AT&T's LG Nitro HD is one of those rare devices your writer has actually used. We carried it as our daily driver during this year's CES and were won over by that gorgeous screen, speedy LTE and its thin and light design. Unfortunately our experience matched those in the review: herky-jerky performance and battery life that meant we were always on the lookout for a power point. Of course, you can't have amazing battery life without doubling its thickness, but would you have taken that compromise? We're asking you: how would you change it?
Girls! It's the hottest show about mopey early twenties hipster women staring David Mamet's daughter since forever. And even though not that many people are watching it, people cannot... stop... talking about it. And by "people" I mean other mopey early twenties hipster women. Enjoy! More »
This one is still very much unconfirmed, but a "trusted source" recently provided Neowin.net with the image you see above, which purports to be a mockup of a forthcoming business-minded tablet from HP dubbed the Slate 8. That's obviously a Windows 8 tablet and, if the details are to be believed, you can expect a 10.1-inch display, eight to ten hours of battery life, optional pen-based input, a docking station of some sort, an outdoor viewing option and a number of business-friendly security measures -- all in a package that's 9.2mm thick and about 1.5 pounds. Adding some weight to leak is ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, who hasn't been able to confirm it outright, but says that after a bit of investigation she is "inclined to believe this is a real mock-up and is part of HP's line up of business desktops and laptops it will be touting this year."
Solar cells are becoming more viable sources of energy -- and as they become more efficient, they're only getting smaller and cheaper to produce. Liquid nanocrystal cells are traditionally inefficient at converting sunlight into electricity, but by adding a synthetic ligand to help transmit currents, researchers at USC have improved their effectiveness. The advantage of these liquid solar cells? They're cheaper than single-crystal silicon wafer solutions, and they're also a shockingly minuscule four nanometers in size, meaning more than 250 billion could fit on the head of a pin. Moreover, they can be printed onto surfaces -- even plastic -- without melting. Ultimately, the goal of this research is to pave the way for ultra-flexible solar panels. However, the scientists are still experimenting with materials for constructing the nanocrystals, since the semiconductor cadmium selenide they've used thus far is too toxic for commercial use.
So you shelled out a cool $25 to get your hands on the Raspberry Pi -- and, after some hiccups, the thing actually shipped. Now what? Adafruit's got your back. The DIY-friendly company announced that it's getting ready to release its Prototyping Pi Plate Kit, which will help you leverage the little Linux box for some of those home-baked embedded computer projects you're itching to start. Nothing yet in the way of pricing or availability for the product -- not until Adafruit's done testing it on shipping Raspberry Pi units. In the meantime, you can always add it to your hacking wish list by clicking the source link below.
A joint venture of Canadian carriers Rogers, Bell and Telus called EnStream is in final talks with the country's leading banks (likely CIBC, TD, RBC, Scotiabank and BMO) to bring a mobile wallet solution to the Great White North within six months. The system, which was demoed at the CWTA Wireless Showcase last September, enables mobile payments by storing a user's financial credentials on the SIM located inside their NFC-capable phone. It aims to replace credit and debit cards at first -- perhaps even driver's licenses and loyalty programs down the road. Carriers plan to charge banks a flat rate instead of a per-transaction fee.
According to Almis Ledas, EnStream's COO, "banking machines will become the payphones of the future". While we command this attempt to standardize mobile payments in Canada, the time frame seems rather optimistic in light of the slow progress AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have made with Isis in the US so far. Different countries, different rules of course -- still, we think it's going to take quite a while to make loonies obsolete. Maybe this is the perfect window of opportunity for Google Wallet and Square to jump across the border, eh? Time will tell. Check out EnStream's mobile wallet in action on video after the break.
