Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Friday, January 16, 2009

Secrets of the Vaio P [Designmodo]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/RuepTvBMFGk/secrets-of-the-vaio-p

Engadget Chinese took the time to interview the Vaio P's designer, Takuma Tomoaki, who sheds light on secrets of the super-widescreen LCD and never before seen accessories.

Tomoaki said the entire design of the Vaio P was based around the keyboard, which is roughly 90% the size of the VAIO TT keyboard. Tomoaki called this the smallest usable keyboard possible, and the rest of the shape was based around this, including the Vaio P's 120mm depth.

This is what birthed the 1600x768 screen, which apparently packs such a high resolution because it's intended for native 720p playback. ORLY?!. Last time I checked, the Vaio P could barely playback standard video, let alone HD. A larger screen was actually planned too, but those pesky wi-fi, 3G and Bluetooth antennas got in the way.

The top panel of the Vaio P is an aluminum alloy, the middle is plastic and the bottom panel is carbon fiber.

Tomoaki says there are plans to integrate functionality the Vaio P with that of the Playstation and Walkman line of products. He didn't say much beyond that, but I'd guess it'd have to do with media related features.

There are plenty of other details in the interview apparently (translate at your own risk), such as aborted plans to manufacture a line of accessories which, I kid you not, included a leather Vaio P fanny pack, and a white furry wallet. Yikes. [Engadget Chinese via Engadget]

Java-based Bolt Joining the Mobile Browser Wars, Doesn't Look Horrible [Mobile Browsers]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/eD2DvaS3gTU/java+based-bolt-joining-the-mobile-browser-wars-doesnt-look-horrible

Bitstream is working on a mobile browser called Bolt, based on WebKit and compatible with pretty much any J2ME-compatible handset (read: almost everything). CrackBerry ran it through its paces, and it looks promising.

The version you see above is for BlackBerry, though functionality should be almost identical between platforms. Like Skyfire of Opera Mini, Bolt performs a good deal of page optimization server-side, meaning that it's fast. In fact, compared to the Bold's stock browser, it's really fast. Rendering accuracy looks about as good as any other WebKit-based mobile browser (Safari, Chrome, S60 default browser) but appears significantly snappier than its competition.

Bolt is in a private beta for now, but you can request an invite here.

J2ME is nearly ubiquitous, barring the obvious iPhone/G1 exceptions. That means Bolt will run fine on your BlackBerry, S60 and Windows Mobile phones, among many others. [CrackBerry]

Laser Hard Drive boasts 1Tbits/s access time, doesn't exist yet

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/15/laser-hard-drives-boast-1tbits-s-access-time-doesnt-exist-yet/

Whenever we uncover promising new research into lasers, we can generally be sure that it will sound really awesome, and that it will be a long time before it trickles down to the consumer electronics scene (if ever). That said, research into light powered computing has shown considerable promise -- with some folks estimating that commercial laser-drive hybrids (with picosecond pulse lasers doing the work that magnetic read/write heads once did -- something considered impossible until very recently) will be available in five years time. Although the first drives will only achieve a humble 1 TBits/s, in the future we might see femtosecond-based laser drives reaching speeds beyond 100TBits/s. And you know what they say... that's a lot of terabits.

Filed under: Storage

Laser Hard Drive boasts 1Tbits/s access time, doesn't exist yet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dream G2 doesn't get the irony of ripping off an open-source OS

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/15/dream-g2-doesnt-get-the-irony-of-ripping-off-an-open-source-os/

So we guess we gave Sciphone too much credit when we thought its G2 was running real, actual, genuine Android. "Why would anyone ape the user interface," we thought, "when the codebase is available to whomever wants it?" Silly us! Turns out the G2's guts have absolutely nothing to do with Android other than the fact that the UI does a commendable job of looking like the real thing, though the presence of a stylus gives credibility to its KIRF roots. The hardware (which even gets a "Google" logo on the back) actually doesn't look that bad -- and it's loaded with some apps that you won't find on a G1 -- but we'll hedge our bets and wait for a new HTC, thank you very much.

[Via Android Central]

Continue reading Dream G2 doesn't get the irony of ripping off an open-source OS

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Dream G2 doesn't get the irony of ripping off an open-source OS originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What Apple could learn from Palm's webOS

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/15/what-apple-could-learn-from-palms-webos/

In case you missed the keynote, Palm took some special moments to let everyone know that they're not trying to compete with Apple -- which is of course exactly what they're doing with the Pre and webOS. Sure, there's plenty of room in the market for multiple operating systems and manufacturers, as both companies have pointed out, but we can't help but think that Palm took a long hard look at where Apple was at with its ultra-successful mobile OS and what they could improve upon, and we would like to assume that Apple is looking very carefully at webOS right now (and hopefully the Pre's physical keyboard, but we're dreamers) and comparing it with its current iPhone OS. So, if you'll indulge us, let's look at a few of the iPhone's existing shortcomings that Apple might try and shore up -- or perhaps already has fixes in the works for -- now that there's some very serious competition on the scene. Plus, with Steve on the sidelines, we can imagine there's some extra pressure on the company to prove that innovation at Apple is not just about one man.

