Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

TV Catchup for Android arrives on Google Play

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/04/tv-catchup-android/

TVCatchup, our favorite and most-used TV-watching service has brought its app over to Android. The service, which we've found to be much more reliable than the BBC's live streams on our flaky connection, lets you watch nearly 60 free-to-air channels available in the UK. The ad-supported app is available for free on Google Play right now -- as long as you've paid your license fee, folks.

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Software, HD, Mobile

TV Catchup for Android arrives on Google Play originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, September 03, 2012

Bottle Blender Mixes Fresh Fruit and Water To Flavor Your Boring H2O [Bottles]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5939652/bottle-blender-mixes-fresh-fruit-and-water-to-flavor-your-boring-h2o

If plain old water doesn't quench your palate, but you don't want to spring for a fancy flavor-enhanced pre-bottled alternative, feast your eyes upon the Aqua Zinger DIY H2O infuser. It lets you imbue your water with everything from fresh fruit essences, to spices, to candy corn.

What's particularly neat is that you don't need to plug the $26 Aqua Zinger in or ever charge a battery. The blending mechanism is completely manual. You just fill the bottom capsule with whatever you'd like your water to taste like, and attach it to the bottle. The act of screwing it onto the Zinger's base pulverizes and blends what's inside, while a fine mesh screen ensures that only your water can flow between the chambers and absorb the flavors. The website suggests such ingredients as cucumber, mint, or lemon and lime. But deep down you know you've always wanted Evian to introduce a Skittles or Starburst option.

[Zing Anything via PSFK]

Shocker: smartphone users like bigger screens, market share may respond accordingly

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/03/shocker-smartphone-users-like-bigger-screens/

There's been a trend towards big smartphones. Sometimes, really big. Even so, concerns have persisted that the cart is driving the horse -- that customers are buying big phones because that's what's available, not because they have a preference. Kantar Worldpanel ComTech might not put that issue to bed once and for all, but its latest study suggests that there's at least some appeal to all that extra glass. Among Android phones sold in the past three months across eight countries, 29 percent of them had a screen larger than 4.5 inches. Their owners were unsurprisingly more active as well, using the internet and watching videos more often than those whose phones have more modest displays.

Market share might be following suit. Throughout the countries Kantar is tracking, Android still has roughly half or more of the market, ranging from 46.8 percent in Brazil to a staggering 86.8 percent of Spain. In Europe alone, it was up by just over a fifth from a year ago. We know iOS is taking a beating outside of the US as a result. Before anyone calls the trend irreversible, however, remember that we're on the edge of an unpredictable period: we know some mobile fans have been holding out for a new iPhone, and all the apparent rumors have Apple choosing a b! igger sc reen that might satisfy some outstanding gripes with screen sizes. We're also anticipating at least a few Windows Phone wildcards that could shake up the status quo and make this a three-horse race.

Continue reading Shocker: smartphone users like bigger screens, market share may respond accordingly

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Shocker: smartphone users like bigger screens, market share may respond accordingly originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 14:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TechCrunch | source

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Use Gmail and Google Docs to Easily and Quickly Track Anything [Quantified Self]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5939539/use-gmail-and-google-docs-to-track-anything

Use Gmail and Google Docs to Easily and Quickly Track Anything Google Docs and Gmail can be used together to create a simple yet flexible way of tracking just about anything. For example, you can easily track your expenses, create a workout log, or set up a food diary. Here's how.

The Power Tips for Google blog offers this awesome tip for setting up a form in Google Docs and then quickly accessing it in Gmail. The system is really easy to set up:

Basically, create a spreadsheet in Google Docs and then go to Tools > Create form in the menu.
Edit the form to add the items you want to record (e.g., date, amount, payment method, description, categories, etc.)
Click on the "Email this form" button to email it to yourself.
Whenever you want to add log something and have it entered into your spreadsheet, you can quickly submit the form from within that email.

That's it!

Use Gmail and Google Docs to Easily and Quickly Track Anything Well, one more thing. For easy access to the form, enable the "Quick Links" lab feature (under Settings > Labs in Gmail) and you can add a permanent link to the form to your menu.

There are lots of ways you can use this. Our one-minute personal inventory form would be great to set up with this system. You can even share the form with other people, for simple group tracking.

