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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

iCard ECG brings heart monitoring to the iOS device of your choice (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/20/icard-ecg-brings-heart-monitoring-to-the-ios-device-of-your-choi/

iCard ECG

AliveCor's iPhoneECG case was pretty sweet but, being a case, could only be strapped to an iPhone 4. Doctors content with their 3GS or patients who prefer to hug an iPad to their chest will be elated to hear the company is working on a more hardware-agnostic option for your iOS heart monitoring needs. The business card-sized iCard ECG mounts to the back of your iDevice using velcro and wirelessly feeds data from its electrodes to the AliveECG app. The app automatically records 30 seconds of your heart's rhythmic pulse before uploading it to AliveCor's servers for sharing with your doctors. The bad news? They're still awaiting FDA approval, so you can't run out and pick one up just yet. But, when it does hit shelves, it looks like you'll have a choice of red or black -- so you can make sure your medical accessories match your scrubs. Check out the video after the break.

Continue reading iCard ECG brings heart monitoring to the iOS device of your choice (video)

iCard ECG brings heart monitoring to the iOS device of your choice (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Elusive Acer Iconia Tab A100 coming to Walmart for $349 (updated)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/20/elusive-acer-iconia-tab-a100-spotted-at-walmart-for-349/

Typically, the whole fun of spotting products in the wild is that they haven't been officially announced to the world yet, but in the case of the Acer Iconia Tab A100, we're just amazed it's finally here, and that it's so... unassuming. Just weeks after rearing its head in FCC drawings, the delayed Tab has quietly surfaced at Walmart with a price tag of $349. That sticker there says it all, but for the money you'll get Tegra 2 innards with 8GB of internal storage, a 2 megapixel front-facing camera, and a 5 megapixel one 'round the back. And of course, it runs Android 3.0 at a time when most other 7-inchers still tap out at Android 2.3 -- possibly the reason it was delayed in the first place. There's no listing on Walmart's website just yet, and our tipsters indicated it wasn't actually on display. Still, if we're seeing a price and tag, that means we're beyond the point of any more delays... right?

Update: What you see in the wild is a display tag -- not the elusive A100, of course. You can't pop into a Walmart to buy one yet, but if that sticker is any indication, that'll change soon.

Update 2: At least one reader says he not only saw, but played with the A100 at the Walmart in Leavenworth, Kansas, and even double-checked the model number when he saw the price. So depending on where you live, the tablet may have already landed at a Walmart near you.

Update 3: One sneaky reader snagged a sheet of wally-world pricetags, see the A100's barcode hanging with tags for the Iconia A500 and HP Touchpad after the break.

[Thanks, Mat, David, Jared, and Clyde]

Continue reading Elusive Acer Iconia Tab A100 coming to Walmart for $349 (updated)

Elusive Acer Iconia Tab A100 coming to Walmart for $349 (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba's quad-core Satellite L750D goes on sale for $699 as one of the first available Llano laptops

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/20/toshibas-quad-core-satellite-l750d-goes-on-sale-for-699-as-one/

When AMD came clean with its Fusion A-Series platform, the outfit was quick to admit that some manufacturers have already started slipping these hybrid CPU / GPU chips into their spankin' new PCs. Still, at this early stage we still haven't spotted many of 'em -- if anything, we have a better idea what's on tap for later this summer. But here we have the Toshiba Satellite L750D-ST4N01, the first available Llano-packing notebook we've seen since the A-Series' launch. At $699, this 15.6-incher might seem like a forgettable system with its 4GB of RAM, 640GB 5400RPM hard drive, 1366 x 768 panel, and three USB 2.0 ports. Heck, Toshiba barely even gave the L series lip service when it announced a slew of laptops last week. But, what makes this seemingly ho-hum machine special is that it packs AMD's mid-range quad-core A6-3400M chip and an AMD Radeon HD 6520G graphics core -- a combination that adds just $10 to the cost over a similarly configured Satellite L755-S5258 with a dual-core Core i5-2410M processor and integrated Intel graphics. The L750D isn't for you? The deluge of A-Series systems hasn't even begun yet, friends. And while the jury's still out on real-world battery performance, this should make it crystal clear that if nothing else, AMD is taking no prisoners when it comes to pricing.

