Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Friday, April 03, 2009

LG EnV3 and Voyager 2 Leaked [Cellphones]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ycO6wNZVHEY/lg-env3-and-voyager-2-leaked

Boy Genius and other sources are showing off blurry-ass spyshots of Verizon's next ho-hum semi-smart handsets, the EnV3 and Voyager 2 from LG.

When they're open, the two phones are hard to distinguish. On your left, up top, is the EnV3, with the smaller 4:3 screen. On the right, there's the widescreen Voyager 2.

Closed, it's a different matter. Sticking with the formula that's made them hot sellers (without being in any way innovative), LG kept the touchscreen on the Voyager 2 (below, now on the left) and the full number pad on the EnV3 (below, right). Can I say we're excited? No. But will someone buy these, and even brag about them to their friends? Signs point to "yes." [Boy Genius, Electronista]

Arduino finds yet another use in homebuilt 3D scanner

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/arduino-finds-yet-another-use-in-homebuilt-3d-scanner/

The Arduino has long since proven itself to be one of the biggest boons to DIY heads since the soldering iron, but that doesn't mean it's not still able to impress, as amply demonstrated by this simple but effective homebuilt 3D scanner. While there's not exactly much to guide the rookies out there, the project does seem to be straightforward enough for anyone with a bit of experience, with the scanner itself comprised of nothing more than the Arduino, a couple of servos, and the Sharp GP2Y0A02YK Long Distance Measuring Sensor -- plus the necessary code, of course, which is conveniently provided at the link below. Once you've got everything pieced together, you should all set to make polar coordinate scans of your surroundings and watch the time fly by.

[Via Hacked Gadgets]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Arduino finds yet another use in homebuilt 3D scanner originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Promise's new SmartStor do-it-all NS4600 and easy-setup DS4300 make RAID 5 look easy

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/promises-new-smartstor-do-it-all-ns4600-and-easy-setup-ds4300-m/

While storage is by default a fairly boring topic, we're always happy to see someone try and spice it up -- and Promise sure is trying. The new Promise SmartStor NS4600 and DS4300 offer up four drive RAID 5 striped storage, with the NS4600 pulling full NAS and media server duties, while the DS4300 plays things like a Drobo competitor, with One Touch Configuration to set up new drives and a direct plug into your computer. The NS4600 is where things get really interesting, with the ability to serve up iPhone-friendly video as part of its iTunes Digital Media Server support, SmartNAVI for accessing and viewing media through a web browser, Remote Access Media Center for pulling up media anywhere, and Apple Time Machine Support. The NAS can host USB 2.0 and eSATA drives, and hooks into your network with a gigabit Ethernet plug. The NAS sans-drives goes for "sub $500," while the DS4300 clocks in around $400 -- both should be widely available around mid May. Full feature breakdown is after the break.

Gallery: Promise's new SmartStor do-it-all NS4600 and easy-setup DS4300 make RAID 5 look easy

Continue reading Promise's new SmartStor do-it-all NS4600 and easy-setup DS4300 make RAID 5 look easy

Filed under: Storage, Networking

Promise's new SmartStor do-it-all NS4600 and easy-setup DS4300 make RAID 5 look easy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BenQ's Qisda QPD-111 Creative Design Center MID wins design awards, doesn't exist yet

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/benqs-qisda-qpd-111-creative-design-center-mid-wins-a-design-aw/

Not that we have anything against products that don't exist, but it would seem to us convenient to have something to show on the other end of a couple design awards. BenQ's Qisda QPD-111 just won a red dot and iF award, but BenQ doesn't seem quite ready to show it off to the world. The MID sports a 5-inch screen, and is "designed for highly mobile people pursuing the best Internet experience while on the go." That fancy little red "Hot Key" sends you to the world wide internet with a single press, and the device can handle multitouch pinch-to-zoom and other gestures for browsing. There's also a built-in accelerometer, which lets you switch between communication and Internet functions with a little shake of your precious, imaginary MID. There's obviously no information on price or availability at this point -- we're not even sure what OS it's running -- but it's certainly a sexy and almost potentially usable entrant into the confounding and primarily useless MID market.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Handhelds

BenQ's Qisda QPD-111 Creative Design Center MID wins design awards, doesn't exist yet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP TouchSmart tx2z with 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD now $450 off with coupon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/hp-touchsmart-tx2z-with-4gb-ram-320gb-hdd-now-450-off-with-cou/

In the market for a multitouch tablet? HP's TouchSmart tx2z, both the readers' and editors' choice for Tablet PC of the Year in the 2008 Engadget Awards, currently has two stackable discounts totaling $450, dropping the price here to a much more manageable $650. That includes an AMD Turion X2 Dual-core processor, 4GB RAM and a 320GB hard drive. Offer expires tomorrow, so hit up LogicBuy soon via the read link for details and the promo code.

