Friday, September 13, 2013
Tetrapod quantum dot LEDs could lead to cheaper, better HDTVs soon
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/13/tetrapod-quantum-dots-materials-led-lcd/
Until Sony started shipping its Triluminos HDTVs, the future of quantum dot (QD) technology in real-world products was mostly theoretical. Now, a company called Quantum Materials has started shipping its "Tetrapod Quantum Dots" material to an unnamed Asian electronics manufacturer, hinting at the possibility of other QD-enhanced products on the market. The company didn't mention any particular devices, but this tech has the potential to create displays that are brighter, more energy-efficient and have greater contrast than the competition.
This technology allows companies to create LED-backlit LCDs using a single material as opposed to several on traditional ones -- this supposedly keeps costs low, although the aforementioned Sony HDTVs were anything but cheap. Quantum Materials CEO Stephen Squires specifically claims his company's tetrapod technology works with fewer dots overall and better manufacturing tech to hit the lowest cost possible. Samsung and LG have shown off quantum dot tech in years past -- we'll eventually find out if either one is the anonymous manufacturer in line to mass produce it.
Filed under: Displays
Source: Quantum Materials
The NSA Disguises Itself as Google to Spy
Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-nsa-disguises-itself-as-google-to-spy-1305996203
Mother Jones reports that the agency managed this by using "man-in-the-middle (MITM)" attacks, which are often used by high-class hackers. PowerPoint slides made public by a Brazilian news channel also suggest the technique is used by the UK-based GCHQ. Mother Jones describes how the hack works:
According to the document, NSA employees log into an internet router—most likely one used by an internet service provider or a backbone network. (It's not clear whether this was done with the permission or knowledge of the router's owner.) Once logged in, the NSA redirects the "target traffic" to an "MITM," a site that acts as a stealthy intermediary, harvesting communications before forwarding them to their intended destination.
Gigabyte shows off tiny BRIX gaming PC with Haswell and Iris Pro graphics (hands-on)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/12/gigabyte-brix-gaming-pc/
While we had an inkling that Gigabyte would be fitting its latest miniature BRIX PCs with Haswell processors, we were pleasantly surprised to learn it had also built a tiny gaming computer with Iris Pro graphics on board. Indeed, the BRIX pocket gaming PC has similar internals to the recently announced Gigabyte BRIX II -- it has an HDMI port, Ethernet, four USB 3.0 slots, Bluetooth 4.0, a Mini display port, built-in WiFi and a headset jack -- but with the added benefit of Intel's latest integrated graphics and the choice of red, yellow or black aluminum housing.
We had a chance to play around with a prototype model at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, and we have to say we're impressed. We played a short round of Grid 2 and the race car looked amazing as it roared across a large 1080p TV. While the performance appeared robust enough in our brief hands-on, an Intel rep did warn us it probably won't replace a system with a dedicated GPU. The box itself is an adorable little thing that we felt was compact and light enough to bring to our next gaming party without taking up too much space in the trunk.%Gallery-slideshow84011%
Insert Coin: Little Robot Friends teach the basics of hardware programming (video)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/12/insert-coin-little-robot-friends-teach-the-basics-of-hardware-p/
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.
Toronto-based Aesthetec Studio has recently launched a Kickstarter campaign guaranteed to put a smile on your face. See that little guy above? He's what the company calls a Little Robot Friend, a tiny interactive companion with an 8-bit 32K microcontroller brain that can help even the newest of newbs learn the basics of hardware programming. These customizable pocket-sized robots can perform a number of actions (like blinking their RGB LED eyes) triggered by varied stimuli, including touch, sound and changes in light. Each Arduino-compatible Little Robot Friend can also be reprogrammed with the developer's kit that Aesthetec hopes to roll out if the campaign hits its CAD$55,000 goal. To see these dudes in action, check out the Kickstarter link below or watch the video after the break.
Filed under: Robots
Source: Kickstarter, Aesthetec Studio
Chrome 29 for iOS brings voice search with pronouns
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/12/chrome-29-for-ios/
Google loves to throw small-yet-sensible interface updates into many Chrome releases, and the new Chrome 29 for iOS represents a textbook example. The browser's voice search now supports contextual pronouns like "her" or "them;" ask a question and you can run a follow-up search without mentioning the subject by name. The update also lets you quickly jump back to search results if you visit the wrong result, and it's now easier to view bandwidth savings if you have access to the experimental data compression feature. Should you like the smattering of new features, you can grab Chrome 29 now through the App Store.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Google
Via: Chrome Releases
Source: App Store
Google Coder lets you build Raspberry Pi web apps in your browser (video)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/12/google-coder/
It's undoubtedly possible to turn a Raspberry Pi into a web server, but it's not always easy. Thankfully, Google just streamlined the process with its new Coder project. The open source tool lets developers build web apps for a ready-made Raspberry Pi web server using only a desktop browser. Coder manages all the files, including any media. The mini PC, meanwhile, only requires a network connection and an SD card reader to store the server. Beyond the hardware, Coder is free to use; if you've wanted a cheap testbed for web programming, you'll find one at the source link.
Filed under: Google
Source: Coder
Microsoft offers $200 credit for used iPads, hopes you'll become a Surface convert
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/13/microsoft-ipad-trade-in/
Microsoft's new recycle-for-reward initiative doesn't target one of its own devices -- instead, it focuses on another company's popular gadget: Apple's iPad. The US trade-in program offers at least $200 in exchange for a "gently used" iPad 2, 3 or 4. You can probably get more than $200 in other places, especially for the newer slates, and you can even get cash instead of the Microsoft Store gift cards Redmond's giving out. However, outgoing CEO Ballmer and Co. are hoping you'll find the project helpful if you've been wanting to buy their products anyway -- particularly the Surface tablets, as evidenced by their prominent placement on the program's page. Before you surrender old iPads to give Surface a chance, know that the trade-in scheme will run until October 27th, which gives you time to see Microsoft's next attempt.
Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft
Via: ZDNet
Source: Microsoft
Hack your ride with Motobrain, the smartphone controllable fuseblock (video)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/13/motobrain-bluetooth-automotive-pdu/
Tweaking your car's electrical system can be downright scary, but one Kickstarter project hopes to make it a little easier. With Motobrain, you can control up to eight accessory circuits on your vehicle of choice (boat, car or motorcycle, basically anything with an engine) with a compact box and a Bluetooth 4.0 smart device. The power distribution unit's app displays real-time feedback and information for all the accessories it's controlling, and you can even adjust how much current each one gets. The refreshingly simple pitch page mentions GPS systems, heated clothing and dimmable LED auxiliary lights as controllable gizmos, but Motobrain could be killer for car audio, too. Some of these features may be redundant for owners of newer vehicles, but the possibilities for the automodding community are staggering. The discounted backer tier is already sold out, but as of this writing there are still 156 units left at the $260 pledge level. Now, where's our soldering gun?
Filed under: Transportation, Mobile
Source: Kickstarter
Intel's updated NUC squeezes in Haswell Core-i5, HD 5000 4K graphics
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/13/intels-haswell-core-i5-nuc-overclocking-hd5000/
Intel has cranked up its NUC (Next Unit of Computing) mini-computer to near gaming levels of power with the release of its 4th-gen Core-i5 D54250WYK kit. The new model comes with the latest HD Graphics 5000, for one, and also uses Intel's Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 to ratchet the CPU clock past stock levels when the need arises. It's got the chip giant's Quick Sync video to speed up encoding, a DisplayPort 1.2 jack with 4K capability, four USB 3.0 ports, an infrared sensor, stereo/mic jacks and a gigabit Ethernet controller. There's no pricing or date yet, but bear in mind that you'll need to add RAM (up to 16GB), an mSATA drive and some kind of monitor to make it fly -- though dwarfing it with a 4K display (like this one) might be overkill.
Source: Intel
Thursday, September 12, 2013
drag2share: LG's Nexus 5 visits the FCC again, this time with clearer external shots
New FCC documents spotted by Phone Scoop have given us a closer look at what could be LG's rumored Nexus 5 handset. Curiously, photos of this D820 were filed alongside documentation for Verizon's G2 (VS980), but the clear view of the front and back appears to be of the same LG-branded smartphone that was approved by the FCC just a week ago.
The D820 offers same rounded-off top and bottom edges found on the Nexus 4, while stepping away from the glass-covered back of its predecessor. Last week's FCC filing also points to LG including a 5-inch display and a Snapdragon 800 SoC, boosting not only its size but performance too. There's also room for Qi wireless charging and support for 7-band LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and dual-band 802.11 b/g/n/ac.
