tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24558448799192642792024-03-11T06:29:17.637-07:00TechWorldThe Best And The Latest Technology News And ReviewsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-45719164247855171442015-05-03T16:14:00.001-07:002015-05-03T16:14:55.113-07:00Apple says tattoos can cause watch problems<p dir="ltr">Apple has said some of the functions on its new smartwatch may not work properly when it is worn over tattoos.<br>
Darker-coloured artwork and even changes in darker coloured skin types can fool the light sensors on the back of the watch.<br>
The problem is not exclusive to the Apple Watch, which performed well in independent tests.<br>
But it does show the manufacturer has not solved the sensor problem.<br>
Sensitive sensors<br>
"Permanent or temporary changes to your skin, such as some tattoos, can... impact heart rate sensor performance," Apple said on a support page on its website.<br>
"The ink, pattern, and saturation of some tattoos can block light from the sensor, making it difficult to get reliable readings."</p>
<p dir="ltr">.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The watch uses green LED lights combined with light-sensitive photodiode sensors to detect the amount of blood flowing through the wrist, which can then be used to calculate heart rate.<br>
Other problems have been reported. Matt Siegel, a journalist for the Reuters news agency said that "the watch locks on tattooed skin and does not deliver the soft pings that alert a user to incoming messages".<br>
"The heart rate readings were also significantly different on tattooed and untattooed wrists."<br>
Videos posted to YouTube have shown users with wrist tattoos attempting to log a work out session, only for the watch to appear to intermittently pause the stopwatch when it failed to detect the wrist.<br>
Common problem<br>
The problem is not unique to the Apple Watch.<br>
Several smartwatches and wearable fitness devices that use similar sensor technology have also been reported to struggle when worn on darker coloured skin. In these cases the amount of light reflected back from deeper-coloured pigmentation of the skin is less than the device is calibrated for.<br>
The technology in Apple's watch does not appear to be of a low standard. It performed well in independent tests against leading heart rate monitors, according to Consumer Reports.<br></p>
<p dir="ltr">The repair site ifixit.com has taken apart the Apple Watch and reported that its heart rate monitor system is more advanced than most, offering potential functions that Apple is not currently promoting.<br>
"Apple's heart rate monitor is actually a plethysmograph," it said.<br>
"It looks and acts like a pulse oximeter, but Apple isn't claiming it can measure your blood oxygen level. Why? Beats us. Our best guesses involve FDA [US Food and Drug Administration] regulations."<br>
It seems that the sensor and monitor functions of the Apple Watch are fairly advanced, but that the technology giant has yet to solve the known problems presented by darker-inked skin.<br>
"We're not surprised the Apple Watch has run into problems with tattoos as it uses similar optical heart rate monitoring tech as the Fitbit Charge HR," Sophie Charara, contributing editor of wearable technology website Wareable, told the BBC.<br>
"Apple now needs to offer users the option to disable the pin code security when the smart watch doesn't detect your wrist.<br>
"The winning wearable tech in the next few years will be the devices that work with our bodies, not the ones that ignore them</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5ff3d5RiIBO8ZnkpGVQ4gKS4DOzpUEgjDjnGHoCRhMVs6YXYz55qJzVZ56WuaBH464QubUHu-raLLBVJ18Gu6s6rOY-YGLLmblOm_qigT5dS3KH0Zq0bv3Snarks4Kh_fgpO4MS2I8o/s1600/_82677537_tattoogate.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5ff3d5RiIBO8ZnkpGVQ4gKS4DOzpUEgjDjnGHoCRhMVs6YXYz55qJzVZ56WuaBH464QubUHu-raLLBVJ18Gu6s6rOY-YGLLmblOm_qigT5dS3KH0Zq0bv3Snarks4Kh_fgpO4MS2I8o/s640/_82677537_tattoogate.png"> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-2013668811968732182015-05-03T16:06:00.001-07:002015-05-03T16:06:10.568-07:00Windows 'open' for Apple and Android<p dir="ltr">Microsoft is keen to sell its mobile devices<br>
Microsoft is releasing software tools that make it easier to run popular Apple and Android apps on Windows mobile devices.<br>
By changing a "few percent", Apple app makers should be able to run code on Windows 10 mobile devices, it said.<br>
And many Android apps should run with no changes.<br>
Experts said the move was an "imperfect solution" to Microsoft's problems persuading people to use Windows mobile.<br>
Popular vote<br>
For iOS, Microsoft has unveiled an initiative called Project Islandwood, which has led to the creation of a software interpreter that works with the development tools Apple coders typically pick.<br>
By piping code through this interpreter and changing a few other parts, it would be possible to transfer or port iOS apps to Windows 10, Microsoft said in a presentation at its Build developer conference in Seattle.<br>
Already developers working for game-maker King have ported the massively popular Candy Crush Saga to Windows using these tools.<br>
A separate initiative, called Project Astoria, is aimed at Android and involves code built in to Windows itself that spots when an Android app is running and gives it the responses it expects.<br>
Microsoft said this meant many Android apps would run with no changes on Windows mobile devices.<br>
However, the way that Android is built means changes will have to be made to some apps.<br>
The tactic is seen as a way for Microsoft to to boost its popularity and persuade developers to include Windows 10 in their plans.<br>
While many apps are already available on the Windows store, some popular ones, such as Pinterest and Plants v Zombies 2, are absent.<br>
