Sponsoer by :

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Engadget News

Sponsored

Engadget News

PSP Go price cut quietly slinks away, now priced at original $200 MSRP

Posted: 05 Mar 2011 10:05 AM PST

When Sony hacked $50 from the PSP Go's price earlier this week, it didn't exactly trumpet the news, and now it's looking like a permanent $150 MSRP for the UMD-less handheld was too good to be true. Text across Sony's website has silently been changed to reflect a $199.99 price point for both colors of the sliding-screen system, and there seems to be no remaining evidence that Sony ever dropped the price at all. Still, we imagine it's only a matter of time before such a price cut becomes officially official, as the PSP-3000's the no-brainer choice if you're buying a PSP right now -- it's a full $70 cheaper than the less-capable Go.

[Thanks, Phil F.]

Internet access blocked across much of Libya

Posted: 05 Mar 2011 09:03 AM PST

It's sort of becoming the "thing to do" when people are revolting: find a way to cut people's access to the internet. This happened across most of Libya yesterday, according to various traffic monitors. Traffic from the country to sites like YouTube and Google nearly disappeared, even though it seems that technically, the servers are still up and running. Unlike the previous actions of the Egyptian government, which took down entire servers, it appears that in this case, some wicked throttling is occurring. While it's not completely clear who is choking the bandwidth, the assumption that it's the Libyan government is probably not an insane one. Hit up the source links for more.

Handheld millimeter / microwave camera to see through walls, your underpants

Posted: 05 Mar 2011 07:24 AM PST

You know those scanners that peep your naughty bits at the airport? Well, a team of researchers have been working on a handheld camera that sports the same technology, and while they're touting its future impact on stuff like cancer detection and aerospace engineering, we can't help but squirm thinking about its Peeping-Tom potential. The camera currently takes 30 images per second by transmitting millimeter and microwaves to a "collector" on the other side of a subject, and then sends them to a laptop for real-time inspection. Aside from being able to see straight through your BVDs, it can also be used to detect defects in spacecraft insulation, find termites lurking in the walls of your apartment, and help in the diagnosis of skin disease. The camera's creators are working on a smaller, one-sided version of the device that could have mass-market appeal -- we just hope this thing stays in R&D long enough for us to get our bikini bodies back. Check out a video of its G-rated abilities after the break.

Google Docs: now supporting mobile editing in 45 languages

Posted: 05 Mar 2011 05:22 AM PST

Never mind the fact that you'll need to have a basic grasp of English to even understand this report -- if you're an avid user of Google Docs on your Android 2.2+ phone, you can now edit in 45 languages. Heck, even if you're not using Android, you can surf on over to docs.google.com with any iOS 3.0+ device and accomplish the same thing. Would it make it any clearer if we spoke slowly and removed all adjectives?

[Thanks, Calvin]

Kayak to provide travel and flight search results within Microsoft's Bing

Posted: 05 Mar 2011 03:19 AM PST

Bing Travel just so happened to be the one major aspect of Bing that kept us coming back, and now it's about to get even more irresistible. The famed Kayak flight search engine will soon be powering Microsoft's Bing Travel, with the two locking down a partnership that'll bring better results to consumers while enabling Bing admins to focus their attention on more pressing matters. According to Kayak, Bing will have access to "all" of Kayak's travel search services globally, and it looks as if the integration will be complete "in the coming weeks." Call it a hunch, but something tells us the folks are Redmond are just stacking up ammunition to face a new wave of inevitable competition -- if that Google / ITA deal ever clears regulatory hurdles, it'll be On Like Donkey Kong.

Archos planning to launch high-end tablets at IFA later this summer?

Posted: 05 Mar 2011 01:38 AM PST

Archos planning to launch high-end tablets at IFA later this summer?
Over the years we've certainly seen that Archos can do some decent things on limited hardware, but of course the real money is to be found on the higher end, where your iPads and your Xooms play. According to tabletblog.de, Archos has stated intent to announce two new tablets at IFA later this year, fitting into the 7- and 10-inch domains like the older (and lower-rent) 70 and 101 Internet Tablets above. Supposedly the company doesn't know what hardware either will be running, only that they'll be top-shelf components integrated using posh design. Surely that'll mean a posh price, too.

Kinect hacks, performance art edition: pin boards, puppets and RoboThespians

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 11:12 PM PST

Tired of Kinect hacks yet? We hope not, as the frequency and ingenuity of them only seems to be increasing with each passing week. The three in this latest group all fall more or less under the banner of performance art, and include two hacks that let you control two very different avatars -- a virtual puppet in the "We Be Monsters" project and the very real "RoboThespian" -- as well one that creates a virtual pin board that's perfect for your next rave. If the RoboThespian looks a little familiar, it's because it's actually been in development since 2005, but it recently got a Kinect-enhanced upgrade for its appearance at CeBIT this month. Head on past the break for videos of all three hacks in action, and hit up the links below for some additional details.

