Qualcomm ships first dual-core Snapdragon chipsets clocking 1.2GHz

Oh yeah baby, Qualcomm‘s finally shipping its first dual-core Snapdragons. To whom, is the big question. Its third-generation Mobile Station Modem MSM8260 and MSM8660 Snapdragon chipsets for high-end smartphones — originally announced in February 2009 — are now sampling and capable of running at up to 1.2GHz. The MSM8260 supports HSPA+, while the MSM8660 brings support for multi-mode HSPA+ and 1xEV-DO Rev. B. Both integrate GPS, a GPU with 2D / 3D acceleration engines for Open GL ES 2.0 and Open VG 1.1, 1080p video encoding and decoding, a dedicated low-power audio engine, and support for 24-bit WXGA 1,280 x 800 pixel displays. Anybody at Computex care to step forward with a reference design?

Update: We just spoke with company representatives here at the show, and try as we may, we couldn’t convince anyone at the company to show off a dual-core reference design. We were flat-out told that the only people at Computex getting a glimpse at the new silicon were prospective customers, though we did manage to pry out a few interesting details about the chip itself and the future of the line. For one, these new chips have two application cores and a single modem core, whereas existing chips have a single application core alongside a single modem core. We were also told in no uncertain terms that an even quicker version of the Snapdragon would be launched before the year’s end, and as you’d likely surmise, it’ll be aimed at “larger screen” devices — you know, like slates and tablet PCs.

[Image courtesy of Carina Larsson]

Continue reading Qualcomm ships first dual-core Snapdragon chipsets clocking 1.2GHz

Qualcomm ships first dual-core Snapdragon chipsets clocking 1.2GHz originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PhotoTrackr Plus brings geotagging to Nikon DSLRs, leaves your hotshoe open

Oh sure, Nikon‘s got its own solution for adding native geotagging to your existing DSLR, but the GP-1 dongle definitely has its drawbacks. Aside from sucking down around 4x more power than Gisteq’s new PhotoTrackr Plus, it also eliminates the ability to use a dedicated flash in the hotshoe while capturing GPS data. Moreover, it has to warm up every time you turn the camera on / off, and there’s just 18 tracking channels compared to the Gisteq’s 44. Regardless of the back and forth, we do appreciate the PhotoTrackr Plus’ ability to plug directly into the 10-pin terminal that few amateurs even think to recognize, though we do fear that the reliance on Bluetooth could cause issues if you stray too far from the transceiver. Still, this newfangled dongle is far superior to its past iterations, both of which simply logged data as you went and then added metadata after you synced the information with your images via PC; this dongle, however, embeds the data right away into every image. Better still, there’s even a price advantage to going third party — Nikon’s aging GP-1 is pushing $200 on many webstores, while the Gisteq apparatus can be procured right now for $179. Take your pic, as they say.

Continue reading PhotoTrackr Plus brings geotagging to Nikon DSLRs, leaves your hotshoe open

PhotoTrackr Plus brings geotagging to Nikon DSLRs, leaves your hotshoe open originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 May 2010 04:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Magellan Intros GPS Line for Daily Use

MagellanRM3065.jpg

If you have a GPS navigator, you probably pull it out of your glove compartment only when you’re going somewhere unfamiliar. But what about everyday use? Magellan has just introduced a line of navigators designed to help you get to familiar places more quickly.

All of the company’s 2010 RoadMate navigators come with free lifetime traffic. Using that data, they can calculate different route options for you to choose from. The revised traffic interface provides a higher level of control and now includes flow reporting, not just accidents.

Some models in the line include free future maps updates, as well. The top model, the RoadMate 3065 ($299; shown above) includes a Traffic Wake-up feature, which automatically powers on the navigator and has your real-time traffic updates ready when you need them.

Pentagon Warns of Space Junk Collisions

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The Department of Defense has issued a warning in its Interim Space Posture Review that the amount of space junk orbiting the earth has “reached a critical tipping point,” one that could result in a series of chain-reaction collisions that “brings everyday life on Earth to a grinding halt,” according to Popular Science.
That may be overstating the case slightly, but it’s still an important issue. Here’s the situation: there are about 1,100 satellites orbiting the earth right now. Contrast that to about 370,000 pieces of space junk orbiting the earth, ranging from lost nuts and bolts from spacewalks, to entire decommissioned satellites–all speeding around at about 4.8 miles per second, the report said.
The Pentagon warned that a collision–numerically probable at some point–could generate thousands of pieces of additional junk, which could then cause additional crashes, and so on. This has actually happened a few times in the past, notably with a defunct Russian satellite in 2009 and an errant Chinese missile back in 2007.
A collision could cripple communications, along with civilian and military GPS systems, and the resulting debris clouds could seriously inhibit future satellite deployments, according to the article. (Image credit: NASA)

