Author: Serkadis

The obvious reason here to be excited about Seagate’s new Black Armor PS110 500-gigabyte portable HDD is because it uses a USB 3.0 connection and transfers 3x faster than current USB 2.0 drives.

Seagate says the drive can transfer at speeds of 100 MB/s and is backwards compatible with the USB 2.0 standard. The drive is available now for $180.

Seagate Super Speeds Transfer Rates With USB 3.0 External Portable Hard Drive

Portable 7200RPM, 2.5-inch Hard Drive Delivers Transfer Speeds Up to Three Times Faster than USB 2.0

2010 International CES

LAS VEGAS—(BUSINESS WIRE)— Today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Seagate (NASDAQ:STX), the worldwide leader in hard drives and storage solutions, unveiled the BlackArmor® PS110 USB 3.0 portable external hard drive performance kit for notebook computers. Demonstrating its industry leadership in delivering advanced and easy-to-use storage solutions, this all-in-one USB 3.0 toolkit packages a 500GB 7200RPM 2.5–inch portable hard drive, power cable and PC express card, to deliver real-world, proven speeds up to three times faster than its USB 2.0 predecessor, making it one of the fastest portable hard drives available. USB 3.0 speed has been specified at 4.8 Gbs per second or a ten times improvement over USB 2.0, however this is theoretical performance, and the new Seagate BlackArmor USB 3.0 portable drive achieves 3X performance over USB 2.0 in real world testing.

“As people continue to amass vast libraries of high-definition photos, movies, and music, the storage needs of US households are forecast to grow more than ten times between 2009 and 2013, and the average digital media storage requirements will exceed a terabyte by 20131,” said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principle analyst of Parks Associates.

To address these growing storage needs, the BlackArmor PS110 USB 3.0 toolkit makes it easier and less time-consuming to store and share large amounts of rich digital content. This new super speed USB 3.0 interface allows easy transfer of large files to and from the external drive at sustained transfer rates of 100MB/s, which is three times faster than current USB 2.0 devices. The familiar scenario of waiting for large files to transfer will now be a thing of the past.

With the BlackArmor PS 110 USB 3.0 drive, a 25GB HD movie can be transferred in just four minutes versus the 14 minutes it would take using a traditional USB 2.0 drive2. Simply plug the PC Adapter card into a notebook, connect one end of the included adapter cord to the PC card, the other end to the BlackArmor PS110 drive, and it is set.

“The growing presence of large multimedia files in the home means that connectivity and speed is a top concern for a satisfactory experience,” said Dave Mosley, Seagate executive vice president, Sales, Marketing and Product Line Management. “The delivery of USB 3.0 further underscores our commitment to giving people an efficient way to store, access and share their digital creations.”

Coupling Performance with Protection

Considering the precious, personal content and portability of today’s external hard drives, it is important for people to give thought to protecting the data on the drive. Seagate’s USB 3.0 portable hard drive performance kit couples all the safety and security of the existing BlackArmor PS 110 portable hard drive with the increased performance of USB 3.0 in an exceptionally slim, 12.5mm form factor. Each drive ships with the Acronis business-grade backup suite, automated full-system backup and SafetyDrill+™ software, a bare metal recovery feature, is Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 compatible and covered by the an industry-leading, 5 year limited warranty.

“To date, the USB interface is the most prevalent interface and will continue to dominate as the interface of choice through 2011,” said Liz Conner, lead research analyst of IDC’s Personal Storage Research. “This will be re-enforced with the introduction of USB 3.0, which provides significantly increased bandwidth to better handle the growing number of large multimedia files being stored to external hard drives.”

The BlackArmor PS110 USB 3.0 performance kit contains everything you need to upgrade your laptop to take advantage of USB 3.0 speeds. The new BlackArmor PS 110 USB 3.0 Performance kit is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and can be purchased immediately from Seagate.com for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $179.99.

Kia has just announced a brand new communications and entertainment system developed with Microsoft that will be integrated into several models starting this summer. Codenamed "UVO powered by Microsoft", the system is based on Windows Embedded Auto software and provides a number of functions that rely on voice recognition and hands-free controlling.

