Category Archives: Technology

Google news: Nexus S, Android 2.3, Maps for Mobile, eBooks

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Today turned out to be an announcement-filled day for the hardworking team at Google.  The next true “Google phone” was formally unveiled, the next version of Android dubbed Gingerbread was detailed, Google Maps Navigation received a major upgrade, and now the search giant is the latest company to offer a vast eBooks store and ecosystem.  Let’s jump right to the facts, shall we?

Nexus S: The Nexus S, a collaborative effort between Google and hardware manufacturer Samsung, is the follow-up device to the Nexus One.  In similar fashion to its predecessor, the Nexus S promotes a “pure Google” experience, meaning that it runs the pure vanilla version of Android; you wouldn’t dare find an inkling of customized UI overlays like HTC’s Sense, Motorola’s Motoblur, or even Samsung’s own TouchWiz.  Unfortunately the specifications do not push conventional boundaries, although there are some new welcome additions that complement the new Android platform: 4-inch WVGA (480×800) Super AMOLED display (Samsung is touting the new “Contour Display” that’s “designed to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand and along the side of your face”), 1GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird) processor, 512MB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with auto-focus, flash, and HD 720p video recording, front-facing VGA camera (640×480), Wi-Fi 802.11 n/b/g, Bluetooth 2.1, A-GPS, Near Field Communication (NFC), accelerometer, proximity sensor, three-axis gyroscope.  Ports-wise there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microUSB 2.0 port.  The 1500 mAH Lithum Ion battery boasts the following life support: Talk time up to 6.7 hours on 3G (14 hours on 2G), Standby time up to 17.8 days on 3G (29.7 days on 2G).  Interestingly the phone only supports tri-band HSPA, so there’s no 4G support here.  Of all the tech specs listed, you may be pondering about NFC.  Essentially NFC works like QR codes but better; companies can place NFC chips into objects like movie posters and the user can hold up their phone to the tagged object to extract information from it (there’s no need to open an app or bring up the camera).

So the spec sheet isn’t all that impressive, but there are two things that save this phone from being just another Android device: it’s sexy Galaxy S looks (good job Samsung) and it’s the very first device to run Android 2.3, aka Gingerbread (more on that in a bit).  Let’s talk release date and pricing.  The Nexus S ships December 17 for $199 with a new 2-year contract with T-Mobile (or $529 unlocked) and it’ll be available for purchase online and in-store from all Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores in the U.S.  It lands in the UK on December 20 at Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy retailers.

Continue reading Google news: Nexus S, Android 2.3, Maps for Mobile, eBooks →

Your Facebook profile page is about to receive yet another facelift

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Another day, another Facebook revamp–am I right?  Though most people love to share their gripes about Facebook’s incessant need to change the way it looks, this particular change to our profile pages is actually (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) a good one.  Read on to find out why.

When you receive the profile page update and head over to your page, the first change you’ll notice is up top where your name is located.  Tabs are gone (they’ve been moved to the left-side pane, but more on that later) and under your name now you’ll find “a quick summary of who you are”, as Facebook so eloquently describes it.  What looks like a jumble of words at first is actually a list of key information pertaining to you.  For example, if you provide info. like your relationship status, where you go to school and what you’re studying, where you live, where you’re originally from, where you work, what languages you speak, and your birthday–all of this will be listed under your name and viewable by friends.  Directly beneath this “about me” section is a collection of recently tagged photos featuring you.  Keep in mind these highlighted photos are static; you cannot change the order of them.  All you can do is tap a small “x” to hide a particular recent photo and it will be replace by the next most recent tagged photo. Pretty cool way to “show what you’ve been up to lately”, I guess. Continue reading Your Facebook profile page is about to receive yet another facelift →

OnLive introduces $10/month flat-rate plan for gamers

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OnLive, the gaming on-demand cloud-based service, scrapped the idea of implementing a required monthly fee back in October, but now they’re bringing it back and this time it’s optional.  OnLive gamers will have three options to play games. (1) Purchase a game in full to keep.  (2) With PlayPass gamers can buy a 3-day or 5-day rental pass to stream a full game.  (3) With PlayPack (and here’s the new addition) gamers can pay $9.99/month to gain access to an entire catalog of games.  Think of it as Netflix but for games; you pay one flat-rate per month and gain access to a bunch of full streaming games.  Nice deal, huh?

The company says the new flat-rate plan will comprise more than 40 “high-quality” games when it officially launches January 15, 2011.  Some of these games include Prince of Persia, Unreal Tournament 3, and LEGO Batman. They promise this small batch of initial games will “expand up to and beyond” the launch date.  Now check this: if you purchase the OnLive Game System (which is a $99 controller and MicroConsole bundle) you will receive free access to the PlayPack library of games until the January launch.  After this “introductory beta period” is over, you’ll have to pay the monthly subscription price if you don’t want to part with it.

Happy (video games) streaming.  Full PR after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading OnLive introduces $10/month flat-rate plan for gamers →

Having fun with Google Images

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In this ‘More with Google’ brand campaign spot for the Japanese market, ad agency Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo proves that Google’s Image Search functions ‘sort by color’ and ‘similar images’ can make for fun dress-up time.  Big projector required.

Update: Rats!  Looks like Google Japan locked the video and turned off public viewing.  I’ve embedded the inaccessible video after the break and if there’s another copy of it on the ‘Net I’ll update this post and share it.

Update 2: It’s back!

[Via Gizmodo; Vimeo]

Meet Mercedes-Benz BIOME

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The Mercedes-Benz BIOME symbiosis vehicle is made from an ultralight material called BioFibre and tips the scales at just 875.5 lbs (around 394 kg). This material is significantly lighter than metal or plastic, yet more robust than steel. BioFibre is grown from proprietary DNA in the Mercedes-Benz nursery, where it collects energy from the sun and stores it in a liquid chemical bond called BioNectar4534. As part of this process, the vehicle is created from two seeds: The interior of the BIOME grows from the DNA in the Mercedes star on the front of the vehicle, while the exterior grows from the star on the rear. To accommodate specific customer requirements, the Mercedes star is genetically engineered in each case, and the vehicle “grows” when the genetic code is combined with the seed capsule. The wheels are grown from four separate seeds.

If you haven’t deduced this by now, the BIOME is an eco-friendly hybrid “vehicle of the future” that can be grown in a lab.  While it’s in use it produces oxygen, like plants, thereby contributing to improving air quality.  And when the car has reached the end of its lifecycle, it can be fully composted or used as building material.  But don’t hold your breath; a concept car like the BIOME won’t become a reality for quite some time simply because its fantastical feature set is downright impossible to implent today.  But one can dream, no?  Read more about Mercedes’ crazy ideas for the future after the break, and look in the gallery below to view the BIOME from various angles.

[Via Engadget; Gizmag]

Continue reading Meet Mercedes-Benz BIOME →

Google doodles will now show up on your mobile

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You ever notice that Google’s myriad of doodles almost never port to Google.com when you’re accessing the search site on your cell phone?  Well those days are over people.  This week Google announced that they’re bringing the doodles initially to Android (2.0 and higher) and iOS (3 and higher) devices worldwide.  So now when you see an awesome or interesting Google doodle on your desktop at home, you can expect to see it on your mobile device, too.  Now we can become sleuths on-the-go!

[Via GoogleBlog]

Download 8-bit DJ Hero today!

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OK now this is neat.  One Eric Ruth, retro games enthusiast, has created an 8-bit playable version of DJ Hero for the PC.  And the 70s and 80s mashups sound pretty incredible in chiptune form.  They include Ray Parker Jr’s “Ghostbusters”/Huey Lewis & the News’ “I Want A New Drug” (demonstrated in the video above) and Queen’s “We Will Rock You”/Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock & Roll” (see it in action after the break).  There are six mashups to play using keyboard keys.  And if I must be honest here, the NES-influenced remake is more addicting than Activision’s modern take.  Go on and download the game for free at Ruth’s website; there you’ll also find a “pixel force” edition of Left 4 Dead.

Update: Reader “laus_hel” has pointed out that the game is no longer available to download from Ruth’s website.  Bummer!  But there must be other ways of finding it…

[Via Kotaku] Continue reading Download 8-bit DJ Hero today! →

Xbox Live Rewards program gives you Microsoft Points for things you do already

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Now this is what I can a steal!  Today Microsoft pushed out the Xbox Live Rewards program and essentially it doles out Microsoft Points to Xbox Live users (in the US and UK only for now) to reward them for actions they periodically perform.  Once you sign up for the free program at this website you will become eligible to receive MSP for renewing Gold memberships, Gold Family Packs, purchasing select Marketplace content, taking quick monthly surveys, and participating in promotions.  You’ll even get 20 MSP for activating Netflix on your Xbox.  Prizes range from 10 to 400 MSP depending on the performed action (again, many of which you do anyway). There really is no reason to ignore this opportunity to receive some Points.

[Via Joystiq]

Sony & Microsoft release new sales figures for their motion peripherals

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Last we heard out of the video game giants Sony had shipped 1 million Move controllers in one month, and Microsoft had sold 1 million Kinect sensors in ten days.  Post-Black Friday, the companies were eager to share the latest sales figures for these products.  As of November 2010 Sony has shipped over 4.1 million units worldwide, and Microsoft has sold over 2.5 million Kinect sensors globally in 25 days.  Now bear in mind that there’s a notable difference between units shipped and units sold.  Unlike Microsoft, Sony is not reporting actual sales results; instead they are reporting the number of units shipped to retailers.  A Sony rep says that the company won’t “disclose [their] exact sell-through number”, and that kind of chips away at their impressive and somewhat misleading stat.  Nevertheless, there’s no denying that the new motion peripherals are happily riding the Wii’s coattails this holiday season.

[Via Engadget, here & here]

Dell Venue Pro hits T-Mobile on December 9 for $99

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And that makes 5.  Dell’s Venue Pro is now for sale on its website and now Microsoft can safely say that all five of its Windows Phone 7 US launch devices are now available for purchase.  Specs are nothing to call home about: 4.1 inch display, 1GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash, 720p HD video recording, 8GB or 16GB of built-in storage.  It’s that full slide-out QWERTY keyboard and its handsome looks that make this one a charmer.  If you’re willing to start a new 2-year contract with T-Mobile you can pick up the phone for $99 (8GB) or $149 (16GB).  Or you can pay $449 or $499, respectively, if you decide to opt out of signing a contract. Purchase here; it ships December 9.

Interested in looking at the other WP7 devices?  Samsung Focus/HTC Surround/HTC HD7 / LG Quantum

[Via Engadget]

Verizon details its 4G LTE network

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Today Verizon announced that it will be turning on its blazingly fast 4G LTE wireless network on Sunday, December 5.  The mobile operator claims it will be “the fastest and most advanced 4G network” in the country.  They are starting small but the long-term plan is to eventually replace the current 3G network with 4G LTE (or Long Term Evolution).  The network is initially launching in 38 major cities, including New York, Chicago, San Fransisco, and Los Angeles, and in more than 60 commercial airports coast to coast.  They say it will immediately reach more than one-third of all Americans, and they expect the expansion to reach all current 3G areas by 2013.  They are using the 700MHz spectrum for LTE deployment in the US to insure a “high-quality” network with “excellent coverage.”  4G LTE boasts speeds up to 10x times faster than 3G and a response time that’s over 2x faster.  Faster speeds and reduced lag time promise better upload and download times, smoother video streaming and video chat, and sharing options.  Verizon says customers can expect 5-12Mbps on the downlink and 2-5Mbps on the uplink.  That’s pretty damn fast; compare those numbers to current 3G speeds (0.6-1.4Mbps download and 0.5Mbps upload).  It’s also faster than the competition; it bests AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s HSPA+ (1-7Mbps download) and Sprint’s WiMAX (3-6Mbps download).

When Verizon officially launches its 4G LTE network this Sunday, customers will only have the option to use from two USB modems to hook up their laptops wirelessly to the network.  Verizon says “consumer-oriented handsets” (aka cell phones and tablet devices) that will harness the new network will be available by mid-2011 and will be announced at CES.  The LG VL600 (available on launch day) and Pantech UML290 (available “soon”) USB modems will each cost $99 after a $50 rebate and with a new two-year agreement.  The data plan pricing is as follows: $50/month for 5GB monthly allowance, $80/month for 10GB.  You’ll have to pay $10/GB in overage charges if you use up the allowance.  There’s no cap on overages, a nice touch I guess.  Both modems are backwards-compatible with Verizon’s 3G network.  If you lose 4G reception the modem will automatically switch to 3G speeds on the fly.  3G to 4G does not work that way; if you move from the slower network to the faster one the switch will only take place once 3G downloads are complete.

And that about sums up today’s announcements.  When the network goes live on Sunday, Verizon will provide street level coverage area maps so you can find out if you’re blanketed by 4G LTE.  Be sure to look after the break for the official PR which includes a full listing of all cities and airports included in the initial launch window.

Update: It’s been confirmed that Verizon will offer the 4G LTE service off-contract, too.  The monthly rates and overage fees remain the same; what becomes more expensive is the upfront cost for the USB modem.  Instead of paying $99, you’ll be forced to pay$249.99 for a modem if you decide to enter the 4G world contract-less.

[Via Verizon; Engadget] Continue reading Verizon details its 4G LTE network →

Fireplace/HDTV combo is a winner

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Much like Helex’s I-Vision, firespace designer Safretti has beautifully integrated a fireplace with a flat-screen LCD HDTV.  The eco-friendly “Double Vision” setup includes an ethanol fireplace and can be installed with a 37-inch or 47-inch TV.  The mirrored design would fit right into any contemporary, modern home.  Creator Jan des Bouvrie says, “This specific design is a beautiful symbiosis between two products, each of which strengthens the other with force.”  Look in the gallery below for additional shots.

[Via Trendir; Safretti]