Tech Freaks

Apple has just revealed its 6th generation iPod nano, which has been outfitted with just about the boldest redesign the portable media player has experienced yet. Gone is the clickwheel, to be replaced with a touchscreen interface and a shuffle-esque square form factor. It's now 46 percent smaller and 42 percent lighter. Hard volume buttons on the side and a clip on the back provide the minimal hardware accouterments to that multitouch touchscreen, while the inside provides enough juice for 24 hours of audio playback. Seven total color variants will be up for grabs, including a Product RED option, with prices set at ₹ 10700 for 8GB of storage or ₹ 12700 for 16GB and pre-orders being taken today.

P.S. -- If you were looking for that awesome camera the nano used to have, stop. It ain't there anymore. We've also noted that there's no video playback to be found anymore, either

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If you consider where Android was when it started versus how far it's advanced in 18 months with Android 2.2, you might get brain freeze.

Android 2.2—aka Froyo—is the most usable, polished iteration of Android yet. But more importantly, it's the first release that makes Android truly compelling for a broad consumer audience. Froyo's updates aren't that radical, but serious under-the-hood improvements and refinements throughout make it tangibly more pleasing to use.

Need for Speed
Without getting overly technical, Android executes its apps in a layer above its core Linux OS in a virtual machine called Dalvik. One of the major under-the-hood changes in 2.2 is a just-in-time compiler for Dalvik, which—here come the chocolate sprinkles—results in a 2x–5x performance boost for CPU-heavy code. That means faster apps—faster everything. (Google demoed it last week with the game Replica Island, which kept a higher framerate while doing more stuff in 2.2 compared to its performance on Android 2.1)

In everyday use, the new compiler combined with Android's efficient memory management means that pretty much everything you do, in both the general OS as well as apps, feels more responsive. The speed increase itself isn't staggering in and of itself, but the subconscious effects of a smoother, less draggy experience are real. The slowdowns and stutters I've come to just expect from Android (even with beefier processors) are mostly gone. And after a year-and-a-half of dealing with them, it's kind of remarkable to no longer rage at Android's persistent lagging.

According to Google, this speed boost incongruously comes with slightly better battery life. But any power improvements haven't been dramatic enough for us to notice during tests on the Nexus One.

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A rounded, plasticky take on the iPad. That's how Nvidia's latest Android tablet prototype struck me. It's pretty nice. But not as nice as the inside.





Inside this 8.9-inch tablet, you see, is Nvidia's Tegra 2, the heart of which is a dual core ARM Cortex A9—a chip that's a generation ahead of the silicon the iPad's A4 is based on—meaning this thing will zooooom. It's also got a gig of RAM (the iPad's biggest technical limitation now is its puny amount of RAM), two USB ports, and a front-facing camera.

Given that both of the units we handled were running just one app each—pretty snazzy looking games—it's hard to tell what it'll be like to use generally, like with the front-facing camera and how the widescreen aspect ratio feels outside of a game, but the games did feel and look great, as you'd expect from the kind of horsepower inside. I wish the screen, which is capacitive for multitouchness, wasn't quite as glossy as the iPad though.

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I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me for a moment. I'm quite in demand as you can see by all these message notifications on my iPhone. Obviously things like this can't be faked and my Settings app really needs me.

OK, so maybe I used an app called iNotifyYou to fake all those notifications just to make all of you jealous. It's just tough to resist this cute app which lets you alter the notification numbers for any app on your home screen—or to just plain clear them all at once.

Pretty useful for those times when some notifications just refuse to go away and it's got potential for some humor. iNotifyYou will cost you two bucks and is available in the iTunes store now.

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs next to him: An iPad-like device being used alongside an iPhone-like device. Then watch Jobs saying that, actually, the future was the PC.

First, Bill Gates' idea of the future of computing:

I don't think you'll have one device. I think you'll have a full-screen device that you can carry around and you'll do dramatically more reading off of that... yeah, I mean, I believe in the tablet form factor [...] You'll have some way of having a hardware keyboard and some settings for that. And then you'll have the device that fits in your pocket, which the whole notion of how much function should you combine in there, you know, there's navigation computers, there's media, there's phone.
Nowadays, Steve Jobs agrees with this vision. He thinks that the iPad is the future and the traditional PC is dying. Like he told Ryan Tate: "The times are a changin', and some traditional PC folks feel like their world is slipping away."

Back in 2007, however, he believed otherwise:

It will be the PC, maybe used a little more tightly coupled with some back-end Internet services and some things like that. And, of course, PCs are going mobile in an ever greater degree. So I think the PC is going to continue. This general purpose device is going to continue to be with us and morph with us, whether it's a tablet or a notebook or, you know, a big curved desktop that you have at your house or whatever it might be. So I think that'll be something that most people have, at least in this society. In others, maybe not, but certainly in this one. But then there's an explosion that's starting to happen in what you call post-PC devices, right? You can call the iPod one of them. There's a lot of things that are not. … I think there's just a category of devices that aren't as general purpose, that are really more focused on specific functions, whether they're phones or iPods or Zunes or what have you. And I think that category of devices is going to continue to be very innovative and we're going to see lots of them.
In a way, you can argue that the iPad and the iPhone are personal computers. PCs evolved into different form factors, with different UI paradigms. But that's not what Steve Jobs meant back then. To the question about what device will be the future of computing, Jobs clearly answers "it will be the PC, maybe used a little more tightly coupled with some back-end Internet services and some things like that." It's not surprising. Back then, he was always repeating the same message: The PC as the digital hub, the center of our digital lives, with specialized devices like the iPod orbiting around it. That was Apple's marketing message at the time.

Only a few months later, the iPhone changed that vision. And the iPhone or the iPad are anything but specialized devices around the PC. They have a life on their own. They are general purpose computing devices in a phone and tablet format. Jobs later pointed this out:

We're getting to the point where everything's a computer in a different form factor. So what, right? So what if it's built with a computer inside it? It doesn't matter. It's, what is it? How do you use it? You know, how does the consumer approach it? And so who cares what's inside it anymore
That's true. But it's funny to see that, back then, Bill Gates was the one truly believing in a future beyond the PC, while Jobs was still playing the "PC as the digital hub" tune. I wonder if the latter ever anticipated the iPhone effect. If only I had a time machine. I could go back to 2007 and send him an email asking him about it.

