Displaced by XP, Sugar Labs goes it alone

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/291650274/

Filed under: Laptops

While OLPC tries to wise up to the real demands of the market and build a cheap laptop that people actually want -- which means Windows XP for most -- Walter Bender, OLPC's former president of software and content for the project is taking his open source Linux-based Sugar OS and has started up a new non-profit to aid its development. Bender still has the vision of an open source learning OS, and plans to give Sugar full support for other low-cost platforms like the Eee PC. Ooh, burn.

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Mtron says its Pro 7500 is the fastest SSD around

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/291341172/

Filed under: Storage

We've had a little love affair going on with storage vendor Mtron ever since we saw that "battleship" SSD RAID array, and it looks like the company is after our hearts once again, this time with the Pro 7500 series of SSDs, which it says are the fastest around. That's really only half-true -- while the 120MB/s write speed is definitely the fastest we've seen, the 130MB/s read speed is the same those Greenhouse's DH-SSDGD drives we just saw a couple days ago. Still, that's mighty fast -- too bad these are probably going to be priced into the stratosphere like Mtron's other SSDs.

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Samsung's 12.1-inch OLED laptop concept makes us swoon

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/291466023/

Filed under: Displays, Laptops

As much as we would loath typing on that touch-sensitive, rigid keyboard, we're definitely geek-smitten by this ultra-thin, AMOLED laptop concept from Samsung SDI -- Sammy's display division. 12.1-inches and 1,280 x 768 resolution with infinite contrast? We'll take two... just as soon as someone can explain the extra panel around back. With Samsung projecting 14- to 15.4-inch OLED laptops in 2009, this might come sooner than you think.

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A Watch For The Extrovert

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/yankodesign/~3/290249007/

Inspired by HR Giger’s amorphous designs, the Draught Watch carries the idea of symbiosis by proposing the watch and the wearer are one. The design is a bit outside the box but nothing is ever too weird for us extroverts.

Designer: Benjamin Wysk

Benjamin Wysk

Pour some light wine

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/yankodesign/~3/290307519/

A standard wine glass is one of the more beautiful shapes in our world. This vessel’s simple elegance is only rivaled by the complexity of the content it was designed to hold. Sharing a glass of wine is one of the more intimate and bonding experiences anyone can enjoy and this lamp design by mmckenna is an unprecedented way to add a little more ambiance to any evening. This cordless lamp, dubbed “Betty Lou” can be placed on most any wine glass and is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and lit by very efficient LEDs. Both are managed by proprietary circuitry which monitors the battery’s charge state, checks for short circuits, and maintains consistent brightness. Heat generated by the LED is efficiently dissipated over the surface of the anodized aluminum handle. BettyLou is engineered for optimum light output by a lens and reflector creating a warm even glow.

Designer: mmckenna Studio

mmckenna Studio

Google Now Maps Real Estate Listings [Real Estate Search]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/289906472/google-now-maps-real-estate-listings

Google Maps now makes it easy to check out real estate listings in a certain area: click on the "Show search options" link next to the Search Maps button, and choose "Real Estate" from the drop down. Your search will map homes for sale, with photos and prices. Search blog Google Operating System reports that the results come from real estate site feeds, not Google Base. You can also refine your search by price, number of bathrooms and bedrooms. Looks like Google Maps is giving Zillow a run for its money, though Zillow offers home valuations for property that's not necessarily for sale.

Google Maps Adds Real Estate Search [Google Operating System]

3M's Mini-Projector Mystery Company Turns Out To Be Samsung [Projectors]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/289696570/3ms-mini+projector-mystery-company-turns-out-to-be-samsung

Back in March we learned that 3M would partner with a "leading consumer electronics company" in an attempt to be the first to market with a mini mobile projector. After months of speculation, 3M's CEO George Buckley has revealed that the mystery company in question will be Samsung. He also revealed that the price point for the device would be between $200-$400, which is $100 less on the low end than the previous estimate.

We also know that 3M is still planning on launching the device later this year, but it is unclear whether or not this device would be available as a stand-alone product or whether it will be integrated in Samsung devices. Although, given the interest in applying this technology to cellphones, integration into Samsung products seems likely. [Twin Cities via About Projectors]

The Top 5 Android Developer Challenge Round 1 Winners [Android]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/289696569/the-top-5-android-developer-challenge-round-1-winners

Round 1 of the Android Developer Challenge has come to a close and 46 of the 50 winners have been made public (the remaining four opted not to disclose their work). For your convenience, we dug through the winners and picked five of the apps we think might be in the mix for that sweet $275,000 prize in the final round.

