Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Swimsense Stroke-Counter is Like a Nike+ for Swimmers
The Swimsense from Finis is like a bike computer for swimmers, only instead of counting wheel-revolutions, it counts strokes. The new wrist-mounted computer is waterproof (of course) and contains a motion detector which detects ?stroke types, records the number of laps swum, total distance, calories burned, lap time, pace and stroke count.? Phew.
The smart part is that motion-sensor, which uses accelerometers to detect what kind of stroke you are swimming based on your arm movements, differentiating between the stately breaststroke, the blind backstroke, the all-conquering freestyle and the flailing, rescue-me-please-I?m-drowning butterfly. Combining this info with settings for the pool-length and your weight, age and gender, the Swimsense then presents a breakdown of what you have done in an online workout viewer. All you do is upload the data via USB.
My swimming is pretty much limited to splashing from the li-lo to the pool-bar, but the more sporting mermaids and mermen out there can add this to their Christmas list: the Swimsense will be $200 when it launches for the 2010 holiday season.
New Product: Swimsense [Finis Blog. Thanks, Jennifer!]
Swimsense product page [Finis]
See Also:
Waterproof MP3 Players Won't Make You Swim Like Phelps
High-Tech Swimsuits Approved by Olympic Committee Promise to Even ?
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
Updated: 640�960 Wallpapers
Our iPhone 4 wallpaper gallery got today updated with 30 new high quality wallpapers. Head over to our wallpaper gallery to download them.
Note: Did you know that we update all our wallpaper galleries once / day? You can find the latest wallpapers in the sidebar, so make sure to check that out every time you visit us!
Read Comments / Comment this post
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Designer Creates Dress With Recycled Wires
Electronic waste can sometimes find a surprising second lease on life, as designer Tina Sparkles has proved by making a dress using recycled wires.
?I read how e-waste is being shipped to developing countries and how people are melting it at homes there,? says Sparkles. ?I was inspired to make this dress to address the issue of e-waste in the form of an art project, not to make a dress that was literally meant to be purchased and worn.?
The dress called ?Systems Supernova? was shown earlier this month at the Austin Fashion Week.
Sparkles used a curtain from a thrift store as the base of the dress and then stitched the wires on it. She got the wires from an electronic recycle store in Austin, Texas.
Overall, the piece weighs 30 lbs. But it looks pretty stylish and will make for a stunning entrance at any event.
See more photos of the dress:
The base material for the dress is a curtain from a thrift store. Photo: Cameron Russell
Tina Sparkles is enveloped by the wires she used to create the dress.
See Also:
Smart Textiles Blend LEDs, Circuits and Sensors
Designer Duo Create Dress With 24000 LEDs
Meet the Dress Fashioned Out of OLED Displays
Geeks Who Dress Like Dorks on Screen, but Still Look Cool ?
Pardon, Your Dress Is Singing
Photo: Andrew Sterling
[via Make]
Will the next iPod nano be a little square?
Back in July we saw an Apple labeled 1.5? touchscreen and wondered if it would be for a tiny, multitouch nano. Now some new cases, purportedly for the same device, makes us wonder much the same again.
Would it run iOS? Could it, with a screen that small? You could fit, what, 2�2 icons for a grid of 4 apps total? Web browsing probably wouldn?t be included, but could it have ports of all the usual nano music, photos, video, and other assorted functionality?
Apple has scaled up iOS on the iPad, and is rumored to be doing that again with Apple TV/iTV but would it work as well scaled down for the iPod nano?
We?ll find out in a few days.
[iLounge]
Friday, August 27, 2010
Windows 95 Marks 15th Anniversary
Windows 95 marks its 15-year anniversary this week. Reading through the online reminiscences, I realized I'd forgotten the sheer size of Microsoft's marketing blitz behind the operating system: the Empire State Building lit up in company's colors, the gazillion dollars reportedly shelled out for the Stones' "Start Me Up," and even a "cyber sitcom" starring Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry.(I'd embed the YouTube clip for that last one, but I don't want to be responsible when its sheer mind-numbing awfulness drives you to leap from the nearest roof.)Originally code-named Chicago, Windows 95 introduced the Start menu, taskbar, and limited multimedia support. Its system requirements seem quaint in retrospect: PC with 386DX or higher processor (486 recommended), 4MB of memory, one 3.5-inch high-density floppy disk drive, VGA or higher screen resolution.The operating system also developed into a platform for Microsoft's push onto the Internet--although Windows 95 didn't come bundled with Internet Explorer upon its initial release, the company included the browser with its Windows 95 Plus! Pack. The conjoining of Windows with Internet Explorer, of course, would eventually help trigger Microsoft's antitrust headache.With those elements (and more) in place, Windows 95's interface was far more user-friendly than the clunkier Windows 3.1x, helping accelerate its adoption even without the $300 million marketing campaign.Microsoft eventually declared Windows 95 obsolete in 2001. Even so, the operating system established the template for later Windows versions--including Windows 7, which Microsoft claims has sold 175 million licenses since its October 2009 release. The question is, having spent 15 years hewing so close to a certain model for its operating systems, where does Microsoft go from here? The cloud, and the attendant paradigm shift, looms ever closer.
Push Hotmail coming to iPhone on Monday
Microsoft will enable Exchange ActiveSync for Hotmail on Monday said Microsoft?s Dharmesh Mehta to CNET today! Lets hope that the push service will work as good as Googles push service!
[Thx Mega]
Read Comments / Comment this post
Microsoft's Internet Explorer Turns 15
Microsoft's Internet Explorer turns 15 years old this week. It's hard to think of a software application that's found itself at the center of more sector-changing drama: in addition to the seemingly never-ending browser wars, remember (how could we forget?) that the bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows was the fulcrum for the landmark United States v. Microsoft antitrust case.Given its outsized position in peoples' Web lives--despite strong challenges from Firefox and Google Chrome, IE retains a lion's share of the browser market--it's easy to forget the browser's tiny stature upon its release in August 1995. At 1MB in size, and incapable of displaying graphics or newsgroups, Internet Explorer 1.0 could be forgiven for seeming like an afterthought; it came installed as part of the Internet Jumpstart Kit (subsequently Internet Connection Wizard), itself part of the Windows 95 Plus! Pack.IE descended from an early Web browser named Mosaic, whose source code Microsoft licensed from a small company named Spyglass--which later filed a lawsuit over loss of royalties, once Redmond started giving away IE for free.From that point on, though, the browser grew in complexity. The final version of IE 2.0, released in November 1995, supported newsgroups, cookies, Javascript, frames and the SSL (Secure Socket Layer). A little under a year later, Internet Explorer 3 featured support for .gifs and .jpg files, as well as MIDI sound files and streaming audio. By the time Internet Explorer 4 rolled around in 1997, the browser included another layer of multimedia features (Web Publishing Wizard, where are you now?)In 1998, Microsoft found itself faced with antitrust action over the bundling of its Web browser with Windows. Microsoft argued that browser and operating system were mutually dependent, and eventually reached a settlement with the Department of Justice in 2001. But the case's effects continue to reverberate, in subtle ways; Microsoft executives' continual use of the word "choice" when describing any new initiative ("we realize customers have a choice") is one of those, I suspect.Even with the publicity surrounding antitrust case, though, Internet Explorer continued to hold a dominant market position (Netscape had been thoroughly pulverized by that point). It was only until the rise of Firefox, along with challenges from Google Chrome and other browsers, that IE's share has been seriously threatened.Then again, not that threatened--at least, not yet. Net Applications estimated IE's July market share at 60.74 percent, an increase from June's 60.32 percent. At the same time, the analysis firm estimated Firefox's share at 22.91 percent, Chrome at 7.16 percent, Safari at 5.09 percent, and Opera at 2.45 percent.If IE's own history proves anything, though, it's that things change. Microsoft will launch its public beta of Internet Explorer 9 on Sept. 15, in a high-profile event in San Francisco; their hope is that the browser's improvements--which reportedly include speedier browser performance, greater compatibility and compliance with standards, and enhanced HTML5 support--will allow it to retain that market share for some time to come.
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES INVENTEC IOMEGA JDA SOFTWARE GROUP
Angry Birds, The Upcoming PSP Game That Might Be a Movie
From iPhone to PlayStation Portable to the big screen, Angry Birds...well wait a second, just what the heck is Angry Birds?
I'd never heard of it until publisher Chillingo's press release hit my mailbox yesterday morning, and then I only gave it half a glance. The only angry birds I'm familiar with like to dive bomb my skull from perches on power lines as I'm jogging by. They chitter and menace, launch into the air, then hover behind me, cleverly interposed between my body and the sun.
But no, these Angry Birds look more like someone's geometry doodles, all different shapes and sizes, daubed in different primary colors, but united by at least one imperative: They're mad as hell, and you know how the rest goes.
If you're one of the 6.5 million (yep, 6.5 million) who've downloaded the game from Apple's iPhone/iPad store, you already know about these apoplectic avians and their crusade against packs of egg-purloining green pigs.
The game works like this: You launch pudgy feathered birds from giant catapults at squads of green pigs hunkered in destructible structures that look like houses, castles, trains, and more. Each bird has unique special abilities, such as splitting into three just before impact, or kicking in thrusters mid-arc to do more damage. Everything's linked by basic object physics, providing the impetus for the gameplay--where to strike for maximum effect.
And this fall it's slated to hit the PlayStation Store as a PlayStation 'mini', basically a smaller-sized, less expensive downloadable PSP or PSP Go game. The 'mini' version will actually be the 'maxi' version, including four worlds with over 120 levels, a new world (called "the big set up"), an unlockable golden egg world, and a new "big brother bird capable of massive destruction."
"Angry Birds' addictive gameplay, amusing antics and phenomenal record-breaking popularity will bring an unparalleled experience as a minis title," said Chillingo head of publishing Johnny Coghlan in a press statement. "The game's mass consumer appeal will surely entertain fans of all ages for hours."
Hours? How about days? Weeks? Years even? Because according to Variety, Chillingo's founders have been "making the rounds of the studios and tenpercenteries over the last several weeks weighing which ancillary offers to move forward with first." Meaning: TV shows, movies, toys, comics, and who knows what else.
In any event, a friendly word of advice: If you ever encounter an angry bird while out for a run, never ever fling a handful of gravel at it.
Follow us on Twitter (@game_on)
I'd never heard of it until publisher Chillingo's press release hit my mailbox yesterday morning, and then I only gave it half a glance. The only angry birds I'm familiar with like to dive bomb my skull from perches on power lines as I'm jogging by. They chitter and menace, launch into the air, then hover behind me, cleverly interposed between my body and the sun.
But no, these Angry Birds look more like someone's geometry doodles, all different shapes and sizes, daubed in different primary colors, but united by at least one imperative: They're mad as hell, and you know how the rest goes.
If you're one of the 6.5 million (yep, 6.5 million) who've downloaded the game from Apple's iPhone/iPad store, you already know about these apoplectic avians and their crusade against packs of egg-purloining green pigs.
The game works like this: You launch pudgy feathered birds from giant catapults at squads of green pigs hunkered in destructible structures that look like houses, castles, trains, and more. Each bird has unique special abilities, such as splitting into three just before impact, or kicking in thrusters mid-arc to do more damage. Everything's linked by basic object physics, providing the impetus for the gameplay--where to strike for maximum effect.
