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DSLR gets dollop of Raspberry Pi for future home-baked camera accessories
We love a tasty mélange of gadgets, and that's just what photographer / hacker David Hunt has served up with a Raspberry Pi board inserted into his DSLR's battery grip. He used the handle for power, while exposing the Pi's USB, network and video ports for easy on-camera access, and so far he's managed to transmit images via WiFi and ethernet. But the Raspbian Linux OS opens up a world of potential DIY accessories, like wireless tethered shooting (with the addition of a WiFi dongle), cheap USB instant backup, storage, remote control from anywhere in the world and an intervalometer for timelapse photography. That's just for starters -- with the credit card sized board now in so many hands, the permutations are endless.
Raspberry Pi production ramped up to 4,000 per day, 5MP camera module on its way (video)
If you'd been frustrated thanks to all the Raspberries having been picked, and had even considered the bitter taste of other fruit, there's hope for you yet. The tiny computer's maker has just announced that production is now at 4,000 units per day, and the previous restriction of one purchase per person has been lifted. Good news. In addition to this is the announcement of a new camera board in the works. The 5-megapixel module (as expected, dropping a few notches from the 14MP prototype) is expected to cost around $20-$25, and be available in around three months. So now you can have your fill of the sweet little berries and look forward to your next upgrade too. Now you just need to think of a suitably sweet application for it.
Raspberry Pi impressions: the $35 Linux computer and tinker toy
The ledgers of history are littered with the rotting corpses of well intentioned, but ultimately unsuccessful, attempts to put computers in the hands of the young, underprivileged or severely impoverished. Some, like Intel's Classmate wanted to put cheap, durable Wintel machines in every American classroom, while others, like the OLPC program, focused their efforts on developing nations. Okay, perhaps it's a bit hyperbolic to compare those initiatives to decomposing bodies, but there's no denying they haven't exactly flooded the world with low-cost PCs the way they were envisioned. So, here comes the Raspberry Pi, another effort with lofty goals, both in terms of purpose and price. Of course, the approach is different here -- more barebones, with a healthy dose of inspiration from Arduino and the DIY movement. The question is, what has it learned from those that have come before it? And, most importantly, where does the Raspberry Pi go right and where does it go wrong? To find out, keep reading after the break.
Raspberry Pi hands-on and Eben Upton interview at Maker Faire (video)
Unless you've been hiding under a rock lately, we're pretty sure you've heard about the Raspberry Pi by now -- a $25 credit-card sized PC that brings ARM/Linux to the Arduino form factor. As a refresher, the system features a 700MHz Broadcom BCM2835 SoC with an ARM11 CPU, a Videocore 4 GPU (which handles HD H.264 video and OpenGL ES 2.0) and 256MB RAM. The board includes an SD card slot, HDMI output, composite video jack, 3.5mm audio socket, micro-USB power connector and GPIO header. Model A ($25) comes with one USB port, while Model B ($35) provides two USB ports and a 100BaseT Ethernet socket. Debian is recommended, but Raspberry Pi can run most ARM-compatible 32-bit OSes. This past weekend at Maker Faire Bay Area 2012 we ran into Eben Upton, Executive Director of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, and took the opportunity to spend some quality time with a production board and to discuss this incredible PC. We touched upon the origins of the system (inspired by the BBC Micro, one of the ARM founders' projects), Moore's law, the wonders of simple computers and upcoming products / ideas -- including Adafruit's Pi Plate and Raspberry Pi's prototype camera add-on. On the subject of availability, the company expects that "there will be approximately 200,000 units in the field by the end of June". Take a look at our hands-on gallery below and our video interview after the break.%Gallery-155800%
Raspberry Pi credit-card sized Linux PCs are on sale now, $25 Model A gets a RAM bump
The good news is that Raspberry Pi's highly anticipated teeny-tiny Linux computers are on sale now, just barely making the promised February launch window (good thing it's a leap year). The better news, is that the $25 Model A version has gotten an upgrade from the planned 128Mb of RAM to 256Mb matching the Model B, which still throws in an extra USB port and an Ethernet hookup for $10 more. Unfortunately there is some bad news as well, while the Model A is going into production "immediately", cheapskates will have to hold off a little, as the Model B is the only one on sale right now. Built on a Broadcom BCM2835 700MHz ARM11 processor, they're intended as a cheap computing option that require only a keyboard and RCA or HDMI-connected display to give a full desktop experience including gaming and HD video playback . The team also announced it has secured manufacturing and distribution agreements that should guarantee a steady supply, without the previous limitation of 10,000 at a time batches. Need more technical details? Hit the FAQ page below, or put down a few Hamiltons -- they can be ordered directly from distributors Premier Farnell / Element 14 and RS Components -- and find out how it runs (Fedora, Debian and ArchLinux are currently supported) for yourself.Update: It appears the servers of both retailers are completely crushed by traffic at the moment, and we're told RS will ship in the UK only. Good luck in your struggle with that most difficult of questions: Keep mashing F5, or get some sleep and try again in the morning? Raspberry Pi's Twitter account reports Farrell appears to have already sold out, so keep that in mind. A press release and video demo from the BBC follow after the break.
