Ahead of the iPhone media event taking place at 10AM PST, the Apple Store is down for updates. The expectation is that Apple will announce two new phones at the event, a first for the company, dubbed the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C, with both models being available in new colour variations. As always, the Store will return after the event is over, with new pages featuring the newly announced hardware.
As the success stories keep piling up, so do the number of projects filling up crowdfunding websites with, among other things, neat hardware- and software-related products. Some projects, like Pebble, gain thousands of supporters as well as millions of dollars in funding (and end up at Best Buy’s retail stores). Other projects flop and don’t reach their necessary funding amount.
Rather than make you sift through all of these projects, we’re rounding up the best or most notable projects from around the web and delivering them to you in a simple roundup.
If there’s a project that you’ve backed – or even a project that you founded – be sure to leave a link below so it can be considered for the next roundup.
Nova: the slim, wireless flash for better iPhone photos (Kickstarter project) – Just a few weeks ago, we featured the iblazr LED flash, which closed with over $150k in funding. The Nova, on the other hand, is wireless, meaning you have more control over the location and angle of the flash. The project has already met its funding goal, so if all goes well, you’ll see your Nova in February. Expand Expanding Close
Thinkspace, an organization created by sixteen-year-old James Anderson, seeks to “inspire the next generation of app developers” through dedicated coding zones in high schools across the globe. Anderson formally launched Thinkspace this month with campuses in Plymouth and Northern Ireland.
Anderson first came up with the idea for Thinkspace when he became disappointed with the UK educational system’s approach to computer information and related topics. Rather than attempt to change the curriculum, Anderson sought to work around it by creating “Thinkspaces” within schools.
Samsung unveiled several new additions to their consumer electronics family today, less than a week before Apple is expected to announce their next-generation iPhone. Samsung started today’s announcements with the Galaxy Note 3. The new phone includes improved cellular radios, a larger 5.7″ 1080p display, 3 GB of RAM, a 13MP camera, better support for enterprise customers, and general improvements to battery life. The Note 3 is available in both 32 GB and 64 GB models.
For devices with NFC, a simple tap hooks up the camera/lens and makes it ready to share or save files right on the spot:
For added convenience, the app can be activated using NFC one-touch with compatible devices. Once pictures are taken, they are saved directly on both the phone and the camera*, and can be shared instantly via social media or other common mobile applications.
The device will take advantage of the PlayMemories Mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. The device will come with a piece to attach to a phone, however, it is also detachable as seen in the video.
The QX100 and QX10 will be available some time later this month for $500 and $250, respectively.
Microsoft has just announced that they are purchasing Nokia’s devices and services divisions. Nokia has been the main manufacturer of Windows Phone 8 devices, and it looks like Microsoft will be using this acquisition to further merge their software and hardware engineering and design.
This is not a complete takeover, as Nokia will still be its own entity with its own patent portfolio. However, Microsoft will be granted a “10-year license” to Nokia’s patents.
The purchase is expected to close the first quarter of 2014 and will net Nokia EUR 5.44 billion (~$7.1 billion).
Some interesting tidbits from the announcement:
“At closing, approximately 32,000 people are expected to transfer to Microsoft, including 4,700 people in Finland and 18,300 employees directly involved in manufacturing, assembly and packaging of products worldwide.”
“Microsoft is acquiring Nokia’s Smart Devices business unit, including the Lumia brand and products.”
As the success stories keep piling up, so do the number of projects filling up crowdfunding websites with, among other things, neat hardware- and software-related products. Some projects, like Pebble, gain thousands of supporters as well as millions of dollars in funding (and end up at Best Buy’s retail stores). Other projects flop and don’t reach their necessary funding amount.
Rather than make you sift through all of these projects, we’re rounding up the best or most notable projects from around the web and delivering them to you in a simple roundup.
If there’s a project that you’ve backed – or even a project that you founded – be sure to leave a link below so it can be considered for the next roundup.
Qooqi for your cables (Kickstarter project) – All of my cables like to fall off my desk and into oblivion. I’ve tried small, adhesive cord holders in the past, but usually the cords tug on the holder so much that peel off. Qooqi, on the other hand, uses what they call “nano pad tad technology” which sounds a lot like the microsuction of my favorite NanoTek Stand dock.I personally backed this project and it has already exceeded its $10k goal. Expect the Qooqi to ship out in December. Expand Expanding Close
Verizon Wireless and Vodafone have announced that Verizon has acquired Vodafone’s 45% stake in Verizon. This means that Verizon now owns 100% of its Wireless company. The cash and stock deal is worth $130 billion, and the deal is expected to close in Q1 2014.
Verizon says that it feels 100% ownership of Verizon Wireless will make them “better equipped to take advantage of the changing competitive dynamics in the market and capitalize on the continuing evolution of consumer demand for wireless, video and broadband services.”
