Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Friday, January 23, 2009

Japanese Media Vehicle is Virtual Reality in a Capsule [Vr]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/XVyzNxuWMlg/japanese-media-vehicle-is-virtual-reality-in-a-capsule

This "media vehicle," recently shown at an IT exhibition in Tokyo, looks like something out of Ghost in the Shell and is the coolest thing I've seen all day.

Riders enter the vehicle by popping open the top and entering what looks like a futuristic cockpit. A large spherical display covers the upper body while a bottom area allows your legs to move freely on a special track.

The machine, which is a prototype, can only handle a weight of up to 60kg (132 pounds). According to the reporter, being inside felt like living in a large video game. Uh, where can I sign up to try this thing out? [Robot Impress]

1,474 Megapixel Inauguration Panorama is a Treasure Trove of Candid Captures [Photography]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/VHC0Tn2l0Eo/1474-megapixel-inauguration-panorama-is-a-treasure-trove-of-candid-captures

We've all seen the iconic imagery of the day again and again: the nervous smile as the oath went haywire, the rapt crowds, Aretha's hat. But what about everything else? It's all in here.

Containing over 2GB of photo data and comprised of over 220 images shot from a Canon G10 Bridge camera on a Gigapan robotic camera mount, David Bergman's incredibly detailed panorama is filled with pieces of information that you previously weren't able or bothered to see. Some are just obviously cool—nearly being able to read the sheet music on performers stands, seeing the comically varied expressions in the VIP area behind the President as he speaks—but others are more subtly awesome.

Take Yo-Yo Ma snapping a picture on his iPhone, the unreal number of personal digital cameras or the endless, imposing banks of photography equipment surrounding the event from every conceivable angle. Sorry CNN, this is cooler than Photosynth. Tell us what you find in the comments. Full screen view here. [David Bergman via Cult of Mac]

New Storm OS 4.7.0.90 leaked, includes QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/22/new-storm-os-4-7-0-90-includes-keyboard-in-portrait-mode/

As you know, a new beta OS for the Storm has made its way into the wild. Although we haven't had a chance to give OS 4.7.0.90 the what-for ourselves, those of you who have certainly have a lot to say. The big news for both 9500 and 9530 users is that there is now a QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode -- no more flipping the phone around just for an ill-advised late night tweet! Besides that, users have noted an increase in overall stability (unless you're trying to listen to music -- more on that in a moment) and some visual enhancements (including the older-look application folder and fonts that are slightly larger). Additionally, when the device is locked, the screen doesn't light up every time you bump it -- good for battery life. And as one user noted, the charging issue "which plagued OS version 88" has been resolved. Unfortunately, there has also been plenty of chatter about buggy multimedia players -- at least on the Storm 9500. Users have complained about music and video playback crashing the phone, fast forward not working, and an overall video performance decrease. Brave Blackberry fans can hit the read link to browse the forums and maybe even download the new OS for themselves. More images after the break.

Continue reading New Storm OS 4.7.0.90 leaked, includes QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode

Filed under: Cellphones

New Storm OS 4.7.0.90 leaked, includes QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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15.2 megapixel Sony Alpha A800 DSLR rumored

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/22/15-2-megapixel-sony-alpha-a800-dslr-rumored/

At this point, it's remarkably tough to say how legitimate these claims are, and while we'd wholeheartedly recommend digesting these details with a dose of NaCl, we'd be shortchanging you to not pass 'em on. According to a curious post over at Photofan.jp, Sony is readying an Alpha A800 DSLR (mockup pictured) with a 15.2 megapixel sensor, an ISO range of 200 to 12,800, a new high-speed sync flash, 23 total AF sensors, a fresh metering / AF sensor tracking system and inbuilt WiFi. We're told that the camera will be officially unveiled at PMA 2009 alongside a trio of new lenses -- thankfully, March (and our answer) is less than two months out.

