susanhalliger: August 2012

Friday, August 31, 2012

Sony’s Whopping 84-Inch 4K TV Will Dominate Your Living Room

The 84-inch XBR-84X900 is the first 4K resolution set from Sony. Image: Sony

If you find your 55″ 1080p TV set is just too small and pixelated, you’ll be thrilled to know the next generation of ridiculously enormous, ultra-high-resolution smart TVs are on the way. Get ready for 4K TV.

On Wednesday, Sony introduced the 84-inch XBR-84X900, a 3840 x 2160 resolution LCD TV. It incorporates a detachable 10-speaker audio system that offers “virtual” 5.1 surround sound. It also features built-in WiFi so you can slurp down video and music from Netflix, Pandora, and around 50 other providers through the Sony Entertainment Network.

The 84-inch display will provide a much more immersive, cinema-like experience for the home. But much to the chagrin of some cinephiles, the set also offers 3-D, which you’ll need to enjoy with the accompanying 3D glasses. Consumers have repeatedly shown that they’re not into popping on a pair of glasses just to attempt to enjoy 3-D at home.

For the unfamiliar, 4K resolution displays boast 8 million pixels and a resolution four times that of full HD. And the number itself can be a little confusing. 720p and 1080p displays are for the number of vertical pixels, but the 4K term refers to the number of horizontal pixels.

Previously the stuff of high-end projectors, 4K has made inroads into televisions as of late. LG introduced its own 4K television set at CES 2012. Other manufacturers like Sharp and Toshiba have released smaller 4K TV sets.

While there’s not that much 4K resolution video out there, Sony has a list of its 4K movie releases online. You can get a taste for the 4K experience with a handful of videos posted on YouTube.

Price and availability for Sony’s XBR-84X900 haven’t yet been announced, but it won’t be cheap. Toshiba’s 55-inch 4K set, announced last December, was priced at nearly $12,000. Sony says the set will ship some time this year.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/08/sonys-84-inch-4k-tv/

MISCROSOFT OFFICE MICROSOFT

Eyes on with the new Samsung Galaxy Note 2 accessories

Galaxy Note 2 Accessories.

So, we've seen the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, we've played with it, what's next? How about a look at the accessories that Samsung has shown off in it's giant booth at IFA 2012 in Berlin to go with the device? Sound good?

As you would expect from Samsung, there are cases. A lot of cases. First up is the protective case, which partners a hard shell rear with a kind of rubberized bumper that will cover the sides and top of the Note 2. These look to be available in the same colors as the device itself, along with a kind of baby pink if you should so desire.

Next we have a selection of pouches which may or may not be leather -- hard to tell from behind glass -- available in a few colors, including brown.

Then comes the huge selection of flip covers. These look pretty much like the Galaxy S 3 flip covers, and pair a hard shell rear with a front cover that flips over and completely encases the device. Purple. pink, orange, white, green, blue, there's a pretty broad spectrum of color choices available.

Additionally, there will be a vehicle dock available, additional S-Pen's and desktop docks and battery chargers to cater for every occasion.

They're some pretty nice looking accessories, and of course we have pictures for you which you'll find after the break.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/9DpQs2i6D0A/story01.htm

F5 NETWORKS EPICOR SOFTWARE

The Gadgeteer’s 15th Birthday Giveaway

You know the old saying “time flies when you’re having fun”? It is so true. I can’t believe that I’ve been doing The Gadgeteer for 15 years. I started this site back in 1997, which seems like the stone age as far as gadgets are concerned. Back in those days, cutting edge meant a Palm Pilot and a 28.8kbps modem. Now we carry smartphones that are a 100 times more powerful than those original PDAs and more than 200 times faster than our old dial up modems. Besides gadgets, The Gadgeteer has seen other changes over the years, from the way the site looks, to the great team of writers and all of you who visit every day. Let’s celebrate with some presents! Full contest details after the jump.

How to enter (please read carefully – any missed steps and your entry will be disqualified):

1. Between now and 09/05/2012 11:59PM EST leave a comment telling us what your favorite gadget has been from the past 15 years.

2. At some point on 09/05/2012, I’ll pick 3 random winners using random.org. The winners will be contacted by email and will have 48 hrs to choose their prize pack. Winner #1 gets first choice, winner #2, gets their choice of remaining prize packs and winner #3 will get the last remaining prize pack. If I do not receive an answers to my emails, I’ll do other random.org drawings till the prize are gone.

Rules:

1. Only one entry per person (warning: I check IP addresses).

2. Gadgeteer writers, family members and close friends may not enter this contest.

3. the-gadgeteer.com is not responsible for any lost packages or incorrect shipping addresses.

4. Failure to follow instructions will result in the entry being disqualified.

I want to give a HUGE thank you to Desk Pets, Ego, Exotac, Goal Zero, Saddleback Leather, Satechi, Scosche, Tom Bihn, TokyoFlash, Urbanears and Waterfield Designs for sponsoring this contest!

