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Thursday, October 18, 2012

JVC intros 55-inch BlackSapphire LCD TV with 45W virtual surround sound, SlingPlayer

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/18/jvc-intros-55-inch-blacksapphire-lcd-tv-with-45w-virtual-surround/

Every TV maker trying to avoid total commoditization has a special trick to keep its designs unique and worth a higher price. For JVC, that trick is sound. It's launching the BlackSapphire line of LCD-based 3D TVs with the 55-inch, edge LED-lit JLE55SP4400, whose signature is an unusually powerful built-in audio system: the 45W system and 3D processing supposedly produces surround sound without having to line the living room with extra speakers. Odds are that the set won't provide much competition for dedicated speakers, although JVC is promising more integration beyond this with rare built-in SlingPlayer TV streaming, just in case there's a Slingbox in another part of the home. The all-in strategy could make the inaugural BlackSapphire more of a bargain than it looks: that $1,300 you'll pay when the screen ships this month might be all you need to start watching.

Continue reading JVC intros 55-inch BlackSapphire LCD TV with 45W virtual surround sound, SlingPlayer

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

JVC intros 55-inch BlackSapphire ! LCD TV w ith 45W virtual surround sound, SlingPlayer originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OpenELEC-2.0 Linux distro released, turns your PC into an 'appliance-like' home theater device

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/18/openelec-2-0-linux-distro-released/

If you're itching to park that AMD or Intel PC beside your TV as a dedicated home theater device, OpenELEC would like to offer up the first stable release of its Linux distro, version 2.0, for your consideration. The new build is now available for free (with the option to donate, of course), and the group behind it says that the installation takes less than five minutes and requires "zero Linux experience." Once you've done that, it'll be ready to serve your media needs in less than 10 seconds from a cold start, according to OpenELEC, with only a remote control needed to start surfing. The system updates automatically, including the XBMC V11 media core, and now includes PVR support, improved AMD functionality, CEC adapter compatibility, NFS, AFP, CIFS and SSH shares and Airplay / Airtunes support. If you're already Mac- or Windows-centric, an OpenELEC system will play well with all your existing media, so if you're ready to see how the Linux media crowd rolls, hit the source.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD

OpenELEC-2.0 Linux distro released, turns your PC into an 'appliance-like' home theater device originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Iconia Tab A110 reaches North America on October 30th for $230, faces a tough fight

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/18/acer-iconia-tab-a110-reaches-north-america-on-october-30th-for-230/

Acer hasn't had an easy mid-year: it trotted out the Iconia Tab A110 at Computex as a budget Android tablet that could still claim Tegra 3 speeds, only to watch the Nexus 7 arrive and leave virtually every other comparable tablet in a tight spot. It's North America's turn at the A110 this month, and the side-by-side looks aren't getting much easier. When the 7-inch Jelly Bean slate ships to the continent on October 30th, it will cost $230 in both the US and Canada for the lone 8GB version -- a better value than we see in Europe, but still a slightly awkward middle ground between an 8GB Nexus 7 at $199 and its $249, 16GB edition. We're guessing that Acer is counting on the microSD and micro-HDMI expansion to tempt would-be North American buyers away from a less flexible (if Google-blessed) rival.

Gallery: Acer Iconia Tab A110 for North America

Continue reading Acer Iconia Tab A110 reaches North America on October 30th for $230, faces a tough fight

Filed under: Tablets, Acer

Acer Iconia Tab A110 reaches North America on October 30th for $230, faces a tough fight originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer unveils space-saving ME mini tower and XC desktops for (low) power users

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/18/acer-me-xc/

The arrival of Windows 8 is a good excuse for the PC industry to flood the market with so much hardware, consumers will be blinded by so much choice. Acer's jabbing its digits into your eyes with its new lineup of low-end desktops for the casual user. The ME micro towers will take an Intel Core i5 or I7, 2TB HDDs and up to 16GB of RAM. If you don't have anywhere else to stash your smartphone, the chassis comes with a recess desk on top with a USB port for easy charging. Those looking for something a little less demanding can pick up an XC desktop, a space-saving unit that will take an Intel Core i3, a 1TB HDD and up to 6GB of RAM. Prices for the ME begin at $700, while the cheaper XCs will set you back a much more modest $400.

