Thursday, August 05, 2010

Help Survey Genghis Khan's Lost Tomb With Some Armchair Archaeology [Archaeology]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5604701/help-survey-genghis-khans-lost-tomb-with-some-armchair-archaeology

Help Survey Genghis Khan's Lost Tomb With Some Armchair ArchaeologyIf you're bummed that SETI@home hasn't quite succeeded in pinpointing our friendly extraterrestrial neighbors, National Geographic is offering up another ambitious project you can get involved in at home: surveying the Mongolian region that holds Genghis Khan's tomb.

NatGeo's Valley of the Khans project allows armchair archaeologists to sift through satellite imagery of the region—multispectral shots provided by the GeoEye-1 and Ikonos sattelites—and mark what they think could be ancient roads, rivers, or other anomalies. And that's only one aspect of this high-tech effort.

At the University of California in San Diego, researchers are employing a HIPerSpace (Highly Interactive Parallelized Display Space) wall—seen above—to visualize huge expanses of the Mongolian region, scaling into the billions of pixels.

Help Survey Genghis Khan's Lost Tomb With Some Armchair Archaeology

And then there's the StarCAVE, an Earthquake-proof, 3D visualization room which surrounds researchers with images in better-than-HD resolution—it's a few square feets' worth of Northern Mongolian vista, perfectly reproduced thousands of miles away in California.

You can find out more and join the Field Expedition team for the Valley of the Khans project over on National Geographic's site. And if hunching over your laptop wasn't exactly how you envisioned your swashbuckling archeological adventure, you can always compliment your pajamas with an Indiana Jones fedora. [National Geographic's Valley of the Khans Project]

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Logitech 7.1 Surround Sound G930 Gaming Headset Frags Wires Too [Gaming]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5604940/logitech-71-surround-sound-g930-gaming-headset-murders-wires-too

Logitech 7.1 Surround Sound G930 Gaming Headset Frags Wires TooThe update to Logitech's original 7.1 surround sound gaming headset, but it's wireless. Logitech says it's using "gaming-grade wireless," whatever that actually means. But happens if you're in the middle of a frag session and the batteries die?

The charging station basically turns it into a standard USB 7.1 gaming headset, so you can keep using it while it's charging. Like the original G35 it's got three programmable keys on the side to use for voice morphing, music or chat controls. It's pretty 'spensive at $160, but that's about how much "gaming" audio tends to run. [Logitech]

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Jolicloud 1.0 now ready for your downloading delight on Windows or bootable USB

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/jolicloud-1-0-now-ready-for-your-downloading-delight-on-windows/

Tariq Krim's app-based cloud OS has been a long time coming, but it's finally freely available for download -- just grab a 16MB installer and you too can join the Jolicloud. We've been impressed more than once by the responsive netbook operating system which can boot in seconds flat, and now that it's got touchscreen support and a streamlined Windows dual-boot installer all for the bargain price of free, it's definitely worth a try. Give it a spin at our more coverage link, and let us know if it improves your life in any meaningful fashion. If your keyboard is inexorably intertwined with Windows, however, don't fret; a little penguin tells us a tablet PC version is also on the way.

Jolicloud 1.0 now ready for your downloading delight on Windows or bootable USB originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink GigaOM  |  sourceJolicloud Blog  | Email this | Comments

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PlayOn's web app brings Hulu and Netflix to iPod touch, iPhone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/playons-web-app-brings-hulu-and-netflix-to-ipod-touch-iphone/

Tired of waiting around for Apple's "review process" to complete? So was PlayOn. Rather than sticking it out and dealing with the App Store's near-limitless amount of red tape, the content streaming startup has kicked out an HTML5 web app that enables Hulu (for now, at least) and Netflix streaming to iPod touch and iPhone devices. It's still hard at work perfecting things for the iPad, but given that it's completely free to surf over to its mobile web site (linked below), it's tough to complain with what we're being given right now. Early testers have praised the app's speed, and while you'll still need a Windows PC (yeah, PlayOn still doesn't have a Mac client) and a PlayOn subscription before indulging on your mobile, at least you've got an option that you once didn't. So, anyone digging the new avenue?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

