Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook: 1/2/11

Saturday, January 08, 2011

The Best New Tablet [BestOfTheBest]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5727948/the-best-new-tablet

Tablets! Tablets tablets tablets. They're the hot ticket at this year's CES. Just about everyone's got one (not that everyone should). We've parsed, prodded, and played with the main contenders. And this one's best. Well, these ones.

Our Favorites

Motorola Xoom
It's been a too-long wait for a usable 10-inch Android tablet, much less one that makes us blush. But the Xoom looks like the platonic ideal of a Honeycomb slate: dual-core 1GHz processor, 2-megapixel front camera, 5-megapixel rear camera and 1280x800 display. And did I mention she's a looker? Xoom's at the head of what's soon to be a very large pack right now, but it's hard to grant it a clear-cut victory based on promise alone. Until Google's tablet-friendly OS makes the scene, we won't know what it's like to actually use Xoom.

BlackBerry PlayBook
But you know what's here, right now, running Quake 3 in 1080 and a slideshow at the same time without breaking a sweat? BlackBerry's business-minded PlayBook tablet. It's 7 inches of wow, with an OS that purrs and hardware—a pixel-dense 1024x600 display, 5MP rear and 3MP front-facing cameras, dual-core 1GHz processor—that keeps up with just about anybody. And while there's nothing flashy about the design, it's got the kind of perfectly competent, sturdy build you'd want for a business tablet. So why is PlayBook not a winner? Well, we're still not entirely sold on the 7-inch screen, and BlackBerry's got a long ways to go before its app cupboard doesn't feel so bare. But in terms of tablets you can use, right now, here at CES? It's tops.

Runners Up

Asus Eee Pad Slider
The Best New Tablet We're into the Asus Eee Pad Slider mostly for the sheer audacity of it. It's a 10.1-inch tablet that goes the Tegra 2 route, meaning it'll have plenty of graphics horsepower. Oh, and if you want a physical keyboard? It's lurking right there beneath the display, just waiting to slide out. Unfortunately that sliding mechanism's a little jerky right now, and while the form is decidedly different, I'm not ready to say that it's better. Not just yet, anyway.

Dell Streak 7
The Best New Tablet The 7-inch version of Dell's Streak has all the guts of a show pony—Tegra 2 processor, a 1.3MP front and 5MP rear camera—but the real story is that Streak 7 is the first tablet that can tap into T-Mobile's 4G wonderspeeds. Even if you love a 7-inch slate, though Streak's going to be hobbled, at least at first, by running Android Froyo instead of Honeycomb, and by a WVGA screen that'll seem a little dull next to its sharper competitors.

Honorable Mention

LG T-Mobile G-Slate
Lenovo LePad

Delicious Overkill: The Gratuitously Overclocked 5 Ghz Core i7 Monster [Computers]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5728039/delicious-overkill-the-gratuitously-overclocked-5-ghz-i7-monster

Sometimes a computer at CES is interesting because it's functional and intuitive. Sometimes a computer is interesting because it's the size of an air conditioner, filled with heinously tacky neon lights, and overclocked to hell. Guess which one this is!

I found Origin PC's 5 Ghz, liquid-cooled "Big O" sitting on a dusty stretch of carpet in Creative's booth. Alone. Neglected. I asked a rep about it and he didn't even know why it was there. Was he feeling insecure because the computer is so fast? Perhaps. It wasn't even hooked up to anything. It was just humming along, its red tubes pulsing, green lights throbbing. Speed for its own sake. If it sounds like a sexual experience, that's because it was. The enormo-box reminds me of a bygone era in computing, when clock speeds trumped all—and just reading "5 Ghz i7" made my heart dance. CES is supposed to be about neat things we'll be using effectively in the future, but sometimes I'm okay with REALLY FREAKING FAST NEON COMPUTER, WATCH OUT, too.

Somebody Tell Ebert That Video Games Are Now Art [Art]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5728168/somebody-tell-ebert-that-video-games-are-now-art

Roger Ebert may not think highly of video games as art, but MoMA does. The latest installation at their MoMA PS1 gallery is playable video game, which lets you run through a 16-bit Communist China landscape as a Red Army soldier.

Created by Chinese artist Feng Mengbo, Long March: Restart is a side-scrolling brawler where you battle ghouls, monsters, and military foes with the help of Coca-Cola cans characters from the Mario and Street Fighter franchises (it's undetermined at this time if there's a boss level where you battle a giant e-waste monster). The game follows the events of the Chinese Communist Party's "Long March" in 1934, when Mao Zedong's army had to retreat across 5000 miles of rough terrain to escape Chinese Nationalist forces.

