Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Boeing tests microwave missile that knocks out electronics, represents our worst nightmare (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/23/boeing-tests-microwave-missile-that-knocks-out-electronics/

Boeing tests microwave missile that knocks out electronics, represents our worst nightmare video

Forget bombs or the robopocalypse. In our minds, the most fearsome weapon is the one that disables our gadgets. That's what makes Boeing's newly tested Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) scarier than most projectiles. The missile bombards targets underneath with microwaves that shut down computers, power systems and just about anything electrical in their path. Thankfully, CHAMP's invisible payload arrives in discrete bursts and arguably makes it the world's most advanced (and likely expensive) non-lethal weapon: the prototype can target multiple individual buildings without ever having to detonate and hurt someone. Boeing is still developing CHAMP in a multi-year program and doesn't have guarantees that it will become military ordnance, which gives us enough time to accept that saving lives is far, far more important than the risk we'll have to stop fiddling with our technology.

Continue reading Boeing tests microwave missile that knocks out electronics, represents our worst nightmare (video)

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Boeing tests microwave missile that knocks out electronics, represents our worst nightmare (video) originally appeared ! on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 22:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

ThrowMeApp: Yes, Toss Your Phone For Aerial Pics

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5954290/throwmeapp-toss-your-phone-for-aerial-pics

ThrowMeApp: Yes, Toss Your Phone For Aerial Pics Camera tosses are a well-loved tradition with photographers. You don't need professional gear to stage spontaneous pics of your own—you just need ThrowMeApp, an Android Phone and a little bit of hand-eye coordination.

What does it do?

Takes pictures when you throw your phone in the air. It activates the camera's shutter when your device is at the peak of its climb and the lens is facing downward.

Why do we like it?

The app uses the phone's accelerometer to sense how fast it's falling and calculate an average fall speed based on your earlier tosses. You don't have to do any decision making when it comes to the actual shutter snapping, either. Just tap the screen, chuck your phone, and hope for the best. This is not an app to be used by klutzes. [PetaPixel]

ThrowMeApp

Download this app for:

The Best:

Calculates fall velocity

The Worst:

Seems to be crashy

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AMD FX-8350 review roundup: enthusiasts still won't be totally enthused

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/23/amd-fx-8350-review-roundup/

DNP AMD's refreshed FX 'Vishera' processor benchmarked, enthusiasts not enthused

Now that AMD's fresh new FX processors based on the Piledriver architecture are out in the wild, the specialist hardware sites have seen fit to benchmark the top-lining FX-8350. Overall, the group feels that AMD has at least closed the gap a bit on Intel's Core juggernaut with a much better FX offering this time around, but overall the desktop CPU landscape remains unchanged -- with Intel still firmly at the top of the heap. Compared to its last-gen Bulldozer chips, "in every way, today's FX-8350 is better," according to Tom's Hardware: cheaper, up to 15 percent faster and more energy efficient. Still, while the new CPUs represent AMD's desktop high-end, they only stack up against Intel's mid-range Core i5 family, and even against that line-up they only edge ahead in heavily threaded testing. But if you "look beyond those specific (multithreaded) applications, Intel can pull away with a significant lead" due to its superior design, says Anantech. As for power consumption, unfortunately "the FX-8350 isn't even the same class of product as the Ivy Bridge Core i5 processors on this front," claims The Tech Report.

Despite all that, Hot Hardware still sees several niches that AMD could fill with the new chips, as they'll provide "an easy upgrade path for existing AMD owners and more flex! ibility for overclocking, due to its unlocked multipliers." That means if you already have a Socket-AM3+ motherboard, you'll be able to do a cheap upgrade by swapping in the new CPU, and punching up the clock cycles might close the performance gap enjoyed by the Core i5. Finally, AMD also saw fit to bring the new chip in at a "very attractive" $195 by Hexus' reckoning, a much lower price than an earlier leak suggested. Despite that, however, the site says that AMD's flagship FX processor still "cannot tick as many desirable checkboxes as the competing Intel Core i5 chips." Feel free to scope all the sources below to make your own conclusions.


