Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate -- battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/motorola-xoom-vs-samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-vs-lg-g-slate-batt/

Hello, Moto -- no wait, Samsung... or is it LG? Three of the world's biggest smartphone makers have leapt at the opportunity to serve up Google's brand new Honeycomb build of Android, however their selection of menu items looks to be somewhat lacking in diversity. Motorola's Xoom matches Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 in both screen size and resolution (1280 x 800), while LG's Optimus Pad / G-Slate offers only marginally smaller measurements with an 8.9-inch display spanning 1280 x 768. More than that, all three tablets run the bone-stock Honeycomb UI and are built around NVIDIA's 1GHz Tegra 2 system-on-chip, leaving little room for differentiation on the basis of user experience or internal performance (LG would have you believe its 3D camcorder is a big advantage for its slate, but we're not so sure). Most choices between the three, then, will come to things like brand loyalty, ergonomics and pure, basic aesthetic appeal. To help you judge the latter of those three points, we've prepared an exhaustive barrage of side-by-side photos below -- we expect you to view every last one of 'em... at least twice.

Gallery: Xoom vs. Optimus Pad... fight!

Gallery: Xoom vs. Galaxy Tab 10.1... fight!

Gallery: Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. Optimus Pad... fight!

Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate -- battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel's Otellini insists company is committed to MeeGo, says he 'understood' why Nokia moved to Microsoft

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/intels-otellini-insists-company-is-committed-to-meego-says-he/

We've already seen some evidence that Intel was still pushing strongly ahead with MeeGo despite Nokia's deal with Microsoft, and now CEO Paul Otellini has chimed in on the matter to reassure folks that the company is still committed to the mobile OS. Speaking with Bloomberg at Mobile World Congress this week, Otellini said that he doesn't see that "Nokia changing its strategy changes the industry strategy," and added that "operators still look for an open, operator-friendly operating system." Otellini further went on to say on a panel discussion that he "understood" why Nokia made the decision it did, and even said that if he were in the same position he would have made "the same or a similar call." That doesn't mean he wasn't disappointed by it though -- in fact, he revealed that he used a word that Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz "has often used" when he first received the news from Stephen Elop himself (we'll let you look that up if you don't know it).

Intel's Otellini insists company is committed to MeeGo, says he 'understood' why Nokia moved to Microsoft originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei IDEOS S7 Pro tablet sneaks out, coming this spring

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/huawei-ideos-s7-pro-tablet-sneaks-out-coming-this-spring/

Can you handle one more Android tablet? Let's find out. That one up there is Huawei's IDEOS S7 Pro, which is not to be confused with its new IDEOS S7 Slim. The Pro didn't get a formal introduction here at MWC 2011, but it was lounging around the Huawei booth with a placard revealing its specs. Unfortunately, this one won't be launching with Honeycomb -- it packs a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, Android 2.3, HSPA+, WiFi 802.11bgn, and two cameras. The metal model on display seemed to be just a mockup, and despite the LED buttons lighting up, it wouldn't actually boot. We overheard a company representative say that it would be launching this spring and our comrades at Engadget Spanish have also heard that it will launch at 10-inch version later in the year. You know what that means? Yep, even more Android tablets!

Gallery: Huawei IDEOS S7 Pro hands-on

Huawei IDEOS S7 Pro tablet sneaks out, coming this spring originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sleep as an Droid Wakes You Up Gently at Your Best Time [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5760593/sleep-as-a-droid-wakes-you-up-gently-at-your-best-time

Android: You're the mayor of New York, you have super powers, this donut tastes incredible, and then, then—the terrible, awful digital rooster sound. Wake up easier, and with better timing, with this clever customized Android alarm app.

Sleep as an Droid ("Sleep as an Android"—get it?) this app has soothing sounds to wake up to, that can fade in gradually—a nice feature, in itself. But the real benefit of Sleep as an Droid is keeping it on your mattress, so it can measure your movements and get a sense of your sleep cycles. It also logs your sleeping hours, so you can see just how far you're falling behind in the quest for a good night's rest.