Microsoft has also added tools that let Android apps reach some parts of Windows, such as its Cortana personal assistant, they would not otherwise be able to use.<br>
CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber said: "The decision to embrace Android and iOS applications is an imperfect solution to an undesirable problem.<br>
"Nonetheless, it's a necessary move to attract developers otherwise lost to Apple and Google."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Share this story </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXye7zu4RP4-GfKXTHRlRw5_9vsHMwGCXHeHRxKHBqPU6AVZAOyXeLebhPxdAiluhgknMMHwJizr-TPrz66uFGnE9Lz_3-Y2Oxhr0KHgrQzRrkCXPndlJ2HUS5H6_zBS-P8cSJtzd1LwA/s1600/_82669031_026978850-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXye7zu4RP4-GfKXTHRlRw5_9vsHMwGCXHeHRxKHBqPU6AVZAOyXeLebhPxdAiluhgknMMHwJizr-TPrz66uFGnE9Lz_3-Y2Oxhr0KHgrQzRrkCXPndlJ2HUS5H6_zBS-P8cSJtzd1LwA/s640/_82669031_026978850-1.jpg"> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-79947623925227595772015-05-03T15:56:00.001-07:002015-05-03T15:56:37.414-07:00Anonymous messaging Secret app 'worth $100m' shut down<p dir="ltr">Anonymous messaging service Secret, at one stage thought to be valued at more than $100m (£66.5m), is shutting down.<br>
Founder David Byttow said: "Secret does not represent the vision I had when starting the company" and that he believed in "failing fast".<br>
The app was created, in part, to promote free speech but was criticised for promoting cyber-bullying.<br>
User numbers have dwindled in recent months. Secret said it would return some of its $35m funding to investors.<br>
Flash in the pan<br>
It is a big turnaround for the company that was the talk of Silicon Valley, both among investors and users of the app, just a year ago.</p>
<p dir="ltr">.<br>
Founded in 2013 by two former Google employees, the company was backed by some big names including actor Ashton Kutcher, Alexis Ohanian - a founder of Reddit, and Google Ventures.<br>
The anonymous nature of messaging on the app led to its early adoption by technology sector workers, who used it to post rumours of forthcoming products or company mergers.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It was also used for political discussion in Russia and in Israel.<br>
But the service was criticised for allowing people to defame others while remaining anonymous. It was banned in Brazil for promoting cyber-bullying.<br>
A redesign of the app last year prompted users to "think before they post" and made it easier for users to flag up abusive content.<br>
But user numbers have been falling in recent months, with some of those remaining complaining of an increase in the number of posts of a sexual nature and that public chat had become dominated by users from Indonesia.<br>
In his blog post on Medium, Mr Byttow said: "I believe in honest, open communication and creative expression, and anonymity is a great device to achieve it.<br>
"But it's also the ultimate double-edged sword, which must be wielded with great respect and care.<br>
"I look forward to seeing what others in this space do over time."<br>
Secret is not the first app to attract millions of dollars in funding only to flop shortly afterwards.<br>
In 2012, photo and video-sharing app Color closed just 12 months after its launch having raised $41m from investors.<br>
In June that year, Napster founders, Shawn Fanning and Shaun Parker launched their video-chat site Airtime, attracting $33m in funding.<br>
It had very limited success, with Fortune magazine reporting that it had had to be quietly relaunched two years later.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Analysis: Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC Technology Correspondent<br>
"The truth is that there is fierce competition right now to get in early on any start-up that looks buzzy - who wants to be the guy that turned down WhatsApp in 2009 or Snapchat in 2012?<br>
And if that means throwing a few million dollars at companies which appear to have no moral or business compass, then so be it."<br>
Read Rory's blog</p>
<p dir="ltr">In closing Secret just 16 months after its launch, Mr Byttow said: "This has been the hardest decision of my life and one that saddens me deeply."<br>
"Unfortunately Secret does not represent the vision I had when starting the company."</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0Southall, Southall51.511074 -0.377232tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-91197289370375231802015-05-03T15:38:00.001-07:002015-05-03T15:38:51.704-07:00Silicon Valley's Dave Goldberg dies<p dir="ltr">The Silicon Valley entrepreneur and SurveyMonkey Chief Executive Dave Goldberg has died suddenly at the age of 47, his family says.<br>
Husband of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Goldberg was a former Yahoo executive before joining Surveymonkey in 2009.<br>
He expanded the online survey company leading to a valuation of $2bn (£1.3bn), the Wall Street Journal says.<br>
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg described him as "an amazing person".<br>
News of Goldberg's death was posted on Facebook by his brother, Robert.<br>
"It's with incredible shock and sadness that I'm letting our friends and family know that my amazing brother, Dave Goldberg, beloved husband of Sheryl Sandberg, father of two wonderful children, and son of Paula Goldberg, passed away suddenly last night," he wrote.<br>
Under Dave Goldberg, SurveyMonkey grew from a handful of employees to more than 450 and acquired 25 million customers.<br>
His fortunes was closely linked to those of Silicon Valley - a media company founded by him, Launch Media, was taken over by Yahoo in 2001, just after the "dotcom bubble" burst.<br>
In a profile by Business Insider, Goldberg describes how he and a friend started Launch Media, which delivered music online.<br>
