Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Marvell says Armada chips will power new game platform

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/24/marvell-major-customer-launching-new-game-platform/

Marvell's been teasing potent little processors for over a year now, but we've yet to see the firm's Armada appear in anything we'd actually want... but co-founder Sehat Sutardja just let slip that Marvell silicon will power a genuine game console of some sort. "Approximately 15% of the sequential increase [in quarterly sales] was due to the initial production revenue from our ARMADA application processors, primarily as a result of a major customer preparing to launch a new gaming platform," he told investors in a conference call last week, which roughly translates to "We just sold a load of processors for a new game console, yo" if our business-speak is correct. While there's absolutely nothing connecting this transaction to Nintendo's 3DS (which was confirmed to have a Pica200 GPU), we honestly can't think of a single other game platform slated to launch anytime soon -- so don't be surprised if there's a quad-core Armada 600 under that variably-stereoscopic hood.

[Thanks, Roxanne]

Marvell says Armada chips will power new game platform originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WD intros HomePlug-compatible powerline networking package

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/24/wd-intros-homeplug-compatible-powerline-networking-package/

Western Digital's bread and butter is (and will likely remain) storage, but as we all know, all the storage in the world is useless if you can't access it. It only makes sense, then, that the company would get behind the HomePlug bandwagon for networking all your connected devices over your home's existing electrical power lines. The WD Livewire Powerline AV Network Kit includes two HomePlug AV adapters with four Ethernet ports each, boasting data transfer speeds up to 200 megabits per second. And it's HomePlug compatible, meaning your previous investments in the technology won't go to waste. Available now for $140. PR after the break.

Continue reading WD intros HomePlug-compatible powerline networking package

WD intros HomePlug-compatible powerline networking package originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharp's e-reader ready to 'rival the iPad' by year's end, may have a 3D future

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/25/sharps-e-reader-ready-to-rival-the-ipad-by-years-end-may-ha/

Sharp is going to launch its brand new e-reader in Japan this fall with US retail availability to follow by the end of the year. Riveting stuff, isn't it? Well, the company's President Mikio Katayama does his best to spice things up by proposing this device will aim "to rival the iPad," and it may well sport a color LCD if earlier indications still hold true, but what's really got us hot under the collar is the potential for 3D down the line. Katayama claims to have witnessed great enthusiasm for 3D -- particularly when it comes to games -- and posits it as a likely future direction for this new ebook reader. Multifunctional devices are what people want, he says, and since Sharp already has a 3D smartphone in the pipeline and a glasses-free 3D tablet display in the lab, we can't see many technical hurdles to the realization of his vision. Let's just hope his depth perception is accurate when it comes to measuring the interest in three-dee.

Sharp's e-reader ready to 'rival the iPad' by year's end, may have a 3D future originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chunichi | Email this | Comments

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

New study sheds light on painkilling system in brain

Source: http://www.physorg.com/news201882502.html

Repeatedly boosting brain levels of one natural painkiller soon shuts down the brain cell receptors that respond to it, so that the painkilling effect is lost, according to a surprising new study led by Scripps Research Institute and Virginia Commonwealth University scientists. The study has important implications for drug development.

ImageGrab Is a Powerful Video Screenshot Tool [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5620616/imagegrab-is-a-powerful-video-screenshot-tool

Windows: Grabbing stills from a video using a traditional screenshot tool is a tedious hit-or-miss affair. ImageGrab is feature-packed tool for grabbing single stills, a series at set intervals, or scripting your own parameters for custom grabs.

ImageGrab makes it easy to precisely snap a frame directly from the source video itself. You can automate the process by setting ImageGrab to grab frames at a user-specified interval and stamp the grabs with information like the name of the file and where in the original video the grab is from.

If the default settings and toggles aren't versatile enough for you, ImageGrab supports user scripting. We tested both the portable and stable release ImageGrab 4.2 as well as the non-portable and beta of ImageGrab 5.0. Although we were disappointed the beta wasn't portable it was significantly more stable on our Windows 7 test machine than the older 4.2 version.

ImageGrab is freeware, Windows only. Have a favorite tool for snagging stills from a video? Let's hear about it in the comments.

