Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

ViewSonic's dual-booting Android / Windows 7 ViewPad 10 tablet now shipping

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/08/viewsonics-dual-booting-android-windows-7-viewpad-10-tablet-n/

It sure took 'em long enough, but ViewSonic's dual-booting ViewPad 10 has finally, really, actually made it to America. A few days after the iPad 2 most likely sucked any remaining wind out of its sails, mind you, but it's quite possible that the target market for an Android 1.6 + Windows 7 tablet couldn't care less about a similar one from Apple. If you'll recall, this one's rocking a 10.1-inch touchpanel (1024 x 600), 1.66GHz Atom CPU, 2GB of RAM, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and a version of Android we forgot about in 1994. You'll also find a microSD slot and a copy of Windows Home 7 Premium (with a 16GB SSD) or Windows 7 Professional (with a 32GB SSD). Still interested? Just wait until we tell you all about the $599 and $679 price tags, respectively.

Continue reading ViewSonic's dual-booting Android / Windows 7 ViewPad 10 tablet now shipping

ViewSonic's dual-booting Android / Windows 7 ViewPad 10 tablet now shipping originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, March 07, 2011

Samsung prices 950 Series 3DTVs in Korea, rest of the world soon to follow

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/07/samsung-prices-950-series-3dtvs-in-korea-rest-of-the-world-soon/

We've been keenly tracking the progress of these 3D displays from Samsung, from their pre-CES tease -- where we were first told they were TVs, then monitors, then it turned out they were monitors with optional TV tuners -- through their official launch and now to their first pricing and availability. South Korea is the unsurprising debut market for the 950 and 750 Series, both 27-inchers, discernible by their design, which in the 950's case is asymmetric and in the 750's is all about the thin bezel. A 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 2ms response time, 1080p resolution, and a litany of input ports await the buyer of either one, but he'd better bring a well-fed wallet to this party -- the 27TA950 reportedly costs 890,000 KRW (nearly $800) whereas the 27TA750 is an 840,000 KRW outlay (just over $750). Not exactly value models, but those prices will likely change when the pair go international at some point later this month.

Continue reading Samsung prices 950 Series 3DTVs in Korea, rest of the world soon to follow

Samsung prices 950 Series 3DTVs in Korea, rest of the world soon to follow originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 09:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung demos ambient light-powered transparent LCD

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/07/samsung-demos-ambient-light-powered-transparent-lcd/

Wirelessly-powered TVs are nice, and transparent displays are cool and all, but what about an ambient light-powered transparent LCD? Well, that's nothing short of awesome. Samsung showed off just such a device at CeBIT 2011 last week -- a prototype 46-inch display with 1920 x 1080 resolution and ten-finger touchscreen capability. We aren't sure what kind of black magic Sammy put in this thing, but it's an incredible feat of engineering to make such a large display -- and its accompanying solar cells -- efficient enough to run exclusively off the juice it pulls from surrounding light sources. No word on how the photon-powered LCD compares to existing HD monitors in terms of brightness, refresh rates, or color reproduction, but a muted picture is a small price to pay for cutting the electrical cord forever.

Samsung demos ambient light-powered transparent LCD originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 12:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ExoPC set to release two all-in-ones in June, bringing its UI to MeeGo

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/07/exopc-set-to-release-two-all-in-ones-in-june-bringing-its-ui-to/

Last we left off in the ExoPC story, the company had just brought its tablet to Microsoft retail stores, and while the startup's CEO Jean-Baptiste Martinoli says the sales have been strong (in the 10,000 range), it's getting ready to branch into new areas. The first keeps it in Microsoft's camp, as the company plans to release two Windows 7 all-in-ones with its Connect Four-like software later in June. Both will be made by Malata, however, the 18.5-inch version -- which is pictured above and is demoed in the video after the break -- will be powered by a dual-core Atom processor, while the 23-inch version will get some higher-end silicon. It also turns out that some other top tier manufacturers plan to bring Win 7 all-in-ones to market this year running ExoPC's software on top.

The second area of development? MeeGo. The company's been hard at work bringing its HTML-based layer over to Intel's MeeGo OS, and 70 percent of the software is already complete. Additionally, 98 percent of the Flash and HTML apps are compatible, however, it's working on syncing the Exostore with Intel's AppUp selection. As you can see in the screenshot after the break, it looks almost identical to the Windows 7 skin, but we're definitely feeling the UI over Intel's own MeeGo tablet interface. Hit the break for that AIO video and stay tuned for hands-on with the MeeGo tablet version.

Gallery: ExoPC all-in-one

Continue reading ExoPC set to release two all-in-ones in June, bringing its UI to MeeGo

ExoPC set to release two all-in-ones in June, bringing its UI to MeeGo originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JVC's GS-TD1 3D camcorder now available for $1,700

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/07/jvcs-gs-td1-3d-camcorder-now-available-for-1-700/

JVC promised back at CES that its new consumer-grade GS-TD1 3D camcorder would be available in March and, well, it's now available. While that may not be a surprise, JVC has shaken things up a bit with the pricing since its official announcement -- instead of the full $2,000 that was originally expected, the camcorder will now set you back "just" $1,699.95. That will buy you a pair of 3.32 megapixel CMOS sensor that record 3D video at 1080i, a 5x optical zoom (or 10x in 2D mode), 64GB of built-in flash memory along with an SDXC card slot for expansion, and a 3.5-inch LCD that lets you view your videos 3DS-style without any glasses. Head on past the break for the complete press release.

Continue reading JVC's GS-TD1 3D camcorder now available for $1,700

JVC's GS-TD1 3D camcorder now available for $1,700 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ODROID-A tablet fits 1366 x 768 res on a 10-inch screen, dual-core Exynos inside transparent shell

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/07/odroid-a-tablet-fits-1366-x-768-res-on-a-10-inch-screen-dual-co/

Samsung might not have quite enough Exynos 4210 processors to sell a tablet of its own based on that Cortex-A9 dual-core beastie, but it's found a few to hand over to Korean partner Hardkernel for this here ODROID-A reference platform. It's strictly a dev kit, and as such is unlikely to find its way to your local Best Buy any time soon, but we have to admire the specs on offer. First up is the delightfully dense 1366 x 768 resolution, a rare sight on a 10-inch display, followed by a transparent rear panel that bests anything out on the market right now in terms of sheer sex appeal, and then there are also two MicroSD slots, a HSPA+ modem, HDMI output, a USB 2.0 port, cameras on the front and rear, and a crazy 9000mAh battery. How all this is supposed to only cost $750, we don't know, but then we also don't know how to qualify to get one when it becomes available later this month. So many mysteries. Jump past the break for some hands-on and benchmarking video action.

Continue reading ODROID-A tablet fits 1366 x 768 res on a 10-inch screen, dual-core Exynos inside transparent shell

ODROID-A tablet fits 1366 x 768 res on a 10-inch screen, dual-core Exynos inside transparent shell originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 03:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo posts ThinkPad X220 specs online, includes IPS display, SSD, and 23-hour battery options

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/07/lenovo-posts-thinkpad-x220-specs-online-includes-ips-display-s/

Go to Lenovo's online store looking for an X Series laptop to call your own and you'll be greeted by the familiar X201. But go to Lenovo's spec sheet repository and you'll find a lush PDF file detailing a new ThinkPad X220 model that seems set to become available very shortly indeed. Sized at a somewhat unconventional 12.5 inches, this fresh contender will feature a new "buttonless" touchpad -- though it retains the mouse keys in support of the TrackPoint navigator -- while offering the sweet nectar of a 1366 x 768 IPS display, up to a 2.7GHz Core i7-2620M CPU, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and a choice of Intel SSDs ranging up to 160GB. The 9-cell battery is rated to last you 15 hours and there's an additional external battery pack that will keep you tether-free for 23 hours. Click past the break for the full specs.

[Thanks, Chris]

Continue reading Lenovo posts ThinkPad X220 specs online, includes IPS display, SSD, and 23-hour battery options

Lenovo posts ThinkPad X220 specs online, includes IPS display, SSD, and 23-hour battery options originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 04:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seagate ships 7,200RPM 3TB Barracuda XT internal hard drive, we wonder what took so long

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/05/seagate-ships-7-200rpm-3tb-barracuda-xt-internal-hard-drive-we/

We've been hearing about Seagate's plans to offer an unencumbered 3TB hard drive since May of last year, but despite promises of a 2010 launch and the release of similarly large HDDs from companies like Western Digital and Hitachi, we're only now seeing the 3TB Barracuda XT shipping all on its own. We won't claim to have an explanation for the delay, but it's possible that the company's proprietary software -- which breaks the 2.1TB legacy OS barrier and enables this guy to function within Windows XP -- could have something to do with it. It might be tardy to the party, but the new Barracuda can definitely hold its own when stacked against the competition -- it spins at 7,200RPM, touts a 64MB cache, and plays nice with the 6Gbps SATA interface. It ain't the only 3TB fish in the sea, but at $280, it's definitely not dead in the water.

