Thursday, November 18, 2010

Fooducate Scans Food Products to Provide You With Nutrition Facts [Ios]

Fooducate Scans Food Products to Provide You With Nutrition Facts [Ios]

iOS: Fooducate is a handy, free little app that scans food product barcodes and provides you with health and nutrition information. If the product doesn't meet your health needs, Fooducate can offer up some alternatives. More »


Read More...

Panasonic and Pentax pack a pair of pickled firmware updates, DMC-G2 gets 3D, K-5 better bursting

Panasonic and Pentax pack a pair of pickled firmware updates, DMC-G2 gets 3D, K-5 better bursting

Panasonic and Pentax pack a pair of pickled firmware updates, DMC-G2 gets 3D, K-5 better bursting
Well, lookie here, a couple of little firmware files have wandered into our midst. Panasonic gets credit for the most interesting with its 1.11 update for the DMC-G2, offering a "performance enhancement," an improved AE lock that holds even when using the touch shutter, and support for the new H-FT012 lens we recently played with -- the one that adds a third dimension to your otherwise 2D shooter. Pentax, meanwhile, has a 1.01 update for its K-5 that will let you capture 20 RAW images in a burst, which a lot more than the eight it can grab currently. Then there's "improved stability for general performance such as exposure range on HyP mode," which sounds awful nice too. Both are available now, so mosey those SD cards on over and click on through.

Panasonic and Pentax pack a pair of pickled firmware updates, DMC-G2 gets 3D, K-5 better bursting originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink dpreview.com  |  sourcePanasonic, Pentax  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Jabra debuts six touchscreen-paired headsets designed for Microsoft Lync

Jabra debuts six touchscreen-paired headsets designed for Microsoft Lync

Microsoft's Lync, the supposed "next generation of unified communications" (a.k.a. the rebranded Office Communicator) just made its official debut this week, and it looks like it's already racking up some pretty big hardware partners. Among the first is Jabra, which has just rolled out no less than six new headsets that each come paired with their own touchscreen. Those all fall under the Jabra Pro 9400 and Jabra Go 6400 series, which each pack similar base units but come with headsets of varying portability, from a full-size set of headphones to a standard Bluetooth headset that you can also use with your phone. And just for good measure, Jabra has also rolled out its new Jabra SPEAK 410, which is the company's first USB-powered speakerphone. Of course, they all also come with some decidedly business-minded prices (upwards of $500), but it looks like they're all available immediately.

Continue reading Jabra debuts six touchscreen-paired headsets designed for Microsoft Lync

Jabra debuts six touchscreen-paired headsets designed for Microsoft Lync originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceJabra  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Motorola Defy review

Motorola Defy review

The Android landscape's certainly getting crowded, isn't it? We can still vividly remember the days when the T-Mobile G1 was the only game in town, and now here we are -- just two years later -- flush with options covering virtually every market segment from the ultra-high end to the ultra-low and everything in between. One niche market that's usually underserved, though, is the beat-the-crap-out-of-your-phone market. You know who you are: you work hard, you play hard, or you've just got an incurable case of butterfingers -- but whatever the case, you need a phone that you aren't breaking, bricking, melting, freezing, or otherwise destroying every few weeks.

It's not that rugged phones haven't existed, of course. Far from it: Nextel and Motorola practically invented (and thrived off of) the concept, and options like AT&T's Samsung Rugby and Verizon's Casio G'zOne series have been available for some time. By and large, though, it's been a field devoid of smartphones -- and these days, that's just not going to cut it. The kinds of people that need a phone that can take a few knocks don't necessarily want to buy them at the expense of power or capability anymore. On that note, Motorola's new Android-powered Defy for T-Mobile USA (and other carriers abroad) is one of the few to take a shot at elegantly combining environmental resistance with a no-compromise smartphone experience, featuring Blur atop Android 2.1 with a 5 megapixel autofocus cam, LED flash, 800MHz TI OMAP3610 core, and a 3.7-inch 854 x 480 display. In other words, on paper, it's no slouch -- but can it hang? Let's find out.

