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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Sigma Design's 'ultra thin' TV box design promises HD in a tiny package

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/sigma-designs-ultra-thin-tv-box-design-promises-hd-in-a-tiny/

It's not much bigger than many of the wall warts currently filling outlets in your power strip, but this reference design from Sigma Designs could be your next cable box. With HomePlug networking, Z-Wave RF remote control technology and the ability to process multiple 1080p streams at once built in, it only needs to be plugged in to the wall (and connected to a TV via HDMI) to get to work. connect to the network and pull in video from the internet, feeds from an IPTV provider like U-Verse (or Comcast eventually), or multiroom streams from a connected DVR. At its heart is the SMP8670 chip unveiled at CES that's optimized for XBMC, Adobe AIR and Flash which could make it an ideal extender for someone like TiVo or Boxee, if Sigma can get them to bite on the concept. Until then, all we can show you are a few pics of the bare internals in the gallery and a press release after the break.

Gallery: Sigma Ultra-Thin set-top box

Continue reading Sigma Design's 'ultra thin' TV box design promises HD in a tiny package

Sigma Design's 'ultra thin' TV box design promises HD in a tiny package originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 05:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel adds to ULV processor line with 1.8GHz Core i7 and i5 options, one of them to star in ASUS UX21

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/intel-adds-to-ulv-processor-line-with-1-8ghz-core-i7-and-i5-opti/

Intel's so-called Ultrabooks may be a little way off into the distance at the moment, but the company isn't making you wait until its Ivy Bridge rollout to get a taste for ultraslim laptops with some real power inside them. A trio of new ultra-low voltage CPUs, each rated with a TDP of just 17W, has been added to the company's catalog, starting with the top-tier Core i7-2677M, whose pair of cores run at 1.8GHz by default but can be sped up to 2.9GHz when duty calls. Then there's the i7-2637M, which looks to only differ in clock speeds (1.7GHz default, 2.8GHz under Turbo Boost), and the i5-2557M that makes do with a 3MB L3 cache (1MB less than its i7 brethren) and a 1.7GHz / 2.7GHz speed range. All three 64-bit, 32nm processors also integrate a GPU (350MHz base clock, maxes out at 1.2GHz) within their walls, which is what makes their ascetic power consumption all the more impressive. OEMs should soon start splicing these new options into their next generation laptops, and while the obvious speculation centers around a MacBook Air refresh, CNET tells us the Core i5-2557M has already found a home in ASUS' upcoming UX21, a (purportedly) sub-$1,000 11.6-inch featherweight contender.

Intel adds to ULV processor line with 1.8GHz Core i7 and i5 options, one of them to star in ASUS UX21 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 03:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple AirPort Extreme refresh outed by the FCC, lends credence to Time Capsule rumors

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/apple-airport-extreme-refresh-outed-by-the-fcc-lending-credence/

The FCC just trumped Cupertino's plan to sneak out an updated AirPort Extreme wireless base station with the outing of an Apple 3x3 802.11n access point, model A1408. It's not clear what's changed over Apple's existing dual-band router but its arrival in the FCC database coincides nicely with a 9to5Mac rumor calling for the imminent launch of new AirPort Extreme at a lower price point. And hey, if you're lucky, it'll also arrive with support for the new three-stream standard for 450Mbps over both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands -- but that's just speculation on our part. We should also point out that the appearance of the AirPort Extreme lends credence to 9to5's other rumor of cheaper 2TB and 3TB Time Capsules. And guess what? Today's Tuesday, Apple's favorite day to launch new gear, so don't be surprised to see Apple updating its store sooner rather than later.

Apple AirPort Extreme refresh outed by the FCC, lends credence to Time Capsule rumors originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia N9 first hands-on! (update: video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/nokia-n9-first-hands-on/

The N9 has arrived. Functional units of Nokia's long-awaited MeeGo smartphone have finally landed into our eager hands and we've got a gallery of images to provide you with below. What we can say from our first experience is that we're in the presence of a fantastically designed device with a gorgeous AMOLED screen and some highly responsive performance. Hold tight as we're updating our fuller impressions after the break, where you'll soon be treated to our first hands-on video with the Nokia N9.

