Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Lenovo's VAIO P Reserve Edition?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/11/lenovos-vaio-p/

What you're looking at is a genuine Lenovo device taken by a trusted source from inside of a showroom within IBM's Beijing headquarters Lenovo's Beijing office. The details sent to Engadget Chinese are brief so we can't tell you if it's a working model or not. Nevertheless, it bears all the hallmarks of a ThinkPad Reserve Edition with just a tad of VAIO P thrown in for taste... so to speak. A few more hurried shots at the break.

Update: Tipster clarified that the pics are from a showroom inside a Lenovo office, not IBM's Beijing HQ.

Continue reading Lenovo's VAIO P Reserve Edition?

Lenovo's VAIO P Reserve Edition? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia outs 5730 and 5330 XpressMusic and 5030 XpressRadio handsets as expected

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/11/nokia-outs-5730-and-5330-xpressmusic-and-5030-xpressradio-handse/


Yup, All About Phones nailed it as Nokia just announced its 5730 XpressMusic QWERTY, 5330 XpressMusic slider, and lowly 5030 XpressRadio candybar bringing up the tail. The trio of handsets spread across different price-points should make access to the Nokia Music Store (now available in 15 countries) that much easier. The top-end 5730 (available Q3, €280) is Nokia's first QWERTY device optimized for both music and gaming with dedicated audio and N-Gage keys. The 5330 slider (Q3, €260) steps up the design with illumination effects while adding a 3.5-mm jack and 26-hours of audio. The 5030 XpressRadio (Q2, €40) is Nokia's first with an internal FM radio antenna thereby eliminating the need for a headset or external speakers. With that as its major selling point, you've probably already guessed that it's heading to emerging markets.

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Nokia outs 5730 and 5330 XpressMusic and 5030 XpressRadio handsets as expected originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UMID M1 mbook now less close to US release

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/11/umid-m1-mbook-now-less-close-to-us-release/


Less close, further away -- take your pick. The bottom line is that the UMID M1 mbook that we've been secretly swooning over for weeks now may be further away from a US release than any of us Yanks would like. According to new intel gathered by Pocketables, a Stateside release of the MID is still planned, but it's apt to ship later than previously expected. Furthermore, the units already prancing about in other corners of the globe aren't likely at all to support US 3G bands, so importing one won't fill that hole in your soul the way a WWAN-enabled MID should. Better hurry up and deliver the goods UMID, else we'll be forced to buy a rivaling unit and hack it up to suit our needs. Don't say we won't.

[Image courtesy of UMPCPortal]

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UMID M1 mbook now less close to US release originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia continues to hemorrhage Smartphone market share to RIM and Apple

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/11/nokia-continues-to-hemorrhage-smartphone-marketshare-to-rim-app/


Rough morning for Nokia. After having its trio of new music-oriented handsets leaked, Gartner goes and releases a set of unflattering sales figures related to Nokia's beleaguered smartphones. While smartphone sales overall increased 3.7% in Q4, Nokia's share slid from 50.9% to "just" 40.8% on 15.6 million units. While many, including Samsung and HTC gained, it was RIM and Apple that made the biggest advances. RIM increased its share of the lucrative market to 19.5% (7.4 million units) from 10.9% while Apple more than doubled its share, up from 5.2% to 10.7% (4.1 million units). Keeping things in perspective: smartphones accounted for only 12% of all mobile device sales for the quarter. There's a method to Nokia's mid- to low-end handset madness.

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Nokia continues to hemorrhage Smartphone market share to RIM and Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Linpus demos uber klein mystery netbook

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/11/linpus-demos-uber-klein-mystery-netbook/

Linpus demos uber klein mystery netbook
Like a little intrigue with your morning Joe? Check out the video below of this sleek little unidentified netbook on display at CeBIT last week at the Linpus booth, found by the same excitable bloke who brought us a glimpse of the company's Linux Lite OS. The hardware sounds to fit the standard Atom-based mold as the rest, adding 3G wireless for true portability, and is said to be built by Quanta, the company rumored to be on tap to build Apple's supposed netbook. Does that mean it could look something like this? We doubt it -- but wouldn't be surprised if it, too had a glossy screen.

