Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Friday, April 03, 2009

NVIDIA GTX 275 / ATI Radeon HD 4890 review roundup

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/nvidia-gtx-275-ati-radeon-hd-4890-review-roundup/

Unless you've started your weekend early, you have probably realized that both NVIDIA and AMD announced new GPUs this morning. Coincidental timing aside, it sure makes things easy for the consumer to eye the respective benchmarks and plan out their next mid-range GPU purchase accordingly. A whole bevy of reviews, tests, graphs and bar charts have hit the web this morning extolling and panning the pros and cons, but without getting too deep in the nitty-gritty, we can sum things up pretty easily with this. NVIDIA's GTX 275 showed performance that placed it perfectly between the GTX 285 and GTX 260, and in all but a few off-the-wall tests, it outpaced the ATI Radeon HD 4890 (albeit slightly). Granted, the HD 4890 was called the "fastest, single-GPU powered graphics card AMD has ever produced" by HotHardware, though apparently even that wasn't enough to help it snag the gold across the board. If you're hungry for more (and you are, trust us), take the rest of the day off and dig in below.

Read - HotHardware GeForce GTX 275 review
Read - HotHardware Radeon HD 4890 review
Read - ExtremeTech GeForce GTX 275 and Radeon HD 4890 review
Read - DailyTech GeForce GTX 275 and Radeon HD 4890 review
Read - X-bit Labs ATI Rad! eon HD 4 890 review
Read - ComputerShopper ATI Radeon HD 4890 review
Read - Guru 3D GeForce GTX 275 review
Read - Guru 3D ATI Radeon HD 4890 review
Read - PCPerspective ATI Radeon HD 4890 review

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

NVIDIA GTX 275 / ATI Radeon HD 4890 review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eizo debuts 56-inch 4k x 2k RadiForce LS560W LCD monitor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/eizo-debuts-56-inch-4k-x-2k-radiforce-ls560w-lcd-monitor/

Eizo's known for doling out less-than-affordable LCD monitors, but this one just takes the crown (for now). Slated to dazzle in operating rooms everywhere this July, the RadiForce LS560W is a 56-inch behemoth of an LCD that boasts a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 (or darn close to native 4k x 2k). We're also told that the panel features a 176-degree field of view, a 1,200:1 contrast ratio and 450 nits of brightness. And to think -- we were beginning to wonder if all that 4k surgery footage would ever find a dedicated screen to run on.

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

Eizo debuts 56-inch 4k x 2k RadiForce LS560W LCD monitor originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel turns Moblin over to the Linux Foundation

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/intel-turns-moblin-over-to-the-linux-foundation/

Alpha version of Intel's Moblin OS released for brave netbookers

If you love something, set it free -- and if it truly loves you back, it will return as the market's dominant MID and netbook OS. We're pretty certain that's what our mom said to us when we were kids -- it's a fairly hazy memory -- and it sounds like Intel's heeding that advice with Moblin, turning over "stewardship" of the fledgling OS to the Linux Foundation. It's an interesting move that seems to be more about politics more than anything else -- Intel still employs all the lead developers, so it'll basically be in charge of things, but companies that want to use Moblin can do so secure in the knowledge that it's formally controlled by a neutral body. Very clever. So -- now that that's out of the way, can everyone get back to work on that insane concept MID we've been drooling over for two years? Thanks.

[Thanks, Chris]

Filed under: Desktops, Handhelds, Laptops

Intel turns Moblin over to the Linux Foundation originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SGI to sell itself for just $25m, throw huge sadness party

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/sgi-to-sell-itself-for-just-25m-throw-huge-sadness-party/

Man, the difference a few ~~years~~ decades makes. In the 90s, Silicon Graphics helped create silver screen mega-hits like Jurassic Park and Terminator 2, and in 1997, its fiscal year sales totaled $3.66 billion. Today, the company's mired in its second bankruptcy, which has occurred just three years after the first. In order to just terminate the dream before it gets any more nightmarish, SGI has announced plans to sell itself to Fremont-based Rackable Systems for a mere $25 million -- and some analysts are even concerned that the suitor here could be sinking its teeth into a sour deal. The agreement still has to be approved by a bankruptcy judge, and of course, there's still a few more inches of red tape to cut through, but we'll be sure to let you know when the fantasy ends and the wake begins.

Filed under: Desktops

SGI to sell itself for just $25m, throw huge sadness party originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell's 21.5-inch SX2210 monitor now available to order

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/dells-21-5-inch-sx2210-monitor-now-available-to-order/

In Dell's usual roundabout way of launching non-luxury products, this new SX2210 monitor first appeared on the company's website with little fanfare last month, but it looks like it's now actually available to order, and for the very reasonable of price of $279 (before the inevitable flood of discounts). That'll get you 21.5 inches of screen real estate, along with a full 1920 x 1080 resolution, a fast 2-millisecond grey-to-grey response time, a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, both HDMI and DVI ports, four USB 2.0 ports, and even a built-in 2 megapixel webcam that supports facial recognition in Windows Vista. Sold? Then hit up the link below to get your order in.

