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Another iPhone 4G prototype shows up, bears all including an Apple’s own A4 chip

Posted: 12 May 2010 05:30 AM PDT


This is just silly now. Another iPhone has leaked onto the Internet. What kind of ship does Steve Jobs run over there at Apple? This time around they aren’t going to be able to bust down the owner/seller/stealer’s door seeing as it all went down in Vietnam. Then again, anything is possible with the Apple gestapo.

But somehow a Vietnamese website got a hold of the device. The back story really doesn’t matter right now. They got and posted pics and video — good for them. The site went a bit farther than Gizmodo, though. They actually tore it apart, revealing a nice little surprise.

It seems that this prototype is a bit farther along the evolutionary path. There a no longer small screws next to the dock connector on the bottom. Overall it just seems a bit more production-ready than the prototype left in a bar a few weeks back.


The big surprise, however, came during the teardown. It seems this boy is powered by the a reduced version of the A4 CPU that also runs the iPad. There’s no indication of the the actual clock speed of the Samsung manufactured chip, but it marks a significant, if not predictable, deviation from the iPhone norm. It’s probably safe to say the iPhone OS 4’s multitasking was coded with this platform specifically in mind and should run like a dream.

Of course we’re going to have to wait just a few more weeks before ol’ Steve-o shows off what the final version, but there isn’t much to wow the crowd anymore. After both the iPhone leaks and the press event showcasing the wonders of iPhone OS 4, what’s left?

Hopefully Steve just walks on the stage and says “Alright, jerks. iPhone 4G, $199 on both AT&T and Verizon.” That would be grand. [via engadget and Tinhte

SNES your Bluetooth Gamepad

Posted: 12 May 2010 05:00 AM PDT


If you are tired of using your SIXAXIS as a wireless controller with other non-Sony devices, then it is time to build your own. Instructables details a way for you to take an old SNES controller you might have lying around and bring it up to speed with Bluetooth tech.

You start by removing the innards of an MSI BGP100 Bluetooth gamepad from its awkward body. Perform a transplant of the BGP100 electronics into the SNES controller, which also had its guts cleaned out. You will need to do a little cutting, soldering and forcing your way into the SNES. However, for what it's worth, the battery is upgraded to AA for more gaming time over the BGP100. Similar to the Zeemote JS1, the SNES Bluetooth gamepad can even control the newest mobile devices without having to rely on an insensitive virtual D-pad.

See, even the SNES Bluetooth controller, in all its nostalgic glory, can be made to keep up with the latest games on the latest mobile platform. It just needs bit of help from you.

Video: Sony announces Walkman W series (with special Metal Gear Solid version)

Posted: 12 May 2010 03:44 AM PDT

Sony in Japan once again updated their Walkman lineup today, this time with the Walkman W series. The new NWD-W253 [JP] has two things going for it: first, it’s waterproof (IPX5), which means you can use the “Wearable Walkman” in the rain or even “wash” it under water. And second, Sony will roll out a special Metal Gear Solid  – Peace Walker version.

That MGS Walkman is technically identical to the regular models, which will be available in white, black, green, and – of course – pink. Expect 4GB of internal memory, a USB mini port, and compatibility with ATRAC/MP3/WMA/AAC and Linear PCM (WAV) formats. The only difference is that the Snake version comes pre-installed with six songs from the game’s official soundtrack.

Sony plans to start selling the NWD-W253 in Japan starting May 22 (price: $110). The MGS model is limited, costs $20 more and is (probably) Japan-only.

Here’s Sony Japan’s official promo video:

Sharp unveils world’s first 3D HD camera module for mobile devices

Posted: 12 May 2010 01:21 AM PDT

Sharp really believes in 3D, it seems. In the past weeks the company presented a new 3D touchscreen for mobile devices, then the world’s first four-primary 3D display, followed by a 3D e-book reader. And today Sharp in Japan unveiled [press release in English] the world’s first 3D camera module that can be used in mobile devices such as cell phones, digital cameras or portable gaming systems.