Continue reading Linpus demos uber klein mystery netbook

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Linpus demos uber klein mystery netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 07:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's redesigned iPod shuffle hits 4GB, talks to you (updated with video!)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/11/apples-ipod-shuffle-hits-4gb/


Bam, another Apple rumor vindicated. Apple just doubled the capacity of its iPod shuffle to 4GB while ditching the control wheel entirely. The new design keeps the clip and adds VoiceOver -- a new feature that gets around the lack of display by telling you which song is playing and who performs it at the touch of a button on the earbud cable. It'll also call out your playlists and let you navigate to others. Available in black or silver for $80 and your claim to what Apple calls the "world's smallest music player." Check the video tutorial after the break.

Update: VoiceOver in English, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

Fraunhofer's new security device turns your window into a motion detector

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/11/fraunhofers-new-security-device-turns-your-window-into-a-motion/


The brain geniuses at Fraunhofer are back on the scene with a security device that takes the window alarm to the next level. The Vigilant window sees the ol' glass panel coated with a nanoparticle material which converts light into fluorescent radiation. When the system is switched on, a UV lamp is aimed at the window, which is outfitted with sensors along its edges. As long as the lamp is unobstructed, everything is goldie. However, if a cat burglar should come by in his trademark all-black out fit and obstruct the beam, the alarm is activated -- sending your elite security team into action. If you don't have an elite security team, perhaps you can send your T-34 to snare him in its net. Either way, it's clear they messed with the wrong folks this time. A prototype already exists, no word yet on when this will become available.

[Via Oh Gizmo!]

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Fraunhofer's new security device turns your window into a motion detector originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Use Any Internet Browser on your Computer Without Installation

Source: http://www.labnol.org/software/run-internet-browser-without-installation/7724/

Use Any Internet Browser on your Computer Without Installation

web browser icons

Do you want to:

a. Carry a portable version of your favorite web browser on the USB drive? It could be Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari or even Opera.

b. Simultaneously run multiple versions of Internet Explorer or Firefox on the same computer side-by-side without any hacks.

c. Test the new design of your website in all popular browsers without having to rely on an online service like Browser Shots?

d. You don’t have permissions to install new software on the office computer? How do you then use Safari or Google Chrome instead of Internet Explorer?

e. You have heard lot of good things about Internet Explorer 8 but since that browser is still in beta, you don’t want to override your existing installation of IE 7. How do you then try IE 8 without uninstalling IE 7?

f. You love Browser A but some of your favorite websites only open in Browser B. How can you access these websites without installing B?

Now if you said yes to any of the above questions, all you need is Xenocode - it’s an awesome platform that helps you run any web browser on your computer without installation. Simply download an executable from the Xenocode website and double-click to run that web browser.

Xenocode provides ready-to-use packages for Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer 6-8 and Firefox 2-3. Xenocode WebApps also let you run multiple application versions side-by-side on any version of Windows.

If you were using virtual machines with VMWare or Microsoft Virtual PC just for testing browser compatibility, it may be a good idea to switch to Xenocode browser as they are fast and you don’t have to wait for the virtual machine to boot up.

Note: Xencode provides a slightly older version of Chrome but you download Chrome 2 (portable) here.

Related: Convince People to Upgrade Web Browsers

Use Any Internet Browser on your Computer Without Installation (Published at Digital Inspiration)

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Get Usage Statistics for Search Engines, Web Browsers & Mobile Internet

Source: http://www.labnol.org/internet/usage-statistics-for-search-engines-browsers/7729/

Get Usage Statistics for Search Engines, Web Browsers & Mobile Internet

If you need to know the market share or current trends about the usage of Web Browsers, Operating Systems, Search Engines and Mobile Internet across different regions of the world, check out this global stats tool created by Statcounter.

Statcounter, a web analytics company that records visitor statistics for a few million websites (including this one), tracks almost 4 billion page views per month and can therefore paint a pretty accurate picture of trends on the Internet.

The tool tracks both desktop based web browser as well as mobile browsers. Safari on iPhone and iPod Touch continue to lead the mobile browser market in North America followed by BlackBerry.

Mobile Browser Usage in North America

mobile-browsers

Mobile Browser Usage in Asia

The situation is however very different in Asia where Nokia and Opera compete for the top spot while iPhone usage is at the same level as Sony Ericsson.

mobiles-asia 

Coming back, all the usage reports in are updated five times per day so you can create almost real-time charts from the Statcounter tool. The data goes back to June 2008 and you may filter by country to spot localized trends.

