Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Motorola Atrix 4G gets the teardown treatment, fourth G nowhere to be found

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/22/motorola-atrix-4g-gets-the-teardown-treatment-fourth-g-nowhere/

If our review of the Atrix left you hungering for more, you can now feast your eyes on the guts of Motorola's new Android powerhouse. Thanks to the folks at iFixit, its teardown reveals a familiar range of parts -- 16GB of NAND flash, 960x540 PenTile LCD, 1GB DDR2 RAM and that beast of a NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU. What's more, is that the teardown brings to light some enticing news -- the glass panel is not glued to the LCD. This allows for the clumsy to not have to spend the extra dough if they crack the glass (which is usually affixed to the display). Hit the source link if you've got your Atrix and are ready to dismantle the thing yourself.

P.S. -- There is a Qualcomm MDM6200 HSPA+ chip inside the phone. The title is meant to be a joke in reference to misconceptions about 4G wireless technology. You can read about them here.

Motorola Atrix 4G gets the teardown treatment, fourth G nowhere to be found originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

source

iFixit | Email this | Comments

Samsung Galaxy S II first with MHL port for dual-purpose USB or HDMI out (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/23/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-first-with-mhl-port-for-dual-purpose-usb-or/

There's a small but important fact about Samsung's newest Android flagship that slipped under our radar last week at Mobile World Congress. The Galaxy S II is the first smartphone to feature an MHL port. MHL, as you'll recall, was first announced in 2008 as the Mobile High-Definition video Link "standard" for mobile devices promoted by a consortium that includes Nokia, Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, and Silicon Image. So yeah, another mobile interconnect standard just like DisplayPort, mini-HDMI, or Light Peak. Essentially, the micro-USB shaped MHL jack at the base of the Galaxy S II features internal circuitry that recognizes USB or MHL impedance and then automatically switches the phone into USB data / charging or MHL audio / video / charging modes. A special 5-wire micro-USB to HDMI cable lets you send video and audio to existing HDMI-equipped displays. Unfortunately, the TV won't charge the Galaxy S II during playback unless you insert a phone charger adapter between the GSII and TV or wait for MHL-enabled TVs to begin shipping later this year. Once connected, you can then use your TV's HDMI-CEC compatible remote to navigate and control the Galaxy S II's media interface. The GSII is just the first MHL device with a half-dozen phones, at least one tablet, and a few TVs coming this summer. More details are available in the video interview after the break.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S II first with MHL port for dual-purpose USB or HDMI out (video)

Samsung Galaxy S II first with MHL port for dual-purpose ! USB or H DMI out (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 02:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Charbax (YouTube) | source

source

Samsung | Email this | Comments

Android 2.3.3 gives you another reason to want it: WebM support

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/23/android-2-3-3-gives-you-another-reason-to-want-it-webm-support/

Our first indication of a delivery date for the Gingerbread iteration of Android came way back in May when we were perusing the FAQ to Google's then newly announced WebM video format. There should be no expressions of shock, therefore, to hear that WebM support has indeed been added into Google's mobile OS, with the lowest compatible version being today's freshly introduced Android 2.3.3. Google has already demonstrated its intention to brute-force this format into our lives, which we'll be quite happy to accept just as soon as Gingerbread starts appearing on more devices than its own Nexi.

Android 2.3.3 gives you another reason to want it: WebM support originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 05:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

source

Android Developers | Email this | Comments

CHART OF THE DAY: Amazon Streaming News Hammers Netflix Stock (AMZN, NFLX)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-netflix-stock-performance-2011-2

Netflix shares took a pretty substantial tumble today on news that Amazon was jumping into the streaming video subscription business.

This is just round 1 in a long fight between the companies. For now, it's hard to envision Netflix subscribers quitting for Amazon, but in the long run Netflix is going to have to deal with a tough new foe.

If you're looking for a bull case for Netflix keep in mind it does one thing -- video rentals and streaming. It's not going to lose its only battle with out putting up a serious fight.

chart of the day, neflix stock, feb 2011

Follow the Chart Of The Day on Twitter: @chartoftheday

Join the conversation about this story »

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Perfect example of an industry replaced by a more efficient version of itself (pic) - http://bit.ly/g10caC

Seeking e-commerce rock star to teach a module at Rutgers' Digital Marketing class with me; ping me ASAP thru usual private channels, thx

HP TouchPad on sale in April?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/22/hp-palm-touchpad-on-sale-in-april/

The official TouchPad launch date isn't even a date per se, but a season: summer. So we're surprised to see DigiTimes reporting that HP will take delivery of shipments in March with the TouchPad going on sale in April with plans to ship 4 - 5 million units from the TouchPad "series" in 2011. Based on what we know, both from using the software-incomplete pre-production tablet and from our detailed discussions with Jon Rubinstein, an April retail date would be extremely aggressive to say the least. And DigiTimes' accuracy with regard to rumors for companies located outside of its home country of Taiwan is spotty at best. Nevertheless, HP's new CEO Leo Apotheker did say originally, that products announced at the February 9th event would be on sale just a few weeks later. Unfortunately, only the wee Veer handset got an early spring promise with the Pre 3 joining the TouchPad for a summer launch. Perhaps this will be a case of HP under promising and over delivering? We can't say for sure. But with any luck, HP could bring some clarity to the matter on March 14th -- a day Apotheker had promised a big reveal regarding a "secret answer" and "vision of what HP is capable of in the future... the starting point." Why so mysterious, Leo?

