Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

drag2share: Zinio now available on Amazon Appstore, brings 5,000 magazines to Kindle Fire

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/15/zinio-now-available-on-amazon-appstore-brings-5-000-magazines-t/

After having already arrived on a host of Android slates, iPads and even TouchPads, Zinio's reader app has now made its way to the newest tablet platform -- the Kindle Fire. The magazine marketplace made its debut on the Amazon Appstore today, just in time for today's grand launch. Available as a free download, Zinio brings more than 5,000 magazine titles to Amazon's new slab, including The Economist, Rolling Stone and US Weekly, among others. New subscribers, meanwhile, will benefit from an extra $25 in credit, redeemable through March of 2012. Find more specifics in the full PR, after the break.

Continue reading Zinio now available on Amazon Appstore, brings 5,000 magazines to Kindle Fire

Zinio now available on Amazon Appstore, brings 5,000 magazines to Kindle Fire originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Biscotti TV Phone goes on sale today for $199, assumes everyone you know uses Google Talk

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/15/biscotti-tv-phone-goes-on-sale-today-for-199-assumes-everyone/

Feel the need to video chat in higher resolution? Or maybe just take a break from the PC while you talk to your long-distance girlfriend you met at Comic Con? Well, we just got word that Biscotti, that TV phone we demoed last week, is on sale in the US and Canada for a princely $199. To recap, it's a camera that sits discreetly atop your TV and is, indeed, about as small and lightweight as that crunchy Italian cookie. The idea is pretty simple: it plugs into both your TV and set-top box, and makes free calls to other Biscotti owners, along with anyone using Google Talk. After our brief demo we were impressed enough with the easy setup and simple menus that layer on top of whatever you're watching, but then again, we were unaware of the price. So, is two hundred bucks worth a lifetime of seeing grandma in 1080p? That, friends, is a decision you'll have to make for yourself.

Gallery: Biscotti TV Phone

Continue reading Biscotti TV Phone goes on sale today for $199, assumes everyone you know uses Google Talk

Biscotti TV Phone goes on sale today for $199, assumes everyone you know uses Google Talk originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, November 14, 2011

drag2share: Turkish company builds 65-inch Android 'tablet' with Honeycomb, 1080p support (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/turkish-company-builds-65-inch-android-tablet-with-honeycomb/

Want Honeycomb on your TV? You can take your chances with a Google TV-enabled set from Sony, or you can get the full Android experience by adding a connected tablet to your HD mix -- if Istanbul-based Ardic gets its solution out the door, at least. The Turkish company's prototype uses a 10-inch Android Honeycomb-based tablet to power a 65-inch LCD with 1080p support for basic gestures, like pinch and zoom. The display currently has two touch sensors, but a version with four sensors is on the way, which will bring multi-touch support. The tablet is powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 2 SoC, and includes 1GB of RAM, 16GB of flash memory, dual cameras, HDMI, USB, microSD and 3G and WiFi connectivity. A dock enables instant connectivity with the OEM TV, including HDMI for video and audio, and USB for touch input (a wireless version is in the works as well).

The devs customized Android to support 1080p output, and it appears to work quite seamlessly, as you'll see in the embedded video. And this isn't simply another goofy demo or proof of concept -- the Turkish company is in talks with education and enterprise customers and hopes to bring this setup to production as a more power- and cost-efficient smart board alternative. The company eventually hopes to offer displays in a variety of sizes, that will all be powered by a pocketable device, such as a smartphone, but watch in wonder as the 65-inch proto we have today struts its stuff in the video after the break.

Continue reading Turkish company builds 65-inch Android 'tablet' with Honeycomb, 1080p support (video)

Turkish company builds 65-inch Android 'tablet' with Honeycomb, 1080p support (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: NVIDIA's Maximus technology, packs CPU and GPU warrior powers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/nvidias-maximus-technology-packs-cpu-and-gpu-warrior-powers/

Back in August, NVIDIA sneaked us a few deets about its curious Maximus project, now the joint CPU/GPU card is officially ready to rev-up your work-flow. The idea is simple: dramatically improve productivity by using one system to handle the graphics along with the processing to deliver it. You might say it's got the looks and the brains. By melding the graphics ham of its Quadpro GPUs with the cheesy smarts from the Tesla C2075, NVIDIA has made one epic processing sandwich that 'transparently' delegates tasks to the right processor; also expect to see Maximus-optimized applications from the likes of Adobe and Bunkspeed in the not-too-distant future. Workstations can supe-up their core immediately, but whether the Maximus will ever be accompanied by a companion Biggus Diskus is unclear.