Both Verizon Wireless and Vodafone carry Apple’s wireless products, like the iPhone and iPad. Perhaps now that Verizon is no longer in a material partnership with Vodafone, this could open up the door to enhanced international roaming capabilities for Verizon-optimized iPhones and iPads.
We’ve previously covered the recent rumors of the 20 Megapixel Sony Wifi ‘smart lens’ which will attach to Android and iOS smartphones and connect to the phone via Wifi. Theoretically, you’ll be able to take much better pictures with the bigger CMOS sensor and Zeiss glass.
But is that black lens going to look good on your new gold iPhone? No, it is not.
Logitech is announcing a line of new super slim, touch enabled Bluetooth mice today that might finally give Mac users a great alternative to Apple’s own multi-touch Magic Mouse. While both mouses feature the same specs and multi-touch enabled surface, Logitech is marketing the black version for Windows Ultrabook users, while the white version has been made specifically for OS X users to match the all-aluminum body of MacBooks.
“Whether it’s a computer, tablet, smartphone or touch-navigation device, people are looking for thin, modern design that works fluidly,” said Charlotte Johs, Logitech global vice president of brand development. “We created the Logitech Ultrathin Touch Mouse to give people an ultraportable mouse that complements today’s MacBook and Ultrabook computers.”
The Logitech Ultrathin Touch Mouse T631 for Mac (as well as the T630 for Ultrabooks) features a brushed metallic body, “feather-light” design at 70g, and comes in at 85 mm x 59mm x 18 mm. It also includes USB charging, Logitech’s Easy-Switch Bluetooth technology for switching between devices, and optimizations for OS X touch gestures. The company says you can expect to get around 1 hour of use from 1 minute of charge time. Logitech clarified that the mouse gets around 10 hours max battery life on a full charge:
the Logitech Ultrathin Touch Mouse is much longer than one hour — it can last up to 10 days on a full charge, based on typical user experiences. It charges very quickly, and just one minute of charge time will give you up to one hour of power.
The Logitech Ultrathin Touch Mouse T631 for Mac in white will be available in the US and Europe in November, while the Ultrathin Touch Mouse T630 in black will be available in both markets starting in next month. Both will sell for $69.99 and are available to preorder now through Logitech’s website starting today.
As the success stories keep piling up, so do the number of projects filling up crowdfunding websites with, among other things, neat hardware- and software-related products. Some projects, like Pebble, gain thousands of supporters as well as millions of dollars in funding (and end up at Best Buy’s retail stores). Other projects flop and don’t reach their necessary funding amount.
Rather than make you sift through all of these projects, we’re rounding up the best or most notable projects from around the web and delivering them to you in a simple roundup.
If there’s a project that you’ve backed – or even a project that you founded – be sure to leave a link below so it can be considered for the next roundup.
eleMount: Premium Car & Camera Mount for iPhone & iPad (Kickstarter project) – These aluminum mounts with polyurethane pads are sleek and versatile. The project exceeded its goal extremely quickly and expects to have these shipped out in December. Expand Expanding Close
Just two short months ago, Nook manufacturer Barnes & Noble was telling the world that it was moving out of the tablet business and focusing on content. Now it appears the company is scrapping that new strategy and going full-speed ahead with their original plans (memories of Netflix’s Qwikster plans are brought to mind).
Although the Nook business has been hurting Barnes & Noble’s bottom line since its inception – and the revenue continues to decline – CNET is reporting that B&N president today stated the company “intends to continue to design and develop cutting-edge Nook black and white and color devices” and one new Nook will be launched before the end of the year.
With the company losing nearly $87 million in the last quarter and lack of CEO (former CEO William Lynch resigned back in June and the company isn’t currently looking for a successor) paints a sad picture for the ailing company.
As the success stories keep piling up, so do the number of projects filling up crowdfunding websites with, among other things, neat hardware- and software-related products. Some projects, like Pebble, gain thousands of supporters as well as millions of dollars in funding (and end up at Best Buy’s retail stores). Other projects flop and don’t reach their necessary funding amount.
Rather than make you sift through all of these projects, we’re rounding up the best or most notable projects from around the web and delivering them to you in a simple roundup.
If there’s a project that you’ve backed – or even a project that you founded – be sure to leave a link below so it can be considered for the next roundup.
Blazar Aluminum Bluetooth Speaker (Kickstarter project) – With a really small footprint and sleek aluminum shell, this is sure to fit in with your Mac’s setup. All of the early bird pledges are taken, but you can grab this device for $124. Expand Expanding Close
U.S. President Barack Obama met with Apple CEO Tim Cook and other technology company executives today to discuss government surveillance, according to a report from Politico. Earlier this week, according to the report, the President and his staff began holding confidential meetings about surveillance tactics and topics such as the recent NSA-related controversies with company executives and other members of pertinent organizations.
