HP's Pine Trail-Equipped Mini 210 HD and Friends Leak Before CES [NetBooks]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/loW1MNfY3fI/hps-pine-trail+equipped-mini-210-hd-and-friends-leak-before-ces

With CES only a week away, photos and incomplete specs for 8 new machines from HP have leaked, including an upgraded Mini 210 HD netbook now touting a N450 Pine Trail processor.

The HP Mini 210 HD, to be officially announced next week, boasts a 1.66GHz N450 Atom CPU and GMA 3150 graphics. The N450 is half as small as and nearly 20% more efficient than its predecessor. The HD designation will likely come courtesy of Broadcom's Crystal HD video chip.

The netbook will be available in Sonoma Red, Solid Black, Silver Crystal or Pacific Blue and is expected to ship for $330 next week after its official announcement at CES. [Logic Buy via Engadget]

Google and HTC Working On a Chrome OS Tablet [Tablets]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/vncWUZhZt4s/google-and-htc-working-on-a-chrome-os-tablet

Everyone is clamoring about tablets these days—ourselves included—so it's not too surprising that Google and HTC are set to join the fray. They are reportedly working together on a Chrome OS Google Tablet.

Smarthouse, an Australian publication, reports that HTC and Google have been collaborating "for the past 18 months" and have produced "several working models of a touch tablet," including one outfitted with Google's Chrome OS. We wrote why a Google Tablet would be a good idea last month, and with the Apple Tablet discussion reaching a fever pitch, it's harder and harder to get excited about a Chrome OS netbook from Google.

Having collaborated on the Nexus One, a smart phone that impressed us with its design as well as its hardware, HTC and Google partnering on a tablet seems like a promising prospect. But will it "compete head on" with Apple's tablet as Smarthouse claims? Probably not.

From what we know, it seems like Apple is putting as much effort into their tablet's content as they are into the gadget itself. We've written extensively on how an Apple tablet could redefine newspapers, textbooks, and magazines. In the last case, we've already salivated, more than once, over concepts for how magazines might evolve in a multi-touch future. Add that to Apple's recent acquisition of Lala, a move that likely points to a cloud-based future for iTunes, and the reports that Apple is trying to secure TV show subscription packages for the iTunes store. Admittedly, not a whole lot is certain about Apple's tablet. But you start looking at all of those pieces and how they might fit together around one device, you can easily envision a gadget that is focused on streaming the stuff you read, the stuff you listen to, and the stuff you watch.

It's hard to foresee a future in which a Google Tablet tries to go head to head with Apple on the content level. That's not to say, however, that there aren't some compelling things that could be offered by a Google tablet. As the launch of Google's Chrome OS made clear, they're looking toward a future with a multitude of devices that can access the Internet quickly, cleanly, and cheaply. A Google Tablet could be just the thing to realize all of those goals. When we tried out the JooJoo tablet, we saw how a well-designed tablet for consuming web content could provide an engaging experience. A Chrome OS tablet by Google would likely work the same way, keeping typing to a minimum and offering a literal hands-on web surfing experience. [Smarthouse via Business Insider]

Researchers develop tiny, autonomous piezoelectric energy harvester

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/02/researchers-develop-tiny-autonomous-piezoelectric-energy-harves/

Folks have long been using piezoelectric devices to harvest energy in everything from dance floors to parking lots, but a group of European researchers have now shown off some novel uses for the technology at the recent International Electron Devices Meeting that could see even more of the self-sufficient devices put to use. Their big breakthrough is that they've managed to shrink a piezoelectric device down to "micromachine" size, which was apparently possible in part as a result of using aluminum nitride instead of lead zirconate titanate as the piezoelectric material, thereby making the devices easier to manufacture. Their first such device is a wireless temperature sensor, which is not only extremely tiny, but is able to function autonomously by harvesting energy from vibrations and transmit temperature information to a base station at 15 second intervals. Of course, the researchers say that is just the beginning, and they see similar devices eventually being used in everything from tire-pressure monitoring systems to predictive maintenance of any moving or rotating machine parts.

Researchers develop tiny, autonomous piezoelectric energy harvester originally appeared on Engadget ! on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 07:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Improve 3G Modem Reception with a Kitchen Pot [Clever Uses]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/Uqr-c0Wnk-M/improve-3g-modem-reception-with-a-kitchen-pot

It would only make sense, after seeing what a kitchen strainer and aluminum foil can do, that a metal kitchen pot would provide a significant signal boost for a mobile broadband modem, or "dongle." The homemade video evidence tells all.

The video is edited in a rather stuttered style for reasons unknown, but the segments where a USB broadband modem is placed into, and pulled out of, a large saucepan, with a signal strength meter running, seem to be fairly steady. A YouTube commenter suggests a more parabolic shape, like a wok, might do even better in capturing and honing the broadband signal.

If you're ever stuck at a friend's house with weak mobile broadband reception, it might pay off to dig into their cookware. At the least, it's an instant conversation starter.

The Best (and Funniest) 3G Mobile Broadband Signal Booster [The Mobile Broadband Blog via Slashdot]

Thorium, the Next Uranium [Science]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/IHS9_ekRGH0/thorium-the-next-uranium

Wired has a fairly epic look into a material that could make nuclear power both clean and safe called thorium—named after the Norse god of thunder. Of course, scientists recognized its promise back in the 1950s.

Whereas uranium is extremely rare, requires purification and creates waste that will be with us for hundreds of thousands of years, thorium is extremely common, burns more efficiently in reactors and leaves less, less radioactive waste (that can't be turned into a nuke).

In fact, if it weren't for the Soviet Union building uranium reactors in the 60s (and us responding in typical Cold War fashion), we'd probably be using thorium today.

But as Wired explains, thorium may be poised for a comeback. [Wired and Image]

Motorola buys Super Bowl ad spot

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/30/motorola-buys-super-bowl-ad-spot/

Looks like Motorola's fully back in the game: not only does it have the hottest Android device you can (currently) buy in the Droid, word today is that the company's dished out somewhere between $2.5 and $3 million for at least one Super Bowl commercial. It's been a while since Motorola last spent so lavishly on an ad campaign, so we're super curious to see what device the ad is for -- the safe bet is obviously the Droid, but CES could bring both the AT&T-destined Backflip and Sholes Tablet, so it's all up in the air. Our main hope? The return of HELLO MOTO.

Motorola buys Super Bowl ad spot originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus One trounces 3D benchmark, gets caught in high-res photoshoot

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/30/nexus-one-trounces-3d-benchmark-gets-caught-in-high-res-photosh/

Just when you thought you'd seen it all with Nexus One, along comes an old friend with some higher resolution shots of the handset (hooray!) and a pretty impressive 3D benchmark test using Qualcomm's Neocore. Video's after the break --that Snapdragon chip outputs a mean framerate, no?

Update: Also on hand after the break is a high-quality video of the UI -- ten minutes of it, to be exact. Just a warning, there's a brief NSFW clip from Californication at around the two minute mark. With that said, grab some popcorn and enjoy!

Update 2: The original YouTube video was pulled. We've uploaded a new copy and embedded below.

Gallery: Nexus One trounces 3D benchmark, gets caught in high-res photoshoot

Continue reading Nexus One trounces 3D benchmark, gets caught in high-res photoshoot

Nexus One trounces 3D benchmark, gets caught in high-res photoshoot originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use! of feed s.

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A-DATA's USB 3.0 / SATA II flash drive announced for January

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/30/a-datas-usb-3-0-sata-ii-flash-drive-announced-for-january/

We're a few precious breaths from 2010, and if there's anything we're looking forward to, it's some wicked fast USB 3.0 storage -- Intel be damned. Set to hit shelves sometime in January, A-DATA's N002 Combo Flash Drive sports both SATA II and a USB 3.0 connection. Using the latter, the drive boasts up to 200MB/sec read and 170 MB/sec write speeds. Or if you're feeling retro, you can take advantage of that backwards-compatibility and connect via USB 2.0. Now, we don't know how much this bad boy will cost, but it will be bundled with A-DATA UFD to GO software. Of course, this thing is not nearly as cute as the Kissing Octopus USB drive, but we're sure it's not without its charms.

