The First Android Tablet Built for Humans [Tablets]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5800628/the-first-amazing-android-tablet

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is amazing in two ways.

It's the first tablet that's as immaterial as the iPad 2, in form and weight and feel. (In fact, it is slightly more so, by a gram and a millimeter.) That's amazing. What's more amazing, maybe, is the fact that it's amazing.

It's not quite as rigid, not as sturdy or deliberately constructed. That's because the back is plastic, glossy and thin. And like the Motorola Xoom, it's proportioned in a way that it's really meant to be used in landscape—it's too tall, too long in portrait mode. But it's still the first Android tablet, the first non-iPad tablet to feel the way that tablets this size should feel. (It's interesting how closely this resembles an iPad in practice, but anyways.) Every millimeter, every gram counts, and in the Galaxy Tab 10.1, the math is beautiful.

More on this later. But even if it's exactly the same as the Xoom and every other Android Honeycomb in terms of power, performance, features—this is the new Android tablet to buy. Because it's the first one to feel right.

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Lighting Science demos Android @ Home bulbs, promises dead-simple home automation (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/11/lighting-science-demos-android-home-bulbs-promises-dead-simpl/

'Tis amazing what a partnership with Google can do. Unless you're a frequent patron of Home Depot, there's a slim chance you'd ever heard of Lighting Science prior to this week's opening I/O keynote. Now, said company is leading the Android @ Home charge, and based on what we learned yesterday at its booth, we're feeling better than ever about home automation's chances in the mainstream market. Company representatives noted that this Google-led mesh networking solution -- which beams out commands on the 900MHz frequency band -- is the first HA solution that's truly designed to be ultra-low-cost and easy to implement. Compared to Z-Wave and Zigbee, there's far less technical expertise needed to start automating things in your home, and there's no need to take out a second mortgage to open your garage door with your handset. Oh, and there's zero chance anything fails due to congestion on the 2.4GHz band.

We pressed the company on pricing details, and it stated that the wirelessly enabled light shown above would be priced "at parity" with the non-wireless counterpart available today. At last check, that puts a single bulb at around $30. In order to make these kinds of devices compatible with existing Android phones and tablets, a couple of WiFi-to-900MHz adapters will be available. From Lighting Science alone, you'll soon see a light switch, security lamp and a regular wall wart on sale to handle the transfers. In other words, you can pick up a dirt-cheap plug, toss it in your guest room, and immediately give your Nexus One the ability to dictate Android @ Home products. Not too shabby, but what does this mean for the broader industry?

Gallery: Lighting Science demos Android @ Home bulbs: hands-on at Google I/O

Continue reading Lighting Science demos Android @ Home bulbs, promises dead-simple home automation (hands-on)

Lighting Science demos Android @ Home bulbs, promises dead-simple home automation (hands-on) originally appeared on ! Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 06:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Charlotte Motor Speedway, Panasonic flip the switch on the world's largest HD screen

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/11/charlotte-motor-speedway-panasonic-flip-the-switch-on-the-world/

Charlotte Motor Speedway and Panasonic held an event yesterday to celebrate the completion of the new world's largest HD screen, which measures at 16,000 square feet (200 feet wide and 80 feet tall). Of course, the only natural thing to do when face with a screen this size is to play videogames on it, and CMS got very meta by bringing out NASCAR driver and simulation racing fan Dale Earnhardt Jr. to turn a few laps on the track in iRacing on the brand new display. The 720p display, located on the backstretch, is big enough for fans seated along the front stretch of the track between turn four and turn one to have a clear view of replays, standings and stats all the way across the track. Its official debut will take place May 21st during the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and will also take a turn as a massive HDTV airing clips of Top Gear USA during a History Channel sponsored race the week after. You can see the videogame rig, screen and ceremonial oversized remote above while video of them actually playing is available at the source link.

[Thanks, Jeffery]

Charlotte Motor Speedway, Panasonic flip the switch on the world's largest HD screen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 08:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft's Rock and Rails touchscreen lets you massage your photos with both hands

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/11/microsofts-rock-and-rails-touchscreen-lets-you-massage-your-pho/

If you ever get tired of poking away at your smartphone's screen like a doorbell, you're not alone. The forward-looking folks over at Microsoft Research have been working away at a new touchscreen system designed pick up on more natural, whole-hand movements, effectively allowing users to break free from the finger-based paradigm that governs most tactile devices. Developed in coordination with engineers at Microsoft Surface, the company's Rock and Rails interface can detect three basic hand gestures: a balled fist, which holds items on the screen, an extended hand that can align objects (see the cell marked "d," on the right) and a curved paw, around which users can pivot images (see cell b). This taxonomy opens up new ways for users to crop, re-size or generally play around with their UI elements, though it remains unclear whether the display will trickle down to the consumer level anytime soon. For now, it appears to operate exclusively on the Surface, but more details should surface when the system's developers release a paper on their project, later this year. Hit the source links to see a video of the thing in action.

Microsoft's Rock and Rails touchscreen lets you massage your photos with both hands originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 00:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ZiiLabs outs dual-core ZMS-20 and quad-core ZMS-40 for Honeycomb tablets, clocks 'em at 1.5GHz

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/11/ziilabs-outs-dual-core-zms-20-and-quad-core-zms-40-chips-for-hon/

For now, the HTC Flyer can console itself for not having a second core (like all the other guys) by noting that its 1.5GHz clock speed is faster than any other tablet. Pretty soon, however, the choice between speed and core count might not have to be made at all, as ZiiLabs has just announced new dual-core and quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 systems-on-chip that run at the same 1500MHz speed as the Flyer. Dubbed ZMS-20 and ZMS-40, respectively, they're taking the ZMS-08 legacy of focusing on HD video decoding even further, while also throwing in specific optimizations for Android Honeycomb tablets. The earlier-gen SOC was only picked up by parent company Creative, who inserted it in its ZiiO tablets, so let's hope the new silicon proves compelling enough for us to see it in more manufacturers' slates. Full PR and an intro video follow after the break.

Continue reading ZiiLabs outs dual-core ZMS-20 and quad-core ZMS-40 for Honeycomb tablets, clocks 'em at 1.5GHz

ZiiLabs outs dual-core ZMS-20 and quad-core ZMS-40 for Honeycomb tablets, clocks 'em at 1.5GHz originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 04:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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