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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Huawei G520 outed as an inexpensive, quad-core smartphone for China

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/15/huawei-g520-smartphone/

Huawei put its best foot forward (twice) last week at CES, but it seems that the company has yet another smartphone up its sleeve: a 4.5-inch Android device known as the G520. According to Gizchina, the phone is said to wield a quad-core 1.2GHz Mediatek MT6589, but its key selling point will be the price -- it's said to be in the neighborhood of ￥1,399 ($225). The specific resolution of the G520 is currently known, and the same is true for the version of Android it'll ship with. That said, Ice Cream Sandwich seems most plausible, as the smartphone includes just 512MB of RAM. The Huawei G520 also includes a 5-megapixel rear camera and is said to go up for sale on January 21st within China. Hopefully by then, we'll know a bit more about this one.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Via: Unwired View

Source: Gizchina

China adds 51 million internet users in one year, mobile numbers increase by 18.1 percent

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/15/china-adds-51-million-internet-users-in-2012/

China's internet dealt with 564 million users during 2012, increasing its user base by 10 percent. Despite continued efforts to monitor residents and restrict access to subversive content, these substantial gains were apparently driven by mobile internet access, with the number of Chinese users tapping into the web from phones and tablets rising by 18.1 percent, now totaling 420 million. That's 75 percent of all internet users.

Filed under: Internet

Source: Yahoo News (AP)

Man Goes On 60-Day Juice Fast To Save His Life

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/joe-cross-fat-sick-and-nearly-dead-2013-1

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead

Australian businessman Joe Cross tipped the scale at 310 pounds when he realized he needed to regain control of his life. His solution? A 60-day juice fast.

To do this, the 40-year-old traveled halfway around the world to America, home to some of the the fattest people in the world.

See how Joe lost 90 pounds >

Under the supervision of a doctor, Joe drank his way across the country while interviewing Americans about their diet and attitudes toward food.

Joe's transformation and his quest to understand why people are electing to live an unhealthy lifestyle is chronicled in the film "Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead," released in 2010.

Following the film's success, Joe founded Reboot Your Life, a health and wellness company that helps people lose weight by teaching them how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their diets.

We downloaded the documentary on Netflix and have pulled out the highlights.

You can learn more about J! oe's per sonal journey on the official website.

This is Joe Cross. Joe hails from Australia where he is an entrepreneur and investor. Joe's poor eating habits over the last decade have made him fat and sick.

Watch the film here >

At 310 pounds — 100 pounds overweight — Joe is finally ready to take control of his life.

Watch the film here >

Joe has come to America, the fattest country in the developed world, to lose weight.

Watch the film here >

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Monday, January 14, 2013

What The iPhone 6 Will Need To Truly Impress Users (AAPL)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-projector-trick-2013-1

There's been a lot of talk lately about Apple losing its edge and being out-innovated by rivals like Samsung.

It's at the point now where it seems like nothing Apple does is good enough.

Reddit user Inspector-potatoeface hilariously points out what the next iPhone will have to do in order to truly satisfy users.

Check it out:

iphone 5 expectations

Don't Miss: The Story That's Killing Apple Today Is A Month Old >

Please follow SAI: Tools on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

New Lighting Could Replace Fluorescents, CFLs, and LEDs As The Light Source Of The Future

Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-12/new-kind-lighting-could-replace-fluorescents-cfls-and-leds-light-source-future

FIPEL Lighting Could Replace Fluorescents Ken Bennett, Wake Forest University photographer

FIPEL technology produces the soft, white light our eyes crave without that annoying fluorescent hum.

Like the desktop printer and the fax machine, the fluorescent overhead light might soon see a diminished role around the office. Researchers at Wake Forest University have developed a field-induced polymer elecroluminescent (FIPEL) lighting technology that silently gives off a soft, white glow, sans the annoying hum and yellow tint of fluorescent bulbs or the sharp, bluish hue of LED light fixtures.

FIPEL technology is by no means brand new, but turning it into a viable light source has taken some time. The Wake Forest team used a multi-layer white-emitting blend of polymers imbued with a small amount of nanomaterials that glow when stimulated with an electric charge. This nano-engineered polymer matrix is essentially a whole new type of light bulb, different from both the filament-filled Edison bulb and mercury-exciting fluorescent, as well as the LEDs and compact fluorescents (CFLs) that have been slowly replacing some traditional light sources in recent years.

