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Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Averatec outs light as air 10-inch netbook, can move move move any mountain

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/02/averatec-outs-light-as-air-10-inch-netbook-can-move-move-move-a/

Averatec's just outed its super thin, super light, 10-inch netbook, the N1200. Available in silver or black, it's a good looking little package which weighs in at just 2.2 pounds. It boasts an Atom N450 CPU, a 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM which is expandable up to 2GB, plus a webcam and 802.11n Wi-Fi. You can get this bad little dude with either XP or Windows 7 Starter. The battery life is apparently about 3 hours, though you can upgrade to a better, 6 hour battery. The N1200 starts at $330. The full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Averatec outs light as air 10-inch netbook, can move move move any mountain

Averatec outs light as air 10-inch netbook, can move move move any mountain originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers shows off self-contained, 9mm solar power system

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/02/researchers-shows-off-self-contained-9mm-solar-power-system/

Advances in solar power aren't always the most immediately exciting sort of developments (a more efficient solar panel still looks like a solar panel), but this new solar power system developed at the University of Michigan certainly won't have any trouble turning a few heads. Not only is it 1,000 times smaller than any comparable commercial counterpart (just 9 cubic millimeters), but its processor, solar cells, and battery are all self-contained, and the researchers say it would be be able to operate "nearly perpetually" if not for the battery eventually giving out after "many years." What's more, they say the system could also be adapted to be powered by movement or heat instead of light, which means that it could eventually power medical implants in addition to a whole range of other devices. No word on when that might happen, but the inventors are already busily working to commercialize the device. Extreme close-up after the break.

Continue reading Researchers shows off self-contained, 9mm solar power system

Researchers shows off self-contained, 9mm solar power system originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kogan announces $200 HD tablet, with networked TVs, Agora handset, and leprechauns to follow

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/03/kogan-announces-200-hd-tablet-with-networked-tvs-agora-handse/

Ah, Ruslan Kogan -- we can't help but want to see this starry-eyed dreamer succeed, even if we still haven't got our Android handset. According to Australia's APC, the man's gunning for the iPad market with an as yet unnamed tablet of his own. The goal? A full HD, ARM 600MHz-powered capacitive touchscreen device with 512MB RAM, 2GB storage, and an SDHC card for under $200 (presumably that's Australian dollars, meaning about $180 US). Apparently the above prototype runs Windows, Android and Ubuntu, although Windows won't be an option if -- and we do mean if -- this thing ever solidifies, due to production costs. As for that display, it's tipped to be 800 x 480, the sting of which is taken out by the unit's 1080p HDMI output. You say you're not in the market for a slate? Kogan's also said to be working on networked TVs ("probably by the end of the year") and a Blu-ray player with WiFi and YouTube widgets. As for the aforementioned Agora handset? "[S]oon," he says. "I can't give a time frame on that, though. It'll be as soon as we're allowed to." This is one mysterious man indeed. We can't help but wonder when he's going to get serious and tackle something big, like perpetual motion.

Update: We just realized that this is none other than SmartQ 7 MID first handled, oh, back in May!

Continue reading Kogan announces $200 HD tablet, with networked TVs, Agora handset, and leprechauns to follow

Kogan announces $200 HD tablet, with networked TVs, Agora handset, and leprechauns to follow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia adds Skype to Ovi Store, foreshadows death of regular phone calls

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/03/nokia-adds-skype-to-ovi-store-foreshadows-death-of-regular-phon/

Skype for Symbian. A freely downloadable application that allows you to converse with your Skype-equipped friends over a WiFi or 3G connection. Seriously, why would you ever make another cellular call again? Nokia's just announced the addition of the online communications client to its Ovi Store, meaning that now more than 200 million users worldwide have access to essentially free calls over their beloved Symbian S60 5th handsets. You knew there was a reason to stay loyal to that stale user experience and here it is. There's not much else to say here, we're off to sell whatever stock we have in mobile network operators while you should click the source links for the full list of compatible handsets. High fives all around.

