CrunchGear |  |
- Sony, Hitachi And Toshiba To Merge Operations For Small And Mid-Sized LCDs
- Wacom’s Inkling Captures What You Draw On Paper Digitally (Amazing Video)
- Daily Crunch: Shape
- Windows 8′s New Explorer: This One Goes To 11
- Review: Fujifilm X100
- New Zelda And Golden Wiimote To Arrive November 20th
- Video: Raspberry Pi $25 Computer Running Quake III
- Comex Answers Questions About iPhone Hacking Before Heading Off To Apple
- Samsung May Buy webOS, Recruits Former HP Exec
- 3D For Everyone! Get The Nintendo 3DS For $150
- Here Come The MacBook Air Clones! Asus Set To Announce 5+ Ultrabooks
- Junaio 3.0 Mobile AR Browser Update. Now Scans Barcodes Too.
- Apple Continues To Block The Galaxy Tab 10.1 In Australia
- Video: New Atomic Clock Reaches A 100 Quadrillionth Of A Second Accuracy
- Leaked! Toshiba To Release Powerful, Ultra Thin Android Tablet At IFA
- TomTom Discovers Apps, Puts Twitter, Yelp And More In The Go Live 1535 M PND
| Sony, Hitachi And Toshiba To Merge Operations For Small And Mid-Sized LCDs Posted: 30 Aug 2011 03:11 AM PDT  Quite big news from Sony, Hitachi, and Toshiba today: according to Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun [JP], the three companies today decided to merge their LCD businesses, at least for smaller and mid-sized screens used in smartphones, handheld gaming devices and tablets. If the report is to be believed, a joint venture will be set up by the end of the year. What’s interesting is that the so-called Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, a semi-public organization, will control a whopping 70% of the newly formed company. The organization is ready to invest a total of US$2.6 billion (and fend off competition from South Korea, Taiwan and other places). Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba will hold 10% each of the yet to be named joint venture. It will control over 20% of the world’s market for smaller and mid-sized LCDs, making it the biggest company globally in this field. We covered the first rumors about the merger back in June.
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| Wacom’s Inkling Captures What You Draw On Paper Digitally (Amazing Video) Posted: 30 Aug 2011 01:46 AM PDT  Wacom has announced a pretty amazing product today, the Inkling. This so-called Digital Sketch Pen allows you to capture whatever you draw or write on a sketchbook or any kind of paper in digital form, “stroke by stroke”. Just insert a sheet of paper or a notebook into the receiver, use the Inkling Digital Pen and transfer your works to your computer to refine them digitally anytime later. Wacom says that Inkling even lets users create layers in the digital file while sketching on paper, with the push of a button. Works can be stored as JPEG, BMP, TIFF, PNG, SVG and PDF files for use with any kind of application that supports these formats. The Inkling offers direct transfers to Photoshop, Illustrator, and Autodesk Sketchbook Pro/Designer. Wacom plans to start selling the Inkling worldwide in the next few weeks. In the US, it will be available in “mid-September” for an MSRP of US$199.99, according to the company website. I am not really an expert in this field, but I am pretty sure this thing will fly off the shelves. This promo video shows the Inkling in action:
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| Posted: 30 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT  Here are some of yesterday’s posts on TechCrunch Gadgets:
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| Windows 8′s New Explorer: This One Goes To 11 Posted: 29 Aug 2011 04:20 PM PDT  The Building Windows 8 development blog has been an interesting read for a while. Hearing straight from developers and then seeing unfiltered responses from users and secondary devs is refreshing, even if the topic isn’t particularly compelling or I don’t agree with their design choices. Today is perhaps the most extreme example of this so far. The discussion of their new Windows 8 file manager is worth reading — but is the file manager worth using? The new ribbon UI for the explorer window is so cluttered with different-sized buttons, labels, multi-part icons, and tabs that I can barely parse it. It’s more like a hall of mirrors than a task-oriented workspace. Is this really the new, streamlined Windows? Microsoft appears to be going in two directions at once. With the sleek Metro interface demoed earlier this year, they are pushing towards the full-screen, super-natural, gesture-based navigation that people have come to expect to some degree in tablets. But under the hood, it looks like Windows is only getting more and more Windows-esque. I wrote some time back that Windows is the Cadillac of operating systems, and this seems to support that. At the same time, Apple is comfortably moving in one direction, not that this is better. The UI changes in Lion are questionably efficient and powerful file management is simply not a priority. I don’t want to inject my personal