Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, September 13, 2010

Intel: Sandy Bridge CPUs will ship in early 2011 (update)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/intel-sandy-bridge-cpus-will-ship-in-early-2011/

We're live from the 2010 Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, where we've got an interesting tidbit of news -- those long-awaited and often leaked Sandy Bridge processors will "begin shipping in very high volume" early next year in both laptop and desktop PCs. Now called the "2nd Generation Intel Core processors," the new chips will feature Intel's new 32nm architecture for everything, including the integrated graphics processor and memory controller, which will hopefully reduce their power consumption even as the new hardware's not terribly friendly to overclockers. PR after the break.

Update: Intel's on stage explaining a bit more about how Sandy Bridge works -- apparently the Turbo modes introduced in earlier Core chips (which dynamically clock individual processor cores based on how much thermal headroom they have) now works dynamically with the silicon's integrated graphics as well. Intel says it can actually exceed the TDP thermal envelope of a chip now to further overclock multiple cores at once, or switch off between overclocking graphics or CPU cores for differing workloads. See a few example images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Intel Sandy Bridge's advanced Turbo mode

Continue reading Intel: Sandy Bridge CPUs will ship in early 2011 (update)

Intel: Sandy Bridge CPUs will ship in early 2011 (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Liquid Metal handset confirmed for end of October in UK, has Froyo filling inside

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/acer-liquid-metal-handset-confirmed-for-end-of-october-in-uk-ha/

Acer's UK press team has been atypically loquacious today in disclosing the expected launch window and Android version for its upcoming Liquid Metal handset. We've confirmed ourselves that the end of October is the period now circled on Her Majesty's calendar, though we suspect the rest of Europe, if not the entire world, will be getting to grips with the Froyo-packing smartphone at about that time as well. The unconfirmed specs (gotta keep a little mystery, right?) include the same 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 as inside the T-Mobile G2, a 3.6-inch display with 800 x 480 resolution, Bluetooth 3.0 onboard, and the handsome backplate you see above, which seems to have been made out of brushed aluminum. So how do you feel, is there room for yet another contender on your smartphone wishlist?

Acer Liquid Metal handset confirmed for end of October in UK, has Froyo filling inside originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DisplayLink aims for 'any device, any display connectivity' with USB 3.0

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/displaylink-aims-for-any-device-any-display-connectivity-with/

We'd heard back at Christmastime 2009 that USB 3.0-infused DisplayLink kit would be hitting shelves in 2010, and lo and behold, it looks as if someone is dead-set on keeping a promise. Here at IDF 2010, DisplayLink has come forward with public plans to gravitate towards "any device, any display connectivity" with its new USB 3.0 chip platform. The DL-3000 and DL-1000 single chip series are being introduced in San Francisco, with each offering integrated display and networking connectivity, HD video support and "third generation DisplayLink adaptive real-time compression technology that dynamically manages bandwidth, taking full advantage bi-directional throughput of SuperSpeed USB." The gist of all that? Thanks to SuperSpeed bandwidth increases, multiple full HD videos, high resolution graphics and networking data can be processed simultaneously, and there's even the potential to enable graphics delivery over gigabit Ethernet. Essentially, USB 3.0 has opened up an entirely new playing field for DisplayLink, and we're hoping that 2011 is the year that we finally put those resolution caps behind us on USB-enabled docking stations. We'll let you know if we hear more from the show floor -- much to our dismay, hardly anything is said about actual product implementation dates in the PR.

Continue reading DisplayLink aims for 'any device, any display connectivity' with USB 3.0

DisplayLink aims for 'any device, any display connectivity' with USB 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:16:00 EDT. Please ! see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel shows off WiDi-enabled Atom tablet at IDF 2010

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/intel-shows-off-widi-enabled-atom-tablet-at-idf-2010/

Sure, Intel's big push for its IDF 2010 keynote this morning was the new Sandy Bridge architecture, but within the confines of one awkwardly-presented tech demonstration, we got a glimpse at "Project X." Which, as it turns out, is a pretty interesting Atom-powered development tablet with WiDi technology. From a video conference window projected against the wall, our man Shashi was pushing his slate's screen wireless to the HD set in the background as he showed off some Starcraft II recap footage. We're still on the lookout for the device somewhere on the show floor; if and when we find it, you'll be first to know. One more shot after the break.

