Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Borders pulls a B&N, offers free WiFi to all patrons

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/borders-pulls-a-bandn-offers-free-wifi-to-all-patrons/

In the gory, never-ending war for book store supremacy, Borders has just tapped Verizon in order to match Barnes & Noble's summer efforts to bring gratis WiFi to all who enter. Details of the arrangement are scant, but the takeaway is this: in "virtually all" of its more than 500 stores nationwide, Borders is hooking up with Verizon to bring free internet to anyone who sashays in (note: you literally have to dance upon entering) with a WiFi-enabled device. The service is expected to be fully rolled out by mid-October, giving you plenty of time to select the scarf and skinny jeans you'd like to be seen in by your fellow hipsters.

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Borders pulls a B&N, offers free WiFi to all patrons originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell adds dual-core SU1400 CPU, other options to Inspiron 11z

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/dell-adds-dual-core-su1400-cpu-other-options-to-inspiron-11z/

Dell's 11.6-inch Inspiron 11z just went on sale last month, and already the outfit is opening up the options for those not entirely pleased with the single $399 model. Starting today, a $479 configuration is available to ship with a 250GB HDD and Vista Home Premium (with a Windows 7 upgrade, of course), and if that's still not enough, prospective customers can soon select their 11z in a variety of colors. We're talking Alpine White, Ice Blue, Jade Green, New Cherry Red, Passion Purple and Promise Pink, with the latter contributing $5 to breast cancer research. As for optional hardware upgrades, you can slot a dual-core Pentium SU1400 CPU in there alongside 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. As of this very moment, Dell has yet to open up the CTO doors, but we're guessing an admin is on that as we speak. Right, Dell?

Filed under: Laptops

Dell adds dual-core SU1400 CPU, other options to Inspiron 11z originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Imagio launches on Verizon: WinMo 6.5 and VCAST TV on October 6

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/01/htc-imagio-launches-on-verizon-winmo-6-5-and-vcast-tv-on-octobe/

Those Imagio rumors have proven to be deliciously correct, with Verizon officially announcing the beastly Windows Mobile 6.5 set for availability on October 6 -- the first day 6.5 devices will officially be available anywhere. HTC's latest CDMA device features a spacious wide VGA display clocking in at 3.6 inches, a 5 megapixel autofocus cam, quadband EDGE plus HSPA 2100 for when you're looking for a little connectivity abroad, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the very latest iteration of TouchFLO 3D featuring social network integration, but the most interesting feature might be its support for MediaFLO-based VCAST TV -- a first for HTC and Windows Mobile. Interest parties need only wait until next Tuesday to latch onto an Imagio online, while retail stores will be taking delivery on the 20th of the month -- either way, you'll be paying $199.99 on contract after rebate.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

HTC Imagio launches on Verizon: WinMo 6.5 and VCAST TV on October 6 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon's Gateway LT2106u 3G netbook is working for the weekend

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/01/verizons-gateway-lt2106u-3g-netbook-is-working-for-the-weekend/

True, it's just an ordinary netbook from an ordinary company, but the Gateway LT2106u is now official and brings with it a contractual obligation to Verizon Wireless in return for a discount off the claimed $500 retail price. Just don't get too excited about your new found frugality since you'll still be forking over monthly access fees as high as $60 per month for 5GB of data. The netbook itself packs 3G data (presumably via Qualcomm's world-wide Gobi) and the usual N270 Atom proc, 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 display, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, WiFi, and up to 6 hours of battery life if you shut everything down but the 3-in-1 memory card reader. Available October 4th for $150 after mail-in rebate.

Filed under: Laptops

Verizon's Gateway LT2106u 3G netbook is working for the weekend originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA launches Fermi next-gen GPGPU architecture, CUDA and OpenCL get even faster

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/01/nvidia-launches-fermi-next-gen-gpgpu-architecture-cuda-and-open/

NVIDIA had told us it would be accelerating its CUDA program to try and get an advantage over its competitors as OpenCL brings general-purpose GPU computing to the mainstream, and it looks like that effort's paying off -- the company just announced its new Fermi CUDA architecture, which will also serve as the foundation of its next-gen GeForce and Quadro products. The new features are all pretty technical -- the world's first true cache hierarchy in a GPU, anyone? -- but the big takeaway is that CUDA and OpenCl should run even faster on this new silicon, and that's never a bad thing. Hit up the read links for the nitty-gritty, if that's what gets you going.