Continue reading Motorola Defy review

Motorola Defy review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Registry hack allows for direct loading of media on Windows Phone 7 devices

Registry hack allows for direct loading of media on Windows Phone 7 devices

Prefer to load media onto your Windows Phone 7 device the old fashioned way? Then it looks like your solution is just a simple Windows registry hack away. Coming shortly after the USB tethering hack, the folks at Windows Phone Central have now discovered that you can effectively turn your Windows Phone into a USB drive by modifying just three entries in the registry of your Windows desktop PC. Once done, you'll be able to drag and drop files to your heart's content -- albeit only on a computer that's had the registry hack done, of course. Hit up the source link below for the complete details.

Registry hack allows for direct loading of media on Windows Phone 7 devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Arena  |  sourceWindows Phone Central  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

OnLive MicroConsole Streams Cloud-Rendered Games to Your TV [Video]

OnLive MicroConsole Streams Cloud-Rendered Games to Your TV [Video]

OnLive MicroConsole Streams Cloud-Rendered Games to Your TVOnLive, the streaming game service, has matured really fast in just five months. I liked the original public release, when it was on just computers, but now it's come to a console that plugs into your TV. I like it.

To quickly recap, OnLive has a bunch of servers that do all the game rendering remotely, then pipe the resulting video to your console to show on your TV. All button inputs get sent to the cloud and processed; acting as if you were actually sitting in front of a regular console. Buying games on OnLive is cheaper than buying them from retail, but you also get the ability to try out games before you go in. And this MicroConsole is only $99.

OnLive MicroConsole Streams Cloud-Rendered Games to Your TVI've only played with the MicroConsole for a short time, but from what I've seen, it's the PC/Mac experience ported to your living room. You can use the proprietary low-latency (lower than USB, they say) wireless controller, or the console can support USB-based keyboards, mice, controllers and headsets. They say the drivers are all handled server-side as well. As for minimum internet requirements, you'll need 5Mbps for a 40-inch or larger TV, 4Mbps for 30-40-inch TVs, and 3Mbps for 30-inch or smaller TVs.

Here's what playing it looks like.

It really is pretty great. The combination of a low-latency controller, with the improvements they've made in the OnLive service—as well as my relatively fast Comcast internet connection—make the whole experience on par with modern consoles. You can definitely tell that the overall picture is blurrier, and edges are less defined compared to a regular Xbox 360, and there are sometimes occasional stuttering issues, but it's a solid experience, especially for a box this tiny.

OnLive will clear a big hurdle with the December 2nd launch of the MicroConsole, letting people get the living room console experience in their living rooms. The next major hurdle is getting game publishers to support the platform more than hey have been, which OnLive assures me is happening.

OnLive MicroConsole Streams Cloud-Rendered Games to Your TV

Why OnLive might be the future of gaming

The MicroConsole is a big step, and one that lays the groundwork for a lot of what OnLive is planning for the next year. Because it has 1080p, 60FPS support, there's little need to update the hardware unless there's a major shift in TV requirements. They've got 3D support in there now, just not turned on, as well as Bluetooth headset support, 4 controller support and USB hub support. So the hardware is good enough at sucking down bits to shove onto your TV for the next few years.

Flat-rate gaming is like Netflix Watch Instantly for games

OnLive plans to roll out multiple flat-rate packages for games, sort of like how Hulu Plus and Netflix works for TV and movies. You pay one monthly price, then get unlimited access to as many games as you want. Lower tiers will have older titles (starting at a few months to a year+, depending on popularity), as well as indie games. Higher priced tiers will have unlimited games that launch day-and-date with console releases.

OnLive CEO Steve Perlman says that game publishers understand that there's a dollar figure per household of what the maximum price per month that a gamer will spend on gaming. That number might go down for months where there aren't many releases, but there's a cap there that the consumer places on themselves to budget their spending. Setting the all-you-can-eat price at that point makes the most sense for both the publisher and the consumer.

