EquiMedia |
| Blog Alert for Engadget, Sep 23, 2011 Posted: 24 Sep 2011 01:08 AM PDT New Posts to Engadget on Sep 23, 2011: ------------------------------------------------------------------ It's been almost two years since Sezmi launched its hybrid antenna and internet TV service, and now it has announced the dream of pay-TV without cable or satellite is dead. An email went out to customers tonight informing them the ability to view or record programming on their Sezmi systems would be shut off Monday, September 26th. The only compensation given for the sudden disconnect? Free access to the VOD catalog before that disappears too, on November 1st. The $20 / month Select Plus package that offered pay-TV channels over antenna never spread beyond Los Angeles, although users happy to settle for basic channels and online VOD had access in other markets. Still, we predict it won't be missed simply because it doesn't seem like many people ever signed up. Despite nice features like unique profiles for different household members, the limited sports selection cut off many early [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Who's looking sleek in angled corners? Why, it's the Motorola Xoom 2 -- at least it might be, according to Droid-Life and the folks that leaked it the above image. The outfit's informant tells them that the pictured device is flaunting micro-USB and HDMI ports, a SIM card slot and a few large, flush buttons on its back. Is it the real deal? Well, we can't say it looks much like Verizon's door-destroying tablet, or even the shy slate that we spied on Motorola Mobility's leaked website redesign -- but we wouldn't put too much stock into ambiguous renders and inconclusive advertisements anyway. There's one more image after the break for those of you that are into rear-facing cameras and "confidential" engravings.Continue reading Is this the Motorola Xoom 2?Is this the Motorola Xoom 2? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 23:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Looks like we weren't the only one afflicted by the Sony NEX-5N camera's annoying click problem. In case you missed it, the camera displayed the annoying tendency of producing an audible click loud enough to ruin any 1080/60p video if it was moved suddenly while shooting. Tonight Sony updated its support site to promise a "performance improvement" available to all owners under the camera's warranty that it claims reduces the sound. At the moment we don't have any more information on what's causing the sound or what the improvement entails, but owners can dial 888-868-7392 to get their units upgraded.Sony offers 'adjustment' for NEX-5N camera to reduce clicking sound while recording video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 21:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Sony eSupport | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ Time is slipping away for it to meet its promised September debut, but Philip's Android-based GoGear Connect handheld / PMP is now available for pre-order from at least one online retailer (J&R). It'll run you $170 for the 8GB model and an even $200 for 16GB (both a slight discount off the list price), each of which come equipped with a 3.2-inch display, WiFi connectivity, built-in speakers, a microSD card slot for additional storage, and Android 2.3 with access to Android Market. Unfortunately, there's still no indication of an exact ship date, but we're guessing you won't have to wait too much longer if you decide to take the plunge. [Thanks, Peter]Philips' Android-based GoGear Connect PMP now available for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | J&R (1) | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ A "racing" team for the Czech electric scooter company Akumoto, with the assistance of the energy conglomerate ?EZ , is claiming the world record for longest distance traveled by such a vehicle in 24-hours -- 706.1 miles. Over the course of the 1,136.3 kilometer trip, the slightly modified scooter used a grand total of 40.8 kWh of electricity, which costs a measly 190 Czech Korunas (about $10.35). Akumoto already has a network of charging stations across the Eastern European country, but there was no stopping to juice up. Instead pre-charged batteries were swapped in when the "tank" was empty. We just hope that there were several drivers taking turns at the handlebars -- spending a full rotation of the Earth with your rear planted on a souped-up Vespa doesn't sound particularly comfortable.Czech electric scooter company covers 706 miles in 24-hours, claims world record originally [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ At first glance this looks like your average, dime a dozen, AA-powered portable speaker. But then you realize the unannounced device is at the FCC because it's wireless -- Bluetooth in this instance. Next, you notice the chunky eight-inch midriff and the large (but still cheap-looking) stereo drivers and you finally acknowledge that this thing might actually beat the puny speakers in your brand new Lenovo Ultrabook. Still, it's not nearly as surprising as a music-playing lightbulb.Lenovo BT820 wireless speaker triggers impromptu rave at the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | FCC | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ Comcast has been talking about adding live TV streaming to its Xfinity TV tablet apps for a while, but now this screenshot of a product page from MacRumors indicates it could be launching very soon. It requires an AnyPlay box -- a Comcast brand name for the Motorola Televation cable TV-to-IPTV box shown off in June and previously a portable DVR concept from Panasonic -- that will allow viewing over the local network on compatible