Wednesday, November 09, 2011

drag2share: MOD and MOD Live Android ski goggles give extreme analytics, we go eyes-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/08/mod-and-mod-live-android-ski-goggles-give-extreme-analytics-we/

Straight out of Q's closet of goodies are Recon Instrument's brand new MOD and MOD Live ski goggles, giving bikers, skiers and snowboarders a glimpse into the digital extreme with a tiny built-in LCD micro display -- powered by an itsy bitsy Android ARM Coretex-A8 600 MHz computer. The 428 x 240 WQVGA screen allows the hardcore to tune into things like speed, jump analytics, distance, pre-loaded trail maps, height and GPS location, while keeping MOD Live users connected to calls and texts via Bluetooth. Running Android 2.3, the LIVE variety will let you see who's calling, answer calls, receive texts and even respond to them with pre-programmed responses. Users can switch between screens using the included remote, attachable via wristband or headstrap. Since the display is so tiny, the amount of Android apps athletes will be able to use will be limited -- so, sorry kids, no Angry Birds while mountain biking off a cliff.

If that doesn't sound distracting enough, the manufacturer promises future third-party camera and video recorder integration to capture all the jumps, dives and spills associated with shredding the gnar. Sadly, the current model only has 512Mbs of storage and 256MB of RAM, so you won't be able to store too many Sean White-worthy feature films on them.

Giving these bad boys a go, they transported us into what seemed like the future with details of our personal best performances staring us in the eye from the corner of the screen -- rad. Flexible and bendy, the eye shield easily pops out of the frame to reveal the display itself, along with the computer's guts. Of course, the extreme flexibility and bulkiness of the goggles doesn't bode well for those of us who actually use goggles to protect our eyes -- giving us the impression that they would not offer much cushion with a severe spill. The enviable eyewear will retail for $299 with the Android smartphone-connected version available for $399. Check out the video and full PR after the break.

Continue reading MOD and MOD Live Android ski goggles give extreme analytics, we go eyes-on (video)

MOD and MOD Live Android ski goggles give extreme analytics, we go eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 9:08 AM

drag2share: NVIDIA says Tegra 3 is a 'PC-class CPU,' has screenshots to prove it

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/09/nvidia-says-tegra-3-is-a-pc-class-cpu-has-screenshots-to-prov/

Asus can't be absorbing all those limelight photons today. Not when its freshly detailed Transformer Prime depends so heavily on NVIDIA's special sauce. Admittedly, we already know a lot about Tegra 3 from its Kal-El days, but we haven't seen much in the way of real-world performance claims. Until now, that is. Below you'll see newly released screenshots of Android games that have been souped-up to capitalize on the imminent Asus Eee Pad as well as other Tegra 3-powered devices -- including smartphones -- that are expected early next year. NVIDIA has also put out slides containing in-house benchmarks and head-to-head comparisons with the Tegra 2, which you'll find right after the break.

Continue reading NVIDIA says Tegra 3 is a 'PC-class CPU,' has screenshots to prove it

NVIDIA says Tegra 3 is a 'PC-class CPU,' has screenshots to prove it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:55 AM

drag2share: ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime: 10-inch Super IPS+ display, 12-hour battery and quad-core Tegra 3, ships in December for $499

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/09/transformer-prime-detailed-10-inch-super-ips-display-12-hour/

For three weeks now, Android fans have been fidgeting impatiently. Specifically, ever since ASUS chairman Jonney Shih took the stage at last month's AsiaD conference and teased the next-gen Transformer tablet. Though he only gave us a quick glimpse, he recited a laundry list of specs: a 10.1-inch display, 8.3mm-thick body, mini-HDMI output, microSD slot and an update to Ice Cream Sandwich by the end of the year, if not sooner. Not to mention, it'll pack NVIDIA's hot-off-the-presses Tegra 3 SoC, making it the first-ever quad-core tablet. We knew this: we'd learn more on November 9th.

Well, that day has come, and so have the juicy details. We just got word that the tablet will go on sale worldwide in December, starting at $499 with a beefy 32GB of storage, moving up to $599 for a 64GB model. (That signature keyboard dock you see up there will cost $149.) In addition to those basic specs Mr. Shih revealed last month, we now know this has a 1280 x 800, Super IPS+ Gorilla Glass display with a 178-degree viewing angle and a max brightness of 600 nits. It also packs 1GB of RAM, GPS, a gyroscope, SonicMaster audio and a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera. Rounding out the list is an 8MP shooter with an auto-focusing f/2.4 lens and a back-illuminated CMOS sensor that captures 1080p video. Touch-to-focus is also an option here, and ASUS claims a 30 percent boost in color enhancement over competing tabs.