"I decided I had to start something. It was more the motivation to try running my own thing than because I had some brilliant idea."</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgz8YQoNdhczrsYvRGx_CnG4LJVTpqO9MCKLfsY2Qu0r2aUYwQoSTzugZqCDOhjWw32vn-cRr6klOxKAEANrfce_yqexqZZq26Td1cD3DLElODm-zzeCnJDjAM_BEFqDnm9rZhbZn-Qy8/s1600/_82733305_82730448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgz8YQoNdhczrsYvRGx_CnG4LJVTpqO9MCKLfsY2Qu0r2aUYwQoSTzugZqCDOhjWw32vn-cRr6klOxKAEANrfce_yqexqZZq26Td1cD3DLElODm-zzeCnJDjAM_BEFqDnm9rZhbZn-Qy8/s640/_82733305_82730448.jpg"> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0Southall, Southall51.511074 -0.377232tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-67468790794314867582013-12-17T17:57:00.003-08:002013-12-17T17:57:57.148-08:00Facebook tops Google searches for UK in 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<img alt="Facebook logo" height="288" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71794000/jpg/_71794196_71789345.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; color: #505050; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; line-height: 15.994318008422852px; position: relative;" width="512" /><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 15.994318008422852px;"></span><span style="color: #505050; display: block; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 15.994318008422852px; margin-bottom: 5px; padding: 0px 3px 2px; width: 512px;">The social network was the most searched-for term on Google UK in 2013. It was also the most asked "what is" question</span></div>
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Google has revealed that Facebook topped its list of the most searched-for terms of 2013 in the UK.</div>
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The social networking site beat the search company's own YouTube video service to the top spot. Google itself made it in to third place.</div>
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Shopping sites proved popular with web users with eBay, Amazon and Argos all making an appearance in the top 10.</div>
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Aside from spending and sharing, news proved popular with BBC News and the Daily Mail featuring high on the list.</div>
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Google also examined what questions people typed in to its search engine and from this compiled a top "what is" list. Facebook topped this too with a substantial number of UK-based searchers wanting to know what the social networking site was.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.077em;"><br />Other popular "what is" topics included searches for cancer, energy and blood pressure. Perhaps reflecting economic news throughout the year "What is the minimum wage" and "What is Universal Jobmatch" made it in to the top 10 most-asked. Universal Jobmatch is a government-run jobs-listing site.</span>The second question was more a more heartfelt, "What is love?"</div>
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Explaining Facebook's position at the top of the most searched and "what is" lists, Chris Green - an analyst at the Davies Murphy Group consultancy - said: "Facebook has now firmly established itself as a hub on the internet, making it a destination for surfers to do multiple tasks such as communications, gaming, shopping, photo-sharing and information gathering.</div>
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Google's Top 10 UK search terms</h2>
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1. Facebook</div>
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2. YouTube</div>
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3. Google</div>
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4. Hotmail</div>
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5. Ebay</div>
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6. BBC News</div>
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7. Amazon</div>
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8. Daily Mail</div>
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9. Argos</div>
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10. Yahoo</div>
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"These are tasks that would have previously involved using a search engine to source multiple sites."</div>
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The "most searched-for" terms are based on the number of times the relevant words are typed into Google's search engine.</div>
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Mr Green added that Google's own appearance near the top of its list could be explained by the fact that Chrome and other internet browsers can be set to automatically use the search engine when a phrase - rather than a full web address - is typed into their top bars.</div>
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"Chrome makes no distinction between web addresses and words in its search box so people get lazy and just type in single words like Google rather than full web addresses," he said.</div>
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"But this registers as a search."</div>
<span class="cross-head" style="background-color: white; color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 15.994318008422852px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Man of Steel</span><br />
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Google also unveiled its "top trending" search terms for the UK in 2013. These are the entries that have seen the largest increase in traffic compared with 2012.</div>
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Many of the entries on the list reflected major news events of the past 12 months.</div>
