The Royal Society wants kids to make graphene, puts the miracle material in games
June 28, 2011 No Comment
If we were more musically inclined we might write a ballad singing the praises of graphene — the magical material that can be used in everything from super-fast CPUs to ultra-efficient solar panels . Sadly, the truth is, we’re bloggers and not rock stars for a reason, so we’ll just entertain ourselves with the Royal Society’s Summer Science exhibition on the carbon nano-structure instead. From July 5th through 10th the London-based science center will run a major hands-on exhibit where participants will get a chance to see graphene under a microscope and create their own single layers of of the stuff with nothing more than a pencil and some scotch tape. If getting to the Trafalgar Square-adjacent academy is out of the question, you can always fire up the promotional and educational Graphene Games , which you can download for both Android and iOS at the more coverage links. The Royal Society wants kids to make graphene, puts the miracle material in games originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Our first encounter with Nokia’s N9 may have been eleven different kinds of awesome, but we knew it was a mere scratch of the high-grade polycarbonate surface. One of the core pieces of functionality we didn’t get the chance to address back then was the camera, and after Nokia decided to toot that horn recently — saying, among other things, that it’s the ” fastest image-capturing phone ” yet — we decided we had to go back for a second go-around. In terms of performance, Nokia’s camera application definitely lives up to the company’s own hype, with nearly instant captures and an equally brisk return to a state of readiness for more image-taking. When shooting video, we noted that audio recording starts slightly later than the video, leaving the first half second or so without sound. This isn’t an uncommon issue (we’ve seen it on other phones and tablets) and can be seen in our video sample after the break. Now might be a good time to also mention that the N9s we tested with today were all prototype units, so don’t prejudge Nokia’s final hardware on the basis of what you see here. Unless your premature judgment is positive, we doubt Nokia would mind that. Gallery: Nokia N9 camera sample images So anyhow, we took a walk around the company’s offices, escorted by a group of unarmed but surely lethal Finnish ninjas, taking shots of the surrounding cityscape as we went. The results show the N9 picking up a ton of detail and controlling noise admirably, while a few impromptu ThinkPad hands-on photos convinced us it can do a pretty stellar job with closeups as well. With a name like N9 , however, it was obvious which phone we needed to compare Nokia’s lone wolf MeeGo handset to, so out came our trusty N8 with its world-beating 12 megapixel sensor. Alas, in spite of having an F2.2 aperture on the N9, Nokia hasn’t managed to replicate the heroics of its earlier device: the N8 shows its advantage in consistently picking out better color balance and in also being sharper throughout the frame. It makes the N9′s images appear as if they were shot through a haze, though we hasten to add that this should be considered a strength of the older phone rather than a major failure of the new one. Additionally, the N9 suffers from the typically narrow dynamic range of smartphone camera sensors, which is the cause of the consistently blown-out sky in our gallery images. Still, considering the quick software operation and consistently detailed imagery on offer from the N9, we’d say Nokia is on to a winner here. Gallery: Nokia N9 versus Nokia N8 camera samples Continue reading Nokia N9 camera: sample images and video Nokia N9 camera: sample images and video originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Topcon’s IP-S2 Lite creates panoramic maps in 3D, spots every bump in the road (video)
June 28, 2011 No Comment
You’d need only a smartphone app to pinpoint every pothole on your block, but to map out more severe structural damage, you’d probably need more sophisticated equipment — which is where Topcon’s IP-S2 Lite comes in. Unveiled at last week’s 3D & Virtual Reality Expo in Tokyo, this road condition evaluation system is comprised of a 360-degree camera, GPS and an inclinometer. After using its camera to capture images at 16 frames per second, the IP-S2 analyzes the properties of every shot and uses this information to create 3D video footage. The contraption can also measure the height, distance and surface area of any given frame, allowing engineers to insert computer-generated images into the video (as pictured above) and to construct more accurate maps of disaster-stricken regions. In the wake of this year’s devastating earthquake, for example, Japan’s Geospatial Information Authority used this technology to map coastal areas of the Miyagi Prefecture, giving officials and rescue workers a better idea of the damage inflicted upon the region. You can find out more about the IP-S2 in the video after the break. [Thanks, Don] Continue reading Topcon’s IP-S2 Lite creates panoramic maps in 3D, spots every bump in the road (video) Topcon’s IP-S2 Lite creates panoramic maps in 3D, spots every bump in the road (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Tag Heuer outs $6,700 Link Phone for those who like alligator skin with their Froyo (video)
June 28, 2011 No Comment
As far as most of us are concerned, if we’re going to pay a lot for a phone — you know, like, $350 on contract — it had better come with the works. We’re talking a qHD display, dual-core processor, 8 megapixel camera with 1080p recording, NFC, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a 4G radio, to boot. If you’re someone who buys things made by Tag Heuer , you’ve got different priorities. The company just introduced the Link Phone, a darling clunker of a handset festooned with steel, 18K rose gold, or titanium, topped off with leather, alligator, rubber, and diamond accents — a medley that’ll set you back no less than €4,700 ($6,712). What’s that you say? You want specs ? The Link, named after the Swiss outfit’s storied watch line, runs Android 2.2 — a clear step up from its feature phone predecessor . Other ho-hum features include the 3.5-inch (800 x 480) display, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, 256MB internal memory, an 8GB memory card, 1400 mAh battery, and EDGE / HSUPA connectivity. Tag Heuer also says the phone will be particularly durable, though it’s coming up short on specifics. Somehow, though, we don’t think it’ll survive when we accidentally drop it in our gold-plated toilet. Gallery: Tag Heuer Link Phone Continue reading Tag Heuer outs $6,700 Link Phone for those who like alligator skin with their Froyo (video) Tag Heuer outs $6,700 Link Phone for those who like alligator skin with their Froyo (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, availability in the Alienware M18x and MSI GT780R