Technical details are relatively scarce at this point, but what we know is that the module will make it possible to shoot both 3D photos and 3D videos in HD (720p) with those devices.

Sharp plans to begin shipping the first 3D modules to hardware makers as early as July, followed by mass-production within this year. Having this thing built into the Nintendo 3DS sooner or later would be kind of cool.

Those Sony Alpha NEXs (NEXes?) are available for pre-order, by the way

Posted: 12 May 2010 12:20 AM PDT


Last night we saw those new NEX cameras leak, and then we saw them official this morning — and now they’re even available for pre-order! The lens selection isn’t really finalized yet, but believe me, if you’re going to be accessorizing, go ahead and try that 16mm f/2.8 before you spring for the zoom. Put that sucker on manual, get a decent mic on there, and you’re making home cinema.

The basic setup is that the NEX-3 costs $550 with the 16mm lens, and the NEX-5 costs $650; add $50 for the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 (nah). The difference between the two? The NEX-5 shoots in 1080i/60, which is a ridiculous format that nobody should bother with. Go for the slimmer NEX-3, which does a more everything-friendly 720p, and save yourself a bill.

Don’t forget (I feel like a sales guy but I like these cameras for some reason) that the new E-series lenses will likely work with the sweet new camcorder they’ve got cooking, and possibly the new video-capable Alpha DSLRs.

[via Engadget]

Prototype single lens camera sees the world in 3D

Posted: 11 May 2010 10:00 PM PDT

Most 3D imaging requires cameras with multiple lenses, but an Italian firm has discovered a way to allow a single lens to see three dimensional images using pulsed laser energy.

The camera can see using light pulses that reflect off an object similar to sonar, using a CMOS sensor to collect the light as it returns. These aren’t movie, or even still photo quality images, but the potential is there for devices to help the handicapped, or for interactive gaming. Details are sketchy of course, since this is a prototype, but it’ll be interesting to see where the technology goes.

[via Gizmag]

Dell announces new Latitude E5410 & E5510 notebooks

Posted: 11 May 2010 09:02 PM PDT

Along with all the laptops that Dell accidentally leaked today, they also announced an update to the Latitude E5410 and E5510 models. These two refreshed systems are based off of the ever popular E-series of laptops, and feature the latest Intel processors and chipsets.

Dell is focusing on the business user with the new Latitude models, including improved deployment time, stability, and global support. The new models also include a battery with a three year warranty, Windows 7, and WiMax support.

Let’s break it down; the E5410 supports everything from the Intel P4500 up to the i7 620m. You’ll be looking at a 14.1 inch screen, with support for up to 8GB of RAM. Prices change based on configuration, but the base unit has an MSRP of $759.

The E5510 is essentially the same machine, except with a 15 inch screen. MSRP starts at $789, and both machines are available now.

I’m not buying this performance gaming NIC nonsense

Posted: 11 May 2010 06:00 PM PDT


“Up to 10X faster than standard connections, the Killer 2100 delivers unprecedented performance while reducing stuttering, freezing and other symptoms of lag in online games. The result? Higher scores, more kills.”

Woah woah woah. Shut the front door. Let’s just take a look at this. 10 times faster than what, exactly? Latency is introduced in so many places other than the NIC that I would say the NIC is the most efficient part of the system. Packet loss occurs at any of like a billion places your bits are exchanged, redirected, backed up, and so on. Buying one of these NICs would be like buying a moving driveway for your car and saying it improved mileage.

Observe this handy chart I made for the occasion.

To be honest, I’m sure it’s a perfectly good network card. But I really don’t think that any of the effects of lag, packet loss, choke, or all the other things that can go wrong with a sustained connection, are occurring in whatever it replaces. My onboard Ethernet can easily sustain two or three megabytes per second, and games use a tiny fraction of that. Furthermore, these days, most gameplay is calculated client-side, which is the reason you don’t have to lead your shots any more. Lag is resolved and predicted for at the server level. You’re a hundred times, a hundred thousand times, more likely to get gameplay problems from a fragmented hard drive, outdated graphics drivers, an old sound card — hell, moving the shadows notch up or down one setting will affect your performance way more than getting a $129 special network interface card.

