Author: Terren

Posted on

Researchers create 26 terabit-per-second connections with just a single laser

Internet Must Be On At All Times
Remember that pair of 100 terabit-per-second connections we told you about earlier this moth? Impressive? Sure, but not entirely practical thanks to the massive banks of lasers (370 to be exact) that guzzled several kilowatts of electricity. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany haven’t hit 100Tbps yet, but they were able push 26Tbps using just one, lonely laser. The new single-laser fiber-optic speed record was set using a technique called fast Fourier transform that pulses light at an incredibly high rate with data encoded in 325 distinct colors across the spectrum. A detector at the receiving end is able to distinguish between the various colored data streams, based on tiny differences in arrival time, and recombine them into a high-speed torrent of ones and zeros. The scientists behind the project believe that, eventually, the technology could make its way into commercial use and be integrated into silicon chips. Now, someone needs to hurry up and jack our FiOS connection into this thing — all this talk of terabits-per-second and graphene modulators, yet we’re still jealous of grandma Löthberg.

Researchers create 26 terabit-per-second connections with just a single laser originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBBC  | Email this | Comments

Posted on

Ballmer: ‘next generation of Windows systems’ coming next year

The name “Windows 8” may have been tossed around a lot as of late, but Steve Ballmer himself has only just now uttered the name for the first time in public at the company’s developer forum in Japan. What’s more, while he didn’t divulge a ton of specifics, he did say that the “next generation of Windows systems” will be coming out next year, and that “there’s a whole lot more coming,” including “slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors.” As ZDNet‘s Mary Jo Foley notes, the distinction between “slates” and “tablets” as two separate form factors is certainly an interesting one, as is the fact that he curiously didn’t use the name Windows 8 in connection with those next generation Windows systems. What does it all mean? Perhaps Microsoft’s Windows chief, Steven Sinofsky, will have more to say during his appearance at the D9 conference next week — Winrumors is reporting that he may even be set to demo the company’s Windows 8 Tablet UI. And, yes, you can count on us being there to bring it all to you live.

Ballmer: ‘next generation of Windows systems’ coming next year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 17:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceZDNet, Microsoft  | Email this | Comments

Posted on

Eee Pad Transformer gets overclocked to 1.4GHz, deemed less than stable

While many of you continue your quest for an Eee Pad Transformer, some folks, predictably, have already figured out how to overclock it. Netarchy over at the XDA forum posted a custom kernel allowing hackers to crank the tablet’s clock speed to 1.4GHz, the same peak reached by the ViewSonic G Tablet. Beware, though, that performance at that speed has proven unreliable, so for now the dev recommends a more modest 1.2GHz to avoid data loss, a meltdown, and “injury of assorted puppies.” Par for the course, really.

Eee Pad Transformer gets overclocked to 1.4GHz, deemed less than stable originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Lilliputing  |  sourcexda-developers  | Email this | Comments

Posted on

Kobo unbuttons for $129 eReader Touch Edition, we go hands-on (video)

Kobo today kicked off Book Expo America with the launch of a new six-inch, one-button touchscreen e-reader — named, appropriately enough, the Kobo eReader Touch Edition. Priced at $130 — $10 cheaper than Amazon’s Kindle — the pocket-sized device strives for a reading experience more akin to that of old timey paper books, courtesy of a Zeforce infrared touchscreen, new Pearl eInk technology, and a freescale i.MX507 processor for faster page turning. Click on through for more details and our impressions of this little reader.

Continue reading Kobo unbuttons for $129 eReader Touch Edition, we go hands-on (video)

Kobo unbuttons for $129 eReader Touch Edition, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 10:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Posted on

Amazon’s Android tablet coming in 10- and 7-inch models with quad-core Tegra power?

We’ve pretty much accepted that Amazon will release a proper Android tablet in 2011. The details, however, are still unclear. Enter Silicon Valley analyst, Tim Bajarin, who claims to have some inside information from his sources in Taipei. If correct, then we should see Amazon launch a 10-inch LCD tablet before the holidays. He’s also heard of a 7-inch model and plans to use NVIDIA’s new quad-core Tegra SoC in order to blaze a path into the crowded tablet market. Interestingly enough, Tim’s sources say that Amazon wanted to use a switchable “black and white E Ink-like display and a color LCD” hybrid but the two vendors approached (Qualcomm and Pixel Qi?) won’t be ready with a suitable display until 2012 or 2013. Of course, Samsung — the rumored DNA at the core of Amazon’s tablet — has plenty of experience with 10- and 7-inch Android tablets and the decision to go LCD aligns with those rumors of a Fringe Field Switching display reported by DigiTimes earlier this month. So while none of this is verified, at least it gives us something more to chew on while we “stay tuned” for whatever Bezos is cooking.

Amazon’s Android tablet coming in 10- and 7-inch models with quad-core Tegra power? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePC Mag  | Email this | Comments

Posted on

How 3D Is Destroying 2D Movies Too [3D]

Something bothered me the entire time I was watching Thor in 3D—not how closely the plot echoed Disney's Hercules, or Anthony Hopkins' dial-a-performance—no, it was something persistent through every single second of the flick. It was too dim. More »







Posted on

Sony estimates $3.2b loss this year, $171 million cost for PSN breach

Sony estimates $3.2b loss this year, $171 million cost for PSN breach

It has not been a good year for Sony, which was affected both by the massive earthquake in March and the PSN outage that spanned from April into May. There couldn't be any doubt that those things would have a drastic impact on the company's bottom-line, and it's now taking the time to give investors an idea of just how big an impact that could be — even though the financial issues lie largely elsewhere. Sony is set to announce its full financial report for its fiscal year this Thursday and, to soften the blow, estimates have been revised steeply downward. Previously Sony predicted a ¥70 billion ($855 million) profit, but now thinks a ¥260 billion ($3.14 billion) loss is rather more accurate — a ¥360 billion non-cash charge taking the wind out of ¥200 billion in operating income.