Read - Tom's Hardware
Read - Hot Hardware
Read - AnandTech
Read - Hexus
Read - The Tech Report

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AMD FX-8350 review roundup: enthusiasts still won't be totally enthused originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad mini coming to Verizon, AT&T and Sprint in mid-November starting at $459

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/23/ipad-mini-coming-to-verizon-att-and-sprint/

DNP iPad Mini Available from Verizon, AT&T and Sprint on November

Today, Apple finally announced its highly anticipated iPad mini. This 7.9-inch "little tablet that could" will be available from Verizon, AT&T and Sprint with shipping starting "a couple of weeks after" WiFi models go on sale on November 2nd. Available in black and white for $459 (16GB), $559 (32GB) and $659 (64GB), the company will begin accepting pre-orders on October 26th. So, if you plan on calling dibs on one of these little guys, we suggest that you plan accordingly.

Continue reading iPad mini coming to Verizon, AT&T and Sprint in mid-November starting at $459

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iPad mini coming to Verizon, AT&T and Sprint in mid-November starting at $459 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS announces three budget-friendly laptops with touchscreens, the VivoBook Q200, S400 and S500

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/23/asus-vivobook-x202-q200-s400-s500/

ASUS announces three budget-friendly laptops with touchscreens, the VivoBook Q200, S400 and S500

Remember when Ultrabook prices dropped to around $700 and everyone cheered? Well, get ready for some one-upping: here at a New York City press event, ASUS just announced a line of lightweight, touchscreen laptops, and let's just say the prices are pretty aggressive. The new family, which will carry the name VivoBook, includes 11-, 14- and 15-inch models, with the 11.6-inch Q200 (aka the X202) starting at $499 with a Core i3 processor. The 14-inch S400, meanwhile, will start at $599, while the 15-inch S500 will go for $649 and up. Across the board, there will be configurations with Core i5 and i7 processors, but again, i3 is the starting spec here. As you can see in the photo above, the design isn't all that different from the current-gen Zenbook Prime family, though they lack some of that line's higher-end features -- namely, 1080p screens and solid-state storage. ASUS so far hasn't said when these laptops will ship here in the US, but we'll be sure to follow up with more specifics as we learn them.

Continue reading ASUS announces three budget-friendly laptops with touchscreens, the VivoBook Q200, S400 and S500

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ASUS announces three budget-friendly laptops with touchscreens, the VivoBook Q200, S400 and S500 orig! inally a ppeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS outs ET2300 all-in-one desktop with articulating, 23-inch touchscreen, optional Thunderbolt

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/23/asus-et2300-all-in-one/

ASUS outs ET2300 all-in-one desktop with articulating, 23-inch touchscreen, optional Thunderbolt

If you're a PC maker launching a new lineup of Windows 8 devices, you're going to look awfully square if you don't have at least one touch-enabled all-in-one to show off. Clearly, ASUS got the memo. Here at a press event in New York City, the company announced the ET2300, a 23-inch desktop whose display can be pushed down to lie basically flat -- a pretty ubiquitous form factor these days. Starting with that IPS screen, it has 1080p resolution and promises horizontal viewing angles of 178 degrees. Under the hood, it runs your choice of Core i3, i5 or i7 processor, with either integrated Intel graphics or NVIDIA's GT 630M GPU. (Even then, you can choose between one and two gigs of dedicated video memory.) Other specs include up to 8GB of RAM, up to 2TB in HDD storage, a slot-loading DVD drive, Intel Wireless Display and optional Thunderbolt connectivity. Additionally, like ASUS' other products (even its tablets and phones), it makes use of SonicMaster's audio technology. We haven't heard anything regarding pricing or availability just yet, but we'll update this post if we do.

