Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Most dial-up users don't want to upgrade their connections

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/326947841/

So here's a bit of brilliant statistics work for you: The Pew Internet & American Life research project has determined after endless polling and number crunching that 62 percent of American dial-up users have no interest in upgrading their connections to something a bit more peppy. In fact, only 14 percent of them would upgrade if they could. They cite high prices, barrier to entry, and -- ooh, is Survivor on? We look at it this way: if you're not already on broadband with the multitude of options, and you can get broadband (i.e. you're not stranded out in the wilderness) in one way shape or form, you probably just don't really care, and we can make fun of you because you're not reading this post anyway.

[Via Switched]

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Fujitsu Siemens' Lasso external graphics card get spotted, should hit retail soon

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/327435580/

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

An external graphics card that's actually nearing release? Be still our hearts! Fujitsu Siemens' recently leaked external unit, which will be based on ATI XGP technology, is actually really, really close to hitting retail -- according to a piece over at Fudzilla, anyway. Slated to be titled Lasso, the RV670-based device should be more than enough to handle basic tasks, but unfortunately, benchmarks were off limits. On the upside, digital photography was not, so head on down to the read link for a few more snaps.

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Researchers boast of progress with printed electronics

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/327268432/

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

There's certainly no shortage of researchers working on printable electronics these days, but a group from the EU-funded CONTACT project is now boasting of a "major step" towards being able to print electronics on everyday materials. At the moment, they seem to be focused primarily on printing organic TFT displays directly onto glass plates, which apparently required the use of some aggressive solvents that "attack" the organic materials between the TFT and liquid crystal layers. Their current Labratester 1 printer (pictured above) apparently still has some problems precisely lining up each layer, however, but they say that'll be fixed with the addition of some optical cameras in the Labratester 2 machine they're now working on. Eventually, they say the system could be used to easily and cheaply print displays directly on watch faces or glasses, or even print other electronics onto paper or other fabrics.

[Via Protein Feed, image courtesy of NSMZ]

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3D mammograms increase breast cancer detection by 23 percent

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/327449970/

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Scientists have developed stereo mammograms -- breast X-rays taken with special cameras and at multiple angles -- that they say can help them increase detection of breast cancer by 23-percent while decreasing false alarms by 46-percent. By overlaying images taken at different angles or using 3D glasses, Researchers at the Mayo clining say they can now see behind dense tissue that would normally block potential problem areas. Since early detection is a key factor in beating breast cancer, this is an exciting new development.

[Via Slashgear]

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Gigabyte gets official with 8.9-inch M912V swivel screen netbook

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/327519958/

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

It has taken long enough, but Gigabyte finally saw fit to make official its intriguing M912V. If you'll recall, this critter popped up and caught eyes at Computex, as it's essentially a netbook with a swivel screen -- think Tablet PC, but miniature. Specs wise, you're looking at an 8.9-inch WXGA (1,280 x 768) LED-backlit panel, Intel's 1.6GHz Atom processor, a 2.5-inch HDD (120/160/250GB), 1.3-megapixel camera, twin 1.5-watt speakers, 1GB of RAM and your choice of Windows XP, Vista or Linux. Furthermore, you'll find Bluetooth, WiFi, an ExpressCard slot, a wide of array of ports and even an option for HSDPA expansion. It should be noted that there's no internal optical drive (nor a price or release date just yet), but at least Gigabyte's offering up a netbook with some inkling of innovation, right?

[Via PCLaunches]

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