Kamis, 21 April 2011

What's new on SlashGear.com

What's new on SlashGear.com

Tron: Legacy designer talks digital art & gooey holograms

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 03:16 PM PDT

Whether you were disappointed or otherwise with Tron: Legacy, it’s hard to argue with the movie’s blend of CGI graphics and human actors. Digital designer Joshua Nimoy was responsible for much of the software art, and he’s shared some of his tips & tricks, as well as how he used authentic UNIX commands so as to avoid cringeworthy Hackers-style gimmicks.

Instead, he recorded himself using legitmate posix kill commands in an emacs eshell. There are also icosahedron and dodecahedron fireworks, tweaking exponential functions for make for “gooey” holographic heads, and more.

Apps used included various Adobe tools, Cinema 4D, and then custom code in C++ using OpenFrameworks and wxWidgets. If you’ve ever wondered about the processes behind CGI then it makes for an interesting read – even if you didn’t particularly like Tron:Legacy itself.

[via spurgeonblog]

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Google Rolls Out Groupon Competition With ‘Google Offers’ Beta Launch In Select Cities

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 02:52 PM PDT

It was leaked back in January that Google was busy at work on a Groupon rival called Google Offers. At the time the service appeared almost identical but later leaked reincarnations suggested that Google may be taking a slightly different approach. Today, however, will be the first day that folks may get a more definitive look on exactly what Google has to offer. Their new coupon service gets an official beta launch today starting in Portland with San Francisco and New York to follow.

Although, folks from any of the select three cities can start signing up today, they may not receive any coupons via email just yet. The public beta-testing is limited to Portland for now. The sign-up page doesn’t offer up much more information on the service except that you will get discounts of “50% or more off of the places you’ll love.” This is very much along the same vein as Groupon’s discount model and sense of discovery.

However, the service is likely to incorporate the NFC-based Google Places program. It’s rather interesting that Portland is also the first city that Google issued its NFC chips for businesses participating in Google Places. Google Offers could be tied in such that users can swipe their cellphones at the cash register and receive their daily deal coupon.

The video below is a teaser that again answers no questions about Google Offers but sure brightens your day with cheery music.

[via Mashable]

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Windows Phone: The Next Six Months

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 02:45 PM PDT

Today, Windows Phone 7 turned six. Six months, that is, counted from the October 21 2010 release of the first batch of Windows Phone handsets. It’s a big day for the platform, too; not only a retail milestone, but an early inking of the deal between Microsoft and Nokia which will see the Finnish phone giant bet its smartphone fortunes. So, where next for Windows Phone, and will Nokia’s input – and the “billions of dollars” Microsoft will be pushing its way – help it gain all-important market share?

With no publicly released sales figures from Microsoft, it’s hard to know what sort of success – or failure – it’s building on for the six months moving forward. Still, it’s hard not to compare Windows Phone’s track record to-date with that of Android, and find the Microsoft platform lacking. After great fanfare at launch, we’re yet to see a device that wasn’t previewed in some way at that initial debut. True, some have come later to market than others, or with different names, but there’s no great stand-out device and no huge launch in the manner that we’ve seen HTC, Samsung, LG and others reveal their new Android phones at events in the US and Europe.

“Stagnation” is a dangerous label in the early stages of a new OS – after all, there was a fair delay in-between HTC’s first Android smartphone, the T-Mobile G1, in October 2008, and the subsequent HTC Magic in April 2009 – but it does seem fair to say that manufacturers appear wary of investing in new devices right now. The saving grace may be “chassis two”, which represents a loosening of Microsoft’s grip on specifications.

“Chassis one,” or the core hardware framework around which all the first wave of Windows Phone devices were modeled, gave Microsoft a consistent initial batch of devices, but at the same time an uninspiring sense of homogenization. “Chassis two” will give OEMs – Nokia included – more freedom to look to faster or cheaper chipsets, different functionality and form-factors. At the top end, we should see true high-end flagships in the same way that Android has broadened to accommodate devices like the HTC Sensation and Motorola ATRIX. One of Nokia’s key strengths is in producing entry-level hardware, meanwhile, and that will allow Microsoft to push Windows Phone to previously unseen price points.

Ironically, that segment could have been an area in which Microsoft really could have flourished. Instead of mid- to high-tier devices, as with the initial range, the straightforward smartphone OS could have taken on high-end feature-phones – a natural step up for those looking to broaden their mobile horizons. Windows Phone’s much-maligned omissions – such as copy & paste – might not have been such an issue to that segment, and the simplicity of the interface (which won plaudits from reviewers but less interest from end-users) a brilliant balance of usability and scope.

Instead, then, of low-cost Android phones attempting to ape their premium siblings as much as possible in order to appear enticing, we should see a new range of Windows Phones comfortable in their own metal skin. Microsoft will need to work closely with its OEMs to ensure the key message is preserved, but Nokia’s economy of scale (and promise to feed its enhancements back into the ecosystem) should deliver something of the iterative improvements we’ve seen on Android, without the unwieldy fragmentation. Meanwhile, spanning the whole array will be the Windows Phone Marketplace, likely a more compelling proposition for developers as soon as the platform breaks free of its current niche. Microsoft is hoping to help that by waiving the first year’s $99 developer registration fee for all currently-published Nokia developers wanting to jump ship to Windows Phone.

What looks unlikely, however, is a Windows Phone based tablet. Microsoft continues to push ahead with its mainstream Windows plans for tableteers, insisting that, for the time being, Windows Phone is for, well, phones. Windows 8 is expected to arrive sometime in 2012, complete with a whole palette of finger-friendliness, though we can’t help but think that the smartphone software is simply better suited to the web-, social- and multimedia-centric use cases most tablet owners are turning to their slates for.

So, what needs to happen for Windows Phone to succeed before its one year anniversary ticks round? The first Nokia device to run the OS will be a milestone of its own, and is likely to open the floodgates to a much-needed extension of the price range. Still, Microsoft can’t rely solely on Nokia, and it will need to court its existing OEMs – some of whom, we’re hearing, haven’t been entirely enthused by Windows Phone’s sales success – to ensure the kind of healthy inter-platform competition we’ve seen buoy Android. This can’t be seen as Nokia’s new project, but the Finnish company as merely the latest manufacturer to drink the Windows Phone Kool-Aid.

On top of that, Microsoft needs to refine its sales message, and work with carriers – rather than, as we’ve heard mutterings of, simply brow-beating them when sales aren’t as strong as they’d like – to ensure staff know how to sell the Windows Phone message and that devices don’t get lost amid the Android crowd and the iPhone halo.

Is there a place for Windows Phone in the smartphone market? The stats coming out of carriers today would seem to suggest the segment as a whole is only getting bigger: 60-percent of Verizon Wireless’ sales in the last quarter were smartphones, in fact. That implies growing consumer demand and similarly growing consumer awareness of the benefits of a smartphone-style device. If Microsoft can, in no small part by leveraging Nokia’s strengths, offer a compelling and differentiated range of devices with a clear value message, that’s a big group of upgrading users it could tap into. Still, it will have to work hard to compete with the ubiquity of Apple’s iPhone and the near-saturation of Android devices.

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Windows Phone 7: The First Six Months

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 02:38 PM PDT

It’s a half birthday! Today is 6 months to the day since the official launch of Windows Phone 7, and we’re got a roundup like you wouldn’t believe! How would you like to know everything that ever mattered about the platform in one single post? That’s what’s going on here. Behold the successor to the Windows Mobile platform, one that’s taken the world by storm! — Depending on how you look at it. We’ve got all the big steps complimented by hands-on with all the big guns – reviews too!

You all know that Windows Phone 7 launched for the first time on October 21st, 2010, in Europe, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, right? That was the first time a Windows Phone 7 phone ever saw the light of day, correct? Of course not! Let’s go back much further than that. Our journey begins when Chris Davies first held a Windows Phone 7 handset and got a good look at it back in February of 2010. We got our first look at the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace then as well. Our very first column on the Windows Phone 7 series was entitled Why there is no Zune Phone

We then headed out to Barcelona to check out Mobile World Congress 2010 and had a good ol’ time checking out all the WP7 stuff out in late February. Come March we had additional updates from MIX 2010. Our next big column on the subject came from Michael Gartenberg and decided that Breaking Windows is a Good Idea. Then another big update: March 18th, 2010 – copy and paste is coming! Chris Davies wrote a column by the name of Dumbing Down: The Price of a Good UX?

A column in May of 2010 on the platform was entitled The Fate of Windows Phone 7 while Microsoft planned to sell 30 million Windows Phone 7 devices by the end of 2011. Apps appear to have first been shown as “better than iPhone and Android” on June 11th, 2010. We had one big fat amazing Windows Phone 7 Technical Preview also in June on the 19th.

A gem! August 24th, 2010 there was a story about HTC’s executive saying he was 100% convinced of Windows Phone 7 and he scorned Nokia for not ditching Symbian. – Nokia then in September eyed Windows Phone 7 as a third OS strategy.

AT&T announces that their Windows Phone 7 launch would be October 11th, 2010. Next was the big announcement that Windows Phone would be out on the 21st of October in Europe and November 7 in North America. Next came all of the following: HTC 7 Mozart, 7 Trophy, HD7, and 7 Pro. Oh, and HTC 7 Surround.

At this point, October 11th, 2010, Ben Bajarin wrote an analysis called Windows Phone 7 – Can it Compete?

Then came all the Hands-On articles:
Samsung Omnia 7
HTC 7 Trophy
HTC 7 Mozart
HTC HD7
LG Optimus 7
Dell Venue Pro
LG Quantum
Samsung Focus
HTC 7 Pro

Next there was a rather popular HTC HD7 vs iPhone 4. There was a column by the name of Windows Phone 7 & what it means for Teens.

Then came the reviews:
HTC 7 Surround
Samsung Focus
HTC 7 Mozart

LAUNCH!

