Tuesday, January 03, 2012

drag2share: Intel's Ultrabook portal jabs at limited functionality of tablets

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/02/intels-ultrabook-portal-jabs-at-limited-functionality-of-tablet/

Love 'em or hate 'em, there's no question that tablets aren't capable of handling the same rigors (with the same efficiency levels) as a full-on laptop, and Intel's using that very point to promote the Ultrabook category as a whole. Given that we're just days away from seeing what's apt to be a flood of these things at CES, Intel's new Ultrabook portal (and linked "Ultra Excited For Ultrabooks" preview paper) is priming the masses for what to expect. In the note, Intel Technical Marketing Engineer Shirley Chen notes the following:

"Tablets have introduced some great features that support some of these use cases with longer battery life and touch capabilities in order to provide a more enriched experience. However the screens are still small, local storage is generally miniscule and restrictive, and tablets lack performance compared to that of a traditional PC. At the other end of the portable scale there are laptops, which for many are just too big, and place power and performance above user experience, which both hardware and software play a part in. Ultrabook systems marry thin and light with the best in performance, responsiveness, security and battery life - filling the gap between desktop/laptop and tablet. We are reinventing the PC again. An Ultrabook device is ultra-responsive and ultra-sleek."

Nothing here is truly groundbreaking, per se, but it's the first time that we've seen such a giant company take a meaningful swing at a product sector that has caught fire for myriad reasons. 2012 is shaping up to be the year of the inexpensive tablet, but if Intel has its druthers, you'll be shaking off the hype and picking up a full-fledged computing tool instead. Have a look at the rest in the PDF sourced below.

Intel's Ultrabook portal jabs at limited functionality of tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  sourceIntel [PDF]  | Email this | Comments

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drag2share: NASA's GRAIL spacecrafts enter Moon's orbit, set to map its gravitational field in March

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/02/nasa-grail-spacecrafts-enter-moons-orbit-set-to-map-its-gravit/

Way back in September, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory sent a duo of Lockheed Martin-produced spacecraft toward one of its favorite test subjects, the Moon, as a part of its GRAIL mission -- Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory. Now, nearly four months later, the administration has announced that the GRAIL-A and -B twin crafts have planted themselves within our Moon's orbit. According to NASA, they're currently in "a near-polar, elliptical orbit with an orbital period of approximately 11.5 hours," and it plans to execute more "burn maneuvers" in the coming weeks to shorten that time frame to less than two. By March, the research crafts will be positioned in a "near-polar, near-circular orbit" 34 miles above its surface, at which point they'll begin surveying its gravitational pull, by using radio signals to determine the distance between both units.

With this information, NASA hopes to better understand how gravity works, both above and below the Moon's surface, by detailing the findings in a high-resolution map. NASA also says that scientists can utilize it to get further insight into how our planets formed. Notably, both spacecraft feature a MoonKAM (Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students), that will allow students request pictures of specific areas the lunar surface for later study. Best of all, using NASA's "Eyes on the Solar System" web app, you'll be able to follow the paths of both spaceships in detail. You'll find full details about the GRAIL mission at the source links below.

NASA's GRAIL spacecrafts enter Moon's orbit, set to map its gravitational field in March originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNASA (1), (2), Eyes on the Solar System  | Email this | Comments

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drag2share: ASUS Transformer Prime sees v8.8.3.33 OTA update, GPS and performance improved

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/02/asus-transformer-prime-v8-8-3-33-update-gps-performance/

For as much grief as ASUS is getting for its Transformer Prime, we're actually kind of surprised it's throwing the masses any bones at all. 'Course, one might say that having a riled-up customer base is better than having no customer base at all. Regardless of all that, a relatively small v8.8.3.33 update is purportedly hitting select Prime tablets today, with the over-the-air update bringing improved focus on the camera, bolstered touchscreen performance and enhanced GPS speed. Unfortunately, that last one seems to be nothing more than the automatic enabling of WiFi to "download satellite location information," but hey -- that's one less step for you, right?. As with all updates, we'd caution against installing this one if you're already working with some homegrown firmware, but everyone else should be welcoming the new bits and bytes with open arms.

