Jumat, 08 April 2011

What's new on SlashGear.com

What's new on SlashGear.com

Ultimate Tablet, m • pad Concept Design

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 03:13 PM PDT

German designer Volker Hübner developed this tablet he calls the m • pad to cater specifically to the needs of designers and developers. It combines the functionality of a 15.6″ OLED display. It also includes full multi-touch functionality married with a pressure sensitive stylus. Looking at the pictures from Yanko also suggest that this tablet should have a wide range of USB, Ethernet, firewire and whatever else available for connection external keyboards or mice for a more traditional computing experience.

The side panel contains a scroll wheel and nine fixed buttons. This is for things like escape, space, control, shift etc. It’s designed so that one hand manipulates the stylus and touchscreen while one works with the panel on the side. The eight buttons lined up above and below the fixed buttons are all actually small e-ink displays that shift form and function based on context. The design also includes kickstands on both sides so it’s equally ergonomic for lefties.

The technology that’s coming out right now in tablet computers is honestly unlike anything else. The confluence of large and relatively inexpensive touchscreens (that don’t suck), bright and long-lasting OLED screens(that are affordable for the average Joe), and systems on a chip(RISC did change everything, Hackers was right!) changed the game forever. As I’ve heard my friends often exclaim with glee, “We’re living in the future!”

[via Yanko]

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Huawei Folded Leaf Phone, Concept Design

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 02:40 PM PDT

Huawei looked to Sweden for inspiration on their new phone. They partnered up with the Claesson Koivisto Rune studio and produced this phone they call the Folded Leaf. It’s a device that’s meant to perform only the most basic cellular functions, the calling functions and SMS/MMS messaging. It strips out all of the high speed data functions that we smartphone jockeys are used to having and provides a handset that’s meant to be comfortable for direct chatting without all of the extra bells and whistles.

The basic idea is alright. The biggest thing that they emphasize is taking the phone back to the idea as primarily a communications device. They decry the proliferation of apps above human interaction. The response comes in the form of a neato little phone.

I’m not hugely impressed. To me, this thing looks like a redesigned jitterbug. At least it’s going to have a camera. If it has a very good camera, it might even be worth it for people who are stuck on AT&T who can’t really take advantage of their full data capabilities anyway.

[via Concept Phones]

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She Gets the Furniture, I’m Keeping Fringe

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 02:40 PM PDT

When we were married, my ex-wife and I had a rule. No watching mutual TV shows without the other. After years together, raising a toddler, managing a strict budget, television shows became an easy, reliable escape for the two of us. We didn't watch exorbitant amounts of television. Usually less than an hour a night. But we did not have much time to spare every night, so that hour of TV time was something we both nurtured.

[Image credit: Yiping Lim]

I'm not going to argue the merits of spending time with your spouse on a couch watching TV. Sure, we could have talked more. We ate too many dinners with the television as our third wheel. I know couples who don't even own a television (cavemen? luddites?), and they seem happy enough. You can make whatever assumption you like. My marriage didn't work out, but neither of us ever blamed the TV for our troubles.

More importantly, we limit the TV time for our toddler, and he is much more interested in his Lego bricks and his train set than he is in "Yo Gabba Gabba." To be honest, I think my ex-wife and I like "Yo Gabba" much more than he does.

When we decided to split, it did not take long to divide the property. I never liked the furniture. We chose classic, sturdy pieces to furnish our house with gift money from our wedding. They have lasted well, but they aren't the style I would have chosen if I were living on my own. The same goes for the artwork and tchotchkes. I think my ex did a fine job decorating, and certainly better than I could have done. Left to my own devices, our house would be clad in red, black and stainless steel. It would be dark and modern, and not warm and inviting.

I did not realize how much I disliked the furniture until it was time to decide to give it up. Once I considered it, the decision was easy. She could have everything she liked. I would take the pieces she did not want, but only as a way to stock my own apartment until I could afford something more in keeping with the style I'm trying to develop.

Thing is, she didn't like much of it either. She happily gave away our king size bed frame, most of our living room, including the new couch, and a few other pieces. I started to wonder how much our taste was shaped more by the intersection of our personalities than it was by our own distinct desires.

I'm still living with her, and everything is progressing as it did, until the end of this month when I'll be moving out. But for now, we're in our old patterns, mostly. That includes the TV time. In fact, now we can watch TV relatively guilt free. We don't have to feel like we should be stoking the flame of our relationship. That fire has been doused.
While she was away on a business trip, I did what would have been unthinkable before. I watched Fringe without her. In fact, I watched a couple episodes of Fringe.

My wife has interesting taste in movies and television. She likes the romantic stuff, but not the syrupy sweet movies. There has to be a hook. Throw in a Tuscan countryside, or a bit of royalty, and she's on board. She likes American Idol and Oprah, both of which I cannot stand, but she does not watch any reality TV at all.

She likes sci-fi if there are interesting characters. She doesn't like horror, but she can handle when things get a little freaky. She was a fan of The X-Files when we met. We both watched Lost, and now we both like Fringe.

This past week, I asked if she wanted to watch the latest episode. I had been away all of last week, and I figured she had caught up on the missed episodes. But she hadn't. She had watched plenty of TV without me. The Event, The Mentalist, even Lie to Me, a show we barely tolerate unless there is nothing else to watch. But she had not watched Fringe.

"I was too freaked out to watch it without someone else here."

That's the state of our relationship. I'm just someone else now. Oh well, so it goes. Poo Tee Weet.

This got me thinking about what I'm watching just to pass the time with her. What shows I really don't like, deep down. We watch "No Ordinary Family." It's not a horrible show, and it's actually getting better. There is finally real action, and killing and mayhem and more super powers. But it's also kind of slow. Too much is about high school kids who refuse to use their super powers for no apparent reason. A girl who can read minds and influence peoples' thoughts. Why is she not running her high school? Why is a super genius not using his super brain to dominate the mathletes team, or the demathalon, or whatever? When a show about super powers features characters who refuse to use those powers, it smells like a lack of budget for cool special effects, and not realistic character development.

The show about which I'm most unsure is "Chuck." If you had asked me three months ago, I would have told you "Chuck" is one of my favorite shows. And it still might be. It's got solid sci-fi references, usually under the radar and underexplained, the way I like them. But I wonder if part of my thrill from watching "Chuck" isn't turning to my wife and explaining the quotation from "Blade Runner," or the off-handed reference to "Tron." How superior can I feel if nobody hears me laugh when Chuck says "Now that is a big door!"

On the other hand, I can now fill in my time with shows I really enjoy. Everybody I know in the tech industry loves "Doctor Who," and almost nobody talks about it. It feels like crossing the threshold into nerdiness, past a point of no return.

I love zombies. My ex-wife thought she loved zombies. She watched "Shaun of the Dead," which is an excellent comedy and zombie movie, and she expects all zombies to be a bit funny. Except that none of them are. Zombies are dystopian and gory. Traditionally, a zombie movie does not end well.

If you like zombies, by the way, skip "Walking Dead" and find "Dead Set" from the BBC. Besides some annoying characters and lightly latent anti-semitism, it's actually a solid, terrifying zombie mini-series.

When we split our property, I'm giving her one of the flat screen TVs. Against my better judgment, I'm also giving her a TiVo. We have two, the first of which (hers) dates back to November, 2000. That's a month after we got married. I'm not going to get nostalgic about that, because that TiVo sucks. It lacks storage. It can't record in HD. For a long time, I've been thinking about trading it in and getting a newer model. Or maybe switching to U-Verse and giving up TiVo altogether.

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Minecraft Made a Cool $33 Million

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 02:06 PM PDT

Minecraft was developed in 2009 by Markus "Notch" Persson, a Swedish programmer. It’s a browser based 3D game with graphics on par with 1996, but that didn’t stop it from becoming the underground hit throughout last year. It spread throughout the internet, garnering Persson’s company around ten bucks a pop for each purchase. That’s not much, but just today Minecraft’s website reports 1837252 have purchased the game.

