Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and AIR 2 betas are out, multi-touch and video acceleration are in (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/adobe-flash-player-10-1-beta-is-out-multi-touch-and-video-accel/

Here we go: Adobe just made its Flash 10.1 prerelease packages available for download in fulfillment of its Open Screen promise. The download is available for Windows, Intel-based Mac, and Linux systems with a smartphone version coming later; notably, while no other mobile OS is specifically mentioned, Adobe says that a beta for Palm webOS is slated for "later this year" on its Flash Player 10.1 page. At the moment, however, only the Windows release includes hardware-based video acceleration for H.264 video. And this is beta-ware kids, so there's more than the usual level of hazard with installing. ~~Then again, for those of you with Atom-based netbooks brought to their knees by full-screen HD video, well, the benefits likely outweigh the risk for you.~~ Adobe also announced an AIR 2 beta which allows developers to build more feature-rich applications including multi-touch capabilities -- see the unholy union demonstrated on an HP TouchSmart in the video after the break.

Update: As noted by reader ZeroK2 in the comments, the release notes [warning: PDF] specify which GPUs will benefit from the hardware acceleration. These include ATI Radeon HD 3xxx and 4xxx series, Mobile Radeon HD 4xxx series, select FirePro products, Intel 4 series chipsets, the Broadcom Crystal HD decoder, and most NVIDIA ION and GeForce 8/9/1xx/2xx powered PCs. In other words, the vast majority of netbook owners with integrated GMA950 graphics need not apply.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read -- Press release
Read -- About Flash Player 10.1

Continue reading Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and AIR 2 betas are out, multi-touch and video acceleration are in (video)

Filed under: Software

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and AIR 2 betas are out, multi-touch and video acceleration are in (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adobe's Flash Player 10.1 beta GPU acceleration tested, documented

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/adobes-flash-player-10-1-beta-gpu-acceleration-tested-document/

We know you don't actually care about 99 percent of the contents of the latest Flash Player update. What you really want to know is whether those new 1080p YouTube streams will run smoothly on your machine thanks to the newly implemented graphics card video acceleration. AnandTech has come to our collective aid on that one, with an extensive testing roundup of some of the more popular desktop and mobile GPU solutions. NVIDIA's ION scored top marks, with "almost perfect" Hulu streaming (see table above), though Anand and crew encountered some issues with ATI's chips and Intel's integrated GMA 4500 MHD, which they attribute to the new Flash Player's beta status. On the OS front, although Linux and Mac OS are not yet on the official hardware acceleration beneficiary list, the wily testers found marked improvements in performance under OS X. It seems, then, that Adobe has made good on its partnership with NVIDIA, and made ION netbooks all the more scrumptious in the process, while throwing a bone to the Mac crowd, but leaving the majority of users exercising the virtue of patience until the finalized non-beta Player starts making the rounds in a couple of months. Hit the read link for further edification.

Filed under: Software

Adobe's Flash Player 10.1 beta GPU acceleration tested, documented originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo ThinkPad W701 hints at Core i7 Extreme in FCC reveal

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/lenovo-thinkpad-w701-hints-at-core-i7-extreme-in-fcc-reveal/

Lenovo can't be feeling too much warmth toward the FCC right now. After Intel and Wistron combined to remove any mystery from its next IdeaPad, here comes the latter with yet another filing revealing yet more tasty morsels of knowledge. Wistron's latest submission is for a "Notebook Computer with Wacom Digitizer," which immediately points us toward the high-end ThinkPad W series,with the W700 being the only Lenovo laptop to sport such an appendage so far. Reassuringly, the new model name appears to be W701 and we've spotted a 2GHz Intel CPU, 320GB Fujitsu HDD, and a Samsung-made 17-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) display in amongst the test specs. If your appetite hasn't been titillated already, the only contemporary mobile CPU from Intel that we know to run at a default speed of 2GHz is the quad-core Core i7-920XM, which comes with 8MB of L3 cache, 3.2GHz single-core max speed, 55W TDP, and a truly stratospheric price. We might have a Holiday Gift Guide candidate for 2010 already.

Filed under: Laptops

Lenovo ThinkPad W701 hints at Core i7 Extreme in FCC reveal originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Droid camera autofocus fixed in secrecy?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/motorola-droid-camera-autofocus-fixed-in-secrecy/

While we were busy looking into external speaker problems on the Droid, it would seem Moto was itself hard at work remedying a separate issue with the device. A number of users on support forums have complained of the Droid's camera failing to focus and giving them "red corners" when attempting to take pictures, but now -- suddenly and without warning -- their ailment has gone away as if touched by the hand of an omnipotent being (or, alternatively, a silent firmware update). This particular autofocus issue was mentioned in Verizon's 5-page treatise on known issues with the Droid, though the planned resolution was an official update by December 11. The fix seems to have been delivered early, as green corners are sprouting up all around, but this silent update conduit sounds a bit nefarious, no?