Continue reading NVIDIA's Maximus technology, packs CPU and GPU warrior powers

NVIDIA's Maximus technology, packs CPU and GPU warrior powers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Rock-steady Gigabyte G1.Sniper2 Z68 motherboard gets a nod of approval

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/rock-steady-gigabyte-g1-sniper2-z68-motherboard-gets-a-nod-of-ap/

Not enticed by all that Sandy Bridge E havoc that hit the PC market today? Good for you, because there's still plenty of life left in the first-gen LGA1155 Sandy Bridge processors and Gigabyte has put out another high-end Z68-based motherboard to prove it. The G1.Sniper2 just won itself a HotHardware recommendation, and if you look past the violent branding and color scheme you'll see why: the $360 premium card has the full gamut of ports and connections and delivers rock solid stability even when overclocked right up the limits of an i7-2600K CPU. Rack up that Wiz Khalifa tune and then click the source link for more.

Rock-steady Gigabyte G1.Sniper2 Z68 motherboard gets a nod of approval originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Microsoft eyes new category for Windows Embedded, envisions intelligent systems for everyday objects

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/microsoft-eyes-new-category-for-windows-embedded-envisions-inte/

Microsoft's fixin' to get its Windows platform inside, well, everything. That's according to GM of Windows Embedded, Kevin Dallas, who says the tech giant is on track to create a new category for the division that centers around "intelligent systems." It appears the time is ripe for "low-cost... high-powered microchips" to take advantage of MS' emerging cloud services and integrate means of delivering data and immersive experiences to both enterprise and commercial end users, like in-car systems or point of sale terminals. Need a more specific visual of where this heavy-handed business jargon's headed? Dallas claims customers in the medical industry are eager to implement Kinect's gesture-based tracking into future equipment, so pretty soon you won't have to worry about shaky hands splicing into your vital organs. And all of this is coming relatively soon, as good 'ol Redmond plans to make its Windows Embedded platforms available shortly after the release of Windows 8 for PCs. So hold tight, there's a brave new world coming and Microsoft's holding the keys.

Microsoft eyes new category for Windows Embedded, envisions intelligent systems for everyday objects originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: HTC Jetstream review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/htc-jetstream-review/

When HTC entered the tablet game, it did so in reverse course. Where other manufacturers were jostling for elbow room in a 10-inch form factored world, the company opted for smaller, more familiar battleground, eschewing the rough-hewn Honeycomb OS for a Gingerbread-baked Sense overlay on the Flyer. Naturally, the time for that mini-slate to shine has come and gone. In its stead, we're treated to a flagship of sorts -- HTC's first 10-incher and AT&T's inaugural 4G LTE slate. Android 3.1 makes an appearance here, as does Sense 1.1 for tablets, but is the skinned experience really any different from the custom UX we've all come to love or hate on phones? Can the added Scribe pen functionality, repurposed here from its 7-inch brother, transform the Jetstream from third pillar offering to an always-on, on-the-go assistant? And will those newly hatched 700MHz speeds convince you to cough up for that weighty $700 price tag? Follow along past the break to see how it fared.

Gallery: HTC Jetstream review

Continue reading HTC Jetstream review

HTC Jetstream review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Shopping Discovery App Zoomingo Raises $1.3 Million

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/14/shopping-discovery-app-zoomingo-raises-1-3-million/

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The newly launched shopping discovery app Zoomingo announced today it has secured $1.3 million in funding from early-stage VC firms Naya Ventures and Benaroya Capital along with several prominent angel investors. Previously self-funded, Zoomingo says it will use the additional capital to enhance its current mobile application, build a retailer platform and grow its community through expanded outreach to customers and retailer partners.

With this funding, Dayakar Puskoor, managing director of Dallas-based Naya Ventures, will also join Zoomingo's board of directors.

