Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Motorola RAZR HD LTE now available in Canada through Rogers for $100

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/10/rogers-motorola-razr-hd-lte-now-available/

Motorola had said its dearest RAZR HD LTE would be coming "later this fall" as an exclusive to Rogers, and today's the day that relatively thin and powerful Android handset hits shelves across the border. Available now for $100 (with the obligatory three-year commitment, of course), the RAZR HD LTE will hand interested Canadians a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich (sorry, no Jelly Bean for now), a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED HD, 720p display and a 1.5GHz, dual-core S4 CPU -- not to mention the ability to surf on Rogers' LTE waves in areas where the network's live. Meanwhile, those who would like to go the "outright" way will have to spend a cool $600 on Moto's Kevlar-sporting slab, but, needless to say, that's the price folks have to pay for walking out the door with a bit of leeway. Usually we'd say you should check out Rogers' website to snag one for yourself, however the site appears to be experiencing some technical difficulties right now -- but, hey, there's always the good ol' brick-and-mortar store.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Motorola RAZR HD LTE now available in Canada through Rogers for $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 01:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MobileSyrup | source

source

Rogers | Email this | Comments

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

When Buying Two Computers Is Cheaper Than Buying One [Saving Money]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5950321/when-buying-two-computers-is-cheaper-than-buying-one

You can buy some pretty powerful laptops these days, and a lot of people are quick to take advantage of beasts like the MacBook Pro or big gaming laptops like the ASUS G55VW. However, what you might not realize is that it could be cheaper to get a powerful desktop and a more portable laptop. Here's why.

You might want a powerful computer for any number of reasons. Perhaps you need to do a lot of heavy photo or video editing, or maybe you're a hardcore gamer, looking for the best possible performance you can get. Most people decide they need a powerful computer, then go for a 15" MacBook Pro or other hefty, 15" laptop with a fast processor and beefy graphics card. If you need that power on-the-go, this is obviously your only choice—but a lot of people only really use that power when they're home, so why not buy a desktop and a laptop instead?

When Buying Two Computers Is Cheaper Than Buying One Let's look at the math for a second. The ASUS G55VW—the absolute cheapest of ASUS' Republic of Gamers line (pictured right)—costs about $1200 on Newegg. You could build a comparable, if not more powerful, desktop for about $600, and use a similarly-powered laptop, sans graphics card, for less than $500. Not only do you save $100, but your laptop is much more portable, and you get the configurability and upgradability of a desktop.

It's a bit different on the Mac side of things. 15" MacBook Pros start at $1800, whereas an iMac and MacBook Air combo starts at about $2200. However, as soon as you get into more powerful MacBook Pros, the iMac/MacBook Air combo starts to become cheaper, and the iMac is still just about as powerful as the laptop you would have gotten (and has a much bigger screen). Replace the iMac with a Hackintosh—which is easier than ever to do—and you'll save loads, while still getting that killer Mac hardware on-the-go.

Does it work out this way every time? Of course not. Especially when you're looking at Windows PCs, prices and power fluctuate so much across the board that it's impossible to make a sweeping generalization like that. But if you're in the market for a new computer, it's worth looking into the cost of a desktop/laptop setup. Unless you're editing or gaming on-the-go, you'll probably be a lot happier with a more powerful computer at home, and a more portable computer for travel, especially if you pocket a few extra bucks doing so.

Larklife Is the Wristband to Track Your Life [Fitness]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5949773/larklife-is-the-wristband-to-track-your-life

Lark, the folks who made the wristband alarm clock to track your sleep, now has a wristband to track your life. Called Larklife, the wristband tracks your steps taken, calories burned and distance traveled and your diet and sleep too.

Think of Larklife as a slightly more ambitious take on activity measurement wristbands like the Nike Fuelband or Jawbone Up (or Fitbit). Yes, it can count how many steps you take and then translate that to a measurement but the real potential in Larklife is its personalization to each user.