devices, including iPads, Android tablets and the like. There's also been recent rumors of Microsoft seeking a tie-in to bring live streams from Comcast to its Xbox 360, which could be eventually be enabled by a device and service like this. According to the page, it includes access to "most" channels, and can register up to ten tablets, but only allows for viewing on one at a time. Time Warner and Cablevision have already rolled out live TV streaming on their [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to Growing Up Geek, an ongoing feature where we take a look back at our youth and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. Today, we have our very own Contributing Mobile Editor, Zachary Lutz. ------------------------------------------------------------------ This week, we're back to the normal bat time and bat channel, with no crazy late-night shenanigans. We're also happy to have on another special guest, Christopher Trout, as he makes his Mobcast debut. Listen in as he joins Myriam Joire and Brad Molen to wax poetic about another wacky week in wireless. Catch us at the Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 5PM ET (2PM PT, 9PM UK)!Continue reading The Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 5PM ET!The Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 5PM ET! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ We've got a whole lot of show coming at you this month! Tim and Brian start things off by unveiling Distro, Engadget's new weekly greatest hits magazine for the iPad. We also take a look at Sony's new 3D-enabled video headset and the purse-friendly HTC Rhyme.
Next up, Tim takes a spin around New York City on the Grace One electric bicycle, and we try to figure out whether it's worth the rather steep price tag. Brian pays a visit to the folks at Frog to discuss the company's long history and take a look at some of its industry shaping designs.
Keepon co-creator Marek Michalowski stops by the studio to discuss the creation of his little yellow robot and explain how the dancing 'bot made the journey from research tool to retail toy.
We swing by the Maker Faire in New York to check out 3D printers, a life-size game of Mouse Trap and get stuck in the (Polaroid) Matrix. [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Storage enthusiasts (yeah, there is such a thing -- what of it?) would probably tell you that PCIe-based SSDs are a dime a dozen these days. But in all seriousness, the prices we're seeing are proof that a few more competitors wouldn't hurt. A few weeks back, Austria's own Angelbird started to ship a solution that we first heard about during 2010, and we were fortunate enough to pop a Wings PCIe SSD RAID card into our Mac Pro for testing. For years, we've been booting this up and running every single application off of its stock HDD -- a 640GB Hitachi HDE721064SLA360 (7200RPM) -- as we surmise many of you desktop owners might be. Anxious to see if these are the Wings your existing tower needs to soar? Head on past the break for our impressions. Gallery: Angelbird's Wings PCIe-based SSDContinue reading Angelbird's Wings PCIe-based SSD preview and benchmarksAngelbird's Wings PCIe-based [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Old Uncle Sam seems determined to crack down on botnets, but he still needs a little help figuring out how to do so. On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published a request for information, inviting companies from internet and IT companies to contribute their ideas to a voluntary "code of conduct" for ISPs to follow when facing a botnet infestation. The move comes as an apparent response to a June "Green Paper" on cybersecurity, in which the Department of Commerce's Internet Policy Task Force called for a unified code of best practices to help ISPs navigate through particularly treacherous waters. At this point, the NIST is still open to suggestions from the public, though Ars Technica reports that it's giving special consideration to two models adopted overseas. Australia's iCode program, for example, calls for [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ EV charging stations are still hard to come by here in the US and, while 400 new ones won't exactly blanket the nation, we'll take what we can get. 350Green is teaming up with Coulomb Technologies to build exactly that many new ChargePoint stations across New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and California. With the latest announcement the ChargePoint Network is expected to grow to over 1,000 locations, many with fast charging capabilities. We wouldn't exactly call the plan a game changer but, like we said, every little bit helps. Check out the PR after the break.Continue reading 350Green to install 400 EV charging stations across the US350Green to install 400 EV charging stations across the US originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ Notoriously difficult to pin down, electrons have always been free spirits -- until now that is. According to a paper published by science journal Nature, folk at Cambridge University much cleverer than we have tamed single electrons, succeeding in coaxing them directly from point-to-point. The technique involves creating a small hole in gallium arsenide, called a "quantum dot," then creating a channel of energy higher than the neighboring electrons to shuttle cargo off to another empty "dot." Why should you care? Well, while you might not see this technology in the next smartphone, it should give quantum computing a bit of a nudge forward, smoothing the rate of information transfer. If the concept works out, it'll improve the way qubits move around those sub-atomic circuits, where jumping around like a frog in a sock is generally considered bad form.
