Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Sunday, March 21, 2010

ASUS' Express Gate 2.0 instant-on OS demoed on video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/19/asus-express-gate-2-0-instant-on-os-demoed-on-video/

ASUS' original ExpressGate instant-on OS may be getting a little long in the tooth, but it looks like it's finally due for a serious replacement. While it didn't cause much fanfare at the time, ASUS was apparently showing off version 2.0 of the SlashTop-based OS at CeBIT earlier this month, and Notebook Italia has just now provided a quick hands-on video that gives us some idea of what's in store. As you can see, the biggest change is the interface, which now looks more than a little like webOS' cards system, and represents a significant step up form the barebones original. Head on past the break to check it out for yourself.

[Thanks, Sal]

Continue reading ASUS' Express Gate 2.0 instant-on OS demoed on video

ASUS' Express Gate 2.0 instant-on OS demoed on video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP flexible display unfurled on video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/20/hp-flexible-display-unfurled-on-video/

HP has been working on flexible displays for some time now, but it looks like things are starting to get a bit more real. Not real as in actual products, mind you -- but real like a big, flexible display spotted out in the wild. Doing the honors for this one is Hardware.info, which not only snapped shot above, but captured some of the action on video (head on past the break for that). Interestingly, HP doesn't actually see these panels being used in truly flexible or rollable displays -- the material itself would only survive being rolled up about a half dozen times -- but instead sees them being used to simply make displays thinner and lighter.

[Thanks, Frank]

Continue reading HP flexible display unfurled on video

HP flexible display unfurled on video originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI Wind12 U230 unboxed and benchmarked, trounces netbooks of yesteryear

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/20/msi-wind12-u230-unboxed-and-benchmarked-trounces-netbooks-of-ye/

It's no Pine Trail when it comes to power consumption, but AMD's Congo platform is no slouch, either. TestFreaks recently received the Congo-powered MSI Wind12-U230 for review, and discovered that its dual-core Athlon X2 L335 CPU and speedy Seagate drive made neat work of last year's Atom netbooks, including the formerly formidable HP Mini 311. After shooting the requisite unboxing video and posing the slender machine for a few close-ups, TestFreaks praised the large, comfortable keyboard and touchpad, while scoffing at only four hours of net browsing as the entirety of its battery life. You'll find pics, a host of benchmarks and even CPU-Z screens at the source link; now, we just want to see how the netbook handles a contemporary competitor.

MSI Wind12 U230 unboxed and benchmarked, trounces netbooks of yesteryear originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BIS 3.0 coming to North American BlackBerry users next weekend?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/20/bis-3-0-coming-to-north-american-blackberry-users-next-weekend/

It seems almost too good to be true, but it looks like the era of usable Gmail integration on BlackBerry might finally be upon us. CrackBerry is citing information that BIS 3.0 will be rolled out to North American customers in the wee hours of Sunday, March 28, when most of us are in a peaceful slumber (a good thing, considering that data services will be mostly down during the four-hour window). Out of the gate, 3.0 will offer Gmail label creation and deletion when using the plug-in along with support for OpenDocument file types and WMA audio, but the real meat should come shortly thereafter as two-way synchronization of read status and sent messages "will be added throughout the Spring 2010 by region." Technically, Spring starts today, so this could show up the moment BIS 3.0 goes live -- but given that we've waited literally years for this to happen, we're not getting our hopes up prematurely.

BIS 3.0 coming to North American BlackBerry users next weekend? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neofonie announces WePad 11.6-inch Android slate

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/20/neofonie-announces-wepad-11-6-inch-android-slate/

Another day, another Android tablet render. This one, the imaginatively titled WePad, is as ambitious as its name might suggest. (You know, because "we" is plural of "I"? Yeah, it's a stretch.) Dwarfing the iPad with its 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, GMA 3150 graphics, webcam, two USB ports, flash card reader, UMTS modem, and a mooted six hours of battery life, we could see ourselves picking one up -- provided the price point is decent. But that's just the beginning! The manufacturer, Neofonie, also has designs on a WePad app store and, if all goes according to plan, this thing'll sport genuine Google Android and the Android Market. The company also mentions something called the "WeMagazine publishing ecosystem," the basis of a turn-key operation for getting your own branded device out on the e-reader market, so if you're looking to get into the biz just hit the source link to begin your adventure. As for us, we'll wait to see a final product before we jump to any conclusions.

Neofonie announces WePad 11.6-inch Android slate originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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