Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Sugar Labs debuts "Sugar on a Stick" beta, for LiveUSB-derived diabetes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/28/sugar-labs-debuts-sugar-on-a-stick-beta-for-liveusb-derived-d/

After offering Sugar for the past while as an interface to run on top of your Linux distro of choice, Sugar Labs is prepping "Sugar on a Stick," a Fedora 11-based LiveUSB distro that boots most any PC from a 1GB+ USB stick and lets a user carry their Sugar environment, files and settings wherever they roam. While the beta is currently up for download, there seem to be plenty of kinks to work out, but as the team expands and refines hardware support, we could see this potentially being more of a boon for education than the XO-1 itself; turning any PC into a Sugar PC, not just the dramatically green ones. It's also nice to see how speedy Sugar can be free from the bonds of AMD Geode -- even Atom provides quite a bit of relative pep. Check out a quick (and slightly hyperactive) hands-on video from OLPC News after the break.

Continue reading Sugar Labs debuts "Sugar on a Stick" beta, for LiveUSB-derived diabetes

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Sugar Labs debuts "Sugar on a Stick" beta, for LiveUSB-derived diabetes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Video: MOTO Lab's multitouch display scalable up to 50-inches

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/28/video-moto-labs-multitouch-display-scalable-up-to-50-inches/

When the heads over at the MOTO Development Group aren't busy outfitting E-Ink devices with Android, they can often be found looking for bigger, better, and cheaper ways to build multitouch surfaces -- and they seem to be on to something. The video below shows full multitouch on a 19-inch display, although the company promises it is scalable up to at least 50-inches -- and it does this without the bulky projector. The capacitive touch screen forgoes the ITO (indium tin oxide) used in devices like the iPhone, relying instead on "extremely fine" wires to conduct the signals (which are lit up here for effect -- the company assures us that this will not be the case in production units). You know what this means: we may be getting that touch screen coffee table sooner than we thought! And we won't have to buy that yacht, either. But don't take out word for it -- peep for yourself after the break.

Continue reading Video: MOTO Lab's multitouch display scalable up to 50-inches

Filed under: Displays

Video: MOTO Lab's multitouch display scalable up to 50-inches originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Epson launches next-gen Ensemble HD Home Cinema System

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/28/epson-launches-next-gen-ensemble-hd-home-cinema-system/

Considering that Epson's highest-end HTIB is nearly two years old now, we'd say an update was definitely in order. Today, the outfit has just taken the wraps off of its next-generation Ensemble HD Home Cinema, which gets updated by way of including the PowerLite Home Cinema 6100 or Home Cinema 6500 UB. As with the prior kit, these two also include a motorized 100-inch screen, integrated surround sound, AV controller with built-in DVD player, universal remote and all virtually components needed for installation. The only thing that's glaringly absent is a Blu-ray player, which -- at this point -- is completely and utterly inexcusable. At any rate, those content with treating themselves to upscaled DVD can fork out $4,999 for the Ensemble HD Home Cinema 720p, $6,499 for the Ensemble HD Home Cinema 6100 and $7,999 for the Ensemble HD Home Cinema 6500 UB.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment

Epson launches next-gen Ensemble HD Home Cinema System originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Intel further slashes SSD prices, ups production of 1.8-inch drives

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/28/intel-further-slashes-ssd-prices-ups-production-of-1-8-inch-dri/

Intel just cut a big chunk out of the MSRP on some of its SSDs a few months back, but it looks like it's already back for another go 'round, and it's also taking the opportunity to up the production on some of the models intended for netbooks and ultraportable laptops. The price cuts come to Intel's recently-fixed X25-M series of drives, with the 160GB drive dropping $100 (bringing its retail price down to $630), while the 80GB model dips a further $50 to $320, or close to half of what it originally cost when it launched back in December. What's more, while they aren't getting any cheaper just yet, Intel will reportedly be making more of its 80GB and 160GB 1.8-inch drives, which have apparently been in short supply since launching last year.

Filed under: Storage

Intel further slashes SSD prices, ups production of 1.8-inch drives originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

iBUYPOWER's Core i7-powered LAN Warrior makes other SFF rigs weep

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/28/ibuypowers-core-i7-powered-lan-warrior-makes-other-sff-rigs-wee/

See that, Shuttle? Yeah, that's your worst nightmare. iBUYPOWER has just shocked the small form factor (SFF) world with a new rig that's potent enough to act as your standalone gaming machine. Equipped with a menacing look, a carry handle and room for two full-sized dual slot video cards, the aptly titled LAN Warrior caters to no one outside of the enthusiast niche. For the crowd willing to shell out for the latest and greatest, they'll find a Core i7 CPU (920, 940 and 965 Extreme available, up to five ventilation fans, an optional liquid cooling system, ASUS' Rampage II Gene X58 motherboard, up to 12GB of DDR3 memory, twin GeForce GTX 295 / Radeon 4870 x2 GPUs, four internal 3.5-inch bays, up to 6TB of HDD space, up to two Blu-ray writers, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi and a planet-killing 1000-watt power supply. Amazingly, the starting tag on this one is just $999, and it's available now from the outfit's website. Full release is after the break.

Gallery: iBUYPOWER's Core i7-powered LAN Warrior makes other SFF rigs weep