Unlike other web research tools from Netcraft or Alexa, StatCounter as a company is pretty open with their data, allowing you to download graphs as images, or you can access raw CSV data to manipulate in Excel or directly embed the graphs in your blog.

And here are a few more charts about Web Browsers and OS usage acoss the world.

statcounter-browser

statcounter-os

Get Usage Statistics for Search Engines, Web Browsers & Mobile Internet (Published at Digital Inspiration)

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How to Open Embedded Google Maps in Full View

Source: http://www.labnol.org/internet/embed-google-maps-trick/7897/

How to Open Embedded Google Maps in Full View

Here’s an old Google Maps trick that some of you may know already but I just discovered it via an accidental click.

So what you see below is not a static screenshot image but a live & interactive Google Map that lets you zoom, pan, switch modes from satellite to terrain and so on.

There are some limitations though with embedded Google maps. For instance, you can’t share the link of an embedded Google map via email nor can you find the location shown in the embedded space, they don’t support driving directions and their size is often too small to look good in print.

To overcome all such limitations, you need to open this embedded map into the main Google Maps website and this can be done very easily by simple clicking the "Powered by Google" logo at the bottom left corner.

Now you have the same map but inside the full-featured Google Maps website that supports print, email sharing, driving directions and all other features. You can also use the URL of this Google Map to determine the latitude and longitude of that embedded location.

This is much like clicking any image frame of an embedded YouTube clip - it will take you automatically to actual video on the main YouTube website.

Related: How To Embed Anything in a Site

How to Open Embedded Google Maps in Full View (Published at Digital Inspiration)

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Fair Share Detects Content Plagiarism via RSS Feeds

Source: http://www.labnol.org/internet/detect-rss-feed-plagiarism/7876/

Fair Share Detects Content Plagiarism via RSS Feeds

feed plagiarismContent theft via RSS feeds is probably the biggest challenge for bloggers and other web publishers. Most sites are now syndicating full text RSS feeds to keep their regular readers happy but this makes life easy for scrapers as well as they can automatically republish your article on to their own site without having to do anything.

How to Detect RSS Feed Plagiarism

Google is not always a good tool to detect RSS feed plagiarism as it may not be indexing these “scrap” sites too frequently and second, some of the sites may not exist in Google’s index at all as they are too young and so the “Sandbox effect” takes over.

plagiarism report

Now if you have a blog and are struggling to detect other sites that may be reusing content from your RSS feed without permission or attribution, try Fair Share - it’s a free web service that will help you discover other web pages on the Internet that are republishing a portion of your RSS content. And it works as advertised.

Related: How to Deal with Internet Plagiarism

How to use Fair Share

To use Fair Share, simply provide them the URL of your RSS feed and wait for a few hours while the Fair Share bots scour the web for possible violations.

You’ll get all the results in a personalized RSS feed that will not just inform you about sites taking your content but also the extent and whether that size in monetizing your content through ads.

rss feed of plagiarism

Not all feeds in the Fair Share report may be instances of plagiarism as some sites genuinely use excerpts and link to the original story (e.g, Alltop) but it’s still a must-have service for bloggers.

And here’s another screenshot from the Fair Share report. It highlights content on other web pages that may have been lifted from your RSS feed.

copied content highlighted

If you are syndicating content though RSS feeds under a Creative Commons License, the Fair Share service will also help you detect if the other site is respecting that license or not through attribution (or linking to the original article). Thanks Arpit for the tip.

Fair Share for Websites without RSS Feeds

If you have a small website and need to check for instances of plagiarism in the blog world, use Google Reader to create a RSS feed of your website and pass on the Google feed address to Fair Share.

You cannot prevent websites or blogs from republishing your content but you can always file a DMCA complaint with their web hosts.

Fair Share Detects Content Plagiarism via RSS Feeds (Published at Digital Inspiration)

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iPod touch 2G finally jailbroken with NitroKey

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/10/ipod-touch-2g-finally-jailbroken-with-nitrokey/

The iPhone Dev Team hackers have been teasing their redsn0w iPod touch jailbreak for what seems like forever now, but those you tired of waiting might want to check out the just-released NitroKey Slipstream. The $15 software does its thing on the 2.2.1 firmware, and automatically installs Cydia for all that jailbroken app action you crave -- including the new paid apps store. Windows-only for now, but there's apparently a Mac version in the works -- hopefully we'll see the free redsn0w take the lead back on that front. Report back if you take the plunge, would you?

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iPod touch 2G finally jailbroken with NitroKey originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HD_Speed Benchmarks Your Disks and Drives [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/okQrHFXtV6M/hd_speed-benchmarks-your-disks-and-drives

Windows only: Don't mutter to yourself about how slow your drive is, benchmark it to know exactly how fast it is (or isn't) moving. HD_Speed gives you real-time feedback on any drive's transfer speed.

All disks are not created equal, so if you have a nagging feeling that one of your flash drives is under-performing, it probably is. HD_Speed is a lightweight (82k!) portable application that monitors disk read and write speed in real time to help you assess disk performance. You can use HD_Speed on virtually any media: floppy disks, CD/DVD drives, hard disks, and flash-based media like USB drives and SD cards. While the real-time testing is useful for instant feedback, if you'd like to test for problems cropping up over time you can set the duration of the test and tell HD_Speed to log the process for later review. HD_Tune is freeware, Windows only.



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Get $200 iTunes Store Vouchers for $2.60 [Dealzmodo?]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/bDR8_oIk8Zo/get-200-itunes-store-vouchers-for-260

Stop being an ass and don't pirate songs and movies. Pirate money and get legal material! Chinese hackers have cracked the algorithm that generates the iTunes Store gift cards: You can get $200 for $2.60.

According to the blog of Outdustry—a music industry consultancy firm in China—the market is getting inundated with this pirate cards, with prices falling quickly. You can find $200 iTunes Music cards in Taobao for as low as $10, and the blog is reporting prices of $2.60.

Nobody knows what this means for Apple yet. For sure, a change of the formula that generates the vouchers looks like a definitive possibility, but that won't solve the situation of legal cards already in the market. [Outdustry and Taobao via MusicAlly]



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Sony DSLR Camera Image Sensor Better Than Canon's? [King Of The Hill]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/CM4TAzwZhZk/sony-dslr-camera-image-sensor-better-than-canons

DxO Labs does something quite tricky: Quantifies the quality of an image sensor's performance, so you can look at a neat number grade for a quick gauge. Surprisingly, a Sony DSLR bests equivalent Canon models.

In their test—which uses the camera's raw output as the basis for measuring sensor performance, evaluating color, dynamic range and low-light shooting—Sony's $1100 A700 outscored Canon's 40D and 50D by a few points, with a 66.3, falling just behind Nikon's D300 and the Pentax K10D. Interestingly, the top scoring sensor of that size is in the Nikon D90, which has a whopping 72.6, 10 points ahead of the Canon 50D's 62.9.

Okay, Sony's Alpha cameras' solid sensor performance actually isn't that surprising, since Sony has a ton of experience making sensors—the Nikon D300 we lurrrrb and that does pretty well in DxO Labs' tests, for instance, packs a Sony sensor. DxO Labs' comparison tool, which has pretty much every major DSLR in its database, is actually pretty neat, if you believe their scores, anyway. [DxO Labs via CNET]



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The Coolest Lens You'll See Today Tilts, Shifts and Bulges [Cameras]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/I-V1jvVtjRw/the-coolest-lens-youll-see-today-tilts-shifts-and-bulges

Canon's new tilt-shift lens—the glass you need to make amazing photos like this without Photosorcery—is an ultra-wide 17mm piece of kit. Also ultra-wide is its price: $2500. But just look at it. [Dvice]



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Someone Says This Is Samsung's New AMOLED Touchscreen Phone [Rumor]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/53m0kOliE04/someone-says-this-is-samsungs-new-amoled-touchscreen-phone

PhoneDog says a tipster sent them this image of the Samsung a877—a non-smartphone—with a 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen, slideout, QWERTY keyboard and a dash of attractiveness.

