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Sunday, December 13, 2009

HDI's 100-inch, laser-driven 3D HDTV gets $10k to $15k price tag

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/12/hdis-100-inch-laser-driven-3d-hdtv-gets-10k-to-15k-price-tag/

Thought Mitsubishi's LaserVue set was pricey? Hah. HDI, the California startup with dreams of producing a 100-inch 3D HDTV that's driven by lasers, has just released the first hint of a price range, and as predicted, it ain't cheap. The set -- which has already been deemed a favorite by The Woz -- has reportedly had its first batch manufactured over in China, and we're told that a smattering of 'em should be available by May. If all goes well, the HDTV should be in full-scale production mode by Christmas of next year, and we've learned that the whole thing will measure around 10-inches thick. Amazingly, it'll also go relatively easy on the power meter, but the $10,000 to $15,000 price estimate is bound to shock some. Of course, Panasonic's own 103-inch 3D HDTV is currently pegged at around $75,000, so when you think of it from that perspective, HDI's offering is a bona fide bargain. And totally worth liquidating your future kid's college fund for.

HDI's 100-inch, laser-driven 3D HDTV gets $10k to $15k price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3D-Display-Info | source

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Piixl EdgeCenter 3770 media PC slides behind your flat panel, doesn't get the attention it deserves

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/12/piixl-edgecenter-3770-media-pc-slides-behind-your-flat-panel-do/

Unorthodox media center PCs aren't anything new; if you can dream it up, there's most likely an option out there with your name on it. Piixl's newest entry, however, has a fairly decent shot at appealing to more than just the home theater junkies, but only time will tell if the London-based startup can convince consumers that they really need another slab of machinery behind their flat-panel. The EdgeCenter 3770 is essentially an ultraslim HTPC with an enclosure that's engineered to mount directly behind flat-panel HDTVs through their VESA mounting interface. The whole thing is just 30mm deep and can fit screens ranging from 37- to 70-inches, and if you're worried about it being underpowered, don't be. The base configuration is equipped with a 3Ghz Core 2 Duo chip, while Core i5 and Core i7 options (not to mention discrete GPUs) are available for those with the spare poundage. Interested parties can order theirs now starting at £2,490 ($4,043), though it's frighteningly easy to push that well into five figure territory.

Continue reading Piixl EdgeCenter 3770 media PC slides behind your flat panel, doesn't get the attention it deserves

Piixl EdgeCenter 3770 media PC slides behind your flat panel, doesn't get the attention it deserves originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia Booklet 3G slips to $199 on contract 'through the holidays'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/12/nokia-booklet-3g-slips-to-199-on-contract-through-the-holidays/

Few people were debating that the $299 on contract price for Nokia's Atom-powered Booklet 3G was a bit steep, but now it has fallen more in line with its closest competition thanks to a price drop at Best Buy Mobile. From December 13th "through the holidays," the Windows 7-packin' machine (which we just recently reviewed) will be available for $199.99 with a two-year AT&T Data Connect plan. Of course, there's a good chance you'll regret the decision to jump on this when the next-generation Atom hits at CES (which is happening, right Intel?), but hey, Santa's got to do what Santa's got to do.

[Thanks, Hary]

Nokia Booklet 3G slips to $199 on contract 'through the holidays' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Prototype SATA 6Gbps SSD gets benchmarked: yessir, it's hasty

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/12/prototype-sata-6gbps-ssd-gets-benchmarked-yessir-its-hasty/

We've already seen Seagate tout the speed advantages of its SATA 6Gbps hard drive, but it's the 6Gbps SSD that we're really curious about. PC Perspective managed to snag itself a Marvell prototype drive, and even though they could only test the read capabilities of it, the results are nothing short of titillating. Reviewers pitted the Marvell drive against Intel's well-respected X25-M G2, and their (admittedly limited) testing led them to discover a 33 percent increase in burst performance over one of the quickest SSDs on the market today. In case you're still not impressed, you should know that they also saw a 27 percent uptick in sustained read performance (compared to the X25-M G2) and a 175 percent increase over the aforementioned SATA 6Gbps Seagate HDD. Obviously it's still too early to tell whether the 6Gbps SSD really is the best thing since the vacuum tube, but if these ultra-early results are any indication of what's to come, we suggest you start packing those pennies away right now to finance your next storage upgrade.

Prototype SATA 6Gbps SSD gets benchmarked: yessir, it's hasty originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ultrathin LG XNote LGX30 surfaces at FCC rockin' Windows 7

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/13/ultrathin-lg-xnote-lgx30-surfaces-at-fcc-rockin-windows-7/

Looks like Dell isn't the only one who knows how to produce an ultrathin laptop, as LG's latest concoction has just landed at the always-revealed database of the FCC. The XNote LGX30 (not to be confused with the Ion-based X30) is an 11.6-inch netbook with a 1,366 x 768 resolution panel, solid state drive, integrated webcam, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a multicard reader, GMA500 graphics set and a 3-cell battery. The machine weighs just 1.74 pounds and is based on some sort of Atom CPU, and as expected, it's Windows 7 running the show. We're hoping to hear a lot more about this thing when CES rolls around, but till then, feel free to peruse the user guide down there in the source link. It's a riveting read, we tell ya.

