02/13, 7:25pm
Promises low-cost eye exams to poorer nations
EyeNetra, a start-up working with technology developed by the MIT Media Lab, has developed a smartphone app that promises to bring low-cost eye examinations to poverty stricken populations. The Netra-G app is used in conjunction with a hardware attachment costing less than a dollar. The system checks for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, and then displays a prescription for eyeglasses on the smartphone.
more
02/13, 7:00pm
Will still make recorders in 2 factories elsewhere
Panasonic has finally stopped making VCRs for its domestic market. The company disclosed that it ceased production of the outdated tape-based recording and playback devices at the end of last year. Once its existing inventory is exhausted, the company will stop selling the players in Japan.
more
02/13, 6:40pm
High price may hurt sales
Earlier today, Samsung took the wraps off its new
seven-inch Galaxy Tab 2. Although it did not officially disclose pricing, Sammy Hub
reports that for the Scandinavian market, the Wi-Fi version of the device will be priced at between $419 and $463 USD, while the 3G model will have a cost of $523 to $568 USD. If accurate, these price-points could put the tablet at a significant price/performance disadvantage to other tablets hitting the market.
more
02/13, 6:30pm
Huawei may have high-end phone, tablet in MWC show
Huawei's media event at Mobile World Congress may have already been spoiled early after company chairman Yu Chengdong possibly spoiled it in his Weibo profile. The February 26 Barcelona event would purportedly include the Ascend D1 Q, a presumably quad-core cousin of the Android 4.0-based Ascend P1 S. Its choice of chip wasn't mentioned, but would most likely be NVIDIA's Tegra 3 given the company's own event and other phones coming from Fujitsu and HTC.
more
02/13, 5:10pm
iPad 3 may have firmer launch date
Apple's rumored early March iPad 3 launch event may have been narrowed down through a claim Monday. The company was said by previously accurate iMore tipsters to be currently set for March 7. It could still change, the people said, but the date was consistent both with the earlier rumor and with Apple's preferences for mid-week events.
more
02/13, 4:50pm
BlackBerry PlayBook 10, docks seen early
A Czech sighting in backrooms at BlackBerry DevCon Europe has claimed to show not just upcoming accessories for the PlayBook but the rumored 10-inch PlayBook. BlackBerryCzech claimed to have seen one within several feet but was denied a chance at a photo. The design was supposedly working and left open a chance the new version might show either at Mobile World Congress this month or, more likely, DevCon Americas in May.
more
02/13, 4:30pm
RIM extends free PlayBook offer, adds dev types
RIM has just revealed it will expand its free PlayBook promotion for Android developers by two weeks. What's more, it has expanded the offer to Native C/C++, HTML5, Adobe AIR, and Qt developers. The offer was due to end on Monday, but was extended due to the overwhelming interest, RIM said.
more
02/13, 3:45pm
Samsung Super OLED TV coming to UK in spring?
Samsung's 55-inch OLED TV unveiled at CES will arrive in the UK market sometime this spring, Samsung told CNET. It had originally been expected only closer to summer. The set was very impressive at the annual electronics show in Vegas, with deep black color reproduction, rich colors, and a claimed sub-8mm thickness.
more
02/13, 2:55pm
Xyologic sees few third-party Google TV apps used
Mobile analysis firm Xyologic may have gauged the real size of Google TV's user base and shown a problem getting adoption of its support for third-party apps. Of the 64 apps exclusive to the TV-sized platform in Android market, only 4,793,300 people have one or more of these apps installed, making it possibly representative of the entire Google TV base. The number could be lower given that only 4,441,000 have the six preloaded apps on their devices.
more
02/13, 2:15pm
Samsung thinks UI no factor in facing Apple TV set
Samsung's AV product lead Chris Moseley in an interview Monday was dismissive of the threat posed by a possible Apple TV set. In the chat with Pocket-lint, he insisted that image quality was the primary factor and that Apple wouldn't have the image scaling or "world-renowned" picture quality. He downplayed the interface and software features, normally the highlight of Apple's devices, as backseat elements.
