Saturday, May 22, 2010

MSI rolls out Wind U160DX netbook with 15-hour battery

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-rolls-out-wind-u160dx-netbook-with-15-hour-battery/

It may just seem like yesterday that MSI was introducing its Wind U160 netbook at CES, but the company's now already back with an updated model in time for Computex: the Wind U160DX. While it's outward appearance remains mostly the same, the netbook's internals have been upgraded across the board, including a new Atom N455 processor, some DDR3 memory, MSI's own "Turbo Drive Engine" and, last but not least, a 15-hour battery (aided in part by MSI's ECO power management system). Still no word on pricing or availability for this one, but we should be hearing more about it soon enough at Computex, and you can get a closer look at it right now courtesy of Engadget Spanish at the link below.

MSI rolls out Wind U160DX netbook with 15-hour battery originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 18:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, May 21, 2010

CMOs bemoan inability to track ROI across channels - http://bit.ly/bAM4gu; lift in search volume can solve that - http://bit.ly/g5FUu

Samsung's AMOLED division is now profitable, expects major smartphone growth in 2010

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/samsungs-amoled-division-is-now-profitable-expects-major-smart/

If you want the dish on what's happening with mobile displays, Lee Woo-jong, VP for marketing at Samsung Mobile Display, is as good a person to ask as any. The chap has been telling the Reuters Global Technology Summit that his company has finally gone into the black with its AMOLED production line, and that its research projects a 50 percent jump in smartphone shipments in 2010 relative to 2009. This is expected to boost demand, which is already exceeding supply, for high-quality displays. Samsung says shortages might be experienced all the way until next year, but has reiterated its belief that AMOLED is the future with a $2.15 billion investment into expanding its production lines, while also predicting a 30-fold growth in shipments of such displays by 2015. Every handset out there looking like the Wave? We could learn to live with that.

Samsung's AMOLED division is now profitable, expects major smartphone growth in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fujitsu's quantum dot laser fires data at 25Gbps, not just for show

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/fujitsus-quantum-dot-laser-fires-data-at-25gbps-not-just-for-s/

Fujitsu just announced what's reportedly the world's first quantum dot laser capable of 25 gigabits per second of data transmission. Go on -- there's no need to hold your applause. Now, we've seen lasers beam packets at 1.2 terabits per second over miles of open ground, and up to 15.5Tbps through a fat optical pipe, so why would a measly 25Gbps attract our attention? Only because we hear that the IEEE is hoping to create a 100Gbps ethernet standard by 2010 (that's now!) and four of Fujitsu's new nanocrystal lasers bundled together just so happen to fulfill that requirement. It also doesn't hurt that the company's quantum dot solution reportedly uses less electricity than the competition, and that Fujitsu has a spin-off firm -- QD Laser -- champing at the bit to commercialize the technology. All in all, this tech seems like it might actually take off... assuming early adopters are more successful than major corporations at deploying the requisite fiber. Either that, or we'll just enjoy some seriously speedy displays and external drives, both of which sound downright delightful in their own right.

Fujitsu's quantum dot laser fires data at 25Gbps, not just for show originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 06:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI Graphics Upgrade Solution seeks an ExpressCard slot to call home

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/

It seems like we've been talking about external graphics cards forever, but how many do you recall that look quite as raw and ready as this? The Graphics Upgrade Solution, set for a full unveiling at Computex, is MSI's latest answer to the eternal problem that is gaming on the move. Serving as a conduit -- via its own PCI Express interface and the oft-neglected ExpressCard slot -- between desktop GPUs and laptops, the GUS comes with its own power brick that can support cards with up to an 84W TDP. That, together with the limited bandwidth on offer, makes the ATI Radeon HD 5670 bundle pretty much the top of the GUS pile, but at somewhere around $229 that doesn't look like a terrible deal at all. Alternatively, you can buy the bare unit for around $100 and make use of some old GPU to give a little extra pep to your laptop. It's all good.

