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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Flash 10.1 Tests: Hardware Accelerated HD Hulu and YouTube Video? Yes Please [Adobe Flash]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/FW1IhEldNSQ/flash-101-tests-hardware-accelerated-hd-hulu-and-youtube-video-yes-please

The first Flash 10.1 desktop player beta has arrived, and AnandTech has put the new GPU-accelerated video playback to the test. And while the OS X version currently lacks graphics acceleration, Flash 10.1 still serves up improvements on the Mac.

I took the same [480p Hulu] Office clip I'd been using for all of the other tests and ran it on my Mac Pro at full screen (2560 x 1600)….Going from roughly 450% down to 190% (or a bit over 10% of total CPU utilization across 16 threads) made full-screen Hulu playable on my machine. In the past I always had to run it in a smaller window, but thanks to Flash 10.1 I don't have to any longer.

Meanwhile, Nvidia Ion-accelerated video was deemed "almost perfect." Just take a look at the table. CPU-utilization of 70% generally makes video unwatchable, but updating to Flash 10.1 made full screen high-def (1920 by 1200) Hulu a smooth stream on the Ion test system.

ATI chips and integrated Intel graphics ran into a few problems, but they've been attributed to the Flash 10.1 player still being a beta. I recommend giving the full test info a read over at: [AnandTech | Flash 10.1 Download]

Flash 10.1 Is Good News for Hackintosh Netbooks [Hackintosh]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/3h8mi0f4Qoc/flash-101-is-good-news-for-hackintosh-netbooks

High-Def Flash video is a stretch on some hacktintosh netbooks, but Flash 10.1 brings it into the realm of possibility. I just installed it on my MSI Wind running Leopard, and damn: HD YouTube and Vimeo videos were almost watchable.

I say almost, because there was still some noticeable frame dropping. But still, I could actually watch HD flash video (windowed and full-screen) without it stuttering like a slideshow. One issue with YouTube: the CPU pretty much went into overload once the video was playing, and on the third viewing I had to Force Quit Firefox to wrestle back control.

But this is good news for hackintoshes, and netbooks in general. This is not hardware GPU acceleration (limited to Windows right now), it just seems to be better CPU usage. Earlier today I also posted about AnandTech's Flash 10.1 CPU-utilization tests: they still noticed improvements under OS X, too. If you've given Flash 10.1 a try, post a comment here so other readers can see what sort of netbook you have, and if it's worth trying.

For the record, my MSI Wind U100 has 2GB of memory, a 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, and integrated Intel 945 graphics. (Pic above is of the Dell Mini 9).

Fusion-io ioXtreme PCI Express SSD reviewed: wicked fast, bloody expensive

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/16/fusion-io-ioxtreme-pci-express-ssd-reviewed-wicked-fast-bloody/

Okay, so maybe you didn't need a full-on review to tell you that Fusion-io's ioXtreme PCI Express SSD was staggeringly pricey, but at $11 per gigabyte ($895 for 80GB), you may want to turn a blind eye right now if you're short on disposable income. If you've managed to continue on, then you owe it to your collective senses to give the read link a look. The gurus over at HotHardware were able to get one of these lightning fast devices in for review, and while we were always assured that performance would be mind blowing, it's another thing entirely to see those promises proven in the lab. Critics found the card to be the "fastest overall SSD solution on the market today," with consistent 700MB/sec reads and 300MB/sec writes. Of course, they were still anxious to get their hands on a supposedly forthcoming update to make this thing bootable, and the omission of a RAID BIOS definitely put a small damper on things; still, it's hard to let annoyance such as those overshadow the monster performance numbers, but we'd recommend giving the full skinny a good lookin' at before committing your child's college education fund to a pile of NAND.

