Thursday, November 13, 2008

RED's Digital Still and Motion Camera System now official

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/13/reds-digital-still-and-motion-camera-system-now-official/


After a morning of drip-fed images, RED just went official with its DSMC (Digital Stills and Motion Camera) System. The system starts with your choice of the professional Scarlet or "master professional" EPIC brains which can then be bunged into about 2,251,799,813,685,248 possible camera configurations, RED only half-jokingly chides. The brains are built upon Mysterium-X and Mysterium Monstro sensors which start at 2/3-inch and end at a whopping 6x17-cm -- when a new sensor comes out you just upgrade the brain. Scarlet will launch in 4 choices ranging from $2,500 (and possibly less) to $12,000 with a variety of lens mounts (yes, Canon and Nikon) capable of shooting 3K @120fps on up to 6K @30fps. Epic will offer similar mounts with capabilities spanning 5K @100fps ($28k) to 9K @50fps ($45k) -- a 28K system hitting 25fps is expected in 2010 for $55k. Still image resolutions will range from 4.9 megapixels to a freakish 261 megapixels. The first Scarlet systems could come as early as Spring of 2009 while EPIC should arrive by summer. Of course, the brain is just the beginning of the costs. RED also introduced a 3D camera today in true, "one more thing" fashion. See all the details in the gallery below, 3D camera after the break.

Continue reading RED's Digital Still and Motion Camera System now official

RED's Digital Still and Motion Camera System now official originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Atom 330 is benchmarked, fares slightly worse than expected

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/13/atom-330-is-benchmarked-fares-slightly-worse-than-expected/

Filed under: ,


PC Pro's given Intel's dual-core, 1.6GHz Atom 330 (coupled with a 7200 RPM SATA hard drive and 1GB of DDR2 RAM) the benchmark run-through, and they've got some conflicting details to pass on to you. Overall, the testers found the Atom to be, as expected, faster than the N270, but only by 16 percent. In specific tests, the 330 ran Office 2003 slower than both a 2GHz VIA C7-D and the single-core Atom; PC Pro actually performed the test several times just to be sure it wasn't a glitch... and it wasn't. The 330 performed better running 2D graphics, outpacing the N270 by 41 percent, and it also outperformed its competitors in encoding and multitasking. Not enough details for you? Hit the read link for the full-on benchmarking experience.

Atom 330 is benchmarked, fares slightly worse than expected originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Google Switch: the story behind one of the greatest fakes of all time

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/13/the-google-switch-the-story-of-one-of-the-greatest-fakes-of-all/

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It's not the quality of the Photoshop that made the Google Switch one of the great product fakes of all time. In fact, it was questionable enough that we asked the tipster for more detail and a second picture before publishing, and only then did we do so with skepticism. Still, once it was out, it gained so much traction in the Google-crazed Kingdom of Nerd that its image quickly became synonymous with the Googlephone -- the sweaty-palmed rumor circulating back in late 2006. When it became clear that the HTC Dream was to become the Googlephone, many editors and readers alike were left wondering about the Google Switch. After all, the rumor had never been properly debunked. Turns out that the Switch was the idea of three ordinary Dutch students -- Egbert Veenstra, Sytse-Jan Kooistra and Sam Baas -- who had already rendered the finger-touch phone-concept in late 2006. Miffed upon seeing the iPhone unveiled with many of the ideas they felt were theirs, the trio decided to generate some buzz for their idea and hooked it to the rumor du jour: the googlephone. That's when they contacted us. In retrospect, it's amazing how much they got right... or perhaps, how well Google and HTC listened. Hit the read link for their full story.

[Via the Next web]

The Google Switch: the story behind one of the greatest fakes of all time originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of ! feeds.

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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

YouTube lets advertisers buy search terms (CNET)

Source: http://tech.yahoo.com/news/cnet/20081112/tc_cnet/8301102331009519893

  • Posted on Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:27PM EST

SAN BRUNO, Calif.--YouTube on Wednesday said it's rolling out a new ad platform called Sponsored Videos.

According to YouTube, which held a press conference at its headquarters, Sponsored Videos lets users promote their videos by bidding on keywords. Here's how it works: First, YouTube users, whether individuals or corporations, decide which of the videos they've uploaded they want to promote through site search. Then they decide which keywords they want to target.

Google, YouTube's parent company, has created automated tools that help users place bids for the keywords in an automated online auction, as well as set spending budgets. When people use keywords in search terms for videos, YouTube will display relevant videos alongside the search results. If you're, say, a Hollywood film studio, maybe you bid on the words: "movie trailer."

read more... 

