Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, January 10, 2013

AMD shows off a reference device with a quad-core, x86-based Temash chip

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/amd-temash-reference-laptop-hands-on/

Earlier today AMD's director of global business units marketing, John Taylor, joined us on our CES stage to talk chips. Specifically, tablet chips, and laptop chips, and chips for products that have elements of both. While he was up there, Mr. Taylor flashed a reference device -- a laptop hybrid with the keyboard and touchpad built into the carrying case. Obviously, we weren't satisfied with just a quick tease, so we caught up with him afterward to learn a bit more. As it turns out, it runs a quad-core version of AMD's new Temash chip, which is being billed as the first quad-core, x86-based SoC. (There's also a dual-core version.) Built into the chip is an HD Radeon 8000 series GPU with AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture, so in theory you should be able to pull off PC-caliber gaming even on a tablet-style device.

All told, it promises 50 percent more performance than AMD's Hondo processor, which you can find in Vizio's new Windows 8 tablet. Of course, those are just marketing claims, and besides we haven't had a chance to benchmark either a Hondo or a Temash system yet. So, to put that in better context, it might be helpful to hear AMD talk about its competitors. Obviously, Intel is a biggie, but in particular AMD says Temash should be able to compete with Clover Trail tablet chips, going all the way up to Core i3 on laptops. We're told Temash will ship sometim! e in the first half of this year, and that AMD will be revealing more details about the platform at Mobile World Congress, which kicks off in late February. Until then, we've got hands-on photos of the unit below, along with some performance impressions after the break.

Gallery: AMD Temash hands-on

Continue reading AMD shows off a reference device with a quad-core, x86-based Temash chip

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, AMD

Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with ZTE's Lixin Chen

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/zte-interview/

It may not be the biggest mobile show around, what with MWC just around the corner, but ZTE's using this year's CES to make its presence known with the launch of handsets like the Grand S. We'll be joined on stage by ZTE USA CEO Lixin Cheng to talk about the company's place in the US market and around the world.

January 10, 2013 6:30 PM EST

Check out our full CES 2013 stage schedule here!

Continue reading Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with ZTE's Lixin Chen

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Silicon Image UltraGig 6400 wireless HDMI, hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/silicon-image-ultragig-6400-wireless-hdmi-hands-on-video/

Silicon Image is hoping that you'll want to play HD from your handheld device on a big screen without taking the more convoluted WiFi route using DLNA, Airplay and the like. As such, the company took its WirelessHD 1080p60 tech currently seen in bulkier gadgets like laptops and shrunk it to mobile size as the UltraGig 6400 wireless transmitter. It's now created a reference design for the tech in the form of the tiny chip shown highlighted in the image above, which it would like manufacturers to integrate in their handsets or tablets. To show how it works, they jury-rigged the chip into a smartphone and set up a receiver on an HD panel, so naturally we wanted to take an Android game for a spin on the big screen. The signal stayed solid thanks to the chip's focused antenna array and 30-foot claimed range, while distracting latency seemed to be minimal -- in line with the company's 5ms assertion. Silicon Image is still talking to manufacturer's to see who might like to integrate the tech into their devices, but until then, you can experience it vicariously in the video after the break.

Gallery: Silicon Image WirelessHD UltraGig 6400

Silicon Image WirelessHD! UltraGi g 6400

Continue reading Silicon Image UltraGig 6400 wireless HDMI, hands-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment

Transview touch-sensitive transparent display case eyes-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/transview-transparent-display-cases/

Transparent displays are nothing new, but while trawling the labyrinthine backstreets of CES in search of hidden gems, we couldn't help but stop at IL WOO's booth and ogle one. The company was demoing a couple of its Transview display cases with see-through Samsung panels, intended for interactive advertising and other commercial uses. We were particularly drawn to the 22-inch, 1,680 x 1,050 model with infrared touch control, mainly because of the nifty Flash program running on it, which did a great job of showing how the cases could be used. It was very much a treat for the eyes, so we'll leave it there and just point you to the gallery and video below.

Kevin Wong contributed to this report.

Gallery: Transview transparent display case eyes-on

Continue reading Transview touch-sensitive transparent display case eyes-on (video)

Filed under: Displays, HD

Hack Turns Cisco's Desk Phone Into a Spying Device

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5974814/hack-turns-ciscos-desk-phone-into-a-spying-device

Cisco's internet phones—which sit on thousands of desks around the world—have been shown to be easily hacked and turned into remote spying devices. The official announcement comes two whole weeks after Cisco first found out about the problem.

The exploit was discovered by Ang Cui and Salvatore Solfo, a pair of computer scientists from Columbia University's engineering department. They presented the finding at the 29th Chaos Communication Congress in late December. By attaching a small device to the local serial port on the phone, they were able to inject code that gave them complete control over the device—allowing them to remotely monitor phone calls and turn on the phone's microphone to eavesdrop on conversations happening near the phone. In a statement, Cisco explained:

"Cisco recognizes that while a number of network, device, and configuration based mitigations exist, there is no way to mitigate the physical attack vector on the affected devices. To this end, Cisco will conduct a phased remediation approach and will be releasing an intermediate Engineering Special software release for affected devices to mitigate known attack vectors for the vulnerability documented in this advisory."

