Heading out for the holiday season? Good luck with your travel plans, as
getting from point A to point B can an exercise in frustration this
time of year (might we suggest watching Planes, Trains &
Automobiles), but if you're a Skype user, one thing you won't have to
worry about is finding free Wi-Fi access in the U.S.
"Great news Skype friends! Skype is setting out to make travel a little
more pleasant this holiday season by offering a free hour of Internet
access to third-party wireless hotspots within the Skype Wi-Fi hotspot
footprint in select airports across the U.S.," Skype announced in a blog
post. "From December 21st thru December 27th, travelers passing through
or delayed in over 50 airports across the country will be able to
access third-party hotspots using Skype WiFi and connect with loved ones
via a Skype video or voice call for free."
This is a mostly platform agnostic promotion that is available on
Windows PCs, Macs, and iOS devices. You'll need to have Skype for
Windows or Skype for Mac installed, or have downloaded the Skype Wi-Fi
app on your iOS device. Other than than, simply sign in to your account
and see if you're in a supported hotspot.
Yikes! On a day already filled with wild mobile news (AT&T and
T-Mobile breaking up, anyone?), here comes another bombshell. The
International Trade Commission has just ruled in favor of Apple in a
patent dispute with HTC. The result? A ban on select HTC phones imported
in the U.S. The decision reportedly stated that "HTC violated two
claims tied to Apple patents and that the ban will take effect next
April. However, HTC will be allowed to import some products in order to
fulfill repair claims on phones that have already been purchased, and
can have the ban lifted if the company shows it has been able to work
around the patents mentioned in the ITC ruling."
In other words, this isn't likely to leave a lasting mark on HTC, as the
company will almost certainly bend to whatever rules they have to in
order to make sure things return to normal. But more than that, this
proves that Apple's claims against competitors aren't entirely baseless;
or, at least, that the courts don't think so. So, Samsung and HTC have
already had their wrists slapped; who is next?
When I was a kid, my mom was always parking and not remembering where
the car was. She would use a piece of paper and out the rows from the
door and the spots between the car and the front just to find where we
were parked. Today you don’t have to do that sort of thing thanks to
cool apps like find my Car Smart.
This is an app and hardware combo. The hardware part is on Kickstarter
now seeking funding to come to market. The project has all the funding
it needs and more right now with over $18,000 out of $10,000 needed. The
money is to buy the Bluetooth 4.0 dongles that use little power.
You leave the dongle in the car and the app, which is already available,
runs on the phone to tell you where you parked. The app will tell you
how far from your car you are and how long it has been parked there as
well.
Google and Mozilla have a common enemy in the browser wars in Microsoft,
but perhaps more importantly, the two software companies have an even
greater common interest: money. Since that's the case, it would be in
both of their interests to work together if it means lining their
pockets with cash, and that's what the two have decided to do.
If you poked your head on HotHardware over the weekend, you would have
read how Google is in position to deal a death blow to Firefox, or at
least make things very difficult for Mozilla (and if not, see here). The
upside for Google is that without Firefox in the picture, Chrome
becomes a ginormous No. 2 player in the browser market, and perhaps
picks up enough users to jump ahead of Internet Explorer. But by
renewing its search agreement with Mozilla, Google can ensure a steady
stream of ad revenue resulting from all those diehard Firefox fans.
"We generally don't disclose specific terms of business agreements. We
can confirm that we still have an agreement with Mozilla, but have
nothing new to share at this time," a Google spokesperson told CNet
News.
Mozilla wasn't willing to get into specifics either, but also confirmed
that its "search relationship with Google remains positive for both"
parties. Moreover, Mozilla expressed "confidence that search
partnerships will continue to be a strong and growing generator of
revenue for the foreseeable future."
Well, well -- what's this? It's the Windows Store, and no, we're not
talking retail. The company just took the wraps off of the official
Windows Store preview, a few months after teasing us with the name as
part of Windows 8 and the distribution point for Metro style apps. The
company had a launch party tonight in SF, where they described the app
policies and business terms for the Store, both of which are now
published to our Dev Center. They also announced our First Apps contest
for developers, and confirmed that we’re also inviting a select set of
developers to submit Metro style apps for inclusion in the Beta version
of the Store.
What's really wild is the revenue sharing. Unlike the traditional 70/30
split that has become so common, Microsoft's ushering in a new plan that
will no doubt go over well with developers. Up to 80% of the money made
from apps can be captured by devs. Perhaps it's best all shown in the
video below, and yes, this definitely makes the wait for Windows 8 that
much more difficult.
Windows Store Fact Sheet
December 2011
The Windows Store will make it easy for Windows customers to find, try
and buy useful, high-quality apps from practically anywhere in the
world. With code-named "Windows 8" and the Windows Store, developers can
enjoy a built-in distribution and update mechanism for their apps.
Built using HTML5 and JavaScript, the Windows Store is a fast, fluid,
full-screen Metro-style app taking advantage of the Metro-style design
principles inspired in Windows 8. Easy to build for, submit to and sell
through, the Windows Store is designed with app discoverability and
visibility in mind. The Windows Store will open its virtual doors to
consumers and begin allowing for submission of free apps for Windows 8
Beta in late February.
Unparalleled Global Reach
The Windows Store will provide developers with the greatest opportunity
of any platform, helping them reach millions of Windows 8-based PCs,
desktops, laptops and tablets. The Windows Store will be global,
enabling developers to sell their apps in 231 markets and in more than
100 languages. To make it easier and safer for customers, the Windows
Store is the single source for Metro-style apps, with a side-loading
feature for enterprises so IT professionals can manage and deliver apps
and updates to their users with ease and confidence.
Maximizing Developer Revenue
Today, the industry standard is for developers to make 70 percent of
every dollar spent on their apps. The Windows Store aims to maximize
developer revenue and provide greater financial opportunity:
• Revenue model. Successful apps make more money on Windows by earning
80 percent of every dollar of revenue earned after passing $25,000
(U.S.) in total revenue. The first $25,000 (U.S.) is paid out at the
industry standard 70 percent revenue share.
• Developer account. To sell apps in the Windows Store, developers must
purchase an annual developer subscription of $49 (U.S.) for individuals,
$99 (U.S.) for companies.
• App pricing. Developers can set the price of their app starting at
$1.49 (U.S.), using $.50 (U.S.) increments up to $5 (U.S.). Increments
increase at higher prices.
Flexible Business Models
The Windows Store will allow for flexible and innovative business
models. Windows has long been about choice, and the Windows Store will
put the developer in control:
• In-app purchases and transaction platforms. Developers using
Microsoft's transaction service will earn 70 percent on revenue from
in-app purchases until the app has earned $25,000 (U.S.). After passing
that amount of gross revenue between the app sales and in-app purchase
revenue, they will receive 80 percent share. Developers are also free to
utilize alternate transaction services for in-app purchases other than
the one provided by Microsoft, and Microsoft will keep 0 percent of the
proceeds.
• Advertising. Developers can use Microsoft's ad platform or another third-party vendor.
Optimized for Discoverability
One challenge for today's developer is having apps stand out and be
easily discoverable. A similar challenge exists for customers to search,
locate and download the apps they want, from exciting new games to
productivity tools they already know and trust on Windows. The Windows
Store is designed with discoverability and promotion as top priorities:
• App listing page. Developers can use this space to pitch their app and
provide details, including a description, features, screen shots, app
reviews and capabilities.
• Trials. Developers can offer apps as a trial without writing a single
line of code and set the trial period to reduce barriers to adoption and
eliminate the need for "lite" versions.
• Curation and discovery. Algorithmically generated lists highlighting
frequently downloaded apps by category complemented by curated spotlight
and topic sections help consumers find and download the apps they want.
• Search. Although the Windows Store will be the primary vehicle for
consumers to find and download apps, Microsoft helps app discovery
outside the Windows Store. All app listing pages will be exposed to Bing
and other search engines.
• Promotion through Windows Internet Explorer 10. Additional potential
for visibility is built into Internet Explorer 10. With a single line of
markup, developers can have an app site icon appear in Internet
Explorer 10 that will take Windows 8 users directly to the listing page
in the Windows Store to download the app.
Transparent Approval Process
The goals of the Windows Store app certification process are to ensure
trusted, quality experiences for consumers while being as simple and
transparent as possible for developers. Developers can test their app
through the Windows App Certification Kit (ACK) and troubleshoot any
technical issues before submitting to the Windows Store. After
submission, they will be able to use the Windows Store Dashboard to
watch their app every step of the way. The Windows Store App
Certification Requirements
(http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/apps) detail criteria for
testing and certifying apps for the Windows Store.
• App approval policies. In addition to technical certification,
Microsoft will evaluate Metro-style apps against a set of clear and
published policies before the app is ultimately published to the Windows
Store. The full policy, based on core values, can be viewed at .
• Application Certification Kit. The new ACK, available now for the
Windows Developer Preview, is a single tool for self-assessment to
ensure all technical compliance required for apps. It improves on the
Windows Software Logo Kit with a new, simplified user interface,
improved multiuser tests and auto-detection of app type. The ACK
includes automated tests looking for such things as app manifest
compliance, app reliability and security, and proper use of
platform-supported APIs. The ACK runs the same tests as those run during
the submission process, so by using the ACK first, developers know if
their app meets technical compliance and can troubleshoot issues before
submission to the Windows Store, saving valuable time.
• Windows Store Dashboard. The new dashboard will help developers see
where their app is in the submission process, with notifications every
step of the way. After submission, the dashboard will provide useful app
telemetry data, which allows developers to continually improve their
apps. The dashboard will include the ability to view reports on
downloads, revenue, usage, in-app transactions, customer ratings, market
trends and crash data. These new reports will be consistent and
actionable so developers can find and fix issues quickly and
efficiently.
If you should happen to run across a USB flash drive on the subway, you
may want to leave it there, assuming you weren't planning to take it to
lost and found to begin with. There's a good chance it's infected with
malware, and that doesn't just apply to USB keys you find on the ground,
but ones you buy at auction, too.
Security firm Sophos said it studied 50 USB keys bought at a major
transit authority's Lost Property auction, and of those 50, two-thirds
were infected with malware. That's bad news for the buyer, and the
previous owner doesn't get off scot-free either. The study also revealed
that drives were filled with information about many of the former
owners, including their family, friends, and colleagues.
"We found 62 infected files in total. The worst key contained six
infected files, representing four separate items of malware," Sophos
said in a blog post. "We didn't find any OS X malware. But nine of the
keys appeared to belong to Macintosh owners (or at least had been used
extensively on Macs); seven of these were infected.
"In other words, if you're a Windows user, don't assume that you can
automatically trust everything that comes from your Apple-loving
friends. And even if you're one of those Mac users who is opposed to the
concept of anti-virus software, consider softening your stance as a
service to the community as a whole."
Another fun tidbit: none of the 50 USB keys were encrypted, though none
contained any "smoking guns," like insider trading tips, credit card
dumps, criminal plots, etc. There were, however, files containing tax
deductions, minutes of an activists' meeting, photo albums of family and
friends, software and web source code, and other information you
typically wouldn't want to go around sharing willy-nilly.
Microsoft didn't waste any time swooping in and snatching up the domain
name SkypeSexFinder.com after it became available, according to Whois
records online. Fusible was first to discover the domain name
registration and noted that it was redirecting visitors to its Bing
search engine, though not Bing's homepage. Instead, it brings up Bing
search results for SkypeSexFinder, which lists plenty of sultry links.
It doesn't appear Microsoft is trying to assist sex starved Web surfers
with a fetish for Skype chat, and it's far more likely the
SkypeSexFinder.com domain grab was simply a preventative measure. If
that's the case, Microsoft might be facing a losing battle because it
can't possible lay claim to ever naughty Skype domain derivative out
there, a task that's now twice as hard with the new availability of .XXX
domains.
Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion in a deal it closed in October
of this year. At the time, Microsoft said Skype was being used and
"loved by hundreds of millions of people around the world."
If you are into racing games then you will love this home made setup
which was created by Chad Smith, it includes a total of five LCD
monitors, and even an iPhone mounted to the steering wheel which
displays performance stats.
The five screen setup is powered by an AMD Radeon HD 6870 graphics card,
and the game in the video is called iRacing, a free online racing game,
and Chad is also using the iRacing Dash app on his iPhone to display
the stats.
We recently showed you some photos of the new Nokia Lumia 800, which is
Nokia’s first Windows Phone smartphone, and now we have a video which
was recorded on th Lumia 800′s camera.
The Nokia Lumia 800 features an 8 megapixel camera with auto focus, a
Carl Zeiss lens and a dual LED flash, have a look at the video below,
which was recorded at maximum resolution on the Lumia 800 at 1280 x 720
pixels, using the smartphones standard settings.
BT has started legal processing against Google and sued the Internet
search giant, claiming that Google’s Android software has infringed a
number of BT’s patents. BT is not the first to have sued Google over its
Android software, and BT are now claiming billions of dollars of
damages from Google in a lawsuit filed in the US this week.
BT explains in their documentation:
“Google has derived and will continue to derive substantial value from
these products and services that incorporate BT’s patented
technologies,” - BT brings this action to recover the just compensation
it is owed and to prevent Google from continuing to benefit from BT’s
inventions without authorisation.”
If successful, the suit against Google would mean that the search giant
or mobile handset makers using Android will have to pay BT royalties on
each Android handset.
Advancer Technologies have unveiled their new “USB Biofeedback Game
Controller” that allows you to harnesses the power of electromyography
to control video games with your muscles.
The controller uses a six button setup with the left forearm controlling
the B button (RUN/ATTACK), the right forearm controlling the A button
(JUMP), the left bicep controlling the LEFT button, the right bicep
controlling the RIGHT button, and combinations for UP and DOWN. Watch
the video after the jump to see it in action.
Advancer Technologies explains:
“At the core of this plug-in-play controller is the powerful yet
low-cost Arduino UNO microcontroller, a favorite among hobbyist and
students, acting as a HID keyboard interface. Integrated with the
Arduino UNO are four of Advancer Technologies’ new Platinum Series
Muscle Sensors, allowing four muscles to act independently or in
combination with each other to control over four buttons.”
Skyrim fans will be pleased to know that Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls V:
Skyrim game has remained at number one this week. Breaking an eight year
winning streak for EA or Activision for the coveted Christmas Number
One slot. This week the top three games were Skyrim in top slot with
Just Dance in second and Modern Warfare 3 in third.
The last time a game got to number one that wasn’t from either the EA or
Activision camps, was back in 2002 when Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto:
Vice City drop into number one for Christmas.
Full top ten for the week ending December 17 2011 is below.
1: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)
2: Just Dance 3 (Ubisoft)
3: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision)
4: FIFA 12 (EA)
5: Saints Row: The Third (THQ)
6: Battlefield 3 (EA)
7: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (Ubisoft)
8: Mario & Sonic at the 2012 London Olympics (SEGA)
9: Need for Speed: The Run (EA)
10: Professor Layton and the Spectre’s Call (Level-5)
After receiving a number of emails from unhappy 360 owners saying that
their video play back after installing the new dashboard was washed out.
Gaming website Eurogamer thought it would carry out a few tests to
prove the point.
The tests carried out by Eurogamer now show that the new Metro inspired
dashboard does force video content to run at limited range RGB levels
and give a much more washed out feeling to the video. The image below
show a little of the effect but it highlighted even more during
continuous playback.
Gamers who have tried to fix the problem adjusting the monitor/TV
display settings to compensate for the washout, have ended up messing up
the Xbox 360 gameplay videos.
Even though the problems were uncovered during the beta development
stages of the new Xbox 360 Dashboard. Microsoft responded with:
“Thanks for the feedback! Though we will not be able to incorporate your
feedback into this release we will save it for consideration in future
releases. Thanks for using the new Xbox Update and please keep up the
feedback!”
What are your thoughts have you experienced any problems with the new Xbox 360 Metro inspired dashboard since installing it?
Any TRON fan PS3 or Xbox 360 gamers in the market for a new controller,
might be interested in the new range of controllers unveiled by PDP this
week. The TRON designed controllers have been inspired after Gem, a
Siren program from the TRON films. They feature a pearl colour finish
with mist grey handles and crystal white glowing up-accents.
The Xbox 360 also has vibration support, with “performance enhancing
contours and design” say PDP, as well as rubber-grips with a soft-touch
finish for extra grip whilst gaming.
The new PDP Xbox 360 White TRON controller and Sony Playstation 3 White
TRON controller are both available to now pre-order exclusively through
PDP’s website, priced at $50.
Warpia has this week unveiled a new addition to their range of products
with the launch of their new ConnectHD video conferencing device. The
ConnectHD is equipped with an advanced wide-angle wireless webcam and
multidirectional microphone, providing you with an easy way to add video
conferencing to your HDTV. Watch the video to see it in action.
The system consists of a 720p wide angle webcam with 1080p PC to TV
streaming passthrough, HDMI Connector, and 48 kHz, 16-bit Stereo via
audio jack or HDMI connector.
The ConnectHD will also allow you to stream content wirelessly in up to
1080p HD from any laptop or PC to an HDTV, and supports 32-bit True
Colour support with display resolutions of up to 1920 x 1080 (SXGA+).
The ConnectHD is now available to purchase for $200 directly from the
Warpia website.
When Tak Wak, the German company responsible for the tw700, was
threshing out the specs for their latest creation, they no doubt wanted
something more than a smartphone. It’s likely they figured rather than
bringing your precious iPhone along whenever you’re on some adventure,
why not go for the Android-powered tw700 instead? See, smartphones are
just handhelds with apps. The tw700, however, is a different beast. A
dedicated multi-function device that any hiker, mountaineer, and
swashbuckling daredevil can use at will.
Long story short. When you need GPS mapping, the tw700 does it better.
Still keep in touch via smartphone? The tw700 is a smartphone. It’s also
a pocket walkie-talkie inc ase phoning isn’t necessary or there ‘s not
enough juice for a call.
Another rplus for the tw700 is it was designed for the outdoor set,
people who like roughing it up and going places. To this end, the tw700
is lightweight, sturdy, and comes with a generous number of bells and
whistles to keep it on the cool side of things.
Expect the tw700 to land next year, with a retail price of several hundred Euro
Apple has now rolled out their latest iPhone, the iPhone 4S to 20 more
countries around the world, which include Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Egypt,
Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines,
Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia,
Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.
Although it would appear that the iPhone 4S is quite expensive in some
countries, retailing for R$2599 in Brazil, which works out at around
$1410 US for the 16GB model, increasing up to the equivalent of $1845
for the 64GB model.
In the other new countries that the iPhone 4S is now available in,
pricing seems to be in line with Apple’s pricing in the US, although the
device retails for around $1,131 in Russia.
Facebook has released a new version of its iPhone app, version 4.1 which
brings a range of new Facebook features to the iPhone, which include
access to Mobile Timeline on the iPhone. The new version of Facebook for
the iPhone also now comes with access to friends lists and subscriber
lists from your iPhone, and it is also designed to make it easier to
upload, view and comment on photos.
You can find out more information about the latest version of Facebook
over at the Facebook blog, and the app is available as a free download
from iTunes [http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/facebook/id284882215?mt=8]
If the title above comes off as a little too screwy, forgive the
writer’s awful proclivity for horrid puns. Seen below is the blandly
titled ‘Electric Wine Opener’ that’s being billed as a best of breed
model. According to the source material, it can unscrew corks at a rapid
pace without any pressure or effort from the user. In fact, the same
glowing copy cited an ‘expert’ who praised how the Electric Wine Opener,
with just the slightest press of a few buttons, undid 49 bottles
without anyone breaking a sweat.
If that isn’t a solid soft-sell enough, try visiting the source link
down south. In it, the $39.95 gadget comes with its own stand, a foil
cutter, and a coppery golden sheen. Sicne the holidays are upon the
world, stuff like this usually adds a dose of cheery high tech whenever
the relatives want to indulge in a toast or three.
But if you really want to impress the guests, forsake the wine, grab a
champagne bottle and slice the neck open with a sword—Cossack style!
Might take some practice or elese you could get someone killed.
Dutch airliner KLM have recently outed their latest bid to make flying a
more adventurous experience. Rather than bother with a travel agent or
go for those last-minute and utterly horrible airport ticket purchases,
they now allow passengers to choose their seats thru a Facebook-powered
app. There’s more to Meat & Seat than finding a surprise seatmate
via Facebook though, as users can access Facebook profiles of other
passengers to choose exactly who they want to sit next too. That’s
pretty nice.
Of course, if you don’t give a damn about other passengers Meet &
Seat isn’t a compulsory. For the young and willing, however, KLM’s
little social experiment might become an opportunity for torrid
in-flight romance, which is not the best way to go about the romance
business. You never really know if the person sitting next to you is a
covert assassin with a secret mission. Ever seen that movie Redeye?
Remember that Taiwanese animation studio KLM? Yeah, they did a story on this KLM Facebook campaign too. Here:
Seen below is a snappily dressed young man at an Electroncis Fair. He’s
checking out the latest three way collaboration between Sanden, Okaya
Electronics, and Intel, which is a ‘smart’ vending machine. What it has
got better than its peers is a massive 65 inch display capable of
displaying graphics and animations. Other than being an entertainment
portal that attracts consumers, the new vending machine (it doesn’t have
a name yet) by Sanden and its partners also profiles its patrons. But
wait, there’s more.
This huge technological leap in vending machine features comes from a
firm belief that vending machines can be more retail than convenience.
That is, even high end items such as wine can be purchased from a
vending machine. So the big challenge now is to create a seamless,
interactive vending machine that’s capable of servicing the user’s
wants.
Alas, this is but a concept so there’s no word yet on when it will be out. In the meantime, watch the video:
Some of the biggest events in sci-tech happen with nary a whimper. This
seems to be the case with a new breakthrough that could radically alter
how most consumer electronics are made. But since the exciting stuff
happened in a lab somewhere (Vanderbilt University to be specific), it
won’t send massive ripples across the world. Before a torrent of rather
technical and utterly nerdy factoids comes pouring forth, let it be writ
that this thermal breakthrough involved nanoribbons, a science journal,
and this guy named Li.
Seen above: A colorful stock image that shows up if you Google ‘nanoribbons.’
Okay, so Deyu Li is the man credited for his research in re-arranging
nanoribbons. The big deal about nanoribbons is Li thinks by manipulating
their connections with an alcoholic solution, thermal conductivity can
be adjusted.
The significance of his findings is the so far unassailable consensus
that you can’t simply alter thermal conductivity. Well, Li and his team
did just that and their findings were published recently in Nature
Nanotechnology.
If Li’s efforts to manipulate nanoribbons does eventually pay off, then
it could impact the world of electronics by transforming how
microprocessors are designed and built.
Since more and more of humanity is living in a dystopian sci fi novel
these days, it comes as no surprise that a few scientists out there are
still questing for the impossible. Is this the new alchemy? Perhaps, but
a major American news outlet has presented some very striking
developments that could be of considerable significance in the near
future.
The picture above: Oh yeah, Achilles. Immortality! Take it, it’s yours! Troy sucked, by the way.
The report cited efforts by scientists from the UK and the US to alter
the ageing process. The key is, rather than come up with a
super-medicine, in human cells. Alter the cellular lifespan and you
alter a human lifespan.
Of course, while immortality is indeed an alluring (and ever so
illusive) so-far-mythical goal, it is also a double edged sword. If your
existence stretches to the far infinite, what point is there to
anything? Ah well, better turn to suicide for that rare ‘extreme’
experience. So yeah, immortality has all the ethical/philosophical
ramifications that would make a good movie. A particularly good
Christopher Nolan movie, that is. Or maybe Terrence Malick would do a
better job.
What would you do if you were immortal? Please, please don’t answer
playing Skyrim for the next hundred years. There’s more to life than
that, bro.
LunaTik the creators of the hugely successful Kickstarter funded
TikTok+LunaTik Nano Watch straps. Have this week started their new
Kickstarter project for the LunaTik Touch Pen.
The LunaTik Touch Pen has been designed to provide the user with a much
more precise stylus with the ‘offline’ capabilities of a regular
biro-type pen, and will seamlessly go from paper to tablet with the
click of a button.
Scott Wilson, explains:
Paper and pen will never be replaced. However, more and more people are
embracing their iPads and tablets to take notes and capture ideas in a
new hybrid analog-digital workflow. These users continuously switch
between paper and touch screen during the day. This means they require
both a traditional ink pen and a digital stylus.
While both are great on their own we would prefer to have our everyday
pen be compatible with iPads and tablets with a click of a button
eliminating the need to carry both items. This was the inspiration for
the LunaTik Touch Pen. The idea was born from a desire to integrate our
pen of choice, the rollerball, with the digital stylus.
If you think you could benefit from the LunaTik Touch Pen, jump over to the Kickstarter website to make a pledge.
Dell has this week taken the wraps off its new gaming PC the Alienware
Aurora R4. Inside the sleek chassis the system houses the new second
generation Intel Core i7-3000 series six-core CPUs. Which have been
factory overclocked and combined with high performance CPU Liquid
Cooling and Active Venting system. Supported by 4GB Dual Channel 1600MHz
up to 32GB Quad Channel 1600MHz DDR3 Memory Options. Providing you with
all the power you could ever need for your gaming.
Inside its also equipped with Intel X79 Express Chipset, Quad Channel
DDR32 memory and the latest SATA technology and supports AMD CrossFireX
technology. Installing 2 x graphic cards will provide even more power
especially if you want the most from Battlefield 3 or similar. All
Alienware Aurora systems graphics cards use powerful GDDR5 graphics
memory, and are combined with Microsoft’s DirectX 11 graphics API.
The new Alienware Aurora is available from Dell now, with prices starting from $3,499. Enjoy!
If you live in the US and have been patiently waiting form the ROCCAT
Isku gaming keyboard and peripherals to reach the US. You will be
pleased to know that ROCCAT will be arriving in the US in early 2012,
bringing German engineering to US gamers.
The ROCCAT keyboard includes 12 programmable F-keys along the top, with a
new Easy Shift[+] technology for up to 36 macros, advanced anti
ghosting, cable routing channels and the ability to programme five
profiles that can be switched at the press of a button.
René Korte, ROCCAT Founder and CEO explains:
“Pro gamers in other parts of the world already know what our gear can
do,” – “Now’s our chance to share that excitement with American gamers.
We’re bringing a bold innovation to the table that sets us far apart
from other gaming companies.” – “Our engineers create the technology and
look that today’s sophisticated gamers crave. We can’t wait to team up
with US players and strut our stuff.”
ROCCAT will launch its US operations during January 10-13, 2012, at the CES in Las Vegas.
Sony’s latest Android Walkman, the Sony Z Series was announced a while
back, and the device will go on sale in Japan later this month, and now
it looks like this new Android Walkman is getting closer to its US
release as the device has appeared at the FCC.
As a reminder, the Sony Z Series Walkman comes with a 4.3 inch
touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, it will come
with Android Gingerbread and is powered by a dual core NVIDIA Tegra 2
processor.
Other specifications include 512MB of RAM and a choice of either 16GB,
32GB or 64GB of storage, plus WiFi and DNLA, unfortunately we don’t have
any information as yet on when it will launch in the US.
Apple has today rolled out a new firmware update to its line of
Thunderbolt Displays with the aim of correcting the fan issues a number
of users have reported experiencing with the new Thunderbolts displays.
The new firmware update version 1.1 is expected to fix the small issues
being experienced and also bring with it more stability to the display.
The new firmware update is 942kb in size and can be installed in the
Utilities folder within the Application folder, where it will then roll
out automatically whenever you close this installer. Or can be
downloaded straight from Apple’s site.
Researchers at MIT has created a new camera that is capable of capturing
one trillion exposures per second. Enabling it to capture light as it
travels down the length of a one-litre bottle and back again, after the
light has bounced off the cap. The new camera uses a new technology
called a streak camera, which uses a narrow slit as its aperture. Watch a
video of the camera in action after the break.
One of the system’s developers, Media Lab postdoc Andreas Velten, says
its the “ultimate” in slow motion. Explaining “There’s nothing in the
universe that looks fast to this camera,”.
Particles of light — photons — enter the camera through the slit and
pass through an electric field that deflects them in a direction
perpendicular to the slit. Because the electric field is changing very
rapidly, it deflects late-arriving photons more than it does
early-arriving ones.
If you are enjoying playing Battlefield 3 on a console, but have
wondered what you might be missing out on graphically when compared to
playing the game on a PC. An awesome video has been put together showing
just how good the graphics can look if you turn up the setting on the
PC version of Battlefield 3. Watch the video after the jump.
The video is accompanied by “Bittersweet symphony” by the verve has been
recorded in 60fps cut to half speed and the played HUD has been
removed, allowing you to enjoy the full glory of the landscape and
action. To disable HUD Type in the console “UI.DrawEnable False”.
If you are looking for a watch that it completely different than your
average timepiece, then have a look at the Click keypad LED watch, which
has obviously been inspired by a keyboards numeric keypad.
If you push one of the numbers on the Click Keypad Watch, the time will
blink on the individual keypad numbers, and it supports moth 24 hour and
12 hour time modes, and will also tell you the date.
If you want one of these Click Keypad LED watches, they are available
for 89.99 each from Watchismo, and they come in a range of colors, which
include blue, white, black and brown.
ou might remember the toy Wall-E robot we featured here on Geeky
Gadgets, that was transformed in to a fully functional robot back in
July of this year. Since then the creators of the robot have been busy
transforming their modifications in a DIY robot kit, that now provides
you with everything you need to create your very own personal robot.
The great thing about the new EZ-Robot kit is that it can be applied to
practically any toy or custom robot you like. Giving any toy you wish to
modify, vision tracking, speech recognition and more. Watch the video
after the jump to see it in action.
The EZ-Robot kit is available to purchase for $235 and comes complete
with a wireless controller, ultrasonic distance sensor, wireless
tracking camera, three standard servos, two continuous rotation servos
and battery pack. Together with software that will allow you to control
your robot without the need to know any programming languages.
EZ Robot explains:
“Canadian made by DJ Sures, EZ-Robot offers an innovative way of
building DIY Robots at home. The EZ-B is a robot controller that
connects to your computer over Bluetooth. The included EZ-Builder
software on your computer controls the output of the EZ-B Robot
Controller. Add a range of peripherals to your EZ-Robot Project;
including Cameras, Joysticks, Distance Sensors, LEDs, Servos, Digital
Displays, Motor Controllers, iRobot Roomba, and more. Watch Tutorial
Videos to see what EZ-Robot can do!”
Sony has announced that they will soon be launching a limited edition
Gold PlayStation 3 console in Japan. Finished with a Gold hue and
special limited edition decal for the One Piece Warriors game. Which is
currently a very popular PS3 game in Japan.
The limited edition Gold PS3 will be equipped with a 320 GB HHD and
comes supplied with the One Piece Warriors pre-loaded. Together with a
range of custom themes available that can be downloaded by owners.
Unfortunately the Gold PS3 will not support older PS2 games.
The new Gold Playstation 3 will be arriving in stores on March 1st 2012
and is expected to be available to purchase for around 38,170 Yen.
Thinking of getting a one-piece sound system for your room or living
room? Klipsch has got you covered with the Gallery G-17 Air Airplay
Speaker.
Aside from having an elegant and minimalist look, perfect for those who
cannot cramp in separate surround speakers, Klipsch’s latest offering
also comes equipped with airplay. This means if you have an iPhone, iPad
or iPod Touch, you can stream music wirelessly straight from your
device to the speaker.
There is a dark glass base that comes with the speaker and there is also an option to mount it if space is an issue.
The G-17 specs on its website are listed as follows: 2 x 20W RMS (woofers) 2 x 10W RMS (tweeters), bi-amplified.
While many speakers are out there to choose from, Klipsch’s G-17 stands
out as it is airplay compatible, not to mention also looks good on the
outside.
Multiple crooks wedged their way beneath the security gate at a Best Buy
brick-and-mortar store in San Carlos, California, and made off with at
least 125 iPad tablet devices. The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office
responded to the scene in quick fashion at 11:50 PM on Thursday night,
but in the minute it took them to get there, the suspects had already
fled the premises, iPads in tow, CBS San Francisco reports.
Deputies say the thieves lifted the security gate and slid underneath
it. No small heist, the retail loss of goods is estimated to be more
than $100,000, which would put the average selling price of all 125
tablets at $800 pop. Apple's iPad 2 devices sell for anywhere between
$500 (16GB, Wi-Fi) up to $830 (64GB, Wi-Fi + 3G).
The iPads were stolen from a locked display case. Surveillance cameras
showed the suspects executing a "carefully planned heist" in which they
sprinted right to the iPads and never looked up at the cameras in a
coordinated theft
Another day, another new SSD. OCZ has just launched the Indilinx
Everest-based Petrol SSD Series, which is said to enable further
adoption of SSDs in cost-sensitive applications, while taking advantage
of real world performance and complete feature set of the Indilinx
Everest platform.
"Until today, SSD adoption has been limited to high performance
applications due to the high cost of SSDs in relation to slower rotating
discs, and we are proud to once again close the gap in pricing without
sacrificing durability," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. "The
new Petrol Series showcases the flexibility of the Indilinx Everest
platform and NDurance™ Technology, allowing OCZ to deliver the benefits
of SSDs to a wide new set of applications while retaining the superior
real world performance and reduced latency that separate Everest-based
SSDs from our competitors."
The OCZ Petrol Series delivers bandwidth up to 400MB/s and 35,000 IOPS,
and is optimized for the complete spectrum of file types and sizes.
Additionally, advanced features unique to Indilinx, such as proprietary
page mapping algorithms, allow for steady mixed-workload performance,
and innovative latency reduction technology enables superior access
times as low as 0.06ms. Petrol ensures the most consistent and reliable
performance as well as minimized performance degradation even after the
drive's storage capacity is highly utilized.
The OCZ Petrol SSD Series will be available in models ranging from
64GB-512GB capacities throughout OCZ's global channel in the coming
weeks, but no pricing is available.
Click here to find out more!
Like Jerry Seinfeld in the episode “The Airport”, premium-class
passengers enjoy all the perks of non-coach seating; starting today on
some American Airlines flights, those comforts include a Samsung Galaxy
Tab 10.1. (Meanwhile, like Elaine in the same episode, coach passengers
will continue to suffer with full bladders and cramped legs.)
The Tabs replace American Airlines’ current personal entertainment
devices and will include dozens of movies, TV shows, and audio
selections, and will feature a UI skin designed exclusively for the
airline. Beginning in 2012, more features are coming, including WiFi,
games, and more.
It get even better--some of those same seats will offer flyers a pair of
Bose QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones.
If you want to enjoy these new amenities for yourself, make sure you’re
on a transcontinental flight between JFK and LA, JFK and San Francisco,
Miami and San Francisco, Miami and San Francisco, or Boston and LA, or
an international flight to or from Europe and South America.
We assume you’ll still have to shut the Tabs down during takeoff, though. (Alec Baldwin, that includes you, buddy.)
Shares of Netflix rose by more than 6 percent on Monday after a trade
publication reported Verizon was kicking around the idea of acquiring
the streaming service. The publication -- Deal Reporter -- didn't reveal
its sources, but was very clear about Verizon wanting to get into the
streaming sector, and that buying Netflix was a very real possibility.
But is it true?
That depends on who you ask. Bloomberg today countered the original
story by apparently confirming with "two people with knowledge of the
situation" that Verizon hasn't talked about making a move to acquire
Netflix and that the two companies haven't discussed a transaction of
any kind.
Verizon and/or Netflix could dispel the rumor outright by going on
record with a statement, but both companies have so far refused to do
so. Earlier in the week, it was also reported that Verizon plans to
launch a standalone service to allow customers to stream movies and TV
shows over the Web, and so it appears Verizon is at least interested in
streaming media, whether it does so on its own or scoops up Netflix.
If all that weren't enough, there are also reports of Verizon meeting with Redbox about a possible content-distribution plan.
"Verizon's not interested in Netflix, they see Redbox as a much better
fit," Sam Greenholtz, an analyst with Telecom Pragmatics in Westminster,
Maryland, told Bloomberg.
While it's uncertain exactly what Verizon is up to, it's pretty clear the wireless carrier wants to extends its reach.
Click here to find out more!
Word around the Web is that some hard drive makers are cutting down
their warranty terms, the timing of which couldn't be any worse (we'll
get to that in a minute). Western Digital is dropping the distribution
warranty period for Caviar Blue, Caviar Green, and Scorpio Blue drives
from 3 years to 2 years (Caviar Black and Scorpio Black will still carry
5-year warranties).
News of Western Digital's reduced warranty terms was first reported by
The Register, which got its hands on the following letter:
This new warranty policy will be effective for drives shipped from
January 2nd, 2012. It is important that you take a moment to update your
website(s) and collateral to reflect this change for effected drives
shipped after January 1st, 2012.
All drives shipped to distributors prior to Jan. 2nd 2012 will
retain the current warranty terms. Because of existing inventory in the
distribution channel there will be a short period of time when some
drives with a 3-year warranty will be sold at the same time as drives
with a 2-year warranty.
If you have any doubt about the warranty of a drive you purchased,
you can go to support.wdc.com, select Warranty and RMA Services and
proceed to the Warranty Check page.
Reducing hard drive warranties from 3 years to 2 years isn't the end of
the world (still a 33 percent reduction), but it still stinks, and even
worse Western Digital started a trend. Seagate is also reducing warranty
periods, and not just by one year. In a letter sent to its authorized
distributors and obtained by The Register, Seagate announces the
following:
Effective December 31, 2011, Seagate will be changing its warranty
policy from a 5 year to a 3 year warranty period for Nearline drives, 5
years to 1 year for certain Desktop and Notebook Bare Drives, 5 years to
3 years on Barracuda XT and Momentus XT, and from as much as 5 years to
2 years on Consumer Electronics.
The warranty reductions come at a time when hard drive makers look to
recover from recent flooding in Thailand. Hard drive prices are up,
supply is low, and who knows how reliable new drives will be when
they're being produced on restored equipment that sat waterlogged for a
period of time.
Click here to find out more!
Sony's PlayStation Vita went on sale today in Japan to strong demand;
there are reports that Sony sold-out all 700,000 units it set aside for
the Japanese launch. ""I'm so happy to see so many people lining up for
PS Vita so early in the morning," Sony Computer Entertainment Japan
President Hiroshi Kono wrote in his official blog after touring several
Tokyo stores. "I can tell they had anxiously waited for today's launch."
The handheld shipped out with an impressive 24 launch titles (the 3DS
debuted with just eight), and is backwards compatible with
PSP-downloadable games, PlayStation minis, the PlayStation Suite (aka
PlayStation Certified titles) and PSOne Classics. It's not compatible
with PSP games and doesn't support the UMD format Sony introduced with
that handheld.
So far, early impressions have highlighted the high-quality screen (5"
OLED, 960x544, 220ppi) and the system's low weight. The Vita combines a
quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU with a quad-core GPU based on Imagination
Technologies SGX543. The Vita offers up to twice the GPU performance of
the iPad 2, which uses an SGX543MP2, and outclasses anything else in the
mobile market, including the just-released Tegra 3.
The big question, of course, is whether or not the Vita will catch the
eye of more than the hardcore gaming crowd. Sony is still adamant that a
$249 (WiFi) and $299 (3G) price point is what it'll use when it ships
the device to North America in February.
The DS' performance this past year makes this a dicey bet. That system
sold well below Nintendo's expectations until the company slashed prices
to ~$170. Even then, sales didn't really explode until the launch of
games like Super Mario 3D Land.
This isn't an accident. The 3DS took off when first-party titles from Nintendo started giving gamers a reason to buy it, and
when it's price was sufficiently below that of a high-end phone that
gamers were willing to invest. The implication is that Sony needs to
deliver on both fronts rather than just one—and it's not clear that the
company can.
Sony, to be sure, has strong franchises of its own—but it's got nothing
on Nintendo when it comes to the size and scope of the latter's
first-party titles. In order to justify its price, Sony is going to have
to prove that the Vita can deliver games of
sufficient scope + depth to utterly outclass anything available in a
tablet or smartphone. Games so good, in fact, that they can justify the
purchase of a $249 toy (assuming gamers don't opt for the 3G edition).
That's a tall order for any system, and the Vita, despite Sony's best
efforts, may be biting off more than it can chew. What's your take on
it? Are you excited for the Vita's launch, or looking at other gaming
options?