As for battery life, we initially heard reports of 14.5-hour runtime, but ASUS is now saying the tablet alone can squeeze out 12 hours thanks to a 22Wh battery, and that the dock will add an additional six hours of juice. In addition, the slimmed-down, 1.2-pound dock brings all the other benefits the last-gen model offered, including a touchpad, USB 2.0 port and full-sized SD slot. Software-wise, it'll ship with Android 3.2 and apps such as SuperNote and Polaris Office, and we're told we'll learn more about that ICS update in "early December."

In terms of design, you may have already noticed the Prime sports the same spun aluminum digs as the company's Zenbooks, though this is the first time we're seeing clear, close-up shots of it -- and in two colors, no less! At 8.3mm (0.33 inches) thick and 586 grams (1.29 pounds) without the dock, it's a smidge skinnier than the iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1, which means, unsurprisingly, that your old Transformer dock won't be compatible. Finally, ASUS coated both the display and metal cover with a hydro-oleophobic coating that makes it more fingerprint-resistant. For now, we've got photos below and if you can wait a few more weeks, we'll most definitely be putting this thing through its paces in a full review. And if you're looking for something a little less expensive, well, the original Transformer should be getting Ice Cream Sandwich soon, and we wouldn't be surprised if Santa brought a few holiday rebates.

Continue reading ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime: 10-inch Super IPS+ display, 12-hour battery and quad-core Tegra 3, ships in December for $499

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime: 10-inch Super IPS+ display, 12-hour battery and quad-core Tegra 3, ships in December for $499 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of! feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:55 AM

drag2share: Vooma Peel PG92 case brings dual-SIM capability, added appeal to your iPhone 4, 4S

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/09/vooma-peel-pg92-case-brings-dual-sim-capability-added-appeal-to/

Vooma's new Peel PG92 handset case isn't the first to bring dual-SIM capability to the iPhone 4, but it may be the most elegant. The accessory, which has yet to be released, essentially consists of an extra battery pack and an unlocked SIM slot. All you have to do is download Vooma's customized app to your jailbroken iPhone 4 or 4S, strap on the Peel PG92, and insert your spare SIM card into the case (judging from the photos, it appears that the device is tailored for mini-SIM cards, rather than micro-SIM). Once that's taken care of, you'll be able to place calls via the app and external SIM, using a dialer interface that's only slightly different from what Apple offers. No word yet on pricing or availability, but you can sign up for more information at Voom's website, linked below. Otherwise, check out the coverage from our friends at TechCrunch, who managed to get their hands on a pre-release model.

Vooma Peel PG92 case brings dual-SIM capability, added appeal to your iPhone 4, 4S originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 04:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:55 AM

drag2share: Toshiba's super-thin AT200 tablet running late, not out til next year

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/09/toshibas-super-thin-at200-tablet-running-late-not-out-til-next/

Now that the Asus Transformer Prime is pegged for a December release, Toshiba has become less coy about it's own 10.1-inch Android tablet, the AT200. A blogger posited a question on the company's official Facebook page and promptly got himself an answer: the 7.7mm thick, 1.2GHz dual-core slate will be commercially available from January 2012. Unless there's a different schedule for the US, then we have to say, boo, hiss, and other pantomime expressions. We were originally told it'd ship before Christmas. Let's hope there'll be a post-holiday bargain price tag to make up for it.

Toshiba's super-thin AT200 tablet running late, not out til next year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Tabtech [German]  |  sourceFacebook [German]  | Email this&! nbsp;|&n bsp;Comments

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Posted by Augustine at 8:54 AM

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

drag2share: Jailbreakers unearth hidden panorama mode in iOS 5 camera app

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/08/jailbreakers-unearth-hidden-panorama-mode-in-ios-5-camera-app/

Somewhere deep within the bowels of iOS 5 lurks a panoramic camera function, and hacker Conrad Kramer has unlocked it. The trick, according to Kramer (AKA Conradev), is to set the "EnableFirebreak" key to "Yes" within an iOS preference file. Alternatively, you could just grab fellow hacker Grant Paul's Firebreak tweak, which just hit the Cydia storefront this morning. Once installed on your jailbroken phone, Firebreak will allow you to take full panoramic shots directly from the iOS interface, as pictured above in Paul's screenshot. No word yet on if or when Apple plans on flipping this function live, but in the meantime, you can check out the links below for more details.