For instance, the driver can easily browse among the system’s menus without touching the buttons, just by using quick voice… (read more)

After winning his legal case against the International Automobile Federation (FIA) on Tuesday, Flavio Briatore doesn’t seem too keen on returning to the scene of Formula One. The former Renault team manager told Italian television RAI that my attention is on my family then we’ll see, hinting that it would be a while before seeing him in the F1 paddock again.

While some sources hinted that he may focus from now solely on his business of managing racing drivers and also focus more o… (read more)

We know, it’s late, but we’ve got some serious podcast catch-up to do: there’s a flood of pre-CES news to break down, a Nexus One launch to chat through, and some sleep depravity that none of you should be deprived of. We’re also kicking off a CES full of daily podcasts, and we’d love for you to join us live on the shove-off show of this wild ride. There’s a chat after the break, and we plan to get going by 2:30AM EST. And yes, we mean AM.

Continue reading The Engadget Podcast, live at 2:30AM EST!

The Engadget Podcast, live at 2:30AM EST! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sling gets in the remote business with the Sling Touch Control 100 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP has six new professional laptop models in the mix, with Core i7 processor options across the board and plenty of other high-end accouterments. The ProBook models, the 6440b (14-inch) and 6540b (15.6-inch), have a starting price of $949, while the gunmetal aluminum-clad EliteBook 8440w and 8540w start at $1,299 and $1,499, respectively. Finally the more traditional platinum aluminum 8440p and 8540p start at $1,099 and $1,249. The differences between the six models might seem minimal to the untrained eye, but high marks like the spill-resistant drains in the EliteBook models, 24 hour battery option on the 8440p / 8540p might help make sense of the endless configurations that will be available among these models. Everything should hit virtual shelves in February, and there’s PR after the break.

Continue reading HP refreshes ProBook and EliteBook lines with Core i7 processors and just about everything else

HP refreshes ProBook and EliteBook lines with Core i7 processors and just about everything else originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yeah, we don’t believe the headline either, but it’s exactly what the Sling Media press release states. Maybe we’re just cynics when it comes to cable and satellite providers, but with TV Everywhere and Fancast Xfinity out there, it’s hard for us to imagine our provider doing something as cool as connecting this sleek 700u to a standard issue HD DVR. We only wish we could grab this from the store, plug only a USB cable into our set-top box and start streaming video around the internet — apparently the box self configures itself. No, that would just be too easy, but thanks for getting our hopes up Sling.

Slingbox 700U coming from a TV provider near you originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sling just unveiled a trio of new products, which include a monitor that connects to local Slingboxes over wi-fi, a receiver that catches TV streams over wi-fi, and a sling box that plugs into your set-top box via USB. Swoon.

What’s strange about the three products is that it appears none of them will be available via retail channels. Instead, they’ll all be provided from cable and satellite providers, who Sling hopes will follow Dish Network’s lead.

The Sling Monitor 150 is a redesigned and repackaged model of last year’s Sling Monitor, which connects to the internet via Wi-Fi, and pulls down streams from Sling devices inside your home. The 15.6-inch, 720p display lets you control and manage your primary DVR. Dish Network says they plan on being the first to offer the Sling monitor.

The Slingbox 700u is a Slingbox with a single USB cable—intended to plug into and directly interface with any compatible, internet-connected, set-top box. Sling calls it their smallest Slingbox available, and again, Dish Network plans on offering it first.

And finally, there’s the Sling Receiver 300, which is kind of like a pared-down Slingcatcher, letting it connect to any TV and is intended catch Sling streams from Sling-enabled settop boxes, such as the fabled Echostar 922.

Because none of these will be offered via retail channels, pricing and availability aren’t available. And let’s keep our fingers crossed on Dish delivering the first two products to consumers. [Sling via Engadget]

As I noted in my first post on introducing a new cat, I’m sharing the experience for nervous kitty introducers everywhere. Before we got a second cat, my husband was convinced Choco would hide under the bed and never come out.

