If you read tech news today, expect to see a story making the rounds concerning a “consumer poll” rating the iPad versus the Galaxy Tab. According to the report, an “overwhelming majority” of consumers prefer Apple’s tablet over its nearest Android competitor — a whopping 85 percent of those queried felt the iPad had a higher perceived value than the Tab. Sounds shocking, right? Except there’s one small problem. The “survey” (and really, you have to use the term loosely here) consisted of 65 people. Let’s just say that again: 65 respondents. That’s problem number one. Problem number two is that the survey was conducted by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster , who is not only using a bizarre and somewhat useless metric like “perceived value” to judge these devices, but is also known for wildly miscalculating sales numbers and expectations for Apple products. In fact, Gene Munster should probably be close to the top of the most wanted list for irresponsible analysts. Some of his famous misses? Take the wildly speculative report that Apple would sell 5.6m iPads in 2010 (a baseless prediction which he quickly reassessed to more reasonable digits… the day after the device’s launch), or the prediction that Apple would build its own search engine (so far so good!), and of course, Gene’s news that Apple will have an HDTV on the market by 2011 . Did we mention the $1,000 AAPL stock price call? No? Okay. So this latest report, in which Gene apparently just polled the families living on his block, seems beyond disingenuous. The margin of error on a group of 65 people is so high that it makes the results of the iPad vs. Galaxy Tab study all but meaningless, and further demonstrates the insidious, dangerous power of some analysts and their fantasy football stock manipulations. The moral of the story? Next time you see the names Gene and Munster in the same sentence, don’t just take the news with a grain of salt — use the whole shaker. 55 people think the iPad is more valuable than the Galaxy Tab originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Lineo’s Warp 2 boots to Fedora on Atom in 4 seconds, MPC Data’s SwiftBoot warms up embedded Linux in an instant
December 2, 2010 No Comment
Alright, you caught us. We’re suckers for speedy, unrealistically optimized boot times . The fine folks at Linux for Devices just highlighted two major players on the horizon: Lineo’s Warp 2, which is about to launch; and MPC Data’s SwiftBoot, which is now available. Both of them are less of a “boot” and more of a “wake from hibernation” sort of thing, but most of the issues are the same — you still have to boot a kernel, whether or not you’re gonna populate the system with a saved state when it’s ready. Lineo is booting up Fedora Linux 12 on an Atom Z530 machine, and has just hit the 4.06 second mark — compared to a 54.72 second “normal” boot time on the system. Meanwhile, MPC Data is going after much more of a niche, but doing it well: its SwiftBoot tech can get Linux up and running an actual application on an embedded device-ready Renesas SuperH SH7724 processor in under a second (0.982 seconds, to be precise). This one has to be seen to be believed, so check out the video after the break. Sure, it won’t help you love your pokey PC or Mac any more (though Apple’s doing its own work on this problem with its misnomered “instant on” feature on the MacBook Air, which wakes the computer from hibernation in a few seconds), but it’s a nice glimpse of what’s to come. Continue reading Lineo’s Warp 2 boots to Fedora on Atom in 4 seconds, MPC Data’s SwiftBoot warms up embedded Linux in an instant Lineo’s Warp 2 boots to Fedora on Atom in 4 seconds, MPC Data’s SwiftBoot warms up embedded Linux in an instant originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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This is Mass Effect 2 , running on a netbook — a stock Eee PC — with a single core Atom CPU that wouldn’t dare to dream of actually processing the game. It works because the sci-fi opera’s not taxing that silicon at all, but rather a beefy server miles away, streaming processed and compressed video frames direct to the 10.1-inch screen. It’s called Gaikai , and if you’re thinking it sounds just like OnLive by a different name, you’d be half-right. However, this streaming game service has a radically different business model which doesn’t cost players a dime. Gaikai will power game advertisements that simply let you play. If that sounds like an idea you’d like to hear more about, then we’ve got a treat for you. We spoke with founder David Perry about what the service can do, got an exclusive hands-on with the closed beta, and an extensive video walkthrough to boot. After the break, you’ll find the whole scoop. Gallery: Gaikai beta, hands-on Continue reading Gaikai enters closed beta, we get an exclusive first look Gaikai enters closed beta, we get an exclusive first look originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Spacelog provides fascinating searchable text transcripts for NASA missions
December 2, 2010 No Comment
What you’re looking at above is a scan of the physical NASA transcript of a famous moment of the Apollo 13 space mission. These transcripts make extremely fascinating reading, especially if (like us) you’re really into minutiae. Now, for the first time ever, these transcripts are being… transcribed again, on the internet . Yes, if you wander over to Spacelog, you can now view full transcripts of the Apollo 13 and Mercury 6 space missions in searchable text which also links back to source images like the one pictured above. This is the kind of historical documentation and access that reminds us of why the internet is so, insanely awesome. Spacelog’s site also says they’re going to provide other mission transcripts in the future, including Gemini 7, Apollo 8 and Apollo 11. Spacelog provides fascinating searchable text transcripts for NASA missions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 09:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Been eager to get your hands on the Zoom Q3HD camcorder since seeing it on our Holiday Gift Guide ? Well, it should now be relatively easy to find — Zoom has just announced that the camera is officially available at retailers across the US for $299.99. That will not only get you full 1080p video recording, but some high-quality, 24-bit/96kHz audio from the camera’s stereo microphones, which the company says makes it particularly well-suited for musicians or those working with musicians — a fact fully backed up by the auto-playing Joe Satriani on the company’s website, and videos featuring the likes of Roger Waters, Anthrax, and Megadeth. Check out a sample after the break. Continue reading Zoom’s dual mic-equipped Q3HD camcorder now available for $300 Zoom’s dual mic-equipped Q3HD camcorder now available for $300 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 09:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …OnLive ushers in the MicroConsole with all-you-can-eat game plan for $10 a month
