Ikea's 2014 Catalog app lets you arrange virtual furniture in your living room via augmented reality (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/06/ikeas-2014-catalog-app-augmented-reality/

In 2013, Ikea took the plunge into the wide world of augmented retail reality, when it released a companion app to go with its catalog -- to give Swedish furniture fans access to bonus digital content related to products shown on its pages. A new version of the app is now upon us, and with it comes new AR functionality. Namely, users can now see what certain pieces of furniture (or at least a digital version of said furniture) will look like in a given room. For the feature to work, users simply need to scan one of the 90 AR-enabled product pages with the app, and toss the catalog on the floor where they want to see the digital version of the product appear. Then, the app superimposes a 3D model of that bit of decor on your mobile device's screen, allowing users to assure their would-be furniture will maintain perfect feng shui without, you know, having to actually move stuff around.

Filed under: Software

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Via: Geek.com

Source: Apple App Store, Google Play

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Kanex launches Slimport to HDTV, MHL 2.0 to HDTV adapters

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/06/kanex-slimport-mhl-hdmi-adapters/

Fancy taking advantage of the Nexus 4 and new Nexus 7's oft-ignored Slimport feature? Kanex is launching a Slimport to HDMI adapter that'll let you share your smartphone's display without too much pain. The 11.75-inch lead supports 1080p video with 8-channel digital surround and even comes with its own microUSB port to keep your device charged during use. At the same time, the company is outing a MHL 2.0 to HDTV adapter that'll let units like the Galaxy SIII, S4 and Note 2 duplicate their screens on the biggest, erm, screen in the house. Both are available from today, setting you back $30 from Kanex's website.

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Crossbar's RRAM to boast terabytes of storage, faster write speeds than NAND

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/06/crossbar-rram/

Hardware makers often sing the praises of their latest and greatest flash memory, but the folks at Crossbar are ready to show them up with resistive RAM (RRAM) that they've been quietly working on. Compared to NAND, RRAM comes in at half the size and boasts 20 times faster write speeds (140MB/s), reads data at 17MB per second, guzzles 20 times less power and has 10 times more endurance. Since RRAM is non-volatile memory, it can keep data even when it's powered off, á la NAND. As if that weren't enough, 3D stacking construction allows for several terabytes of storage, endowing one 200 x 200mm chip with one terabyte.

Unlike many tech breakthroughs however -- we're looking at you, graphene -- this one is just about ready to find its way into finished products. Crossbar has manufactured RRAM within a standard chip factory, and claims that it can be churned out easily with existing production infrastructure. According to the firm, it's in the fine-tuning process and plans to introduce the tech into the world of embedded SoCs. Sure, the outfit is the exclusive holder of some RRAM patents, but it aims to license its know-how to system-on-a-chip creators.

Filed under: Storage

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Via: VentureBeat

Source: Crossbar

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MSI unveils lightweight GS70 gaming laptop, hopes to take Razer's crown

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/05/msi-gs70-2013/

MSI tentatively entered the world of thin and light gaming laptops with the GE40. With the newly launched GS70, the company is leaping in with both feet. The 17.3-inch portable is clearly built to take on the Razer Blade Pro, mating a big screen with a chassis that's even lighter -- at 5.7 pounds, the GS70 is a flyweight next to its 6.6-pound rival. While the system's quad-core, Haswell-based Core i7 CPU, GeForce GTX 765M graphics and 128GB SSD match what Razer offers, MSI doubles the RAM to 16GB and complements its storage with a 750GB hard drive. That makes the GS70's $1,800 base price a potential bargain -- if you don't mind losing the Blade Pro's touchscreen trackpad, you'll get more PC for the money.

Gallery: MSI GS70 (2013)

Filed under: Gaming, Laptops, Intel, NVIDIA

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Source: MSI

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Article: Bitcoin suitcase eats your pocket change, spits out digital currency

Unless you're one of its many evangelists, you probably still don't own any Bitcoins, the math-based digital currency that's all the rage among hackers, free market libertarians, and crypto-anarchists alike. A group of tinkerers at the Def Con hacking conference in Las Vegas is trying to fix that...

http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/3/4585220/bitcoin-suitcase-eats-your-pocket-change-spits-out-digital-currency

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