Tuesday, February 14, 2012

iPad 3: Everything We Think We Know (Updated) [IPad 3]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5882001/ipad-3-everything-we-think-we-know

iPad 3: Everything We Think We Know (Updated)It's that magical time of year again, when everyone expects a new iPad to be right around the corner. Which in turn means an amassment of iPad 3 rumors clogging up our lives. Here's a quick guide to making sense of them.

Take all of these with the usual large piles of salt grains. Oh, and remember: The iPad may only be two years old, but it's already such an institution that any radical shifts in design or philosophy are almost definitely out of the question (sorry, 7-inch believers). But that doesn't mean we don't expect see some significant changes both inside and out.

Display

One of the iPhone's most beloved features is its ultrasharp retina display. And while the iPad 2's screen is no lightweight, a bump up in pixel density is one of the most hotly anticipated iPad 3 improvements. There have been numerous unsourced reports from the supply chain stating that retina screens are coming to iPad. More officially, iBooks 2 has 2x resolution images that would make a lot of sense for a super resolution iPad. But then, that was the case last year, too.

Android tablet displays passed the iPad last summer, and since then have moved into 1080p territory, so it seems far fetched that Apple would put off upgrading the iPad's screen another year.

Guts

It's extremely unlikely that anything other than a superfast new A6 chip will power the iPad 3, as Bloomberg and others have reported. The main question at this point seems to be whether that A6 will pack quad core power. On one hand, competitors like the Transformer Prime have moved on to quad core chips, and the incredible gaming and HD movie processing heft that upgrade entails. And both BGR and Bloomberg have recently reported that the A6 will indeed be quad core. But for what it's worth, Apple has shown in the past that it's willing to stand pat if it feels a spec is more than good enough for the next generation, like it did with the iPad 2's 512MB of RAM.

Speaking of RAM, if we're going to take the retina display rumors seriously, it would make sense that the RAM would finally see an upgrade in the iPad 3. The iPad 2's 512MB, like the iPhone 4S's, was buffered by the symbiotic relationship between software and hardware. But it stands to reason that the brute force required to push the massive number of pixels a 10-inch retina display would require a memory upgrade. File that under pure speculation.

Camera

iLounge cited several sources saying the iPad 3 will have an HD front-facing camera for HD Facetime. This would make a lot of sense, considering that quality front-facing cameras have found their way into phones like the Lumia 900, and people use their tablets for video chat much more than their phones.

It's worth mentioning here that while many of these hardware upgrade rumors seem inevitable, we thought the same about the whoops-that's-not-happening-iPhone 5. So keep that enthusiasm curbed until the official announcement.

Network

BGR recently leaked debug screenshots of what it claimed was proof of both that fancy new A6 processor and global 4G LTE, and Japanese blog Macotakara reported similar network details around the same time. Bringing LTE to the iPad before the iPhone would make sense, because the iPad's larger battery can handle the 4G drain. Then again, a 4G iPad would almost certainly portend a 4G iPhone this summer, and it's not at all clear that Apple considers the network mature enough to hop on just yet.

Siri

iOS 6 is still a long way off, but the iPad 3's software warrants a quick mention because it might be the first non-iPhone 4S Apple product to get Siri, as some details in the iOS 5.1 beta reference the iPad in Siri Dictation.

Availability

AllThingsD has reported that the iPad announcement will come in the first week of March, but didn't specify when it would be released. For reference, the iPad 2 was announced on March 2nd of last year, and available on the 11th.

For whatever what it's worth though, two European Amazon sites had iPad 3 instruction manuals slated for a March 29th release.

Design

The one thing that's almost certainly not changing about the iPad is its overall look. Apple's had wild success with the size and shape, and there's no reason to rock the boat now. The WSJ has said that the company is testing out an 8-inch counterpart, but it almost certainly won't become an actual product. The only changes that could happen would be a very slightly thicker build if it needs to compensate for a retina display and/or a larger battery.

Otherwise? Take a guess.

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The Next-Generation MacBook Pro 2012 [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5884734/the-next+generation-macbook-pro-2012

The Next-Generation MacBook Pro 2012Have no doubt about this: Apple is revamping their MacBook Pro line in 2012 in a radical way—not merely evolutionary. We know this not because of the usual rumors, but because there is no way this will not happen.

This is what we expect.

A radical but logical change

When Steve Jobs said that the MacBook Air was the future of laptops, he was right. To the disgust of a vocal minority, Apple destroyed lots of ancient technology with the Air. They simplified its guts and squeezed its industrial design to create an amazing machine. The result was a huge success—and the whole industry started their photocopiers once again.

It's only logical that they will take the same steps with their MacBook Pro. It's not only a rational consequence of the Air, it's also extremely convenient for their bottom line and their public image: The new MacBook Pros—and not the beefed-up iPad 3—will be the first real test for the new executive team at Apple.

They need to make a statement. Here's how.

The Next-Generation MacBook Pro 2012

Faster guts

The new MacBook Pro will use Ivy Bridge, the new Intel 22-nanometer architecture with 3D transistors that will provide quite a speed boost over the current MacBooks. Intel estimates that it Ivy Bridge will provide a 20 percent performance boost with comparable Sandy Bridge laptops. Ivy Bridge also provides a 30 percent boost in integrated graphics performance, although these machines will use something stronger to drive graphic intensive applications (more on this later).

No hard drives

Screw the hard drives. It's antiquated technology with a negative impact on battery life. Apple loves SSD and Apple users love SSD. They may not be the cheapest, but it's the fastest, safest and most power efficient storage technology for mobile devices. Moving their entire laptop line to SSD will also give them more buying power, which will help them keep the same price and benefit margins.

The Next-Generation MacBook Pro 2012SSDs are also key for speed. In fact, for most consumers, it's also one of the key factors to boosting speed perception, even more than the processor and the graphic cards. When everything loads and saves almost instantly, people instantly get it, which is what happened with the Air.

No legacy stuff

The new MacBook Pro 2012 line will get rid of legacy technology. That means no more optical drives, and no more Ethernet port and FireWire. These machines will have nothing but a bunch of Thunderbolt and USB ports, plus the SD memory card reader, just like the MacBook Air. By taking this out, the new machines will save space and simplify the electronics on board.

The Next-Generation MacBook Pro 2012I can't remember the last time I used my optical drive. All my media and application consumption goes through online services, like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and iTunes. Apple and thousands of developers have already shifted to 100% digital downloads for software distribution. The optical drive is dead.

And I can't remember the last time I used my Ethernet port. Most consumers are in the same position. And while FireWire is the only point of conflict I may have—since I use it for backups and extra disk space—an adapter will easily an cheaply take care of any legacy equipment. In fact, there's plenty of Thunderbolt adapters at this point, for FireWire, Gigabit Ethernet, and even PC Cards.

Retina-ish display

The machines will have a high definition Retina-ish display. This is part of Apple's ongoing move to HiDPI.

How much? They will not be as dense as the iPhone's 326 pixels per inch—which is as high as your average printed page—but they will be close enough. The current 15-inch MacBook has a 128-pixel-per-inch display (1440 by 900 pixels), while the 17-inch runs at 133 pixels per inch (1920 by 1200 pixels). These relative resolutions are similar to the current MacBook Airs.

The question now is if they would be able to double these resolutions to 2880 by 1800 pixels and 3840 by 2400 pixels. It seems insane and there's no evidence of anyone manufacturing these kind of displays.

The Next-Generation MacBook Pro 2012But we know that there are graphic cards that can push that kind of power. We also know that, before the iPhone 4 came out, nobody had heard of a 326ppi Retina Display before. Apple had bought all of them and they kept the lid on them until the iPhone 4 was announced.

Perhaps Apple will just increase the resolution to 180 or 200ppi. Given the distance from your eyes to the screen, 200ppi will be enough to achieve close to the effect of a "retina" display in the iPhone, the point in which you can't see pixels. And still, it will be a lot of extra pixels.

Killer graphics

All those extra pixels will require a lot of graphic muscle. Apple uses AMD Radeon graphics in all their MacBooks now, so most probably they will stick with them. AMD is set to introduce their new high end, mobile 28nm process graphics engine in the second quarter of 2012. They will be part of the Radeon HD 7700m family.