MSI Graphics Upgrade Solution seeks an ExpressCard slot to call home originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 08:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Researchers Create the World's First Fully Synthetic, Self-Replicating Living Cell

Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-05/j-craig-venter-institute-creates-worlds-first-synthetic-cell

Scientists call it 'the first self-replicating species we've had on the planet whose parent is a computer'

If figuring out how to quickly sequence genomes was but the first small step for genetics, Craig Venter has gone ahead and made a giant leap for the discipline. The J. Craig Venter Institute announced today that it has created the world's first synthetic cell, boasting a completely synthetic chromosome produced by a machine.

"This is the first self-replicating species we've had on the planet whose parent is a computer," Venter said in a press conference.

The biological breakthrough could have myriad applications, as it essentially opens the door to engineered biology that is completely manipulated by laboratory scientists. The researchers are already planning to create a specially engineered algae designed to trap carbon dioxide and convert it to biofuel. Other applications could include medicine, environmental cleanup, and energy production.

Though a bacteria cell was the final product in this particular experiment, eukaryotic yeast was a critical player in the process. Venter and company synthesized the genome of the bacterium M. mycoides by taking short strains of DNA (contemporary machines can only assemble short sequences at a time) and inserting them into yeast, whose enzymes have a keen ability to repair DNA and combine the short strains together.

The yeast first linked the shorter snippets (just over 1,000 base pairs each) together into longer 10,000 base pair strands. The longer strands were removed, further combined in groups of ten and put back into yeast to connect 100,000 base pair strands. After three rounds of this, the team had produced the full genome, stretching more than a million base pairs. To distinguish their synthetic genome from those found in nature, special "watermark" sequences were added to the DNA so that it won't be mistaken for a natural species.

The synthetic genome was then transplanted into another type of bacteria, Mycoplasma capricolum, where the synthetic genome started producing new proteins. The capricolum's original genome was either destroyed by M. mycoides' enzymes or lost during cell replication. Either way, as the cells multiplied, cells were produced borne solely of the synthesized genome and there it was in the petri dish: the world's first synthetic cells built from wholly synthesized DNA.

"Every component in the cell comes from the synthetic genome," Venter said. "This cell, its lineage is a computer. But this cell is simply a proof of concept to get to the minimal understanding of the synthetic genome."

Not everyone is thrilled with the achievement, however. Upon the announcement, some researchers questioned the validity of the term "synthetic cell" because though the genome was fabricated by computer, the process merely modified existing life rather than created it from scratch. There are also plenty ethical – and legal – ramifications to such a technological advance that will no doubt be argued in coming months.

What is not up for dispute is that Venter and company have carried out a serious technological feat in stringing together a million nucleotide base pairs to create a complete genome in the lab. Not only that, but they did it accurately enough that the cell accepted the DNA.

"Probably 99% of our experiments have failed," Venter said of the decades-long journey to this point. "This was a debugging, problem solving process from the beginning, because there was no recipe."

Now that there's a recipe, Venter and company want to get cooking. Having strung 1 million base pairs into a coherent genome, Venter said the next step is algae, as algal genomes generally contain just under 2 million base pairs. By comparison, the human genome contains more than 3 billion pairs, so don't look for synthetic mammals any time soon.

[J. Craig Venter Institute]

Droopy Creates Instant Servers for Large File Trading [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5542720/droopy-creates-instant-servers-for-large-file-trading

Droopy Creates Instant Servers for Large File TradingWindows/Mac/Linux: Droopy is a Python script that creates a miniature, one-shot web server that lets anyone upload files through a web page straight to your computer, no matter the size.

Instead of using traditional file-sharing methods like FTP or even Dropbox (which requires an account), Droopy lets people upload large files without hassle through their web browser. The file is saved directly onto your machine in a chosen folder. Unlike other web-based file-sharing services, like YouSendIt, it does not require the additional step of downloading the file.

