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Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Intel's 25nm solid state drives boast huge capacity, improved reliability, four times longer life?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/05/intels-25nm-solid-state-drives-boast-huge-capacity-improved-re/

Solid state storage is maturing rapidly, as you can see on this allegedly leaked slide, but AnandTech reports that the improvements aren't all about price per gigabyte -- the 25nm successor to Intel's X25-M G2 is shaping up to be one killer drive. In addition to increasing capacity to 600GB for a 2.5-incher and 300GB for a 1.8-inch size, the publication reports that the Postville Refresh will bring up to 40,000 IOPS in random 4K writes, and transfer larger sequential files with up-to-250MB/s reads and 170MB/s writes. To put that in context, they should be competitive with today's very best SandForce SF-1200 drives, and hopefully trounce them on price. More impressive (if true), however, is that these new Intel X25-M G3 units are built to last: they're reportedly able to transfer at least 30TB before they give up the ghost, and have a "power safe write cache" feature that may keep errant power outages from prematurely conking them out. We don't exactly expect OCZ, Corsair, Mushkin and Crucial to sit around while Intel revolutionizes the market, though -- even if Intel's 25nm plant only benefits Intel, smaller die sizes will help solid state storage companies across the board.

Intel's 25nm solid state drives boast huge capacity, improved reliability, four times longer life? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASRock Vision 3D HTPC reviewed: it's the best, guys

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/05/asrock-vision-3d-htpc-reviewed-its-the-best-guys/

Not so keen on the idea of buying something with an ASRock logo on the front? It's about time to shake your mainstream expectations, vaquero. AnandTech just got their paws around one of the company's highest-end SFF HTPCs, and while we knew from glancing it at Computex that it was primed to perform, the real-world results have shown that it actually is capable of impressing. In fact, these guys called the Vision 3D HTPC "the best SFF HTPC [they had] ever reviewed, hands down," noting that the 2.4GHz Core i3-370M and GeForce GT425M GPU enabled a "quantum leap" in gaming performance for a system of this caliber. Of course, it checks in at just under a grand, but the inclusion of Blu-ray and an HDMI 1.4a port help to "justify the premium pricing." Critics also found the machine to be an easy overclocker, appreciated the trio of USB 3.0 ports and found the "perfect wake-up from sleep" to be a welcome extra in a world of quiescent PCs. No need to take our word for it -- hit that source link to see just how heavily the pros outweigh the cons.

ASRock Vision 3D HTPC reviewed: it's the best, guys originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NTT DoCoMo's AR Walker is augmented reality at its finest (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/06/ntt-docomos-ar-walker-is-augmented-reality-at-its-finest-video/

Say you're in New York... or Tokyo. You have absolutely no idea where you are, where you need to go, or where the closest Starbucks is. Sure, you could look at the mapping app on your AGPS-equipped handset, but where's the sci-fi in that? Leave it to Japan's NTT DoCoMo (in partnership with Olympus) to whip up a wearable augmented reality solution that's nearly small enough (and reasonable-looking enough) for individuals with an ounce of self-respect to use, and we've had a chance to check it out here at CEATEC this week. Follow the break for impressions and video!

Gallery: NTT DoCoMo's AR Walker is augmented reality at its finest

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo's AR Walker is augmented reality at its finest (video)

NTT DoCoMo's AR Walker is augmented reality at its finest (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 02:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hitachi's 6.6-inch IPS tablet display with amazing 302 ppi

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/06/hitachis-6-6-inch-ips-panel-with-amazing-302-ppi-headed-to-tabl/

What you're looking at is not just another display. This little beauty throws 1600 x 1200 pixels across a 6.6-inch transmissive IPS panel for an amazing 302 pixels per inch density. That's just shy of the 326 ppi density seen on Apple's 3.5-inch Retina Display (and now Sharp IS03) and blows away the 132 ppi density of the iPad's 10-inch 1024 x 768 IPS panel or 169 ppi density of the 7-inch 1024 x 600 pixel Galaxy Tab and BlackBerry PlayBook. Even at that size, the panel still manages an 800:1 contrast ratio and 400 nits of brightness. Unfortunately, we don't have any word on when we can expect these to ship in volume, though we wouldn't mind seeing it show up in Apple's rumored 7-inch iPad -- anywhere, really.

