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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Intel Reader reads books to the lazy and infirm (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/10/intel-reader-reads-books-to-the-lazy-and-infirm-video/

While we're busying ourselves with arguing about how to replace the perfectly usable book gadget, Intel is right to point out that plenty of people, for whatever reason, can't read at all. Presenting its Reader as a necessity rather than luxury, Intel has shown off its vision for how visually impaired and dyslexic people can obtain access to the written word. Combining a text-scanning camera with a text-to-speech engine (powered by an Atom inside) is certainly no bad idea, but as the video beyond the break will show you, Intel's execution isn't exactly stellar. The arrhythmic, robotic reading from Alice In Wonderland left us shaken, but what floored us was the $1,499 asking price. Yes, it's a customized niche device, but we reckon we could build something similar for a third of the price. Full PR and video after the break.

Continue reading Intel Reader reads books to the lazy and infirm (video)

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Handhelds

Intel Reader reads books to the lazy and infirm (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Esquire's Augmented Reality issue goes on sale, and we have video to prove it

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/10/esquires-augmented-reality-issue-goes-on-sale-and-we-have-vide/

The Augmented Reality issue of Esquire has hit the newsstands, and our fears have come true: when this magazine comes in contact with your webcam, Robert Downey Jr. is unleashed! Aside from dangerous levels of the Academy Award-winning actor, however, the video (after the break) really highlights how silly the whole affair is: While AR has been implemented to great effect for a number of different applications, delivering video content that could just as easily been delivered without waving a magazine in front of your computer definitely crosses the line into gimmick territory. Still, the magazine's design team did pull all the stops -- so if you're curious to see what you'd get for your hard-earned dollar, check out that video walkthrough after the break.

Continue reading Esquire's Augmented Reality issue goes on sale, and we have video to prove it

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Esquire's Augmented Reality issue goes on sale, and we have video to prove it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA tablet mystery solved: an ODM Tegra prototype

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/10/nvidia-tablet-mystery-solved-an-odm-tegra-prototype/

NVIDIA just hit us with more info on that mysterious tablet Jen-Hsun Huang was pictured with yesterday, and the truth is just as we'd assumed: it's a Tegra prototype from an ODM called ICD that's being "actively" shopped to carriers around the world. Sorry, folks, no Apple involvement here -- although we're sure Jen-Hsun would enthusiastically embrace that possibility.

As far as the ICD tablet goes, we're waiting for official confirmation on specs, but we got a credible tip this morning suggesting that it's currently running Windows CE with a resistive touchscreen, and that both Android and capacitive upgrades are in the cards, as well as multiple screen sizes. We're also told that the goal is a March 2010 launch and that T-Mobile might be involved, but we wouldn't take any of that to the bank until we hear for real -- stay tuned.

Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

NVIDIA tablet mystery solved: an ODM Tegra prototype originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Matrox pushes eight displays with a single-slot PCIe x16 GPU

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/10/matrox-pushes-eight-displays-with-a-single-slot-pcie-x16-gpu/

Matrox has been distancing itself from the consumer market for awhile now, but even we couldn't resist this one. Hailed as the planet's first single-slot octal graphics card, the M9188 supports up to eight DisplayPort or single-link DVI outputs, and if you're up for getting really crazy, you can hook up a pair to drive 16 displays from a single workstation. The card itself packs 2GB of memory and supports resolutions as high as 2,560 x 1,600 (per output), which should be just enough to create the Google Earth visualization system you've always dreamed of. In related news, the outfit also introduced the far weaker 1GB M9128, which can drive a grand total of two displays for $259. Oh, and as for pricing on the octal guy? Try $1,995 when it ships later this quarter.

Filed under: Peripherals

Matrox pushes eight displays with a single-slot PCIe x16 GPU originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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