Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Adobe shows off prototype Android tablet running Air and Flash 'flawlessly' (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/04/adobe-shows-off-prototype-android-tablet-running-air-and-flash/

Well, here's something of a surprise. In addition to demonstrating Flash running on phones like the Nexus One and Palm Pre at the now-happening Web 2.0 Expo, Adobe also has a prototype Android tablet of some sort on hand that, according to Zedomax, runs Flash and Air apps "flawlessly." Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any details at all on the tablet itself, and judging from the looks of things, it is a prototype in the truest sense of the word (check out the other shot after the break). It does seem to deliver the goods when it comes to Air and Flash, however, with it able to run Wired's Air-based magazine app and play YouTube videos without so much as a hiccup, although we'd definitely like to see it in a few more taxing situations. See for yourself in a pair of all too brief videos after the break.

Continue reading Adobe shows off prototype Android tablet running Air and Flash 'flawlessly' (video)

Adobe shows off prototype Android tablet running Air and Flash 'flawlessly' (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 May 2010 20:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft Kin One and Two review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/05/kin-one-and-two-review/

Make no mistake: the Kin One and Two are coming into the world as the black sheep of the phone industry, and Microsoft would have it no other way. Straddling the fence somewhere between a dedicated smartphone and high-spec featurephone, they've been tricky to understand since the day they were first leaked (even Microsoft seemed unsure of what the devices meant until very recently). Billed as a Gen-Y (the "upload generation") social networking tool -- and sold in advertisements as the gateway to the time of your young, freewheeling life -- the Kin phones have admittedly been something of head-scratcher to those of us in the gadget world. Built atop a core similar (but not identical) to the Windows Phone 7 devices coming later this year, manufactured by Sharp, and tied into partnerships with Verizon and Vodafone, the phones dangerously preempt Microsoft's reemergence into the smartphone market. Hell, they're even called Windows Phones. But the One and Two aren't like any Windows Phones you've ever seen. With stripped-down interfaces, deep social networking integration, and a focus on very particular type of user, Microsoft is aiming for something altogether different with Kin. So do these devices deliver on that unique, social experience that Redmond has been selling, or does this experiment fall flat? We've taken both handsets for a spin, and we've got all the answers in our full review... so read on to find out!

Gallery: Kin One and Two review

Continue reading Microsoft Kin One and Two review

Microsoft Kin One and Two review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 00:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel reaches for the 'smartphone zone' with Moorestown-based Atom Z6, comes up shorthanded

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/05/intel-reaches-for-the-smartphone-zone-with-moorestown-based-at/

We've seen the future of Intel's mobile platform, and it isn't all roses and sunshine. Three years after the chipmaker told us Moorestown would reduce Atom's energy consumption by a factor of 20, company execs told us earlier today that they've more than reached that goal with the new Z6xx series. Problem is, in the smartphone realm Intel's competitors haven't been sitting idle; according to one of Chipzilla's cantaloupe-and-magenta bar charts, it seems the company has merely caught up in terms of battery life. That's not to say the chips aren't worlds better than previous Atoms -- Intel sees 1.5GHz smartphone processors that slay Snapdragons and up to 1.9GHz in a tablet PC variety -- but 5 hours of web browsing is most decidedly not the 24 hours of productivity Intel previously promised. Besides, who knows: Qualcomm also has a 1.5GHz SoC in the works, though it may not be available by the time Intel's chips ship in the second half of the year.

None of this is to say that Intel won't continue to dominate in the netbook marketplace -- we shudder to think at the potential when combining a nice, chunky battery with Intel's nearly leakproof new chips, and perhaps a small serving of switchable graphics while we're at it. But without a single new MID or smartphone to show us this morning -- Aava Mobile and OpenPeak's offerings seemed unchanged from our previous encounters -- we're not sure if the company's other mobile ambitions have any sway. Not technical enough of a discussion for you? Peruse our gallery for the nitty-gritty.

