a pocket-sized camera that I lust for (1 of 3) Casio Exilim EX-FC100 -- 1,000 fps super hi-speed shooting -- http://bit.ly/LBquN

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MIT researchers weave "flexible camera" out of fiber web

We've see liquid camera lenses and cameras shaped like an eye, but a group of researchers from MIT's Department of Materials Science and Engineering are now taking things in yet another shape-shifting direction with a so-called "flexible camera" that uses a special fiber web instead of traditional lenses. Those fibers are each less than one millimeter in diameter, and are comprised of eight nested layers of light-detecting materials, which the researchers are able to form using an extrusion process like that used to make optical fiber for telecommunication applications. Once weaved into a fabric, the researchers say the "camera" could be anything from a foldable telescope to a soldier's uniform that gives them greater situational awareness. Of course, they aren't saying when that might happen, although they have apparently already been able to use the fiber web to take "a rudimentary picture of a smiley face."

Filed under: Digital Cameras

MIT researchers weave "flexible camera" out of fiber web originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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a pocket-sized camera that I lust for (2 of 3) Sigma DP2 FOVEON X3 (2,652 x 1,768 x 3 layers) RGB captured PER pixel - http://bit.ly/1VEwkl

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Smaller social networks are losing even the few users they have... http://bit.ly/TZgen

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ASUS U50VG announced, naming scheme remains impenetrable

Coming in today with no less than five new laptops -- the U50VG, K50AB, K70AB, K50IJ and F52Q -- the king of market segmentation is clearly still in good form. Announced in Italy today, the main attraction for Intel fans is the U50VG, which sports a 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo T6500 chip alongside 4GB of memory, 250GB storage, and a Geforce G 105M for a price of €943 or $1,320. A backlit chiclet keyboard, WiFi and a 16:9 display stretching to 15.6-inches fill out the spec sheet. The AMD-based AB variants are 15.6 (€793 / $1,107) and 17.3-inches (€868 / $1,212) respectively -- their main attraction being an ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 purring inside -- whereas the latter two models are targeted at the budget-conscious crowd. Click through for exhaustive specs and info on each model.

[Via Slashgear]

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS U50VG announced, naming scheme remains impenetrable originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: MSI's skinny X600 laptop gets handled

It's been a little while since we'd heard anything about the super-slim MSI X600 -- part of the X-Slim lineup they've unleashed upon the world. NewGadget's gotten their hands on one, and it's looking pretty sexy, we have to admit. We already know that there will supposedly be two offerings for this 15.6-incher -- one with a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Solo processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive, and the other with a 1.2GHz Intel Celeron processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. We still don't have official word on US release or pricing, but the video's after the break.

Continue reading Video: MSI's skinny X600 laptop gets handled

Filed under: Laptops

Video: MSI's skinny X600 laptop gets handled originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Black, White Or Combo

Veteran at YD, designer Mac Funamizu has given us many techie ideas to dwell on in the past. This time around he's come up with a non-techie solution for those who are fussy about the kinda pepper they use. There is a difference in the Black and White peppercorns, which is why this Black & White Peppermill. Color-coded as the namesake, just load the peppercorns into their respective compartments and use one hand to grind the seasoning over your food.

Grind Black, White or both together…..as per your taste! A cute little salt shaker in the center completes the spice family.

Designer: Mac Funamizu

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Altoids Tin Catapult Will Make You Feel, and Act, 10 Years Old Again [DIY]

Here's an Instructables to bring back the obnoxious kid that lives not so far down in all of us: Learn how to turn one of those miniature Altoids tins into a tiny catapult. It'll be fun for nobody but you.

We like Instructables like this one because not everyone has a damn laser cutter lying around, and this one only requires materials you've likely got lying around anyway (coat hanger, rubber band, spoon, etc.). The creator promises it'll only take about 10 minutes, and we promise it'll be fun for at least 11. [Instructables]

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F88 netbook stands out with HD playback, VIA Nano

What do we have here then? An OEM netbook, looking remarkably like a recent ASUS iteration, has come to our attention with some bold claims in tow. Spec'd with a 1.6GHz VIA Nano processor and S3 Chrome 9 graphics, this promises to be one of the most potent netbooks yet and backs up that claim with up to 4GB of memory and 500GB of storage. The major attraction of all this extra juice is full 1080p video playback, which is somewhat confounded by the 1024 x 600 resolution and 10.1-inch screen, but can be pumped out to an external display via HDMI. Expect this to be rebadged and hitting store shelves some time soonish, at which point we may consider the distinction between netbooks and laptops entirely academic.

