Sunday, October 04, 2009

Sleek Privacy: Ruckstuhl Acoustic Panel [Office]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/W-3S28gO7nY/sleek-privacy-ruckstuhl-acoustic-panel

According to Jason, the Ruckstuhl Acoustic Panel "is just the thing you need in the library so you won't have to stare at the homeless guy beating off across from you." Well, I got news for you, Mr. Chen.

First, the place you go to with the homeless guy is not a library, and second, the Ruckstuhl Acoustic Panel looks like a better fit for a couple of desks in open office or a home office. This, in fact, looks exactly like my home office, with two iMac 24s facing each other (except the Macs don't run Windows here):

The Ruckstuhl Acoustic Panel is made of 100% wool felt, and comes in various colors. It even comes with a magnet holder accessory, so you can put things on it. [Ruckstuhl via Unplggd]




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Acer's Android Netbook Arriving In Time For the Eggnog, Chrome OS Not So Much [NetBooks]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/yVf1OJ2j534/acers-android-netbook-arriving-in-time-for-the-eggnog-chrome-os-not-so-much

There isn't a lack of Android MIDs and smartphones these days, and soon there will be an Android netbook on the market. Acer will release its dual-boot Android, Windows XP Aspire One in time for the holidays.

The Android has been out of the bag on the Aspire One, but now we know that you should be able to purchase it by November. It probably won't be all that much cheaper than the current 10-inch Aspire One (which goes for about $350) since it still runs Windows and will have comparable specs.

And while Chrome OS has been rumored to hit some Chinese netbooks as early as next month, that is surely not the case for the major netbook manufacturers. Acer, Lenovo and MSI all report that they have no plans to bring Chrome OS netbooks to market in the near future. That makes sense to us, since Google originally said it wouldn't be released until the second half of 2010. In the meantime we will be living with a crapload of Android (especially on Acer phones). [Acer]




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Now Available [Now Available]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/4HSRWalpFes/now-available

Mini DisplayPort to DVI, that's easy. But what if you need to go the opposite way? You long to connect your DVI graphics card to that alluring Cinema Display's Mini DisplayPort input. "Impossible!" you cry. It was. Until now.

• OK, so the reality of the situation might not be that exciting. All the Atlona DVI to Mini DisplayPort does is, well, convert a DVI signal to Mini DisplayPort. It's the first converter to accomplish the feat, though. For some users, especially laptop owners stuck with DVI out in their chassis, that's probably a big deal. Other than that, there's not much to write about. The converter supports resolutions up to 1920x1200, and it maintains HDCP information through the conversion. Hopefully that means there won't be any lockout issues now that iTunes is an HDCP curmudgeon. The fact that it's the first makes it pricey, but if it does what you need it to, you can grab the converter from Atlona for $179. [Press Release via Engadget]




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Elite Military Hacker Squad Would Stop Wars With Bits, Not Bombs [Cybersecurity]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/CrWbslKywho/elite-military-hacker-squad-would-stop-wars-with-bits-not-bombs

Efforts to drag our military's cybersecurity into the 21st century are well underway, but John Arquilla, professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, wants more: A preemptive international hacker force, which would cripple enemies before they even become a problem.

Existing plans for a new online defense strategy don't seem particularly bad, except for that first part: defense plans. The professor's idea is to deploy a much more proactive attack strategy:

[Arquilla would] like the US military's coders to team up with network specialists abroad to form a global geek squad. Together, they could launch preemptive online strikes to head off real-world battles.

Armies (even guerrilla armies) are so dependent on digital communications these days that a well-placed network hit could hobble their forces. Do these cyberattacks right-and openly-and the belligerents will think twice before starting trouble. Arquilla calls his plan "a nonlethal way to deter lethal conflict."

The strategy makes the assumption that digital communications are completely vital to enemies big and small, which is generally true, and putting cyberwar directly before more traditional measures like sanctions could have a huge effect: If guerrilla groups can't organize, they won't be too effective; if governments can't use their vital defense networks, they're basically toothless. Wired's posted a few scenarios of how this could actually out, and even if they ! sound a little naive—they do—they're satisfying cinematic, for whatever that's worth. [Wired]




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Insanely Rich People Get New Insanely Awesome and Shiny Flying Toy [Airplanes]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/n725QG9uHXE/insanely-rich-people-get-new-insanely-awesome-and-shiny-flying-toy

You saw the 3D images more than a year ago, and here's the real thing: The all new, amazing, and near-supersonic Gulfstream 650. The cockpit, with four 14-inch multifunction LCDs with enhanced vision display, looks even cooler than the renderings:

The new Gulfstream 650 can take you anywhere in a 8,000 miles radius at Mach 0.925 and 41,000 feet. It is powered by dual Dual Rolls-Roice BR725 engines, which makes it 33% quieter, emitting 5% fewer NOx emissions and 10% less smoke than its predecessor.