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On the 107th day, Stuart Hughes revealed the solid gold iPad. With 53 diamonds set in the Apple logo, and the casing crafted from 22ct gold, 10 lucky people can snap one up—for $189,000(Rs.85 Lakhs approx).

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Today HTC filed a complaint against Apple with the United States International Trade Commission. According to HTC, Apple has infringed five HTC patents and its law department insists on halting the importation and sales of the iPhone, iPod and iPad in the USA.
As usual halting the sales on a top product(s) is a standard request in these cases. It's interesting that HTC hasn't filed a lawsuit on that matter yet, it's just that complaint to the Trade Commission.
According to Gizmodo the five related patents are:
-two for power management
-two concerning personalized phone dialers
-one over a phone dialer with easy memory access
As you may have heard, Apple is already suing HTC on patent matters. HTC have responded they are ready to meet in court. No matter who wins this, it won't be easy and surely it will take a while.

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This is a bit of a confusing one, but we just got tipped an additional shot of this 4th generation iPhone that leaked out in Vietnam, but this time with a big twist: it appears to be running iPhone OS 4. Or at least displaying a screenshot of the new OS, with that telltale wallpaper in the background. We have no idea how this crew might've circumvented Apple's lockdown of the device, and there's always the chance this is some sort of Photoshop or other trickery. Still, a source has confirmed to us that the markings "N90 PRO2" indicate an older prototype N90 (the Apple codename for the new iPhone), which refers to "Working Prototype 2" and might possibly be easier to enable than the newer, lock tight model Gizmodo obtained. Also, despite the photo's out-of-focus nature, the display (or at least its contents) doesn't appear nearly as sharp as those previous shots we saw of the "fireball" screen. We're digging for more info as we speak, but unfortunately the original source site, Taoviet, is down right now. We'll keep you posted if we hear anything else about this image's origins.

Update: The source link is loading for us sporadically. The translated text above the shot reads: "Iphone 4G VN is distributed by the network not it? Maybe not then, we'll be the first use:" It's all so clear now!!

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AMD's officially closing the gap. With the help of a slew of major manufacturers, they're putting their processors in nearly three times more notebooks than last year, expanding their Vision branding to desktops, and ramping up performance across the board.

To be clear, Intel's still the big dog here. But they've been showing some cracks lately; AMD's consistently beaten them on price, and Intel's ongoing spat with Nvidia over graphics has led even Apple to test AMD chipsets in their lab. So now's a terrific time for AMD to plant a flag.

That's essentially just what they're doing. This year you'll see AMD in 109 mainstream notebooks, 26 ultrathin notebooks, and more desktops than ever.

In terms of performance, the 2010 AMD ultralight notebook platform (featuring the 23w Turion II Neo dual core, Athlon II Neo dual core, and Athlon II Neo processors) can get up to eight hours of battery life and will support DDR3 memory, DirectX 10.1 and are compatible with ATI Radeon HD 5400 or Radeon 4200 integrated graphics. Mainstream note book processors (Athlon II dual-core, Turion II dual-core, Phenom II dual-core, and Phenom II triple- and quad-core) support Blu-ray playback, up to DirectX 11 graphics, and a reported 60% improvement in hard drive performance over competitors.

Intel's still going to get you better battery life, and by most any metric will still outperform comparable AMD processors. But if you're someone who doesn't mind an application opening a half-second slower—although around here, chances are you do—you can save yourself a decent chunk of cash going AMD. And in exchange, you'll be giving up less than ever.

PC Manufacturers Triple the Number of Platforms that Feature VISION
Technology from AMD
AMD Refreshes Notebook Platforms and Introduces VISION Technology for Desktop
PCs
Thirty Percent More Ultrathin Notebooks and 109 New Mainstream Notebooks Based
on VISION Technology Scheduled to Arrive in Time for Back-to-School Buyers2
CANNES, France - May 12, 2010 -
From the Cannes Film Festival AMD (NYSE:
AMD) today announced a complete refresh of its desktop and notebook platforms
based on VISION Technology for consumer and commercial customers. Ahead of
the biggest buying cycle of the year, the new notebook platforms offer up to eight
hours of battery life while delivering an outstanding visual experience at a great
price for the mainstream and ultrathin markets.
―With VISION Technology from AMD, we are finally connecting how people use
their PCs with the way people purchase them,‖ said Nigel Dessau, senior vice
president and chief marketing officer of AMD. ―Today, after little more than 200
days in market, our partners are introducing more VISION-based PCs than ever
before; a testament to both the competitiveness of AMD platform technology and
the simplified marketing approach.
Introduced in October 2009, VISION Technology from AMD simplifies the PC
buying process at the point of sale by focusing on how consumers use PCs, rather
than relying upon the confusing ―speeds and feeds‖ technical specifications that
many people find difficult to understand. VISION also denotes the powerful visual
experience AMD systems enable; an important feature as more consumers use their
computers as entertainment hubs for sharing photos, music and videos with friends
and family, watching TV and HD videos, and playing games.
AMD 2010 Mainstream and Ultrathin Notebook Platforms
In 2009, 96 million people worldwide bought PCs for entertainment purposes.4
The AMD 2010 Mainstream Notebook Platform lets consumers enjoy their movies,
music and games in stunning color and clarity, seamlessly connect with friends on
social networks, and edit videos and photos. The 2010 Ultrathin Notebook Platform
makes it possible for consumers to enjoy a full-featured PC experience, including
HD playback, in sleek and affordable notebooks that can deliver up to eight hours of
battery life. Examples of the benefits the platforms provide to consumers include
the following:
In testing with HQV 2.0, a VISION-based system with AMD integrated
graphics achieved a video experience score almost 2x that of a
comparable Intel-based system. Additionally, a VISION-based system
with AMD discrete graphics scored 50% better than a comparable Intel-
5
based system with Nvidia discrete graphics.
Enjoy photos with greater color, clarity and definition by cleaning up
photos up to 20 percent faster with Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 than
competing mainstream notebooks.6
Transfer entertainment fast and convert DVDs to play on game consoles
in up to 37 percent less time than a comparable competitive mainstream
notebook.7
Experience up to 80 percent smoother gaming performance in Call of
Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™, compared to a comparable competitive
mainstream system.8
AMD 2010 Desktop Platform
AMD's new mainstream and enthusiast desktop platforms are designed to
deliver superior performance while alleviating unnecessary spending associated
with competing platforms. The new platforms are enhanced with the latest graphics
technology for stunning HD digital media and immersive 3D entertainment, and
multi-core performance for seamless multi-tasking, including the new six-core AMD
Phenom™ II X6 processor. Examples of the benefits the platforms provide to
consumers include the following:
Share movies with friends 30 percent faster than with comparable
competing PCs.9
Organize digital libraries 40 percent faster, using facial recognition to
categorize photos, than competing desktop PCs.10
Build a complete AMD-based system featuring the AMD Phenom™ II X6
processor with all the necessary components and monitor for less than
the price of our competition's only six-core desktop processor.11
Systems featuring these notebook and desktop platforms with VISION
Technology from AMD will be available beginning today and through the end of the
year from original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and System Integrators
including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI and Toshiba.

