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Engadget News |
- Sprint LG Viper 4G up for pre-order now, coming on April 22nd
- Nintendo puts 3DS in the Louvre, France remains generally indifferent
- CE-Oh no he didn't!: Tony Fadell calls Honeywell out on patent claims
- Amazon CloudSearch brings A9 to devs and businesses
- RIM patent application ponders a desk dock for your BlackBerry
- Shigeru Miyamoto admits he's a fan of Angry Birds, just like the rest of us
- LogMeIn branches out from its remote desktop roots, intros Cubby cloud sharing service
- Leaked Microsoft roadmap reveals Office 15, IE 10 and Windows Phone details
- Facebook revealing the personal data it collects, won't spare your drunk-poking blushes
- Three iPad giveaways in three days: day two, courtesy of CloudOn!
- OCZ says its Indilinx controller is actually built by Marvell, but has custom firmware
- Cactus Ridge Thunderbolt controllers now shipping?
- US Court: Code isn't property, therefore it can't be stolen
- Kindle Touch update adds Europe-friendly languages, landscape mode
- Sony SmartWatch now available in the US for $150
- Canon unveils EOS-1D C and C500 4K Cinema cameras, two new lenses ahead of NAB
- Fusion-io announces ioFX, a super-SSD that's already garnered an Oscar
- Genius Ring Air Mouse scrolls through the FCC, added buttons in tow
- Adobe outs Premier Pro CS6: a 'massive release' with better multicam and more
- Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 remote viewfinder hands-on (video)
- BT super-charges fiber-optic broadband today, for the lucky few who can get it
- Australia pondering joining e-book lawsuit bandwagon
- Intel plans to roll out Ivy Bridge based Xeon E3s, low-power Atom chips for micro servers
- MythTV 0.25 is finally available with a bundle of new features
- PS Vita gets (another) firmware update, free-to-play Montezuma Blitz available now
- Kaz Hirai reveals 'One Sony' turnaround strategy, will cut 10,000 jobs
- Biegert & Funk bring the literal time to your wristwatch with QLOCKTWO W
- LG Optimus 3D Max wages dual-core war in benchmark tests
- Marketplace takes a look at how the iPad is made and who, exactly, builds it
- Jaws debuts on Blu-ray August 14th remastered and upmixed (video)
- Apple TV (2012) raids iPad 2 parts bin, packs 32nm A5 silicon
- Apple Macintosh 128k prototype with 5.25-inch Twiggy floppy drive for sale on eBay
- Microsoft wins injunction in Washington against Motorola, can keep selling stuff in Germany
- Samsung prices Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 at $400, rings up a fresh pair of Galaxy Players for $150, $200
- Intel says 75 Ultrabooks in the pipeline with 3rd-gen HD 2500 and 4000 GPUs
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) review
- Facebook launches 'groups for schools,' keeps enrollment tight
- Verizon HTC Incredible 4G gets press render, sheepishly grins for Mr. Blurrycam
- Google brings better YouTube integration to Orkut, hopes you haven't forgotten
- Google Currents app updated with international support, offline reading
| Sprint LG Viper 4G up for pre-order now, coming on April 22nd Posted: 12 Apr 2012 11:05 AM PDT  Just as promised when we first met the carrier's Viper 4G, Sprint's placing the device up for pre-order today. Notably, rumors of an eventual April 22nd release date can now rest comfortably, with The Now Network saying it'll do its best to get the Gingerbread handset on all early-adopting hands before Sunday. For being one of Sprint's initial LTE slabs, the Viper bears a flexible $99 price tag -- of course, that's with a two-year deal, a $50 mail-in rebate and an understanding that the carrier's LTE waves aren't even live yet. If you're not due an upgrade just yet, though, then you'll have to part ways with around $400. Sound good? Head over to the source below to give it a last gander before you decide to add it to your cart. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nintendo puts 3DS in the Louvre, France remains generally indifferent Posted: 12 Apr 2012 10:43 AM PDT  Sharing a birthplace with Arséne Wenger, Jean-Paul Satre and Jules Verne, the Louvre is France's most prized national treasure. In partnership with Nintendo, the museum finally replaced those cumbersome handheld guides with 3DS units a fortnight after the anticipated March launch. The consoles will provide a variety of tours, offering detailed lectures around the entire museum, or the Cliff's Notes edition for the lazy connoisseur. Shigeru Miyamoto popped up to demonstrate that you can examine HD snaps and 3D images of the sculptures on show, just in case looking up and seeing it in the The Louvre museum and Nintendo join forces to release the Audioguide Louvre - Nintendo 3DS 10th April 2012 - As part of an ongoing partnership between Nintendo Co., Ltd and the Louvre Museum in Paris, the most visited art museum in the world, Nintendo will be providing the Louvre with Nintendo 3DS systems that will house an exclusive audio guide. The Audioguide Louvre - Nintendo 3DS will become available in the Louvre for visitors to enjoy from 11th April 2012 onwards. With this partnership, Nintendo and the Louvre hope that visitors to the museum will be aided with a tool to deepen their knowledge of art culture in a fun and interactive way. Developers working at Nintendo Co., Ltd, based in Kyoto, Japan have developed the audio guide which is housed within the Nintendo 3DS system, in order to support the enjoyment and appreciation of the Louvre's exhibits for many of the museum's 8.9 million annual visitors. The audio guide will provide audio and visual tools which will help visitors to understand and deepen their knowledge of the artwork and exhibits in place. Through utilising the unique features of the Nintendo 3DS system including 3D images and animation, the guide includes an interactive map that allows visitors to see exactly where they are in the museum. It also offers over 700 commentaries on the works of art, providing a fresh perspective on the Louvre's collections and the story behind the building itself. The versatile guide can be tailored to individual tastes and really brings the artwork to life, thanks to commentaries recorded by the museum's curators and lecturers. Mr Barbaret, Managing Director of the Louvre, comments, "I'm particularly pleased that our partnership with Nintendo has taken this new form today, thanks to the new multimedia audio guide on the Nintendo 3DS system. Through this partnership, we wanted to bring together heritage and the innovative world of interactive entertainment through a system many people are already familiar with. We feel that the Nintendo 3DS is perfect to achieve this goal. Nintendo has brought over 35 years of experience in games and game console development, and we believe that the new audio guide is a valuable tool that will help visiting the Louvre a more dynamic and rewarding experience, particularly for those that are not so familiar with a museum environment." Mr Satoru Iwata, Global President at Nintendo Co., Ltd, comments "Nintendo is honoured that the Nintendo 3DS system will be able to support and provide this exclusive audio guide to such a renowned and popular art museum. Nintendo's experience within the development of games that can be enjoyed by all, regardless of age and gender, has been utilised with the aim that visitors to the Louvre museum will have further enriched opportunities to experience the exhibits on offer." Features of the Audioguide Louvre - Nintendo 3DS The self-guided tour This includes over 700 audio commentaries and photos, many in high definition. With simple and engaging explanations, specialists from the Louvre give visitors background information to help them understand the works on display. The essential works This is a selection of major works of art highlighted on the interactive map, to ensure visitors don't miss the museum's most important pieces. Visitors can create their own itinerary through the museum to discover the pieces they want to see. Tours to help discover the museum There is a choice of two themed tours, specially devised for those visiting the Louvre for the first time. Each tour lasts approximately 45 minutes: "Masterpieces" tour - This tour allows visitors to discover or rediscover the museum's most famous pieces such as the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, guided step-by-step through some of the Louvre's most prestigious rooms. "Egypt for all the family" tour (coming soon) - Humorous and informative, this tour brings to life the Egyptian people and the area around the River Nile, the work of the peasants and craftsmen and the power of the pharaohs. Visitors are encouraged to observe in more detail and make sense of the objects on display. To test their knowledge they are quizzed with multimedia games throughout the visit. Adapted tour (coming soon) Commentaries accessible to disabled visitors: the hearing impaired can access a video-guided tour in French sign language which focuses on the Louvre's major works. Visitors with visual impairment are able to visit the special touch gallery. Audioguide visits of the temporary exhibition Up until 25th June 2012, discover the mysterious secrets revealed in the exhibition "The Saint Anne, Leonardo da Vinci's Ultimate Masterpiece", with explanations by Vincent Delieuvin, head of the Louvre's paintings department and curator of the exhibition. An innovative location function Housed in a huge building, with collections spread over three wings and four floors, finding your way in the museum can be daunting for some visitors. With the support of Nintendo's location estimation technology, you no longer have an excuse for getting lost in one of the world's largest museums. The new audio guide allows visitors to see where they are at any moment on the museum map. With the dual screens of Nintendo 3DS, you can visualise the main map of the floor you are on, and your exact position. 3D without glasses Interactive animations, 3D models of major works, 3D images of the museum spaces... Perhaps you'd love to be able to see the back of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, but can't get round the statue because it's placed against a wall. With 3D technology, admire the works of art from every angle! HD photos Many high definition photos accompany the commentaries, helping you identify each object and access additional information. Use the HD zoom and see the rich detail of each piece: investigate the landscape behind the Mona Lisa, attempt to recognise the characters portrayed in The Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon (by Jacques-Louis David), and admire the architecture shown in The Wedding Feast at Cana (by Veronese). Nintendo 3DS pioneers the next dimensional shift in technology - bringing portable entertainment and content in 3D without the need for special glasses. To discover the unique experience the Audioguide Louvre - Nintendo 3DS offers, visit the Louvre Museum from 11th April 2012. Keep up to date with all the official Nintendo announcements and exclusive new game information by following the official Nintendo UK Twitter feed. Please note: The Audioguide Louvre - Nintendo 3DS is available in French, English, German, Korean, Spanish, Italian and Japanese only. A version in French sign language will also be available soon. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CE-Oh no he didn't!: Tony Fadell calls Honeywell out on patent claims Posted: 12 Apr 2012 10:21 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amazon CloudSearch brings A9 to devs and businesses Posted: 12 Apr 2012 10:01 AM PDT  Amazon certainly isn't the first to offer hosted search services for third parties, but its model might make it the simplest option. Businesses or devs looking to create custom search indexes need only to upload what they want to make searchable and Amazon takes care of the rest -- including deciding how much hardware to provision based on index size and traffic. Using the company's A9 search engine, CloudSearch can quickly whip up complex query tools, including support for Boolean functions. For more details check out the PR after the break. Amazon Web Services Launches Amazon CloudSearch A fully managed and highly scalable search service that businesses can easily integrate into websites and applications to deliver a fast search experience SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amazon Web Services LLC (AWS), an Amazon.com company (NASDAQ:AMZN), today introduced Amazon CloudSearch, a new service that allows customers to easily integrate a fast, fully managed and highly scalable search functionality into their applications. Developers simply create a search domain, upload the data they want searchable, and Amazon CloudSearch automatically provisions the technology resources required and deploys the highly tuned search indexes needed – as simple as that, the search functionality is up and running. Amazon CloudSearch seamlessly scales as the amount of searchable data increases or as the query rate changes, and businesses can change search parameters, fine tune search relevance and apply new settings at any time without having to upload the data again. Amazon CloudSearch offers low, pay-as-you-go pricing with no up-front expenses or long-term commitments. To get started with Amazon CloudSearch, visit http://aws.amazon.com/cloudsearch. "Amazon CloudSearch frees customers from worrying about all of these complexities so they can easily launch powerful search functionality and pay only for the resources they use." Prior to today, building robust search capability required dedicated engineering teams who would spend weeks, or even months, provisioning, configuring and deploying costly search infrastructure and software. On top of that, companies had to hire search specialists to constantly monitor, manage and adjust the search solution as traffic volumes change. With Amazon CloudSearch, customers can now quickly make any data set searchable without the additional cost and complexity of managing and scaling their own search engine. Amazon CloudSearch leverages the same A9 technology that powers search for