Look, when it comes to trading bits with your router or cable modem, even the cheapest PCs out there are hot rods. Don’t even think about getting one of these things — but if you feel the need to investigate further, head over to http://www.bigfootnetworks.com/killer-2100/“>Bigfoot Networks. And when you come back, some guy was talking about a bridge he had for sale.

Linux fragmentation: good or bad?

Posted: 11 May 2010 05:30 PM PDT


Everyone and their brother can make an Android device, which means that Android is outselling the iPhone. But as some of the comments on John’s post point out, device proliferation leads to consumer angst in trying to find the right device to purchase. The same phenomenon has been happening in the Linux market for ages, with consumers trying to figure out whether they need or want Fedora or Ubuntu or OpenSUSE. Fragmentation is a problem, when you look at things in this context; but is the Linux market really that fragmented? Jim Zemlin, Executive Director at the Linux Foundation doesn’t think so.

In his new blog post, “Fragmentation is good and bad for Linux“, Zemlin points out that all Linux variants use the same kernel, maintained by a collection of smart, dedicated people. Sure, someone could start maintaining their own Linux kernel, but that’s an expensive, time-consuming proposition that wouldn’t be very beneficial to the end-product. Similarly, most Linux solutions use the same X.org windowing solution, the same GNOME or KDE desktop environment, and the same OpenOffice.org suite of applications. Different distributions might use different release versions of these products, but the fact that they’re all coming from a unified upstream provider means that the Linux distribution can focus on integration issues, rather than specific application issues.

These are not random versions of Linux; each effort is critically backed by a combination of major industry players, each of which creates their own ecosystem; Google, HP, Intel, Nokia, Amazon, etc. How is this bad for Linux? Linux is about choice and allowing companies, projects and individuals to compete and thrive. API differentiation allows companies to compete and incents them to keep enhancing the platform. Actors can opt in or out of a Linux application API effort based on network benefits of that particular project and ease of participation.

Indeed, at work I use Red Hat Enterprise Linux while at home I use Ubuntu. Many of the research applications we use at work come from ISVs that specifically target the longer release cycle of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and these applications are built with specific requirements for RHEL-supported libraries. Although we use RHEL, many of the ISVs also support SuSE, allowing us to have some choice in which Linux distribution we choose to use. And for desktop users who want more of the “oooh shiny!” features of Linux application development there’s Fedora and Ubuntu, both of which offer faster release cycles and more interesting features developments, but which ISVs are hesitant to target due to more frequent API and ABI changes.

Android, Meego, Chrome and webOS are all Linux-based yet no one is confused about the kind of application they are building or which market they are reaching. The reality here is that aside from Apple, RIM, and Microsoft, almost no one is building client computing devices with anything but Linux. There will be multiple application ecosystems on top of the various Linux systems that will remain unified at the lower levels of the computing stack. This provides an excellent balance of shared R&D and market competition. What is important now is for industry players to align themselves with one or more of the Linux efforts which are backed by credible industry players and make sure that those efforts continue to develop their code upstream.

(As I was writing this piece a new blog post by Tim Bray hit my feed reader: Practical Open Source. It’s a pretty succinct introduction to how easy it is to grab the Android source code and start making progress with it. Not exactly related, but sufficiently similar as to pique my interest in the context of Linux fragmentation.)

