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Friday, December 18, 2009

Chromium OS lands on the Archos 9, doesn't do much

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/chromium-os-lands-on-the-archos-9-doesnt-do-much/

Trying to satisfy that browser-only touchscreen tablet urge? Well, you're sort of in luck. Those Atom-powered Archos 9 tablets are out and about, and the fine folks at UMPCPortal have slung a copy of Google's Chromium OS onto one. Unfortunately, since there's no touchscreen keyboard in the OS (yet), and the touchscreen input isn't even recognized, this is more of a "proof of concept" than a killer app. Still, we like where this is headed.

Chromium OS lands on the Archos 9, doesn't do much originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM's optical trackpads: they weren't joking about the 'optical' part

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/rims-optical-trackpads-they-werent-joking-about-the-optical/

Thinking about how your phone's touchscreen operates, you might assume that the so-called optical pads that have been making appearances on recent BlackBerrys (among other devices) operate in a similar fashion -- but you'd be wrong. RIM's official BlackBerry blog is chiming in today to drop some knowledge on us dullards, and it turns out that "optical" isn't just a cute nickname -- the pads do actually operate in much the same way as modern desktop mice, using a low-res infrared camera to capture movement across the surface and translate it into movement. In practical terms, what this means is that you don't need a conductive surface to operate the pad -- you can use pretty much anything that the sensor can see, so a gloved hand (for instance) is theoretically good to go. That being said, don't expect to be snapping photos with your "camera" any time soon -- we're literally talking about a handful of grayscale pixels here, which should make it only marginally better than the Droid's cam.

RIM's optical trackpads: they weren't joking about the 'optical' part originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peregrine gaming glove modeled, calibrated, and demoed on video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/peregrine-gaming-glove-modeled-calibrated-and-demoed-on-video/

Now that the Peregrine gaming glove is finalized and taking pre-orders, we had a chance to sit down with creator and company CEO Brent Baier, who guided us through the use of the military-spec'd mitt and gave us our first glimpse at the calibration / key-mapping software (PC only for now, Mac coming later). We're still fiddling with our review unit, and while the gaming aspect is intriguing, we're actually pretty interested in how it could be applied to production and design software. The one issue with that is a conscience decision to limit each finger press to activating only one key at a time -- macros are theoretically possible, but according to Baier that would disqualify the glove from being used in professional gaming competitions. Maybe down the line, perhaps? Video after the break.

Gallery: Peregrine gaming glove press photos

Continue reading Peregrine gaming glove modeled, calibrated, and demoed on video

Peregrine gaming glove modeled, calibrated, and demoed on video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee PC 1201N review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/asus-eee-pc-1201n-review/

Six months ago netbooks all had 10-inch displays, fairly cramped keyboards, and couldn't manage to play a 1080p video even if they trained with the best of marathoners. The world's a lot different now: the King of Pop has passed away, the unemployment rate has dropped, and netbook manufacturers have realized 11- and 12-inch displays provide a more comfortable experience -- especially when paired with more powerful hardware that adds multimedia prowess.

We'll stop there with the Netbook 101, but looking at the past is necessary in realizing what a game-changer the ASUS Eee PC 1201N really is. The 1201N's dual-core Intel Atom processor, NVIDIA Ion graphics, Windows 7 Home Premium, and 2GB of RAM make it the most powerful netbook to ever grace the purchase pages of Amazon. But does the $500 machine fix all the issues and frustrations we've ever had with netbooks when put to the test? Can it make us forget about cramped keyboards, strained eyes and sluggish video performance? Find out in our full review.

Gallery: ASUS Eee PC 1201N Review

Continue reading ASUS Eee PC 1201N review

ASUS Eee PC 1201N review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Targeting masses is soooo "old skool" - out with the old, in with the new - http://bit.ly/5aKbu4

26,031,250,000 Pixels Make This the Biggest Photo in the World [Image Cache]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/SbtZYevoEOY/26031250000-pixels-make-this-the-biggest-photo-in-the-world

It took 172 minutes on a rooftop to shoot 1655 overlapping 21.6 megapixel images and 94 hours to stitch them together. The result is not only a gorgeous 26 gigapixel view of Dresden, Germany, but also the world's biggest photo.