PlayOn's web app brings Hulu and Netflix to iPod touch, iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mobiputing  |  sourceVenture Beat, PlayOn Mobile  | Email this | Comments

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Droid 2 flyer confirms Froyo (again), promises 40 percent boost in website load times

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/droid-2-flyer-confirms-froyo-again-promises-40-percent-boost/

It's not often that we know this freaking much about a major smartphone prior to its announcement -- not to say that we're complaining. Latest in the never-ending string of Droid 2 leaks is this handy little flyer, seemingly part of internal training for sales reps, pimping a variety of features like Android 2.2 out-of-the-box (something the original Droid is just now getting), the 8GB of on-board storage with another 8GB on an included microSD card, the Droid X-like UI skin, Swype, and -- this is interesting -- a claimed 40 percent gain in website loading time over its predecessor thanks to the 1GHz core. Of course, Froyo's quite a bit faster than Eclair, so if they're benchmarking a Froyo Droid 2 against an Eclair Droid, that could account for part of the performance improvement, too -- not to say that we're complaining. Hit the gallery below for a larger version of the page.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Droid 2 flyer confirms Froyo (again), promises 40 percent boost in website load times originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry Torch review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/blackberry-torch-review/

When we began our review of the BlackBerry Torch (aka the Bold 9800), our hearts were all aflutter. The leaked shots we'd been seeing of some kind of Palm Pre-esque RIM slider were different and frankly weird enough to cause a kind of low hum gadget lust. Furthermore, although no one on the Engadget team was blown away by what the company had shown us in recent BlackBerry OS 6 demo videos, the promise of a substantially revamped UI and new, Webkit-powered browser certainly got us interested. Even if Research in Motion had been slipping on its once-unassailable smartphone game, there was a sentiment amongst the team that the opportunity for a return to innovative, industry-driving design was wide open for the Canadian company. So when we got our very own Torch to play with, we were understandably excited. A new OS, a new form-factor (completely new for RIM), and from what we could tell, a new outlook from the company about where it wanted to target this product: namely, the average consumer. A great story in the making, no? But it's a fiercely competitive market out there, with devices like the EVO 4G, iPhone 4, and Galaxy S line all vying for the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of the buyer. Can the BlackBerry Torch pick up where hugely successful models like the Curve and Bold have left off? Or is the new phone too little and too late in an industry where technology advances not by tiny step but leaps and bounds? Get the answer to that question -- and many, many more -- in the full Engadget review below!

Continue reading BlackBerry Torch review

BlackBerry Torch review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hacker reveals how Apple artificially restricts iPhone chargers (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/hacker-reveals-how-apple-artifically-restricts-iphone-chargers/

Most cell phone manufacturers have charging standards these days, even if they can't always agree on which version of USB to use, but as the hair-tearing message above shows, third-party renditions of Apple's proprietary dock connector haven't always been universal solutions for iPods and iPhones. Now we know another important reason why -- secret resistors placed on the data lines in connectors for each iDevice. Minty Boost creator ladyada recently reverse-engineered the chargers for a variety of Apple gadgets, and discovered that iPhones in particular don't draw electricity until they detect 2.8V and 2V signals when they attempt to charge. At that voltage, the handsets suck down about one amp, leading to a rapid filling of your device's Li-ion belly, but by adding additional resistance to drop the voltage further, the iPhone can be coerced into accepting 500mA instead -- perfect for the set of AAA batteries you stashed away in that Altoids tin. Video after the break, full explanation at our source link.

