Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Intel Smart Connect and Rapid Start technologies unveiled, coming by the holidays

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/31/intel-smart-connect-and-rapid-start-technologies-unveiled-comin/

As part of its keynote at Computex today, Intel unveiled a pair of new sleep-related technologies, though funnily enough, neither of them is particularly boring. Smart Connect checks up periodically on web apps you have open while your computer is in sleep mode -- meaning that email clients and in-browser web apps like Twitter and Facebook will update themselves without the need for you to flip the computer on in full. Updates will be ready and waiting for you when you get back. Rapid Start is a new hibernation mode that can resume within 5 to 6 seconds and can remember your computer's state with zero power. Though, admittedly, the zero-power operation doesn't look like it can be maintained for too long, the hibernation itself can keep your computer going for up to 30 days. Pretty neat stuff. It's all coming to Sandy Bridge laptops with Windows 7 soon, with widespread availability promised by the holidays.

Intel Smart Connect and Rapid Start technologies unveiled, coming by the holidays originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 02:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViewSonic equips 24-inch V3D245wm-LED monitor with built-in 3D emitter

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/31/viewsonic-equips-24-inch-v3d245wm-led-monitor-with-built-in-3d-e/

The "ultimate 3D monitor?" Likely a stretch, but who are we to argue with a stalwart like ViewSonic? All jesting aside, those looking to finally bite on the 3D value proposition can get ready to do so, as the 24-inch V3D245wm-LED monitor packs a built-in 3D emitter, an HDMI 1.4 input, 1080p resolution, 120Hz scanning rate, two millisecond response time and a brain-melting 20,000,000:1 "maximum contrast ratio." For those looking for something a bit more bantam, the PLED-W200 is also being (re)introduced here at Computex, claiming to be the planet's first WXGA pico projector. 'Course, we got an early peek of this very unit back at CES, but hopefully we're one step closer to actually seeing this one ship. Sadly, the outfit's not dishing out pricing or release dates, but hopefully both will be revealed shortly.

Continue reading ViewSonic equips 24-inch V3D245wm-LED monitor with built-in 3D emitter

ViewSonic equips 24-inch V3D245wm-LED monitor with built-in 3D emitter originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel shows off Oak Trail-based Android Honeycomb tablets, confirms Android Market support

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/31/intel-shows-off-oak-trail-based-android-honeycomb-tablets-confi/

At a time when ARM and Android are dominating the mobile computing world, Intel's only just starting to catch up with some green robot-friendly prototypes, like these Oak Trail-based 10-inch tablets at Computex 2011. Starting from the left we have the Intel Green Ridge, Foxconn F150, Quanta QXZI, an unnamed Compal device, Intel Marco Polo 2, and Intel Carrot. Sadly, Intel wouldn't give the names of the ODMs behind its own reference tablets, so your guess is just as good as ours.

With the exception of the Gingerbread-powered Foxconn slate, these were all running on Honeycomb 3.0.1 OS -- well, we say running, but just barely. As you'll see in our hands-on video after the break, most of the devices were struggling to keep up with the launcher animation, and needless to say, Intel wasn't keen on letting us test video playback on them. We also noticed that Android Market was missing on the prototypes, but Intel assured us that it'll be available on the final products, and that current Android apps are already supported by Oak Trail. In terms of build quality it left much to be desired, though this is forgivable at a trade show; it's the software that we're concerned with. From what we've seen here at Computex, Android on Oak Trail is far from ready, so it'll be interesting to see if Acer can actually pull off a July launch for its rumored Oak Trail Honeycomb tablet.

Update: OK, our in-depth hands-on video is finally working. Check it out after the break.

Continue reading Intel shows off Oak Trail-based Android Honeycomb tablets, confirms Android Market support

Intel shows off Oak Trail-based Android Honeycomb tablets, confirms Android Market support originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 03:42:00 E! DT. Ple ase see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pixel Qi takes aim at Android tablets with higher-res 10-inch and 7-inch reflective LCDs (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/31/pixel-qi-takes-aim-at-android-tablets-with-higher-res-10-inch-an/

We've been holding out hope for Pixel Qi devices for years, ever since we first heard that the OLPC spin-off would begin manufacturing its displays for use by any OEM looking for a battery-sipping LCD. Unfortunately, Mary Lou's LCDs, capable of switching between a sunlight-readable reflective mode and full-color transmissive state, have had limited uptake by some less than desirable partners. Still, the team has returned to Computex with the 7-inch (1024 x 600) panel that was teased in December last year and a new higher resolution 10-inch (1280 x 800) panels offering an 80 percent power savings over conventional LCDs, according to Pixel Qi. In fact, the 10-inch panel consumes just 2.7W in color mode or 0.4W in reflective "eReader" mode.

We had the chance to see the new displays up close here at Computex and were immediately struck by the improvement in pixel density on the 10-inch panel. Making the leap to WVGA has been a major boon, as identical images looked sharper and better-defined than on the 1024 x 600 current-gen Pixel Qi display. The brightness on the new screen is lower than on its predecessor, but that's because the company still hasn't finalized things -- we're promised significantly better readability with the backlight off in the final product and brighter pictures when it's on. The 7-incher, originally intended for mass production in the second quarter will now sample in Q3, to be followed by the more pixel-dense 10-inch model, which will hit production in Q4. Scope out the newness in the gallery below or jump past the break for video.

Continue reading Pixel Qi takes aim at Android tablets with higher-res 10-inch and 7-inch reflective LCDs (hands-on)

Pixel Qi takes aim at Android tablets with higher-res 10-inch and 7-inch reflective LCDs (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 06:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WiMAX PlayBook 4G announcement betrayed by Google search?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/30/wimax-playbook-4g-announcement-betrayed-by-google-search/

Google Search for
Well, we've been waiting for a PlayBook packing something more than WiFi to rear its enterprise-friendly head, and there it is -- sort of. Search Google for "Sprint PlayBook" and the number one (non-sponsored) result is a page "introducing the BlackBerry 4G Playbook tablet," which means the companies are right about on schedule for that promised summer release. Clicking on the link just redirects you to the Sprint homepage for now and, sadly, price and exact ship date are still anyone's guess. There's enough detail in the search snippet to tell us that this is legit and and an announcement page is ready to go, though -- so, WiMAX fans, we hope you like QNX.

[Thanks, Josh]

WiMAX PlayBook 4G announcement betrayed by Google search? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 May 2011 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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