For background, Seattle-based Zoomingo was founded by language learning service Livemocha's co-founders, Shirish Nadkarni (Zoomingo CEO) and Krishnan Seshadrinathan (CTO). Nadkarni said he had the idea for the service when he noticed that his wife (an avid shopper, he says) was having trouble locating nearby sales using her mobile phone. So many of today’s apps focus on barcode scanning, deals and offers or price comparisons, but none simply rounded up all the nearby sales at local retailers in one easy-to-access mobile application.

Hence, Zoomingo.

The app pulls in sales data from major retailers using a combination of manual and automated means as well as crowd-sourcing via its “Deal Scouts,” who are positioned in several major U.S. cities. Zoomingo now provides access to 70,000 retail outlets in the U.S., and growing.

The app is available on both iPhone and Android.

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drag2share: Best Buy Preps $249 Asus Transformer For Black Friday

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/14/best-buy-preps-249-asus-transformer-for-black-friday/

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The ratio of awful tablets to good ones in this year’s Black Friday ads doesn’t exactly inspire much confidence, but there are some good deals to be found even at this early stage. Case in point: Best Buy’s leaked Black Friday circular has the first generation 16GB Asus Transformer for $250, a respectable $150 drop from its current price.

Much like with Staples and their bargain-basement BlackBerry PlayBooks, this doorbuster deal is only for people with the guts to wait in line for it. The big question though, is whether or not it’s worth risking life and limb to acquire. Let’s not forget, after all, that the Transformer Prime is barreling down the pipeline with a better processor and camera in tow as we speak.

Still, the Transformer’s solid Tegra 2 chipset and 10.1-inch display make it one of the better tablet options available during the post-Thanksgiving mayhem. Better one of these than a Coby Kyros or a “Polaroid Internet Tablet,” after all.

I’m sure the temptation of a low price already has some bargain hunters working out their Black Friday logistics, but here’s a thought — why not stay at home as see what Cyber Monday has to offer instead? Call me lazy, but in this case, I’d rather my credit card and clicking finger get a workout instead of schlepping around in the cold with 1,000 other people.

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drag2share: Meet AMD's New History-Making, 16-Core Beast [Guts]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5859235/meet-amds-new-history+making-16+core-beast

Meet AMD's New History-Making, 16-Core Beast Your quad-core computer doesn't seem so great anymore now, does it, champ? AMD's Opteron 6200 boasts 16 cores running at up to 2.6 GHz each. That is a lot of number crunching—and the first x86 with 16 cores.

Sadly, the monster isn't really made for you. AMD's going after server farms with the 16-headed Opteron—places where all of those cores can actually be taken advantage of, as opposed to a game of WoW. But in case you really, really want all those cores—and money isn't a problem—the upper deck model can be snapped up for a cool $1,020. That's only like $64 a core! And since the 6200 uses AMD's power-saving Bulldozer architecture, you might even end up saving money, in some extremely complex rationalization you might want to employ. Tenuous, fine. So how about this? The 6200 can overclock its cores on the fly by up to an extra 1 GHz, and supports up to 384 GB of RAM. I can't wait to see how Skype runs on this thing. [AMD via PC World]

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drag2share: Lenovo IdeaPad U300s review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/13/lenovo-ideapad-u300s-review/

Review enough Ultrabooks and you'll start to wrestle with this idea of value. We've seen cheap ones that don't perform well and expensive ones that do. Things get really dicey when you throw in machines that cost a bit less, look good and perform well, but are nonetheless flawed in some key way -- like having a sticky keyboard or a trackpad with a mind of its own.

For more than a week now we've been testing the Lenovo IdeaPad U300s and, at the risk of spoiling this review altogether, it's made it even tougher for us to stack up one imperfect Ultrabook against another. What to do with a well-made, speed demon of a machine that boots in less than 20 seconds but starts at $1,095 without an SD slot, high-res display or backlit keyboard? Are the U300s' stately looks, brisk performance and sound ergonomics enough to make up for a handful of absent features? Find the answers to that and more in our full review after the break.

Gallery: Lenovo IdeaPad U300s review

Continue reading Lenovo IdeaPad U300s review

Lenovo IdeaPad U300s review originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Switched On: Next for the nano

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/13/switched-on-next-for-the-nano/

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

For all the grousing about the minimal changes from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S, Apple's fastest smartphone incorporates sweeping shifts compared to what the company did with its iPod line. From keeping the waning iPod classic in the lineup to leaving the still-potent iPod touch untouched save for a blanching and price reduction, the venerable digital media player line seemed all but ignored at a time of year when Apple once primed the holiday pump for MP3 players.

