Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, May 04, 2009

MSI debuts GX623, GX633 laptops with "Turbo Drive" technology

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/04/msi-debuts-gx623-gx633-laptops-with-turbo-drive-technology/

MSI's new GX623 and GX633 laptops aren't the first to boast the company's so-called Turbo Drive technology, but we're never ones to turn down the opportunity to press a turbo button, even if that turbo button may not fully deliver on its awesome promise. Expectedly, both of these are in the same vein as MSI's previous GX630 model, and boast the same 15.4-inch display, along with a Core 2 Duo processor and ATI Radeon HD4670 graphics on the GX623 model, or an AMD X2 Turion Ultra processor and NVIDIA GeForce GT 130M graphics on the GX633 model. Otherwise, you can expect each to pack MSI's ECO Engine, which'll let you easily switch between a gaming mode and more energy-efficient options, along with up to 4GB of RAM, a max 500GB hard drive, and all the usual modern amenities like 802.11n WiFi, built-in Bluetooth, and a 2-megapixel webcam. No word on prices just yet, but it looks like both should be rolling out as we speak.

Read - MSI GX623
Read - MSI GX633

Filed under: Laptops

MSI debuts GX623, GX633 laptops with "Turbo Drive" technology originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 May 2009 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source announces Warpia wireless USB-to-HDMI adapter

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/04/source-announces-warpia-wireless-usb-to-hdmi-adapter/

We've been waiting for an inexpensive wireless USB-to-HDMI solution for what seems like forever now, and it sounds like we'll finally have some options soon: Source R&D has just announced that it's going to be shipping the Warpia Wireless USB Adapter set at the end of May for an estimated $129-$149. Just like the Atlona AT-HDAiR, the Warpia kit is just a rebranded OEM unit from Wisair, so most of the same caveats apply: max resolution is 1400 x 1050, range is about 30 feet, and HDMI and VGA are the only output options. Still, we can't really think of a better way to do some quick'n'dirty Hulu watching, so we'll be on the hunt for one of these soon -- keep an eye out.

P.S.- Yes, we hope image quality is better than this totally bunk press pic on the Warpia site.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Source announces Warpia wireless USB-to-HDMI adapter originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 May 2009 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

BlackBerry Curve 8520 gets pre-reviewed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/04/blackberry-curve-8520-gets-pre-reviewed/

We've been dying to know more about that crazy BlackBerry Curve 8520 with the optical trackball in place of the usual spinner, and the crew over at CrackBerry's finally posted their pre-release review. Overall, it seems like a nice enough phone, and the optical trackball apparently works well, which is a nice surprise given our experience with them. On the downside, it's not nearly as nice as the Curve 8900, and while the overall design has been updated, components like the screen, battery, and camera are carryovers from the Curve 8300 -- a particular shame considering the raves RIM's been getting for its amazing screens lately. Of course, we can't complain too much considering this thing is EDGE-only and potentially destined to be a pay-as-you-go phone, but it sure does look nice, and we're interested in seeing how this design philosophy translates into higher-end sets... like, say, the Storm 2. Check the full review at the read link.

Filed under: Cellphones

BlackBerry Curve 8520 gets pre-reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 May 2009 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

QNAP's TS-239 Pro Turbo NAS sets sail

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/04/qnaps-ts-239-pro-turbo-nas-sets-sail/

We know you love a good NAS, so we're pleased to report that the crew over at QNAP Systems has announced the TS-239 Pro Turbo NAS, a dual (2TB) bay Atom-based device that sports a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1GB DDRII memory, a none-too-shabby 350MBit/s throughput, and iSCSI target service for SMB and SOHO users. Other features include hot-swappable locking disk trays, two (count 'em!) Giga LAN ports, three USB 2.0 ports, two eSATA ports, and support for Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX operating systems. You can expect the myriad of features the company usually provides in their network appliances, including thin provisioning, online RAID capacity expansion, AES 256-bit volume-based encryption, SMS and email alerts, bit.torrent and EMule downloads, FTP and web server support, database and content management, print server, XDove mail, and Surveillance Station for video monitoring and recording. We still don't know why Nas doesn't have a contract with the company, but we have high hopes that Jay-Z can help him broker some sort of spokesperson gig.

Filed under: Storage

QNAP's TS-239 Pro Turbo NAS sets sail originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 May 2009 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gmail Web Search Box Inserts Links Without Clicking Away [Gmail Labs]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/QTkrFnfRi7Q/gmail-web-search-box-inserts-links-without-clicking-away

So often, writing an email involves opening a new tab to look up something, copying the link, then heading back to paste it. Gmail's latest Labs feature consolidates that process with pop-up Google searches.

Once you enable the Google Search feature in Gmail's Labs menu, you'll see a new Google Search bar in Gmail's left-hand sidebar. Depending on whether you're in the inbox, writing a new mail, or replying to someone else's message, what happens after you type your search and hit enter varies a little bit, but it's all meant to help you search and insert direct links and search result references in your emails.

