Razer Blade Gaming Laptop Launch Delayed Until Early Next Year

Anyone hoping to get their hands on a new Razer Blade gaming laptop before the end of the year. Is going to be disappointed to learn, that Razer has now had to postpone the scheduled launch date for their new Blade laptop after hardware changes.

Towards the end of the development of the laptop Razer decided to upgrade the 320GB hard drive included in the Blade laptop to a lovely sparkling 256Gb solid state drive. But unfortunately the company has now run into a few problems trying to source the new SSDs for inclusion and launch before the holiday period.

Razer CEO explained on their Facebook page:

“And now, the bad news. Because we managed to upgrade the HDD to an SSD at the eleventh hour, we were only able to secure quantities of the new SSDs to arrive at our manufacturing facilities at the last minute and as a result, we will not be able to fulfil our initial launch orders of the Razer Blade before the holidays.”

Razer now hopes to ship initial quantities of their Razer Blade gaming laptop, in mid to late January for our customers in North America. But will try to bring that date forward if possible.

Firefox 9 For Android Launched

Yesterday Mozilla launched Firefox 9 and now they have released a new version for Google’s mobile devices, Firefox 9 for Android which comes with a range of new features for Android tablets and smartphones.

Firefox 9 for Android comes with a new user interface which has been designed for tablets, it is also designed to be faster than the previous version, have a look at the video of it in action below.

Curved glass iPod-bangle in Apple labs tip insiders

Apple‘s engineers are experimenting with wearable devices, insiders claim, including a curved glass iPod intended to be worn on the wrist and controlled using Siri voice commands. The “very small group of Apple employees” are part of an industry-wide push for wearable tech, the NYTimes reports, using the now-ubiquitous smartphone as a data-crunching hub.

The relative size of the team Apple has working on the iPod-bangle project is probably an indicator that it’s not high on the company’s agenda for release. Still, the iPod nano has at least in part jumped the gap to become a legitimate “wearable” itself: with the latest model, Apple added a variety of user-selectable watch faces, meaning the iPod can be used with one of various third-party wrist straps as a timepiece replacement. It’s not clear what wireless technology Apple might use, though the company did add Bluetooth 4.0 support (aka “Bluetooth Smart Ready“) in its recent iPhone 4S.

There are also systems like ANT+ and Nike+ which use low-power wireless connections to join sensors such as pedometers to smartphones and PMPs. Garmin released an ANT+ compatible watch earlier this year, the FR70, which uses the wireless tech to track heart rate during exercise with a bundled sensor.

Apple has competition, however, with Google also working on its own wearables tech. The search giant’s so-called X Labs employs programmers, engineers and others formerly of Microsoft, MIT and Nokia Labs and is working on the “internet of things” or an interconnected mesh of network-enabled gadgets, sensors, devices and more. They, sources claim, would be able to whisper back details to your Android smartphone.

The Shape of Things to Come

Sphero is a new toy that meshes the personality and maneuverability of a remote-controlled car with the simple form factor of an ordinary ball.

You control this colorful, robotic sphere using apps that run on your smartphone. Sphero holds promise, but it’s going to take some imagination and some app development to really get the most out of this innovation.

Sphero’s been hotly anticipated since its debut before last holiday season. The robotic ball begins shipping Monday, so those who pre-ordered will get theirs in the mail this week. Unfortunately, due to production difficulties and high demand, many who ordered Sphero won’t see theirs delivered until January.

The translucent white, baseball-sized ball costs $130, and it can be controlled using free apps on either iOS or Android devices. It glows — an RGB LED array inside the robotic orb can display thousands of colors, just pick one. When the LED is on, the gears and electronics stay hidden. A simple gyroscope keeps the darkened half of the ball facing towards the ground, and the shadow of a fish’s tail appears at the “back,” so Sphero appears to be swimming wherever he’s going.

The apps controlling the toy communicate with it via Bluetooth. Right now, Sphero’s app offerings are slim — it launches with six different apps, all of them free. But the company has opened up its SDK to developers, so hopefully some innovative apps and hacks will show up soon.

The fundamental app (called “Sphero”) controls the ball using a joystick-like touchscreen controller. A small circle representing the Sphero sits inside a larger circle. Push the inner circle any direction, and the Sphero follows suit. The further from the center you push it, the faster Sphero rolls. There are three speeds: “cautious,” “comfortable” and “crazy,” which is about three feet per second. There are advanced controls, like a “boost” function and the option to control the ball by tilting your phone. The controls beyond the basic touchscreen joystick are difficult to master, so the more space you have to roll around in, the better.

Via Wired

Google will put Majel on the line to rival Siri

Majel is Google’s voice controlled assistant in the wings and it is poised to compete against Apple’s iPhone 4S-based Siri. The new chatter surrounding the yet to be launched Majel can be translated down to Watch out Siri: Android’s coming at you. While smartphone users generally agree that no smartphone voice assistant has yet to rival Siri--a technology with roots in a DARPA project with a history of research before Apple bought it in 2010 -- Siri is in for more serious competition.

Based on tips circulating this week, Android Voice Actions will be followed by a newcomer that will be further up in the voice recognition hierarchy and it's called Majel.

The site Android and Me has published a story that Majel will make its debut shortly. A better conversational experience will challenge that from Siri. The key factor that has held Voice Actions back was a rigid verbal command syntax, say observers, whereas Siri ‘s AI capabilities have entertained as well as helped iPhone users.

According to reports, Majel will get natural language processing capabilities. End users will be able to speak to their phones Siri-like, using natural speech rather than having to think of ways to phrase their questions to make their phrase or sentence understood.