With that movement analysis in place, the Sleep app suggests better wake-up times from the data it collects. This might not work for everyone, but you've got 14 days to try it out for free, before you'd need to pony up a small $1.34 (currently) for the unlocked version.

Sleep as an Droid [Android Market via Droid Life]

SearchReviews Lets You Read Tons of Product Reviews by Scanning Barcodes with Your Phone [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5761411/searchreviews-lets-you-read-tons-of-product-reviews-by-scanning-barcodes-with-your-phone

SearchReviews Lets You Read Tons of Product Reviews by Scanning Barcodes with Your Phone iPhone/Android/web: There's no shortage of product review aggregators on the net, but new service SearchReviews adds a convenient feature to the formula: Now you can just scan a product's barcode with your phone to read reviews from all around the web.

Search Reviews is an incredibly simple app: just open it up, search for a product, or scan a product's bar code with your phone, and it will return to you a very long list of product reviews. It doesn't give you a ton of control over where you grab those reviews, nor how you sort them, but its beauty is in its simplicity. If you neglected to do your product research before visiting the store (or didn't foresee the options you'd have once you got there), it's a really nice, quick way to see if a specific product has any popular issues or unhappy customers.

Search reviews is a free service on the web, as well as a free download for iOS and Android devices.

SearchReviews [via TechCrunch]

You can contact Whitson Gordon, the author of this post, at whitson@lifehacker.com. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Be Aware of the "Unit Effect" to Avoid Marketing Tricks [Mind Hacks]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5761667/be-aware-of-the-unit-effect-to-avoid-marketing-tricks

We've shown you one way in which numbers can play tricks with our heads, and researchers have just found another, that shows we prefer larger numbers—even when they're equal to a smaller number of a different unit.

The "unit effect", as it's called, says that even if you're aware of the units in a measurement, your mind will still put more emphasis on the size of a number, rather than the value it carries:

Consumers will readily attach weight to completely fictitious product statistics, preferring items with the most bogomips, even if they have no idea of what the significance of that figure is. That may be disappointing, but apparently it's even worse than that-even when they do know what the units are, people tend to prefer a bigger number. As a newly released study shows, people would rather pay for expedited service to get things in 31 days than they would to get it in one month.

Of course its counter-intuitive, but if you aren't actively converting that measurement to other units, you aren't aware of your biases. Of course, as soon as you become aware of these biases, the unit effect goes away—so the next time you're told something will, say, ship in 31 days, do a quick check in your brain to see if that fits another familiar unit that casts a different light on the result. You may find you escape some marketing tricks by doing so. Hit the link to read more. Photo by Biking Nikon OGG.

The "Unit Effect" Makes 31 Days Seem Better Than a Month [Ars Technica]

You can contact Whitson Gordon, the author of this post, at whitson@lifehacker.com. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Renesas Wins DivX Plus HD Certification, For MKV Files on Your Phone [Smartphones]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5761740/renesas-wins-divx-plus-hd-certification-for-mkv-files-on-your-phone

The DivX Corporation has awarded its first DivX Plus HD certificate to Renesas Mobile, producer of several HD-capable system-on-chip processors. Any phone that features Renesas Mobile's SH73704 will therefore be able to manage full HD 1080p playback, including the popular HD content ripping format MKV. In this age of ever-growing screens, that has to be a good selling point.

The announcement hasn't hit the press sites of the companies concerned as yet, so here's a cut & paste for you:

Renesas Mobile's Full-HD Capable Application Achieves DivX Certification as World's First DivX Plus™ HD System-on-Chip

Enables DivX Plus™ HD 1080p video playback and easy transfer to millions DivX devices without conversion

Barcelona, Spain– February 16, 2011 – DivX®, a division of Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ: SNIC) today announced that Renesas Mobile Corporation's full-HD capable application processor SH-Mobile MT1 (SH73704) is the world's first mobile system-on-chip (SoC) to be awarded DivX Plus™ HD Certification. Smartphones with Renesas Mobile's SoC will deliver full HD 1080 playback of DivX Plus HD videos including MKV files.

