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- Updated Verizon Galaxy Nexus Jelly Bean binaries added to AOSP
- Parrot Zik by Starck review: Is $400 worth it for the fanciest, techiest headphones around?
- Archos Child Pad gets capacitive screen upgrade, minor price hike to $140
- The Engadget Podcast is live today at 1:45PM ET!
- HTC Rezound finally ready to receive Android 4.0 update
- Denon intros Cocoon Home and Portable AirPlay docks, will transform songs into musical butterflies
- Embracing geotagging: how to journal your trips (and contribute to Google Earth) with snapshots
- Aereo unveils free trial and new prices for its NYC-based internet TV service (video)
- Time Warner Cable lost 169,000 subscribers, spares DirecTV's blushes
- O2 announces Pocket Hotspot device, wants to keep you connected at all times
- Lacie USB 3.0 RuggedKey now shipping: $40 for 16GB, $70 for 32GB
- Nixeus shows off 27-inch IPS Vue monitor with 2560 x 1440 resolution, $430 price
- Save the date: Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2012 IFA event set for August 29th
- AT&T agrees to acquire NextWave for $600 million, gobbles up WCS and AWS spectrum
- InterDigital wins appeal in never-ending Nokia patent battle
- DirecTV waves goodbye to 52,000 subscribers in first ever net loss of customers
- RIM tips August 9th BlackBerry PlayBook 4G LTE Canadian release (update: faster, too)
- You've heard of the Child Catcher? Meet the WiFi Snatcher
- Motorola Droid RAZR HD makes another cameo, shows its global creds
- Mattel casts NASA Curiosity rover die with new Hot Wheels toy
- iShower is ready to get wet: water-resistant Bluetooth speaker now shipping for $100
- Apple seeks patent for Smart Cover with embedded secondary display
- Sharp: we're making displays for new iPhone and shipping them this month
- Google Street View goes retro with unofficial ASCII treatment
- Apple's iCloud data center gets green light to come to Reno, be a star
- TshirtOS is web-connected, programmable, 100 percent cotton (video)
- IDC: Apple's still king of the tablet hill with 68 percent of the market
- Electronic skin lets machines sense water droplets and heartbeats, wonder why they were programmed to feel
- Archos teases G10 xs with first press shot, vows launch in three weeks
- Sharp pain continues with $1.2 billion loss in Q1, drastically lowered forecast for 2012
- Sony releases Q1 2012 financial results, eats $312 million loss
- Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon pricing spotted in Hong Kong
- Samsung starts mass-producing 4x faster mobile flash memory, kickstarts our phones and tablets
- Lego motorized wheelchair joins Mindstorms NXT alumni (video)
- Cricket ships Huawei Ascend Q, offers Android chatting for $140 prepaid
- Ice Cream Sandwich takes a bite out of Gingerbread, represents 15.9 percent of Android devices
- Twelve South debuts BackPack 2 shelf accessory for iMac with three enhancements
- Facebook releases its 2011 energy usage report, details your carbon footprint
- Aperion Audio Intimus 4T Summit touts uncompressed surround sound without the cords
- Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:30PM ET
| Updated Verizon Galaxy Nexus Jelly Bean binaries added to AOSP Posted: 02 Aug 2012 11:29 AM PDT CDMA variants are, invariably, the redheaded stepchildren of the Nexus line. That is to say, those units nearly always trail behind their GSM counterparts where updates and official support are concerned. But it appears Google's picking up the pace, having just released the latest Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean (JRO03H) binaries for Verizon-branded handsets three weeks after welcoming Toro devices back into AOSP. What does this mean for the average user? Not much, since there's no real way to gauge whether or not this signals an imminent carrier-sanctioned OTA rollout, although it does bode well for those prospects. But for rooted users, the new addition is a boon, as it should pave the way for devs to cook up even more stable ROMs for your flashing enjoyment. So, that's the good news. The bad? Well, if you're on the Sprint side of the LTE Nexus divide, your handset's still not invited back to the party -- indefinitely. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parrot Zik by Starck review: Is $400 worth it for the fanciest, techiest headphones around? Posted: 02 Aug 2012 11:00 AM PDT You do know that Parrot makes more than just the AR.Drone, right? It was at CES earlier this year that we first caught a glimpse of -- and subsequently began geeking out about -- the Parrot Zik by Starck. For those unfamiliar, these headphones are jam-packed with enough technologies to make even the geekiest audio lovers smitten. Priced at about $400, they feature Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth connectivity, on-board capacitive touch-control, active noise cancellation, head detection, a jawbone sensor for speech and Parrot's audio-enhancing DSP app for iOS and Android -- not to mention a striking design by the renowned Philippe Starck. This isn't the first time Parrot and Mr. Starck have worked together, but this does mark their debut in the portable audio market (as opposed to home-based speaker systems). In the case of this review, not one, but two Engadget editors spent some time testing the product. So, do they impress? More importantly, are they worth the $400 asking price? You know the drill: meet us after the break where we'll lay it all out. Hardware and embedded tech Despite all the high-tech features crammed inside the Zik, it appears more dapper than geeky from the outside. Up top, there's a flexible headband made of synthetic leather embossed with the Parrot logo. Continuing down the sides, the band connects to curvaceous, skeletal-like metal headrails that meet at swiveling joints with the half-wishbone yokes. Aside from being eye-catching, these earpieces can swivel just over 90 degrees to fold flat for storage in the included travel pouch. Look closely and you'll see the inner portions are scooped out to reveal the cabling leading down to the cups. The clicky headrails drop down from the headband, but retract if you're adjusting the headset for a smaller skull. Aside from the metal's semigloss finish, you'll notice subtle orange accenting -- a Starck trademark -- underneath where the inner edges of the headband meet the rails. Additionally, there's laser-etching to mark the right and left sides, adjustment points and a tasteful "By Starck" logo on the headband.
That brings us to the earcups -- where all the magic happens. While the Zik generally looks bony, the ear cups are dense and plush -- disproportionately so in relation to the rest of the headset, but attractive nonetheless. The outer edges are mostly finished in a soft-touch matte plastic, and we're very happy about that decision. Why, you ask? The outside of the right ear cup contains a capacitive touch-panel for controlling music playback and taking calls, while there's an NFC sensor embedded within the left ear cup. Even after swiping the headset hundreds of times per day, we only noticed the slightest trace of oil and fingerprints. Swiping vertically controls volume, while swiping horizontally lets you change tracks. Beyond that, tapping the panel controls playback, and allows you to start and end calls. Unless you're changing the volume, your various swipes will produce a clicking sound in the earpieces, some audio feedback letting you know the tap was registered. Aside from a hint of lag, it's generally an intuitive way of inputting commands. Annoyingly, though, the current firmware doesn't support long taps to enable voice control on smartphones -- a common feature on Apple- and Android-compatible inline remotes. On the outer edge of the earcups, you'll notice two chrome vents. Aside from adding some visual spice, they serve as bass vents for the headphones. It's visually clear they each have a different shape, with the chrome leading into the bottom edge of the right earcup. Here you'll find a micro-USB port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a single microphone and a backlit power button. We're happy to report that both ports coupled extremely tightly with the included cables (each of which feature a thick, braided shielding, by the way). Of course, that wired option is mainly there in case the battery dies, or if you want to conserve power by not using Bluetooth. As a final note, the audio cable features a thick right-angled tip, which you might appreciate when you have a mobile device sitting in your pocket. We're disappointed that there's nothing in the way of an inline remote on the included cable, meaning that phone calls and playback control are out of the question when the battery dies. The power button has a very slight wiggle, with enough tension for a pleasingly tactile push. A point of contention we have with many Bluetooth headsets are their annoying blinking lights, but these -- these are very soft, and won't illuminate the surfaces around you in a dark situation, like an overnight flight. The button glows white when the headset is on and powered, and red when it's charging, but it can't be turned off like headphones such as the SYNC by 50. Circling back to the left ear cup, you'll notice two more microphones on its bottom edge. Think three mics would've been enough? Well, Parrot didn't -- there's even two more, one in each ear cup. If you've been counting, yes, that's a total of five microphones. According to Parrot, two of the outer microphones analyze the sound around you for noise cancellation, while the ones planted within each earcup work to find any residual noise that may need to get taken care of as well. That leaves one of the three external microphones on the Zik for handling voice calls. Of course, that's only half of how the Zik picks up on voices. Located near the bottom of the left earpad, you'll notice two square sensors, one of which is that jawbone sensor. As Parrot explains it, when the Zik notices that your mouth is moving it tells the microphone to focus on vocals, so that you'll be heard over any background noise. So while its name makes it seem similar to Jawbone's bone conductivity magic, that's about all they have in common. That leads us to the claimed "motion sensor," one of the most unique features on the Zik. Simply taking it off your noggin or putting it back in place will cause the music to start and stop automatically. It's especially convenient when you need to talk to someone on the fly, and it's certainly more intuitive than fiddling for the play / pause button on an inline remote. That said, it's actually more of a pressure sensor than a motion sensor. It may seem at first blush that the headphone is using some sort of accelerometer to determine when the headphones are coming on and off. But in reality, it's merely activating a button within the right earpad. Thankfully, no matter how much this editor shook his head around, the sensors were intelligent enough to realize that the headphones hadn't, in fact, come off. There were a handful of instances where the music took a second or two to turn off as the pads expanded, however. One less obvious feature of the Zik is that the outside of the left ear cup is actually a magnetic cover. There's no indentation for pulling it off, as you might find on a smartphone battery cover, but it's easy enough to remove nonetheless. The magnets keep it from budging unless you actually try to take it off, meaning you won't have to worry about it falling onto the train tracks in the middle of your commute. Pulling the cover back reveals a slot for the proprietary 3.7V, 800mAh lithium-ion battery. Though it's included, it will also be sold separately for $30. Parrot claims you'll get between five and 20 hours of use depending on how many of the Zik's features you use. Specifically, we got between five and six hours of battery life after enabling Bluetooth and all the audio features. If you want the full experience -- and at least a full day's worth of use -- you're going to need at least one spare battery.