ASUS Transformer Prime sees v8.8.3.33 OTA update, GPS and performance improved originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Community  |  sourceAndroid Forums  | Email this | Comments

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drag2share: MAME gets Chrome Native Client port, is awesome case study

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/02/mame-gets-chrome-native-client-port-is-awesome-case-study/

We've already seen MAME burn brightly (and briefly) on iPads across the world and now it's been delicately ported across to Chrome's Native Client. Admittedly, the graphics may not stand up against recent gaming wares seen on Google's new platform, but it's still able to cope with the likes of Pac-Man. Managing to turnaround the whole project in a mere four days, Google engineer Robert Muth branded the brief exercise as "relatively challenging" and has noted down all the deep and meaningfuls in a full case study, available at the source below. For anyone unwilling to dip their toes into Native Client waters, however, there's still plenty of power pellets to be downed online.

MAME gets Chrome Native Client port, is awesome case study originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashdot  |  sourceGoogle Developers  | Email this | Comments

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drag2share: RIM puts BlackBerry Playbook on massive sale; Android Market shoehorned onto rooted units

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/02/blackberry-playbook-fire-sale-android-market-access-hack/

Research in Motion may not have found itself in a coveted spot as 2011 ended, but if it's learned anything from HP, there's a surefire way to rid itself of remaining BlackBerry PlayBook inventory: sell 'em for a loss. After the unloved slate went on sale in its native land, Americans can now save up to $400 on a PlayBook through February 4th. RIM's official webstore is offering the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB model for $299, leaving us to wonder who would ever choose the smaller two if all three remain in stock. In related news, those who take the company up on the offer can now gain access to the Android Market with a few choice moves. The fine folks over at CrackBerry have detailed the process, which requires a rooted PlayBook, WinSCP, the latest version of Cyanogen Google apps and a fair amount of patience. Naturally, not all Android apps will actually work on the device, but it's a lovely hack for a sure-to-be-sluggish week in your workshop. Hit the links below to learn more.

RIM puts BlackBerry Playbook on massive sale; Android Market shoehorned onto rooted units originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Central  |  sourceRIM, CrackBerry  | Email this | Comments

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drag2share: HP Spectre teaser video: fantastically thin laptop, shrouded in mystery

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/02/hp-spectre-teaser-video-fantastically-thin-laptop-shrouded-in/

Why, what's this? Funny you ask -- we're wondering the same thing. A source at HP just dropped us a mysterious teaser video of a so-called Spectre laptop, a heretofore unannounced lappie that looks to be the company's next Ultrabook. In our wildest dreams, this rig has a dual-LCD setup -- similar to Toshiba's Libretto W100 and Acer's Iconia-6120 -- but perhaps the creators here were just coincidentally interested in showing us lots of glass panes. We'll be digging for more details (we're told that an official produce portal should surface tomorrow), but for now, lose your mind in the video just past the break.

Update: If we had to guess, we'd say it's the Envy Spectre -- a machine that passed through the FCC's database around a week ago.

Continue reading HP Spectre teaser video: fantastically thin laptop, shrouded in mystery

HP Spectre teaser video: fantastically thin laptop, shrouded in mystery originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Red's Scarlet-X 4K camera gets video review: you've never needed $11,700 so badly

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/02/reds-scarlet-x-4k-camera-video-review/

Native 4K recording? Check. A built-for-war body? You bet. Backordered despite a downright shocking $11,700 price tag? Most certainly. As with Red's prior products, the Scarlet-X seems to be wowing just about every shooter lucky enough to come into contact with one. Luck for you, the folks over at Cinema5D have spent an inordinate of amount of time with this beast in order to deliver the full skinny on whether it's worth the price (and wait). We won't bother spoiling any conclusions for you, but if you've been toying with the idea of blowing your (and your SO's) bonus on one of these in a bid to start your own movie house, there's a vid just after the break that deserves your attention.

