Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

HDHomeRun Prime is the first CableCARD tuner to deliver live TV to DLNA Devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/05/hdhomerun-prime-is-the-first-cablecard-tuner-to-deliver-live-tv/

Our favorite shows, anywhere, that's all we really want. Of course that is asking too much but we'll be closer to the dream now that Silicondust has announced its three tuner HDHomeRun Prime CableCARD is a certified DLNA Digital Media Server (DMS). While the options this opens are seemingly limitless, one specific use case is watching premium cable on a PS3. CableCARD tuners aren't exactly known for their ease of setup, but once you do get this working with your cable company and on your network, it'll show up like any other DLNA source to your PS3. From there you can browse the list of channels and watch any you happen to subscribe to.

The PS3 isn't the only DLNA Digital Media Player (DMP) or Digital Media Renderer (DMR) that works with a DLNA DMS, and plays MPEG2 video. However, at this point it's the only one we know of that also supports DTCP-IP, which is the DRM required to play premium content. A representative of Silicondust told us he's confident more compatible devices are on the way, while even more devices will support the unprotected content. Keep an eye out for an official list of compatible hardware on its site some time after this update starts rolling out later this month. Finally, yes, you will be able to use your DLNA Digital Media Controller (DMC) to record content to your other Digital Media Servers -- is that enough acronyms for you? If this interests you, then stay tuned for CES where Silicondust plans to announce phase 2, which is where we think things could really get interesting.

Continue reading HDHomeRun Pr! ime is t he first CableCARD tuner to deliver live TV to DLNA Devices

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Sonos for iOS adds direct device streaming, takes PCs out of the equation (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/05/sonos-for-ios-adds-direct-device-streaming/

Sonos has been steadily reducing our dependency on the computer as the cornerstone of its multi-room audio system, but there's been one link left to cut: local music. Outside of an AirPlay workaround, a PC of some sort has always had to stay awake to stream a personal collection. If you're an iOS user, it's now possible to go truly PC-free. A 3.8.3 update for Sonos' apps plays music stored on an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch directly through the system, with no hoop-jumping required. Local content is put on equal footing with pure internet sources, too -- the software can mix local tracks with those from Amazon Cloud Player, Spotify and other internet services as part of the same playlist. There's no official word of direct device streaming for Android, although we wouldn't be surprised to see it follow before too long.

We gave the update a quick spin of our own, and it works largely as you'd hope. There's a logical hierarchy for browsing music by categories; songs, albums and podcasts play almost as soon as you've added them to the queue, even if the Sonos app is in the background. We heard slight hitches when playing tracks meant to play seamlessly -- this may not be a dream Dark Side of the Moon setup -- but grouped speakers stay just as nicely in sync as they have in the past. The Sonos upgrade is more than good enough to save a w! alk acro ss the house for a favorite tune, and that's really all we need.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video, Tablets, HD

Source: App Store (iPad), (iPhone)

Oppo Find 5 spec sheet pops up, heading to US for $499 unsubsidized

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/05/oppo-find-5-spec-sheet/

Quad-core APQ8064 chip: check. 5-inch 1080p display: check. That's right, it's the Oppo Find 5 again, but this time we're seeing the phone's full spec sheet courtesy of the manufacturer's overly simple US website -- we've already verified this with our contacts. Apart from the fact that Oppo will be selling the much anticipated Find 5 in the US, the product page also lists an unsubsidized price of just $499, which isn't bad when you look at the $600 HTC Droid DNA off contract. The specs also mention Android 4.1.2, a 2,500mAh battery, NFC, 16GB of built-in storage and 2GB of RAM, as well as compatibility with T-Mobile and AT&T's 3G networks. Now all we need are some pictures, but we'll even get to touch it at the Beijing launch event next Wednesday.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Source: Oppo

Broadcom outs Jelly Bean-optimized budget SoC with dual-core ARM processor, HSPA+

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/05/broadcom-dual-core-arm-soc-hspa-bcm21664t/

Broadcom's just added a new 3G SoC to its resume that promises a solid punch in performance without breaking the bank -- while being optimized for Jelly Bean, too boot. Dubbed BCM21664T, the chip packs a 1.2GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor accompanied by VideoCore graphics to give it the oomph to run Android 4.2 and support 720p recording and 1080p playback. As for connectivity, the silicon comes loaded with WiFi, Bluetooth and HSPA+, which garners downstream speeds of 21.1Mbps and 5.8Mbps upstream. Support for GPS and even NFC have also been rolled into the SoC. Broadcom claims the hardware is the first of its kind aimed at entry-level smartphones, and if things go the firm's way, the chip will make appearances in budget Android phones when it goes into volume production next year.

Continue reading Broadcom outs Jelly Bean-optimized budget SoC with dual-core ARM processor, HSPA+

Filed under: Cellphones

Source: Broadcom

The Bottom Falls Out Of The European Consumer

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/horrendous-european-retail-sales-2012-12

There are green shoots in Europe.