While chatting with Devin about Linux fragmentation, he observed that the majority of people don’t care about Linux on their devices, and as such fragmentation is only an issue to the enthusiast crowd. He’s definitely on to something. Normal consumers might recognize the brand differences between Apple and Android and Palm, but they have no idea that Android is, in fact, a flavor of Linux. The consumers aren’t going to care about Linux fragmentation because they’re not going to see much of it: they’ll see “Android”, which happens to be built atop a rich stack of Linux kernel and library components. As long as their calls don’t drop and their apps run, they’ll be blissfully ignorant of any Linux fragmentation.

In addition to point-and-shoots and camcorders, Sony Alpha DSLRs to do video

Posted: 11 May 2010 05:00 PM PDT


Looks like Sony is pulling out all the stops in its imaging department. Not only are we getting some hot new interchangeable lens compacts, but also a sweet camcorder with the same system — and now we hear what any of us could have guessed: that the next Alpha DSLRs will also do video.

Paul Genge of Sony UK has confirmed that an improved processor will allow the next series of Alphas to shoot video, although he didn’t mention resolution, framerate, codec, or anything like that. Sounds good — of course, anything less than this and they would have been trampled by pretty much every other DSLR out there.

[via Photography Bay]

Here’s the official trailer for Super 8

Posted: 11 May 2010 04:30 PM PDT


A cam version of this trailer leaked last week — bootleg or viral, you decide — and now the official trailer just hit YouTube. My prediction about the Steven Spielberg J.J. Abrams movie: Better than Cloverfield, but no War of the Worlds. (chew on that a bit)

Hawaii to get Nissan Leaf early (because they’re eco-friendly there (and it’s an island))

Posted: 11 May 2010 04:00 PM PDT


Nissan has decided that Hawaii will be in the first wave of Leaf-enabled states. They say (truthfully, I think) that it’s because of Hawaii’s commitment to green power and all that. Yes, very good. Lots of solar. But, as Treehugger notes, Hawaii is also a rather small island where the range limits of the Leaf won’t really be apparent during the critical launch period. It’d be like if they launched in Rhode Island and said “Okay, now don’t take it past the border.”

Well, even if that’s true, it’s not really worth making fun of. It’s just a smart decision — the growing pains of an electric infrastructure are best contained in a small area, and Hawaii is really ideal for it for a number of reasons. Man, I really want one of these things… and at around $25k it’s not even that expensive.

[via Treehugger]

Coppola comes out against 3D as well

Posted: 11 May 2010 04:00 PM PDT


I don’t blame established directors for questioning the worth of 3D. I just wish they would object based on personal and not technical scruples. Ebert had a few of both, and I addressed the technical ones. Coppola says he agrees with Ebert, though mainly he just doesn’t feel today’s 3D differentiates itself much from the film 3D of the past. Conceptually, I think he’s right — but the workflow for 3D is becoming so much easier that creativity within a 3D filmmaking environment is taking off. And once the glasses are either comfortable or no longer necessary, where’s the objection?

As I said in my response to Ebert’s broadside against 3D, I think there’s still a long way to go, and yes, some of it has to do with money. Of course, if moviemakers could make the money they’re making today on soundless black-and-white 8mm film, we’d still be watching movies like those from the ’20s. Technical advancements may be initiated by a desire to differentiate and make some money, but they’re technical advancements nonetheless.

I don’t like how they pretty much misquote him, though. He says the glasses are tiresome, not 3D cinema in general.

Mapping the Mayans with high-powered lasers

Posted: 11 May 2010 03:30 PM PDT


You tend to think of archaeologists as academic types, dusting off pottery shards and bones, and a comfy tent in the desert. Generally speaking, you don’t think of them buzzing Mayan ruins and bombarding the jungle with lasers.Yet that’s just what Arlen and Diane Chase are doing in Belize. They’re using LIDAR to scan below the trees, which form an effective screen against satellite imaging, and it’s making mapping the ancient Mayan city of Caracol a snap.

Apparently, they’re able to outdo years of on-the-ground survey in just a few weeks of work with the laser-based system. They’ve found many new features, including houses, agricultural terraces, and ruined roads. It won’t work for every dig site, however; for instance, anything subterranean or obscured by ash or dirt will be invisible to the system.

