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One might expect a smallish outfit like CyberPower to start the new year off with merely a fizzle, but the "bang" is firmly in place with this one. The company has just announced its refaced (and re-energized) Black Mamba gaming PC, complete with Intel's freshest Core i7 Extreme CPU, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, twin 64GB Kingston SSDs, 2TB of SATA II storage space, a pair of watercooled ATI Radeon 5870 GPUs, a 4x Lite-On Blu-ray drive and a 12-in-1 media reader for good measure. You'll also get a tweaked BIOS that gives you more flexibility when it comes to overclocking, and the bundled Razer input peripherals ensure that even your mouse and keyboard needs are addressed. Best of all, this pristine piece of gaming goodness can be ordered up right now -- problem is, you'll need a bare minimum of $3,800 to cover the cost of acquisition. But hey, that 2009 tax refund should cover that in just a few months, right? Gallery: Refreshed CyberPower Black Mamba gaming rig: downright awesome (for rich people)
Refreshed CyberPower Black Mamba gaming rig: downright awesome (for rich people) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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You know what's in just over a month? We'll tell you: Valentine's Day. You know what's coming up this Thursday? Something "new" from Palm. Now, we won't go so far as to say that a pink Palm Pixi is definitely in the cards for a CES unveiling, but a pink Palm Pixi is most definitely showing up in Sprint's internal systems (according to this graphic, anyway). So, what say you, readers -- is a new hue of webOS just around the bend, or are we just lovestruck? Pink Palm Pixi spotted on Sprint system, Cupid is like 'boomshakalaka' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Are you a keyboard ninja looking for a way to do even more in Firefox with your keyboard? See how easy it is to work that ninja magic with the SiteLauncher extension.
Once SiteLauncher is Installed
After installing the extension it is recommended that you go into the settings first to make any desired changes or modifications. Here you can see the “Launcher Hotkey, Direct to Site Hotkey, & Default Shortcuts”.
To remove a website from the list, click on it to select it and then click on the “x” that will appear at the end of that listing. To change a current shortcut click on the appropriate listing, make the desired changes, and click on the “Revise Button”.
Note: The “Revise Button” will take the place of the “Add Shortcut Button” when modifying current listings.
Make any desired changes to how SiteLauncher behaves, the “Appearance” and the “Effects”. You can experiment with the appearance and effects to make SiteLauncher match up very nicely with your current browser theme if desired.
In the lower right corner you will be able to access the “Advanced Tweaks”…
These are the “Advanced Tweaks” for SiteLauncher. You can return to the “Main Options” using the button in the lower right corner.
The “Help Section” has more information concerning the hotkey combinations used to activate SiteLauncher and the shortcut links that you have added to it.
You can also enable or disable additional visual options/features in SiteLauncher such as grouping related links, mouse support, and custom icons. Notice that there is also an option to import and export your settings…
SiteLauncher in Action
Here is what SiteLauncher looked like in our example browser after some changes and modifications in the “Settings”. We changed the hotkey combination, the websites listed, single-hotkey activators, text size, and padding to personalize it.
Note: You may also use your mouse to click on the “links” in the SiteLauncher window.
If you prefer you can use the toolbar button to access SiteLauncher…just click to activate it. Note that the toolbar button is automatically added after installing the extension and can be easily removed using the “Customize Toolbar Window”.
This is the additional menu that will be added to your “Menu Toolbar”. You can deactivate it in the “Settings” (see “Advanced Tweaks” above).
Conclusion
If you love being a keyboard ninja and want to expand that to browsing a customized list of websites in Firefox, then you will definitely enjoy using this extension.