The Next-Generation MacBook Pro 2012If Apple continues with AMD, the top of the line MacBooks will likely use the HD 7770M (their current notebooks us the HD 6670M). Given the boost in resolution, I wouldn't be surprised if the highest end came with 2GB of GDDR5 memory. The current top of the line MacBook has 1GB of GGDR5 RAM. The cheaper option could be the HD 7750M, with 1GB of GGDR5 memory.

If Apple decided to change with Nvidia, it's not clear what would they use. Someone leaked that Samsung's Ivy Bridge laptop would use a Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M with 2GB DDR5, but GTX graphics would probably run too hot to be incorporated into a super-slim product like the MacBook Pro 2012.

Redesigned enclosure

That will be the biggest selling point of these new MacBook Pros. These things will have a super-slim wedge profile. Perhaps even more so than the Macbook Air, given that they will have a largest surface to spread the components. They will also be really light compared to the current machines, all thanks to the saving achieved by getting rid of so much legacy crap. Although maybe they will be less aggressive on the weight shaving and increase the space used by the battery.

Battery capacity

Something that will make everyone extremely happy and will be truly disruptive: some insane battery life. Given the reduction of components and the lack of a hard drive, an increased battery life seems more than reasonable no matter what. If they decide to increase the amount of battery cells, then maybe we could witness a laptop that will run for an entire work day on a single battery charge. Or close enough. If Apple is going radical on these, I would expect a radical battery life.

One more thing: Full surface trackpad

This is something that has been rumored before, but now I believe it may happen: the entire palmrest of the new MacBook 2012 will be a multitouch trackpad. It's obvious that, technologically, Apple can accomplish this. They have patents that cover detection of palm touch vs finger touch vs accidental touch. Even a Wacom Bamboo tablet can distinguish between my fingers and my palm.

But they would not do it just because they can. They would do it mainly for two reasons.

The first, because the full surface would be the cornerstone for the final step in the metamorphosis of Mac OS X. A metamorphosis that started with the success of multitouch and direct interface manipulation on iPhone and iPad.

Lion brought some of those concepts into Mac OS X and, while it isn't the successful merging that I was hoping for, it clearly shows where Apple is headed. The next Mac OS X will only get deeper into multitouch, just like Microsoft is doing with Metro and Windows 8. A full surface trackpad—not a touchscreen—will be the key in this transition for laptops and the desktop (for an idea of how this could work you only need to see the video next to these lines).

But there's perhaps a more important reason for the introduction of such an innovation: the "one more thing" factor. Cook and the new executive team need to show the world that they have what it takes, that they can keep innovating and pulling rabbits out of their hats just like the old boss did. He would have gone something like this:

"But why have just a trackpad? The current trackpad is very good, but too limiting. What about if we could give you the entire palmrest as a trackpad? It's a hard technological challenge, but we found a way to differenciate between your palms and your fingers, so your MacBook doesn't get confused and you can use multitouch with Mac OS X as easy as you can do it in your iPad! So we did it. We are eliminating the little trackpad and giving you a trackpad when you can freely use multitouch. We love it. And we think you will love it too. Let me show it to you."

Showing the world that they can pull something like this will be the perfect "Yes We Can Kick Ass Without Steve" statement from Cook's Apple. Because, even while they have their amazing economic results, they need to demonstrate the world that they can keep "making magic" happen for a long time.

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Aereo puts TV antennas in the cloud, streams OTA broadcasts on the internet

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/14/aereo-puts-an-antenna-in-the-cloud-streams-ota-television-broad/

We've all heard about SlingBox, that nifty bit of kit that lets you stream your cable or satellite television to the mobile device of your choice, and now a new company called Aereo aims to provide a similar service for OTA broadcast television. The service costs $12 dollars a month and will launch March 14th, but is only available to folks in New York City through Aereo's HTML5-powered website. It'll stream all the major networks, and also offers a cloud-based DVR service on the internet-connected device of your choosing, whether it's a media streamer, phone, tablet or TV. Aereo's powered by large devices containing tons of tiny, dime-sized TV antennas connected to the cloud, with individual antennas corresponding to individual users -- giving each the ability to tune into one channel at a time. Intrigued as much as we are? Learn all about Aereo's new service at the source link below.