Continue reading Acer unveils space-saving ME mini tower and XC desktops for (low) power users

Filed under: Desktops, Acer

Acer unveils space-saving ME mini tower and XC desktops for (low) power users originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Alpha firmware updates bring record button disabling on NEX-7, DSLR lens improvements

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/18/sony-camera-firmware-updates/

Sony's NEX-7 may be fast approaching its first birthday, but that doesn't mean the company's ready to give up on pushing out updates. The camera's first new firmware version, 1.01, should be hitting today, bringing with it the ability to disable the Movie Record button to avoid accidental taps (finally!), boosted image quality with a wide-angle lens, improved audio playback and expanded EV bracketing. An option to disable the EVF eye sensor doesn't appear to be included with this revision, unfortunately. Other updates hitting at the same time include E-mount lens firmware v.01 that'll enable NEX-5R/NEX-6 Hybrid AF functionality with older lenses, A65/A77 firmware v1.06 and A37/A57 firmware v1.03, both of which deliver the ability to enable/disable the movie record button while also adding a variety of lens compensation options for select Alpha optics. All of these updates should now be live -- head over to the source link below for the hook-up.

Filed under: Cameras, Sony

Sony Alpha firmware updates bring record button disabling on NEX-7, DSLR lens improvements originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaked training videos peg Lumia 920 as AT&T exclusive for six months, shows off City Lens, wireless charging

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/18/Lumia-920-exclusive-for-6-months/

Itching for Nokia's latest piece of Windows Phone kit, but aren't ready to saddle up with Ma Bell? Get comfortable: according to a leaked AT&T training video, you'll have to wait six months for the Lumia 920's exclusivity contract to expire. The unofficial Windows Phone 8 flagship is due out next month, though mum's still the word on its actual ship date. The trio of videos also give AT&T employees a brief run down of Nokia City Lens, wireless charging and the handset's NFC features. If you simply can't wait until spring, Verizon and T-Mobile are serving up a pair of mid-range alternatives, the Lumia 820 and 822, respectively. Otherwise, head past the break to see the videos for yourself and test your patience.

Continue reading Leaked training videos peg Lumia 920 as AT&T exclusive for six months, shows off City Lens, wireless charging

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Leaked training videos peg Lumia 920 as AT&T exclusive for six months, shows off City Lens, wireless charging originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 01:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Razer gives away custom Star Wars-themed Blade, may turn friends Imperial Guard red with envy

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/18/razer-gives-away-custom-star-wars-themed-blade/

Razer has been big on Star Wars gaming gear, but never quite like this. Enter a free contest and there's a chance to win a completely unique Star Wars: The Old Republic version of Razer's Blade gaming laptop. The winner sees the system's normally black shell replaced with a matte, laser-etched aluminum gray and the green backlighting dropped in favor of a subtler yellow matched to the MMORPG logo. Anyone who brings out this portable at a bring-your-own-computer gaming party is inevitably going to be the center of attention, although we have a feeling some would almost prefer the second-place bundle of peripherals -- at an estimated worth of $15,000, the Star Wars Blade might be too precious to carry for all but the most well-heeled of fans.

Filed under: Gaming, Laptops

Razer gives away custom Star Wars-themed Blade, may turn friends Imperial Guard red with envy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 03:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Hosting Android Event October 29, Likely To Announce A New Smartphone (GOOG)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-android-event-2012-10

google nexus invite

Google just sent out invites to the press for an Android-themed event in New York.

The announcement will likely be for Google's new Nexus phone, which is rumored to be made by LG. It's also possible Google will team up with other hardware manufacturers to make Nexus devices this year. The LG Nexus is said to be a variant of the LG Optimus G, which recently launched.

Finally, there are rumors Google will offer a new Nexus 7 model with 32 GB. The entry-level 16 GB Nexus 7 could also drop to $99 from $199.

Android Boss Andy Rubin is also scheduled to speak at AllThingsD's mobile conference following Google's press conference. We're guessing he'll use that opportunity to show off the new Android hardware.

Even more interesting, Microsoft is holding a press conference the same day to announce the final consumer-facing features for its next mobile operating system Windows Phone 8.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Scientists Erase the Memories of Sleeping Mice [Science]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5952627/scientists-erase-the-memories-of-sleeping-mice

Researchers at Stanford claim they've figured out how to erase the traumatic memories of mice while they sleep bringing them one step closer to their goal of ending PTSD for humans. Apparently a prescription memory-eraser could even be on the way. Are we closer to an Eternal Sunshine moment than we think?

The conventional treatment for stress and anxiety caused by traumatic events can be grueling for the patient, barbaric, even. They've simply got to recall the drama over and over and over in front of a shrink until, eventually, they learn how to deal with it—and there's no guarantee the patent won't relapse.

