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Samsung Tears Down The Galaxy Note So iFixit Doesn’t Have To

Stefan Etienne — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:01:12 +0000

In an official attempt to get some press, Samsung has taken apart one of their upcoming devices for all to see, instead of DIY site iFixit doing the deed. From the teardown, a 5.3-inch 1280×800-pixel HD Super AMOLED display is visible, the unspecified 1.5GHz dual-core processor (likely the Qualcomm Snapdragon S3), an 8 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash plus other the bits and parts like sensors, radios, and plastics. There’s also confirmation of an NFC antenna and a Wacom digitizer for its stylus (yes, the Galaxy Note can make use of an official Samsung stylus).

Via: Samsung Tomorrow

Ogio Bandit Backpack Review

Stefan Etienne — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:18:13 +0000

“I dare you to touch my Ogio.” — Kilo, the German Shepherd

This is the first backpack I’ve had the opportunity to review. After reviewing thousands of dollars worth of technology, I though it was finally time to review something to hold all of these pricey luxuries in. So, in came the Ogio Bandit backpack review unit at my doorstep. Frankly, I was skeptical: it felt too light to be something of quality.

However, it’s a charming backpack, is waterproof, has dedicated slots of glasses, phones, pens, notepads, passports, up to 17″ laptops, car keys, and even a dedicated iPad/eReader/ultrabook slot. It contours to the spine and supports itself admiringly. Carrying 20 pounds of technology and books (something I don’t recommend on a daily basis; that’s just something I’ve done for the review) is no hassell, because the outline and straps of the Ogio Bandit reduces weight — at least that’s what I felt, but I’m told I’m a flexible 15-year-old, and after playing tennis for a few years at a tournament level (and now taking martial arts lessons) it can certainly be concluded to be fact. And despite costing quite a bit — $109.99 — if you’re serious about your spinal cord’s condition, or if you carry considerable loads of technology or books with you often, it’s worth the investment. Like, you’re only making sure to not cause yourself (possibly) irreparable damage to your spinal cord and muscles. Just saying.

But enough about your’s truly: the Ogio Bandit is a fantastic backpack. Plus, in the “fracture” color scheme, the red accents look really awesome. It’s nearly perfect, as I haven’t had any real complaints to mention of in my month-long test of it. And heck, both Kilo and I give it the “top pick” award.

Score: 9.8/10

Available for purchase at Ogio.com.

Corning Gorilla Glass 2 to be displayed at CES

Stefan Etienne — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:22:45 +0000

It’s thinner, lighter, stronger, and built to last longer — Corning Gorilla Glass 2. It will be displayed on some of the new devices being launched at the world’s largest tech trade show, and according to Corning, Gorilla Glass is used on 30 major brands and designed into more than 575 product models, spanning more than 500 million units worldwide. PR after the cut.

Corning to Showcase Glass Innovation for Consumer Electronics Design at CES 2012

New Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2 to be introduced

CORNING, N.Y., January 5, 2012 – Corning Incorporated

(NYSE: GLW) today announced its plans for the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next week. The Corning booth, #12642 Central Hall, will showcase the critical role of highly engineered specialty glass in addressing emerging trends highlighted at CES 2012, including: increased functionality from smaller form factors; touch technology; connected devices in new application spaces; and sleek, durable large-format design aesthetics.

A key feature of Corning’s CES exposure will be the introduction of Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2, the next generation of the popular, damage-resistant cover glass for consumer electronic devices.

“Corning Gorilla Glass has been a tremendous success for Corning, enjoying excellent market acceptance across mobile device industries. Handset and tablet device manufacturers are clearly driving toward higher functionality from thinner designs. Corning’s latest innovation in Gorilla Glass technology is very well positioned to meet these challenges and enable broader touch technology penetration,” said James R. Steiner, senior vice president and general manager, Corning Specialty Materials. Product details will be included in an announcement planned for Monday, Jan. 9.

CES attendees can engage with Corning experts and technologies featuring the latest applications and benefits of Corning Gorilla Glass innovations. “As we did last year, we’ll provide consumers and customers visiting the Corning booth the opportunity to test first-hand the outstanding damage resistance and flexibility of this industry-leading, ultra-thin, and tough specialty glass,” Steiner added.

Corning Gorilla Glass, the technology that made Corning one of the most talked-about companies at CES 2011, is currently featured on more than 30 major brands and designed into more than 575 product models, spanning more than 500 million units worldwide.

The Corning booth will also explore the benefits of Corning Gorilla Glass in larger format, touch displays for education, entertainment, auto, and home appliance applications featuring new design possibilities. These include:

An 82-inch advanced multi-touch LCD display prototype featuring Corning Gorilla Glass as a durable, touch-sensitive, and elegant cover glass.

Touch-enabled automobile interior and home appliance center simulators demonstrating the enhanced user interface experience that thin, durable glass can enable in new design applications.

A centerpiece, Gorilla Glass-covered video wall, flanked by Gorilla Glass fabricated sound speakers, projecting the latest in Corning specialty glass technology news.

Additionally, Dr. Peter Bocko, Corning’s chief technology officer for Corning Glass Technologies and one of the foremost glass experts in the display industry, will be a panelist in the “Beyond the Flat Screen” session on Thursday, Jan. 12, 1:30 p.m. PST. He will discuss the latest advances in screen resolution, viewing angle, sunlight performance, and power consumption in an effort to isolate new products and opportunities

Galaxy Nexus given the teardown treatment from iFixit’s geeks

Stefan Etienne — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:15:24 +0000

This is the Galaxy Nexus, the ultimate Android smartphone, in its GSM SIM card version (not the 4G LTE Verizon variant destined for the United States). And iFixit.com, the premier site on the web for taking apart ht newest gadgets and seeing what’s inside, has taken the liberty of doing exactly that with the Galaxy Nexus. You can see all at the source link. Via: iFixit

Intel Core i7-3960X Is An Extreme Edition, Starts Popping Up In Desktops, Is $990

Stefan Etienne — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:43:07 +0000

For the first time, a 2nd-gen Sandy Bridge Intel Core i7 processor has an Extreme Edition. The specs include a six-core, 12-thread processing beast that breathes 3.3GHz of computational firecrackers. It supports four channels of DDR3 memory, has 15MB of L3 cache, and goes up to 3.9GHz using Turbo Boost (Intel’s automatic overclocking). The drawbacks include the need of a new socket, the LGA-2011, and a bulk price of $990 that will be well above $1,000 at retail, and a pretty large 130W TDP. In fact, it’s already appearing in Maingear desktops.

Too expensive of a proposition? Then there is the Core i7-3930K, on a 3.2GHz base clock speed, 3.8GHz Turbo, the same six cores of the latter, but only 12MB of L3 cache. It should retail for $555 when it releases. Via: ZDNet