Saturday, January 19, 2013

Metamaterial camera needs no lens, could herald cheaper imaging tech

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/19/metamaterial-imaging-sensor/

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/metamaterial-imaging-sensor/

Metamaterials are proving to be quite useful for toying with the electromagnetic spectrum, whether for technology previously thought to be the stuff of science fiction, or for boring real-world applications. Engineers at Duke University have come up something that falls more into the latter category: a metamaterial imaging sensor that doesn't require a lens to generate a picture. The sensor is a flexible copper-plated sheet patterned with small squares that capture various light frequencies all at once, functioning like one big aperture. Add a few circuits with a pinch of software and the sensor-only camera can produce up to ten images per second, but the catch is Duke's only works at microwave frequencies. Microwave imaging is used plenty, however, and due to its flexibility and lack of moving parts, the sensor could be used to build better integrated, cheaper airport scanners and vehicle collision avoidance technology -- making you safer however you choose to travel. Unless you take the train. Then you're on your own.

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Via: Phys.org

Source: Science, Duke University

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Friday, January 18, 2013

Researchers Develop a New Material Giving LEDs a Warm Nostalgic Glow

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5977042/researchers-develop-a-new-material-giving-leds-a-warm-nostalgic-glow

Researchers Develop a New Material Giving LEDs a Warm Nostalgic GlowHaving spent over a half-century living under the warm glow of incandescent light bulbs, it's understandable that consumers haven't been keen on adopting the cold bluish light emitted by energy-efficient CFL and LED bulbs. But researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a new single phosphor coating that finally lets LEDs produce that warm nostalgic glow we all know and love.

Past efforts to tweak the color of light emitted from a blue LED have involved coating it with a mixture of different phosphors to shift its hue towards the warmer end of the color spectrum. But as the LED heats and cools, its color can vary over time as the different chemicals respond to the temperature changes. So taking a slightly different approach, the University of Georgia researchers have managed to create a single phospor that does the same thing, by combining europium oxide, aluminum oxide, barium oxide, and graphite powders in a vacuum furnace heated to 2,642 degrees Fahrenheit.

The resulting material is able to produce a warm glow when encapsulated around a blue LED, but unfortunately it's not quite ready for primetime just yet. The current manufacturing process is complex and finicky, and the resulting LED bulbs are actually not quite as efficient as what's currently available in stores. But the research certainly has the potential to finally cast LEDs in a better light for consumers. [University of Georgia]

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Google experiments with hardware-based authentication, envisions passwordless future

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/google-experiments-with-hardware-based-authentication/

Google experiments with hardwarebased authentication, envisions passwordless future

2012 was not a great year for security. From the "epic hack" of Wired's Mat Honan to the breach of Dropbox and the breakdown of barriers at Blizzard (not to mention countless smaller incidents), last year held frequent reminders that what you put online is never truly safe. Google has, in the wake of such public failings, began pushing its two-factor authentication with a pretty heavy hand. But even that system has its short comings, and Mountain V! iew is l ooking for ways to shore up users' accounts. In particular the web giant is exploring hardware authentication options and experimenting with a device called YubiKey -- a USB-based token system. The research will be unveiled in a paper being published later this month in IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, and includes preliminary work on a protocol for using a hardware device to unlock an online account. If carrying around and jacking in a USB key sounds too cumbersome, fear not. Google is also working on a wireless version of the platform that could be embedded in a cellphone or even a piece of jewelry like a ring. We may never ditch the password entirely, but we can hope.

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Source: Wired, IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine

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BlackBerry 10's voice control shows off its Germanic speaking skills (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/blackberry-10-voice-control-video/

BlackBerry 10's voice control shows off its Germanic speaking skills video

Seen enough of BB10 yet? Neither have we, and we can now add voice control to the list of leaked previews that includes the camera app, Twitter and Google Talk integration. The folks at Telekom Presse are the ones with the latest leak, showing off a Z10 handset and its onboard voice controls, along with a demo of BB10's keyboard and mapping app via web video today. The clip shows the Z10 taking SMS dictation, calling contacts, and playing music -- and it appears to take all those verbal German commands in stride, though we can't say how well it'll deal with less literal languages. We'll let you watch the video after the break to draw your own conclusions, but it's safe to say it looks like BB10 has its answer for Siri and Google Now.

