Hasta La Gadget!

IBM is no stranger to energy concerns, and now its founded the Smarter Energy Research Institute in partnership with Canada’s Hydro-Québec, the Netherlands’ Alliander, and the US’ DTE Energy to help build a better grid. The partnership will leverage Big Blue’s computing and analytic oomph to help the utility companies predict and detect anomalies within infrastructure, identify areas of the grid that need to be developed, integrate new energy sources and increase efficiency among other improvements. What’s this mean for you? For one, power outages should be less frequent and shorter lived when they do occur. Thanks to the distributed nature of the project, research will be spread throughout IBM’s worldwide network of research labs. If you’d like to hear more details straight from the folks involved, hit the jump for a video and the full press release.

Continue reading IBM announces Smarter Energy Research Institute, aims to improve energy grids (video)

IBM announces Smarter Energy Research Institute, aims to improve energy grids (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s perhaps every tech-lover’s nightmare, but it’s something everyone should be aware of: electronics-killing missiles. On October 16th, Boeing tested one such weapon named CHAMP, a non-lethal high-powered microwave missile that successfully snuffed the life out of a bunch of PCs, making history in the process. In fact, the test was so successful, the missile killed the cameras set up to record the event as well.

The test was carried out by the Boeing Phantom Works team and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate team members, as well as members from the high-powered microwave supplier Raytheon Ktech. The target was a two-story building filled with desktop computers and electronics. The missile fired a burst of microwave awesomeness at the building, at which point every electronic thing inside died. Throughout the test, seven targets were hit using the missile.

Said Keith Coleman, the CHAMP program manager for Boeing Phantom Works, “This technology marks a new era in modern-day warfare. In the near future, this technology may be used to render an enemy’s electronic and data systems useless even before the first troops or aircraft arrive.” He followed this up by stating, “Today we turned science fiction into science fact.” The success of the test is, according to the Boeing statement, a big step in non-lethal warfare.

According to James Dodd, VP of Advanced Boeing Military Aircraft, there is a need for this type of weapon. “We know this has some capabilities and some impact, we’re really trying to engage the customer to see if there is a way we can actually get this fielded and implemented sooner than later.” For now, Boeing is taking a look at the data and telemetry from the completed mission.

[via Boeing]

Boeing tests electronics-killing CHAMP microwave missile is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
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In a market slightly populated by some great well-priced tablets, and one that eFun is quite familiar with, the company decided now was a good time to add yet another slate into the mix. And while the Premium 10SE is slightly pricier than, say, the entry-level Nexus 7 model, eFun’s latest Ice Cream Sandwich slab does sport a larger 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768 display. Still, the Premium 10SE won’t impress many with the rest of its run-of-the-mill internals, which include a 1GHz CPU alongside 1GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage (expandable via microSD) and a front-facing 0.3-megapixel shooter — it’s also worth mentioning that eFun is kind enough to bundle in 25 eBooks at no extra cost. The Premium 10SE is available now for $280, though you can save a little cash by heading to your local Radio Shack or Hastings shop, where the Nextbook tablet’s priced at a more affordable $250.

Filed under: Tablets

eFun’s Nextbook Premium 10SE tablet with ICS now available for $280 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 23:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Proud owners of that sleek and relatively powerful Mark III will be happy to know Canon has just announced a firmware update for its flagship 5D model. The Japanese camera maker is touting this upcoming release as one that will bring clean HDMI-out support to the EOS shooter, which should be great for folks who would like to monitor their recordings in real time. Additionally, Canon’s improved the Mark III’s AF functionalities yet again; this time out by enabling the unit’s auto focus system to adequately adjust to the type of lens that it is paired with. Unfortunately, it looks like users will have to wait a little while to install the new firmware, as the company won’t be making it available until April of next year — at which point it can be grabbed from the soon-to-be bookmarked source link below.

Filed under: Cameras, Software, Canon

Canon’s upcoming 5D Mark III firmware update brings uncompressed HDMI output support, enhanced AF functionality originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 22:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has recently released the new iPad mini at Apple event in San Jose, California. Available in black and white models, the iPad mini features a 7.9-inch display with a 1024 x 768 pixel resolution, a dual-core A5 processor, a FaceTime HD camera and a 5-megapixel iSight camera at the back that does 1080p recording. Measuring at just 7.2mm and weighing 0.68lbs, the new tablet also provides a Lightning connector, LTE and dual-band WiFi connectivity. Its battery provides enough juice for up to 10-hour of operating time. Apple’s iPad mini with Wi-Fi retails for a suggested retail price of $329 for the 16GB model, $429 for the 32GB model and $529 for the 64GB model.

[Apple]