Python needs to be installed before you can run the script, and you'll need to run it with a bit of command-line knowledge know how. (Instructions are provided on the web site, but we've provided instructions for Windows below.) Droopy is a one-way web app running on port 8000, and only allows uploads to your machine, so your privacy is kept intact. It's still up to you to be smart and secure in what you allow, and run, on your system, but for quick file-swapping setups, it's a nifty tool. Here's a quick how-to for Windows users:

Save the Droopy file as "droopy.py." Run the file, and open up http://localhost:8000 in your browser. Click on "Discover the address of this page," and that's the address you will use to send to your friends.

Droopy is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Python must be installed.

Droopy [stackp via WebWorkerDaily]

What Is Froyo? [Froyo]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5543853/what-is-froyo

What Is Froyo?Google's out with Android 2.2—codename: Froyo—and so far we're impressed. But what is it, exactly?

It's a mobile platform...

Froyo (following Google's adorable alphabetized dessert naming convention) is the latest iteration of Android, Google's mobile operating system. Simple enough! If you bought an Android phone recently, Froyo's what it will eventually be running.

...with a slightly different look...

Aside from the nice touch of being greeted by an Android icon at start-up, Froyo users can also expect a new homescreen widget. There are some other minor aesthetic changes, and transitions and animations seem a bit smoother, but the user experience isn't all that different from using 2.1 on a Nexus One.
What Is Froyo?

...that supports USB tethering and acts as a portable hotspot...

Another piece of news we'd heard but are ecstatic to see confirmed: Froyo lets you turn your phone into a hotspot—including for your Wi-Fi iPad, if you're so inclined. (Or any other Wi-Fi device.) It's still not confirmed if every Android carrier will support tethering (AT&T?), but Froyo's definitely capable.
What Is Froyo?

... that's way faster than its predecessor...

We'd heard previous reports that Android 2.2 was going to be ridiculously faster than Android 2.1, and today we saw it first hand: Froyo is up to 5x faster than Eclair, thanks to a just-in-time compiler. And that's just the OS; Google's also claiming that Froyo has the world's fastest mobile browser, period.
What Is Froyo?

...that supports Flash 10.1...

Android 2.2 supports Flash 10.1—important, because Flash 10.1 is optimized to run on mobile devices. And more than finally killing off those little question mark cubes that litter the web on your phone, it'll also be a huge differentiator for Google in the fight against Apple. There's a line in the sand, and Adobe and Google are on the same side of it.

It may turn out that Flash on mobiles is a bad idea, but at least now you'll have a choice.

...that updates apps and music OTA...

Speaking of leapfrogging the iPhone: with Froyo, when you download an app to your computer you don't need to tether your phone. Instead, the update will automatically be installed over-the-air to your device. Same goes with music you buy. Hear that, iPhone users? No syncing required.
What Is Froyo?

...that streams your music...

You'll also be able to stream your (non-DRM) iTunes library wirelessly to your Froyo phone.

...that's introducing a bevy of new app features...

Froyo gives hardware compass access to the browser, handy for orienting maps according to which direction you're facing. You'll be able to access the camera from the browser, as well. Google continues to blur the difference between native and web apps.

Other tidbits: voice recognition for search and for Google Translate—the latter of which, when plugged into text to speech, makes a handy speech-to-speech translator. There's also a handy new application manager that'll let you move apps to and run them off of an SD card and allows background updating.
What Is Froyo?

...and that's coming soon (depending)...

Congratulations, Nexus One users! You're guaranteed to be in the first Froyo update. Everyone else, you're just going to have to hold tight; firmware updates are largely up to the carriers and OEMs, and some poor saps only got their Android 2.1 upgrade in the last week. The more recent Android handsets should see an update in the next few months.

You're caught up on Froyo!. Now you can check out what's going on with Google TV.

SSD power consumption reduced by 86 percent, speeds of 9.5GBps achieved by Japanese researchers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/ssd-power-consumption-reduced-by-86-percent-speeds-of-9-5gbps-a/

You know, the thing about the future is, it'll probably come from Japan. Only yesterday we saw mammoth 50TB magnetic tapes, and today we're hearing the home of Nikon has come up with a new writing method for NAND flash memory that dramatically reduces the already humble power requirements of SSDs. Using their hot new single-cell self-boost technique, University of Tokyo researchers have been able to lower operational voltages down to 1V and thereby facilitate parallel writing to over 100 NAND chips at a time, resulting in the bombastic 9.5GBps writing speed claim. The whole thing has only just been announced, so don't go raiding your local tech store just yet, but we can at least start preparing ourselves for this madness whenever it does show up.

