Light-based 'Metatronics' chip melts minds, not copper

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/26/light-based-metatronics-chip-melts-minds-not-copper/

Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have flipped the switch on a new type of computer circuit. Unlike conventional silicon, the new chip uses light -- not electricity -- to perform its logic. By creating an array of nano-rods, light-flow can be treated like voltage and current. These rods can then be configured to emulate electrical components such as resistors, inductors and capacitors. The benefits of the so-called "metatronic" system would be smaller, faster and more efficient computer chips, which is clearly a welcome prospect. Another curious property the team discovered, is what it calls "stereo-circuitry." Effectively one set of nano-rods can act as two different circuits, depending on the plane of the field. This means your CPU could become a GPU just by changing the signal. We can't speak for the light itself, but our minds are certainly bent.

Light-based 'Metatronics' chip melts minds, not copper originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 04:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink ExtremeTech  | ! ; University of Pennsylvania  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Samsung Optical Smart Hub SE-208BW review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/26/samsung-optical-smart-hub-se-208bw-review/

As a species, we're distrustful of versatility. When Justin Timberlake is as successful in acting and business as he was as a singer, we cry foul. Therefore, it's only natural that Samsung's Optical Smart Hub should raise a hackle or two. It boasts of being a CD / DVD player for your mobile device, a wireless access point, a portable disc burner for your laptop and a backup server (with the help of a USB drive). Doing the work of four gadgets would certainly free up a lot of real estate on anyone's desk -- so is it worth $130 of your hard-earned? The answer's a little more nuanced than you might expect, so join us after the break to find out more.

Gallery: Samsung Optical Smart Hub Unboxing

Continue reading Samsung Optical Smart Hub SE-208BW review

Samsung Optical Smart Hub SE-208BW review originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Fraunhofer's Full-HD Voice brings high fidelity VoLTE to Android smartphones

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/24/fraunhofer-full-hd-voice-for-volte/

The audio nerds at Fraunhofer are set to raise the bar for Voice over LTE next week in Barcelona, as the company has announced a new technology known as Full-HD Voice. By leveraging the AAC-ELD codec, Fraunhofer claims that consumers will experience audio quality that rivals the experience of chatting face-to-face. Technically speaking, it's said the codec offers four times the audio bandwidth of regular phone calls and twice the bandwidth of HD voice services, all without an increase in bit rate. The technology will only be available for Android phones initially, but that seems like a fine place to start. The full PR is after the break -- presented in Full HD, of course.

Continue reading Fraunhofer's Full-HD Voice brings high fidelity VoLTE to Android smartphones

Fraunhofer's Full-HD Voice brings high fidelity VoLTE to Android smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Intel joins the Document Foundation, pimps LibreOffice

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/24/intel-joins-the-document-foundation-pimps-libreoffice/

You're forgiven if you missed this little blip on the news radar: Intel has joined the advisory board of the Document Foundation and added the coalition's LibreOffice to the AppUp market. What's more, Chipzilla actually worked with SUSE to help optimize the free and open source office suite for Intel hardware and, as part of the advisory board, will be providing the project with significant monetary support. This is good news for fans of LibreOffice, but it's probably not sitting well with Microsoft -- normally Intel's ally and current king of the office suite hill.

Intel joins the Document Foundation, pimps LibreOffice originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink ZDNet  |&! nbsp; Document Foundation, LibreOffice (AppUp Center)  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

OMAP 5's dual A15 cores wipe the floor with four A9s in browsing benchmark

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/23/omap-5s-dual-a15-cores-wipe-the-floor-with-four-a9s/

We've seen Texas Instrument's OMAP 5 in action, but we haven't been able to pit it directly against a competitor. The Dallas company must be growing more and more confident in its product however, as its posted a video demoing its pair of A15 cores alongside an unspecified quad-core A9 part -- presumably the Tegra 3. The video shows the next-gen TI part powering through the EEMBC BrowsingBench in 95 seconds, while its opposition takes a whopping 201. What's more, this thrashing was performed by an 800MHz part -- the four A9s were clocked at 1.3GHz. Of course, Tegra 3s are already in shipping products, while the OMAP 5 might not find a home in consumer devices before 2013. It's also unclear just how much of a hit these new high-powered ARM cores will have on battery life or how much the pair of M4 companion cores helped in the benchmark. Head on after the break to watch a pair of tablets load up 20 websites in quick succession.