HTC HD7
T-Mobile HTC HD7
HTC 7 Trophy

It’s January 26th, 2011, and Over 2 Million Windows Phone 7 phones are shipped. It’s said that Nokia CEO Stephen Elop noted that Nokia was “Standing on a burning platform.” Then Nokia announces Windows Phone 7 partnership. Learn everything you needed to know in February of 2011 about Nokia Windows Phone

Another review! HTC 7 Pro

Windows Phone 7 finds its way into SG Comics via Nokia and Microsoft’s partnership. There was a tiny bit of news on Windows Phone 7 at Mobile World Congress 2011. Nokia pays $6 million to poach CEO Elop. Microsoft rolls out the NoDo update. There’s another hands-on experience by your humble narrator on the HTC HD7S. Nokia officially culls Symbian. IDC predicts Windows Phone 7 to be number 2 smartphone by 2015. Windows Phone 7 draws developer interest.

Then, another review! This time of the HTC Arrive Review. Angry Birds is announced for Windows Phone 7 for May 25th. A great big powerful HTC Windows Phone with a 16-megapixel camera is tipped.

And that’s it! That’s where we are now! Fun, huh?

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LG Display talks panels: OLED TV in 2013, IPS LCD in tablets other than iPad

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 02:18 PM PDT

LG Display has revealed some panel plans – including details on which customers are using its OLED screens for upcoming smartphones – in its Q1 financial results call; however, OLED TV scale displays aren’t expected to reach mass production until mid-2013. According to SeekingAlpha‘s transcript, LG Display confirmed that, from this month, it will be supplying IPS tablet-scale panels to more than just Apple (which uses the screens for the iPad 2), while implying that as well as supplying Nokia with smartphone-sized screens, it will also be pushing panels for LG handsets in the middle of this year.

That could mean that replacements to the T-Mobile G2x and other recent LG handsets might switch to AMOLED panels. The displays used in Nokia’s recent Symbian smartphones have arguably been the best thing about the devices, with the so-called “Clear Black” technology on the E7 and other handsets providing excellent viewing angles and vividly-saturated colors.

LG Display will begin its 8-Gen OLED fab ramp-up – producing OLED TV panels – perhaps as early as mid-2013, having begun testing the technology later this year.

[via OLED-Info]

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Apple To Release Cloud Music Service Ahead of Google

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 01:59 PM PDT

Remember those rumors about Google’s imminent cloud music service? Well, we’re still not certain when they’ll be able to work through their licensing issues and get their service off the ground, but we do have word from Reuters now that Apple will be beating them to the punch. According to their sources, Apple has completed work on their own cloud music service and is set to launch ahead of Google.

Apple’s cloud music service or “music locker” will allow iTunes customers to store and share their music on a remote server so that they can be accessed from anywhere via the internet.

Amazon has already launched their own music locker service called the Cloud Drive but has been faced with some licensing problems. Amazon claimed that new licensing agreements were not necessary because the music stored and streamed from music lockers would be music that was already owned by the user. However, record labels disagreed and threatened with legal action.

Apple and Google will certainly face the same licensing issues. But according to several sources familiar with the plans of both companies, Apple has yet to sign any new licenses for the service. And although its music partners seem ready to secure deals before the service is launched, no one has been informed yet exactly when.

However, what’s delaying Google may be more than just licensing agreements. Sources say that the company keeps changing directions with its service. They claim that Google originally wanted to launch an iTunes type of store along with a basic music locker, but have now shifted to exploring a subscription model instead. Hence, they are still mired in talks in licensing agreements by their uncertain music strategy.

At the moment, neither company has responded to Reuters request for comment.

[via Reuters]

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Bionic Leg the Next Step in Prosthetics

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 01:38 PM PDT

There have been great advances in the use of prosthetic limbs, making them lighter, more comfortable, and easier to move. Scientists at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s Center for Bionic Medicine are working on a project to create a robotic prosthesis that would be controlled by the person’s own nervous system, and powered so that it can move on its own.


Hailey Daniswicz, 20, lost her lower leg to bone cancer in 2005, and is training a computer avatar to recognize slight movements in her thigh. She has electrodes attached to nine different muscles in her thigh, and can see her progress on the screen as she flexes and moves her muscles. The computer begins to recognize the intent of the user over time.

Daniswicz is participating in a clinical trial sponsored by the U.S. Army. The study uses electromyography (electrical signals produced by muscles) and pattern recognition computer software to control the next generation of robotic limbs. She will eventually be fitted with a robotic limb.

“We’re really integrating the machine with the person,” said Levi Hargrove, a research scientist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s Center for Bionic Medicine who is leading the project.

The electrodes act as antennas, picking up electrical signals sent from the nerves to the muscles. These signals are fired in a specific pattern, so the computer can recognize how the person wants to move. “The way most prosthetics work now is you have mechanical sensors. You have to push and interact with them,” Hargrove said. “With this, you measure the actual neural intent and have that tell the motor what to do.”

The researchers have already developed prosthetic arms that use nerve impulses to operate. A leg is the next step. One surprising finding is that patients were able to operate the ankle joint as well as the knee joint. Researchers had thought that would require surgery implanting additional nerve endings to accomplish. The fact that it does not require surgery makes the population of people who will be eligible to receive these robotic legs very broad.

Right now, most prosthetic legs are pretty passive. They are operated by the user swinging them out. This robotic limb would be powered, and move on its own. It would be a much more natural movement. It is too early to say now when these would be available, but we are close than we’ve ever been before.

[via Reuters]

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YouTube Boots Anonymous

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 01:34 PM PDT

Anonymous has been picking up operations in the wake of WikiLeaks. They are known for spreading their doctrinal messages through YouTube. Today, the folks over at YouTube said, “enough is enough” and pulled the three videos for Operation Sony, Operation Sony Update and Operation Black Out citing Terms of Service violations. Operation Black Out is the most recent video posted by the international hacktivist collective. They voiced their position regarding New Zealand’s new copyright legislation, the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill. Does this have anything to do with Anon finally turning their Low Orbit Ion Cannons aka LOIC toward a national entity?

Michael Stone over at the Examiner saved a text transcript of the message, you can check out his article on Operation Black Out, here. And I’m also attaching the text transcript here.

We are Anonymous.

We have been watching the actions taken by you and your legislation. The passing of the Infringing File Sharing bill is both a form of censorship and invasion of privacy.
Anonymous will not let this go by unnoticed. Your beliefs that one is guilty until proven innocent is an unlawful and unjust policy.
We do not believe that one, when accused of copyright infringement, should be questioned by their Internet Support Provider and eligible to pay a fifteen thousand dollar fine, unless proven innocent.
We do not believe that one, when accused of copyright infringement, should be sentenced to six months suspension of Internet usage, unless proven innocent.
We do not believe that one, when accused of copyright infringement, shall be called a criminal in the eyes of the government for the simple act of accessing information, unless proven innocent.

Those opposing the copyright law via online protest, we are with you,

New Zealand, You now have the full attention of Anonymous.

We are Anonymous
We are legion
We do not forgive
We do not forget
Expect us

Mr. Stone mentions that the legislation was slipped through in legislation dealing with the Christchurch earthquake, a phenomenon many of us are used to in places where executive branches don’t have line-item veto powers. There are May day marches in protest planned in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.

[via TorrentFreak]

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iPod Touch Used By Surgeons To Perform Knee Surgery

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 01:22 PM PDT

These days it seems like for almost anything you need to do, there’s an app for it. And now there’s an app to help doctors perform surgery. The app is called DASH and is developed to work on an iPod touch to aid doctors through complex knee and hip replacement surgery. There’s of course more equipment needed than just the iPod touch, but the device is an integral part of the system and you can actually download the educational version of the app from the App Store. Continue after the cut for a video explanation and a demo of an actual operation using the app.

Doctors at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai successfully performed three knee replacement surgeries using the new technology. The system involves slipping the iPod touch into a case that has precision measuring instruments attached to it. The surgeon then positions the iPod touch to read the data from the high-resolution screen to accurately mark spots to cut and properly align new components into the joint.

“Accuracy in positioning the new joint is what decides how well the patient walks post-surgery, how much the knee bends, and even how long it lasts,” said Dr. Arun Mullaji, who demoed the new system.

There are already precision technologies that help with the complexity of knee surgery, but they are bulky and complicated to operate. The DASH software along with the use of an iPod touch makes the process more portable, intuitive, and affordable. The system was developed by Smith & Nephew along with Brainlab and already has a CE certification for Europe and is waiting for approval in the U.S. A free demo of the app is available for download called DASH Learn.

[via OnlyGizmos]

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The Paradox of Choice in Consumer Markets

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 01:20 PM PDT

A few years ago I read a book called The Paradox of Choice: Why Less is More by Barry Schwartz. His anecdotes were insightful and pointed to truths about the amount of choice the free market has laid on us as consumers. Of course free markets and consumer choice should be good things, but there are certainly experiences I have had where the overwhelming sense of having too many options made it difficult to actually make a decision.

I related to much of what the book was saying, particularly with the experience of picking out a DVD to watch from my massive collection. I recall staring at a wall of DVDs and having the most difficult time deciding what to watch. The decision-making process when faced with so many good choices was simply immobilizing.

The book points out how in many cases the burden of decision-making leads to buyer’s remorse in consumers. With so many options, their choice is rarely the clear winner. And when any part of the product purchased did not fully meet the expectation of the consumer, the alternatives which were not chosen immediately come to mind.

I think about the ideas in this book as they relate to the technology industry. Consumers are faced with a multitude of choices purchasing computers, mobile devices, TVs, software, and other electronics which constantly flood the market. While there is nothing inherently wrong with having all this choice, the challenge lies in helping consumers make the right choice for their lifestyle.

There are, I’m sure, plenty of tactics to address the challenge or perception of too much consumer choice, however I want to highlight two:

Clearly Establish the Value Proposition
Too often products in the consumer technology category do not have a clear, well-established value proposition. I try to emphasize this concept with our clients: consumers will pay for what they find valuable. The challenge is to clearly establish what that value of a product or service is and then communicate it eloquently to the end user so they also perceive its value. A good example of this is how Apple markets the iPhone with their commercials that demonstrate the product being used in a situation or use case. Other companies are starting to catch on as well and market the use case more than product. Those commercials demonstrate in tangible, relatable ways the value of having powerful tools at your disposal and in this case a computer in your pocket.

One of the ways we assist our clients with this strategy is to spend time genuinely trying to understand the end customer for a particular product or service. To often, I feel, companies assume something is valuable to the market which may not be true and miss what it is about the product that is truly valuable. This leads to the wrong value proposition being communicated and in turn accentuates the problem of the perception of too much choice. Once value can be identified by truly understanding the end customer, it then becomes much easier to communicate what is truly valuable to the market. This leads to the next step which is to educate the end consumer.

Educate the End Consumer
Too often many consumer product companies leave their value in the hands of retailers and hope that the retailer can communicate their value to the end customer. This may have been a good idea in the past, but it is simply a flawed strategy in today’s market. Today’s consumers are some of the most educated consumers the world has ever seen. This is driven largely by the wealth of information found on the Internet. We know this because nearly 80% of US consumers research online before they buy. Which means that in today’s retail world there is a very big difference between those who are buyers and those who are shoppers. A buyer is someone who knows what they want or has come very close to making up their mind before walking into a retail store to purchase it. A shopper is someone whose mind is not made up and is entering retail needing assistance to make up their mind. We are shifting from more of a shopping mentality to a buying mentality in the US. The wealth of information available on the Internet for consumers to use in making buying decisions is contributing to this shift.

The solution that we constantly recommend to our clients is to use the vast quantity of online tools, social networking tools, and more to give your potential customers all the resources to walk into retail with their mind made up about your product.

Choice is good but sometimes it is much to complicated. It will continue to be difficult for many products to get above the noise in the market and the result will be confused and indecisive consumers. We can avoid this however if we continue to start with the value created and educate the market about that value.

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Touchscreens About To Get Even Thinner

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 01:01 PM PDT

That touchscreen on your phone or tablet is about to get even thinner, thanks to a new substrate developed by AGC. The soda-lime glass measures just 0.28 mm, 15% thinner than the thinnest glass currently available (0.33 mm). It is also lighter, by 15%. The new glass is planned to enter mass production later this month.


Touchscreens are made up of a tough cover material and an underlying layer of glass embedded with electrodes. Soda-lime glass is composed of mainly sodium oxide and silicon dioxide. The material is used in construction, automobiles, and electronic devices. It is is strengthened by submerging the raw glass in chemicals. It is ideal for electronics, since it is heat resistant, does not discolor when exposed to UV radiation, can be chemically strengthened, and is easy to process.

The glass is processed using the “float process” where glass is floated over molten metal to produce a highly uniform surface.

All this to say, thinner and lighter screen glass means thinner and lighter devices. And that’s a good thing for everyone.

[via PR Newswire]

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Amazon Cloud Failure Knocked Out Foursquare, Quora, and Reddit

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 12:45 PM PDT

Amazon’s cloud hosting service experienced technical errors that caused several major websites to go down earlier today. The Amazon Elastic Cloud Computing service is one of the leading providers in cloud computing, hosting several of the major social websites including Foursquare, Quora, and Reddit. The crash last night that took down several of these sites has raised concerns once again about the reliance and reliability of operating from the cloud.

The popular location-based social check-in service Foursquare had said it was experiencing some issues but seems to be back up and running. “Our usually amazing data center hosts, Amazon EC2, are having a few hiccups this morning, which affected us and a bunch of other services that use them,” read a message posted on Foursquare’s homepage. The message later said “everything looking to be getting back to normal now.” This seemed to be the case for Reddit as well. However, Quora, as of this writing, is still down.

Cloud computing involves the storage and sharing of data on the internet or on external servers. And in the case of Amazon’s cloud service, they’ve got a huge collection of computing power in web-connected data centers throughout the world and have become an integral part as outsourced infrastructure for businesses, especially startups. And so, although an incident like this remind us of the vulnerabilities with this type of computing, it also makes us realize that there are few alternatives to this model as companies continue to jump on the cloud for storage and web services.

[via VentureBeat]

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The Engrain Keyboard is Made of Wood

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 12:34 PM PDT

I’ve spent a lot of time looking at strange keyboards. Anyone remember the miniguru? I even once spent a few hours browsing Cherry’s website looking at the various high quality keyboard switches for an abortive project last year. That said, thank God for talented industrial designers like Michael Roopenian. Us computer users spend our time interacting with our machines primarily through the keyboard, it’s the primary place where we touch and feel the physical presence of the machine. Usually we’re rubbing our fingers all over a collection of cheap plastic keys. My current keyboard is an unimpressive slab of black plastic like I’m sure most of us are using. The Engrain keyboard is so pretty and I want one. Now.

Michael posted a series of images describing the process used to arrive at the final prototype of the Engrain on his portfolio here. The idea is to create a keyboard where every key has a distinct texture as well as position. Touch typists now rely on finding the home row with nubbins on the F and J keys. This will allow for typists to have an intuitive knowledge of their finger position regardless of where their fingers happen to be. It’ll also just feel really great under the fingers don’t you think?

After experimenting with a number of different surfaces he settled on a design produced from a piece of sandblasted wood that preserved the natural grain. This gives every key a unique texture, as well as giving every keyboard an unique texture across the entire board.

The only problems with designs like this is that often they never come to mass production so they end up costing more than your first born child to acquire, if you can find one at all. Cross your fingers. I’m crossing mine.

[via Colossal Art & Design]

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Seamless makes moving your music…seamless

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 12:15 PM PDT

Say you were listening to music on your iPhone in the car, or when out for a run. You get home, and want to start the song up on your Mac. You may think you would have to start the song over, yes? Or spend time ffing to the place you left off? No. All you need to do is get a new app, called Seamless. Seamless works both ways, letting you easily move back and forth between iTunes on your phone or your Mac without missing a beat.


The new app is from Five Details, who also makes an “elegant and intuitive” file transfer system. Seamless requires a companion app which is free in the Mac App Store. So all you do is launch the app, tap a button, and the exchange of music “seamlessly” happens. This is all there is to the app, no playback controls, since those can be accessed from the iPod app.

Here is the video demoing the app, with Adam Lisagor.

Seamless is only a buck at the App Store, and needs iOS 4.2 or higher.

[via MacWorld]

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Hulu Blocks Support For BlackBerry PlayBook

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 11:50 AM PDT

The BlackBerry Playbook came out just two days ago and although it lacked support for various basic functions such as email, calendar, and contacts without the crutch of having a BlackBerry smartphone as well, it was able to access Hulu, the popular movie and TV show streaming service, via its browser without a problem. That is, until late afternoon yesterday when it was apparent that Hulu nixed the support.

This isn’t truly surprising news, as Hulu has been pushing its Hulu Plus subscription service that costs $8 per month for folks to stream content to their mobile devices, whereas normally accessing the content via your desktop or notebook web browser is free. Hence, it was more surprising that the PlayBook was actually able to access the site to begin with. It was only a matter of time, and in this case one day, before Hulu added the BlackBerry browser to its blocked list.

So, if you had heard previously that the PlayBook could access Hulu, we now confirm for you that it cannot. But if you are in the market for purchasing a tablet and are considering the PlayBook, then make sure to read our review. You might also want to see what we think about its firmware.

[via CrackBerry]

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2D Glasses, 3D No More

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 11:48 AM PDT

3D is all the rage these days, apparently. I’ve already made my position clear when it comes to what I’m now going to dub faux-3D, because it isn’t real, you see. I will repeat it here for posterity. It is bad. And I’m not the only one that thinks so. There are some reports that say that 3D might even be hazardous to your health. Some of my friends, over here at 2d-glasses.com have already taken the initiative and blocked one style of 3D forevermore. Read more for how they did it.

There are a few different principles that faux-3D imagery uses to trick your brain into believing that the images are popping out of the screen in an oh-so-shocking manner. The one that these glasses block use a strange property of photons called polarization. The physics is cool, though that’s honestly a given whenever you’re discussing anything to do with photons. Tricksy buggers. This is also the most common one that you’re going to run into as it’s the technology that’s already deployed in cinemas nationwide. RealD is one company responsible for many of these systems.

A polarizing filter takes the light wave, which normally vibrates all which ways (denoted by the circular model), and channels the photons so that they are vibrating in a certian linear direction. The 3D glasses are set up so that the left eye would get the photons vibrating horizontally and the right eye would get the ones vibrating vertically. The 3D movies are projected similarly, with separate images projected through polarized filters like so.

Thanks to Wikipedia for the supremely helpful images.

This phenomenon can be played with if you tilt your head side to side while viewing this kind of 3D image. The illusion breaks down and it’s quite cool looking. Now, these 2D glasses play off of this same principle except both of the polarizing filters are aligned in the same direction. They completely block one of the projected images. Until now, if you are one of the people who dislikes 3D, either because of headaches and eye-strain issues, or just because you think it’s lame, you would just have to skip out on the film your friends were going out to see. Now you can go to see Captain America 3D and act all pretentious and oh-so-much cooler than everyone else because you can block the 3D part without sitting in another room.

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comScore Finds iOS Ownership Double the Size of Android in Europe

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 11:44 AM PDT

That’s when accounting for mobile phones, tablets, and other connected media devices – that’s the whole barrel! It seems that comScore has released a study which includes results from the EU5 (aka UK Germany, France, Spain, and Italy) which included media tablet owners* and based on data from their own comScore MobiLens service. This report suggests that Apple’s iOS platform (on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch,) has a combined platform reach of 28.9 users in the five European markets in the EU5 – this number outperforming Android by 116 percent.

*It’s a little bit unclear as to what comScore means by “media tablet owners” in that what I would think of when I hear the term is an iPad, a XOOM, a G-Slate, etc. What they might mean is every device that runs Android or iOS or WP7, and the rest. If this is indeed just tablets, this test will certainly be skewed toward the iPad and therefor Apple. If tablets here mean all mobile devices, then the test is still fair.

What comScore has found is that of the 28.9 users of Apple’s iOS platform in the EU5, 16.1 million of them use the iPhone. Comparatively, there’s a total of 13.4 million combined Android OS installed base, says comScore, this including both tablets and what they’re calling “connected media devices” aka tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

They go on to note that their research suggests that owners of iPads are not only Apple’s loyal customers. They mention that although the iPhone is still “well represented” in the iPad users primary mobile device category, other phones also have a “substantial percentage” of this market. The following chart shows the different major manufacturers of phones on the left, then the percentage of users who use them in the study in the next column. In the column after that, the people who own each smartphone are asked whether or not they own an iPad.

Therefor what you’re seeing below is that of all the people polled in this study, 41.7% of them said they used Nokia, while 26.4% of those Nokia smartphone owners also answered that they owned an iPad.

comScore says that this chart "This data clearly illustrates that the Apple ecosystem extends far beyond the iPhone, but it also shows that there is significant penetration of iPad users amongst owners of other handset manufacturer's devices," this discovery noted by Jeremy Copp, comScore vice president of mobile in Europe. He also notes that the low numbers of people owning iPads in the RIM (BlackBerry) category may well be because they’re waiting for the BlackBerry PlayBook – brand loyalty?

The next findings show the age of all the people in the study as well as what gender they might be. Total number of females is larger by about 2 percentage points, but smartphone ownership is 15% higher in males, and iPad ownership is also around 24% higher for males. Furthermore, they note that the average age for a smartphone owner is right between 25-44 (imagine that!) and essentially the same for iPad – moved only by a few percentage points.

[via comScore]

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iPad 2 shipping now within 1-2 week range

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 11:35 AM PDT

Waits for the iPad 2 are getting down to a reasonable timeframe now, as the Apple Store is showing 1-2 week delivery times. So it looks like the craziness surrounding the iPad 2 launch has finally started to calm down, and supply is catching up with demand. A few days after launch, shipping time was up to 3-4 weeks. The demand for the device is still high, and the iPad still predicted to be the bestselling tablet through 2015. Now, though, it may begin to be a bit easier to get your hands on one.


There have been some hiccups in getting the popular tablet to consumers, including claims that Best Buy was holding out on customers, trying to even out sales numbers not sell out of the tablet too quickly.

And there have been more compelling apps coming out for the tablet, such as the Gorillaz iELECTRIBE limited edition app that lets you synthesize your own music. And then of course, there’s Garage Band, and any number of other gee-whiz cool stuff you can do with an iPad. According to Gartner’s report earlier this month:

“A media tablet is not just a different form factor to perform the same tasks that can be done on a PC. Tablets deliver a richer experience around content consumption, thanks to the ecosystem they support. The richer the ecosystem, the stronger the pull for consumers.”

There is now competition for the iPad, but nothing has struck quite the chord with consumers that the iPad has. Now that supply and demand are evening out, we will most likely see the tablet for sale in more locations.

[via Apple Store]

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Earth Day Driving Tips from Telenav

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 10:48 AM PDT

Tomorrow is Earth Day. We only get one of this Pale Blue Dot to play on and not everyone can afford to immediately upgrade to a hybrid or electric vehicle, as much as we might like to. So here’s some driving facts and some tips about driving greener. And remember, sustainability is also about saving money, and with fuel topping $3.84 a gallon we need all of the help we can get. Hopefully these tips will help you save a few bucks at the pump.


We put a lot of miles on our vehicles here in the US. Many of our cities are designed so that we don’t really have much of a choice otherwise. Luckily, the technologies are finally starting to come to fruition that will mean that gridlock doesn’t mean millions of people burning gasoline while stuck in traffic.


These driving tips were put together as a bit of a marketing ploy by telenav and Ford for their MyFord Touch automotive systems. The navigation software has the option to pick between the fastest, shortest, or most eco-friendly route. If you want to take a look at a quick product demo at Ford’s MyFord Touch website, click that link there and then click on the “Navigation” tab in the sidebar. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says “Find the most fuel-efficient route.” and they have this interactive demo.

[via telenav]

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Samsung Galaxy S II Extreme Unboxing Roundup!

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 10:42 AM PDT

The folks at Sumsung UK have taken a whole batch of videos of publishers from several high-class sites like SlashGear, Android Community, and the rest! Have a look below to see some high jumping, rally car racing, roller coaster riding, and… oh they’ve got the Samsung Galaxy S II as well! They’re unboxing these phones as they go through death-defying activities! Samsung is really pushing the idea that this phone is nothing but EXTREME!

Have a peek below at each of the videos and notice how well put-together everyone is, especially our man in England Chris Davies. What a trooper! Then they’ve got that ever-so-awesome Android phone the Samsung Galaxy S II (or Samsung Galaxy S 2, however you want to put it,) unboxing it as they go – good luck I say to them, and yelling and screaming they say back. Fun for everyone!

Lots of fun, yes? If only this were what we had to do for EVERY unboxing – would we have as many reviewers ready to go for the task? I’m not sure we would!

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Extreme Unboxing: Samsung Galaxy S II meets Rally Car [Video]

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 10:25 AM PDT

“We wondered if you’d like to do an unboxing video” Samsung asked me, “of the new Galaxy S II.” It’s not the sort of thing you turn down: Samsung’s 1.2GHz dual-core smartphone is likely to be one of the biggest handsets of 2011, and that’s not just because of its sizable 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. “What’s the catch?” I asked, expecting NDAs and embargoes. “Well, it’s an Extreme Unboxing” they told me, “you’re doing it in a 300bhp rally car.”

Video after the cut!

Powerful phone, powerful car, one very nervous SlashGear writer. Last week I headed out to mid-Wales and the Phil Price Rally School to be very tightly strapped into a Subaru Impreza and hurled – sideways, some of the time – around a forest gravel rally stage, all the time trying to remember everything I could about the Galaxy S II and trying not to lose my lunch.

A couple of stats, just for fun. The rally stage is around two miles long, and Phil – getting no small amount of pleasure in listening to me squeak – took on average 1 minute 52 seconds to go round it. That’s from a standing start, and hitting up to 120mph on the few straight sections of the track. We’re not talking crisp, smooth asphalt here either: it’s crunchy, bouncy, skid-friendly grit, reaching up to the edges of some particularly steep drops.

“Phil’s only rolled the car a few times” they told me, unfortunately when I’d already been locked into place with a four-point seatbelt that, hopefully, would keep me dangling safely inside the roll-cage (the latter presenting a couple of useful places for the crew to fix 720p cameras). The fact that a huge tank of compressed gas – the fuel of choice – was right behind me was something I chose to ignore.

You can judge for yourself how well the Samsung Galaxy S II unboxing went in the video below. Needless to say, the box and all of the accessories went quickly shooting over my shoulder, as I tried desperately to cling to one of the very few units in the UK so far. At one point I managed to shoot some video of us in motion, using the Samsung’s 1080p HD video camera, but all you could really see afterwards was bouncing Welsh hills overlaid with the sound of a bouncing SlashGear writer.

Our full review of the Galaxy S II will be coming soon – I’ll be particularly interested to see if it’s as fast as the Subaru – but until then enjoy my first (and maybe last) Extreme Unboxing!

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Color Lenovo transparent S800 phone with PMOLED

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 10:22 AM PDT

Dialog Semiconductor, maker of the DA8620 PMOLED driver, has announced that Lenovo will be using the driver in the S800, its new transparent feature phone. The S800 has a transparent color display, which uses the SmartXtend driver technology produced by Dialog. The technology helps to optimize the power use of the transparent display.


PMOLEDs provide better picture and color quality, and viewing angle than LCD displays. This device will have QVGA resolution. The SmartXtend technology used in the display includes a multi-line addressing scheme, pre-charge schemes, and accurate dynamic current matching to reduce the average power consumption of the display, and also extend its lifetime.

“I am delighted to announce Lenovo as the first commercial adopter of our SmartXtend OLED driver IC. Lenovo has a well founded reputation for implementing cutting edge technologies, and I have no doubt the S800 handset will exceed consumer expectations while providing a new user experience with its transparency effect,” said Dr Jalal Bagherli, CEO at Dialog Semiconductor. “Together with our module partners we have perfected this technology over recent years to now offer portable device manufacturers a display technology that provides superior performance and enables unique features, such as transparency and flexibility. The Lenovo S800 early adopter design win will stimulate the PMOLED mobile market and represents our next milestone on route to mass production”

The DA8620 is available now and is shipped in bare die form with gold bumps suitable for mounting as chip-on-flex or chip-on-glass.

[via OLED-Display.net]

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Your Daily Dose of LEGO

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 09:55 AM PDT

Is LEGO better than coffee for getting through your day? I wouldn’t skip the caffeine, but you can definitely check these out. We have here two separate LEGO projects, both impressive in their own right, for distinctly different reasons. They’re both built with the Technic line. The first is an adjustable stand so that bad pixel over at instructables could play Game Boy on his Nexus One using a Wiimote. The second is a robotic factory line with four fully articulated picker arms, or as Chris Shepherd aka LegoShep aka TheOnlyShep calls it, the Lego Quad Delta Robot System.

Both of these projects have videos demonstrating their articulated operation. We’ll start by looking at a short clip demoing bad pixel’s smartphone stand.

You see, it’s a relatively simple project. The levers and gears come together to make something workable so bad pixel could get his Wiimote-driven GameBoy emulation on in peace. It’s a decent solution to a specific problem using stuff he already had laying around. But here, check this out. He used this really awesome piece of software to design the whole thing. It’s called SR 3D Builder. Here’s a quick screenshot.

This piece of software lets you design LEGO projects in a slick little 3D interface. SR 3D Builder was designed by Sergio Reano out of Italy, and you can pick it up here. It’s free. Knock yourself out. It’s still under active development. Sergio released version 0.5.6.9 on the 8th of April. Oh yeah, bad pixel’s instructable.

Next, we have this bad boy. Watch this video of Shepherd’s Lego NXT robotic factory demonstration.

Shepherd here created this project because he has been fascinated with this style of Delta Robot for quite some time.

They are known for moving small objects very quickly, usually at two hundred or more moves per minute. Parallel robots (another name for Delta Robots) are often used in many industries such as the food industry where the payload is small and light and the production rates are very high. Many times a series of parallel robots are used to do things like assemble cookies, package small items, stack pancakes and much, much more.

The positions of the robotic arms are controlled by independent servo motors and the actuation of the gripping hands are controlled by a pneumatic system. There isn’t really much I can say about this with any air of authority. He explains the whole process on his blog, Tinkernology. He goes into significant detail on the design aspects of each aspect of this robotic system. It’s a good read.

[via Singularity Hub]
[via xda-developers]

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Colorware Chrome Custom Studio Dr. Dre Beats Headphones

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 09:39 AM PDT

If you really want to go all out when enjoying your music, check these out. Colorware has come out with a limited edition finish for Beats by Dr. Dre headphones: Chrome. These are not your everyday headphones, and there are being produced in a limited run. Each one will be uniquely engraved. They are powered, noise-cancelling headphones with extra-large 40mm drivers.


There will only be 50 sets of headphones produced, each with a chrome finish. They will be numbered with the # of 50, and also with “Colorware Collection” on the side. There will also be “Beats by dr dre” engraved on the top of the headband.

The Studio headphones by themselves sell for $349.95, but if you agree that “You deserve to have the best, and nothing says "elite" better than this”, you will not settle for that. Oh no. You will plunk down your $1,000 for these custom, limited edition ‘phones.

Specs:

  • Powered Isolation technology actively reduces external noise for crystal-clear sound; advanced speaker design
  • Extra-large 40mm drivers deliver rich transient response
  • Powered digital amplification provides wide, natural sound with deep bass
  • Headband with hinged ear cups and ultrasoft, breathable plush ear pads is comfortable to wear
  • Monster Quadripole headphone cable for reduced interference and expressive sound
  • Includes Monster iSoniTalk headphone cable with integrated microphone and answer button for use with iPhone, Blackberry and other music-enabled cell phones
  • Push to Listen mute button lets you talk on your cell phone without removing the headphones
  • Folding design for go-anywhere portability
  • Includes 2 AAA batteries, antimicrobial cleaning cloth, iSoniTalk cell phone cable, 1/8″-to-1/4″ headphone adapter and protective case

Check out more photos in the gallery:

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Apple’s eco-cred slated in Greenpeace data center report

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 09:30 AM PDT

Apple has been named the least green of tech companies in a controversial new Greenpeace evaluation, due to its use of energy from coal-fueled power stations. The league table – which ranks Yahoo! as the greenest company, followed by Google and Amazon – is part of Greenpeace’s “How Dirty is Your Data?” report that will be released today. It suggests that Apple’s new North Carolina data center – expected to be the epicenter of new MobileMe and cloud-based services – will triple the company’s electricity consumption.

In fact, Greenpeace estimates that the facility will suck down the equivalent consumption of 80,000 average US homes. That electricity will come from Duke Energy, which uses 62-percent coal and 32-percent nuclear sources. It’s the coal use which gets Apple a particularly low score, with an 54.5-percent overall data center reliance on coal energy (compared to Facebook at 53.2-percent and IBM at 51.6-percent).

Greenpeace was forced to use estimates in its calculations, since the companies rated in the report aren’t legally obligated to reveal their energy usage stats. Instead it based the numbers of publicly-released data center investment stats, along with other government and utility company information. Data centers as a whole are believed to account for as much as 2-percent of the world’s total electricity consumption.

We’re expecting Apple to respond quickly to this one, given how much emphasis the company places on its green credentials, though so far it has declined to comment on the Greenpeace report. It does raise questions as to what extent we hold companies responsible for energy sourcing, and how much that impacts our decision to choose one device or service provider over another. Will Apple’s ranking in this report make you less likely to choose an iPhone, Mac or use MobileMe, or do you see data center power consumption as a necessary evil too many degrees separate from you as a user to factor into the buying decision? Let us know in the comments.

[via Guardian]

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Verizon DROID Charge by Samsung bringing LTE on April 28

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 09:14 AM PDT

Verizon had four LTE devices to talk about in its financial results earlier this morning, and as of April 28 there’ll be another on the shelves. The Verizon DROID Charge by Samsung is mighty similar to the Galaxy S II, with a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, Android OS and an 8-megapixel rear camera, but it throws in 4G LTE too.

There’s also a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, mobile hotspot functionality and Swype pre-loaded. The CPU runs at 1GHz, and there’s an LED flash and access to Samsung’s Media Hub content download store.

You’ll pay considerably more for that Super AMOLED Plus display, however. The Verizon DROID Charge by Samsung will be $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement, a premium of $50 over the HTC Thunderbolt.

Press Release:

VERIZON WIRELESS UNLEASHES DROID CHARGE BY SAMSUNG
April 21, 2011

DROID CHARGE Joins Verizon Wireless' DROID family
As Samsung's First 4G LTE Smartphone

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. –Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) today announced that the Droid Charge by Samsung will be available April 28 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com.
The Droid Charge is designed with Samsung's 4.3-inch Super AMOLED™ Plus display, setting a new touch screen standard for brightness, clarity and outdoor visibility. The Droid Charge is equipped with both a rear-facing 8 megapixel camera with LED flash and front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera for both stills and video chatting. The smartphone's 1GHz application processor and HTML 5 Web browser maximizes high-speed 4G LTE connectivity for faster downloads and graphics processing.

Additional Features:
- 4G LTE– customers can expect download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage area
- Android 2.2 platform – With support for Google Mobile Services including Gmail, YouTube™, Google Talk, Google Search, Google Maps and access to more than 150,000 apps available to download from Android Market™
- Adobe® Flash® Player compatible
- Mobile Hotspot capability – share 4G connection with up to 10 WiFi-enabled devices or a 3G connection with up to 5 devices
- Samsung Media Hub – Samsung's own content service, offering a vast lineup of critically acclaimed films and TV programs for rent or purchase
- Virtual QWERTY Keyboard featuring Swype Technology

Pricing and data plans:
- The Droid Charge by Samsung will be available for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.
- Droid Charge customers will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan and a 4G LTE data package. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Unlimited 4G LTE data packages start at $29.99 monthly access. Mobile hotspot feature will be included for a limited time at no additional charge.
Find the DROID Charge
Beginning April 21, anyone over the age of 18 can participate in an exclusive Droid Charge Scavenger Hunt. Follow the online clues to find hidden locations in 16 different cities to win a Droid Charge by Samsung. For additional information about the DROID Charge scavenger hunt, visit: http://twitter.com/droidlanding.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's fastest and most advanced 4G network and largest and most reliable 3G network, and serves more than 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 80,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
About Samsung Telecommunications America
Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visit www.samsungwireless.com.

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iPhone tracking: Not new, but already used by law enforcement

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 08:46 AM PDT

Fall-out from news earlier this week that the iPhone and 3G-enabled iPad maintain a comprehensive log of location data continues, with suggestions that not only are the revelations not as fresh as they’re presented as, but arguments as to how dangerous the location collection actually is. Alex Levinson claims that the discovery of the “consolidated.db” database was in fact made several months ago, shortly after the release of the iPhone 4. The researcher also suggests that, contrary to much of the hype, the database itself is of relatively little importance, since Apple is not actually accessing it.

“Apple is not harvesting this data from your device” Levinson insists, stating that “through my research in this field and all traffic analysis I have performed, not once have I seen this data traverse a network.” Instead, he claims the file has always been present, used as “a log generated by the various radios and sensors”, but was simply moved when iOS 4.0 was released and then “rediscovered” by the other researchers.

The fact that the data is stored on the user’s own machine and not accessed by Apple is one of Andy Ihnatko‘s key themes as well, suggesting that “the logfile's purpose is to track the performance of the phone and the network, and not the movements of the user.” Nonetheless, he still describes it as “a nervous can of worms”:

“This is an open, unlocked file in a known location in a standard database format that anybody can read. If someone has physical access to your Mac — or remote access to your user account — it's a simple matter of copying a file and opening it. And while the logfile can't tell someone that you were at a specific house, it can obviously tell your boss that you went to the Cape on the day you called in sick.” Andy Ihnatko

Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber claims his insider-sources suggest that the database is a cache for location data and that historical data should, in fact, be being deleted as time goes on. That such a process isn’t happening is said to be most likely an oversight, and he’s predicting it’s addressed in the next iOS update.

However, that will be too late for those iPhone users who have already seen the database potentially used against them. Levinson told GigaOm that the location data is already being used by law enforcement agencies, and that while he wouldn’t name specifics, they include “multiple state and federal agencies both in the U.S. and internationally.” The fact that the data is – by default, though an option is available in iTunes – unencrypted means that physical access to a user’s machine is likely all that’s necessary to gain access to the location information.

Apple is still yet to comment on the story.