[Thanks, Mike]

SSD power consumption reduced by 86 percent, speeds of 9.5GBps achieved by Japanese researchers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 06:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drobo FS gains native Time Machine support, we go hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/drobo-fs-gets-native-time-machine-support-we-go-hands-on/

Praise wasn't hard to find when Data Robotics finally caved and crafted a Drobo NAS drive last month, but ever since we've been itching to test one out and see how it actually fared. We've had our fair share of awful NAS experiences, particularly in mixed-platform environments, but we recently had the chance to sit down with a unit to test out the company's latest addition: Time Machine support. We asked the outfit why support for Apple's innate backup service was coming just after the product launch, and it really boils down to decisions based on fiscal calendars, accounting practices and other scenarios that interest you not. Fact is, though, the gratis update is being pushed out today through the Drobo Dashboard, and all Drobo FS users should be able to download the new build and start taking advantage right away. We stuffed our unit with four different sized SATA drives from different manufacturers, and just like the company promised, the Drobo FS took 'em all in as if they were equal. Hop on past the break for more of our setup experience.

Continue reading Drobo FS gains native Time Machine support, we go hands-on

Drobo FS gains native Time Machine support, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA GTX 465 detailed ahead of June 1 launch, GTX 460 also rumored

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/nvidia-gtx-465-detailed-ahead-of-june-1-launch-gtx-460-also-rum/

Hey, you there, wanna check out some unreleased new hardware from NVIDIA? Donanimhaber, the same site that brought us early (and accurate) specs of the GTX 470 and 480, is back with the above shot of an ASUS-built GTX 465 that is intended to entice the more mainstream crowd into the Fermi party. Essentially a GF100 with its wingtips trimmed, this'll offer the same 607MHz graphics and 1,215MHz processor clock speeds of the 470, but comes with a narrower 256-bit memory interface, a tamer 3.2GHz effective memory clock, 352 rather than 448 CUDA cores, and -- happily -- lower power requirements. This word is also corroborated by Bit-tech, whose scribes expect a launch at the start of Computex. The Turkish site also has news of a GTX 460, which they say will show up in the middle of July with 768MB of GDDR5, while also being "cheaper and slower" than the 465. Hit the Hexus link below for some early benchmarks of the latter card.

NVIDIA GTX 465 detailed ahead of June 1 launch, GTX 460 also rumored originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 10:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google claims Froyo has the world's fastest mobile browser

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/google-claims-froyo-has-the-worlds-fastest-mobile-browser/

You heard it here first, folks. Google has just come out with the strident claim that the web browser in Android 2.2, aka Froyo, is the world's fastest for mobile devices. Having implemented the V8 JavaScript Engine that's already made an appearance in its desktop Chrome browser, Google's reporting JavaScript performance that's somewhere in the vicinity of two to three times better than what you can get from previous Android versions. We'll give this geek cabal some style points for the double equals sign up top, but will certainly be putting its bold assertion to the test in the very near future.

Google claims Froyo has the world's fastest mobile browser originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 11:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android 2.2 'Froyo' beta hands-on: Flash 10.1, WiFi hotspots, and some killer benchmark scores

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/android-2-2-froyo-beta-hands-on-flash-10-1-wifi-hotspots-an/

Much to our surprise at the time, when Adobe sent us a Flash 10.1-enabled Nexus One for testing, the phone came preloaded with a preview build of Android 2.2 -- a.k.a. "Froyo" -- the apparent turning point for curbing Android fragmentation due for a very public unveiling today at Google I/O. We've had a day or two to dig into it, and while we're surely missing some improvements here or there (Google was unable to provide us a changelog as of this writing), we've spent pretty much all our waking moments combing through every virtual nook and cranny. So what can Eclair alumni expect from the revised platform? Read on for more!