[Image courtesy of the [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ We kind of don't even know where to start these days! We've all heard about how technology expands exponentially, and this week feels like we are really getting cubed...or something. From the meta to the macro to the micro it was a silly-crazy week, and as hard as it was we did end up starting the podcast and tried to round it all up for you as best we could. It's the Engadget Podcast, the only way we can do it. Host: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater Guest: Dana Wollman Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Funky Town 01:20 - Introducing Engadget Distro! 03:50 - Review score review 06:44 - The Engadget Show is live, here at 6:00PM ET! (update: we're done!) 09:15 - HP names Meg Whitman new President and CEO, gives Leo Apotheker the boot 17:42 - Facebook partners up to bring music, news and videos to your profile through Open Graph (video) 18:40 - Facebook outs Timeline, gives your profile page [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Amazon's been cooking something in a supposed Android-based oven for quite some rumored time. Now, an invite has gone out from the Bezos-backed company for an event on the 28th of this month at 10AM. Will the e-retailer officially announce a pair of 7- and 10-inch Kindle refreshes we've seen so much digital ink spilled over, or is this the heavily-skinned Android tab that TechCrunch got its hands-on earlier this month? We'll be there to let you know what the company's got up its e-reading sleeve.Amazon press conference set for September 28th, could this be its long-awaited tablet? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ At its "a stream come true" event today, Dish Network finally revealed its plans for a subscription video service called Blockbuster Movie Pass, due to launch October 1st. That includes access to discs (movies and games) by mail, streaming video to the TV and PC, and linear TV service from Dish, all in one package. Blockbuster Movie Pass is clearly being pitched a Netflix / Qwikster competitor, however it's currently only available to Dish Network subscribers for $10 / month. That tie to pay-TV makes it a TV Everywhere play pulling Dish's various properties under one umbrella, but doesn't significantly shift the online video landscape. New subscribers to the America's Best 200 package will get free access to a year, while those schlubs stuck on cable or without pay-TV service can simply look on with envy. The last slide shown does invite non-Dish subscribers to "stay tuned," so if [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ The LG Esteem has been spotted hanging out in several official-looking press shots accompanied by several pages of specification juice at LG's partner portal site. Previously seen under the guise Bryce, and seemingly identical to Verizon's LG Revolution, this metroPCS interpretation looks set to arrive very soon. A welcome upgrade to the network's previous LTE offering, the Esteem runs Gingerbread on a 4.3 inch screen and has some respectable mid-range crendentials under the hood including a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM and 8GB of storage expandable by microSD. There's also a five megapixel snapper on the back, embedded in a stylish metal strip similar to the dual-core T-Mobile G2x. Unlike LG's powerful flagship, though, MetroPCS will reportedly be offering up the Esteem off-contract for $349 -- a reasonable way to increase your LTE-connected self-worthLG Esteem leaked, [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ This whole thing is starting to play out like a giant game of patent Risk. As it did in Australia, Samsung is hitting back against Apple in the Netherlands, asking for a preliminary injunction aimed at Apple's mobile line, including the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad and iPad 2, claiming that the products infringe on 3G patents held by the Korean electronics giant. The proposed ban would prohibit importing the products into the country and would recall them from Dutch retail stores.Samsung asks Dutch courts to block iPad, iPhone sales originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | MacWorld | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ When we consider Intel's contributions to developing nations, it's hard not to hone in on the 5 million-plus Classmate PCs it's shipped over the past four years. This time, at least, Intel is leaving the hardware part of the equation to the Lenovos and HPs of the world and focusing on the software instead. The company just announced the Skoool Healthcare Education platform, a collection of online and offline educational materials designed to help healthcare workers in developing countries better treat women and children, tackling malnutrition, vaccination, communicable diseases and childbirth safety. To be clear, Intel isn't getting into the medical content business -- it didn't write these resources but instead culled them from various third-party sources. The idea is that the company will provide the platform to governments and healthcare workers for