So, for example, when you're composing a new email, searching from the left-side box will pop up a window just like a chat message with the first few results. Hover over the bottom-right of any result, and a drop-down menu lets you paste that result's direct URL (instead of the common Google click-tracking gobbledy-gook), paste a link to the Google search results page, or pop open a new message with that link auto-inserted. Search from the inbox, and you can start a new message with a search result.

Pretty neat stuff, and pretty handy in certain cases, too. Gmail's making it easier and easier to do more and more from a single browser window.

Official Gmail Blog: New in Labs: Google Search right in Gmail [via TechCrunch]

TagCrowd Creates Word Frequency Clouds [Text Analyzer]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/OkOtAn2wofg/tagcrowd-creates-word-frequency-clouds

Whether you'd like to hunt down words you overuse or you're looking to turn text from your manifesto into word art, TagCrowd can create a simple tag cloud based on the frequency of words.

There are three options for importing text into TagCrowd. You can give it a URL, useful if the URL points to a large volume of text but less useful for making a word cloud based on a blog because it doesn't drill down through links. Alternately you can upload a plain text file with a 100KB size limit or cut and paste up to 3MB of text into the provided text box—no indication on the site why there is such a sizable difference between uploading the text and pasting it. Once you've provided your text you then tell TagCrowd what language the text is in and it will automatically ignore common words in that language such as articles, avoiding a cloud with a giant THE in the center.

You can set the maximum number of words as well as the minimum frequency. You can also have TagCrowd show the frequency number next to the word. If there is a specific set of words from your text sample you would like to be ignored you can create a custom filter list to prevent them from appearing in the cloud. TagCrowd is a free application, if you create a particularly impressive cloud share a screenshot of it in the comments below. Thanks Mike!

Firefox 3.5 Gets Geolocation, Powered by Google [Firefox]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/6jRPU34WzY0/firefox-35-gets-geolocation-powered-by-google

Much like killer Firefox extension/experiment Ubiquity is being partially integrated into Firefox's 3.5 release, the neat-looking Geode extension has been quietly included into the latest 3.5 beta 4 test releases as a new geolocation feature, as was anticipated. It's powered by Google's Wi-Fi-powered location service, and it's still supported by only a handful of services—but maybe more once it's also incorporated into Mozilla's Fennec mobile browser. [via CNET]

@bmorrissey - http://ping.fm/Eofwb - the TwitteRFP: "seeking ad agency partner" - how many big agencies got the RFP, let alone replied?

Wolfram Alpha Search Engine Answers Questions, Looks Amazing [Search Engines]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/2sJlvO7eelU/wolfram-alpha-search-engine-answers-questions-looks-amazing

Wolfram Alpha is a closed (for now) search engine that looks like an incredible hybrid between Wikipedia and Google's OneBox answers for simple, common search queries—at least that's what we've gathered from the demo video.

We haven't actually been able to try the site out ourselves, but it launches sometime this month, so it won't be long. Luckily the demo video embedded here walks through a lot of the possibilities this search engine offers, and those possibilities are mind-blowing—especially for a data lover. Unfortunately the video is a little blurry, so it's not the best possible look at the up-and-coming engine.

Don't think of Wolfram Alpha as a Google Killer, though, because frankly Google doesn't really have anything like it—except for maybe Google's new public data search, which, while impressive, doesn't look nearly as robust as Wolfram Alpha. (Then again, we'll have to wait and see how well Wolfram Alpha works when it gets in the hands of the public.) Either way, Google will still corner the market on most normal search. (We're not always looking for the kind of answers Wolfram Alpha provides when we hit up Google.) As for how this editor uses Google and Wikipedia, I'd actually imagine that Wolfram Alpha could be more of a Wikipedia competitor than a Google competitor.

Let's hear what you think of the yet-to-be-released search engine in the comments.

Motion Detection Is an Effective, Dead Simple Security Camera App [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/c7o3iI3N0_Y/motion-detection-is-an-effective-dead-simple-security-camera-app

Windows only: Motion Detection is a free application that turns your webcam into a motion-sensing security camera in just a few clicks.

Assuming you've got a webcam hooked up to your computer, all you've got to do is run Motion Detector, set your preferences (Motion Detector can capture still images and/or movies complete with timestamps whenever it detects motion), and hit Start to run your new security webcam. Motion Detector's sensitivity slider lets you determine just how much motion the app needs to detect before it starts capturing images. As you can see in the screenshot, triggering motion is indicated by the red squares.

For its part, the application works very well, it's relatively lightweight, and it's very simple to set up and use. We've always pointed to previously mentioned Yawcam for some quick motion-detection via webcam, and while it offers its own impressive set of tools, including FTP upload, I'd still call Motion Detection easier to use. Either way you go, both are great applications for having a little fun setting up a motion-sensing security webcam.

