SandForce demos 24nm flash from Toshiba, cheaper SSDs on the horizon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/10/sandforce-demos-24nm-flash-from-toshiba-cheaper-ssds-on-the-hor/

SandForce, the company behind the companies that make some of the best SSDs on the market, is at it again -- this time demoing 24nm NAND flash from Toshiba at the Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, CA. An SF-2000 processor was matched with the new shrunk-down storage, a 6Gb/sec SATA connection, and jammed inside a 2.5-inch enclosure to deliver 500MB/sec read and write speeds. It's not the fastest we've seen, but the big news here isn't the data rates -- it's the potential for cheaper SSDs. The smaller manufacturing process means Toshiba will be able to squeeze more storage out of the same wafer of silicon and, hopefully, shrink those still somewhat bloated prices. Check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading SandForce demos 24nm flash from Toshiba, cheaper SSDs on the horizon

SandForce demos 24nm flash from Toshiba, cheaper SSDs on the horizon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 06:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Runco announces LightStyle LS-1 DLP projector, shines 1080p on your wall for $4,000

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/10/runco-announces-lightstyle-ls-1-dlp-projector-shines-1080p-on-y/

Runco is known for some seriously high-end projectors and this is its first foray beneath the $4,000 mark in order to reach a "previously untapped" market. The company is wrong if it thinks we don't already have DLP options well below that price point, but still, lowering its entry level is no bad thing -- especially when the LS-1 delivers a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, a sophisticated calibration system with day and night memory settings, and the option to upgrade to Runco's CineGlide anamorphic lens for the perfect 2.35:1 experience. Expect to see this thing dangling from joists from August 16th. Further details in the PR after the break.

Continue reading Runco announces LightStyle LS-1 DLP projector, shines 1080p on your wall for $4,000

Runco announces LightStyle LS-1 DLP projector, shines 1080p on your wall for $4,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy R officially announced for Europe and Asia, nobody surprised

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/10/samsung-galaxy-r-officially-announced-for-europe-and-asia-nobod/

That Samsung Galaxy R we've heard about? Yep, it's real. Not that it's much of a surprise to us, considering we've seen leaked press renders and even a four-minute video about the device, but Samsung and NVIDIA have finally banded together to give the "mystery phone" its official blessing. Here's the skinny: the Galaxy R will house a 1GHz Tegra 2 CPU, a 4.2-inch WVGA (800 x 480) Super Clear LCD, dual 5MP / 2MP cameras in the rear and front (respectively), and Gingerbread with Samsung's TouchWiz UI. The phone's already available in Sweden as the Galaxy Z, but it's finally on its way to parts of Europe and Asia (including China). No word on if or when we can plan on seeing the R in North America, but it's likely that its launch would be quickly obscured by its older brother, the Galaxy S II, if it made an appearance. A full press release and demo video can be found after the break for your enjoyment.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy R officially announced for Europe and Asia, nobody surprised

Samsung Galaxy R officially announced for Europe and Asia, nobody surprised originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA, Fusion-io and HP drive a dozen 1080p streams on four displays at SIGGRAPH (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/nvidia-fusion-io-and-hp-drive-a-dozen-1080p-streams-on-four-dis/

A dozen uncompressed 1080p video feeds, simultaneously running off a single workstation. Yep, you're looking at it. NVIDIA's showcase piece here at SIGGRAPH was undoubtedly this wall -- a monster that trumps even Intel's CES wall in terms of underlying horsepower. A relatively stock HP Z800 workstation was loaded with the NVIDIA QuadroPlex 7000 Visual Computing System (that's four GPUs, for those counting) in order to push four HD panels. A pair of Fusion-io's ioDrive Duos were pushing a total of three gigabytes per second, enabling all 12 of the feeds to cycle through with nary a hint of lag. We're still a few years out from this being affordable enough for the common Earthling, but who says you need to wait that long to get a taste? Vid's after the break, hombre.

Gallery: NVIDIA, Fusion-io and HP drive a dozen 1080p streams on four displays

Continue reading NVIDIA, Fusion-io and HP drive a dozen 1080p streams on four displays at SIGGRAPH (video)

NVIDIA, Fusion-io and HP drive a dozen 1080p streams on four displays at SIGGRAPH (video) originally appeared on Engadget on ! Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft's KinectFusion research project offers real-time 3D reconstruction, wild AR possibilities

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/microsofts-kinectfusion-research-project-offers-real-time-3d-re/

It's a little shocking to think about the impact that Microsoft's Kinect camera has had on the gaming industry at large, let alone the 3D modeling industry. Here at SIGGRAPH 2011, we attended a KinectFusion research talk hosted by Microsoft, where a fascinating new look at real-time 3D reconstruction was detailed. To better appreciate what's happening here, we'd actually encourage you to hop back and have a gander at our hands-on with PrimeSense's raw motion sensing hardware from GDC 2010 -- for those who've forgotten, that very hardware was finally outed as the guts behind what consumers simply know as "Kinect." The breakthrough wasn't in how it allowed gamers to control common software titles sans a joystick -- the breakthrough was the price. The Kinect took 3D sensing to the mainstream, and moreover, allowed researchers to pick up a commodity product and go absolutely nuts. Turns out, that's precisely what a smattering of highly intelligent blokes in the UK have done, and they've built a new method for reconstructing 3D scenes (read: real-life) in real-time by using a simple Xbox 360 peripheral.

The actual technobabble ran deep -- not shocking given the academic nature of the conference -- but the demos shown were nothing short of jaw-dropping. There's no question that this methodology could be used to spark the next generation of gaming interaction and augmented reality, taking a user's surroundings and making it a live part of the experience. Moreover, game design could be significantly impacted, with live scenes able to be acted out and stored in real-time rather than having to build something frame by frame within an application. According to the presenter, the tech that's been created here can "extract surface geometry in real-time," right down to the millimeter level. Of course, the Kinect's camera and abilities are relatively limited when it comes to resolution; you won't be building 1080p scenes with a $150 camera, but as CPUs and GPUs become more powerful, there's nothing stopping this from scaling with the future. Have a peek at the links below if you're interested in diving deeper -- don't be shocked if you can't find the exit, though.

Gallery: Microsoft's KinectFusion research project at SIGGRAPH 2011

Microsoft's KinectFusion research project offers real-time 3D reconstruction, wild AR possibilities originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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