The new upscaling system outputs a 4K feed to your TV, letting you play mobile games or watch films at an eye-watering high resolution, from your phone.

 

 

BARCELONA, Spain--LG is showing off a new smartphone system, that transforms your smartphone into a 4K media hub.

The South Korean company is calling the new platform the "world's first wireless Ultra HD transmission technology." If you've got a game or video playing on your mobile in HD, the new platform will upscale the feed to a 4K resolution, before beaming it out wirelessly to another device.

In this situation that second device was an LG 4K television, acting as a simple monitor for the 4K feed that the phone was pumping out.

We played with Epic Citadel, a graphically intensive tech demo that -- in this case -- was running on one of LG's Optimus G smartphones. The process of upscaling the feed to 4K is an intensive one, and the phone felt very warm when we touched it, but nevertheless the Optimus G's quad-core processor was handling the task with relative ease.

(Credit: Luke Westaway/CNET)

Games ran with a little judder, but as this technology is still months away from being released I'm prepared to withhold judgement for now. I was told the proprietary system would be cropping up in smartphones at the start of next year, or possibly the end of 2013.

It seems that tech companies want to control your living room by turning your smartphone into a portable media centre.

For me, the system demonstrates how powerful smartphone processors have become in just a few short years. If the Optimus G can handle it, I've no doubt that other mobiles emerging in the next year or two will be equally capable.

What do you think of 4K? Let me know in the comments below, and be sure to examine the rest of our coverage from Mobile World Congress.

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13970_7-57571564-78/lgs-4k-phone-upscaling-squeezes-ultra-hd-from-your-mobile-wirelessly-video/ 

Scania Touring is an entirely new tourist coach from Scania, now being launched in a number of markets in Europe. A complete coach concept, built for Scania on a dedicated line in China.

The all-Scania powertrain comprises Euro 4 and Euro 5 engines from 380 up to 440 hp, a 12-speed gearbox, as well as a choice of fully automated or electronically controlled gearchanging

October 2009 saw the launch of the new Scania Touring coach – designed to meet the needs of Scania customers for a complete coach with one single point of contact for all issues related to servicing and maintaining the chassis, bodywork and all other components.

“The coach is assembled on a dedicated Scania production line in China, enabling us to exert full control of all manufacturing and quality aspects,” says Melker Jernberg, Senior Vice President Buses and Coaches. “In addition, we can offer it to our customers at an attractive price.”

Strengthening the market position

In 2008, Scania was the second largest bus and coach make among European and Japanese manufacturers, behind Mercedes-Benz but ahead of both Volvo and MAN, including Neoplan. The new Scania Touring is the next step in the long-term strategy of Scania Buses and Coaches aiming to further strengthen the company’s market position.

“The foundation of the strategy of Scania Buses and Coaches is a global product family that is supported by all part of the Scania organisation, from factory to dealer,” says Melker Jernberg, Senior Vice President Scania Buses and Coaches. “For a customer who has chosen a vehicle from this global bus and coach family, there should never be any doubt that he has a Scania vehicle.

“This global bus and coach family represents everything that Scania stands for in terms of quality and design,” he adds.

A broad product range

In addition to the new Scania Touring coach, there are today also the Scania OmniCity and OmniLink city and suburban buses and the Scania OmniExpress coaches.

In some markets, this global bus and coach family is not enough, however. It must be supplemented with local solutions. This is why Scania works in cooperation with some 20 regional bus and coach bodybuilders.

The new Scania Touring has been extensively field tested in Dubai, Hong Kong and elsewhere. It has also been put through winter tests and exhaustive endurance testing on Scania’s proving grounds.

Initially Scania Touring will be sold in central and eastern Europe, where the interest in this type of coach has been the greatest. Additional European markets will follow, as well as markets in the East, Africa and Asia.

 
 

Fuel efficiency and comfort

The new coach combines high fuel efficiency with low operating costs. It is equipped with the new fully-automated Scania Opticruise gearchanging system, which was first unveiled during the launch of Scania’s new R-series trucks in September 2009.

Since Scania Touring is part of the company’s global bus and coach family, Scania assumes full responsibility for the coach from factory to dealer, as well as for such services as financing, parts supply and access to its service network.

Text: Conny Hetting
Photos/Illustration: Carl Berge, Carl-Erik Andersson, Dan Boman, Stefan Almers
Illustration: Johan Nohr

Sumber:http://newsroom.scania.com/en-group/2009/10/15/new-scania-touring-a-new-coach-for-the-world/

Ilustrasi

JAKARTA - Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika (Kominfo) akan mengumumkan peringkat peserta seleksi untuk mendapatkan dua kanal tersisa di frekuensi 2.1GHz hari ini. Siapakah di antara PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkomsel) dan PT XL Axiata (XL) yang menempati posisi paling atas.