Filed under: Laptops

HP TouchSmart tx2z with 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD now $450 off with coupon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tropicana Line's Sales Plunge 20% Post-Rebranding - http://tinyurl.com/c9ftvy - costing them tens of millions of dollars

NVIDIA GTX 275 / ATI Radeon HD 4890 review roundup

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/nvidia-gtx-275-ati-radeon-hd-4890-review-roundup/

Unless you've started your weekend early, you have probably realized that both NVIDIA and AMD announced new GPUs this morning. Coincidental timing aside, it sure makes things easy for the consumer to eye the respective benchmarks and plan out their next mid-range GPU purchase accordingly. A whole bevy of reviews, tests, graphs and bar charts have hit the web this morning extolling and panning the pros and cons, but without getting too deep in the nitty-gritty, we can sum things up pretty easily with this. NVIDIA's GTX 275 showed performance that placed it perfectly between the GTX 285 and GTX 260, and in all but a few off-the-wall tests, it outpaced the ATI Radeon HD 4890 (albeit slightly). Granted, the HD 4890 was called the "fastest, single-GPU powered graphics card AMD has ever produced" by HotHardware, though apparently even that wasn't enough to help it snag the gold across the board. If you're hungry for more (and you are, trust us), take the rest of the day off and dig in below.

Read - HotHardware GeForce GTX 275 review
Read - HotHardware Radeon HD 4890 review
Read - ExtremeTech GeForce GTX 275 and Radeon HD 4890 review
Read - DailyTech GeForce GTX 275 and Radeon HD 4890 review
Read - X-bit Labs ATI Rad! eon HD 4 890 review
Read - ComputerShopper ATI Radeon HD 4890 review
Read - Guru 3D GeForce GTX 275 review
Read - Guru 3D ATI Radeon HD 4890 review
Read - PCPerspective ATI Radeon HD 4890 review

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

NVIDIA GTX 275 / ATI Radeon HD 4890 review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eizo debuts 56-inch 4k x 2k RadiForce LS560W LCD monitor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/eizo-debuts-56-inch-4k-x-2k-radiforce-ls560w-lcd-monitor/

Eizo's known for doling out less-than-affordable LCD monitors, but this one just takes the crown (for now). Slated to dazzle in operating rooms everywhere this July, the RadiForce LS560W is a 56-inch behemoth of an LCD that boasts a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 (or darn close to native 4k x 2k). We're also told that the panel features a 176-degree field of view, a 1,200:1 contrast ratio and 450 nits of brightness. And to think -- we were beginning to wonder if all that 4k surgery footage would ever find a dedicated screen to run on.

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

Eizo debuts 56-inch 4k x 2k RadiForce LS560W LCD monitor originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel turns Moblin over to the Linux Foundation

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/intel-turns-moblin-over-to-the-linux-foundation/

Alpha version of Intel's Moblin OS released for brave netbookers

If you love something, set it free -- and if it truly loves you back, it will return as the market's dominant MID and netbook OS. We're pretty certain that's what our mom said to us when we were kids -- it's a fairly hazy memory -- and it sounds like Intel's heeding that advice with Moblin, turning over "stewardship" of the fledgling OS to the Linux Foundation. It's an interesting move that seems to be more about politics more than anything else -- Intel still employs all the lead developers, so it'll basically be in charge of things, but companies that want to use Moblin can do so secure in the knowledge that it's formally controlled by a neutral body. Very clever. So -- now that that's out of the way, can everyone get back to work on that insane concept MID we've been drooling over for two years? Thanks.

[Thanks, Chris]

Filed under: Desktops, Handhelds, Laptops

Intel turns Moblin over to the Linux Foundation originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SGI to sell itself for just $25m, throw huge sadness party

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/sgi-to-sell-itself-for-just-25m-throw-huge-sadness-party/

Man, the difference a few ~~years~~ decades makes. In the 90s, Silicon Graphics helped create silver screen mega-hits like Jurassic Park and Terminator 2, and in 1997, its fiscal year sales totaled $3.66 billion. Today, the company's mired in its second bankruptcy, which has occurred just three years after the first. In order to just terminate the dream before it gets any more nightmarish, SGI has announced plans to sell itself to Fremont-based Rackable Systems for a mere $25 million -- and some analysts are even concerned that the suitor here could be sinking its teeth into a sour deal. The agreement still has to be approved by a bankruptcy judge, and of course, there's still a few more inches of red tape to cut through, but we'll be sure to let you know when the fantasy ends and the wake begins.