Nokia adds Skype to Ovi Store, foreshadows death of regular phone calls originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia 5230 Nuron excites the T-Mobile nervous system

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/03/nokia-5230-nuron-excites-the-t-mobile-nervous-system/

The US will wake up to a fine howdy do from Nokia's 5230 Nuron now that it's officially announced for T-Mobile. The device first introduced by Nokia back in August will be available to middle America "in the coming weeks" on T-Mobile's 3G network. And unlike yesterday's wee C5, Nuron features a reasonable 3.2-inch, 640 x 360 (nHD) touchscreen for your Ovi Store apps and free Ovi Maps with turn-by-turn navigation to dance upon. Hell, it even has an onscreen keyboard if you want to do something productive like tap out a few emails, enter a URL to surf the web, or update your social networking status(es). While no price or specific date was announced, we've seen rumors of a 17 March launch for $70 on contract, or $180 without. Just remember that Nuron runs S60 5th; and with the improved Symbian ^3 touchscreen UI just around the corner (and no clear upgrade path) you'd better really want this device to make the jump whenever it does launch.

Nokia 5230 Nuron excites the T-Mobile nervous system originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T CEO: iPad will be mostly used on WiFi, won't drive many new 3G subscriptions

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/03/atandt-ceo-ipad-will-be-mostly-used-on-wifi-wont-drive-many-new/

We all know by now that AT&T has secured the rights to furnish US iPad owners with 3G connectivity, but apparently the market desire for that service won't be quite as big as we might have expected. That comes straight from Randall Stephenson himself, AT&T CEO and eternal believer in the power of i-branded devices, so it may have some legitimacy to it. Surely Randall's dearest wish would be to announce his network is about to be overwhelmed by new subscribers, and the rather cooler news has already caused a small dint in AT&T's stock price. Then again, this is hardly shocking news given that 3G on the iPad can be had on a month-by-month basis without contract, and in truth any subscriptions related to it would have to be achieved by AT&T's own ingenuity -- which, judging by its CEO's comments, won't be suffering any undue exertions any time soon. Not only that, Randall's also taken the opportunity to advise us that higher data rates are likely for intensive users of unlimited 3G data plans -- whether on the iPad or on smartphones. Way to endear yourself to the masses, dude.

AT&T CEO: iPad will be mostly used on WiFi, won't drive many new 3G subscriptions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia and Alpine integrating handsets into cars, bringing Ovi Maps to your dashboard

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/03/nokia-and-alpine-integrating-handsets-into-cars-bringing-ovi-ma/

What's the one biggest hurdle to throwing out your dedicated GPS nav unit and going ahead with the free turn-by-turn navigation offered by your smartphone? If your answer was that most phones don't have the great big screens or easy installation systems of some satnav devices, look out, because Nokia's about to shake up your world all over again. Alpine has just announced its partnership with the Finnish giant aimed at integrating Nokia handsets -- complete with free Ovi Maps navigation -- into car dashboard systems. Yes, that means you can use your superb six-amp speaker system to boom out music or voice nav instructions from the phone, as well as your in-dash 7-inch LCD for showing you the right way home. There's further interaction with widgets keeping an eye on your fuel levels and engine condition, leading to location-based services such as the phone notifying you of the nearest and cheapest petrol station. Connectivity is done over either USB or Bluetooth, and Nokia promises that this Terminal Mode will be showing up in its phones in the very near future. The sooner the better, we say.

Nokia and Alpine integrating handsets into cars, bringing Ovi Maps to your dashboard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, March 01, 2010

Lyrics Training Improves Your Foreign Language Skills Through Music [Learning]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/tIwcvi-B2_g/lyrics-training-improves-your-foreign-language-skills-through-music

Learning a foreign language doesn't have to be dry and boring rote memorization. Clever web site Lyrics Training sharpens your skills through music and song lyrics.

Lyrics Training is a really fun approach to helping you pick up a foreign language. Choose a YouTube-hosted music video and select one of three mastery levels; Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert. As the video begins to play, the song's lyrics appear underneath with several words missing. Your job is to fill in the missing words as they're sung.

If you get stumped, the video stops playing until you can come up with the word, but don't take too long because the app keeps track of the time it takes you to fill in the blanks. Click the "Give Up!" button to see the words that elude you.

Lyrics Training sorts videos by fluency level or language. Currently the site only offers videos in six languages (English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Dutch), and it doesn't have a ton of videos for every language, but the number of videos should only grow. However, an optional translation feature powered by Google automatically translates a song's lyrics into one of dozens of different languages while you're busy filling in missing words.

