Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Arcade Fire and Google Pushing HTML5 Together [HTML5]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5625646/arcade-fire-and-google-pushing-html5-together

Arcade Fire and Google Pushing HTML5 Together At first, it might look like a bad memory from a late-90s porn misclick—a flurry of browser windows filling your screen. But a new collaboration between Google and Arcade Fire is looking to the future, showcasing HTML5's power.

Rather than stick a traditional music video on YouTube, Arcade Fire's "The Wilderness Downtown" is a Chrome "experience," highlighting what modern, HTML5-compatible browsers are capable of rendering. Multiple windows run and close in coordination with the music, and—easily the neatest part of the demonstration—your browser will incorporate Street View imagery of your childhood home (after you provide the address).

We're not sure the demonstration is quite an experience, but should offer some ammunition in the HTML5/Flash imbroglio, despite being an imperfect demonstration (we recommend temporarily quitting other applications that might pop windows and derail the show). [The Downtown Wilderness via Wired]

Gmail's New Priority Inbox Feature Knows Which Emails Are Important To You [Google]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5626003/gmails-new-priority-inbox-feature-knows-which-emails-are-important

Google is rolling out a new beta feature to Gmail users: The Priority Inbox. It's a way for Gmail to learn which emails are important to you and make sure that you see them first. Oh, and it works incredibly well.

I've been trying out the Priority Inbox feature for a bit and have found that it's rather reliable, albeit initially a bit prone to deeming too many things important.

The way it works is that you'll find a link in the top right of your Gmail inbox sometime soon and be offered the opportunity to use the Priority Inbox. You'll be able to fiddle with some settings to get it to look just right:

Once done, you'll start seeing the Priority Inbox instead of the standard inbox—though you can select the other at any point—and your emails will be sorted by importance. The feature bases the importance of an email on whether you've previously read emails from its sender, whether you've emailed that person before, and other mysterious factors. If you ever find that it misjudged an email, you can simple add or remove its importance marker just as you'd add or remove a Gmail label.

It took about a dozen adjustments over the course of a day, but now I'm finding that the Priority Inbox is organizing my emails rather accurately and placing loved ones and my boss on top of the email pile:

As you can see, I was previously using a confusing-yet-effective combination of labels to designate how important an email is to me—the direct label indicated whether I or a mailing list were the recipient while several labels listing companies and individuals marked other importance factors. If the Priority Inbox feature continues to be as good as it's been so far, I'll finally be able to ditch that label system and trust in Gmail.

Now, if Google decides to add another feature to allow me to forward emails based on importance, then I'd be in email heaven. Hint, hint.

The Ideal Vacation Spot For You And Your Virtual Girlfriend [Travel]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5626031/the-ideal-vacation-spot-for-you-and-your-virtual-girlfriend

You might chuckle at this fellow for pretending to be taking a picture with his virtual girlfriend, but he's happy. He's on vacation with his love and they're in a place which caters to their sort of peculiar relationship.

The town of Atami, Japan is full of landmarks with barcodes which if viewed using a cellphone's camera will reveal young men's virtual lovers. There's even a hotel with barcodes in its rooms which will show the girls in "flattering summer kimonos."

The entire idea behind these arrangements appears to be to enhance virtual relationships—ones created in simulation game called Love Plus—and to offer the players a new challenge: A romantic trip with their girls. [AFP]

The Eee PC 1215N by ASUS is Fastest Netbook Yet—But Measures 12-Inches [NetBooks]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5626118/the-eee-pc-1215n-by-asus-is-fastest-netbook-yet++but-measures-12+inches

The Eee PC 1215N by ASUS is Fastest Netbook Yet—But Measures 12-Inches When does a netbook cease being a netbook? When it measures over 10-inches? Has a dual-core CPU? Laptop has reviewed ASUS' 1215N, and deemed it the best netbook yet, thanks to the sheer speed of Nvidia's Optimus graphics-switching tech. [Laptop]

Q: Is ViewSonic's 7-Inch ViewPad a Phone or Android Tablet? A: Both! [Tablets]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5626161/q-is-viewsonics-7+inch-viewpad-a-phone-or-android-tablet-a-both

Q: Is ViewSonic's 7-Inch ViewPad a Phone or Android Tablet? A: Both! If you thought the Dell Streak was too large to be used as a phone at 5-inches, get a load of ViewSonic's ViewPad 7, a 7-inch Android tablet that also doubles up as a phone.

Running Android 2.2 (Froyo), we first heard about this model last week when the company announced it was also working on a dual-booting Android/Windows tablet. This 7-incher has a VGA forward camera for video chat and back-facing 3MP camera, along with a G-sensor, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and A-GPS.

While full specs haven't been announced for the ViewPad, we'll be getting hands-on with it later this week at the IFA show.

Q: Is ViewSonic's 7-Inch ViewPad a Phone or Android Tablet? A: Both!

31st August 2010 – ViewSonic Europe ushers in a new product category to its portfolio with the introduction of a premium capacitive multi-touch screen 7" tablet.

Viewpad 7
The ViewPad 7 is a world's first 7" Android 2.2 (Froyo) tablet with phone functionality, multi-tasking capabilities and front and back-facing cameras, VGA and 3MP, resolutions respectively.

Within a lightweight, pocket-sized design, this device is ideal for anyone who needs a mobile connection to the world via email and video and wants to enjoy a wide-range of applications.

With full 3G and phone functionality, a full size SIM card slot and integrated Bluetooth connectivity the ViewPad 7 will support instant messaging, text/mms messaging, VOIP and standard voice calls all in a single device.

It features an easy to use familiar interface with a G-sensor that reorients the screen depending on how the device is held and access to the Google Android app store featuring over 100,000 applications.

Additional features includes a Micro SD slot for up to 32GB of storage; Wi-Fi and 3G functionality for web browsing and USB connectivity. It also boasts advanced features including Assisted GPS and an office document reader, along with the capability for hand-written note taking. There is also an e-book reader, when combined with the crystal clear LED screen, makes the ViewPad 7 an invaluable travelling companion.

Superior to other tablet offerings with resistive touch technology the ViewPad 7 incorporates a capacitive multi-touch screen and is a portable, easy-to-use and competitively priced device that will transform the way that consumers read, watch, listen to and interact with media in a mobile environment.

"We are proud to announce another world first at Viewsonic. 3G phone functionality combined with dual cameras gives the ability for use of Android apps to use augmented reality or video calling on the move with the benefit of an excellent 7" screen" says Derek Wright, European Product Marketing Manager. "The ViewPad 7 is aimed at users who require the 'always on' connectivity they are used to from a mobile phone with a more agreeable screen size for longer term use."

LG to show first 3D THX-certified plasma at IFA alongside 180-inch 3D plasma prototype

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/30/lg-to-show-first-3d-thx-certified-plasma-at-ifa-alongside-180-in/

Insanely thin LCDs not enough for you? LG is doing some wild stuff with plasma as well at IFA this week, with its new PX950N (pictured) to supposedly be the first to nab the new 3D THX certification, and a monstrous 180-inch plasma prototype nearby to devour any other unimpressed eyeballs. Unfortunately, details are super short on the 180-inch display, which would be the world's largest if LG is really doing this with one panel (it's hard to tell from LG's scant PR), but there are a few extra PX950N scraps to hold on to. The 600Hz Max Sub-field Drive plasma will support the Multi Picture Format for plugging in 3D cameras and camcorders, and has wireless AV link, DLNA, and NetCast as well. No word on sizes or prices just yet, but IFA kicks off on Wednesday, so there's not long to wait.

LG to show first 3D THX-certified plasma at IFA alongside 180-inch 3D plasma prototype originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG's 31-inch OLED prototype to slice through IFA

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/30/lgs-31-inch-oled-prototype-to-slice-through-ifa/

OLED's failure to do anything for the mainstream so far outside of phone and camera displays is only bittersweet: sure, we don't have millimeter thick TVs yet, but LCD has gotten slim enough that it hardly matters. So, in keeping with tradition, LG has stolen its own OLED thunder today. In line with earlier rumors, it will be showing off a 0.11-inch thick 31-inch 3D OLED display prototype at IFA this week, but that poor little OLED-that-would will be sharing a booth with a ready for retail 0.35-inch thick LCD that comes in big people sizes. Despite our undying affection for OLED, we know which one we'll be (theoretically) taking home in the windowless van we (theoretically) plan on parking out behind the Messe Berlin.