HP TouchPad on sale in April? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 01:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

source

DigiTimes | Email this | Comments

AT&T Motorola Atrix 4G now on sale, $149.99 at Amazon or RadioShack (update: $129.99 at Walmart)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/22/atandt-motorola-atrix-4g-now-on-sale-149-99-at-amazon/

The hotly reviewed and already rooted Atrix 4G is now on sale at AT&T. As expected, the privilege of buying direct from the carrier will set you back $199.99 with a two-year contract in the range of $39.99 per month for the Nation 450 on up to $69.99 for the Nation Unlimited with another $15 per month for a 200MB DataPlus plan or $45 per month for a Data Pro 4GB + tethering plan. Or shop on over to Amazon (or RadioShack) who lists the same HSPA+ device for $50 less with a 24-hour ship time. Remember, if you just have to have the laptop dock then you'd best do it now while it's offered with the handset in a $499 bundle (after $100 mail-in rebate and purchase of the Data Pro plan with tethering add-on) -- the same laptop dock purchased separately will cost you $499.99. No, really.

Update: Walmart is offering the Atrix 4G handset for a measly $129.99 for those of you activating a new account before Thursday.

[Thanks, Zizo and Hoodean]

AT&T Motorola Atrix 4G now on sale, $149.99 at Amazon or RadioShack (update: $129.99 at Walmart) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 02:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

source

AT&T, Amazon, RadioShack | Email this | Comments

Fujitsu's 10-inch Stylistic Q550 tablet to sport Oak Trail, Windows 7

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/22/fujitsus-10-inch-stylistic-q550-tablet-to-sport-oak-trail-wind/

We knew good and well that Fujitsu's Stylistic Q550 was en route, but now we're learning a few more dirty details as its official launch day draws ever nearer. Reportedly, the business-oriented slate will be fully revealed at CeBIT next month, with Fujitsu being one of the only outfits out there eager and willing to take a chance on both Oak Trail and Windows 7 Professional. Our experiences with existing Win7 tablets haven't been stellar, but it's possible that the added power in Oak Trail will cut down on the lag and make things a bit smoother to operate. We're told to expect a 10-inch LED touchscreen, smartcard slot, fingerprint reader, trusted-platform module (TPM), front and rear cameras, a 32GB / 64GB solid state drive, USB socket and an optional 3G module. Most impressive, however, is the claimed eight hours of battery life, which we'll quite honestly have to see to believe. If all goes well, it'll start shipping this April to European nations, but there's no word yet on how badly it'll hurt your wallet (or when it'll grab a passport and head to other continents). As you'd expect, we'll be live from Germany digging for more just as soon as the show floor opens. A brief introductory vid is just past the break.

Continue reading Fujitsu's 10-inch Stylistic Q550 tablet to ! sport Oa k Trail, Windows 7

Fujitsu's 10-inch Stylistic Q550 tablet to sport Oak Trail, Windows 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 03:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

PC World | source

source

YouTube (Network World) | Email this | Comments

Sony VAIO S Series get an updated design, Core i5-2410M CPU and Radeon HD 6470M graphics

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/22/sony-vaio-s-series-get-an-updated-design-core-i5-2410m-cpu-and/

Excuse us for a moment while we ponder Sony's product naming scheme. The company's VAIO S thin-and-light laptop range got upgraded specs at CES this January, which also happened to be the place and time that we first laid eyes on a set of "prototype" machines that seemed to target the same market segment. Lo and behold, after making some cameos at European online listings, the newly redesigned Sony 13-inchers are here, only they're still called... the VAIO S Series. For the trouble of figuring out which is which, you'll be rewarded with a 3.9-pound mobile computer with a 1366 x 768 screen, a 500GB hard drive, 4GB of 1333MHz DDR3 RAM, 802.11n WiFi, optional VAIO "everywair" 3G, a Radeon HD 6470M GPU with up to 1GB of dedicated memory, and what will presumably be a selection of Core i5 CPUs from Intel (at present we're only seeing the i5-2410M listed). Windows 7 is the inevitable OS on board, though Sony's enhanced it with a Fast Boot sequence that's said to halve the usual bootup time. Launch is scheduled for the end of March and you'll find a full spec sheet and release after the break.