The site is free to use and doesn't require registration, though if you do set up an account, you can save the results of your efforts. While Lyrics Training alone won't make you fluent in another language, it's great for improving your skills or dabbling in a new language. Plus, it's just a lot of fun.

Lyrics Training

Disk Space Fan Analyzes Hard Drive Space with a Dash of Eye Candy [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/KQGtd0DIXh8/disk-space-fan-analyzes-hard-drive-space-with-a-dash-of-eye-candy

Windows only: Free utility Disk Space Fan analyzes your hard drive usage to help you determine what's taking up space on your hard drive, representing it all with fancy visualization eye candy.

Disk Space Fan joins a long line of disk visualization tools, from the classic WinDirStat to DriveSpacio, Disktective, and others. WinDirStat has always had a special place in our hearts when it came time to visualize our hard drive usage and knock off space-wasting files, but it's not the most attractive tool in the toolbox. Disk Space Fan does the same sort of disk analysis, but it's also very attractive in addition to being very functional.

Eye candy aside, its scans are fast, and the Explorer integration makes it open up any file or folder for a closer look. You can click any slice to drill down further (and yes, it has fancy animated transitions when you do the clicking), and you can open or delete any file or folder directly from the app.

Disk Space Fan is a free download, Windows only. (Mac users, check out previously mentioned GrandPerspective.) A Pro version is available with a few more features, but the core features that make it great are available for free.

Disk Space Fan [via AddictiveTips]

Choose One: The Archos 7 and Archos 8 Home 'Tablets' Each Cost $200 [Android]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ODSPvIIBxbs/choose-one-the-archos-7-and-archos-8-home-tablets-each-cost-200

Archos has never made bad products, but their PMPs have definitely grown less relevant over the last few years. But now? Now two Android-wielding Archos Home Tablets will each cost only about $200.

The Archos 7 Home Tablet is pretty much just a refresh to their existing Archos 5 Internet Tablet—it's a 7-inch touchscreen Android tablet (or, OK, MID), loaded with Wi-Fi and USB. This April, a 2GB model (we really hope there's an SD card slot) goes on sale for about $200 overseas.

Meanwhile, the Archos 8 Home Tablet (or, OK, picture frame) is an 8-inch touchscreen tablet loaded with 4GB of storage, available overseas this May. The screen to case ratio isn't fantastic, but the cooking software already has me mentally placing the Archos 8 into my kitchen. It should be available overseas this May for about $200.

It should be noted that both tablets have Arm9 CPUs that won't be blazing fast. And each will probably be launched in the US, eliminating the need for an import. [UMPC Portal via SlashGear]

Freescale's i.MX508 Chip Will Make E-Ink Readers Way Cheaper and Turn Pages 4X Faster [Guts]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/KaPmwYHWAgk/freescales-imx508-chip-will-make-e+ink-readers-way-cheaper-and-turn-pages-4x-faster

The silicon inside 90 percent of ereaders out there is made by Freescale, and their new chip, the i.MX508—based on a ARM Cortex A8 (sorta like the iPad!)—will make them cheaper, and page turns 4x faster.

The chip's a custom SoC that integrates the functions from multiple chips into one—specifically, the E-Ink hardware display controller—along with that Cortex A8, which gives the readers enough juice to turn pages in half a second, versus the two seconds that's typical now. As the first chip expressly designed for ereaders, it also strips out unnecessary features, so the net result for the ereader is that it's $30 cheaper a unit. Freescale wagers that with the cost savings, it could drive ereaders to under $150 by the end of the year. (Though that in part depends on how much the E-Ink displays themselves are going to continue to cost.)

An E-Ink reader that costs $150 would definitely look more attractive as a dedicated long-reading device against an iPad that does lots of things on top of reading—and has those fancy digital magazines—than the ones that more like $260 today. Then again, Amazon's working on a full-color multitouch Kindle with Wi-Fi, if that tells you anything about the future of E-Ink readers. In the meantime, I'm all for cheaper. [Freescale via Bloomberg via Digital Daily]

Netgear brings the goods to CeBIT: HD streamers, HomePlug AV adapters

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/netgear-brings-the-goods-to-cebit-hd-streamers-homeplug-av-ada/