Links
Download the SiteLauncher extension (Mozilla Add-ons)
Download the SiteLauncher extension (Extension Homepage)
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Whoa, Nelly! Just weeks after Intel came clean with its new Pine Trial nettop and netbook platform, the company is today cutting loose with a few more. This go 'round, we've got the 32nm Arrandale (which consists of the Core i5 Mobile and Core i3 Mobile) heading for the laptops and the 32nm Clarkdale chips over on the desktop front. Starting with the former, most reviews found the CPU + GPU solution to be faster than rivaling Core 2 Duo + integrated GPU options, with the Core i5 being particularly potent in highly threaded applications. Better still, battery life didn't seem to take a hit even with the extra performance, though high-end, high-res gaming was still a lesson in futility when working without a discrete graphics card. Overall, the chip was a welcome addition to the fold, but we got the feeling that the first wave was priced too high and offered too little of a performance increase on the gaming side to really warrant a wholehearted recommendation. As for the Clarkdale? The Core i5 661 that everyone seemed to snag was found to be blisteringly fast, with most folks deeming it the outright champion in the dual-core realm. Unfortunately, the integrated GPU was -- again -- not awesome for hardcore gaming, and the questionable pricing didn't exactly thrill some critics. Do yourself a favor and dig into the benchmarks below -- we get the feeling we'll be seeing oodles of machines hit the wires this week with these chips within. Intel's Arrandale and Clarkdale CPUs get benchmarked for your enjoyment originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A trusted equation for calculating the age of the solar system may need rewriting. New measurements show that one of the equation’s assumptions — that certain kinds of uranium always appear in the same relative quantities in meteorites — is wrong.
“Since the 1950s, or even before that, no one had been able to detect any differences” in the quantities of uranium, says Gregory Brennecka of Arizona State University, coauthor of a paper describing the work published online Dec. 31 in Science. “Now we’re able to measure slight differences.”
Those differences could mean that current estimates of the age of the solar system overshoot that age by 1 million years or more. Historical estimates place the age at about 4.5 billion years—a number that is not precise enough to show a difference of one million—but more finely honed recent calculations place the age at more like 4.5672 billion years. One million years is still an eyeblink at this scale, representing the difference between 4.566 and 4.567, but this difference is important in understanding the infant solar system.
“The building blocks of planets all formed within the span of 10 million years at most,” says coauthor Meenakshi Wadhwa, also of Arizona State. “When you start to try to unravel the sequence of events within that 10 million years, it becomes important to resolve the time scales within a million years or less.”
The study also finds evidence bolstering the idea that a low-mass supernova exploded nearby shortly before the solar system was born, providing heavy elements to build planets.
Geochemists measure the ages of rocks by measuring the abundance of radioactive isotopes — versions of the same element that have different atomic masses — in parts of meteorites called calcium-aluminum–rich inclusions. These inclusions are thought to be the first solids to have condensed from the cooling cloud of gas that gave birth to the sun and planets.
Because a radioactive element decays from a parent isotope to a daughter isotope at a specific rate, scientists can infer the age of a rock by comparing the amounts of each isotope.
The currently accepted calculation of the solar system’s age is derived from comparing lead-206, a daughter isotope of uranium-238, to lead-207, a daughter isotope of uranium-235.
That comparison relies on knowing the ratio of uranium-238 to uranium-235. Earlier calculations of the ratio all came up with the same number, 137.88. The assumption that the ratio was constant simplified calculations greatly — it allowed scientists to combine both uranium values into a single number, eliminating one variable from the equation. Lead isotopes are easier to measure with high precision than uranium isotopes, so an age-estimation system based only on lead values was thought to be extremely precise.
“Everybody was sitting on this two-legged stool claiming it was very stable,” comments Gerald Wasserburg, emeritus professor of geology at Caltech who was involved in much of the early work in measuring uranium ratios. “But it turns out it’s not.”
There were reasons to doubt that the uranium ratio was constant. For one thing, no theoretical reasoning supports the assumption. What’s more, measurements that relied on other, less precise radioisotopes disagreed with the age derived from lead — but agreed with one another.
“It’s kind of been a black eye for a few people in geochronology,” Brennecka says. “To really say we know the age of the solar system based on the age of the rock, it’s essential that they all agree.”
