Helios
Latest
Acer's gaming laptops add 12th-gen Intel Core and NVIDIA RTX 30 Ti
Acer has updated its Predator gaming laptops with 12th-gen Intel Core chips and NVIDIA's new RTX 30 Ti laptop graphics.
Acer updates its gaming laptops with new Intel chips
Acer's gaming laptops are getting updated CPUs and GeForce graphics options.
MoviePass is planning to relaunch an unlimited movie plan
MoviePass is once again making changes to its membership plans. The company that has been locked in a cycle of never-ending, often self-inflicted turmoil is reportedly getting ready to re-introduce a version of its unlimited movie plan, according to Variety. The membership level will do away with any limits on how many movies a person can see in a month, but no price for the unlimited plan has been announced. Khalid Itum, the executive vice president of MoviePass, said the plan would arrive next week, so we won't have to wait long for more details.
Everything MoviePass does just makes things worse
I purchased a MoviePass membership back during a promotion. I paid $90 for a year of one movie a day, and got a MasterCard in the mail that I could use to purchase a ticket at the box office after checking in using the MoviePass app. The first month, I went to about 10 movies. The hassle of using a sometimes-buggy app and heading up to the counter one moviegoer at a time was worth the promise of free movies.
Six sun-powered ships
By Cat DiStasio The vast majority of boats rely on fossil fuels that tax the environment. Fortunately, alternative energy is on the rise in the marine world, and solar-powered ships are prepared to sail into a much cleaner future. It's been a few years since the world's largest (at the time) solar-powered ship completed its journey around the world, and a number of a fresh concepts are now awaiting construction. Giant multimillion dollar luxury yachts promise stellar sightseeing adventures with silent, solar-powered engines, while a unique vertical marine vessel will someday serve as a long-term base for deep sea research. Meanwhile, an autonomous solar-powered boat is currently making its way across the Atlantic. Read on to learn about all the wild and crazy solar-powered vessels just waiting to hit the waves.
Drones can defend themselves with an anti-laser jammer
There are plenty of efforts to make drone-destroying lasers. But what about protecting those drones? Adsys Controls thinks it can help. It's making Helios, a passive jammer that confuses laser weapons. If it detects an incoming laser beam, it detects the traits of that beam (such as its pulse and wavelength) and interferes with them to prevent the laser from locking on and toasting the drone. The company won't say exactly how this interference works, although it may be a counter laser. The one certainty is that it's reliable -- this is "permanent protection" against subsequent lock-on attempts, not just a momentary break.
Helios handlebars add LED blinkers, GPS and more to any bike (hands-on)
Technologically bent cyclists have their choice of advanced bicycles these days, but it's a little hard to justify getting a specialized vehicle if your existing two-wheeler still functions just fine. However, swap your bike's handlebars with one of these handsome aluminum ones from Helios and all of a sudden your beloved ride is equipped with a 500-lumen headlight, a pair of rear-facing RGB LED indicators, Bluetooth 4.0 for smartphone communications and, yes, even a built-in GPS. Join us after the break as we give you a brief tour of the Helios Bars and how it's well worth its $200 price point.%Gallery-188819%
Rosewill Helios RK-9200 double backlights your keyboarding with two LEDs
It's nearly CES, which apparently means announcements of several mechanical gaming keyboards. Roccat kicked off the announcements earlier today with its Ryos, and tonight Rosewill's showing off its Helios RK-9200 -- a mechanical keyboard with not just one LED lighting up the board, but two. Imagine the possibilities! Both red and green LEDs are supported by the Helios, making this the perfect keyboard for Christmas celebrations. Of course, the family might not like all that clicking and clacking, but who are they to get in the way of your holiday gaming celebration?
Lichborne: Heroic dungeon gear for death knights
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Lichborne for blood, frost, and unholy death knights. In the post-Cataclysm era, death knights are no longer the new kids on the block. Let's show the other classes how a hero class gets things done. In the past, dungeons have been seen as a stepping stone to raids. If you stopped there, so be it, but the goal was generally to get past them and get on to bigger things. With challenge modes now in game, it may be that 5-man groups will be seen as a pinnacle of end game activity. With that in mind, getting the good gear out of these dungeons may be more important than ever. This week, we'll take a look at heroic dungeon drops. For the most part, in comparing these pieces, we will be focused on getting parry and dodge for tanks, critical strike and haste for unholy and two-hand frost, and haste and mastery for dual wield frost. Note, of course, that you still want to get 7.5% hit and expertise each as DPS, so that may override other gear choices at time. Note that Scenarios will also have a chance to drop an item level 463 item, so if you do Scenarios, keep an eye out for those. However, since they are all items with randomly generated prefixes, it's difficult to preview them in a gear list, so just know they exist.