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ASUS outs ET2300 all-in-one desktop with articulating, 23-inch touchscreen, optional Thunderbolt originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Drive apps reach the Chrome Web Store and Chrome OS for quicker web work

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/23/google-drive-apps-reach-the-chrome-web-store-and-chrome-os/

Google Drive apps reach the Chrome Web Store and Chrome OS for quicker web work

It's a long overdue match, really -- if the Google Drive productivity suite is considered the centerpiece of Google's web app catalog, and the Chrome Web Store is the catalog, why weren't the two combined? Google has seen the light by turning Docs (text), Sheets (spreadsheets) and Slides (presentations) into neatly packaged web apps that can be installed through the Chrome browser. New Chromebook owners won't even have to go that far, as the trio will surface automatically in the Chrome OS app list over the next few weeks. The web app bundles might be simple, but they could be tremendous helps for anyone who wants to punch out a few quick edits while on the road.

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Google Drive apps reach the Chrome Web Store and Chrome OS for quicker web work originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Purported leak has Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile costing $300 on contract

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/22/purported-leak-has-galaxy-note-ii-for-t-mobile-costing-300/

Purported leak has Galaxy Note II for TMobile costing $300 on contract

While we're just a heartbeat away from Samsung's American launch event for the Galaxy Note II, that hasn't stopped the leaks and rumors from flowing around the release. What appears to be an internal T-Mobile page leaked to TmoNews has the 5.5-inch giant costing $300 on the carrier's Value plan -- on par with Sprint's up-front price, if you're not including the long-term device payments. Classic plan adopters would supposedly pay $420 before dutifully mailing in for a $50 rebate, and it would take a hefty $700 for an outright purchase. Nothing's definite until T-Mobile gives the green light, and we haven't seen the prices that every other carrier will offer, but the price if real could establish a common narrative where Samsung's biggest phone this year includes an equally large price tag.

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Purported leak has Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile costing $300 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 201! 2 22:32: 00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD updates its FX processors: 8-core chip has 4GHz base clock, '15 percent' more oomph, $195 price tag

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/23/amd-fx-processor-refresh/

AMD announces FX refresh eightcore chip now clocks in at 42GHz, offers up to '15 percent' speed increase

If you get the impression that AMD is diverting its energy away from traditional CPUs and towards APUs and fresher PC form factors such as all-in-ones, then you're certainly right -- but you're also slightly ahead of the game. The company promises there's a still a good few years of life left in its CPU-only chips and the AM3+ socket, and it's putting today's announcement forward as evidence. As of now, last year's eight-core FX-8150 has been superseded on retailers' shelves by the FX-8350, which notches the stock clock speed up to 4GHz, or 4.2GHz on turbo (alas with no obvious sign of that resonant mesh we once heard about). The full stack (codenamed 'Vishera') includes eight-, six- and four-core options, all based on the new Piledriver architecture which -- when combined with these higher clock speeds -- promises an overall performance uplift of around 15 percent versus the old Bulldozer cores. To be fair though, those Bulldozers weren't so snappy to begin with, and besides, the most significant performance claims with this upgrade relate to multi-threaded applications and a few gaming titles like Skyrim and Civ 5. Judging from the slide deck below, gains in other areas ! of perfo rmance may be lower -- perhaps in the region of seven percent -- so as usual we're going to roundup a bunch of reviews later today before we jump to any conclusions.

If it turns out that stock performance alone isn't enough to sell these chips, then potential buyers still ought to check out FX's pricing relative to Intel -- not least because, as is typical, AMD sells overclockable chips at no extra charge. The top-end FX-8350 will hit the market at $195, which is not only cheaper than some earlier leaks suggested, but also $40 cheaper than an unlocked Core i5-3570K that has a lower clock speed and a smaller L3 cache -- although the relative performance of these two chips remains to be independently tested. Meanwhile, the entry-level quad-core FX-4300 will virtually match the price of a locked i3-2120 at $122, but can be readily overclocked to 5GHz with water-cooling. AMD is also making a few claims based on the cost of multiple components in a rig: for example, that you can spend $372 on an FX-8350 and Radeon HD 7850 combo that delivers a 25 to 70 percent gaming advantage over a similarly priced Core i5 3570K with a GeForce GTX 650 Ti. Again, stay tuned for our roundup and we'll figure out just how compelling this really is.

