Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, May 21, 2009

QNAP rolls out 2.5-inch, Atom-based SS-439 Pro Turbo NAS

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/20/qnap-rolls-out-2-5-inch-atom-based-ss-439-pro-turbo-nas/

QNAP's already stuffed an Atom processor into a few of its NAS devices, but it looks like the company is still only just getting started, and it's now rolled out yet another model in the form of the SS-439 Pro Turbo NAS. Like the similarly designated TS-439, this one will accommodate four SATA drives of your choice, although the SS-439 opts for 2.5-inch drives to keep the NAS even more compact. Otherwise, you can expect to get 1GB of DDRII memory in addition to that Atom N270 processor, along with support for RAID 0/1/5/6/5+hot spare configurations, three USB ports, two eSATA ports, and all the usual security measures you'd expect from a small business / SOHO-minded NAS. No word on pricing just yet, but it looks like this one should be rolling out to retailers right away.

Filed under: Storage, Networking

QNAP rolls out 2.5-inch, Atom-based SS-439 Pro Turbo NAS originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 May 2009 15:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft is desperate for gamers to adopt Windows SideShow

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/20/microsoft-is-desperate-for-gamers-to-adopt-windows-sideshow/

Microsoft really, really wants to convince you that in the high stakes world of multiple displays, SideShow is the only way to go. To that end, the company has put together a little white paper meant to sell us on the idea of using their product to for extra screen real estate as you flail about Azeroth (or whatever it is that you do in your free time). And it's not like we need to be sold on the concept -- we love our Mimo as much as the next guy or gal -- but as wary as companies have been of this technology, we're guessing that it'll take more than some fancy Photoshoppin' to get hardware vendors on board. But who knows? Hit the read link to discover all of Microsoft's thoughts on the subject.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Displays

Microsoft is desperate for gamers to adopt Windows SideShow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 May 2009 16:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Philips Lumiblade OLED lights arrive

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/20/first-philips-lumiblade-oled-lights-arrive/

Philips has always pushed OLED lighting concepts, and it looks like the company's Lumiblade products will be the first to start shipping. The folks at OLED-Info got to play with some pre-production samples, and while they're definitely cool and impossibly slim, there are some notable drawbacks: the rectangular panel has some unfortunate "speckles," and overall they're just not very bright on their own, so you'll need quite a few for an actual lamp. Still, we've no doubt OLED lighting will soon be everywhere, so hit read link for a quick glimpse of the future.

Filed under: Household

First Philips Lumiblade OLED lights arrive originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 May 2009 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin America lights up entire fleet with in-flight WiFi

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/20/virgin-america-lights-up-entire-fleet-with-in-flight-wifi/

Hold up AirTran -- not so fast with those wild claims of in-flight WiFi superiority. If you'll recall, the aforesaid airline proclaimed that it would soon be the first to have its entire fleet doused with Gogo, but it looks like Virgin America has swept in to claim that title. We should point out just how unfair the challenge is, though: VA has 28 planes as of today, whereas AirTran has 136. At any rate, we're still thrilled to see airlines duking it out in order to get more WiFi to more fliers, and we fully anticipate that every new aircraft added to Virgin America's fleet will be lit from day one. Now, if only they'd allow Skype functionality for more than just an Oprah demonstration, we'd really be playing with fire.

[Via Gadling]

Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

Virgin America lights up entire fleet with in-flight WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 May 2009 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Multicard-lovin' dual SATA HDD dock keeps the dream alive

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/20/multicard-lovin-dual-sata-hdd-dock-keeps-the-dream-alive/

It's funny, really. Years back, we figured this SATA HDD dock was a one-off device that would get swept under the rug as quickly as it reached prominence. And yet, here we are in May of 2009 looking at the latest iteration of a product that won't ever stop reinventing itself. Brando's Dual SATA HDD Multi-Function Dock with One Touch Backup (yeah, seriously) doubles up on elder models by holding two 2.5- or 3.5-inch hard drives, and it also accepts a litany of flash cards. Lastly, this adds an eSATA connector to the traditional USB 2.0 socket for a bit more flexibility, but we still can't justify the $89 price if you already own a predecessor (or three).

Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

Multicard-lovin' dual SATA HDD dock keeps the dream alive originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 May 2009 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer launches easyStore Home Server: 1TB expandable storage for $400

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/21/acer-launches-easystore-home-server-1tb-expandable-storage-for/

Acer's entering the home server market, and its first entry's gonna be the easyStore AH340-UA230N with built-in Windows Home Server. It's juiced up with Intel Atom 230 processor and 2GB DDR2 RAM, and in addition to 1TB of storage, you've got three 3.5-inch hot swappable bays for a possible total of 7TB of storage. Throw in some DLNA 1.5 certification and a $400 price tag, and you've got yourself pretty decent competitor to HP's MediaSmart lineup. According to the presser, it should be available sometime around now-ish. Mosey on after the break for a look at the its innards.

Continue reading Acer launches easyStore Home Server: 1TB expandable storage for $400

Filed under: Media PCs, Storage

Acer launches easyStore Home Server: 1TB expandable storage for $400 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 01:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony's 400-disc BDP-CX7000ES Blu-ray Mega Changer reportedly coming soon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/21/sonys-400-disc-bdp-cx7000es-blu-ray-mega-changer-reportedly-com/

There's no doubt that Sony has a 400-disc Blu-ray Mega Changer on the cooker -- heck, we saw the thing last year at CEDIA -- but up until now, there's been no indication of its nearness to market. According to a vague Swiss product page and a report from Sony Insider, however, the launch date is indeed drawing near. If hunches prove legitimate, the BDP-CX7000ES will allow 400 of your favorite BD flicks to sit within a single console, and we've every reason to believe that this one will support BD-Live and actually load films with some amount of haste. You know, very much unlike the 200-disc HES-V1000 that's already out there. As of now, it's looking like the unit will run right around $2,300, placing it squarely in rarefied air and ostensibly out of reach for the vast majority of home theater junkies.

[Via Sony Insider]

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Sony's 400-disc BDP-CX7000ES Blu-ray Mega Changer reportedly coming soon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 04:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aussie whiz-kids can cram 1.6TB on a DVD-sized disc, go Outback tonight

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/21/aussie-whiz-kids-can-cram-1-6tb-on-a-dvd-sized-disc-go-outback/

Don't take it personally, Blu-ray -- we still love you and all, but there's just something dreamy about baking 1.6TB of information onto a blank piece of optical media we can actually afford. According to a new report, a crew of researchers at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia have exploited the properties of a certain gold nano-rod that will theoretically enable them to shove 300 DVDs worth of data onto a single disc. Calling the method "five-dimensional optical recording," the technique "employs nanometer-scale particles of gold as a recording medium," and according to developers, it's primed for commercialization. Essentially, these gurus have figured out how to add a spectral and polarization dimension, giving them the ability to record information "in a range of different color wavelengths on the same physical disc." As for the chances this actually makes it out of the laboratory and into the lives of real humans? Slim, Jim.

[Thanks, Sam]

Filed under: Storage, Science

Aussie whiz-kids can cram 1.6TB on a DVD-sized disc, go Outback tonight originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 06:06:00 EST.! Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia's N86 8MP cruises through the FCC's database

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/21/nokias-n86-8mp-cruises-through-fccs-database/

When Nokia unveiled its N86 back in February, we Yanks were given no hope whatsoever that a US release was in the cards. We're doing our best to stifle our excitement, but it sure looks like a stateside launch is a lot closer now that said handset has made its way through the dark and murky halls of the FCC. Seen here in a lovely, washed-out shade of black, the 8 megapixel, OLED-equipped dual-slider seems no different than the one we toyed with in Barcelona, save for the whole US-friendly aspect, of course. C'mon Nokia, come clean with the price and ship date, won'tcha?

[Thanks, eleminop

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia's N86 8MP cruises through the FCC's database originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 06:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic's Class 10 SDHC cards make the wait for SDXC easier

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/21/panasonics-class-10-sdhc-cards-make-the-wait-for-sdxc-easier/

A full 15 months after Panasonic dropped jaws with its 32GB Class 6 SDHC card, the company is hitting us up with another world's first. Announced today over in Europe, the outfit has revealed a new line of SDHC memory cards that boast a Class 10 speed rating. Said spec was recently given the green light as part of the SD Card Specification v3.0, and as you could likely surmise, the increase in transfer rates should enable the cards to better handle all that HD video your DSLR seems to be capturing these days. Still, the boost is relatively minimal (particularly compared to the forthcoming SDXC format), with Class 10 promising maximum speeds of 22MB/sec and Class 6 cards already offering top-end rates of 20MB/sec. Mum's the word on price, but Panny expects these to ship next month in the UK before heading to other markets sometime later.