The tipster claims the phone will have a 3G, GPS, Bluetooth, 3-megapixel cam (w/geotagging), and will use Sammy's TouchWiz UI. And apparently it will be here by the end of the March. For a dumbphone, I like what I see so far. [PhoneDog via Engadget]



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Sanyo goes wireless with new line of projectors

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/10/sanyo-goes-wireless-with-new-line-of-projectors/


Still haven't found a wireless projector that meets your needs? Then you may want to consider one of Sanyo's new LP-XU355 or LP-XU305 models, which each pack a standard XGA resolution and a new "Simple Wireless Setting" that lets you use an included USB drive to easily network with any computer. Otherwise, you can expect to get 3,000 or 3,500 ANSI lumens of brightness, a single 7W speaker in each, a wireless remote, and a full range of inputs, including a single HDCP-compliant DVI port. If you don't mind being tethered, you can also opt for Sanyo's new non-wireless LP-XU350, LP-XU300, LP-XU301, or LP-WXU300 models, which are each more or less similar to their WiFi counterparts, with the exception of the LP-WXU300, which ups the resolution to 1280 x 800. No word on a release 'round here just yet, but those in Japan can apparently look for the first of the lot (including the two wireless models) to roll out in May, with the remainder trickling out over the course of June and July.

[Via Akihabara News]

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Sanyo goes wireless with new line of projectors originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Aspire One mod adds eSATA port, an element of danger

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/10/acer-aspire-one-mod-adds-esata-port-an-element-of-danger/


The blogster known as tnkgrl has just rounded out a delightful series of step-by-step Acer Aspire One hacks covering the gamut from RAM upgrades to installing internal Bluetooth, a 1.8-inch HDD, and HSDPA 3G. For the final part of the series she's salvaged an eSATA socket and placed it just above the venerable netbook's second SD card slot -- and she's provided enough photographic evidence that if this were a crime, she'd go away for a very long time. Of course, this sort of anti-social warranty-voiding business ain't for the timid, but if you're feeling rather Legend Of Billie Jean, here's your opportunity to go wild.

[Via Liliputing]

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Acer Aspire One mod adds eSATA port, an element of danger originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel admits that GN40 chipset is no match for Blu-ray

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/10/intel-admits-that-gn40-chipset-is-no-match-for-blu-ray/


We know, we're just being greedy at this point, but hey -- did you honestly expect anything less? We knew Intel's new Atom N280 processor, when paired with the equally fresh GN40 chipset, could deliver silky smooth 720p video playback. What we didn't know, however, was how well it could handle 1080p material. According to Fudzilla, an Intel product manager has stated that the GN40 is "designed to do 1080p HD playback for typical broadband internet content," but that it wasn't engineered to "enable full Blu-ray capability where the bitrates and demands of multi-layer content are significantly higher than that of internet HD content." The optimist within us is hoping that the GN40's successor will take the next logical step and handle BD films, but we wouldn't dare suggest you get your own hopes up that high if you're not good with handling disappointment.

[Image courtesy of TechArena]

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Intel admits that GN40 chipset is no match for Blu-ray originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung A877 with AMOLED touchscreen coming to AT&T this month?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/10/samsung-a877-with-amoled-touchscreen-coming-to-atandt-this-month/


Are we looking at the best thing this side of a smartphone to grace AT&T? Quite possibly, and jilted Quickfire owners who miss the form factor should probably be taking note. Rumor has it that we're looking at the Samsung A877 here, delivering some 3.2 inches of AMOLED glory at WQVGA resolution, a 3 megapixel cam with geotagging support, TouchWiz (naturally), GPS, HSDPA, and a landscape slide-out full QWERTY keyboard. Even better, PhoneDog's tipster says it'll be hitting just a couple weeks away on March 29, so we don't have terribly long to wait. The Eternity just got a whole lot less interesting, eh?

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Samsung A877 with AMOLED touchscreen coming to AT&T this month? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI announces the VX600 15.4-inch notebook

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/10/msi-announces-the-vx600-15-4-inch-notebook/


MSI has been one busy outfit as of late -- between the company's new Wind Boxes, netbooks, and everything else, it's been quite a year. That said, allow us to submit for your approval the VX600. This guy sports a 15.4-inch (1280 x 800) display, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD3410 graphics, up to 4GB memory, up to 320GB storage, and 6 and 9-cell battery options. In addition to all that, the company's brought their ECO Engine Power Management System to the party, which allows the device to switch among the five different power saving modes (including Gaming, Movie, Presentation, Office, and Turbo Battery) for optimized battery usage. No price or availability yet, but you'll know as soon as we do. For reals.