GPS 800G watch phone gets the job done (and little else)

Watch phones clearly haven’t hit the mainstream yet, though a resurgence of Dick Tracy may very well turn that around. Given that we’re probably years, if not centuries, away from that happening, it’s up to niche import shops like Alibaba to bring us goods like these. The GPS 800G — delivered by none other than Shanghai Zhiyuan Vacuum Electric Company, of course — manages to handle time telling, texting, GPS routing and even emergency calling. Oh, and normal calling as well. Looks as if you’ll need to ping the supplier in order to get a lock on pricing, but we can’t say with a straight face that it’ll be worth your while.

GPS 800G watch phone gets the job done (and little else) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 06:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Red Ferret Journal  |  sourceAlibaba  | Email this | Comments

Pioneer’s Navi Robo waves you in the right direction (video)

Before you dismiss this as just another crazy idea out of Japan, hear us out. The newly developed, crab-simulating Navi Robo is designed to give drivers visual navigating assistance as a supplement to their GPS device. Its primary benefit, aside from helping the hearing impaired, will be in conveying instructions without requiring the driver to focus on it, as its eyes light up for attention and its “claws” vibrate urgently when an upcoming turn is imminent. Frankly, it looks both cute and functional, and we think kudos are in order for both Pioneer and iXs Research for coming up with the idea. They’ll be taking their usual good time (read: a couple of years) to refine and develop the idea, but we’ve got video of the robot doing its thing right now — you know where to find it.

Continue reading Pioneer’s Navi Robo waves you in the right direction (video)

Pioneer’s Navi Robo waves you in the right direction (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 06:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wikitude Drive AR nav app beta announced, available in Android Market (video)

With all the action going down at Google I/0 you can be excused for missing this latest tidbit: the folks behind Wikitude have made the beta version of Drive (their augmented reality personal navigation app) available for free for 2,000 users. And we just got our hands on it, so we know that there are at least a few downloads left at the Android Market. The full-featured demo sports NAVTEQ map data, both AR street view and 3D map view, worldwide coverage, voice commands, and both driving and walking directions. There’s no word yet on when the final version will be released, so this might be your last chance for a while to play with what’s stacking up to look like a pretty decent application. See the thing in action and check out the PR yourself after the break.

Continue reading Wikitude Drive AR nav app beta announced, available in Android Market (video)

Wikitude Drive AR nav app beta announced, available in Android Market (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 17:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Global Positioning Shocker: Magellan rolls out ten new RoadMates for Spring

Looks like Magellan isn’t messing around with its new Spring lineup of RoadMate navigation units — and by not messing around, we mean not changing things very much. Totaling ten units in all, the company’s new lineup features models with 4.3-inch, 4.7-inch and 5-inch touchscreens, and seemingly similar specs across the board otherwise, with the biggest difference being the inclusion of lifetime maps, lifetime traffic, and Bluetooth on some models. Look for the whole lot to start trickling out to retail over the coming days and weeks, with about half of them already available on Amazon and directly from Magellan for between $169.99 and $299.99.

[Thanks, Rich]

Global Positioning Shocker: Magellan rolls out ten new RoadMates for Spring originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 May 2010 16:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google partnership has GM OnStar exploring Maps, open APIs and more

In a move that could shape the mobile landscape — or simply suck down cash, of course — General Motors just revealed that Google was its mysterious infotainment partner. In the final hours before Google I/O, we sat down with GM VP Nick Pudar to tell us what the future thus holds for OnStar. As we saw in January, GM’s already developing smartphone apps for the Chevy Volt on iPhone, Blackberry and Android that will let you remotely lock doors, honk the horn, check tire pressure and more…. But sometime after the Volt launches, Google Maps Navigation will be integrated into the smartphone app, and we got a hands-on tour. Check out the new interface and hear about GM’s strategy after the break.

Continue reading Google partnership has GM OnStar exploring Maps, open APIs and more

Google partnership has GM OnStar exploring Maps, open APIs and more originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 May 2010 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Garmin-Asus Garminfone review

The holy matrimony between smartphone and personal navigation device just keeps getting stronger, scorning dedicated GPS units like forgotten flings and leaving navigation-free handsets wandering lost and alone. Garmin-Asus has been flirting with the perfect bond with its Nuvifone series for some time now, but rather tragically from a branding perspective its strongest attempt yet comes without the nuvi moniker. It’s the T-Mobile Garminfone, and its Android underpinnings go a long way toward making the best mix of PND and smartphone to date.

Continue reading Garmin-Asus Garminfone review

Garmin-Asus Garminfone review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 11:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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