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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Microsoft Street Slide: it's electric! (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/28/microsoft-street-slide-its-electric-video/

Remember the first time you used Google Street View? Amazing, right? Thing is, traversing a busy urban street in a 360-degree photographic bubble can be disorienting, especially when searching for a specific address or business. So check this: Microsoft Research has developed a rather nifty solution it calls Street Slide. Zoom out of your panoramic bubble and the street is presented as a dynamic, multi-perspective "strip" giving you an instant visual summary of the surroundings -- similar to viewing the entire street from a distance. Fortunately, Microsoft took advantage of what would otherwise be the unused letterboxed screen above and below the strip to add navigational and informational aids like clickable business logos and building numbers. Pretty impressive, and Microsoft is already working on taking Street Slide mobile with an iPhone port, and no doubt a version for the upcoming Windows Phone 7 series of devices. Unfortunately, don't expect this to be released anytime soon as the team has only processed about 2400 panoramas so far covering just 4 kilometers of streets. Check the video after the break, you'll be glad you did.

Continue reading Microsoft Street Slide: it's electric! (video)

Microsoft Street Slide: it's electric! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba's latest Cell Regza LCDs are Slim, but don't go calling them 2D

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/28/toshibas-latest-cell-regza-lcds-are-slim-but-dont-go-calling/

Ready to climb Mount Fuji and see what the next top Japanese TV will look like? Toshiba has just outed its trio of flag-bearing displays for this fall: the Cell Regza Slim 55XE2 and 46XE2, and the full-bloodied 55X2. Inch-based dimensions are already given in their model names, but you'll also want to know they offer 240Hz refresh rates, 1,000 nits of brightness and 9,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratios on the chunkier X2 (augmented with local backlight dimming), and a 2D-to-3D conversion technology that'll translate your stale old 2D imagery into bodacious triple dimensionality. You're also keeping the 3 terabytes of storage and the capability of time-shifting up to eight channels at a time from the older model, though you're no longer limited to a hard cap of 26 hours per channel. Connectivity is also rich, with options for DLNA and/or up to eight HDDs, while jacking in a Blu-ray recorder will permit you to record straight to the optical media the same way you can do to the Regzas' own storage. All these goodies won't come cheap, however, as the flagship 55X2 will retail for a well-rounded million Yen ($11,430) in late October, to be preceded by its Slim siblings with prices of ¥700,000 ($8,000) for the 55-inch and ¥600,000 ($6,858) for the 46-inch earlier that month. Full press release after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba's latest Cell Regza LCDs are Slim, but don't go calling them 2D

Toshiba's latest Cell Regza LCDs are Slim, but don't go calling them 2D origina! lly appe ared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indesit unveils smart-grid washer, thumbs nose at GE

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/28/indesit-unveils-smart-grid-washer-thumbs-nose-at-ge/

General Electric may have a host of smart appliances in the works, but looks like one Indesit may beat it to the punch -- at least on the washing machine front. The Italian home appliance firm just unveiled a ZigBee-compatible washer at the Freescale Technology Forum in Florida this week, capable of communicating with the smart grid and then timing its loads according to variable electricity cost. We can't find a single detail beyond that, except that it uses one of Freescale's ZigBee radio chips, and that this particular washer appears to be destined for Indesit's Hotpoint-Ariston label with the company's Aqualtis auto-detergent dosage technology built right in. We can tell you're on the edge of your seat. No word on pricing or availability, and no, we don't know if it will tweet when your load is done. Press release after the break.

Continue reading Indesit unveils smart-grid washer, thumbs nose at GE

Indesit unveils smart-grid washer, thumbs nose at GE originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Runco intros 3D-ready Signature Cinema projectors: $90k+, still require glasses

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/28/runco-intros-3d-ready-signature-cinema-projectors-90k-still/

"Runco" and "cheap" have never, ever been used correctly in the same sentence before, but being elite apparently doesn't mean that you can just turn a blind eye to rambling bandwagons. With just about every other projection company flipping out 3D-ready alternatives, Runco has decided it best to follow suit. The company has just added a fanciful pair of PJs to its Signature Cinema line, with the SC-50d and SC-60d both offering 3D playback with support for Active3D (active shutter) or passive glassed-based solutions. The duo also packs a 3-chip system that outputs 1080p natively, and these are also the company's first projectors to include its Smart Lens system -- which offers a controllable motorized lens and iris that can be preset in memory. Hit the source links if you're interested in learning more about the Fall-bound pair, but be sure you're willing to pay upwards of $88,995 before wasting the bandwidth.

Continue reading Runco intros 3D-ready Signature Cinema projectors: $90k+, still require glasses

Runco intros 3D-ready Signature Cinema projectors: $90k+, still require glasses originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Intel's 50Gbps Silicon Photonics Link shines a light on future computers (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/27/intels-50gbps-silicon-photonics-link-shines-a-light-on-future-c/

Using copper cables to transfer data around a computer? Get your head out of the sand, Grandpa! Intel thinks that's on the outs and is touting its recent accomplishments with Silicon Photonics and integrated lasers, using light pulses to move data at 50Gbps (last time we heard Intel tout the tech was when it hit 40Gbps speeds in 2007). The emphasis is on low-cost, high-speed fiber optics, the removal of cable clutter, and with the speed boost, the ability to try new system designs by being able to space chips and components farther apart from one another without as much hit on speed -- all theoretical at this point, of course. Researchers hopes to hit terabit per second speeds further down the line. As for John Q. Consumer, enjoy the progress from afar but don't count on seeing this technology hit Newegg anytime soon. Video after the break.

Continue reading Intel's 50Gbps Silicon Photonics Link shines a light on future computers (video)

Intel's 50Gbps Silicon Photonics Link shines a light on future computers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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