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With all the different sizes and shapes of monitors these days, it's sometimes difficult to find wallpaper that perfectly matches your desktop resolution, but weblog Digital Inspiration points out that Bing's image search makes it really simple.

While you can manually search for images with a specific resolution using the same imagesize parameter that you can use in Google, Bing's image search can filter by your desktop resolution in a single click—just perform a search, and then choose Size -> Wallpaper from the filtering options on the left menu to filter your search by your current resolution. One of the other benefits of using Bing to find wallpaper is the never-ending "river" of images, so you can just keep scrolling down and it will load in more results.

The Digital Inspiration article also talks about how you can use the same tip to find perfect-sized wallpaper for your iPad, iPhone, or other mobile device, by accessing the desktop version of Bing instead of the mobile one

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The new chips are designed specifically for usage in ultra-thin and portable laptops – the niche between the standard laptops and the netbooks. They use 32-nanometer manufacturing process and pack just one core but are capable of handling two threads.
As usual for the i3 and i5 product family the new chips will have integrated graphic core. This combined with the more capable CPU, RAM and the bigger screen should allow the manufacturing of ultra-thin laptop with more power than a standard netbook in an equally compact shell.
The latest low-voltage i3 and i5 processor will be less-powerful than their standard siblings ($133-$292), which means they will cost less. The launch is scheduled for Q2 of this year.

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So, you've heard about jailbreaking, and it sounds intriguing. And dangerous. (But mostly just intriguing.) Here's how to hack your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad—yes, iPad—into an unrestricted, freshly empowered mega-machine.

Jailbreaking: The What and the Why
In buying an iProduct, you're accepting that its fate will be dictated by Apple. They control what kind of apps you install on your device, which of the hardware functions you can exploit to their full potential, and which carrier you can use your iPhone with. They've loosened up on at least one of those fronts in the last year or so, expanding the types of apps available in the App Store, but many—screw that, most—of the same restrictions still apply. Want to install an app that Apple hasn't explicitly approved? Sorry. Want to use an app over 3G that's been designated for Wi-Fi? Nope. Want to tether your phone? Run applications in the background? Change your device theme? Install system-wide gestures? No. Such. Luck.

Enter jailbreaking. In technical terms, to jailbreak is to enable a device to run code, meaning programs or system modifications, that hasn't been sanctioned by Apple. Its roots reach back to a time when there were no apps for iPhone OS, and a clever group of hackers zeroed in on some exploits gave people their first way to install apps on their devices, by way of an underground App Store called Installer. It used to be that you could hack your device simply by visiting a webpage. That was two years ago. Since then, the iPhone and iPod Touch have been given a legit App Store, Apple has closed one security hole after another, and jailbreaking has become alternately more and less difficult, depending which device and software version you have.

But just last week, a Windows and Mac tool called Spirit was released to the world. It's simple, relatively safe, and finally, works on all devices. Every iPod Touch can now be jailbroken to run custom apps. Every iPhone, too. Even the brand new iPad can be hacked. Theming, data tethering, multitasking, console emulation, secret settings, and yes, you filthy thief, even pirated apps: With jailbreak, your iThing is truly yours.

Here's how to jailbreak (or in the case of phones, unlocked) any iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad, using the new Spirit tool. But first, a disclaimer:

When you jailbreak or unlock a device, you're chaining some fundamental aspects of the system software—you know, real low-level stuff. The tools are generally good, and if you follow directions carefully, you should be fine. But if something goes wrong—and there is more than one way this can happen—you can suffer data loss, or even brick your phone. Even worse, Apple claims that jailbreaking voids your warranty. You can restore your device to remove evidence that it ever happened, but if the device goes down while jailbroken, you could well be stuck. In addition, jailbreaking does not jibe with the DMCA, and breaks relate license agreements.

To the point: Follow this guide at your own peril, know that there's risk and be careful. Consult elsewhere if you're nervous, or worry that I've missed something.

How To Jailbreak
The Spirit tool has made the jailbreak fairly simple, but there's still room for error. Step by step:

What You Need:
• Spirit Jailbreak Tool (Windows and Mac)
• iTunes 9.x (Latest confirmed working version: 9.1.1)
• iPod cable
• An iPod, iPhone or iPod Touch that a.) Isn't currently jailbroken (obvious, but just in case), b.) is working, i.e. not stuck in a startup loop, or displaying that "Connect to iTunes" screen and c.) is running a device software version 3.1.3 or lower (or in the case of the iPad, version 3.2)

1. Plug your device in, so that it's recognized by iTunes
2. Back up your device to your iTunes library, and sync it. Having the backup handy will allow to you restore your settings in case you need to wipe your device later; syncing everything—including photos, which some users report losing during the jailbreak process—ensures that all the media on your device will remain untouched, or at least restorable.
3. Open the Spirit Jailbreak tool. It will open in a small window, and should display a message like "iPad (3.2) Connected." If not, disconnect and reconnect your device, and open the tool again.
4. Click "Jailbreak"
5. During the jailbreak routine, don't interfere with the device. It's probably better to leave your computer alone as well, to avoid a crash at a critical moment. First, you should see a screen on the device that says "Restore Complete." The device will restart, display a spinning pinwheel icon, and open up a colorful screen like this, with a progress bar:

Spirit should be done doing its thing in under 30 seconds. Your device should then boot up to your homescreen, as it was before—same background, same apps, same settings. Now you're jailbroken. But there's one more thing:

6. When you restart your device, you'll see a new icon on your homescreen, called Cydia. Open it up. This is your new App Store. Don't worry, the regular App Store still works. Now you've just got another one.

