"techme2" - 30 new articles

"techme2" - 30 new articles

1. 
   

Nokia Lumia 900 headed to other carriers? The Nokia Lumia 900 was announced last week as an AT&T exclusive, but if rumors turn out to be true, it might be an exclusivity that doesn’t last for long. WinSupersite recently reported that the new Windows Phone device from Nokia will make its way to a rival carrier 45 days after the phone’s release. With the phone expected to arrive on March 18th, May 2nd is the speculated date we’ll see it on T-Mobile, Verizon or Sprint. However, like all stories that haven’t been confirmed by an official source, we should take it with a pinch of salt and shouldn’t hold our breath. In the meantime, is anybody thinking of switching to an AT&T number just to pick up the Lumia 900 when it is released? Be sure to check out our coverage on the phone. Nokia Lumia 900 headed to other carriers?, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Google Sesame: an alternative way to login While our phones are great for accessing Google services, nothing beats the experience of doing it on a desktop computer especially when you have to edit documents or spreadsheets in Google Docs. But what if you’re not at home and only have access to an untrusted, public computer that may or may not have keyloggers installed? Google has come up with a simple solution to the problem: a QR code-based login system. All you have to do is head to the Google Sesame page, scan the QR code with your smartphone, access the website there and login on your phone. Once authenticated, you’ll be able to launch Gmail and any other Google service on the computer – all without having to even type your own username or password on the untrusted computer! A pretty nifty trick for all those paranoid folks out there worried about using public computers. [Google Sesame] Google Sesame: an alternative way to login, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Apple: now the 8th most valuable brand in the world If you’ve ever wanted to know how valuable Apple is, Interbrand’s Best Global Brands 2011 report which was released by Bloomberg today should give you an idea. According to the list, Apple has just broken into the top 10 by jumping 9 spots in 2011 to number 8. The creator of the popular iPhone and iPad increased its value by 58% last year – and now has an estimated value of $33.492 billion. This puts Apple above companies like Disney ($29.018 billion) and Toyota ($27.764 billion), talk about impressive. The other companies in the top 7 retained their positions, with Coca-Cola still at number 1 ($71.861 billion), IBM at number 2 ($69.905 billion), Microsoft at number 3 ($59.087 billion), Google at number 4 ($55.317) and Intel at number 7 ($35.217 billion). Other related entries in the list include Samsung at number 17, BlackBerry 56 and HTC a new entry at 98. Since it’s only the beginning of the year, it’s too early to tell what’s going to happen, but if things go well for Apple it will probably continue rising in 2012. [Bloomberg] Apple: now the 8th most valuable brand in the world, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • SoftKinect offers its own Kinect-like camera While Microsoft might be the makers of the Kinect, that doesn’t mean they’ve created the best version of the motion controller for consumers – at least SoftKinect seems to think so. At CES 2012, SoftKinect stated that its “Time of Flight” technology used in its DepthSense DS311 camera is more responsive and accurate than the PrimeSense technology used in the Kinect. Time of Flight sends out a signal to a room and waits for it to bounce off of an object and back to the DS311, which then lets it draw a 3D map of the space in front of the camera in real time. (more…) SoftKinect offers its own Kinect-like camera, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Pantech to enter Microsoft licensing agreement It’s been reported that Microsoft makes more money from Android due to its licensing agreements than it does from its own Windows Phone devices, and now it looks like the company is about to make even more. Last week LG entered the agreement to pay Microsoft, and today it has made yet another licensing partner lined up. According to reports online, the next OEM to pay up money for using Android on its phones will be Pantech. Though it’s not exactly the most popular brand around, Pantech the third largest mobile handset maker in South Korea (behind LG and Samsung), which makes this a pretty significant licensing deal. Microsoft is now said to be collecting royalties from over 70% of all Android smartphones sold in the US: basically this means it gets to make a lot of money without doing anything – at least until Google or OEMs find a way to replace the Microsoft-licensed features of Android. Pantech to enter Microsoft licensing agreement, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • HP VantagePoint unveiled HP’s latest release would be one that makes a statement of intent – after all, it is not everyday the computer manufacturer churns out a large-scale, touch-enabled wall of digital signage displays. Known as the HP VantagePoint (well said), it will offer customers an immersive experience through the clever use of videos, local and online applications, in addition to live web and broadcast feeds. The entire VantagePoint measures 132″ across diagonally, functioning as an ultra-high resolution interactive wall that is capable of supporting up to 32 touch points simultaneously, and HP hopes to create new ways