Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/evgas-dual-cpu-classified-sr-2-motherboard-put-to-the-test-wor/
EVGA's dual-CPU Classified SR-2 motherboard put to the test: worth the money if you know what you're doing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Many helos top out around 200 miles per hour -- for a frame of reference, an Apache attack helicopter's top speed is listed as 176 miles per hour -- so the futuristic-looking X2 is setting the bar pretty high. Its dual-rotor, counter-rotating design creates increased stability for the pilot, allowing its six-blade, rear-facing propeller to push the aircraft to speeds that would make a traditional helo too unstable to keep on a straight heading.
Of course, this was just a test flight and the X2 isn't even close to done setting records. By the time the X2 completes testing, its designers think it can reach 288 miles per hour while still cruising comfortably.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/lg-u-cloud-service-links-connected-devices-requires-a-relocati/
LG U+ cloud service links connected devices, requires a relocation to South Korea to enjoy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Akihabara News | LG | Email this | Comments
Source: http://gizmodo.com/5603773/toshiba-portege-r705-review-the-ultra-ultraportable
Spoiler alert: yes. It's not that the Portégé R705 is the fastest laptop out there. Or the prettiest. But it's in a class by itself among ultraportable notebooks, packing more performance into a lighter frame than anyone else has to date, at a wholly competitive price. Is there room for improvement? Of course. But there's much more here to like than not.
The system we tested—the only configuration available on this Best Buy exclusive—comes loaded with a 2.26GHz Core i3-350M processor and Intel integrated graphics, 4GB DDR3 RAM, a 500GB (5400rpm) hard drive, and an optical drive for $800. If you want color options, you've come to the wrong place. But hey, isn't nearly black the new black anyway?
The first thing you notice about the new Portégé is the weight. Or rather, the lack thereof. It's incongruous, really; this full performance, 13.3-inch notebook weighs just a touch more than a netbook. In fact, at 3.2lbs it weighs about 25-percent less than my 13-inch MacBook Pro. Switching between the two feels like moving from a discus to a Frisbee.
Your first assumption is that the R705 must be somehow diminished or cheap: A wimpy ULV processor, say. Flimsy materials. Nope. As the gaudy sticker on the palm rest boasts, there's a full Core i3 Intel inside, and the body is constructed of sturdy magnesium. There's even, so help me, a DVD drive. What the what?
Reliable but less essential is the R705's WiDi capability, which lets you wirelessly connect your desktop to your TV. It works perfectly well here, but keep in mind that WiDi doesn't play DVDs under DRM or support 1080p, and you'll need to purchase a $100 add-on from Netgear to use it. It's good, not great, and it's not something that should factor heavily into your overall decision.
The same thing could be said about the R705's overall look: it's nice enough, but the bread and butter's under the hood.
This is where the Portégé really shines. It's not that it's the most powerful laptop out there—that's a fight we'll leave to the gamers—but it's got incredible pep for its size and weight. While you wouldn't necessarily trust the Core i3–350M processor (and, more specifically, Intel's gimped integrated graphics) to do any heavy gaming, the Portégé can stream HD videos without much difficulty and is more than capable of handling our email/internet/productivity needs.
Benchmarks? Sure! The Portégé stacks up nicely against its contemporaries and mops the floor with Core2Duo and ULV machines. Here's how it performed in GeekBench against the Acer Aspire TimelineX, its primary competitor—though a pound heavier—that also packs Core i3:
The Portégé also put up a 4959 in PCMark Vantage, slightly ahead of the TimelineX and miles beyond any Core2Duo ULV performance. Though the integrated graphics could stymie some of your high definition video efforts, and while you wouldn't want this to be your go-to gaming rig, it's more than capable of keeping up with everyday needs.
So the R705 is a great daily driver. Unfortunately, it runs out of gas in a lot less than a day.
While not as impressive as the listed 8 hours, I was actually able to squeeze pretty decent stamina from the R705. I tested higher performance settings, medium screen brightness, bluetooth off (because there is none), and a page automatically reloading every 30 seconds on Firefox to simulate active web browsing.
And that can obviously be further improved by settling for lower performance/higher battery life settings.
The R705 isn't the flashiest notebook out there, and it's not the most powerful, and it's not the lightest. But it's got incredible pop for its weight, and there's something refreshing about the minimal form.
Do I have reservations? Sure. The desktop is refreshingly free of bloatware, but the system gets bogged down with Best Buy's software installer. The cooling system may keep the chassis light, but the rig also gets pretty hot. There's no bluetooth. And the trackpad and integrated graphics really are less than ideal.