December 2, 2010 No Comment
OnLive wants to be the Netflix of video games, that much is clear , and today it’s rolling out a flat-rate monthly pricing plan called PlayPack to help seal the deal. It’ll cost $9.99 a month when it launches January 23rd, giving subscribers access to a back catalog of forty retired and indie titles, including a number of games entirely new to the OnLive service. What’s more, if you bought the company’s $99 MicroConsole , you’ll get access to that entire flat-rate catalog free until the formal launch, meaning you’ll have fourteen full games instantly ready to play the moment you boot it up. OnLive founder Steve Perlman tells us you can pay month-to-month and cancel PlayPack anytime you want, and OnLive will still store your savegames for a full year in case you decide to rejoin — or if you want to mix and match flat-rate and a la carte titles without losing your precious progress. So, when are those MicroConsoles going to arrive? If you were among the first to buy, you could get yours this very afternoon, and Perlman says there are “thousands and thousands of boxes” shipping right now. PR after the break. Continue reading OnLive ushers in the MicroConsole with all-you-can-eat game plan for $10 a month OnLive ushers in the MicroConsole with all-you-can-eat game plan for $10 a month originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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One of the greatest treats a human can know is to visit Google’s home page only to discover that the company has decided to celebrate some obscure birthday, anniversary, or special event by dressing up its logo in a creative way. Google takes these so-called doodles very, very seriously — so seriously, in fact, that it has taken the time to let us know that those doodles will now be available on your phone. No longer will you need to see a Google logo fashioned from meat, vegetables, and pie on your desktop, only to suffer through the normal array of colored letters when you go mobile. You’re welcome, America. Google doodles go mobile at long last originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 08:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Toshiba launches NB520 and NB500 netbooks, one with Harman Kardon sound, one without
December 2, 2010 No Comment
When’s the last time you said “Crank up the netbook , I love this song!” Yeah, probably never, but if you had a Toshiba mini NB520 you might — or at least that’s what Toshiba would like to envision you would do. It packs stereo Harman Kardon speakers that can crack the foundation and wake the dead with an amazing two watts each , apparently the smallest tweeters H/K has ever put on a laptop. That’s paired with an Atom N550 processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory, a 250GB HDD, 10 hours of battery life, and a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 LED-backlit display. If that’s too loud or you’re too old, there’s also the “no frills” NB500, offering the same specs but minus the petite sound system and stepping down to an Atom N455, though doing so at a lower price. What price? That we don’t know, but we’ll find out when both ship in the first quarter of 2011, which starts in a month. Yikes. Gallery: Toshiba NB500 and NB520 Continue reading Toshiba launches NB520 and NB500 netbooks, one with Harman Kardon sound, one without Toshiba launches NB520 and NB500 netbooks, one with Harman Kardon sound, one without originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 08:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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This is not a joke, in fact it’s quite official. Research In Motion has just confirmed the acquisition of Swedish UI design company TAT, which will soon be “bringing their talent to the BlackBerry PlayBook and smartphone platforms.” You’ll be familiar with TAT as the team behind the original Android interface on the T-Mobile G1 as well as from more recent UI design projects — the important thing is that these guys have shown they know what they’re doing. [Thanks, Rasmus] RIM buys TAT, BlackBerry UI in danger of becoming awesome originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 07:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Dish Network launches Remote Access app, brings live TV and scheduling to iPad
December 2, 2010 No Comment
See, that wasn’t so bad, now was it? If you’re befuddled, we’re simply referring to the week that iPad owners have had to listen to their Android-lovin’ brethren gloat about having Dish Network’s Remote Access app. As of today, that same piece of software is available in the App Store, enabling iPad owners to watch live and recorded programs so long as they’ve a broadband-connected, Sling-enabled device like the Sling Adapter . It’ll also allow iPad owners to browse and search up to nine days of programming, schedule DVR recordings, manage conflicts, delete shows on multiple receivers, and use their tablet as a fully functional remote, but much to our dismay, it doesn’t have the power to make Heroes a show worth watching again. Continue reading Dish Network launches Remote Access app, brings live TV and scheduling to iPad Dish Network launches Remote Access app, brings live TV and scheduling to iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 07:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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