more
02/13, 2:00pm
Iconia Tab A200 getting official Android 4.0
The Acer Iconia Tab A200 is getting an official update to Android 4.0, users on the Android Police forum have reported. The update moves the tablet from Android 3.2 to Android 4.0.3, as promised earlier. If owners didn't get an automatic notification of its availability, they can manually check by going to the System update screen in their settings menu.
more
02/13, 1:15pm
Boxee mulling offering DVR subscription service
Boxee may be planning on introducing a subscription-based DVR service for its recently introduced Live TV tuner. This is suggested by a survey the company sent out this weekend, asking users how much they would be willing to pay for the ability to record 300 hours of TV per month. The options range from $5 to $15, though a Not Interested option is present as well.
more
02/13, 12:55pm
Ti WiLink 8 preps for NFC mobile future
TI kicked off the week with a new all-in-one wireless chip that could make NFC (near-field communications) much easier. The WiLink 8.0 is the first of its kind to build NFC into the chip alongside Bluetooth, FM radio, GNSS positioning, Wi-Fi, and even ANT+ for exercise and . It both shrinks the size of a chipset with NFC by as much as half and, as a complete design, can offload much of the work that would normally go to the main processor.
more
02/13, 12:00pm
ThinkGeek unveils iCade 8-Bitty at Toy Fair
ThinkGeek picked the American International Toy Fair to bring out the iCade 8-Bitty, a much more portable alternative to the iCade cabinet. The wireless iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch gamepad is conspicuously styled like (though not identical to) the original NES controller with four face buttons, Select and Start, although it also has two shoulder buttons. It works with the same iCade-friendly titles, such as Atari's Greatest Hits, as well as any others wanting to use the freely available support.
more
02/13, 11:30am
NPD says Apple top US tech brand
Apple now represents about a fifth of all technology sales in the US, new NPD data showed Monday. By the end of 2011, 19 percent of revenue in the US was related to an Apple product. The company was now the top company selling technology in the US, topping HP, Samsung, Sony, and Dell even when the others could include their sales from all categories.
more
02/13, 9:25am
iPad 3 display and shell caught together
A rare instance of investigation of leaked parts may have supported many of the rumors surrounding the iPad 3. Repair shop iLab Factory has combined both a rear shell and a new Sharp LCD and found that the display connector and screw holes for the back were meant to link up to Sharp's new screen. The same look also verified the deeper well for the rear camera and a different mount that wouldn't work with existing parts on the iPad 2.
more
02/13, 8:20am
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 tries 7-inch tablets again
Samsung has unveiled its third seven-inch tablet within a year and a half on Monday by bringing out the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0). The design is its first Android 4.0 tablet and mostly benefits from improved responsiveness and a new app drawer, although it adds extras like Face Unlock. Hardware performance is potentially a step back from the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, since it runs a 1GHz dual-core chip of an unmentioned make versus 1.2GHz on the earlier design.
more
02/12, 11:25pm
Meijer hints at 2012 refresh with price cuts
Large US retailer Meijer has instituted an unusually steep discount on the iPad 2 that may be a further sign of clearing iPad 2 stock ahead of a refresh. All versions of the tablet sold at the store are on sale and start off with sharp price cuts even on the entry 16GB Wi-Fi model, which is down $70 to $429. The deal lasts until February 25, or nearly the rest of the month.
more
02/12, 7:25pm
Samsung tablets outsold by Apple in home turf
Industry insider estimates have claimed that the iPad 2 has reached the million-unit sales mark in South Korea. The milestone came after a late November 2010 launch and 700,000 iPads shipped just in 2011, leaving the remaining 300,000 to have been sold in two and a half months' time, the Korea Herald said. That number could be higher, Korean media thought, since many had bought iPads even before official approval.