While the shots don't feature the same giant Ne! xus logo we saw on the mysterious LG phone used by a Google employee recently, we're almost certainly looking at the same device. We just hope he got to keep his job.
drag2share: Darwin for a Day lets you play scientist, explore the Galapagos in Street View
You can't turn back time and become the father of the theory of evolution, sorry. But, thanks to Google, Galapagos National Park, the Charles Darwin Foundation and iNaturalist you can pretend to be a 19th century British naturalist. Today, the Mountain View crew unveiled their 360-degree Street View imagery of the Galapagos Islands that it captured back in May. While you could certainly just drop the little yellow man down and start virtually strolling the paths of this volcanic archipelago with its countless unique species of flora and fauna, the groups have much more planned. For starters, there's Darwin for a Day, a site created by the Charles Darwin Foundation and iNaturalist that asks for people to play armchair scientist. You explore the islands through Street View and, as you spot plants and animals, you can catalog them and take notes on their appearance. Those observations will then be reviewed by researchers on the island who continue to di! scover n ew things about Galapagos' myriad endemic species.
Facebook's changing the way News Feed videos display, but it's mobile-only for now
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/12/facebook-changing-the-way-news-feed-videos-display-on-mobile/
Facebook's experimenting with a new way to play videos uploaded to its News Feed, but not everyone will get to take part -- not yet, anyway. This new Vine-like feature, which will begin rolling out to a limited group of US-based mobile users, allows for videos viewed on mobile to play silently as a user browses the News Feed. Audio will only play when a user elects to click on the video, at which point it will expand for the duration of the clip. So far, Facebook is limiting these auto-play videos to those that come from accounts with verified pages (read: celebrities) and individual users, not marketers. So you don't have to worry about your News Feed getting spammed for now, although the company is evaluating whether or not to let the big bad wolves of the ad world join in. For a preview of what this new video tweak will look like, head on past the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Facebook
Gigabyte shows off tiny BRIX gaming PC with Haswell and Iris Pro graphics (hands-on)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/12/gigabyte-brix-gaming-pc/
While we had an inkling that Gigabyte would be fitting its latest miniature BRIX PCs with Haswell processors, we were pleasantly surprised to learn it had also built a tiny gaming computer with Iris Pro graphics on board. Indeed, the BRIX pocket gaming PC has similar internals to the recently announced Gigabyte BRIX II -- it has an HDMI port, Ethernet, four USB 3.0 slots, Bluetooth 4.0, a Mini display port, built-in WiFi and a headset jack -- but with the added benefit of Intel's latest integrated graphics and the choice of red, yellow or black aluminum housing.
We had a chance to play around with a prototype model at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, and we have to say we're impressed. We played a short round of Grid 2 and the race car looked amazing as it roared across a large 1080p TV. While the performance appeared robust enough in our brief hands-on, an Intel rep did warn us it probably won't replace a system with a dedicated GPU. The box itself is an adorable little thing that we felt was compact and light enough to bring to our next gaming party without taking up too much space in the trunk.%Gallery-slideshow84011%
The Bonavita Immersion Dripper Combines the Best of Two Coffee Methods
Source: http://lifehacker.com/the-bonavita-immersion-dripper-combines-the-best-of-two-1293056577
This new porcelain dripper from Bonavita produces the bold, full-bodied coffee you'd get from a French Press with the convenience and control of pour-over coffee. It's a great way to upgrade your coffee brewing
The Bonavita Porcelain Immersion Dripper works like the popular and appropriately named Clever Coffee Dripper. Both have an open/close valve at the bottom of the cone that lets you steep coffee grounds for a few minutes (in a #4 paper filter) before releasing the brew into your mug. Thus, you get the best of all worlds with this hybrid press-pot-meets-pour-over, with none of their downsides. The result is smooth, sediment-free, and complex coffee with really easy cleanup.
Bonavita's porcelain version has a few advantages over the plastic Clever. You don't have to worry about the possible health risks from hot water mixing with plastic, and the porcelain retains heat better. It's also really sturdy and dishwasher safe.
One downside is the bottom of the porcelain cone has little parts that can be tricky to clean, but, again, you can run it in the dishwasher. Also, because it's opaque, when you first get used to brewing with it, it helps to use a clear or translucent mug or one of those fancy brewing stands.
You can get a couple of cups out of this at a time (or one large mug), thanks to the 16-ounce brewing capacity.
The Bonavita Porcelain Immersion Dripper also costs $40 versus the Clever's $22, but I think the porcelain dripper is well worth that small investment (as does Serious Eats).
Interested? Here's a video of the Bonavita in use from Eight Ounce Coffee:
Bonavita Porcelain Immersion Dripper | Amazon
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