[Thanks, Eric]

Toshiba's quad-core Satellite L750D goes on sale for $699 as one of the first available Llano laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel plans exascale computing by 2018, wants to make petaflops passÃ©

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/20/intel-plans-exascale-computing-by-2018-wants-to-make-petaflops/

Sure, Fujitsu has a right to be proud of its K supercomputer -- performing over 8 petaflops with just under 70,000 Venus CPUs is nothing to sneeze at. Intel isn't giving up its status as the supercomputing CPU king, however, as it plans to bring exascale computing to the world by the end of this decade. Such a machine could do one million trillion calculations per second, and Intel plans to make it happen with its Many Integrated Core Architecture (MIC). The first CPUs designed with MIC, codenamed Knights Corner, are built on a 22nm process that utilizes the company's 3D Tri-Gate transistors and packs over 50 cores per chip. These CPUs are designed for parallel processing applications, similar to the NVIDIA GPUs that will be used in a DARPA-funded supercomputer we learned about last year. Here we thought the war between these two was over -- looks like a new one's just getting started. PR's after the break.

Continue reading Intel plans exascale computing by 2018, wants to make petaflops passé

Intel plans exascale computing by 2018, wants to make petaflops passé originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 20:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Japan speeding ahead with 500km/h Maglev train

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/20/japan-speeding-ahead-with-500km-h-maglev-train/

Traveling the 515 km (320 miles) from Tokyo to Osaka by Shinkansen bullet train currently requires 2 hours and 25 minutes (and costs a small fortune, too). Come 2045, travel between Japan's two largest metro areas will take just over one hour, following the launch of the country's longest maglev track, which just received construction approval from Tokyo. The nine trillion yen project (approximately $112 billion) was first proposed in the 1970s, but was tabled indefinitely due to its astronomical costs, most of which stem from an extensive network of tunnels that will represent 60 percent of the route. You'll be able to get your Japanese Maglev fix beginning in 2027, when the Central Japan Railway launches its high-speed route between Tokyo and Nagoya. One notable neighbor to the west is already operating its own maglev train. China's Shanghai Transrapid has been blasting riders to Pudong airport since 2004, and once achieved a top speed of 501km/h (311 mph). The country is also constructing a 1000km/h vacuum-based train that it plans to launch within the next few years.

Japan speeding ahead with 500km/h Maglev train originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 21:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia's N9 official: a luscious slab of MeeGo coming later this year

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/20/nokias-n9-official-a-plastic-slab-of-meego-coming-later-this-y/

Stephen Elop said that Nokia would unveil its first MeeGo device this year, and he just made good on his word with the N9 (also known as Lankku). Just as we spotted earlier, the N9 is a solid slab of 3.9-inch AMOLED screen (854 x 480) sans a keyboard or physical switches of any kind (well, aside from that oh-so-necessary volume rocker and camera button). The phone comes with 16GB or 64GB of onboard memory and 1GB of RAM wrapped in a polycarbonate shell that's colored all the way through, so dings and scratches won't show -- unless the wounds run deep, of course. An OMAP3630 1 Ghz processor does the computing while a PowerVR SGX530 GPU is around for graphical grunt work. Connectivity comes courtesy of quad-band GSM and penta-band WCDMA radios, plus Bluetooth 2.1, NFC, and GPS. There is also a dedicated camera button for the 8 megapixel wide-angle shooter, which is capable of aperture F2.2 for low light picture taking and true 16:9 720p video recording. Oh, and it's an AF shooter, not EDoF.

