| Inside Consumer Reports’ Electronics Testing Lab Posted: 06 Nov 2008 11:00 AM CST You probably only read Consumer Reports if a) you are at your grandparents house or b) you are a grandparent yourself. But that's too bad, because tucked quietly away in the NYC suburb of Yonkers lies one of the biggest and best electronics testing labs money can buy. And what goes on here at Consumer Reports main test facility probably puts most other tech pubs to shame. We got a chance to look at all of the top dollar gear used to put everything found in CR's electronics pages in a complete vacuum of testing, basically removing every possible outside variable to test the pure hardware performance. That means anechoic chambers built on their own foundation (at a cost of $2.5 million in 1980) for total sound isolation; industrial-quality cell tower base station generators inside fully RF-shielded rooms that can crank out every possible mobile phone frequency at any strength; a "head and torso simulator" named Pedro, able to be calibrated down to the millimeter for testing every aspect of cellphone call quality possible, and a nameless human finger simulator composed of, well, meat (in action below as well). See our captioned gallery for a closer look: galleryPost('crtestlab', 13, ''); Unfortunately, what makes CR so exemplary as a reliable testing lab also contribute to its fate to be found mostly on grandmother's end table next to the bowl of fossilized peppermints. As a non-profit organization, CR doesn't sell any advertising to anyone, anywhere, nor do they accept any review units or advance loaners from the company—everything they test, from a new BMW to an electric toothbrush, they buy. That means employees get pretty sick re-sale discounts on new cars every year. It also means they're fighting an eternally uphill battle vs. the other tech pubs that don't keep such high standards, and must keep all of their content behind a pay wall online, for subscribers only. The subscribers they have are among the most loyal of any magazine, but the vast majority of... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] |
| Giz Explains: What’s So Awesome About 64-Bit? Posted: 05 Nov 2008 01:00 PM CST The phrase "64-bit" has been tossed around lately, the most it's been since the Nintendo 64. If you haven't heard it, pay attention. One of the most important steps forward in computer power is happening right under your nose, but most people don't know thanks to the sneaky efforts of Microsoft and Apple. Though fully 64-bit operating systems are the OSes of tomorrow, you can taste some of that power today with 64-bit versions of Windows and OS X. Here's why 64-bit computing is so awesome: In a word, memory. We're not going to get super nerdy on you here (Wikipedia will gladly go there). To keep it simple, the whole bit thing (16-bit, 32-bit, 64-bit) refers to how much data the computer can keep track of, or talk to, at once, and that's what determines how much memory it can handle. A processor with 32-bit memory addresses can basically roll with 4GB of RAM. A 64-bit system can rock, on the other hand, 16 exabytes of RAM. That's 16.8 billion terabytes. Of RAM. You're not going to get that kind of memory, not anytime soon; for now, from a user standpoint, this means there's simply no ceiling to memory expansion. So while 32-bit hardware and software—the current norm in PC-land—limited you to 4GB of RAM (Physical Address Extension will let you have more, but 32-bit software will still only use 4GB), with 64-bit hardware and software, you can use vast amounts of RAM, which enables a whole new world of possibilities for applications, since they'll have a massive amounts of memory to work with. The road to 64-bit rather conveniently dovetails with the multi-core processor arms race, using graphics cards for processing and growth of parallel processing in mainstream computing. In other words, in just a short generation, applications will be able to harness an exponential increase in power over what they can use today—a crapload of processors working together with a smorgasbord of memory at their disposal. With 64-bit, computers can also crunch bigass... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] |
| Shang-Highed: On Top of the World’s Tallest Observatory Posted: 05 Nov 2008 11:00 AM CST digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_bgcolor = '#f1f8fa'; digg_url = 'http://digg.com/travel_places/Shanghaied_on_Top_of_the_World_s_Tallest_Observatory'; It's an unfortunately foggy morning in Shanghai, but from where I am, the crappy weather only adds to the feeling of standing in the middle of clouds. I'm towering almost half a kilometer over the rest of the city, on the highest man-made observation deck in the world, the 100th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center, which opened just two months ago. With cumulus on my right, stratus on my left and a mirrored ceiling reflecting their formations back at me—I feel myself getting dizzy. Have I developed a fear of heights, or is vertigo inevitable when you're this far up? The Shanghai World Financial Center, also known as The Mori Building, officially opened on August 28th this year after over a decade of planning. When it was first envisioned—by a Japanese construction