Samsung Galaxy Note II gets a 6400mAh battery, takes a shot at immortality

The 3100mAh battery unit of the Samsung Galaxy Note II already propelled it to an impressive endurance rating in our battery test. I do however, reckon that there might be some users out there who would appreciate some extra juice at their disposal – just in case they need to jump start their car in a cold winter morning. Mugen Power’s humongous 6400mAh battery is aiming at those Galaxy Note II owners.

The laptop worthy battery unit is scheduled to ship on December 21, priced at a hair less than $100. The aforementioned amount of cash will secure you a battery, as well as a special cover for it with a built-in kickstand. The phablet’s NFC connectivity will remain functional with the new unit.

With the Samsung Galaxy Note II already a hefty device, installing Mugen Power’s 6400mAh battery will make it next to impossible to sit in a pocket. The overall visual appeal of the phablet is another issue to deal with.

A 6400mAh battery for $100, or a duo of regular 3100mAh units with a dedicated wall-charger for half the price? What would you pick?

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Father builds automated drone to watch son walk to the bus stop

Definitely a unique way to remotely keep an eye on the kids, a dad in the Northeast modified a quadcopter to watch from afar.

Covered in extensive detail on the IEEE Spectrum magazine site, a father names Paul Wallich in Vermont decided to build a camera-equipped quadcopter to follow his son from home to the school bus stop. He specifically wanted to build the security device for extremely cold mornings in December and January in order to avoid the quarter-mile walk to and from the bus stop. To get started, he first purchased a basic quadcopter kit and was quickly able to get up in the air due to the simple construction. He also designed a few sets of replacement legs out of foam board to cushion landings. 

Rather than develop a custom video solution, Wallich attached an old smartphone to the quadcopter and turned on a video chat application in order to send a video feed back to his computer at home. That particular model of quadcopter could lift several pounds, so the addition of the smartphone wasn’t significant in regards to the effect of the added weight on maneuverability. 

While the software controlling the quadcopter can be programmed to travel a specific set of coordinates, Wallich needed to come up with a solution that would work with the varied path his son took each day on the way to the school bus stop. In order to accomplish this, he created a small GPS beacon powered by a coin-cell battery that lasts up to a week. This beacon was placed within his son’s backpack and the quadcopter was programmed to stay a specific distance from the beacon. 

According to Wallich, he ran into issues with wind as well as obstacles in the path such as branches on trees. In an interview with NBC News, Wallich stated “Vermont, as it turns out, is a really bad place for doing this kind of thing because you have hills and you have trees. Hills mean that the altitude control gets a lot more complicated and trees mean you have to do obstacle avoidance. If my kid is walking along the road and there is a branch overhanging the road, the quadcopter will gleefully run smack into it.”

He’s looking into adding more sonar units on the quadcopter in order to assist with collision avoidance as well as a new sensor to provide more accurate positioning while in the air. Wallich also discovered that the lithium-ion battery life powering the quadcopter was limited at best. He had enough time to fly to the bus stop, hover for a few minutes and fly back to the house before the battery would go completely dead. In addition, power requirements doubled when the quadcopter was in motion or attempting to fly against a stiff breeze. Adding extra batteries to the quadcopter to increase power also increased the weight, thus it wasn’t significantly helpful.

Regarding the safety of the device, Wallich stated “With the current state of the technology, unless I really changed the design a lot, I would not want it within 15 feet of my kid.” However, Wallich indicated that his son liked the automated robot drone. 

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

iPad Mini vs Kindle Fire HD vs Nexus 7: In-depth comparison

The iPad mini has been announced, but how does it stack up against its rivals? We compare it to the Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7 to find out which tablet might be the best bang for your buck.

If you’re hunting for a small tablet then you’ll have the wares of Apple, Amazon, and Google on your radar. Which is the best small tablet for you? We compare the iPad mini, Nexus 7, and Kindle Fire HD to help you choose.

Size isn’t everything. As smartphones have grown larger, tablets have been shrinking. The 7-inch tablet market was already competitive before Apple unleashed the iPad Mini. It was a hotbed of budget Android temptations like the Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7. So how do these high profile tablets measure up? Let’s take a look at the iPad Mini vs. Nexus 7 vs. Kindle Fire HD.

(For more information, check out our full reviews of the iPad Mini, Nexus 7, and Kindle Fire HD.)

Price

It may seem unusual, but we’re going to start with price because there’s a big gap here and it informs all the other comparison points. The Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire HD have extremely slim profit margins and you can pick up the 16GB versions for $200. The 16GB version of the iPad Mini costs, on the other hand, will run you a clean $330. All three of these tablets are Wi-Fi only.

The more expensive versions are harder to compare directly because they don’t offer the same connectivity. The top of the line Kindle Fire HD is 32GB and you can pay to remove the adverts, which results in a price of $264. For a 32GB Nexus 7 with HSPA+ cellular connectivity you’ll pay $300. Only the iPad Mini supports 4G LTE connectivity, but the 32GB version with cellular is $560.

While 32GB is the maximum for the two Android tablets, you can throw down another $100 to get a 64GB iPad mini with 4G LTE for a whopping $660.

Display

(Credit: iMore)

Tablets are all about content consumption and so the screen is important. The iPad Mini has a bigger display than its Android rivals at 7.9 inches, but a lower resolution at 1024 x 768 pixels. Both the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD sport 7-inch displays with a 1280×800 pixel resolution. But it should be noted that most of the difference in resolution comes from their aspect ratio. Both the Nexus 7 and Fire are widescreen, while the Mini has a more square-like 3:4 aspect ratio

You’ve got a lot more screen real estate to play with on the iPad Mini, but the picture on the Android tablets is sharper and more detailed. This could be particularly important if you intend to read a lot on your tablet. Text is definitely sharper on the Android offerings, especially the Nexus 7.

All of them use IPS technology for wide viewing angles. Amazon has also equipped the Kindle Fire HD with anti-glare technology, but it’s tough to see much difference between it and the Nexus 7 in direct sunlight. The iPad Mini is more reflective, but it remains perfectly legible most of the time.

The lack of the Retina display on the iPad Mini is definitely a disappointment, especially if you’ve used a Retina iPhone or full-sized iPad. It doesn’t look as good next to its Android competitors.

Design

The iPad Mini is slightly taller than its competitors, but it is also slimmer and lighter. It’s one of the most comfortable and well-built tablets we’ve ever used. The Kindle Fire HD is the widest, thickest, and heaviest of the bunch, to a fault. The Nexus 7 actually has the lowest width, making it easiest to hold with one hand, but it is still quite weighty. Despite the larger screen, the iPad Mini has a thin bezel and a slim form factor that makes it very portable.

The rubberized, dimpled backing on the Nexus 7 is good for grip, but the aluminum construction and the light weight of the iPad Mini make it more comfortable to hold and better looking than the plastic and glass Kindle Fire HD or the Nexus 7. When it comes to design and feel, it is our favorite.

Specs

Take a look at the chart for the complete rundown of specs and we’ll just highlight the key differences.

Performance is fairly similar across the board, despite the use of different innards, though the Kindle Fire lags behind in overall speed. For watching movies, playing games, running apps, and web browsing you should have a good experience on all three, but the Nexus and Mini stand a leg ahead.

The Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7 only have front-facing cameras, so if you want to take photos, the iPad Mini is the obvious choice, but who buys a tablet for taking photos?

The Kindle Fire HD also lacks Bluetooth, but Amazon claims that the dual antennas and MIMO support makes the Wi-Fi up to 40 percent faster than the competition. If you do a lot of content streaming then that could prove important.

The iPad Mini has a proprietary Lightning connector which means you’ll probably need to splash out for adapters to use it with existing accessories or to hook it up to your TV’s HDMI port (Lightning to HDMI adapter is $50). The Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD both have standard Micro USB connectors. However, the Nexus 7 does not support HDMI or MHL out, so you can’t hook it up to your TV to watch content on the big screen. The Kindle Fire HD has a Micro HDMI port so you can plug it into your HDTV and watch content hassle free with a Micro HDMI to standard HDMI cable (you can get one for under $10).

Ecosystem and content

Most people buy a small tablet for consuming content. Amazon and Google are banking on that. Their tablets are essentially sold at cost because the companies plans to make money through content sales. Does that mean it offers the best content? We’ll split this into three distinct areas to compare.

Apps and games

The iPad Mini has a clear advantage here. There are loads of apps and games optimized specifically for the tablet in the App Store. There are also more premium apps and games in general on iOS. You will find a much greater choice of polished games and classic ports. You’ll also find more stylish, top quality apps.

Android is catching up, so the Nexus 7 does have access to a good range of apps and games through Google Play. You’ll find a higher percentage of free options than in the App Store, but overall quality is not as high and few are designed specifically for the tablet. Integration with Google services is better on the Nexus 7, but you can also access some of them on the iPad Mini.

Amazon has limited access to the Amazon App Store on the Kindle Fire HD and that means a much smaller subset of apps and games than you’ll find via Google Play. The advantage is more quality control and a Free App of the Day promotion.

Movies, TV, and Music

Content is king. Amazon is pitching the Kindle Fire HD as a window onto its content and it has plenty to offer. There are 140,000 movies and TV episodes to rent or buy which compares favorably to iTunes or Google Play. However, you can get access to all of Amazon’s content on the iPad Mini or the Nexus 7, as well. You can also access Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, and many other services on all three devices.

Since you can’t access Google Play or iTunes on the Kindle Fire HD it’s actually the most limited for movies, TV shows, and music.

In terms of services and cloud storage, Amazon offers free, unlimited cloud storage for all of the content you buy on your Kindle Fire HD. For other content, Amazon Cloud Drive gives you 5GB free and an extra 50GB will cost you $25 per year. With the iPad Mini you get iCloud, but that only offers 5GB of free storage. For an additional 10GB, you’ll pay $20 per year; an additional 20GB will cost you $40 per year; and an additional 50GB will cost you $100 per year. Google Drive also gives you 5GB for free and you can add up to 16TB of extra storage. An extra 100GB will cost you $60 per year.

It’s worth noting that Google Music also allows you to store up to 40,000 songs, Gmail offers 10GB, and you can store as many photos as you like in Google+.

If you have a mixed collection that you want to add to your tablet and you want to store more than 5GB of content in the cloud, then the Nexus 7 is the best choice. Google’s cloud services are the cheapest and the most reliable, followed by Amazon. With Apple you will pay more. Even adding your existing music to iTunes will cost you $25 per year for iTunes match.

The displays on the Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7 are better for watching movies. When it comes to audio, you should really use headphones for the best experience, but the Kindle Fire HD beats the Nexus 7 with Dolby audio, dual-driver stereo speakers.

Books and Magazines

Amazon has the biggest library and the most experience with books, but you can get access to it on your Nexus 7 or iPad mini as well via the Kindle app. The Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD offer the best reading experience because of that higher resolution and better anti-glare.

There are some good magazine apps available on all three and you can manage subscriptions through the various stores, but the iPad mini and the Fire HD offer more magazines. You may prefer the extra space and the 4:3 aspect ratio of the iPad mini for reading them.

Battery life

The iPad Mini edges the win on battery life, but the other two are not far behind. They should all get you through a day of normal use. If you do a lot of gaming, then you’ll notice the iPad Mini’s superiority. For streaming video, you should get about 9 hours out of each.

Little Extras

It is worth mentioning Amazon’s Prime service. For just $80 per year, you get access to 30,000 movies and TV shows, 180,000 books for free with the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (one per month), and free two-day shipping on eligible Amazon purchases.

Amazon also offers the X-Ray feature for books and movies which gives you extra information on what you’re reading or watching, such as the actors on screen with links to IMDB profiles. Whispersync allows you to switch between devices and keep your place in the book you are reading or the movie you’re watching. You’ll also find Kindle FreeTime which gives you an easy to use set of parental controls.

If you get the Kindle app on your iPad Mini or Nexus 7 you’ll also have Whispersync (it only works for Amazon content though). You can also get apps for the Nexus 7 and iPad Mini that will give you a reliable and easy to use set of parental controls like FreeTime.

In terms of Kindle Fire HD exclusives, that just leaves the Kindle Lending Library and the X-Ray feature.

Decisions, decisions

Before you buy one of these tablets, consider what you want to do with it. If you already use Amazon a lot and you want the tablet for movies, TV shows, music, and reading, then the Fire HD with Amazon Prime could be your best bet. But just realize that the iPad Mini and Nexus 7 have access to most Amazon content as well through official apps.

The iPad Mini wins on dedicated apps and games. It is a better tablet in some ways, but you pay a premium for that quality. It also makes the most sense if you already have an iTunes library of content, but the extra cost will be enough to turn off a lot of people. It’s not just the upfront price either, you also have to factor in the accessories, content, and cloud services. Though the Apple App Store has more apps, they are also slightly more expensive than Android.

If you’re looking for the most versatile, well-rounded tablet for the cheapest price, we recommend the Nexus 7. It runs the latest and greatest version of Android, has the best integration with Google services, and a great range of free and affordable apps and games. Any of Google’s 700,000 Play Store apps will run on the Nexus 7.

Are you going for Android, Apple, or Amazon? What gets your vote? Post a comment and tell us.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

More than half of Americans hoard old mobile phones

Likely piling up in a drawer somewhere, Americans are keeping their old mobile phones rather than selling, donating or recycling the mobile devices.

Detailed on Lockout’s official blog, the mobile security company detailed a new study about the volume of old mobile phones that are still in the possession of consumers based within the United States. Conducted through the Google Consumer Survey program, the company discovered that sixty-two percent of U.S. consumers have a stash of unused mobile phones that were retired for newer models. According to the results, forty-one percent of the respondents have between one to two unused phones, nine percent have three unused mobile phones and eleven percent have four or more unused mobile phones stored at home.

When asked why they were still holding on to those older mobile phones, twenty-seven percent of the audience said they simply had no idea what to do with the old phones.

Seventeen percent said they hadn’t erased personal data from their old phones and six percent wanted to hang on to the older phones in order to access applications as well as information still stored on the devices. Thirteen percent of the respondents were concerned about someone else seeing personal information on the old devices, so they ended up keeping the phones in storage for safekeeping. 

Of course, someone that wants to ditch their older phone should plug the device back in to check for data such as old contacts or photos still stored on the memory card. If they plan to sell the phone on eBay or Craigslist, it’s a good idea to revert the phone back to factory settings and remove the SIM card to avoid any future issues.

Other popular places to sell old mobile phones online include Amazon, Gazelle, Glyde and Nextworth. These sites typically require the owner to assign a quality rating to the current condition of a phone as well as include items such as original packaging, charging cables, instructions and headphones. If a mobile phone has been damaged significantly and no longer functions correctly, those older mobile phones can be dropped off at organizations that offer mobile device recycling. 

Over half of the respondents stated they wouldn’t mind giving up their old phones if it went to good cause. When a Verizon customer upgrades to a new phone, the wireless provider sends out a white plastic bag with prepaid postage for returning old mobile phones. These phones are reconditioned by the Verizon Hopeline project and may be redistributed out to shelters for battered women.

According to the company site, Verizon has collected nearly nine million old mobile phones since the project started. While some of the phones are sent out to victims and survivors of domestic violence, the majority are resold in order to generate funds to keep those phones in operation.

Another good cause for donating older mobile phones is the Cell Phones for Soldiers project. This organization has recycled over ten million mobile phones since 2004 and sends out approximately 12,000 minutes of prepaid calling cards per week to help troops place free calls back home. The group recently expanded the project to help returning veterans communicate with their loved ones. Called Helping Heroes Home, the program also provides assistance to veterans in regards to “physical, emotional and assimilation hardships.”

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Google under investigation for tax fraud in Italy

Following France and the UK, Italy has become the latest European country to investigate the potential that Google has defrauded the nation in terms of tax evasion and non-declaration of revenue.

Google continues to cause both upset and official investigations into allegations of tax evasion with its inventive European accounting method. Not content with facing suspicion in both the United Kingdom and France over whether or not it has been withholding revenue and underpaying taxes, now it’s Italy’s turn; an official investigation into the company suggests that it owes more than $100 million in VAT alone.

Italian authorities are now investigating Google’s taxes after it was revealed this week that the company’s European division – which is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland – had failed to declare somewhere in the region of €240 million (Roughly $311 million) in revenue and owed €100m in Value Added Taxes ($109 million). According to Italian news agency Radiocor (a subsidiary of the financial daily paper Sole-24 Ore), Google’s reported 2011 earnings in Italy were €3.6 million from the US and €40.4 million from Dublin, and its tax bill for the year was €1.8 million. However, the figures given by the Italian government ahead of this latest investigation come from the period between 2002 and 2006, which have already been analyzed by authorities as part of an earlier investigation in 2007.

As with the earlier investigations in other European countries, the concern in potential tax evasion comes from the way in which Google handles its European finances, with advertising revenue being handled in part by a Dutch subsidiary which passes them to a third company in Bermuda, which offers no corporation tax; because they end up in Bermuda via the Dutch company – ie, through a country in the European Union – the transfer avoids any withholding tax that would otherwise have been incurred under Irish tax law… And Irish tax law is famously lenient to corporations in order to attract businesses to the country (Amusingly, the Irish/Dutch/Bermudan arrangement is so common that it has a nickname amongst economists: “The Double Irish-Dutch Sandwich.” Somewhere, Ben Wyatt is finding that one hilarious).

Eager to get out in front of the story, Google has already released a statement explaining that it is working with Italian authorities on the matter, although it denies any potential wrongdoing in any tax-related matter. “It is normal for a company to be subject to tax inspections and we have been working with the Italian authorities for some time,” a Google spokesperson explained, going on to say that the company “respects the tax rules of the countries in which it operates” and pointing out that “until now, we have not received any request to pay additional taxes in Italy.” Beyond saying that it was working with Italian authorities, however, Google has not yet definitively said whether it will, in fact, be paying the €100m in VAT owed or adjusting its reported revenue for the period in question.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Let the age of home app creation begin

At this point, it’s almost a cliché to talk about the growth and potential of the app economy. We can all rattle off reports about the number of jobs this market has created or the likelihood of how much further it will reach – but really, it’s just fact now. Apps are the avenue for our digital lives and the job growth the lies behind them is unstoppable.

But that makes for a flood of products, some good, some bad, some hidden at the bottom of app marketplaces never to be seen. Which is why if you’re going to create an app, you best get serious. Creator platforms like Swebapps, AppsBuilder, TheAppBuilder, and AppMakr have been in this business for awhile, but a handful of new outlets with innovative ways to take you from idea to launch continue to surface.

Really, who among us doesn’t have a brilliant app idea? Not to get too meta on you, but here are some of the best apps to help you build apps.

SellanApp

SellanApp has been building noise for nearly a year now. The idea behind the platform is to create a community around app building that includes everyone – from developers with extensive knowledge, to “big picture” people, to beta testers.  SellanApp is an iPad-based program that allows you to make simple mockups and app prototypes via tablet. From there, you can invite others to test it with you and export it to the SellanApp platform – which is where the real work starts. Here, you start building interest around your app idea and try and court developers. There’s a crowdsourcing element as well, in which users, if you allow it, are able to come in and help fund the project.

“There are a lot of people who have app ideas,” SellanApp co-founder Milan Van Den Bovenkamp told me earlier this year. “We want to make app ideas happen, and that means you need a lot of people who can believe in a concept. If people believe in a community that wants to have ownership of the app and app ideas happen in a social way, then they can become a reality.”

The way revenue is split is that developers get paid first, then the producer or creator – whoever came up with the idea – gets second dibs, and anyone who pledged above a certain amount will also share in a designated percent of the profits.

Ooomf

Ooomf launched this past fall as both a creation and discovery platform. “Our ambition is to help anyone considering building a mobile product, whether they’ve created multiple mobile apps already or are just getting started on their first project,” CEO and co-founder Mikael Cho says.

Getting started with creating an app is as easy as entering your email address, your app’s name, and then you’re launched into Ooomf’s step-by-step guide to getting your idea up and running. These are bracketed into different areas, taking you from idea, to design, to push, all the way through launch day.

Ooomf helps you target specifics like how to create an engaging splash page and make a demo video, as well as how to get press for your app. Now you’ll have to come to Ooomf with the code of your app developed – think of this tool as a way to fine tune all the little details that lead to a successful launch. There is, however, the Ooomf Toolbox, which provides a bevy of useful tricks and guides for app developers of all skill levels. Of course, if all you have is an idea, there are options as well. “We allow people to participate in the creation of an app,” Cho said at launch. “So if you have an idea or a prototype or a design, you can put it in Ooomf and let the community vote on features and participate in [making] it.”

And once you’ve gone through the Ooomf process of perfecting your app, you also get to enjoy the discovery element it has to offer. It’s an engaging, personal way to explore the iOS App Store and see everything new hitting the market – and given the state of iPhone app discovery, it could be a boon to your project.

Tiggzi

The most convincing part about using Tiggzi for your app creation purposes is its drag and drop functionality. The cloud-based program was originally a tool for UI creation, so that developers and designers had an accurate, easy way to image what their projects would look like. From there, the Tiggzi team decided creation as a whole should be similarly engaging and visual.

Don’t be fooled by Tiggzi’s icon-heavy looks, though: This is a serious development tool you’ll need a decent amount of coding knowledge to use. You’ll need HTML, Javascript, and CSS background to effectively get started with Tiggzi. From there, however, you’ll find that the process is incredibly streamlined thanks to the ability to see your project working in real time.

Better yet, Tiggzi runs in-browser with no download or install needed – and it’s an incredibly versatile system that allows you to create HTML 5, Windows Phone, Android, and iOS apps (Windows 8 support was also recently added). For all of the complexity Tiggzi allows you to add to the backend of your app, the process is refreshingly simple, flexible, and visual.

AppThwack

While AppThwack isn’t a platform for creating apps, it serves an incredibly important and far too neglected service: Cross-device testing. At the moment, AppThwack is only available for testing Android and HTML 5 apps, although given the former’s issues with fragmentation, it’s not a bad place to start. At PIE Demo Day this fall, however, the team said iOS testing is on the way.

The process is fairly literally: The AppThwack labs have an impressive inventory of smartphones and tablets they use to run your app and then provide you with easy to read reports documenting any issues. There’s further customization to these reports available as well, like adding team members or testing multiple apps. 

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Nintendo: No Wii U price cut like there was for Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS is a proven success, but it only got there thanks to a drastic price cut six months after its release. Is Nintendo planning to drop the price of the Wii U in the same time frame?

The Wii U’s off to a promising start in the US. On Friday, Wii U debuted across Europe as well as in New Zealand. Next week, Wii U goes to Japan. Nintendo’s in a good spot but its last new console, the Nintendo 3DS, had an equally promising debut. Sales dropped quickly, though, and Nintendo was forced to dramatically cut the price. Is a similar price cut waiting in the Wii U’s future?

Not as of now according to the company. Nintendo UK executives Shelly Pearce and James Honeywell said during the console’s UK release that the company has confidence in Wii U’s price.

“The 3DS was a strong launch for us—we’re hoping the Wii U will be just as strong or even stronger,” Honeywell told Eurogamer, “As for whether there will be a future price cut we certainly have no plans for that at the moment.”

“We have no plans for a price cut,” said Pearce, “If someone really wants it this Christmas they should go and but it.”

Nintendo sold 400,000 Wii Us in one week, a promising debut for a console that created a lot of confusion earlier in the year. Following E3 2012, as Nintendo began the slow process of marketing its machine, it wasn’t always clear what Wii U was. Late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon thought the Wii U was just a new controller for the Wii, as did a CNN reporter that wrote a story about the console. Now that the Wii U is out, though, people are responding but it won’t be until the holiday period is over that the Wii U can prove itself.

$300 or $350 for a new Wii U may prove too expensive next spring when the post-launch period begins and Nintendo has trouble bringing new games to market. The Nintendo 3DS price drop came within six months of the device’s release. With only two Nintendo-developed games scheduled to come out between now and May—namely Pikmin 3 and Game & Wario—Nintendo may ultimately find itself in a similar situation with Wii U.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Tesla Model S gets a $2,500 price hike

Tesla says the increase, which includes all versions of the Model S luxury EV, is justified because the original pricing was announced more than three years ago.

Tesla Motors recently announced that it would raise the price of its Model S luxury EV, and now we know exactly how much extra cash this sedan will extracting from buyers’ wallets. Model S prices will go up by $2,500 across the board, and Tesla has also made some changes to the car’s options list.

The $2,500 price increase affects all three battery pack sizes (40 kWh, 60 kWh, 85 kWh) and the Performance package (which lowers the 0 to 60 mph time from 5.6 seconds to 4.4 seconds).

Consequently, the Model S’ new base price is $59,900, although most buyers will pay $52,400, since the car still qualifies for a $7,500 federal tax credit. As before, prices go up in $10,000 increments with the size of the battery pack. The top 85 kWh Performance model will start at $94,900.

Tesla also previously stated that some standard features would become optional, but the changes to the Model S’ options list are few. Performance models will now come with 19” wheels as standard, with 21” as a $3,500 option. Tesla is also offering Red multi-coat paint on 2013 models for $1,500.

On the plus side, Tesla is including 12-way adjustable heated front seats as standard equipment on all cars.

The price increase goes into affect January 1, 2013. Customers who make a reservation by December 31, 2012 will pay the current price, Tesla says, as long as they finalize their orders promptly. The company says it will determine a specific timeframe for order processing; customers who make a reservation before the end of the year but don’t actually place an order before Tesla’s deadline will keep their spot in line, but will have to pay the extra $2,500.

Tesla has over 12,000 reservations for the Model S, the vast majority of which will be delivered in 2013.

Tesla says it is entitled to raise its prices, since the Model S was announced over three years ago and prices have not gone up since then.

“During this same period of time most automotive companies have had at least three price increases and general inflation (CPI) has gone up 8.75 percent. A straight 8.75 percent CPI increase would now yield a base price for Model S of $62,400, an increase of $5,000,” Tesla vice president, worldwide sales and ownership experience George Blankenship said in a company blog post.

Tesla also sells cars in Canada, where the price will increase by $2,600 Canadian. The company is also taking reservations in Europe, although pricing for European models has not been announced. Tesla did say that it would deduct 1,700 euros from the cost of cars ordered before December 31.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

To Photo Sync or not to Photo Sync? We go hands on with Facebook’s new auto uploading photo feature

Facebook's Photo Sync finally was released, so went hands on to reveal everything from setup to built-in features - and of course, we take a look at how safe the system is.

After months of testing, Facebook finally launched its photo syncing feature for both iOS and Android devices. The new product is a convenient option for users to store all of their images in what’s essentially free storage space of up to 2GB courtesy of Facebook  and push them public when you so choose – of course there’s that pesky privacy thing, and users are right to maintain a little concern about something that directly sends data to the social network. Does Photo Sync’s benefits outweigh the risk of unwittingly uploading photos you’d rather keep to yourself? We go hands on with the new feature and break down the pros, the cons, and everything in-between. 

Getting Photo Sync up and running

If you haven’t already enabled Photo Sync, you should see a notification that pops up on the News Feed of your iOS or Android device asking if you’d like to sync your phone to the desktop app. Don’t worry about any downloads from the App Store, no need to head there for Photo Sync. Facebook says that the feature was already a part of the build in a previous update, but it was simply just turned off.

To turn it on, you’ll need to go to your Facebook profile page on the smartphone app, and select “Photos.” At the very bottom of the screen you’ll see a button for “Synced.” That tab will take you to a splash page briefly introducing you to Photo Sync. Opt into the feature by clicking on the “Sync Photos” button. Once this is done, if you open up the Facebook desktop app and go into your photos, you’ll see a new tab labeled “Sync for iPhone,” and here you’ll find the photos that have been synced.

Photo Sync on smartphones

At first, not all of your photos will be immediately synced (keep in mind we’re testing this feature on an iPhone). Fewer than two dozen of your most recent images will be automatically synced, and to allow Facebook to sync the rest of your images you’ll need to scroll down and opt in again by pressing the “Sync all Photos” button.

Syncing won’t immediately happen when first turn the function on. In this initial hands on, it probably took around 45 minutes to sync 300 photos. But once this is over, all photos taken are automatically uploaded from then on until you disable the feature.

You also can’t actually share photos within the Synced page on the smartphone app. The page is just a repository for reviewing the photos that you’ve synced, although you can delete photos here if you wish. If you want to share these images directly from your smartphone, you’ll need to access Facebook’s in-app camera.

And if you’re worried, no it won’t delete the photos on your phone’s native camera app. Instead of manually deleted photos though, we found a hidden trick for removing them from the Synced page: You can hold down your finger on the photo that you’d like to delete between two and three seconds (the latter to be safer just so you don’t end up opening up the image instead), and a window slides up with an option to “Remove Synced Photo.”

Photo Sync on the desktop

This is where all the magic happens. As mentioned before, you can use Facebook’s native and now built in Camera app to share your photos, group them into albums, and even adding flair using Facebook’s photo filters, but there’s a certain comfort in managing photos from the desktop as well. It’s really not uncommon for your fingers to accidentally open up different types of links on your smartphone, which could mean the difference between sharing a photo of your dog or a photo of … something else that you don’t want your Facebook friends seeing. That’s probably the nicest way to phrase it. 

When you select one or more images on the “Synced from iPhone” tab – each photo you select is marked by a green checkmark – buttons will appear for creating a post with the photos that you’ve selected, sending the photos in a message, creating a new album with them, or to add selected images to an existing album. Deleting images can also be done here, which will become a familiar tool for those of you that are already reaching the 2GB limit.

Since every action taken on the smartphone version of the app is synchronized with the desktop app, every photo that finished syncing from your phone will trigger a desktop notification, along with a number of photos pushed. What this also means is that if you’ve deleted a synced photo from your smartphone, that photo will be deleted from your iPhone gallery as well.

Some other smaller features that you might overlook is that the photos are displayed by month, and the bottom right corner of the page shows the percentage of free space that you’ve used of the 2GB. Downloads of the images are also supported via the desktop version of Photo Sync.

Settings

This feature is an important one to take note of. On the smartphone app, there’s a gear icon at the top right corner of the Synced page where you can select one of three options: “Sync over Wi-Fi or cellular,” “Sync over Wi-Fi only,” or “Don’t sync my photos.” You’ll want to specify which setting you want since by default you’re syncing over Wi-Fi or cellular. You can also keep track of how much storage you’re using up here.

Sync Photos makes sharing seamless … Instagram integration on the way?

After toying around with Photo Sync on Facebook, the initial impression is that it’s a bit slow and manually refreshing the iPhone and desktop versions to see the latest images gets old. We also encountered a bug that wouldn’t allow us to delete something; a prompt reading “Could not remove photo from Sync,” kept popping up on the iPhone – which could be a bit horrifying. However we saw that the photo was deleted when viewing via desktop. 

Overall, Sync Photos could easily be a Facebook Photo addicts dream come true. The sharing process is seamless and takes just three steps from selecting photos to publishing it on your Timeline. There’s also an opportunity here for Instagram integration as well, given how Facebook is trying to tie these so tightly together – although, the privacy implication there is that the security and relative exclusivity of sharing photos via Instagram would come into question. We reached out to Facebook for comment on this and we’ll update if we hear a response. 

For now, go forth and use Photo Sync – as long as you’re comfortable with Facebook’s ability to keep those auto uploads private until you say otherwise. 

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Hyperspectral camera captures northern lights in 41 ways

Mother Nature is a crafty lady. She often dazzles and terrifies us with natural events that we humans have yet to understand. One such spectacle that makes us gasp in awe is an aurora, the celestial occurrence more commonly known as the “northern lights” (aurora borealis) and “southern lights” (aurora australis). Auroras happen when the sun’s charged particles hit the Earth’s magnetic field, creating beautiful, dancing light across the sky. Yet, scientists still don’t know much about them. A new hyperspectral camera designed by space-weather researchers, however, aims to shed some more light on auroras, and may have already identified a new atmospheric phenomenon.

The NORUSCA II camera has captured the first-ever hyperspectral images of auroras. A hyperspectral camera is able to process light in different bands. Previously, cameras that were used to study auroras gather all light into one image; if researchers wanted to study the light at specific bands or a portion of the spectrum, they would have to employ filters. The NORUSCA II, using advanced optics and no moving parts to switch among all of its 41 separate optical bands within microseconds, is faster than an ordinary camera, and therefore able to filter out certain wavelengths in order to capture targeted elements within the image. The camera was tested back in January at the Kjell Henrikson Observatory in Svalbard, Norway, but the results were just published this week in the journal Optics Express.

Three bands were combined to create a color composite image of an aurora, taken with the NORUSCA II hyperspectral camera.

“A standard filter wheel camera that typically uses six interference filters will not be able to spin the wheel fast enough compared to the NORUSCA II camera,” said Fred Sigernes of the University Centre in Svalbard. “This makes the new hyperspectral capability particularly useful for spectroscopy, because it can detect specific atmospheric behavior, such as the ionization of gases during auroras. This form of multispectral imaging also will enable scientists to better classify auroras from background sky emissions and study the way they cluster in the atmosphere.”

During its first use, the NORUSCA II captured images of a major solar flare. During this session, the camera was able to detect a very faint wave pattern. The new wave pattern, which researchers dubbed “airglow,” is a natural emission of light by the Earth’s atmosphere, and possibly caused by a previously unrecognized source.

“After the January CME, we think we saw an auroral-generated wave interaction with airglow,” said Sigerness. “Our new all-sky camera opens up new frontiers of discovery and will help in the detection of auroras and the understanding of how our Sun impacts the atmosphere here on Earth. Additional development and commissioning will also hopefully verify our intriguing first results.”

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Is this Dualshock and PS Move hybrid the PlayStation 4′s controller?

People love motion controllers like Kinect but video game enthusiasts still want the precision of a controller. A newly published Sony patent suggests Sony is trying to make a device that manages to be both.

There’s been no shortage of rumors and hearsay regarding the future of Sony’s console gaming business. The fourth generation PlayStation will be a more developer-friendly machine than the PlayStation 3 according to sources within the industry, describing the machine as more of a “modified PC.” There has been little discussion of what the next PlayStation’s controller will look like, though. Is Sony planning on sticking with the Dualshock gaming controller that’s stayed relatively unchanged for fifteen years or will it opt for a next-generation version of the PlayStation Move motion-sensing wand? Patents suggest the PlayStation 4’s controller may be a mix of both.

A patent filed by Sony in 2011 describing a gaming controller called a “Hybrid Separable Motion Controller” was made public on Thursday. The device seen in the above image and in other figures on the patent shows what is an explicit cross between Sony’s existing controllers. It features the same bulbous heads as the PlayStation Move and the swim twin analog stick design used in all Sony controllers since the original Dualshock came out in the late ’90s for the original PlayStation.

On bulb is fixed on each side of the controller and it can be split in two with each half containing the accelerometer and gyro technology in an individual Move wand. This device would do away with the need for the analog stick companion for the move and would also ease audiences into games that use two Move controllers, like the original Sports Champions. According to the patent, this new controller will still need a PlayStation Eye camera to work.

While the number of PlayStation 3 games to support the move controller has been limited, Sony has managed to sell 15 million of the motion controllers in two years. The popularity of the Wii and more recently Microsoft’s Kinect has guaranteed that motion-based video games will remain a popular fixture of the console gaming business. The Move technology is still cumbersome, though, offering precision lacking in Kinect and Nintendo games, but also necessitating a more complex set up process. Part of the reason Kinect has been so successful for Microsoft is its ease of use.

The Hyrbid Separable Controller is a recent piece of technology conceived by Sony, but it’s unlikely that it will be a highlight of the PlayStation 4.

Source: NeoGAF

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

The JLab Bouncer Bluetooth speaker aims to pound out your tunes

The JLab Bouncer is the latest in what is becoming a very long line of small, portable Bluetooth speakers.

After crashing the scene with its Bluetooth-enabled Crasher speaker, JLab is looks to deliver the more refined JLab Bouncer. While the name may evoke the sort of speaker system that Patrick Swayze would have had next to him while playing one of his trashy tough-guy roles, this Bluetooth speaker is far more buttoned down and distinguished. Rather than a rough and ready brawler, the Bouncer is more akin to a tailored suit-styled bodyguard that still means serious business.

It is available in white or midnight black, thus evoking the look of a tuxedo a suave superspy might wear to impress the ladies. And like any super-spy’s piece of equipment, it aims to deliver as well, offering two 12-watt “super drivers” with dual, rear-firing bass ports,  all the while providing what the company promises will be “room filling sound” from its signature sound curve technology.

It isn’t short on connectivity options either, and is compatible with an iPod, iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry or Kindle device, along with just about any other Bluetooth 2.1-enabled gadget from a distance of up to 30 feet. If there is something that it can’t sync up with, there is always the 3.5mm jack. It even features a USB port for charging smart phones and other portable devices.

This Bouncer won’t crack heads, but it might just be able to sooth even the most savage beast as it is meant to exude warm, smooth mids and highs backed by just the right amount of deep bass attitude. And, aside from being used for music, it can double as a communication device with its built-in mic and speaker phone.

The JLab Bouncer is ready to bounce your party now for about $130.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Betrayal, passion, greed, and actor Damien Lewis star in Jaguar’s F-Type-inspired short film “Desire”

With the impending release of the Jaguar F-Type, the British automaker is producing a short-film starring actor Damien Lewis.

Rather than produce some short 30 second commercial for its recently debuted F-Type, British luxury and performance automaker Jaguar is taking a more Hollywood-styled approach by producing a short film starring both the sleek and stylish F-Type, along with Emmy Award winning actor Damien Lewis, who currently stars in Showtime’s Homeland series.

The small feature, titled Desire, is set to use the Chilean desert as its backdrop and see Lewis star opposite Spanish-Catalan actor Jordi Molla (Blow, Bad Boys II) as the main villain. Filming is scheduled to start early next month, and according to Jaguar, the story follows Clark (Lewis) a man tasked with delivering cars for a living – in this instance, Jaguar’s new F-Type . Along the way he crosses paths with a woman, played by Shannon Sossamon (A Knight’s Tale, 40 Days and 40 Nights) – after which we can only guess a great deal of action, intrigue, betrayal, and sexiness ensues.

With music by Lana Del Rey, and the whole thing created in association with Ridley Scott Associates, the short 50 second feature clip, which debuts next Spring, is already shaping up to be quite the ride.

Don’t take our word for it though. Check it out for yourself, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Report: Microsoft’s next Xbox due out by Thanksgiving 2013

A new Bloomberg report claims that Microsoft's next game console will hit shelves in time for the Black Friday 2013 rush but it's still unclear if Microsoft will release its high tech Xbox 720 or the budget priced Xbox TV.

The holiday season is typically reserved by video game companies to tout big sales numbers and roll out major sequels. 2012’s been no different. Nintendo proclaimed this week that it sold 400,000 Wii Us during the week of Black Friday, Sony boasted 525,000 PlayStation 3s sold, and Microsoft reported 750,000 Xbox 360s sold, particularly impressive since the Xbox is celebrating its seventh birthday this November. This is not the Xbox 360’s season, though, as each day a new rumor about the console’s successor circles the Internet. The latest is that the next Xbox, sometimes called Xbox 720 and sometimes Durango, will definitely arrive in time for Christmas 2013.

Bloomberg reported on Friday morning that its sources, who naturally asked to remain anonymous, confirmed that Microsoft is planning to release the next Xbox almost exactly one year after the Wii U, to capitalize on Black Friday and Christmas 2013 sales. The source also said that Microsoft has yet to decide whether it will debut the next Xbox at a trade show like E3 2013 or the Consumer Electronics Show or if it will hold an independent event.

Microsoft famously debuted the Xbox 360 in a television special back in 2005, showing off “target” demos of games like Madden NFL 2006 that didn’t look anything like the games that shipped alongside the console later that year. Since then Microsoft hasn’t shied away from bringing new products to trade events. Kinect debuted as the codenamed “Project Natal” at E3 2009 before re-emerging one year later with its proper name.

Just what Microsoft will announce for release in 2013 is up in the air as there are two successors to the Xbox 360 rumored as of now. The first is an expensive, powerful new gaming machine codenamed Durango that will ship under the simple name Xbox. This console will play Blu-ray discs and run graphically intensive games similar to those seen in tech demos like Star Wars 1313.

That machine will sell alongside a cheaper device called the Xbox TV, a Windows 8-powered set top box that focuses heavily on entertainment apps like Netflix and Microsoft’s own rumored television service as well as video games. There are even suggestions that the Xbox TV will retain the game playing technology in the Xbox 360.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

The First Music Video Filmed Entirely Using Instagram

Image credit: The Plastics Revolution

We’ve all heard a picture is worth a thousand words. So how much is a music video created entirely out of still photos worth?

Yes, you read that correctly.

Mexico City-based Indie band The Plastics Revolution created a music video for their song, Invasión, using only still photos taken on Instagram, the popular photo sharing app that lets you create stunning images directly through your smartphone.

“The use of Instagram — it’s something some people don’t believe in as a social media tool or as a photography application, but I think this project shows if you really use something you can really get something out of it,” said Julio Gudino, who does guitar and lead vocals for The Plastics Revolution.

The four-minute video took about five months to produce from start to finish, and is comprised of still images entirely produced through Instagram by San Francisco photographer Arturo Perez.

“The initial idea came because I really like Instagram. I think it’s a way to be creative all the time,” said Perez. “No matter if you’re going to the grocery store or the park with your friends, there’s always a way to be creative.”

Gudino said the six members of the band, who are also close friends,  wanted to work with a photographer they personally knew well.

“We met Arturo in 2009 and last year we started talking about a collaboration together,” said Gudino. “The idea to use Instagram was totally his idea. He was really excited with the idea since the beginning and insisted we start working on it.”

Perez described it as  “a total eureka moment.”

The Production Process

To save money, the band worked long-distance to produce the video. Perez shot the photos in San Francisco on a high end SLR camera and then imported the photos onto his computer and eventually onto his iPhone. Then each photo was sent through Instagram to add various filters and edits. Finally, the photos were streamed and edited together to produce the stop-motion cinema effect.

“Literally, until I finished it I didn’t think we were going to do it. It was a lot of work, more work than I anticipated,” said Perez. “We took over 45,000 photos and going through 45,000 photos to tell a story is a nightmare.”

What made the process more challenging was creating the video spanning miles and miles of distance.

“We actually never sat down with Arturo. We emailed, Skype and called,” said Gudino. “We needed to start processing the pictures — downloading them, uploading them and sending them back to him [Perez] in San Francisco.”

The video took five months to produce, using 1,905 still photos to create an aesthetically pleasing stop-motion music video.

Perez said each photo went through a seven-step process from when it was shot to when it was uploaded to the final product.

“It was a passion project I worked on every night since June,” said Perez. “But the whole collaboration was a total team effort.”

Aside from photography, Perez also works as a writer and director in the Bay Area. In what he calls his “‘day job,” Perez works as a creative director for Swirl in San Francisco.

The band members first met Perez in 2009 when he shot their music video Day of Light. Perez was working for La Blogotheque, a music blog based in Paris, at the time. Since then the band and Perez have remained friends.

Now the question lingers: Will Instagam music videos be an insta-trend?

Perez thinks so.

“People love video, so I think it’s the next step,” said Perez. “Instagram would have to adapt and make it easier for people. Right now it’s too much work and no sane person would do it.”

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

2014 Hennessey Venom GT2: Now with 1,500 hp

Hennessey's Venom GT, a Lotus Elise/Exige chassis with a twin-turbocharged Corvette engine, is back with more power and an angrier face.

You might think 1,000 horsepower is enough, but Hennessey Performance disagress. The Texas tuner and supercar builder launched the Venom GT, a modified Lotus Elise with a 1,244 hp Corvette ZR1 V8, a few years ago. Now, it’s back with the even more powerful Venom GT2.

The GT2 takes the horsepower number up to a nice, round 1,500. It uses the same 7.0-liter, twin-turbocharged engine (derived from the ZR1’s mill but heavily modified) as the “regular” Venom GT. Such a big engine might seem irresponsible, but it is tuned to run on E85.

The original Venom GT was offered solely with a six-speed manual transmission, but the Venom GT2 will also have an optional seven-speed automatic with paddle shifters.

That extra power should drive the Venom GT2’s performance numbers further into the realm of the impossible. Hennessey achieved a 262 mph top speed for the original Venom GT, and says the Venom GT2 will hit 287 mph. That would make the Venom GT2 20 mph faster than the world’s fastest production car, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.

No word yet on whether the Venom GT2 will out-accelerate its predecessor, which does 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds.

If their cars aren’t moving too quickly, Venom GT2 owners will be able to show the world that they have the latest and greatest. The GT2 gets new styling that erases the stock Lotus Elise/Exige front end of the original, and reportedly makes the new Venom more aerodynamic. A “double-bubble” roof also adds headroom.

It’s not exactly pretty, but a flyweight (2,743 pound) car with 1,500 hp needs all the help it can get to stay on the ground. Brembo carbon ceramic brakes will hopefully be enough to keep this beast in check.

Hennessey only built six examples of the original Venom GT, but the GT2 is slated for a larger production run. The company will build a whopping seven of these venomous cars.

That’s just as well, though, since the Venom GT2 will cost $1.25 million. It’s not too much of an increase over the $1.1 million Venom GT Spyder, but Hennessey probably doesn’t need to pull a Tesla and buy a Toyota-GM factory to satiate demand.

If the GT2 delivers on its maker’s performance claim, it will be worth the money. If not, it will still offer one of the most insane experiences in the car world.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Is a Retina version of Adobe Photoshop CS6 coming in December?

Did Adobe just let slip that a Retina version of Photoshop CS6 is on the way?

Adobe recently released a teaser video for its upcoming Create Now Live event on December 11. But one thing in particular caught our eye. It seems the company may be releasing Photoshop CS6 for Retina screens. 

In the video, it appears that Photoshop is running on a MacBook. Many blogs, including Japanese site, Macotakara, think that the computer in the video is a 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro. While these rumors have yet to be confirmed, it makes sense that Adobe would be releasing Photoshop and CS6 software optimized for Retina MacBooks.

Back in August, Adobe announced that it would make Photoshop and other CS6 products compatible with Apple’s Retina screen, which is one of the highest resolution screens available. Adobe also said that it would be releasing the updated programs this fall.

While the 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro with Retina has been available for some time, Apple just recently announced the 13-inch version during its iPad Mini event in October. Perhaps Adobe was waiting for Apple to release the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro before it released any updated software that would be compatible with the technology.

It also makes sense that Adobe will be releasing a Retina version for its most popular products, since it already released a Retina-compatible version for its Lightroom software earlier this month.

You can watch the 43-second clip below. Adobe will introduce new products at its Create Now Live event on December 11 at 10 a.m. PST, which you can watch live on YouTube. If you want to attend the virtual event, you can sign up on Adobe’s registration page.

Do you think Adobe will update its Photoshop and other Creative Suite 5 products for Apple’s Retina screen? Let us know in the comments below. 

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

The future of in-car tech starts in your pocket

The 2012 LA Auto Show exhibited all manner of high-tech vehicles, but one overriding trend is clear: Automakers are looking to smartphones and other mobile devices to shape the future of the "connected car."

In recent years, automakers from around the world have used the LA Auto Show as the coming out party for their alternative-drivetrain (read: green) vehicles. This year’s show, however, was a little different. While EVs like the Chevy Spark EV, hybrids like the BMW i8 concept, and even diesel-powered vehicles from Audi populated the showfloor, the next big challenge for automakers isn’t under the hood, it’s in drivers’ pockets. Now that nearly half of all Americans have smartphones, how can cars tap into them without sacrificing safety or functionality?

Automakers like Chevrolet, Chrysler, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, Mini, and Mazda, are all taking different approaches to bringing the smartphone experience into the car safely and effectively. Even companies that traditionally have had very little to do with the automotive world, like Intel and Sprint, made appearances at this year’s LA Auto Show. Without question, it’s clear the focus in LA has shifted from just green vehicles to moving towards the “connected car” in a big way.

But what is the “connected car?” The way automakers see it, people getting into their cars want the freedom that their smart devices provide, without diverting their eyes from the road to get it. We want to check the latest basketball scores, Tweet interesting (or pointless) blurbs to the world, update our Facebook statuses, and access the Web’s nearly infinite amount of data at virtually all times, even behind the wheel.

And companies are obliging. Nearly every automaker we talked to has some sort of solution in the pipeline in order to keep drivers connected. Whether it’s through the cloud, adding more processing power into the cars themselves, through Wi-Fi, or all of the above, we’re approaching the turning point where staying connected to the world while traveling on four wheels won’t be a perk reserved for the tech savvy or wealthy; it’s going to be the standard across the board.

Some automakers are further ahead of the game than others, and the ones leading the pack may surprise you. As it turns out though, it’s not the luxury brands like BMW and Mercedes that have us most excited; it’s companies like GM, Chrysler, and Ford – which began bridging the gap  between car and phone all the way back in the pre-iPhone days of 2007 with Sync. Apple’s recent collaboration with GM to integrate Siri into the upcoming Chevrolet Spark and Spark EV is a perfect example of this, too. The next-generation MyLink infotainment system debuting in the 2014 Impala was designed from the ground up to resemble an iPad. Everything is controlled through the touchscreen or voice. You can even customize your home screen by pressing down on an icon and moving it around with your finger, just as you would on a tablet.

Audi already partners with T-Mobile to provide Wi-Fi access in select models, and BMW’s 2013 335i lets you run Google searches. Virtually every automaker that has an EV or plug-in hybrid has a corresponding app that lets you check your car’s remaining battery charge, or plan out charging schedules remotely.

Sprint made its LA Auto Show debut by teaming up with Chrysler to offer Sprint Velocity service in the 2013 SRT Viper and upcoming UConnect systems. Velocity will provide on-demand Wi-Fi in future Chrysler vehicles, meaning you can purchase Wi-Fi in blocks: a day, a week or a month at a time. Don’t need access when you’re not on a road trip? Don’t pay for it.

The carrier has more ambitious plans as well. In the future, Velocity will work as virtual concierge service to cater to your every need. For instance, it could ask aloud if you’d like to resume what you were listening to last when you get in the car, receive incoming digital coupons, and even purchase takeout or other items from a virtual marketplace. It sounds far fetched, but this is where the automotive experience seems to be headed.

Intel’s vision of the future car experience takes this “virtual concierge” concept a step further. The company’s teaser reel showed a car that could snap a photo of a landmark, save it to a hard drive and rattle off information on that landmark like an encyclopedia. Another example showed the car calculating the road conditions in real time, giving the driver hints of possible vehicles ahead, or tricky turns they may not have been aware of. As Intel sees it, we won’t just be interacting with our cars, our cars will be interacting with us.

Whether you think infotainment systems like Cadillac’s CUE provide advanced functionality and convenience, or unwelcome distraction, it’s really just scratching the surface of what in-car tech can do. If the 2012 LA Auto Show proved anything, its that automakers aren’t just looking to keep us connected to the road anymore, but to the world at large.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Hands on with Nokia’s HERE Maps … You may want to take a detour

Apple left a hole in the navigation apps market that you could drive a truck through when it decided to leave Google behind and go with a first-party creation. Now Nokia is looking to fill that hole but if it's using it's own HERE Maps app, it may have difficulty finding it.

When Apple decided to try to pave its own road into the navigation apps market with Maps in iOS 6, it was assumed the Cupertino company would have something ready to go right at launch that would compare with the previous default option, Google Maps. What Apple ended up putting out into the world was an unfinished product with the direction-giving capabilities of a dementia patient. With a clear hole in the market to be filled, Nokia recently stepped up with it’s offering: HERE Maps.

Announcing its arrival with an all-caps name, as if one is to shout it out, HERE builds upon Nokia’s recent fascination with transportation. The Finnish phone maker has been working hard on different aspects of its navigation apps on the Windows Phone platform, and has balled that up into a mobile app and web-based client with HERE.  That combination of web and app access allows you to use the cloud to create and save collections of maps and destinations that you can then access anywhere through your HERE account. It’s a great way to keep track of interesting places you’ve come across during your travels. Unfortunately, though, the services pretty undistinguishable and HERE feels mostly like the browser service placed in the packaging of an app. This makes it a little less user friendly than one would expect, as taps and finger glides aren’t as responsive as mouse clicks and scrolls.

As a whole, the maps don’t look great. For the time being, there is no Google Street View-like option or anything equivalent to it either. A 3D view is on its way with Nokia’s recent acquisition of 3D mapping company Earthmine, but until then even Apple Maps has a leg up in that department. You can take a look at your local streets in four different ways: Map view, Satellite view, Public Transit view, and Live Traffic view. For the most part, they all function the way one would expect. Satellite view was a little slow and images from my city were at least a year or so old–as were some addresses.

In general, the search service functioned and one can plug in general terms or specific locations and yield mostly accurate results. Just don’t expect them to be extremely up to date. I plugged in a restaurant in my area that relocated about 6 months ago and its old location still comes up. In comparison, Google Maps’ web client had updated information. Similarly, a grocery store that has been in town for several years now didn’t even register on a search, no matter how general or specific I made it. Nokia says HERE uses NAVTEQ mapping data, the same system that nearly all in-car GPS systems use, which makes one wonder just how good those things really are.

Also worth noting is that when you’re looking up information about a specific destination, reviews and ratings and provided by Trip Advisor. This comes with its pros and cons. On the plus side, Trip Advisor is a great service and also provides other nearby stops that may be worth your time while you’re in the area. However if you’d like to read anything past the first sentence of a review, you’ll be pushed out of HERE and into your web browser or into your Trip Advisor app. Either way, you’ll have to leave HERE just to get basic information.

Public Transit view and Live Traffic view both appear to function in major cities. Even then, there are some areas in heavily populated locations where traffic data just seems to disappear. Transit data is sparse almost everywhere. There’s no bus data, even in cities like mine where the running times and stops are well documented and monitored. Places like San Francisco and Seattle had its rail systems included so some of these features do exist in specific cities, but as a whole it appears to be a work in progress. The app even warns users when the features are turned on that they are in beta.

Even without traffic or public transit available, one would assume that the streets would be easily navigable with the help of turn-by-turn voice directions. That would be a correct assumption to make, as long as you only plan on walking. Walking directions are currently the only mode where spoken navigation is available, which seems like the least useful place for it to be. It’s not like turns exactly sneak up on you while you’re walking. Turn-by-turn information is available for nearly every trip but if you need to spoken aloud, make sure to provide your own co-pilot.

HERE Maps probably shouldn’t be viewed as a finished product. There are some parts that are in place, some that are still coming to fruition, and some that are lacking completely. It’s a beta product, but Nokia pushed it out like a finished and polished app so it’s hard not to treat it as such. If you’re using Apple Maps, HERE Maps is not going to add any real clarity to your navigation experience. In fact, there are some areas where the service even trails Apple’s poorly received transport app. Nokia has proven itself to be more than capable of providing what it promises in its Windows Phone navigation apps. We’ll just have to wait for it all to filter into HERE Maps. The real fault is with Nokia, as it promised it was streets ahead and turned out to be attempting to tail the lead cars. HERE Maps functions, but just doesn’t live up to all the promise yet.

You can download HERE Maps for free in the Apple App Store.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Low demand may have seen Surface RT orders halved, Surface Pro coming to save the day

Microsoft has reportedly cancelled half its Surface RT tablet order due to lower than expected sales. While other manufacturers have already shunned Windows RT, Microsoft may be looking to the Surface Pro tablet to save the day.

Microsoft may have halved its Surface RT tablet orders with the manufacturer if new rumors are to be believed, and it’s all down to poor sales. The news comes from sources working in Microsoft’s supply chain, and has been reported by DigiTimes, a publication which has close ties with the industry.

The report states Microsoft expected four million Surface RT tablets to sell before the end of the year, but things haven’t worked out as it hoped, forcing the company to lower its order quite drastically to two million instead. This comes after Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was quoted as calling Surface RT tablet sales “modest” during an interview, a point later clarified by Microsoft’s press team, who said Ballmer was talking about its distribution. Now though, this sounds even more like damage control.

If you can hear some thinly disguised sniggers, they’ll be coming from Acer, as it decided to cancel the launch of its own Windows RT tablets based on the lukewarm reception the Surface had in the press. Acer has been more than a little put out by the release of the Surface tablet, and has been one of the most vocal of Microsoft’s partners to come out against it, voicing concerns regarding manufacturing and pricing.

There could also be concern over at Microsoft that customers are holding off buying a Windows RT tablet — which has been designed to take on iOS and Android tablets — because they’re waiting for the Surface Pro. It’s quite a coincidence then, that the Surface Pro has been announced for a January release complete with a $900 starting price. Concerns over the Surface Pro’s battery life have already been raised though, as Microsoft says it will be half that of the nine-hour Surface RT.

Microsoft hasn’t released any official sales figures for its Windows RT tablets, but has recently boasted of Windows Phone 8’s success, stating the mobile OS has quadrupled in sales over this period last year. It looks unlikely the Surface RT will be spoken of so highly anytime soon.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

How to make iTunes 11 look more like iTunes 10

So you updated to iTunes 11? You may like the redesigned look, but if you feel yourself missing some of the features from iTunes 10, don't worry; you can still find them.

Judging from our hands-on time with iTunes 11, we can say it’s fast, sleek, and smart. Still, there are probably a number of users who are resistant to change and like how things were done in the old days of iTunes 10. They may be baffled and unhappy with the changes in the new iTunes. For those of you who are putting off updating to iTunes 11 because you’re weary of the new design and of losing things like columns and the sidebar, we can help.

Apple hasn’t completely ditched the features you’ve grown to love in previous versions of iTunes. See that photo below? You might not even be able to tell it’s the same iTunes as the photo above. Here are a few ways you can make iTunes 11 look more like iTunes 10.

Using the View menu, you can bring back the sidebar, the column browser, and even the status bar that shows how much music and how many hours of content you have. And believe us, it’s very easy to do. Here’s how:

Click on the View menu:

• For the Status Bar: Click “Show Status Bar.” 
• For the Sidebar: Click “Show Sidebar.
• For the Column Browser: Click “Column Browser.” Note that Column Browser will only show up when you’re under the “Songs” section.

There are even shortcuts that let you easily toggle the sidebar, status bar, and column browser features.

• Sidebar: Option-Command-S 
• Status Bar: Command-/
• Column Browse: Command-B

You still won’t completely feel like you’re in iTunes 10 with these alterations, but you may at least feel a little more comfortable. Sadly, cover flow on top of playlists is now completely gone, so that part of iTunes 10 will never be the same.

It’s actually a nice detail that Apple made previous design features available to users who weren’t quite ready for the radical new design of iTunes 11. These viewing options are easy to find and activate, and might help weary iTunes users into updating to the new iTunes.

What do you think of the new design? Will you be adding these iTunes 10 features back into the mix? 

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Honda EV-STER’s surprise appearance at the L.A. Auto Show hints at US release

The bold Honda EV-STER concept could be heading stateside, but you'd better let Honda know you want one if you expect the traditionally conservative Japanese automaker to bring it over.

Quite a lot of the time, automakers will keep their riskier models in their home markets. Unless they are reasonably sure that the car will be a hit overseas, they are reluctant to commit to a large and costly international release. When the Honda EV-STER concept debuted in Tokyo last year, it was assumed that this would probably be the case with this car as well; should it even make it into production. Toward the end of last year, we got word that Honda had given the car the green light, but there was still no news about whether it would make it stateside.

This is still not exactly an official yes, but the little electric sports car has now made a debut at the L.A. Auto Show. Foreign automakers might not always bring cars to the US, but they also don’t show them at American shows if they have no intention of bringing them at all. Since there was no accompanying announcement that the car was US-bound, it seems that this is one of those cases where an automaker will bring a concept to an auto show in order to gauge the public’s response to it. So if you’re a fan of the EV-STER and would like one of your very own, now is the time to let the folks at Honda know.

The design of the concept is quite bold, and if this were a regular roadster, we’d expect that it would change quite a bit. But the EV-STER was built to be an electric car (although rumor has it that a production version could offer a choice of electric and gasoline engines) and a bold design is kind of what you’d expect from an electric roadster. So the exterior could actually end up looking quite a bit like this. The twin joysticks instead of a steering wheel on the other hand, no, I don’t see that happening. Should the drivetrain remain unchanged, it will be a 78-horsepower electric motor connected to a lithium-ion battery pack. That’s not all that much, so let’s just hope this isn’t another repeat of the CR-Z:  a green sports car where Honda sadly forgot to add the sports part.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com