[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]

Lensbaby goes practical with aperture-adjustable Sweet 35 Optic

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 10:21 PM PST

We love a Lensbaby lens as much as the next hipster, but if there's one thing the Optic Swap system isn't, it's fast. Switching out aperture plates is a royal pain, and for those looking to simply capture moments as they happen, it's a system that simply doesn't work. The company's apparently aiming to fix that with the introduction of its first 35mm optic with a 12-blade adjustable aperture. The Sweet 35 select focus optic requires but a twist to change the aperture, and in turn, the "sweet spot." 'Course, you'll still need to find yourself adequate light (or boost your ISO / slow your shutter) before stepping that aperture value up too high, but at least now it's easier than using a magnetic tool to fish one plate out and drop another in. The lens has a maximum aperture of f/2.5 and steps all the way down to f/22, and it'll focus down to 7.5 inches from the front of the lens. The downside is that this particular optic isn't compatible with current 37mm Lensbaby accessories, nor will it function with the Composer with Tilt Transformer for Micro Four Thirds and Sony NEX cameras. Still, for $180 it's easily the most practical thing the company has ever delivered, and we definitely hope this is just the beginning of a trend it intends to push.
Show full PR text
Lensbaby® Introduces its First 35mm Optic with 12-Blade Adjustable Aperture
The Sweet 35 selective focus optic has the sweetest spot of all

Portland, OR – Embargoed until 10AM ET, March 1, 2011 – Lensbaby, manufacturer of award-winning Creative Effects SLR camera lenses, announces the addition of the Sweet 35 Optic to its Optic Swap System. The Sweet 35 Optic, a 35mm selective focus optic with an internal 12-blade adjustable aperture, creates a Sweet Spot of sharp focus that photographers can move around the photo by tilting their Lensbaby lens. The Sweet 35 Optic boasts the widest focal length of any selective focus Lensbaby optic, features close-focus capabilities, and is available now for use with the Lensbaby Composer®, Muse®, Control Freak™ and Scout lenses.

Departing from its interchangeable magnetic aperture system, Lensbaby has created its first optic with an adjustable aperture. With the Sweet 35, photographers can quickly and seamlessly change the aperture from f/2.5 through f/22, simply by rotating the dial on the front of the optic. The aperture opening is what controls the size of the Sweet Spot of sharp focus, giving photographers the ability to see the Sweet Spot change through the lens, without missing a moment.

"Changing the look of images from my Lensbaby lens with the Sweet 35 optic by quickly adjusting the aperture dial at the front of the optic has become habit-forming and allows me to create photographs I would never see through another lens," said Craig Strong, Lensbaby Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer.

The Sweet 35 allows focus down to 7.5 inches from the front of the lens when used with the Lensbaby Composer and as close as 3 inches when used with the Muse. The 35mm focal length is just wide enough on full-frame cameras and just normal enough on APS C senor cameras, making the Sweet 35 perfect for landscape, environmental portrait, and event photography.

"The Sweet 35's easily changed apertures, wider focal length, and close focus ability make it our most versatile and fun optic," said Strong.

Sweet 35 Optic Product Specs:

* Focal Length: 35mm
* 12-blade internal aperture, controlled by a dial on the front of the optic
* Aperture range from f/2.5 through f/22 (sweet spot size ranges from 15%, at f/2.5, to 40%, at f/22, of total image area on APS-C sensor cameras)
* Selective focus optic (creates a sweet spot of focus surrounded by gradual blur)
* Compatible with Lensbaby Composer, Scout, Muse, and Control Freak lenses*
* Focus distance when used with: Composer: 7.5" to infinity / Scout: 6.5" to infinity / Muse & Control Freak: 3" to infinity
* 4 multi-coated glass elements, in three groups
* 46mm front threads**

*The Sweet 35 Optic is not compatible with the Composer with Tilt Transformer for Micro 4/3rds and Sony NEX Cameras.
**The Sweet 35 Optic is not compatible with current 37mm Lensbaby accessories.
The Lensbaby Sweet 35 Optic is available now for $180.00 (MSRP) from www.lensbaby.com, Lensbaby-authorized photo specialty stores worldwide, and from adorama.com, amazon.com and bhphotovideo.com.

Russia's major mobile operators join hands for unified LTE rollout

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 09:27 PM PST

Ringo and co. said it best, and now Beeline, Megafon, MTS and Rostelekom are getting a little help from their friends. Er, friend. Or maybe it's the other way around? At any rate, the first four have just signed a deal with Yota to build out a nationwide LTE network that'll work across the board. Rather than forcing each operator to do their own thing, the four in question will now have the option to buy 25 percent stakes in Yota; according to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, this unified effort will enable Russia's economy to reap the benefits of a widespread 4G network while other nations (ahem, America) fight to see whether it'll be WiMAX or LTE taking the lead. If you'll recall, Yota was actually one of the first carriers on the planet to serve up commercial 4G, but last year it decided to make the switch from WiMAX to the suddenly popular LTE. The goal here is to have LTE in 180 cities with a total population of more than 70 million citizens by 2014, and we're told that those situated on Little Diomede may actually be the first to get LTE in Alaska. Kidding. Maybe.
Show full PR text
Russia Takes 4G Lead With Strategic Approach to Nationwide Infrastructure Build
- Rival Operators Buy-Into Yota's Vision of the Future of Telecoms

Press Release Source: Yota On Thursday March 3, 2011, 1:09 pm EST

MOSCOW, March 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Yota, the Russian mobile broadband company, has today signed a deal with the country's main network operators that will place Russia at the forefront of the development of 4G telecoms services.

The deal will see Yota become the 4G network provider for the Russian telecoms market and guarantee the roll-out of its LTE network to cover 180 cities with a total population of more than 70 million citizens by 2014.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin witnessed the signing of this landmark agreement by the heads of the leading Russian telecoms operators at Yota's Moscow office.

The agreement will see the country's major network operators - Beeline, Megafon, MTS and Rostelekom - working with Yota to offer 4G services over its network. The deal provides each of the participants with an option to buy shares in Yota in 2014 and sees the realization of Yota's vision of the future of telecoms: the ability to offer open infrastructure to competing service providers.

State corporation Russian Technologies supported the agreement in a bid to ensure an efficient and collaborative approach to rolling-out 4G services. The deal is a major boost to the Russian economy; businesses will avoid costly duplication of infrastructure investment and millions of Russian consumers will benefit from faster access to 4G services and lower prices.

In just three years, Yota has gone from being a start-up company to become a leading visionary in the telecoms sector. This new arrangement places Yota at the heart of Russia's 4G strategy and provides a model for the industry that can be rolled-out across the world.

Yota CEO Dennis Sverdlov comments, "This deal is an endorsement of our vision for the future of the telecoms industry. We firmly believe in the separation of network ownership and service provision and believe that this ground-breaking agreement will drive innovation and benefit Russian consumers. Even more importantly, we believe that Yota can help all operators across the world to take advantage of the massive opportunity that 4G brings."

AT&T to allow grandfathered unlimited iPad data plans on iPad 2, your weekend rave to continue

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 08:24 PM PST

Good news, iPad 3G owners. If you were lucky enough to snag one of those coveted unlimited data plans with your original AT&T iPad, you won't have to toss it when upgrading next week. The carrier has confirmed to us that those who currently have the aforementioned plan will be able to keep it on their account when upgrading to the iPad 2, which in turns gives you no reason whatsoever to turn down the opportunity. Except for the lack of a USB port, SD card slot and a screen that touts the exact same resolution as the first model, of course.

[Thanks, David]

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 steps out with an FCC certification

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 07:50 PM PST

Not much to look at, is it? Still, though, if you squint and use the most overactive parts of your imagination, you can kinda see how this is the Honeycomb-powered Galaxy Tab 10.1 that Samsung is starting to launch in some markets this month. Sure enough, the FCC has granted certification to model number P7100 (the original Galaxy Tab is P7000, by the bye), and the early stamp of approval by the feds plus the support for 850 / 1900MHz 3G gives us hope that there's a plan for an American launch in the near term -- likely on AT&T, we suppose, since this radio setup wouldn't be appropriate for any other of the US nationals. In the meantime, though, we encourage you to stare into this large, white, rectangular space and tell us your deepest thoughts.

How would you change Jolicloud's Jolibook?

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 06:31 PM PST

Jolicloud's Jolibook may not be the hottest selling netbook in the universe (or maybe it is, and we just don't know it), but regardless, it's certainly quite the eye-catcher. For those who diverted from the paths more beaten and picked one up, we're keenly interested in finding out how things are going for you. Are you content with the overall design? Would you have changed anything about the operating system? What about that bulging battery? Would you have rather it ran Windows after extended use? Tell all in comments below, and remember -- no matter how sour you get, you'll always have one bodacious looking lid.

Behold Corsair's Force GT SSD -- flaming red shell and 500 MB/s read and write speeds

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 05:31 PM PST

Feast your eyes upon the latest and greatest SSD from Corsair, the Force GT. Aside from its flaming red façade, the Force GT also promises snappy 520 MB/sec read and 500 MB/sec write speeds thanks to its SandForce SF-2000 controller -- nearly twice as fast as the company's previous SandForce drives. The 240GB SSD will officially be unveiled at CeBIT 2011 (which ends tomorrow), but we thought you'd like to see this ruby-red speed demon a little early. Enjoy.

[Thanks, Bjorn]

N64oid brings Nintendo 64 emulation to Android devices

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 04:26 PM PST

There's not exactly a shortage of video game emulators for Android devices, but there has been one notable, 64-bit exception. That's finally been rectified with the just-released N64oid application, however, which finally brings emulation of Nintendo 64 games to the platform -- and, like the other emulators from developer Yongzh, it's conveniently available right in the Android Market (for $5.99). As you might expect, there are a few glitches and hiccups to be found even on high-end phones like the Nexus S, but it does seem to run remarkably well for an initial release and, as Download Squad points out, you can also use a separate, freely-available app to add some Wiimote controls to the proceedings. Also, it means you can play Goldeneye on your phone. Video after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Microsoft kicks off effort to rid the world of Internet Explorer 6

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 03:42 PM PST

"Friends don't let friends use Internet Explorer 6." A quote from any random web developer over the past ten years? Nope, that's from Microsoft itself, and it's featured on the Internet Explorer 6 Countdown site that the company just launched today. As you can see above, the site also includes statistics on IE6 use around the world (China is apparently the biggest offender by a wide margin), as well as information about how you can "join the cause" and educate others about the perils of using such a horrible, outdated web browser.

National Day of Unplugging 2011 starts now, but only after you tweet about it

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 03:00 PM PST

Darren Murph was scheduled to write about the National Day of Unplugging 2011, which spans from sundown on March 4th to sundown on March 5th. Unfortunately, this post was delegated to him too late in the evening. He had already "unplugged." You could bother to search Facebook and Twitter to see his last snippet of digital communication for the day, but then you'd be laughing in the face of this marvelous idea. Your call. You know who you have to answer to in the end.