Continue reading Hacker reveals how Apple artificially restricts iPhone chargers (video)

Hacker reveals how Apple artificially restricts iPhone chargers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashdot  |  sourceMinty Boost  | Email this | Comments

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China's maglev trains to hit 1,000kph in three years, Doc Brown to finally get 1985 squared away

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/chinas-maglev-trains-to-hit-1-000kph-in-three-years-doc-brown/

Look out Japan -- your neighbor to the west might just steal your thunder. Years after the Land of the Rising Sun proudly boasted plans to create a maglev train that could soar along at 500kph, China is now claiming that they'll have similar ones ready in just three years. Oh, but they'll travel at twice the aforesaid speed. According to the laboratory at Southwest Jiaotong University, a prototype is currently being worked on that'll average 500kph to 600kph, with a far smaller train to hit upwards of 1,000kph in "two or three years." The trick? Tossing the maglev train inside of a vacuum tube, enabling greater velocity due to decreased friction. If you're scoffing at the mere thought of how much such a setup would cost, you're probably not alone -- it's bruited that the tunnel would cost "10 to 20 million yuan ($2.95 million) more than the current high speed railway for each kilometer." Pony up, taxpayers!

China's maglev trains to hit 1,000kph in three years, Doc Brown to finally get 1985 squared away originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Spanish  |  sourceEastday, China Daily  | Email this | Comments

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Acer Aspire One D255 netbook dual boots Android and XP for about $375

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/acer-aspire-one-d255-netbook-dual-boots-android-and-xp-for-about/

Attending the Taipei Computer Applications Show today? Lucky you. Then be sure to pick up your specially priced Acer Aspire One D255 netbook with dual booting Android and XP operating systems before leaving the venue. Otherwise, the NT$9,500 (about $300) 10.1-inch netbook configured with an Atom N450 processor, 1GB of DDR2 memory, 160GB hard disk, and 3-cell battery (with optional 6-cell) will cost you NT$11,900 (about $375) when it hits traditional retail channels sometime in the days ahead.

Acer Aspire One D255 netbook dual boots Android and XP for about $375 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 02:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePCWorld  | Email this | Comments

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OLPC's Negroponte offers India help in realizing $35 tablet dream, probably has a few other motives

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/olpcs-negroponte-offers-india-help-in-realizing-35-tablet-drea/

The late Joker said it best: "If you're good at something, never do it for free." The truth ingrained in that very statement makes the bold words of OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte all the more curious here. In an open letter to the Indian government published in the Times of India, Nik Neg has seemingly eased up on his apparent grudge against the nation, but there's a decent chance that something's in it for him. Largely, no one with any link to reality believes that India will indeed deliver $35 laptops -- their $10 laptop eventually soared to $100 before evaporating completely. But in the letter, Negroponte offers the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development "full access to all of [OLPC's] technology, cost free," further urging them to "send a team to MIT and OLPC at your earliest convenience" in order to talk about world domination, the latest Cricket happenings and janky PCs that may or may not ever land in the classroom. Of course, some are surmising that the scheme will enable the MHRD to easily give up their own aspirations, buy a truckload of XO-3s and save face in the process, but hey -- so long as the children win, it's all good. Right?

OLPC's Negroponte offers India help in realizing $35 tablet dream, probably has a few other motives originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 04:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink OLPC News  |  sourceTimes of India  | Email this | Comments

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Dell UltraSharp U3011 about to join 30-inch IPS monitor crew

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/dell-ultrasharp-u3011-about-to-join-30-inch-ips-monitor-crew/

As one company moves out of the 30-inch display race, another looks set to step back into it. Dell's unannounced, but seemingly all too real UltraSharp U3011 has been snapped over in China, and we're being told it'll offer a formidable 2,560 x 1,600 resolution while maintaining the styling of the smaller U2711. TFT Central reports it'll be a 10-bit H-IPS panel from LG Display, bearing a 7ms response time, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 370 nits of brightness (ahem, overkill), and 178-degree viewing angles on both the horizontal and vertical axis. HDMI and DVI connections come in packs of two, accompanied by a lone DisplayPort. Sounds like it's shaping up to be a fine competitor to HP's ZR30w.

Continue reading Dell UltraSharp U3011 about to join 30-inch IPS monitor crew

Dell UltraSharp U3011 about to join 30-inch IPS monitor crew originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 05:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget! Chinese , Flatpanels HD  |  sourcePC Pop  | Email this | Comments

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Innocent glasses transform into GPS-equipped routing mechanism... on video!

