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Thursday, May 31, 2012
XBMC audio engine gets big rewrite, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio hit your media hub
Fans of XBMC who've wanted their HTPCs to replace the higher-end components of a home theater setup, like Blu-ray players and higher-end receivers, are having their wishes fulfilled through a completely reworked sound system. AudioEngine, as it's called, can processevery stage of audio encoding and decoding, even with 7.1-channel formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. As the code uses more precise floating point math, the improvements can bolster heavily compressed audio and allow for upmixing from stereo to a native surround format. Sound should sync more closely to video and avoid any jarring interruptions from system sounds, too. The AudioEngine update is still limited to experimental nightly builds of XBMC, so don't be surprised if something goes awry, but it's slated as part of the main development track and should be a boon for just about any XBMC media junkie before long.
XBMC audio engine gets big rewrite, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio hit your media hub originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 17:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Built MX Sleeve for 13″ MacBook Pro
Filed in categories: Laptops and Gear, News
Tagged: Laptop Sleeve, Sleeve for 13" MacBook/MacBook Pro
Built MX Sleeve for 13″ MacBook Pro originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 28, 2012 at 1:00 pm.
Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/05/28/built-mx-sleeve-for-13-macbook-pro/
PSX games now available in the Android Market, if you own an Xperia Play
There are five titles currently available, all priced at £3.99: Syphon Filter, MediEvil, Cool Boarders 2, Destruction Derby, and Jumping Flash. They don't have an American price yet, but that will surely change once the Xperia Play launches in the States.
Two important questions remain unanswered: How big are these games? The Market descriptions say the games are only 5MB, but that sounds incredibly unlikely -- and more importantly, will it be possible to 'spoof' the Xperia Play and download PSX games onto other Gingerbread-powered phones, like the Nexus S?
In other news, the PlayStation emulator PSX4droid was recently removed from the Android Market. This obviously has nothing to do with today's release of first-party PlayStation games.
PSX games now available in the Android Market, if you own an Xperia Play originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/psx-games-now-available-in-the-android-market/
Google Updates Chromebook with Faster Hardware, Improved Design
Samsung's new Chromebox and Chromebook. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired
Google launched the next version of its Chromebook laptop on Tuesday, boosting processor speed and doubling memory capacity in an upgrade that finally makes the browser-centric tote look like a finished product.
Officially styled the Chromebook Series 5 550, the improved hardware is an impressive follow-up to last year’s Series 5 laptop. Like the Series 5, the new model is manufactured by Samsung and runs Google’s lean, browser-based Chrome OS. But where the Series 5 felt like a proof-of-concept, the Series 5 550 might actually tempt you into moving your computing workload into Google’s cloud.
Along with the new Chromebook, Google and Samsung are also launching the first Chromebox, a Chrome OS-based desktop computer roughly the size and shape of an Apple Mac Mini. The two new Chrome OS gadgets offer similar performance, but of course the Chromebox — officially called the Samsung Chromebox Series 3 — requires you to bring your own keyboard, mouse and monitor to the table.
The new Chromebook costs $450 for a Wi-Fi-only build, and $550 for a 3G-capable unit. The Chromebox is Wi-Fi-only and sells for $330. Both can be purchased online Tuesday.
Just like last year’s Samsung Chromebook, the updated model sports a 12.1-inch, 1,280×800 display and two USB ports, and weighs 3.3 pounds. Neither Chromebook generation is as thin or light as an Apple MacBook Air, but they’re still mighty easy to carry around.
The new Chromebook includes 4GB of RAM — double the memory payload of last year’s model. The Series 5 550 also features a processor bump: Last year’s Intel Atom CPU has been upgraded to a dual-core Intel chip running at 1.3GHz. Storage remains at 16GB. It’s a very, very small amount, but it’s assumed that Chromebook users will be storing the majority of their files in the cloud.
Samsung's new Chromebox. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired
As with the original Chromebook, if you opt for 3G support, you’ll get 100MB of free Verizon 3G service each month for two years after purchase.
Samsung didn’t make very many changes to the original Chromebook’s high-quality keyboard. The new model has an updated, recessed design, and a few keys have squared-off edges instead of rounded corners. But, thankfully, the new Chromebook has a much more responsive trackpad. There’s also a metallic palm rest surrounding the new trackpad — it’s refined and slick-looking, and speaks to a build quality you rarely find in inexpensive, commodity notebooks.
As for the Chromebox, it offers internal hardware specs that mirror the Chromebook’s, though the processor speed jumps from 1.3GHz to 1.9GHz. But where the Chromebook offers two USB ports, the Chromebox offers a whopping grand total of six. And where the Chromebook comes with just a single DisplayPort++ connection (compatible with HDMI, DVI and VGA), the Chromebox features two DisplayPort++ connectors, plus a DVI port.
Oh, and the Chromebox offers Bluetooth to connect wireless keyboards and mice. And both new computers are equipped with an SD card slot for expanded local storage.
All this new hardware makes the Google/Samsung platform more tempting than ever. But if you commit to either the ‘book or the ‘box, you’ll have to resign yourself to living in Chrome OS — which, thankfully, has received recent upgrades of its own.
Samsung's new Chromebook. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired
Last month, Google updated the Chrome OS on every Chromebook (except the never-sold-at-retail Cr-48), ushering in a new user interface that offers a desktop and multiple app windows. The update instantly made every Chromebook a better, more capable machine.
Remote access was introduced late last year, and by the time that Google’s I/O Developer conference rolls around next month, offline document editing and storage should roll out in a Chrome OS update, complete with full Google Drive integration. A native viewer for Microsoft Office documents is on the way as well.
The Chrome OS has a long way to go before it’s ready to challenge Windows or Apple’s OS X — after all, you can only run web-based browser apps on the platform. Nonetheless, the new desktop interface (which allows for true multitasking), as well as updates on the roadmap, should continue to nudge Chrome OS toward greater relevance and utility.
Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/05/first-look-googles-new-chromebook-and-chromebox/
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
A Lovely Book-Shaped Shelf With a Terribly Awkward Name [Design]
This Robotic Chess Companion Is Your Humans-Are-Obsolete Deal of The Day [Dealzmodo]
Verizon FiOS Is Getting Insanely Fast 300Mbps Home Internet [FiOS]
You Can't Make This Inspired Cookie Tray Crumple [Design]
Let it Slide is an engaging, difficult puzzle game
The idea is very simple, and far from original: You get a board with pieces arranged in a particular pattern; you have to slide those around until you get the special piece into its target location.
It's not even about finding out where the target location is - you can just hover over "dim tiles" and instantly see where you're supposed to bring the special piece. But getting it there is a whole different story.
There are five tutorial levels, which I strongly recommend you do. Then there are twenty "beginner" levels, but that's really a misnomer. If those are the beginner levels, I don't want to know what the intermediate and advanced levels look like!
Every time you finish a level you get a score based on how many clicks it took you - each level has a "par" (the minimum number of clicks it could be completed in), and your performance is compared to that gold standard. Because it's such a brainy game, getting it right is quite satisfying. I was downright proud of myself when I managed to finish a few levels. All in all, quite recommended, especially if you've got a few minutes of quiet. It might actually help you focus better later on.
Let it Slide is an engaging, difficult puzzle game originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/23/let-it-slide-is-an-engaging-difficult-puzzle-game/
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Egyptian Teenager Invents New Space Propulsion System Based On Quantum Physics [Space]
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