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iPhone 3GS Pwns Android 2.2 Froyo (with Flash) on Nexus One in Web Browser Speed Test

swood — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:19:58 +0000

Android 2.2 aka Froyo is without a doubt the best version of Android OS that we have seen yet! The main thing which everyone was interested to find out was about the speed of the browser which Google claims to be the fastest amongst any of the mobile web browsers available on any platform today.

Google really got everyone excited in a demo at the I/O 2010 in which they showed Android 2.2 web browser on Nexus One running faster than Safari on the iPad. Now whether Google’s claim of Froyo having the fastest mobile browser on the planet is true or not can be seen in the video attached below. The video compares the web browser in newly released Android 2.2 (running on Nexus One) with that of Safari running on iPhone 3GS and Opera Mobile on HTC HD2.

Check out the video below to see which phone and browser comes out on top

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AMD Phenom II X6 1090T: Six Cores on a Shoestring Budget

swood — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:22:31 +0000

With the release of Intel’s six-core Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor, it was only a matter of time before AMD launched their retort: the six core Phenom II X6 1090T.

At a glance, it’s apparent that the 3.2GHz Phenom II X6 1090T lags behind Intel’s six-core behemoth. Previously codenamed Thuban, the 1090T is a 45nm part, while Intel’s 980X has been shrunk down to the 32nm process. Where the 980X offers a 12MB L3 cache for improved memory management between multithreaded applications, the 1090T offers only 6MB. And AMD’s technology doesn’t address Intel’s much touted Hyper Threading technology, which turns their six-core processor into twelve available cores for applications to dabble with.

By most measures, Intel’s six-core processor is the superior part. But in typical AMD fashion, what the Phenom II X6 1090T lacks in raw power, it makes up for with a tantalizingly competitive price: the 1090T can be had for as little as $300. By comparison, Intel’s admittedly superior silicon comes with a $1000 price tag, making it virtually inaccessible for many enthusiasts. And that’s assuming you already have a compatible motherboard. The 1090T offers drop-in support with existing AM3 and AM2+ socket motherboards, after a BIOS upgrade. The 980X, by contrast, requires the LGA 1366 socket.

We just have to wonder: is that $700 difference worth it?

A Tale of Two Chipsets

The launch of the new Phenom II X6 platform is linked to the launch of the new 890FX chipset. We tested the 1090T on one of the first boards to support the new chipset, an Asus Republic of Gamers Crosshair IV Formula motherboard. The 890FX chipset bears much in common with the 890GX chipset we reviewed in March, and features support for SATA 6GBp/s, delivering transfer speeds of about 500MB/s. While the 890FX chipset lacks integrated graphics, it nearly doubles the number of available PCI lanes — 42, against the 890GX’s 22.

A greater number of lanes per slot translate into greater available bandwidth for installed hardware. As AMD’s handy diagram explains (click for greater detail), the 870FX chipset offers support for up to two PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots, which operate as four x8 slots, if you add four graphics cards. By contrast, the 890GX’s pair of x16 slots operate as a pair of x8 slots if you add two graphics cards. The 870FX chipset also offers six x1 slots and one x4 Express slot, as well as another pair of x1 slots located on the SB850 southbridge. Like the 890GX, the 890FX chipset lacks native USB 3.0 support — the Crosshair IV offers USB 3.0 care of an NEC host controller.

Performance, When You Need It

One of the Phenom II X6 platform’s oft-touted features is its Turbo Core technology, AMD’s answer to Intel’s Turbo Boost. The premise behind both Turbo Core and Turbo Boost is that many applications often aren’t making full use of multicore processors. Unused cores translate into unused processing potential. The solution: automated overclocking.

In Intel’s case, when the processor’s cores are operating below heat and power limits, the clock frequency of any active cores will automatically increase. If a single core is active and five are idle, the active core will see its clock speed bumped up. If all six cores are active but not operating at maximum capacity, they’ll still see a boost, while remaining within the specified thresholds. AMD’s Turbo Core functions similarly. When up to three cores are being underutilized, the active cores will see their frequencies boosted by up to 500MHz. With Turbo Core enabled, the 3.2GHz 1090T we reviewed can reach up to 3.6GHz.