Ultrathin LG XNote LGX30 surfaces at FCC rockin' Windows 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 04:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wireless Goodness ! | source

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MyRacer serves up 5-inch Lisse H10 portable media player

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/13/myracer-serves-up-5-inch-lisse-h10-portable-media-player/

It's been a hot minute since we've seen a new entrant in MyRacer's lisse line of portable media players, but the H10 looks to be changing all that with its 16GB of internal storage space and expansive display. You'll notice a familiar design here externally, and within you'll find a 5-inch panel (1,280 x 720 resolution), an HDMI output, FM tuner / transmitter, a microSD expansion slot, voice recorder and support for just about any file format known to man. Mum's the word on a price and release date, but we doubt it'll be long before it's roaming the streets of Seoul.

MyRacer serves up 5-inch Lisse H10 portable media player originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PMP Today, Move Player | source

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Saturday, December 12, 2009

Google Demonstrates Quantum Algorithm Promising Superfast Search [Quantum Computing]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/MPRQ5SsE4gw/google-demonstrates-quantum-algorithm-promising-superfast-search

Quantum computing has long dangled the possibility of superfast, super-efficient processing, and now search giant Google has jumped on board that future.

New Scientist reports that Google has spent the past three years developing a quantum algorithm that can automatically recognize and sort objects from still images or video.

The promise of quantum computing rests with the bizarre physics that occurs at the subatomic level. Different research teams have worked on creating quantum processors that store information as qubits (quantum bits), which can represent both the 1 and 0 of binary computer language at the same time. That dual possibility state allows for much more efficient processing and information storage.

To take an example cited by Google, a classical computer might need 500,000 peeks on average to find a ball hidden somewhere within a million drawers. But a quantum computer could find the ball by just looking into 1,000 drawers — a nice little stunt known as Grover's algorithm.

Google has been using a quantum computing device created by D-Wave, a Canadian firm. But a lack of information about how D-Wave's chip works has led to outside skepticism regarding whether it does indeed count as a quantum computer.

"Unfortunately, it is not easy to demonstrate t! hat a mu lti-qubit system such as the D-Wave chip indeed exhibits the desired quantum behavior and experimental physicists from various institutions are still in the process of characterizing the chip," wrote Hartmut Neven, head of Google's image recognition team, on the Google research blog.

Whatever D-Wave built has apparently worked for Google. Neven described a new algorithm based on the work of MIT that can sort images of cars from among 20,000 photos faster than anything running in a Google data center today — although the team first trained the algorithm by hand-labeling cars in a test photo batch.

Google's image recognition team has previously made its algorithms work for better online image searches and automatic photo organization. Perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised that the Google folk have also delved into quantum computing, or at least something much faster than existing classical computing.

[via New Scientist]

Popular Science is your wormhole to the future. Reporting on what's new and what's next in science and technology, we deliver the future now.

You're Saving the Economy! (Average Gadget Spending Up From $160 to $190) [Data Visualization]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/9r_RubN-Bbk/youre-saving-the-economy-average-gadget-spending-up-from-160-to-190

Believe it or not, that's what the latest data shows: The economy is bouncing back, or at least, retail spending is. The trend is clear especially in electronics, where spending has skyrocketed from a little above $160 to almost $190.

That figure is the average spending per user, post-Black friday. The main winners were Best Buy—with a 18.3% year-over-year growth—and Fry's—with a 12.2%. No only that but, spending in the high end retail has also increased, reverting a negative trend.

Great. Now all those people without a single penny in the bank will be able to be rejoice. [Mint]

ASUS Eee Box EB1501 primed for $479 Amazon pre-order

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/11/asus-eee-box-eb1501-primed-for-479-amazon-pre-order/

We'd been wondering when ASUS' NVIDIA Ion and optical drive packing Eee Box EB1501 would touch down on US soil, and lo and behold today it's showing face for all those eager enough to pre-order. The device is available at Amazon for not a dollar less than $479 (though it does have free shipping), and if you'll recall, the box is boasting a 1.6GHz Intel Atom dual core N330, NVIDIA Ion graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive. All that and you get Windows 7 Home Premium rather than the ever-graying Windows XP. Of course, if you're looking for all that in a mobile form factor you can always wait on the $499 ASUS Eee PC 1201N, but for set-top duty, feel free to unleash the credit card right now.

