1080p, 5.1 surround sound coming to Netflix Watch Instantly in 2010?

Netflix Watch Instantly fans could be due for a big upgrade, as CNET has heard the company will roll out 1080p and 5.1 surround sound later this year. No word on timing or any other details, but this could mean its moving to version 3 of Microsoft’s Silverlight streaming platform with its additional tweaks for adaptive streaming and hardware graphics acceleration. Also unknown is how much bandwidth would be necessary, but considering Microsoft already uses very similar technology for its 1080p Instant On videos on Zune Marketplace through the Xbox 360 while only requiring 3 Mbps and VUDU HDX 1080p videos only state a minimum of 4500 Kbps, a massive jump in available bandwidth might not be necessary if you already get clear 720p video. The last big hurdle? How much content will be available that way, Gizmodo points out only about 6 percent of current offerings stream in HD we’ll be watching carefully if the pace picks up going forward.

1080p, 5.1 surround sound coming to Netflix Watch Instantly in 2010? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft says Windows 7 battery ‘issue’ isn’t one

After Microsoft stated a week ago that it would look into reports of Windows 7 causing premature battery degradation, we’ve been staying up late at night with our frazzled lithium ion cells, reading them stories about Battery Heaven and generally trying to keep an upbeat tone around the Engadget HQ. Well, it turns out not everything is rosy in batteryville, but Microsoft says Windows 7 isn’t the one to blame. According to the company’s testing, the new tool, which reports when a battery is down to 40% of its designed capacity and suggests replacement, hasn’t reported a single false positive. Additionally, the tool uses read-only data from the battery, and is in fact incapable of tweaking the battery’s life span or internal data — it merely reports the data it receives, and stacks the theoretical design capacity up against the current full charge capacity. Microsoft attributes the reports of the tool dooming batteries to an early grave to the mere fact that many people might not have noticed the degradation already taking place in their batteries — most batteries start to degrade noticeably within a year. Of course, not everybody’s going to just take Microsoft’s word for it, and Microsoft itself will continue to look into the issue, but for now this sounds like a bit of a non-issue. The part about Windows 7 being less conservative with power use is a whole ‘nother issue, of course.

Microsoft says Windows 7 battery ‘issue’ isn’t one originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DIY photog creates laser trigger for remote DSLR snapping

There’s just no two ways about it: the integrated self-timer is easily one of the most amazing technologies to ever be invented. Yeah, we said it. Unfortunately, beeping for ten seconds while a shooter races to get in position isn’t always ideal or fun, and that’s where isharq comes in. His Arduino-based mod is amongst the most flexible out there for DSLRs, enabling it to morph from a basic laser trigger hack to something that senses heat, movement or sound (just to name a few) and then makes your camera react accordingly. As it stands, his setup triggers his DSLR to snap a shot whenever a laser beam is broken, and if you’re eager to see more, be sure to peek the in-action video just past the break. Oh, and the source link holds all the secrets to recreating something like this in your own laboratory.

[Thanks, Simon]

Continue reading DIY photog creates laser trigger for remote DSLR snapping

DIY photog creates laser trigger for remote DSLR snapping originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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zoomMediaPlus’ zoomIt is the iPhone’s long overdue SD card reader

Sorry if we’re the sort of folks to look a gift SD card reader in the mouth, but while we’re oh-so-happy that Apple finally opened up application-enabled hardware development in iPhone OS 3.0, we really wish an accessory like this had been available for the iPhone right from the start. The new zoomIt SD card reader from zoomMediaPlus adds a bit of external, swappable memory to the iPhone and iPod touch at long last, giving you the ability to store your iPhone’s pictures on the card, or pull stuff off it onto your handset using the free zoomIt app. Interestingly, this is coming to light just a couple weeks after we saw Apple’s own similar solution for getting cameras into the iPad mix — the SD and USB-adapting iPad Camera Connection Kit, which will be a mere $30. There’s no word if Apple’s adapter will work with the iPhone (we doubt it) or if the zoomIt will work with the iPad (perhaps), but the $60 pricetag on the zoomIt is a bit of a turn off. Also, it won’t be shipping until April (though you can pre-order now for a $10 discount), so Apple may very well make up our minds for us by the time March rolls around.

zoomMediaPlus’ zoomIt is the iPhone’s long overdue SD card reader originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Native Instruments Kontrol X1 impressions

We don’t typically do a lot of coverage of music gear here at Engadget because, by and large, it’s an entire world unto itself — a universe of specialty products that require unique knowledge (and often, talent) to use, let alone review — and ultimately, we’re only writing for a limited subset of our readership. There are, of course, countless exceptions to the rule; mixing gear in particular has really come into its own, technologically, over the past several years as a whole new generation of would-be DJ superstars come into the fold. A skill once dominated by turntables is… well, still dominated by turntables, but everything surrounding the spinning vinyl is changing: nowadays, you’ve got a PC that can serve as a virtually bottomless pit of tracks, state-of-the-art software for synchronizing and manipulating those tracks, and dedicated external controllers to help you control the software. Once an art form, modern DJing is now half art, half science. It’s exciting, it’s cool, and even if you don’t know the difference between a crossfader and a high-pass filter, it’s a lot of fun to see how this stuff works.