Unfortunately, despite the head sensor, leaving the headphones on and around your shoulders doesn't put them in any sort of low-power mode. So regardless of whether music is playing or not, battery life remains the same. Thankfully, turning off active noise cancellation should increase runtime, and we can report that the headphones provide enough passive noise isolation that sometimes we didn't need ANC enabled anyway. We should also note that the Zik comes with noise cancellation enabled out of the box. For the moment, the app for controlling its audio features is only available on iOS, but Parrot expects proper Android and iPad versions will be available in the coming weeks. Here's something frustrating: batteries can't be charged outside of the headphones. So, while it's convenient to charge the headset if you happen to be sitting near a PC with a spare USB port, it's going to be an issue for folks on the go. Parrot says it has no current plans for an external charger, so you'll need to have them fully charged before heading out on a long trip. This is a major sticking point that puts the headphones at a severe disadvantage, especially since headphones by Sony, Bose and Klipsch can last 20-plus hours on AAAs. The Zik's battery life is acceptable considering everything that's going on inside, but we do hope Parrot eventually offers better ways to stay juiced -- or, at least, a spare battery in the box. Setup, Bluetooth and NFC connectivityFor the most part, the days of frustrating Bluetooth pairing are over, and the Zik is no exception. Whether we connected an iPhone 3GS, Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy S III, iPad 2, Nokia Lumia 900, ASUS PadFone, HTC One X or a MacBook, we never had to go into a specific pairing mode or enter any codes. It's as simple as selecting "connect to device" from the device. This convenience does come at a cost, however -- the headset can't pair with multiple gizmos at once. This is burdensome if you tend to juggle gadgets, as you'll need to manually disconnect before attempting to pair with another device. Then again, we don't expect this to be a problem for most shoppers.
As we mentioned, the Zik is equipped with an NFC sensor on its left earcup for Bluetooth pairing. While there aren't too many NFC-enabled devices available here in the US, four of the devices we listed do have it built in, which allowed us to test this feature extensively. On the Nexus and PadFone, simply tapping the handset to the left earcup completed the pairing, while a second tap disconnected it. However, anytime we tried to carry out the same process with the GS III and One X we were met by an error message. It's likely that this is an OS-based problem, and we're waiting on more clarification from Parrot. Aside from that hiccup, the feature works great and it's nice to see this technology in something other than Nokia's Play 360 speakers. Getting more specific about that Broadcom Bluetooth chipset, the Zik merely sports Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with A2DP -- there's no current support for codecs like aptX. This may be an issue if you're looking for more advanced Bluetooth audio, but as we'll explain soon, the headphones do sound pretty good usually. Discerning listeners might notice a humming noise from the right side, where the radio is located; it's only apparent when audio isn't playing through headphones, but may be an issue if you're solely planning to use the noise cancellation functionality. Before we sign off on the subject, we'd be remiss not to mention a few Bluetooth issues that came up on both of our Zik test units. With a laptop, the connection proved to be a hit-or-miss affair. The headphones worked reliably with incoming audio, but as soon as we tried to enable the mic, our signal transfer would cease in both directions. At that point we had to completely kill our connection and restart it to at least get incoming audio again. Making Skype calls with the Zik on a computer is simply out of the question, unfortunately. Aside from occasional drops in audio, we did notice that planting a phone inside a pocket often causes brief drops in the signal as well. Depending on our location, our range varied from about 33 feet, as promised, down to just a few steps away. Suffice it to say, the Bluetooth implementation here would benefit from some fine-tuning. Fit and comfort If you've been following our coverage of the Zik, you know we found it plenty comfortable during early hands-on opportunities. Still, if you're concerned that all the tech inside may make for a heavy fit, we're happy to report the Zik is supremely comfy. The headphones feature a pleasing circumaural design. Unlike the Astro A50 gaming headset, though, it won't leave your ears floating inside of the earcups. The memory foam within the earpads is super supple, and there's even more padding inside of the earcups in front of the drivers. If you were to press your finger against the part of the earcups where the microphones live, you could easily feel them, but you shouldn't notice them when you're actually wearing the headset. To explain further, the shape of the headrails help balance out the fit, keeping it firmly affixed to your noggin. If anything, some users might find that the headband could use a bit more padding. Our main concern is whether the earpads will stay this supple after months of use, as they're not replaceable. However, the clamping force of the headphones is comfortable, and just enough to keep 'em planted on your head without crushing your ears enough to cause cartilage cramps. Naturally, the synthetic leather pads don't exactly play nice in hot weather, though -- things will get sweaty, but it didn't seem to erode the build quality in any way. Parrot Audio Studio app Before we dive into our impressions of the audio quality, we'd like to fill you in on its free companion app: Parrot Audio Studio. We've already mentioned what platforms it's compatible with, so let's take a deeper look using the iOS version as our guide. Clicking into the app gives you three toggle options, along with three utility-based options -- none of which can be adjusted from the Zik itself. Getting the utility options out of the way, you'll find System, Battery and Helpdesk icons. "System" allows you to change the name of your Zik and check for any firmware updates. "Battery" simply displays the current battery level. Unfortunately, there's no estimate for how much runtime you have left, which is a shame since the Zik doesn't warn you when the battery is running low. Also, it's not as convenient as having the meter planted in our phones' taskbars, as is the case with Jawbone's offerings. Now for the fun stuff. To start, you can select whether you want active noise cancellation on and off. Unlike some ANC cans, the Zik doesn't currently allow users to tweak its settings -- it handles this automatically. Thankfully, as we'll detail, it does a good job of it.