OnLive MicroConsole Streams Cloud-Rendered Games to Your TV

Wait until it takes advantage of the cloud

Getting on-par with the Xbox 360 and the PS3 in terms of performance and number of games is just stage one for OnLive. Where they can really excel is the fact that all these games are rendered in the cloud, with 2010-level hardware, whereas consoles are using 2005-level hardware. This means that, if so interested, publishers can make incredible-looking and hugely-immersive games that aren't capable of being rendered on consoles—or even powerful home PCs—and do that on a big-ass server farm that's piped to your screen. This is incredible.

Steve tells me that it's something game publishers are looking at, but they're waiting until the OnLive platform gains enough users to make developing these ultra-titles profitable. It's not that OnLive is competing directly with the Xbox 360 or the PS3, it's that they're capable of doing something drastically different and insanely better, if there's software support for it.

OnLive MicroConsole Streams Cloud-Rendered Games to Your TV

Can it be an ultimate streaming box?

I also asked Steve, because the box is already capable of streaming games at such a high resolution and frame rate, if they could theoretically load Netflix, Hulu and other services on there to be an all-around streaming box. His answer? It's not something they're doing yet, but it's a possibility.

And because the box is so really tiny, it's kind of a perfect box to take on vacation, or even on business trips. Imagine having your whole library of games with you, as well as the ability to buy more.

Microsoft's really putting their money into streaming tech and digital downloads. OnLive is a platform that's proving you can do just about everything on the server side and still be competitive for gaming. If they're smart, Microsoft will take a hard look at what OnLive is doing and maybe eat them up for the next Xbox. [OnLive]

Read More...

Samsung Galaxy Tab price wars: US carriers face off

Samsung Galaxy Tab price wars: US carriers face off

Samsung's Galaxy Tab. You know our thoughts on the device, so let's assume you've passed the "should I buy it?" question and onto the more specific, "whom should I sign on with?" You're certainly not bereft of choices: by the end of November, five of the six largest US carriers (sorry, MetroPCS) will offer the Android slate -- but not all pricing schemes were made equal. Carrier-agnostics, we're here to help!

While we've already bemoaned the $50 premium on AT&T's model, we have confirmed there is no activation fee, which narrows the price between it and Verizon's offering to just $15 (and Ma Bell, along with Sprint, seem to be the only two offering a $50 Media Hub voucher). On paper, US Cellular has the lowest two-year cost with $760 on contract, but $15 monthly for 200MB is pretty ridiculous when just $20 gets you an entire gig on Verizon's network, or $30 for 2GB on Sprint. T-Mobile wins the award for the most insane disparity in data offerings: $25 for 200MB, or 25 times the data allotment (5GB) for just $15 more. 'Twas the best of deals, 'twas the worst of deals.

If you ask us, there isn't really a clear-cut winner, but we'd definitely contend Big Magenta's got the most alluring on-contract value if 5GB is in the range of your data usage; the equivalent plan costs $60 on Sprint and $50 on Verizon, with the latter offering no discount for making a two-year commitment. Then again, if you're the kind who prefers to be unrestrained and plan to spend $600 regardless, it's Verizon with the most competitive data plans overall. And of course, your decision will undoubtedly be influenced by network performance in your area. Consider yourself informed.

Samsung Galaxy Tab price wars: US carriers face off originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

AT&T: 80 percent of network now upgraded to HSPA+

AT&T: 80 percent of network now upgraded to HSPA+

AT&T promised that it would be expanding its HSPA+ rollout this year, and it's now finally touting some actual results. Speaking at the Sencha Conference in San Francisco this week, AT&T CTO John Donovan confirmed that the carrier has upgraded a full 80 percent of its network to HSPA+, which promises to offer two and half times the performance of regular HSPA. Donovan also talked a bit out mobile data use in general, and revealed that data traffic growth has actually slowed over the past few months from a rate of 50 times to 30 times what it was three years ago. Donvon was quick to point out, however, that "If you look in absolute numbers, it's still a tremendous growth rate," and actually represents a three thousand percent uptick in data traffic over the past three years.

