Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Amazon elbows past Samsung for No. 2 tablet spot in Q4, according to IHS

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/17/amazon-elbows-past-samsung-for-no-2-tablet-spot-in-q4-apples/

EDIT Amazon elbows its way past Samsung for No. 2 tablet spot

Amazon had some serious trombone action going on last year -- what with all the horn tooting it did about Kindle Fire demand. Turns out Amazon was on to something, as the company has apparently grabbed the No. 2 spot from Samsung for tablet sales in the last quarter, according to research firm IHS iSuppli. Based on its numbers, Amazon sold 3.89 million tablets during the fourth quarter, eclipsing Samsung's 2.14 million units. The numbers equal a 14 percent share of the tablet market for Amazon while Samsung grabbed an 8 percent share, down from 11 percent in the third quarter. The brisk sales came at a price for Amazon, which saw fourth-quarter profits drop since it sold Kindle Fire tablets at a loss. Amazon's tablet sales also were still below the 15.4 million iPads sold by Apple for the period. All the competition is apparently taking a bite out of Apple's market share, however, which fell to 62 percent in 2011, compared to 87 percent in 2010. Samsung did manage to hold on to the No. 2 spot for the year, but with rumors already swirling about ne! w iPads< /a> plus the Galaxy Note 10.1, the tablet wars aren't likely to cool off anytime soon.

Amazon elbows past Samsung for No. 2 tablet spot in Q4, according to IHS originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alleged iPad 3 Retina Display examined under a microscope

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/17/alleged-ipad-3-retina-display-examined-under-a-microscope/

There are no shortage of iPad 3 rumors out there. Quad-core A6, LTE radio, Retina Display -- we've heard it all, but haven't actually seen much in the way of evidence. Now MacRumors claims to have gotten its paws on part of the mythical beast. The site has a 9.7-inch LCD, in the same aspect ratio as the iPad and iPad 2 that certainly appears to be rocking a full 2048 x 1536 resolution. Without a way to power the screen its a little tough to be certain, but the same area of the alleged iPad 3 panel does seem to house twice as many pixels as its predecessor when viewed under the same magnification. Could this in fact be the Retina Display destined to put iOS 5.1 in the hands of millions of tablet fans? We'll just have to wait for Tim Cook to reveal of its secrets to us, which should be happening sooner, rather than later.

Alleged iPad 3 Retina Display examined under a microscope originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:55:00 EDT. Pleas! e see ou r terms for use of feeds.

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Congress passes bill opening up TV spectrum to next-gen WiFi networks

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/17/congress-passes-bill-opening-up-tv-spectrum-to-next-gen-wifi-net/

It may seem a bit odd to see tech industry groups like the CTIA and CEA praising the passage of the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 by Congress, but that rather mundane-sounding bill has provisions attached to it that both groups and others have been pushing for years to happen. In an effort to cover the cost of the payroll tax extension, the bill also sets aside a large block of so-called unlicensed spectrum for auction, which is expected to bring in upwards of $25 billion. That spectrum had previously been used for TV broadcast use, but is now being eyed by various parties for next-generation WiFi networks, which could cover greater distances and potentially be used to bolster existing wireless networks. As part of the bill, Congress has also set aside a slice of spectrum that will be used as part of a nationwide network for public safety agencies. As The New York Times notes, however, it will see be quite a while before anything trickles down to consumers, with the auctions themselves at least a year or two away. The CEA and CTIA's statements can be found after the break.

[Tower photo via Shutterstock]

Continue reading Congress passes bill opening up TV spectrum to next-gen WiFi networks

Congress passes bill opening up TV spectrum to next-gen WiFi networks originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lytro video camera 'a possibility', would need more processing muscle

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/17/lytro-video-camera-a-possibility-would-need-more-processing-m/

While we impatiently await a Lytro to call our own -- or at least rigorously review -- it looks like the light field technology could be used for video. Ren Ng, CEO of Lytro and the man behind the camera's focus-dodging optical wizardry, mentioned that the main barrier between the curious camera lens and video recording is the amount of processing power required to manipulate all that fully-lit input. He also mentioned that Lytro is continuing to develop the wireless connectivity within the device, something that wasn't fully baked during our hands-on. If it's a processing power issue, those incoming quad-core smartphones might be able to help squeeze some video out of that f/2.0 lens...

Lytro video camera 'a possibility', would need more processing muscle originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google's Dart lands in Chromium tech preview

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/17/googles-dart-lands-in-chromium-tech-preview/

Leaves weren't the only things flying around Mountain View last Autumn if you remember, Google also unleashed its Dart programming language. Now, developers can get their hands on a tech preview version of Chromium, with the Dart virtual machine baked right in. There are Mac and Linux binaries available today, but no details about other platforms (ahem Windows) at this time. The preview lets you run your programs directly on the Dart VM, skipping the separate compilation stage. While it's just for developers at the minute, there are plans to include this in standard Chrome releases in the future. Aim at the source link after the break for the full details.

Google's Dart lands in Chromium tech preview originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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