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Sunday, June 13, 2010

ASUS hops on the AMD train with Geode-based Eee PC 1201K

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/12/asus-hops-on-the-amd-train-with-geode-based-eee-pc-1201k/

AMD has picked up a fair bit of ground in the netbook space lately with support from the likes of HP and Acer, and it looks like it's now added yet another big partner -- ASUS is relying on some AMD hardware for its just-announced Eee PC 1201K netbook. That's an AMD Geode NX 1750 processor backed up by a SiS 741GX/966L chipset, to be specific, which is complemented by some mostly ordinary specs otherwise, including a 1GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a 0.3-megapixel webcam, a built-in memory card reader and, somewhat interestingly in light of yesterday's news, Windows XP Home for an OS. No word on pricing or availability just yet, but you can check out the complete spec list and a few more images at the link below.

ASUS hops on the AMD train with Geode-based Eee PC 1201K originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Jun 2010 08:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP picks up Phoenix's HyperSpace, HyperCore and Flip instant-on assets for $12m

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/13/hp-picks-up-phoenixs-hyperspace-hypercore-and-flip-instant-on/

Phoenix Technologies, remember those guys? Yeah, us either. Not that we really minded its instant-on OS or anything, but considering that full-fledged operating systems can boot up in under a minute on most machines, they're kind of a hard sell. Unless you're selling to HP, of course, which is on somewhat of an acquisition rampage. In fact, Hewlett-Packard hasn't even filled out the appropriate paperwork to close that Palm deal it entered into last month, and already the company's dropping another $12 million in order to pick up Phoenix's HyperSpace, HyperCore and Flip instant-on and client virtualization products. There's no mention from either company on what exactly HP plans to do with the new code, but considering that this deal is expected to go final by the month's end, we're guessing we'll be finding out sooner rather than later. On the edge of our seats? Oh, you bet.

Continue reading HP picks up Phoenix's HyperSpace, HyperCore and Flip instant-on assets for $12m

HP picks up Phoenix's HyperSpace, HyperCore and Flip instant-on assets for $12m originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Jun 2010 06:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sigma SD15 nabs a lofty price and near-term release date, at long last

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/13/sigma-sd15-nabs-a-lofty-price-and-near-term-release-date-at-lon/

All together now: "Finally!" Believe it or not, we first saw the SD15 glimmer back in September of 2008 -- practically an era ago based on what has transpired on our little planet since -- and we found out this February that Sigma was keeping the dream alive for the time being. According to a report straight out of Japan, it looks as if the long wait for a DSLR that's possibly past its prime by now is just about over. As the story goes, the SD15 (along with its famed Foveon X3 image sensor) will be shipping in at least some portions of the world by the month's end, with a body-only price of ¥120,000 / €1,199 (around $1,310 on a good day) and a kit price of ¥140,000 ($1,528). 'Course, we're still planning to wait for the first legitimate consumer unboxing before we commence celebrating, but at least the end of the tunnel is clearly marked.
Sigma SD15 nabs a lofty price and near-term release date, at long last originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Mercedes Benz Points to 2050

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/yankodesign/~3/oMmsA-wh5TY/

You heard it here first, folks, 2050 is the new 2010. Remember when the year 2000 was the tag people put on their projects to push them conceptually into the future? It’s not that anymore, it’s the year 2050, and that’s exactly when designer Felipe Palermo places his “Mercedes-Benz Arrow” concept. You’re gonna be driving this in 40 years. That’s a long time from now! You’ll have to buy it for… your grandchildren? Man. Future!

One of the big ideas here is that in the future, during the week, suspended rail systems will be used by the majority of the citizens of the major cities. Thus, this car must be a recreational vehicle made for use for fun on the weekends. The layout of this “Arrow” vehicle is done by TANDEM, the designer aiming to draw comparisons to other leisure vehicles such as motorcycles, jet skis, and personalized aircraft.

This car works with a system of opposing magnets, MAGLEV, which allows the vehicle to take on some amazing curves. The tires allow for rubber to be re-injected once breakdown of the first set occurs, allowing for longer life and less (maybe even NO) dumping of waste because of wheels.

Design inspired by old Silver Arrows, Slr Mclaren, and the 1954 Gull-wing.