"Kominfo akan tetap mengumumkan peringkat peserta seleksi 3G pada Senin, 25 Februari," kata kepala Humas Kominfo Gatot S. Dewa Broto kepada Okezone melalui pesan singkat BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), Minggu (24/2/2013).

Seperti diketahui, tiga operator yaitu Telkomsel, XL, dan Indosat beradu cantik untuk memperoleh sisa kanal yang tersedia di frekuensi 2.1GHz. Sayangnya Indosat harus tersingkir pada tahap awal proses seleksi.

Berdasar Peraturan Menteri (PM) Kominfo No. 43/2012 dan Dokumen Seleksi, Telkomsel dan XL akan ditinjau berdasarkan dua aspek yakni administrasi dan kelayakan. Setelah menilai dari aspek tersebut, Kominfo akan menentukan peringkat dari kedua peserta seleksi 3G.

Peringkat ini nantinya akan memperlihatkan siapa yang lebih "cantik" dari kedua operator tersebut. Berdasarkan pasal 20 PM No. 43/2013 menerangkan tim seleksi akan menetapkan peringkat hasil seleksi berdasarkan dengan beberapa ketentuan, yaitu :

a. Urutan peringkat hasil seleksi berdasarkan penilaian tertinggi dari hasil evaluasi kelayakan;
b. Dalam hal terdapat jumlah penilaian yang sama, maka penetapan urutan peringkat dilihat dari nilai evaluasi teknis yang lebih tinggi;
c. Dalam hal penilaian evaluasi teknis sebagaimana dimaksud pada huruf (b) memiliki nilai sama, maka penetapan urutan peringkat dilihat dari evaluasi manajemen finansial yang lebih tinggi.
(amr)

Sumber:http://techno.okezone.com/read/2013/02/25/54/767022/pemerintah-umumkan-operator-tercantik-hari-ini 

(Foto: Softpedia)

NEW YORK - Sebuah tim peneliti yang bekerja sama dengan Universitas Cornell, saat ini sedang berusaha membantu anak-anak yang mengalami penderitaan karena cacat bawaan (Congenital Deformities).

Kelainan medis yang lebih dikenal sebagai microtia ini dapat diobati dengan bantuan telinga cetak 3D yang terlihat dan memiliki kemampuan sangat mirip dengan aslinya.

Microtia adalah  sebuah kondisi medis yang dialami pasien dikarenakan telinga miliknya tidak mampu berkembang dengan baik. Nyatanya kelainan ini dapat memicu stigmatisasi dan masalah serupa lainnya, itulah sebabnya upaya untuk memperbaikinya telah lama dilakukan oleh para peneliti.

Dikutip dari Softpedia, Minggu (24/2/2013), menurut tim ahli dari Cornell University, keberhasilan pencetakan 3D berhasil dapat digunakan oleh insinyur sebagai telinga pengganti baru bagi mereka yang menderita cacat bawaan.

Dalam rangka mengembangkan telinga ini, para peneliti memulai dengan memasukkan gambar telinga manusia ke dalam komputer, kemudian mereka menggunakan printer 3D untuk menyusun sebuah cetakan yang disuntik menggunakan kolagen.

Setelah melakukan langkah tersebut, para peneliti melanjutkan proses dengan menambahkan sekitar 250 juta sel tulang rawan yang diambil dari telinga sapi.

Selesai menambahkan sel tulang rawan, para peneliti hanya harus menunggu tulang rawan untuk tumbuh dan berkembang.

"Dibutuhkan waktu hingga setengah hari untuk merancang cetakan, satu hingga dua hari untuk mencetaknya, 30 menit untuk menyuntikkan gel, hingga akhirnya 15 menit kemudian telinga dapat dipindahkan dari cetakan," jelas Lawrence Bonassar, seorang Spesialis.
(amr)

Sumber: http://techno.okezone.com/read/2013/02/24/56/766796/telinga-3d-bantu-anak-cacat-bawaan 

The Web giant details everything from the bridge to the display of its high-tech spectacles, saying advancements in wearable displays have really been needed.

Google filed a patent application today that covers more details for Google Glass.

(Credit: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; screenshot by Shara Tibken/CNET)

Google sure is trying to head off any possible Glass copycats with its detailed patent application, published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The application, originally filed by Google in August 2011, goes into deep detail on how the glasses could be constructed, with long sections describing factors seemingly as mundane as the arms and bridge of the glasses frames.

As for the display, in a section of the application labeled "Background," Google explains that some head-mounted displays can "almost entirely obstruct the wearer's vision outside of the screen." Others can be "heads-up displays" where an image is displayed on, in, or through a transparent display that superimposes the displayed image over the surrounding environment. Google cautions, though, that the heads-up display can have many limitations, including fit and comfort to the wearers, as well as limited functionality.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin sports his Google Glass eyewear during an event yesterday.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

The company notes that both head-mounted and heads-up display gadgets can be "passive" and deliver things like video and audio tracks from outside sources, like cell phones or tablets. However, it noted that those would have limited functionality. Accordingly, Google argued that "further advances in wearable devices including displays have been needed," hence its push in the area.

There's too much detail for CNET to include all of it here, and it's unlikely that Google will implement all of the items described in its application. But in the competitive (and litigious) world of patents, Google likely wants to be safe to create anything it desires related to the area.

Your world through Google Glass (pictures)

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CNET's Josh Lowensohn contributed to this report.

Sumber:http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57570533-93/google-glass-patent-application-gets-really-technical/ 

The browser-based Chrome OS now has a high-end home: a refined $1,299 laptop with a high-resolution touch screen. It paves the way for Chrome OS tablets, too.

Google's Chromebook Pixel has a high-resolution display that shows crisp text and graphics and good color.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

In an attempt to satisfy cloud-computing power users, Google today launched its Chromebook Pixel, a $1,299 laptop with a high-resolution touch screen that's now the flagship of the Chrome OS fleet.

"The goal was to push the boundary and build something premium," Sundar Pichai, the senior vice president of engineering in charge of Chrome and the Google Apps online services, said in an interview. Google engineers set out on the "labor of love" project two years ago, asking themselves, "What could we do if we really wanted to design the best computer possible at the best price possible?"

The answer is a 3.3-pound computer that brings a lot more polish to a product family that's been much more about low cost. Chrome OS runs Web apps in the browser rather than native apps written for traditional operating systems such as iOS or Windows, and the focus so far has been on consumer machines with a low sticker price and business machines that are cheap to manage.

Google is pushing pricing much higher than the previously top-end Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550 at $550. There are two Chromebook Pixel models in the United States, a $1,299 Wi-Fi-only model with a 32GB SSD and a $1,499 model that adds 4G mobile networking using Verizon's LTE service. The price includes three years' access to 1 terabyte of cloud-based storage space on Google Drive and 12 sessions of GoGo Inflight Internet access.

High-end Chrome OS: Google's Chromebook Pixel (pictures)

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The Wi-Fi model is available immediately on Google Play, and the LTE version will be available at the beginning of April, Google said. Outside the U.S., where LTE is relatively scarce, only Wi-Fi models will be sold. Bestbuy.com and a few Best Buy stores also will sell the laptop.

Google, having caught the religion of design and no doubt inspired by Apple's successes, was deeply involved in aesthetic choices and mechanical engineering. The company designed not just the software but also the feel of the hinge, the layout of the electronics board, the placement of the speakers, the third microphone for canceling out keyboard typing noises, a chassis with new visible screws, and the surface of the trackpad.

"These aren't economies-of-scale volume parts," Pichai said. "In many cases they are custom one-off components, precision engineered."

For Google, a touch-enabled Chromebook paves the way for more dramatic departures -- for example, a Chrome OS tablet.

"We're pushing computing forward. It'll definitely make the ecosystem rethink touch," Pichai said. "I think people will take the first step toward building tablets with this."

Of course, a Chrome OS tablet would mean the browser-based operating system competes directly with Android. It's possible to build Android's Java-like programming foundation into Chrome OS so Android apps could run, but Pichai said it's "premature" to talk about that possibility at this stage. Chrome and Android sharing already is going the other direction: with Chrome now available for newer Android devices, Google can work on improving how well Web apps run on mobile devices.

High-end screen
The most notable feature on the Chromebook Pixel is its screen.

It's a very high-resolution 12.85-inch, 2560x1700 display whose aspect ratio is a taller-than-usual 3:2 size for more vertical screen space. It's covered with a layer of Gorilla Glass for protection and has an unusually high 400-nit brightness.

The linear resolution of 239 pixels per inch means it exceeds the 13-inch MacBook Pro's Retina 227ppi screen by a smidgen, making fonts smooth and graphics sharp. As with Retina devices, though, a lot of software and Web pages must be updated before graphics will look their best.