Continue reading Red's Scarlet-X 4K camera gets video review: you've never needed $11,700 so badly

Red's Scarlet-X 4K camera gets video review: you've never needed $11,700 so badly originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceCinema5D, Red  | Email this | Comments

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drag2share: Internet Explorer holds onto top browser crown while Chrome and Firefox tussle over second place

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/02/internet-explorer-top-browser-chrome-and-firefox-second/

Both Net Applications and StatCounter have released their figures for browser market share for 2011 and it makes for largely unsurprising reading. Internet Explorer's full share has dropped but it still maintains the top spot -- a 52 percent share according to Net Applications and 39 percent according to StatCounter. Meanwhile, second place remains tantalizingly within reach for Chrome, which has made headway catching up with Firefox, whose growth had apparently stalled during 2011. According to Net Applications, Firefox held a 21.8 percent share of browser users this month, while Chrome reached 19.1 percent, up just under 8 percent and capping off a second year of impressive growth. Meanwhile, StatCounter pegs Google's browser at second place for the end of the year, claiming 27.3 percent versus the 25.3 percent share grabbed by its vulpine rival. Unsurprisingly, the Windows Team Blog takes a different slant on recent browsing trends, trumpeting that its latest version, Internet Explorer 9, continues to grow on Windows 7. This is, however, balanced out by a corresponding drop in the users of its predecessor, IE 8. Better luck next year, eh, Microsoft?

Internet Explorer holds onto top browser crown while Chrome and Firefox tussle over second place originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  sourceNet Applications, StatCounter, Windows Team Blog  | Email this | Comments

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drag2share: Etymotic revamps its ETY-Kids3 in-ear headphones, kid-safe volume, now with iPhone controls

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/03/etymotic-revamps-its-ety-kids3-in-ear-headphones-kid-safe-volum/

Got your kid an iDevice for the holidays? Now they'd like some headphones with inline controls, you say? Well, being the amazing that parent that you are, you're okay with it, but you'd also like to ensure they can't blow-out their eardrums before hitting high school. Fret not, as Etymotic has just unveiled its updated volume-limiting ETY-kids3 in-ear headphones with an iPhone-certified inline remote / mic. The intra-aurals also come with Ety's Awareness app, which mixes in louder noises like traffic, for the sake of extra safety. Ety plans to show off the 'buds during CES, and you can expect to find them on store shelves come January 30th for about 80 bucks. Full press release after the break.

Continue reading Etymotic revamps its ETY-Kids3 in-ear headphones, kid-safe volume, now with iPhone controls

Etymotic revamps its ETY-Kids3 in-ear headphones, kid-safe volume, now with iPhone controls originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Samsung's Smart TV SDK reaches 3.0 with support for USB controllers, payment and ads

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/03/samsungs-smart-tv-sdk-30-usb-advertisements/

Even though all signs indicate Samsung will be joining the Google TV party shortly, it's not going to give up on its own existing Smart TV platform just yet. We don't know if it will run the two side by side as it has operated with Yahoo! Widgets, but the Korean manufacturer has announced it plans to release version 3.0 of its SDK January 5th. The new Samsung Apps toolkit supports mobile devices and TV sets, and lets developers build in support for remote controls, as well as USB mice, keyboards or gamepads. Of course, not all devs will work for free, so they're also adding a way for them to get paid through the built-in payment system or advertisements. Currently, Samsung claims 25,000 developers from 140 countries in its forums, but we'll have to wait until CES 2012 to find out if its products live up to the hype and attract more innovative software to the segment.

Continue reading Samsung's Smart TV SDK reaches 3.0 with support for USB controllers, payment and ads

Samsung's Smart TV SDK reaches 3.0 with support for USB controllers, payment and ads originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Samsung outs revamped Galaxy Ace Plus: bigger screen, worse resolution

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/03/samsung-outs-revamped-galaxy-ace-plus-bigger-screen-worse-reso/

Samsung clearly didn't spend the holiday season kicking back listening to Dick Clark, or else it wouldn't be able to show off the revamped edition of the Galaxy Ace: the Galaxy Ace Plus. Unimaginative names aside, the budget blower gets a speed bump, to last year's minimum spec -- 1GHz processor, five megapixel camera, 3GB internal memory, HSDPA and a 3.65-inch HVGA (320 x 480) screen (really, Samsung?). You'll get the same combination of Gingerbread and TouchWiz, so you might have to go elsewhere if you wanna upgrade to ICS. The cheapie phone will go on sale this month in Europe, Russia, Latin America, Asia, Africa and China, we guess retailing in the same bracket as its predecessor. Head on past the break to read all about it in a combination of words and punctuation we like to call a press release.

Update: The phone's resolution hasn't changed in the update, but the screen size has, which means the pixel density is now worse than before.