Our Testbed

For our tests, we coupled the Crosshair IV motherboard and the 1090T processor with 4GB of DDR3-1333MHz RAM, an ATI Radeon HD5870 graphics card, and a 1TB hard drive. We ran all of our tests on Windows 7 Ultimate Edition (64 bit). It’s worth noting that our testbeds for both the Core i7-980X and the 1090T were nearly identical. The chief differences were the divergent chipsets, and the amount of RAM included. Intel’s Core i7-980X and X58 chipset offer support for triple-channel memory, and were thus saddled with 6GB of DDR3-1333MHz RAM.

Six Cores for Play

Intel positioned its Core i7-980X as the premier part for enthusiast gamers, and the part performed amicably. And as expected, AMD’s part lagged behind — at times. For our first test, we tackled Massive Entertainment’s World in Conflict, a DirectX 10 real time strategy game. At a resolution of 1920-by-1200 pixels (highest settings, AA and AF disabled) we saw 79 frames per second out of the 980X.

The 1090T, by comparison, managed 55 frames per second. While both are certainly playable framerates, the 980X boasts a staggering 43.6% increase over the 1090T. For comparison’s sake, with Turbo Core disabled the 1090T offers up 50 frames per second. At first blush, it would seem that despite the minor boost from Turbo Core functionality, AMD’s six-core technology simply can’t compete.

Things start to look a little differently once we take a look at Codemasters’ Dirt 2 — a DirectX 11 title. With Turbo Core enabled, we saw 76.5 frames per second (1920 by 1200 resolution). The 980X offered 73.3. While a 4.1% difference in favor of AMD is meager, it’s still an improvement. For curiosity’s sake, disabling Turbo Core on the 1090T pulls the frame rate down to a still respectable 70.6.

Six Cores For Work

Games are always fun, but the deciding factor for many users will be how the 1090T holds up against Intel’s 980X when play time is over. As expected, the 980X was the clear victor across the board. That being said, AMD’s 1090T put up a strong fight. Our Photoshop test pits our testbeds against an array of high resolution images, challenging them to churn through a series of editing tasks. The 980X was 31.7% faster than the 1090T. Media encoding fared a bit better: the 980X was 15.3% faster at our Roxio VideoWave editing task, and only 5.52% percent faster at encoding a test film clip using Windows Media Encoder.

Power Consumption

While AMD has historically been the power-conscious alternative, things are a bit different at the six-core level. The 1090T is a 125W TDP processor, similar to the quad-core part it succeeds. But while the 980X reports a TDP of 135W, it’s been shrunk down to the 32nm process, which offers tangible power savings. When idle, our 1090T testbed drew 85.2 watts of power, as compared to the 980X’s 95.3 watts. At peak levels, the roles were reversed: the 1090T drew 230 watts, as compared to the 980X’s 210 watts. For comparison, Intel’s quad-core 45nm Core i7-975 Extreme Edition processor drew 231 watts.

The Final Verdict

The Core i7-980X is the clear performance winner, boasting improved performance while even offering 12.1% less power consumption. But let’s be honest here: $1000 for a single component shoves it well out of the realm of most, to say nothing of additional upgrade costs should your sockets fail to match. And while price generally isn’t a factor in our reviews, we’d be hard pressed to skirt around the obvious: the 1090T can be had for $300. That leaves you with $700 to outfit the rest of your system, before even reaching the cost of Intel’s chip.

If money is no object, or you’re unwilling to scrimp on your top-tier workstation, Intel’s six-core processor remains king of the hill. But as far as cost-effective performance is concerned, AMD’s Phenom II X6 1090T is a tantalizing prospect, that brings multithreaded potential down to the masses..

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Build a Kick-Ass Liquid Cooling System in 6 Simple Steps

swood — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:21:41 +0000

In the pantheon of nerd achievement, water cooling ranks near the top-somewhere between installing Linux and becoming fluent in Klingon. And there’s a reason the hardest of the hardcore prefer water cooling: It’s incredibly effective at lowering your system’s temperature.