Gizmo5 shutting down on April 3rd, credits can be transferred to Google Voice

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 02:09 PM PST

Google may not have offered too many details when it acquired VoIP outfit Gizmo5 back in November of 2009, but it's not like any of that matters now. Gizmo5 customers around the globe are receiving an email today notifying them of the service's impending closure, with April 3rd pegged as the final day that calls can be made. After March 11th, you'll no longer be able to add credit to your account, but you can request a refund or have your remaining credits transferred to Google Voice (if you're in the US). Head on past the break for the full message, and feel free to pour one out. Or, you know, just wipe that FOF off of your face by watching this.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Hello,

Gizmo5 is writing to let you know that we will no longer be providing service starting on April 3, 2011. A week from today, March 11, 2011, you will no longer be able to add credit to your account.

Although the standalone Gizmo5 client will no longer be available, we have since launched the ability to call phones from within Gmail at even more affordable rates.

If you purchased calling credit and have a balance remaining in your account, you can request a refund by logging in to http://my.gizmo5.com. If you are in the United States, you can instead choose to transfer your credit to a Google Voice account, so it can be used for calling from Google Voice or Gmail. If you don't have a Google Voice account, please create one so that we can transfer your credit.

Please request a call credit transfer or refund by April 3, 2011. If you don't request a call credit transfer or refund by this date, we will automatically refund your remaining call credit via the payment method you originally used to purchase the credit. Note that if you paid via Moneybookers or if the credit card on file has expired, we will not be able to automatically refund your unused credit, so please log in to initiate the refund process.

Thank you,

The Gizmo5 Team

Sirius XM to debut Tiger Blood Radio: all Charlie Sheen, all day long

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 01:37 PM PST

Charlie Sheen has a pretty impressive track record: in addition to a twenty-five-plus year movie career, he's brought tacky bowling shirts to the forefront of American consciousness, earned a Golden Globe Icon award, and shot his onetime fiance Kelly Preston. Is this enough to warrant an entire radio channel dedicated to the man who describes himself as having a "10,000-year-old brain and the boogers of a 7-year-old"? Apparently Sirius XM certainly thinks so. That's right: the company has announced that Tiger Blood Radio will air for twenty-four hours beginning tomorrow at 6:00 am ET on Sirius channel 108 and XM channel 139. "[C]reated in response to the national conversation sparked by the recent events surrounding actor Charlie Sheen," the company said in a statement, the station "will take listeners behind the headlines, exploring the media frenzy/media reaction, as well as the medical, psychological, psychiatric and pop culture and celebrity angles." This definitely sounds like award winning journalism, and not a cynical way to make a few bucks off someone who's clearly spinning out of control -- Adonis DNA or not. PR after the break.
Show full PR text
March 4, 2011
SiriusXM Creates 'Tiger Blood Radio'

Experts and special guests explore the story the nation is following

Hear all about Charlie Sheen from every angle

NEW YORK, March 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sirius XM Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) today announced that it has created "Tiger Blood Radio," a 24-hour limited run channel that will explore the breaking news, facts, fallout and career implications of the Charlie Sheen controversy. "Tiger Blood Radio" will air from March 5 at 6:00 am ET to March 6 at 6:00 am ET on Sirius channel 108 and XM channel 139.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101014/NY82093LOGO )

"Tiger Blood Radio" was created in response to the national conversation sparked by the recent events surrounding actor Charlie Sheen.

"Tiger Blood Radio" will take listeners behind the headlines, exploring the media frenzy/media reaction, as well as the medical, psychological, psychiatric and pop culture and celebrity angles. Additionally, through a recap of news coverage, it will offer a timeline of recent events.

During the exclusive, limited run channel, SiriusXM listeners will hear archival Playboy Radio clips featuring "Goddess"/current live-in girlfriend Bree Olson, a Playboy Radio contributor. In addition, Sheen's ex-fiancee/Spice Radio host Ginger Lynn shares stories of her relationship with him on Tiffany Granath's Playboy Radio show; and adult film star Kacey Jordan talks to Playboy Radio's Night Calls about her times with Sheen.

For more information visit www.siriusxm.com.

About Sirius XM Radio

Sirius XM Radio is America's satellite radio company. SiriusXM broadcasts more than 135 satellite radio channels of commercial-free music, and premier sports, news, talk, entertainment, traffic, weather, and data services to 20.2 million subscribers. SiriusXM offers an array of content from many of the biggest names in entertainment, as well as from professional sports leagues, major colleges, and national news and talk providers.

SiriusXM programming is available on more than 800 devices, including pre-installed and after-market radios in cars, trucks, boats and aircraft, smartphones and mobile devices, and consumer electronics products for homes and offices. SiriusXM programming is also available at siriusxm.com, and on Apple, BlackBerry and Android-powered mobile devices.

SiriusXM has arrangements with every major automaker and its radio products are available for sale at shop.siriusxm.com as well as retail locations nationwide.

This communication contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations, products and services; and other statements identified by words such as "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimated," "intend," "plan," "projection," "outlook" or words of similar meaning. Such forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statement: our competitive position versus other forms of audio and video entertainment; our ability to retain subscribers and maintain our average monthly revenue per subscriber; our dependence upon automakers and other third parties; our substantial indebtedness; and the useful life of our satellites, which, in most cases, are not insured. Additional factors that could cause our results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, which is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and available at the SEC's Internet site (http://www.sec.gov). The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.

