Sonos Controller for Android with voice search will blow you away (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/10/sonos-controller-for-android-with-voice-music-will-blow-you-away/

You can exhale Sonos fans, it's finally happening. The Sonos Controller for Android is official. After almost a year in development, the free WiFi music remote finally gives Sonos owners control over their whole-home audio system from any Android 2.1 and above device with a screen size of HVGA 320 x 480, WVGA 480 x 800 or WVGA 480 x 854. At least it will when it hits the Market at the end of March. Better yet, it trumps the Sonos iOS controller with music controls mapped directly to the buttons on your Android hardware. As such, you can control the volume of your Sonos system with the physical volume rocker on your Desire Z or use the search button on your Droid X to forage for that certain artist, track, or album. Oh, and the Sonos Controller for Android also supports voice search -- take that iOS app. Sorry, Sonos isn't announcing anything related to an Android tablet-equivalent of the Sonos controller for iPad today as the company is waiting to see how that market develops and which screen sizes and resolutions gain the most traction. Nevertheless, we'll be getting our first hands-on opportunity of the handset controller at Mobile World Congress next week. So, until then, why not wipe the tears from your $349 Sonos CR200 controller and watch the video preview after the break.

Continue reading Sonos Controller for Android with voice search will blow you away (video)

Sonos Controller for Android with voice search will blow you away (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Th u, 10 Feb 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RunCore USB 3.0 Express SSD offers 64GB of storage and two ports in one killer device

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/10/runcore-usb-3-0-express-ssd-offers-64gb-of-storage-and-two-ports/

Let's say you have a laptop. It has an ExpressCard slot but, because it's a little old, it doesn't have USB 3.0. Also, it just doesn't have enough storage to suit your needs any more. Oh, and the keys are kind of worn and shiny, especially H for some reason. RunCore can't help with that last problem, but it certainly has a tidy solution for the other two, a solution with a highly appropriate name: the USB 3.0 Express SSD. It offers 64GB worth of SSD storage plus a pair of cerulean USB 3.0 ports poking out the side just waiting for something -- like maybe another SSD. No word on price or availability, but we're hoping for soon, because this ExpressCard slot here isn't going to fill itself.

RunCore USB 3.0 Express SSD offers 64GB of storage and two ports in one killer device originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pelican Imaging's prototype array camera could make your pictures better, phones thinner (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/10/pelican-imagings-prototype-array-camera-could-make-your-picture/

If you want to look for life on another planet you don't build one radio telescope that's miles wide, you build a bunch of smaller ones and create an array out of them. As it turns out that basic idea works for capturing visible wavelengths as well. It's called a plenoptic camera, using an array of very small lenses that, when combined, can create an image as good as a larger one. Pelican Imaging is largely interested in the slim factor this kind of system could offer, potentially allowing for thinner phones, but this could also open the door to some interesting effects. Check out the video after the break for an example of the dynamic aperture control this sort of setup can allow, where you can change the focal plane of an image after it was taken. Given the small size of the array here you probably couldn't do anything too crazy, like take a picture through a tree, but the days of poorly focused cameraphone shots might finally be at an end -- whenever this actually comes to market.

Continue reading Pelican Imaging's prototype array camera could make your pictures better, phones thinner (video)

Pelican Imaging's prototype array camera could make your pictures better, phones thinner (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 11:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Qualcomm gets official with TouchPad-powering Snapdragon APQ8060 processor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/10/qualcomm-gets-official-with-touchpad-powering-snapdragon-apq8060/

HP already put out the first official word about Qualcomm's new Snapdragon APQ8060 processor yesterday when it revealed that its TouchPad was based on it, but Qualcomm's now also come out and properly announced the new processor itself. That's, of course, a dual-core processor, and comes paired with an Adreno 220 GPU that Qualcomm says helps to deliver "unprecedented processing and 3D graphics performance." What's more, while the TouchPad is the first device to use the processor, it obviously won't be the last, and Qualcomm has now also given us an idea of what sort of capabilities those devices (including smartphones in addition to tablets) might have -- namely, cameras up to 16 megapixels, and the ability to capture and display 1080p stereoscopic 3D video or 8 megapixel stereoscopic still images. Head on past the break for the complete press release.

Continue reading Qualcomm gets official with TouchPad-powering Snapdragon APQ8060 processor

Qualcomm gets official with TouchPad-powering Snapdragon APQ8060 processor originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Obama announces plan to free up 500MHz of spectrum, invest in 4G for rural areas, and build out nationwide public safety network

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/10/obama-announces-plan-to-free-up-500mhz-of-spectrum-invest-in-4g/

We knew the White House was on board with the FCC's desire to free up an additional 500MHz worth of spectrum over the next decade from private and federal holders, as announced last year, and now Obama has announced the plan to do it. The plan is to incentivize the current spectrum squatters with a share of the revenue gained from auctioning off the spectrum -- mostly for mobile broadband use -- which only seems fair, and for now it seems those auctions will be voluntary. But that's just the tip of the iceberg: the plan also includes a $5 billion investment in constructing 4G networks in rural areas (with a goal to reach at least 98 percent of Americans with the service), a $3 billion fund for 4G R&D to help the rollout, and $10.7 billion for a wireless public safety network. The beauty of this plan is that all these proposed costs are offset by the spectrum auction, which is estimated to raise $27.8 billion, of which $9.6 billion will be dedicated to deficit reduction. Oh, and the best news? The government has already found 115MHz worth of Federal spectrum that it can free up by using its other spectrum more efficiently, and has another 95MHz worth in its sights. Hit up the source link to see President Obama's speech on the subject, which has just begun, or check it out embedded after the break.

Continue reading Obama announces plan to free up 500MHz of spectrum, in! vest in 4G for rural areas, and build out nationwide public safety network

Obama announces plan to free up 500MHz of spectrum, invest in 4G for rural areas, and build out nationwide public safety network originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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