There’s more information in the New York Times science article — go give it a read.

Cherrypal to ship $99 Android-based netbook

Posted: 11 May 2010 03:00 PM PDT

We haven’t heard from Cherrypal in a while; they’re the company that makes ultra-low-end computers for the developing world market. Remember when the OLPC market wanted to do a hundred-dollar laptop? Well, it looks like Cherrypal is actually doing it.

You can’t get much for $100, of course. They already have a laptop at that price, but this is a spec and OS upgrade. The new “Asia” version will have a relatively slow 533MHz ARM A9 processor, 256MB of RAM, 2GB of storage, and 3 USB slots. It has a 7″ screen and will run Android and focus on doing stuff in the cloud. Sounds pretty limited, but then again I haven’t tried that hard to rely on Android as my only OS. No pictures yet… just use your imagination, I guess. Should look something like the picture I did include.

There will be a larger version with a 10″ screen and webcam for $148. Couldn’t say which of these is a better deal for an impoverished nation.

That Yankees-Mariners 3D series? It’ll also be on FiOS.

Posted: 11 May 2010 02:30 PM PDT

You know the Yankees-Mariners game that will be broadcast in 3D in July? Yeah, it’ll be on DirecTV, but it will also be available on FiOS. Yay~!

Not a whole lot to the story. The games, which take place on July 10 and July 11, will be in 3D on the YES Network (the Yankees’ own network, of course) for people in the greater New York City area. You’ll need a 3D TV and the appropriate glasses. Total cost: $Arm&Leg.

I’m nominally a Mets fan, so I guess I’m obliged to hope the Yankees lose. Then again, who cares about two random games in July? Baseball might as well not even exist until the playoffs begin.


Humble Indie Bundle breaks $1,000,000!

Posted: 11 May 2010 02:07 PM PDT


You probably remember the Humble Indie Bundle we posted a few days back when it was just starting out. Little did we know how huge it was destined to be! A million dollars raised for the developers, the EFF, and Child’s Play ($321,295 went to the charities). And now that it has hit a million, the source code for several of the games has been released! They’ve extended the deal by a little bit, so if you were on the fence, you can still head over and pick up the bundle. Congrats to the bundle people and good job to all who donated/bought.

The Dell Latitude 2110 netbook packs mobile broadband and touchscreens

Posted: 11 May 2010 01:42 PM PDT


There is certainly a market for business-ordinated netbooks and Dell’s latest Latitude netbook ensures that it can keep up with the corporate world. An Intel Atom still resides at the core, but it’s the new 1.83GHz N470 model backed with the latest Intel Graphics Media Accelerator, the 3150. Along with a wide range of hard drive and OS options including Windows XP, Vista, Win 7, Linux, and FreeDOS, the updated netbook can also be configured with a mobile broadband card.

Dell is clearly committed to this segment. The mobile broadband card shows that the corporate world has latched onto the idea of small, inexpensive computers to supplement full size models. It’s not like it takes a Core i7 to run a PowerPoint presentation anyway.

The least expensive model ships with Linux and can be had for $389. $419 gets buyers Windows XP on the same hardware, with a $489 pre-configured model offering an integrated 2.0MP camera along with a touchscreen LCD display. [Dell]

Dell’s new ultraportable sports Core i5, semi-ruggedness

Posted: 11 May 2010 01:40 PM PDT


Well, the new Dells aren’t exactly going to shock anybody speechless, but they look practical and the assurances of ruggedness are heartening. It’s always struck me as strange that the so-called ultra-portables, which are meant to be taken everywhere, almost universally have cheap builds. Of course, most of them cost a lot less than the Dell E4310, too.