Read - NVIDIA Fermi site
Read - PC Perspective analysis

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

NVIDIA launches Fermi next-gen GPGPU architecture, CUDA and OpenCL get even faster originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wi-Fi Alliance updates Certified 802.11n program, intros shiny new logo

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/01/wi-fi-alliance-updates-certified-802-11n-program-intros-shiny-n/

It's all paperwork at this point, but you had to know that the Wi-Fi Alliance wouldn't just let the two-year old 802.11n draft 2.0 program remain as it was now that the protocol is finally finished, right? Announced today, said organization is updating the Wi-Fi Certified program to add testing for "popular optional features now more widely available in WiFi equipment," all of which are detailed in the read link. The real news, however, is the new face. On the same day that we were shown an absolutely spectacular new Windows 7 logo -- one that will inevitably mar your next laptop's palm rest -- the Wi-Fi Alliance (or the WFA, as we call 'em at the poker table) is rolling out an updated logo, family of taglines and product labeling matrix. Thrilling, isn't it? Head on past the break for a few more... if you're into that kind of thing.

[Via PC World]

Continue reading Wi-Fi Alliance updates Certified 802.11n program, intros shiny new logo

Filed under: Wireless

Wi-Fi Alliance updates Certified 802.11n program, intros shiny new logo originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony single lens 240 fps camera is great for 3D (& 2D) sports

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/01/sony-single-lens-240-fps-camera-is-great-for-3d-and-2d-sports/

We've said it before and we'll say it again, sports, not movies or video games is 3D's killer app, and this prototype camera from Sony is designed specifically to help bring the two closer together. Set to debut at CEATEC next week, the HFR Comfort-3D records at 240 fps through just one lens instead of two thanks to a new half-mirror system that takes left and right eye images at the same time, better for capturing fast motion and providing viewers lacking polarized glasses a 2D picture with minimal blurring. One of our few complaints during last year's BCS National Championship 3D experience was occasional benefits caused by fast left-right motion which this system could make a non-issue. Check after the break for a detailed (in Japanese) diagram that should help make things clearer -- for those that can read the language -- the rest of us are waiting for ESPN or someone else to tote a few of these down to the Super Bowl in 2010 and make magic happen.

[Via AV Watch, thanks Derek for English PR]

Continue reading Sony single lens 240 fps camera is great for 3D (& 2D) sports

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Home Entertainment

Sony single lens 240 fps camera is great for 3D (& 2D) sports originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia N900 undergoes extensive preview, N97 found sobbing in a corner

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/01/nokia-n900-undergoes-extensive-preview-n97-found-sobbing-in-a-c/

Our amateur sleuthing skills tell us there might be a tiny bit of excitement about this N900 device. With the Maemo 5 environment already reviewed and measured up, it's the turn of the hardware to get exhaustively previewed. The My Symbian team took a look at a prototype unit and were immediately impressed by the 800 x 480 display and relatively compact dimensions for such a loaded phone. The resistive touchscreen was on par with the N97, though it picked up scratches too easily for their liking ( a screen protector is recommended), while the keyboard was deemed small but still a major improvement over the N97's. Internals rated well, with the 600MHz Cortex-A8 CPU and "superb" video recording grabbing plaudits. Perplexingly, there was only 256MB allocated to application installs (see image after the break), which can be altered by those with Linux knowhow, but this may draw plenty of ire from mainstream, app-hungry consumers, considering the device is capable of holding 48GB of total memory. On the outside, the camera cover was found to scratch the case around the lens (but not the lens itself like on some N97 units) while sliding, and removing the stylus from its slot revealed some bare electronics, both of which rather undermined the overall feel of a well-built device. They did find connectivity on the device a pretty dreamy and trouble-free affair, but we're still only scratching the surface here -- hit up the read link for the whole enchilada.

[Via MobileTechWorld]

Con! tinue re ading Nokia N900 undergoes extensive preview, N97 found sobbing in a corner

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia N900 undergoes extensive preview, N97 found sobbing in a corner originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Video: Google Earth animated with real time human and vehicular traffic

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/video-google-earth-animated-with-real-time-human-and-vehicular/

Mmm, real time dynamic maps of the Earth. It seems nowadays that supervillainy just isn't as hard as it used to be. Back in the days of Hugo Drax, you had to be a filthy rich eccentric to ever get to spy on the whole world, whereas today all you need is Google Earth and some Georgia Institute of Technology students. Using motion capture data and the veritable litany of CCTV cameras people have surrounded themselves with, the team have succeeded in mapping and animating the real time movements of cars, people and clouds. A proper unveiling is coming up at a symposium next month, by which point they might have added weather patterns, birds and river motions to that list, but for now you can enjoy the video demo after the break.