The G650 also has the latest in electronics, with fly-by-wire controls and large multifunction screens that can combine real time video, night vision, and 3D renderings for military-grade visuals. Yes, that splash you heard was Larry Ellison, Al Gore, and John Travolta getting wet. [Flight Global with photos by Jon Ostrower]




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Optoma's $199 PK-100 pico projector goes for the bargain crowd

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/03/optomas-199-pk-100-pico-projector-goes-for-the-bargain-crowd/

You know what's better than a PK-101? A PK-102. You know what's not better than a PK-101? A PK-100. Unless, of course, you're focused solely on price. Quietly announced to hit the lower-end market, the PK-100 is described as a simplified version of its more sophisticated siblings, boasting the same DLP-based engine as well as 11 ANSI lumens of brightness and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio. Unfortunately, you'll only find a single composite video input and a 480 x 320 native resolution, but hey, for an estimated retail price of $199, what else did you really expect?

[Via PicoProjector-Info]

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Optoma's $199 PK-100 pico projector goes for the bargain crowd originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 04:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GeeksPhone One in the wild, now packing a physical keyboard

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/03/geeksphone-one-in-the-wild-now-packing-a-physical-keyboard/

Remember the Spanish-borne Android device GeeksPhone One? It was late June when we got our first (and so far only) look at the phone. Of course we've been wanting some more time, but apparently Xataka's beaten us to the punch, and lo and behold, she's gotten herself a shiny new physical keyboard. The site stresses that the user interface isn't done and the icons temporary, but does note that the keyboard is comfortable and the total weight and size is apparently comparable to the HTC Dream / Ion / MyTouch 3G. Additionally, our compadres at Engadget Spanish have read that One's release been pushed back from fall until sometime in January. We'll certainly be keeping an eye out, but given the bevy of Android options on the horizon, we can't promise we'll be waiting.

Read - One in the wild
Read - One delayed until January

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GeeksPhone One in the wild, now packing a physical keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Zino HD spotted slumming it in Inspiron 300 and Inspiron 400 support docs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/03/dell-zino-hd-spotted-slumming-it-in-inspiron-300-and-inspiron-40/

The last time we ran past Dell's Zino HD all we had to go on specs-wise was that it housed "desktop parts" and had some nice plugs around back. Now the folks at the appropriately named DellZinoHD blog have found a spec breakdown of the unit, which is apparently also going by the names of Inspiron 300 and Inspiron 400 -- the latter of which seems to be slated for the Zino HD branding, or at least seems to mirror the original concept. The Inspiron 300 has more of a nettop slant, with an Atom processor and integrated graphics, and though it has a DVD burner and 3.5-inch HDD, there won't be HDMI or eSATA ports. Meanwhile, the Inspiron 400 can handle an Athlon or Athlon X2 processor, with an option for ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 discrete graphics (not quite a "desktop" part, if you ask us) and all the other goodies like a Blu-ray option, HDMI, gigabit Ethernet, dual eSATA and so forth. Interestingly, the manual also mentions XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Ubuntu as supported options -- though we're not sure they'll all be available as retail configurations.

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Dell Zino HD spotted slumming it in Inspiron 300 and Inspiron 400 support docs originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saturday, October 03, 2009

LG GW620 Android phone spotted in the wild, on video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/02/lg-gw620-android-phone-spotted-in-the-wild-on-video/


We haven't heard much from LG about its new GW620 Android phone since it got official with it back in mid-September (and at IFA before that), but it looks like it's now made an official outing in France, where plenty of folks were on hand to get an up-close look at it. As expected, LG hasn't followed the route of HTC or Motorola with some heavy Android customizations, but the handset itself should still turn a few heads nonetheless with its brushed aluminum look, and what appears to be a better than usual QWERTY keypad (or AZERTY in this particular case). Unfortunately, that gets paired with a resistive touchscreen, but the rest of the specs are thankfully less disappointing, including a 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash, a microSD card slot for expansion, and a standard headphone jack. Still no indication of this one making its way over here, but you can get a closer look at it by hitting up the link below, and check it out on video courtesy of the folks at Le Journal du Geek after the break.

Read - CNET France hands-on
Read - Le Journal du Geek

[Via android.hdblog.it]

Continue reading LG GW620 Android phone spotted in the wild, on video

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LG GW620 Android phone spotted in the wild, on video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Palm Pixi to launch on October 20th? Not so fast.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/02/palm-pixi-to-launch-on-october-20th-not-so-fast/

Okay, so we've been hearing whispers all morning that Palm and Sprint are gearing up to launch the Pixi on October 20th, and while we hate to be the bearer of bad news, we've been in contact with sources who would definitely have a better perspective on this phone's launch, and the word is that the aforementioned date is not accurate. So when will the Pixi launch? We'd still say it'll be well before the holidays -- and now that the Pre is down to $79, we're hoping it'll be super cheap. Fingers crossed.

