In less than a week, the world has lost two tech pioneers. Last week, we mourned the passing of Steve Jobs, and now we say goodbye to computer scientist Dennis Ritchie who also recently died.
Ritchie, or dmr as he was called in programming circles, worked most of his life at Bell Laboratories where he helped create the C programming language and worked extensively on the Unix operating system. Without his work, many of the computing products we have today would not exist. Apple, whose OS X operating system is based on Unix and whoseObjective C programming language is rooted in C, has benefitted greatly from Ritchie's work.
Ritchie also co-wrote the definitive bible on C programming (a must have for any programmer) and has been awarded the Turing Award, the National Medal of Technology and, recently, the Japan Prize for his work in the field of computer science. He died at home over the weekend of Oct 8/9th from an unknown illness. He was 70-years-old.
You may have already been able to get a Windows Phone device in India without too much trouble, but Microsoft has only just now made things fully official -- complete with Windows Phone Marketplace, voice recognition support, and a trio of Mango devices. That includes just the HTC Radar initially, which will be available next week for the local equivalent of $490, while the Samsung Omnia W and Acer Allegro (believed to be the same as the W4) are set to follow sometime in November. Of the three, the Allegro is said to be the cheapest of the lot, and there's also some reports that it will launch in Europe for €299 (or roughly $400) off-contract.
Can't say we didn't see this catfight coming after Apple boldly rejected Samsung's settlement offer in Australia, but man, the latter certainly isn't afraid of striking back in its enemy's front yard. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Sammy's set up a pop-up store merely meters away from Apple's Sydney store, all for just stealing the thunder from the iPhone 4S launch this Friday. The campaign? For the first ten customers each day up to Friday, the Korean giant's offering its Galaxy S II for just $2 sans contract -- no wonder the line's already longer than Apple's, according to the Herald. But of course, Samsung's also effectively funding some of these folks for their iPhone 4S from next door, so it's pretty much a win-win situation for both companies. See? There's always a happy ending, and let's hope that the upcoming Nexus Prime won't add fuel to the ongoing patent dispute.
Even if you were one of those Apple fans who was less than impressed by the iPhone 4S, there is still reason for excitement -- and that reason's name is iOS 5. If you've got an iPhone 3GS, 4, third- or fourth-gen iPod touch, or either of the iPads you can download Apple's latest and greatest mobile OS right now. That's right, all the fun new features like pull-down notifications, iCloud, iMessage, Find my Friends, Twitter integration and lock screen access to your camera will be at your disposal. Sadly you will not be getting a taste of Siri, which appears to a 4S only feature for now. Still, there's more than enough here to make it a worthy upgrade to your device. So, what are you waiting for? Go hit that update button now. Just so you're aware, you'll need iTunes 10.5 installed to get the latest iOS. There's also an update to OS X coming down the pipes -- version 10.7.2 -- which officially delivers iCloud to your Mac.
If you've been dreaming of a world where Android apps are free to roam across your Windows desktop, you're in luck, because BlueStacks has just turned your reverie into reality. Today, the startup unveiled an alpha version of its App Player -- software that allows users to run a host of Android apps on Windows PCs, tablets or desktops, without requiring them to make modifications to their original OS. Available as a free download, this early test version comes pre-loaded with ten apps, and can support an extra 26, on top of that.
BlueStacks' free Cloud Connect app, meanwhile, allows you to port third-party apps directly from your handset to your computer, though some games, including Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, are prohibited. Those, it turns out, will be included under a paid version of the App Player, which BlueStacks hopes to launch at a later date. You can take the free software for a spin at the source link here.
And the Ultrabooks have arrived! Acer Aspire S3 will go on sale in the US and Canada this week for $899 -- making it the first pinch-thin, MacBook Air competitor to hit the market, landing ahead of competing models from Toshiba, Lenovo and ASUS. To recap, this 2.98-pound aluminum beaut has a 13.3-inch (1366 x 768) panel, is rated for six hours (or 50 standby days!) of battery life and promises to wake from sleep in a mere two seconds. For the money, you'll get an ultra low voltage Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM and 20GB of solid-state storage combined with a 320GB HDD. This $899 version will be followed by models with Core i3 and i7 processors and beefier storage capacity. Intrigued?
If you were one of the impatient million who jumped to pre-order an iPhone 4S, well, chances are your fancy new handset is already in the mail. A number of tipsters have reached out to us to share their shipment notification emails that just came in from Apple. If you haven't already handed over your billing info, you'll be waiting at least a week or two longer. But, if you weren't camped out at your computer waiting for the 3am sale to begin, we're gonna assume you're not terribly concerned.
Why does the iPhone have a 3.5-inch screen? Why do larger smartphones feel awkward on your hand? Dustin Curtis has an answer, and I think it is spot on: Touching the upper right corner of the screen on the Galaxy S II using one hand, with its 4.27-inch screen, while you're walking down the street looking at Google Maps, is extremely difficult and frustrating. I pulled out my iPhone 4 to do a quick test, and it turns out that when you hold the iPhone in your left hand and articulate your thumb, you can reach almost exactly to the other side of the screen.
It makes total sense. And that is exactly why we would never see any larger screen iPhone. That 3.5-inch screen will be the ideal size until all humans are 7-feet tall and have hands the size of frying pans.
The Nike Air Mags, though not the prettiest shoe, represent a sort of nostalgic geek beauty. These Google designed Nike Dunks though? Just plain fugly. Even the geekiest, worst-dressed Googler would never be caught in these.
Sure, I get that it's a complete gag gift of a shoe but still! They use the old hilarious Google logo complete with the exclamation point. And is that Google Maps underneath the Swoosh? Just what the hell is going on here.
The sneakers were designed by Evan Steinberg, Google Community Manager for Android and signed by Larry Page. Are we sure it wasn't Steinberg's niece or nephew who made these?
If you weren't quick enough in pre-ordering your iPhone 4S, you're going to be waiting an extra week or two. Launch Day supplies of the newest Apple phone have been depleted, according to MacRumors, which cites the new waiting times on the pre-order site above.
Eye bags. No one likes them. And no one gets enough sleep. So everyone has them.
But no one wants them! If tea bags, cucumber slices, the back of an ice-cold spoon, or Preparation H (yes I've tried them all) aren't working for you, a Japanese company says they have the solution: the Eye Slack Haruka. It vibrates.
This four-page article at Web MD on the causes and treatments for eye bags makes no mention of vibration. The device apparently also employs heat, which is strange because nearly every treatment I've heard of involves cold.
But there are several new-fangled approaches that involve microcurrent vibration as well as some you can buy to use at home. But I can't find studies that have shown these treatments work or how long the effects might last.
The thing costs $132, so try at your own risk. Much cheaper approaches: stay hydrated, exercise, don't eat too much salt (that can make you retain water which can lead to puffiness), and, of course, get enough sleep. More here.
Amazon and Google generally get all the attention for their data centers and cloud services. But you know who has the fastest servers around? Microsoft. Yep.
According to Ars Technica, the tech monolith's Azure cloud consistently provided quicker load times than Amazon's EC2 or Google's App Engine in a year-long test conducted by Compuware, who peddle a bunch of enterprise services no sane person cares about. For the test, they set up a fake online retail site and employed the services of each company's cloud. The results?
The Windows Azure data center in Chicago completed the test in an average time of 6,072 milliseconds (a little over six seconds), compared to 6.45 seconds for second-place Google App Engine. Both improved steadily throughout the year, with Azure dipping to 5.52 seconds in July and Google to 5.97 seconds. Also scoring below 7 seconds for the whole year were the Virginia locations of OpSource and GoGrid along with BlueLock in Indiana. Rackspace in Texas posted an average time of 7.19 seconds, while Amazon EC2 in Virginia posted a nearly identical 7.20. Amazon's California location scored 8.11 seconds on average.
And why does this matter? Because, the cloud is going play a vital role in Microsoft's short-term and long-term OS plans.
Using monkeys as test subjects, researchers from Duke University Medical Center are laying down the foundation for a new class of brain-controlled, touch-sensitive prosthetic limbs.
A series of experiments showed that monkeys can use their thoughts to control a virtual arm and select a target based on its texture. Microwave implants embedded in the cortex handled the two-way exchange between the monkey's brain and the virtual hand. The researchers hope that this breakthrough could lead to the development of prosthetic limbs that can sense their environment and respond via brain control just like a normal limb.
Sony is getting tired of sitting idly in sixth place in the battle for cellphone supremacy. Sure, there have been a few noteworthy devices from the company's joint venture with Ericsson (i.e. the Arc), but for the most part it has struggled since its inception in 2001 to run with the alpha dogs. The Japanese manufacturer's new strategy involves buying out Ericsson's stake in the company and having its tablet, smartphone and handheld gaming units work closely together to develop future products. According to the Wall Street Journal, a deal for the Stockholm company's half of the venture is nearing completion. Some difficulties remain, such as properly valuing the company and settling on a price for Ericsson's roughly $1.3 to $1.7 billion worth of mobile technology patents, but a deal is expected to be reached sooner rather than later. And maybe, just maybe, the new found flexibility will allow Sony handsets to keep pace with the Samsungs and Apples of the world.
Coupled with the news that the Xbox 360 is getting full-on TV, WP7 Phones will join in with a new Xbox Companion app. Everything you'll want to watch will be controllable right from your smartphone.
According to the Windows Phone blog, your phone will have built-in access to the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, allowing you to choose from the full array of games, movies, and tv shows that will be made available by the 40 entertainment providers Microsoft signed with.
Yes, it sounds more and more like the Comcast's Xfinity app—I mean, consider how Comcast will look on your suped-up Xbox Live TV. 360 owners with WP7 phones will probably want to get in on this.
Looking to grab that iPhone 4 on Sprint and take advantage of the unlimited data? Well, you can place your pre-order now on the current model and for the just announced 4S starting Friday, October 7. The company warns that this is "while supplies last" -- so if you're thinking about jumping ship from the data limiting service of Big Red or Ma Bell, you may want to act quickly. Just hit that source link and head to Sprint's iPhone page to reserve yours. Link.
The world is now reacting to the very sad news of Steve Jobs' death. Including people like Bill Gates, Larry Page, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin and President Barack Obama himself.
But perhaps the most important reaction—apart from his family—is Steve Wozniak's. According to the LA Times, he was "overwhelmed and could not get in touch with his emotions". His only words: "People sometimes have goals in life. Steve Jobs exceeded every goal he ever set for himself."
Very sad news. Steve Jobs has passed away. As confirmed on Apple's site, Mr. Jobs has passed away at the age of 56 after recently stepping down from the position of CEO and naming Tim Cook his successor. Steve has had a profound effect on the world of technology, both at Apple and through his many other endeavors. My thoughts go out to his family.
Even though I'm weirded out to no end by it, I still kind of want this thing. Yet another "classic" from Art Lebedev, the Svintus plug pig has 17 Type F sockets for all your Russian power needs.
It's definitely somewhere between creepy and cute—some sort of cthonic pig baby straight out of Carnacki. But having it on your desk is bound to be a crowd-pleaser. Or make some people hungry? Who knows? Unluckily it's just a concept... for now! More here.
You'd think the smart people at Apple might check for this kind of thing in advance. Japan's giggling in the wake of iPhone 4S' birth, as voice control wizard Siri sounds a lot like shiri—ass. Oops!
The WSJ's Yoree Koh reports the confusion is so bad that Google Japan actually asks users if they'r searching for å°» (shiri) when they enter Siri. While I'm sure a lot of Japanese browsers are in fact looking for ass online, most of them are just trying to get the scoop on the new iPhone. Not that Siri will support Japanese in the first place.
One (poorly Google-translated) Japanese tweet really says it all: "IPhone devices can talk and magical ass."