NeuroSky shows off MyndPlay, we control movies with our brainwaves (video)

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 01:04 PM PST

Would you pay $100 to control the outcome of a movie with the power of your mind? That's what NeuroSky and Triete Labs are banking on with MyndPlay. Simply put, it uses NeuroSky's $99 Mindwave headset with a custom video player that monitors your mental activity during critical points in specially designed films, and offers multiple outcomes depending on your focus and relaxation levels. For instance, in Paranormal Mynd (above), you play an exorcist who must drive a evil spirit away -- if you don't focus intently, this woman will choke to death. Another gangster film has you dodging bullets and sports multiple endings; depending on how relaxed and concentrated you are, you could come away clean, take a bullet to the head, or dodge poorly and have the projectile strike your friend dead instead. MyndPlay plans to produce a raft of such short-form content for $0.49 to $1.99 per episode, and also let you shoot and share your own, scripting sequences with a tool to be released next month called MyndPlay Pro.

We gave Paranormal Mynd a try at GDC 2011, and came away somewhat impressed -- you definitely can control the outcome of a scene, but it doesn't work quite like you'd expect. Since NeuroSky's technology is still limited to detecting the mental states of concentration and relaxation, you can't "will" the movie to go the way you'd like with your thoughts -- in fact, thinking about anything rather than what you're seeing on screen seemed to register as a form of distraction, and lowered our scores. Instead, the ticket to success seemed to be focusing intently on processing the images on screen and clearing our head of all thought or emotion, making us feel totally brain-dead even as we aced the scene. If that sort of zombification sounds like fun, watch a couple video teasers after the break!



Apple confirms $100 refund for those who recently purchased an original iPad

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 12:36 PM PST

Much like the company did when it suddenly dropped the price of its original iPhone, Apple is giving $100 back to those who purchased an iPad up to a fortnight before the March 2nd unveiling of the iPad 2. If our math is correct, that makes February 16th the cutoff date, and it's being reported that those in the US will see $100 placed back on their credit card, while those overseas will get £100 / €100 back in their pocket. If you've suddenly found yourself in this pool, you'll need to head back to a brick-and-mortar location with your receipt to get the refund processed, or if you ordered online, you'll need to call Apple's 1-800 number and use your smoothest late-night voice when asking nicely for your Benjamin back. Godspeed.

MacBook Pro review (early 2011)

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 12:00 PM PST

Apple might say we're in the post-PC era, but hey -- turns out they still make Macs in Cupertino, and the new MacBook Pro is actually one of the more aggressive refreshes in the machine's history. Not only has it been less than a year since the last MacBook Pro spec bump, but our 15-inch review unit is actually the first Sandy Bridge system we've received from any manufacturer. And it's not just the CPU that's new: Apple's also launching the new Thunderbolt high-speed interconnect, and there's been a big switch to an AMD Radeon HD 6750M GPU paired with Intel's integrated HD Graphics 3000, an arrangement that should offer both solid graphics performance and great battery life. That's a lot of new parts in a familiar case -- but do they add up to something more than just a speed bump? Read on for our full review!
MacBook Pro (early 2011) unboxing and hands-on


Look and feel

It's been nearly three years since the MacBook Pro last had a significant design change, so you'll need some eagle eyes to tell these new models apart from its predecessors. Seriously, Thunderbolt even uses the Mini DisplayPort connector, so the only distinguishing characteristics are the lightning-strike Thunderbolt icon on the port row and a subtle new texture to the aluminum lid. Oh, and the SD slot is now SDXC. Almost everything else is exactly the same: the still-best-in-class keyboard and glass multitouch trackpad, the standard glossy display, the ports, the sealed-in battery, you name it.

That's both good and bad, of course: Apple's competitors have only recently gained any ground on the MacBook Pro's unibody build quality and stiffness, but would it really kill anyone to throw in a couple extra USB ports? And maybe space them out enough to allow for both a thumb drive or wireless card and another device without an extension cable? That would be cool. And while we're at it, we'd also love that optional higher-res 1680 x 1050 display to come standard -- in matte, if possible. We will not even begin to lament the lack of a Blu-ray option; down that road lies only the aching pain of desire forever unfulfilled.

To sum this up: it looks and feels exactly like a MacBook Pro. It's still the industry standard in terms of design and quality, but after three years competitors like the HP Envy 14 have started knocking on the door, and we'd like to see the best get even better the next time around.

Performance, graphics, and battery life

No two ways about this: the new MacBook Pro is the fastest laptop we've ever tested, hands-down. We were sent the stock $2,199 15-inch MacBook Pro, and its 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7-2720QM, 4GB of RAM, and AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics with 1GB of dedicated GDDR5 RAM turned in numbers exceeding any Mac we've ever had in the labs. In fact, the raw CPU score is so high you'd have to step to a Mac Pro and Xeon processors to get anything faster, as far as we can tell. (That'll obviously change when Apple bumps the iMac line to Sandy Bridge.)