Continue reading Android 2.2 'Froyo' beta hands-on: Flash 10.1, WiFi hotspots, and some killer benchmark scores

Android 2.2 'Froyo' beta hands-on: Flash 10.1, WiFi hotspots, and some killer benchmark scores originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 12:00:00 EDT. ! Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flash 10.1 for Android beta unveiled: Hulu a no-show, Froyo now a minimum requirement

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/flash-10-1-for-android-beta-unveiled-hulu-a-no-show-froyo-now/

What was once just one echelon above a myth is now finally coming to fruition. Adobe is pushing out a beta of its Flash 10.1 player alongside Google's own beta for Android 2.2 "Froyo." The general release for Flash is still on track for June, according to Anup Murarka of the Mobile and Devices team. The announcement doesn't come without caveats, however, and the bad news is that Froyo is now a minimum requirement -- according to Murarka, the APIs needed for its software only now exist in 2.2. Also not on the docket? Hulu -- it's being blocked due to content licensing issues, and our inquiries with that company turned up nil. Flash 10.1 will be available as a Marketplace download, but Adobe intends to work with as many OEMs as possible to preload it on devices so it's there at purchase. Speaking of OEMs, Murarka teased that we should expect announcements later this month and the next regarding Flash integration in TVs. Be sure to head on after the break as we talk a little more in-depth with Murarka about 10.1.

As for all there is to see, hear, and do with Froyo, Google's big keynote is going on now -- stay tuned, and in the meantime, why not check out our hands-on impressions of Android 2.2! Oh, and did we mention Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch is gonna be on this week's Engadget Show?

Continue reading Flash 10.1 for Android beta unveiled: Hulu a no-show, Froyo now a minimum requirement

Flash 10.1 for Android beta unveiled: Hulu a no-show, Froyo now a minimum requirement originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google TV turns on at I/O: runs Android and Flash, partnered with Sony, Logitech, and Intel

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/google-tv-turns-on-at-i-o/

As expected, Google just announced Google TV at I/O. There's four billion TV viewers worldwide, making it the biggest market in the world, and Google's after it in a big way -- it's a $70 billion ad market in the US alone, after all. According to Google, "video should be consumed on the biggest, best, and brightest screen in your house, and that's the TV." The idea is to merge the web and TV without compromising on either the web experience or the video experience, with a focus on discovery and personalization. Of course, since it's Google, the interface is search-driven, so you can just type in things like "30 Rock" or MSNBC" to find channels and content -- including upcoming content to record and content from the internet. Yeah, it's kind of like the TiVo Premiere's swivel search, but prettier -- and there's a Hulu logo on the screen, which is extremely intriguing.

Google's not sharing hardware specs, but we're told Google TV devices will have WiFi, HDMI, the Intel CE4100 processor, and... some will have an IR blaster to tune your cable or satellite box, which is just sad. (Like, 1997 sad.) The input devices will all have keyboards, and you'll also be able to use Android devices as a remote, including using voice search to find content and sending content from the phone to the TV. The software is based on Android with Chrome as the browser and full Flash 10.1 support. Since it's Android, there's a version of Android Market -- any app that doesn't require phone hardware can run on Google TV. There will also be a Google TV-specific Android SDK launching in "early" 2011, along with the Android Market for Google TV.

As for partners, it's just as we heard: Sony will launch Sony Internet TVs and Blu-ray players with Google TV in the fall, and Logitech will introduce a set-top box with a Harmony remote and an HD camera for video chat at some point in the future. Dish Network will also launch a Google TV box at some point, while Best Buy will promote the platform as a whole in-store.

Make sure to keep up with the latest from I/O in our liveblog!

Continue reading Google TV turns on at I/O: runs Android and Flash, partnered with Sony, Logitech, and Intel

Google TV turns on at I/O: runs Android and Flash, partnered with Sony, Logitech, and Intel originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceGoogle PR, Google blog  | Email this | Comments