The last of the three toggles is a seven-band equalizer. There are settings for Punchy, Club, Pop, Vocals, Cristal, Deep and one slot for a user customizable settings (check the gallery for specifics). Parrot favors the club and punchy settings, highlighting a "v-curve" (generally considered the "rock" setting) and we have to agree. By the way, changing any of the settings will automatically program it to the user option. Between those, there's an option for toggling Concert Hall Effects on and off. Clicking this icon brings you into a menu that allows you to choose from four different room simulations (Concert Hall, Jazz Club, Living Room and Silent Room) and speaker placements from 30 degrees of separation all the way to 180 degrees from left to right. The speakers can only be adjusted in equilateral 30-degree movements, while the silent room setting won't separate past 150 degrees. This feature is an integral part of the experience when using the Zik, because it really lets you personalize the soundstage and stereo image of the headphones. We particularly like using the Living Room and Silent settings with a 120-degree placement for the speakers. Of course, your preferences are sure to vary, but the point is that this option is here, and it's a key way that the Zik lets you personalize its sound to your own tastes. Whether you like gobs of bass, a bit more vocal clarity or a certain spacing of stereo separation, the Zik can handle it. Thankfully, no matter what device you use, your last settings are automatically saved within the Zik. All that said, one thing that consistently bugged us during testing was the Zik's tendency to make a pop noise whenever we turned it on, changed an EQ setting or toggled ANC on and off. Keeping that in mind, the same annoyance occurs every time the headphone's head detector goes into action (pausing or starting playback again) when taking it on and off. We're hopeful that a firmware upgrade will eventually allow for a cleaner-sounding bypass action. Sound Moving on, let's discuss the natural audio quality of the Zik's 40mm neodymium drivers before any of the DSP and EQing are added on top. Speaking to the sound, using the headphones wirelessly with Bluetooth versus wired with the included audio cable, we'd be hard-pressed to notice any major differences with the headphones powered up. Of course, the main note is that the Bluetooth signal does have the tendency to frequently cut out here and there, and that's something that naturally won't come up when using the audio cable. When using the headphones passively (read: powered off) with the audio cable, the sound is thin and brittle, just like many other headphones we've used that feature the same functionality. The Zik is at its best with the power on -- and while passive functionality is a nice option to have when the battery dies out, we'd still recommend springing for some batteries so that you don't have to resort to it. The sound gets noticeably fuller with ANC enabled. It's very clear -- not perfect, but still quite good. Now for where the DSP provided by the app comes into play. Enabling active noise cancellation does add meat to the extra-lows in the mix, but some might find it boomy. The Concert Hall effects make for the biggest impact in the overall sound. It doesn't make for the most natural audio, but it does unsurprisingly space out the various sounds in a recording pleasantly. That said, those looking for a more clinically focused voicing might not be so keen on how each setting noticeably changes the timbre of each instrument. To that effect, wired headphones like the $350 M40, $200 MDR-NC200D and $300 P5 provide a smidgen more clarity and a tighter overall response across the mix in comparison. We're not shocked, considering these units are mostly focused on sound than techy features, but for the money, we'd hoped the Zik would perform slightly better sonically. For what it's worth, the sound didn't fatigue our ears after hours of listening and we never noticed any clipping or very apparent distortion at louder volumes -- the Zik can really handle any EQ setting you throw at it. Overall, the sound is extremely enjoyable, but for the $400 price, we expected a little more.
Now onto outgoing audio -- we've already discussed how the jawbone sensor works, so let's talk about how that plays into the microphone quality for voice calls. Callers sometimes complained that our vocals were cutting out or a bit staticky. The focus on vocals is up to par with what you'll get from, say, a Jawbone Icon, so folks will hear you in louder environments easily, but the overall audio quality isn't as good. Further, because the Zik takes down external noise on the user's end so well, some microphone monitoring would've been appreciated. But don't take our word for it, check out the audio recording above where we A/B the Zik with our Galaxy Nexus' built-in mic and a PlayStation Bluetooth headset in a simulated bar environment. Noise suppressionSo, just how good is the Zik at killing noise, you might be wondering? Fantastic. Great. Can you hear us screaming it from the rooftop of Engadget HQ? You probably aren't using one at the moment then. According to Parrot, the unit can provide up to 25dB of active noise cancellation, eliminating 98 percent of the lower frequencies it focuses on. Translation: that's a hell of a lotta noise-slaughtering. Many ANC headphones will deliver a fair amount of annoying hiss, but that isn't the case here. Even inside of NYC's extremely loud subway cars, the Zik provided us with an aural sanctuary of sorts. Of course, ANC is merely a trick of the mind, simply pushing a reversed anti-noise signal of what's going on around you, and thus, still pushing sound into your eardrums. Impressively, the Zik features an ample amount of passive noise-isolation as well (for circumaural headphones, anyway) -- in some instances we found it adequate enough to keep ANC disabled. Wrap-up More InfoParrot and Philippe Starck have crafted a truly unique set of headphones with the Zik. There are clearly some kinks that need to be worked out, however -- most of which Parrot can hopefully remedy via firmware updates. As it stands for now, we have seriously enjoyed using the Zik despite the product's various shortcomings. The touch control and head sensor make for a fun, intuitive way to control music and calls on the go, but in some regards, an inline remote is still a more practical design. The Zik is also massively comfortable, making it great for long periods of wear, but one battery doesn't score you too much runtime -- not to mention that charging it can get tricky. If you're set on silencing the world around you, the 25dB of active noise-cancellation works well in loud environments, and the passive noise isolation isn't shabby, either; if you need a set for flights, look no further. The sound quality is very good, and the headphones won't sound fatiguing during long listening sessions. But even with all the sound shaping options, the headphones fall ever-so short of offering the audio quality of cheaper wired headphones -- and potentially other Bluetooth cans. Perhaps the biggest problem with the Zik is that Bluetooth functionality is limited, and downright frustrating for some usage scenarios -- a shame, given Parrot's know-how in the area. When it comes down to it, though, every second we've tested these has been a treat -- so much so that at least two Engadget staffers are ponying up for their own pairs. If the Zik lines up well with your priorities, even despite its current shortcomings, it could be a tempting splurge for gadget and audio lovers alike. Richard Lai contributed to this review. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Archos Child Pad gets capacitive screen upgrade, minor price hike to $140 Posted: 02 Aug 2012 10:41 AM PDT Parents who've already purchased Archos' 7-inch Child Pad may be feeling somewhat miffed, as its screen's been upgraded from resistive to capacitive just two months after launch. There's no such thing as free multi-touch, so you'll have to fork out another ten bucks on top of the original asking price for the new version of the ICS slate, bringing the total to a cent under $140. Other internals are identical, so customers can still expect a 1GHz ARM processor, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of expandable storage, with some exclusive chipmunk-based content to boot. Just remember to let the kids have a go once in a while. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Engadget Podcast is live today at 1:45PM ET! Posted: 02 Aug 2012 10:15 AM PDT Why are we going even earlier this week? Scheduling issues? The element of surprise? Broken clocks? Only Tim, Brian and Terrence know for sure -- and perhaps you will as well, if you tune in at 1:45PM ET. August 2, 2012 1:45 PM EDT *** You can also stream the show live on your iPhone or iPad by clicking here.
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| HTC Rezound finally ready to receive Android 4.0 update Posted: 02 Aug 2012 09:57 AM PDT Just a couple days short of its latest deadline, the HTC Rezound now appears to be ready to be knighted with Ice Cream Sandwich via an OTA update. Verizon has taken to its official site to publish upgrade instructions and benefits, indicating that the rollout has begun. Once your install is complete, you should find yourself gazing at Sense 3.6 and its many associated features. These types of refreshes usually take a couple weeks to reach its entire consumer base, so don't fret if your particular device doesn't ping you with a notification while you're jamming to your Beats today. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Denon intros Cocoon Home and Portable AirPlay docks, will transform songs into musical butterflies Posted: 02 Aug 2012 09:37 AM PDT Denon's got a snazzy new pair of iPhone speaker docks to show the world -- the Cocoon Home and Cocoon Portable. The Home features AirPlay streaming from iPhones, iPods, Mac and PCs through 100 watts of total power. Its 25-percent smaller sibling has 50 watts of power and battery life of up to five hours. Both docks will be hitting this summer for $599 and $499, respectively. We're crossing our fingers for a Steve Guttenberg spokesman deal. Full press details after the break.
