Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, April 14, 2011

ASUS apologizes for Eee Pad Transformer delay it won't detail, US launch pegged for end of April

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/asus-apologizes-for-eee-pad-transformer-delay-it-wont-detail-u/

Well, as far as delays go, this is looking like one that ASUS is willing to accept. As the company explains on its Facebook page, demand for the Eee Pad Transformer has apparently been so high that the first few batches have sold out "much quicker' than it had planned. That's left the global launch for the Honeycomb tablet a bit up in the air, with the company only directing folks to its Facebook pages for individual countries for more information, although they unfortunately aren't providing much in the way of details at the moment.

That delay apparently won't affect the US launch, though -- at least not to any significant degree. According to the upstart website JoannaStern.com, the Transformer will be hitting the US by the end of this month with a price tag of $399, while the keyboard dock will run you $149. Could we possibly be seeing the beginnings of a tablet price war? Here's hoping.

[Thanks, James A]

ASUS apologizes for Eee Pad Transformer delay it won't detail, US launch pegged for end of April originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Galaxy S II benchmarked, makes other phones cry in shame

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/galaxy-s-ii-benchmarked-makes-other-phones-cry-in-shame/

Galaxy S II Benchmarked

The first benchmarks of Samsung's 1.2GHz Galaxy S II -- we saw the 1GHz variant tested previously -- are rolling in, and it's fast. Almost suspiciously so. Its speedy dual-core Exynos CPU pulled off a 3,053 in Quadrant and scored double what the similarly specced HTC Sensation did in Smartbench2011. Those scores also represent a more than threefold improvement over the original Galaxy S. Of course, these are purely synthetic benchmarks and may not translate into an equally improved experience in day to day use. We'll know for sure when we get our hands on one for a proper review in the coming weeks. Full benchmarks are after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Galaxy S II benchmarked, makes other phones cry in shame

Galaxy S II benchmarked, makes other phones cry in shame originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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@eldarmurtazin (Twitter), Android-HK | Email this | Comments

Gigabyte's pricey S1080 tablet goes on sale in Taiwan

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/gigabytes-pricey-s1080-tablet-goes-on-sale-in-taiwan/

As far as tablets go, Gigabyte's S1080 is about as far as you can get from the iPad, with its dual-core Atom N550 processor, 320GB hard drive, and Ethernet port. (And, you know, the fact that it runs Windows 7.) Still, the company is going head to head with Apple's magical slate -- it just priced the 10-inch, 3G-enabled tablet at NT$22,900 ($787), a shade higher than the NT$22,800 price of a first-generation iPad with 3G and 64GB of storage. (Taiwan hasn't gotten the iPad 2 yet.) If having a Windows tablet with mouse buttons, of all things, floats your boat, it can't be beat, though finding a cheaper Windows slate should be a cinch.

Gigabyte's pricey S1080 tablet goes on sale in Taiwan originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry PlayBook review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/blackberry-playbook-review/

The words "play" and "book" are a bit of an odd choice for RIM's latest attempt at consumer relevance, a tablet that, at its core, runs one of the most hardcore and industry-friendly operating systems known to man. The OS is QNX and the hardware is, of course, the BlackBerry PlayBook. It's an enterprise-friendly offering that's also out to conquer the consumer tablet ecosphere, hoping to follow in the footsteps of the BlackBerry handsets that have filled the pockets of corporate executives and BBM addicts around the globe.

It's something of a serious tablet when compared to the competition running software from Apple and Google and, while it certainly has games, its biggest strengths are rather more boring. It does a really great job at displaying PowerPoint presentations, for example, and has the security chops to keep last quarter's dismal sales figures from falling into the wrong hands. Exciting stuff? No, but useful features for sure, and regardless of whether you find those intriguing or boring this is RIM's seven-inch, Flash-having but 3G-lacking tablet clad in an unassuming but extremely sophisticated exterior. It's what's running behind the glass that disappoints.

Gallery: RIM BlackBerry PlayBook

Continue reading BlackBerry PlayBook review

BlackBerry PlayBook review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

AMD Chipsets Will be the First to Support USB 3.0 [Blip]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5791561/amd-chipsets-will-be-the-first-to-support-usb-30

You may've noticed there are many laptops and PCs out there that support USB 3.0 now, but unfortunately both AMD and Intel haven't added support for the latest version in their chipsets before. This is set to change with AMD's A75 and A70M chipsets, which will be the first to be branded "Superspeed USB." Previously, PC builders have had to use third-party controllers if they wanted to include the much-faster USB 3.0. [The Inquirer]

Intel teases 32nm Cloverview tablet processor, 22nm Ivy Bridge CPU

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/12/intel-teases-32nm-cloverview-tablet-processor-22nm-ivy-bridge-c/

It hasn't even been a week since Intel rolled out Oak Trail, and it's already teasing us with yet another tablet-ready chip called Cloverview. What's more, we're also seeing unofficial details emerging for its next generation Ivy Bridge CPU. Starting from the top: PC World is reporting that Intel's Doug Davis introduced the Atom-based Cloverview at the firm's Developer Forum in Beijing Tuesday, touting its 32nm architecture and low power consumption. Meanwhile a set of rather convincing slides are showing off the 22nm stylings of Sandy Bridge's successor, Ivy Bridge. From the look of things, the CPU will support DirectX 11 graphics, USB 3.0, and 1600MHz DDR3 memory -- its desktop platform has been christened Maho Bay. Ivy Bridge is reportedly expected to arrive in the first half of 2012, but we're still waiting on Cloverview's ETA. Isn't silicon fun?