[Thanks, Charlie]

Jailbreakers unearth hidden panorama mode in iOS 5 camera app originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Apple Insider, 9 to 5 Mac  |  source@conradev (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

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Posted by Augustine at 12:59 PM

drag2share: NTT DoCoMo's Galaxy S II LTE makes way through FCC with swagger

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/08/ntt-docomos-galaxy-s-ii-lte-makes-way-through-fcc-with-swagger/

Among the litany of smartphones that NTT DoCoMo announced last month, the SC-03D -- otherwise known as the Galaxy S II LTE -- was undeniably among the forefront of the bunch. The handset will begin shipping in the Land of the Rising Sun before year's end, but it seems that a lucky punk at the FCC got to review its dirty bits ahead of the glorious release. Like its Korea-bound siblings, the phone sports a Snapdragon S3 SoC with a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU and an Adreno 220 GPU, but unlike the over-achieving HD variant, the SC-03D's 4.5-inch display is limited to WVGA resolution. Jet-lagged Japanese travelers will find GPRS and EDGE love with our 1900 and 850MHz domestic networks, although HSPA is restricted to the 2100 and 900MHz bands. As for that lusty 75Mbps theoretical speed for the Xi LTE network, you'll have to excuse us while we attempt to hide our jealousy.

NTT DoCoMo's Galaxy S II LTE makes way through FCC with swagger originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 07:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:51 AM

drag2share: Mozilla seeks to infiltrate Android with Boot to Gecko, a new mobile OS for geekos

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/07/mozilla-seeks-to-infiltrate-android-with-boot-to-gecko-a-new-mo/

Remember those rumblings about Mozilla and its very own mobile OS known as Boot to Gecko? We now have further details to share, and unlike most operating systems -- which demand their own hardware -- this one is aiming to shack up with Android smartphones. Given the existing complexity of altering many of these devices, Mozilla's Boot to Gecko will likely find favor among geeks alone, but the project itself has much greater ambitions. First and foremost, the OS will be designed with web apps in mind, yet with functionality and device integration that's on par with native applications. The true boon here is the potential for other operating systems to integrate Mozilla's technologies into their own browsers, thus allowing true cross-platform application development and the possibility of bolstering platforms that struggle for developer interest. Right now, much of the project exists only in the minds of a few tenacious developers, but the group hopes to unveil a public demo early next year. As if this weren't wild enough, while Mozilla has no intention of creating its own Boot to Gecko device, the group has expressed a willingness to work with OEMs that share its dream of a web-based future. Go ahead and count us in.

Mozilla seeks to infiltrate Android with Boot to Gecko, a new mobile OS for geekos originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 23:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  sourceMozillaWiki (1), (2), (3)  | Email this | Comments

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Posted by Augustine at 7:09 AM

drag2share: T-Mobile Springboard review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/08/t-mobile-springboard-review/

When the Huawei MediaPad was first announced in June, it was notable for being the first tablet we'd heard of to run Android 3.2. Since then, the Acer Iconia Tab A100 and others have beat it to market, but its arrival in the US is timely nonetheless: it joins the petite tablet party at about the same time as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and forthcoming Toshiba Thrive 7", to name a couple. We already knew that when the MediaPad landed here in the States it would be known as the T-Mobile Springboard, but the carrier just announced some key pricing and availability details: it'll go on sale November 16th for $430 off contract, or $180 with a two-year agreement and $50 mail-in rebate -- not surprising, given that we've been hearing this would cost less than $200 on contract.

In addition to running on T-Mobile's 14.4Mbps HSPA+ network, it has WiFi and GPS radios, a dual-core 1.2GHz chip made by Qualcomm, 227 pixels-per-inch IPS display, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.3 shooter up front, 8GB of internal storage, a microSD slot and support for 1080p playback. We'll return to all those specs in detail after the break, but nonetheless, it's important to get them out of the way from the get-go. After all, there's soon to be a glut of Android 3.2 tablets, and it's worth asking if this one is worth the slightly high price -- or maybe even a two-year marriage to Big Magenta.

Continue reading T-Mobile Springboard review

T-Mobile Springboard review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:09 AM

Monday, November 07, 2011

drag2share: The USB Watch is so Geeky!

Source: http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/11/07/the-usb-watch-is-so-geeky/

And I love it too! The USB Watch is a simple way of carrying your memory stick in style. A 10-minute romp with the computer charges it enough to tell you the correct time for a week. What's more, every time you hook it up it syncs in automatically with the computer's time. The LED display shows you the current memory status at the touch of a button. I think it's a clever integration of functionality and utility.

Designers: Yoon-jin Gon, Yoon-tae Myoung & Kim Sung Hun

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Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
(The USB Watch is so Geeky! was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Posted by Augustine at 10:10 PM

drag2share: Remains of the Day: Siri Gets Some Competition From Zypr [For What It's Worth]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5857273/remains-of-the-day-siri-gets-some-competition-from-zypr

Remains of the Day: Siri Gets Some Competition From Zypr A new web API allows developers to add cloud-powered voice commands to their apps, maple syrup's history in America influences our taste for the sweet stuff, and Wordpress brings Google-like notifications to your blog.