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Via: Crackberry

Source: Tel! ekom Pre sse

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 with Sprint-friendly LTE visits FCC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/17/samsung-galaxy-note-10-1-spint-lte-fcc/

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 with Sprint-friendly LTE visits FCC

Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1 made a quick stop-over at the FCC with 4G for Verizon shortly before making its trip to Big Red official, and it now seems a Sprint variant has a similar itinerary. A Samsung slate bearing the model number SPH-P600 has just crossed Uncle Sam's inspection tables with support for Sprint's Band 25 LTE and HSPA connectivity over the 850MHz and 1900MHz bands. In addition, the expected WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 tag along with the hardware. Sprint and Samsung haven't announced anything about the tab arriving on the Now Network, but we suspect such news isn't far off with the hardware already sporting the FCC's stamp of approval.

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Source: FCC

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'User friendly' XBMC for Android build rolls out for set-top boxes and mobile devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/xbmc-for-android/

'User friendly' XBMC for Android build rolls out for settop boxes and mobile devices

If you've been waiting to try out XBMC on your Android, it appears now is the time. While beta and nightly builds were already available, the team behind it has finally readied a release it says is "end user friendly," ready to run on most any device. It achieves that feat by offloading video player duties to another app, in this case MX Player, in order to get around XBMC's lack of hardware support for many devices. After sideloading the two necessary APKs we were able to get it up and running without any trouble, tossing in add-ins and playing back locally stored media without a problem. There's a video to go along with the release (embedded after the break) but installing it yourself is probably the best way to get a feel for its video, picture and audio playback abilities.


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Source: XBMC for Android

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TSMC to triple 28nm chip shipment this year, asserts confidence in 20nm demand

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/tsmc-28nm-process-2013/

TSMC to triple 28nm chip shipment this year, asserts confidence in 20nm demand

At yesterday's investor meeting in Taipei, TSMC's chairman and CEO Morris Chang shared the good news that his company's 28nm chip shipment this year will triple that of last year, which should boost its annual increase in revenue to above the industry's average rate of seven percent. China Times reports that orders for TSMC's 28nm silicon are lined up to as far out as late Q3, courtesy of demand for ARM processors, baseband chips, graphics processors and x86 processors. This is no surprise considering the likes of Qualcomm (Snapdragon 600 and 800), Huawei (HiSilicon K3V2 Pro and K3V3), NVIDIA (Tegra 4), AMD (Temash and Kabini) and possibly Apple will be ordering more 28nm-based chipsets from the foundry throughout the year. TSMC did struggle with its 28nm supply for Qualcomm early last year, but it eventually caught up later on, and Chang stated that TSMC now owns nearly 100 percent of the 28nm process market.

Looking further ahead, Chang said his company's already seen enough clients and demand for the upcoming 20nm manufacturing process, which should have a more significant financial contribution in 2014. The exec also predicted that at TSMC, its 20nm production will see a bigger growth rate between 2014 and 2015 than its 28nm counterpart did between 2012 and 2013 -! - the fo rmer should eventually nab close to 90 percent of the market, said Chang.

[Image credit: TSMC]

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Via: The Next Web

Source: China Times (translated), MoneyDJ (translated)

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Line VoIP and instant messaging app reaches 100 million global users in 19 months

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/line-voip-and-instant-messaging-app-reaches-100-million/

Line VoIP and instant messenger app reaches 100 million global users in 19 months

The likes of WhatsApp and Skype might still dominate the west, but Line continues to soak up new users in Asia and across the world. Since October 2012, the ever-expanding messaging app has managed to add just shy of 30 million new users -- the biggest jump in new users yet. The total includes iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone and feature phone iterations, with Line now claiming the app top spot in 41 app stores worldwide. And to celebrate the milestone? It's made a charming video (embedded after the break) with a handful of its adorable characters.

