Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

A Visual Guide to Android 2.0: So Much Nicer [Android 2.0]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/AYLYcqPJHNQ/a-visual-guide-to-android-20-so-much-nicer

The best thing about the Motorola Droid might just be Android 2.0. It got official yesterday, and Google showed off some highlights, but here's a visual guide if you wanna get a little closer. (You should, it's pretty great.)

Don't Adjust Your TV Set [Image Cache]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/fcdDIq09cpA/dont-adjust-your-tv-set

If you look closely, you will see circles overlaid on this idyllic postcard of Vercorin, Switzerland. It's not a Photoshop: These holes are as real as the ones in Gruyere cheese. It's a startling optical illusion. 2500-pixel panorama ahead.

Zoom in the image above to see the panorama in full detail

As you can see in the gallery, the circles were placed in segments over different houses around the town. They only become visible from certain vantage points, which should be quite a dizzying experience as you go by. The whole thing is an art installation by Felice Varini, called "Cercle et suite d'éclats." Oh really? Well, cherchez la Vache to you, laeedee. [Varini via Today and Tomorrow via Core77]

HTC Droid Eris Might Be the Cheapest Android Phone at $99 [Unconfirmed]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/_CF3T_5ucYc/htc-droid-eris-might-be-the-cheapest-android-phone-at-99

A lot of attention has been lavished on the Motorola Droid today—and rightfully so—but it's merely the "cornerstone" of Verizon's Droid family. HTC's Droid Eris is gonna be the cheap stepbrother, at 99 bucks.

Though it's been speculated that the Droid Eris will run Android 1.6 and sport a hard-to-get-excited-about 528MHz Qualcomm CPU, it would be the cheapest Android phone yet in the US. Verizon didn't mention it at all today, so we might be a touch skeptical of it making that rumored Nov. 6 launch date, but we'll see. [gdgt via Twitter]

Google Music Search Turns Your Results Pages Into Personal Radios [Google]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/-rD_rKpttQ4/google-music-search-turns-your-results-pages-into-personal-radios

As rumored, Google Music Search (aka Onebox) is a music search feature that appears inside Google search that will give you not a little 30-second clip, but a full song play.

Basically, as you can see in the picture, you will see play buttons alongside different songs when you get search results. If you press play, a popup from MySpace (iLike) or Lala appears, letting you play the full song and giving you buttons to buy it or get more info. You will also have the chance to check out the band on other services/sites, including Pandora, iMeem and Rhapsody. (As you might imagine, there's no mention of iTunes in all of this.)

In essence, Google isn't playing the music at all. It's up to MySpace and Lala to manage the rights of the full-song playback business, and to serve up the content. For more info, check out the YouTube video or Google blog. They say they'll be rolling it out to US Google users over the next day, so be on the lookout. [Google]

VIZIO brings the LED party to 19- and 23-inch models

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/vizio-brings-the-led-party-to-19-and-23-inch-models/

Unless you've been under a rock for a hot minute, then you know that LED backlit LCD HDTVs have been all the rage, though so far no one has brought those benefits to the smaller TVs. Well today VIZIO added a 19-inch and a 23-inch model to its LED lineup. Only the 23-inch is 1080p, but both have very thin profiles and the improved contrast and color you'd expect. The interesting twist is that both models will work as a picture frame, which someone (as in, literally one person in some random corner of the globe) might appreciate. The 19-inch model retails for $349, and the 23-inch will set you back another $50, but there's no word on when you can expect these to show up on a store shelf near you. More pictures and the full release after the jump.

Continue reading VIZIO brings the LED party to 19- and 23-inch models

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

VIZIO brings the LED party to 19- and 23-inch models originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JVC joins the sub-$200 Blu-ray player game with ultrathin XV-BP11

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/jvc-joins-the-sub-200-blu-ray-player-game-with-ultrathin-xv-bp1/

Sub-$200 Blu-ray players certainly aren't new -- heck, some guys have been doing it since the year 2008 -- but you'll never catch us kvetching about a little more competition. JVC has today introduced (in the briefest way possible, might we add) its newest Blu-ray player just ten months after deciding to play the BD game here in the States. The ultrathin (and "now available") XV-BP11 should slide into just about any AV rack, bringing Blu-ray / DVD playback, AVCHD support, HDMI 1.3, a USB socket and compatibility with a slew of audio formats. Curiously enough, the outfit doesn't bother to mention if this thing is Profile 2.0, but we're guessing (read: hoping) that it wouldn't do something as ludicrous as charge two bills for a Profile 1.1 deck in late 2009. Then again, we've seen zanier things go down...

Update: Ouch -- this thing is only Profile 1.1. Dud. [Thanks, Aaron!]

