Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Elektrobit Moorestown MID reference design is more like it

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/10/eleckrobit-moorestown-mid-reference-design-is-more-like-it/


We're kinda-sorta coming around on the MIDs now that we've gotten a chance to play with Moblin 2.0, but it'll take some great hardware to really convince us (or hell, anyone) -- like this promising first Moorestown reference design from Elektrobit. Yeah, it's not quite the amazing mockup device that Intel's been showing off for a couple years, but it's still pretty attractive, and it's actually pretty small at just a half-inch thick with a four-inch HD screen. You're also looking at HDMI out, either WiMAX or 3G mobile broadband, and voice capability. Sadly, none of this will ship until Intel delivers the Mooretown chips, so we won't be able to do anything except sniff vapor until 2010.

[Via Linux Devices]

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Elektrobit Moorestown MID reference design is more like it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 12:58 PM

iPhone 3G S supports OpenGL ES 2.0, but 3G only supports 1.1 -- will the App Store splinter?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/10/iphone-3g-s-supports-opengl-es-2-0-but-3g-only-supports-1-1/


When we were breaking down the meaty differences between the old-school 3G and the 3G S yesterday, we made an assumption about support for OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics APIs in the original iPhone 3G based on the fact that it had been available in the iPhone OS 3.0 SDK for several betas. Turns out, though, that the graphics processor in the 3G S -- the PowerVR SGX -- supports hardware acceleration of both OpenGL ES 1.1 and 2.0 while the more pedestrian PowerVR MBX found in the iPhone 3G supports 1.1 alone.

What does this mean to you? OpenGL ES is the lightweight version of OpenGL, a powerful library of real-time 3D rendering APIs; many modern phones and other handheld devices support the older 1.1 specification, but 2.0 is less common -- it kicks things up a notch by supporting more complex textures and shading operations, which basically means games written to support it look more badass. Here's the problem, though: because OpenGL ES 1.1 and 2.0 are completely incompatible with each other, apps need to be written to support both if they're going to be maximally compatible. A 2.0-only app can't simply run on a 1.1-only device and not look as good -- it won't work at all.

Here's where it gets interesting. The App Store has already splintered a bit with certain applications being unavailable to iPod Touch users (dialers, for example), but language in Apple's iPhone SDK documentation leads us to believe that the company eventually intends to begin allowing it to splinter even among iPhone models, maybe as soon as the 3G S is released. That is, they'll allow apps that are only compatible with the 3G S because they're written to take advantage of OpenGL ES 2.0 and don't offer a 1.1 fallback:
"When de! signing your OpenGL ES application, the first question you must answer is whether your application will support OpenGL ES 1.1, OpenGL ES 2.0, or both... Your application should target OpenGL ES 1.1 if you want to support all iPhones and iPod touches."
Realistically, it was bound to happen; platform aside, hardware is always improving, and it's paralyzingly difficult to require that all apps be compatible with all of a platform's devices regardless of age -- particularly when it comes to gaming. We imagine this'll be an issue with apps taking advantage of the 3G S' other specific features like the magnetic compass and video recording support, too. Question is, what'll be that must-have game (or compass, we suppose) that spurs stubborn 3G owners into shelling out a few hundred bucks they didn't intend to?

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iPhone 3G S supports OpenGL ES 2.0, but 3G only supports 1.1 -- will the App Store splinter? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 12:58 PM

Eye-Fi Pro wireless SD card hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/10/eye-fi-pro-wireless-sd-card-hands-on/

We're all pretty spoiled in these digital days; not that long ago taking a look at a vacation's worth of photos required a trip to the store, a couple of hours (or days) wait, and then the better part of an afternoon getting fingerprints all over a stack of poorly composed shots that you daren't throw out because you just paid good money to have them printed. Now you pop a memory card into your computer, wait a few seconds for them to fly into an appropriately labeled folder, and then... probably forget you took them. It's so much easier it's hard to fathom the process getting even more simple, but that's what Eye-Fi has done with its line of wireless flash memory cards, which beam pictures directly from your camera. The company has just announced the $149, 4GB Eye-Fi Pro to make the process even more direct, letting you send pictures straight to a computer while also adding some additional features that pros and semi-pros will appreciate. We put it through its paces after the break.

Continue reading Eye-Fi Pro wireless SD card hands-on

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Eye-Fi Pro wireless SD card hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 12:58 PM

Intel's Atom N450 'Pineview' coming to netbooks in October?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/10/intels-atom-n450-pineview-coming-to-netbooks-in-october/


Get ready to say goodbye to the N270 processor and 945GSE graphics team slow-dancing with your netbook right now, Intel's single-core Atom N450 "Pineview" processor is rumored for a possible October release, at the earliest. The Atom N450 is part of Intel's "Pine Trail" platform architecture that moves the GPU and memory controller onto the CPU die for a smaller package that consumes less power (or the same if Intel jacks the clock speed) when coupled with intel's NM10 "Tigerpoint" chipset. Expect to see Atom N450-based netbooks elbowing for space against Snapdragon- and Tegra-flavored smartbooks everywhere by the end of the year.

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Intel's Atom N450 'Pineview' coming to netbooks in October? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 12:57 PM

Nokia's N86 8MP now shipping worldwide

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/10/nokias-n86-8mp-now-shipping-worldwide/


Just under two months. That's how long it took Nokia's N86 8MP to go from FCC to store shelves here in America, as the cats in Espoo have just announced to the world that the aforementioned cellphone is now shipping globally. In case you've forgotten, this 8 megapixel slider touts variable aperture, a mechanical shutter and automatic motion blur reduction, not to mention 8GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot. There's no official mention of price, and as of right now, the phone's not even listed on Nokia's American e-store; still, based on early estimates, we'd say you best break out the bank just in case.

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Nokia's N86 8MP now shipping worldwide originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 12:57 PM

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