WiLAN lawyers up, picks patent fight with Apple, Dell, HP, HTC and others
September 5, 2011 No Comment
You know what the tech world needs? More patent litigation, which is why WiLAN is at it again in the rocket docket of the Eastern District of Texas. This time, instead of suing cable companies , it’s going after the likes of Apple, Dell, HP, HTC, Kyocera, Novatel, Alcatel-Lucent and Sierra Wireless. There are two patents at issue: no. RE37,802 that covers CDMA and HSPA data transmission, and no. 5,282,222 which is related to data transmission tech with WiFi and LTE. Will the plucky patent troll get some quick cash, or will the big boys fight this one to the end? Stay tuned. WiLAN lawyers up, picks patent fight with Apple, Dell, HP, HTC and others originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 05:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …WiLAN lawyers up, picks patent fight with Apple, Dell, HP, HTC and others
September 5, 2011 No CommentYou know what the tech world needs? More patent litigation, which is why WiLAN is at it again in the rocket docket of the Eastern District of Texas. This time, instead of suing cable companies , it’s going after the likes of Apple, Dell, HP, HTC, Kyocera, Novatel, Alcatel-Lucent and Sierra Wireless. There are two patents at issue: no. RE37,802 that covers CDMA and HSPA data transmission, and no. 5,282,222 which is related to data transmission tech with WiFi and LTE. Will the plucky patent troll get some quick cash, or will the big boys fight this one to the end? Stay tuned. WiLAN lawyers up, picks patent fight with Apple, Dell, HP, HTC and others originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 05:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The 1982 Lockheed Sea Shadow may be rusting away in Suisun Bay, but its Commie-spooking contours haven’t been forgotten. They apparently inspired the design of the Asus G74SX-A1 , which just won a HotHardware recommendation for its cheese-eschewing looks as well as its performance, efficient cooling and realistic $1749 price tag. For once, the Core i7-2360QM CPU coupled with a GeForce GTX 560M and generous 12GB dollop of DDR-1333 RAM actually conspired to surpass the manufacturer’s 3DMark benchmark claims. It wasn’t flawless though: overall computing performance was middling compared to rivals; the speakers were shoddy when it came to producing music rather than explosions; and the 17.3-inch Full HD display was slightly wasted on some games that only ran smoothly with high quality settings at 1280×720. Still, all this naval talk makes us fancy some Silent Hunter 4 — and that should play just fine. Check out source link lurking below for the full review. ASUS G74SX-A1 gaming laptop gets rated, loves a bit of Battleship originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …New program makes it easier to turn your computer into a conversational chatterbox
September 4, 2011 No Comment
We’ve already seen how awkward computers can be when they try to speak like humans, but researchers from North Carolina State and Georgia Tech have now developed a program that could make it easier to show them how it’s done. Their approach, outlined in a recently published paper, would allow developers to create natural language generation (NLG) systems twice as fast as currently possible. NLG technology is used in a wide array of applications (including video games and customer service centers), but producing these systems has traditionally required developers to enter massive amounts of data, vocabulary and templates — rules that computers use to develop coherent sentences. Lead author Karthik Narayan and his team, however, have created a program capable of learning how to use these templates on its own, thereby requiring developers to input only basic information about any given topic of conversation. As it learns how to speak, the software can also make automatic suggestions about which information should be added to its database, based on the conversation at hand. Narayan and his colleagues will present their study at this year’s Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment conference in October, but you can dig through it for yourself, at the link below. New program makes it easier to turn your computer into a conversational chatterbox originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 01:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …LG’s ‘Dual Play’ TVs let gamers share a single screen, different perspective
September 4, 2011 No Comment
Challenging Sony’s PlayStation 3D display, LG’s new LW980T “Dual Play” TV lets Xbox users see two different views on the same screen — ditching the standard split gaming view. Spotted this week at IFA, the technology requires a pair of snazzy all-right / all-left passive specs and a compatible 3D Xbox game to get two different 2D perspectives on one TV. Compared to Sony’s $499, 24-inch active-shutter offering, the 47-inch and 55-inch passive ‘tubes are significantly larger and more expensive, rumored to retail for
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We know, there isn’t much point, but folks who sank untold Jacksons on one of HP’s final webOS devices deserve a chance to vent. And that’s exactly what we’re giving them. Barring a total 180, there won’t actually be a second Veer to suggest changes for, but we’re still keenly interested in hearing how you’d change the smallest webOS to ever ship. Back in May, we confessed to having a less-than-enthralling experience with the bantam handset, and while we doubt the company sold a shocking quantity of these, there’s no doubt that some of you are pocketing one right now. If that’s you, the comments are calling. Would you up the resolution? Ditch the physical keyboard? Change the network? Rethink the form factor entirely? Let us know below, and look, it’s cool to cry. How would you change HP’s Veer 4G? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 22:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Altec Lansing shows off an iPod dock, AirPlay speaker, plus headphones for the ladies
September 4, 2011 No Comment