Nature reports the research of a Stanford team that found a way to replicate this therapy passively in sleeping mice. First, the researchers trained mice to fear the smell of jasmine by exposing them to the smell and then zapping them electricity. Once the mice were thoroughly traumatized, the researchers went about un-traumatizing the mice in their sleep.

One batch of mice received traditional therapy: They were exposed to the smell while they slept without getting shocked, and eventually got over the fear—temporarily at least. These mice, like PTSD humans tended to relapse.

The researchers treated the other batch of mice by tampering with their brain chemistry. Nature explains:

In other mice, Rolls administered a drug to block protein production in the basolateral amygdala - a brain area associated with storage of fearful memories - just before the animals went to sleep. The researchers then exposed the sleeping mice to repeated odor puffs alone. Upon waking, these animals showed reduced fear responses to amyl acetate [the smell chemical] that carried over even into new environments.

Holy smokes that's crazy! Imagine a world in which the tedium and pain of therapy could be replaced with a simple pill. The world would be such a happier place. Unfortunately, the drug used in the study isn't safe for humans, but it turns out that existing anxiety meds could potentially be used the same way. It seems the solution to an old psychiatric puzzle might have been lying under our noses for decades. [Nature]

Image by angeladellatorre under Creative Commons license

Wi-Fi MicroSD Adapter Lets You Swap In As Much Storage As You Need [Storage]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5952654/wi+fi-microsd-adapter-lets-you-swap-in-as-much-storage-as-you-need

Unlike the Eye-Fi wireless SD cards which lock you into a set amount of storage, PQI's Air Card uses a microSD slot so that as the tiny cards get bigger and bigger, you can easily upgrade the adapter's capacity.

And like the latest generation of the Eye-Fi cards, the $50 PQI Air works with mobile devices thanks to an accompanying iOS and Android app. So you can share photos and get your snaps online without the need for a card reader or a USB connection to a PC. It works with three devices at once too, so you can send shots to your phone and tablet at the same time, and according to the PQI site it supports pretty much every popular camera on the market today. [PQI via DPReview]

Micron's RealSSD P320h PCI Express SSD gets reviewed: wildly fast, but a little unstable

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/17/micron-realssd-p320h-pci-express-ssd-reviewed-video/

"Taking one's sweet time" just took on an entirely new meaning. Well over a year after Micron first introduced its RealSSD P320h PCI Express SSD, the aforesaid device is finally hitting the general availability stage. And with that, the flood of reviews begins. What sets this guy apart right out of the box is its native stature; much like Fusion-io (and very unlike most all other rivals from OCZ, Intel, LSI, etc.), this thing sidesteps the mishmash of SATA / SAS controllers and opts for a direct-attached PCIe approach. At around $7,000, it's clearly aimed first at enterprise, but given Micron's history in the consumer space, one could assume that this kind of wizardry will eventually trickle down. The fine folks over at HotHardware found their tester to be shockingly quick, easily outpacing its rivals when it came to read and write performance. Unfortunately, the Windows drivers provided weren't exactly mature, which led to a few booting issues when swapping in varying motherboards. Of course, no one ever said the Ferrari of PCIe SSDs would purr without a bit of finagling. Hit up the links below for the full spiel.

Continue reading Micron's RealSSD P320h PCI Express SSD gets reviewed: wildly fast, but a little unstable

Filed under: Storage

Micron's RealSSD P320h PCI Express SSD gets reviewed: wildly fast, but a little unstable originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba kicks off pre-orders for Windows 8 PCs, all due to ship October 26th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/17/toshiba-windows-8-pcs-pre-orders/

Not to be outdone by Korean rival Samsung, Toshiba has become the latest manufacturer to announce it's now accepting pre-orders for its loaded repertoire of Windows 8 PCs. Naturally, this contains an array of options for all different types of budgets and preferences, including the Japanese company's Satellite S, P and L laptops or the U series of Ultrabooks, the Qosmio X875 for gamers and, for those who enjoy a more desktop-friendly setup, the LX815 and LX835 all-in-ones are also there for the taking. As expected, Toshiba will be shipping online pre-orders on October 26th, while folks who decide to go the brick-and-mortar route should be able to physically pick one up on that very same day. There's still a lot more where this came from, but you'll have to head over to Toshiba's site to see what else the outfit has to offer -- link to the store is just down below.

