Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, April 20, 2009

Prezi Makes a Zooming Map of Your Presentations [Webapps]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/HQ59YAwUG7I/prezi-makes-a-zooming-map-of-your-presentations

Prezi is a Flash-based online presentation maker that doesn't believe all slides are the same. Prezi allows creators to zoom in, slide over, play videos, animate, and do other eye-catching stuff with your information.

It's hard to capture exactly what a difference custom zooming and framing have on a presentation until you see it yourself. Prezi, unfortunately, doesn't offer embedding of its hosted presentations (at least with its free license), but anyone can check out Prezi's showcased works to see what the deal is about. Editing itself is done with a neat wheel/cog corner tool and a drag-and-drop grid background. The site offers a lot of tutorial videos and demonstrations, like this nice overview of editing and presentation:

Even a free account gets an offline player to use, which is a big plus, and upgrading to "Enjoy" or "Pro" accounts for €39 or €119 grants access to "Private Prezi," upgrades your Prezi.com storage space, and removes Prezi's logo from your presentations. It's similar to Microsoft's very protoype-level pptPlex, but with a refined interface and pretty impressive looks. Free to use, requires a sign-up and email activation.

Prezi [via TechCrunch]

SprintCam V3 HD Shoots Breathtaking Full HD Video at 1,000 FPS [Slo Mo]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ruNV90v8YRU/sprintcam-v3-hd-shoots-breathtaking-full-hd-video-at-1000-fps

Sure, the Casio EX-F1 shoots great slow-mo footage for a consumer camera. But it can't touch the footage that the SprintCam V3 HD pumps out. Good lord.

This is a professional broadcast camera that is likely to cost as much as a house, so it's not something you'll be picking up at Best Buy anytime soon. But you can bet that we'll start seeing incredible HD footage like in the below video on sports broadcasts in the very near future. Get ready to analyze the throws of pitchers and quarterbacks in a whole new way. [SprintCam V3 HD via NotCot]

LaCie Debuts 8TB 4big Quadra Bundles Including a 32TB RAID [LaCie]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/sjbdmbY7L2c/lacie-debuts-8tb-4big-quadra-bundles-including-a-32tb-raid

LaCie's new series of RAID bundles include an 8TB model of the 4big Quadra, which is actually just two 4TB hard drives put together.

The 8TB model joins the 4big Quadra series—a 4-bay RAID solution that features swappable disks and seven RAID modes—that boasts transfer speeds up to 700MB/s and capacities as big as 32TB. The hard drives with higher capacities, like the 8TB, are also just bundles of smaller drives placed together.

Available in the May and starting at $1,199, the 8TB LaCie 4big Quadra Bundle will include two 4TB 4big Quadras, an eSATA II PCI Express Card and 4 ports. The 16TB and 32TB—besides having higher capacities—come with everything the 8TB bundle contains, as well as LaCie Rescue Kits, which consists of spare hard disks and power supplies. [Lacie via Engadget]

Get ready for another co-processor: further details on Caustic Graphics's RTPU

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/get-ready-for-another-co-processor-further-details-on-caustic-g/

Get ready for another co-processor: further details on Caustic Graphics's RTPU

Ray tracing is the current holy grail of gaming graphics, the rendering technique that might finally make the licensed game based on Pixar's latest look as good as the film itself. But, the typically random nature of rays has made rendering them on traditional hardware inefficient, a problem Caustic Graphics claimed to have solved, and is now backing that up by giving PC Perspective some further details and demos. The company's tech will rely on a new graphics co-processor called the Ray Tracing Processing Unit (RTPU), working in concert with existing 3-D accelerators to deliver rays at frame rates high enough for interactive applications. How high? Early hardware dubbed CausticOne (that giant slab of silicon above) manages 3 - 5 frames-per-second in the demonstration video after the break. That's not nearly enough for twitchy first-person shooters, but second-gen hardware due next year is looking to deliver 14 times that -- plenty to get your high-reflectivity frag on.

Continue reading Get ready for another co-processor: further details on Caustic Graphics's RTPU

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

Get ready for another co-processor: further details on Caustic Graphics's RTPU originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung: OLED screens on half of mobile phones within 5 years

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/samsung-oled-screens-on-half-of-mobile-phones-within-5-years/

Truthfully, we wouldn't put too much stock in that headline considering that Samsung Mobile Display, a company that makes its ends off of selling active-matrix OLEDs, is the source. But on the other hand, we can definitely see it coming to fruition. According to a new report, said outfit has stated that OLED screens of some sort will be on over half of all mobile phones (not just smartphones, mind you) within the next five years, and that these same power-sipping displays will be on 20 percent of digital cameras and 30 percent of portable game players (PSP2, anyone?) within the same window of time. While it may seem a bit far-fetched now, we actually have good reason to believe that OLED adoption will indeed skyrocket on the small scale; it's those big screen TVs that we're worried only our grandchildren will truly enjoy.

