FreedomPop brings free wireless internet to the home with Hub Burst modem and router

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/12/freedompop-hub-burst-free-wireless-internet/

If you happen to live in an area that's served by Clearwire's WiMAX network, then you may be interested to learn of a new home internet service that's very aggressive on the pricing front. FreedomPop has announced a free broadband service that'll offer 1GB of data consumption per month. Not to stop there, heavier users can sign up for a $9.99 monthly subscription that provides 10GB of data usage, or take advantage of a pay-as-you-go option that costs $0.005 per megabyte ($5/GB). Also of note, free users will be able to earn additional data by engaging friends and participating in promotions.

FreedomPop's service will launch in conjunction with the Hub Burst, a 4G modem and router that costs $89, which is available for pre-order now and is set to ship next month. The Hub Burst offers two Ethernet jacks -- useful for your desktop or home entertainment setup -- along with support for 802.11b/g/n (WiFi). While WiMAX is a bit pokey by modern standards, if you're looking to lighten your monthly bills, this alternative to Clear and NetZero may be the ticket, indeed.

Continue reading FreedomPop brings free wireless internet to the home with Hub Burst modem and router

Filed under: Wireless, Internet, Mobile

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Source: FreedomPop

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Flickr for iOS gets a major overhaul, we go hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/12/flickr-for-ios-hands-on/

Just like Marissa Mayer promised, Yahoo has revamped its Flickr app for iOS to bring it back in line with the oh-so-social modern era. Whereas the Android app was updated back in August, the iPhone version has had only minor improvements over the last few years and was starting to look seriously dusty compared to the competition. In terms of individual features, the new app doesn't do much that various other third-party apps can't do already, but it does bunch them all into one polished package that is happy to work across multiple networks. In addition to Flickr, for instance, you can readily share your snaps with Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. You might also dig the camera app, which separates exposure and focus points to give you more creative control over your images -- and yes, there are the obligatory filters too. The app is live on the App Store right now, but check out our brief hands-on after the break for a preview of its strong points.

Gallery: Flickr app for iOS screenshots

Continue reading Flickr for iOS gets a major overhaul, we go hands-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Internet, Software, Mobile

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Oppo launches Find 5, touts 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core and 13MP camera

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/12/oppo-find-5-launch/

At last, the wait is over for Oppo's latest flagship device. Launched in Beijing earlier, the Find 5 comes with pretty much all the top ingredients in the current market -- many of which had been teased by the company multiple times already: 5-inch 1080p display, Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 chip with 2GB RAM, a 2,500mAh battery and Android 4.1.2. There's also NFC, and on top of that, the Find 5 comes with a special version of Sina Weibo that uses the phone's NFC to let users instantly follow each other. The 13-megapixel, 5fps camera on the back isn't just about numbers, as it also packs fast hardware-enabled HDR for both photos and video! Oppo claims it's the first in the mobile industry to carry this awesome feature. Additionally, the main camera can capture slow motion of up to 120fps, though it isn't clear whether the resolution is reduced to achieve this. On the other side of the device there's also a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera, which beats most phones these days. Audio-wise the Find 5 features Dirac HD, a technology that's embraced by the likes of BMW, Bentley, Rolls Royce and Datasat; making Oppo the first mobile phone brand to join the party. The included earphones are fine-tuned for Dirac, naturally.

Alas, much like the Droid DNA, this Chinese superphone also suffers from the lack of microSD expansion, so users may struggle to fully appreciate the 441ppi screen with just 16GB of built-in storage. As for pricing, we already know that the US will offer the Find 5 for $499, and luckily, it'll just ¥2,998 or about $480 in China, but it'll be about a month before the phone reaches its various markets, including the US. Stay tuned for our hands-on, and there's also a press release after the break for the time being.

Update: Our hands-on is up!

