a pocket-sized camera that I lust for (1 of 3) Casio Exilim EX-FC100 -- 1,000 fps super hi-speed shooting -- http://bit.ly/LBquN

MIT researchers weave "flexible camera" out of fiber web

We've see liquid camera lenses and cameras shaped like an eye, but a group of researchers from MIT's Department of Materials Science and Engineering are now taking things in yet another shape-shifting direction with a so-called "flexible camera" that uses a special fiber web instead of traditional lenses. Those fibers are each less than one millimeter in diameter, and are comprised of eight nested layers of light-detecting materials, which the researchers are able to form using an extrusion process like that used to make optical fiber for telecommunication applications. Once weaved into a fabric, the researchers say the "camera" could be anything from a foldable telescope to a soldier's uniform that gives them greater situational awareness. Of course, they aren't saying when that might happen, although they have apparently already been able to use the fiber web to take "a rudimentary picture of a smiley face."

Filed under: Digital Cameras

MIT researchers weave "flexible camera" out of fiber web originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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a pocket-sized camera that I lust for (2 of 3) Sigma DP2 FOVEON X3 (2,652 x 1,768 x 3 layers) RGB captured PER pixel - http://bit.ly/1VEwkl

Smaller social networks are losing even the few users they have... http://bit.ly/TZgen

ASUS U50VG announced, naming scheme remains impenetrable

Coming in today with no less than five new laptops -- the U50VG, K50AB, K70AB, K50IJ and F52Q -- the king of market segmentation is clearly still in good form. Announced in Italy today, the main attraction for Intel fans is the U50VG, which sports a 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo T6500 chip alongside 4GB of memory, 250GB storage, and a Geforce G 105M for a price of €943 or $1,320. A backlit chiclet keyboard, WiFi and a 16:9 display stretching to 15.6-inches fill out the spec sheet. The AMD-based AB variants are 15.6 (€793 / $1,107) and 17.3-inches (€868 / $1,212) respectively -- their main attraction being an ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 purring inside -- whereas the latter two models are targeted at the budget-conscious crowd. Click through for exhaustive specs and info on each model.

[Via Slashgear]

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS U50VG announced, naming scheme remains impenetrable originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: MSI's skinny X600 laptop gets handled

It's been a little while since we'd heard anything about the super-slim MSI X600 -- part of the X-Slim lineup they've unleashed upon the world. NewGadget's gotten their hands on one, and it's looking pretty sexy, we have to admit. We already know that there will supposedly be two offerings for this 15.6-incher -- one with a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Solo processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive, and the other with a 1.2GHz Intel Celeron processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. We still don't have official word on US release or pricing, but the video's after the break.

Continue reading Video: MSI's skinny X600 laptop gets handled

Filed under: Laptops

Video: MSI's skinny X600 laptop gets handled originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Black, White Or Combo

Veteran at YD, designer Mac Funamizu has given us many techie ideas to dwell on in the past. This time around he's come up with a non-techie solution for those who are fussy about the kinda pepper they use. There is a difference in the Black and White peppercorns, which is why this Black & White Peppermill. Color-coded as the namesake, just load the peppercorns into their respective compartments and use one hand to grind the seasoning over your food.

Grind Black, White or both together…..as per your taste! A cute little salt shaker in the center completes the spice family.

Designer: Mac Funamizu

Altoids Tin Catapult Will Make You Feel, and Act, 10 Years Old Again [DIY]

Here's an Instructables to bring back the obnoxious kid that lives not so far down in all of us: Learn how to turn one of those miniature Altoids tins into a tiny catapult. It'll be fun for nobody but you.

We like Instructables like this one because not everyone has a damn laser cutter lying around, and this one only requires materials you've likely got lying around anyway (coat hanger, rubber band, spoon, etc.). The creator promises it'll only take about 10 minutes, and we promise it'll be fun for at least 11. [Instructables]

F88 netbook stands out with HD playback, VIA Nano

What do we have here then? An OEM netbook, looking remarkably like a recent ASUS iteration, has come to our attention with some bold claims in tow. Spec'd with a 1.6GHz VIA Nano processor and S3 Chrome 9 graphics, this promises to be one of the most potent netbooks yet and backs up that claim with up to 4GB of memory and 500GB of storage. The major attraction of all this extra juice is full 1080p video playback, which is somewhat confounded by the 1024 x 600 resolution and 10.1-inch screen, but can be pumped out to an external display via HDMI. Expect this to be rebadged and hitting store shelves some time soonish, at which point we may consider the distinction between netbooks and laptops entirely academic.