Track Your Expenses Using Gmail and Google Docs | Power Tips for Google Docs

OLPC delivers big OS update with text-to-speech, DisplayLink and WebKit

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/02/olpc-delivers-big-os-update-with-text-to-speech-displaylink/

While most of its energy is focused on the XO-4 Touch, the One Laptop Per Child project is swinging into full gear for software, too. The project team has just posted an OS 12.1.0 update that sweetens the Sugar for at least present-day XO units. As of this latest revamp, text-to-speech is woven into the interface and vocalizes any selectable text -- a big help for students that are more comfortable speaking their language than reading it. USB video output has been given its own lift through support for more ubiquitous DisplayLink adapters. If you're looking for the majority of changes, however, they're under-the-hood tweaks to bring the OLPC architecture up to snuff. Upgrades to GTK3+ and GNOME 3.4 help, but we're primarily noticing a shift from Mozilla's web engine to WebKit for browsing: although the OLPC crew may have been forced to swap code because of Mozilla's policies on third-party apps, it's promising a much faster and more Sugar-tinged web experience as part of the switch. While they're not the same as getting an XO-3 tablet, the upgrades found at the source link are big enough that classrooms (and the occasional individual) will be glad they held on to that early XO mo! del.

Filed under: Laptops, Software

OLPC delivers big OS update with text-to-speech, DisplayLink and WebKit originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 02:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Phoronix | source

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VidaBox unveils vPlayer and vStreamer Media Extenders with slicker looks, green credentials

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/02/vidabox-unveils-vplayer-and-vstreamer-media-extenders/

Most VidaBox Media Extenders have borne a closer similarity to mini PCs than to the kind of equipment you'd stack on top of a home theater receiver. That's already been changing, but the company's new vPlayer and vStreamer are virtually invisible in the living room by comparison. Either has a newly streamlined, stackable design that feels entirely at home in the den and keeps the noisy buzzes and whines to a minimum through a new cooling system. Although VidaBox is wonderfully vague about specs -- both hubs tout a "dual core processor," for example -- its units have been modernized enough to use a thrifty 35W of typical power. The boxes lack dedicated media storage space and curiously have to be factory upgraded to get HDMI 1.4 instead of 1.3, but they'll output 7.1-channel audio and 1080p video while integrating with most common home automation systems over RS-232. We haven't been quoted prices to simplify any buying decisions; we expect the gap to be small between the two offerings, since the vPlayer and vStreamer are identical on the inside except for the vPlayer's Blu-ray drive. Dealers will have a better answer for you when VidaBox starts shipping the extender duo on September 4th.

Continue reading VidaBox unveils vPlayer and vStreamer Media Extenders with slicker looks, green credentials

Filed under: Home En tertainment, HD

VidaBox unveils vPlayer and vStreamer Media Extenders with slicker looks, green credentials originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 05:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia's Purity HD stereo headset by Monster goes Pro, gains Bluetooth, NFC and noise cancellation (update)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/02/nokias-purity-hd-stereo-headset-by-monster-goes-pro-gains-blue/

If Nokia doesn't show off at least one banana -hued Lumia smartphone come September 5th, we're going to be extremely confused. Say howdy to the Pro-monikered followup to its corded Purity HD stereo headset by Monster, which gains Bluetooth (no word on what version), NFC for pairing and active noise cancellation. Similar to its recently revealed PlayUp speaker, the company's teasing the the Purity HD Pro as an audio accessory that'll "perfectly match your Lumia" in a choice of black, white, red and yellow. The Pro is essentially identical to its predecessor, but now the folding earcups also serve as a pseudo-on/off switch ~~for its anc functionality~~ for the unit itself. As you might expect, all that tech and Monster branding will cost ya a spendy €299 (about $376) -- nearly as much as Parrot's Zik by Starck. ~~Further details are currently unavailable, except that~~ the cans will reach store shelves near this year's close.

Update: You'll find a video! hands-o n by way of The Nokia Blog here. According a Nokia rep in that video, the earpads have a head detection sensor for automatically enabling ANC (similar to the Zik), while plugging in an included cable will let the headphones function sans Bluetooth. Furthermore, the company also noted to TNB that the battery should last about 24 hours for music or calls, with a week's worth of life on standby.