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<img height="252" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71790000/jpg/_71790083_71790082.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px;" width="448" /><a href="" style="background-color: black; color: #1f4f82; display: block; font-weight: bold; height: 80px; left: 0px; margin-top: -40px; opacity: 0.75; position: absolute; top: 125.99431610107422px; width: 80px;" title="Click to play"></a><a href="" style="background-color: red; color: #1f4f82; display: block; font-weight: bold; height: 80px; left: 0px; margin-top: -40px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 125.99431610107422px; width: 80px;" title="Click to play"></a><div style="background-image: url(http://emp.bbci.co.uk/emp/releases/worldwide/revisions/749603_749269_749444_6/cta_play.png); height: 36px; left: 26px; margin-top: -18px; position: absolute; top: 125.99431610107422px; width: 27px;">
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Google's Laurian Clemence spoke to the BBC's Aaron Heslehurst</div>
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The death of the Fast and the Furious film star Paul Walker was at the top of the list.</div>
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Both Nelson Mandela and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who died this year also feature in the top 10.</div>
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<a class="hidden" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25402626#story_continues_3" style="color: #4a7194; font-weight: bold; left: -5000px; line-height: 16px; position: absolute; text-decoration: none; top: -5000px;">Continue reading the main story</a><h2 style="border-bottom-color: rgb(216, 216, 216); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(216, 216, 216); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 1.231em; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 11px 0px 12px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
Google's Top Trending Worldwide</h2>
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1. Nelson Mandela</div>
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2. Paul Walker</div>
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3. iPhone 5s</div>
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4. Cory Monteith</div>
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5. Harlem Shake</div>
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6. Boston Marathon</div>
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7. Royal Baby</div>
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8. Samsung Galaxy S4</div>
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9. PlayStation 4</div>
<div style="clear: left; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
10. North Korea</div>
</div>
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The birth of Prince George in July came in at number four on the UK list.</div>
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"Celebrities always get a lot of interest and the passing of well-known figures makes people want to learn more about them," said Google's Claudine Beaumont.</div>
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"Despite that, some of the more traditional aspects of British life, from the Grand National to the royal birth, have generated many Google searches and will be remembered as events that have characterised the year."</div>
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New product launches helped the iPhone 5S and Microsoft's Xbox One become the biggest tech trending search terms.</div>
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The worldwide "top trending" list saw Nelson Mandela in top spot, and also saw the Boston Marathon and North Korea in the top 10.</div>
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There was a battle of the superheroes in top 10 most searched-for movies. Man of Steel beat Iron Man 3 in to top place. A small triumph for Superman who had lost out at the box office to his metal-clad rival.</div>
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Oscar winners Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty also featured. Only one animated film made the list, Despicable Me 2, but it was one of three sequels that were searched for including The Hangover 3.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-15309118218950535442013-12-17T17:53:00.000-08:002013-12-17T17:53:42.134-08:00Amazing Google Glass Takes Photo by Winking<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Google Glass update lets users wink and take photos</h1>
<div class="caption body-width" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #505050; float: none; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 15.994318008422852px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; position: relative;">
<img alt="Jonathan Blake tries out Google Glass" height="261" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71810000/jpg/_71810433_glass2.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 16px; position: relative;" width="464" /><span style="display: block; line-height: 16px; width: 464px;">Google said the wink feature could have various potential uses in future</span></div>
<div class="story-feature related narrow" style="background-color: white; clear: right; color: #505050; display: inline; float: right; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 15.994318008422852px; margin: 0px -160px 16px 16px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; width: 144px;">
