Senin, 21 Februari 2011

What's new on SlashGear.com

What's new on SlashGear.com

Amazon’s New Kindle Commercial Jabs At iPad Again

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 02:50 PM PST

Amazon has just released a new Kindle commercial full of happy indie music, hip young folks in coffee shops, frolicking in parks, jaunting in the city, and all done in lots and lots of sunshine. Key to the commercial is the amount of sun people seem to be getting when they need to read a book. When there’s sun, the Kindle beats the iPad as clearly shown in one scene of the commercial where a girl is lent a Kindle because her iPad has too much glare.

The Kindle commercial also accentuates the fact that their device can run up to a month on one battery charge and comes at you with a relatively affordable price point of $139. These advantages plus their overall feel-good message of “The Book Lives On” should appeal to the true book enthusiasts. And for those book lovers considering an iPad instead, Amazon warns you again in this commercial of the imminent glare.

You can’t blame them though for really emphasizing glare as it may be the only thing it can still compete on. With all the new tablets coming on the market that can consume media and perform a whole slew of other tasks along with higher resolution displays for more comfortable viewing and reading, its less and less likely that consumers would choose to buy a separate device just for reading. It will be interesting to see what happens, should an anti-glare display ever be implemented on an iPad or other tablet device.

[via TechCrunch]

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Plastic Bags into Fuel via Carbon-Negative Device

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 02:46 PM PST

Welcome to the modern consumer landscape, one where our everyday environment is literally littered with plastic bags. We cannot escape them, we cannot stop using them. What’s to be done? An inventor in Japan by the name of Akinori Ito has offered up an invention that takes these bags and turns them into fuel. How could this possibly be done? Consider the makeup of the bags: oil and ink. Is it possible to revert these bags back down to their elements, elements that can be reused for all manner of fuel-sucking machines.

All it takes is heat! What Ito’s invention does is hold an amount of bags inside itself, head them up to great temperatures, trap the vapors that result, and channels the vapors through a system of pipes and water chambers. Once these vapors are channeled, they’re cooled to a level that turns them back into liquid, into crude oil. This crude oil can essentially instantly be used in generators of many types as well as some stoves. If this crude oil is then refined, it can be converted into gasoline for all manner of machines.

The device that accomplishes this feat is the Carbon-negative system, already produced by Ito’s Blest Corporation (a group founded around a year ago in 2010.) This tech is currently rather expensive, right around 10,000 USD per unit, but does have some impressive specs to go with it. Each kilogram (approximately 2-lbs) of plastic is converted into 1 liter (about a quart) of oil with only 1 kilowatt of power. Each time this is done, it costs around .20 cents. Sounds like a good deal!

Ito currently hopes that this system will be much more mass-produced than it is today so that it can be done for much cheaper than it is today. Would you rather have one system for 10k USD or 10 for 1? I think we all know the answer to that.

[via Clean Technica]

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Apple’s New MacBooks: Bigger Trackpads, OS On SSD, Half Pound Lighter

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 02:09 PM PST

Apple’s new MacBooks are just around the corner–and by that I mean sitting on pallets at your local resellers. Apple has warned resellers not to unpackage the pallets until further notice. So far, exact details on the new MacBooks have remained a mystery. However, BGR has an Apple source that let loose on some interesting features to expect.

BGR’s source claims that the new MacBooks will have glass trackpads that are larger than the ones on current-gen MacBook Pro models. The source also claims that the OS will be loaded to a separate internal 8-16GB SSD while everything else remains on the hard drive. And lastly, the sources says that the new MacBook Pro models will be about a half-pound lighter than current-gen models.

Another potential feature we’ve noted previously was that the new MacBooks may have some Light Peak ports. Five different SKUs of MacBooks will likely be the new lineup.

[via BGR]

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Former Head of Design Discusses Where Nokia Went Wrong

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 01:46 PM PST

Adam Greenfield was once the head of design direction for UI over at Nokia. Now he’s off on his own, and posting on the Internet about his experiences at Nokia. While Adam had only positive things to say about his co-workers, he slammed Nokia for several major shortcomings. The crux of their problems?

“…the company is fundamentally, and has always been, organized to trade in commodities.”

In other words, Nokia traditionally deals in end-products. Putting devices together and getting them where they need to be. They fall short when it comes to designing an experience though. Adam seems to feel the engineering teams have too much say in the way users interact with new products and services.

“It's just not particularly wise to allow engineers to make decisions about things like product and service nomenclature, interface typography and the graphic design of icons: they're, I daresay, not even neurocognitively equipped to do so.”

The rest of the article is well worth a read, especially for anyone who wants to form a more complete picture of what the upcoming Windows Phone 7 partnership might look like.

[Via SpeedBird]

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HTC Inspire 4G HSUPA Intentionally Disabled

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 01:40 PM PST

There’s conflicting news about what’s going on with the HTC Inspire 4G. Some sources claim that the HTC Inspire 4G is unequipped for HSUPA while others say the feature is simply disabled by AT&T.

AT&T sources claim that the HTC Inspire 4G does not have HSUPA. This is contrary to what other sources from Engadget believe stating that it is very rare for an HSPA+ chipset to not support HSUPA. Sources from the site believe that a firmware update for the device would enable HSUPA.

If the latter claim is true, it is uncertain why the feature is not enabled. AT&T has yet to respond with further information other than their initial denial that the device was not capable of supporting HSUPA.

[via Electronista]

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Nomad Capacitive Brush for iPad Unveiled

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 01:15 PM PST

The iPad got a little more creative today, with the launch of the Nomad Brush. This weird new “stylus” is made from capacitive fibers that actually register on the touchscreen like real brush strokes. While the iPad is the most obvious device for the Nomad, it will work on any capacitive touchscreen.

Each brush is hand-made. Cost per-unit is just $24. Now, all we need is a “grain of rice” application and a “detail” capacitive brush. Campy fairground gimmicks and hastily drawn caricatures have never been so accessible to the common man!

[Via TUAW]

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Official Apple Playing Cards Show Up on Ebay

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 12:47 PM PST

Apple fanatics, get ready to search your souls and throw some serious money at eBay. A rare set of playing cards themed after OS 7 have just hit the online auction site. These cards were never available for purchase outside of the Apple campus store. They were released in 1997, which means this deck may be among the last surviving. You know you want them. Unfortunately, everyone else does too.

A few hours ago, the cards were up to a mere £28. That price didn’t last. With 5 days and 22 hours left on the bid, these cards are currently up to £225. Somewhere out there is a geek who will spend more on this pack of playing cards than he did on his iPad. Which, by the way, has a pretty damn good solitaire app.

[Via Mac Stories]

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Samsung Unveils Five New NX Lenses

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 12:40 PM PST

Samsung has just unleashed five new lenses for their NX line of digital cameras giving the lineup a total of 10 lenses. Lenses of the series all feature Samsung’s i-Function system that allows users to adjust camera settings directly from the lens.

The first of the new lenses is a multi-purpose 18-200 mm Long Zoom lens that features fast and silent auto-focus and Optical Image Stabilization.

The 16mm F2.4 ultra-wide pancake lens features a bright aperture for capturing good images in low-light situations.

The 60mm Macro lens features Super Sonic Actuator technology that makes auto focusing faster and quieter. It comes with full-time manual focus and Optical Image Stabilization.

The ultra-bright 85mm F1.4 CSC lens is a professional portrait lens and aslo features Super Sonic Actuator and full-time manual focus.

The final lens is the 16-80mm advanced standard zoom lens that also comes with silent auto-focus and Optical Image Stabilization.

[via Samsung Hub]

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The Verizon iPhone: Mostly Bought by AT&T iPhone Owners?

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 12:29 PM PST

The Verizon iPhone hasn’t been quite the wild success we’d expected. Not only is the Big Red iPhone not moving fast, it is also selling primarily to people who already own iPhones. So far, there’s little evidence of a great Android flight.

This information comes from the app Instapaper. They tend to have a stable ranking- between #2 and #5 in the App Store news category, and thus their sales may act as a decent gauge for iPhone sales. Rather than seeing a huge influx of totally new customers due to the CDMA iPhone, the numbers remain stable.

From this, it seems reasonable to assume that most of the Verizon iPhone sales have been users switching over from AT&T. This isn’t a bad thing, at least not for Verizon and Apple, but it may point towards a better Q1 for Android handset manufacturers than any of them had dared hope.

[Via Marco]

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New Angry Birds Cake Takes Playing With Your Food To A New Level

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 12:23 PM PST

We have another entry in the line of Angry Birds cakes and this one hails from across the pond in the U.K. This cake sets itself apart from previous versions because it actually lets you play the Angry Birds game on the actual cake. Video of the carnage after the jump.

The author made the cake for his son's 6th birthday and it took about 10 hours to make. It looks very much like a real level on the game and plays just how you would expect. The cake comes with iced birds as your ammunition and uses chocolate wafers as the wood blocks you topple. The base is chocolate cake covered with chocolate icing and the grass is just white icing with some green food coloring added.

If you feel up to the task, you can make your own Angry Birds cake because the post has a link to step-by-step instructions on how to make one. The video is pretty cool and it might make you feel some resentment towards your parents if they never made a Super Mario cake for one of your birthdays.

[via ElectricPig]

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Microsoft Opens Kinect SDK Up To Hackers

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 11:59 AM PST

Microsoft has proved their support of the “backyard” modding community today. News has just come out that the company will release the Kinect SDK for personal use this March. It will initially only be for non-commercial use. A follow-up commercial SDK has been outed as launching “later”, possibly this Fall.


This news will greatly lower the barrier to entry for Kinect hobbyists, which is exactly what Microsoft wants. This is new technology, and fans who, say integrate the Kinect with a Flash-based interface represent (to Microsoft) useful feedback on possible future features.

Craig Mundie, Microsoft chief research and strategy officer, said that he expects a “huge explosion” in interest. It looks like their unreasonably reasonable reaction to Windows Phone 7 hackers was just the outer edge of a company-wide trend. Now, how much longer do we have to wait for Kinect for Windows?

[Via Pocket-Lint]

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BlackBerry Bold Touch Spotted In The Flesh

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 11:18 AM PST

We’re still a depressingly long way off from any QNX-based BlackBerry handsets. But RIM’s next line of smartphones has already started to leak out. We first heard about the Bold Touch from a leaked CDMA roadmap. Now images of the device itself have leaked.

The new Bold is a nod back to traditional BlackBerry design. We’ve got the front-facing QWERTY keyboard, portrait-style display and overall control layout of the Bold 9000. But that display is a 2.8″ capacitive touchscreen now. It has a 640×480 resolution and a 5 MP camera capable of shooting 720p video.

This new Berry sports WiFi and mobile hotspot connectivity options, and it also contains an NFC chip. The biggest change in terms of form is a glossy back and sides that slant down to the front more steeply. The Touch is expected to be just 10.5 mm thick, which would make it the thinnest BlackBerry ever. Expect a launch in Q3 2011.

[Via Mobile Syrup]

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Microsoft Xbox 360 Announcements Coming This Week

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 11:15 AM PST

Microsoft is planning a conference at the upcoming Game Developers Conference (GDC) this week in San Francisco. Not many details on what the conference will be about specifically, but it is rumored to be Kinect focused.

Particulars about the conference are sparse, but Microsoft's Larry Hyrb said on his latest podcast that gamers will be "really happy" when they hear the news. The company is working on four upcoming Kinect games for 2011, which might include the rumored Gears of War title or Forza 4. There are also reports of Microsoft preparing Kinect SDK and drivers for Windows, allowing users to connect the accessory to their PCs.

Microsoft's Kinect sensor for its Xbox 360 has been a huge hit for the company selling 8 million units over the holiday season, surpassing Microsoft's own predictions of 5 million units. With the surge of popularity Microsoft used up their January and February stocks, so shortages may be hitting consumers in the next few weeks.

[via WinRumors]

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Google May Have Vanishing Address Bar In Next Chrome

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 11:08 AM PST

Google is working on a new interface for its Chrome browser. Some changes they are considering may include replacing the address bar with something less intrusive such as a vanishing address bar that only shows up when you hover over a certain area.

They are actually working on four different interfaces: classic, sidetab, touch, and compact. The classic is like your current Chrome browser, the sidetab places navigation elements on a sidebar, and touch is for touchscreens.

The compact is the interface that may have a vanishing address bar and features all navigation elements on one line resembling the recent RC release of Internet Explorer 9, which sports a sleek new interface with the address bar and tab bar being in the same row.

[via CrunchGear]

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SG Comics Presents: Alpha Bird

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 10:28 AM PST

Twitter suspended UberTwitter and Twidroyd this past Friday for violations including trademark infringement and “changing the content of user's Tweets in order to make money.” Although the suspension seemed to catch everyone by surprise, Twitter says that they’ve been warning Ubermedia–the company behind the two most popular 3rd-party Twitter apps–since April of last year.

Considering that Twitter has been having a difficult time monetizing its platform and that the move also coincided with an update to Twitter’s own app, makes people wonder about the motivations and timing. Over the weekend, Ubermedia made all the changes requested, including changing the name of its app to UberSocial. And they look to be back up and running. But other 3rd-party apps may want to tread carefully now, too.

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Windows Phone 7 update imminent (but no copy & paste)

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 09:45 AM PST

Microsoft has confirmed that a new software update for Windows Phone 7 smartphones is heading out the virtual door today, though it’s won’t bring the copy & paste functionality users are eagerly waiting for. Instead, the update will be a minor one, containing bugfixes and paving the way for future OTA firmware releases.

A much more impressive update is expected to arrive later in 2011, bringing with it multitasking support and a new browser engine. However, before then there’s a smaller update which some had expected to see announced at MWC 2011 last week. Interestingly, we’ve heard that, while this minor update is all about bugfixes, it actually won’t address the phantom data IMAP bug Microsoft blamed Yahoo! Mail for.

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BMW i3 and i8 launch new Earth-Friendly sub-brand

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 09:32 AM PST

It’s obviously the day for eco-luxury cars; in Rolls Royce‘s tire tracks comes BMW i, a new sub-brand by the German car manufacturer (which, of course, actually owns the RR marque) with a pair of concept cars and the promise of “sustainable, premium mobility.” The BMW i3 and i8 may sound like Intel processors, but they’re actually expected to launch in 2013.

The i3 is an all-electric vehicle intended for urban use, constructed largely from Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP), and using decelerative torque to recharge the battery on braking. The motor itself is the size of two drinks crates, half the size of a traditional gas engine (though that doesn’t include the batteries).

As for the BMW i8, that’s a plug-in hybrid for boosted range, and uses the same CFRP materials to keep weight down. Each will be stuffed full of electronic gizmos and quite probably look a whole lot less slinky by the time they reach the road.

Press Release:

New BMW sub-brand: BMW i

Munich. The new BMW sub-brand focused on developing sustainable mobility solutions has been launched. "BMW i represents a new movement in premium mobility. With the introduction of this new sub-brand, the BMW Group reaffirms its leadership as the most innovative and sustainable premium car company. The products and services have been conceived around a revolutionary approach: purpose designed and purpose built for sustainable, premium mobility. It's a new day in our industry; a new era for individual mobility. This is BMW i – Born Electric." said Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Marketing, in Munich on Monday.
In a first move, two models will be launched under the new sub-brand from 2013 – the BMW i3 and BMW i8. The BMW Group will also significantly expand its range of mobility services over the years ahead. To achieve this, a Venture Capital company was founded in New York City, BMW i Ventures, with an investment totalling up to 100 million US dollars.
"BMW i offers visionary cars and services, inspiring design, and an entirely new concept of premium mobility – all with a focus on sustainability", explained Robertson. The BMW i brand comprises vehicles and services developed since 2007 as part of project i, a BMW Group think tank exploring sustainable mobility solutions. It is the BMW Group's response to changing customer needs, including increasing demand for alternative drive trains, such as electric drive systems and hybrids. There is a widespread desire in megacities for solutions which intelligently combine the benefits of various mobility concepts in a single package.

Revolutionary vehicle concepts
"With BMW i, we are building on the success and strength of our core brand," emphasised Robertson. The BMW i3– previously known as the Megacity Vehicle – will be the BMW Group's first series-produced car for urban areas to be driven by electric power alone. The BMW i8, meanwhile, is based on the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept study. Its plug-in hybrid drive blends the sporting ability of a high-performance machine with the fuel consumption and emissions of a small car.
Both models are based on a revolutionary construction concept known as LifeDrive architecture. An aluminium chassis houses the powertrain, and the passenger cell consists of high-strength but extremely lightweight carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP). "Both cars have been designed specifically for their respective alternative drive systems. We used the innovative architecture and CFRP to cancel out practically all of the extra weight added by the batteries. For our customers this means superior driving dynamics combined with significantly increased range using electric power," explains Klaus Draeger, BMW Board member responsible for development.

BMW i8 to be built in Leipzig
Like the BMW i3, the BMW i8 will also be manufactured at BMW's Leipzig plant. Around 400 million euros will be invested in new plant facilities and some 800 jobs will be created up to 2013. Development and production synergies will be achieved through both vehicles using the same component sets for the electric motors, power electronics, and high-voltage lithium-ion batteries.

A range of vehicle-independent services
An additional range of mobility services – which can also be used independently of the cars – will be an integral component of BMW i. This will allow the creation of a new, profitable area of business over the long term and attract new customers to the company's brands.
"Mobility requirements are changing in rapidly expanding megacities" adds Ian Robertson. "Our commitment to car-enabled mobility services, like BMW ConnectedDrive, will be significantly expanded under BMW i. We'll also grow our car-related premium mobility services. What's truly groundbreaking is that we'll begin offering car-independent premium mobility services. BMW i aims to provide customized mobility solutions across a seamless network of premium products and premium services." The focus is on solutions which will improve usage of existing parking spaces, as well as intelligent navigation systems with local information, intermodal route planning, and premium car-sharing.
In addition to services developed in-house, the BMW Group is pursuing collaborations with partner companies and exploring strategic capital investments in providers of mobility services. To this end, the venture capital company BMW i Ventures has the goal to expand the range of products and services offered by BMW i in the long term by taking stakes in highly innovative service providers.
New York-based My City Way is the first company in which BMW i Ventures has taken a stake. Of the partnership, Ian Robertson said, "I am thrilled to announce that we have just signed our first strategic partnership with My City Way. As a mobile app, My City Way provides users with information on public transportation, parking availability, and local entertainment for over 40 cities in the US. Another 40 cities will be part of the global rollout, including Munich, of course."

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Samsung adds live TV streaming for Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy S II

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 08:51 AM PST

Samsung’s Galaxy range of Android-based devices have always had DLNA support for streaming content, but the upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet and Galaxy S II smartphone will gain live TV support the company has confirmed. Samsung Europe told Pocket-lint that owners of the company’s new D7000 and D8000 HDTVs will be able to wirelessly stream live TV to the phone and tablet.

The system will make use of the new HDTVs’ second integrated tuner, with content presumably funneled over a WiFi network to the Android devices. It’s not yet known whether remote streaming will be supported – turning the system into something of a Slingbox competitor – over the tablet/smartphone’s 3G connections, or if it will be limited to use on the same home network.

Still, it sets up another use case for the devices, and bypasses the need for Samsung to fit dedicated TV tuners. No word on any retroactive functionality for previous Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S models.

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Sprint teases new phone on Feb 24: CDMA HTC 7 Pro finally arriving?

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 08:02 AM PST

Looks like Sprint hasn’t learnt its lesson. The carrier blew expectations out of proportion for the Kyocera Echo, delivering an awkward dual-display Android handset with seriously niche appeal, and it’s headed in the same way with a new teaser campaign building up to Thursday, February 24. “What do you think the next new Sprint phone will be?” the carrier asked via its official Twitter account; our money is on the HTC 7 Pro.

The HTC 7 Pro was first promised for CDMA networks all the way back at Windows Phone 7‘s launch in late 2010, and since then has already arrived – in GSM form – in Europe. We reviewed the smartphone earlier this month, finding it to be one of the most appealing Windows Phones in the current line-up, though whether it’s worth a big press event (considering we played with it in October) remains to be seen.

Of course, Sprint could have something else up its sleeve; let us know your prediction in the comments.

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Sony S2 Honeycomb dual-display and VAIO Windows 7 slider tablets tipped

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 07:46 AM PST

Sony’s tablet ambitions extend to more than just the S1 in 2011, according to the latest batch of rumors. Loose lips have been flapping, and tipped a dual-touchscreen Android 3.0 Honeycomb clamshell internally known as the Sony S2, along with a 9.4-inch Windows 7 VAIO slider, for release in around Q4 2011. According to Engadget‘s sources, the Sony S2 will have a pair of 5.5-inch displays sandwiched into an oval cross-section hinged chassis, running a heavily customized Honeycomb install on Tegra 2.

The NVIDIA chipset will be paired with 3G and WiFi, and Sony’s engineers have reportedly been hard at work modifying Android to play nicely with the double displays. For instance, Gmail could split the message list and individual email previews between the two panels, while Google Maps could show the regular view on one screen and either Streetview or turn-by-turn directions on the other pane. It’s a similar concept to the dual-screen ereader patent application Sony submitted in mid-2010.

Unfortunately, the sources also sent along some pessimism with the scant details, suggesting that the $699 Sony S2 is a “dog” and being met with some serious push-back within Sony. Of particular concern is the distance between the two displays, though apparently the company is still pushing for a pre-holiday 2011 release in the US, Europe and Japan.

As for the Windows 7 tablet, that’s set to slot into Sony’s VAIO laptop line-up with a 9.4-inch touchscreen and a mere Intel Pinetrail Atom processor. The company’s equivalent of the Samsung Sliding PC 7 Series and ASUS Eee Pad Slider, and sounding a lot like an oversized VAIO UX, it’s tipped for an October retail debut with a price headed northward of $799.

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Hanvon HPad A112 Froyo tablet packs 3MP camera, ereader app & more

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 07:20 AM PST

Hanvon brought its HPad A116 along to CES 2011 last month, and now there’s apparently a second version for the European market. The Hanvon HPad A112 has a 7-inch 800 x 600 touchscreen, Android 2.2 Froyo and a 3-megapixel camera on the back, along with optional 3G and GPS. The 10.8mm slate has a magnesium alloy frame and brushed stainless steel shell, and Hanvon has whipped up its own handwriting support in the office app.

The A112 is powered by a 720MHz ARM11 processor paired with 2GB of internal storage and a microSD slot; there’s also WiFi and Bluetooth, USB and HDMI. The 3,300 mAh battery is supposedly good for up to 8hrs of reading, though it’s not clear how long it will power the HPad for video playback or browsing. At first glance, lower camera resolutions aside, it’s hard to see where the A112 differentiates itself from the A116, beyond the price: the tablet Hanvon showed off at CES was expected to launch for around $350, while Hanvon is supposedly expecting the A112 to retail for around €399 ($545) when it drops in the second half of the year.

[via Android Community and via The Digital Reader]

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Dell Inspiron Duo price slash cuts convertible by 27%

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 06:35 AM PST

Dell’s Inspiron Duo has seen its price slashed, with the official Microsoft store knocking more than a quarter off the convertible netbook. Now down to $399, the Inspiron Duo packs a dual-core Atom N550 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard-drive but, most interestingly, a rotating 10.1-inch 1366 x 768 multitouch display that can be flipped between regular notebook and slate orientations.

Sales of the netbook began back in December, though Dell hasn’t revealed how strong interest has been. At launch it was priced at $549, with the optional speaker dock a further $49. More details in our hands-on.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

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Leaked iPad 2 leather case apparently confirms camera, more [Video]

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 06:24 AM PST

Another day and another leaked iPad 2 case, this time leather rather than the silicone skins we’ve seen before. MIC Gadget were passed the case from an Asian supplier, which claims it was designed and tested around an authentic iPad 2; apparently 120,000 units were shipped out to “a famous case company” last month.

Videos after the cut

As for the differences, the new case is supposedly thinner and won’t accomodate a first-gen iPad, with the shape of the mount suggesting a flat back and tapered sides. There’s also a larger speaker cut-out and a rear camera hole; apparently the supplier also showed off – but wouldn’t allow photographs of – an iPad 2 rear panel, complete with camera port but no Apple logo quite yet.

Meanwhile, MIC Gadget took the opportunity to ask about the smaller iPhone, and the supplier reckons it is indeed on the way. Last we heard, Apple wasn’t reading an iPhone nano as much as a cheaper variant, with lower-spec internals but the same size display so as to avoid iOS developers having to rework their apps.

[via GottaBeMobile]

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Samsung outs five NX Series lenses: super-zoom, pancake & more

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 05:52 AM PST

Samsung has announced a five-strong line up of new NX Series interchangeable lenses, doubling the options on offer for cameras like the NX Hybrid. Among the new array is a 18-200mm multi-purpose Long Zoom Lens and a 16mm F2.4 Ultra Wide Pancake, as well as a macro lens, portrait lens and a standard zoom.

The 60mm Macro Lens packs optical image stablization – as on the 18-200mm and 16-80mm – together with a Super Sonic Actuator (SSA) for faster, quieter auto-focus. As for the 85mm F1.4 CSC portrait lens, that has full time manual focus.

Finally, the 16-80mm Advanced Standard Zoom throws in OIS and Voice Coil Motor (VCM) autofocus. The five lenses will be released between May and December – see the table below for more details – with pricing tba.

Press Release:

Samsung Launches New 2011 NX Series Lens Line Up

NX Series further strengthened with launch of five new lenses, allowing every photographer to create professional quality images

SEOUL, Korea – February 21, 2011 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced five innovative new lenses for its NX camera system. The new lenses bring more premium innovation to the range, featuring class-leading technology such as a premium portrait lens and lenses for movie capturing, opening new creative avenues for NX users to explore.

All of the lenses are compatible with Samsung's unique i-Function system, which helps users create powerful effects easily through quick and convenient controls. The new launches, along with the five lenses released in 2010, mean that there are now 10 high-performance lenses available for the NX system, making this one of the most comprehensive ranges available in the Compact System Camera (CSC) market. Samsung's new lenses have been created to allow users to maximize the potential of their NX system cameras, achieve professional-looking results and enjoy taking photos whatever their level of photography experience.

The new lens range includes Samsung's 18-200mm multi-purpose Long Zoom Lens. This model features modes which are optimized for creating high-quality movie content with a single lens. The new long zoom lens also has a fast, silent Auto-Focus due to Samsung's use of Voice Coil Motor (VCM) technology, so users can capture important events without recording the sound of the camera's AF. The lens also features Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) to cancel out any hand movement and deliver crisp, clear images, even when a subject is far away.

Samsung has also launched a light, compact 16mm F2.4 Ultra Wide Pancake Lens. The bright aperture of this lens helps to capture wider images even in low light, and deliver a shallow depth of field. The new lens' compact size and sleek design make it the perfect companion to the stylish NX camera range, and its ultra wide angle is ideal for taking landscape shots and deep perspective pictures.

For the ultimate in super fast and silent Auto Focus, Samsung's new 60mm Macro Lens features a Super Sonic Actuator (SSA) to deliver a fast, quiet Auto-Focus and also has an Optical Image Stabilization so users never have to miss the timing of that perfect close up shot. For more advanced photographers, the lens offers the ability to manually fine-tune focusing using the Full-Time Manual Focus.

The Premium Portrait Lens also launched today is the ultra bright 85mm F1.4 CSC lens, designed for professional photographers. This lens also includes the SSA to provide a fast and silent Auto-Focus. Like Samsung's 60mm Macro Lens, the 85mm Premium Portrait Lens also includes the Full Time Manual Focus, giving advanced photographer's greater control over their preferred settings. The bright F1.4 lens offers the ideal solution for capturing perfect and professional looking portrait pictures of friends or loved ones.

Samsung's 16-80mm Advanced Standard Zoom Lens is optimized for taking great movies and still shots. Like the 18-200mm long zoom lens, it has a fast, silent Auto-Focus and Optical Image Stabilization. To make capturing great footage easy in any situation, the lens includes VCM modes ranging from landscape to portrait.

"At Samsung we are committed to ensuring that we remain at the cutting edge of imaging technology, and these five new lenses are testament to that ambition and the growing strength of compact system camera photography," said Mr. Hyunho Chung, executive vice president and head of the Digital Imaging Business, Samsung Electronics. "These are products that a professional photographer would be proud to use, but we make them so easy to use that a novice could get amazing results every time, and that is a credit to our strong R&D team. We are continuing to innovate in this exciting market and we have more significant developments planned for the future, which will add to our growing strength in the compact system camera market."

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Nintendo 3DS gets pre-release teardown

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 05:40 AM PST

Nintendo’s execs spoke earlier this month about the physical design decisions around the Nintendo 3DS, but what we really wanted was to see the 3D-capable gaming handheld torn down into its constituent pieces. Happily that’s just what TGBus has delivered, a comprehensive pre-release teardown of the 3DS.

The batteries, incidentally, are ranked in order of the DSi XL at the top, then the DSi, and finally the 3DS at the bottom. Nintendo has already confirmed that the 3DS should last for around 3-5hrs of 3D gameplay on a full charge.

US availability of the Nintendo 3DS is expected on March 27, with the console priced at $249.99. Meanwhile, it will hit Europe a couple of days earlier, though pricing is yet to be confirmed.

[via Kotaku]

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Rolls Royce 102EX goes all-electric [Video]

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 04:37 AM PST

Rolls Royce is dipping a wheel into electric vehicles, with the debut of the Rolls Royce 102EX. Described as a “working test-bed” for alternative drive-train technologies, the 102EX is based on the existing Phantom but switches the 6.75-liter engine for an unspecified all-electric powertrain.

Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen electric technologies used in luxury cars, and while the earth-friendly kit is often seen as the preserve of the hair-shirt brigade, there are plenty of reasons it also fits in with more expensive vehicles. Lexus has offered a hybrid LX-series for a few years now, taking advantage of electric motors’ quiet running, smooth response and potent acceleration in the LX600hL, pairing them with a 6-liter gasoline engine.

Rolls Royce says the 102EX will be used to test the potential of electric to see if it can live up to expectations of “ultra-luxury cars.” If so, a commercial version could be on the cards, though we’d recommend you start saving now.

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Missing Motorola XOOM Flash leaves Honeycomb at a disadvantage until Spring 2011?

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 04:17 AM PST

Android’s Flash advantage over the iPad will be missing in action from the launch of the Motorola XOOM, with Flash Player support not expected until Spring 2011. An Engadget tipster spotted the disclaimer lurking at the bottom of Verizon’s XOOM pre-order listing, seemingly suggesting that Adobe and Google are waiting until Flash Player 10.2 is ready later in the year.

Adobe has already confirmed that it is working on Flash Player 10.2 for Honeycomb, complete with high frame-rates, dual-core support and a reduction in CPU usage during video, game and animation playback. All well and good, but until it’s released – and in the apparent absence of Flash Player 10.1 for Honeycomb – Android 3.0 slates like the XOOM, G-Slate and Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be at a potentially significant disadvantage even to existing models based on Android 2.2, like the original Galaxy Tab.

[via Android Community]

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Huawei offers London Underground cellular network for 2012 Olympics

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 03:50 AM PST

Huawei has offered to outfit London’s Underground train system with blanket cellular access in time for the 2012 Olympics, as a so-called gift “from one Olympic host nation to another.” According to the Sunday Times [subscription required], Huawei would make money on the deal in maintenance fees. However, security fears over a Chinese organization having so much potential control over the wireless network have led to suggestions that the offer may be rebuked.

Currently, voice service is not operational on most of the Underground system, with the Tube predominantly underground in central London. Transport for London, the organization responsible for the Tube, has confirmed talks are underway regarding mobile coverage, but has declined to name participants. However, operators Vodafone and O2 are both tipped – among others – to be footing the bill for the installation work.

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iPad 2 Light Peak: High-speed port refresh for tablet and MacBook Pro?

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 03:38 AM PST

Apple’s iPad 2 could be the first tablet to have a Light Peak port, it’s been suggested, with persistent leaks showing what was initially interpreted as either a Mini DisplayPort or USB connection in fact being a hybrid USB 3.0 socket. MacRumors has led the speculation, highlighting the near-USB sized mystery port spotted on the leaked iPad 2 cases and the hybrid connectors Light Peak prototypes have been using.

As PC Pro reported in mid-2010, Intel’s Light Peak development team had been using a hybrid connector that allowed for not only the new, high-speed technology but backward compatibility with USB ports together with a power supply. The modified plug wasn’t certified by the USB-IF at the time.

Apple’s interest in Light Peak has been cemented with a number of patents around the technology, including embedding an optical data system in a MagSafe connector. Rumors have also suggested that imminent MacBook Pro updates might replace one or more existing ports with Light Peak. If the speculation around the iPad 2 pans out, Apple could be leaving the second-gen slate with both a traditional dock connector – for compatibility with legacy notebooks and speaker-docks – and the new port for high-speed media transfers.

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Microsoft FlashStore promises HDD/SSD-beating performance for Xbox LIVE & more

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 03:10 AM PST

Microsoft is looking to boost Xbox LIVE online gaming speed, server farms and cloud apps using an injection of flash memory. Microsoft FlashStore works in a similar way to Seagate’s hybrid Momentus XT drives, using a flash-based bridge between RAM and a traditional HDD; that bridge maintains not only a “working set” of the most commonly accessed data, but provides a computer’s RAM with a hash-table-based index for speedier recall.

It also reduces the number of random writes subjected to flash and HDD alike. Interestingly, while when we tested Seagate’s Momentus XT we discovered performance fell in-between a traditional HDD and a proper SSD, Microsoft claims that FlashStore is quicker than both. Used in Xbox LIVE databases, a FlashStore setup was 60x faster than a standard RAM/HDD system and 5x faster than a top of the line commercial SSD.

[via HardMac and via CDRInfo]

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