Thursday, May 06, 2010

Roku teases revamped Netflix Channel user interface on video, coming in June

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/05/roku-teases-revamped-netflix-channel-user-interface-on-video-co/

With the introduction of Netflix on so many devices, it's now up to everyone to battle it out for supremacy in user interfaces. We were actually duly impressed with the implementation on Nintendo's Wii, and it seems that the pressure has convinced Roku to retool their own UI. A new teaser has been released today by the company showing off the new Netflix Channel, and while the overall look and feel is certainly slick, it's a few key additions that have us most excited. According to the company, the update will allow users to search the entire Netflix Watch Instantly library right from their screen, as well as the ability to browse and add titles to one's queue for later playback. We're told that the update will be pushed out in "transparent" fashion to users in June, but an exact release date isn't yet available. Hop on past the break and mash play, won'tcha?

Continue reading Roku teases revamped Netflix Channel user interface on video, coming in June

Roku teases revamped Netflix Channel user interface on video, coming in June originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 17:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ClamCase iPad case magically turns your tablet into a laptop

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/05/clamcase-ipad-case-magically-turns-your-tablet-into-a-laptop/

The second we heard the iPad had Bluetooth keyboard support we knew we'd see a laptop-style case emerge, and here we are, watching a rendered product video for the ClamCase, which triples as case, a stand, and a keyboard. Sure, we have our doubts that the Iron Man 2 footage and AC/DC track being used were properly licensed and the product isn't actually real, but we've got a feeling iPad keyboard cases are going to be the playground for accessory manufacturers -- and the trend is just going to intensify when OS 4.0 brings keyboard support to the iPhone. We'll be honest, we can't wait to see what happens when some of these companies let their freak-flags fly -- check the ClamCase video and PR after the break.

Continue reading ClamCase iPad case magically turns your tablet into a laptop

ClamCase iPad case magically turns your tablet into a laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 20:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An eyeful of Adobe's Android / Tegra prototype tablet running Air

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/05/an-eyeful-of-adobes-android-tegra-prototype-tablet-running-ai/

After getting a pretty great glimpse of Adobe's Tegra 2- and Android-powered prototype tablet yesterday, we decided to head over to the Web 2.0 Expo show floor ourselves to get some first-hand impressions. Unfortunately, the company couldn't get a single website to open (Flash-based or otherwise) given lackluster WiFi, leaving us with only a tease of its power via an Air-based slideshow. To drive home what we heard yesterday, this prototype isn't being prepped for release at any point in the future -- more so, this is to serve as a showcase for the future potential of Adobe on Tegra 2 tablets. We'll stop by again tomorrow morning and hope the show floor's connection will be better by then, but in the meantime, enjoy the smattering of pictures and video we managed to get this afternoon.

Continue reading An eyeful of Adobe's Android / Tegra prototype tablet running Air

An eyeful of Adobe's Android / Tegra prototype tablet running Air originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 20:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos Vision 3 with VGA cam arriving this summer

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/05/archos-vision-3-with-vga-cam-arriving-this-summer/

Oh, we see what you're doing here with the updated Vision 3, Archos -- going straight for the $149 iPod Nano's jugular by pricing the 8GB, VGA cam-toting player under $100. Pretty clever, and after spending a few minutes with the small PMP, we have reason to believe that Archos may just have better luck than ever before. The 3-inch touchscreen on the Vision A30VC is responsive and the interface easy to navigate, and though the 640×480-resolution camera won't capture award-winning footage, you can tap to record video and snap some stills. Sure, the plastic body feels much cheaper than the iPod's anodized aluminum back, but at under $100 we're not complaining. Check out some hands-on pics of the gadget below, and look for the little guy to hit retailers in late summer.