To test whether the uranium ratio really was constant, Brennecka and colleagues took samples from calcium-aluminum–rich inclusions in the well-studied Allende meteorite and measured how much uranium-235 and uranium-238 they held. Technological innovations made their measurements more precise than previous efforts.
Measurements at Brennecka’s lab and at a collaborator’s lab in Frankfurt, Germany, both showed an excess of uranium-235. This excess means that future geochemists will have to first measure the quantities of uranium-235 and uranium-238 in early solar system materials before determining their ages.
“It’s not as if this age-dating process doesn’t work anymore,” says coauthor Ariel Anbar, also of Arizona State. “But if you want to push this isotope system to get ages that are really precise, suddenly we realize that there’s this variation you need to take into account.”
The team also determined that the extra uranium-235 comes from trace amounts of a radioactive element called curium present in the early solar system and formed only in certain types of supernova explosions.
“It’s an important step forward,” comments Andrew Davis of the University of Chicago. “There have been so many unsuccessful experiments in the past, but this one succeeded. I think it will be an important piece of the puzzle.”
Image: NASA/JPL
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digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/Freescale_reveals_7_inch_smartbook_reference_design_hopes_t'; Freescale Semiconductor is helping to kick this year's CES off with a bang, as its latest reference smartbook design actually has somewhat of a sexy flair to it. Currently, the model is little more than a great idea, but the company is hoping to have it available for partner evaluation starting next month. In theory, at least, this "smartbook tablet" would boast an ultrathin form factor, weigh around 0.8 pounds and get powered by a 1GHz i.MX515 processor. Other specs would include 512MB of DDR2 RAM, a 1,024 x 600 touch panel, 4GB to 64GB of internal storage, a microSD expansion slot, optional 3G WWAN module, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, a USB 2.0 socket, audio in / out, 3 megapixel camera, inbuilt 3-axis accelerometer, an ambient light sensor and a 1,900mAh battery. We aren't quite sure what kind of bulk discounts Freescale is counting on, but it's hoping that this design will "enable a second generation of smartbook products with prices less than $200." We dig the ambition and all, but we're guessing OEMs will actually want to turn a profit should they sign on to sell something like this.Gallery: Freescale reveals 7-inch smartbook reference design, hopes to see it ship for $200
Continue reading Freescale reveals 7-inch smartbook reference design, hopes to see it ship for $200
Freescale reveals 7-inch smartbook reference design, hopes to see it ship for $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We haven’t told anybody before, but Windows has a hidden “How-To Geek Mode” that you can enable which gives you access to every Control Panel tool on a single page—and we’ve documented the secret method for you here.
Update: Do not use this on Vista. If you did, you can use Ctrl+Shift+Esc to start task manager, File Run and open a command prompt with cmd.exe, and then use the rmdir command to get rid of the folder.
To activate the secret How-To Geek mode, right-click on the desktop, choose New –> Folder, and then give it this name:
How-To Geek.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
Once you’ve done so, you’ll have activated the secret mode, and the icon will change…
Double-click on the icon, and now you can use the How-To Geek mode, which lists out every single Control Panel tool on a single page.
At this point you might notice why this is a stupid geek trick—it’s much easier to use the default Control Panel than navigating through a massive list, and anybody that really calls themselves a geek will be using the Start Menu or Control Panel search box anyway.
In case you were wondering, this is the same as that silly “God Mode” trick that everybody else is writing about. For more on why it’s pointless, see Ed Bott’s post on the subject.
Alright, So It’s Not Really a Secret How-To Geek Mode
Sadly, this is nothing more than a stupid geek trick using a technique that isn’t widely known—Windows uses GUIDs (Globally Unique Identifiers) behind the scenes for every single object, component, etc. And when you create a new folder with an extension that is a GUID recognized by Windows, it’s going to launch whatever is listed in the registry for that GUID.
You can see for yourself by heading into regedit.exe and searching for {ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} under the HKCR CLSID section. You’ll see on the right-hand pane that it’s the “All Tasks” view of the Control Panel, which you can’t normally see from the UI.
