Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, March 11, 2010

IBM Develops Infinitely Recyclable Plant-Based Plastic [Plastics]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/UCyvI5oxeA8/ibm-develops-infinitely-recyclable-plant+based-plastic

Click here to read IBM Develops Infinitely Recyclable Plant-Based Plastic

Earlier this week, IBM researchers announced a discovery that could lead to plastics made from plants instead of petroleum. The new plastics will be more energy efficient, more versatile, and infinitely recyclable (until we move to our space colony). More »

Target launches first scannable mobile coupon program, frugalistas going wild

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/target-launches-first-scannable-mobile-coupon-program-frugalist/

Target's announced it is launching a scannable mobile coupon program -- the first of its kind. The opt-in program will provides Target shoppers with a customized webpage on their mobile phones, with all offers scannable at checkout via a single barcode. Target's no stranger to innovative marketing -- its gift cards are well known for their cute, gadgety ways -- and while this new program is essentially a text message driven sale (meaning it could quickly become a mere annoyance), anything that minimizes our interactions with fellow humans gets our stamp of approval, so the ability to scan your own barcode at the register? Thumbs up. The full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Target launches first scannable mobile coupon program, frugalistas going wild

Target launches first scannable mobile coupon program, frugalistas going wild originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Casio Exilim G EX-G1 review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/casio-exilim-g-ex-g1-review/

Casio's Exilim G EX-G1 camera made a solid enough first impression with us when we got our hands on it in January, but we've now had a chance to use it a fair bit more both indoors and out, and reach some firmer conclusions about it. The short verdict is that the camera, like any other rugged device, comes with its fair share of compromises. If you value ruggedness over everything else, the Exilim G definitely deserves some serious consideration (especially in this price range). On the other hand, if you're looking for an all-around, everyday point-and-shoot that just so happens to be a bit more durable than the rest, you may well find yourself disappointed. Read on for our full review.

Gallery: Casio Exilim G EX-G1 hands-on

Continue reading Casio Exilim G EX-G1 review

Casio Exilim G EX-G1 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic 3D home entertainment system goes on sale to a country in mourning

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/panasonic-3d-home-entertainment-system-goes-on-sale-to-a-country/

Beginning today, customers at Best Buy's Magnolia stores can pick up that Panasonic full HD 3D Home Entertainment System the kids in Japan have been going crazy over for the last month or so. Consisting of a 50-inch Viera VT20 HDTV, a BDT300 Blu-ray Disc Player, and but one pair of Panasonic 3D Active Shutter glasses, the total price is $2900 -- but if you plan on having company over you'll need to pick up additional pairs of 3D eyewear for $150 each. As you well know, Panny is due to start sponsoring free 3D programming to DirecTV HD customers starting in June, so if you're not set up with the service you might as well add that to your shopping list. PC Magazine braved the stampede to check out the scene in Manhattan, so hit the source link to see the pics. As for us, we're going back to watching Snowboard Academy on VHS, as we do every time one of its stars has fallen. PR after the break.

Continue reading Panasonic 3D home entertainment system goes on sale to a country in mourning

Panasonic 3D home entertainment system goes on sale to a country in mourning originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boeing announces compact, energy-efficient 3D camera

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/boeing-announces-compact-energy-efficient-3d-camera/

Yes, even the military has gone 3D. Helping it in that endeavor is Boeing, which has just announced a tiny new 3D camera that's one-third the size and consumes one-tenth the power of comparable 3D imaging systems. While it will also be made available for commercial use, it seems like military will be first in line to use the cameras, with Boeing noting that it's potential applications including "mapping terrain, tracking targets and seeing through foliage," and adding that it's already testing the camera on unmanned aerial vehicles. The biggest drawback to the camera at the moment is that it's only able to take 3D still images, but Boeing says it will "soon" add 3D video capability as well. Details are otherwise pretty hard to come by, as you might expect, and pricing is no doubt best left unsaid.

[Thanks, Graham]

Boeing announces compact, energy-efficient 3D camera originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OnLive Game Service to launch on June 17 in the US for $15 a month

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/onlive-game-service-to-launch-on-june-17-in-the-us-for-15-a-mon/

It's been a long time coming, but it looks like the wait for OnLive is finally coming to an end: the service is now officially slated to launch on June 17 in the 48 contiguous states. The game streaming service will run users $14.95 a month, though buying or renting games is an additional cost (it's unclear exactly what that cost might be). Luckily there will be lower prices available for multi-month buys, and the first 25,000 people to sign up will get their first three months free. Service includes free instant-play demos, multiplayer and an "instant video-based social network," whatever that means. At the outset the service will run on Mac and PC as a browser plugin, but the MicroConsole TV adapter will be released later this year, with other devices to be added "over time." Initially the service will run at 720p, but 1080p / 60 fps will be added once the bandwidth becomes available. Out of the gate there will be somewhere between 12 and 25 titles available, including Mass Effect 2, Borderlands, Assassin's Creed II, Dragon Age Origins, and Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. There are five different data centers set up to serve up the games, strategically placed to reduce lag... let's hope they work!