Markus talked about his success in this reddit thread.

"A lot. It all ends up in an account somewhere, and I try not to look at it. I get a normal salary these days for day to day stuff, but there's a big pile somewhere.

The game sold about 800,000 copies at 9.95 euro and then so far 1 million more at 14.95 euro. PayPal takes a cut, there are taxes, and such, but it's still a huge wad of money."

I’ve never actually played the game myself, but I’ve watched this guy demonstrate his ridiculous amazing awesome brilliant skills in constructing logic machines in the Minecraft world. The first video I saw a few months back. He demonstrated a simple Arithmetic Logic Unit. If I remember correctly, it could add or subtract a 16 bit binary number (and maybe XOR it also). In this video, he is demonstrating a CPU that he constructed. I’m a huge chip-geek so I found this fascinating. It should give you a bit more of a view into what’s going on in any computer. He demonstrates calculating the Fibonacci sequence.

[via GigaOM]

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3D Print Your Next House

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 01:22 PM PDT

3D Printing has been around for a while. Until recently it’s been a technology that’s relegated to the design process, where designers are able to make plastic prototypes much more quickly. Neri Oxman at MIT’s Media Lab has a vision for 3D printing much bigger than the current reality. She sees the advancements in 3D printing being used to construct buildings. I’ve seen concept designs for all kinds of robotic building techniques, but not using the 3D printing concepts. This kind of technology is a ways out, as right now most 3D printers are using plastic. Though some are starting to use metal, and Neri wants to get them working for concrete.


This technology will give builders and architects a level of control over the structural elements of their building in a way that has never before been possible. With these techniques, instead of relying on iron girders and preformed concrete columns, the structural elements can be poured into place as the structure grows. This will allow architects to build structures with forms that just are not physically possible using today’s construction techniques.

You can see the air bubbles in the sample casts in that photograph. Those are intentional. They lighten the load on the concrete without sacrificing rigidity and strength. The best part, that’s going to be done on-the-fly so that every square inch of the structure is as efficient as possible. The 3D printed structures could end up using 10% less concrete. Since concrete kilns are one of the more polluting industrial structures, I call that a win for pretty much everybody.

Check out Neri’s website here.

[via Technology Review]

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Youtube Live Streaming Portal Officially Launches

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 12:54 PM PDT

You may soon be able to stream live shows on YouTube if not be live-streaming your own channel on Youtube. The online video giant launched today its YouTube Live portal that will integrate live streaming capabilities and discovery tools directly into YouTube’s core platform. The system should eventually roll out to the masses, but will start off with select channel partners to ensure smooth content streaming until all the kinks are worked out.

“The goal is to provide thousands of partners with the capability to live stream from their channels in the months ahead,” said YouTube. “In order to ensure a great live stream viewing experience, we’ll roll this offering out incrementally over time.”

The service has been tested before for streaming popular one-time events such as concerts, sporting events, and interviews. Early last September, the service trial proved buggy and faced a limited viewership. But in January, a new and improved version came back and now it’s full steam ahead to build the system out to include streaming from thousands of content partners.

The new YouTube Live will not only have a landing page specifically for live streamed content browsing, it will also allow users to subscribe and mark events on the calendar for watching later. In this case, subscriptions not only alert subscribers of posted videos but also of upcoming streams.

There are already other services out there devoted to live streaming content such as Ustream, Justin.tv, and Qik, but with the juggernaut that is YouTube jumping into the ring, it will be interesting to see how this impacts the competition. For now you can go check out the YouTube Live portal.

[via VentureBeat]

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iPad 2s to Mainer’s in Kindergarten, Free

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 12:38 PM PDT

This fall, Kinder-gardeners in Auburn, Maine are going to all be getting Ipad 2′s, for free. One of the teachers in the reading development labs started using her personal Ipad 2 with some of her most troubled students. They showed such remarkable progress so quickly that the school board decided to jump in and give it to all of the kids this next year.

Superintendent Tom Morrill commented, “When you take a look at what the IPad 2 can do and you look at the wealth of apps that are out there, everything from learning your letters to books that can be read… fingerpainting, you name it. It’s absolutely something that we must do.”

Maine has a history of providing useful technology learning to students. I remember hearing about Maine being the only place in the US where kids got to use the OLPC laptop. They’ve also done a number of other laptops for students programs over the past few years. In 2009 they rolled out a lot of MacBooks. Parents and educators in rural areas thought those new-fangled machines were too expensive. In response the schools developed their own linux distro, Open 1 to 1.

[via Techland]

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PXL 2000 by Fisher-Price, Retro Camcorder

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 11:56 AM PDT

The PXL 2000 is a retro Lo-Fi home video camera dropped on the world in 1988. It records a whopping 100 vertical lines at 15 frames per second. Technically, not terribly impressive, but this limitation gives the videos taken by the camera an airy, ghostly quality that I haven’t seen before. There are a significant number of Youtube videos displaying the camera’s stuff. I threw a couple of them up. It’s definitely worth checking out.

This first video is a commercial from when it was first released. It’s about thirty seconds long and contains a number of short clips demoing the camera in action. The display you see is the accessory 4″ TV you could get with the camera.

This video is my favorite of the surprising number of PXL 2000 shot videos on Youtube. Eerie. I think this one demonstrates a lot of the motion blur and ghostliness.

This isn’t a video, but this guy, Bill Miller, took the PXL 2000 and upgraded it, restoring all of it’s functionality and adding in a number of other knobs and bells and whistles. Scroll down this page (same link) about halfway to find it. There is an auction up on ebay for his restored customized PXL 2000. It’s running around five bills.

I don’t recommend spending any money on one of these. But if you find one in your Old Aunt Bernice’s basement, have fun!

[via RetroThing]

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Verizon IPad 2 Roaming Bug

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 11:33 AM PDT

Verizon’s customers have been reporting a strange bug with their new IPad 2′s. When they first bust out their new tablet everything seems hunky dory, but then once they set up their account their device seems to be locked into Data Roaming mode. Their IPad just doesn’t recognize the Verizon towers properly. Even more irritating, the data service doesn’t even work unless Data Roaming is turned on in the device. Fail.

GigaOM’s Charles Jade notes that the problem may be related to the Preferred Roaming List, which is an internal database common to CDMA devices that determines how the device connects to a network. Some Verizon iPad 2s just aren’t recognizing Verizon cell towers, so they display the “Roaming” indicator. Verizon doesn’t charge subscribers for U.S. data roaming, so there’s no extra cost involved, but the issue is still annoying.

Verizon and Apple are replacing devices that have this problem. Though the replacements will most likely display the same phenomena. The patch to iOS 4.3.2 might solve this problem, but until then Verizon’s IPad 2′s will forever roam.

[via TUAW]

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Google ITA Travel Search Acquisition Approved But Conditions Apply

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 11:15 AM PDT


Google’s acquisition of travel software company ITA for $700 million has just been approved today by the U.S. Justice Department after 8 months of deliberation. It was a difficult decision because the acquisition could obliterate competition in the travel search industry. Travel websites such as Kayak and TripAdvisor depend on the ITA software and fear they would lose access to it once Google acquires the company. Luckily for them, the Justice Department has set some conditions in their approval.

The Justice Department established that Google must continue to license the software to ITA clients and maintain firewalls to hide ITA clients’ proprietary information. They also must continue to fund, research, and develop the software at the same levels at which ITA has invested in recent years. ITA’s next-generation InstaSearch product that is currently under development must also be further developed for ITA’s clients.

Additionally, Google is not allowed to enter into agreements with airlines that could restrict the airline from sharing seating and booking information with Google’s competitors. Should Google break any of these terms, competitors can submit formal complaints for arbitration.

