Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, April 13, 2009

Gigabyte T1028 netbook / tablet gets the hands-on treatment

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/11/gigabyte-t1028-netbook-tablet-gets-the-hands-on-treatment/

We've already seen Gigabyte's T1028 netbook / tablet up close, and even gotten a glimpse of the user manual, but the folks at UMPC Portal have now finally come though with a proper hands-on of the device, which looks to confirm that it does indeed deliver the goods, if not quite justify its $600+ price tag. What's more, as welcome as that swiveling touchscreen is, it looks like it's the little touches that really push this one over the edge, including an all too often omitted ExpressCard slot, built-in 3G, 802.11n WiFi, some actually accessible upgrade options, and an apparently faster than usual 2.5-inch hard drive. Hit up the link below for the complete rundown (including some benchmarks) and, of course, plenty of pics.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

Gigabyte T1028 netbook / tablet gets the hands-on treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 08:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

ASUS equips P30 and P80 laptops with Intel's Anti-Theft Technology

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/11/asus-equips-p30-and-p80-laptops-with-intels-anti-theft-technolo/

Remember Intel's Anti-Theft Technology that debuted around this time last year? You know, that wicked cool invention that you've heard absolutely nothing about ever since? Evidently it's still alive and kickin', as ASUS has just announced that two of its lappies will come loaded with it. The P30 and P80 will both arrive with the so-called theft deterrent system, enabling owners to send a "poison pill" (it's words, not ours) remotely, rendering their computer inoperable by "comprehensively shutting it down." If you manage to reacquire it in one piece, a passphrase can be inputted in order to reactivate things. Still, we have to wonder how this will really detract thieves from snapping up unattended machines -- we mean, do they really stop to check out the anti-theft software before wheeling away with your rig? We're guessing not.

[Via HotHardware]

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS equips P30 and P80 laptops with Intel's Anti-Theft Technology originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Researchers develop laser-guided microhoverbot, Engadget coins new word

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/11/researchers-develop-laser-guided-microhoverbot-engadget-coins-n/

We could have sworn that one of our commenters had already invented this, but maybe not. Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario -- led by Professor Mir Behrad Khamesee -- has developed a microbot weighing in at about three-hundredths of an ounce that hovers and moves about on a three dimensional parabolic magnetic field. Altering the flow of the electromagnetic current distorts the field and propels the robot. Additionally, the device has pincers that open when heated by a laser, closing once they're allowed to cool. The device is monitored by laser sensors and by camera, and since the it floats free of any sort of wiring (and power is supplied from outside the robot) it is ideal for working in clean rooms or hazardous environments. Not too shabby, eh? At the very least, we got to use the word "microhoverbot."

[Via CNet]

Filed under: Robots

Researchers develop laser-guided microhoverbot, Engadget coins new word originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 20:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

CUBE B52HD PMP handles codecs galore, HD out for silly cheap

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/12/cube-b52hd-pmp-handles-codecs-galore-hd-out-for-silly-cheap/

It's not like we're ever going to bump into this in our local electronics store, but boy is this CUBE B52HD portable media player tempting. The thing has a 5-inch 480 x 272 LCD, all the codecs we could ask for (including fan faves like FLAC, OGG, along with plenty of video options), 1280 x 720 video out, 8GB of built-in storage and an expansion slot of some sort. We're not sure about input methods, but hopefully the interface involves Brendan Fraser to some extent. The best news? All this can be theoretically yours for a mere 499 yuan, about $73 US.

[Via PMP Today]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

CUBE B52HD PMP handles codecs galore, HD out for silly cheap originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 08:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Firmware update brings file conversion, iPhone access to HP's MediaSmart ex485 / ex487

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/13/firmware-update-brings-file-conversion-iphone-access-to-hps-me/

HP's MediaSmart Server ex487 (1.5TB) and ex485 (750GB) both received copious amounts of praise when launched late last year, but considering just how many issues the original two had (the ex470 and ex475), it wouldn't take much to best 'em. Today, HP is issuing its second firmware update of the year for the series, but the first ever for the newest duo -- and make no mistake, it's a big one. The v2.5 update adds in loads of new features, far too many to cover in this space, in fact. If you're interested in hearing more, follow us past the break for all the details.

Continue reading Firmware update brings file conversion, iPhone access to HP's MediaSmart ex485 / ex487

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Storage, Networking

Firmware update brings file conversion, iPhone access to HP's MediaSmart ex485 / ex487 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Friday, April 10, 2009

Survey: 100% of Teens Want an iPod; 0% of Teens Want Any Other Player [Dominance]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/VZAZQrFEAB4/survey-100-of-teens-want-an-ipod-0-of-teens-want-any-other-player

News doesn't get much worse than this for the Zunes and Sansas of the world: a whopping 0% of surveyed teens planned on buying their devices, with 100% wanting an iPod in the coming year.

Piper Jaffray's biannual Teen Survey, in its eighth year, shows a serious drop off in interest for the Zune and Sansa. From last year's not-great 15% figure to this year's unfathomable 0%, it's just ugly.

But are these numbers accurate? For one, SanDisk had some decent numbers around 2007, but this survey says they peaked at 4%. It's certainly possible that SanDisk sold all of its products to adults and not teens, which would explain the discrepancy, but it still seems a bit fishy.

But in any case, Apple has just got to love seeing numbers like this. The age of iPod's total dominance over the PMP scene won't last forever, but with numbers like this it isn't ending anytime soon either. [Apple Insider via Crave]

Crunchpad: Photos of TechCrunch's Delicious Web Tablet [Techcrunch]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/0rUh9qcIwWY/crunchpad-photos-of-techcrunchs-delicious-web-tablet

The web tablet TechCrunch is working on is apparently still alive, seeing as it just showed up in Michael Arrington's posterous. UPDATED

The photos are now down from his posterous and Arrington declined to give us any more details or specs.
From the techcrunch twitterfeed:

fyi on the crunchpad buzz, photos were removed. apologies, they weren't ready for publication yet. added to our posterous account in error

More from TechCrunch, which has come forward with more details:

What you see is a prototype, equipped with an Intel Atom processor and a 12″ capacitative touchscreen.

Check out the keyboard.

I love this thing. Techcrunch will have more details next week.

This Farm? Oh, At This Farm We Grow Fluorescent Bulbs [Image Of The Night]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/uvH4_FTCGuY/this-farm-oh-at-this-farm-we-grow-fluorescent-bulbs

Richard Box's art installation, called FIELD, is powered by the electrical fields from the power lines that run above the project. It's an eerie sight, to be sure. [io9]

Leaked pics of the CrunchPad make it look dangerously close to availability

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/09/leaked-pics-of-the-crunchpad-make-it-look-dangerously-close-to-a/

Thanks to a slip of the fingers on Posterous (and Robert Scoble's serious Twitter addiction), new images of Michael Arrington's pet Internet-tablet project -- the CrunchPad -- have shown up looking very, very close to a finished product. As you can see in the gallery below, the (supposedly) $200, WiFi enabled pad has gotten dressed up in multiple colors and been shoved into some fairly handsome looking packaging. There's no telling if this means the device is any closer to a buy-able reality, but one thing is for sure: a microblog is no place for secrets.

Gallery: Leaked pics of the CrunchPad make it look dangerously close to availability

[Via Scoble's Twitterfeed, Arab Crunch]

Filed under: Handhelds

Leaked pics of the CrunchPad make it look dangerously close to availability originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Vandals take down Internet, emergency, and voice services in California

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/10/vandals-take-down-internet-emergency-and-voice-services-in-cal/

Feeling vulnerable? Maybe you should. Apparently, taking down the Internet, ATMs, and landline and wireless phone services is as easy as crawling down a few strategically located manholes and hacking through some fiber optic cables. Police in California suspect exactly that after "vandals" cut a total of 10 fiber optic cables (each containing between 48 and 360 fibers) at 4 locations on Thursday morning. The AT&T and Sprint cables knocked "tens of thousands" of San Francisco, Bay Area residents off the grid including an additional 52,000 Verizon landline and wireless customers. San Jose spokesman, Sgt. Ronnie Lopez, says that Vandals somehow managed to thwart the safeguards securing this important element of the US infrastructure. "The manhole covers are heavy," he said, "and would take quite an effort to lift, perhaps even requiring a tool." Amazing. There's been plenty of speculation that disgruntled members of the Communication Workers of America union are to blame after its contract with AT&T expired amid "strike-threatened contract negotiations" over the weekend -- something CWA officials adamantly deny. And they should... everyone knows that kidnapping corporate bosses is the hot new trend for curing the gruntles. AT&T is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the vandals.

[Via SFGate]

Vandals take down Internet, emergency, and voice services in California originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

HTC Touch Diamond2 hitting Taiwan this month

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/10/htc-touch-diamond2-hitting-taiwan-this-month/

According to MobileTechReview the HTC Touch Diamond2 is due out this month in Taiwan. Local price is NT$21,900 (US$648.93) and it'll come with a 8GB memory card inside the box. Still no US release date, but with the UK version reportedly launching next week, we wouldn't be surprise if April was the lucky month for a stateside debut, as well.

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC Touch Diamond2 hitting Taiwan this month originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Radiopaq launches custom tuned earphones to single our your audio

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/10/radiopaq-launches-custom-tuned-earphones-to-single-our-your-audi/

There's a big difference between giving people choices and giving people a choice, and while Sleek Audio did the smart thing by doing the former, Radiopaq is carelessly banking on the latter to still go over well. Rather than producing a set of earbuds with customizable acoustics to fit whatever genre you find yourself into, Radiopaq's custom tuned earphones take that personalization away from the end-user. Oh sure, you could plop down for four different sets to handle your classical, jazz, pop and rock records, but that would easily go down as one of the most absurd decisions you've ever made. The company proclaims that each set actually can be used to enjoy other genres, noting that each pair is simply optimized for one specific style. Each package will go for £59 ($86), so make sure you choose carefully -- does your allegiance lie with The Cranberries or Taylor Swift?

[Via Pocket-lint]

Filed under: Portable Audio

Radiopaq launches custom tuned earphones to single our your audio originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 06:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Resin replaces ITO in latest flexible OLED prototype

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/10/resin-replaces-ito-in-latest-flexible-oled-prototype/

Make no mistake, wrapping your mind around the build of an OLED panel is mighty tough to do. Without getting you mired in technobabble, let's just say that indium tin oxide (ITO) has generally been a mainstay in every single OLED that was produced commercially. Now, a team of researchers from AGFA-Gevaert, IMEC, Holst Centre and Philips have prototyped a 12- x 12-centimeter flexible OLED lighting panel that swaps out the ITO for highly-conductive transparent resin electrodes. You see, it's been difficult for OLED builders to secure enough electrical conductivity of ITO in a low-temperature process, and this new methodology is perfectly suited for the coating method (which makes it ripe for printing). The resin itself is being dubbed Orgacon, and tests have shown it to have a 6x improvement over ITO in terms of electrical conductivity. Beyond that, the crews are keeping the secrets safe from the poachers of the world, but here's hoping this amounts to more than just jovial celebration in a far off laboratory.

[Via OLED-Display]

Filed under: Displays

Resin replaces ITO in latest flexible OLED prototype originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hybrid Technologies becomes EVII, adds two electric beasts to its conceptual stable

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/10/hybrid-technologies-becomes-evii-adds-two-electric-beasts-to-it/

Hybrid Technologies becomes EVII, adds two electric beasts to its conceptual stable

Remember Hybrid Technologies, the company that offers to rip the motor out of a Mini and then charge you close to $60,000 for the privilege? They've gone and changed their name to EV Innovations Inc., or EVII (which looks like EVIL if you squint), and along the way came up with a pair of new electric options. First is the Wave (pictured above), with a 170 mile range, 80 mph top speed, $34,900 price tag, and a body that looks something like a 996 Porsche Carrera left out in the sun too long. The other is the Inizio, the sports car (after the break) with beefy pushrod suspension, racy sport seats, adequate 170 mph top speed, generous 200 mile range, and aggressive $139,000 price tag. The company hopes to start building both next year, but since it can't decide between three or four wheels on the Wave and doesn't yet have a body to show for the Inizio, that could prove to be a bit optimistic.

Continue reading Hybrid Technologies becomes EVII, adds two electric beasts to its conceptual stable

Filed under: Transportation

Hybrid Technologies becomes EVII, adds two electric beasts to its conceptual stable originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

wow, no one has tweeted that I'm stupid (yet) -- re: The ROI of Social Media is ZERO -- http://ping.fm/P0TE1 -- debate continues!

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)