Gallery: AMD FX 'Vishera' slide deck

< a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/amd-fx-vishera-slide-deck/#5378618">

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AMD updates its FX processors: 8-core chip has 4GHz base clock, '15 percent' more oomph, $195 price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, October 22, 2012

LG exec claims Nexus due at October 29th event, ships to India one month later

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/22/lg-exec-claims-nexus-due-at-october-29th-event/

LG Nexus G leaked by Onliner.by

It's either a premature confirmation or one of the larger executive gaffes we've seen in recent memory, but it's hard to ignore. LG's Mobile Product Planning lead for India, Amit Gujral, just claimed in an interview with IBNLive that the "LG Nexus" will launch at Google's October 29th event and ship to India "by the end of November." He even stuck his neck out to offer specifications -- the Nexus will reportedly have a very Optimus G-like 4.7-inch screen and quad-core 1.5GHz chip while throwing the unreleased Android 4.2 into the equation. Nothing's official so far despite the statements, and we're not expecting to Google to spoil its own party; if Gujral really does have the inside track, though, we may have been given a peek at the main attraction in Google's playground.

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LG exec claims Nexus due at October 29th event, ships to India one month later originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.!

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Meet the Arduino Due, the 32-bit board that'll let your projects fly (really)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/22/arduino-due/

Meet the Arduino Due, the 32bit board thatll let your projects fly really

As much as we love the Arduino Uno, it's not the most powerful of hobbyist microcontrollers. Fortunately, the folks in Turin have just put the finishing touches on a 32-bit upgrade with buckets of potential. At the heart of the Arduino Due is an 84MHz Atmel CPU, based on ARM's Cortex M3 Architecture, which is capable of being the brains inside your own flying drone or homemade 3D printer. It should start trickling out onto shelves from today, setting you back $49, but hey, that's a small price to pay to automate your drinking adventures.

Continue reading Meet the Arduino Due, the 32-bit board that'll let your projects fly (really)

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Meet the Arduino Due, the 32-bit board that'll let your projects fly (really) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 09:22:00 EDT. ! Please s ee our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Premier rumor gathers steam with leaked GLBenchmark results

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/22/samsung-galaxy-premier-rumor-glbenchmark/

DNP Samsung Galaxy Premier rumor

When we first heard of a rumored Samsung Galaxy Premier handset that might be a Nexus device, we had our doubts, especially when we saw TouchWiz adorning the alleged leaked image from Mobile Geeks. Now, GLBenchmark is also giving the idea of a new model more credence, as it briefly showed a possible GT-I9260 model packing a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display, dual 1.5GHz processor and 8-megapixel camera. The page has since been pulled, but a screen cap of the benchmark (after the break) shows PowerVR SGX 544 graphics on the device along with middle-of-the-road scores, though all that would be on a pre-production handset without final software, if it's accurate. Whether such a device would come along at a Google event or one of Samsung's shindigs remains to be seen, but its very existence should be taken with a boulder-sized chunk of salt.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Premier rumor gathers steam with leaked GLBenchmark results

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Samsung Galaxy Premier rumor gathers steam with leaked GLBenchmark results originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, October 21, 2012

Use a Raspberry Pi as a Tor Relay and Help Others Browser Anonymously

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5953155/use-a-raspberry-pi-as-a-tor-relay-and-help-others-browser-anonymously

Use a Raspberry Pi as a Tor Relay and Help Others Browser AnonymouslyThe Tor Project is one of the simplest and easiest ways to browse the internet anonymously, but the network relies on volunteers to donate bandwidth. Instructables user fNX wanted to do their part, so they dedicated a Raspberry Pi as a Tor relay.

The Instructable takes a standard Raspberry Pi with Raspbian installed, and then walks you through the process of getting the network configured, and Tor installed. It's relatively simple provided you're familiar with Linux. The end result is a cheap relay and the fuzzy feeling that you're helping others browse the web anonymously. You can, of course, do this on any operating system, but the Raspberry Pi is a handy way to help out without bogging down your primary computer.