[Via Photography Bay]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

15.2 megapixel Sony Alpha A800 DSLR rumored originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Miu has big plans for the new HDPC, if only they had big money to make them come true

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/22/miu-has-big-plans-for-the-new-hdpc-if-only-they-had-big-money-t/

The economy is putting the hurt on everybody these days -- and while it's no less true for Miu, the company is working feverishly to release their everything-at-once handheld, despite some serious setbacks in the funding department. Ready to go into production at the drop of a hat (and a $500,000 check), there are currently two versions of the device in development -- the basic Atom-powered netbook / PMP / e-book reader will stay at the $500 price point, while the $900 version is a dual-boot Windows XP / CE device that includes a GPS and a mobile phone. As far as we can tell the thing is still a fist-full of ugly, but we hope these crazy kids make it, and we wish them the very best. We really do.

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Handhelds

Miu has big plans for the new HDPC, if only they had big money to make them come true originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Forget chocolates, Samsung offers pink NC10 for Valentine gifting

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/22/forget-chocolates-samsung-offers-pink-nc10-for-valentine-giftin/

If a pink MSI Wind isn't the way to your significant other's heart, Samsung has an alternative for you in the form of a rose-colored NC10. The similarly-spec'd 10.2-inch netbook sports a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, and Windows XP Home. Additionally, it's got a suspiciously-long 7-hour battery life and anti-germ keyboard. UK retailer dabs has it listed for £316 ($434) with VAT and a February 9 release date. Let's just hope she doesn't lament the color choice come March.

[Via Portable Monkey]

Read - Overclockers product page
Read - Dabs product page

Filed under: Laptops

Forget chocolates, Samsung offers pink NC10 for Valentine gifting originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ontario Securities Commission seeks $100 million fine against RIM's co-CEOs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/22/ontario-securities-commission-seeks-100-million-fine-against-ri/

Uh oh. Remember that RIM backdating controversy from 2007? The Ontario Securities Commission sure does, and according to ReportonBusiness, it's seeking a record $100 million Canadian (that's about $79 million US) fine against co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis. If approved, that'll be the largest penalty ever to be paid by individuals to the OSC, with Balsillie expected to pay the bulk of the penalty. As usual, none of the parties involved are commenting on the case, but we reckon this won't be the last we hear about it.

[Via Mobile Syrup]

Filed under: Cellphones

Ontario Securities Commission seeks $100 million fine against RIM's co-CEOs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 7 put up against Vista and XP in hardcore multicore benchmarks, XP wins

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/22/windows-7-put-up-against-vista-and-xp-in-hardcore-multicore-benc/

Now that the Windows 7 beta is out, the benchmarks are coming fast and furious, and while 7's been previously found to best XP and Vista during "real-world" tasks, it looks like XP is still the outright speed champ on current hardware. That's at least the word according to InfoWorld, which pitted all three systems against each other in a suite of tests designed to suss out how each performed on modern multicore systems, and while we won't pretend to grok all the data, there's nothing complicated about the final results, which showed that "any illusions about Windows 7 somehow being leaner or more efficient than Vista can now be thrown out the window." Sure, there was some speedup -- 7 was 60 percent faster than Vista during the dual-core workflow tests -- but overall, 7's just slower on dual- and quad-core hardware than XP. However, there's a silver lining here: InfoWorld says the slowdown is in large part due to the extra code Vista and 7 use to manage multicore processors, and as the number of cores increase, the corresponding performance gains are much bigger than with XP since they can be used more efficiently. Of course, by the time we're all sitting pretty with 48-core Larrabee machines this all might be just a distant memory, so for right now we're just going to get back to installing the Windows 7 beta on anything we can find and reveling in the glory of perceived speedups.