Update: Sure enough, we can confirm from testing one of our own Droids that the issue has been resolved. The endless quest for the green focus box is over, and you can now finally begin scanning all your discount cards into Key Ring.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - Android Forums
Read - Howard Forums

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola Droid camera autofocus fixed in secrecy? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS's UL30Vt announced, somehow finds room for discrete graphics

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/asuss-ul30vt-announced-somehow-finds-room-for-discrete-graphic/

ASUS's UL30Vt announced, somehow finds room for discrete graphics

ASUS impressed the world with its lightweight, inexpensive 13.3-inch UL30 over the summer, and just last week impressed us with its switchable-graphics packing bigger cousin, the UL80Vt. Now the 30 is getting the discrete treatment, enabling users to choose from molasses rendering and "all-day computing" battery life or slightly more robust graphics and slightly (about an hour) shorter longevity. The system also packs DDR3 memory, a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor (able to be overclocked), and that "stylishly robust" aluminum lid. No word on release or price, but the earlier Vt models didn't come with a massive leap in MSRP, so we'd expect this one not to fall too far from UL30's $749 street price.

Gallery: ASUS UL30Vt

[Thanks, Neti_Neti]

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS's UL30Vt announced, somehow finds room for discrete graphics originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ainol's V9000HDX 'Megatron' PMP looks lovely, does 1080p, freezes its enemies in blocks of ice

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/ainols-v9000hdx-megatron-pmp-looks-lovely-does-1080p-freeze/

Ainol's V9000HDX 'Megatron' PMP looks lovely, does 1080p, freezes its enemies in blocks of ice

Ainol's V6000 series had great specs, but sadly rocked a GPS-worthy aesthetic. The V8000 players went for something a little more stylish, but also a lot more vanilla. Now we're up to the V9000 series and we finally have a look that's sophisticated and distinctive -- and a little creepy with that "please help I'm frozen over here" wallpaper. It's displayed on a 4.8-inch, 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, though the device is capable of rendering 1080p video out its HDMI port for display onto something a little bigger. The UI seems a little busy but very functional, and with 16GB of storage, an FM tuner, and a 2450mAh battery it should keep you entertained even on the longest of commutes. Price and availability here in the States was not mentioned, but you weren't really expecting it would be, were ya?

Update: We got a comment from voodoo indicating that this is now believed to be a fake. While we're not entirely sure who to believe at this point with conflicting information on a variety of forums, given that Ainol has still not posted any confirmation of this device on its site it's not looking particularly good. If it is a fake we're hoping the company pulls out all the stops to identify the perpetrators -- and then hires them.

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Ainol's V9000HDX 'Megatron' PMP looks lovely, does 1080p, freezes its enemies in blocks of ice originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Evoluce ONE gives you 47 inches of multitouch surface to play with (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/evoluce-one-gives-you-47-inches-of-multitouch-surface-to-play-wi/

We're kind of late to this party, but better late than never, right? At the end of last month, German company Evoluce announced its 47-inch multitouch display, touting Full HD (or 1920 x 1080) resolution and "Integrated-Through-Screen-Optics," which allow it to recognize an unlimited number of simultaneous inputs. The ONE also features haptic feedback and is compatible with Windows 7's multitouch features right out of the box, with support for some "other OS" also planned. If you're thinking this looks like a legit competitor to Microsoft's Surface, well, you'd be right. We've got the full PR for you after the break, as well as hands-on video of the (relatively) new device.

Continue reading Evoluce ONE gives you 47 inches of multitouch surface to play with (video)

Filed under: Displays

Evoluce ONE gives you 47 inches of multitouch surface to play with (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony applies next-gen snowflake tech to boost VAIO W's appeal

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/sony-applies-next-gen-snowflake-tech-to-boost-vaio-ws-appeal/

Sony applies next-gen snowflake tech to boost VAIO W's appeal

When Sony's VAIO W netbook was released, we said the company would "have to do better than put a pretty face on a vanilla set of innards to get our next five Benjamins." So what has the company done to raise the appeal of its little netbook? Boosted the processor? Added a big SSD? Lowered the price? Nah, it went ahead and painted some snowflakes on the lid. Pretty though they may be they still hide the same 10.1-inch, 1366 x 768 LCD, 1.6GHz Atom, and 1GB of RAM. There are some improvements: storage is upped a bit, a 250GB HDD instead of 160, and it now includes Windows 7 Starter instead of XP. And there are snowflakes. Still $499. Get yours before they melt!

