Latest Gadgets, Tablets and Smartphones
The Lonely Planet 1000 Experiences app has been switched to free for a few days in honour of the All Things Digital Conference.
The 1000 Experiences application normally costs $20 and brings the top 1000 ideas for things to do while out and about around the world. The application is configured like a card deck where you can scroll through the cards and find the best activity/experience to do. [Read more…]
Toshiba has created an LCD panel that is flexible. When bending the screen the program running on the screen can be zoomed in and out of. Google Earth has been used in this case as an example of how to zoom in and out of the planet. When bending backwards the planet zooms in and when bending inwards, the planet zooms out.
The screen is an LCD panel that measures 8.4 inches. It has an SVGA resolution of 800 x 600 pixels. The substrate used for the panel makes it just 0.1mm thick allowing it to be flexible. The bend sensor is also placed on the back of the screen.
Custom software was created to track the bend of the screen. The screen it’s self can be bent with a curvature of up to 50mm. [Read more…]
On Monday, Intel announced it’s next generation Intel Atom processor. The new processor is called Intel Canoe Lake and due to cooling methods used within, it allows for ultra thin netbooks to be created.
It is important to note here that the netbooks on show are just design references to show end users what is potentially possible. When companies do launch netbooks with the new processors inside you can expect to see 14 – 15mm thin netbooks running an Intel Canoe Lake processor along with a 10.1 inch screen and a 1280 x 1080 display and Windows 7. [Read more…]
Skype launched it’s update VoIP app over the weekend by releasing version 2 of the software. New features in the Skype update included the ability to make VoIP calls over 3G rather than being restricted to just Wi-Fi like the previous version.
However, when installing the software update and running it for the first time, a message popped up saying calls over 3G are currently free (ie, Skype to Skype), but that in the near future from August 2010 a small monthly fee would be charged for the service.
Skype has changed their minds on this and is now extending the free period from August 2010 to the end of 2010 and will start charging the small monthly fee beginning next year. [Read more…]
Yesterday we wrote about Google [GOOG] and the rumours that they were pulling Microsoft [MSFT] operating systems from staff computers giving them the choice of only Linux or Mac OS with the eventual move towards Chrome OS.
Although Google hasn’t officially made a statement about pulling Microsoft operating systems from it’s staff computers, Microsoft has gone ahead and responded.
When it comes to security, even hackers admit we’re doing a better job making our products more secure than anyone else. And it’s not just the hackers; third party influentials and industry leaders like Cisco tell us regularly that our focus and investment continues to surpass others.
Last night, Steve Jobs was interviewed at D8 and a number of things were spoken of. Nothing said was particularly new as we expected, but the interview gave some great insight in to how and why Apple [AAPL] makes the decisions it does. The reason nothing particularly new was announced is that the WWDC event is starting this coming Monday which is where we will hear all the good stuff.
In no particular order we should add, the first thing we will mention is about the iPhone OS and where it all started. It was quite a surprise when Steve said in effect that the iPad came first. iPhone OS was designed to run on a tablet originally at which point Steve said that it would make a great phone. Apple switched to creating the iPhone and of course, the iPad followed about 3 years after that. [Read more…]
We first heard of Windows Embedded Compact 7 when the ASUS Eee Pad was revealed on Monday. Microsoft [MSFT] has now announced in a press release exactly what the new operating system is and what it is capable of.
As part of this effort to deliver richer customer experiences across a variety of scenarios, Microsoft will unveil the public community technology preview (CTP) for Windows Embedded Compact 7, the next generation of Microsoft’s widely used Windows Embedded Compact platform for hardware manufacturers of specialized devices. With a $9.5 billion annual investment in research and development, Microsoft is committed to continued innovation and bringing new products to market that meet the needs of customers.
AT&T [T] today pushed out a press release detailing new wireless data plans which they say aim to make mobile broadband/internet access cheaper.
Plans start with a $15/month entry plan or a $25/month plan with 10 times more data ie, 200MB vs 2GB. The plans will not be forced on users unless they want or need to sign a new contract, ie when getting a new phone for example.
out a contract extension.
“AT&T helps mobilize everything on the Internet – your favourite web sites, TV shows, music, games and social networks. Virtually everything previously done while sitting at a computer can now be done on the go,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “To give more people the opportunity to experience these benefits, we’re breaking free from the traditional ‘one-size-fits-all’ pricing model and making the mobile Internet more affordable to a greater number of people.”
Motorola is attempting to update all of it’s Android smartphones to Android 2.1 as quickly as possible. The Motorola DROID has finished this cycle and all devices (other than rooted) should be running the latest version of the Android OS (latest if you don’t count Android 2.2 which isn’t officially out just yet).
The new roadmap shows a few more specific dates for a few of the Android handsets. Currently on the top of the list is the Motorola MILESTONE which is the DROID out of the US. These updates are still in progress with Europe, Asia-Pacific and Canada all in progress and Latin America beginning any time this month. [Read more…]
BGR is reporting that AT&T [T] is sending out engineers to corporate store locations to plan and set up new kinds of display in preparation for the next generation Apple iPhone that we are expecting to hear details about next week.
Not much is known about the new displays other than they are a “new kind of display” which we suspect is for the launch of the new handset. [Read more…]
The Samsung Galaxy S is set to launch in 110 countries around the globe on the same day. The exact date isn’t known but is believed to be sometime this month (ie, June).
We already have seen Vodafone in the UK put up a page about the Samsung Galaxy S heading to it’s network. We also saw Amazon in Germany recently setup a pre-order page for the smartphone.
The Samsung Galaxy S is an impressive device. It has a super crisp display known as the Samsung Super AMOLED that uses a new technique to work. The Galaxy S is also fast, perhaps three times faster at rendering triangles than the Google Nexus One. This is thanks to the Hummingbird Chip that it uses inside. [Read more…]
Android Guys managed to get hold of some pictures of what is believed to be the HTC Aria smartphone.
The HTC Aria runs the Android 2.1 operating system and also has the usual HTC Sense UI coded in to the Android OS. On the back is a 5 megapixel camera. The tipster who contacted Android Guys with the images also commented saying it’s the smallest Android device they have seen yet.
It appears that the HTC Aria has either a 2.5 inch or 2.8 inch LCD screen, we assume capacitive as this is an Android device. [Read more…]