Continue reading JVC joins the sub-$200 Blu-ray player game with ultrathin XV-BP11

Filed under: Home Entertainment

JVC joins the sub-$200 Blu-ray player game with ultrathin XV-BP11 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI's Wind Top AE2220 all-in-one PC brings 21.6-inch multitouch panel, Win7

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/msis-wind-top-ae2220-all-in-one-pc-brings-21-6-inch-multitouch/

MSI's Wind Top line seems to be expanding at a breakneck pace, and the latest entry is actually worth bending over backwards to get a look at. Boasting a 21.6-inch multitouch display (1,920 x 1,080 native resolution), the all-in-one desktop also features Windows 7 Home Premium, 4GB of DDR2 memory, a 640GB hard drive, NVIDIA's GeForce 9300 integrated graphics set (or Ion, if you please), an HDMI output, a bundled wireless keyboard / mouse and your choice of a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo T6600 or 2.1GHz Pentium T4300 processor. You'll also get eSATA support, WiFi, a 1.3-megapixel camera and a 6-in-1 card reader. Three versions are up for pre-order right now at Amazon, with the cheapest pegged at $659.99 and the most pricey at $899.99.

[Via Engadget Korea]

Read - MSI's announcement
Read - Amazon pre-order page

Filed under: Desktops

MSI's Wind Top AE2220 all-in-one PC brings 21.6-inch multitouch panel, Win7 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola DROID official on Verizon: $199 on contract, coming November 6th (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/motorola-droid-official-on-verizon-199-on-contract-coming-nov/

We knew good and well this thing was coming sometime in November, and now Verizon Wireless has made it official: the Motorola DROID will hit Big Red on November 6th for $199 on contract (after a $100 mail-in rebate). Naturally, the DROID itself is just the first of what could be many Android-laced phones coming to the carrier, and Verizon Wireless CMO John Stratton even stated that the phone "is wide open" -- pretty big words from a company like VZW. Android 2.0 will be front and center, along with Visual Voicemail, a 3.7-inch display (854 x 480 resolution), 5 megapixel camera (with dual-LED flash), a bundled 16GB memory card and a beta version of Google Maps Navigation(!). For those wondering, yeah -- the DROID is the first phone to offer that, which transforms Google Maps into a turn-by-turn routing system that'll have your dedicated TomTom / Garmin trembling in fear. There's also a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3G, WiFi, voice-activated search and over-the-air Amazon MP3 downloads. With all that, who needs the iPhone, right Ivan?

Update: Check on our in-depth hands-on coverage on the DROID, Google Maps Navigation and the accessory dock!

Gallery: Verizon Wireless' DROID by Motorola

Continue reading Motorola DROID official on Verizon: $199 on contract, coming November 6th (video)

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola DROID official on Verizon: $199 on contract, coming November 6th (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Albatron's 42 inches of optical touch monitor get examined on video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/albatrons-42-inches-of-optical-touch-monitor-get-examined-on-vi/

While Dell and HP were busy holding a competition to see who could do a worse job of announcing their new optical multitouch displays, Albatron was crafting away a 42-inch monstrosity to completely steal their thunder. The optical part refers to a pair of CMOS sensors embedded in the bezel which are responsible for touch detection, a cheaper alternative to your typical capacitive and resistive tech, which requires an extra USB connection between the monitor and computer. Although some issues were found with Windows 7's multitouch implementation, the promise of recognizing more than two fingers with the proper software support and the general responsiveness of the unit whet our appetite for more. Alas, nobody dares speak of a price, but a 1080p 22-inch model is already available for $450, in case you wanted to add to your touchy-feely shortlist. The video after the break contains the hands-on and a little mystery -- why is there Bulgarian handwriting on the whiteboard in the background?

Continue reading Albatron's 42 inches of optical touch monitor get examined on video

Filed under: Displays

Al batron's 42 inches of optical touch monitor get examined on video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo teases new ThinkCentre all-in-one desktop

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/lenovo-teases-new-thinkcentre-all-in-one-desktop/

Lenovo isn't offering any more than this picture of its new ThinkCentre all-in-one desktop just yet, but it's already clear that it's not messing around with this one. How can we be so sure? It has a map of the world on it, and maps mean business. It also doesn't look like we have to wait too long to get the full story on it, as Lenovo is promising to make things official at the EDUCAUSE 09 conference early next month.

[Thanks, Tim]

Filed under: Desktops

Lenovo teases new ThinkCentre all-in-one desktop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ghostwire augmented reality game coming to your creepy motel room, DSi in 2010

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/ghostwire-augmented-reality-game-coming-to-your-creepy-motel-r/

Majesco's just announced an augmented reality game for the DSi, Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal. While the Ghostwire title had been previously unveiled, Majesco has apparently just signed on to publish it. The game makes use of the DSi's camera and microphone so the player can hunt for ghosts in their surrounding, actual environment. Once the ghosts are detected, the player will have to track down objects to bribe them into peacefulness. Ghostwire is expected sometime in 2010, but until then, we'll just keep walking with our own ghosts.

