Thursday, January 05, 2012

drag2share: Lenovo and VIA Technologies A30 internet TV set top box bumps up your boob tube's IQ

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/05/lenovo-and-via-technologies-a30-internet-tv-set-top-box-bumps-up/

Lenovo's known for making quality computers, but the company's plans for a television set top box have been in the works for months, and now the day has finally come. Lenovo, along with VIA Technologies, has launched the A30 internet TV device that packs a 1.2GHz VIA Nano CPU and VX900 media processor. Further hardware details are scarce at this point, but we do know that the A30 will have a BesTV service providing new and exclusive content, including movies of unknown origin "within a month of their release date," along with picture-in-picture functionality and, of course, internet access. There's mobile functionality too, as your smartphone can serve as both the box's remote and as an additional screen on which to view content. Naturally, Lenovo's not telling how much it'll cost, but our friends in the Far East will be able to pick one up in Q1 of 2012. PR after the break.

Continue reading Lenovo and VIA Technologies A30 internet TV set top box bumps up your boob tube's IQ

Lenovo and VIA Technologies A30 internet TV set top box bumps up your boob tube's IQ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Verizon's Galaxy Nexus gets one-click root and unlock (updated)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/05/verizon-galaxy-nexus-root-unlock/

You've got a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. You're eager to obtain superuser permissions, but don't want to fuss with command lines? Listen up: a one-click solution has been posted to the forums over on AndroidCentral to help make the process a bit easier. Developed by WugFresh, the Galaxy Nexus Root Toolkit automatically installs the superuser.apk and ClockworkMod Recovery to give you total control over Google's sexy new superphone -- not to mention one step closer to installing your favorite ROM. The tool can also easily undo your lazy work, removing the aforementioned software and restoring the OEM-lock. The utility runs on Windows PCs and, for the time being, only supports Verizon's iteration of the newest Nexus; the posting promises a GSM compatible version soon. Hit the source link if you're interested.

Update: It should be noted that the Galaxy Nexus, as with all Nexus phones, can be unlocked fairly easily using the OEM unlock command via the Android SDK. This one-click solution merely automates the process.

Verizon's Galaxy Nexus gets one-click root and unlock (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Corning to show off Gorilla Glass 2 at CES 2012

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/05/corning-gorilla-glass-2-ces/

Gorilla Glass is tough, real tough. And it's got a solid reputation as a durable screen for small and large displays alike. But by no means is it perfect, and Corning has been hard at work to make the product's sequel even better. We're pretty dry on the details so far, but Corning SVP / GM James Steiner mentioned that his company's positioned to meet the challenge of accommodating phones and tablets with more functionality from thinner designs. We'll find out a lot more information about the latest version of the glass in an announcement this coming Monday at CES, so stay tuned as we find out the juicy tidbits.

Continue reading Corning to show off Gorilla Glass 2 at CES 2012

Corning to show off Gorilla Glass 2 at CES 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Google Ditches Intel For Next Generation Of Google TV Boxes (GOOG)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/arm-google-tv-boxes-2012-1


GoogleTV

For its next generation of GoogleTV boxes debuting at next week's Consumer Electronics Show, Google has ditched Intel and teamed up with Marvell on a new ARM-based chipset, SlashGear reports via Marvell.

The new GoogleTV boxes will be cheaper, faster, 3D-ready, and capable of decoding two 1080p HD video.

The boxes will also make your standard definition TV look even better using upscaling technology.

Another perk of the new chipsets will be that new GoogleTV boxes won't need fans to cool down their processors. Past GoogleTV boxes using Intel chips (like the ill-fated Logitech Revue) were noisy, hot, and distracting.

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drag2share: Are You Having Problems With iMessage? Try This (AAPL)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/imessage-bug-2012-1


iMessage

We love Apple's new iMessage. When it works.

However, if you ever decide to ditch your iPhone for an Android phone or other device, you won't receive texts from those you were previously using iMessage with.

TechCrunch points to this forum on Apple's website, where former iPhone owners are already complaining about the problem.

It's definitely a real. I experienced it last month when I used my iPhone's SIM card to run the unlocked Galaxy Nexus I reviewed. When I went back to the iPhone, I had a bunch of missed iMessages waiting for me.