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| Embracing geotagging: how to journal your trips (and contribute to Google Earth) with snapshots Posted: 02 Aug 2012 09:11 AM PDT Geotagging. It's not exactly a long, lost art, but it's certainly not something most folks bother to do after a trip. Avid travelers, hikers and the general outdoorsy crowd have been embracing the feature for years, though, and it's actually seeping into the mainstream without most individuals even noticing. How so? Smartphones. Given the proliferation of iPhones, Android handsets and Windows Phone devices making their way onto the market -- coupled with the explosive use of geo-minded social networks like Path, Instagram and Foursquare -- an entire generation is now growing up in a geotagged world. Phone users have it easy; so long as there's a data connection and an embedded GPS module (commonplace in modern mobile devices), there lies the ability to upload a photo with a patch of metadata embedded. Snap a shot at a national park, upload it, and just like that, viewers and friends from around the world now have an idea as to what a specific place on the Earth looks like.  For travel hounds like myself, that's insanely powerful. I'm the kind of person that'll spend hours lost in Google Earth, spinning the globe around and discovering all-new (to me, at least) locales thanks to the magic of geotagging. It's sort of the photographic equivalent to putting a face to a name. By stamping latitude, longitude, altitude and a specific time to any given JPEG, you're able to not only show the world what you saw, but exactly when and where you saw it. It's a magical combination, and with GPS modules finding their way into point-and-shoot cameras -- not to mention external dongles like Solmeta's magnificent N3 (our review here) -- there's plenty of opportunity to start adding location data to your photos. For more on the "Why would I want to?" and "How would I best display 'em?" inquiries, let's meet up after the break. Explaining the art I'll keep it as short and sweet as possible: geotagging an image pins location and time information onto its metadata. It's the same blob of information that houses data about what camera and lens were used to capture the show, what ISO level was chosen and what aperture was selected. If you've never cared much to look into that data after stumbling upon an outlandishly beautiful snapshot on Flickr, you probably won't appreciate the art of geotagging. If you're a stats nerd through and through, you probably will. The general idea -- where geotagging adds the most value -- is to use geolocation data in order to tell stories. To show progress. To track paths. To remember spectacular places that one's feeble mind may forget without a precisely stamped image that leaves no doubt as to when and where it was taken. In fact, a lot of this links back to my personal uses of Facebook; life moves too fast to rely on my own brain to recall it all. Things like automated geotagging definitely help relive memories, and there's no better time to start taking advantage. Acquiring a lock In order to grab geolocation data, you'll need a GPS module within range of your camera. Perhaps the most convenient method is to use a modern smartphone -- the latest iPhones and most Android / Windows Phone handsets have GPS or A-GPS built right in, and if you enable it in your settings, you can have each image stamped with the location at which it was taken. Before setting off, I should mention two important caveats here. First, many smartphones require a data connection to properly tag images with location; if you're traveling internationally and keeping your phone in airplane mode, that'll put a stop to your geotagging bliss. Second, most smartphones take an annoyingly long time to acquire a GPS fix. It's also often difficult to tell from most camera applications whether or not it's still working to get a lock, or if it does indeed have one.
Alternatively, you can turn to a camera with a GPS module built into the hardware itself. Casio's Exilim EX-H20G (our review here) is a solid example. The issue here, however, is twofold. For one, it's rare to find a point-and-shoot with GPS built in. Secondly, these cameras generally exhibit ho-hum feature sets and lofty prices, making them quite unappealing for those who already own an iPhone 4S or the like. It's still baffling to me how few cameras have GPS from the factory, but I'm hoping that as circuitry shrinks and power efficiency improves, these modules will become more feasible in both mirrorless and DSLR ranges. An option that's more universal is a Bluetooth-based geotagging accessory. These units effectively capture time and geolocation data independent of your images. Then you're forced to use any number of software programs to sync up the time data from your Bluetooth logger with your image gallery. It's an absolutely painful and tedious process; so much so that I'd just outright not recommend it. If you have extraordinarily specific camera needs -- using a body that has no compatible direct-connect GPS logger -- it's still better than having no geolocation data at all. But go ahead and be prepared to deal with missed tags, inaccurate readings and lots of consumed time syncing metadata after a shoot. My preferred method is using a direct-connect module -- a GPS device that's specifically made for a camera body, enabling it to tap right into the camera's menu system and embed location data directly onto each image. The downside here is that you'll need to carry around an accessory, and generally, it sucks battery life from the camera itself in order to keep track of your whereabouts. The upside, however, is that there's no mess after shooting. So long as you confirm that you have a fix prior to shooting, each image will boast precision location metadata right out of the memory card. Most major DSLR manufacturers offer GPS add-ons from $150 to $300, but oftentimes, the first-party solutions aren't the best. For example, I recently took Solmeta's N3 for a spin on Nikon's D3S (though the company makes models for a huge swath of Nikon bodies) and found it to be far superior to other alternatives, despite costing "only" $189. (If you haven't guessed by now, these GPS modules aren't what I'd call "cheap.") Mapping your results Procuring a camera setup that geotags images is the first (major) step, but the magic only truly shows itself if you choose a proper display method. For me, the art of geotagging plays two huge roles. It not only gives me the ability to showcase trips by way of pictorial paths -- after all, a photo is worth a thousand words or so -- but it also gives me the ability to tap into something far larger than myself. Allow me to explain.
For personal showcasing, Mac users are spoiled. The iPhoto app, bundled gratis with every OS X-based Mac, touts a 'Places' section that automatically recognizes standardized geolocation data in photos. So long as you're connected to the internet, tapping that section will automatically display your photos by location, grouping nearby shots under red pins that are labeled based on locale data pulled from Google. (As an aside, Apple's recent shunning of Google Maps for its own iOS 6 mapping solution may mean that iPhoto is destined to follow that same route.) If you're familiar with navigating via Google Maps, you'll be right at home here. Just zoom into a pin, hover to see the locale, and click in to see the images that were taken at that point. I do wish that iPhoto allowed for more customization when it comes to viewing shots with Places; as it is, you see pretty much everything at once, making it somewhat difficult to view pins specifically from a single trip. It's also worth noting that Apple's Aperture application offers a similar mapping view, for those already using it to manage and edit photo galleries. For a look at how iPhoto can be used to beautifully display stories without saying a word, have a look at the overview video below.
For those who wouldn't dare touch a Mac, you've a few other options. In fact, given that even iPhoto can't display geotagged photos in Places without an internet connection, I actually prefer the web-based alternatives. The first, and perhaps most obvious, is Picasa. That's Google's own photo-hosting tool, and one of the best aspects of it is its ability to ingest and display metadata. Opening up an account is free and, naturally, those already invested in Google's ecosystem -- relying on Drive, Google+, YouTube, etc. -- will reap even more benefits in terms of integration. Space will certainly be a limitation (though additional storage can be purchased), but it's important to note that even resized photos can maintain geolocation data. My preferred method is Adobe Lightroom; if you're already using this to touch up photos, just export to a smaller size and it'll keep all metadata perfectly in place. One of the benefits of Picasa is that each gallery you create generates a separate map. That way, you can use a pinned map to tell individual stories instead of automatically having them all clustered together. For those worried about privacy, Google defaults to not showing location data to viewers -- even if the galleries are marked "Public on the web," but I've enabled that on this demo gallery just to show you what's possible. Click here to visit the gallery, and feel free to zoom around on the map view to see which image was taken where. I should also mention that Flickr provides a similar service, but with absurdly low storage quotas for free accounts (200 images, compared to 1GB from a free Picasa account) and no real ties with a major ecosystem, I'm convinced that Picasa is a better entry point. Contributing to the world Beyond personal mesmerization, there's another incredibly compelling reason to geotag: education. Google has embarked on a number of efforts to map the world -- from entering the Amazon to enabling Street View in Antarctica. But even Google can't do it all -- as least not with any level of haste. Thankfully, there's a painless way for you to contribute your own geotagged images to Google Earth, and in turn, open the eyes of potentially millions of internet users who may only ever view a section of the world by way of your camera. Go on, call it cheesy; I call it mind-blowing. Due to Google's ownership of Panoramio -- also known as the portal for delivering images