Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

LG's 240Hz LH90 LED TV series priced, global release dates still a mystery

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/22/lgs-240hz-lh90-led-tv-series-priced-global-release-dates-still/

LG's finally put a price on its TruMotion 240Hz LH90 series displays. Available in 42, 47, and 55-inch sizes, the LED TVs boast a whopping 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, THX support, and the ability to play DivX files via USB. If you need to start budgeting early, expect to pay somewhere around ₩3,300,000 (US $2,445) to ₩ 6,400,000 (US $4,742), depending on the model. We know it's destined for an international release, but other than that, unfortunately mum's the word when that date might be.

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

LG's 240Hz LH90 LED TV series priced, global release dates still a mystery originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 02:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas Memory Systems goes Texas, hobbles together RamSan-620 5TB SSD "drive"

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/22/texas-memory-systems-goes-texas-hobbles-together-ramsan-620-5tb/

Way to play to your stereotypes, Texas. Texas Memory Systems just announced what it claims is the largest SLC SSD on the market, with 5TB of single level cell (the good kind) flash memory spread across a 2U rack shelf. The drive can handle 250,000 sustained I/Os per second, churn through 3GB of data a second, and has 80 microsecond write latency. Texas Memory Systems claims that for similar performance from a HDD setup you'd need half a million dollars and consume 20x the power. TMS calls the system "affordable for mainstream IT shops" but hasn't mentioned a price or release date just yet. We'll take two.

[Via Channel Register]

Filed under: Storage, Networking

Texas Memory Systems goes Texas, hobbles together RamSan-620 5TB SSD "drive" originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OCZ's Neutrino netbook reviewed, deemed totally handy and easy to use

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/22/oczs-neutrino-netbook-reviewed-deemed-totally-handy-and-easy-t/

OCZ's Neutrino netbook looks much like any other 10.1-incher, but this DIY affair comes with no OS, hard drive, RAM or multicard reader, leaving the users to decide for themselves how to outift it. The folks over at ExtremeTech are kind of unhappy about that point -- they'd like to see it be more customizable than it is for the truly nerdy, but they're still pretty happy with what OCZ's got to offer. They did a test run, installing a 60GB SSD, one 2GB SODIMM and WindowsXP onto the machine, all which went off without a hitch. They didn't try to use the Neutrino for gaming or anything, but it apparently handled everything else quite snappily, and overall, they seem to think that for $269 plus some parts and labor, you can't really go wrong.

Filed under: Laptops

OCZ's Neutrino netbook reviewed, deemed totally handy and easy to use originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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everyone get on the bus (at the same time) -- Coke Taps YouTube, Facebook; Mitsubishi Taps Facebook; Pizza Hut 'Twintern' to Tweet

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Cyber-Spies Hack Into Ultra-Sensitive Pentagon Fighter Jet Project [Espionage]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/gFVAKoKb6Bs/cyber+spies-hack-into-ultra+sensitive-pentagon-fighter-jet-project

Computer spies have broken into the Pentagon's $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter project and made off with several terabytes of code. The Pentagon, and consequently the Wall Street Journal, suspects Chinese involvement.

The Joint Strike Fighter, also known as the F-35 Lightning II Fighter, is the most costly project in Pentagon history, so it's a little bit problematic that some spies scampered in and nicked an unknown, but undoubtedly large, quantity of data without getting anywhere near caught. The cyber-spies encrypted the data on its way out, so nobody's really sure where they came from or where the data went, but some IP addresses have been tracked to China, prompting a little bit of back-and-forth between the DoD and the Chinese government.

A Pentagon report issued last month said that the Chinese military has made "steady progress" in developing online-warfare techniques. China hopes its computer skills can help it compensate for an underdeveloped military, the report said.

The Chinese Embassy said in a statement that China "opposes and forbids all forms of cyber crimes." It called the Pentagon's report "a product of the Cold War mentality" and said the allegations of cyber espionage are "intentionally fabricated to fan up China threat sensations."

