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Thursday, January 13, 2011

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Shure adds SE215 buds, cans for DJs and studios alike

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 10:44 AM PST

The NAMM trade show -- also known as the musician's candy store -- is kicking off today out in Anaheim, which means that audio-focused press releases are starting to pour in. Headset and mic manufacturer Shure is beefing up its line with the introduction of three new models -- a set of buds plus two cans. On the bud side, the SE 215 slots in predictably beneath the SE315, offering a budget-friendly single driver in your choice of black or fancy translucent casing; it comes in at a retail price of $99, some $100 less than the SE315. Moving to cans, the SRH550DJ (pictured center) is -- as the name implies -- targeted at DJs with a "super-aural design" for full isolation and a 90-degree swiveling headband for flexible wearing positions; this one will set you back $99 on the store shelf. On the upscale side, the SRH940 is billed as a reference set with a premium padded headband, and you'll pay for it: it's $299 at retail. All three models will be available this spring; follow the break for the press releases.
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SHURE DEBUTS SE215 SOUND ISOLATING™ EARPHONE AT NAMM 2011

NILES, IL and ANAHEIM, CA, January 13, 2011- Today, Shure Incorporated unveiled the SE215 Sound Isolating Earphone, featuring a newly developed Dynamic MicroDriver and a detachable cable, at the 2011 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. This professional quality earphone joins the ranks of the Company's SE315, SE425, and SE535 Sound Isolating Earphone models.

Available in clear or translucent black, the new SE215 offers detailed sound with enhanced bass, and its design delivers outstanding isolation with unmatched comfort. The SE215 Earphones are ideal for live performance, critical listening, and serve as the perfect upgrade for portable digital devices.

"Rounding out Shure's Sound Isolating Earphone line, the SE215 comes in at the lowest price point, but like the other models, maintains the superior sound quality, durability, and style for which Shure is known," said Matt Engstrom, Category Director for Monitoring Products at Shure. "With the SE215, we now have a complete line of earphones with a detachable cable for audio and music enthusiasts at all levels."

Shure Sound Isolating Earphones provide an unparalleled combination of sound signatures, noise isolation, and quality, in a small and comfortable design. All four models feature a detachable cable with wireform fit. The durable, Kevlar-reinforced cable also allows for easy replacement or customization. It also significantly extends the life of the product and offers a more comfortable, secure fit. Additional details about the four models are included below:

• SE215 Sound Isolating™ Earphones – The SE215 uses a Single Dynamic MicroDriver to deliver detailed audio with enhanced bass and impressive sound isolation. Available in clear or translucent black, both versions come equipped with a detachable cable for easy replacement or customization and comes with an accessories package that includes three pairs of disposable black foam sleeves (S, M, L); three pairs of soft flex sleeves (S, M. L); and a carrying case.

• SE315 Sound Isolating™ Earphones – The SE315 uses a Single High-Definition MicroDriver for full range sound with optimized low end. It is available in black and clear, and comes with an accessories package that includes three pairs of disposable black foam sleeves (S, M, L); three pairs of soft flex sleeves (S, M, L); one pair of yellow foam sleeves; one pair of triple flange sleeves; and a carrying case.

• SE425 Sound Isolating™ Earphones – The SE425 uses Dual High-Definition MicroDrivers for accurate and balanced sound. It is available in clear and metallic silver, and comes with an accessories package that includes three pairs of disposable black foam sleeves (S, M, L); three pairs of soft flex sleeves (S, M, L); one pair of yellow foam sleeves; one pair of triple flange sleeves; a premium carrying case; and a quarter inch (6.5mm) adapter.

• SE535 Sound Isolating™ Earphones – The SE535 uses Triple High-Definition MicroDrivers that deliver an incredibly spacious sound with rich bass. It is available in clear and metallic bronze, and comes with an accessories package that includes three pairs of disposable black foam sleeves (S, M, L); three pairs of soft flex sleeves (S, M, L); one pair of yellow foam sleeves; one pair of triple flange sleeves; a premium carrying case; quarter inch (6.5mm) adapter; airline adapter, and a volume control.

Pricing and Availability

• SE215: $99 retail [$119 MSRP]
• SE315: $199.99 retail [$249 MSRP]
• SE425: $299.99 retail [$349 MSRP]
• SE535: $499.99 retail [$549 MSRP]

The SE215 earphones carry a two-year limited warranty and will be available for purchase from select retailers in spring 2011. For a complete list of where Shure products are sold, please visit www.shure.com.

For more information, visit www.shure.com and for press quality images, please contact the Shure Public Relations team at publicrelations@shure.com.

About Shure Incorporated
Founded in 1925, Shure Incorporated (www.shure.com) is widely acknowledged as the world's leading manufacturer of microphones and audio electronics. Over the years, the Company has designed and produced many high-quality professional and consumer audio products that have become legendary for performance, reliability, and value. Shure's diverse product line includes world-class wired microphones, wireless microphones and in-ear personal monitor systems, headphones for performers, presenters and recordists, award-winning earphones and headsets for use with MP3 players and smart phones, and top-rated phonograph cartridges for professional DJs. Today, Shure products are the first choice whenever audio performance is a top priority.

Shure Incorporated corporate headquarters is located in Niles, Illinois, in the United States. The Company has additional manufacturing facilities and regional sales offices in China, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and the United States.

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SHURE UNVEILS TWO NEW PROFESSIONAL HEADPHONES AT NAMM

NILES, IL and ANAHEIM, CA, January 13, 2011 - Shure Incorporated today announced the expansion of its headphone line and showcased the new SRH550DJ and SRH940 models today at the 2011 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. Equipped with unique sound signatures, the SRH550DJ is ideal for both DJ and personal listening use, while the SRH940 is optimized for critical listening, studio monitoring, and mastering.

"The Shure headphone line extends from the Company's heritage and performance in the microphone and earphone market, enabling studio engineers, home recordists, performers, DJs, and audio enthusiasts to benefit from the professional quality sound that Shure is known for," said Matt Engstrom, Category Director for Monitoring Products at Shure. "Whether you're interested in the SRH550DJ or the SRH940, our headphone offering has expanded to meet the needs of every user."

Both of the new SRH headphone models offer superior sound, comfort, and the legendary Shure quality to withstand the rigors of everyday use. Additional features of the models include:

SRH550DJ Professional DJ Headphones

• Full range frequency response, comfort and durability for DJ use and personal listening
• 50mm dynamic drivers deliver extended bass
• Supra-aural design for full isolation
• Adjustable, collapsible headband that swivels 90 degrees for flexible wearing positions
• Accessories package that includes a threaded, quarter inch (6.3 mm) gold plated adapter and a carrying bag.

SRH940 Professional Reference Headphones

• Accurate frequency response for tight bass and smooth, high end extension with minimal distortion
• Collapsible, lightweight design with a premium padded headband that offers superior comfort and portability
• Accessories package that includes a threaded, quarter inch (6.3 mm) gold plated adapter, two detachable cables (straight and coiled), a replacement set of velour ear pads, and a zippered, hard travel case.

Pricing and Availability

SRH550DJ: $99 retail ($149 MSRP)
SRH940: $299 retail ($349 MSRP)

The headphones carry a two-year limited warranty and will be available for purchase from select retailers in spring 2011. For a complete list of where Shure products are sold, please visit www.shure.com.

For more information, visit www.shure.com and for press quality images, please contact the Shure Public Relations team at publicrelations@shure.com.


About Shure Incorporated

Founded in 1925, Shure Incorporated (www.shure.com) is widely acknowledged as the world's leading manufacturer of microphones and audio electronics. Over the years, the Company has designed and produced many high-quality professional and consumer audio products that have become legendary for performance, reliability, and value. Shure's diverse product line includes world-class wired microphones, wireless microphones and in-ear personal monitor systems, headphones for performers, presenters and recordists, award-winning earphones and headsets for use with MP3 players and smart phones, and top-rated phonograph cartridges for professional DJs. Today, Shure products are the first choice whenever audio performance is a top priority.

-----

SHURE UNVEILS TWO NEW PROFESSIONAL HEADPHONES AT NAMM

NILES, IL and ANAHEIM, CA, January 13, 2011 - Shure Incorporated today announced the expansion of its headphone line and showcased the new SRH550DJ and SRH940 models today at the 2011 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. Equipped with unique sound signatures, the SRH550DJ is ideal for both DJ and personal listening use, while the SRH940 is optimized for critical listening, studio monitoring, and mastering.

"The Shure headphone line extends from the Company's heritage and performance in the microphone and earphone market, enabling studio engineers, home recordists, performers, DJs, and audio enthusiasts to benefit from the professional quality sound that Shure is known for," said Matt Engstrom, Category Director for Monitoring Products at Shure. "Whether you're interested in the SRH550DJ or the SRH940, our headphone offering has expanded to meet the needs of every user."

