Archive for November, 2011

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

This USB Computer Can Turn Your TV, Laptop Or Smartphone Into An Android Device!

November 25th, 2011
Share

Google’s Android OS is reaching more places than ever in even more interesting ways. A new device developed by FXI Technologies makes it possible to run Google Android OS on any device with USB storage support.

This means that you can just plug in this USB stick to a computer or a TV and voila, it will be transformed into a nice Google Android computer or Television. The device is just as small as a USB flash drive, but inside it resides hardware capable enough to smoothly power a large screen tablet.

Dubbed as the Cotton Candy USB pen, this device is much more than just a device sporting Android OS on USB. It’s a small computer powered by Google’s OS. The only difference is it relies on a secondary device for the display, and that could be either your laptop, tablet, smartphone or a large-screen HDTV. How cool is that?

Under the hood, this Cotton Candy Android USB features Google Android 2.3, a 1.2GHz ARM Cortex A9-based processor joined by a quad-core Mali GPU from the house of ARM and a gigabyte of RAM storage.

Other interesting features include an HDMI plug which enables the device to be connected to a HDMI-compatible TV, an SD card slot, and much more.

Just plug in the Cotton Candy USB drive into your computer and launch the included program. This will open a Google Android OS window on your computer screen. If you wish to use this device with a HDMI-enabled TV, you may require additional input devices like a mouse and keyboard to use the system.

The Cotton Candy USB drive makes use of an embedded virtualizaiton engine that’s compatible with Windows, Mac OSX and Linux-based systems. As of now, there’s no mention of Android Market support suggesting that to access third-party apps you will have to side-load them.

Source:http://tnerd.com/2011/11/24/this-usb-computer-can-turn-your-tv-laptop-or-smartphone-into-an-android-device/

Comments Off »

Posted in Hardware News

Tags:

Microsoft embraces Kinect hacks, readies PC hardware

November 25th, 2011
Share

Ever since Kinect debuted last year, hackers have fiddled with the device to come up with scores of new uses for it; everything from using gestures to navigate a computer’s file system to providing visual sensors for robots.

But those hacks relied on a Kinect that is optimised to detect gamers standing several feet away. In a blog post, Craig Eisler, general manager of Kinect for Windows, said that the company is shortening the USB cable and adding a dongle, so that multiple devices can tap into the same USB port. Microsoft is also updating the firmware on the device to enable the depth camera on the Kinect to see objects as close as 50 centimetres away.

“‘Near Mode’ will enable a whole new class of ‘close-up’ applications, beyond the living room scenarios for Kinect for Xbox 360,” Eisler wrote.

Kinect hackers seemed to catch Microsoft off guard when they began experimenting with the device. But by April, Microsoft began reaching out to them, announcing plans at its MIX11 developers conference to create a software-development kit for the device. The company underscored the effort at the show by rigging a lounge chair with wheels, wiring and a Kinect, giving loungers the ability to “drive” the chair with hand gestures.

In June, Microsoft released a non-commercial version of the SDK. Last month, Microsoft announced plans to offer a commercial version of the SDK early next year. In his blog post, Eisler noted that those who opt for the commercial licence will get “ongoing updates in both speech and human tracking”, as well as “fully supported Kinect hardware for Windows.”

The software giant said that the Kinect PC hardware will be available in early 2012, when the Kinect for Windows commercial program launches.

Source:http://www.cnet.com.au/microsoft-embraces-kinect-hacks-readies-pc-hardware-339326803.htm

Comments Off »

Posted in Hardware News

Tags:

Google Chromebooks prices slashed: features and drawbacks

November 24th, 2011
Share

Google Chromebooks are hogging limelight. These are notebooks running on Google’s recently launched PC operating system Chrome OS. Acer and Samsung are the two technology makers that have already launched Chromebooks. Unlike the customary computers, Chromebooks are with no hard disks. Instead of built-in flash memory, Chromebooks store data in cloud servers.

Every activity you do on these notebooks is automatically stored in cloud. It means you can access the stored data from anywhere in the world, and, of course, from any computer. Both Acer and Samsung have slashed prices of their Chromebooks, evidently due to the sluggish response in the market, we assess Chromebooks in depth.

What is a Chromebook?
Chromebooks are Google’s official notebooks with its own PC operating system, Chrome OS. It was indeed an effort from the Mountain View web giant to make the personal computer industry like the mobile industry. The company wanted to succeed Chrome OS the way Android did with lots of products from various manufacturers. For hardware solutions, Google made contracts with Samsung and Acer. Thus, we had the Samsung Chromebook Series 5 XE500C21 and Acer and AC700-1099 Chromebook. Google advertises the Chromebooks as faster, simpler and more secure computers.

