Tuesday, August 3, 2010

IT News HeadLines (Engadget) 03/08/2010



Canalys: Android takes Q2 smartphone market share lead in US with 886 percent year-over-year growth
We knew Android phones were selling like gangbusters -- Google has been none too shy in telling us as much -- but numbers were slightly less clear in a larger context. Well, if a new report by Canalys is to be believed, those numbers are just fine in a larger context. Canalys claims that in Q2 Android was up a whopping 886 percent over last year's sales during this time period (remember, the original Droid didn't come out until November), and those wild sales put it at 34 percent of the US market, compared to RIM's 32 percent and Apple's 21.7 share. Of course, RIM has a big launch on the way, and we're not sure how much of the iPhone 4's heady run this report captures, so things could naturally look different for Q3. Also, it's worth noting that the breakdown of phones actually in use is of course dramatically different. Still, nobody is doing that bad: the smartphone market is up 64 percent year-over-year, and Apple and RIM grew 61 percent and 41 percent, respectively. Oh, and remember Nokia? Yeah, they're still beating the world with a 38 percent market share and 41 percent growth. Check out the press release after the break for all the percentages your heart could ever desire.
Continue reading Canalys: Android takes Q2 smartphone market share lead in US with 886 percent year-over-year growth
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Melting silicon 'in reverse' can help purify it, result in cheaper electronics
Just our favorite combination of news: a mind-bending innovation that can have a very practical impact on our daily tech consumption. MIT scientists have found that silicon -- when combined in the right dosage with other metals -- can actually be made to melt by reducing its temperature. Typically, you'd require 1,414 degrees of Celsius heat to liquidize solid silicon, but the intermixed variant discussed here need only reach 900 degrees before its slow cooling process starts turning it gooey. The great advantage to this discovery is that because the impurities tend to separate off into the liquid part, there's now a practicable way to filter them out, meaning that things like solar cells won't require the same high grade of silicon purity for their construction -- which in turn might lead to us being able to afford them one day. Of course, that's getting way too far ahead of ourselves, as the research is still ongoing, but good news is good news no matter the timescale.
Melting silicon 'in reverse' can help purify it, result in cheaper electronics originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Haier's heat-exchanging Power Pad promises to make long, hot showers a little more efficient
Haier's heat-exchanging Power Pad promises to make long, hot showers a little more efficient
Major appliances are major energy drains, and if you have a traditional, tank-based hot water heater it can be a major factor in your monthly utilities bills. Haier's Power Pad promises to make those things have less of an impact on people's finances -- at least when it comes to showers. It's a heat exchanger that you stand on whilst washing that man right out of your hair, water running off your toned body and through the vanes in the Pad, warming the cold water that's pumped through it. That water is then deposited into the hot water tank, which now has a little less work to do. Haier is hoping to get this to market in China within the next two months for ¥4,000 (about $600) and, by that time, boost its efficiency to 30 percent. That's still 10 percent lower than the EcoDrain we spied last year, but we have a more practical concern: what happens when that thing gets clogged with hair and various bathing products? It doesn't look particularly easy to clean.
Permalink   |  sourceGizMag  | Email this | Comments
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OWC will cut a hole in your new 27-inch iMac, put an eSATA port behind it
OWC will cut a hole in your new 27-inch iMac, put an eSATA port behind it
Say what you like about Apple, as a company it's not exactly on the forefront when it comes to offering standard connectors for peripherals. Case in point: the latest iMac revisions lack eSATA, something of a bother for companies that make external storage devices. Companies like OWC. So, that particular organization is introducing a service to add that to 27-inch iMacs, cutting a small hole into the bottom-right of the display and sticking an eSATA port behind it. It's a nice idea, the results look flush enough, and 48-hour turn-around time is great -- but $169 is hardly small change. You can, however, take that time to get a 480GB Mercury Extreme Pro SSD stuffed in there as well for a mere $1,649 more.
OWC will cut a hole in your new 27-inch iMac, put an eSATA port behind it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Macworld  |  sourceOWC Blog  | Email this | Comments
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China to build ginormous buses that cars can drive under (video)
Seriously, this is the future that China's envisioning: huge friggin' buses engulfing smaller cars on the road. Despite the silly picture and the eccentric "3D Express Coach" branding, this cunning project by Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment actually makes sense. The idea is to make use of the space between regular-size cars and bridges, thus saving construction costs as well as minimizing congestion impact by allowing cars to drive underneath these jumbo buses. Fancy hitching a ride? You better start planning your move to Beijing's Mentougou district, which is where Huashi will commence building its first 186km of track at year's end. For now, enjoy the Chinese demo video after the break (translation text at source link).Continue reading China to build ginormous buses that cars can drive under (video)
China to build ginormous buses that cars can drive under (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceChina Hush  | Email this | Comments
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Windows Phone 7 coming to Europe in October, US in November, according to Microsoft COO (video)
Here's something that seems to have slipped the net from Kevin Turner's recent presentation on Windows Phone 7 devices. While discussing the move to Microsoft's next great hope in the mobile space, the Redmond COO told the world that the transition is expected to happen in the October timeframe across Europe, and in the November timeframe in the US. This is the most explicit anyone from Microsoft has been about the likely launch date for Windows Phone 7, and sets up the intriguing potentiality of Europeans getting to savor the goodness of the brand new OS ahead of their US brethren. See Kevin dishing the info on video after the break.

[Thanks, Abed]Continue reading Windows Phone 7 coming to Europe in October, US in November, according to Microsoft COO (video)
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Samsung YP-MB2 appears at Korean e-tailer, specs and release date in tow?
Astute Samsung fans may have noticed an August 11th date circulating the web, and taken it to mean the company will then officially announce the Samsung Galaxy Tab. As it turns out, there's at least one more possibility: the YP-MB2 portable media player, spotted at Korean portal Daum and supposedly ready to launch on the very same day. While rumors surrounding the possible iPod touch competitor have swirled for weeks, all we knew for sure was that it was a GPS and WiFi-capable Android 2.1 MID with a four-inch Super AMOLED screen. Now, it looks like it could be everything we wanted in a PMP -- a Galaxy S missing only the bits that made it a phone -- and capable of decoding DivX, XviD, OGG and FLAC with that 1GHz Hummingbird processor. It's still unlikely we'll ever see it stateside with its T-DMB antenna inside, but if a pared-down version made to the US we'd be most happy to give it a try. Sadly, even the Korean version's just a particularly likely rumor for now, so you'll have to make do with optimistic thoughts and the leaked video below.Continue reading Samsung YP-MB2 appears at Korean e-tailer, specs and release date in tow?
Samsung YP-MB2 appears at Korean e-tailer, specs and release date in tow? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 08:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink PMP Today, Ubergizmo  |  sourceDaum  | Email this | Comments
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DARPA and NIST testing real-time translation system for use in Afghanistan... with a Nexus One
DARPA has long been working on making real-time translation systems practical and portable, and it looks like it's now closer than ever to its goal -- although it can't necessarily take all the credit. The research agency recently teamed up with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (or NIST) to test three different systems as part of its TRANSTAC project, at least one of which relies on none other than a Nexus One to do real-time, spoken language translation from Pashto to English, and vice versa. Of course, specific details on the translation systems are otherwise a bit hard to come by, but NIST is more than happy to draw a few Star Trek comparisons in its demonstration video -- check it out after the break.
Continue reading DARPA and NIST testing real-time translation system for use in Afghanistan... with a Nexus One
Permalink io9  |  sourceNIST  | Email this | Comments
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Spirit Rover may not live through bitter Martian winter
NASA's Opportunity and Spirit rovers touched down on Mars in 2004 for a planned 90-day tour; six years and a few serious snags later, the latter of the two is facing its death of cold. Since March 22, 2010, Spirit's been slumbering on the surface -- stuck and unable to generate enough power to communicate -- and while internal heaters and a favorable position on a sun-facing slope allowed the rover to survive previous Martian winters, this time the chances aren't so good. "The rover is experiencing the coldest temperatures it's ever been in - equivalent to about minus 55 degrees Celsius," NASA told Space.com. Should Spirit wake up next year, it will resume a stationary mission to help scientists determine whether Mars has a liquid core, but if not there's always the chance it might spontaneously regain power in another decade or four. Still not on the docket: ever returning home.
Spirit Rover may not live through bitter Martian winter originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 07:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Gizmodo  |  sourceSpace.com  | Email this | Comments
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MasterPad prototype marries Windows 7 to 11.6-inch IPS screen (video)
Check out this 14mm-thin contender: built by Pegatron and still at the prototype stage, the MasterPad looks to be the embodiment of Steve Ballmer's incoming armada of desirable Windows 7 tablets. It sports an 11.6-inch IPS screen, which accommodates a 1,366 x 768 widescreen resolution, a 1.3 megapixel webcam plus mic, two USB ports, a memory card reader, an accelerometer, mini-HDMI port, 3G connectivity, and 32GB or 64GB SSD options. All that hi-tech goodness is wrapped up in a magnesium and aluminum alloy body, weighing 990 grams. There are some less cutting edge specs, like the disappointing 2-cell battery that will only get you 5 hours of use and the 1.66GHz Atom N450 CPU -- but we're being promised 1080p video playback and Flash compatibility are ready to roll, and our machine translation hints at an additional HD video-processing chip. The early hands-on experience seems to have left the Israeli journos impressed, and their homeland can expect the MasterPad to arrive "in the coming months," with an Android version also in the works. See it on video after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Continue reading MasterPad prototype marries Windows 7 to 11.6-inch IPS screen (video)
MasterPad prototype marries Windows 7 to 11.6-inch IPS screen (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 06:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceYnet.co.il  | Email this | Comments
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Hiroshi Ishiguro creates his creepiest robot yet, the Telenoid R1 (video)
117diggsdigg Sure, creating freakish humanoid clones is Hiroshi Ishiguro's primary hobby, but his latest work takes a couple steps outside the Uncanny Valley. The Telenoid R1 telepresence robot trades extremities for an androgynous doll-like body, which researchers at Osaka University and ATR describe as "soft and pleasant" but strikes us as something we'd see crawling out of the depths of hell on stump-like arms. (Perhaps Ishiguro was going for Casper the Friendly Ghost.) The $35,000 prototype transmits both the voice and head motions of a remote operator, allowing dutiful Japanese individuals to visit their elders via internet-equipped PCs, and a final version will actually go on sale later this year for around $8,000 should said elders agree with the latest in puffy white design. Watch a sample visit after the break.Continue reading Hiroshi Ishiguro creates his creepiest robot yet, the Telenoid R1 (video)
Hiroshi Ishiguro creates his creepiest robot yet, the Telenoid R1 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 04:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile team up to transform your smartphone into a credit card
Contactless payments made using your phone are hardly a new idea in themselves, but when three of the big four US carriers decide to unite behind it, the time might have come to start paying closer attention. Bloomberg reports that AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are about to test the NFC payment waters with pilot schemes in Atlanta and three other cities, potentially aided by partnerships with Discover Financial Services and British bankers Barclays Plc. This would require all-new readers for merchants and embedded NFC chips in phones, but we reckon plenty of people might be happy to pay a small premium to streamline their lives that little bit more and leave the plastic behind. Either way, Visa's nascent attempts at conquering the mobile just got themselves a big old cabal-sized competitor.
AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile team up to transform your smartphone into a credit card originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 03:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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General Motors upping Chevy Volt production by 50 percent in 2011
On Friday, during a visit from President Obama to its Detroit-Hamtramck plant, GM announced some good news for all the Volt fans out there. Production from 2011 to 2012 for the electric vehicle -- originally slated at around 30,000 units -- has been boosted to a projected 45,000 units, a 50 percent increase. The Volt, which has a range of 340 miles (on gas -- it goes approximately 40 miles on battery alone) is being produced at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant, which received $336 million in investments to prepare for the production. The full press release is after the break.Continue reading General Motors upping Chevy Volt production by 50 percent in 2011
General Motors upping Chevy Volt production by 50 percent in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Green Car Reports  |  sourceGM  | Email this | Comments
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Infinitec opens pre-orders for 'infinite' USB memory drive, touts dual-WiFi
We're guessing that the past six months have dragged on (or zipped by, depending on viewpoint) for the folks at Infinitec as they waited for this day, but the device we first spotted at the Engadget trailer during CES 2010 is finally up for pre-order. Hailed as the world's first "infinite USB flash drive," this ad hoc streaming device enables any two locally networked devices to send content to one another, and as of today, those who have longed for just this thing can get in line. The startup's also taking this opportunity to gloat about the "dual-WiFi" capabilities included (a video explanation awaits you past the break), which essentially enables an IUM-equipped laptop to connect to another device while retaining its live connection to the web. Hit the source link to part ways with your $129, and if you buy in early, you'll be gifted with gratis worldwide shipping come August 31st. And you can't beat that deal with a stick, USB or otherwise.Continue reading Infinitec opens pre-orders for 'infinite' USB memory drive, touts dual-WiFi
Infinitec opens pre-orders for 'infinite' USB memory drive, touts dual-WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Inhabitat's Week in Green: solar surpasses nuclear, sewage-fueled rockets and the world's largest turbine
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.
It was an exciting week for renewable energy, as Inhabitat reported the news that solar energy has trumped nuclear power in terms of cost for the first time! We also looked at two innovative new wind turbine designs - the supermassive Aerogenerator, which at 10MW stands to be the world's largest, and the diminutive home-focused Honeywell turbine, which will be hitting store shelves next month.

Green transportation also received a big boost this week as Stanford researchers revealed a way to transform raw sewage into rocket fuel. Meanwhile, Santiago Calatrava heralded a new era for efficient transportation as he unveiled his awe-inspiring new rail station for the Denver International Airport. And with the summer heat embroiling cities across the states, we're daydreaming of slipping away to sea aboard this sleek solar Delta yacht.

In other news, wearable technology is changing the way we change our underwear -- odor-absorbing astronaut undies have finally hit the shelves. We were also impressed by a new breed of 3d-printed textiles that may one day make needles and threads obsolete. Finally, in the spirit of summer this week we showcased 6 innovative designs that harness the power of play - from energy generating soccer balls to water-pumping merry go-rounds.
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Entelligence: Let's get digital
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

One of the more recent trends in UI design has been the attempt to make the digital appear analog. It arguably started with the NeXT OS, which had photorealistic icons and used clever grayscale techniques to give three-dimensional depth to windows, scroll bars and other elements. Today, Apple's iPhone compass app looks like it might be more at home on an 18th-century clipper ship, and the voice recorder app looks at home in a recording studio somewhere around 1950 -- tap on the "microphone" and the VU meter will react much as it would in real life. Google's added subtle 3D effects to Android's app scrolling. I haven't thought that much about this trend until I recently spent some time using Windows Phone 7.

It's perhaps a minor issue but one of the things I like about WP7 is that it's not a digital UI pretending to be analog. The user interface is flat. There are no photorealistic depictions of real world items, no shading, and no 3D effects. Everything is conveyed through the use of fonts, shapes and color. It's digital and it's proud. Overall, I like it, and the more I use it, the more I prefer it. Returning to a more digital approach means Microsoft was able to rethink the nature of applications and services and create the concept of hubs, where like functions meet similar functions without the need for separate applications. It takes some getting used to, but the more I use it, the more natural it feels.Continue reading Entelligence: Let's get digital
Entelligence: Let's get digital originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Aug 2010 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Stab-proof Gorilla Glass coming to TVs near you in 2011
If you go to Corning Inc's website, you'll see the company advertises its seemingly indestructible Gorilla Glass as being available for LCD TV sets, but to this point, no major manufacturer has taken up this tempting offer. That's all about to change, apparently, as Corning has recently announced plans to massively expand its production capacity (see press release after the break) and is now predicting it'll secure its first deal this fall. The benefits of going Gorilla are increased durability, strength and scratch resistance, which some are arguing could be a big selling point to display makers keen on doing away with plastic bezels and exposing edge-to-edge glass surfaces. Of course, the disadvantage is that we'd have to pay up to $60 more for a panel with the extra-tough stuff inside, but then having the option is better than not, right?Continue reading Stab-proof Gorilla Glass coming to TVs near you in 2011
Stab-proof Gorilla Glass coming to TVs near you in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Aug 2010 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceYahoo! News  | Email this | Comments
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Official: iPhone 4 jailbreak hits from iPhone Dev Team (updated with video)
45diggsdigg The Library of Congress made it legal, MuscleNerd showed us it was a go, and now Comex and company have delivered the long-awaited jailbreak to the fourth rendition of iPhone. According to their new page JailbreakMe, the hack works right on the iPhone 4 (or 3GS, or 3G, or iPad, or...) itself, using via the handset's Safari browser to reportedly break into most any iOS device. The servers are getting slammed pretty badly, and only a few Engadget editors have so much as seen the page pictured above so far, but rest assured we're testing this as we speak and will have more details up soon.

Update: Sorry folks, we've tried repeatedly, but apparently the servers just can't handle the load -- Comex tweets that the purple screens we're seeing are evidence of server fail. Here's hoping for a Cydia celebration when the stampede is over.

Update 2: Comex says you might want to reboot if you got stuck staring at that purple screen, and you could also try their backup server (click our second source link) to help the Dev Team divide the load.

Update 3: We successfully got the jailbreak to start working, but it crashed Safari. Upon reboot of our phone we've got... nothing but the Apple logo. Take note, this can brick your phone, so proceed with caution! Video of the experience after the break. After a reset, our phone is giving us nothing but the Apple logo. (Update to the update, the phone has been restored).

Update 4: Our intern Sam has successfully jailbroken his iPhone 4 according to this pic, so it can be done!

Update 5: Comex reports that iPads running iOS 3.2.1 aren't presently working properly, and that MMS problems after jailbreak are a known issue.

Update 6: Good news? Saurik (of Cydia fame) has pitched in to secure JailbreakMe some better hosting. Bad news? Reports indicate that FaceTime doesn't work after jailbreak, either.

Update 7: Seven updates? You bet, because it's looking like there's already a fix for the missing FaceTime and MMS features. Head on over to Redmond Pie (in more coverage below) for instructions to install the Cydia package that brought video chat back to two of our iPhone 4 handsets. If you're just downloading JailbreakMe for the first time though, you shouldn't need to do a thing, as Comex claims both have been fixed in a new version of the hack that just went live.Continue reading Official: iPhone 4 jailbreak hits from iPhone Dev Team (updated with video)
Official: iPhone 4 jailbreak hits from iPhone Dev Team (updated with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Aug 2010 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 9 To 5 Mac, @comex (Twitter), @MuscleNerd (Twitter)  |  sourceJailbreakMe (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments
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WowWee's Roboscooper picks up the stuff too big for your Roomba
WowWee's robots may be fun, lovable companions, but they aren't always exactly the most useful things to have around. That's not the case with the company's new Roboscooper, however, which will gladly pick up stuff off your floor until its six AAA batteries run out. Of course, it will only pick up small, one ounce objects, and its storage capacity is a tad limited -- but hey, every little contribution helps. You can even switch from autonomous to remote-controlled mode if you feel like being slightly less lazy, and you can let Roboscooper have a bit of fun by engaging the "whack" mode, which makes him swat objects out of his way instead of picking them up. Ready to bring one home? You can get your pre-order in now for $70 and look for it to ship at the end of the month.
WowWee's Roboscooper picks up the stuff too big for your Roomba originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Aug 2010 16:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Robots Rule  |  sourceWowWee, Hammacher Schlemmer  | Email this | Comments
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Keepin' it real fake: because in China, even websites aren't safe from knockoffs
When you've gone and built yourself an imitation MacBook Pro, a Magic Mouse-equipped pseudo-iMac, and an upcoming iPad-esque tablet, there's little reason left to be shy with your website. That must be the thinking behind the design of Dragonfly's web portal, which seems to have taken plenty of inspiration from Apple's home on the internet. Upon visiting the Qing Ting address, users are confronted with a glamorous product shot, set against a black backdrop and accessorized only with some bold words -- which happen to be as inane as the overreaching exaltations Apple likes to post up. So full marks for realism, but these aspiring KIRF merchants seem to have omitted the most important aspect: there's no online store! How are we supposed to get our Q Pad now?
Keepin' it real fake: because in China, even websites aren't safe from knockoffs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Aug 2010 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Gizmodo  |  sourceQing Ting  | Email this | Comments
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Page-turning 'Macallan' UI will hit a Windows 7 tablet this year (video)
There's not much to your average prototype Windows 7 tablet -- just a netbook running the vanilla OS with a touchscreen instead of keyboard -- but if you've been wondering why you might care to buy one, just get a load of this Macallan UI. Developed by a third-party firm named UI Centric specifically for Windows tablet devices, it features a clean, finger-friendly interface capable of Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight, and uses the crowd-pleasing page flip gesture for multitasking functionality. Perhaps most importantly, however, UI Centric claims it will actually appear on a real slate -- come Q3 2010, a "major manufacturer" will debut the first Macallan-topped device. We're curious to see how it (and a bottle of fine scotch) will stack up against September's ExoPC. Video after the break.Continue reading Page-turning 'Macallan' UI will hit a Windows 7 tablet this year (video)
Page-turning 'Macallan' UI will hit a Windows 7 tablet this year (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Aug 2010 12:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Neowin  |  sourceUI Centric  | Email this | Comments
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مرسلة بواسطة Abdalrhman Albayyat
في 6:30 PM
التسميات: ,

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I bought a TV LCD 19 for my car, is going to be off the hook !

August 10, 2010 at 3:26 PM

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