Financial markets are doing well both on the equity and debt front. Germany's engine is revving again. PMI data hit its lowest level in 8 months.

But as always, the biggest risk in Europe is, well, how long will the people tolerate recession? How long can they handle dismal growth.

New data from Eurostat provides a really depressing snapshot of the state of the consumer, at least as of October.

In October 2012 compared with September 2012, the volume of retail trade fell by 1.2% in the euro area (EA17) and by 1.1% in the EU272, according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In September, retail trade decreased by 0.6% and 0.2% respectively. In October 2012, compared with October 2011, the retail sales index fell by 3.6% in the euro area and by 2.4% in the EU27.

Click to enlarge the chart. It's really ugly.

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Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Westinghouse teases 110-inch 4K LED TV, promises more details at CES

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/04/westinghouse-110-inch-4k-tv/

With CES just around the corner, there's plenty of promo mail to dig through each and every day. One of this afternoon's tidbits came from the good folks at Westinghouse, hinting at a hot product that'll be unveiled at the show. The 4K LED TV will ring in at a massive 110 inches -- a significantly larger offering than the bevy of 84-inch sets we caught this past summer at IFA. The manufacturer hesitated to share any further details, but did suggest that there were a few more "surprises" in store, including plenty of connected HDTVs. If you've been pondering a 4K set, but just can't come to grips with a measly 84-inch footprint, it's certainly looking like Westinghouse will have something to catch your eye next year in Vegas.

Filed under: Displays, HD

Marvell brings a gig to WiFi with new 802.11ac 4x4 system-on-chip

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/04/marvel-brings-the-gig-to-wifi-with-new-802-11ac-4x4-SoC/

If you need data to flow more copiously than your current wireless connection will permit, Marvell has just announced a new WiFi product that might let you finally cut the cord. The Avastar 88W8864 802.11ac "4x4" SoC will permit WLAN products to stream data at up to 1.3Gbps using four antennas, over three times faster than the 802.11n standard used now. The system also sports a specialized transmission method called "beamforming," that "greatly improves link robustness and wireless performance," according to Marvell, enabling seamless HD streaming in traditionally difficult spots, for instance. The new tech will also let you stretch out your wireless range by at least six times, while increasing the battery life of any connected device, to boot. The company expects the new technology to start arriving to products like set-top boxes, access points and "carrier-grade" HD by mid next year -- so you may want to put that messy wire-routing project on permanent hold.

Continue reading Marvell brings a gig to WiFi with new 802.11ac 4x4 system-on-chip

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Toshiba intros Excite 10 SE tablet with Android 4.1, available December 6th for $350

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/04/toshiba-excite-10-se-android-tablet/

Toshiba's been relatively quiet on the tablet front since announcing its Excite lineup back in April, but today the company's making a mild comeback with a hot-off-the-press, Jelly Bean-loaded slate. Aside from packing Android 4.1, though, the newly announced (although not exactly unknown) Excite 10 SE also boasts a 10.1-inch, AutoBrite HD (1280 x 800) display and NVIDIA'S Tegra 3 CPU -- all while weighing just shy of 23 ounces (22.6, to be exact) and measuring in at only 0.4 inches thick. Toshiba's making the Excite 10 SE available a couple of days from now, on December 6th, starting at a decent price of $350 with 16GB of internal storage -- at which point you'll be able to snag one from the source link below or at 'select' brick-and-mortar retailers.

Continue reading Toshiba intros Excite 10 SE tablet with Android 4.1, available December 6th for $350

Filed under: Tablets

Source: Toshiba

CyPhy Works reveals tethered flying bots that can spy on you indefinitely (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/04/cyphy-works-reveals-tethered-flying-bots-that-stay-aloft-forever/

A new venture from an iRobot co-founder called CyPhy Works has borne fruit in the form of two flying drones dedicated to surveillance duty. The first, called Ease, is a mere foot in diameter by 16-inches tall and can fly safely in tight spaces or through open windows or doors, thanks to its petite size and ducted rotors. It packs a pair of HD cameras along with a thermal imager and can stay aloft permanently, in theory, thanks to a microfilament tether attached to a ground station -- which also makes it impervious to weather, tracking and interception at the same time, according to CyPhy. The second drone, an insect-like quadrotor called Parc, is designed for higher flying missions thanks to its larger size and maximum 1,000-foot altitude. It also uses a tether and can stay aloft for 12-hours on a single ground-station battery, letting it spy from afar with on-board HD, night-vision and thermal cameras. The company's yet to take any orders, but thanks to investors and government grants, the snoopy little bots could be getting up into your business one day soon -- as creepily shown in the video after the break.

Continue reading CyPhy Works reveals tethered flying bots that can spy on you indefinitely (video)

Filed und! er: Robots

Via: Wired

Source: Cy Phi Works

Monday, December 03, 2012

Samsung's Curvy Projector Is More Pocketable Than the Galaxy SIII

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5965103/samsungs-curvy-projector-is-more-pocketable-than-the-galaxy-siii

Samsung's Curvy Projector Is More Pocketable Than the Galaxy SIII Designed to complement Samsung's Galaxy line of tablets and smartphones, the company's new EAD-R10 Mobile Beam Projector is curved like a handset, instead of the standard projector brick, so it more easily slips into your pocket. It's just too bad its specs harken back to pocket projectors from a few years ago.

