Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Intel Thunderbolt dev kits coming this quarter, hopefully ushering in more 10Gbps-capable devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/intel-thunderbolt-dev-kits-coming-this-quarter-hopefully-usheri/

Intel has just announced it will soon be making development kits available for its new Thunderbolt interconnect. The cable that can carry 10Gbps (in both directions!) has so far only seen itself installed in Apple's MacBook Pro computers, but storage and other peripheral manufacturers are starting to unveil their lightning-scorched offerings this week at NAB and this announcement is sure to give Thunderbolt an extra spur of momentum. What's going to be intriguing going forward is to see whether manufacturers take it up instead of USB 3.0 or install the DisplayPort lookalike alongside the latest and greatest from the USB camp. If you ask us, we can never have enough high-speed interconnects... how does SuperSpeed Thunderbolt sound?

Continue reading Intel Thunderbolt dev kits coming this quarter, hopefully ushering in more 10Gbps-capable devices

Intel Thunderbolt dev kits coming this quarter, hopefully ushering in more 10Gbps-capable devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Addonics SATA adapter turns six CF / CFast cards into one SSD

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/addonics-sata-adapter-turns-six-cf-cfast-cards-into-one-ssd/

This isn't the first time we've seen a CF-to-SATA hard drive adapter, but Addonics' CF / CFast Drive is definitely the biggest. The thing sports six separate slots, which means you can use it to turn your memory cards into six different drives, or combine them in a RAID configuration to form a high capacity SSD. What's more, the whole thing fits comfortably in a standard 5.25-inch drive bay. If you've got a stack of CF cards collecting dust somewhere, you can get your hands on one of these bad boys starting at $135 at the source link below. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Addonics SATA adapter turns six CF / CFast cards into one SSD

Addonics SATA adapter turns six CF / CFast cards into one SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo's metallic IdeaPad Z570 finally goes on sale, starts at $699

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/lenovos-metallic-ideapad-z570-finally-goes-on-sale-starts-at/

Of the nearly 20 consumer laptops Lenovo unleashed upon the world at CES, the IdeaPad Z570 was billed as the multimedia notebook with the least flashy design. (Okay, we're paraphrasing a little.) Curiously, the company didn't say at the time how much its metallic wonder would cost nor when it would be available. Three months later we're finally getting our answer: it's on sale now starting at $699, already taking a gentle tumble from $999. To refresh your saturated noggins, the 15.6-inch Z570 moves to a chiclet keyboard, as many other Lenovo laptops have, and packs a Core i3-2310M processor, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB 5,400RPM hard drive at its lowest price point. Those willing to spend more can step up to a $999 version that includes a Core i5-2520M CPU and 6GB of RAM. Either way, they come with DVD burners and relatively low-res 1366 x 768 screens, and the graphics top out with Intel's integrated HD 3000 chipset. That's all fine for everyday use, but deserving of that "multimedia machine" moniker? We'll leave that to you and your wallet.


[Thanks, Tim]

Lenovo's metallic IdeaPad Z570 finally goes on sale, starts at $699 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft details Kinect SDK for Windows PC, promises 'robust skeletal tracking'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/microsoft-details-kinect-sdk-for-windows-pc-promises-robust-sk/

Sure, a lack of first-party tools never kept you from bending the Kinect to your diabolical whim, but Microsoft's taking some time out at MIX 11 to talk about the official Kinect SDK for Windows and show off a few demos. Mind you, all of that's going to happen on stage over the course of the next hour, so we don't have many details for you right now, but Redmond says devs will have access to not only the basic color and infrared depth cameras, but "robust skeletal tracking" of two simultaneous individuals as well, and perhaps most excitingly, full access to the Kinect's array of four microphones for noise canceling and voice recognition complete with API support. Hate to say it, Kinect hackers, but the bar's about to be bumped up. Keep it locked right here and we'll let you know if the Microsofties reveal anything else fun!

Microsoft details Kinect SDK for Windows PC, promises 'robust skeletal tracking' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

nSphere Acquires Couponing Startup Peekaboo Mobile

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/11/nsphere-acquires-couponing-startup-peekaboo-mobile/

Online business directory company nSphere has acquired mobile couponing startup Peekaboo Mobile. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but we hear the transaction was in the seven-figures. Peekaboo's team will also join nSphere to manage its new mobile marketplace and future mobile-related initiatives.

