Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Chrome OS version 20 hits stable release channel, brings Google Drive and Aura UI for Cr-48s along

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/chrome-os-version-20-drive-docs-aura/

If you're a Chrome OS user who doesn't live on the bleeding edge, it's finally time to experience the latest version 20, which most notably adds support for its Drive cloud storage. Also mentioned as included in the upgrade is offline support of Google Docs, Pepper Flash upgrade, access to the new Aura UI on Cr-48 systems and other tweaks. Tighter integration with Drive and Docs may address a few of the issues noted in our review of v19, Chromebook and Chromebox owners can check it out as it arrives on their machines over the next several days and let us know if that's the case.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Chrome OS version 20 hits stable release channel, brings Google Drive and Aura UI for Cr-48s along originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 21:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kobo updates Touch eReader software and Desktop app, heads to Italy this fall

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/kobo-updates-touch-ereader-software-and-desktop-app/

Kobo's clearly been focused on important stuff like being bought by Rakuten and launching in Japan as of late, but the e-reader manufacturer's got a few bits to announce this week. At the top of the list is a software upgrade for its neglected Touch eReader, which brings a new wish list feature, so you can set aside titles for future purchase. A newly redesigned home screen promises to streamline things a bit and the Bookshelf feature has gotten a bit more customizable, letting you organize selections by genre, author and interest. The Kobo Desktop app, meanwhile, has gotten some tweaks to its profile quiz, to better help the company recommend books to suit your taste.

The company also announced that it'll be bringing the Touch eReader to Italy, courtesy of the Mondadori Group. At launch, 30,000 titles will be available in Italian. Italian e-reading enthusiasts will be able to snap up the Nook / Kindle competitor for €99 in the fall.

Kobo updates Touch eReader software and Desktop app, heads to Italy this fall originally appear! ed on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 21:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW brings iDrive Touch, 3D maps to ConnectedDrive, LTE integration coming soon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/bmw-connecteddrive-with-idrive-touch-3d-maps/

Hot on the heels of the news it'll be the first auto company to sport Nuance's Dragon Drive! on some of its fancy rides, BMW's now announced a handful of improvements and additions to its elegant ConnectedDrive infotainment system. For starters, the German outfit's bringing an all-new feature dubbed iDrive Touch (available in China this month, elsewhere at some point next year), giving drivers the ability to use a multitouch pad for easier overall navigating throughout the console, do some numbers / text inputting and use pinch-to-zoom capabilities while using the maps application. Speaking of which, BMW is also introducing "3D City Models," this will essentially give folks behind the wheel a "realistic depiction" of streets and buildings around their location area -- however, it's worth mentioning these tidbits will only be useful in "select locations." What's more, BMW's said the new enhancements are getting a speed boost thanks to LTE integration, but that'll have to wait until November of this year. If you're interested in learning more, feel free to give the PR below a quick read.

Continue reading BMW brings iDrive Touch, 3D maps to ConnectedDrive, LTE integration coming soon

< p>Filed under: Transportation, Software

BMW brings iDrive Touch, 3D maps to ConnectedDrive, LTE integration coming soon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba's new 2.5-inch AL13SE hard drives: up to 900GB of 10,500RPM storage

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/12/toshiba-2-5-inch-900gb-al13se-10500rpm-hard-drive/

A 2.5-inch drive spinning at speeds up to 10,000RPM? Sure, we've seen it before, but only with enough room for 600GB worth of data. Toshiba, however, has trumped its forebears by upping the capacity to 900GB with its new 2.5-inch HDD, dubbed the AL13SE. 300GB, 450GB and 600GB flavors are offered as well, and all of them spin at up to 10,500RPM and promise a 32% increase in sustained transfer rates over previous-gen drives. Additionally, the AL13SE sends and receives data via a 6Gbps SAS 2.0 connection to make life easier on IT guys than those SATA drives most of us use. Unfortunately, Tosh isn't telling how much the new drives will cost, nor when they'll be available for purchase, but you can dig into all the drive details you can handle in the PR after the break and at the source link below.

Continue reading Toshiba's new 2.5-inch AL13SE hard drives: up to 900GB of 10,500RPM storage

Filed under: Storage

Toshiba's new 2.5-inch AL13SE hard drives: up to 900GB of 10,500RPM storage originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony unveils first medical-grade OLED monitor, surgery gets rendered in all-too-vivid color

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/12/sony-unveils-first-medical-grade-oled-monitor/

OLED screens are virtually everywhere, and they're steadily getting bigger, but it was tough to find any in hospitals until now. While Sony's 25-inch PVM-2551MD might not have the most glamorous name, it's the first and only OLED monitor with FDA approval for use in surgery. No, it's not just to give the doctor something more pleasing (or disgusting) to look at while she's removing a gallstone -- the organic display can be a genuine help for surgery through the higher contrast, virtually non-existent blur and more faithful color reproduction versus the LCDs it's meant to replace. Us patients likely won't see the now-shipping 2551MD for much longer than it takes to go unconscious, so it might be hard to appreciate; if it helps surgeons finish operations faster and with fewer mistakes, however, we could all reap the rewards.

Continue reading Sony unveils first medical-grade OLED monitor, surgery gets rendered in all-too-vivid color

Filed under: Displays, Science

Sony unveils first medical-grade OLED monitor, surgery gets rendered in all-too-vivid color originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 02:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York MTA announces smartphone-based ticketing trials aboard Metro-North Railroad

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/12/new-york-mta-announces-smartphone-ticketing-trials/

Like big sodas, paper ticket stubs may soon become a thing of the past in New York. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced that, come next month, its employees will begin trials of a smartphone-based ticketing system aboard the Metro-North Railroad. While the grand experiment is currently closed to the public, it's said that railroad workers will use their Android, BlackBerry and iPhone handsets to purchase rail tickets, which may then be validated directly from their smartphone. During the trial, the new system will be compared to the current purchasing scheme that combines both ticket machines and on-board purchases. Should everything prove successful, the MTA will expand the Metro-North's new system to all-comers. Transit-minded folks will find the full PR after the break.

[Image credit: Masabi (Flickr)]

Continue reading New York MTA announces smartphone-based ticketing trials aboard Metro-North Railroad

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Software

New York MTA announces smartphone-based ticketing trials aboard Metro-North Railroad originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 04:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Angry Birds land on Samsung Smart TVs, wage war with gestures

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/12/angry-birds-land-on-samsung-smart-tvs-wage-war-with-gestures/

Angry Birds land on Samsung Smart TVs, wage war with gestures

If your contempt for green swine runs deeper then you can express on a smartphone, maybe its time you took the war to something bigger. How about a Samsung Smart TV? According to the firm's Flickr page, Rovio's Angry Birds are once again taking their war to your living room, and will be utilizing the the platform's motion control features. Sounds like Sammy's Smart Interaction setup is good for a bit more than changing channels and browsing the web from your couch. Don't own a Smart TV? Sit tight, your Xbox and its fancy Kinect sensor will have their day on the battlefield soon enough.

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

Angry Birds land on Samsung Smart TVs, wage war with gestures originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 05:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yahoo Site Apparently Hacked, Exposing 400,000 Passwords (YHOO)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/yahoo-voices-hack-400000-passwords-2012-7

Yahoo Hack Day

A Yahoo website has apparently been compromised, with hackers publishing an 18-megabyte file of email addresses and passwords, according to TrustedSec, a security research firm.

A tipster familiar with Yahoo security alerted Business Insider to the hack and shared a copy of the file with us.

Software developer Adam Caudill identified the site as Yahoo Voices. That's the new name Yahoo gave to Associated Content, a site it bought in 2010 for $100 million.

Yahoo Voices pays freelance writers for articles on a variety of topics; they get paid both upfront and based on the traffic articles draw.

It's not clear if any financial information was exposed in the hack.

We contacted a Yahoo spokesperson who's looking into the incident for us. We'll update if we find out more.

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.

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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Google Search As You Type gives retailer websites instant search

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/google-search-as-you-type/

Google's search engine and its almighty Omnibox in Chrome have given the public instant search capabilities for some time, and now Google's sharing that same search goodness with its retail partners. Called Google Search As You Type, it's a pilot program providing AdWords advertisers access to Google's predictive and instant search on their own websites. That means customers can find what they're looking for more quickly and sellers can separate said buyers from their money faster than ever. Search As You Type is free for the first 25 million searches each year, so you'll likely be seeing this widespread on retail websites soon. That said, if you simply cant wait to witness your online retailing future, check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Google Search As You Type gives retailer websites instant search

Filed under: Internet

Google Search As You Type gives retailer websites instant search originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 17:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plextor M5S SSD coming mid-July: healthy speeds starting at $99 for 64GB

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/plextor-m5s-ssd/

The SSD market has finally reached the point where we can afford to be picky, but the M5S's blend of price and performance make it worth a look. It claims random reads / writes of up to 73k and 70k IOPS respectively, supported by Plextor's True Speed technology to deliver consistent rates even as the drive fills up, along with price tags of $99 for 64GB, $160 for 128GB and $299 for 256GB. The M5S has already been the once-over by The SSD Review, which found nothing much to criticize other than the lack of a five-year warranty (as seen on the MS3) and overall gave it hearty recommendation -- check the More Coverage link for the full review.