Intel teases 32nm Cloverview tablet processor, 22nm Ivy Bridge CPU originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PCWorld, DonanimHaber | Email this | Comments

Intel Roadmap charts rollout dates for Ivy Bridge, Cedarview, Sandy Bridge E-series

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/12/intel-roadmap-charts-rollout-dates-for-ivy-bridge-cedarview-sa/

What's that? You can't get enough of Intel? Well, it's your lucky day, because we just got our hands on the chip maker's roadmap for 2011 and 2012. According to the leaked slides, we can expect to see the Sandy Bridge E-series in Q4 of 2011. Alternately, the 22nm Ivy Bridge is slated for a somewhat less specific release in the first half of 2012. We're also likely to see the new Pentium and Celeron-based Sandy Bridge models in Q3 this year, and the Atom-equipped Cedarview in Q4. The roadmap's also giving us a rather vague look at pricing for the chipsets, and from what we gather, we can expect the E-series to sport a hefty price tag and Cedarview to bring the value. If that's not enough to sate that animal appetite for Intel news, you can hit the source link for more roadmap goodness.

Intel Roadmap charts rollout dates for Ivy Bridge, Cedarview, Sandy Bridge E-series originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile's new plans get official: starting at $60 for unlimited everything, throttling included

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/12/t-mobiles-new-plans-get-official-starting-at-60-for-unlimited/

T-Mobile's just gone official with the new unlimited plans we caught wind of a few days ago, and while they are truly unlimited by numbers, they're not completely unlimited in functionality. The plans cost $79.99 for Even More customers (buy a subsidized device on contract) and $59.99 for Even More Plus subscribers (bring your own phone commitment-free). Either way this gets you unlimited data, domestic calling, and domestic messaging, with a $5 surcharge for BlackBerry users. Unlike Sprint's similar offering, once you pass the 2GB bandwidth mark, "data speeds will be reduced for the remainder of that bill cycle," essentially informing users that throttling will most certainly take place. In all, we're pleased to see the compromise T-Mo's put in place for data (whereas most other carriers are simply axing the unlimited option altogether), and we hope some of the competition takes heed. It does sound like a pretty sweet deal for those of you not grandfathered in on unlimited data plans. Still, for those of you interested, we suggest getting a jump on, as the (potentially leaked) press release reveals that these plans might only be available for a limited time.

Update: And now it's all official. Huzzah!

Continue reading T-Mobile's new plans get official: starting at $60 for unlimited everything, throttling included

T-Mobile's new plans get official: starting at $60 for unlimited everything, throttling included originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers use GPS, accelerometers to boost smartphone data rates

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/12/researchers-use-gps-accelerometers-to-boost-smartphone-data-rat/

Well, this might be a good reason for The Powers That Be to know your exact whereabouts. According to a team of MIT researchers, speeding up data rates on mobile devices could be as easy as tapping the various motion sensors found in run-of-the-mill smartphones. The scientists believe our wireless infrastructure is at the root of bottlenecks, with a handful of weak transmitters clumsily "handing off" data to one another as you move out of range. The solution: use GPS radios, accelerometers, and even gyroscopes to infer where you're headed, and then choose an access point near where you're likely to end up. The difference, they report, is dramatic: a 50 percent boost in throughput, along with improved success in choosing the best bit rate. To boot, if a base station is armed with location-based info, it can better predict when the devices connected to it are on the verge of losing contact. That's all good news, but sadly we doubt any amount of promising science is enough to make the pink lady go away.

Researchers use GPS, accelerometers to boost smartphone data rates originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kyocera Echo review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/kyocera-echo-review/

It's not exactly difficult to put into words what the Kyocera Echo is -- it's a dual-screened Android phone, after all -- but it's a wee bit more challenging to wrap your head around who exactly it's for. The hardcore gaming contingent already has Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play, and those obsessed with screen real estate have options spanning the gamut -- everything from Dell's 5-inch Streak to a veritable cornucopia of choices in the 4- to 4.3-inch range. So, where exactly does this oddball fit in? Quite frankly, we get the impression that it's doing its darnedest to carve out a market of its own, a thought that's reinforced by Kyocera's dedicated app development space and two-faced Simul-Task mode. Early critics (read: us) railed on the fact that double the screens meant double the trouble in terms of battery life, and there's no question that a second cell was included with our test unit. But are the advantages of having a second 3.5-inch WVGA touchpanel enough to overshadow the obvious pitfalls? Join us as we do a little soul-searching in our full review, hosted up just past the break.