ImageGrab [via Ghacks]

Firefox's Awesome Tab Candy Renamed Panorama, to Be Included with Sync in Firefox 4 [Updates]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5620806/firefoxs-awesome-tab-candy-renamed-panorama-to-be-included-in-firefox-4

/:16 Mozilla's creative lead Aza Raskin announced today that Tab Candy, the excellent tab management idea, will officially ship with Firefox 4. It's also been renamed to Firefox Panorama. Worth noting is that Firefox Sync (which handles bookmarks, history, Awesome Bar, passwords, form-fill data, and open tabs) is also shipping in Firefox 4. Sounds like good news for the next release of Firefox. It's all currently available in the latest beta. [Aza on Design]

IBM's New Processors Go Comatose [Ibm]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5620509/ibms-new-processors-go-comatose

IBM's New Processors Go Comatose IBM's adding a new lower-low-power option to future Power processors that's one step beyond its current nap, sleep and heavy sleep options—the ability to put the processor into "deep sleep". It'll feel very refreshed in the morning.

Cutting power to the processor by a bigger margin than before, the planned new option will allow future chips to draw "almost no power" when not being heavily used, although putting your processor into this new persistent vegetative state has its drawbacks—there'll be a 10-20 millisecond wake up time to bring it around again. [PC World]

Send Links From Chrome to Your iOS Device [Chrome To Phone]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5620782/send-links-from-chrome-to-your-ios-device

Google's Chrome to Phone extension lets you send links, Google Maps, YouTubes, plain text and even phone numbers direct to your Android. Now there's a slightly gimpier one for iPhones that can only send links. Still, it works!

You install the extension to Chrome (please make a Firefox one), and then visit a URL on your iPhone or iPad or iPod touch browser. You save that URL to your home page as an icon, so that every time you do a "Chrome to phone", you can hit that URL and it'll redirect you to whatever it is you were viewing on the browser.

It's a very simple concept, and if you want to host the redirect scheme yourself because you don't want other people knowing what sites you browse, it shouldn't take very long to code this yourself (provided you know how). [Chrome Extensions]

Lung-inspired hydrogen fuel cell skimps on platinum, sees efficiency boost

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/24/lung-inspired-hydrogen-fuel-cell-skimps-on-platinum-sees-effici/

For as spectacular as hydrogen fuel cells are on paper, they haven't been able to replace combustion engines in vehicles. Or much of anything else, really. But thanks to Signe Kjelstrup at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in Oslo, the tried-and-true fuel cell is getting a serious boost. Kjelstrup's crew determined that by using less platinum in a cell, a substantial increase in efficiency and a significant decrease in cost could be achieved. The new design relies on an architecture that's "modeled on the bronchial structure of the lungs to supply hydrogen and oxygen gas to their respective electrodes," which is said to help "spread the gases more uniformly across the catalyst than current channel designs and provides a greater surface area so less platinum is needed." It's still early on in the discovery process, though, and there's certainly no solid word on when this will reach a point where widespread implementation is feasible. Seventh-generation Prius, perhaps?

Lung-inspired hydrogen fuel cell skimps on platinum, sees efficiency boost originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy S sporting Gorilla Glass to protect that precious AMOLED

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/24/samsung-galaxy-s-sporting-gorilla-glass-to-protect-that-precious/

Remember this horribly painful video? The Gorilla Glass protection on the Dell Streak is undoubtedly a selling point, and now Corning, the maker of said glass, has announced that the Samsung Galaxy S (which includes the Vibrant, Captivate, Fascinate, and Epic 4G in its brood) employs the same alkali-aluminosilicate glass shield. The glass is similar to the "helicopter windshield" stuff Apple uses on the iPhone 4, which was rumored to be Gorilla Glass at one point, and while neither tech is impervious to shattering, they certainly can take a beating -- but just try and do that pen stab torture test while we're not looking, alright? We don't have the stomach to witness another beautiful Android handset so roughly handled. PR is after the break.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S sporting Gorilla Glass to protect that precious AMOLED

Samsung Galaxy S sporting Gorilla Glass to protect that precious AMOLED originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Aero available today for $100 with AT&T contract

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/24/dell-aero-available-today-for-100-with-atandt-contract/

We'd actually kind of assumed this thing had been deep-sixed as faster, better phones have passed it by all summer long, but nay: Dell's Aero is finally in the land of the living. You can score the 3.5-inch 640 x 360 Android phone today with two-year AT&T contract for $99.99, though only through Dell's interwebs -- it's still "coming soon" to AT&T's site. Features include 2GB of onboard storage with microSD expansion, triband 3.6Mbps HSDPA and quadband EDGE, a 5 megapixel cam, and a 3.67-ounce claimed weight that makes it "one of the lightest" Android devices money can buy. Follow the break for the full press release.