to Google Earth -- it's brilliantly easy to port images over that were originally loaded into Picasa. Strangely, you still need a Panoramio username (though you can tie that to your existing Google account ID), but once you're in, adding new photos is as easy as clicking a link to select from Picasa, ticking the ones you want ported and confirming those selections. If your photo is geotagged in Picasa, it'll be geotagged in Panoramio. At some point after you've mapped your photo (usually between five and 10 days), Panoramio reviews its appropriateness for Google Earth and Google Maps. If the photo meets the acceptance policy, it's usually approved – assuming that location isn't already overloaded with brilliant submissions. Soon after, you can indeed surf over to a spot on the globe that you've shot at and view your own masterpiece. After you get over yourself (kidding!), think on this: folks with no access to transit, but limited access to the internet, can now better educate themselves on this crazy place called Earth with a simple mouse click. Panoramio also provides a slightly different map view to showcase the photos that you've uploaded; the site in general is a bit more cluttered, as it caters more to the science and discovery crowds than the public at large. That said, I appreciate the detail in the maps, and being able to see when my photos have been ushered into Google Earth provides a geeky rush that's tough to top. Wrap-up Geotagging may not be a new concept, but I'm optimistic that the masses are on the brink of embracing it. Not only will it allow you to create walks down memory lane with the photos that you bothered to take along the way, but those who take the extra leap and contribute to Panoramio will also be building out a global view of our own planet. For those awestruck by travel, it's easy to understand the impact of this. For those that aren't just yet, give it a whirl on your next excursion, even if using only your smartphone to reduce entry costs. It'll add a whole new level to those "Don't you remember when we visited [insert obscure locale here]?" conversations, at the very least. This article originally appeared in Distro Issue #50. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aereo unveils free trial and new prices for its NYC-based internet TV service (video) Posted: 02 Aug 2012 08:45 AM PDT Broadcast-streaming startup Aereo is busting out tweaked price plans and a free trial for New Yorkers to try the service gratis for an hour a day. $8 per month will buy you unlimited access, live pause, rewind and 20 hours online DVR, while $12 a month doubles your storage allocation to 40 hours. Annual customers can pay $80 (plus tax, naturally) to get a deep discount off the monthly price, but for the commitment-phobic viewer, 24-hours access can be purchased for a dollar, or you can try the service for an hour each and every day without need of a sign up. Unfortunately, due to legal wrangling, it's only available within the boundaries of New York City on any iOS, OS X, AppleTV or Roku devices. There's PR and Video after the jump if you're yet to be convinced -- but think, now you catch all of Good Morning America as you walk down Broadway. AEREO UNVEILS NEW, FLEXIBLE PRICING STRUCTURE AND Aereo Try for Free – SIMPLE, EASY WAYS TO EXPERIENCE AEREO'S INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY All Aereo users, including Aereo Try for Free will be able to use Aereo's remote antenna/DVR technology to watch broadcast television live and to pause, rewind and fast-forward any program that they are watching, just as you can with "live" television on a home DVR. With Aereo Try For Free, consumers make recordings of their programming for live play but those recordings are not retained after viewing and there is no DVR storage for future recordings. However, with a paid Aereo membership (day pass, monthly & annual memberships), consumers get live broadcast television, as well as access to remote DVR storage, based on membership level. Aereo Try For Free users are able to upgrade at any time to a membership plan. Aereo believes that consumers have a fundamental right to access over the air television that broadcasts on the public airwaves, and that enhancing and supporting public access to that local broadcast signal is important. Aereo allows consumers portable and simple access to that broadcast television signal. In times of emergencies and breaking news, access to timely, live information is crucial. Aereo can serve as another avenue for the public to access that important information. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Time Warner Cable lost 169,000 subscribers, spares DirecTV's blushes Posted: 02 Aug 2012 08:28 AM PDT TWC pushed out its second quarter results, showing it's following the trend of shedding customers without hurting the bottom line. It took in $5.4 billion in revenue for the three month period -- with more cash coming from selling higher tiers of service to existing users -- leaving it with a net profit of $452 million. The company reported that it lost 169,000 residential video subscribers but gained 104,000 back across its high-speed data and voice businesses, which it described as "organic decline," but looks more like cord-cutting to us. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| O2 announces Pocket Hotspot device, wants to keep you connected at all times Posted: 02 Aug 2012 08:12 AM PDT O2 hasn't exactly given many options to those looking for an internet-sharing mobile device, but today the Euro telco's announcing a miniature Pocket Hotspot that should solve some of those troubles. The company's promising max download speeds of around 22Mbps and 6Mbps up -- though, needless to say, that's going to depend heavily on the 3G coverage area. Still, at £60 (one-off cost), this Pocket Hotspot could be a good choice for folks interested in MiFi-like features. Just don't try and sneak one in to any event at London 2012, you know they're not allowed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lacie USB 3.0 RuggedKey now shipping: $40 for 16GB, $70 for 32GB Posted: 02 Aug 2012 07:57 AM PDT Encountered much violence lately? Then consider yourself a target for Lacie's new ruggedized USB 3.0 stick, which is now available at the company's online store. Yes, it's as fat as it looks in the SanDisk Extreme comparison photo after the break, but most of that girth comes from the rubbery orange cushion designed to protect your data from water, extreme temperatures and 100-meter drops. Exactly how much of that protection you'd retain even after removing the orange part isn't yet clear, but we can vouch for the fact that an 850MB video file made it across from the RuggedKey to a Retina MacBook Pro at almost exactly the claimed maximum transfer rate of 150MB/s. The write speed wasn't so stunning compared to the SanDisk -- only around 40MB/s when data travelled the other way, or a quarter of the speed of a 64GB Extreme stick -- but then, at $40 for 16GB and $70 for 32GB, the Lacie also comes in a lot cheaper. LONDON, UK – Today LaCie announced availability of the RuggedKey, the perfect solution to protect data from life's stumbles. The RuggedKey is the latest addition to LaCie's award-winning line of Rugged drives designed by Neil Poulton. From inclement weather to unauthorized access, the RuggedKey protects data from any threat. Ready for life's Adventures The iconic orange bumper is back, this time to protect a USB key from heat, cold, and 100m drops. The RuggedKey is a great accessory for an adventure photographer who needs a way to keep his photos protected and accessible while on the road. If the key is dropped off a cliff or stepped on during a hike – no problem! The files are still intact. Furthermore, it's IP-54 certified to resist damage from dust and water making it the best device for on-the-go data protection. USB 3.0 continues to proliferate as the industry adopts the technology. The RuggedKey, with USB 3.0 speeds up to 150MB/s, is excellent for transferring files. Users can transfer an HD movie, 3,000 photos or a 5GB file in less than one minute. It is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0, making the key a fast and convenient device. Cloud storage and data encryption Wuala Secure Cloud Storage makes data on the RuggedKey easily accessible without compromising security. Wuala lets users keep one copy of their data on the key and one in the cloud. That way, if a user forgets the key at the office, they can still access the files via the cloud. And for the ultimate in security, AES 256-bit encryption prevents unauthorised file access to the key with password protection. The LaCie RuggedKey comes in 16GB and 32GB capacities and will be available at Apple® Retail and through LaCie Online Store and LaCie Resellers starting at the suggested retail price of £34.95 (VAT included). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nixeus shows off 27-inch IPS Vue monitor with 2560 x 1440 resolution, $430 price Posted: 02 Aug 2012 07:39 AM PDT Greenhorn Nixeus, perhaps better known for media streamers, has jumped headfirst into the display market with the 27-inch IPS Vue model boasting a 2,560 x 1,440 pixel WQHD resolution and priced at $430 -- around half what you'll pay for similar panels. The new model, which the company says will be released on August 21st, seems to be nicely specced with an LG S-IPS panel, true 8-bit color, 6ms refresh, DVI / DisplayPort / HDMI 1.4 connection options and full-portrait tilting. If you've been coveting more screen space and pixels, but don't want to be reduced to bread and water, it'll go up for pre-order soon. [Thanks, Myco] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Save the date: Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2012 IFA event set for August 29th Posted: 02 Aug 2012 07:21 AM PDT You know it's nearly time for IFA 2012 when Samsung starts sending out the Mobile Unpacked invites. The event, famous for launching the phablet-defining Galaxy Note just one year ago, is scheduled to take place on August 29th and should see the official unveiling of that smartphone inbetweener's successor. Though leaked details of a Note sequel have been scarce, we do have one slight indicator of what's to come: benchmarks for a mysterious GT-N7100. If those test results are to be believed, we could be in store for a device refresh that packs the same processing powers of the Galaxy S III -- quad-core Exynos bumped to 1.6GHz and Mali 400 GPU -- along with the OEM's bevy of Smart functions and, most notably, a stylus upgrade. Of course, the company could very well have other surprises up its sleeve, but given its penchant for extensive security measures, we'll just have to wait to find out. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AT&T agrees to acquire NextWave for $600 million, gobbles up WCS and AWS spectrum Posted: 02 Aug 2012 07:05 AM PDT AT&T's making no secret of the fact it wants to snatch up as much spectrum as it possibly can, so news of the company's proposed acquisition of NextWave Wireless doesn't result in much of a shock. AT&T has agreed to purchase the company -- and all of its WCS (Wireless Communication Service) and AWS spectrum licenses and equity along with it -- for $25 million, pending FCC approval. If you count $25 million in contingency costs and the outstanding debt the big blue globe has also picked up, however, the total bill climbs to $600 million. The deal comes shortly after AT&T partnered with Sirius XM to petition the FCC in the hopes that it would allow WCS (2.3GHz) spectrum to be opened up for LTE use -- mobile data is currently restricted by the federal body to prevent any interference with satellite radio. The government hasn't given the green light for this proposal yet (additionally, the NextWave deal isn't likely to be approved until later this year), but that's not stopping AT&T from its preparations just in case -- it plans to have WCS LTE ready for deployment in three years if everything works out in the carrier's favor. AT&T Agrees to Acquire NextWave Wireless, Inc. DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AT&T* announced today that it has agreed to acquire NextWave Wireless, Inc. NextWave holds licenses in the Wireless Communication Services (WCS) and Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) bands. WCS spectrum was first auctioned in 1997, but has not been utilized for mobile Internet usage due to technical rules designed to avoid possible interference to satellite radio users in adjacent spectrum bands. In June, AT&T and Sirius XM filed a joint proposal with the FCC that would protect the adjacent satellite radio spectrum from interference and enable WCS spectrum - for the first time - to be used for mobile Internet service. This proposed solution on WCS spectrum, which is still under review by the FCC, effectively creates much-needed new spectrum capacity. AT&T said the proposed WCS rule changes and NextWave acquisition represent an alternative approach to creating additional wireless network capacity to help support skyrocketing wireless data usage on smartphones and tablets. If approved, the proposal will enable AT&T to begin initial deployment of WCS spectrum for added 4G LTE capacity, in approximately three years. Under the terms of the agreement, AT&T will acquire all the equity of NextWave for approximately $25 million plus a contingent payment of up to approximately $25 million and, through a separate agreement with NextWave's debtholders, all of the company's outstanding debt will be acquired by AT&T or retired by NextWave, for a total of $600 million in cash. The outstanding debt held by NextWave's bondholders will be satisfied through cash and a transfer of selected NextWave assets. NextWave's debtholders have agreed to the terms, and a majority of its shareholders have agreed to support the transaction. The transaction is subject to review by the Federal Communications Commission and to other customary closing conditions. Additionally, NextWave's transfer of assets may be subject to Hart-Scott-Rodino review by the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice. AT&T anticipates closing the transaction by the end of 2012. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| InterDigital wins appeal in never-ending Nokia patent battle Posted: 02 Aug 2012 06:48 AM PDT We'll leave labeling of InterDigital to the individual -- whether you prefer patent troll or non-practicing entity, the semantics don't concern us. What does concern us, however, is the IP firm's ongoing legal battle with Nokia, and its recent victory over the Finnish manufacturer in the US Court of Appeals. The ruling reverses a previous decision handed down by the ITC that found Nokia did not violate InterDigital's patents, but the trio of judges hearing the appeal disagreed. The claims in question relate to 3G radios and networks -- the same patents that the firm used to target ZTE and Huawei. It doesn't appear that there will be any immediate repercussions for Nokia, either in the form of import bans or settlement fees. The Windows Phone champion is considering its next move, which may involve appealing the appeal. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DirecTV waves goodbye to 52,000 subscribers in first ever net loss of customers Posted: 02 Aug 2012 06:20 AM PDT Viacom's frenemy, DirecTV, has announced that it suffered a net loss of subscribers for the first time in its history. The revelation came in its second quarter filing, which claimed that the exodus is actually a purge -- due to a tighter credit policy and a change of focus toward "higher quality" customers. The dip in numbers hasn't hurt the balance sheet, however, with revenues up seven percent to $5.65 billion, leading to a net profit of $604 million. This time out, there's no reference to the recently-minted deal to keep Viacom's stations on the service, believed to be in the region of $600 million per year -- but we expect it to appear on the books in the next quarterly report. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RIM tips August 9th BlackBerry PlayBook 4G LTE Canadian release (update: faster, too) Posted: 02 Aug 2012 06:05 AM PDT The wait for a quicker PlayBook is nearly over -- for our neighbors to the north, at least. RIM let it be known via the official BlackBerry blog that the followup to its business-minded slate will be hitting "select" Canadian retailers on August 9th. Not convinced that you need the BlackBerry PlayBook 4G LTE in your life? RIM's got four, count 'em four, reasons to pick up the verbose slate -- speed, size, web browsing and movies and TV -- which can be found in moderate detail at the source link below. The tablet features 32GB of storage and OS 2.0.1 pre-loaded -- the aforementioned software is also currently available as a maintenance update for owners of the old fashioned WiFi model. The slightly souped-up PlayBook is hitting Canada first, but will be coming to additional areas including the US, Europe, South Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America in "coming months." Update: As had been hinted before, the 4G PlayBook also ramps up to 1.5GHz from the original 1GHz -- that's a nice leap for customers who wanted more than just a cellular link before leaping in. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You've heard of the Child Catcher? Meet the WiFi Snatcher Posted: 02 Aug 2012 05:33 AM PDT Remember the Olympic ban on WiFi hotspots to ensure the games' corporate sponsors could sell you back access at a premium? The threat to seize or eject anyone caught using such gear seemed hollow -- after all, how could you be found in a crowd of 90,000? It turns out, LOCOG have employed WiFi police, chasing down unauthorized signals with their big red detectors. Although we should give them some credit -- you'll certainly see them coming from a mile away. [Image Credit: Sadao Turner, Twitter] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Motorola Droid RAZR HD makes another cameo, shows its global creds Posted: 02 Aug 2012 05:22 AM PDT Welcome to yet another episode in the Droid RAZR HD's ongoing leak to market. The global variant of Motorola's flagship handset -- which is expected to supersede the Atrix HD and inevitably land on Verizon real-soon-now -- just made an appearance on xda-developers. What's new? It appears this phone is being tested on Vodafone and supposedly features an eight-megapixel camera (down from the rumored 13 MP). As a refresher, the Droid RAZR HD is slated to run Ice Cream Sandwich on a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and boast a 720p HD display (likely 4.5-inches across). There's still no official word from Motorola, but we'll keep you posted as we find out more. In the meantime, take a look at the gallery below. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mattel casts NASA Curiosity rover die with new Hot Wheels toy Posted: 02 Aug 2012 04:57 AM PDT After NASA's Curiousity attempts its tension-fraught landing on August 5th, you'll be able to get one yourself in the form of this Hot Wheels die-cast model. The 1:64 scale buggy will reproduce the gutsy rover's nuclear motor, drill, cameras and laser, while being a galaxy away from the $2.5 billion price tag, at a mere $1.09 or so. The real six-wheeled deal will need to hit all its marks perfectly when it attempts to land in a few days, with a complex sequence involving an atmospheric entry, parachute deployment, retro rocket firing and final crane-style drop. So, if you do end up with the toy version, hopefully it'll be a good souvenir of a Spirit-like success -- and not some other unmentionable Mars excursions. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| iShower is ready to get wet: water-resistant Bluetooth speaker now shipping for $100 Posted: 02 Aug 2012 04:28 AM PDT Move over, Pantene, because you may need to make room for a new addition to showers across the globe. That's because the iShower, a water-resistant music system for use as you get squeaky clean, is now shipping for $100. Despite its name, the iShower should have no trouble playing the compatibility game, thanks to its Bluetooth connectivity with support for up to five paired devices. What's more, you won't need to bust out the tools to install the iShower, as the mounting system's built-in adhesive lets you pretend to be a handyman without doing any real work -- the unit can also be hung over the shower head if you're wary of sticky residue. The music system runs on three AA batteries and provides up to 15 hours of sudsy listening time, and there's even a built-in clock, for those unfortunate mornings when you need to cut the rock operas short. To see the system in action, just hop the break for a demonstration of the iShower from the company's CEO.