Continue reading Intel shows off WiDi-enabled Atom tablet at IDF 2010

Intel shows off WiDi-enabled Atom tablet at IDF 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive: Galaxy Tab, red / white BlackBerry Torch and Samsung Focus hitting AT&T in Q4

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/exclusive-galaxy-tab-red-white-blackberry-torch-and-samsung/

Mmm, delicious. That's the feeling we're left with after being inundated with yet another round of AT&T leaks, this time giving us insight at a few flagship devices on tap for the carrier's holiday push. First up is the Galaxy Tab -- an Android 2.2-based tablet that we had previously heard rumored for AT&T's airwaves. Thanks to a branded snapshot from the carrier's internals, we can confirm that the Tab will indeed be sold on Ma Bell, and it (along with three other new Android devices) will ship "prior to December." Moving on, we've got even more confirmation that the Samsung Cetus (i917) will be one of the operator's first Windows Phone 7 devices, and it looks as if a heretofore unheard of Samsung Focus and HTC Surround will be joining it. Better still, we've got it on good authority that three other WP7 handsets will be splashing down alongside those others in time for the holidays. As for the remaining BlackBerry loyalists, AT&T will be tempting you with a trio of limited run Torch motifs coming in "mid to late November," with an all-white version, red / black model and olive colored edition on tap. We'll be keeping an ear to the ground for more, naturally.

Gallery: AT&T holiday 2010 lineup leaked!

Exclusive: Galaxy Tab, red / white BlackBerry Torch and Samsung Focus hitting AT&T in Q4 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Revo 2 with RevoPad sports Intel CE4100, Windows Media Center Embedded, and a slide-out touchpad with disappearing keys (update: more video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/acer-revo-2-sports-intel-ce4100-windows-media-center-embedded/

Yes, you could certainly accuse us of being easily pleased, but there's just something inherently awesome about hiding a giant touchpad remote in the otherwise boring box that controls your TV. At IDF 2010, we spotted a pair of new Intel CE4100 set-top boxes from ASUS and Acer respectively, running the brand-spanking-new Windows Media Center Embedded. Both were so early in development that they relied on external USB tuners to do their thing, but the Acer Revo 2 caught our eye when we saw the ThinkPad aesthetic of the RevoPad. It slides right out of a charging cradle in the front of the box to become a mousing alternative (and houses a large volume dial on the side), but with the press of a button the surface shines light through tiny perforations and it becomes a touchscreen keyboard instead.

Aside from the remote, the Revo 2's fairly well-connected to boot, sporting HDMI, Ethernet, optical and analog audio ports, and three USB ports, along with an internal hard drive of unspecified capacity and a slimline optical bay. The ASUS, meanwhile, has no drives, but an ATSC antenna, component and composite video to its name. Both boxes are slated for the first half of next year, though representatives weren't willing to talk price just yet. We're headed back for more, but in the meantime, check out video of the hardware after the break.

Update: We've got an expanded video walkthrough of Windows 7 Embedded now after the break!

Gallery: Windows 7 Embedded at IDF 2010

Gallery: Acer and Asus CE4100 set-top boxes, hands-on

Continue reading Acer Revo 2 with RevoPad sports Intel CE4100, Windows Media Center Embedded, and a slide-out touchpad with disappearing keys (update: more video)

Acer Revo 2 with RevoPad sports Intel CE4100, Windows Media Center Embedded, and a slide-out touchpad with disappearing keys (update: more video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Install iTunes 10 Without the Extra Bloatware [ITunes]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5635089/install-itunes-10-without-the-extra-bloatware

Install iTunes 10 Without the Extra Bloatware Windows only: It's no secret that the iTunes installer loads up your system with extra components you probably don't need, and there's no way to opt out—unless you crack open the install file, that is.

Over at ZDNet, Windows expert Ed Bott shows how to install iTunes components piece-by-piece, starting with extracting the components from the installer so that you can install each piece separately—he also walks through exactly which pieces you'll need to install depending on which iPod model you have, or which features you are using. It's a great read for anybody stuck using iTunes on Windows.

The unofficial guide to installing iTunes 10 without bloatware [ZDNet via How-To Geek ETC]

Zumocast Streams Your Media Just About Anywhere [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5635092/zumocast-streams-your-media-just-about-anywhere

Zumocast Streams Your Media Just About Anywhere Similar to Libox, ZumoCast turns your Mac or Windows PC into a media streaming server that you can access through any web browser or iOS device.

ZumoCast is really easy to setup. After a quick signup process, you'll just need to select media folders for ZumoCast to scan for relevant media types (music, movies, etc.). It does this quickly, so you'll be able to log in to your account on zumocast.com and access all your files.

