Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook: 5/12/13 - 5/19/13

Friday, May 17, 2013

Fitbit now syncs to Galaxy S 4, broader Android device support is coming

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/16/fitbit-now-syncs-to-galaxy-s-4/

The state of Fitbit wireless syncing is far from ideal for Android users, but the company's latest step is proof that it's slowly getting better. Today, Fitbit updated its Android app to bring wireless syncing to the Galaxy S 4, which follows a previous update for the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II. According to Fitbit's blog, its difficulty in supporting more devices stems from software differences on various Android smartphones, which causes trouble regardless of whether the device includes Bluetooth 4.0. On the upside, just yesterday, the Bluetooth SIG announced that Android will gain support for Bluetooth Smart Ready and Bluetooth Smart devices in the coming months, which Fitbit reckons will solve much of the compatibility issues that it and other device manufacturers have faced. So, if you have a Galaxy S 4, take the opportunity to get syncing your fitness data today -- it won't be long before other Android devices get to join in the fun.

Filed under: Misc, Software, Mobile

Source: Fitbit

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Corning intros Lotus XT Glass for next-gen mobile displays, touts more efficient production (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/16/corning-lotus-xt-glass/

Corning's Lotus Glass promised a world full of thinner, more advanced mobile displays when it was unveiled in 2011, but it hasn't always been easy to build with the volumes or features that customers want. Enter the company's new Lotus XT Glass as the solution: clients can produce it more reliably at high temperatures, leading to more usable panels for our LCDs and OLEDs. The improved yields should not only result in larger device volumes than the original Lotus Glass could muster, but push the technological limits -- Corning notes that hotter manufacturing allows for brighter, sharper and more efficient screens. The glass is commercially available today, although we'll still need to wait for gadget makers to choose, implement and ship it before we notice the XT difference.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

Source: Corning

Google's Blink team pulls 8.8 million lines of WebKit code in one month

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/16/google-blink-team-pulls-8-8-million-lines-of-webkit-code/

Google let us all know that it would strip out unneeded WebKit code to make its Blink web engine scream, but it never said exactly what kind of pace we could expect. The answer, it turns out, is "breakneck." The company's Alex Komoroske told Google I/O attendees that the Open Web Platform team has already yanked 8.8 million lines of programming from Blink in about a month, with 4.5 million of them scrubbed almost immediately. Removing so much cruft has reportedly improved not just the upcoming engine, but the engineers -- they're far more productive, Komoroske says. The team has already had time to explore new rendering techniques and garner code contribution requests from the likes of Adobe, Intel and even Microsoft. Although we don't yet know if all the trimming will be noticeable to end users by the time Blink reaches polished Chrome and Chrome OS releases, it's safe to say that some developers won't recognize what they see.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Google

Source: TechCrunch

MIT crafts analog circuits from living bacteria

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/16/mit-crafts-analog-circuits-from-living-bacteria/

Previous work on using organisms as circuitry has usually involved shoehorning parts of the digital world into a very analog environment. MIT has just found an approach that uses the subtlety of the natural world to its advantage: the circuits themselves are analog. By combining genes that produce similar molecules in response to different inputs, the school's scientists have created bacterial cells that perform basic math -- the exact quantity or ratio of a given molecule is the answer. The approach offers a much wider range of results than a binary circuit (10,000 versus 2), and it exploits the cell enzymes' inherent ratio awareness to do some of the hard work. MIT wants more variety in genetic ingredients before it can produce a truly universal system, but its work could lead to organic sensors that are much simpler and more precise than their digital peers.

Filed under: Science

Via: ExtremeTech

Source: MIT

Archos intros Xenon 80 8-inch tablet, delivers Jelly Bean and 3G for $200

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/16/archos-xenon-80/

Archos intros Xenon 80 8inch tablet, delivers Jelly Bean and 3G for $200

Just in case that recently announced ChefPad wasn't suited to your tastes, Archos is now introducing a smaller, not-so-kitchen-friendly Android tablet, the Xenon 80. Naturally, the main highlight of this 8-inch slate is that it boasts 3G capabilities, and the company's quick to point out it's SIM-unlocked. Archos also endowed the Xenon 80 with some decent specs, including a vanilla flavor of Google's Jelly Bean, an unnamed Qualcomm quad-core CPU, a 1,024 x 768 IPS display and 4GB of internal storage (expandable to 64GB by way of a microSD slot). And as with other recent Archos tablets, the Xenon 80 carries the proper Google Play credentials, making it easy for you to have access to all your favorite apps. It'll cost a mere $200 when it hits shelves in June, which is on par with competing offerings. Now, whether it's worth taking the plunge, well, you'll have to make that call for yourself.

Gallery: Archos 80 Xenon press shots

Filed under: Tablets

Source: Archos

HOUSE OF THE DAY: An Octagonal Penthouse In New York City Is Back On The Market For $100 Million

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/klar-penthouse-relisted-at-cityspire-2013-5

$100 million city spire penthouse

One of the most impressive properties in Manhattan — an 8,000-square-foot penthouse condominium in the CitySpire building on West 56th Street — has returned to market for $100 million, The Real Deal reports.

Owner Steven Klar, president of Long Island real estate developer The Klar Organization, first listed the blockbuster with a broker apartment last July.

But he pulled the listing after about six months when it failed to sell. It just reappeared on StreetEasy, and it looks like Klar is acting as his own broker, The Real Deal notes.

The penthouse is octagon-shaped and has six bedrooms and nine bathrooms.

Klar purchased the apartment in 1993 for $4.5 million as "raw space." It now spans three floors, and includes a separate guest apartment one floor below.

The entryway is reminiscent of Versailles.

Famed architect Juan Pablo Molyneux designed the apartment.

The home has an eat-in chef's kitchen with adjacent butler's pantry.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Lego Mindstorms EV3 intros three new models, ready for summer tour (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/16/lego-mindstorms-ev3-new-models/

When Lego introduced the Mindstorms EV3 earlier this year, it bundled building instructions for five "hero" models, several of which can be seen in our CES hands-on. But that complex kit of sensors, modules and bricks lends itself to endless possibilities, and Lego community members have come up with 12 more designs, three of which were unveiled today. These include a dinosaur, a guitar and a whack-a-mole-style arcade game.

From our brief hands-on, all three models seem worthy additions to the original lineup. We enjoyed the sauntering steps of the mini triceratops and the way it snaps and backs off from obstacles, the fun bloops and bleeps of the guitar, and delighted in the sheer satisfaction of bopping a popped "mole." The latter two, particularly, are decidedly whimsical implementations compared to the usual ambling robot -- and we can't wait for Lego reveal the rest of the bonus models later this year.

Filed under: Robots

Google and NASA team up for D-Wave-powered Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/16/google-nasa-quantum-computing/

Google. NASA. Quantum computers. Seriously, everything about the new Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab at the Ames Research Center is exciting. The joint effort between Mountain View and America's space agency will put a 512 qubit machine from D-Wave at the disposal of researchers from around the globe, with the USRA (Universities Space Research Association) inviting teams of scientists and engineers to share time on the unique super computer. The goal is to study how quantum computing might be leveraged to advance machine learning, a branch of AI that has proven crucial to Google's success. The internet giant has already done some work with quantum computing before, now the goal is to see if its experimentation can translate into real world results. The idea, for Google at least, is to combine the extreme (but highly-specialized) power of the quantum bit with its oceans of traditional data centers to build more accurate models for everything from speech recognition to web search. And maybe, just maybe, with the help of quantum computers your phone will finally realize you didn't mean to say "duck."

Filed under: Misc, Alt, Google

Via: New York Times

Source: Google Research Blog

NHK has a theoretical fix for OLED's theoretical longevity problem

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/16/nhk-ioled/

Japan's National Broadcasting Corporation, NHK, reckons OLED displays don't last long enough. And they have a point, because OLED pixels that are exposed to the air can lose half of their brightness in just 100 days. Commercial products are of course protected from the elements, but they're not perfect. This is where iOLED comes in. NHK inverts the anode and cathode layers in traditional OLED configurations, hence the added "i", and then adds an additional protective coating above the cathode. The result is a display that retains its brightness even when not fully sealed from the environment. Hopefully, this sort of solution will make its way into OLED TVs by the time OLED TVs are actually affordable, but in the meantime we're expecting to hear more about NHK's technology (and maybe see it in action) at Display Week later this month.

Source: NHK

ASUS Transformer Book hybrid PC gets May 21st release date

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/16/asus-transformer-book-may-21st-release-date/

Remember ASUS' Transformer Books? All is forgiven if you don't, as we're already approaching the one-year anniversary of when they were first revealed at Computex in Taipei. You'll get your choice of Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, and the ability to detach and use the device as a standalone 13.3-inch tablet when the devices finally arrive in the US next week. Sure, Japanese buyers might have picked one up first, but interested hybrid PC shoppers should mark May 21st into their diaries. No official word on pricing, but preorder pages from MacMall earlier this year had the Core i7 model pegged at a hefty $1,479.99.

Filed under: Laptops, ASUS

Source: ASUS US (Facebook)

Panasonic P51 breaks into the Indian phone market with a 5-inch screen and stylus (updated)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/16/panasonic-p51/

Although Panasonic's cellphones have traveled far from Japan, the company has left the hot Indian market relatively untapped -- until today, that is. The company is staking its first proper claim in the country with the launch of the P51. The Android 4.2-toting smartphone reflects the local market's taste for big-screened yet modest phones between its 5-inch, 720p LCD and quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek processor, but comes across as a sort of Galaxy Note lite: Panasonic bundles both a capacitive stylus and a magnetic flip cover in the box. The remaining hardware is a slightly unusual mix of budget and premium components, with the so-so 1GB of RAM and 4GB of expandable storage buffered by an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 1.3-megapixel front camera and support for both HSPA+ and dual SIM cards. The P51 will be comparatively expensive for India at 26,900 rupees ($517) contract-free when it's available next week, but it should be a bargain next to its pen-packing Samsung counterpart.

