Quest for invisibility cloaks revisited by two research groups

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/30/quest-for-invisibility-cloaks-revisited-by-two-research-groups/

After a brief period of no news, it's time to revisit the world of invisible cloaks. Inspired by the ideas of theoretical physicist John Pendry at Imperial College, London, two separate groups of researchers from Cornell University and UC Berkeley claim to have prototyped their own cloaking devices. Both work essentially the same way: the object is hidden by mirrors that look entirely flat thanks to tiny silicon nanopillars that steer reflected light in such a way to create the illusion. It gets a bit technical, sure, but hopefully from at least one of these projects we'll get a video presentation that's sure to make us downright giddy.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wearables

Quest for invisibility cloaks revisited by two research groups originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViBook USB Adapter Review: Who Doesn't Want Four Extra Monitors? [Review]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/DECbArAhZdE/vibook-usb-adapter-review-who-doesnt-want-four-extra-monitors

The ViBook is the USB version of the ViDock, and can add four to six additional monitors to your setup by just using USB ports. It works, but it's not perfect.

ViBook supports up to a 23-inch monitor at 1680x1050 or 1600x1200 resolution. Like the ViDock, it renders graphics on the device itself, offloading the processing from your on-board graphics card. This is good, because it allows you to attach four (for Macs) or six (for PCs) more monitors to your setup. But it's also bad because it relies on the rendering power of the device to display windows, so there's no OpenGL or any kind of real acceleration.

It's best used for extending your desktop so you can keep your mail, or your RSS feeds, or your IM windows or your calendar visible at all times. Not so much if you need to do anything graphics-based, or anything that refreshes really fast. No games, especially.

The ViBook is a pretty decent device, but at $130, it's slightly too pricey. OWC has a version for $100, and Fastmac has a version for $80. [ViBook]

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Sensitive Object's Anywhere MultiTouch extends touch sensitivity to the whole device

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/29/sensitive-objects-anywhere-multitouch-extends-touch-sensitivity/

Sensitive Object, a French startup best known for its louche, Gitanes-smoking engineers and its love of cocktail jazz, has just announced the development of Anywhere MultiTouch, a Windows 7-compliant platform that brings touch sensitivity to glass, aluminum, and plastic, through the use of piezoelectric sensors. This product is an extension of the company's ReverSys technology, which recognizes the precise location where an object is touched through soundwaves, with the new platform throwing in handwriting recognition and palm rejection for good measure. It looks like multitouch has finally been freed from the tyranny of the display, with developers now able to incorporate actions along the whole device. Excited? We bet you are. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Sensitive Object's Anywhere MultiTouch extends touch sensitivity to the whole device

Filed under: Displays, Tablet PCs

Sensitive Object's Anywhere MultiTouch extends touch sensitivity to the whole device originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Students build 3D computer interface using copper, felt, and lots of moxie

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/29/students-build-3d-computer-interface-using-copper-felt-and-lot/

Always on the lookout for bigger and better ways to faux-scratch a record with your PC, these students at Northeastern University have developed a human-computer interface that utilizes copper pads and our beloved theory of electrostatics. This little devil is able to track the position of a user's hand in three dimensions, without attaching markers to the body or requiring the user to hold some sort of controller. We can think of a couple theremin players that would love to get their hands on one of these things (Mike Love, we're looking at you). But don't take out word for it -- peep the video below to groove along with these dudes as they literally rock the (virtual) bells, play some organ, and even do a little fingerpainting.

Continue reading Students build 3D computer interface using copper, felt, and lots of moxie

Filed under: Peripherals

Students build 3D computer interface using copper, felt, and lots of moxie originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD's $69 2.8GHz Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition CPU launched, reviewed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/29/amds-69-2-8ghz-athlon-x2-7850-black-edition-cpu-launched-revi/

AMD already showed us yesterday what kind of graphical prowess could be crammed into a sub-$100 GPU, and today it's attempting to pull the same kind of stunt on the CPU front. The Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition -- a 2.8GHz chip with 2MB of L3 cache and loads of overclocking potential -- has just been loosed, and with a downright stunning $69 MSRP, we'd say it'll have budget gamers across the nation paying attention. Reviewers across the web voiced their appreciation for the low price, and while the processor didn't burn any barns down along the way, it did manage to garner a sufficient amount of praise while on the bench. NeoSeeker seemed to capture the general consensus with this: "the Athlon X2 7850 is a decent processor that is able to power even the latest games." 'Course, the performance-per-watt was a bit lacking given the 65nm manufacturing process, but it's not like you can have your cake and eat it too.

Read - NeoSeeker ("a decent processor")
Read - HiTechLegion ("performed very well")
Read - Guru3D ("packs decent muscle and has reasonable overclock potential")
Read - Bit-tech ("unsurprisingly underwhelming compared to the 7750 Black Edition")
Read - Overclocker's Club ("impressed with the increased performance")
Read - Benchmark Reviews ("an incredible value")
Read - Detailed specifications
Read - AMD press release

Filed under: Desktops

AMD's $69 2.8GHz Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition CPU launched, reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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