While Majel will be intelligent, it will not have Siri’s personality traits. Majel will not have much of any personality, say the tipsters. If Siri is a coy, sophisticated mate, Majel will be just a helpful voice assistant. Majel will make no effort to be “spunky” but will just “talk, listen and interpret,” says a report.

Google’s company purchases in 2010 and 2011 may have something to do with attempts to ensure Majel talks, listens and interprets extremely well. Smartphone users seeking useful information from a personal voice assistant are likely to find Majel up to the task.

The company acquired Phonetic Arts in 2010, a UK-based speech synthesis business. Google reportedly intends to use the technology to improve the sound of its automated voices. Also, Google recently acquired Clever Sense, the developer behind Alfred, a context-aware, curated recommendation engine. Alfred has proven its worth as a discovery engine that can make restaurant recommendations for users based on information gathered about the user’s tastes. Google also bought restaurant authorities Zagat in September, further bolstering its information trove.

Some say Majel could be released by the end of next month, while others assume an early 2012 launch to be more likely. What’s more, Android watchers point to Google’s June I/O event as a fitting time for the company not only to announce the next release of Android but also to announce that Majel is integrated into the platform too.

Apple releasing 7.85-inch mini iPad in late 2012

Apple is preparing to launch a smaller screen iPad in late 2012 as a response to competition from products produced by Amazon andSamsung, a report has claimed. 

DigiTimes quoted "sources in the supply chain" as claiming that the US firm is working on a 7.85-inch screen iPad for release "prior" to the fourth quarter of next year. 

The website said that the 'mini' tablet would be launched in addition to the rumoured full-size iPad 3, which is expected to be announced at the end of first quarter.

Research has suggested that global shipments of tablet computers will reach 60m units in 2011, of which Apple holds a dominant 70% share. 

However, the firm is facing increasing competition from Samsung's range of Galaxy tablets, covering models featuring seven-inch to 10.1-inch screens, but also Amazon's already popular Kindle Fire, a seven-inch screen tablet available for just $199 (£127). 

DigiTimes's sources have indicated that Apple is to release its next-generation of iPads in the first quarter of 2012 to maintain its position as the market leader. 

The website said that Apple has already purchased 7.85-inch touchscreens from LG Display for the 'mini' iPad, and it will soon buy further panels from AU Optronics (AUO).

Its sources claimed that the Cupertino-based firm will most like start production on the smaller tablet at the end of the second quarter of 2012.

Next year will be a busy time for Apple if all the various rumours are proved correct, as the iPhone 5 is expected to launch in the summer, and a brand new 'iTV' connected television product is also speculated for release.

It’s Here! Facebook Timeline Now Available To Users Worldwide

You’ve been anxiously waiting for it, and now it has finally arrived. Facebook Timeline, which MG likened to ‘the story of your life on a single page’ when it was first announced back in September at the F8 event, that is.

We told you how to get it early (and millions of you did) and what it looked like, but most of you earthlings – not living in New Zealand – had to wait patiently until the glorious day Facebook decided to flick that on/off switch.

This morning, they did.

Wait, are you still here? Go click that “Get It Now” button and revisit your life (or at least the parts of it you or others shared on Facebook).

You’ll have seven days to review everything that appears on your Timeline before anyone else can see it, and you can choose to see how it appears to a specific friend or the public.

As a commenter on this post put it: “Today will be the most unproductive day in America this year”.

And, of course, the rest of the world and stuff.

The Elevation Dock Looks Like The Coolest iPhone Dock Yet

There are hundreds of different docks available for the iPhone, although many of them suffer from a similar problem, when trying to undock your iPhone, the dock usually comes still attached to your iPhone if you try to remove you handset, and many of them won’t work with your case.

The Elevation Dock is the work of designer Casey Hopkins, and it is probably the coolest iPhone dock we have see to date, have a look at the video of it in action below.

Sony’s Z Series Android Walkman Appears At The FCC

Sony’s latest Android Walkman, the Sony Z Series was announced a while back, and the device will go on sale in Japan later this month, and now it looks like this new Android Walkman is getting closer to its US release as the device has appeared at the FCC.

As a reminder, the Sony Z Series Walkman comes with a 4.3 inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, it will come with Android Gingerbread and is powered by a dual core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor.

Other specifications include 512MB of RAM and a choice of either 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, plus WiFi and DNLA, unfortunately we don’t have any information as yet on when it will launch in the US.

BBC iPlayer iPhone App Now Available To Download

Earlier this month we reported that the BBC would soon be releasing a new iPhone iPlayer application. Following on from the launch and success of their popular iPad iPlayer application, launched some time back.

Well if you have been patiently waiting for the iPlayer app to be released on to the iPhone. You will be pleased to know that it has now been officially launched, and the BBC’s iPlayer application is now ready to download on smaller iOS screens.

Daniel Danker, the BBC’s general manager of Programmes and On Demand explains;

“People love using BBC iPlayer on mobiles and tablets, and with 16.5 million programmes watched in October 2011 usage has more than doubled over the last year,”- “With the new app audiences will enjoy?catch up and?live TV in a simple, easy-to-use mobile experience.”

“Today’s announcement also means more licence fee payers can enjoy a better experience when using BBC iPlayer on the move, and reflects our ambition to take BBC iPlayer beyond the desktop,” said Danker. “We have worked closely with mobile operators to ensure that their networks are ready for iPlayer, and introduced 3G streaming to offer licence fee payers a truly mobile experience.”

