Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Video: Turning A Massive Touchscreen Display Into a Multitouch Microscope

Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-03/video-turning-massive-touchscreen-display-multitouch-microscope

Mashing web-based virtual microscopy and a massive multi-touch display surface, Finnish researchers have created a new interface for laboratory science that allows researchers to pan and zoom around a microscope sample via a tabletop or wall-mounted touchscreen, zooming in so close that sub-cellular details can be seen.

Given the fact that the minimum size for the screen is 46 inches--and it can be much larger, like the size of a conference table or even an entire wall--the device is capable of making the very small very large. The multitouch surface can recognize the touches of several different people at the same time, adding a whole new dimension to collaborative science and lab instruction.

This isn't just an overblown iPad app--files can be up to 200 gigabytes, so there's some real computing power backing the multitouch microscope. But from a technology standpoint, it's not so very complex. Samples are digitized using a microscopy scanner and put onto a server from which the touchscreen device continuously receives them over the Web.

From there, an entire group can stand around a massive visualization of a sample, swiping, zooming, and otherwise manipulating it intuitively and without any kind of serious training. We'll always be a bit nostalgic for the old days when we stained our own slides in chem lab, but it's hard to argue that a wall-sized, multitouch microscope isn't extremely cool.

[Eurekalert]

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Fujitsu LifeBook AH572 starts shipping, Sandy Bridge and 3D for under a grand

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/28/fujitsu-lifebook-ah572-starts-shipping-sandy-bridge-and-3d-for/

We saw the Fujitsu LifeBook AH572 way back in January at CES, and at the time, we were intrigued by the prospect of Sandy Bridge speed and 3D capability -- it boasts a passive 3D display and dual cameras for recording in the third dimension -- for an eminently reasonable $999. Well, were you able to resist the wave of laptops from the rest of computing's usual suspects, you can now get your hands on Fujitsu's 3D lappy packing Intel's latest silicon, a 500GB HDD, and Blu-ray combo drive to boot. Sound good? Hit the source link to grab some of the laptop love for yourself.

Fujitsu LifeBook AH572 starts shipping, Sandy Bridge and 3D for under a grand originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 22:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sigma confirms pricing and availabilty for DP2x compact camera: $800, late-April

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/29/sigma-confirms-pricing-and-availabilty-for-dp2x-compact-camera/

Sigma provided most of the details for its new DP2x compact camera when it announced it back in February, but it left out two key ones: pricing and availability. It's now finally (mostly) come clean on both those counts, however, and announced that the high-end compact will run $800 and be available in "late April." As for the camera itself, you'll get a 14-megapixel FOVEON X3 sensor that's said to be twelve times larger than those found in similarly-sized cameras, along with a fixed 24.2mm F2.8 lens, full manual controls with RAW image support, and an new AF algorithm that promises "high-speed" autofocus. Full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Sigma confirms pricing and availabilty for DP2x compact camera: $800, late-April

Sigma confirms pricing and availabilty for DP2x compact camera: $800, late-April originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 05:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer slaps $1,200 price tag on dual-screen Iconia-6120 touchbook, lets US and Canada pre-order

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/29/acer-slaps-1-200-price-tag-on-dual-screen-iconia-6120-touchbook/

Acer's had its fair share of Iconia's land in the past few months, but none are as breathtaking (and potentially world-changing) as the Iconia-6120. Said machine was priced at €1,499 earlier in the year, but that doesn't mean an awful lot to folks situated in America and the Great White North. As of today, consumers in both of those nations have a price and release date to ponder, with $1,199.99 (both US and CAD) netting you a touchbook with two 14-inch Gorilla Glass touchpanels, a Core i5 CPU, 4GB of memory, integrated Intel HD graphics and a 64-bit copy of Windows 7 Home Premium. You'll also get USB 3.0 support, a 640GB hard drive, a 1.3 megapixel camera, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, an HDMI output, gigabit Ethernet and a chassis that weighs in at 5.95 pounds. Lookin' to dive right in? Amazon, as well as "other" fine e-tailers, should be taking orders momentarily.

Continue reading Acer slaps $1,200 price tag on dual-screen Iconia-6120 touchbook, lets US and Canada pre-order

Acer slaps $1,200 price tag on dual-screen Iconia-6120 touchbook, lets US and Canada pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, March 28, 2011

Stealth Payment Startup Stripe Backed By PayPal Founders

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/28/stealth-payment-startup-stripe-paypal/

There isn’t much information out there about Stripe, a new payments startup cofounded by brothers Patrick Collison and John Collison (last seen selling their startup Auctomatic to Live Current Media for $5 million).

It’s an online business to business and business to consumer payments provider, we’ve confirmed. “How is it different than PayPal or Google Checkout?” I asked someone who’s seen the product. Their answer – “It doesn’t suck.”

Developers have a lot of trouble getting the various payments parts to work properly – from getting a merchant account to making the software work properly on your website. And then there is fee gouging. Stripe is said to make the process very, very easy for developers.

Apparently Stripe really doesn’t suck, because the company has taken approximately $2 million in a venture round from PayPal founders Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, as well as Sequoia Capital, Andreesen Horowitz and SV Angel. Stripe was valued at around $20 million in the round, we’ve heard but haven’t confirmed. The company wouldn’t comment on whether or not the financing occurred at all.

Sequoia partner Michael Moritz is said to be personally involved in Stripe as well. He’s not known to spend a lot of time on startups he doesn’t think will have huge exits.



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