[Via liliputing]

Filed under: Laptops

F88 netbook stands out with HD playback, VIA Nano originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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a pocket-sized camera that I lust for (1 of 3) Casio Exilim EX-FC100 -- 1,000 fps super hi-speed shooting -- http://ping.fm/2hyni

Location Finding With Google Maps Comes To Chrome and Firefox [Google]

If you are running Chrome 2.0+ or FireFox 3.5+ you will notice a dot in the upper left corner of Google Maps that should, theoretically, be able to locate your position using the W3C Geolocation API.

We have been around this block before with apps like Geode and Google Gears, but it has yet to catch on like it has with cellphones. Of course, all of this will change as more location-specific services are implemented. At any rate, give it a shot and let us know how accurate it is. It worked pretty well for me. [TechCrunch]

How to: Make a Fisheye DSLR Lens for $16 [DIY]

Over at Instructables, user Banjomaster shows how to make a fisheye lens for his Nikon D90 for just $16, with the help of one of those wide-angle doorway peephole lenses.

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.It looks like a pretty simple mod, both in materials required and construction method: It only needs a couple pieces of particle board, the aforementioned peephole lens, the spare lens shield that came with his camera, and of course some duct tape. The only possible caveat: The replacement wide-angle lens is significantly smaller than the camera's lens, so there's a circle around all of the shots. On the other hand, it's sort of cool; it makes everything look like you shot it through a hotel door. Check it out, we're sure it can be modified for other makes and models of DSLR. [Instructables]

Lenovo's IdeaPad S10-2 reviewed: great battery life, but more of the same

Lenovo's S10-2 was a minor update to the original S10 (to put things nicely), but that's not to say it's not worth a look for those in the market for a 10-inch netbook. Boasting a slightly thinner, more beautified frame, the S10-2 also includes a tweaked keyboard, optional 3G, an extra USB port and none of the quirks that plagued the first edition. The benchmarking fiends over at HotHardware managed to sneak one of these things into their labs for testing, and while they largely found the S10-2 to be about the same as every other N270 + GMA 950 netbook out there, the 5.5 hour battery life was definitely impressive. All told, the S10-2 was found to be solid from top to bottom, but the $350 price tag did feel a bit steep considering just how many alternatives are out there. Still, even with the positive vibes, it's hard to recommend buying a WinXP netbook now with Windows 7 (and thus, no hardware limitations) just around the bend. Tap the read link if you're jonesing for more.

Filed under: Laptops

Lenovo's IdeaPad S10-2 reviewed: great battery life, but more of the same originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint mandating WiFi on future smartphones, WLAN-lovin' BlackBerry Tour coming next year

By the time Sprint gets around to releasing the 9630 Tour with WiFi, due out sometime early next year, we think most everyone'll have moved on to any one of the numerous BlackBerry devices likely to hit in the interim. What's more important in this FierceWireless report is that Sprint's requiring WiFi "in all its major devices going forward" -- which should mean pretty much every smartphone that lands in its CDMA-loving mitts. Verizon Wireless, who along with Sprint is also launching the WLAN-less Tour this Sunday, said that the company's working with RIM to get WiFi into future BlackBerry, but didn't oblige us with any hopeful descriptors that'd help us understand just how strong of a push was being made. Frankly, smartphones without WiFi at this point is downright criminal, and with CDMA phones trailing behind their GSM counterparts in this category, kudos to Sprint for taking the initiative.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Filed under: Cellphones

Sprint mandating WiFi on future smartphones, WLAN-lovin' BlackBerry Tour coming next year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Silverlight 3 out of beta, joins forces with your GPU for HD streaming

A day earlier than expected, Microsoft has launched its third edition of Silverlight and its SDK. As Ars Technica notes, some of the bigger improvements on the user side are GPU hardware acceleration and new codec support including H.264, AAC, and MPEG-4. If you're looking to give it a spin, there's a Smooth Streaming demo available that, as the name suggests, does a pretty good job of streaming HD video with little stutter, even when skipping around. If you've got Firefox 2, Internet Explorer 6, Safari 3 or anything fresher, hit up the read link to get the update.

[Via Ars Technica]

Read - Download Page
Read - Smooth Streaming demo

Filed under: Internet, Software

Silverlight 3 out of beta, joins forces with your GPU for HD streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA's 40nm GeForce G210 and GeForce GT 220 desktop GPUs emerge

We can't say we're entirely shocked to see 'em, but a new pair of GPUs based on 40 nanometer process technology has surfaced over at NVIDIA's website. Both of the new devices are expected to be sold exclusively to large OEMs for integration into pre-configured machines, and they'll both support DirectX 10.1, OpenGL 3.0, and CUDA. The lower-end GeForce G210 arrives with a 589MHz core clock speed, 512MB of DDR2 RAM and a 64-bit memory interface; meanwhile, the GeForce GT 220 ups the ante with a 615MHz core clock rate, 1GB of GDDR3 RAM and a 128-bit memory interface. As for outputs, the former packs VGA, DisplayPort and DVI, while the latter sticks with VGA, HDMI and DVI. There's no word on when we'll seen them offered in any entry-level desktop rigs, but surely it won't be long now.

[Via SlashGear]

Read - GeForce G210
Read - GeForce GT 220

Filed under: Peripherals

NVIDIA's 40nm GeForce G210 and GeForce GT 220 desktop GPUs emerge originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you're just a feature, someone else will just add you -- and your raison d'être vanishes (you "tweet" your status in Facebook, LinkedIn)

The hardest thing to do in web 2.0 is ... http://ping.fm/ML2O9

Bing is bigger than twitter, digg, cnn? No, here's why -- http://ping.fm/4FTHJ

Nine Must-Have Features We Want to See in a Google OS [Google Chrome OS]

What's inside Google's just-announced Chrome Operating System? How does it work, exactly? Nobody outside Google knows. We can, however, build a dream operating system from the ground up, and that's what we're doing with some help from the hive mind.

We asked on Twitter what features users wanted to see in Google's Linux-based, web-focused operating system, due to be released in code later this year, then on sponsored netbooks in the second half of 2010. We've compiled nine must-have features that we'd like to see from Google's upcoming operating system here.

Speed, Speed, Speed

twitashu says,

"Well I'll be more than happy with a 10 sec. boot time. Also, Google should drive software companies to consider Linux seriously."

TomRittervg says,

"if they want me to care, it has to make me go "holy crap, THIS IS FAST"; just like did when I started using chrome"

There are two schools of thought on the boot-up speed wars—one being that, if you're going to work all day on a computer, a few more seconds at start-up don't really matter. The other idea, though, is exactly what Google's aiming at: the netbook as something you fire up, quickly jump on the net with, then suspend or shut down when you're done or moving again. If Google can recreate the relative speed of Chrome as a browser to Chrome as an operating system, it's definitely going to open more eyes.

Of course, it's not just about boot-up speeds. Regardless of how quickly an operating system boots up, what matters the majority of the time is how fast it works when you're actually using it. Google will probably be aiming for the sweet spot between kitchen sink functionality and fast, lightweight operation. We'd guess that the first few releases will be fairly barebones to keep things snappy.

Seamless Syncing of Your Browser and Desktop

Bittermormon9 says,

Browser with syncable bookmarks. Thats A+ #1!!

It is odd, isn't it? Despite the plethora of syncing services, there is still no viable bookmark synchronization service for any browser you want, whether on your phone or across desktops. Fixing this would go a long way toward demonstrating Google's commitment to openness—even in an OS named after their own browser.

We'd go even further and suggest syncing all over the place. For example, I want instant, no-brain-needed synchronization of files and cloud data—whether through a "G Drive" or Dropbox or my own server space—between my laptop, my browser access, and my Android phone (or, in my Happy Land fantasy on Lollipop Lane, any phone out there).
< /p>

Integrated Quicksilver/Quick Search Box

Friend of Lifehacker and Quicksilver/QSB developer Nicholas Jitkoff is one of the folks at Google working on Chrome OS, and we've heard that he plans on integrating something Quicksilver-like into the OS, so that's at least something that Quicksilver, Launchy, and Ubiquity geeks like us can get excited about.