Microsoft’s Bing search engine has already partnered up with Kayak early last month in preparation for battle should the Google-ITA deal get the green light. They’ve introduced the “autosuggest flight” and “price predictor” features and plan to further integrate Kayak into Bing for more comprehensive flight listings. It will be interesting to see what travel search features are to come from Google after this acquisition. Although the deal is worrisome for competing travel sites, it may bring welcome new travel features for consumers.

[via TechCrunch]

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Vodafone Spraypaints Mobile Phones White, Projects Light Unto Them, Tells a Story

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 10:17 AM PDT

Our good pals over at Vodefone have created a video in which they take phones from throughout their own lengthy history, spraypaint them white, and project lovely images toward and on them in order to show a magical video taking us all through the history of mobile. This is what they’re called “the first small-scale projection mapping installation using a hand-held camera.” Whether that means they just filmed it going through the steps with a handheld camera (looks like it) or if the projector is a hand-held device is up to debate.

The video itself starts with a big fat Zach Morris phone and rolls right on into Android, hitting the first color (or colour, I suppose, you Brits,) screen and GPS-carrying mobile phone. The entire video takes place within a 2.5 minute span, and it IS quite the entertaining display. The question is – when will I get to project these images with my Vodafone-carried device?

Here’s my question for you, the community – do you find this sort of “viral” video engaging, or would you rather have one of Vodafone’s device-specific ads like the following one showing the Xperia Arc? I prefer clarity – but DO love the little Andy peeking out at the very end!

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SlashGear 101: What is Apple FaceTime?

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 09:25 AM PDT

Video calls were a mainstay of classic sci-fi films, and even today there’s something almost magical about seeing your friends and family on the screen of a portable device. Video calling has been around for some time, but it’s only really in the past year or so that its got more attention among regular users. That’s thanks in no small part to Apple and FaceTime, as found on the iPhone 4, iPad 2 and other gadgets from the company’s range. Read on as we give FaceTime the full SlashGear 101 treatment!

So Apple invented video calling, right?

No, not at all, though they did do a lot to make it easier to use – just as long as you have the right hardware. Video calling is actually a part of the 3G standard, which – if the carrier and whatever phone you’re using supports it, which isn’t the case in the US – has been available since around 2003. Unfortunately a combination of high pricing, poor understanding by users, mediocre quality and patchy reliability meant this form of video calling has never really taken off.

Apple’s FaceTime takes advantage of the company’s tight control over the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and MacBook software, which has allowed it to polish the video calling experience to the point where everyday use is possible. Now FaceTime is available to anybody at the touch of an on-screen button.

Do I need an Apple phone to use FaceTime?

Not necessarily a phone, but definitely something with the Apple logo. FaceTime was first supported on the iPhone 4, which was Apple’s first mobile device with a front-facing camera (i.e. one that looks at the user, rather than out the back of the handset). The latest iPod touch and iPad 2 both have front-facing cameras and FaceTime support as well, and Apple has released a FaceTime app for its Mac and MacBook computers so they can join in the fun as well. FaceTime comes free on the mobile devices and the very latest Macs, and is a $0.99 download from the Mac App Store for earlier Mac owners.

Okay, so how do I use it?

It’s pretty simple, just as Apple was aiming for. On the iPhone you make a voice call in the normal way and then tap the FaceTime button on-screen to switch to video. On the iPod touch and iPad 2, you start a video call in the FaceTime app. You’ll need an Apple account in order to make and receive calls, since that’s used as the “phone number” for devices other than the iPhone 4.

Currently, FaceTime video calls can only be made when you have a WiFi connection, not when you’re using the mobile network for data. That’s a limitation Apple has put in place itself, though the company has said it is working on removing it in the future.

I’m not into Apple, can I video call with something else?

You certainly can, though the process gets a bit trickier. Various apps are available for Android and other mobile phone platforms which promise video calls, sometimes over not only WiFi but the 3G mobile networks too. That means you can make video calls when away from your home network or a WiFi hotspot, as long as your signal is strong enough.

Skype, Fring and Qik are all among the companies offering video calling apps, though their effectiveness often varies on a phone-by-phone basis. Not all phones have front-facing cameras, either, though they’re becoming more common on the latest handsets. A future SlashGear 1010 feature will look at the best video calling apps if FaceTime isn’t your thing.

Apple has said it plans to open up FaceTime to other manufacturers, so that non-Apple phones can make and receive calls too, but so far there’s no sign of that actually happening.

More information at Apple’s FaceTime page.

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EraThink EraPalm5 puts Windows into slider-PSP form-factor

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 09:10 AM PDT

It may look a little like a PSP, but EraThink‘s EraPalm5 is actually another tiny Windows PC hoping to find its way into your jacket pocket. Spotted by Newpad at the China Consumer Electronics Fair, the slider has a 5-inch 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen which pops up to reveal a tiny QWERTY keyboard, a D-pad and gaming-style face buttons, along with an HDMI output for up to 1080p HD video.

Other connectivity includes WiFi, 3G, VGA and USB, and there’s a GPS receiver squeezed in there too. Inside is an unspecified Intel Atom Z-Series processor – squinting at the spec sheet in the gallery below suggests 1-2GB of RAM and 16-32/64GB of SSD storage – and EraThink is also showing off a dock with ethernet and other connectivity for when you’re back at your desk.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen PC hardware in a smartphone form-factor, and as ever the big concern is battery life. Running even a relatively low-power Atom CPU still sucks down juice in comparison to ARM chips as found in true phones, and while EraThink don’t make any estimates for the EraPalm5, we’re guessing it’ll manage 3-4hrs at most. No word on pricing or availability.

[via Cloned in China]

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IOIO for Android gets video demos: Geek’s paradise!

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 08:23 AM PDT

The IOIO for Android breakout board impressed us earlier in the week with its hack-friendly potential, turning an Android smartphone into the hub of any electronics project. Now its creator, Ytai, has shared some examples of what the IOIO is capable of, including a retro-style alarm clock that can ring when you get messages.

The alarm clock is The Gifts Project’s handiwork, a fetching pink classic alarm clock which hooks up to the IOIO and can alert you to phone alarms, incoming calls and messages using its LEDs and noisy double-bell ringer. Different events trigger different rings.

Meanwhile there’s also the Visual Charger, a relatively straightforward way to hook up a 7-segment LED display to an Android device, and the Wall Printer, seven marker pens managed by phone-controlled servos. When the project is finished, they’ll be able to create huge text banners by printing out on long sheets of paper. The IOIO for Android is available for preorder now, priced at $49.95.

[via Android Community]

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ASUS Eee Pad Transformer vs Acer Iconia Tab A500

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 08:05 AM PDT

Motorola’s XOOM had its chance to sweep the Android 3.0 Honeycomb market; now the low-cost slates from Taiwan are here to steal its thunder. Acer has priced its 10.1-inch Iconia Tab A500 tablet this morning at an iPad 2 undercutting $450, while the eagle-eyed spotted ASUS’ Eee Pad Transformer at a mere $400 last month before the listings were pulled. Both are expected to hit the US later in April, but how do they compare?

On the face of it they’re pretty similar. Both have a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 capacitive touchscreen, run NVIDIA’s 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor and 1GB of RAM. Each has 16GB of internal storage along with a microSD card slot – good for up to 32GB cards – along with a 32GB native model on the way. Connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n on both (the A500 adds in 802.11a support) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, together with a mini-HDMI port for outputting up to 1080p HD video. 3G versions of each tablet will follow later in the year.

Both the A500 and the Transformer have a 5-megapixel main camera on the back, with autofocus and an LED flash, though the Acer has a 2-megapixel webcam on the front versus the ASUS’ 1.3-megapixel sensor. Whether that will make a significant difference to video calls remains to be seen; most of the time the compression involved means they’re pixelated for bandwidth reasons rather than the limitations of the sensor. Stills should be a little crisper, though.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer hands-on:

The A500 is 10.24 x 6.97 x 0.52 inches and 1.69 pounds, while the Transformer is slightly wider at 10.6 x 6.9 x 0.51 inches but a fair chunk lighter at 1.49 pounds. It’s battery life where the Eee Pad Transformer really slips ahead, though. ASUS’ tablet alone can manage 9.5hrs, 1.5hrs more than Acer expect from the Iconia Tab, but of course there’s also the keyboard dock to consider. That boosts the Transformer’s runtime to 16hrs in total, besting not only the A500 but Apple’s iPad 2 as well. It also offers easier text-entry; for $69.99 Acer will sell you their Bluetooth keyboard for use with the Iconia Tab, but each slate should work with any generic Bluetooth ‘board you may have.

Not all 10.1-inch displays are created equal, and ASUS’s decision to use an IPS LCD on the Eee Pad pays dividends. It’s one of the best panels we’ve seen on a tablet, offering iPad-like viewing angles no matter which orientation you’re holding the slate in. ASUS reckons it’s a 178-degree view angle, and in comparison the 160-degree Iconia Tab with its regular LCD is distinctly average.

Acer Iconia Tab A500 hands-on:

If ASUS can really bring the 16GB Eee Pad Transformer to market at $400, we’d certainly lean toward it over the Acer. The battery-toting keyboard dock is set to cost another $149 alone, but the usability and extra runtime should make that more palatable to most buyers. We’ll know more when we have full review time with both tablets, but either way it seems the iPad 2 finally has some competition on not only specs but pricing.

More details in our Acer Iconia Tab A500 hands-on and in our ASUS Eee Pad Transformer hands-on.

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SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: April 8, 2011

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 07:49 AM PDT

Let’s begin today with some awesome news from Google – you know that big fat developers conference they have every year, the one where you get to talk to all your developer friends, the one that sold out this year in 8 hours? Well you’re in luck, even if you didn’t get a ticket, because they’re totally streaming the whole thing. Then let’s get into some FCC business, a column or two, and some very exciting launch news from a couple of fabulous Android-toting businesses.

Take a peek at the Dell Panerai convertible tablet as it attempts to slide its way through the FCC. Check out another FCC attempt by no less than Apple as it dreams up some smart-display iPhone bezel – all sorts of touching! Then see a product that needed no approval, clearly: NuScreen screen goo!

See an analyst decide that Apple holds 60% of touch panel supplies. See Best Buy get in a whopping amount of trouble as they hold back iPad 2 supplies from customers. See the PSP sell more units than the 3DS in Japan.

Behold as the Acer Iconia Tab A500 Honeycomb tablet is officially announced. Take a peek as some HTC Incredible 2 press shots appear. Get pumped up about a sweet London Pyramid Party… and you're invited! Lick your lips at AMD fusion chips for Android!

Finally, get a big fat boost of knowledge as dropped by our man in England Chris Davies as he asks: Is Dual-Touch the Future of Phones and Tablets?

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BlackBerry Torch 2 caught in wild: 1.2GHz and VGA display

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 07:34 AM PDT

The BlackBerry leaks keep on coming, with the latest to break cover being the BlackBerry Torch 2. An update to the original slider, the Torch 2 looks ostensibly the same from the outside, says BGR, but on the inside there’s a higher-resolution 640 x 480 display and a speedy 1.2GHz processor running BlackBerry OS 6.1.

No other new specs, so we’re assuming what was suggested back in January holds true today. That means 512MB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 5-megapixel camera on the back, along with GPS. The display is 3.2-inches.

As with the Monaco and Bold Touch we saw earlier, the Torch 2 should get its official reveal at BlackBerry World 2011 next month. It’ll apparently arrive on AT&T come July; no word on pricing at this stage.

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Is Dual-Touch the Future of Phones and Tablets?

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 07:00 AM PDT

If one touchscreen is good, how great must two be? Tapping into the same part of the brain that screams how geekily-cool Star Trek tablet props are, the allure of a double-display smartphone or computer isn’t new, but neither has it been done right. That’s not stopped various new attempts, however, Acer’s twin-14-inch Iconia Touchbook notebook for one, or the imminent Sprint Kyocera Echo phone for another. Double-vision each may offer, but the manufacturers responsible are still showing serious myopia in how they’re delivering on the twin-touch dream.

In the UK, where the Iconia has been on sale for a couple of months now, Acer says adoption has been “good” among similarly-priced premium notebooks. They won’t share actual sales figures, but it’s supposedly making a moderate splash among the £1,500 competition. With mainstream notebooks selling for a third of that, though, it’s easy to assume that sales have – relatively speaking – been minor. We’re not expecting much different in the US and Canada, where the Iconia will be $1,200 when it goes on sale this month.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of a dual-screen phone or tablet. Microsoft’s original concept of the Courier was brilliant, a true digital book that not only sandwiched larger overall screen real-estate into a clamshell form-factor, but which promised to leverage those two panels in a way one big display doesn’t quite lend itself to. Having two distinct sections gives each workspace a mental boundary: the whole idea of Courier, of having one pane for research and the other for collection, worked because it wasn’t an artificial barrier, it wasn’t just two windows butting up on a single screen.

That sense of distinction encourages you to multitask. With a single display, especially on a smartphone, there’s the assumption that whatever software you’re using will be full-screen, and multitasking means hopping between those full-screen apps. With two separate displays, it’s not that you’re halving attention or relative “importance” – as with having a 50/50 split on a single panel – but instead encouraging users to consider the interaction between the apps.

Courier worked – as a concept, at least – because it had a tightly bounded use-case which played on those strengths. Research and workspace, simultaneously viewable. Unfortunately there’s a big difference between concepts and practice.

Where those who have attempted the segment have fallen short has generally been in battery life and functionality. The former is obvious: the display is usually the biggest hog of power in any device, and so when you double up on them you’re going to put even more strain on the average mobile battery. Of course, you can slot in a bigger pack, such as the bulbous lump on the Libretto W100, or bundle a second battery, as Sprint will do with the Kyocera Echo, but neither are particularly elegant solutions.

Functionality is trickier, especially as I’d argue OEMs and software engineers need to be paring back their ambitions rather than adding to them. Where Toshiba went wrong – in my opinion – with the Libretto, and where Acer has gone wrong with the Iconia, is in trying to make them all-things to all-users. Full Windows machines, they therefore demand full x86 processors (rather than more frugal ARM chips) and attempt not only to do the interesting, eye-catching finger-and-touch stuff that makes them unique, but everything a $400 notebook does too. That generally means on-screen keyboards, with all the mediocre tactile feedback which goes along with them.

That desperation to make one device everything to every user means battery consumption goes up, higher-power components are needed, and thus the whole thing gets expensive. Often it’s the software which gets left behind; the dual-displays are considered the draw in and of themselves, Star Trek style selling points which are never really taken advantage of. So far we’ve seen nothing from the Sprint Echo that a big, single-screen Android smartphone couldn’t achieve just as well. Yes, there have been tweaks to run two apps on two screens simultaneously, but beyond that it’s business as usual – only business with double the power drain.

Sprint Kyocera Echo hands-on demo:

I can’t be alone in wondering whether simply strapping two iPads together – each half having its own battery good for 10hrs+ of runtime – with a hinge down the middle isn’t the obvious solution. TI, NVIDIA, Marvell and other ARM-based chip manufacturers have been showing off multi-display capable SoCs for the past couple of years, each able to run two or more touchscreens while still sipping power. Tablet-scale devices have the room to accommodate the sort of bigger batteries that would make smartphones too chunky for the average pocket or purse, and the ARM chipset support for Android (or other “mobile” platforms) would mean native finger-control without the half measures of Windows 7.

You’d need the right software, though, so how about, instead of a couple of iPads, pairing two HTC Flyer slates. HTC has already finessed Android with active stylus control, Evernote integration and everything else which makes the Flyer unique; all they need to do is double it up and make a slick, dual-7-inch clamshell, a true digital notebook for the internet age. If anybody can do it, segue away from the core, single-screen Android ethos as seen through Google’s eyes, and deliver something sufficiently customized and polished to be appealing both on paper and in practice, it’s probably HTC.

Dual-touch may well be the future of mobile devices, but it’ll take more than a hinge and a reskin to deliver.

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Fake hard-drive has short-term memory not 500GB

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 06:45 AM PDT

Whenever there’s a deal that seems too good to be true, there’s always the risk that you’re getting ripped off. Still, if you’re going to lose your money on a dud, it may as well be a surprisingly well-planned dud. As the story goes, a Russian repair center was asked to look at an “insanely low price” external hard-drive a customer had bought in a Chinese store, but which kept losing data. When they opened it up, everything became clear…

Inside were two heavy nuts to make the drive feel suitably weighty, along with a mere 128MB flash drive rather than the few hundred gigabytes expected. That was apparently set into a clever “looped” mode which, when it runs out of space, starts to over-write the oldest data. Despite that, it still claimed to be the size it had been sold as in the system settings.

The end result is an external drive that will only play back, say, the last few minutes of a movie, despite having claimed that the whole thing was stored. Moral of the story is that if something seems too cheap to be real, it very well may be. Backup safe, humans.

[via HardMac and via Jitbit]

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Eco-friendly Superbus gets UAE trial [Video]

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 06:18 AM PDT

The allure of public transport is so often undermined by the scent of urine and dawdling performance, but the only people soiling themselves in the Dutch-made Superbus are likely to be those over-excited by its eco-friendly turn of electric speed. Capable of accommodating up to 23 passengers and still hitting 155kph (96mph), the lengthy carbon fiber and fiberglass vehicle is headed to Dubai next month.

A 300 kW electric motor powered by a Li-Ion battery array handles the grunt side of the equation, while there are sixteen doors along its 15m length. The whole thing is the brainchild of Wubbo Ockels, a green-power obsessed physicist and former astronaut.

While the Dutch government aren’t entirely convinced by the Superbus project, it seems the UAE has no such qualms. The electric vehicle will apparently be running between Abu Dhabi and Dubai in trials from May 2011.

[via BornRich]

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Apple tips smart-display iPhone bezel in patent application

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 05:41 AM PDT

It’s obviously the week for interesting Apple patent applications to surface, and after yesterday’s hybrid e-paper/LCD proposals, now it’s the bezel around them that is in for a futuristic upgrade. According to a new patent application, Apple is looking at the possibility of “Electronic devices with a primary display and a selectively illuminated secondary display” where a regular touchscreen could be highlighted with sections of the bezel lighting up to point out, among other things, where inputs could be made.

Apple reckons that, while touchscreen displays like on the iPad 2 and iPhone 4 are far more flexible than traditional buttons, it’s still wasting too much space with virtual buttons. Instead, it wants to use “printed segment electroluminescence displays” which would light up around the touchscreen’s edge, and flag up different touch, gesture and other supported controls.

“To assist a user in providing inputs, traditional devices use the display to provide indicators to the user regarding where and how to provide a touch input. For example, a traditional device may display a virtual button on a touch screen to indicate that a user can touch that portion of the screen to provide an input. However, providing such indicators occupies space on the touch screen that could otherwise be used for displaying visual content.” Apple patent application

The lit segments could be as simple as a block to show where touch input would be accepted, or comprise arrows, gesture patterns or other indicators that would show up selectively depending on what was on-screen. They could also change selectively depending on the orientation which the device was being held in, so horizontal scrolling arrows would always be pointing up and down no matter whether you held your iPad in portrait or landscape orientation.

Interestingly, a patent application all the way back in 2006 suggested Apple was flirting with the idea of touch-sensitive strips that would be hidden in the screen bezel of a device. At the time – with the original iPhone still unannounced – it was speculated that Apple would use these to replace the scroll-wheel on iPods. However, combining the touch-strips with illuminated secondary-displays could lead to touch-sensitive dynamic controls that would allow users to scroll, navigate and control their future phones and tablets without blocking what was showing on-screen with a finger or hand.

[via Patently Apple]

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Acer Iconia Tab A500 gets priced & dated for US launch

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 05:00 AM PDT

Acer’s 10.1-inch Iconia Tab A500 has finally been officially priced and dated for the US, and the Tegra 2 slate is already up for pre-order at Best Buy today. Expected to drop from April 24, the Iconia Tab A500 WiFi is priced at $449.99; that gets you 16GB of internal storage, WiFi but no 3G, and battery life of up to 8hrs.

WiFi a/b/g/n and twin cameras are present – 2-megapixels up front and 5-megapixels on the back. There’s also HDMI, a microSD card slot, six-axis gyroscope and the promise of a 32GB version down the line.

Acer also has a range of accessories to go with the A500, including a full-sized Bluetooth keyboard for $69.99, a dock with an IR remote for $79.99 and a case/stand for $39.99. More information on the tablet in our hands-on.

Press Release:

Acer Iconia Tab A500 Tablet Super-Charges Mobile HD Entertainment,
Connectivity

First Acer Tablet with Android 3.0 for US Market Now Available for Pre-Order at Best Buy; Provides Superior Mobile Entertainment, Connection to Internet, Games, Movies, Social Networks

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 8, 2011 – Acer America today debuts the Acer Iconia Tab A500 in the United States and announced that it is available for pre-order online exclusively from Best Buy. The Acer Iconia Tab A500 is the company's first 10.1-inch tablet running Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) in the new Acer Iconia family of tablets for North America.

The new Acer Iconia Tab A500 tablet enables customers to interact with and enjoy technology in ways that are both truly natural and exciting. The 10.1-inch multi-touch screen provides accurate finger-tip control for personal access to applications, games and entertainment. The tablet provides an enhanced level of performance with its NVIDIA Tegra 250 1GHz dual-core processor and integrated GeForce™ GPU that lets customers enjoy HD gaming, 1080p video and faster browsing, as well as running multiple applications and digital media playback at the same time.

Customers can take advantage of these capabilities with the new Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) operating system, which gives them the flexibility to customize their experience to suit their interests.

The Acer Iconia Tab A500 was built for usability on-the go. Its slim and modern aluminum design weighs only 1.69 pounds and measures only 0.52-inches thin. It also includes forward and rear-facing cameras for capturing videos and photos as well as video conferencing.

A Best Buy exclusive, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 with WiFi is now available for pre-order online at bestbuy.com and may be pre-ordered in stores beginning April 14. The Acer Iconia Tab A500 with WiFi will be available in stores and online beginning April 24. The Acer Iconia Tab A500 has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $449.99.

"Staying connected and entertained are firmly embedded as a part of our everyday lives – and the Acer Iconia Tab A500 does this and so much more in a performance-minded, sleek and stylish design," said Sumit Agnihotry, vice president of product marketing, Acer America. "This tablet absolutely delivers on the expectation that customers can be entertained, stay in touch with family, friends, colleagues and social networks, as well as keep up on the world around them in a way that is intuitive and fluid, and also incredibly enjoyable."

Best Buy's vice president of computing, Jason Bonfig, stated, "Tablets are paving the way for people to enjoy a whole new form factor in entertainment and connection. We're pleased to have Acer join our tablet selection and to offer our customers an opportunity to try this tablet out for themselves at any Best Buy store."

Extraordinary Mobile Entertainment and Fun; Two Great Games Included
Navigating through the interactive environment with the touch of a finger-tip is incredibly natural. The 10.1-inch capacitive touch-screen tablet delivers a remarkable degree of accuracy and responsiveness. The high-resolution 1280×800 TFT WXGA display is crisp and clear, and provides an 80-degree wide viewing angle to ensure an optimal viewing experience. The large 10.1-inch size is ideal for comfortably accessing and enjoying a number of applications – from movies and games to social networks and scrolling through photos in the photo book application.
Designed for HD entertainment, the high-color contrast 10.1-inch widescreen display allows customers to enjoy exhilarating HD 720p video in a 16:10 aspect ratio. Customers can also use the Acer Iconia Tab A500 as their media hub and share full 1080p Blu-ray-quality video via the built-in HDMI port with other devices, such as a high-definition big screen TV or monitor. Dolby Mobile technology completes the entertainment experience with heightened audio.