With higher thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity than air coolers, water cooling can mean double-digit drops in CPU and GPU temperatures. However, water cooling isn’t exactly a walk in the park. You’ve got two challenges ahead of yourself: Designing the water-cooling system that’s right for your PC, and actually putting it together. Both tasks will take some time and effort, but neither has to be daunting. Every first-time water-cooling build is a learn-as-you go experience, but we’ll walk you through the details and help you avoid the mistakes that would take the biggest toll on your system and your wallet.

Pick Your Water-Cooling Components

The advantage of a custom water-cooling system is that it’s just that-custom. By picking out exactly which parts you want, you’re able to create a system that matches your cooling needs and your aesthetic sensibilities. To get you started building your system, we’ll go through every major component of a water-cooling system, describing what each one does, and what your options are.

Case

Even though there’s no fluid touching your case, it’s one of the most important parts of a good water-cooling setup. For water cooling, you’ll need a case with plenty of room on the inside and a large fan grate, ideally on the top or bottom of the case. Although it can be a little hard on the wallet, getting a case that’s been designed with water cooling in mind will ensure that your install goes as smoothly as possible. In our build, we used the Corsair Obsidian 800D full-tower case.

Water Blocks

A block is the piece of hardware responsible for drawing heat out of your computer hardware (your CPU and GPU, for instance) and into the liquid coolant in a water-cooling system. A block of heat-conducting metal makes contact with your CPU or GPU (aided by thermal paste) on one side, while water is forced across the other, literally flushing away excess heat.

You need a separate block for each component you want to cool. The obvious component to water cool is your CPU, which will see some of the greatest benefit in the form of increased overclocking potential. The GPU on your videocard is another good candidate for water cooling, as is your chipset. For this build we’ve chosen to focus on CPU and GPU cooling.

As for actually picking which water block to use, it’s generally a matter of brand and the right block for your part. For instance, if you’re using a socket 1156 CPU, a quick Internet search for “socket 1156 water block” will turn up a handful of compatible water blocks, as well as some performance comparisons. We’ve chosen CPU and GPU blocks made by DangerDen (www.dangerden.com).

Radiator

In a water-cooling setup, the radiator is the water block’s complement, releasing heat absorbed from the block into the air. It accomplishes this by forcing the liquid coolant through an array of thin tubes attached to metal fins. Traditional case fans pull air through the capillary-like radiator, absorbing heat from the liquid and forcing it out of the case.

There are radiators big enough to support one, two, or three fans. Of course, bigger radiators and more fans amount to better cooling, so we generally recommend going with the biggest radiator that fits your case and your budget.

Pump

The fanciest water-cooling equipment in the world won’t do a thing unless the water’s moving through it, and that’s accomplished with a pump. There are quite a few pumps on the market, and although it’s on the pricier side, we recommend the Laing DDC 3.25 for its reliability and small formfactor. If you go with a different pump, make sure to read user reviews before you buy-a shoddy pump will wear out or break down over time.

Reservoir

In water cooling, a reservoir is a pretty simple thing-it’s a tank of water, with an inlet and an outlet. You might wonder why, exactly, you need a big tank of water in your system, since it doesn’t have an immediate function, like absorbing or dispelling heat. However, the reservoir performs a number of important duties:

• A reservoir has a port on it, which allows you to actually fill your water-cooling system with liquid.

• A reservoir generally isn’t filled all the way to the top with liquid. The extra air provides a buffer, which gives the liquid room to expand and contract as it changes temperature.

• Because the reservoir is not entirely full, it also provides a place for air bubbles in the liquid to escape, which makes for greater cooling efficiency and quieter operation.

As for which reservoir to use-well, it’s really just a tank; pick one that fits in your case and looks nice. For this build, we used a double optical-drive bay acrylic reservoir from Danger Den, which comes with a pair of Molex-powered LEDs to light up the front of your case.

Tubing and Fittings

Finally, you need tubing to combine all the other parts. The most common sizes of tubing used are 1/2-inch and 3/8-inch diameter. The demonstrable performance difference between the two sizes of tubing is slim, and 3/8-inch tubing can bend more without kinking, so we used that for our system. Whichever you pick, just make sure that all the rest of your water-cooling hardware has fittings of the same size. Most all hardware is available with either 1/2-inch or 3/8-inch fittings; if you get a size that doesn’t match your tubing, you’re hosed.

Beyond the diameter of the tubing, you just need to pick a color. Most sites that deal in water cooling sell pretty much the same PVC-based tubing. It works well, it’s fairly cheap, and it’s available in a bunch of UV-reactive colors. Some sites offer slightly more expensive Tygon tubing, which is more flexible and durable. Fittings come in barbed or compression styles. Both will work just fine, though compression fittings look nicer and are a bit more expensive.

You’ll also need coolant to put into your system. Although it’s commonly referred to as “water cooling,” most modern cooling systems use some sort of coolant with anti-corrosive and anti-conductive properties. This fluid is available from any distributor of liquid-cooling products, and comes in various UV-reactive colors.

Design Your Water-Cooling Layout

Once you’ve picked out the individual components, you’ll need to design the layout of your water-cooling system. For this, it helps to make a simple diagram, showing how you want everything to be hooked up. A simple system has the water passing from the radiator to the CPU, then to the GPU, the reservoir, pump, and finally, back to the radiator. This design works well because then the water passes over the CPU while it’s at its coolest, and also because the CPU and the GPU tend to be physically near each other.

Before we actually start installing anything, have a good long look at your case, and consider where each component will sit. Is there a clear pathway for the tubing to run from one component to the next? When the tubing is in place, will it be difficult to access other hardware, such as hard drives or optical drives? Will you be able to get the sides back on the case? By considering potential hazards like these now, you can save yourself a lot of headaches further down the road.

Finally, it’s time to discuss the actual installation of water-cooling hardware.

1. Mount the CPU Water Block

We recommend starting with the CPU water block, because it usually installs with a mounting backplate, so you’ll need to install it before you can screw the motherboard to the case, and you don’t want to install any other component until the motherboard is securely in place.

Your experience may vary, depending on what CPU block and motherboard you use, but for us the water block was a fairly standard backplate cooler installation. The opening in the motherboard tray on our Corsair 800D case made the process easy.

Connect the tubing to the CPU block before you install it, since it can take some pressure to get the tubing snugly into the fittings, and it’s always best to avoid putting extra pressure on the motherboard if possible. Now, attach the motherboard to the case.

2. Attach the Radiator

Now we can move onto the radiator, the largest component. The radiator can be installed over any fan grate that’s large enough, and most simple radiators are designed with screw holes that have the same dimensions as standard case fans. Thus, if your case has a grate big enough for two fans, you can mount a double fan–size radiator onto it. You can mount a radiator inside or outside of a case, but make sure that the fans blow hot air out of the case and away from your PC’s hardware. If you mount the fans outside the case, make sure you’ve got a plan for how you’re going to plug them into your power supply.

Once the radiator is in place, cut the tubing from the CPU to the right length and connect it to the radiator, making sure not to kink it in the process.

3. Affix the Reservoir

Continuing with the practice of installing largest parts first, it’s time to install the reservoir. There’s a wide variety of reservoirs available to suit your setup. They can be attached inside or outside of the case, to the radiator, or into a drive bay. No matter what style of reservoir you have, take note of the location of the fill port, and have a plan for how to access that port when it comes time to fill your cooling system with liquid.

4. Mount the GPU Block

Finally, we’ll close off the loop by installing the GPU block, assuming you want one. Some of the highest temperatures in your system can be found on your videocard, so there are definite advantages to water cooling it. At the same time, it’s also one of the riskier aspects of liquid cooling, since you have to remove your videocard’s existing cooler, directly exposing its processing cores.