Designer: Felipe Palermo

Mercedes Benz Arrow concept car by Felipe Palermo

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ISOBuddy Converts and Burns Obscure Disc Images [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5559792/isobuddy-converts-and-burns-obscure-disc-images

ISOBuddy Converts and Burns Obscure Disc Images Windows: Ever end up with a really weird disc image (MDF? PDI? B6I?) and no clue how to get at it? ISOBuddy is there for you. It burns or converts nearly any image file—even the Mac-specific DMG.

ISOBuddy is as simple to use as it is wide-ranging in its compatibility. Point it at the file you're sure is a disc, but your system isn't sure how to handle, and tell it where you want the output file to go, or hit Burn to load it onto a disc. It covers all the super-specific formats put out by specialty burning software, and as stated above, can convert and burn Mac DMG files. Once you've got an ISO out of ISOBuddy, you can usually burn it from any burning program you prefer, or use a compress/decompress tool like 7-Zip to view and extract its contents.

ISOBuddy is a free download for Windows systems only. If you know of an even more robust conversion tool, or a complementary bit of software, do share in the comments.

ISOBuddy [DVD-Ranger via Download Squad]

Ricoh GXR P10 sensor and lens combo gets reviewed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/10/ricoh-gxr-p10-sensor-and-lens-combo-gets-reviewed/

Ricoh GXR P10 sensor and lens combo gets reviewed

We're still not sure that the world knows it needs a compact camera with both interchangeable lenses and sensors, but Ricoh's giving us all another reason to believe with the P10. This is a 10 megapixel, 1/2.3-inch sensor combined with a 10.7x, 28 - 300mm lens that, according to Photography Blog performs much better than its compact-sounding specs would lead you to believe -- as it should for a price of $299 on its own, or $499 with the GXR body. It'll do 720p video recording and capture RAW images at 5fps with full manual controls. These features earn it a solid recommendation and it's said to be the best expansion pack for the GXR yet. That's despite not offering any new factions, levels nor, indeed, a single new playable character.

Ricoh GXR P10 sensor and lens combo gets reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 07:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia C7 caught with 8 megapixel camera?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/10/nokia-c7-caught-with-8-megapixel-camera/

After seeing the C7 listed in what looked to be legitimate Nokia documents, we now have our first look at the handset -- or at least a device that claims to be the C7-00. Purported specs scrapped from a Chinese site suggest an 8 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, stereo speakers, 3.5-mm headphone jack, and a display measuring about 3.5-inches. It's unclear if said display is resistive or capacitive or if we're looking at an S60 5th or Symbian^3 OS until somebody switches the damn thing on. Until then you can oogle the profile and backside shots after the break.

Continue reading Nokia C7 caught with 8 megapixel camera?

Nokia C7 caught with 8 megapixel camera? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 07:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LiminAR robot finally shows us what pico projectors were meant for (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/10/liminar-robot-finally-shows-us-what-pico-projectors-were-meant-f/

LiminAR robot finally shows us what pico projectors were meant for (video)

Still looking for an excuse to buy a pico projector? We might just have the perfect thing. LuminAR, a project of MIT student Natan Linder, is something like a sentient desk lamp of the sort that will make any dedicated Pixar fan's heart skip a beat. It can follow a user's actions, using a camera to detect gestures and beam information down to augment whichever reality they're currently experiencing. Interestingly, the whole thing is built into a bulb socket, meaning it could be thrown into any lamp you like -- if you can do without the whole automatic motion aspect. It's based on what looks to be a Microsoft Lifecam Show webcam and what is certainly a Microvision Show WX projector, which is both focus and care free. There's a demo video after the break but, sadly, little hope that this thing will be replacing your current desktop lamp any time soon.

Continue reading LiminAR robot finally shows us what pico projectors were meant for (video)

LiminAR robot finally shows us what pico projectors were meant for (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 08:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BPâs Social Media Campaign Going About As Well As Capping That Well [Bp]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5559550/bps-social-media-campaign-going-about-as-well-as-capping-that-well

BP's Social Media Campaign Going About As Well As Capping That Well BP can't control its oil leak, but it's also having a rough time with image control.

The company responsible for the spewing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is attracting more of the wrong kind of attention by purchasing several red-hot search terms - including "oil spill" - on Google, Bing and Yahoo's search engines in an attempt to ensure prominent placement of a link to a company web page touting the company's cleanup efforts.

On the advertised site, workers in bright yellow boots clean a relatively untainted beach in the sun in front of rolling blue waves as a not-oily sea bird struts past. Other photos depict a different reality.

"We have bought search terms on search engines like Google to make it easier for people to find out more about our efforts in the Gulf and make it easier for people to find key links to information on filing claims, reporting oil on the beach and signing up to volunteer," BP spokesman Toby Odone told ABC News, which broke the story of the keyword buys.