Show full PR text

NHN 'line', the number of subscribers exceeded 100 million people

NHN subsidiary of NHN Japan's global mobile messenger line (LINE) '18, the service launched about 19 ​​months embroidery 1 billion people around the world join surpassed. communications lines through a PC or mobile device, voice calls and instant messaging features are available to subscribers with free service was launched last June 2011. Overseas users soared in regions such as East Asia, Middle East, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, in October 2011 after massive chugeo, free voice calls and features such as stickers, Russia and neighboring countries in 2012, in Spain, Chile and Mexico available in the region, including Spanish-speaking increasing t! he curre nt week about 300 new subscribers manmyeongssik is increasing. As a result, 19 months after launch services today (18 days), the world join embroidery 100 million mark was Twitter about 49 months * 1, the period spent 1 billion subscribers in achieving Twitter or Facebook and Facebook about 54 months * 2, line comparison of a rapidly growing and you can see that in 2012, 'Hello, Friends in Tokyo' conference held in Tokyo, Japan, in July a new platform service line channels (LINE Channel) 'was released. A solid user base line and 80.3 percent from the line channels' highest monthly active users (MAU, Monthly Active User) ratio, based on a variety of interlocking App service was introduced, and so far 24 species of interlocking App (wepaep except) surpassed 1 billion cumulative release, download , especially last year, 'line games' began in earnest in November, has surpassed 10 million downloads in the 12 days of service launches Pop 'line', as well as 12 games while providing. Line game is the current cumulative total of 70 million cases surpassed the other hand, the line number of subscribers exceeded 100 million people, which commemorates today (18th) from 7 days to users of daily one line of popular paid sticker free progress that event

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Source: Line Blog

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LG's Optimus G Pro revealed in leaked image with 5-inch 1080p display, 3,000mAh battery and LTE

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/lg-optimus-g-pro-spec-leak/

LG's Optimus Pro revealed in leaked image with a 5inch display, Jelly Bean and LTE

LG's Optimus G won the hearts of our reviewers, while finding the barely-different Nexus 4 is a feat worthy of a mythological hero. A tipster has sent us the above leaked slide, revealing that there's a new(er) kid on LG's block in the form of the Optimus G Pro. The 5-inch handset comes with an upgraded 1,920 x 1,080 display and is packing a 1.7Ghz Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064, 2GB RAM, 32GB Memory, LTE and a 3,000mAh battery -- tallying with a separate leak we've spied on Blog of Mobile. Reportedly weighing in at 160 grams and measuring 139 x 70 x 10.1mm, there's talk of Jelly Bean, a 13-megapixel rear camera and 2.4-megapixel forward-facer for even better self portraiture. Naturally, as a Japanese phone, you'll also find One-Seg and NOTTV functionality baked inside -- which only adds to our complex that those in the Far East get all the best toys.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

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Source: Blog of Mobile

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Raspberry Pi creator doesn't expect a sequel in 2013

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/17/raspberry-pi-creator-doesnt-expect-a-sequel-in-2013/

Raspberry Pi Model B

If you were hoping for a full-fledged Raspberry Pi sequel this year, you'll have to keep waiting. Designer Eben Upton tells ZDNet that, while there should eventually be a replacement, he doesn't expect one in 2013. Both software tweaks and upgrades like the Model B are reportedly doing the job -- and it wouldn't be right to "orphan" the 700,000 existing owners with a new platform, Upton says. He isn't worried about the Cubieboard and other current rivals, as they have yet to be as fast as their raw numbers suggest. We won't hide our disappointment at missing out on a quick revamp, but we know what they say about things that aren't broken.

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Source: ZDNet

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Whoa. A 3D Printer That Actually Looks Like it Belongs in Your Home

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5976789/you-might-actually-buy-cubifys-adorable-3d-printer

Whoa. A 3D Printer That Actually Looks Like it Belongs in Your HomeCubify's colorful 3D printers look like coffee makers, and that's exactly the point—they're a natural fit for your home. And they might be just the ticket to making this 3D printing thing stick with normal people.

The Cube is kind of the opposite of Makerbot's at-home 3D printer, the Replicator, which is a big bulky 32-pound industrial beast. The Cube, on the other hand, is a 19-pound, adorable sewing machine-sized apparatus, and it's totally something that fits right in with your other appliances. To top it off, it's $1400, compared to the Replicator's $1750 starting point. For $50 more you get Cubify's design software to make the printable creations of your dreams. (Real talk: They should include the software for free.)

As a company, Cubify might actually have the right understanding—its founder, Chuck Hull, was actually the first person to patent a 3D printer all the way back in 1983. Though it took him a good 30 years to have a product on the market, the Cube looks really promising. Hell, you probably wouldn't look twice if you saw it in a friend's apartment. Which is, like, the future, right? [Cubify via FastCo]

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This Wood-Burning Pizza Oven Is The Size Of A Small Suitcase

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/uuni-wood-burning-pizza-oven-2013-1

This is the Uuni wood-fired pizza oven from a Kickstarter project by Kristian Tapaninaho.

