Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Netflix original series 'Orange is the New Black' debuting July 11th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/30/netflix-orange-is-the-new-black/

Despite having recently introduced the likes of Hemlock Grove and House of Cards, Netflix isn't staying put and is now boosting its original content with yet another production: Orange is the New Black. The new comedic drama series, created by Weeds' own Jenji Kohan, is set to start streaming to worldwide Netflix subscribers beginning July 11th. Similar to Netflix's House of Cards, Orange is the New Black consists of thirteen episodes running at around 60 minutes -- however, the main story here won't be based on drama coming out of D.C., but rather a "world populated with unforgettable characters and no-holds-barred humor set against the backdrop of a women's prison." Be sure to peruse over the PR after the break, where you'll find more deets about the plot as well as the full cast.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Source: Netflix

Samsung starts production of 20nm 4Gb LPDDR3 mobile DRAM

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/30/samsung-20nm-4gb-lpddr3-ram/

What is it that you want to know about the RAM in your mobile device? Usually, how much of it there is, and if you're a little more demanding of your hardware, maybe what type it is, too. Well, folk in the latter category might interested to know that Samsung has started production of 20nm 4Gb LPDDR3 mobile DRAM. As is the nature of smaller, more efficient components, the new chips promise to be faster (2,133 Mbps per pin, over LPDDR2's 800 Mbps), and -- so claims Samsung -- a 20 percent drop in power consumption. With just four of these new chips, OEMs can have a 2GB offering that's still just a slick 0.8mm in height.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

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Belkin's Thunderbolt Express dock is finally shipping, offers its ports for $299

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/30/belkin-thunderbolt-express-dock-finally-shipsoffers-it/

Remember the Belkin Thunderbolt Express dock that we first laid our peepers on back at CES 2012? Well, the device that looks to lend a hand to your desktop setup is now available. After upgrading the unit back in the summer of 2012, pre-orders went live in February with a ship date expected shortly thereafter. No word on the cause of the delay, but the $299 dock still offers dual Thunderbolt ports for daisy-chaining up to five gadgets, FireWire 800, Ethernet, and both 3.5mm audio input and output. If the wait hasn't swayed your interest, grab one immediately via the source link below, and in stores before the end of May.

Filed under: Peripherals

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Source: Belkin

Jawbone acquires health-tracking pioneer BodyMedia, opens API to developers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/30/jawbone-acquires-bodymedia-opens-its-api-for-ios-developers/

Did your vibrating fitness bracelet wake you up on time? Good, because Jawbone has not one, but two pieces of news to share this morning. First off, getting the corporate news out of the way, the company's buying BodyMedia, perhaps best known for its wearable fitness trackers (yep, similar to what Jawbone's already making). In fact, though, BodyMedia's been in the health-data business since 1999, with a particularly strong foothold in the medical industry -- a market Jawbone hasn't reached yet, but would like to. As you can imagine, once the deal is finalized and Jawbone brings on BodyMedia's 60-odd employees, the plan will be to improve Jawbone's existing apps, and maybe even break into healthcare. In the meantime, we're told Jawbone will continue to sell BodyMedia's existing fitness monitors, but it's making no promises to keep them around indefinitely.

Speaking of improving the current Jawbone apps, the company is also opening up its API to developers so that they can use Jawbone stats in their applications, as well as share their own data back with Jawbone. For now, the Up platform is open only for iOS, though a company rep told us they're planning on adding Android too. (No exact ETA there, sorry.) At launch, there will be 10 apps on board, including notables like RunKeeper, Withings and MapMyFitness. What's neat is that users can manually disa! ble a co nnection with these apps anytime they want, and when they do, these third-party developers are required to delete user data from their servers. Again, no word on when this will be available for Android, but for now, at least, the iOS platform is open to developers worldwide. Hit the break for more info, along with a full list of the apps you can sync with your Up band right away.

Gallery: Jawbone Up platform for iOS