Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

drag2share: Apple now the largest buyer of semiconductors according to Gartner

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/24/apple-now-the-largest-buyer-of-semiconductors-according-to-gartn/

No one would be shocked to learn that Apple is a major purchaser of semiconductors. Heck, hearing that the company is number one on that list might not even raise too many eyebrows. But, what if you we told you last year the Cupertino crew wasn't the biggest purchaser, or even the second. In 2010 the House that Jobs Built was a distant third behind Samsung and HP but, following a significant surge thanks to the iPad 2 and the updated MacBook Air, its bumped those companies back a slot. In 2011 Apple increased its semiconductor spending by 34.6 percent, from $12.8 billion to $17.3 billion. Samsung stayed in the number two spot with a 9.2 percent jump in spending to $16.68 billion. Meanwhile HP dropped from first, spending only $16.62 billion and settling for the bronze. Check out the source link for the complete rankings from Gartner.

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Apple now the largest buyer of semiconductors according to Gartner originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Klipsch Mode M40 noise-cancelling headphones review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/24/klipsch-mode-m40-noise-cancelling-headphones-review/

Around these parts, we've generally had favorable opinions of Klipsch's audio products. Whether it's been something as small as its S4 line of smartphone oriented in-ears or grand speaker systems like its AirPlay-enabled G-17 Air, we've usually ended up awarding the brand our highest praise. If you'll recall, it was little over a year ago that Klipsch introduced its $150 Image One on-ear headphones -- the company's first set ever that weren't of the intra-aural variety, and a favorite of our own James Trew.

Fast forward to the present, and the company's unleashed its second proper over-the-head headphone, the Klipsch Mode M40 with active noise-cancellation. In recent years, headphones have exploded in popularity -- many companies have been furiously trying to blend good sound with fashion-forward looks. It's safe to say that's Klipsch's end game here, and is asking that you part ways with 350 bones to get in on the action.

Put simply, these aren't a follow-up to the Image Ones, but rather, a luxury pair that takes cues from the company's reference series headphones. Of course, as we've come to expect from Klipsch, the M40s do have some notable tricks up their yokes aside from their debatably fashionable looks -- the ! company promises they'll cancel noise for a massively long 45 hours on a single AAA battery, and both earcups feature an interesting dual-driver array with a 15mm tweeter and a 40mm woofer. So, have the M40s made us smitten with Klipsch all over again? Or not? Maybe something a bit more complicated? Click on past the break to find out!

Gallery: Klipsch Mode M40 noise-cancelling headphones review

Continue reading Klipsch Mode M40 noise-cancelling headphones review

Klipsch Mode M40 noise-cancelling headphones review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 J! an 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Boxee Box Live TV starts shipping, Boxee 1.5 software update now rolling out

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/24/boxee-box-live-tv-starts-shipping-boxee-1-5-software-update-now/

Boxee Live TV now shipping, Boxee 1.5 rolling out to existing Boxee Boxes

Both have been promised as coming soon in recent weeks, and now Boxee has confirmed that two fairly big new rollouts are underway. The first is the Boxee Box Live TV dongle, which is now shipping and will let you augment your Boxee Box with some OTA TV channels for $50. You can get a closer look at it in our hands-on from CES earlier this month. Alongside it, Boxee is also rolling out its Boxee 1.5 software update, which boasts a new UI and a number of other refinements including better search, new library screens and filtering options, browser pop-up management, and the addition of Rotten Tomatoes listings. Boxee says it's staggering the release over the next 72 hours, but those eager to check it out can find instructions for a manual update at the support link below.

Boxee Box Live TV starts shipping, Boxee 1.5 software update now rolling out originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Why Won't This Still Life Painting Just Stay Put? [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5878600/interactive-paintings-would-make-art-galleries-a-lot-more-fun

Imagine re-arranging the blossoms in Van Gogh's Sunflowers, or really giving Munch's The Scream something to scream about. Visiting art galleries would be far more entertaining, and Scott Garner is clearly trying to make that happen with his Interactive Still Life project.

To be fair, the only paint that's involved is on the wall where this piece hangs. It's actually an LCD display attached to a rotating mount equipped with a Phidgets tilt sensor, that's all tied into a PC feeding the image.

Why Won't This Still Life Painting Just Stay Put? When hanging normally, the piece appears to be a still life painting of some fruit and pottery, but it's actually a 3D image generated in real-time by a piece of software called Unity3D. So when the frame is rotated, the contents of the scene all tumble towareds the side of the frame like they're being affected by gravity. The concept looks like a lof of fun, and I can't think of a single painting I wouldn't want to try this on. Who's smirking now Mona Lisa now that your world's been turned upside-down? [Scott Garner via Make]

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drag2share: Artist Captures the Beauty of Disintegration via Pellet Gun [Image Cache]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5878678/artist-captures-beauty-mid+disintegration/gallery/1

Artist Captures the Beauty of Disintegration via Pellet Gun It's amazing what some high-speed photography and a few well-placed BB's can accomplish. Artist Ian Sailer created this stunning series, dubbed, Color Explosion Photos. Who know a simple pellet gun could cause all this Technicolor destruction? [Flickr via Faith is Torment via Buzzfeed]