"DivX Plus HD is our premium level of certification, and it's a testament to Renesas Mobile's technology leadership that they are the first integrated circuit company to achieve our most comprehensive standards for HD video playback on a mobile phone," said Matt Milne, Executive Vice President and General Manager, DivX. "By partnering with an innovator like Renesas Mobile that supplies technology to a range of top-tier device manufacturers, we'll help ensure more consumers can watch the highest quality DivX videos at home or on the go."

"Smartphone technology is transforming exponentially, and adding DivX Plus HD Certification helps us enhance the advantages of our application processor product line," said Kazuhiko Yoshimatsu, Department Manager, Mobile Platform Marketing Department, Renesas Mobile Corporation. "Together with DivX we can better help our mobile OEM customers quickly implement an end-to-end solution for the high-quality playback of DivX HD videos and secure premium content. We also look forward to integrating DivX technology on our new integrated application processor line, 'R-Mobile,' which is under development."

To enjoy DivX videos on mobile devices with Renesas Mobile's SH-Mobile MT1, consumers can seamlessly load their video libraries of both standard definition and HD 1080p files directly on any DivX Certified device without conversion. In addition, all DivX Certified mobile phones support the playback of Hollywood studio movies from leading retailers in the DivX® format.

DivX Plus HD Certification is the most comprehensive level of certification available from DivX, awarded to consumer electronics products supporting the optimized playback of all content created with DivX software. Available on www.divx.com, DivX Plus Software allows users to create and playback H.264 video in an .mkv file container. DivX Plus HD Certified devices will playback all previous versions of DivX video and DivX Plus HD video files with the .mkv file extension and AAC audio created with third-party tools.

The Renesas Mobile SH-Mobile was designed to offload application processing from the baseband LSI, ease system development and realize significant performance improvement. SH-Mobile enables separation of the application software and communications protocol software developments. This baseband independent approach reduces time-to-market, and allows rapid evolution of multimedia applications whilst retaining investment in established communications protocol software. The SH73704 performs video processing at full HD (1,920 × 1,080 pixels) resolution, as well as functions such as noise reduction and audio processing (5.1-channel/2-channel), while maintaining low power consumption.

Known for great performance, visual quality, and interoperability on any DivX Certified device, DivX provides consumers with a comprehensive digital media solution supporting the majority of high-quality Internet video on their TVs or other consumer electronics devices. All DivX devices contain proprietary digital rights management technology and are capable of playing back premium movies in the DivX format from major studios. Global online retailers offering titles in the DivX format include WB Shop, Media Markt, Film Fresh, and Best Buy's CinemaNow, which is powered by RoxioNow™.

DivX creates, distributes, and licenses digital video technologies that span the "three screens" comprising today's consumer media environment - the PC, television, and mobile devices. Over 400 million DivX devices have shipped into the market worldwide from leading consumer electronics manufacturers. DivX also offers content providers and publishers a complete solution for the distribution of secure, high-quality digital video content. Driven by a globally recognized brand and a passionate community of hundreds of millions of consumers, DivX is simplifying the video experience to enable the digital home.

For more information about Renesas Mobile, visit www.renesasmobile.com

For more information about DivX, visit www.divx.com

Samsung 9 Series laptops to include 11.6-inch model?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/15/samsung-9-series-laptops-to-include-11-6-inch-model/

Samsung managed to impress us back at CES with its ultrathin 9 Series laptop but, as far as we knew at the time, the company was only planning to produce a 13.3-inch version of it. If a listing from online retailer Provantange is any indication though, it looks like there could also be a 11.6-inch model in the pipeline. While there's no indication of a release date, the specs do seem to suggest that this is something more than a typo, as they include in a Core i3 processor instead of the i5 on the 13-incher, 2GB of RAM, a 64GB SSD, and the same 1,366 x 768 resolution as its larger counterpart but a lower 340 nits brightness. As you can see above, it also lists a price of just under $1,200, which would place it about $400 less than the 13.3-inch model.

