Hasta La Gadget!

3D hype is fast wearing out its welcome, but there’s at least one area of industry where the buzzed about term could usher in true innovation. Announced today as a joint research project, IBM and 3M will work towards the creation of a new breed of microprocessors. Unlike similar three-dimensional semiconductor efforts by Intel, the two newly partnered outfits plan to stack up to 100 layers of chips atop one another resulting in a microchip “brick.” Under the agreement, IBM will contribute its expertise on packaging the new processors, while 3M will get to work developing an adhesive that can not only be applied in batches, but’ll also allow for heat transfer without crippling logic circuitry. If the companies’ boasts are to be believed, these powerhouse computing towers would cram memory and networking into a “computer chip 1,000 times faster than today’s fastest microprocessor enabling more powerful smartphones, tablets, computers and gaming devices.” That’s a heady claim for a tech that doesn’t yet exist, but is already taking swings at current faux 3D transistors. Official presser and video await you after the break.

Continue reading IBM and 3M join forces to fab 3D microchips, create mini-silicon skyscraper valley

IBM and 3M join forces to fab 3D microchips, create mini-silicon skyscraper valley originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Over the last couple of days, some Netflix users have reported getting error messages whenever they tried to view Watch Instantly video streams on two different devices at the same time. While some reports have suggested that along with instituting a price hike September 1st it also decided to start cracking down on multiple streams, it turns out there’s a simpler explanation. According to spokesman Steve Swasey, the policy is still the same and no Netflix member is limited to less than two streams at once. The messages people are seeing indicating otherwise? An “error” the company is correcting. Glitches suck, and are becoming a bit too routine on the service for our liking — Hacking Netflix reports another blip caused S1 of Star Trek: TNG to disappear temporarily over the weekend — but the rumors of a change in policy just aren’t true, so keep that subscription canceling finger holstered for now.

Did Netflix just start limiting users to one movie stream at a time? No originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP adds new business, consumer all-in-ones to its desktop lineup.

If the Impulse name sounds familiar but you just can’t put your finger on it, allow us to break out the iron and get the confusion straightened out. Two weeks ago we reported that a rumored device called the Samsung Impulse 4G might be on its way to guide AT&T into its new era as a LTE powerhouse. Turns out it was partially true: this morning, the carrier announced the Huawei Impulse 4G, which in reality is a rebranded Ideos X5 that will act as an affordable ($30 on two-year contract) HSPA+ device cooking up faux-G speeds at a max of 14.4Mbps. Unfortunately, that’s not exactly the LTE radio we were pining for. The Impulse also has a 3.8-inch WVGA display, an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 CPU, Android 2.2 and 5 megapixel image-snapper with 720p video capture. It’ll be hitting stores on September 18, and we’d say the specs line up with what we’d expect from a $30 Android phone. Follow below for the full press release.

Continue reading AT&T introduces Huawei Impulse 4G, available September 18th for $30

AT&T introduces Huawei Impulse 4G, available September 18th for $30 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Those militant leftists at the Data Liberation Front are at it again, bringing their tool for fomenting revolution, Google Takeout, to Google Voice. With the information emancipating service, users will be able to download their call history, voicemail and text messages, recorded calls, and even greetings. All audio is delivered in MP3 format, while SMS is spit out as an HTML file. Check out the video below for a brief, if not entirely informative, announcement from the guerrilla data warriors.

Continue reading Google Takeout comes to Voice, get your SMS and voicemail to go (video)

Google Takeout comes to Voice, get your SMS and voicemail to go (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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