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Eye-Fi Direct Mode enabled: Squirt shots to your smartphone

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 08:41 AM PDT

Eye-Fi’s Direct Mode has gone live, offering users of the company’s WiFi-enabled X2 memory cards the ability to push images direct to the iOS and Android apps. Announced back in January, rather than push images to Eye-Fi’s servers first, and then pull them down to a local device, Direct Mode works the other way around and allows you to choose which files get uploaded.

That saves time and makes for easier control over pictures, handy if you’re the sort of person who takes plenty of shots straight away and then wants to choose the best of them. To do it, the Eye-Fi card can create its own “soft Access Point” to which the app connects to; alternatively, if both card and gadget are on the same wireless network, it will use that instead.

You’ll need an Android device running 2.1 Eclair or higher, or an iOS device running 4.0 or higher, in order to use the system. There’s more on Direct Mode in Eye-Fi’s FAQ on the topic.

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Nokia-branded Windows Phone app store incoming

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 08:24 AM PDT

With the ink just dry on the contract between Nokia and Microsoft, new details on the Windows Phone partnership have emerged that detail a little more of what the two companies have committed to. We’ll have to wait until late-2011 to see the first Nokia Windows Phones, but in the meantime some of the company’s Ovi Maps goodness will be jumping over to the Microsoft platform. Meanwhile, there’s also money saving news for those developers looking to make the leap from Symbian to Windows Phone.

Where currently Bing takes pride of place on Windows Phone 7 handsets, Nokia will supply the mapping and location-based services using the same Ovi Maps technologies we’ve seen included free on recent Symbian handsets. It’s unlikely to look exactly the same – nor, indeed, bear Ovi branding – but we can likely expect free turn-by-turn navigation, plenty of bundled POI and travel information, and perhaps even some of the 3D mapping Nokia showed for web users recently.

As for courting developers, Microsoft is waiving the first year’s developer registration fee – usually $99 – to anybody who has published an app for Nokia devices. The fruits of their labors will end up in a new, Nokia-branded application store, using the Windows Marketplace back-end with operator-billing provided by Nokia’s existing partnerships with 112 operators in 36 markets.

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Reminder: We Have a XOOM Contest Going On!

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 08:16 AM PDT

There’s a big fat XOOM contest going on – did you know? We’ve got a total of FIVE XOOM tablets to give away – 2 have been claimed, there’s 2 left on Android Community, and we’ve still got just one! That means you’ve got THREE opportunities to win these crazy awesome Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets. They’re packed with NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 dual-core processors and they’re just jumping out of the box to land on your laps. Love em!

Below you’re going to find the limited rules set. In order for you to see the FULL rules, you’re going to have to go back to the original contest rules post and make sure you got it all – then enter using the rules below! Just a few clicks and you’re in! What a fabulous opportunity to win an excellent tablet for absolutely free!

To win one of these fabulous tablets, you must:

1. “like” us on Facebook: facebook.com/slashgear.com
2. Comment on the wall saying something nice like “SlashGear and NVIDIA are ever so generous and kind with their dual-core generosity.”

Contest begins April 11, 2PM PST, and ends April 24, 2PM PST. A winner will be announced every Monday @ 5PM PST here in the main news feed and at our official Facebook page.

WINNERS will be given the opportunity to submit a review of their XOOM and have it posted on the front page of SlashGear.com!

*Reviews may be edited or modified before publication and are considered works for hire under the 1976 Copyright Act. Submissions will be ineligible for payment or remuneration.

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Verizon ThunderBolt inductive charging kit incoming

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 08:14 AM PDT

We loved the Verizon ThunderBolt by HTC’s LTE speed, but hated the fact that, at full throttle, the smartphone could drain its battery in under four hours. Happily it seems easier ways to top up your charge are fast incoming: GottaBeMobile spotted a replacement Inductive Battery Cover for the ThunderBolt listed on the carrier’s site.

As with previous inductive charging systems we’ve seen, the new cover will allow the ThunderBolt to rejuice its battery whenever it’s placed down on a wireless docking plate. Probably the best known device to use this kind of tech is the Palm Pre and subsequent Palm/HP webOS handsets, which use a Touchstone charger to avoid plugging in a regular wired AC adapter.

With no technical details it’s hard to know what system exactly Verizon and HTC are using. Meanwhile availability is also unclear; at the moment the “buy now” button does nothing, and there’s no word from the company as to when it might go on sale.

[via Android Community]

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AT&T deliberately breaks Samsung Focus HSUPA? Not so says carrier

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 07:59 AM PDT

The Samsung Focus ended up being our unofficial pick of the first-wave of Windows Phone 7 handsets, not least because of its brilliant display and speedy uploads. Now, it seems, AT&T wants to take 50-percent of those abilities away, with the accusation that the recently-released NoDo update actually disables HSUPA.

Updated after the cut with AT&T comment

It seems that, for one reason or another, AT&T doesn’t want its users to hammer the new HSPA+ network and so has been systematically blocking HSUPA uploads from each of its devices. The Focus was the one handset which didn’t have the artificial limitation.

Ironically, while it’s taken AT&T months to get this blip of success in their otherwise dreary HSUPA line-up addressed, it’s only taken days for a fix to emerge from WPCentral. AT&T is yet to comment publicly about the move; we’ll update if we get a comment.

Update: AT&T tells us that the accusations are incorrect: the Focus never had HSUPA to begin with. We’re not sure where that leaves users who, after applying the WPCentral tweaks, have seen significantly higher upload speeds following the installation of the NoDo update.

Update 2: AT&T suggests that, if users have rooted their Focus prior to the NoDo update and enabled HSUPA themselves (the hardware is capable of it, even if AT&T released the phone with it disabled) then that might account for the change in speeds observed after the update is installed.

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iPhone 5 a World Phone with GSM/CDMA spills Verizon

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 07:36 AM PDT

Red faces and angry Apple phone calls this morning, as one of Verizon’s executives apparently confirms that the carrier’s next Apple device – which we’re presuming will be the iPhone 5 – will be a “global device” with both GSM and CDMA radios. The presumably accidental revelation came during the carrier’s financial results call, in which Verizon promised that around 11m iPhones would ship on the network this year.

Previous rumors had pegged the iPhone 4 as a dual-mode device, capable of accessing both AT&T and Verizon’s networks with a single handset, but the model eventually released only had the CDMA radio enabled. Rumors shifted to the iPhone 5, then, and the possibility of Apple using a Qualcomm Gobi chips in its fifth-gen model.

Verizon’s audio download and transcript aren’t available yet – they’ll be uploaded here eventually – but we’re guessing the calls between the carrier and Apple are already heated. Recent rumors suggested the iPhone 5 would arrive in September, with an 8-megapixel camera and the dual-core 1GHz Apple A5 processor from the iPad 2.

[via Electronista]

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Acer Web Surf Station packs simple browser/media into Full HD monitor

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 07:06 AM PDT

Acer‘s latest may look like a regular monitor, but the Acer Web Surf Station is actually the latest all-in-one internet terminal for people who really don’t want to invite a PC into their lives. Based around a 24-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 LCD display, the Web Surf Station has an integrated web browser together with a media player – using Acer’s Clear.fi branded DLNA – that can stream content across a network (or indeed play it back from USB media).

Both WiFi and ethernet are built in, while ports include VGA and HDMI inputs, audio in/out, USB and a memory card reader. Acer isn’t talking hardware specs, but we’re guessing there’s some sort of low-power SoC inside doing all the web and media crunching: just enough to keep things ticking along, but nothing so complex that a power cycle can’t save you from confusion.

Thanks to the two video inputs you can use the Web Surf Station as a standalone monitor, too. It’s not going to replace an iMac, but at £299 ($495) when it lands in the UK come May 2011, it might make for a simple web access point for those who get easily frightened by “proper” computers.

Press Release:

Connect, enjoy and share with DX241H

The Acer Web Surf Station

London, 21st April 2011 – Acer creates the Web Surf Station: the first monitor that lets you surf the web and enjoy your multimedia with no need of a computer!

No more time wasted waiting for the computer to boot when you are in a hurry and all you need to do is a quick web search or communicate with friends. What's more, with the Acer DX241H you can enjoy and share your multimedia files as well as get instant access to your social networks.

Including both wireless and wired connectivity options, The Acer DX241H ensures seamless access to available networks for instant Internet access. With a 61cm (24") panel, this display offers plenty of room to comfortably view all web content and multimedia. And, to make your experience totally effortless it comes with an integrated browser.

To launch the browser, just click on the WWW icon on the Web Surf Station home page. Intuitive and easy to use the Web Surf Station browser makes it simple to navigate the Internet. A bar at the bottom of the browser enables you to easily switch to other functions, set the volume, or return to the Main Menu

Pre-loaded on the DX241H is Acer clear.fi media sharing system, an easy to use solution that allows you to enjoy and share photos, music and videos with other devices in the home network, from Picasa™ or Flickr, or from an external storage device like a USB drive or media card.

Enjoying and sharing your multimedia using Acer clear.fi is easy. Once you have opened clear.fi by clicking ion Photo, Music or video on the Web Surf Station, you can choose the content you want to playback from a list of sources:
• Library contains preloaded samples and files in your device
• Shared Library contains shared files from other devices in your home network
Select the video, music or photo you wish to playback and start having fun. The Media Control Panel lets you control what you’re playing, or switch to other functions.

The Acer DX241H is built to DLNA® standards, meaning not only that it can seamlessly work together with other certified devices, but also that has extended capabilities, such as play, render, find and upload content.

Along with all these innovative functions, the Acer Web Surf Station packs high-end monitor features, to ensure the best viewing experience. Available in 61cm (24"), with Full HD resolution (1920×1080) the DX241H drives jaw-dropping cinematic views of the latest high definition content which are ideal for advanced Full HD gaming and multimedia viewing. With a 16:9 aspect ratio, the perfect size to watch every bit of a movie with no black stripes and the same splendour of a theatre screen.

Featuring up to 80,000:1 contrast ratio, optimized by Acer Adaptive Contrast Management, the DX241H display offers a significant improvement of gradation and detail, especially with dim or bright images thus ensuring a superior visual experience. The play-back of simply flawless videos and games is a given thanks to an awesome 2ms response time that along with Overdrive technology reduces deviations in transition time and allows the display to reproduce true to life moving images.

The DX241H offers a range of ports for effortless integration with other devices. VGA for analogue connectivity; HDMI® enables outstanding high-definition viewing and best uncompressed quality video; USB ports which allows easy connection to other devices and allow instant media playback. The monitor also includes a built-in card reader to quickly share and enjoy multimedia files.

A highly sophisticated design compliments the innovative functional features and gives a touch of class to any environment. The graceful base has a transparent ring around for a richer visual impact, while the teardrop-shaped power key adds a cool touch of class.

The Acer DX241H will be available in May with a SRRP of £299 inc Vat.

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LG Optimus 3D smartphone gets a launch date

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 06:44 AM PDT

LG has a number of Android smartphones in its lineup of devices. The company makes some nice ones too that many owners really enjoy. With each new device added to the smartphone market the features that were cool and original not long ago are now common so the makers are always out to integrate new tech that will catch the eye of the consumer. One of the technologies that consumers are interested in is 3D. We can thank the Nintendo 3DS for bring glasses free 3D effects and gaming to the masses and now smartphones are getting in on the tech too.

The LG Optimus 3D crossed the FCC not too long ago to get the approvals it needs to come to the mass market. What we didn't know when the smartphone crossed the FCC was exactly when it would be hitting stores. Thanks to Clove over in the UK we now know at least when the Optimus 3D will be landing on its shelves. The smartphone is coming on June 6 according to the reseller. It will cost £379 + VAT and presumably that is with a new contract. It would be a safe assumption that the Optimus 3D would come to the US market on or very close to that same date.

The hardware inside the smartphone includes that glasses free 4.3-inch 3D screen. It also has a 5MP camera with the ability to record in 720p and 8GB of internal memory. It runs the Android 2.2 OS and supports WiFi, Bluetooth, DLNA, and 3G connectivity. It also sports an HDMI output and a 3.5mm headphone port. Clove notes that the June 6 date could change, but is accurate as of now.

[via Android Community]

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HTC Sensation 4G hitting T-Mobile USA on June 8?

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 06:29 AM PDT

HTC wasted no time in confirming that its Sensation powerhouse would be headed to the US in the guise of the T-Mobile Sensation 4G, but the company was coy about when, exactly, that might be. The company’s advertising team obviously has no such qualms, however; TmoNews spotted an AdWords result promising a June 8 2011 release for the HSPA+ handset.

Meanwhile, their eagle eyes also caught June 8 somewhere else in the Sensation 4G masterplan: boldly featured on the Android 2.3.3 smartphone’s HTC Sense 3.0 weather widget. Alone, that might not be enough to convince us, but HTC wouldn’t be the first company to theme screenshots on promo material to an upcoming launch date.

We’ll have to wait a little longer, most likely, to find out whether the June 8 release date is true. HTC and T-Mobile are unlikely to officially announce the Sensation 4G launch until perhaps 2-3 weeks beforehand; until then, you’ll have to sate yourself with our hands-on report.

[via Android Community]

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Verizon Q1 2011: 2.2m iPhone 4 and 260k ThunderBolt

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 06:01 AM PDT

Verizon Wireless is the next to announce its Q1 2011 financial results, and it’s a strong start to both its LTE 4G network – with over 500,000 LTE devices activated – and its iPhone 4 sales – with 2.2m Apple handsets activated. Over 260,000 HTC ThunderBolt phones have been sold in a two week period, helping total wireless revenues lift 10.2-percent over last year to $16.9bn.

Subscribers increased by 1.8m – more than half of which postpaid retail consumers – to a total of 104m, a 6.1-percent increase on the previous year. Meanwhile retail postpaid ARPU (average revenue per user) climbed 2.2-percent to $53.52; data revenues rose $5.5 billion, up $1.0 billion or 22.3-percent year over year, representing 38.1-percent of all Verizon Wireless’ service revenues.

Smartphone sales accounted for 60-percent of total phone sales, up from 49-percent in Q4 2010, to make up 32-percent of all Verizon’s postpaid users.

Press Release:

Verizon Reports Strong Start to 2011 as Wireless, FiOS and Strategic Services Continue to Generate Profitable Growth

First-Quarter Performance Affirms 2011 Revenue and Earnings Guidance

April 21, 2011 –

1Q HIGHLIGHTS

Consolidated

51 cents in diluted earnings per share (EPS), compared with EPS of 16 cents and adjusted EPS (non-GAAP) of 48 cents in 1Q 2010.
Wireless

6.3 percent year-over-year increase in service revenues in 1Q 2011; data revenues up 22.3 percent; 25.8 percent operating income margin and 43.7 percent Segment EBITDA margin on service revenues (non-GAAP).
1.8 million net additions, excluding acquisitions and adjustments, includes 906,000 retail postpaid net customer additions; continued low retail postpaid churn of 1.01 percent.
104.0 million total connections, includes 88.4 million retail customers.
Wireline

207,000 net FiOS Internet and 192,000 net FiOS TV additions; 4.3 million total FiOS Internet connections and 3.7 million total FiOS TV connections.
10.5 percent year-over-year increase in consumer ARPU; FiOS consumer retail revenues now represent approximately 54 percent of total consumer revenues.
12.8 percent increase in strategic enterprise revenues, which now represent approximately 46 percent of total global enterprise revenues.
NEW YORK – Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) today reported strong first-quarter 2011 earnings, as industry leader Verizon Wireless continued to effectively balance customer growth and profitability, while growth in FiOS and strategic enterprise services contributed to another quarter of improvement in wireline margins.

Verizon reported 51 cents in EPS in first-quarter 2011, compared with first-quarter 2010 earnings of 16 cents per share. There are no adjustments to first-quarter 2011 earnings results. Adjusted first-quarter 2010 earnings, excluding the impact of divestitures and non-operational charges (non-GAAP), were 48 cents per share.

On Track to Meet Revenue and Earnings Objectives

“In the first quarter, Verizon Wireless solidified its industry leadership with results that once again showed sustainable, profitable growth,” said Verizon Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg. “We are executing on our business plans and building momentum, and we are on track to meet both our revenue and earnings objectives for the year.”

Seidenberg added, “Wireline EBITDA margins expanded for the fourth consecutive quarter, driven by continued strength in FiOS revenues and disciplined cost management. Our strategic acquisition of Terremark, which closed earlier this month, improves our ability to provide integrated, enterprise-class cloud solutions and accelerate growth.”

Consolidated Revenue Growth Accelerates

On a consolidated basis, Verizon’s total operating revenues were $27.0 billion in first-quarter 2011, an increase of 0.3 percent compared with first-quarter 2010. Last year’s results included revenues from operations that have since been divested.

On a comparable basis (non-GAAP), first-quarter 2011 total operating revenues increased 5.3 percent compared with first-quarter 2010 — up from growth of 2.3 percent on the same basis comparing fourth-quarter 2010 with fourth-quarter 2009. Approximately 77 percent of first-quarter 2011 revenues were generated by higher-growth wireless, FiOS and strategic enterprise services, compared with approximately 72 percent of comparable first-quarter 2010 revenues.

As previously stated, Verizon is targeting comparable top-line revenue growth rates in the range of 4 percent to 8 percent for full-year 2011. The company is also targeting EPS growth of 5 percent to 8 percent in 2011, over a comparable adjusted base of $2.08 per share in 2010.

Verizon continues to expect 2011 capital spending to be essentially flat, compared with the 2010 investment of $16.5 billion. In first-quarter 2011, Verizon’s capital expenditures totaled $4.4 billion, compared with $3.4 billion in first-quarter 2010, as the company aggressively invested in growth opportunities, including the deployment of Verizon’s nationwide 4G LTE (fourth-generation, Long-Term Evolution) wireless broadband network. With 4G LTE deployment well under way, Verizon’s capitalized interest will be lower in 2011, resulting in higher interest expense of about $150 million for each quarter this year.

Cash flow from operations totaled $5.0 billion in first-quarter 2011, down from $7.1 billion in first-quarter 2010. Operating cash flow from higher net income in first-quarter 2011 was offset by the launch of the iPhone and satisfaction of Verizon’s full-year 2011 pension funding obligation of $392 million. In addition, the first half of last year included cash flows from since-divested properties.

Verizon said its cash flow outlook for 2011 remains strong, and there is no change regarding the anticipated 2012 timing of a Verizon Wireless dividend to its parent companies.

The effective income tax rate attributable to Verizon for the first quarter was 30 percent. For full-year 2011, Verizon anticipates an effective tax rate to be in a range consistent with the past three quarters, post the Frontier and Alltel divestitures.

Verizon Wireless Delivers Strong Operational and Financial Results

Verizon Wireless delivered strong growth in revenues, retail customers and other connections; increased retail postpaid ARPU (average monthly service revenue per user) and smartphone penetration; and delivered a strong EBITDA margin. In the first quarter of 2011:

Wireless Financial Highlights

Service revenues in the quarter totaled $14.3 billion, up 6.3 percent year over year. Data revenues were $5.5 billion, up $1.0 billion or 22.3 percent year over year, and represent 38.1 percent of all service revenues. Total revenues were $16.9 billion, up 10.2 percent year over year.

Retail postpaid ARPU grew 2.2 percent over first-quarter 2010, to $53.52. Retail postpaid data ARPU increased to $20.51, up 17.3 percent year over year. Retail service ARPU also grew 2.2 percent, to $51.88.