We have featured quite a few different docks and speakers for the iPad
here at Geeky Gadgets, although there haven’t been that many for Android
tablets, and now iLuve has released a new speaker dock designed to be
used with Samsung’s Galaxy Tab range of tablets, the iLuv ISM524
ArtStation Pro.
iLuv is the only mobile accessories innovator to deliver an audio
docking system that unleashes the full potential of the Samsung GALAXY
Tab and transforms the tablet into a home entertainment center that
enables users to easily and comfortably enjoy music, movies, TV shows
and more. The ArtStation™ Pro is the result of the Designed for Samsung
Mobile strategic partnership between iLuv and Samsung, which brings to
the market highly differentiated accessories solutions with
unquestionable value for Samsung GALAXY mobile devices.
The iLuv ISM524 ArtStation Pro will go on sale later this month for $149
and it is compatible with the Galaxy Tab 7, the Galaxy Tab 7.7, the
Galaxy Tab 8.9 and the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
If you have deep enough pockets and are on the lookout for a new speaker
dock for your iPhone or iPod. Then it might be worth you investigating
the new Trumstand iOS speaker dock which has been created by Pleiades.
The Trumstand uses no electronics to amplify your iPhone audio just the
natural acoustics of the horn shaped speaker. Weighing in at a hefty
4.3kg Its base is made from a machined block of aluminium, and the
Trumstand’s curvaceous hand-crafted horn gives it the appearance of a
retro 1800′s gramophone.
The Trumstand is available in two version either plated in gold or
silver and each will set you back ¥150,800 around $2,000 for the gold
model, and ¥138,000 around $1,800 for the silver model.
A unique way of adding a number pad to a Macbook or any other laptop
equipped with a touchpad has been thought up by designers Gong Huachao
& Wang Hui.
To use the new concept touchpad film, you would need to simply download a
small application and apply the number pad film over the top of your
touchpad. Transforming it in to a handy number pad, for quick number
entry.
The touchpad, number pad can be enable or disable via a hotkey and
allows those missing their beloved number pads to be able to add one tom
their laptops without have to carry and addition USB or Bluetooth
device in their bags. Is the Number Pad Film something you would use?
Google has announced a new feature for Android app developers, called
Android Training, which according to Google is a collection of classes
that are designed to help developers get the most out of their Android
apps.
Today I’m thrilled to announce the beta launch of Android Training — a
collection of classes that we hope will help you to build better Android
apps.
From designing effective navigation, to managing audio playback, to
optimizing battery life, these classes are designed to demonstrate best
practices for solving common Android development problems.
Each class explains the steps required to solve a problem, or implement a
feature, with plenty of code snippets and sample code for you to use
within your own apps.
As expected Adobe has now rolled out their latest and possibly the last
Flash player update for Android mobile devices. Flash 11.1 brings with
it support of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich devices and just in time
for the launch of the Galaxy Nexus.
This update is expected to be possible the last you will see for mobile
Flash apart from the odd security update. After Abode announced their
decision to stop the development of Flash mobile player. A full set of
release notes can be found over on the Adobe website.
Adobe explains:
” This update to Adobe Flash Player 11 includes compatibility with
Android 4 supported devices, performance improvements and bug fixes
related to security and stability.”
Attention AMD fans, if you're running one of those newfangled Bulldozer
processors in your system, how would you like a free performance boost?
You can have one, so long as you're rocking a copy of Windows 7 or
Windows Server 2008 R2. Microsoft this week rolled out a hotfix that's
supposed to make things run better automagically.
"Currently, the performance of AMD Bulldozer CPUs is slower than
expected. This behavior occurs because the threading logic in Windows 7
and in Windows Server 2008 R2 is not optimized to use the Simultaneous
Multithreading (SMT) scheduling feature. This feature was introduced in
the Bulldozer family of AMD CPUs," Microsoft explained in a support
article."
After applying the hotfix, your Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
system will fully support AMD Bulldozer processors, which will then
"operate at the expected performance level." Having things run as they
should is, you know, always a good thing, even if it takes a hotfix to
get there.
Before you go and grab the patch, be sure to install Service Pack 1
first, as it's a prerequisite. Once SP1 is in place, you're golden,
Ponyboy. You can download the hotfix from
Looking for stocking stuffers, are you? Look no further. HP has just
introduced the Wireless X4000 and X5000 mic, which offer up 1600dpi of
sensitivity and up to 30 months of battery life on the X4000 and 24
months on the X5000. Both models feature an ultra-sleek design with
rubber sides to ensure a comfortable, secure grip that can be used in
the right or left hand. The mice stay connected up to 30 feet away and
feature HP Link-5 technology, which allows users to connect up to five
compatible devices via one dongle. The HP Wireless Mouse X5000 also
offers a hyper-fast touch scroll and four customizable buttons,
including a button for one-click uploads to Facebook.
As for pricing? Just $29.99 for the X4000 and $39.99 for the X5000, and both should be available for the holidays.
Launching just in time for the holiday season is an affordable gaming
system powered by AMD's FX 4100 processor clocked at 3.6GHz and
available exclusively at Tiger Direct. It's called the Gamer Power 595D3
and it's a $700 rig with respectable specs that's ready for action
right out of the box, iBuyPower says.
"Were always excited to partner with Tiger Direct and build systems for
their knowledgeable customer base," said Darren Su, Vice President of
iBuyPower. "The Gamer Power 595D3 meets the high performance and value
expectations they have come to expect and demand."
In addition to the FX 4100 processor, the 595D3 sports an NXZT Source
210 mid-tower case, 8GB of DDR3 memory, 1TB hard drive, AMD Radeon HD
6770 graphics card, DVD burner, 600W power supply, half a dozen USB 2.0
ports (two up front and four on the back), and Windows 7 Home Premium
64-bit.
Not a barn burner, obviously, but fairly priced. We spec'd a similar
system (with mouse and keyboard) online and it came out to right around
$670 before shipping.