[Via Mobile Tech News]

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MSI announces the VX600 15.4-inch notebook originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A-DATA's SATAII SSD 300 Plus promises quicker reads, writes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/10/a-datas-sataii-ssd-300-plus-promises-quicker-reads-writes/


It's hard to say just how legitimate these claims are at the moment, but A-DATA seems pretty jazzed about its newest SSD. While not nearly as capacious as the outfit's recently unveiled 512GB XPG SSD, the next-generation SATAII SSD 300 Plus supposedly increases performance of read speeds by up to 40 percent while boosting write speeds by around 60 percent when compared to a "regular SSD." According to A-DATA, this here drive utilizes a special mobile SDRAM module to hit a sustained read rate of 250MB/sec and write rate of 160MB/sec, and all this high-flying performance comes to you in 32, 64, 128 and 256GB flavors. Pricing, however, remains a thick, convoluted mystery.

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A-DATA's SATAII SSD 300 Plus promises quicker reads, writes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia introducing 5030, 5330, and 5730 XpressMusics at tomorrow's event?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/10/nokia-introducing-5030-5330-and-5730-xpressmusics-at-tomorrow/


We know that the shindig Nokia's putting on tomorrow has something to do with music, so it's certainly within the realm of possibility that we'd see some new XpressMusic handsets there, and indeed, All About Phones seems to have scooped the goods. It looks like we'll be treated to no fewer than three models -- all Xpress-branded, naturally -- starting on the low end with the 5030 candybar. This one eschews XpressMusic for the less audiophile-sounding "XpressRadio" name, pimping its in-built FM radio support and a large, squarish speaker around back at a crazy low price of €40 ($51) unsubsidized. Moving one rung up the range is the 5330 XpressMusic slider, packing a 3.5mm jack, some sort of special light effects for the ravers in the audience, and 24 hours of listening time; it'll be available in the third quarter for €160 ($204). Finally, we have the rumored 5730 (pictured) -- the only of the three to run S60 and lay claim to a genuine smartphone title. This one follows in the E75's footsteps by packing both a numeric and a landscape QWERTY slide, WiFi, a 3.2 megapixel cam, HSDPA, and GPS, but the most interesting new feature here might be the "Xpress Home Screen" which exposes your loaded media right from the phone's -- you guessed it -- home screen. This one should hit in the second quarter for €280 ($357) and will be offered in a Comes With Music version in some countries. How's about killing off DRM while you're at it, Nokia?

Fi! led unde r: , ,

Nokia introducing 5030, 5330, and 5730 XpressMusics at tomorrow's event? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigabyte's M1028 netbook / tablet hits the FCC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/10/gigabytes-m1028-netbook-tablet-hits-the-fcc/


It's not an official confirmation, but it looks like the chances of at least some of Gigabyte's new netbooks showing up 'round these parts just got a bit better, as the M1028 has now hit the FCC and been put through its necessary paces. Now sporting the "CafeBook" moniker, the netbook appears to be mostly identical to the T1028 Touch Note model that made its debut at CeBIT which, as you can glimpse above, takes things a bit farther than the norm by opting for a convertible tablet form. Somewhat curiously, however, the manual now indicates that the system packs an 8.9-inch touchscreen (as opposed to the 10-inch we heard before), but all the other specs remain the same, including Intel's new and slightly improved N280 Atom processor, up to 2GB of RAM, a max 250GB hard drive, your choice of a four-cell or six-cell batteries, and optional 3G and WiMAX, to name a few features. Hit up the link below for the complete breakdown, including a peek at the system's innards.

[Via Liliputing]

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Gigabyte's M1028 netbook / tablet hits the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SmartMoney Finds Using Fewer Ads Can Boost Click-Through

Source: http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=134941

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In one case study, a publisher has managed to buck the trend of declining click-through rates with a potential solution: creating scarcity.

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Dow Jones Newswire Chimes In On Apple Netbook Rumors, Claims 10" Screen [Rumor]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/zAdJxmJupNU/dow-jones-newswire-chimes-in-on-apple-netbook-rumors-claims-10-screen

Just in case yesterday's Commercial Times report didn't get your speculative juices flowing, the repectable-sounding Dow Jones Newswire is basically restating it, with their own sources and a little extra detail.