Aereo puts TV antennas in the cloud, streams OTA broadcasts on the internet originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our term! s for us e of feeds.

Permalink New York Times  |  sourceAereo, Aereo blog  | Email this | Comments

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Is This Motorola's First Medfield Phone? [Rumors]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5884899/is-this-motorolas-first-medfield-phone

Is This Motorola's First Medfield Phone?Since Intel showed off their first demo Medfield handset, we've only seen a production offering from Lenovo, and that's only going to be available in China. Rumor has it, though, that this is Motorola's first Intel offering.

Offered up by Pocket Now, these images are reportedly of Motorola's first Intel Medfield phone. It looks quite a lot like the Droid Razr to me. Details are scant, but it apparently runs Ice Cream Sandwich, and rumor has it the camera will be instant-on and shoot 15 frames per second bursts. The big question is, will it show up at MWC? [Pocket Now]

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Samsung's crystal-studded Series 9 laptop to make its QVC debut tomorrow

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/13/samsungs-crystal-studded-series-9-laptop-to-make-its-qvc-debut/

Been waiting patiently to get your hands on Samsung's limited edition Series 9 laptop since its first showing at IFA in the fall? Then you really should have been looking into some other more sensible options in the interim. But if those non-crystal-studded alternatives didn't strike your fancy, you'll be glad to know that the laptop will finally be available in the US, exclusively on QVC, beginning tomorrow at 10PM. Unfortunately, the sure-to-be-premium price will only buy you a last-gen Series 9, with a Core i5-2467M processor and Windows 7 Home Premium for an OS.

Samsung's crystal-studded Series 9 laptop to make its QVC debut tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WSJ: AT&T And Verizon Will Sell A 4G iPad 3 (AAPL, T, VZ)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/wsj-att-and-verizon-will-sell-a-4g-ipad-3-2012-2


att, at&t, att and t, phone, mobile, shopping, stores, bi, dng

AT&T and Verizon will both sell a version of the next iPad that can run on the carriers' 4G LTE networks, according to the WSJ.

This pretty much confirms what has been widely reported before. Several reports have surfaced recently that the iPad 3 will be able to connect to super fast LTE wireless networks. Assuming those reports are true, it doesn't take much guesswork to figure out which carriers will sell the iPad 3.

So far, Verizon and AT&T are the only two major carriers that offer LTE. They are also the only two carriers that sell the current 3G model of the iPad 2.

The WSJ report could not confirm whether or not other carriers such as T-Mobile and Sprint would sell the iPad 3.

Don't Miss: All The iPad 3 Rumors We Know About So Far

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Monday, February 13, 2012

CloudMagic for Android: Super Fast Search on Super Strong Steroids [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5884782/cloudmagic-for-android-super-fast-search-on-super-strong-steroids

Search is king on Android, it is Google's OS after all. But there's a way to make search even better on Android: an app called CloudMagic. It's the fastest way to search through your personal Google juice (Gmail, calendars, etc.) and Twitter tweets.

What does it do?

Think of CloudMagic as a search engine that only searches you. It indexes your Google and Twitter data and then cuts down search speed significantly because it doesn't get bogged down by any network or server delays. It's like if Spotlight (or Quicksilver) for the Mac was available on your Android phone. You can search through your Twitter, Gmail, Google Apps, Docs, Calendar and Contacts through CloudMagic.

Why do we like it?

Cause it's fast. Like almost Google Instant fast. As you type, results will pop up immediately. And you'll ask yourself, why doesn't search always work like this? Why did it take so long before? And you'll continue exploring life enlightening questions because you've saved so much time searching for stuff with CloudMagic. The app also supports voice searches too.

If you're a heavy Twitter user, you'll find that CloudMagic effectively fixes the mess that Twitter search has become and if you're not, you'll still love it for its Googleness. If CloudMagic adds Facebook and other services, it'll be an indispensable tool for Android. [Androinica]

CloudMagic

Download this app for:

The Best

Fast

The Worst

No Facebook

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This Is the United States of America According to Craigslist [Craigslist]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5884464/this-is-the-united-states-of-america-according-to-craigslist

This Is the United States of America According to CraigslistYou know what I love about Craigslist? Well, other than the fact that I've scored cheap electronics, furniture and free stuff. And also other than how simple its layout is and how hilarious some of the stories on it are. And also the previous grey areas of the site. And also the random gigs I've landed during college. So other than all that amazing stuff, I love how I never have to input my location. Craigslist just figures it out for me! This is the map they use to do it.