Peekaboo Mobile provides a platform to local businesses looking to connect to consumers with location-targeted offers. Peekaboo says that it currently reaches over 50 million smartphone users through its Android and iPhone deal applications and partner network.

nSphere’s technology powers search results for local services, events, relevant news articles and more. The acquisition will be used by nSphere to establish a mobile platform to deliver hyper-local coupons and information on any search topic directly to mobile handsets. Peekaboo Mobile will continue to run its mobile couponing company and will eliminate all monthly or yearly service fees required of current business owners and provide the Peekaboo platform free of charge for all future clients.



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Video Apps Vs. Web Video: Apps Are Invisible To Search

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/11/video-apps-web-invisible/

Videos on the iPad and other tablets look great, and increasingly apps are being created specifically for watching videos on tablets. There is just one problem: they cannot be found by search. This problem is true for information in all apps in general, but it is particularly one for video.

A couple weeks ago, I moderated a panel at Beet.TV’s Video Strategy Summit where this topic came up. In the video clip above, Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis at the NPD Group, points out that there is no electronic program guide for video apps, which “makes it very difficult to discover video.” If you have a thousand video apps, that makes it very hard to find any one video. Akamai chief strategist Chris Van Noy says that apps have the upper hand when it comes to video viewing right now, but he suspects that will change over the next 18 months as HTML5 makes it easier for video to be published once and played anywhere across devices.

Kevin Krim, head of Bloomberg’s web properties, thinks apps can create loyal relationships, but they depend on home runs. He prefers to play short ball and get “good search exposure.” Bloomberg currently has 13,000 videos archived online and adds 50 to 100 every weekday. “I want that to all be in Google search results and get traffic from that,” he says, “you can’t do that in apps. Every time someone watches our video, that’s a single. I can pile those up all day long.”

In the video below, ABC Digital Media executive VP Paul Slavin agrees that search and other forms of Web discovery are key. He estimates that 70 percent of ABCNews.com’s video views come in “through the side door” from search or links from other sites.

Locking up videos in apps makes them invisible to most of the people who might otherwise watch them. Of course, that is why video publishers double up their videos on the Web and inside apps. But someone needs to figure out how to search inside apps, and not just for videos.



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Run iPhone Apps Directly From Your Browser With Pieceable Viewer

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/11/pieceable-viewer/

Part of i/o Ventures first cohort, Pieceable is launching its first product today, the Pieceable Viewer. As you can see above with the Yelp app or here with apps like Hipmunk or Foodspotting, the viewer allows you to run and test out embeddable iPhone apps from your web browser.

Developers can publish their apps directly to the service and the Pieceable team will create a web page that displays a fully functional copy of the app. Developers or anyone who needs to share an app can then send a link to whomever they’d like to give the demo to.

“It ends up being the easiest way ever to share an iPhone app on the web,” CEO Fred Potter tells me. “There’s no UDID exchange, there’s no worry about the 100-device limit Apple places on dev accounts – it’s zero friction and hassle.”

Using Flash to simulate the app’s functionality, Pieceable Viewer works without any code modifications on the developer’s side, “It’s literally a one line command to publish an existing app to the viewer service,” says Potter.

But Pieceable Viewer isn’t Pieceable’s core product. The company itself, in the same space as Mobile Roadie and AppMakr, aims to be a WordPress for mobile platforms, helping people write apps even if they don’t know how to code.

Potter explains, “We’re focusing a lot on making sure people can build rich apps that have a very custom look and feel. But at the same time, we’re trying to make app creation as easy as it can be (on the same level as setting up something like a blog).” The company should be fully launching in the next couple of months.

Helping non-techies make apps is cool and all but I’m pretty satisfied with just the Pieceable Viewer, which should also support Android in the coming weeks. My grand vision for this is that tech reporters can use the service to include working app demos along with app reviews. Imagine how cool it would be if readers could actually try out the app while reading about it?

Currently the Viewer has a tiered-pricing plan, with Free getting you 1 simultaneous viewer, 1 app and a link that expires, $30 getting you 3 simultaneous viewers and 5 iPhone apps, and $60 getting you 10 viewers, unlimited apps in addition to app links that never expire.



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G-Technology crashes NAB with portable, Thunderbolt-equipped RAID arrays

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/12/g-technology-crashes-nab-with-portable-thunderbolt-equipped-rai/

G-Technology Thunderbolt Prototype
The Thunderbolt goodness just keeps on rolling out at NAB. G-Technology just announced it will be adding support for the high-speed connection to its line of RAID devices for those who spend their days chopping up HD video. The first batch of products will hit in either Q3 or Q4 and start with the company's smaller arrays in the four to eight-disc size. A prototype of a four-drive model can be seen in the photo above, which rep Pete Schlatter described to us as "the sweet spot" in terms of portability and storage. Sure, calling an eight drive array "portable" sounds like a stretch, but don't forget: these are designed to be paired with laptops and carried people editing video on the go -- you know, guys with giant cases of equipment and biceps to match.

