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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

MIT researchers revolutionize solar cell printing, fold the power of the sun into your everyday home (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/12/mit-researchers-revolutionize-solar-cell-printing-fold-the-powe/

Wouldn't it be neat if you could power a few gadgets around the house with some tastefully chosen, solar cell-embedded curtains? Alright, so this MIT-pioneered tech's not quite that advanced yet, but it's destined to have a Martha Stewart Living future. By eschewing liquids and high temperatures for gentler vapors kept below 120 degrees Celsius, researchers were able to cheaply print an array of photovoltaic cells on "ordinary untreated paper, cloth or plastic." And here's some additional food for thought -- the vapor-deposition process used to create these cells is the same as the one that puts that "silvery lining in your bag of potato chips" -- science, it's everywhere. Despite the tech's home furnishing friendly approach, this breakthrough printing technique can't be done with your everyday inkjet, but it will make the cost of solar energy installations a bit cozier. Its flexible durability aside, the cells currently operate at only one percent efficiency -- so you might want to buy those drapes in bulk to see a real bottom line kickback. Foldable paper video demonstration after the break.

Continue reading MIT researchers revolutionize solar cell printing, fold the power of the sun into your everyday home (video)

MIT researchers revolutionize solar cell printing, fold the power of the sun into your everyday home (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for! use of feeds.

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Report: Touchscreen demand to grow by 90-percent, led by mobile, tablet markets

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/13/report-touchscreen-demand-to-grow-by-90-percent-led-by-mobile/

This just in: people really like touchscreens, and their tastes aren't going to change anytime soon. That's the takeaway from a new report from market research firm DisplaySearch, which predicts that revenue from touch panel sales will hit the $13.4 billion mark by the end of this year, before soaring to nearly $24 billion by 2017. Shipments of capacitive touch displays, in particular, are expected to increase by 100-percent over last year, accounting for a full 70-percent of all tactile revenues. The mobile market still accounts for most of this industry-wide growth, but demand for touch-based tablets is accelerating considerably, with more than 72 million panels expected to ship this year, and 100 million projected in 2012. Jonesing for more numbers? Better gallop past the break to get your hands on the full PR.

Continue reading Report: Touchscreen demand to grow by 90-percent, led by mobile, tablet markets

Report: Touchscreen demand to grow by 90-percent, led by mobile, tablet markets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 06:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile brings 42Mbps HSPA+ to 56 new markets, now tops 150 locales

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/13/t-mobile-brings-42mbps-hspa-to-56-new-markets-now-tops-150-loc/

True to its promise of bringing 42Mbps service to 150 million Americans by mid-year, T-Mobile will double its 4G speed in 56 additional markets today -- thereby surpassing its self-imposed goal (and leaving the door open for greater ambitions). Of course, the Category 20 Rocket 3.0 USB modem is currently the only way to experience this brisk performance, but the magenta-clad carrier seems intent to bring a 42Mbps HSDPA smartphone to market by year's end, or much sooner. Cities such as Ann Arbor, Baltimore, Boise, Boston, Charlotte, Hartford, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Washington D.C., may count themselves among the fortunate, where T-Mo-packing citizens should benefit from the network's newly increased capacity and reliability, whether or not they're wielding ZTE's stick. A complete list of cities is included in the PR just beyond the break.

Continue reading T-Mobile brings 42Mbps HSPA+ to 56 new markets, now tops 150 locales

T-Mobile brings 42Mbps HSPA+ to 56 new markets, now tops 150 locales originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 06:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo IdeaPad K1 begins shipment odyssey, courtesy of Office Depot

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/13/lenovo-ideapad-k1-begins-shipment-odyssey-courtesy-of-office-de/

The IdeaPad K1's long, crazy journey of near-availability looks to finally be at an end. Lenovo's ethereal Honeycomb tablet has been popping up in online retail sites since May, teasing us with availability in June, and finally offering the promise of pre-order earlier this month. It seems that the plucky 10.1 inch Tegra 2 slate has taken the final step separating itself from the hands of consumers: getting sent out for shipment. One tipster passed along shipping confirmation from Office Depot that has the device lined up for delivery today -- assuming, of course that the recipient is there to answer the door in the eight and a half hour delivery window provided.

[Thanks, Dan]

Lenovo IdeaPad K1 begins shipment odyssey, courtesy of Office Depot originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nioncom's pico projector-equipped mini-tablet gets demoed on video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/13/nioncoms-pico-projector-equipped-mini-tablet-gets-demoed-on-vid/

So, Nioncom still hasn't gotten its MemoryKick Vision out the door yet (the company has pushed availability in the the second half of 2011), but the pico projector-equipped "mini-tablet" is still alive... even if it's not so well. The folks at Picopros got their hands on a prototype unit from the company, though, what they manhandled wasn't exactly the Vision. Instead, they fooled around with reference design that sported a smaller screen (3.5-inches versus 4.3) and 4GB of flash storage in place of the 500GB hard drive -- otherwise the two are identical from a hardware perspective. So, while this is certainly a step in the right direction from the renders, you'll forgive us for not remaining a tad skeptical about about its supposed, upcoming release. Check out the slew of videos after the break, and hit up the source link for the complete impressions.

Continue reading Nioncom's pico projector-equipped mini-tablet gets demoed on video

Nioncom's pico projector-equipped mini-tablet gets demoed on video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 10:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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