Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, January 25, 2010

OpenShot 1.0 Is an Actually Usable Linux Video Editor [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/MYUC_9v9nNk/openshot-10-is-an-actually-usable-linux-video-editor

Linux/Live CD/DVD: It's one of the five features we desperately want in Ubuntu: a video editor that the average user can stitch together simple movies with. OpenShot 1.0 is mostly there.

That's not to say the interface has much polish, or that you don't have to install non-free multimedia codecs in your Linux system beforehand. Then again, unless you're a FLAC/OGG music purist, you probably already installed your MP3 and other file supports.

I had a video project to assemble over the weekend—combining a recorded audio file and still pictures into a video file that could be imported into iMovie, or watched on a standard PC laptop. I dropped an audio file into the left-hand sidebar, and it automatically dropped into one of the two default tracks. I dragged in a batch of pictures, and I could then drop them onto the timeline. From there, you can use the really simple tools—resize, razor, marker, and moving tool—to adjust and arrange the clips. For my purposes, that was perfect. It was a return to earlier versions of iMovie, a basic non-linear video editor for the rest of us.

If you're looking to make very complex transitions or pull precise transformations on your video, you're still better off with a more advanced suite on another platform—one of our six best video editing applications, perhaps. If you're a Linux user and looking to stitch together a small-scale video project, OpenShot is definitely worth a look.

OpenShot is a free download, available as a live CD or DVD, as an Ubuntu/Debian repository, and pre-compiled for Ubuntu and Fedora systems. If you've given OpenShot a try and like it, or find it lacking a certain something, tell us about it in the comments.

OpenShot 1.0 Has Arrived! [OpenShot Video Editor]

Chrome's Google Voice Extension Lets You Click To Call [Google Voice]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/c3NJsA8GONI/chromes-google-voice-extension-lets-you-click-to-call

Yesterday Google updated their Google Voice extension for Chrome, allowing Voice-heads to call numbers directly from their browsers. If you love Google or hate retyping phone numbers, this one's for you.

One of the great things about upgrading to a smartphone years ago was that all numbers were links. The updated Voice extension for Chrome allows for a similar streamlining in your browser.

The extension basically just turns phone numbers into clickable links, eliminating the need to cut and paste them across windows. It also adds a phone icon to Chrome, letting you quickly place calls and choose the number from which you do so. While it's a nice step towards a lazier future, there are some caveats. Mac users, for example, will need to install the latest Chromium build, not just the regular old Chrome, to gain the functionality.

Some people might find this capability insignificant, but anything that makes it easier to order food from places I find on Yelp is worthwhile in my book. [Google via TechCrunch]

World's First 3D Photocopier Goes On Sale For $17,000 [3D]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/uqXg1vyp4Dw/worlds-first-3d-photocopier-goes-on-sale-for-17000

Ortery's Photosimile 5000 3D photocopier has taken two years to go on sale since it first surfaced in 2008, providing digital 3D replicas of whatever object you place inside it. Think of the possibilities!

Once the object is placed on the Ortery turntable inside the box, a Canon DSLR takes 360 degree photos, with the four daylight bulbs giving 6500K of illumination—the perfect lighting conditions for the 72 photos taken.

Connected to a PC by USB, the images are saved as GIF or Flash files, and then transferred to the Photosimile software. If all of this is getting you hot under the collar at the thought of such a machine, better schedule a meeting in with your bank manager—it's $17,000 and has just started shipping. [Ortery via Gizmag via TechRadar]

Super Talent adds SandForce controller to new TeraDrive SSDs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/23/super-talent-adds-sandforce-controller-to-new-teradrive-ssds/

All we ever hear of that SandForce SF-1500 controller seems to be about how wickedly fast it is, so we'd be remiss not to inform you that it's found another home -- this time inside Super Talent's new enterprise-class SSD line. Branded as TeraDrive FT2, these drives will range from 50GB to 400GB on MLC NAND flash, or up to 200GB on the even nicer SLC-based stuff. The only hurdle in all this glory is that the hardware seems destined primarily for non-consumer markets, with OEMs getting samples now and expecting volume deliveries by the end of this quarter. Then again, if you really can't wait for these to filter through in consumer machines, we're sure OCZ and RunCore will be more than happy to sell you some of their own silly fast SandForce-infused gear.