Fortunately, one user in the Apple forums came up with a fix:

  1. Go to: https://supportprofile.apple.com/MySupportProfile.do
  2. Log in [with your Apple ID] if not already logged in.
  3. Click on "edit products"
  4. Click on the "x" to the right of the product.
  5. Click "unregister"

As an alternative, you can turn off iMessage from Settings > Messages. You can also tell people sending you iMessages to start sending you regular texts. All they have to do it tap and hold the blue speech bubble of an iMessage, then choose to resend it as a SMS.

Here's what that Apple support page looks like:

unregister iphone

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What do you all think? What has changed in the last 2 yrs since the original "10 Commandments of Modern Marketing" - http://bit.ly/tvDdmg

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drag2share: The Best Affordable Pro Compact Camera [Battlemodo]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5870931/the-best-affordable-pro-compact-camera

The Best Affordable Pro Compact CameraYou're ready for a camera upgrade. You've outgrown the best point-and-shoot cameras, but a DSLR is a little excessive. Luckily for you, there's a middle ground. Mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras—even affordable ones—are getting really, really good.

For this Battlemodo we tested four entry-level mirrorless cameras under $650—lens included. We want a camera that jams the functionality and image quality of a DSLR into a compact package. That means killer images. And a quick snapshot should be no problem, but accessing the camera's manual settings should be as quick and intuitive as possible. (See our Flickr gallery for some sample images we took.)

These cameras all shoot video; a near seamless hybrid is what we've increasingly come to expect from even "still" cameras. So video's important. Non-essential features like on board image processing tools, special automatic scene settings, and high-burst modes all just icing on the cake. If it's not a great camera to begin with, no special features are going to change that.

We're going to call them pro compacts here, because they're super compact, but definitely a step up from anything you'd find in a point-and-shoot. (If you've got a better name for these things, we're happy to steal it.)


The Best Affordable Pro Compact Camera

Fourth Place: Nikon J1

The Nikon J1 is the most beautiful and compact camera of the bunch. Awesome. But it also has the tiniest sensor, and the camera's smaller pixels resulted in images that didn't quite stack up to the photos produced by those with larger Micro Four Thirds or APS-C sensors. The J1 is only marginally smaller than the Sony NEX-C3 and the Panasonic Lumix GF3, and certainly not small enough to justify the loss in image quality.

For all its drawbacks, though, the J1 is refreshingly uncomplicated. There are only a few manual functions on the body: flash, continuous shooting mode, aperture and shutter speed. It's not customizable, and the rest of the settings are on a long camera settings list behind the menu button. The motion-snapshot setting, which captures a short burst of HD images at 60 fps and plays it back at 24 fps, is fun, as are the low-resolution, super slow motion video settings. In the end, this is an expensive camera for what it delivers, image-wise. Some people will appreciate its streamlined design, whizbang features, and that there's the possibility for more control if you want it. But overall, it doesn't represent a lot of value.


Nikon J1
Price: $650 w/ lens
Sensor: 10.1 megapixel, 13.2mm x 8.8mm CMOS
Image: 3,872 x 2,592
Video: Up to 1920 X 1080/60i
Screen: 461,000 dot 3" TFT-LCD
Gizrank: 3


The Best Affordable Pro Compact Camera

Third Place: Olympus E-PM1

The Olympus E-PM1 is a great camera with unfortunate drawbacks. While it has a sturdy aluminum build and feels super comfortable in your hands, the camera's buttons are small and finicky. The huge line of Olympus PEN-System lenses will allow you to shoot everything from wide angles to telephoto from this relatively tiny package. Unfortunately, you'll be using all of these lenses to shoot in automatic because the camera's controls are just too frustrating to navigate. In daylight the camera takes beautiful photos, but the camera's low-light performance drops off and detail disappears fast above ISO 800. The autofocus on the lens also frequently fell flat or refused to work in low-light as well. While the EPM-1 takes sharp 1080i video, shooting it can be a little frustrating because of relatively slow auto-focus tracking and a slight lag in the LCD's live view.


