Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Joojoo tablet now in production, will support full Flash at launch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/03/joojoo-tablet-now-in-production-will-support-full-flash-at-laun/

That other tablet that was announced just a week ago sure doesn't seem to be setting Fusion Garage's Joojoo off course. Not only did it see an increase in orders after the iPad announcement, but Fusion Garage CEO Chandra Rathakrishna just told us that production of the 12-inch tablet has kicked off and that the product is on target to start shipping this month. And it doesn't sound like legal fees from fighting the TechCrunch lawsuit over the product are depleting Fusion Garage's bank account: Chandra told us it's teamed up with OEM CSL Group of Malaysia, which will be footing the bill for manufacturing in exchange for a "low single-digit" percentage of product revenue. We have our doubts about the math, but we'll see how happy everyone is if and when the Joojoo starts shipping. (We'll also see if James Cameron notices that Fusion Garage keeps using unlicensed Avatar images in its promo pictures.)

Chandra still wouldn't budge on revealing what's powering the device, but he was more than happy to confirm that the tablet will support full Flash at launch, and HD Flash content once Flash 10.1 is officially released -- YouTube HD will play right now using a separate player plugin that takes advantage of GPU acceleration. "We have a bigger 'app store' than Apple because we have the full Internet," he told us. Nevertheless, Fusion plans to launch a "web store" that will allow people to find web applications on the Joojoo. Speaking of Apple, Chandra was quite blunt about the iPad: "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery." No really -- he told us everything from Steve Jobs calling the iPad a "magical product" to the couch being on stage during the keynote to the $499 price point was a nod to the Joojoo, since "juju" is an African word for "magical" and the Joojoo was positioned as a couch computer when it launched in November. Uh, sure. Trash talking aside, we're very excited to see what this thing can do -- a 16:9 720p tablet that can play Hulu sounds pretty interesting to us. Check the full press release after the break.

Continue reading Joojoo tablet now in production, will support full Flash at launch

Joojoo tablet now in production, will support full Flash at launch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ATI Radeon HD 5450 focuses on multimedia features, neglects gaming

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/04/ati-radeon-hd-5450-focuses-on-multimedia-features-neglects-gami/

It's rare to see a rumor -- hell, even a roadmap -- pinpoint the timing of new releases quite so accurately, but our earlier report of ATI refreshing the middle and lower parts of its lineup turned out to be bang on. Following in the footsteps of the HD 5670, we have the Radeon HD 5450, which drags the entry price for DirectX 11 and Eyefinity multi-monitor support all the way down to $50. Course, the processing power inside isn't going to be on par with its elder siblings, but that also means the 5450 will run cool enough to be offered with half-height, passive cooling solutions as seen above. ATI's focus here is on media PCs, with a DisplayPort, um... port, alongside HDMI 1.3a, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstreaming support. For the money, you really can't argue with all this extra multimedia juice, but if you must have benchmarks to sate your soul, check out the early reviews below -- they're full of bar charts and performance comparisons, don't you know.

Continue reading ATI Radeon HD 5450 focuses on multimedia features, neglects gaming

ATI Radeon HD 5450 focuses on multimedia features, neglects gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel teases six-core Gulftown, discusses tera-scale computing

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/04/intel-teases-six-core-gulftown-discusses-tera-scale-computing/

The 32nm dual-core Clarkdale processors that recently made their debut are about to pave the way for Intel's next performance crown chaser, the six-core Gulftown. You might've known that already, but Intel's decided to furnish us with the above slide detailing the particular differences between the two dies, with the most notable being the whopping 1.17 billion transistors that the new CPU will be composed of. The major attraction of Clarkdale chips lies in their power efficiency and competent integrated GPU, but the Gulftown focus will be firmly on the high end. Hence, there's no integrated graphics, but the built-in memory controller supports three channels of DDR3 RAM and even plays nice with lower-powered 1.35-volt sticks. There's also confirmation that the forthcoming hex-core chip will fit inside the familiar LGA-1366 socket, so if you bought a high end Core i7, worry not, you'll be able to replace your still blisteringly quick CPU with an even faster beast. Quad-core variants -- by virtue of disabling a pair of cores -- are on the cards as well, while Intel also took the opportunity to delve into questions of 1Tbps+ bandwidth interconnects and its 80-core processor project, but you'll have to hit up the links below to learn more about those.