But those are nits that I'm picking, each no heavier, relatively, than the R705 itself. And together, they still don't prevent this new Portégé from being a once in a blue moon every day laptop.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/5604701/help-survey-genghis-khans-lost-tomb-with-some-armchair-archaeology
NatGeo's Valley of the Khans project allows armchair archaeologists to sift through satellite imagery of the region—multispectral shots provided by the GeoEye-1 and Ikonos sattelites—and mark what they think could be ancient roads, rivers, or other anomalies. And that's only one aspect of this high-tech effort.
At the University of California in San Diego, researchers are employing a HIPerSpace (Highly Interactive Parallelized Display Space) wall—seen above—to visualize huge expanses of the Mongolian region, scaling into the billions of pixels.
And then there's the StarCAVE, an Earthquake-proof, 3D visualization room which surrounds researchers with images in better-than-HD resolution—it's a few square feets' worth of Northern Mongolian vista, perfectly reproduced thousands of miles away in California.
You can find out more and join the Field Expedition team for the Valley of the Khans project over on National Geographic's site. And if hunching over your laptop wasn't exactly how you envisioned your swashbuckling archeological adventure, you can always compliment your pajamas with an Indiana Jones fedora. [National Geographic's Valley of the Khans Project]
Source: http://gizmodo.com/5604940/logitech-71-surround-sound-g930-gaming-headset-murders-wires-too
The charging station basically turns it into a standard USB 7.1 gaming headset, so you can keep using it while it's charging. Like the original G35 it's got three programmable keys on the side to use for voice morphing, music or chat controls. It's pretty 'spensive at $160, but that's about how much "gaming" audio tends to run. [Logitech]
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/jolicloud-1-0-now-ready-for-your-downloading-delight-on-windows/
Jolicloud 1.0 now ready for your downloading delight on Windows or bootable USB originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/playons-web-app-brings-hulu-and-netflix-to-ipod-touch-iphone/
PlayOn's web app brings Hulu and Netflix to iPod touch, iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkMobiputing | Venture Beat, PlayOn Mobile | Email this | Comments
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/droid-2-flyer-confirms-froyo-again-promises-40-percent-boost/
Droid 2 flyer confirms Froyo (again), promises 40 percent boost in website load times originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/blackberry-torch-review/
Continue reading BlackBerry Torch review
BlackBerry Torch review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/hacker-reveals-how-apple-artifically-restricts-iphone-chargers/
Continue reading Hacker reveals how Apple artificially restricts iPhone chargers (video)
Hacker reveals how Apple artificially restricts iPhone chargers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkSlashdot | Minty Boost | Email this | Comments
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/chinas-maglev-trains-to-hit-1-000kph-in-three-years-doc-brown/
Look out Japan -- your neighbor to the west might just steal your thunder. Years after the Land of the Rising Sun proudly boasted plans to create a maglev train that could soar along at 500kph, China is now claiming that they'll have similar ones ready in just three years. Oh, but they'll travel at twice the aforesaid speed. According to the laboratory at Southwest Jiaotong University, a prototype is currently being worked on that'll average 500kph to 600kph, with a far smaller train to hit upwards of 1,000kph in "two or three years." The trick? Tossing the maglev train inside of a vacuum tube, enabling greater velocity due to decreased friction. If you're scoffing at the mere thought of how much such a setup would cost, you're probably not alone -- it's bruited that the tunnel would cost "10 to 20 million yuan ($2.95 million) more than the current high speed railway for each kilometer." Pony up, taxpayers!China's maglev trains to hit 1,000kph in three years, Doc Brown to finally get 1985 squared away originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkEngadget Spanish | Eastday, China Daily | Email this | Comments
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/acer-aspire-one-d255-netbook-dual-boots-android-and-xp-for-about/
Acer Aspire One D255 netbook dual boots Android and XP for about $375 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 02:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |PCWorld | Email this | Comments
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/olpcs-negroponte-offers-india-help-in-realizing-35-tablet-drea/
The late Joker said it best: "If you're good at something, never do it for free." The truth ingrained in that very statement makes the bold words of OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte all the more curious here. In an open letter to the Indian government published in the Times of India, Nik Neg has seemingly eased up on his apparent grudge against the nation, but there's a decent chance that something's in it for him. Largely, no one with any link to reality believes that India will indeed deliver $35 laptops -- their $10 laptop eventually soared to $100 before evaporating completely. But in the letter, Negroponte offers the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development "full access to all of [OLPC's] technology, cost free," further urging them to "send a team to MIT and OLPC at your earliest convenience" in order to talk about world domination, the latest Cricket happenings and janky PCs that may or may not ever land in the classroom. Of course, some are surmising that the scheme will enable the MHRD to easily give up their own aspirations, buy a truckload of XO-3s and save face in the process, but hey -- so long as the children win, it's all good. Right?OLPC's Negroponte offers India help in realizing $35 tablet dream, probably has a few other motives originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 04:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkOLPC News | Times of India | Email this | Comments
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