Archive for October, 2009
HTC’s “Virtual Book” UI Patent Could Be Sense UI’s Successor [Htc]
October 31st, 2009
HTC’s new UI patent that “organizes applications, widgets, and web pages into pages of a virtual book” may “borrow” a few ideas from Palm, but it’s cool with me. I’m all for a snazzier version of Pre’s card system.
It takes all open webpages, applications, and widgets and organizes them in a way that you can easily flick to leaf through the selections. Actually, the more I think about it, the more it seems almost exactly like the card system. With fancy page-flip transitions in between.
Each page of the virtual book is the UI of a service or function of the handheld electronic device. Flipping the pages of the virtual book means browsing and selecting the services and functions provided by the handheld electronic device. This book-like UI enables the user to use and manage these applications, widgets, and web pages in an easy and intuitive way like browsing a conventional printed book. The book-like UI hides the differences among applications, widgets, and web pages so that the handheld electronic device can be accessed through a uniform and convenient UI.
The patent also describes a really cool rolodex-style method of browsing, where the UI collapses apps and pages towards the top and bottom of the screen while expanding the item you’re looking at in the middle. Imagine (again with the Palm comparisons) the Pre’s calendar, and you’ll get the idea.
The Pre might already have a lot of what’s described here, but I’m totally cool with HTC ripping it off. Because if anyone can knock this interface out of the park, it’s HTC. [<a href="http://www.unwiredview.com/2009/10/30/hts-is-working-on-next-gen-virtual-book-touch-ui/""UnwiredView via Slashgear]
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Leaked docs show HTC’s DROID Eris launching on November 6th for $99, running Android 1.5
October 31st, 2009
Like it or not, we’ve got it on pretty reasonable authority that HTC’s first “DROID” phone is nothing more than a rebadged, shape-shifted Hero (something we’ve been hearing for a while now), and that it’ll be launching on Verizon on November 6th, the same day as Motorola’s DROID. That means Android 1.5 “Cupcake,” Sense UI, 3.2-inch screen, 528MHz processor and so forth. The Eris will retail for $199 but with a $100 mail-in rebate. It’ll pack in an 8GB microSD card and the hopes and dreams of a generation of cheapskates that will be hopin’ and prayin’ that HTC manages to push Android 2.0 onto this thing so they don’t look too bad in front of their DROID-toting buddies on Verizon.
[Thanks, anonymous]
Gallery: HTC’s DROID Eris leaked docs
Filed under: Cellphones
Leaked docs show HTC’s DROID Eris launching on November 6th for $99, running Android 1.5 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Pass the tissue? Drive it over here instead
October 31st, 2009
(Credit:
Rakuten)
Hang on. You’re coughing and sneezing your lungs out, and you want ME to come inside Ground Zero to pass you a tissue? No thanks. Four little letters and numbers: H1N1.
Fortunately, we have Rakuten’s Running Tissue Box to come to the rescue. Using a standard …
Researchers wanted to prove that those who believe in paranormal experience are completely nuts, so they scientifically haunted a room using ultrasound waves and stuck people in there. Results? A lot of dizzy, tingly, aroused, and gullible individuals.
To conduct the experiment, ultrasound and electromagnetic wave producing speakers were hidden inside the “haunted” room, to simulate the frequencies associated with paranormal experiences. Volunteers were then sent inside and asked to report any “strange feelings” as soon as they felt them. If there was something to the business of paranormal experiences being genuine, then there would be a correlation between the speaker zones and the sensations reported.
As you can guess by now, all the sensations of dizziness, tingling, disembodiment, dream-remembrance, and arousal had no correlation to the volunteers locations within the room. Researchers concluded that the responses were due to suggestibility and the fact that the volunteers were expecting to feel something.
