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Thursday, June 24, 2010

HP buys Melodeo, brings Nutsie music streaming service into the fold

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/23/hp-buys-melodeo-brings-nutsie-music-streaming-service-into-the/

Well, it looks like HP's year of acquisitions isn't showing any signs of letting up just yet -- it's now reportedly bought Melodeo, the parent company of the Nutsie music streaming service, for between $30 and $35 million. While the service doesn't exactly have the name recognition of the now Apple-owned Lala, Nutsie's mobile applications (for iPhone, Android and Blackberry) have reportedly been downloaded more than two million times, and the company already has partnerships with a range of carriers and cellphone companies including Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. As TechCrunch reports, however, what might be most interesting is what the company has in store for Nutsie 3.0 -- it will apparently let you copy your entire iTunes library to the cloud and access any song on demand (it currently offers a more limited service that only offers a shuffle mode). We'll let you take the Palm / WebOS speculation from there.

HP buys Melodeo, brings Nutsie music streaming service into the fold originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4 and iPhone 3G screens go head-to-head under the microscope

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/23/iphone-4-and-iphone-3g-screens-go-head-to-head-under-the-microsc/

We got up pretty close to the iPhone 4's retina display in our review, but we can't say we got quite as close as PhD candidates Ryan White and Bryan Gauntt of Penn State University, who have kindly provided us with some images of the screen under a microscope (along with an iPhone 3G for comparison). According to their measurements, the iPhone 3G's pixels measure 13 x 40 microns, while the iPhone 4's measure 6.5 x 20 microns, which adds up to exactly four times as many pixels. As impressive as sounds that sounds, however, it's the pictures that really tell the story -- hit up the gallery below to check them out.

Gallery: iPhone 4 vs. iPhone 3G under the microscope

iPhone 4 and iPhone 3G screens go head-to-head under the microscope originally appeared on Engadge t on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SD cards branded with an upper-case 'I' are faster, yo

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/sd-cards-branded-with-an-upper-case-i-are-faster-yo/

Since they're theoretically capable of 300 megabyte per second transfer rates, we knew SDXC cards wouldn't stay slow forever. How will we separate wheat from chaff when faster models do appear, though? You're looking at it. This week, the SD Association unveiled the UHS-I specification for SDXC and SDHC cards capable of transferring data at up to 104 megabytes per second -- reportedly fast enough to record HD videos in real time. Why the association chose the phrasing "up to" is a little iffy, as we thought the point of such specifications was quality control, but considering how many Class 4 and Class 6 SD cards we've tossed that didn't match up to spec, we suppose we'll make do with a ballpark estimate... until the inevitable UHS-II makes the rounds. PR after the break.

Continue reading SD cards branded with an upper-case 'I' are faster, yo

SD cards branded with an upper-case 'I' are faster, yo originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LCDs can be transformed from e-waste to infection fighters, says new research

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/lcds-can-be-transformed-from-e-waste-to-infection-fighters-says/

Researchers at the University of York have discovered a possible use for discarded LCDs which should come as a relief to anyone familiar with the world's rampant e-waste problem. According to the report, which will be presented today at the Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference in Washington, D.C., a process of heating, then cooling and dehydrating the PVA (polyvinyl-alcohol, the key component of LCDs) with ethanol produces a surface area of mesoporous material with great potential for use in biomedicine. The resultant product's anti-microbial properties can now be enhanced by adding silver nanoparticles, producing something which is anti-bacterial and can kill things like E.coli. The potential application of course, is that hospital surfaces could be made of it in the future. This is just one (major) step in a long-term project, so don't expect to see it in real life anytime soon.

LCDs can be transformed from e-waste to infection fighters, says new research originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 05:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kleer teams up with Mercedes Benz to untether in-car headphones

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/kleer-teams-up-with-mercedes-benz-to-untether-in-car-headphones/

We hate wires. We can't count the number of times that our headphones were unceremoniously yanked from our heads (or ear canals) because the wire got snagged while ordering our Brazilian man-servant about. Kleer solved this problem years ago but still haven't broken into the mainstream thanks in no small part to the preponderance of low-cost (and low-quality) Bluetooth headphones. That could change with the visibility provided by a new partnership with Mercedes to replace line-of-site infrared technology the company had been using. The deal will equip 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and S-Class models with Kleer's proprietary, low-power, CD-quality digital wireless audio emitted from a pair of video screens on the back of the seats. Occupants wearing the Mercedes-provided Kleer headphones or any compatible pair can then select which audio stream their headphones receive without interfering with Bluetooth or WiFi connected devices. Win, win.

Gallery: Kleer teams up with Mercedes Benz to untether in-car headphones