Here are the relevant stats for the E4310:

    Core i5-540M or 520M at 2.53GHz or 2.4GHz respectively
    Up to 4GB DDR3 1066MHz RAM
    Integrated graphics (come on now, Dell, HP has discrete graphics on notebooks a quarter the price)
    13.3″ LED-backlit 1366×768 LCD
    Up to 500GB HDD or 256GB SSD
    DVD-writer or Blu-ray player
    1xUSB 2.0, 1x eSATA/USB 2.0 (only two USB slots? aw)
    Multi-card reader
    VGA-out
    Optional 3G modem

Overall… for $1,129 I think you should be expecting more. I get the feeling a lot of the value is in the solid build, but for over a grand you deserve discrete graphics, more than two USB slots, and maybe a HDMI out.

Of course, there are more configuration options and features to be perused, so head on over to Dell to give it a look.

LinuxCon is heading to Brazil in August

Posted: 11 May 2010 01:30 PM PDT


LinuxCon, the big Linux conference put on by the Linux Foundation, is heading to Sao Paulo, Brazil this year. This makes the third location for regional LinuxCon events after Boston, Mass in the U.S.A. an Tokyo, Japan in Asia. Why Brazil? "Brazil leads many other countries in its adoption of Linux and is a growing base of development. The time is right to take the industry's premier Linux conference to Brazil," said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation.

Full press release for your reading pleasure:

Linux Foundation Announces LinuxCon Brazil

Linus Torvalds to speak at first ever LinuxCon Brazil where the country's developer, IT operations and business communities will come together to collaborate

SAO PAULO and SAN FRANCISCO, May 11, 2010 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced it is expanding its premier Linux conference, LinuxCon, to Brazil. LinuxCon Brazil will take place August 31 – September 1, 2010 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Early registration opens today, as does the Call for Participation (CFP). To register and/or submit a topic for consideration, please visit the LinuxCon Brazil Website.

Brazil has long been recognized as one of the fastest growing countries for Linux adoption. The Brazilian government was one of the first to subsidize Linux-based PCs for its citizens with PC Conectado, a tax-free computer initiative launched in 2003. Nearly a decade later, Linux is accelerating both in its enterprise adoption and its functionality around the globe. Brazil's active and knowledgeable community of Linux users, developers and enterprise executives bring an important perspective to the development process and to the future of Linux.

"Brazil leads many other countries in its adoption of Linux and is a growing base of development. The time is right to take the industry's premier Linux conference to Brazil," said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. "LinuxCon Brazil will provide a neutral forum in which key stakeholders from across the country can come together with the kernel community and global business communities to advance the platform."

Confirmed speakers for LinuxCon Brazil include Linux creator Linus Torvalds and lead Linux maintainer Andrew Morton, who will together deliver a keynote discussion about the future of Linux moderated by The Linux Foundation's Jim Zemlin.

Other confirmed speakers include:
§ James Bottomley; Novell distinguished engineer and Linux Kernel maintainer of the SCSI subsystem, the Linux Voyager port and the 53c700 driver;
§ Jon Corbet, Linux kernel developer and editor, Linux Weekly News (LWN);
§ Thomas Gleixner, maintainer of the common Intel architecture branch (x86);
§ Ian Pratt, chief architect of the Xen project, chairman of xen.org and vice president at Citrix; and
§ Ted Ts'o, North America's first kernel developer and fellow at Google.

Supported by platinum-level sponsors Globo.com and Intel, gold sponsors Caixa, Locaweb, and silver sponsors 4Linux and Citrix, LinuxCon Brazil will bring together a unique blend of core developers, administrators, users, community managers and industry experts. It is designed to encourage collaboration and support future interaction between Brazil and the rest of the global Linux community. The conference will include presentations, tutorials and birds of a feather sessions that follow developer, IT operations and business tracks.

Linux Foundation events provide developers, IT operations experts, end users, industry executives the media with a vendor-neutral, nonprofit forum in which collaboration and education advance knowledge and accelerate the advancement of Linux. The events provide a platform for new Linux and open source developments to be revealed and discussed. To get more information about all Linux Foundation events, please visit Linux Foundation Events.


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