And of course it's a touch screen, something Microsoft has strongly advocated with Windows 8 but Apple has yet to embrace for its Macs. People can touch icons to load Chrome apps, touch tabs to switch among them, swipe to scroll around Web pages, and -- when Web apps have been adapted suitably -- pinch to zoom.

Screen resolution improves dramatically, as this close-up view comparing a Samsung Chromebook S5 550 and Chromebook Pixel shows. (Click to enlarge.)

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

"Touch is a game changer over time. Over time I ended up using it more and more. I'm an old dog to which new tricks can be taught," Pichai said. For his daughter, "touch became the primary mode of input" for operations that ordinarily would use a mouse or trackpad.

Under the covers, the Pixel uses a dual-core 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor with integrated HD 4000 graphics, 4GB of DDR3 memory, and a fan that can switch on to keep the electronics cool. It's got two USB 2.0 ports, a combination headphone-microphone jack, an SD Card slot, and a Mini DisplayPort for hooking up a TV or external monitor. The battery lasts five hours with typical usage.

Google steadily improves the software with new Chrome OS releases every six weeks. One change that's coming in the next three months: the QuickOffice viewer software used to open Microsoft Word and Excel files also will let people edit those documents, Pichai said.

"We want to make it a nonissue if you run into Office files," Pichai said. "Yes, you can upconvert to Google Docs, but if my daughter's teacher sends me a form, I just open it up in Chrome, fill it out, save it, and send it back to her."

The name Chrome is a bit perverse, since it's a stock term for a program's user-interface elements and a Google objective with the browser was to make that UI get out of the way as much as possible. The Chromebook Pixel recapitulates the idea: each pixel on the screen is effectively invisible. Indeed, Google hopes the notebook itself will fade into the background so people will pay attention instead to what they're doing with it.

"We wanted to immerse users in what they were doing," Pichai said.

That's why the hardware, while intended to be refined, is also spartan and utilitarian. There's no multicolored Chrome logo, just the name Chrome above the keyboard and on the back of the hinge as on other Chrome OS devices.

The Chromebook Pixel measures 297.7 x 224.6 x 16.2mm.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Competing with partners
Like the Nexus line of Android phones and tablets, the Pixel raises the specter that Google's partners will have to compete with Google itself. Samsung and Acer built the first generations of Chromebooks and their desktop companions, Chromeboxes. Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard joined the fray this year.

Google argues that it's avoiding stepping on those partners' toes with the Chromebook Pixel, though -- even though that limits the potential success of the device.

"We put it at a price point where they aren't today," Pichai said. "Our goal wasn't to be too commercial with this. Our goal is to get it in the hands of developers so they can build amazing applications. We wanted to give power users a way they can live on Chromebooks."

Building that ecosystem is important. Although Chromebooks can load Web pages like Facebook or Google Docs just like a browser on any conventional PC, they also can run Web apps built with standard Web development tools like HTML and JavaScript or with Google's own technologies such as Native Client.

A backlit keyboard makes night-typing practical.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Developers can package up these apps to be given away or sold through Google's Chrome Web Store. As with Google Play and Apple's App Store, Google keeps a percentage of the resulting revenue.

But hardware sales and app store proceeds aren't where Google makes its real money on Chromebooks, at least today. Rather, it's online services.

When people search Google and click on search ads, Google makes money, but when they're using another company's browser, Google has to share some of that revenue, a portion that's called traffic acquisition costs. Google doesn't have to make TAC payments when searches are through Chrome or Chrome OS, though, making its search operation more profitable.

In addition, Chrome OS dovetails well with Google Apps, Google's suite of online services for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, calendar scheduling, and e-mail. Google charges $50 per user per year for Google Apps, and for businesses deploying Chromebooks, it charges an extra $30 per user per year for use of centralized management software.

"The Google Apps customer base turns out to be a lead generator for Chromebooks," Pichai said. 

Sumber:http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57570520-93/googles-chromebook-pixel-elevates-chrome-os-ambitions/

Will Sony's handheld PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 work together to do things you've only dreamed of? Well, hopefully.

Can the Vita be revitalized by the PS4? Sony hopes so.

(Credit: Photo by Sarah Tew/CNET)

The PlayStation 4 is Sony's last great hope in keeping control of the gaming industry. It's also the best chance at turning the PlayStation Vita into a more relevant piece of gaming hardware.

Sony finally unveils PS4 (pictures)

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At last night's PlayStation 4 event in New York, many hew tidbits of hardware magic were discussed, and a good handful of them involved the Vita: as a remote-play device and additional controller like the Wii U's GamePad, and maybe even as a functional second screen. It's encouraging, but not surprising. I bet it would happen long before last night's event even started. That's because the PlayStation and Sony's PlayStation handhelds have been doing this dance for years.

