Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Friday, February 13, 2009

Sony VAIO P gets HSDPA WWAN at last... via a mod, naturally

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/13/sony-vaio-p-gets-hsdpa-wwan-at-last-via-a-mod-naturally/

Right, so integrated WWAN is awesome. But what's not awesome is Sony's decision to lock you down to Verizon Wireless on its ritzy new VAIO P. We've seen one team of investigators hack away in search of a SIM slot to no avail, but we should've known tnkgrl was the real lady for the job. Once again proving just how awesome she is, tnkgrl has not only modified the VAIO P to accept an AT&T SIM card, but she's managed to get it working, host up the pictures to prove it and even provide a how-to guide enabling seasoned hackers to follow suit. Hit the read link for all the requisite details, but be sure you've got lots of spare time to give before taking this one on.

Filed under: Laptops

Sony VAIO P gets HSDPA WWAN at last... via a mod, naturally originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, February 12, 2009

Find Product Manuals at OwnerIQ [Manuals]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/IVzl1WGWgeI/find-product-manuals-at-owneriq

Find the manual for your product online at OwnerIQ, a site that catalogs thousands of manuals for consumer devices and offers forums for discussing their features and quirks.

OwnerIQ goes a step beyond previously reviewed SafeManuals by providing not only manuals, but also extended on-site information about your products. You can use the site without registration to quickly locate manuals and accompanying literature for products you own. Registration adds the ability to ask questions in the product forums and create a profile of all your devices and manuals. Additionally, if there's a recall or update for any product you've added to your profile, OwnerIQ will send you an email notification. After a Google search with filetype:pdf fails, OwnerIQ might be a key next stop in any hunt for how stuff works.

Owner IQ [via MakeUseOf]

Twitlet Updates Twitter Easily (Without Extra Software) [Bookmarklets]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/Kmlzafp1I8c/twitlet-updates-twitter-easily-without-extra-software

Web application Twitlet embeds Twitter updating in a simple, works-in-any-browser bookmarklet that makes updating Twitter easy—without bloating your system with another piece of software.

Setting up the service, which requires no signup, is extremely simple—just enter in your twitter account information on the Twitlet site, then drag the bookmarklet up to your toolbar. Clicking the bookmarklet will display a small JavaScript prompt where you can type your new status message—and you can use the special #link or #this keywords to add links to the current page using URL-shortening service is.gd. Security-conscious readers will note that your account details are encrypted and stored in the bookmarklet, and as with any third-party service you may be concerned about giving them your account information. The ease of use factor alone, however, makes this worth a look.

Twitlet is a free service, works with any browser that supports JavaScript bookmarklets. If keeping Twitter updated is killing your workflow, you should check out our guide to getting productive with social media.

Twitlet [via Download Squad]

Twitlet Updates Twitter Easily (Without Extra Software) [Bookmarklets]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/Kmlzafp1I8c/twitlet-updates-twitter-easily-without-extra-software

Web application Twitlet embeds Twitter updating in a simple, works-in-any-browser bookmarklet that makes updating Twitter easy—without bloating your system with another piece of software.

Setting up the service, which requires no signup, is extremely simple—just enter in your twitter account information on the Twitlet site, then drag the bookmarklet up to your toolbar. Clicking the bookmarklet will display a small JavaScript prompt where you can type your new status message—and you can use the special #link or #this keywords to add links to the current page using URL-shortening service is.gd. Security-conscious readers will note that your account details are encrypted and stored in the bookmarklet, and as with any third-party service you may be concerned about giving them your account information. The ease of use factor alone, however, makes this worth a look.

Twitlet is a free service, works with any browser that supports JavaScript bookmarklets. If keeping Twitter updated is killing your workflow, you should check out our guide to getting productive with social media.

Twitlet [via Download Squad]

Luxury A380 Interior is Just What We Need to Start a Populist Revolt [Overkill]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Bf7K6ExXweg/luxury-a380-interior-is-just-what-we-need-to-start-a-populist-revolt

With the economy the way it is, I can think of no better time to announce a two-level mansion-like interior for your personal Airbus A380. For when you want to shame the dudes with Cessnas.

The VIP Saloon is a design from Lufthansa Technik, the decorating and customization arm of the German airline. It's about as over-the-top as you can get, and I can't even fathom the ballpark price for what this would be, but it's certainly more than anyone I know can afford. And despite the recession, you know there's at least one Saudi prince out there who's going to hop on board. Enjoy it, you dick.

