It seems like ages since Google and HTC first kicked off the Nexus experiment (it was 2010, but who’s counting?). Now here we are, over two years later, and we’re on our fourth Nexus smartphone. There’s no question that the hardware has gotten progressively better, but these past few months have also seen some notable changes in the Nexus brand itself.
With devices like the Nexus 7 picking… → Read More
This week, Google announced a new lineup of devices that would be running its Android OS, Jelly Bean version 4.2. Those new devices are a phone and a new 10-inch tablet, called the Nexus 10. I’ve had a chance to play with both devices, specifically the Nexus 10, and I actually surprised myself with how the device has fit into my daily routine. → Read More
The iPad mini officially went on sale today, and the response at physical retail stores has been mixed. Some areas are seeing decent-sized lines, according to Reuters this morning, including Tokyo and Seoul Apple Stores with crowds of 100 or more, but overall, the news organization notes that crowds are smaller than they have been in the past for other launches. → Read More
Apple has pulled down a legal statement posted on its website after it lost an appeal in a U.K. court against a ruling that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablets do not infringe the design of the iPad. It had been ordered to acknowledge the ruling in a public post. However yesterday, at another court hearing, Apple was criticized for adding erroneous information to the statement and ordered to remove it. → Read More
Turns out there are an awful lot of phablet fans out there. More than three million, in fact, have lined up to cram Samsung’s latest smartphone-cum-tablet, the Galaxy Note II, in their oversized pockets. It took 37 days for the device to pass three million sales. The Korean mobile maker confirmed these figures to AP. → Read More
As a scientist practicing actual, bona fide science, I have often found myself in need of immediate g-force readings or barometric pressure analyses for my scientific problems. Whereas before I had to use my sextant and trident and thermowhozzit, I can instead use the Node. → Read More
The story sounded far-fetched: OLPC researchers, working with a team of technicians in Ethiopia, created a special “hut” covered in solar panels where the children of a few distant towns could go to recharge some toys they were given. The toys were boxed Motorola Xoom tablets and every child between the age of four and eight got one. The researchers were expecting the children to play with the… → Read More
The U.S. Government will now be looking into solutions for provisioning iOS and Android devices in addition to those featuring RIM’s BlackBerry OS, according to a new report from Reuters. That means RIM will no longer have the exclusive contract for smartphone devices at the U.S. Defense Department, though it will remain another option. → Read More
While I’m loath to point to certified Apple nerds like Marco Arment and Gruber in regards to Windows Surface (in this case the RT edition) I think it’s important that we all take a step back and assess what really happened: Microsoft rushed to market with a product that was, at best, shoddy. → Read More
Another Internet of Things-related development today: Neul has cemented some high profile industry support for Weightless, its would-be global, open, royalty-free standard for M2M comms which utilizes TV white space frequencies to allow machines to talk to each other — with the formation today of a special interest group (SIG) that aims to accelerate the adoption of Weightless. → Read More
This is clever. Instead of joining the fray with just another small, wireless speaker, JBL made the Soundfly, which is a small, wireless speaker that supports itself from an electrical plug. Talk about plug and play, amirite. → Read More
A UK Court of Appeal has ordered Apple to remove a statement on its website following a court ruling in which Apple lost an appeal against a ruling that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablets do not infringe the design of the iPad. The judges have now criticized Apple for posting “incorrect” and “untrue” information, and ordered Cupertino to replace the statement within 24 hours. → Read More
Apple’s iPad mini got the teardown treatment this morning, one day ahead of its official launch in stores. The diminutive tablet gave up its secrets to iFixit’s expert disassembly staff, revealing its complex inner workings to the camera. A lot of the parts are familiar, coming from either the iPhone 5 or MacBook Air, and Samsung makes a somewhat surprising appearance as an LCD panel supplier. → Read More
If you have a notebook Mac and you use it both in an office and on the road, you probably know by now that having it at a comfortable viewing angle when in the office is key to the long-term health of your spine and posture. There are many stands out there to help you get those MacBooks up off the desk, but a new one from Twelve South seems to offer a much more flexible solution compared to most… → Read More
Facepalm.