And this fall it's slated to hit the PlayStation Store as a PlayStation 'mini', basically a smaller-sized, less expensive downloadable PSP or PSP Go game. The 'mini' version will actually be the 'maxi' version, including four worlds with over 120 levels, a new world (called "the big set up"), an unlockable golden egg world, and a new "big brother bird capable of massive destruction."
"Angry Birds' addictive gameplay, amusing antics and phenomenal record-breaking popularity will bring an unparalleled experience as a minis title," said Chillingo head of publishing Johnny Coghlan in a press statement. "The game's mass consumer appeal will surely entertain fans of all ages for hours."
Hours? How about days? Weeks? Years even? Because according to Variety, Chillingo's founders have been "making the rounds of the studios and tenpercenteries over the last several weeks weighing which ancillary offers to move forward with first." Meaning: TV shows, movies, toys, comics, and who knows what else.
In any event, a friendly word of advice: If you ever encounter an angry bird while out for a run, never ever fling a handful of gravel at it.
Follow us on Twitter (@game_on)
Kindle and iPad E-readers Spark Revolution
Amazon's Kindle e-book reader and Apple's iPad tablet have a lot more in common than you'd think. Both devices have sparked a revolution in mobile computing, are selling like hotcakes, and brought e-books to the masses.
At the last count, Apple sold three million iPads since April this year, and is expected to exceed 10 million devices sold by the end of 2010. Market research firm The Yankee Group also forecasts that 6 million e-readers will ship in 2010, and that number is expected to grow to 19.2 million by 2013. But how did we get to this point?
First, there was the Amazon Kindle. The original Kindle came in at $399 back in 2007 and sold out in under six hours. Two iterations later, the third-generation Kindle starts at $139 and is Amazon's most popular product ever, the company announced on Wednesday. The retailer never gave exact numbers of how many Kindles it sold.
Believe it or not, consumers have to thank Apple for the $260 price difference between the original Kindle and the Kindle 3. As with the mobile industry (see iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4), Apple has been the disrupting factor in the uptake of black and white e-ink e-book reading, with the iPad.
The iPad, priced from $499, offers all the functionality of a Kindle, alongside a large colour touchscreen, and a 10-hour battery life. Apple's own iBooks Store rivals Amazon's Kindle store, and the multipurpose functionality of the iPad drove down the price of the single-purpose Kindle, shredding almost $300 off the Kindle price tag.
[Related:
The E-Reader Price Wars Heat Up
]
40 Percent Now Read More
A recent survey from Marketing and Research Resources found that 40 percent of those questioned now read more on their Kindles and iPads than they did with print books, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Forrester Research estimates around 11 million Americans will own at least one digital reading device by the end of September, and as prices for e-reading devices fall, Amazon says people buy three times more books on their e-readers than they would with printed products.
E-books Are Still More Expensive
Since e-books are cheaper to produce and distribute than printed books, they should cost less, but they don't. Books from electronic bookstores from the likes of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Apple are still more expensive than their printed versions.
The average paperback sells at around $10, while its electronic counterpart retails at $12.99. For a casual reader, e-book reading might not make economical sense, as long as they have to pay for a device like the Kindle and then pay extra per book as well.
Although e-ink e-readers prices dropped thanks to the iPad, Apple's iBooks Store takes the blame for increases in e-book prices. The Cupertino company introduced the agency model to the e-books market, where the publisher can set its own prices, while Apple takes a cut out of the final selling price.
Amazon used to sell all its books at a set $9.99 price, but publishers forced the retailer to increase its prices, following Apple's decision to adopt a different, more profitable model for publishers.
Large E-Readers Choice, Tablets Not So Many
As analysts predict huge sales and consumers rush to buy e-readers and tablets, the market is in no short supply of reading devices. In the same category as the Amazon Kindle, you can get a Nook from Barnes & Noble or a Sony Reader, all with prices under $230.
If you prefer to read e-books on a tablet, the Apple iPad is your best bet so far, starting at $499. Competitors like Samsung and Motorola are working on their own Google Android-powered tablets, but they are not out yet. Alternatively, if you want a smaller tablet, you can take a look at the Dell Streak.
Follow PCWorld (@pcworld) and Daniel Ionescu (@danielionescu) on Twitter.
At the last count, Apple sold three million iPads since April this year, and is expected to exceed 10 million devices sold by the end of 2010. Market research firm The Yankee Group also forecasts that 6 million e-readers will ship in 2010, and that number is expected to grow to 19.2 million by 2013. But how did we get to this point?
First, there was the Amazon Kindle. The original Kindle came in at $399 back in 2007 and sold out in under six hours. Two iterations later, the third-generation Kindle starts at $139 and is Amazon's most popular product ever, the company announced on Wednesday. The retailer never gave exact numbers of how many Kindles it sold.
Believe it or not, consumers have to thank Apple for the $260 price difference between the original Kindle and the Kindle 3. As with the mobile industry (see iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4), Apple has been the disrupting factor in the uptake of black and white e-ink e-book reading, with the iPad.
The iPad, priced from $499, offers all the functionality of a Kindle, alongside a large colour touchscreen, and a 10-hour battery life. Apple's own iBooks Store rivals Amazon's Kindle store, and the multipurpose functionality of the iPad drove down the price of the single-purpose Kindle, shredding almost $300 off the Kindle price tag.
[Related:
The E-Reader Price Wars Heat Up
]
40 Percent Now Read More
A recent survey from Marketing and Research Resources found that 40 percent of those questioned now read more on their Kindles and iPads than they did with print books, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Forrester Research estimates around 11 million Americans will own at least one digital reading device by the end of September, and as prices for e-reading devices fall, Amazon says people buy three times more books on their e-readers than they would with printed products.
E-books Are Still More Expensive
Since e-books are cheaper to produce and distribute than printed books, they should cost less, but they don't. Books from electronic bookstores from the likes of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Apple are still more expensive than their printed versions.
The average paperback sells at around $10, while its electronic counterpart retails at $12.99. For a casual reader, e-book reading might not make economical sense, as long as they have to pay for a device like the Kindle and then pay extra per book as well.
Although e-ink e-readers prices dropped thanks to the iPad, Apple's iBooks Store takes the blame for increases in e-book prices. The Cupertino company introduced the agency model to the e-books market, where the publisher can set its own prices, while Apple takes a cut out of the final selling price.
Amazon used to sell all its books at a set $9.99 price, but publishers forced the retailer to increase its prices, following Apple's decision to adopt a different, more profitable model for publishers.
Large E-Readers Choice, Tablets Not So Many
As analysts predict huge sales and consumers rush to buy e-readers and tablets, the market is in no short supply of reading devices. In the same category as the Amazon Kindle, you can get a Nook from Barnes & Noble or a Sony Reader, all with prices under $230.
If you prefer to read e-books on a tablet, the Apple iPad is your best bet so far, starting at $499. Competitors like Samsung and Motorola are working on their own Google Android-powered tablets, but they are not out yet. Alternatively, if you want a smaller tablet, you can take a look at the Dell Streak.
Follow PCWorld (@pcworld) and Daniel Ionescu (@danielionescu) on Twitter.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Daily Crunch: Plein Air Edition
Roku Hits 50 Media Streaming Channels With The Addition Of VimeoPogoPlug drops the cable, and the priceSharp Unveils Portable Air Purifier ?Plasmacluster?Net Neutrality Is Neutral: AT&T Says Wireless Internet Access Is Different Than Wired Internet Access. Yes, We Know, But That?s Not The Point At All.uDraw GameTablet Is A Wiicom Tablet
Cosina Joins Micro Four Thirds Team, Announces ?0.95 Lens
Cosina, the camera giant responsible for many rebranded cameras and lenses, along with its own Voigtl�nder brand, has joined the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) team. That means it will begin making lenses for the cameras from Panasonic and Olympus.
This is pretty big news. While the lens line-up for the large-sensor mirrorless cameras is growing, with even a Leica-branded lens on sale, it is doing so rather slowly. Adding Cosina to the team means that we should soon see a whole lot of interesting glass which will work fully with the cameras, and without adapters.
Not convinced? The first MFT lens from Cosina is its amazing Nokton 25mm ?0.95 prime, a 50mm equivalent lens which can see better in the dark than you can. It will be on sale in October for Around $1,100.
And it?s not just lenses. It?s possible that we could see a Voigtl�nder camera-body in the near future, too. Given that Voigtl�nder is a name closely associated with rangefinder cameras, which are the spiritual ancestor of the Micro Four Thirds cameras, this is pretty exciting stuff. An MFT camera with chunky metal body and all-manual knobs and dials? Yes please. Welcome aboard, Cosina!
Cosina Joins the Micro Four Thirds System Standard Group [Olympus via DP Review]
Micro Four Thirds Nokton [Cosina]
See Also:
Noktor ?0.95 Lens for Micro Four Thirds Cameras
Adapter Puts Nikon and Pentax Lenses on Micro Four Thirds Cameras ?
Voigtl�nder Adapter Puts Leica Lenses on Micro Four Thirds Cameras ?
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
Frankencam: EOS D60 Rises From Canon?s Parts-Bin
It?s clearly the season for new camera gear, and today it?s Canon?s turn in the spotlight. Along with a few new lenses comes the EOS 60D, a ?replacement? for the two-year-old 50D. Those looking to upgrade from their 50D should look elsewhere, though, perhaps to the 7D, as this new camera is more for consumers than enthusiastic amateurs.
The magnesium body of the 50D is now plastic, and the 60D uses SD-cards instead of Compact Flash. It also gets a slew of gimmicky image processing features (Toy Camera, anyone?) and the obligatory video capabilities.
In fact, video seems to be what this camera was made for. The rear screen is the pop-out, tilt-and-swivel type, Canon?s first on an SLR, and has the over a million dots of resolution (or around 330,000-pixels). Video is shot at varying sizes and speeds. 1080p is available at 24p, 25p or 30p frame rates. Drop to 720p resolution and you can shoot at up to 60fps. Whatever picture you choose, you get full manual control, including sound with 64 audio-levels.
The 18MP sensor (like the LCD panel) is the same as that found in the 550D (or Rebel T2i), the AF system comes from the old 50D and the 63-zone exposure meter comes from the 7D. It?s almost like the Canon engineers just picked through a shelf of existing parts and snapped them together like Lego, producing what seems like a pretty sweet-looking camera.
The 60D will go on sale in September for $1,100 body-only, or as part of a $1,400 kit with a 18-135mm lens.
EOS 60D product page [Canon]
See Also:
Canon Makes EOS 50D Official
Canon's New 18 Megapixel Monster, The EOS 7D
Canon's 7D SV With Parental Controls, Barcode-Scanning
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Windows 95 Marks 15th Anniversary
Windows 95 marks its 15-year anniversary this week. Reading through the online reminiscences, I realized I'd forgotten the sheer size of Microsoft's marketing blitz behind the operating system: the Empire State Building lit up in company's colors, the gazillion dollars reportedly shelled out for the Stones' "Start Me Up," and even a "cyber sitcom" starring Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry.(I'd embed the YouTube clip for that last one, but I don't want to be responsible when its sheer mind-numbing awfulness drives you to leap from the nearest roof.)Originally codenamed Chicago, Windows 95 introduced the Start menu, taskbar, and limited multimedia support. Its system requirements seem quaint in retrospect: PC with 386DX or higher processor (486 recommended), 4MB of memory, one 3.5-inch high-density floppy disk drive, VGA or higher screen resolution.The operating system also developed into a platform for Microsoft's push onto the Internet--although Windows 95 didn't come bundled with Internet Explorer upon its initial release, the company included the browser with its Windows 95 Plus! Pack. The conjoining of Windows with Internet Explorer, of course, would eventually help trigger Microsoft's antitrust headache.With those elements (and more) in place, Windows 95's interface was far more user-friendly than the clunkier Windows 3.1x, helping accelerate its adoption even without the $300 million marketing campaign.Microsoft eventually declared Windows 95 obsolete in 2001. Even so, the operating system established the template for later Windows versions--including Windows 7, which Microsoft claims has sold 175 million licenses since its October 2009 release. The question is, having spent 15 years hewing so close to a certain model for its operating systems, where does Microsoft go from here? The cloud, and the attendant paradigm-shift, looms ever closer.
Despite Reports, B&N Nook Competes Just Fine, Thank You
You might think it was already dead, but sales for the Barnes & Noble Nook (both B&N-branded hardware and multi-platform software apps) are booming.
The company?s web stores are doing great, too: B&N has a bigger share of the market in digital books (an estimated 20 percent) than it has in physical books.
That?s pretty good considering the Nook?s only been available for nine months, and the company still generates more revenue selling hardcovers and paperbacks than anyone, including Amazon.
Surprised? It?s easy to think about e-reading as a two-horse race, with Amazon?s austere text-centric Kindle facing off against Apple?s ?magical? iPad, like PCs vs Macs or Protestants vs Catholics. And it?s true, Barnes & Noble lost money this past quarter, partly because it?s still sorting out its messy relations with its investors.
But Barnes & Noble is for real, and isn?t going anywhere. In the religious analogy, the Nook might be, I don?t know, Judaism, trying to adapt to a newer world while holding onto its traditional community.
Barnes & Noble has consistently gone for a hybrid strategy: providing touch and text, tightly integrating e-sales with its existing stores while also selling the Nook at Best Buy, letting its books be read on the Nook as well as other platforms. B&N?s apps for PC and Mac are arguably best-in-class (bonus points, too, for getting its Mac app out way before Amazon?s). The company is doubling down on (and rebranding) its apps for mobile devices. And it?s drawing on a solid base of neighborhood customer/members and university bookstores. Even as Amazon cuts its prices and diversifies its models to match the Nook, it can?t match Barnes & Noble?s deep reach into the real world.
According to B&N, its members with Nooks have increased their spending by 20%. The company?s building and staffing Nook boutiques in its stores. The idea is that you?ll go buy the Nook in the store, learn how to use it in the store, browse through titles (for free) in the store. And by the way, you might also want to buy some coffee, have lunch, pick up a photo album ? all goods with better margins than books.
If the Kindle offers the promise of books anywhere at once and nowhere in particular, the Nook keeps alive the idea that books have a place. And the best place, Barnes & Noble thinks, is in one of its stores.
Photo credit: orb9220/Flickr
Related posts:
5 Things That Will Make E-Readers Better in 2010
Nook Software Update Adds Web Browser, Chess
Wi-Fi Only Nook For $150 in Best Buy
5 Things That Make Us Want Barnes & Noble?s Nook E-Reader
Microsoft's Arc Touch Mouse Lurking Around Web
With all the recent excitement over touch screens, it's sometimes easy to overlook that the mouse remains essentially unchanged from Ye Olden Days of the Reagan era. Sure, they've gotten more ergonomically inclined, with new inputs such as scroll wheels and third buttons; but a time-traveler from the 1980s would have no trouble recognizing and using one.The mouse's current evolution, it seems, centers on making it more touch-centric than ever. Look at Apple's Magic Mouse, with a multitouch surface that allows for scrolls, swipes and zooms. Then there's Microsoft's Arc Touch Mouse, images of which recently appeared on a German shopping Website. Microsoft's not making anything official, but if the rumors prove true, the mouse includes some features that would give Sonny Crockett a severe case of future shock: touch-scrolling, a 2.4GHz nano transceiver and the ability to flatten its regular arched shape for easier transport.The mouse's page on that German Website has already been taken down, but Engadget managed to snatch some screenshots ahead of the deletion. Slashgear's also posted a supposed marketing image, which has the Arc Touch Mouse looking like a black plastic inchworm.Rumors peg the mouse's price at $69.95, and its release date sometime during the fall (soon, in any case). Personally, aside from the coolness factor, I don't see the point of a mouse that can alternatively curve or flatten--I know some people would rather use a mouse with their laptops, and carry one along on trips; but I didn't figure enough of them out there to justify that sort of engineering decision. In any case, it's a differentiator.Given how that silver strip bifurcates the top of the mouse into two black "tabs," I'm guessing this is a two-button mouse in the tradition of previous Microsoft offerings. Does a finger-swipe on that strip activate the touch scrolling? I'm thinking maybe; it's certainly positioned in the same place as a traditional scroll wheel. I'm curious about whether this follows in the steps of the Magic Mouse, with a multitouch surface, or if we're dealing with old-fashioned mechanical buttons.Either way, Microsoft will likely make an announcement soon. For your viewing pleasure, here's one of the snatched box shots that's been drifting around the Interwebs:
Video: Samsung Galaxy Tab Caught in the Wild
Oh, won?t you look at this: A spy video of the mysterious new Samsung Galaxy Tab, the seven-inch Android 2.2 tablet to be announced next week at the IFA show in Berlin. The clip comes courtesy of the folks at the Electronista blog, who spotted a telco employee with what is presumably a testing unit.
As you can see, it looks like Electronista was secretly filming as it tried to extract the info from the unsuspecting worker. Listen carefully and you?ll hear the Tab being described as ?different? from the iPad and ?awesome.?
The video part doesn?t really show us much, other than just how the Tab fits in the hand. It looks to be comfy enough for the long-fingered to grip in a single paw. I do wonder, though, if this in-between size has a use: it?s too big to fit in a pocket, yet much smaller than the iPad?s book-sized display.
The best part is at the end, when the Tab-toting tester finally realizes that he has said too much. ?I can?t talk about it,? he says. Too late. You already did.
Samsung Galaxy Tab seen in the wild [Electronista via ?]
See Also:
Samsung Enters Tablet Race With the Galaxy Tape
Samsung to Launch 7-inch Tablet in September
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
iTunes U Downloads Top 300 Million
In just over three years, iTunes U downloads have topped 300 million and it has become one of the world?s most popular online educational catalogs. Over 800 universities throughout the world have active iTunes U sites, and nearly half of these institutions distribute their content publicly on the iTunes Store�. New content has just been added from universities in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico and Singapore, and iTunes users now have access to over 350,000 audio and video files from educational institutions around the globe.
?iTunes U makes it easy for people to discover and learn with content from many of the world?s top institutions,? said Eddy Cue, Apple?s vice president of Internet Services. ?With such a wide selection of educational material, we?re providing iTunes users with an incredible way to learn on their computer, iPhone, iPod or iPad.?
Created in collaboration with colleges and universities, iTunes U makes it easy to extend learning, explore interests or learn more about a school. A dedicated area within the iTunes Store (www.iTunes.com), iTunes U offers users public access to content from world class institutions such as Harvard, MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, University of Melbourne and Universit� de Montr�al. iTunes U gives anyone the chance to experience university courses, lab demonstrations, sports highlights, campus tours and special lectures. All iTunes U content is free and can be enjoyed on a Mac or PC, or wirelessly downloaded directly onto an iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
Read Comments / Comment this post
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
iTunes U: over 350,000 files, 300 million downloads
Apple today announced that iTunes U, their podcast-like catalog for higher education audio and video, has surpassed 300 million downloads:
Over 800 universities throughout the world have active iTunes U sites, and nearly half of these institutions distribute their content publicly on the iTunes Store�. New content has just been added from universities in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico and Singapore, and iTunes users now have access to over 350,000 audio and video files from educational institutions around the globe.
?iTunes U makes it easy for people to discover and learn with content from many of the world?s top institutions,? said Eddy Cue, Apple?s vice president of Internet Services. ?With such a wide selection of educational material, we?re providing iTunes users with an incredible way to learn on their computer, iPhone, iPod or iPad.?
If you haven?t already, be sure to check out Steve Jobs? 2005 commencement speech [iTunes], and if you?re a developer, the Stanford iPhone development series [iTunes].
What are some of your favorites?
[Apple PR]
iPhone 4 Vs. Blackberry Torch
In this smartphone smackdown, the folks at technobuffalo compares two AT&T exclusives, the Apple iPhone 4 and the RIM Blackberry Torch. 10 categories they chosen, including:
1. Call Quality
2. Reception
3. Browser
4. E-mail
5. UI & Navigation
6: Text Input
7. Speed
8. Screen
9. Apps
10. Battery Life
[Via]
Read Comments / Comment this post
Monday, August 23, 2010
Microsoft's Arc Touch Mouse Lurking Around Web
With all the recent excitement over touch screens, it's sometimes easy to overlook that the mouse remains essentially unchanged from Ye Olden Days of the Reagan era. Sure, they've gotten more ergonomically inclined, with new inputs such as scroll wheels and third buttons; but a time-traveler from the 1980s would have no trouble recognizing and using one.The mouse's current evolution, it seems, centers on making it more touch-centric than ever. Look at Apple's Magic Mouse, with a multitouch surface that allows for scrolls, swipes and zooms. Then there's Microsoft's Arc Touch Mouse, images of which recently appeared on a German shopping Website. Microsoft's not making anything official, but if the rumors prove true, the mouse includes some features that would give Sonny Crockett a severe case of future shock: touch-scrolling, a 2.4GHz nano transceiver and the ability to flatten its regular arched shape for easier transport.The mouse's page on that German Website has already been taken down, but Engadget managed to snatch some screenshots ahead of the deletion. Slashgear's also posted a supposed marketing image, which has the Arc Touch Mouse looking like a black plastic inchworm.Rumors peg the mouse's price at $69.95, and its release date sometime during the fall (soon, in any case). Personally, aside from the coolness factor, I don't see the point of a mouse that can alternatively curve or flatten--I know some people would rather use a mouse with their laptops, and carry one along on trips; but I didn't figure enough of them out there to justify that sort of engineering decision. In any case, it's a differentiator.Given how that silver strip bifurcates the top of the mouse into two black "tabs," I'm guessing this is a two-button mouse in the tradition of previous Microsoft offerings. Does a finger-swipe on that strip activate the touch scrolling? I'm thinking maybe; it's certainly positioned in the same place as a traditional scroll wheel. I'm curious about whether this follows in the steps of the Magic Mouse, with a multitouch surface, or if we're dealing with old-fashioned mechanical buttons.Either way, Microsoft will likely make an announcement soon. For your viewing pleasure, here's one of the snatched box shots that's been drifting around the Interwebs:
SILICON LABORATORIES SKYWAVE MOBILE SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS SMART TECHNOLOGIES
World?s First Digital Camera Used Cassette-Tapes for Storage
Take a lens from a Super 8 camera, a whole stack of ni-cad batteries, a digital to analog converter from a voltmeter, a highly experimental CCD and what have you got? Kodak?s first digital still camera, cobbled together with hand-soldered wires and circuits. And the storage? Amazingly, images were recorded onto the cassette-tape you see on the side of this historical Frankenbox.
This happened way back in 1975, when the inventor of the digital camera, Steve Sasson, and his team of technicians tinkered this machine into existence. Want some specs? The camera captured a 100-line image onto that cassette-tape, yet even that tiny picture took a mind-numbing 23 seconds to write. Playback was possibly clunkier still, using another tape-player hooked up to a frame-storing devices that interpolated those 100 lines to an NTSC-compatible 400-line image and then showed it on a regular TV-screen.
