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Monday, March 12, 2012

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Apple simplifies its ITC suit against Samsung: drops one patent and several claims from two more

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 11:34 AM PDT

While there's been plenty of legal wrangling between Apple and Samsung in Federal courtrooms lately, it's been awhile since we've had news from the parties' parallel proceedings occurring in the ITC. No longer. Last week, Apple received a favorable outcome when the ITC issued its claim construction order, siding with Apple's interpretations of two patents -- for those who aren't familiar, claim construction is the process by which the judge determines the meaning of specific terms in the claims, and it often has great influence on findings of infringement (or non-infringement). The judge found in favor of Samsung regarding one patent in his claim construction order, however, and now Apple has dropped that patent from the proceedings, along with claims from two of its other patents as well. This latest legal maneuvering by Cupertino is pretty standard fare, as paring down the legal issues is something all courts encourage to make the adjudication process more efficient, and Apple is simply distilling its case down to its strongest arguments. Now that the claim construction's complete, next on the docket is the ITC's evidentiary hearing (read: trial) starting May 31st, and afterwards we'll finally get the ITC's decision. Stay tuned.

Bringing wireless to the disconnected: internet tales from the South Pacific

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 11:00 AM PDT

"We only have dial-up here. You'd be shocked at the speeds. [Laughs.] But it's okay -- as long as I can send and reply to email, I'm fine with it."

Those were the words spoken to me just weeks ago by the absolutely precious owner of Litia Sini Beach Resort on the extreme southeastern tip of Upolo. For those unaware, that's Samoa's most populous island (~135,000 people) -- a sliver of lush, mountainous land dropped almost perfectly in the center of the Pacific Ocean. I chuckled a bit upon hearing it, immediately realizing that I had a connection in the palm of my hand that was 20, 30, perhaps even 40 times quicker than what this business owner was relying on. She paused, as if to collect her thoughts before going into a familiar spiel about the resort's amenities, and then drew my attention to the display of her laptop.

"It's still a draft for now, but this is the new tsunami evacuation plan that we're working on. Soon, we'll have this in each fale. It's taking a bit of time to get right, as the drawings are actually done in New Zealand."

I nodded my head in understanding, immediately thinking that this must be in reaction to the catastrophic tsunami of September 2009, caused by a magnitude 8.1 submarine earthquake that hit barely 100 miles from the very spot I was sitting. It was the largest quake of 2009. The entire resort was leveled. Dozens upon dozens were killed. And here we were, over two full years later, and the evacuation schematics are still in "draft."
Simultaneously, I wondered just how large that PDF was that my eyes were seeing. 1MB? 4MB? How many minutes of her day were spent downloading each new copy on a dial-up connection? How much sooner could these plans have been solidified if copious amounts of broadband internet were at her fingertips at an affordable rate? How many hours would she spend downloading the enlarged copy suitable for printing and posting as a public notice just inside the resort?

While my own mental gears were turning, a soft, cadenced slap of waves continued on behind me, fellow guests retreated to their porches with a good book, and the government of Samoa decided to kill the power to the entire village without so much as a warning. "Due to the emergency," I'm told. "We're calling soon to see about when it will be back."


"Yeah -- kind of crazy that you can get 3G out here."

Without a second thought, I pulled out a half-charged Galaxy S II and furiously Googled surrounding weather conditions for the surrounding area, looking intently as the up and down arrows beneath that comforting "H+" logo light up and go dim. Within a second, it's clear that whatever "emergency" we're dealing with doesn't involve a life-threatening act of God, and within another, I've turned the handset completely off. "I better save whatever juice is left in here," I tell my wife. "Yeah -- kind of crazy that you can get 3G out here," she replies.

As it turns out, "crazy" doesn't even begin to describe the whole of things.

Taken for granted


Samoa is just a single example of a place that provides a vivid and undeniable reminder of just how often I take the internet for granted. I grew up in a generation that expected the internet; one where the expectation of near-ubiquity was the norm. But here, thousands of miles from home and merely 80 miles from America's nearest overseas territory, the mindset is vastly different. I can't say for sure that widespread, affordable, high-speed access to the world wide web is an immediate recipe for a nation's success, but I can say that it places a country's people in a far better place than they'd be without it. Just as books are vital to literacy, the internet is now vital to economic growth and development. I've always known these things, but being planted in a place for a solid week where the internet was harder to come by than those other essentials had a serious impact on me (and not from a 'I can't play Words with Friends!' standpoint, either).

The good news, however, is that Samoa -- precisely like Fiji and so many other emerging nations -- are hopping on the internet bandwagon at precisely the right time. Rather than deal with costly hardline infrastructure -- spending millions running wire to impossibly remote villages that don't even count sealed roads as an accessible luxury -- they're skipping right to wireless. Digicel has operated a 2G network on Samoa for some time now, and in fact, I was impressed by how many Digicel billboards were advertising a simple dumbphone-to-dumbphone money transfer process that nations like America never really seemed to embrace. But money transfers are only the start.

The wireless revolution is real


When I waltzed into APW airport at some absurd hour of the morning, I was hit with a full-frontal advertising blitz. "Samoa's First 4G Network!" the signs proclaimed. The entire immigration and luggage hall was splattered with them, showcasing BlueSky Samoa's sparkling new wireless network. "Whoa, 4G in Samoa?" I asked myself. Indeed. Well, kind of. As it turns out, even the childish marketing speak that has baffled simpletons in America found a way to this island, as the network actually tops out at HSPA+. It's not LTE, nor WiMAX, but 21Mbps down and 5.7Mbps up (the maximum offered here) is not only gamechanging for the people of Samoa: it's transformational.

Unfortunately, the BlueSky office in the airport was closed for the night, but a quick drive to downtown Apia the next morning found me at a bona fide BlueSky retail store. Within 15 minutes I was in and out with a local SIM card, programmed with 200MB of data. So, there's good news and rough news here, and I'll give you the latter first.


For some reason -- economics, if I had to hazard a guess -- BlueSky is pricing its 200MB data package at SAT$80 (that's around USD$40), and it's split into two buckets: 100MB to be used from 7AM to 7PM, and 100MB to be used during the non-peak hours of 7:01PM to 6:59AM. That's mighty, mighty pricey, particularly for most locals, but this is also the company hawking a year-old Galaxy S II for SAT$2,199, or just over $1,000 in greenbacks. 200MB vanished fairly quickly when using Maps to guide myself around foreign streets, Google to find nearby attractions and Gmail to keep up with work. Moreover, the network itself wasn't entirely reliable, with a data outage lasting a solid five hours one morning on at least the eastern side of Upolo. (2G data services seemed unaffected during the period.)

"There's probably no business case in existence that could prove an HSPA+ rollout on Samoa would be worth it, but I'm here to tell you it's worthwhile."