[Via OLED-Info]

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung: OLED screens on half of mobile phones within 5 years originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Transparent OLED rearview mirror both dazzles and distracts

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/transparent-oled-rearview-mirror-both-dazzles-and-distracts/

Although we've been hearing about transparent OLEDs for years now, mum's been the word on an actual product. So far the focus has been on Germany, but it looks like some interesting things have been going down in Korea as well. Researchers at ETRI (the flexible OLED folks) have apparently applied for 51 patents both nationally and internationally for the tech, including one for a transparent oxide resistor that helps increase the aperture ratio of AMOLEDs. And while all this is going down, NeoView KOLON has unveiled a new prototype rearview mirror that utilizes a transparent OLED display for -- well, displaying things. Just be sure to keep your eyes on the road, eh?

Read - "Korean Researchers Develop Transparent Transistors OLED Displays"
Read - "Neoview Kolon transparent OLED prototype"

Filed under: Displays

Transparent OLED rearview mirror both dazzles and distracts originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T likely skipping 14.4Mbps, moving straight to HSPA+

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/atandt-likely-skipping-14-4mbps-moving-straight-to-hspa/

While it puts the finishing touches on its nascent 7.2Mbps upgrades and starts certifying devices to use it, AT&T has revealed a juicy tidbit: that's probably the end of the line for old-guard HSPA on the country's largest GSM network. Before LTE, though, AT&T plans on upgrading to HSPA+ which should bring 21Mbps speeds out of the gate; straight-up HSPA is theoretically capable of moving to 14.4Mbps, but AT&T says that it's had technical difficulties in maxing it out and HSPA+ equipment is now ready for implementation anyhow. Simultaneously, the company says it's adding additional carriers at cells on a case-by-case basis to help with white-hot demand and is upgrading its backhaul network to handle the blazing speeds promised by the newer standards. We'll see.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Filed under: Cellphones

AT&T likely skipping 14.4Mbps, moving straight to HSPA+ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CompoBank's prototype 3D digital camera and digiframe

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/compobanks-prototype-3d-digital-camera-and-digiframe/

Sure, it's not the first 3D camera we've seen 'round these parts -- and it sure ain't the wackiest -- but it looks like CompoBank of South Korea is diving headlong into three dimensional imaging with the release of both a camera and a 7-inch digiframe, sometime in late 2009 or thereafter. The company's prototype 3D digital camera features a parallax barrier 3D display, which uses two pictures to assemble the image, and an anaglyph format option (for those who prefer the old school red/cyan glasses). Parallax 3D images can be viewed on the digiframe, which boasts an 800 x 480 screen resolution and a function to convert pictures and video files from 2D to 3D. The company plans on making its products compatible with Fujifilm's 3D camera and display systems, which should also see the light of day sometime this year. There's no word yet on a release date, except that it will be this fall "at the earliest." Check out that fine camera after the break.

Continue reading CompoBank's prototype 3D digital camera and digiframe

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays

CompoBank's prototype 3D digital camera and digiframe originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LaCie debuts 8TB 4big Quadra, new RAID bundles at NAB

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/lacie-debuts-8tb-4big-quadra-new-raid-bundles-at-nab/

Not sure if you've noticed, but NAB is in full swing over in Las Vegas. Not one to let a spotlight pass it by, LaCie has today introduced a new 8TB model of its 4big Quadra alongside a trio of new storage bundles for professionals who need gobs of free space and loads of speed. The 4big Quadra is a 4-bay RAID solution that handles hot-swappable disks and seven RAID modes, and by hitting up one the outfit's new combos (8TB, 16TB and 32TB), you also get a 4-port eSATA II PCI Express Card 3Gb/s card. Check 'em this May starting at $1,999.

Gallery: LaCie debuts 8TB 4big Quadra, new RAID bundles at NAB

Filed under: Sto rage

LaCie debuts 8TB 4big Quadra, new RAID bundles at NAB originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD's 40nm ATI Radeon HD 4770 outed, slated for May release?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/amds-40nm-ati-radeon-hd-4770-outed/

Ever since we saw the glowing review AMD's ATI Radeon RV740 prototype received, we've been looking forward to the day that the company would make one of these 40nm wonders available. It looks like that day might be close at hand -- according to these purloined slides, a little something called the ATI Radeon HD 4770 is due to make the scene next month in the $99 price point. This handsome lad sports GDDR5 memory, DirectX 10.1 support, a 750 MHz clock speed, a memory clock of 800 MHz using a 128-bit memory bus, a frame buffer size of 512 MB, and much, much more. Curious? Of course you are. Check the slides out below for all of the glorious details.