Cydia will look a bit different on the iPad and iPhone or iPod Touch, but will contain most of the same software.

The first thing you need to do, though, is click the button that says, "Make my life easier, thanks!"

This will back up your device activation profile (called an SHSH blob) to remote servers, which ensures that you won't lose the ability to jailbreak if you accidentally upgrade your device device software in the future. More on that later.

Regarding Unlocking

Traditionally, unlocking (opening your phone to use with different carriers) and jailbreaking have fallen to the same tools. Since unlocking has become more difficult with later firmwares, the tools have grown apart. Spirit doesn't unlock. If you want to unlock, though, there may be hope.

If you haven't upgraded your iPhone to firmware 3.1.3, or can downgrade to an earlier build, you can use the Pwnage Tool, located here. The process is self-guided and quite similar to using Spirit. Unlocking is a comparatively narrow concern, and can get much more complicated, so I'll leave it at that. More info here.

Anyway, that's it! It's time to explore Cydia.

What to Download
Now that you're jailbroken, it's time to start downloading apps. Here are a handful of must-tries to get you started:

• Backgrounder: Lets you run apps in the background, full stop. Perhaps my top reason to jailbreak, period. The latest version lets you set apps to run in the background with a huge variety of gestures.

• Activator: Speaking of gestures, this provides a framework for all kinds of gestures across jailbroken apps. (iPad and iPhone)

• Kirikae: A task switcher to be used with Backgrounder. (Think alt+tab) (iPhone)

• SBSettings: This opens up a whole slew of settings, accessible at any time via a pop-down system tray. Adjust brightness, toggle Wi-Fi, whatever. (iPad and iPhone)

• Cycorder: Lets you take full-motion video with your pre-3GS iPhone. (iPhone)

• MyWy: Lets you share your 3G connection with other devices over Wi-Fi. It's paid software, but a trial is available. (iPhone and iPad 3G)

• Winterboard: Lets you change themes, and install a lot of interesting modifications to your device's homescreen, including folders, different icon arrangements, widgets and more.

• iRealSMS: Lets you send text messages without opening the SMS app. (iPhone)

• VoIPOver3G: Tricks apps into thinking they're connected over Wi-Fi, even if they're connected to 3G. (iPhone, iPad 3G)

• Intelliscreen: Puts all kinds of useful information on your lock screen, from weather to email to calendar events. Another paid app, but one that will be worth it to a lot of people. (iPhone)

• Console emulators: Do your own searching on this one; there's one for virtually ever console released pre-2000, and many have different approaches to controls, and acquiring games. Some, like those by ZOTDD, actually let you search for and download ROMs from within the app. (iPhone and iPad)

• Veency: A VNC server. No, not a client—a server. Control your iPhone from your computer. (iPhone)

• Illicit goods: They're there, but I won't tell you how to find them. Pay for your apps! Trying before you buy is only a conscionable excuse if it's actually true.

Some general observations: Right now, a lot of apps haven't been updated for the iPad, so it's worth doing a little Googling to see how they handle the subtle changes in the new OS. That said, most apps do work, although if you experiment enough, you'll eventually get burned and have to restore your OS and start over, losing whatever tweaks you've made in the jailbreak process.

Un-Jailbreaking
If you've decided the jailbreak lifestyle isn't for you, or managed to screw up your device software enough that you want to switch back, it's easy. (Also, if Apple will be handling your device for any reason, you should probably un-jailbreak it. Warranties!)

All you need is your device's latest firmware file, helpfully linked here.

Oh, and make sure you've backed up—you're going to lose everything.

(This guide only applies to software versions 3.1.3 for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and 3.2 for the iPad. These are the latest versions at the time of posting, and newer software could break compatibility.)

1. Plug your device in, and open iTunes
2. Shift-click (Windows) or Option-click the "Restore" button in your iTunes device summary page. Navigate to the firmware you've downloaded, and restore.
3. Once this is done, iTunes will ask you if you want to set up your device as a new device, or from a previously stored backup. If your goal is to return to a life before jailbreak, you're probably going to want to restore.

And that's it!! Enjoy!!

FAQ
What are the Downsides?
As mentioned before, there is a real risk of bricking your device, or losing data. But beyond that, there are stability issues with some jailbreak apps, and using apps like Backgrounder can seriously diminish your battery life. Also, flaunting your new found ability to tether your phone by running, say, torrents through your 3G connection is a good way to get in trouble with your carrier.

What about future software upgrades?
Apple's software updates almost always break jailbreak. When they come out, hold off on upgrading until the jailbreak community develops a hack, or an upgrade path. Upgrading to new software versions after a jailbreak often means installing a patched version of the update, specifically for jailbreakers.

Why did I click that "Make My Life Easier" button?
If Apple does thwart jailbreak in its next software update (likely), and you accidentally upgrade, you could be locked out of jailbreaking forever. Seriously! Why? Because as of late, Apple has been cracking down on jailbreakers by forcing their devices to authenticate with official servers every time they're upgraded or downgraded.

What this prevents, specifically, is restoring to older versions of the iPhone/iPad software, which contain the security holes necessary for jailbreaking. By keeping users from downgrading, Apple essentially locks them out of jailbreaking once they've upgraded to an un-jailbreakable OS.

The button you pressed in Cydia remotely saves what's called an SHSH blob, which is the "Go!" signal passed from Apple's servers to your specific device. In the event of a later downgrade, iTunes can be spoofed into thinking that Apple has approving the device's software change, when in fact it's just the Cydia store's servers giving the green light. The downgrade process is something we won't have to worry about until Apple issues another update, after which I'll update this guide. Until then, you can get a rough idea of how this whole thing by reading Saurik's (the guy behind Cydia) blog post on how it works.