In any case, what really hits home the scope of this is the layout of both levels. Just check this shit out:

AAXA pushes out P1 pint-sized pico projector

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/aaxa-pushes-out-p1-pint-sized-pico-projector/

AAXA's recently rolled out a rather cute lil pico projector -- the P1 -- which boasts enough features to make it stand out from the pack, even if only slightly (there are so many to choose from these days). This half-pounder measures 2.3-inches wide and 4.1-inches long, and boasts a VGA resolution with a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and 12 ANSI lumens o' brightness -- making it a bit on the weak side. It's also got a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microSD slot, 1GB of internal storage and an on-board media player, with anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes of battery life. This puppy's available now for around $289.

[Via About Projectors]

Filed under: Displays

AAXA pushes out P1 pint-sized pico projector originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FastMac slips out three slimline USB Blu-ray drives, including a $99 reader

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/fastmac-slips-out-three-slimline-usb-blu-ray-drives-including-a/

We'd heard of a FastMac USB external slimline Blu-ray reader poking around Macworld last month, but we never got anything official until today, when the company pinged us to let us know that the $99 APP-6907 DVD±RW / BD drive, the $299 APP-6963 1x BD-R drive and the $399 APP-6964 4x BD-R drive are now all available. All three drives support both Macs and PCs, although you'll need Windows to play BD movies. Not bad deals all around, but we're still not convinced we need a Blu-ray drive for our computers when we barely use the one in the living room.

Read - APP-6907
Read - APP-6963
Read - APP-6964

Filed under: Storage

FastMac slips out three slimline USB Blu-ray drives, including a $99 reader originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 02:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG's flagship KM900 S-Class UI caught on video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/lgs-flagship-km900-s-class-ui-caught-on-video/

Are you the type who falls deaf in the presence of the latest gadget? Add a girl and your mouth falls agape from the loss the muscle control required to speak? Good, we've got the video for you. A site in Sweden is showing off LG's new Arena KM900 flagship phone along with a first peep at its dynamic 3D S-Class UI. While we're not seeing any of that promised multi-touch here, the cubic interface is interesting and makes good use of the KM900's 3-inch, 800 x 480 pixel WVGA display and dedicated media chip. It's also expected to hit in April for 4,500 Swedish Krona or $535 US if our translation of that image (lower-left) is correct. Worth it? Hit the read link for the video (in Swedish) and let us know.

[Thanks, Martin]

Filed under: Cellphones

LG's flagship KM900 S-Class UI caught on video originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 05:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Epson's tiny GPS receiver will make everything location aware

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/epsons-tiny-gps-receiver-will-make-everything-location-aware/

Small, right? That's Epson's Infineon XPOSYS chip, its next generation Assisted-GPS device set for mass production in late 2009. The chip measures just 2.8 x 2.9-mm making it 25% smaller than other A-GPS chips on the market, according to Epson, while consuming half the power. The sensitivity has also been improved for a more accurate location fix while indoors. Between this, Google Latitude, and the ever expanding lineup of Skyhook positioning devices, you can kiss your location anonymity goodbye.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wireless

Epson's tiny GPS receiver will make everything location aware originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pantech gets official with wind-recognizing Sky IM-S410K mobile

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/pantech-gets-official-with-wind-recognizing-sky-im-s410k-mobile/

We had no reason to believe that this thing wasn't actually coming, but now Pantech has gone and erased any lingering doubt. The Sky IM-S410 / IM-S410K is being hailed as the first cellphone in the "wind-recognizing" category, which may actually be useful in places unlike Chicago. It checks in at 11 millimeters thin and sports a microphone that can detect when you're deliberately pushing air through it; once you blow, the phone can then change images on the screen, as if to move through a gallery of photos or play games. Outside of that, Pantech also threw in a DMB TV tuner and an e-dictionary, and you'll even get to pick between white, black and red hues. Good luck not getting the stink-eye from fellow subway mates when huffing and puffing on your handset while within close proximity to other Earthlings, though.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Filed under: Cellphones

Pantech gets official with wind-recognizing Sky IM-S410K mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 07:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Garmin-Asus announces Windows Mobile-based nuvifone M20

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/garmin-asus-announces-windows-mobile-based-nuvifone-m20/

We'd been secretly holding out hope that Garmin-Asus would pull an Android piece out of its pocket in time for MWC next week, but it's looking pretty unlikely with the announcement of the M20. The second model in the nuvifone series following the G60, the new piece runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and features a 2.8-inch VGA touchscreen, quadband EDGE / triband HSDPA up to 7.2Mbps, WiFi, Bluetooth, and -- naturally -- Garmin-provided satellite navigation. You'll also find support for real-time traffic, weather, movie times, and other tidbits of information you're probably interested in when you're navigating, either 4 or 8GB of onboard storage, and a service Garmin is calling Ciao! -- basically a friend-finder along the lines of Google's Latitude. Look for pricing and availability to be announced in the first half of the year. Check out the gallery below, and the full spec sheet after the break.