Both of the new SRH headphone models offer superior sound, comfort, and the legendary Shure quality to withstand the rigors of everyday use. Additional features of the models include:

SRH550DJ Professional DJ Headphones

• Full range frequency response, comfort and durability for DJ use and personal listening
• 50mm dynamic drivers deliver extended bass
• Supra-aural design for full isolation
• Adjustable, collapsible headband that swivels 90 degrees for flexible wearing positions
• Accessories package that includes a threaded, quarter inch (6.3 mm) gold plated adapter and a carrying bag.

SRH940 Professional Reference Headphones

• Accurate frequency response for tight bass and smooth, high end extension with minimal distortion
• Collapsible, lightweight design with a premium padded headband that offers superior comfort and portability
• Accessories package that includes a threaded, quarter inch (6.3 mm) gold plated adapter, two detachable cables (straight and coiled), a replacement set of velour ear pads, and a zippered, hard travel case.

Pricing and Availability

SRH550DJ: $99 retail ($149 MSRP)
SRH940: $299 retail ($349 MSRP)

The headphones carry a two-year limited warranty and will be available for purchase from select retailers in spring 2011. For a complete list of where Shure products are sold, please visit www.shure.com.

For more information, visit www.shure.com and for press quality images, please contact the Shure Public Relations team at publicrelations@shure.com.


About Shure Incorporated

Founded in 1925, Shure Incorporated (www.shure.com) is widely acknowledged as the world's leading manufacturer of microphones and audio electronics. Over the years, the Company has designed and produced many high-quality professional and consumer audio products that have become legendary for performance, reliability, and value. Shure's diverse product line includes world-class wired microphones, wireless microphones and in-ear personal monitor systems, headphones for performers, presenters and recordists, award-winning earphones and headsets for use with MP3 players and smart phones, and top-rated phonograph cartridges for professional DJs. Today, Shure products are the first choice whenever audio performance is a top priority.

Vitality GlowCap review

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 10:21 AM PST

The Vitality GlowCap concept's been floating about for years now, but it still slightly blows our minds -- you stick a tiny, battery-powered wireless computer on top of your pill bottle, which reminds you to take your medicine on time. Well, it turns out they aren't exactly a concept these days, as you can buy one for $10 with a $15 monthly plan, and we've actually spent the past month living with the chirping, glowing, AT&T-connected device, keeping a journal all the while. After the break, find out what a life-saving nag feels like.

Note: Amazon's actually out of stock at the time of this writing, but Vitality says a new shipment should arrive tomorrow.
Vitality Glowcap unboxing and hands-on

  • Day 1: Ripping open a courier package, we pulled out the box -- blue, simple, and filled with foam and cardboard. Inside, we found four things -- a rather curious pill bottle (the "GlowCap"), a large, antenna-packing wall wart (the "Night Light"), a sticky label for the bottle, and a Terms and Conditions paper. Tapping and probing the devices for a bit, we found them to be made almost entirely of hard, sterile white plastic, and without any visible controls -- the Night Light has a black antenna, and the GlowCap only an LED and three speaker holes. There were no instructions to be found, so we simply stuck the Night Light into an outlet, where it immediately let off a pleasant blue glow, and starting cycling through LEDs representing the days of the week. Turning our attention to the GlowCap, we gently unscrewed it from its transparent bottle, filled it with multivitamins and set it down on our bathroom counter, where we told ourselves we'd soon return to figure it out... but promptly forgot about it.
  • Day 2: Woken suddenly by an unfamiliar sound, we sat up in bed. Nothing. We closed our eyes, and lay down again. Roughly five minutes later, we heard a pair of chirping noises -- and again every five minutes after that. Two sets of five friendly tones came from the direction of our bathroom door, high-pitched enough that we couldn't tone them out, nor drown them with a blanket over our head. Begrudgingly, we hopped out of bed. Opening the bathroom door (and noticing that the Night Light had turned orange) we grabbed the GlowCap, and -- forgetting the bottle had a child lock -- twisted the neck both directions to try to open it. The chirping stopped, but the cap didn't come off. Then, the Night Light beeped and lit up blue to confirm that we'd taken our medicine -- even though we actually hadn't done so. Amusingly, we received an email the next morning with our weekly compliance report, praising us for swallowing our meds two days in a row.
  • Day 3: Our significant other woke us up, with the following news -- there was something in the bathroom that was glowing, and they didn't know what it was. Sure enough, both the Night Light and the GlowCap were lit up orange, pulsing and blinking respectively, so we grabbed it, opened it up, took a vitamin, and closed the bottle. The Night Light chirped to acknowledge our feat. We left the GlowCap on our desk and didn't hear from it till the following day.
  • Day 4: Having woken early than usual and already started work, we noticed the GlowCap light up. We put it off. It began chirping about 30 minutes later. Five seconds later, just before we were about to put the first chirp out of our mind, it chirped again. So we took one.
  • Day 5: We decided to sleep in this morning to test the GlowCap's routine. The longer we waited, though, the longer the chirping, and the more annoying. We stuck the GlowCap in a drawer, but the melodies managed to pierce through, and we finally took a vitamin to quiet it down.
  • Day 6: We slept in once more, determined to find out what the GlowCap would do if we didn't take activate it at all, and we found that the five tones grew to nine by 45 minutes into the hour, and then stopped completely 15 minutes after that. All of a sudden, our phone started ringing -- Vitality's automated service calling with a reminder to take our medicine! We didn't, curious at what might happen if we continued to wait, but nothing out of the ordinary occurred -- though we noticed that the Night Light continued to bathe our bathroom outlet for the rest of the day in an orange-reddish glow.
  • Day 7: We were so busy writing posts and answering email that we had no wish to deal with either our vitamin or the GlowCap's sound, so we quickly twisted the pill bottle's neck open and closed to dismiss the alert without taking our pill. We felt guilty for a moment, but we had work to do.
  • Day 8: Remembering our failure to take our vitamin the previous day, we opened up the bottle at its first chime and took one right away. Then, remembering our duty to actually test the GlowCap's versatility, we wrapped it up in a blanket, and stuck it in the depths of a bathroom cabinet behind a wall of towels.
  • Day 9: Sure enough, the GlowCap didn't wake us up, and we were working (and busy) by the time we got an automated phone call, and ignored the voicemail as well. Still, when we visited the bathroom again in the evening, we saw the Night Light's pulsing red glow, extricated the GlowCap from the cabinet and took our pill.
  • Day 20-something: With the small vitamin supply dwindling, we decided to try something new -- we pressed the button button on the inside of the cap, and waited for the device to reach out, calling Vitality and then connecting the call to our cell phone. Since we were working with a test unit, we only reached Vitality's public relations team, but with the real deal, we'd be put through to a support group who'd allow us to change our times and dosages, or even to the pharmacy directly. There's also apparently a web portal for certain medical groups. We also tried unplugging the Night Light, and were pleased to find that the GlowCap itself still chimed on time, though it presumably didn't update the Vitality databases with our compliance without any base station to send the message.
After day nine, we mostly stopped creatively testing the GlowCap and merely used it as seemed best, and naturally fell into a pattern where it woke us up after two or three sets of chimes and we subsequently either took or -- with a twist of the wrist -- cheated our way out of our meds. In fact, it was such a fantastic alarm clock -- with a five-minute auto-snooze function, of sorts -- that by the end of the month, our formerly haphazard sleep patterns had become quite regular, and we started dreaming nearly every night (which, at the time we started testing, we hadn't done in months).

Obviously, your mileage will vary, especially if you set the GlowCap (via telephone conversation) to take one or more pills at different times of day, but we have to admire the thought process behind the GlowCap's comprehensive reminder system. As you might note, it's not a foolproof solution for actually making sure the pills are swallowed -- we'd love if the bottle could measure its own contents, at the very least -- but during the time we used it, there was not a single day when we were able to forget about the existence of pills that we were obligated to take, and we haven't been able to say the same since. The very week we stopped, our vitamins were all but forgotten, despite leaving a large bottle on the counter where we brush our teeth, and we've since reverted to being sleepless, gadget-loving beasts.

We'll end with a word on pricing here, and that's to admit that $15 a month isn't cheap for some. Of course, if you or your loved one have important medicine, are willing to take it but too scatterbrained to remember when, it could be a small price to pay. That said, we spoke to Vitality CEO David Rose, and he told us that optimally the end-user won't have to drop the bucks at all -- it's in the insurance company and pharmaceutical company's best interests to see folks swallowing those pills, and in some cases they're willing to foot the bill. If that sounds like your ticket, you could always ask your doctor or hit our source link to fill out a quick form, which will hopefully direct Vitality towards the populaces it can best serve.