The PlayStation Vita debuted just one year ago, but it feels like a lot longer than that. Time moves fast in tech, but commercial reception and game support for Sony's advanced piece of handheld hardware has been tepid, to say the least. The Vita needs a shot in the arm. Its potential with the PlayStation 3 was never realized -- at least, not as a second-screen satellite experience. Can the PS4 and the Vita be a dream team at last? Here are the best bets for how a PS4 could be a Vita's best friend.

Multiplayer gaming
Nintendo's Wii U might have a lot of strikes against it, but one thing it does exceedingly well is leverage a second-screen controller as a multiplayer game accessory. You can grab the Wii U GamePad and have someone else use the TV, and play a two-player game together very easily.

Last E3, the Vita and PS3 promised similar connectivity.

(Credit: CNET)

There are already games that accomplish this cross-controller play feature between PS3 and Vita -- in fact, Sony's been rolling out this feature slowly over recent games. But the support and ease-of-use has never made the concept anything more than a novelty.
There's no reason why a Vita can't accomplish a similar goal with the PlayStation 4, but Sony hasn't gone into great detail over how this will work. But the PS4 could pull this trick off with a greater supported library and with faster, more lag-free processing.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Remote play: Off-TV
Imagine if the Vita could access and play the PS4's game library via localized streaming; you could play Killzone -- the console version -- in your bedroom. That's exactly what Sony plans to do, according to last night: a large portion of the PS4 library will theoretically stream and play on a Vita in your home, much like the Wii U's GamePad handles games like New Super Mario Bros. or Madden. On the PS4, this localized streaming will be powered by Gaikai.
Will it work as seamlessly? Sony's presser promised greatly improved transmission times between the Vita and PS4, but what Nintendo's made possible with the GamePad isn't that easy a feat. Then again, the appeal of the Vita as a standalone device that can play another console's games locally feels like something the Wii U GamePad could only dream of being.

(Credit: CNET)

Yet, the Vita lacks something the Wii U GamePad has: truly comfortable analog pads and rear analog triggers. The Vita's controls may resemble a PlayStation DualShock controller, but they don't match it perfectly (and, it lacks rumble). It won't be as seamless a gaming controller as the GamePad, especially for first-person shooters that heavily rely on both dual analog sticks and trigger/shoulder buttons.

The Nvidia Shield will work with Steam for remote play, too.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Also, Sony won't be the only company out there trying this trick. Nvidia's Project Shield, unveiled at CES in January, hopes to do the same thing with Steam-playable PC games on an Android device later this year. And one can only guess that Microsoft's planning a similar feat with Windows 8 devices and the "Xbox 720."
Vita as remote
The Vita is somewhat big and bulky compared with a phone, but it has front and rear touch panels and plenty of buttons to have it serve an easy purpose for remote control duties. Sony didn't detail this functionality per se. Of course, with a full touch pad on the DualShock 4 controller and Sony's announced support for a Smart Glass-like PlayStation App for phones and tablets, the need to use a Vita like this shrinks.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Phone and tablet competition: PlayStation App
Speaking of phones and tablets: Sony's announced that its forthcoming PlayStation App will work on both iOS and Android, and looks like it'll work as a social PlayStation Network browser, means of buying games, spectating game footage online, and even being a second screen for game maps or other in-game features, much like Microsoft's Smart Glass.
If that's true -- and cleverly done -- then where does that leave the Vita?
Sony has made its own Vita competition, in a sense. Even if the Vita is the only way to play locally streamed games on a second device using Gaikai technology, which hasn't been determined, many people might prefer using a phone or tablet out of sheer convenience. The accessory of choice for the PS4 might already be in your pocket.
Sony has supported tablet and phone PlayStation compatibility, at least nominally, via PlayStation Mobile. Maybe PlayStation App is just an extension of PlayStation Mobile...but if it takes away part of the Vita's appeal to a PS4 owner-to-be, what then? It certainly hampers the "Vita as ultimate PS4 accessory" argument a little bit.
The Vita needs its killer app, and so does the PS4. The two could use each other a lot. Whether or not the PS4 makes good on the previous promises made with on the PS3, of course, hasn't been proven yet. I want to believe -- really, I do -- that the Vita will find its way and blossom with the PS4. It's just that I've heard this pitch before.

Sumber:http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-9020_7-57570338-222/ps4-and-the-vita-the-multiscreen-dream...again/