Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Apple MacBook aluminum and glass super-shiny hands-on

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/420798570/

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We just got our grubby, oily hands all over this pristine, all glass and aluminum MacBook. We sullied it on your behalf, but our initial impressions mostly positive: it's small, incredibly, ridiculously solid feeling, and we actually don't hate the all-clicking trackpad much at all. (If your thumb muscle memory makes you click at the bottom where the button used to be, it works and feels pretty much the same.) Of course, the glare of the glass screen is a MAJOR issue for us, and will be pretty much forever. There's just no way we'll be able to love it, so our eyes will be peeled for after-market add-ons to cut that down a bit. But in terms of the rest, it's pretty clear this is the best MacBook -- and best mainstream consumer laptop -- Apple's made to date.

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Posted by Augustine at 9:51 PM

Apple 24-inch Cinema Display hands-on

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/420798569/

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Sure it may not look like much, but we're confident there's more than a few cats and kittens out there who want to get their hands on Apple's new 24-inch superstar. As usual, the screen looks painfully crisp. Check the gallery below for a number of views!
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Posted by Augustine at 9:50 PM

KDDI shows off cellphone-linked e-paper display

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/420826802/

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KDDI (smartly) doesn't seem to be ready to go all Foleo / Redfly-like, but it apparently does see some benefit in a cellphone companion of sorts, and it's now showing off a considerably different spin on the idea that relies simply on a stripped-down e-paper display. Even more unconventionally, the setup makes use of good old IrDA to transfer images from the phone to the display (a 13.1-incher built by Bridgestone) which, when combined with the inherent slowness of the display itself, adds up to a page refresh time of 12 seconds. It is still in prototype form though, so there's at least a chance that a few of those seconds will get shaved off by the time it's released, and an equally decent chance that it never actually sees the light of day.
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Posted by Augustine at 9:50 PM

Canon EOS 50D review roundup

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/420846564/

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If you skipped over the EOS 40D in anticipation for the next best thing, and you don't feel like liquidating your kid's college fund in order to procure the EOS 5D Mark II, the EOS 50D has likely been blinking fiercely on your radar. The intarwebz as a whole had a chance to sit down and scrutinize the decidedly mid-range DSLR, and overall, impressions were pretty positive. For starters, just about everyone felt that it was more than a worthy addition to Canon's line, citing "a significant number of refinements to a proven design," a fantastic VGA LCD monitor and expectedly great image quality. Critics also found an improved interface, improved white balance and an ISO setting that was perfectly acceptable up to 3,200 (and 6,400 in a pinch). For DSLR newcomers, the 50D is a pretty safe bet; the only question comes in when trying to decide whether to upgrade from the 40D. Our take? Save the loot and spend it on some decent glass.

Read - PhotographyBLOG
Read - TechRadar
Read - PhotoReview
Read - CNET
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Posted by Augustine at 9:50 PM

Sony Ericsson's 8-megapixel C905 makes sweet love to the FCC

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/420962029/

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So what do you think they take pictures of in an FCC lab when they've got an 8-megapixel cameraphone handy? Oh, come on -- you know the technicians lucky enough to fiddle with fresh gadget after delicious, fresh gadget as they burn through specific absorption rate paperwork engage in a little extracurricular activity from time to time. Our guess, honestly, is that they probably snap that scary apparatus that looks like a human head made out of gelatin and MMS it to their daughter with a message like "look what I found in the ditch, honey!" Of course, that prank only works once before little Julie figures out what daddy's up to, then all hell breaks loose as she tips off the gadget blogs that there's an unannounced Sony Ericsson on the way. Yeah, the C905. Thanks, Julie.
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Posted by Augustine at 9:38 PM

Lenovo launches ho hum $399 H210 desktop PC

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/420983138/

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As you very well know, Lenovo's entirely more associated with rock solid laptops than desktops of any stature, but that's not stopping the outfit from dishing out a new tower today for under four bills. The H210 sports a glossy black finish, Lenovo's VeriFace facial recognition technology (which bites, by the way) and a feature dubbed File Management to "save critical data on a special system partition in the event of system failure." As for specs, you'll find your choice of Intel's dual-core E2200 or the Core 2 Duo E7200, between 2GB and 4GB of RAM, 500GB / 640GB hard drive, a dual-layer DVD writer, Intel's GMA3100 graphics set and a bunch of software you'll probably find more annoying than useful. It's available now for those somehow enthused starting at $399.
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Posted by Augustine at 9:32 PM

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Researchers demo "unbreakable encryption" based on quantum cryptography

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/416203168/

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Call us devilish, but we just can't help but love these types of stories. Here we have yet another overly confident group of researchers grossly underestimating the collective power of the hacking underground, as gurus from all across Europe have joined together to announce "the first commercial communication network using unbreakable encryption based on quantum cryptography." Interestingly enough, quantum cryptography has already been cracked in a kinda-sorta way, but that's not stopping these folks from pushing this claim hard to government agencies, financial institutions and companies with distributed subsidiaries. We've no doubt this stuff is pretty secure, but the last time we heard someone utter a claim similar to this, we saw him uncomfortably chowing down on those very words merely months later.

[Via Physorg]
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Posted by Augustine at 5:40 AM

Mitsubishi's 65-inch LaserVue L65-A90 gets evaluated

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/416288714/

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We'll be frank -- Mitsubishi's 65-inch LaserVue L65-A90 was one of the most stunning things we saw at CEDIA 2008, so we're not surprised to hear that one of the very first production units impressed the lucky folks over at TheTechLounge. Said individuals were able to take a first-hand look at Mitsu's forthcoming beast, and while the situation was obviously optimal for viewing, they couldn't help but praise the TV. The demonstration included two LaserVue sets, one of which was displaying 3D 1080p content from an HTPC and another that was setup beside LCDs for comparison. When staring at the aforesaid comparison setup, critics noted that "color performance on the LaserVue was noticeably more impressive." There's lots more reaction and images where this came from, so delve on into the read if this here set is on your wish list.
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Posted by Augustine at 5:40 AM

ATM skimmers: now with SMS notification built right in

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/416563853/

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Aw, how convenient! Now, when you purchase your next ATM skimmer, you don't even have to risk being arrested when you wander out to retrieve it. For those outside of the know, an ATM skimmer sits on credit / debit card machines and swipes information as unsuspecting civilians pass their cards through. In the days of old, scammers would have to physically retrieve the skimmer in order to acquire all that precious information; now, models with built-in SMS notification are becoming available, meaning that numbers, expiration dates and that easy-to-forget three digit code on the back can be shot out instantly after the data is snatched. Word on the street has these devices going for $8,500 a pop, and they can dish out around 2,000 texts. Just another zany hack to be aware of in the wide world of ATM shenanigans.

[Via Hack-A-Day]
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Posted by Augustine at 5:39 AM

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