Though the most valuable information, including data on the F-35's flight control and sensors, is inaccessible (stored on non-networked computers), nobody's really sure exactly what happened, and nobody, from the manufacturers to the researchers to the Pentagon's press team, wants to talk about it. It's a pretty ala! rming re ad, check it out. Wall Street Journal, image also via WSJ

Presented By:

Waking the Baby Mammoth: Sunday at 9p

On the frozen plains of the Siberian tundra, a reindeer herder chances upon a 40,000 year old baby mammoth – the most perfectly preserved mammoth ever found. On Sunday, witness the mammoth's unveiling to the world, as scientists reveal her incredible story. Click to meet the Baby Mammoth now >> natgeotv.com/mammoth

Sharp Mebius NJ70A Has Twice as Many Screens as a Typical Netbook [NetBooks]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/y5rLo3BDs58/sharp-mebius-nj70a-has-twice-as-many-screens-as-a-typical-netbook

On paper, the Mebius NJ70A looks just about the same as every other Atom netbook, except for one glaring, 854x480, 4-inch, multitouch LCD difference.

Following a stroke a genius (or possibly just a regular stroke), Sharp's designers have completely replaced this netbook's trackpad with a glass multitouch screen. Akihabara News gave it a try below, but their photos, first impressions and video still leave some questions.

Mebius NJ70A Hands-On: The world first netbook with optical
by AkihabaraNews

Like, is there a another pointing mechanism? Akihabara's fiddling seems to reveal a touchscreen that is like almost any other capacitive panel, which is to so say sensitive, but not overly precise—and certainly not precise enough for typical mousing duties. Unless the center button is touch sensitive, or another section of the OS 9-reminiscent wristrest area has a Synaptics pad hiding out underneath it, the screen like the sole touch input mechanism, rather than a supplementary fun-screen like the Fujitsu LifeBook's. It's also unclear if the screen can be configured as a second monitor.

The rest is boring, filled out with a 1.6GHz Atom, 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM, 1024x600 main display, 1.3mp webcam, etc. Pricing and release date are still somewhat up in the air, but it looks like it'll be Japan-only for a while, and should ship by late May. [A kihabara]

Presented By:

Waking the Baby Mammoth: Sunday at 9p

On the frozen plains of the Siberian tundra, a reindeer herder chances upon a 40,000 year old baby mammoth – the most perfectly preserved mammoth ever found. On Sunday, witness the mammoth's unveiling to the world, as scientists reveal her incredible story. Click to meet the Baby Mammoth now >> natgeotv.com/mammoth

Sharp's Mebius PC-NJ70A packs LCD trackpad for the whiz-bang crowd

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/21/sharps-mebius-pc-nj70a-packs-lcd-trackpad-for-the-whiz-bang-cro/

And you thought Apple's button-less "glass trackpad" was hot stuff. Sharp has just let loose details on its thoroughly Japanese Mebius PC-NJ70A, which sadly packs an exceptionally boring list of internal components but manages to stay interesting with a decidedly unorthodox trackpad. As you can see in the image above, Sharp has actually tossed an 854 x 480 resolution LCD right onto the palm rest, which automatically adjusts brightness based on surrounding light and can likely act as a secondary display for things like adjusting an equalizer with your digits. Beyond that, the netbook is downright drab, sporting just a 10.1-inch display (1,024 x 600), 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, three USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a multicard reader. There's no set price as of yet, but word on the street puts it right around ¥80,000 ($817). Glamor shot after the break.

Continue reading Sharp's Mebius PC-NJ70A packs LCD trackpad for the whiz-bang crowd

Filed under: Laptops

Sharp's Mebius PC-NJ70A packs LCD trackpad for the whiz-bang crowd originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Liquid crystal lasers will light up next-gen HDTVs, your life

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/21/liquid-crystal-lasers-will-light-up-next-gen-hdtvs-your-life/

Liquid crystal lasers will light up next-gen HDTVs, your life

If you thought Mitsubishi's LaserVue HDTVs were the beginning and the end of laser-tech in boob tubes, think again. Mitsu's line is carrying on, but the brightness and depth of color offered by that telly are apparently just the beginning of what's possible according to researchers at the Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics at the University of Cambridge. They indicate that the use of liquid crystals in concert with a single, laser-based light source would result in the same color depth but at a lower cost and higher reliability than the LaserVue, which requires separate lasers for RGB. What cost, exactly? That, dear reader, remains to be seen, but given the source we're thinking you have plenty of time to save up -- and to practice those Dr. Evil impressions.