A-DATA's USB 3.0 / SATA II flash drive announced for January originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mophie iPhone credit card reader coming to a CES near you

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/31/mophie-iphone-credit-card-reader-coming-to-a-ces-near-you/

iPhone accessory maker and recession antidote regular Mophie is about to make the most buzzworthy move of its short history by offering a credit card reader and accompanying transaction app for the Apple handset. Positioned as a direct competitor to Jack Dorsey's Square iPhone Payment System, Mophie's solution looks to be integrated into an iPhone case -- making it possible to keep the reader on permanently, albeit at a slight cost to your device's aesthetics. The decidedly cube-shaped Square system has a less ergonomic design, but we suspect that the winner (if either of these two succeeds) will be primarily determined by the usability of the app and affordability of the service. Look out for more info to emerge at some point during the maelstrom that will be CES 2010.

Mophie iPhone credit card reader coming to a CES near you originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Aspire One AO532h joins the Pine Trail party with a $299 pricetag

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/31/acer-aspire-one-ao532h-joins-the-pine-trail-party-with-a-299-pr/

It's about time that the number one netbook manufacturer officially release details on its Pine Trail packing netbooks. The 10-inch Acer Aspire One A0535h seems to look slightly different than its predecessors, but its brand new Intel Atom N450 CPU, GMA 1350 graphics and promised 10 hours of battery life should give it bragging rights at the family dinner table. The rest of the specs are standard fare - Windows 7 Starter, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, and a 4,400 mAh six-cell battery. We're impressed that Acer has seemed to finagle a $299 price tag, undercutting most of the competition -- including the $380 Pine Trail Eee PC 1005PE -- by at least $50. It should be available in the coming weeks, but in the meantime you can check the full PR after the break or start searching for that Amazon pre-order page.

Continue reading Acer Aspire One AO532h joins the Pine Trail party with a $299 pricetag

Acer Aspire One AO532h joins the Pine Trail party with a $299 pricetag originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netgear PTV1000 Push 2 TV WiFi video card hits the FCC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/01/netgear-ptv1000-push-2-tv-wifi-video-card-hits-the-fcc/

We've long said that wireless video streaming direct from a laptop is one of our dream gadgets, and while most of the gear we've seen is based on Wireless USB, it looks like Netgear's trying something a little different: this PTV1000 Push 2 TV Adapter just hit the FCC database, and it looks to send video from your laptop to your TV over WiFi. It's apparently built on an upcoming Intel standard called Wireless Display that requires a Core i3, i5, or i7 processor with integrated GMA graphics and Windows 7, but nothing's been officially announced yet -- and what little info we have isn't great, as the docs warn users that Wireless Display is unsecured and won't play all DVDs or Blu-rays. That's not a huge problem, we suppose -- all we want to do is beam a Hulu window to our TV simply and easily. We're assuming we'll find out a lot more at CES next week, stay tuned.

Netgear PTV1000 Push 2 TV WiFi video card hits the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OCZ Vertex 2 Pro SSD previewed: awesome, and could do with some 6Gbps SATA love

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/01/ocz-vertex-2-pro-previewed-awesome-and-could-do-with-some-6gbp/

Speedy SSDs might still be a pipe dream for most of us, but at least picking a top brand isn't a challenge. OCZ would no doubt be a popular choice, and SandForce has just made it easier with its debut SSD controller, SF-1500, to be featured on the forthcoming Vertex 2 Pro SSD. Our friends at AnandTech managed to harvest some jaw-dropping results out of their 100GB prototype -- most notably, the drive topped the charts with 2MB sequential performances at around 260MB/s (which is "virtually bound by 3Gbps SATA"), as well as a 50.9MB/s 4KB random write rate. SandForce dubs the magic behind these results DuraWrite, which is likened to real-time compression on the drive thus saving a significant number of write cycles. No prices announced yet, but hey, do we even care any more?

