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Thursday, March 24, 2011

Microsoft application creates 3D model using a cellphone, blows our minds

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/24/microsoft-application-creates-3d-model-using-a-cellphone-blows/

Using your smartphone to take regular, or heck, even 3D images, is so last-gen -- thanks to Microsoft's Interactive Visual Media Group, we shall soon be able to use its new app to generate virtual 3D models. For example, if you want to capture that Ferrari on your neighbor's driveway, you'll need to circumambulate it while shooting around 40 photos. The final product, which is compiled using some beefed up PhotoSynth magic as each shot is uploaded to the cloud, is a beautifully crafted 3D model that can be panned around surprisingly smoothly. Hit the source link to feast your eyes on Redmond's new trick.

Microsoft application creates 3D model using a cellphone, blows our minds originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA's dual-GPU GeForce GTX 590 emerges, can't slay the Radeon HD 6990 titan

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/24/nvidias-dual-gpu-geforce-gtx-590-emerges-cant-slay-the-radeon/

1,024 total CUDA cores, 94 ROPs, and 3GB of GDDR5 RAM on board. Yup, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 is indeed a pair of GTX 580 chips spliced together, however power constraints have meant that each of those chips is running at a tamer pace that their single-card variant. The core clock speed is down to 607MHz, shaders are only doing 1.2GHz, and the memory clocks in at 3.4GHz. Still, there's a ton of grunt under that oversized shroud and reviewers have put it to the test against AMD's incumbent single-card performance leader, the Radeon HD 6990. Just like the GTX 590, it sports a pair of AMD's finest GPUs and costs a wallet-eviscerating $699. Alas, after much benchmarking, testing, and staring at extremely beautiful graphics, the conclusion was that AMD retains its title. But only just. And, as Tech Report points out, the GTX 590 has a remarkably quiet cooler for a heavy duty pixel pusher of its kind. Dive into the reviews below to learn more, or check the new card out on video after the break.

Read - AnandTech
Read - HardOCP
Read - Tech Report
Read - PC Perspective
Read - Guru 3D
Read - X-bit labs
Read - techPowerUp!
Read - TechSpot

Continue reading NVIDIA's dual-GPU GeForce GTX 590 emerges, can't slay the Radeon HD 6990 titan

NVIDIA's dual-GPU GeForce GTX 590 emerges, can't slay the Radeon HD 6990 titan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 09:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Getupp Helps You Stick to Your Goals by Notifying Your Friends If You Fail [Webapp]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5783788/getupp-helps-you-stick-to-your-goals-by-making-your-friends-confirm-your-actions

Getupp is a neat webapp that helps you set your goals and share them publicly so you're held accountable to the world. To make sure keep your commitments, Getupp can notify your Facebook friends if you break a commitment so you can be sure everyone will find out that you're a slacker.

Making a commitment is very easy. Getupp uses Facebook to authenticate you, as it's a Facebook-based app, and from there you just choose your category, enter in what you're going to do, when you need to do it, how flexible that due date is, and how public you want your commitment to be. You don't have to alert everybody of your success or failure each time, but it is an option to help keep you accountable. If public humiliation is a big motivator for you—and it is a popular and successful method lately—Getupp is a free and easy option.

UPDATE: You can also grab the free iPhone app. It uses location-based services to keep track of where you are so it'll know when you're headed to the gym, for example, to meet your commitment to run (or not).

Getupp

You can follow Adam Dachis, the author of this post, on Twitter and Facebook. If you'd like to contact him, Twitter is the most effective means of doing so.

Chrome 11 Arrives in Beta with Speech Input and New Icon [Updates]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5784771/chrome-11-arrives-in-beta-with-speech-input-and-new-icon

Windows/Mac/Linux: Chrome 11 has made its way to the Beta release of Chrome, bringing with it an HTML5-powered speech input ability (which you can test out here), GPU-powered 3D CSS rendering, and, most immediately noticeable, the new, flatter Chrome icon. Chrome 11 is due to hit the Stable release relatively soon, given how quickly it moved into Beta. [Chrome Releases Blog via TechCrunch]

Gigabyte's 15.6-inch P2532: world's thinnest second-gen Core i7 laptop (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/22/gigabytes-15-6-inch-p2532-worlds-thinnest-second-gen-core-i7/

We suspect that some other laptop manufacturer will be coming out of the woodwork in around 4.98 seconds here to refute Gigabyte's claim, but as of now, the 15.6-inch P2532 above is the planet's thinnest laptop with a second-generation (Sandy Bridge) Core i7 CPU. It's not "ultrathin," per se, but for packing such a serious amount of horsepower, it's definitely on the anorexic side of things. Our pals over at TweakTown managed to get their paws on one, and they noted that it was sporting a 1920 x 1080 resolution display, a 500GB (7200RPM) hard drive, NVIDIA's GeForce GT550M (2GB) with Optimus technology, a DVD burner, two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, four speakers, a makeshift subwoofer and more ventilation ports than would normally be considered healthy. The company's also offering up a smattering of interchangeable lids, with the pastel yellow one in particular catching our eye -- can't say it's for the right reasons, but we digress. Sadly, there's no price or release date to share just yet, but there is a hands-on video just past the break. Head on down and hit play, won't you?

Continue reading Gigabyte's 15.6-inch P2532: world's thinnest second-gen Core i7 laptop (video)

Gigabyte's 15.6-inch P2532: world's thinnest second-gen Core i7 laptop (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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