Update: Hands-on video plus a live demonstration of the N9's ability to pair Bluetooth devices over NFC (very impressive!) can now be found after the break.

Gallery: Nokia N9 detailed hands-on

Gallery: Nokia N9 first hands-on

Continue reading Nokia N9 first hands-on! (update: video)

Nokia N9 first hands-on! (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 05:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ClamCase for iPad 2 is a little lighter, suited for picture taking and $149

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/clamcase-for-ipad-2-is-a-little-lighter-suited-for-picture-taki/

Just in case you bought an iPad 2 but really needed a netbook, ClamCase is back with a redesigned version of its case / battery powered Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard combo. This one is a hair thinner and a little lighter than the previous version (reviewed here), with cutouts for the back camera and speaker grille plus integrated magnets to awaken and sleep your tablet when the case is opened or closed. The keyboard has also reportedly been refreshed for an improved feel, but even though the black version is on sale now for $149 (white ships next month) there's still a 4-5 week wait for shipping to get a hands-on and find out for yourself. Logitech's Keyboard Case for iPad 2 is another option for $100, but it will only protect your precious slab on one side -- something to consider while you're checking out specs.

Continue reading ClamCase for iPad 2 is a little lighter, suited for picture taking and $149

ClamCase for iPad 2 is a little lighter, suited for picture taking and $149 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple unveils updated Time Capsule, bumps storage to 3TB

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/apple-unveils-updated-time-capsule-bumps-storage-to-3tb/

New Time Capsule

It's been a good long while since Apple unveiled a new Time Capsule, almost two years since the 2TB model rolled out. At the time that was a volume of storage that you couldn't possibly fill up -- even if you ripped your entire Peter Gabriel collection in lossless. Now, nearly 24 months later, you're out of room for the latest Greatest Hits compilations, never mind Scratch My Back and the subsequent buddy album. Now Apple has your back, releasing an updated Time Capsule offering up to 3TB of storage for all your former Genesis frontman listening needs.

Developing...

Apple unveils updated Time Capsule, bumps storage to 3TB originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 08:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mitsubishi's latest 23-inch Diamondcrysta fulfills your matte, IPS desktop display dreams

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/mitsubishis-latest-23-inch-diamondcrysta-fulfills-your-matte-i/

Mitsubishi Diamondcrysta Wide RDT233WX-Z

It seems like, if a company isn't hopping on board the OLED train, it's the IPS express that's catching their flat-panel fancy. Mitsubishi is banking the wider viewing angles provided by the in-plane switching tech can carry its 23-inch Diamondcrysta Wide RDT233WX-Z to desktop display success. The 120Hz monitor features the Giga Clear Engine II LSI for smoothing out high-speed video and a special movie mode for better performance when showing 24p films. Around back are the usual assortment of connections, including a pair of HDMI ports, DVI-D, mini D-Sub, and the Japanese D5 jack. Perhaps best of all, unlike most recent 1080p monitors we've seen, the latest Diamondcrysta skips the glossy sheen for a matte coating. The RDT233WX-Z goes on sale in Japan on June 29th for around 54,800 yen (about $683) and you'll find the PR, in all its machine translated glory, after the break.

Continue reading Mitsubishi's latest 23-inch Diamondcrysta fulfills your matte, IPS desktop display dreams

Mitsubishi's latest 23-inch Diamondcrysta fulfills your matte, IPS desktop display dreams originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, June 20, 2011

CHART OF THE DAY: People Are Spending More Time In Mobile Apps Than On The Web (AAPL, GOOG)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-mobile-apps-vs-web-minutes-per-day-2011-6

People are spending more time inside mobile applications on average than they are on the web, according to an analysis from Flurry, a mobile analytics firm.

Flurry measures the time people spend in apps through its own direct analytics. It got numbers for the web using public data from comScore and Alexa. The analysis is somewhat imperfect, but even if you judge it solely on a directional basis you can see mobile apps are consuming more and more time.

So what are people doing in those apps? Gaming and social networking, which absorb 79% of people's time, according to Flurry. The rest is news, entertainment, and other apps.

chart of the day, mobile apps, web, minutes per day, june 2011

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12,500 CPU Cores Were Required to Render Cars 2 [Factoid]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5813587/12500-cpu-cores-were-required-to-render-cars-2

As usual, Pixar is pushing boundaries when it comes to the CGI in Cars 2. Making the film required a render farm containing 12,500 CPU cores. And on average, it took 11.5 hours to render a single frame. [Cnet]

Huawei MediaPad revealed: world's first 7-inch Android 3.2 tablet, dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/20/huawei-mediapad-revealed-worlds-first-7-inch-android-3-2-table/

It's here folks -- the planet's first Android 3.2 tablet. Huawei just introduced a downright luscious new slate over in Singapore, with CommunicAsia being the launchpad for the 7-inch MediaPad. It's the first high-profile 7-inch tablet we've seen in quite some time, and somehow or another, it's managed to leapfrog most of the currently shipping Honeycomb tablets with a build of Android we've only ever joked about. Huawei tells us that Honeycomb 3.2 is essentially the same as 3.1, but specifically tailored to 7-inch tablets as opposed to 10-inch. Packed within the MediaPad's 10.5mm shell, there's a 217 pixels-per-inch IPS capacitive touchpanel, GPS, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, 802.11n WiFi, a battery good for around six hours of life and a bona fide racehorse as a processor: a dual-core 1.2GHz chip from Qualcomm. If all goes well, it'll ship in the United States in Q3 2011.

It's a fair bit chunkier than the newfangled Galaxy Tab 10.1 (8.6mm), but still slimmer than the original Tab, which clocked in at 11.98mm. It weighs in at 390g (0.86 pounds), supports full 1080p playback, includes HSPA+ (14.4Mbps) 3G support, offers 8GB of internal storage (as well as a microSD slot) and comes pre-loaded with Facebook, Twitter, Let's Golf and Documents To Go. There's also a Bluetooth module, an HDMI output for catching those high-def flicks on the go, and the Flash 10.3 player ensures that those websites won't be a problem. Unfortunately, the company's left a great deal to the imagination -- like pricing, which is being "sorted with retail partners and providers" -- and all we've got for system RAM is a promise that it's "working with partners on specifics." Oddly enough, the company has "no current plans" to produce a WiFi-only model, which definitely puts a damper on those who aren't interested in ponying for carrier data. You can bet we'll be digging for more, but even with the surrounding mystery, calling us "excited" would be a severe understatement.

Gallery: Huawei MediaPad press shots: world's first 7-inch Android 3.2 tablet

Continue reading Huawei MediaPad revealed: world's first 7-inch Android 3.2 tablet, dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU

Huawei MediaPad revealed: world's first 7-inch Android 3.2 tablet, dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 05:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fujitsu K supercomputer now ranked fastest in the world, dethrones China's Tianhe-1A

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/20/fujitsu-k-supercomputer-now-ranked-fastest-in-the-world-dethron/

Remember the K -- the Fujitsu supercomputer that promised to do a whopping ten petaflops by the year 2012? Well, it hasn't reached that threshold just yet, but according to the latest Top 500 supercomputer list, it's still faster than any other machine on Earth. In fact, the top-ranked beast is more powerful than the next five supercomputers combined, consumes enough electricity to power about 10,000 homes for a full year, and is capable of churning out about 8.2 quadrillion calculations per second -- three times as many as what runner-up (and former number-one) Tianhe-1A can process. Today's announcement marks the first time since 2004 that a Japanese creation sits atop Top500.org's rankings, but Fujitsu isn't exactly resting on its laurels. Before deploying it next year, engineers at the Riken Advanced Institute for Computational Science are aiming to add about 100,000 cores to the K's collection of 548,352, which would provide it with even more computational muscle, and likely spell doom for all of humanity. Find out more in the PR after the break.

Continue reading Fujitsu K supercomputer now ranked fastest in the world, dethrones China's Tianhe-1A

Fujitsu K supercomputer now ranked fastest in the world, dethrones China's Tianhe-1A originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 08:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HotHardware surveys the Cougar Point motherboard horizon, spots a winner

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/20/hothardware-surveys-the-cougar-point-motherboard-horizon-spots/

There's an ocean of possibilities when it comes to choosing the right Socket LGA 1155 board to mother your Sandy Bridge processor. But a roundup review at HotHardware funnels it down to just five rivals within a $179-$267 price bracket and based on Intel's P67 chipset: two offerings from Asus, plus one each from ASRock, Gigabyte and MSI. The reviewers found clear favorites depending on what you're looking for: The ASRock Fatal1ty P67 Professional and MSI P67A-GD80 can both bring serious aesthetics to your super rig, and the former has a particularly good bang-for-buck ratio. The Asus P8P67 WS Revolution stands out with four full-length PCI Express lanes for crazy graphics, while the more conservative Asus P8P67 Professional has the lowest idle power consumption of the lot. Click the source link now if you'd prefer to discover the overall winner for yourself. Otherwise, all we can say is, viva la Revolution.

HotHardware surveys the Cougar Point motherboard horizon, spots a winner originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP TouchPad goes up for pre-order starting at $500, will be available July 1

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/20/hp-touchpad-goes-up-for-pre-order-starting-at-500-will-be-avai/

It's true, the TouchPad, HP's inaugural webOS tablet, won't go on sale in the states until July 1, but that doesn't mean you can't claim yours pronto. She's up for pre-order at a long list of retailers that includes Amazon, NewEgg, Best Buy, Walmart, Staples, Radio Shack, J&R, Office Max, Office Depot, Costco, Sam's Club, PC Richard & Son, Micro Center, and even Nebraska Furniture Mart. You'll see it listed on HP's site, too, but the company's only accepting orders for businesses at the moment. As expected, the tab comes in two flavors: a 16GB version for $499.99 and a 32GB model that'll set you back $599.99. Both of 'em pack a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, stereo speakers, Touch-to-Share, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, and, of course, a gussied-up version of webOS optimized for that 9.7-inch display. Intrigued? Hit the exhaustive list of source links below to scoop one up for yourself.

[Thanks, Casey]

HP TouchPad goes up for pre-order starting at $500, will be available July 1 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, June 19, 2011

Five Best BitTorrent Applications [Hive Five]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5813348/five-best-bittorrent-applications

We're big fans of BitTorrent. It's the fastest way to download files quickly without lining up for an HTTP download or opening an FTP client, and it's a great way to host large files without having to provide all of the bandwidth on your own. Here's a look at five of the most popular BitTorrent applications.

Most of you are already familiar with BitTorrent, but if you're not sure what all the fuss is about, check out our beginners guide to BitTorrent. Once you're through that, head on to our intermediate guide, which can speed up your downloads and improve security. Those of you who already have a favorite client responded en masse when we asked you which you preferred, and now we're back to feature the ones you suggested.

Deluge (Windows/Mac/Linux)

Five Best BitTorrent Applications Deluge is one of the most lightweight BitTorrent clients available. Part of the reason it's so light on system resources is because of its robust plug-in catalog, where most of the real power comes from. The bulk of its features come from available plugins, and those plugins are just as cross platform as the core application is. Deluge supports private torrents, encrypted transfers, password protection, and bandwidth scheduling, so you can let the app eat your available bandwidth when you're asleep or at work, but throttle it back when you're home. Deluge is completely free.

Transmission (Mac/Linux)

Five Best BitTorrent Applications For a long time, Transmission was the only feature-rich BitTorrent client available for the Mac, and even today, it's the go-to client for many. Transmission is free, open-source, and runs just as well in Linux as it does in Mac OS X, and the developers provide distro-specific packages of the application for your downloading needs. The app is also designed to run quietly in the background without eating too much bandwidth or memory, but doesn't skimp on the features. Transmission sports robust system notifications, download scheduling, magnet links, port forwarding, remote management, encryption, and more.