preferences into it too much, but I think it’s beyond dispute that for some users, this is good, while for others it is frustrating and counter-intuitive. But is there anyone who thinks that this wilderness of buttons is an effective way to communicate options and present actions to inexperienced users? The debate about the ribbon has gone on for a while, and again, it really seems like for some it’s a good idea, for others not so much. But this one in particular seems rather overpopulated. This is mainly because of the way Microsoft has designed the ribbon — it’s not a limitation of the grouped-buttons idea itself, which is something I see implemented well elsewhere every day. Look at the sheer number of arrows! Just in the top part of the window I count three up, ten down, one up and down, four right, and two left. With different contexts, weights, graphics, colors, and purposes. I should add, in fairness, that there are other real improvements being made, some of which are detailed in the blog post. Do give it a read so you have some context for the parts I am criticizing. Two paths The research they did on user actions presents a sort of fundamental choice, which is illustrative of the difference between Microsoft and Apple. Microsoft found that more than 85% of users perform the most common actions (cut, paste, rename) with the context menu and keyboard shortcuts. Only around 10% used the command bar, and hardly any used the top menus. What would you say the important lesson is here regarding future development? There are two very different interpretations of the data. Microsoft concluded that the command bar is underused because it’s not robust enough, and upon further investigation found that few of the common actions were even to be found there. They are looking for what they need to add. The solution, obviously, is to pump up the command bar until it becomes equally usable. This means putting every popular command in there, sorting and labeling them, filling up the empty space with stuff they think might be useful, and isolating less-common options in other tabs. The result is what you see: button salad, with every item at your fingertips, a great number of which millions of users will never touch. Apple would have concluded that the command bar is underused because it’s not effective. They are looking for what they need to subtract. Whether the items necessary are in it or not, the user preference towards context menus and keyboard shortcuts seems clear. The solution is to eliminate the command bar altogether and find a way to make the more popular access methods even more accessible. The result is a simplified interface with fewer options, and users are forever doomed to follow the road Apple has chosen. Which is the correct lesson? Clearly neither. That’s why we have two warring OS styles, both successful, both powerful, with serious differences between them. But one thing that Apple has on Microsoft is that it commits to the ideas it forces on its users, and usually carries them out with style and taste (in the Strunk style of mispronouncing words loudly). You can’t finish a project faster with style and taste, but you can make it intelligible to grandparents who can’t wrap their minds around a double click or ctrl-drag. The Metro UI is a breath of fresh air for Microsoft because, and this is not a superficial compliment, it looks good. It doesn’t look “impressive” or “powerful,” it looks good. It looks like something people can use. It’s going to be an awkward time for Microsoft as this new UI competes with the old (and despite what you say, I guarantee they are competing), but they need to start making real design decisions that advance the usability of Windows. This explorer interface, which will be among the most commonly used on all Windows 8 PCs, will be terrifying to new users and ignores many subtle and not-so-subtle design guidelines. It’s possible that this UI could be made successful with better art and execution, but it’s just not compatible with high-level decisions being made regarding the direction of Windows altogether. These engineers shouldn’t be having to worry about which never-used button should accompany “new folder.” It’s a waste of their time and Microsoft’s money. Microsoft needs to commit the way Apple commits. Sometimes that means leaving things behind, which has never been Windows’ strong suit. If they hope to retain their existing users and maybe even gain a few back from Apple, they need to do more than keep adding lacquer to their existing methods. That doesn’t mean just imitate Apple and make the same mistakes they do, but they need to fight on new grounds and make hard decisions. ARM, Metro, and WP7 were good but difficult decisions because they questioned previous decisions deemed successful — things which for many were useful! But when they let things like this cling like barnacles to their fresh new OS, they’re allowing their legacy to interfere with what needs to be done.