It's simple, if you log into Craigslist with a certain geocoded IP, you're directed to that local portal of Craigslist that falls into your region. Basically, this is how Craigslist divides its regions in America. Or alternatively, this is the United States of Craigslist. Check out the full map at IDV User Experience. [IDV User Experience via Apartment Therapy]

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The Origin EON17-X May Be the Most Insane Laptop You Can Buy Right Now [PCs]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5884577/the-origin-eon17+x-may-be-the-most-insane-laptop-you-can-buy-right-now

The Origin EON17-X May Be the Most Insane Laptop You Can Buy Right NowI thought I'd given up being impressed by laptop specs. But then the Origin EON17-Z happened. Good God, you could probably run entire robot armies using this thing.

An Intel X79 chipset with hexacore processors in whatever flavor you like; up to 32GB of 1333MHz Corsair quad channel memory; the option of dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M graphics cards (which can be overclocked, if you want); space for three hard drives giving you 3TB of storage. And, uh, a customizable backlit keyboard with two lighting zones and seven colors.

OK, so prices start at $3,159, it has a 17-inch screen and weighs it 12 pounds. Twelve whole pounds. But, but.. those specs. This is probably the most ridiculous no-holds-barred laptop I've ever seen. Now close your mouth and carry on as before. [Origin]

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HTC Endeavor specs revealed in leaked ROM: Tegra 3, 720p, Sense 4.0 (update: screenshots)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/13/htc-endeavor-specs-revealed/

HTC fans spent the last couple of days (i.e., their weekend) unpicking a leaked ROM Update Utility for an officially non-existent handset called the 'Endeavor.' The specs revealed so far include a 1280 x 720 display spread over 4.7-inches, a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, eight-megapixel rear shooter, front-facing camera, NFC, 1GB RAM and the new ICS-adapted version of HTC's Sense UI. These leaked specs tally with an earlier tip-off to MoDaCo, which further hinted at a 1.5GHz clock speed and Beats Audio. There's also a bunch of screenshots showing off the Sense 4.0 skin that we already glimpsed in a fuzzy HTC Ville video -- and it conspires to look both new and deeply familiar.

Update: Screenshot gallery just added below, via Android Central.

HTC Endeavor specs revealed in leaked ROM: Tegra 3, 720p, Sense 4.0 (update: screenshots) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Central  |  sourceHTCHub (French), XDA Developers  | Email this | Comments

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LG Optimus Vu gets pictured alongside Samsung Galaxy Note, hints at possible stylus

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/13/lg-optimus-vu-gets-pictured-alongside-samsung-galaxy-note-hints/

LG Optimus Vu gets pictured alongside Samsung Galaxy Note

LG's recently leaked five-inch Optimus Vu has been showing of its curious 4:3 proportions again -- this time, alongside its closest rival, Samsung's Galaxy Note. It looks like you're going to get those suit pockets let out a little if you're interested in picking up the Optimus Vu -- it's a fair bit wider than even the Galaxy Note. We also get a real world glimpse at the Vu's hardware, which sports a bevel design similar to that of LG's recent Prada team-up. Unfortunately, there's just the one lonely comparison photo to go on, although an extra screen grab of some note-taking features has also surfaced. Will the LG's big phone / tiny tablet arrive packing a stylus? We'll have to wait until we get our hands on one -- or a more detailed leak. We've included a peek at the note annotation app right after the break.