for businesses to engage customers via specialized applications with the VantagePoint, in addition to improving back-office operations through touch-interactive decision support collaboration. (more…) HP VantagePoint unveiled, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Stormtrooper cake is the bomb If you know a huge Star Wars fan whose birthday is coming up, then you might want to consider placing an order for a life sized Stormtrooper cake that stands proud at 6 feet and 4 inches tall, holding a blaster in one hand and waving at you with the other – probably because he knows you are a Jedi, and he wants to be chummy so that he will not end up slain by your lightsaber. Of course, there is the small matter of ferrying this cake around to the destination without causing any damage to it. After all, the cake itself weighs 300 pounds, which is far heavier than what the average Stormtrooper would weigh, no thanks to a metal frame that functions as its skeleton. Taking a good two weeks to complete, this is a completely edible cake that I would clearly say is “too good to eat”. Don’t you think you would feel like a cannibal after the first couple of bites? Stormtrooper cake is the bomb, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Das Model S Professional Keyboard for Mac The Das Model S Professional Keyboard for Mac is finally here, and as usual, the early bird gets the worm. Normally, this keyboard will retail for $133 a pop, but you can always place a pre-order now and shave $20 off, and that kind of money can be spent to buy you a nice lunch somewhere else. This high-performance Model S mechanical keyboard will now come with Mac-specific features to follow up on their cult-like following, and when you merge that with Apple’s loyal bunch of customers, it is a surefire winner. Sheer design cues and pleasing aesthetics do not a whole picture make, but the overall user experience needs to be one that draws the user back over and over again. (more…) Das Model S Professional Keyboard for Mac, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Another Huawei Ascend P1 spotted, carries LTE connectivity? CES 2012 saw Huawei announce two new smartphones – the Ascend P1 and P1 S, and it seems like there could very well be another Ascend model which went unannounced in Las Vegas, according to this leaked image that you see on the right. There is no official confirmation on the existence of such a handset just yet, but if all rumors on the ground were to be true, this leaked image depicts an LTE capable version of the Ascend P1, with a design that differs sligthly from the Ascend P1 to boot. Those who have an eye for detail will point out that this newly revealed device will feature rounded corners, compared to the squared corners of the Ascend P1. (more…) Another Huawei Ascend P1 spotted, carries LTE connectivity?, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Wikipedia shuts down for 24 hours this Wednesday in SOPA protest Students, cross your heart for you know how much Wikipedia has helped you out in your assignments to date – so those who have deadlines to meet might want to take note on this piece of news, where the founder of the non-profit information archive Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, has informed the masses over Twitter that Wikipedia will shut down for a good 24 hours this Wednesday as part of his protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). His tweet reads, “Student warning! Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday! #sopa” Bear in mind that this will only affect the English version of the site, which will make up of around 25 million visitors each day. (more…) Wikipedia shuts down for 24 hours this Wednesday in SOPA protest, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • US Cellular’s Samsung Galaxy S II hits the FCC The folks over at the FCC have gotten hold of yet another Samsung Galaxy S II, where it is known as the Samsung R760 where model numbers are concerned, and this particular puppy is destined to land on US Cellular’s shelves. Definitely not one of the big four mobile carriers, the Samsung Galaxy S II here does not come with LTE connectivity, which means it will be your regular, vanilla Galaxy S II that has long been overtaken by other better and faster phones, and we do not think that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will be pre-loaded on this model right out of the box, either. Without LTE connectivity according to the internal FCC documentation, you can be sure that this handset will not roll out when April comes knocking on your door. For subscribers of US Cellular, would you be picking this model up? It should not cost too much either, considering how the Galaxy S II has been around for quite some time already. US Cellular’s Samsung Galaxy S II hits the FCC, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • China boasts over half a billion Internet users China’s government might be pretty restrictive when it comes to what their citizens can and cannot see over the Internet, while ensuring not a single person of the general populace is able to own a Facebook account, but that does not mean Internet usage is surpressed. No sir, in fact, it seems that the number of Chinese citizens who are able to access the Internet has already surpassed the half billion mark, which is more than one third of China’s total population. This statistic is furnished by the China Internet Network Information Center, a state-run organization, so it is as close as it can get to the actual figure. (more…) China boasts over half a billion Internet users, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Solowheel does the Segway jig with one wheel A name like Solowheel might be interpreted by Star Wars fans as a new vehicle of Han Solo’s, while those who attended the recently concluded CES in Las Vegas would know that this is a motorized, seat-less unicycle that lacks a frame or saddle. The footboards will fold out from the wheel as though it hailed from the future and has some sort of Cybertronian technology built inside, and in order to ride it, all you need to do is stand on the footboards and straddle the wheel. When you lean your body forward, the wheel will kick start its battery-powered electric motor into action, propelling you forward at speeds of up to 10 miles per hour. (more…) Solowheel does the Segway jig with one wheel, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface ships The next generation Microsoft Surface, known as the Samsung SUR40, has begun to ship to those who have deep pockets, and to top it all off, this picked up a CES Best of Innovations 2012 gong. This is the fruit of a collaboration between Samsung and Microsoft, where Microsoft Surface 2.0 software and touch technology has been incorporated into an interactive and engaging 40″ Full HD LCD display which can be used as a table in a horizontal orientation, or you can opt to mount it vertically on a wall, or embed in different fixtures and furniture. (more…) Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface ships, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Apple to make waterproof iPhones? It is certainly an exciting time to be an iPhone user as the moment, as we hear rumors of an iPhone 5 concept that incorporates squeezing gestures, while there are also whispers of the next generation iPad sporting LTE connectivity and a quad-core processor to boot – well, HzO, a company that did attend CES 2012 while showing off their WaterBlock superhydrophobic coating which you can see in action in a video after the jump, claims that they are currently talking to Apple about this special coating, and hope that Cupertino might eventually churn out a waterproof iPhone in the next iteration. Do you think Apple would actually walk in this direction? It would be a good thing, really, as I personally know someone who has already dropped her phone into the porcelain throne a couple of times, one of them being an iPhone. No doubt it expedited her journey to meet up with the iPhone 4S after the most recent mishap… (more…) Apple to make waterproof iPhones?, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Fake iPad 5 has 4G connectivity Wait a minute here – am I missing something, or do the folks at Laos hail from the future? Otherwise, how else can you explain an iPad 5 that has 4G connectivity built in? Yes sir, Laos and their neighbors in South East Asia are noted for churning out counterfeit goods, and with all things Apple being so popular in recent times, it makes perfect sense to milk this particular cow for all it is worth, never mind that the iPad 3 is not even released yet (although there are rumors of it swirling around). Apart from the fake iPad 5, other Apple products that have undergone the clone hammer include an iPhone-branded clamshell device that is but a standard Java-powered handset when powered on. Laotians are also able to pick up an iPhone 4S with just Wi-Fi connectivity (meaning there is no 3G support), which obviously does not exist in the real world, although it has been slapped with a $125 price tag – a princely sum considering the country’s per capita income averages $2,435. Fake iPad 5 has 4G connectivity, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • TOUGHBOT Robotic Platform Robots come and go, but the TOUGHBOT looks set to stay, especially on the battlefield as well as other operations that require far tougher electronics than usual, including search and rescue missions. The TOUGHBOT is a small, lightweight, affordable robot that was specially designed for surveillance, reconnaissance and inspection purporses, sporting a ruggedized platform that will be equipped with an infrared camera, a water resistant shell as well as the ability to be extremely sensitive in movement, turning on a dime. It does not matter whether it is used for law enforcement, engineering or building inspection purposes – the TOUGHBOT relishes all the rough spots it is thrown into. (more…) TOUGHBOT Robotic Platform, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Viewsonic has plans for Android and Windows tablets CES 2012 might be done and over with, but the dust from the enormity of the event has yet to settle down fully. With tablets once again being one of the more notable gadget niche to be paraded and flaunted on the showfloor, Viewsonic, a company that is more often than not associated with value-for-money TVs and monitors might eventually branch out to this market as well. Viewsonic’s VP of Business Development Mike Holstein did share with the Techcrunch crew at the recently concluded CES on what Viewsonic has up their sleeves – and they include Windows as well as Android-powered tablets. The Viewpad 10e and the Viewpad e70 will target the budget market, where the 10e comes with a 10″ IPS display, a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor, and Android 2.3 Gingerbread, all for just $279 a pop. (more…) Viewsonic has plans for Android and Windows tablets, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Archos G9 tablet gets update, bug fixes There is nothing quite like a new operating system and software update for your device to weed out all of those niggling bugs which plagued the overall user experience. Archos has introduced the latest version 3.2.79 update for its Android 3.2 Honeycomb-powered tablets, including the Archos G9, that will solve a wide variety of bugs and glitches, including the “Keep Screen On” option that has been added to the browser options, in addition to other under-the-hood items such as fixes to hard drive power suspension issues. Archos has a full list of tweaks that you might want to check out if you happen to be toting the Archos G9 tablet around, but here are several which are the more notable ones. (more…) Archos G9 tablet gets update, bug fixes, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Nano Air Vehicle There is nothing quite like joining the military and defending your country from external threats (and perhaps even internal ones), so why not hook up with the world’s mos advanced military while you are at it? Invisible cloaks, inflatable tourniquets – you name it, the US Army’s got it. What is up next DARPA’s (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) sleeves? We are looking at the Nano Air Vehicle, and the moment we heard about it, we went, “What?!?” Yes sir, this is not exactly something that can easily be described using words, but we will still try to do our best. Currently under development by AV, the Nano Air Vehicle was specially designed to see action in urban surveillance and reconnaissance missions. (more…) Nano Air Vehicle, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Ice Cream Sandwich for Notion Ink Adam now in Alpha We previously reported that Notion Ink was working on bringing Ice Cream Sandwich over to its Adam tablet, and it looks like they’ve made some progress since then. According to a blog post on the Notion Ink blog over the weekend, the Alpha version of the operating system is now ready for download. As expected with alpha builds of Android ROMs, don’t install it on your tablet if you’re going to need it as a daily device – quite a number of features still aren’t working yet (3G, Camera, USB, light sensor, HDMI sound etc). (more…) Ice Cream Sandwich for Notion Ink Adam now in Alpha, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • IBM working on EV battery with 500 mile range One of the drawbacks to owning or driving an electric vehicle would be the limited amount of range that one can drive it before requiring a recharge. This is not so bad if you use your EV mainly for short trips and can change it when you get back home, but due to the lack of EV charging stations available publicly, traveling long distances with an EV may not be as feasible as most would like. The good news for those eager to adopt an EV is that IBM is currently working on a new battery that they claim will give EVs a range of up to 500 miles before requiring a charge. This new lithium-ion battery can apparently achieve such a feat thanks to innovative lithium-air cells. This technology would not only allow the battery to achieve high energy densities, but would also be lighter and would ultimately allow the battery to store more energy, thus providing the EV with more juice in between charges. IBM expects a prototype to be ready as soon as 2013, and if all goes well, the new battery could very well go on sale within the next eight years. For those who might be a bit more scientifically inclined, head on over to the source link below for a slightly more detailed explanation on how the battery would work. IBM working on EV battery with 500 mile range, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Toshiba unveils Portege M930 notebook/tablet hybrid Looking to get your hands on a notebook/tablet hybrid sort of device? Well it seems that Toshiba has such a device up their sleeves and it was on display at CES 2012 that was held last week. The notebook/tablet hybrid has been dubbed the Portege M930 and will allow the user to swap between notebook mode and tablet mode simply by lifting up the display backwards, then fold it back down (like you were closing a laptop lid), thus transforming it from notebook to tablet. (more…) Toshiba unveils Portege M930 notebook/tablet hybrid, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • iPhone 4S untethered jailbreak demonstrated on video Before the weekend, we reported that an untethered jailbreak for Apple’s iPhone 4S was close to being ready. How close you ask? Well, it seems that Pod2g, the person behind this jailbreak, has posted on his blog today a video of Dustin Howett, a Chronic Dev Team member, demonstrating what appears to be an untethered jailbreak on the iPhone 4S. This is probably great news for iPhone 4S owners who might have been envious of their iPhone 4/3GS friends who are already running on untethered jailbroken iOS 5.0.1 devices. (more…) iPhone 4S untethered jailbreak demonstrated on video, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Zappos hacked: 24 million accounts compromised Bad news for Zappos customers – Zappos has announced that it was the target of a cyber attack that gained access to its internal network and the accounts of its 24 million users. It was mentioned that no credit card numbers were revealed in the breach, but the names, email addresses, phone numbers, last four digits of credit card numbers and encrypted passwords of all of its user’s accounts have been compromised. Zappos has taken precautions by resetting all its customer’s passwords and informing them via email to set a new one when they log back onto the site. As the case with every attack, if you happen to be a Zappos customer, be sure to change your passwords on other sites that are the same as your Zappos account’s password prior to the attack. There was no mention or news about who was behind the attack, but I suppose it should serve as a wakeup call for other websites and online services that don’t have security as one of their top priorities. Zappos hacked: 24 million accounts compromised, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Trax MkII concept watch features a belt-driven time telling system Tokyo Flash always seems to attract rather unique and interesting watch designs, and this particular watch, dubbed the Trax MkII by Peter appears to be no different. According to Peter, the inspiration for the watch’s design was drawn from driven belts, such as the driven belts that tanks use to move around. (more…) Trax MkII concept watch features a belt-driven time telling system, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Initial ITC ruling swings in Motorola’s favor against Apple It seems that 2012 may not have started in Apple’s favor as the ITC issued an initial ruling that pretty much ruled in Motorola’s favor. In the on-going patent war between Apple and Motorola (Samsung, HTC, etc), it would appear that the ITC feels that Motorola did not infringe upon three of Apple’s smartphone patents. However it should be noted that this initial ruling is from an administrative law judge, and the six-person ITC panel could very well rule in the opposite direction. For those uninformed, Apple appears to have launched itself on a crusade against Android handset manufacturers. This includes Samsung, HTC and Motorola (among others) where the Cupertino company has tried to get their competitors’ products banned. So far Apple has had several victories against HTC and Samsung, but if this initial ruling is anything to go by, Motorola could very well be putting up a pretty tough fight. The full report of Apple’s complaint against Motorola will have its conclusion come some time in March 2012, but for now it looks like Motorola may have scored an early victory. Initial ITC ruling swings in Motorola’s favor against Apple, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • South Korea’s Diablo 3 will see real money auction house feature removed One of the more controversial features of Blizzard’s upcoming Diablo 3 would be its real money auction house. For those unfamiliar, this particular auction house will allow players to sell and buy items in-game using real life money as opposed to in-game money. We guess on one hand it would discourage gold farming, a huge problem plaguing most, if not all MMORPGs, but on the other hand it could potentially place players with less disposable income at a disadvantage when it comes to gear. Well the good news for those who are against the real money auction house is that as far as South Korea’s version of Diablo 3 is concerned, that particular feature of the game will be removed. It seems that Blizzard has been having some difficulty with South Korea’s ratings board and the real money auction house was one of the main issues. Apparently playing the game with potential for financial gain is in conflict with the country’s strict anti-gambling sentiments, which has ultimately resulted in the removal of the real money auction house feature. The good news is that the removal of the feature has thus given Blizzard the necessary rating in order to make the game available in the country. Blizzard has also been warned that the game would be subject to more examinations should they decide to introduce that particular feature in a post-launch patch. We guess you just can’t win them all! South Korea’s Diablo 3 will see real money auction house feature removed, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • 19-foot tall Saturn V Rocket made from LEGO We’ve seen tons of impressive LEGO creations in the past, and today we’ve got one more to add to the list. A “LEGO pro”, Ryan McNaught, recently came up with a behemoth of a creation: a 19-foot tall replica of the Saturn V: the rocket which was used by NASA’s Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. It took him 250 hours to build the structure which was made with 120,000 LEGO pieces. McNaught’s creation is said to be the tallest LEGO structure in Australia, which is quite a feat considering the amount of detail put into it. If you’d like to see it in person, the Saturn V rocket replica will be on display at the Town Hall in Melbourne, Australia on the 21st and 22nd of January. For the rest of you who aren’t in Australia or aren’t going to make the trip down, head over to his Flickr page for more photographs. 19-foot tall Saturn V Rocket made from LEGO, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • • Green House releases 21.5″ TV monitor Looking for a multi-purpose display that can double up as a television or as a monitor? Well, Green House may have the solution for you in the form of their new multi-purpose display which has been given the model number. However, based on its specifications, it appears to be more of a monitor with the required ports that would also allow it to double up as a television. (more…) Green House releases 21.5″ TV monitor, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Asus Transformer Prime Review,   • Email to a friend • Article Search • •