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+vdimm +i7 DDR3 memory

Lab Notes - Core i7 920 OC with Patriot Memory DDR3
By hardwarehome
Our settings consisted of 1.3975V VCore, 1.64V VDimm, and the secret sauce setting of QPI voltage at 1.3750V. Our FSX settings were run at Ultra High with AA/AF/DX10 enabled in order to stress the CPU and GPU during the benchmark ...
Hardwarehomes Blog - http://hardwarehome.wordpress.com/

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Anti-Packaging: Amazon Goes Frustration-Free

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheDieline/~3/445679635/anti-packaging.html

Amazon_fisherprice

Internet retail juggernaut Amazon.com has taken on a mature and environmentally-responsible initiative they are calling Frustration-Free Packaging. This comes as a welcome response to the ongoing criticism about Amazon's wasteful packaging habits.

As much as we packaging designers love pretty colours, we also like simplicity and clever ideas. This definitely falls into that category.

According to Amazon's FAQ page:

The Frustration-Free Package (above left) is recyclable and comes without excess packaging materials such as hard plastic clamshell casings, plastic bindings, and wire ties. It's designed to be opened without the use of a box cutter or knife and will protect your product just as well as traditional packaging (on the right). Products with Frustration-Free Packaging can frequently be shipped in their own boxes, without an additional shipping box.

Today, there is a bit more logic in the world. So next time you order something from Amazon, poke around for an extra tick box or two.

spotted on Swiss Miss, among other places

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Kettle Vegetable Chips

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheDieline/~3/448605991/kettle-vegetabl.html

Kettle_blue_marlin

Multinational branding consultancy Blue Marlin has created a new look and feel for Kettle Chips' vegetable range:

"Blue Marlin was appointed to the job in May having refined the design for Kettle's core range earlier this year.

A new variety, select vegetables, has been added to the vegetable chips range, which is now instructed by a primary colour palette.

Martin Grimer, executive creative director at Blue Marlin, says, 'We aimed to create a simple, yet modern straight-talking illustrative design for each pack, communicating the ingredients and reflecting Kettle's "all-natural" promise and quality cues.

'The primary colour palette we chose for the range echoes the natural tones associated with vegetables while the secondary colour palette focuses on conveying specific products.'

Kettle Chips brand manager Sam Garnham says, 'Blue Marlin has yet again done an excellent job. Working within the new pack architecture, this new design helps to draw attention to our premium ingredients, and highlights our quality and taste appeal.'

Via Design Week

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Transmute Transfers and Backs Up Bookmarks Between Browsers [Featured Windows Download]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/99JDktwCL8s/transmute-transfers-and-backs-up-bookmarks-between-browsers


Windows only: Some browsers stash all your bookmarks and their metadata in a single folder that's easy to import to any other browser. For everything else, Transmute makes the work of shuttling bookmarks between Windows browsers much simpler. The simple but powerful application, also available as a no-install portable folder, supports nearly every major browser for Windows—Chrome, Chromium, Opera, Safari, and, of course, Internet Explorer and Firefox. You can set Transmute to export bookmarks to a particular folder, with or without timestamp dates, and have it create its own backup files in case things get messy. That's about it, but that's certainly no small feat. Transmute is a free download for Windows systems only, requires .NET 2.0 framework to operate.


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EchoPic is a Dead Simple Picture Sharing Site [Photo Sharing]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/gmJdXilvV34/echopic-is-a-dead-simple-picture-sharing-site

Webapp EchoPic is a no-frills online photo storage service, which has no albums or advanced features, but offers a fast way to get pictures on the web painlessly. Registration isn't necessary to use the basic features; unregistered users have unlimited storage and a file size limitation of 1MB. Registered users have the same generous storage plus an increase in file size limit to 4 MB. One minor caveat: there is no resizing feature, so make sure to resize or crop your photos before uploading them. If my test picture piqued your interest check out how to make your own stealthy keyboard.


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Magic Number Machine Graphs Calculations [Featured Mac Download]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/hBq8i39SwGo/magic-number-machine-graphs-calculations

Mac OS X only: Mac users envious of Windows 7's new souped-up built-in calculator can take solace in Magic Number Machine, a free, advanced graphic calculator for OS X. Features include 25 digits of precision, hexadecimal, binary, decimal and octal display including fractional, scientific notation and negative numbers in each, complex numbers, array functions, and a whole menu of scientific constants. It's been a long time since I've needed a calculator this advanced and complex, so mathletes and scientists, let us know how it is. The Magic Number Machine is a free download for Mac only. Thanks, enderwiggin7!