Because Larklife also keeps track of both your diet—you tap the band and the Larklife app will remind you to log your meal later—and your sleep—sleep tracking is performed by another wristband that's "inspired by pajamas"—along with your activity, Larklife literally takes your entire life into account and spits out personalized recommendations on how to improve your health. That means, ideally, Larklife will give you little daily goals for you to reach to keep you on track. Specifically:

It provides advance notice or real-time suggestions via the iOS app for small changes users should make to feel better. The individualized suggestions are a results of the user's data being analyzed on the back-end by sophisticated techniques, developed by larklife's team of experts and based on the science of circadian rhythms, or how individuals' energy levels peak and dip.

The band looks significantly wider than the Fuelband or the Jawbone Up (which could be inconvenient!) but does promise a little bit more. We'll see if it works when it comes out later this year.
The Larklife will release for $150 later this year and comes with an accompanying iOS app.
[Lark]

Stuffing a Projector in a Tablet Might Actually Be Awesome [Tablets]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5949832/stuffing-a-projector-in-a-tablet-might-actually-be-awesome

Stuffing a Projector in a Tablet Might Actually Be Awesome When 3M started frankensteining its pico projectors into smartphones a few years ago as a proof of concept, it was novel, but really had no practical use in the real world. (Even for the enterprise world and its infinite powerpoint presentations). But seeing a projector built into Smart Devices' SmartQ U7 Android tablet has me full of ideas on how to use it.

The 7-inch SmartQ U7 is admittedly not the exact device that would sell me on a projector tablet. Despite having a 1024x600 resolution display, the 40 lumen projector only spits out an 854x480 picture which can be blown up to 50 inches. And though a 1 GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4 Chipset and a Gig of RAM seem a bit pedestrian for $300 Android tablet—$400 if you spring for the 1.5 GHz chipset—it's clear that such a device could be improved at a rapid rate and offered at a somewhat affordable price.

Obviously, the compromise that would have to be made here would be the slimness of the tablet. But imagine being able to play games on a big screen anywhere you have a blank wall. Or instead of having a TV in your bedroom, you could just project your tablet screen onto a wall and use a wireless speaker. Or yes, maybe you would be using your tablet in the office and want to project a power point presentation or something. (I dunno!)

Stuffing a Projector in a Tablet Might Actually Be Awesome

Not only is projector technology better now, but I'd be much more willing to sacrifice some size in a tablet than I would a smartphone. If the quality of the picture was good enough, an integrated projector is definitely something I'd want in a future tablet. [SmartQ via Lilliputing via AndroidYo via Geeky Gadgets]

Google Play Just Gave Google TV a Reason to Exist [Google]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5949922/google-play-just-gave-google-tv-a-reason-to-exist

Google TV just became a thing you might actually want to use. According to a post on the Google TV blog, starting today, you can watch and listen to Google Play Movies, Music, and TV shows from your Google TV.

Maybe you're saying, "About time." Or, more probably, "Wait, it didn't do those things already?" Either way, Apple TV, Xbox, and every other media hub service just got an actual competitor in the new and improved Google TV.

Like those services, you can buy content from any device and watch it through Google TV. Also like Apple TV and the Xbox 360, you can buy or rent stuff from the Play Store right from Google TV.

Definitely welcome and overdue additions. Now we'll just wait to see if Google's got anything up its sleeve beyond just catching up. [Google]

Is This the Next LG Nexus Phone? [Android]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5950083/is-this-the-next-lg-nexus-phone

Is This the Next LG Nexus Phone? We've already heard that the next Nexus phone will be made by LG and be kinda, sorta similar to the powerful LG Optimus G but this might be the first time we're getting a good look at it. A gallery of photos of an LG Android phone that looks like the Optimus G and runs stock Android has popped up at XDA developers. Could this be the next Nexus?

As you can see in the LG phone's About screen, it mentions that the model number is 'Full JellyBean on Mako'. What the heck does that mean? Android Central notes that previous Nexus devices' internal names have carried a fish theme and Mako is a type of shark.

Is This the Next LG Nexus Phone? This mystery phone certainly looks a lot like the Optimus G and if it's really the next Nexus, those gnarly rumored specs running stock Android would make for a pretty awesome phone. How do you guys like it? [XDA Developers via Android Central]

AMD's New Mobile Processor Plays Call of Duty on Your Windows 8 Tab [Guts]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5950124/amds-new-mobile-processor-plays-call-of-duty-on-your-windows-8-tab

AMD's New Mobile Processor Plays Call of Duty on Your Windows 8 Tab AMD has officially announced its new tablet-specific Z-60 processor, known as Hondo, and it promises rather a lot. In fact, the chip manufacturer claims it will allow you to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on your Windows 8 tablet, at 30 fps on a 1024 x 768 display. Sounds zippy.

AMD claims that the Z-60's integrated Radeon HD 6250 graphics have five to six times the performance of Intel's last-gen Atom chips—if that's really a benchmark worth bragging about—made possible by creating a more power-efficient version of its low-end laptop processors. That's the opposite approach to Intel, whose Clover Trail tablet processor line is a beefed up version of its Medfield smartphone chip.

The Z-60, then, will pack a dual-core 1GHz chip with 80 graphics cores for video and gaming, and by the sounds of it should hold its own in terms of performance. Sadly, it sounds like AMD's offering will lag behind Intel when it comes to battery life, though: AMD claims the Z-60 should squeeze 6 hours of 720p HD video playback out of a 30Wh battery, while Intel promises 10 hours. Similarly, Intel claims 3 weeks of standby time, while AMD offers just 2.

All in, it seems like AMD's processor may pack more punch than Intel's Clover Trail, at the expense of battery life. It may, of course, come down to a question of cost—at which point it's not clear just yet who the winner will be. [Verge]

Math Has Never Looked as Pretty as This [Image Cache]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5950128/math-has-never-looked-as-pretty-as-this

When you were at high school, math was probably an uninspiring string of algebra you had to crunch through. Get to the cutting edge of computational fluid dynamics, though, and it all starts to look a hell of a lot more pretty.

These images represent incredibly complex fluid flows, and were generated suing supercomputers by researchers at the Laboratory for Computational Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota. From the top, these images show off examples of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, and finally some good ol' fashioned turbulence.

The best bit? They're available as high-res image files so you can download them and use them as your desktop background. [LCSE via Fuck Yeah Fluid Dynamics]

Images by LCSE

NVIDIA launches GeForce 650 Ti, Maingear says all custom desktop models now have it

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/09/nvidia-launches-geforce-650-ti-maingear-outs-desktops/

No one can accuse Maingear of skipping the latest hardware cycles -- less than a month after offering PCs with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 and 660 graphics, the PC system builder has announced that you can get all its desktop machines with GTX 650 Ti graphics now, too. As it happens, NVIDIA has just launched that very product -- a friskier version of the GTX 650 with extra Cuda cores -- keeping Maingear in lockstep with its graphics board suppliers again. That card will fill the gap between the $229 GeForce GTX 660 and $109 GTX 650 cards and run $149 (estimated), while Maingear has said it will feature special F131 and Potenza GTX 650 Ti systems at $150 off, along with a free copy of Assassin Creed III. So, if you need all the fps you can get, but can't quite pony up for the more desirable GTX 660, check the PR for more details.

Continue reading NVIDIA launches GeForce 650 Ti, Maingear says all custom desktop models now have it

Filed under: Desktops, Periphe! rals , NVIDIA

NVIDIA launches GeForce 650 Ti, Maingear says all custom desktop models now have it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Microsoft Research crafts wrist-worn device that tracks hand gestures in 3D space (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/09/microsoft-research-digits-3d-hand-gesture-tracking/

