Starbucks’ success in China owes much to the global coffee company’s strategy of harmonizing their stores and menu with local culture and customs. Take the new Starbucks Coffeehouse in Fuzhou, for example, which channels the ambiance of a classic thousand-year-old Song Dynasty garden.
The unpredictable nature of fire makes for a pretty awesome dancing light show. The psychotic nature of a Molotov cocktail makes for a pretty dangerous way to start the fire to see that dancing light show. SO WHY NOT WATCH A MOLOTOV COCKTAIL EXPLODE IN SLOT MOTION. Yes, please. More »
Xi3 has been one of the more inventive PC builders in the field, designing its Modular Computers in the belief that small, more upgradable desktops are the way of the future. The company is planning two new systems to further that dream, the X3A and X7A, but it wants our help: it’s running a Kickstarter funding drive until October 28th to assist the development and garner some early adopters. Put down $503 or $603 and you’ll get the entry-level X3A, a dual-core 1.65GHz (likely AMD E-450-based) PC with 4GB of RAM, a 32GB SSD and either Linux or Windows installed; splurge with $1,103 or more and you’ll get the more performance-driven X7A, which jumps to a quad-core chip with a 3.2GHz peak speed, a Windows-loaded 64GB SSD and faster graphics. Assuming Xi3 makes its target, we should see the X3A and X7A arrive in January and February respectively, with Kickstarter supporters beating the larger herd by a week. Even existing owners are accounted for through a Primary I/O Board upgrade, due before the end of this year, that carries more Ethernet and USB 3.0 ports. Crowdfunding is an unusual approach to buying that next PC, without the certainties of shopping at an online store — but we’re also dealing with an unusual PC from the get-go.
Continue reading Xi3 goes the crowdfunding route for future X3A, X7A modular PCs (video)
Filed under: Desktops
Xi3 goes the crowdfunding route for future X3A, X7A modular PCs (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Here’s one thing that you can buy for five bucks that’ll make your life instantly better: a 10-foot long USB extension cable. I swear—this is not hyperbole here—buying one of these cords will change your smartphone using habits as much as buying a new iPhone 5 would, for a fraction of the price. More »
AAC files and the arcane don’t have much in common on the surface. After some digging, however, PBS’ Idea Channel has found that magic is an uncannily good analogy for digital music rights and explaining the thorny ethical issues that come with them. Both music and spells stem from grassroots cultures that give away their content for free, but (at least until an anti-magic clampdown at eBay) have since become businesses. That nature poses a key ethical question: when we’re used to a free experience and can copy songs or spells as much as we like, what does it take to keep us as honest customers? As show host Mike Rugnetta suggests, it’s a matter of personal responsibility — if we want more of either, we have to think of the commerce as showing support for future work. You can catch Mike’s clever train of thought after the break, and ponder what constitutes DRM for a potion while you’re at it.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Internet, Alt
PBS draws link between digital music ethics and magic spells, somehow makes it look simple (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 22:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The subtle art of the humblebrag, a twitter conceit so well-received that they’ve actually made a book out of it. Not familiar? Let the cast of Parks and Rec educate you. More »
Here comes another newly released low-profile graphics card from Club3D, the GeForce GT 640 4GB. Powered by a GK107 28nm GPU, the card is packed with 384 CUDA Cores, a 128-bit memory interface, a GPU clock of 900MHz and a 4GB of DDR3 memory set @ 1600MHz, and features 1x dual-link DVI-D, 1x D-Sub and 1x HDMI outputs. The Club3D GeForce GT 640 4GB sells for $230. [Club3D]
Here we have a new CPU cooler from Prolimatech, the Mini Megahalems. The cooler is equipped with four 6mm heatpipes, 40 aluminum heat dissipating plates and supports for both Intel (LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA2011) and AMD (AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1) processors. The Mini Megahalems sells for $30. [Prolimatech]
VIA Technologies hits back by introducing their first ETX module, the ETX-8X90. Based on VIA VX900 MSP chipset, the board is equipped with a 1.2GHz VIA 64-bit NanoTM X2 E-Series dual-core processor, one DDR3 DIMM memory slot (up to 4GB RAM), two PCI slots and one ISA slot. Connectivity-wise, it has four USB 2.0, two mini USB, one SATA and Gigabit Ethernet. Pricing and release date are still unknown at the moment. [VIA]
FCC meetings can be momentous occasions under the right circumstances, although it’s seldom the case that we see the agency pass two potentially far-reaching measures in one sitting, like we just saw on Friday. To start, regulators have voted in favor of a proposal that will review spectrum sale rules and might drop the case-by-case determinations in favor of a more consistent screening mechanism. The reexamination will also consider a change to the ownership rules surrounding wireless frequencies that treats bands below 1GHz differently than those above — the better to address a chorus of smaller carriers that don’t like all the prime spectrum going to the companies with the most existing clout, namely AT&T and Verizon. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski argues that reform could spur innovation through more competition, although dissenting Commissioner Robert McDowell is worried that consistent rules will somehow create “uncertainty.”
Side-by-side with the review, the FCC is proposing an incentive-based reverse auction strategy to have TV broadcasters voluntarily give up their spectrum for cellular and data use. The multi-phase approach would have TV providers set the price at which they’re willing to sell their spectrum to the FCC; those that just can’t bear to part with their airwaves would be corralled into a tighter band range to make for larger available frequency blocks in the auction that follows. As with other FCC proposals, there’s likely to be a long interval between the auction vote, the review and any definitive rulemaking, let alone an impact — auctions by themselves can take years to play out. Still, any success with the measures could head off spectrum crunches while simultaneously preventing any solutions from consolidating too much power and creating their own problems.
[Tower photo via Shutterstock]
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
FCC votes in favor of rethinking spectrum holding rules, goading broadcasters into wireless selloffs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 21:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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