Monday, June 28, 2010

RevoDrive PCIe SSD reviewed, deemed awesome, cheap, and awesome because it's cheap

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/28/revodrive-pcie-ssd-reviewed-deemed-awesome-cheap-and-awesome/

Just the thought of an almost affordable PCIe SSD inspires some serious gadget lust, so we're glad to see reviews of the OCZ RevoDrive starting to pop up 'round the net. The gang at PC Perpective got their hands on a model, and they're clearly smitten, calling it "an absolute breath of fresh air." Although it ain't the fastest when compared to FusionIO's offering, "it is less demanding on system resources and remains an outstanding performer for its price point" (in the $400-$600 range, depending on configuration). And it employs a simple RAID controller, so you can use it for your boot drive. The reviewer at AnandTech was a little less enthusiastic, pointing out that "application launch times and most conventional desktop uses won't be affected" by the drive. But that's not to say it isn't a well-thought out piece of kit: "As far as the architecture of the drive goes," it continues, "there doesn't appear to be any downside to OCZ's PCI-X to PCIe solution." But that ain't the half of it! Check out the source links to get the nitty-gritty details.

RevoDrive PCIe SSD reviewed, deemed awesome, cheap, and awesome because it's cheap originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid 2 rumored to be launching August 23rd with Android 2.2

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/28/droid-2-rumored-to-be-launching-august-23rd-with-android-2-2/

We've certainly gotten a peak at quite a few Droid 2 details so far, but word of a release date has unfortunately never been among them. That now looks to have changed, however, with the folks at Android and Me reporting that a "trustworthy source" has informed them that the phone will be launching on August 23rd. According to the site, that date was apparently chosen so the Droid 2 would be the first phone to ship with Android 2.2 out of the box, although that of course remains to be confirmed (current test versions of the Droid 2 are said to be running Android 2.1). If recent rumors pan out, however, the Droid 2 wouldn't be the first Droid to make the jump to Froyo -- the original Droid is said to be getting the update in "late July," while the Droid X will have to wait until late August.

Droid 2 rumored to be launching August 23rd with Android 2.2 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Universal USB Installer Makes a Persistent Thumb Drive Version of Any Linux OS [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5574276/universal-usb-installer-makes-a-persistent-thumb-drive-version-of-any-linux-os

Universal USB Installer Makes a Persistent Thumb Drive Version of Any Linux OS Windows: Having a full Linux operating system on a USB thumb drive is pretty neat. Having that OS customized, with your own favorite apps and all your settings intact, is far more helpful. This Windows tool makes that possible.

Universal USB Installer is a stand-alone application that automates the process of downloading, formatting, and installing a Linux OS to a USB drive, as well as implementing a variable amount of "persistence." "Persistence" means that when you swap out Firefox for Chrome, change keyboard shortcuts, store files in your home directory, or make other changes to your portable Linux, they stick from boot-up to boot-up—which isn't the case with most portable Linux distributions.

If you've already downloaded a Linux installation ISO and run Universal USB Installer from the same directory the ISO is in, the app will find it and use it for the installation, rather than download another copy. Most useful of all, your USB drive can still be read by Windows when you're done formatting, so creating a "Storage" folder on the drive gives you some room to maneuver whenever a simple storage space is needed.

Universal USB Installer is a free download that runs on Windows systems. If you've found another tool for making persistent USB Linux systems, you'd better believe we want to hear about it in the comments.

Universal USB Installer [USB Pen Drive Linux]

Nokia N900 Hacked With Froyo, While Androids Are Still Waiting [Android]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5574253/android-froyo-hacked-onto-nokia-n900

Nokia N900 Hacked With Froyo, While Androids Are Still Waiting Nokia would be doing much better if they'd announced last week that along with ditching Symbian for high-end devices, they were adopting Android too. Sadly, they're sticking with MeeGo—but as this video demonstrates, you can Androidize it yourself.

Froyo is rolling out gently across some of the Android phones already in people's hands, but just because you bought a Nokia N900 instead doesn't mean you miss out on all the fun.