Coby to intro five Ice Cream Sandwich slates at CES, satiate your budget tablet cravings

Not prepared to pony up for the ICS-ready Transformer Prime? No worries, Coby has five alternative flavors, each offering its own helping of Android 4.0. The quintet of tablets bear the same model number format as the outfit's Kyros tablets, and all share the same 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU. Coby plans to debut the slates at CES 2012, making them available to consumers within the first quarter. The slabs range between seven and ten inches, and will offer up to 1GB of RAM with up to 32GB of expandable memory -- WiFi radio and HDMI-out come standard. Want to see the official details? Hit the break, we've got a good 'ol fashion press release just waiting for your peepers.

Aldebaran Robotics announces Nao Next Gen humanoid robot

Aldebaran Robotics' Nao robot has already received a few upgrades from both the company itself andother developers, but it now has a proper successor. Aldebaran took the wraps off its new and improved Nao Next Gen robot today, touting features like a 1.6GHz Atom processor and dual HD cameras that promise to allow for better face and object recognition even in poor lighting conditions. What's more, while robot's outward appearance hasn't changed much, it has also received a number of software upgrades, including Nuance voice recognition, an improved walking algorithm, and a number of other measures to cut down on unwanted collisions. As before, the robot is aimed squarely at researchers and developers, but the Aldebaran's chairman notes that the company is continuing to pursue its goal of providing a Nao intended for individuals -- a goal he notes is being aided by the contributions from its developer program. 

Drum Machine T-shirt

We have featured a number of funky T-Shirts here on Geeky Gadgets which have incorporated electronics to make sounds on the move. But now ThinkGeek has unveiled a new design which puts a drum machine on your chest. Allowing you to play you tunes whenever and wherever you may be. Watch the video after the jump to see it in action.

You can create tunes using a selection of 9 synthesised sounds like “Rock drums”, “Discotek” and “Scratchy. The T-shirt is equipped with its own powered mini amplifier that clips to your belts and allows you to loop 3 minute tracks continuously.

The Drum Machine T-Shirt is available to purchase from the ThinkGeek website for $29, but unfortunately due to the demand is currently out of stock, however more should be arriving within the next few days, apparently.

Razer Blade Gaming Laptop Approaching Pre-order For Christmas Delivery

Gamers looking to treat themselves this holiday season, might be interested to know that Razer’s new Blade gaming laptop is approaching pre-order status, and deliveries will be made in time for the holidays, says Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan.

In an Interview with gaming website Kotaku, CEO Min-Liang Tan explained a little behind how the design of their new gaming laptop came about.

“When I served in the army, I was sent for survival training in the dense jungles of the tropics. We carried only the most essential gear and one key item in my kit was my KA-BAR combat knife”

“It was simple, minimalist and utilitarian – and we used it for everything from hunting, to preparing food, cutting rope and building floats. Every night after setting up camp, I would spend my time sharpening it during watch. It was one of the finest knives I’ve ever used – clean, cold. supremely balanced and lethally sharp.”

Shipping has already started to selected gaming CEO’s and pre-order are expected to start for us in a few days time for around $2,800.

The FBI may soon rely on iPhones to identify suspects by fingerprint

If you own Apple's smartphone — or any other touchscreen device, for that matter — you're already well-versed in the shiny devices' ability to pick up fingerprints. But soon, criminals may experience the fingerprinting abilities of the iPhone in a whole new way, thanks to the FBI. A new accessory called the MobileOne will allow law enforcement to scan the fingerprints of suspects and instantly compare them against a national database of wanted criminals.

The MobileOne works with any retail iPhone and simply plugs into the port on the bottom of the phone. The add-on is equipped with a biometric scanner that can read a person's fingerprints in just a matter of seconds. Rather than taking a suspect into custody and running their prints in the traditional fashion, the device could allow quick scanning and potentially clear an individual within minutes, saving both time and money in the search for a criminal.

The FBI is scheduled to begin testing the MobileOne in 2012, and once it passes its field trials it could potentially be made available to law enforcement agencies nationwide. The product won't be for civilian use, and it will only work with the government's various criminal databases anyway, meaning even if you got your hands on one, it wouldn't do much more than grab a picture of your friends fingerprints. The hefty $600 price tag should also discourage anyone from trying to obtain one for less legitimate purposes.

LG Optimus Pad sequel photos leaked, gives 4G gossips something to talk about

The purported successor to LG's Optimus Pad, or G Slate, has surfaced on Korean news sites. According to reports, LG's next roll of the tablet dice will feature true 4G connectivity with LTE, a middle-size 8.9-inch WXGA screen and a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor. The tablet will drop the rear-facing dual-lens setup found on the original, cutting down from two five megapixel sensors to a single eight megapixel camera. The device [shown above, left] looks to be running a customized Honeycomb skin, apparently on version 3.1, although we hope to see an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade a little further down the road. Prices? Dates? These are likely to remain closely guarded secrets for now, but you can grab a closer look in a second leaked shot after the break, or brave the full (Google-translated) report at the source. Via Engadget

Eric Schmidt’s Le Web Keynote Video: “Android is Ahead Of The iPhone”

iLaunch Thunder iPhone Controlled Nerf Missile Launcher

If you are looking for something to annoy your co-workers with, this Nerf Missile Launcher which can be controlled from your iPhone might feel be worth a look.

The launcher is equipped with four Nerf projectiles and connects to your iPhone via a Bluetooth connection. It has a rechargeable lithium battery, which can be easily charged via a USB connection, and it can be controlled either via touchscreen control or G-sensor control. Watch the video after the jump to see it in action.

Its also equipped with 270° horizontal rotation, a vertical flexibility of more than 40° and a shooting distance of around 25 feet. Allowing it to cover around 1,400 square feet of your workspace, keeping you safe from wandering bosses and co-workers.

The iLauncher Thunder is cheaper though and will set you back around $100. But just think of the fun you can have.