Those invited were mostly senior executives, including Cook, Stephenson and Cerf, as well as representatives of groups like the Center for Democracy and Technology and Gigi Sohn, the leader of Public Knowledge, according to three sources familiar with the meeting. Each declined comment for this story.
The report names AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson and former Google Vice President Vint Serf as the other technology community members involved in the meetings. Serf recently was appointed by President Obama to the National Science Board, and Serf is also known as a pioneer of the internet…
comScore has released their June 2013 stats for the US smartphone market showing Apple remaining at the top of the OEM list with 39.9% market share, up from 39.0% in March. The stats pertain to current US mobile subscribers rather than sales or shipments.
Samsung, at #2, grew from 21.7% to 23.7%. HTC, Motorola and LG all lost market share during the period. Expand Expanding Close
As the success stories keep piling up, so do the number of projects filling up crowdfunding websites with, among other things, neat hardware- and software-related products. Some projects, like Pebble, gain thousands of supporters as well as millions of dollars in funding (and end up at Best Buy’s retail stores). Other projects flop and don’t reach their necessary funding amount.
Rather than make you sift through all of these projects, we’re rounding up the best or most notable projects from around the web and delivering them to you in a simple roundup.
If there’s a project that you’ve backed – or even a project that you founded – be sure to leave a link below so it can be considered for the next roundup.
Hot Watch: Smart watch with revolutionary private calls (Kickstarter Project) – This is yet another project that seems to be nearly too good to be true. Using the smart watch, you can raise your hand and answer a phone call that’s amplified by the shape of your hand. In addition, you can send/receive texts and perform many other functions. Expand Expanding Close
Nokia has released a new ad for its Lumia 925 today comparing the device’s camera to the iPhone 5 and simultaneously parodying Apple’s recent “Photos Every Day” TV spot. It’s not surprising that Nokia would choose to focus on the Lumia 925’s camera, as it made a big deal of the device’s 8.7 megapixel camera, dual LED flash, Carl Zeiss lens, and enhanced software camera features when it was unveiled. The dual LED flash is a feature that happens to be rumored for the next-gen iPhone. This also isn’t the first time that Nokia has compared the iPhone 5’s camera to its own smartphones, but it’s certainly the first time it has done a parody of an Apple commercial. Some scenes, like 50 seconds into Nokia’s ad, are taken directly from Apple’s commercial.
DigiTimes is reporting today that Pegatron may be picking up contracts for production of upcoming iMacs with “upstream supply chain players revealing they sent iMac components to Pegatron recently.” Both Pegatron and Apple’s current partner for Mac production, Quanta, aren’t commenting on the rumor, but perhaps Apple could be looking to add additional partners to produce its next round of iMacs after experiencing significant delays following the launch of its latest iMac refresh.
While Quanta produces the majority of Apples Mac lineups, Pegatron is already an Apple manufacturing partner for iOS devices. However, last month the company came under fire when a report from China Labor Watch alleged poor working conditions at several Pegatron facilities in China.
Motorola today launched its new flagship “Moto X” smartphone, the first device Google has launched under the brand after acquiring the company and taking it in a new direction. We already knew a lot about the device leading up to today’s event, but now we have all the details on specs and the many customization options that Motorola is hoping will help differentiate the device. With all the rumors of a next-gen iPhone possibly landing in multiple colors, it will be interesting to see if Google has any success with the Moto X customization strategy– Motorola is providing up to 32 color combinations (2 on the front, and 16 on the back) and around 2000 total customization options through a new online tool called “Moto Maker.” Moto X also includes some pretty respectable hardware for the $199 price point, but that of course puts it in direct competition with the iPhone. Get all the details on the device over on our sister site 9to5Google.com:
In May, the ACSI report, which surveys over 70k US consumers, showed Apple continued its lead for customer satisfaction, but Samsung was quickly closing the gap. The new ACSI report covering only smartphones shows Samsung has since been able to surpass iPhone thanks to strong scores from its Galaxy S III and Note II:
Samsung’s flagship model for 2012, the S III, receives an ACSI benchmark of 84 (on a 0 to 100 scale), beating Apple’s iPhone 5 at 82, the company’s most recent smartphone offering. Another Samsung model, Note II, shares the top of list at 84. Galaxy S4 is not included because the ACSI study was fielded just prior to its launch.
Apple still takes the top spot in many countries, including Samsung’s home territory, and also continues to lead in overall customer satisfaction outside of the smartphone category:
While U.S. customers give Samsung’s smartphones the top scores, Korean consumers prefer Apple. According to the National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI) in South Korea, which uses the same technology as the ACSI, the iPhone 5 has higher customer satisfaction than Galaxy S III… Unlike Apple, which has a smartphone-only lineup, Samsung offers both feature and smartphones. At 76, Samsung continues to lag Apple for overall customer satisfaction. Nevertheless, the company’s 7% gain in 2013 is a clear reflection of the strength of Galaxy S III.
According to data from App Annie’s latest download and revenue report, Google Play for the first time surpassed the App Store in app downloads during the second quarter of 2013. While Google was able to move past Apple with about 10 percent more downloads during the three month period, the report notes the App Store brought in nearly 2.3x the amount of revenue.
App Annie says that Google Play’s growth was driven by emerging markets including Brazil, India, and Russia, and while the App Store still leads by revenue, Google Play closed the gap slightly compared to last quarter and years past.
Google Play saw Brazil climb two spots to join India and Russia as another emerging market in the top 5 countries by downloads for Q2 2013…The United States, Japan and United Kingdom remained the leaders in the iOS App Store when looking at revenue generation, and Australia climbed to #4 after a strong Q2. iOS App Store revenue was driven primarily by the United States and Japan, which combined to account for about half of the total iOS App Store revenue in Q2.
App Annie’s report also includes its Games Index tracking mobile games on iOS and Android, which now account for around 40 percent of all downloads on both platforms. During Q2, Gameloft’s Despicable Me: Minion Rush grabbed the top spot for most downloaded iOS game, while publisher Tiny Piece took the honour on Google Play.
As for non-gaming apps, Vine increased by three positions to become the most downloaded app during the quarter on iOS, followed closely by YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram. Expand Expanding Close
As the success stories keep piling up, so do the number of projects filling up crowdfunding websites with, among other things, neat hardware- and software-related products. Some projects, like Pebble, gain thousands of supporters as well as millions of dollars in funding (and end up at Best Buy’s retail stores). Other projects flop and don’t reach their necessary funding amount.
Rather than make you sift through all of these projects, we’re rounding up the best or most notable projects from around the web and delivering them to you in a simple roundup.
Plug, local personal cloud-creating device (Kickstarter project) – Connect a hard drive to Plug and all of your devices can sync and share files with those files. In short, Plug is a local Dropbox that you can control.
Ashton Kutcher, the star of the upcoming jOBSbiopic, a film about the late Steve Jobs and his life before the launch of the iPod, sat down with The Verge’s Joshua Topolsky to talk about all things tech. In their 20 minute conversation, the two talk about Kutcher’s physical and intellectual investment in technology and tech culture.
Topolsky starts off the interview asking Kutcher about how his interest in tech originated, to which Kutcher admits that he was tasked with programing Fortran in college, but wasn’t even sure how to use his email. Kutcher was then inspired by a comment from his professor who said to Kutcher, “scientists discover problems, engineers solve them.” From there, Kutcher wanted to “grow up to be someone that solved problems.”
Topolsky also asked Kutcher about both his positive and almost infamously negative experiences with Twitter. Topolsky recalls when Kutcher was one of the most popular celebrities on Twitter or, as he puts it, ‘the Twitter evangelist.’ Kutcher explains that while he used to post things a bit more freely than he does now, he’s still big on the network and enjoys some (but markedly less) conversations that happen on Twitter.
Perhaps even more interesting, however, is Kutcher’s thoughts on how people are now more willing to retweet things now that Twitter has made it easier to do so. He says, “You used to type ‘RT’ and then whatever the thing is [tweet], which actually had friction in it. You had to copy and paste something, put in ‘RT’ and then repost it. And the friction that existed there caused people only to retweet things that had enough value that they were willing to put the work into doing the syntax to actually retweet it.” It’s a fascinating observation and perhaps entirely true for a great extent of Twitter’s users.
Topolsky wraps up the conversation by asking Kutcher about his preparation for the role of Steve Jobs in the upcoming biopic. Topolsky says “it’s kind of an egotistical move to say ‘I’m going to play Steve Jobs in a movie,” but Kutcher says it was never about being Steve Jobs, but rather more about portraying his character.
Kutcher then goes into detail about the whole preparation process which included creating a 14 hour SoundCloud file with various Steve Jobs presentations, learning to think about Steve’s motives to perform certain actions throughout his life, and lastly practicing Steve’s unique look, walk, and voice.
You can watch the full video by The Verge up above. jOBS hits theaters August 11th.
App developers may soon be asked to tell us what data they collect and how it is used under a set of government proposals released today (via TNW).
The US government’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration today issued its first draft of what will be a mobile apps code of conduct intended to better protect consumers and their privacy. If made final, policy states that publishers must provide consumers with “short-form” notices in multiple languages informing them of how their data is being used […]
Just so that there’s no doubt about what “data” means, the government entity specifically says it includes biometrics, browser history, phone or text log, contacts, financial info, health, medical, or therapy info, location, and user files …
There is doubt, however, about how effective the proposals might prove … Expand Expanding Close