free, forgoing what might [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ There's a burgeoning population of users who can't live without Splashtop's remote Windows app for Mac, iOS and Android. Now there's a new version in the works that'll let you telecompute from your TouchPad too. The official blog says the launch is "getting close" and it's offering the app free if you manage to persuade a bunch of other TouchPad users to register their interest. In fact, we can't help but notice that some guy called Tim has already signed up 2,508 of his mates. We don't know who Tim is, but we want to be just like him when we grow up. Update: Tim, the man with a commanding lead in the chart above, contacted us to say he asked Splashtop to remove him from the contest. He initially used the referral link in a post on PreCentral, not realizing that the company would be giving out the software to the top referrers. So, Tim is out, and now rawonthego is the man with the [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ You may have a better chance of winning the lottery or running into Captain Kirk at the mall, but when it comes to being impaled with pieces of the now defunct Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite as it plummets towards Earth, it's better to be safe than sorry. The SatelliteAR Android app has added a temporary feature that gives stargazers the ability to monitor this space junk's trajectory to avoid impact when it re-enters the atmosphere sometime later today. NASA has assured us that the bus-sized satellite won't land anywhere in North America, but if it touches down at night, people on the ground could witness a pretty sweet light show wherever it does land. Android users determined to avoid a Wicked Witch of the East-like fate can download the app at the source link below and check out the video demo after the break.Continue reading SatelliteAR Android app now tracks falling UARS, [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ What's this mystery e-reader? It's the Kobo Vox, and it just made its debut on the FCC's site. Is it a reworked version of the relatively recently released Touch Edition? Is it a brand new reader from the company? The device is listed as being an "eReader Tablet," so perhaps it's something more akin to Barnes & Noble's Nook Color or the Kindle tablet reportedly in the works from Amazon. And will Kobo's recent appearance at f8 play into the equation? It's hard to say, but there are a few things worth noting here. First, if the above rough image is to be believed, the device is touchscreen, as with the company's current product. The design, however, looks a lot more like the latest version of the Nook than the new Kobo. A side shot reveals what appears to be a microUSB slot (no shocker there) and a headphone jack, something missing on both the latest Kobo and Nook (though both the latest [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we've gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don't need). Enjoy! Phones Read - Fujitsu F04D Read - HTC PI06110 Radar (AWS) Read - Huawei C2931 Read - Huawei C8511 Read - Huawei C8651 Read - Huawei G6050 Read - LG E510G Read - LG L85C Read - Motorola WX306 Read - Samsung GT-E2600 Read - Samsung SGH-I857 Read - Samsung SGH-I937 (Focus S) Read - ZTE Movistar Vega Read - ZTE V860 Tablets and peripherals Read - Archos A100H Read - Kobo Vox Read - Motorola HZ720 Read - Motorola KZ500 bluetooth keyboard Read - Samsung HM6000FCC Fridays: September 23, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Driving cars on the floor is so passe, which is exactly why you need iHelicoter's wall-scaling iW500. We've seen similar gravity-defying propositions in the past, but this is the first to be controlled by your iOS device. Belying its 90s toy looks, the car attaches itself to vertical surfaces with a sealed vacuum that even has enough suck to drive upside-down across your ceiling. As you'll see in the video after the break, controls are handled using the built-in accelerometer on your phone or tablet as well as the touchscreen interface on the dedicated app. It'll join a crowded starting grid of iPhone-friendly RC cars, helicopters and monster trucks, priced at $59.99.Continue reading iOS-controlled iW500 RC car defies gravity, paint job may drive you up the wall (video)iOS-controlled iW500 RC car defies gravity, paint job may drive you up the wall (video) originally appeared on Engadget [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Is there still any lingering doubt that something big's getting cooked up in Overland Park in time for October 2nd? We've already seen leaked screenshots showing that Sprint's aiming to launch its CDMA-based Direct Connect service that day, as well as a Sprint-backed vid of the Motorola Admiral, the first smartphone to sport the new feature. Courtesy of SprintFeed, another gem has been unearthed: the Direct Connect-compatible Kyocera Duramax. Said to start at $100 with a two-year agreement, the rugged clamshell bears a great deal of resemblance to a large number of legacy iDEN handsets. It's nothing to write home about, but it still sports the proper military