StumbleUpon Gets Slightly Less Stumbly

 StumbleUpon, the venerable service for finding cool Web sites that has always emphasized serendipity over structure, is unveiling a major makeover tonight. The basic idea remains the same: You can find interesting sites, one after another, by pressing a Stumble button (and can recommend sites you like so other folks stumble upon them). But the StumbleUpon site and Web-based toolbar (now called the StumbleBar) have a new logo and a fresh coat of paint, and some new features make it easier to use StumbleUpon to wander around the Web in a slightly more organized fashion.

The service already had an “Explore an Interest” search option that let you enter a keyword and then stumble through sites that related to it. Now it’s much more prominent–it’s part of the StumbleBar, which it wasn’t before–thereby encouraging you to focus your stumbling if you choose. And the list of interests on the StumbleUpon home page is more prominent. Via Technologizer

New Apple TV To Come In 3 Sizes

Apple will launch their new Apple TV in time for the last quarter of 2012, with sources in Japan telling SmartHouse that 3 sizes are being planned including a 32" model and a 55" model.

The Apple TVs will incorporate a new processor that is set to appear in the iPad 3, which is due midway through 2012. A totally new software interface has been written that allows users to call up programs using voice commands via the new Siri personal assistant app built into the iPad, iPhone and directly into the TV.

 Sources at a major Japanese company who are involved in manufacturing the TV believe that the 55" model will compete with new Smart TVs from Samsung and LG that will have new processors built in while offering a combination of OLED display, as well as new Super HD TV technology from LG. 

In Australia manufacturers are banking on the new generation of Smart TVs combined with new content services from the likes of Telstra, as well as new display technology to drive sales.

 Tim Barnes, Senior Marketing Manager Entertainment at LG Electronics, believes that the attraction of first run movies and access to movies hitting DVD rental stores will drive sales.

"We will see new technology and a new generation of Smart TV launched at CES in January. These TVs will have 3D TV capability as well as new Smart TV capabilities. This will allow us to deliver a new generation of content from the likes of Telstra and other providers like Red Bull TV, while delivering a new viewing experience for consumers".

"If Apple does launch a new TV it will help us grow the Smart TV market in Australia with consumers upgrading to not only new TVs, but attach home theatre systems that will deliver for them a big movie experience".

The respected Piper Jaffray, Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst Gene Munster, said recently that Apple will launch a new TV offering called iTV in time for the US 2012 holiday season.

 However it is not known how Apple will go in the UK where there is already an ITV Company, there is also a web site called itv.com. Via SmartHouse

Meizu MX Gets Official, Coming In January 2012

We have been hearing quite a bit about the Meizu MX over the last few months, and Meizu has just confirmed that their latest Android smartphone will go on sale in China in January next year.

We now get to find out the final specifications on the device, it will come with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, although Meizu has said that it will get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich at a later date.

Hardware wise, the Meizu MX features a dual core 1.4GHz Samsung Exynos 4210 processor, 1GB of RAM and a 4 inch ASV touchscreen display with a resolution of 960 x 640 pixels, plus an 8 megapixel camera and 16GB of built in storage.

The Meizu MX is expected top retail for around $470 when it goes on sale in China in January. Via GeekyGadgets

YouTube unveils biggest redesign in its history

The redesigned video site displays a single news feed in the centre of the homepage featuring videos that an individual’s friends have uploaded onto sister site Google+.

There is a channel feed on the left hand side of screen encouraging users to ‘subscribe’ to their favourite YouTube channels and shows – which could mean a major boost to TV networks and individuals who have their own channels on the site. And there are big Facebook and Google+ ‘buttons’ also in the left hand column so users can easily share and see content from the video site through to their choice of social network.

On the right hand side is a ‘Recommendations’ feed, which will suggest videos that users may like based on their current subscriptions and video-watching history. The overall feel of the new YouTube is more like a social network, rather than a linear video site.

The Google-owned video site has been trying to make in-roads into hosting as much professional content on the site, as well as user-generated content and encouraging users to set up channels. However, in the UK, apart from a landmark deal with Channel 4 and then Channel Five, few other content owners and broadcasters, have entered into full syndication deals with the site – instead preferring to set up their own channels on the site and control the distribution of their content themselves. Moreover, Google’s big push this year has been around cracking the social side of the web. Since launching Google+ just over 100 days ago, it has been trying to make sure of all of its web products, such as YouTube, Maps and Gmail, have a social element deeply embedded into each user experience.

YouTube’s facelift is the biggest in its six-year history. Via The Telegraph

Apple's request to block Samsung Galaxy tablet, phone sales in the US is denied

As the legal drama between Apple and Samsung drags on around the world, US District Court Judge has rejected Apple's request to block the sales of Galaxy devices. Reuters reports the ruling came out late Friday, with the judge deciding "It is not clear that an injunction on Samsung's accused devices would prevent Apple from being irreparably harmed,". This isn't the first rejection for the folks from Cupertino either, after a request to speed up the trial was also denied back in July. The case itself will of course go on, but this means you'll still be able to get your hands on those Galaxy Tabs, Galaxy S IIs, and the like in the meantime.

Update: While Apple has yet to comment on the ruling, Samsung has issued an official statement which you can check out after the break.

Update 2: Feel like thumbing through the entire 65 page ruling? FOSS Patents has posted the entire document on Scribd, you'll find it embedded after the break.

Via Engadget

Acer Iconia Tab A200 Officially Announced

Early this week we featured a new demonstration video of then yet to be announced, Acer Iconia Tab A200. Well today Acer has now officially announced the arrival of their new Iconia Tab A200 tablet.