OnLive Game Service to launch on June 17 in the US for $15 a month originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joystiq | source

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OCZ breaks into bargain market with 'sub-$100' 32GB Onyx SSD

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/ocz-breaks-into-bargain-market-with-sub-100-32gb-onyx-ssd/

Say it ain't so! OCZ Technology -- a mainstay in the storage realm but an outfit that tends to serve the performance (read: affluent) market first and foremost -- has just dove headfirst into the value-priced SSD segment. Debuting today, the Onyx SATA II 2.5-inch SSD is the company's most affordable MLC-based solid state storage solution to date; it packs 64MB of onboard cache, up to 125MB/sec read speeds, write rates of 70MB/sec and an MSRP of under $100 for a 32GB version. You know that hasty boot drive you've been looking for? Look up.

OCZ breaks into bargain market with 'sub-$100' 32GB Onyx SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot Hardware | source

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HTML5 vs. Flash comparison finds a few surprises, settles few debates

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/html5-vs-flash-comparison-finds-a-few-surprises-settles-few-de/

Think we'd all be better off if HTML5 could somehow instantly replace Flash overnight? Not necessarily, according to a set of comparisons from Jan Ozer of the Streaming Learning Center website, which found that while HTML5 did come out ahead in many respects, it wasn't exactly a clear winner. The tests weren't completely scientific, but they did find that HTML5 clearly performed better than Flash 10 or 10.1 in Safari on a Mac, although the differences were less clear cut in Google Chrome or Firefox. On the other hand, Flash more than held its own on Windows, and Flash Player 10.1 was actually 58% more efficient than HTML5 in Google Chrome on the Windows system tested. As you may have deduced, one of the big factors accounting for that discrepancy is that Flash is able to take advantage of GPU hardware acceleration in Windows, while Adobe is effectively cut out of the loop on Mac -- something it has complained about quite publicly. According to Ozer, the differences between HTML5 and Flash playback on a Mac could be virtually eliminated if Flash could make use of GPU acceleration. Hit up the link below for all the numbers.

HTML5 vs. Flash comparison finds a few surprises, settles few debates originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:36:00 EST.! Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ReadWriteWeb | source

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Intel's Core i7-980X Extreme Edition 'Gulftown' review roundup

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/11/intels-core-i7-980x-extreme-edition-gulftown-review-roundup/

Six cores. Twelve threads. A new flagship processor in Intel's stable. Here at GDC in San Francisco, the world's most widely recognized chip maker is dishing out its latest desktop CPU, and to say it's a niche device would be greatly understating things. We spoke to a number of Intel bigwigs at tonight's media event, and everyone confessed that the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition was a low quantity, high performance device aimed specifically at gamers and content editors that simply refuse to live anywhere other than on the cutting edge. Intel's planning on selling these in retail, standalone form for $999 (MSRP), while they'll soon be available in a variety of gaming rigs from the likes of Dell, Alienware and whoever else wishes to keep with the times. As for Apple? The company stated that Steve and Company "sort of call their own shots," and that we'd have to dig at Apple if we really wanted to know what their refreshed Mac Pro would hold. We chuckled, nodded in understanding, and then learned that this here slab of silicon is a bit ahead of the software out there, with Intel noting that only games optimized for 12-thread use and benchmarking utilities that did likewise would really demonstrate the performance boost. 'Course, anyone who spends a great deal of time multitasking will appreciate the extra headroom, and power users can always find ways to make use of more horsepower. Oh, and for what it's worth, the company stated that this will be its lead desktop chip for some time to come, and if you're looking for a mobile version in the near future, you can keep dreaming.

As for the critics? Just about everyone with a benchmarking license managed to get one of these in-house, and everyone seems to feel (mostly) the same way. There's no denying that this is Intel's speediest consumer chip ever, but you won't find 50 percent boosts just anywhere. Yet. When the software catches up, though, there's no doubt that this chip will make even the other Core i7s look downright sluggish. 50 percent more cores and 50 percent more threads than the prior kings of the line leads to fantastic gains when serious number crunching is involved (audio and video editors, we're staring at you), with some tests showing upticks in the 30 to 50 percent range. As a bonus, the power consumption here is also extremely reasonable, with the shift to 32nm enabling it to even use less power in some circumstances when compared to the Core i7-975 Extreme Edition. Dig into the glut of reviews below if you've got a cool grand with "chip upgrade" written on it -- you'll be glad you did.

