Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Acer launches first NVIDIA Ion-based nettop: AspireRevo

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/acer-launches-first-nvidia-ion-based-nettop-aspirerevo/

Yet again, the rumors were (almost) true. A day earlier than anticipated, Acer is launching what amounts to NVIDIA's first Ion-based nettop beyond those on display at CES and the like. The AspireRevo is debuting today alongside a plethora of other Acer wares, boasting a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 230 processor, up to 4GB of RAM, up to 250GB of HDD space, a 4-in-1 card reader, HDMI / VGA outputs, gigabit Ethernet, six USB 2.0 sockets, audio in / out, Windows Vista Home Premium / Basic and a svelte black and white enclosure that measures just 7.1- x 7.1- x 1.2-inches. The built-in Ion GPU means that this bugger is completely capable of handling 1080p (and thus, Blu-ray) content, DirectX 10 and even mildly demanding games such as Call of Duty 4 and Spore. Acer's staying mum on a price and release date, but we're still hearing that the late Q2 time frame is a safe bet. Check the full release just past the break.

Gallery: Acer launches first NVIDIA Ion-based nettop: AspireRevo

Continue reading Acer launches first NVIDIA Ion-based nettop: AspireRevo

Filed under: Desktops

Acer launches first NVIDIA Ion-based nettop: AspireRevo originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Acer's 18-inch eMachines EZ1600, 24-inch multitouch Aspire Z5600 all-in-ones unveiled

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/acer-unveils-18-5-inch-23-inch-hd-all-in-ones/

Some more tidbits from the Acer event: new all-in-ones. The eMachines EZ1600 (pictured) boasts a 18.5-inch 16:9 screen and up to 720p resolution, an Intel Atom N270 processor with 945GSE chipset, 2 slots of SO DIMM memory, up to 160GB HDD, DVD-RW, Wi-Fi and a card reader. No price or availability, but you'll be able to pick one up in either silver or black. On the classier side of things, we've got Acer Aspire Z5600 AIO with a 24-inch multitouch display that outputs a 1080p picture. It's got the "latest generation of Intel," up to 2TB hard disk space, a TV tuner, webcam and DVD/Blu-ray writer combo drive. Color us intrigued, but we'll await judgment until we see some price points -- if the Timeline's any indication, we might be in a for a pleasant surprise.

Gallery: Acer's 18-inch eMachines EZ1600, 24-inch multitouch Aspire Z5600 all-in-ones unveiled

Continue reading Acer's 18-inch eMachines EZ1600, 24-inch multitouch Aspire Z5600 all-in-ones unveiled

Filed under: Desktops

Acer's 18-inch eMachines EZ1600, 24-inch multitouch Aspire Z5600 all-in-ones unveiled originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Acer Timeline hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/acer-timeline-hands-on/

We just got all friendly with Acer's new Timeline lineup, and while couldn't technically grasp at the hours upon hours of battery life they're promising, we could definitely feel the palpable presence of longevity. The laptops are very much an interesting blance; they're thin, but not astonishingly thin, they're heavy for their looks (especially the 15.3-inch), and they're styled aggressively in some ways while incredibly conservatively in others. We're not sure we're sold on the funky trackpad setup -- the right and left buttons aren't articulated, are sunken below the level of the touchpad, and are rather hard to touch -- but we like that Acer is really embracing multitouch here. The chiclet keys have a lot of great travel to them, but the board overall felt a little cheap and "prototype-ey" -- it may very well be a prototype.

Gallery: Acer Timeline hands-on

Filed under: Laptops

Acer Timeline hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Google Voice App Comes to iPhone and iPod Touch Soon [Google Voice]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/kaTF9uDmej8/google-voice-app-comes-to-iphone-and-ipod-touch-soon

Google Voice, the recent reincarnation of GrandCentral that gives you voicemail transcription, call control and so much more, is about to hit iPhones by way of an app.

The app comes with a dialer, which dials out (from your Google Voice number), and rings your iPhone to connect both sides. It works with a dialpad or your contact list, plus you can also SMS people the same way. There's other standard Google Voice features like call log and voicemail, which you can listen to much the same way as iPhone's voicemails.

iPod touch users, who can't really take advantage of the dialing stuff, can still use the GV app as a mobile control center to have it ring their standard cellphones. We'll let you know when the app hits. [Google and Sean Kovacs via 9 to 5 Mac]

3D Laser Scanners Capture and Translate the Alhambra Fortress's 10,000 Arabic Inscriptions [Archaeology]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/hSXEpJTLx6w/3d-laser-scanners-capture-and-translate-the-alhambra-fortresss-10000-arabic-inscriptions

The Alhambra in Granada is so vast and covered with carved Arabic writing that nobody has ever had the ability to catalog it all. Finally, using modern technology, it's doable.