ASUS Eee Box EB1501 primed for $479 Amazon pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netbooked | source

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Tetra the micromouse needs no cheese, completes maze in new record time (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/12/tetra-the-micromouse-needs-no-cheese-completes-maze-in-new-reco/

Lab rats beware -- there's a new turbo-charged robotic cousin of yours on the block. This little autonomous fellow, Tetra, has just wowed micromouse hobbyists with a 4.766-second finish time in a maze (which had to be mapped by the micromouse first) in a recent demonstration, beating the previous All Japan Micromouse contest record by a big margin of 1.6 seconds. Sadly, Tetra wasn't the winner of this year's contest as it failed to complete the final Expert Class event -- probably something to do with the lighting conditions which affected its tracking. We can still admire Tetra's awesomeness in the video after the break though, followed by some thoughts from a few micromouse experts.

Continue reading Tetra the micromouse needs no cheese, completes maze in new record time (video)

Tetra the micromouse needs no cheese, completes maze in new record time (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gizmodo | source

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Friday, December 11, 2009

Jolicloud Netbook OS Is a Bit Like Chrome OS with Awesome Desktop Applications [Screenshot Tour]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/YvmSBpTs95I/jolicloud-netbook-os-is-a-bit-like-chrome-os-with-awesome-desktop-applications

Chrome OS is a promising cloud-based operating system, but the big complaint most people have about it is that Chrome OS is entirely browser-based. New netbook OS Jolicloud is a lot like Chrome OS, but with the addition of killer desktop apps.

Before you even consider Jolicloud, you may want to look at their big list of compatible devices. It's pretty huge, and I'd also suspect not complete. I'm actually testing it in a virtual machine and it's working just fine, and it would probably work on a fair amount of other hardware.

Think you'd like to try it out? You can install it easily from Windows using a simple installer. Rather than wipe out your Windows installation, it simply carves out some partitioned space on your hard drive so you don't have to worry about ditching Windows altogether just to try it out. Ready to give it a try? The installation is pretty straightforward, but if you want a little hand-holding, check out the gallery below.

Once your Jolicloud installation is complete, you'll end up at the login screen.

Enter the username and password you created during installation, and when you log in, you'll end up staring down the Jolicloud netbook launcher screen.

You'll also be prompted to set up your Jolicloud account at this point, but unfortunately the specialized Jolicloud accounts—which is part of ! what mak es Jolicloud so cool—requires an invitation code, so you'll probably want to sign up for one ASAP. If and when you do sign up with a Jolicloud homebase, you'll get access to the Jolicloud App Directory pictured below.

It's from this directory you can install your favorite programs—from Skype and Dropbox to Boxee and Spotify in a single click. When you're logged in to Jolicloud, you've also got access to your social stream:

...and a convenient update manager:

In short, Jolicloud is a very impressive looking netbook operating system. Sure it's just a specialized interface running on top of Ubuntu and powered by a lot of Mozilla Prism packages. The App Directory makes the operating system—as TechCrunch accurately put it—feel like an iPhonesque OS for netbooks. And unlike the current state of Chrome OS, the current alpha release of Jolicloud is actually pretty well supported.

It's probably a little unfair to compare Jolicloud to Chrome OS, since they are ultimately very different in their approach, but they are both aiming for the same market—your netbooks. If you've given Jolicloud a try in the past or just want to weigh in on its l! ooks fro m the screenshots, let's hear your thoughts in the comments.

Jolicloud

Dell rechristens the USFF with OptiPlex 780 mini PC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/10/dell-christens-the-usff-with-optiplex-780-mini-pc/

What's smaller than a small form factor PC? Frankly, a lot. Cells, shrimp, quarters -- you name it. That said, there aren't many bona fide PCs out there that can shrink down beyond the admittedly vague SSF dimensions, but Dell's making another push for its Ultra Small Form Factor (USFF) as the "world's smallest fully functional commercial desktop PC with an integrated power supply and Intel vPro technology." Of course, there's quite a bit of qualification going on there (and rightfully so, given just how tiny the fit-PC2i is), but those interested in taking the plunge can order one with an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, Windows 7 and a host of other run-of-the-mill amenities starting at $629.

Gallery: Dell christens the USFF with OptiPlex 780 mini PC

Dell rechristens the USFF with OptiPlex 780 mini PC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP Envy 15 review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/10/hp-envy-15-review/

There are laptops and then there are laptops. The Envy 15 has fallen into that second category ever since we got our hands-on: it's the first PC we've seen that really equals the MacBook Pro's unibody design and it packs a scorching-fast Intel Core i7 processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4850 graphics and Beats speakers. On paper, this is easily the hottest laptop we've seen in some time, but has HP really managed to deliver on that promise? We spent a few days with this $1,800 monster, so read on to see if it lives up to the hype.

Gallery: HP Envy 15 review