On the more techie side, eight projectors were required for the installation, which is about as widescreen as it gets, and there are two screen for your gaming enjoyment. The mainscreen shows the video game in standard format. The second screen behind the gamer is scaled up relative the avatar's position on screen, so that the gamer can experience the virtual world from the perspective of the avatar. The exhibit is up through April 4. [MoMA PS1 via Complex via Hypebeast]

Hauppauge debuts Broadway live TV streamer for iPhones and iPads, WinTV-Aero-m receiver for PCs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/08/hauppauge-debuts-broadway-live-tv-streamer-for-iphones-and-ipads/

It may look vaguely like an accessory to a late-80s PC that's sprouted antennas, but Hauppauge's new "Broadway" live TV streamer does have a few more modern tricks up its sleeve: it can stream live TV to your iPhone or iPad. That can be done over WiFi in your house or over the internet anywhere else, and the device packs a multi-format receiver that can tune in both digital cable TV channels and ATSC over-the-air broadcast channels (or analog TV, for that matter), which are all conveniently compressed for streaming. Alongside it, Hauppauge has also rolled out its new dual-format WinTV-Aero-m USB receiver for PCs (pictured after the break), which will let you receive Mobile Digital TV broadcasts designed for mobile TV reception, as well as high definition ATSC digital TV broadcasts. Look for it to be available soon for $69, while the Broadway streamer will be available in "about six weeks" for $199.

Continue reading Hauppauge debuts Broadway live TV streamer for iPhones and iPads, WinTV-Aero-m receiver for PCs

Hauppauge debuts Broadway live TV streamer for iPhones and iPads, WinTV-Aero-m receiver for PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 04:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iogear GW3DKIT wireless 3D media kit banishes your components to the closet

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/08/iogear-gw3dkit-wireless-3d-media-kit-banishes-your-components-to/

We went hands-on with Iogear's wireless HD system last year at CES, and now we've managed to do the same with a prototype of the boutique brand's new GW3DKIT 3D wireless streamer. The kit consists of a 3D transmitter and receiver that each feature four HDMI inputs as well as one component, composite, VGA, and USB input. Each box also features one HDMI and USB output. Together the system is designed to stream full 1080p 60Hz HD video / 5.1 audio along with 3D content over WiFi (802.11n) from as far as 100 feet away with supposedly little latency or wireless interference. Iogear says to expect the system sometime in Q1 of 2011, and no official pricing is available yet, but we've been told it would be around $499 by Iogear's CES booth staff. If everything performs as advertised, it sounds like a great solution for you home theater minimalists out there who prefer components out of sight. We'll reserve official judgment though until we can go eyes-on with some extended tested. For more information, be sure to check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Iogear GW3DKIT wireless 3D media kit banishes your components to the closet

Iogear GW3DKIT wireless 3D media kit banishes your components to the closet originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 05:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds! .

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Philips bringing ultrawidescreen TV, wireless Blu-ray player, apps and eventually Android TV to USA

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/08/philips-bringing-ultrawidescreen-tv-wireless-blu-ray-player-ap/

And here we were worried that Funai's takeover of the US arm would lead to a falloff. Whatever its name or corporate structure, Philips has brought plenty of US-bound heat to CES 2011, with none bigger than the news that we will see the company's sweet 3D-capable 21:9 ultrawidescreen HDTV on this side of the Atlantic in the second half of 2011. Today it also announced plans for a Blu-ray player with wireless HDMI, the world's first (meaning you'll probably need a dongle on any TV to use it until compatible displays arrive later in the year) but no surprise for an outfit that's been pushing HD streaming for some time. On a similar front its MediaConnect app on new TVs and Blu-ray players will let it stream anything playing on a PC to the TV screen WiDi-style (video embedded after the break.)

Gallery: Philips CES 2011 TVs and Blu-ray player

Continue reading Philips bringing ultrawidescreen TV, wireless Blu-ray player, apps and eventually Android TV to USA

Philips bringing ultrawidescreen TV, wireless Blu-ray player, apps and eventually Android TV to USA originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Liquid Mini and BeTouch E210 hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/08/acer-liquid-mini-and-betouch-e210-hands-on/

Acer didn't just land in Vegas with Iconia tablets galore -- it brought along its new Liquid Mini and BeTouch E210 Froyo smartphones. The 3.2-inch Liquid Mini is the most interesting of the two, and like its larger older brothers, it's made of a black glossy plastic, which is bound to pick up more fingerprints than Sherlock Holmes. It will be actually be available in quite a number of hues, but Acer only had the black one on display. Still it's one cute phone, and with a 600MHz Qualcomm 7227 processor, 512MB of memory, and a 5 megapixel cam it's bound to fill Acer's mid-range smartphone offering quite nicely. That said, the unit we saw hanging around Acer's private suites wasn't working all that well -- in fact, it rebooted itself twice. This one was running Acer's own software layer on top of 2.2; the BeTouch E210 seemed to be running stock Froyo. Speaking of the BeTouch, it's a lot like the E130 with its BlackBerry-like form factor and awesome physical keyboard, except the E210 has been slimmed down and upgraded to that aforementioned 600MHz Qualcomm CPU. The E310 on display was working much better than the Liquid and while it wasn't blazing fast, it kept up with our scrolling and navigating in and out of menus. No word on US availability, but they should be hitting the UK market sometime soon. Hit the break for some beauty shots.

