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Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Turn Your Monitor Into a Touchscreen That Can Detect 16 Fingers, Using a Polymer Film [Touchscreen]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/DxFlBbitZMM/turn-your-monitor-into-a-touchscreen-that-can-detect-16-fingers-using-a-polymer-film

What if you could convert the monitor you're looking at right now into a touchscreen? Sounds crazy, but the Portuguese company Displax has created a polymer film that can do just that, for up to 120-inch screens.

It's not just glass that Displax is claiming their film will work with—apparently plastic and wood can be made into an interactive screen, which will detect as many as 16 fingers making shapes on its surface and even recognize when someone is blowing across it.

Wired explains how it works:

"A grid of nanowires are embedded in the thin polymer film that is just about 100 microns thick. A microcontroller processes the multiple input signals it receivers from the grid. A finger or two placed on the screen causes an electrical disturbance. This is analyzed by the microcontroller to decode the location of each input on that grid. The film comes with its own firmware, driver–which connect via a USB connection–and a control panel for user calibration and settings."

While it sounds like vaporware, Displax is claiming the first screens using their technology will be on sale in July, giving us enough time to think of some flat surfaces to turn into a touchscreen. [Displax via Wired]

Windows 7 gets a thorough SSD optimization guide

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/02/windows-7-gets-a-thorough-ssd-optimization-guide/

We all know we want an SSD, but do we truly know what to do with one when we get it? Sure, you could plug it into the familiar SATA and power cables and consider your job done, but that's not really the way of the geek. To educate us wistful, hopeful, soon-to-be SSD owners, TweakTown have put together a comprehensive guide on optimizing your solid state storage -- starting from the very first step of picking out the right drive. What lies ahead is a full breakdown of the controllers available on the market today, along with helpful reminders of the importance of Trim command and garbage collection support. After you pick out your perfect life partner, you'll be wanting to ensure it plays along nicely with Windows 7 as well, and they've got you covered on that front too. Just hit the source link and get informed. We did, even though we still can't afford to buy one of these mythical drives.

Windows 7 gets a thorough SSD optimization guide originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus intros SP-800UZ and SP-600UZ megazooms, Stylus Tough 8010 / 6020

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/02/olympus-intros-sp-800uz-and-sp-600uz-megazooms-stylus-tough-801/

Aw, yeah. The pre-PMA part is officially on. Olympus is kicking out a foursome of new shooters this fine morning (or evening, for those camped out in the great state of Hawaii), so we'll just get right to it. The SP-800UZ megazoom (which we spotted a few days ago) boasts an almost mind-melting 30x optical zoomer, a 14 megapixel image sensor, dual image stabilization, AF tracking, 720p movie mode, face detection and a 3-inch rear LCD. The SP-600UZ sports a stepped-down list of features, including a 12 megapixel sensor, 15x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch rear LCD. Both cams support SDHC / SD cards and are slated to ship next month, with the big boy setting you back $349.99 and the other guy $249.99. Moving on, there's the "shockproof, waterproof, crushproof and freezeproof" Stylus Tough 8010 and 6020, both of which feature a 14 megapixel sensor, HD movie mode, 5x wide-angle optical zoom, 2.7-inch rear LCD and an HDMI output. The only major difference is the toughness level; the 8010 can withstand a 6.6-foot drop and 220 pounds of pressure, whereas the 6020 can only withstand a 5-foot drop and undisclosed amount of pressure. Check 'em later this month for $399.99 (8010) / $299.99 (6020). Full releases are after the break, per usual.

Gallery: Olympus intros SP-800UZ and SP-600UZ, Stylus Tough 8010 / 6020

Continue reading Olympus intros SP-800UZ and SP-600UZ megazooms, Stylus Tough 8010 / 6020

Olympus intros SP-800UZ and SP-600UZ megazooms, Stylus Tough 8010 / 6020 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Latitude 13: a thin-and-light for big business

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/02/dell-latitude-13-a-thin-and-light-for-big-business/

Dell is serious about its thin and light class of machines judging by its ability to churn out these lovely lappies from its Adamo design studio. Today we've got the Latitude 13. Oh sure, it looks almost exactly like the Vostro v13 for small businesses but this is Latitude brother, Dell's mainstream business brand. As such, it comes fully IT-ified with a preinstalled Citrix client, easier virtualization options, and baked in know-how for system image and software update distribution. So it's not really new, but it's still "the world's thinnest 13-inch commercial client laptop," according to Dell and that's gotta be worth a second look when it begins shipping in a few weeks.

Dell Latitude 13: a thin-and-light for big business originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NEC MultiSync PA241W brings full 1920 x 1200 IPS glory to the well-heeled old schooler

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/02/nec-multisync-pa241w-brings-full-1920-x-1200-ips-glory-to-the-we/

Do you care about color? We mean do you really care about getting the most true-to-life color reproduction on your monitor? Then you'll probably be wanting an IPS panel, preferably with 99.3 percent coverage of the Adobe RGB color spectrum and 100 percent of the sRGB stuff. What's that -- you'd also like more headroom than what these silly new 16:9 ratio displays can give you -- yup, the PA241W has you covered with 1200 pixels of vertical workspace as well. A solid 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 360 nits of brightness, 8ms response time and 178-degree viewing angles flesh out the spec sheet, while a tilt-and-swivel ergonomic stand, USB hub and DisplayPort connectivity figure as the predictable extras. Less foreseeable is the generous 4-year parts and labor warranty, but then you'd want nothing less when splashing a cool $1,079 on a monitor. NEC is ready to ship it to you today, but if you're feeling in a thrifty mood we'd suggest also checking out Dell's competing model, which offers a similar spec at a much lower price point.

Gallery: NEC MultiSync PA241W