[Via Engadget Polish]

Continue reading Video: Google Earth animated with real time human and vehicular traffic

Filed under: Software

Video: Google Earth animated with real time human and vehicular traffic originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swordfish Net 102 Dual: the first netbook with twin Atom CPUs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/swordfish-net-102-dual-the-first-netbook-with-twin-atom-cpus/

Alright, so we're going to go ahead and caution against buying anything that claims to have a "dual Bluetooth" module, but if you're feeling froggy, the planet's first (and probably last) dual CPU netbook has just been launched. Not dual core, mind you, but dual processor. The admittedly chintzy looking Swordfish Net 102 Dual claims to have a pair of 1.6GHz Atom N270s within, not to mention 2GB of DDR2 RAM, optional WWAN, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, 10.2-inch display (1,024 x 600 resolution), a 160GB hard drive and Windows XP runnin' the show. It's available to order for the low, low price of $449, though we wouldn't expect the stock 3-cell battery to last very long (read: an hour) with a pair of CPUs sucking down juice.

[Via Wired]

Filed under: Laptops

Swordfish Net 102 Dual: the first netbook with twin Atom CPUs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASA Can Now Create Objects Using Electron Beams [Manufacturing]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/cGhUhlRvvoU/nasa-can-now-create-objects-using-electron-beams

Instead of using traditional 3D manufacturing, NASA has developed an electron beam fabrication system capable of creating any object. And hey, if it uses electron beams that means it's awesome, no matter what.

The new method, called Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication (EBF3), uses the electron beam to melt raw material inside a vacuum. The beam can create any mechanical part you want for a small fraction of the cost of previous methods:

Normally an aircraft builder might start with a 6,000-pound block of titanium and machine it down to a 300-pound part, leaving 5,700 pounds of material that needs to be recycled and using several thousand gallons of cutting fluid used in the process.

With EBF3 you can build up the same part using only 350 pounds of titanium and machine away just 50 pounds to get the part into its final configuration. And the EBF3 process uses much less electricity to create the same part.

NASA says that this method will not only help aircraft manufacturers on Earth, but also astronauts, who may one day use it to make replacing parts during missions in remote bases. [NASA]

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Apple Tablet Aiming To Redefine Newspapers, Textbooks and Magazines [Apple]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/jiF4oGPFZJw/apple-tablet-aiming-to-redefine-newspapers-textbooks-and-magazines

Steve Jobs said people don't read any more. But Apple is talks with several media companies rooted in print, negotiating content for a "new device." And they're not just going for e-books and mags. They're aiming to redefine print.

Several years ago, a modified version of OS X was presented to Steve Jobs, running on a multitouch tablet. When the question of "what would people do with this?" couldn't be answered, they shelved it. Long having established music, movie and TV content, Apple is working hard to load up iTunes with print content from several major publishing houses across several media.

Two people related to the NYTimes have separately told me that in June, paper was approached by Apple to talk about putting the paper on a "new device." The R&D labs have long worked on versions of the paper meant to be navigated without a keyboard or mouse, showing up on Windows tablets and on multiple formats using Adobe Air. The NYTimes, of course, also publishes via their iPhone application. Jobs has, during past keynotes, called the NYTimes the "best newspaper in the world."

A person close to a VP in textbook publishing mentioned to me in July that McGraw Hill and Oberlin Press are working with Apple to move textbooks to iTunes. There was no mention of any more detail than that, but it does link back to a private Apple intern idea competition held on campus, in their Town Hall meeting area in 2008, where the winning presentation selected by executives was one focused on textbook distribution through iTunes. The logic here is that textbooks are sold new at a few hundred dollars, and resold by local stores without any kickbacks to publishers. A DRM'd one-time-use ! book wou ld not only be attractive because publishers would earn more money, but electronic text books would be able to be sold for a fraction of the cost, cutting out book stores and creating a landslide marketshare shift by means of that huge price differential. (If that device were a tablet, the savings on books could pay for the device, and save students a lot of back pain.)

Apple also recently had several executives from one of the largest magazine groups at their Cupertino's campus, where they were asked to present their ideas on the future of publishing. Several mockups of magazines were present in interactive form. It is presumed that more talks took place after the introduction and investigatory meeting. Some magazine company is also considering Adobe Air as a competing option for digital magazines, but without a revenue/distribution system that iTunes has, it seems unlikely.