Continue reading Plextor M5S SSD coming mid-July: healthy speeds starting at $99 for 64GB

Filed under: Storage

Plextor M5S SSD coming mid-July: healthy speeds starting at $99 for 64GB originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 18:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Philips W732 Android 4.0 smartphone coming to China, has 2,400mAh battery for extended web surfing

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/philips-w732/

The terms "Philips" and "phone" aren't as synonymous as they used to be in the US, but the manufacturer does crank out a smartphone from time to time in China nonetheless. Following the Gingerbread-based W632, Philips is now readying the W732: the smartphone features Ice Cream Sandwich, a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 WVGA LCD IPS panel, 1GHz single-core MediaTek MT6575, 5MP camera, 7.2Mbps HSDPA / 5.76Mbps HSUPA and dual-SIM support. Its most intriguing claim, however, is that its 2,400mAh battery, combined with a few other power-saving methods, will best a Motorola RAZR Maxx at battery life when surfing the web (lasting for 10.5 hours, according to the company). It's still not going to beat the Maxx in overall talk time, but Philips claims its choice of LCD IPS over AMOLED should see significant power savings when looking at the browser, due to the prominence of white screens that drain the battery faster on AMOLED-equipped phones. We'll be eager to see how that turns out, but it's destined only for China at the moment. Head to the source link for all the details.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Philips W732 Android 4.0 smartphone coming to China, has 2,400mAh battery for extended web surfing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11! Jul 201 2 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cinema rig takes the heat out of your NEX-5N, lets you slide in the accessories

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/cinema-rig-nex-5n-richard-gale/

The Sony NEX-5N, with it's goodly APS-C sized sensor and decent video quality, still has a couple of knocks against it as a video cam: its bitty size makes it hard to rig up and it doesn't dissipate heat well. Tinkerer Richard Gale has addressed those tics with his prototype NEX-5N cinema housing, by adding a heat sync and fan to stop the overheating problem and a possible anamorphic adapter and matte box to accommodate filters and gels. The provisional £1,500 price ($2,400) would get you the housing, NEX-5N with kit lens, 5" Sony LCD, and accessories, while the anamorphic kit with the matte box is still just a concept with no price tag. Neither idea will happen unless he gets enough orders, but wearing the boxy black outfit might finally give the petite mirrorless cam a shot of big-boy film cred.

Gallery: NEX-5N Cinema Rig

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Cinema rig takes the heat out of your NEX-5N, lets you slide in the accessories originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 20:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Graphene Miracle #5,347: It Can Repair Itself Entirely Unassisted [Science]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5925058/graphene-miracle-5347-it-can-repair-itself-entirely-unassisted

There seems to be little that graphene can't do. While previous studies have shown that it can repair itself, with a little assistance from heat or pressure, new research suggests that it can actually fix holes in its structure entirely unaided.

The research, carried out at the University of Manchester, shows that graphene manages to absorb loose carbon atoms in its vicinity to repair holes in its structure. Amazingly, they just appear to snap into place, as if by magic.

In fact, the researchers noticed the effect by accident. They were trying to understand how and why holes formed in the sheets of graphene when they added metal contacts to the material. To their surprise, they noticed that when stray carbon atoms were near the holes, they quickly filled the gaps, in turn repairing the sheet.

The finding, published in Nano Letters, is both amazing and incredibly useful. Because graphene is so thin—just a single layer of carbon atoms—it is incredibly easily damaged. This research suggests that it should be possible to heal repairs in a fairly controlled fashion. [Nano Letters via BBC]

Image by CORE-materials under Creative Commons license

OnLive reaffirms support for Marvell powered ARM Google TV boxes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/onlive-reaffirms-support-for-marvell-powered-arm-google-tv-boxes/

While there has been a lot of speculation recently about which platforms the OnLive Google TV app will support for gameplay, the company is confirming support for / collaboration with Marvell's 1500 HD SoC Google highlighted for its v2 hardware. While no specific devices are mentioned, there's a Marvell brain in the Sony Google TV box we recently reviewed and the upcoming Vizio Co-Star, so unless a manufacturer blocks it, we'd expect to be able to install it and get playing -- Gaikai purchases notwithstanding. Not mentioned in the press release (after the break) is LG's custom CPU for its Google TVs, but since we've already got video evidence of it running there, we're simply left waiting for the app to launch for the full console gaming experience sans-console.

Continue reading OnLive reaffirms support for Marvell powered ARM Google TV boxes

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

OnLive reaffirms support for Marvell powered ARM Google TV boxes originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Griffin's MIDIConnect now available at $80 to make beautiful music with your iDevice (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/griffins-midiconnect-now-available-80-dollars/

Inspiration can strike from anywhere, and now you can use a proper musical instrument to channel it with MIDIConnect, available from Griffin Technology for $80. The unit allows you to twang, pluck or tickle a MIDI instrument on the go directly into GarageBand and other iOS music apps, and also reverses the flow -- allowing your Cupertino device to send a MIDI signal and become keys, drums or a guitar itself. For hygiene's sake, however, we probably wouldn't take our portable composing quite as far as the video below the break shows.

Continue reading Griffin's MIDIConnect now available at $80 to make beautiful music with your iDevice (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablet PCs

Griffin's MIDIConnect now available at $80 to make beautiful music with your iDevice (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 08:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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