A team led by researchers at Microsoft's UK-based R&D lab has crafted a system that tracks the full 3D pose of a user's hand without the need for a pesky glove. Dubbed Digits, the Kinect-inspired rig latches onto a user's wrist and utilizes a diffuse infrared light, IR laser, camera and inertial measurement unit to track fingertips and just five key points of a hand. Leveraging a pair of mathematical models developed in-house after studying the mechanics of the human hand, the group uses the captured data to extrapolate the position of a user's paw. The team envisions the solution as a supplement to touch-based interfaces, a method for eyes-free control of mobile devices and as a gaming controller that could work in conjunction with Kinect or similar systems. In its current state, the device is composed of off-the-shelf parts and needs to be tethered to a laptop, but the ultimate goal is to create a mobile, self contained unit the size of a wrist watch. Hit the break to catch a video of the setup in action or tap the second source link below for more details in the group's academic paper.

Continue r! eading < em>Microsoft Research crafts wrist-worn device that tracks hand gestures in 3D space (video)

Filed under: Misc

Microsoft Research crafts wrist-worn device that tracks hand gestures in 3D space (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 09:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New Scientist | source

source

Microsoft Research, ACM | Email this | Comments

Samsung Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile made (more) official, comes with gamepad-tuned racing this fall

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/09/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-for-t-mobile-made-official/

Now that the Galaxy Note II has already been given a formal debut for AT&T and Sprint, it's T-Mobile's turn at bat. The magenta network isn't deviating significantly from the hardware seen at other American carriers, aside from the absence of (currently active) LTE, but it does brag about bonus software. Gamers taken with the MOGA mobile gaming system (read: Bluetooth controller) will get a preloaded, special version of an "exciting new racing game" that's tailored for the physical controller. Unfortunately, T-Mobile is shy about committing to prices and ship dates for the gray and white Note II editions it will be offering in the weeks ahead -- although there's more than one hint that we should keep an eye out around October 24th, or at least no later than mid-November.

Continue reading Samsung G! alaxy No te II for T-Mobile made (more) official, comes with gamepad-tuned racing this fall

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, T-Mobile

Samsung Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile made (more) official, comes with gamepad-tuned racing this fall originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Google goes back to basics, announces GSA 7.0 for all of your enterprise searching needs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/09/google-announces-gsa-7-official/

Long before retail outlets were flooded with Android-powered electronics, Google embarked on its maiden voyage into the world of hardware. Venturing out into uncharted waters, the then only web search company released a glaring yellow box known as the Google Search Appliance. Sticking to its search engine roots, Google's first piece of enterprise hardware was designed to help its customers perform fast and effective searches of internal networks. While the GSA may not be the search juggernaut's most noteworthy piece of equipment, it doesn't mean that the company has abandoned its original vision for the platform.

Continue reading Google goes back to basics, announces GSA 7.0 for all of your enterprise searching needs

Filed under: Networking, Software, Google

Google goes back to basics, announces GSA 7.0 for all of your enterprise searching needs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wired |

source

Official Google Enterprise Blog | Email this | Comments

Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx: an 11.6-inch Windows 8 hybrid arriving in December for $600 and up

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/09/lenovo-ideatab-lynx-announced/

With a couple exceptions, we hadn't heard much about Lenovo's Windows 8 plans until now. Okay, it teased the IdeaPad Yoga back at CES, and recently unveiled the business-friendly ThinkPad Tablet 2. But surely the company wasn't going to stop there, right? Hardly. Lenovo just announced the IdeaTab Lynx, an 11.6-inch laptop / tablet hybrid aimed at mainstream consumers. Like so many other products with this form factor, it runs a dual-core, Clovertrail-based Atom processor, paired with 2GB of RAM and either 32 or 64GB of solid-state storage, depending on the configuration you choose. Unsurprisingly, the detachable keyboard dock has a built-in 6,800mAh battery of its own, which promises to double the tablet's runtime from eight hours to 16. In this case, though, the machine benefits from Lenovo's keyboard know-how, so as small as the 1.45-pound dock is, it still offers an AccuType layout similar to what you'd find on Lenovo's bigger notebooks.

