Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

New Exynos 5 Octa: 20 percent more CPU power, over twice the 3D graphics oomph

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/22/exynos-5-octa-5420/

Samsung couldn't help itself last week when it teased a new Exynos 5 Octa system on a chip, and now it's dishing out the full details. The fresh 5420 variant of the SoC is based on Mali-T628 MP6 silicon, packs a quartet of ARM Cortex-A15 cores running at 1.8GHz and four 1.3GHz Cortex-A7s in an ARM big.LITTLE configuration. Seoul claims that the package packs 20 percent more CPU processing punch, and has two times greater 3D graphics power than its predecessor. Dual-channel LPDDR3 at 933MHz gives the processor a screaming memory bandwidth of 14.9 GBps, which lends it full HD WiFi display support. Baked inside is an image compression solution that makes for energy efficient multimedia loading, and squeezes out more hours of use with high-res displays. There's no word on which devices might use the new SoCs, but the chips are already being sampled by Samsung's customers, and mass-production is slated for August.

Filed under: Mobile, Samsung

Plantronics BackBeat Go 2 Bluetooth in-ears: sweat resistance, six-month sleep

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/23/plantronics-intros-backbeat-go-2-bluetooth-headphones-promises/

Plantronics was proud to present its BackBeat Go Bluetooth in-ear headphones last year, but it's also aware improvements are always welcome. To that end, the company's ready to show off its second iteration: BackBeat Go 2. P2i moisture resistance and reworked internals for improved sound back up the sporty wire-behind-the-ear design and fit stabilizers -- look out, Jaybird. Not only does the hardware remember up to eight devices, but a DeepSleep mode shuts it down if you walk out of range without turning the power off, allowing it to sleep for up to six months. The internal batteries squeeze out about 4.5 hours of playtime for music, and an optional microUSB recharging case ($20) can provide about two and a half juice refills. As you'd expect, an inline remote keeps you in control of your playlists and calls, while DSP enhances incoming and outgoing sound. Ears perked? The headphones will be available starting today at various retailers in your choice of black or white for $80.

Gallery: Plantronics BackBeat Go 2 (press images)

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video

OpenCL 2.0 provisional spec gets outlined, OpenGL 4.4 released

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/23/opencl-2-0-opengl-4-4-specifications/

SIGGRAPH has only just begun, but the Khronos Group is already giving folks of the graphics programming persuasion some fresh APIs to talk about. Yesterday marked the release of the OpenCL 2.0 provisional specification, and it's boasting an Android installable client driver extension, along with improvements to image handling, shared virtual memory and more. It's expected that the new version of OpenCL will be finalized in six month's time, and feedback regarding the changes are being welcomed. The fresh OpenGL 4.4 spec revamps everything from shaders to asynchronous queries while keeping full backwards compatibility, and includes additional functions to make porting Direct3D apps a smoother process. If parallel programming and cross-platform graphics are your thing, hit the break for the full feature breakdown in the press release.

Source: Khronos Group (1), (2)

Donate your Android device's processing power to science with BOINC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/23/dnp-use-your-android-devices-processing-power-to-discover-stars/

If you've ever wanted to help out with a scientific research project but lack the PhD credentials, there's now a much simpler way: all you need is a decent Android device and a new app called BOINC. Similar to projects such as Folding@Home for laptops and desktops, the app harnesses your mobile device's extra CPU cycles to help crunch data for scientific studies. Don't worry, it'll only work if you're on Wi-Fi, so it won't eat up your data plan. You can choose which research endeavor to support from within BOINC, including Einstein@Home and FightAIDS@Home that seek to discover pulsars (stellar remnants) and AIDS treatment, respectively. The app, which you can install from Google Play, was designed to be as unobtrusive as possible and will work as long as you're running Android 2.3 or higher. Generous (and envious) iOS users, sit tight -- the developer is mulling over the possibility of creating an iOS app next.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Alt, Google

Via: CNET

Source: BOINC, IBM

Monday, July 22, 2013

Fresh Paint finds its way to Windows Phone 8 devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/22/fresh-paint-windows-phone-8/