Moreover, it is at least twice as efficient as CFLs (which are filled with hazardous materials that can leak into the environment if the bulb is broken--FIPELs are not) and roughly on par with LEDs, both of which emit light that is not quite suited to the human eye. And the FIPEL technology is tunable--it can be manufactured to give off the soft, white light human eyes prefer or to emit any other color, making it potentially useful for billboard lighting and other displays. Its form factor is even customizable--it can be molded into bulbs with Edison connections to fit existing fixtures, but also into large sheets or panels that could fit into ceiling tiles or wall spaces to provide lighting that is unobtrusively embedded in the spaces around us.

Perhaps best of all, FIPEL technology has been around for quite a while and is already well-understood, meaning two things: Firstly, we know the technology is long-lasting (one of the researchers has had a prototype FIPEL light source that he claims has worked for a decade), and secondly we already know how to produce it. This kind of FIPEL lighting could be on the consumer market as early as next year.

ClamCase Pro makes your iPad look like a thick MacBook Air

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/14/clamcase-pro-makes-your-ipad-look-like-a-thick-macbook-air/

When we reviewed the original ClamCase, we found a few flaws that kept it from being a homerun: a cramped keyboard, a mediocre plastic build and a cumbersome power switch. It was decent, but it could have been better. The peripheral's makers seemed to agree -- the ClamCase Pro addresses every single one of our original complaints. Although the Pro is still a double-jointed iPad Bluetooth Keyboard at heart, it now features a more widly spaced chicklet keyboard, aluminium and polycarbonate construction and automatic wake / sleep functions, to keep its battery life in check. Drop in your tablet, and the whole package looks a lot like something that might come straight from Cupertino. Groundbreaking? No, but it's always nice to see follow up product directly answer its predecessor's flaws. The ClamCase Pro is compatible with the iPad 2 and up, too -- so you won't have to worry about buying different versions for multiple generations. The asking price sits at $170 -- but the company will toss you a $20 discount if you "like" them on Zuckerberg's social network.

Filed under: Peripherals, Tablets

Source: ClamCase

Eliminate Touchscreen Lag From the Surface With This Tiny Hack

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5975689/eliminate-touchscreen-lag-from-the-surface-with-this-tiny-hack

Eliminate Touchscreen Lag From the Surface With This Tiny Hack Now that hackers have sunk their teeth well and truly into the Microsoft Surface RT, loads of things are being probed, including lag. Apparently, with a tiny registry edit, you can speed up the Surface RT no end and eliminate touch lag. Here's how.

Simply put, for some reason Microsoft's built in some lag or latency into the touch experience of the Surface RT, and you can nuke it with two simple registry edits.

As with all things registry and Windows, back up your shit first, OK? Then bust out the Registry Editor (hit the start screen and type "regedit"), find the key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\TouchPredict ion

Change "latency" from 8 to 2, and "sample time" from 8 to 2. Voila, your Surface should be faster. If all that was a bit much for you (why the hell are you messing with the registry, then?) you can download the required changes to inject into the registry automatically with a double click.

If you're a heavy user, you might notice some battery life decrease after the change, as the device is polling the screen a lot more, but considering the Surface RT has pretty decent battery life to start with, it's probably not an issue. Check out the full details of the hack over at the XDA forums. [XDA via TechRadar]

Our newest offspring Gizmodo UK is gobbling up the news in a different timezone, so check them out if you need another Giz fix.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

DIY Altoids Make âCuriously Strongâ Mints in Unique Flavor Combinations

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5975442/diy-altoids-make-curiously-strong-mints-in-unique-flavor-combinations

DIY Altoids Make âCuriously Strongâ Mints in Unique Flavor Combinations If you don't just buy Altoids for the tin you may want to consider making your own to experiment with flavors we'll probably never see in a mass produced product. If you already have flavoring or essentials oils and food coloring on hand the only specialty ingredient you need is gum paste, which is found in the cake decorating section of hobby shops or you can purchase it online for less than ten bucks.

Household DIY weblog One Good Thing By Jillee shares a simple recipe for curiously strong mints. Remove a piece of gum paste the size of an egg and knead it with your hand for a minute or two until it becomes pliable and then add any flavoring and/or food coloring you'd like (see the source link below for combinations and ideas) such as wild orange, raspberry, or pineapple. Continue kneading until the additions have been worked into the gum paste and then roll out the paste on a work surface covered in powdered sugar. You'll want it to be around one-eighth of an inch thick. To cut out the mints use a drinking straw to cut out little circles, toss the mints with a bit more powdered sugar to keep them from sticking together, and let them dry for 48 hours before putting them into a tin or other container.

I don't know about you but I'm now thinking about all kinds of crazy mint flavoring ideas such as root beer, wasabi, and mango.