Orange's San Francisco II makes a surprise debut, continues midrange reign with Gingerbread
Got a taste for mid-range handsets with the swank appeal of jet set monikers? Good, then you have a seat firmly secured at Orange's table. Last year, the UK carrier delighted pay-as-you-go subs with its Eclair-infused San Francisco and now it's looking to serve up a second course. Leaked out by the operator's own Help & Support page, the San Francisco II ups the ante with an 800MHz ARM11 processor, 3.5-inch WVGA TFT display, a 5 megapixel rear camera and 512MB of onboard memory. The ZTE-built black slab gets the upgrade to Android 2.3 Gingerbread and also appears to come pre-loaded with both Ovi and BlackBerry Maps for your navigating needs. You can catch a sneak peek of all this unofficial goodness at the source below.
Nokia 500 'Fate' destined for Q3, 1GHz processor and Symbian Anna onboard
If you're a loyalist that hasn't given up hope on Symbian yet, behold the latest attempt to keep the OS alive and kicking. The Nokia 500 is the first handset to usher in Espoo's new numbering system and has a bit of firepower behind it: a 1GHz ARM11 CPU, 256MB RAM, and Anna are running the show on a 3.2-inch, 640 x 360 "nHD" display. It'll also sport a five megapixel camera and offer HSPA speeds of 14.4Mbps down / 5.8 Mbps up using a pentaband 3G radio. Respectable components for a device billed to be a "low-cost, full-function smartphone." Still intrigued? The black version will ship out sometime in Q3, with its white counterpart to follow in Q4. If you need to have more choices to select from the rainbow, several colorful battery covers will be sold later this year -- something you'll need to be aware of when accessorizing your latest Back to School shopping spree. More hands-on pics are available at Hungarian site Technet, and an official vid can be found after the break. [Thanks, Albona]
Nox Audio Admiral Touch prototype preview redux: now with more clever ideas and some bass
It's been fully five months since Nox Audio's everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Admiral Touch headset prototype wowed us at CES 2011, and boy, have things changed. That ugly metal band is gone, replaced by a handsome black and silver rig, with a neatly integrated adjusting strap for a comfortable noggin squeeze. Both sides of the Admiral Touch now sport buttons, including one to add the T-Pain Effect (we kid you not). More after the break. %Gallery-125751%
Nokia E7 review
Over the years, we've seen a steady stream of business and messaging-centric landscape QWERTY smartphones come and go, with HTC arguably leading the pack via its collection of Windows Mobile, Android, and WP7 devices featuring sliding keyboards and tilt-out displays. But few of HTC's offerings are as iconic or memorable as Nokia's line of Communicator clamshell phones -- starting with the Nokia 9000 in 1996, continuing with Symbian S80 models, and culminating with the Nokia E90 atop S60v3. The Nokia E7 is the latest Communicator in this distinguished series and the manufacturer's current flagship device, dethroning the Nokia N8 which continues on as the company's media mogul. A lot has changed in the six months since the N8 was introduced, including Nokia's recent partnership with Microsoft and the stunning announcement that it will be adopting Windows Phone for future high-end smartphones. So, is the E7 -- which is finally shipping in the US -- the greatest Communicator to date? Can it carry the torch for Symbian in the immediate future? And more importantly, how does it fare in today's shark-infested Android and iOS waters? Jump past the break for our full review. %Gallery-120805%
Nox Audio Admiral Touch preview: the wireless noise-canceling surround headset with Android 2.1