You can use this same technique for other Windows objects by doing some digging around in the registry… for instance, if you were to search under HKCR CLSID for “Recycle Bin”, you’d eventually come across the right key—the one on the left-hand side here:
So if you created a folder with the name “The Geek Knows Deleted Files.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}”, you’d end up with this icon, clearly from the Recycle Bin.
And it’s even a fully functional Recycle Bin… just right-click and you’ll see the menu:
So here’s the quick list of the ones I felt like digging up, but I’m sure there’s more things you can launch if you really felt like it.
Recycle Bin: {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
My Computer: {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Network Connections: {7007ACC7-3202-11D1-AAD2-00805FC1270E}
User Accounts: {60632754-c523-4b62-b45c-4172da012619}
Libraries: {031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}
To use any of them, simply create a new folder with the syntax AnyTextHere.{GUID}
Create Shortcuts to GUIDs
Since the GUID points to a Windows object launched by Windows Explorer, you can also create shortcuts and launch them directly from explorer.exe instead of creating the folder. For instance, if you wanted to create a shortcut to My Computer, you could paste in the following as the location for a new shortcut:
explorer ::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

And just like that, you’d have a shortcut to My Computer, which you can customize with a different icon, and a shortcut key if you so choose.
Yeah, it’s a stupid geek trick, but it’s always fun to learn new things.
Note: The Control Panel’s All Items hack and the Libraries hack will probably only work in Windows 7. The others should work in any version of Windows.
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What good would the rumor mill be if it didn't voice our innermost desires? Apparently not content with giving us the roomy 4.3-inch HD2, HTC is now said to be actively testing out fully fledged tablet devices. Slated (get it?) to be driven by Google's Android and minimalist Chrome OS, multiple varieties are currently being run through their paces and there's even word that "core HTC customers" will get to check them out at CES. Who these doyens are and whether they'll be so kind as to leak us a few photos is unknown, but word is that Qualcomm and Adobe are engaged to provide their hardware and software knowhow -- making for an impressive corporate combo if nothing else. This is still strictly uncorroborated, one-source rumormongering, but ain't it fun?HTC testing out 'touch tablets' for Android and Chrome OS? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Keeping the news flowing fast and furious, Samsung has come out with a quartet of new netbooks, distinguishable primarily by their battery life. The N210 and 220 take the lead with a purported 12 hours of "connected mobility," while the NB30 (11 hours) and N150 (8.5 hours) are none too shabby either. The N150 differentiates itself with an "integrated hinge," while the NB30 focuses on durability with a HDD protection sensor and a water-tight seal that protects the netbook from up to 50cc of water. Still, the machines do share a lot, including an Atom N450 at their heart, and a 10.1-inch anti-reflective screen, plus -- you'd be better sit down for this -- mark- and scratch-resistant casing. Does this mean the end of the fingerprint-loving netbook? We can only hope so. Full PR blurb after the break.Continue reading Samsung hops on Atom N450 bandwagon with N210, N220, N150 and NB30 netbooks
Samsung hops on Atom N450 bandwagon with N210, N220, N150 and NB30 netbooks originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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And just like that, the CES 2010 on-switch has been well and truly pressed. After HP, Sony and Lenovo all exposed their hardware to the world prematurely, it was inevitable that other companies would "accidentally" follow suit. Thanks to CNET's snooping, we're now staring at a trio of new Core i3 models from Dell, Toshiba and Gateway -- highlighted by an unannounced ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 powering a 1600 x 900 15-inch display on the Gateway, which also squeezes 500GB of storage under a shockingly low $692 price tag. On the Atom front, the Mini 210 is joined by a Toshiba NB305 -- sporting the N450, 250GB HDD, up to 11 hours' claimed battery life, and a $438 sticker -- as well as Gateway's effort with a smaller 160GB HDD but also suitably reduced $285 asking price. Hit the links below to get freshened up on all the juicy details.Dell, Toshiba and Gateway Core i3 laptops get revealed early, joined by Pine Trail netbooks originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/Samsung_NX10_made_official'; Samsung has just announced its NX10 "hybrid DSLR," which aims to give you all the uncompromising image quality of a full digital SLR within a somewhat more pocketable body. A 14.6 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor is a good start on that road, while "fast and decisive" contrast AF and a snazzy 3-inch AMOLED display keep the momentum going. There's 720p H.264-encoded video recording as well, but naturally you do have to make some tradeoffs for the reduced size. The mirror box is gone -- leaving you with only an electronic viewfinder -- and the brand new NX lens mounting system means you'll have to purchase your favorite lenses all over again. We'll wait and see whether the NX10 shows any appreciable advantages (such as price!) over the slightly smaller Micro Four Thirds shooters out there, but with a spring 2010 release date and a CES appearance on the cards, that wait shouldn't be too long. Go past the break for the full PR and spec sheet.Gallery: Samsung NX10
Samsung NX10 made official -- APS-C sensor and AMOLED screen crammed into hybrid DSLR body originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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City living often necessitates making the most of small spaces. Check out how one New Yorker packed gear for work and play into a small apartment office.