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Wearables

Nokia's Purity HD stereo headset by Monster goes Pro, gains Bluetooth, NFC and noise cancellation (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 15:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nokia Converstations | source

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Netflix coming to future Freesat satellite TV boxes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/03/netflix-uk-set-top-box/

Netflix making good on those investment promises for its UK viewers, with the streaming service set to be included in a new set-top box coming tomorrow. According to The Telegraph, the new device will link straight into Netflix services. Freesat's satellite TV offering launched back in 2008, with both BBC and ITV behind the project, while the new set-top box is rumored to add on-demand downloads and the ability to view programs up to eight days since they first air -- catching up to similar services from BT, Virgin and Sky. We're likely to hear more tomorrow, but Freesat's hoping it will be enough to make Brits reconsider those wallet-thumping Sky subscriptions.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

Netflix coming to future Freesat satellite TV boxes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 03:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile's Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 lands Ice Cream Sandwich update

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/03/t-mobile-samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-android-ics-update/

After more than a month of waiting, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 for T-Mobile has finally joined some of its brethren with an Ice Cream Sandwich update. Big Magenta has posted the Android 4.0.4 download for those who'd like to install the OS manually via Samsung Kies. While the carrier says the Android flavor won't be delivered over-the-air, TmoNews reports that some users have loaded up their hardware with an OTA update. Ready to hop on the ICS bandwagon? Check your slate for an upgrade notice or hit the source link below for instructions and the appropriate download.

Filed under: Cellphones

T-Mobile's Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 lands Ice Cream Sandwich update originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 07:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TmoNews | source

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Friday, August 31, 2012

Samsung slips into AMD's HSA party, may seek parallel processing boost for Exynos

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/samsung-amd-hsa-foundation/

Trust us, this should ultimately make a lot of sense. As we already know, AMD recently set up the HSA Foundation to promote its vision for better parallel processing -- and especially GPU compute -- in mobiles and PCs. Its semi-rival ARM was one of the first big players to join up, and now Samsung has decided to hop onboard too. Why would it do that? For the simple reason that the Korean company still makes its own chips, based on ARM designs, and we've seen that GPU compute is going to be a big feature in its coming Exynos 5 processor with Mali T604 graphics.

Now, anything else at this point is pure speculation, since we only know about Samsung's HSA membership from the appearance of its logo on a relevant slide at AMD's keynote speech at IFA, and there's no official word on Samsung's intentions. At a bare minimum, the company could simply be firming up friendships and hedging its bets on the future of computing. We wouldn't be surprised, however, if Sammy is looking to work with ARM and AMD to implement further aspects of the HSA philosophy into even more advanced Exynos chips down the line -- chips that are able to use both GPU compute and smaller transistors to achi! eve leap s in performance while also gobbling fewer volts.

Continue reading Samsung slips into AMD's HSA party, may seek parallel processing boost for Exynos

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets

Samsung slips into AMD's HSA party, may seek parallel processing boost for Exynos originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharp's IGZO low-power, high-res display technology gets its time to shine at IFA

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/sharps-igzo-low-power-high-res-display-technology-gets-its-tim/

Alongside the slew of 90-inch TVs, Sharp also used this year's IFA to show off something a little less glamorous. Its IGZO technology (that's indium gallium zinc oxide, kids) was developed in conjunction with the Semiconductor Energy Laboratory. According to Sharp, the displays "have a significantly higher translucency [compared to traditional LCD TFT displays]. This improvement means that smaller or fewer LEDs are needed for the backlighting." The result is less power consumption for high-res displays and higher sensitivity on touchscreens, with far less noise to contend with.

The company plans to create three panel sizes to start: 10-inch (2560 x 1600), seven-inch (1280 x 800) and 32-inch (3840 x 2160). Sharp was also demoing a prototype seven-inch tablet (which you can see in the gallery below) alongside the displays. The representative we spoke with wouldn't reveal anything about specific products the company plans to produce using the technology, but did tell us that we can expect to see some IGZO products in 2013. Check out an explanatory video after the break.

Gallery: Sharp IGZO hands-on

Continue reading Sharp's IGZO low-power, high-res display technology gets its time to shine at IFA

Filed under: Displays, Tablets

Sharp's IGZO low-power, high-res display technology gets its time to shine at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Note II gets early benchmark treatment at IFA

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-early-benchmark-ifa/

Here at IFA, the Galaxy Note II's glossy plastic build is practically fading under the ambush of cameras snapping away at Samsung's booth, but clearly this phone is more than just a (super sized) pretty face, and it's time to take a look at what's under the hood. As mentioned in our hands-on, Samsung upgraded the original Note's dual-core 1.4GHz chipset to a quad-core 1.6GHz Exynos processor. We put the device to the test today to see how those amped-up insides reflect in the Note II's benchmark scores. As you'll see below, Sammy's latest handset fares significantly better than the original Note and the Galaxy S III.