Continue reading Toshiba kicks off pre-orders for Windows 8 PCs, all due to! ship Oc tober 26th

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Toshiba kicks off pre-orders for Windows 8 PCs, all due to ship October 26th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JVC BlackSapphire 4000 Ears-On: This 55-Inch 3DTV Wants to Kill Your Soundbar [Televisions]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5952513/jvc-blacksapphire-4000-ears+on-this-55+inch-3dtv-wants-to-kill-your-soundbar

If you own a 55-inch 3DTV, chances are you've invested in at least a cheap soundbar to match the power of the picture on the screen. You basically have to; the built-in sound on most sets is horrendous. The sound system in the new 55-inch JVC BlackSapphire 3DTV is way burlier than the sound in comparable TVs, and from what we just heard in a hotel room in New York, it may be good enough not to need a soundbar boost.

The TV has a built-in 45-watt, 2.1 channel sound system, which can mimic surround sound using proprietary JVC processing. (The TV is actually made by a OEM called AVC, which is using the JVC name under license.) Consider that most other 55-inch TVs have 18-20-watt systems. I can confirm that it's loud; at just 50-percent volume the action from a scene in Transformers was enough drown out anything else in the room.

But more than the wattage, the overall sound was clearly an improvement over your standard set. For example, you could make out dialog from background ambiance. There was even some totally passable bass coming from the 4.5-inch subwoofer. Spinning helicopter blades that sound realistic straight from an 3DTV is actually incredible given the sorry state of the sound from flatscreens. The effect isn't earth-shattering, but for people squeezing big the big TV into a medium-sized room it's probably enough.

The main drawback is that to improve the quality of the sound, the manufacturer had to add some heft; The 55-incher is 1.5-inches thick, which is hardly flat. Besides the sound, the rest of the BlackSapphire's specs are more or less what you'd expect from a $1300 Wi-Fi-connected 3DTV. Not bad, not great. But maybe worth it if you don't want to bother with all that extra audio gear. [JVC]

Don't call it a GIF: Lightt is an app that lets you upload silent, looping clips for your friends to comment on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/17/lightt-ios-app-announced/

Don't call it a GIF: Lightt is an app that lets you upload silent, looping clips for your friends to comment on

Technically speaking, it would be incorrect to call Lightt the Instagram for GIFs, but really, it's tough to explain it any other way. In short, it's a new app for iOS which captures short, soundless clips that play back in an endless loop. (See? Looks like a GIF and is mesmerizing like a GIF, except it's actually a proprietary file format.) Once you record a clip, or "Highlight," you can upload as many as you want, and then share them to either Twitter or Facebook. (Careful: the default privacy setting is public.) Then, once you offload those segments onto the company's servers, people can like them or leave comments. Similarly, too, anyone with a browser can see your feed, though you also have the option of viewing people's images from within the app itself. The Insta-comparisons end there, though: with Lightt, you can't run your clips through any sort of artsy filters.

As with other social networks, you can follow users you find intriguing. There's also a "Featured" list, curated by Lightt, but you can't currently search for things based on tags, which is how you might discover cool stuff on other sites, like Tumblr or Pinterest. There's an element of randomness, then, when it comes to unearthing new things, though you can at least find friends on the site by importing your contacts from other services. Interestingly, too, all your images live online: even when you view your feed on your phone, the app is simply pulling it in from the web. Still, if you really like something, you can save a still frame to your device. The app is available now for free in the App Store (no word on if it'll ever come to other platforms), and we've also got a gallery of screenshots at the ready below.

Gallery: Lightt screenshots

Filed under: Software, Mobile

Don't call it a GIF: Lightt is an app that lets you upload silent, looping clips for your friends to comment on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook Just Launched Its Next Billion-Dollar Business (FB)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-paid-app-installs-2012-10

mark zuckerberg

For months, Facebook has been testing a new kind of ad on mobile devices—ads for other apps.

Now it's officially launched the app-ad program to all developers.

Here's how it works: Developers place ads on Facebook's website and its mobile apps. When users install their apps, developers pay a fee.

Because Facebook has a huge audience, and because its fast-growing base of mobile users have already shown they're willing to download Facebook's own app, it's a natural audience for these ads. TinyCo, a mobile games maker, reported having 50 percent higher click-through rates. Companies like Zoosk, the online-dating service, and Fab, the e-commerce site, have also been running ads in tests.

Facebook has been swiftly laying the groundwork for this business, first launching its App Center, a centralized place for promoting apps, in May and rolling it out internationally.

Having proven it can drive traffic to apps through the App Center and through ads placed in Facebook users' News Feeds, Facebook's now seeking to make money off of that traffic.

Here's a bonus: It keeps iPhone and Android developers, who might otherwise favor tools built into Apple and Google's mobile platforms, loyal to Facebook, s! ince add ing Facebook's social features to their apps is pretty much a requirement to get distribution—paid or unpaid—on Facebook.

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