Read - Analysis I (against Vista alone)
Read - Analysis II (against Vista and XP! )

File d under: Desktops, Laptops

Windows 7 put up against Vista and XP in hardcore multicore benchmarks, XP wins originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple patents adaptive volume controls based on environment, not quality of your music

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/22/apple-patents-adaptive-volume-controls-based-on-environment-not/

Ever walk through a crowd with your headphones on, only to find your music drowned out by the uproar? A recent Apple patent proposes dynamic volume adjustment based on your local surroundings. According to the filing, a sound sensor would be used to detect ambient noise and adapt accordingly. It says user volume controls are accounted for, so passing by a construction site likely won't cause your jams to be pumped up to an ear-shattering 11. Although it sounds more likely than some of the company's other patents, don't get your hopes up for seeing this any time soon. Hit up the read link for more details.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Apple patents adaptive volume controls based on environment, not quality of your music originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Meizu M8 prepped for full-scale launch, IP battle with Apple

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/23/meizu-m8-prepped-for-full-scale-launch-ip-battle-with-apple/

Meizu's been on a tear since our last M8 update. Sitting atop a new 0.9.0.1 firmware release complete with working copy and paste, Outlook calendar synchronization, and a "full backup system," the M8 is now supported by a published SDK and licensed to ride the Chinese airwaves for what looks to be a March, mainland China release. With all the passion it could muster, Meizu posted the following announcement to its English website:

Let's bear witness together, to the great moment of MEIZU formally entering the big stage of mobile phone industry!

Currently, the M8 handset with its iPhone roots (but a WinCE core) is only available to an abiding Chinese press and die-hard Meizu fanatics -- a population said to rival the intensity of Apple's own sheeple elite. Having watched the M8 make the transition from art to part over the last few years, we're mighty stoked at the prospective launch to say the least. And while Meizu has clearly trumped Apple's spec sheet (not user experience) in terms of software (copy paste, background task management, video recording, and plenty more) and hardware (720 x 480 pixel display and beefier silicon), we'll bet there's still enough "inspiration" to get Tim Cook and Apple's legal counsel whipped up into a frenzy of Intellectual Property defense. Latest video after the break.

Read -- Mobile license approval
Read -- SDK release
Read -- firmware 0.9 release

Continue reading Video: Meizu M8 prepped for full-scale launch, IP battle with Apple

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Video: Meizu M8 prepped for full-scale launch, IP battle with Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: 10-inch Acer Aspire One to replace 8.9-incher

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/23/rumor-10-inch-acer-aspire-one-to-replace-8-9-incher/

We're hearing some murmurings today that Acer's planning on replacing its current, 8.9-inch Aspire One with the previously seen 10.1-inch Aspire One (the 103), phasing out the former. The new model will pack a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, and 1GB of RAM, optional 3G, SDHC card slot, and 3 USB ports -- relatively standard fare, to be sure -- though it's going to come in a few sexy colors we sure do like the looks of Sure, Digitimes (the source of this rumor) isn't necessarily the most reliable paper we read in the morning with our coffee, but this particular tidbit doesn't strike us as terribly far-fetched. We'll have to (reportedly) wait until sometime in the second quarter to find out for sure, though. In the meantime: calm down.

Update: This worst-kept secret is now official, with Acer confirming plans to release its rumored 10-incher, but not saying just when or for how much. The confirmed specs are exactly what we expected -- go figure.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Laptops

Rumor: 10-inch Acer Aspire One to replace 8.9-incher originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia ships half a million 5800 XpressMusic handsets in 30 days

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/23/nokia-ships-half-a-million-5800-xpressmusic-handsets-in-30-days/

If this were coming from any other mouth, we'd definitely second guess it. As it stands, though, it's hard to dispute the words of Nokia's CEO when it comes to matters involving Nokia. Mr. Olli Pekka Kallasvuo stated rather proudly during the firm's Q4 results call that it had shipped just over 500,000 5800 XpressMusic mobiles (better known as the Tube) in just 30 days. That figure becomes even more impressive when you realize that shipments only occurred in select markets, though it should be noted that "units shipped" and "units sold to end users" could indeed be very different things. Still, half a million in just a month ain't too shabby in today's economy, so here's the kudos you're clearly due, Nokia.