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/innocent-glasses-transform-into-gps-equipped-routing-mechanism/

The Powers That Be may think that they're pulling the wool over our eyes, but we can see the planned fate unfolding in front of us. Before long, our arms will be effectively useless -- after all, once you can game and navigate with just your face, why bother pumping iron and keeping those biceps toned? Over at Wireless Japan 2010, the Nakajima Laboratory at the University of Electro-Communications showcased a prototype that helps explain the latter. Dubbed a Wearable Personal Navigation System, this GPS-infused pair of glasses has integrated LEDs in the frame that wearers can see in their periphery; there's also a magnetic direction sensor, which detects the orientation of the user's head. Once you point your face in a given direction, the LEDs change color to let you know which way you need to head in order to walk, sprint or gallop to your destination. It's hard to tell how long we'll have to wait before we see these on Pearle Vision's Buy 1 Get 1 rack, but the video after the break ain't making it any easier to wait.

Continue reading Innocent glasses transform into GPS-equipped routing mechanism... on video!

Innocent glasses transform into GPS-equipped routing mechanism... on video! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashgear  |  sourceDigInfo  | Email this | Comments

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Wednesday, August 04, 2010

CHART OF THE DAY: RIM Needs A Home Run With Its Next Phone (RIMM, GOOG, AAPL)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-smartphone-os-2010-8

Research In Motion is set to unveil a new phone and updated operating system tomorrow. It'd better be a home run. Actually, it'd better be a miracle.

According to Nielsen research, 58% of RIM's users plan on abandoning the platform. Of those, about half are eyeing the iPhone, and most of the rest are looking at Android.

RIM has seen charts like this in the past. But this time it's different. For the first time ever, more Android-based phones were sold in the last quarter than RIM phones in the U.S.

If RIM can't pull off a miracle tomorrow, it's toast. Sure, it'll still sell millions more BlackBerries for the foreseeable future. But it'll be stuck at the low-margin, low-end of the smartphone industry, where it doesn't want to be.

chart of the day, desired smartphone os, august 2010

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Google Adds a History Link for Quick Recall on Mobile Browsers [Search]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5604200/google-adds-mobile-search-history-link-for-easy-search-recalls

Google Adds a History Link for Quick Recall on Mobile BrowsersWant to pull up that link you found at home while you're away from home? If you've enabled Google's Search History feature, you can now pull it up from the Google home page on your iPhone or Android browser.

Search History has long been a feature on Google's standard desktop version, but they've revamped it for its mobile launch. When you hit the History link at the bottom of Google's mobile page, you'll see searches you've made and links you clicked on, with tiny icons to distinguish your laptop/desktop activity from your phone searches. There's also, in Google fashion, a "star" you can add to items you'd like to mark for fast recall later.

Have you found Search History to be helpful on your desktop or mobile, or is the trade-off in information gathering a bit too heavy for your tastes?

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Fur.ly Shortens and Shares Multiple URLS with a Single Link [Url Shortener]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5604219/furly-shortens-and-shares-multiple-urls-with-a-single-link

Fur.ly Shortens and Shares Multiple URLS with a Single LinkWhile the URL shortening market definitely seems a little saturated there's still room for innovation. Fur.ly is a URL shortening service that bundles multiple URLs together for easy sharing.

Sure you can find URL shortening for music, that includes QR code generation, offers security features, scans for malware, and even URL shorteners that host files. Fur.ly introduces a new feature, the ability to package multiple URLs together into a single URL dashboard.

Fur.ly Shortens and Shares Multiple URLS with a Single Link

The screenshot above shows what a Fur.ly URL looks like. A small—and removable—menu bar at the top of your browser pane displays how many sites are in the bundle, navigations arrows, and a drop down menu to jump to sites in the bundle without toggling through the list. From the menubar you can also views stats on the number of times the shortened URL has been viewed—we think it would be a great addition to include how many times each sub-URL in the bundle has been viewed too.

Fur.ly is a free service and requires no registration. Have a favorite URL shortening service to share? Let's hear about it in the comments.

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