Gallery: Acer Liquid Mini and BeTouch E210 hands-on

Acer Liquid Mini and BeTouch E210 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 07:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kingston launches USB 3.0 roadmap, SDHC UHS-I UltimateXX card

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/08/kingston-launches-usb-3-0-roadmap-sdhc-uhs-i-ultimatexx-card/

The SD Association took the opportunity to introduce the UHS-II standard here at CES, but Kingston's doing its best to just make the most of the protocols that are available in the here and now. The outfit has just introduced its latest range of SDHC cards, the USH-I UltimateXX, which is set to ship later this month and be perfectly backwards compatible with Class 4, 6 and 10 equipment. We're told that it'll hit read rates of 60MB/sec and write rates of 35MB/sec, with pricing set for $69.99 (8GB), $179.99 (16GB) and $349.99 (32GB). In related news, the outfit's also launching its DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 USB flash drive, and it has plans to launch an entry-level flash drive in "late Q2 / early Q3." Head on past the break for the full skinny.

Continue reading Kingston launches USB 3.0 roadmap, SDHC UHS-I UltimateXX card

Kingston launches USB 3.0 roadmap, SDHC UHS-I UltimateXX card originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 09:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iRig Mic: because your iPad, iPhone and iPod just aren't complete sans a microphone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/08/irig-mic-because-your-ipad-iphone-and-ipod-just-arent-complet/

IK Multimedia, the same dudes and dudettes responsible for the downright hilarious iKlip, seem to be on somewhat of a hot streak. This week, the company's hitting back with the iRig iMic, hailed as the first handheld condenser microphone for the iPhone. The image above truly explains it all -- it's designed to plug directly into your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, and so long as you've got a recording app of choice, you'll be capturing your vocals in no time flat. The obvious next step is to run everything through the T-Pain app, but for those who'd rather roll more naturally, IK's VocaLive effects processor is tossed in gratis. Pricing details are being kept under wraps for reasons unknown, but let's be honest -- you're buying one even if it means losing two arms and a leg.

Continue reading iRig Mic: because your iPad, iPhone and iPod just aren't complete sans a microphone

iRig Mic: because your iPad, iPhone and iPod just aren't complete sans a microphone originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 08:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel's been wishin' and hopin' for a Microsoft tablet OS, Windows 8 rumors recommence

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/08/intels-been-wishin-and-prayin-for-a-microsoft-tablet-os-wind/

We're not going to lie, Microsoft's news on the tablet front here at CES has been quite a disappointment. While it teased that it's working on "the next version of Windows" for ARM, it didn't talk about its plans for a tablet-based OS at all. It's been Windows 7 and more Windows 7. And according to CNET, we're not the only ones that want Microsoft to show some movement on the tablet UI front -- Intel has been pushing Microsoft for a long time. In addition, Intel's marketing chief Tom Kilroy seemed to imply that Microsoft's tablet solution is still a ways off. Now, of course, Microsoft seems to be moving away from Intel and starting to work on some flavor of Windows for ARM chips, and perhaps related to that, ZDNet's Microsoft maven Mary Jo Foley has heard quite a bit about a new "application model" for Windows 8 called Jupiter. Foley has heard that Microsoft is working on a new XAML user interface for Win 8, which will support "smoother animation," more media capabilities, and "immersive apps." It will also be lightweight, and thus, ideal for tablets or slates. Microsoft's Vice President of Microsoft's Developer Division Soma Somasegar actually seemed to confirm the project to Foley, but claims it has changed directions quite a bit. So, what does this all mean? In sum, Microsoft's in no better position on the tablet front than it was a few weeks or months ago. And the wait continues...

Intel's been wishin' and hopin' for a Microsoft tablet O! S, Windo ws 8 rumors recommence originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, January 07, 2011

Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface hands-on with video! (update)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/07/samsung-sur40-for-microsoft-surface-hands-on-with-video/

Microsoft offered a brief glimpse of its revised Surface earlier this week at the Ballmer keynote, but now we've had a chance to check the Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface (as its officially termed) for ourselves. The "2.0 experience" firmware is early and a bit buggy right now (especially with finger input), but there's plenty of time fix that up before its launch later this year. The hardware itself is much thinner, with a 4-inch profile that can now be placed vertically against the wall (although we suggest using the stylish legs when possible). The 40-inch 1920 x 1080 gorilla glass display was crisp as all out, but since we could get close and scrutinize, you'll definitely notice the pixels. The first demo we got to see is also probably the most impressive, wherein a paper with "I can see" written on it is scanned and read very clearly (a dev monitor was hooked up to show what Surface could "see"). Meanwhile, we couldn't help but touch every point to watch the ripple effect emanate from our fingers.