Android Scan discovers pricing and metadata for any product with a barcode. After a code is scanned automatically into the phone using the camera, you can get images of CDs, DVDs or book covers along with detailed reviews on Amazon. It will also display a list of stores nearby that offer the product, links to online storefronts, online music sample tracks and local library searches. [Android Scan]

Breadcrumbz Allows users to navigate and record a route using images instead of a map. The goal is to develop a community around the app where users can share geo-content. [Breadcrumbz]

Pocket Journey "connects your location to the voices of a global community of artists, historians, architects, musicians, comedians and others so you can quickly know everything about anywhere." The app will rely on a community to provide in-depth information about a particular area for tourists or locals looking to explore. [Pocket Journey]

GolfPlay may be more of a niche offering, but it is a big niche, and if you have ever played the game you know that any help you can get is more than welcome. The app is intended to offer golfers support for real-time necessities like GPS locations, game statistics and weather information. [GolfPlay]

Commandro is an elaborate social networking app that allows users to communicate with a network of friends and coordinate and plan activities. [Commandro]

For the complete list, check out the following links: [Phandroid and Android Blog]

Samsung Develops New 'Blue Phase' LCD Panel for TVs [Samsung]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/290062969/samsung-develops-new-blue-phase-lcd-panel-for-tvs

Samsung has developed a new technology for LCD panels called Blue Phase, which it claims improves picture quality on its high-end LCD TVs. Called Blue Phase, the cost-efficient design eschews liquid crystal alignment layers, instead making its own, bringing production costs down. Current video image quality is driven at 120Hz, but the new technology will effectively double that to 240Hz. A 15-inch model will be unveiled in LA next week, and Samsung expects mass production to begin in 2011. Full press release below.

Samsung Develops World's First "Blue Phase" Technology to Achieve 240 Hz Driving Speed for High-Speed Video Seoul, Korea - May 14, 2008- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world's largest provider of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panels announced today that it has developed the world's first "Blue Phase" LCD panel - which will offer more natural moving images with an unprecedented image-driving speed of 240 Hertz. Samsung is planning to unveil a 15" model of its Blue Phase LCD panel at the SID (Society for Information Display) 2008 international Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition, which will be held in Los Angeles from May 18 to 23. Executive Vice President Souk Jun-hyung, the head of LCD Business' Display R&D Center, said that "Our Blue Phase mode is a major evolutionary development beyond conventional liquid crystal modes. Samsung's development of the technology provides a tremendous opportunity to move image quality of LCD screens much closer to that of a real moving image." Developed with an extremely cost-efficient design, Samsung's Blue Phase mode does not require liquid crystal alignment layers, unlike today's most widely used LCD modes such as Twisted Nematic, In-Plane Switching or Vertical Alignment,. This new Blue Phase mode can make its own alignment layers, eliminating the need any mechanical alignment and rubbing processes. This reduces the number of required fabrication processes, resulting in considerably savings on production costs. Additionally, Blue Phase panels will reduce the possibility of bruising the LCD panel interface whereby pressure on the screen can impair uniform brightness. Overdrive circuits are currently applied to each LCD panel to improve the video image quality in premium LCD TVs, which are driven at 120Hz. The Blue Phase mode features a superior response rate, allowing images to be reproduced at 240Hz or higher without the need for any overdrive circuit. The term "Blue Phase" was coined when the technology's developers observed bluish! hues wh ile watching their new liquid crystal mode in operation. Since many academic and corporate institutions researched this new liquid crystal mode, Samsung has become the first to unveil a commercially viable product prototype using the "Blue Phase" technology. Samsung expects to begin mass producing its Blue Phase LCD in 2011. The LCD panels will be mainly used in TVs that require high-speed video reproduction.

[Via Press Release and Akihabara News]

Microsoft intros the VX-5000 and VX-500 LifeCams, LX-2000 headset

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/289454115/

Filed under: Peripherals

Microsoft really wants you to do some video conferencing, okay? Why else would they release the LifeCam VX-5000 and VX-500 webcams? Apparently gunning for some of that juicy video-chat market, the boys and girls in Redmond have introduced two models sure to find a home perched atop any monitor. Both cams sport VGA resolution and play nice with Windows Live Messenger -- we assume they're USB 2.0 devices, but Microsoft doesn't seem to want to tell us. The company is also releasing a headset, the LifeChat LX-2000. The VX-5000 will be available in June for $49.95, while the VX-500 and LX-2000 hit shelves this month for $16.95 and $29.95, respectively.

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