Monday, August 17, 2009

Video: simulated 'quiet zone' cloaking hides an object in 2-D

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/17/video-simulated-quiet-zone-cloaking-hides-an-object-in-2-d/

Video: simulated 'quiet zone' cloaking hides an object in 2-D
You don't have to be able to pick a Romulan out of a crowd of Vulcans to be intrigued by the idea of cloaking, and indeed many non-trekkers have tried to hide things in plain sight using electromagnetism, accoustic superlenses, or light-bending materials. The latest attempt relies on devices that emit cancelling waves of the sort anyone who's ever seen a Bose commercial should quite familiar with, combining to negate any external, incoming waves. What's different here is that they also recombine on the other side of the object being cloaked, as shown in the video below, meaning that incoming surge is then re-generated and continues on undisturbed -- potentially even reflecting back through the object again should it hit something on the far side. It's part of research at the University of Utah and, for now, only works in a theoretical two-dimensional world where triangles and squares are ruled by pentagons, hexagons, and priestly polygons. Optical camoflage is sadly not believed to be possible using this technique, but sonar and radar are likely implementations, as well as mechanisms to subvert earthquakes, tsunamis, and maybe even neighboring speed metal fans.

Continue reading Video: simulated 'quiet zone' cloaking hides an object in 2-D

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Video: simulated 'quiet zone' cloaking hides an obje! ct in 2- D originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:22 PM

Dixons launches slim little Advent Altro CULV PCs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/17/dixons-launches-two-slim-little-advent-altro-culv-pcs/

UK electronics retailer Dixons just got the memo that slim is in, and its taken it to heart. The store is on the verge of launching two new PCs as part of its Advent brand -- and the 13.3-inch CULV Altro line is pretty sexy looking. Already drawing the obvious comparisons to the MacBook Air in the looks department, the Altro boasts an Intel Celeron CPU, 3GB of RAM, and a 120GB hard drive, WiFi, Bluetooth, plus USB and HDMI ports, and one multifunction connector for hooking up an external port replicator. If the specs of the Altro aren't beefy enough for you, there will be a second version -- the Elite -- which will have an Intel Core 2 Solo processor, and a "premium" flush glass finish. Both of the Advent Altros will be available at Dixons (that's UK-only) starting August 24th, with prices at £600 (around $987) for the standard model and £800 (about $1,316) for the Elite. Both come with Windows Vista pre-installed, but a free upgrade to Windows 7 is also included. One more shot after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading Dixons launches slim little Advent Altro CULV PCs

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Dixons launches slim little Advent Altro CULV PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Aug 2! 009 09:3 5:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:22 PM

NVIDIA confirms Tegra processor within Zune HD, details it real good

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/17/nvidia-confirms-tegra-processor-within-zune-hd-details-it-real/


It's no big secret that NVIDIA's potent Tegra chip will be powering Microsoft's forthcoming Zune HD, but up until now, the former company had been rather quiet about its involvement in the project. Just a few days after the OLED-equipped portable media player went up for pre-order around the web, NVIDIA has stepped in to affirm that its own Tegra processor will be "providing the multimedia muscle in Zune HD." We're told that no fewer than eight independent processors make up Tegra's collective whole, with each one engineered for a specific class of tasks; among them are an HD video processor, an audio processor, a graphics processor and two ARM cores. Each of the chips can work together or independently to minimize power consumption, and the built-in nPower technology is said to optimize system power use and enable extended HD video / MP3 playback time. Sounds good in print, but we've got just under a month to find out how it performs for real.

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NVIDIA confirms Tegra processor within Zune HD, details it real good originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:15 PM

Sony's big plans for OLED HDTVs may slip to next year

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/17/sonys-big-plans-for-oled-hdtvs-may-slip-to-next-year/


Hope you weren't too attached to the idea of "medium to large" sized OLED HDTVs coming from Sony this year, according to the Wall Street Journal's sources, the company's slipping share of TV sales mean profitability takes precedence over sweet, super slim new displays. Surprised by its inability to sell truckloads of $2,500 11-inch versions CEO Howard Stringer decided to put the project on the back burner, apparently more focused on things like competing in Wal-Mart and implementing cheaper LED technology for its LCDs. With LG also on a timetable that puts us a year or more away from seeing one of these on store shelves in decent sizes, things are up to Samsung to bring it home -- we're waiting.

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Sony's big plans for OLED HDTVs may slip to next year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 6:56 PM

Acer Timeline 1810T gets renamed and reviewed ahead of imminent US release

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/16/acer-timeline-1810t-gets-renamed-and-reviewed-ahead-of-imminent/

With a 1.4GHz Intel SU3500 chip, up to 4GB of memory and a 1366 x 768 display, Acer's 11.6-inch Timeline 1810T threatens to bridge the usability gap between netbooks and workhorse laptops. And now that the first review has come in, we can say that the verdict is... well, ambivalent. Multitasking, battery life and general build quality scored the thumbs up, but the glossy screen and casing weren't so well received, and 1080p and Flash video playback were hit-and-miss. Set to be known as the Aspire 1410 in the US, this grown-up netbook is expected to arrive pretty soon, with some online retailers already offering pre-orders at $450. The video review is after the break, or hit the read link to check out the unboxing and more extensive thoughts on the laptop.

[Via Netbooked]

Read - 1810T to be sold as 1410 in US
Read - 1810T / 1410 unboxing and review

Continue reading Acer Timeline 1810T gets renamed and reviewed ahead of imminent US release

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Acer Timeline 1810T gets renamed and reviewed ahead of imminent US release originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:06 AM

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