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| Posted: 29 Aug 2011 01:59 PM PDT  Short version: A unique and powerful camera hampered by uneven attention to detail and an inadequate menu system. For a camera so strongly and effectively focused on going back to basics, the legacy of ugly menus, slow focus, and chintzy dials seems especially out of place. In this case, beauty truly only is skin deep. Except for the fabulous lens and sensor, I should say. Features:
Pros:
Cons:
Full review: I’ve made no secret of my excitement regarding the X100. Since playing with it at CES early this year it has been pretty much the only camera I’ve been seriously looking forward to. Finally, something to replace my aging Canon. A triumph of retro design and modern engineering. And in a way, it is. But while they certainly created a beautiful camera that can produce beautiful images, they failed to make a camera that makes you want to use it. Before I go any further, let me just remind our readers that this is a rather late and decidedly anecdotal review. For thorough testing and image quality comparisons, I recommend DP Review’s extensive coverage. This is just me adding my thoughts to the pile. Something old, something new There’s no denying that Fujifilm has crafted an amazing object. Too many cameras today, especially compact ones, have a feeling of high-tech chintziness, of thin bits of metal, chippable plastic, and toylike dials. Fujifilm has made a camera that feels almost as solid as my old Canon film SLR from the early 70s. You have the retro look, of course, but it also has the feel, for the most part. I love the way the shutter and bias dials and aperture ring feel. It’s so nice to be spinning something again, to be selecting something etched in metal, not using a jog dial to tell a piece of software to open the aperture a bit more. The threaded, metal shutter release button is a joy to press. The pancake lens and compact form factor make things a bit close for comfort if you have big hands, but it’s hot hard to figure out. And the hybrid viewfinder! What an accomplishment! Seeing that overlay on the rangefinder for quick reference, then snapping over to the high-res electronic viewfinder — it’s magical. It works as advertised, it looks great, and makes you want to show it off. Here’s how it looks; excuse the poor picture quality, putting my lens right up to the eyepiece limited my compositional options. Cool, isn’t it? There’s a definite difference in what the rangefinder and EVF show, but that’s the reality of rangefinders. Knowing your framing in the rangefinder is something that takes time, and the ability to switch instantly to the EVF is very handy. The other shoe But then I started taking pictures. The first thing I did was try to focus the camera on something on my desk. The autofocus labored, the image flashed, and… nothing was in focus. I tried again and again. Apparently I had to switch to macro mode for objects closer than 20 inches or so. And that’s when I first used the d-pad/dial. What a cheap-feeling little piece of junk it is! It wobbles all over, you have to kind of hit it with your thumbnail, and the center button is microscopic. This was on a $1200 camera? The whole menu system gives me the same feeling of low quality. It’s a consumer interface on a professional camera. The information on the LCD and EVF is haphazard and poorly organized. Taking a video means going into the drive mode settings on that crappy little d-pad. Why isn’t it, say, on the shutter speed dial, since you can’t use that dial anyway while in video mode? If you have to have a macro mode, why do I have to hit the button and choose between on and off? If there are only the two modes, why doesn’t the button just switch between them?! It’s nothing I couldn’t get used to, but it’s not something I want to get used to. And the manual focus, one of the fun things to have in a “professional” camera, especially one with such a great, fast lens and HD video, is useless. You have a nice (if narrow) ring with a smooth action, but the actual focus only changes in little spurts about half a second apart. Not only that but the sensitivity felt to me incredibly low. I brought it to about its minimum focus, which is quite close (~4 inches) using macro mode AF (accurate when you’re within its range), then used the manual focus ring to bring the chair on the other side of the room into focus. Averaging about a quarter turn per movement, it took me 16 spins to get the chair in focus! That’s three or four full revolutions of the ring! My Canon’s lens goes from macro to infinity in half a revolution. Conclusion I don’t want to make this into a litany of complaints. But I am disappointed in this camera. Could it ever have lived up to my expectations? I certainly think so — but even with the updated firmware there is still a huge amount of improvement needed before this camera is a workable replacement for something like a DSLR, or even a really credible alternative to other ~$1000 cameras. The X100 is a unique and powerful device, but its shortcomings simply make it too much of a chore to make it worth a recommendation. The camera simply isn’t ready for anyone who isn’t willing to make compromises in how they shoot. That said, this is the first version of a camera that has sold incredibly well and will almost certainly see real improvements over the next few years. It’s a “visionary” first-generation product, essentially, with all the pros and cons associated with that class of device. If you’re willing to grapple with the camera’s interface and don’t mind a few dozen quaint operational habits, the X100 is an interesting and capable camera. But if you’re looking for a shooting experience that is user-friendly and quick, look elsewhere for now.
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| New Zelda And Golden Wiimote To Arrive November 20th Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:20 PM PDT  When I first saw The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword at E3 2010, I have to admit I wasn’t impressed. The demo was obviously rushed out, the Wiimote was being unresponsive, and it took him like a dozen slingshot rocks to knock down one spider. But it has definitely shaped up nicely over the last year or so, and was looking better than ever at PAX. Now that the doubters had been satisfied to some extent, it only remained to set a date for availability. And we just got that. The new game will be hitting the US on November 20th, just in time for the holidays. I get the feeling there will be a lot of Zeldas under trees this year. And what’s more, you’ll be able to buy it bundled with that fabulous golden Wiimote we saw teased at E3 this year for a mere $20 extra. The bundle will sell for $70 and the plain version for $50. Why would you not get the bundle? Both versions, however, will come with a Zelda 25th Anniversary Concert CD. If you’re still not sure about it, we’ll have a review of the game up as soon as they start sending those little buggers out.
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| Video: Raspberry Pi $25 Computer Running Quake III Posted: 29 Aug 2011 11:56 AM PDT  You may recall the Raspberry Pi, a barebones PC for emerging markets that they hope to sell for $25. When we wrote it up earlier this year, there wasn’t much in the way of demonstration: a few stills of the PCB and a video with founder David Braben describing his plan for the device. But today we have a demo that both captures the geek imagination and proves the device has legs: they’ve got it running Quake III. Not that it’s some big accomplishment to run a game released in the last millennium, but it actually does pretty well. The device uses a 700MHz ARM processor and has 128MB of RAM enabled here, and lacking any on-device storage, it’s running the OS (Debian CLI) and the game off an SD card. Check out the video: They could hit higher framerates, but wanted to show that 1920×1080 with 4xAA was possible. Naturally you could reduce this quite a bit and max out the refresh rate on your monitor; Q3A isn’t exactly the most graphics-intensive game on the market. The game isn’t being emulated; they actually compiled the open source version for their Debian build. They plan on networking a few together and playing a deathmatch soon. Now, the point of this isn’t that now, impoverished children in Kazakhstan will be able to hone their all-important FPSing skills. It’s more of a proof of concept showing that a (fairly) modern piece of software can be adapted to the hardware they’ve put together: the Raspberry Pi really is a full-on computer. And while there are Micro ATX boards and systems out there (very useful ones in fact), they don’t come anywhere near the $25 mark. You still need an LCD, keyboard, SD card or USB drive, and so on, but the Raspberry Pi Foundation is all about lowering the entry barrier and providing everything that’s needed in a basic computer for as low a price as possible. Keep up with the project here. They’ve still got a lot of work to do before they make this a viable product, but things seem to be moving along rapidly.
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| Comex Answers Questions About iPhone Hacking Before Heading Off To Apple Posted: 29 Aug 2011 11:10 AM PDT  If you pay even a small bit of attention to the iPhone jailbreaking scene, you’ve probably heard by now: one of its golden boys is heading for greener pastures. Nicholas Allegra — perhaps known better as comex (the brain behind the one-click, web-based jailbreaking tool, JailbreakMe) — is hangin’ up his hacker hat and heading for Cupertino, having been offered an internship at Apple. Before settling down in his new seat, though, comex took a bit of time to answer some questions from the community on his future, his thoughts on the jailbreak scene, and regrets. To be clear: the text excerpts below are highlights pulled from an AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) on Reddit. The AMA occured in the iPhone sub-reddit rather than the dedicated AMA sub-reddit. Each question’s original asker follows in parentheses. After your internship with Apple and after iOS 5 is officially released, will you continue to support the jailbreak community by providing exploits? (nishnasty) Comex: No. (But I’ll want to jailbreak my phone, so I hope someone finds them :p) (Of course, it’s worth noting that he probably can’t continue, even once the internship is over. Once you’ve signed up for an official tour on the mothership and have potentially mucked with source code [though Apple interns are generally kept at a distance from the source], activities like this are a no-go.) Why an intern position though? It seems like you could carry a regular position at apple. (AstroZombie138) Comex: I don’t know if I’d want to do that- I’ve never had a job before and I don’t know what it’s like- and I intend to go back to college soon. How has the core jailbreak dev teams responded to you going to work for apple? (AstroZombie138) Comex: Mostly with congratulations. Have you made any money from the [jailbreak] scene? (jamesvdm) Comex: I’ve made a good amount of money through donations, which is mostly being used to help pay for college. JailbreakMe 2.0 was like $40,000; 3.0 was $15,000 (not quite sure why it decreased). The jailbreak community took a huge hit when you left. Do you think the active players can outsmart you now that you’re playing for the other team, or are you Apple’s final solution to their jailbreak problem? (bitterorca) Comex: There are a lot of smart people working for Apple already; maybe I can help, but I doubt I can stop people from finding exploits. Paraphased – On Apple “stealing” ideas from the jailbreak community (as many concepts that have found their way into iOS, such as multitasking, improved notifications, and even the App Store were implemented by jailbreakers first): Comex: I certainly don’t mind. Jailbreak community puts an idea in front of people with a crappy implementation; Apple polishes it to the point where it can be an OS feature. I don’t know whether Apple actually pays attention to jailbreak apps, but see App Store, copy and paste, multitasking, etc… Why did you choose to get involved in specifically the iPhone jailbreaking scene, what was it attracted you to the iPhone? (Colonel_Ham_Sandwich) Comex: I had one… and it was a device that (a) had a lot of functionality, (b) had a nice and flexible UNIX OS, (c) already had an active homebrew community, and (d) was really cool. :p Did you always set out to be a hacker or was it just something that interested you and found you had a [knack] for? (Colonel_Ham_Sandwich) Comex: I never wanted to be a black hat hacker, but I did enjoy hacking (originally SQL injection and crap) as a natural extension of programming. Finally, in regards to the PDF bug used for the JailbreakMe.com jailbreak, where on earth did you get the brilliant idea for it? (Colonel_Ham_Sandwich) Comex: FreeType was one of the less studied open source components of iOS. Are you optimistic about the future of the iOS platform? What features are you looking forward to next? (iconoclaus) Comex: My personal opinion: it will probably continue to beat the pants off its competitors in performance for a while yet, and Apple’s “take your time but do it right” policy on features will probably continue to make it a pleasure to use. But I’m impatient: other platforms (WebOS) have a lot of fun stuff with no real equivalent in iOS. Do you have any regrets? (bitterorca) Will the current jailbreaks and/or the site disappear? (UntilWeLand) Comex: No, I’ll hand them over to MuscleNerd or chpwn or whoever will take care of them. Your thoughts on Steve Jobs’ departure? (MDevonL) Comex: Really a shame; I was hoping to meet him some day, and, company direction aside, keynotes won’t be as entertaining without him. What, besides money, made you flip to the other side? (Clavis_Apocalypticae) Comex: It’s not about money. A large part of my motivation to jailbreak was always the challenge; the internship will be a new sort of challenge. Again, these are just the highlights — for a deeper dive and a good bit of interesting conversation, be sure to check out the full AMA thread.
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| Samsung May Buy webOS, Recruits Former HP Exec Posted: 29 Aug 2011 10:51 AM PDT  When HP decided to kill off webOS, most people were more concerned with who would snatch up the PC business that went tumbling down the trash chute alongside it. A few options were thrown out, but most bets were placed on Samsung, who’s reportedly been looking to outsource some notebook orders. Little did we know, Samsung may be interested in grabbing webOS, too. DigiTimes’ sources report that Samsung may very well be considering the purchase of webOS to better compete against Apple and other Android phone makers. With Google’s proposed acquisition of Motorola, the game has changed significantly. IP wars have become a bit of trend lately within the mobile industry, and no one is completely safe. However, Android now has a much better position thanks to Motorola’s massive patent trove. HP made a similar move last year with its $1.2 billion acquisition of Palm and its patent portfolio. If Samsung really does end up buying webOS, it may buy itself some desperately needed protection, as well. Which would be quite the boost since the South Korea-based company has been under a full-scale attack from Apple for the past four months. Plus, a webOS acquisition may give Samsung an edge competitively, as well. Though Google promises to leave Android “open,” Motorola will undoubtedly have the upper hand in terms of Android devices. That said, many Android partners are likely feeling a bit frazzled, and may be looking for their own way to comfortably differentiate. Android’s certainly a success story compared to webOS, but it’s also up for grabs and Motorola will henceforth get first dibs. That’s rather uncomfortable to just about anyone but Motorola. Apple has iOS. HTC has its massive supply chain. Nokia will have Windows Phone 7 Mango. And Motorola will, of course, have Android. That leaves Samsung, who is a notably strong competitor among these big five device makers, without something special to set it apart. While webOS hasn’t been a shining star among mobile platforms, that’s not to say that it’s a bad operating system. Quite the opposite actually. webOS partners the beauty and simplicity of iOS with the multi-tasking of Android, but just doesn’t have enough apps to walk the walk. With a little tweaking and some app support, webOS might just be what Samsung needs. Especially if the South Korea-based company is looking to free itself from the litigation-inducing Android. In other news, HP’s ex-VP of Marketing for the Personal Systems Group has reportedly been recruited by Samsung to take over PC sales, adding weight to rumors that Samsung is interested in HP’s soon-to-be spun off PC business. Samsung has denied, rather vehemently, any intention of picking up HP’s PC business. We agree it wouldn’t be the best fit, since HP’s lower-margin PC business doesn’t really jive with Samsung’s high-margin panel and DRAM businesses. Here’s Samsung’s statement on the matter:
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| 3D For Everyone! Get The Nintendo 3DS For $150 Posted: 29 Aug 2011 09:59 AM PDT  Nintendo cut the price of the 3DS from $250 to $169 just a few weeks back. Now you can get it for even less. MacMall is currently selling the blue and black systems via ebay for $150 with free shipping. The new red model is notable missing and somewhat seems to say that the blue and black flavors are just sitting in warehouses, waiting to be cleared out. The offer doesn’t seem to have an expiration date although the ebay listing does stated limited quantities. As of this post’s writing, MacMall has sold 97 3DS’ but there could be plenty to go around. Do yourself a favor, spend $20 less on the system then turn around and buy Legend of Zelda – Ocarina of Time 3D. A rumor broke just last week that Nintendo is gear up for some 3DS add-ons, most importantly a add-on analog stick for better 3D navigation. Either way, the 3DS is not going away. This is Nintendo’s next-gen portable and they’re not likely to pull an HP and kill the device just because the consumer marketplace didn’t immediately latch on. Company: NINTENDO Website: http://nintendo.com Nintendo, a technology company widely known for its line of game consoles, was actually founded in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi. It began as a Card Game company and evolved...
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| Here Come The MacBook Air Clones! Asus Set To Announce 5+ Ultrabooks Posted: 29 Aug 2011 08:29 AM PDT  The day of the Ultrabook is nearly upon us and per Asustek chairman, Jonney Shih, the PC maker has five to six models on the bill for an October release. Prices are said to start out at $899 but also reach $1,999. That’s notably higher than Intel’s target price of $999 and under. Still, if Intel has its way, ultrabooks will be the next big thing in PC notebooks. The ultra-thin, ultra-sexy notebooks are designed around Intel’s next-gen Ivy Bridge CPU platform that offers high but efficient performance at affordable price points and Asus is set to flood the market with a bunch of models. Asus isn’t alone in this fight. Acer also has models on tap and the Aspire 3951 leaked last weekend before its IFA debut. This first-gen model sports a current generation Intel Sandy Bridge CPU and a rather cheap looking case, but it’s only 13mm thick and said to have a $800 price tag. HD Blog even states that it wakes from sleep in two seconds. Intel previously stated that ultrabooks will make up to 40% of the notebook market by the end of 2012. Asus’s CEO, Jerry Shen, stated that this goal is “a very aggressive target that would be difficult to meet before 2013" citing numerous obstacles including a heat issue with Intel’s CPUs. He also stated that Asus’ suppliers have the ability to pump out a maximum of 200K ultrabooks without any additional supply chain investment. As the Financial Times notes, that’s a fraction of Asus’ current 1 million per month capacity. Intel’s aggressive target will not be reachable if only Asus and Acer are on board. With HP slowly backing out of the consumer marketplace, Dell, Toshiba, and Lenovo will need to fully accept the ultrabook platform and target all segments of the notebook market. There will need to be ultrabooks at low and median price points. Right now that doesn’t seem to be happening as just the two aforementioned computer companies have talked about their ultrabook offerings. Still, ultrabooks are likely going to be all the rage at IFA this week and next. Ultrabooks might be nothing more than MacBook Air rip-offs, but if they’re done right &mash; with quality specs and efficient batteries — they could signal a sales boom for the Windows PC notebook market.