Olympus EPM-1
Price: $499 w/ 14-42mm zoom lens
Sensor: 12.3 megapixel, 17.3mm x 13.0mm Live MOS
Image: Up to 4032 x 3032
Video: Up to 1920 x 1080/60i
Screen: 460,000 dot, 3" LCD
Gizrank: 3.5


The Best Affordable Pro Compact Camera

Panasonic Lumix GF3

This Panasonic Lumix GF3 is tiny. Real tiny. But unlike the rest of the cameras in this test, this one has a touchscreen display, which makes changing settings like ISO and image quality quicker on the GF3 than any of the other cameras, even if the screen isn't as fast or responsive as the one you're used to on a smartphone. The autofocus settings are very well designed on the GF3. The "Pinpoint" mode zooms you in and focuses on exactly what you want to be in focus, and in the "AF Area" mode you use the touchscreen to tell the camera where you want it to focus. Like the EPM-1, the Lumix GF3 takes great photos at lower ISOs and its low-light performance is noticeably less noisy than the J1 or EPM-1. The camera's excellent autofocus tracks well when shooting video, which also sets the camera apart from the the EPM-1. The one drawback is that everything is so quick and easy to change that you'll want to keep an eye on your settings to make sure you don't end up shooting a few hundred photos with the camera focusing on the corner of the frame.


Panasonic Lumix GF3
Price: $599 w/ 18-55mm zoom lens
Sensor: 12.1 megapixel, 17.3 x 13.0 mm Live MOS
Image: Up to 4000 x 3000
Video: Up to 1920 x 1080/60i
Screen: 460,000 dot, 3" TFT-LCD with touch panel,
Gizrank:: 4


The Best Affordable Pro Compact Camera

BESTMODO!!! Sony NEX-C3

The Sony NEX-C3 leans hard towards the DSLR side of the mirrorless camera spectrum. Simply stated, the NEX-C3 performs much better than the others in nearly every situation. It's better, and, yup, bigger and heavier. The 18-55mm kit lens isn't collapsable, so this camera is never going to fit in your pocket, and while taking a quick shot in auto is easy enough, you're going to want to spend some time learning the menus, and programming the camera's customizable buttons to get the most out of it. The camera's most glaring drawback is that it shoots lower-resolution video than all of the others. Is it worth it? Hell yeah. In terms of image quality, the 16.2 megapixel, 23. 4mm x 15.6mm sensor blows the rest of the cameras in its price range away. It's not even close.

In choosing between the Lumix GF3 and this camera, it really comes down to what you want from the camera. The Panny is cute and compact and takes better video, but we choose the NEX-C3 because its still image quality is far superior. If you want something as easy and portable as a smartphone camera or a point and shoot, well, why are you looking at an interchangeable lens camera? You want performance and power. The NEX-C3 is why you upgrade.


Sony NEX-C3
Price: $600 w/lens
Sensor: 16.2 megapixel, 23.4 x 15.6 mm APS HD Exmor CMOS
Image: Up to 4912 x 2760 pixels
Video: Up to 1280 x 720/30p
Screen: 921,600 dot, 3" TFT-LCD
Gizrank: 4.5

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drag2share: Why Is Samsung's Series 9 Monitor More Expensive Than an Apple Thunderbolt Display? [Displays]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5873121/why-is-samsungs-new-monitor-more-expensive-than-an-apple-thunderbolt-display

Why Is Samsung's Series 9 Monitor More Expensive Than an Apple Thunderbolt Display?In about a week, there's gonna be a firehose of gadgets coming at you, and let's hope they're all as easy on the eyes as these early arrivers from Samsung, especially the monstrously expensive but apparently very good Series 9 Monitor.

The Series 9 monitor is a 27" QHD (quad hi-def) monitor with a 2560 x 1440 resolution. The display uses Samsung's Natural Color Expert technology to apparently get extreme color performance out of over a billion colors, and uses pro-grade Panel Line Switching to improve horizontal and vertical angles of viewing. It's also got Mobile High Definition Link (MHL), so Android users with compatible phones or tablets will be able to easily connect to the display. It's out in March and will be $1199—more than Apple's Thunderbolt display, which had been the most expensive monitor a regular person would probably think about buying—but looks great and has a pretty good set of features.

The Series 7 HDTV, which is also out in March, is 24 and 27 inches, has a built-in HDTV tune, WiDi wireless streaming capabilities, and uses MHL to connect to smartphones and tablets. It'll start at $599. [Samsung]

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drag2share: What is MHL? [What Is]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5873143/what-is-mhl

What is MHL? Between the Roku Streaming Stick and these Samsung displays we've seen a few recent products equipped with a new audio/visual connection called MHL. It is not a new way to view hockey.