Chromebooks tech specs
Samsung Chromebook: Samsung is a leading notebook maker. The company launched its Chromebook with huge fanfare. The device sports a 12.1-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800. It is equipped with an Intel Atom TM dual core processor, built in dual-band Wi-Fi, 3G, Webcam 3, two USB 2.0 ports, 4-in-1 memory card slot and mini VGA port. The Samsung notebook weighs at 3.06 lbs and it has a battery backup of 8.5 hours.

Acer Chromebook: The Taiwanese technology giant is another laptop manufacturer that has launched a Chromebook. In comparison to Samsung Chromebook, the Acer’s seems to be more feature-rich. It comes with an 11.6-inch high definition widescreen CineCrystalTM LED-backlit LCD display. The notebook runs on Intel AtomTM dual-core CPU and it is with built-in dual-band Wi-Fi, world-mode 3G, HD Webcam, HD Audio Support, two USB 2.0 ports, 4-in-1 memory card slot, HDMI port, Chrome keyboard and others.

Chromebook features
Instant booting: Chromebooks take only 8 seconds to boot up. The notebooks behave like mobile phones in booting.

Documents and apps are stored in cloud: The entire apps, documents and other files are stored in the cloud. As you work on a Chromebook, the data is automatically saved in cloud. In case of a normal computer, you will have to hit the save button frequently not to miss the data. Moreover, a hard disk failure may lose your data. But on Chromebooks, everything is stored in cloud instantly.

Anywhere accessibility: As the data is backed up in cloud, you can access them from anywhere. You won’t have to carry your laptop or a memory stick to use your data in your trips.

Chromebook drawbacks
Security issue: In cloud computing, data is saved in someone else’s computers. Once you store data in cloud on a Chromebook, it is actually in Google’s servers. Criticisms have risen against Chromebooks that private data can’t be processed in them.

Connectivity limitations: Reading the article till here, you might have understood that to use a Chromebook smoothly, you should want spotless internet connection (either Wi-Fi or 3G). Otherwise, you can neither store, nor retrieve the data.

Only for high educated users: Chromebooks works based on internet apps and they have software items like Google Docs in place of Microsoft’s Office package. Most less-educated computer users won’t have heard of Docs or they will be less familiar with such online apps.

Individual users: Chromebooks are for individual users. To access the computer, you have to log in using your Google username and password. The entire process can only be managed with this Google ID on a Chromebook. So, a Chromebook should be one user’s private machine. No others can access it.

Price and availability
Both Samsung and Acer have recently slashed prices of their Chromebooks evidently because of slow response from market. As of now, both companies sell their Chromebook for a price below $300. On release, Samsung Series 5 Chromebook cost $429 and Acer AC700 Chromebook was $349.

Wrap-up
The idea behind Chromebooks is wonderful, indeed. But they have failed to grab the market because of their completely-depends-on-internet factor. Constant internet connection is a must-have requirement for Chromebooks. Failure in connectivity will be a curse for users. Anyway, Google’s attempt to take on Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS with Chrome OS has not reached into expectations for the time being, however.

Source:http://nvonews.com/2011/11/24/google-chromebooks-prices-slashed-features-and-drawbacks/

Comments Off »

Posted in Hardware News

Tags:

Best 5 Black Friday 2011 tablet and e-reader finds

November 24th, 2011
Share

Let’s face it: you’re shopping for an e-reader or a tablet on Black Friday because you want to get the best bang for your buck and are willing to forgo the latest specs and OS for the savings. You’re simply not going to find something as recently released as the Amazon Kindle Fire on sale on November 25 — at the most you may get a gift card to lessen the sting of paying regular price for the device, but that’s hardly worth fighting Black Friday crowds for. Thankfully, there are better deals out there than mere gift cards, which is why these five e-reader and tablet deals deserve your time and money this Black Friday.

10.1″ Asus Eee Pad Transformer 16GB $249.99; $349.98 with Keyboard Dock

With the next-gen quad-core Asus Transformer Prime tablet due in stores any time soon, the current Transformer (TF101) is suddenly quite the steal this Black Friday. Best Buy is pricing the Transformer at just $249.99 or $349.99 with the optional dock, which is basically the same price as the Toshiba Thrive (see below) but with the added functionality of a laptop. As a stand-alone tablet, the 10.1-inch Transformer has a textured back that is less prone to slipping and fingerprints, a micro-SD slot and micro-HDMI port on-board, and runs Android Honeycomb with Flash support. When combined with the keyboard dock, the device gains about 6-7 hours of battery life, 2 USB ports, 1 SD slot and of course physical keys for extensive typing.

