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Sunday, May 06, 2012

BMW, Daimler partner on ultra-light Visio.M city EV

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/04/bmw-daimler-partner-on-ultra-light-visio-m-city-ev/

If you like the idea of German electric vehicles like the BMW i3 and i8, but you're worried they may be more than you really need when they arrive next year, you'll be glad to know that a more to-the-point EV auf Deutsch is on the way. Along with Munich's Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM), BMW, Daimler and 14 others are jointly developing the Visio.M urban runabout. While it should only muster the equivalent of 20 horsepower, it should be about 45 percent lighter than a Smart Fortwo -- important when you want to use a small battery to keep the cost down. The project is also tackling safety and other chronic problems with tiny electric cars. TUM's MUTE prototype (pictured here) is serving as the testbed for the technology being rolled into the Visio.M, although the €10.8 million ($14.2 million) in funding from Germany's Federal Ministry for Education and Research is expected to produce something more original when the EV project reaches its eventual close.

Continue reading BMW, Daimler partner on ultra-light Visio.M city EV

BMW, Daimler partner on ultra-light Visio.M city EV originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2012 22:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ariel Atom-inspired simulator touts world's first 180-degree spherical projector screen (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/05/ariel-and-motion-simulation-tl1-race-simulator/

The Ariel Atom is arguably one of the greatest bangs for the buck in terms of sports car performance, so it's no surprise that the automaker has paired up with Motion Simulation to design a particularly special simulator for both hardcore fans as well pro racing drivers and pilots. The TL1 has the world's first 180-degree spherical projection unit (technically, three projector screens acting as one) to give you that advance view of the apex without display bezels getting in the way. Its seat not only adjusts to fit different breeds of cars and aircraft but, if you opt for it, tucks in a motion transducer that will properly jolt you when you hit a bump in the road. What may please extra-serious racing game fans the most is the off-the-shelf nature of the computer needed to drive the TL1 properly: as long as your graphics hardware can handle the extra-wide 5760 x 1200 resolution, any typical Windows XP or Windows 7 desktop will do. The real question is whether your wallet can handle it, as the £11,500 ($18,573) PC-less starting price will make it tempting to buy a real Atom instead.

Continue reading Ariel Atom-inspired simulator touts world's first 180-degree spherical projector screen (video)

Ariel Atom-inspired simulator touts world's first 180-degree spherical projector screen (video) originally appeared on Engad get on Sat, 05 May 2012 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel's PCI-E 910-Series SSD reviewed: blazing fast, even under pressure

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/06/intels-pci-e-910-series-ssd-reviewed-blazing-fast-even-under/

Intel's not one to mess around when it storms a new market, and its jump into enterprise-level PCI Express SSD seemed no exception. Now, a full review by Hot Hardware of its 400GB ($1,929) and 800GB ($3,859) 910-series confirms that while not as stupid-fast as some, the 2 GB/s read and 1 GB/s write speeds are still sublime. On top of that, throughput holds steady even when the device is besieged by thousands of IO demands. A lack of bootability and on-board RAID were complaints, but these SSDs are intended for datacenters, not your gaming PC. And for its target market, the lowish $4.82 price per GB and chart-topping 14 Petabyte max endurance are also endearing qualities. Given its history of SSD reliability, Intel is bound to draw a crowd of corporate admirers to its 910 series -- even though it's fashionably late to the boardroom.

Intel's PCI-E 910-Series SSD reviewed: blazing fast, even under pressure originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 May 2012 04:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, May 04, 2012

Under the microscope: Samsung Galaxy S III's HD Super AMOLED display

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/03/galaxy-s-iii-microscope-hd-super-amoled/

By now you should already know that the brand-spanking-new Samsung Galaxy S III sports a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display. That's right: no "plus" here, which means this 720p panel is featuring the same old PenTile RBGB pixel arrangement -- just like the 4.65-inch version on the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S II HD LTE. Needless to say, this is again pure ammunition for the folks over at LG; but as we've mentioned before, HD Super AMOLED's superb contrast and higher-than-before pixel density outweigh its shortcomings in most cases.

For now though, let's examine these sub-pixels with a 230x zoom USB microscope and compare them with other phones that we have in hand. Starting off with the HTC One X's 720p SLCD 2 above, you can see how its denser sub-pixels produce a finer picture, but ultimately it's still behind HD Super AMOLED when it comes to contrast, especially with black. Read on for more comparisons.

Gallery: Under the microscope: Samsung Galaxy S III's HD Super AMOLED display

Continue reading Under the microscope: Samsung Galaxy S III's HD Super AMOLED display

Under the microscope: Samsung Galaxy S III's HD Super AMOLED display originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy S III vs Galaxy S II and Galaxy S: meet the family

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/03/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-family-tree/

If you don't know where you came from, you won't know where you're going. That's why we're stacking up Samsung's Galaxy S III against the S II and the Galaxy S to see how the range has come on in the three years it's existed. If you fancy a trip down memory lane to the heady days of 2010, then join us after the break.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S III vs Galaxy S II and Galaxy S: meet the family

Samsung Galaxy S III vs Galaxy S II and Galaxy S: meet the family originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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