Latest Gadgets, Tablets and Smartphones
Earlier this morning Skype launched a native app for the iPad. Unfortunately it was pulled out of the app store moments later and then followed by a tweet saying:
To ensure your best Skype experience, we’ve temporarily removed Skype for iPad which went live prematurely today.
Good new though as a quick check of the app store shows that it is available again (at least here in the UK where I am testing it now).
Microsoft has released a codec pack update for Windows 7 that can read RAW format images captured on 120 digital SLR cameras. When downloaded, the new codec allows users to use Explorer or Photo Gallery to view the images. Prior to this update RAW format users had to use other 3rd party software to quickly see the images.
Microsoft has announced on the Windows Phone Blog that the Windows Phone development team have now released to manufacturing the latest version of WP7 called Mango. What the RTM phase means is that the code is now handed out to smartphone manufacturers so they can begin testing on new hardware and prepare their smartphones for launch on to various networks around the world.
Qualcomm has announced that it has aquired various intellectual properties from the GestureTek company. GestureTek has been implementing gesture based technology for 25 years and by Qualcomm acquiring certain interlectual properties, it will allow them to add this technology to the Snapdragon line of processors which are generally used in many smartphones, tablets and other entertainment devices.
Dell has launched a new 24 inch widescreen monitor that uses IPS technology and has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. The screen is the UltraSharp U2412M and retails for a surprisingly low $399. The widescreen format is in a 16:10 ratio. The screen is backlit by LED and with it being IPS it also has a wide viewing angle.
Dell also tout the monitor to be flexible in that it can tilt, swivel and pivot in a number of angles.
Samsung saw great success with the original Samsung Galaxy S smartphone. With that success, they went on to build a tablet or 2. Now, we have the Samsung Galaxy S2 which is a new and updated version of the original Galaxy S.
When taking the Galaxy S2 out of the box you immediately notice you are looking at a very nice smartphone. The device is sleek. It’s slim and not heavy at all. Most of the front is taken up with the large 4.3 inch screen. Other than that, there’s a small speaker, camera and a couple of sensors. Below the screen a button can be found which has a touch sensitive button on either side of it.
Nuance has released a new version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking and with that, a companion app that allows you to use an iOS device as a remote microphone for the software.
The new version of the software is 11.5 and along with being able to function with iOS used as an external mic, it also allows for you to update your facebook status with your voice.
Amazon and Best Buy are now accepting pre-orders for the various Google Chrome Books. At the moment, models from Samsung and Acer are available for pre-order and each have a shipping date of 15 June according to Google.
HP is launching the HP TouchPad on July 1st. The company announced that the TouchPad will be made available for pre-order on June 19. The 1st July release date is for those in the US. The UK, Ireland, France and Germany will all see the TouchPad released a few days later.
HP’s first webOS tablet will be available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Germany a few days later and in Canada in mid-July, with availability scheduled to follow later this year in Italy and Spain, as well as in Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore.
Evernote has created a new app for the iPad called Evernote Peek. The app is the first in the world to make use of the iPad 2 smart covers. The idea was created when Phil and Andrew of Evernote were sitting on a plane and wondered what can be done with the smart cover. The answer was Evernote Peek.
Google Calendar gives users the ability to share calendars and schedule appointments in each others calendar. A new feature has been rolled out called Appointment Slots which allows a person to set up times that he is available in his calendar. A second user can then fill the appointment slots up as needed.
In the past, letting someone know your availability was done by email/phone/chat, but now you can easily put your availability in the calendar so that others can use it.
At WWDC yesterday, Apple revealed more details about OS X Lion as well as when it will launch and how much it will cost. The OS will launch in July and will cost $29.99 for those updating from Snow Leopard. This makes it about $100 cheaper than previous major updates.
As well as costing less, OS X Lion will only be available as a download. When it launches, you’ll be able to get it from the App Store on the Mac and download, install and not have to reboot.