The Acer Iconia Tab A200 is equipped with a 10.1-inch display sporting a resolution of 1280 x 800. Powered by a NVIDIA’s 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, supported by 1GB of RAM. Together with Acer’s new ring user interface allowing you to access apps from any screen.

Acer reveals that shipments with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will start in January 2012 worldwide. But any purchases before then will be running Android 3.2 OS Honeycomb, but a free ICS upgrade will be made available in January to those users.

The Iconia Tab A200 will be available in either Titanium Gray or Metallic Red. Unfortunately no information on pricing or worldwide availability has been released as yet, but as soon as information comes to light we will keep you updated as always. Via GeekyGadgets

Test drive Windows Phone 7.5 on your iPhone or Android handset

Now you don't need to have a Windows Mobile phone in order to test drive Windows Phone 7.5 Mango. To let prospective customers get a tastes of the mobile OS, Microsoft has created a HTML 5-based demonstration designed specifically to be viewed using the mobile browser on the iPhone and Android handsets.

The demo is for the most part exactly the type of thing you would see on a sample unit in a store, with built-in dummy contacts, text messages, and photos you can navigate through to check out the interface. A small blue dot on the screen guides users through the demo and some of the unique features Windows Phone 7 has to offer.

The advantage of the service, of course, is that users can do all that navigation from their existing smartphone at their own pace without having to go to the store and battle other customers for some hands-on time with a Windows Phone handset, or deal with a pushy salesperson.

Windows Phone is currently trailing behind Apple and Android devices in the mobile marketplace, however, it is quickly picking up pace with more and more Windows Phone devices hitting the market. Nokia for instance, recently announced two newWindows Phone handsets, with plans to make the OS its primary focus in the smartphone market in the future.

You can check out the demo for yourself by pointing your mobile browser here.

If Facebook Made a Phone, Would You Friend It?

Why would you want to buy a "Facebook phone," if—as is widely rumored—one is under development? 

Here's why: if social networking is already the center of your online activity, a Facebook smart phone might be far easier to use. If a fraction of Facebook's 800 million users were to make the switch, they would represent a powerful market force.

The phone project was revealed in reports last week that said Facebook had forged a partnership with handset maker HTC and was planning to use a version of the Android operating system, which will be tweaked to integrate Facebook deeply into its services and will support HTML5 as a platform for mobile games and apps. The reports said the phone could take 12 to 18 months to reach market. Facebook is saying nothing about the project; a spokesman said the company would not comment on "rumor and speculation."

Already, Facebook's are among the most popular apps on most smart phones. The company says that its apps on different platforms have 350 million active mobile users. The problem Facebook confronts is that its product is not very deeply "integrated," in industry parlance, into the devices that people use socially every day to e-mail, send photos, and keep in touch with friends. It's just one of many apps people use.

Via Techreview

Microsoft bringing Office to ipad

The iPad hasn’t been much of a revenue stream for Microsoft, which has been focusing on developing its own competing tablet ecosystem. But as a software company, it can’t ignore the scores of millions of Apple devices out there for long. Sure, it has a few things in the App Store, but one of its biggest earners, Office, is entirely absent. The Daily reports that this is likely to change shortly, as Microsoft is planning to début an iPad version of their productivity suite next year.

It would be a stripped-down version more in line with their mobile apps than the desktop ones. Users can, after all, easily view and make simple edits on a tablet machine, but heavy duty spreadsheet or slide work will still necessitate a desktop OS.

The price would likely be similar to that of Apple’s productivity apps: around $10, or at any rate in that vicinity. Price parity would be the ideal, but Microsoft may feel (perhaps rightly so) that its offering is worth more to enterprise users who have adopted the iPad informally as an email and calendar platform.

On the other hand, Microsoft doesn’t need the money so much as the platform presence, so a higher price seems unlikely. Preventing the leakage of users to Apple platforms is crucial in maintaining Microsoft’s dominance in the office apps arena.

The timing just turned out to be a bit awkward; Microsoft will certainly be putting out its own native and complete solution alongside Windows 8, but the iPad’s prominence is too great to be ignored at this point, and supporting it ASAP became more important than a unified tablet infrastructure. Hence a release to satisfy impatient customers and then later the “real” Office Tablet Edition. Via Techcrunch

Al the music in this song comes from an ipad

Next Generation Camera Pill, Streams HD Video From Inside The Body

Norwegian scientists are currently developing a next-generation pill that once swallowed will stream HDvideo images of the inside a patient’s digestive tract, in real time. The camera equipped endoscopic capsule is equipped with a HD video camera, radio transmitter, light source, radio transmitter and miniature battery.

Due to the size of the HD stream the researchers have had to create an algorithm that compresses the video to three percent of its original size.

The research project, named “Melody ,” is a collaboration between Oslo University Hospital, the University of Oslo, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment, and 22 other partners. Via Next Generation Camera Pill, Streams HD Video From Inside The Body

Lenovo unveils the LePad S2007 and LePad S2010, both with Honeycomb

Oh no, it isn't just about the 5-inch tabletphone today. Announced at the same event in Beijing just now are a couple of larger tablets from Lenovo: the LePad S2007 and the LePad S2010. Interestingly, the latter 10.1-inch device isn't quite the same as what we saw in our exclusive scoop from two weeks ago: it's 1.5GHz Qualcomm dual-core rather than 1.6GHz NVIDIA quad-core, 1GB RAM instead of 2GB, no funky fingerprint scanner on the back, and it's launching with Android 3.2 instead of Ice Cream Sandwich. But fret not, as we've been informed that its international counterpart -- aka the IdeaTab K2 in our scoop -- will launch with the latest Android OS; so we're just waiting for a release date.