June 28, 2011 No Comment
We know you’re going to be shocked — shocked! — to hear this, but NVIDIA’s gone and refreshed its high-end line of GeForce GTX cards. The GTX 580M takes the place of the GTX 485M, and NVIDIA’s bragging that it’s the “fastest notebook GPU ever,” capable of besting the Radeon HD 6970M’s tesselation performance by a factor of six. The new GTX 570M, meanwhile, promises a 20 percent speed boost over the last-generation 470M. Both 40-nanometer cards support DirectX11, OpenCL, PhysX, CUDA, 3D Vision, Verde drivers, Optimus, SLI, and 3DTV Play. As for battery life, NVIDIA’s saying that when coupled with its Optimus graphics switching technology, the 580M can last through five hours of Facebook, but last we checked, that’s not why y’all are shelling out thousands for beastly gaming rigs. You can find the 580M in the Alienware M17X and M18X (pictured) starting today, though you might have to wait a week or so for them to ship. Meanwhile, the 570M is shipping in the MSI GT780R as you read this, and you’ll also find the 580M in a pair of 3D-capable Clevo laptops: the P170HM3 and the SLI-equipped P270WN. Handy chart full ‘o technical details after the break. Continue reading NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, availability in the Alienware M18x and MSI GT780R NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, availability in the Alienware M18x and MSI GT780R originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Now that we’ve seen Sony’s new VAIO Z in its luscious press shots, it’s time to face reality and lay our itchy hands on this 13-inch ultraportable laptop, along with its eccentric expansion dock that packs both a Blu-ray drive and an AMD Radeon HD 6650M graphics chip (with 1GB of video RAM). Just as we were told by our little birdie, said dock is connected to the notebook via Light Peak — a first for Sony — but there’s a catch: Sony’s only implementing the architecture and not the connector, so for the time being, this sweet high speed connection is only compatible with the docking unit and nothing else. Anyhow, here’s a quick recap: what we have here is a 1.18kg feather-light machine packing a 256GB SSD and 1.3 megapixel webcam, plus a matte LCD display with resolution at 1600 x 900 or an optional 1920 x 1080. Oh yes, for an extra cost, you get some sweet full HD action at just 13 inches. This upgraded display performed well in the relatively dark confines of the press event, but how it fares under direct sunlight remains to be seen. Read on for more hands-on impression. Gallery: Sony VAIO Z hands-on Gallery: Sony VAIO Z components Continue reading Sony’s new VAIO Z ultraportable laptop with Power Media Dock hands-on Sony’s new VAIO Z ultraportable laptop with Power Media Dock hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 07:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sure, you could have fired up Fring to make four-way video calls from your iPad 2 this whole time, but you’d have saddled with an iPhone-sized interface on your 9.7-inch IPS screen. And, as we say around the Engadget compound — tablet optimized or get the frack out. OK, we don’t really say that, but everything is better when it’s designed for the screen you intend to use it on. So, we’re very pleased to tell you that Fring has been updated with proper iPad support (cue cheers). Basically there’s no reason to use Facetime now, with its lame single-caller and WiFi only limitations. Hit up the source link if you’re in the group video chatting mood. Fring optimizes its four-way video calling app for smiley iPad 2 owners originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 06:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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A no-name PMP selling for $179 at Brando — purveyor of all things inexpensive, electronic and often USB-powered — may not ordinarily make the grade for us, but this so-called Gadmei P83 device has one somewhat notable trick up its sleeve. It packs an 8-inch, 1,280 x 768 display that’s able to do glasses-free 3D video. Of course, you’re left to yourself to actually hunt down or provide your own compatible video files, and the PMP itself is decidedly ordinary otherwise: 4GB of storage, an SD card slot for expansion, and the usual media playback capabilities and nothing more (no one’s going to confuse this for a tablet). Still curious? Head on past the break for a video that offers a slightly more accurate depiction of the device than the image above. Continue reading Gadmei P83 PMP does glasses-free 3D for $179 Gadmei P83 PMP does glasses-free 3D for $179 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 04:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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As far as sports go, the one where you drive cars around in circles several times is likely not one of the most energy efficient. With that in mind, it’s nice to see locations like Northern California’s Infineon Raceway working toward sustainability, announcing this week the installation of more than 1,600 solar panels . The panels, manufactured by Panasonic, will provide around 41-percent of the Infineon’s energy usage. Also on its list of earth-friendly features: a solar-powered billboard and 3,000 sheep, which take care of a lot of the lawn mowing on the grounds and apparently aren’t of the electric variety. Continue reading California raceway gets 1,600 solar panels, flaunts green track status California raceway gets 1,600 solar panels, flaunts green track status originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 05:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Aston Martin Experience could be the ultimate iPhone accessory, but you’re gonna want the car
June 28, 2011 No Comment
You probably wouldn’t pay $6 for an iPhone app that lets you browse through car models and pump stereo exhaust sounds directly to your drums. But a $6 Aston Martin Experience app that also displays speed and Gs as you film your drive from behind the wheel of a 2011 Rapide? We might be in love. The British automaker’s latest app can do all of the above, and also includes a list of “top roads” — most of which are in Europe. Our friends at Autoblog paired the app with a loaner Rapide (and we thought playing with cell phones was cool), driving up California’s Aston-approved Pacific Coast Highway. The reviewers may have spent more time focusing on the car than the app, but when you’re driving a $200,000, 477 horsepower aluminum beast for the first time, the iPhone easily becomes an afterthought. Aston claims that the Experience can be had with any other car, but if you’re looking to get the experience, be prepared to spent a little more than six bucks. Aston Martin Experience could be the ultimate iPhone accessory, but you’re gonna want the car originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 02:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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