Filed in categories: Contests, News

Tagged:

The Gadgeteer’s 15th Birthday Giveaway originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 29, 2012 at 2:04 pm.

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/08/29/the-gadgeteers-15th-birthday-giveaway/

ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS

Droidax Power Pack for the Samsung Galaxy S3

Droidax Power Pack for Samsung Galaxy S3.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 gets a good Mophie-style case/charger combo, with one major concern

Like many a first wife in Texas has said, you can never have too much power. (At least that's what I assume first wives in Texas say. But then again I watch a lot of "Dallas.") To that end, we present the Droidax Power Pack for the Samsung Galaxy S3.

If this idea looks familiar, it should. It's in the same vein as arguably the most important iPhone accessory -- the Mophie Juicepack. This is a dual-function accessory -- it's a case and an external 2300 mAh battery combined, prolonging life in more ways than one.

Piqued your interest yet?

Read on for some more thoughts.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/oZbtUjB1X1E/story01.htm

NII HOLDINGS NIKON

Brenthaven BX2 Camera Backpack: Nice Bag, But Too Baggy [Lightning Review]

Click here to read Brenthaven BX2 Camera Backpack: Nice Bag, But Too Baggy

Every week, it seems, a new bag company is out to court the crowded world of products for camera-wielding creative types. Brenthaven has been making laptop bags and luggage since the 1980s, but the name might not be extremely familiar in the realm of camera gear. We gave its BX2 backpack two weeks to show how well it can haul some gear. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/79cSXZycInQ/brenthaven-bx2-camera-backpack-nice-bag-but-too-baggy

ARROW ELECTRONICS ASML HOLDING

Hammered Hardshell Case for MacBook Air from Incase

My daughter sometimes isn’t as careful as she could be with her computer and gadgets. She’ll need to take her laptop to school this year, and I was looking for something that could offer a bit of protection to her 11″ MacBook Air while it’s riding in her book-filled backpack. I was interested to see the Hammered Hardshell Case for MacBook Air that has just been introduced by Incase. It’s made of durable, injection-molded plastic, and it snaps over the top and bottom of the Air. The surface has a “chased” or hammered look like you would normally see only in metal. It’s available now for both the 11″ Air and the 13″ Air at both Incase and at Apple. Either size costs $49.95. The Hammered Hardshell Case is available at Incase in black right now; clear, Strawberry, and Tropic Blue will soon be available.

Filed in categories: Cases and Covers, Laptops and Gear, News

Tagged: Cases and covers, Macbook Air

Hammered Hardshell Case for MacBook Air from Incase originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 27, 2012 at 10:00 am.

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/08/27/hammered-hardshell-case-for-macbook-air-from-incase/

MICROS SYSTEMS MICRON TECHNOLOGY

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Microsoft trumpets Windows Phone 7 numbers on first birthday

Happy first birthday, Windows Phone 7! One year on, and the fledgling mobile operating system has 36,000 active developers in its AppHub community, 1.5 million downloads of its Developer Tools, and 11,500 apps in its Marketplace.

Microsoft is quick to take a couple shots at competitors' app stores, beating its chest about not re-counting tanslations of an app or "lite" apps, "increasing tonnage" by supporting apps from other mobile platforms, and not listing wallpapers as a category.

That's all fine and dandy, but we spend a lot of time sifting through WP7 app feeds -- and we're still not seeing a lot of awesome apps on the platform. We think a few marquee apps would've made a pretty nice first birthday present -- along with a much smoother update process for WP7 users.

Microsoft trumpets Windows Phone 7 numbers on first birthday originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/microsoft-trumpets-windows-phone-7-numbers-on-first-birthday/

QUALCOMM QUANTA COMPUTER

Hands on with the new TomTom for Android satellite navigation app

Android Central

TomTom for Android has been an awfully long time coming. Having been available on iOS now for a number of years, the global satellite navigation giant has been somewhat tardy in bringing it to Android. But, it's officially official now, we're getting it on Android in October. The biggest question still remains the same though -- why buy this on an OS that comes with a perfectly good satellite navigation system built in for free? We went hands on at IFA 2012 in Berlin to see if maybe we could answer that.

First things first, TomTom is a really nice looking application. The interface is well designed -- and by that we mean it's designed as if this were a stand alone TomTom device. One of the not so great points about Google Maps Navigation is that the in app menus are still designed like a smartphone app. TomTom has some really large, bold icons that make for simple use in the car.

All the necessary information is present too, speed, distance to destination, arrival time as you would expect from an app such as this. Also available is HD traffic, which during the demonstration showed just how bad an idea driving in Berlin in the afternoon can be. Speed camera locations are also available in TomTom -- not that anyone at AC speeds anywhere, ever -- and the locations are community built. For example, if you drive past a location not registered and you come across a mobile speed camera, by tapping the relevant icon you can report this information back for inclusion in the database.

The demo unit also shows the universal TomTom docking system in action. This is perfect for use with an Android smartphone, as it has adjustable arms to suit the differing sizes of devices. It also has a microUSB charging facility so there's still only need to have one device plugged into the cigarette lighter socker.

We're going to have to wait until October though to really get to grips with TomTom for Android. No matter how good it may look on a show floor, real world performance is what matters here. There are definitely features in TomTom which is going to make it justifiable for regular drivers over something like Google Maps Navigation, but price is going to play a big part in that decision.

And as yet, we still don't know that price. TomTom informed us that the pricing information will be announced at launch, but that it will be available in Google Play in markets around the world sometime in October. It does feel like a full on TomTom navigation system though, and with an application available for a smartphone, it makes you wonder how long the stand alone systems will continue to sell. You can find our hands on video after the break.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/TULHCJQdBBo/story01.htm

NCR NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR

Apple’s iBook App is Brilliant

By far one of the best features of Apple’s iPad is it’s ability to access thousands of apps. It does have a great multi-orientation interface too but the fact that these apps have been designed for the iPad only means there is very little chance of finding them on any other device other than the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The applications cover a wide range of categories from entertainment to business with games, education and sports in between. Apple have thought of just about everything imaginable to be run on the iPad which means whatever a user needs, Apple’s engineers have developed an app for it.

One of the nice features is it’s iBook app which is an e-book reader. The screen size is perfect making it easy to read wherever the user happens to be at the time. Readers can adjust the background light to suit them. They can also change text size and fonts which is great because people do have their own personal preferences when it comes to fonts and text size when they are reading.

One of the best features of the iBook app is it’s graphics, the crisp clear screen with it’s high speed memory means that images appear instantly as text is being read. Reading illustrated books and graphic novels on the device is a very nice experience.

Marvel Comics even has its own e-book reader app on the device so these are easily accessible by a downloading them when you want to. Users can enlarge or minimize images by just pinching the multi-touch screen and it is very easy to navigate through the pages of Marvel comic books by simply tapping the thumbnails.

There are so many apps available on the device that users are spoilt for choice and this includes things like the Wall Street Journal as well as the New York Times, both of which created an app that is exclusive to the iPad.

Users can get apps from Apple’s App Store and again there is a special app on the iPad for users to do this easily and quickly. The iBook app comes pre-installed in the device whereas other apps like the Marvel Comic’s app have to be purchased from the App Store. Users can go to Amazon to buy the apps they need too and a. Amazon holds the record for offering the best titles around and have a greater selection than anyone else, this is one place where you’ll find everything you’ll ever need. Users have the option of previewing any books or comics before they commit to buying them which is a great advantage. Ipad owners also have one other advantage and this is to order Marvel Comics in print if they want to.

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/apples-ibook-app-is-brilliant/

VIEWSONIC VERISIGN

LG's 55-inch OLED TV enters the third dimension, we slide on our glasses (hands-on video)

We first saw LG's 55-inch OLED TV at last year's CES, where it drew a fair share of oohs and ahhs at the company's press event. In May, the tentative pricing info for the European market was released, but this set's future in the US remained TBD. Fast forward to IFA 2012, and we're in front of this giant again -- but this time, it's sporting 3D. True, at 55 inches, it's no goliath compared to the 84-inch TVs we've seen this week from Sony, Toshiba and even LG, but the company claims this 55-inch model is the largest OLED HDTV available, and its carbon fiber backing and ultra-thin 4mm profile are certainly the markings of a high-end setup.

During LG's booth tour today, we had a chance to sneak a peek at the now 3D-capable set, which otherwise looks quite similar to the version we saw at CES, albeit with a bit more polish. In order to achieve a 4-millimeter profile, the set packs all of its connectivity in the base module. There's also an Invisible Connection module on order, which hooks up to the TV through a proprietary optical connector and transparent cable, should you wish to mount the display on your wall. Naturally, 3D content wasn't as sharp as its 2D counterpart, but the OLED looked great regardless. With its ultra-thin design, it's surely meant for consumers who care about aesthetics perhaps even more than image quality, but if you can stomach the €9,000 price tag, this is one fine get. Take a closer look in our gallery just below.

Follow all of our IFA 2012 coverage by heading to our event hub!

Gallery: LG 55-inch 3D OLED TV hands-on

Continue reading LG's 55-inch OLED TV enters the third dimension, we slide on our glasses (hands-on video)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Household, HD

LG's 55-inch OLED TV enters the third dimension, we slide on our glasses (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 10:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/30/lgs-55-inch-oled-3d-tv-hands-on/

MENTOR GRAPHICS IMS HEALTH

Windows Phone 8 Will Be Out on October 29th? [Windows Phone]

Click here to read Windows Phone 8 Will Be Out on October 29th?

The big release date for Windows 8 has long been set for October 26th. But what about Windows Phone 8? Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet reports that Windows Phone 8 will be launching a few days after, on October 29th. More »