G-Technology crashes NAB with portable, Thunderbolt-equipped RAID arrays originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 01:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eye-Fi launching new 8GB wireless SD card today, kicking out Direct Mode for iOS and Android next week

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/12/eye-fi-launching-new-8gb-wireless-sd-card-today-kicking-out-dir/

Remember how Eye-Fi was cooking up some software to let their WiFi-enabled SD memory cards sling photos directly to your tablet or phone? Here's some sweet news -- starting next week, Direct Mode will be a free download for any Eye-Fi X2 card, and debut alongside companion apps in the Android Market and iTunes App Store. Moreover, the company's celebrating the launch of the new transfer protocol with a brand-new card, the $80 Eye-Fi Mobile X2, which should be available for purchase online momentarily and make its merry way to Best Buy and Apple stores by April 17th. Basically, the Mobile is a redux of the $50 Connect X2, but with double the storage capacity (8GB) and Direct Mode pre-installed -- though a price drop on the top-of-the-line Pro X2 (to $100) will add geotagging and RAW support for just one Jackson more. Need a refresher on how Direct Mode works? Peek our CES video demo (and a hefty press release) after the break.

Continue reading Eye-Fi launching new 8GB wireless SD card today, kicking out Direct Mode for iOS and Android next week

Eye-Fi launching new 8GB wireless SD card today, kicking out Direct Mode for iOS and Android next week originally appeared on Engadget on Tu e, 12 Apr 2011 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia X7 first hands-on! (updated with video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/12/nokia-x7-first-hands-on/

The Nokia X7, everybody! Like the E7, this is a 4-inch AMOLED handset with an 8 megapixel EDoF camera, though unlike its more buttoned-down business-oriented sibling, this is an entertainment handset through and through. Check it out in pictures below and we'll bring you more impressions of it and the new Symbian "Anna" UI very shortly. Video forthcoming too!

Update: Video now embedded after the break. We can't yet speak of the improvements Nokia has made on the browser front, but its long overdue inclusion of a virtual portrait QWERTY keyboard is much appreciated, as is the real-time home screen scrolling. It's still not as smooth as you'd see on other devices that have been doing it for a while, but it's preferable to what we had in the older Symbian iteration.

Physically, the X7 is a pleasure to hold and to handle, a hallmark of Nokia construction, but we must once again protest at the so-called nHD resolution of 640 x 360 on this device. It's justified by the need to keep consistency with the company's existing ecosystem, but it's a step behind the cutting edge. At least it's composed of the delectable AMOLED stuff that Nokia's been using lately, and colors and images look positively delicious, if a little pixel-light. Stereo speakers at the bottom and a generally svelte profile make it an appealing little pocket rocket for multimedia, but bear in mind it comes with a 680MHz processor, so it can record and play back 720p video, but may be challenged by more intensive tasks.

Continue reading Nokia X7 first hands-on! (updated with video)

Nokia X7 first hands-on! (updated with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 04:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Sensation leaked by Vodafone: 4.3-inch qHD SLCD and 1.2GHz dual-core processor are go (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/12/htc-sensation-leaked-by-vodafone-4-3-inch-qhd-slcd-and-1-2ghz-d/

Would you look at that, HTC's latest worst kept secret is live on Vodafone UK's website. So here's the scoop: 4.3-inch qHD (540 x 960 pixel) SLCD display, 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera augmented by an 8 megapixel shooter with dual-LED flash around back, a 1.2GHz (dual-core) processor, and 4GB of internal flash memory with an extra 8GB supplied on memory card. Stick around, we'll have hands-on with the latest Android Sensation from the HTC launch event later in the day.

Update: Vodafone removed the pages but we've got a screenshot after the break. Better yet, we've also got a trio of videos uncovered by our friends over at Mobile Bulgaria showing updated elements of the Sense UI.

[Thanks, Chris H.]

Continue reading HTC Sensation leaked by Vodafone: 4.3-inch qHD SLCD and 1.2GHz dual-core processor are go (video)

HTC Sensation leaked by Vodafone: 4.3-inch qHD SLCD and 1.2GHz dual-core processor are go (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 05:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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