Make Your Own "Curiously Strong Mints" | One Good Thing By Jillee

Mini-Aquaponics Setup Made from Ikea Parts

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5975473/mini+aquaponics-setup-made-from-ikea-parts

If you've ever wanted to try Aquaponics, growing fish, plants, and bacteria in a nearly-closed loop ecological system, you can get your feet wet by building a basic system using Ikea Antonius frame and wire baskets, two plastic bins, PVC pipe, and a submersible water pump.

You'll also need to create a bell siphon, which you can build from PVC components in the full instructions list from aquaponics store Japan Aquaponics's weblog. The structure of the system comes from assembling the Ikea frame as per the instructions and using the wire baskets to hold a 25-liter liter bin for the grow tray and the bottom 50-liter bin to house the fish. You'll then create a bell siphon from PVC parts or buy one from Amazon for $45, and assemble the plumping from PVC pipes. You can then add water to the tank and test out the operation of the system. If all is go you then add a growing medium such as perlite, lava rock, or river stones to the growbed and add fish and plant seeds.

For further instructions on making the system and on aquaponics in general check out the source link below. This seems like a great starter kit if you're interested in the subject and it's much more productive than most pet aquariums.

Indoor Aquaponics System Plans | Japan Aquaponics via Instructables

Samsung's 85-inch Ultra HD TV up for pre-order in Korea, priced at just $38k

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/13/samsung-s9-uhdtv-pre-order-korea/

At CES last week Samsung set a new benchmark in size with its 85-inch S9 that edged past the Ultra HD competition by one inch, and now it's setting a new high mark for price as well, at least in Korea. While we still don't have any US pricing or release details, the first 77 models encased in that "Timeless Gallery" frame are going up for pre-order, priced at 40,000,000 won ($37,877 US). Other than the obligatory 214cm of 4K goodness, it has built-in 2.2 channels speakers, quad-core CPU and Precision Black Pro LCD panel. We've heard that sales of Sony and LG's models have been surprisingly brisk despite their high prices so you may want to run, not walk to your local Korean high-end electronics retailer to get one first. Of course, if you wait, you can always snag the 95- or 110-inch model that are promised to ship later this year, albeit at similar prices. While you're deciding, check out our hands-on pictures and video to get an idea of what awaits.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

Source: Samsung Tomorrow (Flickr), Korean Newswire

Flipboard refresh supports Android 4.2's Daydream mode

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/13/flipboard-refresh-supports-android-4-2-daydream-mode/

Flipboard readers on Android have a little more reason to celebrate beyond just the recent addition of tablet support. A quick update this weekend lets the curated news reader hook into Android 4.2's Daydream mode: news covers can become part of a screensaver that automatically updates with the freshest stories while on WiFi. It's a simple tweak, but it may help Android users catch stories they would miss while their mobile devices sit idle. Hit the source link if you're not already on Flipboard's latest page.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

Via: Android Police

Source: Google Play

Saturday, January 12, 2013

TourWrist puts a twist on the photo sphere (hands-on video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/12/tourwrist-puts-a-twist-on-the-photo-sphere-hands-on-video/

You've heard of Instagram, right? Are you familiar with Microsoft's Photosynth and Google's Photo Sphere on Nexus phones and tablets? How about Apple's brilliant continuous-scan panorama mode on iOS devices? Well mash all this up and you get TourWrist, an app / social network for sharing photo spheres. The app started life as a social network for virtual tourism and gained one million users since launching in 2010. Here in Las Vegas, the company just launched the latest version of TourWrist with a focus on capturing photos spheres. Unlike Microsoft's and Google's approach, which stitches 360-degree images from discrete pictures, the app uses continuous-scan like Apple's panorama mode. The resulting photo spheres are truly impressive and look significantly better than the competition, especially when captured in tricky lighting conditions. All 360-degree images can be shared with other TourWrist users, Instagram-style, and with other social networks by linking to an HTML5-compatible viewer. Take a look at our gallery below and peek after the break for our hands-on video and sample photo sphere captured on site.

Gallery: TourWrist hands-on

Continue reading TourWrist puts a twist on the photo sphere (hands-on video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Microsoft, Google

Here's What Will Happen If We Don't Raise The Debt Ceiling

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/what-will-happen-if-we-dont-raise-debt-ceiling-2013-1

debt ceiling x date

The United States has already hit its debt ceiling--the legal limit of the amount of money it is allowed to borrow, as established by Congress.

Right now, the U.S. Treasury is resorting to "extraordinary measures" to keep paying the country's bills.