Every GPU block install process is unique, so check the directions that came with the block you purchased. Generally speaking, it will go something like this:

1. Remove the videocard’s built-in cooler by unscrewing it from the board or boards.

2. Clean up leftover thermal paste and reapply paste or thermal material to contact spots, as illustrated on your instruction sheet.

3. Attach the board or boards to the water block, being careful not to apply uneven pressure to the processors.

Since GPU cooling blocks tend to be big, heavy hunks of metal, make sure to secure your videocard tightly to your case after plugging it into one of your PCI-E slots. If you don’t secure it, it can warp your motherboard, which will ruin it. Being careful not to put too much pressure on the card, connect the GPU water block to the CPU block and the reservoir.

5. Add the Pump

The pump should be really easy to install. Most pumps are fairly small and can be attached almost anywhere in your case, using screws or Velcro tape. Next, complete your loop by connecting the output barb of the pump (usually marked with an arrow pointing away from the pump) to the radiator, and the input barb to the reservoir. When you’re cutting tubing, don’t just go with the shortest amount possible-also consider how the tubing will affect how you access your PC hardware. You don’t want to have to dismantle half your water-cooling system just to swap out a hard drive.

6. Get Those Juices Flowing!

Now that your water-cooling loop is completed, it’s time to add the coolant. Give your system one last sanity check, making sure that each fitting is tightly connected, and that all components are hooked up in one continuous loop. Once you’re confident that your system won’t leak, and without plugging anything in, start filling up the reservoir to the manufacturer’s recommended level. Keep an eye on the rest of the water-cooling system, and be ready with a towel in case anything springs a leak.

With the reservoir filled with coolant, you can now fire up the pump. You don’t want to actually turn on your motherboard yet, so you’ll need to trick the power supply into powering the pump. Generally, this is done by shorting the green wire on the power supply’s ATX connector to one of the black wires, although it’s wise to consult the manual for your specific power supply.

As long as nothing is leaking, let the pump run for 10 minutes or so to let air bubbles escape. Slowly rock your case back and forth, to let any air that’s trapped in the water blocks or radiator escape. Once all the air bubbles are out of the liquid (you should be able to see them in the tubes if there are any left), you may need to add more liquid to the reservoir to reach the recommended level.

Install an All-in-One Water-Cooling Kit

As you can see, although water cooling provides exceptional cooling power, it isn’t the easiest-or cheapest-way to cool your PC. If you just want to cool your CPU more effectively and quietly than a performance air cooler but without the hassle of building a custom water-cooling rig, there’s an alternative: a prebuilt, closed-loop system like the Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50 or the CoolIT ECO.

These systems achieve cooling performance near that of a custom water-cooling rig, but save you the hassle of building one yourself, or ever having to replace the fluid. They cost more than an air cooler, but significantly less than building your own water-cooling system. And, unlike full-blown water coolers, they’re easy to install and don’t take up much room in your case.

Installation for this type of cooler is simple. It’s a backplate-mounted water block for the CPU, connected to a small, one-fan radiator. You just attach the radiator and fan to an exhaust grate on your case, and that’s it; the pump and reservoir are built into the radiator.

You won’t get quite the same CPU cooling as in an all-out water-cooling system-or the nerd cred that comes from a tower full of tubes-but closed-loop coolers are definitely an excellent alternative for enthusiasts who want some extra cooling performance without a lot of hassle.

How to Monitor Your PC’s Temperature

Whether you overclock, or just want to make sure your processor lasts as long as possible, it’s important to keep an eye on your system’s temperatures. These two free programs help you do just that.
Speed Fan
SpeedFan uses the built-in temperature-monitoring hardware in your chips to display temperatures for all of your individual components, and it allows you to control fan speeds in your case automatically, based on temperature readings. SpeedFan also monitors S.M.A.R.T. readings and analysis, so you can make sure your hard drives are healthy. (www.almico.com/speedfan.php)

HWMonitor
From CPUID, the makers of CPUZ, HWMonitor keeps track of all the temperatures and voltages in your system. It doesn’t have the advanced S.M.A.R.T. features or fan-speed controls of SpeedFan, but its temperature-reporting functionality is top-notch. (www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php)

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Popular Science puts entire scanned archive online, Free

msutherman — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:47:10 +0000

Gadget nerds: Prepare to lose the rest of your day to awesomeness. PopSci, the web-wing of Popular Science magazine, has scanned its entire 137-year archive and put it online for you to read, absolutely free. The archive, made available in partnership with Google Books, even has the original period advertisements.