OCZ Vertex 2 Pro SSD previewed: awesome, and could do with some 6Gbps SATA love originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 07:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An intensely granular, gripping look inside Toshiba's Dynario fuel-cell

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/01/an-intensely-granular-gripping-look-inside-toshibas-dynario-fu/

We won't pretend that we weren't excited when Toshiba finally launched its long talked about Dynario fuel-cell -- the first of its kind for consumer electronics. If you don't know already, the direct methanol fuel-cell (DMFC) boasts its own fuel cartridge (which takes approximately 20 seconds to fill) with a concentrated methanol solution, resulting in its ability to charge USB devices on the go. Well, Tech-On's gotten a hold of one of these bad boys, and they've taken plenty of photos of its innards, allowing us a unique opportunity to see what its all about. A few interesting observations they make: the cell itself -- which sells for ¥29,800 (about $328) -- is definitely worth the money. Tech-On claims that the manufacturing and components alone are estimated at costing around ¥30,000. There's a lot more to see, so hit the source link -- and there's also one more interesting shot after the break.

Continue reading An intensely granular, gripping look inside Toshiba's Dynario fuel-cell

An intensely granular, gripping look inside Toshiba's Dynario fuel-cell originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Form of Touchscreen Displays Pioneered, Extremely Multi-Touch [Touchscreen]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/lm2IZMG0wb4/new-form-of-touchscreen-displays-pioneered-extremely-multi+touch

You've heard of resistive touchscreens, and hopefully you've been fortunate enough to own a capacitive touchscreen phone. But have you heard of Interpolating Force-Sensitive Resistance, or I.F.S.R touchscreen technology? Touchco hopes you soon will.

A bunch of scientists at New York University's Media Research Lab have grouped together to form Touchco, which is working on the aforementioned I.F.S.R technology. They want to create touchscreens which are even more multi-touch enabled than we've seen so far, capable of receiving simultaneous touch inputs. Apparently these touchscreens can be produced very cheaply, with Touchco hoping to sell them for $10 a square foot.

As you can see from the photo above, these touchscreens are very flexible, and don't require much power—making them ideal for ereaders, laptops and netbooks. [NYT Bits blog]

National Geographic shoves every morsel of its collection onto 160GB HDD

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/30/national-geographic-shoves-every-morsel-of-its-collection-onto-1/

Care to get up close and personal with Niihau? How's about an overview of Tuvalu? Surely you need a helicopter shot of Pakatoa Island to get your morning started right, yeah? If so, and you're too lazy to hit up the World Wide Web, there's a better-than-average chance that an older National Geographic magazine has exactly the elixir you're searching for. Problem is, sifting through every single issue since 1888 takes a fair bit of time -- time you'd rather be spending in an obnoxiously long security line as you await your flight to Ushuaia. Thanks to "modern technology" and "storage innovations," said quandary can now be resolved quite simply. Nat Geo is offering every last piece of information it has ever published on a portable 160GB HDD, and amazingly 100GB is free for you to manually add to the collection. Too bad this $199.95 device wasn't available before Christmas, but hey, at least you've now got something to blow those Santa Bucks on.

National Geographic shoves every morsel of its collection onto 160GB HDD originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GSM call encryption code cracked, published for the whole world to see

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/29/gsm-call-encryption-code-cracked-published-for-the-whole-world/

Did you know that the vast majority of calls carried out on the 3.5 billion GSM connections in the world today are protected by a 21-year old 64-bit encryption algorithm? You should now, given that the A5/1 privacy algorithm, devised in 1988, has been deciphered by German computer engineer Karsten Nohl and published as a torrent for fellow code cracking enthusiasts and less benevolent forces to exploit. Worryingly, Karsten and his crew of merry men obtained the binary codes by simple brute force -- they fed enough random strings of numbers in to effectively guess the password. The GSM Association -- which has had a 128-bit A5/3 key available since 2007, but found little takeup from operators -- has responded by having a whinge about Mr. Nohl's intentions and stating that operators could just modify the existing code to re-secure their networks. Right, only a modified 64-bit code is just as vulnerable to cracking as the one that just got cracked. It's important to note that simply having the code is not in itself enough to eavesdrop on a call, as the cracker would be faced with just a vast stream of digital communications -- but Karsten comes back to reassure us that intercepting software is already available in customizable open source varieties. So don't be like Tiger, keep your truly private conversations off the airwaves, at least for a while.

GSM call encryption code cracked, published for the whole world to see originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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