Tuesday, October 02, 2012

HTC One X+ official: 1.7GHz quad-core Tegra 3, 64GB, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Sense 4+

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/02/htc-one-x-plus-tegra-3-android-jelly-bean-sense-4-plus/

HTC One X official 17GHz quadcore Tegra 3, 64GB, Android 41 with Sense 4

Remember HTC's early 2012 Android flagship? Well, it's back and plus-sized for the tech-savvy masses. Officially announced today, the One X+ is a minor refresh of the original that debuted at MWC this past spring, albeit with a faster 1.7GHz Tegra 3 CPU, larger 2,100mAh battery, expanded 64GB of storage and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Sense 4+ onboard. As part of that upgraded custom skin, the 4.7-inch device can now tap to pair, or "Tap and Go" as the company calls it, with Beats-branded speakers, allowing users to easily connect and disconnect from their audio peripherals. Apart from that, the 8-megapixel rear module with f/2.0 lens and ImageChip-assist has stayed the same, but the camera software's been slightly tweaked with the addition of two new modes: Self Portrait for subtle retouching of front facing shots and Sightseeing which allows for quick launch of the camera app. Also debuting alongside this hardware update is HTC Get Started, a web-based service that lets users manage initial setup from the desktop for one-click installation on the phone itself. The One X+ is slated to launch globally this fall, hitting Europe and Northern Asia this October, with a November rollout in South Asia to follow. As for a US release, well, you'll just have to sit tight and see what news the day brings. Official PR after the break.

Gallery: HTC One X+

Continue reading HTC One X+ official: 1.7GHz quad-core Tegra 3, 64GB, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Sense 4+

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HTC One X+ official: 1.7GHz quad-core Tegra 3, 64GB, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Sense 4+ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota's Smart Insect concept EV packs Kinect motion sensor, voice recognition (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/02/toyotas-smart-insect-concept-ev-kinect/

Toyota's Smart Insect concept EV packs Kinect motion sensor, voice recognition video

Toyota is showing off its new Smart Insect prototype at the company's CEATEC booth. The fully electric car charges via a standard 100-volt AC outlet, and it's decked out with gull-wing doors and motion detection courtesy of Microsoft's Kinect. The on-board motion sensors allow the car to recognize its owner based on face and body shape, and it predicts the owner's behavior by analyzing movement and determining when to open the door, for example. (It also allows for the front and rear displays to show a welcome message when the owner approaches the car.) There's also voice recognition for opening the car door and other functions, with a speaker on the hood of the car and dashboard-mounted "dialogue monitors" on the front and back.

The tech carries through to the Insect's interior, which sports a wireless charging pad, a dash-mounted monitor that connects to the driver's handset and a button for dialing up Toyota's virtual agent. As a connected car, the Insect naturally ties in with entertainment and navigation services (in this case, via Toyota's Smart Center). There's also integration with a home energy management system, which allows the owner to adjust air conditioning and lock the front door via a smartphone app. As this is a proof of concept -- and one we couldn't test out, at that -- it's unclear how well these features work, and it's unlikely that we'll ever see the prototype make it to market. Still, it's fun to dream, and you can do that by tuning into our hands-on video just past the break.

Continue reading Toyota's Smart Insect concept EV packs Kinect motion sensor, voice recognition (video)

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Toyota's Smart Insect concept EV packs Kinect motion sensor, voice recognition (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 05:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vizio's 'extra-large' holiday HDTV lineup goes from 55- to 70-inches

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/02/vizios-extra-large-holiday-hdtv-lineup-goes-from-55-to-70-in/