You're a multinational search company that has just rolled out a new cloud storage offering. You've also just given your millions and millions of email users an extra 2.5GB of storage, free of charge. What do you do next? Build another data center. The big G has announced its intentions to raise a $300 million information barn in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Construction on a 1,000 acre plot will begin immediately and, for its efforts, the Search Sultan will be gifted with a handful of tax incentives totaling over $9 million. Google is no stranger to the mean streets (we're not sure if they're actually mean) of Council Bluffs, though, as the company already operates a $600 million data facility within that city's limits. For those of you keeping track at home, that's a $900 million stimulus for the Hawkeye State.
Chaz Bono and Cher backstage at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards at Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 21.
By Us Weekly
Cher never sticks to the same look for long.
The singer, 65, nearly stole the spotlight at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on?Saturday. Sporting a large black afro, Cher made a surprise appearance to honor her transgender son, Chaz Bono, 43, with the Stephen F. Kolzak award.
VIDEO: 'Dancing With the Stars' judges praise Chaz Bono's cha cha!
"I'm here because Chaz has the most courage of almost anyone I know," Cher told a star-studded audience that included Josh Hutcherson, 19, Betty White, 90, Ellen DeGeneres, 54, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, 36, and Joshua Jackson, 33.
PHOTOS: Celebrity LGBT allies
Cher then addressed her son directly, saying: "You are the most courageous person I know and you really deserve this award, so come up and get it!"
Earlier that evening, Bono told Us Weekly?he was elated to be honored for his work with the LGBT community. "I've seen a lot of people get this award and I really never thought I'd be one of them, so it's pretty special for me," said Bono, who competed on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" in 2011.
PHOTOS: Out and proud celebs
"I get recognized a lot more," he told Us. "I think that one of my goals in doing all this stuff was to let people get to know a transgender person. For so many people, the only time they get to know a member of the LGBT community is through the media, and so in that I think I accomplished a lot."
New Domain: International team installs first of 3 telescopes in AntarcticaPublic release date: 23-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Shana Hutchins 979-862-1237 Texas A&M University
DOME ARGUS, Antarctica, April 23, 2012 A team of scientists representing several international institutions, including Texas A&M University, has succeeded in installing the first of three Antarctic Survey Telescopes (AST3-1) at the Chinese Kunlun Station at Dome Argus, the highest point of the Antarctic Plateau.
The telescope is the first of three, half-meter devices to be installed at PLATeau Observatory (PLATO-A), a fully robotic observatory established at "Dome A" in 2008 and intended to reveal new insights into the Universe once possible only from space. In combination, the three telescopes are expected to find planets around other stars about the size of Earth, hundreds of supernovaes useful for cosmological studies and many other variable objects relevant to future discoveries in astrophysics.
Texas A&M is joined in the international project by the Chinese Center for Antarctic Astronomy (CCAA) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW), which built PLATO-A and the control computers responsible for its autonomous operation. Lifan Wang, associate professor of physics and astronomy at Texas A&M, also serves as director of the CCAA.
"This is an astounding achievement," says Michael Ashley, head of the UNSW team responsible for PLATO-A. "A stand-alone telescope in the pristine environment of Antarctica can conduct scientific research that would otherwise only be possible from space, but at a few percent of the cost."
Four years after a making only the second arduous trek to Dome A in history in order to found PLATO-A, the same team returned to finish the latest leg of the adventurous international undertaking led by the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC). The telescope installation project was carried out over a three-month period by four astronomers as part of China's 28th Antarctica Expedition. The 26-member team left Tianjin, China, aboard the Xuelong Icebreaker on November 3, reaching the Chinese Zhongshan Station at the Antarctic Coast 26 days later. On December 16, they started their inland traverse, arriving at Dome A on January 4 and completing their installation of the telescope during the subsequent three weeks before returning to Zhongshan Station on February 9.
Among its many unprecedented features, the AST3-1 is equipped with a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera that is 110 megapixels in size the largest single-piece detector in use in astronomy today. The telescope will be used to search for planets around stars other than the Sun, enabling the continuous monitoring of hundreds of millions of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, Wang explains.