Obviously no one told Nikon about the megapixel myth. According to leaked details, the yet-to-be-announced new Nikon D800 DSLR will pack a whopping 36MP of image information onto your SD and CF cards.
Nikon Rumors reports that Japanese camera site, digicame-info posted specs of the new Nikon D800 on their site on September 29. Nikon Rumors was hesitant to post the information until they received additional information about the camera. They are now confident that the new Nikon will be called the D800 and will include a 36MP sensor.
The D800 is also rumored to shoot 1080p video at 30fps, shoot four frames-a-second bursts, sport a larger LCD display, and support both SD and CF cards. Nikon Rumors says that they cannot confirm the rest of specs on the Japanese site. The Nikon D800 is expected to put a $4000 hole in your bank account. That's about $111 a megapixel.
The new iOS 5 will go live October 12. It brings revamped notifications and more than 200 new features for your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. These are the top ten, and then some more.
Some of these features you already had in your iPhone or iPad. They just came in third-party apps.
If you used apps like the must-have WhatsApp, which allows you to message in an extremely easy way with all kinds of phones for free, you already were enjoying something like iMessage (even while iMessage adds important services, like device-wide conversation synchronization). If you had the awesome Instapaper, you already had some of the features of the new Safari. Or if you had something like Remember the Milk, you already had a great reminders service.
However, there are features that weren't available before; either because they are completely new or because they are system-wide. And there are real jewels too.
Things that may sound silly, like using the volume + button as a shutter in the Camera app. Or more important stuff, like well thought Notifications and the ability to run your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad without having a PC. Your iDevices are now completely autonomous.
All these features put iOS on par again with some of the features that you could already find in Android, Palm or Windows Phone 7. Some of their implementations, surpass those platforms. But even while none of these new features are extraordinary per se, all of them together are quite impressive.
1. Notifications
The first big feature is notifications. At last, Apple will get rid of the annoying popups that break your flow. And with "annoying popups" I really meant "stupid dumb boxes that makes me want to smash my f*cking iPhone against the wall when I'm playing a game or chatting with strangers in the night".
They have replaced those with a new app called Notification Center. It's very similar to Mobile Notifier, the iOS notification app—which makes sense, since Apple hired its developer a while back. It not only includes app notification, but mini-widgets that show live information from apps like Weather and apps.
The notifications extend to the lock screen too, so you can see more stuff right away without unlocking your phone. Sliding your finger on it will automatically lead you to the app that generated that notification.
Notifications are clearly and by far the best part of iOS5—particularly coming from the stone age pop-up mess of previous versions.
2. iMessage
Another new useful feature, which will hurt Blackberry and the telecommunications companies wanting to sell you stupid SMS and MMS contracts: Apple has implemented a new messaging system called iMessage.
It works between all iOS 5 devices, allowing you to leave conversations on your iPhone and continue them in your iPad (again, I will not be surprised to see this integrated into Lion at a later date). It comes with delivery notification as well. However, unlike WhatsApp, it doesn't work with other non-iOS devices. Maybe Apple thinks your Android and
Blackberry friends are not worth talking to for free.
3. New Camera app and photos
The new Camera up gets two of the most-requested features in the history of iOS. The first is a shortcut in the lock screen to access the camera right away, so you don't have to unlock and then click on the Camera icon, which often makes you lose the moment.
The other one, which is something we have whined about endlessly, is using one of the volume button as the shutter button. Just press + and that's it: CLICK! This is a very welcome addition.
The new app also includes basic photo editing. It includes quick enhance—which basically sharpens your image, making shadows and highlights more detailed, and correct color automagically. It also include red eye reduction and cropping, both welcome additions to those who don't have the Camera Plus already.
4. Newsstand
Apple has built a virtual news stand right onto iOS 5, very similar to the iBooks app but exclusively for magazines and periodicals. It looks like a cross between iBooks and a folder view, actually.
5. Twitter integration everywhere
iOS 5 will have Twitter integration everywhere. Apps like camera will be able to directly post the image to Twitter. The YouTube App, Safari or even Maps will support direct sharing in Twitter. It also adds a new Twitter address field to your Contacts application.
