These fully-functional wireless Rotobot mice from designer Aaron Ristau will make you look seriously cultivated when people drop by your apartment. In our eyes, that means they officially join the esteemed ranks of typewriter-themed Works of Art , but unfortunately it also means they cost $180 — which might be hard to stomach when you realize that each one is just a non-ergonomically modded $25 Logitech M305. Hey-ho, everybody needs at least one peripheral to be their geeky equivalent to good cutlery. And no, that CSR Elite in the cupboard doesn’t count. Rotobot mice: the best use of typewriter keys since the typewriter originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …$99 Etymotic mc2 earbuds claim market-beating noise isolation, full platform ambivalence
June 13, 2011 No Comment
Etymotic specializes in putting inexpensive moving coil drivers inside noise-isolating buds that can, as an optional upgrade, be individually molded via the company’s international “Custom-fit” program. Previous models have been iDevice only, at least in terms of their microphone function and button controls, but the new mc2 should also get along happily with Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, WebOS and Symbian smartphones and tablets. It’s due for release by the end of the week for $99, which will buy you noise isolation up to a claimed market-beating 42dB, 8mm (0.3-inch) dual-magnet neodymium drivers, an all-important mic and an assortment of ear tips — Custom-fit costs extra, and substantially so. Listen carefully and you might just hear the PR after the break squeaking for your attention. Continue reading $99 Etymotic mc2 earbuds claim market-beating noise isolation, full platform ambivalence $99 Etymotic mc2 earbuds claim market-beating noise isolation, full platform ambivalence originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …NEC makes content addressable memory to take data deposits sans power, RAM green with envy
June 13, 2011 No Comment
Wouldn’t it be great if system memory was super speedy like RAM and non-volatile like flash? Well, NEC and Tohoku University’s new content addressable memory (CAM) has accomplished the trick — it promises five-nanosecond retrieval speeds equal to sticks of DDR3 1600 and can store data even when the power’s off. Spintronics logic is what makes the magic happen by setting the spin direction of electrons and using their interaction with magnetic forces to store bits of data. Those spinning attributes are then kept on the circuit even when there’s no electricity flowing. The catch? This new CAM big — 90nm compared to the 30nm DRAM currently available — despite the fact it’s half the size of previous CAM chips, and NEC’s not telling how quickly it can write data. Of course, the tech is still in its developmental stages, so we won’t getting its zero-power standby mode and instant-on capabilities in our gadgets for some time. PR after the break. Continue reading NEC makes content addressable memory to take data deposits sans power, RAM green with envy NEC makes content addressable memory to take data deposits sans power, RAM green with envy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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From the looks of it, a job posting on Microsoft’s career site has informally confirmed that Windows Phone is on track to receive “major yearly releases.” The idea of pushing a hefty Mango -sized package of features to its phones once a year shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as both iOS and Android aim for the same goal, but it’s nice to see that the folks in Redmond have a good feel on exactly where the platform is headed. Now, update fans need not be worried about refreshes only coming once a year; the listing asks for someone to head up work on minor amendments in between these releases, which means we should look forward to NoDo -style maintenance updates on a regular basis. Or it could all amount to absolutely nothing. Your move, Ballmer. Your move. Head to the source link for the job listing. Microsoft job listing hints at annual Windows Phone updates originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Moneta Onyx phase-change memory prototype can write some data 7x faster than traditional SSDs
June 13, 2011 No Comment
As file sizes for many data types continue to grow, smaller chunks are also becoming more ubiquitous, particularly on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook , and search tools like Google. These high-volume, small-size blocks of data may soon be served up from a specific type of SSD , like the Moneta Onyx prototype developed by a team at the University of California, San Diego . Onyx uses phase-change memory (PCM), which can rewrite single bits of data (1s and 0s) on demand, rather than rewriting data in larger chunks, yielding sustained 327 megabyte per second (MB/s) reads and 91MB/s writes with smaller file types — two to seven times faster than the most efficient commercial SSDs. PCM specifically benefits granular data, rather than large files that must be transferred completely (like photos and documents), so the tech is more likely to appear on devices serving up short text-based messages. Traditional SSDs can write larger files faster than the Onyx prototype, though the new drive offers speedier read speeds across the board. It’ll be at least a couple years before PCM becomes commercially available, but once (and if) it does, you’ll be reading about your coworker’s breakfast or college buddy’s traffic jam milliseconds faster than before. Moneta Onyx phase-change memory prototype can write some data 7x faster than traditional SSDs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve already seen some rumors of a cloud-syncing music store for the HP TouchPad, not