Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II now open to pleasures of the rooted kind

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/03/verizon-galaxy-note-ii-rooted/

Shame you can't do anything about that obnoxious home button branding, but thanks to the folks over at XDA you can now squeeze some root juice onto your VZW Samsung Galaxy Note II. As per usual with Sammy's Android devices, the process involves the use of Odin to flash an image before you can enjoy the perks. Do note however, the hackery only gives you superuser access -- there's no way to cram in a custom ROM just yet. Early users have reported a few issues, including busted mics, broken signal strength indicators and general slow-coach behavior, but it sounds like updates have now plugged most of those holes. You'll find the payload and instructions waiting at the source link -- just be careful not to orphan that S Pen.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, Verizon

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Via: Pocketnow

Source: XDA Developers

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Sharp reveals the LL-S201A: a 20-inch multi-touch and stylus-friendly display

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/03/sharp-ll-s201a-big-pad/

Sharp's continuing to push out new displays despite its well-documented financial troubles, and today it's got the LL-S201A model to show us. The 20-inch LED screen supports 10-point multi-touch input, and comes with a stylus which measures 2mm at the tip -- offering greater precision than finger-mimicking nibs of 6mm or more that Sharp says are normally used with capacitive panels. You can stick it on your desk in the standard monitor orientation, but design pros will want to lay it down, although they'll have to be working on a Windows machine (XP and up) as it's not compatible with Cupertino's OS. The 1,920 x 1,080 panel has a 3000:1 contrast ratio and 5ms gray-to-gray response time, and is fed from HDMI- and DisplayPort-ins -- complete with support for MHL on the former. It's due to launch in Japan on January 30th 2013 and, if it comes at a good price, could offer some strong competition to its stylus-friendly peers.

Filed under: Displays, Peripherals

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Source: Sharp (1), (2)

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Gmail 4.2.1 for Android adds easier resizing, swipe features and more

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/03/gmail-4-2-1-android/

That leaked Gmail APK we peeked at a month or so ago turned out to be right on the money. Google has just released version 4.2.1 of the Gmail app for Android, which does indeed add pinch-to-zoom on individual messages and swipe (left or right) to delete or archive. There are a couple of features we didn't see in the initial leak though, which are the ability to "auto-fit" a message to your phone's screen and a new thumbnail view of attached images -- you can then tap a thumbnail for a swipeable gallery. If still pictures aren't your bag, it's finally possible to attach phone-captured videos to an email as well. This version of Gmail is only available for phones with Android 4.0 or higher however, so older devices might be out of luck. If your device qualifies, you can download the new version of Gmail right now from the Google Play store.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Gmail (G+), Gmail (Google Play)

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Stratasys and Objet combine 3D printing / rapid prototyping powers, working on printing money

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/03/stratasys-and-objet/

Minnesota-based rapid manufacturing / rapid prototyping company Stratasys today announced that its has completed its merger with Iron Man / concert flute 3D printer, Objet. Combined, the new $3 billion company is home to the FDM, PolyJet and Solidscape Drop-on-Demand prototyping technologies. The companies have promised to "grow awareness of 3D printing for rapid prototyping and production." Hopefully that means we be getting a lot more of these things, as well.

Continue reading Stratasys and Objet combine 3D printing / rapid prototyping powers, working on printing money

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DIY Shrimp Microcontroller Replicates an Arduino Uno at One-Fifth the Price

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5965010/diy-shrimp-microcontroller-replicates-an-arduino-uno-at-one+fifth-the-price

If you enjoy working with microprocessors such as the Arduino or Raspberry Pi and would like to host classes for 10 or more people, the $25-50 boards become expensive quickly. A UK-based electronics developer created a design for a board called the Shrimp that can replicate any of the functions of an Arduino Uno but rolling your own Shrimp can be done for less than five dollars each.

Full instructions with a parts and supplier list can be found at the source link below. That link also contains listings of workshops using the Shrimp microcontroller. Since it appears just like an Arduino Uno you can do any of the hundreds of projects for that board.

Seems like just the thing for a local makerspace.

The Shrimp | Shrimping.it via Hack-A-Day

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