The video plods along in some places, but does manage to show that everything's running smoothly, minus the icons in the status-bar "curtain." .[DailyMobile]

Chrome Passes Safari To Become #3 Most Used Browser In U.S. [Browsers]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5574383/chrome-passes-safari-to-become-3-most-used-browser-in-us

According to StatCounter, Chrome just edged out Safari to become the third most widely used browser in the United States, claiming 8.97% of the market share to Safari's 8.88%. I guess people really responded to that potato gun speed test.

Chrome has been beating Safari globally for a while now, commanding about 9% of international market share to Safari's 4% or so. And Chrome's growth isn't just bummer for the browsers it's leaving in the dust—it's holding back Firefox, too, keeping Mozilla's browser just shy of the 25% market share mark. [Business Wire via BGR]

mSpot Beats Google to Cloud-Based Music Service [Music]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5574406/mspot-beats-google-to-cloud+based-music-service

mSpot Beats Google to Cloud-Based Music Service Putting our music collections in the cloud would be a wonderful thing. So wonderful, even, that Google and Apple have been working on doing just that for months. But why wait? mSpot's letting you Android users do it now.

mSpot has been streaming movies to all four major carriers for some time, but today they announced that they were jumping to the front of the line for cloud-based music on Android handsets.

Here's how it works: any unencrypted music files you own are stored in the cloud, to be played back at any time on your Android phone or PC. The first 2GB you upload are free, while 10GB will cost you $3.00/month and 100GB (a whopping 80,000 songs) will go for $14.00/month.

The catch is that mSpot doesn't have a deal in place with the major record labels, who may be a bit nonplussed to see their content spread widely without additional royalties. But until they make a legal case of it—and until Google and Apple finally release their own services—mSpot will remain the biggest cloud-based music game in town. [mSpot via Media Memo]

16GB iPhone 4 Parts Cost $187.51 [Iphone 4]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5574423/16gb-iphone-4-parts-cost-18751

The components that make up the 16GB iPhone 4 cost just under $188, according to iSuppli. For some perspective: that's more than Droid or the 3GS. Most of that added price seems to be built into that fancy retina display.

That screen—likely produced by LG—cost a disproportionate $28.50 per unit, according to iSuppli. The A4 processor—from Samsung, and the same as in the iPad—cost $10.75, and the new gyroscope chip came in at an estimated cost of $2.60.

It's not clear how much profit Apple's clearing with each unit—iSuppli doesn't take into account the marketing, design, manufacturing, etc. costs, or how much AT&T contributes—but it's safe to say it's at least in line with previous models. [Businessweek]

Remember, You Can Always Return Your New iPhone [Iphone 4]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5574502/remember-you-can-always-return-your-new-iphone

If the antenna really is a dealbreaker for you, if your screen still has yellow spots...even if you're just afraid of dropping/shattering the iPhone 4, don't worry. You can still return it, no matter who you bought it from:

The following are no-questions-asked return policies for simply returning the phone without pleading your case with a manager or proving that your unit is faulty.

If You Purchased from Apple

• You have 30 days to return
• Full refund (no restocking fees)
• Your two-year contract is canceled
• You can still buy another new phone (your old upgrade eligibility date—the one you lost when you bought the new iPhone—is returned to your account)

If You Purchased from AT&T

• You have 30 days to return
• Full refund for purchases made online or on phone, $35 restocking fee on in-store purchases
• Your two-year contract is canceled
• You can still buy another new phone (your old upgrade eligibility date—the one you lost when you bought the new iPhone—is returned to your account)

If You Purchased from Best Buy

• You have 30 days to return
• Partial refund (10% restocking fee)
• You can still buy another new phone (your old upgrade eligibility date—the one you lost when you bought the new iPhone—is returned to your account)

If You Purchased from RadioShack

• You have 30 days to return
• Partial refund (15% restocking fee)
• You can still buy another new phone (your old upgrade eligibility date—the one you lost when you bought the new iPhone—is returned to your account)

The bottom line is this: maybe you can live with the iPhone as-is and maybe you can't. But it's hard to imagine Apple avoiding any re-engineering between now and the inevitable next iPhone release in a year (hard...though not impossible). Even if you really want to keep your new iPhone, returning it now to buy anew later doesn't sound like a crazy idea if you can avoid restocking fees. In fact, it might send just the right message.