Viewers wondered why anyone would want to look at pictures on a screen. The invention was patented in 1978 and then remained unknown to the public until 2001, although it stayed in Sasson?s possession. After that, we all know what happened: Now, if you show a film camera to somebody young enough they?ll wonder why anyone would want to look at a photo on a piece of paper.
We Had No Idea (2007) [Kodak Pkugged in log via Adafruit and The Boss]
German Multi-Tool Pen Engineered to Outlast its Owner
The classic Messograf pen from German company Cleo Skribent is the pen that could send me back to ink on paper. The metal-barreled ballpoint packs an array of extras into its slim body that would put many multi-tools to shame.
Along its shiny sides you?ll find a four-inch Vernier caliper (with scales of 0.1mm and 1/16-inch), a metric screw-thread scale and a tire-tread depth-gauge. Press on the end and, of course, the pen pops in and out.
Not only that, it is made of chromium-plated brass, and will therefore outlast not just my current crop of iPads and other gadgets, but probably all such devices I will ever own. Hell, it?ll probably even outlast me.
It?s not new, but design like this doesn?t have to be. The price? A mere $28, or a mere 40-cents per year for the whole of a 70-year life (plus refills).
Messograf [Cleo Skribent via The Giz]
See Also:
Sharpie Reinvents Pen with Liquid Pencil
Livescribe Updates its Digital Smart Pen With the Echo
Gates On iPad: Needs Pen, Keyboard, Voice
The Pencil iPad Stand: Smart Enough to Impress a New Yorker ?
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
TIBCO SOFTWARE TOSHIBA TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS VEECO INSTRUMENTS
Qualcomm?s Mirasol Display Hopes to Create E-Reader Tablet Hybrids
Black-and-white e-readers are limiting while full color LCD displays such as those in tablets like the iPad can be power hungry and tough on the eyes. That?s why Qualcomm is betting that a new hybrid device that bridge the two worlds could be in the hands of consumers early next year.
Qualcomm is on track to ship 5.7-inch displays in the next few weeks that can shift between black-and-white and color, Jim Cathey, vice-president of business development for Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, told Wired.com.
These displays called ?Mirasol? will first go to device makers who are likely to introduce new products based on it early next year, says Cathey.
Last year, e-readers were one of the fastest growing consumer electronics products. But intense competition and pressure from Apple iPad has put many smaller e-reader makers out of business. Meanwhile, many consumers remain undecided when it comes to choosing between e-readers and tablets. Consumers want the convenience of a low power, display that?s lightweight and easy on the eye, with the advantage of a color screen.
With Mirasol, Qualcomm is hoping it can give companies such as Amazon that are reportedly looking beyond black-and-white e-readers an attractive option.
Mirasol displays work by modulating an optical cavity to reflect the desired wavelength of light. The reflected wavelength is proportional to the cavity?s depth. Mirasol screens looks more like glossy scientific books rather a full color LCD screen. But the displays consume very little power, are bistable and can play video.
Over the next few months, Qualcomm hopes to ramp up production of the displays. Qualcomm is building a new $2 billion Mirasol production plant in Taiwan, according to a report in DigiTimes.
A ?major client has already started the design-in process,? using Mirasol, says DigiTimes.
See Also:
Qualcomm Aims to Bring Color, Video to E-Readers
Gallery: E-Readers Push Boundaries of Books
5 Things That Will Make E-Readers Better in 2010
Up Close and Personal With the Pixel Qi Display
Thin Film Turns Any Surface Into a Touchscreen
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Sunday, August 22, 2010
U.S. Customers Are Tablet-Hungry, and Not Just for the iPad
Surveys reveal that a substantial chunk of U.S. customers plan to buy a tablet in the next year, and it?s not necessarily going to be an iPad.
Fourteen percent, or 27 million U.S. online consumers, intend to buy some kind of tablet in the next 12 months, says a Forrester research report published Thursday (chart below). Customers interested in purchasing a tablet aren?t primarily Apple customers, and they?re well aware of the crop of upcoming tablets from competitors such as Google and Hewlett-Packard.
Additionally, a similar study by the Magazine Publishers of America found that nearly 60 percent of U.S. consumers expect to purchase an e-reader or tablet within the next three years.
?Even though the iPad is the only widely available tablet PC on the market today, tablets have entered consumer consciousness in a very short time frame,? said Sarah Rotman Epps, a consumer product analyst at Forrester. ?There?s interest in the category that goes beyond the iPad.?
Apple?s four-month-old iPad is turning in strong sales with 3.27 million units sold to date ? just a hair short of Macs, which sold 3.47 million units�in the same quarter. That?s a huge accomplishment for a device less than a year old, and it delivered a shot of adrenaline to the mostly moribund tablet market. For years, scores of tablets have come and gone from manufacturers such as HP, Acer and even Apple, whose first tablet offering was the Newton. The Newton, like most other tablet devices during its time, was criticized for poor handwriting recognition and priceyness ($700 to $1,000), and was retired by 1998. In the meantime, dozens of PC manufacturers have shipped Windows-based Tablet PCs, but the category never took off outside of niche markets and enthusiasts.
Even though most of the tablet hype today surrounds the iPad, many respondents to Forrester?s survey said they were aware of other offerings on the horizon, such as the unreleased HP Slate, as well as obscure tablets like the Archos and JooJoo.�The general widespread interest in the tablet category gives hope to manufacturers preparing to compete with Apple, Forrester said.
Forrester?s study also found that today?s customers tend to live with many connected devices. Sixty-nine percent of iPad buyers and 57 percent of tablet buyers also own a latest-generation game console (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii) compared with 37 percent of all U.S. online consumers.
Notably, iPad fans aren?t necessarily Apple worshippers (chart below): More iPad customers own HP computers than Macs. Thirty-nine percent of respondents who said they own or intend to buy an iPad said they own an HP computer, for example. IPad owners are also four times more likely to own a connected TV (9 percent versus 2 percent of non-iPad-owning U.S. online customers).
Apple has a head start on the new tablet market with its iPad, but competitors are just beginning to roll in. Dell recently introduced its 5-inch Streak tablet, which is getting some positive reception. And most recently, the tech sphere has been buzzing with rumors of a Google-powered tablet working on the Verizon network, possibly landing as soon as the holiday season (though we?re skeptical).
See Also:
Verizon CEO: ?We?re Working With Google on a Tablet?
Rumor Shootout: Google Tablet Will Be Made by HTC ? Or Maybe Motorola
Dell?s Tablet Aims to Stick It to Apple?s iPad
How to Make an iPad-Beating Tablet
Why 2010 Will Be the Year of the Tablet
How the Tablet Will Change the World
iPad Could See 50 Tablet Rivals This Year
Droid 2 gets reviewed ? the competition
Phil Nickinson from Android Central has done a full review of the Verizon Motorola Droid 2, the second coming of the first Android phone to really rocket into the mainstream. With a big screen, ample app marketplace, full hardware keyboard, and Android 2.2 Froyo, it seems to improve upon the original in every way, even if it now faces stiffer competition from its own sibling on its own network, the Droid X. How does it net out?
If you?re coming from another platform, you can?t go wrong with the Droid 2. And the same goes if you?re comiing from another carrier. If you?re already on Verizon? It?s a bit of a tougher choice. The Incredible is another solid phone and has the HTC Sense customizations on the same size screen. The Droid X has a larger screen and the same customizations as on the Droid 2. (Anecdotally: We watched on launch day as the second person in our Verizon store ? we were the first ? traded in a Droid X for a Droid 2.)
It will be interesting to see what, if anything, changes in that equation if rumors of a Verizon iPhone 4 pan out this January
MENTOR GRAPHICS MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY MICRON TECHNOLOGY MICROSEMI
Microsoft's Internet Explorer Turns 15
Microsoft's Internet Explorer turns 15 years old this week. It's hard to think of a software application that's found itself at the center of more sector-changing drama: in addition to the seemingly never-ending browser wars, remember (how could we forget?) that the bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows was the fulcrum for the landmark United States v. Microsoft antitrust case.Given its outsized position in peoples' Web lives--despite strong challenges from Firefox and Google Chrome, IE retains a lion's share of the browser market--it's easy to forget the browser's tiny stature upon its release in August 1995. At 1MB in size, and incapable of displaying graphics or newsgroups, Internet Explorer 1.0 could be forgiven for seeming like an afterthought; it came installed as part of the Internet Jumpstart Kit (subsequently Internet Connection Wizard), itself part of the Windows 95 Plus! Pack.IE descended from an early Web browser named Mosaic, whose source code Microsoft licensed from a small company named Spyglass--which later filed a lawsuit over loss of royalties, once Redmond started giving away IE for free.From that point on, though, the browser grew in complexity. The final version of IE 2.0, released in November 1995, supported newsgroups, cookies, Javascript, frames and the SSL (Secure Socket Layer). A little under a year later, Internet Explorer 3 featured support for .gifs and .jpg files, as well as MIDI sound files and streaming audio. By the time Internet Explorer 4 rolled around in 1997, the browser included another layer of multimedia features (Web Publishing Wizard, where are you now?)In 1998, Microsoft found itself faced with antitrust action over the bundling of its Web browser with Windows. Microsoft argued that browser and operating system were mutually dependent, and eventually reached a settlement with the Department of Justice in 2001. But the case's effects continue to reverberate, in subtle ways; Microsoft executives' continual use of the word "choice" when describing any new initiative ("we realize customers have a choice") is one of those, I suspect.Even with the publicity surrounding antitrust case, though, Internet Explorer continued to hold a dominant market position (Netscape had been thoroughly pulverized by that point). It was only until the rise of Firefox, along with challenges from Google Chrome and other browsers, that IE's share has been seriously threatened.Then again, not that threatened--at least, not yet. Net Applications estimated IE's July market share at 60.74 percent, an increase from June's 60.32 percent. At the same time, the analysis firm estimated Firefox's share at 22.91 percent, Chrome at 7.16 percent, Safari at 5.09 percent, and Opera at 2.45 percent.If IE's own history proves anything, though, it's that things change. Microsoft will launch its public beta of Internet Explorer 9 on Sept. 15, in a high-profile event in San Francisco; their hope is that the browser's improvements--which reportedly include speedier browser performance, greater compatibility and compliance with standards, and enhanced HTML5 support--will allow it to retain that market share for some time to come.
Adobe Flash gives up on iPhone, gives out on Android?
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen has told Telegraph that, since Apple?s just not that into Flash, he and his almost ubiquitous plugin are moving on:
?We believe in open systems. We believe in the power of the internet and in customers making choices and I think a lot of the controversy was about their decision at that point. They?ve made their choice. We?ve made ours and we?ve moved on.? [Telegraph]
The part about openness, of course, is Eric Schmidt-level disingenuous. It has nothing to do with corporate philosophy and everything to do with trying to pander for sympathy from a large, active user base. Unfortunately, it tends to work so if you?re feeling any FOSS-pangs on Adobe?s behalf, remind yourself that what they and their complaint to the FTC are all about is preventing developers getting locked into Xcode so Adobe can lock them into CS 5, and preventing video getting moved to HTML 5 so Adobe can keep it in Flash. And that?s all fine, that?s all great ? it?s what a company should be doing for their products. It just shouldn?t be wrapped in ?openness? buzzwords, it should be wrapped in great, jaw-dropping, must-have technology.