The earthquake was directly blamed for a loss of ¥22 billion, but that figure could certainly grow as this estimate is only through the end of March. Additionally, Sony has provided a early guess of a ¥14 billion (about $172 million) total cost for the PSN breach. That's less than two bucks per exposed account, but again we wouldn't be surprised if it's a figure that increases through the year. You know, once the lawyers start having their fun.

Sony estimates $3.2b loss this year, $171 million cost for PSN breach originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 08:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Wall Street Journal, gamesindustry.biz  |  sourceSony [PDF]  | Email this | Comments

Posted on

Harold Camping ‘Flabbergasted’ The World Did Not End [Video]

Harold Camping speaks! The 89-year-old Nostradamus from Northern California, who spent millions of his followers' dollars to get out the word that the world was ending on Saturday, has been noticeably silent since that day came and went rather unremarkably. But he's at last ready to talk — and oy, what a weekend. Don’t get him started. More »







Posted on

HP thinks the TouchPad will be ‘better than number one,’ if that’s even possible


HP‘s expectations for its new TouchPad tablet are running pretty high — so high, in fact, that they can only be expressed with a make-believe number. During a recent press conference in Cannes, HP’s Eric Cador boldly declared that his company’s new slate won’t just be the best on the market, it’ll be the bestest. Cador explained:

“In the PC world, with fewer ways of differentiating HP’s products from our competitors, we became number one; in the tablet world we’re going to become better than number one. We call it number one plus.”

A spokesman later confirmed that the device will launch in the UK with apps from the Guardian, Sky and Last.fm, but promised that “thousands” of other apps are on the way. The metrics might sound a bit optimistic, but the message is clear: HP thinks the TouchPad will annihilate the iPad and blow our minds to smithereens. We’ll just have to wait and see whether it’s as explosive as advertised.

HP thinks the TouchPad will be ‘better than number one,’ if that’s even possible originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 03:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceThe Daily Telegraph  | Email this | Comments

Posted on

Astronomers snap black hole murder in graphic detail (video)

We tend to imagine a black hole sucking everything around it straight into oblivion. The truth, however, is even more gruesome. Astronomers have just captured an ultra hi-res image of our neighbouring galaxy, Centaurus A, and it helps to reveal what actually happens. Matter is yanked helplessly towards a black hole at the galaxy’s core, but it refuses to die quietly. For some unknown reason, it erupts as it falls, spewing out vast plumes of particles — like blood from celestial murder. These death throes emit radio waves, allowing us to witness them using radio telescopes even though we are 12 million light-years away. If only we were closer; if only we could intervene. Alas, all we can do is watch the video after the break and hit the source links for a fuller explanation — though, admittedly, none of those sound like awful options.

Continue reading Astronomers snap black hole murder in graphic detail (video)

Astronomers snap black hole murder in graphic detail (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 May 2011 21:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhysOrg  |  sourceNASA  | Email this | Comments

Posted on

Sony’s SmartAR demoed live, raises the bar for augmented reality (video)




Remember Sony’s SmartAR? The markerless AR technology that promises reality augmentation without the need for unsightly tattoos? It’s back again, showing itself once more after an all-too-brief 48 hour layoff. A new live-demo shows Sony’s markerless object recognition system focusing on posters, tables, books, and coffee cups in lieu of the traditional AR card — allowing it recognize multiple objects at once. Focusing on objects rather than markers allow augmented entities to interact more naturally with their environment. For instance, bouncing AR balls plummet off the edge of a table, and realistically ricochet off of a book placed in their path. Objects don’t even need to remain on screen, as demonstrated by an AR pop-up menu that remained viewable even after the object-marker that spawned it left the viewer’s field of vision. Sony seems to have built the groundwork of an augmented reality system that might actually be useful — pair this up with a set of swank AR glasses (or better yet, holographic AR glasses), and we’ll have a vision of the future we can really look forward to.

Sony’s SmartAR demoed live, raises the bar for augmented reality (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 May 2011 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Japan  |  sourceSony (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

Posted on

Android Market’s new movie rental service blocked from rooted devices

Biggest GoogleFail ever

We can't make this up people.  According to Google, who gets to make the rules since it's their service, rooted devices are not supported by the Android Markets new movie rental service "due to requirements related to copyright protection".  You'll even see a specific error message when you attempt to try — "Failed to fetch license for [movie title] (error 49)". 

So now people who root their phones, whether to get rid of the crap "open" that's forced down their throats, or to have a current version of Android, are punished and lumped in with folks who steal movies.  Nice move, Google.  That makes me want to buy more of your products and use more of your services, so I can be treated like a criminal just because I'm smart enough to get rid of CityID, or want a safe version of Android on my phone.  And of course, I'd much rather steal movies streamed with a poor bitrate at a low resolution to my phone than use Google to search out any of the thousands of places where I could steal them using my computer. Facepalm.

Of course, the Android community will find a way around this.  I already have some ideas, and I'm sure others will, too.  But we shouldn't have to.  And once we do, I'll download one (and only one) movie from the Market for the satisfaction of defeating this stupid move by Google, then be sure to never use the service again.  Redbox doesn't care if I want to run a custom ROM on my phone, so they'll get my $4.00.

Source: Android Market support.  Thanks, Joshua!