Gallery: Oppo Find 5 product shots

Gallery: Oppo Find 5 launch event

Continue reading Oppo launches Find 5, touts 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core and 13MP camera

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Oppo

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Oppo Find 5 hands-on (updated with video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/12/oppo-find-5-hands-on/

Being our first time at an Oppo launch event, we were truly blown away by the efforts put into the quality show. And luckily, we can say the same for the phone itself. The Find 5 uses the same gorgeous five-inch 1080p screen as HTC's Droid DNA and Butterfly, but what really blew us away was the new phone's solid build quality -- a huge improvement from the older Finder we brought along, though the latter did achieve a 6.65mm thickness, whereas the new one comes in at 8.8mm thick. The Find 5's shape and feel also reminded us of Sony's Xperia S. It'll be about a month before Oppo pushes its new phone into various markets, so it'll be awhile before we get a review unit to test the various features. For now, enjoy our hands-on photos below.

Update: Check out our hands-on video after the break!

Gallery: Oppo Find 5 hands-on

Continue reading Oppo Find 5 hands-on (updated with video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Acer outs C710-2605 Chromebook, 500GB HDD, 4GB RAM, 100GB Google Drive for two years

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/12/acer-c710-2605-chromebook-/

When we tried out Acer's C7 Chromebook, we liked the price, but some aspects of the build let it down. Now, the firm's updated the line with a new model -- the C710-2605. This time the price goes up to $299, but for your money you get twice the RAM (4GB) a bigger hard drive (500GB) as well as an improved battery (now 5,000 mAh). The form factor remains the same -- at 11.6 inches -- along with the same 1,366 x 768 display and 1.10GHz Celeron chip as before. Other features include WiFi in a/b/g and n flavours, a built in webcam, three USB ports, HDMI, VGA and Ethernet LAN. Of course, Chrome OS was designed for the cloud, so you'll get 100GB of Google Drive storage for two years thrown into the deal as well. Surprised by the stealth release? So were we, but the good news is, it looks like you can pick one up right away for the afore mentioned asking price, just head on over to the source.

Filed under: Laptops, Google, Acer

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Via: SlashGear

Source: Acer

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Intel's Penwell mobile processor given a close inspection, stuffs a lot into a little space

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/11/intel-penwell-mobile-chip-given-a-close-inspection/

If you're one of those who took the leap into a first wave of Intel-based smartphones like the RAZR i, you're likely the sort to wonder exactly what makes them tick. SemiAccurate certainly does: it just posted some previously inaccessible diagrams that help reveal how Medfield's system-on-a-chip heart, Penwell, is mapped out. As a die shot shows, the Atom core is seemingly the least important part of the design -- the PowerVR SGX 540 graphics, camera processing and input-output interfaces dominate the crowded silicon. Between this dense, all-in-one design and stacking up to 2GB of RAM directly on top, Penwell occupies about 17 percent less space than its Moorestown ancestor and helps explain why we're looking at Atom-powered phones instead of another round of MIDs. We wouldn't get too comfortable with the current generation, though, as Intel is gradually warming up 22-nanometer chips that could make Penwell seem old hat.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Intel

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Source: SemiAccurate

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The Arduino Esplora Is the Perfect Beginner Arduino, No Electronics Experience Required

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5967141/the-arduino-esplora-is-an-open-source-controller-packed-with-inputs-for-all-your-arduino-projects

One of the most difficult parts of any Arduino project is coming up with a way to actually interact with your creations. The Arduino Esplora is a new device that remedies that, and works as an open source controller for all types of projects.

At a glance, the Esplora looks just like a game controller, but it can be used for a wide variety of means. It has a built-in joystick, four buttons, a light sensor, slider, microphone, temperature sensor, and an accelerometer. It also connects easily with a USB cable, and works essentially like a keyboard or mouse input on your computer. As you'd expect, the Esplora launches with a library of code to get you started. The Esplora certainly looks like a game controller, but since it's the only Arduino that comes with a bunch of different input options it's also a great way to get started with Arduino without worrying about soldering or breadboards.