Archos Vision 3 with VGA cam arriving this summer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 22:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone OS 4 unlocks 720p video capture, further solidifying iPhone HD?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/05/iphone-os-4-unlocks-720p-video-capture-further-solidifying-ipho/

Last time on let's-speculate-about-Apple-products, the New iPhone rumor mill dug up dirt on video chat and a 5 megapixel camera. Now, it appears there might be one more reason to call it the iPhone HD. MacRumors reports that the iPhone SDK 4 beta includes the value "AVCaptureSessionPreset1280x720," leading some to believe Cupertino's next phone will record video in 720p. Mind you, the iPhone 3GS was technically already capable of that feat, so this might not have anything to do with a new handset, but honestly, at this point the iPhone's camera wouldn't be competitive recording in a smaller format anyhow.

iPhone OS 4 unlocks 720p video capture, further solidifying iPhone HD? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 22:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Google Invests in Startup that Predicts the Future

Source: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-05/google-invests-startup-predicts-future

You might think Google knows all there is to know, but apparently Google doesn't think so. The company is now seeking to know the unknowable, having just sunk an undisclosed amount of capital into Cambridge, Mass.-based Recorded Future, a startup that analyzes the "past, present and the predicted future," according to Google's investment arm, Google Ventures.

Recorded Future appears to be a data analytics company that tries to calculate what the future might hold by applying search-engine like capabilities to highly specific data sets in order to deduce what's probable to happen down the road. By scanning the Web for the frequency and nature of references to a certain person or occurrence, Recorded Future computes what it calls a "momentum value" for each entity in its database. From there, it tries to project future happenings, be they stock market swings or terrorist attacks.

A blog post on Recorded Future's Web site explains:

The momentum value indicates how interesting a certain event or entity is at a particular time, and is continuously updated. In computing the momentum value, we take into account the volume of news around an entity or event, as well as what sources it is mentioned in, what other events and entities it is mentioned together with, and several other factors.

The post continues:

The momentum measure is used to present the most relevant query results in our web user interface, but it can also be analyzed using statistical methods to predict possible future changes in momentum, which in turn can be valuable e.g. for trading decisions.

It sounds more reliable than a crystal ball, and honestly it sounds like a good fit for Google. Recorded Future's analytics tools could prove valuable to the search giant, especially if they prove useful at crunching large volumes of data into useful, actionable information -- a task that is Google's bread and butter. We'll try to guard our optimism and not dwell on the fact that such prediction models sounds vaguely similar to some of the risk management models employed by once-mighty investment firms.

Google plans to invest $100 million in startups through Google Ventures this year alone, so regardless of whether Recorded Ventures pans out, we predict Google will be just fine.

[ComputerWorld]

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Coming Soon: a Synthetic Brain Built from Tens of Thousands of Smartphone Chips

Source: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-05/building-synthetic-brain-tens-thousands-smartphone-chips

If you like to think of the processor running your smartphone as the nerve center of your device, wait until you see what Steve Furber's got in mind. The computer engineer, probably best known for his work on the BBC Micro and ARM microprocessors, has begun construction of a 1-billion-neuron simulated brain made from thousands of the widely available chips used most commonly in e-book readers and smartphones.

While other brain sims, like IBM's Blue Brain, use high-powered supercomputers to mimic the computing power of the human brain, Furber thinks that if we really want to recreate the brain synthetically, we need a more practical, affordable, low-power approach.

As such, he's building Spinnaker -- for Spiking Neural Network Architecture -- out of a chip that flopped as a follow-up to the BBC Microcomputer but that is now used in all kinds of mobile devices. A Taiwanese firm is churning out the chips, each of which will contain 20 ARM processing cores, each of which can model 1,000 neurons. By that math, Spinnaker needs 50,000 total chips at minimum to reach the 1-billion-neuron goal.

While Furber and company wait in Manchester, UK, for the chips to begin arriving, they've cobbled together a pared-down, 50-neuron version for testing. That model can already control a Pac-Man-like video game, and Furber's first goal once he gets working on the real deal is to teach Spinnaker to control a robotic arm. This, of course, is a precursor to his teaching it the full range of tasks required to control a humanoid body.

Coaxing a non-brain into acting like a real brain is no small task, but Furber is eager to get started on the teaching phase. He aims to have a 10,000-chip version working -- and learning -- before the end of this year.

