What the iPhone Has Needed All Along is Coming: Sparkle, A 3D Virtual World [IPhone Apps]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/dHbyjLNAbic/what-the-iphone-has-needed-all-along-is-coming-sparkle-a-3d-virtual-world

A company called Genkii is hoping to rope a chunk of the 40-million worldwide web-connected phones and iTouches into a new 3D avatar-based virtual world, Sparkle. Too bad virtual worlds died around 4 years ago.

Genkii appear to have had Sparkle in the works for quite some time, but they must have spat out whatever drink they were drinking at the time when Apple announced their inter-app micro-commerce structure for iPhone 3.0, which is perfectly tailored to Second Life's "pay 65 cents, increase penis length by 200%" mini economy.

Currently, Genkii has a $5 IM app in the App Store that ties into your Second Life IM account. They hope to expand their actual standalone virtual world later this year, preserving the ability to tie into pre-existing worlds like Second Life and Playstation Home.

If there is anyone out there who can't wait to get a mini avatar on their iPhone, buy it clothes and an apartment, and seek out other mini avatars to IM with, forgive my skepticism. But I think Sparkle has missed the boat by about a half decade. We'll see what happens. [TechCrunch]

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ASUS CEO: Fold / Unfold laptop will cost between $1,000 and $1,500

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/21/asus-ceo-fold-unfold-laptop-will-cost-between-1-000-and-1-5/

We had already heard that ASUS' Fold / Unfold laptop concept -- which we originally spotted at CES in January -- would be shipping later this year, but that little fact just got a lot more official. In an interview with TechRadar, ASUS CEO Jerry Shen confessed that this very machine would be shipping in the September to October time frame, and that the end-user price would be "somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500." Just make sure we're not stuck with integrated graphics and we'll be pleased as punch, okay Jerry?

[Via Notebook Choice]

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS CEO: Fold / Unfold laptop will cost between $1,000 and $1,500 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Mar 2009 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scientists purportedly improve blue OLED efficiency by 25%

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/23/scientists-purportedly-improve-blue-oled-efficiency-by-25/

The holy grail of OLED is upon us. With scientists around the world working to improve efficiency of the short-lived blue OLED in order to better align with lifespans of the green and red counterparts, a team from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has reportedly taken a huge leap in solving the whole thing. These gurus have conjured up new host materials for a blue phosphorescent OLED that's at least 25 percent more efficient than existing blue OLEDs, but regrettably, details beyond that are few and far between. Word on the street has it that PNNL scientists are expected to gather and discuss the findings before heading to a meeting of the American Chemical Society later this spring, and we'll be crossing our fingers that whatever they've found is both a) cheap and b) easily implementable.

[Via OLED-Display]

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

Scientists purportedly improve blue OLED efficiency by 25% originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung's NC310 netbook with claimed 11-hour battery

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/23/samsungs-nc310-netbook-with-claimed-11-hour-battery/

Oh look, a "new" netbook. New on the outside anyway. Within, Samsung's NC310 offers the typical 1GB of memory, 10.1-inch LCD, 160GB disk, 5-hour battery, 802.11b/g WiFi, 1.3-megapixel camera, HSDPA data, and WiBRO (mobile WiMAX) too if you live in SoKo. A claimed 11-hour enhanced battery is certainly intriguing and perhaps Sammy's got a surprise or two in store with the unannounced processor, graphics, and price when the NC310 goes global "pretty soon," according to Akihabara News. Available in teal and mauve because country kitchens motifs never go out of style.

Filed under: Laptops

Samsung's NC310 netbook with claimed 11-hour battery originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 05:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung's NC10 successor, the N110, announced and reviewed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/23/samsungs-nc10-successor-the-n110-announced-and-reviewed/

There's nothing like a little surprise to get the week off on the right foot, so thanks to Samsung for getting us rolling by sneaking a successor to its venerable NC10 netbook straight into the willing hands of Laptop Magazine, where it was stealthily given the full review treatment. From what we can tell this new N110 is mainly a style refresh, offering the same keyboard 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, memory, and storage of the NC10, as well as the bigger battery and more usable touchpad the company added to the recent special edition -- now clad in a sophisticated, red-rimmed, matte exterior. With battery life topping eight hours in real-world usage, and a price of $469, this one picks up where its predecessor left off and seems like a good choice for those who want a little more style with their netbooking -- or who are too impatient to wait for the NC20.

Filed under: Laptops

Samsung's NC10 successor, the N110, announced and reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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