Arduino Esplora ($58) | Arduino

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Intel's Atom S1200 lays claim to title of world's first 6-watt server-class processor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/11/intel-atom-s1200-server-data-centers/

We often hear talk about the most powerful servers and supercomputers, but the most power-efficient are just as important. On that latter front, Intel has today announced what it claims is the world's first 6-watt server-class processor, the Atom S1200. That's a 64-bit system-on-a-chip designed for use in data centers, and it comes in three variants ranging from 1.6GHz to 2.0GHz, each of which support up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, eight lanes of PCI Express 2.0, and all the basic features an x86-based data center requires. Not surprisingly, going the Atom route also entails a relatively low up-front cost, with the processors starting at just $54 in quantities of 1,000. And Intel is naturally promising even bigger advances in energy efficieny for the future, including a "leap further ahead" in 2014 when it moves to 14nm manufacturing for low-power Xeon processors, and Atoms after that.

Continue reading Intel's Atom S1200 lays claim to title of world's first 6-watt server-class processor

Filed under: Misc, Intel

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Source: Intel

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Mozilla launches Firefox OS Simulator 1.0 into the wild, alongside per-window private browsing for nightlies

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/11/mozilla-firefox-os-simulator-download-private-browsing/

We knew it was en route, and now developers anxious to try out potential apps for Firefox OS can finally get to cracking without the need to source any additional hardware. The 1.0 build of the Firefox OS Simulator enables devs to test their programs for the outfit's new mobile OS without having to find a compatible phone. Mozilla's calling this a "preview" for now -- given that Firefox OS itself is still in development -- but it's still an exciting launch for those who've been waiting patiently to get their code dirty. Moreover, the company is bringing per-window private browsing to Firefox, though it's being reserved for the experimental Nightly versions of Firefox until it's stable enough to hit the release channels. Head on over to the source links for more, or pop past the break for a video demonstration.

Continue reading Mozilla launches Firefox OS Simulator 1.0 into the wild, alongside per-window private browsing for nightlies

Filed under: Internet, Mobile

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Mozilla (1), (2)

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Allwinner throws A20 dual-core and A31-quad-core processors into ARM fray

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/11/Allwinner-A20-A31-ARM-cortex-a7-processors/

Whimsically monikered Chinese chip-maker Allwinner has added a pair of ARM Cortex-A7 processors to its lineup supporting Android 4.2 or higher systems. The A20 is a dual-core design with 512KB L2 cache, dual-core Mali 400 graphics and 2160p HD video playback support, while the quad-core A31 packs a 1MB cache, PowerVR SGX 544 graphics and UHDTV (4k) video decoding talents. The A20 is pin compatible with its Linux-hobbyist favorite sibling, the A10 -- meaning devices such as the MK802 mini-PC using that chip could likely be upgraded by manufacturers on the cheap. However, the more powerful A31 seems destined for higher-end Android or Windows RT devices only, considering its beefier PowerVR graphics. On top of the extra zip, licensor Imagination Technologies keeps its source code cards close to the chest -- likely ruling out Linux for that chip.

Filed under: Misc, Tablets

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Via: TG Daily

Source: Allwinner (translated)

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Toshiba goes perpendicular to solve MRAM's power issues, rethink cache memory

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/10/toshiba-goes-perpendicular-to-solve-mram-power-issues/

As much of a breakthrough as magnetoresistive RAM might be for its ability to retain data while powered off, its susceptibility to leak currents while turned on has made it impractical as a replacement for cache-oriented memory like SRAM. Toshiba's new approach could almost literally turn the situation on its head. By magnetizing spin torque MRAM (ST-MRAM) in a direction perpendicular to the magnetic layer, Toshiba cuts off the avenues for leaks without sacrificing speed. The switch away from in-plane magnetization is an upside for the memory as a whole -- it shrinks normally large elements to below 30 nanometers and cuts the overall power draw of MRAM by about 90 percent. While there's no timetable for when we'll see such cache in a shipping product, Toshiba expects it to reach mobile processors, where even slight power savings can make a big difference. If our next smartphone or tablet survives that much longer on battery through memory we can't even see, we'll know who to thank.

Continue reading Toshiba goes perpendicular to solve MRAM's power issues, rethink cache memory

Filed under: Storage, Mobile

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Via: MRAM-Info

Source: Toshiba

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Intel talks up work on 22nm SoCs with Tri-Gate tech geared for mobile devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/10/intel-working-on-22nm-socs-tri-gate/

Now that Ivy Bridge processors with Tri-Gate tech are in the wild humming away inside PCs, Intel's used the 2012 International Electron Devices Meeting to discuss its work on SoCs that also use the 22-nanometer 3D transistor tech. The processor giant didn't rattle off much in the way of specs or name the product lines that'll make use of the mobile-centric silicon, but it expects the hardware to handily outperform its 32-nanometer SoCs by 20 percent to 65 percent. Ballpark estimates on price are also MIA, so it's still unclear how the folks in Santa Clara will fare against ARM-based solutions with the new chips under their belts. In any case, Intel anticipates the fresh components will find their way into smartphones and tablets once they're ready to roll.

[Image credit: huangjiahui, Flickr]

Filed under: Intel

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Via: CNET

Source: The Wall Street Journal

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How To Tell When Gmail Is Back Online For Good (GOOG)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-tell-when-gmail-is-back-online-for-good-2012-12

Google acknowledged today that several services, most notably Gmail, experienced outages.

So far, it looks like Gmail is coming back for a lot of people, but some are still having trouble using the chat feature and other basic functions. 

Google has a very handy chart that shows what services are currently operational. You can get the latest updates using the official Apps Status Dashboard. Green means you're good to go. Gmail is still listed as "orange" as of this writing.

Here's what it looks like:

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This Custom Datacenter Rack Has 160 Mac Minis Crammed Inside of It

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5967189/this-custom-datacenter-rack-has-160-mac-minis-crammed-inside-of-it

If you're hankering for an Xserve, you've been out of luck since 2011. But there's always an alternative. You can make your own by squeezing a whole 160 Mac Minis into a custom rack, for instance. That's what a fellow named Steve did, and the results are staggering.

Working with a vendor to get some custom shelving, Steve got his hands on 40 special 1U shelves that hold 4 Minis each. Of course, that wasn't the only challenge. Each Mini had to be fit with a special plastic insert to insure it wasn't drawing intake air from the 159 other Minis' exhaust ports, and the door of the rack was fitted with four car radiator fans, all hooked up to a 40A DC motor controller.

The result is this impressive—if crowded—tower of power, packing some 640 cores, double the amount of the 40 Xserve setup it's replacing. While Steve's reluctant to say who he works for, he's stated on his blog that the monster is part of a huge server farm, building and testing software 24/7. How's that for a Mac hack? [Steve's Blog via Hackaday via 9to5Mac]

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Researchers devise contact lens with built-in LCD (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/10/researchers-contact-lens-lcd-display/

Another day, another step towards technologically tricked out contact lenses. The latest development comes from researchers at the Centre of Microsystems Technology at Ghent University, who've developed a prototype lens with an embedded, spherical curved LCD that isn't limited to a paltry amount of pixels. As opposed to LED-based solutions which could only muster a few pixels, the newly-developed screen can pack enough to display graphics that cover a contact. In its current form, the display can show simple patterns, and demonstrates the technology with a simple dollar sign. What appears on the lens wouldn't be visible to folks who wear it, however, since eyes can't focus at such a close range. Despite the limitation, researchers are tying to tackle the focusing issue and are assessing the feasibility of a version that would effectively act as a heads-up display. In the future, the tech could be leveraged for medical purposes, such as controlling light transmission to the retina when the iris is damaged, cosmetic uses and -- you guessed it -- HUDs. With the technol! ogy's fo undation established, it's expected that real-world applications are potentially a few of years away. Hit the jump to catch a video of the tech in action.

Continue reading Researchers devise contact lens with built-in LCD (video)

Filed under: Science, Alt

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Via: Liliputing

Source: Imec

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