Thursday, August 9, 2012

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Panasonic preps SD cards that survive heat, water and X-rays, will probably outlast you
Aug 9th 2012, 09:53

Panasonic preps SD cards that survive heat, water and Xrays, will probably outlast you

Much ado has been made of weather-resistant cameras, but it's all a moot point if the memory card dies, isn't it? Panasonic wants that level of survivability in its SDHC and SDXC cards, and its new UHS-I-level SDAB and SDUB lines are tested for the kind of abuse that could see the camera give up the ghost first. The cards can take the kinds of punishment that we often associate with rugged gear, such as temperatures from -13F to 185F, immersion in 3.3 feet of water for half an hour and the usual steep drops. It's beyond this that the resistance levels become truly exotic: the cards are also built to survive zaps of electricity, proximity to magnets and exposure to X-rays. If it all becomes too much to bear, the design will even fuse on the inside to prevent fire burning the card from within. Those who like what they see will only have to decide whether or not they want the SDAB range's 95MB/s read speeds and 80MB/s writes or are willing to settle for the SDUB line's respective 90MB/s and 45MB/s transfers. We have yet to see if or when the SD cards cross the Pacific after their September 8th launch in Japan, although we hope so -- with that kind of extra-tough design, our photos are more likely to endure than we will.

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Panasonic preps SD cards that survive heat, water and X-rays, will probably outlast you originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Akihabara News  |  sourcePanasonic  | Email this | Comments

Hit the rapids with Google's latest Olympic doodle
Aug 9th 2012, 09:36

DNP Hit the rapids with Google's latest Olympic doodle

It's time to pound the arrow keys again for Mountain View's latest Olympic doodle game, a whitewater slalom canoe challenge. The idea is to speed through the course with the left/right keys in the best time while using up/down to avoid rocks and the riverbank. Our intrepid web paddlers managed a time of 18 seconds so far, and you can post your own time in the comments below -- if you dare.

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Hit the rapids with Google's latest Olympic doodle originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceGoogle  | Email this | Comments

Olympus hangs $57 million loss on austerity, strong yen and declining compact camera market
Aug 9th 2012, 09:16

Olympus hangs $57 million loss on austerity, strong yen and declining compact camera market

Olympus is reporting a $56.7 million loss for its first quarter of 2012. While its coveted medical imaging arm remains profitable, its life-science and industrial unit suffered thanks to corporate belt-tightening. Unsurprisingly, its low-end compact camera market is shrinking, but sales of its OM-D E-M5 ILC increased by 50 percent, offsetting some of the losses and reducing operating losses from $89 million last quarter to $19 million in this one. Like many of its Japanese rivals, it's also found a strong yen has stifled its return to productivity, a trend that isn't likely to change soon.

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Olympus hangs $57 million loss on austerity, strong yen and declining compact camera market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceOlympus (PDF), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Student Edition expected at Best Buy: $249 with bundled keyboard and USB adapter
Aug 9th 2012, 08:43

Galaxy Tab 2 70 Student Edition spotted at Best Buy $249 with bundled keyboard and USB adapter

If you're looking for something -- anything -- to lessen the burden of summertime studies, then a trip to Best Buy may soon be in order. We've just heard from a helpful tipster that a student edition of the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is due to be stacked on shelves around August 19th, which keeps the regular $249 selling price of the 8GB WiFi-only model but bundles a keyboard dock and USB peripheral connector. If you've been weighing the Samsung up against the Nexus 7 (which we've ranked higher in our back to school tablet guide), then factor this into your research.

[Thanks, Anon.]

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Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Student Edition expected at Best Buy: $249 with bundled keyboard and USB adapter originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 04:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Just for Kids' now available on the Xbox 360: Go, Netflix, Go!
Aug 9th 2012, 08:32

'Just for Kids' now available on Xbox 360 Go, Netflix, Go!

Late last year, Netflix kicked off its plans to specifically cater the young crowd with its 'Just for Kids' entertainment section -- which, at that point, was nothing but a mere experiment. Still, the toons-filled project quickly found success amongst subscribers, and shortly thereafter it had made its way onto other platforms like the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3. Today, the Xbox 360's the latest gaming system to join the fun, as Netflix's announced the kids-only section is now available on Microsoft's popular console. Obviously you'll need both a Netflix and Xbox Live account prior to entering the hub and start streaming some Go, Diego, Go! -- otherwise all that's left to do is download the updated app before you (or your kids) can check it out.

Continue reading 'Just for Kids' now available on the Xbox 360: Go, Netflix, Go!

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'Just for Kids' now available on the Xbox 360: Go, Netflix, Go! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 04:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceThe Official Netflix Blog, Major Nelson  | Email this | Comments

Sony Xperia GX makes Japan debut today
Aug 9th 2012, 08:06

Sony Xperia GX arrives in Japan stores today

The Xperia GX passed muster at the FCC labs a few weeks back and is filling shelves of NTT DoCoMo stores starting today. If you like your smartphone screens big and high-resolution, you'll probably be very happy with the Xperia GX's 720p 4.6-inch display, wrapped in a curved frame similar to last year's Xperia Arc. There's no word on whether the phone will remain a Japan-only exclusive, but Sony is likely to have something new to show off at European trade show, IFA, in only a few weeks. Arguably more of a looker than the Xperia S, perhaps we'll see a global model -- there's a pentaband 3G radio in this iteration -- sidling up next to an Xperia tablet in Germany very soon.

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Sony Xperia GX makes Japan debut today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 04:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink NTT DoCoMo (Twitter)  |  sourceNTT DoCoMo  | Email this | Comments

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