µTorrent (Windows/Mac/Linux)

Five Best BitTorrent Applications µTorrent was one of the first solid, lightweight BitTorrent clients to hit the Web, and since then it's soared to massive popularity. It doesn't hurt that µTorrent is a tiny installation, easy to use and understand, but has enough advanced features to keep the pro users hooked on the app. For example, µTorrent supports remote control, scheduling, port forwarding, and smart bandwidth throttling – it'll give up bandwidth as you start to use bandwidth-intensive applications without you forcing it to. Plus, it's developed and owned by the same people who invented the BitTorrent protocol. There was a time when µTorrent was Windows only, but that's clearly no longer the case. Best of all, it's free.

rTorrent/ruTorrent (Linux)

Five Best BitTorrent Applications Who needs GUIs? rTorrent and ruTorrent are free, designed for Linux and Unix-based systems, and will handle your downloads entirely by command line. When we say "entirely," we mean it –it's not like rTorrent or ruTorrent have some web interface you just have to toggle, it's not there. If you want it, you'll have to download a plug-in. Still, if you're managing your torrents remotely on a Linux box on your network, rTorrent lets you log in and manage them easily without firing up an app to do it. Plus, both apps support SSH remote control, so you don't even have to be home to manage your downloads.

Vuze (Windows/Mac/Linux)

Five Best BitTorrent Applications Where all of the other applications focus on being as lightweight as possible, Vuze takes a different approach. The app goes above and beyond to include as many features as it can. Vuze will download and manage torrents, and it also supports remote management, mobile devices, and bandwidth throttling. Vuze is also a video player, and can play HD video, or push it to your mobile device. The app automatically detects iTunes and iOS devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. It also supports streaming audio and video to Android phones, BlackBerry devices, and game consoles like the XBox 360 and PS3. It's not the lightest of the group, but it tries to manage all of your downloads and help you enjoy them at the same time. Vuze comes in two flavors – a scaled back free version, and a "plus" version with all features unlocked, for $24.99 per year.

Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to choose an all-out winner.

What's the Best BitTorrent Application?survey software

Did your favorite BitTorrent application fall out of the lineup? Do you have something to say in defense of one of the contenders? Make your case in the comments.

You can reach Alan Henry, the author of this post, at alan@lifehacker.com, or better yet, follow him on Twitter.

Teen Builds Nuke Detecting Device, Saves Us All From Horrible Death [Terrorism]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5813207/teen-builds-nuke-detecting-device-saves-us-all-from-horrible-death

Taylor Wilson built a functioning device that can detect nuclear weapons smuggled in cargo containers. He's 17. It works via a nuclear fusion reactor that he also built. When he was 14.

Taylor Wilson was just honored at the Intel International Science Fair for his project, which he's dubbed "Countering Nuclear Terrorism." It's a scanner that can automatically check to see if a cargo container might have a nuclear bomb hidden inside. Today that has to be done manually, and given the scope of how many containers come into the country, that essentially means most aren't checked. Wilson wants to solve that.

In his own words:

[B]asically how it works is it fuses together heavy hydrogen – deuterium. And when these deuterium atoms fuse together, they give off neutrons. It's that neutron radiation that goes into the cargo container, and depending on what the makeup of the cargo container is, it will react in such a way that it gives off radiation. I detect that radiation and it's specific to whatever that cargo container's contents are.

He goes on to talk about science, and it's pretty much the greatest thing I've ever heard a teenager say:

Some people may not go into science because they think, just nerds go into science, or science isn't cool. But the thing is, science is cool, and me and my friends who do science are cooler than the people who don't. So, I really think that science is a cool thing and if you really want to change the world, go into science. Because that's the future and that's who will really change the world.

Sheesh. What a fantastic human being. When I was 17, I could barely build a gravity bong. (Oh, but I tried!)

[PBS via Steve Silberman]

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