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Thursday, April 28, 2011

LG Optimus Big brings a 4.3-inch NOVA display and 1GHz dual-core to the superphone party

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/27/lg-optimus-big-brings-a-4-3-inch-nova-display-and-1ghz-dual-core/

What's big, mostly white, and set for a Korean launch tomorrow? That's right, the LG Optimus Big! This 4.3-inch whopper, LG's largest handset to date, touts a 1GHz dual-core processor, a slightly skinned Android 2.2 as its OS, HDMI output, a 5 megapixel camera, and 16GB of built-in storage. That spec sheet sounds mighty close to the elder Optimus 2X that launched earlier in the year, though a couple of items have also been borrowed from the still unreleased Optimus Black. They are the NOVA display, which can crank all the way up to 700 nits of brightness, and WiFi Direct, which allows for wireless inter-device communication without the need for an intermediary WiFi access point. This big, delicious spec sandwich is hitting its home market on April 28th, but there's sadly no word on when and where else it might show up. Just keep an eye out for it, shouldn't be that hard to spot.

LG Optimus Big brings a 4.3-inch NOVA display and 1GHz dual-core to the superphone party originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel's Larsen Creek SSDs leak out, courtesy of ASRock's Z68 motherboard

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/27/intels-larsen-creek-ssds-leak-out-courtesy-of-asrocks-z68-mot/

Manufacturers just aren't willing to wait for the eighth of May -- they want to announce their spiffy new Intel Z68 Express motherboards now, dang it, whatever the consequences. Well, we can't really complain, especially when said motherboards reveal brand-new Intel products in trade. The above image was pulled direct from a PDF flyer for the ASRock Z68 Extreme4 motherboard, which depicts an intriguing benchmark -- if you pair one of Intel's 20GB Larsen Creek solid state drives with a standard 1TB magnetic hard drive, Intel's SSD caching technology can allegedly give you much speedier performance. Of course, there's no such thing as a 20GB Larsen Creek drive, right? This is the part where we'd tell you that Intel may finally be democratizing solid state storage and making it an affordable upgrade to all -- except we know full well that Z68 is the company's premium Sandy Bridge-supporting chipset, so don't get your hopes up too far.

[Thanks, Anton]

Intel's Larsen Creek SSDs leak out, courtesy of ASRock's Z68 motherboard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Aspire Z5763 all-in-one comes with 3D screen, promises Kinect-like gesture control over movies

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/28/acer-aspire-z5763-all-in-one-comes-with-3d-screen-promises-kine/

Sure, it may look just like any of Acer's other all-in-one desktops, but this one's got a few tricks up its sleeves -- the Acer Aspire Z5763 spits out stereoscopic 3D images to a set of NVIDIA 3D Vision specs, and uses its 2 megapixel webcam for a Kinect-like gesture recognition system that Acer's calling "AirControl." As you'll probably know if you've recently spent any time considering a 3D-ready computer, that means it's got a 23-inch, 120Hz LCD screen that displays content at 1080p, and here you'll find it accompanied by Intel's latest Sandy Bridge processors, NVIDIA GeForce GT 440 or 435M graphics, a Blu-ray drive, up to 2TB of storage and 16GB of DDR3 memory, as well as built-in stereo speakers with several flavors of virtual surround sound, an optional TV tuner and loads of connectivity. What you won't find is any pricing or availability for the USA, but if you're living in merry old England you can pick up the rig next month for £999 (about $1,650).

Continue reading Acer Aspire Z5763 all-in-one comes with 3D screen, promises Kinect-like gesture control over movies

Acer Aspire Z5763 all-in-one comes with 3D screen, promises Kinect-like gesture control over movies originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 06:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Central Station hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/28/samsung-central-station-hands-on-video/

The last time we saw Samsung's Central Station in person it wasn't so much of a hands-on moment as a drive-by peep show. Nearly four months later, it's about to go on sale, and Samsung finally let us play with a final unit. For those of you who missed it in Vegas, the Central Station is a 1080p monitor that doubles as a docking station, replete with HDMI and VGA output, a speaker port, four USB ports (two of 'em USB 3.0), plus an additional USB port just for wired connections (more on that in a bit). The best part, of course, is that all of this docking happens wirelessly with the help of a small dongle that plugs into your laptop's USB port -- even if it's of the 2.0 variety. The promise is that all you need to do is walk within range of the monitor to be able to mirror (or extend) your desktop, stream 1080p video, and access USB peripherals, such as external hard drives. So is this display as simple to use as advertised? Mosey on past the break and check out our hands-on video to see for yourself.

Gallery: Samsung Central Station hands-on!

Continue reading Samsung Central Station hands-on (video)

Samsung Central Station hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plextor PL-LB950UE Blu-ray burner lands in the US with heady mix of USB 3.0 speed and double-layer storage

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/28/plextor-pl-lb950ue-blu-ray-burner-lands-in-the-us-with-heady-mix/

Europeans have been able to bag this speedy external writer for a few months now, but it's only just received its Green Card -- turning up in the US with a suitcase full of dreams and a price tag of $239.99. A quick check of its CV resume reveals a choice of either USB 3.0 or eSATA connectivity, 12x write speed, and the ability to burn up to 50GB of data on a dual-layer disc. The drive is being pitched as an "all-in-one Blu-ray device" because it also handles 3D playback and has a low vibration system for quieter operation. Admittedly, it only offers half as much storage as BDXL writers, but those burn slower and onto judderingly expensive media. Closer competition comes from Buffalo, which arrived early to the USB 3.0 table, but whose current MediaStation model omits the eSATA option.

Continue reading Plextor PL-LB950UE Blu-ray burner lands in the US with heady mix of USB 3.0 speed and double-layer storage

Plextor PL-LB950UE Blu-ray burner lands in the US with heady mix of USB 3.0 speed and double-layer storage originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WiFi HTC Flyer visits the FCC, leaves behind a line-drawn calling card

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/28/wifi-htc-flyer-visits-the-fcc-leaves-behind-a-line-drawn-callin/

WiFi HTC Flyer hits the FCC, leaves only a line drawing in its wake

That, dear readers, is where you'll be able to find the FCC label on your brand new HTC Flyer -- well, assuming you decide to get in on the company's 7-inch dose of Android, and also assuming that HTC ever decides to actually release the thing in the US. We assume it does, as the machine has just been given the blessing of the FCC. This looks to be a WiFi-only model, also tested for BlueTooth compliance, but lacking 3G. So, if you got your pre-order in last week know that there's at least nothing federal standing between you and your $499 aluminum slice of Gingerbread, which we're still hoping will ship before the spring is through.

WiFi HTC Flyer visits the FCC, leaves behind a line-drawn calling card originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IPS and 3D come together in Mitsubishi's new 23-inch display

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/28/ips-and-3d-come-together-in-mitsubishis-new-23-inch-display/

Looking for the vibrant colors and wide angle viewing of an IPS display and the in-your-face action that only a 3D monitor can provide? Well, Mitsubishi's got you covered with its new 23-inch LED backlit IPS panel that promises Full HD resolution, 178-degree viewing angles, and a 3.8 millisecond response time from a 39 millimeter-thick slab of screen. Content comes to the RDT233WX-3D through a DVI-D connector, two HDMI 1.4 ports, and D5 connections, while your eyeballs see things in three dee with the included passive 3D glasses. It'll be available on May 30 in the Land of the Rising Sun (no word if it'll come across the Pacific) for an undisclosed amount. Those interested in getting one to the US can enlist the services of their local importer -- an open wallet or a blank check should do the trick.

IPS and 3D come together in Mitsubishi's new 23-inch display originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Fring Group Video goes live, enables four-way mobile video calls for free

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/27/fring-group-video-goes-live-enables-four-way-mobile-video-calls/

If you missed the opportunity to get your hands on Fring's limited Group Video beta, fret not, because the free service has just gone live for everyone on this planet. What this means is that all Fringsters on compatible iOS 4.x and Android 1.5+ devices (1GHz and above recommended) can now have up to three friends on one video call, and as before, you can do so over either WiFi, 3G, or 4G. Hit your nearest app market for the software update to join the fun, and head past the break to see how Group Video works.

Continue reading Fring Group Video goes live, enables four-way mobile video calls for free

Fring Group Video goes live, enables four-way mobile video calls for free originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diagramly Is a Quick Online Diagram, Mind Map, and Flow Chart Creator [Webapp]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5795870/diagramly-is-a-quick-online-diagram-mind-map-and-flow-chart-creator

There are plenty of apps for creating flow charts, mind maps, and other types of diagrams, but Diagramly is ready to go the minute you visit the site. It's remarkably similar to Microsoft Visio, but it's accessible from pretty much any web browser and doesn't even require signing up.

If you've ever used Microsoft Visio, or pretty much any diagram-creating software, Diagramly should feel pretty familiar. Your shapes, text, and icons onto your grid, name them, and connect them with arrows. While there are plenty of webapps that rival desktop software, a lot of the graphics-based apps have a bit of lag. Diagramly is, fortunately, very responsive. It saves out to several image formats and allows you to print directly from the app. It's actually a really solid replacement to desktop diagraming software.

Diagramly is available for free, and all you have to do is go visit the site to get started.

Diagramly | via MakeUseOf

You can follow Adam Dachis, the author of this post, on Twitter and Facebook. If you'd like to contact him, Twitter is the most effective means of doing so.

Ditch Your Laptop While Photographing with Photosmith [Apps]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5795910/ditch-your-laptop-while-photographing-with-photosmith

Convergence! Its the best, right? My phone replaced my camera, GPS, and the need to throw birds at pigs in real life. Ditching superfluous gear is great. Photosmith will lighten your photographic load, iPad-loading pics straight from your camera.

One major caveat: Photosmith only works with Adobe Lightroom, so if you're an Aperture fan, this one isn't for you. Otherwise, it seems pretty neat—with a camera connector, email, or Eye-Fi card, push all the photos you want onto your iPad and get to work organizing, tagging, and sharing your work. Photosmith supports all the usual formats, including RAW files. An iPad is still a piece of gear, but it'll save you some poundage to be lugged around while on a shoot. [iTunes via Wired]

Coalition of companies creates WebM Community Cross License initiative

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/26/coalition-of-companies-creates-webm-community-cross-license-init/

When Google unveiled its WebM open source media format and declared it to be the one codec to rule all others, there were those who decried its usefulness and felt that H.264 should inherit the earth. WebM's power converted some of those staunch detractors, and to rally more to to the VP8 / Vorbis cause, 17 companies have now formed the WebM Community Cross-License (CCL) initiative by inter-mingling their WebM-related IP resources. The initiative was founded so that all may use El Goog's preferred multimedia codec free from the threat of patent litigation, and the CCL superfriends will welcome more members to bolster their legal might -- but those wishing to join must grant a royalty-free license to any of their patents that cover WebM technology. A passion for streamlining web standards and a willingness to spread the word about WebM couldn't hurt, either -- new formats don't sell themselves, y'know.

Coalition of companies creates WebM Community Cross License initiative originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 05:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG licenses ARM Cortex-A15 and Mali-T604 graphics, starts scheming up mobile processors of its own

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/26/lg-licenses-arm-cortex-a15-and-mali-t604-graphics-starts-schemi/

Some of LG's brightest attractions at the moment are the dual-core Optimus 2X and Optimus 3D smartphones and similarly equipped Optimus Pad tablet. The only problem with them? Those multicore chips are produced by NVIDIA for the 2X and Pad and Texas Instruments for the Optimus 3D, leaving LG a clear step behind its arch-nemesis Samsung who is producing its own dual-core system-on-chip. So what else could LG possibly do but buy its own ARM license -- specifically for the Cortex-A9 design that is dominating today and the Cortex-A15 with Mali-T604 graphics that promises to rule the mobile world from 2012 onwards -- and start churning out its own processors? The Korean company certainly has the budget, if not the manufacturing facilities, to produce such chips at volume, and we're all for seeing another competitor enter the ARM arena. This licensing deal also reminds us that the last fresh licensee to ARM's blueprints was Microsoft -- so we can now look forward to two industry giants bringing their technical expertise to this rapidly growing marketplace. See LG's full press release after the break.