[Via liliputing]

Filed under: Laptops

F88 netbook stands out with HD playback, VIA Nano originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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a pocket-sized camera that I lust for (1 of 3) Casio Exilim EX-FC100 -- 1,000 fps super hi-speed shooting -- http://ping.fm/2hyni

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Location Finding With Google Maps Comes To Chrome and Firefox [Google]

If you are running Chrome 2.0+ or FireFox 3.5+ you will notice a dot in the upper left corner of Google Maps that should, theoretically, be able to locate your position using the W3C Geolocation API.

We have been around this block before with apps like Geode and Google Gears, but it has yet to catch on like it has with cellphones. Of course, all of this will change as more location-specific services are implemented. At any rate, give it a shot and let us know how accurate it is. It worked pretty well for me. [TechCrunch]

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How to: Make a Fisheye DSLR Lens for $16 [DIY]

Over at Instructables, user Banjomaster shows how to make a fisheye lens for his Nikon D90 for just $16, with the help of one of those wide-angle doorway peephole lenses.

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.It looks like a pretty simple mod, both in materials required and construction method: It only needs a couple pieces of particle board, the aforementioned peephole lens, the spare lens shield that came with his camera, and of course some duct tape. The only possible caveat: The replacement wide-angle lens is significantly smaller than the camera's lens, so there's a circle around all of the shots. On the other hand, it's sort of cool; it makes everything look like you shot it through a hotel door. Check it out, we're sure it can be modified for other makes and models of DSLR. [Instructables]

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Lenovo's IdeaPad S10-2 reviewed: great battery life, but more of the same

Lenovo's S10-2 was a minor update to the original S10 (to put things nicely), but that's not to say it's not worth a look for those in the market for a 10-inch netbook. Boasting a slightly thinner, more beautified frame, the S10-2 also includes a tweaked keyboard, optional 3G, an extra USB port and none of the quirks that plagued the first edition. The benchmarking fiends over at HotHardware managed to sneak one of these things into their labs for testing, and while they largely found the S10-2 to be about the same as every other N270 + GMA 950 netbook out there, the 5.5 hour battery life was definitely impressive. All told, the S10-2 was found to be solid from top to bottom, but the $350 price tag did feel a bit steep considering just how many alternatives are out there. Still, even with the positive vibes, it's hard to recommend buying a WinXP netbook now with Windows 7 (and thus, no hardware limitations) just around the bend. Tap the read link if you're jonesing for more.

Filed under: Laptops

Lenovo's IdeaPad S10-2 reviewed: great battery life, but more of the same originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint mandating WiFi on future smartphones, WLAN-lovin' BlackBerry Tour coming next year

By the time Sprint gets around to releasing the 9630 Tour with WiFi, due out sometime early next year, we think most everyone'll have moved on to any one of the numerous BlackBerry devices likely to hit in the interim. What's more important in this FierceWireless report is that Sprint's requiring WiFi "in all its major devices going forward" -- which should mean pretty much every smartphone that lands in its CDMA-loving mitts. Verizon Wireless, who along with Sprint is also launching the WLAN-less Tour this Sunday, said that the company's working with RIM to get WiFi into future BlackBerry, but didn't oblige us with any hopeful descriptors that'd help us understand just how strong of a push was being made. Frankly, smartphones without WiFi at this point is downright criminal, and with CDMA phones trailing behind their GSM counterparts in this category, kudos to Sprint for taking the initiative.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Filed under: Cellphones

Sprint mandating WiFi on future smartphones, WLAN-lovin' BlackBerry Tour coming next year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Silverlight 3 out of beta, joins forces with your GPU for HD streaming

A day earlier than expected, Microsoft has launched its third edition of Silverlight and its SDK. As Ars Technica notes, some of the bigger improvements on the user side are GPU hardware acceleration and new codec support including H.264, AAC, and MPEG-4. If you're looking to give it a spin, there's a Smooth Streaming demo available that, as the name suggests, does a pretty good job of streaming HD video with little stutter, even when skipping around. If you've got Firefox 2, Internet Explorer 6, Safari 3 or anything fresher, hit up the read link to get the update.

[Via Ars Technica]

Read - Download Page
Read - Smooth Streaming demo

Filed under: Internet, Software

Silverlight 3 out of beta, joins forces with your GPU for HD streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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