<a class="hidden" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25426052#story_continues_1" style="color: #4a7194; font-weight: bold; left: -5000px; line-height: 16px; position: absolute; text-decoration: none; top: -5000px;">Continue reading the main story</a><h2 style="border-bottom-color: rgb(216, 216, 216); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(216, 216, 216); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 1.231em; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 11px 0px 12px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
Related Stories</h2>
<ul class="related-links-list" style="border-top-style: none; clear: both; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 8px 0px 0px;">
<li style="background-image: none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-rendering: auto;"><a class="story" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23579404" rel="published-1375743602301" style="color: #4a7194; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Wearable tech business revolution</a></li>
<li class="has-icon-boxedwatch " style="background-image: none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 21px; text-rendering: auto;"><a class="story" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/25223555" rel="published-1387260637766" style="color: #4a7194; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Hands-on testing with Google Glass<span class="gvl3-icon gvl3-icon-boxedwatch" style="-webkit-user-select: none; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/view/3_0_18/cream/hi/shared/img/gvl3-icons-0-2.png); background-position: -1301px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #505050; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-size: 1px; height: 15px; left: 0px; line-height: 1px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; opacity: 0.85; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; text-indent: -5000px; top: 0px; width: 16px; z-index: 10;">Watch</span></a></li>
</ul>
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Google has introduced a new feature to its Google Glass, which allows users to take a photo with a "wink of the eye".</div>
<div style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
Google said the feature was faster than the camera button or the voice action and works even when the display is off.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
The update to Google Glass, dubbed version XE12, also adds a screen lock feature and the ability to upload and share videos on YouTube.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
Technology firms have been keen to capture the wearable gadgets market, seen by many as a key growth area.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
"Glass is about helping you look up and experience the world around you without getting bogged down by technology,</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-68036581732334843012013-12-17T13:28:00.004-08:002013-12-17T14:04:06.056-08:0010 Most Amazing Gadgets to Checkout in 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="article-media article-media-large media-count-1 first-image-650w366h" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: LiberationSerifRegular, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<img alt="SafetyCulture Australia owner Luke Anear wearing a Google Glass. " height="225" src="http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2013/12/17/1226785/098455-63655bc4-60a4-11e3-bb71-e2c853748ae0.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="400" /></div>
<div class="caption" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6e6e6e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; padding: 7px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="caption-text" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">SafetyCulture Australia owner Luke Anear wearing a Google Glass. </span><span class="image-source" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: LiberationSerifItalic, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Source:</span> News Limited</span></div>
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<div class="story-intro" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: LiberationSerifRegular, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: LiberationSerifBold, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Curvy smartphones</span></h2>
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Curved screens crept into televisions this year, but next year they'll pop into our pockets. Samsung has already launched a curved Galaxy Round phone in South Korea, while LG countered with its G Flex phone that curves from top to bottom. Expect to see more of this technology in 2014, including screens that wrap around the side of a phone for quick notifications.</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: LiberationSerifBold, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Smarter smartwatches</span></h2>
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Our wrists will be hot property in 2014, with companies promising smarter smartwatches. Sony and Samsung launched models early, but expect to see competition from Google, LG, Microsoft, and even Apple, long-rumoured to be producin<image-web-group channel="Web" group="SpecialElement" id="U3053090701410E" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><image-web dtxinsert="Major event (650x366)" fileref="/NewsLimited/Content/MET/Images/VIC/Lifestyle/Entertainment/Cropped/2013-12-18/NEWSMMGLPICT000042046359-kepF-MajorEvent650x366-650x366.jpg?uuid=910268aa-66d6-11e3-bdad-d26236de09de" height="366" id="MajorEvent650x366" style="box-sizing: border-box;" tmx="650 366 650 366" width="650" xtransform="1 0 0 1 0 0"></image-web><image-web-caption id="U30530907014jiE" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></image-web-caption></image-web-group></div>
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Neptune Pine smartwatch.</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: LiberationSerifRegular, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 23px;">g the iWatch after it applied to trademark the name. A Canadian firm will also deliver a smartwatch that works as a phone by itself, called Neptune Pine, after a successful Kickstarter campaign.</span><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: LiberationSerifBold, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3. 4K OLED TVs</span></h2>
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They were the hot ticket at IFA 2013 and 4K OLED televisions could arrive in stores this year. These televisions, as demonstrated in prototypes, combine the two best television technologies: organic light-emitting diode screens with brighter, bolder colour</div>
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<img alt="LG 4K OLED TV." height="225" src="http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2013/12/17/1226785/100982-d02850cc-60a4-11e3-bb71-e2c853748ae0.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="400" /></div>
<div class="caption" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6e6e6e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; padding: 7px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="caption-text" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LG 4K OLED TV.</span> <span class="image-source" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: LiberationSerifItalic, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Source:</span> Supplied</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: LiberationSerifRegular, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 23px;">s, and 4K resolution with four times the pixels of current full high-definition TVs. Expect big price tags to accompany the big picture quality leap.</span><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: LiberationSerifBold, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Smart spectacles</span></h2>
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Google Glass will finally go on sale to the public in 2014. Honest. The search giant has promised to release the internet-connected spectacle<image-web-group channel="Web" group="SpecialElement" id="U30530907014wuH" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><image-web dtxinsert="Major event (650x366)" fileref="/NewsLimited/Content/MET/Images/VIC/Lifestyle/Entertainment/Cropped/2013-12-18/NEWSMMGLPICT000003274632-kepF-MajorEvent650x366-650x366.jpg?uuid=7637bb3a-66d4-11e3-bdad-d26236de09de" height="366" id="MajorEvent650x366" style="box-sizing: border-box;" tmx="650 366 650 366" width="650" xtransform="1 0 0 1 0 0"></image-web><image-web-caption id="U30530907014QB" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></image-web-caption></image-web-group></div>
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A Google employee wears a pair of Google Glass.</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: LiberationSerifRegular, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 23px;">s with an expected cost of $US1500. It's not clear whether a prescription spectacles-friendly version will be ready for launch, however, and Google will have plenty of competition. Expect to see Meta smartglasses in April, the GlassUp smartglasses in autumn, and rivals from Microsoft, Oakley and Sony.</span><br />
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</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: LiberationSerifBold, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">5. Virtual reality gaming</span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: LiberationSerifRegular, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 23px; padding: 0px 0px 14px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Forget <span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: LiberationSerifItalic, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lawnmower Man</span>. More advanced virtual reality is coming. The Oculus Rift headset is due to launch publicly this year. The wireless headset has a 7-inch display with full high-definition resolution and it tracks your head and body movements to put you in the game. It will be compatible with PCs, Macs and Linux computers, with support for Google Android devices expected. It's due to arrive with a price tag around $US300.</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: LiberationSerifBold, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">6. Foxtel's iQ3</span></h2>
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Expect the internet to further affect your TV experience. Pay-TV operator Foxtel (part-owned by News Corp, publisher of this newspaper) will introduce its third personal video recorder this year. The iQ3 is expected to connect to the internet wirelessly, offer a new electronic program guide, eight TV tuners to record more programs simultaneously, and a one terabyte drive on which to store them.</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: LiberationSerifBold, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">7. See-through smartphones</span></h2>
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They may not be practical but one Taiwanese company is poised to launch transparent smartphones this year. Polytron Technologies has already developed a basic prototype of the phone that appears to be a clear block of plastic with its speaker, memory card, batteries, microphone and other circuitry on show. An OLED screen technology called Switchable Glass is used to display images. The company is reportedly working on a matching tablet and is in talks with major phone makers.</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: LiberationSerifBold, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">8. Full-frame compact cameras</span></h2>
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Full-frame cameras, with image sensors as large as a 35mm film strip, are set to become smaller, cheaper and more available. In addition to the three models already launched by Sony and Nikon late this year, there are more rumoured from Sony, Pentax, Samsung and perhaps even Canon.</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: LiberationSerifBold, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>9. A bigger iPad</b></span></h2>
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Apple could have a big 2014, if rumours prove correct. One development allegedly on the agenda is a 12.9-inch iPad, breaking the size barrier and delivering a new challenge to manufacturers pitching tablets as laptop replacements. The new tablet is rumoured to be called the iPad Pro and feature a 4K screen.</div>
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Expect more high-speedy mobile internet coverage in Australia next year. By the start of 2014, Telstra promises to have 85 per cent of the population covered with its 4G network, and it will continue trials of LTE-Advanced that could deliver downloads as fast as 300mbps. Rival Optus promises to cover 70 per cent of the population by April next year, and its reseller Amaysim has announced plans to add 4G to its offerings.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-47620294406364932422013-12-17T13:21:00.000-08:002013-12-17T13:21:31.643-08:00World's Cheapest Tablet goes on Sale<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px 0px 14px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: LiberationSerifBold, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">THE world's cheapest tablet has gone on sale and it'll set thrifty consumers back just A$54.</span><img alt="Check out this tablet" src="http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2013/12/17/1226785/357610-fe131a6e-66dd-11e3-b1c2-12026a975936.jpg" /></div>
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It's called the Datawind UbiSlate 7Ci and it's a basic 7in device that was originally launched in India as an affordable way for students to get access to the internet. Now, the slate has been made available for world market from <a href="http://www.ubislate.co.uk/product.php?prodid=1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0373b3; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">their website</a>.</div>
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While the price is almost too good to be true, the cost reflects the specs of the Android device with a screen that cannot match the sharpness of more premium tablets and relatively sluggish performance. But is does boast a storage that can be expanded by microSD card up to a none-too-shabby 32GB. There's built-in Wi-Fi too.</div>
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This basically means you'll be able to do most of the basic functions like web access and email that you can do on more expensive tablets like the iPad or Galaxy Tab. You'll be able to play Angry Birds, just don't expect to be blown away by the hardware.</div>
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The unit has received fairly adequate reviews with the overall consensus being that is can be pretty clunky to use with a poor screen and not-so-great battery life, but for the price it's a brilliant entry. For non-tech savvy folk this is a great gift.</div>
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Datawind has said it is planning to "disrupt" the tablet market by bringing low-cost devices complete with processing power to match Apple's latest iPads. We like the sound of that.</div>
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Datawind UbiSlate 7Ci specs:</div>
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- 7in, 800 x 480, display</div>
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- 512 RAM</div>
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- 1GHz processor</div>
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- 4GB storage expandable to 32GB via microUSB</div>
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- Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-80860056486787388572013-12-17T12:20:00.000-08:002013-12-17T12:20:09.985-08:00Buy this $7.85 million mansion with Bitcoin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #768696; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -0.5px; line-height: 24.390625px;">Look between the cushions of your virtual couch to see if you have enough Bitcoins to snap up a massive mansion in Las Vegas</span><br />
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<img alt="Bitcoin mansion" class="cnet-image" height="344" src="http://asset2.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/12/17/mls1_1_610x344.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="610" /><div class="image-caption" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.133em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
This cozy little place can be yours for Bitcoin.</div>
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You can use Bitcoins to buy computers, veterinary care, or a Tesla Model S. If you're a Bitcoin multimillionaire, you can also buy a Las Vegas mansion and park your Tesla inside the four-car garage. The $7.85 million 24,500-square-foot palace sits on over an acre of land right next to a country club.</div>
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Jack and Laura Sommer are the sellers. Jack Sommer, a developer, once owned the Aladdin casino. Two of his sons are Bitcoin enthusiasts who convinced Dad to accept the virtual currency as a payment option for the 12-bedroom, 15-bathroom house.</div>