Lifehacker reader tyfihi has managed to squeeze quite a bit of gear into his small home office. You'll find a workstation with not only dual monitors but dual computers too, a pair of chairs and a record player for relaxing and listening to music, a mixing board for creating music, and a fair amount of storage for such a small space. Check out the office in the pictures below:
If you have a workspace of your own to show off, throw the pictures on your Flickr account and add it to the Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell Pool. Include some details about your setup and why it works for you, and you just might see it featured on the front page of Lifehacker.
The Brooklynite's Office [Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell Pool]
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/Lenovo_ThinkPad_Edge_13_review_thin_sexy_and_just_549'; Lenovo has always had a certain knack for producing some of the most reliable, ergonomic and slender ultraportables on the market (see ThinkPad X301 and ThinkPad X200). But they've always had one issue: prices that ring up at well over a grand. Where's the killer ThinkPad ultraportable for the rest of us been? Well hello, ThinkPad Edge 13 - a thin, light Intel ULV powered laptop with an entirely new design that starts at $549. Yes, $549. But at that price point and with some serious changes to some traditional elements can it live up to the ThinkPad quality that we've been accustomed to for years? And can it stand out in the overpopulated CULV-based laptop market? We spent a couple days putting a spec'd-up $899 model through our daily grind -- read on for our full review.Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13
Continue reading Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 review
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 review originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It just wouldn't be a CES without a gaggle of new introductions from Lenovo, and while we knew good and well that most everything here was on the way thanks to a slip-up at Lenovo's site, it's always nice to get the official word. Kicking things off is the altogether sexy ThinkPad Edge, which will ship in 13-, 14- and 15-inch versions in order to suit the small business users in the crowd. It'll include a choice of AMD processors (Turion X2 or Athlon X2), optional 3G / 4G WWAN modules, a full suite of Lenovo's own ThinkVantage technologies and preloaded Skype. This machine also marks the first ever ThinkPad to arrive with a choice of color -- it'll ship in matte black, glossy black and heat-wave red. Moving on, there's the previously rumored X100e, which goes down as the company's first "entry-level ultraportable." Starting at under $500, the AMD-based (Athlon Neo or Turion) rig gets outfitted with Windows 7 Professional, an 11.6-inch display, full-size keyboard, multitouch trackpad, WiFi and optional Bluetooth / 3G. Rounding things off are four new introductions in the classic range: the T410s, T410, T510 and W510. The foursome will become the first in the ThinkPad family to offer the upcoming Intel dual-core CPUs and mobile Core i7, and if you're thirsty for the full specs lists on the bunch (along with videos of the X100e and Edge), head on past the break and open wide. Gallery: Lenovo intros ThinkPad Edge, X100e ultraportable and other ThinkPad refreshes
Continue reading Lenovo intros ThinkPad Edge, X100e ultraportable and other ThinkPad refreshes
Lenovo intros ThinkPad Edge, X100e ultraportable and other ThinkPad refreshes originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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