	Galaxy Note II	Galaxy Note (international)	Galaxy S III (I9300)
AnTuTu	11,736	N/A	11,960
Quadrant	6,644	3,810	4,454
Vellamo	2,466	901	1,751
SunSpider 0.9.1 (ms, lower is be! tter)	1,330	2,902	1,460
CF-Bench	15,305	N/A	13,110
GL Benchmark Egypt Offscreen	114 fps	N/A	99 fps

Oh, what a difference a processor makes. Clearly the step up to a quad-core CPU is to thank for the large performance delta between the Note II and the last-gen Note, though the international version of the Galaxy S III, with a quad-core 1.4Ghz Exynos processor, also falls behind in Quadrant and other tests. The Note II also trumped its Samsung siblings on the browser-focused Vellamo benchmark, which hints at snappier performance on this phone. The phone's graphics chops look pretty good, too, if the GL Benchmark score is any indication. Our testing got cut short before we could run SunSpider, but we'll add that figure shortly.

Update: We've added SunSpider as well -- the device clocked in at 1,330ms, which is a hair faster than the Galaxy S III.

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Galaxy Note II gets early benchmark treatment at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 07:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blue Microphones Mikey Digital portable microphone for iOS devices hits shelves, offers mobile tracking for $100

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/blue-microphones-mikey-now-shipping/

The second of Blue Microphone's CES trio has broken cover. Mikey Digital, a mobile recording peripheral for the iPad and iPhone is now available at select retailers. If you're in need of a refresher, the retooled version of the original Mikey tracking unit connects to you Apple smartphone or tablet via the dock connector. The mic houses the same two condenser capsules found on the more robust Snowball and Yeti USB mics while sporting built-in sensitivity control and CD-quality analog / digital conversion. A 3.5mm audio jack is included for monitoring or either stereo line-in or mic-in -- if you're looking to tack on a few more gadgets when recording with the 230-degree rotating kit. USB pass-thru allows for charging while in the midst of a session and a LED clipping indicator keeps tabs on volume levels to ensure the best results. If all of that sounds too good to pass up, the Mikey Digital will hit your wallet for $99.99 just as soon at you can enter your shipping info.

Continue reading Blue Microphones Mikey Digital portable microphone for iOS devices hits shelves, offers mobile tracking for $100

Filed under: Peripherals

Blue Microphones Mikey Digital portable microphone for iOS devices hits shelves, offers mobile tracking for $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer announces Aspire M3 and Aspire V5 laptops with touchscreens

Source: http://www.engadget.com/acer-aspire-v5-touch-aspire-m3-touch/

In case you haven't noticed, there are two kinds of Windows 8 devices on display at IFA this week: laptop / tablet hybrids, and already-announced laptops, refreshed to include touch screens. Acer's newest two Ultrabooks fall into that second category: the company just announced touch-enabled versions of its Aspire M3 Ultrabook and Aspire V5 thin-and-light (pictured). For now, Acer isn't saying a word about price or availability, so for now you'll have to be content with a few spec details, all embedded after the break.

Continue reading Acer announces Aspire M3 and Aspire V5 laptops with touchscreens

Filed under: Laptops

Acer announces Aspire M3 and Aspire V5 laptops with touchscreens originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 08:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T U-verse delivers a Facebook app for TVs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/30/att-uverse-facebook/

While AT&T's U-verse TV service announced increased support for second screen apps earlier this year and enhanced its own app for iPad with sharing features recently, it's just delivered a new app that brings Facebook to the TV screen. The customized interface brings in user's status feed, friends list and photos, where they can comment or leave standard messages to the service. There's also naturally a tie-in allowing them to share information and updates about the shows they're watching on the IPTV service directly through the app. According to the press release (included after the break) it can handle up to ten different accounts on a single receiver, so they don't all have to post updates to one unlucky members account. Despite seeing many made-for-TV-screens social networking apps we haven't found one that was definitely easier to use than keeping that kind of info on a second screen phone, tablet or PC, but we'll wait to hear from U-Verse subscribers about how well this effort is working.

Continue reading AT&T U-verse delivers a Facebook app for TVs

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

! AT&T U-verse delivers a Facebook app for TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 23:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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