The networking company will roll out a software patch later this month to remedy the problem, which currently affects a number of models in the CiscoUnified IP Phone 7900 series. Until then, be careful what you say while sat at your desk. [Cisco, Ars Technica]

Image by Cisco

Amazon AutoRip deal gives a free MP3 version of any CD purchase made since 1998

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/amazon-autorip-free-digital-versions/

Amazon launched a new service that will start offering a free MP3 album of any CD you buy from them. Better still, you'll get versions of any album you've purchased in the last 15 years. The service will link to over 50,000 albums (with more incoming) and you'll be able to grab said digital copy before your new CD even arrives. You'll be able to play tracks on any Cloud Player compatible devices, including the Kindle Fire, Android devices, iOS devices, Roku, Sonos and Samsung Smart TVS, as well as the web-based player. It's already been activated and, better still, our previous music purchases are already on the Cloud Player ready to go -- no confirmation needed. We did note however, that some of our more obscure albums didn't transfer in full -- in some cases only half the tracks made the transition.

Continue reading Amazon AutoRip deal gives a free MP3 version of any CD purchase made since 1998

Filed under: Internet, Amazon

Source: Amazon

Archos debuts four new tablets at CES 2013, dubbed the Titanium line

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/archos-titanium-line/

In Archos' ongoing initiative to create way, way more tablets than anyone else, the company this morning unveiled four new tablets in what it's calling the "Titanium" line (not to be confused with the Platinum line, of course). That name doesn't refer to the actual materials these tablets are made of, but rather their tech prowess -- all four feature high-def IPS capacitive multi-touch screens with dual-core 1.6GHz CPUs and an unnamed quad-core GPU, running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. They come in a range of sizes, from 7-inches ($119) all the way through 10.1-inches ($199). We'll be going hands-on with the newly revealed tablets in the coming hours, so keep an eye out for more detailed impressions and some snappy images (would you expect any less?). For the full pricing on all four tablets, head past the break for the official word from Archos.

Continue reading Archos debuts four new tablets at CES 2013, dubbed the Titanium line

Filed under: Tablets, Mobile

Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with Sandisk's Dinesh Bahal

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/sandisk-interview/

Is solid state storage you're thing? We'll be getting a demo of hard drive swapping from Sandisk's vice president of retail product marketing, Dinesh Bahal, just after the break.

January 10, 2013 1:30 PM EST

Check out our full CES 2013 stage schedule here!

Continue reading Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with Sandisk's Dinesh Bahal

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

MetroPCS unveils 'simpler' 4G plans with unlimited data for $60

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/metropcs-unveils-simpler-4g-plans-with-unlimited-data-for-60/

MetroPCS has just announced new 4G LTE data plans for those who don't want to keep one eye on data usage or try to decipher the complexity of other offerings. You'll get unlimited talk and text with all three, and unlimited, 2.5GB and 500MB of 4G LTE hustle for $60, $50 and $40 respectively, all taxes in. You'll be able add a matching 4G device with the plan starting at less than a hundred bills up to the $499 Galaxy S III -- even the thickest of us can grasp all that. Check the source for more info.

Filed under: Wireless, Internet, Mobile

Source: MetroPCS

Give Your iPhone 5 a Pro-Quality Mic with the Zoom iQ5

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5974718/give-your-iphone-a-pro+quality-mic-with-the-zoom-iq5

The iPhone 5's capable of capturing really impressive video with its 8MP camera but the accompanying sound quality isn't all that great. But with this new add-on mic from Zoom, your iPhone 5 videos will finally have the audio they deserve.

The iQ5 is a Mid-Side stereo mic compatible with iOS 6.0 and above, connecting through an 8-pin Lightning port. It's central recording element rotates so you can film in both landscape and portrait. It can also be adjusted to pull both 90 and 120 degree fields as well as straight RAW audio and captures at 16-bit 44.1 kHz.

It will retail for $100 when it hits shelves later this year. Maybe Blue Microphones will have an updated version of its MIkey out before then.

Polaroid's New Android Tablets Might Give Nexus Some Stiff Competition

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5974767/polaroids-new-android-tablets-might-give-nexus-some-stiff-competition

Polaroid has announced a new pair of Android tablets at CES. Their most obvious selling point is super-low pricing—but will their performance be able to stand up to the competition?

There are two new tablets—predictably, a 7-incher (M7) and a 10-incher (M10)—and when we say price is a big draw here, we really mean it. The little 'un is set to retail for $130 and the large one just $230. Super cheap, then, so if specs can match the price Polaroid could really be on to something.

The M10 packs a 10.1-inch 1,280 x 800 resolution screen, quad-core Cortex A7 CPU, 1GB of RAM, 16GB or storage, 5-MP rear camera, 2-MP front-facer, and HDMI-out. Running Jelly Bean it does, sadly, have a light Polaroid skin laid over the top, but at least that looks fairly crisp and clean—reminiscent of Windows 8, in fact.