to mention talk of ” Music Synergy ,” and it now looks like there could be some more movement on that front. According to Billboard.biz , HP’s discussions with the major record labels about a cloud-based service of some sort are now “heating up,” although that apparently doesn’t mean an actual launch is imminent. One major label exec told Billboard that the service could be “something like Qriocity for a variety of media, which can be delivered on any HP device,” but added that “we don’t know how serious they are,” which isn’t exactly an encouraging thing to hear. That uncertainty was echoed by other unnamed sources, who were reportedly unsure about how quickly HP could launch such a service (at least six months away, according to some), while one other said that HP is still “trying to narrow down what their service will look like.” HP reportedly in talks with major labels over cloud-based service originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony, Panasonic, others to launch cross-platform e-book service, later this year
June 13, 2011 No Comment
Don’t look now, but there’s some major synergy going on in Japan’s e-book market, now that Sony , Panasonic , Rakuten and Kinokuniya have all joined forces on a new digital quest. Today, the quartet of companies announced they’re working on a system that would allow users to purchase and read content across their respective e-readers , injecting the e-cosmos with a heavy dose of free love and good vibes. Under the new service, customers would be able to manage their downloads and browse bestsellers within a centralized web-based marketplace, regardless of the device they go to bed with every night. Because within this new universe, there would be no “mine,” “yours,” or “theirs” — all will be one and one will be all. The chieftains have already held powows with a handful of digital publishers, though they expect to have more friends around the campfire by the time the project launches later this year. Sony, Panasonic, others to launch cross-platform e-book service, later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It ain’t nearly as monumental as the day that YouTube actually started supporting high-def videos , but it’ll certainly make those who routinely upload HD content a bit happier. We’re talking about two new additions put forth by the YT team: HD preview images and a logoless playback option. Any new video uploaded to the site in a resolution of 480p or higher will have an HD preview image wherever the player is embedded, and we’re told that preexisting HD videos will be updated “in the next few weeks.” Moving right along, that pesky YouTube watermark (seen above) will be no more should you choose to nix it, but it’s not as simple as just ticking a box; you’ll need to add “?modestbranding=1″ at the end of the video URL in order to make it disappear. So, celebratory drinks at noon? YouTube subtly adds HD preview images, logoless playback option originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Boxee users without a Box on PC, Mac or Ubuntu are getting a fall update, open source release
June 13, 2011 No Comment
Ever since the Boxee Box was released fans running the software on their PCs have been left by the wayside, but as we expected that changes this fall with updates for the PC, Mac and Ubuntu versions. CEO Avner Ronen announced on the official blog that while updates for the downloadable version “will most likely lag behind the versions of Boxee for devices” the company hopes to keep them more up to speed going forward. Still think you could do a better job of updating the software yourself? Done, since Boxee also plans to make an open source version available. There’s no date attached to that effort and given past experience with delayed Boxee releases we wouldn’t clear our college football watching schedule just yet, but for everyone who would rather roll their own media device there is still a future in the Boxee platform. Boxee users without a Box on PC, Mac or Ubuntu are getting a fall update, open source release originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 11:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …TiVo Premiere Q and Preview boxes are official along with an updated iPad app
June 13, 2011 No Comment
An early release over the weekend took any surprise out of the news, but now TiVo has officially announced its plans for the new TiVo Premiere Q and TiVo Preview set-top boxes and an update for its iPad app at the 2011 NCTA Cable Show. Both boxes are firsts for TiVo, the Premiere Q (pictured above) because it has four tuners and can stream video to up to three other boxes in the home, and the Preview because it lacks a hard drive or any DVR capabilities entirely. The Preview can function on its own or as a multiroom thin client streaming from TiVo DVRs, and both promise full integration with video on-demand and other cable-provided services. There’s no word on any retail plans and as expected RCN and Suddenlink will be the first to offer the boxes. The TiVo iPad app is also getting a cable-friendly makeover with a new version that can browse video on-demand offerings and flick them to any available TiVos for viewing, just like it does for internet video. We complained about the slow pace of updates for the existing Premiere DVR yesterday, so we’ll try to have a fresh outlook on the official announcements (PR and more pictures are after the break) and consider a future where TiVo isn’t tied to DVRs or being offered at retail. Continue reading TiVo Premiere Q and Preview boxes are official along with an updated iPad app TiVo Premiere Q and Preview boxes are official along with an updated iPad app originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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