Wednesday, July 25, 2012

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AMD exec behind Wii and Xbox 360 graphics jumps the fence to NVIDIA
Jul 24th 2012, 19:14

Xbox 360 Valhalla teardown

AMD has been suffering a conspicuous brain drain, with executives like ATI veteran Rick Bergman and CTO Eric Demers crossing over to tangentially or directly competitive companies like NVIDIA and Qualcomm. Chalk up another one for the list -- strategic development VP Bob Feldstein has bounded towards NVIDIA's (literally) greener pastures. The blow cuts deeper than usual through Feldstein's responsibility for graphics in most of the consoles from the past few years: he headed up work behind the Xenos chip in earlier Xbox 360s and the Hollywood core in the Wii, and he likely had some say in the Wii U's video hardware as well. While the staff shuffle won't directly affect AMD's Fusion processors or Radeon cards, it's hard to see much of a positive for AMD's future in video gaming, even in the light of rumors that the next PlayStation and Xbox might use some of Feldstein's work.

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AMD exec behind Wii and Xbox 360 graphics jumps the fence to NVIDIA originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pixar Image Computer surfaces on eBay, $25k will let you buy it now
Jul 24th 2012, 18:44

Pixar Image Computer surfaces on eBay, $25k will let you buy it now

Still have another cube-shaped hole in your vintage computer collection? Then you may be interested in this rare specimen that's currently up for auction on eBay. Long before Pixar produced its first feature film, it sold the Pixar Image Computer, a high-end system developed at Lucasfilm and intended for a variety of professional uses (from medical to meteorological applications). As the eBay seller notes, the computer also has a distinctive "tombstone" design, with the Pixar logo emblazoned on the front (not to mention a matching CRT). Unfortunately, the seller isn't able to verify if the computer is actually in working condition as it's missing a power cord, but that little detail hasn't gotten in the way of a $15,000 starting bid and a $25,000 buy it now price. Pricey, to be sure, but a steep discount from its original $135,000 selling price.

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Pixar Image Computer surfaces on eBay, $25k will let you buy it now originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity hits the UK on August 31st, priced at £600 for 64GB model
Jul 24th 2012, 18:27

ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity hits the UK on August 31st, starts at £600 for 32GB model

While we've known the pricing and availability attached to ASUS' new flagship slate in the US for some time now, UKers had been left to wonder when they'd finally be able to get their eager palms on that rebranded and well-specced Pad Infinity. Thankfully, that's about to change, as the Taiwanese outfit just announced the Transformer TF700 will be up for grabs from Amazon in the UK starting August 31st, with the sticker value set at £600 for the rather spacious 64GB configuration and with the useful dock included. Naturally, that's only a small part of the entire package, given how you'd also be getting a beautiful 1920 x 1200 display and the famed Tegra 3 chip to get you through the days. The only tedious bit is you'll still have to wait a while to place your order; in the meantime, however, you could always give our review yet another read.

Continue reading ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity hits the UK on August 31st, priced at £600 for 64GB model

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ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity hits the UK on August 31st, priced at £600 for 64GB model originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple secures multitouch-related patent dating back to 1995 from inventor
Jul 24th 2012, 18:11

Apple secures multitouchrelated patent dating back to 1995 from inventor

Apple has come into possession of a number of patents owned by Canadian inventor Timothy R. Pryor in recent years (see the More Coverage link below for a few examples), and it's just today been granted another that's particularly interesting. Described rather broadly as a "method for providing human input to a computer," the patent (filed in July of 2009) is a continuation of one dating all the way back to 1995, and appears to cover some fairly basic multitouch-related functions. As detailed in the patent's claims, that includes controlling a virtual object on a screen with two simultaneous touch inputs, as well as virtual controllers displayed on the screen that can also respond to touch input. The patent also describes responses to touch input, including both visual and force feedback cues, and it offers a whole range of possible applications beyond the independent claims, including an aircraft cockpit or vehicle display. Those independent claims are clearly focused on general computer interfaces, though, not specific implementations. Naturally, all of this has simply been revealed by the USPTO -- we wouldn't expect to hear anything from Apple or Mr. Pryor on the terms of the deal.

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Apple secures multitouch-related patent dating back to 1995 from inventor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Viber's VoIP iPhone, Android apps updated with enhanced UI, group messaging and more
Jul 24th 2012, 17:56

Viber's VoIP iPhone, Android apps updated with revamped UI, group messaging and more

It's safe to say Viber's VoIP applications have been somewhat of a hit since the early days on Android and iPhone. Now, looking to build up on that humble success, Viber's updating these apps to version 2.2, bringing with it a fresh group messaging feature, improvements to the voice engine for better call quality and tweaks to the UI, such as adding photos to contacts list. Meanwhile, the Windows Phone and BlackBerry flavors will still have to wait for the voice goods, as Viber didn't announce any other major changes on those platforms. Viber v2.2 is up for download now from the App Store and Google Play links below.

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Viber's VoIP iPhone, Android apps updated with enhanced UI, group messaging and more originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Qualcomm pairs up with Delta Motorsport, flirts with Renault for Halo wireless charging trials
Jul 24th 2012, 17:40

Qualcomm pairs up with Delta Motorsport, flirts with Renault for Halo wireless charging trials

Qualcomm will be trialling its wireless charging system in London later this year, adding two names to turn Qualcomm Halo from a Australian science project into reality. It's teaming up with Delta Motorsport, which will add the induction platform to some of its E-4 electric sports coupés in preparation for the city-wide trial. It's also signed a memorandum of understanding with Renault, paving the way for the French auto maker to investigate adding the tech to future EVs. As part of the deal, both companies will get a seat on the steering committee for the project -- maybe the company will let them sit in the passenger seat and change gears.

Continue reading Qualcomm pairs up with Delta Motorsport, flirts with Renault for Halo wireless charging trials

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Qualcomm pairs up with Delta Motorsport, flirts with Renault for Halo wireless charging trials originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lytro finally rolls out Windows desktop software, celebrates with free shipping
Jul 24th 2012, 17:24

As cool as the Lytro camera's post-picture taking focusing technology is, it's hard to overlook some of the product's shortcomings -- not the least of which is the fact that the company only offered a Mac solution when the device launched earlier this year. Lytro has finally addressed that oversight, with the release of a desktop application for Windows. To use it, your system will need to be running Windows 7 with 2GB of RAM and at least an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU (you can find the full list of minimum specs in the source link below). To celebrate the launch, Lytro's offering up free shipping on camera orders this week. Also new are the Lytro tripod mount and USB wall charger accessories.

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Lytro finally rolls out Windows desktop software, celebrates with free shipping originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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