So what is MHL, and will it actually do you any good?

MHL stands for "Mobile High-Definition Link," which is a recently introduced standard connection…

The specification for the audio-connection connection was introduced in 2010 by a consortium of major electronics companies including Nokia, Sony, Samsung, and Toshiba. The five-pin connection is supposed to deliver 1080p picture quality, 192khz sound quality, and 7.1 channel surround sound.

… intended to simplify linking mobile devices to HD displays…

The specification is designed to connect smartphones and tablets to HDTVs and HD displays—two types of products don't work together very well yet. But in theory, MHL could be used to connect a variety of devices to each other. If you think an easier way to watch the video on your iPhone on your TV sounds great, don't worry, it gets better. MHL is designed to work with the variety of connections that are already out there: Since there's such a low pin count, it's easy for manufacturers of different mobile products—say, Samsung and Apple smartphones—to map their existing connectors to the new system.

… that is already available on a few products…

So far, only a few devices are MHL capable. These include the Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab, several HTC phones including the Amaze 4G as well as the brand new Roku Streaming Stick. There's also a few displays and TVs, including two new Samsung displays we just heard about today. Have a Samsung Galaxy S II, but no MHL display? Thanks to the aforementioned low pin count on the connection, there are already a few kinds of adapters out there and as more MHL devices come out, you can expect more adapters. Check out that MHL to HDMI adapter above. Get used to seeing it.

… and you can expect more on the way.

Speaking of more products, we've already seen a few new MHL ready products in advance of CES. Don't be surprised if you see a bunch more next week, especially from MHL consortium member Sony, which has a long history of introducing slews of new gearat CES.

[Image via MHL]

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drag2share: I Want to Hang My Instagram Wall Art in a Giant Polaroid [Photography]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5873212/i-want-to-hang-my-instagram-wall-art-in-a-giant-polaroid

I Want to Hang My Instagram Wall Art in a Giant PolaroidThe snapshots from my phone can't be the same quality as the ones from my DSLR but they're often the ones I like the best. And to show them off properly, these candid shots need a proper display—like an oversized Polaroid picture frame.

The Polaboy is an LED-back wooden picture frame shaped like giant Polaroid photo. In fact, At 88 x 107cm, it's a 10:1 scale replica of the famous format. The 5,000 lumen light source only draws 12 volts, so it can be left on during the evening like an enormous nightlight. Images can be swapped out at will, according to the maker. No word yet on price or availability though it looks like each is made to order. [Polaboy via SwissMiss]

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drag2share: MSI launches Big Bang-XPower II motherboard for militant overclockers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/04/msi-launches-big-bang-xpower-ii-motherboard-for-militant-overclo/

MSI Big Bang-XPower II
Motherboards sporting Intel's X79 chipset are finally starting to make a decent dent in the marketplace and, after showing off a pair of options at IDF, MSI is back with a model for the serious builders out there. The Big Bang-XPower II comes packing the features you'd expect of any gamer-friendly MoBo, including four-way SLI and CrossFire support, PCIe 3.0, eight DDR3 slots and plenty of extra power connectors for hooking up your high-powered parts. And the company is taking care of overclockers too with military grade components and features like Direct OC, which lets you tweak your CPU's frequency with the push of a button. Check out the PR after the break and hit up the source for a few more pics.

Continue reading MSI launches Big Bang-XPower II motherboard for militant overclockers

MSI launches Big Bang-XPower II motherboard for militant overclockers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Android 2.3 continues soaring upward, now installed on 55 percent of Google devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/04/android-2-3-continues-soaring-upward-now-installed-on-55-percen/

Google's monthly Android distribution charts may be the most visual piece of evidence that the mobile OS is riddled with fragmentation, but at least Gingerbread has clearly become the dominant player -- and it continues to build momentum at a healthy pace (for now, at least). As always, Google reviewed which devices accessed the Android Market during a 14-day period of time in the month of December, and found that over 55 percent of those units were running a version of Android 2.3, a ten percent turbo boost from October and an increase of seventeen percent over three months. Froyo devices -- many of which are likely older phones or tablets sentenced to a upgrade-less future -- numbered over 30 percent, and Honeycomb still amounts to a meager 3.3 percent. Cupcake and ICS are tied for last place, but we expect ICS to climb rapidly as soon as it's, y'know, officially available on more devices.

