It might the stuff of science fiction dreams, but a Japanese construction company has announced that it will have built a working space elevator by 2050. Where can I join the queue? More »
from Gizmodo
From Gizmodo: New Snapdragon Chip With Integrated LTE Will Save Your Battery
From Engadget: Samsung may cough up millions over kaput TVs
A class action lawsuit filed by owners of faulty Sammy TVs has finally reached a settlement. The manufacturer has promised to foot the bill for new repairs, reimburse for previous repairs and hand out up to $300 to customers who no longer possess their broken TVs but can prove they once did. The fault can affects any of the models listed above — possibly up to seven million sets in total — and centers on an errant capacitor in the power circuit that stops the TV turning on, makes it slow to turn on, produces a “clicking sound” or makes it cycle on and off. If you think you’re affected then check the source link for details on what to do next. Curious to know how much the lawyers got? A cool half-million for their troubles, which means they’ll be upgrading to OLED.
from Engadget
From Engadget: Qualcomm Atheros flaunts 802.11ac WiFi module for Snapdragon S4
The 802.11ac WiFi standard may sound like an alphabetical step backwards, but for high-bandwidth tasks like 1080p streaming it promises to wipe the face off 802.11n. Qualcomm Atheros wants its share of the billion unit pie and has just launched a series of products to flesh out its 802.11ac ecosystem. Top billing goes to the WCN3680 WiFi/BlueTooth/FM combo module, which plugs into the new Snapdragon S4 (MSM8960) and offers speeds of up to 433Mbps to complement that blistering CPU performance. Since the S4 already includes built-in b/g/n WiFi (not to mention its 3G/4G/LTE baseband), manufacturers who choose to add the 802.11ac component will achieve full WiFi cross-compatibility and make many consumers happy in the process. Meanwhile, you’ll also find similar multilingual abilities in QA’s other 5G WiFi modules for PCs, laptops, routers and enterprise, which are all detailed in the PR after the break. Rest assured that we’ll bring you more hands-on impressions of the latest Snapdragon just as soon as things kick off at MWC— and hopefully in the form of a finished, market-ready tablet or handset.
Continue reading Qualcomm Atheros flaunts 802.11ac WiFi module for Snapdragon S4
from Engadget
From Engadget: Netflix locks up Academy Award nominated exclusives from The Weinstein Company
If you’re looking for more content to watch on Netflix’s Watch Instantly streaming service — especially since all those Starz movies are exiting stage left at month’s end — we have good news, as it just announced a multi-year exclusive deal with The Weinstein Company. The agreement covers foreign language, documentary and “certain other movies” that will be watchable in their pay-TV window only on Netflix, and not HBO or Showtime. That includes such high profile selections as The Artist, which is nominated for 17 Academy Awards this weekend and Best Documentary nominated Undefeated, as well as other flicks like Coriolanus and The Intouchables. Of course, this is still Netflix so while fans of subtitles and exposés may be sated, The Weinstein Company’s more mainstream flicks and Dimension Films releases like Scream 4 aren’t included, as they’re still Showtime exclusives due to the deal it signed with the channel back in ’08. Either way, more movies is more movies and you can check out all the details in the press release after the break, hopefully this deal works out better than HD DVD’s exclusive Weinstein pact did back in the day.
Continue reading Netflix locks up Academy Award nominated exclusives from The Weinstein Company
from Engadget
From Engadget: SanDisk makes 128-gigabit flash chip, crams three bits per cell, takes afternoon off
SanDisk has developed a chip that earns it membership in the exclusive 128-gigabit club. Not content with simply matching the Micron / Intel effort, SanDisk and its partner Toshiba claim their new memory uses 19- rather than 20-nanometer cells in the production process. Shrinking the size is one thing, but SanDisk’s new chips also use its X3 / three-bit technology. Most memory stores just two bits per cell; cramming in another means fewer cells, less silicon, more savings, cheaper memory, happier geeks. Analyst Jim Handy estimates that the price per gigabyte for the tri-bit breed of flash could be as low as 28 cents, compared to 35 for the Micron / Intel equivalent. Full details in the not-so-compact press release after the break.
from Engadget
From Engadget: Man gets served on Facebook, literally
Being unceremoniously dumped online isn’t the only indignation made easier by social networks. For the first time, lawyers in the UK have been granted permission to serve a legal suit via Facebook. Traditionally, documents must be delivered physically, be it in person, by post or even fax. But, in a pretrial for a commercial dispute, these old-fashioned methods proved fruitless. The prosecuting team then decided to check online, and noticed recent updates on defendant Fabio De Biase’s profile. Satisfied it was currently active, they sought permission to send documents via the website, with Justice Nigel Teare duly obliging. Wondering what that noise is? That’s the sound of millions of mice clicking on “privacy settings” all at once.
from Engadget