Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Friday, July 25, 2008

Intel's dual-core Atom 330 processor to ship in Q4 2008

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/345052859/

Filed under: Laptops

Bad news, Atom fans. That dual-core nugget of netbook-powering goodness that you were so looking forward to seeing in Q3 won't begin shipping until Q4. According to some data picked up by Fudzilla, the Atom 330 will only be debuting in Q3 (September 21st, to be precise), but it isn't scheduled to get a shipping label until a few months later. Also of note, we're told that the chip will sell (at some place in the supply chain) for $43, but don't count on those savings being completely passed onto you.

[Thanks, sinai]

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Networks of carbon nanotubes find use in flexible displays

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/345322131/

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Carbon nanotubes may very well kill you (okay, so that's very much a stretch), but you'll have a hard time convincing the dutiful scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to stop their promising research. Put simply (or as simply as possible), said researchers have discovered that "networks of single-walled carbon nanotubes printed onto bendable plastic perform well as semiconductors in integrated circuits." So well, in fact, that the nanotube networks could one day "replace organic semiconductors in applications such as flexible displays." Granted, there is still much to do before these networks are ready for product integration, but you can bet these folks aren't hitting the brakes after coming this far.

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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Plastic Motor Powered Directly By Light, No Solar Middleman Necessary [Engines]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/344234452/plastic-motor-powered-directly-by-light-no-solar-middleman-necessary

Professor Tomiki Ikeda, along with his research team at the Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a plastic motor that runs on direct light. Unlike solar power, there is no need for storing energy before conversion. The motor can achieve this feat thanks to a plastic compound containing azobenzene which contracts when exposed to ultraviolet light and returns to its original shape when exposed to visible light. By making this material into a belt and wrapping it around two wheels of different sizes, movement can be generated when the larger wheel is exposed to ultraviolet light and the smaller one to visible light.

According to Ikeda, the material is not very efficient at converting light into energy, but he is confident that it will improve in time. He also noted that the material is about 4 times more elastic than human muscle, and it maintained its strength during a test despite contracting and expanding every 7 seconds for 30 hours. He hopes that one day the technology will come of age to the point that we will all be driving around in light-powered plastic automobiles. Maybe—if by "we" he means our grandchildren and great grandchildren. [Pink Tentacle via DVICE]

Dell E (aka Mini-Inspiron) Specs Uncovered, Actually Called Inspiron Mini? [Rumor]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/344234451/dell-e-aka-mini+inspiron-specs-uncovered-actually-called-inspiron-mini

Zumo thinks they got a peak at the specs for Dell's first cheap mini-laptop on a recent trip to Dell's Texas facilities. They say that it'll be called the Inspiron Mini, contrary to previous reports it'll it's the Dell E. What's supposedly inside sounds reasonable, and what you'd expect out of a suitable Eee killer, especially if it's really only $299.

Zumo says it's got a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM, Intel's 945 Express Graphics chipset, an 8GB SSD, Wi-Fi and a memory card reader, with a 1240x600 resolution screen (that looks a bit off—1024x600 seems more likely). Reportedly, mass production of a Linux model with extra Dell productivity apps starts next month (in time for back to school). It all seems reasonable enough (and a steal for $299 if true), though I wouldn't consider this dipped-in-blood solid, yet. [Zumo]

Aptera Electric Trikemobile Finds a Friend (and $2.75m) in Google [Electric Cars]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/344234440/aptera-electric-trikemobile-finds-a-friend-and-275m-in-google

Pre-orders for the awesome Aptera electric car opened up last year, but the company has been relatively quiet about their progress as of late. Google's philanthropic arm has just thrown a cool $2.75 million their way, and now they're being a little more forthright: the Aptera Typ-1 is due this year, same specs, at about $30,000. Both full electric and plug-in hybrid flavors will be available. Given electric car startups' propensity for disappointing failure, it's comforting to see this especially promising one get a vote of confidence from Papa Goog. [CNET]

Mobile Safari vs. Opera Mobile vs. Skyfire: Who's the Fastest? [Cellphones]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/344234438/mobile-safari-vs-opera-mobile-vs-skyfire-whos-the-fastest

Three of the best mobile browsers that act like grown up ones are Mobile Safari, Skyfire and Opera Mobile 9.5. Even though the latter two (both for Windows Mobile) are still betas, Laptop Mag decided to toss them all into a race anyway, seeing which could deliver piping hot content the fastest. They ran Opera and Skyfire on an AT&T HTC Tilt, so everyone was surfing on the same 3G network with beefy hardware. Spoiler: Skyfire delivered pages in one third of the time it took Safari or Opera. It's because Skyfire cheats.