[Thanks, Vikram]

Samsung 9 Series laptops to include 11.6-inch model? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA announces quad-core Kal-El SOC, promises it in tablets by August (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/15/nvidia-announces-quad-core-kal-el-soc-promises-it-in-tablets-by/

So it turns out that NVIDIA roadmap we saw last month was as true and pure as driven snow. The barely conceivable quad-core Tegra chip that it listed has now been made official by none other than NVIDIA itself, with the company also informing us that the new silicon is already sampling out to prospective clients. Known as Kal-El internally, this will most likely turn into NVIDIA's Tegra 3 as and when it's ready to enter the consumer market. Tonight NVIDIA whetted our appetite for what's to come with a demo that can most fittingly be described as an exhibition of unadulterated computational muscle. A 2560 x 1440 stream was being decoded on a developmental device, scaled down to that slate's native 1366 x 768 resolution, and additionally displayed on a connected 30-inch, 2560 x 1600 monitor. That entire voluminous workload was being handled in real time by Kal-El and we saw no signs of it struggling.

By NVIDIA's own estimation, the quad-core newbie provides roughly double the processing power of Tegra 2 and triple the graphics-crunching prowess. In the second demonstration of the evening, we saw an instance of Great Battles Medieval -- ran at 720p with 650 enemy soldiers on the field -- on both a Tegra 2 and a Kal-El platform, which showed the baby superhero handily dusting its still very new brethren. This was in large part down to the full dozen GPU cores contained within Kal-El, though before you freak out about battery-draining insanity, NVIDIA claims things are much, much more efficient as well -- up to 12 hours of HD video playback are promised under the right circumstances.

It's a big fat wedge of awesome boasts we've heard from the GeForce maker today, however the company's given us a schedule to hold it to as well. The "August timeframe" is when the quad-core Kal-El is expected to land in tablets, while smartphones will have to wait until the holiday season to benefit from what's likely to be a slightly downgraded variant. Skip past the break to eye the future Tegra roadmap for the next few years plus video of the wildly impressive demos we were witness to.

Gallery: NVIDIA Kal-El quad-core SOC and development platform

Continue reading NVIDIA announces quad-core Kal-El SOC, promises it in tablets by August (video)

NVIDIA announces quad-core Kal-El SOC, promises it in tablets by August (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Streak 10 will run Honeycomb, may share a body with Windows

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/15/dell-streak-10-will-run-honeycomb-may-share-a-body-with-windows/

Worried that Dell's Streak 10 might pull a Streak 5 and ship with a aging, smartphone-specific OS? Fear no more -- Dell told investors that the 10.1-inch Android tablet will arrive later this year with Honeycomb safely nestled inside. Also, it seems Dell may looking to consolidate the number of form factors and software platforms it supports, as an executive stated during today's Q4 earnings call that the company's other 10.1-inch tablet -- a Windows device -- could have the same shell. When asked broadly about the company's tablet strategy with regards to other operating systems, this was the answer Dell had on tap:

For tablets, it's Android Honeycomb and Windows, and we have customers with a preference for either one. We can create platforms that share a great degree of hardware commonality that can run both -- or either -- operating system, and we don't see any other options that are worthy of consideration.

Guess we shouldn't expect a MeeGo tablet out of Dell anytime soon.

Dell Streak 10 will run Honeycomb, may share a body with Windows originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fuel cells get stronger, potentially cheaper with graphene, ITO

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/fuel-cells-get-stronger-potentially-cheaper-with-graphene-ito/

As the sustainable Juggernaut of fuel cell vehicles (FCV) powers ever forward, a group of scientists are cooking up ways to make the alternative energy source more durable and even cheaper. By combining graphene -- think pencil lead -- and indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles, the team produced a catalytic material that is both stronger and more chemically active than the usual catalytic combo. Fuel cells typically use a chemical catalyst like platinum, sitting atop a base of black carbon or metal oxides, to break down oxygen and hydrogen gases, creating water in the process -- thing is, carbon is easily eroded by the resulting water, and metal oxides, while more stable, are less conductive. Using graphene -- which because of its porousness erodes less quickly -- in combination with the stable ITO and platinum nanoparticles, researchers have created what could be referred to as a super fuel cell -- a stronger, longer lasting, and potentially cheaper version of the alternative energy source. Unfortunately, without enough hydrogen filling stations, these super fuel cells won't come to anyone's rescue anytime soon.