Now, the good news: someone took a chance. There's probably no business case in existence that could prove a staggeringly expensive HSPA+ rollout on Samoa would be worth it, but I'm here to tell you it's worthwhile. Digicel's network in Lolumanu (where Litia Sini Beach Resort is located) can only muster GPRS data speeds. That's slower than EDGE, and in practice, it's thoroughly useless. BlueSky offers five bars of HSPA+ here, and there can't be over 100 people that call this place home. Within five years, I'm betting that the aforesaid resort owner will ditch her dial-up connection and rely solely on a BlueSky SIM to run her business -- a SIM that can travel with her across the island, right to the heart of Apia where few tourists bother to leave. In fact, that's exactly what BlueSky is hoping for; the company is straight-up marketing its newfangled technology as a true substitute to lackluster (and expensive) landline-based internet service. I know AT&T and Verizon Wireless are in no position to strain their networks in the same way, but still -- this is the future.

Priced out of reach


Just to give you an idea of how impossibly out-of-reach high-speed internet is in Samoa, let's take a look at the nation's self-proclaimed "premiere" ISP, iPasifika. The starter plan comes in at SAT$99 (around USD$50) per month, and includes -- wait for it -- 500MB. Overage fees? SAT$0.30 per megabyte. Need a few more MBs? All it takes to get 10,000 of 'em each month is a paltry SAT$1,075 (a little over USD$500), and it's probably worth mentioning that your speeds are throttled to a maximum of 128Kbps during daylight hours and 512Kbps during the night. If you need 10GB of monthly throughput for your business (evidently "business" means "1Mbps"), you can get that installed for the low, low sum of SAT$1,895. That's a small fortune to your everyday American; to many Samoans, those tallies are just laughable.


iPasifika home broadband plans, as of March 2012; prices are listed in SAT$

"I can see the BlueSky cell tower from my fale; it doesn't look like a detraction of the natural beauty. It looks like a broadcasting beacon of hope."

To wit, 4G wireless services offer a tremendous alternative to something that might as well not exist given the aforesaid price points. Imagine a world where this far-flung beach resort has the bandwidth to upload daily sunrise videos or captures of local dances to enchant potential customers. Imagine a world where the owner's internet is fast enough to enable her to reply to reservation requests in hours, not days. Imagine a world where she's able to handle all of her online duties while she sips her morning coffee, instead of the same chores dragging on through the morning. It's not just different, it's a seismic shift. I can see the BlueSky cell tower from my fale; it doesn't look like a detraction of the natural beauty. It looks like a broadcasting beacon of hope.

Economic impact


A few hours to the west sits a man and wife in Vanuatu, an isolated island chain that's only now beginning to explore the efforts of tourism. Some of the South Pacific's most excellent diving is here, not to mention dozens of varied islands with unspoiled beauty, incredibly hospitable people and leaders who are grasping with ways to connect far more than Port Vila with the rest of the world. I met them here in Samoa. They'd been in one of the more remote islands in the aforesaid nation for the past year, helping the locals to better their healthcare practices. In speaking to the gentleman about this piece, he mentioned a glistening new tourism building in the capital, replete with big-screen televisions that showcased looping videos of each island's grandeur.

"It's spectacularly useless," he quipped. "They still believe that people arrive in Port Vila and then decide which outer islands to visit. Truth is, these decisions are being made on couches in Sydney and Los Angeles, months before they ever book a plane ticket." He's right. Internet is perhaps even harder to come by in Vanuatu, where a large part of the population don't even bother with email. "Give 'em time," I think. They may have missed the broadband revolution, but the high-speed wireless revolution is at its doorstep, and I'm guessing it's just a matter of time before Vanuatu's remote villagers bypass the desktop completely and end up with something far more portable -- and in truth, more powerful.

Problems of our own


The conversation came full circle when looking at highly developed nations like the UK and America. In England, O2 will happily sell you a prepaid SIM with a few hundred megabytes of data. It's all fairly simple, really. But use over 100MB per day, and you're cut off until the next 24-hour cycle. Oh, and image uploads are horrifically compressed, so forget about tethering to get a bit of work (read: Facebooking) done. In the States, the situation is even more pathetic. Show up in any of our major airports and look for a prepaid data SIM -- go on, I implore you. It's impossible to find. Sure, a GoPhone can be picked up from any Walmart, but it's not the same. Empowering visitors with the ability to immediately have wireless, high-speed internet access as soon as they arrive within one's borders just makes business sense, and the situation is so insanely ignored by our carriers that startups like Xcom Global have been able to set up MiFi rental shops at LAX to fill the void in some tiny way.

Wrap-up


The point? Wireless buildouts show the promise to bring the entire internet to fringes of the world that desperately need it, for fear of falling forever behind. Furthermore, I view my recent jaunts to corners of the globe that aren't quite as frequented as proof of a few things. One, the wireless explosion is still ongoing, and two, it's going to change lives in a huge way. The thought of having go-anywhere, high-speed internet access in a place like Samoa was a pipe dream just a half-decade ago. A score from now, I suspect the tourism industry and its economy on the whole will be far more developed than it is today -- and if ever the world could work out a global data roaming agreement that made sense, we'd see yet another monumental boom. Exporting and importing would no longer require phone calls and painful dealings with dial-up; but of course, that's a different discussion for a different itinerary.

HTC's UK accessory store shows some love for the One line, offers up the goodies early

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 10:44 AM PDT

HTC set gadget-lusting hearts ablaze when it outed its trio of One phones at this past Mobile World Congress. And while you can't yet get your paws on those Sense 4.0 devices, you can load up on a slew of accompanying accessories -- right now. The OEM's UK virtual storefront has apparently jumped the gun in advance of the line's launch, offering up a host of headsets, cables, docks, car kits and protectors for order that already appear to be selling out. A global rollout for the X, S and V is still on track for early Q2, so if you're a denizen of Her Majesty's kingdom and are keen on buying what Peter Chou's selling, then click on the source below to get a head start and stock up.

[Thanks, Chris]

T-Mobile HTC One S shows up in FCC with AWS bands?

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 10:16 AM PDT

It doesn't come right out and say it, but we have a strong suspicion that the HTC PJ40110 -- approved by the FCC today -- refers to T-Mobile's version of the HTC One S. This model offers an AWS 3G radio, in addition to AT&T-friendly 850 /1900 3G bands, and its ID is just a slight nudge from the PJ40100 (global One S). The timing of this seal of approval lines up with T-Mo's spring launch aspirations, and this is one particular device (pun unintended but welcome) we can't wait to see in stores.

Note: There's also a lot of speculation that the PJ58100 is the One S for T-Mobile, and was approved by the FCC two weeks ago. Both models appear to share the same specs and radio sets. In our initial investigation, it looks like the major difference is in the location of the WLAN / BT antenna itself.

