Samsung HDD manages 1TB per platter, areal-density enthusiasts rejoice

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/08/samsung-hdd-manages-1tb-per-platter-areal-density-enthusiasts-r/

Solid state drives are the geek storage of choice, what with their quiet nature, blazing fast speed, and stunning good looks. However, the limited capacity and sky-high price of SSDs keeps many of us buying traditional disk-based storage solutions -- which is just fine considering Samsung keeps finding ways to fit more bits and bytes on every drive. Last year, Sammy's EcoGreen F4EG squeezed 2TB onto a 3-platter drive (or 667GB per platter), and now the company's primed to release a new series of Spinpoint drives with even greater areal density at a time and price that remains TBD. Whenever they do get here, the new HDDs promise to deliver up to 1TB per platter spinning at 5,400RPM -- meaning 4TB desktop drives and a terabyte of storage (courtesy of two 500GB platters) in standard-sized laptop HDDs. The 3.5-inch version packs a 32MB cache and SATA 6Gbps compatibility, while the 2.5-inch variety has an 8MB cache and a 3 Gb/s SATA interface. Knowing all that, only one question remains: could areal-density enthusiasts be the new pixel-density enthusiasts?

Samsung HDD manages 1TB per platter, areal-density enthusiasts rejoice originally appeared on Engad get on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 02:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Philips Fidelio SoundSphere WiFi speakers get AirPlayed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/08/philips-fidelio-soundsphere-wifi-speaker-get-airplayed/

Add one more to the list of manufacturers supporting Apple's AirPlay. Philips just announced its Fidelio SoundSphere speakers that support WiFi music streaming over Apple's new media sharing "standard" from your PC or Mac iTunes library or from any iOS device. Unfortunately, Philips isn't providing any useful detail about these speakers with free-floating tweeters and 360-degree sound. But hey, if you're the kind who buys speakers based on appearance alone, then the €799 (about $1,100 -- nearly twice as much as the Zeppelin Air) price tag for the speaker pair + dock should be no problem when they hit Europe sometime in May. Press release and bonus pic after the break.

Continue reading Philips Fidelio SoundSphere WiFi speakers get AirPlayed

Philips Fidelio SoundSphere WiFi speakers get AirPlayed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 05:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Optical tweezers manipulate microscopic objects using an iPad, raw brainpower (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/08/optical-tweezers-manipulate-microscopic-objects-using-an-ipad-r/

Okay, so maybe the whole brainpower thing is a distant second to the iPad itself, but still -- being a rocket scientist probably doesn't hurt when manipulating microscopic objects via a multitouch display. That's the kind of setup that students and boffins alike have going at England's University of Bristol, where iTweezers are being used to control a tiny rod about 300 nanometers wide, amongst other things. Essentially, the iPad is able to display what's under a microscope via a wireless display transfer, and then, touch points are converted into laser movements that are used to handle objects that are far smaller than those visible particles clogging up your left ear right now. All told, a user can select up to 11 different objects, and in theory, the iPad could enable scientists to do this remotely. Hey, we're all about new and improved ways to telework. Vid's below, kiddos.

Continue reading Optical tweezers manipulate microscopic objects using an iPad, raw brainpower (video)

Optical tweezers manipulate microscopic objects using an iPad, raw brainpower (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 06:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android's everywhere! Xtreamer PVR to serve up a heaping helping of Froyo in your home theater

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/08/androids-everywhere-xtreamer-pvr-to-serve-up-a-heaping-helping/

We got to check out Xtreamer's Prodigy media player and go hands-on with its Ultra HTPC at CeBIT last week, but it turns out that the company has another nifty device set to debut this year. After taking a peek at its 2011 product catalog, we discovered that the Xtreamer PVR is "comming soon" with a similarly sexy exterior and much of the same specs as the Prodigy, but packing a Sigma Designs SMP8656 chip for high-end 3D graphics, optional dual tuners, and Android 2.2. We sincerely hope that Xtreamer's prowess with Froyo far exceeds its aptitude for spelling -- we kid because we care.

Android's everywhere! Xtreamer PVR to serve up a heaping helping of Froyo in your home theater originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 07:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViewSonic's dual-booting Android / Windows 7 ViewPad 10 tablet now shipping

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/08/viewsonics-dual-booting-android-windows-7-viewpad-10-tablet-n/

It sure took 'em long enough, but ViewSonic's dual-booting ViewPad 10 has finally, really, actually made it to America. A few days after the iPad 2 most likely sucked any remaining wind out of its sails, mind you, but it's quite possible that the target market for an Android 1.6 + Windows 7 tablet couldn't care less about a similar one from Apple. If you'll recall, this one's rocking a 10.1-inch touchpanel (1024 x 600), 1.66GHz Atom CPU, 2GB of RAM, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and a version of Android we forgot about in 1994. You'll also find a microSD slot and a copy of Windows Home 7 Premium (with a 16GB SSD) or Windows 7 Professional (with a 32GB SSD). Still interested? Just wait until we tell you all about the $599 and $679 price tags, respectively.

Continue reading ViewSonic's dual-booting Android / Windows 7 ViewPad 10 tablet now shipping

ViewSonic's dual-booting Android / Windows 7 ViewPad 10 tablet now shipping originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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