Which brings us to the one mobile device OS Adobe has actually managed to ship Flash on some 3 years after everyone was demanding it on the iPhone ? Android 2.2. Android Central has given it fairly positive reviews. Laptop Magazine?s Avram Piltch on the other hand was somewhat less than thrilled with the shipping version, given his headline:
Mobile Flash Fail: Weak Android Player Proves Jobs Right [Laptopmag]
He?s referring to Steve Jobs? open letter on Flash and subsequent comments at the D8 conference. The headline is sensationalistic for certain (though who am I to judge, see above), but then Adobe?s John Dowdell, after the reading the article, seemingly intimated Piltch was using an illegitimate version of the software on a hacked device (which he wasn?t). [Macalope]
I?ve used Mobile Flash on my Nexus One and it?s? okay. If this was 2007, it would even be promising. As it is, in 2010, Adobe can certainly move on from Apple, but it seems mobile is rapidly moving past Flash.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
iPhone app: Dark Nebula ? Episode Two
The highly anticipated sequel to Dark Nebula is finally here, and it?s twice as long! The best way to sum this game up is that it?s like a labyrinth game but on steroids. Just tilt the device to move your character through the levels while avoiding traps, opening doors, bouncing, sliding and not falling off. Designed by game industry veteran Anders Hejdenberg, lead designer of many world class games, including Battlefield 2: Modern Combat.
Over 25 completely new enemies and obstacles.
19 action-packed levels that span across six different environments, from lush jungles to barren wastelands.
Completely new combat system that enables you to fight enemies.
Cinematic musical score.
Global leaderboards and facebook integration.
Name: Dark Nebula -- Episode Two | Download from: App Store | Price: 1$
Read Comments / Comment this post
ELECTRONIC ARTS ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS EMC EMS TECHNOLOGIES
Microsoft Exploring Prototype Mobile Device, Report Says
August 9, 2010 5:11 PM
This is interesting: Microsoft's developing some sort of new mobile OS, according to Mary-Jo Foley, who's apparently spent months digging for details of a project code-named Menlo. A just-published Microsoft research paper (PDF) describes Menlo as "a prototype mobile device with a capacitive touch screen (4.1 [inch] diagonal, 800 x 480) running Microsoft Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2 which incorporates a Bosch BMA150 3-axis accelerometer and Bosch BMP085 digital pressure sensor (barometer)."Foley's Aug. 8 blog post includes an image, taken from the paper, of a smartphonelike device. Additionally, a number of the project's researchers seem focused on sensors, particularly within the context of geolocation (an application layered atop Menlo, "Greenfield," apparently enables users to retrace their path). Even with that information, though, it's hard to glean the project's ultimate aim: Microsoft already has Windows Phone 7 prepped for the mobile arena, and it's unlikely the company will pursue another homegrown phone project after taking a multimillion-dollar bath on the whole Kin debacle.As Foley hints, this might have something to do with Microsoft and ARM's recent architecture licensing agreement, which could see Microsoft using ARM's technology offerings to build tablets or smartphones. Or maybe Microsoft's just pursuing yet another research avenue, with no definitive goal in mind. If it's the former, we'll probably find out relatively soon--Microsoft is prepping for a major play (some would say "make or break") in the smartphone and tablet arena over the next several quarters.
This is interesting: Microsoft's developing some sort of new mobile OS, according to Mary-Jo Foley, who's apparently spent months digging for details of a project code-named Menlo. A just-published Microsoft research paper (PDF) describes Menlo as "a prototype mobile device with a capacitive touch screen (4.1 [inch] diagonal, 800 x 480) running Microsoft Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2 which incorporates a Bosch BMA150 3-axis accelerometer and Bosch BMP085 digital pressure sensor (barometer)."Foley's Aug. 8 blog post includes an image, taken from the paper, of a smartphonelike device. Additionally, a number of the project's researchers seem focused on sensors, particularly within the context of geolocation (an application layered atop Menlo, "Greenfield," apparently enables users to retrace their path). Even with that information, though, it's hard to glean the project's ultimate aim: Microsoft already has Windows Phone 7 prepped for the mobile arena, and it's unlikely the company will pursue another homegrown phone project after taking a multimillion-dollar bath on the whole Kin debacle.As Foley hints, this might have something to do with Microsoft and ARM's recent architecture licensing agreement, which could see Microsoft using ARM's technology offerings to build tablets or smartphones. Or maybe Microsoft's just pursuing yet another research avenue, with no definitive goal in mind. If it's the former, we'll probably find out relatively soon--Microsoft is prepping for a major play (some would say "make or break") in the smartphone and tablet arena over the next several quarters.
iPhone app: NAVTIME ? Free download
NAVTIME is a complete real-time location aware navigation application for the iPhone. FREE download till next major update!
Location based/specified features:
1. Weather.
2. Temperature with max/min in F|C.
3. Sunrise and Sunset.
4. Date.
5. Dual view compass.
6. Trip Meter (Mi./Km.) with reset.
7. Trip Timer/Stop Watch with reset.
8. Bookmarks
9. GPS/GPS triangulation to locate your position in any location on the map.
10. High resolution and detailed navigation view in Map, Satellite & Hybrid modes.
11. Fast and smooth map panning and zooming etc.
Directions, voice navigation and more to be added later.
Name: NAVTIME| Download from: App Store | Price: Free
Read Comments / Comment this post
Friday, August 20, 2010
Microsoft's Arc Touch Mouse Lurking Around Web
With all the recent excitement over touch screens, it's sometimes easy to overlook that the mouse remains essentially unchanged from Ye Olden Days of the Reagan era. Sure, they've gotten more ergonomically inclined, with new inputs such as scroll wheels and third buttons; but a time-traveler from the 1980s would have no trouble recognizing and using one.The mouse's current evolution, it seems, centers on making it more touch-centric than ever. Look at Apple's Magic Mouse, with a multitouch surface that allows for scrolls, swipes and zooms. Then there's Microsoft's Arc Touch Mouse, images of which recently appeared on a German shopping Website. Microsoft's not making anything official, but if the rumors prove true, the mouse includes some features that would give Sonny Crockett a severe case of future shock: touch-scrolling, a 2.4GHz nano transceiver and the ability to flatten its regular arched shape for easier transport.The mouse's page on that German Website has already been taken down, but Engadget managed to snatch some screenshots ahead of the deletion. Slashgear's also posted a supposed marketing image, which has the Arc Touch Mouse looking like a black plastic inchworm.Rumors peg the mouse's price at $69.95, and its release date sometime during the fall (soon, in any case). Personally, aside from the coolness factor, I don't see the point of a mouse that can alternatively curve or flatten--I know some people would rather use a mouse with their laptops, and carry one along on trips; but I didn't figure enough of them out there to justify that sort of engineering decision. In any case, it's a differentiator.Given how that silver strip bifurcates the top of the mouse into two black "tabs," I'm guessing this is a two-button mouse in the tradition of previous Microsoft offerings. Does a finger-swipe on that strip activate the touch scrolling? I'm thinking maybe; it's certainly positioned in the same place as a traditional scroll wheel. I'm curious about whether this follows in the steps of the Magic Mouse, with a multitouch surface, or if we're dealing with old-fashioned mechanical buttons.Either way, Microsoft will likely make an announcement soon. For your viewing pleasure, here's one of the snatched box shots that's been drifting around the Interwebs:
Thursday, August 19, 2010
FaceTime helping couples keep ?in touch?
Among its many other use-cases (see Apple?s recent set of commercials), there are a growing number of couples taking advantage of FaceTime to help them stay connected ? and stay intimate ? when they?re unable to be together. From overnight business trips to long distance relationships, FaceTime on iPhone 4 provides several advantages over regular telephones and computers when it comes to intimate moments.
First, experts say 80% of communication is really transmitted through body language and expression. All of this is lost over text or spoken conversation. Text only allows for word choice. Voice only allows for intonation. With FaceTime and its wonderful video quality you can actually see changes in expression; a twinkle in the eyes, a blush along the cheek, subtle smile, a bittersweet glance.
Second, iPhone is a lot easier to move around the house (and into the bed!) than a clunky old laptop. You can have your iPhone comfortably docked or propped up beside you if you want to keep your hands free, or grab it and take it under the covers if the mood strikes you.
Gizmodo has posted several tips for the more adventurous among you, should you want to try them out.
So have you ? or would you ? use FaceTime to spice up your love life? Let us know in the comments!
VUnlock ? Use your iPhone volume keys to unlock the screen
With the VUnlock app for jailbroken iPhone and iPod Touch you can use your volume keys to unlock the screen. Download it from Cydia via the bigboss repo!
Name: VUnlock | Download from: Cydia, via bigboss | Price: Free
Read Comments / Comment this post
Justin Long ? iPhone chat on jimmy kimmel [Humor]
Justin Long shows off his jailbroken iPhone and a conversation he had with some ?tween?. Its pretty funny so check it out!
Read Comments / Comment this post
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Microsoft Launches PC vs. Mac Website
Remember Apple's "Get A Mac" ads? They featured Justin Long as a Mac, and John Hodgman as a PC. Throughout a variety of 30-second spots, Mac demonstrated his superiority over fussy, buggy, increasingly frustrated PC:
During the late and unlamented Windows Vista era, those ads forced Microsoft on the defensive; not until the economic recession compelled PC buyers to give serious thought to cheaper devices (allowing Microsoft to score points with a series of ads emphasizing PCs' ostensible cost-effectiveness), and Windows 7 negated many of the arguments about buggy Microsoft operating systems, did Redmond seem to find its public footing again. The last few "Get A Mac" ads, one of which tried to launch a broadside at Windows 7, were also the series' weakest:
Now Microsoft's reviving that old rivalry somewhat, with its PC vs. Mac Website. Some of the information presented here is accurate: Windows PCs really do have more gaming options than Macs, and there are some security advantages.
In other areas, however, Microsoft's arguments are more subjective. "While some may say Macs are easy, the reality is that they can come with a learning curve," insists one section. "PCs running Windows 7 look and work more like the computers you're familiar with, so you can get up and running quickly."
There are obvious differences between the respective user interfaces of Mac OS X and Windows 7, but anyone who uses one can learn the other fairly quickly. Does it take time? Sure. But I've also known technologically inept individuals who, having spent their working lives on Windows machines, were able to make the leap to Mac versatility in an afternoon. I use both operating systems, often side by side, for hours a day; the differences aren't even close to insurmountably vast.
That aside, Microsoft shoots itself in the foot when it comes to the Website's Compatibility section. "Apple's productivity suite file formats won't open in Microsoft Office on PCs," this part claims. "This can be a real hassle for Mac users sharing work documents with PC users."
I suppose that was true a decade ago. And maybe iWork has some compatibility issues, despite Apple's insistence to the contrary, but I also don't know a single Mac user who relies on it; everyone in that category uses either Office for Mac or Google Docs. By suggesting that documents created on a Mac are incompatible with a PC, Microsoft seems to be implicitly denigrating its own work in creating Apple software--but given how the company stands to profit more if someone purchases a Windows 7-equipped PC, as opposed to a Mac running Office, I'm sure that position was regarded as the lesser of two corporate evils.
In its public-facing communications, Microsoft likes to emphasize how consumers have a choice. For its part, Apple has a Webpage where it touts the benefits of Macs over PCs. Either way, I'm happy to see the discourse between the two companies has elevated itself above a kindergarten level.
