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Friday, March 09, 2012

Samsung Galaxy S II (GT-I9100) to get ICS on March 10th (update: recalled)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/08/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-ics/

Two days. That's the amount of time remaining for you, dear Samsung Galaxy S II owner, before the long-awaited upgrade to Android 4.0 -- the dessert known as Ice Cream Sandwich -- becomes readily available for your device through Kies. Naturally, this is going to be adorned with Sammy's TouchWiz UI, and it's only going to be ready on the GT-I9100 (global version) for now. According to the notes, we can expect to see Face Unlock, Android Beam and data usage included, and multitasking and some apps will be improved. We're sure this is just the tip of the feature iceberg, however. Curiously, the site specifies that because of "ICS OS feature," Flash and Bluetooth 3.0 HS won't be supported.

The update will come to individual carriers and their own GSII variants eventually, after a hefty amount of testing on their end, but at least this -- combined with HTC's rollout of Sense 3.6 to the Nordic countries today -- means the ICS ball is officially rolling for custom skins. Let's just hope it's going down a steep hill. If you happen to be packing a GT-I9100, be sure to check the links below for the full set of instructions, and let us know what you find.

[Thanks, Argel and Roger]

Update: Samsung's just tweeted that March 10th date is (sadly) wrong. It added that once the upgrade schedule is concrete, it'll confirm through its dedicated Twitter account.

Samsung Galaxy S II (GT-I9100) to get ICS on March 10th (update: recalled) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Super Talent teases whip-fast RAIDDrive UpStream PCIe SSD

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/08/super-talent-raiddrive-upstream/

Super Talent's developed a PCI Express flash storage system that's far faster than your current SSD yet promises to be cheaper than the company's current PCIe offerings. The RAIDDrive UpStream uses a Sandforce controller to push around 1GBps of data at twice the speed of a SATA unit. Available to buy in 220GB, 460GB and 960GB editions, it sandwiches in four RAID drives to competitor OCZ's two, and is promised to be an "upsetter" by marketing director Peter Carcione. The company's hoping to get the devices into boxes and onto shelves by the end of April, for a price that's yet to be decided. Just remember, powerful SSDs are like having a butler: desirable, yes, but also a little pricey if your surname isn't Abramovitch or Buffett.

Super Talent teases whip-fast RAIDDrive UpStream PCIe SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vizio welcomes YouTube as part of its Internet Apps arsenal

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/08/vizio-tvs-add-youtube-internet-app/

Not long after bringing some Redmond vid-calling to your living room, Vizio's introducing another app that may just enhance your couch entertainment. Via its Twitter account, the outfit announced YouTube will now be a part of its Internet App portfolio. Though, it's worth mentioning the Tweet didn't specify if it'll support all internet-ready TV models. The Tube (as the cool kids are calling it) is joining the likes of Hulu Plus and Blockbuster On Demand as part of Vizio's entertainment offerings. We know you can't wait to make yourself cry watching Kony 2012, so be on the lookout for the Google-owned video service to hit your smart TV shortly.

Vizio welcomes YouTube as part of its Internet Apps arsenal originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 21:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba builds scanner that can identify fruit without a barcode, yup (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/08/toshiba-fruit-scanner/

During our hurried supermarket sweeps, we're aiming for the Granny Smith, yet somehow always come away with French Jonagold. That's why we're in awe of this new supermarket scanner from Toshiba-Tech that can identify individual species of fruit and veg from sight. Rather than a cashier keying in a produce code, a camera with optical pattern recognition technology filters out "visual noise" before identifying the genus of your apple by shape, surface pattern and coloration. It's also able to scan labels and coupons, but so far the database only contains a handful of items. It'll take over a year (when each thing has been harvested and scanned) to build a database necessary to make it commercially useful. Still, if you can't bear to wait those precious seconds as your server finds the right code for lettuce, head on past the break to watch your future in action.

Continue reading Toshiba builds scanner that can identify fruit without a barcode, yup (video)

Toshiba builds scanner that can identify fruit without a barcode, yup (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, March 08, 2012

NVIDIA joins Linux Foundation, doesn't mention driver development

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/08/nvidia-linux-foundation/

It's a big day for open source fans now that NVIDIA, the last member of the "big three" chip makers with AMD and Intel, has signed on with the Linux foundation. The company has previously kept the system at arms length, with users relying on reverse-engineering to get things working nicely with Linus' baby. It's joining Fluenco, Lineo and Mocana, three companies who also became signatories to the foundation at the same time. Whilst there's no commitment to provide drivers for its chipsets, at least there's a glimmer of hope that the company will contribute -- especially given the growing popularity of its mobile platforms.

Continue reading NVIDIA joins Linux Foundation, doesn't mention driver development

NVIDIA joins Linux Foundation, doesn't mention driver development originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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