The story is more or less the same: Apple is allegedly planning a touchscreen netbook for release as early as H2 of this year. As chum, this new report throws out a display size figure of "between 9.7-inches and 10-inches," again pointing to Wintek as the display supplier and Quanta as the device manufacturer. Actually, the most interesting part of this report is what remained unsaid, at least by the parties involved:

Jill Tan, a spokeswoman for Apple in Asia, declined to comment Tuesday. Wintek spokeswoman Susie Lee and Quanta Computer investor relations officer Carol Hsu declined to comment.

Obviously this isn't proof of anything, but it is a rich—and uniformly held—silence.

Aside from lending the original rumor a bit more credibility, the new report doesn't do anything to address the most pressing questions: what form-factor, and how much? I don't suspect we'll get answers to these questions until the existence of the "it" is a bit more certain, which, judging by the claimed shipping target, could be a while. [DJW via CNET Asia]



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Wolfram Alpha Search Engine Will Answer All Your Questions, Take Us to Infinity and Beyond [Future]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/gjNj1kwbMkI/wolfram-alpha-search-engine-will-answer-all-your-questions-take-us-to-infinity-and-beyond

Get ready, because the world as we know it is going to change in May 2009, when Wolfram Alpha—a computational search engine that belongs in the Enterprise's computer—appears, giving you precise answers to everything.

That's what this thing is going to give us: A natural way to plug into the vast pool of information of the internet and ask questions like Kirk will do in Star Trek. At least according to Stephen Wolfram—who changed the world of mathematical research with his Mathematica software and, as genius go, he's up there with the best—and other scientists who have tried it. The new engine will be able to truly interpret your questions and give you a real, precise answer.

It won't use a database of preset questions, but it will have the ability to actually understand what you are asking. So if you ask "How many protons are in a lasagna for six people?", the system will be able to recognize, interpret, and answer the question.

We can only hope that nobody asks "what's the origin of the universe?" or we will all explode to hell. [Wolfram via Daily Mail]



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Reasonably-Sized OLED TVs Stalled By Our Crappy Economy [OLED TVs]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/lOxxE2p6FRQ/reasonably+sized-oled-tvs-stalled-by-our-crappy-economy

When consumer budgets are tight, companies tend to back off the horrendously-priced luxury goods. But according to the OLED Association, it's not poor consumers that are holding up new, bigger OLED sets—it's poor manufacturers.

Ars interviewed Barry Young, Managing Director of the OLED Association, and managed to get a pretty good read on where the OLED industry is, and more importantly, where it's headed. The nebulous long term projections about OLED dominance still stand, but the short term prospects are, in a word, shitty. Here's why:

Some major manufacturers have gotten to be pretty good at building the small OLED TVs we're used to seeing (Samsung is about to introduce a midrange, 14.1-inch pipsqueak), and prices for these mini-sets should start dropping soon enough. Unfortunately, these small OLED screen are the largest panels anyone is capable of mass-producing right now.

Sparing you the mind-numbing technical details (those here), manufacturers are being faced with two equally unattractive (read: expensive) options for building TV-sized OLED TVs, like the one Samsung showed off last year: either devise an entirely new manufacturing process, which would require the invention of new techniques and machines for f! abricati on, or pursue a different type of OLED panel. Both options would circumvent the current size restrictions, but both options are extremely expensive.

In the current climate, companies like Samsung can't be certain that such risky investments will pay off fast enough, and for the time being, investment capital is scarce. Answering a question about Samsung's plan for a 32" OLED set, Young could only say this: "How soon Samsung will do their next generation will be affected by the downturn." In other words, sorry 2009. And 2010. [Ars via OLED-Display]



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Sony's panorama-shooting DSC-HX1 camera handled on video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/10/sonys-panorama-shooting-dsc-hx1-camera-handled-on-video/

Sony's panorama-shooting DSC-HX1 camera handled on video
If you're looking to craft an epic, 1,500 megapixel panorama image, something like the Gigapan Imager is your best bet. But, for those of us who want to capture a little wide-angle action and then move on before the tour bus abandons us, Sony's upcoming DSC-HX1 could be the solution. The nine megapixel shooter, releasing in April, comes with a unique (for the moment) panorama mode that allows it to capture 224-degree horizontal or 154-degree vertical shots automatically. Just push the shutter release and then slowly sweep the 20x lens across that wondrous vista before you. The camera internally fuses everything together to create a single 7152 x 1080 image; no post-processing required. It's demonstrated in a video below (on a quaint little diorama), and while $500 is on the pricey side for a non-SLR digi cam, if you've ever tried to stitch photos manually you might think it money well spent -- assuming it still works that well without a tripod.