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Posted by Augustine at 9:57 PM

drag2share: HTC Edge may be the first quad-core smartphone to market

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/07/htc-edge-may-be-the-first-quad-core-smartphone-to-market/

Color us skeptical on this one, but rumors are coming down the pipeline about an HTC phone called the Edge. It's supposedly going to be the first Tegra 3-powered smartphone. According to Pocketnow, the device will supposedly offer a quad-core 1.5GHz CPU, 4.7-inch 720p HD display, 1GB of RAM, an 8MP rear camera with f/2.2 lens and Beats Audio. Curiously, no LTE capability was mentioned specifically, though 21Mbps HSPA+ appears to be good to go, and there's a slight possibility of Sense 4.0 being included -- which given its proposed launch window of late Q1 / early Q2 2012, wouldn't be a huge surprise. We'd love to start seeing more quad-core goodness headed our way, so we're definitely keeping our fingers crossed to see a lot more of the above show up at CES and MWC.

HTC Edge may be the first quad-core smartphone to market originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 9:43 PM

drag2share: This Image Shows How Camera Lenses Beautify or Uglify Your Pretty Face [Photography]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5857279/this-is-how-lenses-beautify-or-uglify-your-pretty-face

This Image Shows How Camera Lenses Beautify or Uglify Your Pretty FaceEver wonder why you may look prettier in some photos and uglier in others, even with the same smile and the same lighting? It's all about the camera lens. These portraits—taken by Stephen Eastwood—show how this works.

If you have ever used a dating site and thought——"damn, he/she looked so hot in those pictures! What happened?" or "wow! He/she looks a lot better in person!"—you know exactly what I'm talking about.

It's all about the lens distortion (which is also affected by the subject's distance to the camera). Lenses make the world look different than it does through your eyes. They bend light rays, capturing the scene within a certain field of view into a limited bi-dimensional frame: the photograph. Depending on the lens' focal length, the image will deform more or less, affecting how faces and objects look in photos.

You can see how the deformation works in this Eastwood's series, who took the same photo with a wide range of optics, going from a 350mm to 19mm. Eastwood moved the camera to frame the subject in exactly the same position so you could clearly see the effect.

The shorter the focal length, the more field of you view you can capture. With something like a 15mm fish eye lens or the 19mm that Eastwood used, the effect is really obvious. Your face would be extremely deformed, like the rest of the environment. But as you go up, the distortion gets more subtle. Sometimes this distortion can make a face prettier than it actually is. Sometimes the effect makes a face uglier. Since this subtler distortion is not obvious, your mind just buys the image thinking that this is what the person looks like.

The same happens with larger focal lengths. At 350mm there's also a distortion of reality: the face of the model becomes flatter and wider.

In theory, shooting with something like a 135mm would produce the best, most accurate results, but there's no right or wrong here. It depends on your subject's anatomy. That's why some people are "photogenic" with certain cameras and at certain angles, and look horrible with others.

If you pay attention, you can really observe this effect in everyday photos taken with cellphones and compact cameras. You can even see it without even changing the lens focal length. While taking photos with my iPhone on a recent trip, placing some people on the center of the frame made them look better, especially from a distance. Then, as I moved them to the sides of the frame, they looked sightly different. The distortion is more obvious near the sides, and it was enough to make them less attractive. The funny thing is that the contrary happened with me: I looked better on the sides than on the center. Or maybe it was just that I had a horrible hangover the whole trip.

Images by Stephen Eastwood via Petapixel

You can keep up with Jesus Diaz the author of this post, on Twitter or Facebook.

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Posted by Augustine at 9:34 PM

drag2share: Swann releases Freestyle HD, begs you to capture 1080p underwater via LCD viewer

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/07/swann-releases-freestyle-hd-begs-you-to-capture-1080p-underwate/

Looking to step your game up when capturing surfing footage from atop your longboard? Swann is aiming to lend a helping hand with its newfangled Freestyle HD wearable video camera. This offering is the company's first that sports a detachable 1.5-inch LCD viewer for taking a peek at your 1080p video capture in real-time -- which you can capture at up to 30 fps. You'll also be able to snap eight megapixel JPEGs should you so choose with 3x digital zoom at your disposal. Waterproof at depths up to 65 feet, the Freestyle HD can be helmet-mounted, attached to your favorite fixed-gear or the roof of your rally car via the three included mounting brackets. The camera will connect directly to an HDTV for viewing, or you can hop over to a PC via a microSD card or USB transfer. You can expect 2.5-hour battery life and a $279 price tag to boot -- too bad that flight to the southern hemisphere isn't nearly as affordable.

Continue reading Swann releases Freestyle HD, begs you to capture 1080p underwater via LCD viewer

Swann releases Freestyle HD, begs you to capture 1080p underwater via LCD viewer originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 6:59 PM

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