From there, find a song or a video you want to play and click on it. It'll play back from your computer, regardless of where you are. This is, of course, limited by your connection's upload speed and your machine's speed. Even with a Core i7 and 8GB of RAM, CPU usage was a little ridiculous:

Zumocast Streams Your Media Just About Anywhere

In addition to streaming to and from Mac and Windows machines, you can also use ZumoCast to send video to your iOS devices. Browsing is a pretty simple experience, similar to what you'll find on their site (or really any standard file browser, for that matter). Again, ZumoCast relies on your computer to convert the video for iOS-friendly playback, so expect the same sort of limitations here. I found that MPEG4/H.264 content tended to stream more smoothly than anything else, whether it was to the web or to an iOS device. While this isn't all that surprising, the difference was pretty drastic. Other file types struggled quite a bit while MPEG4/H.264 didn't struggle at all.

Zumocast Streams Your Media Just About Anywhere If you are having any issues, ZumoCast has a download button. This is just pretty nice to have in general. If you want to download any of your media to your iOS device, you can just press the download button and you can start queuing up clips.

Zumocast Streams Your Media Just About Anywhere
Important note: that's the awesome review of Star Wars Episode II depicted in the screenshot, not the actual movie (thankfully).

Zumocast is available now and works on both Mac OS X and Windows, plus your iPhone and iPad.

Clementine Is a Simple, Amarok-Inspired Music Player for All Platforms [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5635020/clementine

Windows/Mac/Linux: There's no shortage of great desktop music players out there, but if you just want something simple that integrates other services better than iTunes, cross-platform Clementine might be just for you.

Amarok 2 has been out for awhile, but a lot of Linux users still prefer the less cluttered Amarok 1.4. Now, users of any operating system can get in on the action with the Amarok 1.4-inspired Clementine. it may not be as full-featured or unique as something like MediaMonkey or foobar2000, but more casual listeners unhappy with iTunes' lack of Last.fm or FLAC support will enjoy it.

It's a pretty basic playlist-based player, from which you can browse either a music library or just your hard disk. It supports a number of formats, including the oft-ignored Ogg Vorbis and FLAC, as well as a few different internet radio sources like Last.fm, SomaFM and Magnatune. It has support for notifications from both libnotify (on Linux) and Growl (on OS X) built-in, too. The only issue I had with it was that it didn't support the embedded cover art on any of my files—but its built-in cover art manager took care of that quickly by re-populating them all with info from Last.fm.

It's still in early stages, so it may become more feature-filled as time moves on, but for now it fits perfectly into the niche of people that don't need a superpowered music player but would like built-in support for some of the things that you need to install separately from something like iTunes (such as Last.fm, Growl, and FLAC).

Clementine is a free download for all platforms.

Clementine [via #tips]

Pentax Optio NB1000 Is A Camera For Lego Lovers [Pentax]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5636110/pentax-optio-nb1000-is-a-camera-for-lego-lovers

The Pentax Optio NB1000 is a 14.1 megapixel camera with 4x optical Zoom and 720p video recording. Oh, and it's front face is like a Lego board so you can attach anything you want on it.

It's actually using Nanoblocks from Japan's DiaBlock (so not exactly Lego) but the idea is the same as Lego's: you throw and snap on building bricks to create anything you want, whether it's adding extra grip with more pieces or constructing a random design. Having a lego board on your camera is borderline crazy but it's fun and adds so much character to your camera. I don't even care how well the NB1000 can take pictures, I'm already sold.

The camera comes in two colors: a monochromatic white or safari green. And is expected to release later this year for around $240.[Pentax via Design Boom]

NVIDIA makes GeForce GTS 450 official, promises beastly overclocking

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/nvidia-makes-geforce-gts-450-official-promises-beastly-overcloc/

Say hello to NVIDIA's GF106 core (please pretend you've never met before). The company's third Fermi desktop iteration is described as "a little more than half of the GF104 implementation," which in real terms means 192 CUDA cores versus the GTX 460's 336, reduced memory bandwidth with a 128-bit-wide bus and a lower number of ROPs at 16. These disadvantages are ameliorated by 783MHz graphics and 1566MHz processor clock speeds as well as a much more forgiving power profile -- the new GTS 450 cards will require just the one 6-pin power connector for auxiliary juice. Pricing is aimed squarely at conquering the market currently occupied by ATI's HD 5750, which, as we saw over the weekend, plants the 450 around the $130 mark. You'll have to read the reviews below for confirmation, but NVIDIA promises "awesome" overclocking headroom on its new card, going as far as to suggest stable 900MHz graphics clocks aren't out of the realm of possibility.