Rogers confirms Lumia 900 pre-orders beginning 'next week': get your wallets ready, Canada

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 09:42 AM PDT

Good news for Nokia fans located in the land known as Canada. Rogers recently took to its Twitter, announcing that pre-orders for the hotly anticipated Lumia 900 will begin at some point next week. If you'll recall, it was last month that Nokia confirmed the LTE-enabled Windows Phone would be arriving on the network in April. We'd be remiss not to remind you that Rogers' registration page for the device notes that those who pre-order their own will receive a special (Batman themed?) surprise, hinting that, "there's a hero rising out of the darkness." If you still haven't registered to be notified about when can reserve your own Lumia 900 as soon as it's available, make your way to the source link below. So AT&T, any word official word yet on availability for us folks in the US?

Lenovo IdeaTab S2109 teased by FCC, launching with 9.7-inch display this month?

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 09:04 AM PDT

Lenovo's been hard at work with various Android phones and tablets so far this year, and here's yet another one that's just popped up in FCC's database. Dubbed the IdeaTab S2109 (or S2109A-F, to be specific), we're told by a reliable source that 'tis an Ice Cream Sandwich tablet assembled by Foxconn, and it'll come with a 9.7-inch, 4:3 IPS display (supplied by Chi Mei), a TI OMAP chip and four powerful SRS-ready speakers as featured on the beefy K2010. The above diagram suggests said slate has a microSD slot accessible from the outside, and if you take a closer look at the product label, you'll see that the device requires a whooping 2.5A input at 5V, which means it'll come with a 12.5W adapter -- a lot higher than many tablets' maximum consumption at 10W (including the new iPad) or below. Here's hoping that this is an indication for a faster charge time.

As for availability, we heard that this S2109 will launch at some point this month, though our shy friend didn't specify which market it'll debut in -- the FCC document lists Germany, Canada, US, India, Russia, Turkmenistan, Mexico, Chile, Japan and China. If Android on a 4:3 screen sounds like your cup of tea then stay tuned for more news.

AT&T continues 4G LTE expansion, plans to light up eleven markets by early summer

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 08:47 AM PDT

AT&T's 4G LTE isn't the new kid on the wireless block anymore, but that's not to say the network's leapfrogged its growing pains. With almost two years to go before it reaches that end-of-year 2013 expansion target, the carrier's flipping the switch on an additional eleven markets across the US, as well as completing coverage in New York City. With a phased rollout in place that's set to begin next month and terminate at some undisclosed point in early summer, subscribers in Cleveland, Akron and Canton, Ohio; Naples, Florida; Bloomington, Lafayette and Muncie, Indiana; Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana; St. Louis, Missouri; Bryan-College Station, Texas and Staten Island will get to benefit from those 700MHz waves. Check out the official presser below for the finer details.
Show full PR text
AT&T 4G LTE Coming Soon to Cleveland

More customers can look forward to ultra-fast mobile Internet on the latest LTE devices

CLEVELAND, March 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* plans to roll out 4G LTE in Cleveland soon, bringing customers the latest generation of wireless network technology and faster mobile Internet speeds.

Cleveland customers will see several benefits from AT&T 4G LTE, including:

Faster speeds. LTE technology is capable of delivering mobile Internet speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G. Customers will be able to stream, download, upload and game faster than ever before.
Cool new devices. AT&T offers several LTE-compatible devices, including new AT&T 4G LTE smartphones and tablets, such as the Samsung Galaxy Note™, HTC One X, and Pantech Element™ tablet.
Faster response time. LTE technology offers lower latency, or the processing time it takes to move data through a network, such as how long it takes to start downloading a webpage or file once you've sent the request. Lower latency helps to improve services like mobile gaming, two-way video calling and telemedicine.
More efficient use of spectrum. Wireless spectrum is a finite resource, and LTE uses spectrum more efficiently than other technologies, creating more space to carry data traffic and services and to deliver a better network experience.

"AT&T customers in Cleveland can look forward to even faster mobile Internet speeds very soon, on our leading lineup of smartphones and devices," said Larry Evans, vice president and general manager, AT&T Ohio and western Pennsylvania. "We're excited to bring Cleveland all that 4G LTE has to offer. Our teams will be working hard across the city toward our upcoming launch."

AT&T's 4G Network

In addition to Cleveland, AT&T 4G LTE is also coming to Akron and Canton, Ohio; Naples, Fla.; Bloomington, Lafayette and Muncie, Ind.; Baton Rouge and New Orleans, La.; St. Louis, Mo; Bryan-College Station, Texas; and Staten Island in New York City. These launches are scheduled for April, May and into the early summer.

AT&T customers have access to the nation's largest 4G network, covering nearly 250 million people. Even as 4G LTE expands, AT&T customers are able to enjoy widespread, ultra-fast and consistent 4G speeds on their compatible device as they move in and out of LTE areas. AT&T has two 4G networks that work together for customers, LTE and HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul. With other carriers, when you travel outside of their LTE coverage area, you're on a much slower 3G network.

Limited 4G LTE availability in select markets. Deployment ongoing. 4G LTE device and data plan required. Up to 10x claim compares 4G LTE download speeds to industry average 3G download speeds. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. 4G speeds not available everywhere. Learn more at att.com/network.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III high-ISO sample images (hands-on)

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 08:09 AM PDT

Canon unveiled its highly-anticipated EOS 5D Mark III just 10 days ago, but we already have a pre-production sample in-hand, and will be putting it through its paces over the next week. Today's installment focuses on high-sensitivity still image shooting, which we conducted at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea. We chose a dimly lit temple as our test subject, shooting a handful of images at ISO settings ranging from 800 to the camera's top native sensitivity of 25,600, and extended modes of ISO 51,200 and ISO 102,400. All images were captured at f/8 with a 24-105mm L lens.

As expected, the camera offered excellent performance at all of the native settings -- as you can see from the image above, there's some noise noticeable when viewing an image at full size, though considering the camera's top resolution of 22.3 megapixels, we hardly see ISO 25,600 being an issue. Jumping beyond the top native range did yield significant noise, but assuming you're shooting for the web, even these settings are usable. Chances are, you won't often be examining images at a 1:1 pixel view, so jump past the break to see how each of the four frames represented above will look when scaled to a web-friendly 600-pixels-wide resolution, then hit up our source link to grab full-res JPEGs of each image captured during the shoot.


ISO 800 -- f/8 -- 1/12 sec. exposure


ISO 25,600 -- f/8 -- 1/400 sec. exposure


ISO 51,200 -- f/8 -- 1/800 sec. exposure


ISO 102,400 -- f/8 -- 1/1600 sec. exposure

Nokia's extreme dieting continues as it kills off Nokia Money

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 07:35 AM PDT

If you thought Nokia had finished its program of slimming down, think again. The axe is being wielded on Nokia Money as the company seeks to reinvent itself as a lean'n'mean mobile player. The mobile payments and cash management service was launched in India late last year, but both complex financial regulations and the fact it's outside of Nokia's core business prompted its early closure. Instead, it'll concentrate its efforts on its smartphones designed for emerging markets like the Asha: with the aim of connecting the "next billion" people to the internet.

