Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

drag2share: Hands-on with Verizon Novatel MiFi 4620L Jetpack (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/10/hands-on-with-verizon-novatel-mifi-4620l-jetpack-video/

We just got hands-on with one of Verizon's JetPacks, the Novatel MiFi 4620L. At about the same size and thickness as previous endeavors, the quad-band 4G LTE unit boasts a gimmicky OLED display that apparently makes interfacing with the unit easier. We weren't convinced, but we did like its removable 1500mAh battery, which can be swapped for a more potent (but not included) 3000mAh unit. Its final party trick is the ability to relay location coordinates over WiFi to up to 10 devices (like say a tablet) that support GPS streaming. We couldn't get the Novatel rep on hand to confirm pricing or availability, but we got the sense this little guy will ship soon.

Gallery: Hands-on with Novatel's Jetpack MiFi 4620L

Continue reading Hands-on with Verizon Novatel MiFi 4620L Jetpack (video)

Hands-on with Verizon Novatel MiFi 4620L Jetpack (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Polaroid SC1630 Android HD smart camera hands-on, is it a cameraphone or a phonecamera?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/10/polaroid-sc1630-android-hd-hands-on-is-it-a-cameraphone-or-a-ph/

The camera modules in smartphones continually improve, and these days there are phones like the iPhone 4S and the Nokia N9 who can take snapshots as good -- and sometimes better -- than point-and-shoots. Polaroid's known for making cameras, but its newest device, a rebrand of the Aigo A8 we saw at CES last year, flips the script by taking a 16 megapixel point-and-shoot and shoving an Android phone inside.

The Polaroid version's called the SC1630 Android HD Smart Camera, and its packed with 850/1900/2100MHz WCDMA and 850/900/1800/1900 GSM radios, along with WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and an FM antenna thrown in for good measure. The SC1630 sports an 800 x 400 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, while underneath there's 512MB of built-in storage and 512MB of RAM, along with proximity and G-sensors, micro SIM slot, Micro USB and a 2.5mm headphone jack. As we said above, the camera is a 16 megapixel unit, with aperture of F3.1 - F5.6, 3X optical zoom and 5X digital zoom, a max shutter speed of 1/1400 and ISO tops out at 3200. It's got geotagging and anti-shake support as well, and can shoot videos in 720p. Scheduled to arrive in April for $299, the device still has a few kinks to be worked out and there may be some changes to that hardware before it makes it to market. Here at CES 2012, we got a chance to lay hands on the phone and speak with Emanuel Verona, Polaroid's Executive VP and COO about the company's first Android offering, so read on past the break for our impressions and his thoughts.

Gallery: Polaroid SC1630 Android HD Smart Camera hands-on

Continue reading Polaroid SC1630 Android HD smart camera hands-on, is it a cameraphone or a phonecamera?

Polaroid SC1630 Android HD smart camera hands-on, is it a cameraphone or a phonecamera? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share - drag and drop RSS news items on your email contacts to share (click SEE DEMO)

drag2share: Samsung is refreshing the Series 5 Chromebook, releasing the Chromebox in Q2

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/10/samsung-refreshing-the-series-5-chromebook-prepares-the-chromeb/

We'll likely never know how many Chromebooks Samsung has sold, but we're guessing it's not a terribly impressive figure. No matter. Sammy is refreshing its first-gen Series 5 with a new model, along with that Chromebox Google first teased last spring. Starting with the Chromebook, it trades its slick cover for something muted, with more discreet logo placement, though that matte, 12.1-inch, 300-nit display has made a reappearance. On the inside, meanwhile, it steps up from Atom to Celeron, while the storage capacity remains fixed at 16GB. Look for it sometime in the second quarter with some familiar pricing: $399 for the WiFi-only version, and $449 for the 3G model with pay-as-you-go data from Verizon.

As for the Chromebox, Samsung is still staying mum on specs, though the company did tell us it comes with a wireless keyboard-and-mouse combo. It also has a handful of ports, including five USB 2.0 sockets, DVI, DisplayPort and a headphone jack. All that'll run you around $400 when it lands sometime in the second quarter. To be honest, it's difficult to imagine consumers choosing this over a full-fledged mini desktop or HTPC, though Samsung makes a shrewd point when it says this might find a home in K-12 computer labs, where the cost per student would be low and the systems would consume little space. Then again, the same could be said of laptops like this, no?

Gallery: Samsung Series 5 Chromebook hands-on (2012)

Gallery: Samsung Chromebox hands-on

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

Samsung is refreshing the Series 5 Chromebook, releasing the Chromebox in Q2 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share - drag and drop RSS news items on your email contacts to share (click SEE DEMO)

drag2share: Skype-controlled Mindstorms NXT car: toys over IP?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/10/skype-controlled-mindstorms-nxt-car-toys-over-ip/

If you build it, they will come; so the saying goes. And robotics-loving Mindstorms NXT-enthusiast Leon built it. What exactly? Well, a car. But not just any old brick-mobile, one you -- yes you -- at home can control via Skype. How does one conjure up such sorcery? By training a light sensor on a laptop screen, for receiving Skype calls, a soupçon of screen sharing, all mixed with a little web code so you can pilot remotely. The final lap is over a Bluetooth connection, plus there's a clever self-charging system originally featured on these very pages. Fancy taking it for a spin? You've got until the 18th of this month before Leon gets fed-up with the constant reverse donuts. Check the video after the break to see the truly "remote controlled" car in action, and tap the source to see how you too can take it for a spin.

Continue reading Skype-controlled Mindstorms NXT car: toys over IP?

Skype-controlled Mindstorms NXT car: toys over IP? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Makezine ! |& nbsp; source

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drag2share - drag and drop RSS news items on your email contacts to share (click SEE DEMO)

drag2share: Ubuntu TV eyes-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/11/ubuntu-tv-eyes-on/

It's still just a proof of concept, which is a bit of a disappointment, but Ubuntu TV was here at CES making its public debut. For the moment it's running on an external PC and being controlled by a Boxee remote, but Canonical hopes one day to have its media-focused Linux distro embedded in TVs. Even in its relatively young incarnation, the 10-foot tweak of Unity seams relatively smooth. A rep showed off the media browser and guide, including the interface for tying in movie rentals and purchases (we guess we know where the Ubuntu One store will be going next). It's all pretty slick and, to be honest, if we could hack this in to the dumb set currently gracing our TV bench we certainly would. Check out the gallery below and the video walkthrough after the break.

Gallery: Ubuntu TV hands-on