Filed under: Desktops

SGI to sell itself for just $25m, throw huge sadness party originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell's 21.5-inch SX2210 monitor now available to order

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/dells-21-5-inch-sx2210-monitor-now-available-to-order/

In Dell's usual roundabout way of launching non-luxury products, this new SX2210 monitor first appeared on the company's website with little fanfare last month, but it looks like it's now actually available to order, and for the very reasonable of price of $279 (before the inevitable flood of discounts). That'll get you 21.5 inches of screen real estate, along with a full 1920 x 1080 resolution, a fast 2-millisecond grey-to-grey response time, a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, both HDMI and DVI ports, four USB 2.0 ports, and even a built-in 2 megapixel webcam that supports facial recognition in Windows Vista. Sold? Then hit up the link below to get your order in.

[Thanks, ALCie]

Filed under: Displays

Dell's 21.5-inch SX2210 monitor now available to order originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Light-activated lock could revolutionize drug delivery

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/light-activated-lock-could-revolutionize-drug-delivery/

The Gators may not be in the Final Four this year, but the brainiacs on campus are still toiling away, regardless. Researchers at the institution (that'd be the University of Florida) have just stumbled onto a remarkable discovery that could eventually "starve cancer tumors and prevent side effects from a wide range of drugs." The magic find? A "lock-like molecule" that clasps or unclasps based on exposure to light. Sure, we've seen our fair share of newfangled drug delivery tools, but none that have been this noninvasive or simple to activate. In tests, gurus found that they could use visible or ultraviolet light to open or close a clasp, letting blood flow or creating a clot; in theory, this could one day be used to "prevent the formation of tiny blood vessels that feed tumors." Everything about this sounds just fantastic on the surface, but seriously, can you imagine how dead we'd be if the robots ever got ahold of this?

[Via Physorg, image courtesy of NanotechNow]

Filed under: Science

Light-activated lock could revolutionize drug delivery originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 01:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MIT builds battery from bacterial virus, humans to power machines by 2012

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/mit-builds-battery-from-bacterial-virus-humans-to-power-machine/

We've been tracking MIT professor Angela Belcher's attempt to build batteries and nano-electronics from viruses since 2006. Scientifically speaking, the so-called "virus" is actually a bacteriophage, a virus that preys only on bacteria while leaving humans of diminishing scientific knowledge alone to doubt that claim. Now, in a new report co-authored by Belcher, MIT research documents the construction of a lithium-ion battery (pictured after the break) with the help of a biological virus dubbed M13. M13 acts as a "biological scaffold" that allows carbon nanotubes and bits of iron phosphate to attach and form a network for conducting electricity. Specifically, MIT used the genetically engineered material to create the battery's negatively charged anode and positively charged cathode. Best of all, MIT's technique can be performed at, or below room temperature which is important from a manufacturing perspective -- a process that MIT claims will be "cheap and environmentally benign." Already MIT has constructed a virus-battery about the size of that found in a watch to turn on small lights in an MIT lab. Belcher claims that just a third of an ounce (about 10 grams) of the viral battery material could power an iPod for 40 hours. In time and with enough effort MIT expects to scale the technology to power electronic vehicles. Remember, when the time comes choose the red pill.

[Via Scientific American, Thanks James]

Continue reading MIT builds battery from bacterial virus, humans to power machines by 2012

Filed under: Misc. Gad! gets

MIT builds battery from bacterial virus, humans to power machines by 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung 12.1-inch NC20 with VIA Nano power ready for Stateside purchase

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/samsung-12-1-inch-nc20-with-via-nano-ready-for-purchase/

A friendly tipster has pointed us over to NewEgg where Samsung's much loved NC20 is ready for purchase and presumably delivery. Mind you, this isn't just another Atom-based netbook. This 12.1-incher is one of the first to ship Stateside with a Via Nano processor of any type, the 1.3GHz U2250 in this case. You're also looking at Via Chrome9 integrated graphics, 160GB 5400rpm disk, 1GB of DDR2 memory, and 6-cell Li-ion battery. $550 is the pre-tax price for clicking all the way through to purchase where we suspect you'll be treated to a ship date. One thing's for certain; it'll be later than March 6th.

[Thanks, angelwolf71885]

Filed under: Laptops

Samsung 12.1-inch NC20 with VIA Nano power ready for Stateside purchase originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, April 02, 2009

Microsoft to spend $100M with JWT to Market New Search Engine - http://ping.fm/22XqQ - telling people is probably not gonna work :-(

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