Super Talent adds SandForce controller to new TeraDrive SSDs originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 13:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android dual-boot could make Nokia N900 jack of two trades

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/23/android-dual-boot-could-make-nokia-n900-jack-of-two-trades/

Maemo's already pretty open as open platforms go, but what's better than a single open platform on your open phone? Two open platforms, of course, creating a vortex of pure, unadulterated openness the likes of which the world has never seen. Hacking is par for the course with Nokia's N900, so it comes as no surprise to see that a motivated individual has managed to get his unit set up in a trick dual-boot configuration with Maemo on internal storage and Android on a separate partition loaded from the microSD card. He says it's "proof of concept" for the moment -- but to steal his words, "its [sic] real and it could be spectacular." We couldn't agree more, and as much as Nokia loves its own code, we can't help but think this precisely the sort of tinkering the N900 was made for. Check video of the magical boot after the break.

Continue reading Android dual-boot could make Nokia N900 jack of two trades

Android dual-boot could make Nokia N900 jack of two trades originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI X-Slim X620 keeps its ULV processor and ATI graphics, adds an optical drive

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/23/msi-x-slim-x620-keeps-its-ulv-processor-and-ati-graphics-adds-a/

Just a few days after revealing its X-Slim X420, MSI is back at it again with another Intel ULV-powered laptop -- but this time the redesigned 15.6-inch version of its X series has made room for an optical drive. As one might expect the 1.4-inch thick / 5-pound lappie is a bit heftier than before, though oddly it has the same selection of ports, including HDMI, two USBs, e-SATA, an SD card reader, along with a mic and headphone jacks. Other than that the Windows 7 Home Premium portable packs an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5430 GPU, and will support up to 4GB of RAM and 500GB of storage. No details on pricing or availability, but we'll be keeping our ears to the ground.

Filed under: Laptops

MSI X-Slim X620 keeps its ULV processor and ATI graphics, adds an optical drive originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sungworld's Android MID fights the future

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/24/keepin-it-real-fake-part-cclii-sungworlds-android-mid-fights/

We don't think we're over-reaching when we say that this device, Sungworld's just-unveiled 7-inch, Android touchscreen MID looks a bit... well, Apple-ish, and we hear that the UI (which we haven't yet seen in action) will take cues from the company as well. Regardless, this thickish-looking puppy will boast an ARM926 CPU, 128MB of memory, 2GB of storage, and two USB ports. It's also supposedly going to be available in pink, blue, green, purple and black, and though we don't know pricing yet, we assume that if that tablet we've heard so much about in recent weeks fails to materialize next Wednesday, well... okay, this won't be a great stand-in. Sorry.

Filed under: Handhelds

Sungworld's Android MID fights the future originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC HD2 gets a spec boost for the US

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/24/htc-hd2-gets-a-spec-boost-for-the-us/

Looks like the HTC HD2 is getting a little spec bump on its way to our fair shores: the official spec page lists the version bound for T-Mobile US with 1GB of ROM and 576 of RAM, a boost over the international edition's 512 and 448MB. What's more, it looks like a bigger 16GB microSD card will come in the box, a big jump over the 2GB stick currently bundled overseas. Not a bad little upgrade -- dare we hope that it presages a much bigger bump to Windows Mobile 7 before the scheduled spring launch?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HTC HD2 gets a spec boost for the US originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple tablet maybe starts showing up in app-tracking stats, kinda

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/24/apple-tablet-starts-showing-up-in-app-tracking-stats-kinda/

It's sort of funny that this is the hardest evidence we have of an Apple tablet, but here we go: mobile app analytics company Flurry is saying that it's detected around 50 devices on Apple's Cupertino campus that have the "characteristics" of a tablet, running a new version of the iPhone OS numbered 3.2. How? Around 200 different apps with Flurry's tracking code were downloaded and used on these mystery devices -- mostly games, followed by entertainment and media apps -- and Flurry first noticed this new device in October, with numbers picking up in January. Unfortunately, Flurry hasn't said what these mysterious tablet characteristics are, so we don't have much to go on -- and without specifics like a bigger screen size or a faster processor we're skeptical. For all we know, this is just a new iPhone running a slightly tweaked build of OS 3.0 that supports a higher-resolution screen or something -- especially looking at that 3.2 version number, when everything else we've heard suggests the tablet will jump to 4.0.

What's more, 200 apps in the grand scheme of things really isn't that many -- Flurry only tracks small percentage of the 100,000 apps in the App Store. We're not exactly willing to accept any detailed analysis based on a dataset that narrow, so let's just say that it's very likely that Apple's testing new devices running a new version of the iPhone OS and leave it at that until Wednesday, shall we?

Apple tablet maybe starts showing up in app-tracking stats, kinda originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is this the Motorola MOTOSPLIT?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/25/is-this-the-motorola-motosplit/

Okay, we're not anywhere close to 100 percent on this, but we just got a blurry screenshot of something we're told is the Motorola MOTOSPLIT, a Snapdragon-powered Android set in the vein of the Droid with a totally wild split-horizontal sliding QWERTY keyboard. Yeah, we want one -- it reminds us of the beloved Nokia 6820, although it's much thinner. We're told this thing is coming to AT&T in Q3, which makes sense; we've only pinned down three of Ma Bell's five planned Android devices, and this would be a nice higher-end compliment to the Backflip. We'll keep an eye out -- and you let us know if you hear anything good, okay?