Another month, another blockbuster trade show. CeBIT's show floor doesn't open up until tomorrow (and yeah, we'll be storming it like no other), but Netgear's wasting precisely no time in unveiling its latest wares. The two pieces that are nearest and dearest to our hearts are the WNHDB3004 and WNHDB3004, the former of which is an 802.11n HD Home Theater Kit and the latter of which is a universal WiFi adapter that adds wireless support to any AV product with an Ethernet jack. Users interested in streaming "multiple, simultaneous, jitter-free 1080p HD video streams wirelessly throughout the home" should certainly give the first a look, as it enables instant wireless streaming from your existing router to any component with an Ethernet port; think of this as the beautiful alternative to running a 50 foot patch cable through your living room and simultaneously eroding your relationship with Mr. / Mrs. Significant Other. The outfit also doled out a few SMB-centric ReadyNAS devices and a couple of HomePlug AV boxes with AC outlet passthroughs, all of which are detailed there in the source links.

Gallery: Netgear brings the goods to CeBIT: HD streamers, HomePlug AV adapters

Netgear brings the goods to CeBIT: HD streamers, HomePlug AV adapters originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel's six-core Core i7-980X Extreme Edition 'Gulftown' chip goes on sale in Germany

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/intels-six-core-core-i7-980x-extreme-edition-gulftown-chip-go/

Intel's existing line of Core chips just not potent enough for your tastes? Sicko. For those who just can't sleep without longing for the next best thing, it seems that said "thing" is just a few days away from a proper reveal. Germany's own Alternate has already listed Intel's six-core Core i7-980X Extreme Edition chip for sale, enabling moneyed consumers to snap up a piece of Gulftown for the princely sum of €1,049 ($1,430). Yeah, that's a stiff premium for a six-core chip that's ready to do more than sit snugly within some under-appreciated server box, but do you have any idea how much more bodacious you'll be than your dual- and quad-core owning contemporaries? Way.

[Thanks, Peter]

Intel's six-core Core i7-980X Extreme Edition 'Gulftown' chip goes on sale in Germany originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's A4 chip: less is more?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/apples-a4-chip-less-is-more/

Although early erroneous reports placed Apple's custom A4 chip at the leading edge of ARM-based design, things are slowly falling back to earth. First, we learned that the graphics subsystem was almost certainly the same PowerVR SGX component found in the iPhone, and now Ars Technica reports that the actual CPU is the familiar single-core Cortex A8 also found in Apple's handset. That makes the A4 seem an awful lot like an tightened-up, overclocked iPhone 3GS chip, which makes sense, seeing as it was actually in production in September of last year. So why the need for a custom part? The answer may well be efficiency and power savings: by cutting out extraneous Cortex A8 features and I/O that go unused in the iPad, Apple can further reduce the A4's size and energy draw -- which could be why Steve Jobs said the iPad's chips "use hardly any power." That might not make a huge difference when tied to a large LCD in a device like the iPad, but Ars speculates that this strategy combined with some of P.A. Semi's dynamic power optimization tech could result in a hyper-efficient chip for the iPhone somewhere down the line. That would certainly be interesting in the future -- but right now we've got the A4, and we can't wait until the end of the month to properly put this thing through its paces.

Apple's A4 chip: less is more? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:37:00 EST. Please! see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic's silicon-packin' batteries boast 30 percent capacity boost, hit stores in 2012

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/panasonics-silicon-packin-batteries-boast-30-percent-capacity/

Sure, not a day goes by without some sort revolutionary (if not just plain silly) announcement regarding fuel cells, and once again it looks like it's Panasonic's turn. According to Nikkei, the company will begin volume production of Li-ion rechargeable batteries that use a silicon alloy anode sometime in fiscal 2012. While Si alloy batteries have a tenfold theoretical improvement over current cells that utilize graphite, Panny claims that its device will have an improvement in linear capacity of close to thirty percent -- keeping at least 80 percent of its capacity even after 500 charge/recharge cycles. Currently the bad boy is being marketed towards notebook batteries, although we could be seeing 'em in our electric cars in the near future. Catch a couple pictures from the press conference after the break.

Continue reading Panasonic's silicon-packin' batteries boast 30 percent capacity boost, hit stores in 2012

Panasonic's silicon-packin' batteries boast 30 percent capacity boost, hit stores in 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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