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Saturday, September 29, 2012

Insert Coin: The Parallella project dreams of $99 supercomputers

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

Parallel computing is normally reserved for supercomputers way out of the reach of average users -- at least at the moment, anyway. Adapteva wants to challenge that with its Parallella project, designed to bring mouth-watering power to a board similar in size to the Raspberry Pi for as little as $99. It hopes to deliver up to 45GHz (in total) using its Epiphany multicore accelerators, that crucially, only chug 5 watts of juice under normal conditions. These goliath speeds currently mean high costs, which is why they need your funds to move out of the prototype stage and start cheap mass production. Specs for the board are as follows: a dual-core ARM A9 CPU running Ubuntu OS as standard, 1GB RAM, a microSD slot, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, Ethernet and a 16- or 64-core accelerator, with each core housing a 1GHz RISC processor, all linked "within a single shared memory architecture."

An overriding theme of the Parallella project is the openness of the platform. When finalized, the full board design will be released, and each one will ship with free, open-source development tools and runtime libraries. In addition, full architecture and SDK documentation will be published online if-and-when the Kickstarter project reaches its funding goal of $750,000. That's pretty ambitious, but we're reminded of another crowd-funded venture which completely destroyed an even larger target. However, that sum will only be enough for Adapteva to produce the 16-core board, which reportedly hits 13GHz and 26 gigaflops, and is expected to set you back a measly $99. A speculative $3 million upper goal has been set for work to begin on the $199 64-core version, topping out at 45GHz and 90 gigaflops. Pledge options range from $99 to $5,000-plus, distinguished mainly by how soon you'll get your hands on one. Big spenders will also be the first to receive a 64-core board when they become available. Adapteva's Andreas Olofsson talks through the Parallella project in a video after the break, but if you're already sold on the tiny supercomputer, head over to the source link to contribute before the October 27th closing date.

Continue reading Insert Coin: The Parallella project dreams of $99 supercomputers

Filed under: Misc

Insert Coin: The Parallella project dreams of $99 supercomputers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/28/insert-coin-the-parallella-project/

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BlackBerry 10 L-series tutorial videos surface online, give a literal peek at the future (video)

Those of us who've used a BlackBerry PlayBook will be familiar with the inevitable first-boot tutorials showing how to navigate the swipe-driven interface before we're let loose. Thanks to a series of demonstration videos leaked by BlackBerryItalia, it's apparent that we won't escape that educational process on BlackBerry 10 devices, either. The four clips show the basics of what we know the gesture experience will be like on full-touch L-series phones, including the signature BlackBerry Peek to check notifications and the unified inbox. Anyone looking for a direct clue as to what production BlackBerry 10 hardware will entail might be frustrated, mind you -- the rendered phone appears to be a placeholder rather than the L-series or a Dev Alpha B, and the device name is censored in an attempt to protect the source. That said, the clips provide a very straightforward explanation of the new interface concept and give us one more indication that RIM is closer to launch.

Continue reading BlackBerry 10 L-series tutorial videos surface online, give a literal peek at the future (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, RIM

BlackBerry 10 L-series tutorial videos surface online, give a literal peek at the future (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 08:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/29/blackberry-10-l-series-tutorial-videos-surface-online/

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This is the carbon fiber core of Ferrari's first hybrid

Ferrari has already said that it will never make an electric car -- at least, not while Luca di Montezemolo is in charge -- but we already know that a hybrid Ferrari is in the cards. And, this is what will hold it all together. At this year's Paris Auto Show the company rolled out this carbon fiber cage that is the core chassis of the machine. Other than a pledge that the thing will use F1-inspired technology nobody would tell us what it would be called (possibly F70, at least internally) or just when the rest of its components will be bolted on. But, for now, enjoy this sneak peek under the skin of Ferrari's next hypercar.

Gallery: Hybrid Ferrari carbon fiber chassis

Steve Dent contributed to this report.

Filed under: Transportation

This is the carbon fiber core of Ferrari's first hybrid originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/28/this-is-the-carbon-fiber-core-of-ferraris-first-hybrid/

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Facebook launches unified mobile site, announces 250 million mobile users

Facebook has announced that its two mobile sites -- m.facebook.com and touch.facebook.com -- have been unified, bringing a simpler mobile experience to Facebook users. And there are a lot of those -- a quarter billion, according to Facebook.

Smartphone users won't be losing any functionality because of the consolidation. If your phone supported the enhacned features offered by touch.facebook.com, the new site will automatically flip the switch when you visit.

Rolling the sites together helps simplify things for Facebook's developer team. Now changes can be pushed to a single site instead of two separate sites, which makes it easier to ensure that all mobile users receive a nearly identical experience regardless of the device they're using.

The new Facebook mobile can also check to see if your phone supports geolocation. If it doesn't, you won't be seeing much of Facebook Places -- which obviously relies heavily on geolocation. Images can also be optimized on the fly to keep page performance from suffering on less powerful devices. You can see the three different versions of the share button below, courtesy our friends at TechCrunch.

Facebook launches unified mobile site, announces 250 million mobile users originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/facebook-launches-unified-mobile-site-announces-250-million-mob/

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Facebook Messenger for iPhone goes 2.0, includes iPhone 5 support

Facebook Messenger for iPhone has gone 4.0 and includes some UI improvements as well as support for the iPhone 5's larger display. The conversation view has a new design and now you can swipe left anywhere in the app to quickly see a list of who's available to send message. At the top of this list you can also mark the friends you message most as favorites. The speed and reliability of Facebook Messenger has also been noticeably improved.

I never thought the day would come where I started liking Facebook apps (no pun intended), but Facebook has been doing a great job with their recent updates. This update to Facebook Messenger is no exception.

What are your thoughts on Facebook Messenger 2.0?

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/iPuTJFNZJcQ/story01.htm

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Kodak dropping out of the consumer inkjet printer business in 2013

More gloomy news from Kodak: the company just announced that it will stop selling consumer inkjet printers in 2013 and instead focus its efforts on commercial printing products. This decision hardly comes as a surprise: Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year and attempted to auction off a stockpile of patents valued at up to $2.6 billion. The company stated on Friday that it expects to take a $90 million hit due to its floundering inkjet business. Kodak's garage sale attracted interest from unlikely alliances in the form of Apple and Microsoft versus Google and Samsung, but reportedly only reeled in disappointing offers under the $500 million mark. Hoping to rebound next year as a "lean," mean, successful machine, we'll just have to wait and see what develops for this fallen photography frontrunner.

Continue reading Kodak dropping out of the consumer inkjet printer business in 2013

Filed under: Peripherals

Kodak dropping out of the consumer inkjet printer business in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 15:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/28/kodak-dropping-inkjet-printer-business-in-2013/

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Here's open webOS OE running on a Galaxy Nexus

The folks at WebOS Ports have released a video of open webOS booting and running on a Samsung Galaxy Nexus today, hours after HP announced the code release. As we understand it, the device boots up and Wifi is working, but the core function of things like cellular radios, sensors, and the like aren't yet active. Nor is any soft of graphics acceleration, as you can see from the video.

I'll say this right now -- don't discount this because it looks laggy and, well, sucky. The folks behind the project have had access to the code in beta form for a while, but it tales a lot of time (and the right device) to make something like this happen. When it's ready for public consumption, even at an alpha level, I'm sure the people at WebOS Ports will be there to share and help out. In the meantime, be sure to hit up webOS Nation to keep tabs on how this one plays out.

Source: WebOS Ports; via webOS Nation

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/ik0aa8gqv0g/story01.htm

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Friday, September 28, 2012

PSA: $25 Google Play credit for Nexus 7 ends this weekend

Those who have been keeping a close eye on Google's 7-inch, Jelly Bean-loaded Nexus 7 would know that the company kindly includes 25 bucks worth of Play credit with any purchase of said tablet. Unfortunately, as the famed cliché would tell us, all good things must come to an end -- and, well, such is the case with this neat promotion, which will expire on Sunday, September 30th. Here's the good news, however: there's still a relatively good amount of time for folks interested to get it on the Google Play deal, so now would be the perfect moment to snag what some are calling the best $200 tablet -- and who knows, this might even lead to a post-order Gangnam Style celebration of your own.

Filed under: Misc, Tablets, Google

PSA: $25 Google Play credit for Nexus 7 ends this weekend originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Wz0M1M3FOcI/

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Turn Your Smartphone into a Scanner with the StandScan Pro

We’ve told you about several portable scanners, and readers have said they simply use their phone’s camera to snap a shot. I’ve tried the photo approach, but I often end up with a crooked image or a dark place that obscures some of the image. That’s fine for casual use, but it won’t work so [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/09/24/turn-your-smartphone-into-a-scanner-with-the-standscan-pro/

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New iPad Battery Life

The new iPad has the same battery life as the iPad 2. This may strike some as peculiar because the iPad 3 has a new more highly-powered battery. However, although the battery does carry more juice, this is offset by the new features of the iPad 3 which require more power, for example the high-definition Retina display and the 4G connectivity. That said, the new iPad battery life is still perfectly reasonable and is suitable both for casual at-home use [...]

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/new-ipad-battery-life/

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iPhone 5 ‘Problems’ Explained

With Apple's most recent iPhone launch, it seems that a wide range of possible "problems" are affecting users -- but are people just nitpicking because it's, well, Apple? Some are complete non-issues, while others are in fact legitimate problems to be concerned with.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/09/iphone-5-problems/

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How The iPad Keeps You Connected with Wi-Fi or 3G

Apple have done a great job of marketing their iPad device. Their strategies have gone a long way in convincing consumers that the device is the best on the market when it comes to browsing the Web or watching online streaming videos. The same can be said of connecting with friends via any social networking services according to the manufacturers. These claims are backed up with some very sophisticated apps, features and services. The overall opinion of many industry pundits [...]

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/how-the-ipad-keeps-you-connected-with-wi-fi-or-3g/

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Ubuntu Made Easy Shortens the Learning Curve

Ubuntu is one of the most popular and user-friendly Linux operating systems you will find. That said, Ubuntu can be intimidating and frustrating to computer users just stepping out of the World of Windows. Nothing beats learning how to use the Linux operating system like hands-on discovery. Having someone to coach you through the questions does a lot to remove frustrations and shorten the learning curve.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/23cc4443/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C762360Bhtml/story01.htm

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How to grant or revoke app access to your contacts with iOS 6's new Privacy controls

How to restrict an app's access to your contacts on iPhone and iPad

iOS 6 brings a lot of new features with it, including granular Privacy controls in Settings. Given previous controversies surrounding apps accessing your contacts, it's important to make sure that only apps you specifically allow have access to your contacts, and only for as long as you allow it. With Privacy, you can grant and revoke permission to access your contacts at any time.

How to grant an app access to your contacts

If an app is requesting to access your contacts, it'll normally present you with a pop-up. Some apps legitimately require access to your contacts to function properly. For example, Skype needs to access your contacts to place calls to the people on your contact list. If you deny access, you may find a time later on that you need to grant it. Y

Launch the Settings app from the Home screen of your iPhone or iPad.
Tap on Privacy.

Tap Contacts.

Find the app that you'd like to be able to have access to your Contacts app. Tap the slider next to the app name to the On position.

How to restrict an app's access to your contacts

If you accidentally granted an app access to your contacts or decide later on that you don't want that app to have access, you can easily disable it as well.