[Via OLED-Display]

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

Liquid crystal lasers will light up next-gen HDTVs, your life originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cube H100HD PMP does 1080i in a tiny package

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/21/cube-h100hd-pmp-does-1080i-in-a-tiny-package/

Cube H100HD PMP does 1080i in a tiny package

Thought 720p output from a PMP was impressive? Try 1080i on for size. Yes, Cube has seemingly one-upped itself, introducing a new PMP called the H100HD that, like its predecessor, sports a 5-inch LCD and support for a variety of video and audio formats, but adds in an FM tuner, support for simple Flash games, and another step up the HD resolution ladder, all in a package that's a bit more svelte than before. And yes, it still does 720p output for those progressive types. No information on price yet, but since the last one sold for under $75 don't expect it to break the bank -- also don't expect it to show up at whatever electronics retailers are still in business where you are.

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Cube H100HD PMP does 1080i in a tiny package originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zotac jumping in Ion-filled waters with new Mini-ITX motherboards

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/21/zotac-jumping-in-ion-filled-waters-with-new-mini-itx-motherboard/

We'd heard a few whispers rolling through the gentle breeze that Zotac would be hopping on the Ion bandwagon early on, and sure enough, it looks like said firm is indeed latched on. Reportedly, the outfit will be producing a few Mini-ITX motherboards in the near future that support Intel's Atom 230 / 330 processors and come loaded with NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M G chipsets. The mobos would also include all of the basic amenities: Ethernet, two RAM slots, HDMI / DVI / VGA outputs, a trio of SATA ports and a WiFi module. There's still no word on what system maker is looking to slap these into their next-generation nettops, but who knows, maybe this will end up being the first standalone Ion-based board for the DIYers in attendance.

[Via Expreview, thanks Shawn]

Filed under: Desktops

Zotac jumping in Ion-filled waters with new Mini-ITX motherboards originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for u! se of fe eds.

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Bee.One electric car to be tiny, cheap, and cute

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/21/bee-one-electric-car-to-be-tiny-cheap-and-cute/

British start-up Bee has just dropped some details on its forthcoming uber-affordable electric car, the One. This five-door affair will have a top speed of around 80 miles per hour, with a maximum range of 200 miles before needing a recharge. The car will run on two battery packs stowed under the floor, and will be easily swappable in case charging stations start popping up all over the U.K. The One will also have a constant 3G connection for management and performance system software monitoring and updates. The most exciting detail about the car, however (besides its adorable attitude) is likely to be its pricepoint: £12,000 ($17,700) plus the recent government subsidy of £5000 ($7400) for electric car purchases will bring this puppy down to about £7,000 -- or just over $10,000. Sure -- it's not Tata-cheap... but this one's electric! The One is scheduled to go into production during 2011 with an initial run of about 12,000 vehicles. One more render of the car after the break.

Continue reading Bee.One electric car to be tiny, cheap, and cute

Filed under: Transportation

Bee.One electric car to be tiny, cheap, and cute originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CMOs Not Happy With Digital - marketing ROI, behavioral analyses, CRM: most important parts of digital mix - http://ping.fm/Pd6im

TiVo to sell instant data on what people watch, fast-forward - http://ping.fm/KtC9q - advertisers are in for some eye-opening results!

Monday, April 20, 2009

New in Labs: Suggest more recipients

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OfficialGmailBlog/~3/WUTkBidTJaU/new-in-labs-suggest-more-recipients.html

Posted by Ari Leichtberg, Software Engineer

Have you ever realized you mistakenly left someone important out of an email, or just spent too much time trying to decide who from your long list of contacts to include? Well, some of us on the Gmail team feel your pain, so we wrote a new Gmail Labs feature called "Suggest more recipients."

Once you've enabled it from the Labs tab under Settings, you'll see suggested recipients while composing messages. Gmail will suggest people you might want to include based on the groups of people you email most often. So if you always email your mom, dad, and sister together, and you start composing a message to your mom and dad, Gmail will suggest adding your sister. Enter at least two recipients and any suggestions will show up like this:

Click on a suggested name, and they'll get added to your email.

Hopefully having lots of friends and co-workers just got a bit less onerous for you. (Oh, the burden of popularity!) Enjoy, and as usual, please let us know what you think.

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]

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