Update: Yes, we know it's a render, sheesh. We have a bit of a history with Motorola and renders, you know.

Is this the Motorola MOTOSPLIT? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel GMA HD graphics review deems them excellent for video, mediocre for gaming

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/25/intel-gma-hd-graphics-review-deems-them-excellent-for-video-med/

Our Intel Arrandale / Clarkdale review bonanza was sprinkled with a few graphics benchmarks, but there was never a concerted effort to break down the specific upgrades on the 45nm GPU that comes as part of the new CPU package. That omission has now been corrected by Bit-tech, who've delved deep into the murky waters of embedded graphics and report that Intel's focus appears to have been firmly on video playback. Noting full bitstreaming, (our HD editors inform us that's a big deal), Blu-ray with picture-in-picture, and HDMI 1.3a support, the lads commended the "very smooth" 1080p playback of h.264-encoded video. While their conclusion about gaming was less glowing -- finding that Intel's latest gen only keeps up with older hardware -- they couldn't help but recommend the new processors on account of their feature-rich video playback and energy efficiency. More benchmarks at the source link.

Intel GMA HD graphics review deems them excellent for video, mediocre for gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saturday, January 23, 2010

Treo Pro up and vanishes from Palm website

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/treo-pro-up-and-vanishes-from-palm-website/

Well, this was probably bound to happen someday, but we still can't not sniffle a bit... the Treo Pro seems to have disappeared from Palm.com. The site has of course been mainly trafficking Palm's webOS devices -- the Pre and Pixi -- as of late, but until very recently, it still listed its last non-webOS device, the Window Mobile Treo Pro, a much older phone first outed in August of 2008. If you're hell bent, of course, there are still plenty of places to get one of these bad boys, so we're not going to sound the death knell yet -- but it will be missed.

Filed under: Cellphones

Treo Pro up and vanishes from Palm website originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nanosys and LG Innotek agree deal for newfangled LED-backlit displays

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/nanosys-and-lg-innotek-agree-deal-for-newfangled-led-backlit-dis/

For the nitty gritty of how Nanosys' proprietary LED backlighting technology works, check out our earlier coverage here -- what you really need to know is that the company promises a significantly wider color gamut from its displays, while reducing power consumption by up to 50 percent. Quantum dot LEDs have shown their faces before, but now there's the big hulking heft of LG Innotek -- LG's component manufacturing arm -- behind what Nanosys is offering, which indicates we might actually see the release of nanotech-infused displays within the first half of this year as promised. The early focus appears to be on mobile phones, which gives us yet another next-gen feature to add to our list of requirements for our next phone. Check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Nanosys and LG Innotek agree deal for newfangled LED-backlit displays

Nanosys and LG Innotek agree deal for newfangled LED-backlit displays originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, January 22, 2010

LG eXpo Mobile Projector hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/lg-expo-mobile-projector-hands-on/

As Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets go, LG's eXpo on AT&T is very near the cream of the crop -- it's got Snapdragon and a biometric scanner, after all -- but we all know that the spec sheet doesn't tell the whole story with this one. Really, people care about this phone because of the trick $179 pico projector that you can optionally bolt underneath. Besides being insanely cool, the concept makes sense considering the eXpo's target demographic -- business users probably want to be able to share documents and PowerPoints on the go, right?

Gallery: LG eXpo Mobile Projector hands-on

Continue reading LG eXpo Mobile Projector hands-on

LG eXpo Mobile Projector hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Philips Second Gen LivingColors Make Paint Twice as Obsolete [Lighting]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/wMVyp1hrGFg/philips-second-gen-livingcolors-make-paint-twice-as-obsolete

We found the original Philips LivingColors lamp to be pretty astounding with its multi-million-color glow. Now the lamp gets an impressive v2 makeover.

The latest LivingColors lamp produces 16 million colors through a combination of 7 LEDs—an overall quality of light that's 50% brighter than version one.

And while the intuitive remote and bulbous shape remain mostly unchanged, you'll now have the option to purchase an opaque version (which we're guessing produces a more directional light flow) along with a more typical metal base stand. Look for the update in Europe soon, with models ranging from about $230-$350. [geekandhype via Unplggd]

Tesla pulls in $465 million government loan to build Model S electric sedan

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/tesla-pulls-in-465-million-government-loan-to-build-model-s-ele/

The Detroit News is reporting that Tesla has closed on a $465 million low-cost loans from the Energy Department to work on its next electric vehicle, the Model S sedan.The funds will apparently be used by the company to build manufacturing plants in California. The loan, which closed on Monday and was approved back in June, will come from the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program, which has about $25 billion to dole out to automakers manufacturing energy efficient vehicles. The Model S will, when complete, boast an up to 300-mile driving range, and will hit up to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. It's supposed to hit production in 2012 with an output of 20,000 units (that means cars) per year.