Both of these Honeycomb tablets share many similarities: Qualcomm's dual-core 1.5GHz chip, 1GB RAM, 1,280 x 800 IPS display (pretty nice on a 7-inch form factor, with 216ppi density), eight megapixel main camera, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, dual-mode 3G (China Telecom's EV-DO plus China Unicom's WCDMA) for data plus voice calls, and plans to upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich in the future. Aside from the obvious physical differences, these tablets also come with different battery capacities: the 360g-heavy, 9.7mm-thick S2007 comes with 3,780mAh that can last up to eight hours on WiFi; whereas the 670g-heavy (almost the same as the original WiFi iPad, uh-oh), 9.9mm-thick S2010 has a generous 7,560mAh that can push it to 11 hours. Like the S2005 tabletphone, both tablets will be available in China next month; so for now, stay tuned for some hands-on photos from our folks over at Engadget Chinese.

Update: It turns out that there was a slight misunderstanding regarding the voice call feature -- the Chinese press release meant using Skype-like software to enable this. Pah. Via Engadget

Real Apple TV with Siri next year?

Flatscreen Apple TVs are coming, we’re all fairly sure of that. At some point this year Apple is likely to launch a range of flatscreen TVs with Apple TV functionality built in, but could the most exciting part be Siri integration? A new hack shows how it’s possible.

The hack in question shows Siri for iPhone 4S hooked up wirelessly to a media server system by the name of Plex. Using a tool called SiriProxy (which intercepts the data feed from Siri to Apple and puts it to use on your own tech) the hacked Siri is able to play select episodes or movies just by asking for them.

While this is currently off Apple’s radar, you’ve got to think that if the functionality exists then there’s no reason why Apple wouldn’t put it into its upcoming flatscreen TVs. Just like with Kinect’s media skills, the ability to search for, play and control your iTunes movies and TV shows through voice would be a perfect utilisation of Siri’s intelligent voice recognition. Watch the video below and let us know what you think: Via ElectricPig

Sky Go iPad, iPhone App Gets On Demand Movies

Sky has just updated their Sky Go iPad and iPhone applications, and the latest version brings on demand movies to your smartphone or tablet, which means that you can watch any of the movies from Sky’s Anytime+ service on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad over WiFi.

Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Movies, comments: “Sky Movies on demand is a great addition to Sky Go and gives customers complete control over how, when and now where they enjoy the latest movies. Whether customers want to kick back at home and watch the latest movies in widescreen 3D or HD, catch a movie on the laptop while on holiday or at the office, or watch a blockbuster out and about on their phone or tablet, we’ve got it covered. Alongside other recent additions to Sky Movies like Anytime+ and 3D, the launch of Sky Movies on Sky Go helps customers get even more value out of Sky.” Via GeekyGadgets

See through 32", 42" & 46" screen DJ center

Smithson Martin has unveiled a new style of DJ mixing desk, which uses a transparent multi-touch screen to allow DJs to spin their discs. The new Emulator mixing desk features over 130 controls, and is constructed from durable toughened glass. With it being see through, it allows the audience to easily see the DJ in action.

The new Emulator system comes in a variety of size including 32″, 42″ and 46″ versions, and uses a 2200 lumen short throw projector. The Emulator comes with MIDI controller PC software which currently only works with Traktor Pro, and has been designed for Windows 7. With a Mac OS X version currently underdevelopment, together with Ableton, Serato and Virtual DJ support.

The Emulator rig costs start from £4,300 or $6,665 depending on the size you choose. More information is available from the Smithson Martin website.

Will anyone buy a 5 1/2" Smartphone?

South Korea's Samsung Electronics launched domestically its latest Android-powered Galaxy device -- the Galaxy Note -- and said it hopes to sell as many as two million.The company gave no timeframe for the forecast sales of the Note, which is already available in other countries.

The Note, with a 5.3-inch (13.5 centimetre) screen, is positioned between the firm's flagship Android-equipped Galaxy smartphone and its Galaxy Tab.

The Note, with a larger screen than the smartphone but smaller than the tablet, suggests the company is seeking a head start in the market for a model combining both functions.

Samsung said the device combines the portability of a smartphone with the larger screen of a tablet.

"Galaxy Note is a revolutionary product opening a new category in the market," said JK Shin, head of the mobile communications business, in a statement.

The firm also launched the Galaxy Nexus, the first smartphone to run on Google's newest Android operating system which has been dubbed the "Ice Cream Sandwich".

Steve Jobs Patent Expo

The United States Patent and Trademark Office put together something special this month for a new exhibit honoring Steve Jobs and the influence he's had. The row of iPhone-like monoliths you see above is now in the atrium of the agency's offices in Alexandria, Virginia (also home to the National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum), and they're being used to display the more than 300 patents that have Steve Jobs' name on them -- something the USPTO's David Kappos says provides a "striking example of the importance intellectual property plays in the global marketplace." Those interested in checking it out first hand can do so anytime between now and January 15th, free of charge. Via Engadget

Apple iphone5 & ipad4 rumour

Hitachi and Sony are reported to have teamed up to supply Apple with 4-inch LCD displays for an unspecified iOS device that will hit the market in 2012. Meanwhile, Apple is also said to be working on a fundamentally distinct display technology for the iPad 4.

Citing sources within Apple's Far Eastern supply chain, macotakara.jp claims that Hitachi Displays, Ltd. and Sony Mobile Display Corporation have begun shipments of 4-inch LCD panels to Apple for unspecified iOS device due next year. Via Appleinsider

Benq unveils iphone projector

Benq has unveiled and very neat and portable projector its created, in the form of the BenQ Joybee GP2. Which has been designed to be used with Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch devices, but can also be used with USB flash drives or SD Cards if required.