Continue reading OMAP 5's dual A15 cores wipe the floor with four A9s in browsing benchmark

OMAP 5's dual A15 cores wipe the floor with four A9s in browsing benchmark originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AnandTech, CNXSoft  |  Texas Instruments (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Lumus' OE-31 optical engine turns motorcycle helmets, other eyewear into wearable displays

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/23/lumus-oe-31-optical-engine-turns-motorcycle-helmets-other-eyew/

After showing off a duo of wearable, see-through displays at CES, Lumus is back with a second optical engine -- one that could be used in any style of frames, from prescription glasses to ski goggles. Available in binocular and monocular configurations, the tiny OE-31 sensor weighs just 10 grams (.35 ounces), allowing it to accommodate a variety of form factors besides your run-of-the mill (and quite dorky-looking) 3D glasses. As always, Lumus' hook is its ability to combine head up content, augmented reality and see-through displays, though this time around the sensor allows for a 19-degree field of view and a full-color, 640 x 360 picture. Though that's not as impressive as the 720p, 3D-capable frames on offer at CES, the company argues it should be adequate for reading text, particularly since the viewing experience will be comparable to staring at a 40-inch screen from 10 feet away. No word, of course, on what products might incorporate these discreet head up displays, though maybe, just maybe, we'll catch a demo in Barcelona. For now, we've got photos below along with a handful of demo videos after the break.

Gallery: Lumus OE-31 optical engine

Continue reading Lumus' OE-31 optical engine turns motorcycle helmets, other eyewear into wearable displays

Lumus' OE-31 optical engine turns motorcycle helmets, other eyewear into wearable displays originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Google, Microsoft and Netflix want DRM-like encryption in HTML5

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/23/google-microsoft-and-netflix-want-drm-like-encryption-in-html5/

HTML5 is supposed to set the web free. Free to deliver and shape online media in any web browser. However, several of the standard's greatest champions want to be able to restrict the use of audio and video tags through encrypted media extensions. A draft proposal has been submitted by Google, Microsoft, and Netflix to the W3C -- the curators of HTML5 -- to add encrypted media extensions to the web standard's spec. The proposed system works using a key-based content decryption system controlled by applications, thusly providing the copy protection that so many content owners desire. Naturally, the proposal specifically states that "no DRM is added to the HTML5 specification" if it's adopted, but letting apps lock up audio and video content sure sounds like digital rights management to us. However, there's already some discord amongst the W3C's members as to whether the proposal will work as promised, so its addition to HTML5 is far from assured. You can read the full proposal at the source below, and check out the more coverage links for some added perspective.

Google, Microsoft and Netflix want DRM-like encryption in HTML5 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  W3C  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Google+ Circles heading to Google Voice, creepers heading straight to voicemail

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/23/google-circles-heading-to-google-voice-creepers-heading-straig/

If you've spent some quality time with Google+, we're sure you've encountered Circles. You know, the feature that enables you to control who sees your G+ posts and who doesn't. Now, the folks in Mountain View have added the social network management tool to Google Voice. You can organize your contacts into groups who can actually ring your Galaxy Nexus and those who are sent straight to voicemail. Custom greetings can also be added to each Circle, should you feel the need to offer some Punch Brothers instead of the boring ol' standard ringback. Looking to take 'er for a spin? Hit the Groups & Circles tab in your Voice settings in order to customize your sets of contacts, but take note that your existing Google+ Circles are getting cozy there already.

Google+ Circles heading to Google Voice, creepers heading straight to voicemail originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Google Voice Blog  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Samsung demos new 32nm quad-core Exynos ahead of MWC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/23/samsung-demos-new-32nm-quad-core-exynos-ahead-of-mwc/

If you were lucky enough to be at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference, then you might have caught a glimpse of Samsung's latest sliver of mobile silicon. The as yet unnamed Exynos parts will come in dual- and quad-core configurations running at up to 1.5GHz. Perhaps the most important change though, is the switch from a 45nm manufacturing process to 32nm. That means smaller parts that draw less power, while delivering better performance. The A9 cores are paired with Sammy's own GPU, an OpenGL ES 2.0-capable chip with four pixel processors. According to the company, the new CPUs deliver a 26 percent boost in performance and up to a 50 percent increase in battery life. Of course, we'll have to wait to run our own benchmarks to confirm that lofty claim. Who knows, maybe we'll see it show up in some phones at MWC.