With everyone from President Obama to the humblest Gulf shrimper cursing the company, BP has a desperate need to put the best face on its ongoing efforts as well as to lay the groundwork for some serious long-term image management. So it's not surprising that the embattled oil company is buying search keywords, setting up a Facebook page and Tweeting while it also makes the traditional old media moves, which include shirt-sleeved TV appearances and hiring former RIAA chief Hilary Rosen.

But rather than help, being seen to make the effort to "make it easier for people to find out more about our efforts in the Gulf" may make matters worse by instead feeding a meme that BP is tone deaf - more concerned with its reputation than in actually cleaning up those parts of its mess that can still be cleaned up.

BP didn't begin its social networking campaigns in earnest until one month after news of the spill broke, recalls David Binkowski of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. And when it did, the company seems to have been hamstrung by its legal council's insistence on not apologizing for or admitting to having done anything wrong. Those admissions can haunt a company in court, but BP's inability to apologize has hurt its ability to have an honest conversation, however difficult, with the public - assuming that's what it wants to have.

Then, when BP launched its massive TV campaign starring CEO Tony Hayward, it was lambasted for spending $50 million on that rather than, for example, Gulf families put out of work by the spill - even though, pardon the expression, that amount is a drop in the ocean of its assets.

Hayward - whose British accent doesn't seem to pacifying Americans as such an accent often does here - didn't help his cause by remarking in a TV interview, "I want my life back." He meant it as evidence of how hard he was working on the problem, but critics reminded us that the 11 people died on the Deepwater Horizon rig would never be getting their lives back. Hayward then had to apologize.

BP COO Doug Suttles told The Associated Press the leak would decrease to a trickle by Monday or Tuesday. The company then had to pull back on his promise.

Meanwhile, the BP's official Twitter feed is overwhelmed by a more popular parody version that BP is now being made fun of for trying to get shut down, its low-ranking Facebook page fights several prominent "boycott BP" groups for attention there, and #oilspill remains a trending topic on Twitter. This war of opinion has real economic consequences for BP and its member gas stations, the latter subject to public demonstrations and an inability to charge a premium for their product, according to what Oil Price Information Service chief oil analyst Tom Kloza told the Washington Post.

BP's late use of social networking was a problem, but its reliance on advertising to communicate this sort of message may have constituted the wrong approach.

"[Advertising] is the right move from an awareness perspective, but from a conversation perspective, it's not the best move," said Binkowski. "I would want there to be a dialogue of some kind to give people more insight into what's happening and what they're doing. Clearly, they waited too long, and now they're playing catch-up and trying to get their message out there."

Social media is a powerful tool, but like the old saying goes, a tool is only as good as the person who wields it. As we await a miracle in the Gulf, BP would be wise not to expect - or hope for - any others.

Image: Flickr/epkes

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AT&T breach reveals 114,000 iPad owners' email addresses, including some elite customers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/09/atandt-breach-reveals-114-000-ipad-owners-email-addresses-includ/

Uh oh. According to Valleywag, an AT&T security breach led to the exposure of 114,000 email addresses (and associated SIM / ICC identifiers) belonging to Apple iPad owners. A group of hackers calling themselves Goatse Security (be careful looking that one up) figured out a number of ICC-IDs and ran a script on AT&T's site through a faked iPad UserAgent, which would then return the associated addresses. Some of those affected were actually quite big names, including the CEOs of The New York Times and Time Inc., some higher-ups at Google and Microsoft, and even a number of employees from NASA, FAA, FCC, and the US military.

For its part, AT&T tells AllThingsD that it was informed of the issue on Monday, that only the addresses and associated ICC-IDs were revealed, and that by Tuesday the "feature" that allowed addresses to be seen had been turned off. And as Security Watch's Larry Seltzer cautions in a statement to PC Mag, the impact of this breach -- just email addresses -- is probably somewhat exaggerated. Still, regardless of the magnitude, this can't be making AT&T's day at all bright, and you best believe a number of folks in Cupertino have fire in their eyes over this bad press.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

AT&T breach reveals 114,000 iPad owners' email addresses, including some elite customers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung: iPhone 4's retina display is nice, but it's no AMOLED

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/09/samsung-iphone-4s-retina-display-is-nice-but-its-no-amoled/

Samsung seems to have taken exception to a little sidenote made by Steve Jobs during his iPhone 4 announcement at WWDC10 this Monday. While waxing poetic on the virtues of IPS, Jobs let us know that he considers it an entirely superior display technology to OLED, and now the world's biggest display maker has a few words to say about it. According to a Samsung spokesperson, the high-res retina display on the iPhone 4 offers only a 3 to 5 percent advantage in sharpness over its own Galaxy S Super AMOLED screen, but sucks down a wasteful 30 percent more power. Moreover, Samsung believes its screens offer better viewing angles and contrast, and concludes by saying that "structurally, IPS LCD technology cannot catch up with AM-OLED display technology." And here we thought Samsung and Apple were getting along so well.

Samsung: iPhone 4's retina display is nice, but it's no AMOLED originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Notion Ink Adam 'on track' for Q3 after all, may have 'more aggressive price'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/09/notion-ink-adam-on-track-for-q3-after-all-may-have-more-aggr/

Thought the Notion Ink Adam was delayed yet again? So did we, but founder Rohan Shravan just cleared up all that nonsense with a new update. If you've been pining for a Pixel Qi screen, you'll be happy to know the Tegra 2 tablet is still on track for Q3, and will be joined by a cheaper LCD version around the same period. Celebrating his good fortune at securing investment, Shravan teased lower prices and a third, more battery efficient Notion Ink as well, but on this last point even he agrees he might be getting ahead of himself. Honestly, at this point we'd be happy to see even a single retail unit -- we're already getting distracted by alternatives.

Notion Ink Adam 'on track' for Q3 after all, may have 'more aggressive price' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logitech launches four HD webcams, we preview the 1080p C910

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/10/logitech-launches-four-hd-webcams-we-preview-the-1080p-c910/

It seems like only yesterday webcams were struggling to shed their VGA roots; that megapixel cams were relying on interpolation tricks to falsely boost the pixel counts of their dinky sensors. No more. The age of the HD webcam is truly here, and Logitech has just announced a suite of the things, including the highest of the high: the 1080p HD Pro Webcam C910. It's fitting that the manufacturer behind the most iconic brand in webcams would jump straight to the top of the resolution charts, but do the extra pixels warrant the $99 price tag? Click on in to see the video proof and decide for yourself.

Gallery: Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910

Continue reading Logitech launches four HD webcams, we preview the 1080p C910

Logitech launches four HD webcams, we preview the 1080p C910 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola selling Droids faster than it can make them, has up to four videophones in pipeline

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/10/motorola-selling-droids-faster-than-it-can-make-them-has-up-to/

In case you're not yet convinced that video chat is the next big thing phone makers are going to push on us, let Motorola's Sanjay Jha enlighten you. Having just launched the video-centric Motorola XT720 in Europe (sans a front-facing camera), Jha is promising that his crew will deliver between two and four handsets this year with the equipment necessary to carry out video calls. Funnily enough, Moto's co-CEO describes himself as someone who's "never been a great believer" in the functionality, but clearly his company's seeing a trend it feels the need to be a part of. Speaking of trends, Moto has also fallen afoul of supply shortages similar to those constraining Droid Incredible inventory, with Jha saying about the Moto Droid, "if I could build more, I'd sell more." And if you could get Android 2.2 on them, you'd have some really happy customers too.

Motorola selling Droids faster than it can make them, has up to four videophones in pipeline originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 04:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Malata's SMB-A1011 is the 10-inch Android tablet we really want to happen (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/10/malatas-smb-a1011-is-the-10-inch-android-tablet-we-really-want/

Malata's SMB-A1011 is the 10-inch Android tablet we really want to happen

We're seeing so, so many Android tablets dropping every day, so few of which seem to deliver on their promises, that we're getting a bit jaded about the things. But, every now and again we see another one that makes our ears perk up again and make it all feel just like the first time. Such is the Malata SMB-A1011, a 10-inch, 1024 x 600 capacitive tablet running a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor and paired with Tegra 2 graphics. It has up to 2GB of system memory and up to 32GB of storage, with microSD expansion and 1080p output over HDMI, along with WiFi b/g and Bluetooth wireless. It's all slathered with Android 2.1, making this a slab we'd certainly make room for in our respective man and woman purses. At this point we know nothing about pricing or availability, but we do know enough to not get our hopes up too high.

Continue reading Malata's SMB-A1011 is the 10-inch Android tablet we really want to happen (video)

Malata's SMB-A1011 is the 10-inch Android tablet we really want to happen (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 07:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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