Rovio just released a new gameplay trailer of the upcoming Angry Birds Star Wars mashup. As shown in the first trailer, the playable characters each feature unique abilities. R2-D2 has a tractor beam and C-3PO falls apart — just like the Star Wars brand is falling apart! → Read More
An Apple patent application spotted Thursday by AppleInsider shows a system for detecting unusual motion via a portable gadget’s accelerometer which would sound an alarm, making said device harder to steal. The system is a simple one, without the kind of sophisticated face detection we saw in a previous application, but it could be much more effective for curbing thefts at the moment they occur. → Read More
Move over, software: the London and Cambridge, U.K.-based accelerator, Springboard, is launching a dedicated program for hardware startups, focusing on the Internet of Things. The new three-month accelerator bootcamp — called Springboard Internet of Things — is backed by program partners ARM, Unilever, Neul and Raspberry Pi. → Read More
If you know me, you know two things about me: I love watches and I smell, faintly, of ferret. That’s why I’d like to share my excitement at this review of the new Seiko SRP313K1 “Orange Monster,” one of the nicest and least expensive automatic diving watches you can buy. → Read More
The iPad mini seems downright hungry, and it has a taste not just for other small tablets, but for its larger brethren, the iPad with Retina Display. Some analysts are saying as much, with expectations of the iPad mini’s cannibalization effect on existing iPad sales ranging from around 10 to 20 percent. But one suggests that it could be more like 50 percent, based on numbers Apple revealed. → Read More
Tiggly is a toy for kids who might be past the “teethe on your iPad” and just below the “I want to play the birds game” stages of mental development. Designed by a parent, Steve Miller of Cambridge, MA, the system includes three little shapes and a set of apps that allow kids to interact with shapes, colors, and animals on the screen. → Read More
Samsung and Google recently introduced the simply named Chromebook, a $249 computer with an 11.6-inch screen and around 6.5 hours of battery life in a slim and svelte 2.5 lb, 0.8-inch thick shell. It’s a barebones approach to the concept of a Chrome OS notebook, and it’s probably what Google should have done with this type of hardware from the very beginning. But does that mean it’s good? → Read More
Apple announced Fusion Drive along with its new Macs and iPads last week, and while it may have seemed like a hardware option only available from Apple itself, it’s actually more about how OS X handles storage, startup and other software operations. Which means, as Mac developer Patrick Stein has proven, you can create your own Fusion drive at home with Terminal and existing hardware. → Read More
Cyril Ebersweiler has launched one of the coolest incubators I’ve seen in a while. Based in Dalian, China, the incubator has already run one group through the ringer, and now they’re looking for hardware hackers to join them in their second round. This time, however, they’re doing it up nice. → Read More
Researchers from the Korean Institute of Science and Technology’s Center for Intelligent Robotics (CIR) have been working on a robot named CIROS to help around the house. Earlier versions were fairly life-like but this third-generation model, able to cut cucumbers and pour salad dressing, is positively Julia-Child-like. → Read More
You’re supposed to toss your toothbrush in the trash and get a new one every three months? Do you?
Either you do, and you waste a lot of plastic and bristle to keep your mouth clean, or you don’t, and your mouth simply isn’t clean. But Oliver Haas and Jake Felser in Boston are disrupting the tooth cleaning landscape with the ReBrush. → Read More
Apple added the Nike+ FuelBand to its online store this morning, with two new colors and availability not only in the U.S., but in the U.K. and Canada, too. In addition to Apple Store shelves, the FuelBand will also be available via Nike’s online and physical retail stores in those countries in the new colors. That’s a first for Canadians. → Read More
Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed December as the launch timeframe for iPhone 5 in China on the investor call last week, and now the smartphone is one step closer to launch; AllThingsD notes that it has received approval from China’s State Radio Management organization, meaning only a network access license remains to be granted before it can be legally sold in the country. → Read More
Asus CFO told The Wall Street Journal late Tuesday that the Nexus 7, Google’s well-received, affordable 7-inch Android tablet was nearing 1 million in sales per month. Chang noted that unit sales rose from roughly 500,000 around the time of its introduction in June/July, and rose steadily after that. It’s a solid look at what the iPad mini will be competing with when it goes on sale this Friday. → Read More
Boxee has grown up. It was just a few short years ago that the NYC startup was simply hawking beta copies of its innovative media center software. Then came the D-Link-made Boxee Box, which sold in limited numbers through Best Buy and several online retailers. But now, with the Boxee TV, the startup has pulled off something special (or devilish depending on your view of the retailer) and managed… → Read More
Microsoft is sounding very bullish about the Sisyphean challenge facing it in the smartphone space: to transform Windows Phone from an also-ran into a serious, top-three smartphone contender — pointing to lessons learned from the Xbox launch on how to be an underdog and still end up as market leader. It also reckons it has “a huge catalyst” for selling Windows Phones — in the form of Windows 8. → Read More
The 6th Annual Crunchies Awards
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