"The ability to monitor stars during the dark austral winter makes AST3-1 a unique facility for astronomical studies," Wang adds.
Ashley says the autonomous observatory is accompanied by an onsite computing system that analyzes the massive amount of data from the CCD camera in real-time to catch transient events, such as supernova explosions and gamma-ray-burst afterglows. Supernova explosions, which are caused by the death of massive stars, are visible to distances far beyond the Milky Way Galaxy. Wang notes that it was precise measurements of these explosions in Type Ia supernovae which led to the discovery of accelerated expansion of the Universe a breakthrough recognized with last year's Nobel Prize in Physics.
"AST3-1 aims to discover these Type Ia supernovae within one day after they become visible," Wang says. "Such early discovery is important in resolving the mysterious physics that leads to supernova explosions."
In addition, the telescope can be used for observations of the optical afterglows of gamma-ray bursts, which are important in early detection of supernovae as well as timely data collection and measurement.
"We are able to process the data from each exposure within two minutes after they are taken to promptly alert the science team when a new supernova occurs," says Prof. Zhaohui Shang of the National Astronomical Observatory of China and Tianjin Normal University.
Wang says the AST3-1 telescope is fully steerable, meaning it is capable of pointing to any sky area visible from Dome A a huge technological leap in comparison to CSTAR, an array of four 14.5-centimeter telescopes installed in 2008 which had no moving parts. AST3-1's CCD camera also employs a frame-transfer-readout scheme that avoids the use of a mechanical shutter, making the overall system much more robust.
Team members say data collected thus far from PLATO-A confirms that Dome A, with its cold temperature, dry air and stable atmosphere, is likely the best site for establishing ground-based astronomical observatories. However, the site is not without its challenges the least of which is navigation, according to Prof. Xiangqun Cui of the Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics Technology (NIAOT).
"The observatory has to withstand the most extreme conditions on Earth," Cui says. "The winter temperature can be as low as minus 80 degrees Celsius, and the air pressure is barely half that of sea level. It has to be able to prevent ice from building up on mirror surfaces and the telescope support structure."
###
To learn more about the AST3-1 telescope and the overall Dome A project, visit http://mcba11.phys.unsw.edu.au/~plato/.
For more on Wang and his research, go to http://dome-a.physics.tamu.edu/~lifanwang.
CONTACTS:
Prof. Lifan Wang
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Texas A&M University
(979) 845-4881
wang@physics.tamu.edu
Prof. Michael Ashley
University of New South Wales
+61 29385 5465
m.ashley@unsw.edu.au
Prof. Zhaohui Shang
National Astronomical Observatory of China
+86 134 3916 1838
zshang@gmail.com
Prof. Xiangyan Yuan
Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics and Technology
+86 135 0515 9459
xyyuan@niaot.ac.cn
Shana Hutchins
College of Science
Texas A&M University
(979) 862-1237
shutchins@science.tamu.edu
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
New Domain: International team installs first of 3 telescopes in AntarcticaPublic release date: 23-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Shana Hutchins 979-862-1237 Texas A&M University
DOME ARGUS, Antarctica, April 23, 2012 A team of scientists representing several international institutions, including Texas A&M University, has succeeded in installing the first of three Antarctic Survey Telescopes (AST3-1) at the Chinese Kunlun Station at Dome Argus, the highest point of the Antarctic Plateau.
The telescope is the first of three, half-meter devices to be installed at PLATeau Observatory (PLATO-A), a fully robotic observatory established at "Dome A" in 2008 and intended to reveal new insights into the Universe once possible only from space. In combination, the three telescopes are expected to find planets around other stars about the size of Earth, hundreds of supernovaes useful for cosmological studies and many other variable objects relevant to future discoveries in astrophysics.
