Never mind the fact that Intel’s outing a mid-range laptop CPU long after the highest of high-end — the 2.53GHz Core i5-2520M is shaping up to be a lovely option for those who’d prefer a budget choice with plenty of horsepower for churning through HD video. The benchmarking gurus over at Hot Hardware recently grabbed hold of the new silicon, and they noticed an “unmatched performance-per-watt profile for mobile CPUs,” not to mention a robust graphics core, “ridiculously low idle power consumption,” a respectable price point and plenty of power for any software title not named Crysis 2 . ASUS’ 15.6-inch K53E was the test machine, and with a starting tag of just $899, it’s definitely a compelling package. Based on their testing, this particular CPU was around 15 to 25 percent faster across the board compared to its previous generation 2.5GHz Arrandale counterpart, and that’s with around the same power draw, too. Hit the source link for more charts than you’d care to see on an average workday, and be on the lookout for this chip to hit a whole slew of new rigs in the coming weeks. ASUS’ K53E laptop gets reviewed, 2.53GHz Core i5-2520M CPU gets praised originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Operabots take center stage at MIT Media Lab’s ‘Death and the Powers’ opera
March 23, 2011 No Comment
It already had its premiere in Monaco last year, but composer Tod Machover’s new opera, “Death and the Powers,” has now finally made it to the United States. Why are we reporting on a new opera (rather than Opera ) on Engadget? Well, it just so happens to feature the “Operabots” pictured above, which were developed by MIT’s Media Lab . The lab also helped develop some of the opera’s other high-tech components, but it seems like the Operabots are the real standout — they’re “semi-autonomous” and freely roam around the stage throughout the opera, acting as a Greek chorus. Not surprisingly, the opera itself also deals with some futuristic subject matter. The Powers of the title is Simon Powers, a “Bill Gates, Walt Disney-type” who decides to upload his consciousness into “The System” before he dies — hijinks then ensue. Those in Boston can apparently still get tickets for the final performance on March 25th — after that it moves onto Chicago for four performances between April 2nd and 10th. Head on past the break for a preview. Continue reading Operabots take center stage at MIT Media Lab’s ‘Death and the Powers’ opera Operabots take center stage at MIT Media Lab’s ‘Death and the Powers’ opera originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Operabots take center stage at MIT Media Lab’s ‘Death and the Powers’ opera
March 23, 2011 No Comment
It already had its premiere in Monaco last year, but composer Tod Machover’s new opera, “Death and the Powers,” has now finally made it to the United States. Why are we reporting on a new opera (rather than Opera ) on Engadget? Well, it just so happens to feature the “Operabots” pictured above, which were developed by MIT’s Media Lab . The lab also helped develop some of the opera’s other high-tech components, but it seems like the Operabots are the real standout — they’re “semi-autonomous” and freely roam around the stage throughout the opera, acting as a Greek chorus. Not surprisingly, the opera itself also deals with some futuristic subject matter. The Powers of the title is Simon Powers, a “Bill Gates, Walt Disney-type” who decides to upload his consciousness into “The System” before he dies — hijinks then ensue. Those in Boston can apparently still get tickets for the final performance on March 25th — after that it moves onto Chicago for four performances between April 2nd and 10th. Head on past the break for a preview. Continue reading Operabots take center stage at MIT Media Lab’s ‘Death and the Powers’ opera Operabots take center stage at MIT Media Lab’s ‘Death and the Powers’ opera originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Okay, we admit, we were taken in by the video on Snapkey’s site showing the keyboard in action before its inner workings were revealed at CTIA 2011 . The system is actually quite simple: there are four boxes to tap for letters — plus backspace and space — and each represents a type of letter. Top left includes letters with one point that touches down like “i,” bottom left includes closed letters such as “d,” top right includes letters with two points on the bottom, and bottom right curved and letters with a flat base. Sounds simple? it is, or kinda. Of course there’s a learning curve, in essence you have to rethink the way you type; as we immediately found we had to pay more attention to the letters in words, or at least the shape of them. The system we were shown was running on a jailbroken iPad , but we were told it could be moved to just about any platform. Is it as revolutionary as the buzz suggests? We’re not entirely sure but hope to find out soon with a trial in our labs. Follow on for a video of our grade school assistant Jonathan giving us a tour. Continue reading Snapkeys keyless keyboard hands-on Snapkeys keyless keyboard hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Okay, we admit, we were taken in by the