The entire thing measures 116.45- x 61.2- x 7.6-12.1mm and weighs 135 grams, with a battery capable of lasting up to 50 hours (music), 4.5 hours (720p video), or between seven and 11 hours (GSM yappin'). You'll also get gratis turn-by-turn drive and walk navigation with voice guidance in Maps, a dedicated Drive app, proximity sensor and a choice of hue: black, cyan, and magenta. Other hardware specs include 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, an ambient light sensor, compass, orientation sensor, a micro SIM slot, tethering support and a 3.5mm "AV connector." It'll be humming along on MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan, with apps being compliant with Qt 4.7 and HTML5 support bundled in.

As for software? Aside from Angry Birds Magic, Galaxy on Fire 2, Real Golf 2011 and OpenGL ES 2.0, those who take the plunge will be greeted with a Webkit2-based browser, pinch-to-zoom support, unified notifications for Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds in the Events view as well as social networking profiles and status updates merged into phone contacts. MeeGo touts a user interface simplified to three home views -- events, applications and open apps -- with a swipe gesture able to take you back to the home view. For those looking to expand upon what's loaded from the factory, Ovi Store access is included, but we've no idea what kind of pricing will be affixed. We'll be getting a fair bit of hands-on time with this guy in just a few hours, so keep it locked here for our first impressions!

Gallery: Nokia's N9 official: a plastic slab of MeeGo coming later this year

Continue reading Nokia's N9 official: a luscious slab of MeeGo coming later this year

Nokia's N9 official: a luscious slab of MeeGo coming later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Symbian Anna shipping on N8, E7, C7 and C6-01 in July, download set for August

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/symbian-anna-shipping-on-n8-e7-c7-and-c6-01-in-july-download/

We've already seen Symbian Anna begin shipping on the Nokia X7 and E6, but this little lady is about to become much more popular. Nokia has announced it will begin distributing its latest OS on the N8, E7, C7, and C6-01 -- all beginning next month. Unfortunately, if you're among the millions who already own one of these handsets, you'll have to wait until August for an OTA or PC-assisted update. Not like there's any rush, seeing that Symbian will be kicking until 2016 and all.

Symbian Anna shipping on N8, E7, C7 and C6-01 in July, download set for August originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC EVO 3D on sale now to Sprint Premier customers: $200 on a two-year contract

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/htc-evo-3d-on-sale-now-to-sprint-premiere-customers-200-on-a-t/

Settled on an EVO 3D, did you? If you just so happen to be a part of Sprint's Premier club, it looks as if your floodgates are wide open. A spate of tipsters (as well as our own Richard Lawler) have confirmed this evening that Sprint's latest whiz-bang superphone is indeed on sale to an elite few, with $199.99 netting you the handset along with a particularly daunting two-year ball / chain combination. $549.99 buys it outright, but there's no clear indication on if these are indeed shipping out in the morning. Either way, we're guessing it's going to be mighty hard to resist this fellow -- you know, Because life is in 3D.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading HTC EVO 3D on sale now to Sprint Premier customers: $200 on a two-year contract

HTC EVO 3D on sale now to Sprint Premier customers: $200 on a two-year contract originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 01:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia's N950 developer MeeGo handset gets official: 4-inch display, QWERTY keyboard, same childlike dreams (updated)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/nokias-n950-developer-meego-handset-gets-official-4-inch-displ/

If it weren't for a book's worth of confirmation text from Nokia, we'd swear the N950 was just as much a unicorn today as it's been every day prior. Even now, the developer version of the newly-announced N9 is coming to us sans imagery, with only a scant few hardware specifications to piece together something of an image in our minds. Thankfully, the mere mention of a "QWERTY keyboard" leads us to believe that it'll look an awful lot like a leak we spied back in August of 2010. Needless to say, this MeeGo-based device won't ever be widely available, but those interested in breaking out the code can look forward to a 4-inch TFT LCD (compared to the N9's far superior 3.9-inch AMOLED), an identical 854 x 480 screen resolution, a "different" 8 megapixel physical camera, a different location for said camera, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a slightly less sensitive magnetometer. It's also devoid of an NFC module, and the 1320mAh battery falls a bit short of the 1450mAh cell tucked with the downright delectable N9. Mum's the word on price and availability, but Nokia's not hesitating to remind us that the N950 units that do ship will be of "beta quality and come without any warranty or support whatsoever." Don't even front -- you're still buying one.