That hasn’t been the case. While Choco is nervous, he’s too curious to hide. It’s been funny and sweet to watch. Aside from a bit of hissing and a couple of raised paws, it’s going nicely. Funny though, the kitten, Oscar, is chasing Choco around. Watch the short video for some chasing and hissing action. That was actually the worst of it.

While I kept the two cats totally apart for the first day, I did allow them to smell the other cat’s scent via a towel. On the second day, after Choco stopped growling at the towel, I let them see each other through the door briefly. At first, Choco hissed, but by day 3, Choco was just sitting there staring at Oscar who was confined to a crate.

On the third day, I removed Oscar from the bathroom and allowed Choco to sniff out the room where Oscar had been chilling. By day four, Choco was calmly staring at Oscar sitting in his carrier.

On day five, the cats came close to each other with no touching. On day six, the cats finally ran around together! (Sigh of relief.) Choco is still a bit afraid of the new kitten, but they chased each other around and played hide and seek. I allowed the two cats to have three supervised play sessions, but Oscar has gone back to his bathroom for the night so that both cats can rest up!

Of course, lots of new routines will be formed and the resident feline, Choco, still has to adjust to having another cat around, but it seems like he’s accepting little Oscar.

(Images via Peggy Rowland)

Post from: Blisstree

Introducing a New Cat: Part 2

Two ex-Googlers are launching a brand-new advertising system today called MyLikes. The offering is designed to let publishers pick and choose their ads based on what they think their readers will respond to. The idea is to make advertising and marketing a more personal, conversational medium. A form of MyLikes has been in private beta for a while, but the product is being expanded and publicly launched today.

Here’s how it works: MyLikes signs up advertisers who want to run campaigns on their network. Publishers in the network then pick and choose the ones they want. If a publisher picks, say, Moo Cards (a current advertiser on MyLikes), they can do one of three things: write a tweet about it, write a blog post about it, or just add a caption to an ad. Any of these actions is called a “Like”.

By hand-tailoring these ads to best suit their site’s content and the interests of visitors to their site, publishers are upping the chances the ads will get clicked on — and that means they’re likely to make more money from those ads.

Once a publisher has created a “Like” within the MyLikes system, the ad, blog post or tweet gets reviewed by MyLikes to make sure it’s appropriate and relevant before it goes live. MyLikes includes notices on all Likes that make clear that they’re ads.

The way to think about MyLikes is as an affiliate marketing service, which allow publishers to recommend products they like and then gives them a cut whenever a sale is made from their referral, but with the metrics of an ad network: paying publishers by the click or the impression, rather than the sale. MyLikes lets you recommend products you like, but in a more publisher-friendly (you get paid even if you don’t directly make a sale) and customizable (you actually create the content of the ad, only the brand is restricted) way.

According to co-founder Bindu Reddy, the former project manager with Google’s AdWords, “One of the big things that really stuck us about AdWords is the low quality of ads you see, in terms of the content of the ad, the size of the ad, and the fact that the publisher doesn’t have any control over the ad.” People are more likely to click on an ad when they feel it’s a personal recommendation from a brand or person rather than a line of code slapped onto the site, she says.

The company has been testing its Likes system over several months in private beta as Likaholix, allowing people to create Likes and share them with their friends. But applying Likes to advertising is what’s launching this morning, as well as an expanded system that manages ads, helps create ads, and connects publishers and advertisers.

Publishers get paid, and advertisers charged, based on a system MyLikes has developed to track influence. Based on things like numbers of retweets and comments, the influence score determines how powerful an ad is likely to be. More clicks on content, sponsored or otherwise, means more influence, which means more payment for ads in the future.

For the first six months, MyLikes, still a company of two based in San Francisco, won’t be taking a cut of the revenue created by the ads in order to get more people to participate. But after that time it’ll take a cut, which according to Reddy will be under 10 percent. The company is also currently in the middle of raising funding. For those not in it for the money, MyLikes is partnering with a number of charities, and all revenue from Likes can be given to charity.