[Via Sony Insider]

Filed under: Laptops

Sony applies next-gen snowflake tech to boost VAIO W's appeal originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Addonics Mini NAS: when RAID is too much to ask for

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/addonics-mini-nas-when-raid-is-too-much-to-ask-for/

If you're in the market for a single bay network drive, your options have certainly been piling up lately -- and now the kids at Addonics are premiering their aptly named Mini NAS. Billed as "the world's smallest," this guy is roughly the same size (and roughly as attractive) as a small hub, and it sports 10/100Mbps Ethernet, a 2.5-inch drive bay, a USB port for printer sharing, and support for SMB, Samba, and iTunes music sharing, FTP access (up to 8 simultaneous users), and a BitTorrent client. Yours now for $69. PR after the break.

Continue reading Addonics Mini NAS: when RAID is too much to ask for

Filed under: Storage

Addonics Mini NAS: when RAID is too much to ask for originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bowers & Wilkins somehow makes PC speakers interesting with MM-1

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/bowers-and-wilkins-somehow-makes-pc-speakers-interesting-with-mm-1/

Outside of factory keyboards, there's hardly anything more boring than a set of PC speakers. They're typically unsightly, add to the rat's nest of wires behind your rig and force you into a life of dependency. And then there's Bowers & Wilkins, a company that excels at pumping out products with lust-worthy designs. Somehow or another, the outfit responsible for the dirigible-inspired iPod sound system has produced a set of standard computer speakers that are actually rather inspiring, as the Zeppelin MM-1 touts no extra subwoofer, a simple USB connection and an inbuilt headphone socket. There's nary a mention of price (trust us, it'll be up there), but we should hear more when they ship in January.

Filed under: Portable Audio

Bowers & Wilkins somehow makes PC speakers interesting with MM-1 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon EOS 7D impressions for filmmaker wannabes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/canon-eos-7d-impressions-for-filmmaker-wannabes/

Chad Mumm is our video producer at Engadget, doing work on The Engadget Show and filming shorter-form stuff when we need it. He recently acquired the 7D for personal and work use, and we asked him to put together some thoughts on the camera in terms of using it primarily for video. You can check out our traditional review roundup for the 7D here.

These times are strange. Five years ago if you walked onto the set of a movie, TV show, or music video -- before you got kicked out by a strung out production assistant -- you'd have probably seen a bustling group of workers huddled around a giant camera changing out huge spools with Kodak or Fujifilm logos on them. The RED ONE camera shook up the industry when it was released two years ago and those cans of film were replaced with hard-drives and digital technicians. Now, we're in the midst of another monumental camera shift, and it's not the 3D revolution that everyone predicted. Nope, in 2009 we make our movies on DSLRs. Just how good are they? Well, the recently released Canon EOS 7D may just be the new Engadget workhorse. Read on for the inside scoop on our ridiculously cinematic new rig.

Gallery: Canon EOS 7D video rig

Continue reading Canon EOS 7D impressions for filmmaker wannabes

Canon EOS 7D impressions for filmmaker wannabes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PrimeDTV further saturates HD media streamer segment with PHD-HM5

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/primedtv-further-saturates-hd-media-streamer-segment-with-phd-hm/

Look, we're all for competition, but it's about time for some of these guys to stop copying and start innovating. As if your noggin' wasn't already spinning enough as you attempt to whittle down your laundry list of HD media streamers, in flies PrimeDTV with yet another hopeful. The PHD-HM5 looks to be fairly standard in terms of features, with HDMI / component outputs, a lengthy list of supported formats, an Ethernet socket and a pair of USB 2.0 ports. You won't find WiFi or any internal hard drive, and you'll have to live with the fact that this thing is akin to some lackluster AV component from the early 90s. Oh, and then there's the chore of actually finding one for sale (not to mention an MSRP), which should probably be just enough to push you towards Popcorn Hour.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

PrimeDTV further saturates HD media streamer segment with PHD-HM5 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cadbury-Ferrero Is 'Credible Alternative' to Kraft, Nomura Says
Bloomberg
... maker of Rocher chocolate and Nutella spread, would boost Cadbury's presence in Germany, Italy and France, "where Cadbury's chocolate presence is ...
See all stories on this topic

We Like Chocolate and Beer. Cigarettes, Not That Much
BusinessWeek
Turns out candy is dandy, at least during recessions. Beer is pretty OK, too, but cigarettes are a vice that even smokers increasingly say they ain't worth ...
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Freeman of Speech: Farewell to Mayor Wonka and the Chocolate City
LSU The Reveille
... to see taxpayers' money going to something that will help New Orleans in its recovery efforts — namely, getting Mayor Wonka out of the Chocolate City. ...
See all stories on this topic