These are by no means the only two phones that matter right now, but there are enough parallels and common ancestry (a certain John Rubinstein) to make this a natural first round of comparison. All the magic happens after the break.

Continue reading What Apple could learn from Palm's webOS

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

What Apple could learn from Palm's webOS originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OCZ introduces Apex series of 2.5-inch SATA II SSDs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/15/ocz-introduces-apex-series-of-2-5-inch-sata-ii-ssds/

Another month, another new line of SSDs. This go 'round, we're having a glance at OCZ Technology's Apex Series, a midrange line of solid state drives of the 2.5-inch SATA II variety. The drives will be made available in 60GB, 120GB and 250GB flavors, and all three will offer 230MB/sec read and 160MB/sec write speeds. As with most every other SSD, these were also designed with low power consumption and reliability in mind, and the lightweight alloy housing keeps things secure during those unsettling installation procedures. There's no mention of price, but the trifecta should be available to upgraders everywhere soon.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Storage

OCZ introduces Apex series of 2.5-inch SATA II SSDs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eizo debuts pair of new color-accurate FlexScan LCDs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/15/eizo-debuts-pair-of-new-color-accurate-flexscan-lcds/

Apart from the occasional foray into unconventional remote controls, Eizo is best known for its often-specialized monitors, and the company has returned to its stomping grounds with its latest announcement: a pair of new FlexScan LCDs that promise to cover 95% of the Adobe RGB color space (and 92% of the NTSC color gamut). Those include the FlexScan S2242W-H and FlexScan S2232W-E, both of which are 22-inchers, with the former boasting a full 1920x1200 resolution and the latter dialing things back slightly to 1680x1050. Otherwise, the two seem to be mostly identical, with each sporting a 1,200:1 contrast ratio, a 12ms black-to-white response time, VGA and HDCP-capable DVI ports (but no HDMI), a pair of USB ports, and pair of built-in 0.5W speakers. No indication of a release over here, as usual, but folks in Japan will be able to pick 'em up next month for ¥69,800 yen and ¥62,800 (or roughly $780 and $700).

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Displays

Eizo debuts pair of new color-accurate FlexScan LCDs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 / 295 review roundup

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/15/nvidia-geforce-gtx-285-295-review-roundup/

NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 295 is only a week old at retail, but that hasn't stopped the company from turning around and releasing yet another card -- the GTX 285 -- today. The reviews for both are in and from what we've read, the GTX 295 seems to match or outshine its AMD Radeon HD 4870 X2 counterpart in most performance tests. As for the GTX 285, the general consensus is that it's the fastest single-GPU graphics card on the market right now. It's only slightly better-performing than the GTX 280, however, so if you've already got that, it's probably not worth the upgrade. We're not gonna pretend to understand every benchmark result, but we'll gladly point you in the right direction.

GTX 285
Read - TweakTown
Read - PC Perspective
Read - HotHardware

GTX 295
Read - TweakTown
Read - PC Perspective
Read - HotHardware

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 / 295 review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on! Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic kicks 29mm wide-angle LUMIX DMC-FS15 and DMC-FS7 out the door

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/16/panasonic-kicks-29mm-wide-angle-lumix-dmc-fs15-and-dmc-fs7-out-t/

Panasonic is beefing up its Lumix FS-series today with the introduction of two new shooters. The 12.1 megapixel DMC-FS15 with 29mm wide-angle 5x zoom lens with Mega OIS (optical image stabilization), intelligent ISO and exposure, face detection, and AF tracking to lock onto moving subjects. A dedicated iA button on the top of the camera allows for quick access to the Intelligent Auto Mode (iA) without getting lost in the menu. The 10.1 megapixel DMC-FS7 dials the zoom back to 4x and loses the auto exposure and AF tracking. Both cameras feature the Venus Engine IV image processor, auto-adjusting LCD, and the ability to record WVGA (848 x 480) video at 30fps in a 16:9 aspect ratio. Expect both models to land in March -- the $200 FS15 in silver, black and blue or the $160 FS7 in the additional colors of pink and green.