Keyboard Shortcuts and Other Power-User Considerations

Apart from Quicksilver dreams, crazy keyboard shortcuts, along with all the small productivity pieces that power users love from their OS of choice, may not make all the difference to just anyone, but if you want to win over the Lifehacker crowd, your OS better be plentiful with shortcuts.

Support for All Kinds of Hardware

mpwalker says,

"I'd love to be able to load Chrome OS on my eight year old laptop and see it speed along. any chance of that?"

The Linux kernel that Chrome OS will run on is notably adaptive and swift on older processors with less memory. That said, compatibility with peripheral hardware like video cards, Bluetooth devices, and, especially, wireless networking gear, is the reason most clear-eyed Linux fans can't quite say it's ready for mass appeal, so it'll be interesting to see how Google navigates this terrain. It'd be great if Google could churn out a lightweight OS that would work well with aging hardware as well as cutting-edge netbooks.

Further Blurs the Line Between Web and Desktop

dmandle says,

"cloud storage (seamless) separately launchable webapps IE Fluid on OS X, fast standby/resume, ability to export settings to liveCD"

Wow, that's a mouthful (tweetful?). Fluid/Prism-like apps seem like a given, based on what we've seen in Chrome's built-in "application" powers, but it'd be nice to see web and desktop integration grow even stronger. Let me drag attachments into Gmail or access all of my apps whether I'm online or off. Last, we kind of think that live CD export is just a great idea.

An Eye for User Privacy

dpreacher says,

"must-have for chrome OS: no google snooping on me"

This will be the conversation that rises once the initial turbulence of "Google Trying to Kill Microsoft?" subsides. There will be license agreements and privacy disclosures, sure, but those concerned that Google's holding too much of their personal data now have to contend with an operating system where "most of the user experience takes place on the web." Let's hope for controls, placed somewhere accessible, that let one control just how much data is saved, collected, and reported.

In a similar vein, total encryption of passwords and user data (in the case of loss or theft, a la BitLocker/FileVault) would be great. We're particularly concerned about saved password encryption for web pages and (Wi-Fi) networks, and presumably so is Google.

Support for Current Linux Applications

jussinen says,

As it's built, Linux apps should work. Having wine in to allow windows apps would be nice. Running mac apps [would] be brilliant.

Linux apps can likely be made to work on Chrome OS, but many Linux apps work on just a choice distribution or two (these days, mostly Ubuntu and Fedora), then are painstakingly ported to meet other distributions' library/system/kernel requirements. Google has experience tweaking WINE to the needs of their apps like Google Earth and Picasa, and could potentially make it more accessible for Windows porting. As for the last bit: Sure Mac compatibility would be "brilliant," but also very unlikely.

Enterprise Friendly

johnwohn says

"must have? for enterprise use, must run Salesforce.com, Oracle, SAP, etc in browser with no hitches. Oh, and Google Apps."

A good question, and one we'd expect for any new platform. We'd assume that Google can't, or won't, rewrite their browser product to support proprietary protocols or handlers, but would hope that the increasing popularity of standards-compliant browsers will push enterprises down that road. It's not that sexy for general consumers, but it could make a huge difference in widespread adoption, especially if Google wants their OS to compete with Microsoft.

---

There's still plenty of room for discussion on the must-have features of a modern OS, so tell us what you'd like to see included, or stripped out, in the comments.

ASUS T91 Eee Tablet Hits Online Stores for $500 [Asus]

Ahh, that's more like it. Early reports of lofty British pricing had us worried that the ASUS T91 convertible tablet would sell for nearly $700; now, online retailers are listing the 8.9-inch touchscreen Eee at a much more reasonable $500.