Motion Detection (scroll to the bottom of the page) [via Shell Extension City]

TrueCar Shows You What Cars are Really Selling For [Cars]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/U2jvCFTys9I/truecar-shows-you-what-cars-are-really-selling-for

Any car shopper will tell you it's nearly impossible to get a bead on fair prices from lip service alone. TrueCar aggregates sales data for a clear picture of what cars are really selling for.

If you'd like to get a feel for whether or not you're getting a good deal on a car you've been looking at, TrueCar has the dirt. TrueCar collects and analyzes data from 25% of the automotive sales in the US—a sizable portion, and more than enough to paint an accurate picture.

You plug in your ZIP code and search for the make and model you're thinking about purchasing. TrueCar returns information about the car, including dealer cost, factory invoice, average price paid in your area, and the sticker price. Based on those numbers and archival sales, the site charts out a bell curve, showing you where the sweet spot for wheeling and dealing is.

TrueCar also provides sales history for the previous six months which is handy to check and see if the sale price is falling. TrueCar is a free service. If you know of another service for checking the sales price of cars, share it in the comment belows.

TrueCar [via TechCrunch]

Samsung Alias 2 launching on May 11, E Ink confirmed?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/01/samsung-alias-2-launching-on-may-11-e-ink-confirmed/

We're hearing that the Alias 2 is on track for a release in less than two weeks from now -- May 11, to be exact -- which would mean that we're just a few short days away from seeing the very first E Ink handset launch in the States. Yes, that's right, we said it -- after all the heated debate over the technology powering the Alias 2's configurable keypad, our tipster tells us that new information floating down from corporate confirms that the device is using E Ink, which would explain why it's able to maintain state even with the power off. We still think it's one awfully ugly phone, but this might be one of those all-too-frequent cases where cool tech ends up winning our hearts anyway. As for pricing, the tipster thinks it may come in at $79, which seems improbable even with deep contract discounting and a big mail-in rebate -- but if by some miracle it does end up being accurate, they're going to be selling tons of these to text-heavy geeks like ourselves.

[Image via PhoneArena, thanks ehjun]

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Alias 2 launching on May 11, E Ink confirmed? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 May 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nokia N86 8MP features amazing active kickstand

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/01/nokia-n86-8mp-features-amazing-active-kickstand/

So here we were, thinking that the Nokia N86 8MP was just a featurebumped N85, and what happens? These screenshots showing off a series of custom settings for the kickstand in the back leak out and blow our minds. See, the N96 just has a dumb plastic stand back there, but the N86 8MP can actually launch an app when you flip it out, making it an instant video player, picture frame, or speaker system. That's innovation, friends. Now let's party.

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia N86 8MP features amazing active kickstand originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 May 2009 21:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Samsung Omnia HD i8910 reviewed in the glow of the AMOLED screen

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/02/samsung-omnia-hd-i8910-reviewed-in-the-glow-of-the-amoled-screen/

Whether you call it OmniaHD, i8910 HD, or even "Timmy Tim" (hey, it could happen), Samsung's AMOLED--infused smartphone is a winner, if the fine lads at Phone Arena are to be believed. Points go to its HD video recording and playback, a surprisingly good battery life, and a form factor that's not too hard on the pocket, measuring in at just a wee bit taller and thicker than the HTC Touch HD. Not everything's sunshine and rainbows, though, as trying to use it in direct sunlight's a lost cause and the phone is a magnet for fingerprints. Still, those are pretty minor in comparison, and this is sounding more and more like a solid smartphone. Hit up the read link for a more thorough review, or after the break for the moving pictures version.

Continue reading Samsung Omnia HD i8910 reviewed in the glow of the AMOLED screen

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Omnia HD i8910 reviewed in the glow of the AMOLED screen originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 May 2009 05:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink! &nbs p;| Email this | Comments

NASA's new e-nose can detect scent of cancerous brain cells

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/02/nasas-new-e-nose-can-detect-scent-of-cancerous-brain-cells/

NASA's recently developed electronic nose, intended for air quality monitoring on Space Shuttle Endeavour and later the International Space Station, has a rather fortunate and unintended secondary role. In addition to being able to detect contaminants within about one to 10,000 parts per million, scientists have discovered it can also sniff out the difference in odor between normal and cancerous brain cells -- not a new use for e-noses, but certainly one that helps to advance the field. Groups such the as Brain Mapping Foundation, City of Hope Cancer Center, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory have been testing the technology and hope it one day leads to a new understanding of cancer development. We'd also wager it can accurately detect what cologne or perfume you're wearing, another unintended side effect and probably not as fun of a party trick as it seems.

[Via Slashdot; image courtesy of RSC]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

NASA's new e-nose can detect scent of cancerous brain cells originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 May 2009 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)