Vizio's 'extralarge' holiday HDTV lineup goes from 55 to 70inches

While Vizio's summer has been all about PCs, set-top Google TV boxes and even the odd ultrawidescreen HDTV, it's getting back into its usual garb for the fall. As is its customs, it's rolling out a few new HDTV models ahead of the big shopping season, which range in size from 55- to 70-inches. Other than the 58-inch CinemaWide ultra widescreen model there are also three representatives from its M-Series, with a 55-inch model for $949, and a 65-inch model that's $1,699 with 3D and $1,499 without. The other two models are in its E-Series line, and are 2D only edge-lit LED sets that feature a new thin bezel / slim frame design. The 60-inch version is priced at $999, while the 70-inch goes for $1,999. They all include the Yahoo Widgets powered Vizio Internet Apps (Netflix, Vudu, Hulu, Amazon etc.) and WiFi built in and most are already popping up on store shelves near you (just ask Logitech and Sling how that works), check out a bit more information in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Vizio's 'extra-large' holiday HDTV lineup goes from 55- to 70-inches

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Vizio's 'extra-large' holiday HDTV lineup goes from 55- to 70-inches originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maingear welcomes AMD A-Series APUs to its F131 and X-Cube desktop PCs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/02/maingear-intros-amd-a-series/

Maingear welcomes AMD's ASeries to its desktop lineup

In a move to make its desktops more palatable to the masses, Maingear is bringing AMD's integrated A-Series APUs to its F131 tower and X-Cube desktop PCs. Upon learning the news, we took a peek at the manufacturer's website and found a customizable X-Cube available with a $649 starting price, which compares favorably to its $939 Intel counterpart. Unfortunately, the company has yet to update its website with AMD customization options for the F131. Regardless, we're told that shoppers can expect to find both standard and Black Edition options for AMD's chips, the latter which should appeal to overclockers. To scope out the company's latest gear, just hit up the source link below.

Continue reading Maingear welcomes AMD A-Series APUs to its F131 and X-Cube desktop PCs

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Maingear welcomes AMD A-Series APUs to its F131 and X-Cube desktop PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, October 01, 2012

HP's ElitePad Is the Awesome-Looking Tablet HP Should Sell to the Masses (But Won't) [Tablets]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5947760/hps-elitepad-is-the-awesome+looking-tablet-hp-should-sell-to-the-masses-but-wont

HP's ElitePad Is the Awesome-Looking Tablet HP Should Sell to the Masses (But Won't)Over the past few months, HP quietly teased a tablet in ads and marketing materials. It had the appearance of something sleek and premium. As it turns out, that tablet was the ElitePad: a 10-inch, aluminum-cased Windows 8 tablet that has all the makings of something desirable.

The ElitePad is everything you'd expect a Windows 8 tablet to be on paper. It can run in Metro or desktop mode. It feels solid when you pick it up, and the short time I spent fiddling around with it made it seem like a responsive device. And the design—its curved tapered sides, and squared off top, don't feel entirely derivative of Apple's design.

Built on top of Intel's Clover Trail platform, the 1280x800 display strikes a compromise between the mag-friendly-but-video-hostile 4:3 aspect ratio and the slightly too wide 16:9 tablet display. At 0.36 inches and 1.5 pounds, it's not the lightest or thinnest tablet around (the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD is thinner and the iPad is lighter), but it's still at the more impressive end of each spectrum. The two gigs of RAM is on par with other Clover Trail machines, and the option to include up to 64 gigabytes of internal storage is nice for a device that's pure tablet. Toss in the 1080p front cam and the 8-megapixel rear cam, and it sounds like a Windows 8 tablet people might actually want.

HP's ElitePad Is the Awesome-Looking Tablet HP Should Sell to the Masses (But Won't)

But here's the catch: HP isn't gearing the thing towards the iPad crowd. Instead, the company said it only plans to sell it through enterprise vendors.

Huh? Why?

It's understandable that HP doesn't think a Windows 8 tablet might not yet have a shot of competing against the iPads and Kindles and Nexuses, but to not make it available to consumers in some form seems foolish. Aside from a possibly expensive pricetag, the features and design of the ElitePad aren't anymore enterprise than they are consumer. And, more than the convertible tablet, this was the HP Win 8 device that excited me most.