They did leave some room for skepticism and said that it is possible that some individuals may sense things that others can’t see, but frankly I don’t care either way. I’m still going to keep on believing in fairies. [Wired]
USB 3.0 and SATA 6G put to good use: benchmarks
October 31st, 2009
The fine folks at both HotHardware and PC Perspective have run the new ASUS P7P55D-E Premium motherboard through its paces, which has the particular distinction of handling both USB 3.0 and the up-and-coming SATA 6G through controllers by NEC and Marvell, respectively. Lucky for us, both sites’ tests came to similar conclusions. The Seagate Barracuda XT SATA 6G drive has almost zero improvement over SATA 3G, other than in some burst speeds due to the fancy cache on the 6G — the bottleneck here is the drive, not the controller. Meanwhile, USB 3.0 has speeds that are roughly 5 to 6 times faster than USB 2.0 with the same drive, a huge win for fans of external storage the world over. Perhaps even better news is that an ASUS US36 controller card with USB 3.0 and SATA 6G support is a mere $30, so this stuff is already basically within reach to the average desktop user.
Read – HotHardware
Read – PC Perspective
Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals, Storage
USB 3.0 and SATA 6G put to good use: benchmarks originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Man fakes moon landing in own garage for $800
October 31st, 2009
(Credit:
Jonathan Worth/PopSci)
I know most of you out there think we landed two Americans on the moon in 1969. Well, let me tell you that you’re wrong. It’s all a hoax! It was done on a sound stage and George Clooney and Dan Aykroyd were involved!
…
10 Of Your Geekiest Halloween Costumes [Contest]
October 30th, 2009
Yesterday we asked you to submit your geekiest Halloween costumes—clearly, Halloween is dominated by nerds far too old to trick-or-treat. It was also clear that mdg357′s homemade Iron Man suit was more than deserving of the free pizza.
Here is the complete list of costumes, in order of awesomeness. Thanks to everyone for participating and congrats to mdg357!
Apple’s main ad man thinks different, steps down as Macs battle PCs like its 1984
October 30th, 2009
[Via Macworld]
Continue reading Apple’s main ad man thinks different, steps down as Macs battle PCs like its 1984
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Apple’s main ad man thinks different, steps down as Macs battle PCs like its 1984 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The 404 457: Where Justin gets some tail on Halloween
October 30th, 2009
MTI, Wilson, and Kenley as a Lt. Dangle/Karate Kid lovechild, a panda, and Sherlock Holmes, respectively.
They said it would never happen, but the day has finally come for Justin to get some much-needed tail….as he dons a skunk costume and becomes Justin Le Pieu for today’s very unspooky Halloween episode of The 404! Be sure to check out today’s video for all the details. Since Jeff is out today and this coming Monday for who-knows-what, the guys ask everyon’es favorite Kenley and Alli to help co-host the show.
Unfortunately, with the Swine Flu hitting New York at full force, nobody in the office is feeling too hot for the holiday, but they do their best and don some shades as they recall last night’s CNET’s Client Halloween Party. Kenley chooses her top picks for the Best Costume Award and Alli tells everyone a horrifying story that happened on her way to work this morning…trust me folks, NOTHING is scarier than a mouthful of New York trash water.
(Credit:
Last.FM/Fool's Gold)
As October slowly fades away, and with great reluctance and tears, we must say goodbye to Beck’s Beer and the Semi-Weekly Audio Draft, but not before Wilson debuts our last pick. Continuing in our tradition of introducing new and different genres of music, Fool’s Gold plays a unique blend of South African, Ethiopian, and Eritrean influenced music with a twist–lead vocalist Luke Top was born and raised in Israel and sings the majority of the lyrics (although many of the tracks, including our first pick, are instrumental) in Hebrew.
The two featured tracks on today’s episode are called “Surprise Hotel” and “Ha Dvash.” If you’re into the band, you can even win a date with Alli and Kenley to go see the band perform on November 17th at the Bowery Ballroom here in New York! All interested parties should submit a photo, general interests, date ideas, and a brief cover letter to the404(at)cnet(dot)com.
Have a great Halloween folks, and be safe!
EPISODE 457
Listen now:
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Video coming soon, check back later today!
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Originally posted at The 404
Inside The Mind Of An LSD User [Brain Imaging]
October 30th, 2009
In the name of medical research, scientists analyzed the brain activity of individuals who were in the middle of drug induced hallucinations. The conclusion is that no matter how wacky the trip, the brain activities are identical among subjects.
The narrator of the video sounds a bit paranoid about the subject at times, but some of the visuals (such as at the 1:15 mark) along with the info regarding the actual activity in the brain make him worth tolerating. Either that or the late hour has caused me to hallucinate. [Discover]