AT&T: 80 percent of network now upgraded to HSPA+ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mobile Burn  |  sourcePC World  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

BoxWave's Keyboard Buddy turns your iPhone 4 into the Droid it always wanted to be

BoxWave's Keyboard Buddy turns your iPhone 4 into the Droid it always wanted to be

Suffering from a little bit of Droid envy? It happens to even the most loyal of iPhone users, and now BoxWave is stepping in to make your life almost complete (we say "almost" because there's still no native Gmail client for the iPhone, and all your tears aren't going to solve that). The BoxWave Keyboard Buddy Case is just what it sounds like, a Bluetooth keyboard embedded in an iPhone 4 case, only instead of flipping out like the TK-421 or slide-tilting like the ultra-bulky Nuu Mini Key, BoxWave's solution is a simple sliding affair that adds very little to the iPhone 4's profile and hardly anything to its footprint. Also, it's your buddy. It'll start shipping next month, and it's a little spendy at $70, but can you really put a price on the flattery of imitation?

BoxWave's Keyboard Buddy turns your iPhone 4 into the Droid it always wanted to be originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBoxWave  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Droid 2 Global GSM bands locked, camera bulge added to case

Droid 2 Global GSM bands locked, camera bulge added to case

No surprise here, but it looks like Verizon's on-sale-but-never-really-announced Droid 2 Global has its GSM radios locked down, meaning you can't just throw an AT&T SIM in there and expect anything to work. Of course, the enterprising hackers at xda-developers are hot on the case, so there's a chance things will be opened up, but we wouldn't hold our breath.

In other news, it looks like there's been a slight case modification to the Droid 2 Global -- the camera module now sports a slight hump as seen in the comparison photo above. We're not sure if this is to accommodate the extra radio or (please please please) perhaps a better sensor, but whoomp, there it is. No big thing in the grand scheme of things, but between the dark blue casing and the camera bulge, you'll totally be able to spot D2G owners out of the crowd. And that... that will make you a super nerd weirdo. But it's okay, because we love you.

Droid 2 Global GSM bands locked, camera bulge added to case originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 22:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Pocketnow  |  sourcexda-developers  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Qualcomm teases 28nm dual-core Snapdragons, pixel-punching Adreno 300 GPU

Qualcomm teases 28nm dual-core Snapdragons, pixel-punching Adreno 300 GPU

By the time Qualcomm's 1.5GHz QSD8672 Snapdragon finally makes it to market, it might be obsolete -- the company just announced that the new 28nm dual-core MSM8960 system-on-a-chip will have five times the performance and consume 75 percent less power than the original Snapdragon when it arrives in 2011. It's got the usual WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and FM radio modules but also a multi-mode LTE / 3G modem too, and reportedly four times the graphical muscle on board. Speaking of graphics, Qualcomm seperately took the time to detail a new GPU: the Qualcomm Adreno 300 series, which will allegedly offer the gaming performance of an Xbox 360 or PS3. We'd say "We'll believe it when we see it," but that would imply doubt -- the reality is that we just want to feast our eyes on mobile gaming bliss as soon as humanly possible.