Read - Hot Hardware
Read - AnandTech
Read - Techgage
Read - Computer Shopper
Read - Bit-Tech
Read - PC Perspective
Read - Neoseeker
Read - Hardcoreware
Read - TweakTown
Read - PC World
Read - TechReport
Read - Benchmark Reviews
Read - Hardware Canucks
Read - Overclockers Club

Intel's Core i7-980X Extreme Edition 'Gulftown' review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PrimeSense talks full-body motion control at GDC, gives us a video demonstration

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/11/primesense-talks-full-body-motion-control-at-gdc-the-possibilit/

PrimeSense was formed in 2005, and unless you're a sickly obsessed silicon junkie, you've probably never heard of them. All that changes today. We sat down with the company at GDC to learn more about the chip that it produces, and we left with an imagination sore from being stretched so severely. Put simply, the company manufacturers a microchip that, when paired with off-the-shelf optics, can create a 3D grid that a computer can understand. The purpose here, as you can likely glean, is to enable PlayStation Eye-like interactions, or as the company suggests, a "more natural" way to interface with devices you use every day. Rather than grabbing the remote to switch channels or snapping up that HTPC keyboard in order to flip through your stored DVD library, PrimeSense would rather you kick back on the sofa and gently flick your hands in order to turn to this week's Gossip Girl or sort through those classic horror flicks.

Gallery: PrimeSense press photos

It's important to remember that PrimeSense isn't in the business of creating hardware, but today we were shown a reference design that looks an awful lot like an enlarged webcam. The device is completely USB powered, and while the unit shown in the images and video here was obviously a standalone device, we were told that it would be possible to integrate the solution into displays and the like in the future. They also mentioned that the depth location -- which enables it to map out a room and detect your entire body -- was done on-chip, with only the associated middleware taxing the CPU. Still, they've had success running this on Atom-level processors, so there's certainly no big horsepower hang-up preventing it from hitting up a variety of markets.

More after the break...

Gallery: PrimeSense motion control demo at GDC 2010

Continue reading PrimeSense talks full-body motion control at GDC, gives us a video demonstration

PrimeSense talks full-body motion control at GDC, gives us a video demonstration originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T completes 100-Gigabit Ethernet field trial using new Cisco gear, proves it does care

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/11/atandt-completes-100-gigabit-ethernet-field-trial-using-new-cisco/

Remember those network investments that AT&T was talking up just days before Time Warner slipped over an offer for help? Looks as if the firm wasn't kidding around, but there's still nothing here that should get you excited about more available bandwidth in the coming days. Utilizing that fancy new Cisco router, the carrier recently completed a live network environmental trial of 100-Gigabit backbone network technology (far more hasty than that 40-Gigabit stuff that's around today), but we're told that the tech isn't expected to be ready for "commercial deployment" until the "next few years." 'Course, we suspect we should be struck by the notion that the internet may actually have the proper infrastructure to keep on keepin' on once Hulu really does take over the world, but for now, we'll just have to extract a bit more joy from those vague "little things" in life.

AT&T completes 100-Gigabit Ethernet field trial using new Cisco gear, proves it does care originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A PREDICTABLE Failure: Kimberly-Clark Kleenex Hand Towels: Here's why -- they used focus groups! - http://bit.ly/aFR2VW

This is what happens when "brand-ing" (advertiser-out) folks do "experiential marketing" - not a real experience - http://bit.ly/d6Eb6P

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Combustible carbon nanotubes give off electricity, make really tiny fires (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/combustible-carbon-nanotubes-give-off-electricity-make-really-t/

Need a more efficient heat sink? Try a carbon nanotube. Artificial muscle? Nanotubes. Space Ladder? Self-cleaning windows? Incredibly small bowl of soup? You get the picture. What can't carbon nanotubes do? We're not sure just yet, but even power generation is not beyond their grasp. Apparently when you coat the wee straws in butane and light one end on fire it creates a thermal wave, propelling electrons along to create a current. It's not a lot of current on a single smoldering tube, but scale things up and the potential is said to be 100 times greater than an equivalent weight lithium-ion battery. Of course, you don't have to light a LiOn cell on fire to get the juice out of it (usually), but we're guessing scientists will create a way to make that happen in a safe, controlled manner. Until then, check out one burning in super slow-motion after the break, and remember: only you can prevent nanofires.

Continue reading Combustible carbon nanotubes give off electricity, make really tiny fires (video)

Combustible carbon nanotubes give off electricity, make really tiny fires (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 20! 10 09:22 :00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OO HD wireless projector concept reaches for the stars, almost grabs 'em (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/oo-hd-wireless-projector-concept-reaches-for-the-stars-almost-g/

David Riesenberg obviously had his head in the clouds when he dreamed up the OO High Definition Wireless Projector, but it's not like we're kvetching about his imagination's ability to go far beyond the limits of most humans. For one thing, the concept 1080p projector looks (and lands) like a stunning orange UFO; for another, the specs are otherwordly. Should the device ever come to market, Reisenberg says it will pack SSD storage, WiFi and internal decoder chips into its svelte, 11-inch round carbon fiber frame, as well as three independently articulated legs for balance and a Li-ion battery for up to three hours of cord-free HD streaming and playback. Did we mention it's got a matching touchscreen remote? And our deepest affection, forever and ever? See what we're drooling over in Riesenberg's subtle video homage to a certain interstellar piano waltz right after the break.

[Thanks, David]

Gallery: OO High Definition Wireless Projector Concept