[Thanks, ALCie]

Filed under: Displays

Dell's 21.5-inch SX2210 monitor now available to order originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Light-activated lock could revolutionize drug delivery

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/light-activated-lock-could-revolutionize-drug-delivery/

The Gators may not be in the Final Four this year, but the brainiacs on campus are still toiling away, regardless. Researchers at the institution (that'd be the University of Florida) have just stumbled onto a remarkable discovery that could eventually "starve cancer tumors and prevent side effects from a wide range of drugs." The magic find? A "lock-like molecule" that clasps or unclasps based on exposure to light. Sure, we've seen our fair share of newfangled drug delivery tools, but none that have been this noninvasive or simple to activate. In tests, gurus found that they could use visible or ultraviolet light to open or close a clasp, letting blood flow or creating a clot; in theory, this could one day be used to "prevent the formation of tiny blood vessels that feed tumors." Everything about this sounds just fantastic on the surface, but seriously, can you imagine how dead we'd be if the robots ever got ahold of this?

[Via Physorg, image courtesy of NanotechNow]

Filed under: Science

Light-activated lock could revolutionize drug delivery originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 01:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MIT builds battery from bacterial virus, humans to power machines by 2012

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/mit-builds-battery-from-bacterial-virus-humans-to-power-machine/

We've been tracking MIT professor Angela Belcher's attempt to build batteries and nano-electronics from viruses since 2006. Scientifically speaking, the so-called "virus" is actually a bacteriophage, a virus that preys only on bacteria while leaving humans of diminishing scientific knowledge alone to doubt that claim. Now, in a new report co-authored by Belcher, MIT research documents the construction of a lithium-ion battery (pictured after the break) with the help of a biological virus dubbed M13. M13 acts as a "biological scaffold" that allows carbon nanotubes and bits of iron phosphate to attach and form a network for conducting electricity. Specifically, MIT used the genetically engineered material to create the battery's negatively charged anode and positively charged cathode. Best of all, MIT's technique can be performed at, or below room temperature which is important from a manufacturing perspective -- a process that MIT claims will be "cheap and environmentally benign." Already MIT has constructed a virus-battery about the size of that found in a watch to turn on small lights in an MIT lab. Belcher claims that just a third of an ounce (about 10 grams) of the viral battery material could power an iPod for 40 hours. In time and with enough effort MIT expects to scale the technology to power electronic vehicles. Remember, when the time comes choose the red pill.

[Via Scientific American, Thanks James]

Continue reading MIT builds battery from bacterial virus, humans to power machines by 2012

Filed under: Misc. Gad! gets

MIT builds battery from bacterial virus, humans to power machines by 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung 12.1-inch NC20 with VIA Nano power ready for Stateside purchase

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/samsung-12-1-inch-nc20-with-via-nano-ready-for-purchase/

A friendly tipster has pointed us over to NewEgg where Samsung's much loved NC20 is ready for purchase and presumably delivery. Mind you, this isn't just another Atom-based netbook. This 12.1-incher is one of the first to ship Stateside with a Via Nano processor of any type, the 1.3GHz U2250 in this case. You're also looking at Via Chrome9 integrated graphics, 160GB 5400rpm disk, 1GB of DDR2 memory, and 6-cell Li-ion battery. $550 is the pre-tax price for clicking all the way through to purchase where we suspect you'll be treated to a ship date. One thing's for certain; it'll be later than March 6th.

[Thanks, angelwolf71885]

Filed under: Laptops

Samsung 12.1-inch NC20 with VIA Nano power ready for Stateside purchase originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, April 02, 2009

Microsoft to spend $100M with JWT to Market New Search Engine - http://ping.fm/22XqQ - telling people is probably not gonna work :-(

Reactable multitouch table / musical instrument goes into production

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/reactable-multitouch-table-musical-instrument-goes-into-produc/

This so-called Reactable built by some researchers at Pompeu Fabra University has been making the rounds of trade shows and other events for quite a while now, but it looks like the group is now really getting their act together by forming a company (Reactable Systems) and putting the device into production. The table itself is not too dissimilar from some of the other multitouch tables out there, but it takes a slightly different tact by focusing primarily on the device's potential as a musical instrument. To make things even simpler for the users, the table makes use of a series of "pucks" that each control a different aspect of the system, and are able to interact with each other when they're in close proximity. No word on a price or actual release date just yet, as you might expect, but you can check it out in action in the video after the break.

