Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Seven Futuristic Movies That Got It Right [Lists]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/4mhDG5mmPmk/seven-futuristic-movies-that-got-it-right

Mania has dutifully compiled a list of seven sci-fi movie technologies that have come to fruition. All I can say is well done, humanity! And don't worry, Sleeper fans: we'll get those Orgasmatron booths before you know it.

The usual suspects like Minority Report and Total Recall make the cut, along with a much-deserved nod to the Star Trek franchise. The list strays a little off target when it comes to non-gadget predictions like "geopolitical milieu," but it's otherwise a sobering reminder that with multitouch displays, private spaceflight, and even clamshell cell phones, we're all incredibly lucky to be living what other previous generations only dreamed. Or, in the case of Draconian, full-body x-ray scanning, feared.

Also: if you're going to have that much Arnold Schwarzenegger on that list, you really shouldn't forget Junior. [Mania via The Daily What]

NASA's Puffin is the latest personal flying machine that will never be produced (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/nasas-puffin-is-the-latest-personal-flying-machine-that-will-ne/

Yes, this is going to be another flying car post in which we lament our current, terrestrial ways and our predominantly Earth-bound means of getting places. NASA has what it thinks is the solution, a personal flying machine called Puffin that is just large enough for a person to wedge themselves into before lurching off vertically, powered by a pair of electric motors. These motors are said to make the machine almost silent so an initial application could be covert battlefield insertions, meaning yet again those military brats get to have all the fun -- in theory. However, we're going to be downers and say we don't think they'll ever get to use this thing either, as we're not seeing any room for battery packs in that man-sized fuselage. But hey, there's some rendered conceptualization after the break if you're a dreamer.

Continue reading NASA's Puffin is the latest personal flying machine that will never be produced (video)

NASA's Puffin is the latest personal flying machine that will never be produced (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

Scientific American | Email this | Comments

Toshiba ships Tecra A11, Core i7-packin' Qosmio X500 and more

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/toshiba-ships-tecra-a11-core-i7-packin-qosmio-x500-and-more/

These didn't quite make it off the boat before CES, but if it's a new Toshiba laptop you've been searching for, you can still get some satisfaction before the end of this month. The outfit has just announced that four of its machines are available in the US starting right this very moment, including the 15.6-inch Tecra A11 (starts at $879). This one packs an integrated numpad, NVIDIA GPU, an undisclosed new Intel CPU and a charcoal black chassis. Moving on, that Qosmio X500 workhorse that we first heard about late last year finally has its shipping papers (and a $1,549 starting point), bringing with it a Core i7-720QM processor, a GeForce GTS 360M GPU, 8GB of memory, an 18.4-inch display, 500GB (7200RPM) hard drive, a Blu-ray drive and a vivacious color scheme that's guaranteed to polarize. The Satellite Pro L450 and Satellite Pro L500 are also slipping out to the suits in attendance, but with price tags starting at $529, the spec hounds probably won't be drooling much here.

Toshiba ships Tecra A11, Core i7-packin' Qosmio X500 and more originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

Hot Hardware | Email this | Comments

Palm Pre Plus shows off multitasking upgrade with 50 simultaneous apps (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/palm-pre-plus-shows-off-multitasking-upgrade-with-50-simultaneou/

Yea, you read that right -- fifty apps loaded side by side by freaking side on the Pre Plus, and the thing just kept on ticking. The chaps over at Pre Central decided to test out specifically how much of an improvement the doubling of RAM and storage in the new handset delivered, and they were not disappointed. Opening up the same apps on both phones, they found the original Sprint Pre (sporting a mere 256MB of RAM) ran out of puff at the 13 app mark, whereas the Pre Plus soldiered on until a nice round fifty was reached. Go past the break to see the video evidence for yourself -- long live multitasking!

Continue reading Palm Pre Plus shows off multitasking upgrade with 50 simultaneous apps (video)

Palm Pre Plus shows off multitasking upgrade with 50 simultaneous apps (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

Pre Central | Email this | Comments

ASUS' Congo-based Eee PC 1201T pops up on Amazon's German portal

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/asus-congo-based-eee-pc-1201t-pops-up-on-amazons-german-portal/

Tired of waiting for the Eee PC 1201T to ship? Impatient, aren't we? We've been wondering about the status of this here netbook since it came to light last November, and now it looks like the Germans are about to get a real, live taste of AMD's Congo platform. Boasting a 1.6GHz MV40 CPU, the same look and feel that we've grown accustomed to on Eee PC netbooks, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, ATI HD3200 GPU and Windows 7 on the OS front, this is certainly one of the more unique machines in the sea of Atomized "me-toos." The pain? €399 ($560), and the first batch is expected to ship out tomorrow. Here's hoping the price dips somewhat when it makes its Stateside debut.

ASUS' Congo-based Eee PC 1201T pops up on Amazon's German portal originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink