Selasa, 05 April 2011

What's new on SlashGear.com

What's new on SlashGear.com

Fring Beta Brings 4-Way Group Video Calling To Its Android And iPhone Apps

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 02:10 PM PDT

These days it seems almost every upcoming device touts a front-facing camera. So why not make good use of it and try out some video calling. Fring, the VoIP and video calling app for Android and iPhone, have just released a beta feature that allows you to ring up to four friends for group video calling.

The new group video calling feature was released today in a private beta version that you must sign up for in order to test drive. However, to get the full effect of four-way video calling, you will need three other friends who also use Fring on either their Android phone or iPhone.

The beta is being released only to a limited number of current Fring users and is free to use. So if you currently use Fring, you should head on over to their sign up page and give it shot. You will need to input your UDID and IMEI phone identification numbers. The video below shows the updated app in action.

[via Mashable]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Electric Cars Next for Formula One Racing?

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 01:22 PM PDT

The FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), has asked Formula One’s governing body to set up a racing championship series for electric cars in hopes of increasing public awareness and excitement about electric vehicles. Jean Todt, president of the FIA, speaking to the Financial Times, said that his organization is working with Formula One to create new electric car, go-kart and single-seater racing categories. It would make races a whole lot quieter…


And if there were millions of dollars being poured into creating a really fast and aerodynamic electric car, the innovations would be bound to trickle down to cars for consumers.

“We want as soon as possible to have new categories with new energy,” said Mr Todt, and he added that the first season for electric car racing could be as early as 2013, and would be as global as possible. It will be interesting to see if this has wide appeal in the US, and how fast these things can actually go. And if they run out of power halfway through the race…

[via TreeHugger]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Verizon To Pay $93M For Overcharging The Government

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 01:18 PM PDT

You would think that after Verizon was ordered to pay back customers for overcharges last October, that the company would have tidied up its billing procedures. And, you would think the last people they should make that same mistake with is the government. Verizon has been ordered to pay $93.5 million to settle a claim that they overcharged the General Services Administration (GSA) on taxes and surcharges.

Verizon’s MCI Communications Services unit held a government contract for voice and data services with GSA , which supports various federal agencies with products and communications. According to the Justice Department, GSA found that Verizon submitted false claims for reimbursement of property taxes, recovery charges, and unallowable surcharges.

"Verizon cooperated closely with the government throughout the process," Peter Lucht, a Verizon spokesman, said in an interview. "It was in the best interest of all parties to settle the matter. The government and Verizon disagreed on whether certain fees could be charged under the contract, so their settlement concludes the efforts by both parties to resolve the dispute amicably."

[via Bloomberg]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Giant Falcon Heavy Rocket from SpaceX Unveiled

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 12:58 PM PDT

The private spaceflight company SpaceX has just announced a brand new, and gigantic, rocket. The Falcon Heavy will be 22 stories high, and have a cargo capacity of 117,000 pounds. The company has already arranged deals with NASA for resupplying the International Space Station with its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. The Falcon Heavy, though, is intended for launching huge payloads into orbit for both government and commercial concerns. And this rocket will be able to do it cheaper than anyone else, by far.


The Falcon Heavy has 27 engines, a 227 foot booster, and will dwarf anything SpaceX’s competitors have come up with. The closest competition is United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV, which has a 50,000-pound capacity and launches heavy payloads for the Pentagon for up to $275 million per launch. In contrast, the Falcon Heavy will be able to launch over twice that capacity for just $80-125 million. According to Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, that is a new world record for cost per pound to orbit.

This will be the first time since the NASA’s Saturn V that we will see something this powerful launched. And as long as costs don’t spiral out of control by the time the Falcon Heavy is ready do do business, this will give companies a lower cost of entry into Earth orbit…so there can be even more junk up there above us. SpaceX will launch the Falcon Heavy in a demo flight from California's Vandenberg AFB by end of next year. It will be a sight to see.

[via PopSci]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Intel Debuts 10-Core Xeon E7 Processors

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 12:43 PM PDT

Intel today announced a new family of Xeon E7 10-core dual-threaded processors. The Xeon E7 is intended for both servers as well as very high performance computers and is Intel’s first chip to surpass eight cores.

The new ten-core chip supports up to 20 threads and is up to 40 percent faster and more energy efficient. Portions of the chip can be shut down when not being used, such as when there’s only a light load on the processor.

The Xeon E7 chip is based on the 32 nanometer manufacturing process, has 2TBytes of main memory, and 30Mbytes of last-level cache. The chip will be launched in 10 different versions with prices ranging from $774 to $4616.

[via Electronista]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Sprint Announces MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspots, Price And Date

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 11:51 AM PDT

Sprint announced today that it will be offering the ultra-compact award-winning MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot by Novatel Wireless. With the new MiFi service, customers can take advantage of 4G speeds and get one-touch connectivity for up to five WiFi-enabled devices, including tablets, eReaders, laptops, and gaming consoles.

Sprint will be the first carrier to launch a 4G MiFi Intelligent Mobile Hotspot preloaded with MiFi OS. This includes widgets and application support that goes beyond just internet connectivity. The new 4G mobile hotspot service promises speeds of up to 10 times faster than its 3G predecessor. Other improvements include an external status display for battery, signal strength, GPS, roaming, and number of connected devices as well as improved battery life and a microSD slot for an up to 32GB memory card.

The new MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot will cost $79.99 (excluding taxes) with a two-year service agreement. The device is available now via Direct Ship, but will be available at all Sprint stores starting April 17. Service plans for the device start at $49.99 per month.

[via Sprint]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Space Junk Could Collide with International Space Station *Updated*

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 11:46 AM PDT

Space, or at least Earth’s orbit, is becoming more and more congested, and now the International Space Station may be in danger from a rogue bit of space debris. The Pentagon estimates there are now more than 370,000 pieces of junk floating around in low-Earth orbit, from collisions, missile tests, and space missions, turning the area directly above Earth into “an orbiting rubbish dump”. And now one piece of that rubbish may collide with the International Space Station, according to NASA.


The junk in question is a piece of a Chinese satellite that was destroyed in 2007. The debris will be near the space station at 4:21 p.m. eastern time. Around 3pm (or about twenty minutes from the time this was published), NASA will decide whether to evacuate the ISS crew of three to the Soyuz capsule for safety. According the a video on the NASA website, things are looking favorable now, but they are still on alert.

There is an imaginary box around the space station, measuring 25km x 25km x 0.75km. If anything looks like it will pass within that box, the space station will either be moved, or the astronauts will be evacuated. In this case, there was not enough time to steer the station out of the way. Only this past Friday, there was another piece of debris that came within the “box”. In that case, the station had time to move out of the way. Check in at NASA.gov to see if the Chinese satellite debris does in fact collide with the station. Let’s hope not.

The current space station team is made up of NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli.

*Update*: The space station was given the all-clear, the debris is not going to be close enough to warrant an evacuation.

[via CNN, Telegraph]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Learn How LCD Monitors Work, Informative Teardown Video

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 11:13 AM PDT

If you’ve ever wondered how exactly your LCD monitor works down to the pixel, then you don’t want to miss an excellent clip from EngineerGuyVideo that literally breaks it all down for you. The five-minute video is very informative and easy to digest—kind of similar to what we’re trying to do with our new SlashGear 101 series.

The nice thing about the video is that you get to see the actual LCD panel taken apart into its layers of magic. Diagrams and some animation are interspersed to further explain how all the liquid crystals, film transistors, and polarizers work together to form a display.

We really like these types of videos that break down complicated topics in a way that makes them very easy to understand. Even the most advanced tech enthusiasts can take a refresher every once in awhile. We hope that our new SlashGear 101 series will be able to cover many interesting tech topics in the same clear and concise manner. If you have particular topics you’re interested in learning more in depth about, please let us know in the comments.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Tired of waiting for NoDo? Download it yourself.

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 10:54 AM PDT

Microsoft has announced it is pushing out the NoDo update for Windows handsets, but the update may be a bit slow in coming to your phone. We posted the timetable from Microsoft last week. But if you are tired of waiting, you don’t mind a little risk, and want to be able to copy and paste without delay, you are in luck. A blog post by Chris on My Coding Adventures, offers a way to download the update right now.


The update is not reversible, so you do it at your own risk. But then, as Oliver Haslam said on Redmond Pie “it's not like your WP7 handset is particularly useful anyway…” (he said it, not us!).
According to the original blog post, Microsoft made this possible by releasing a support tool for Windows Phone yesterday:

Inside that tool, were unreal hidden gems.

Basically they've created a managed wrapper over the whole update process for us, rather nice of them.

So I flashed my HTC Mozart back to RTM (7004) via a ROM update HTC ship and whipped up a little application to flash pre-NoDo (7008), NoDo (7355), NoDo update 1 (7389) & NoDo update 2 (7390) all in a single process. No I don't care which carrier you are on, which phone you have, it'll just update your phone accordingly.

If you want to try it out, go here. And you do so at your own risk.

[via Redmond Pie]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Cutting the Cords

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 10:46 AM PDT

When I suggested to my ex-wife that I might rent a storage space to house some of the stuff I wanted to take with me, she voiced concern.

"That's how the hoarders always start out."

Neither of us watches the hoarder TV shows that have cropped up, but she's seen enough Oprah to have an idea of how the problem begins. At first I started to protest.

[Image credit: Eric]

"I'm not talking about keeping every bit of trash I have lying around. I'm moving from a four bedroom house (and a 15-year relationship) to a single life in a smaller apartment. It only makes sense that I have more stuff than I can store."

My new apartment has plenty of closet space — for clothing, shoes, the natural accoutrements of a non-hoarder. There is not enough space for everything I own, especially not with all of the toddler stuff I'll be bringing and inevitably accumulating.

My ex suggested I make a clean break. It was finally time to throw away everything I did not need. She suggested that I pick out the things I sincerely wanted to keep, and toss the rest. Instead of keeping everything that I might want, I should pick out only the things that I need.

I started with the cords. The cables. The chargers. I am not a hoarder, but I will admit to being a pack-rat. I try not to keep things that are useless, but I will hold onto something if I think it might someday be useful or interesting. Usually this doesn't cause problems, but if there has been one point of contention among my growing collection of junk over the last decade and a half, it has easily been the cords. My ex-wife always hated the cords.

I have bags upon bags filled with cords and cables of all sorts. I have RCA audio/video cables of varying lengths. Every electronic device I use either uses HDMI, VGA, DVI, or its own proprietary connection. Nothing uses RCA, the yellow, red, and white triplet. I keep my best set of RCA cables, an extra-long set with gold-plated tips, and toss the rest.

Why keep even those? Because I kept a VCR. I know, I was just as surprised as you are that I actually still own a VCR. In fact, I own two. I haven't used them since 1999. In 2000 I bought a TiVo. One of the VCRs is missing a couple knobs on its face. I kept the other one. It may seem useless, but many important moments in my life were filmed on VHS tapes. Sure, I could get those converted to DVD (do people still use DVDs?), or to digital, but just in case I find a tape and need to determine if it's worth saving, or if I get nostalgic and decide I want to watch the original, it's nice knowing I have my own VCR, since nobody sells VCRs any more. Of course, in 12 years I haven't had any reason to use the thing, and I'm not even sure it works, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Because of the VCR, I kept one good coaxial cable. I was going to keep all of my coax, but coax is cheap and easy to come by. An unscrupulous cable installer (a redundant phrase) will cut you a length of coax to your heart's content. I have coax ranging from 1 foot to five meters. I tossed all of it.

I tossed my old third-party Dreamcast controllers. I sold the console and the games long ago. If I want a Dreamcast again, surely I'll find controllers and a VMU to go with it. I tossed many, many accessories to game consoles I no longer own. An original Xbox AV cable. I stupidly sprung for the Monster brand, so even when the console went kaput, it seemed a waste to toss the cable. Gamecube controllers. I owned that console for less than a year. I only wanted it for Metroid. Somehow a controller stayed behind.

I have 3 complete AC adapters for Dell laptops, and one for a Sony Vaio. I own no such laptops. I used to own a Dell, but I never owned a Sony. Not sure how that adapter even got there.

I tossed a Sony Location Free box. It was a review sample that I did not have to return. I was so unsatisfied with it that I ended up procrastinating on the review until I no longer worked for the site that sent it to me. But I kept the box. Ditto a set of obnoxiously large iPod speakers. I don't care how good they sound. A system that requires two ten-pound speakers and a line of speaker wire completely defeats the purpose of an iPod. I kept the Altec Lansing inMotion IM7, a tube-shaped boom box for iPod. It works with even the current models, and it's awesome. So it gets to live another day.

Worst of all were the chargers. I have crates filled with AC adapters of various voltages and amperages. Almost none of them have the actual brand name of their accompanying product on them. Most are simply stamped with the name of a Chinese town, or factory, or both. There is something poetic about that. They are skilled Chinese laborers, looking for work. I threw them all away without a thought.

I kept a few things I know I should have tossed. I have three laptops that do not work. Even if they did, they would be woefully out of date. I have a Powerbook G3 Mainstreet, a 2001 white iBook, and a 17-inch Powerbook G4. None of them are capable of running the latest OS, and I'm not skilled enough with Linux to make something useful and capable out of them. Plus, they need new motherboards and hard disk drives.

But I love the designs. I love the look of them all. We struggled together, through college and grad school. We looked for a job together when the tech bubble burst. We changed careers, then changed back again. We sang and danced, usually alone in our office. We fought together. We watched companions get snatched away by thieves, or sold to friends and family. We are the survivors. Inside their brains are, collectively, 13 years worth of photos, school assignments, emails, music and more. I know they may never be resurrected. They may never spill their secrets, many of which I failed to back up and have accepted as lost forever. But there is only so far I can go in tossing my digital past, and I just can't give up these old friends.

Now if I could only find an AC adapter to charge them.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

iPhone 5 June Release Confirmation is Complete Nonsense

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 10:32 AM PDT

There’s been a report from Korean site ETNews that the release date for the iPhone 5, a product that’s not been announced in any manner, mind you, will be released at WWDC on June 5th, 2011. The key word they have in this original article is 확인된, aka “confirmed.” They’ve noted that “industry officials” have spoken with them and that they’ve told them that CEO Steve Jobs will be there to release the flagship phone.

Again, this is nonsense. Apple, as we know from many moons of reporting on such matters, never confirms anything of this magnitude. This is an unsubstantiated rumor, and ETNews ought to be tossed out of news readers worldwide for producing it as fact. Another small tidbit they mention is that this phone will get a simultaneous release in Korea – maybe, possible, perhaps, but again, irrelevant because they have no real source.

When you hear a true release date for the iPhone 5, if such a product exists (it surely will in the near future,) it will be from Steve Jobs mouth, not a “rumor” perpetuated by “journalists” claiming they’ve got “industry sources” confirming Apple news to them. We guarantee it.

[via ETNews]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Elgato EyeTV App with AirPlay Functionality

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 10:20 AM PDT

If you have EyeTV on your Mac, now you can get it on your iPhone or iPad as well. With the new app, you can stream live television over a 3G connection, as long as you have EyeTV already set up at home. The app converts live TV to the right format for view on an iPad or iPhone.


With the EyeTV app, you can:

  • Watch live TV and change channels anywhere (via a Wi-Fi or 3G connection)
  • Watch your EyeTV recordings
  • Browse the comprehensive Program Guide and view details
  • Start recordings back home on your Mac immediately or schedule them for later
  • View and edit your recording schedules
  • Automatically launch EyeTV on your Mac at home as needed

From your Mac, you will need to enable access from EyeTV for iPhone/iPad in EyeTV's Preferences window, and allow connections from EyeTV and EyeConnect in the Mac OS X firewall.

The app is $4.99 on the App Store.

There is also a free web app, which is a stripped down version, and still allows you to stream live TV over a 3G connection. It runs in the Safari browser. This might be a good way to test out the app before buying it. The free app is available here.

[via iTunes]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Developers: Android Fragmentation is a “Huge” Problem

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 09:51 AM PDT

The results of a survey of 250 working developers suggest that though more developers are actively creating apps for Android, they also have serious concerns about the platform. The survey was conducted by Baird’s William Powers, and released Monday. Among the concerns are device fragmentation, store fragmentation, app visibility, and the ability to get paid. Our own Ben Bajarin has had similar concerns, especially about the security of apps on Android. Continue after the break for more details.


Device fragmentation: 56% of Android developers, an increase over the past three months, voiced concern that operating system fragmentation among the different Android devices was a significant or “huge” problem.
Store fragmentation: “Generally,” Baird reports, “developers seem to prefer a unified, single store experience like Apple’s App Store.”
Ease of development: iOS lead Android for ease of development, but the two leading operating systems were deemed much easier to develop for than Research in Motion’s BlackBerry OS or Nokia’s Symbian (no word on thoughts about Windows Phone).
App visibility: Developers are concerned about the amount of junk apps in the Android ecosystem. iOS had better marks, since Apple’s App Store is much more tightly controlled. Blackberry came in second, and Android got a poor rating in this category.
Ability to get paid: iOS was at the top, followed by BlackBerry.

Google has been making a push against fragmentation, and moving to limit what manufacturers can do to change the OS. It remains to be seen if this will give developers (and users) a more consistent and predictable experience with the platform.
[via Fortune]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Dell 10 inch Windows 7 tablet delayed

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 09:20 AM PDT

The launch date for Dell’s 10-inch Windows 7 based tablet looks to slip until the fall according to industry analysts. Nobody knows why the 10-inch tablet won’t make it’s debut until at least September, but it’s certainly going to spell doom for Dell taking advantage of the back to school run-up. Dell is planning to position the 10-inch as a business grade tablet anyway, so they not feel the urgency to make the back to school window, instead focusing on the Holiday crowd instead.

Dell began to fan the flames of a 10-inch tablet way back in October, and have released both 5 and 7 inch Dell Streak models with mixed reviews. But with growing business interest in tablets, it makes sense that Dell will stay the course and continue with the product line. That’s good news for those looking for integrate some mobility into their Windows centered lives. But with Windows 8 rumored to be a more tablet centric experience and scheduled to be out in early 2012, is a 10-inch Windows 7 tablet coming to late to the party? Not really.

It’s one saving grace may come down to one word … BLUESTACKS. As Android Community reported yesterday, a company has managed to create a “Parallels” style experience which will enable PCs to not only dual boot between Android and Windows, but run both OS concurrently and switch between the two. Several PC companies are very interested in the possibilities Bluestacks brings to the party and Dell could be one of them. Consider this … with Apple releasing an OSX app store for Desktops, the Bluestacks function gives PC users the ability to invest in low cost Android apps and run them from their desktop PCs. And even though Google won’t allow access to the Android Marketplace for anything other than “licensed by Google” products now, the Amazon App store for Android represents a viable option. And if Android catches on in the desktop world, could it spread like a wildfire burning up every Windows bush in front of it? Only time will tell.

[via Forbes]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Motorola XOOM WiFi gets cheaper

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 08:43 AM PDT

Sales of the Motorola XOOM haven’t even begun in the UK yet, and already the Android 3.0 tablet is seeing price cuts. Dixons has dropped the WiFi-only version of the slate down to £479.99, with shipments expected to begin sometime this week.

The 3G/WiFi version of the tablet, suited to GSM networks rather than the CDMA of its US counterpart, is still up to £599.99 at retailer Carphone Warehouse. No word on whether they too will be dropping the price, though considering Dixons only made a £20 reduction we shouldn’t expect any massive bargains.

[via Android Community]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

iPad 2 top tablet says Consumer Reports

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 08:02 AM PDT

Consumer Reports has never been keen on the iPhone 4, criticizing both the original AT&T and newer Verizon versions for their antenna performance, but the independent buyers’ guide has no such qualms about the iPad 2. “Some series competitors are finally hitting the market” the organization says, but having tested ten models they’re still leaning toward recommending the Apple slate.

Models from Archos, Dell, Motorola, Samsung and ViewSonic were pitted against Apple’s first- and second-gen iPads, and judged on touchscreen responsiveness, versatility, portability, screen glare and ease-of-use. Top place went to the iPad 2 WiFi + 3G 32GB, but the first-gen iPad tied with Motorola’s XOOM.

Battery life proved particularly variable, with the iPad 2 lasting 12.2hrs of continuous video playback while an Archos slate managed just 3.8hrs of the same treatment. Still, we can imagine all this will prompt plenty of argument among tabletphiles about which platform has the most potential for the future.

Press Release:

Apple’s IPad2 tops Consumer Reports’ tablet ratings

After almost a year in which the Apple iPad has been virtually the only game in town in tablet computers, some serious competitors are finally hitting the market. Yet in Consumer Reports latest tests of the 10 most-promising tablet computers, the Apple iPad 2 with Wi-Fi and 3G topped the Ratings. The full report including Ratings of tablets is available at www.ConsumerReports.org.

In Consumer Reports lab tests, the Motorola Xoom revealed itself as the iPad 2's chief rival. Like the iPad 2, the Xoom boasts a 10-inch screen but adds conveniences that the iPad lacks, including a built-in memory card reader and support for the Flash videos and animations found on many Web sites.

"So far Apple is leading the tablet market in both quality and price, which is unusual for a company whose products are usually premium priced," said Paul Reynolds, Electronics Editor at Consumer Reports. "However, it's likely we'll see more competitive pricing in tablets as other models begin to hit the market."

Consumer Reports tested tablets from Archos, Dell, Motorola, Samsung, and ViewSonic, as well as several models from Apple. Each tablet was evaluated on 17 criteria, including touch-screen responsiveness, versatility, portability, screen glare, and ease of use, and testers found several models that outperformed the rest. The Apple iPad 2 with Wi-Fi plus 3G (32G), $730, topped the Ratings, scoring Excellent in nearly every category. The first-generation iPad, $580, also outscored many of the other models tested but tied with the Motorola Xoom, $800.

The largest gap in performance among the 10 tested tablets was evident in Consumer Reports' battery-life test, measured by playing the same video clip continually on each tablet and timing how long it played until the battery ran down. The top-scoring iPad 2 lasted 12.2 hours, but the lowest-rated tablet, the Archos 70 Internet Tablet, $270, lasted just 3.8 hours.

Before choosing a tablet, Consumer Reports recommends that consumers consider the following:

Many features are almost universal. Easy-to-use touch screens based on capacitive technology are now widely available. All the models Consumer Reports tested feature Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a front-facing webcam, and GPS capability. Android-based models can be expanded using built-in USB ports or slots for SD flash-memory cards, but the iPad 2 lacks both.

You get what you pay for. With prices for the best tablets still too high for many budgets, consumers may be tempted by lower-priced competitors. Don't be, says Consumer Reports, whose tests have found the performance of models costing $300 and under to be at best mediocre. Buying a tablet with a data plan may lower the initial cost of the device, but cancelling early may result in a stiff penalty. Otherwise, it might be cheaper to buy a 3G-capable model without a contract.

Future-proofing will pay off. Hardware specifications don't tell the whole story. Portability, storage capacity, and weight are important. But less obvious differences in software, connectivity, and upgradability are critical too. And with faster 4G data networks becoming more widely available, 4G capability (or at least the ability to upgrade to it) is also a plus.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Silverlight for Xbox 360 imminent with Windows Phone gaming ahead of Windows 8 app store

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 07:52 AM PDT

Microsoft is reportedly planning to imminently add Silverlight support to the Xbox 360, with an announcement of the update tipped for MIX11 next week. According to WinRumors sources, Microsoft’s engineers have been hard at work on the functionality “for some months” and could potentially be looking to allow Windows Phone developers to bring their apps over from the smartphone to the console.

That’s because Windows Phone developers have already been coding apps for the mobile platform using Silverlight tools. Microsoft announced back in November 2010 that it intended to bring Silverlight – its Flash alternative – support to the 360, though failed to attach a specific timescale to the update.

The move is believed to be part of Microsoft’s play to push the Xbox 360 into the middle ground between smartphones and PCs. The company is also believed to be using the platform for a new range of STBs that would work with its Mediaroom IPTV platform, though it’s also been suggested that the Xbox could act as the STB instead.

Microsoft’s Silverlight team has apparently committed to a mid-April ship date of Silverlight 5, though the company will  also push ahead with HTML5. It will be particularly useful for Windows 8 developers coding apps for slates and tablets, with a new Metro-based UI tipped and a new application model called “Jupiter” that will allow for Silverlight-based apps distributed as AppX packages through a new Windows application store pre-loaded onto the updated OS.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Peratech QTC Clear touchscreen could add force-sensing to your future iPad

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 07:22 AM PDT

Touch-sensor specialists Peratech have announced their QTC Clear, a transparent version of their force-sensing touch panel which promises to bring 3D input and more to tablets, smartphones and other devices. The new sensor can be added to a capacitive touchscreen or replace a resistive one, adding the ability to measure the pressure a user applies to the display. This, Peratech suggests, opens up the door to 3D interfaces where the force of touch controls the depth of navigation through the UI.

Traditionally, Peratech’s “Quantum Tunnelling Composite” (QTC) sensors have been opaque, limiting them to the periphery of displays or embedding into casings or even clothing. QTC Clear, as the name suggests, is transparent – “very similar to the existing touch screen technologies” the company claims – meaning it can be overlaid on top of the display panel.

Unlike resistive touchscreens, it supports multitouch and responds to mere microns of movement so can be used with toughened glass panels; unlike capacitive touchscreens, “virtually no current” flows when the panel is not being used, so power consumption is lower.

Peratech reckon little in the way of modification is required to touchscreen manufacturing processes, opening up the possibility of pressure-sensitive art applications that don’t demand a special stylus. Apparently a “leading touch screen manufacturer” has already licensed the QTC Clear technology, though Peratech unsurprisingly won’t say who it is.

Press Release:

Peratech's new, see through QTC Clear will revolutionise touch screens

RICHMOND, North Yorks., England – 5 April 2011. Peratech, the innovators in touch technology, have developed a see through version of their award winning, Quantum Tunnelling Composite (QTC™) material called QTC Clear™. This force sensing material can be used to create a whole new class of Force Sensitive touch screens that can completely replace current Resistive touch screen technologies or enhance Capacitive ones to create superior solutions with more features such as 3D input.

"Both Resistive and Capacitive touch screen technologies have their drawbacks," explained Philip Taysom, Peratech's Joint CEO. "Resistive is not very accurate and can't do multi-touch so it is becoming less popular than Capacitive, but the latter uses a lot of power constraining it to smaller screen sizes. Our new, QTC Clear touch screen design offers the best of both technologies without their drawbacks. It can be made in any size and provides multi-touch, high sensitivity with great accuracy, ultra low power consumption and additional intuitive features with the third dimension of pressure to more easily manipulate and control information on the screen."

Resistive touch screen manufacturers can upgrade to using QTC Clear and use their existing manufacturing procedures and equipment to produce this new class of Force Sensitive touch screens. Capacitive touch screen manufacturers can augment with the addition of QTC Clear to provide additional features from the force sensitivity such as touch activation of the capacitive matrix to save power, 3D menus, variable line widths, and more intuitive gaming interaction. Very little alteration is needed to the control electronics in either case except to take advantage of the new features.

The QTC Clear layer is only 6-8 microns thick with a transparency that is very similar to the existing touch screen technologies. This is sandwiched between two layers of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), which is in turn sandwiched between two hard sheets, typically glass. It is so sensitive that it can detect deflections of only a few microns so that the top surface can be rigid and robust, e.g. glass, unlike current Resistive designs that have to be soft enough to deform easily making them susceptible to damage. QTC's unique properties means that virtually no current flows unless a force is applied. This overcomes the drawbacks of Capacitive designs that constantly draw current and create design challenges to overcome EMI issues.

QTC Clear is available under license from Peratech and has already been licensed to a leading touch screen manufacturer. Licensing terms are competitively positioned so that manufacturing costs are only slightly greater to reflect the additional commercial benefits that using QTC Clear brings.

Paul O'Donovan, Principal Analyst at Gartner's semiconductor division, commented, "This is a very interesting new technology that could revolutionise the whole touch screen industry from automotive to computers."

Background information on Capacitive and Resistive touch screens

Current Resistive touch screens designs use a sandwich of a soft top layer and a hard bottom layer with small spacer bumps to keep them apart. When the soft top layer is pressed it deforms and contact is made between two thin films of conductive material (ITO) on the inside of the two structural layers. The drawbacks are that the top layer has to be soft enough to deform easily when pressed which makes it vulnerable to damage by scratching etc. and it cannot be used to provide the increasing important multi-touch functionality. No current flows unless pressure is applied, there are no EMI issues and they can be made any size. They can be used with gloves and in any humidity conditions.

Capacitive touch screens have become more popular as they overcome the drawbacks of Resistive because they have a robust, hard top surface and provide multi-touch. However, the design uses a lot of current to provide the touch detection which is a constraint on screen size and potential interference issues that require careful design to overcome, making large Capacitive screen solutions expensive. Also gloves and high humidity prevent them from working.

About QTC

QTC’s are electro-active polymeric materials made from metallic or non-metallic filler particles combined in an elastomeric binder. These enable the action of ‘touch’ to be translated into an electrical reaction, enabling a vast array of devices to incorporate very thin and highly robust ‘sensing’ of touch and pressure. QTC's unique properties enable it to be made into force sensitive switches of any shape or size. QTC switches and switch matrices can be screen printed allowing for development and integration of switches that are as thin as 75 microns.

QTC is also low power and interfaces can be designed with no start resistance so that without pressure, the switch draws no power and passes no current. Importantly, when pressure is applied, the resistance drops in proportion to the amount of pressure which allows sophisticated human machine interface designs that react to variations in pressure. QTC technology has no moving parts and requires no air gap between contacts. This makes it extremely reliable and suitable for integration into the thinnest electronic designs and with industry leading operational life.

About Peratech

Peratech is the inventor and world leader in Quantum Tunnelling Composite (QTC) technology. Already widely used in robotics and defence, Peratech commercialised its QTC technology at the beginning of 2006 and is currently working with a number of key technology clients who are implementing QTC sensing technology within their own products.

QTC materials give enormous flexibility in the design, shape, thickness and style of a switch or pressure sensor and can be made in a range of elastomeric forms, including emulsive coatings (down to thicknesses of 10 microns), 'bulk' silicone or rubber and textile forms. Peratech pioneered the creation of electronic switches made from textiles as early as 2001. QTC has been recognised through numerous International awards and accolades including "Tomorrow's World Industry Award 2002", "Saatchi & Saatchi Innovation Award 2000" and "European Electronics Industry Award 2004".

QTC materials have been used by organisations such as NASA, ILC Dover, Shadow Robotics and numerous government agencies world wide. Peratech also owns SOFTswitch the pioneering creator of textile switching and Eleksen, the world leader in touch sensitive interactive textiles for electronics interface design. Further information is available from www.peratech.com

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

128GB iPod touch 5th-gen prototype with touch-home leaks?

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 06:59 AM PDT

What could well be the first Apple iOS device to ditch the physical home button and replace it with a capacitive key looks to have leaked. Images of what’s tipped to be the fifth-gen iPod touch have been sent to CrunchGear, complete with 128GB of internal storage and both front and back cameras.

According to the Apple PMP’s info page, the leaked iPod touch is running firmware 4.2.1MC14; it’s also marked model MC550LL. That code has been linked both to a fourth-gen iPod touch variant and a Mac Pro, though the firmware version is relatively old in comparison to what’s found on current models.

It’s the second iPod leak of this week, with what appears to be an iPod nano with a space for a rear camera being caught in the wild on Monday. Apple has held off from upgrading its flash-based iPod models to 128GB for a couple of iterations, with the maximum capacity remaining at 64GB. As for the capacitive home button, the change has been suggested before after home gestures were spotted in recent iOS builds.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Google, Facebook & others argue French privacy rules

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 06:44 AM PDT

Poor Google; first the French tell them off for keeping data, and then they tell them off for not keeping data. The search giant is among over 20 sites – including Facebook, eBay and Dailymotion – complaining in France over what information on users they should be holding on to, including full names, addresses and passwords.

According to the French State Council, ecommerce sites, along with video, music and email providers, must now maintain a record of their users’ full names, postal and email addresses, any pseudonyms used, telephone numbers and passwords, along with any data the sites have gathered in the process of checking those facts. The records must be kept for at least twelve months, and must be handed over should the police, fraud office, customs, tax or social security authorities demand it as part of an enquiry.

The French Association of Internet Community Services (ASIC) will appeal the decree on Wednesday. Among their complaints is that “no consultation with the European Commission was made” according to an ASIC spokesperson. “This is a shocking measure,” he continued, “this obligation to keep passwords and hand them over to police services.”

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

How Google can save Google TV

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 06:30 AM PDT

Google’s projects seem to inevitably fall into one of two camps: either they’re runaway successes, like Gmail or Chrome, or dismal failures, like Wave. Teetering on the edge right now is Google TV, the company’s push for the living room which launched with a bang last year, maintained just enough momentum to reach the holidays, and then fell well short of the CES 2011 splash we’d expected. Call it a reboot, call it a refresh or call it a desperate resuscitation, Google TV is in dire need of some retuning.

Some background first. Announced in May 2010, Google TV’s target audience was the four billion TV viewers worldwide who, Google reckoned, watched on average 5hrs a day. TV + search was the concept, a mixture of streaming internet content, broadcast video and DVR integration, with Google’s search magic pulling all the strands together. The first products – a STB from Logitech, HDTVs and Blu-ray player from Sony – hit shelves in early October last year.

Make no mistake, the living room has seen many big companies lose their lunch money attempting to bring computing technology over to those on the sofa. Microsoft’s WebTV project is one good example of how plenty of financing, manufacturer support and ambitious plans can still have an underwhelming end. It’s also a segment which TV manufacturers themselves aren’t entirely willing to give up to computing firms: most mid- to high-end HDTVs now come with some sort of network-connectivity option, offering varying functionality that can include Netflix-style streaming, social network access and news widgets.

On the face of it, Google TV stood a great chance. A familiar brand-name, paired with an easy way to navigate the masses of content on offer to TV viewers, and big names like Sony and Logitech onboard (with the promise of Samsung and Vizio to follow) it should’ve been a runaway success. Instead, the hardware was too expensive in comparison to sub-$100 STBs like Apple TV and Roku – in no small part because Google had opted for an x86 Atom-based platform rather than cheaper ARM-based SoCs – and the usability of the search functionality undermined by remotes bristling with buttons and far too reminiscent of regular keyboards.

Can Google TV be saved? Yes, and it seems – based on rumors and speculation these past few weeks – that the search giant is taking at least some of the necessary steps to revive the platform. Longest-standing is talk of a switch to ARM chips, taking advantage of the low-cost but still 1080p HD-capable processors (already found in Android smartphones and tablets) to drive down prices, either for standalone STBs or integrating into HDTVs and other A/V boxes. Samsung is believed to be looking at ARM-based Google TV products, but you can bet that they’re not alone.

That’s hardware, but the Google TV software also looks set to undergo some fundamental changes in the near future. Google is believed to be pulling together its three current strands of Android – for phones, tablets and TV – into one single codebase, creating a unified AOSP which is tipped for an unveil at Google I/O in May. As well as making code updates more straightforward for the company, it would also help smooth the way for Android Market access in Google TV, finally delivering the third-party app opportunity initially promised at the platform’s unveil.

Third-party apps would dramatically boost Google TV, blowing past any app support currently offered on manufacturer-led smart TV platforms, and – potentially – beating Apple to the same thing with the App Store on the Apple TV. Just as we’ve seen with Android handsets, the software ecosystem would drive adoption and innovation; Google TV would no longer have to offer a “killer app” out of the box, and developers and content providers could find more straightforward ways to engage with the living room.

With a harmonized AOSP would come increasing cross-over between the platforms. Rather than relying on an Android handset running the Google TV Remote app for voice recognition, the STB itself could do the voice processing with a microphone on a simplified remote; that would reduce button overload and make the system far more approachable for tech-naive users (or, in all honesty, the tech-savvy who would still rather not have to deal with all that when it comes to slumping in front of the idiot-box). Expect to see a significant push for the “connected home” with Google TV playing increasingly well with Android-based tablets. Being able to stream content to a slate somewhere else in the home, or flip video content from a 10-inch tablet onto a 56-inch HDTV with the flick of a finger are compelling use-cases that are easier to sell to a mainstream audience.

Cheaper boxes running unified Android won’t be enough on their own, of course. The Revue’s integration with DISH Network DVRs was reasonably slick, but with other third-party cable boxes it fell well short. Google also has to iron out its content deals; you wouldn’t buy a STB that could tune in to one channel today but not tomorrow, and if Google wants people to consider streaming IPTV in the same way they do traditional broadcast media then it needs to be able to offer the same commitments. Google TV still has the chance to succeed – unusually, Apple treating Apple TV like a hobby for so long has stretched out room for opportunity in the segment – but it needs to do it soon if it’s not to end up another failed attempt at the living room.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

B&N NOOK NY Times subscribers get to bypass paywall

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 06:15 AM PDT

First Kindle users, now NOOK owners. Never wishing to be outdone by Amazon, Barnes & Noble has secured complimentary New York Times paywall access to those who already subscribe to the paper on their ereader. A date for the access is yet to be confirmed, and users will be contacted by email with more details.

 

As with the Kindle edition, the B&N NOOK NYTimes subscription is $19.99 per month. It’s also worth noting that – again, as with Amazon’s version – you can only read the digital newspaper on your NOOK or NOOKcolor, not B&N’s software ereader apps.

Press Release:

Subscribers to The New York Times on NOOK™ by Barnes & Noble to Receive Free Access to NYTimes.com

Customers Enjoy Digital Edition of Newspaper on NOOK Devices,
Plus Online News, Opinion, Videos and More

New York, New York – April 5, 2011 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller, today announced that all subscribers to The New York Times through NOOK Newsstand™ will also enjoy access to the NYTimes.com website. Barnes & Noble customers can already enjoy their digital subscription to The New York Times, reading the daily e-edition content on NOOK Color™ Reader's Tablet, NOOK™ and NOOK Wi-Fi® eReaders. Coming soon, NOOK subscribers to The New York Times will also be able to access NYTimes.com, The Times's award-winning website, including timely news updates, opinion, blogs, video, interactive graphics and more, at no additional cost.

"We are excited to expand our long-standing relationship with The New York Times to provide NOOK customers with online access to even more great content any time," said Jonathan Shar, Vice President and General Manager of digital newsstand at Barnes & Noble. "Our customers already enjoy access to one of the leading NOOK Newspapers™ on their favorite NOOK device, and we believe they'll appreciate the easy access to all of the wonderful online content available at NYTimes.com at no extra cost."

The New York Times continues to be one of the bestselling NOOK Newspapers and, as with other digital periodicals, is available for a risk-free, 14 day free trial for all customers.

"The Times's digital subscription plan was designed to offer access to our high-quality journalism across a variety of platforms," said Yasmin Namini, senior vice president, marketing and circulation, and general manager, reader applications, The New York Times Media Group. "We are pleased be able to offer online access to NYTimes.com as part of the subscription experience for our loyal readers on NOOK devices."

Barnes & Noble customers with current subscriptions to The New York Times through NOOK Newsstand™ will be notified via email in the coming weeks with more information on how to enjoy free access to NYTimes.com.

For more information and to order The New York Times for NOOK, visit www.bn.com/nytimes or visit any of NOOK Boutique or display in one of Barnes & Noble's more than 700 bookstores (http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com) to learn more.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Samsung facing AMOLED and chip shortages amid production line delays

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 06:02 AM PDT

Samsung Mobile Display’s 5.5-Gen AMOLED production line – previously expected to begin manufacturing of 7-inch tablet displays, such as the Super AMOLED demonstrated in a Galaxy Tab prototype, this year – is likely to suffer up to three months of delays before become operational, due to supply limitations. According to MK, Japanese suppliers are still encountering issues meeting their orders in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, with the potential to impact components Samsung provides to Apple.

“If the situation lasts long, operation schedules would have to be changed. Analysts say operations of Japanese equipment plants could be suspended for one month at the shortest to three months at the longest, if the quake effects remain longer” Samsung Mobile Display spokesperson

The problems are also impacting chip production at Samsung Electronics, who have seen vital components in the manufacturing process – such as CVD (chemical vapor deposition) hardware used to produce thin films – become unavailable since they are produced in Japan. As well as infrastructure issues, Japanese manufacturers are also dealing with temperamental power supplies.

No exact Samsung chips have been named as affected by the delays, though the Giheung plant is known to provide large numbers of Apple A4 processors along with Samsung’s own Hummingbird variant. 50-percent of the Giheung plant’s 40,000 chip-sheets per month are believed to go direct to Apple.

[via OLED-Display]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Texas Instruments to buy National Semiconductor for boatloads of cash

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 05:25 AM PDT

TI has announced that it is set to purchase National Semiconductor in an all-cash transaction. TI will layout $6.5 billion for National Semiconductor and says that the merger will unite two industry leaders with a common commitment to solving analog needs. TI notes that both firms will operate independently pending the close of the acquisition.

TI thinks that the acquisition will take six to nine months to complete. It would be safe to assume that time frame will depend on regulators that will have to eyeball a merger of this magnitude. Once combined TI notes that it will have 42,000 products covering a wide range of needs.

It will also have a sales force larger than any in the industry for better face-to-face support. TI also notes that the deal will expand its manufacturing capacity and bring the industry’s first 300mm analog capability.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

RE-35 USB cartridge turns film cameras into digitals – April Fool’s?

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 05:13 AM PDT

April Fool’s was last week, but some companies get serious about their pranking and offer up faux products before and after the day to trick us. I’m honestly not sure if this new product called RE-35 is real or not, but I will stick with the old adage “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” With that in mind, let me present an interesting concept if nothing else called the RE-35.

This thing looks like a film canister that we used in the days before digital cameras. The idea is that if you have an old 35mm camera that you really like, but you want to step into the digital age you can. The RE-35 supposedly slips into any 35mm film camera and has some sort of special sensor that lies across the cameras innards to record the images that are snapped.

The cartridge has internal flash storage to save these images. When you are done shooting you could plug the thing into your computer via USB and get your digital photos from an analog camera. This sounds like a significant technological hurdle to me so I am thinking it's a fake, but I would like to be wrong on that because the RE-35 is seriously cool.

[via PopSci]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

TwinLuxe shaver set costs up to $1600!

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 05:01 AM PDT

My grandfather was an old school sort of guy. He never used a disposable razor his entire life. He started out using one of those wicked looking straight razors and a brush made of horsehair he had been using since he started shaving. He was the buy once sort of guy. He even had one of those leather straps he used to sharpen that razor.

If you like to go somewhat old school, but draw the line at using a straight razor out of fear you might cut your own throat TwinLuxe has your partially old school shave set. The thing has that brush for putting on shaving lotion and a fancy handle for you to shave with that uses disposable blades. The shave handle uses Gillette Fusion blades for comfort and easy replacement.

You can get the fancy set in polished chrome, solid white alumina ceramic, or with a wear resistant PVD coating. The things sell for $800 to $1,600 and are available right now. One of the reasons they are so expensive is that they are designed by the same guy that designed the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

[via Uncrate]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

MLB’s Bob Bowman cites diminished returns for limited Android support on MLB app

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 04:50 AM PDT

MLB has one of the highest grossing apps on the App Store for iPhone users. AllThingsD sat down and talked with Bob Bowman, the dude at MLB in charge of Advanced Media including the apps that baseball fans around the country use to follow their favorite teams and games. As it stands the MLB app only supports 11 Android devices, up from six devices at launch.

Bowman was asked if he ever considered not supporting Android devices at all with the MLB app, to which he replied no. He does note that support for all Android phones will not be offered because of diminishing returns. Bowman notes that Android users are less likely to purchase and make for a different ROI than Apple device users.

Bowman also says that Android smartphones are great devices, but that if the user wants “…first rate digital content on a device, your first look will probably be an iPhone. And on the tablet, an iPad.” Bowman does state that the Blackberry PlayBook will be supported this season.

[via Android Community]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Best Buy yanks ASUS Transformer iPad smack ad

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 04:30 AM PDT

Best Buy didn’t call out the iPad by name in their ASUS Eee Pad Transformer promotion earlier this week, but the intended identity of their “generic” comparison tablet wasn’t exactly well hidden. An iPad-style slate duct taped to a keyboard, the retailer was pushing ASUS’ battery-blessed keyboard dock for the Transformer. Now, though, it seems someone at Best Buy has lost their nerve, since the promo has been pulled.

Previously found here, the “Like That. But Better” link now comes up with “page not found”. It’s unlikely that Apple itself complained, but with Best Buy one of the few places outside of Apple’s own stores to offer the iPad 2, it’s likely an exec somewhere decided upsetting the powerful company might not be such a great idea.

Interestingly, Google’s cache for the page suggests that Best Buy changed it prior to pulling it down; the comparison graphic is replaced by a generic image of the Transformer slotting into the keyboard section. Still, it’s action at the tills which will prove or disprove the Eee Pad’s mettle in the end. More on the tablet in our hands-on report.

[Thanks Tony!]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Motorola launches VAP2400 video bridge for streaming HD content to TVs

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 04:21 AM PDT

Motorola has been making hardware for TV fans for a long time. Many cable companies use DVRs from Motorola and Motorola also makes a bunch of the cable modems and other hardware you might use in your home. The company has announced a new HD video bridge called the VAP2400 that streams HD video wirelessly to any TV in the home.

The device streams the HD video over the WiFi network inside a home and needs no wires run to operate. The device provides some cool capabilities within the home like multi-room DVR capability and remote management. Motorola claims that the VAP2400 is the first true beamforming 4×4 solution capable of supporting multiple HD and SD streams inside the home.

The multiple HD streams can be shot through walls as well. The device promises near zero packet loss and low latency. It supports auto-detection and auto-provisioning capability and can be self-installed by the homeowner saving money. The VAP2400 also supports TR-069 remote management. It will ship globally starting in Q3 at an unannounced price.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Jordi Parra designs sweet Spotify radio that uses RFID discs

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 04:09 AM PDT

This cool prototype device was designed by Jordi Parra and works with the Spotify streaming music offering. The cool thing about the design is that Parra has figured out a way to share playlists with physical discs that are sort of like giving a friend a mix tape back in the day. The mix tape in the case of this Spotify offering is a little wood disc.

The wooden disc has a RFID tag on it that is linked to a specific playlist on Spotify. When the disc is crammed inside the Spotify supporting radio it links to the playlist and starts to play it automatically. That would mean you could just hand these discs out to pals or mail them and share your playlist process all you want.

The prototype device has to be hooked to a computer to work, but the designer thinks that in the future it can be made into a standalone radio. Parra thinks that he can use Arduino and an Arm processor inside his prototype to make the thing standalone. The project may wind up on Kickstarter to come to the real world so keep an eye out.

[via Gizmodo]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

RedEye Pro home automation controller debuts

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 03:58 AM PDT

Home automation is cool and is something that lots of tech fans are interested in. The catch is that home automation can be expensive and difficult to set up and master. Once you have it set up though you can do some cool stuff like control your home theater, AC, and lots more from one remote while sitting on the couch. A company called RedEye has a new controller for the home user.

The new product is called RedEye Pro and it has a home automation processor that can control the entire home. Along with the new controller, the company has also announced an update for its universal remote control. Using RedEye Pro the consumer can control their home using the iPhone, iPad, and personal computer.

RedEye Pro has lots of features with eight dual-purpose 3.5mm infrared emitter and contact closure sensor ports. It has four contact closure arrays, two RS-232 ports, four USB ports, and a wired Ethernet port. The controller also has 802.11 b/g WiFi. The system interacts with everything from garage door openers to security systems and HVAC controls. The device is only offered though dealers and installers at an undisclosed price. The consumer focused RedEye Gen2 sells for $199.

[via Yahoo]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Taser Grenade used on The Daily reporter for grins

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 03:44 AM PDT

I think that we are all familiar with the Taser line of non-lethal weapons. These are great things that can help protect people without having to actually kill the person attacking you. Police departments also use the Taser to stop criminals without having to kill.

Taser is always working on new non-lethal weapon systems and one of the latest is a new Taser grenade. The grenade looks like something Arnold would cram into a massive gun to fight hunting aliens. The grenade has 50,000-volts inside to incapacitate the person shot with it.

The reporter for The Daily allows the folks from Taser to zap him with the grenade and he says the 50K volts of power is “extremely unpleasant.” You think!? I won't be getting shot with a Taser or anything else for that matter just for a story.

[via CrunchGear]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

AT&T ups early upgrade fee by $50 on iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 03:23 AM PDT

If your 2-year contract with AT&T isn’t up, but you have been eyeing a new smartphone you should have purchased a few weeks ago. AT&T has confirmed to BGR that it has increased its upgrade fees for shorter 1-year contracts and for early upgrades. The new upgrade fee is $50 more on several popular smartphone categories.

The new $50 upgrade increase is applied to the Android phone, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, as well as all Windows Phones. If you are looking for a new smartphone on a 1-year contract that will set you back $150 more than before. I guess AT&T doesn’t want that many folks trying to upgrade early.

AT&T points out that only early upgrade customers will be affected by the price increase. The discounted prices for people eligible for upgrades remain the same for now. I would assume this means that when the iPhone 5 does come out it will cost folks that are generally offered an early upgrade to the new iPhone from an existing model more loot. Perhaps the move is in preparation for the iPhone 5.

[via Android Community]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Xbox Dev kits get redesigned and lower price

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 03:01 AM PDT

Game developers that design games for the Microsoft Xbox 360 game console have development consoles that they use for testing the games and making sure all is well with them before they send the games to manufacturing. A new development console has landed for game developers from Microsoft that has a new design and is much cheaper than the old dev kits that were offered before.

The new dev kit has more RAM for developer purposes, integrated flash memory, a larger HDD, and a smaller form factor along with that “significantly reduced price” that Microsoft is so proud of. The new console is the XDK console and it also gives the devs the option of licensing a sidecar attachment that allows for debugging and disc emulation. Microsoft says that the Sidecar is an attempt to offer dev studios more flexibility since not all members of a team need the features it offers.

Microsoft notes that the new XDK and Sidecar will be available to all developers with an existing licensing agreement with Microsoft and when the new XDK launches with will be what is used for all order fulfillments. There is no word on pricing, but I don’t expect the things are cheap.

[via Engadget]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Fujifilm unveils new FinePix Z900 EXR digital camera

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 02:51 AM PDT

Fujifilm has pulled the covers off a new point and shoot digital camera that is very good looking and comes in several colors. The camera is called the FinePix Z900 EXR and the little camera replaces the Z800 EXR that Fujifilm has been offering for a while now. The Z900 EXR packs in a bunch of cool features that should make for an interesting camera.

Fujifilm uses a new EXR-CMOS sensor inside the camera with a resolution of 16MP. The sensor uses Back Side illumination and a triple layer EXR array for the best image quality possible. The camera has an EXR Auto mode that with a High Resolution mode that captures at full resolution and can be printed out in an A3 size print directly from the camera. The camera also has a Signal to Noise Mode for low light situations and a Dynamic Range mode that shoots two pics and combines them.

The rear of the camera has a 3.5-inch touchscreen with gesture support and a resolution of 460,000 pixels. The camera promises to be able to keep up with fast action thanks to its ability to shoot up to three frames per second at full resolution and it has a high speed video function that records at 320 fps. That video can be recorded in 1080p resolution and the lens has 5x optical zoom. The camera is also very slim at 18.2mm thick. Other features include CMOS shift image stabilization, up to ISO 6400, and a mini HDMI output. Pricing and a launch date are unannounced at this time.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Track your Location History (and rate mink) in Google Maps 5.3

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 02:42 AM PDT

Google Maps for Android 5.3 is out, and it brings with it improved Google Latitude functionality for better managing and tracking your location while mobile. Meanwhile, if you’ve ever wanted to rate the innate minkiness of your favorite Mink Sanctuary, v5.3 has just the feature for you.

Latitude’s Location History now gets pulled into the new Location Dashboard, which shows how much time you’ve spent at home – assuming you set a home location, of course – how much at work, and how much out on the town. It’s also possible to check-in at home now, too, to alert friends and family as to when would be a good time to stop round for a cup of tea.

As for the mink, Google Places with Hotpot has added custom rating categories which users can create on their handsets. So, if you reckon your local café has it right when it comes to their drum’n'bass soundtrack, you can create a suitable music category and rank them highly. Google Maps for Android 5.3 is available as a free update from the Android Market for devices running OS 1.6 or above.

[via Android Community]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Alienware M14x gets caught in wild: 14-inch gaming notebook

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 02:16 AM PDT

Dell is yet to confirm the upcoming Alienware M14x, but that hasn’t stopped details of the 14-inch gaming notebook from leaking out ahead of time. We’ve already seen the specs leak, and now it’s the turn of some in-the-wild shots that have shown up at Chinese site ZOL.

They show the usual chunky, angular lines we’re familiar with from Alienware machines these days, along with a backlit keyboard which can, as with the M11x, be cycled through various hues. Ports include three USB 2.0, HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, VGA, ethernet, various audio in/out and a memory card reader.

As for the guts of the notebook, we already knew that there’d be an Intel Core i7-2820QM processor along with either 1366 x 768 or 1920 x 1080 displays, plus a range of HDD and SSD storage. Graphics are courtesy of NVIDIA’s GeForce GT555M GPU, and there’ll be optional embedded WiMAX or LTE.

[via Engadget]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Pandora spills beans on smartphone app privacy investigation

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 01:41 AM PDT

Streaming music service Pandora is among a number of smartphone apps subpoenaed by federal prosecutors in New Jersey, over allegations that various apps have been illegally gathering or transmitting personal information without user permission. News of the investigation broke when Pandora revealed the subpoena in an update to its Securities and Exchange Commission filing, though insists that it is “not a specific target of the investigation.”

In fact, the company claims to have been informed that demands for information had been distributed “on an industry-wide basis to the publishers of numerous other smartphone applications.” At the heart of the matter is the device’s unique ID and the user’s current location, which many apps have been found to record and send back to the developer without the owner of the device necessarily knowing that would take place. It’s possible that the investigation may decide to charge developers under the terms of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which protects information stored on electronic devices.

According to the WSJ‘s sources, the federal case – if carried forward – is most likely to be converted into a civil case, with any companies found at fault being fined rather than facing criminal charges.

[via Android Community]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Google recruiting User Experience Lead for Google TV apps

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 01:11 AM PDT

Google is looking to recruit a new user experience lead, responsible for Google TV apps and the related SDK. According to the job description, the successful candidate will be “asked to pioneer new possibilities for web-based and Android application experiences on the platform and establish the patterns and standards used to develop great interactive experiences on Google TV.” The new position follows speculation that Google plans to pull the Android AOSP for Google TV, Gingerbread for phones and Honeycomb for tablets into a single code base.

Earlier rumors had suggested that Google plans to combine all its major Android code strands into one, in an attempt to minimize duplication of work when developing bugfixes and feature updates. A side-effect would also be easier application development, with better cross-platform support across the TV, tablet and phone segments. The new user experience lead would be responsible for establishing app best-practice as well as producing templates for third-party Google TV software.

Google is expected to place renewed emphasis on Google TV at Google I/O in May 2011, having seen progress – and products – from the project go quiet since the pre-holiday 2010 push. SlashGear will be there to bring back all the details; the full job-spec is below.

[Thanks Jan!]

User Experience Lead, Google TV Apps and SDK – Mountain View

This position is based in Mountain View, CA.

The area: User Experience

We follow a simple but vital premise in the User Experience group: “Focus on the user and all else will follow.” We’re ardently interested in our users and strive to learn everything we can about their behaviors, attitudes and emotions to help define the products and experiences we create. The User Experience team is a critical driving force behind gathering these insights and then using them to inspire and inform design. We are a multi-disciplinary team of interaction designers, visual designers, user researchers, copywriters and Web developers who collaborate closely with each other and with engineering and product management to create innovative, usable, great-looking products that people love to use.