[Via MusicRadar]

Continue reading Reactable multitouch table / musical instrument goes into production

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Reactable multitouch table / musical instrument goes into production originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA's Franken-Mini is half HP, half Tegra, no Intel

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/nvidias-franken-mini-is-half-hp-half-tegra-no-intel/

And now, a little visit to the "Why not?" department: NVIDIA is showing off an HP Mini 1000 at CTIA that it has totally gutted, replacing the laptop's stock Atom-based circuitry with its own Tegra wares atop a bone-stock Windows CE build. At first the move seems counterproductive sine Tegra can't run XP or Vista, but if you look at this as the first prototype of a large Tegra-powered $99 MID, you're thinking along the right lines. The concept isn't indicative of any sort of partnership between NVIDIA and HP, but the chipmaker is looking at this as an opportunity to demonstrate to manufacturers how easy it is to make a device like this -- and like other Tegra devices we've seen, this thing could easily have HDMI, run fluid 3D graphics, and generally make the world a better place at a stupid cheap price. We were also shown a Tegra single-board computer measuring no larger than a single small-outline DIMM like you'd find in a modern laptop, proof that this action can be scaled way down depending on the kinds of devices manufacturers are looking to make. Check out a video of the Franken-Mini after the break.

Gallery: NVIDIA's Franken-Mini is half HP, half Tegra, no Intel

Continue reading NVIDIA's Franken-Mini is half HP, half Tegra, no Intel

Filed under: Laptops

NVIDIA's Franken-Mini is half HP, half Tegra, no Intel originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T's Samsung Magnet hands-on with video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/01/atandts-samsung-magnet-hands-on-with-video/

Samsung's Magnet is inexpensive, orange, QWERTY, and we're really liking it. Sure, we don't have a price or an official date, but we we came away from our meeting with the Magnet feeling rather happy about the whole experience. Yeah, the web browser is a bit lightweight, and the color choice garish, but we can't find fault with that as it is aimed directly at a market that digs messaging and bright colors. The Magnet is comfortable to hold, the OS very responsive, and the screen ample bright and large enough to get the job done. The Keyboard, and the phone's size are very similar to a Nokia E71 (which we compare it to in the video for scale) so if you've checked one of those out, you'll know where we're coming from. A dash of 3G would add to the joy here, but then again, it would add to the price, too. Pics and videos are just after the break.

Continue reading AT&T's Samsung Magnet hands-on with video

Filed under: Cellphones

AT&T's Samsung Magnet hands-on with video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony HDR-TG5 makes world's smallest Full HD camcorder smaller, adds GPS

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/sony-hdr-tg5-makes-worlds-smallest-full-hd-camcorder-lighter-a/

The problem with Sony's previous world's smallest pistol-grip Full HD camcorder -- the HDR-TG1 aka, the TG3E -- wasn't size, it was usability. So we're happy to hear that Sony's TG5 counts a tweaked UI among its updates. And although Sony doesn't say in the press release, the TG5's touch-panel looks far more sensitive (capacitive maybe?) than that of the previous generation's finger bender. The other improvements are GPS to geotag your media (assuming your software supports it), Navteq maps, improved image processing, smile shutter technology, and 16GB of built-in storage (up from 8GB) all riding inside a slightly smaller and lighter chassis. Other specs remain unchanged: 1920 x 1080 AVCHD video, 2.7-inch touchscreen display, and a 10x optically stabilized zoom exposing a 2.4 megapixel CMOS sensor. Expensive? Oh most definitely: ¥120,000 or $1,217 starting in May. Check the video after the break.

Gallery: Sony HDR-TG5 makes world's smallest Full HD camcorder smaller, adds GPS

[Via CNET]

Continue reading Sony HDR-TG5 makes world's smallest Full HD camcorder smaller, adds GPS

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Sony HDR-TG5 makes world's smallest Full HD camcorder smaller, adds GPS originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix notches 2 billionth delivery with a Blu-ray disc

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/netflix-notches-2-billionth-delivery-with-a-blu-ray-disc/

2,000,000,000. That's how many movies Netflix has shipped out since coming on the scene in 1999. Lucky number two billion -- Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist on Blu-ray) snagged Clay Shannon a complimentary lifetime subscription (guess he's not too concerned about the new, higher Blu-ray rates.) It took the company eight years to cross the one billion milestone, and only two for the next billion. While there's little indication of a slowdown in the two million movies shipped out every day from 58 distribution centers, we wouldn't be surprised if number 3 billion were just as likely to come as a download than anything else.

Continue reading Netflix notches 2 billionth delivery with a Blu-ray disc

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Netflix notches 2 billionth delivery with a Blu-ray disc originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: NVIDIA's ION-based netbooks and nettops are go for launch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/video-nvidias-ion-based-netbooks-and-nettops-are-go-for-launch/

Things are finally hotting up in NVIDIA's ION camp. An official press release now tells that the first batch of "incredibly small and affordable PCs" (like the Acer Hornet rumored for an April 8th launch) are due in Q2 -- that's as early as today folks, on up through the end of June. Along with the new gear, NVIDIA is promising optimized software support from powerhouse developers like Adobe, Google, Microsoft, and Electronic Arts in an effort to signal the platform's suitability for serving up 1080p video over HDMI in a home theater as well as gaming, photo editing, and general computing in nettop- and netbook-sized devices. Bring it, we say... we're so over Intel's GM945-class chipsets.

Continue reading Video: NVIDIA's ION-based netbooks and nettops are go for launch

Filed under: Gaming, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Laptops, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Video: NVIDIA's ION-based netbooks and nettops are go for launch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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