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| Junaio 3.0 Mobile AR Browser Update. Now Scans Barcodes Too. Posted: 29 Aug 2011 08:20 AM PDT  Junaio, the mobile Augmented Reality browser created by German AR firm Metaio, has been updated this morning: Version 3.0 now supports scanning barcodes. Some of you are probably thinking “Whoop-dee-doo, every app can scan barcodes nowadays.” And you’re right; it’s not really a big deal in that sense. When you consider Junaio’s capability at advanced image recognition, using it to scan 1D and 2D QR codes is kind of like using a bazooka to shoot an arrow. But from a usability standpoint, it makes a lot of sense. I’ll be the first to admit that Junaio’s “channel” concept for AR content has always been a little confusing to me. I mean, I get it and think it is a flexible way to break up content. I’m sure it also makes it easy for 3rd parties to make content available to the browser. But I always have to remind myself how it works…I choose X channel for X kind of content, etc. I think adding an “instantly on” scanner that can just scan posters, recognize images, experience natural feature tracking — do all the things Junaio could always do — plus 2D barcode scanning is a great step in the right direction for Junaio and its usability. It is definitely a faster way to get to the content. From a strategy standpoint, it also makes sense. Why not try to make Junaio a “one stop shop” for all AR and image searching needs? Especially when AR content is still not quite as mainstream as barcode scanning (not that I would say barcode scanning completely mainstream either). But why not try to make that less complex barcode functionality possible for users too. It’s a good idea. I installed it this morning and noticed that not all 2D barcode symbologies are able to be scanned. I confirmed this with a spokesperson from Metaio, who said that at today’s launch, Junaio will only be able to scan standard 1D barcodes and QR codes. They will be adding more symbol libraries over time to accommodate different code types. Multiple symbology recognition will be important for Junaio to become that “one stop shop” scanning app. I realize that QR codes are a more popular symbology, and their ability to encode Kanji characters make them a more practical, international solution. That is probably a good place to start. However, Data Matrix codes are still popular in North America and can be significantly smaller in print size. At a bare minimum, Data Matrix, PDF417 and maybe even Aztec should be incorporated. But in general, I think this added functionality is a step right direction for a great little mobile AR browser. The version for iPhone is available now, with the iPad 2 version coming later this week. The Android version will be available next week.
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| Apple Continues To Block The Galaxy Tab 10.1 In Australia Posted: 29 Aug 2011 07:55 AM PDT  The Apple-Samsung drama has been rather quiet in Australia compared to the clamor it’s created in Europe until today when Apple alleged that the Australian version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is also infringing Apple patents. Samsung had originally tried to circumvent the Australian GalTab injunction on the basis that it was the version intended for the U.S., and that the Australian variant was different. Samsung, Apple, the court, and the rest of us all knew that this was simply a hail-Mary style prayer that the Australian version would somehow be varied enough from the U.S. version to slide past infringement territory. But… c’mon. A Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and that’s exactly how Apple felt. The amount and type of infringement claims Apple will make are as yet unknown since the company just got their hands on the Australian variants on Thursday of last week. But according to the Sydney Morning Herald, Apple’s lawyers contended that the Australian GalTab does have “some reduced functionality,” but it “will still infringe.” And if that weren’t enough, Samsung says it will file its own Australian patent infringement suit against Apple’s iPad. Which is pretty awful news considering that these two have basically taken their fight across the U.S., Europe and Australia, leaving a wake of dissatisfied customers and rich lawyers in their trail. But that’s an entirely different lawsuit on an entirely different day, and there’s really no telling which patents Samsung will throw out to make a dent in its foe’s armor. What matters now is Apple’s complaint, which is keeping Australians from the GalTab 10.1 party. The slate was originally scheduled to launch August 11, or at least that was the date for Samsung’s media event. Apple ruined that fun claiming that the U.S. version was infringing its patents concerned with “look and feel” and touchscreen technology, and asked the court to block the GalTab until a formal decision had been reached. When Samsung responded by saying it had an Australian GalTab in the works, Apple agreed to inspect three models of said GalTab to determine whether infringement was still an issue. Clearly, it’s still an issue, and so Apple asked the court to not only re-affirm its injunction on the U.S. version, but to prevent Samsung from selling the Australian version as well. Samsung initially argued this, as the company had planned to begin selling the device on September 12. Eventually they came to their senses once Justice Annabelle Bennett reiterated that there may not be very much logic in launching only to have the slate pulled off shelves in a couple weeks. Samsung’s counsel then decided to hold off on the launch until after September 30. On Friday, Apple will go into detail on each of the patents Samsung is allegedly infringing, and on September 5 the company will release a more in-depth statement of the facts. Once Samsung has had the chance to rebut, the formal hearing will take place September 26 and 29. Justice Annabelle Bennet, though she owns an iPad, said she may need help in determining the actual claims of the patents and how they relate to each tablet. And we don’t blame her. Have you ever read through a patent? Not easy. In the meantime, Samsung will be preparing its counter-argument, which will likely include clips and images from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Samsung has cited the tablets within the film as “prior art” for the tablet design in its U.S. lawsuit, which could effectively get Samsung off the hook. And we honestly hope it does. Not because we’re on Samsung’s side, or Apple’s for that matter, but because we’re really just ready for this mess to be over. The brawl has lasted about four months, spread across three continents, and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down at all. In the end, Apple and Samsung will survive. It’s the innocent consumers who are losing big. Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the last 30 years, officially changing their name from Apple Computer,...
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| Video: New Atomic Clock Reaches A 100 Quadrillionth Of A Second Accuracy Posted: 29 Aug 2011 07:28 AM PDT  A team of researchers at the University of Tokyo has developed a new type of optical atomic clock that boasts a 100 quadrillionth of a second accuracy (one quadrillion has 15 zeros). The optical lattice clock is the brain child of Professor Katori who says his device observes a million atoms simultaneously whereas conventional atomic clocks measure time by using single atoms. The Professor explains:
The idea is to eventually use the new clock to improve GPS (which is based on atomic clocks delivering 14-or 15-digit accuracy) or to predict earthquakes, for example. This video (shot by Diginfonews in Tokyo, in English) provides more insight:
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| Leaked! Toshiba To Release Powerful, Ultra Thin Android Tablet At IFA Posted: 29 Aug 2011 06:09 AM PDT  The Toshiba Thrive isn’t exactly a good-looking Android tablet. Sure, it has plenty of ports, a removable battery, and a low price, but it’s also bulky and feels of cheap plastic. Sans the Toshiba logo, it feels and looks just like a random Chinese rip-off. But have no fear, Toshiba fans! Per a pre-IFA leak, there’s a new tablet coming and it’s every bit as sexy as the Asus Transformer or Samsung Galaxy Tab while packing at least some of the I/O ports found on the Thrive.
Toshiba will likely make the tablet official before IFA kicks off later this week. That is, of course, if another leak doesn’t ruin their fun.
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| TomTom Discovers Apps, Puts Twitter, Yelp And More In The Go Live 1535 M PND Posted: 29 Aug 2011 05:31 AM PDT  Ladies and germs, this is the Go Live 1535 M, which according to TomTom, is the first PND with connected apps. That claim may not exactly be true, but the Go Live 1535 M does have an impressive — that is, impressive for a GPS — set of non-standard functions through a variety of apps such as Twitter, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Expedia. These are in addition to TomTom’s VIA connected services that includes fuel prices, weather and Google Local Search. The personal navigation device market has lost much of its thunder the last few years. These apps are the sort of functions that could have at least temporarily slowed the transfer of power to the smartphones regime. But alas, the Go Live 1535 M is hitting a few years too late with a crazy-high price.
The new Go Live 1535 is expected later this year for $299. The already-released 2535 M will get the apps through a firmware update at a later time. The device, thanks to its price, is likely to only satisfy a very niche market as consumers who are actually interested in apps likely have a smartphone that can pull double duty.
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