Head over to the site and you’ll see a simple search box. Of course, the first thing I typed in was “jet pack”. This, naturally enough, returned plenty of results, including a rather dangerous-looking hydrogen peroxide–powered contraption with a belt-mounted controller. The article was printed in the December 1962 issue.

You can’t go directly to an issue to browse, but once you have arrived somewhere by search, there are no restrictions on scrolling around. You’ll also find a properly hyperlinked table of contents in each magazine. The early years are a little dry: I browsed an issue from 1902, and it made the average math textbook look like a Dan Brown novel (only better paced), so I’d recommend starting in the optimistic, tech-loving 1950s.

Oh, and did I mention it works great on an iPhone? Good luck getting any work done today.

Search the PopSci archives.

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Video: Microsoft ‘Mobile Surface’

jplates — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:09:59 +0000

A Microsoft Research project dubbed “Mobile Surface” links a mobile phone to a camera and projector, letting people interact with a screen projected onto a tabletop by moving their hands in the air above it.

It’s named after the company’s Surface tabletop computer, and while the portable version doesn’t provide nearly the screen resolution of its much larger cousin, Mobile Surface is notable in that it allows for three-dimensional control by sensing not lateral movement but also the distance between the hands and the surface.

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Go Anywhere for Less: Microsoft Hardware Offers BlueTrack Technology at Its Lowest Price Ever

swood — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:53:53 +0000

Last week Microsoft Hardware extends its award-winning line of BlueTrack Technology mouse products, debuting the advanced tracking technology at its lowest prices ever — under $30.¹Now people have the opportunity to track on virtually any surface² at an affordable price with three new mice to choose from — the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500, Wireless Mouse 2000 and Comfort Mouse 4500. The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 and Comfort Mouse 4500 will be available in bright colors just in time for spring so people can add a touch of personality to their computers.

BlueTrack Technology was created in response to people’s increasingly mobile lifestyles, letting them ditch their mouse pad and use their BlueTrack mouse virtually anywhere — from the granite kitchen counter and the wood table at the coffee shop to the armrest at the airport. Debuting in September 2008, BlueTrack Technology is now available in eight Microsoft mice so consumers can choose the best design, color and price to fit their needs.

Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 and Wireless Mouse 2000

The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 includes a Nano transceiver that sticks out less than a centimeter from the USB port, so it can remain plugged into the computer at all times, and the Wireless Mouse 2000 comes with a minitransceiver that easily snaps into the bottom of the mouse when on the go. The two mice also offer an ambidextrous shape with rubber side grips; the Wireless Mouse 2000 is a full-size mouse while the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 is a bit smaller, so people can pick the best fit for their hand size. The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 will be available in Loch Ness Gray and Dragon Fruit Pink, and the Wireless Mouse 2000 will be available in gray.

Comfort Mouse 4500

The Comfort Mouse 4500 is the first wired mouse featuring BlueTrack Technology, making it a great choice for people who never want to deal with changing batteries. Like its wireless counterparts, the Comfort Mouse 4500 will track on virtually any surface² and will be available in black as well as three fresh special-edition colors: Sea Blue, Poppy Red and Strawberry Pink.

Pricing and Availability

All the new mice are available for pre-sale on Amazon.com today. The Wireless Mouse 2000 and Comfort Mouse 4500 will be available for $29.95 and $24.95,¹ respectively, and will ship in March when they are widely released. The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 will be available for $29.95¹ and ship in April when it is widely released. All three mice are backed by a worldwide three-year limited hardware warranty. More information about this and other Microsoft Hardware products can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware.