video on Snapkey’s site showing the keyboard in action before its inner workings were revealed at CTIA 2011 . The system is actually quite simple: there are four boxes to tap for letters — plus backspace and space — and each represents a type of letter. Top left includes letters with one point that touches down like “i,” bottom left includes closed letters such as “d,” top right includes letters with two points on the bottom, and bottom right curved and letters with a flat base. Sounds simple? it is, or kinda. Of course there’s a learning curve, in essence you have to rethink the way you type; as we immediately found we had to pay more attention to the letters in words, or at least the shape of them. The system we were shown was running on a jailbroken iPad , but we were told it could be moved to just about any platform. Is it as revolutionary as the buzz suggests? We’re not entirely sure but hope to find out soon with a trial in our labs. Follow on for a video of our grade school assistant Jonathan giving us a tour. Continue reading Snapkeys keyless keyboard hands-on Snapkeys keyless keyboard hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Kyocera promised that an SDK for its dual-screen Echo smartphone would be coming soon when it announced it last month, and it’s now delivered that and more. It’s just kicked off a full-fledged Android Developer Program for the phone, which will give developers access to Kyocera’s support team, additional promotion and co-marketing opportunities for their apps, and even loaner units, although it’s not clear exactly who’s eligible for the latter. Those interested in taking part can download the SDK and contact Kyocera for additional information at the link below. Continue reading Kyocera launches developer program for dual-screen Echo smartphone Kyocera launches developer program for dual-screen Echo smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Kyocera promised that an SDK for its dual-screen Echo smartphone would be coming soon when it announced it last month, and it’s now delivered that and more. It’s just kicked off a full-fledged Android Developer Program for the phone, which will give developers access to Kyocera’s support team, additional promotion and co-marketing opportunities for their apps, and even loaner units, although it’s not clear exactly who’s eligible for the latter. Those interested in taking part can download the SDK and contact Kyocera for additional information at the link below. Continue reading Kyocera launches developer program for dual-screen Echo smartphone Kyocera launches developer program for dual-screen Echo smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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First it was Cricket Wireless , and now another piece of LightSquared’s puzzle has fallen into place — it’s just announced at CTIA that Best Buy has signed on as a wholesale customer for the yet-to-be-launched LTE network . Details on the agreement are still pretty light, as you might expect, but Best Buy will apparently use the network to bolster its Best Buy Connect wireless service, which currently relies on Sprint and Clearwire’s 3G and 4G networks. Exactly when that will happen isn’t clear, unfortunately, but LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja says the first trials are expected to begin in the first quarter of next year. Best Buy signs up for LightSquared’s wholesale LTE service originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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First it was Cricket Wireless , and now another piece of LightSquared’s puzzle has fallen into place — it’s just announced at CTIA that Best Buy has signed on as a wholesale customer for the yet-to-be-launched LTE network . Details on the agreement are still pretty light, as you might expect, but Best Buy will apparently use the network to bolster its Best Buy Connect wireless service, which currently relies on Sprint and Clearwire’s 3G and 4G networks. Exactly when that will happen isn’t clear, unfortunately, but LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja says the first trials are expected to begin in the first quarter of next year. Best Buy signs up for LightSquared’s wholesale LTE service originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve seen it adorned with a giant Honeycomb and an oversized Gingerbread man , and now Google’s bringing a more practical addition to its Mountain View campus — specifically, a Plugless Power EV charging station. Its maker touts the installation as “the first public release” of the handsfree re-juicing system, and says it will eventually provided power to a fleet of low-speed EVs already in use at El Goog HQ — the first of which has already been retrofitted to get pumped up. Who knows, maybe now we’ll see something come of Google’s claims to make electrical vehicles charge more efficiently. Full PR after the break. Continue reading Google HQ gets juiced with Plugless Power EV charging unit Google HQ gets juiced with Plugless Power EV charging unit originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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