Sonos Playbar: a home theater soundbar that wirelessly streams music for $699, we go hands- (and ears) on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/12/sonos-playbar-home-theater-soundbar/

We've long been enamored of Sonos' musical streaming technology and its wireless speakers, whether it's the S5 Play:5, the Play:3 or the Sub. But, what if you're looking for some Sonos gear that can stream your favorite MOG or Spotify playlist and deliver surround sound on movie night? Well, you're in luck, because the Playbar has arrived, packing all of Sonos' streaming capabilities you know and love in a soundbar form factor.

It's got nine speakers: six 8-centimeter (3.15-inch) aluminum cone mids powered by neodymium magnets and three 2.5-centimeter (1-inch) titanium dome tweeters. It connects to TVs, game consoles and cable boxes via Toslink cable and wires into home networks via Gigabit Ethernet or wireless connectivity can be had for those who own a Sonos Bridge. Naturally, it can be controlled by the Sonos app, but volume can also be toggled by your TV remote, thanks to the IR receivers on board and the remote codes stored on Sonos' servers.

Naturally, Playbar can deliver simulated surround sound on its own, but it can also be paired with Sonos' other speakers to deliver true 5.1 channel sound should yo! ur walle t be willing and able. Speaking of, the Playbar goes on sale worldwide on March 5th for $699, €699 or £599 depending which part of the globe you call home. We got to see (and hear) the Playbar for ourselves at Sonos HQ in Santa Barbara, California and chat with the folks who built it, so join us after the break to learn more about the company's first foray into home theater.

Gallery: Sonos Playbar hands-on

Gallery: Sonos Playbar press shots

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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MIT crafts genetic circuits that remember their work through DNA

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/12/mit-crafts-genetic-circuits-that-remember-their-work-through-dna/

It's easy to find work on gene-based storage; finding genes that will do any of the heavy lifting is another matter. MIT believes it has a genetic circuit that will finally get to work, and then some. In using recombinase enzymes to alter DNA sequences serving as logic gates, researchers have developed a cellular circuit that not only mimics its silicon cousins, but has its own built-in memory. As the gate activation makes permanent changes to a given DNA sequence, any gate actions stay in memory for up to 90 generations -- and will hang around even if the cell's life is cut short. MIT sees its technique as having ultimate uses for areas where longer-term memory is important, such as environmental sensors, but could also see varying output values helping with digital-to-analog converters and other devices where there's a need for more precision. While there's no word on imminent plans for real-world use, the development raises the possibility of processors that could skip the traditional memory cache as they pass info down the family tree.

Filed under: Science, Alt

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Via: SciTechDaily

Sourc! e: MIT

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Nokia announces Asha 310, offers dual SIM and WiFi for a Benjamin

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/12/nokia-asha-310-launch/

After being deemed smartphone worthy back in September last year, the S40 platform has just gained another member with the $102 Nokia Asha 310. The follow-up to the Asha 308 and 309, the latest handset rocks a 3-inch 400 x 240 capacitive touchscreen and touts support for a pair of SIMs along with WiFi -- the very first such device to come out of Espoo. Other specs include easy swap functionality, 128MB internal storage expandable up to 32GB, Nokia's Xpress Browser, a 2-megapixel camera and Nokia Maps navigation. Alas there's no 3G, but WiFi should at least come in handy to download the 40 free EA games on offer. No word on stateside availability just yet, but expect it to land in emerging markets in the Q1 of this year.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia

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Raspbmc 1.0 brings stable media center duties to your Raspberry Pi

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/12/raspbmc-1-0-brings-stable-media-center-duties-to-your-raspberry/

After a year of effort the Raspbmc team announced it has reached the 1.0 milestone. This means the team is confident they've achieved a stable port of XBMC specifically designed to run on the Raspberry Pi and the image is ready to downloaded for free and copied to your ready and able SD card. If you were already enjoying the fruits of the early builds of Raspbmc, you'll need to do a complete re-install but that shouldn't be too much trouble since you probably store your content on a network drive or external USB.

Raspbmc 1.0 is based on the recently finished XMBC 12 Final and supports DTS decoding in software. This is in addition to many other codecs supported in software and you can purchase licenses from the Raspberry Pi Store for MPEG-2 and VC-1 hardware decoding for just a few bucks. A good move, since hardware decoding of today's most popular video codecs is almost certainly a requirement for any proper XBMC setup. Now, if the Raspbmc team would release their own custom case for the RPi then everyone would know what's going on just by looking under your TV.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: Raspbmc.com

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Turn Paper Airplanes Into Full-On Drones With This Little Rod of Power

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5983425/turn-paper-airplanes-into-full+on-drones-with-this-little-rod-of-power

Everybody loves a good paper airplane, but the problem is they only fly straight, and that's only so much fun. Well, that about to be a problem of the past. Thanks to the Power Up 3.0, you can not only outfit your paper creations with a motor, but steer them directly from your phone.

A new version of the company's previous paper-plane powerpack, the 3.0 not only pushes your plane forward, but has a remote controlled tail you can tweak with the accompanying iPhone app to steer your little jet in for whatever kind of landing you can manage. All you have to do is set the drive-shaft into the fold of your airplane and its ready to go. The PowerUp 3.0 is due out this fall and, unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to actually see the sucker in action, but if it lives up to even half of its promise, it should be a blast. We can't wait to get our hands on one. Or maybe two. Dogfights, baby.

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