Meanwhile the M7 offers a 7-inch 1,280 x 800 display, 1.6GHz dual-core A9 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB or storage, and a 2-megapixel front camera that sits to the left of the display. Once again, it's running Jelly Bean with Polaroid's skin over the top.

None of this is setting the world on fire, of course, but for the price the specs seem really solid. Engadget explains that it found the smaller tablet "very responsive when swiping through home screens and jumping in and out of apps", so it will be interesting to see how they stack up during real-world use. They might not quite pack all of the punch of Google's Nexus range—but they could well give it a run for its money. [Polaroid via Engadget and Engadget]

Western Digital shows off upcoming WD Black hybrid drives, we go eyes-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/09/western-digital-shows-off-upcoming-wd-black-hybrid-drives/

Western Digital shows off upcoming WD Black hybrid drives, we goes eyeson

As devices get thinner and thinner, there's no place in the world for chunky hard drives, and to that end Western Digital has been talking about bringing ultra-thin 5mm hybrid drive technology to the market. We just got a look at the new drives, which will be branded WD Black -- two 2.5-inch models consisting of a 500GB, 5mm thick (or thin) unit with 24GB of NAND memory, along with a 1TB, 7mm drive that also has 24GB of NAND. A spokesperson said that NAND could eventually go up to 32GB. There's no performance figures or pricing available yet, but WD has already started shipping copies of the new models to OEMs, and expects that they'll land in the laps of consumers within the next 6 months. For a brief video tour of the new products, head after the break.

Gallery: Western Digital WD Black hybrid drive

Continue reading Western Digital shows off upcoming WD Black hybrid drives, we go eyes-on (video)

Filed under: Storage

Gigabyte shows off an extra-tiny desktop PC with a Core i7, April release date

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/09/gigabyte-shows-off-an-extra-tiny-desktop-pc-with-core-i7-due-in/

Gigabyte shows off an extratiny desktop PC with Core i7, due in April

There was a surprise waiting alongside Gigabyte's Windows 8 tablet duo at CES: an exceptionally small desktop. The as yet unnamed mini PC is a minor marvel of engineering that's much smaller than a Mac mini at an 0.3-liter volume (10 fluid ounces), but still manages to cram in a Core i3, i5 or i7 processor. We're also looking at up to 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for heavy duty tasks. Expansion is about the only sacrifice, as there's just two USB ports, Ethernet and a rather curious choice of two HDMI ports on the pre-production model we saw. Gigabyte didn't have the system ready to test, but it should ship worldwide in April, with a price to be set later.

Filed under: Desktops

Source: Engadget Chinese (translated)

LG Ultra HD Touch Display hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/09/lg-ultra-hd-touch-display-hands-on/

We bet you're yawning at the mention of 4K TVs by now, but here's a slight twist on that high-res concept. LG is showing off the so-called Ultra HD Touch display at its CES booth. It's pretty much what it sounds like: a 4K TV with five-point multitouch. LG isn't demoing this product as a TV -- though technically it could work as your standard set; instead it has the Ultra HD Touch running an interactive program created by the French company Intuiface. We could tap to select and enlarge information on different periods of art history, and we could rotate and perform pinch-to-zoom with individual elements on-screen. We could also dive into a drawing app, which included different pen options for doodling directly on the display.

Obviously, this sort of educational setup would be perfectly suited for a museum, though LG hasn't committed to any particular application of this display. Essentially, the idea is to demonstrate that touch technology on a giant 4K TV is quite possible -- and pretty neat, if you ask us -- rather than to debut a new high-brow product. But we have a feeling there will be more of such setups to come. For now, at least, you can check out our hands-on video past the break.

Continue reading LG Ultra HD Touch Display hands-on (video)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, LG

Nuance Wintermute hands-on: a cross-platform, cloud-based personal assistant

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/09/nuance-wintermute-hands-on-a-cross-platform-cloud-based-person/

Nuance Wintermute hands-on

It's becoming increasingly clear that the next wave of mobile computing is going to be voice driven. Mobile assistants like Siri and Google Now are garnering plenty of media attention and earning legions of fans. Nuance, the company behind Dragon -- often cited as the gold standard in voice recognition software -- wants to make sure it doesn't get left behind after pioneering the art of speaking to your computer. Dragon Mobile Assistant was the first step towards that goal, but it stuck primarily to searches and a few simple tasks. After leaving our stage here at CES, the company was nice enough to take us back to a suite where it demoed a project codenamed Wintermute. Besides throwing a bone to William Gibson fans, the project aims to make Nuance's personal assistant truly personal and platform agnostic by building a profile of individual users in the cloud.

While clearly very much in the early stages, what we saw was none the less impressive. The mobile app, was able to easily recognize queries such as "what is the score of the Celtics game" and obey commands like "play music by the Rolling Stones." Nuance even threw in a bit of snide, Siri-like personality -- the assistant quipped about the rep being too young to listen to the Stones. That response was obviously triggered by the fact that the app knew Sean Brown, a senior manager at the company, was born well after the band's hey day.

Continue reading Nuance Wintermute hands-on: a cross-platform, cloud-based personal assistant

Filed under: Software, HD, Mobile

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