Continue reading LG Optimus Vu gets pictured alongside Samsung Galaxy Note, hints at possible stylus

LG Optimus Vu gets pictured alongside Samsung Galaxy Note, hints at possible stylus originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AndroidCentral  |  sourceHelloAdam100 (translated), Dicagallery  | Email this | Comments

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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Spray-on antenna revealed: best thing to come in a can since Easy Cheese (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/11/spray-on-antenna-revealed-best-thing-to-come-in-a-can-since-eas/

Ever found yourself without a signal and wished you could just spray one on like magic? Well, maybe soon, you'll be able to do just that. Chamtech Enterprises has developed a spray-on antenna it says is more lightweight and energy-efficient than current technology. Revealed at Google's inaugural Solve for X shindig, the antenna can be "painted" onto almost anything, including trees, walls and fabrics. Chamtech's already talking with government-based customers, and as such can't spill too much detail on how it works, but said it uses organic elements to tinker with magnetic and radio-frequency fields. The start-up's CTO, Rhett Spencer, claims the antenna could increase mobile energy efficiency by 10 percent. It was also found to work particularly well under water, and being organic, we presume, would make it ideal for sub-aquatic telecom infrastructure, and of course, rainy days.

Continue reading Spray-on antenna revealed: best thing to come in a can since Easy Cheese (video)

Spray-on antenna revealed: best thing to come in a can since Easy Cheese (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Wall Street Journal  |  sourceChamtech  | Email this | Comments

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Arris brings Moxi HD DVR sales to an end, plans to cut off guide data after 2013... maybe

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/11/arris-brings-moxi-hd-dvr-sales-to-an-end-plans-to-cut-off-guide/

While Moxi may live on in spirit as a white label multiroom HD DVR for cable companies, parent company Arris announced on its website this week the retail boxes and extenders are no longer being sold. Initially, a note on the company's home page indicated tech support and guide data would come to an end at the end of 2013 as noted by Zatz Not Funny, but references to that have since been removed. Potentially abandoned users on AVS Forum have already started looking for alternative ways to keep the guide data flowing and possibly get help from Arris in prying open the code to do so. We've contacted Arris for more information but haven't received a response yet -- we'll update you when / if we do. In the meantime Digeo's baby is still operational, so owners can enjoy however much time they have left, we'd recommend studying up on the stages of grief so you'll understand how to handle them over the next several months.

[Thanks, Alfred]

Arris brings Moxi HD DVR sales to an end, plans to cut off guide data after 2013... maybe originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMoxi  | Email this | Comments

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LG Miracle appears in real life, we start to believe

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/12/lg-miracle-appears-in-real-life-we-start-to-believe/

LG Miracle appears in real life, we start to believe

LG's smartphone workshop is keeping itself busy. Alongside the manufacturer's attempt to out-Note Samsung, its latest Windows Phone has resurfaced. A kindly mole has offered some better focused (but unfortunately watermarked to heck) shots of LG's first Mango-laced Windows Phone. Skinnier that we expected, we can now make out a front-facing camera, paired up with a rear-facing five-megapixel primary shooter on the back. It's still a prototype, judging by that not-so-subtle "not for sale" etching on the back, but expect the Miracle -- when it does go official -- to match those middleweight credentials leaked so far.

LG Miracle appears in real life, we start to believe originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink WMPoweruser  |  sourceGSMArena  | Email this | Comments

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Force Flyer accelerometer-controlled RC helicopter, we go gloves-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/12/force-flyer-hands-on/

Force Flyer
Being able to wave your hand through the air and control a physical object -- as if by magic -- is everyone's dream. And if you say it's not yours, then you sir or ma'am are a liar. That's why we had to stop at the Regal Elite booth on the floor at Toy Fair. The company was showing off the Force Flyer, an RC helicopter you pilot with an accelerometer-equipped glove. The patented tech, called Glove Force Technology, adds a level of physical interactivity that's more Wii than RC. A small joystick you hold in your palm controls thrust, while tilting and moving your hand through the air gets the chopper to perform acrobatic maneuvers -- or plummet to the ground if you're an Engadget editor. The Regal Elite staff seemed to have pretty good control of the Force Flyer, which gives us hope that our difficulty in keeping the toy airborne was due more to our lack of familiarity and not with the quality of the device. The glove controller on hand was still a prototype (as is much of what's on the floor at Toy Fair), hence the New Balance logo, but the actual internals are around 80 percent complete according to a rep. The smaller, indoor Force Flyer should be hitting the market in late April for $49.95, followed by a larger outdoor version. Check out the gallery below and video after the break for more.

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

Continue reading Force Flyer accelerometer-controlled RC helicopter, we go gloves-on

Force Flyer accelerometer-controlled RC helicopter, we go gloves-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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