Filed under: Gaming

Ghostwire augmented reality game coming to your creepy motel room, DSi in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola DROID first hands-on! (update: video, impressions, more pics)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/motorola-droid-first-hands-on/

We've got the DROID in our hands... and it is sweet. Moto claims that this is the thinnest full QWERTY slider on the market, and we're apt to believe it. The phone is incredibly slick and solid, and we're definitely looking forward to putting it through its paces. We'll have more photos, video, and a full review coming, so stay tuned!

Some quick observations on the phone:

That big screen is killer. Bright, crisp, and tons of room for your icons and widgets.
Speed is noticeably improved -- particularly when moving from app to app. We did notice that some of the home screen scrolling looked laggy.
Android 2.0 is definitely cleaned up -- but it's most definitely still Android
The browser seems significantly improved -- pages now load up in a fully zoomed-out mode, and the load times and scrolling are way snappier.
The keyboard takes some getting used to, and it suffers from a similar hand-position issue as the G1, but it's fairly usable. We think it'll be second nature once we spend some time with it.
Facebook is integrated into accounts, which means some of that BLUR functionality is here (though now it's part of Android 2.0 natively). The good news is that when you add a Facebook account you can choose to pull all Facebook info and contacts, or just info related to your existing contacts -- a real clutter buster.

Update: We've added a new gallery, and video is on the way!

Update 2: Video is up after the break! More coming too...

Update 3: And we've got a browser speed test to round things out.

Update 4: We've added another gallery of the car and home docks, which are pretty neat -- the phone detects the dock magnetically, and switches to the appropriate mode. We're told that there'll also be third-party docks, and that Google's the one behind the different interface modes, so this could be just the tip of the iceberg.

Gallery: Motorola DROID first hands-on

Gallery: Motorola DROID closer look

Gallery: Motorola DROID car and home docks hands-on

Continue reading Motorola DROID first hands-on! (update: video, impressions, more pics)

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola DROID first hands-on! (update: video, impressions, more pics) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Navigation video hands-on: you want this

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/google-navigation-video-hands-on-you-want-this/

We apologize for being fanish, but Google has pulled off something with its new Navigation elements in Google Maps (or is it Google Maps in a Navigation app? It's hard to tell) that has serious ramifications for a navigation device industry used to charging money for functionality. The introduction of satellite view, a tasteful touch of street view (peep a still of your next turn, or see your destination), and of course regular stuff like spoken directions and street names, and Google's voice recognition applied to search (anywhere on the device just tap voice search and start your phrase with "navigate to") make this a pretty astonishing offering for what's essentially a free app with the purchase of an Android 2.0 device. The biggest worry here is that if you lose signal you won't be able to pull maps, but while there's no whole-map caching, it does cache a route when you enter it in, so as long as you don't stray too far from the beaten path you should be fine with a dropped signal here or there. But enough of our blather, check out a video walkthrough after the break.

Gallery: Google Navigation hands-on

Continue reading Google Navigation video hands-on: you want this

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Google Navigation video hands-on: you want this originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia's N97 mini gets its shipping papers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/nokias-n97-mini-gets-its-shipping-papers/

Right on cue, the smaller-but-just-barely N97 mini is now ready for public consumption over in Europe. Granted, we're certainly at the tail end of October, but we can't say that we caught Nokia in a lie or anything based on what was said last month in Stuttgart. You've already committed the specifications to memory and read all about firmware 2.0, so now all that's left to do is run along, fork out €450 ($667) and wonder forever if this decision will positively or negatively change the course of your life.

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia's N97 mini gets its shipping papers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

A Visual Guide to Android 2.0: So Much Nicer [Android 2.0]

Don't Adjust Your TV Set [Image Cache]

HTC Droid Eris Might Be the Cheapest Android Phone at $99 [Unconfirmed]

Google Music Search Turns Your Results Pages Into Personal Radios [Google]

VIZIO brings the LED party to 19- and 23-inch models

JVC joins the sub-$200 Blu-ray player game with ultrathin XV-BP11

MSI's Wind Top AE2220 all-in-one PC brings 21.6-inch multitouch panel, Win7

Motorola DROID official on Verizon: $199 on contract, coming November 6th (video)

Albatron's 42 inches of optical touch monitor get examined on video

Lenovo teases new ThinkCentre all-in-one desktop

Ghostwire augmented reality game coming to your creepy motel room, DSi in 2010

Motorola DROID first hands-on! (update: video, impressions, more pics)

Google Navigation video hands-on: you want this

Nokia's N97 mini gets its shipping papers

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