Fresh Paint, the digital art app born on Windows 8, has finally migrated to mobile devices, and starting today, aspiring artists running Windows Phone 8 can fiddle with its brushes to their hearts' content. This new, simplified version doesn't make any major departures from the Windows 8 application; you can still mix pigments to create custom hues, share your creations via text, e-mail and SkyDrive and add filters to your photos to make them look like paintings or sketches. It's worth noting that WP8 doesn't support styluses, so you'll have to make do with finger painting or a capacitive stylus without pressure sensitivity. To download the free app, head over to Windows Phone store, linked below.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Microsoft

Source: Windows Phone Store, Windows Phone Blog

Samsung's Beautiful Curved OLED TV Comes to the USA for a Mere $15,000

Source: http://gizmodo.com/samsungs-beautiful-curved-oled-tv-comes-to-the-usa-for-868113547

Samsung's Beautiful Curved OLED TV Comes to the USA for a Mere $15,000

Back at CES we were floored by Samsung's crazy/beautiful 55-inch curved OLED television. They were an eyegasm of light-emitting diodes with a subtle but enticing cinematic bend. Secretly, we never thought we'd ever see one in real life since they just reek of CES flashiness that never turns into real-life anything. We were so wrong.

Ubuntu Edge smartphone announced with $32 million Indiegogo campaign, aims to hit market in May 2014

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/22/ubuntu-edge-smartphone/

Ubuntu's plan to merge the desktop computer and mobile device is taking shape today in form of the Edge, which it's aiming to bring to market in May of next year for $830 outright. True to Canonical's community driven roots, the company is turning to crowd-funding to get the device on its feet. It's aiming to raise $32 million, and to that end, Canonical's launching a campaign on Indiegogo today, which provides early backers the opportunity to snag the phone for $600. According to company founder, Mark Shuttleworth, the Indiegogo route isn't meant to compete with its strategy of courting carriers for its mainstream smartphone project. Rather, it's meant to solve an "innovation gap" that's arisen during talks with manufacturers over its grander vision.

The Ubuntu Edge is a very ambitious smartphone that'll be capable of running a full-fledged Ubuntu desktop operating system alongside Android. While specs are currently tentative, the company is aiming to outfit the Edge with a quad-core CPU, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Meanwhile, the phone itself will sport a 4.5-inch, 1,280 x 720 display that's constructed of sapphire crystal glass, an 8MP rear / 2MP front-facing camera and stereo speakers. As for connectivity, Canonical's eyeing LTE, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC, along with MHL support.

If the converged device strategy strikes your fancy, you'll find good incentive to be among the early backers. According to Shuttleworth, the Edge will only come to market if backers make it happen, as "none of the phone manufacturers are yet ambitious enough to try to put both things in one package." Regardless of whether the Indiegogo campaigns succeeds -- it'd be a record, if so -- Canonical will continue pursuing its strategy to bring a more basic Ubuntu smartphone to market. Recently, the company announced the first of its partner carriers, which includes Verizon, Deutsche Telecom, EE, SK Telecom, China Unicom and others. We're still waiting to see what type of smartphone might be offered through the carriers, but it's now clear that if you believe in the open source / converged device philosophy, you'll need to vote with your wallet.

Gallery: Ubuntu Edge

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Source: Indiegogo

Verizon FiOS rolls out 500/100 Mbps broadband, its highest speed tier yet

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/22/verizon-fios-quantum-500-mbps/

The broadband speed wars continue to rage, and today, Verizon announced that it's throwing down with its fastest tier yet. With a download speed of 500 megabits per second (and an upload speed of 100Mbps), the leap forward marks the latest evolution of the company's fiber-optic Quantum Internet Service, which rolled out last summer. To put those numbers into perspective, you'll be able to download a 5GB HD movie in 1.4 minutes or upload a 100MB file in eight seconds, assuming you're operating at full speed. Verizon is hoping to gradually introduce its newest speed tier to all FiOS markets by 2014, with limited availability starting today. To hear what Big Red has to say about it, check out the video after the break.

