Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Super 3G hits 250Mbps downlink in NTT DoCoMo field test

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/258303946/

Just think -- this time next year, we'll all look back at this milestone and wonder how on Earth we thought it was impressive. For now, however, we wouldn't blame you for high-fiving everyone around, as NTT DoCoMo has stretched the boundaries again with a recent Super 3G field test. Reportedly, the outfit was able to record "a downlink transmission rate of 250Mbps over a high-speed wireless network in an outdoor test of an experimental Super 3G system," and while it's not quite the 300Mbps we'd heard about before, you won't find us kvetching. If all goes to plan, the firm is hoping to "complete development of the technologies required for the eventual launch of a Super 3G network" by 2009, but who knows how long we Americans will have to wait to indulge after that.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Silicon Out, Graphene In? [Gadgets]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/257345138/silicon-out-graphene-in

Physicists at the University of Maryland have demonstrated that graphene, a single-atom-thick sheet of graphite, has a greater ability to conduct electricity than any other known material at room temperature. In fact, electrons can travel up to 100 times faster in graphine than silicon, making it a likely candidate to replace it as a semiconductor material in devices like computer chips and sensors.

Graphene also has a resistivity (opposition to the flow of electric current) of 1.0 microOhm-cm—which is 35% less than copper. That figure would also make graphene the lowest resistivity material at room temperature. However, impurities in graphine make it less effective than copper at transferring electrons (at least for the moment). Still, with some refinement, the future looks promising for graphene as our next "miracle material." [University of Maryland via Slashdot]

Lightning Review: Olympus E-420, the World's Smallest, Lightest, Cheapest DSLR [Digital Cameras]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/257357921/lightning-review-olympus-e+420-the-worlds-smallest-lightest-cheapest-dslr

The Gadget: Olympus E-420, billed as the world's smallest and lightest DSLR

The Price: $500 for the body, $600 if you want the 14mm to 42mm starter lens too

The Verdict:

There's a lot packed into this little package. People who don't know much about photography but are dying to learn will love certain features, such as the "Perfect Shot" preview, which shows you four white balance alternatives at the same time, so you can pick the most realistic option; it does the same live previewing for exposure settings too. Olympus added face detection to the camera this time around, a popular point-and-shoot option making its way into the DSLRs. People who are afraid of too much data might shirk at all the live shooting options, but the alternative on some DSLRs, including the otherwise awesome new Nikon D60, is no live preview at all. The E-420 has a hell of a lot of tech packed into its relatively small package.

Live Preview options:I say "relatively small" because saying "world's smallest DSLR" is like saying "world's lightest heavyweight." Truth is, this camera runs the risk of being confused as a point-and-shoot, in both good and bad ways. Fortunately, many pictures turn out great. High ISO shots, up to 1600, look fantastic, without any noticeable noise. In the stillest settings, I could take the same shots with a Nikon D60 that I could with the E-420:But in the end, the E-420 is not going to cut the mustard when facing off against the other DSLRs, although they do tend to list for $200 more. Its biggest weaknesses are focus speed and low-light shooting. In the standard Sensor AF mode, the lens has to back up and focus in every time; the Nikon D60, faster to begin with, doesn't work as hard refocusing on the same object a second time. In decent medium indoor light, the automatic shutter settings are just too slow. On top of that, there's no optical image stabilizer or vibration reduction, so you end up with a lot of frustrating shots like this one:Or this one:Then again, I was able to take some pretty nice pictures too, like this one:In the end, the E-420 may be the smallest, the lightest, the cheapest and even the highest-tech, but it's not the fastest, and in this competition, speed matters one hell of a lot. [Olympus America]

Kahva Coffee Maker Design Is Classy, Glassy [Coffee Pot]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/257641941/kahva-coffee-maker-design-is-classy-glassy

Lina Fischer's coffee maker design is scrumptious and works rather like an espresso maker would, but is better looking (although less iconic than those little moka pots caffeine heads go bubbly over). It comes with its own induction-powered table station, but what really sets the Kahva apart from other coffee makers is what happens to the Joe when it's brewed.

As the water heats, the rising air pressure makes it flow upwards from the glass water chamber into the metal brewing unit. Once the coffee is ready, take it off the heat and the coffee will return through a filter into the Kahva's glass bottom via a vacuum that has been created by the cooling of the coffee maker. To pour, simply turn the grip and let the coffee flow. [Yanko]

Samsung's Anycall Haptic Phone: 22 Ways to Say "I Feel You" [Cellphones]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/257671996/samsungs-anycall-haptic-phone-22-ways-to-say-i-feel-you

Samsung's latest introduction, the SCH-W420/W4200 in the video below, is a slender, iPhone-like handset with a 3.2" touchscreen, a lively user interface, and the kind of force feedback that the LG Prada phone could only dream of.

With just three actual buttons at the bottom, it relies mainly on a touch interface that you can customize (if you know Korean), with drag-and-drop desktop building. In the force feedback dept., it uses a vocabulary of 22 different vibrations to simulate actual feels and actions. When you see a volume knob for the radio and reach to turn it, you hear and feel the clicks of an old-timey dial.

The phone, which includes a terrestrial broadcast TV receiver, is going to sell for $700 to $800 and is Korea only—but for how long? Bring it, Sammy! We're waiting. [AP; NewLaunches]

LG's 5.1 megapixel OZ: a Casio W53CA hides behind the curtain

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/257470819/

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras

Well lookie here, LG just announced a followup to its LH2300 Touch Web phone. This one's for the twisty-fold clamshell fans -- a design which makes it look positively Japanese superphone-like. In fact, we're pretty sure it's just the Casio W53CA with LG branding and new Hello UI for Korean consumption. Interesting given that Korea certainly isn't lacking in mega-spec'd phones. Anyway, given the Exilim underpinnings it's no surprise to find a 5.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, 28-mm lens, color correction, 9-point auto focus, and built-in anti-shake technology bunged into the backside. The LCD measures 2.8-inches (down from the LH2300's 3-inch LCD) yet still manages the same 800 x 480 pixel resolution for DMB television and landscape or portrait web browsing. Inside the little 18.9-mm thin handset you'll find 4GB NAND / 1GB SDRAM and microSD expansion for all your snaps and VGA / 30fps video. Coming to a 3G, CDMA network near you in April... just long as you live in South Korea or Japan.

Gallery: LG's 5.1 megapixel OZ

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Monday, March 24, 2008

Seagate warns it might sue SSD makers for patent infringement

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/257157834/

Filed under: Storage

It may already be dipping its own toes into the wild new world of solid state hard drives, but Seagate apparently isn't so keen on others ditching traditional hard drives, and it's now indicating that it might even sue 'em if SSD really starts to catch on. That word comes from none other than Seagate CEO Bill Watkins, who told Fortune recently that he's "convinced" that SSD makers like Samsung and Intel are violating some of Seagate's patents (as well as Western Digital's) that deal with the way a "storage device communicates with a computer." Somewhat curiously though, especially given Seagate's own plans, Watkins doesn't see SSD catching on in a big way anytime soon, saying that, "realistically, I just don't see the flash notebook sell." As Fortune points out, however, if prices keep dropping at the rate they have been, that "sell" could soon be a whole lot easier to make, which would also make that lawsuit quite a bit more likely.

[Via Slashdot]

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