Intel teases six-core Gulftown, discusses tera-scale computing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Penn State's optical wireless tech does gigabit, bounces off walls

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/04/penn-states-optical-wireless-tech-does-gigabit-bounces-off-wal/

Penn State's optical wireless tech does gigabit, bounces off walls

We love our WiFi, but it's far from perfect. Speed depends greatly on conditions, magnetic waves don't always play nicely with sensitive equipment, and the ability for someone to drive by and steal your precious infos is always disconcerting. Researchers at Penn State have what they believe is a better solution: light. The team uses laser diodes to convert data signals to light, then photo diodes on the other end to convert it back to data, a system that (unlike others we've seen) doesn't require direct line of sight as the light will bounce off of walls -- except those painted black (sorry goths). Data access could easily be constrained within a single room or, if it was needed elsewhere, wired relays could bring it through walls. Speeds at this point are already at the 1Gb/sec range, twice what Siemens was able to manage a few weeks ago, and enough for wireless transmission of high-definition video. Someday your Wiimote and remote might not be the only things beaming back at ya in the living room.

Penn State's optical wireless tech does gigabit, bounces off walls originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T letting SlingPlayer stream over 3G on the iPhone at long last

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/04/atandt-letting-slingplayer-stream-over-3g-on-the-iphone-at-long-la/

After all the hubbub and controversy caused by the release of SingPlayer for iPhone back in May, we knew it would take a serious change of heart for AT&T to reverse course on the issue of 3G streaming. The app's super-conspicuous lack of 3G was one of the clearest statements around that the iPhone represented a level of data consumption that AT&T was fairly unprepared for, and that certain uses like VoIP over 3G and live video streams were just not going to fly. Well, we've just now gotten over that VoIP hump, and now AT&T has given in to SlingPlayer demand at last. AT&T says it has been testing an "optimized" version of the app on its 3G network since December, and Sling says the dynamic bandwidth adjustment should keep the app from bringing the network to grinding halt -- in not so many words. The 3G-friendly version will be a free upgrade to the $30 application, and should be available as soon as the revised software makes its way through the App Store approval process.

AT&T letting SlingPlayer stream over 3G on the iPhone at long last originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RealSSD C300 tested, offers sublime speed at superlative prices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/04/realssd-c300-tested-offers-sublime-speed-at-superlative-prices/

Micron RealSSD C300 tested, offers sublime speed at superlative prices

It's been a few months since Micron became the second to introduce the world's first SATA 6Gbps hard drive (Seagate was the other), and regardless about who was earliest we now know which is currently the fastest. TweakTown put a Crucial-branded C300 through its paces and came to a rather simple conclusion: "At this point in time there is no other drive, platter or solid state that is in the same league as the Crucial RealSSD C300." It blitzed through all their tests and at the end, when others would be a smoking ruin of high access times, it still performed as good as new. There was one catch, though: Windows Media Player performance was abnormally low, something that testers believe is a glitch to be addressed in firmware. Other than that, if you want the best this is it. But can you afford it? A 128GB model will set you back $499, and the 256GB one is $799. Yeah, ouch.

RealSSD C300 tested, offers sublime speed at superlative prices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 22 Immutable Laws No Longer Apply in the "golden age of the consumer" @acfou - http://bit.ly/aRfkiY

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Amoeba-inspired ChIMERA robot slithers on video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/03/amoeba-inspired-chimera-robot-slithers-on-video/

Virginia Tech's RoMeLa has done more than its fair share to further the development of our future robot overlords. Now, in a recent TED talk, Dr. Dennis Hong brings us up to date on some of the creepier candidates for world domination, including the spider-like STRiDER and the amoeboid ChIMERA (Chemically Induced Motion Everting Robotic Amoeba). The latter achieves locomotion by the movement of its silicone skin, squeezes through spaces half its diameter, and travels up to half a meter per second. The good doctor is tight-lipped on much of the device's specifics, but among options being explored for powering the thing are chemical actuation, electroactive polymers, and air-driven tubes. Check out the team's work in the video after the break.

