Mapnificient Is the Greatest, Most Useful Maps Invention In a Very Long Time [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5827682/this-is-the-greatest-most-useful-maps-invention-in-a-very-long-time

Mapnificient is the best idea I've seen in a very long time. It allows you to pick your location, set an amount of time and then find exactly where can you go using public transportation in that time. Absolute genius.

I can see myself using Mapnificient on a daily basis, limiting my searches for bars, cafés and restaurants by time rather than space. And I can see myself using this for the next time I have to rent an apartment, to see exactly what areas are within 30 minutes of the Gawker's office, which is my maximum time when it comes to travel in NYC using the subway or the bus.

It is so damn useful that it makes me wonder why Google or Bing Maps hasn't implemented this yet. I hope Stefan Wehrmeyer makes an app for all iOS, Windows Phone 7 and Android as soon as possible. [Mapnificient—Thanks Jordi!]

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The Pioneer Elite TV Is Back: Is It the Greatest LCD TV Ever Created? [TVs]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5827697/the-pioneer-elite-tv-is-back/gallery/

The Pioneer Elite line was one of those wonderful things you really wanted but knew you'd never be able to afford. Then Pioneer stopped making them. And now they're back—just as stellar looking and crazily priced as ever.

The new active 3D 1080p Elite sets—available at 70 inches for $8500 or 60 for a modest $6000, are heralded by the two companies as literally the best-looking LCD TVs ever created. But it's an odd setup. In truth, they're really Sharp TVs—not Pioneer displays. The guts are out of Sharp's factories, and even pack the same Quattron image as other sets (though they've given it a new, more expensive-sounding name). You'll also find full array LED backlighting, local dimming, a claimed 720 (!) Hz refresh, and the standard suite of wireless-enabled apps (Netflix, YouTube, et al.). So what's Pioneer lending? They say the new Elites are a collaborative effort, with Pioneer adding their video processing experience to essentially help Sharp make a TV considered worthy of the Elite tag. It's sorta marketing BS! But the TVs also look fantastic.

The old Pioneer Elites were renowned for their super duper deep blacks and great contrast, and the new Elites—despite being made by another company—are equally impressive. While I'm not sure the image annihilates competition (Samsung's high end offerings are still god damn incredible looking), there's no doubt the tag-teamed Elites look great too. Do they look $8500 great? Probably not. That's an astounding amount to spend on a panel, and the gains over sets priced thousands are probably not worth it. But they're there. This is the new money is no object TV. Both the 60-inch and its giant brother will be out this month.

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CTL intros new line of 'super-slim' LED monitors

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/04/ctl-intros-new-line-of-super-slim-led-monitors/

Last we heard from CTL, the Portland-based company was pushing the rather underwhelming 2goPad SL10. We may not have been impressed then, but CTL's attempting to win us over again, this time with a set of three new LED monitors. Available in small, medium, and large, the 22-inch LP2151, 24-inch LP2361, and 27-inch LP2701 all offer 1920 x 1080 displays, 1000:1 contrast ratios (5000000:1 dynamic), two millisecond response times, and HDMI and VDI inputs. They also sport a helpful anti-glare coating and are apparently a quarter of the thickness of "traditional LCD monitors" -- whatever that means. Not exactly earth-shattering specs, but at $216, $258, and $330, we suppose they're not insanely priced, either. Hit the source links for more info, and check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading CTL intros new line of 'super-slim' LED monitors

CTL intros new line of 'super-slim' LED monitors originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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7-inch Sharp Galapagos A01SH tablet sees formal introduction, hitting the US 'this year'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/04/7-inch-sharp-galapagos-a01sh-tablet-sees-formal-introduction-hi/

How much is that tablet in the window? The one with the 7-inch screen and Android 3.2? Hard to say, but it might be the Sharp Galapagos A01SH you're looking at. The slate, announced in earnest today, should fit comfortably betwixt the 5.5- and 10.8-inch variants of the lineup that are also expected to arrive sometime before the end of the year. The A01SH is accompanied by an NVIDIA Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core CPU with 1GB of RAM, a WSVGA display with 1,024 x 600 resolution, 8GB of internal memory alongside microSD support, 5MP / 2MP cameras along the back and front, and 7.5 hours of battery life. At a thickness of 12.9mm, it's not as thin as the Galaxy Tab 10.1, but it's no Toshiba Thrive, either. The tablet should reach stores in Japan by the end of the month, but the only timeframe given for a US release is before the ball drops in Times Square -- perfect timing for anyone who wants to ring in 2012 snuggled up to a new gadget.

7-inch Sharp Galapagos A01SH tablet sees formal introduction, hitting the US 'this year' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Japan , PhoneArena  |  eAccess (translated)  | Email this | Comments

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appMobi XDK delivers free cross-platform dev environment to Chrome Web Store

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/04/appmobi-xdk-delivers-free-cross-platform-dev-environment-to-chro/

The Chrome Web Store welcomed a new arrival today, and it goes by the name of appMobi XDK. While the addition is targeted squarely at developers, it's entirely free and packs quite a doozy -- cross-platform HTML5 software development from within the web browser. As you might expect, the tool is perfect for making applications to run within Google Chrome, but get this... it's also capable of creating native apps for submission to Apple's App Store and the Android Market. Like any competent development environment, it features a full set of debugging tools, along with the ability to test your apps via on-screen emulation and directly from your target device. Hardware integration is accomplished with JavaScript hardware abstraction, which enables access to the camera, GPS, accelerometer and the like. Further, the platform boasts full compatibility with PhoneGap, which means you can easily transition if you've got a project in the works. If you're already hooked, be sure to check out the PR after the break, which describes such goodies as in-app purchasing and secure user authentication, which are made possible with appMobi's cloud services.

Continue reading appMobi XDK delivers free cross-platform dev environment to Chrome Web Store

appMobi XDK delivers free cross-platform dev environment to Chrome Web Store originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 01:34:00 EDT. Please see our t erms for use of feeds.

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