Texas A&M is joined in the international project by the Chinese Center for Antarctic Astronomy (CCAA) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW), which built PLATO-A and the control computers responsible for its autonomous operation. Lifan Wang, associate professor of physics and astronomy at Texas A&M, also serves as director of the CCAA.
"This is an astounding achievement," says Michael Ashley, head of the UNSW team responsible for PLATO-A. "A stand-alone telescope in the pristine environment of Antarctica can conduct scientific research that would otherwise only be possible from space, but at a few percent of the cost."
Four years after a making only the second arduous trek to Dome A in history in order to found PLATO-A, the same team returned to finish the latest leg of the adventurous international undertaking led by the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC). The telescope installation project was carried out over a three-month period by four astronomers as part of China's 28th Antarctica Expedition. The 26-member team left Tianjin, China, aboard the Xuelong Icebreaker on November 3, reaching the Chinese Zhongshan Station at the Antarctic Coast 26 days later. On December 16, they started their inland traverse, arriving at Dome A on January 4 and completing their installation of the telescope during the subsequent three weeks before returning to Zhongshan Station on February 9.
Among its many unprecedented features, the AST3-1 is equipped with a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera that is 110 megapixels in size the largest single-piece detector in use in astronomy today. The telescope will be used to search for planets around stars other than the Sun, enabling the continuous monitoring of hundreds of millions of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, Wang explains.
"The ability to monitor stars during the dark austral winter makes AST3-1 a unique facility for astronomical studies," Wang adds.
Ashley says the autonomous observatory is accompanied by an onsite computing system that analyzes the massive amount of data from the CCD camera in real-time to catch transient events, such as supernova explosions and gamma-ray-burst afterglows. Supernova explosions, which are caused by the death of massive stars, are visible to distances far beyond the Milky Way Galaxy. Wang notes that it was precise measurements of these explosions in Type Ia supernovae which led to the discovery of accelerated expansion of the Universe a breakthrough recognized with last year's Nobel Prize in Physics.
"AST3-1 aims to discover these Type Ia supernovae within one day after they become visible," Wang says. "Such early discovery is important in resolving the mysterious physics that leads to supernova explosions."
In addition, the telescope can be used for observations of the optical afterglows of gamma-ray bursts, which are important in early detection of supernovae as well as timely data collection and measurement.
"We are able to process the data from each exposure within two minutes after they are taken to promptly alert the science team when a new supernova occurs," says Prof. Zhaohui Shang of the National Astronomical Observatory of China and Tianjin Normal University.
Wang says the AST3-1 telescope is fully steerable, meaning it is capable of pointing to any sky area visible from Dome A a huge technological leap in comparison to CSTAR, an array of four 14.5-centimeter telescopes installed in 2008 which had no moving parts. AST3-1's CCD camera also employs a frame-transfer-readout scheme that avoids the use of a mechanical shutter, making the overall system much more robust.
Team members say data collected thus far from PLATO-A confirms that Dome A, with its cold temperature, dry air and stable atmosphere, is likely the best site for establishing ground-based astronomical observatories. However, the site is not without its challenges the least of which is navigation, according to Prof. Xiangqun Cui of the Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics Technology (NIAOT).
"The observatory has to withstand the most extreme conditions on Earth," Cui says. "The winter temperature can be as low as minus 80 degrees Celsius, and the air pressure is barely half that of sea level. It has to be able to prevent ice from building up on mirror surfaces and the telescope support structure."
###
To learn more about the AST3-1 telescope and the overall Dome A project, visit http://mcba11.phys.unsw.edu.au/~plato/.
For more on Wang and his research, go to http://dome-a.physics.tamu.edu/~lifanwang.
