Scientists improve blue OLED efficiency, don't promise everlasting light

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/26/scientists-improve-blue-oled-efficiency-dont-promise-everlasti/

Although this is not the first time we've seen an efficiency increase in blue OLEDs, it's worth noting that their proposed cap of productivity up to this point was a lowly five percent. It's exciting to learn, therefore, about a breakthrough by professor John Kieffer and graduate student Changgua Zhen from the University of Michigan, which has resulted in them successfully increasing azure diode power efficiency by 100 percent. The duo, accompanied by some bright minds in Singapore, manipulated performance controllers by rearranging OLED molecules in a computer model, improving material characteristics. In simple terms though, we're still looking at a measly ten percent efficiency, so we'll see where they take it from here.

Scientists improve blue OLED efficiency, don't promise everlasting light originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Physorg  |  University of Michiga! n  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Samsung's 11.6-inch 9 Series laptop official at $1,199, still comes with 64GB SSD

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/26/samsungs-11-6-inch-9-series-laptop-official-at-1-199-still-co/

An Italian demonstrator gave us hope, but now we're empty inside -- the exceptionally thin 11.6-inch version of Samsung's 9 Series laptop will indeed come with a puny 64GB solid state drive. Well, perhaps empty is a bit of an exaggeration, as the machine's gorgeous duralumin curves fill our hearts with joy, as does the comparatively inexpensive $1,199 price tag that Sammy just confirmed on its website. And hey, we know of an Engadget editor making do with just 60GB of storage in his notebook, so it's not an untenable thing -- but when Samsung's marketing materials proudly boast that "You'll have room to bring it all with you with the 64GB drive," it's hard to repress the tears. That said, if "portable" is your middle name, you'll find all the pre-orders you need at our source link.

[Thanks, Brian]

Samsung's 11.6-inch 9 Series laptop official at $1,199, still comes with 64GB SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Samsung  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

iMobot creeps, crawls, cranes its way into our hearts (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/26/imobot-creeps-crawls-cranes-its-way-into-our-hearts-video/

It may not look like much, but this little modular robot's got the stuff to give Keepon a run for its money -- oh yeah, and according to its creators, iMobot's got big implications for the field of robotics too. Sporting four degrees of freedom, two rotating joints, and a pair of faceplates that act as wheels, the patent-pending device can crawl, drive, and potentially act as an autonomous camera platform. The surprisingly agile hunk of machinery was developed by two UC Davis professors who say their versatile invention could aid in search and rescue, as well as education and research. We think it's super cool that iMobot could be a hero, but really, we just want to see it bust a move. Check out a video of our new robo love after the break.

Continue reading iMobot creeps, crawls, cranes its way into our hearts (video)

iMobot creeps, crawls, cranes its way into our hearts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhysOrg  |  UC Davis (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Hanwha unleashes HDMI / USB adapter for iPad, iPhone 4, and fourth-gen iPod touch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/27/hanwha-unleashes-hdmi-usb-adapter-for-ipad-iphone-4-and-four/

Feel the desire to watch your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch (fourth gen) videos on the big screen, but looking for something with a little more girth than Apple's HDMI solution? Hanwha's latest dongle might do the job. As you can see above, in place of the original adapter's dock connector port is a USB 2.0 socket -- compatible with cameras supporting mass storage connection -- alongside the 720p-friendly HDMI port, but you'll have to use the switch to toggle between the two modes. And that little mini-USB port on the far right? Well, it's there to provide some juice to "reduce battery drain," but probably not enough to charge up your iDevice. If you're still interested and have a friend in Japan, Hanwha's charging ¥5,980 (around $73), which is almost double that of Apple's $39 connector. Is USB support worth such a price jump? Your call.

Hanwha unleashes HDMI / USB adapter for iPad, iPhone 4, and fourth-gen iPod touch originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Mar 2011 22:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Akihabara News  |  UMA Zone  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

WSJ: Google teams with MasterCard and Citigroup for NFC payments, also files patent app

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/27/google-teams-with-mastercard-and-citigroup-for-nfc-payment-demo/

Ever since the Nexus S and its nifty little NFC chip hit the market, there's been speculation that El Goog was planning a foray into the mobile payment arena currently occupied by the likes of Charge Anywhere. Now, it looks like that plan may be in high gear, as the Wall Street Journal reports that Google's secretly partnered with MasterCard and Citigroup to test out just such a system. According to the publication, the early demo pairs "one current model and many coming models of Android phones" with existing Citigroup-sponsored credit and debit cards, and is using the phones' NFC chips with those VeriFone readers we recently heard about.

What's more, a newly-published patent application from the crew in Mountain View may hint at the software behind such things. The application describes a service that sets up Google as a third-party broker who receives the shopping cart info of customers placing orders via a device (including those of the mobile variety), allows them to select shipping and other options, and provides the total order cost. It then collects payment, coordinates shipment, and forwards order information to the seller to complete the transaction. So companies can have Google handle all their payment-taking needs in return for getting a sneak peek at what folks are buying -- something that the WSJ's sources say might be a component of the setup Google's testing right now -- as opposed to other third-party services, like Paypal, that only obtain and exchange payment info with merchants. Looks like Alma Whitten (Google's Director of Privacy) has her work cut out assuaging the concerns such a system will inevitably create in an increasingly privacy-minded populace.

Sean Hollister contributed to this report.

WSJ: Google teams with MasterCard and Citigroup for NFC payments, also files patent app originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BNET  |  Wall Street Journal, USPTO  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...