Gallery: Highlights from Intel's Atom Z6xx briefing

Intel reaches for the 'smartphone zone' with Moorestown-based Atom Z6, comes up shorthanded originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 02:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Intel demonstrates Light Peak on a laptop, says 10Gbps speeds are only the beginning

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/04/intel-demonstrates-light-peak-on-a-laptop-says-10gbps-speeds-ar/

Folks in Brussels for Intel's European research showcase got to get their hands on the company's Light Peak this week, with the first demonstration of the optical cable technology running on a laptop. Outfitted with a 12mm square chip that converts the optical signal into data the machine can read, two separate HD video streams were piped to a nearby TV, which displayed them with the help of a converter box -- a necessary evil until the Light Peak chips are developed for the display side of things. According to Justin Rattner, Intel's CTO, the current 10Gb / second speeds are just the beginning. "We expect to increase that speed dramatically. You'll see multiple displays being served by a single Light Peak connection. There's almost no limit to the bandwidth -- fibers can carry trillions of bits per second."

Intel demonstrates Light Peak on a laptop, says 10Gbps speeds are only the beginning originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 May 2010 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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B-Cycle: the GPS-Equipped Bike Sharing System I Want Right Now [Bikes]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5530730/b+cycle-the-gps+equipped-bike-sharing-system-i-want-right-now

Denver is the first city to be hope to B-cycle, a Trek-developed bike sharing system equipped with awesome goodies like GPS route tracking.

How does it work? Well, there are B-cycle stations all around Denver. Once you have an account, you can grab a bike from any of them. When you're done, you can then drop it off at any other station. The GPS unit inside the bike (there's no nav screen, it's hidden inside the bike itself) tracks your route and lets you check it out online when you're signed in.

It's a pretty awesome idea, with custom bikes made just for the system by Trek. It's pretty reasonably priced, too, with a single day costing $5 and a year costing $65, plus daily hourly usage fees.

They're currently finishing the details on the next batch of cities, although they're mum on what those cities will be. You can vote for your city on their site if you want to try to get it near you.

(I was told that in order to bring the system to NYC, they need a whole lot of grassroots support and people asking the city for this. Selfishly, I want that to happen. So start harassing Bloomberg about it! Let's make this happen!) [B-cycle]

Zotac's ZBOX HD-ID11 tiptoes into the wild, should ship soon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/04/zotacs-zbox-hd-id11-tiptoes-into-the-wild-should-ship-soon/

When you've got a footprint of just 7.4- x 7.4- x 1.73-inches, it's hard to make too big of an impression. That said, Zotac's new ZBOX looks to be just the thing for those scouting a diminutive HTPC or bedroom machine that can handle the best Glee re-runs and all of that YouTube HD footage that your long-lost siblings continue to email you from the wilds of Wisconsin. Originally launched back in March, this pint-sized PC is just now starting to make its way out to reviewers, which hopefully means that it's ever closer to shipping to end users, too. The benchmarking lords over at Hot Hardware took the time to unbox and preview the device, giving you the opportunity to wade through a gallery of images while it undergoes all sorts of torture. Head on down and have a look if an Ion-based machine that can fit inside your shoebox sounds even marginally appealing.

Zotac's ZBOX HD-ID11 tiptoes into the wild, should ship soon originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 May 2010 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS ships $400 Eee PC Seashell 1005PR, complete with Broadcom Crystal HD chip

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/04/asus-ships-400-eee-pc-seashell-1005pr-complete-with-broadcom-c/

You've waited long enough, and now it's finally time for you to treat yourself to the HD-savvy netbook you've been craving. You deserve it. You really do. Motivational speeches aside, ASUS would sure love for you to feel that way, as the company's Eee PC Seashell 1005PR has finally departed the "coming soon" stage -- according to ASUS, anyway. Amazon's product page still indicates that stock is incoming, but it seems as if the 10.1-inch machine should be filtering out to various sales channels as we speak. In case you've forgotten, $399.99 nets you an Intel Atom N450 processor, 250GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, a battery good for "11 hours" of life, a 1,366 x 768 resolution panel and Broadcom's Crystal HD accelerator. Kind of sells itself, no?

ASUS ships $400 Eee PC Seashell 1005PR, complete with Broadcom Crystal HD chip originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 May 2010 10:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Incredibly detailed and well-written #howto for setting up a #remarketing campaign in #AdWords by @glenngabe http://bit.ly/bQgz1L

Incredibly detailed and well-written #howto for setting up a #remarketing campaign in #AdWords by @glenngabe

How to blow (i.e. waste) money like it's 1995 - http://bit.ly/dszRUu

Samsung's Super AMOLED Tablet Said To Be Called the S-Pad [Tablets]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5530475/samsungs-super-amoled-tablet-said-to-be-called-the-s+pad

Samsung's Super AMOLED Tablet Said To Be Called the S-Pad Last seen in the mid-range Wave S8500 phone, Samsung's SUPER AMOLED screen is said to be used in their S-Pad tablet, which will have embedded 3G connectivity and ebooks galore when it supposedly goes on sale this August.