I haven't heard anything about traditional book publishers being approached yet, but given the scope of the rest of the publishing industry's involvement, it's not hard to imagine they're on board as well. (If you know something, please drop me a line.)

Another source corroborates that the January announce date others have reported is correct within the month, with this information heard from a high level.

Some I've talked to believe the initial content will be mere translations of text to tablet form. But while the idea of print on the Tablet is enticing, it's nothing the Kindle or any E-Ink device couldn't do. The eventual goal is to have publishers create hybridized content that draws from audio, video, interactive graphics in books, magazines and newspapers, where paper layouts would be static. And with release dates for Microsoft's Courier set to be quite far away and Kindle stuck with relatively static e-ink, it appears that Apple is moving towards a pole position in distribution of this next-generation print content. First, it'll get its feet wet with more basi! c repurp osing of the stuff found on dead trees today.

QNAP ships NMP-1000 Network Multimedia Player

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/29/qnap-ships-nmp-1000-network-multimedia-player/

It sure took 'em long enough, but QNAP has finally come around and delivered its NMP-1000 Network Multimedia Player here in the States. If you'll recall, we actually toyed around with one way back at CeBIT, and while those camped out in Osaka have been enjoying the spoils for months now, the Yanks in attendance have been forced to wait. According to QNAP, the DLNA-compliant media streamer is now shipping in America, though a quick look around our favorite web stores has turned up nothing. We're sure that'll be remedied in short order, though.

[Via HotHardware]

Gallery: QNAP ships NMP-1000 Network Multimedia Player

Filed under: Home Entertainment

QNAP ships NMP-1000 Network Multimedia Player originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP Envy 13 unboxing and first impressions

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/hp-envy-13-unboxing-and-first-impressions/

We've got one of HP's sexiest laptops ever staring us down here, the brand new Envy 13. It hits the streets on October 18, running Windows 7 and brazenly demanding a $1,700 base price tag. Worth every penny? Perhaps. We'll be going more in depth with the laptop over the next few days, but here are a few first impressions.

This is one sexy laptop. It's incredibly quality in its construction, and intensely attractive. The screen in particular is a knockout, showing up very bright and vibrant behind its glossy, mirror-tastic sheen
The single button trackpad is severely miscalibrated, and perhaps an altogether bad idea. We're having trouble scrolling consistently, but clicking is also a hit or miss affair -- having multiple fingers on the trackpad at the same time seems problematic, with our cursor glitching this way and that. It's also actually possible (likely even, if you're as bad at mousing as we are) to "click" the pad and yet have nothing happen, which seems very counterintuitive.
The keyboard is comfortable, but has a bit of a loose, pushover feel to the key action -- not cheap, but not really best-in-class either.
Boot time is pretty snappy, even with the quick boot Envy "Instant-On Solution" Linux acting as a pit stop along the way.
With a full Core 2 Duo processor inside and a real feeling of heft and thickness compared to other laptops in "thin and light" land, it's surprising that the Envy 13 goes with the same external Ethernet dongle of its predecessor, the Envy 133.
That full-powered processor? Snappy. It takes on YouTube HD, the real computer killer of our times, without breaking a sweat.

The great thing about a "luxury" laptop like this (as HP dubs it) is that there's so much more to explore, including an external Blu-ray drive in the box, the endless wire-free adventures promised by the optional slice battery, and of course the real prowess of the GPU when faced with 3D gaming and some HDMI output. Good times shall be had, we promise you that.

Gallery: HP Envy 13 unboxing

Filed under: Laptops

HP Envy 13 unboxing and first impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ATI Radeon HD 5850 provides scorching performance for a relative pittance

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/ati-radeon-hd-5850-provides-scorching-performance-for-a-relative/

When the covers were slipped off the HD 5870 last week, what emerged was the new champ in graphics performance that could also boast a pretty aggressive price to performance ratio. The only question left for many was whether the slightly hamstrung version of the same Cypress chip, the HD 5850, would be able to offer even better value for money. With a suggested retail price of $259, lower power consumption under load and a shorter circuit board to cram into your case, the 5850 certainly appeals to the more sensible end of the graphics card market. All we really need to say is that Editor's Choice awards rained down upon this thing like they were going out of style -- so take a deep breath and hit the links below to plunge into the bar chart-intensive analysis.

Read - HardOCP review
Read - Hexus review
Read - Hot Hardware review
Read - PC Perspective review
Read - Tech Report review

Filed under: Desktops

ATI Radeon HD 5850 provides scorching performance for a relative pittance originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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