P.S. To fuel speculation, this Hitachi panel shares the same 4:3 aspect ratio as Apple's iPad. Just sayin'.

Hitachi's 6.6-inch IPS tablet display with amazing 302 ppi originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 05:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei Ascend is the $150 Android smartphone you might actually want to own

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/06/huawei-ascend-is-the-150-android-smartphone-you-might-actually/

When the Huawei Ascend launches on prepaid carrier Cricket Wireless later this month, it will cost $150. That's not after a rebate or with a two-year agreement, mind you -- for three portraits of Ulysses S. Grant, you actually own the phone. Of course, you always get what you pay for to some degree, and the Ascend certainly isn't a top-tier device -- it's a humble HVGA handset made of cheap plastic that felt like it wouldn't survive a drop. The 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen was dull and actually slightly rough to the touch, and the 3.2 megapixel fixed-focus camera around back doesn't shoot VGA video (just QIF), let alone quality snapshots. Still, it's got physical buttons in all the right places (including a bendy metal Send / Menu / Back / End panel on the bottom) and a surprisingly responsive Android 2.1 UI with a few neat quirks -- like a nine-panel home screen -- so we could honestly see this EV-DO Rev. A handset being a pretty fantastic Android for first-time users. We'd choose it over the Motorola Citrus in a heartbeat, that's for sure, especially when Cricket gets its Sprint roaming agreement in order later this year. Of course, that's assuming the Huawei Ideos doesn't arrive at an even cheaper pricepoint. We've got a brief video of the Ascend after the break, as well as a MiFi-like Huawei device called the Crosswave -- won't you give it a look?

Gallery: Huawei Ascend, hands-on

Continue reading Huawei Ascend is the $150 Android smartphone you might actually want to own

Huawei Ascend is the $150 Android smartphone you might actually want to own originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Common Webcams Could Be Used to Continuously Monitor Your Vital Signs

Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-10/low-cost-low-res-cameras-could-soon-continuously-monitor-your-vital-signs

That first early-morning look in the mirror may soon tell you a lot more about your state of being beyond the simple fact that you look like you could use another hour of sleep. A grad student in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program has figured out how to use low-cost, low-resolution off-the-shelf camera technology to measure a person's heart rate through imaging alone. The technology, which could soon also be measuring respiration rates and blood-oxygen levels as well as blood pressure, could make basic medical monitoring a continuous process throughout the day.

The system requires nothing but a low-resolution video camera like the one built into most laptop computers. Software identifies a subject's face in the image and uses variations in brightness resulting from the flow of blood through blood vessels in the face to measure pulse rate. Tested against a physical sensor, the system was found to be accurate to within about three beats per minute. Ming-Zher Poh, the grad student behind the system, is now working on methods to extract other vital data via video image.

The ability to test for vital signs through a Web cam opens the door to all kinds of applications, most obviously in telemedicine. Rather than leaving the house when you're feeling under the weather, you could simply sit down with a nurse via video chat and he or she could take your vitals and determine the best course of action. The non-invasive nature of the tech also makes it ideal for situations where a patient really shouldn't be touched more than is absolutely necessary, like to monitor the vitals of a prematurely born infant or a burn victim.

But the more interesting aspect of the technology is it's ability to be ever-present in our lives. Poh has already created a mirror with a camera embedded into it that displays a person's pulse on the glass itself. Such a mirror could take a vital snapshot of a person each morning when he or she rises and again in the evening, creating a health profile rich in data that we usually only get when we go into the doctor's office. Those who need more careful monitoring could use their computers or phones to monitor their vitals continuously throughout the day.

All that data could be continuously piped to health care providers in real time, allowing our doctors to get a far more complete picture of how our bodies are doing on a day-to-day basis. That could lead to better preventative care, fewer trips to the doctor, and reduced man hours spent sitting in waiting rooms. For health care systems the world over that are flat-lining because of uncontrolled rising costs, that's a favorable prognosis.