Filed under: Storage

Fusion-io ioXtreme PCI Express SSD reviewed: wicked fast, bloody expensive originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sciphone's Android-toting N21 unboxed, dual SIM slots caught rockin' the suburbs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/16/sciphones-android-toting-n21-unboxed-dual-sim-slots-caught-roc/

It may look a lot like the General Mobile DSTL1, but SciPhone's N21 still has its very own soul. Our BFFs over at Engadget Chinese were able to wrangle one in, and naturally they took the opportunity to score a photo shoot and host it for the world to see. There aren't too many surprises to be found, but if you're looking for a pinch of KIRF, twin SIM slots, a 5 megapixel camera and the not-exactly-newest version of Google's mobile operating system, you know where to look.

Filed under: Cellphones

Sciphone's Android-toting N21 unboxed, dual SIM slots caught rockin' the suburbs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hitachi introduces 2TB SimpleDrive for digital pack rats

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/16/hitachi-introduces-2tb-simpledrive-for-digital-pack-rats/

Hitachi GST has been pushing 2TB hard drives for quite some time, but for whatever reason, the outfit's long-standing SimpleDrive line has been held back from enjoying the spoils. Until today, obviously. The outfit has just introduced a 2TB edition of its external SimpleDrive, and it also announced that all of its 3.5-inch retail drives are now available in 2TB capacities. There's also an upgraded Hitachi SimpleTech Pro Drive and Duo Pro Drive (2 x 2TB), with prices for the entire lot checking in at $249.99, $299.99 and $499.99 in order of mention. Oh, and in just case your 250GB drive from 2002 just hit its limit today, you'll be elated to know that each of these are available as we speak.

Gallery: Hitachi introduces 2TB SimpleDrive for digital pack rats

Filed under: Storage

Hitachi introduces 2TB SimpleDrive for digital pack rats originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mad Catz takes aim at Microsoft with its own Wireless-N Gaming Adapter

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/16/mad-catz-takes-aim-at-microsoft-with-its-own-wireless-n-gaming-a/

Well, go figure. It seems like some companies see Microsoft's new and pricey Wireless N adapter for the Xbox 360 as a prime candidate for some competition. One of the first out of the gate is Mad Catz, which has just released its new Wireless-N Gaming Adapter that packs a slightly more reasonable MSRP of $80 (twenty bucks less than Mircosoft's), and should no doubt see even bigger discounts than the official Microsoft option. As you may have already guessed, however, this one is actually just a standard wireless bridge aimed at the gamer crowd, which just so happens to mean it'll also work just fine with the PlayStation 3 if you're looking to step-up to 802.11n or take advantage of the forthcoming Adhocparty service.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming, Wireless

Mad Catz takes aim at Microsoft with its own Wireless-N Gaming Adapter originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA Tesla 20-series GPUs promise to dramatically cut supercomputing costs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/16/nvidia-tesla-20-series-gpus-promise-to-dramatically-cut-supercom/

Sure, you've been hearing NVIDIA toss around names like CUDA, Fermi and Tesla for what seems like ages now, but we're guessing this is the sort of thing that'll get most folks to really take notice: a promise to cut supercomputing costs by a factor of ten. That rather impressive feat comes courtesy of the company's new Tesla 20-series GPUs, which come in the form of both single GPU PCI-Express Gen-2 cards and full-fledged GPU computing systems, and promise a whole host of cost-saving benefits for everything from ray tracing to 3D cloud computing to data analytics. Of course we are still talking about "cheap" in supercomputing terms -- look for these to run between $2,499 and $18,995 when they roll out sometime in the second quarter of 2010.

Filed under: Desktops

NVIDIA Tesla 20-series GPUs promise to dramatically cut supercomputing costs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung's Ubicell CDMA base station going 3G in 2010

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/samsungs-ubicell-cdma-base-station-going-3g-in-2010/

We're all for upping our cell service in-home, so a few cheers to Samsung for upgrading its Ubicell personal CDMA base station to 3G. Joining the femtocell party in 2010, all we know beyond its primary directive is built-in GPS for more accurate E911 calls. Mum's the word on price, carriers, or any more definitive launch date. The last Ubicell (pictured) was launched with Verizon, so nah, we wouldn't be the least bit surprised if this one here followed in its ancestor's footsteps.