That display does sound intriguing. Samsung's super AMOLED screens are said to be five times brighter than the average LCD, and will perform 20 per cent better when used outside. Anyone who's struggled when reading a text outside will know how crucial Samsung's technology could prove.

The S-Pad is firmly in rumor-camp at the moment, though South Korean network SK Telecom is said to be offering it exclusively in the country. It'll measure 7-inches, and the ebooks will come from Kyobo Books, which is South Korea's largest chain of bookstores.

These rumors come after the Australian marketing manager for Samsung accidentally let slip that a tablet would appear later in the year, blabbing he thinks "the legs need to be far more powerful, for example an Atom-based product which has far greater flexibility, not to mention inputs and outputs." [ET News via Engadget via SlashGear]

Rumor: 8MP Motorola Shadow To Be Droid2 [Android]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5530503/rumor-8mp-motorola-shadow-to-be-droid2

Rumor: 8MP Motorola Shadow To Be Droid2 Those in the know have been tapping their noses wisely, whispering that the Shadow will be the successor to the Droid—the Droid2, if you will. Latest speculation includes the addition of an 8MP camera with 720p video capture.

This comes after Nokia dropped its N8-shaped bomb last week, a 12MP-equipped, 720p-shooting phone. There may be a few extra megapixels on the N8, but the Shadow has one massive feature going for it—Android. Specifically, Android 2.2, known as Froyo.

The Shadow has resurfaced this week as it's been submitted to the Wi-Fi Alliance, with specs such as the 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen, mini HDMI output, and 512MB memory leaking out. [Ameblo via PhoneDog via Recombu]

SandForce makes SSDs cheaper, faster, more reliable -- just how IBM likes it

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/03/sandforce-makes-ssds-cheaper-faster-more-reliable-just-how/

SandForce makes SSDs cheaper, faster, more reliable -- just how IBM likes it

We've been covering the progression of SandForce for over a year now, creator of smart SSD processors that extend the life of flash storage by better spreading writes across them, boosting performance and reliability along the way. This, according to the company, makes them reliable enough for enterprise use, and IBM has added its vote of support, configuring a 9189 Power 780 server with 56 177GB SSDs (10.5TB in all) sitting behind SandForce's SF-1500 processor. That combination, when running the TPC-C benchmark, delivered a performance of 150,000 transactions per minute per CPU core. That's 50 percent higher (per-core) than other entries in the TPC-C benchmark -- and considerably cheaper, too. IBM's configuration is set to be available around October of this year, perhaps ushering in a new era of the platter-free enterprise.

SandForce makes SSDs cheaper, faster, more reliable -- just how IBM likes it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 May 2010 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Internet Explorer market share falls below 60 percent for first time, according to NetApplications

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/03/internet-explorer-market-share-falls-below-60-percent-for-first/

NetApplications has just released its browser market share stats for the month of April, and there is something notable here: Internet Explorer has fallen to a "historic low" of 59.95 percent market share, losing about 0.69 points since last month. Google's Chrome continues its assault on Safari, reaching a 6.73 percent share (while Safari nabbed 4.72). Of course, Internet Explorer is still so far ahead of the rest of the pack it's hard to make these losses -- however significant -- into a tragedy of epic proportions story for Microsoft, so we're not going to do that. Keep in mind, as well, that NetApplications is not the only measurement of market share -- and StatCounter, by comparison, currently estimates IE's share at about 51.42 percent. Hit up the source link for the full battery of data.

Internet Explorer market share falls below 60 percent for first time, according to NetApplications originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 May 2010 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ABC Player for iPad updated, 3G streaming is a go

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/03/abc-player-for-ipad-updated-3g-streaming-is-a-go/

Well that was fast. That ABC Player for iPad update we heard about this morning has already made its way through Apple's approval process and is now available for download. Orientation lock is now, erm, on lock controls are more responsive, but most importantly, (lower bitrate) 3G streaming is now a go. With that settled, now no bus ride will ever get between you and an island chockfull of confusion and smoke monsters.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

ABC Player for iPad updated, 3G streaming is a go originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 May 2010 23:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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