more
02/12, 7:05pm
YouTube Google TV gets update
Google's big Google TV news, or part of it, may have been detailed early in news on Sunday. The Android TV platform's YouTube app is being updated with a much stronger emphasis on channels ahead of original content plans. Matching up is a new discover feature that lets viewers find content by the category rather than just the channel.
more
02/12, 3:25pm
Google Experience Center would target Project X
An investigation into Google's public records has hinted that the company is planning large expansions that would be incubators for multiple secret projects. The Mercury News sleuthing found that Google was spending over $120 million in construction around its Montain Vew headquarters for both public and private work. Secret projects would reportedly play a part, including for the Android@Home wireless audio device and Google's well-known but still secretive Project X labs.
more
02/12, 2:30pm
comScore shows shift to mobile in mail
As part of a larger study, comScore has shown that e-mail is making a large shift away from the web. Among teens and those aged 18 to 24, webmail use dropped by about a third in December from where it was one year earlier. Declines also appeared among the 35 to 44 set (down one point) and 55 to 64 (by seven points).
more
02/12, 1:25pm
Apple TV update may join iPad 3 on stage
An upgraded Apple TV media hub might come sooner than thought after signs emerged that multiple stores ran low on stock. Amazon, Best Buy, Buy.com, Radio Shack, and Target all show the device either as out of stock or taking weeks to ship. Apple and others do have supply, but it follows a pattern of third-party resellers usually running out first.
more
02/12, 12:45pm
Google TV gets teased update
Google made the unusual choice of a Facebook posting to hint at "big announcements" coming for Google TV on Monday. The company wouldn't give any clues as to its plans. It's unlikely to include any minor OS updates, since it recently updated to Android 3.2.
more
02/12, 10:00am
SNL shows troubles of modern 4G ads
Saturday Night Live made technology an unusual target after it poked fun at Verizon in a pre-recorded skit (below). A customer (Fred Armisen) comes in asking about the carrier's 4G LTE network and is barraged with an increasingly technical and nonsensical sales pitch. By the end, LTE is likened to orange juice, and Verizon is described as an "old person's nightmare."
more
02/11, 6:35pm
Oregon Scientific MEEP ruggedizes for kids
Oregon Scientific used the appropriate venue of the American International Toy Fair to dip into the still young world of tablet for kids. The MEEP is another seven-inch Android tablet, but comes hardened for the rough use common to the younger group. The shell itself is built to withstand common drops and scratches, while a rubber silicone sleeve can cushion it a step further.
more
02/11, 4:35pm
3G iPad 2 models run low at fringes
Fresh checks have shown the earliest signs that iPad 2 supply might be ramping down ahead of the iPad 3 launch rumored for the next few weeks. The 9to5 investigation pointed to sales channel sources who said supply of 3G models was "constrained" across the board. Supporting this, searches at Carphone Warehouse and Orange in the UK both had some or most of their supply as "out of stock."
more
02/10, 9:55pm
Windows 8 on ARM to require HTML5 for advanced web
Microsoft's Windows leader Steven Sinofsky picked an interview this week to reveal that Windows 8 on ARM wouldn't support plugins. He explained to AllThingsD that Internet Explorer on these chips, even in the regular desktop, wouldn't run Flash or any similar browser add-ins. Mobile devices were moving away from Flash as a whole, he said.
more
02/10, 7:30pm
Amazon hires for own TV shows
Two new job listings have hinted that Amazon will be the next commercial Internet video service to produce some of its own content. Its studio division is hiring for the People's Production Company to create comedies and children's shows. Unlike its counterparts, though, it would be developing for traditional formats as well.
more
02/10, 6:40pm
Avatron extends its Air Display app to Android
Avatron, known for its iPad Air Display app, has now released its Air Display app for Android tablets ($10, Amazon Appstore). It allows the display of the Android device to see what's on the display of a Windows or Mac OS X system wirelessly. It can act as an extension or mirror the computer display.