During the late and unlamented Windows Vista era, those ads forced Microsoft on the defensive; not until the economic recession compelled PC buyers to give serious thought to cheaper devices (allowing Microsoft to score points with a series of ads emphasizing PCs' ostensible cost-effectiveness), and Windows 7 negated many of the arguments about buggy Microsoft operating systems, did Redmond seem to find its public footing again. The last few "Get A Mac" ads, one of which tried to launch a broadside at Windows 7, were also the series' weakest:
Now Microsoft's reviving that old rivalry somewhat, with its PC vs. Mac Website. Some of the information presented here is accurate: Windows PCs really do have more gaming options than Macs, and there are some security advantages.
In other areas, however, Microsoft's arguments are more subjective. "While some may say Macs are easy, the reality is that they can come with a learning curve," insists one section. "PCs running Windows 7 look and work more like the computers you're familiar with, so you can get up and running quickly."
There are obvious differences between the respective user interfaces of Mac OS X and Windows 7, but anyone who uses one can learn the other fairly quickly. Does it take time? Sure. But I've also known technologically inept individuals who, having spent their working lives on Windows machines, were able to make the leap to Mac versatility in an afternoon. I use both operating systems, often side by side, for hours a day; the differences aren't even close to insurmountably vast.
That aside, Microsoft shoots itself in the foot when it comes to the Website's Compatibility section. "Apple's productivity suite file formats won't open in Microsoft Office on PCs," this part claims. "This can be a real hassle for Mac users sharing work documents with PC users."
I suppose that was true a decade ago. And maybe iWork has some compatibility issues, despite Apple's insistence to the contrary, but I also don't know a single Mac user who relies on it; everyone in that category uses either Office for Mac or Google Docs. By suggesting that documents created on a Mac are incompatible with a PC, Microsoft seems to be implicitly denigrating its own work in creating Apple software--but given how the company stands to profit more if someone purchases a Windows 7-equipped PC, as opposed to a Mac running Office, I'm sure that position was regarded as the lesser of two corporate evils.
In its public-facing communications, Microsoft likes to emphasize how consumers have a choice. For its part, Apple has a Webpage where it touts the benefits of Macs over PCs. Either way, I'm happy to see the discourse between the two companies has elevated itself above a kindergarten level.
Micro Express MicroFlex 97B: A Great Balance of Performance and Price
The Micro Express MicroFlex 97B cruises into the performance PC category at a relatively inexpensive price of $2099 (as of August 12, 2010), but it offers impressive performance and design trappings that are in line with those of systems priced considerably higher.
Micro Express goes to the very top of Intel's consumer-CPU lineup with its inclusion of a 3.2GHz Core i7-970 processor. Combined with 6GB of DDR3 memory and an 80GB solid-state drive for system boots (alongside a 1TB drive for storage), that processor helped the 97B nail a score of 155 on our WorldBench 6 series of tests.
The HP Pavilion Elite HPE-390t, which at $2049 shaves about $50 off of the 97B's price, achieved a slightly higher score of 160. Micro Express's offering had an advantage over the HP, however, in graphics performance: Equipped with nVidia's GTX 480 graphics card, the 97B hit 126.1 frames per second on our Unreal Tournament 3 benchmark (run at a 2560-by-2100-pixel resolution and high quality). On our Dirt 2 benchmark, it produced an average of 175.5 fps. The HPE-390t, using an ATI Radeon 5770 graphics board, generated a comparatively paltry 67 fps in Unreal Tournament 3 and 59 fps in Dirt 2.
Micro Express's chassis is relatively plain, with few adornments. Aside from a wee glint of blue light emanating from a front grille as a result of the system's LED-illuminated fans, the case is jet black.
The generic look is lamentable, but the accessible, semi-screwless case makes working inside fairly hassle-free. Locking mechanisms assist you in securing 5.25-inch devices to your system, and the 97B comes with four free bays for additional upgrades; one bay is occupied by the PC's Blu-ray/DVD-burner combo drive. The same mechanisms help you install two 3.5-inch devices, as well, with one bay taken by the system's front-facing multiformat card reader. Finally, drive rails make hard-drive installations effortless, though the interior has space for only one extra storage device.
The 97B comes with two free PCI Express x1 slots, two PCI Express x16 slots, and a single PCI slot. We weren't thrilled with the roughshod wiring job, but it's forgivable--especially when compared with how much room the system's Cooler Master V8 CPU cooler takes up. Given the sheer size of this cooling device, installing additional sticks of RAM will be tricky, to say the least. It's a shame, too, that Micro Express doesn't make better use of this monstrosity by overclocking the CPU a bit.
As we often see on pricier systems, the 97B comes completely equipped to handle any external device you want to link to it. The desktop's front is a touch anemic, however, with a mere trio of USB ports and a multiformat card reader to its name--a stronger chassis would have addressed that.
The system's rear is a bit more generous. Six USB ports--including two USB/eSATA combination ports--join an S/PDIF coaxial and optical connection, dual gigabit ethernet ports, integrated 7.1 surround sound, one mini-FireWire 400 port, one FireWire 400 port, and two USB 3.0 ports. The system's nVidia GTX 480 graphics board carries two DVI ports and one HDMI port, as well.
Though the mouse that ships with the 97B is generic and boring, the bundled Microsoft keyboard comes with a number of additional buttons for launching applications, controlling multimedia playback, and raising and lowering the system's volume. That isn't anything new, but it is appreciated, considering the generic keyboards often packed with systems at this price point.
While it's neither the fastest nor the best-designed PC on our performance-PC charts, Micro Express's MicroFlex 97B delivers substantial, enjoyable computing without blowing up your bank account. Its price-to-performance ratio on general tasks and gaming is equally impressive, and the system comes with all the connections to make for a rich, next-generation desktop.
Micro Express goes to the very top of Intel's consumer-CPU lineup with its inclusion of a 3.2GHz Core i7-970 processor. Combined with 6GB of DDR3 memory and an 80GB solid-state drive for system boots (alongside a 1TB drive for storage), that processor helped the 97B nail a score of 155 on our WorldBench 6 series of tests.
The HP Pavilion Elite HPE-390t, which at $2049 shaves about $50 off of the 97B's price, achieved a slightly higher score of 160. Micro Express's offering had an advantage over the HP, however, in graphics performance: Equipped with nVidia's GTX 480 graphics card, the 97B hit 126.1 frames per second on our Unreal Tournament 3 benchmark (run at a 2560-by-2100-pixel resolution and high quality). On our Dirt 2 benchmark, it produced an average of 175.5 fps. The HPE-390t, using an ATI Radeon 5770 graphics board, generated a comparatively paltry 67 fps in Unreal Tournament 3 and 59 fps in Dirt 2.
Micro Express's chassis is relatively plain, with few adornments. Aside from a wee glint of blue light emanating from a front grille as a result of the system's LED-illuminated fans, the case is jet black.
The generic look is lamentable, but the accessible, semi-screwless case makes working inside fairly hassle-free. Locking mechanisms assist you in securing 5.25-inch devices to your system, and the 97B comes with four free bays for additional upgrades; one bay is occupied by the PC's Blu-ray/DVD-burner combo drive. The same mechanisms help you install two 3.5-inch devices, as well, with one bay taken by the system's front-facing multiformat card reader. Finally, drive rails make hard-drive installations effortless, though the interior has space for only one extra storage device.
The 97B comes with two free PCI Express x1 slots, two PCI Express x16 slots, and a single PCI slot. We weren't thrilled with the roughshod wiring job, but it's forgivable--especially when compared with how much room the system's Cooler Master V8 CPU cooler takes up. Given the sheer size of this cooling device, installing additional sticks of RAM will be tricky, to say the least. It's a shame, too, that Micro Express doesn't make better use of this monstrosity by overclocking the CPU a bit.
As we often see on pricier systems, the 97B comes completely equipped to handle any external device you want to link to it. The desktop's front is a touch anemic, however, with a mere trio of USB ports and a multiformat card reader to its name--a stronger chassis would have addressed that.
The system's rear is a bit more generous. Six USB ports--including two USB/eSATA combination ports--join an S/PDIF coaxial and optical connection, dual gigabit ethernet ports, integrated 7.1 surround sound, one mini-FireWire 400 port, one FireWire 400 port, and two USB 3.0 ports. The system's nVidia GTX 480 graphics board carries two DVI ports and one HDMI port, as well.
Though the mouse that ships with the 97B is generic and boring, the bundled Microsoft keyboard comes with a number of additional buttons for launching applications, controlling multimedia playback, and raising and lowering the system's volume. That isn't anything new, but it is appreciated, considering the generic keyboards often packed with systems at this price point.
While it's neither the fastest nor the best-designed PC on our performance-PC charts, Micro Express's MicroFlex 97B delivers substantial, enjoyable computing without blowing up your bank account. Its price-to-performance ratio on general tasks and gaming is equally impressive, and the system comes with all the connections to make for a rich, next-generation desktop.
Unboxing the White iPhone 4 32GB
Heres an unboxing video of the white iPhone 4 32GB. Fake or not, you decide!
Read Comments / Comment this post
Daily Crunch: The Hills Have Butterflies Edition
Cyber-Cute Overload: Quadrocopter Drone Has Its Own Little HomePrototype Electric Motor Works With Any BicycleYou May Soon Be Wearing Chemical Detectors Modeled After Butterfly WingsThe Pentax K-x Is Now Available In Four New Tasty ColorsVideo: The Second Worms Reloaded Trailer
Tough Bamboo Bottle with Brittle Glass Heart
In Asia, everything from scaffold to lunch is made with bamboo. Anywhere else the tough, fast-growing grass is always marketed as being environmentally friendly (even when it houses a the toxic wasteland that is a modern computer). Today, we see the Bamboo Bottle, a water-bottle that makes the same world-saving claim.
The most environmentally water-bottle is probably the plastic one your Evian or Volvic came in. Long lasting and recyclable (into fleece-jackets, sadly), they are also cheap and come with a few free liters of water thrown in. This is my choice, and a quick rinse with boiling water once in a while keeps things hygienic.
The Bamboo Bottle is made from Bamboo, of course, but has a glass lining, which is removable for cleaning and is a lot easier to break than either plastic or aluminum. There are also plastic parts: a cap, a bottom cap and a top retaining ring. While it might not be as easy, light, cheap or durable as a regular plastic bottle, it is at least better-looking and all the parts can also be recycled. It will be available soon for $25, and will hold 17-ounces (half a liter) of liquid.
Bamboo Bottle [Bamboo Bottle Company via Uncrate]
See Also:
DuKJug: MacGyver's Water Bottle
Chemical From Plastic Water Bottles Found Throughout Oceans ?
Paper Water Bottle is a Triumph of Marketing Over Design
Bamboo Bike Maker Grows His Frames, Bonsai Style
Bamboo-zled: Eco Veneers Storm the Design World
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
The most environmentally water-bottle is probably the plastic one your Evian or Volvic came in. Long lasting and recyclable (into fleece-jackets, sadly), they are also cheap and come with a few free liters of water thrown in. This is my choice, and a quick rinse with boiling water once in a while keeps things hygienic.
The Bamboo Bottle is made from Bamboo, of course, but has a glass lining, which is removable for cleaning and is a lot easier to break than either plastic or aluminum. There are also plastic parts: a cap, a bottom cap and a top retaining ring. While it might not be as easy, light, cheap or durable as a regular plastic bottle, it is at least better-looking and all the parts can also be recycled. It will be available soon for $25, and will hold 17-ounces (half a liter) of liquid.
