Raspberry Pi's new turbo mode boosts performance by roughly 50 percent, doesn't void warranties

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/20/raspberry-pi-turbo-mode-overclock-overvolt/

Giving a Raspberry Pi extra voltage is a quick way to squeeze out additional processing power and void its warranty, but the folks behind the tinker-friendly board have devised a turbo mode that boosts performance by roughly 50 percent while keeping warranties intact. After studying the effects of temperature and voltage on the hardware's lifespan, the team found that dynamic overclocking and overvolting doesn't affect the Pi's health appreciably. As a result, speeds can be pushed from 700MHz to 1GHz only when additional horsepower is needed, and things are reined back in when the CPU grazes 185 degrees Fahrenheit (85 degrees Celsius). Benchmarks show the extra computing oomph makes the Pi 52 percent faster on integer, 64 percent speedier on floating point and 55 percent snappier on memory tasks. The new mode is available in the latest firmware update, which also includes temperature and frequency widgets, better analog audio, improved USB performance and support for WiFi dongles out of the box. For the technical nitty-gritty and more details on the upgrade, hit the source link below.

Filed under: Misc

Raspberry Pi's new turbo mode boosts performance by roughly 50 percent, doesn't void warranties originally appeared on E! ngadget< /a> on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 05:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Did Handheld Vacuums Get So Beautiful? [Vacuums]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/vip/~3/rsBKyaJXDQo/when-did-handheld-vacuums-get-so-beautiful

If you haven't shopped for a handheld vacuum since the Dustbuster owned the market, you're apparently in for a real treat. Vorwerk's new Kobold VC100 looks like a piece of contemporary art you'll want to frame and hang on your wall, instead of the old lowly workhorses you kept hidden behind a dresser.

It sucks (in the best way possible) for up to 20 minutes on a single charge, but with two suction settings you can probably expect even less cleaning time if you use it full throttle. You will have to fork over almost $170 for this functional masterpiece, but think how much better your life will be with this on display in your living room, and your shirt free of Doritos crumbs.

[Vorwerk via Appliancist]

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Toshiba intros Camileo BW20 waterproof camcorder, available now for $130

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/19/toshiba-camileo-bw20-waterproof-camcorder/

Toshiba might have missed the summer vacationers by just a bit, but with the beautiful fall season just around the corner in the US, it's that period to introduce a new Camileo to the group. This time out it's the the follow-up to the company's rather colorful BW10 from last year. Enter the adequately named BW20. Aside from nabbing a numerical bump on its moniker, the BW20 brings the same 1080p video recording found on its predecessor, plus improved waterproof capabilities that now allow the camcorder to handle up to 16 feet below water. Perhaps, the most interesting fact here is the BW20's new price tag, which is now $130 -- 20 bucks less than the BW10. You can snag one for yourself now at the source link below; in the meantime, there's an appealing press shot gallery for your viewing pleasure down below.

Gallery: Toshiba Camileo BW20 press shots

Continue reading Toshiba intros Camileo BW20 waterproof camcorder, available now for $130

Filed under: Cameras

Toshiba intros Camileo BW20 waterproof camcorder, available now for $130 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CompactFlash Association announces 600MB/sec CFast2.0 spec, SanDisk developing cards

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/19/compactflash-association-announces-600mb-sec-cfast2-0-spec-sand/

SD cards and their many variants may be the memory card format of choice in most cameras these days, but there's still plenty of instances where nothing but a larger CompactFlash card will suffice. Now the organization behind the format has announced its latest revision, the CFast2.0 specification, which it hopes will find its way into future digital cameras and other professional video devices. The big news with it is a promised "theoretical" performance of up to 600MB/sec, which is about four times faster than today's CompactFlash cards, as well as a new sleep mode that promises to help conserve battery life when the card is not in use. What's more, while the cards themselves are still a ways off, SanDisk has announced today that it has begun development of them, and medium format camera manufacturer Phase One has also confirmed that it intends to support the new specification.

Continue reading CompactFlash Association announces 600MB/sec CFast2.0 spec, SanDisk developing cards

Filed under: Cameras, Storage

CompactFlash Association announces 600MB/sec CFast2.0 spec, SanDisk developing cards originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:42:00 EDT. Please see o! ur terms for use of feeds.

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What Is Miracast? [Miracast]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5944578/what-is-miracast

Everyone really likes AirPlay, Apple's Wi-Fi streaming standard that lets you send movies and music from, say, your iPhone to your speakers or Apple TV. Now there's a new standard out to do pretty much the same thing for everyone else. But how is it different from previous attempts?

Miracast is a lot like AirPlay...

AirPlay is a wireless standard that allows two devices to connect to each other to share movies, music, or other media. Miracast is the same thing, just not owned by Apple. Miracast is built on Wi-Fi Direct, which is basically just an ad hoc Wi-Fi standard. It lets two devices that have Wi-Fi in them talk to each other without having to go through your internet network. And unlike AirPlay, it will work with disparate brands and platforms. So ideally, your Samsung phone would be able to talk to your LG TV. Pretty great.

...but technologically better than previous attempts...

Unlike some of the older implementations of Wi-Fi streaming, like Intel's first stab at WiDi, Miracast will allow you to stream in full 1080p. You'll also be able to use media like DVDs and other stuff that has DRM on it, which had been a non-starter in the past. Miracast also does a bunch of nerdy grunt work behind the scenes; you should never have to worry about format or codec or anything else when streaming something—just click a button and play.

...that's got support from major chipmakers...

Qualcomm, Nvidia, and TI are all planning to support the standard, meaning your Tegra 3 phone will actually work with it. Hopefully, that means you won't have to pick and choose which phone or tablet to upgrade to if you want to keep using your Miracast stuff.

...and will be (or is) in a bunch of popular gadgets...

Samsung has been using a form of Miracast called AllShare Cast for a while now. It's built on Miracast, but it being on board with the certification means that stuff like the Galaxy S III or Samsung's beautiful Echo P TVs will fold into the rest of the tech world, instead of being sequestered in a sad little Samsung corner.

hopefully pretty soon.

The Wi-Fi Alliance announced the certification process for Miracast today, and announced that the Galaxy S III, the new LG Optimus G, and Samsung's Echo P TVs are all already certified. Others are being tested to ensure certification as soon as the holidays, and by early next year, hopefully we'll have a real AirPlay alternative for everyone not wrapped up in Apple's ecosystem.

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