[Thanks, Travis]

Continue reading Amoeba-inspired ChIMERA robot slithers on video

Amoeba-inspired ChIMERA robot slithers on video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CBS brings 3D advertising to Grand Central Station, glasses makers drink to that

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/03/cbs-brings-3d-advertising-to-grand-central-station-glasses-make/

We know good and well what kind of extravagant displays are available to gawk at in New York City, but now it looks like the locals will have yet another one to check out when they're taking a breather from the rat race. CBS Outdoor has unveiled plans to deliver two solid hours (from 11:30AM to 1:30PM throughout February) of 3D advertising on an expansive, high-definition video screen installed within Grand Central Station. Unlike the glasses-free solution that we spotted at Intel's CES booth this year, this one will still require onlookers to rock those heinous and soul-crushing glasses in order to "see" the "effect," and with around 70,000 commuters passing by each day, we'd guess that the spectacle manufacturer who nabbed this contract is feeling pretty good right about now.

CBS brings 3D advertising to Grand Central Station, glasses makers drink to that originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony working to wedge laser-based pico projectors into its compact cameras?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/03/sony-working-to-wedge-laser-based-pico-projectors-in-its-compact/

Sony working to wedge laser-based pico projectors in its compact cameras?

Nikon's Coolpix S1000pj camera/pico projector combo hasn't exactly taken the world by storm, but we're guessing it took a little while before Reese's Peanut Butter Cups became a global phenomenon, too. If reports from DigiTimes prove to be true, Sony wants to be front and center to meet the eventual demand for such cameras, working with Opus Microsystems to license its laser-based scanning mirror chips, projector tech that sounds similar to Microvision's Show WX. Word is that other camera manufacturers are working with Texas Instruments for the development of their own pico-packing cams, relying on TI's DLP-based tech found in the the S1000pj and a variety of other devices. Which will rule the roost? We'll take lasers over LEDs any day of the week.

Sony working to wedge laser-based pico projectors into its compact cameras? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Devour officially coming to Verizon next month

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/03/motorola-devour-officially-coming-to-verizon-next-month/

And just like that, it's official. Verizon Wireless has today announced that Motorola's scrumptiously named Devour will be heading to its network next month, with it being the first VZW phone to feature Motoblur. Not that we're seeing any surprises here, but a quick specification run down draws our attention to a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, a touch-sensitive navigation pad, a pre-installed 8GB microSD card and Bluetooth support. Unfortunately, there's no apparent mention of multitouch -- and we wouldn't expect it out of the box, since the Devour runs Android 1.6 -- but we're crossing our fingers (and toes, for that matter) for Google to sling that delightful Nexus One update to the rest of its high-powered Android phones in the very near future. There's nary a mention of an asking price, but we'll be sure to keep an eye out as launch day approaches.

Gallery: Motorola Devour

Motorola Devour officially coming to Verizon next month originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Penn State busts out 100mm graphene wafers, halcyonic dream inches closer to reality

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/03/penn-state-busts-out-100mm-graphene-wafers-halcyonic-dream-inch/

Yes, we've been marching on this road to graphene-based superconductive electronics for a long, long time. But in the space of one week, we've now seen two significant advancements pop up that rekindle our hope for an ultrafast tomorrow. Hot on the heels of IBM's recent bandgap achievement comes Penn State University with a 100mm wafer of pure graphene gorgeousness. Built using silicon sublimation -- a process of essentially evaporating the silicon away from the carbon layer -- these are the biggest graphene wafers yet, and field effect transistors are being built atop them now to start performance testing early this year. Naturally, nobody's sitting on this laurel just yet, with further plans afoot to expand beyond 200mm wafers in order to integrate fully into the semiconductor industry, whose current standard wafer size is around 300mm in diameter. On we go then.