Update: While Panny doesn't include them on its site, dpreview lists a new DMC-FS6 (like the FS7 only with 8.1 megapixel sensor) and budget-minded 8.1 megapixel DMC-LS85 with Mega OIS and AA battery power source.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Panasonic kicks 29mm wide-angle LUMIX DMC-FS15 and DMC-FS7 out the door originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell's Inspiron 15 ready for ordering, consumption

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/16/dells-inspiron-15-ready-for-ordering-consumption/

We heard that Dell's Inspiron 15 would go on sale later this month, and apparently that means now. Dell's latest 15.6-incher is up for order as we speak, and as expected, $699 gets you in the door. Those with extra cash to burn can upgrade to 4GB of RAM, a Blu-ray drive, 320GB of hard drive space and a 9-cell battery. So, you in or what?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Laptops

Dell's Inspiron 15 ready for ordering, consumption originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 04:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey Sony, where's the 1.6GHz VAIO P for America?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/16/hey-sony-wheres-the-1-6ghz-vaio-p-for-america/

Sure, we Americans are enamored by flashy designs, but that doesn't mean we don't appreciate performance. For whatever reason, consumers in the UK, Japan and the Principality of Sealand (among other locales) can order up Sony's oh-so-cute VAIO P with a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor, while we Americans can't get anything other than the stock 1.3GHz chip. So, what gives Sony? Supply chain problems? Too much haterade? None of the above?

[Thanks, James]

Filed under: Laptops

Hey Sony, where's the 1.6GHz VAIO P for America? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 04:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC looking to NVIDIA's Tegra platform for high-performance phones?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/16/htc-looking-to-nvidias-tegra-platform-for-high-performance-phon/

We've been waiting patiently since Tegra's announcement half a year ago for some seriously awesome Tegra-powered hardware (well, any hardware) to get unveiled, but so far, you could hear a pin drop -- we've gotten nothing. That should hopefully change in a big way in 2009, and at least one analyst is predicting that HTC will play a role in getting that mobile NVIDIA silicon into pockets around the world. There's no question that HTC's supposed leaked lineup contains devices that would fit well into Tegra's high-function, multimedia-heavy aspirations, but on the flipside, we've also got rumors that the company moving toward Ericsson chipsets. Tegra's definitely flashier than anything in Ericsson's stable, and HTC's big enough to pursue multiple chipset strategies at the same time -- they have with software platforms, after all -- so let's hope this high drama all resolves itself by MWC next month, eh?

[Via wmpoweruser.com]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

HTC looking to NVIDIA's Tegra platform for high-performance phones? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, January 15, 2009

The Cadillac WTF: All New For the Year 8000 [Concept]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/0YXXxKnrxYE/the-cadillac-wtf-all-new-for-the-year-8000

The appropriately titled Cadillac World Thorium Fuel or "WTF" has features you are not going to find anywhere else. It runs on clean Thorium nuclear fuel and offers maintenance-free service for 100 years or more.

Not only that, each wheel is actually six individually powered wheels aligned side by side. Now that's an absurd level of redundancy you can trust. Unfortunately, this car is only a concept by designer Loren Kulesus, but if you can hang around until the year 8000 or so, you just might be able to pick one up. In the meantime, these pretty pictures will have to do. [Coroflot]

Next Intel Atom's Biggest Upgrade is Its Price [Intel]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/wkPhHZni65U/next-intel-atoms-biggest-upgrade-is-its-price

Some details have emerged about Intel's Atom N280 processor, the successor to the wildly popular N270 that drove last year's netbook craze. In short, it's not looking like much of an update.

The N280 gets three performance boosts: the speed will inch up from 1.6GHz to 1.66GHz, the front side bus will climb from 533MHz to 667MHz, and the bundled graphics hardware, the Intel GN40, will likely fare better than the old 945GSE in terms of Blu-ray playback and light gaming.

Despite a H2 2009 expected release, which would make the Atom more than a year old, this by all counts incremental upgrade will cost end users $14-$19 dollars more than the current-gen processor, with the chipset. This doesn't sound like much until you consider that the Atom sells for a mere $46, and that some of the netbooks it's bundled with can dip below $300.

A likely reason for planning this refresh is added pressure from Nvidia's Ion graphics unit, which promises huge increases in graphics performance in Atom netbooks over Intel's lethargic offering. [Digitimes—Thanks, Adam]

Buffalo Draft N Wireless Dongle Makes Your Netbook Look Huge [Wi-Fi]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/I-jqqvM88KA/buffalo-draft-n-wireless-dongle-makes-your-netbook-look-huge

Buffalo Electronics is claiming that their WLI-UC-GN Wi-Fi dongle is the smallest Draft N 2.0 adapter in the world. Is it? Who knows. But it's definitely tiny, and surprisingly cheap.

At 33mm by 16mm, this dongle really couldn't be much smaller—the brains of the unit are almost the same size as the plug itself. Nor could it be much more affordable. Though it's only available in Japan for now, the price translates to about $25.

It doesn't appear to be crippled in any serious way either, claiming official B/G certification for assured backwards compatibility, base station operation for bridging connection between peripherals or other PCs, and the automated WPS security system, along with Buffalo's own AirStation One-Touch Secure System. The main selling point here, obviously, is size—the WLI would make a great company for a netbook that needs to make the Draft N jump. [Buffalo via Akihabara]

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