Arduino Esplora helps you learn microcontrollers without the pesky breadboard

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/10/arduino-esplora-learn-microcontrollers-without-the-breadboard/

Arduino is the go to board for most folks looking for an introduction to microcontrollers. That's largely thanks to its sizable community, ease of use and surprising versatility. But, there is one small stumbling block for those just looking to dip their toes in the ATmega-powered waters: you'll need to provide your own sensors, components and breadboard. (At least you will unless you're satisfied just making the built-in LED blink.) The Esplora bakes some of those essential bits and pieces right on to the board. It's crafted around the same core as the Leonardo, but adds an accelerometer, microphone, analog joystick, four buttons, a light sensor, temperature sensor, linear potentiometer and a buzzer to the mix. While the gamepad-like layout means you wont be able to connect to any of the dozens of Arduino shields out there, it does have a pair of TinkerKit inputs and outputs for expanding the Esplora's capabilities. There's also a place to connect an upcoming LCD module. The Esplora is available now direct from Arduino for €41.90.

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Filed under: Misc

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Source: Arduino

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Silicon Image reveals Ultragig 6400 wireless HDMI output for next-gen phones and tablets

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/10/silicon-image-ultragig-6400-wirelesshd/

Up 'til now, the WirelessHD standard has been best suited to large, thirsty devices like laptops, AV adapters and projectors. If we wanted video output from a battery-powered weakling of a mobile device, then we'd either be looking at a WiFi-based option, which can sacrifice bandwidth and latency, or at a wired connection like MHL, which effectively means tethering ourselves to the TV. However, Silicon Image claims it's come up with a new WirelessHD transmitter, the Ultragig 6400, which allows for gaming and full 1080p60 video and yet is easily light-footed enough to fit into a smartphone or tablet.

The company's optimistic photoshop above shows off the compactness of the module relative to the type of flagship phone it'd one day like to be part of: the silicon itself is 10mm x 7mm in area, or a fifth the size of the older WirelessHD Gen3. Just as importantly, the 60GHz transmitter consumes less power than a smartphone's own local display (around 500mW, with a 30-foot line-of-sight range), has a mere 5ms latency to allow for interactivity, and shouldn't add more than $10 to the cost of manufacture. Of course, we'd have to add a little more to th! at sum i n order to purchase the mains-connected HDMI receiver box -- but in return we'd get to enjoy all our mobile vices at something much closer to life-size.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Mobile

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IBM manufactures light-based 'nanophotonic' chips to let the terabytes flow

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/10/ibm-manufactures-light-based-nanophotonic-chips/

IBM's taken a large step toward computer chips that use photons instead of electrons by manufacturing the first 90nm silicon-based optical processing modules. It did so using the CMOS nanophotonics technology we first saw back in 2010, creating tranceivers capable of 25Gbps transfer speeds. By multiplexing a large number of those streams to a single fibre, "terrabytes of data" per second could flow between distant computer systems," according to IBM. The 90 nanometer light circuits should allow data-hungry servers or supercomputers to scale up rapidly in speed "for the next decade, and at the desired low cost," according to the researchers. It's now primed for commercial development, meaning we could see an end to bottlenecks in systems "a few centimeters or a few kilometers" apart from each other. Check the PR for the detailed technical skinny.

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Filed under: Misc, Science

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Google Now Is Coming Soon To A Desktop Near You

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5966819/google-now-is-coming-soon-to-a-desktop-near-you

Since its introduction earlier this year, Google Now has quickly become one of the stand-out features of having a (current version) Android phone or tablet. It looks like Google Now-age won't be exclusive to mobile for long, however; Google Now is coming to Chrome.

While the transition hasn't been officially announced, the addition of several items to the Chromium project code site with titles like "Show Google Now notifications in Chrome" and "Creating a skeleton for Google Now for Chrome implementation" confirm it's in the works. Spotted by François Beaufort, the code site additions herald a big move for the service, one that could serve to rope non-mobile users in.

While you can't argue with Google Now being more widely available, you kind of have to wonder how useful it can actually be on a desktop. Still, it'll serve as another vector for users to cram data into Google and get some functionality back for it. Get ready, the cards are coming. [François Beaufort via Engadget]

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Netflix 1080p streams no longer called X-High, company credits improved encodes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/08/netflix-1080p-streams-no-longer-called-x-high-company-credits-i/

While Netflix Watch Instantly movie streams are mostly useful for casual viewing, if you're interested in the actual quality of the video provided you may have noticed a few changes recently. Chronicled in a thread on AVS Forum and reported to us by several tipsters, more than a few users have noticed their streams on 1080p-capable hardware (PlayStation 3, WDTV Live) no longer rock the "X-High" notification (on PS3, hit select to view more information bout your streaming details) that had previously let them know they were getting the highest quality possible. We checked with Netflix, and according to the company, it's rolling out better encoding that improves picture quality despite using a lower bitrate. That means 1080p works even for people with slower connections, and increases detail on "textures, shadows, skies, and particularly faces." As a result, what was previously called "X-High HD" is now being labeled a tier lower.

While it wasn't mentioned specifically, some are theorizing the move is tied into Netflix's use of eyeIO's video encoding tech, which it announced earlier this year, to shrink the size of streams. eyeIO claims it can chop bandwidth by more than half for a 720p stream, something we're sure a company that's pushing as much data as Netflix would appreciate. Still, some viewers in the thread are claiming a noticeably softer picture as a result. Check afte! r the br eak for the statement from Netflix, then take some time for "research" and let us know if you're noticing any changes in picture quality lately.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: AVS Forum, Tech of the Hub

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