The new BenQ Joybee GP2 projector is capable of projecting movies and media at 720p resolution, and is equipped with a mini HDMI port and even includes 2 GB of internal memory to store your media files.

The BenQ Joybee GP2 projector is capable id fitted with a 100 ANSI Lumen brightness, using 3LED illumination and DLP projection, and is now available to purchase for $549.

Is Samsung giving up on netbooks next year?

An email sent by Samsung to its trading partners appears to shut down any prospect of the manufacturer producing new netbooks after the first quarter of 2012. The email is quoted by French site Blogeee and says that Samsung will switch its focus to 11.6- and 12-inch ultraportables as well as Intel Ultrabooks. The quote does not preclude some of those ultraportables running cheaper processors such as Cedar Trail, which would arguably just make them slightly larger next-gen netbooks, but it does specifically mention the abandonment of the 10.1-inch form factor. Here's our translation:

"Following the introduction of our new strategy in 2012, we will discontinue our 10.1-inch (netbook) product range in Q1 2012, in favor of ultraportables (11.6 and 12 inches) and ultrabooks to be launched in 2012."

Via Engadget

iPhone Panorama Mode – How to unlock (without jailbreak!)

Here are the basic instructions: 1. Save backup of your iPhone in iTunes; 2. Install and run the application “iBackupBot”; 3. Find the file “com.apple.mobileslideshow.plist” and open it; 4. under the line that says <key>DiskSpaceWasLow</key> <false/> , put

<key>EnableFirebreak</key> <true/> 5. SAVE! 6. Quick iBackupBot, return to iTunes; 7. Restore your iphone to this backup; 8. Unplug your iPhone from your computer; 9. In your phone, open the camera. tap “options” and activate panorama mode; 10. Start shooting! Via 360Cities

Gadgarati recommends taking great care with this mod and only attempt if you know what your doing

Why isn't the Kindle Fire coming to the UK anytime soon

The Kindle Fire looks like being one of the most exciting tablets yet – it may lack the bells and whistles found on an iPad – such as a camera or 3G – but as most tablets are used in the home, does it really need them? We were more interested in the bargain basement price and ease in which you’ll be able to purchase magazines, which could potentially open up a whole new market.

Why hasn’t Amazon launched the Kindle Fire in the UK then? Unfortunately, the company is pushing its cloud-based storage service, which is currently only up and running in the US. With the ability to access your online files, or download apps from Amazon’s Android store, the Fire makes a lot of sense.

Take away the ability to sync files, or to download the latest apps and games, and the Kindle Fire is then little more than a colour eReader. So it seems that we’ll be waiting for some time yet – at least until Amazon sorts out an online storage solution and app store over on this side of the Atlantic. Via Channel5

Google and Samsung confirm Galaxy Nexus volume bugs

The Galaxy Nexus was launched to much fanfare last month

Google and Samsung have confirmed that there are volume issues with their flagship mobile phone the Galaxy Nexus. It follows complaints on net forums about unexplained changes in volume.

The handset, the first to feature Google's operating system Android Ice Cream Sandwich, is currently available in the UK and is due to go on sale in the US in December.

Samsung said that it is aware of the problem and will offer a repair but did not say when. "Regarding the Galaxy Nexus, we are aware of the volume issue and have developed a fix," Samsung said in a statement. "We will update devices as soon as possible." Google issued an almost identical statement. Via BBC

Microsoft to release PC-centric Kinect for Windows

Earlier this month Microsoft announced the Kinect for Windows Commercial Program that will give businesses “the tools to develop applications that not only could improve their own operations, but potentially revolutionize entire industries.” Following this announcement many wondered whether there would also be new PC-centric Kinect hardware in the offing. The company has now answered in the affirmative with confirmation that a new Kinect device with optimized hardware components and numerous firmware adjustments tailored for close up PC-user scenarios is on the way.

Apple Unleashes Game Subscription Model With Big Fish Games

Following the success of subscription services through Newsstand, Apple's given the go-ahead for a game subscription service from Big Fish Games. For $6.99 a month you'll have unlimited streaming access to a whole host of iPad games.

Unfortunately users will have to be connected to the internet to play the games, as they'll be "streamed" to the user's device. Whether that'll mean OnLive-style streaming — the iPad is just a dumb monitor and controller — or whether it'll be a Steam-style activation via the internet to prevent piracy, we don't know. I'm presuming the latter. The service will be available at an introductory price of $4.99 a month till next year, but would you pay for a subscription service for just one publisher's games on your iPad? And do you play enough games on said-tablet to justify another monthly cost? I certainly don't. [Bloomberg viaThe Verge via Gizmodo UK]

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi Gets Android 3.2 Update, Again

Last week Samsung started rolling out the Android 3.2 update for the WiFi only Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, after the update was released a number of users reported problems, so Samsung canceled the update.

It looks like Samsung may have new fixed the issues that were found in the update, and they have now started rolling out the Android 3.2 update to the WiFi Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.2



Hopefully this update should solve the problems that users reported, and it is available through Samsung’s Kies software.

Source Droid Life

Nikon 1 Lens Firmware Update Corrects Image Blur

A new update has been rolled out today by Nikon, to correct issues that some users have been experiencing with their new Nikon 1 camera and lenses.

The new firmware update has been released by Nikon for three of the lenses in the Nikon 1 system range and will correct any issues you have been experiencing using the 1 Nikkor VR 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6, VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 and VR 10-100mm f/4.5-5.6 power zoom.

The Nikon 1 is a new series of mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera which was launched by Nikon on September 21st 2011, and uses the new CX format 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor.

More information and links to the firmware downloads can be found over on the Rob Galbraith website.