BlackBerry Balance announced, gives your phone a split personality

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 10:03 AM PST

You might recall that VMware has teamed up with LG to separate the "work" and "life" environments on your Android phone into two distinct, secure platforms, which has some pretty obvious benefits -- as more people want smartphones in their personal lives, IT departments can still manage the content on their work phones without necessitating two separate devices. Seriously, who wants to carry around two phones? (Don't answer that.) Anyhow, RIM's getting into the game with today's announcement of BlackBerry Balance at an enterprise-focused event in Boston, a tool that'll allow the computer nerds in your office to manage, wipe, and encrypt the work-related content on your BlackBerry while leaving your personal content unscathed. Of course, not everyone wants a BlackBerry as their personal smartphone -- but for those that do, this should make you feel a little more confident that the IT dude isn't going to spontaneously delete your mom's contact record. No word on availability just yet.

BlackBerry Curve 'Apollo' leak provides image, details, no relationship status

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 09:44 AM PST

"Lower-mid end of the lineup... decent specs... aggressively priced." Not exactly the descriptors which dreams are made of, but that's the wording BGR is using to describe its other leaked BlackBerry device today (Dakota being the other). A 480 x 360 resolution screen of unknown size, 800MGhz Tavor MG-1 CPU, 512MB RAM, a 5 megapixel camera with HD video recording, 1050 mAh battery, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, NFC, GPS, and BlackBerry OS 6.1 to put everything in check. It all serves quad-band GSM / GPRS / EDGE and tri-band UMTS / HSPA 7.2Mbps. The keyboard, we'd assume, is pretty darn snappy. The price and release date, should this apparent leak come to fruition, is still unknown.

Wikipedia celebrates 10th anniversary, co-founder Jimmy Wales opines on app stores

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 09:21 AM PST

Did you know that Wikipedia is celebrating its 10th anniversary this week? It is, on January 15th! It's hard to believe that the 'edited by the everyman' encyclopedia has been around that long... or maybe we're just getting old. Either way, co-founder of the site (and man of many personal appeals) Jimmy Wales took the opportunity to answer some questions about the past, present and future of Wikipedia, and, when asked about the growing prevalence of mobile apps and app stores, well, Wales had plenty to say, including that models such as the iTunes app store can represent a dangerous "chokepoint" and that they could be "a threat to a diverse and open ecosystem." He also added that mobile devices are owned by people, and those people should control their own devices. We can see where Jimmy's coming from in some ways -- apps are a wholly new, untested way of ingesting content, but we have a hard time swallowing wholesale that the app store model could threaten internet freedom more than an issue such as net neutrality. But you know, if you ask us nicely, Jimmy, we might just take your word for it. Hit up the 'more coverage' link to check out a video of Jimmy Wales waxing philosophical about the birthday celebration.

Pioneer engineers Android-powered cyclocomputer, might remind Landis to stop doping

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 09:03 AM PST

Think Android has reached its limit when it comes to applications? Think again. Pioneer has conjured up a new cyclocomputer, and compared to the antediluvian rivals available on the market today, this one looks like a bona fide supercomputer. It's designed for mounting on the bike's handlebars, where riders can then see speed, cadence, heart rate, and power at a glance. The device is engineered to play nice with the ANT+ wireless specification, and it can also pull data from optional crank sensors that can be installed to monitor one's pedaling force. Furthermore, it's equipped with GPS, and we're guessing it's a prime candidate for running Google's own My Tracks app. There's no time table for release, but we're guessing the International Cycling Union will have one out in no time... one that continuously tests riders for illicit substances, of course. Video's after the break, if you're down for more.

Akai SynthStation49 dock / giant keyboard combo is less portable than its predecessor

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 08:41 AM PST

You may or may not be familiar with Akai's previous iPad dock / keyboard combo, the SynthStation. The thing is, the original SynthStation's keyboard was miniature, and the dock was designed for the iPhone -- presumably so that it was simultaneously portable. Well, the new Akai SynthStation49 adds a full keyboard, though it obviously loses that portability. Regardless, the SynthStation49 packs nine MPC-style pads, dedicated pitch and mod wheels, and transport controls. The internal audio boasts 1/4-inch outputs, and the hardware is MIDI supporting, so you can use the keyboard as a MIDI input device. This one is currently awaiting certification from Apple, so we can't say when it'll be released, nor do we have pricing. Hit up the source link for more details.

RIM's WebWorks SDK: make apps compatible with both PlayBook and BlackBerry 6

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 08:21 AM PST

RIM's adding yet more incentive for developers to give its PlayBook tablet a chance. The company's just launched a beta of WebWorks SDK, a collection of tools that lets you package up your web applications, with access to the hardware capabilities, as apps compatible with both the PlayBook and BlackBerry 6 smartphone devices. RIM also released a handful of new SDKs and extended the free PlayBook offer to March 15th. If you're the sort who dreams in binary, hit up the relevant links below.

Vertu Ascent Ti Ferrari is a celebration of extreme self-indulgence

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 07:59 AM PST

International jet-set elite, your new phone is here! That's right, Vertu and Ferrari have teamed up yet again to produce the phone that serves two important purposes: showing the world that you own a Ferrari, and showing the world that you don't need a phone that does much besides receiving calls from your accountant. Essentially the recently announced Ascent refresh, this bad boy features a 2-inch QVGA sapphire crystal display and quadband 3G. The case itself is constructed from forged titanium with a matte black PVD finish and the same hand stitched leather as the interior of the car it's inspired by. But you better be fast! Only 2,011 will be made. (Get it?) Hit the source link to order three or four for yourself.

[Thanks, James]

Samsung Forte Android phone with LTE for MetroPCS leaked?

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 07:38 AM PST

Things look to finally start to get interesting with hardware selection on MetroPCS' LTE network -- a network that still offers nothing more than the Samsung Craft dumbphone to tame those wild 4G speeds several months after the commercial launch. The latest leak here is for a device allegedly called the Forte -- also from Samsung, naturally -- that features a sliding landscape keyboard along with a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 5 megapixel camera, and Android 2.2 at launch, all specs that would suggest this might be a Galaxy S-branded device. What we don't know is whether the Forte is the same as the SCH-R910 that was leaked for MetroPCS a few days ago; Samsung Hub's tipster claims there are two LTE devices in the pipeline here, so they could be different (perhaps one with a keyboard, one without) even though the tops are identical at a glance.

Samsung refreshes netbooks with dual-core NC210, among others

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 07:17 AM PST

Samsung has outed three new netbooks, all refreshes to previous models. On offer is the 10.1-inch NC210, which boasts a dual-core, Intel Atom N550 CPU with up to 3GB of DDR3 SDRAM, a 250GB hard drive, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, LAN, and Bluetooth 3.0. It's also got a VGA port, three USB 2.0 ports, a 4-in-1 card reader, and a 6-cell battery. The company has also trotted out the NC110, which boasts a 1.5GHz, dual-core Atom N570 but seems to be identical to the NC210 other than that.

In other, rather less exciting Samsung netbook news, the company also rolled out the NF310, and the NS310, the former one being an LTE-packing 10.1-incher, while the NS310 is yet another netbook of the same size with a metallic chassis. There aren't full specs, pricing or availability yet for any of these models, but you can hit up the source links for more photos.

IBM demonstrates Watson supercomputer in Jeopardy practice match

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 07:04 AM PST


12:04PM Now we're going to get to meet "Watson." That's it for the liveblog, we'll have video and more information later on!

12:04PM Alex asks his own question: Why Jeopardy? And answers (how fitting): Jeopardy has always been a technology-forward quiz show. Computer displays, first quiz show in HD. "And if you need another example of how forward-looking we are, I've been hosting the program for the past 9 years without a mustache."

12:02PM Ken: So Watson isn't going to push us out an airlock. Alex: Can Watson sing Daisy?

12:01PM Q: Are we close to a HAL 900 scenario. A: That's science fiction. IBM sees Watson more like the computer on Star Trek.

12:01PM Ken and Brad haven't played in five years, they're a little rusty. Watson apparently doesn't feel any pity.

11:58AM IBM is talking about health care again. "I don't want to be overdramatic, but we can really save lives."

11:57AM Q: Brad and Ken, is there any part of you that wants Watson to win, for the sake of human progress? A: Ken: Human Progress? Which side are you on?! Brad: This is an aspect of human development that I would live for us not to reach just yet. Ken: Playing Jeopardy is something that I feel special about, personally. IBM: A word of warning, the technology doubles in speed every 18-24 months.

11:55AM Also has an ability to look at answers that it missed and can look at the right answer and learn what it was missing.

11:51AM Q: Does Watson have a recursion process for knowing "I need to learn more about this category." A: Watson does have self-assessment. None of the algorithms around natural language are perfect, so there's always error and uncertainty. It knows that it's not perfect at this, so it adjusts its algorithms accordingly.

11:50AM Context and visual clues are also very important for precision.