Will It Work With OS 4.0?
Surprisingly, yes! OS 4.0 builds seem to respond well to jailbreaking with the Spirit tool. That said, this software is already fairly precarious, so I'm not sure I would risk it. Update: Turns out I was wrong. The Spirit jailbreak tool doesn't yet work on 4.0. They're working on it.

In the Event of Emergency, Who Can Help?
Google. But no, seriously, Google. Another great resource is the ModMyi forums, where just about any question you can have has probably already been asked, and answered.

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Though this latest treat is only available in the South Korean market, it's revolutionary nonetheless. Samsung is preparing to launch the W960 Amoled 3D; the world's first phone with a 3D display.

The Samsung W960 Aoled 3D is a CDMA mobile phone packing 3.2-inch Amoled capacitive touch display with WQVGA resolution, 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera, 3G support with HSPA, DMB-T TV tuner, Bluetooth and microSD card slot. It’s powered by the Samsung TouchWiz 2.0.

The 3D display doesn't require special glasses. There is an key to turn the 3D option on and off.

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There's no official confirmation yet, but it looks almost certain that Toshiba is gearing up to launch the lightest 13-inch notebook ever. We're talking just over two pounds with an SSD. But how on earth did they do it?

It's not the processor. The info unearthed at vozExpress indicates that the mystery laptop will coming in standard voltage Core i3, i5, and i7 varieties—pretty standard these days.

Instead, look to the battery: this new Toshiba's going to employ a second Super Charged ion Battery (SCiB) that we'd previously seen achieving 90% charge in ten minutes. That was back in 2008, so we could see improvements even over that. The laptop's honeycomb rib structure, another first, will presumably also save some weight.

Other presumed specs: up to 4GB memory, 500GB hard disk or a 512GB SSD, 16:9 aspect ratio, and USB 3.0. Not to mention the "Blue Mountain" cooling system, which at the very least sounds cool. But that kind of power with that little weight, and a sleek design to boot? Yes, please.

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We knew it was coming end of May, now we have a date: May 28th and up for pre-order on May 10th. That's when the iPad will hit Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. It lands in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore in July. Sorry, still no pricing. Full press release after the break.

Update: Tax-inclusive pricing is out. Très cher!

Europe:
16GB WiFi-only €479
32GB WiFi-only €579
64GB WiFi-only €679
16GB WiFi+3G €579
32GB WiFi+3G €679
64GB WiFi+3G €779
UK:
16GB WiFi-only £429
32GB WiFi-only £499
64GB WiFi-only £599
16GB WiFi+3G £529
32GB WiFi+3G £599
64GB WiFi+3G £699

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Monami. A hard drive with a leather element that changes shape depending on the data stored inside.
It's only a concept, but it's the kind of thing that someone like a LaCie would actually do.

In the fantasy world of the designer, the hard drive enclosure also acts as a USB HUB and a 3-inch speaker. Two other elements complement the unit. This trackpad

with multitouch operation, and a 16GB USB stick.

Looks nice enough to want it to be real.

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Let's face it -- if you had a never-ending stack of cash and a computer room with no particular size constraints, you too would own a Thermaltake Level 10 enclosure. Regrettably, both financial and square footage constraints do indeed play major roles in most of our lives, including one Jeffrey Stephenson. This fine gentleman is quickly becoming the Ben Heck of wood-grained mods, this time cranking out a lovingly crafted iteration of the aforesaid chassis, but with that special wooden flair. The Level Eleven gets its inspiration from the gargantuan Level 10, but rather than taking things even bigger, Jeff decided to scale things down a notch; in fact, he constructed a fully functional PC within the handmade enclosure, all based around a VIA Pico-ITX mainboard and a 1.2GHz VIA Nano CPU. Thanks to the onboard VX855 media processor, this (comparatively) diminutive machine boasts an HDMI output and enough horsepower to pump out 1080p sans lag -- but it doesn't seem as if this bad boy is officially for sale. Not that he'd reject a five-figure offer or anything...

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Go 'head Aigo! Get down with your bad self. Quite frankly, we never anticipated Aigo / Patriot to come through with a me-too tablet that actually made us take a second glance, but darn if this one isn't quite the looker. And that's before you've even had a moment to digest the specifications sheet. According to new details surfacing in China, this 7-inch machine will hum along on a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor and feature NVIDIA's Tegra 2 graphics chipset. There's also 512MB of DDR2 memory, an 800 x 480 pixel multitouch display, 4/16/32GB of inbuilt storage, a USB socket, microSD slot, HDMI output, inbuilt WiFi, optional 3G WWAN, audio in / out and a 3,120mAh battery. Android 2.1 will be the OS of choice, but crucial details surrounding price and availability are sorely missing. Call us crazy, but we'll actually be keeping an eye out for specifics on both.

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It's already gone up for pre-order and been unboxed, but ASUS has only just now really, officially "launched" its EeeKeyboard, completing a long, strange journey that began way back at CES 2009. Since then, we've seen the keyboard PC get a June launch date, run Moblin, get an August launch date, get gutted, hit the FCC, get an October launch date, hit the FCC again, get a capacitive touchscreen upgrade, get a price and a February launch date, get delayed, lose a space, and get a late-April launch date before now finally launching... in May. Thanks for the memories, ASUS.

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We've seen its communications board before, but now the entire iPad 3G has been torn open and had its parts analyzed. Here's what makes it different from a Wi-Fi-only iPad according to the guys at iFixit:

* The immediate visible difference is the inclusion of a black plastic RF window on top of the iPad for better antenna reception.
* The black RF window significantly changes the opening procedure. You cannot start separating the display using the notches on the top (à la Wi-Fi version), since that will undoubtedly break the RF window. You have to start from the right side and gingerly proceed to the top and bottom of the iPad.
* There are actually FIVE antennas in this iPad: Two antennas handle the cell reception — one is in the RF window on top, the other attaches to the LCD frame. A single GPS antenna is also housed in the RF window on top. Just like the iPad Wi-Fi, there are two antennas that handle Wi-Fi / Bluetooth connectivity, one in the Apple logo and another to the left of the dock connector.
* You heard that right, folks: Apple looks to be using the entire LCD frame as an antenna!
* Who would've thought: Apple uses the same 3G baseband processor in both the iPhone 3GS and the iPad 3G.
* The baseband processor in question is the Infineon 337S3754 PMB 8878 X-Gold IC. It was actually white-labeled on the production unit, but with enough sleuthing we were able to confirm its true identity.
* The iPad 3G has a Broadcom BCM4750UBG Single-Chip AGPS Solution, whereas the iPhone 3GS uses an Infineon Hammerhead II package. Big win for Broadcom!
* Apple did not change any major suppliers between manufacturing the pre-production unit they provided the FCC and their final production run.

