Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

#smwnyc #smwluminary - open source health - leveraging existing resources in innovative ways to solve public health issues

@luminarylabs - open source medicine and pharma products is coming; watch out industry!

RT @marckoska - 2 billion one-use AD "auto-disable" syringes sold to date, 10 million infections prevented, lives saved - bravo

RT @marckoska - scary reality of used/contaminated syringes being reused and used as toys in 3rd world countries #smwnyc #smwluminary

"personal health ecosystem" consumers expect industries to engage in their "health" #smwnyc #smwluminary

RT @SlowFoodUSA - learning about "food shed" "food desert" #smwnyc #smwluminary

RT @SlowFoodUSA - an approach to understanding and solving problems and inefficiencies in the food system #smwnyc #smwluminary

RT @sgdean - "if we can measure it, we can improve it" #smwnyc #smwluminary

#smwnyc - @Health|Tech|Food

Sony's Latest Bravia Range Includes 500GB Hard Drive [HDTVs]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5754720/sonys-latest-bravia-range-includes-500gb-hard-drive

Sony Japan has announced three new Bravia models that include 500GB hard drives—and let users record "up to" 65 hours of high-definition television directly to HD. The LED-backlit TVs also support external USB hard drives, with users able to connect additional storage to record on once the built-in drive's full. Plus saved shows can be shuffled between drives, hopefully without too much oppressive DRM. [Sony Japan via CrunchGear]

Dell Streak gets Honeycomb SDK port, starting to look like a real tablet

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/08/dell-streak-gets-honeycomb-sdk-port-finally-looks-like-a-real-t/

Dell always told us the Streak was a tablet and not a phone, so it makes perfect sense to see Android's latest version, the tablet-friendly Honeycomb, ported over to its 5-inch slate. As usual with these builds, we're still at a very early stage, with the chap responsible for the hack noting that "no way is this close to release," but it's still rather exciting to see that brand new interface freshening up familiar pieces of kit. And hey, it's not like Dell itself is going to be delivering Android 3.0 anytime soon either, right? Click the source link to keep yourself updated on how this community port progresses.

[Thanks, Chris]

Dell Streak gets Honeycomb SDK port, starting to look like a real tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 04:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus 3D teased again, this time shows off its dual cameras (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/08/lg-optimus-3d-teased-again-this-time-shows-off-its-dual-cameras/

We really should send a message to phone manufacturers and stop covering these tiny little leaks of controlled information, but when it's a phone with dual cameras and a 3D display we're talking about, we can't help it. Every minute detail must be digested and analyzed. There's a fast-moving video awaiting your Sherlockian wits after the break, or you can hit the source link for a gallery of screen captures that highlight the construction details of LG's upcoming Optimus 3D. Look for it to stop being a fancy render and become a corporeal entity at MWC early next week.

Continue reading LG Optimus 3D teased again, this time shows off its dual cameras (video)

LG Optimus 3D teased again, this time shows off its dual cameras (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 06:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon iPhone 4 gets torn apart, Qualcomm MDM6600 chip found inside

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/07/verizon-iphone-4-gets-torn-apart-qualcomm-mdm6600-chip-found-in/

Not exactly a huge surprise here, but the folks at iFixit have gotten their hands on a Verizon iPhone 4, and they've already torn it apart without even bothering to make a phone call. In addition to the expected differences, they found that the phone packs a slightly lighter battery than its counterpart (same capacity, though), that the mechanical vibrator has been redesigned and moved from the top right corner of the phone to the bottom left and, most notably, that it boasts a Qualcomm baseband chip, which lines up with what we've been hearing since last month. That's a Qualcomm MDM6600 chip, to be specific, which supports HSPA+ data rates up to 14.4 Mbps, and is the same chip used in the Droid Pro. Yes, that also means that the chip technically supports both GSM and CDMA, although Apple has apparently decided not to take advantage of that capability for one reason or another -- iFixit speculates that it may have been easier to design antennas for a CDMA-only phone. Hit up the link below for the complete teardown.