The role: User Experience Lead, Google TV Apps and SDK

As the User Experience Lead for Google TV Apps and SDK, your work will guide 3rd party application design and development on Google TV. You will be asked to pioneer new possibilities for web-based and Android application experiences on the platform and establish the patterns and standards used to develop great interactive experiences on Google TV. You will work closely with Engineering and Product Management leadership, serving as lead designer for Google TV SDK and lead design advisor to strategic web and app partners. You will work with Product and User Experience peers to identify and prioritize the team's biggest challenges and key opportunities in the areas of app integration, workflow, innovation and strategic planning. You have led a design organization before, understand the design process, and can interface effectively with internal and external clients.

Responsibilities:
Define and manage the design resources and developer tools used by 3rd party application developers for building TV optimized experiences.
Establish visual and interaction design best practices for building well designed app experiences on Google TV.
Create developer friendly templates, guides, and source files used to build web and Android based TV apps.
Manage external design agencies and contractors used to develop relevant materials to meet the needs of our developer community.
Partner with cross-functional leadership in Android to communicate requirements, needs and escalate to resolve issues as appropriate for the design evolution of the TV platform.
Requirements:
BS or MS in Design, Human Computer Interaction (HCI), or Computer Science preferred.
At least 5 years work experience in a lead design or HCI role.
Prior SDK or partner experience is a plus.
Excellent leadership, communication and teamwork skills.
A deep desire to apply design and technology toward expanding what is possible and improving the world.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Nikon D5100 DSLR packs ISO 102,400, Full HD, built-in effects

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 01:01 AM PDT

Nikon’s latest DSLR is official, the D5100, promising Full HD video recording, 16.2-megapixel stills, and fancy features like in-camera HDR photography, ISO 102,400 for extreme low-light shots, and effects like selective color sampling. The Nikon D5100 also gets the company’s EXPEED 2 engine, along with a vari-angle 3-inch monitor and 4fps continuous shooting.

It’s also smaller and lighter than the D5000 it replaces, despite borrowing the CMOS sensor from Nikon’s D7000. The standard F-mount means plenty of Nikon lenses to choose from, and it can record video at 24p, 25p or 30p in up to 1080p resolution. Storage is via SD/SDHC/SCXC memory card.

There’s even a quiet shutter release mode, for when you don’t want to scare the children, and HDMI connectivity with support for being remotely-controlled by your TV’s remote. An optional $180 Stereo Microphone ME-1 can be used to reduce autofocus noise during video recording. Pricing will be around $900 for the Nikon D5100 body-only.

Press Release:

Digital-SLR camera Nikon D5100

Horizontal swing out, vari-angle monitor for better viewing, full-HD movie recording function and simple, orthodox operation for capturing the intended photos

TOKYO – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the release of the Nikon D5100, a Nikon DX-format digital-SLR camera equipped with a vari-angle monitor, and a CMOS image sensor and the EXPEED 2 image-processing engine that enable high-resolution rendering and rich expression of tones.

The D5100 is a member of the popular D5000 series. The D5000 was the first Nikon digital-SLR camera equipped with the vari-angle monitor that allows users to enjoy flexible shooting from a wide variety of angles. The vari-angle monitor adopted for the D5100 has been enlarged to three inches, and utilizes a side hinge that enables flexible use from more angles with hand-held shooting and when the camera is mounted on a tripod. The camera is also equipped with the D-Movie function that supports recording of full-HD (1920 X 1080p, 30p) movies, as well as a Special Effects mode with which a variety of special effects can be applied to still images and movies. The D5100 was designed to respond to the needs of a broad range of users, from those using a digital-SLR camera for the first time, to those looking for a camera that allows them to express their individual sense of creativity through still images and movies.

D5100 Primary Features

A high-resolution Nikon DX-format CMOS image sensor with an effective pixel count of 16.2-million pixels, an image-processing engine that provides superior image quality and rich expression of tones, and the new High Dynamic Range (HDR) function

HDR sample image
The D5100 is equipped with the same DX-format CMOS image sensor and EXPEED 2 image-processing engine as the high-end D7000 digital-SLR camera. These features enable capture of high-resolution images with excellent expression of tones. With standard sensitivity settings of ISO 100–6400 and additional increases up to Hi 2 (ISO 25600 equivalent), the camera offers improved capability with shooting under dim lighting, such as in the evening or indoors, and also produces better results with capture of rapidly moving subjects. The High Dynamic Range (HDR) function captures two shots of varying exposure each time the shutter-release button is pressed, and then combines the two shots into a single image with a broad dynamic range. Resulting images beautifully recreate the scene as seen with the naked eye, even with shooting of backlit scenes, with little or no loss of detail in shadows or highlights.

3-in., approximately 921k-dot vari-angle monitor with wide viewing angle and increased visibility

Vari-angle monitor movement diagram
Visibility has been increased with the large 3-inch, approximately 921k-dot high-resolution vari-angle monitor adopted for the D5100. In addition, the range of colors that can be reproduced by the monitor is equivalent to that of the sRGB gamut. Adoption of a side hinge for the vari-angle monitor prevents the monitor from hitting the tripod when it is opened while the camera is mounted on a tripod. The vari-angle monitor opens from 0 to 180° to the side, and can be rotated up to 90° clockwise and up to 180° counter-clockwise when it is open. This enables shooting from a wide variety of angles, from low to high, making even self portraits possible.

D-Movie for recording and editing of Full-HD movies
The D5100 is equipped with the D-Movie function that enables recording of high-definition movies (1920 X 1080p, 30p) exhibiting superior video quality. Autofocusing during movie recording is possible using contrast-detect AF. When the focus mode is set to full-time-servo AF (AF-F) and the AF-area mode to subject-tracking AF, the camera automatically maintains focus on a subject moving throughout the frame. The D5100 also offers in-camera movie editing functions that allow users to save a single frame as a still JPEG image or delete unnecessary portions from the beginning and/or end of movie files. What’s more, the D5100 is equipped with built-in support for stereo audio recording via the Stereo Microphone ME-1 (available separately), and the mode dial and live view switch have been positioned on the same spindle in consideration of operational ease.

Mode dial, live view switch image(s)

Stereo Microphone ME-1 image

The optional Stereo Microphone ME-1 can be used to record sound in stereo while also preventing noise caused by lens vibration being recorded during autofocus.
The first Nikon digital-SLR camera to offer Special Effects mode
The D5100 offers special effects that can be selected and applied with both shooting of still images and recording of movies. Special effects are displayed with the view through the lens in the monitor before shooting or recording begins, allowing users to confirm the desired results in real time. Users can easily enjoy adding special effects to movies. This mode was adopted to respond to the creative intent of users searching for a way to express their own unique style and creativity.
The Special Effects mode built into the D5100 offers seven special effects, including Selective Color and Color Sketch.

Favorite Special Effects Selective color

Selective color sample image
All colors other than those selected by the user are recorded in black and white. Up to three colors can be selected at a time.

Color sketch
The camera detects and colors outlines for a color sketch effect. Users can use the monitor display to adjust the vividness of colors and the thickness of outlines.
Miniature effect
Distant subjects appear as miniatures for a diorama effect. Users can choose the orientation (vertical/horizontal) and width (narrow/normal/wide) of the area that will be in focus.
Night vision
When this option is selected, extremely high ISO sensitivities are used (up to ISO 102400 equivalent). This enables shooting under conditions of darkness while verifying the subject and composition in the monitor.
*RAW recording is not possible. Still images can only be recorded in JPEG (black-and-white) format. Only contrast-detect AF can be used.
Additional Features and Functions

High-speed continuous shooting at up to approximately 4 fps*,and a very precise and durable shutter unit that has passed testing for 100,000 cycles
Equipped with Quiet shutter-release mode for shooting in situations in which quieter shutter operation is desired
Infrared receivers for remote control operation on the front and back of the camera enable wireless control over the shutter from both in front of and behind the camera (optional ML-L3 wireless remote control supported).
Equipped with 16 scene modes that enable the simple capture of beautiful photos of the desired scene with automatic optimization of camera settings
Built-in HDMI-CEC compatibility enables control over playback of still images and movies using the television’s remote control when the camera is connected to a high-definition TV via the HDMI connector.
*Manual focus, M or S mode, shutter speed 1/250 s or faster, and other settings at default values

Relevant Entries on SlashGear
Diposting oleh di

Tidak ada komentar:

Posting Komentar

Langganan: Posting Komentar (Atom)