Samsung announces Windows 8-optimized Series 7 Touch monitor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/31/samsung-announces-series-7-touch-monitor/

Samsung is wrapping up 2012 by announcing two new monitors: the Series 7 Touch (SC770) and the Series 7 (SC750). The 24-inch Series 7 Touch is Sammy's first multi-touch display made for Windows 8, and it features a resolution of 1,920 x 1080 with 178-degree viewing angles. It also sports an adjustable stand that can tilt up to 60 degrees. The 27-inch Series 7 doesn't support touch input, but it boasts the same 1080p resolution and can pivot 90 degrees so users can view content in both landscape and portrait modes. Both models will hit the market in the first quarter of 2013 -- Samsung hasn't released pricing info for either, but both will be on hand at CES next week. You can check out the press release after the break.

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Filed under: Household, Samsung

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Source: Samsung Tomorrow

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Shocker: Samsung introducing new HDTV at CES, albeit with 'unprecedented new shape'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/31/samsung-new-hdtv-ces-new-form-factor/

How do you break the silence on one of the slowest news days of the year? Well, if you're Samsung, you tease the obvious. The Korean company has been counting down the days till CES with mini-previews of upcoming HD products -- first hinting at a refurbished Smart Hub on Christmas and today confirming that a new Smart TV will indeed be unveiled next week. But not just any TV; Samsung Tomorrow is drumming up anticipation for "an unprecedented new TV shape" to be unveiled in Vegas. From the photo, it looks like a monitor in the portrait form factor, -- and a transparent one, at that -- but we won't have to hold our horses too long before we learn more. In the meantime, you can check out the video below the break.

Continue reading Shocker: Samsung introducing new HDTV at CES, albeit with 'unprecedented new shape'

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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Source: Samsung Tomorrow, Samsung Tomorrow (2)

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Samsung Galaxy Note II reportedly coming in black, triggers monolithic memories

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/28/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-reportedly-coming-in-black/

Samsung gave Galaxy S III buyers a small rainbow of color choices in the summer, and there's signs that the Galaxy Note II might receive a similarly resplendent treatment. A supposed press image obtained by AndroidSlash shows the giant smartphone draped in a previously unavailable black that's potentially very striking -- and more than a little reminiscent of 2001's species-changing monoliths. There's no official word from Samsung on its authenticity, although we wouldn't be surprised knowing the company's history and the Note II's strong track record. When a theoretically niche device is selling like gangbusters, some added diversity could be in order. Just don't expect any Starchildren as a result.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Via: SamMobile

Source: AndroidSlash (translated)

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Magnetically lifted graphite moves by laser, may lead to light-based maglev vehicles (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/28/magnetically-lifted-graphite-can-move-by-laser/

Magnetic levitation is central to the fastest trains we know today, but it's that dependence on electromagnets and rails that limits how and where it's used for transportation. Aoyama Gakuin University has a unique alternative: changing the material properties themselves. By floating graphite over a bed of circular magnets, taking advantage of its tendency to generate an opposing magnetic field, researchers can move the graphite just by blasting its edge with a laser. The heat skews the magnetic behavior of that area enough to unbalance the graphite, either in a specific direction or a spin. The research team believes it could lead to maglev transportation or even energy converting turbines that are steered solely by light, with no contact or outside guides: maglev vehicle pilots could have much more control over where they go. Getting to that point will require a much larger scale, but successful development could give technology a very literal lift.

Continue reading Magnetically lifted graphite moves by laser, may lead to light-based maglev vehicles (video)

Filed under: Transportation, Science, Alt

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Via: Phys.org

Source: JACS

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How Much Do Americans Read? (And How Much of That is with eBooks?)

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5971608/how-much-do-americans-read-and-how-much-of-that-is-with-ebooks

New research from Pew Internet says that ebook readership is up (duh), and overall we own more tablets and ereaders. That's not all that surprising, really. Still, here's a look at how America reads.

According to data gathered from more than 2,000 participants in the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, the number of people who read ebooks increased to 23 percent of Americans 16 and older, from 16 percent last year. That's a big jump statistically, and coincides with the number of people who own a tablet or ereader going from 18 percent to 33 percent. And tablet owners actually passed ereader owners this year too, which makes sense given ereaders had a few-year head start, and this is the year inexpensive tablets actually got good with the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD.

The study also said that 75 percent of Americans have read a book in the past year, which seems, weirdly, both surprisingly high and surprisingly low at the same time (the number was 78 percent for 2011). Here's how that breaks down by number of books:

7% of Americans ages 16 and older read one book in the previous 12 months
14% had read 2-3 books in that time block
12% had read 4-5 books in that time block
15% had read 6-10 books in that time block
13% had read 11-20 books in that time block
14% had read 21 or more books in that time block

Hey now! Literate Muricans! The one sad thing in all this is that printed books continue to fall. They went from being read by 72 percent of Americans to 67 percent this year. And unlike the drop from 78 percent to 75 for overall readership, Pew finds that statistically significant. So! Great year for ebooks, really great year for tablets, and one more depressing rung down for paper books. [Pew]

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