Nox Audio's brought a couple clever concepts to market before, but the Admiral Touch headset is something else -- a set of stainless steel cans with most every high-end feature we can think of, and one in particular that's never been done before. Yes, that's a 2.4-inch touchscreen color LCD embedded in the right earcup, running Android 2.1 on an ARM11 chip with 1GB flash storage and 256MB of RAM -- on top of a set of noise-canceling, 7.1 virtual surround sound wireless headphones that connect via both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth simultaneously. There's not much to do with the tiny Android at present, as its only launcher screen holds just four icons that change the headset's mode, but we're told it might be hackable later on (there is a microSD slot and a USB cord), and in the meantime it supports touchscreen gesture controls for volume and swapping tracks. Believe it or not, we've just started to describe the features, so hit the break for more. %Gallery-113439%
Ambarella's Cortex A9-based iOne is the smartphone processor of your dreams... but it's for your camera
You may not have heard of Ambarella factoring into the smartphone processor race alongside Qualcomm, TI, and Samsung, and there's a good reason for that: they don't do smartphone processors. Rather, these guys are in the business of making video and photographic processing chips, and their latest -- the iOne -- is a doozy. Starting with a dual-core Cortex-A9 at 1GHz, the iOne adds in an extra ARM11 core at 533MHz dedicated to handling camera functions and ensuring ready times of under one second. It's capable of real-time encode and decode of H.264 1080p video content at 30fps and includes a GPU that can run OpenGL ES 2.0 for what we can only assume would be the wildest camera UI you've ever seen. What kind of beastly point-and-shoot is this, anyway? Well, Ambarella envisions cameras running Android before too long, and when you think about it, the hardware difference between a smartphone and a digital camera is getting smaller by the day -- so it would make sense that this iOne sounds so much like something we'd like to have powering our handsets. We can dream, can't we? Follow the break for the press release.
Nokia N8 review
The first time Nokia's N8-00 popped up on our radar was way back in early February of this year. On that chilly, misty morning, we learned of a mythical being capable of shooting 12 megapixel stills, recording 720p video, outputting via HDMI, and -- most importantly -- ushering in the promised Symbian^3 touch revolution. It's been a long road of leaks, teasers, hands-ons, and previews since then, but at long last, the legend of the N8 has become a purchasable commodity. All the early specs have survived, including the 3.5-inch AMOLED display, but the key question today, as it was at the beginning, relates to that all-new software within: does Symbian^3 succeed in elevating Nokia's touchscreen experience or does it drag down an otherwise stellar combination of high-end parts? For that verdict and much, much more, join us after the break.%Gallery-103738%%Gallery-104212%
Rumored Nintendo 3DS specs include two separate 266MHz ARM11 processors, 1.5GB storage
The mystery of what's actually under the hood of the Nintendo 3DS is likely to elude us until launch date, when the inevitable teardown commences. That isn't stopping IGN, however, from pooling together its rolodex of sources to report what it believes the specs are: two 266MHz ARM11 CPUs, a 133MHz GPU, 4MB dedicated VRAM, 64MB RAM, and 1.5GB flash storage (in addition to the previously-known SD card expansion). If based on ARM11 architecture, it'd certainly be in good (if not wildly disparate) company: iPhone (original and 3G), the first two generations of iPod touch, all Amazon Kindles, Palm Pixi, a plethora of Nokia handsets, and... the Kin One and Zune HD. Two separate processors isn't too far fetched, either, as the original DS had both a 67MHz ARM9 and a 33.5MHz ARM7 (quite an uptick, eh?). Digital Media Productions took credit for the GPU back in June, claiming its Pica200 would be the chip of choice. That's got a maximum speed of 200MHz, which according to this rumor is being underclocked. So, nothing that runs counter to the admittedly little we got via the 3DS' FCC leak, and still nothing to keep the Tegra 2 hopeful in check (poor souls). Those with a need to know so passionate it runs through their very being will, as we said before, probably have to wait until it hits retail. And we should find out when that is next week.