To that end, today we’re taking a quick look at Native Instrument’s Kontrol X1 — the first official, dedicated controller for its Traktor series of apps, one of the world’s most widely-used DJ suites.

Continue reading Native Instruments Kontrol X1 impressions

Native Instruments Kontrol X1 impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Analyst: Apple to be ‘nimble’ on iPad pricing, athletic on pommel horse

Apple’s $499 starting iPad price tag is already lower than many people — and a few competitors — expected, but apparently Steve and company have left themselves a little wiggle room: Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope says that Apple told him it’ll remain “nimble” when it comes to iPad pricing, suggesting that the price could drop if sales don’t meet targets. That’s not a hugely surprising thing to say, considering Apple’s trying to be the first to achieve real success with a ‘tweener device and strong pressure from netbooks, laptops, and smartphones threatens to collapse the space entirely, but a lot of people are taking it to mean some kind of drop is a done deal — particularly since Apple cut the price of the first-gen iPhone by $200 just a few months after it launched and saw already-solid sales triple. We’re honestly not so sure, though: Apple always tells investors that it’s confident in how its products are priced but responsive to market changes, and it’s not like a smaller price cut boosted the Apple TV into hit product territory. We’ll see what happens after the iPad actually goes on sale — we doubt we’ll see any changes for another few months at least.

Analyst: Apple to be ‘nimble’ on iPad pricing, athletic on pommel horse originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wisair-based wireless display adapters head to Macs

Wisair-based wireless display adapters head to Macs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon job postings ask for display and wireless experts, hint at Kindle things to come?

So, we already assume Amazon’s thinking touch for the Kindle, what with that recent Touchco aquisition and word of similar behind-the-screen touch tech being on PVI’s roadmap. PVI owns E Ink, and is naturally bullish about its upcoming products, but what about E Ink in the new Kindle? If you’re into reading the tea leaves of job postings, Amazon might be telegraphing its intentions. It’s looking for a “Hardware Display Manager” who, among many other things, is supposed to have “Significant exposure to high volume manufacturing environments; you will know the LCD business and key players in the market.” That might have you thinking the next Kindle will go LCD, but the requirements also mention a “deep knowledge of current display technology and potential future technologies,” and nothing about the role seems exactly prescriptive of an LCD expertise — more of a general focus on displays and product design, whatever tech might come. Pixel Qi or Mirasol, anybody? Amazon’s also looking for all sorts of software expertise, including a “Software Design Engineer” who will be reponsible for radio stacks “including but not limited to” 3G and WiFi. Again, these are requirements (among many) for a role, not necessarily implications of a Kindle 3 spec sheet, but there’s one thing clear: Amazon’s gearing up for something.

Amazon job postings ask for display and wireless experts, hint at Kindle things to come? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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J’ai mangé l’innocence LITE (books)

J’ai mangé l’innocence LITE 1.0

Category: Books
Price: Free (iTunes)

Description:

David Rousseau regarde sa sœur retourner à sa voiture… puis s’en aller.
Il referme la porte : Ça y est, il est maintenant seul, fini de vivre chez les parents. Lundi, il rentre en première année d’études, à Nantes, sa famille à trois cents kilomètres de là.
Il se sent nerveux, il faut dire qu’il n’en avait pas forcément envie, mais de toute façon maintenant il y est. Et quitte à se retrouver là, autant en profiter pour faire table rase, après tout une vie nouvelle lui ouvre les bras…

* * * * * * * * * *

Ceci est la version gratuite de « J’ai mangé l’innocence ». Vous disposez dans cette version du premier tiers du texte du roman. Comptez approximativement entre 2h30 à 3h30 de lecture. Ainsi vous pourrez voir si ce roman vous plait, avant de dépenser vos sous pour acquérir la version complète.

Je tiens aussi à rappeler que ce livre contient des scènes à caractère violent ou sexuel. Aussi j’en déconseille très fortement la lecture aux personnes mineures.

* * * * * * * * * *

L’application vous permet de lire en mode portrait ou paysage, vous disposez d’une gestion des marques pages ainsi qu’une sauvegarde automatique de la page courante en quittant l’application. Vous pouvez aussi empêcher l’écran de s’éteindre automatiquement (car ça n’est pas pratique quand on lit, non ?), et vous avez un menu d’accès aux chapitres.

J’ai mangé l’innocence LITE

J’ai jamais Lite (entertainment)

J’ai jamais Lite 1.0

Category: Entertainment
Price: Free (iTunes)

Description:

Vous connaissez sûrement “j’ai jamais”… Non???

Les règles sont simples : Entourez vous d’amis et servez-vous à boire. Un joueur tape sur l’écran et lit la phrase affichée. Tous les joueurs ayant déjà expérimenté ce qui est écrit doivent boire une gorgée de leur verre.

Exemple : si l’écran affiche : “j’ai jamais utilisé de nourriture pendant l’amour”, alors toutes les personnes ayant déjà utilisé de la nourriture pendant l’acte doivent boire une gorgée.

Attention : ce jeu n’incite pas à la prise d’alcool, il peut être joué avec tout type de boisson.

L’abus d’alcool est dangereux pour la santé, à consommer avec modération.
J’ai jamais Lite

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