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Thursday, March 10, 2011

iPad 2 review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/09/ipad-2-review/

To say Apple's iPad 2 is an easy tablet to review is somewhat of an understatement. The device, a follow up to last year's wildly successful (and currently market-defining) iPad, is nearly identical when it comes to software, and though improved, closely related on the hardware side as well. With a 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768 display, the general size and shape of the device has remained the same, and though inside there's a new dual core A5 CPU, more memory, and a pair of new cameras, most of the iPad 2's changes are cosmetic. Still, the previous tablet soared far above most of its competitors when it came to the quality of both the hardware (if not its raw specs) and its software selection -- something Apple still stands head and shoulders over its adversaries on. So this new model, a thinner, sleeker, faster variant of the original may not be breaking lots of new ground, but it's already at the front of the pack. But is the iPad 2 worth an upgrade for those that took the plunge on the first generation? More importantly, does the device have what it takes to bring new owners into the fold? Those questions -- and more -- are all about to be answered in the full Engadget review, so read on!

Gallery: iPad 2 review hands-on

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iPad 2 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel and Lenovo release the Classmate+ PC for the kids

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/10/intel-and-lenovo-release-the-classmate-for-the-kids/

Thinking that netbook up there looks exactly like Intel's latest Classmate PC with a Lenovo sticker smacked on? Well, you'd be entirely correct. Lenovo and Intel have teamed up to bring out the Classmate+, which is indeed just a rebadged Classmate PC (or Intel Learning Series reference design). The 10.1-inch netbook doesn't have Intel's fresh Atom N570 processor, but it has all the other netbook essentials, including an Atom N455 CPU, Windows 7, 1GB of RAM, a 1.3 megapixel camera, WiFi, and three- and six-cell battery options. However, like most of the other Classmate PCs, the Classmate+ won't be available directly to consumers -- they will be sold in bulk to educational institutions or agencies, primarily in the developing world. And the Classmate+ is off to a great start -- 158,000 are already set to be deployed this spring in Buenos Aires. See kids, netbooks are far from dead! Hit the break for the full press release / specs and the gallery below for a few more images of the lunch box-like laptop.

Gallery: Lenovo Classmate+ PC press shots

Continue reading Intel and Lenovo release the Classmate+ PC for the kids

Intel and Lenovo release the Classmate+ PC for the kids originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fusion-io IPO filing discloses list of prestigious clients, led by Facebook

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/10/fusion-io-files-for-ipo-discloses-list-of-prestigious-clients/

Before last week, we'd gone well over a year without discussing solid state storage purveyors Fusion-io -- and their extremely expensive and expeditious flash drives -- but things seem to have been ticking along just fine behind the scenes. While the company's unlikely to have sold many ioDrives to good old Joe Consumer, its upcoming IPO application features an impressive list of corporate clients, highlighted by Facebook, its biggest customer, IBM, HP, and Credit Suisse -- the latter using Fusion-io technology to speed up the mathematical alchemy of making money where there was none before. Taken together with strategic investments from Samsung and Dell, these deals paint a rosy outlook for the Woz-employing startup, however it's worth noting that profitability is still a decent way away. Fusion-io's rapid growth is costing it more than it's making at the moment, which is most likely to have catalyzed its current decision to go public and collect its biggest round of investments yet. Let's hope the investor prospectus includes a forecast for when things like the ioXtreme might actually become affordable to non-millionaires, eh?

Continue reading Fusion-io IPO filing discloses list of prestigious clients, led by Facebook

Fusion- io IPO filing discloses list of prestigious clients, led by Facebook originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All Things Digital | source

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Visualized: NVIDIA's dual-Fermi card that never was

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/10/visualized-nvidias-dual-fermi-card-that-never-was/

PAX East 2011, which kicks off tomorrow, is widely expected to finally deliver a dual-GPU solution from NVIDIA's Fermi family of graphics chips, a PCI Express-saturating single-card workhorse to be known as the GTX 590. While we wait for its arrival, however, here's a sentimental look back upon 2010 and another little prototype that NVIDIA had kicking around its labs back then. Emerging over in a Chinese forum, this dual-GPU board features two GF104 chips (the same that made the GTX 460 such a winner) and a snow white PCB paintjob that makes it look utterly irresistible. We're loving the four DVI outputs and, just like you, have no idea why this card never came out, but that shouldn't obstruct the enjoyment of looking at the darn thing. More pics after the break.

Continue reading Visualized: NVIDIA's dual-Fermi card that never was

Visualized: NVIDIA's dual-Fermi card that never was originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 06:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lifelapse app promises to turn your iPhone into a life-logger

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/10/lifelapse-app-promises-to-turn-your-iphone-into-a-life-logger/

We've seen a few dedicated "life-logging" devices that let you record your every waking moment, but why spend a couple of hundred bucks on something when you're already carrying around a perfectly capable smartphone? That's the thinking of the folks behind the Lifelapse iPhone app which, like the Vicon Revue we've tested, promises to simply record a time-lapse video of your entire day -- they've even developed a "LifePouch" so you can conveniently wear your iPhone around your neck (no iPad version just yet). Unfortunately, the developers aren't offer a peek at the app itself just yet, but the are now accepting applications for those that wish to participate in the beta.

Lifelapse app promises to turn your iPhone into a life-logger originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 07:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AllThingsD | source

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