Tesla pulls in $465 million government loan to build Model S electric sedan originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype 2.1 Beta 2 Puts Screen Sharing in Linux [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/Dnf_6xV8Sic/skype-21-beta-2-puts-screen-sharing-in-linux

Linux: Skype doesn't update its Linux beta too often, but good things arrive when it does. This go-round, screen sharing gets added to the mix, interfaces can be styled, and a lot of annoyances were chopped down.

Image by Kabatology.

If you were irked about being unable to quote IM sections from Skype conversations, that got fixed in Skype 2.1 Beta 2. If you're amazed at how irksome connecting Skype through PulseAudio, the default audio engine in Ubuntu and a few other distributions—you're not getting much help here. With that out of the way, your Linux-friendly editor will point out the big list of improvements and fixes in this release.

Skype for Linux 2.1 Beta 2 is a free download for Linux systems only. If you've discovered a few smart Skype fixes on your Linux system, or want to see something else fixed up, tell us about it in the comments.

Skype Download for Linux [via Kabatology]

Browse Flickr Photos Full Screen Sans Add-Ons [Flickr]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/P0GxGnT5YAk/browse-flickr-photos-full-screen-sans-add+ons

You'll find no shortage of browser add-ons for the popular photo-sharing service Flickr, many of them focused on making the site more immersive. You can browse images in full screen with a simple hack however, no add-on necessary.

Matt Haughey was never really happy with the interface at Flickr, it always seemed like he could never get the images as big as he wanted without excess fiddling and fighting with the interface. He increased the default image size but that wasn't enough. His solution relies on a clever mouse-less version of the slideshow:

1. From whatever page you access contact photos, a user's photostream, and/or a photoset, click on the slideshow link

2. As soon as the slideshow loads, hit the pause button on the lower left

3. Use your keyboard's left/right keys to navigate through the set of photos at full screen. If your mouse pointer isn't in the very top or very bottom of the browser, all slideshow chrome will fade in a couple seconds leaving you with giant photos on a clean crisp full browser display

We tested it out—see the screenshot above—and it is a quick and painless way to enjoy completely full screen images sans any visual clutter or downloading add-ons.

Have your own clever hacks for getting more out of services without resorting to using add-ons and Greasemonkey scripts as bandages? Let's hear about it in the comments.

How to Enjoy Bigger Photos on Flickr [AWholeLottaNothing]

The Apple Tablet: 'A First-Generation iPhone That's Met Its Match With a Rolling Pin' [Rumor]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/mxuwU7DlTw8/the-apple-tablet-a-first+generation-iphone-thats-met-its-match-with-a-rolling-pin

According to AppleInsider's sources, this flickr image is the closest mockup of the Apple Tablet that anyone has seen to date. And yes, it's essentially a big, first-gen iPhone that's "met its match with a rolling pin."

Rather than a plastic back, AI claims the Tablet will have the same, two-tone aluminum look of the original iPhone. But while this image is thought to be very close to Apple's final design, it doesn't sound like a full-fledged OS X will be on board. Why? The Tablet will have an iPhone-inspired Home button (along with a 10-inch screen, 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack, built-in speaker grills, a microphone, GPS, 3G connectivity and a 30-pin dock connector, if AppleInsider has it right).

Personally, I never grew tired of the iPhone's original look, and I'd love to see the design in tablet form. What about you? [AppleInsider and flickr]

ATM Card Skimmers Are Getting Frighteningly Sophisticated [Scams]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ZfaReaW-XqQ/atm-card-skimmers-are-getting-frighteningly-sophisticated

The above card skimmer, found on a Citibank ATM in Woodland Hills, CA, secretly scans your account information and PIN number, which it then wirelessly sends to a scammer. Would you have spotted it?

Card skimmers have been around for a while now, but they're only getting more sophisticated and hard to detect. This one features a tiny pinhole camera that records victims' PIN as they punch it into the keypad, and it was clearly molded to fit and work with this exact ATM.

What can you do to protect yourself? Just be aware. Look at all the ATMs in the bank you're in to make sure they all look the same. Look for hidden cameras or extra seams that seem out of place. Look for odd protrusions or elements that have colors that don't match the rest of the machine. If you're paying attention, you should be OK. But if you aren't, you're at risk for giving up your checking account to a scammer. [Krebs on Security via Cynical C]

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