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TDK develops 1TB optical disc, leaves other optical storage feeling emasculated

We’ve heard about 1TB-sized optical discs in the past, but TDK has now revealed a 1TB monster of its own at CEATEC. Unlike existing Blu-rays which use four recording layers at most, TDK’s creation features 16 layers on both sides of the disc, each capable of storing up to 32GB apiece. If you’re keeping track of the optical storage arms race, that’s seven more gigabytes per layer than Pioneer’s 400GB and 500GB disc achievements made back in 2008. TDK's prototype also has the potential to leverage existing Blu-ray technologies, since it's made from a material already found in BDs and shares the same beam aperture. On the down side, the current version's recording layers measure 260μm — that's more than twice as thick as its Blu-ray counterpart — and causes aberrations in today's fat-layer-hating optical lenses. Outside of its Biggest Loser qualifications, though, TDK says “its commercialization depends on disc manufacturers.” Considering the company has yet to sell the 10-layer 320GB discs revealed at CEATEC 2009, however, we’re doubtful this 1TB improvement will hit stores anytime soon.

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TDK develops 1TB optical disc, leaves other optical storage feeling emasculated originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 07:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Goodbye to an old friend: 1-800-GOOG-411

Back in 2007 we launched 1-800-GOOG-411, a voice-powered directory assistance service that connects you quickly to businesses across the U.S. and Canada. On November 12, 2010, we will shut down the service.

GOOG-411 was the first speech recognition service from Google and helped provide a foundation for more ambitious services now available on smartphones, such as:

  • Voice Search – search Google by speaking instead of typing.
  • Voice Input – fill in any text field on Android by speaking instead of typing.
  • Voice Actions – control your Android phone with voice commands. For example, you can call any business quickly and easily just by saying its name.

Our success encouraged us to aim for more innovation. Thus, we’re putting all of our resources into speech-enabling the next generation of Google products and services across a multitude of languages.

If you don’t use a smartphone, and you’re trying to call a business, you can send a text message with the name and location of the business to 466453 (“GOOGLE”) and we’ll text you the information, or on Gmail you can use the new phone-calling features to call any U.S. business free of charge. Also, if you don’t have the free voice search app pre-installed on your phone, you can download it here.

Thanks for all the calls, and keep an eye out for all the innovation to come.

Posted by The GOOG-411 Team

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Dreamworks Eying Halo Movie

While Fox and Universal’s joint attempt to make a Halo movie with Pater Jackson producing and Neill Blomkamp directing may have died a slow death years ago (with Blomkamp going on to become a star anyway as the director of District 9), all is not lost. New York Magazine’s Vulture blog reported yesterday that Dreamworks and Steven Spielberg are looking to get into the Halo movie game. Spielberg in all likelihood would not direct the thing, but would instead be an executive producer, not really having a hand in it at all.

Vulture says they’re aiming to adapt the novels rather than the games so as to avoiding to potentially having to foot the $12 million bill for Universal’s previous development.

Not a bad plan. Save some cash, and you still get exactly the same story, since, for the most part, the books are adaptations of the games. And I like the idea of a Halo movie, and the live-action ads Microsoft runs in advance of each new game, particularly “We Are ODST,” have shown the potential there. Do it, Dreamworks.