Filed under: Storage

Panasonic's Class 10 SDHC cards make the wait for SDXC easier originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 07:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FLOW is like the Ikea bookshelf of Android phones

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/21/flow-is-like-the-ikea-bookshelf-of-android-phones/

"You know, I could build a better phone than this." We've probably all uttered something to that effect in our past in a fit of frustrated rage -- some more than others -- but are you ready to put your money where your mouth is? If so, you can now part with some cash and cobble together a bunch of modules to create a do-it-yourself Android phone called FLOW -- just be aware that it's probably not going to solve your troubles. At nearly $500 for the bare minimum hardware, you're not saving any money over a phone expertly manufactured by an Asian OEM, and no offense, sport, but something tells us the OEM's craftsmanship is in a different league. Putting away the practical concerns for a moment, the project seems like it'd be a blast -- so the only trick is finding someone willing to use a phone that looks like this clunky and geeky day in and day out. G1 owners, care to step forward?

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

FLOW is like the Ikea bookshelf of Android phones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 08:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG's 50PS70 and 60PS70 plasmas get 160GB Time Machine functionality

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/21/lgs-50ps70-and-60ps70-plasmas-get-160gb-time-machine-functional/

The jury's still out on whether inbuilt DVRs are good for HDTVs, but LG's obviously hot to trot on the whole idea. Nearly a year after first introducing sets with an integrated Time Machine, the outfit is hitting back with two new big-screen plasmas that each posses a 160GB internal hard drive. The X Canvas 50PS70 (50-inch) and 60PS70 (60-inch) panels also boast 600Hz dejudder technology and can record overflow onto external drives connected via USB 2.0. Additional details (price, screen resolution, availability, etc.) are scant, but we'll be sure to keep an ear to the ground.

[Via Akihabara News]

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Storage

LG's 50PS70 and 60PS70 plasmas get 160GB Time Machine functionality originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharp's MIDtastic RD-PM10 electronic dictionary

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/21/sharps-midtastic-rd-pm10-electronic-dictionary/

Sure, it's no Zaurus, but Sharp's new RD-PM10 certainly is a looker. It packs a 4.3-inch WQVGA screen, QWERTY keyboard and 8GB of storage into a pretty delightful form factor, and while it's only designed for light e-dictionary and media playback duties, with Windows CE 5.0 as the backbone, we could imagine it doing a whole lot more with a bit of extra oomph under the hood. There's a microSD slot for expansion, pretty great codec support, and a 360,000 KRW (about $288 US) list price.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Handhelds

Sharp's MIDtastic RD-PM10 electronic dictionary originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 10:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Absurd Liquid-Cooled Desk Computer Is a Tribute to Mod Excess [Mods]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/k4ysbhZP2yo/absurd-liquid+cooled-desk-computer-is-a-tribute-to-mod-excess

One year ago, some Popular Mechanics editors set out with the broad goal of building the most ridiculously extravagant PC mod they could. This is what they came up with.

PopMech's quad-core beast is loaded with just the kind of pricey hardware you'd expect from such a flamboyant mod—4 GB of Kingston HyperX DDR3 RAM, a GeForce GTX 280 graphics card, two 300GB, 10,000RPM VelociRaptor HDDs, and an Antex kilowatt power supply—all centered around an 3.0-GHz Intel Core 2 Quad processor. It's the case, though, that's the star of the show.

The main structure of the desk is made up of two massive panels of acrylic, bolted to a custom-built aluminum frame. A glycol liquid cooling system snakes through the whole of the machine, stopping off to suck heat away from both the main processor and the graphics card. Built into the top is a custom-built Synaptics touchpad—a mostly useless but nonetheless cool design flourish.

PopMech has included a short how-to with their story, but it's less of an instructional guide than a point-by-point summary of why you can't build one of these yourself. [PopMech]

Dragonfly Skyscraper Farm Will Give Pigs the Best Views of Manhattan [Architecture]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/o1FJO8Tg8XE/dragonfly-skyscraper-farm-will-give-pigs-the-best-views-of-manhattan

First they launched the Swine Flu attack at a global scale, and now they are opening their headquarters in New York. This is the Dragonfly Vertical Farm, a skyscraper designed for animals and agricultural production.

Sitting on the southern part of Roosevelt Island—on the East River—the building is based on the shape of a dragonfly's wings. It extends 132 floors 600 meters up in the air, totalling 360,000 square meters.

The Dragonfly Vertical Farm is designed to produce fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, and dairy. It will also include public spaces, so people can visit the animals as they get ready to first take over Manhattan, and then take over Berlin. It will probably also result in the most expensive milk and bacon in the planet, which is probably why it is never going to be built.

Yes, the end is near. [Design Boom]

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