specs to keep it protected, as well as a 3 megapixel camera and a non-slip surface. Anyone who isn't looking for a smartphone but is in need of a Direct Connect device will want to keep a close eye on this one as we get closer to [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ We've seen slider phones with speakers, gamepads, and of course, the standard keypad -- but what if you want to swap out your slider accessory for something new? A new patent from Microsoft is exploring the possibility, showing off a concept smartphone with a sliding modular bay. Tired of that keyboard? Replace it with a gamepad, or a life-giving battery pack. According to the patent claims, some of the modular components would even function wirelessly, citing a touchscreen module which doubles as a wireless handset or a media remote. Neat? You bet, but we wouldn't get our hopes up -- Microsoft typically keeps out of the handset manufacturing game, and the last modular phone to pique our interest didn't exactly make a splash.Microsoft patents modular Windows Phone with swappable batteries, keyboard, and gamepad originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:14:00 EDT. Please see [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Samsung's "20nm-class" designations for flash memory production are frustratingly nonspecific, but smallest processes or not it's ready to crank out more chips than ever. Reuters reports the electronics giant just flipped the switch on its first new production line in five years, one that it's calling "the industry's largest and most advanced memory fabrication facility." It could take up to nine months to get fully up to speed, but the increased production and reduced costs should keep the competition coming Samsung's way for storage no matter what their current legal situation.Samsung opens 'most advanced' 20nm-class flash memory production line originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink TrustedReviewers | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ There's some Oscar-worthy drama brewing in California, where ARRI executive Michael Bravin has pleaded guilty to hacking into a high-level e-mail account at rival camera maker Band Pro Film and Digital. In a plea agreement filed yesterday with a US District Court, Bravin admitted to intentionally accessing a corporate e-mail account belonging to Amnon Band -- Band Pro's President and CEO. More details after the break, including a potential connection to RED's Jim Jannard.Continue reading Former ARRI exec pleads guilty to hacking into rival CEO's e-mail account, faces jail timeFormer ARRI exec pleads guilty to hacking into rival CEO's e-mail account, faces jail time originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | US District Court, Central District of California | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ In-app purchases via iTunes have apparently been failing in a big way for the last ten hours and app creators who depend on this heavily taxed income are getting antsy. We're hearing unconfirmed speculation that the problem may be connected to fake purchase receipts getting into the system. Whatever the cause, one developer told us the failure is "losing lots of sales" for apps that use receipt verification and is "threatening to more-or-less take down the entire IAP ecosystem." Seeing as Apple insists on this being the only route for in-app purchasing, they'd better fix it pretty darned quick. [Thanks, Tipster]In-app purchasing fail on iTunes is starting to bug developers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments ------------------------------------------------------------------ Silence may be a virtue under most circumstances, but not when you're driving around a leafy, residential neighborhood in your Toyota Prius. That's why the manufacturer came out with its very own vehicle proximity notification system last year -- a "futuristic," underhood noisemaker designed to alert pedestrians and the visually impaired to the plug-in's presence. Now, Toyota has offered more details on its safety system, in a freshly released demo video starring the 2012 Prius V. The car's artificial engine noise, as the company explains, only kicks in at speeds below 15 miles per hour, allowing it to broadcast its audible heads-up across parking lots or other low-speed zones. The sound itself, meanwhile, emanates from external speakers and consists of a blend of high and low frequencies that won't be by muffled by background noise or physical obstacles. The vehicle's pitch shift [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ It seems that Motorola's successor to the original Atrix has emerged in the streets of Chicago prior to being officially unveiled by AT&T. The crew at The Verge recently scored some hands-on time with the device, and in the process, cleared up much of the speculation regarding Ma Bell's upcoming Atrix 2 -- also known as the Edison. First, we know the device will indeed have a qHD display, although unlike Moto's other 960 x 540 screens, this one discards the PenTile matrix and features properly proportioned sub-pixels, which delivers crisper text in the