Android 2.3 continues soaring upward, now installed on 55 percent of Google devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: LG reveals Z330 / Z430 Ultrabooks, P535 / A540 laptops and 3D-enabled V300 all-in-one PC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/04/lg-ces-2012-z330-z430-ultrabook-p535-a540-laptop-v330-desktop/

Woo, boy. The Ultrabook flood has officially begun, and LG's marching into CES with a fresh pair of the things. Four new laptop models and an all-in-one PC will be making their way to Vegas, with the Z330 and Z430 Ultrabooks leading the way. The P535 and A540 take a more traditional approach, while the V300 steps in as a 23-inch AIO for those who still haven't found solace in mobility. If you'll recall, we'd actually heard about a few of these last month, but now the company's getting official with the parts within. The Z330 -- which looks a little too much like something else we've seen making the rounds -- will house a Core i7 processor, a 13.3-inch HD display, an SSD and an enclosure that weighs but 2.66 pounds. The 14-inch Z430 is outfitted similarly, sitting in a 19.9mm chassis and boasting a metallic cover with a "gyro-brush line finish." The 15.6-inch P535 gets a Core i7, GeForce GT 630M and a wide-angle display, while the A540 grabs a GeForce GT 555M and a glasses-free 3D display. Closing up the loop, the revised V300 gains a 1080p Film Patterned Retarder (FPR) 3D panel, which should entice just about one in every eight hundred average Joes you know. The whole lot is expected to ship in Q1, but pricing remains a mystery.

Continue reading LG reveals Z330 / Z430 Ultrabooks, P535 / A540 laptops and 3D-enabled V300 all-in-one PC

LG reveals Z330 / Z430 Ultrabooks, P535 / A540 laptops and 3D-enabled V300 all-in-one PC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Fujifilm updates F, S and HS lines of superzoom cameras ahead of CES bonanza

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/05/fujifilm-updates-f-s-and-hs-lines-of-superzoom-cameras-ahead-of/

Fujifilm
We hope you like cameras, cause Fujifilm has more digital shooters than you can possibly keep track of. We'll have to wait to get our hands on the company's latest until next week, but it was kind enough to send over some PR ahead of time. On the superzoom front we're looking at the FinePix HS30EXR and HS25EXR, a pair of 16-megapixel cams with half-inch CMOS sensors and 30x (24mm-720mm) optical zoom lenses. Both also sport three-inch tilting LCDs and can capture full 1080p video at 30 frames a second. If resolution can take a backseat to speed, then you're free to shoot clips at 320fps. Both will be landing in March for $500 (HS30) and $400 (HS25). But we're not done yet -- a sextuplet of other magnification focused devices await after the break.

Continue reading Fujifilm updates F, S and HS lines of superzoom cameras ahead of CES bonanza

Fujifilm up! dates F, S and HS lines of superzoom cameras ahead of CES bonanza originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Lenovo's ThinkPad T430u Ultrabook targets the business set with discrete graphics and 1TB in storage, arrives in Q3 for $849

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/05/lenovos-thinkpad-t430u-ultrabook-targets-the-business-set-with/

While plenty of companies will spend CES showing off their first Ultrabooks, Lenovo is already going back for seconds. The outfit just announced the ThinkPad T430u, a more business-focused follow-up to the IdeaPad U300s we reviewed back in November. More than anything, though, what has us intrigued is that it packs optional NVIDIA graphics, making this the first so-called Ultrabook we've seen with a dedicated GPU. Add in a 14-inch (1366 x 768) display, up to 1TB of hard drive storage and a modest six hours of rated battery life, and it sounds more like a full-fledged laptop than an Ultrabook. Semantics aside, with a starting price of $849 this could be a tempting deal for businesses looking to outfit their employees with something portable, well-performing and inexpensive. Not to mention, it might just be a worthy competitor to the HP Folio, our favorite business-centric Ultrabook at the moment. Just make sure IT can wait patiently -- the T430u isn't slated to go on sale until Q3 of this year.

Lenovo's ThinkPad T430u Ultrabook targets the business set with discrete graphics and 1TB in storage, arrives in Q3 for $849 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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