Continue reading Samsung outs revamped Galaxy Ace Plus: bigger screen, worse resolution

Samsung outs revamped Galaxy Ace Plus: bigger screen, worse resolution originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Arena  |  sourceSamsung  | Email this | Comments

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drag2share: SoundCloud Just Raised A Monster $50 Million Round And Mary Meeker Is On Board

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/soundcloud-just-raised-50-million-and-mary-meeker-is-on-board-2012-1


soundcloud

Mary Meeker of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is joining SoundCloud's board of advisors after her firm led a monster $50 million round in the music sharing service, TechCrunch reports.

The round values SoundCloud at $200 million, with GGV capital also participating in the round, according to the site.

SoundCloud is basically the YouTube for sound and music. You record sounds — music, speech or anything like that — and upload it to SoundCloud. It then crunches the sound and gives it a visual waveform component and lets you share it with your friends.

You can add a comment that will show up at a specific time in the sound file, making it useful for collaborative sound production.

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Monday, January 02, 2012

drag2share: Twin NASA Spacecraft Now Orbiting the Moon Carrying Space Eyes For Students [Space]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5872388/twin-nasa-spacecraft-now-orbiting-the-moon

Twin NASA Spacecraft Now Orbiting the Moon Carrying Space Eyes For StudentsNASA's new favorite ships for all Middle school students are now ready to start work: GRAIL-B has joined her twin GRAIL-A into a near-polar, elliptical orbit around the Moon.

The probes will be ready for science on March 2012, when they will be spinning around the Moon every two hours in a near-circular orbit at just 34 miles from the Moon's surface.

The GRAIL mission—Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory—is designed to map the Moon's gravity map, allowing scientists to "see" into the interior of our satellite. The twin spacecraft constantly measure the distances between them and the surface of the Moon, which make them capable of detecting any changes on the gravity field.

The best part for kids all around America are the small cameras aboard both ships, called MoonKAM. Middle school students would be able to control these cameras during a special program led by America's first woman in the space, Sally Ride. Maybe one of the students will find aliens there, as scientists discover that our satellite is actually made of Gouda cheese. [NASA]

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Sunday, January 01, 2012

drag2share: Lenovo Ideapad S110 may be blazing the Cedar Trail, ditching netbook moniker

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/29/lenovo-ideapad-s110-may-be-blazing-the-cedar-trail-ditching-net/


Between the line of Cedar Trail notebooks marching their way through the FCC and Intel's recent shipping announcement, it's high time manufacturers started parading out next year's kits. Today's tease hails from Lenovo, which has outed the Ideapad S110 in no less than four fabulous colors. Although the outfit's promo video doesn't touch on hardware specs, a Pro Vantage product page claims the setup sports an Intel Atom 2600 processor. The self titled "mini notebook" features a 10.1-inch "HD display," presumably rocking the same 720p resolution as the rig's optional 2 megapixel webcam, if not the full 1080p Intel says the N2600 supports. Buyers will also be able to opt for an optional 3G radio, though USB 3.0, Lenovo quick start "instant on," and a 98-percent full-size chiclet keyboard all come standard. The video didn't pack an official press release, but we hear there's a major trade show right around the corner that's just perfect for announcing products.

Lenovo Ideapad S110 may be blazing the Cedar Trail, ditching netbook moniker originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink New Technik, Pro Vantage  |  sourceLenovo (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

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drag2share: Elpida starts shipments of next-gen Wide IO Mobile RAM

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/30/elpida-starts-shipments-of-next-gen-wide-io-mobile-ram/

Tablets might be all sexy curves and Gorilla Glass, but it's what's on the inside that counts, right? Efficient DRAM mightn't set your heart alight, but Elpida Memory did just start shipping its next generation 30nm "Wide IO Mobile RAM." The firm claims it uses 50 percent less power compared with equivalent DDR2 sticks, letting you caress your beloved device for longer. This economy is thanks to it purring along at just 200MHz, which is even more impressive when you consider it brags a 12.8 GB/s data rate per chip. This pumped, yet frugal, performance comes courtesy of using x512-bit data width -- some ten times larger than that of existing DRAMs. The party doesn't stop there, with the Elpida also debuting its LPDDR3 chip, brushing aside LPDDR2 with twice the data rates at 6.4GB/s a slice, and a 25 percent smaller power-drain in tow. Mass production should commence in 2012, check the source link for the full break-down.

Elpida starts shipments of next-gen Wide IO Mobile RAM originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhysOrg  |  sourceElpida  | Email this | Comments

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