[Thanks, PhineasJW]

Qualcomm teases 28nm dual-core Snapdragons, pixel-punching Adreno 300 GPU originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 02:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAnandTech, EE Times  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Panasonic GF2 shipping December 3rd in Japan, turning gringos green with envy

Panasonic GF2 shipping December 3rd in Japan, turning gringos green with envy

As far as we know, the western hemisphere should still have the mirrorless GF2 from Panasonic penciled in on its January 2011 must-own list, but Japan is (predictably) getting the party started a little early. Panny has shot out a brief statement this morning to say that its home nation will receive the GF2 -- alternately attired in red, white or black -- on the 3rd of December. That's a good couple of weeks before we expected to even have pricing for North America and Europe, leaving the rest of us to just pout and stare at the calendar with disdain. And if pricing is what you need, Impress has some of its usually deadly accurate estimates to offer you, with the GF2 body set to cost ¥60,000 (about $720) by itself, ¥80,000 with the F2.5 14mm pancake kit lens, or ¥90,000 if paired with the 14-42mm glass. We'd advise not taking straight currency conversions as indicators of pricing anywhere outside Japan, however, due to the atypically high value of the yen at the moment. Wistful sighs, on the other hand, are free everywhere.

Panasonic GF2 shipping December 3rd in Japan, turning gringos green with envy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 02:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Impress Watch [translated]  |  sourcePanasonic  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Orb TV is the $99 video streamer that will do Netflix and Hulu, but not HD

Orb TV is the $99 video streamer that will do Netflix and Hulu, but not HD

Orb TV is the $99 video streamer that will do Netflix and Hulu, but not HD
Your Apple TVs and your Google TVs hold a lot of potential, but their limited access to content freely available to any 'ol PC and Mac is what you'd call a bit of a problem. The latest product from Orb fixes that by being a simple media streamer, relying on a computer elsewhere on the network to pull that content locally before turning around and pumping it back out to the company's new Orb TV coaster, which in turn displays it on your actual TV. Since the content is hitting the computer first (the "Orb Caster") Hulu is available on-tap, but somewhere along the way support for HD video quality goes out the window: this thing maxes out at VGA. Sure, you can already do this with your TVersity's and the like, but the Orb TV is a lot smaller than your average media extender hardware, has a very handy remote control app for the iPhone (Android coming soon), and kindly will support multiple Orb devices on the same network. Best of all? It's shipping right now, so make with the clicking and get your Gleek on.

Orb TV is the $99 video streamer that will do Netflix and Hulu, but not HD originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  sourceOrb  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Hitachi debuts 7,200RPM 3TB Deskstar 7K3000 hard drive

Hitachi debuts 7,200RPM 3TB Deskstar 7K3000 hard drive

Hitachi was the first to roll out a 7,200RPM, 3.5-inch 2TB hard drive, and it looks like it's now done it again at the 3TB level. That comes in the form of the company's new Deskstar 7K3000 model, which appears to not only be the first 7,200RPM 3TB drive hard around, but Hitachi's first drive with a 6Gbps SATA interface. Otherwise, the five-platter drive packs a 64MB cache buffer, an idle power draw of 6.8W, and what Hitachi describes as an eco-friendly, halogen-free design. Still no word on pricing or a release date, but The Inquirer surmises it'll cost somewhere in the neighborhood of £200, or $320.

Hitachi debuts 7,200RPM 3TB Deskstar 7K3000 hard drive originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceHitachi  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Artifical retina reconstructs normal vision in mice, human trials next

Artifical retina reconstructs normal vision in mice, human trials next

Scientists have been working on artificial retinas for years, and while the main focus of research has been to increase the amount of light captured, a study led by Sheila Nirenberg, PhD, has taken a different tack. The new system being devised at Weill Cornell Medical College better mimics frontline photoreceptor cells, making it easier for the ganglion cells to output a more accurate image. "If you want to really restore normal vision, you have to know the retina's code," Nirenberg said. "Once you have that, the door is open to the possibility of restoring normal vision." When researchers performed tests with mice, they found that those with the new system reconstructed more details (the second image, above) than those without (image three, above). "Incorporating the [more accurate] code jumped the system's performance up to normal levels - that is, there was enough information to reconstruct faces, newsprint, landscapes, essentially anything," Nirenberg said. The next step? Coordinating with other researchers to test the technology on human participants.

Artifical retina reconstructs normal vision in mice, human trials next originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePhysOrg, Science News  | Email this | Comments

Read More...