Wireless operating income margin was 25.8 percent. Segment EBITDA margin on service revenues (non-GAAP) was 43.7 percent.
Wireless Operational Highlights

Verizon Wireless added 1.8 million total connections, including 906,000 retail postpaid customers, and 897,000 wholesale and other connections. These additions exclude acquisitions and adjustments.

At the end of the first quarter, the company had 104.0 million total connections, an increase of 6.1 percent year over year, including 88.4 million retail customers and 15.6 million wholesale and other connections.

At the end of the first quarter, 32 percent of Verizon Wireless’ retail postpaid customer phone base were smartphones, up from 28 percent at the end of fourth-quarter 2010.

Retail postpaid churn remained low at 1.01 percent, and total retail churn was 1.33 percent. Both improved year over year.

Following the launch of its 4G LTE mobile broadband network in 38 markets in December 2010, the company so far has named more than 100 additional markets where 4G LTE is being rolled out. By year-end, Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, the fastest and most advanced 4G LTE network in the U.S., is expected to be available in more than 175 markets, covering a population of more than 185 million people throughout the country.

The company introduced three 4G LTE devices: the ThunderBolt by HTC, the first 4G LTE smartphone; the Verizon USB551L, a modem made by Novatel Wireless; and a Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot.

Demand was strong for new LTE devices – as well as for Apple’s iPhone 4, which produced the most successful first-day sales in Verizon Wireless history when it was introduced in February to existing customers.

Verizon Wireless continued to invest in its 3G network, the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network.

The company announced plans to open the Verizon Wireless Application Innovation Center in San Francisco later this year, where developers, engineers and others can work together on innovative applications that will run on the company’s 3G and 4G networks.
Continued Wireline Margin Expansion and FiOS Growth

Verizon’s Wireline segment delivered continued margin expansion and growth in FiOS customers and revenues, as well as accelerated growth in revenues for strategic enterprise services. In the first quarter of 2011:

Wireline Financial Highlights

Segment EBITDA margin (non-GAAP) was 23.6 percent, compared with 21.1 percent in first-quarter 2010. This was Wireline’s fourth consecutive quarter of sequential margin expansion.

First-quarter 2011 operating revenues were $10.1 billion, a decline of 2.2 percent compared with first-quarter 2010. This is an improvement from a decline of 2.8 percent comparing fourth-quarter 2010 to fourth-quarter 2009. First-quarter 2011 total operating expenses were $9.9 billion, a decline of 3.9 percent compared with first-quarter 2010.

Revenues for Verizon’s FiOS fiber-optic services to consumer retail customers generated approximately 54 percent of consumer wireline revenues in first-quarter 2011, compared with approximately 45 percent in first-quarter 2010.

Consumer revenues grew 1.9 percent compared with first-quarter 2010. Consumer ARPU for wireline services was $90.55 in first-quarter 2011, up 10.5 percent compared with first-quarter 2010. ARPU for FiOS customers continues to be more than $146.

Global enterprise revenues totaled $3.8 billion in the quarter, up 1.0 percent compared with first-quarter 2010. Sales of strategic enterprise services – such as security and IT solutions, as well as strategic networking – increased 12.8 percent compared with first-quarter 2010, and accelerated from a growth rate of 8.0 percent comparing fourth-quarter 2010 with fourth-quarter 2009. Strategic services now represent approximately 46 percent of global enterprise revenues.
Wireline Operational Highlights

Verizon added 207,000 net new FiOS Internet connections and 192,000 net new FiOS TV connections in first-quarter 2011. Verizon had 4.3 million FiOS Internet and 3.7 million FiOS TV connections at the end of the quarter.

FiOS Internet penetration (subscribers as a percentage of potential subscribers) was 33.1 percent by the end of the first quarter, with the product available for sale to 13.0 million premises. This compares with 29.0 percent and 12.0 million, respectively, at the end of first-quarter 2010. FiOS TV penetration was 29.1 percent by the end of first-quarter 2011, with the product available for sale to 12.6 million premises. This compares with 25.4 percent and 11.5 million, respectively, at the end of first-quarter 2010.

Broadband connections totaled 8.5 million at the end of first-quarter 2011, a 3.0 percent year-over-year increase. FiOS Internet connections more than offset a decrease in DSL-based HSI connections, leading to a net increase of 98,000 broadband connections from fourth-quarter 2010. These are the most broadband net additions since second-quarter 2009. Total voice connections, which measures FiOS Digital Voice connections in addition to traditional switched access lines, declined 8.2 percent to 25.5 million – the smallest year-over-year decline since first-quarter 2008.

During the quarter, Verizon moved decisively to accelerate its “everything-as-a-service” enterprise cloud strategy by announcing its acquisition of cloud and managed IT infrastructure leader Terremark Worldwide, which closed in April.

Verizon continued to deploy secure IT and communications solutions that enable better business outcomes for multinational enterprise, medium-sized and government customers. These included a new cloud-based unified communications service, an enhanced set of Enterprise Identity Management offerings, and delivery of SAP’s Customer Relationship Management service through Verizon’s flagship cloud offering, Computing as a Service. In addition, Verizon completed new agreements during the quarter with a range of multinational corporations, including Delphi Automotive.

Verizon expanded its global network infrastructure, continuing to broaden its global scope and capabilities. The company installed 38 additional Private IP edge routers for a total of 852 edge routers in 238 sites throughout 63 countries; activated the first 100GE (gigabit Ethernet) transmission trunk between routers on Verizon’s backbone network; implemented Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) on its public IP backbone in Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions; and activated 7,021 miles of the Europe India Gateway submarine cable system, which connects the United Kingdom, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

The Wireline workforce totaled 92,000 at the end of first-quarter 2011, a year-over-year decline of 16,000 (adjusted for divested operations), primarily as a result of incentive offers that led to voluntary separations.
NOTE: Reclassifications of prior period amounts have been made, where appropriate, to reflect comparable operating results for the divestiture of overlapping wireless properties in 105 operating markets in 24 states during the first half of 2010; the wireless deferred revenue adjustment that was disclosed in Verizon’s Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2010; and the spinoff to Frontier of local exchange and related landline assets in 14 states, effective on July 1, 2010. See the accompanying schedules and www.verizon.com/investor for reconciliations to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for non-GAAP financial measures cited in this document.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with more than 104 million total connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 196,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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Shuttle makes customizing the SG41J4 barebones mini-PC easy

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 05:58 AM PDT

When it comes to barebones mini-PCs, the name that always springs to my mind is Shuttle. This is the company that has been peddling little computers for years that take up little space and generally come with some of the hardware installed in a cute little chassis waiting for the user to buy it and add their own CPU, RAM, and storage. One of the things that Shuttle hasn't traditionally offered is a way that a user can customize their system.

Shuttle is now offering a system configurator for a computer called the SG41J4. The computer has a strange little front panel (that reminds us of the Nokia XpressCovers) that the user can remove and modify. The barebones rig can be crammed full of an Intel Core 2 Processor with a 1333 MHz FSB. It has a pair of DDR3 RAM slots that support up to 8GB of RAM. The case also has room for a pair of optical drives and a pair of 3.5-inch desktop HDDs.

Other features of the computer include a PCI x16 slot that will fit a video card needing dual slots and the rig uses the GMA X4500 integrated GPU. That integrated GPU means that if you don't use the PCI-e slot the integrated graphics are used. The machine measures in at 32.5 x 21.5 x 19cm and uses the normal Intel Box CPU cooler. The PSU the machine has inside is 250W.

[via Shuttle]

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European iOS ecosystem larger than Android just as in US says report

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 05:29 AM PDT

Android versus iOS is one of the biggest rivalries in the tech world. It's right up there with OS X versus Windows in my book. Both sides in the iOS version Android user base are very supportive of their platforms leading to a lot of numbers being thrown around to show who is larger. By most accounts, the Android platform is now larger than the iOS platform in the smartphone world. When you zoom out and look at the entire iOS versus Android ecosystem with all available devices the picture changes.

When you consider the entire ecosystem comScore reported yesterday that iOS was actually much larger than Android in the US market. Today comScore has issued a very similar report for Europe that surveyed owners of iOS and Android devices. The users were specifically in UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. ComScore’s study found that the iOS ecosystem was over twice as large and the Android ecosystem. The iOS ecosystem includes iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch devices in the report.

The survey results found that iOS has an installed base of 28.9 million users in the five markets compares to 13.4 million Android users across all device types. ComScore also broke the numbers down a bit further and gave some interesting insight. The iPhone has a 16.1 million user install base making it the most common of all iOS devices. The research also showed that iPad ownership in the region is much more widespread than with Apple loyalists only.

[via Android Community]

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Crazy corkscrew for the rich wine drinker

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 04:39 AM PDT

I’m not rich and I don't have the kind of money it takes to start to consider versions of trivial things in life that are massively more expensive that what you can buy things for down at Walmart. For instance, you could walk into Wally World and walk out with a new corkscrew if you are a wine drinker for a few bucks. It will get the bottle of $5 port you picked up at the local liquor store open with minimal bits of cork in the drink. It won’t open your wine with much style or say, “I’m rich” like this fancy corkscrew from Core-38.

This would be the perfect wine opening implement to sit on your fancy bar beside that fancy Personal Brewery I talked about last week that makes your own beer. That beer-making device was very expensive at over $4,000 and this corkscrew from Code-38 is much cheaper at only $210 – $440 depending on what version you pick. This Code-38 offering will also pop the top off a wine cooler for your less genteel pals.

The Code-38 offering is said to be stylish, very well made, and have a solid heft. I think you could buy a life’s worth of cheap corkscrews for the same price. The cheapest $220 version is made from stainless steel and has a strong cork pulling part that is apparently called the worm. The high-end $410 version is the Pro Stealth and it has “a complete blend of blasted textures and vaporized titanium-based finishes.” At that price is should come with a beautiful serving girl each time you use it.

[via NYTimes]

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