Tech news
Is it a Win-win situation?
Apr 8th
It’s official; Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy Win today, their latest Android handset featuring a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and 4.7-inch display.
At first glance one might think it’s simply a copy of the Samsung Galaxy SIII, and you’re not entirely mistaken; the win is just more of a mid-range device, sporting a WVGA touchscreen, 5 megapixel rear camera and a Li-ion 2,000 mAH battery.
The release was finally confirmed by Samsung China due to the multiple leaks that have preceded the official confirmation.
The handset is integrated with 8GB of internal memory, however, this will diverge depending on the market. The device also comes with 1GB of RAM and a microSD slot that supports cards up to 32 GB.
Consumers will be able to enjoy dual-SIM support with the new Samsung Galaxy Win, as well as the ability to shoot video at a commodious 720p (15 frames per second). The playback content will be available at the same resolution; however it will be elevated up to 30 frames per second.
There is an additional VGA camera on the front, but Samsung has not declared the resolution for this one just yet.
The new handset runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but has Samsung’s TouchWiz skin stapled over the top with the accustomed banquet of OEM-specific apps and features such as “Easy Mode”, “Smart Alert” and “Motion UX”.
It will be available in two colors; Ceramic White and Titan Grey. Samsung is elucidating this as “an intuitive new smartphone designed to balance the needs of the on-the-go user with massive processing power.” While we do agree that the quad-core processor is indeed quite ample, but the specs fall behind the recently unveiled Samsung Galaxy S4.
When it comes to the price, Samsung has not yet unveiled it but as soon as it does we’ll let you know.
From bricks to clicks; mobile phones’ 40th anniversary!
Apr 3rd
A quick trivia question for you; how old would you be if you were born in the year 1973? Yes, that’s right, the same age as the first mobile phone, i.e 40 years old! The first mobile device that could be used outside your vehicle that is. Another pop question; can you name the company that was the first to release the very debut handset? No, not Nokia, it was actually Motorola.
April 3rd, 1973 marks the 40th anniversary of the widely regarded first public mobile phone call. Martin Cooper, a Motorola employee, had the honor of making this call in New York City on a Motorola DynaTAC, a device that was designated as a “brick” due to its size and weight.
If you actually think about the fact that 40 years ago, people were restricted to only using their landline, you’ll realize it is quite amazing how far we’ve come. Nowadays, basically everyone (even kids that are not yet 10 years of age) are holding a device and using it with extreme ease. In accordance with a study released just recently by the United Nations, there are circa seven billion people living on the planet. Now another quick trivia question: how many of those do you think hold a mobile device? A colossal six billion! Yes, we are not even kidding.
Getting back to the historical call that was conducted on the Motorola DynaTAC; it’s worth mentioning that the device was 9inches tall with a talk-time of 35 minutes and required 10 hours to recharge.
The two major breakthroughs in the mobile phone technology have been the widespread availability of devices and their ability to access the internet, conforming to Dr Mike Short, an expert from the Institution of Engineering and Technology.
Mobile phone technology has come very far ever since; an achievement that has led to years of development, new inventions and the very creation of our beloved Smartphones. These smartphones are being used for internet acces, social networking, maps, morning alarms, games, snapping pictures, watching video clips, texting and obviously calling (though the actual telephone calls are soon to become obsolete with WhatsApp, Skype and Viber).
There is one thing that is truly both surprising and alarming that the previously mentioned UN study had revealed. Apparently, there are actually more individuals who have access to a cell phone today that those who have access to a toilet. Yes, only 4.5 billion have access to a toilet in this day and age!
Even though we cannot deny the increase of usage of smartphones while being in the toilet, if you had to choose between the two, what would your choice be?
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Top April pranks of 2013
Apr 1st
We’ve brought you the latest in the web pranks last year in our post about not being an April fool. So, we’ve decided to bring you version 2.0 this year. Google never fail to impress and some other giants have vamped up the game. Check out our selection and let us know what you liked best.
A) Google’s collections of fibs:
1. Google nose: (Link)
2. Google Maps into a pirate treasure map : (Link)
3. YouTube has been an eight-year competition to choose the best video of all time, and the site is now ready to shut down and announce the winner : (Link)
4. Gmail blue : (Link)
5. Extreme Makeover: Google SCHMICK Edition : (Link)
6. Google’s Add Emotion Button : (Link)
7. Google Fiber to the Pole: (Link)
B) Tech/ Geeky fibs:
1. Twitter has announced, in an almost plausible spoof, that it will now be charging tweeters to use vowels. Consonants are free, and in addition, the social network explains, it will always offer Y for nothing, even when it is used as a vowel. That’s led some users to believe they can outwit Twitter : (Link)
2. Virgin has announced that it has created another world-first with the introduction of the technology required to produce the world’s first glass-bottomed plane. This technological innovation coincides with the start of Virgin Atlantic Airways’ first ever domestic service to Scotland : (Link)
C) Miscellaneous Fibs
1. Freedom bay: (Link)
2. The world’s first social toaster? (Link)
3. Sony Launches Headphones for Cats: (Link)
4. Guardian Goggles ; Move over Google Glass, The Guardian has its own version heading out the door for April 1, 2013. (Link)
What do you want to learn today?
Nov 21st
Merely a year after its launch, the learn-to-code online company run by Interenet guru Ryan Carson Treehouse has reached $3.6m in revenues owing to its loyal 18,700 active users, 380,000 completed quizzes and 330,000 hours of tutorial videos watched on the site.
The major streak of success that has hit Treehouse caused its obvious expansion from 11 employees in 2011 to 54. It seems Treehouse are aiming to go a bit retro with their next step and target the classic print market; they’ve just announced a book deal with Wiley Publishing. Carson’s company will rival web virtuosos of the likes of Brian Solis, Get Satisfaction co-founders Lane Becker and Thor Muller as well as a multitude of others. The Treehouse franchise will initially focus on tutoring HTML, followed by CSS3 as well as iOS 6.
Treehouse already offers a solid curriculum of online video tutorials for a modest price, yet Carson seems to believe that actual books would give reach to a larger portion of learners, that may be into classical print.
“A lot of students need various learning inputs,” he stated. “Video works very well for most, but some of our students really respond to the written format. Our new book series will be a big help to those students.”
Initial foundational volumes from Wiley will cover each of Treehouse’s major areas of tutoring, which include most of the basic web programming technologies. Every book ought to bring the reader an adequate level of understanding of how to construct a website with the technology in question.
Treehouse argues to being the primary coding education platform to gain a traditional book deal, however, we were interested in finding out how Carson’s books would be set apart from the multitude of manuals that are already out there such as O’Reilly’s very once for instance.
“Treehouse Books will be the perfect complement to our online curriculum,” said Carson. “Students can either buy a physical copy or a downloadable e-book. O’Reilly’s books are great but Treehouse books are designed to strengthen those who are learning with Treehouse.”
Coding is not the only genre Treehouse is interested in; they’ve also introduced WordPress starting-off courses,a lead that non-coding books might also be hovering on the horizon. jQuery lessons as well as Android & iOS have also been introduced.
Having the support and funds from the likes of Chamth P, Reid Hoffman, Mark Suster and Keving Rose has certainly paved the way for Treehouse to become quite the overnight success, and thus acquainting the public with online education.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the company, you can simply subscribe to their YouTube Channel or view their roadmap for upcoming courses.
Be part of the smart crowd and download G Cloud today; it’s free!
HP Spectre One; The All-In-One PC you’ve been waiting for!
Sep 10th
HP has revealed its latest Windows 8 desktop lineup, starting off with the 23.6 inch Spectre One. The potential of a TouchSmart All-in-One was evident when HP introduced its first way back in 2008, even if the idea was not yet fully developed. The Spectre One is the company’s first all-in-one premium Spectre line and incredibly thin; measuring in at a mere 11.5 millimeters. In the light of the finger-friendly Windows 8, the desktop peculiarly lacks a touchscreen; HP explained that it did so to avoid an extra 4-5 added millimeters to the overall thickness.
If you’re worried about your multitouch-gesture, worry no longer, for HP explains that it has incorporated a wireless touchpad with the PC. The touchpad is featherweight, comfortable and designed with the same silver shell such as the desktop. Best of all, it actually works; Windows 8 multitouch gestures can be tracked accurately, and our lovely fingers have ample space to travel.
The touchpad (along with the wireless keyboard) save the beloved USB ports, for they do not require a proprietary dongle to pair with the pc.
Another cool feature integrated in the new Spectre One is an NFC chip that is built into the base. All you have to do is configure a few bundled apps, then tap an NFC-equipped phone to the base and then you’ll be able to log into Window 8 automatically -or better yet-stream music and video with a tap. We experimented with an Android phone, and yes everything was “As seen on TV”; the device paired quickly, the connected stayed active as long as the device was on the same Wi-Fi network. On top of all that, HP shall be providing a few small N
FC tags that can be configured to log in to Window, or redirect you to a certain website.
The Spectre One’s display is luminous and alluring, despite having to struggle with some reflections in the room’s confessedly harsh lighting. If we put that aside, the experience itself was quite agreeable; the colors echoed beautifully and not a hint of lethargic performance. We’re concerned about comfort though, since the screen lays on a hefty stem that allows only a slight angle tilt adjustment.
Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs will be powering The Spectre One, and a 1GB Nvidia graphics card will be carried. Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements will be bundled as well, but that’s pretty much where the magic ends, for the Spectre One is from then on scarcely equipped. Two USB 2.0 ports can be found, along with two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI-in jack, and the needed Gigabit Ethernet port along with 802.11n Wi-fi. The machine lacks a TV or disc drive, which amazes us since such enhancements greatly benefit All-in-ones that are designed to serve as media machines.
The Spectre One will be available staring November, and the price tag will start at $ 1,299.
Among today’s announcements are also updates to the Envy Touchsmart and Pavilion lines. The Hp Envy Touchsmart 20 and 23 will both present touchscreens and Ivy Bridge processors, with price tags that start at $799 and $999, respectively. The Pavillion 20, priced at $450, is a more reasonable offer for those of you on a tight budget, yet it lacks a touchscreen.
All these machines will arrive in October.
Be part of the smart crowd and download G Cloud today; it’s free!
Google I/O; everything you need to know!
Jun 28th
We’re pretty sure you remember in April, when Google introduced its spectacular Google Glasses and every one of us had to double check it wasn’t just one of its April Fools fibs.
Yesterday, at the official Google I/O kick start, a brilliantly fantastic demonstration of the concept blew everyone’s socks away. If you haven’t already seen the video, we highly recommend you do; skydivers were tossed out of an airplane onto the roof of the conference center. All this was available live on Google’s very own social network video chat service; Hangout.
Here is an edited version of the toss and turn and hangout with some music from the “We Were Promised Jetpacks”
Google co-founder, Sergey Brin, announced that I/O attendees could pre-order a prototype Project Glass testing unit for $1,500 if they wanted to live “on the bleeding edge.” Testing units will be delivered “early next year.” No further details on a consumer launch were announced though.
Now moving on to the actual conference; we shall attempt to recap all you need to know from yesterday’s day 1 coverage.
1. Nexus 7 tablet: Tablet lovers rejoiced yesterday when Google released its very first tablet. It’s clear that the Nexus 7 targets to take down the Amazon market that is swamps with the Kindle fire; yet Google seem to have taken everything to the next level. For starters, the tablet runs on Android 4.1 with an interface resembling that of the Galaxy Nexus, yet with super large icons and new media enhanced widgets that clearly remind us of the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet. The specs are quite incredible for such a 7-inch tablet; a quad core Tegra 3 processor, 1 GB of RAM and a beautiful 1280×800 pixel screen. Saving the best for last; it very well priced at just $200 for the 8 GB version and $250 for the 16GB. If you are already excited about it, you can order it now and it starts shipping in approximately mid July. (Check out our top 5 Andoid tablets for this month)
2. Google Play revamped: In attempts to amplify the content that is being sold on the Nexus 7 tablet, the Google Play store now sells magazines, TV shows, and movies as well as its already existing content of music, books and many apps. A”Google Magazines” app can now be downloaded by the Android users; an app that basically sells subscriptions to magazines and individual issues. The YouTube video app is also commercialized with its ability to sell episodes and entire seasons of your favorite TV show and movies; previously it was more of a rental shop.
3. Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean): Last December, the Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) was released but in the Tech world it’s already more than yesterday’s news. The new Jelly Bean is not mind blowing, yet it comes in with a lot of small improvements and owing to “Project Butter”, it ought to run more smoothly even on devices. Some of these enhancements include more robust notifications, an easier approach to customize home screens, enabled offline voice typing, and a a loud and clear competitor to Siri “Google Now”; we cannot wait to test drive it, but from the looks of things, Siri will be left crying with this more accurate assistant that analyzes the history of your behavior for better results.
4. Nexus Q social streaming media player: If you have an interest in peculiar gadgets then the Nexus Q will surly grab your undivided attention; designed like a ball and colored in black, it comes with an ARM processor and a multicolored light up strip around it. Let’s say it this way; it resembles a tiny Death Star with an illuminating weakness trench, hmm maybe better yet, a Thermal Detonator? Well, enough with the Star Wars references; basically this device is designed to function by connecting it to all of your other devices. With this new gadget, you will be able to connect your Android phones as well as tablets (those that run on Android 4.1) onto the Nexus Q and you will be able to enjoy their content on television screen, your computer, or better yet your surround system. The price tag is $300 and is available for orders right not with an estimated arrival date of two to three weeks.
5. Google+ Events: Facebook prepare to be struck by the G thunder cloud yet again, with the G+ Events this time. Now, we will be able to schedule times, dates and events in G+ (as well as Google Calendar). Party planning will be even cooler now with the “Party mode” feature that allows everyone attending a particular party to automatically upload their pictures to that G+ event page.
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The new Model S, no not xperia, but Tesla!
Jun 25th
Tesla Motors Inc., the Silicon Valley electric vehicle startup led by entrepreneur Elon Musk, is rolling out its first mainstream car; The Model S.
Its first sports car was the electric Roadster, which was priced at $109,000 which explains why it hasn’t acquired the love of the mainstream market. However, if their latest model lives to its expectations, it might reinforce the whole EV industry.
Retail customers of the first eight models were happy to hear that their Model S would start shipping this Saturday at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, Calif. The company manager was also eager to announce that they already have 10,000 orders and shall deliver 5,300 this year and 20,000 next year.
Even though there are tons and tons of reasons to keep us skeptical about this new model, it seems like one exhilarating car to drive; with its 17-inch central console touchscreen (that so elegantly controls the sunroof), music, maps and above all of that, regenerative braking strength that capture the energy and let the wheels recharge the vehicle’s batteries, quite amazing no? what’s also fantastic about these brakes is their incredible ability to swiftly slow down once you have taken your foot off the gas pedal, regardless of the speed you’re driving at; hence less maintenance and smoother ride.
Tesla S has a lot of things going for it; for instance, going from 0 to 60 mph in a whopping time that is estimated at 4.4 seconds. Another performance advantage it has over many other sports cars is the low center of gravity it boasts. Yet another thing it has in its favor is its marvelous range of 265 miles in the high-end model (160 miles with the base model), what does this mean you ask? Well, basically this destroys the anxiety that you might be having of running out of charge before reaching your destination. All of this is owing to the vehicle’s enormous battery pack (7,000 lithium-ion cells) which accounts for it to weigh at 4,400 lbs- hence the low center for gravity.
The huge touchscreen can be used for more than just control the sunroof; it can be used to update the vehicle in the instance that anything went wrong with the car, Tesla can use the car’s 3G to fix it remotely. Its maintenance policy is similar to that of the Roadster, in that they would come to customers rather than the other way round (however, we do not know how beneficial this would be in the case that Tesla gains in demand).
Still, even with all of these incredible enhancements, the two biggest elephants in the room remain; the price tag and that long road trip with no EV charging stations on the way.
The Model S start at $54,700 and range to $105,400 which is, let’s face it, quite high. If we take a look at the Nissan Leaf which is half its price, has only sold around 30,000 vehicles since 2010. Tesla might be aiming too high with its goal of selling 20,000 by 2013.
Do not be misled and assume that this is just another conventional sedan; oh no it is also a luxury car! Even though Tesla has cheaper models to be introduced in the foreseeable future, however the Model S is not one of those for it’s in the same range as a BMW or a Lexus.
As Franz Von Holzhausen, chief designer at Tesla, explains: “supposed to be an approachable, stylistic, high-design vehicle, but not one that is so quirky or weird it would only appeal to early adopters. “
To view the whole gallery, click here.
Well, we only hope that Elon Musk’s dream would one day be realized and that we would comprehend that electric cars can indeed be better than any gasoline-powered one.
Looking for a simple, elegant backup solution?
Genie Timeline 2012 is a new version of the number one continuous data protection program Timeline 2.1. It offers the first metro style user interface; enhanced performance, and added features. Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for the latest news.
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Apple might be looking out for us, by cloning us!
Jun 24th
It seems that Apple take pollution seriously when it comes to our environment, however, we do not know how true that is when it comes to polluting one’s personal profile!
This Tuesday, Apple was granted a patent that allows it to legally publish lies for the sake of privacy.
It seems that in this fast paced world of ours, everything we do can be tracked down through a simple search on one of the many social networks that we use. The patent includes a method to increase one’s privacy through the generation of fake online profiles. So if, let’s say, you were on “Big Brother” anytime soon, you can rest assure that the paparazzi will have a bit of hard time to document your genuine actions; the patent goes as far as generating fake actions on your behalf in fields that do not necessarily reflect your actual interests.
“Any network eavesdroppers, which are performing dataveillance on a principal, are polluted by the transactions that are in fact divergent from the true principal’s areas of interest,” the patent says. “In this manner, data collection is not prevented; rather, it is intentionally polluted so as to make any data collection about a principal less valuable and less reliable.”
Apple discovered the secret to crowd-pleasing; amplified privacy. Last year, Apple has implemented this enhanced privacy through the limitation of third-party data-collection that is meant for advertising. One concrete example is the “do-not-track” browser header in OS X Lion. Its Safari browser also defaults to blocking cookies from third-party websites, a feature Google cushioned as means of resolving conflicting user preferences.
Apple’s privacy approaches have also received improvement due to the controversy over its storage of exposed location data on the iPhone and of iOS developers’ use of the UID identifier as the key to date profiles of iPhone users.
The latest patent comes with an ironically apt typo; in the document it actually says “Litter Brothers” instead of “Little Brothers” in one of the sentences. The typo pertinently unveils what the patent actually does; means of polluting electronic profiling for the sake of combating invasive date collection.
While we do not know if Apple will ever implement this patent in any of its future products or not, however, from the looks of things and from our instincts to defend ourselves against invasive tracking, it is quite probable that such measures will no longer be looked at as absurd in the future.
Looking for a simple, elegant backup solution?
Genie Timeline 2012 is a new version of the number one continuous data protection program Timeline 2.1. It offers the first metro style user interface; enhanced performance, and added features. Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for the latest news.
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From kicks to kilowatts; meet the new Soccket!
Jun 20th
How would you fancy if your favorite electronic gadget could be charged by the world’s favorite sport? Well, you might not have to imagine for long thanks to a group of Harvard students.
With millions of soccer enthusiasts all over the world eagerly awaiting the final stages of Euro cup 2012, we’re quite confident that their television sets shall be occupied for the majority of the next couple of weeks. On the other hand, with the ever increasing cost of living, those exact millions of enthusiasts shall spend the rest of their impending future trying to pay off the unreasonably high electricity bills just for the sake of keeping their lights on!
A group of Harvard students have taken it upon themselves to attempt to solve these issues with the new innovative Soccket; a soccer ball that is meant to be kicked through the air in order to grasp otherwise wasted energy that is inaugurated by forces drilled onto the ball during play.
So how does this ball actually work you ask? Well, it is waterproof, sturdy and does not require to be inflated. It implements inductive coil technology which involves having a metal coil and magnetic slug that goes forwards and backwards. This motion powers a motor, and the electricity is then stored in an on-board battery.
An AC adaptor is suitably put behind one of the panels of the Soccket so as to allow a multitude of appliances to be powered in such a manner. The quintet which is made up of : Jessica Lin, Julia Silverman, Jessica Mathews, Hemali Thakkaras and Aiva Presser, had conceptualized a better use for this ball and which is to charge mobile devices as well as power lights.
Even though we do not know how excited American soccer fans will actually be by the idea of a ball that could charge their iPhone, the quintet aspire their invention serves a more purposeful mean.
In many developing countries, due to the fact that electricity is a mere luxury, reliance on kerosene lamps has led to numerous health problems.
The World Bank estimates that breathing the fumes created from burning kerosene indoors equates to the harmful effect of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.
Burning kerosene for lighting also generates some 190 million metric tons a year of carbon dioxide emissions, according to recent estimates — the equivalent emissions of about 38 million automobiles.
Thus, soccer often captivates near-religious attention from the vast majority of such poor population. These devoted people not only show up for every single match and idolize the big names of this sport, yet they also spend long hours practicing the game whenever they possibly can. Hence, the Soccket could be employed to obtain energy from such spontaneous soccer games that could then be used to actually power lights or heat sources.
It’s definitely more than just your typical ball isn’t it? Apparently Bill Clinton thinks so as well. Check out the video below to see for yourself:
Yet, on a more realistic note, the question is related to the technological components of this ball and how they actually affect the performance of the ball. The added weight caused by the device’s magnet might turn off many prospective players, making it highly unlikely to be actually adopted as the preferred alternative. Think of it, would you risk a head concussion for the purpose of keeping the lights on in your house?
Looking for a simple, elegant backup solution?
Genie Timeline 2012 is a new version of the number one continuous data protection program Timeline 2.1. It offers the first metro style user interface; enhanced performance, and added features. Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for the latest news.
>Follow @Genie9backup
Google Wallet byebye; Hello Apple PassBook!
Jun 14th
Google Wallet fans brace yourselves; Apple has once again prepared a shocking come back with its very own iOS 6 PassBook app , that is so simple yet so appealing.
Google Wallet’s Predicament
Let us explore the mobile-payment situation here in America; if you’ve ever tried to use your phone for means of buying goods or services at a retail store you probably know what a difficult task that is! Of course, if you are a Google fanatic, you can use their very own Google Wallet on one of their many Android devices out there. However, you will notice the very short list of participating vendors that are out there.
We are not trying to belittle Google by any means, for they are quite audacious to take on such an endeavor. However, NFC (Near Field Communication) has been a major hindrance in the way of their success. Whether the problem is infrastructural, political or even financial (since their only partner is Citibank MasterCard), all we know is that fewer than 1 percent of the phones sold today have NFC chips embedded which is probably not what Google aimed for.
How will Apple change the game?
While Apple’s Passbook hasn’t been officially even released yet, but from what we can tell, it bypasses the major drawbacks of Google Wallet, particularly NFC and limited payment methods. Its sole purpose is to serve as a collector and repository for receipts, loyalty cards, and boarding passes from other retailers’ existing apps.
Infrastructural and static hardware limitations are transcended through relying on software and QR codes. The Passbook is also more versatile in the sense that apps can be added from vendors you already trust; Apple might spin this in their favor if they charge a cut to be a listed store within the PassBook app.
One major impediment is out for Apple though; this app cannot function is the store is not equipped with the special laser scanners that are built to read Smartphone screens. If we take a step back and think this through, we realize that if a store already has a retail app, then chances are it has already invested in the required infrastructure.
For now, we have to wait and see how it all goes down but our money will be definitely on a software-centered mobile-payment rather than one tied to hardware, Google listen up.
Looking for a simple, elegant backup solution?
Genie Timeline 2012 is a new version of the number one continuous data protection program Timeline 2.1. It offers the first metro style user interface; enhanced performance, and added features. Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for the latest news.
>Follow @Genie9backup