Note: a few commenters are noting differing policies from Apple, AT&T and Best Buy. Note, all our our information was gathered as of today, contacting stores of each respective company. Searching through corporate sites may yield different answers.

Research by Adam Feldman.

Samsung's Epic 4G for Sprint seems to live up to its name

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/28/samsungs-epic-4g-for-sprint-seems-to-live-up-to-its-name/

That rumored Galaxy S Pro is very real and very official for Sprint this evening, 'cept it's not actually called the Galaxy S Pro -- instead, it'll be known as the Epic 4G when it comes to market "in the coming months." Like the EVO 4G before it, the Epic 4G sort of blows everything out of the water on paper: 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 5 megapixel primary camera with LED flash and 720p video recording paired with a VGA front-facing cam for video calls, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, six-axis accelerometer, and a 1GHz Hummingbird core. Oh, and of course let's not forget those EV-DO Rev. A and WiMAX radios, the latter of which will earn you theoretical downlink speeds in excess of 10Mbps -- speeds that will work nicely with the phone's five-device mobile hotspot support (three devices fewer than the EVO 4G, interestingly).

As software goes, the Epic 4G will be running Samsung's reworked version of Android 2.1 offering features like DLNA support and Social Hub. In other words, this is the closest you're going to get to an EVO 4G with a landscape QWERTY slide -- and at 14.2mm thick, you're only about a millimeter and a half thicker than HTC's entry. Like AT&T's Captivate, the Epic 4G is being described as "a Galaxy S smartphone," so it's pretty clear that Samsung's looking to group all of these things under a global brand with big-time name recognition. Neither pricing nor a launch date have been announced -- but hey, the EVO deserves a few more days in the spotlight, wouldn't you say? Follow the break for Sprint's press release.

Continue reading Samsung's Epic 4G for Sprint seems to live up to its name

Samsung's Epic 4G for Sprint seems to live up to its name originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SRS TheaterSound featured in new Samsung LCDs and Plasmas

Source: http://hd.engadget.com/2010/06/28/srs-theatersound-featured-in-new-samsung-lcds-and-plasmas/

When we think of surround sound we think of lots of speakers, but SRS intends to change that with its front rendered surround sound technologies like SRS TheaterSound. When we first heard of this idea we thought of it as simulated surround sound, but then we realized; hey wait, all surround sound is simulated -- there aren't actually bullets whizzing around our living room. So while the jury is still out on how many speakers are required to make you feel like you're in the middle of the action, we always appreciate steps in the right direction and the new Samsung owners will get the benefits of SRS TheaterSound. In addition to the surround sound part, it also helps tames loud commercial and inaudible dialog. Of course in this case hearing is believing, and this is one we'll have to hear for ourselves. Assuming we can get our hands on one of the latest Samsung LED back-lit LCDs or plasmas to try out.

Continue reading SRS TheaterSound featured in new Samsung LCDs and Plasmas

SRS TheaterSound featured in new Samsung LCDs and Plasmas originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Streak now available unlocked for Â£449

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/28/dell-streak-now-available-unlocked-for-449/

Not a fan of being tied down to a single network? Neither are we, so let's all hold hands and rejoice at the news that Dell's 5-inch Streak has today become available to purchase unlocked over in the UK. Freedom lovers will have to pay a hefty £50 extra for being unshackled from O2's chains, but the £449 ($676) price point remains significantly lower than the 16GB iPhone 4 and should prove mighty tempting. Then again, if you wait until next month, you might be able to import one from the good old US of A, where Dell will be selling the unlocked Streak at a thrifty $500. It all depends on what you have more of, money or patience.