OS X Benchmarks Geekbench Xbench OpenGL
 Battery Life
MacBook Pro (early 2011) (2.2GHz Core i7-2720QM, Radeon HD 6750M / Intel Graphics 3000) 9647 340.1 (Radeon) / 157.78 (Intel) 7:27
MacBook Pro (early 2010) (2.66GHz Core i7-620M, GeForce GT 330M) 5395 228.22 5:18
iMac (mid 2010) (3.06GHz Core i3-540, Radeon HD 4670) 5789 unavailable n/a
iMac (late 2009) (2.8GHz Core i7-860, Radeon HD 4850)
 8312 191.08 n/a
MacBook Air (late 2010) (1.83GHz Core 2 Duo, GeForce 320M) 2717 117.38 ~7:30
Notes: battery life on all machines but the Air calculated using our standard video rundown test; Air was a usage test

Let's talk about those graphics scores for a moment. While the Radeon HD 6750M performed admirably when active, it also seemed to run a little hot -- yes, we got between 80 and 130fps running around in Half-Life 2: Episode 2 at native res, but the fan kicked in as soon as we launched the game, and it stayed on loudly the entire time, even as the case got noticeably warm around the hinge. It's obviously a capable GPU, but it's a good thing the system automatically switches to the integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 when it's not needed -- there's a serious decrease in heat and power usage.

Unfortunately, reduced heat and power usage comes at the expense of raw capability. Intel's integrated graphics have never been much to write home about, and while HD Graphics 3000 is an improvement, it's still pretty slow. Apple told us Intel integrated graphics performance should equal or exceed the previous Pro's integrated NVIDIA GeForce 320M, but we found it to be slightly slower at every turn, although not enough so to be dramatically noticeable. It's not a huge problem on the 15- and 17-inch Pros, since you can fall back on that Radeon, but we wouldn't try to do more than average HD media playback or casual gaming on the entirely-Intel 13-inch model.

On a happier note, we set up Boot Camp and ran benchmarks in Windows 7 to provide some more context to our numbers, and the MacBook Pro crushed those tests as well -- the VAIO Z only got a better PCMarkVantage score because of its fast SSD, and the Envy 17 just barely pulled out better graphics performance. (You can configure the MBP with a 128GB SSD for $100 extra, which should probably be standard over the pokey 5,400RPM hard drive.) Playing a little Batman: Arkham Asylum while booted in Windows netted a smooth 60fps at native resolution while meandering about, with a dip to 55fps during fights.

Windows Benchmarks PCMarkVantage 3DMark06
MacBook Pro (early 2011) (2.2GHz Core i7-2720QM, Radeon HD 6750M, under Windows 7) 8041 10,262
HP Envy 14 (Core i5-450M, Radeon HD 5650) 6038 1928 / 6899
Toshiba Portege R705 (Core i3-350M) 5024 1739 / 3686
Sony VAIO Z (Core i5-450M, NVIDIA 330M) 9949 6,193
HP Envy 17 (Core i7-740QM, Radeon HD 5850) 6153 10,787
Dell XPS 14 (Core i5-460M, NVIDIA 420M) 5796 1955 / 6827
Notes: For 3DMark06, the first number reflects score with the discrete GPU off (if possible), the second with it on.

Needless to say, we had no problems getting through a workday on the new MBP -- we generally juggle Firefox, Chrome, email, a couple chat clients, and various image and video editing tasks on and off throughout a day, and things never felt sluggish or laggy at all. Used this way, we also managed to get around seven hours of battery life, which is pretty impressive -- we imagine things would have dipped had we fired up the Radeon more often, but in day-to-day usage the Intel graphics did just fine.

And fair kudos to Apple: with the MacBook Air, the company switched to a new battery test that automates browsing popular sites over WiFi at standard brightness, which generates a more accurate number, but also means the new MBP actually is rated lower than the outgoing model using the same battery. That's a solidly consumer-friendly move, and one we definitely wish more PC manufacturers would make as well.

FaceTime HD

Apple's been chugging along with VGA webcams on their machines for so long we were actually shocked when we found out the new MacBook Pro has an upgraded 720p FaceTime HD camera in the lid. Image quality is obviously improved from the previous generation, and we noticed a slightly cooler cast. We'd love some fine-grained image controls at the system level for this camera -- even just white balance and exposure sliders would go a long, long way.

Although FaceTime now supports HD calling, Photo Booth weirdly hasn't been updated and still takes VGA shots. Same with Skype, which only supports sending VGA video on OS X right now -- we'd imagine an HD-ready update is a much higher priority now, though.

Thunderbolt

There's just not much to say about Thunderbolt right now -- yes, the port is there, but there aren't any peripherals that use the new 10Gbps dual-channel interconnect just yet. LaCie's announced a dual-SSD Little Big Disk and Promise has announced a Pegasus RAID, but neither of those are shipping yet. Of course, Thunderbolt also carries Mini DisplayPort video, and we were able to drive an external 24-inch monitor without any issues, using an existing Mini DisplayPort-to-DVI adapter. We'll note once again that this marks the first time we can remember Apple switching standards without switching connectors -- a watershed moment in the history of dongle purchasing.

In any event, we're marking Thunderbolt as an incomplete right now -- until there are peripherals to support it, it might as well just be a Mini DisplayPort. That'll change soon, though, and we'll revisit the subject when that happens.

Wrap-up

Apple's forging headlong into its next era with the iPad and iPhone, and it almost seems like the company's forgotten about its Macs at times -- note that this MacBook Pro arrived in somewhat unheralded fashion just few days before the iPad 2. But the new Pro is something of a wolf in sheep's clothing: although it's perfectly disguised as the previous MacBook Pro, there's no mistaking its raw, visceral speed once you start using it. It's twice as fast as the outgoing model, 2.5 times as fast as the model before that, and almost five times faster than the 11.6-inch MacBook Air... all while getting the same seven-hour battery life in the real world. It's hard to say anything bad about that.

