Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Sungevity Web App Makes Installing Solar Panels a Piece of Cake [Solar]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/273725344/sungevity-web-app-makes-installing-solar-panels-a-piece-of-cake

Eco start-up company Sungevity is launching a new web application on Earth Day (three days away, people!) that will take the guess work out of solar panel installations. Enter your address on Sungevity's website and satellite-imaging software will zoom in on your home, calculate your roof's dimensions, select the right sized solar arrays and calculate how much money you'll save on energy costs.

Once you place an order, the site will ship one of five off-the-shelf prepackaged solar arrays and dispatch an installation crew to your door. An on-line database tracks local building and permit requirements and sends the necessary forms to you for you to fill out.

This is great news for everyone who has ever wanted to jump on the solar bandwagon, but was afraid to because of the headaches that come from any large home project. The system will also help make everything cheaper, since half of a solar system's costs are from installation hassles.

Unfortunately, the service is limited to California addresses right now, but if business is good, we could probably count on a nationwide roll-out in the near future. [Green Wombat via Wired]

Preliminary benchmarks have VIA's Isaiah besting Intel's Atom

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/273068427/

Filed under: Laptops

You knew this day would come: Intel positioned Atom perfectly to compete with VIA's low-power offerings, and VIA is trying to stay one step ahead in the low power game with its Isaiah processor. Who will be the winner? Well, we'd say it's still a little early to call it, but German site Eee PC News did some quick and dirty benchmarks that show Isaiah on top by a decent margin. At this point the numbers are just in "ALU" and "FPU," but hopefully some real world benchmarks from some retail products can clear this up before long.

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Intel's Skulltrail QX9775 hits 6GHz, manages not to spontaneously combust

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/273114410/

Filed under: Desktops

Yeah, we've seen other mad scientists take way more antiquated chips to higher figures on the GHz scale, but can that cryogenically cooled P4 handle all those SSE4.1 instructions? The latest feat of overclocking prowess comes to us courtesy of K|ngp|n, who has apparently taken Skulltrail beyond the 6GHz mark. You'll also notice the 1,716MHz FSB (!!!) and the fact that it's sizzling along at 1.953-volts -- but hey, no one said running Crysis would be easy, right?

[Via The Inquirer]

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AMD's Shanghai proffers 12 cores, HyperTransport 3.0

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/273158964/

Filed under: Desktops

If your interest in processor speeds doesn't extend much beyond "is it fast?" then these juicy tidbits likely aren't for you. That said, AMD is certainly getting excited about its upcoming Barcelona successor: the 45nm Shanghai. The main points of interest out of the gate are HyperTransport 3.0, which was nixed late in the game on Barcelona, and six cores, which are meant to pit the chip up against Intel's upcoming six-core Dunnington chip. Where things get really exciting is a few months after Shanghai's late 2008 debut, when AMD plans do release a twin-die version, with 12 cores of happiness connected by HyperTransport 3.0. What does all that mean? Beats us, but we hope it's fast.

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BenQ's Atom-based MID gets detailed

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/273173630/

Filed under: Handhelds

BenQ has been showing off its first stab at an MID since the Intel Developer Forum last fall, but it hasn't exactly been all that forthcoming about the full specs of the device. That situation seems to have changed at the more recent IDF in Shanghai, however, although those details seem to just now be making their way across the Internet. As we knew before, the device will pack an Intel Atom processor (the base 800MHz model), which will apparently be backed up by 512MB of RAM, a 4GB SSD hard drive, and HSPDA support in addition to some integrated WiFi and Bluetooth. The device will also apparently pack a so-called "G-Senser" for "direct touch and free movement to surf on internet," along with voice activation, and optional GPS. Still no word on the all important pricing or release details, unfortunately, although we hope BenQ will save itself some embarrassment but getting the thing out the door before the next Intel Developer Forum.

[Via Slash Gear]

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