BMW launches Stitcher integration at SXSW (hands-on video)

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 07:00 AM PDT

BMW announced today at SXSW that it's teaming up with Stitcher to integrate the popular iPhone app's on-demand streaming functionality into vehicles equipped with the BMW Apps and Mini Connected technologies. We ran into BMW's Robert Passaro in the halls of Austin's Convention Center and he was kind enough to give us an exclusive demo of Stitcher inside a lovely BMW 650i convertible ahead of today's launch. Most of the iPhone app's features are available using the vehicle's infotainment system, including the ability to search, provide feedback ("More Like This" and "Listeners Also Like"), and create / remove custom stations -- album art is even displayed in high-resolution alongside show information. Take a look at our gallery below, then watch us tune Stitcher into the Engadget Mobile Podcast right from the BMW's center console in our hands-on video after the break.
BMW and Stitcher at SXSW 2012

Show full PR text
BMW Group Partners with Stitcher to Make Stitcher Radio iPhone App BMW Apps and MINI Connected Ready
• Stitcher Radio offers on-demand and personalized access to over
5,000 radio shows
• Demonstration of the forthcoming in-car app integration to debut during SXSWi Conference in Austin, Texas on March 12, 2012

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – March 12, 2012.... The BMW Group and Stitcher are cooperating to make the Stitcher Smart Radio iPhone App compatible with vehicles equipped with the groundbreaking BMW Apps and MINI Connected technologies. Once completed, BMW and MINI customers will be able to easily and safely access unique features of Stitcher's on-demand streaming service in vehicles equipped with the BMW Apps or MINI Connected options. BMW Group will demonstrate a prototype of the forthcoming Stitcher iPhone App for media during the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) conference in Austin, Texas, on Monday, March 12.

"As promised, the BMW Group continues to deliver great, new services like Stitcher to our worldwide customers via the groundbreaking platforms of MINI Connected and BMW Apps," said Uwe Higgen, head of the international BMW AppCenter network, based in Munich, Germany. Development of the Stitcher app will commence via the BMW AppCenter Mountain View, California, which continuously scouts for new services in the Silicon Valley and the greater North American market.

When integration is complete, a simple update to the Stitcher iPhone app through the iTunes App Store will enable a host of Stitcher's unique entertainment features to be integrated seamlessly into the car, where they can be easily operated using the already familiar BMW iDrive and MINI Connected systems. The prototype Stitcher app for the BMW Apps and the MINI Connected platforms will showcase the following unique capabilities:

• Seamless integration and control of Stitcher's services through the vehicle's infotainment system, which enables easy searches for content, the ability to provide feedback ("More Like This" and "Listeners Also Like"), and fast forward and rewind control
• The ability to create or remove custom stations on demand
• High-resolution visual display featuring album art and convenient show/episode information, such as latest episodes, duration and whether the listener has already listened to the episode

Stitcher offers the following features:
• Personalized playlists of listeners' favorite shows
• Stitcher recommendation of other programs based on listening preferences towards the discovery of new shows and content
• The broadest selection of podcasts and live radio on-demand
• Stitcher SmartRadio enjoys a 4.5 star consumer rating and #1 ranking in the iTunes App Store's News category

iRobot and Texas Instruments announce plans for a future full of OMAP-packing 'bots

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 06:45 AM PDT

iRobot, the Massachusetts-based maker of consumer and battlefield 'bots, announced a team up with TI this week. The partnership, sadly, doesn't mean we'll be seeing an army of autotuned DJ Roombas -- we will, however, likely be getting a slew of "intelligent and practical" robots packing Texas Instruments' multi-core OMAP technology. Remember those words the next time you hurl one through a window or get it to mop up the tiles around your toilet. No word on the nature of the products that will arise from such a deal, but they'll likely continue to do our bidding for a little while longer at least. Check out a minimalistic press release after the break.
Show full PR text
Texas Instruments and iRobot team up to shape future robotic innovation

Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NASDAQ: TXN) and iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), a leader in robotic technology-based solutions, today announced a partnership to develop robotic technologies using TI's smart multicore OMAP™ platform. The relationship stems from the companies' shared vision to create intelligent and practical robots capable of enhancing people's lives. The two companies will achieve this vision by leveraging iRobot's long history in advancing the field of robotics and TI's strength in applications processors and related technologies.

With two decades of leadership in the robot industry, iRobot is a proven technology leader in remote presence and automated home maintenance solutions. To date, iRobot has sold more than 7.5 million home robots worldwide, revolutionizing the way people clean both inside and outside the home. More than 4,500 combat-proven government and industrial robots have been delivered to military and civil defense forces worldwide, performing thousands of dangerous search, reconnaissance and bomb-disposal missions while protecting those in harm's way.

TI brings to the partnership the industry's leading applications processor technology captured in the OMAP™ platform-a high performing, ultra-power-efficient system-on-chip that's smaller than a dime. The OMAP platform's smart multicore architecture sends processing tasks to cores and engines that can best do the job using the least amount of power possible. TI complements this fundamental computing experience with several unique features, such as sophisticated image and video accelerators.

Bloomberg signs NYC 'Open Data Policy' into law, plans web portal for 2018

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 06:31 AM PDT

Live in Manhattan and wish that your local government would be more transparent about its data and make it more easily accessible? Well, consider the request granted by a little bill dubbed as Introductory Number 29-A, which Mayor Bloomberg signed into law this past week. Apparently following in the steps of the White House's Data.Gov initiative, the legislation lays out three ways the city will be "jumpstarting a comprehensive citywide open data policy." The Department of Information Technology Telecommunications will be in charge of of creating a technical standards manual and posting it online to begin, serving as guide for the city's agencies on how to handle and list any data that's considered public domain. Bloomberg also has his eyes on developers, as part two involves getting any info stored online in "locked formats" released over the next year so that it can be used for creating applications. As InformationWeek points out, this is something the city has been fond of, as showcased by its ongoing BigApps program. The third task will require the DoITT to make compliance plans with all of the city's agencies to help them list all of their public data, with the end goal of listing it to "a single web portal by 2018." Want to hear it from the man himself? Make your way to the press release just past the break.