[New Scientist]

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WolframTones Generates Unique MIDI Ringtones for Your Cellphone [Ringtones]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5530727/wolframtones-generates-unique-midi-ringtones-for-your-cellphone

WolframTones Generates Unique MIDI Ringtones for Your CellphoneIf your phone's ringtones just aren't doing it for you anymore, or if everyone at work is sick of that one MP3 snippet, WolframTones can generate original, 8-bit-sounding ringtones based on genres you select and send them to your phone.

WolframTones works by defining a set of loose criteria for each musical genre (such as classical, dance, jazz, and hip hop), and then generating a random MIDI tune every time you hit that genre's button. It works remarkably well—the tones are not a jumbled mess, they actually contain a melody and tend to (mostly) fit the genre you selected. Plus, each time you click it, you'll get something new, and probably never get the same one twice.

There are some more advanced features, like showing variations of your currently generated tone, as well as even changing the instruments on each track within the tone. You can also change the musical scale, tempo, and duration. It's pretty cool if you're sick of your ringtone, or your phone only supports MIDI. And, of course, it's all free—though standard messaging rates will apply when you send a tone to your phone.

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Free Audio Editor Strips Audio from YouTube and Video Files [Updates]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5530755/free-audio-editor-strips-audio-from-youtube-and-video-files

Free Audio Editor Strips Audio from YouTube and Video FilesWindows: An update to Free Audio Editor doesn't change its simple mission, but the newest version is chock full of extra-helpful features. The application downloads YouTube videos, and then strips audio from those FLVs and other video files.

By entering a URL, you can strip audio from YouTube videos online. It downloads the YouTube video in FLV, then strips the audio from the FLV file. Free Audio Encoder will also strip audio from normal videos, such as those in AVI format.

Free Audio Editor Strips Audio from YouTube and Video Files

We've covered Free Audio Editor before, and discovered the program was powerful and intuitive with its streamlined interface. The newest version remains a good pick for getting basic audio work done, and still offers rich features such as CD ripping/burning, text-to-speech conversion, and audio editing. While open-source audio editing programAudacity is in the same league, Free Audio Editor's updates give it a different use case for those grabbing what they can from the web.

Free Audio Editor is freeware for Windows only. A Deluxe version goes for $29.99 and unlocks a few obscured features, but the basic version will get you very far.

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Intel's Atom Z6 Moorestown Chips Will Run Android and MeeGo [Processors]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5531356/intels-atom-z6-moorestown-chips-will-run-android-and-meego

Intel's Atom Z6 Moorestown Chips Will Run Android and MeeGoIntel's new Z6XX chips under the Moorestown banner will be used in devices running Android or MeeGo, Intel and Nokia's new OS that's sprung from Moblin and Maemo's loins.

Other OSes will likely be seen sporting Z6XX chips, but for now Intel's only talking about the two more recent platforms. We can expect to see it in phones, clocking up more than 1.5GHz, thrusting its sword into the throat of the mighty Snapdragon, and when used in tablets or netbooks it could go as far as 1.9GHz.

Battery life, well. 5 hours so far for web browsing, though standby time is said to be 10 days. In a briefing with Intel, TechRadar saw three-way video conferencing and the ability to play Quake 3 and 1080p video decoding demo-ed on an Aava Mobile device. [TechRadar]

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Confirmed: BlackBerry two-way sync for Gmail is now live

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/04/confirmed-blackberry-two-way-sync-for-gmail-is-now-live/

We've just heard from the boys and girls at RIM that the company did, in fact, deploy the long-awaited two-way Gmail synchronization capability to North American BIS users this week. What does that mean, exactly? Well, it means that if you've got a BlackBerry on any North American carrier that isn't going through BES, Gmail should behave more like it should -- deleted items will disappear from your phone, emails read elsewhere will show up as read on the device, and you'll have access to all of your sent items. Oh, and you can create and delete labels from the comfort of your QWERTY thumb board, too, which is a sweet deal. Sure, the feature might be literally years late as far as we're concerned -- but hey, better late than never.

Confirmed: BlackBerry two-way sync for Gmail is now live originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 May 2010 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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!

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.

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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