Go Anywhere – Play Everything

This week UK company GameGadget has announced the launch of their new “Go Anywhere – Play Everything” games console, called the GameGadget 1.0. which is looking to take on the big players in the market.

The new GameGadget 1.0. has been developed together with a new software service called GameGadgetGames. Which has been created to offers gamers, developers and game publishers, unrivalled choice and flexibility in how they play, create and sell games, says its creators.

Jason Cooper, the creator of the GameGadget said in the press release:

“GameGadget has been designed with the ultimate goal of playing every game on a single device, just as the “iPod” was for music. Hundreds of thousands of games are currently “archived” and no longer being enjoyed by Gamers, with no value being generated for the Developers and Publishers. The launch of GameGadget creates a market for gamers to play the games they want to play. The GameGadgetGames service, just like “Apple’s App Store”, allows the owners of these games, to re-market their back catalogue, in their original format, set the appropriate pricing and gain incremental revenue, BUT with no additional investment”.

The GameGadget 1.0 will be available exclusively from the GameGadget website for £99.99 and is scheduled to launch in January 2012. Via Go Anywhere – Play Everything

What exactly is a PC?

What exactly is a PC? That question is likely to become a hot topic over the next few years.

Originally, we thought of PCs as the Apple II or then the IBM PC. They were machines that had to sit on a desk because, while significantly smaller than a mainframe, they were still big and bulky. They had large monitors, boxy bases, and big keyboards. The original Macintosh attempted to make this footprint a bit smaller and the package more compact, but the IBM clones won the day. Windows won the day. PCs by Compaq and HP led to machines by Gateway and Dell. Boxy bases were joined by massive towers. Bigger seemed better. Small monitors were replaced by huge monitors. Then something changed.

While laptops had existed in various forms for years, by the mid 2000s, the prices, performance, and size made them viable “desktop replacements”. They were different enough from traditional PCs that they had their own name, and people thought of them differently. But eventually, as they started to dominate the market, people just began thinking of laptops as PCs as well. They were, after all, personal computers.

Now we’re in the midst of another new age. People are now carrying around computers in their pockets, called smartphones. But those aren’t considered PCs. Instead, they’re considered descendants of the original mobile phones. The truth is that they’re closer in just about every way to a personal computer — in fact, they may be the most personal computers ever. But they look more like phones, so we consider them phones — even as people make fewer and fewer actual phone calls on them.

Read the rest of this interesting article here

New Google Search App for ipad

So what's going on with Chromebooks?

Last year the big news was - Chromebooks. A year on and its all gone a bit quiet, so what's going on? The guys at techradar talk it through here on the video below:

USB Memory Compartment Concept

If you have every needed to lend a memory stick to a friend, but couldn’t hand over your USB stick due to the data on it being needed by yourself. A new concept has bee designed by Hyunsoo Song from SADI which overcomes the problem in a simple way.

The memory concept allows to break your USB stick into compartments, allowing you to store different data on each. when you need to share data with a friend simply unplug the correct compartment and hand it over.

Files on the device can easily sorted due to the category based partitions. Partitions are assigned to personal information, documents, photos and music, with each able to be used on its own. Via Geeky-Gadgets

Google give Woz a Galaxy Nexus

Woz Spotting. It’s something of a tradition amongst tech circles — or, at least, amongst my particularly geeky tech circle. Any time someone spots Woz wozzin’ his way around the Valley, it feels weird not to tell everyone you know. It’s like spotting Kanye West, except instead of Kanye West it’s someone that people actually like.

Today’s sighting is particularly neat as he was on the Google campus. Better yet, he apparently left with a phone that pretty much no one else in the US has yet: the Galaxy Nexus.

The photos, posted by Android UI Engineer Kirill Grouchnikov , show Wozniak holdin’ his Galaxy Nexus and what is said to be an Ice Cream Sandwich-themed shirt.

 So, how’d Woz pull it off? All it took (besides, you know, helping to invent the modern personal computer) was a tweet. From yesterday:

Wozniak’s shiny new Nexus isn’t exactly a world exclusive — they started shipping in the UK about 24 hours ago. In the US, however, the Nexus is still limited to Googlers/Samsungers and a handful of lucky press folk (yes, including one of our own). There’s still no concrete word of a local release date. Via Techcrunch

March Launch for Slightly Thicker iPad 3? iPhone with 4-Inch Screen in Summer?

- iPad: The source indicates that the iPad 3 is planned to launch in March and that it will be approximately 0.7 mm thicker than the iPad 2 due to the need to incorporate adual light bar system for the higher-resolution display. The iPad 2 currently checks in 8.8 mm thick, which would make the iPad 3 approximately 8% thicker than the iPad 2 but still substantially thinner than the 13.4 mm original iPad. 

Previous "iPhone 5" mockup based on leaked case designs

- iPhone: iLounge's source claims that the next-generation will not resemble the teardrop "iPhone 5" design that circulated ahead of the iPhone 4S introduction last month. The next iPhone is, however, said to carry a 4-inch display (up from 3.5 inches in the current iPhone) and be 8 mm longer than the current form factor. Apple is said to be targeting a summer launch for the device, which would mark a short interval from the iPhone 4S launch last month. 

- MacBook Pro: The source indicates that 2012 will indeed see the launch of a thinner MacBook Pro form factor, barring any last-minute problems. We've been hearing for some time that Apple has been finishing up work on just such a redesign, although the company did sneak in one last minor refresh using the current form factor just last month. Recent reports have claimed that an ultra-thin 15" Mac notebook, whether it be a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, is on target for a March launch with small volumes of components already making their way through the supply chain. Via MacRumours