[Via Tom's Hardware]

Gallery: ATI Radeon HD 4770

Filed under: Desktops

AMD's 40nm ATI Radeon HD 4770 outed, slated for May release? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic developing 1080p twin-lens P2 camcorder for native 3D captures

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/panasonic-developing-1080p-twin-lens-p2-camcorder-for-native-3d/

You know that 3D bandwagon you're still hesitant to jump on? We get the feeling that this year's NAB show may just push you over the top. Shortly after hearing of Fujifilm's newest P2 memory cards comes this, a conceptual camcorder in which to eventually slot 'em in. Currently, Panasonic's 3D Full HD Camera Recorder is merely a prototype, but it's made clear that the company intends to bring this to market as soon as possible. Essentially, the device will boast a twin-lens system for capturing 3D footage natively in 1080p, and all of the video streams will be stored on Panny's professional P2 cards. It's hard to say if this would even be useful for 2D shooting on the side, but with practically every major studio at least considering (if not committing to) 3D production, we'd say it's a solid investment on Panasonic's part either way.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Panasonic developing 1080p twin-lens P2 camcorder for native 3D captures originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA rolls out Quadro FX 4800 graphics card for Mac Pro users

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/nvidia-rolls-out-quadro-fx-4800-graphics-card-for-mac-pro-users/

Been itching to add an $1,800 graphics card to your shiny new Mac Pro? Then you're in luck, as NVIDIA has now finally made its high-end Quadro FX 4800 graphics card available to Mac users, just a few short months after PC folk first got their hands on it. Of course the core specs of the card remain unchanged, and include a 1.5GB frame buffer with memory bandwidth up to 76.8 GB/sec, a pair of dual-link DVI connectors with some added support for 3D stereo glasses, 192 stream processors, a maximum power consumption of 150W, and some Boot Camp support right out of the gate. You'll still have to wait a tiny bit longer to check out all that for yourself, however, as the first cards apparently won't be available until some time next month.

Filed under: Desktops

NVIDIA rolls out Quadro FX 4800 graphics card for Mac Pro users originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okoro debuts new rack-mountable RK Series media servers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/okoro-debuts-new-rack-mountable-rk-series-media-servers/

Rack-mounted media servers aren't exactly for everybody, but those looking to really go all out with their home theater may want to consider one of Okoro's new RK Series models, which boast some base specs that are sure to make almost anyone a little envious. That includes an Intel Core i7 processor, an 80GB SSD OS drive, a minimum 2TB of additional storage, at least 6GB of RAM, a built-in Blu-ray drive, multiple CableCARD TV tuners, and full support for multi-zone audio controllable from a UMPC or MID, among other equally high-end specs. Naturally, pricing appears to be on a need to know basis, but Okoro will throw in a free Quantum of Solace Blu-ray with each system -- which we're sure will be just the thing to push folks over the edge.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Media PCs

Okoro debuts new rack-mountable RK Series media servers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vivace portable music studio features multitouch interface, loads of style

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/vivace-portable-music-studio-features-multitouch-interface-load/

It was not too long ago that we were lusting over OpenLabs' attempt to bring us a dedicated digital audio workstation as a single device, and now it looks like the ante's been upped yet again. Sure, the Vivace is but a mere concept at the moment, but designers Young-Shin Lee and Hae-Jin Jung clearly know what we want. This guy has the same form factor as a laptop, but instead of a keyboard features a second multi-touch display. On the downside, we can't imagine that playing a "keyboard" on a smooth surface would give one anywhere near the control of honest-to-goodness keys. But on the upside? This thing looks really, really sweet. Check out the gallery below for some more mouth-waterin' pics.

Gallery: Vivace multitouch portable music studio concept

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Vivace portable music studio features multitouch interface, loads of style originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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D-Link finally ships the DXN-221 Coax Ethernet adapter

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/d-link-finally-ships-the-dxn-221-coax-ethernet-adapter/

It's taken almost a year, but D-Link is finally shipping its DXN-221 Coax Ethernet network adapter. The MoCA-certified box does exactly what it says -- it turns your existing coax cabling into a giant Ethernet network without interfering with TV signals, allowing you to get hardwired network speeds anywhere in your house without having to run Cat6. A pair will set you back $239 at retail, but it looks like D-Link is selling them direct for $156.

[Via HotHardware]

Filed under: Networking

D-Link finally ships the DXN-221 Coax Ethernet adapter originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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