11:50AM "Watson can literally read all of the health care text in seconds, but we also want it to be able to read X-Rays and test reports, so a lot of work still to be done."

11:49AM Q: Is there any chance of putting a Watson-like interface on the web. A: We'll see about that. Right now more into "vertical" applications like health care, "empowering decision makers."

11:47AM Beyond question answering, there's obviously a lot of strategy involved in a game of Jeopardy and Watson seems well acquainted with it.

11:46AM We're putty in Watson's hands.

11:46AM IBM: Watson does not have emotions, but Watson knows that humans have emotions.

11:46AM Alex brings up the question of psychological games. Ken: Watson can't be psyched out. IBM: That's true, Watson does not have emotions. Ken: He can't love.

11:44AM Brad answers a question about how much they need to know about a question before the buzz in. Brad notes that Watson just did really good at a children's books category, but neither Brad or Watson has children. Ken notes that the retrieval process is trivial for a computer and difficult for a human, while the comprehension process is much easier for Ken than Watson.

11:43AM Alex explains that the order of the clues helps the answerer "learn" as they go down through a category. Figuring out the style of the category or something like that.

11:41AM The category is a "context" and Watson tries to learn in that context, but the specific category might not be a very good predictor of how well Watson will do.

11:40AM Q: Are there any categories that Watson is better or worse at? (Ken: I'd like to know the answer to that as well!) A: Yes.

11:40AM Alex: "but after Jeopardy, Watson will be available for sale on eBay."

11:39AM IBM doesn't have any estimate of how much it's spent on this.

11:39AM On Jeopardy's part, the questions were written just like usual, with the writers having no knowledge of Watson. They then pulled a pool of 30 games randomly to get a set for the practice matches, and merely pulled out the audio and video and picture clues.

11:38AM A lot of Watson's AI is oriented around regular natural language and reasoning stuff, but there's also some custom Jeopardy-specific stuff.

11:37AM Yeah, we're talking Terminator.

11:37AM Q: Humans, do you feel any pressure competing with Watson? A: Brad isn't worried about Watson, but afraid of "Watson's progeny when they come back from the future to kill me." Ken says he was warned by a friend, "Remember John Henry.' Ken's response: "Screw that, remember John Connor!"

11:36AM We're still flushed from that match. Wow.

11:35AM This will be part of the IBM portfolio in analytics in the future, but no exact time of when we'll see any of it on the market. Obviously, the hardware is standard stuff that's available in the world from your local IBM rep. IBM "can't imagine a single industry where there isn't a potential to transform it."

11:34AM Q: How much of this is based on actual commercial software IBM already has out there? A: "A lot of new code."

11:34AM Alex Trebek seems really into this project. He's running the QA and fielding half of them.

11:33AM We're getting some questions answered now in a panel form. Watson is fed the question instantly via plain text, but he has to mechanically press a buzzer, just like those pesky meat bags.










11:30AM Oooh, Alex Trebek is out!

11:30AM There was barely a moment to breath. Not that Watson needs to breath.

11:29AM OK, our first break. Watson is in the lead with $4,400, Ken has $3,400, and Brad has $1,200.

11:28AM Watson is back, up to $3,400 now. We don't even understand these questions, much less know the answers. Er, strike that, reverse it.

11:28AM A third for Ben, but Watson is still in the lead.

11:28AM Ooh, Ken just got the first pre-Watson buzz in on the $2k question on the "Chicks Dig Me" topic. Now Ben gets two. Where you at, Watson?

11:27AM Ken kicks it off... and Watson just got the first two questions right. It's all a blur. Third question right. HE'S DESTROYING. Four now.

11:26AM And here we go!

11:26AM Brad is out, a destroyer of worlds at Jeopardy. And now Ken, a destroyer of universes. They've already played a bit of practice with Watson this morning, and now they're here for a practice round.

11:24AM Harry Friedman, executive producer of Jeopardy, is up to thank everybody. Proud to be a part of this "adventure." Ken and Brad are giving 50% of their winnings to charity, while Watson will be giving away all of its winnings. Who's the moral actor now, huh?




11:21AM Get ready for Watson to start answering the tech support helpline.

11:20AM Watson now averages 3 seconds per answer.




11:19AM IBM calls its tech "DeepQA," a "massively parallel probabilistic evidence-based architecture."






11:16AM Challenges: broad domain, complex language, high precision, accurate confidence, high speed.

11:15AM Dr. David Ferrucci, lead researcher on the project, is up talking a bit more about how Watson actually works.

11:14AM IBM would like to encourage us to think about the applications beyond Jeopardy, like health care. Really doesn't take much imagination to see that this is a big deal, to be honest.




11:10AM There's clearly a quasi-religious atmosphere here, that the Watson project was only something you could succeed at if you really believed it was possible -- and many didn't.

11:09AM The history of the project includes some pretty hilariously bad answers. In 2007 an "I Love Lucy" question resulted in the answer "Song."

11:08AM IBM has managed to beat Jeopardy winners before, but beating world champions is a huge undertaking, and IBM itself sounds pretty up in the air as to how well Watson will do.

11:07AM IBM calls Watson one of its "grand challenges." An advance of "miles" in an artificial intelligence industry that typically advances by "inches."
We're at IBM's HQ in upstate NY, where IBM will pit its monstrous Watson project (in the middle buzzer spot) against two Jeopardy greats, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Watson has been in development for four years, and this is its first big public practice match before it goes on national TV in February for three matches against these giants of trivia. Unlike IBM's Deep Blue chess project in the 90s, which was pretty much pure math, Watson has to deal with the natural language and punny nature of real Jeopardy questions. IBM, ever the salesman, has thrown gobs of its fancy server hardware at the project, with 10 racks full of IBM Power 750 servers, stuffed with 15 terabytes of RAM and 2,880 processor operating at a collective 80 teraflops. IBM says it would take one CPU over two hours to answer a typical question, so this massive parallel processing is naturally key -- hopefully fast enough to buzz in before Ken and Brad catch on to the human-oriented questioning. We'll update this post as the match begins, and we'll have some video for you later in the day.

Centrafuse leads to iPhone control via touchscreen, carputer dreams come to life (video)

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 06:55 AM PST

We've seen countless individuals integrate their phone, PMP or tablet into their whip, but for years, we've all been thinking the same thing: "There has to be an easier way." Turns out, there is. One Mr. Romin has seemingly unearthed the solution, which involves a Lilliput FA1042 touchpanel, a Belkin AV dock adapter cable and a critical piece of software by the name of Centrafuse. Working in conjunction, he has enabled his monitor to actually control the iPhone, and when firing up a YouTube video, the content plays back on the big screen while the controls remain visible on the handset. It's a nifty setup, for sure, and we're downright excited to see this rig get installed in a vehicle far too small for American roads in a fortnight or so. For now, catch it working in action just past the break.

Freecom gets slim with Mobile Drive Mg portable hard drive, supports USB 3.0 and FireWire 800

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 06:33 AM PST

Been awhile, hasn't it Freecom? The same company responsible for serving up the world's first portable USB 3.0 hard drive is now responsible for cranking out the world's slimmest portable HDD. At just ten millimeters thick, the Mobile Drive Mg is likely thinner than your average ink pen, touting a magnesium enclosure and a USB 3.0 port, enabling it to shoot data back and forth at rates as high as 130MB/sec. Oddly enough, the drive will only be made available through Apple Premium Resellers, despite the fact that no existing Mac ships with native USB 3.0 support. At any rate, it'll be on sale within the week for $69.95 (320GB) or $109.95 (750GB), with a high-end 750GB model offering both USB 3.0 and FireWire 800 for $119.95.
Show full PR text
Freecom Launches World's Thinnest Mobile Hard Drive Exclusively for Macs

LONDON, January 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Lightweight and Durable Magnesium Enclosure Complements Apple's Popular MacBook

Freecom, a Mitsubishi Kagaku Media company, today unveiled the Mobile Drive Mg - an elegant mobile hard drive designed specifically for the Mac market. Encased in an ultra-lightweight and strong magnesium enclosure, the Mobile Drive Mg is an ideal match for the Apple MacBook - perfect for those style-conscious Mac users and at just 10mm is also the thinnest mobile hard drive available in the world, allowing users to reliably expand their storage capacity with a complementary product that is elegant, portable and easy to use.

The drive also features the latest USB 3.0 interface standard, which offers rapid data transfer speeds of approximately 130 MB/s. Ideal for both home and professional users who want to transfer large files quickly and carry their data on the move, the Mobile Drive Mg is significantly faster than traditional USB 2.0 solutions, enabling users to back up and upload information in a matter of seconds. The drive is backwards-compatible and will work with all USB 2.0 enabled computers and notebooks, as well as forthcoming USB 3.0 models.