Amazon.com and provides businesses with high throughput and low latency so they can deliver a fast search experience to their customers. The service provides a rich query language that enables businesses to search within particular fields, perform complex Boolean searches, retrieve facet information, and specify the data included in the search results. Setup and configuration is simple and easy to use as the service automatically detects and recommends the ideal search fields from a sample data set. Settings can also be easily customized from the AWS Management Console. ex.fm is a social music discovery platform offering a large collection of free, legal music on the web. "Each day, ex.fm users add more than a hundred thousand new song links to the platform. Historically, it has been a challenge to provide our customers with a fast search experience that can scale on top of this always growing dataset," said Lucas Hrabovsky, CTO, ex.fm. "With a small team of engineers, we can't afford to dedicate resources to manage our search infrastructure. Amazon CloudSearch takes care of everything for us – it scales beautifully and is consistently fast. And our customers have noticed. Since deploying CloudSearch in production, we've received very positive feedback from customers about our search speed and accuracy." Sage Bionetworks is a nonprofit biomedical research organization. "We have integrated Amazon CloudSearch in Synapse, our informatics platform for collaborative biological research that will serve as a public resource for the scientific community," said Michael Kellen, Ph.D., Director of Technology and Software Development at Sage Bionetworks. "The search service built by CloudSearch will help scientists find and use relevant data from a broad set of scientific resources. We have been impressed with the power and flexibility of CloudSearch, and how quickly we were able to use it to get a new search system up and running – we had CloudSearch instances functional in less than an hour and fully integrated with our application and deployed to our users in less than a month." "For many organizations, search plays a major role in how their customers experience their product or service - businesses need a sophisticated search capability to help their customers find the right information quickly. Implementing rich search functionality has traditionally been very expensive and time consuming due to the complexity of the technology required," said Adam Selipsky, Vice President, Amazon Web Services. "Amazon CloudSearch frees customers from worrying about all of these complexities so they can easily launch powerful search functionality and pay only for the resources they use." About Amazon Web Services Launched in 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) began exposing key infrastructure services to businesses in the form of web services -- now widely known as cloud computing. The ultimate benefit of cloud computing, and AWS, is the ability to leverage a new business model and turn capital infrastructure expenses into variable costs. Businesses no longer need to plan and procure servers and other IT resources weeks or months in advance. Using AWS, businesses can take advantage of Amazon's expertise and economies of scale to access resources when their business needs them, delivering results faster and at a lower cost. Today, Amazon Web Services provides a highly reliable, scalable, low-cost infrastructure platform in the cloud that powers hundreds of thousands of enterprise, government and startup customers businesses in 190 countries around the world. AWS offers over 28 different services, including Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) and Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS). AWS services are available to customers from data center locations in the U.S., Brazil, Europe, Japan and Singapore. About Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. The new latest generation Kindle is the lightest, most compact Kindle ever and features the same 6-inch, most advanced electronic ink display that reads like real paper even in bright sunlight. Kindle Touch is a new addition to the Kindle family with an easy-to-use touch screen that makes it easier than ever to turn pages, search, shop, and take notes - still with all the benefits of the most advanced electronic ink display. Kindle Touch 3G is the top of the line e-reader and offers the same new design and features of Kindle Touch, with the unparalleled added convenience of free 3G. Kindle Fire is the Kindle for movies, TV shows, music, books, magazines, apps, games and web browsing with all the content, free storage in the Amazon Cloud, Whispersync, Amazon Silk (Amazon's new revolutionary cloud-accelerated web browser), vibrant color touch screen, and powerful dual-core processor. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RIM patent application ponders a desk dock for your BlackBerry Posted: 12 Apr 2012 09:41 AM PDT  It's that special time of the week when we examine the what-ifs and whys of the patent system. Research in Motion applied for a patent last year to construct a telephone-dock that'll nestle your BlackBerry when you're sat in the office. Plonk your device in the carved out slot and it'll offer up its display and address book for the use of your landline, in essence, a RIM-branded version of the Phone Dock we saw back in 2010. Although this device has the added benefit of being able to hand off your desktop calls to your cell and vice-versa. Now, only the vagaries of the Patent and Trademark Office, Thorsten Heins' management decisions and market forces stand between us and this device appearing in the flesh. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shigeru Miyamoto admits he's a fan of Angry Birds, just like the rest of us Posted: 12 Apr 2012 09:19 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LogMeIn branches out from its remote desktop roots, intros Cubby cloud sharing service Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:57 AM PDT  LogMeIn previews new cloud sharing service: 'Cubby' First offering to showcase LogMeIn's new cloud data sync and storage services WOBURN, Mass. – April 12, 2012 - LogMeIn Inc. (NASDAQ: LOGM), the company behind the popular namesake remote access service, has just opened the beta of 'Cubby', an all new cloud data service to simply and securely share information across PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones, Android devices, or with other people. The first service built on LogMeIn's very own cloud data sync and storage platform, Cubby lets people turn any number of PC or Mac folders into 'cubbies' that can be accessed from other devices, stored in the cloud, and shared with colleagues and friends. Cubby also gives people the option to simply share or sync an unlimited amount of information across their devices for free, and without ever counting against cloud storage limits. As a result, people have the flexibility to share and access information across their devices without having to worry about creating a new, separate version of their digital life in the cloud. People interested in participating in the Cubby beta, which includes 5GB of cloud storage, free unlimited syncing across devices, as well as apps for the iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows, can request an invitation at Cubby.com. "When it comes to sharing data in the cloud today, most solutions on the market are ultra simple but inflexible, or highly flexible but inherently complex. We see Cubby as an opportunity to deliver an ideal balance of simplicity and flexibility," said Marton Anka, LogMeIn's CTO. "It is designed to adapt to the way people naturally interact with their information -- to deliver the benefits of the cloud without forcing people to change their behavior." Cubby highlights: · Any folder can be a cubby – People can simply use the folders they have – their existing PC or Mac folders – or they can take advantage of a simple, easy-to-use default cubby. There's no need to put files and documents into a single cloud folder/box, and no need to recreate existing folders. · Share your stuff across devices for free, cloud optional – People can share their stuff across their devices for free, without being restricted by cloud data storage limitations. Cubbies can be stored to the cloud or simply synced across devices. · Decide what content gets shared across which devices – Any cubby and its content can be synced to selected devices. So people can keep their work, personal and family information as separate as they'd like. No need to have those family holiday photos on your work PC or a copy of the latest TPS report from the office on your kid's Macbook. · Multiple ways to share and collaborate with others – Cubbies and their content can be shared with others either by inviting them into a cubby, which lets both parties see, work with, and sync content; or they can simply send people read-only links to files and cubbies. · Simple access from anywhere, any device – Cubby can be accessed from any web browser, comes standard with Mac and PC desktop apps, and offers a free iPad and iPhone app in the Apple App Store and a free Android app in Google Play. · Architected for security -- Built on the same architecture used for LogMeIn's connectivity products, Cubby takes advantage of industry best encryption standards to ensure data is protected at all times. As a key additional step, Cubby is designed in a way that gives users the ability to be the sole owner and holder of their encryption keys. LogMeIn's New Data Services Cubby is built on LogMeIn's Gravity Data Services, LogMeIn's own, proprietary data synchronization and storage cloud. Architected to deliver secure, high-scale data sync and storage capabilities at incredibly low cost, the new Gravity Data Services has been designed to help bring new offerings, like Cubby, to market, as well as to introduce cloud data benefits into virtually any other offering, service or application. LogMeIn plans to use Gravity Data Services to expand its suite of essential cloud offerings, add a variety of new cloud data capabilities to its existing family of access, customer care and remote IT management products, and create opportunities for 3rd parties to build their own cloud offerings on LogMeIn's platform. "Anywhere, anytime, any device access to information is quickly going from aspiration to expectation, and we're only in the beginning of the post-PC era. We believe Gravity Data Services will play a key role in delivering the essential cloud services required in a time when virtually anything can be connected to the Internet," said Michael Simon, LogMeIn's CEO. "We see this as both a natural extension of our business today and key step towards dramatically expanding the types of services we offer to consumers and businesses in the future." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leaked Microsoft roadmap reveals Office 15, IE 10 and Windows Phone details Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:36 AM PDT  If it's accurate, then this leaked Microsoft roadmap has revealed the company's plans for many of its forthcoming products. Here's the basics: Internet Explorer 10 is due part-way through the year, at the same time that we hope to see Windows 8 appearing. Office 15 will enter beta-testing partway through 2012 and become "available" next year, but that's no sure sign of a release date. On the Windows Phone front, there's a launch expected in the summer that's labelled as "future investments," which we can only hope is a euphemism for Apollo. Oh, and any Silverlight fans better pour one out for their beloved flash-killer: nothing was marked on its timeline after the December 2011 release of Version 5. After the break we've got another shot of the internal document that Windows fans will spend the next few days analyzing with Zapruder-esque fervor. [Images courtesy of Maarten Visser]  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Facebook revealing the personal data it collects, won't spare your drunk-poking blushes Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:23 AM PDT  Facebook's massively expanding its Download Your Information service into an all-encompassing archive of the data Mr. Zuckerberg collects about your daily dose of people-stalking. DYL was introduced in 2010 and allowed you to pull down all the photos, posts, messages, friend lists and chat conversations in the archives -- but now will also offer stored IP addresses, previous names you've used, friend requests you've made, with further categories due in the future. It'll have to to sate the concerns of privacy organizations worldwide, since it's rumored to collect 84 different categories of information about you (85 if you count all those Instagram photos it just bought). It'll be gradually rolled out to all 845 million users in the coming weeks and is available from your general account settings. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Three iPad giveaways in three days: day two, courtesy of CloudOn! Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:01 AM PDT  This time around, you'll need to answer a specific question in the comments as part of the entry process: what are two things you'd like to see on your iPad to help you stay productive while on the go? Good luck! Wednesday: 16GB WiFi-only, courtesy of Wonders app Thursday: 16GB WiFi-only, courtesy of CloudOn Friday: 32GB with AT&T LTE and full year of GoGo service, courtesy of GoGo The rules:
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| OCZ says its Indilinx controller is actually built by Marvell, but has custom firmware Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:42 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cactus Ridge Thunderbolt controllers now shipping? Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:01 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US Court: Code isn't property, therefore it can't be stolen Posted: 12 Apr 2012 06:42 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kindle Touch update adds Europe-friendly languages, landscape mode Posted: 12 Apr 2012 06:19 AM PDT  April 27th is nearly upon us, heralding the arrival of the Kindle Touch in Europe. Before that happens, Amazon's pushed out a software update packed with language support for the continent, landscape mode and text-to-speech, amongst others. You can manually download version 5.1.0 now or wait for the over-WiFi update in a couple of weeks. Pre-orders for the device are open as we speak, the WiFi-only model costing £109 / €129, the 3G edition costing £169 / €189. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sony SmartWatch now available in the US for $150 Posted: 12 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT  What's the most useful smartwatch of them all? If you guessed Sony's, you've got reason to smile: we just got word that it's finally available here in the US of A. As expected, the SmartWatch costs $150, while those colorful (read: not black) wrist bands are priced at $20 a pop. To recap, the watch pairs with Android phones over Bluetooth, using a free app available in Google Play (if you happen to own a Sony handset, you should find that application pre-installed). Like any smartwatch worth its salt, this one lets you read emails, texts and social updates on the device. Meanwhile, the list of mini apps is approaching 60, as of this writing, and already includes biggies like Facebook and Google Maps. After getting hands-on not once but twice, we can say the rubber strap is comfortable and the 1.3-inch OLED display responsive, though the apps are a mixed bag in terms of usefulness. Tap-to-like on Facebook? Genius. A remote for your phone's camera? Unabashed gimmickry, if you ask us. Using the watch to call someone in your contacts list? You'll need a Bluetooth headset for that feature to be truly handy. Other favorites of ours include the ability to find your lost phone (even if it's set to quiet mode), as well as stream photos and other media from your phone. You can even respond to incoming text messages with a preset reply (e.g., "I'm busy. What's up?"), though good luck using that canned response a second time when your friend gets back to you 10 seconds later. In any case, is all that worth the $150? That's a conversation you best have with your wallet -- in read-only format, naturally. Store your Smartphone: SmartWatch from Sony Brings Android Power Straight to Wrist | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Canon unveils EOS-1D C and C500 4K Cinema cameras, two new lenses ahead of NAB Posted: 12 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT  In a departure from its last introduction as dramatic as the C300's Hollywood launch itself, Canon has quietly announced two additional cameras to sit alongside the company's former lone flagship. You may have caught a glimpse of the EOS-1D C at the C300 launch, but what six months ago was a mere mock-up has actually become a reality, likely to ship sometime this year. More out of left field, however, is the C500 -- a higher-end version of the C300 that adds several shooting modes, dual 3G-SDI ports and a larger, permanent grip. Both cameras can capture 4K video, but in substantially different ways.  The $15,000 1D C, which has the same chassis and still shooting features of its less-abled cousin, the EOS-1D X, pipes 4096 x 2160 8-bit 4:2:2 video to a CF card at 24 fps. Unlike the X, however, the C swaps a headphone jack for the X's PC socket, that's usually used for hooking up strobes. The higher-end C500 requires a dedicated external recorder, but offers two full-RAW output options: 4096 x 2960, that will be better suited for motion picture capture, and 3840 x 2160 for 4K TV. Both of these modes offer 10-bit 4:4:4 at 60 frames-per-second. There's also a half-RAW option, at 4096 x 1080 or 3840 x 1080 resolutions, also 10-bit 4:4:4, but at 120 fps. The C500 also includes dual CF slots, but that recording option is only available for 1080p (which can be captured to CF concurrently). Both cameras support Canon Log Gamma, empowering colorists to correct color in post production with more versatility by capturing additional information and a higher dynamic range. Jump past the break to continue... While the 1D C offers the same still capabilities as the 1D X, including the new focus system and sensitivity through ISO 204,800, the camera can only jump up to ISO 25,600 in video mode. Likewise, the C500 offers the same ISO range as the C300 -- ISO 320-20,000. Not planning to exclusively capture 4k footage? The cameras are also fully equipped for shooting 1080p. The C500 offers both 2048 x 1080 and 1920 x 1080 with either 12-bit or 10-bit 4:4:4 60p compressed RAW. There's also an option to jump up to 120 frames-per-second, with 12-bit or 10-bit 4:2:2 YCC output. With the 1D C, you can shoot standard-format 1080p video at an uncompressed setting with 8-bit 4:2:2 Clean HD via HDMI, or you can send 4:2:0 1080p clips to the CF card -- both at up to 60 fps. Two new lenses will soon join the Cinema EOS family as well. A 15.5-47mm T/2.8 and 30-105mm T/2.8 have hit the development phase, so there's no availability to share at this point, though we do know that both optics will be significantly lighter than the pair announced at last year's NAB, and ship in EF or PL mounts (the latter of which can be used with any PL-mount camera). It's important to note that while the EF-mount versions will fit the 1D C, they can't be used for shooting stills, mainly due to vignetting. You'll also need to switch the 1D into Super 35 crop mode when shooting 4K, to avoid the same effect. Naturally, the lenses will function normally in all modes with the C300 and C500. Both the C500 and 1D C are set to ship by the end of 2012, though we're told to expect the latter camera first, since the C500 is still under development. Unfortunately we don't have pricing for the C500 or lenses just yet, though we're told that the camera will be significantly costlier than the $16,000 C300 -- both use identical sensors, but the 4K model requires additional components -- Canon has confirmed 1D C pricing at a whopping $15,000, compared to $6,800 for 1D X. More information may be forthcoming at NAB, so stay turned for updates from Las Vegas next week. CANON U.S.A. INTRODUCES EOS-1D C DIGITAL SLR CAMERA FEATURING 4K HIGH-RESOLUTION VIDEO CAPTURE Newest Addition to the Canon Cinema EOS Product Line Combines the Convenient Form Factor of a Digital SLR Camera with Full HD and 4K Video Recording up to 4096 x 2160-Pixel Resolution LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., April 12, 2012 – Continually advancing the frontiers of digital high-resolution motion-image capture for film, television, and other industries, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the EOS-1D C digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera.* Delivering outstanding video performance, the compact, lightweight EOS-1D C provides video recording at 4K (4096 x 2160-pixel) or Full HD (1920 x 1080-pixel) resolution to support high-end motion picture, television production and other advanced imaging applications. Equipped with an 18.1-megapixel full-frame 24mm x 36mm Canon CMOS sensor, the camera records 8-bit 4:2:2 Motion JPEG 4K video to the camera's CF memory card at 24 frames-per-second (fps) or Full HD 1920 x 1080 video at selectable frame rates from 24p to 60p, making it possible for next-generation visual expression with even higher image-quality and resolution performance. "The Canon EOS-1D C digital SLR camera was designed in response to the needs of filmmakers, television producers, and other high-level motion-imaging professionals," stated Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. "Not only does it combine 4K and Full HD video capture with a convenient design, its use of dual CF cards also offers an efficient workflow compatible with today's post-production requirements." Creative Control The Canon EOS-1D C digital SLR camera incorporates Canon Log Gamma to enable the recording of high-quality video with rich gradation expression, making possible the type of impressive image quality required in motion pictures by maximizing both highlight and shadow detail retention while also providing a high level of color-grading freedom. The EOS-1D C's full-frame 24 x 36mm 18.1-megapixel Canon CMOS sensor makes possible a wide range of creative imaging expression, such as image-blur effects. Additional features include an expanded sensitivity range of up to ISO 25600 for exceptional motion-imaging results with reduced noise even in low-light settings. The camera's ability to record 8-bit 4:2:2 4K and 8-bit 4:2:0 Full HD video to CF cards eliminates the need for an external recorder and enables workflows with increased mobility. If desired, however, captured video (excluding 4K video) can be output from the camera's HDMI terminal to an external recorder using an uncompressed YCbCr 8-bit 4:2:2 signal. 4K video is captured by an approximately APS-H-sized portion of the full image sensor, while Full HD video can be captured in the user's choice of two different imaging formats: The standard Full HD setting captures the full 36mm width of the CMOS sensor to achieve the largest possible angle of view for any compatible lens. An optional Super 35 crop setting enables cinematographers to match the industry-standard imaging format and angle of view achieved by traditional motion picture cameras. This enables video footage from the EOS-1D C camera to more closely match the look of footage from other cameras in multi-camera shooting environments. Other useful video-related features on the EOS-1D C DSLR include a built-in headphone jack for real-time audio monitoring, and the ability to view the camera's LCD even when the HDMI port is connected to an external monitor. The EOS-1D C camera uses the same LP-E4N battery pack as the EOS-1D X, and it can also be powered by an optional AC Adapter Kit. The EOS-1D C camera ships with Canon software applications including EOS Utility, which enables various camera settings to be adjusted from a PC, and Picture Style Editor. These two personal computer applications enable users to view the camera's live output on an external monitor1 and adjust the image in real-time to maximize shooting and post-production efficiencies. The software also ensures no loss of quality for 4K/Motion JPEG and full HD/60p video displayed on the external monitor, and it enables video shot with Canon Log Gamma to be output on the monitor with video gamma applied. Versatility and Value The Canon EOS-1D C camera can be used to capture still images with more than 60 interchangeable Canon EF and EF Cinema Lenses, all of which are designed to deliver exceptional image quality to maximize the potential for creative visual expression. The compact size and lightweight design of the camera make it easy to carry so it is highly mobile for convenient shooting inside automobiles and other confined spaces. Its compact size also enables peripheral equipment such as rails and cranes to be more compact, which can facilitate smoother handling and reduced costs on-set. The camera's low-light capabilities can also help to minimize lighting costs and increase versatility for lighting. For added usability, record start/stop can be remotely controlled by EOS Utility Software via an optional Canon WFT-E6A Wireless File Transmitter. Realizing the same exceptional still-image performance as the recently introduced Canon EOS-1D X digital SLR camera, the camera provides a sensitivity range of ISO 100-51200 for outstanding still-image results with reduced noise, even in dimly lit settings. Incorporating high-performance Canon Dual DIGIC 5+ image processors, the EOS-1D C delivers high-precision AF and AE performance while also enabling high-speed continuous shooting of up to approximately 12 fps. In the ultra-fast continuous shooting mode, the EOS-1D C provides a continuous shooting speed of up to approximately 14 fps (mirror remains raised during shooting; JPEG images only). The Canon EOS-1D C digital SLR camera is scheduled to be available within 2012 at a suggested retail price of $15,000. CANON ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF 4K DIGITAL CINEMA CAMERAS LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., April 12, 2012 – Canon Inc. is developing two digital cinematography cameras as part of its acclaimed new Cinema EOS System of professional cinematography products. Designated as the Cinema EOS C500* for use with EF-mount lenses, and the Cinema EOS C500 PL* for use with PL-mount lenses, the cameras will be capable of originating 4K (4096 x 2160-pixel) resolution digital motion imagery with uncompressed RAW output for external recording, in response to growing expectations for higher levels of imaging performance in premium Hollywood films and other production markets requiring the utmost in picture quality. "With the unveiling of our Cinema EOS System last November to great acclaim, Canon marked our full-fledged entry into the motion-picture production market," stated Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. "To further serve the needs of Hollywood's premier filmmakers, Canon is developing the Cinema EOS C500 and Cinema EOS C500 PL digital cinematography cameras, which deliver the added benefit of full 4K motion-image capture to the Cinema EOS System." The 4K imaging format is emerging as the new standard for advanced effects and post-production in Hollywood, and it is particularly important for big-budget motion pictures that include scenes compositing live-action cinematography with high-resolution computer-generated imagery. The Cinema EOS C500/C500 PL digital cinematography cameras will not only support 4K-resolution video but also outputs this as a 10-bit uncompressed RAW data stream with no de-Bayering. The cameras offer the additional versatility of being able to output quad full-HD (3840 x 2160), 2K (2048 x 1080), full HD (1920 x 1080), and other imaging options. All of these digital image source formats fully conform to established SMPTE production standards. All 4K formats can be selected to operate from one to 60 frames per second. The cameras employ a 12-bit RGB 4:4:4 signal format during 2K output, which can be selected to operate from one to 60 frames-per-second (fps) as well. If switched to a 10-bit YCrCb 4:2:2 mode, the camera can operate up to 120 fps. The Cinema EOS C500 simultaneously records in-camera a 50 Mbps HD proxy video to a CF card that is immediately available to support offline editing. Equipped with a newly developed Super 35mm-equivalent approximately 8.85-megapixel CMOS sensor, the cameras will be compatible with Canon's wide range of interchangeable EF Cinema and PL-mount lenses and EF lenses for Canon SLR cameras. Highly mobile and compact for filmmaking versatility, the Cinema EOS C500/C500 PL digital cinematography cameras – like Canon's Cinema EOS C300/C300 PL cinematography cameras – provide all of the same ergonomic features, except for the rotating hand grip. Further details regarding the Cinema EOS C500/C500 PL digital cinematography cameras – including specifications and pricing – have yet to be decided. Plans call for these new products to be launched later this year. In addition to targeting a swift launch of these cameras, Canon will continue to enhance other components of its Cinema EOS System product lineup, which is designed to contribute to the continued advancement of tools for visual expression and the development of cinematic culture. Canon will display a prototype of the Cinema EOS C500/C500 PL digital cinematography camera at the 2012 NAB Show in booth C4325 at the Las Vegas Convention Center from April 16 to 19. CANON U.S.A. ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF FOUR EF CINEMA ZOOM LENSES A Wide-Angle Cinema Zoom and a Telephoto Cinema Zoom, Available in EF- and PL-Mount Versions, Will Further Expand Canon's Cinema EOS System of Professional Digital Cinematography Products LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., April 12, 2012 – Building upon the historic November 2011 introduction of the Cinema EOS System of professional digital cinematography products, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leading in digital imaging solutions, today announced the development of four EF Cinema zoom lenses. Designed to deliver exceptional optical performance on 4K resolution Super 35mm-equivalent cameras, each of the four lenses features a compact, lightweight design to facilitate handheld and SteadicamTM shooting while also covering a wide range of focal lengths. Included are two wide-angle cinema zooms – the CN-E15.5-47mm T2.8 L S* (for EF mounts) and the CN-E15.5-47mm T2.8 L SP* (for PL mounts) – and two telephoto cinema zooms – the CN-E30-105mm T2.8 L S* (for EF mounts) and CN-E30-105mm T2.8 L SP* (for PL mounts). "Canon's introduction of EF- and PL-mount versions of the EOS C300 digital cinema camera was well received by the film and television production communities," noted Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. "The development of these EF- and PL-mount cinema zooms will help add to the rich diversity of creative imaging choices available to the many film and television professionals who have embraced the new Cinema EOS System." A leading maker of precision lenses for professional digital photography, broadcast HDTV sports and news coverage, and many other markets, Canon has leveraged its years of expertise as a world leader in optics and imaging to develop its latest EF Cinema lenses. These wide-angle and telephoto cinema zooms will be compatible with industry-standard Super 35 mm-equivalent cameras and are engineered to deliver exceptional optical performance to support 4K resolution digital filmmaking. The four lenses will perfectly complement the compact body design of Canon EOS digital cinematography cameras with their own compact, lightweight design featuring a form factor well-suited for hand-held use, or for mounting on Steadicam or other lightweight, highly mobile camera-support devices used for cinema verité, "run-and-gun" shooting, or other rapid-action filmmaking. The developments of these EF Cinema lenses are essential to Canon's Cinema EOS System of professional digital cinematography products, which include digital cinema cameras, a digital SLR camera, and a wide variety of advanced lenses. Canon will continue to enhance its Cinema EOS System product lineup to support diverse image creation in motion picture, television, and other high-resolution digital production industries. All of these products are designed to contribute to the continued advancement of tools for visual expression and express Canon's commitment to cinematic culture. Canon will be displaying prototypes of the cinema zoom lenses at NAB Show 2012, one of the world's largest events for the video, broadcasting equipment and digital media industries, from April 16 to 19 in Las Vegas. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fusion-io announces ioFX, a super-SSD that's already garnered an Oscar Posted: 12 Apr 2012 05:30 AM PDT  You've heard of Fusion-io, right? It produces super-SSDs with the teeth-whitening ioMemory that's so fast it can manage a billion input and output operations every second. Now it's bundling that gear into a workstation PCIe card for FX professionals and speed-conscious multi millionaires. Capable of delivering 1.5GB/s (we checked, GB/s) of bandwidth, it's capable of previewing 3D movie effects on the fly. The gear's even managed to cover itself in Academy awards after it was used by studio Pixomondo on the special effects for Martin Scorsese's "Hugo." A 420GB model will arrive in late Spring, setting you (or more likely, your departmental budget) back $2,495 with an inclusive one-year support contract. Fusion-io Brings the Power of ioMemory to the Workstation with Fusion ioFX Based on Fusion ioMemory Technology Used in Projects Including Oscar®-Winning VFX for 'Hugo,' New Fusion ioFX Accelerates Performance for Graphics-Intensive Applications Including 3D, Video Editing, Compositing and Motion Graphics SALT LAKE CITY – April 12, 2012 – Fusion-io (NYSE: FIO) today announced that it is bringing the power of its ioMemory technology to visual effects professionals with the Fusion ioFX. Designed to eliminate data bottlenecks that slow the creative production process for digital artists, the Fusion ioFX enables creative professionals to meet deadlines while exploring more artistic possibilities by bridging the performance gap between workstations and today's powerful digital content creation applications. "Fusion's ioMemory products have helped Pixomondo not only meet tight deadlines, but also explore new ideas and approaches that otherwise might never have been possible because of the time it would take to make changes and new effects," said Ben Grossmann, Visual Effects Supervisor at Pixomondo and 2012 Academy Award® Winner for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. "Pixomondo used ioMemory during our work on 'Hugo.' It's incredibly liberating to know you don't have to wait anymore to see how an effect might look. As a new memory tier for accelerating our workstations, Fusion-io's technology unlocked the potential of our tools and our creativity." Based on the Fusion ioMemory platform that leading enterprises around the world trust to accelerate their data centers, the 420 GB Fusion ioFX connects via the PCI Express bus to provide studios and artists with a new memory tier that bridges the gap between creative potential and hardware performance in the production pipeline. Thanks to the cut-through architecture of ioMemory, the Fusion ioFX provides low-latency data performance tuned to manipulate digital content on the fly. With the ioFX, professionals can now view changes in real-time, even when working with high resolution stereoscopic content. The ioFX is also designed to accelerate video playback and rendering, video and image editing and compositing, encoding and transcoding as well as other data-intensive activities required in contemporary digital production. The Fusion ioSphere management system included with the ioFX allows studio IT managers to monitor and manage all Fusion ioMemory products deployed throughout the infrastructure from a single interface, including Fusion ioFX in workstations and Fusion ioDrives in servers. The ioSphere system delivers historical performance monitoring and reporting, live performance metrics, alerts and more to ensure production continues running smoothly. "Whether working on shots in a large studio, boutique or as an independent artist, there has long been a performance gap that limits how well even the most cutting edge applications can perform in professional workstations," said Vincent Brisebois, Fusion-io Performance Computing Industry Senior Director. "Not too long ago, performance like this would have been cost prohibitive for boutique studios or independent artists. With the ioFX, artists now have a powerful tool to unlock creative possibilities in their workstation, and industry leading software developers can finally deliver impressive new features that were not previously possible." The first solution in its class to significantly accelerate key content creation software can be deployed in minutes and delivers up to 1.5 GB/s bandwidth with sub-millisecond sustained access latency. In addition, the Fusion ioFX enables artists to interactively collaborate on high resolution, stereoscopic 2K and 4K content, which was previously impossible without a massive storage array. From footage capture in the field, to post-production of the finished film, the ioFX is architected for uninterrupted manipulation of digital content in real time. ioFX Video Production Contest To enable artists to tell the ioFX story in their own words, Fusion-io is launching a video production contest on May 31, 2012. Artists will be able to create their own 60-second short incorporating footage posted on the Fusion ioFX Facebook page. Fusion-io Chief Scientist Steve Wozniak and actor Danny Trejo will be among the contest judges, with prizes including a Red Scarlet camera, Adobe® Creative Suite® software, and Fusion ioFX. The contest finalists will be invited to SIGGRAPH 2012 in Los Angeles for the grand prize ceremony. Artists can learn more starting today at www.fusionio.com/ioFX. Fusion ioFX at NAB 2012 As a special presentation from Fusion-io and Adobe, Steve Wozniak will present a joint keynote address with two time Academy Award® winner Rob Legato at the Post | Production World Conference on Sunday, April 15 at 10:30 am local time. Highlights from the keynote will be available on http://www.fusionio.com/blog. The Fusion ioFX will be demonstrated at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference in Las Vegas April 16-20 at the Adobe booth #SL2624, ASSIMILATE booth #SL13710, NVIDIA booth # SL9215, Sony Creative Software demo area of Sony booth #C11011, The Foundry booth #SL9724 and Qube Cinema booth #7708, as well as industry whisper suites. Pricing and Availability The Fusion ioFX will be available from Fusion-io and select resellers in late Spring 2012 at a list price of $2,495 U.S., which includes a one-year support contract. To learn more about the Fusion ioFX, go to http://www.fusionio.com/platforms/iofx/. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genius Ring Air Mouse scrolls through the FCC, added buttons in tow Posted: 12 Apr 2012 04:57 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adobe outs Premier Pro CS6: a 'massive release' with better multicam and more Posted: 12 Apr 2012 04:35 AM PDT  If you turned your back on FCP X even after the big update, then the latest version of Adobe Premier Pro may be of particular interest. CS6 brings an enhanced 64-bit playback engine that can handle 5K resolutions and higher, new trimming options, compatibility with Mac touchpad gestures, a Warp Stabilizer that was previously confined to After Effects, expanded multicam editing for more than four cameras and other stuff too plentiful to list in one breath. Inhale. That's what the source links are for. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 remote viewfinder hands-on (video) Posted: 12 Apr 2012 04:00 AM PDT  At last night's launch of the US-bound Galaxy Player 4.2 -- also known elsewhere as the Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 -- we had the opportunity to try out Samsung's remote viewfinder with the WiFi-equipped WB150F digital camera we saw at CES. The free app -- which runs on Android and iOS devices -- provides select Samsung shooters with a wireless viewfinder and remote. We noticed a minor amount of lag with the live video stream but the controls (shutter, zoom, flash, timer, image size) were quite responsive. Pictures can even be geotagged and saved to both the camera and the remote device. Unlike its predecessor, the WB150F becomes a WiFi access point instead of relying on the app to create a hotspot -- something that's generally limited to phones that allow tethering. While Samsung was showcasing the app on the Galaxy Player 4.2, it works on most Galaxy devices and installs on other Android handsets too (like our HTC One X). Peek at our gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BT super-charges fiber-optic broadband today, for the lucky few who can get it Posted: 12 Apr 2012 03:33 AM PDT  [Thanks, Craig] April 11, 2012 Broadband race hots up as BT Infinity gets even faster – and at no extra cost! BT Infinity 2 downstream speeds roughly double to up to 76Mbps BT Infinity 2 offers UK's fastest upstream speeds of up to 19Mbps 1 BT Infinity 1 upstream speeds to be up to five times faster than before BT Retail has turned up the speed dial in the broadband battle by announcing a range of speed increases for its customers for no extra cost. Customers signing up to BT Infinity 2 from tomorrow (April 12) will benefit from downstream speeds that are roughly double those on offer today – up to 76Mbps rather than up to 38Mbps. The newly revamped service will also offer the UK's fastest upstream speeds of up to 19Mbps. BT Retail is also set to give its BT Infinity 1 product a boost by increasing its upstream speed fivefold from up to 1.9Mbps to up to 9.5Mbps. With a downstream speed of up to 38Mbps, this service will compare very well with the 30Mbps service offered by