Filed under: Internet, Verizon

LG's 55-inch curved OLED TV hits Best Buy for $14,999

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/22/lgs-curved-oled-tv/

Remember that curved OLED HDTV that LG was teasing way back at CES? Well, it's just begun shipping here in the US. A Best Buy store in Richfield, Minnesota is the first retailer to stock the 55-inch set, which is available beginning today for just shy of 15 grand. It's due to hit Magnolia stores at select Best Buys in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle and San Antonio over the next few weeks. The curved design is intended to provide a more immersive experience for viewers, though $14,999 is a bit too steep any way you look at it. Samsung, meanwhile, has a curved 55-incher of its own -- that OLED screen arrived in Korea late last month, and is rolling out to (very) select US retailers this week, too.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, LG

Belkin ships WeMo Light Switch for $50, launches matching Android app

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/22/belkin-ships-wemo-connected-light-switch-for-50/

Belkin promised a simple approach to connected lighting when it unveiled the WeMo Light Switch back at CES, and the company is making good on its word by releasing the switch today. The WiFi-based controller is now available both online and at retail shops for $50. It isn't arriving alone, either -- Belkin is simultaneously launching the finished version of its free WeMo app for Android to complement the existing iOS release. If you'd rather have smart switches than smart light bulbs, the new WeMo hardware awaits at the source link; the companion Android app should be available shortly.

Filed under: Household

Source: Belkin

SanDisk Connect is a new series of wireless storage and streaming devices starting at $50

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/22/sandisk-connect-wireless-storage-streaming/

Flash drives these days, no matter how fast, are a dime a dozen. A jump drive that does double duty as a wireless streaming dongle? Not so common. SanDisk's new Connect lineup can pull off the streaming trick whether it's the flash drives with 16 or 32GB sizes for $50 and $60, respectively, or the Media Drives that pack 32 or 64GB of storage for either $80 or $100. Both sets of devices can stream movies, music or other data to PCs, Macs, iOS and Android devices or even Kindle Fires. All you need to do is grab the SanDisk Connect app for your device, and transferring files is a drag-and-drop affair.

Where the Flash and Media Drives differ, however, is that the latter can serve up to eight devices at a time with regular data, or send out five simultaneous streams of 720p video. Plus, it's got an SDHC/SDXC slot for further storage expansion, should 64 gigs be insufficient. Sound good? Folks in the US can pre-order either drive today from Amazon, and if you aren't a Bezos fan, Newegg and Micro Center are taking Flash Drive preorders, too. Save that, you can always go pick one up from Best Buy in August.

Filed under: Storage, Mobile

This Arduino hackaphone was never going to be pretty, but it does the job

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/22/arduino-hackaphone/

Okay, we'll admit that it looks a bit like a baby monitor. But in contrast to those over-engineered pieces of parenting paraphernalia, this DIY cellphone can actually make calls and send texts over GPRS. More importantly, Hackaday claims it was put together by a lone hacker ("Victorzie") from an assortment of off-the-shelf and modded parts, including a TFT touchscreen, lithium ion battery, charging circuit, GPRS module and shield. These components were hooked up to an Arduino Uno microcontroller running a barebones UI and then jammed into a 3D printed case, which makes the device look far more pocketable than some previous hackaphone efforts. The end result inspires big respect for the creator, but also, more grudgingly, for the pro engineers at places like Nokia, who can pull all this stuff together and even get it FCC-approved for just a few dollars.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Source: Hackaday

Freeze Half-Cooked French Fries For Extra Crunch

Source: http://lifehacker.com/freeze-half-cooked-french-fries-for-extra-crunch-844089555

Freeze Half-Cooked French Fries For Extra Crunch

Nothing beats a french fry that's crispy on the outside, and still soft and warm on the inside, but it's tough to get it just right when you cook them at home. Oddly enough, the secret to that restaurant-style crunch might be your freezer.

MiniFlux is a Secure, Minimal News Reader

Source: http://lifehacker.com/miniflux-is-a-secure-minimal-news-reader-850246201

MiniFlux is a Secure, Minimal News Reader

If you still haven't settled on a Google Reader alternative, or you're concerned about security on any of the popular offerings, MiniFlux is worth checking out.

Leap Motion controller review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/22/leap-motion-controller-review/

When the Leap Motion controller was revealed to the world, it brought with it the promise of a new and unique computer user experience. And, ever since we first got to see what the Leap Motion controller could do -- grant folks the ability to interact with a computer by waving their fingers and fists -- we've wanted one of our own to test out. Well, our wish was granted: we've gotten to spend several days with the controller and a suite of apps built to work with it. Does the device really usher in a new age of computing? Is it worth $80 of your hard-earned cash? Patience, dear reader, all will be revealed in our review.

Gallery: Leap Motion controller review

Filed under: Peripherals

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