[Via MarketWatch]

Gallery: Garmin-Asus announces Windows Mobile-based nuvifone M20

Continue reading Garmin-Asus announces Windows Mobile-based nuvifone M20

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Handhelds

Garmin-Asus announces Windows Mobile-based nuvifone M20 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee Phone on track for "later this year"

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/asus-eee-phone-on-track-for-later-this-year/

Not a lot to go on here, but PC World is quoting an "ASUS representative" who says that the Eee Phone will be announced later this year. Unlike the Garmin-ASUS offerings, the Eee Phone would be a low-cost consumer jobbie as previously confirmed by ASUS' chairman, Jonney Shih. As such, we expect it to have a massive bezel, a cheap, over-sized plastic case and some kind of open-source OS that consumers can't resist. Hey ASUS, you got lucky with the Eee PC, don't push it.

Filed under: Cellphones

ASUS Eee Phone on track for "later this year" originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix breaks the 10 million subscriber mark, keeps on truckin'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/netflix-breaks-the-10-million-subscriber-mark-keeps-on-truckin/

We can't say the economic crisis has been too kind to every industry, but it's been a best friend to Netflix. As consumers divert their out-on-the-town dollars to sit-on-my-arse-and-watch-Netflix dollars, the by-mail and streaming movie rental company is just breaking records left and right. After closing a stellar 2008 with 9.4 million customers, the company has today announced that the 10 million mark has been crossed. For those struggling with basic math, that means that it has added 600,000 net subscribers since January 1st. So, where does Netflix go from here? Into every nook and cranny it can, of course, so don't be shocked to see Watch Instantly creep onto your next HDTV, set-top-box, Blu-ray player or portable microwave. Seriously, it could happen.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Netflix breaks the 10 million subscriber mark, keeps on truckin' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung's Ultra Touch S8300 handled ahead of MWC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/samsungs-ultra-touch-s8300-handled-ahead-of-mwc/

Oh, brother. Really, Samsung? Are we seriously going to have to juggle completely unrelated names based on geographic location yet again? Unless our deductive reasoning skills are just utterly shot, Sammy's Ultra Touch S8300 -- which got official earlier this week -- will be known as the Tocco Ultra Edition in some corners of the globe. Nomenclature aside, what we're really here to discuss is just how striking this piece is, and if you're in disbelief, we'd invite you to give the read link a visit. Pocket-lint was able to score a pre-production sample over in the UK ahead of its "debut" at Mobile World Congress, and you know you don't want to miss that.

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung's Ultra Touch S8300 handled ahead of MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Miro 2.0 Gets Streaming Support, New Look [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/avOr0_2cNn0/miro-20-gets-streaming-support-new-look

Miro, the open-source player that's like a TiVo for internet video, has hit its 2.0 release, boosting the play-anything tool's performance and adding some neat features, like streaming video from Hulu and other sites.

Miro keeps the same video-when-you-want-it features Gina detailed in her tour of the app, and it remains a great way to manage free video feeds, video podcasts, download torrents, and otherwise pipe the web's best stuff onto your screen.

With 2.0, though, the Miro Guide—the universal portal for content that anyone can browse for their media center needs—now includes links to streaming content. That includes shows on Hulu, like, say, Family Guy:

And Miro's team states that 2.0 has been designed "from the ground up" to focus on high-quality, HD content, as demonstrated (kind of) in their demonstration video:

One seemingly basic but big improvement is the ability to pop out a playing video in a separate window, letting you keep browsing or stream checking while your content plays in a resize-ready window:

The Miro team outlines more changes at their blog announcement and on the redesigned official site.

What does Miro do well for you, and what would improvements would you like to see? How much net video is making its way into your watching habits these days? Sound off your screen preferences in the comments.

Miro is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.

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