Virgin Media given the upstream speeds will be considerably faster than those offered by the latter. Delivery of the new increased speeds by BT Retail will help to achieve the government's stated ambition for the UK to have the best super-fast broadband network in Europe by 2015. The high upstream speeds will also be of great benefit to customers who wish to upload photos, video, graphics or other rich content. From April 12 customers new to BT and existing BT customers switching to BT Infinity from other packages will automatically benefit from these higher speed packages. Current BT Infinity customers will be able to switch to the faster products by starting a new contract, at no extra cost. John Petter, managing director, BT Consumer, said: "Super-fast broadband is helping people enjoy the internet far more than ever before. However, many providers have forgotten about the importance of fast upload speeds. BT believes that fast upstream speeds are vital given how people now use the internet and so we are distancing ourselves from the competition by providing the UK's fastest upload speed. " BT Infinity is currently available to more than seven million premises across the UK. That figure will rise to ten million in 2012 and then to around two thirds of all UK premises by the end of 2014. BT Group is currently bidding for BDUK funds which could extend the availability of fibre broadband to more than 90 per cent of UK homes and businesses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australia pondering joining e-book lawsuit bandwagon Posted: 12 Apr 2012 03:01 AM PDT  If Apple and the Big Five thought they only had to contend with a federal e-book lawsuit in the US, they'd better think again. Australia's Competition and Consumer Commission is inviting local businesses to raise formal concerns as it weighs up launching its own judicial broadside against the alleged cartel. The Commission refused to comment publicly on its plans beyond saying that it was "aware of the latest developments" and would listen to local resellers who had concerns about the Australian market. While Simon & Schuster, Hachette and HarperCollins made back-room deals with the DoJ yesterday, they'd still be involved (at least initially) with the second front of this conflict. Meanwhile, the threat remains of the European Union joining in: turning it from a spot of local trouble into a global courtroom battle for the future of e-book pricing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Intel plans to roll out Ivy Bridge based Xeon E3s, low-power Atom chips for micro servers Posted: 12 Apr 2012 02:27 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MythTV 0.25 is finally available with a bundle of new features Posted: 12 Apr 2012 01:33 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PS Vita gets (another) firmware update, free-to-play Montezuma Blitz available now Posted: 12 Apr 2012 12:46 AM PDT
It's been barely a week since the last one, but Sony's now begun rolling out firmware version 1.67. It's another meaty download, weighing in at just under 100MB, although there's no detail on what it changes -- we're still exploring the update. Following the refresh, you can also pick up the PS Vita's latest free game, Montezuma Blitz, a Bejewelled-style puzzle game. However, it's not the first game to be offered up free on the Vita and some pesky in-game purchases taint that freebie status a little. Both the update and game are available to download on your Vita now. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kaz Hirai reveals 'One Sony' turnaround strategy, will cut 10,000 jobs Posted: 11 Apr 2012 11:01 PM PDT  Sony Transformation to Revitalize Electronics Business, Generate Growth and Drive New Value Creation "One Sony" for Change Tokyo – April 12, 2012 – Sony Corporation ("Sony" or "the Company") today announced a series of strategic initiatives to be introduced under the new management team established on April 1, 2012. By implementing a rapid decision-making approach that draws on the strengths of the entire Sony Group as "One Sony", Sony aims to revitalize and grow the electronics business to generate new value, while further strengthening the stable business foundations of the Entertainment and Financial Service businesses. Key initiatives to transform the electronics business are: 1. Strengthening core businesses (Digital Imaging, Game, Mobile) 2. Turning around the television business 3. Expanding business in emerging markets 4. Creating new businesses and accelerating innovation 5. Realigning the business portfolio and optimizing resources By implementing the above measures, Sony will target sales of 6 trillion yen and operating income margin of 5% in its electronics business, and sales of 8.5 trillion yen, operating income margin of more than 5%, and return on equity ("ROE") of 10% for the Sony Group overall, in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015 ("FY14"). Details of these five core initiatives to revitalize the electronics business and drive new growth are as follows. 1. Strengthening core businesses (Digital Imaging, Game, Mobile) Sony is positioning digital imaging, game and mobile as the three main focus areas of its electronics business and plans to concentrate investment and technology development resources in these areas. By growing these three businesses, Sony aims to generate approximately 70% of total sales and 85% of operating income for the entire electronics business from these categories by FY14. Digital Imaging - Sony is reinforcing its development of image sensors, signal processing technologies, lenses and other key digital imaging technologies in which it excels, and plans to leverage these technologies in both its consumer products (such as compact digital still cameras, digital video cameras and interchangeable lens digital cameras) and broadcast and professional products (such as professional use cameras and security cameras) in order to further strengthen and differentiate Sony' overall product line. The Company also plans to extend the use of these key technologies across a wide range of business applications, from security to medical, to further expand the scope of its digital imaging business. Sony will target total sales of 1.5 trillion yen and double-digit operating income margin from the consumer, professional and image sensor businesses by FY14. Game - In the game business, Sony continues to deliver exhilarating entertainment experiences through PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Vita, and its unique combination of hardware, software, PlayStation®Network ("PSN"), and range of accessories and peripherals. These will form the foundations on which Sony will target further sales and profit expansion in the game business. The Company also aims to increase sales by enriching its catalog of downloadable game titles and subscription services available through the PSN platform, and also by expanding the lineup of PlayStation®Suite compatible devices and content. Sony will target game business sales of one trillion yen and operating income margin of 8% by FY14. Mobile - In the area of mobile, Sony is integrating the R&D, design engineering, and sales and marketing operations of its smartphone business (operated by Sony Mobile Communications, now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony), "Sony Tablet" and "VAIO" businesses in order to quickly develop and deliver compelling products to market. Sony also plans to aggressively leverage its many technologies in areas such as digital imaging and game, its rich content assets including pictures, music and game, its "Sony Entertainment Network" network service platform, as well as the communications technology expertise and knowhow accumulated through its experience in the mobile phone industry, to launch new mobile products and establish new business models. Additionally, by integrating operations across its entire mobile product lineup, Sony aims to achieve further efficiencies and optimization. As a result of these measures, Sony will target sales of 1.8 trillion yen in FY14 from the mobile business, and significant profitability improvement. 2. Turning around the television business Sony is already engaged in a comprehensive television profitability improvement plan (announced November 2, 2011), which aims to return the television business to profitability in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014 ("FY13"), and intends to accelerate these measures going forward. The sale of Sony's share in its LCD panel manufacturing joint venture with Samsung Electronics has been completed, resulting in panel-related cost reductions. Additionally, Sony is taking further measures to change the business structure, for example by improving design engineering efficiency and reducing the number of product models (targeting a 40% reduction from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012 ("FY11") to the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013 ("FY12")), with the aim of reducing fixed business costs related to the television business by 60% and operating costs by 30% in FY13 compared to FY11. Sony is additionally taking steps to enhance the image and audio quality of its "BRAVIA" range of LCD televisions that form the cornerstone of its current television lineup and to tailor its product offering to meet specific regional market needs. Going forward, Sony intends to advance the development and commercialization of next-generation display technologies such as OLED and "Crystal LED Display", as well as enhance the integration of televisions with Sony's mobile products, with content such as movies and music, and with other assets across the Sony Group to improve product competitiveness, drive hardware differentiation and enhance the attractiveness of Sony's product lineup. 3. Expanding business in emerging markets Sony will continue to leverage its strong global operations and brand strength to drive sales growth in rapidly expanding emerging markets. Sony has already established strong foundations in emerging markets. For instance, in India and Mexico, among others, Sony has secured the largest share of the consumer AV/IT market. Sony will continue to concentrate its sales and marketing resources in these markets, and expects to strengthen sales operations, introduce products tailored to local needs and leverage the Sony Group's entertainment assets, including pictures, music and television networks, to further enhance its market presence. Sony generated 1.8 trillion yen through sales of electronics products in emerging markets* in FY11, and aims to increase this figure to 2.6 trillion yen in FY14. The Company will also aim for consumer AV/IT sales in emerging markets to represent 60% of total anticipated global sales of these products by FY14. *Regions other than Japan, North America and Europe. 4. Creating new businesses and accelerating innovation Sony will continue to aggressively promote innovation intended to deliver mid- to long-term growth, as well as the development of differentiating technologies that enhance core product value. Specific examples of business areas in which Sony will target mid- to long-term growth are medical and 4K-related technologies. Sony is largely a new entrant to the medical industry. In the medical peripherals business Sony has already successfully launched a range of medical printers, monitors, cameras, recorders and other medical-use products, and will target sales of 50 billion yen in this market in FY14. Sony also plans to enter the market for medical equipment components, where its strengths in various core digital imaging technologies offer significant competitive advantages in applications such as endoscopes. Furthermore, Sony plans to enter the life science industry, where the Company can leverage its expertise in technologies such as semiconductor lasers, image sensors and microfabrication. In the life science industry, Sony has acquired iCyt, a manufacturer of cellular analysis equipment, and Micronics, which manufactures medical and diagnostics equipment. Sony plans to continue to aggressively pursue other M&A opportunities to expand its medical business consistently with Sony's own strengths, with the aim of developing the business into a key pillar of Sony's overall business portfolio. Sony is also drawing on its comprehensive strengths in audio and visual technologies to aggressively promote the growth of "4K" technology, which delivers more than four times the resolution of Full HD. Incorporation of Sony-developed technologies, such as image sensors, image processing compression LSIs and high-speed optical transmission modules into its professional-use and high-end consumer products will pave the way for Sony to continue to expand and enrich its 4K-compatible product lineup. 5. Realigning the business portfolio and optimizing resources Sony is accelerating its ongoing process of business selection and focus, and is concentrating its investments in core and new business areas. In terms of investment, core areas include the expansion of Sony's image sensor manufacturing capacity, capital investment in mobile products and aggressive strategic investment in development or M&A relating to new business areas such as medical. Other existing business areas will be evaluated according to the following four criteria, so that Sony can determine the optimum strategy for these businesses, including proactive consideration of alliances and business transfers in order to optimize its overall business portfolio: - Loss generating, negative operating cash flow or low revenue businesses - Limited synergies with core businesses - Businesses where commoditization is advanced and prospects for growth are limited - Businesses where opportunities for revitalization and growth are enhanced through collaboration with partners rather than independent operation by Sony For example, in the small- and medium-sized display business* and chemical products business**, Sony has already transferred or is in negotiations to transfer those businesses to external parties. Furthermore, Sony is also exploring possible alliances in the area of batteries for electronic vehicles and energy storage modules. * "INCJ, Hitachi, Sony and Toshiba Sign Definitive Agreements Regarding Integration of Small- and Medium-Sized Display Businesses" announced on November 15, 2011 ** "Development Bank of Japan and Sony Sign Non-Binding Memorandum of Understanding for Sale of Chemical Products Businesses" announced on March 22, 2012 In addition to this business portfolio realignment, as Sony moves to strengthen its core businesses and shift resources to growth areas, it will also restructure its headquarters, subsidiaries and sales company organizations in order to further enhance operational efficiencies. As a result of these measures, Sony estimates that the headcount across the entire Sony Group will be reduced by approximately 10,000 in FY12. This includes employees expected to transfer outside the Sony Group as part of the sale of businesses and other realignments resulting from business portfolio optimization. Sony anticipates that many of these businesses will have future growth opportunities outside the Sony Group, and Sony will consider various measures to secure continuity of employment for employees at their new destinations. Sony is projecting restructuring costs of 75 billion yen in FY12. Cautionary Statement Statements made in this release with respect to Sony's current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Sony. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those statements using words such as "believe," "expect," "plans," "strategy," "prospects," "forecast," "estimate," "project," "anticipate," "aim," "intend," "seek," "may," "might," "could" or "should," and words of similar meaning in connection with a discussion of future operations, financial performance, events or conditions. From time to time, oral or written forward-looking statements may also be included in other materials released to the public. These statements are based on management's assumptions, judgments and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. Sony cautions you that a number of important risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and therefore you should not place undue reliance on them. You also should not rely on any obligation of Sony to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Sony disclaims any such obligation. Risks and uncertainties that might affect Sony include, but are not limited to (i) the global economic environment in which Sony operates and the economic conditions in Sony's markets, particularly levels of consumer spending; (ii) foreign exchange rates, particularly between the yen and the U.S. dollar, the euro and other currencies in which Sony makes significant sales and incurs production costs, or in which Sony's assets and liabilities are denominated; (iii) Sony's ability to continue to design and develop and win acceptance of, as well as achieve sufficient cost reductions for, its products and services, including LCD televisions and game platforms, which are offered in highly competitive markets characterized by continual new product and service introductions, rapid development in technology and subjective and changing consumer preferences; (iv) Sony's ability and timing to recoup large-scale investments required for technology development and production capacity; (v) Sony's ability to implement successful business restructuring and transformation efforts under changing market conditions; (vi) Sony's ability to implement successful hardware, software, and content integration strategies for all segments excluding the Financial Services segment, and to develop and implement successful sales and distribution strategies in light of the Internet and other technological developments; (vii) Sony's continued ability to devote sufficient resources to research and development and, with respect to capital expenditures, to prioritize investments correctly (particularly in the electronics business); (viii) Sony's ability to maintain product quality; (ix) the effectiveness of Sony's strategies and their execution, including but not limited to the success of Sony's acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic investments (in particular the recent acquisition of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB); (x) Sony's ability to forecast demands, manage timely procurement and control inventories; (xi) the outcome of pending legal and/or regulatory proceedings; (xii) shifts in customer demand for financial services such as life insurance and Sony's ability to conduct successful asset liability management in the Financial Services segment; (xiii) the impact of unfavorable conditions or developments (including market fluctuations or volatility) in the Japanese equity markets on the revenue and operating income of the Financial Services segment; and (xiv) risks related to catastrophic disasters or similar events, including the Great East Japan Earthquake and its aftermath as well as the October 2011 floods in Thailand. Risks and uncertainties also include the impact of any future events with material adverse impact. Sony is currently modifying its business segment classification to reflect its reorganization as of April 1, 2012. Sony expects to report its operating results in line with new business segments from the first quarter of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biegert & Funk bring the literal time to your wristwatch with QLOCKTWO W Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:24 PM PDT  Biegert & Funk presents the world's first wristwatch in words at Baselworld For the first time, Biegert & Funk is exhibiting a completely new kind of wristwatch, the QLOCKTWO W, at Baselworld. QLOCKTWO W does not show the time with hands or digits. Time is indicated on this purist watch as readable text, turning it into a statement: "It is half past nine". The square watch face has a uniform grid of 110 letters. When the stainless steel button is pressed, words light up in unexpected places which describe the time. The initially random order of the characters lends this wristwatch a mysterious aesthetic. "QLOCKTWO W makes you aware of the moment. Showing the time becomes an interesting experience for the owner," explains Andreas Funk from the design duo Biegert & Funk. The basic shape of the QLOCKTWO W is, like all QLOCKTWO variations, a square. The design is minimalist and precision crafted, its form reduced to the essentials. The high quality brushed stainless steel casing measures 35 x 35 mm. The watch comes with either a rubber or leather strap. Together with the time, QLOCKTWO W also displays the calendar day or seconds. "It is operated by a single push button and could not be more simple: one push to display the time, two for the calendar day and three for the seconds," says designer Marco Biegert. QLOCKTWO W will be available from autumn 2012 in two variants, natural stainless steel or black, at a cost of approx. 550 euros. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LG Optimus 3D Max wages dual-core war in benchmark tests Posted: 11 Apr 2012 09:46 PM PDT  [Thanks, Konstantinos]
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| Marketplace takes a look at how the iPad is made and who, exactly, builds it Posted: 11 Apr 2012 08:33 PM PDT The unique privilege of jumpsuiting up and prowling the Foxconn factory floor may be reserved for the likes of Tim Cook and Nightline's Bill Weir, but thanks to American Public Media's Marketplace, we can all take a peek at the iPad production line. The above video is part of Rob Schmitz' ongoing look at Foxconn's factory conditions. Schmitz is partially responsible for debunking Mike Daisey's "theatrical" deception, and now hopes to educate readers on the reality of Foxconn's Longhua facility. "When I gave examples of some of the American media coverage of the working conditions at Foxconn, many workers laughed, telling me it's not really that bad" Schmitz writes. "But that doesn't mean the workers don't have complaints." Through a series of interviews, Schmitz unveils how workers feel about their supervisors, jobs, pay, family back home and their dreams for the future. So, how's that iPad made? Check out the source link below, and find out. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jaws debuts on Blu-ray August 14th remastered and upmixed (video) Posted: 11 Apr 2012 07:52 PM PDT    UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., April 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- JAWS – the landmark motion picture that still makes audiences afraid to go in the water – comes to Blu-ray™ for the first time ever on August 14th, 2012. Featuring an all-new, digitally remastered and fully restored picture, as well as 7.1 surround sound, the JAWS Blu-ray™ Combo Pack with DVD, Digital Copy and UltraViolet™ gives fans the ultimate way to watch the breathtaking and terrifying action-thriller. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120410/LA83762) One of the most influential motion pictures of all time and nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award®, JAWS stars Oscar® winner Richard Dreyfuss and Oscar® nominees Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw. Produced by legendary filmmakers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown, the film earned an Oscar® for composer John Williams' instantly recognizable minimalist score, as well as Oscars® for Best Editing and Best Sound. When it was first released in 1975, JAWS smashed box-office records and became the highest-grossing film of its era, earning Spielberg a reputation as a Hollywood visionary. Today, it remains one of the highest-grossing films in motion-picture history[1] and is largely considered the film that launched the summer blockbuster. JAWS is one of 13 classic Universal films to be digitally remastered and fully restored from 35mm original film elements as part of Universal's ongoing 100th Anniversary celebration. The JAWS restoration began with researching and evaluating the existing film elements to determine the best means to restore the film. Over the course of several months, skilled technicians at Universal Studios Digital Services meticulously balanced color, removed dirt and scratches, and repaired any damage to the film elements shot by shot and frame by frame. Following the picture restoration, Universal Studios Sound team up-mixed the iconic JAWS soundtrack to DTS-HD Master 7.1, optimizing the sound on the Blu-ray™ for the latest home theater technology. The entire restoration process was conducted in conjunction with Steven Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment's post-production team to ensure the integrity of Spielberg's original vision remained intact. "JAWS holds a unique place, not just in Universal Pictures' history, but in global pop culture," said Craig Kornblau, President of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. "It is only fitting that this phenomenal film should be given the extensive restoration needed to ensure that long-time fans as well as newcomers can enjoy this unforgettable cinematic achievement for generations to come." The JAWS Blu-ray™ Combo Pack is available in collectible Universal 100th Anniversary packaging for a limited time. The Combo Pack also contains a Digital Copy of the film for a limited time, compatible with iTunes®, iPad®, iPhone®, iPod™ touch, Android or online retail partners, as well as an UltraViolet™ copy. UltraViolet is the revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows in the cloud to download and stream instantly to computers, tablets and smartphones. Consumers can now truly enjoy their movies anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice. Blu-ray™ Bonus Features: The Shark is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of JAWS: All-new feature-length documentary featuring never-before-seen footage and interviews with cast and crew including Steven Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider. JAWS: The Restoration: An all-new, in-depth look at the intricate process of restoring the movie. The Making of JAWS: A two-hour documentary featuring interviews with key cast and crew. From the Set: An insider's look at life on the set of JAWS, featuring an interview with Steven Spielberg. Deleted Scenes & Outtakes JAWS Archives: Take a peek inside the JAWS archives, including storyboards, production photos and marketing materials, as well as a special segment on the JAWS phenomenon. Original Theatrical Trailer UltraViolet™: The revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows, store them in the cloud, and download and stream instantly to computers, tablets and smartphones. Currently available in the United States only. Digital Copy: Viewers can redeem a digital version of the full-length movie from a choice of retail partners to watch on an array of electronic and portable devices. pocket BLU™ App: The popular free pocket BLU™ app for smartphones is now even better with newly updated versions for iPad®, Android™ tablets, PC and Macintosh computers, with features made especially to take advantage of the devices' larger screens and high resolution displays. Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease. Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film. Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere. Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU™-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray™. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device. Keyboard: Entering data is fast and easy with your device's intuitive keyboard. BD-LIVE™: Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to access the latest trailers, exclusive content and more! DVD Bonus Features: Spotlight on Location: The Making of JAWS: Highlights from the full-length documentary featuring interviews with key cast and crew. Synopsis Directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg, JAWS set the standard for edge-of-your seat suspense quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry. When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police (Roy Scheider), a young marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a grizzled shark hunter (Robert Shaw) embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again. Featuring an unforgettable score that evokes pure terror, JAWS remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history. CAST & FILMMAKERS Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton Directed By: Steven Spielberg Produced By: Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown Music By: John Williams Based on Novel By: Peter Benchley Screenplay By: Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb Director of Photography: Bill Butler Production Design By: Joseph Alves Jr. Editor: Verna Fields TECHNICAL INFORMATION BD Street Date: 8/14/2012 Copyright: 2012 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. Selection Numbers: 61121167 (US); 61121267 (Canada) Running Time: 2 Hours 4 Minutes Layers: BD-50 Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 2.35:1 Rating: PG Technical Info: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1/DTS Digital Surround 2.0 Mono and Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish and French DTS Digital Surround 5.1 Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD Street Date: 8/14/2012 Copyright: 2012 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. Selection Numbers: 61120918 (US); 61121268 (Canada) Running Time: 2 Hours 4 Minutes Layers: Dual Layer Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Screen 2.35:1 Rating: PG Technical Info: English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Mono, Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish In honor of its Centennial anniversary, Universal Pictures proudly salutes 100 years of unforgettable films that have entertained audiences and touched the hearts of millions around the globe. In celebration of our first 100 years, Universal Studios Home Entertainment is proud to present a selection of our many beloved movies as part of an extensive year-long program that underscores the studio's rich cinematic history and indelible cultural impact. Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios. Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates the No. 1 television network, the fastest-growing Spanish-language network, a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Apple TV (2012) raids iPad 2 parts bin, packs 32nm A5 silicon Posted: 11 Apr 2012 07:08 PM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Apple Macintosh 128k prototype with 5.25-inch Twiggy floppy drive for sale on eBay Posted: 11 Apr 2012 06:34 PM PDT  While the Twiggy disk could store an impressive 860KB of data, it was also notoriously unreliable -- so bad, in fact, that one engineer responsible for the drive remarked to Steve Jobs, "Take out your .45 and shoot the friggin' horse in the head." Ultimately, the company did just that, and the original Macintosh shipped with a 3.5-inch drive from Sony that could write only 400KB to its not-so-floppy disks. While this prototype will attract only the most affluent of bidders, the rest of us can enjoy the priceless photos of what might've been. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft wins injunction in Washington against Motorola, can keep selling stuff in Germany Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:49 PM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Samsung prices Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 at $400, rings up a fresh pair of Galaxy Players for $150, $200 Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:17 PM PDT  RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., April 11, 2012 – Samsung Electronics America Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today unveils the latest additions to the popular Samsung Galaxy line of handheld and portable devices. The two new Galaxy Tab 2TM products and two new Galaxy Players TM continue to showcase Samsung's commitment to providing users with choice, flexibility and connectivity to the full Samsung ecosystem of products, apps and services. Galaxy Tab 2 – Powerful, Smart, Easy to Use The Galaxy Tab 2 Series, available in both 10.1" and 7.0" screen sizes, are powerful dual-core tablets running the latest version of Android - Ice Cream Sandwich. The devices feature an integrated IR blaster for universal remote capabilities, as well as an easily accessible memory card slot for convenient loading of multimedia files in a range of supported file formats. The new tablets offer endless content access in a sleek design that can maximize the home entertainment experience. The Smart Remote App and built-in IR Blaster turns the Tab 2 into a universal smart remote, helping users easily find their favorite shows. Users can choose from more than 450,000 apps, access favorite movies and TV shows from Google Play or Media Hub, and surf millions of web pages with Adobe® Flash™ support. In addition, the Galaxy Tab 2 products are fully Google certified for complete access to Google Play (formerly Android Marketplace) and competitively priced at $399.99 and $249.99, respectively – so consumers no longer need to compromise when selecting a tablet. "These new Galaxy Tab 2 and Galaxy Player devices deliver what consumers have come to expect from all Samsung products – exceptional design, impressive connectivity options and a selection of choices for each type of person and user scenario," said Tim Baxter, President, Samsung Electronics America. "A one size fits all solution is just not sufficient." Galaxy Players put Android in the Hand – without Service Contracts With the two new Galaxy Players, available in 4.2 inch WVGA screen or 3.6 inch HVGA screen variants, gaming, videos and music are more fun than ever. Easily connect to Wi-Fi hotspots anywhere to get instant access to the latest content. Users also can play their own video and music in a variety of formats, connect to other devices using USB 2.0 or Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, or simply load the device via a micro SD card. Because the device runs on Android™ 2.3, Gingerbread, a world of apps is a touch away. Plus, dual-stereo speakers (on the Galaxy Player 4.2) deliver an incredible music, video or gaming experience – anywhere. The new Galaxy Tab 2 and Galaxy Players will be available for purchase at a variety of retailers including Best Buy, Amazon, Tiger Direct and others. The Galaxy Player 3.6 is available now for $149.99 exclusively at Best Buy and soon at other retailers. The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 will be available for preorder today at $249.99, and for purchase on April 22. The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Galaxy Player 4.2 will both be available for pre-order on May 4 and for purchase on May 13, at $399.99 and $199.99 respectively. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Intel says 75 Ultrabooks in the pipeline with 3rd-gen HD 2500 and 4000 GPUs Posted: 11 Apr 2012 04:44 PM PDT  [Image credit: Anandtech] Intel Developer Forum: 'Collaborative Innovation' Key to Growth for Intel and Chinese Markets Posted by IntelPR on Apr 10, 2012 7:22:48 PM New Technologies and Joint Lab Announcements to Advance More Secure, Connected Computing Experiences from Devices to the Cloud NEWS HIGHLIGHTS Intel® Core™ processors with Intel® Small Business Advantage (Intel® SBA) are now available, providing additional tools for PCs to help small businesses increase security and productivity. Coming this quarter, Intel® HD Graphics 2500/4000 provides amazing 3-D graphics, further enhancing the resolution and visual detail of mainstream games and more. New, lab-to-lab collaborations with Intel Labs China, Lenovo* address the challenges in the mobile Internet area and China Mobile Research Institute* to apply Intel® architecture to wireless base stations to power the next-generation mobile network infrastructure. INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, Beijing, April 11, 2012 – Throughout Intel Corporation's developer forum that starts today, company executives emphasized the importance of collaborating with China's government and industry to help create new business and innovation opportunities for Intel and its 14 million developers worldwide. The management team detailed its vision of how such collaborations could potentially spawn the next-generation of advances in business, consumer electronics and many more industries around the globe. "The impact of major global trends, such as the rapidly growing middle class as well as the explosive growth of connected, mobile Internet and cloud computing traffic, is playing out ten-fold in China," said Sean Maloney, executive vice president of Intel Corporation and chairman of Intel China. For example, China became the largest PC market in the world last year, growing a remarkable 13 percent in 2011 and now represents 20 percent of all PC demand, according to IDC, a global industry analyst firm. In addition, IDC shows servers in China are growing at more than eight times the rate of the worldwide average over the past 5 years, making the country the second-largest data center market segment in the world. With more than 1 billion subscribers**, China is also the world's largest segment for mobile phones. To address these and other opportunities, Intel executives speaking in Beijing highlighted several technology advancements and local collaborations designed to bring richer, more connected computing experiences from the cloud to computing devices of all types. The announcements included the introduction of Intel® Small Business Advantage (SBA) designed to help maintain and protect PCs automatically and improved visual experience with built-in visuals on Intel's forthcoming 3rd generation Intel Core products with Intel® HD Graphics 2500/4000. The company also revealed that Intel Labs China will work closely with leading Chinese OEMs, operators and municipalities for ongoing technology research and development in China. In his first speech since being appointed chairman of Intel China last year, Maloney opened the company's largest two-day technical conference in Asia by noting how overcoming barriers in technology represents more than just physics or engineering problem. "As the world continues to advance, so too must semiconductor technology, and that is never more evident than today with the pending release of Tri-Gate transistors and 22 nm process technology," said Maloney. "Few individuals and industries will be untouched as powerful microprocessors, Internet-connections, and user experience breakthroughs are applied across the worlds of business, healthcare, education and the society at large." Transforming the Personal Computing Experience During his keynote presentation, Kirk Skaugen, vice president and general manager of Intel's PC Client Group discussed how Intel is helping drive a dramatic change in the personal computing experience for consumers and businesses with new hardware, software and solutions. Ultrabook™ devices have already begun this transformation, and Skaugen showcased numerous systems on stage and reiterated that more than 75 designs are planned for 2012 with many touch-enabled systems expected. This next wave of Ultrabook devices, powered by 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors with Intel® HD Graphics 2500/4000, will bring significant performance improvements for even greater computing experiences. To address the small business segment without IT support, Skaugen also announced Intel SBA will be available on the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processors. With Intel SBA, small businesses can maximize business productivity by keeping PCs performing at an optimal level while securing data by reducing the risk of virus disruptions, leakage of confidential data and data loss. Intel SBA is a simple-to-use integrated hardware and software solution that automatically provides regular software updates, strengthens security defenses and conducts maintenance tasks after-hours, even if the computer is turned off. OEMs supporting the Intel Small Business Advantage solution include Asus*, Dell*, Fujitsu* and Lenovo* as well as multiple local-OEMs around the world. To help address online fraud, a common concern for consumers today, all Ultrabook devices will now include Intel® Identity Protection Technology, enabling a more secure and convenient way to access popular websites2. Skaugen announced that RenRen*, China's most popular social networking website, will incorporate Intel Identity Protection Technology as part of its focus on providing secure online experience for its users. Additionally, he disclosed relationships with Feitian Technologies* and DynamiCode Company*, both leading-edge second factor authentication security solution services that will incorporate Intel Identity Protection Technology into their products. Collaborating for Datacenter and Cloud Success During her keynote on the second day of the conference, Diane Bryant, vice president and general manager of Intel's Datacenter and Connected Systems Group, will discuss how the rapid growth of users, devices and data is transforming information technology while also creating new opportunities for developers. With more than 15 billion connected devices expected by 20153 – and the data center and cloud computing opportunities that support this level of connected devices – Bryant will say the key is open, standards-based solutions such as those defined by the Intel® Cloud Builders Program. The Intel® Cloud Builders program enables ecosystem leaders to build and optimize the cloud infrastructure using open-standard solutions optimized for Intel architecture. Intel Cloud Builders brings together tools and best practices, including more than 70 reference architectures from a range of industry-leading cloud infrastructure systems and solutions providers, to address key challenges facing data center and cloud deployments such as security, manageability, and energy efficiency. Bryant will share that the newly introduced Intel® Xeon processors are at the heart of the data center. The Intel Xeon E5-2600 product family is designed to scale and handle three times more data traffic