[Thanks, Manuel B.]

Dell Streak now available unlocked for £449 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 05:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung N230 netbook ships with 13.8 hours of pretend fun

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/28/samsung-n230-netbook-ships-with-13-8-hours-of-pretend-fun/

Does this picture look anything like your life? No... because it's missing a Samsung N230 netbook. Come June 28th Sammy will rid the world of sadness and begin selling its latest netbook with your choice of 1.66GHz N450 or 1.83GHz N470 Atom processors and options for 32Wh and 66Wh batteries for up to 7- or a whopping 13.8-hours of power, respectively. And judging by the N230 "photographed" above, its 10.1-inch, 1,024 x 600 non-gloss, LED backlit display will remain absolutely stunning and reflection free even when used outdoors. Right. Live vicariously through the eyes of a corporate marketing executive by reviewing the gallery below.

Gallery: Samsung N230 netbook comes loaded with 13.8-hours of pretend fun

Continue reading Samsung N230 netbook ships with 13.8 hours of pretend fun

Samsung N230 netbook ships with 13.8 hours of pretend fun originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers create functioning human lung on a microchip

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/28/researchers-create-functioning-human-lung-on-a-microchip/

Researchers at Harvard University have successfully created a functioning, respirating human 'lung' on a chip in a lab. Made using human and blood vessel cells and a microchip, the translucent lung is far simpler in terms of observation than traditional, actual human lungs (for obvious reasons), in a small convenient package about the size of a pencil eraser. The researchers have demonstrated its effectiveness and are now moving toward showing its ability to replicate gas exchange between lung cells and the bloodstream. Down the road a bit more, the team hopes to produce other organs on chips, and hook them all up to the already operational heart on a chip. And somewhere in the world, Margaret Atwood and her pigoons are rejoicing, right? Here's to the future. Video description of the device is below.

Continue reading Researchers create functioning human lung on a microchip

Researchers create functioning human lung on a microchip originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aiptek's 3D photo frame serves up the fruit of your 3D camcorder's labor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/28/aipteks-3d-photo-frame-serves-up-the-fruit-of-your-3d-camcorder/

Aiptek's 3D photo frame serves up the fruit of your 3D camcorder's labor

When Aiptek introduced its i2 3D Camcorder, it pledged to release a 3D photo frame to match. Well, here it is, the "Portable 3D Photo and Video Display," a 7-inch parallax LCD display that will not require glasses to create the illusion of depth -- but we're curious to see what it'll look like from across the room. It's capable of displaying photos and videos captured by the i2 (or other 3D device) and releases on August 15 for $200, meaning the entire package (shooter and viewer) will set you back $400. That's not a terrible price for taking and displaying photos of the future.

Gallery: Aiptek portable 3D photo and video display

Aiptek's 3D photo frame serves up the fruit of your 3D camcorder's labor originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Viliv's N5 UMPC finally reviewed, deemed worth the wait

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/28/vilivs-n5-umpc-finally-reviewed-deemed-worth-the-wait/

Viliv's N5 UMPC finally reviewed, deemed worth the wait

We wouldn't say that Viliv is always tardy with its product releases, but neither would we say that we're particularly surprised the N5 UMPC is only now making its way to retail seven months after being announced. It's a Windows 7-toting, clutch-sized device packing specs that are at least seven months old: a 1.3GHz Atom Z520 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 32GB SSD. Despite that, performance is said to be good, capable of handling 720p and even 1080p video without a hitch on its 4.8-inch, WSVGA display. Build quality is said to be "superb," the optical thumbpad thing is apparently a respectable mouse replacement, and 3G wireless (in addition to 802.11b/g and Bluetooth) is quite easy to enable. Unfortunately we're still not sure what Viliv is going to charge for this, but we're told it'll be appearing for order in the very near future.

Viliv's N5 UMPC finally reviewed, deemed worth the wait originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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