6. A new Safari
Safari has been revamped with new features. Reader will allow you to reformat a site on the fly, taking out ads and reformatting text so it looks better on your iPad or iPhone screen.
This feature flows into Reading List, which is a way to save those pages for later offline viewing, keeping them synchronized between all your iOS devices and Lion. Presumably via iCloud.
Apple's web browser also adds tabs in this version. Your open pages will line up right below your address bar. According to Apple, switching between pages is "lightning fast," so perhaps they have made some magic with the memory management to reduce the reload of pages in older devices.
7. New Reminders app
The new Reminders app makes it easy to make to-do lists. The interface is very simple and it's synchronized between iOS 5 devices and your Mac OS X desktop or notebook.
The really cool thing about Reminders is that it's location aware. Imagine you add that you need to buy milk, but then you forget about it. When you pass by the grocery store, the app will tell you that you need to buy milk.
8. New Mail app
Mail includes a barrage of enhancements
• Rich Text Formatting, which will allow you to annoy the hell out of everyone bolding every sentence in your mails.
• Indentation control, which allows you to control the level of indentation of your quotes from other messages.
• Draggable email addresses, which allows to drag and drop email addresses into to, cc and bcc fields.
• Message flagging to call your attention over a particular mail later.
• Swipe to Inbox, which makes it very easy to access the list of message in portrait mode on the iPad, instead of clicking on a button for a weird pop-up dialog.
9. No PC required
At long last, the most important feature of them all: You will not need iTunes and PC anymore to use your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Apple has caught up with Android and Windows Phone 7. The new iOS 5 will allow you to set up your new device easily: Turn your new gadget on and a Welcome screen will appear. All software updates will happen over the air.
All the applications will now be completely autonomous. You will not have to go to iCal or some other desktop app to create a calendar, for example. There is no need for a desktop or laptop anymore, for anything.
10. New Game Center
The have enhanced Game Center too. Unfortunately, they have not renewed its awful casino interface, which looks as dated as always. But they have added much needed concepts from Xbox Live and other gaming systems:
• Achievement points.
• Access friends of friends, so you can compare and play with a wider range of people.
• Photos in your profile, so you can flirt with other nerds pretending to be women online.
• Game discovery, to play with whoever wants to play with you at any given time.
• Game downloads within Game Center.
• Support for turn-based games like Words for Friends and Scrabble.
Although you can't clearly see Scott Forstall's deranged face on this drawing, everything in this graphic showing the mechanics of Apple's next iPhone event—starring Tim Cook as master of ceremonies—is true.
There are also robotic ninja fembots with titanium shuriken-nippled breasts, but you can't see them in the drawing because they are hidden.
The Vodafone site lists 16, 32, and 64GB models of the iPhone 4S, and 8, 16 and 32GB models of the iPhone 4 on multiple accessory pages. We've heard about the 8GB iPhone 4 previously, and of course the 64GB iPhone has been rumored for years. With iPhone Day coming tomorrow, this seems like it's probably a little more than gum flapping and guesstimating by Vodafone, but it could just as easily be a dummy listing installed ahead of tomorrow to reduce the turnaround on getting the new iPhones' pages live. For what it's worth, though, the page does mention that the bumper for the iPhone 4 will work with the 4S.
So there it is: maybe-probably-hopefully a huge iPhone 4S and an eeny-weeny iPhone 4. Either of those get any of you guys hot and bothered?
USB drives are ubiquitous these days. They plug in. They store smallish amounts of info and make that info portable. We all know this. Getting noticed requires quirky design, like this Intercontinental Ballistic Design Missile from Milan-based H-57.
Not only is the design a nice mix of retro and clever packaging (IBCM is of course a play on ICBM), the shop behind it is also responsible for those cool Star Wars typography posters that made the rounds the other day. Two for two. Soon available here.
Looking back at the Kindle's history, that original Kindle was pretty rip your eyes out ugly, huh? An odd shape with quirky buttons and even stranger scroll wheel...God who thought of that? Apparently, RIM. Jeff Bezos loved his Blackberry so much he based the Kindle's design off of his favorite gadget.
A hardware designer on the first Kindle told the NY Times Bits Blog that:
"Jeff Bezos would come into our design meetings and say he loved his BlackBerry and the ease with which he could find e-mails and respond to people. That's why the first Kindle was so boxy, had the funky square keyboard and that strange scroll wheel on the side; it was all inspired by Jeff's BlackBerry."
Which is incredibly funny now because the Amazon Kindle Fire looks exactly like a Blackberry Playbook (because it is), though I'm 99.9% sure that the Playbook can't possibly be Bezo's favorite gadget anymore. Either way, it's funny to see that companies were once inspired by RIM and how now everything's just slate after slate after slate.
Today marks the 40th birthday of the largest, most visited amusement park in the world, Walt Disney World. Part of Walt Disney's dream for the theme park was a planned community where people could live with the technology of the future, today. Although that dream was never literallyrealized, the spirit of technology runs strong throughout the park. Disney World has always been about creating the most magical experience possible with the most cutting edge technology available.
While Paris isn't nearly as god-awful as Mexico City in terms of traffic, it's by no means a commuter's Shangri-La. So, Parisian officials are testing a new fleet of electric four-seaters to ease its congestion woes.
The concept of shared-vehicle rentals isn't exactly new and is already establishing itself here in the US but this vehicle-sharing scheme is a first for the City of Light.
The initial two-month pilot program will allow enrolled members to rent one of 66 Autolib Bluecars for up to 30 minutes at a time for about four to eight euros. Membership fees for the program range from 10 euros a day to 144 euros a year. If the program gains popularity, the 66 currently available vehicles (and their 33 charging stations) could expand out to a total of 3,000 vehicles with an excess of 1,000 stations by the end of 2012, according to Paris' Mayor Bertrand Delanoe.
The initial set of vehicles were supplied by entrepreneur Vincent Bollore (pictured above) and the program itself is being managed by Autolib, the same firm that maintains Paris' public bike fleet. "We want to persuade people to shift from the concept of owning a car to that of using a car," Autolib General Manager Morald Chibout told Reuters.
PS3 owners have been sportin' their own official gaming headset for a few weeks, and now -- after months of teasing -- Mad Catz is finally granting Xbox 360 owners a similar privilege. The company's announced that its Tritton / Microsoft co-branded Detonator Stereo USB gaming headset is available and shipping, priced at $80. Positioned as the first of a trio of its upcoming headsets -- including its wireless brethren, the stereo Devastator and Dolby 7.1 Warhead -- the Detonator keeps it to the FPS-pwning essentials. The cans are loaded with massive 50mm drivers and along its cord you'll find an inline remote for adjusting game / chat volume, voice monitoring and mic muting. Impressively, aside from its detachable boom mic, the inline controller is also removeable, allowing you plug straight into your PMP when you're done trash talkin' on Xbox Live, scheduled to ship this holiday season.
Have you taken a look at Kodak's stock today? Get a good look while you can, because it's shitting the bed worse than a disemboweled E. coli patient-already down 60%, to less than a dollar. This is how it ends.
We've known the company's in dire financial shape, but this looks like the beginning of the crew abandoning ship. You can't even order off the Dollar Menu with a share of Eastman Kodak. At a certain point that I doubt is too far off, there's not going to be any value left. Their lawyers might soon be charging up their camera phones for bankruptcy court.
After placing all bets on Windows Phone, Stephen Elop announced that Nokia would slowly phase out its OG operating system, Symbian. Today, it's officially passed the torch, handing over all Symbian-related duties to Accenture, a consulting and outsourcing firm. 2,300 former Nokia employees will also be repurposed, getting a new name on their paycheck as they tend to the ill-fated OS. The Finnish mainstay says the arrangement will last until at least 2016, and plans to continually roll out updates during this time. Not everyone is hanging on another five years though, as it seems that at least 500 employees have jumped ship or found new gigs within the company since the original announcement predicting 2,800 reassignments.