Verizon iPhone 4 gets torn apart, Qualcomm MDM6600 chip found inside originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's Kyocera Echo dual-screen Android phone announced, we go hands-on (update)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/07/sprints-kyocera-echo-dual-screen-android-phone-announced-we-go/

Sprint promised us an "industry first" at its event today, and it certainly delivered: check out the Kyocera Echo, the first dual-screen Android phone. That's right, dual-screen -- that's two 3.5-inch 480 x 800 displays which can be unfolded and used as a single 4.7-inch 960 x 800 surface. The screens are connected by a slick sliding liquid-metal hinge that Kyocera's filed several patents on -- the phone can be closed and used like a regular single-screen phone, unfolded all the way, or propped up into the faux-laptop configuration shown above. Under the hood there's a 1GHz second-gen Snapdragon running Android 2.2 -- we'll forgive the older software because Kyocera had to do extensive customization to add dual-screen support to seven core apps like the browser, email, and messaging. The seven optimized apps can be run on each screen individually so you can have the browser up top and email below, and several of them include useful full-dual-screen views as well. There's also a new dual-screen app manager, which is brought up by tapping the two screens simultaneously. Unfortunately, third party apps can't be run in any of the new modes and just fill the entire display for now -- Kyocera and Sprint say an SDK is coming shortly.

Interestingly, the Echo doesn't really run the optimized apps simultaneously when you have two of them open -- it quickly switches them in and out of hibernation, even though they're both displayed on screen. That means you can't do things like watch a video while writing an email, for example -- it's an odd limitation, but it seems like it'll only be an issue in limited circumstances. As for battery life, Kyocera and Sprint aren't giving definite numbers, but we were told things would last about a day with heavy use of both screens -- and the Echo is being sold in a bundle with a second battery in an external charging case, so you should have plenty of juice on the go. Downsides? Well, it's not the most attractive phone we've ever seen, and we'd be remiss if we didn't point out that there's just a lone rear-facing 5 megapixel camera with 720p video capture and that the Echo is 3G-only -- there's no WiMAX, which is a bit odd for a Sprint halo device. Still, it's definitely one of the most intriguing Android handsets we've ever seen, and at $199 (after a $100 rebate) when it launches sometime in the coming months, it's bound to pique some serious interest. Check a short hands-on video after the break.

Update: So the simultaneous apps thing appears to somewhat complex -- we weren't able to run a video and email when we played with the phone during our briefing, but Sprint's Fared Adib was able to do it when we ran into him during the launch event. We'll post that video soon -- and of course we'll dig deep into this when we get a review unit. One more thing we noticed: none of the devices we saw in action had pinch-to-zoom enabled anywhere, which is obviously very strange. We were told that the software is still early, so we'll have to see if it makes it into shipping product.

Update 2: It's attack of the press materials! New images, video, and release can be found below!

Gallery: Kyocera Echo hands-on

Gallery: Kyocera Echo press photos

Continue reading Sprint's Kyocera Echo dual-screen Android phone announced, we go hands-on (update)

Sprint's Kyocera Echo dual-screen Android phone announced, we go hands-on (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interactive storefront displays show up at Canadian Starbucks, window licking discouraged

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/07/interactive-storefront-displays-show-up-at-canadian-starbucks-w/

Starbucks has given the caffeinated crowd a new reason, other than the free WiFi, to stop by a couple of locations in Toronto and Vancouver -- interactive window displays! Taking sidewalk passers-by on a journey to assemble their favorite Tazo teas, the interactivity comes via a vinyl screen, projector, and gesture controls. We've already seen an interactive storefront in the US, so its about time our friends up north got some geekified advertising of their own. Vid's after the break.

Continue reading Interactive storefront displays show up at Canadian Starbucks, window licking discouraged

Interactive storefront displays show up at Canadian Starbucks, window licking discouraged originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 22:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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