Update: The N950 device after the break was pulled from a Qt developer video looking very much like those early N9 leaks (and not the E7 slider) presumably protected by a plastic case.

Update 2: Another N950 without the case can be seen above.

[Thanks, Mark and Alan]

Continue reading Nokia's N950 developer MeeGo handset gets official: 4-inch display, QWERTY keyboard, same childlike dreams (updated)

Nokia's N950 developer MeeGo handset gets official: 4-inch display, QWERTY keyboard, same childlike dreams (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 01:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android 3.2 shipping this summer for 7-inch tablets, Huawei's MediaPad gets handled

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/android-3-2-shipping-this-summer-for-7-inch-tablets-huaweis-me/

We knew that Android 3.2 was little more than a tailor-made edition of Android 3.1 for 7-inch slates, but even after speaking with Huawei, we weren't exactly sure when it would be rolling out to things other than its own MediaPad. Our pals over at This is my next managed to confirm that it'll be landing as early as this summer, and for better or worse, it'll be the last major Android release prior to Ice Cream Sandwich hitting retail devices in Q4. Moreover, it's bruited that v3.2 will bring support for Qualcomm CPUs as well as NVIDIA's Tegra 2 chipset, which could lead to HTC's Flyer getting an upgrade of its own. As for more current plans, it seems as if the Motorola Xoom -- a slate that was just recently updated to 3.1 -- will see another point increase in the coming weeks, which should give us a solid indication of what to expect software-wise with the MediaPad drops a few months later. Speaking of which, both CNET and M.I.C. Gadget were on-hand in Singapore for a look at the show-floor model of that very tablet, and you can feast your eyes on the pictorial proof down in the source links below.

Android 3.2 shipping this summer for 7-inch tablets, Huawei's MediaPad gets handled originally appeared on! Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 01:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sigma Design's 'ultra thin' TV box design promises HD in a tiny package

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/sigma-designs-ultra-thin-tv-box-design-promises-hd-in-a-tiny/

It's not much bigger than many of the wall warts currently filling outlets in your power strip, but this reference design from Sigma Designs could be your next cable box. With HomePlug networking, Z-Wave RF remote control technology and the ability to process multiple 1080p streams at once built in, it only needs to be plugged in to the wall (and connected to a TV via HDMI) to get to work. connect to the network and pull in video from the internet, feeds from an IPTV provider like U-Verse (or Comcast eventually), or multiroom streams from a connected DVR. At its heart is the SMP8670 chip unveiled at CES that's optimized for XBMC, Adobe AIR and Flash which could make it an ideal extender for someone like TiVo or Boxee, if Sigma can get them to bite on the concept. Until then, all we can show you are a few pics of the bare internals in the gallery and a press release after the break.

Gallery: Sigma Ultra-Thin set-top box

Continue reading Sigma Design's 'ultra thin' TV box design promises HD in a tiny package

Sigma Design's 'ultra thin' TV box design promises HD in a tiny package originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 05:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel adds to ULV processor line with 1.8GHz Core i7 and i5 options, one of them to star in ASUS UX21

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/intel-adds-to-ulv-processor-line-with-1-8ghz-core-i7-and-i5-opti/