Yet, while the iPod touch may not have received the processor boost or Siri-ousness of the iPhone 4S, it at least continues to remain vibrant via access to Apple's app store. That's not the case for the nano, once the flagship of the line. While Apple's smallest touchscreen device gained new software that enlarged the main icons and brought new clock faces, these improvements are also being offered to owners of the last-generation iPod nano via a software update.

Continue reading Switched On: Next for the nano

Switched On: Next for the nano originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Nov 2011 17:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Intel and MasterCard to offer Ultrabook users 'safer' NFC checkout via PayPass, impulsive shoppers rejoice

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/intel-and-mastercard-to-offer-ultrabook-users-safer-nfc-checko/

Entering a 16-digit credit card number may be a thing of the past with a new initiative from MasterCard and Intel, which allows users to checkout online by tapping a PayPass-enabled card, tag or smartphone to their Ultrabook. Calling the checkout "safer" and "simpler," Intel is bringing its Identity Protection Technology to the potluck, giving shoppers two-factor authentication and chip-based display protection when forking over that hard earned cash. Here's how it all works: when you tap a NFC smartphone or other PayPass-enabled device, it will communicate with the Ultrabook, generating a six-digit code from the embedded processor or from within the Manageability Engine. The ME hardware, encrypted with third-party algorithms, then transacts with the e-commerce site, hopefully offering shoppers more protection than standard software solutions. Since using the feature requires an NFC-connected device as well as the Ultrabook and a username and password, forgetful folks who tend to misplace their phone or computer won't have to worry about unwarranted spending. Sadly, the solution won't protect your wallet from the perils of a late night shoe shopping spree. Check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Intel and MasterCard to offer Ultrabook users 'safer' NFC checkout via PayPass, impulsive shoppers rejoice

Filed under: Laptops

Intel and MasterCard to offer Ultrabook users 'safer' NFC checkout via PayPass, impulsive shoppers rejoice origin ally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Netflix signs up Lionsgate UK films for its British debut

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/netflix-signs-up-lionsgate-uk-films-for-its-british-debut/

Now that Netflix has made its plans to launch in the British Isles official, it's gotten busy signing content deals and the latest affiliation is with Lionsgate's UK arm. The deal makes Netflix the "exclusive subscription streaming service" in the UK and Ireland for the studios first-run movies, with upcoming titles like The Expendables 2, and the Dirty Dancing remake already on deck. The agreement also extends to catalog hits like Reservoir Dogs, 3:10 to Yuma and The Blair Witch Project, which should be available when the service launches early next year. Check the press release after the break for all the details, although there's still plenty of time to decide whether or not its worth your pounds, pence, or bank notes.

Continue reading Netflix signs up Lionsgate UK films for its British debut

Netflix signs up Lionsgate UK films for its British debut originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 03:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Maingear brings Intel i7-3960X Extreme Edition chip, Epic Audio Engine to desktops, extreme gamers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/maingear-brings-intel-i7-3960x-extreme-edition-chip-epic-audio/

Looking to add a dash of extremity to your gaming existence? Maingear's got you covered, now that it's added a second generation Intel Core i7 CPU to a handful of its desktop offerings. Today, the company announced yet another upgrade to its SHIFT, Quantum SHIFT and F131 desktops, with the addition of the Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition processor. According to Maingear, this extra horsepower will provide gamers with a 34 percent improvement in performance at normal speeds, while offering similar enhancements in video editing and 3D rendering capabilities. That's all thanks to the fact that the i7-3960X can be overclocked at a handsome 5.2GHz, with a quad-channel memory structure that brings even more bandwidth to the table. On top of that, the company has also added its own EPIC Audio Engine to this troika of rigs, using Aphex's processing technology to offer audio that, according to Maingear, is "more balanced, more articulated, and simply put, better sounding." The revamped desktops are on sale now, so hit up the source link for more information, or check out the full PR, after the break.

Continue reading Maingear brings Intel i7-3960X Extreme Edition chip, Epic Audio Engine to desktops, extreme gamers

Maingear brings Intel i7-3960X Extreme Edition chip, Epic Audio Engine to desktops, extreme gamers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 03:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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