Intel's Sandy Bridge CPUs to tape out ahead of schedule, could be with us this year

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/14/intels-sandy-bridge-cpus-to-tape-out-ahead-of-schedule-could-b/

Right now, Intel has every right to lay contentedly atop the laurels of its biggest quarterly profit ever, but that's not what the company is doing at all. Instead of protracting the life of its current-gen processors unduly, Intel is planning to accelerate the roadmap for its next generation of multicore parts, codenamed Sandy Bridge. The difference between the Nehalem-based stuff we have today and the upcoming chip is that the Sandy Bridge architecture takes everything down to 32nm -- including the graphics processor and memory controller which are built at 45nm at present -- while keeping everything inside the same enclosure. Enthusiastic feedback from customers who were given tasters of the Sandy stuff has been to blame for this haste on Intel's part, and we're told that with additional investment in 32nm infrastructure, the chip giant plans to make deliveries late this year. That in turn could potentially result in some eager vendor pushing a Sandy Bridge laptop or desktop out before 2010 is through -- which would be all kinds of nice.

Intel's Sandy Bridge CPUs to tape out ahead of schedule, could be with us this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon VIXIA HF M32 adds SDXC compatibility, has 64GB of its own flash anyway

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/14/canon-vixia-hf-m32-adds-sdxc-compatibility-has-64gb-of-its-own/

Talk about a bad time to introduce your latest camcorder. Hot on the heels of Sony's category-redefining NEX-VG10, Canon is coming out with a humble refresher of its VIXIA line of consumer shooters (known as Legria in Europe). It's as incremental as upgrades get, with the HF M32 doubling its predecessor's 32GB of internal storage and adding in SDXC memory card compatibility. Canon's Relay Recording feature will allow you to transition from one storage cell to another without interrupting your video, but it's something the M31 already offers. The rest of the specs are also familiar: a HD CMOS sensor capable of 3 megapixel stills, a 15x optical zoom lens with both optical and powered image stabilization, a 2.7-inch touchscreen LCD with Touch and Track functionality, and the same DIGIC DV III processor that's been knocking about since last year. Still, you've gotta be pretty good to last that long in this industry, so maybe it's worth giving this camera a look if you have $1,000 to spend and can wait for a September delivery.

Gallery: Canon VIXIA HF M32 camcorder

Continue reading Canon VIXIA HF M32 adds SDXC compatibility, has 64GB of its own flash anyway

Canon VIXIA HF M32 adds SDXC compatibility, has 64GB of its own flash anyway originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swiftkey beta brings new keyboard, world class predictive text to Android

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/14/swiftkey-beta-brings-new-keyboard-world-class-predictive-text-t/

The software and language engineers at Swiftkey have been toiling on this app for the past two years, and at long last, it's being made available for precisely nothing to anxious Android users. Hot on the heels of Swype's own beta, the Swiftkey beta is now available to download directly from the App Market, and once installed (along with language packs of your choice), it can be used in place of your stock Android soft keyboard. We've never been the biggest fan of Google's factory keys, and while we still feel that Swiftkey's letters are a tad on the skinny side, it's definitely an improvement. But that's not where the magic's at -- this software has an uncanny ability to guess what your next word will be, and it actually looks at your prior SMS list (if allowed) in order to "learn" how you converse. In our early tests, we're pretty darn impressed, and yes, it's definitely worth the $0.00 price tag. Get your download on right now, or hop past the break for a video demonstration if you still need convincing.

[Thanks, Martino]

Continue reading Swiftkey beta brings new keyboard, world class predictive text to Android

Swiftkey beta brings new keyboard, world class predictive text to Android originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 03:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DoCoMo's glasses-free 3D LCD panel could make the 3DS look decidedly first-gen

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/14/docomos-glasses-free-3d-lcd-panel-could-make-the-3ds-look-decid/

At E3 this past summer, we got our first taste of the Nintendo 3DS, and early impressions were good: compelling 3D effect sans glasses from its Sharp-sourced parallax barrier LCD. But, as soon as we moved the thing it became clear that the viewing angle on the effect is woefully slim. This is a problem DoCoMo is said to have at least reduced with its glasses-free LCD, relying on eight lenticular lenses to offer a 30 degree viewing angle -- on the horizontal plane. Vertically you still have to be perfectly aligned, but the company hopes to remove that restriction before products based on this tech are released in the next year or two. It's a bit early, but we're already having flashbacks to young LCD manufacturers battling to deliver the widest viewing angles while maintaining full contrast. Hopefully that means in the not-too-distant future everyone will have 180-degree 3D LCDs -- and they'll all be dirt cheap, too.

DoCoMo's glasses-free 3D LCD panel could make the 3DS look decidedly first-gen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scan Your Old Negatives DIY Style, Using a DSLR and Toilet Paper Rolls [DIY]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5586338/scan-your-old-negatives-diy-style-using-a-dslr-and-toilet-paper-rolls

We didn't always have digital cameras, and those negatives still laying at the bottom of some dusty drawer are proof. Now you can easily and affordably digitize those memories.

Heavy duty Nikon scanners can run you upwards of $1,000. Photographer Claus Thiim created his own scanner by attaching two toilet paper rolls to a polarize filter (with the glass removed) to the front of a DSLR camera. A plastic 35mm slide-mount was attached to the end and opened on the sides, so film can slide right through.

Voila! Capture each frame and you're done with the film. Bonus: You can use this method for traditional B&W film and forget about the dark room, for you more artsy types. [DIY Photography via Wired]

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