We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Sheikh Adnan Abdullah, who seems to need a MacBook Air not made by Apple (or a KIRF counterpart). If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com . “I currently own a Macbook Air, but I’m not a big fan of Mac OS. I’m planning to transition back to Windows. Can you recommend me a 13- to 14-inch Windows PC that is as light as a MacBook Air and provides the same amount of battery life? Thanks!” We just have to believe that this fellow isn’t in this boat alone, and while the obvious answer is to just install a fresh copy of Windows 7 onto the MBA through Parallels or Boot Camp, it’s quite possible that he’s trying to shake the entire Apple design. So, outside of MSI’s X-Slim series, is there anything on the Wintel side quite like Apple’s thinnest laptop ever? Ask Engadget: best PC alternative to 13-inch MacBook Air? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 23:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
The race for ever-tinier computer chips is on, and barring physical limitations, doesn’t seem to be slowing anytime soon — but with chips, as with humans, the smaller they get, the more fragile they become. A team of researchers called CRISP (Cutting edge Reconfigurable ICs for Stream Processing) is working to create a self-repairing multi-core processor that would allow on-chip components to keep on shrinking, while combating concerns over accelerated degradation . Basically, the team’s conceptualized a chip that allows for 100 percent functionality, even with faulty components. With multiple cores sharing tasks, and a run-time resource manager doling out those tasks, the chip can continue to degrade without ever compromising its intended functions — a process CRISP calls graceful degradation. Once one core fails, the on-chip manager assigns its task to another core, continuing on in this fashion for the complete lifetime of the chip. Of course the technology is still in its infancy, but if CRISP’s chips comes to fruition, we could see virtually indestructible processors that make 14nm look bulky by comparison. Researchers tout self-repairing multi-core processors originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …LucidLogix Virtu in action, discrete graphics and Sandy Bridge together at last
March 18, 2011 No Comment
At CES, LucidLogix’s Virtu software solution promised to get discrete and Sandy Bridge GPUs together in graphical harmony — giving you both Sandy Bridge’s greased-lightning video transcoding and the horsepower of an NVIDIA or ATI rig. The code also lets you watch content from Intel’s forthcoming Insider movie service while running a discrete GPU. Now that Chipzilla’s 2nd-gen Core i5 and i7 CPUs are getting to market en masse, the gang at Hot Hardware put an RC of Virtu through its paces to see what it can do. As expected, the software waxes chumps and smokes fools when encoding HD video, but gaming performance suffered slightly (in FPS and 3DMark 11 tests) with the technology enabled. The other nit to pick was that Virtu renders the control panel of your discrete card unavailable, so any graphics adjustments must be made in-game whenever the software is running. Time will tell if the final release has similar shortcomings. Hit up the source link for the full rundown. LucidLogix Virtu in action, discrete graphics and Sandy Bridge together at last originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …OnStar’s aftermarket mirror to be called OnStar FMV, gets a new microphone
March 18, 2011 No Comment
When General Motors used CES to launch a mirror with a blue button that would work in any car it was called, quite simply, ” retail product .” Perhaps realizing that such a sweepingly vague name for the company’s assault on every car every manufactured might lead to a bit of confusion, GM has now decided to call the mirror OnStar FMV. FMV, which stands for “For My Vehicle” and not “Full Motion Video,” will act like a hands-free device and allows you to get other blue button functionality, including turn-by-turn directions and emergency assistance. Since CES the mirror has been augmented with an external microphone, but the price stays the same: $299 when it launches this summer — plus $100 for installation and $18.95 per month or $199 yearly to make use of OnStar services. Blue buttons don’t come cheap, son. Continue reading OnStar’s aftermarket mirror to be called OnStar FMV, gets a new microphone OnStar’s aftermarket mirror to be called OnStar FMV, gets a new microphone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
The controversial step to approve .xxx domain names has today been taken by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, paving the way for a whole slew of new addresses suffixed by the famous triplicate x. Funnily enough, before the decision was made today, opposition to it was proffered by both conservative groups opposed to pornography and adult entertainment companies fearing they’d be more easily compartmentalized and potentially blocked by overzealous governments. Moreover, every popular adult website at present will pretty much be forced to buy its .xxx version, which, for an industry famous for its frugality, will be an understandably tough pill to swallow. We are surprised not to see the people of Amsterdam consulted, however — their city’s emblem features three Xs too, shouldn’t they have a say in this? A further meeting is scheduled by ICANN for June 20th to discuss opening up all possible domain name suffixes to registration, pending the validation of a set of guidelines for approval. That’s looking quite likely to be passed too, as the AFP sagely notes that there’s a celebratory party scheduled for two days after the event. URLs are about to get a lot more varied, it seems; they’re certainly going to feature a lot more of the ( English ) alphabet’s 24th letter, whatever the case. ICANN has .xxx domain names? Yes! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
