Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

ViewSonic outs energy efficient, earth-friendly VOT125 nettop -- won't help that there oil spill

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/18/viewsonic-outs-energy-efficient-earth-friendly-vot125-nettop/

Way back at CES in January, we spied ViewSonic's full offering, and we caught wind then of the VOT125 nettop -- but we didn't really have any details to go on. Well, the company's officially announced the VOT125 PC Mini today, and the slim little guy looks pretty cute. Sold as a space-saving PC with green design, ViewSonic says that the VOT125 uses up to 90 percent less plastic than similar nettops, and consumes up to 90 percent less power, making use of a range of ultra low power Intel ULV CPUs. The VOT125 boasts 2GB of memory, a 250GB hard drive, four USB 2.0 ports, plus DVI / HDMI. You can grab one up starting today, and it's got a starting price of $499. The full PR follows.

Continue reading ViewSonic outs energy efficient, earth-friendly VOT125 nettop -- won't help that there oil spill

ViewSonic outs energy efficient, earth-friendly VOT125 nettop -- won't help that there oil spill originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Panasonic launches Skype for 2010 VIERA Cast TVs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/18/panasonic-launches-skype-for-2010-viera-cast-tvs/

We managed to get an early look at Panasonic's TV-friendly implementation of Skype back at CES in January, but the company has just now finally activated the app on all of its 2010 VIERA Cast-enabled TVs (including the VT25, VT20, G25, and G20 Series). To take advantage of it, however, you'll also have to shell out $170 for Panasonic's TY-CC10W webcam, which supports both VGA and 720p video, and packs four unidirectional microphones, an echo canceling system, and some beam-forming technology that promises to deliver clear audio over a typical TV viewing distance of three to four meters. Head on past the break for the complete press release, as well as Panasonic's requisite old-people-don't-get-technology ad for the TVs.

Continue reading Panasonic launches Skype for 2010 VIERA Cast TVs

Panasonic launches Skype for 2010 VIERA Cast TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

5 and a half reasons why I think Facebook's meteoric fall is coming soon (pics) - http://bit.ly/biU3zq

Monday, May 17, 2010

OmniVision announces 'world's smallest' 1080p camera module

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/17/omnivision-announces-worlds-smallest-1080p-camera-module/

Well, Samsung's had a nice one-month run, but it looks like there's a new company to claim the title of world's smallest 1080p camera -- OmniVision's just announced an in-bezel solution of its own with a z-height a full one millimeter smaller (3.5 mm compared to Samsung's 4.5 mm). To achieve that feat, OmniVision used its own 1.4 micron OmniBSI backside illumination technology, which the company says also helps to give its new OV2720 CMOS sensor low-light performance double that of similar-sized VGA sensors. Still no word on any specific products that will use the camera, but OmniVision says it's ideal for everything from netbooks to standalone webcams, and it's already slated to go into mass production this June. Full press release is after the break.

Continue reading OmniVision announces 'world's smallest' 1080p camera module

OmniVision announces 'world's smallest' 1080p camera module originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 May 2010 16:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

OmniVision | Email this | Comments

Seagate confirms 3TB hard drive for 2010, possible 32-bit OS issues

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/17/seagate-confirms-3tb-hard-drive-for-2010-possible-3/

Seagate has been pushing the areal density envelope for years now, but by and large, these "developments" we hear about typically fade into the cold, harsh winter night without ever amounting to anything tangible. Not so this go 'round, with the company confirming to Thinq (and reaffirmed on our end) that it will be "announcing a 3TB drive later this year." If you'll recall, 2TB drives have held the crown for the world's largest since early 2009, and if all goes to plan, we'll be able to buy drives 50 percent larger than even those before the dawn of 2011. The company didn't talk details -- we're still left to envision a price, release date and spindle speed -- but it didn't hesitate to mention a few issues that users with older operating systems may encounter. Essentially, you'll need to have a rig that's fully capable of handling the Long LBA (logical block addressing) standard, which means that you'll need updated drivers, an updated BIOS and either a 64-bit copy of Vista, Windows 7 or "modified version of Linux." As you'd expect, Windows XP users needn't pay this platter any mind, and while Seagate is hopeful that industry players will all rally in short order to support the new HDD, there's still a chance that these growing pains will lead to delays. What we're most jazzed about here, crazily enough, isn't the predictable jump in capacity -- it's the fantasies of ü! ;ber-che ap 2TB drives once they fall from the top.

[Thanks, JC]

Seagate confirms 3TB hard drive for 2010, possible 32-bit OS issues originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 May 2010 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink