Latest Gadgets, Tablets and Smartphones
Viper SmartStart has released a new app for Android OS smartphones that allows you to use your phone to start and stop a car engine.
Up till now, the Viper SmartStart software has only been available on the iPhone and Blackberry devices, but now Android users can also benefit from the service.
The Android version of the app allows users to start the car, lock/unlock the doors and open the boot/trunk. [Read more…]
iFixit has down a teardown of the Magic Trackpad which launched just a few days ago.
The device is a multi-touch pad designed for the Mac and allows users to use another method to interact with their Windows or Mac based computers.
iFixit point out that this is one of the few Apple [AAPL] products where users can easily get to the batteries. The screw to get to the battery compartment has a square thread which make it more mechanical efficient. [Read more…]
Amazon has launched two new 6 inch Kindle models.
The two new Kindle models are the 3G version and the Wi-Fi only version which cost $189 and $139 respectively. Each are 21 percent smaller than before and 15 percent lighter. Page turns have been improved by 20 percent and the battery life lasts up to one full month between charges.
Double the storage has been included and the screen has 50 percent better contrast than the previous models. [Read more…]
Apple [AAPL] has released the next Beta version of iOS 4.1 numbered Beta 2. The new beta brings a few changes to the original Beta of 4.1 that was released recently.
The iOS 4.1 build is available only for developers at the moment and can be installed on all compatible iPhones and iPod touches which includes the iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 as well as later generation touches.
Items changed in the new beta 2 includes a new baseband for the iPhone 4, 3GS and 3G which means you should hold off unlocking. Apple mentioned in the antenna conference the other week that they continually tweak the baseband to get better results, so we assume there will be some slight differences to antenna performance, but no where near a full fix as Steve Jobs confirmed it couldn’t be sorted with software. [Read more…]
Microsoft [MSFT] is working on a new street view style service that allows you to view a wider perspective of a particular street.
The Street View service that Google [GOOG] uses is currently restricted to what Microsoft calls bubbles. When viewing a street you sit in a particular bubble that you can look around. By clicking an arrow you jump to the next bubble and carry on that way. You cannot view details of location on the street without jumping to a bubble, or close to another bubble. This is where Microsoft differs in there new technology.
Street Slide differs in that you can zoom out of the bubble and see a perspective view of a lot more of the street. In effect you are seeing all the bubbles on a street stitched together in perspective. The service allows you to slide down the street, flip around to see the other side of the street and see a lot of related information about the street such as company logos and building numbers. [Read more…]
ShutterSnitch is an app built for the iPhone and iPad that lets Eye-Fi wireless SD cards communicate and drop photos on to it.
The app saves you buying an iPad camera kit although the downside is that Eye-Fi cannot communicate with the iPad or iPhone direct. Instead, you need to have a router or MiFi type device installed so that an infrastructure wireless connection can be created from the iPad to router and from the Eye-Fi to the same router allowing both devices to then talk.
To get the whole system working you need an iPad, Camera, Eye-Fi card and a Router, most of which those who want to do this will already have. [Read more…]
Yesterday, iPhone jailbreaking was made legal by a new DMCA exception ruling. Apple [AAPL] has now made an official response about the ruling and essentially say that your warranty will be void if doing it.
‘Apple’s goal has always been to insure that our customers have a great experience with their iPhone and we know that jailbreaking can severely degrade the experience. As we’ve said before, the vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones as this can violate the warranty and can cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably.
AT&T [T] is in the process of deploying a patch that will fix the problem of slow upload speeds on the iPhone 4 and laptop modems. A glitch occurred on the AT&T network a few weeks back that prevented HSUPA speeds from being achieved. AT&T has limited users to UMTS speeds although when the patch rolls out, the restriction will be removed.
According to Yahoo!, the problem is only effecting 2 percent of it’s mobile user base. The fix is being applied to some network equipment from Alcatel and will be deployed over the next 2 to 3 weeks. If successful, faster upload speeds will be achievable. [Read more…]
Autodesk is releasing a new app tomorrow for the iPad and iPhone called Fluid FX. The new app is based around Autodesk Maya that is used in films to create visual effects on screen. The app isn’t an exact clone of Maya as the desktop is obviously a lot more powerful, but Autodesk have got it to function quite well from what we see on the video (embedded below).
The application it’s self provides a way for you to easily manipulate photographs in a fluid type motion. It allows you to easily stretch a face around, change the shape of an object at the same time as keeping the textures looking right.
The apps on both the iPad and iPhone can detect up to 10 multi-touch inputs making the app easy and powerful to work with. [Read more…]
Since the release of iOS 4, a number of complaints about Bluetooth have appeared on the Apple [AAPL] support forums. It seems like those who decided to upgrade from iOS 3.X to iOS 4 have been getting the problems with patch connections and bad audio quality.
The problems are not all related to those who have upgraded though as some who run the iPhone 4 which is supplied with iOS 4 are also reporting the issue. The problem with playing audio wirelessly is also being reported. [Read more…]
Barnes & Noble [BKS] has announced NOOK for Android is now available. The new NOOK reader allows you to read eBooks purchased from the B&N store which now contains over 1 million eBooks.
The application it’s self is free to download and the only thing you actually need to pay for is books that you want to read. If you already have paid for books on a NOOK reader for example, you can just log in with your account and sync them across.
The new Android app is also the first eReader software to feature Barnes & Noble’s new NOOK-centric branding, leveraging the strength of the company’s NOOK brand across its entire eReading offering. NOOK for Android will soon be followed by an updated NOOK for iPhone®, NOOK for iPad¢, and others in the coming months. The new eReader software branding aligns with the company’s current NOOK offering NOOK 3G and NOOK Wi-Fi® eBook Readers, and the recently announced NOOKstudy¢ online study platform and software solution for higher education.
An application was recently approved by Apple [AAPL] that acted as a flashlight. The app was called Handy Light and from a quick look at it, it appeared to be a flash light app that simply lit up the iPhone so you could see better in the dark.
Nick Lee, the developer of the Handy Light app, managed to sneakily insert some code that enabled tethering on the iPhone. The app cost $1 and by tapping a sequence of colours on the screen a hidden function enabled the tethering features of the iPhone.
The reasons we believe it was pulled was not only for sneakily adding code in and pulling the wool over Apple’s eyes, but it also allowed users to access tethering which would normally cost those on AT&T [T] an extra $20/month. [Read more…]