Unmentioned in Laptop's piece is that the Skyfire browser actually shows you a page that has been pre-crunched by Skyfire's servers, so it's essentially showing you an image. And yeah, since the browser itself isn't doing any heavy lifting, it's going to fly. But stuff like text entry is annoying, since you have to input text, send that back to Skyfire, and then it comes back to you. Flash works the same way, but hey, at least it does flash. We're not really sure what's up with Opera Mobile 9.5 taking twice as long as Safari to render a page, but maybe that's 'cause it's ~~big boned~~ feature packed. [Laptop Mag]

Samsung's i8510 Boasts Almost Everything, Plus An 8 Megapixel Camera [Samsung]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/344234434/samsungs-i8510-boasts-almost-everything-plus-an-8-megapixel-camera

Samsung has a new slider on the market in Europe and we're hoping it finds its way over here. The i8510 is a S60-powered GSM phone with very fast 3G speeds and Wi-Fi, as well as GPS. What makes this high-end phone lust-worthy, though, is the 8 Megapixel multifunction camera with Xenon flash that can record video at up to 120 frames per second. It also has image stabilization and face recognition as well as other features. Couple that with Bluetooth 2 and 16GB of internal flash storage and you've got a serious, slim phone for T-Mobile users. And it looks really nice, too. [Symbian Guru]

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Samsung 8 Series 850 and 860 Slim LCDs: 1.9 Inches Thick, with Ethernet and a "Touch of Color" [TVs]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/343755511/samsung-8-series-850-and-860-slim-lcds-19-inches-thick-with-ethernet-and-a-touch-of-color

Going for thin and pretty, Samsung launched its Series 8 LCDs—the 850 and 860 models—with new bodies that are just 1.9-inches thick at the middle, and thinner on the ends. The 120Hz sets also come with a "Touch of Color" thanks to injection molding—rose for the 850 and deep blue for the 860. A USB 2.0 jack lets you decode images and videos (including XviD and MPEG4) stored on hard drives or cameras. Connect the TV to your LAN via Ethernet or optional $35 wireless adapter, and you get access to DLNA content plus Samsung's new InfoLink RSS service, with news, stocks and weather info from USA Today, in "adjustable overlays". No word on when Giz would appear. Also, we're still waiting for the next gen LED backlit LCDs. Jump for more pics, plus specifications and pricing, which range from $2,700 to $3,500.

860 from the side:850 from the side:

[Press Release]

Magic Tricycle: Chopper Meets Big Wheel [Motorcycles]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/343755507/magic-tricycle-chopper-meets-big-wheel

The Magic Tricycle (horrible name) concept is designed around a reasonable idea. On the highway, you may want to drive a car. So the Magic Tricycle (horrible name) road rages through traffic with three wheels. But when you just want to cruise around town, it transforms into motorcycle mode:

The designers claim that the top wheel adds stability to the 2-wheel mode, but we're not absolutely certain that we'd want more weight so high on the bike (then again, we're not engineers for a reason). And either way, it's a pretty neat idea—one the will lead many of us to promise, "No honey, we won't drive the car in motorcycle mode, we just always really wanted a three-wheeler..."

But before we'd even consider a purchase, they'd have to tweak the name "Magic Tricycle" (horrible). It's like Peter, Paul & Mary sodomized Harley Davidson. [Car Design News via DVICE]

Researchers Squeeze 60% More Light Out of OLEDs With Tiny Lenses [Oled]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/343996491/researchers-squeeze-60-more-light-out-of-oleds-with-tiny-lenses

Optics junkies at the University of Michigan have found a way to greatly boost the efficiency of OLEDs to produce 60% more light from the same amount of power as those previous, cranking out 70 lumens per watt. Their method uses a layer of five-micrometer-wide lenses mounted on top of a reflective grid, which coaxes the light out from the organic substrate and into the world. OLEDs to date have been held back by efficiency problems—they still can't match CFL bulbs' 90 lumens per watt, but they're getting there. This could mean lighting that adds even less power consumption to OLED's many benefits over compact fluorescents (longer life, better light, theoretical 100% efficiency, etc), and more energy-sipping OLED TV panels down the road. [Technology Review via DVICE]

Amazing Wii-Like 3-D Controller Interface Built With Foil, Wiring, Resistors and Arduino [DIY]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/343996481/amazing-wii+like-3+d-controller-interface-built-with-foil-wiring-resistors-and-arduino

What you're looking at here is an actual Wii-like 3-D controller interface that can track objects like your hand in real time. It may look a little shoddy, but what's amazing is that this very functional 3-D interface was built by a hobbyist with parts most DIYers can find in their couch cushions—six resistors, aluminum foil, wire, a cardboard box, and an Arduino microprocessor to crunch the numbers. That's it. It couldn't be more simple. But how'd he pull it off?

The rig uses simple RC circuits to sense the distance of an object in relation to a set of capacitive plates (here, the aluminum foil with current running through it). The circuits feed their data to the Arduino, which processes them with builder kylemcdonald's custom Processing code (an open-source graphical programming language), and spits out raw 3-D coordinates that update 10 times per second for each sensor. Just a hint of the amazing things accomplished tinkerers can pull off with hackable microprocessors like the Arduino. [Instructables via Hack-a-Day]