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Thursday, February 28, 2008

1,301 Florescent Bulbs Lit Solely by Magnetic Fields [Science]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/242215818/1301-florescent-bulbs-lit-solely-by-magnetic-fields

This field has 1,301 florescent bulbs planted in it, and they're all glowing. They aren't plugged into anything, however; they're powered solely from the magnetic fields produced by the power lines above. It's all a large art project by Richard Box, and if you're really interested in it you can order a DVD of the whole thing from him. If you're cheaper and less interested, just peruse our gallery for the cool shots.
[Project Page via GadgetLab]

Intel Touts Larrabee At GDC

Theo Valich

February 21, 2008 11:52

San Francisco (CA) - Intel's multi-billion dollar project is slowly gaining traction, and this year's GDC conference is the last one where Larrabee is not going to be the key topic of conversations between game developers and like.

During a very interesting presentation by Daniel Pohl of Quake 4: Ray-Trace fame, The L-word (not the TV show Lost for those of you stuck in a cave for the past few years) was not just mentioned, but a slide was published for world to see.

As you can see now, Intel is using all of resources from the Folsom Prison, Houston bull-riding bar to a Biergarten in Braunschweig to get the chip done. Given the fact that description calls for "highly parallel, programmable architecture" that is targeting "Scientific Computing, Recognition Mining & Synthesis, Financial Analytics, Health applications and Graphics", it is not a very hard thing to guess what Intel is working on - a cGPU, GPGPU chip that is set to start its life with a 12 mini-core setup, that will expand to 16 and 24 mini-cores in the future. We hope that putting huge-ass cache (4MB) in the chip is going to solve the branching issues that GPU chips have today.

Oh yeah, it is supposed to be a great chip for IntelRT, or simply - great for Ray-Tracing. If all things go as planned, silicon should be done by year's end, and the release date should be by the end of 2009, probably 2010. frame.

Garmin's Nuvifone comes under fire for trademark violations

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/242357225/

Filed under: Cellphones

Garmin probably thought getting into the mobile phone game would just be smooth sailing, but it looks like they've made a deadly miscalculation. Okay, that might be over-dramatizing the situation, but the PND-maker is facing a new lawsuit over its upcoming 3G wonder-device, the Nuvifone. Apparently, internet telephone provider Nuvio Corp. feels that Garmin has crossed trademark boundaries just a smidge, alleging the nav company is stepping all over its good name. "Our customers commonly refer to our service as the Nuvio phone," said Jason P. Talley, the company's CEO. Not only is the provider calling for a cease-and-desist on the use of "Nuvifone," but it also wants kickbacks for past infringement, and termination of the word "Nuvi" on any device made by Garmin. Garmin spokesman Ted Gartner says the company has been using the Nuvi name since early 2006 in North America, and earlier in Europe. He went on to add that they don't discuss pending litigation -- though we understand to friends and family he was like, "Pfft, whatever."

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Intel lays out roadmap for Montevina-based Centrino 2 platform

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/242369013/

Filed under: Laptops

We've already gotten wind of Intel's not-so-surprising branding choice for its Montevina platform, but it looks like the company's just now gotten a whole lot more specific about things, with it laying out its roadmap for the newly-named Centrino 2 product line. As Daily Tech reports, the new platform will make its debut in June of this year, and will include separate "Performance" and "Small Form Factor" lines. On that former front, you can expect processors ranging form 2.26GHz to 2.8GHz, with a TDP rating of either 25W or 35W and prices from $209 to $530. The Small Form Factor line, on the other hand, is considerably more over the map, boasting processor speeds from 1.2GHz all the way up to 2.2GHz, and TDP ratings ranging from a mere 5.5W to 25W (prices will be between $262 to $316). Needless to say, this bit of news has also already set the latest MacBook rumor mill into full swing, with DailyTech reporting that "Apple insiders" say the company will refresh its laptop line alongside the platform's launch in June, not that you likely needed "insiders" to tell you that.

[Via MacRumors]

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Asus U2E gets unboxed

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/242394411/

Filed under: Laptops

Although we'd been told that the hot Asus U2E ultraportable was delayed so the company could launch several products at once, it looks like the crew at PC Perspective managed to get their hands on one and do the requisite unboxing. No word on how the lil' scamp runs with that ULV Core Duo, but it looks just as slick as ever, and we're digging that satchel case it comes with -- check it all out at the read link.

[Thanks, Ryan]

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Mini projectors spark worries about "visual pollution"

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/242438139/

Filed under: Displays

Texas Instruments and others have been touting mini (or pico) projectors without hesitation as of late, but it seems that not everyone is quite so excited about them, with some folks now even warning about a number of potential dangers. One of those naysayers is Future Laboratory founder Martin Raymond, who told the BBC that while the projectors (likely to be used primarily in cellphones) are "appealing initially," he has concerns about the devices causing "visual pollution," adding that there could be "inappropriate showing of things that maybe other people shouldn't be seeing." Needless to say, he also foresees new laws and legislation controlling the use of the technology. No matter how things shake out, however, the one thing that seems clear is that the humble laser pointer will soon be about as antiquated as the spitball when it comes to juvenile means of public embarrassment.

[Via About Projectors]

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Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FS20 point-and-shoot gets reviewed

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/242507388/

Filed under: Digital Cameras

It hasn't even been a full month since Panasonic's PMA lineup was revealed, but the folks over at PhotographyBLOG have already had a chance to put the succulent Lumix DMC-FS20 through a series of paces. Upon whipping this shooter out, it was immediately praised for having a 4x wide-angle zoom and and a very pocket-friendly design, and thankfully for those looking into picking one up, the good news didn't stop there. Small niggles such as the lack of a true optical viewfinder and noticeable noise at high ISOs were overshadowed with buckets of compliments. Put simply, the cam was seen as "almost identical to the FX55" (albeit at a lower price point), and overall, it managed to snag 4.5 out of 5 twinkling stars from the powers that be.

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Grow pharmaceutical drugs by injecting proteins into plants

Source: http://www.news.com/2300-11392_3-6232201-2.html?tag=ne.gall.pg

Sonora Transplant set up a hothouse to discuss its plans to grow pharmaceutical drugs by injecting proteins into plants. The company said that the technology could be used to create nearly any drug that uses animal proteins, including treatments for diabetes and perhaps hormone therapies, but without using animals. It plans to start by developing a treatment for kennel cough in dogs. Although tomatoes were on display--Sonora Transplant grows them through grafted transplants rather than from seed--it would likely use herbs to harvest drugs.

Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET

Sonora Transplant

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.

View Poll

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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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