more
02/10, 5:25pm
Amazon Kindle may set foot in Japan for first time
Amazon might bring the Kindle to Japan and overturn the status quo for e-readers in the country, according to claims made Friday [account required]. Japanese business paper Nikkei heard that the mid-tier Kindle Touch would be the flagship and could come as soon as April. Pricing at 20,000 yen ($258) would be steep relative to the $150 US Kindle Touch 3G, although it would include native, free 3G through NTT DoCoMo instead of roaming on AT&T.
more
02/10, 4:55pm
Moxi stops selling DVR gear, dates end of service
After its ups and downs, the Moxi DVR hardware is slowly being phased out at retail, maker Arris announced. The hardware cannot be purchased anymore, and program guide data and technical support for the DVRs will go dead at the end of the day on December 31, 2013. Arris will focus on its partnerships with cable providers, such as with Shaw Cable in Canada.
more
02/10, 3:50pm
USA Today breaks down mobile app ratios
An escaped USA Today presentation has uncovered some of the real results of mobile news app downloads. GeekWire's copy showed a wide gap between downloads for the iPad and Android tablets: at over 2.9 million downloads, the iPad version had more than seven times the downloads of Android, which had 390,000 combined. The ratio on Android was heavily skewed by the Kindle Fire, which at 260,000 downloads had managed twice as much interest as every other Android tablet combined.
more
02/10, 12:50pm
Blurry, mysterious Google device spotted at FCC
Google is readying to release a so-called "next-generation personal communication device," as revealed by FCC documents. The files don't reveal much, other than that both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios are onboard and the company is getting ready to begin testing 102 of the devices in various regions in the US. The hardware is listed as being in the prototyping phase and employees in LA, Mountain View, Cambridge, and New York will test them at home.
more
02/10, 8:25am
ATT stocks first LTE micro-SIM cards
AT&T's plans for the year took a step forward Friday after a sighting of its first LTE-capable micro-SIM cards. A store contact for Phone Arena caught a briefing that sales staff were to get rid of older cards and replace them with the new versions fully capable of talking to the 4G network. The memo didn't specifically attach the cards to any one device.
more
02/10, 7:40am
Roku branches out to UK in earnest
Roku's international plans became real Friday after it began UK and Ireland. The Roku LT and Roku 2 XS are now available for £50 and £100 respectively (60 and 120 euros). British customers are simultaneously getting BBC iPlayer to catch up on the past one to two weeks of TV shows.
more
02/09, 11:00pm
Apple iPad 3 keynote, apps poised to focus on LCD
More if indirect support for an early March iPad 3 launch came Thursday night through assertions that Apple was in "crunch mode" rounding up apps to demo the tablet. The rumor's sources at The Next Web had Apple stepping up the process of finding apps that would showcase the new iPad's very high resolution display. Apple was focusing on "graphics-oriented applications with high-definition assets," the tipsters said.
more
02/09, 9:00pm
Features 3 speakers and adjustable arm
Scosche has brought out a special docking system for iPads. The bassDOCK can accept either first or second generation iPads in either a landscape or portrait orientation. The dock integrates a three speaker 2.1 stereo sound system as well.
more
02/09, 8:50pm
Xbox 360 sales drop year to year but still ahead
New NPD data has once again given the Xbox 360 the lead in console sales in the US during January, but in grim conditions. At 270,000 systems in the month, it had enough to outpace the Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3, whose sales researchers were keeping secret. However, its performance was noticeably worse than a year ago, where it had moved 381,000 systems.
more
02/09, 7:35pm
Google wireless audio may come through silence
Google's apparent decision to make its own wireless audio system appears to have come after stopping at least some activity with accessory makers, according to Electronista sources. Now said to have based its work on the Android@Home technology shown at Google I/O last year, the company had been talking to accessory makers building up to the May event but grew silent not long after. The silence might not necessarily have been ubiquitous, but it suggested that Google had taken the reins to make a product of its own.
more
02/09, 4:55pm
Google may tap Android at Home for own speakers
Google may be making its own wireless audio system and dipping into its own hardware, an apaprent leak uncovered Thursday. The unnamed system, purported by the Wall Street Journal to have been in the works for years, would share at least music throughout the home. It would be sold directly under Google's brand, including the speakers, but could talk to other hardware and could use a phone or tablet for control.
more
02/09, 4:30pm
Netflix Android port gets social sharing
Netflix has updated its Android app (Market to add Facebook sharing in those countries that support it. Canada, Ireland, Latin American countries, and the UK now let viewers share what they're watching or check others' habits directly from the app. American users can't yet get access as Netflix is waiting on a bill easing video privacy permissions.
more
02/09, 4:05pm
Verizon releases slew of Android updates for gear
Verizon has just released a slew of software upgrades for its Android-powered gear, including the Droid Xyboard tablets which are getting the 1.6.0M_279 update. It promises to enhance third-party pen and native touch performance, better browsing, maintaining a data connection while swapping from Wi-Fi to broadband, and in a twist now has global roaming for data. The update is nearly 84MB.
more
02/09, 3:10pm
PS Vita First Edition bundle contents shown off
The early run of the aptly-named First Edition bundle of the PlayStation Vita has just received an official unboxing from Sony's US team. The system is due to arrive on February 15 to those who preordered it, or one week before its widespread launch in stores. Included in the bundle is a 4GB PS Vita memory card, a unique PS Vita carrying case, and a physical copy of the Little Deviants game.
more
02/09, 2:15pm
Microsoft outlines Windows 8 ARM support
Microsoft's Windows lead Steven Sinofsky in an elaborate breakdown Thursday ended rumors and confirmed that Windows 8 on ARM would support a conventional desktop. Users could still have access to the file system, desktop Internet Explorer 10, and "most" other core features as their x86-running counterparts. Office 15 would carry over, too, and would have touch and power optimizations despite running in the conventional desktop space.
more
02/09, 1:00pm
Samsung files for Galaxy Camera trademark
Samsung may apply its Galaxy smartphone branding to a dedicated camera if a recent trademark filing with the USPTO is any indication. The "Galaxy Camera" name it's seeking would likely involve an Android-powered compact digital camera with a significantly larger lens, perhaps similar to the Polaroid SC1630 we had a chance to check out at CES. The filing falls under the "Cameras and Camcorders" section of the patent office and therefore wouldn't be a phone.
more
02/09, 10:45am
DirecTV ships TiVo HD DVR nationwide
The long-awaited and promised TiVo-enabled HD DVR from DirecTV is finally available nationwide. Previously, the set-top was only available in 10 markets. The box is unique in combining the TiVo interface and peanut remote control with DirecTV's HD content lineup.
more
02/09, 9:45am
Kodak to cut original businesses to stay alive
Kodak validated rumors and said Thursday that it would stop making what most consider its core products. It plans to shut down production of still cameras, pocket video cameras, and digital photo frames within the first half of this year. The shift would leave it to inkjet printers and other photo printing.
more
02/09, 9:15am
iPad 3 to get expected one-year anniversary launch
Apple may hew closely to the formula of its iPad launch last year for the iPad 3 if leaks Thursday are indicators. The company would use the "first week in March" to introduce the new tablet and put it on sale roughly a week later, AllThingsD heard. The event would take place in San Francisco, most likely at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (pictured) that Apple has used for both iPad events so far.
more
02/09, 8:55am
Telus becomes 3rd Canadian carrier with LTE
Telus became the third Canadian carrier with an LTE-based 4G network on Thursday. Starting on February 10 in Halifax, the carrier will have the same 75Mbps peak download speeds and 12-25Mbps averages as the existing networks from rivals Bell and Rogers. It plans to kick off the network with the Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE, LG's Optimus LTE smartphone, and Novatel's Ovation MC679 modem; the Galaxy Note with LTE will be available on February 14.
more
