Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Google will drop H.264 support from Chrome, herd the masses towards WebM and Theora

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/11/google-will-drop-h-264-support-from-chrome-herd-the-masses-towa/

We knew Google was rather fond of its WebM video standard, but we never expected a move like this: the company says it will drop support for the rival H.264 codec in its HTML5 video tag, and is justifying the move in the name of open standards somehow. Considering that H.264 is presently one of (if not the) most widely supported format out there, it sounds a little like Google shooting itself in the foot with a .357 round -- especially considering the MPEG-LA just made H.264 royalty-free as long as it's freely distributed just a few months ago. If that's the case, Chrome users will have to download a H.264 plug-in to play most web video that's not bundled up in Flash... which isn't exactly an open format itself. Or hey, perhaps everyone will magically switch to Chrome, video providers will kowtow, unicorns will gaily prance, and WebM will dominate from now on.

Google will drop H.264 support from Chrome, herd the masses towards WebM and Theora originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:52 AM

Bug Labs' BUGswarm and Verizon BUGbundle hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/11/bug-labs-bugswarm-and-verizon-bugbundle-hands-on/

Remember Bug Labs, the guys building open-source hardware modules that make it easy (and relatively inexpensive) to prototype new gadgets of your own creation? The last time we visited with these guys at the spring CTIA show last year, the company's upgraded BUGbase 2.0 was still in mockup form -- and carrier deals were little more than a gleam in CEO Peter Semmelhack's eye. Nearly a year has passed since then, and Bug's ecosystem has grown considerably to encompass a bunch of third-party modules, prototyped products, and carrier-specific packs for Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon that let your meticulously hacked-together hardware communicate over the network of your choice.

Of course, this all necessitated a follow-up meeting, which we were delighted to have at CES a couple days ago. Read on!

Continue reading Bug Labs' BUGswarm and Verizon BUGbundle hands-on

Bug Labs' BUGswarm and Verizon BUGbundle hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:52 AM

'Arduino The Documentary' now available for your streaming pleasure

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/11/arduino-the-documentary-now-available-online-for-streaming-down/

Over the years we've seen loads of Arduino hacks and mods -- a DIY kit that lets plants tweet, a robotic iPhone, and even touchscreen GBA SP. All of these impressive, heartwarming and otherwise inspiring projects were made possible by the Arduino platform. Just in case you're unfamiliar with what Arduino actually is, let us remind you that it's an open source project geared toward students and other humans who wish to delve into the wild, wacky world of do-it-yourself electronics hardware and software coding. We'd encourage you to check out the documentary in full -- you know, to get the skinny on the company's inception and watch as the Arduino folks talk about their movement and its future -- but we doubt you need our elbowing. Check out all 28 minutes of footage after the break.

Continue reading 'Arduino The Documentary' now available for your streaming pleasure

'Arduino The Documentary' now available for your streaming pleasure originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:52 AM

Augen demos new family of caffeine-inspired tablets, teases dual-booting Android and Ubuntu slate

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/11/augen-improves-gentouch-78-teases-lenovo-u1-hybrid-competitor/

It's baaack! Yep, that up there is Augen's next version of its Gentouch 78 (you know, the Kmart tablet) -- henceforth known as the Gentouch Latte. But Augen isn't stopping there, it has a few more tablet treats coming, and we got a chance to check 'em out in Vegas. Hit the break for the lowdown on the company's four new tablets and don't forget to stop on by the gallery below to peruse the hands-on shots.

Continue reading Augen demos new family of caffeine-inspired tablets, teases dual-booting Android and Ubuntu slate

Augen demos new family of caffeine-inspired tablets, teases dual-booting Android and Ubuntu slate originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 21:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:51 AM

Notion Ink Adam delayed pending FCC certification

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/11/notion-ink-adam-delayed-pending-fcc-certification/

Just when it seemed the Notion Ink Adam had escaped the pit of dubious pre-orders and moved onto the glowing preview stage, here comes another hurdle to trip up its 10-inch PixelQi screen. Android Police reports that US buyers have received email notifications that their orders are ready to ship out, except for that little matter of FCC approval. We've yet to see the Adam pass the FCC -- perhaps because it hasn't done so quite yet -- and the tablet will need to have its paperwork in order and be properly labeled before it can be imported into the US. Notion Ink insists that all the red tape will be taken care of "within this week," and that some international orders have already shipped out. We're hoping that's the case -- we'd hate to think of all those poor slates sitting in boxes, instead of getting some sun.

Notion Ink Adam delayed pending FCC certification originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 20:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:51 AM

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