At a quick glance, without any background information, your eyes might tell you that the HTC Thunderbolt is little more than a Verizon remake of Sprint’s EVO 4G and AT&T’s Inspire 4G . After all — like its contemporaries — the Thunderbolt features a spacious 4.3-inch WVGA display, 8 megapixel camera, and dual-LED flash. In reality, though, the Thunderbolt is something more: from the Inspire, it borrows a better, crisper display with a wider viewing angle and a newer-generation (though still single-core) Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. From the EVO 4G, meanwhile, it borrows a cool integrated kickstand and the addition of a second “4G” radio, making this a spec Frankenstein of sorts — the best of both worlds. Of course, instead of Sprint’s WiMAX for that 4G radio, the Thunderbolt grants you access to Verizon’s LTE network — a network so fresh, it still has that new-network smell. There’s a lot of horsepower here. In other words, the Thunderbolt has a very real opportunity to be the finest 4.3-inch device HTC has ever made — for the moment, anyway. Let’s see how it fares. Gallery: HTC Thunderbolt review Continue reading HTC Thunderbolt review HTC Thunderbolt review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
After debuting it on the Android platform in December , the Google TV team has finally released a version of the official remote app for iOS. The interface and features appear to be the same with one key difference, currently the iOS version doesn’t support sharing web pages from mobile to the screen, but everything else like voice search is here and accounted for. It’s good for the team to finally get the long promised app out, but more interesting now is the question of which features will be included in the second generation of Google TV hardware once manufacturers like Vizio , Toshiba and Samsung join the mix, hopefully putting the two handed/keyboard kludginess of the past behind us. Check after the break for the YouTube demo,or just grab the free app via the QR code on the official blog or iTunes. Continue reading Google TV Remote app now available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch Google TV Remote app now available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …After debuting it on the Android platform in December , the Google TV team has finally released a version of the official remote app for iOS. The interface and features appear to be the same with one key difference, currently the iOS version doesn’t support sharing web pages from mobile to the screen, but everything else like voice search is here and accounted for. It’s good for the team to finally get the long promised app out, but more interesting now is the question of which features will be included in the second generation of Google TV hardware once manufacturers like Vizio , Toshiba and Samsung join the mix, hopefully putting the two handed/keyboard kludginess of the past behind us. Check after the break for the YouTube demo,or just grab the free app via the QR code on the official blog or iTunes. Continue reading Google TV Remote app now available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch Google TV Remote app now available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Admit it, when you look at the picture above, all you really see is a laptop with a design that hasn’t changed much in the last ten years. It’s true, based on its professional aesthetic alone, the ThinkPad X220 can’t really be distinguished from the other X Series laptops Lenovo’s released pretty much on an annual cycle, but there’s much more than meets the eye with that there ultraportable. The 12.5-inch machine is filled to the brim with the latest and greatest technology, including a new Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 processor, an IPS display, and a six-cell battery. And if you look even closer, Lenovo’s made some small tweaks to the touchpad and keyboard, which make more difference than you’d ever think. The point is, that all-too-familiar ThinkPad can deceive you with its boring business looks, but it’s arguably one of the best laptops we’ve ever tested. Hit the break to find out why we think it’s so laudatory. Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad X220 review Continue reading Lenovo ThinkPad X220 review Lenovo ThinkPad X220 review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Don’t front like you had an excuse to avoid listening to the Engadget Podcast before. If you do keep fronting like that, though, just know in your heart of hearts you’re missing the very last scheduled meeting around the microphones of these three particular Engadget Podcasters. Join us for two hours of mayhem, pent-up aggression getting un-pent, and a dramatic re-telling of one of Aesop’s most poignant fables set to extremely serious music. It’s the Engadget Podcast, and that’s that. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life 00:03:34 – iPad 2 review 00:06:00 – iPad 2 launch day: everything you need to know 00:07:05 – iFixit has an iPad 2, and they’re ripping it apart (video) 00:15:04 – iPad 2 specs discerned, 900MHz dual-core ARM CPU and PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU blow away graphical benchmarks 00:18:11 – Editorial: It’s Apple’s ‘post-PC’ world — we’re all just living in it 00:33:43 – iPad 2 vs. Motorola Xoom vs. HP TouchPad vs. BlackBerry PlayBook: the tale of the tape 00:49:27 – MacBook Pro review (early 2011) 00:54:35 – Apple’s Phil Schiller confirms: white iPhone to be available ‘this spring’ 00:55:00 – Apple TV software update adds NBA League Pass, MLB.tv and Netflix 5.1 audio support 01:00:12 – Microsoft sells 10 million Kinects, 10 million Kinect games 01:06:28 – Microsoft reportedly kills off Zune hardware, will focus on software instead 01:08:00 – Microsoft says Zune isn’t exactly dead, that it doesn’t want to go in the cart 01:17:15 – Microsoft taking ‘extra time’ to make sure Windows Phone 7 copy and paste update is solid, targeting late March 01:33:03 – Verizon Wireless stops being coy, confirms HTC Thunderbolt for March 17th at $249.99 01:37:21 – Kyocera Echo hits Sprint on April 17th for $200 01:43:33 – PlayStation Suite coming to Tegra 2 devices Hear the podcast Subscribe to the podcast [ iTunes ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [ RSS MP3 ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [ RSS AAC ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [ Zune ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @engadget @reckless Engadget Podcast 234 – 03.18.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …