Monday, July 23, 2012

Your 2 hourly digest for Engadget

Engadget
Engadget
Visualized: Telescope aboard suborbital NASA rocket takes clearest ever images of sun (video)
Jul 23rd 2012, 13:23

DNP Visualized Telescope aboard NASA sounding rocket quickly takes clearest ever images of sun

NASA has shown just what it can do with the short window of science allowed by its "sounding" or sensor-equipped suborbital rockets -- having taken the sharpest pictures ever of the sun's corona. A 460-pound telescope called the High Resolution Coronal Imager (Hi-C) was lofted for about 10 minutes into space, ample time for its mirrors to capture over 150 images of the solar fringe at 16-megapixels each, before parachuting back to earth. The scope shot exclusively in a sun-friendly high ultraviolet range and used innovative new optics consisting of an array of mirrors, allowing it to resolve the sun down to 135 miles. That bested the previous champ, NASA's own Solar Dynamics Observatory, with almost five times the magnification. For maximum effect, the space agency took advantage of an unusually high amount of solar activity to focus on a large, active sunspot. To see the results in glorious multihued HD, check the video after the break.

Continue reading Visualized: Telescope aboard suborbital NASA rocket takes clearest ever images of sun (video)

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Visualized: Telescope aboard suborbital NASA rocket takes clearest ever images of sun (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Space.com  |  sourceNASA  | Email this | Comments

LG's 27-inch V720 all-in-one PCs pop up on Flickr, IPS and optional Ivy Bridge in tow
Jul 23rd 2012, 12:59

LG allinone PCs make lurid appearance on Flickr with  27inch IPS panel and Intel Ivy Bridge

LG has unveiled the V720, a new series of all-in-one PCs, featuring 27-inch IPS HD panels and an Intel Ivy Bridge processor option. The line consists of a high-end model with Intel's 3rd generation Core i5 and an IPS 1,920 x 1,080 3D panel, and a lesser model with a 2nd generation Core i3 and the same display sans 3D. Other specs include 750GB SATA3 hybrid or standard drives, up to 8GB DDR3 RAM, USB 3.0 and NVIDA's GT640M 1GB graphics. Photos show a white and silver looker with well concealed computer guts, but don't count on being able to pick up one of the minimalist units in the US -- LG normally keeps its PC offerings exclusively in Asia.

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LG's 27-inch V720 all-in-one PCs pop up on Flickr, IPS and optional Ivy Bridge in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 08:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceLG (Flickr, translated)  | Email this | Comments

Amazon plans for 'five or six' new tablets, will include 10-inch model, says Staples president
Jul 23rd 2012, 12:35

While we expect Amazon to refresh its Kindle Fire tablet sooner rather than later, Demos Parneros, president of US retail for Staples, has told Reuters that the online book-seller has bigger plans, and aims to introduce five or six new devices. According to the exec, the tablets will come in a range of sizes and would include a new ten-inch device -- going directly against another popular 10-inch slab. No word on whether these five or six device would include a smartphone, as screen sizes get increasingly closer. Amazon has also announced that it'll be creating a new R&D hub in London, focusing on its services and APIs for TVs, consoles, smartphones and PCs, aimed squarely at rolling these out across the globe. The original Kindle Fire -- and its Android app store -- is still not available outside of America. However, public plans for the new Amazon base currently center on relocating both Lovefilm and Pushbutton to this new hub. However, it's been about a year; about time for Europe to get a taste of Amazon's wallet-friendly tab.

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Amazon plans for 'five or six' new tablets, will include 10-inch model, says Staples president originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 08:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceReuters, TechCrunch  | Email this | Comments

Plex Android app updated with remote control from mobile devices, new transcoding
Jul 23rd 2012, 12:17

Plex Android app updated with remote control from mobile devices, new transcoding

While it was exciting to hear that XBMC is making its way to Android, the Plex media center has been on the platform since last year and was recently updated with a few new features. Version 2.2.0.5 of the $5 app adds the ability to accept remote control commands from any of the company's other mobile clients, so if your phone or tablet is dangling from the TV, you can still control playback or browse media without getting up. Also new is the "QuickSilver" media transcoder from the latest Plex Media Server release which we're assured we will hear more about in the future, it's currently expected to provide improved video quality, particularly on the Kindle Fire. Since the feature is still experimental you'll have to specifically enable it in the settings menu, hit the official blog for more details on how to get it running, the full changelog and newly expanded list of devices that support HTTP Live Streaming.

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Plex Android app updated with remote control from mobile devices, new transcoding originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 08:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceDarrin's Blog, Google Play  | Email this | Comments

Honda serves up first Fit EV to California couple, no gasoline aftertaste
Jul 23rd 2012, 11:51

DNP Honda serves up first Fit EV to California couple, no gasoline aftertaste

Honda has handed over the keys for its first 118 MPGe Fit EV to Californians Matt and Becky Walton -- although they'll have to hand 'em back in a few years. The delivery kicks off a rollout starting in California and Oregon that will eventually reach the east coast by 2013. You can't call the couple owners, as Honda is leasing the EV for $389 per month, but should it ever go on sale, it would cost around $37,000. Packing a 20-kWh lithium-ion battery, the Fit has a range of 123 miles in the city or 76 miles combined city/highway and takes as little as three hours to re-juice with a sufficiently capable charger. Only 1,100 will be leased stateside, so if you've been dreaming of an electric Honda in your garage, you may want to check the PR quickly -- if it's not already too late.

Continue reading Honda serves up first Fit EV to California couple, no gasoline aftertaste

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Honda serves up first Fit EV to California couple, no gasoline aftertaste originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 07:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceHonda  | Email this | Comments

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