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Amazon may compete with Apple iPad by giving away free Kindles

msutherman — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:30:31 +0000

As Amazon’s e-book business continues to evolve in the wake of the Apple iPad announcement, a new rumor suggests the company is exploring the possibility of giving a Kindle reader to its best customers.

Michael Arrington of TechCrunch reported Friday that Amazon is considering a promotion that would give a free Kindle to subscribers of its Amazon Prime service. At a cost of $79 per year, Prime offers free two-day shipping on selected items, and one-day shipping for just $3.99.

“These are Amazon’s very best customers — the ones who tend to make multiple purchases per month,” Arrington wrote. “And they are also likely to buy multiple books per month on their Kindle devices. If those users buy enough books, and Amazon gets the production costs of the Kindle down enough, Amazon can get Kindles into “millions” of people’s hands without losing their shirt.”

Citing a “reliable source,” he said Amazon’s goal is to find a way to put a Kindle in the hands of Prime subscribers without losing money on the deal. The company ran a promotion in January where they asked users to try the Kindle, and those who were not satisfied were given a full refund, but got to keep the hardware.

The moves are just another example of Amazon rethinking its Kindle platform following Apple’s iPad announcement. The company recently purchased millions of Kindles, but has not given an exact number. Still, the e-book market has proved to be of value to the online retailer: The company revealed last month that it sells six Kindle e-books for every 10 physical books.

The Kindle and large-screen Kindle DX are available in over 100 countries, and the Kindle iPhone application is available in Apple’s App Store in over 60 countries. E-books can be synced between the Kindle reader, PC software, and Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch. Kindle software is also forthcoming for the Mac and iPad.

But Apple hopes to counter Amazon with its recently announced iPad. At the product’s unveiling, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs credited Amazon with pioneering the e-book market with the Kindle, but he said Apple intends to improve on that model. “We’re going to stand on their shoulders and go a bit further,” he said.

With a 9.7-inch screen and a starting price of $499, the iPad offers a vibrant, color screen suited for a variety of multimedia consumption, while Amazon’s e-ink, black-and-white Kindle is best suited for reading books.

Apple will serve books for the iPad through its iBookstore, due to be a part of the iBooks application for iPad. The software features a 3D virtual bookshelf displaying a user’s personal collection, and allows the purchase of new content from major publishers. Like the Kindle, it will offer content from the New York Times Bestsellers list.

The introduction of the iPad has driven publishers to force Amazon into higher prices for new hardcover bestsellers. While books are currently priced at $9.99 on the Kindle, that is expected to rise to between $12.99 and $14.99 by the time the iPad launches in March.

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Wondering why you can’t Pre-order an Ipad? It isn’t legal yet

swood — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:02:48 +0000

You know you can’t obtain an iPad for least three months, but you may not know the reason you can’t even buy one in advance: Apple has not yet obtained the necessary Federal Communications Commission approval to unleash it on the nation’s airwaves.

The specs on the iPad page mention the lack of FCC approval in tiny print that is easy to miss. And nobody seriously expects the iPad won’t be approved — Apple’s been through this before, with the launch of the first iPhone announced six months before it was available. And the “why?” is almost certainly to have kept as few people in the loop, and only those you could in some way control.

But in an e-mail sent to customers, Apple made the situation a bit more clear. “Some features and applications are not available in all areas,” reads the note. “Application availability and pricing are subject to change. This device has not yet been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.”

Apple has good reason to keep a government agency out of the advance loop, since somehow anything juicy is likely to see the light of day. Still, the FCC likes Apple right now, recently commending the company for reversing its policy against VOIP calling over AT&T’s 3G network, which allows the iPhone and iPad to be used as web phones.

However, the new reference in Apple’s e-mail about certain features and applications not being available or being priced differently depending on a customer’s location raises unanswered questions. It could refer to content-oriented applications (movies, books, magazines, etc.), which in their physical forms, vary in price based on location — we already know that this is true of books. But all we really know about that at this point is that the iPads sold in one area will differ in features and app prices from iPads sold in another area.