Now bear in mind this is the single-touch, XP-based model that was shown back at CES, not the multitouch version that's been buzzed about as of late. In other words, it's a touchscreen netbook with a versatile hinge. The specs, according to BuyDig, include an Atom Z520 processor clocked at 1.33GHz, a 16GB SSD (plus 20GB of "Eee storage," which I assume to be an SD card is an ASUS online service), 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi. You could do worse on a tablet, spec-wise—and really, for $500, I'm not sure you could do better. [Portable Monkey via Slashgear]

Liquid Image video camera goggles get upgraded specs, Japanese release

Aloha, friends! Are you finding your beach holiday experience is missing that certain bit of techno je ne sais quoi? Maybe it's because your snorkeling exploits are going undocumented, in which case you may look to Liquid Image's newly unveiled UDCM310. An evolutionary improvement on the previous model, the new goggles feature a 5 megapixel CMOS sensor, software-free USB connectivity and the ability to record 720 x 480 video at 30 fps to a microSD card. Sure, it's not exactly overwhelming you with shooting options, but it also keeps your hands free for whatever underwater heroics you want to film.

[Via Akihabara News]

Filed under: Wearables

Liquid Image video camera goggles get upgraded specs, Japanese release originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Forrester: 6 in 10 marketers surveyed will increase interactive budgets by shifting funds from traditional media. Ummm, who knew?

You Guys, 12:34:56 7/8/9 Is a Once in a Lifetime… Oh, You Missed It [Science]

Once every hundred years, our time and calendar line up to make the amazing time of 12:34:56 7/8/9. And since this post went up exactly at that time, you totally missed it.

Nice work, jackass! You were probably doing something totally boring and didn't look at your watch right as that second passed. The rest of us, who were paying close attention, sort of half smiled and though "oh, neat" to ourselves before going back to work.

If you're desperate for that same feeling, there's always 04:05:06 07/08/09 later this afternoon.

Microsoft's Gazelle Browser Could Be the Google Chrome OS Competitor? [Browser]

That Google Chrome OS counter Microsoft was supposedly working on could be this Gazelle browser, which wants to treat the browser more like an OS.

The Gazelle prototype is supposed to do stuff like protect webapps from each other, and isolate different browser tabs (like Google Chrome does now and Firefox is going to do). It's one of the many, many research projects Microsoft has incubating, but might be the one that they trot out next week to show that they're still in the loop in terms of keeping up with Google.

What it won't do is replace IE—at least not in the short term. [CNET - Thanks tipsters!]

Image credit

External iPhone Mic Supposedly Gets 10x Better Audio 'Reception' [Microphone]

Brando's claiming 10x better audio reception on this external, swivelable iPhone microphone. Even if it doesn't get 10x better reception, it should get 2x better reception, which is worth $14 for most people. [Brando via Dvice]

Tornado Tower Looks Like a Cloud, Makes Its Own Energy [Architecture]

The Tornado Tower is a design for a performing arts center in Taipei, Taiwan, and man is it crazy. That huge bubble on top is where the theater sits, and the whole thing harnesses the wind for energy.

The entire exterior is covered with curved fins that generate wind energy while also making it look like a huge cloud. At least it would be, if it was selected as the winning entry in the contest to design the performing arts center. Which is wasn't. But still, it's a pretty stunning design. [Plus Mood via Inhabitat]

AnalogColor Ruins Quality Photos to Create Mock-Polaroid Results [Fauxlaroid]

For those who cared enough to be hurt at the death of Polaroid Instant Film but not enough to make it themselves, there's AnalogColor, which turns your crystal-clear photos into murky, nostalgic simulacrums of the classic format.

There's definitely other software that'll do this kind of thing, but AnalogColor lets you create faux-Polaroids by degrading your current photos in several different ways, including those fun streaks that resulted from light leaks. It's available for $10 on OS X and Windows. [Pentacom via Wired]

Video: Epson and 3M create the 0.3-mm spokesmodel, eating disorders skyrocket

The technology behind this display might not be new, but the approach to demonstrating it is absolutely captivating. Good thing too because the idea here is to combine Epson's rear-projection technology with 3M's 0.3-mm thin Vikuiti film to project talking avatars onto to shop windows in a bid to lure lusty nerd-boys and impressionable Cosmo-girls in for a closer look. Check it after the break courtesy of Impress.

Continue reading Video: Epson and 3M create the 0.3-mm spokesmodel, eating disorders skyrocket

Filed under: Displays

Video: Epson and 3M create the 0.3-mm spokesmodel, eating disorders skyrocket originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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