Of course, there's no getting around the fact that the MacBook Pro is still incredibly expensive and omits what should be no-brainer features -- $2,199 for two USB ports and no Blu-ray drive? -- but those are tradeoffs and prices professional Mac users have long become used to, just like this particular MacBook Pro design itself. Something tells us the next revision of the MacBook Pro will offer a more radical external redesign to go along with Lion, but that's a long ways off -- until then, this MacBook Pro represents the best blend of power, portability, and battery life we've come across to date. We'll see how the PC world responds with its Sandy Bridge systems soon enough.

Joanna Stern contributed to this review.

CBS & Turner Sports are streaming all the March Madness games to PCs, iPhones & iPads for free

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 11:32 AM PST

Every year CBS has enhanced its March Madness On Demand experience, from HD VOD on cable boxes to HD streaming on PCs before adding PiP and paid mobile access last year. For 2011, a new deal has brought in Turner Sports to not only provide enough channels to air all the games in high definition (we figure you'll find CBS, TNT and TBS on the channel guide with no problem, but with some of the games diverted to lesser known TruTV HD check the HDSportsGuide link below to see if it's in your area yet) but also expand the streaming experience by promising higher quality video, personalized channel lineup and social tie ins. If you're on the go, the mobile client for iOS devices (sorry, no Android or other mobile OSes) is free this year so you can keep that fiver in your pocket this time. There's another pic of the iPad client, a video trailer and all sorts of details waiting after the break, so click through to find out more or just wait for the free apps to hit iTunes March 10th.



Show full PR text
Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA® Announce a Newly Enhanced NCAA MARCH MADNESS® on DEMAND for the 2011 Division I Men's Basketball Championship

NCAA March Madness on Demand to Now Provide Live Video via Online, Tablets and Mobile Devices

Features to include larger format video player, TV companion views, and integrated social tools

Atlanta, Ga., March 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA announced today the newly enhanced NCAA March Madness on Demand (MMOD) live products to be launched for the upcoming 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. NCAA March Madness on Demand, produced by Turner Sports Interactive, will be available across multiple digital platforms, including online (http://mmod.ncaa.com), as an iPhone and iPod Touch app, and for the first time, as an iPad app. Among the new features, MMOD will offer improved live viewing with richer quality and larger format streams, a personalizable channel lineup feature, and live stats and social companion views.

NCAA March Madness on Demand will provide live streaming video of every game of the new 68-team tournament as they are broadcast by CBS Sports and Turner Sports, starting with the First Four™ from Dayton, OH on March 15, and continuing through the Men's Final Four® semifinals and national championship game from Houston, TX on April 2 and April 4.

The 2011 NCAA March Madness on Demand will be free to users across all platforms, including the full versions of the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch apps over Wi-fi and 3G, continuing its run as the largest annual digital sports event. The NCAA March Madness on Demand mobile applications will be available for free starting March 10 from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch located at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

"At Turner Sports we pride ourselves on being a leader in digital innovation and are thrilled to partner with CBS Sports and the NCAA to enhance one of the most popular online properties in sports," said Lenny Daniels, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Turner Sports. "We believe the new components we are offering will give the fan a fully immersive experience through online, mobile and on tablets from the start of the First Four through the final buzzer of the National Championship."

"Since CBSSports.com, CBS Sports, and the NCAA first partnered to produce this service in 2003, NCAA March Madness on Demand has seen explosive growth and is now the unquestioned digital sports event of the year," said Jason Kint, Senior Vice President and General Manager, CBSSports.com. "As MMOD continues to be enhanced and distributed on multiple platforms as part of our new partnership with Turner, the ultimate winners are the millions of college basketball fans around the world who now have more ways than ever to follow this great tournament."

"MMOD is the primary online destination for fans of NCAA March Madness," said Greg Shaheen, Interim Executive Vice President of Championships and Alliances, NCAA. "The NCAA enters a new dimension with Turner Sports and CBS Sports that provides men's basketball fans with enhanced features that will further enrich their online and mobile viewing experience. With cutting-edge enhancements, MMOD is certain to provide our fans with an incredible online experience during this year's men's basketball championship."

Additional Features Include:
My Channels makes it easy for fans to find games on TV. The online, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad apps list all four TV networks: TBS, TNT, truTV and CBS by default. Through My Channels, fans can plug in their zip code, select their TV provider and see their channel lineup for every game.
The Game Center View is a true companion experience with live in-game stats. Fans can follow key stats of every team while watching games on TV. A full range of team stats include box score stats, team leaders, scoring streaks, biggest lead, and foul trouble.
The Coke Zero NCAA March Madness Social Arena will provide a gathering point for the March Madness conversation that will be displayed as a Social commentary. Complete with live social hosts, fan comments, and TBS and CBS courtside reporters, it will capture news, trends, and sentiment of fans throughout the tournament. The March Madness Social Arena will extend onto Facebook and NCAA.com with a way for fans to LIKE teams in each round and build their social score in a innovative view of the traditional bracket, as well as comment on games, interact with the social hosts, and rate highlights.
Previously produced and managed by CBSSports.com, NCAA March Madness on Demand is the Emmy award-winning video player that since its inception in 2003 has provided millions of fans around the world access to live video of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, in the process becoming one of the largest annual events on the Internet. As part of the new 14-year multi-platform partnership between Turner, CBS and the NCAA, Turner Sports Interactive now produces NCAA March Madness on Demand while both Turner Sports and CBS Sports partner for the sales, marketing and presentation of MMOD. NCAA March Madness on Demand will continue to be launched from NCAA.com, CBSSports.com and SI.com as well as multiple Turner and Time Warner platforms.