Bamboo Bottle [Bamboo Bottle Company via Uncrate]
See Also:
DuKJug: MacGyver's Water Bottle
Chemical From Plastic Water Bottles Found Throughout Oceans ?
Paper Water Bottle is a Triumph of Marketing Over Design
Bamboo Bike Maker Grows His Frames, Bonsai Style
Bamboo-zled: Eco Veneers Storm the Design World
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
7-inch iPad a reality by this Christmas?
IDG News has translated a Economic Daily News report that is claiming that we should expect a 7? iPad by Christmas of this year.
?The Economic Daily reports that Taiwanese companies have won a number of component contracts for the iPad 2. Chimei Innolux will supply 7-inch LCD screens, which use the same IPS (in-plane switching) technology found in the original iPad, which improves viewing angles and color on LCD screens. Touchscreen technology for the screens will come from Cando Corporation, the report says.?
This is not the first we?ve heard of a 7? iPad as earlier this month iLounge was reporting that a 7? screened version is substantially finished and will be ready for a announcement either later this year or early in 2011.
So are any of our readers ready to lay down their hard-earned cash on a 7? iPad this holiday season?
[Mac Rumors]
Probabilistic Chip Promises Better Flash Memory, Spam Filtering
A new chip could improve error correction in flash memory, and might also lead to more efficient spam filtering and shopping recommendations.
Lyric Semiconductor, a small MIT spinoff, has created an error correction chip that uses a technique called ?probability processing? to guess the right answer or solve a problem.
The chip, called LEC, is 30 times smaller in size than current digital error correction technology. That means manufacturers can create higher density chips that offer more storage at lower costs.
?This is not digital computing in the traditional sense,? says Ben Vigoda, founder of Lyric Semiconductor. ?We are looking at processing where the values can be between a zero and a one.?
Error rates in flash-based storage are of concern to both consumers and manufacturers.
?The issue with flash is you get higher and higher bit errors as you move to smaller geometry,? says Greg Wong, an analyst with research firm Forward Insights, ?so to discern data that is in there you have to use probability type of algorithms.?
Today, one in every thousand bits stored in a flash memory comes out wrong when the memory is read. With the next generation of flash memory, the number of errors is expected to approach one wrong bit out of every hundred.
For consumers, this� means a music file that they play from their flash storage disk could sound wrong ? or a file could get corrupted. To avoid that, flash memory makers have to use error correction, much of which is currently done using software algorithms.
The problem with software-based solutions is that they use digital signal processing circuits that add to the size of the chip, says Wong.
?This is an area where cost is a very sensitive factor,? he says. ?So if you can reduce the size of the circuitry, there?s a big benefit there.?
Despite its tiny size, the Lyric LEC contains ?a Pentium?s worth of computation,? says Vigoda.
Story continues.
Pages: 1 2 View All
Lyric Semiconductor, a small MIT spinoff, has created an error correction chip that uses a technique called ?probability processing? to guess the right answer or solve a problem.
The chip, called LEC, is 30 times smaller in size than current digital error correction technology. That means manufacturers can create higher density chips that offer more storage at lower costs.
?This is not digital computing in the traditional sense,? says Ben Vigoda, founder of Lyric Semiconductor. ?We are looking at processing where the values can be between a zero and a one.?
Error rates in flash-based storage are of concern to both consumers and manufacturers.
?The issue with flash is you get higher and higher bit errors as you move to smaller geometry,? says Greg Wong, an analyst with research firm Forward Insights, ?so to discern data that is in there you have to use probability type of algorithms.?
Today, one in every thousand bits stored in a flash memory comes out wrong when the memory is read. With the next generation of flash memory, the number of errors is expected to approach one wrong bit out of every hundred.
For consumers, this� means a music file that they play from their flash storage disk could sound wrong ? or a file could get corrupted. To avoid that, flash memory makers have to use error correction, much of which is currently done using software algorithms.
The problem with software-based solutions is that they use digital signal processing circuits that add to the size of the chip, says Wong.
?This is an area where cost is a very sensitive factor,? he says. ?So if you can reduce the size of the circuitry, there?s a big benefit there.?
Despite its tiny size, the Lyric LEC contains ?a Pentium?s worth of computation,? says Vigoda.
Story continues.
Pages: 1 2 View All
The Secret Histories of Those @#$%ing Computer Symbols
By Bryan Gardiner
They are road signs for your daily rituals ? the instantly recognized symbols and icons you press, click and ogle countless times a day when you interact with your computer. But how much do you know about their origins?
Power
It?s plastered on T-shirts; it tells you which button will start your Prius; it?s even been used on NYC condom wrappers. As far back back as World War II engineers used the binary system to label individual power buttons, toggles and rotary switches: A 1 meant ?on,? and a 0 meant off. In 1973, the International Electrotechnical Commission vaguely codified a broken circle with a line inside it as ?standby power state,? and sticks to that story even now. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, however, decided that was too vague, and altered the definition to simply mean power. Hell yeah, IEEE. Way to take a stand.
Command
What do Swedish campgrounds and overuse of the Apple logo have in common? A lot, according to Andy Hertzfeld of the original Mac development team. While working with other team members to translate menu commands directly to the keyboard, Hertzfeld and his team decided to add a special function key. The idea was simple: When pressed in combination with other keys, this ?Apple key? would select the corresponding menu command. Jobs hated it ? or more precisely the symbol used to represent the button ? which was yet another picture of the Apple logo. Hertzfeld recalls his reaction: ?There are too many Apples on the screen! It?s ridiculous! We?re taking the Apple logo in vain!? A hasty redesign followed, in which bitmap artist Susan Kare pored through an international symbol dictionary and settled on one floral symbol that, in Sweden, indicated a noteworthy attraction in a campground. Alternately known as the Gorgon loop, the splat, the infinite loop, and, in the Unicode standard, a ?place of interest sign,? the command symbol has remained a mainstay on Apple keyboards to this day.
Bluetooth
You?ve probably heard the story of 10th-century Danish King, Harald Bl�tand, as it relates to Bluetooth, right? He was renowned connoisseur of blueberries; at least one of this teeth was permanently stained blue; yadda yadda yadda. What you might not know is that the Bluetooth symbol is actually a combination of the two runes that represent Harald?s initials. It just so happens the first Bluetooth receptor also had a ?teeth-like? shape, and was ? you guessed it ? blue. But the symbolic interplay doesn?t end there. As the Bluetooth SIG notes, Bl�tand ?was instrumental in uniting warring factions in parts of what are now Norway, Sweden, and Denmark ? just as Bluetooth technology is designed to allow collaboration between differing industries such as the computing, mobile phone and automotive markets.?
Pages: 1 2 3 View All
They are road signs for your daily rituals ? the instantly recognized symbols and icons you press, click and ogle countless times a day when you interact with your computer. But how much do you know about their origins?
Power
It?s plastered on T-shirts; it tells you which button will start your Prius; it?s even been used on NYC condom wrappers. As far back back as World War II engineers used the binary system to label individual power buttons, toggles and rotary switches: A 1 meant ?on,? and a 0 meant off. In 1973, the International Electrotechnical Commission vaguely codified a broken circle with a line inside it as ?standby power state,? and sticks to that story even now. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, however, decided that was too vague, and altered the definition to simply mean power. Hell yeah, IEEE. Way to take a stand.
Command
What do Swedish campgrounds and overuse of the Apple logo have in common? A lot, according to Andy Hertzfeld of the original Mac development team. While working with other team members to translate menu commands directly to the keyboard, Hertzfeld and his team decided to add a special function key. The idea was simple: When pressed in combination with other keys, this ?Apple key? would select the corresponding menu command. Jobs hated it ? or more precisely the symbol used to represent the button ? which was yet another picture of the Apple logo. Hertzfeld recalls his reaction: ?There are too many Apples on the screen! It?s ridiculous! We?re taking the Apple logo in vain!? A hasty redesign followed, in which bitmap artist Susan Kare pored through an international symbol dictionary and settled on one floral symbol that, in Sweden, indicated a noteworthy attraction in a campground. Alternately known as the Gorgon loop, the splat, the infinite loop, and, in the Unicode standard, a ?place of interest sign,? the command symbol has remained a mainstay on Apple keyboards to this day.
Bluetooth
You?ve probably heard the story of 10th-century Danish King, Harald Bl�tand, as it relates to Bluetooth, right? He was renowned connoisseur of blueberries; at least one of this teeth was permanently stained blue; yadda yadda yadda. What you might not know is that the Bluetooth symbol is actually a combination of the two runes that represent Harald?s initials. It just so happens the first Bluetooth receptor also had a ?teeth-like? shape, and was ? you guessed it ? blue. But the symbolic interplay doesn?t end there. As the Bluetooth SIG notes, Bl�tand ?was instrumental in uniting warring factions in parts of what are now Norway, Sweden, and Denmark ? just as Bluetooth technology is designed to allow collaboration between differing industries such as the computing, mobile phone and automotive markets.?
Pages: 1 2 3 View All
iPhone app: Hungry Shark ? Review
Popular Sections on Daily iPhone Blog:
iPhone 4 Wallpapers
iPhone Wallpapers
iPad wallpapers
Monday, August 16, 2010
Microsoft Launches PC vs. Mac Website
Remember Apple's "Get A Mac" ads? They featured Justin Long as a Mac, and John Hodgman as a PC. Throughout a variety of 30-second spots, Mac demonstrated his superiority over fussy, buggy, increasingly frustrated PC:
During the late and unlamented Windows Vista era, those ads forced Microsoft on the defensive; not until the economic recession compelled PC buyers to give serious thought to cheaper devices (allowing Microsoft to score points with a series of ads emphasizing PCs' ostensible cost-effectiveness), and Windows 7 negated many of the arguments about buggy Microsoft operating systems, did Redmond seem to find its public footing again. The last few "Get A Mac" ads, one of which tried to launch a broadside at Windows 7, were also the series' weakest:
Now Microsoft's reviving that old rivalry somewhat, with its PC vs. Mac Website. Some of the information presented here is accurate: Windows PCs really do have more gaming options than Macs, and there are some security advantages.
In other areas, however, Microsoft's arguments are more subjective. "While some may say Macs are easy, the reality is that they can come with a learning curve," insists one section. "PCs running Windows 7 look and work more like the computers you're familiar with, so you can get up and running quickly."
There are obvious differences between the respective user interfaces of Mac OS X and Windows 7, but anyone who uses one can learn the other fairly quickly. Does it take time? Sure. But I've also known technologically inept individuals who, having spent their working lives on Windows machines, were able to make the leap to Mac versatility in an afternoon. I use both operating systems, often side by side, for hours a day; the differences aren't even close to insurmountably vast.
That aside, Microsoft shoots itself in the foot when it comes to the Website's Compatibility section. "Apple's productivity suite file formats won't open in Microsoft Office on PCs," this part claims. "This can be a real hassle for Mac users sharing work documents with PC users."
I suppose that was true a decade ago. And maybe iWork has some compatibility issues, despite Apple's insistence to the contrary, but I also don't know a single Mac user who relies on it; everyone in that category uses either Office for Mac or Google Docs. By suggesting that documents created on a Mac are incompatible with a PC, Microsoft seems to be implicitly denigrating its own work in creating Apple software--but given how the company stands to profit more if someone purchases a Windows 7-equipped PC, as opposed to a Mac running Office, I'm sure that position was regarded as the lesser of two corporate evils.