Detach the tablet from its dock and you have a 1.4-pound tablet that measures 9.45mm thick. That 11.6-inch, 400-nit screen is of IPS caliber, so the viewing angles should be decent if you attempt to use it outdoors or watch movies from an odd angle (say, with the screen dipped forward on an airplane tray). Poke around the device and you'll find micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports, along with a microSD slot for external storage. It also has a 2-megapixel webcam up front for video ! chatting , though interestingly, there's no camera module on the back side. The dock, meanwhile, adds two full-sized USB 2.0 ports. According to Lenovo, the Lynx will be available in December, starting at $600 for the standalone tablet. (The keyboard dock will be a $150 add-on.) Until then, we've got some early hands-on photos below, along with the usual spate of press shots.

Gallery: Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx hands-on

Gallery: Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Lenovo

Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx: an 11.6-inch Windows 8 hybrid arriving in December for $600 and up originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 shipping this month for $1,099, ARM-powered Yoga 11 coming in December

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/09/lenovo-ideapad-yoga-13-shipping-ideapad-yoga-11/

Lenovo is pulling back the curtain on several Windows 8 devices today, and among the bunch is a somewhat familiar face: the IdeaPad Yoga. We first got a look at the 13.3-inch device back at CES in January, where it stood out with a flip-and-fold design that lets it transform into a tablet from a notebook and vice versa. In addition to unveiling full spec and pricing information for the Yoga 13, Lenovo is announcing an 11-inch version.

The IdeaPad Yoga 13 will go for $1,099 and up when it hits Best Buy and Lenovo's online store October 26th (Best Buy pre-orders will start Otober 12th.) The hybrid device will pack a Core i5 or Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor, up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of SSD storage. As we already knew from our preview earlier this year, the Yoga boasts a 1,600 x 900 IPS multi-touch display, and there's a 720p front-facing camera for video conferencing. At 0.67 inches thick and 3.4 pounds, this guy is a bit chunkier than some of the slimmest Ultrabooks, but it's certainly no hulk either. Connections include USB 2.0, USB 3.0, a media card reader and HDMI output. Lenovo rates the Yoga 13 for seven hours of battery life.

Continue reading Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 shipping this month for $1,099, ARM-powered Yoga 11 coming in December

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Lenovo

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 shipping this month for $1,099, ARM-powered Yoga 11 coming in December originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Lenovo announces ThinkPad Edge Twist, a business-oriented convertible coming this month for $849

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/09/lenovo-thinkpad-edge-twist-announced/

Lenovo was first out of the gate with a form-shifting Windows 8 machine when it unveiled the IdeaPad Yoga at CES. Now the company's back with a convertible for its business customers, the ThinkPad Edge Twist. In many ways, it's a convertible in the most conventional sense of the word: unlike the Yoga, whose screen folds all the way back, the Twist has a 12.5-inch display that can swivel all the way around and fold down into tablet mode. As a member of the Edge family, in particular, it blends design elements from Lenovo's business and consumer lines, with metal accents, rounded edges, an island-style keyboard, a magnesium frame and, of course, that signature soft-touch finish.

Stealing the show is that 12.5-inch, 350-nit, Gorilla Glass-coated display, which uses IPS technology for wider angles. On the inside, the Twist runs your choice of a Core i5 or i7 processor, with up to 8GB of RAM and either a 128GB SSD or a 7,200RPM hard drive (320GB or 500GB). Battery life, meanwhile, is rated at up to seven hours. At 3.48 pounds, it's heavier than some larger-screened Ultrabooks, but at least that 0.79-inch frame makes room for a full-sized Ethernet jack. (It also has a memory card reader, two USB 3.0 ports, mini-HDMI output and a mini-DisplayPort.) As for business-friendly features, the laptop offers TPM and can be configured with an optional 3G radio. Look for it on October 26th, starting at $849. Until then, enjoy those hands-on shots below.

Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad Edge Twist hands-on

Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad Edge Twist

Filed under: Laptops, Lenovo

Lenovo announces ThinkPad Edge Twist, a business-oriented convertible coming this month for $849 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)