process. Additionally, there's now further evidence that the handset will not be a member of AT&T's LTE lineup, and thus will be limited to its HSPA+ network. Notably, this revision adds a shutter button along the right edge of the handset, although like the Photon, it's only a single-stage mechanism, which is quite a bummer. Similar to [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ It ain't over till the LHC says so, which is why researchers at CERN are opening up their most recent OPERA experiment to the scientific community before officially releasing its findings. Why, you ask? Because the experiment could shatter one of the fundamentals of physics -- Einstein's theory of special relativity, which says nothing with mass can accelerate faster than the speed of light. While studying neutrino oscillations -- where particles shift from one type of subatomic particle (muon-neutrinos) to another (tau-neutrinos) -- scientists clocked a beam of muon-neutrinos outpacing the aforesaid ray of light by 60 nanoseconds. Calling the result "crazy," lead scientist Antonio Ereditato published the findings online, hoping to attract the attention of others who might shed some light on what it all means. We're not expecting a conclusive answer any time soon, but budding whiz-kids [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ The DNP-720AE has been hanging around at trade shows for a while, but it's only just been tagged up with a price. And boy, what a price: £429 ($660) for a stereo box that snatches AirPlay, DLNA, Internet radio, Napster and Last.fm off your WiFi or wired network and outputs to your amp. Sure, it packs a decent 24-bit DAC and will no doubt deliver that sweet Denon sound when added to your stack -- but if you don't already own a bunch of same-brand components then there's plenty of alternatives to consider. To pick a random example, even the ancient and infinitely cheaper Logitech Squeezebox Duet has similar functionality, without AirPlay or DLNA specifically but with basic iTunes compatibility and Spotify too. You could put those savings towards a networked AV receiver instead.Denon DNP-720AE does network audio and not much else for $660 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Rumor 'round the Twitterverse has it that Amtrak may finally be implementing free WiFi on October 1st -- finally seeing the bet laid down by various plane and bus companies over the past couple years. The casual conversation between conductor and passenger yielded the information that the system is finally ready to extend beyond Acela, apparently "ready to roll and it's just a matter of 'flipping the on switch.'" This comes as great news for commuters who spend their mornings and evenings stuck on slow, old, often curious smelling Regional trains. Unfortunately, other than the tweet, there's no word (official or otherwise) whether net surfage will be possible beginning next month. Regardless, looks like the "I didn't have internet access" excuse is still valid for a little while longer for all you nine to fivers. Update: To be clear: Amtrak Acela trains by and large already have WiFi, [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ This is your brain. And now this is your brain on YouTube. By using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) software, researchers at UC Berkeley created a visual representation of what our brains see when we watch a TV or movie. It works as such: scientists show subjects random clips and measure the corresponding cerebral activity. After the computer "learns" what vids evoke what brain activity, scientists feed 18 million seconds of random YouTube videos into the computer program where it reconstructs a movie representation of neural happenings based on the hundred clips most similar to what it sees. Although the method currently only works with images actually viewed, the future goal is to recreate what people see in their dreams and memories -- which could give doctors major insight to the minds of the mentally impaired, stroke victims or those with neurological disorders. [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------ It may not have quite as many views as Admiral Ackbar, but a chieftan of Sprint's CDMA-based Direct Connect service was officially outed by the carrier via YouTube earlier. Our device in question, the Motorola Admiral, has now been given a speedy lookover despite the fact that the company hasn't even seen fit to acknowledge its existence otherwise. 'Course, we don't imagine this was accidental in the slightest -- the video of the rugged Android device has been up for several hours without getting pulled -- but it's still a curious way to introduce one of the first phones featuring a brand new service. Regardless, we now have the clearest shots of the portrait QWERTY smartphone that we've seen yet; the two-and-a-half minute teaser didn't list off a lot of specs, but it did confirm the handset's 3.1-inch display and five megapixel camera with LED flash. That should count for something, [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from EquiMedia To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment