Images of Acer’s upcoming 8-inch Windows 8 tablet were leaked last month, but a fresh listing at Amazon has revealed some additional specifications and a potential price. Amazon lists Acer’s W3-810 tablet at $ 379.99 along with a dual-core 1.8GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, and an 8.1-inch 1280 x 800 display. Microsoft has previously hinted that 7- and 8-inch Windows brands were on the way, thanks to a tablet specification change, so this particular device fits those plans perfectly.
Amazon also lists 32GB of storage, 2-megapixel front and rear cameras, one micro USB 2.0 port, and a micro-HDMI port for Acer’s small Windows 8 machine. The tablet is said to weigh 1.1lbs and provide up to 8 hours of battery life. The alleged price…
Despite a recent preoccupation with the web-based Office 365 service, the folks in Redmond haven’t stopped working to bring regular MS Office to mobile users. ZDNet reports that a leaked Microsoft Office roadmap shows that the ubiquitous productivity suite is due to land on Android and iOS in October of 2014. This seems to confirm earlier rumors of an iPad-friendly version of Office, but at a much later date than previously expected.
Android and iOS users aren’t the only Office aficionados receiving good news, as the leak also indicates that touch-friendly Blue updates for Word, Excel PowerPoint and OneNote are due to appear for Windows 8 by October of this year. Furthermore, April of 2014 is set to deliver a new version of Office for Mac and Windows phone, and it looks like Microsoft Outlook will finally land on Windows RT by the fall of 2014, too. Naturally, we don’t know what features these updates will bring, but it’s nice to know they’re coming, right?
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: ZDNet
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Samsung must not be very attached to the NX1000: the mirrorless camera isn’t even a year old, and its creator is already rushing to post details of the follow-up. Manuals for the NX1100 have surfaced on the company’s site that confirm the camera’s look while revealing details. And… it’s no great shakes, at least from what Samsung has disclosed. There’s still a 20.3-megapixel sensor, an ISO 12,800 sensitivity limit, a 3-inch LCD and 802.11n WiFi. Software also looks similar on the surface. As long as the manuals aren’t just placeholders, then, the improvements are likely tougher to quantify. We just hope that official documentation means a short wait.
Via: Photo Rumors
Source: Samsung
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Microsoft had a new patent application published with the USPTO today (via Unwired View) which shows a glasses-based heads-up display system that could overlay information on the real world for a user. If it sounds familiar, it’s likely because that’s what Google’s trying to accomplish with Project Glass, which actually already has functional prototypes out in the wild.
The device described by Microsoft is a little less ambitious, but maybe also a little more purpose-driven. The patent describes a tool that’s designed for use in specific situations where it’ll be most relevant to a user – rather than being intended for all-day use, the way that Google seems to want to position Glass. So, for instance, you could pop on Microsoft’s glasses when at a baseball game and view box scores from around the league, pitch speed information, pitch count and other info overlaid on your view. By acting in specific contexts instead of as a general-purpose device, Microsoft’s design could help users get over what will certainly be an adoption curve for cumbersome wearable tech.
Microsoft’s patent deal specifically with live events, in fact, and is designed to be used pretty much in a stationary position, without compromising the field of view. Microsoft describes its capabilities as follows:
A computer implemented method providing supplemental information to a user with a head mounted display viewing a live event, comprising: receiving an indication that a user is attending a live event, the live event having an event duration; determining a field of view of the user through the head mounted display, and objects within the field of view at the live event; retrieving supplemental information describing at least the objects in the field of view of the user during a portion of the live event; determining elements of said supplemental information to present to the user in the head mounted display; and displaying the supplemental information in one or more display elements in the head mounted display.
Of course, an AR/HUD glasses device from Microsoft could also plug into its existing hardware ecosystem, maybe to produce combined experiences with the Xbox and Kinect. But this is still just a patent, and one that was only relatively recently filed (May 2011), so even if Microsoft does go ahead and put this into production we won’t see it for a while. But getting some patent skin in the game for this market, which could explode depending on consumer reception of Google’s early efforts, is a very good idea for Microsoft, especially given the cross-platform ambitions it seems to be diving into head-on.
Microsoft had a new patent application published with the USPTO today (via Unwired View) which shows a glasses-based heads-up display system that could overlay information on the real world for a user. If it sounds familiar, it’s likely because that’s what Google’s trying to accomplish with Project Glass, which actually already has functional prototypes out in the wild.
The device described by Microsoft is a little less ambitious, but maybe also a little more purpose-driven. The patent describes a tool that’s designed for use in specific situations where it’ll be most relevant to a user – rather than being intended for all-day use, the way that Google seems to want to position Glass. So, for instance, you could pop on Microsoft’s glasses when at a baseball game and view box scores from around the league, pitch speed information, pitch count and other info overlaid on your view. By acting in specific contexts instead of as a general-purpose device, Microsoft’s design could help users get over what will certainly be an adoption curve for cumbersome wearable tech.
Microsoft’s patent deal specifically with live events, in fact, and is designed to be used pretty much in a stationary position, without compromising the field of view. Microsoft describes its capabilities as follows:
A computer implemented method providing supplemental information to a user with a head mounted display viewing a live event, comprising: receiving an indication that a user is attending a live event, the live event having an event duration; determining a field of view of the user through the head mounted display, and objects within the field of view at the live event; retrieving supplemental information describing at least the objects in the field of view of the user during a portion of the live event; determining elements of said supplemental information to present to the user in the head mounted display; and displaying the supplemental information in one or more display elements in the head mounted display.
Of course, an AR/HUD glasses device from Microsoft could also plug into its existing hardware ecosystem, maybe to produce combined experiences with the Xbox and Kinect. But this is still just a patent, and one that was only relatively recently filed (May 2011), so even if Microsoft does go ahead and put this into production we won’t see it for a while. But getting some patent skin in the game for this market, which could explode depending on consumer reception of Google’s early efforts, is a very good idea for Microsoft, especially given the cross-platform ambitions it seems to be diving into head-on.
As one might imagine, there’s plenty of shiny things to get excited about in BeatBots’ San Francisco office, one of which is suspended on a wall in between paintings of Keepon and his power-promoting British cousin, Zingy. Marek Michalowski gave us a look at the still-unnamed wall drawing robot he’s been fiddling around with. Still in its early stages, the ‘bot is supported by wires that also power it, using an Arduino brain to drag a dry erase marker across the white surface of the wall. Check out a quick video explanation after the break.
Filed under: Robots
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Samsung’s got one problem, but delicately designing a wondrous $ 9,999, 75-inch smart TV ain’t one.
Psst… and don’t forget that magic 30 million number.
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung
Samsung video shows us the design story behind its 75-inch ES9000 smart TV originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 01:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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CBS has been the lone Hulu refusenik among the biggest US broadcasters — even with rumors of licensing discussions underway at least two years ago, we’ve usually had to visit the network’s own site if we wanted a CSI fix without paying by the show. The deadlock is over at last now that CBS and Hulu have struck a deal. The agreement isn’t quite what we’d hope for, focusing almost exclusively on back catalog titles like Medium and Star Trek, although celebrity gossip junkies will like knowing that Entertaintment Tonight segments will be viewable the day they air on regular TV. We’ll have to wait until January 2013 for the selection to be ready — not to mention shell out for Hulu Plus to get full access — but there’s at least an end in sight to one of the longer content droughts in streaming video.
Continue reading CBS and Hulu make content deal, stream back catalog shows starting in January 2013
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
CBS and Hulu make content deal, stream back catalog shows starting in January 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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While its high pixel density mobile displays stole much of the attention at CEATEC 2012, Sharp also has tech destined for bigger screens like this “Moth Eye Panel” that Engadget Japanese took a look at during the show. Thanks to nanoscale irregularities on its surface similar to the eye of a moth it claims to give bright colors and high contrast while cutting down glare as seen above (moth eye panel on the left) The technology isn’t in use yet, but Sharp says the film has been produced in 60-, 70- and 80-inch sizes already, so if you thought the company’s extra large and Elite HDTVs couldn’t get any better, next year’s model will probably have at least one way to prove you wrong.
Continue reading Sharp ‘Moth Eye’ LCD Panel demo shows off future HDTVs with less glare
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD
Sharp ‘Moth Eye’ LCD Panel demo shows off future HDTVs with less glare originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Oct 2012 02:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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