Read - HardOCP
Read - Tech Report
Read - Guru 3D
Read - PC Perspective
Read - Legit Reviews
Read - Hot Hardware
Read - TweakTown

Gallery: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 cards

Continue reading NVIDIA makes GeForce GTS 450 official, promises beastly overclocking

NVIDIA makes GeForce GTS 450 official, promises beastly overclocking originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opera gets serious about TV widget content, releases CDK

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/opera-gets-serious-about-tv-widget-content-releases-cdk/

Norwegian software company Opera first waded into the TV app game when they released an SDK for widgets back in 2008. Now they've taken another serious step by releasing the Opera Devices Content Development Kit to help HTML, CSS, XML, and Javascript savvy developers create content using technologies they're already versed in. For those who don't live and breathe in The Matrix, Opera's hope is to lower the barriers of entry for bringing online content into the living room, since the software eliminates the need for physical devices to test on. It also supports W3C, HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV), OIPF, and CEA-2014 specifications -- meaning it's capable of running on a wide range of hardware from variety of manufacturers. For more details read the PR after the break or watch Opera's video from 2009 on the subject, which unfortunately isn't on par with its previous potato boiling jabs at Google. Still, learning about "Oprah's" new widgets makes it definitely worth a watch.

Continue reading Opera gets serious about TV widget content, releases CDK

Opera gets serious about TV widget content, releases CDK originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, September 12, 2010

Build a One-Camera 3D Photography Rig [DIY]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5635936/build-a-one+camera-3d-photography-rig

Build a One-Camera 3D Photography Rig We've mentioned ways to build a 3D photography rig with two cameras, but DIYer countervideo realized that with just a few mirrors, you can do it with one.

You may lose a bit of resolution in your photos over the two-camera method, but if you don't feel like spending the money on two whole cameras, this is by far a better way to go. All you need is a camera and some mirrors—no post processing necessary.

The whole thing is just made from two large mirrors and two small mirrors, as well as some acrylic to hold the mirrors up and a large plate to put it all on. Apart from the mirrors though, the rest can be of any material you want, so you won't have to search too hard for the parts to put it together. Hit the link for more information.

Make a 3-D Stereoscope Slide and Video Shooter [Instructables via Hack a Day]

Android 2.x now on 70 percent of all active Android phones

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/12/android-2-x-now-on-70-percent-of-all-active-androids/

Time to get down and boogie if you think the Android fragmentation issue is overblown. Google has dropped its latest platform version stats and Android 2.2, aka Froyo, has managed to corner a healthy 28.7 percent of all active Googlephones (those that accessed the Market within the two weeks leading up to September 1), rapidly closing the gap on version 2.1 and nearly matching in number the handsets still stuck on the Cupcake or Donut diet. When you consider that back in May those pesky 1.5 and 1.6 versions were on a whopping 62 percent of Android mobiles, you'll probably agree that phone makers seem to be getting their act together in terms of delivering Google's latest wares in a timely fashion. Who'd have thought it, the more practice they have, the better they're getting at their jobs!

Continue reading Android 2.x now on 70 percent of all active Android phones

Android 2.x now on 70 percent of all active Android phones originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Sep 2010 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CUPP Hybrid PC makes dynamic duo out of ARM and x86, dubious new 'Computicator' class of device

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/12/cupp-hybrid-pc-makes-dynamic-duo-out-of-arm-and-x86-dubious-new/

There's a quiet war going on for the thin-and-light laptop space between ARM and x86 architectures. Intel and AMD are winning handily right now, thanks to their ability to run Windows, but there's still that small hope within the industry that a Good Enough Linux build will come along one day and rescue these power-sipping ARM platforms from obscurity. Well, CUPP Computing would like you to have it both ways. The company's Hybrid PC, which is in a early prototype stage right now (a rather ugly stage, unfortunately, as seen above), runs an ARM A8 OMAP 3430 processor with 512MB of RAM right up next to a Core 2 Duo processor with 4GB of RAM, with both platforms sharing the 320GB HDD, 16-inch LCD, keyboard, touchpad, HDMI out, and USB plugs. A simple alt+tab command switches between the systems on the fly. It's pretty flashy, although the real use case for a device like this would more likely be to use the ARM setup as a low powered mode and then boot into Windows when necessary. Of course, Dell does exactly that at "Latitude ON" in its Latitude Z and Latitude E series, but we won't begrudge CUPP having a go at its own spin on the concept -- although if they try and push this "Computicator" classification on us it might come to blows. Check out a few video demos after the break.

Continue reading CUPP Hybrid PC makes dynamic duo out of ARM and x86, dubious new 'Computicator' class of device

CUPP Hybrid PC makes dynamic duo out of ARM and x86, dubious new 'Computicator' class of device originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Sep 2010 11:47:00 EDT. Please see! our terms for use of feeds.

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