than today, be more efficient and secure. With 80 percent more performance1,4 and 50 percent more performance per wattpercent1,5 compared to previous generations, the new Intel Xeon processors address the requirements of an ever-growing connected world. Intel has extended its leadership in data center technology and product innovation with a strong and well-balanced portfolio of processors, developer resources and support that addresses today's workload challenges for key segments, including the emerging micro server category. Bryant will outline details of the company's 2012 processor roadmap for this category, and highlight how it continues to help customers deliver new levels of power efficiency and density while allowing them to also benefit from common software compatibility across Intel-based micro servers and traditional servers. Intel Labs China: Aligning Research Collaboration and Innovation Emphasizing the importance of ongoing research with local partners in China, Intel Labs announced new joint research collaboration efforts with Lenovo* and China Mobile*. Intel and Lenovo's new lab-to-lab collaborative research efforts will address challenges in the mobile Internet area, such as security, context aware computing, cross screen experience and energy efficiency. The China Mobile Research Institute (CMRI) is applying Intel architecture to wireless base stations to power next-generation mobile network infrastructure. As part of CMRI's Cooperative Radio Access Architecture (CRAN) vision, Intel Labs China and CMRI are engaging in research and ecosystem development to increase the speed and efficiency telecommunications networks through greater processing power and general computing capabilities. With CMRI and other ecosystem partners, Intel has produced a reference design prototype that demonstrates considerable improvements for lowering total cost of ownership. For example, IA signal processing-enabled CRAN technology can save telecommunications operators up to 15 percent in capital expenditures and reduce operations costs up to 50 percent, largely through power savings. Intel Developer Forum IDF spans the worlds of mobility, digital enterprise, digital home, and technology and research. Held at the China National Convention Center on April 11-12, the event is geared toward the Chinese market in support of local innovation and Intel's industry leadership in the region. Next up on the IDF schedule is a one-day conference in Brazil on May 15 and a 3-day event in San Francisco, which will be held Sept. 11-13 at Moscone Center West. Further information is available at www.intel.com/idf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) review Posted: 11 Apr 2012 04:00 PM PDT  A few specs, though, have seen downgrades: the front-facing camera now has VGA resolution, and the dual-core TI OMAP processor powering it is clocked at a lower 1GHz. Still, the 1024 x 600 TFT LCD display remains intact, as does the 3-megapixel rear camera, microSD slot and IR blaster. It's a puzzling hardware refresh ushering in modest tweaks to a proven design, with the biggest change of all being the move to Ice Cream Sandwich (with TouchWiz, of course). Is that software upgrade alone compelling enough to warrant an entirely new piece of hardware in Samsung's lineup? Maybe, maybe not. It all comes down to price, and at $250 this WiFi-only tablet could give consumers with Kindle Fire ire something to talk about. Follow past the break to see what we mean. HardwareSome family resemblances can be tenuous, causing those in the know to cast suspicious glances towards the figurative OEM milkman, but in the Tab 2's case, the parental lineage is all too clear. With a build that's barely indistinguishable from the higher-end 7.0 Plus (now about $420), the tablet tacks on a marginal amount of thickness, measuring in at 10.5mm versus 9.96mm. Still, despite that extra padding it weighs the same as its older sibling: 345 grams, or about 0.76 pounds. At first blush, it would appear Samsung's done little, if anything, to set these two devices apart. After a closer, lingering inspection, though, you'll notice some tell-tale signs of a refresh, like the omission of both a frontward speaker grill and LED flash 'round back. Cosmetically, those are the standout differentiators, but there are more subtle tweaks that make this iteration feel like more of an ergonomic match made in hand. Flip the Tab 2 into landscape orientation and you'll see that its smooth, gunmetal grey enclosure spills over gently to meet the bezel with more of a pronounced curve. That alteration ultimately makes the tab more pleasant to hold while watching video, browsing one-handed or viewing photos. While it would've been nice to see the 7.0 Plus's classier faux-brushed metal digs make a reappearance, the move to a smooth enclosure shouldn't ruffle prospective owners; it's still smudge-free, despite being slightly slippery.  Schematic variation clearly wasn't on order when Samsung set its designers loose on the Tab 2. As it was on the Plus, so, too, it goes on the Tab 2 (7.0). The right side is home to hardware keys for power and volume, in addition to an IR blaster, while a proprietary charging dock and dual speakers take up residence at the base. Move to the left and you'll find a covered microSD slot, with the 3.5mm headphone jack sitting on the nearby top edge. The tab's backside reveals no superfluous embellishments, save for the unaccompanied 3-megapixel shooter and Samsung's logo. The front face is as unadorned as ever, with a VGA camera and ambient sensor shrouded in the thick black bezel that surrounds the 7-inch, 1024 x 600 PLS TFT display. It's a pity, really, that Samsung isn't doing more to move beyond that old screen tech, employed as far back as the original Galaxy Tab. While viewing angles appear to hold up well, it still succumbs to extreme-enough lighting. Truly, the Tab 2 (7.0) could almost double as a mirror given its propensity for reflection. Performance and battery life Right out of the gate, the Tab 2 (7.0) is hamstrung with lesser specs than its big brother, the 7.0 Plus. Its CPU, fashioned by the folks at Texas Instruments, differs from the Samsung-made Exynos chip used in the Plus. Not to mention, it's also 200MHz slower. Does that translate into a noticeable difference? Well, yes and no. Using a gamut of performance tests as our guide, Sammy's refreshed tab takes a solid backseat to its older sibling, losing in every round, save for a infinitesimal Neocore win. In the real world, though, those second best benchmark tests won't carry much weight, thanks to the tab's pleasingly fast user experience. Navigation through the carousel of homescreens bumps along at a consistent, fluid pace. Not once did we struggle with the kind of hiccups that plague other skinned Android slates.
The browser on the Tab 2 (7.0) may not be as fast as the Plus's, but its ability to snappily render full desktop pages in as little as 10 seconds should not leave users wanting. Even pinch-to-zoom feels brisk, although you will notice some white spaces, along with a loss in the integrity of the text. When it comes to longevity, the company's once again fallen back on the tried-and-true: a 4,000mAh juicepack. Except where you'd imagine this less demanding, lower-clocked tablet would more slowly sip that allotted power, it actually chugs, going from full to empty after seven hours and 38 minutes of video playback, compared with eight hours and change for the 7.0 Plus. That's with Twitter set to sync at 15-minute intervals, one push email account active, brightness set to medium, and WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS enabled. Should you require less intense usage, you could probably squeeze a day and half of productivity from a single charge.
Software Compared to Samsung's Note products with their suite of S Pen apps, the very vanilla Tab series offers much less in the way of standout features. Still, in a bid to position the Tab 2 (7.0) as a media consumption device, Samsung outfitted it with an IR blaster. Coupled with the pre-installed Peel app (the same one loaded on the 7.0 Plus), the Tab 2 becomes a universal TV remote replete with personalized program recommendations. It's a welcome value-add that turns what would otherwise be your second browsing screen into a living room accessory. But that's not the main star of this 7-inch, galactic show: those honors go to its Android Ice Cream Sandwich UI. For better and worse, Samsung's TouchWiz overcoat looks nothing like Google's vision of Android 4.0. It all depends on which you prefer more: the pure vision set forth by Andy Rubin or the user-friendly enhancements brought forth by Samsung. Certainly, a UX of any kind is an acquired taste, and here it manages to stay relatively unobtrusive. You'll have access to the same suite of GApps, in addition to a heaping helping of bloat -- about twenty, in total -- some of which can be disabled, not uninstalled. What are the culprits this time 'round? Well, for starters, you have Samsung's own ChatOn, Media Hub, Memo and S Planner applications joining the likes of Netflix, Polaris Office and Amazon Kindle, just to name a few. Hopefully, if you opt-in for this tablet, you can live with that permanent application load.  In what's turning out to be a very pro-consumer trend, Samsung's bundling the Tab 2 (7.0) with a complimentary, one-year Dropbox account with 50GB of storage, similar to what HTC's offering with its One devices. That extended cloud storage is intended to complement the built-in 8GB it ships with, and whatever size microSD card you choose to insert (you can go as high as 32GB). Camera It goes without saying that tablets aren't the most reliable, nor for that matter satisfactory replacements for smartphone cameras, much less point-and-shoots. That said, the rear 3-megapixel shooter does a decent job of producing fairly detailed (if slightly oversaturated and noisy) shots. There's no elegant way to zoom in and out using the on-screen interface, so users will have to awkwardly toggle with the volume rocker for that purpose. There's also no tap-to-focus here. What you will have access to is a host of customizable in-app settings familiar to most users, like scene modes, resolution and white balance. Video playback, recorded at 720p resolution, evinced many of the same quirks, like that slight overcompensation for color and fuzzy overall composition. Audio, however, is undeniably poor and, as you'll hear in the sample recording, comes across extremely muffled and static-y, picking up only the loudest of environmental sounds. The competition So why should Samsung risk further diluting its dominant Android tablet brand with a WiFi-only hardware refresh that takes away much of the performance and construction gloss of the more premium, 21Mbps HSPA+ enabled Plus? Well, positioned at half the price -- $250 -- the 7-inch Tab 2 is already the more compelling option for budget-minded shoppers. Subtract the need for a monthly data contract, factor in some (mostly) comparable internals and you've got a low-cost device that escapes allusions to other budget devices. As a Galaxy Tab alternative, the Tab 2 is a sound purchase. But there's another unpretentious 7-incher that's been sweeping the market with its open arms, Android architecture and deeply integrated ecosystem : the Kindle Fire. That tablet, still running an unrecognizable build of Gingerbread, offers an identical wireless experience and costs $50 less, to boot. Backed by Amazon's vast e-book, MP3 and on-demand video library, the Fire comes off as the indisputable king of this hill. There's just no overwhelming reason why consumers would dole out extra money for a media consumption device that does the same duties without the vast content resources. Fanboyism aside, you'll either want to pony up for a network-connected slate or get the best bang for your buck -- and that would be the Kindle Fire. Wrap-up | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Facebook launches 'groups for schools,' keeps enrollment tight Posted: 11 Apr 2012 03:35 PM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Verizon HTC Incredible 4G gets press render, sheepishly grins for Mr. Blurrycam Posted: 11 Apr 2012 03:03 PM PDT  A quick peek at the hardware information reveals a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, an 8MP primary camera and a front-facing VGA counterpart, along with 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 -- as well as support for LTE, NFC and WiFi Direct. The display is estimated at 4-inches and is said to offer qHD resolution. In highly welcome bit of news, the camera is said to capture a rapid burst of images, which gives us hope that this is the same option found on the One X and One S. Nonetheless, it appears to be a mainstream, middle-of-the-road handset that will likely be priced between $100 and $150 on-contract. Be sure to hop the break for the press render, and for a few extra blurry snapshots, just hit up the source link below.  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google brings better YouTube integration to Orkut, hopes you haven't forgotten Posted: 11 Apr 2012 02:31 PM PDT  Remember Orkut? You know, one of Google's early efforts at diving into the social networking game. Well, the website's still operating at full force, with more than three quarters of its 66 million users coming from Brazil and India alone. The point is, Big G's still keeping tabs on the O network, thus the news of an improved YouTube integration shouldn't come as a surprise. With the fresh features, Orkut folks are able to watch / listen to videos without having to step out of their current session, saving them an extra trip to YouTube's site. Of course, similar to Facebook or Orkut's more popular relative Google+, friends can see whether you're watching kitty vids or Kony 2012. Você é um Orkut? Cross your fingers and hope it doesn't get the axe anytime soon. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Currents app updated with international support, offline reading Posted: 11 Apr 2012 02:06 PM PDT  |
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