CONTACTS:
Prof. Lifan Wang
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Texas A&M University
(979) 845-4881
wang@physics.tamu.edu
Prof. Michael Ashley
University of New South Wales
+61 29385 5465
m.ashley@unsw.edu.au
Prof. Zhaohui Shang
National Astronomical Observatory of China
+86 134 3916 1838
zshang@gmail.com
Prof. Xiangyan Yuan
Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics and Technology
+86 135 0515 9459
xyyuan@niaot.ac.cn
Shana Hutchins
College of Science
Texas A&M University
(979) 862-1237
shutchins@science.tamu.edu
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
In the iPhone era, headphones have taken a backseat to in-canal earphones for portability reasons. For the professional musician, mastering engineer, or serious audiophile, however, headphones are often still preferred for reference listening. Shure's SRH1440, at $399.99 (list), is actually a bargain for such discerning listeners. Compared to most headphones in this price range, the SRH1440 ?is feature-barren, and home recording studio enthusiasts should look elsewhere, as these open back headphones are designed to leak audio. However, if you're looking for a pair of powerful, professional headphones with excellent audio performance, the SRH1440 deserves your attention.
Design The SRH1440's headband and circumaural (ear-enclosing) ear cups are black matte plastic, with the white Shure logo above both ears, and a black glossy logo embossed on the top of the band. The inside of the headband is lined with plush foam. At the bottom of each ear cup, there is a jack for the included audio cables?both of which terminate in a gold-plated 3.5mm connector. (A ?-inch gold-plated adapter is included for stereo system and pro gear.)
The inclusion of an extra detachable audio cable and replacement earpads help extend the life, and thus overall value, of the package. The SRH1440, cables, and the replacement velour earpads and come nuzzled inside a massive black zip-up protective case. The headphones are big on their own, but the case makes it impractical to stuff them in a bag.? Add in the fact that the open back design of the earcups means sound is also projected outward, and we're looking at a pair that's more suitable for home use than portable use.
The most important design element to take into account for a large pair of professional headphones is comfort. Shure did well in this regard. The black velour ear pads are ideal not just because they don't get uncomfortable over long listening periods, but because they also don't get very hot. The headband presses down on the scalp a bit after a long listening session, but the discomfort is only minor?you can easily wear this pair for hours at a time.
Performance The first thing you notice about the SRH1440's excellent audio performance is the crispness of the mids and highs, which take center stage over bass response. The low frequencies are perfectly represented?they just aren't exaggerated like they are in so many modern headphones, such as the Beats by Dr. Dre from Monster ($349.95, 4 stars). Orchestral music, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," sounds amazing, with a sense of space that you don't often get from in-canal earphones or even some headphones. The lower register instruments possess an ideal resonance, but the brass and wooden percussion sit front and center.
On deep bass tracks, like The Knife's "Silent Shout", there is no distortion, though you get the sense that, at maximum volume, it is just about to come creeping in to the equation. Well, no one should be monitoring at top volume, anyway, and at moderate-to-very high volumes the SRH1440 sounds clean as a whistle, reproducing super-deep bass parts clearly, without any crackling or muddiness. For all genres, the SRH1440 provides a flat response approach that lets music be reproduced with little embellishment.
If the $400 price is a bit too high, consider Shure's SRH550DJ ($125, 3.5 stars)?at less than half the price, it's a solid pair of circumaural headphones with far less leakage, which is ideal for DJs and home studios. The KRK Systems KNS-8400 ($149, 4 stars) are slightly pricier than the SRH550DJ , but offer more power and are definitely suited for recording studio applications. And if mobility is more of a priority, check out our Editors' Choice Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphones ($299.95, 4.5 stars)?they're lightweight, on-ear, and sound excellent, though with a bit more embellishment of the lower frequencies. For $400, however, the SRH1440 nails exactly what it's designed for: A precise, dynamic, comfortable pair of headphones suitable for pro applications or casual home listening.
More Headphone Reviews: ??? Shure SRH1440 ??? Razer Tiamat 7.1 ??? Soul by Ludacris SL99 ??? Altec Lansing A3 Custom Triple Driver Earphone ??? Sony XBA-BT75 ?? more
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Public release date: 23-Apr-2012
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