"The Mobile Drive Mg's magnesium enclosure has the desirable combination of sleek aesthetics and functionality that many Mac customers look for in a product," said Jelle Stalpers, Apple Business Development Manager for Freecom. "Visually, the colour and wafer-thin profile of the drive make it the perfect complement to the Apple MacBook, and what's more, it is really easy to use - by simply plugging the hard drive into a USB port on a computer or notebook, users can quickly back up important data and share office work, digital photos, music and movies with colleagues, family and friends. From a more practical point of view, the incorporation of USB 3.0 technology makes it possible to transfer filesin the blink of an eye."

The Mobile Drive Mg will only be available through Apple Premium Resellers in a range of three different models, all of which are future ready and are an exact colour match with Apple's popular MacBook. The first - the world's thinnest mobile hard drive - has a height of just 10mm, while Freecom's other models are both standard-sized mobile hard drives; the difference between them being that one comes with the added benefit of FireWire 800 technology.

In addition to being incredibly strong and durable, the magnesium casing can easily be recycled - making it both practical and environmentally-friendly. The drives are also Mac formatted, making them ready for immediate use with a Macbook and 100 percent Time Machine compatible. All Mobile Drive Mg products come with a two year warranty and unlimited helpdesk support.

Pricing and availability

The Mobile Drive Mg will be available from mid-January in the following capacities, with higher capacities to follow at a later date:

- 320GB (10mm in height with a slim line 7mm hard drive inside, USB 3.0).
RRP EUR 79,95/GBP 69.95

- 750GB (with USB 3.0, 12mm in height). RRP EUR 119,95/GBP 109.95

- 750GB (with USB 3.0 & FireWire, 12mm in height). RRP EUR 129,95/GBP
119.95

Researchers develop 'liquid pistons' for cameras, medical use

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 06:11 AM PST

It may still be years away from any sort of practical use, but a team of researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed some so-called "liquid pistons" that they say could shake up everything from cameras to medical devices. Those pistons consist of some droplets of "nanoparticle-infused ferrofluids," which are able to oscillate and precisely displace a surrounding liquid. In the case of a camera, that could be used for a liquid lens of sorts (as seen at right), and the researchers say the same technology may one day even be used for implantable eye lenses. The possibilites don't end with optical uses, though -- the researchers say that the precise ability to pump small volumes of liquid could also be used for implantable drug-delivery systems that would be able to deliver tiny doses at regular intervals. Of course, there's no indication as to when any of that might happen -- in the meantime, you can occupy yourself with the brief but oddly hypnotic video after the break.


NZXT Bunker keeps your USB peripherals secure, even at dodgy LAN parties

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 05:49 AM PST

So, here's the situation: you roll into a LAN party in a less-than-ideal section of town. The lights are dim, the bouncer looks suspect, and Mike Tyson's tiger is situated there in the rear of the room. Even the Ethernet cables are grimy. Everyone's got their eyes on you and your new Alienware, and that stash of Razer peripherals just feels ripe for the taking. You aren't about to make a beeline back to your Daewoo, so you wrap each and every USB cable around your right arm just to make sure you go home with everything you came with. Sadly enough, that's not exactly an awesome way to trample your nearby enemies, but it seems that NZXT has a delightful solution. The company's new Bunker USB Locking Drive is designed to fit within a spare 5.25-inch slot in whatever tower you own, offering a foursome of USB 2.0 sockets and a potent, daunting locking mechanism. The idea here is that your webcam, mouse, keyboard and USB headset can be plugged in, and you can keep your mind at ease that nothing is going anywhere when you waltz over to the restroom. Unfortunately, critics over at Overclocks Online noticed that the shallow depth prevented all but the smallest of flash drives from fitting in, further proving that this thing is designed specifically for use with PC peripherals. Hit the links below to learn more, and get ready to shell out $24.99 come March if it's something you're into.
Show full PR text
NZXT Unveils Bunker USB Locking Device

Bunker transforms drive bay into USB vault with sophisticated 20 key lock system

El Monte, CA – January 10, 2011 – NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce Bunker, an advanced USB locking device designed for USB expansion and protection of gaming accessories. Plug in gaming mice, keyboards, and headphones and lock it with a sophisticated 20 key lock system and durable door to prevent theft at LAN parties and schools. Bunker installs easily into any open 5.25" drive bay and provides 4 additional USB ports for expanded connectivity.

"We place a great deal of importance on portability and security," said Johnny Hou, Founder and Chief Designer at NZXT. "Whether you're transporting your rig to a LAN party or would like more peace of mind in the dorm, Bunker will ensure that your peripherals and media remain secure."

Bunker will be available in March for the MSRP of $24.99. For more information visit www.nzxt.com/new/products/case_accessories/bunker.

About NZXT
NZXT is a global brand established in 2004 as a PC hardware company built on the dreams of gamers. Their unique lineup of award-winning gaming hardware is completely inspired by gaming culture with product designs driven by the worldwide community of PC Enthusiasts and gamers. Combining unique design and unparalleled performance, gamers can find quality hardware representing their own style and personality in NZXT. www.nzxt.com

BlackBerry Dakota photo, specifications leak

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 05:29 AM PST

So what's this all about? Oh, just the BlackBerry Dakota which we heard about back in July, and which definitely seems to be real. This one, pictured above in a photo procured by BGR, looks like it's going to boast that up top 2.8-inch (VGA resolution) capacitive touchscreen we'd heard about, with the BlackBerry Bold-style keyboard you've come to know and love below. Yes, this 'Berry is quite attractive in the looks department, and spec-wise, it's a quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE device with tri-band UMTS. It also packs a 5 megapixel cam with HD video recording, 4GB of storage, plus 768MB of RAM. The phone will also have WiFi and be 3G hotspot-enabled, and it'll run BlackBerry OS 6.1. Like we said, from the looks of it, this thing is legit, but there's no word on pricing or availability as of yet.

Thermo Mirror measures body temperature, gives us something else to stare at

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 05:08 AM PST

As good looking as we are -- and you know we are -- we sometimes get tired of staring into the mirror. Honestly, aside from reminding us of our resemblance to a young Sean Connery, the standard mirror really doesn't do much, but the Thermo Mirror is another story. The device, designed by Japanese electronics firm NEC/Avio, uses an infrared sensor to measure an onlooker's temperature from up to 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) away, without physical contact. The subject's temperature appears on the mirror's surface, and, if they have a fever, an alarm sounds. Thermo Mirror is available in two versions and costs between 98,000 and 120,000 yen (or $1,180 and $1,440). When not in use, its face displays date, time, humidity, and temperature. Now if it could just make us a martini -- shaken, not stirred, of course.

Mysterious 7-inch Viewsonic Android tablet breaks cover, reveals little

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 04:45 AM PST

Let's see, if there's a ViewPad 10 and a ViewPad 4, logic would dictate that a ViewPad 7 couldn't be far out, right? Unfortunately for those convinced, Viewsonic actually has a 7-inch ViewPad on the market already, and the device you're peering at above most certainly isn't it. This gem was spotted by CarryPad at Zinio's CES booth, complete with Android 2.2, the outfit's own content software and... well, who knows what else. Chippy noted that booth attendees weren't exactly hip with him toying around with the device, though he did remark that performance seemed snappier than usual when compared to the other 7-inchers out there. So, will Viewsonic come clean with its LTE-enabled, 7-inch miracle-of-a-tablet? Highly doubtful, but who said dreaming was a crime?

Japanese doctor turns hot toddy into superconductor catalyst

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 04:16 AM PST

It's rare that hot booze does anything more than get you drunk, and possibly make you sick, but according to Dr. Yoshihiko Takano, the drink you're sucking on could facilitate the levitation of a train. After a party for a colleague, the Japanese scientist found that FeTe0.8S0.2 (composed of iron, tellurium, and tellurium sulfide), when soaked in warm booze overnight, shows signs of increased superconductivity -- another in a long line of liquor-enhanced discoveries that could have far reaching effects on everything from consumer electronics to public transportation. Dr. Takano decided to test the material (known to become a superconductor after soaking in water) in the leftover alcohol from the party: beer, red wine, white wine, sake, shochu, and whiskey. As it turns out, red wine has the highest superconducting volume fraction at 62.4 percent -- nearly four times higher than the ethanol-water control samples. Dr. Takano and his colleagues speculate that the ease with which wine and beer oxidize could be play a key role in the increase in superconductivity. We speculate that even a superconductor gets a little hopped up after soaking in a bottle of wine.

HTC HD2 gets its very own Windows Phone 7 ROM (video)

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:47 AM PST

While its original OS might be yesterday's news, the 4.3 inch HTC HD2 with 1GHz Snapdragon processor still has plenty of life in it thanks to the industrious efforts of the global development community. A new Windows Phone 7 ROM has just been released by DFT (Dark Forces Team) for your flashing pleasures. While it's said to be working at nearly 100 percent, it does come with the caveat of lacking access to any Windows Live services. As such, you won't be downloading apps or media from Marketplace or setting up your avatar on Xbox Live -- pretty serious omissions for a WP7 device. Nevertheless, if you're an HD2 owner just aching for a taste of Microsoft's newest OS then now's your chance. Video of the ROM in action after the break.

