Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Zen concept PC caters to visually impaired

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/242589745/

There's hardly a shortage of pocketable devices for the blind, but the Zen is lookin' out for the visually impaired who crave a more full-fledged computing experience. Essentially, the Sandbox PC (hardware) and Zen (operating system) would team up to "create a computing environment that could be used with eyes closed." More specifically, it would utilize an Active Surface for displaying text in Braille and producing images, windows and icons that could be felt. No word on whether this contraption would handle other tasks such as reading one's e-mail aloud or enabling the blind to still participate in Hot or Not, but nevertheless, it's definitely a step in the right direction.

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Why hasn't anyone hacked the Kindle?

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/242660102/

Filed under: Handhelds

You know, the Kindle runs Linux, has USB, uses all standard processors and chipsets, even comes with free built-in EV-DO -- you'd kind of think that stuff (and all the rest) would make it about as high a profile target for hardware modders and hackers as there are. So what gives, why hasn't the hacker community glommed onto this thing? Hit the poll: anyone can answer, but we really want to hear from the über-geeks in the house why the call to Kindle has gone unheeded.

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Nokia's nanotech Morph goes on display, signals melting devices in our future

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/240928239/

Filed under: Cellphones

Why is Nokia always trying to outdo everyone with its fancy-schmancy concepts and designs? Why can't they just get in line and keep it simple? We may never know the answer to those questions, but what we do know is that the company is presenting a new concept device called the Morph that would be right at home... in the year 3000. The unit is included in the MoMA's "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibition catalog, and boasts the ability to stretch and flex to almost any shape a user could think of. The nanotechnology-based device would deliver transparent electronics, self-cleaning surfaces, and the malleability to transform into any number of configurations. Of course, the actual technology required to put this together is years or even decades away, though Nokia expects to see some of these innovations making their way into high-end products within seven years. See the device doing its thing in some photos after the break.

Update: Tipster Pdexter pointed us to a video of the Morph in "action" -- check it out after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Nokia's nanotech Morph goes on display, signals melting devices in our future

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Intel's 6-core Xeon and Nehalem CPU info leaked

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/240985888/

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Intel's had its new processor plans slipped out to the public thanks to Sun, according to DailyTech. Details on the 6-core (!) Xeon Dunnington, as well as the kinda-sorta hush-hush Nehalem were apparently leaked out onto Sun's public web server over the weekend, including plans for the new Xeons to overtake the company's Tigerton CPU line. The Dunnington processors will have a 16MB L3 cache shared by all six cores, and will be pin-compatible with the Tigertons, thus making integration with your Clarksboro chipset slightly less painful... by being possible. The Nehalem also got the spy treatment, with news that it will not only replace the Penryn line in Q4 '08, but will also be the first time in 18 years that Intel includes on-die memory controllers. If this sort of thing is important to you (and we think it may be) hit the read link and get all the juicy details.

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Lippert intros CoreExpress-Menlow module for handheld devices

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/241015983/

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Handhelds

We've already seen plenty of prototypes of Menlow-based handhelds (or MIDs), but it looks like Germany's Lippert Embedded Computers is among the first to put together a finalized version of the core component of said devices, with it now showing off its CoreExpress-Menlow module. Aimed at everything from automotive to medical to point-of-service devices (in addition to more consumer-minded handhelds), this board measures just 2.6 x 2.3-inches and packs the expected Silverthorne processor, along with some soldered on RAM, built-in WiFi and GPS, and support for a number of different storage options, among other shrunk-down features. No word on pricing or availability just yet, however, although Lippert will apparently have more to say about that at the Embedded World 2008 trade show later this week.

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Humanscale's eight-monitor mount is huge. Seriously.

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/241046582/

Filed under: Displays

Sometimes one display isn't enough. Sometimes you need two. Sometimes you need eight. When you need eight, you'll probably want to contact the folks over at Humanscale -- an ironically named company that creates mounts that are decidedly inhuman. Take the Paramount Parabolic Multi-Monitor Display, for instance: a rack for your bank of eight monitors that's a guaranteed must-have for your elaborate array of "stalking" screens in the basement of your creepy estate. We're sure there are uses for this beyond tracking the every movement of your house-guests, but we don't want to know what they are.

[Via Crave]

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Virgin's coconut-powered 747 completes first flight

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/241144194/

Filed under: Transportation

Finally, mankind has the answer to that eternal question, how many coconuts does it take to go from London to Amsterdam? The answer: 150,000 -- converted into biofuel and poured into a special 747, of course. Virgin Atlantic completed its first biofuel tests yesterday with solid results, using a mix of 20 percent coconut oil and 80 percent jet fuel to power a 747 -- a first for the airline industry. There's still a long way to go, of course -- only one of the jet's four tanks carried the alternative fuel, and even Richard Branson admits that giant coconut plantations devoted to airline fuel probably aren't workable -- but despite harsh criticism from skeptics, it's still an impressive achievement. Branson says that although this test didn't use a viable fuel, it's a landmark proof-of-concept -- and that next-generation biofuels made from algae may one day power all our aircraft. Sure, that'd be nice, but we'll stick with tiki-power -- anyone have a drink umbrella?

[Via The Register]

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Monday, February 25, 2008

Intel Planning 6-Core "Dunnington" Microprocessor [Rumor]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/240032222/intel-planning-6+core-dunnington-microprocessor

Dunnington%20GI.jpg According to the chaps at the Eclipse Developer's Journal (EDJ), Intel is planning a six-core microprocessor, which will go by the Dunnington moniker.

The six-core beast will be succeeded by the even meatier, Nehalem micro-architecture, which will support greater than eight cores. The work regarding the Dunnington project is still under wraps, but our friends at EDJ insist Intel has already put together a die, the size of a postage stamp, with three dual-core 45nm Penryn chips on it sharing a 16MB L3 cache. Allegedly, we'll see the Dunnington in either Q2 or Q3, this year—we'll be sure to keep you posted on any developments. [EDJ via The Inquirer]

Wiperless Windshield Concept Brings Minimalism to Your Vehicle [Concepts]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/240463121/wiperless-windshield-concept-brings-minimalism-to-your-vehicle

Hidra%20Concept%20GI.jpg Leonardo Fioravanti of the awesome vehicle design house, Pininfarina has put together a prototype car, called Hidra, which has a windshield that negates the necessity for conventional wipers. The design relies on aerodynamics and surface treatment alone, which will supposedly be enough to keep a fly-away tree branch from obscuring your line of vision. The chemical treatments applied are where the autonomous cleaning action really happens, and they actually sound quite interesting.

The first layer deals with the sun and water; it prevents harmful rays entering and has hydrophobic properties, ensuring water is repelled away. The second layer incorporates nano dust, and the treatment gives the screen the ability to "push" dirt away to the edges of the glass surface, which in turn relies on the third layer; a receptor surface that alerts the nano dusted glass to do its self-cleaning business when grime is detected. Finally, an electrically conductive material is applied, which passes on electricity to power the entire mechanism.

Apparently, this could be mainstream in five years, but for us it makes more problems than it appears to solve; e.g. Would it really remove our aforementioned fly-away tee branch? Would we receive an electric shock if we touched it whilst it was cleaning? What does it do with the dirt at the edges of the windshield? Why doesn't someone make a fully functioning Millennium Falcon? So many questions, so few physical windscreen wipers on the Hidra concept car. [Sparking Tech; la Repubblica]