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| Apple seeks patent for Smart Cover with embedded secondary display Posted: 02 Aug 2012 04:03 AM PDT According to a patent application made public by the USPTO this morning (and originally filed a year ago), Apple believes it's possible to build a flexible display into an iPad cover in order to "greatly enhance" the functionality of the tablet itself. Taking power and data from a dedicated connector on the side of the slate, at least one segment of the name-deserving Smart Cover could be used to augment the main display with space for extra icons, or operate as a separate media control interface, or simply display notifications. Drawings collected in the gallery below also hint at using the entire inner surface of the cover as a keyboard (ala Microsoft Surface) or as a drawing area. As with all patent applications, there's nothing to say such an idea will ever see Californian sunlight, but it'd be crying shame if it didn't. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sharp: we're making displays for new iPhone and shipping them this month Posted: 02 Aug 2012 03:38 AM PDT In an effort to end today's dismal earnings report on a high, Sharp's president Takashi Okuda has purposefully let slip that his company is among those contracted to manufacture displays for a new iPhone. We already have numerous reasons to suspect the iPhone 5 will be announced around September 12th, and Okuda has now corroborated that by saying that "shipments will start in August." If earlier rumors and component leaks are to be trusted, the screen will be significantly larger (likely around 4-inches) and slightly less rotund than that on the iPhone 4S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Street View goes retro with unofficial ASCII treatment Posted: 02 Aug 2012 03:28 AM PDT Nostalgia is a powerful force. It's driven some to search Google through a Bulletin Board System-like interface or, in the case of programmer Peter Nitsch, it's compelled him to graft ASCII art onto the physical world. Simply plug an address into his project's website and you'll be able to pan through an ASCII facsimile of a real-world Street View vista. Leveraging WebGL and Javascript, the system samples the search giant's images and generates text art using the appropriate characters and hues. Nitsch's fondness for retro visualizations don't end there, however, he also created a system that superimposes a gaggle of characters in the wake of a physical paintbrush using a Kinect and a projector. Built as a plugin for the openFrameworks toolkit, the code relies on a GPU for the real-time image conversion and is freely available for tinkering. Hit the source link below to see the modified Street View in action or head past the break for a video of the ASCII painting. For some of the technical nitty-gritty, tap the more coverage link. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Apple's iCloud data center gets green light to come to Reno, be a star Posted: 02 Aug 2012 02:48 AM PDT Apple's plans to erect an iCloud data center in Sparks, Reno have gained traction now the local board of economic development have rubber-stamped the deal. While largely ceremonial, it's given its assent to $89 million in tax breaks to entice the company to break ground on the weirdly-named "Project Jonathan Hub." The new data center is expected to go live before the end of the year, hopefully ensuring that upgrading to OS 10.9 aren't as fraught as they were for Mountain Lion last week. [Image credit: Amy Meredith, Flickr] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TshirtOS is web-connected, programmable, 100 percent cotton (video) Posted: 02 Aug 2012 02:13 AM PDT An LED display, camera, microphone, speaker and accelerometer all packaged into a t-shirt and controlled via your smartphone? That's the concept behind tshirtOS, a wearable platform for "self-expression" that currently only exists as a prototype. It can show off tweets, play music videos, capture belly-height photos and send them off to Instagram, and pretty much do anything except play percussion. CuteCircuit, which came up with the idea in cahoots (inexplicably) with Ballantine's whisky, says it's about to conduct product tests and will mass produce the smart-shirts if enough folks register interest. There's no Kickstarter page, definite specs or pricing for any of this, but based on CuteCircuit's history and the video after the break we're inclined to believe TshirtOS is more than just viral marketing stunt for the sake of a dram -- click onwards and judge for yourself.
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| IDC: Apple's still king of the tablet hill with 68 percent of the market Posted: 02 Aug 2012 01:56 AM PDT IDC's cabal of statisticians, nerds and people who just love spreadsheets have handed down their latest document about the state of the tablet market. Of the 25 million slates shipped in the second quarter, 17 million of them were iPads -- giving Apple 68.2 percent of the market. Samsung came second with 2.4 million devices and Amazon third, although since the Kindle Fire maker doesn't reveal numbers, there's probably some guesswork involved there. Rounding out the top five are ASUS and Acer, although the former should expect to move up a place (or two), depending on the success of the Nexus 7 when Q3's results are released in a few months time. Top 5 Vendors, Worldwide Media Tablet Shipments, Second Quarter 2012
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| Posted: 02 Aug 2012 01:21 AM PDT A team of researchers at South Korea's Seoul National University have been busy developing biologically-inspired electronic skin that is capable of "feeling" subtle stimulus such as bouncing water droplets and human heartbeats. The skin's surface is covered in two interlocked arrays of 50-nanometre-wide polymeric nanofibres that act like hairs on the surface of the skin, coming in contact with one another under the strain of external force. That contact then generates a current to help the skin gauge the changes in pressure, according to New Scientist. The creators of the flexible skin say that sensor response can be repeated up to 10,000 cycles, displaying their output on a computer in real-time. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Archos teases G10 xs with first press shot, vows launch in three weeks Posted: 02 Aug 2012 12:31 AM PDT Previously, Archos has only ever given us a fleeting glimpse of the G10 xs tablets it's planning to launch this year -- FCC filings don't count. Cogs in the company's media machine are turning once again, as the company has posted a teaser press image on Facebook with confirmation that a launch is just three weeks away. It's difficult to read the tea leaves from the oblique shot we're given, although we already know that the Android 4.0 slate will support microSD, mini-HDMI and a connector for that Eee Pad Transformer-style keyboard dock. Our main questions now center on when the G10 xs pops up in the US as well as the degree of bang we'll get for our buck. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sharp pain continues with $1.2 billion loss in Q1, drastically lowered forecast for 2012 Posted: 01 Aug 2012 11:58 PM PDT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sony releases Q1 2012 financial results, eats $312 million loss Posted: 01 Aug 2012 11:30 PM PDT Sony's first-quarter figures for 2012 show that despite the company's optimism three months ago, it's made a net loss of $312 million. It pulled in a whopping $19.2 billion in sales for the three months ending June 30th, partly credited to bringing Sony Mobile fully into the family. However, the cost of restructuring the Mobile Products and Communications Division (of which Sony Mobile is a part) came to $143 million, wiping out the additional gains to record a loss of $356 million. Gaming-wise, the PlayStation maker suffered a $45 million loss as falling sales of the PSP and PS3 were only partially offset by the sales of the PS Vita. There was better news in its imaging division, while sales of compact cameras fell, DSLRs and "Professional" products took up the slack, resulting in a profit of $160 million. In a trend we've seen across the Home Entertainment industry, sales of LCD televisions continued to fall, forcing the company to eat a loss of $126 million. Movie and TV recorded a loss of $62 million, although that's primarily due to a dip in advertising sales in India and the cost of marketing (but not producing) The Amazing Spider-Man, the profits of which won't be recognized until September. Finally, while it spent big to purchase EMI this quarter, big-ticket albums like Usher's Looking 4 Myself and One Direction's Up All Night helped the division make a profit of $92 million. While Sony's treading water to execute Kaz Hirai's "One" Strategy, it's still got $8.4 billion stashed under the mattress, and in the face of lower sales, is hoping that reduced costs will help it make $1.6 billion in profit by the end of March 2013. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon pricing spotted in Hong Kong Posted: 01 Aug 2012 11:04 PM PDT Lenovo floated the ThinkPad X1 Carbon past us in May without so much as a whisper of what the lightweight Ultrabook's price would be. The company doesn't mind shouting it out in what looks to be a Hong Kong back-to-school promo flyer, though. As long as the Newsmth.net post represents the final pricing, local residents can normally expect to pay about HK$12,880 ($1,660 US) for an X1 Carbon with a 1.7GHz Core i5, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. That's quite the premium if you compare it directly to what we see in the US for a PC like the Samsung Series 9, although it's tricky to tell if prices will be comparable on the other side of the Pacific: there's no sales tax in Hong Kong, among other factors. Even if the price varies by the time of the US launch later this summer, students in the city are already getting a discount to HK$9,180 ($1,184) that suggests at least some wiggle room if competition among Ultrabooks grows especially fierce. [Thanks, Sam] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Samsung starts mass-producing 4x faster mobile flash memory, kickstarts our phones and tablets Posted: 01 Aug 2012 10:18 PM PDT Samsung isn't content to leave fast NAND flash memory to traditional solid-state drives. Its Pro Class 1500 promises a big jolt to the performance of frequently pokey smartphone and tablet storage. By how much? That name is a clue -- it reaches 1,500 IOPS (inputs/outputs per second) when writing data, which along with 3,500 IOPS data reads is about four times faster than any previous embedded flash chip Samsung has tested. In the real world, that leads to as much as 140MB/s when reading data and 50MB/s for writes. The speed comes after Samsung has thrown virtually every trick in the book at its new chips, including a dense 20-nanometer manufacturing process, quick toggle DDR 2.0 memory with its own controller and a new JEDEC memory standard with 200MB/s of bandwidth to spare. Samsung hasn't named customers for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB parts that are rolling out of the factories, although we'd do well to remember that a flourishing phone business doesn't guarantee that the only major customer is Samsung itself: even in the face of legal challenges, Samsung still has at least one noteworthy client that tends to snap up much of its flash supply. Samsung begins producing fastest embedded NAND Storage Samsung Electronics announced that it has now begun volume production of an ultra-fast embedded memory for smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices in 16-, 32- and 64-gigabyte (GB) densities. The new Samsung eMMC (embedded multimedia card) Pro Class 1500 delivers the industry's fastest speeds for an embedded memory device, reading data sequentially at up to 140 megabytes per second (MB/s) and writing it at up to 50 MB/s. For random reading and writing, it can process up to 3500/1500 IOPS (inputs and outputs per second)*, four times the speed of previous eMMC solutions. "With the production of 64GB Samsung eMMC Pro Class 1500, we are delighted to provide the highest performing mobile storage solutions available that support the latest eMMC standard, for worldwide mobile device makers," said JaeHyeong Lee, vice president, Memory Product Planning & Application Engineering, Samsung Electronics. "We will confidently strengthen our research and development efforts to continually bring to market the most advanced mobile storage devices based on next-generation standards." The Samsung eMMC Pro Class 1500 is designed for next generation premium mobile products. It will improve system performance and the user experience for a wide variety of applications including web browsing, 3D and HD video capture and playback, multi-tasking activities, augmented reality and the use of social networking sites and interactive graphics-rich gaming. The ultra high-speed storage device uses Samsung's 64-gigabit (Gb) NAND with a toggle DDR 2.0 interface based on the company's latest 20 nanometer class** process technology. The new eMMC's fully managed NAND memory comes with its own high performance controller and intelligent flash management firmware. To meet the market need for thinner designs for high-end mobile devices, Samsung offers the new eMMCs in two, four- and eight-die stacks with the largest capacity of 64GB's being only 1.2 millimeters thick. Samsung eMMC Pro Class 1500 is the first to support the latest JEDEC e-MMC v4.5 specification that standardizes more features to improve performance, efficiency, security, and reliability such as: a SDR-200 Interface (200MHz, 200MB/s Max Bandwidth), cache handling, dynamic handling, file sanitizing and power-off notification. Featuring highly reliable boot code and application storage, Samsung's 64GB eMMC can store 16,000 MP3 files in a single package that weighs only 0.6 grams. Samsung provided the first 64GB eMMC in January of 2010 using 30nm-class** 32Gb NAND flash components. For more information about Samsung memory, visit www.samsungsemi.com or www.samsung.com/memory | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lego motorized wheelchair joins Mindstorms NXT alumni (video) Posted: 01 Aug 2012 09:22 PM PDT It's been a while since we've come across a Lego project that's on par with a certain Pixar hero or the Rubiks solving robots, but Simon Burfield's brick-based motorized wheelchair definitely ranks close. He's cobbled together seven Mindstorm NXT micro-computers (programmed in RobotC), 14 motors, 16 touch sensors and a Technic frame to build a chair capable of carting around 200 pounds of Lego obsessed humanity. As functional as it is, the creator aims to improve the build with wireless control via Android, a task he says should be "very straightforward" over Bluetooth. If you'd like to see the demo in all its noisy glory, check out the video after the break.
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| Cricket ships Huawei Ascend Q, offers Android chatting for $140 prepaid Posted: 01 Aug 2012 08:13 PM PDT Huawei had said it would deliver the Ascend Q in August, and it didn't waste a moment -- Cricket is selling the Android 2.3 messager as of today for $140 on its prepaid smartphone plans. While the OS, 800MHz processor, 3.2-inch display and fixed-focus 3.2-megapixel camera won't knock any socks off, we found the Ascend Q a solid phone for compulsive chatters when we tried it last month. There's also a 4GB microSD card in the box to get the ball rolling. One minor surprise: Muve Music is getting a minor boost through DTS audio processing that reportedly fills out the sound. As long as there's no expectations of a media extravaganza, Huawei's new hardware could be one of the better bargains in Cricket's stable. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ice Cream Sandwich takes a bite out of Gingerbread, represents 15.9 percent of Android devices Posted: 01 Aug 2012 07:49 PM PDT Two major updates later (three if you count the tablet-exclusive Honeycomb), and Gingerbread is finally starting to falter. According to Google's latest two week survey of devices accessing the Play store, Ice Cream Sandwich is on the rise, filling out 15.9-percent of the Android user base. That's a full five points ahead of Android 4.0's July score, and it's eating into the OS' other flavors: Gingerbread (Android 2.3) dropped by 3.4-percent, Froyo (Android 2.2) by 1.8 and Eclair (Android 2.1) by a meager half a percent. Google's latest confectionery update, Jelly Bean (Android 4.1), made an appearance as well, eking out a shy 0.8-percent of the market. Check out Google's collection of charts for yourself at the source link below or let us know where your devices falls in the comments. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Twelve South debuts BackPack 2 shelf accessory for iMac with three enhancements Posted: 01 Aug 2012 06:39 PM PDT By now, you're likely familiar with Twelve South, the Mac-minded accessory maker that prides itself on staying small. Well, three years after the debut of its first product, the BackPack, it's refining the shelf accessory in three ways that'll make you smile. If you'll remember, the BackPack originally began its life as an attachable storage shelf for the iMac and Apple Display, which sat discretely behind the unit. Now, not only can the BackPack 2 be attached in a forward-facing manner, but it also offers integrated cable management and vertical support pegs to properly hold equipment such as the MacBook Air and upright hard drives. In all, the BackPack 2 will accommodate up to 3.5 pounds of gear, and it's available now for $34.99. If you'd like to get acquainted with the redesign, just check the gallery below.
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| Facebook releases its 2011 energy usage report, details your carbon footprint Posted: 01 Aug 2012 05:58 PM PDT More Facebook news, but this time we're back to the numbers instead of reporting on a new feature, improvement or integration. As part of its mission to swap the familiar blue for something of a greener tinge, Facebook released today its carbon footprint and overall energy usage figures for 2011. Turning bio-babble into easy visualizations, the company points out that for the whole year, an active user occupied roughly the same carbon footprint as one medium latte. Or, if you're a fan of the tipple, a couple of glasses of wine. Impressively, 23 percent of the social giant's energy usage came from clean and renewable sources, which puts it well on the way to its 2015 target of 25 percent or more. If you'd like more info and a complete breakdown of the stats, the full report is available at the source link below. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aperion Audio Intimus 4T Summit touts uncompressed surround sound without the cords Posted: 01 Aug 2012 05:14 PM PDT See that little box next to those huge speakers? That's Aperion Audio's ticket to what's reportedly a no-compromise approach to wireless home theater. The Intimus 4T Summit Wireless is billed as the only system of its kind to transmit uncompressed 24-bit, 96KHz audio to its 5.1- or 7.1-channel speaker array without having to string wires across the living room. There's no interference and no more than 5ms of lag, even when that wunderkind box is processing Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio. Aperion is still touting an easy setup that can create a sweet spot in awkward spaces. If you like the idea, the only real catches are the $2,999 and $3,499 prices for the respective 5.1- and 7.1-channel systems -- although the outlay may be worthwhile to cut the clutter without sacrificing the finer details of Blu-ray movie soundtracks. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:30PM ET Posted: 01 Aug 2012 04:45 PM PDT BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage, we ask: why?
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Solmeta's N3 geotagging module atop Nikon's D3S
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