One of the tablet's most impressive features is its ability to run and play premium HD arcade games and complex online games. The 10-point touch display and six-axis motion sensing gyro meter control guarantees an entertainment experience on par with the best game consoles. Plus, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 comes with two full versions of leading games already on it. "Need for Speed: Shift" gives customers a sense of exhilarating speed and power as they "steer" the ultra-responsive tablet to maneuver through courses with dynamic HD graphics. In "Let’s Golf," customers choose their character and swing for a hole in one on a variety of courses from around the word in vibrant color.

Taking along hundreds of books and magazines is easy with the Acer Iconia Tab A500. The tablet supports eReading and comes pre-installed with Acer LumiRead and Google Books eReading apps for enjoying eBooks, while Zinio is pre-installed for reading full-color digital magazines.

The technology in the Acer Iconia Tab A500 delivers a thrilling level of performance. It features a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 250 Cortex A9 1GHz processor, supported by the ultra-low power GeForce graphics and 1GB of RAM for blazing mobile performance. It also supports flash.

The new tablet comes with an integrated 16GB of flash storage for programs and apps to give customers incredibly fast access while limiting weight and noise. The platform can support a larger storage capacity of 32GB, which is planned for future models. The Micro-SD card reader supports up to 32GB Micro-SD cards, so customers can access and download their own digital content, including videos, movies and eBooks.

The Acer Iconia Tab A500 can be used in a range of environments thanks to its ambient light sensor. The integrated accelerometer provides auto-rotation between portrait and landscape modes for viewing movies, websites, games and more.

Staying Connected and On-the-Go
Today's customers are connecting with their social networks in a real-time way that brings more meaning and convenience to their lives. The Acer Iconia Tab A500 connects to Wi-Fi networks with reliable Acer InviLink Nplify 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED wireless technology at home and on the go for updating social network apps, Twitter feeds and accessing the Internet. Customers can also set up multiple email addresses in the tablet and even open and view Microsoft Office documents using the trial version of the "Docs to Go" app to boost their productivity.

The two webcams boost customers' ability to stay in touch. The 5MP rear-facing camera has a flash and is auto-focusing, so it captures excellent video and images. The 2MP fixed-focused front-facing webcam is ideal for video conferencing and recording HD video and comments for YouTube and Facebook. Customers can utilize the built-in GPS with various apps to enjoy navigation and location-searches while traveling and driving. Plus, the integrated Bluetooth allows consumers to connect the tablet to a variety of other devices, such as headsets and printers.

Customers will enjoy extra-long uptime with their Acer Iconia Tab A500. The system's two 3260 mAh Li-polymer batteries provide up to eight hours of playback for casual games, eight hours of HD video playback and 10 hours of WiFi Internet browsing.

Superior Mobile Browsing Experience with Android 3.0
The advances in Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) build on the leading-edge performance in the Acer Iconia Tab A500 to deliver a mobile experience unlike anything customers have experienced to date. Specifically optimized for a tablet environment, Android 3.0 runs on the Acer Iconia Tab A500 to deliver superb browsing with an array of features that make online time rewarding and productive.
Plus, customers can get even more out of their Acer Iconia Tab A500 by customizing it with Android apps of their choice from the Android Market and other Android-based app sites.

Innovative Design Boosts Usability
The Acer Iconia Tab A500 will be used in a very personal way, so it was designed with great attention to detail. Customers will enjoy using it as a primary connection to their world from wherever they take it. The design boasts an Alpine Silver brushed metal aluminum chassis that is cool to the touch and comfortable to hold. The design's upscale look and feel features a high-gloss finish decorated with engraved patterns that create a subtle sophistication.

The Acer Iconia Tab A500 is incredibly easy to use and enjoy. It easily fits in a purse, briefcase or book bag. It measures 10.24(w) x 6.97(d) x 0.52(h)-inches and weighs only 1.69 pounds.

Acer offers several options for customers to further personalize their Acer Iconia Tab A500. They are:
· The full-sized dedicated keyboard connects to the tablet via Bluetooth to boost productivity. MSRP is $69.99.

· The dock with IR remote securely holds the Acer Iconia Tab A500 into a secure position with two tilt angles. The dock charges the unit and includes a connection for an external speaker or headphone. MSRP is $79.99.

· The sleek protective case guards the tablet without adding weight or bulk. It allows access to the connectors and ports, while also propping it up in two positions while on a desk or nightstand. MSRP is $39.99.

· The Americas power adapter set comes with the four connectors used in North, Central and South America as well as the UK and Europe. MSRP is $29.99.

clear.fi for Digital Media Sharing
Acer clear.fi is installed on the Acer Iconia Tab A500 to connect it with any other DLNA-compliant device to quickly and easily share digital media. Clear.fi automatically connects all Acer devices on a network (smartphones, notebooks, desktops, HD media players and storage devices) and then gathers and organizes media files by type (video, music, photo, pre-recorded TV).

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Oscium accessory and app turns iPad and iPhone into mixed signal oscilloscope

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 04:59 AM PDT

I will cop to not being geek enough to know what an oscilloscope is really for. I have never used one and haven’t had the need to learn. If you do know what one is and you know how to use it, a new app and accessory for your iOS device like the iPad or iPhone will turn it into a mixed signal oscilloscope.

The device is from Oscium and the app in on the App Store right now. The hardware accessory is set to ship on April 29 and it will work with the touch, iPhone, and iPad with iOS 3.1.3 and higher. You can pre-order the hardware accessory for the device right now.

The price for the hardware that plugs into the charge and sync port is $297.99. It has five different color leads coming off and is only offered via the iMSO-104 online store. The company says that the thing is appropriate for hobbyists, students, and application engineers.

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Press photos of HTC Incredible 2 surface, launch closing in

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 04:50 AM PDT

We have already spent our share of hands on time with the HTC Incredible S smartphone and we even offered up a hands on video for you to check out. Today the official press shots of the Verizon Droid Incredible 2 have turned up online. That should mean that with the press shots turning up that the launch is very close.

Rumors had previously pegged the Incredible 2 to hit Verizon later this month. The Verizon Droid Incredible 2 is a rebranded Incredible S so we already know all the hardware details that we need to know. The launch is thought to be the 28th, but that isn't confirmed at this time.

This is a very nice looking smartphone for sure and the thing performs well. It should be popular with Verizon users. As you can see from the pics, it will have the familiar red Droid eye branding that Verizon has used for the Droid family for a while now.

[via Android Community

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NuScreen HD prevents smudges on touchscreens

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 04:23 AM PDT

This might look like a little tube of Chap Stick, but it’s not. This is a product called NuScreen HD that is designed to be applied to the screen of your touch sensitive device like a smartphone tablet. The idea is that the slightly slippery and non-greasy product will prevent fingerprints and smudges from getting on your screen.

That would mean a better looking and cleaner device for you to look at. It also means that if you have a device with sensitive information on it for work someone that finds your phone won’t be able to use the fingerprints to try to guess your password.

The product promises to not leave a greasy film and to make the screen slippery. The tube looks small, but I bet it will last a very long time. It claims to be tested to work without hurting touchscreen on Apple products and lots more. A tube of the goo will set you back about $20.

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T-Mobile G2x smartphone sold on eBay ahead of launch

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 04:12 AM PDT

If you have major geek lust for the T-Mobile G2x smartphone that is set to launch on the 20th of this month, you missed your chance to be the only person you know with the handset ahead of the official launch. Someone got their geeky mitts on a fully functional G2x way early and naturally headed to eBay to make a buck off the thing.

The auction is now over and when listed it had a buy it now price of $999. No one wanted the smartphone enough to end the auction early and pony up nearly a grand for the G2x. The final price the smartphone got up to was $799.

I can't image wanting a new phone so bad that you were willing to pay so much more than the retail price just to get it a few weeks early. I wonder if the smartphone was purchased by someone that wants to tear it down online.

[via PhoneArena]

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Japanese disaster results in delay on Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 04:00 AM PDT

Sony Ericsson is facing some supply issue woes resulting from the inability to secure some components out of Japan after the devastating Earthquake and tsunami. The shortages of components and hardware are leading to delays on some of the firm’s handsets that were set to launch.

If you had your eyes set on a new Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo smartphone that had been slated to land on April 19, you are going to have to wait a few more months. The handset will apparently not hit stores until sometime in July. Sony says that the situation could change though if supplies are replenished quicker.

The Neo isn’t the only Sony Ericsson smartphone facing potential shortages either. The Experia Play and arc smartphones are also possibly going to be in short supply thanks to component shortages. The details on the shortage of the Arc come from UK retailer Clove.

[via Android Community]

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F-35 ejector seat gets tested using 600mph sled and a dummy

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 03:38 AM PDT

The USAF and the companies and suppliers that are working on the new F-35 fighter jet that is overdue and over budget right now test every component of the aircraft for operation and reliability. The aircraft is capable of some very fast speeds and since it is a military aircraft odds are at least one pilot will need to eject from the jet at some point in its operational life.

That means that the ejection seat system has to be tested at the speeds the aircraft is capable of achieving. I can only imagine looking at the video of one such test of the ejection seat at 600mph that the ride for a pilot would be rough.

The testing can't be done with a real F-35 in flight since there aren't that many jets and crashing one would not be good. The test was conducted using some sort of rocket sled that hurtles down what appear to be railroad tracks at 600mph. The seat is ejected and apparently, that is a mannequin inside not a real pilot. It takes no more than three seconds from when the handle is pulled until the pilot is floating under the chute.

[via BoingBoing]

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PSP sells more units than 3DS in Japan

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 03:27 AM PDT

I am very surprised to hear this bit of news. We have mentioned already that the 3DS set a one-day sales record for sales with the launch of the 3DS. Naturally, I assumed that the 3DS was selling in droves still and I bet a lot of other geeks did too. Apparently, the 3DS isn’t selling as well as I thought.

GamePro reports that the PSP has outsold the 3DS in Japan for the week. The PSP didn’t just squeak by the 3DS either, it sold thousands more units. The numbers for Japanese sales were 58,075 for PSP sales and 42,979 units sold for the 3DS. That number for the 3DS represents a decline of about 8,000 units compared to the week before while the PSP grew by about 7,000.

GamePro attributes the increased PSP console sales to a specific game title called Amagami that is some sort of dating simulation. The game sold over 69,000 copies and more than a few folks bought a new PSP to go with it. The only 3DS title in the top ten list for game sales over the week was Pro Yakyo Famista 2011, which is a baseball game.

[via GamePro]

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Dish Network purchase of Blockbuster Video approved by bankruptcy court

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 03:14 AM PDT

We mentioned earlier this week that satellite TV provider Dish Network had put in a bid to purchase Blockbuster and its assets. The plan still needed to win the approval of the bankruptcy court handling Blockbuster’s assets. Reuters reports that the court has approved the $320 million bid by Dish Network for the purchase.

This is an interesting purchase for Dish Network and one that has to be a bit nerve-racking for shareholders. Blockbuster had about $1 billion worth of creditors that are owned money. The upside is that Dish can use the remaining 1,700 Blockbuster Video retail stores to market its satellite service. Blockbuster also runs a decent web-based video streaming operation that Dish will be able to get its hands on.

That would open up a new world of streaming video possibilities to Dish subscribers. It seems that one of the key things that helped Dish to win its bid for Blockbuster is that dish plans to continue to operate the stores that are still open, other bidders planned to close all locations. There were at least 100 complaints filed against the sale to Dish, many of them from landlords wanting to know if Dish would pay the rent they were owed that Blockbuster apparently didn't cover.

[via Reuters]

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AMD courting Android talent and as new tablets head to Computex 2011

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 03:00 AM PDT

Computex 2011 will be here before you know it and along with the show will come a herd of new tablets and other gadgets for us to check out. DigiTimes reports that at the show Lenovo, Fujitsu and Samsung will be showing off new Intel Oak Trail tablets. MSI is also said to be getting a new tablet ready that will run the AMD Brazos APU.

MSI is noting to DigiTimes that AMD’s APU has increased its presence in the tablet market. Perhaps the more interesting bit to come out of that news about AMD and MSI doing well in the tablet market together is that AMD is reportedly on the lookout for some new Android talent.

AMD is specifically searching for new blood that will work on Android driver software. This indicates that AMD might be looking to offer chipsets for notebooks, tablets, and netbooks that can run Android. That opens the interesting possibility of Fusion for Android.

[via Android Community]

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Best Buy in hot water with Apple for holding back iPad 2 supply?

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 02:40 AM PDT

If you like rumor mill fodder here is one for you. The rumor claims that Apple and Best Buy aren't on good terms right now over Best Buy allegedly holding back stock of the iPad 2 in its stores. According go the rumor Best Buy had iPad 2 tablets in stock but stopped selling them.

If the rumor is to be believed, the reason Best Buy stopped selling the iPad 2 tablets and started telling geeks looking for the things that they were out of stock was that it had hit their sales quota for the day. Best Buy was apparently holing the tablets in stock for sales on the next day rather than have a booming sales day one day, run out of tablets, and have poor sales the next.

The rumor also claims that Apple has opted to not ship Best Buy any more iPad 2 tablets as a punishment for the hold back. If Best Buy was selling all the tablets it can get, I have hard time believing that Apple would not offer them more stock. That said, if holding the stock back made Apple’s sales numbers look worse than they really could have been I can see why Apple would not be happy with Best Buy.

[via CrunchGear]

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Bada 2.0 set to hit India in July

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 02:29 AM PDT

If you like the Samsung Bada OS and you have been, wondering where version 2.0 is it seems that the new OS might be landing around July. The word of the launch date it tipped by a Samsung exec in India named Dipesh Shah. According to this exec, the rough July date is what Samsung is aiming for at least in India.

The exec also claims that Samsung has sold Bada powered handsets in number similar to the sales of Android handsets in India. Shah also noted that Samsung it targeting a market share of about 30% for Bada, which would be a significant increase from the 10-15% the OS has right now.

We talked a bit about the Bada 2.0 OS back in December. The update is supposed to bring with it some new features along with an all new SDK supporting Linux and Mac computers. The big features are tipped to be multitasking, NFC and an improved version of TouchWiz.

[via SamsungHub]

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Apple holds 60% of touch panel supplies tips analyst

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 02:27 AM PDT

Apple’s grab at the touch panel market – believed to have delayed RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook from launching by a month – is estimated to amount to a whopping 60-percent of the total available manufacturing capacity. According to ThinkEquity analyst Rajesh Ghai, quoted by Barrons, Apple has not only staked its place in the touch segment but lined up alternative suppliers should the ongoing impact of the Japanese earthquake prompt component shortages.

“Apple has already booked approximately 60% of the total available touch panel capacity. While some reports have stated that Apple will be facing component shortages for the iPad resulting from the Japanese earthquake, Hon Hai, Apple's primary manufacturing source has stated that it does not expect any component shortages, and alternate suppliers have been lined up” Rajesh Ghai, analyst

Apple is believed to have used its huge case reserves to secure strong deals with suppliers well in advance of iPad and iPad 2 production. Those deals are now paying off, as rivals such as Motorola, RIM and others struggle to meet their own requirements for tablet production with the capacity remaining.

Meanwhile, Ghai also suggests that “the launch of a more feature-rich phone in the seasonally stronger second half could prove to be a boon for Apple in the long run” referring to speculation that Apple could push back its traditional smartphone release window with the iPhone 5. That would allow it to include NFC and LTE connectivity as has been rumored in recent weeks.

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Dell Panerai convertible tablet hits FCC

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 01:57 AM PDT

Details of what looks to be a 15-inch Dell convertible tablet have crossed the FCC, the Dell Panerai, potentially following in the footsteps of the Inspiron Duo as having a rotating touchscreen display in a fixed bezel.

The only known specifications are the Intel Centrino 6230 chipset for WiFi a/b/g/n. According to the test report, the antennas are built into the display section; it specifically references both “laptop mode” and “tablet mode”.

The original Dell Inspiron Duo had promise but was let down by its underpowered Atom processor. If Dell can fit a proper Core i5 or even Core i7 chip in the Panerai, and deliver the speed and performance of a mainstream notebook with the added bonus of a touchscreen – and do it at a reasonable price – then they could have a winner.

[via Wireless Goodness]

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Packard Bell Liberty Tab borrows Acer A500 for European Honeycomb

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 01:20 AM PDT

Acer subsidiary Packard Bell has revealed its attempt at the tablet market, the Packard Bell Liberty Tab. A 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 Android 3.0 Honeycomb slate, reports NotebookItalia, the Liberty Tab runs an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor with a 5-megapixel camera on the front and a 2-megapixel camera on the back.

There’s also an HDMI port, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and 3G, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD card slot. It will be available in “cherry red” and “pearl white” when it lands in Europe come June 2011.

If it’s all looking and sounding familiar, there’s a good reason. Acer also offers the Iconia Tab A500, its own Honeycomb slate which we played with at MWC 2011 a couple of months back. From a casual glance it seems that both slates at the same model, only Packard Bell has gone a whole lot glossier with its casing.

[via Android Community]

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Kno licenses edu-tablet hardware to Intel amid $30m investment round

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 01:04 AM PDT

Education tablet specialists Kno have reportedly found someone interested in taking their hardware business off their hands: Intel. According to AllThingsD, Intel is looking to license the Kno hardware design, and rather than building tablets itself will offer the designs to OEM partners.

It was suggested back in February that Kno was looking to back out of the hardware market, facing fast-moving and multiplying competition from mainstream tablet manufacturers. That would leave Kno free to focus on its partnerships with colleges and universities, and developing new software for the tablets Intel’s OEM partners might come up with.

Meanwhile, Intel Capital and Advance Publications are believed to be leading a $30m investment round in Kno, which will focus its efforts on software for devices targeted at education users. Advance Publications owns Condé Nast.

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Sony PSP gets Music Unlimited Qriocity streaming from April 14

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 12:29 AM PDT

Sony has announced that its Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity streaming audio service will land on the PSP as of April 14. The update will mean that PSP owners will be able to stream any of Sony’s 7m+ tracks direct to their handheld console over WiFi; the service is already available on Sony computers and the PS3, and will soon be coming to the company’s Android handsets.

Rather than simply offer music on a track-by-track basis, the Qriocity engine promises to learn users’ tastes and build them custom music channels that are personalized to each listener. Each supports unlimited skips and is uninterrupted by commercials, as long as you’re on the premium plan. Your PSP will need to be running PSP and Media Go firmware update 6.37.

Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity is available in the US, UK, Canada, Japan and various European countries. A subscription-based service, it’s priced at $3.99 per month for the basic package or $9.99 for the premium package.

Press Release:

"Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™" Arrives on the PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable)

FOSTER CITY, Calif., April 7, 2011 –SonyNetwork Entertainment today announced that beginning April 14, PlayStation®Portable (PSP™) owners with PlayStation®Network (PSN) IDs will be able to access "Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™," a new, cloud-based, digital music service which lets music lovers listen to millions of songs and easily discover new music from major and independent labels from around theworld*. PSP owners can also enjoy a common and synchronized music experience on their PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment systems as well as PCs and other network-enabled Sony devices without the need to manage or transfer music files.

Music Unlimited debuted in the U.K. and Ireland in December 2010 and became available in France, Germany, Italy and Spain in January 2011, then later launched in the United States, Australia and New Zealand in February 2011, representing one of the fastest global rollouts ever seen for a digital music service.

Music Unlimited service gives users the music they want,when they want it. It offers instant streaming access to a catalogue of over seven million songs on any PC or laptop, as well as a variety of Sony devices, including Sony's 2010 and 2011 models of network-enabled BRAVIA® TVs, Blu-Ray Disc™ players, Blu-Ray Disc Home Theatre systems, as well as PlayStation®3, VAIO® laptops, and now the PlayStation®Portable. It will also become available on a wider range of Sony's portable devices, Android-based mobile devices, and other portable devices.

By studying users' listening habits and incorporating their preferences, "Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity" delivers dozens of personalized music channels uniquely tailored to their tastes, commercial-free and uninterrupted, with unlimited skips. Consumers can try the Premium service free for 30-days. Go to www.qmusic.com for more information.

*Currently accessible on PSP handheld entertainment systems in WiFi network environments

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Google to stream Google I/O Live for those without tickets

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 12:15 AM PDT

Google has announced plans to live-stream its Google I/O conference next month, after interest in the developer event saw tickets sell out in just 59 minutes. As of May 10, Google will be offering all-day streaming from the two biggest session rooms, covering keynotes and Android/Chrome developer sessions, at Google I/O Live.

Meanwhile, those sessions which aren’t streamed live will be recorded in HD, and Google says it will try to get the footage online for remote/repeat viewing within 24hrs of them taking place. There’ll be captioning support on all footage, live and recorded, and machine-translated international captions as well.

Google I/O 2011 runs from May 10 to May 11, and SlashGear will be on-site to bring back all the news from the opening keynote. We’re expecting Google to announce the combination of the Gingerbread, Honeycomb and Google TV platforms into a single Android AOSP, as well as the “Google Me” social network to make its debut.

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The Daily Slash: April 7th, 2011

Posted: 07 Apr 2011 09:17 PM PDT

There’s been a bit of a change in the hearts and minds of several big players today, an uncertain day full of fear and doubt to be sure. That’s not to say that there weren’t any fantastical gadgets and technologies to be spoken about however, and we’ve got those for you too. One of the oddest of these was a press conference called by Facebook to discuss not a new gadget, not a new system of poking your friends, nay, twas as Open Compute Project they spoke of. Then it got REAL interesting.

Yesterday we spoke of what appeared to be terrible sales of both the Motorola XOOM and the ATRIX 4G – today AT&T and Verizon have called back to say that they completely “pleased” with the results. Don Reisinger would lead you in the other direction, on the other hand, with his column by the name of Why you should spend more on a TV and less on everything else. Quite the guide. See one unlikely player telling you that you don’t need a TV, you just need a really expensive toy: Toys “R” Us may stock iPad 2 next month. – Buy a big box of Lego and an iPad 2 to stack them on!

See some leaked images of the HTC Droid Incredible 2 or the Motorola Droid 2X or even the HP Palm Mysterious! – Not to be mistaken for the Palm Reader or the HP Non-existant!

We’ve got your back but it’s best to watch your front: Pandora’s the one who sends user GPS, gender, birthday, and more to ad servers – they be pullin stunts. See Andy Rubin respond to the rumors that Android was going closed-source. The HTC EVO View 4G is now once again non-Honeycomb. SEE the T-Mobile G2X get a real release date and pricing.

Next, see what’s happening in the world of HTC with their oncoming HTC Pyramid, aka HTC Sensation – a complete fact and rumor roundup. See yourself a wild animal out there in the wild being wild with the BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 SPOTTED! Learn a lot with Chris Davies in another installment of our expanding stack of teachings: SlashGear 101: What is AMD Fusion? Then have yourself a lovely bit of speculation with the possibility of Apple’s iOS 4.3.2 coming in under two weeks time.

For everything below this belt line, check out our world-famous SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up and know the early daytime truth!

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