[Thanks, Vlad]

Samsung demos new 32nm quad-core Exynos ahead of MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Unwired View  |  EE Times Asia  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Turn Your Android Device into a Portable Workstation in a Pinch [Android]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5887589/turn-your-android-device-into-a-portable-workstation-in-a-pinch

If you're lucky enough to have an Android device running Ice Cream Sandwich, like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the folks at ExtremeTech have a great walkthrough on how to turn your handset into a fairly powerful workstation. You'll need a couple of items to get started, but the end result is that your phone can turn into a desktop almost anywhere you go.

The source article makes no bones about the fact you'll need a display to connect to if you want the full effect, but they suggest you pick up an HDMI-to-mini-HDMI converter for a few bucks to get video out from your device, and pair a bluetooth keyboard or trackpad to your phone, and call it a day. Even though most people only think to pair bluetooth keyboards or trackpads to their tablets, the process is the same with a handset, and works just as well. Connect the HDMI adapter into any nearby TV or monitor, and you're all set. The end result is a pretty snappy workstation that you can control from a mouse and keyboard and work on a nice large screen.

Plenty of other Android devices have this capability buit-in, even if they don't have Ice Cream Sandwich—if your phone has an mini HDMI output, you may be able to do the same thing, and if the thought of running Android on a huge screen doesn't totally appeal to you, you can always try the same procedure with the upcoming Ubuntu for Android.

Would you give this a shot? Pack up a bluetooth keyboard and trackpad and an HDMI cable for your trip and leave the laptop—or your tablet behind? Or is this a solution looking for a problem? Whatever you think, share your thoughts in the comments below.

How to Use the Galaxy Nexus as a Desktop Replacement | ExtremeTech

Read More...

Summary only...

OnLive Desktop Plus Hands On: They Put Windows on My iPad [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5887484/onlive-desktop-plus-hands-on-they-put-windows-on-my-ipad

How impressive is the Desktop Plus version of OnLive's iPad software? For $4.99 a month it basically lets you run full Windows on your iPad, and at blazing speeds to boot. This is the cloud done right. Mostly.

OnLive is a cloud-based gaming company, and what it has done is to take the same technology that shoots first person shooters to your screens and apply it to running apps over the cloud. The company leverages countless servers in data centers connected to gigabit ethernet to run various programs for you—including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Internet Explorer—and then it sends that video to your iPad. Essentially, it turns your iPad into a display for one of its servers.

What's that mean in practice? First and foremost it means you can have Office on your iPad right now, today, and free, which was the promise of the original OnLive Desktop. You can edit documents, run video in PowerPoint presentations and basically do anything that you could if you were using Office on a desktop. You can use a software keyboard for input (which includes a Windows-centric keyboard layout) or hook up a bluetooth keyboard. It also recognizes handwriting, which is a neat trick.

OnLive Desktop Plus takes that functionality and adds something that feels magical: the Internet. Because OnLive is sending full-fledged version of IE to your iPad, you can use web apps like Dropbox or Gmail or, well, just about anything else. Flash video works everywhere, because again, it's being handled by remote servers and sent from their to your tablet. You're never kicked to a mobile site. You get to see videos on Hulu or Disney or anywhere else, exactly as they're meant to be presented.

The entire premise is that OnLive doesn't deliver all the data that its servers are crunching, just what you need to see on your screen. It's not sending you entire web pages, fully rendered. It's also not compressing video, so there's no buffering. Think of it as a video of your computer's display, where the stuff going on off-screen has been not only cropped out, but isn't delivered. (Audio, however, does come through even in the background.)

I was a little skeptical at the demo. Surely this was rigged, right? There's no way to download and display artifact-free video that quickly. But at home, things were mostly the same as they were at OnLive's offices.

Word was responsive and I was frankly amazed at how well the handwriting recognition worked (although it's still far slower than using a keyboard). Hitting Windows from my iPad felt little different than from my laptop, although the navigation was admittedly trickier.

