. See the whole thing after the jump.

Clear security lanes storming back to airports, principled travelers high five one another

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/05/clear-security-lanes-storming-back-to-airports-principled-trave/

Don't call it a comeback. Or do, because that's precisely what this is. After Clear shuffled its final incorruptible passenger through a speedy security lane in June of last year, the company closed up shop and forced even the nicest of travelers to re-join the herds. Thankfully for us all, Alclear has decided that life's simply no good without a hasty security option at airports, and it has plopped down $6 million in order to acquire the assets of Verified Identity Pass out of bankruptcy protection. According to our hombres at Gadling, that purchase price doesn't include individual airport contracts, so it'll be an uphill battle getting these lanes back into the places in which they're needed. If all goes well, we could see the first Clear avenues reopen this fall, with pricing set at $179 per year for unlimited individual use or $229 per year for unlimited family use. Head on past the break for more details on reactivating old subscriptions and the full presser.

Continue reading Clear security lanes storming back to airports, principled travelers high five one another

Clear security lanes storming back to airports, principled travelers high five one another originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 10:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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