Gallery: Kyocera Echo review hands-on

Continue reading Kyocera Echo review

Kyocera Echo review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel Thunderbolt dev kits coming this quarter, hopefully ushering in more 10Gbps-capable devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/intel-thunderbolt-dev-kits-coming-this-quarter-hopefully-usheri/

Intel has just announced it will soon be making development kits available for its new Thunderbolt interconnect. The cable that can carry 10Gbps (in both directions!) has so far only seen itself installed in Apple's MacBook Pro computers, but storage and other peripheral manufacturers are starting to unveil their lightning-scorched offerings this week at NAB and this announcement is sure to give Thunderbolt an extra spur of momentum. What's going to be intriguing going forward is to see whether manufacturers take it up instead of USB 3.0 or install the DisplayPort lookalike alongside the latest and greatest from the USB camp. If you ask us, we can never have enough high-speed interconnects... how does SuperSpeed Thunderbolt sound?

Continue reading Intel Thunderbolt dev kits coming this quarter, hopefully ushering in more 10Gbps-capable devices

Intel Thunderbolt dev kits coming this quarter, hopefully ushering in more 10Gbps-capable devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Addonics SATA adapter turns six CF / CFast cards into one SSD

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/addonics-sata-adapter-turns-six-cf-cfast-cards-into-one-ssd/

This isn't the first time we've seen a CF-to-SATA hard drive adapter, but Addonics' CF / CFast Drive is definitely the biggest. The thing sports six separate slots, which means you can use it to turn your memory cards into six different drives, or combine them in a RAID configuration to form a high capacity SSD. What's more, the whole thing fits comfortably in a standard 5.25-inch drive bay. If you've got a stack of CF cards collecting dust somewhere, you can get your hands on one of these bad boys starting at $135 at the source link below. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Addonics SATA adapter turns six CF / CFast cards into one SSD

Addonics SATA adapter turns six CF / CFast cards into one SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo's metallic IdeaPad Z570 finally goes on sale, starts at $699

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/lenovos-metallic-ideapad-z570-finally-goes-on-sale-starts-at/

Of the nearly 20 consumer laptops Lenovo unleashed upon the world at CES, the IdeaPad Z570 was billed as the multimedia notebook with the least flashy design. (Okay, we're paraphrasing a little.) Curiously, the company didn't say at the time how much its metallic wonder would cost nor when it would be available. Three months later we're finally getting our answer: it's on sale now starting at $699, already taking a gentle tumble from $999. To refresh your saturated noggins, the 15.6-inch Z570 moves to a chiclet keyboard, as many other Lenovo laptops have, and packs a Core i3-2310M processor, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB 5,400RPM hard drive at its lowest price point. Those willing to spend more can step up to a $999 version that includes a Core i5-2520M CPU and 6GB of RAM. Either way, they come with DVD burners and relatively low-res 1366 x 768 screens, and the graphics top out with Intel's integrated HD 3000 chipset. That's all fine for everyday use, but deserving of that "multimedia machine" moniker? We'll leave that to you and your wallet.

[Thanks, Tim]

Lenovo's metallic IdeaPad Z570 finally goes on sale, starts at $699 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft details Kinect SDK for Windows PC, promises 'robust skeletal tracking'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/microsoft-details-kinect-sdk-for-windows-pc-promises-robust-sk/

Sure, a lack of first-party tools never kept you from bending the Kinect to your diabolical whim, but Microsoft's taking some time out at MIX 11 to talk about the official Kinect SDK for Windows and show off a few demos. Mind you, all of that's going to happen on stage over the course of the next hour, so we don't have many details for you right now, but Redmond says devs will have access to not only the basic color and infrared depth cameras, but "robust skeletal tracking" of two simultaneous individuals as well, and perhaps most excitingly, full access to the Kinect's array of four microphones for noise canceling and voice recognition complete with API support. Hate to say it, Kinect hackers, but the bar's about to be bumped up. Keep it locked right here and we'll let you know if the Microsofties reveal anything else fun!

Microsoft details Kinect SDK for Windows PC, promises 'robust skeletal tracking' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

nSphere Acquires Couponing Startup Peekaboo Mobile

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/11/nsphere-acquires-couponing-startup-peekaboo-mobile/

Online business directory company nSphere has acquired mobile couponing startup Peekaboo Mobile. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but we hear the transaction was in the seven-figures. Peekaboo's team will also join nSphere to manage its new mobile marketplace and future mobile-related initiatives.

Peekaboo Mobile provides a platform to local businesses looking to connect to consumers with location-targeted offers. Peekaboo says that it currently reaches over 50 million smartphone users through its Android and iPhone deal applications and partner network.

nSphere’s technology powers search results for local services, events, relevant news articles and more. The acquisition will be used by nSphere to establish a mobile platform to deliver hyper-local coupons and information on any search topic directly to mobile handsets. Peekaboo Mobile will continue to run its mobile couponing company and will eliminate all monthly or yearly service fees required of current business owners and provide the Peekaboo platform free of charge for all future clients.

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Peekaboo Mobile

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