Update: Panasonic is being a bit clever with its Indian foray -- we now know that the P51 shares a TCL-built design template with the Alcatel Scribe Easy, keeping the French phone's basic formula while upgrading the processor, camera and screen resolution. However, the P51 is definitely identical to the TCL Y900 in China.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Via: FoneArena

Source: Panasonic

David Beckham Scored A Goal From Behind The Halfway Line When He Was A Little-Known 21-Year-Old

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/david-beckham-goal-half-way-line-2013-5

Before he was one of the most recognizable people on the planet, David Beckham scored a ridiculous goal from behind the halfway line for Manchester United.

It was the first day of the 1996-97 season. United was playing Wimbledon. Beckham — a promising 21-year-old, but hardly an international star — had just broken into the lineup the year before.

He saw Wimbledon's goalie Neil Sullivan off his line, so he fired in a dipping ball toward goal from a hair behind midfield.

It fell over Sullivan's head for a goal:

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Watch Liquid Water Instantly Turn into Ice

Source: http://gizmodo.com/watch-liquid-water-instantly-turn-into-ice-507061373

Turning water into ice usually takes a lot of time. Not for this guy though, he magically turns liquid water into frozen ice. It's instantaneous! Seriously, just watch water get poured from the bottle and then freeze immediately. What kind of sorcery is this?

The trick is getting the water to just about freezing in the freezer. Grant Thompson, the mastermind behind the video, put an unopened bottle of water in the freezer for about an hour and a half to two hours to get the perfect temperature. Then after the water is supercooled, he pours the almost freezing water over ice and watches it immediately transform into ice as it touches the ice cube. It's a fun little trick that'll blow your friends minds. [Grant Thompson via The Awesomer]

Visualized: Google I/O's colorful circle of ChromeBook Pixels

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/15/visualized-google-io-chromebook-circle/

Google loves to use I/O as a platform for sharing its creativity with the world. This year, one of the masterpieces is a circular edifice consisting of two lines of Chromebook Pixels, with each keyboard on the outside. Ultimately, the artistic monument appears to highlight the Pixel's touchscreen and high-def display, as it flashes a wide variety of colorful imagery and music as you interact with each monitor. We have a gallery of images and a brief video below, showing off some of what this clever spheroid of Chrome OS can do.

Gallery: Google IO Chromebook Pixel circle

Filed under: Displays, Laptops, Google

Recon Instruments Jet heads-up display debuts at Google I/O, we go hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/15/recon-instruments-jet-hands-on/

Google Glass is a lot of things, but it's hardly a superstar when it comes to the world of sports. Though we've seen proof it is at least water resistant, it doesn't feel particularly durable and isn't entirely well-suited to wearing while, say, sweating profusely during a lengthy climb on a road bike. Recon Instruments has what it thinks is a solution: the Jet. It's a pair of sporting sunglasses with an integrated, Android-powered display that could make things like running and cycling far more exciting -- or at least far more information-packed. Join us after the break for our impressions.

Gallery: Recon Instruments Jet hands-on

Filed under: Wearables

PrimeSense demonstrates Capri 3D sensor on Nexus 10 (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/15/primesense-demonstrates-capri-3d-sensor/

Take the 3D sensor inside the Microsoft Kinect, shrink it down to a tenth of its original size and add a bunch of mobile capabilities, and you have yourself PrimeSense's latest conquest, better known as Capri. The company, which is the brains behind the Kinect, has been openly working on bringing a tiny-yet-advanced 3D experience to tablets, televisions and smartphones for quite some time now. And it's proud enough of its progress so far that it's willing to give some real-life demonstrations to developers attending Google I/O. You may not see Capri embedded on the PCB of your portable gadget anytime soon -- at least, not until PrimeSense winds up wooing the pants off a lucky OEM or two -- so in the meantime, the company has connected the sensor board to the Nexus 10 via micro-USB.

Unlike the Kinect, however, PrimeSense doesn't think gestures will play a significant role in how we use Capri to interact with our gadgets. Rather, it seems to be more focused on 3D-based use case scenarios, many of which haven't even been thought up yet. As you'll see in the video below, we were shown an AR game that takes the environment around you -- walls, furniture and other elements -- and uses them as restrictions, just as much as they would be in real life. In another app, Capri snapped a three-dimension shot of an object on the table in front of us, captured its measurements and let us export that image to another device or even a 3D printer. In many respects, PrimeSense appears to be taking the same strategy Google does with Glass: get developers excited about the tech in the hopes they'll come up with clever uses for it. And while the company isn't ready to put Capri in their hands yet, the SDK is up for grabs, and I/O is no doubt an ideal place to build excitement for it. If you're looking for more info, we have a gallery, video and press release below, and you'll find the SDK at the More Coverage link.

Gallery: PrimeSense Capri demo at Google IO

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablets, Mobile

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