7″ BlackBerry PlayBook 16GB for $199

Considering the Amazon Kindle Fire only offers 8GB of on-board storage, 512 MB RAM, lacks Bluetooth and cameras, the 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook makes up for all the Fire’s hardware shortcomings without adding to the pricetag (at least for the 16GB version). For $199, you get 16GB of storage, a great looking and multitasking OS in QNX, a micro-HDMI-out, video chats with a 3-megapixel camera, and can pair your BlackBerry phone to a larger 7″ screen. Native BBM email support is coming in the February 2012 update so critics’ last gripe with the tablet should finally be put to rest. Both Best Buy and Staples are marking down their PlayBooks this Black Friday so keep an eye out for it (Staples has the 32GB and 64GB variants for $249 and $399 respectively.)

10.1″ Toshiba Thrive Tablet for $349.98

Speaking of Staples, it is also shaving $50 off the 10.1-inch Toshiba Thrive (pictured above), a sleeper hit of a tablet for those looking for more native ports and connectors on their slates that will fit right in with their current tech set-up. Although this model only has 16GB of internal storage, it comes with a full-size SD slot, USB and HDMI ports and has a removable battery so you can swap in a fresh one when you can’t plug into a socket. The Thrive also runs Honeycomb, which means it has a robust app store out-of-box. While it’s not the cheapest Black Friday tablet out there, it also means you’re not buying into a dead/dying system or an outdated model. (Toshiba’s most recent launch was a 7-incher.)

9.7″ HP TouchPad 32GB for $149 with HP Computer Purchase

HP may be out of all TouchPads, but a couple of retailers like Staples and hhgregg are enticing shoppers this Black Friday with their remaining 32GB units for $149.99 — but only if you buy a HP computer as well. This may make sense if you’re shopping for a laptop or desktop this year and want to gift the TouchPad or vice versa. I personally find all the derision directed at webOS and the increasingly rare TouchPad unwarranted because the device works just fine for basic consumption needs (email, web surfing, music). It sure beats a similarly priced Pandigital or generic-brand me-too tablets that seem to fill Black Friday circulars.

Barnes & Noble’s 6″ Nook Simple Touch Limited Edition e-Reader for $79

For one day only this Black Friday, Barnes & Noble will be cutting the price of its 6-inch Nook Simple Touch e-reader by $20 to just $79. The only caveat is that you must drop by your local B&N to get this limited edition device with a white edge (pictured right). Unlike the $99 Amazon Kindle Touch (or the $79 Kindle Wi-Fi for that matter), this Nook Simple Touch has no “annoying ads,” is compatible with ePUB format for library books, plus you can walk into any B&N store to get help on your e-reader and purchases. So if after-market service is important to you, then this the e-reader to get on Friday.

Keep us up to date on the availability of these mobile devices by commenting below.

Source:http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/best-5-black-friday-2011-tablet-and-e-reader-finds/28475

Comments Off »

Posted in Hardware News

Tags:

Rugged convertible notebooks in railroad safety

November 24th, 2011
Share

The maximum take-off weight of a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet is 875,000 pounds. That’s a lot, but even a short train with just a few cars can weigh several times that much. All that weight is supported and guided by two relatively slender steel rails sitting on a bed of rocks and gravel. Put that mass in motion and you can imagine the wear and tear, and the critical importance of the railroad tracks’ integrity to safety. In fact, track defects are the second leading cause of accidents in railroad accidents (the leading cause is human error). That’s why rail inspection is crucial.

Fairclough Corporation Pty Ltd in Autralia is a company that does one thing, design and manufacture equipment that detects flaws in rails as accurately, easily and reliably as possible. They’ve been at it for almost 15 years, and their ULTRAWave and RIPWave analysis systems are second to none.

As the company expanded, they added the Centre for Advanced Transport Engineering and Research (C.A.T.E.R) to meet the growing demand for their technical research and product development. While Fairclough’s initial business was simply to provide service and maintenance support for rail inspection instrumentation, they have now expanded into a comprehensive range of products and services in rail audits, systems engineering and contract rail testing.

At the core of Fairclough Corporation’s business is a variety of advanced rail testing technology that analysis rails for internal and external flaws. This includes ultrasonic testing, imaging, track geometry, ground penetrating radar, and numerous other tests and technologies to determine the condition and soundness of railroad tracks.

Among the various testing systems developed by Fairclough, the CATER HANDWave U/T System is a simple, but sophisticated and powerful rail testing system that is so intuitive to use that little operator training is required. The system consists of proprietary CATER hardware and software, and a Samwell RUGGEDBOOK SR858 tablet computer wheretest data can easily be monitored, examined, exported to Microsoft Office tools, emailed, or shared with other members of the testing team.