HP's ElitePad Is the Awesome-Looking Tablet HP Should Sell to the Masses (But Won't)

Instead HP will be happy to package a series of enterprise-centric accessories—cases and sleeves that add ports and battery life and essentially turn the tablet into a laptop—to try and woo serious businessmen who do serious business on the road. If you are, in fact, some sort of salesman or executive, you might be able to get your hands on one early next year. The rest of us will not be so fortunate. [HP]

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What Doctors Don't Know About the Drugs They Prescribe [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5947782/what-doctors-dont-know-about-the-drugs-they-prescribe

TED talks have become a bit of a yawn-fest these days, with grand ideas that really amount to nothing. But here's one that's really important: Ben Goldacre talking about how the pharmaceutical industry skews published scientific research, and why that's really bad.

Often, the results from drug tests go unpublished if the findings are negative or inconclusive. The result is that doctors often don't know everything about the drugs's they're prescribing. In this talk, Ben explains why that's the case, exactly how dangerous it is, and what can be done about it. "Thought-provoking" doesn't quite do it justice. [TED]

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Sharp begins production of 1080p smartphone displays: 443 ppi crammed into a 5-inch LCD

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/01/sharp-lcd-panel-type-5/

Sharp begins production of 1080p smartphone displays: 443 ppi crammed into a 5-inch LCD

Layoffs and loans may be dominating our Sharp coverage at the moment, but that just makes this type of news all the sweeter. The company has announced its LCD panel type 5 -- a 5-inch full HD (1,920 x 1,080) display packing a Retina-busting 443 ppi (just trumping LG's similar 440 ppi LCD). An outcome of its layer-reducing CG-Silicon technology, the smartphone-targeted screen goes into full-scale production this month and will be shown off at CEATEC Japan this very week. We'll try to give it eyes-on treatment at the show, but you can rub your hands together sinisterly in the meantime and just think about the glorious devices which will bear it.

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Sharp begins production of 1080p smartphone displays: 443 ppi crammed into a 5-inch LCD originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 08:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix Just for Kids comes to iPad, keeps Dora exploring beyond the TV (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/01/netflix-just-for-kids-comes-to-ipad/

Netflix Just for Kids comes to iPad, keeps Dora exploring beyond the TV video

Netflix's Just for Kids portal may already be a parent's ticket to saving money on endless Dora the Explorer DVDs without keeping a constant watch on the screen, but it has so far been left to consoles and the web. That's not much help to movie-loving grownups who'd sometimes like to free the PC or TV for their own streaming sessions -- so it's likely a relief to many that the Just for Kids interface is now available on iPads. Like on bigger screens, the mobile app provides a safe zone for the under-12 set that organizes videos into sections that junior viewers will more likely appreciate, such as sing-alongs and talking animals. For now, Android tablet owners and those holding on to first-generation iPads will be left out. It still shouldn't be too long before more adults can be sure their mobile-savvy kids are watching Curious George instead of Chasing Amy.

Continue reading Netflix Just for Kids comes to iPad, keeps Dora exploring beyond the TV (video)

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Netflix Just for Kids comes to iPad, keeps Dora explorin! g beyond the TV (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 11:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RUMOR: Apple Will Announce The iPad Mini In Two Weeks (AAPL)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/rumor-apple-will-announce-the-ipad-mini-in-two-weeks-2012-10

ipad mini mockup

Apple could be announcing its next big product, the iPad Mini, in two and a half weeks.

Philip Elmer DeWitt at Fortune says a major Apple investor has heard from "multiple sources" that the company is going to send out press invites for the iPad Mini on October 10th. Apple usually sends those out a week before the event happens, so that would suggest Apple reveals the new iPad on October 17th.

We don't know if this specific timing is accurate, but Apple is widely expected to host an iPad Mini event at some point in October.

The iPad Mini will be 7.85-inches measured diagonally, compared to the normal iPad which is 9.7-inches. It is expected to be about the same size overall  as 7-inch tablets from Amazon, Samsung, and Google. Apple will have a bigger screen by giving the tablet smaller edges.

Apple has totally dominanted the tablet market, but it's left some room for rivals to come in with smaller tablets. The iPad Mini, if priced right could help Apple seal the market, just like it owned the MP3 player market with the iPod and the iPod Mini.

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Sunday, September 30, 2012

Scape, Brian Eno's new ambient music creation app is now available on the iPad (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/29/brian-eno-scope/

Scape, Brian Enos new ambient music creation app is now available on the iPad video

Music making apps for the iPad are ten-a-penny, but when it's the brainchild of a super-producer like Brian Eno, you have to take notice. Scape is the third of his collaborations with Peter Chilvers after Bloom and Trope, an app that lets you generate ambient music with Eno's own sounds on a colorful, conceptual interface. Unlike standard beats'n'loops setups, each sound is tied to a series of rules -- including the time of day -- that ensures the tunes you create never play the same way twice. It's available from iTunes for $5.99 / £3.99, and who knows, maybe in a few years time, Coldplay'll come calling for your professional expertise.

Continue reading Scape, Brian Eno's new ambient music creation app is now available on the iPad (video)

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Scape, Brian Eno's new ambient music creation app is now available on the iPad (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 05:11:00 EDT. Please se! e our terms for use of feeds.

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Razer Blade review (late 2012)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/30/razer-blade-review-late-2012/

Second-generation Razer Blade review

Razer has made a habit of catching us off guard -- breaking the mold as an accessory manufacturer by building laptops, prototype game handhelds and controller-toting tablets. Their Blade laptop cut through our expectations as well, featuring a beautiful aluminum shell and one of the thinnest profiles of any gaming rig on the market. It had some serious flaws, though: it was underpowered, had minor build issues and simply fell short in the audio department. Its maker, apparently, wasn't deterred: mere months after the original Blade's own debut, Razer is now introducing a successor.

Most of the changes are internal: this model swaps out the original's Sandy Bridge CPU and last-generation NVIDIA graphics for a newly announced 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-3632QM processor and a Kepler-based GeForce GTX 660M GPU. It caught our interest -- Razer had previously insisted its first laptop wasn't built just for power, but for a premium experience. Now, the firm seems to be focusing on both (now that's a premium experience we can get behind). So, is this upgrade enough to make up for the OG version's shortcomings? Read on to find out.

Continue reading Razer Blade review (late 2012)

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Razer Blade review (late 2012) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 03:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, September 28, 2012

Scary New Malware Uses Your Smartphone To Map Your House for Robbers [Apps]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5947385/scary-new-malware-uses-your-smartphone-to-make-a-map-of-your-house-for-robbers

Scary New Malware Uses Your Smartphone To Map Your House for Robbers If you aren't careful, much of the tech you hold near and dear can be used against you. An app called PlaceRaider, for instance, can use your phone to build a full 3D map of your house, all without you suspecting a thing.

Developed by Robert Templeman at the Naval Surface Warfare Center and a few buddies from the University of Indiana, PlaceRader hijacks your phone's camera and takes a series of secret photographs, recording the time, and the phone's orientation and location with each shot. Using that information, it can reliably build a 3D model of your home or office, and let cyber-intruders comb it for personal information like passwords on sticky notes, bank statements laying out on the coffee table, or anything else you might have lying around that could wind up the target of a raid on a later date.

You might be asking yourself "why not just take video?" There are a couple of reasons. For one, users looking for things to steal found the 3D environments to be very useful in early tests of the app. More importantly, using photos and stitching them together after transmission minimizes the amount of data the phone has to be able to send, making the whole thing especially surreptitious.