As part of the agreement, CBS Sports and Turner Sports will broadcast live and in their entirety every game from the Division I Men's Basketball Championship across four national television networks: TBS, TNT, truTV and CBS – a first for the 73-year old championship. The tournament field will be announced on Selection Sunday on March 13 on CBS and the tournament will begin with the First Four airing in primetime on Tuesday, March 15 and Wednesday, March 16 on truTV.

About Turner Sports
Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports' television line-up includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company's digital portfolio includes SI.com, NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com, PGATOUR.COM, GOLF.com and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.

About CBS Sports
CBS Sports, a year-round leader in television sports, broadcasts a portfolio of events on the CBS Television Network, including the NFL's American Football Conference; THE NFL TODAY; college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship; golf, including The Masters(r) and PGA Championship; college football, including the SEC ON CBS; the U.S. Open Tennis Championships; CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR, including track & field, auto racing and gymnastics. In addition, the division directs CBS Sports Network, a 24-hour national cable network; produces INSIDE THE NFL for SHOWTIME; and partners with CBSSports.com in creating a recognized leader among sports Internet destinations.

About the NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.NCAA.org and www.NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions - AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola - and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners - Enterprise, The Hartford, Hershey's, Infiniti, LG, Lowe's, Planters, Unilever and UPS.

NCAA, Final Four, First Four and March Madness are trademarks owned or licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Google Maps routes itself to v5.2, gets hotpot tweets, Latitude 'pings' and better search results

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 11:10 AM PST

We're still waiting for someone to one-up Google Maps Navigation, but until that fateful day shines down upon us, it looks as if we'll have to once again point our attention to El Goog. Google Maps has just been updated to version 5.2, with three main additions to focus on. For one, the new edition allows users to tweet their reviews of places and share recommendations with Hotpot friends. Next up, there's Latitude pinging, which enables you to send a quick message to a nearby Latitude friend rather than having to use a text or call; they'll receive an Android notification from you asking them to check in at a place, and when they check in using your request, you'll get a notification right back so you know which place to go to meet up with them. Finally, a new 'Search More Places' button has been added under the standard list of places to check in at, which ought to prove helpful in highly congested cities with multiple places stacked atop one another. Hit that Android Market link below to get your update going, and if you're fixing to use that new ping feature, you and your friends will need v5.2 (or higher, if you're reading this in the year 2043).

Verizon hosts its own iPad 2 notification portal, no last-minute mention of LTE to be found

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 10:47 AM PST

We knew good and well that both Verizon Wireless and AT&T would be getting their own 3G iPad 2, and while the latter is still trumpeting the original iPad on its site, VZW has gone ahead and put up a placeholder for what's next. A scant four months after the first iPad hit Verizon airwaves (by way of a MiFi), the "thinner, lighter, faster and FaceTime-equipped" model is just around the bend -- complete with an embedded CDMA 3G module. Hit the source link if you'd like to be notified of updates, or just make sure to wake up on March 11th. Whatever's easier for you.

[Thanks, Aaron]

AT&T Mobile Hotspot for iPhone 4 limited to just three WiFi devices (update: it's an iOS 4.3 thing)

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 10:24 AM PST

Say it ain't so! According to this here slide, which details a bit of insidery AT&T information about the impending release of iOS 4.3, Ma Bell's iPhone 4 will have its Personal Hotspot restricted to use with just three devices. Just about every MiFi / mobile hotspot device we've ever seen -- including Verizon's iPhone 4 -- has supported five WiFi devices, but unless AT&T pulls a 180 here, it'll be limiting its iPhone to just three connections. What's wild is that we've found AT&T to actually have superior 3G speeds when you can actually get a signal (and thus, be more conducive to tethering five devices at once), and since you'd be on a data cap anyway, it's not like AT&T risks losing millions from five P2P servers being ran over one's iPhone. Granted, it's possible that some unicorn crafted this piece of paperwork to throw us all off, but we've reached out to AT&T and are awaiting comment. You know, just in case.

Update: Based on Apple's iOS 4.3 page, only three WiFi devices are supported through the Personal Hotspot connection. If you'd like to tether five total devices, the other two will need to be over Bluetooth / USB. Don't go blaming AT&T here -- we're guessing Verizon's model will be set up the same way. Thanks, Christian!

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Coda sets target of 50,000 electric vehicles sold by 2015, mostly in the US

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 10:04 AM PST

Upstart Coda Automotive may not have met its original goal to start selling its all-electic sedan in California by the end of 2010, but that's not stopping it from making some other fairly bold projections. Apparently, the company is now on track to begin selling the car in the US sometime in the second half of this year, and it's set a target of 10,000 to 14,000 cars sold in the first 12 months after its launch, and a full 50,000 sold by 2015 -- all mostly in the United States. As for the car itself, it doesn't look like a whole lot has changed lately -- it'll run you $37,400 after the federal tax savings, and give you a range of between 90 and 120 miles on a charge from its lithium iron phosphate battery, which can be fully topped off in just six hours. You can already reserve one at the link below if that sounds like the electric car you've been waiting for.
at 11:49 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

My Blog List