Intel's so-called Ultrabooks may be a little way off into the distance at the moment, but the company isn't making you wait until its Ivy Bridge rollout to get a taste for ultraslim laptops with some real power inside them. A trio of new ultra-low voltage CPUs, each rated with a TDP of just 17W, has been added to the company's catalog, starting with the top-tier Core i7-2677M, whose pair of cores run at 1.8GHz by default but can be sped up to 2.9GHz when duty calls. Then there's the i7-2637M, which looks to only differ in clock speeds (1.7GHz default, 2.8GHz under Turbo Boost), and the i5-2557M that makes do with a 3MB L3 cache (1MB less than its i7 brethren) and a 1.7GHz / 2.7GHz speed range. All three 64-bit, 32nm processors also integrate a GPU (350MHz base clock, maxes out at 1.2GHz) within their walls, which is what makes their ascetic power consumption all the more impressive. OEMs should soon start splicing these new options into their next generation laptops, and while the obvious speculation centers around a MacBook Air refresh, CNET tells us the Core i5-2557M has already found a home in ASUS' upcoming UX21, a (purportedly) sub-$1,000 11.6-inch featherweight contender.

Intel adds to ULV processor line with 1.8GHz Core i7 and i5 options, one of them to star in ASUS UX21 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 03:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple AirPort Extreme refresh outed by the FCC, lends credence to Time Capsule rumors

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/apple-airport-extreme-refresh-outed-by-the-fcc-lending-credence/

The FCC just trumped Cupertino's plan to sneak out an updated AirPort Extreme wireless base station with the outing of an Apple 3x3 802.11n access point, model A1408. It's not clear what's changed over Apple's existing dual-band router but its arrival in the FCC database coincides nicely with a 9to5Mac rumor calling for the imminent launch of new AirPort Extreme at a lower price point. And hey, if you're lucky, it'll also arrive with support for the new three-stream standard for 450Mbps over both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands -- but that's just speculation on our part. We should also point out that the appearance of the AirPort Extreme lends credence to 9to5's other rumor of cheaper 2TB and 3TB Time Capsules. And guess what? Today's Tuesday, Apple's favorite day to launch new gear, so don't be surprised to see Apple updating its store sooner rather than later.

Apple AirPort Extreme refresh outed by the FCC, lends credence to Time Capsule rumors originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia N9 first hands-on! (update: video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/nokia-n9-first-hands-on/

The N9 has arrived. Functional units of Nokia's long-awaited MeeGo smartphone have finally landed into our eager hands and we've got a gallery of images to provide you with below. What we can say from our first experience is that we're in the presence of a fantastically designed device with a gorgeous AMOLED screen and some highly responsive performance. Hold tight as we're updating our fuller impressions after the break, where you'll soon be treated to our first hands-on video with the Nokia N9.

Update: Hands-on video plus a live demonstration of the N9's ability to pair Bluetooth devices over NFC (very impressive!) can now be found after the break.

Gallery: Nokia N9 detailed hands-on

Gallery: Nokia N9 first hands-on

Continue reading Nokia N9 first hands-on! (update: video)

Nokia N9 first hands-on! (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 05:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ClamCase for iPad 2 is a little lighter, suited for picture taking and $149

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/clamcase-for-ipad-2-is-a-little-lighter-suited-for-picture-taki/

Just in case you bought an iPad 2 but really needed a netbook, ClamCase is back with a redesigned version of its case / battery powered Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard combo. This one is a hair thinner and a little lighter than the previous version (reviewed here), with cutouts for the back camera and speaker grille plus integrated magnets to awaken and sleep your tablet when the case is opened or closed. The keyboard has also reportedly been refreshed for an improved feel, but even though the black version is on sale now for $149 (white ships next month) there's still a 4-5 week wait for shipping to get a hands-on and find out for yourself. Logitech's Keyboard Case for iPad 2 is another option for $100, but it will only protect your precious slab on one side -- something to consider while you're checking out specs.

Continue reading ClamCase for iPad 2 is a little lighter, suited for picture taking and $149

ClamCase for iPad 2 is a little lighter, suited for picture taking and $149 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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