Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/agfaphoto-trots-out-size-zero-line-of-ultrathin-digiframes/
Filed under: Displays
AgfaPhoto trots out "size zero" line of ultrathin digiframes originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/packard-bell-debuts-dot-m-u-netbook-with-the-performance-of-a-n/
Filed under: Laptops
Packard Bell debuts dot m/u 'netbook with the performance of a notebook' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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(Click the image above for a closer look.)
In theory, I guess that may sound like a good idea. In practice—well, it comes off like a ridiculous step backwards. Here's the problem Google says they're trying to solve:
One problem with reading news online today is that browsing can be really slow. A media-rich page loads dozens of files and can take as much as 10 seconds to load over broadband, which can be frustrating. What we need instead is a way to flip through articles really fast without unnatural delays, just as we can in print. The flow should feel seamless and let you rapidly flip forward to the content you like, without the constant wait for things to load. Imagine taking 10 seconds to turn the page of a print magazine!
The problem is, Fast Flip is made up of images—you know, the unsearchable stuff that slows down page load speeds—as opposed to text—the stuff that loads in no time. I actually waited a couple of seconds for images to load several times while trying it out (others are commenting on how fast it is, so maybe it's just me), and when they did load, I occasionally ended up looking at images like this:
I may be judging it too harshly for an experimental new tool, but frankly, ! I don't see the point for users. Fast Flip does come in a mobile version friendly to Android and iPhone users for finger-swiping through news, which seems at least a little more useful.
If you give it a try, let's hear what you thought—like it or lump it—in the comments.
You will have to pick up the LifeBook T5010 with its new capacitive touchscreen with Vista until you can get it with Win 7 on October 22, but it will still support the same two finger gestures like zooming and panning. You just won't get the touch pack fun in Vista. It will, however, come with a pen for writing on screen.
Fujitsu is touting that this convertible swings both ways. Uh yea, it can swing from tablet into a standard notebook with the "industry's first bi-directional swivel hinge."
Here is one thing we are learning quickly: multitouch lappies aren't budget. Like Lenovo's new multitouch, $1,800 ThinkPad x200T, this one starts at $1,759. [Fujitsu]
Fu jitsu Adds "Touch" to Its Flagship LifeBook T5010 Convertible Tablet PC
Begins Rollout of New LifeBook Mobile PC Series Designed to Exploit Anticipated Windows 7 Features
Sunnyvale, CA, Sept. 15, 2009 ― Fujitsu gave mobile users in North America another reason to choose the LifeBook(R) T5010 convertible tablet PC today, announcing the convenience of multi touch input. The new dual digitizer's touch screen function on the 13.3-inch display offers a new level of interaction by supporting two-finger touch for actions including panning, rotating, flicks and zooming. With seamless switching between pen and touch, users can change tasks on the fly, from casual surfing to detailed editing or writing.
The Windows Vista(R)-based LifeBook T5010 convertible tablet PC is the first in a line of new LifeBook platforms and form factors designed to take advantage of the advanced capabilities of Microsoft's soon-to-be- launched Windows 7.
News Highlights
• NEW optional dual digitizer (active digitizer/capacitive touch)
with two-finger support for gestures including zoom, rotate, and flicks; stylus support for inking, editing/annotating files
• Converts from tablet into a standard notebook with keyboard
input using the industry's first bi-directional swivel hinge
• Weighs approximately 4.5 pounds in weight-saver configuration
• 13.3-inch mercury-free WXGA bright LED backlight LCD with wide
viewing angles
• Modular bay, which supports an optical drive or optional second
battery
• Optional mobile broadband support on select models (AT&T
integrated broadband connect and Verizon Wireless mobile broadband built in)
• Enterprise manageability support with Intel active management
technology
• Optional Microsoft(R) Windows 7 Professional, Vista Business,
XP Downgrade
• Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor technology
• Full-size, spill-resistant keyboard with touchpad
• Optional integrated webcam and (standard) dual d! igital microphones
• Full suite of security features: dedicated SmartCard slot,
integrated fingerprint sensor, security panel, BIOS and hard drive password protection, embedded TPM 1.2, Computrace(R) BIOS agent.
• Priced starting at $1,759 (1) with an active digitizer and
priced starting at $1,859 with a dual digitizer option. Users can choose from a recommended configuration, or they can customize their LifeBook T5010 convertible tablet PC using the Fujitsu Configure To Order (CTO) program. Available immediately through the Fujitsu website and select retailers/e-tailers(2).
Proloquo2Go is a text-to-speech iPhone app that's meant to aid those with autism, cerebral palsy, ALS, Down Syndrome—pretty much anyone who has a disability that makes speaking a difficult venture. It costs $150.
But Medicare/Medicaid restrictions won't pay for this software or the accompanying iPhone because the iPhone is not a uni-functional device. (A person with autism might play games on it, after all! Or call a doctor!)
One family's alternative, as documented by the NYTimes, is a government-funded $8000 desktop computer that can have no other function than text-to-speech. No emailing doctors. No browsing the web for medical research. So, this pricey clunker sits at home while the family pays out of pocket for the iPhone app that can operate in their real, mobile life.
Medicare acknowledges the situation. They have heard of the iPhone, as they explain in their official statement on the matter: "We would not cover the iPhones and netbooks with speech-generating software capabilities because they are useful in the absence of an illness or injury."
But with the nation's eyes on our healthcare policies, there's never been a better time to reassess such archaic thinking. All things equal, a company like Apple or RIM will always make superior hardware to that of some boutique electronics company, and they'll do so for pennies on the dollar. Even more importantly, these better distributed hardware platforms will be rewarded with greater enthusiasm and expertise from software designers—the real innovators in today's d! esign-he avy electronics industry.
I'm no health care expert, but it's obvious that reform in this sector would be a win-win. Taxpayers would save money. Government programs would aid more individuals. And those being helped would simply be helped better, with more options and ultimately in a way more specific to their particular problem.
But the government can't subsidize a semi-open platform that would drive both technological innovation and market competition. That's crazy talk! [Proloquo2Go and NYTimes]
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