[Photo credit: NYC.Gov]
Show full PR text
MAYOR BLOOMBERG SIGNS LEGISLATION CREATING A CITYWIDE COMPREHENSIVE OPEN DATA POLICY

Remarks by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at a Public Hearing on Local Laws

"The next bill before me is Introductory Number 29-A, sponsored by Council Members Brewer, Fidler, Gentile, Gonzalez, James, Lander, Palma, Nelson, Lappin, Dromm, Garodnick, Reyna, Mealy, Vann, Jackson, Levin, Cabrera, Gennaro, Williams, Van Bramer, Rodriguez, Halloran and the Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. When enacted, this bill will be the most ambitious and comprehensive open data legislation in the country.

"If we're going to continue leading the country in innovation and transparency, we're going to have to make sure that all New Yorkers have access to the data that drives our City. Across City government, agencies use data to develop policy, implement programs, and track performance - and each month, our Administration shares more and more of this data with the public at large, catalyzing the creativity, intellect, and enterprising spirit of computer programmers to build tools that help us all improve our lives.

"The NYC BigApps competition, now in its third iteration, has brought about dozens of such programs - helping New Yorkers do everything from pick a restaurant to find a parking space. At the contest's core is a simple premise: this data belongs to the public, and if we make it accessible to everyone, the possibilities are limitless. That's exactly the purpose of the bill before me today.

"Introductory Number 29-A consists of three important steps, each of which is critical to jumpstarting a comprehensive Citywide open data policy. First, the Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications must post on its web site a technical standards manual, which will help agencies make their public data available to the greatest number of users and for the greatest number of applications.

"Second, within a year, each agency must convert all of their public data sets that are currently online in "locked" formats into formats that enable computer programmers to use the data to build applications. Finally, within eighteen months, DoITT will work with each agency to post a compliance plan, describing all of the public data sets in each agency's possession. The plan will be then be updated each year, and will serve as a roadmap for agencies to post these datasets to a single web portal by 2018.

"I would like to thank Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway, Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications Commissioner Carole Post, Counselor to the Mayor Anthony Crowell, and the staff in all of their offices for their work on this bill along with Katherine Winningham, Senior Counsel at the Law Department and Eric Munson in my Office of City Legislative Affairs. I would also like to thank the City Council for approving this legislation."

Swivl motion-tracking dock now shipping to early adopters, future YouTube stars

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 06:00 AM PDT

Good news are in for folks who swiftly snagged one of those motion-tracking docks we showed you a while back, as they are now being prepped for shipping. After many months of teasing, it looks like the Satarii Star Swivl is finally getting ready to leave its prototype days behind. Those who unleashed the hefty $179 on the add-on can expect it to be on its way as soon as today. As for the ones who missed out on the first batch, you'll have to get in line and sign up via the company's site to know when more pop up. Also available now is a companion iOS app, which can be used to remotely trigger the camera for some self-recording action. We know you've waited long enough to take the Swivl for a spin, but in the meantime you can remind yourself why you bought in by peeking at the flaunting press shots below.
Swivl press shots

Microsoft demos vocal translator at TechFest 2012, uses your own dulcet tones (video)

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 05:48 AM PDT

Microsoft has demonstrated new software that can pull together real-time multilingual vocal translations using your own voice. Monolingual TTS currently handles 26 different languages, although it's not instant just yet -- it takes about an hour of training to get the experimental software acquainted with your own utterances. Demonstrated at Microsoft's TechFest 2012 showcase, the software can even mix up foreign language pronunciation of place names with directions in your native tongue. It also complements those efforts with a 3D image of your head, animating your lips along to the foreign words you'd otherwise butcher. See how an algorithm-educated floating head handles Mandarin -- and how it's all done -- right after the break.


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Steve Jobs approached Leslie Moonves about streaming service, CBS exec says

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 05:28 AM PDT

Leslie MoonvesAt this point, it'd be more of a shock if Apple wasn't working on a streaming media service. Still, we're surprised to hear that Steve Jobs was personally involved in trying to corral support from the entertainment industry. CBS CEO Leslie Moonves revealed during a talk at the UCLA Entertainment Symposium that he has spoken with the Apple founder directly about providing content to subscription-based video service, but declined the invitation. Moonves was concerned about how signing on to such a service would impact existing revenue streams, including those from competing properties like Hulu. The CEO allegedly told Jobs at one point, "You know more than me about 99 percent of things but I know more about the television business."

[Photo credit: David Shankbone]

Virgin Mobile launches LTE for Canadian iPad users

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 05:02 AM PDT

Mr. Blurrycam snapped internal documents revealing that Virgin Mobile Canada will offer 4G to coincide with the launch of the (3rd Gen) iPad. Piggybacking on Bell's LTE network, it'll be available in "14 urban centers," presumably including Toronto, Montréal, Québec City, Ottawa, Edmonton and Vancouver. A free microSIM will arrive through your letterbox if you sign up for the Flexi-Data plan, where $35 a month buys you 5GB of data. The company's also taking the moment to push mobile TV: an extra $5 will buy you five hours of mobile TV straight to your iPad, great for that Murdoch Mysteries marathon you've been promising yourself.

Gowalla officially shut down, uses Facebook to check-in at SXSW 2012

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 04:32 AM PDT

SXSW attendees may remember that both Gowalla and Foursquare launched at the aforementioned conference in 2009, and during its 2012 edition, the former is formally saying goodbye. Just three months after we heard that Facebook had picked up (but two months after the shutdown was promised), Gowalla is saying its final words. Specifically:

"Thank you for going out with Gowalla. It was a pleasure to journey with you around the world. Download your check-ins, photos and lists here soon."

Don't cry, Gowalla -- at least you won't have to deal with any more SXSW registration lines.

HTC Media Link HD display mirroring box gets FCC rubber stamp

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 03:40 AM PDT

Amid the rush of news during HTC's presentation at MWC was a brief mention of a Media Link HD accessory for wireless big-screen mirroring from the One S or One X. Fresh FCC paperwork suggests the device is on track for an April release and also highlights that it's been revised since HTC's first foible-prone attempt at a DLNA dongle: the Media Link HD does 1080p over 802.11n to any HDMI-equipped TV, instead of just 720p, and promises to mirror games as well as videos, photos and music. Pricing hasn't been made official, but retailers have it on pre-order for around $120 -- potentially still too expensive, even if this one works better than the last.

Super High Aperture: it's why the new iPad's Retina display is so dense

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 02:43 AM PDT

Super High Aperture. Heard of it? Probably not, but thanks to Apple, you'll probably long for days when you didn't in just a few months. According to an in-depth look from the folks at DisplaySearch, the aforesaid technique is the primary reason that Apple was able to shove 2,048 x 1,536 pixels into the 9.7-inch panel on the new iPad. Not surprisingly, it wasn't Apple that conjured up the magic; instead, it was crafted by engineers at Sharp and JSR (a display materials maker from Japan), but it'll be the iPad that makes an otherwise geeky achievement something that the mainstream covets. According to the science behind it, SHA is "a method of increasing aperture ratio by applying approximately a 3 [micrometer] thick photo-definable acrylic resin layer to planarize the device and increase the vertical gap between the [indium tin oxide] pixel electrodes and signal lines." Reportedly, there are also "at least twice as many" LEDs in the panel compared to that on the iPad 2, further suggesting that there's way more battery within the new guy than the last. Technophiles need only dig into the links below to find plenty more where this came from.