UA engineers develop 'invisible,' fiber optic border monitoring system
As if the nation's overexcited and misguided border vigilantes didn't have enough ways to trigger alarms and bedevil the U.S. Border Patrol (whose job is hard enough as it is), University of Arizona researchers have developed Helios, a monitoring system that uses an acoustic sensor to detect movement via fiber optic cables buried beneath the US-Mexico border. The system is evidently able to distinguish between vehicles, animals, and humans -- and it can even differentiate between different types of human activity, including walking, running, and digging. But that ain't all! UA is looking to spin the technology out into the private sector, working with a company called Fotech to automate the system, further refine the database of signals, and maybe even integrate this into a comprehensive border security system complete with mobile surveillance vehicles and an animatronic Jan Brewer that is, according to a guy we overheard at the bar, "only slightly more human than the actual Arizona governor."
Oregon Scientific debuts solar-powered weather station and projection clock
Oregon Scientific only introduces a few new products each year, so when we heard that a new pair were making their debut, we couldn't help but take notice. Unfortunately for those in favor of fantastic overhauls, you won't find a whole lot here to cheer about; for those that can appreciate subtle but satisfying updates, you might just be in heaven. Up first is the new +ECO Solar Projection Clock, which is equipped with a detachable solar panel and an integrated projector that beams the time out onto a nearby wall. Second, we've got the Helios Weather Station, also outfitted with a built-in solar panel; it's designed to forecast the weather in your location for the next dozen hours, and it'll also spit out indoor / outdoor temperature and humidity readings in up to three locations around your abode. We're told that the former will be available for an undisclosed amount next month, while the latter can be snapped up now for $54.99
Helios solar concept car is bird-like in that it evolved from lizards, has wings
We'd stick out if we were to drive the Helios concept car down the Long Island Expressway or the 405, but almost every other solar-powered car we've seen looked like an old Trabant cursed with further ugliness by a wicked witch, so considering the circumstances we're impressed. The sadly-only-on-paper vehicle netted designer Kim Gu-Han the Best Use of Technology award at the 2008 Interior Motives Design Awards for its frill-neck lizard-inspired solar fan, which unfolds when the car is immobile. If the renders are any indication, though, it's meant only for Martians -- please tell Marvin we're jealous, cause the eco-friendly cars we get now generally look like they were designed by someone with all the exuberance and colorful panache of Al Gore.
Zepto Helios A32, A40 LCD TVs play nice with Media Center
We're still a bit unsure if we're looking at a couple of TVs that actually sport built-in Extenders for Windows Media Center or just a couple of pretenders, but whatever the case, the newest duo from Zepto certainly has our attention. The 32-inch Helios A32 sports a 1,366 x 768 resolution panel, an optional "integrated wireless media center," a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, eight-millisecond response time, a single DVB-T tuner plus twin analog tuners, PIP support, the firm's own ambient lighting system and an internal amplifier for speakers. As for the 40-inch Helios A40, it steps things up with a 1,920 x 1,080 panel, but otherwise remains identical to its aforementioned sibling. Price wise, you'll be looking at 15,995 Danish Kroner ($3,085) for the little guy (which is available now), or 19,995 Danish Kroner ($3,857) for the A40 (shipping next month).[Thanks, Jakob H.]
The Helios H2000: your $99 upscaling multiformat DVD player
Those familiar with the Helios name probably haven't forgotten the uber-cheap H4000 that landed late last year, but the firm has outdone itself once again by slipping under that oh-so-magical $100 price point with the H2000. This slim multiformat player can not only upscale your standard DVDs to 1080i, but MPEG2/4, DivX, and even XviD files can also be upconverted for your viewing pleasure via component, HDMI, or VGA. Moreover, this device also outputs unprocessed 480i / 576i signals via the HDMI port if you're sending it to an external video scaler, and while we're sure you may be willing to give your first second born for all these niceties, Helios Labs will only be asking for $99 when it arrives next month.
HELIOS PS3 Linux for fast and easy installation
HELIOS is offering PS3 owners a test server that runs on a simplified version of Yellow Dog Linux. The OS arrives via CD disk image and installs in about six minutes. Terra Soft Solutions, the brains behind Yellow Dog Linux, agreed to allow Helios to distribute this "lite" version, catering specifically to the PS3 crowd through its Cell optimization. HELIOS, being no stranger to server development, says this modified Linux test-drive server will offer full DHCP network settings, support for Java 1.5 and AppleTalk enhanced kernel. Interested parties should head to the HELIOS website here, which provides detailed instructions on how to download the client and set it up. Let the game hosting officially begin![Via GamesGalore]
DosPara keeps 'em coming, throws down Prime Note Helios and Chronos
Those DosPara kids have been pretty busy of late, and it doesn't look like they're slowing down their release schedule just yet. Today they're showing off a pair of new laptops, the Prime Note Helios DN and Prime Note Chronos IB. Helios (pictured) hogs the spec spotlight, with bragging rights to a Core 2 Duo T5500 pro, 1GB of RAM, 100GB SATA HDD, GeForce Go 7600 with 512MB of RAM, dual-layer DVD burning and a 2 megapixel webcam. On the fancy end, the laptop includes a 17-inch display running at 1680 x 1050, along with HDMI and eSATA ports for doing media tasks up right. Best of all, the $1,626-ish USD pricetag on this thing isn't at all hard to swallow for what you're getting. However, if that's still a bit too steep, you might dig the Chronos IB, which sports a 15.4-inch 1280 x 800 display, integrated graphics, and other various spec hits, but still manages some fancy stuff like ExpressCard/54 (which is featured in the Helios as well) and a webcam for its lovable $1,118-ish USD pricetag. The laptops weigh 8.7 and 6.1 pounds, respectively, and should both be hitting Japan on January 4th next year. Keep reading to spy the Chronos.[Via PCLaunches]
Cingular jumps on the MySpace bandwagon
It looks like Helio isn't the only game in town touting a MySpace partnership anymore, as Cingular has not only joined the ranks (well, solidified the friendship, anyway), but upped the ante in the process. While we learned about MySpace's integration with Helio (and the subsequent perks for members) awhile back, Cingular's deal promises a "more expansive" offering. So expansive, in fact, that users will be charged an extra $2.99 per month to upload photos taken on their handsets to their profile, read / respond to MySpace emails, update their blog entries, and search / view friend profiles on their handsets. Apparently, these not-so-outrageous niceties are costing users due to the "small Java application" that they can download, which presumably makes accessing these luxuries an easy and painless process. About "30 cellphone models" will initially be supported, with another 20 or so to follow suit, and while online videos aren't currently supported, that functionality should be launched "sometime in 2007."