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Two rather popular smartphones in the both ends of the market spectrum - the Nokia X6 and the Nokia 5230 have just got some serious software updates that bring along several new features besides the regular bug fixes.
Perhaps the biggest change in both devices is that kinetic scrolling has gone deeper down the interface and now you can enjoy it in grid menus - just as on Nokia 5800 XpressMusic after its latest update.
Furthermore, the Nokia X6 and Nokia 5230 will get the latest version of the touch web browser (ver. 7.2). Ovi Maps on those two will now get Lifecasting integration so you can share your locations with friends on Facebook.
Next up, the X6 and 5230 will also get Over-the-air software and app updating plus Flash video Phase 3 and the latest versions of Ovi Sync 2.0 and Ovi Music.
As usual the update is available through the Nokia Software Updater desktop application.

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In a bold, blunt and brash announcement that must surely be intended to up-stage Steve Jobs' open letter to Adobe, the IE9 development team has stated that their new browser will only support H.264. This heralds the death of Ogg's Theora codec -- but OSnews says it better than I ever could.

It also comes hot on the heels of news that Google's VP8 codec will be open-sourced... though I dare not predict whether IE9 or Google has more clout in the upcoming HTML5 video war.

If such sad news wasn't big enough, Microsoft (or the IE Blog team) also finishes their blog post with a pot-shot at Adobe. "Flash does have some issues, particularly around reliability, security, and performance." In other words, the IE9 team consider Flash to be the gimp -- the gammy leg -- when it comes to crafting a smooth, rich, HTML5 Web. What's next? Coffee at a sidewalk cafe with Steve Jobs?

For those wondering, Microsoft cites a bunch of weird and unreal reasons for its adoption of H.264 over other HTML5 video codecs. They mention intellectual property rights, open source... but... they don't mention that Microsoft has a stake in H.264, or that its 'freeness' will terminate in 2016. While this will definitely make the Web a lot smoother for the end user, Microsoft will gain a huge amount of control in the process.

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HP and Palm, Inc. today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which HP will purchase Palm, a provider of smartphones powered by the Palm webOS mobile operating system, at a price of $5.70 per share of Palm common stock in cash or an enterprise value of approximately $1.2 billion. The transaction has been approved by the HP and Palm boards of directors.

"Palm's innovative operating system provides an ideal platform to expand HP's mobility strategy and create a unique HP experience spanning multiple mobile connected devices," said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. "And, Palm possesses significant IP assets and has a highly skilled team. The smartphone market is large, profitable and rapidly growing, and companies that can provide an integrated device and experience command a higher share. Advances in mobility are offering significant opportunities, and HP intends to be a leader in this market."

"We're thrilled by HP's vote of confidence in Palm's technological leadership, which delivered Palm webOS and iconic products such as the Palm Pre. HP's longstanding culture of innovation, scale and global operating resources make it the perfect partner to rapidly accelerate the growth of webOS," said Jon Rubinstein, chairman and chief executive officer, Palm. "We look forward to working with HP to continue to deliver industry-leading mobile experiences to our customers and business partners."

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Palm stockholders will receive $5.70 in cash for each share of Palm common stock that they hold at the closing of the merger. The merger consideration takes into account the updated guidance and other financial information being released by Palm this afternoon. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of domestic and foreign regulatory approvals and the approval of Palm's stockholders. The transaction is expected to close during HP's third fiscal quarter ending July 31, 2010.

Palm's current chairman and CEO, Jon Rubinstein, is expected to remain with the company.

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Let's take a break from Apple and Adobe's back-and-forth, shall we? Instead, we'll let the latter company talk about its work with Google, specifically the Android platform. Flash-based CTO Kevin Lynch said today in a post, "We look forward to delivering Flash Player 10.1 for Android smartphones as a public preview at Google I/O in May, and then a general release in June." Good news, indeed, but with all this talk of Froyo having native Flash support, and this month's conference serving as the largest gathering of Android developers, we can't imagine a better platform (pun intended) for Andy Rubin and company to unveil its fragmentation-curbing Froyo update. Might Flash 10.1's May preview / June release schedule line up with the OS, as well? Just some fat-free food for thought.

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Google really like to keep as many things running in the browser as they can – the latest enhancement to what you can do in a browser is browse Google Earth content straight from the Google Maps page…

The new Earth view in Google Maps requires a plug-in to run though, we’ve still got some way to go before those JavaScript 3D standards are finalized. That plug-in has been out for about two years but its testing period has ended and it has been moved to its rightful place – besides the Map and Satellite views in Google Maps.
The plug-in handles the 3D goodies associate with Google Earth – 3D buildings and terrain, tilting the camera and smooth zooming. That won’t put Earth out of business (which can show custom GPS tracks, create tours, do flight simulations and so on), but it does break Google Maps out of flatland.
Google also offers views of the Moon and Mars, but to view those in 3D you’d need the desktop app, the web UI doesn’t support it. But I think it’s a feature that may soon be added – perhaps once Google gets feedback from how the Earth view fares in Google Maps.

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It's like 2007 all over again: The world is waiting with bated breath for someone to step up to Apple. Last time it was to answer the iPhone. This time, the iPad. Here's what we want to see.

All signs point to the first—and most—attractive competitors to the iPad running Android, which sets up the next few months to be eerily familiar. Flash back to late 2007, when smartphone makers were formulating their responses to Apple's iPhone. Then, we were waiting for Android. Today, once again, we are waiting for Android.

Google's first try at smartphonery, carried out at their behest by HTC and T-Mobile, fell short in a handful of ways. But by and large, it was a great start, and led to some of the best handsets money can buy today. The stage is set for this to happen again, but with a mature Android and a huge-scale test case to draw from, it should happen faster. To use an immediately tired phrase, we want to see an iPad killer, and we want to see it soon. Problem is, a lot of the current contenders look like they're heading down the wrong path. Here's what they need:

Independence
Everyone's got something to complain about with the iPad, but the most serious issue, as I see it, is existential: The iPad can't exist on its own. Before someone can even use an iPad, the first thing he or she must do is sync it with another computer.. You can't subscribe to podcasts on the device. It's difficult to transfer non-video, non-audio documents to it. There's no visible file system. In that crucial way, it really is just a giant iPod. People want to use a tablet like a computer, not an accessory.

By nature, Android is ready to better iPhone OS on the independence front—it's a sync-less OS, slurping down data from the cloud, and at no point demanding to be connected to a host machine. Apps can access a folder-style file system, and from which they can open and save documents. Android, the phone OS, has laid a lot of the groundwork for an independent tablet, but it needs work.

We've lamented Android's lack of a syncing app in the past, mainly because the multimedia situation on Android is pretty grim. There's no user-friendly (and I mean stupid-simple, grandparent-proof) way to transfer audio and video to your Android phone. This could be rectified with a simple media sync app. But for audio and video, the focus should be on media storefronts, and on-device media management. The only time you should need to connect your Android tablet to another computer is if you want to move specific media from that device to your tablet, the same way you might want to copy your music library to a new laptop. Once that's done, you should be able to maintain the tablet without connecting to a PC, or worrying about sync.

Accessories
If the ideal Android tablet exists as a computer, not an accessory, it needs accessories of its own. The iPad's accessory situation is tightly controlled, and to be honest, pretty grim. Give your Android tablet a pair of USB ports that can act as hosts, and let us connect keyboards, mass storage, and even Android phones.

Android is already equipped to accept mass storage in the form of microSD cards, so adding another form of easily attachable mass storage should be trivial. To be able to take your coworker's thumb drive, plug it into your tablet and open its contents on your device is vital. The iPad can't do this. Android tablets should.

Media Support
The fact that Android has severely limited video codec support is less of a problem on a phone, because, well, it's a phone. But if you can't watch video on a tablet, it's basically useless.

As much as video playback it touted on the iPad, Apple's tablet isn't actually that good at playing video. The only videos on my hard drive that would sync with my iPad were videos I'd either a.) purchased from iTunes, or b.) exported from iMovie. c.) Ripped or converted specifically to be played on my iPhone or iPad, using handbrake. Dumb! So, Google: codecs. Let me play my Xvid and Divx videos. Don't choke on any file ending in ".avi." The Android tablet should take my videos and play them back, no questions asked.

Hell, if I can run a torrent client on the device, I should be able to play back my loot.

Apple's Mistakes Are Google's Gain
When Apple decided to create a tablet by blowing up a phone, rather than shrinking down a laptop, they'd made the right choice. It was the right choice because it gave us a device with all-day battery life, a UI sensibility designed around finger input, and a massive app ecosystem. But Apple took the tablet-as-a-large-phone philosophy too far, failing to address some of its mobile OS's worst limitations—limitations that don't make sense for a tablet.

Google, and tablet makers, this is your chance. Dell can't do it alone, nor can Google. But a serious effort by Google and its partners to give us these painfully obvious features in their first answers to the iPad could, for once, trump Apple in the first wave. Bring on the iPad killers.

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It's official - Nokia unveiled their new flagship, the Nokia N8. With 12MP camera and 720p video recording, the latest handset from the Finnish company is on track to becoming the new imaging champ in the mobile phone world.
The camera on the Nokia N8 is equipped with Carl Zeiss optics and a xenon flash. Nokia says that the image sensor "rivals those found in compact digital cameras". The camera can also capture 720p HD video at 25 frames per second and offers built-in video editing tools.

The Nokia N8 also features two different TV-out interfaces - the standard 3.5mm audio jack and a mini-HDMI port (a first for the GSM world). The Nokia N8 also features Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound over the HDMI link.
The Nokia N8 offers up to 3 hours and 20 minutes of video capture or 7 hours of video playback (6 over HDMI) thanks to the 1200mAh battery. The talk time is impressive too - 12 hours, and the battery will last for 50 hours of music playback.
There's plenty of memory to keep the videos on too - the Nokia N8 has 16GB of built-in memory and supports microSD cards up to 32GB. As for viewing things on the phones itself, the N8 comes with a 3.5" capacitive touchscreen with 16:9 aspect ratio with nHD resolution (360 x 640).
The Nokia N8 is connectivity champ - it is a true globetrotter with quad-band GSM/EDGE and five-band 3G. Yep, five bands - 850/900/1700/1900/2100. It has Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS with A-GPS (plus other positioning methods), microUSB with USB On-the-go and a built-in FM transmitter. Having mentioned GPS, the N8 will of course come with Ovi Maps for free voice-guided navigation.

The N8 is the first device that runs Symbian^3 and it also has support for the Qt cross-platform apps and UI framework that should allow development of apps that run on Symbian and MeeGo. It has multiple homescreens and is proficient in social networking. It also offers improved application and graphics performance.

Here's a promo video of the Nokia N8:


The N8 is expected to be launched in 3rd quarter with a price tag of around $600(Rs.27000).

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Taking your laptop, cellphone, or iPad to bed might seem to be an obvious candidate for keeping you up—you're playing with the device after all—but the real culprit is the glow of the screen.

Photo by Aditya.

Three years ago we shared some research with you indicating that people who used electronic devices before bed reported feeling less rested the next morning.

The subjects in the study weren't just imagining that working late on their laptop in bed or spending time text messaging was make them more tired—they slept the same number of hours as the non-electronics users—they were actually experiencing the effects of exposure to bright and intense light late in the evening. The Los Angeles Times reports on the science behind it:

But staring at the screen before bed could leave you lying awake. That's because direct exposure to such abnormal light sources inhibits the body's secretion of melatonin, say several sleep experts.
Light-emitting devices, including cellphones and yep, the iPad, tell the brain to stay alert. Because users hold those devices so close to their face, staring directly into the light, the effect is amplified compared with, say, a TV across the room or a bedside lamp, said Frisca Yan-Go, director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center in Santa Monica.
What can you do? Switch to night-time activities that don't involve blasting your face with light right before you turn in. Reading a traditional paper book or an electronic book on non-light emitting electronic device like the Kindle is a much better alternative than reading a book on an iPad or laptop. Even better would be to institute a no-electronics policy surrounding the hours leading up to bed time to let your body move naturally and gradually towards sleep.

You can read more about the effect of electronics on sleep quality at the link below. While you're reading up on better sleep habits, make sure to check out our Top 10 Ways to Sleep Smarter and Better. Have a favorite sleep-related tip or trick to share? Let's hear about it in the comments.

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With its ultra-compact two-inch wide, 3.3 ounce body, the Pearl 3G is the smallest BlackBerry yet. Despite its size though, it's still a full-featured BlackBerry, and oddly, complete with 802.11n wireless support—a first for BlackBerry devices.

The itty-bitty gadget will offer UMTS/HSDPA and Wi-Fi (b/g/n) support along with GPS, a 3.2MP camera, an optical trackpad, a microSD/SDHD memory card slot, and all the goodies BlackBerry users are addicted to such as BlackBerry Messenger and BlackBerry App World.

The Pearl 3G will actually be offered in two different models: The 9100 which will have a 20-key condensed QWERTY keyboard (aka RIM's SureType) and the 9105, which, curiously for a BlackBerry, has a 14-key T9 phone keyboard. (Hello, downmarket! Which makes us puzzle more over the inclusion of wireless N, which the pricier Bold doesn't have.) There are no exact details about availability and pricing, but the devices should start slipping onto the market in May of this year.

What do you want in a mobile phone?
Small? Stylish? Fast? Full-featured?
How about all of the above?
Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the new BlackBerry® Pearl™ 3G, the smallest BlackBerry® smartphone yet. Despite its impressively compact and elegant design, this stylish new handset is a powerful 3G BlackBerry smartphone with uncompromising performance and top–of-the-line features, including all the industry-leading BlackBerry® email, messaging and social networking capabilities that so many people love.
"The BlackBerry Pearl 3G is unlike any other smartphone in the world and we expect a broad range of new and existing customers will be drawn to its powerful features and compact design," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion. "Considering the fast growing consumer interest in smartphones and the fact that more than three-quarters of the people in the global mobile phone market are still buying handsets with a traditional alphanumeric keypad, we think the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G addresses a substantial market opportunity. It allows consumers to upgrade their traditional mobile phone to a full-featured, easy-to-use and fashionable 3G BlackBerry smartphone that supports BlackBerry Messenger and many other apps while maintaining a handset design and layout that is familiar and comfortable."
The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone is a marvel of engineering and design excellence. It's as powerful as it is compact. Measuring less than two inches wide (50 mm) and weighing only 3.3 ounces (93g), it still manages to pack in support for high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks, Wi-Fi® (b/g/n) and GPS along with a powerhouse processor that drives visually stunning images on the sharp, high-resolution display. It also features an optical trackpad for smooth navigation, dedicated volume and media keys for added convenience, a 3.2 MP camera with flash for quality pictures on the go, and support for up to 32 GB of personal content.
Key features of the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone include:
Elegant candybar design measuring 4.25" x 1.96" x 0.52" (108mm x 50 mm x 13.3 mm) and weighing only 3.3 oz (93 grams)
624 Mhz processor with 256 MB Flash memory
360x400 sharp-resolution display (238 ppi)
Optical trackpad that makes navigation fast and smooth, plus a comfortable keyboard that enables quick and accurate typing
Media player for videos, pictures and music (music plays up to 30 hours), plus dedicated media keys integrated along top of the handset
3.2 MP camera with zoom, autofocus, flash and video recording*
Built-in GPS for location-based applications such as BlackBerry® Maps, as well as photo geotagging
Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) - first BlackBerry smartphone to support 'n'
microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards
Premium phone features, including voice activated dialing, speakerphone and Bluetooth® (2.1) with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits (including systems that support the emerging Bluetooth Message Access Profile standard) and other Bluetooth accessories
Access to BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of mobile applications
developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones
Support for BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing photos as well as iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone**
BlackBerry® OS 5
Support for tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks
Removable, rechargeable 1150 mAhr battery that provides approximately 5.5 hours of talk time on 3G networks

The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone will be available in two models and several lustrous colors. The 9100 model features a 20-key condensed QWERTY keyboard and the 9105 model features a 14-key traditional phone keyboard. Both models include SureType® software that can complete words as the user types, making texting fast and accurate. The BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone is expected to launch with various carriers beginning in May. Check with individual carriers for details about availability and pricing. For more information visit http://www.blackberry.com/pearl3G.

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Details are sparse at the moment, but something is happening in India. Something wand-like and prone to waggling. Called the Swing, it's a motion controller HP cooked up for their Pavilion PC desktops.

For now this kidney bean is available only in India, will not be sold separately, and costs about $670(Rs.30000). It does exist, however, unlike its protective wrist strap, which does not. The inevitable busted HP Pavilion display stories should be arriving any day now.

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Each and every rotary phone-styled iRetrofone Base is handmade from resin, and not only does it give you a stationary calling experience, it also docks and syncs via USB. Available now for $195(Rs.8499).

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The high-end CPU market has been considered an Intel-exclusive territory as of late, but AMD are still not given up on it. The six-core AMD Phenom II X6 1055T CPU has hit the shelves exactly on schedule and is set to give the core 2010 processors a run for their money.

Priced at 223 US dollars at Amazon, the Phenom II X6 1055T seems like a pretty good deal. It has fared very well in benchmarks so far so it’s definitely worth a second look when building you next desktop computer.
And in case the 2.8 GHz speed isn’t good enough for you, consider signing up for a Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition, which runs at 3.2 GHz and can be boosted to 3.6 GHz in Turbo mode. It’s up for pre-order now and costs 325 US dollars(Rs.14500)

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