Filed under: Cellphones, Networking

Samsung's Ubicell CDMA base station going 3G in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stantum's unlimited multitouch meets Mini 10 in a fight to the death

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/stantums-unlimited-multitouch-meets-mini-10-in-a-fight-to-the-d/

The last time we saw Stantum, it was blowin' minds with its PMatrix technology -- and here we are, a mere ten months later, and the company's back with its proof-of-concept Slate PC. Based on the Dell Mini 10 platform, this bad boy features a 10.1-inch "unlimited" touchscreen and new, compact case. In order to save space, the company did away with not only the keyboard and trackpad, but the webcam, WiFi, Bluetooth, and one of the USB ports (bringing the total down to two) as well -- which just might limit the appeal for resellers. You never know. Feel like diving in? Hit the read link to contact the company, and tell 'em Engadget sent you.

[Thanks, Adam]

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

Stantum's unlimited multitouch meets Mini 10 in a fight to the death originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell's 5-inch Android Streak MID on AT&T in 2010?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/dells-5-inch-android-streak-on-atandt-in-2010/

It's not much to go on but after months of rumors and then the sudden appearance of Dell's 5-inch MID on video, well, even unsubstantiated reports from the Commercial Times can be taken with a degree of truthiness. The latest tattle has QISDA manufacturing Dell's Android 2.0-based MID (spotted with a 5 megapixel camera, 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, 3G data, and WiFi) with the intent of ramping up for an AT&T launch sometime in 2010. Given the uptick in leaks recently, we'd expect a Q1 launch to be just about right.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Dell's 5-inch Android Streak MID on AT&T in 2010? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and AIR 2 betas are out, multi-touch and video acceleration are in (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/adobe-flash-player-10-1-beta-is-out-multi-touch-and-video-accel/

Here we go: Adobe just made its Flash 10.1 prerelease packages available for download in fulfillment of its Open Screen promise. The download is available for Windows, Intel-based Mac, and Linux systems with a smartphone version coming later; notably, while no other mobile OS is specifically mentioned, Adobe says that a beta for Palm webOS is slated for "later this year" on its Flash Player 10.1 page. At the moment, however, only the Windows release includes hardware-based video acceleration for H.264 video. And this is beta-ware kids, so there's more than the usual level of hazard with installing. ~~Then again, for those of you with Atom-based netbooks brought to their knees by full-screen HD video, well, the benefits likely outweigh the risk for you.~~ Adobe also announced an AIR 2 beta which allows developers to build more feature-rich applications including multi-touch capabilities -- see the unholy union demonstrated on an HP TouchSmart in the video after the break.

Update: As noted by reader ZeroK2 in the comments, the release notes [warning: PDF] specify which GPUs will benefit from the hardware acceleration. These include ATI Radeon HD 3xxx and 4xxx series, Mobile Radeon HD 4xxx series, select FirePro products, Intel 4 series chipsets, the Broadcom Crystal HD decoder, and most NVIDIA ION and GeForce 8/9/1xx/2xx powered PCs. In other words, the vast majority of netbook owners with integrated GMA950 graphics need not apply.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read -- Press release
Read -- About Flash Player 10.1

Continue reading Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and AIR 2 betas are out, multi-touch and video acceleration are in (video)

Filed under: Software

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and AIR 2 betas are out, multi-touch and video acceleration are in (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adobe's Flash Player 10.1 beta GPU acceleration tested, documented

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/adobes-flash-player-10-1-beta-gpu-acceleration-tested-document/

We know you don't actually care about 99 percent of the contents of the latest Flash Player update. What you really want to know is whether those new 1080p YouTube streams will run smoothly on your machine thanks to the newly implemented graphics card video acceleration. AnandTech has come to our collective aid on that one, with an extensive testing roundup of some of the more popular desktop and mobile GPU solutions. NVIDIA's ION scored top marks, with "almost perfect" Hulu streaming (see table above), though Anand and crew encountered some issues with ATI's chips and Intel's integrated GMA 4500 MHD, which they attribute to the new Flash Player's beta status. On the OS front, although Linux and Mac OS are not yet on the official hardware acceleration beneficiary list, the wily testers found marked improvements in performance under OS X. It seems, then, that Adobe has made good on its partnership with NVIDIA, and made ION netbooks all the more scrumptious in the process, while throwing a bone to the Mac crowd, but leaving the majority of users exercising the virtue of patience until the finalized non-beta Player starts making the rounds in a couple of months. Hit the read link for further edification.

Filed under: Software

Adobe's Flash Player 10.1 beta GPU acceleration tested, documented originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo ThinkPad W701 hints at Core i7 Extreme in FCC reveal

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/lenovo-thinkpad-w701-hints-at-core-i7-extreme-in-fcc-reveal/

Lenovo can't be feeling too much warmth toward the FCC right now. After Intel and Wistron combined to remove any mystery from its next IdeaPad, here comes the latter with yet another filing revealing yet more tasty morsels of knowledge. Wistron's latest submission is for a "Notebook Computer with Wacom Digitizer," which immediately points us toward the high-end ThinkPad W series,with the W700 being the only Lenovo laptop to sport such an appendage so far. Reassuringly, the new model name appears to be W701 and we've spotted a 2GHz Intel CPU, 320GB Fujitsu HDD, and a Samsung-made 17-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) display in amongst the test specs. If your appetite hasn't been titillated already, the only contemporary mobile CPU from Intel that we know to run at a default speed of 2GHz is the quad-core Core i7-920XM, which comes with 8MB of L3 cache, 3.2GHz single-core max speed, 55W TDP, and a truly stratospheric price. We might have a Holiday Gift Guide candidate for 2010 already.

Filed under: Laptops

Lenovo ThinkPad W701 hints at Core i7 Extreme in FCC reveal originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Droid camera autofocus fixed in secrecy?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/motorola-droid-camera-autofocus-fixed-in-secrecy/

While we were busy looking into external speaker problems on the Droid, it would seem Moto was itself hard at work remedying a separate issue with the device. A number of users on support forums have complained of the Droid's camera failing to focus and giving them "red corners" when attempting to take pictures, but now -- suddenly and without warning -- their ailment has gone away as if touched by the hand of an omnipotent being (or, alternatively, a silent firmware update). This particular autofocus issue was mentioned in Verizon's 5-page treatise on known issues with the Droid, though the planned resolution was an official update by December 11. The fix seems to have been delivered early, as green corners are sprouting up all around, but this silent update conduit sounds a bit nefarious, no?

Update: Sure enough, we can confirm from testing one of our own Droids that the issue has been resolved. The endless quest for the green focus box is over, and you can now finally begin scanning all your discount cards into Key Ring.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - Android Forums
Read - Howard Forums

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola Droid camera autofocus fixed in secrecy? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS's UL30Vt announced, somehow finds room for discrete graphics

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/asuss-ul30vt-announced-somehow-finds-room-for-discrete-graphic/

ASUS's UL30Vt announced, somehow finds room for discrete graphics

ASUS impressed the world with its lightweight, inexpensive 13.3-inch UL30 over the summer, and just last week impressed us with its switchable-graphics packing bigger cousin, the UL80Vt. Now the 30 is getting the discrete treatment, enabling users to choose from molasses rendering and "all-day computing" battery life or slightly more robust graphics and slightly (about an hour) shorter longevity. The system also packs DDR3 memory, a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor (able to be overclocked), and that "stylishly robust" aluminum lid. No word on release or price, but the earlier Vt models didn't come with a massive leap in MSRP, so we'd expect this one not to fall too far from UL30's $749 street price.

Gallery: ASUS UL30Vt

[Thanks, Neti_Neti]

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS's UL30Vt announced, somehow finds room for discrete graphics originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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