Seattle Post Intelligencer

Specialty foods avoid recession's bite
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Some things, such as high-end chocolate, are recession-proof. "I think it is sort of a comfort food, and on the scale of luxury items, it is on the lower ...
See all stories on this topic

Chocolate milk in school: a necessary evil?
Los Angeles Times
By John Keilman and Tara Malone Reporting from Chicago - The dairy industry recently rolled out an expensive media campaign in praise of chocolate milk, ...
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Chocolate decision 'common sense'
ABC Online
The Aboriginal Legal Service says it is a relief common sense has prevailed in the case of a 12-year-old boy charged with receiving a stolen chocolate. ...
See all stories on this topic

Palm Beach Post

Dark chocolate bliss: Take two candy bars and call me in the morning, cocoa ...
Palm Beach Post
by Stacey Singer When I'm stressed, I reach for chocolate, and new research suggests that might be a great idea. A study published last week in the Journal ...
See all stories on this topic

Digitaltrends.com

LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 Review
Digitaltrends.com
The LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 which we review has Dolby sound, one touch social media features and more. Hot on the heels of Motorola's Droid debut, ...
See all stories on this topic

Microsoft's Startup Whisperer enters

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies | my kitchen addiction
By Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction
You may remember that I mentioned the Chocolate Chunk Cookies from A Chica Bakes in my Friday Favorites a few weeks ago. The cookies were made with Scharffen Berger chocolate, and I was dying to give some a try. ...
my kitchen addiction - http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/

Photos: The Brooklyn Chocolate Experiment | Own This City | Time ...
By Amy Plitt
Cocoa is king at the Brooklyn Chocolate Experiment.
Own This City - http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/tonyblog/

Plant Whatever Brings You Joy » Book Notes: Luscious Chocolate ...
By Kathryn
If there were ever an excuse needed to focus on chocolate the holidays do provide! This week I was nagged by a relentless urging to make brownies, knowing full well I did not have the optimal recipe. (Can someone please explain to me ...
Plant Whatever Brings You Joy - http://plantwhateverbringsyoujoy.com/

Boy, 12, locked up over chocolate | Stuff.co.nz
A 12-year-old Australian boy, who has faced a court over a stolen chocolate bar, has already spent hours imprisoned over the alleged crime.
Stuff.co.nz - Editors' Picks - http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/2284132/font-color-cc0000-Aussie-view-font-color-Manly-crumble-at-Brookvale

Chocolate Chip Cookie Championship: The Midtown (Ish) Edition ...
By Carey Jones
"The people have spoken. And City Bakery is no longer their cookie of choice." [Photos: Robyn Lee and Sophie Finkelstein] Moving Onto The Next Round: Max Brenner Pret a Manger (yes, really) The Uptown Edition >> The Mission >> Last...
Serious Eats: New York - http://newyork.seriouseats.com/

Monday, November 16, 2009

Menq's $80 EasyPC E790 netbook runs Windows CE now, should run Android later (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/15/menqs-80-easypc-e790-netbook-runs-windows-ce-now-should-run-a/

Don't be fooled by that background: this Menq EasyPC E790 is only using Windows CE 5.0 for the sake of this hands-on. The successor to the $89 E760 we saw last year still sports a Samsung ARM processor, bumps the 7-inch display's resolution to 800 x 480, and at least as far as this Techvideoblog video hands-on shows, can do a decent (albeit not great) job of handling DivX files, Skype, and browsing. There's a promise from the manufacturer that Android is coming sometime in the next month, but honestly, given what we've seen before, we'd be happy to stick with Windows CE. Of course, the big selling point here is the price, and that claimed $80 is quite the looker. Video after the break.

[Via SlashGear and Linux for Devices]

Read - Hands-on
Read - Product page

Continue reading Menq's $80 EasyPC E790 netbook runs Windows CE now, should run Android later (video)

Filed under: Laptops

Menq's $80 EasyPC E790 netbook runs Windows CE now, should run Android later (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung unveils Android-equipped Galaxy Spica i5700

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/15/samsung-unveils-android-equipped-galaxy-spica-i5700/

The long-rumored little brother to the Galaxy, the i5700, has finally been made official by Samsung -- and sure enough, it'll go by the trade name "Galaxy Spica." Sammy's latest Android-powered set clocks in at 13.2mm thick and comes equipped with a 3.5mm jack (which, frankly, every smartphone in the world should be including at this point), an 800MHz core (presumably the same as the Moment's), and an Android first: built-in DivX support. This one appears to be a no-frills Google Experience device considering the number of times that "Google" is mentioned in Samsung's press release, but for some Android connoisseurs, the purest, unskinned look and feel is preferred. Sammy says it's already out in Europe and the CIS and will be coming to the Middle East and Asia shortly.

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung unveils Android-equipped Galaxy Spica i5700 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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