Raspberry Pi Tor relay | Instructables

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Incredible CSI-Like "Enhance!" Technology Fixes Unfocused Photos

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5953601/incredible-csi-enhance-technology-fixes-unfocused-photos

Incredible CSI-Like "Enhance!" Technology Fixes Unfocused PhotosRemember all those movies and TV series in which a FBI agent turned a completely blurred photo into a focused image by clicking one button? Remember how you sneered? Well, soon you will not be able to laugh at it anymore. This app lets you deblur any heavily blurred image just like that.

Even while imperfect, the results are truly astonishing.

Created by Vladimir Yuzhikov—a software engineer specialized in image and signal processing—the SmartDeblur app is truly impressive. According to him, the "restoration of distorted images is one of the most interesting and important problems of image processing—from the theoretical, as well as from the practical point of view." Even while the math for doing it started to develop about 70 years ago, he says, it's only now that we are seeing the results of it.

Yuzhikov worked on two common cases: blurring due to incorrect focus and blurring due to movement. "Each of you knows very well," he points out, they "are very difficult to repair." In fact, the examples used as samples by Yuzhikov are impossible to fix using current commercial technology.

Magic processing

He started his work with his own picture of Venice. He applied a synthetic blurring filter on it and then he applied his software to it. It worked, as you can see it above. And while it didn't revert to its original state, the results were impressive.

Many people think that blurring is an irreversible operation and the information in this case is lost for good, because each pixel turns into a spot, everything mixes up, and in case of a big blur radius we will get a flat color all over the image. But it is not quite true—all the information just becomes redistributed in accordance with some rules and can be definitely restored with certain assumptions.

But, of course, artificially blurred images are not the real problem. The real problem is real world fuzzy images caused by poor lens focusing or unwanted motion blur. The results, however, were not as perfect but equally impressive.

Take a look at his examples:

Example of blurred image because of poor focus:

Incredible CSI-Like "Enhance!" Technology Fixes Unfocused PhotosTaken with a Canon 500D camera using manual focus.

Yuzhikov's app result:

Incredible CSI-Like "Enhance!" Technology Fixes Unfocused Photos

Example of blurred image because of motion:

Incredible CSI-Like "Enhance!" Technology Fixes Unfocused Photos

Yuzhikov's app result:

Incredible CSI-Like "Enhance!" Technology Fixes Unfocused Photos

Example of out of focus image of text (left) and fixed image (right)

Incredible CSI-Like "Enhance!" Technology Fixes Unfocused Photos

The program

Incredible CSI-Like "Enhance!" Technology Fixes Unfocused Photos

While the images have artifacts, it's quite amazing to see the level of detail that Yuzhikov's program can obtain from these blurred images, like window panes on windows that were just muddy spots. I'm sure that we will soon see this and much better focusing filters in future software. And with the computational power of smartphones increasing by the day—especially their graphic processing units, which are ideal for the math required in this—it will not be surprised to see this feature built in the camera software of future iOS, Android and Windows phones.

You can download and try it here (sadly, it's Windows-only now). [YuzhikovThanks Ángel Jiménez!]

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LG tells the story behind QSlide multitasking, won't be mad if you tweet at the same time (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/20/lg-tells-the-story-behind-qslide-multitasking-wont-be-mad-if-y/

LG tells the story behind QSlide multitasking, won't be mad if you tweet at the same time (video)

LG's been stepping up its mobile game recently, with the Optimus G being the firm's clearest display of podium-position ambitions yet. And just like its regional neighbors, it's getting in on the "explaining-ideas-behind-concepts" video action. In this clip we see senior research engineer, Sebastian Hochan Song, explain the inspiration and process behind the new phone's QSlide multitasking function. Again, like its fellow Korean nationals, nature and the real world play a heavy part in the idea process. Head past the break if you want to see LG's thoughts about pushing Android multitasking forward, and keep an eagle eye out for one of our very own editors' quick cameo appearance.

Continue reading LG tells the story behind QSlide multitasking, won't be mad if you tweet at the same time (video)

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LG tells the story behind QSlide multitasking, won't be mad if you tweet at the same time (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Oct 2012 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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