LG's 31-inch OLED prototype to slice through IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola XT300 mini portrait slider leaks out in clearer photos

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/30/motorola-xt300-mini-portrait-slider-leaks-out-in-clearer-photos/

We've been wondering about this oddly intriguing mini Motorola portrait slider since we saw it back in July, and a new set of leaked photos today hasn't done anything to diminish our curiosity, since that keyboard looks pretty amazing. The reappearance of the red Droid eye seems to indicate this one's eventually destined for Verizon, but we'll see -- we're curious about the XT300 name being used in this photo set, which ties in with Moto's GSM naming scheme, and Verizon's reserved the Droid name for higher-end sets so far, while this thing looks like a mid-range Blur phone to us. Video after the break -- and more photos and vids at the source link.

[Thanks, Thomas]

Continue reading Motorola XT300 mini portrait slider leaks out in clearer photos

Motorola XT300 mini portrait slider leaks out in clearer photos originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry Bold 9780 spotted in the wild yet again, this time in white

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/30/blackberry-bold-9780-spotted-in-the-wild-yet-again-this-time-in/

It's still not official, but the BlackBerry Bold 9780 hasn't exactly been making itself shy over the past couple of months, having turned up in the wild, on video, and now in the wild yet again in a white version. As before, the device appears to be mostly identical to the Bold 9700 it's presumably replacing, with the biggest changes being a new 5-megapixel camera, 512MB of RAM instead of 256MB and, of course, BlackBerry 6 for an OS. Still no firm indication of a release date, but Phone Arena is speculating that it will launch in October, possibly on T-Mobile and AT&T. Hit up the source link below for a few more pics.

BlackBerry Bold 9780 spotted in the wild yet again, this time in white originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple survey hints at iTunes streaming video service coming soon?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/30/apple-survey-hints-at-itunes-streaming-video-service-coming-soon/

At this point we're fairly certain we'll see updated iPods at Apple's event on Wednesday, but we're still in the dark when it comes to that updated iOS-based Apple TV -- we know it's in the works, but we don't know if it's coming this week. But if you're feeling optimistic, a new Apple iTunes customer survey seems to offer a tiny little hint -- it lists "Titles are available to watch instantly" as a reason you might totally love watching video on the iPad. Of course, you can't watch iTunes videos "instantly" right now -- the iPad requires the entire video file to download before playback begins, and the current Apple TV requires a fair bit of buffering -- so this could be a big hint that instant streaming is coming quite soon. On the flipside, this could just be a mistake or oversight and actually mean nothing at all, but honestly, where's the fun in that?

[Thanks, PeteO]

Apple survey hints at iTunes streaming video service coming soon? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roku lowers prices across the board: HD box now $69, $99 HD-XR to get 1080p support

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/30/roku-lowers-prices-across-the-board-hd-box-now-69-99-hd-xr-t/

Looks like Roku's going aggressive on price with its lineup of streamers in response to Sony's new $130 Netbox streamer, the upcoming Google TV launch, and rumors that we'll see that rumored $99 iOS-based Apple TV arrive on Wednesday. The SD box is down to $59 from $79, the standard HD is now $69 from $99, and the HD-XR with dual-band 802.11n and soon-to-be-enabled USB playback support is now $99 from $129. The HD-XR is also due to get 1080p streaming support later this year; it'll be focused on USB playback at first since most of the streaming channels are 720p right now.

Those prices are definitely getting close to impulse-buy territory, especially since a Roku is now one of the cheapest ways to get Netflix and Amazon VOD on a TV, along with other channels like MLB and UFC. In fact, Roku says its goal is to put three streamers in every house -- one next to every TV in the average American home. We applaud the ambition, but we've got a feeling this entire market is about get turned upside down once Apple and Google launch their initiatives.