company, The Mori Group—it was to reach 97 floors tall, surpassing the spires of the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. But construction only got as far as the foundations during the late 1990s, sliding to a halt when the Asian financial crisis hit and the Mori Group found itself juggling a massive fund shortage. By the time it began building again in 2003, Taiwan had already started on Taipei 101 which—at 508 meters counting its ridiculously tall spire—would soon wrestle away the title of World's Tallest Building. The Mori Group scrambled to change their plans, but since the foundations put in five years ago were only made to support 460 meters, the most they could add was four more floors, settling for second place, but with an asterisk: The building has the highest observation point in the world. The observatory for the SWFC has its own entrance, located on the ground level and to the side of the actual skyscraper. For 150 yuan ($22), you get a ticket to see the 94th floor Sky Arena, the 97th floor Sky Walk, and Floor... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] |
| How the CNN Holographic Interview System Works Posted: 04 Nov 2008 09:08 PM CST digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_bgcolor = '#f1f8fa'; digg_url = 'http://digg.com/television/How_the_CNN_Holographic_Interview_System_Works'; CNN's holographic election coverage is fancy pantsy, but how did they manage to send 3D 360 degree footage of virtual correspondent Jessica Yellin from Chicago all the way to the station's election center in NY? As Arthur C. Clarke says, Magic. A magic made possible from technology Vizrt and SportVu with the help of forty-four HD cameras and twenty computers. Here are the details. On the subject's side: • 35 HD cameras pointed at the subject in a ring • Different cameras shoot at different angles (like the matrix), to transmit the entire body image • The cameras are hooked up to the cameras in home base in NY, synchronizing the angles so perspective is right • The system is set up in trailers outside Obama and McCain HQ • Not only is it mechanical tracking via camera communication, there's infrared as well • Correspondents see a 37-inch plasma where the return feed of the combined images are fed back to them. Useful for a misplaced hair or an unseemly boogar • Twenty "computers" are crunching this data in order to make it usable On the HQ side: • Only used on two out of 40-something total camera feeds that CNN has • Wolf Blitzer really loves it (or loves Jessica Yellin): It's still Jessica Yellin and you look like Jessica Yellin and we know you are Jessica Yellin. I think a lot of people are nervous out there. All right, Jessica. You were a terrific hologram. • The delay is either minimal, or we've gotten used to satellite delay that we don't even notice now • An array of computers takes the crunched info feed from the subject's side in order to mesh it with the video from Wolf's side. • Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the images are actually "projected" onto the floor of the CNN studio so that Wolf can actually talk to the person, you... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] |
| Prof. Dealzmodo: Why You Should Buy a Refurbished Laptop Posted: 04 Nov 2008 03:00 PM CST Yes, there is a stigma associated with buying refurbished laptops. I understand it to a degree—I mean, there is nothing like liberating a fresh, shiny gadget from its plastic packaging prison. What I don't understand is how this stigma exists in a society where buying a used car is so widely accepted. As many others have pointed out, the process of buying a refurb and a used car are actually very similar—except the financial risk we take on with the latter is generally much, much higher. So why are we so hung up on this? We shouldn't be—and here is why. The Facts: Fact #1: The economy is busted right now. One of the sticking points people have with refurbished laptops is that they may not be getting top-of-the-line performance and features. While this is usually true, it is important to seriously analyze your computing needs and determine what you really need vs. what you really want. For example, in a recent Question of the Day, I asked Giz readers whether they really need a $1000 laptop. Out of nearly 9000 votes, 42% responded "No", 21% responded "Yes, but only because I like to have the best of everything", and 19% responded "Yes, but only because I am unwilling to sacrifice on the OS." Basically, this implies that many of us are buying more laptop than we really need. Fact #2: The term "used" takes on a slightly different meaning when you are talking about refurbished laptops. Analysis of outlet stores and other refurb dealers reveals that "refurbished" laptops that have been used are most likely returns that have been in circulation 30 days or less. When the laptops are returned, they undergo a thorough inspection and should be good as new. They could also be demos or products with slight defects that are repaired during the inspection. Refurb outlets also sometimes offer discounts on overstocked items. In this case, the laptops have never been used at all. Fact #3: Most reputable retailers will offer a return policy and some sort of... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] |