The FCC’s approval process is standard for electronic devices. The agency ensures that they don’t interfere with other wireless equipment, operate in an area of the spectrum that’s allocated for something else, or emit too much radiation into the people using them.

The agency approved the iPhone about a month after Apple announced it. Unless there’s an unexpected hiccup, it will most likely do the same for the iPad. A conspiracy theorist might say that Apple secretly hopes the FCC will step in and “force” it to sell the iPad to all of its potential customers, regardless of which wireless carrier or plan they want to use, but that seems like wishful thinking.

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Sony Flaunts 3-D TVs, Taylor Swift to Regain Its Cool

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:51:58 +0000

LAS VEGAS — Pop star Taylor Swift kicked off Sony’s press conference Wednesday night, loosely establishing the theme of the event: 3-D video.

“I feel like my fans are all very cutting edge, so when it comes to technology I’m very interested in what’s the newest and best,” Swift said on stage. “My tour starts next month in Australia and Japan and I’m looking forward to documenting all that footage using 3-D.”

After Swift played a song with her band and her silver, glitter-adorned guitar, Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer took the mic to close her performance with a surprisingly self-deprecating (and honest) statement.

“Maybe you’ll call us cool again, who knows,” Stringer said regarding having Swift as a guest. Kanye West was not present in the audience to comment.

In its press conference, Sony made a large number of product announcements, ranging from new VAIO notebooks to Cybershot digital cameras, and from memory cards with bigger storage to a touchscreen digital picture frame called the Dash. 3-D televisions took the spotlight, as well as partnerships Sony established with ESPN, Discovery and IMAX to create 3-D content. Of all the video manufacturers at CES, Sony appears to be the most serious about 3-D.

“We intend to take the lead in 3-D,” Stringer said. “Sony is the only company fully immersed in every link of the 3-D value chain.”

The major product announced was Sony’s first commercial 3-D TV series, the Bravia LX900 (below). Ranging from 22 to 60 inches, the 3-D TVs incorporate a frame sequential display, active-shutter glasses and Sony’s high frame-rate technology to produce high-definition 3-D images.

Sony claims its 240-Hz frame-rate technology reduces the mixing of images of 3-D content assigned to the left and right eyes. The company also says its Bravia Engine 3 digital-video processing technology uses enhanced algorithms to reduce noise, enhance image detail and optimize contrast so scenes look sharp and lifelike.

Sony did not specify a shipping date or a price for the 3-D TVs — which seems to be a trend among manufacturers announcing similar products. That means so far, all these 3-D TVs are still vaporware.

In addition to showing off the 3-D TVs, Sony announced the company was the official sponsor of 3-D video for ESPN — so when 3-D TVs actually ship, Sony will be providing the 3-D technology for sports events televised on the channel. Sony also said it was partnering with Discovery and IMAX to create a new 3-D channel.

Dashing all hopes of Wired ever calling Sony cool again, the company announced a high-definition pocket camcorder dubbed the Bloggie (right).

“Yes, you heard me right — Bloggie,” said Brennan Mullin, Sony Electronics’ senior vice president of the personal imaging and audio business, to a snickering audience.

Sporting a pistol-grip design, the Bloggie shoots 1920-by-1080 MP4 video and 5-megapixel still photos. The camera is called Bloggie because it includes software to share your content on social media sites including YouTube, Dailymotion and Photobucket (but not Blogger, ironically). Shipping today, the Bloggie starts at $170.

Gadget Lab will follow up soon with some of the other products Sony announced tonight. Stay tuned.

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Transparent Laptop Lets You Spy on People As You Type

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:47:47 +0000

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One of the reasons why OLED technology is cool is the fact that you can create a semi-transparent OLED screen. We’re not quite sure how useful this technology really is, except for looking through your laptop when everyone thinks you’re looking at it, but imagining a future with a bunch of semi-transparent gadgetry around us somehow fills us with glee.

Samsung has decided to take a step into the future, creating a 14-inch notebook prototype with a semi-transparent screen. When the device is off,…

the panel is up to 40% transparent; the screen casing is made out of transparent plastic, which makes the experience even more seamless.

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