Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, February 27, 2012

ASUS outs lower-end Transformer Pad 300 tablet with 16GB of storage and 1280 x 800 display

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/27/asus-outs-lower-end-transformer-pad-300-tablet-with-16gb-of-stor/

Remember when we said ASUS was adding another tablet to its stable? Let's bump that number to an even two. ASUS just announced the Transformer Pad 300, a lower-end match to the new Infinity Series (and also made a quick appearance earlier this month). Hilariously (if rapidly aging gadgets can ever be funny), the 300 is, for all intents and purposes, the original Transformer Prime -- until recently the most lustworthy tablet. So far as we can tell, the only differences are that it offers different color choices (blue, white and red), a slightly downgraded display and optional LTE. Once again, it has a Tegra 3 chip, 8MP / 2MP cameras, HDMI and a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 IPS display. Interestingly, this guy has a regular 'ole IPS screen, not the 600-nit Super IPS+ panel used on the original Prime and the new Infinity Pad. The 300 also comes with a fixed 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), whereas the original Prime packed 32GB at the lower end. Still, ASUS won't skimp on some things: it ships with ICS, like its brother, and promises up to 10 hours of battery life (that's 15 with the optional keyboard dock, which is an hour less than what the Infinity Series claims). No word yet on availability, so expect some further announcements in the coming months with pricing specific to different regions.

Continue reading ASUS outs lower-end Transformer Pad 300 tablet with 16GB of storage and 1280 x 80! 0 displa y

ASUS outs lower-end Transformer Pad 300 tablet with 16GB of storage and 1280 x 800 display originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ZTE Era flagship phone brings Tegra 3, 4.3-inch qHD display, 7.8mm chassis

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/27/zte-era-flagship-phone/

We're just about to get hands-on with ZTE's latest high-spec ICS phone, the Era, but in the meantime here's a heads-up on the main credentials. The guts are all NVIDIA, with a Tegra 3 quad-core processor and an Icera HSPA+ modem. The display has 960 x 540 pixels spread over 4.3-inches of real estate, housed in a razor-like 7.8mm-thick (0.31-inch) slab. The 8GB of onboard memory is expandable via microSD, while there's also HD Voice and Dolby sound processing. ZTE will be looking to release the Era in the second half of this year, and says it's counting on the handset to help it become a "top three handset provider by 2015." More big words in the PR after the break.

Continue reading ZTE Era flagship phone brings Tegra 3, 4.3-inch qHD display, 7.8mm chassis

ZTE Era flagship phone brings Tegra 3, 4.3-inch qHD display, 7.8mm chassis originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Padfone hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/27/asus-padfone-hands-on-video/

We're here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and ASUS just formally unveiled the shape-shifting Padfone -- just like it said it would. Even more than raw specs, what makes the phone striking are its accompanying accessories. Sure, you could use it as a standalone 4.3-inch handset, but it will also be sold with a so-called station that effectively turns it into a 10-inch tablet -- not unlike how you can slip certain Moto handsets inside the company's netbook-like Lapdocks. It will also be sold with an optional keyboard dock (just like the Prime) and -- get this -- a stylus that doubles as a receiver for when you receive phone calls. We elbowed our way to the front of a pack of voracious tech journalists, and stole a few minutes of hands-on time with both the handset and its various accoutrements. Join us past the break for some early impressions and a duo of videos.

Gallery: ASUS Padfone hands-on

Continue reading ASUS Padfone hands-on (video)

ASUS Padfone hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 06:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, February 26, 2012

This Container Always Pours The Perfect Portion [Food]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5888258/this-container-always-pours-the-perfect-portion

This Container Always Pours The Perfect Portion Here's another reason to store your dry ingredients in airtight containers. Quirky's new Silo features a couple of strategically placed dividers in the main reservoir that guarantee you're always pouring an exact amount, without having to dirty a measuring cup.

The clear container holds 3.25 quarts of dry goods, and comes with two swappable dividers that let you pour out either a half or full cup of ingredients at a time. While it's definitely going into production, there's no word on when you'll be able to buy one, or for how much. So in the meantime I just recommend sticking with my fistful for dinner/half-fistful for lunch measuring technique and you'll be fine. [Quirky via The Green Head]

Google Drive SDK, Gmail integration hinted at in Google Docs source code

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/24/google-drive-sdk-gmail-integration-hinted-at-in-google-docs-sou/

Still wondering if Mountain View's Google Drive service will launch as a Google Docs rebranding? The folks at the Google Operating System blog have some code you might want to peek at, then. Apparently the Docs' source code mentions an SDK connected to the upcoming Google Drive, opening the door for third party app support. The code hints at deeper Gmail integration too, "Say goodbye to email attachments and hello to real time collaboration," it says, "Drag anything shared with you to My Drive for easy access." If Drive turns out to be more than a hefty Docs update, at the very least it seems clear that the new service will play nice with El Goog's other web apps -- after all, isn't that what that consolidated privacy policy is supposed to be about?

Google Drive SDK, Gmail integration hinted at in Google Docs source code originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 23:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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