Continue reading LG licenses ARM Cortex-A15 and Mali-T604 graphics, starts scheming up mobile processors of its own

LG licenses ARM Cortex-A15 and Mali-T604 graphics, starts scheming up mobile processors of its own originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 06:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Qualcomm's next-gen Snapdragon roadmap leaks, exhibits great expectations (updated)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/26/qualcomms-next-gen-snapdragon-roadmap-bumped-back-a-little-exp/

Seems like we just can't get ARM's next-generation Cortex-A15 system-on-chip out of our minds. Having figured as a headline item in LG's ARM licensing deal this morning, it's now shown up on a leaked Qualcomm roadmap, landing itself a lynchpin role in that company's Snapdragon future. Alas, Qualcomm had been promising for the earliest of its MSM8930 / 60 and APQ8064 Snapdragons to be sampling in Q2 of this year, ~~but this latest schedule shows them as sampling at the end of 2011~~ (see update). This isn't hugely surprising in light of ARM's recent forecast of Cortex-A15 devices in "late 2012," but it'll be disappointing to users keen to be exploiting quad-GPU and quad-CPU mobile rigs as soon as humanly possible. Guess that just leaves us waiting for the NGP or NVIDIA's quad-core SOC in August. Hit the source link for more on Qualcomm's plans for the near and distant future.

[Thanks, Mike]

Update: Qualcomm got in touch to correct the timing here. The company's 3G/LTE MSM8960 chipset remains on track to sample in this quarter, as promised in the company's latest earnings report. The other two parts were already expected to come later, so there's no delay to speak of. Just juicy specs.

Qualcomm's next-gen Snapdragon roadmap leaks, exhibits great expectations (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus S 4G launch on Sprint now official: May 8th for $200

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/26/nexus-s-4g-launch-on-sprint-now-official-may-8th-for-200/

You've been able to pre-order the Sprint-ified version of the Nexus S for a good while now, but it's always good to add a concrete date for the end of the anticipation and the beginning of the Android 2.3 fun. That date has now been officially marked as May 8th. That's when your Pure Google device will be ready for use and abuse, though you'll have to accept the usual two-year commitment with Sprint and pay up the typical $200 entry fee. Intriguingly, the Nexus S 4G's release date matches up with a roadmap leak we saw recently, which also featured the Motorola Xoom launching on Sprint in "early May." Can't be long before that goes official as well now. Jump past the break for Sprint's PR regarding today's news.

Continue reading Nexus S 4G launch on Sprint now official: May 8th for $200

Nexus S 4G launch on Sprint now official: May 8th for $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 09:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Iconia Smart hits the FCC, readies to smack AT&T with 1024 x 480 screen?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/26/acer-iconia-smart-hits-the-fcc-readies-to-smack-atandt-with-its-4/

Acer promised a 4.8-inch, 1024 x 480 tabletphone would arrive in April 2011, and April's nearly through -- but don't cross off the Acer Iconia Smart yet, because that brushed aluminum frame has just materialized at our favorite government institution. Yes, the FCC laid eyes on radiation test reports for the Android 2.3 device, which reveal that the quad-band GSM handset is headed to both Canada and the US. Given that the North American version only has 850, 1900 and 2100MHz 3G frequencies, it sounds like a lock for AT&T. Inside, you'll find a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor, 512MB each of ROM and RAM, an 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, a 2 megapixel front-facing cam, micro-HDMI output capable of 720p, a 1500mAh user-replaceable battery and all the usual 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 and GPS trimmings you'd expect. Now, Acer, how about a new release date?

Acer Iconia Smart hits the FCC, readies to smack AT&T with 1024 x 480 screen? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 21:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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