In its public-facing communications, Microsoft likes to emphasize how consumers have a choice. For its part, Apple has a Webpage where it touts the benefits of Macs over PCs. Either way, I'm happy to see the discourse between the two companies has elevated itself above a kindergarten level.
During the late and unlamented Windows Vista era, those ads forced Microsoft on the defensive; not until the economic recession compelled PC buyers to give serious thought to cheaper devices (allowing Microsoft to score points with a series of ads emphasizing PCs' ostensible cost-effectiveness), and Windows 7 negated many of the arguments about buggy Microsoft operating systems, did Redmond seem to find its public footing again. The last few "Get A Mac" ads, one of which tried to launch a broadside at Windows 7, were also the series' weakest:
Now Microsoft's reviving that old rivalry somewhat, with its PC vs. Mac Website. Some of the information presented here is accurate: Windows PCs really do have more gaming options than Macs, and there are some security advantages.
In other areas, however, Microsoft's arguments are more subjective. "While some may say Macs are easy, the reality is that they can come with a learning curve," insists one section. "PCs running Windows 7 look and work more like the computers you're familiar with, so you can get up and running quickly."
There are obvious differences between the respective user interfaces of Mac OS X and Windows 7, but anyone who uses one can learn the other fairly quickly. Does it take time? Sure. But I've also known technologically inept individuals who, having spent their working lives on Windows machines, were able to make the leap to Mac versatility in an afternoon. I use both operating systems, often side by side, for hours a day; the differences aren't even close to insurmountably vast.
That aside, Microsoft shoots itself in the foot when it comes to the Website's Compatibility section. "Apple's productivity suite file formats won't open in Microsoft Office on PCs," this part claims. "This can be a real hassle for Mac users sharing work documents with PC users."
I suppose that was true a decade ago. And maybe iWork has some compatibility issues, despite Apple's insistence to the contrary, but I also don't know a single Mac user who relies on it; everyone in that category uses either Office for Mac or Google Docs. By suggesting that documents created on a Mac are incompatible with a PC, Microsoft seems to be implicitly denigrating its own work in creating Apple software--but given how the company stands to profit more if someone purchases a Windows 7-equipped PC, as opposed to a Mac running Office, I'm sure that position was regarded as the lesser of two corporate evils.
In its public-facing communications, Microsoft likes to emphasize how consumers have a choice. For its part, Apple has a Webpage where it touts the benefits of Macs over PCs. Either way, I'm happy to see the discourse between the two companies has elevated itself above a kindergarten level.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Chiral Coffin Screws Bodies in the Dirt
Inventor Donald Scruggs knows that once you?re dead, you?re pretty much screwed. He also knows that once you?re 6-feet under, you?ll also be 6-feet long and a couple of feet high, taking up precious real estate. Forever.
Scruggs? has been granted a patent on the last gadget you?ll ever need. It?s a giant, screw-shaped coffin into which are loaded your expired meat and bones, ready to be twisted into the ground. The patent application was filed way back in 2006, and while you probably don?t need to read it to get the idea, it is definitely worth taking a look at the drawings, of which there are many.
One of the biggest problems was making a shell that could withstand the twisting forces involved. And while the patent has been granted, Scruggs is still working on prototypes to overcome this. One thing he has worked out, in great detail, is the method for insertion. Depending on the density of the earth, the chiral coffin can be interred by hand using a many-handled assembly much like a horizontal ship?s wheel, or ? for tougher dirt ? a kind of backhoe with a twisting assembly.
Because the coffins displace dirt as your body is screwed in, no digging is required, and no earth is left over. It even offers a bonus for those who are terrified of being buried alive: The lid could be made with an emergency exit to allow coma victims and deep sleepers to escape their twisting tomb.
That doesn?t mean you shouldn?t still be scared. The image that keeps creeping nightmarishly into my mind is that of a giant, robotic Bugs Bunny, lurching into these now densely packed graveyards and uprooting the giant metallic carrots, one by one.
Easy Inter Burial Container [USPO/Google Patents]
Screw It, You?re Dead Anyway [Discovery News]
Inventor Donald Scruggs and the Screw-in Coffin [Discover]
See Also:
Rem Koolhaas to Build Largest Coffin in Latin America
Are Dead People Really Dead?
Folks Take Cellphones To The Grave
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
Scruggs? has been granted a patent on the last gadget you?ll ever need. It?s a giant, screw-shaped coffin into which are loaded your expired meat and bones, ready to be twisted into the ground. The patent application was filed way back in 2006, and while you probably don?t need to read it to get the idea, it is definitely worth taking a look at the drawings, of which there are many.
One of the biggest problems was making a shell that could withstand the twisting forces involved. And while the patent has been granted, Scruggs is still working on prototypes to overcome this. One thing he has worked out, in great detail, is the method for insertion. Depending on the density of the earth, the chiral coffin can be interred by hand using a many-handled assembly much like a horizontal ship?s wheel, or ? for tougher dirt ? a kind of backhoe with a twisting assembly.
Because the coffins displace dirt as your body is screwed in, no digging is required, and no earth is left over. It even offers a bonus for those who are terrified of being buried alive: The lid could be made with an emergency exit to allow coma victims and deep sleepers to escape their twisting tomb.
That doesn?t mean you shouldn?t still be scared. The image that keeps creeping nightmarishly into my mind is that of a giant, robotic Bugs Bunny, lurching into these now densely packed graveyards and uprooting the giant metallic carrots, one by one.
Easy Inter Burial Container [USPO/Google Patents]
Screw It, You?re Dead Anyway [Discovery News]
Inventor Donald Scruggs and the Screw-in Coffin [Discover]
See Also:
Rem Koolhaas to Build Largest Coffin in Latin America
Are Dead People Really Dead?
Folks Take Cellphones To The Grave
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
TIBCO SOFTWARE TOSHIBA TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS VEECO INSTRUMENTS
Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 9 Final Platform Preview
Microsoft released its fourth and final Platform Preview of Internet Explorer 9 for developers Aug. 4, as part of its ramp-up towards the browser's September beta release. This Preview features native JavaScript integration and fully hardware-accelerated HTML5, among other features.After previewing IE9 at the MIX 2010 conference in Las Vegas, Microsoft has released preview versions of IE9 to developers roughly every eight weeks; the three previous Platform Previews have been downloaded more than 2.5 million times, according to Microsoft. The newest preview can be downloaded from this site."The fourth Platform Preview of Internet Explorer 9, available now, shows the opportunity of fully hardware-accelerated HTML5," Dean Hachamovitch, general manager of Internet Explorer, wrote in an Aug. 4 posting on the Windows Internet Explorer Weblog. "You can run new test drive samples that show modern SVG and native JavaScript integration in action... With this installment, you will find more performance and more support for the same markup." By integrating the JavaScript engine directly into the browser, apparently, IE9 achieves speeds greater than its predecessors.Microsoft also contributed 519 new tests to the standards bodies with Platform Preview 4, bringing the total number of tests contributed during IE9 development to 2,138.Despite a strong challenge from rival browsers such as Firefox and Chrome, Internet Explorer has managed to make incremental gains with regard to overall users. Net Applications estimated Internet Explorer's share of the browser market at 60.74 percent (a slightly increase from June's 60.32 percent), followed by Firefox with 22.91 percent, Chrome with 7.16 percent, Safari with 5.09 percent, and Opera with 2.45 percent.User adoption of Internet Explorer 8 has been on the rise, even as the respective shares for Internet Explorer 6 and 7 continue their decline. Over the past few months, Microsoft executives have positioned the latter two versions' slide as a natural trend they encourage. Despite that, Microsoft currently intends to support Internet Explorer 6 through April 2014, despite concerns from some quarters over its security and relevance.But Internet Explorer's privacy policies have also raised some users' hackles--particularly after an Aug. 1 article in The Wall Street Journal that alleged company executives had killed the Internet Explorer team's initiative to create software that counteracts common tracking tools; the concern, apparently, was that such programming would interfere with the company's online-ad selling operation.In response to that controversy, Microsoft issued an Aug. 1 posting on The Windows Internet Explorer Weblog, insisting that "browsing the Web is fundamentally an information exchange" and that "your Web browser offers information in order to get information." That posting also called attention to Internet Explorer's InPrivate Filtering, which allows users to regulate their privacy settings.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
id's Rage Blazes at 60 fps On iPhone, but What About Android?
The iPhone isn't just powerful, it's actually capable of crashing through id's upcoming graphics showcase Rage with silky smooth aplomb. That's the takeaway from id Software technical director John Carmack's tech demo at this year's Quake Con 2010, a giant annual LAN party occurring now in Dallas, Texas.
It's hard to tell just how much geometry's being churned watching videos of the demonstration--never mind the texturing, the game rooms look boxy and simplistic--but one thing's inarguable: The view pans fluidly. According to Carmack, you're looking at a working demo of Rage, using id's Tech 5 visual engine, as it chews on megatextures while managing to deliver a steady 60 frames per second.
Apparently the game will be out sometime this year for the iPhone, and consume a couple hundred megabytes of storage space.
Assuming Apple's not using some beamed-in-from-the-future iPhone, that means we're probably looking at the 45 nanometer PowerVR SGX535, the graphical subset of the Apple A4 system-on-a-chip employed in the iPhone 4. The SGX535 is reportedly capable of handling 28 million triangles per second.
Now wouldn't it be something if Apple slipped a PowerVR SGX540 into the next iteration of the iPhone. If they did, you'd be looking at a device capable of rendering a whopping 90 million triangles per second. And guess what uses that processor: Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy S smartphone, launching at the end of this month for $249.99.
For comparison purposes, the PS3 can do around 250 million triangles per second, while the Xbox 360 can push through 500 million (obviously that's only one of several important performance indices, but still).
Will id support the Android platform? Unquestionably--it's just a matter of time--meaning the mobile market game wars are about to get an order of magnitude more interesting.
Follow us on Twitter (@game_on)
It's hard to tell just how much geometry's being churned watching videos of the demonstration--never mind the texturing, the game rooms look boxy and simplistic--but one thing's inarguable: The view pans fluidly. According to Carmack, you're looking at a working demo of Rage, using id's Tech 5 visual engine, as it chews on megatextures while managing to deliver a steady 60 frames per second.
Apparently the game will be out sometime this year for the iPhone, and consume a couple hundred megabytes of storage space.
Assuming Apple's not using some beamed-in-from-the-future iPhone, that means we're probably looking at the 45 nanometer PowerVR SGX535, the graphical subset of the Apple A4 system-on-a-chip employed in the iPhone 4. The SGX535 is reportedly capable of handling 28 million triangles per second.
Now wouldn't it be something if Apple slipped a PowerVR SGX540 into the next iteration of the iPhone. If they did, you'd be looking at a device capable of rendering a whopping 90 million triangles per second. And guess what uses that processor: Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy S smartphone, launching at the end of this month for $249.99.
For comparison purposes, the PS3 can do around 250 million triangles per second, while the Xbox 360 can push through 500 million (obviously that's only one of several important performance indices, but still).
Will id support the Android platform? Unquestionably--it's just a matter of time--meaning the mobile market game wars are about to get an order of magnitude more interesting.
Follow us on Twitter (@game_on)
JDA SOFTWARE GROUP KINGSTON TECHNOLOGY LENOVO LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