Apps are arranged in a row that you can sift through or rotate 180 degrees for someone facing opposite. We kept accidentally opening apps when we tried to scroll through, which is annoying but again, we were reminded it's early firmware. Some of the apps we have seen before with the original Surface -- some changes are required to make compatible, but we're told it's a fairly smooth transition process. Some highlights from what we saw:

Bing, which for now only does image search (maps and local to come). The screen right now is a bit too sensitive and would detect sleeves as much as it would our fingers (you can see typos galore in the gallery). Images are scattered about a new results widget, and you can move around a bit from there or pull out individual ones to rotate and scan.
A Red Bull with a printed code on the bottom that launches on-screen prompts for videos that you can smoothly rotate and scale on the fly, and a RBC Royal Bank that'll make you feel really guilty about that cup of coffee from this morning.
Oldies like Social Stream, Garibaldi Panorama, and Galactic Alliance.

Another plus for the SUR40? It's cheaper than its predecessor -- but at $7,600, it's still not ready for consumer market. We've got a ton of pics below and video after the break!

Update: We've added our full impressions and cleaned up the footage after the break. Enjoy!

Gallery: Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface hands-on

Continue reading Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface hands-on with video! (update)

Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface hands-on with video! (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Viliv X70 Windows 7 slate with Oak Trail hands-on (updated with video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/07/viliv-x70-windows-7-slate-with-oak-trail-hands-on/

You may remember Viliv from last year's CES, but it's back again this year with a smattering new of tablets. The X70 Slate is powered by Intel's upcoming 1.5 GHz Oak Trail processor, and has a 7-inch 1024 x 600-resolution capacitive multitouch display. That new silicon is supposed to simultaneously speed up Windows 7 performance (both Starter and Home Premium are available), and improve battery life (they claim 6.5 hours, which is better than the Galaxy Tab). A custom split keyboard was added by Viliv, which eases thumb typing so you don't have to awkwardly reach across the screen to hunt and peck for keys. It's got a 3 megapixel shooter around back as well as a 1.3 megapixel shooter up front in addition to an optical trackpad. This thing should be hitting retailers like Best Buy and Amazon in April for an unspecified price, but you can check out our hands-on photos while you patiently wait to find out.

Update: Video after the break!

Gallery: Viliv X70 Windows 7 Slate hands-on

Continue reading Viliv X70 Windows 7 slate with Oak Trail hands-on (updated with video)

Viliv X70 Windows 7 slate with Oak Trail hands-on (updated with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViewSonic ViewPad 4 hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/07/viewsonic-viewpad-4-hands-on-video/

ViewSonic's taking tablets to great new lows here at CES, calling its new 4.1-inch ViewPad 4 a "tablet device with smartphone functionality." Whatever the description, though, this is a pretty handsome, angular Froyo handset with an 800 x 480 resolution, 5 megapixel camera that can record ~~1080p~~ 720p video, a front-facing imager, 2GB of ROM, and either 512MB or 1GB of RAM. The spec sheet we found online says the former, but the chap at ViewSonic's stand today told us the latter. Either way, we're really liking the smoothness of the Android UI on this tabletphone, it was very pleasantly responsive. The most shocking thing about the ViewPad 4, however, might be its launch date, which we were told will be somewhere around mid-June. Froyo in mid-June ... really? Get your video hands-on fix after the break.

Update: A second pass through the ViewSonic stand informed us that actually the ViewPad 4 is only capable of 720p video recording. Bogus, man.

Gallery: ViewSonic ViewPad 4 hands-on

Continue reading ViewSonic ViewPad 4 hands-on (video)

ViewSonic ViewPad 4 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recon next-gen GPS goggles eyes-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/07/recon-next-gen-gps-goggles-eyes-on/

We brought you the official details earlier in the week and now we have images of the Recon next-gen GPS goggles in its broken-down self. Users will be able to choose from an assortment of Recon frames and lenses, in collaboration with the integrated LCD, allowing for customized appeal. Recon is bringing in a revised platform based on Android, which allows users to shred some powder while using apps, music and track their GPS locations as well as locations of others that share the must-have for apps-in-your-goggles fetish. The Android platform allows for full integration with your Bluetooth-enabled phone with real-time alerts and notifications straight onto the built-in LCD. With the Recon next-gen GPS goggles, you can look like a tech-savvy hipster while flying down your favorite trails.

Gallery: Eyes-on with Recon next-gen GPS goggles