Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, June 05, 2012

ViewSonic VP3280-LED 31.5-inch 4K monitor prototype hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/05/viewsonic-vp3280-led-4k-monitor-hands-on/

Would you rather own a mid-range car, or a 31.5-inch 4K monitor? That might not seem like a terribly difficult call, but after seeing ViewSonic's 150 ppi prototype at Computex, we're not so sure we'd go with the car. Hidden beneath a nondescript engineering case a few feet away from the company's 22-inch ICS "tablet" was one of the most impressive 4K displays we've seen. The ViewSonic VP3280-LED features a 31.5-inch LCD panel, packing 8.8 million pixels for a total density of 150 pixels-per-inch. That means incredibly sharp images and vibrant frames -- the display is capable of 10-bit 1.07 billion-color presentation. A relatively small footprint means you could realistically pack 3840 x 2160 pixels on your desk, with a bit of room to spare.

The display we saw was hooked up to an Intel Core i5-powered PC, which ViewSonic reps say is only capable of pumping out still photos (you'll need a Core i7 for video or regular computer use), but we very much liked what we saw. The current iteration requires 2x dual-link DVI, but would be compatible with 2x DisplayPort in the future. ViewSonic reps say the VP3280, which will be marketed towards film studios, broadcasters, photographers and any other professionals in need of a compact 4K display, could ship by the end of the year, costing "about the price of a car." There's sadly no way to do this thing justice in still photos or video, but you can get a vague idea of how it performs in our walkthrough a! fter the break.

Gallery: ViewSonic VP3280-LED 31.5-inch 4K monitor hands-on

Continue reading ViewSonic VP3280-LED 31.5-inch 4K monitor prototype hands-on (video)

ViewSonic VP3280-LED 31.5-inch 4K monitor prototype hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | |&nb! sp;Email this | Comments

Toshiba updates Portege Z835 Ultrabook with Ivy Bridge, renames it the Z935

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/05/toshiba-portege-z935-z835-ivy-bridge-refresh/

Toshiba's getting the most attention today for announcing two new laptops (including one with a bonkers 21:9 aspect ratio), but it's also getting some extra mileage out of its first Ultrabook, the Portege Z835. The company just announced it's refreshing the system with a Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor, and that it shall henceforth be known as the Portege Z935. Other than that, the chassis and other key specs are expected to remain the same. Look for it on shelves starting June 24th, and don't be surprised by a bump in price: it now starts at $900, up from $800 when it had Sandy Bridge.

Gallery: Toshiba Portege Z935

Continue reading Toshiba updates Portege Z835 Ultrabook with Ivy Bridge, renames it the Z935

Toshiba updates Portege Z835 Ultrabook with Ivy Bridge, renames it the Z935 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Swapping TVs for iPads Makes Planes 7 Percent Lighter [Factoid]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5915771/swapping-tvs-for-ipads-makes-planes-7-percent-lighter

Swapping TVs for iPads Makes Planes 7 Percent Lighter What would happen if you ripped out all the TVs and associated wiring from a plane, and gave everyone an iPad instead? Well, we just found out: the plane becomes 7 percent lighter, and saves an awful lot of fuel as a result.

A new budget airline, called Scoot, launched yesterday. It's taken its planes from its parent company Singapore Airlines—but decided to change the way it serves up entertainment, reports Bloomberg. That's seen them remove the entire aircraft entertainment system from each of its airplanes—which in total weighed more than two tons per craft.

Instead, budget flyers will be charged $17 a trip to rent an iPad, which is pre-loaded with movies, music, games and television shows. All told, the overall weight saving is 7 percent, which will make a massive difference to fuel efficiency. In fact, why doesn't every airline do it? [Bloomberg]

NVIDIA details top-tier GeForce GTX 680M Kepler GPU for Ultrabooks, other laptops

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/04/nvidia-geforce-gtx-680M/

When NVIDIA took the wraps off its family of 28nm Kepler GPUs, it promised some mobile chips designed for Ultrabooks were soon to follow. Two and a half months later, we haven't seen that many laptops running the 600M series, save for the Acer Aspire M5, which isn't even on sale yet. Now, though, we're about to see a lot more: in advance of Computex, a computer-centric trade show about to be overrun by Ultrabooks, NVIDIA is spilling details on the GeForce GTX 680M. As the top-tier offering in the mobile Kepler lineup, it packs a 720MHz engine clock, 1,344 CUDA cores and a 256-bit memory bus powering up to 4GB of GDDR5 RAM. As a refresher, all of Kepler's GPUs make use of a new GPU Boost feature, which automatically increases the clock speed if the GPU isn't already taxed. Meanwhile, VSync promises smoother rendering, with fewer jagged edges. So which PC makers are planning on using this thing? Well, Clevo is on board, and NVIDIA says to expect some fresh models from MSI and Alienware, too. Stay tuned, folks.

Continue reading NVIDIA details top-tier GeForce GTX 680M Kepler GPU for Ultrabooks, other laptops

NVIDIA detai! ls top-t ier GeForce GTX 680M Kepler GPU for Ultrabooks, other laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

TI cuts the cables, backs Miracast as wireless video standard for OMAP platform

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/05/ti-backs-miracast-as-wireless-video-standard/

It wasn't but a few days ago that the Wi-Fi Alliance announced its certification program for the Miracast wireless display specification. Now, TI has thrown its weight behind the technology with the announcement that future versions of its OMAP processor and WiLink connectivity chip will adhere to Miracast standards. As you'll recall, the Miracast certification program has yet to go into effect -- that'll happen later this summer -- which means for the time being, it's still too early to refer to TI's solution as "Wi-Fi Certified Miracast." Nonetheless, the company's already showing its compatible wares this week at Computex, which currently includes the OMAP 4470 / WiLink 7.0 combo. Naturally, TI also intends to ensure Miracast support as part of its upcoming OMAP 5 / WiLink 8.0 platform. As if you needed yet another reason to be excited for that one. To learn more, you'll find the full PR after the break.