Latest Gadgets, Tablets and Smartphones
Microsoft is working on its next version of tablet software. This will be Windows 8, but until now the launch/debut date has not been known. We now hear that Microsoft could unveil Windows 8 for Tablet computers as early as next week. The debut will be at the AllThingsDigital conference that will be held next week.
The specific tablet it will debut on is not known, but reports indicate it will be based on an NVIDIA Tegra Chip/
iRemoco is an RC helicopter that is controlled by an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. The kit comes with a radio device that connects to the 30 pin dock connector on your iOS device. When connected, you load up an app and can then be used to fly an RC helicopter around with either two on-screen analogue controls, or by a single control and motion to move the helicopter around a room.
The app also can be used to switch between three different frequencies so that up to three helicopters can be used at the same time.
Samsung has announced a new display that measures 10.1 inches and crams 2560×1600 pixels on to the screen. The display has a DPI of 300 and comes close to the DPI of the Retina display used in the iPhone 4. The new screen will be on display on May 17-19 at the SID Display Week in the LA Convention center.
The technology used on the screen is LCD and with that pixel density of 300 DPI, it allows more clarity in small text which makes reading, browsing and over tablet based activities a little better.
When Apple launch the next version of OS X, we could see it launching via the Mac App store before being sold online or in store. By making the operating system available through the App Store, it allows those running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard a simple way to get hold of the latest version of the OS.
A new version of iOS will be launching soon. The new update will be version 4.3.3 and will fix a few recently uncovered problems such as the location tracking issue.
The changes made to location include the decrease in the size of the database, down to 7 days I believe. Also, this particular database will no longer be backed up by iTunes. We also hear that the location based data will be wiped completely when the location services are switched off.
Over the last week it was revealed that the Apple iPhone and 3G iPad was storing location data within an unencrypted file on the iPhone/iPad and any computer that the device syncs to with iTunes. Apple has now responded to a number of questions to explain why it does this and what it will do about the amount of data that is being kept.
Yesterday, an app was released that was able to read a file generated by iOS (and backed up to computer with iTunes), that shows where your iPhone or 3G enabled iPad has been since the day you purchased it. The file is called consolidated.db and uses cell tower information to give a guide as to where you have been.
Although there’s some obvious privacy questions here, the main questions are why this is allowed to happen, and what exactly does it track? A map of what the consolidated.db file looks like when placed on a map… program available here.
Occasionally we come across very unique apps for the iPhone and iPad. Trimensional is one of those apps which hit the app store just over a week ago. What it does is allows you to use your iPhone 4, iPod touch (4th gen) or iPad 2 as a simple 3D scanner.
The app works by flashing a sequence of four frames on the screen of the iOS device and at the same time, captures images with the front facing camera. By projecting different images from the screen it allows it to create a simple 3D map of a face or any object as pictured below.
Some reports today are indicating that the latest generation Apple iMac models will soon be experiencing some shortages. What this normally means is that Apple is planning on a refresh. The same happened with the iPad when the iPad 2 launched as well as the MacBook Pro back in February when the next gen model was being prepared for launch. It has also happened a number of times before.
So what can we expect from the new iMac range? What we hear is that Apple will likely keep the same design, same screen sizes and same keyboard etc… but will bump up the power of each model to include faster CPU’s, larger storage and we also expect to see the ThunderBolt (first seen in the MacBook Pro refresh this year) port being included in the refresh.
The BlackBerry PlayBook launched yesterday (20th April) and as expected, iFixit managed to get hold of the tablet and take it apart to see exactly what makes it run. The tablet is RIM’s first attempt at the new generation tablet market and from what we have seen, they have done quite a new job. This is in part thanks to the QNX operating system that it uses which helps multitasking run quite smoothly. The design is also excellent and certainly looks the part.
Vodafone Australia has announced that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v in Australia is now available for pre-order. The pre-sale went live at 8pm today (AUS time) and gives those who registered an interest a change to get one ahead of the launch tomorrow.
While looking around the Rovio twitter account for the Angry Birds Sync details, we also came across an update that mentions an Easter version of Angry Birds Seasons being launched in the next couple of weeks. Angry Birds Seasons is the version of the game that is themed with special events such as Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day, St Patricks Day and the soon to be Easter version.
Judging by the previous seasons updates, we expect to see quite a decent update being added to the game along with more worlds and levels for you to play.