Seagate ships 7,200RPM 3TB Barracuda XT internal hard drive, we wonder what took so long originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Electronista | source

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Sunday, March 06, 2011

Archos planning to launch high-end tablets at IFA later this summer?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/05/archos-planning-to-launch-high-end-tablets-at-ifa-later-this-sum/

Archos planning to launch high-end tablets at IFA later this summer?

Over the years we've certainly seen that Archos can do some decent things on limited hardware, but of course the real money is to be found on the higher end, where your iPads and your Xooms play. According to tabletblog.de, Archos has stated intent to announce two new tablets at IFA later this year, fitting into the 7- and 10-inch domains like the older (and lower-rent) 70 and 101 Internet Tablets above. Supposedly the company doesn't know what hardware either will be running, only that they'll be top-shelf components integrated using posh design. Surely that'll mean a posh price, too.

Archos planning to launch high-end tablets at IFA later this summer? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 05:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, March 04, 2011

VIA says Eden X2 is world's most power-efficient dual-core processor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/04/via-says-eden-x2-is-worlds-most-power-efficient-dual-core-proce/

Following close behind the low-power Nano X2 comes the Eden X2, or what VIA is calling "the world's most power-efficient" fanless dual-core processor. While we've yet to see any official numbers, the original Eden did 500MHz on one watt of power, so we should see similarly thrifty specs here. Aside from that, the unit houses two 64-bit cores in a 21 x 21 millimeter package, is compatible with Windows CE and Linux operating systems, and was built using a 40-nanometer manufacturing process. The Eden X2 made its debut at the World Embedded conference this week, and should make it to the real world by the end of Q2. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading VIA says Eden X2 is world's most power-efficient dual-core processor

VIA says Eden X2 is world's most power-efficient dual-core processor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 02:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel's SSD 510 reviewed, measures up well against Vertex 3

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/04/intels-ssd-510-reviewed-measures-up-well-against-vertex-3/

Been wondering how that new 6Gbps SATA interface and Marvell controller have been treating Intel's latest SSDs? The answer, it turns out, is really rather nicely. Faced off with OCZ's awesomely quick Vertex 3 drive, the 250GB SSD 510 from Intel more than holds its own, occasionally flashing ahead and taking the lead. Opting for Marvell's processing chip has improved Intel's sequential performance, but has actually led to it taking a ding on random read speeds -- the latter being arguably more important on a day-to-day basis. Still, this $584 drive is one of the finest the consumer world has yet had to feast upon and should encourage high expectations from Intel's 25nm G3 storage units, which are still to come. As to having the extra Serial ATA bandwidth, we'll leave it to Anand from AnandTech to summarize: "these next-generation SSDs not only use 6Gbps SATA, they really need it."

Intel's SSD 510 reviewed, measures up well against Vertex 3 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, March 03, 2011

Bing, one more nail (no, big huge wooden stake) in Groupon's coffin - http://ping.fm/Dv0Ur like I predicted here http://bit.ly/f6BcA5

via @ClickZ - The Confluence of Trends: Mobile, Location, Social, and Group; Implications for Marketing / Advertising - http://bit.ly/ifY7P6

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

My tool for sending photo greetings using millions of Creative Commons Flickr photos: phreetings (photo+greetings) - http://bit.ly/fhsJwO

Friday, February 25, 2011

Electric Bikes Are Now Wireless, and Can Charge Gadgets via USB [Bikes]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5770071/electric-bikes-are-now-wireless-and-can-charge-gadgets-via-usb

I loved riding about town when testing a GoCycle electric bike, but must admit the cable that snaked around the frame sometimes got in the way of the pedals, if I didn't do it up right. The Shadow Ebike is the first electric bike that houses its Daymak Drive controller in the front wheel, alongside a lithium-ion battery, motor, USB port, charging port and LED power display.

Why would you need a USB port, I hear you ask? Why, so you can charge gadgets. The wheel stores electricity, generated from activity. So, the more you cycle, the more you can charge your cellphone once you stop.

You can choose between a 250W motor, or something with a bit more grunt in it, at 350W. The battery, on the other hand, is a 36V 10AH lithium-ion one, which takes up to five hours to recharge, and is good for up to 25 miles.

The only problem I can see with Daymak's Shadow Ebike is the price: a rather steep $1,999. Not to mention the rather "safe" color... [Shadow Ebikes via Gizmag]

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