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Sony's panorama-shooting DSC-HX1 camera handled on video originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Finalized USB 3.0 tests just months away, consumer devices set for next year

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/10/finalized-usb-3-0-tests-just-months-away-consumer-devices-set-f/

Finalized USB 3.0 tests just months away, consumer devices set for next year
We've heard the details and watched the bits fly in person, and now representatives from Agilent Technologies Inc. are saying that test specifications for the SuperSpeediest standard ever will be fully ratified by the end of June. Sure, you probably don't care much about the internal workings of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF for those fond of acronyms), but without tests manufacturers can't certify their devices, and with no certification that 500Mbps external USB HDD of your dreams will never come to market. However, if all goes to plan and those standards fall in place before the dog days of summer begin, USB-IF members expect consumer devices should hit shelves in 2010. Better start saving.

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Finalized USB 3.0 tests just months away, consumer devices set for next year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neothings LightSpider takes HDMI signals 300 feet over fiber

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/10/neothings-lightspider-takes-hdmi-signals-300-feet-over-fiber/


Gefen has already taken the wind out of Neothings' sails somewhat with its HDMI v1.3 Fiber Extender, but if you're not quite ready to drop the coin required to take HDMI signals 1,000 feet over fiber optics, this here device may be the perfect solution. Dubbed LightSpider, this bridge can take HDMI, RS-232 and analog audio around 300 feet on a single fiber cable utilizing OWLink's Digital Light Interface technology. The company is quick to point out that the unit's integrated support for HDCP is a big win for those passing along protected material, though it won't go so far as to provide a price. Reportedly, the company will be on hand at EHX Spring to showcase it to HD junkies and home theater installers, after which we fully expect to hear more details on how to actually procure this thing.

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Neothings LightSpider takes HDMI signals 300 feet over fiber originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, March 09, 2009

Gazaro Compares and Rates Deals on Gadgets and Gear [Web Applications]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/YfRxTz6OoDc/gazaro-compares-and-rates-deals-on-gadgets-and-gear

Gazaro saves you time and money by compiling bargains from online retailers and comparing them against others, returning an easy-to-digest score on just how good a deal you might get.

The better the deal compared to other retailers, the higher the deal score Gazaro assigns. The site is very electronics-oriented right now, with the majority of deals categories like televisions, computers, video cameras, and so on. One of the nicer aspects of using Gazaro to hunt for deals is that the price you see is the no-effort-involved price—no rebates, smooth-talking, or animal sacrifices required. Gazaro just compiles the prices from the company sites without factoring in rebates or your-mileage-may-vary tricks.

One novel feature is a graph displaying the historical pricing trends for the item you're looking at. The television pictured above has the graph shown to the right, where you can see spikes in the price that nearly put the television nearly back up to the MSRP. If you have a favored site for tracking retail prices, sound off in the comments below and help your fellow readers save some cash.



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SeatKarma Helps You Find the Best Seat in The House [Tickets]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/rD6IEYRuHlo/seatkarma-helps-you-find-the-best-seat-in-the-house

SeatKarma is an event search engine that scours ticket resellers to find the best second-hand market prices for the sporting, theatrical and musical events you want to attend.

On top of the basic ticket price aggregation, Seat Karma has seating maps for over 1600 venues—similar, but more comprehensive than previously reviewed SeatQuest. Of those venues, 1300 of them are live maps where the available seats are mapped out with markers to give you an idea of where you'll be relative to the action. Out of the live maps, there are currently 140 venues with actual photos taken from the stands in various positions throughout the venues to give you an actual perspective on how you'll see the court or stage. For venues that have more complicated seating arrangements than simple stadium tiers, such as small theaters, Seat Karma has 3D-style seating maps to show how the various balconies mezzanine levels overlap.



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