You can click on the image here for a slightly bigger version or follow the link for the super-dee-duper huge original which you can scroll and zoom through for the full effect. [Gigapixel Dresden via SZ Online via Slashdot]

Archos 9 Unboxing Video Shows Off Windows 7 Tablet [Tablets]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/t-39r5J2U-M/archos-9-unboxing-video-shows-off-windows-7-tablet

For those of you who just can't wait for whatever tablet goodness Apple is dreaming up, the Archos 9 running Windows 7 might be the answer. But wait—is that Windows 7 Starter Edition?

Unfortunately, yes, which means that this version won't take full advantage of Windows 7's tablet capabilities. Still, UMPC Portal reports a solid 3 hours of battery life, 60GB hard drive, 1GB RAM, and a 1.1Ghz Atom under the hood. Our initial hands-on impressions were generally favorable, and there's nothing really here to contradict that (although $500 is still pretty steep). UMPC will be giving more updates today that we'll keep an eye on. [UMPC Portal via Engadget]

ASUS Eee PC 1201N debuts early at Newegg

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/asus-eee-pc-1201n-debuts-early-at-newegg/

OK, kids, here you have it: the Asus Eee PC 1201N has arrived a little earlier than expected. At least we think that's what Newegg is trying to tell us. If you hop on over to the site RIGHT THIS MINUTE you can see that the thing is available for ordering, in black, with a limit of one per customer. It's better than waiting until sometime next month, eh? There's no telling if this is a snafu on the e-tailer's part -- everyone else in the western world has it available for pre-order, with a ship date of January 15 -- but if you feel like taking a gamble there is only one thing left to do: hit the source link.

[Thanks, Yoav E]

ASUS Eee PC 1201N debuts early at Newegg originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel Core i3, mobile Core i5 processors coming January 7

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/intel-core-i3-mobile-core-i5-processors-coming-january-7/

Intel's Arrandale chips haven't been the best-kept secret around, and today Chipzilla made 'em official: the Core i3 and mobile Core i5 will launch on January 7, and we'd guess a bunch of new machines come along for the ride. Although the desktop Lynnfield Core i5 is a quad-core, both the new Core i3 and mobile Core i5 are dual-core -- and in a first for Intel, both of the new chips have an integrated GPU core that's being branded "Intel HD Graphics." The new GPU is supposedly good enough for "high-end" HTPC use, but manufacturers can add switchable discrete GPUs, so don't fret too much. Both Arrandale chips have Intel's latest hyperthreading tech, and the mobile i5 also has the Turbo Boost core-overclocking feature found in the desktop i5 and i7, which redirects power to a single core to boost performance when needed.

We got to see a few Core i3 and i5 laptops and desktops in action at Intel's pre-CES briefing today, although we didn't get to run any tests. The mobile Core i5 systems on display were doing a fine job running Call of Duty 4, while the scaled-down Core i3 rigs were playing Blu-ray movies and World of Warcraft -- not a bad demo, but we'll let you know when we see some real numbers.

Gallery: Intel Core i3, Mobile Core i5 Hands-On

Intel Core i3, mobile Core i5 processors coming January 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's HTC Hero and Samsung Moment on track to get Android 2.1, not 2.0

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/sprints-htc-hero-and-samsung-moment-on-track-to-get-android-2-1/

So Sprint's backtracking on its promise to deliver Android 2.0 to its Hero and Moment in the first half of next year, but it's backtracking in an awesome way for a change of pace -- they'll actually be getting 2.1. That makes tons of sense considering that the leaked Hero builds have all been on 2.1 and 2.0 will be all but obsolete by the time HTC gets around to releasing anything -- so yeah, we probably could've predicted this anyway, but now it's official. Unfortunately that 1H 2010 window hasn't been reigned in at all, but here's hoping this is a case where they under-promise and over-deliver.

Sprint's HTC Hero and Samsung Moment on track to get Android 2.1, not 2.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IEEE begins work on new cellphone battery standard, we circle 2029 for ratification

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/ieee-begins-work-on-new-cellphone-battery-standard-we-circle-20/

You'll excuse us for poking a bit of fun at the IEEE, but after it took seven years to finalize a wireless standard that didn't change for most of that time, we have to wonder how long a new battery rulebook is going to take. IEEE Std 1725 is the current set of commonly agreed rules, in effect since 2006, but apparently "the cellular industry has grown tremendously since then" and our needs as consumers have changed. No kidding, 1GHz processors and 1080p video recording can kind of do that. The Cell Phone Battery Working Group (a real entity!) will hold its first meeting on the topic in February, and the final outcome will lay out up-to-date rules on the requisite quality, reliability, construction, and discharge characteristics of modern cellphone batteries. Let's hope "smartphones that last more than a day" figures somewhere on that list.

IEEE begins work on new cellphone battery standard, we circle 2029 for ratification originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee PC 1005P/PE with Atom N450 and 12.5-hour battery breaks cover

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/asus-eee-pc-1005p-pe-with-atom-n450-and-12-5-hour-battery-breaks/

You do realize that all those Atom-based netbooks on sale for the holidays will be abandoned entirely in January right? Go ahead and pull the trigger for that "new" ViewSonic netbook if you must, just realized that you'll be running last-gen hardware in less than a month if rumor, innuendo, and leaks all converge with the release of Pineview netbooks as expected. More details have appeared today at retailers listing specifications and pics for the unannounced ASUS EeePC model 1005P and 1005PE. Sporting the Eee PC Seashell design, we're looking at a pair of 10-inch LED backlit displays with a 1,024 x 600 pixel resolution, Intel Atom N450 proc, 1GB DDR2-RAM, and a Windows 7 Starter Edition preload riding GMA 3150 graphics -- a slightly faster version of Intel's G31 based GMA 3100. The PE model sports a bigger 250GB hard disk and higher capacity 6-cell battery for a reported 12.5 hours of go-go juice thanks, in part, to the more efficient N450 CPU. Expect to see these Eees get official with price and launch date any day now.

ASUS Eee PC 1005P/PE with Atom N450 and 12.5-hour battery breaks cover originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Notion Ink smartpad comes with Tegra, aims to be first Pixel Qi device

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/notion-ink-smartpad-comes-with-tegra-aims-to-be-first-pixel-qi/

Now here's a way to excite all the tablet naysayers. Slap that ultra-efficient Tegra chipset inside a 10.1-inch touchscreen tablet, make the display a matte (yay!) Pixel Qi slice of glory and then stand back as all of geekdom rejoices. We're still only looking at renders, but this device is all set to make waves at CES with an impressive spec sheet that also includes WiFi, Bluetooth, UMTS/HSDPA, and A-GPS on the wireless front and connectivity via USB, HDMI, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The most important thing is still that display, though, whose efficiency leads to the unnamed device boasting 48 hours of battery standby juice, also good for 8 hours of HD video playback or 16 hours of WiFi-enabled Engadget reading. Driven by a default (for now) Android UI and supposedly capable of running three simultaneous 1080p streams with little frame loss, this should be one hot piece of kit come January. For now, we have another shot after the break as well as the full data sheet.

Continue reading Notion Ink smartpad comes with Tegra, aims to be first Pixel Qi device

Notion Ink smartpad comes with Tegra, aims to be first Pixel Qi device originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/archos-9-tablet-and-its-windows-7-starter-edition-unboxed-video/

Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed

It's been a long time coming, but the Archos 9 is finally being unleashed wholesale upon the world. The 9-inch tablet has been delayed and had its price hiked, but if you haven't leapt off the hype train yet you'll be interested in watching the unboxing and initial impressions video after the break courtesy of UMPCPortal. The 60GB device contains a mere 1.1GHz Atom processor and has been unfortunately crippled with Windows 7 Starter Edition, lacking the cool tablet features that you might have wanted to use on a tablet device. A few times during this video the Archos is likened to the Joojoo, which will almost surely face some delays of its own before receiving a similar berth months from now. Overall it's looking like a nice machine if you have the bank -- and don't want to do anything particularly processor intensive.

Continue reading Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed (video)

Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some say believing in ad-nets, view-throughs, and demand generation is like believing in santa, smurfs, easter bunny - http://bit.ly/5aKbu4

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