TomTom Go Live 1000 plus future Magellan units hit FCC
Surprise surprise, the Webkit interface-packing TomTom Go Live 1000 just hit European shelves earlier this month and now it's popped up at the FCC complete with a user manual and a posse of mysterious brethren dubbed the GO 1000, GO 7100 and GO LIVE 9100. Clearly the lack of Live in two of the titles implies they won't feature TomTom's real-time traffic updates, but it's still unclear how any will compare to the Go Live 1000's 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen and 500MHz ARM11 processor hardware-- which we experienced mixed results using during our early hands on with a prototype. Two new Magellan models listed as the RoadMate 9020 and 9055 also have surfaced with very few details, however considering their high model numbers we're guessing they'll be top of the line devices. Looking at the ruler in the included 9055 photos does roughly hint it has a 5-inch screen though -- exciting, we know. There's also no mention in any of the documentation about new systems to prevent dumb couples from off-roading in the Oregon wilderness. So much for safety in new technology eh?
Augen's 10.2-inch GenBook 108 goes on sale at Kmart for $190
Didn't get in on one of those $199 netbook closeouts earlier in the year? If you're willing to deal with Android (an Android that lacks bona fide Android Market access), you can redeem yourself right now. Augen's 10.2-inch netbook, dubbed the GenBook 108, is now on sale through Kmart, offering a 1024 x 600 resolution display, an 800MHz ARM11 processor, 256MB of DDR2 memory, 802.11b/g WiFi, an SD / MMC card slot and a 2100mAh battery. The whole shebang weighs just 1.8 pounds, and Augen even throws in a (p)leather carry case, a USB cable and a 93 percent full-size keyboard. Get in on the fun for just $189.99 -- but you may want to read about our disappointment with the outfit's Gentouch 78 and $99 netbook before carelessly pulling the trigger. [Thanks, Nick]
Roverpad comes clean with five new tablet PCs, one running Tegra
And here you were thinking this whole "tablet revolution" thing was a myth, huh? Out of seemingly nowhere, Russia's own Rover Computer has just issued not one, not two, but five new tablet PCs for its nine time zones, with one of 'em boasting Windows CE 6.0 and the others running on Google's Android system. Kicking things off is the Air G70, which will boast a 7-inch resistive touchscreen, a 667MHz ARM11 CPU, 256MB of RAM, a 4GB internal flash drive, WiFi, optional 3G and a microSD expansion slot. Next up is the Go G50, Android-powered 5-inch slate that relies on a Marvell PXA303, 128MB of RAM, 2GB of storage as well as 3G, WiFi, a microSD slot and a USB socket. Going even smaller is the aptly-named Air G70, which checks in with a 4-inch display (800 x 480 resolution, though), support for a multitude of file formats and compatibility with navigation software. The Go G72 steps it back up to a 7-inch panel, but also throws in a webcam, Bluetooth, GPS chip and a hint of color around the edges. Finally, the 7-inch TegA W70 will hum along with NVIDIA's Tegra within, and being the flagship that it is, it'll also include HDMI, 4GB of flash storage, 3G, a webcam, 512MB of RAM, a capacitive touchscreen and Android 2.1. Pricing details have yet to be hammered out across the line, but we're told to expect the family on store shelves by October. Update: We've received credible information that Rover may not actually survive as a company long enough to release these. Word has it that the general manager just bolted, and the vast majority of the marketing team was let go. In their words, the company is "practically bankrupt now," and it's unlikely the firm will find the funds to brand these otherwise vanilla ODM designs as its own.
