In any case, here are my three latest PlayBook wallpapers, all posted on Flickr. See below for download instructions.
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| Timber wolf |
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| Sunrise on the Bonnechere |
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| My neighbour's fence |
To download the wallpapers to your PlayBook:
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9/26/2011
Three new PlayBook wallpapers: Timber wolf, sunrise, and fence
Yeah, I know what you're thinking: He's posted a wallpaper of a fence? Actually, it's one my favorites — a pleasant, symmetrical design that doesn't wear out its welcome.
In any case, here are my three latest PlayBook wallpapers, all posted on Flickr. See below for download instructions.
In any case, here are my three latest PlayBook wallpapers, all posted on Flickr. See below for download instructions.
9/20/2011
QNX-powered flight simulators help airline pilots earn their wings
As a pilot, how do you learn to handle a critical problem, such as a hydraulic failure in mid-flight, when that problem may occur only once (if ever) in your career? And how do you practice difficult maneuvers until you get them right, without endangering yourself or anyone else? In a flight simulator, of course!Mechtronix is one of the biggest, and fastest growing, flight simulator vendors in the world. And to get there, they've taken the road (or should I say flight path) less traveled. Rather than equip their simulators with all the hardware deployed on actual planes — the traditional method — they use software to replicate most of an airplane's behavior.
Eliminating hardware offers numerous benefits. It cuts costs dramatically. It makes the simulators lighter and easier to transport. And it makes them easier to maintain, since the customer no longer needs a specialized avionics engineer. But enough from me — let's hear Thomas Allen, VP of Technology at Mechtronix, describe the company's approach and how the QNX OS helps make it possible:
Two things stand out for me. The first is QNX's talent for juggling many concurrent tasks and gazillions of I/O points. This ability to support intense multitasking, while delivering fast and predictable response times, is essential to replicating the experience of flying a real plane.
Second, I was fascinated to hear how the system design adopted by Mechtronix parallels the architecture of the QNX OS. Years, ago, someone explained to me how the QNX OS isn't simply a well-designed, modular OS; it also encourages well-designed, modular systems. In Mechtronix, we have an example.
QNX OS powers OnStar FMV aftermarket mirror
This just in: QNX Software Systems has announced that Onstar's aftermarket rearview mirror, dubbed the OnStar FMV, is based on the QNX OS.The premise of the FMV of simple: Bring the safety and security features of OnStar to non-GM vehicles. These features include automatic crash response, turn-by-turn navigation, hands-free calling, stolen vehicle recovery, and one-touch emergency calling.
The FMV also uses the QNX acoustic processing suite, which filters out noise and echo to improve the quality of hands-free calls. The suite eliminates the lengthy tuning process required by conventional solutions, as well as the need for dedicated acoustic processing hardware. Or as my marketing friends would say, it saves time and money.
To read the press release, click here.
If you have time for a video, here's a commercial promoting the FMV's stolen vehicle recovery feature. It's a clever piece of advertising: You never actually see the FMV or the car it helped recover. The focus is strictly on the user and how the FMW saves her day (and, apparently, a pair of shoes):
9/11/2011
Download my latest PlayBook wallpapers!
It's taken me forever, but I've finally started to post full-size versions of my BlackBerry PlayBook wallpapers.
To download the wallpapers from your PlayBook:
To download the wallpapers from your PlayBook:
- Go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulleroux
- Tap on any wallpaper.
- A larger image will appear. Tap Actions, then tap View all sizes.
- An even larger image will appear! Tap Download the Large size of this photo.
- Your PlayBook will ask you to enter a file name. Type something meaningful, such as cat_wallpaper.jpg, and tap Save.
- From the PlayBook home screen, tap Pictures, then tap Downloads.
- Tap the wallpaper you want, swipe from the top of the screen and tap Set as Wallpaper. You're done!
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| Star field |
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| My friend's cat (actual wallpaper looks much snappier than this image) |
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| Blackbird at sunset I plan to post more in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! |
9/07/2011
Toshiba drives performance of digital instrument clusters with new Capricorn-H controller
You may not know it, but the QNX OS powers a variety of digital instrument clusters, in vehicles such as the Jaguar XJ and the Land Rover Range Rover. To create these clusters, automotive designers need graphics silicon that can pack a lot of performance, simplify system design, and keep costs down. Not an easy combination. To address these requirements, Toshiba Electronics Europe has just launched Capricorn-H, a display controller for instrument clusters and other in-car displays.
Equipped with an ARM Cortex-A9 multi-core processor, Capricorn-H is a compact, integrated device that incorporates all of the functions and peripherals needed to control TFT panels and to display high-quality 2D/3D graphics. To reduce costs, the controller features a ‘Magic Square’ algorithm for delivering 24-bit performance from lower-cost 18-bit displays. And to simplify the display of virtual speedometers and tachometers, the controller uses a 2D graphics engine with high-performance rotation, transformation, and scaling functions.
Key features:
If you're a QNX developer and want to test-drive Capricorn-H, you're in luck: QNX has posted a board support package (BSP) on Foundry27, the QNX community portal. To download the BSP, click here.
For more information on the Capricorn-H, read the press release.
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