Friday, October 05, 2012

HTC One X+ Hands-On: Really Good Is Getting Better [Android]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5949152/htc-one-x%252B-hands+on-really-good-is-getting-better

HTC One X+ Hands-On: Really Good Is Getting BetterWe really liked the HTC One X, and from our brief encounter with the One X+ tonight, we're going to like it even more. On the outside, it looks essentially the same—same gorgeous screen, same solid build—but its insides are nicely ramped up.

This will be the first phone hitting the States with Nvidia's 1.7GHz quad-core Tegra 3 (yes, this new version can now work with LTE). The U.S. version of the One X used a dual-core Snapdragon S4. We can't wait to crunch the numbers and see which really is faster. The X+ boosts the battery from 1800mAh to 2100mAh, yet AT&T claims that it will get 50 percent more battery life on average. We were those gains were largely due to the Tegra 3's power-saving fifth core. That would be huge, as battery life is one of the worst things about the One X.

This was also our first look at what HTC's Sense+ UI looks like when it's on top of Jelly Bean (Android 4.1). Good news: at first glance it's even less offensive than Sense was on top of Ice Cream Sandwich. Everything was as smooth and quick as you would hope—Google Now popped up instantly. Where other manufacturers are adding more and more flourishes, HTC has actually scaled back even further, removing a lot of animations which leaves a quicker-feeling experience. HTC also revamped the already good camera app to make it even more intuitive.

We only had a few minutes with the X+, but it left us extremely eager to give it a full test. When we do, you'll be the first to know. It will be arriving on AT&T in the weeks to come.

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This White Plastic Bowl Turns Your Smartphone Into a Photography Studio [Photography]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5949256/white-plastic-bowl-turns-your-smartphone-into-a-photography-studio

This White Plastic Bowl Turns Your Smartphone Into a Photography StudioHaving trouble selling your knick knacks and sundries online? Maybe you just need better photos on your eBay listing. But instead of hiring a professional photographer, the Nimbus Cloud Dome promises pro-looking shots using just your smartphone.

In a professional studio you'd rely on a set of diffused lights and a curved white sweep to create the infinite white background effect. But the $149 Cloud Dome works with any lights, even ample ambient lighting, because the translucent white plastic serves to soften and evenly diffuse what's available. It also works with any smartphone thanks to an elastic strap system that holds it in place no matter its shape, and an included base lets you backlight your subject. Just keep in mind that you're limited to photographing smaller objects, and due to the lack of manual controls on most cameraphones you'll probably still need to do some post-processing in Photoshop afterwards. [Cloud Dome via DPReview]

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3M, Roku team up for Streaming Projector to ship this November for $299

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/05/3m-roku-team-up-for-streaming-projector/

3M, Roku team up for Streaming Projector

3M's partnered up with Roku to provide a "big-screen" cinema experience from the comfort of your home. Announced today at a joint event, the Streaming Projector is a 4.3 x 4.2 x 2.0 inch palm-sized device that can project images in WVGA resolution up to 120-inches across walls or any other smooth surface of your choosing with a brightness of 60 lumens. The 1lb pod-like gadget has a battery life rated at just under three hours -- a little more than the running time of most blockbuster movies -- and also features a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio out, in addition to an inbuilt speaker. Of course, you need media to pair with it and that's where Roku's included streaming stick comes in handy, delivering an array of commercial content over dual-band WiFi. It's set to ship sometime this November for $299 as an Amazon exclusive.

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3M, Roku team up for Streaming Projector to ship this November for $299 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Print your own headphones on a MakerBot Replicator and beat Dre at his own game

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/05/print-your-own-headphones-on-a-makerbot-replicator-and-beat-dre/

Print you own headphones on MakerBot Replicator,

As 3D printers become more and more accessible to a consumer audience, one question lingers above the rest: why? Granted, they're incredibly cool, but what, if any, are the practical implication of such a technology? For the most part, the great ambassadors of 3D printing have largely been printable toys -- cool, but not particularly useful. The question, as posed by John Mabry reads as follows,

What if printed prototypes could become actual products? Meaning, once off the print bed an object could be assembled without any tools and be made functional by readily attainable components.

An attempt at the answer comes in the form of the 13:30 printable headphones, which can by created on a MakerBot Replicator and coupled with some off-the-shelf components, making for a pair of slick-looking, functional headphones that, at the very least, will help you stand out from the rest of the Beats By Dre enthusiasts on a crowded subway train.

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Print your own headphones on a MakerBot Replicator and beat Dre at his own game originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for us! e of fee ds.

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MythTV updated to 0.26, hints at 'more exciting' 0.27 coming next year

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/04/mythtv-updated-to-0-26-hints-at-more-exciting-0-27-coming-nex/

After releasing one long-awaited update back in April, venerable media PC platform MythTV has quickly pushed out another update to version 0.26. The changelog isn't particularly long this time around, though it does claim HTTP Live Streaming playback and recording, some clock tweaks and the requisite performance improvements. With that wrapped, the team has already shifted its focus to the next version, 0.27, which it says should be a more exciting release. It's scheduled for release in April of next year so we'll mark our calendars -- in pencil, not pen.

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MythTV updated to 0.26, hints at 'more exciting' 0.27 coming next year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 21:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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