SmartQ R7 e-reader boasts 3G, touchscreen LCD, magazine service and IPTV (video)
Late to the touchscreen MID party, Chinese manufacturer SmartQ was determined not to miss another opportunity. That's why it spent the month of April touting its new R7 e-reader as -- you guessed it -- the iPad killer. With the same ol' 600MHz ARM11 and 256MB of RAM inside as its ho-hum MIDs, that claim's quite a stretch, but our cohorts at Engadget Chinese actually found the Ubuntu-powered 7-inch SVGA touchscreen device moderately capable in a recent hands-on. Like fellow PMP / e-Reader the Onda VX560, the device supports 1080p in most every video format under the sun, reads e-books (PDF, EPUB and CHM), and has an optional USB 3G modem for on-the-go capability. Ubuntu standbys Midori and Pidgin handle web browsing and IM, respectively, and it can even stream live video and purchase Chinese magazines through SmartQ's services. Sluggish as it might be, for $1,680 RMB (about $250) we'd say that's a pretty respectable featureset. Video after the break, specs and hands-on pics at our source links.
Flash 10.1 snubbing non-ARMv7 Android devices, too? (update: yes)
The same Adobe employee who mentioned on Adobe's official forums that Flash 10.1 would be blowing right past Windows Mobile 6.5 made another notable comment, too: on Android, they'll be conveniently overlooking devices that aren't based on an ARMv7 core like a Snapdragon or OMAP3 -- in other words, pretty much every device of consequence except the Nexus One, HTC Desire, Acer Liquid, Motorola Droid / Milestone, and Sony Ericsson X10. At this point, we're starting to get a little suspicious -- this is the same company that proudly demoed the Hero's custom-rolled Flash support last year, after all, and there'll be no shortage of devices using Qualcomm's MSM7x27 line of chipsets in 2010 -- so we're holding out for some additional verification on this. Granted, forum mod Jochem van Dieten refers to the commenter specifically as an Adobe employee and he's got a Plaxo profile identifying him as a product manager, but this is pretty wild news if accurate. We'll update you as we know more. Update: Indeed, PC Magazine points out that Adobe's current verbiage is that Flash 10.1 is going to require Cortex A8 "or better." So much for the "open" in Open Screen Project, eh?
Core Values: The silicon behind Android
Core Values is our new monthly column from Anand Shimpi, Editor-in-chief of AnandTech. With over a decade of experience poring over the latest in chip developments, he's here to explain how things work and why our tech is the way it is. Remember this chart? It's interesting for a number of reasons, but I want to highlight that all present day Android phones use virtually the same Qualcomm application processor, all based on a sluggish 528MHz ARM11 core. Blech. I've got nothing against Qualcomm, but a big reason most Android phones feel slow is because they're running on slow hardware. The ARM11 core was first announced in 2003. It's old and creaky, and it's used so frequently because it's cheap. But the basic rules of chip design mean that things are about to change fast.
Nokia N97 specs fully revealed
The remainder of the N97's juicy technical details have now been spilled on Nokia's dev-oriented Forum Nokia site -- previously, only cursory data had been posted here -- and there are a couple notable bits that might be of concern to developers and would-be buyers alike. First off, the processor turns out to be a single-core ARM 11 putting along at 434MHz, just 65MHz faster than the 5800's. It's an improvement, yes, but when you consider that the competing i8910 from Samsung runs a higher-performance 600MHz ARM Cortex-A8, it throws a wet towel on the whole thing. Seeing how this is designed to be Nokia's premier device for 2009, couldn't they have gone for broke with the silicon? Secondly -- this is something we already knew, but the spec sheet reminded (and delighted) us -- the N97 supports charging via micro-USB, which the 5800 does not. Life's about tradeoffs, isn't it? [Thanks, M.]