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia ships half a million 5800 XpressMusic handsets in 30 days originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, January 22, 2009

Second Bulb, Insects Beware!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/yankodesign/~3/mSLXT6XPr40/

If you still have incandescent bulbs, then I will now beat you with a silly stick. Fortunately for you here’s one more way to get use out of those archaic bulbs. The Bulb Hugger is a thermally charged light that wraps around any incandescent. Whenever your incandescent turns off or if the power goes out, the secondary light automatically turns on for up to 5 hours. If you’ve got these bulbs outdoors, an upper ring containing insect repellent vaporizes from heat, keeping bugs away.

Designer: Arpan Maiti

LogMeIn App Allows Remote Access of Your PC or Mac via the iPhone or iPod Touch [IPhone]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/s9sqNQ52btE/logmein-app-allows-remote-access-of-your-pc-or-mac-via-the-iphone-or-ipod-touch

LogMeIn has taken their awesome remote access desktop app and ported it to the iPhone and iPod Touch—allowing one click control of your PC or Mac from anywhere.

The guys at TUAW gave the LogMeIn Ignition app a thorough test and discovered that it was stable and worked exceedingly well on Wi-Fi and 3G. You can even use EDGE in a pinch. And it was a lot easier to configure than other free or low priced VNC solutions. However, there is one very big downside. The $30 price tag makes it one of the more expensive apps in the store—a small price to pay for support pros that could make use of the anytime, anywhere access, but probably a bit pricey for the casual user. [LogMeIn and TUAW]

Win 7 Tip: Gadgets Are Integrated Directly onto the Desktop, But Are Slightly Buggy [Windows 7]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/PFMbkoz2jrI/win-7-tip-gadgets-are-integrated-directly-onto-the-desktop-but-are-slightly-buggy

Windows 7 has eliminated the Windows Sidebar and instead has placed gadgets (widgets) directly onto the desktop. They've also gotten rid of the Notes gadget and replaced it with a program called Sticky Notes. Updated.

Getting rid of Windows Sidebar has actually made using the gadgets less cumbersome than it was to use in Vista. Previously in Vista, the Show Desktop function would minimize the Sidebar program, so you wouldn't be able to see your gadgets. In addition, memory dumps and program crashes in Sidebar prevented you from using your gadgets completely.

Accessing the gadgets in Window 7 may seem like a mystery at first, until you right-click the desktop. In the drop-down menu, you should see "Gadgets," or as an alternative, you can access them in the Control Panel. In the beta, eight default gadgets come installed: Calendar, Clock, CPU Meter, Currency, Feed Headlines, Media Center, Picture Puzzle, Slide Show, Stocks and Weather. There hasn't been any major overhaul to the gadgets that come preloaded with Windows 7 themselves—they are just as customizable and function exactly the same as if they were in Vista. Not surprisingly, I had no trouble installing any gadget made for Vista from Microsoft's collection online.

Notes gadget is not installed by default—I was surprised to find it missing, but instead I found a program called Sticky Notes that is apparently intended to replace it. Accessible from the Start Menu under Accessories, the Sticky Notes will actually resize to its contents unlike the Vista gadget. It's an overall improvement, but the notes lack! the abi lity to customize your font and the ability to change the opacity. But it does bring Windows 7 up to OS X's Stickies in desktop-level sticky note functionality.

Even though the Windows 7 beta seems stable for the most part, there are a few quirks here and there and gadgets are no exception. The gadgets seem to be incompatible with certain User Account Control (UAC) settings. I didn't notice it until I turned my UAC settings completely off to do something and my gadgets disappeared. I turned them back on (and voila!) my gadgets came back. Seeing how UAC settings now seem to be directly involved with Administrator status (more to come on this), it's annoying to constantly reboot if you want your gadgets. Hopefully, Microsoft will fix this bug in the final release.

Update: Commenter Gank pointed out a solution to the gadget/UAC bug here (thanks Gank!). Also, Sticky Notes is apparently not a new feature, but a carryover from previous editions of Windows. That doesn't change the fact that the Notes gadget is still gone. Also, if you have a computer with any type of pen input, you can "ink" straight onto the notes as well (thanks Anthony!).

View our other Windows 7 tips and our continuing coverage here.

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