According to the Guardian and the Independent, experts are hard at work collecting over 10,000 inscriptions that nobody has translated in over 500 years since Ferdinand and Isabel evicted the Moors from their mighty fortress. Using the high-tech gear, they've managed to translate about half of the job so far, and have compiled over 3,000 in a DVD. The work continues, and an updated DVD, possibly complete, will come out in 2010. Too bad nobody bothered to show the 3D laser scanner itself in action, because I assume it's a pretty cool—if painstaking—process. I've been all over the Alhambra myself—it'd be a pretty amazing place to "work."

What do the inscriptions say? Mostly the Nasrid motto: "There is no victor but Allah." But in accordance with that particularly fruitful time in Arabic culture, there are an awful lot of other things written on the walls, from poetry to aphorisms, such as "Be sparing with words and you will go in peace." Funny since that's one bit of advice the artists didn't heed themselves. [Guardian; Independent - Thanks James!]

Netgear rolls out 4-bay ReadyNAS NVX

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/06/netgear-rolls-out-4-bay-readynas-nvx/

Netgear doesn't exactly go all out with the styling or blinkin' lights on its ReadyNAS devices, but that all-business exterior is no doubt just what some folks are looking for, and it doesn't look like they'll be disappointed by the company's latest ReadyNAS NVX model. According to Netgear, this one offers "double the performance" of previous NV+ models, which is apparently explained in part by the addition of iSCSI support, along with a number of other new features like an improved ReadyNAS "RAIDiator" operating system (fully compatible with Time Machine) and, of course, a whole range of other on-site and off-site backup measures. That won't exactly come cheap, however, as the base 2TB model starts at a hefty $1,500, with an extra $5.95 to $19.95 a month required for Netgear's ReadyNAS Vault backup service.

Filed under: Storage, Networking

Netgear rolls out 4-bay ReadyNAS NVX originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Olympus SP-590UZ (and its 26x zoomer) gets reviewed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/06/olympus-sp-590uz-and-its-26x-zoomer-gets-reviewed/

We're beginning to think there really is no number too high for the megazoom focal length. Back in the day, just boasting a 10x zoomer was enough to fall into said category; today, you best top 20x if you even want into the discussion. Olympus' 26x SP-590UZ is definitely amongst the craziest out there, sporting a 12 megapixel sensor, 2.7-inch LCD and a launch price of just under $450. Reviewers over at PhotographyBLOG were duly impressed across the board, with a certain critic noting that "the ability to go from capturing wide-angle landscapes to distant details in a four second zoom of the lens cannot be underestimated, especially as there's little distortion to worry about at either end and excellent sharpness across its entire range." Not surprisingly, the cam notched a "Highly Recommended" badge along with 4.5 out of 5 overall stars -- that said, are you really willing to buy in knowing a 58.983x successor is just around the bend?

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Olympus SP-590UZ (and its 26x zoomer) gets reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Samsung Impression now on sale at AT&T

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/samsung-impression-now-on-sale-at-atandt/

If you were waiting for a big-ass OLED display before pulling the trigger on a new North American handset, go ahead and get your wallet (or coin purse, or piggy bank, whatever) ready. The Samsung Impression has now officially launched on AT&T, bringing HSDPA, microSD expansion, landscape sliding QWERTY keyboard, and a 3 megapixel camera -- but the headlining feature clearly has to be that gorgeous 3.2-inch AMOLED screen clocking in at 400 x 240 resolution. $199.99 on contract after rebate makes it yours, if you think you can really handle everyone within a 50-foot radius being dazzled every time you turn it on.