Netflix iPhone App Now Supports Video Out [IPhone Apps]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5655593/netflix-iphone-app-now-supports-video-out

Netflix iPhone App Now Supports Video Out Looks like the Netflix iPhone app got a nice new feature with its latest update: Video out support. This means that you can send whatever video you're streaming to a bigger screen without much fuss. [iTunes]

Scratched Glasses Give Perfect Vision For Any Eyesight [Glasses]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5655541/scratched-glasses-give-perfect-vision-for-any-eyesight

Scratched Glasses Give Perfect Vision For Any Eyesight Ditch those bifocals. You might soon wearing spectacles whose lenses allow you to see clearly regardless of how long or short-sighted you are.

With age, the lenses in our eyes often lose the ability to change shape enough to focus light from near objects onto the retina - a condition called presbyopia. This leaves people who were already short-sighted unable to focus on either near or distant objects. Bifocals offer a solution by having two lenses in the same frame, but users must get used to tilting their head up or down to switch focus.

Zeev Zalevsky at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel, has developed a technique to turn a standard lens into one that perfectly focuses light from anything between 33 centimetres away and the horizon.

It involves engraving the surface of a standard lens with a grid of 25 near-circular structures each 2 millimetres across and containing two concentric rings. The engraved rings are just a few hundred micrometres wide and a micrometre deep. "The exact number and size of the sets will change from one lens to another," depending on its size and shape, says Zalevsky.

The rings shift the phase of the light waves passing through the lens, leading to patterns of both constructive and destructive interference. Using a computer model to calculate how changes in the diameter and position of the rings alter the pattern, Zalevsky came up with a design that creates a channel of constructive interference perpendicular to the lens through each of the 25 structures. Within these channels, light from both near and distant objects is in perfect focus.

"It results in an axial channel of focused light, not a single focal spot," Zalevsky says. "If the retina is positioned anywhere along this channel, it will always see objects in focus."

Zalevsky has fitted one of his lenses to a cellphone camera to confirm the extended focus effect, and he has also tested the lenses on 12 volunteers (Optics Letters, vol 35, p 3066). He has now co-founded a company, Xceed Imaging, to develop the technology.

The approach is not without its problems, though: the interference pattern tends to cancel out some of the light passing through the lens, which reduces the contrast of images viewed through it. ,a href="http://lo.um.es/~pablo/">Pablo Artal of the University of Murcia, Spain, warns that if the contrast reduction becomes too large, the brain will struggle to interpret the information.

Zalevsky counters that people wearing the lenses do not notice a loss in contrast because the eye is very sensitive to light at low intensity. "Unlike a camera, the brain has a logarithmic and not linear [response to light]." He says that the brain adapts to and minimises the reduced contrast within a few seconds.

This is not the only way in which the brain must adapt to the new lenses. Fixed in a pair of glasses, the lenses would not move as the eye looked in different directions, so the focusing effect would be lost in the regions between the circles. But Zalevsky says that the eye learns to fill in the gaps as it moves from one engraved structure to another, generating a continuous effect.

New Scientist reports, explores and interprets the results of human endeavour set in the context of society and culture, providing comprehensive coverage of science and technology news.

The 3D Sound System With 62 Channels is the Death Star of Audio [Audio]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5655812/the-3d-sound-system-with-62-channels-is-the-death-star-of-audio

The 3D Sound System With 62 Channels is the Death Star of Audio This isn't a Death Star model to go with your AT-AT. What's lurking behind it is a clue. Have you got it? It's a sound system, only with a twist—it has 62 channels for 3D sound.

It's from the Japanese National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), a research firm which is responsible for looking after Japan's frequencies and time standards, and also tests marine radar and maritime safety systems. Amongst doing all those important deeds, they've obviously found the time to jump upon the 3D wagon, with this sound system that is the first of its kind in the world today.

With 62 channels, the sound is meant to be a full replica of the original audio, so you genuinely feel that the singer is right there in the room with you. In 3D. It's being shown off at CEATEC this week, and while it's unlikely to go on sale (especially outside of Japan) it's fascinating to see what technology is capable of. Don't stop at 62 next time, NICT. [NICT via Akihabara News]

The 3D Sound System With 62 Channels is the Death Star of Audio

Virgin Mobile rolls out Android-based Samsung Intercept: $249 prepaid

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/04/virgin-mobile-rolls-out-android-based-samsung-intercept-249-pr/

Not much of a surprise here, but Virgin Mobile has just officially announced that it's now offering the Samsung Intercept -- the carrier's first Android handset. Running a reasonable $249 prepaid -- and exclusive to Target for the next few weeks -- the phone boasts a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, a sliding QWERTY keypad, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and all the basic Android amenities you'd expect (it's shipping with Android 2.1). Of course, that $249 is quite a bit higher than the $99 it demands on-contract on Sprint, but Virgin promises you'll save 25 percent or more in the long-run if you pair the phone with one of its prepaid plans, which run between $25 and $60 per month. Hit up the gallery below for a couple of bigger images, and head on past the break for the full press release.

Gallery: Virgin Mobile Samsung Intercept

Continue reading Virgin Mob! ile roll s out Android-based Samsung Intercept: $249 prepaid

Virgin Mobile rolls out Android-based Samsung Intercept: $249 prepaid originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marvell shows OLPC some serious love with a $5.6 million grant for XO-3 tablet

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/04/marvell-shows-olpc-serious-love-with-a-5-6-million-grant-to-dev/

Marvell and One Laptop Per Child's close partnership has been no secret, but according to Xconomy, Marvell's about to put a whole lot more green into the XO. The semiconductor company is forking over $5.6 million to fund the creation of the next gen XO-3 tablet, and according to OLPC founder and former Engadget Show guest Nicholas Negroponte, it's still slated for a 2012 release. Obviously, the tablet will be based on Marvell's SoC -- though, there's no telling which version of Armada will be up for grabs by then. Additionally, Marvell and OLPC will be showing another tablet at CES, but this one is apparently for children of the developed world and won't carry OLPC's brand. Our guess is that it'll be something closer to the Android-running Moby than to the plastic, bendable, Pixel Qi-equipped XO-3. It's all sounding rather confusing to us, but hey, at least the kids won't have a shortage of tablets to choose from.

Marvell shows OLPC some serious love with a $5.6 million grant for XO-3 tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS O!Play HD2 finally launching this week

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/04/asus-o-play-hd2-finally-launching-this-week/

It was back in March that we last heard about / saw ASUS's O!Play HD2, so it's totally understandable that you've completely forgotten about the sleek-looking multimedia server. But don't you worry, it's back now and ready to make sure you never forget that it is the "world's first USB 3.0 multimedia center." Launching this week in the UK for £109 and in the US on October 25 for $129.99, the O!Play HD2 is a lot like the previous O!Play Air HD with its streaming capabilities and 1080p support, but it's been updated with a USB 3.0 port for speedy HD movie transfers, a slot for a 3.5-inch hard drive, and an iPhone remote control. With support of tons of video / audio formats it'll probably be a solid alternative to the streaming-only boxes, but we'll wait on the reviews to make a call on that one. Hit that read more button for a full rundown of the specs and a flowery press release.

Continue reading ASUS O!Play HD2 finally launching this week

ASUS O!Play HD2 finally launching this week originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 21:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMIMON crams 1080p streaming into its WHDI Stick, your laptop might have a new BFF

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/05/amimon-crams-1080p-wireless-streaming-into-its-whdi-stick-has-t/

We can't say there's been a shortage of WHDI-enabled laptop-to-TV streaming solutions in the last few months -- ASUS has its WiCast, HP its Wireless TV and BriteView its HDelight -- but we've got one major complaint about them all: the large size of the transmitter. As you've probably heard us whine about before, each of those products requires a fairly chunky box be attached to the laptop itself via both HDMI and USB. But it's looking like it won't be that way for too long -- AMIMON, the company behind that WHDI technology, has engineered the WHDI Stick. The picture above is a clear sign of its prototype status, but the company's created the 3.2 x 1.2 x .61-inch device to really let the world, or at least manufacturers, know that it's shrunk down the package, but hasn't messed with the features -- it can still stream uncompressed 1080p/60Hz HD from a laptop to an HDTV with minimal (less than one millisecond) latency. We're planning to check it out in action at CEATEC this week, but AMIMON doesn't expect products based on the prototype to hit the market until the end of Q1 2011. Hit the break for the press release and the gallery below for some more pictures of the Stick.