Penn State busts out 100mm graphene wafers, halcyonic dream inches closer to reality originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gmail Chrome extensions

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OfficialGmailBlog/~3/CaZs4CTmYXU/gmail-chrome-extensions.html

Posted by Christos Apartoglou, Product Marketing Manager, Google Chrome

There's always that email. You know the one I'm talking about: the message we're waiting for so anxiously that we end up checking our inbox 100 times a minute to see whether it's arrived. Since last Monday, I've stopped being a manic tab switcher and the F5 key on my keyboard has breathed a sigh of relief — all thanks to the Google Mail extension in Google Chrome.

Extensions are small programs that help you customize your browsing experience. They can give you quick access to your favorite websites like Weather.com or eBay, provide alerts or updates from sites like Woot.com or NPR, or help you perform common online tasks such as getting driving directions or simply change the look and feel of your browser.

The Google Mail extension adds a nifty little button next to Google Chrome's address bar that provides an updated indicator of the unread messages in your inbox. It also lets you access your inbox with just one click.

There's also a Send from Gmail extension which makes Gmail your default email application and opens a compose window whenever you click an email address on a webpage. It also adds a new button next to the address bar that makes it easy to send an email directly from Gmail, pre-filling the subject of the message with the title of the web page you're currently on and the body with selected page text and the link address.

There are several other Gmail extensions that the Google Chrome developer community has written; you can check out these and more than 2,000 other extensions in the Google Chrome Extensions gallery.

Google Chrome Extensions are now available for all Windows users. For those of you on Linux, extensions are enabled on the beta channel. Mac users, hang tight — extensions are coming to the beta soon.

New NASA Solar Spacecraft to Record Sun at IMAX Resolution [Space]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Y6WTV9l2dmc/new-nasa-solar-spacecraft-to-record-sun-at-imax-resolution

This is the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly. Together with the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, and the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment, it will capture the Sun at IMAX resolution every ten seconds. They will travel together inside NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft.

After its February 2010 launch on top of an Atlas V rocket, the SDO will capture images at almost four times the resolution of an HD TV, transmitting the results back to Earth at 130 megabits per second. Basically, this thing will be transmitting the equivalent of 500,000 MP3 per day, seven days a week. According to Dean Pesnell at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the potential for new discoveries is giganormous:

We'll be getting IMAX-quality images every 10 seconds. We'll see every nuance of solar activity.

Pesnell said that this speed opens an incredible potential for discovery, using 18th century photographer Eadweard Muybridge as an example:

But when Muybridge photographed horses using a new high-speed camera system, he discovered something surprising. Galloping horses spend part of the race completely airborne-all four feet are off the ground.

To achieve all this, the three instruments in the SDO have been designed to cover three vital aspects of our home star. First, the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly—which will be producing most of the data—that you see at the opening of this post uses four telescopes together. They will be the ones photographing Sol's surface and atmosphere using ten different wavelength filters. Meanwhile, the HMI will analyze the innards of the star, looking into the physics that govern it inside. Then, EVE will measure extreme ultraviolet light activity while getting a nice and toasty tan.

How would this data be received? Using two 18-meter antennas near Las Cruces, New Mexico, which will be linked constantly to the SDO thanks to its geosynchronous orbit. Until it gets destroyed by the mysterious flying spaceship.

Intel swings 25nm factory doors open for a tour de fab

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/03/intel-swings-25nm-factory-doors-open-for-a-tour-de-fab/

Intel and Micron's recent announcement that their collective superhero body, appropriately named IM Flash, is sampling 25nm flash chips has been accompanied with a whirlwind tour of their Utah production facilities for a few lucky journalists. PC Perspective bring us the atmospheric photo above, along with some videos, as they prance about one of the most hallowed (and cleanest) environments known to gadget lovers. Apart from the die shrink, the lads also discuss Intel's reputed plans for a G3 SSD refresh some time "later this year" with snappier controllers onboard, which apparently was echoed by Micron who also intend to pump out faster processors with their SSD products. While you wait for all that to happen, hit the source link to find out how and where the stuff that gets put inside SSDs is made.

Intel swings 25nm factory doors open for a tour de fab originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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