Pyxis ‘Operating Environment’ hits .NET, leaves no embedded chip unturned (video)
February 7, 2011 No Comment
Almost exactly one year ago we got a little demo of Pyxis courtesy of Thomas Holtquist. It was basically a micro-OS, bringing simple application launching and other functionality to the very limited hardware of Arduino . It didn’t have anything on Windows 3.1, never mind XP, but it certainly made interacting with DIY hardware a lot easier. Now Pyxis 2 is here, the so-called “Operating Environment” has been ported to the .NET Micro Framework. .NET MF is basically a version of Microsoft ‘s .NET platform but stripped down and optimized for embedded circuits and the like, and Pyxis 2 makes app development and execution on that platform much easier. It’s all demonstrated in the video below, and all the source code is ready and waiting to satisfy the needs of your development environment. Continue reading Pyxis ‘Operating Environment’ hits .NET, leaves no embedded chip unturned (video) Pyxis ‘Operating Environment’ hits .NET, leaves no embedded chip unturned (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 09:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Cisco looking to acquire Inlet Technologies, get even hipper with streaming
February 7, 2011 No Comment
We haven’t heard a lot about Inlet Technologies over the years, a company that works mostly behind the scenes on advanced encoding technology, but it was right there on the cutting-edge of the Blu-ray bandwagon back in 2008 . Now it’s looking set to become the latest addition to Cisco , with that company announcing intent to drop $95 million and see the acquisition through. It’s not entirely clear what Cisco will do if it picks up this toy, but it certainly sounds like mobility is on the mind of Enrique Rodriguez, Cisco’s Service Provider Video Technology Group General Manager: Cisco’s Videoscape platform will play a key role in reinventing the TV experience, and the acquisition of Inlet will enable our customers to leverage the network as a platform to deliver innovative video experiences to consumers on any device. If that name sounds familiar, until recently Enrique worked at Microsoft on, among other things, the Zune and Media Center. That might also give another clue to where Cisco is going. Continue reading Cisco looking to acquire Inlet Technologies, get even hipper with streaming Cisco looking to acquire Inlet Technologies, get even hipper with streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Scientists grow nanolasers on silicon chips, prove microscopic blinkenlights are the future
February 7, 2011 No Comment
What you see above may look like a nanoscale Obelisk of Light, ready to protect the tiny forces of Nod, but that’s not it at all. It’s a nanolaser, grown directly on a field of silicon by scientists at Berkeley . The idea is to rely on light to transmit data inside of computers, rather than physical connections, but until now finding a way to generate that light on a small enough scale to work inside circuitry without damaging it has been impossible. These indium gallium arsenide nanopillars could solve that, grown on and integrated within silicon without doing harm. Once embedded they emit light at a wavelength of 950nm, as shown in the video below. [Thanks, Paul] Continue reading Scientists grow nanolasers on silicon chips, prove microscopic blinkenlights are the future Scientists grow nanolasers on silicon chips, prove microscopic blinkenlights are the future originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 08:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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MetroPCS is getting ever closer to its first LTE handset. The SCH-R910 Forte, which we last saw courtesy of Mr. Blurrycam a few weeks ago , has just had its FCC test results posted for the world to see. If you’ve missed prior reports, we’re told it will sport a 1GHz processor and five megapixel camera, but none of that is confirmed just yet. Sadly no test photos were released, so we’ll have to keep waiting for glamour shots, but we do now know where the FCC label can be found: inside the battery cover. That’s one less mystery to ponder today. Samsung SCH-R910 Forte takes its TouchWiz and LTE show to the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 08:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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When almost every other computer manufacturer has copied its touchscreen all-in-one , what’s a company like HP to do? Create a totally crazy pivoting and reclining one, of course! Yep, HP’s newest TouchSmart 610 and 9300 Elite Business PC may look like typical 1920 x 1080-resolution, 23-inch all-in-ones when positioned upright, but that all changes when their screens recline up to 60 degrees or the entire body of the rig swivels around to do a 180. It’s one seriously flexible AIO, but the new design isn’t just about yoga-like tricks — it aims to make touch interaction more comfortable and ergonomic, and on that vein HP has also updated its TouchSmart 610 consumer model with its latest TouchSmart software layer, which includes finger-friendly Hulu, Netflix, and Twitter apps as well as a TouchSmart Apps Center. The 9300 Elite Business all-in-one, as you may have caught from its name, is meant for enterprise and “customer spaces” (aka kiosks, counters, etc.), and thus only comes loaded with Windows 7. Spec-wise, the 610 can be configured with Intel and AMD desktop processors, up to 16GB of RAM, a terabyte of storage, a Blu-ray drive, while its 1.3 megapixel camera and Beats Audio speakers come standard. Naturally, the 9300 has to keep up its professional reputation, and though it cuts out the Beats, it gains Intel’s latest Sandy Bridge processors, a 160GB SSD option, and a higher quality two megapixel cam with facial recognition software. You know, for “enhanced security.” So, when can you pick up one of these monsters? The $900 610 is expected to start shipping on February 9th, while the 9300 will hit in May for an undetermined price. We’re hoping to bring you a full review of the 610 soon, but we can tell you from our early look at it that the viewing angles were sufficiently wide and the tilting mechanism fairly rigid. Man, it’s already turning out to be quite a week for HP — that webOS event is coming up on Wednesday , but in the meantime you’ll want to hit the break for the full TouchSmart press release and a short video of the reclining mechanism in action. Gallery: HP TouchSmart 610 and TouchSmart 9300 hands-on Gallery: HP TouchSmart 610 and TouchSmart 9300 press images Continue reading HP twirls out TouchSmart 610 and 9300 all-in-one PCs HP twirls out TouchSmart 610 and 9300 all-in-one PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 07:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The wait on AMD’s Fusion has been so long that we feel like we should pop open the bubbly every time another laptop ships with it. Latest off the assembly line is Sony’s VAIO YB series, which gives you a 1.6GHz processor to make similarly-clocked Atoms AMD-green with envy, 4GB of RAM and 500GB of hard drive space, an 11.6-inch glossy screen with 1366 x 768 resolution, and up to six hours of battery life for $599.99. It’s available in silver and pink varieties today, or you can wait a little while longer for Amazon to get stock of its lower-specced variant, with 2GB of RAM and 320GB of storage, which will cost you $50 less. See more of the VAIO YB in our CES hands-on gallery below. Gallery: Sony shows off VAIO laptop with AMD Zacate goodness inside (hands-on) Sony VAIO YB now shipping AMD Fusion to your door for $600 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 07:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Another big name is jumping headfirst into the increasingly popular Micro Four Thirds waters with the announcement from Olympus today that Carl Zeiss has signed up as a member of the MFT System Standard Group. What that basically entails is that the folks responsible for some of the finest optics in the world will start making lenses directly compatible with Olympus and Panasonic’s camera standard. You could, of course, have tracked down adapters to get Distagon glass working with your GF2 before, but it sure is nice to see the big boys producing hardware designed specifically for this relatively new category of camera. Full press release after the break. [Thanks, Ken] Continue reading Carl Zeiss joins the Micro Four Thirds revolution Carl Zeiss joins the Micro Four Thirds revolution originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 05:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Aptera: no production vehicles until we get funding, from the government or elsewhere
February 7, 2011 No Comment
Ah, funding. So necessary, yet so tedious to get. Aptera — an automotive startup that has warmed our hearts with its eco-friendly, three-wheeled prototypes — has been seeking government funding to take things “next level” ever since 2008. After being laughed out of the building at first, the company reapplied and managed to get its 2e certified as a “car” by the US Department of Energy. Unfortunately, miles (and miles) or red tape have held Aptera back ever since, and even today, they’re still waiting to see if Uncle Sam will be shelling out to further their initiatives. Rather than putting its head down and realizing it’s no GM, the company has pushed out a newsletter explaining the current situation. Essentially, it’s dead-set on holding out for more funding — be it from the DoE’s coffers or elsewhere — in order to maintain quality and keep the per-unit costs down to a reasonable level. According to Aptera: “We would obviously love to accelerate the process, but the government has to make sure they complete their comprehensive evaluation and we have to let the process run its course.” Bummer. Aptera: no production vehicles until we get funding, from the government or elsewhere originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 04:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Best Buy’s gadget repurchase program has become official during the Super Bowl, courtesy of a silly commercial starring Ozzy Osbourne and Justin Bieber . The ad’s actually a lot less cringe-inducing than it might have been, though the content of the program still doesn’t seem to make much fiscal sense to us. You have to buy into it at the time of purchasing a gadget — that requirement is set aside until this Saturday as a sort of grace / enticement period — and Best Buy depreciates at a very aggressive annual rate, arguably cutting more of your trinkets’ value than the incumbent options like online auction sites. Skip past the break to see the two gentlemen at opposite ends of their careers selling their souls to the almighty dollar, along with Best Buy’s full press release and Buy Back Program details. Continue reading Best Buy Buy Back becomes official, free through February 12th Best Buy Buy Back becomes official, free through February 12th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 03:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sprint expected to introduce Kyocera Echo at event later today, HTC Arrive also indirectly corroborated
February 7, 2011 No Comment
Businessweek has managed to track down an insider with information on the plans of both Sprint and Kyocera, and he (or she) has been talkative enough to confirm that a Kyocera Echo is all set for launch on the Now Network at an event later today. Sprint’s tagline for said event was that it’ll deliver an ” industry first ” that makes us believe “the impossible is possible,” and with all due respect to Kyocera, neither of those really sounds like the company’s upcoming Android handset. The first time we got wind of the Echo, however, it was accompanied by a tip about a Windows Phone 7-based HTC Arrive , a more likely candidate for that industrial innovation prize — there are no CDMA WP7 devices quite yet. We could imagine the Arrive being a carrier-specific brand name for HTC’s 7 Pro , which is already expected on Sprint and has even cleared the FCC in a CDMA flavor. But again, that doesn’t fully satisfy the bluster about the impossible becoming possible, so maybe Sprint will have even more to show us — we’ll be attending its shindig tonight to make absolutely sure. Sprint expected to introduce Kyocera Echo at event later today, HTC Arrive also indirectly corroborated originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 02:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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