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You can normally describe any new consumer electronics device or service with one of four words: bigger, smaller, smarter, faster.
Just looking around last week’s IFA event in Berlin, a whopping great 4K television set from Sony that comes in at 84 inches across; a Windows handset from Samsung that’s a “crazy thin” “powerhouse.”
What is changing?
Basically, product designers are becoming much more aware of the need to foster intimacy between the things they make and the people who use them—and we’re seeing a new vocabulary of ideas and services emerging that do precisely that.
Why? We often feel ambivalent and distanced about mass manufactured goods and try to find different ways to make them feel special, intimate, and personal. Now new methods (in both design and manufacture) are being developed to capitalize on that desire.
At a design level, creators are learning lots of new ways to foster intimacy before customers can even get their hands on the end result. They want to involve people.
That’s one reason Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms have been successful—they create a level of intimacy between the product and the customer. Partly, people are buying into a dream, supporting people they are fans of, or just paying for the entertainment value of being part of a movement—but they’re also joining in because they want to have a personal relationship with a product (and the product’s creators). They want to imbue it with a story.
Crowdfunding is really about a method of service design that creates intimacy while the product is still on the drawing board.
READ MORE
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-09-05/what-do-future-products-look-like-personal-sensual-intimate#r=hpt-ls
Samsung’s newest device, the Galaxy Camera, puts the camera first and the phone second. You won’t be able to make traditional calls or send text messages from it, but since it will ship with Android’s Jelly Bean, anything in Google Play store is up for grabs.
In fact, it has all the makings of a smartphone thanks to the 4.8-inch touchscreen, 1.4Ghz quad-core processor, and options for 3G or 4G connectivity, in addition to WiFi. The camera itself is a is rather unremarkable, a 16-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor, but it should put out some terrific photos, whether the subject is shot in dark or light.
The lens, though, can zoom to 21x optical and at its shortest is a wide-angle 23mm equivalent. That is awe inspiring by itself, but even more amazing since it can instantly post photos to any where your heart desires: Instagram, Facebook, etc.
Its release date has not been announced.
http://www.gadgetreview.com/2012/08/samsung-galaxy-camera.html
In the near future, you may be able to cancel your cell phone insurance that covers cracked screens from dropping the darned thing. Why? Your new phone may not have any glass to break.
Believe it or not, your next gadget is probably going to have a flexible screen. No, you probably won’t be able to wrap your phone around your body, which sadly precludes a whole bunch of really awesome/gross pranks. That’s not for years, possibly decades.
How soon for the phone? Perhaps by the end of this year.
http://guyism.com/tech/gadgets/expect-bendy-screens-on-your-next-phone.html
An Intel 3rd generation i7 processor, graphics processing, a Blu-ray drive, crazy storage capacity and JBL speakers with a subwoofer, the Series 5 550P delivers an exceptional multimedia experience even while on-the-go. 15″ and 17″ screen sizes are offered for these sleek, thin powerhouses that have been released to the masses, but only in the U.K. so far. But that doesn’t stop techno-philes from drooling over the Series S 550p Samsung laptops.
You dig it? Wanna know more? Check out Samsung’s press release below for the whole deal.
SAMSUNG DELIVERS MAXIMUM MULTIMEDIA PERFORMANCE WITH NEW NOTEBOOK
8th May 2012 London, UK – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the launch of its new Notebook Series 5 550P with 3rd Generation Intel® CoreTM i7 Processor, designed to give users an immersive multimedia experience.
The Series 5 550P – available in 15″ and 17″ sizes – is designed to meet consumers’ increasing demands for high-quality multimedia content with a range of powerful features. With Intel’s latest 3rd generation CoreTM i7 Processor, dedicated graphics processing, a Blu-ray drive, generous storage capacity and JBL optimised speakers complete with subwoofer, the Series 5 550P delivers an exceptional multimedia experience even while on-the-go.
“With its fully integrated multimedia features and lightweight slim design the Samsung Series 5 550P notebook offers an unsurpassed ‘look, listen and feel’ experience that no other notebook will match,” said Damian Cusick, General Manager, Computing, Samsung UK and Ireland.
Multimedia content powerfully delivered
Powered by Intel’s 3rd generation CoreTM i7 Quad Core processor, the Series 5 550P features a 25% improvement on performance when compared to 2nd generation CPUs. The notebook also consumes 20% less power, ensuring twice as fast 3D gaming and media experiences. This is complemented with an NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M 2GB graphics card, a Blu-ray drive and expandable storage up to 2TB, providing easy access to multi-format content as well as seamless creation, playback, editing and storage of multimedia content.
Best AV quality in its class
The Series 5 550P features Samsung’s superior LCD technology for a next-generation viewing experience. An incredibly rich, vivid and crisp visual experience is further enhanced with integrated JBL optimised speakers and a Max Bass Boost subwoofer, for ultimate sound quality when watching movies or listening to music.
Boosted usability for ease-of-use
Ideal for creating and enjoying content on the go, the Series 5 550P features a full-size keyboard with isolated numeric and direction keys and an improved touchpad with separated left and right clicks. These functional advantages ensure no further attachments-such as an additional keyboard or mouse-are required.
The notebook also boasts a compact design. The 15″ model weighs just 2.5 kg with a height of 29.9 ~ 30.4 mm. The 17″ model weighs 3.05 kg with a height of 29.2 ~ 32.2 mm.
The Samsung Series 5 550P will be available in the UK from May from a range of retailers including PC World and Currys.
n.b. All are based on factory specifications. Product design specifications and colors are subject to change without notice and may vary from those shown. Errors and omissions excepted. Battery life based on MobileMark test scores that will vary based on configuration. Warranty service availability and response times may vary from country to country and may also be subject to registration requirements in the country of purchase. OS reveals lower HDD capacity than the specification as the difference of the calculation way and recovery partition.
The Mobile World Congress, held in Barcelona, Spain for this year featured mobile technology at its best, with ideas, prototypes, and soon-to-be’s of the largest growing technology genre. Including industry heavyweights like HTC, Nokia, and Samsung.
First held in 1987, it is the world’s biggest mobile tech show operated by GSM Associates. Mobile World Congress was held in Cannes until 2006, at the time called “3GSM World”, and then was moved to Fira de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain and renamed Mobile World Congress. Continuing to be the forefront of mobile communications technology with people and companies from 200 countries, this year’s MWC ran from February 27th to March 1st of this year, and while Q101 strives to one day cover an event this important on the other side of the world, Engadget were the ones to cover and report from the event, and you can read more about their coverage, and the amazing and exciting technology that is featured here.
Move over Microsoft Surface, the multi-touch capacitive table computer, 3M steps into the ring with their own from their Touch Systems division. A 46-inch, projected “Capacitive Technology Screen”, this beautiful device has the potential to recognize 60 touch points. The PROTOTYPE (yes, put it back in your pants, Chip) currently is at recognizing only 20 touch points, but it’s a very good start to an alternative to the Microsoft Surface that can cost you $12,500 for a commercial system, or $15,000 plus for a developer setup that consists of 5 chair (Ohhhh boy!), and technical support. The Microsoft Surface is manufactured by Samsung (but of course it is!), whereas it seems that 3M and their magic table are an in-house scenario. Do you wanna see it in action? Well, DO YOU? Go here, and formulate your own opinion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMURBcbzgbw
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There’s quite a debacle going on in the wireless world right now, or as the Brits like to call it, a “row”. A company that was once thought as the primary go-to in the mobile world for diagnostic software that is on millions of handsets throughout the country, Carrier IQ is being looked at with a microscope by the government, the tech industry, consumers, and the people that wear foil on their heads, living “off the grid”, with 19th century plumbing.
Who’s Carrier IQ? What are they doing to cause so many to be upset? Take a journey with me..
Founded in 2005, and privately owned, Carrier IQ is a company that provides software for diagnostics of “smart phones” made by various manufacturers, and by numerous service providers. A statement once made by Carrier IQ said that they “Are unique because we are the only company embedding diagnostic software in millions of phones”. A revolutionary idea, this is what sometimes takes place when you’re on the phone with customer service, or tech support for your provider, and they are discussing the current state of your phone with you. How do they know? Carrier IQ’s software. Everything was going fine, until the beginning of November this year.
Enter Orwell
It began with a video posted by an industry researcher named Trevor Eckhart. The posted video, is Eckhart showing the viewer that Carrier IQ’s software was logging location information, and keystrokes, and was not asking permission if the user, which is a violation of Federal Communication laws. Carrier IQ sent a cease and desist letter to Eckhart on November 16th, informing him that the information he showed, and posted in his video was proprietary, and that he was committing copyright infringement, and making “false allegations” against the software company. The Electronic Frontier Foundation was contacted by Eckhart for help in the matter, and the EFF backed him, and his findings.
Upon news of the combined front of Eckhart and the EFF, Carrier IQ settled down a bit, a put out a public apology letter to Trevor Eckhart, denying any wrong doing on their part, in regards to logging and tracking, and made an offer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation to work together in the matter. But this outing of potential fraudulent practice was far from over.
Eckhart bounced right back into the matter, with another video he posted on November 28th. This time, it had Carrier IQ’s software caught in the act with detail. His 2nd video showed what he said is Carrier IQ’s software, showed clearly on the phone’s display, processing texts, mobile web browser information, and keystrokes. The company fired off another response, in a matter of a few days: “The metrics and tools we derive are not designed to deliver such info nor do we have any intention of developing such tools”. Looking at Carrier IQ’s site reveals a statement that mobile providers “Capture an array of experience data including screen transitions, button presses, service interactions, and anomalies”. That’s understood, Carrier IQ, but that has nothing to do with what it appears that your software is doing.
The Comedian That Became A Politician
United States Senator Al Franken, of Minnesota got wind of this ordeal, and as the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and Law, was disturbed to say the least of the videos, and what Carrier IQ’s software may be doing. A letter was sent to Carrier IQ’s C.E.O., Larry Lenhart, asking questions to find out what was going on, and if the software company was violating Federal law. The laws that Carrier IQ could be violating is a long list:
-The Electronic Communications Privacy Act
-The Pen Register Statute
-The Stored Communications Act
-The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
Senator Franken also sent letters to T-Mobile, and Motorola to find out about the installation, and implementation of Carrier IQ’s diagnostic software that the 2 companies used for case by case troubleshooting and marketing. Motorola came back with the following list of their phones that use the software, called IQ Agent:
-Motorola Admiral
-Motorola Titanium
-Motorola Bravo
-Motorola Atrix 2
T-Mobile had a similar reply, but a much longer list, with the mobile provider using IQ Agent since last August, with 450,000 various devices using the software, that are:
-HTC Amaze 4G
-Samsung Galaxy S II
-Samsung Exhibit II 4G
-LG Doubleplay
-LG MyTouch/MyTouchQ
- Blackberry models 9810, 9360, and 9900
Sprint is already disabling the software on their phones. Something more about this, is the rampant speculation that spawned from a response from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in regards to Carrier IQ, which was that the FBI cannot comment, or release information about current investigation proceedings. Is the FBI the Carrier IQ data? A very unexpected response, to a very strange situation. If you have any of the phones listed above and are concerned about any possible personal privacy issues, contact your mobile provider about the situation. This is definitely something to keep an eye on.
The partnership between these 3 tech giants: Google, Samsung, and Verizon Wireless has produced a much anticipated and high-powered device: The Samsung Galaxy Nexus. A powerhouse mobile device, exclusively on Verizon’s 4G LTE network, which is available in 190 United States markets, and covers 200 million people (claimed).
This phone comes out of the box ready to do almost everything except wash your car and help you travel through time. The operating system, care of Google, is Android 4.0, also known as “Ice Cream Sandwich”, as all of Androids operating systems have quaint food-related nicknames. 4.0 brings the Galaxy Nexus a complete overhaul to the look and feel of Android, touting a new UI (user interface), a better multi-tasking capability, and HTML5 total web experience.
Note – this phone is one of the devices that are part of the brutal patent battle between Samsung and Apple. To see more about the battle you can go here.
The Nexus holds a very impressive spec sheet, one that could give some of the low-end PCs and laptops a run for the money. A 1.2 GHz dual core processor with 1 GB of ram, and 32 GB of internal storage. A 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video chat, and rear camera of 5 megapixels, with panoramic shot capabilities, no shutter lag for those quick, off the cuff photos of your cat flying through the air after a laser pointer, or a good prank shot of your buddy taking a dump. A small suite of built-in photo editing effects guarantee you can give grandma a biker beard just in time for holiday photos.
Bluetooth 3.0 for clear sound and talking on wireless headsets, speakers, and PC communication, the ability to become a mobile hotspot, which when signed up for the service through the provider, will allow you to tether up to 10 Wi-Fi devices. (Man, she really can take a lot at once, can’t she?). 9.47 mm thin, with a 4.65 in Super Amoled HD screen, giving you one the biggest screen on the market for typing, taking photos, or viewing and recording videos.
A very interesting, and new feature being discussed with this device, is facial recognition software that utilizes the phone’s camera to lock/unlock your phone. Along with Android Beam, which is what you can use to share videos, apps, contact info, etc. just by literally tapping the two compatible phones together. Google Music and Google Cloud play a big part in the Galaxy Nexus, too, letting you choose the data that’s stored on your phone to sync with your cloud, along with using Google Music to be able to save up to 20,000 songs to the cloud.
Are you excited? Are you Sweaty, or maybe a little tight in the pants? Before you jump in your’ 91 Toyota, or charge your Segway, these are the rules that Verizon will impose on you:
The phone is available for $299.99 with a 2 year contract or upgrade, and you will have to have a voice plan higher than $39.99 a month, along with a minimum of their 2GB data plan. If you think that’s a raw deal, you can always stream your Netflix account, and furry porn on your home Wi-Fi connection.
This legal brawl has turned into quite the debacle. I think of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” video, but the knives are replaced with stacks of paperwork that can give you a pretty nasty cut as well. Samsung and Apple have been locked in a battle full of processors, haptic feedback, and Wi-Fi since April.
The first shot was fired when Apple filed an injunction and suit in federal district court in San Jose, California, stating that Samsung was violating their patents with their Galaxy line of products, including mobile phones, and tablet devices, by blatantly copying the iPad, and iPhone, stating the protection of their design patents, which Apple claims Samsung violated, in a “look and feel” aspect, with the claims that Samsung’s icons, menu, and overall design was too similar to the iPad and iPhone to be considered merely competition, along with claims of violating Apple’s patents that cover engineering of their devices.
This legal challenge was only the beginning of the “whose is bigger” fight that is still going on. The larger picture of this tech war is that more than 20 different cases are open in 10 or more different countries, making this more drawn out and over the top than you can imagine. These lawyers must feel like it’s time to put on armor, and grab swords, and charge at the enemy.
Check the clock, its irony time: Samsung supplies a massive amount of parts for Apple’s devices. The millions, upon millions of Apple devices that are out there, are full of Samsung. See? I told you this was a hell of a battle. Recent rulings in Australia’s high court and in U.S. federal court came out in favor of….Samsung. Australia has given Samsung the go-ahead to sell their challenged devices within their borders. Apple’s lawyers say their appeal is coming, but it may not come soon enough to stop Samsung from capitalizing on their name plastered in the media over the dance of lawsuits, to draw the attention of potential customers, excited to hear that they can either buy the device they’ve been waiting to hear they can, or maybe anti-Apple people that are looking for an alternative.
The U.S. court ruling was likely not influenced by the Australian decision, as judges in this country do not for the most part see rulings from other countries as precedent for our own to be interpreted. Hold it! There’s more!
Samsung has filed its own injunctions, and lawsuits against Apple, specifically in Italy, and France (the home of organ grinders with monkeys, and wine for breakfast). Their paperwork states “Apple has continued to violate our patent rights and free ride on our technology”. Curious, aren’t you? Allow me to alleviate:
Samsung has taken Apple to the dance for the following 3 reasons, that they claim violate their tech patents:
1) Technology that tells a handset what format to send data as
2) The technology that is used to resolve errors when sending text messages
3) The manner in which the device bundles low amounts of data in order to improve efficiency.
Samsung chose to begin their barrage in these two countries for their established rulings, and procedures for telecommunications technology lawsuits and injunctions.
This technology that Samsung is suing over is inherent in ALL mobile devices. They’re kicking rocks at each other, waiting to see either whose shins will hurt more, or the teacher will break it up. Either way, everyone else has gathered around to watch.
The iPad has dominated the tablet market for the better part of 2 years now, with its ever-popular trademark Apple style, and operating system, and ease of use and operation. Now, Microsoft is looking to bring Seattle rain on the Cupertino, California labs of Apple with an upcoming piece of what’s labeled as competition, The Samsung Series 7 tablet. With a release date of October 2nd, it is guaranteed to cause more than one spit-take. I’ve got a breakdown of the specs for this iPad challenger, and it’s nothing to sneeze at. Unless you are allergic to reading this article, in which case, you may want to think about getting a tissue.
First off, this smooth operator has a glossy, capacitive 1366 x 768 resolution screen. It’s great for playing back your favorite You Tube videos of kittens. The screen comes in at 11.6 inches, complimented by a front facing 2 megapixel camera with light sensor. And that’s not the only camera on it, with a 3 megapixel rear camera. Also, with a whopping 1.6 GHZ Core i5 processor, given a helping hand by 4 GB of ram, and a 64 GB solid state drive, which is a type of hard drive that does not have any moving parts. They are faster than your average disc-storage hard drives, but lack the technology currently to have massive storage space, and are not recommended for powerful applications or programs, but are perfect for tablet computing. It also has your typical on-screen keyboard, and a very interesting handwriting application. Finished off by Wi-Fi, a USB 2.0 port, and a micro HDMI port, this tablet is a shockingly powerful piece of hardware.
What’s Making It Work?
Out of the box on the scheduled October 2nd release date, the Series 7 will be running Windows 7. But, that’s not what this was built for.
At the recentMicrosoft Build conference the big thing that had the 5,000 attending developers ready to crap their pants with excitement, was that each and every one of them got a Samsung Series 7 slate, with Windows 8 on it. For free to all the attendees. Now, Windows 8 does not have an official release date yet, rumors are late this year, early next year.
As you can see from the video, Microsoft is making a huge push for multi-touch interfacing, and “touch tiles”, and those 2 things are perfect for tablet computing.
Are you antsy for Windows 8? Can’t wait to get your mitts on it? Well, search no further! What appears to be some of the developers from the Build conference have decided to cash in on tech nerds, and compulsive 1st to own people, by putting a few of the tablets they were given at the conference on E-Bay. A few with bids in the $2,000 dollar range, and then there are a few with a reserve of $3,500 dollars.
Of course, I would not suggest for you to sell your car, your stamp collection, or your wife to buy one of these tablets on E-Bay. Sure, it would be great to be the only person you know, or look at on the street to have it, but wait! I have a simpler, cheaper solution for you, sitting there, reading this, sweating with anticipation…….
Go buy the Samsung Series 7 Slate when it’s released to the public for $1099.99, and then go home, giggle yourself dizzy opening the box and setting it up for the first time. Once you’re done flailing around like a Christmas morning child, go to Microsoft directly and download the free developer’s version of Windows 8. Heed the warnings, however. It IS A BETA. That means it might not be stable, and you’re using it at your own risk, and with risk to your current hardware, and operating system. Please don’t take this warning as something to be feared, just cautious. It CAN happen, not WILL. That’s why it’s a beta.
This looks like direct competition for Apple’s hold on the tablet market, as Android goes head-to-head with the iPhone. Will the bright and colorful touch interface of Windows 8, combined with the massive mobile power of the Series 7 slate, knock the iPad down a peg? We’ll see. I’m ready to see the tale of the sales a few months from now. Are you?
By Q101.com Tech & Gadget Blogga Comicbookjockey
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