Roku lowers prices across the board: HD box now $69, $99 HD-XR to get 1080p support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon develops world's largest CMOS sensor, shoots 60fps video in moonlight

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/31/canon-develops-worlds-largest-cmos-sensor-shoots-60fps-video-i/

Did you ever think that you'd see a CMOS sensor measuring 202 x 205 mm? That's 7.95 x 8.07 inches to our fine imperial friends. Its impressive size -- about 40 times larger than Canon's largest commercial CMOS sensor -- translates to staggering light-gathering capabilities, capturing images in one one-hundredth the amount of light required by a professional DSLR. Better yet, the sensor is matched by new circuitry allowing for video capture at 60fps in just 0.3 lux of illumination (think full moon on a clear night). Unfortunately, the press release is more concerned with promoting Canon's engineering prowess than with product launch. Nevertheless, we're impressed.

Continue reading Canon develops world's largest CMOS sensor, shoots 60fps video in moonlight

Canon develops world's largest CMOS sensor, shoots 60fps video in moonlight originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee PC 1215N reviewÂ

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/31/asus-eee-pc-1215n-review/

About nine months ago ASUS released its 12.1-inch Eee PC 1201N to much fanfare. It was the first "netbook" to pack NVIDIA's Ion platform and a desktop-class Atom processor. Translation: it absolutely wrecked regular netbooks (and even other Ion netbooks) on the graphics and performance battlefield. Indeed, the 1201N blurred the lines between netbook and regular laptop, but we ultimately knocked it fairly hard for not lasting longer than 2.5 hours on a charge -- it was dubbed a "netbook" of course.

Our apologies for the brief history lesson, but it's actually quite important in understanding why ASUS' second generation of the 1201N is such a big deal. The 1215N has a Pine Trail 1.8GHz dual-core Atom D525 processor and NVIDIA's Ion 2 with Optimus, which no longer requires the GPU to be running the entire time and saves battery power. The $500 rig (though we're seeing it on sale for as much as $599) is still on the pricey side for a "netbook," but promises 1080p playback, seven hours of battery life and a 250GB hard drive. So, does the 1215N correct all the wrongs of the 1201N and live up to the "netbook powerhouse" title that ASUS has given it? And more importantly can it compete with some of the newer thin and light laptops, like the Dell Inspiron M101z? We found out, and we're assuming you want to as well in our full review after the break.

Gallery: ASUS Eee PC 1215N review

Continue reading ASUS Eee PC 1215N review

ASUS Eee PC 1215N review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Philips GoGear Connect is an Android-based iPod touch competitor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/31/philips-gogear-connect-is-an-android-based-ipod-touch-competitor/

For all it's success, the iPod touch has few competitors capable matching its big-touchscreen, WiFi, and voluminous app store. Until today. Philips just went official with its GoGear Connect featuring the full suite of Google Mobile applications pre-installed and access to the Android Market. Spec-wize we're looking at a 3.2-inch display, WiFi, sound isolating earphones, built-in camera, and microSD slot. Sorry, not mention of the Android OS version. Syncing your music is done over Bluetooth or a USB tether to your PC with a Philips Songbird software assist. The MP4 player also supports Maps and location-based services -- presumably accomplished by some kind of Skyhook service and not via a GPS radio (though the Philips post is tagged with "GPS"). Look for the GoGear Connect to land in Western Europe, China, and yes, the US, starting in late October with the price pegged at €249 (about $315) for the 16GB model.

Philips GoGear Connect is an Android-based iPod touch competitor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, August 30, 2010

Turn On Hardware Graphics Acceleration in Chrome 7 [Chrome]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5625256/turn-on-gpu-acceleration-in-chrome-7

Turn On Hardware Graphics Acceleration in Chrome 7 It's only available in the Dev and Canary builds of Chrome, and very few pages support it—for now. But if you want to get hardware acceleration running in Google's browser, it's just a simple command line switch away.

ZDNet's Googling Google blog points out that getting GPU acceleration going in your Chrome Dev version is simply a matter of right-clicking your Chrome shortcut and adding a parameter to the end, just as we've explained in the power user's guide to Google Chrome. In this case, that parameter (or "switch") is --enable-accelerated-compositing.

Where can you try out your new graphics-card-assisted browsing and rendering? Oddly enough, at Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 Testdrive site. There will be, assuredly, other sites that support GPU acceleration in the near future, but for now, it's neat to see how fast you can get your browser going.

How to turn GPU acceleration on in Chrome 7 [ZDNet]

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