With just 20 lumens of brightness and a resolution of 640 x 360 it's far from being on the bleeding edge of pico projector technology. But by using slightly older components the Beam ends up with a smaller form factor than the Galaxy SIII and a price tag of just $221. At launch the EAD-R10 appears to be a South Korean exclusive, but since it appears to be a nice alternative to a hefty projector-imbued phone, here's to hoping Samsung releases it elsewhere soon after.

Samsung's Curvy Projector Is More Pocketable Than the Galaxy SIII

[SAMMobile via SammyHub]

Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II now open to pleasures of the rooted kind

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/03/verizon-galaxy-note-ii-rooted/

Shame you can't do anything about that obnoxious home button branding, but thanks to the folks over at XDA you can now squeeze some root juice onto your VZW Samsung Galaxy Note II. As per usual with Sammy's Android devices, the process involves the use of Odin to flash an image before you can enjoy the perks. Do note however, the hackery only gives you superuser access -- there's no way to cram in a custom ROM just yet. Early users have reported a few issues, including busted mics, broken signal strength indicators and general slow-coach behavior, but it sounds like updates have now plugged most of those holes. You'll find the payload and instructions waiting at the source link -- just be careful not to orphan that S Pen.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, Verizon

Via: Pocketnow

Source: XDA Developers

Sharp reveals the LL-S201A: a 20-inch multi-touch and stylus-friendly display

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/03/sharp-ll-s201a-big-pad/

Sharp's continuing to push out new displays despite its well-documented financial troubles, and today it's got the LL-S201A model to show us. The 20-inch LED screen supports 10-point multi-touch input, and comes with a stylus which measures 2mm at the tip -- offering greater precision than finger-mimicking nibs of 6mm or more that Sharp says are normally used with capacitive panels. You can stick it on your desk in the standard monitor orientation, but design pros will want to lay it down, although they'll have to be working on a Windows machine (XP and up) as it's not compatible with Cupertino's OS. The 1,920 x 1,080 panel has a 3000:1 contrast ratio and 5ms gray-to-gray response time, and is fed from HDMI- and DisplayPort-ins -- complete with support for MHL on the former. It's due to launch in Japan on January 30th 2013 and, if it comes at a good price, could offer some strong competition to its stylus-friendly peers.

Filed under: Displays, Peripherals

Source: Sharp (1), (2)

Gmail 4.2.1 for Android adds easier resizing, swipe features and more

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/03/gmail-4-2-1-android/

That leaked Gmail APK we peeked at a month or so ago turned out to be right on the money. Google has just released version 4.2.1 of the Gmail app for Android, which does indeed add pinch-to-zoom on individual messages and swipe (left or right) to delete or archive. There are a couple of features we didn't see in the initial leak though, which are the ability to "auto-fit" a message to your phone's screen and a new thumbnail view of attached images -- you can then tap a thumbnail for a swipeable gallery. If still pictures aren't your bag, it's finally possible to attach phone-captured videos to an email as well. This version of Gmail is only available for phones with Android 4.0 or higher however, so older devices might be out of luck. If your device qualifies, you can download the new version of Gmail right now from the Google Play store.

Filed under: Internet, Google

Source: Gmail (G+), Gmail (Google Play)

Stratasys and Objet combine 3D printing / rapid prototyping powers, working on printing money

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/03/stratasys-and-objet/

Minnesota-based rapid manufacturing / rapid prototyping company Stratasys today announced that its has completed its merger with Iron Man / concert flute 3D printer, Objet. Combined, the new $3 billion company is home to the FDM, PolyJet and Solidscape Drop-on-Demand prototyping technologies. The companies have promised to "grow awareness of 3D printing for rapid prototyping and production." Hopefully that means we be getting a lot more of these things, as well.

Continue reading Stratasys and Objet combine 3D printing / rapid prototyping powers, working on printing money

DIY Shrimp Microcontroller Replicates an Arduino Uno at One-Fifth the Price

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5965010/diy-shrimp-microcontroller-replicates-an-arduino-uno-at-one+fifth-the-price

DIY Shrimp Microcontroller Replicates an Arduino Uno at One-Fifth the Price If you enjoy working with microprocessors such as the Arduino or Raspberry Pi and would like to host classes for 10 or more people, the $25-50 boards become expensive quickly. A UK-based electronics developer created a design for a board called the Shrimp that can replicate any of the functions of an Arduino Uno but rolling your own Shrimp can be done for less than five dollars each.

Full instructions with a parts and supplier list can be found at the source link below. That link also contains listings of workshops using the Shrimp microcontroller. Since it appears just like an Arduino Uno you can do any of the hundreds of projects for that board.

Seems like just the thing for a local makerspace.

The Shrimp | Shrimping.it via Hack-A-Day

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