Fuel cells get stronger, potentially cheaper with graphene, ITO originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 01:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Flyer vs. Galaxy Tab vs. iPad... fight!

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/htc-flyer-vs-galaxy-tab-vs-ipad-fight/

In a world of 10-inch dual-core Androids, HTC has opted to tread its own path by cranking up processor speeds, sticking to a 7-inch form factor and eschewing the latest Honeycomb build for a Gingerbread version it could customize more comprehensively with Sense. All that's well and good, but sometimes all it comes down to is how these gadgets look and feel. So to help you wrap your mind around the Flyer's new aluminum body, we present a couple of comparison galleries with it set against two devices that need no introduction. Get clicking!

Gallery: Flyer vs. Galaxy Tab... fight!

Gallery: Flyer vs. iPad... fight!

HTC Flyer vs. Galaxy Tab vs. iPad... fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 06:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Flyer tablet hits Amazon.de for 669 euros

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/htc-flyer-tablet-hits-amazon-de-for-669-euros/

HTC Flyer tablet hits Amazon.de for 669 Euros

We're seeing some rather unattainable prices for many of the sexiest Android tablets to be unveiled at MWC and CES this year, but thankfully HTC's Flyer looks to be coming in a little lower than most. It's just popped up on Amazon.de at €669. Subtract the VAT and run that figure through a currency converter and you're looking at a price of around $730. A bargain? Hardly, but better than some others we've seen. Sadly it's still nicht verfügbar, but if you hurry you can jetzt vorbestellen.

[Thanks, Andrezj]

HTC Flyer tablet hits Amazon.de for 669 euros originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 07:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NEC uses active noise cancellation for quieter zooming into your future memories

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/nec-uses-active-noise-cancellation-for-quieter-zooming-into-your/

NEC just injected a little Bose up in some digital cameras, adding what it calls "noise suppression technologies" to Casio's new EX-ZR10 and promising that it will be deployed "throughout the digital camera and video camera markets" soon. The tech is designed to combat the evil intrusion of noise from optical zoom motors, working with a recording of what the zoom motor sounds like inside the camera. The shooter's internal circuitry then subtracts that noise from what's being recorded and, hey presto, silent zoomin'! NEC indicates a camera's microphone still captures other, desirable ambient noise without issue and that this tech allows the use of faster, more powerful motors for faster, more powerful zooming.

Continue reading NEC uses active noise cancellation for quieter zooming into your future memories

NEC uses active noise cancellation for quieter zooming into your future memories originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 08:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG starts shipping new 'flicker free' 3D TVs with passive glasses

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/lg-starts-shipping-new-flicker-free-3d-tvs-with-passive-glasse/

LG announced at CES that it was breaking from other TV manufacturers to push its own FPR technology for 3DTVs and now they've started shipping in Korea including the LW5700 pictured above. LG's new approach means placing a special film over the LCD screen (no plasmas, although OLED versions are planned in the future) letting users use cheap "flicker free" passive 3D glasses instead of keeping a conventional display and using more expensive active shutter 3D glasses. LG's new TVs with the screens should start arriving in the US in March, although Vizio is already selling one Cinema 3D TV over here with the technology and plans to deliver a slew of new models soon. Of course, the main downside to this approach is that it halves the resolution delivered to each eye when wearing the glasses, but -- if you hadn't already guessed from its tablets and phones -- LG is betting big on 3D this year, we'll see if it pays off.

Continue reading LG starts shipping new 'flicker free' 3D TVs with passive glasses

LG starts shipping new 'flicker free' 3D TVs with passive glasses originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use! of feed s.

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