MyLikes’ success will hinge on creating a place where a broad enough base of advertisers come that there’s something for everyone, and on keeping track of the influence of publishers in a way that keeps advertisers and readers alike happy. If that happens, this may change how advertising on the Web works.

Consider launching your product at the world’s leading technology launchpad: DEMO, March 21-23; Deadline to apply: January 18.

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Bernie Ecclestone is the first man to welcome his friend and business partner Flavio Briatore back into the sport of Formula One, after the Paris’ Tribunal de Grande Instance ruled the lifetime ban imposed by the FIA to the Italian manager as being irregular. The Formula One supremo admitted that he’d like to have Briatore back in the paddock, but said he’s not really sure the Italian wants that also.

He is welcome to come back to the paddock. He was a great character in F1 but I … (read more)

Well doesn’t this look familiar? The i.wakeup Sunrise Clock from Oregon Scientific looks quite similar to the Philips Wake-Up light we reviewed sometime ago. The  i.wakeup Sunrise Clock also gently wakes you up in a soothing way to begin the day. Thirty minutes prior to the desired wake-up time, the i.wakeup Sunrise Clock gradually increases illumination with a 300-lux light to simulate a natural sunrise.  Users can enhance their morning ritual with a choice of five different nature sounds or their favorite FM radio station. I will say that the display on the the i.wakeup Sunrise Clock is certainly alot more impressive than the Philips version. The i.wakeup Sunrise Clock will retail for $129.99 and be available February 2010.

Electrical production capacity has had historically an energy mix consisting primarily of fossil fuels including gas, coal and oil, backed up with a volume of nuclear and hydro power. The EU-27 countries are trying to lower carbon emissions, and …

Stanford’s one-year exemption from Santa Clara County’s social host ordinance to crack down on underage drinking is up for re-evaluation by county officials later this month.

The ordinance, which went into effect in January 2009 and applies to unincorporated areas of the county such as the University, holds accountable parents and those over 21 who host parties where underage drinking occurs. The penalties are civil, not criminal, and one warning can be issued before violators are fined.

Because of Stanford’s pre-existing “extensive” program to curtail underage drinking, the University was granted a one-year exemption from the ordinance to continue efforts free from the county’s new regulation. The results of the past year will be presented to the county’s board of supervisors for evaluation at its board meeting on Jan. 26.

Stanford officials suggested that the language changes they will propose would make the exemption more permanent; the past year’s exemption, they said, was successful.
“[The current set-up] has worked very well this past year,” said Jean McCown, Stanford’s director of community relations. “Obviously we have an extensive set of alcohol policies on campus, and the original intent [of the ordinance] was already being upheld by Stanford.”

Liz Kniss, president of the county board of supervisors, whose district includes Stanford, said as much. “As far as I can say, there haven’t been any incidents that show a problem with the current exemption Stanford has from the ordinance,” she said. “We’ve worked well with them in the past, and I have faith we’ll find an agreement for the future.”

McCown said that this time, however, Stanford isn’t hoping for an extension of the exemption, but would rather have the language of the ordinance changed to accommodate Stanford’s unique situation in a more permanent way — a change she said was very “technical.”

“Our suggestion [a year ago] was for a change in the ordinance language,” she said. “[The county] found it simpler to just exempt us, but it never quite felt like the best way.”

Both McCown and Substance Abuse Prevention Program Manager Ralph Castro said the University is planning to meet with county staff to sketch out possible language changes for the next year. But supervisors say they are not sure what the outcome will be.

“It’s too early to say,” Kniss said. “Stanford is a particular aspect of dealing with this, and it needs to be dealt with as a particular segment.”

Kniss echoed McCown in emphasizing that no matter the outcome of the meeting, the goals of the county and the University are the same: to reduce underage drinking.

Stanford’s exemption was scheduled to be considered at the Dec. 15 supervisors’ meeting, but was postponed because Stanford spokespeople weren’t yet ready to present their case.

Andy Parker ’10, newly-appointed ASSU vice president, will maintain his position as executive chief of staff while juggling his new appointment as right-hand man for President David Gobaud ’08, M.S. ‘10.

That was the announcement at last night’s Undergraduate Senate meeting, where Senator Shelley Gao ‘11 returned after a quarter in Washington, D.C. and Daniel Limón ‘12 from a fall quarter leave of absence.

Parker announced that he and Gobaud made the decision during winter break based on the time constraints of the term and a need to move quickly this quarter. At the end of fall quarter, Gobaud was still trying to get an earlier nominee, Farah Abuzeid ‘10, approved by the Senate.

“It’s not an ideal situation, but right now we don’t feel that we have the time to get someone new up to speed,” Parker said Tuesday.

Gobaud will now shoulder much of the executive team’s spring sustainability event as the pair continue to adjust to the sudden resignation of former Vice President Jay de la Torre ‘10 in November.

Gobaud’s handling of de la Torre’s resignation drew fire in December. Last night, senators pushed forward talks on ASSU ethics reforms.

Gao suggested forming a task force to address ASSU integrity as well as the potential for a conflict of interest or bias for officials who serve on judicial panels, as Gobaud was at the time of de la Torre’s case. (Gobaud was involved in hearing other students’ cases, not de la Torre’s.)

Senator Lee Jackson ‘12 announced that he and Adam Creasman ’11 may co-author a conflict of interest bill that would prohibit dual service on the ASSU and Judicial Affairs panels or the Constitutional Council.

A similar plan to ease potential biases was considered by the 10th Undergraduate Senate last year, Gao reported, but was ultimately shot down.

“Some senators felt very strongly about how ASSU senators are in very good positions to make a very substantial contribution to those committees,” she said.

Gao suggested the formation of a task force or a brainstorming session, at the very least.

“I think that we need to take some steps into investigating and constructing positive measures in terms of the ethical conduct of ASSU officials,” she said.

With winter quarter’s start, Elections Commissioner Quinn Slack ’11 is in the midst of setting up the elections Web site for this spring. With three months until elections, Slack on Tuesday announced a trial version.

“The main change is that it will show candidate profiles on the ballot,” he said.

Two bills to confirm funding for publications Vox Clara and The Claw were unanimously passed at last night’s meeting. A bill to confirm co-chairs of marketing and chair of health and wellness will be put to vote next week.

The sackboy upgrades to snow! Just as adorable as ever, but unfortunately, much more terminal. TheMethod of the Offiical PlayStation forums shared his homemade Snowboy Sacksnow snowy Sackboy.
 
 

Slashdot points us to a WSJ article that focuses on how Google is dealing with censorship laws in India, by taking down certain content and complying with local laws. While it is disappointing that Google appears to be willing to simply accept, rather than question, some of those laws, the bigger issue may be with the laws themselves. As the WSJ details:

The nation of 1.2 billion is the world’s largest democracy and in principle affords free speech to its citizens. But the country has a volatile mix of religious, ethnic and caste politics and a history of mob violence. So, the government has the authority to curtail speech rights in certain cases. India’s Constitution encapsulates that gray zone: Free speech is subject to “reasonable restrictions” for such purposes as maintaining “public order, decency or morality.”

Authorities say Internet companies in India, including Yahoo Inc., Facebook Inc. and Twitter, are expected to help government enforce those standards online by removing objectionable material and, occasionally, helping to track down users. Under a law that took effect in October, corporate officials from any Web site that fails to comply with requests to take down material or block sites can face a fine and a jail sentence of up to seven years.

But how is a site like Google to know when speech is “objectionable” or when it’s just “disliked by someone in power”? That’s why “reasonable restrictions” on free speech often present a pretty dangerous slippery slope. It’s hard to blame Google for this, however. It’s likely that most internet companies in India are complying with the law. The real question should be whether or not the law itself makes sense.

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As we’ve said yesterday, a new day brings a new stage winner in the 2010 Dakar Rally. Today, it was American racer Robby Gordon to take his Hummer to the top of the time classification in the car category, as he clinched his first win in the South American event this year.

Although the stage win seemed to have already been sealed by yesterday’s winner and overall leader of the rally Stephane Peterhansel, Gordon’s late effort got him a worthy win, only one second ahead of the Fren… (read more)