Altec Lansing is showing off a handful of updates to its line of audio accessories this week at IFA in Berlin. At top of the list is the newly revealed inAir 5000, a hefty tabletop AirPlay speaker that the company is firmly positioning to take on Bowers & Wilkins’ Zeppelin line (which also recently got its own AirPlay version ). Like that system, the inAir certainly offers a unique take on aesthetics, with a teardrop design. The company opted not to install an Apple dock on the 110 watt system, given that compatible devices can stream audio wirelessly to the thing via AirPlay. The iMT630 Classic is, not surprisingly, a more traditional speaker dock. It’s portable and light and features a docking shelf on the front that can be flipped out with the push of a button. Open up the stand on the back, and you’ll find a spot for storing the speaker’s remote. The remote itself is also magnetic, so you can stick it to the Classic’s front grill (someone at the company has clearly lost a lot of remotes in their day). No word yet on pricing and availability for either speaker system. The company also showcased its Bliss Headphones, which are “designed for a Woman’s ear.” What does that mean, exactly? Mostly that their earbuds are smaller, fitting more comfortably in smaller ear canals. Altec Lansing assures us, however, that they’re still capable of offering great sound, in spite of their size. And yes, they come in pink. Gallery: Altec Lansing shows off an AirPlay system and iPod dock, plus headphones for the ladies Altec Lansing shows off an iPod dock, AirPlay speaker, plus headphones for the ladies originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony’s new internet TV box, projector and Blu-ray player make an appearance at IFA
September 4, 2011 No Comment
They didn’t earn highlights during Sony’s IFA 2011 keynote , but it did slip out a few more pieces of home theater hardware that are more likely to end up in your living room than its outlandish 3D helmet . The SMP-N200 replaces the earlier Netbox that debuted last year with a refreshed design and support for HD and 3D. Unsurprisingly, this Blu-ray player (without the Blu-ray) also supports DLNA “throwing” of content, making it a natural Apple TV-style tie-in for the Tablet S and Tablet P once they launch. Moving on, the VPL-VW95ES is a proper replacement for last year’s VPL-VW90ES that we’ll probably get more properly acquainted with later this week at CEDIA. For 2011 it’s been refreshed with 3D conversion capabilities, an integrated 3D emitter to sync the glasses and the ability to set and memorize different lens positions to switch seamlessly between 16:9 and ultrawidescreen projecting. Finally, the BDP-S185 Blu-ray player was announced, with compact size and power consumption that Sony claims is 47 percent less than the previous year’s models as its most notable features. All should start shipping in October, no specific word on pricing yet. Continue reading Sony’s new internet TV box, projector and Blu-ray player make an appearance at IFA Sony’s new internet TV box, projector and Blu-ray player make an appearance at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Inhabitat’s Week in Green: magnetic highways, MoMA tech exhibit and lasers in the sky
September 4, 2011 No Comment
Renewable energy supercharged our transit system this week as Inhabitat showcased Vycon’s plans to tap speeding subway trains for immense amounts of kinetic energy, and we took a look at an innovative magnetic highway system that harvests energy from passing cars. Biofuels also got a boost from several unlikely sources as researchers discovered that bacteria in panda poop is incredibly efficient at breaking down plant matter, and scientists developed a way to recycle newspaper into biofuel . We also showcased a real-time energy monitoring device for kids, we learned that some radioactive areas around Fukushima are more dangerous than Chernobyl , and we took a look inside a subterranean atomic shelter that has been transformed into a cavernous underground office . How do machines communicate with people? If you’re pondering that idea, you’ll be interested in this exclusive video interview with Museum of Modern Art curator Paola Antonelli on MoMA’s new ‘Talk to Me’ technology exhibit which recently opened in New York City. We were also amazed by several artistic innovations this week as Wacom unveiled a pen that instantly digitizes anything you can draw and Sarah Garzoni created a beautiful series of printed paper butterflies . In other news, we shined the spotlight on several brilliant advances in lighting technology as scientists successfully created rain by shooting laser beams into the sky and a designer unveiled a solar OLED tile system that can transform skyscrapers into zero-energy displays. We also brought you several bright ideas in wearable tech as Halston unveiled a glow-in-the-dark sequin gown , a ghostly troop of illuminated radiation suits wandered through the German countryside, and a Cornell student developed a type of clothing that traps toxic gases . Meanwhile the Hudson River lit up with a luminous field of 200 LEDs and Laser Power Systems unveiled plans for a nuclear powered car . Speaking of green transportation, we also spotted a high-tech E-Max motorcycle that converts pressure into power, and we watched Toyota’s all-electric P001 racer become the first EV to break the Nurburgring’s 8-minute speed record. Inhabitat’s Week in Green: magnetic highways, MoMA tech exhibit and lasers in the sky originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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What’s the worst thing about your TV? If you said “opaqueness,” boy have we got the set from you. This is a 22-inch transparent organic TV from the folks at Haier (you know, the ones who also showed off that mind control TV today). It’s a slim display with a metal bezel that has a clear OLED at its center with a 1680 x 1050 resolution. The images appeared pretty sharp on screen, though the colors didn’t particularly pop. And really, this thing isn’t likely headed to any living rooms in the near future — Haier sees it more as an advertising tool, letting shoppers see its images from both sides. The display in its demo form was actually hooked up to a Windows PC, running video through a media player, making this not too unlike that 14-inch Samsung laptop that we saw at CES last year. The TV is still in its early demo stages, so pricing and availability are a ways off. Video after the break. Gallery: Haier’s transparent organic TV eyes-on Continue reading Haier’s transparent organic TV eyes-on (video) Haier’s transparent organic TV eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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