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BeatMyPrice Finds Deals, Integrates RetailMeNot [Price Comparison]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/B-4-HnS-PlE/beatmyprice-finds-deals-integrates-retailmenot

Just-launched price comparison engine BeatMyPrice comes from the folks who brought you BugMeNot and RetailMeNot, and puts those two services' "people-powered" ethics to good use. Here's how it works: you see an item you want to buy online at a certain price, but want to know if there are better deals out there. You enter the item name, URL, and price into BeatMyPrice.com, and hit the "Beat that!" button. BeatMyPrice lists results from various sources (including other users' searches), and includes better, the same, and higher-priced items than your entry—and it integrates coupon codes and promotions (like free shipping) from its sister site, RetailMeNot.

You can narrow down the results to only the sellers and target price you want to see. Check out a video clip from the founder which shows you BeatMyPrice in action.

As I'm on the hunt for a widescreen monitor, I plugged in a couple of listings from NewEgg into BeatMyPrice, and it did find me a cheaper (albeit smaller screen) price, but the result listing was a lot sparser than the one shown in the video. As more people use BeatMyPrice, the more results it will have to offer. Right now it desperately needs a BugMeNot-style bookmarklet for use while you shop for holiday gifts online.


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How MozBackup Insures Your Mozilla Profiles [Backup Utilities]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/G5bE-gCRDV0/how-mozbackup-insures-your-mozilla-profiles

What with experimental extensions, themes, about:config tweaks, and user scripts and styles, we're always encouraging you to do strange and unholy things to your Firefox installation—things that you should only do after you back up your current profile for easy restoration. We've already mentioned MozBackup a few times in passing, our favorite program for backing up your Firefox profile. But our Firefox tweak-crazy intern Asian Angel offers a detailed tutorial on using MozBackup—what bits of your browsing data it backs up (and doesn't), what Mozilla programs it works with beyond vanilla Firefox, and how it works. Hit the link to get the full rundown.


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Google Launches Voice and Video Chat Inside Gmail [Video Chat]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/b7ExS8gmlL8/google-launches-voice-and-video-chat-inside-gmail

Today Google starts rolling out voice and video chat inside Gmail—which requires a free browser plug-in download, and, obviously, a webcam or microphone. Googler Justin Uberti explains:

Once you install the plug-in, to start a video chat, just click on the "Video & more" menu at the bottom of your Gmail chat window, and choose "Start video chat." You'll have a few seconds to make sure you look presentable while it's ringing, and then you'll see and hear your friend live, right from within Gmail. You can click the "pop-out" icon to make the video larger, or click the fullscreen icon in the upper left-hand corner for a fully immersive experience.

Check out the new video chat in action in the video below.

Video isn't yet enabled in my account, but the Googlers say rollout is happening gradually over the next two days, to vanilla Gmail as well as Google Apps accounts, for Mac and Windows. What's your favorite webcam model and video chat service? How does Gmail's video chat stack up? Let us know in the comments.


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Gobby Makes Cross-Platform Collaboration a Breeze [Featured Download]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/yA5a39CzOCA/gobby-makes-cross+platform-collaboration-a-breeze

Windows/Mac/Linux: Gobby is a free, cross-platform collaboration tool that makes it easy to collaborate on text documents over the internet with anyone. Every time you start a session with Gobby, you choose a highlight color that Gobby uses to indicate which sections of the text are being edited by which users. Gobby works like a charm for any text document, but with support for syntax highlighting, it really shines for collaboratively editing source code. It's not quite as simple to get started with as something like Google Docs—for example, you'll need to be able to send other collaborators your IP address—but it's an incredible tool in its own right. In fact, it's the collaboration tool that Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth told us he uses.


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Ordering Pizza Hut From Your Facebook Page? It's on the Way

Source: http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=132322

Fast-Food Chains Experiment With Takeout/Delivery Services Via Social Networks and IPhone Applications

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- A number of fast-food chains are reaching across the digital divide to get young consumers to order via Facebook or their iPhones. And they're building valuable databases of their customers in the process.
Pizza Hut is launching a free-download promotion with eMusic.com.
Pizza Hut is launching a free-download promotion with eMusic.com.


Pizza Hut, which recently crossed the $1 billion benchmark in online sales, is launching a Facebook application that allows fans to place orders without leaving their profiles. Although online ordering isn't new -- the chain has offered it in some form since 2001 -- Bob Kraut, VP-marketing communications at Pizza Hut, said the bulk of that $1 billion in sales has come in the past 18 months. The chain is also launching text-ordering capabilities and e-gift cards, which can be purchased, exchanged and redeemed online. 

Pizza Hut's not alone: A number of the nation's biggest fast-food chains are beginning to embrace text and iPhone ordering capabilities, at least as tests.

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