Posts tagged Technology
The 5 Best Android Tablets You Can Buy Today
Jun 26th
Thinking of buying a new tablet anytime soon? Well, this list ought to make that shopping anxiety fret away.
1. Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700
Ever since the beautiful Transformer Prime launched last year, Asus have been attempting to catch on with the iPad. Well, with their new Transformer infinity they might be catching on. The tablet runs on Android 4.9 Ice Cream Sandwich OS and boasts a whopping 64 GB of internal storage ( if that’s too much for you,it also comes in 32 GB). Its width is 263 mm, depth 8.5 mm, height 180.8 mm and weighs 586g. Its display type is 10.1 in LCD TFT active matrix and the resolution is 1920 × 1200. The processor is Krait and the clock speed comes at 1.5 GHz. Moving on to the camera, the front camera’s pixel effectiveness is 2 megapixels and the rear camera ranks in at 8 with a Single LED Flash as well as an Autofocus. As for the most important part; the battery life, it is not removable, the estimated capacity is 25 Wh and the quoted use time comes in at 10 hrs.
The Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 Android tablet will be launched in U.S. retail store shelves approximately on July 16th.
2. Toshiba Excite 7.7
Toshiba, the well renowned PC manufacturer, ironically does not seem to have a clear grasp on the tablet market. First, with their huge and bulky “Thrive” that came looking more of a laptop. Then, with their “Excite 10 LE”, which was the absolute opposite wanting everything to be super thin.
Taking a more mainstream take now with their newest editions; the Excite 7.7 and Excite 10. The new versions are NVIDA Tegra 3 powered with Android 4.9 Ice Cream Sandwich OS.
Moving on to the hardware; it is 0.3 inches thick, 381 grams with Stereo speakers. You have the option to choose between a 16 GB internal memory or a 32 GB with a microSD external storage support. The rear camera is 5 megapixels and the front is 2. You can choose between the Excite 7.7, Excite 10 and Excite 13.
3. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
Samsung, the tech giant, are changing up their approach towards the tablets realm. It seems they would rather settle for a mediocre position in the race between the iPad and the Transformer Prime. Here is a quick overview of their latest Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. Similarly to the 7.0, it has solid but unspectacular specs (a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 1280 x 800 TFT display, 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, dual cameras), plus Android 4.0, all for a very reasonable $399.99. Of course, even at that price there’s competition from the still-on-sale iPad 2, the Transformer Pad TF300, and plenty others. Does the 10-inch Galaxy Tab 2 find the same balance its 7-inch predecessor did, or is your $400 better spent elsewhere?
4. Sony Tablet S
The Tablet S shows that the consumer electronics giant has not lost its design mojo over the years, as this model brings Sony’s authenticity and flair to the tablet market. What makes the Tablet S unique you ask? Well, for starters, the tablet’s tapered design. Sony says the design was influenced by the curve of a folded-around magazine. The Tablet S has 1GB of RAM onboard and 16GB or 32GB of storage hardwired.
The display itself is fairly standard; 1280 x 800, and there are two cameras on the device: a 3-megapixel shooter on the front, and a 5-megapixel model on the backside. The device boasts a 9.4-inch screen and weighs in at 603 grams. As for its battery life, it can hold up to an estimated 6.2 hrs.
5. Acer Iconia Tab A510
Looking a lot like its predecessor, the Acer Iconia Tab A500, a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 system is always a pleasure. The A510 has a wealth of connectivity: a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a micro-USB port just under the screen, a micro-HDMI port and a cover-protected microSD card slot (for up to 32 GB of additional storage). It also features a 5-Megapixel photo/video sensor on the back and a 2-Megapixel sensor on the front. The capacitive touchscreen uses PVA technology and has 1280 x 800 resolution. The A510 has a colossal battery under the hood which will give a reported 15 hours of life letting you surf, watch movies and game for that bit longer. It doesn’t weigh very much at 680 grams, but it is slightly heavier than competing tablets. Its width is 10.2 in, depth 0.43 in, height 6.9 inches.
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No socket? No problem
May 27th
How many of us, in this day and age of the smartphones, are struggling with constantly having to charge our beloved device? Long gone are the days when you can charge your phone and forget it for a couple of days, now you’re lucky if you can make it through the day without plugging it in somewhere.
Ted Tewksbury, Chief executive of California-based IDT (Integrated Device Technology), is tackling this issue with the introduction of a new set of microchips that will deliver “contactless charging”.
His vision is getting rid of the conventional phone-charging cables through incorporating existing technology; inductive coupling.
Inductive charging
Inductive charging uses the electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two objects. A charging station sends energy through inductive coupling to an electrical device, which stores the energy in the batteries. Because there is a small gap between the two coils, inductive charging is one kind of short-distance wireless energy transfer. The other kind of charging, direct wired contact (also known as conductive charging or direct coupling) requires direct electrical contact between the batteries and the charger. Conductive charging is achieved by connecting a device to a power source with plug-in wires, such as a docking station, or by moving batteries from a device to charger. Induction chargers typically use an induction coil to create an alternating electromagnetic field from within a charging base station, and a second induction coil in the portable device takes power from the electromagnetic field and converts it back into electrical current to charge the battery. The two induction coils in proximity combine to form an electrical transformer.
So how will this actually work?
Well, imagine instead of having to plug your phone into the wall when the battery runs low, you can simply place it onto the wireless charging surface; which could be either your desk, a cup holder in your car or even the armset of an airplane seat.
IDT hopes to grab a slice of a small but potentially sizeable market for wireless smartphone charging chips that could reach $800 million by 2014.
Tewksbury seems quite confident that if enough phone manufacturers would be willing to take the plunge and build it into the smartphone software, then carand even furniture makers are sure to follow!
Yet it remains ambiguous as to how this new technology will boost cost to both producers and consumers. IDT says, though, that in mass production, the chips by themselves would add less than $2 to the cost of a smartphone.
Wireless charging technology could also be used for laptop computers, digital phones, tablets and MP3 players.
Texas Instruments and other chipmakers are offering competing chips but IDT’s are smaller and cheaper, Tewksbury argues.
“We expect some revenue by the second half of the year,” he said. “By 2014 you can expect IDT will be the market share leader. How much revenue? That will depend on how many other players there are and how fragmented the market becomes.”
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Apple wins Patent lawsuit
Apr 4th
Are you ready to rumble?
Well, yet again here we are, outside the ring, cheering for our favorite contender; be it Apple or Motorola, the battle is tough and it seems that Apple has it’s game on!
We’ve been cheering for quite a while now,3 times to be exact, for this specific patent! The patent that covers the ability for a phone’s touchscreen to recognize any user gesture on a screen that is not a straight line. Motorola has repeatedly fought this claim, stating that the patent is specific to tolerance levels of 27 degrees. Unfortunately, today the judge put his foot down. We can almost hear the Google/ android fans cry out in agony!!
To quote Judge Richard Posner:
“I reject Motorola’s argument (this is the third time they’ve made it and the third time I reject it) that the structure must be limited to the 27-degree angle uses as an example by the specification.”
What does this mean? It means that if this claim is indeed finalized in July, any device with the ability to gesture a simple curve that does not run on IOS will be deemed as unrivaled.
We must say, we are a bit puzzled by the fact that the ability to swipe at an angle can be patented? Seriously? We apparently are not alone in thinking that this patent is much too broad, as Analyst Florian Mueller from FOSSpatents also stated that the gesture in question should not be able to be patented at all. He went on to say in his blog:
“Motorola will realistically be unable to avoid a finding of infringement and will have to come up with some really good invalidity arguments if it wants to avoid disaster.”
Let us stay optimistic and trust, at least for the sake of all Android users, that this is not the final call. Motorola, now it’s your turn to put your A game on!
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
Stuck in traffic? Now you can take off!
Apr 3rd
Are you a big fan of flying, yet cannot afford the rapidly increasing airline tickets? Are the long daunting queues and security checks stopping you from flying as frequently as you would want?
Well, A Dutch company may have the answers for your prayers. A new car that can be driven on land or flown in the air has been launched yesterday. While we are not sure if this car will be able to travel from country to another, it still looks pretty promising. Let us take a closer look.
The PAL-V is a three-wheel gas-powered vehicle, but the company plans to create a biodiesel version of the vehicle as well. While traveling on the ground, the PAL-V can reach a speed of 110 miles per hour. The air speed matches the 110 mile per hour range and is driven by a rear propeller, performing as a gyrocopter, which is stabilized by an unpowered top rotor.
The company has concluded 10 successful test flights and it is now looking for investors to take the PAL-V through the final development stage.
Let’s talk a bit about its features:
Road Performance:
Top Speed: 180 km/h
Zero-to-100km: 8 seconds
Est. fuel economy:12 km/l
Range: 1200 km (750 miles)
Flight Performance:
Maximum speed: 97 knots
Minumum speed for level flight: 27 knots
Take off roll: 165 m
Landing roll: 30 m
Range: 350-500 km ( depending on Pal-V type )
Now Let us be more serious and talk about how beneficial would it actually be to implement this idea for the long run:
From an economic standpoint; for there to be sufficient market, they would have to be used to a great extent in an urban environment. That really limits the design parameters and leads to a helicopter with wheels, steering wheel and limited carrying capacity (which is true, the PAL-V’s carrying capacity is limited to 2 people, and once you’ve seen the video, you might mistake it for a funny looking helicopter).
In an urban environment, the need for strict traffic control of the “air/cars” would be necessary. If you didn’t do this there would be mid air crashes on a very regular basis and really bad results. How would you like to have cars falling out of the sky on an almost hourly basis?
The one that is really scary is the flying while drunk case. Drunk drivers are bad enough but how would you like them flying over your house? Well, PAL-V answers this question by stating that it, as a gyroscopic vehicle, will fly at under 4,000ft. That means you’ll be able to pilot it with all the other Visual Flight Rules (VFR) traffic.
Yet another important question is raised here ; how will you be deemed adequate to drive and fly? We believe rigorous tests ought to be passed, for car accidents are already dangerous and hazardous enough, add flying to the equation my oh my what might happen.
Well,Flying cars might be a controversial issue; they come with a bucket full of disadvantages yet we cannot neglect its benefits.If you live in a remote location, where there are no roads available and you so happen to be a doctor, lives might be saved with this incredible new technology. We just hope it is not misused in this crazy world of ours.
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
Foursquare Unveiled!
Apr 2nd
Just when you thought location-based apps were getting outdated, the techies come and launch Foursquare. Well, it’s not exactly a new app or anything ; it has been around ever since 2009 when Dennis Crowley and Naveen Selvadurai launched it, but with its new updates and facebook integration, it has received much deserved exposure.
You might be asking yourself, what does it actually do? Well, to simplify things, it’s a location-based social networking website for smartphone. Users “check-in” by selecting from a list of venues that the application locates nearby. Each check-in awards the user points and sometimes “badges”. Location is based on GPS hardware in the mobile device or network location provided by the application.
News and updates:
1. Foursquare integration with Facebook: Users who connect their Foursquare accounts to their Facebook accounts will see a new Foursquare Timeline module that displays recent checkin activity as well as total checkins and top places for the month.
2. Foursquare today rolled out the ability for users to add short personal “bios” to their profile pages on the site. These bios are limited to 160 characters or less, and can be imported directly from a user’s Twitter account or written from scratch.
3. Itunes preview of foursquare app.
4. The top 10 hilarious badges out there: We’ve gathered the best 10 badges that cracked us up, check them out here.
Ways to use Foursquare:
1. Spark up your spring break! Find some lists in the city you’re traveling to for the best places to eat, catch some rays, and party – you’ll have a city guide in your pocket when you arrive, how cool is that!
2. Use it for your university or college : register your University if it hasn’t been already registered, and then check in, hey maybe you’ll be the Mayor!
3. Check out the best places that offer specials; check-in as often as you can and benefit from the specials they offer!
4. Even journalists and reporters can benefit from this amazing app; when you know where people are gathering from protests/breaking news events that draw bystanders to a trendy new restaurant, you will be able to gauge a possibility for a new story cover.
5. Get your Foursquare Photos Automatically Transferred to flicker using Flicksquare.
6. One of Foursquare’s greatest features is the ability to leave tips on a venue. People leave tips about their favorite dishes, things to do, how to get a discount and even where to find clean bathrooms. You’ll find tips like “the Gyro Pizza is the best you’ll ever eat” or “avoid the hot and spicy burrito — it’s neither hot nor spicy.”
7. Coupon lovers; great news for you!! Recently, Walgreens teamed up with Foursquare to roll out a mobile coupon program that lets consumers save money on products when they check-in to any location nationwide, making them the first retailer to offer point-of-sale scannable coupons through this popular tool. We hope more retailers will follow!
8. Foursquare to benefit your business: here’s a very useful video that we’ve found for those of you wit ha new start up business.
9. Great Apps that will elevate your Foursquare practice : Where Do You Go, Foursquare Lists, FourGraph, Agora, Foursquare 7 Years Ago.
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