Sometime between February 15th and March 1st, the Bipartisan Policy Center projects, the Treasury's ability to use these "extraordinary measures" will end.

At that point, we will hit the "X-date."

On that date, if the debt ceiling has not been raised, the United States will begin to default on payments that it is legally obligated to make, payments that Congress has already promised that we will make.

The Treasury may have some ability to choose which payments to default on, and when to default on them, but the bottom line will be the same: The Treasury will only be able to pay about 60% of the bills that are owed.

In relatively short order, therefore, the United States will stiff about 40% of the people and companies it owes money to.

Importantly, this default is different from the "government shutdowns" that have happened from time to time (in the 1990s, for example). In those cases, Congress had yet to authorize government spending. This time, the spending has been authorized: Congress has already promised to pay these bills. This time, in other words, we will be choosing not to pay people and companies we have already promised to pay.

This has never happened before in the history of the United States.

That some representatives in our government say they are justified in making this happen now is reckless and scary. And the support that this vocal ! minority is getting suggests that some ordinary Americans don't understand what will happen if we don't raise the debt ceiling.

So, it is time for everyone to understand.

Below are some slides from a presentation prepared by Steve Bell, Loren Adler, Shai Akabas and Brian Collins of the Bipartisan Policy Center.

This game of chicken that one of our political parties is playing is no joke. To not raise the debt ceiling is to say that it is totally okay to stiff people and companies we owe money to--and, more importantly, to actually stiff them. This is astoundingly reckless and irresponsible behavior (not to mention illegal). And it will have a devastating impact on our country and economy.

The Bipartisan Policy Center looked at what will actually happen if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling...

Before we get to that, though, some background. We have already hit the debt ceiling. The Treasury is now using "extraordinary measures" to pay our bills.

Here are some of these "extraordinary measures," along with the cash they're freeing up.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Please follow Business Insider on Twitter and Facebook.

Friday, January 11, 2013

I Watched LG's Incredible 3D Video Wall Too Long, and Now I Can't Enjoy Real LIfe

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5975286/i-watched-lgs-incredible-3d-video-wall-too-long-and-now-i-cant-enjoy-real-life

Over the last few days, I've spent hours churning out posts in front of the "world's largest 3D video wall" at the back of LG's CES booth. Every neuron in my body is exhausted. I may never feel emotion again.

At CES, writers who don't have access to fancy trailers need to find a cozy spot to sit and write after scouring the show floor for new gadgets. I found my spot by the LG wall showing off the company's 3D Cinema technology almost immediately after the show floor opened—it beckoned me with the sound of a booming symphony.

The thing is massive—the takes up an entire floor-to-ceiling wall of LG's booth at CES. Maybe a story tall. I don't know, I'm bad at estimating but it was tall and wide. The screen is made up of an endless number of panels, each of which could be a big screen TV in your house. The wall itself, could be the broadside of a suburban mansion.

I put on the 3D glasses LG provided, and I was blown away at how the objects exploded off the screen. For days, I watched thousands of people stare at the screen in disbelief as they'd reach out to grab the objects that seemed to float in front of their faces.

But whereas everyone else walked away, I just stayed there. And now, the drab colors and non-epic sound sound of real life bore me. I just incepted a cooler world into my brain. I will never be free. Thanks a lot, CES.

Samsung's 55-inch OLED 3D HDTV eyes-on: one set, multiple views

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/11/samsungs-55-inch-oled-3d-hdtv-eyes-on-one-set-multiple-views/

Look closely at the image above. See that clear portion depicting a food fight? That's coming through the right lens of dedicated eyewear made specifically for Samsung's 55-inch OLED Multi-View HDTV. The sleek, silver-trimmed 1080p set, recently unveiled at CES 2013, utilizes a quad-core processor and 240Hz refresh rate to send specific "firing patterns" to a user's eyewear that's then filtered out by swapping the input control (A /B) located above the left ear. The actual 3D effect varies from an artificial seeming emphasis on layers of depth, to the more traditional, and quite impressive, "in your face" immersive experience. Multiple input configurations are also possible, allowing users in the same room to watch either two separate 3D images, one 3D plus two 2D images or four 2D images simultaneously. So, basically, you can keep playing your PS3 while a loved one watches Homeland.

The 55-inch set also comes equipped with an inbuilt webcam that's tucked just behind the top front panel and supports Samsung's Smart Hub. Pricing hasn't been made known at this time, but you should see the Multi-View set hit retail sometime mid-July 2013.

Gallery: Samsung 55-inch OLED 3D HDTV eyes-on

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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