MIT software optimizes paths for automated undersea vehicles (video)

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 01:39 AM PDT

So, there's good news and bad news. The former is that MIT researchers have developed new software and methods that can predict optimal paths for automated underwater vehicles. The latter is that it's meant to be used for "swarms" of them, "moving all at once toward separate destinations." We hate to be the folks that keep harping on the inevitable, but teaching "swarms" of undersea robots how to effectively draw paths to the very creators that made them makes us... well, less that cozy. Paranoia aside, the Pierre Lermusiaux-led team has concocted a system that can provide paths optimized either for the shortest travel time or for the minimum use of energy, or to maximize the collection of data that is considered most important. The goal? To make the lives of gliders more efficient when engaged in "mapping and oceanographic research, military reconnaissance and harbor protection, or for deep-sea oil-well maintenance and emergency response." Oh, and did we mention that it can incorporate obstacle-avoidance functions for the sake of protection. Yeah. Death from above below.

WWJC (JailbreakCon) brings freedom fighters to San Francisco on September 29th

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 12:42 AM PDT

Chances are a grand number of you have gratefully used, or heard about, the tweaking tools supplied by the iOS jailbreak community. Last year's MyGreatFest gathering in London brought together Cydia's creator along with members of the Chronic Dev Team, but if you were hoping for something this side of the pond, you'll have another shot at rubbing elbows with them. During its 2012 edition, the WWDC WWJC, also known as JailbreakCon, will be rolling out the red carpet in San Francisco on September 29th. Those interested in trekking toward the Golden Gate Bridge can book their way into the keynotes and workshops by unleashing anywhere from 65 to 155 bucks per ticket -- the cheapest of the bunch being an "Early Bird" deal through June 29th. Feel like joining the jailbreak connoisseurs? You can find the rest of the deets, as well as as the hub to grab your tix via the source link below.

Marvel announces augmented reality app, exclusive digital comics at SXSW

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 10:57 PM PDT

Not content with simply doling out free digital comics to fans who favor the tangible page, Marvel is now giving readers a new reason to reach for their tablets: augmented reality. Android and iOS devices will be able to look beyond the page using Marvel AR, an Aurasma-powered app slated to launch alongside Avengers vs. X-Men #1 this April. When pointed at a compatible comic, the app will server up creator commentary videos, extra art and interactive 3D models of Earth's greatest heroes.

Don't worry, your standard Marvel Comics app isn't being replaced -- in fact, it's getting a new line of sequential funnybooks called Marvel Infinite Comics. "Writers and artists now have a whole host of new tools at their disposal to redefine the comic book medium," Marvel Comics Editor in Chief Axel Alonso said at SXSW this week, "Current tablets and smartphones, along with comiXology's Guided View technology, allow us to develop new, full length stories for a different medium that are very much truly comics -- but experienced by readers in a way no other major company has ever executed." The digital-exclusive series kicks off with Avengers vs. X-Men #1 Infinite, which incidentally, will be free to folks who pick up the similarly named physical book. Ready for the revolution ReEvolution? Check out the links below for Marvel's official announcement and CNET's hands-on video.

IBM's Holey Optochip transmits 1Tbps of data, is named awesomely

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 09:17 PM PDT

Be honest: was there any doubt whatsoever that something called a "Holey Optochip" would be anything short of mind-blowing? No. None. The whiz-kids over at IBM have somehow managed to transmit a staggering 1Tbps of data over a new optical chip, with the fresh prototype showing promise for ultra-high interconnect bandwidth to power future supercomputer and data center applications. For those who'd rather not deal with esoteric descriptions, that's around 500 HD movies being transferred each second, and it's enough to transfer the entire U.S. Library of Congress web archive in just 60 minutes. Needless to say, it's light pulses taking charge here, and researchers are currently hunting for ways to make use of optical signals within standard low-cost, high-volume chip manufacturing techniques. Getting the feeling that your own personal supercomputer is just a year or two away? Hate to burst your bubble, but IBM's been touting similar achievements since at least 2008. Actually, scratch that -- where there's hope, there's Holey.

NASA's GRAIL spacecraft begin the process of staring way too hard at the moon

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 08:26 PM PDT

NASA's overall initiatives may be throttled, but the Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft haven't heard of any such limitations. These guys have officially started their collection mission, orbiting the moon for the next 80-some-odd days in order to obtain a high-resolution map of the lunar gravitational field. Why? Humans told 'em too, of course. Outside of the conventional knee-jerk response, scientists are also hoping to grok more about the moon's "internal structure and composition," and perhaps even get a better understanding of how "Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed and evolved." Cleverly, the GRAIL mission's twin machines are named Ebb and Flow (thanks to a group of youngsters in Bozeman, Montana), and while it's not being made public, we wouldn't be shocked to hear that the whole thing is being covertly funded by Sir Richard Branson. The moon is totally the next hot real estate market, right?

How would you change the Samsung Focus S?

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 07:47 PM PDT

Samsung's 4.3-inch Mango phone looked and felt very much like a Galaxy S II, even down to that lovely Super AMOLED Plus display and its plastic housing. It packed the same internals as the Focus Flash, excepting that it came with 16GB rather than 8GB on-board. It was perfectly likable as a handset, which was our reviewers biggest problem with it: we just couldn't find a strong and compelling reason to part with $200 for one. Still, thousands of you got one of these, so we'd like to know what compelled you all to go for it and, after several months of using it day in, day out, if you had the choice, what would you change?

Switched On: The iPad's landscape orientation

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 07:22 PM PDT

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
The two major classes of tablet seeking to grab a share of the iPad's market have in many ways been driven by operating system advances. Windows 8 will bring the new Metro user interface and ARM support to allow what has historically been the more powerful PC class to scale down. Android 4.0 unifies the platform's tablet and smartphone operating systems, encouraging it to take better advantage of the larger screen capabilities and scale up.

Indeed, the full potential of the new iPad won't be known until the release of iOS 6 to fuel Apple's historically tight pairing of hardware and software; that other shoe will likely drop at its developer conference in June. Despite the lack of a new operating system or form factor, the third-generation iPad and its now price-reduced predecessor have set the stage for how Apple plans to defend against Android and Windows tablets.

The view from above
For a company with such a rich history of software, Microsoft's challenges with Windows tablets seem to rely more on bits that atoms. In offering form factors that can function as both a notebook PC and tablet, PC manufacturers have a powerful marketing message that the best tablet is the one you don't have to buy as a second device. On the software side, however, Microsoft is arguably asking Windows developers to make at least as great a shift between the classic Windows user interface and Metro than Apple has between the Mac and iOS. Apple's announcements better prepares the company for the challenge in three ways -- by bolstering the device's processor, improving its first-party productivity and creativity applications, and showcasing how increasingly sophisticated apps such as Sketchbook ink and iPhoto can take on tasks previously reserved for the PC.

The view from below
That third tactic will also be effective in some ways in defending the tide of tablets that Google hopes will rise up from the Android smartphone army. After all, the storage-deficient and camera-lacking Kindle Fire, the most successful iPad competitor to date, could hardly be positioned more as an exclusive content consumption device in the tradition of its e-paper-based forebears. But mostly it is the iPad 2's new lower price that will be Apple's defense against Android. While its $399 price point won't lure many price-conscious Kindle Fire buyers, it does put renewed pressure on other Android tablet makers that have seen their 10" offerings slipping into that price range.

The view from within
Apple's greatest defense against competitors, though, is not about improved specs or lower prices, but more about how it sees the iPad. iPad apps shown at the event, including iPhoto with its engaging user interface and GarageBand with its novel networked Jam Session feature, show how Apple considers its tablet not as another PC form factor or opportunity for developers to spruce up a smartphone app incrementally, but rather as something special and unique. It is a level of favoritism that Google and Microsoft can never have for any given device running its licensed software. Apple's success in communicating that passionate perspective with developers and consumers has not just fueled the marketplace success of the iPad, but its products in general.

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) is executive director and principal analyst of the NPD Connected Intelligence service at The NPD Group. Views expressed in Switched On are his own.

MSDN Windows Help blog plays on our love of keyboard shortcuts, tells how to navigate Windows 8 like a pro

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 05:51 PM PDT

If you didn't get the gist of our Windows 8 Consumer Preview run-down, it's a bit clumsy on the desktop front. Fortunately for power-users, the budding operation system is introducing a suite of keyboard shortcuts to help them manage its classic and metro interfaces. We mentioned a few in our early impressions of the consumer build, but Rob Margel's MSDN Windows help blog has a full list of 30 shortcuts for you to master before Windows 8 makes its final debut. Craving a shortcut to cycle through your toast notifications? Need to switch to the classic Windows desktop while simultaneously pulling up the Run box? Hit the source link below and let Morgel drop some hotkey knowledge on you.

Instagram hits 27 million user milestone, teases Android app at SXSW

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 04:25 PM PDT

Rejoice, photo filter fans, Instagram is heading to Android "very soon," according to founder Kevin Systrom. Speaking at South by Southwest, Systrom raved about the app's growth, boasting of its 27 million registered users. "They're not excited about it because it makes your photos look beautiful," he says, "They're excited because it networks people across the world and it's the single fastest growing thing in mobile period." The Android version is currently being tested in a private beta, and it's reported to be superior than its iOS counterpart. "It's really, really fast," Systrom said. Don't look so surprised, he did tell us, after all, that iOS was just the beginning.

SAFFiR: the autonomous, firefighting humanoid robot

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 04:22 PM PDT

It took six years, but at long last, Anna Konda has a formidable firefighting partner. SAFFiR, also known as the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot, is being shaped by scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory. As the story goes, it's a humanoid robot that's being engineered to "move autonomously throughout the ship, interact with people, and fight fires, handling many of the dangerous firefighting tasks that are normally performed by humans." Outside of being stoic (and brawny) from tip to tip, it's also outfitted with multi-modal sensor technology for advanced navigation and a sensor suite that includes a camera, gas sensor, and stereo IR camera to enable it to see through smoke. We're told that its internal batteries can keep it cranking for a solid half-hour, while being capable of manipulating fire suppressors and throwing propelled extinguishing agent technology (PEAT) grenades. Wilder still, it'll be able to balance in "sea conditions," making it perfect for killing flames while onboard a ship. Of course, it's also being tweaked to work with a robotic team, giving it undercover powers to eventually turn the flames on the folks that created it. Paranoid? Maybe. But who are we to be too careful?

Inhabitat's Week in Green: interview with Chevy, breakthrough LED light and spider silk violin strings

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 03:00 PM PDT

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

This week the Chevy Volt lit up the newswires after GM announced plans to temporarily halt its production -- Inhabitat brought you an interview with Chevy on the shutdown and explained why it doesn't foretell electric vehicle doomsday. We also showcased you the hottest new vehicles straight from the Geneva Motor Show -- including Infiniti's sexy Emerg-E sports car, Toyota's ultra-compact FT-Bh hybrid, and Nissan's Hi-Cross hybrid crossover. On the lighter side of things, this week a LEGO space shuttle soared into the stratosphere, we featured an insane Russian bicycle powered by a chainsaw, and DARPA's robotic cheetah broke a world land speed record.

Groundbreaking green architecture projects reached for the sky as Tokyo's Sky Tree was crowned the world's second tallest building and the eVolo Skyscraper Competition unveiled its futuristic finalists -- including an energy-generating tower made entirely from trash, a spiraling water-storing spire for the Himalayas, and a spherical underwater skyscraper that recycles plastic pollution. New York City also made waves as Mayor Bloomberg called for a solid waste to energy facility, Terreform proposed plans for a self-sufficient NYC covered with vertical gardens, and a new cupcake ATM hit the streets of Manhattan.

It was also a big week for consumer tech as Apple launched its brand new iPad -- however in the light of recent criticism over Apple's labor conditions we took a look at the human cost of Apple's products and we shared 5 things you should know before buying the iPad 3. Meanwhile, researchers at MIT developed a breakthrough LED light that exceeds 100 percent efficiency, and we brought you an inside look at 5 high-tech green data centers that serve the environment. Finally, scientists discovered several amazing new uses for spider silk by weaving it into violin strings that create superior symphonic sounds and insulation that conducts heat 800 times better than any other organic material.

ReCellular's headquarters toured by iFixit, recycling and redistribution gets a closer look

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 02:13 PM PDT

ReCellular's hardly a new name in the recycling universe, but as more and more individuals toss their dumbphone for a smarter alternative, the Ann Arbor-based outfit is seeing a new wave of interest. iFixit, a company that thrives on tearing down gadgetry both new and old in order to inform people of their repair and upgrade options, recently had the opportunity to tour ReCellular's monolithic warehouse, where some 10,000 used phones are processed every 24 hours. The tour also included a bit of back-and-forth with the founder, who isn't against the seemingly endless churn of devices. In fact, he quips that "we have the right to get a phone that's smaller and a prettier color if we want," insinuating that ReCellular simply exists to provide a better home to older gizmos than in some landfill. Perhaps surprisingly, Chuck Newman even confesses that the whole "environmental message" isn't very effective, which is why it distributes prepaid envelopes to encourage recycling that would probably not happen otherwise. Eager to read more? Give those links below a tap.

