Visualized: 130 years of GE innovation, accentuated with 130-year old Instagram filters
July 7, 2011 No Comment
It may not pay any taxes , but General Electric sure knows how to use an iPhone 4 to upload photos to Tumblr. Hit the source link for a boatload of other shots that probably are as old as they look. But, not at all. Visualized: 130 years of GE innovation, accentuated with 130-year old Instagram filters originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s July, there is no new iPhone, and the analysts are restless. This time last year, Apple had already announced and begun shipping the iPhone 4 — in fact, every single previous model has been announced in June, save for the first, which was unveiled in January 2007. So, now that the month has come and gone and WWDC with it, what are all of the tech publications out there to do? Make with the rumor stories, naturally — and over the past few weeks, they’ve been coming fast and furious. DigiTimes has offered a fairly constant stream of sometimes dubious rumors surrounding the device from its stable of supplier contacts, and a recent article from The Wall Street Journal has reopened the floodgates. GigaOm has gone so far as to suggest that the latter may well be a controlled leak from Apple, and certainly it has reignited interest in the belated device. There’s not a lot in the way consensus here, save for one key detail: Apple appears set to release a new iPhone. That much seems certain. After all, the iPhone remains the company’s biggest money maker, even in this post-iPad world. Last year, of course, we had a slightly better guide ahead of the launch, but this time out, for better or worse, no one at Cupertino has been considerate enough to leave the upcoming handset at a Redwood City bar after a night of partying, so let’s cut through the noise and and piece together a cohesive picture based on the wide assortment of rumors. Continue reading iPhone 5 / 4S: the rumor roundup iPhone 5 / 4S: the rumor roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Megapixel , megaschmixel — we’re more impressed when camera tech goes the opposite way and shrinks down . A happy byproduct of his neural mapping research, Patrick Gill and his Cornell University team have engineered a cam so microscopic it could fit on the head of a pin. The lensless creation is only one 100th of a millimeter thick, looks more like a miniature CD and doesn’t require any budget-breaking parts. Named after the Fourier transform that inspired it — a mathematical operation that breaks a signal down into various frequencies — the Planar Fourier Capture Array translates pixel components into a fleshed-out image. Creators of the tiny camera tech stress that it won’t be “[taking] family portraits,” but you could probably count on having this nigh-invisible sucker implanted into your brain. It’s definitely one small step for man, one nano-leap of the photographing kind. Continue reading Cornell University’s microscopic camera makes photos with mathematics Cornell University’s microscopic camera makes photos with mathematics originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Apple patent apps describe ‘smart’ pens for notetaking and long-distance doodling
July 7, 2011 No Comment
Apple’s knack for filing patent applications has struck again, offering a pair of digital pens that could become a competitive one-up for HTC’s Scribe pen . Both filed apps revealed by the USPTO involve styli for iOS displays, but if you’re imagining a magical item that helps (or hinders) your typing, this is another ball of wax. The first stylus is appropriately called “stylus for touch sensitive devices” and includes a rechargeable battery that could be stored and charged by placing it in a dock embedded directly in the device. Curiously, the stylus is heated for “more consistent interaction between the capacitive-sensors in the computing device and the stylus,” which sounds mighty nice on a cold day. By allowing the user to easily write real notes and draw pictures, this patent turns out to be much more than just a different method of inputting text. Next up is the “communicating stylus,” a digital pen equipped with accelerometers and wireless transmitters that send position data. This would enable it to be used for an iOS device without any physical contact or other accessories. In theory, you could take the stylus (shown after the break) across the room and still jot down notes or doodle on your iPad, even if it’s out of sight. Finally, ” the greatest pointing device in the world ” — our fingers — will get a chance to rest. Continue reading Apple patent apps describe ‘smart’ pens for notetaking and long-distance doodling Apple patent apps describe ‘smart’ pens for notetaking and long-distance doodling originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Verizon’s automated SMS alerts will remind you of your newly tiered mobile lifestyle
July 7, 2011 No Comment
It’s clear that after killing off unlimited smartphone data plans, Verizon realized it had a walloping PR mess to clean up. Alas, the carrier isn’t budging on its decision to impose usage-based plans, which go into effect today, but it is making nice the best way it knows how: by checking in frequently to let you know just how many megabytes you’ve burned through. Starting this week, smartphone owners will begin receiving free text message alerts informing them when they’ve consumed 50, 75, 90, 100, and 110 percent of their monthly allowance. People with My Verizon accounts can request email alerts instead, the same way they would with mobile broadband cards and netbooks, though either way you can only disable the alerts for the 50 and 75 percent makers — those 90, 100, and 100 percent milestone markets appear to be mandatory. In addition, you can, as always, keep tabs on your usage by entering “#DATA”, downloading the Data Usage widget for Android and BlackBerry, using the online data calculator, or availing yourself of the My Verizon portal. Hit the source links to find those last two, and best of luck with that gigabyte diet. Continue reading Verizon’s automated SMS alerts will remind you of your newly tiered mobile lifestyle Verizon’s automated SMS alerts will remind you of your newly tiered mobile lifestyle originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung’s Q2 profit drops 26 percent due to sluggish TV sales, demand for phones explodes
July 7, 2011 No Comment
You may or may not have noticed, but we’re once again in the thick of earnings season , and today Samsung’s in the hot seat. The company has reported that its second-quarter profit fell 26 percent year-over-year to 3.7 trillion won ($3.5 billion), largely thanks to underwhelming sales of flat screen TVs and, to a lesser extent, semiconductors. That’s a shade worse than the whiz kids over on Wall Street were expecting, according to Bloomberg . In fact, the demand for televisions was so disappointing that it overshadowed what was actually an impressive quarter for the outfit’s mobile division — sales of feature and smartphones quadrupled year-over-year to 19.2 million units, putting the company on track to further narrow the gap with Nokia, the world’s bestselling handset maker. All told, this balanced out to a modest growth in revenue — an uptick of 2.9 percent to 39 trillion won ($36.7 billion). Makes sense to us — handsets aren’t exactly big ticket items, ya know? Samsung’s Q2 profit drops 26 percent due to sluggish TV sales, demand for phones explodes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Almost on schedule , Acer has started pushing out an update for its Iconia Tab A500 that will upgrade the 10-inch slate to Android 3.1. If you’ll recall, the update actually leaked late last month, but would have required folks to take the risk of flashing their tablets. As is often the case, it’s unclear how long the roll-out will last, so don’t be crestfallen if you can’t enjoy those resizeable widgets just yet. For those of you who did wake up to an update, have at it — and do tell us how it goes. Acer starts rolling out Android 3.1 update for the Iconia Tab A500 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 09:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Gateway updates its ID and NV laptops with USB 3.0, Sandy Bridge and Llano internals
July 7, 2011 No Comment
Acer’s had its day ( or two ) unveiling back-to-school laptops, and now it’s its sister brand Gateway’s turn. The outfit just announced the 15.6-inch NV series and the 14-inch ID47, both of which include USB 3.0 and a choice of Sandy Bridge processors. (In the case of that entry-level NV, you can also opt for one of AMD’s fresh-off-the-line Llano chips.) But the company did more than just give its notebooks a spec bump — it also tweaked their designs, adding a chiclet keyboard to the NV series , while the metal-clad ID’s trackpad is 20 percent larger and no longer glows like a mood ring. The ID47 also has a 14-inch display crammed into a chassis usually paired with 13.3-inch panels, as well as a non-removable battery that promises up to eight hours of juice. (The NV is rated for up to four hours.) And, in an unusual twist, our friends in Canada will get additional choices, including a 15.6-inch version of the ID, as well as select models with NVIDIA Optimus . Both the ID47 and NV57 are available now, with the ID starting at $629.99 and $799 Canadian, and the NV fetching $529.99 and $499 Canadian. Check out the various configurations after the break, with lots ‘o photos below. Gallery: Gateway ID47 and NV55 / NV57 hands-on Continue reading Gateway updates its ID and NV laptops with USB 3.0, Sandy Bridge and Llano internals Gateway updates its ID and NV laptops with USB 3.0, Sandy Bridge and Llano internals originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you’re one of the proud and the brave who have sampled the latest wares of the crew behind JailbreakMe on your iPad, you’d be well advised to not update your TWCable TV app. We received the above screenshot from the latest version of said software, an update that apparently serves no purpose other than to prevent it running on jailbroken tablets. What do to? Well, you could restore your device to “factory defaults” — or you could watch a little Netflix or Hulu instead and use this as yet another reason to “cut the cable.” [Thanks, Chris] Time Warner Cable iPad app hates jailbreaks, loves gratuitous quotes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Apple’s request for preliminary injunction denied, Amazon’s Appstore needs no alias
July 7, 2011 No Comment
Remember when Apple sued Amazon , claiming the online retailer was infringing its “App Store” trademark? To stop Bezos and his boys from using the “Appstore” moniker for their Amazonian Android Market , Apple filed for a preliminary injunction last month, and today the judge denied that request. Despite the Cupertino company’s claims of consumer confusion and brand dilution, the court found in Amazon’s favor — in part because the term “app store” is descriptive and is used by plenty of mobile software purveyors. Of course, this doesn’t end the legal shenanigans between these two tech titans, but it does mean that Amazon’s Appstore can keep its incredibly original name… for now. Want the full breakdown why Apple got a judicial stiff arm? Dig into a copy of the order denying its motion in the source link below. Apple’s request for preliminary injunction denied, Amazon’s Appstore needs no alias originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 06:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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