Hulu, however, had some hiccoughs. The video wasn't synced to the audio at one point, and there were some noticeable artifacts. I was less impressed with that than I was with the apps. But for the most part Flash, typically a buggy experience even on a desktop, performed flawlessly. And it's amazing to see videos fire more or less the instant you load them, which happens thanks to OnLive's fat pipes and robust machines on the back end. Even over my sometimes janky WiFi connection, this thing took off. A 35 MB PDF file, for example, downloaded and displayed in 9 12 seconds on OnLive Desktop's browser. When I tried downloading the same file from my Dropbox app over Wifi, it took 24 seconds.

The company is also bringing an enterprise version to market in the near future. They showed me a version of Maya running on that today. To be able to run a $5000 program on your $500 iPad? That really is priceless.

Read More...

Summary only...

Google Docs for Android Adds Collaborative Editing [Video]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5887396/google-docs-for-android-adds-collaborative-editing

The latest update to the Android version of Google Docs adds what might be the best feature of all: collaborative editing. While you've always been able to edit a document along with many other people in the web app, now Android users can join in via the native app on their phones or tablets. Additionally, this update brings rich text formatting so you can add things like ordered and bulleted lists, color variations, and standard text styles like bold and italic. Check out the video above for a quick look at these new features, or just download the app to try them out for yourself.

Collaborate and edit anywhere with the updated Google Docs for Android | Official Google Blog via Engadget

Read More...

Summary only...

Fujitsu readies its 'final model' quad-core smartphone for reveal next week

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/22/fujitsu-readies-its-final-model-quad-core-smartphone-for-revea/

We laid our hands on Fujitsu's quad-core prototype at the start of the year, it now looks like the phone's now ready to show itself outside the confines of a perspex box. Wielding a Tegra 3 chipset, there's still no official name for the incoming handset, but we're promised admirable battery life and those increasingly typical (for Japan, at least) water resistant credentials. We've also been told that this will be close to -- if not the -- final model of the handset, so we should get to test out that fingerprint sensor in person. Sure, it's not the only quad-core device we're expecting to see at MWC, but we'll welcome it with open arms -- if it does make the journey outside of Japan.

Fujitsu readies its 'final model' quad-core smartphone for reveal next week originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Pivothead video glasses offer impressive quality, we go hands-on (sample video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/22/pivothead-video-glasses-hands-on/

There's a new adventure video capture company in town, and both Zeyez and GoPro would have good reason to be afraid. You may not have heard of Pivothead -- the company has had a remarkably quiet push to market over the last few months -- but the video recording eyewear startup could very well become a household name after its first products hit the market this April for $349. Aurora, Durango, Moab and Recon may offer distinct exterior designs, but they're virtually identical under the hood. Each model includes an eight-megapixel Sony sensor (that reportedly captures higher quality images than the iPhone 4S cam), a four-element glass lens, 8GB of built-in storage, a 440mAh battery (with about an hour of shooting time) and three video modes: 1080/30p, 720/60p and 720/30p. We had a chance to go hands-on with Pivothead earlier today, and took the glasses for a spin on the streets of New York City. You'll find that sample video, along with our impressions, just past the break.

Gallery: Pivothead video glasses hands-on

Continue reading Pivothead video glasses offer impressive quality, we go hands-on (sample video)

Pivothead video glasses offer impressive quality, we go hands-on (sample video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Pivothead  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Google Docs presentations slides out of preview, adds import and comment options (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/22/google-docs-presentations-slides-out-of-preview-adds-import-and/

The slide-making masses have spoken and Google's dutifully listened. After launching presentations for Docs as a preview last October, the search giant's making that editor ready for prime time with a few user-suggested tweaks in tow. In addition to the recently introduced slew of transitions, themes, tables and collaborative options, Mountain View's now tossing in the ability to make, edit and resolve comments, send email notifications, as well as control read / write privileges for outside users. And don't worry about your old documents getting lost in the shuffle; a new import setting will enable those visual gems to benefit from this new facelift. Check out the source below for a fuller walk-through or catch the instructional vid after the break.

Continue reading Google Docs presentations slides out of preview, adds import and comment options (video)

Google Docs presentations slides out of preview, adds import and comment options (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Google Docs Blogspot  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...