Why We Love It: Not everyone can afford to have a wood-burning oven in their kitchen for whenever they want to make a pizza, but Tapaninaho has invented one the size of a carry-on suitcase. It weighs approximately 11 pounds, measures 12 x 36 x 48 cm, and has temperatures of up to 840 degrees Fahrenheit (meaning you can cook a pizza in less than 3 minutes).

Tapaninaho is somewhat vague on his website about how exactly the oven works, but if you watch his Kickstarter video you can judge its efficacy for yourself. The oven takes 15-20 minutes to heat up and needs to be re-fueled with wood every 20 or so minutes.

Uuni wood burning oven

 

Uuni wood burning oven

Where To Buy: Available for pre-order through the Uuni website or Kickstarter page (the Uuni cookbook is not included).

Cost: $287.

Want to nominate a cool product for Stuff We Love? Send an email to Megan Willett at mwillett@businessinsider.com with "Stuff We Love" in the subject line.

SEE ALSO: This Is The Most Hard! core Poc ket Knife We've Ever Seen

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HelloSign Electronically Signs Documents Right from Gmail

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5976527/hellosign-digitally-signs-documents-right-from-gmail

Chrome: Technology has somehow made signing paperwork more annoying than it used to be. Now you have to print something out, sign it, and scan it back in if you want to email it. HelloSign adds electronic signatures to Gmail, so you can sign a document without even leaving your inbox.

HelloSign is one of the simplest electronic signing apps we've seen yet, mostly because it's integrated right into Gmail. Now, if you receive an email with a PDF attached, you'll see a new option below it to sign it. Once you connect Gmail to HelloSign, you can upload a signature from an image or draw it right into the app and use that for all your future documents. Just paste in the signature, add any other necessary info, and send it right back. Check out the video above for more info, or check out the extension at the link below.

HelloSign (Free)

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AirDroid 2 Beta Finds Your Lost Phone, Works Over Mobile Data, and Is Free and Open to All

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5976628/airdroid-2-beta-finds-your-lost-phone-works-over-mobile-data-and-is-free-and-open-to-all

AirDroid 2 Beta Finds Your Lost Phone, Works Over Mobile Data, and Is Free and Open to All Android: AirDroid already controls your phone from any web browser, but the latest version of the app offers more useful features, like a new "find my phone" service that pinpoints your device via GPS and complete remote control of your device's camera. Plus, it no longer requires your phone be on the same network to connect to it.

AirDroid 2 used to be in private beta, but the developers dropped the invite-only requirement to download. Even though the app isn't up at Google Play, you can download the APK from the link below. If you don't have an AirDroid account, you'll be prompted to create one when you download and launch the app. We tested it out, and the two major features: GPS location and camera control, both work seamlessly.

You have to have GPS on for the Find My Phone feature to work accurately. You also no longer have to have your phone and your desktop on the same network to control it—if you pair your phone and browser by scanning a QR code, you can turn off Wi-Fi and still manage your device over 3G/4G. If you want to give it a try, hit the link below for a direct download.

Airdoid v2 Download | AirDroid via Android Police

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HP Crams a Set of Beats Audio Speakers Into Its 27-Inch Envy Monitor

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5976783/hp-crams-a-set-of-beats-audio-speakers-into-its-27+inch-envy-monitor

HP Crams a Set of Beats Audio Speakers Into Its 27-Inch Envy MonitorIf you don't like the aesthetics of a set of speakers sitting on either side of your monitor, and can't stand wearing headphones, maybe HP's new 27-inch Envy monitor will appeal to your finicky demands. Like with its laptops, the company has integrated a set of Dr. Dre-approved Beats Audio speakers into the monitor, located at the bottom and angled slightly upward to blast directly towards your ears.

For $500 come early February the display promises an "immersive audiovisual experience" it probably can't really deliver. But with a slim design, an extremely minimal bezel, and a 178 degree viewing angle, it's a nice option if you like to keep your music noisy and your desk tidy.

HP Crams a Set of Beats Audio Speakers Into Its 27-Inch Envy Monitor

[HP]

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