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Impression now on sale at AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

iTunes Store now infected with variable pricing, Amazon still $0.99

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/itunes-store-now-infected-with-variable-pricing-amazon-still-0/

As promised, variable pricing has now been implemented at the iTunes music store. Already, we're seeing most of top 10 singles and 33 of the top 100 hitting the top price-point of $1.29 (encoded as DRM-free 256kbps AAC). Interesting as Amazon's uncomfortably similar top 10 list has all these tracks priced at $0.99 (encoded as DRM-free 256kbps VBR MP3). A handful of tracks (nine in the top 100) do hit the higher $1.29 price further down Amazon's list. Now, if you believe Steve (someone who originally postured against this price structure), then it appears that the music labels are charging Apple more for the rights to sell its music than Amazon based on this quote attributed to Jobs in the Apple press release from January:

in April, based on what the music labels charge Apple, songs on iTunes will be available at one of three price points-69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29-with many more songs priced at 69 cents than $1.29.

Regardless, we know where we'll be purchasing our Miley Cyrus from now on.

[Thanks, Jesse]

Read -- January "Changes Coming to the iTunes Store" press release
Read -- iTunes top songs [Warning: iTunes App link]
Read -- Amazon top songs

Filed under: Portable Audio

iTunes ! Store no w infected with variable pricing, Amazon still $0.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Netgear EVA 9150 Digital Entertainer Elite unboxed, previewed, well loved

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/netflix-eva-9150-digital-entertainer-elite-unboxed-previewed-w/

When we last got some hands-on time with Netgear's EVA9150 Digital Entertainer Elite at CES, we found it to be a pretty impressive media streamer. The aptly-titled MyDigitalEntertainer's managed to get an early unit -- packaged and everything -- and has provided ample unboxing pictures and some hands-on impressions. It's love all around, with a faster interface, extended support, and a new buffer ability that makes it a lot smoother than its predecessors. The RSS feature is functional enough, but any video podcast streams you subscribe to should be great. YouTube HD support is an added plus, but we've got no word on CinemaNow and we're admittedly a bit bummed by no Netflix. Hit up the read link for the full preview.

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Netgear EVA 9150 Digital Entertainer Elite unboxed, previewed, well loved originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comm ents

Data Robotics goes large with 8-bay DroboPro

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/data-robotics-goes-large-with-8-bay-drobopro/

Not sure if you've been keeping tabs, but it's been just shy of a full year since we've seen a new piece of hardware from the labs of Data Robotics. 60,000 Drobos later, we're being formally introduced to the bigger, stronger and more capacious DroboPro. As the name implies, this 8-bay beast is truly aimed at small businesses and creative professionals, but there's nothing here that the average consumer can't fall in love with. Generally speaking, everything here has remained the same as the second-gen Drobo: it looks similar, it uses the same genius BeyondRAID intelligent data storage technology and it's not really meant to be used on networks. Interested to hear more? Hop on past the break for all the dirt.

Gallery: Data Robotics goes large with 8-bay DroboPro

Continue reading Data Robotics goes large with 8-bay DroboPro

Filed under: Storage

Data Robotics goes large with 8-bay DroboPro originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

FDA Demands Pharma Stops 'Misleading' Ads on Google, Yahoo - http://ping.fm/WYxJy

Monday, April 06, 2009

Radical Image Optimization Tool Provides Side by Side Image Comparison [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/udEf29gapto/radical-image-optimization-tool-provides-side-by-side-image-comparison

Windows only: Radical Image Optimization Tool makes it easy to see how compression affects the image quality of the pictures you're optimizing with a handy side-by-side interface.

Sample photo by XirannisX back On.

Radical Image Optimization Tool isn't the best choice if you're looking to bulk re-sample images, but when it comes to squeezing quality out of every byte, it does let you exercise a high degree of control over the compression of an individual image.

Your images are laid out in a side-by-side format with immediate updates for any alterations you make to the level of compression or other settings. The file size of both the source image and the optimized image are also displayed above the images, so you can see immediately if the quality-to-size ratio is acceptable for your purposes. If your need isn't so much tight control but bulk converting, check out how to batch resize with Infranview and JPEGCrops, a speedy batch cropper that lets you specify crops on a per picture basis. Radical Image Optimization Tool is freeware, Windows only.

Radical Image Optimization Tool [via The Download Blog]

Roll Your Own Streaming Media Server with Subsonic [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/NKsFdSxv-cA/roll-your-own-streaming-media-server-with-subsonic

Windows/Mac/Linux: Is having your entire media collection on tap, ready to stream wherever you may be, too much to ask? Not if you're using Subsonic.