Efficient and effective, the HANDWave looks quite simple: There’s a pushcart with a collapsible frame adjustable for different gauges. There’s a wheel probe with five transducers that check all parts of a rail, an RFD module for manual spot assessments, the ULTRAWave ultrasonic processing module, a battery good for about eight hours of testing between charges, a couplant bottle that looks like a scuba tank, and then there is the RUGGEDBOOK convertible notebook computer.

CATER points out that the computers selected for use in their HANDWave testing systems “include the most up-to-date components and are able to run the latest versions of Windows.” CATER further states that they “choose PCs from a respected manufacturer that is able to offer international on-site support, so that problems arising from PC malfunctions can be addressed quickly.”

The Samwell RUGGEDBOOK SR858 is a fully-rugged convertible notebook computer that offers a good balance of size, weight, performance and battery life. Thanks to its swivel hinge, the display can be flipped around so that the computer becomes a tablet. This provides additional flexibility and versatility. The RUGGEDBOOK SR858 has a spacious 13.3-inch touch screen with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution in the wide-format 16:10 aspect ratio. The screen is bright and provides excellent outdoor and even direct sunlight readability.

Source:http://www.ruggedpcreview.com/3_notebooks_ruggedbook_case_studies4.html

Comments Off »

Posted in Hardware News

Tags:

Microsoft building Kinect device for Windows PCs

November 24th, 2011
Share

Microsoft will build a Kinect device specifically for use with PCs, as the company prepares to launch a program to support commercial products developed for Kinect and Windows. Kinect is the motion and voice technology that Microsoft first introduced as an add-on to the Xbox. Gamers with Kinect play games by moving their bodies, rather than pushing buttons on a controller.

In a recent video, Microsoft showed some possible applications for Kinect with Windows, including people playing musical instruments by moving their hands in the air; a surgeon flipping through X-ray images without touching the screen; a teacher controlling a display of the night sky by moving his arms; and a technician remotely controlling a robot that defuses a bomb.

Earlier this year, Microsoft released a software development kit to let developers build applications on Windows that make use of the Kinect sensor. The Kinect device Microsoft will build for PCs has a few adjustments that should make it better suited for use with computers.

“Of particular interest to developers will be the new firmware which enables the depth camera to see objects as close as 50 centimeters in front of the device without losing accuracy or precision, with graceful degradation down to 40 centimeters,” Craig Eisler, general manager of Kinect for Windows, wrote in a blog post.

This “near mode” will be more suitable for someone sitting at a computer, as opposed to standing in front of a TV. It’s been one of the most requested features from developers already working on products, Eisler said. The new hardware will also have a shorter USB cable for connecting to computers.

When Microsoft first released the SDK for Kinect for Windows, it limited developers to non-commercial use only, saying it would release a commercial package in the future. It recently promised to launch that program early next year.

Some developers may be worried about how much to invest in their products without knowing more about the commercial program. Eisler wrote that users have said they want assurance of support and continued innovation from Microsoft. He hinted that the commercial program will give licensed customers access to ongoing updates in speech and human tracking technology as well as full support for Kinect hardware for Windows.

Microsoft recently announced an incubator program for getting startups with Kinect ideas off the ground. A Microsoft spokesperson said that Kinect for Windows will be commercially available prior to the incubation phase of Kinect Accelerator. Microsoft is accepting applications through Jan. 25 and the program will start in March.

Source:http://www.pcworld.in/news/microsoft-building-kinect-device-windows-pcs-58822011

Comments Off »

Posted in Hardware News

Tags:

Toshiba’s Introductory Ultrabook Now Available to Order

November 24th, 2011
Share

Intel has long said it envisions its Ultrabook concept manifesting in models the general public can pick up for less $1,000, and so far it’s been a hit or miss goal. Count Toshiba’s recently introduced Portege Ultrabook as one of those that’s able to hit Intel’s pricing target.

Starting at $879, Toshiba’s Portege Z835-ST8305 is now available to purchase direct from the company’s website. Specs include:

* 13.3-inch LED backlit display with a 1366×768 resolution
* Intel Core i3 2367M processor
* 4GB DDR3-1333 memory
* Intel HD graphics
* 138GB solid state drive
* 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi; GbE LAN
* 2 x USB 2.0; 1 x USB 3.0; HDMI output
* Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
There are other more expensive models to choose from with higher end hardware. And of course Acer, Asus, and Lenovo have also tossed their respective hats into the Ultrabook ring.

Source:http://hothardware.com/News/Toshibas-Introductory-Ultrabook-Now-Available-to-Order/

Comments Off »

Posted in Hardware News

Tags:

Get Adobe Flash playerPlugin by wpburn.com wordpress themes