That malware app was developed on Android for practical purposes—presumably because the Android is a particularly open and tinker-friendly OS—but there's no reason it couldn't show up on other mobile operating systems. From there, it's a just a matter of tricking the mark into installing an app which quietly asks for permission to control your camera, all the time. Now might be a good time to start thinking about smartphone lens caps. [Technology Review]

Image by GDubbed/Shutterstock

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How to set up your Raspberry Pi to play Atari 2600 games

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/28/how-to-set-up-your-raspberry-pi-to-play-atari-2600-games/

DNP How to set up your Raspberry Pi to play Atari 2600 games

So after your brain hurts a bit and you're tired of learning computer science on the Raspberry Pi, you might want to relax with a bit of nostalgia and exercise your thumbs with some retro gaming. Want to revisit your childhood memories of Pong? Ping away. Maybe your kids have been hounding you for a video game console but you don't have the $300 to spring for a PS3. The Pi can help you with this and help teach your kids something, to boot. After some slight software configurations and a hardware purchase or two, you can relive the days of the almighty Atari 2600. Catch us after the break and we'll show you how to get your Pi to play all your totally legal cartridge backups.

Continue reading How to set up your Raspberry Pi to play Atari 2600 games

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How to set up your Raspberry Pi to play Atari 2600 games originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 14:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Insert Coin: The Parallella project dreams of $99 supercomputers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/28/insert-coin-the-parallella-project/

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

Insert Coin: The Parallella project dreams of $99 supercomputers

Parallel computing is normally reserved for supercomputers way out of the reach of average users -- at least at the moment, anyway. Adapteva wants to challenge that with its Parallella project, designed to bring mouth-watering power to a board similar in size to the Raspberry Pi for as little as $99. It hopes to deliver up to 45GHz (in total) using its Epiphany multicore accelerators, that crucially, only chug 5 watts of juice under normal conditions. These goliath speeds currently mean high costs, which is why they need your funds to move out of the prototype stage and start cheap mass production. Specs for the board are as follows: a dual-core ARM A9 CPU running Ubuntu OS as standard, 1GB RAM, a microSD slot, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, Ethernet and a 16- or 64-core accelerator, with each core housing a 1GHz RISC processor, all linked "within a single shared memory architecture."

An overriding theme of the Parallella project is the openness of the platform. When finalized, the full board design will be released, and each one will ship with free, open-source development tools and runtime libraries. In addition, full architecture and SDK documentation will be published online if-and-when the Kickstarter project reaches its funding goal of $750,000. That's pretty ambitious, but we're reminded of another crowd-funded venture which completely destroyed an even larger target. However, that sum will only be enough for Adapteva to produce the 16-core board, which reportedly hits 13GHz and 26 gigaflops, and is expected to set you back a measly $99. A speculative $3 million upper goal has been set for work to begin on the $199 64-core version, topping out at 45GHz and 90 gigaflops. Pledge options range from $99 to $5,000-plus, distinguished mainly by how soon you'll get your hands on one. Big spenders will also be the first to receive a 64-core board when they become available. Adapteva's Andreas Olofsson talks through the Parallella project in a video after the break, but if you're already sold on the tiny supercomputer, head over to the source link to contribute before the October 27th closing date.

Continue reading Insert Coin: The Parallella project dreams of $99 supercomputers

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Insert Coin: The Parallella project dreams of $99 supercomputers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google offers up more high-res places in Maps / Earth, intros additional 45-degree imagery

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/28/google-offers-up-more-high-res-places-in-maps-earth-intros-ad/

Image

Google's mapping offerings are getting a little bit better this week. The software giant's announced the addition of a slew of high-res aerial and satellite images for 17 cities and 112 countries / regions -- it's a long list, so your best bet is accessing the source link below to check out all of the offerings. Google's also adding 45-degree imagery in Maps for a total of 51 cities -- 37 in the US and 14 outside -- letting you check out the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the buildings of Madison, Wisconsin from an all new angle. Forget the plane tickets -- all you need for your next vacation is a browser and an overactive imagination.

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Google offers up more high-res places in Maps / Earth, intros additional 45-degree imagery originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 09:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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