Update: After checking with Dell, we've learned that the Aero is indeed still running Android 1.5, though the company is quick to note that it's actually a "superset" with a "tremendous amount of customization" with features like handwriting recognition and Facebook baked into the platform. We'd argue Dell still has a bit to learn from HTC on how to iterate its customizations as quickly as Google can pump out Android versions -- but maybe they'll figure it out by the time the Thunder comes out.

Continue reading Dell Aero available today for $100 with AT&T contract

Dell Aero available today for $100 with AT&T contract originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab gets official teaser video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/24/samsung-galaxy-tab-gets-official-teaser-video/

Whoa, now we're talking. It's short, sweet, and dramatic, yet the official Samsung Galaxy Tab teaser video still manages to reveal a number of features previously only rumored. We've got Android 2.2 running on a 7-inch display, video calling, Swype, HD movie playback, "Flash support," GPS navigation, an e-reader, and plenty more. Now get ready to be teased mercilessly by the video embedded after the break -- it's as close as you'll get before the official reveal in Berlin (at IFA) on September 2nd. Yeah, we'll be there.

Update: here's a few other things we've noticed from the trailer. In addition to the aforementioned details, the floating text also references augmented reality and video calling (perhaps indicating a front-facing camera as well). Speaking of cameras, you'll notice in one shot what appears to be a LED flash bulb next to the camera. Must we really wait another 9 or so days?

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Tab trailer: frame-by-frame

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab gets official teaser video

Samsung Galaxy Tab gets official teaser video originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive: HTC's Windows Phone 7-equipped T8788 breaks cover for AT&T

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/24/exclusive-htcs-windows-phone-7-equipped-t8788-breaks-cover-for/

In case you needed any more evidence that AT&T is going all-in with Windows Phone 7, take a gander at this little beast, a phone known only as the HTC T8788 at this point (rest assured, you'll get a snappy, memorable, trademarkable name by the time it's on shelves). Though it's a landscape slider, it doesn't slide to reveal what you'd normally expect -- a keyboard, that is. Instead, you get a speaker, an unusual (though not unprecedented) concept that should make this a decent media device... and the kickstand around back should help with that, too. We'd argue that this is the prettiest WinPho 7-powered device we've seen so far -- not surprising, considering HTC's reputation -- though we're sure plenty of folks would prefer the QWERTY. Check another shot in the gallery below!

Gallery: Exclusive: HTC's Windows Phone 7-equipped T8788 breaks cover for AT&T

Exclusive: HTC's Windows Phone 7-equipped T8788 breaks cover for AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer 'ZGA' Chrome OS netbook starts popping up in Google bug reports

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/24/acer-zga-chrome-os-netbook-starts-popping-up-in-google-bug-rep/

Some more interesting stuff on the Chrome OS hardware front has started to pop up courtesy of Google's own Chromium OS bug reports. Multiple references have been made to a mysterious Acer ZGA machine, which we have on good authority is also referred to generically as Google's "dogfood device" in bug reports -- dogfood referring to the practice of using your own products before you unleash them on the world. Even more interesting, someone actually managed to post a syslog of the machine, which is running an Atom N455 processor, has a 8GB SanDisk pSSD-S2 drive, sports a webcam, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, an ambient light sensor (for screen dimming, or possibly a backlit keyboard), and a Synaptics touchpad. Synaptics makes all sorts of touchpads, but is best known for its higher-end innovations, such as the MacBook-style clickpads found in the HP Envy series. Of course, all of these specs could change, or this machine could be merely in as a test bed for Chrome OS, and not planned for market -- like Microsoft is using its ASUS prototype with Windows Phone 7 -- but a July 26th mention of a "PVT run" (Product Verification Test) could point to this machine being almost ready for actual production.

[Thanks, Mark P]

Acer 'ZGA' Chrome OS netbook starts popping up in Google bug reports originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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KeyCase iPad Folio packs a Bluetooth keyboard, scores FCC approval

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/24/keycase-ipad-folio-packs-a-bluetooth-keyboard-scores-fcc-approv/

It's not the laptop-style ClamCase iPad case that we saw renders of way back in May, but this so-called KeyCase iPad Folio does manage to do a similar trick, and it's thankfully very much real -- it's just landed FCC approval and is already listed at one online retailer (though it's out of stock). The big selling point here, of course, is a Bluetooth keyboard that fits in the case and props up your iPad while in use, which can also be removed whenever you're looking to lighten the load a little. Unfortunately, there's still no official word on a widespread release for the case, but UK retailer GearZap has it listed at £60, or just over $90.

KeyCase iPad Folio packs a Bluetooth keyboard, scores FCC approval originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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