Gallery: WHDI Stick

Continue reading AMIMON crams 1080p streaming into its WHDI Stick, your laptop might have a new BFF

AMIMON crams 1080p streaming into its WHDI Stick, your laptop might have a new BFF originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fujitsu dual-touchscreen concept phone hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/05/fujitsu-dual-touchscreen-concept-phone-hands-on/

Back at Mobile World Congress in February, the mobile UI gurus at TAT showed off their interpretation of a dual-screen phone interface using TI's powerhouse OMAP4 testbed. Seemed a little pie-in-the-sky at the time, but frankly, the concept device being shown off by Fujtisu at CEATEC this week -- created with TAT's involvement, it turns out -- seems virtually ready for production. Or the hardware did, anyway; the software was spartan by comparison, obviously designed to call out a few key use cases where having two giant, glorious 960 x 480 displays right next to each other might come in handy. We were shown browser and email list scrolling across both displays -- boring, if not obvious -- but what really piqued our interest was a cool photo sharing feature whereby you fling photos you want to share from a gallery on the bottom display to a list of contacts on the top one -- very TAT, if we do say so ourselves. Both displays can be rotated between portrait and landscape, creating either a nicely-sized clamshell or a gigantic flip, not an uncommon shape among Japanese phones. Indeed, given the form factor, the entirely-Japanese interface, and Fujitsu's history, we're sure this was designed entirely with the Japanese domestic market in mind -- and we wouldn't be at all surprised to see it show up in a retail capacity there within a year or so. Follow the break for video.

Gallery: Fujitsu dual touchscreen concept phone hands-on

Continue reading Fujitsu dual-touchscreen concept phone hands-on

Fujitsu dual-touchscreen concept phone hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Data Robotics debuts 8-bay DroboPro FS with automatic offsite backup option

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/05/data-robotics-debuts-8-bay-drobopro-fs-with-automatic-offsite-ba/

It was inevitable, really. First comes the business-oriented DroboPro, then comes the network-savvy Drobo FS. Mash the two together, and out pops the DroboPro FS. Design wise, it's the same 3U form factor that DroboPro users will recognize, but internally, Data Robotics has bumped the CPU speed from 800MHz in the Drobo FS to 1GHz here. There are eight total bays within, and a pair of gigabit Ethernet jacks around back; by default, the second port is used to connect to a different subnet (possibly for offsite file replication), while users can opt for a protection mode during setup if they'd rather it act as a fail-safe (in case the primary port kicks the bucket). More important than all of that, though, is the new Drobo Sync feature, which will be exclusive to the DroboPro FS for at least the time being. During setup, users simply input the IP address of another DroboPro FS; once that's plugged in, they can schedule automatic offsite backups as often as each hour or as infrequently as once per day.

Here's the thing: this automatic offsite sync only works with a pair of DroboPro FS devices, so you'll need to pick up two from the start and have 'em shipped to different addresses if you're interested in taking advantage. The good news, however, is that an intelligent syncing system specifically scans for minute file changes, so if you only change two cells in a 105MB Excel chart, only a few chunks of data will have to fly over your network rather than resending and overwriting the entire 105MB file. As for pricing? Given that these are meant for small biz, it's up there -- the empty base unit goes for $1,999, while at 8TB model (2TB x 4) lists for $2,699 and a 16TB behemoth (2TB x 8) sells for $3,299. The company also has plans to sell a two-device bundle (8TB units) for $6,399, aiming this at folks who want an offsite solution from the get-go. The box itself is available today from CDW, B&H and a few other e-tailers, and even if you're not feeling spendy, you can hit that More Coverage link for a chance to win yourself a gratis Drobo FS. It's a win-win, we tell ya.

Gallery: DroboPro FS press photos and data sheet

Continue reading Data Robotics debuts 8-bay DroboPro FS with automatic offsite backup option

Data Robotics debuts 8-bay DroboPro FS with automatic offsite backup option originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 01:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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