Friday, June 17, 2011

Acer unveils Aspire Ethos laptops built to please eyes and ears in the US and Canada

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/16/acer-unveils-aspire-ethos-laptops-built-to-please-eyes-and-ears/

We got acquainted with Acer's new Aspire Ethos 8951G and 5951G laptops a week ago, and told you all about its hot hardware and its £999 price in the UK. Well, now these marvelous multimedia machines have journeyed across the Atlantic and brought their nifty detachable touchpads, which double as multimedia remotes, with them. The North American versions (named AS8951G and AS5951G) also pack the same 18.4-inch and 15.6-inch HD displays and USB 3.0 ports as their British counterparts. There's Core i5 and Core i7 Sandy Bridge silicon and GeForce GT 555M graphics to give you plenty gaming grunt, and to ensure that the sounds match the visuals, both models pump out 5.1 channel surround sound. Low end audio in the AS5951G comes courtesy of a bass booster, while its big brother has a small subwoofer stuffed in its underside. So, what's the damage to your wallet for these two black beauties? The AS5951G and AS8951G run $1,400 and $1,600, respectively, here in the States, while prices start at $1,200 and $1,500 CAD for our friends in the Great White North. Interested parties can find the full nitty gritty in the PR after the break.

Continue reading Acer unveils Aspire Ethos laptops built to please eyes and ears in the US and Canada

Acer unveils Aspire Ethos laptops built to please eyes and ears in the US and Canada originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 5:42 AM

Apple patent application highlights location-based social networking, encourages intimate pinging

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/16/apple-patent-highlights-location-based-social-networking-encour/

Making friends is hard. Apple knows this. In fact, the company outlined such difficulty in a newly surfaced patent, highlighting the sort of "long and awkward conversation" sometimes required to discover common interests. The patent application, filed back in late-2009, describes a location-based social network that helps users discover people in their vicinity, based on common interests like books, movies, and, naturally, music. Of course, Cupertino already dipped its toes in the social networking waters with the iTunes-based Ping, which, in spite of initial excitement, failed to really capture the imagination of Apple's dedicated base. And this isn't the first time the company has flirted with the idea of location-based social networking either, as a patent that surfaced halfway through last year can attest. The company has clearly learned its lesson with this one, however, and that lesson is: more drawings of women winking and references to Springsteen songs in the application process.

Apple patent application highlights location-based social networking, encourages intimate pinging originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mac Rumors  |  sourceUSPTO  | Email this | Comments

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Posted by Augustine at 5:40 AM

Deep Shot transfers open websites from desktop to mobile, sans wizardry

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/16/deep-shot-transfers-open-websites-from-desktop-to-mobile-sans-w/


When we first read about Deep Shot, we were admittedly dumbfounded, but equally impressed. The "technology" allows you to "capture" the current state of a website on your desktop and transfer it to a mobile device -- taking a picture of a Google Map on your desktop with your smartphone camera will open the site in the same state on your phone, for example. Sounds like a pretty neat magic trick, huh? Well, it's not. In order to use Deep Shot, you need to install an app on your mobile, computer, and any other device you plan to use it with -- thus making it even less practical than Chrome to Phone.

It currently works with Google Maps and Yelp, but could theoretically be used with any site that uses URIs, or those lengthy URLs that contain search details, such as the origin and destination addresses you sent to Google Maps. You could also "transfer" a site in its "current state" by emailing the URI, or by using an app to seamlessly share it over WiFi or Bluetooth with a "send to mobile" button -- which is likely what Deep Shot is doing here anyway, just with an extra step thrown into the mix. Care to visit a land where you can swim with the Loch Ness Monster and ride a pink unicorn? Head past the break for Deep Shot's coming out video, which curiously makes no mention of the required desktop software.

Continue reading Deep Shot transfers open websites from desktop to mobile, sans wizardry

Deep Shot transfers open websites from desktop to mobile, sans wizardry originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMIT News  | Email this | Comments

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Posted by Augustine at 5:40 AM

Kinect for Windows SDK beta launches, wants PC users to get a move on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/16/microsoft-launches-kinect-for-windows-sdk-beta-wants-pc-users-t/

We've been waiting for confirmation on yesterday's rumor, about Microsoft's motion-sensing Xbox 360 peripheral coming to PCs, and now we have it. MS has just now released a software development kit (SDK) for Windows that will allow .Net developers to write Kinecting apps in C++, C#, or VB. We spoke with some developer representatives from the company to get the full details, including just what you can and can't do with this big bundle of libraries. Follow us after the break for all the info.

Continue reading Kinect for Windows SDK beta launches, wants PC users to get a move on

Kinect for Windows SDK beta launches, wants PC users to get a move on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 5:40 AM

Harvard's Kilobot project does swarm robots on the cheap (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/16/harvards-kilobot-project-does-swarm-robots-on-the-cheap-video/

We've certainly seen plenty of swarm robots before, but few of those are cheap enough to let you easily build something that can truly be called a "swarm." These so-called Kilobots developed by Harvard's Self-organizing Systems Research Group, however, can apparently built for just $14 apiece, and can each be assembled in just five minutes to boot. Despite that low cost, the bots are still capable of plenty of swarm-like behaviors, including the ability to follow the leader, disperse in an environment, put on a synchronized LED light show. Head on past the break for a pair of videos.

Continue reading Harvard's Kilobot project does swarm robots on the cheap (video)

Harvard's Kilobot project does swarm robots on the cheap (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink IEEE Spectrum  |  sourceHarvard!  | Email this | Comments

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Posted by Augustine at 5:33 AM

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