Update: Well, that was fast. A video and instructions showing hacked access to Live services has now been posted. See the proof after the break.

[Thanks, br0adband]



Volvo crashes E30 EV so you don't have to, doesn't spill a drop of battery juice

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:11 AM PST

Try as it might to act hip and young, Volvo is still a company that's associated with the name "safety," and that's really not a bad thing. Demonstrations like this help to reinforce that, with the company taking great pride in its E30 EV holding up as well as it did in a crash. It was subjected to a 40mph offset and, while it's looking mighty deranged, no portions of the electric drivetrain were compromised. In other words: no battery goo leaked and no first responders would have been zapped. If that's all a little too ghastly for you, fear not: there are plenty of pictures of a beautiful E30 with nary a body panel askew, including a peek into its trunk, which doesn't appear to have been nearly as negatively affected as the poor Focus Electric.
Volvo E30 before and after

DARPA's MSEE to develop new mathematical language, race of sentient machines

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 02:25 AM PST

The hyper-ambitious folks at DARPA are totally over the current state of military data collection, and they're pretty sure they know how to fix it: teach sensors how to think. Well, they've got an idea how to fix it, but they've put out a call for mathematician to do the dirty work. The Mathematics of Sensing, Exploitation, and Execution (MSEE) program seeks a unified mathematical language that cane teach sensors not only to collect data, but to interpret, and act on it too. The aim is to eliminate the "data deluge" that comes from ever-increasing streams of information, like cellphone intercepts and video drone feeds, allowing analysts to focus on the important stuff. Currently the onus falls on humans to interpret the overwhelming amount of information collected by military sensors, but DARPA is confident that the right algorithm could have machines interpreting the world as early as 2014. Which gives you right around three years to fulfill every fantasy you've ever had.

Shazam and Spotify team up on iOS and Android apps

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 01:56 AM PST

In yet another sign that Spotify has gone mainstream the company has just announced a partership with Shazam -- the ubiquitous mobile music identification service. Under the deal, Shazamers will now be greeted with a "Play in Spotify" feature for all music discovered. The feature will be fully integrated in Shazam's free app "soon" and is available now for the premium apps on Android and iOS wherever Spotify is available, namely, the UK, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Spain and the Netherlands.
Show full PR text
Shazam And Spotify Announce Partnership

Leading music companies to make listening to newly-discovered music seamless for iPhone, iPod touch and Android Users

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shazam, the world's leading mobile discovery company, today announced that Spotify, the popular music service, will be integrated across the full range of Shazam's free and premium Apps for iPhone, iPod touch and Android. As a result, Shazamers will be able to access Spotify directly through a new 'Play in Spotify' feature, which will take them directly to Spotify where they can immediately begin listening to the full track that they either tagged or discovered within Shazam from recommendations or the Shazam charts.

The new capability will allow users of Shazam and Spotify full playback of tracks via a fully-integrated experience on both the free and premium Shazam Encore Apps on Android and Apple's iOS – including (SHAZAM) RED. 'Play in Spotify' integrates with the Spotify Premium App in the UK, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Spain and the Netherlands.

"Integrating Spotify into Shazam's applications combines music discovery with one of the world's most popular music streaming services, providing a seamless experience for music fans at the point of inspiration in any location," says Andrew Fisher, CEO of Shazam. "Spotify is delivering an innovative, high quality experience to music lovers and we're excited to bring the Spotify service to Shazam."

"Shazam is a very innovative company in the mobile space, having achieved a massive following around the world and we're excited about the potential of this partnership for new music discovery through Spotify," says Daniel Ek, CEO, Spotify. "Now if you hear a great new track you can identify it, listen to it instantly in its entirety and easily add it to your music collection. That's pretty powerful stuff."

As of today, users of premium Apps Shazam Encore and (SHAZAM) RED will be able to combine their ability to access unlimited tagging with the new 'Play in Spotify' feature for an unparalleled and unrestricted mobile music discovery and streaming service.

The Shazam free App, available with five tags per month, will include the same feature later in Q1. The service combines Shazam's database of more than 10 million tracks, which powers music identification and song and artist recommendations, with Spotify Premium's mobile App on the iPhone, iPod touch and Android-powered phones, which offers instant access to millions of tracks and playlists.

VW Golf Blue-e-motion and Hybrid Touareg strike a pose in Detroit

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 01:47 AM PST

Alternative means of propulsion are the norm at the North American International Auto Show this year in Detroit, and VW had a few options on display. First up is the Touareg Hybrid, the company's first, with a 3.0 liter supercharged V6 paired to an electric motor, offering a combined 380hp, 0 - 60 times of 6.2 seconds (not bad for a 5,000lb SUV), and up to 27mpg -- if you don't dip too deep in the throttle. Keep things light, and under 30mph, and you can drive it as a purely EV car so long as there's charge. It's available now.

Also on display is the Golf Blue-e-motion that our friends at Autoblog previously got to spend a little time with in Germany. This is currently built on the Golf Mk VI platform but, by the time it is released in 2013, will be applied to the upcoming Mk VII platform. It's said to offer a realistic 80 miles of range and, unlike the Focus Electric, hasn't made too many sacrifices in the cargo compartment.
VW Blue-e-motion Golf

VW Touareg Hybrid

Microsoft mocks Google, likens WebM to failed Esperanto language

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 01:33 AM PST

If you fancy yourself a codec nerd then you'll love a tongue-in-cheek piece penned by Tim Sneath, Senior Director of Windows and Web Evangelism at Microsoft. Sneath, posing as the President of the United States of Google, calls for Esperanto (aka, WebM) to replace English (aka, H.264) in order to foster global peace and understanding.
Though English plays an important role in speech today, as our goal is to enable open innovation, its further use as a form of communication in this country will be prohibited and our resources directed towards languages that are untainted by real-world usage.
Brilliantly played following Google's announcement to drop H.264 from Chrome. Esperanto, as you might recall, was the universal second language designed in 1887 to facilitate international communication. Something that never quite worked out judging by the preponderance of English spoken by humans everywhere except Parisian cafes and taxi cabs.

Rovi sues Amazon and IMDb for infringing TV guide patents

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 01:08 AM PST

Rovi sounds friendly enough, but the company used to be called Macrovision -- and the infamous DRM provider just sued Amazon's IMDb.com last week for infringement of five TV guide patents. The patents came along with Rovi's acquisition of Gemstar, and they cover everything from interactive program guides to purchasing products on-demand to scheduling recordings from a computer -- a huge range that seems to hit everything from QVC to the Xfinity TV iPad app. That probably explains why Rovi says it has deals with everyone from Apple to Yahoo -- between its TV listings products, recent purchase of a sizable video library, and the current litigation with IMDb, it appears that the company is serious about leaving its DRM-centric roots behind and moving into internet content distribution.

Bridgestone shows off QR-LPD display, the future looks dim

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:33 AM PST

We didn't manage to check out Vivitek's booth and its bevy of low power QR-LPD-screened devices at this year's CES, but it doesn't look like we missed much. The e-book fanatics over at The Digital Reader dropped by, and found Bridgestone's QR-LPD screen technology extremely disappointing. Apparently the screens are just as dim and washed out as they were when we first glimpsed them, over two years ago. In addition, the screen refresh time is painfully slow. Unless these screens turn out to be vastly better in production and incredibly cheap, we think Mirasol and Pixel Qi don't have anything to worry about in the next-gen screen space. There's a video of QR-LPD after the break if you're still interested.

'Find my Friends' MobileMe feature revealed in iOS 4.3 developer build

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 11:52 PM PST

Looks like Apple will be adding a new "Find My Friends" feature to its MobileMe service in the not too distant future. The settings pictured above were unearthed in the latest iOS 4.3 developer build that's already yielding a healthy list of new devices and functionality including in-app AirPlay video support, a carrier-dependent personal WiFi hotspot, the return of the physical orientation lock switch, and a host of new multitouch gestures. Presumably Find My Friends will offer functionality akin to the free Google Latitude app doing little to justify Apple's $99 MobileMe annual cost.

Update: Remember Apple's iGroups location-based social networking patent application? We just did.

HP's Todd Bradley all but confirms webOS tablet for February 9th event, promises even more devices

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 11:17 PM PST

We do love to hear from loquacious execs, and HP's Todd Bradley has been the very definition of one in an interview conducted with CNBC during CES. In a discussion revolving around webOS, Bradley was asked how HP intends to differentiate itself from the iPad and improve upon it, to which he quipped, "you and I will talk about that on the 9th." If that's not a confirmation that we'll finally have our unicorn of a webOS tablet next month, we don't know what is. Even more encouraging is the implication further on in the interview that HP could have debuted this slate at CES, but opted to do an unveiling at a separate event so as to properly highlight just how awesome it is. But wait, there's yet more good news for webOS fans: Bradley's crew sees its upcoming tablet as just "one piece" of the connected experience that is the company's goal and we're promised to be enlightened about a broad range of webOS devices at the February 9th event in San Francisco, though the lack of any Palm namedrops seems to suggest they might not bear the name of their maker. Even if they're called iPaqs, we just want to see them already!


See more video at our hub!

FireWire ships its two billionth port, still not as fast as USB 3.0

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 10:31 PM PST

The 1394 Trade Association has announced that over two billion FireWire ports have shipped worldwide, which is most impressive for a largely forgotten interface. Going forward, the Association expects to see "steady, stable growth" in 2011 as more products with FireWire S1600 go to market, though a dearth of such devices at CES makes us think you can add the word 'slow' to that projection. Given that the standard's promised 1.6 Gb/s bandwidth is less than a third of the 5 Gb/s offered by USB 3.0 (even with USB's larger overhead, 3.0 still provides a bigger pipe), and the fact that Intel may finally get on board with Superspeed, it may be awhile before FireWire celebrates another such milestone.

[Image source: ScratchWorx]
Show full PR text
January 10, 2011 11:00 AM Eastern Time

FireWire Reaches 2 Billion Ports Shipped Worldwide, Will Continue its Strong Growth in 2011

-- IEEE 1394 Provides More than 1.2 Billion Consumer, Computer, Industrial Products with Optimal Connectivity; Will Move to 1.6 Gigabit/second Bandwidth in 2011 --

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FireWire, the popular computer, consumer electronics and industrial systems interface, reached the two billion ports milestone in 2010 and will continue its steady growth worldwide throughout 2011, the 1394 Trade Association said today.

"The two billion ports represents a significant new milestone for 1394"
The two billion FireWire ports shipped provide more than 1.2 billion consumer and computer products with reliable, versatile high-speed connections available from developers of FireWire silicon including Texas Instruments, LSI, and PLX Technology, among others. FireWire continues to be applied in a wide range of PCs, storage systems, new generations of set top boxes, industrial and factory automation equipment, and professional audio systems.

The 1394 Trade Association, which made the announcement prior to its first quarter general meeting in Las Vegas, estimates the total of 1394-equipped devices will increase again in 2011. The group foresees continued expansion into higher speed computing, storage and consumer electronics products, with steady growth of 1394-enabled products in the industrial cameras and instrumentation segments, where FireWire is established as the interface of choice. (see December news release at http://www.1394ta.org/press/TAPress/2010_1213.html) Also, innovative and exciting work being completed by Dap Technology with S1600 and S3200 speeds (see http://www.daptechnology.com/index.php?id=692) is leading to new market opportunities. In addition, the 1394 standard is moving forward in automotive networking applications.

"The two billion ports represents a significant new milestone for 1394," said Max Bassler, chairman, 1394 Trade Association. "Just as impressive is the innovative and creative application of FireWire in new generations of advanced industrial automation, vision systems, and production equipment. FireWire will continue its steady, stable growth during 2011, as we migrate to the first products operating at 1.6 Gigabit/second bandwidth -- and as 1394 proves itself superior to competitive interfaces in a variety of sectors." Bassler added that there is now a new generation of set top boxes with FireWire, providing data transfer speeds of 800 Megabit/second.

The 1394 Trade Association is a worldwide organization dedicated to the advancement of the IEEE 1394 (FireWire) standard. The 1394TA is in its 16th year of promoting 1394, which is used today in mass-market computer, entertainment, and professional products, and in a wide range of specialty applications such as audio, defense, aerospace, industrial, and robotics products. For more information, visit www.1394ta.org.

'The Daily' iPad newspaper set for launch on January 19th, according to sources

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 09:49 PM PST

The good old Associated Press has a couple of good old unnamed sources pinpointing the launch of The Daily -- the first iPad-only newspaper venture -- as January 19th. They even name the location as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is the company making this leap into the unknown (do people even care about news anymore?) and he is specifically named as a presenter at this alleged event for next week, to be joined on stage by Apple's Steve Jobs. An ancillary little note is that journalists are said to have already been hired in bureaus across the country, including the big news-spinning markets of New York and Los Angeles -- which makes all the sense in the world given the widespread expectation that the news app they'll be working for will launch by the end of this month.

Sony outs CLM-V55 video monitor for interchangeable lens cameras

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 09:33 PM PST

To take John McEnroe's famous quote badly out of context, you cannot be serious about video recording without giving your devices a nice big display for videographers to monitor their recordings through. Sony's clearly in agreement and has today revealed the CLM-V55, a 5-inch clip-on unit for its interchangeable lens cameras, that provides WVGA resolution, tilt / swivel adjustments, and color peaking plus pixel magnification to make sure focus is just how you like it. The primary beneficiaries of this would be those delightful A33 and A55 siblings, which strive to combine the fast autofocus of a camcorder with the image quality of a DSLR, along with the NEX-VG10, an all-out camcorder that can nonetheless exchange its lenses and even exploit Alpha-mount glass via an adapter. You can see it outfitted with the V55 after the break, right next to the full press release. Launch is expected in March at an as yet unannounced price.
Show full PR text
Clip-on LCD monitor from Sony for HD video shooting with Interchangeable Lens Digital cameras
13 January 2011
CLM-V55 gives big, high-resolution view of video footage

• Clip-on LCD monitor attaches to DSLR camera
• Large (5") WVGA panel offers superb high-resolution view while shooting HD video
• Tilt/swivel for comfortable viewing at any angle
• Colour peaking and pixel magnification for precise focus confirmation

A new clip-on LCD monitor from Sony gives DSLR camera owners a bigger, better view of their footage while shooting HD video.

The CLM-V55 is a portable video monitor featuring a high-resolution WVGA (800 x 480) (5") LCD panel. Attaching easily to most Interchangeable Lens Digital cameras and compatible HD camcorders via the supplied adaptor, it displays video footage during shooting/playback with excellent clarity and a wide viewing angle.

The clip-on screen tilts and swivels to any angle for comfortable framing in any position – even self-shooting when you're in the picture.

The CLM-V55 is loaded with pro-style features to help photo enthusiasts and videographers shoot high-quality HD video footage with their Interchangeable Lens Digital camera.

Pixel magnification mode assists with accurate focus confirmation, giving an enlarged pixel-perfect view of a selected portion of the Full HD image. It's complemented by a colour peaking function that highlights the edges of accurately-focused areas of the video image.

An intuitive control wheel allows quick, positive adjustment of a wide range of monitor settings without interrupting shooting. Adjustable parameters include aspect ratio (16:9/4:3), volume, brightness, contrast, colour tone (phase), colour temp and auto dimmer. On-screen markers aid precise framing by giving precise indication of a TV's 16:9 or 4:3 actual display area. The LCD monitor's on-board mono speaker is complemented by a headphone jack for accurate audio monitoring during shooting.

The CLM-V55 attaches easily to a wide range of Interchangeable Lens Digital cameras from Sony and other manufacturers that support HD video shooting. The supplied adaptor simplifies mounting on any camera or HD camcorder that features an auto-lock accessory shoe or ISO shoe. Signal connection from camera to monitor is via the supplied HDMI cable, while power can be supplied using a battery pack or AC adaptor (both optional). The CLM-V55 comes with a detachable LCD hood for more comfortable viewing when shooting outdoors in bright sunlight.

The CLM-V55 LCD video monitor by Sony is available from March 2011.

OCZ quits DRAM business to focus on super-speedy SSDs

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 09:05 PM PST

OCZ, a company that started life a decade ago by churning out DRAM modules for enthusiasts to throw into their towering rigs, has now announced it's abandoning that market entirely. As PC Perspective points out, it's grown increasingly difficult for companies to differentiate their products when it comes to memory -- most of it just works and most of it is pretty fast -- and continually declining prices have apparently forced OCZ's hand. The San Jose-based company's new primary breadwinner will be solid state drives, which already account for a substantial proportion of revenues and look set to grow exponentially as their own prices dip a little further into the range of the affordable. It's a shame we'll no longer have that bold Z to look at when picking out memory sticks for our next self-built machine, but maybe it's all for the best. Check out an interview with an OCZ VP at the source link below.
Show full PR text
OCZ Technology Group Reports Fiscal 2011 Third Quarter Results

Record Revenues With SSD Revenues Up 325% Year Over Year and 105% Sequentially; Posts Positive Non-GAAP Operating Profit

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 10, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory modules for computing devices and systems, reports its third quarter 2011 results (Q3'11), which ended on November 30, 2010.

Net revenues in Q3'11 were a record $53.2 million, and increased 40% both on a year-over-year and sequential basis, from $38.0 million reported in Q3'10 and in Q2'11.

SSD revenues reached a record $41.5 million in Q3'11, an increase of 325% over Q3'10 SSD revenues of $9.8 million, and a 105% increase sequentially over Q2'11 SSD Revenues of $20.2 million.

In August 2010, the Company announced a strategic optimization of its memory products whereby it discontinued certain unprofitable commodity memory module products with the intent to continue only with certain high-performance memory products. However, since that time, there has been well-chronicled, continued weakness in the global DRAM markets.

Having balanced this DRAM market weakness against the capital needs of the Company's growing SSD products, the board has determined that it is in the best interests of the stockholders to accelerate plans to discontinue its remaining DRAM module products by the end of its current fiscal year of February 28, 2011. Accordingly, our DRAM products are now expected to have minimal, if any, sales in the next fiscal year and beyond.

Reporting on a GAAP basis, which includes certain items related to the accelerated discontinuation of the Company's DRAM products, the acquisition of certain intellectual property, changes in warrant derivative valuation, and other non cash charges, GAAP net loss for Q3'11 was $8.3 million, or $0.29 loss per diluted share. This compares to GAAP net loss of $1.0 million, or $0.05 loss per share in Q3'10.

Non-GAAP net loss for Q3'11 was $0.9 million, or $0.03 loss per diluted share, as compared to non-GAAP net loss for Q3'10 of $1.6 million, or $0.07 loss per share. A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP information is contained in the tables below.

Financial Highlights

* SSD revenue increased 325% year-over-year, to $41.5 million in Q3'11, representing 78% of net revenue
* Positive non-GAAP operating income of $0.1 million in Q3'11 compared to a non-GAAP operating loss of $1.0 million in Q3'10
* Positive non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA of $0.4 million in Q3'11
* Non-GAAP gross margin increased to 19.4% in Q3'11
* Accelerated the discontinuation of remaining DRAM module products
* Company raised $22 million in a private placement to several institutional stockholders priced at a premium to the then-market price

Recent Business Highlights:

* Recently began shipping Deneva Series Enterprise SSDs in mass production quantities to a new Tier 1 OEM client
* OEM SSD business continued to ramp, with numerous new client wins such as BOLData and Falcon Northwest Computer Systems, while several current clients ramped shipments of SSDs
* Recently began shipping High Speed Data Link (HSDL) enabled IBIS SSD drives in mass production quantities to select clients
* Launched the 2nd generation REVO X2 PCIe based SSD with up to 150k random write IOPS , in capacities up to 960GBs , and deployed with key high performance workstation OEMs
* Acquired certain Fibre Channel interface and DRAM based SSD controller technology from Solid Data Inc, in order to facilitate the company's move into Fibre Channel and low latency enterprise SSD Segments
* Began mass production of 2xNm based SSD for low cost applications and started sampling 2xNm based high durability SSDs for Enterprise Server and Storage applications
* Opened new SSD manufacturing facility in Taiwan, nearly quadrupling our manufacturing capacity with the addition of two new SMT lines, the first in October and the second which has just come on-line

Business Overview:

"Revenue generated from our Solid State Drive products for the third fiscal quarter more than doubled on a sequential basis," said Ryan Petersen, Chief Executive Officer of OCZ Technology. "SSD revenue accounted for 78% of our revenue and just by itself exceeds our historical quarterly revenue totals across all categories, thus reinforcing our decision to discontinue our remaining DRAM products."

Mr. Petersen concluded, "We have focused on building the OEM and enterprise segments of our business, and last month we announced a mass production order from a Tier 1 OEM for our enterprise class SSDs, reflecting the reliability, speed and total cost of ownership solid state drives provide over traditional mechanical hard drives. We believe the market opportunity for SSDs is significant, and to that end, we will continue to invest in research and development to extend our leadership position. We also plan to increase our sales and marketing efforts in order to facilitate continued revenue growth and increased market share as SSDs gain adoption in all segments."

iGUGU InterneTV works as promised in its strange little niche (hands-on)

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 08:29 PM PST

The first time we laid eyes on iGUGU's InterneTV marketing materials, we sensed something was strange in the neighborhood. After seeing the unique product in action though, we've decided to give it a bit more credit. Unlike most internet TV solutions that rely on set-top boxes to stream content, iGUGU's product attempts to make connecting an existing computer to a TV easier using software, a wireless or wired TV connector, and a special QWERTY keyboard remote. The software then provides a not-so-pretty TV interface for browsing through any type of content a computer could normally access online. True to its word, we watched the system play videos on ABC.com and other blocked sites devices like a Roku box or AppleTV can't access. The application also allows users to play local content stored on the computer and aggregates content in pre-populated "channels" like local news, movies, and TV shows. That's all gravy, but we're not sure its worth $99 considering it still requires a computer to work. For more shots of the UI and included components browse through the gallery below.
iGUGU InterneTV hands-on

iOS 4.3 code reveals new iPhone and iPad models, rumor mill suggests a dislike of the home button

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 07:53 PM PST

History lesson, folks. If you dig far enough into iOS's code, you'll eventually come across iPhone3,1, which is the AT&T iPhone 4, and the analogous iPhone3,2 (i.e. Verizon iPhone). It's nothing we haven't seen before, but then along comes iOS 4.3 with a handful of new mystery identifiers to spurn speculation -- namely, two new-generation iPhones (4,1 and 4,2) and three iPads (2,1; 2,2; and 2,3). Speculate all you want, but there isn't much else at all we can say definitively here, but if we had to take a guess, it's the GSM and CDMA variants of the next-gen models (plus a WiFi-only iPad). It is interesting to note the lack of an "iPhone4,3" given the yet-to-be-revealed iPhone3,3 is still there -- will the last member ever see the light of day? Outside of iOS 4.3 but still very much related, BGR is claiming it's heard from sources that the next iPhone / iPad models will eschew the physical home button altogether in lieu of the new multi-finger gestures and that employees at Cupertino are already testing such devices. That seems a little more out there to us; five-finger pinch to home feels extremely clunky. The real takeaway here? We can finally have an iPhone rumor that doesn't involve wondering if it'll head to a new US carrier.

New Goo.gl URL shortener API lets third party developers in on the outrageous fun that is Google URL shortening

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 07:28 PM PST

Just a quick note, because we know how much you love APIs: Google has opened its URL shortening service to third party developers. That's right -- not only can you use Goo.gl to generate QR codes, but now you can build it into your own software. As well as support for URL shortening and expanding, the API will also let you track your history and analytics. Says Ben D'Angelo of the URL shortening team: "You could use these features for a wide variety of applications, enabling behaviors ranging from auto-shortening within Twitter or Google Buzz clients to running regular jobs that monitor your usage statistics and traffic patterns." The team is also working to improve spam and malicious site detection for the service. Since the government of Greenland seems to be a bit more stable than that of a certain Muammar al-Gaddafi, we're sure that Google won't run into the same problems that vb.ly did (although we wonder if things would change if Kuupik Kleist got his own voluptuous Ukrainian nurse). Hit the source link to get coding.

Vulkano Blast and Flow due this month, streaming your media all over the place

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 06:57 PM PST

You know what was missing form Vulkano's last release? More pun-ful names, that's what. Enter the Vulkano Blast and Flow do-it-all media boxes. For $99, the latter boasts watching live TV, browsing episode guides, and accessing recorded content via PC, Macs, smartphones, and various tablets -- iOS, BlackBerry, and Android for now, according to the press release, with Windows (Phone?) 7 and Symbian on the horizon. Meanwhile, the Blast adds HDMI out, UPnP support, and a 160GB hard drive for $199. Both have a 802.11n router and both are due out this month, if ya dig.

NC State's coiled nanowire discovery could lead to stretchable electronic devices

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 06:26 PM PST

Cotton may very well be the fabric of our lives, but it'd sure feel a lot better draped across our skin if we could incorporate stretchable electronic devices into it. That's the goal of NC State's own Dr. Yong Zhu, who has worked with a team of gurus to create "the first coils of silicon nanowire on a substrate that can be stretched to more than double their original length." Essentially, this type of breakthrough brings us one (major) step closer to "incorporating stretchable electronic devices into clothing, implantable health-monitoring devices, and a host of other applications." Compared to prior studies on buckling, this particular approach one-ups those focusing on freestanding nanowires, with the new coils' mechanical properties enabling them to be "stretched an additional 104 percent beyond their original length." That's a lot of technobabble, for sure, but what you need to realize is just how amazing your life will be as soon as The Zhu Crew figures out how to improve the reliability of the electrical performance when the coils are stretched to the limit. Flexible PMPs woven into your ski jacket? Bendable LCDs sewn right into your car's headrests? The future... it's here.
at 11:59 AM

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