New Mac Mini Torn Down and Benchmarked: Ivy Bridge Kicks Ass

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5954633/new-mac-mini-torn-down-and-benchmarked-ivy-bridge-kicks-ass

The folks at Mac Mini Vault have benchmarked and torn down the new Mac Minis. The Mac Mini's $600, 2.5GHz Core i5 Ivy Bridge configuration racked up a Geekbench score of 7433 straight out of the box. That's impressive considering last year's Sandy Bridge i5 Mac Mini refresh has a standing average of 6323 on the Geekbench.

In fact, that score is higher than Sandy Bridge 13-inch MacBook Pro and even both configurations of the Ivy Bridge MacBook Air released in the summer. These results make sense, but it just goes to show what a big difference a little spec bump can make. These are powerful little computers. As for the way the guts look under the hood; the new Mac Mini's have unchanged, aluminum unibody cases, and everything looks pretty much the same inside. [Mac Mini Vault via 9to5Mac]

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MIT researchers use algebraic equation that improves WiFi and LTE data streams: boosts speed, reduces network congestion

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/24/mit-researchers-algebraic-equation-to-weave-wifi-and-lte-signals/

Dodging the issues of spectrum auctions and more cell towers, researchers at MIT have discovered that they can use an algebraic equation to improve data speeds by reducing dropped packets. It's these dropped packets that can build up congestion across a wireless network, as devices attempt to recoup these missing data nuggets. But instead of sending typical packets, MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics created an equation that describes a series of packets. If a packet fails to deliver, then the receiving device is apparently able to "solve" the missing chunk, with the processing load on phones, routers and base stations apparently negligible.

The tech, which can also seamlessly transition a data stream between wireless internet and LTE, has already been tested on WiFi networks over at MIT; when two percent of data packets were dropped, speeds were boosted from 1Mbps to 16Mbps. If five percent of packets were being lost, the researchers then saw bandwidth increase from 0.5Mbps to 13.5Mbps. Companies are apparently already licensing the tech, although MIT isn't revealing more on this just yet. Muriel Medard, project lead, said that there were currently "very severe inefficiencies that should be remedied before you consider acquiring more resources" -- namely more spectrum and hardware, although the gains seen in these early tests are yet to be replicated in real life. There's more on the science and development at the source link below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Science, Mobile, Alt

MIT researchers use algebraic equation that improves WiFi and LTE data streams: boosts speed, reduces network congestion originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 07:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nuance Dragon Mobile Assistant launches on Android, but only on ICS for now

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/24/nuance-dragon-mobile-assistant-launches-on-android/

Dragon Go! has been given the elbow, with the slightly more professional sounding Dragon Mobile Assistant taking its place. Nuance has expanded on its predecessor's verbal commands, with new functionality for maps (you'll be able to bark direction requests at the new app and it'll plan the route), alongside a hands-free wake-up feature activated by saying "Hi Dragon" -- we hope you have a high embarrassment threshold. Other Siri-esque features include weather updates and dictated SMS and email responses. The beta app can be downloaded below, although compatibility is limited to Android Ice Cream Sandwich and above for now. Nuance is promising more features and increased availability later this year.

Continue reading Nuance Dragon Mobile Assistant launches on Android, but only on ICS for now

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Nuance Dragon Mobile Assistant launches on Android, but only on ICS for now originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/update/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-usa/

More Info

• Samsung Galaxy Note II (N7100) review
• Samsung Galaxy Note II (T-Mobile) hands-on
• Samsung Galaxy Note II (AT&T) hands-on

The Samsung Galaxy Note II is coming to America, and unlike its predecessor, it's not being as quiet about the move. In a completely unprecedented feat, the mammoth smartphone not only won over the hearts of four national American carriers and one regional network, it did so without having to make sacrifices in its design, specs or even its name. This is a considerable amount of progress when taking into account the fact that only two mobile operators adopted the original Galaxy Note -- the inaugural phablet, if you will -- and they did so months after its global launch. Heck, T-Mobile released its variant of the Note just three months ago, which likely will be a sour point to early adopters for a long time to come.

As you may have seen in our review of the global Note II, there's a reason for all of the buzz circulating around this new flagship device; it's good. It's very good. Once you get used to the idea of a 5.5-inch smartphone with an included st ylus S Pen, you'll take heed of the incredibly fast quad-core processor, the latest version of Android, the high-end camera and the litany of other top-notch features that have helped the device become worthy of our praise.

This review, as you see it today, discusses our impressions of T-Mobile's version of the Note II and how it sizes up against the global model (the N7100), but we're changing things up this time around. Since there will be very few differences across the five different versions offered on US carriers, we're simply going to add our reviews of each carrier-specific unit to this space as we go along. The idea is that this review will encompass every Galaxy Note II sold stateside. Enjoy the galleries below, and continue past the break as we dig into Samsung's latest flagship... again.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Note II (T-Mobile) overview

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile review

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, T-Mobile

Samsung Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Store now has Lightning to HDMI and VGA adapters at $49 a pop, souped-up iPad charger

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/24/apple-store-lightning-adapters-camera-hdmi-vga/

We noticed during the iPhone 5 launch that Apple had a big caveat with its Lightning to 30-pin adapter: no video or iPod out support. Now that the new iPads are here with that same connector, the problem's been partially rectified -- for a sum. Namely, you can grab the Lightning to VGA or digital AV (HDMI) adapters for a rather princely $49, though there's no sign of any iPod support yet. If you're still holding out for generic models instead, you may want to rethink that plan, as there's a control chip inside each, and so far only Apple holds the authentication keys. Also, a new $19 12W USB power adapter (which connects directly to the Lightning port) has also appeared for the 3rd and 4th generation iPads, bumping the previous version's 10W -- meaning your slate might get charged a bit quicker.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablets, Apple

Apple Store now has Lightning to HDMI and VGA adapters at $49 a pop, souped-up iPad charger originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:38:00 EDT. Please see o! ur terms for use of feeds.

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