ITG xpPhone 2 hands-on: Windows 7 on a smartphone

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 12:58 PM PDT

We got a little worried when ITG missed its January unveiling for the xpPhone 2, but yesterday, this Windows 7-powered smartphone finally made its debut public appearance in Guangzhou, and we happened to be there to scoop up a demo unit. Since we last came across the second-gen xpPhone, its ambitious Chinese manufacturer has dished out more detailed specs: the 17.5mm-thick device comes with a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 LCD made by Sharp, multitouch input, an Intel Atom Z5xx series processor up to 2GHz, up to 2GB of RAM, up to 112GB of SSD made by Silicon Storage Technology, microSD expansion and a multipurpose HDMI Micro socket (not HDMI Mini as we mistakenly said in our video after the break) that takes care of video, audio, data (USB 2.0) and power. Read on to find out what we think of this weird creature.
ITG xpPhone 2 hands-on

Upon seeing the xpPhone 2 up close it reminded us of an enlarged Nokia N8 (with a footprint similar to that of the 5-inch Dell Streak); except the former lacks a main camera on the back -- it's only equipped with a 1.3-megapixel front-facing webcam instead. You'll also find two call buttons and a power button around the top right corner, whereas the HDMI Micro socket is located on the left along the bottom side. There's no 3.5mm headphone jack, so here's hoping there'll at least be an adapter of some sort. Likewise, hopefully ITG will add volume adjustment function into the call buttons.

On the back there's a loudspeaker along with a small monochrome LCD for showing the phone's various statuses, caller number and eventually text messages (ITG's still working on Chinese compatibility). The battery cover and most of the body is made out of a smooth, sturdy magnesium alloy -- a huge improvement from the original xpPhone's cheap plastic body -- though we hope the final product will have finer seams. Inside it sits a huge 11.1Wh battery, which is almost twice as much juice as those on a regular smartphone these days. ITG has yet to confirm the phone's final weight, but you can imagine it being the equivalent of a slightly larger smartphone with an extra standard battery.


You may recall that the xpPhone 2 claims to offer an astonishing battery life of 18 hours of call time. Well, we found out that there's indeed a catch: it turns out that unlike how Fujitsu F-07C runs Symbian as the main OS and Windows 7 as a secondary OS (in which you can pick up incoming calls but not dial out), ITG's solution is to let the cellular circuitry -- including the small LCD on the back -- be able to run on its own when Windows is switched off. Even ITG's website says your communication won't be affected by a sudden BSOD. Without booting up Windows or using the main screen at all, you can use the phone-only mode to pick up incoming calls, dial numbers from a list as well as read text messages on the small screen (with the two call buttons also acting as your navigation keys), but you won't be able to tap in numbers or type text messages. To be honest, Fujitsu's approach seems more sensible in this aspect.


To make phone calls or text people, you'll have to use the xpPhone application in Windows (either by launching it the usual way or tap its draggable floating icon on top of all windows). It's very straightforward here: you get the usual dialing pad, contacts list and call settings; but what ITG's really pushing here is its self-developed VoIP software that allows free, 128-bit encrypted phone calls between xpPhone 2s. As expected at this day and age, your contacts list is synced to the cloud; and you can set certain contacts to let their xpPhone VoIP calls wake your xpPhone 2 up from standby on Windows -- pretty cool if this works well. As for the standard cellular connectivity, the demo units we looked at were all running on China Telecom's CDMA 1x 800MHz network, but there will also be support for China Unicom's WCDMA and China Mobile's TD-SCDMA -- this is simply a matter of installing the appropriate radio module at ITG's factory. To return to Windows, simply tap on the Windows icon at the bottom-right corner of the application's main screen.

The company's chief engineer told us that the xpPhone 2 gets between three to four hours of battery life on Windows 7, which is much more than the one-hour usage we got out of the F-07C, but definitely not enough for an active user especially considering there's no low-power OS as a backup. Either way, we shall see if the battery life is as good as promised when we get hold of a review unit. From a performance point of view, the desktop OS we saw felt almost as smooth as you'd get on a netbook thanks to its 1.2GHz Atom Z515 chip and 2GB RAM, and we had no complaints when playing a quick 720p clip of Girls' Generation, despite the loading of it wasn't as instantaneous as we had hoped. At no point did our phone get too warm but we shall check more thoroughly with a review unit.

It's a real shame that Windows 8 is months away from launch (ITG originally thought the new OS would be out in January, hence the previous event date for the xpPhone 2), so early birds will have to live with Windows 7's not-so-finger-friendly interface. With our demo unit we did struggle to hit some buttons, especially when trying to close the windows. On the bright side, the phone does come with a capacitive touchscreen (unlike its predecessor), which is one of the reasons for why ITG decided to ditch the physical keyboard; but if users need it, they can purchase a flip-cover style keyboard add-on that also packs a battery to double the device's endurance. As for your USB peripherals, the xpPhone 2 will have an expansion dock to take care of those.


The China-exclusive xpPhone 2 won't be cheap when it launches in a month or two: its various flavors (with either silver or gold highlight) will cost between ¥7,000 ($1,110) and ¥12,000 ($1,900), so it's not the kind of phone that you'd want to accidentally drop into the toilet. When asked whether this price range could be an issue to gain traction, ITG's CEO Brad Wu (pictured above) said the xpPhone's actually aimed at the likes of business executives and government officials, especially with its aforementioned "military grade" call encryption service. By putting out ads on TV and in subway stations, Brad hopes that office workers will choose the xpPhone 2 over the regular, less premium smartphones when sucking up to gifting their bosses. Well, we can already picture the awkwardness when one explains to the boss about keeping an eye on the battery while running Windows on the device.

While he's at it, Brad also gave us a little background on his company and himself -- after all, we were curious as to what made this 40-year-old Hunan man so ballsy. Prior to ITG, Brad graduated in 1993 with an electrical engineering degree, before joining P&G to help market its shampoos and Pringles chips in China (no, really). The CEO recalled the days when laptops were still too bulky and when phones were not very powerful, but one day the UMPC form factor came along, he looked at the OQO (which is now owned by a Chinese company, funnily enough) and Sony VAIO UX, and thought to himself that the technology was ready to bring the PC and the mobile phone together as one, which then lead to the xpPhone as his first attempt.


Despite knowing that he won't top the charts when it comes to volume, Brad doesn't seem too concerned. In fact, he doesn't take too kindly to the buzzing smartphone market: he reckons with devices "barely able to differentiate" in terms of hardware specifications, it's only a lose-lose situation for everyone; and to rub salt in the wound, he added that multi-core chipsets aren't that useful on phones compared to PCs. Very strong words there in a "post-PC" world, Mr. Wu, but we shall let the final product do the rest of the talking.
at 11:59 AM

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