Gallery: Sony VAIO S February 2011 press shots

Continue reading Sony VAIO S Series get an updated design, Core i5-2410M CPU and Radeon HD 6470M graphics

Sony VAIO S Series get an updated design, Core i5-2410M CPU and Radeon HD 6470M graphics originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 04:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Engadget Spanish | | Email this | Comments

Samsung develops mobile DRAM capable of 12.8GB/sec data transfers, making all other memory jealous

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/22/samsung-develops-mobile-dram-capable-of-12-8gb-sec-data-transfer/

Much like clockwork, Samsung's memory labs are cranking out yet another innovation in the mobile DRAM sector, with the goal being to make the next (next) generation Galaxy Tab -- and any other mobile device relying on Samsung memory -- faster than ever. This go 'round, the crew has developed a 1Gb mobile DRAM module with a wide I/O interface for smartphones and tablets, enabling it to transmit data at 12.8GB/sec. For those keeping count, that's an eightfold increase in bandwidth compared to LPDDR2 DRAM chips, and the company has also managed to trim power consumption by 87 percent all the while. In order to boost the data transfer rate, Samsung's new wide I/O DRAM uses 512 pins for input and output, dwarfing the 32 pins used in the previous generation. Following this, Sammy's hoping to provide 20nm-class 4Gb wide I/O mobile DRAM sometime in 2013, but we're hoping to see this particular development sashay into tablets that hit the market long before then. Sadly, there's no specific word on when, but you know we'll be handing that information over just as soon as we get it.

Continue reading Samsung develops mobile DRAM capable of 12.8GB/sec data transfers, making all other memory jealous

Samsung develops mobile DRAM capable of 12.8GB/sec data transfers, making all other memory jealous originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Amazon launches Prime Instant Video, unlimited streaming for Prime subscribers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/22/amazon-launches-prime-instant-videos-unlimited-streaming-for-pr/

Amazon launches unlimited video streaming for Prime subscribers

We heard it was coming and now here it is. Amazon has flipped the switch on its "free" video streaming for Prime members, the service we've been hearing about for the past month or so. If you've already been taking advantage of subscription-based two-day shipping so that your impulse buys get to your door a little quicker you can now enjoy streaming of 5,000 pieces of "prime eligible" content, including some recent movies and a lot of TV shows, much of which will look awfully familiar if you're also a Netflix subscriber. However, on some foreign films (like The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest above) you have the choice of subtitles or dubbed, and much of this content is still available to "rent" or "buy" if you want to be able to download it to a mobile device. We're just checking out the service now and will be back with some impressions a little later.

Update: We're hearing that this is only for paid Prime subscribers, so if you're a college student or the like with a free membership you're sadly out of luck. Also it's US only at this point. Sorry!

Update 2: Check out our impressions!

[Thanks, Chris]

Continue reading Amazon launches Prime Instant Video, unlimited streaming for Prime subscribers

Amazon launches Prime Instant Video, unlimited streaming for Prime subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

source

Amazon | Email this | Comments

Autoblog drives the 2012 Fisker Karma, deems it 'best handling large premium car'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/22/autoblog-drives-the-2012-fisker-karma-deems-it-best-handling-l/

Autoblog drives the 2012 Fisker Karma, deems it 'best handling large premium car'

Karma, in a religious sense, is the sort of divine retribution or cause for your deeds or misdeeds. In an automotive sense it's a $95,900 plug-in luxury performance car that Fisker has been teasing since 2007. That machine is finally nearing production and Autoblog was lucky enough to take an early model for a spin around California Speedway, a brief test-drive that left the pilots concluding "the Fisker Karma is a rolling dream machine for anyone who wants something very different that works and drives exceptionally well." For the rest of the impressions on this $100k plug-in hybrid that offers a combined 657hp and 981lb-ft of torque from three motors and will go 50 miles on batteries alone you'll need to click on through the source link below. For the details on what's in store from your own karma you need only look inside yourself.

Autoblog drives the 2012 Fisker Karma, deems it 'best handling large premium car' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

source

Autoblog | Email this | Comments

Apple holding iPad 2 event next week?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/22/apple-holding-ipad-2-event-next-week/

We're all hotly expecting new MacBook Pros on Thursday, but it sounds like Apple might have an even bigger announcement soon: Kara Swisher at All Things Digital says the iPad 2 will be revealed on March 2 in San Francisco. That lines up with some of the rumblings we've heard, but we haven't gotten an official invite yet, so things could change -- we'll let you know as soon as we hear anything definite.

Apple holding iPad 2 event next week? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 13:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

source

All Things Digital | Email this | Comments

Monday, February 21, 2011

Smart Video Enlarger Makes YouTube Better [Video]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5765605/smart-video-enlarger-makes-youtube-better

Chrome: Smart Video Enlarger is an extension that adds two great viewing features to the YouTube web interface.

The allows you to set YouTube videos to automatically take up the full frame on load. This makes the video take up your entire browser window by default, similar to what it looks like when you pop-out the video in a new window. The second is that if you scroll down the page, it will automatically resize the video on the fly, down to a minimum (20% by default) so that you can continue watching the video while scrolling down to read comments.

Even though YouTube has made some changes to their video watching experience over the years, you're still basically stuck with two options: the default video size or fullscreen. Depending on how you watch and navigate videos, this setup is really not optimal nor conducive to your video watching habits. This extension's two features work together to make it easier to get a 'full' video experience in your browser without having to make extra clicks or going fullscreen.

Smart Video Enlarger [Chrome Extensions via AddictiveTips]

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)