Engadget HD giveaways: NeoDigits Helios X3000
What, you didn't think the only thing we cared about on Engadget HD is HDTVs, right? In addition to the Philips 42PF9631D 42-inch plasma we're currently giving away, we thought we'd hook someone up with a NeoDigits Helios X3000 networked upscaling DVD player. This thing does it all: up to 1080p playing back DviX (HD), XviD (HD), WMV, VC-1 (WMV-HD), MPEG-1/2/4, and all your favorite audio formats over your wired or 802.11g wireless network. We're also throwing in a PowerSquid black Surge3000 for the winner to make sure you've got enough juice and plugs for your console, HDTV, etc., courtesy of our pals at Flexity. You'll have until Thursday the 20th to enter; we'll pick somebody at random who tells us in the comments which their preferred method of media streaming is currently. Of course, they too will have to follow the other rules: You may enter other Engadget contests, however... You may only enter this contest once; if you enter more than once on this particular contest post you'll be automatically disqualified and barred from all future giveaways. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) You may enter future Engadget relaunch giveaway contests though! You can only win once. (If you win and then try to go for a second prize during our relaunch giveaways, you'll be automatically disqualified, etc.) Contest is open to everybody worldwide! (This is a US unit, however.) You will be shipped your Helios when all the contests are up, so sit tight! Good luck, and be sure you've entered our other contests, as well! The final Nikon S7c digital camera! Fourth shot at a Zune Win a VidaBox SLIM for the best Halloween costume! Seriously, you can win a Philips 42PF9631D 42-inch plasma Win yourself a Slingbox PRO Xbox 360 Premium Pack here!
NeoDigits' Helios X3000 and X5000 HD network media players
NeoDigits, who recently brought us that Helios HVD2085 upscaling DVD player, is back with another set of gear under the Helios brand also designed to help you get the most out of your HDTV. Like models we've already seen from SnaZio and Aircord, the upcoming 1080p-capable X3000 and X5000 HD network media players are able to stream a slew of formats from PC to TV, including MPEG-1/2/4, DivX and DivX HD, XviD HD, WMV 9/HD, WMA, MP3, AAC, Ogg, JPEG, PNG, and BMP -- and just in case those aren't enough to satisfy your media jones, you also get an upconverting DVD drive capable of reading both DVD+R and DVD-R discs along with MP3 CDs. Connectivity to your PC comes via the Ethernet port or built-in 802.11g, and you can hook up your home theater gear using HDMI, DVI, component, S-video, or composite video outputs along with analog, optical, or digital coax audio jacks. Available this month, the X3000 will go for $400 while the X5000 (pictured), which throws in a Burr-Brown low-noise Op Amp, 24bit Wolfson DAC, gold-plated RCA jacks, and a few other enhancements, will be priced at $600.
NeoDigits' Helios HVD2085 upscaling DVD player reviewed
Matt Burns has a thorough review of the NeoDigits' Helios HVD2085 upscaling DVD player (also known as the NeuNeo HVD2085) over at our sister blog HDBeat, and not only does he train his own experienced eye on the unit's video performance, he actually goes so far as to set up a single blind test at one of the big box retailers pitting the Helios against the store's top traditional player. In his private testing, Matt finds that the component and HDMI-equipped Helios delivers a superior picture quality compared to a standard Sony DVP-NS725P progressive scan unit (although, as he admits, it's not an apples-to-apples comparison), most notably in how it is able to smooth the picture -- but it doesn't really live up its advertised claim of improving a movie's resolution. He also digs the Hitachi-inspired remote, clean and intuitive menus, and plethora of connectivity options, although the construction here sounds a bit flimsy. At least in terms of pure picture quality, the big box customers were in total agreement with Matt; they overwhelmingly chose the $250 Helios over the almost-$300 Harmon Kardon DVD 22 in the random sampling, citing both its superior color and sharpness.