Subsonic can be installed on everything from a Windows-based computer to a home server running FreeNAS. Once installed, you can tune into your media collection from anywhere you access the web or use your mobile phone. Subsonic is a complete web-based front end for your collection. You can search tracks, listen to saved podcasts, assign ratings, add comments, and create playlists. Subsonic supports on-the-fly resampling to keep the quality high, even when you're using a lower bandwidth connection—you can turn the feature on permanently if you've got a bandwidth cap you're trying to stay under. If you're a fan of Last.fm, Subsonic has support for the service and will scrobble and update your now-playing status. There's a demo account available if you'd like to take the interface for a spin before installing it. Subsonic is free, open-source, and available for Windows, Mac, *nix systems.

Five Best Image Editing Tools [Hive Five]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/5qD-GmTGT5Q/five-best-image-editing-tools

Long gone are the days where snapshots came back from the photo lab and disappeared into albums and shoe boxes. Now, digital photos are tweaked, adjusted, and remixed in ways their analog counterparts couldn't imagine.

Photo by NoiceCollusion.

Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite image editing tool. The votes have been tallied and now we're back with the top five contenders for the crown of Best Image Editor.

Picasa (Windows/Mac/Linux, Free)

Picasa is the kind of application that geeks love because it's so simple and effective and non-geeks love because they usually don't have the time or inclination to get bogged down in the more technical aspects of digital photography. If your tech un-savvy mom or dad emailed you tomorrow and said she or he needed an easy-to-use program for organizing and editing photos, you'd likely send them to download Picasa. The built in editor is more than robust enough for most casual users and includes basic color correction, cropping, and a variety of special effects—the majority of which manage to avoid being cheesy. Picasa isn't a tool for deep and detailed editing, but it's extremely easy to use for the kind of quick crop and correct editing most digital camera owners need.

GIMP (Windows/Mac/*nix, Free)

GIMP has long been toted as the open-source competitor to Adobe Photoshop. Many people are quick to point out GIMP's shortcomings, claiming it isn't a true Photoshop replacement, but in the process they overlook what GIMP has accomplished. Without the extremely polished and commercially driven Photoshop to stand against, GIMP is almost entirely unrivaled in sophistication. Color correction, channel mixing, advanced cloning, paths, and layered compositions are all part of the GIMP package. There is very little the average Photoshop user does that can't be done in GIMP, and if you're not working for a company footing the bill for Photoshop, the free-as-in-beer price tag looks mighty fine.

Adobe Photoshop (Windows/Mac, $699)

Photoshop has achieved such status in the design community and such widespread recognition by the general public that even non-designers recognize what someone is saying when they exclaim, "That's photoshopped!" Many of the techniques and methods that are standard across photo editing software were pioneered in Photoshop, like layers, slices, and image correcting macros and filters. On its own Photoshop is a titan of photo editing power, but thanks to a nearly complete dominance in the graphic editing industry, there are entire companies devoted to creating plugins for it. When it comes to manipulating images, if you can't do it in Photoshop, there's a strong chance you won't be able to do it at all. Photo by HVarga.

Paint.net (Windows, Free)

Paint.net was originally the senior project of some computer science students at Washington State University, taken on under the mentorship of Microsoft. The project exceeded expectations and has been in development now for 6 years. Over the years it has grown to include layer-based composition, blending, and support for plugins—the majority of which are designed by an active support community. The interface of Paint.net is easy to pick up, and an unlimited undo function makes correcting your learning-curve mishaps a snap—making Paint.net a favorite among Windows users looking for a no-nonsense (yet powerful) image editor.

Adobe Lightroom (Windows/Mac, $299)

Lightroom is on the same branch of the editing family tree as Picasa: a hybrid of an organizational tool and a photo editor. Unlike its big brother Photoshop, Lightroom wasn't designed to be a detailed pixel-by-pixel editing tool. Lightroom focuses on being a digital darkroom for modern photographers, allowing them to quickly make the corrections necessary to their workflows. Lightroom excels at batch work and advanced color balance corrections; photographers can even tether their cameras to their computers with Lightroom integrating directly into their editing workflow. Photoshop might be the appropriate tool for giving a single image a deep and intense workover, but Lightroom is the tool you call on when you have a huge batch of images from a photoshoot that need to be cropped, corrected, and made print ready as soon as possible. Photo by M. Keefe.

Now that you've seen the top five contenders for best image editing application, it's time to log your vote to determine who goes home with the crown.

Which Image Editor is Best?
( online surveys)

Can't believe your favorite editor didn't make it to the top five? Wishing a copy of Adobe Photoshop would fall off the back of a truck for you? Sound off in the comments below with your photo editing opinions.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)