Palm Pixi to launch on October 20th? Not so fast. originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Pure starting to show up in AT&T stores, not for sale just yet

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/02/htc-pure-starting-to-show-up-in-atandt-stores-not-for-sale-just-y/

We'll withhold judgment until we have a far more intimate encounter with the device, but at a glance, the HTC Pure -- AT&T's branded, customized version of the Touch Diamond2 -- might carry the least-exciting industrial design of any variant launched thus far. Considering the business-oriented clientele, that might not be a big deal for the phone's bottom line -- but when you take a look at the slightly better-equipped Imagio that's about to launch over on Verizon, we would've liked to have seen something with a little more spunk here. At any rate, it seems Pure units are starting to flow into AT&T retail locations, which inevitably leads to some time in front of the bright lights and camera; AT&T was mentioned as one of Microsoft's global launch partners for Windows Mobile 6.5 on October 6, so if we connect the dots, we're guessing this is the phone that's gonna make it all happen. So where's that Touch Pro2, then, eh?

[Via wmpoweruser.com]

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HTC Pure starting to show up in AT&T stores, not for sale just yet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia E72 NAM up for $469 preorder on Amazon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/02/nokia-e72-nam-up-for-469-preorder-on-amazon/

It's not hard to find Nokia users that believe the E71 is the finest S60 device (if not the finest device, period) that the company has ever made, so expectations for the E72 are at a stratospheric high. Impatience for a retail release is also at a stratospheric high, coincidentally, so Americans will be pleased to see that Amazon now has the unlocked North American version of the "zodium black" phone listed for $469 -- without a release date, unfortunately, so it's still a guessing game as to when these will actually be shipping out. All things considered, it's not a bad price for an unbranded phone of the E72's capabilities, but when you figure how easy it's been to find awesome deals on North American Nokias around the interwebs this year, it still might give some potential buyers pause -- just imagine if it were $299?

[Thanks, Ani]

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Nokia E72 NAM up for $469 preorder on Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alpha 680 Android netbook spotted, still unavailable

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/02/alpha-680-android-netbook-spotted-still-unavailable/


While all the other kids on the block are letting themselves become duly distracted by Google Chrome OS, at least Skytone is still out there in the trenches, fighting to get its Android-powered Alpha 680 netbook to market. Initially it looked like this one would be making the scene sometime this summer, and although this has not come to pass, the OEM (Airis) is still strutting it in front of vendors and threatening us with an eventual release. According to Le Journal du Geek, who managed to get its hands on one and snap plenty of pics, the device is still "not really stable." (Take your time, guys...) Hit that read link for plenty of glamor shots of the this stark white, 7-inch resistive touchscreen wonder -- you'll be glad you did.

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Alpha 680 Android netbook spotted, still unavailable originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia plugs itself into the Wireless Power Consortium

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/02/nokia-plugs-itself-into-the-wireless-power-consortium/


The Wireless Power Consortium has already managed to attract some pretty big players in the industry (including Philips, Sanyo and Duracell), but it's now bolstered its roster with one of its biggest heavyweights yet by announcing that Nokia has signed on as a full member. Of course, Nokia isn't making any firm promises about incorporating the Consortium's Qi wireless power standard into its products just yet, but it does say that the technology "carries significant potential to enhance consumer experience of battery charging," and that it "aims to meet these consumer expectations." For its part, the Wireless Power Consortium is unsurprisingly thrilled to have Nokia on board, noting that the move "significantly expands the potential market traction of the Qi wireless charging standard."

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Nokia plugs itself into the Wireless Power Consortium originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI GT640 houses Core i7, claims to be 'world's most powerful gaming notebook'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/03/msi-gt640-houses-core-i7-claims-to-be-worlds-most-powerful-ga/

Man, Core i7 laptops just keep coming and coming (kinda like Arnold). The latest in what's sure to be a torrent of companies upgrading their premier products to Intel's finest quad-core battery killer is MSI, with the GT640. Though MSI hasn't yet specified which of the trifecta of Clarksfield chips it has inside the machine, we do know there's a 1GB NVIDIA Geforce GTS 250 taking care of graphics, as well as options for up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, half a terabyte of storage and a Blu-ray burner. Other notables include a two megapixel webcam, HDMI, 7.1 channel audio output and an eSATA input. While we don't yet know the wallet damage for that red-striped aluminum alloy body, its Windows 7 installation would indicate a release some time around, oh, October 22 perhaps? One more shot of the keyboard and screen after the break.

[Via Laptoping]

Continue reading MSI GT640 houses Core i7, claims to be 'world's most powerful gaming notebook'

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MSI GT640 houses Core i7, claims to be 'world's most powe! rful gam ing notebook' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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