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Monday, June 18, 2012

Mozilla's 'Junior' iPad browser prototype keeps it simple

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/18/mozillas-junior-ipad-browser-prototype-keeps-it-simple/

Love your iPad, but hate Safari? Mozilla's Alex Limi can relate, it's "a pretty miserable experience," he says. So what's he doing about it? Building a replacement, of course. In a recent presentation showing the fruits of the Mozilla Product Design Strategy team's labors, Limi offered a glimpse at Junior, an iPad browser that hopes to redefine how we view the internet on tablets. The prototype browser eschews the traditional address bar / tab layout in favor of a minimalistic, full screen experience, flanked by only two obvious toggles -- a back button, and a plus symbol that opens a menu containing favorites, recent pages and a URL / search bar. Other common options such as reload, forward and print are hidden away, but accessible. The idea is a simple browsing experience that's more fun, engaging and ergonomic. "It's very simple," Limi summarizes, "it's a browser." He stresses that Junior is still just a prototype, albeit a compelling one. Interested? Check out Limi's full product design presentation at the source link below.

Mozilla's 'Junior' iPad browser prototype keeps it simple originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 01:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NNSA Sequoia supercomputer takes worlds fastest title, prevents nuclear testing

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/18/nnsa-sequoia-supercomputer-takes-worlds-fastest-title/

Fujitsu's 10.51 petaflop K supercomputer is pretty fast, but does it pack enough computational oomph to stave off underground nuclear testing? Probably -- but the NNSA's new sixteen petaflop rig does it better. According to the National Nuclear Security Administration, a supercomputer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, dubbed Sequoia, is now the fastest Supercomputer on the planet, clocking in at 16.32 sustained petaflops. "Sequoia will provide a more complete understanding of weapons performance, notably hydrodynamics and properties of materials at extreme pressure sand temperatures," says NNSA Director of Advanced Simulation and Computing Bob Meisner, explaining that supercomputer simulations will "support the effort to extend the life of aging weapons systems." Translation? Sequoia will help the NNSA keep the US' nuclear stockpile stable without resorting to nuclear testing; more computers, less explosions. We can't think of a better thing to do with 98,304 compute nodes, 1.6 million cores and 1.6 petabytes of memory spread across 96 racks -- can you? Check out the official press release after the break.

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NNSA Sequoia supercomputer takes worlds fastest title, prevents nuclear testing origi nally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung's new CEO promises 'particular focus' on software, UI and design

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/18/samsungs-ceo-ui-design/

There's nothing worse than complacency in an incoming CEO, so it's fortunate that Kwon Oh-hyun is prepared to openly address weaknesses in his empire. He used his inaugural speech to declare that "a particular focus must be given to serving new customer experience and value by strengthening soft capabilities in software, user experience, design and solutions." Behind the corporate language, it sounds like he could be getting at the same issue we found with the Galaxy S III: Sammy is unrivalled when it comes to technology and specs, but its sense of aesthetic and UI arguably still needs some work. Equally, he could also be referring to an ongoing desire to expand the Bada mobile OS and the ChatON messaging service. The question now is how much of Samsung's river of cash he's planning to divert to his developers.

Samsung's new CEO promises 'particular focus' on software, UI and design originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 05:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, June 17, 2012

AOC Aire iPlay desktop LCD docks iPhones and iPods, rocks the joint (modestly)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/16/aoc-aire-iplay-desktop-lcd-docks-iphones-and-ipods/

AOC has a bit of a long-term memory issue: it claims the Aire iPlay E2343Fi is the first computer monitor to have a built-in iPhone and iPod docking station. Nope. But don't let that deter you from checking out the new 23-inch LCD, whose cradle in the base will both keep your Apple gear topped up as well as play movies and music through the display. The 10-watt speakers won't exactly bring the house down, though they will let you take the headphones off. As an actual computer display, it's a typical TN-based panel with a 1080p resolution, a quick 2ms pixel response time and a boldly claimed 50,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. Those who find a separate dock or (gasp) wires too much can officially spend $280 for an Aire iPlay of their own today; Amazon and other shops have already knocked the price down to a more palpable $230.

AOC Aire iPlay desktop LCD docks iPhones and iPods, rocks the joint (modestly) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jun 2012 14:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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These Super-Efficient Reflectors Could Light an Entire Room With Just a Single LED [Lighting]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5918928/these-super+efficient-reflectors-could-light-an-entire-room-with-just-a-single-led/gallery/1

The same company that made it impossible to forget things thanks to a small sticky note, could one day revolutionize interior lighting with a highly-engineered reflector that's capable of spreading the light from a single LED bulb over an incredibly large area.

3M actually worked with designer Todd Bracher to develop what it's calling its 'Virtual LED' technology which can illuminate a series of lighting fixtures with just a single LED bulb. The reflectors are not only covered with a special 3M film that reflects over 98 percent of light, they're also engineered to redirect and bounce that light from one reflector to the next. So it looks like a series of them are glowing, when really only one is hiding the actual light source.

Of course, a single LED can only produce so much light, so it's not like the system could be used to illuminate a room bright enough to perform delicate surgery in. But even using just a handful of LEDs and a wall covered in these reflectors would result in a surprising amount of light with minimal energy consumption. [3M via designboom]