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Accepting Bitcoin for the mansion is a clever advertising move meant to get the word out about the luxury home, and perhaps lure a Bitcoin-rich buyer who wouldn't mind unloading some virtual cash on a high-end property. "The advantage is that we're expanding our market and adding some notoriety," <a href="http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/home-sale-asking-785-million-bitcoin-welcome" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sommer told the Las Vegas Review-Journal</a>.</div>
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The famously fluctuating currency poses some challenges when dealing with a long escrow period. Today's estimated exchange rate has one Bitcoin equaling just over $700. Earlier in the month, the exchange rate was right around $1,000. Any Bitcoin-based buying contract would have to take this issue into account.</div>
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If a Bitcoin buyer does appear, the mansion could easily become the most expensive Bitcoin real estate transaction ever conducted. If you're lucky, you might be able to find a cleaning staff that will work for Bitcoin, since you're not going to want to mop all that marble flooring yourself.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-52377562409854592752013-12-17T12:13:00.001-08:002013-12-17T12:13:23.768-08:00Worst And Best Phones of 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #768696; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -0.5px; line-height: 24.390625px;">Now that 2013 is wrapping up, we take a look back at the handsets that rose to the top, and the others that sank to the bottom.</span><br />
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<a class="lightboxIt" href="http://i.i.cbsi.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/12/13/best_worst_phones_2013.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Motorola Droid Maxx and ZTE Groove" class="cnet-image" height="436" src="http://asset2.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/12/13/best_worst_phones_2013_610x436.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="610" /></a><div class="image-caption" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.133em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
We'll remember some of these devices fondly, but there are others that we wish we could forget.</div>
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With 2014 approaching, we at CNET would like to take this time and reflect. Reflect on our family and friends, our personal accomplishments, and of course, the smartphone highs and lows of 2013 (this is a tech site after all, what were you expecting?).</div>
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<br />Others were flagships from familiar manufacturers, but some companies took measures to start afresh in order to elevate and differentiate their chief handsets for 2013.Unsurprisingly, the top handsets of this year were dominated by much of the same key players we consistently see from year to year. That includes updated iterations of popular phones such as the fingerprint-scanning <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/iphone-5s/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Apple iPhone 5S</a>, the powerful <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Samsung Galaxy S4</a>, and the ultra-juiced up <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/motorola-droid-maxx/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Motorola Droid Maxx</a>.</div>
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<h4 style="border: 0px; color: #768696; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3333em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 500; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 540px;">
<a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6452_7-10019187.html" style="border: 0px; color: #768696; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">12 smartphone standouts of 2013 (pictures)</a></h4>
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This includes going back to minimalistic names like HTC's simplistic <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/htc-one/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One</a> and LG dropping the "Optimus" moniker from its <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/lg-g2/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">G2</a> device, as well as opting for a novel design, with the former smartphone sporting a stylish all-aluminum construction, and the latter relocating its power buttons to the rear.</div>
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Then there were the curveballs. The ones that brought unique but well-executed new features to the market, like Nokia's <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/nokia-lumia-1020/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lumia 1020</a> that's equipped with a 41-megapixel camera, and the highly customizable <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/motorola-moto-x/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Motorola Moto X</a>.</div>
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Of course, not everything came up roses this year. There were a handful of devices that were less than stellar. Some were simple feature phones (like the LG Envoy II and the Huawei Pal) that got docked not because they were too basic, but because they couldn't even perform the simplest tasks reliably.</div>
<div class="inline-slideshow" section="post.gallery" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; float: left; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin: 20px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 620px;">
<h4 style="border: 0px; color: #768696; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3333em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 500; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 540px;">
<a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6452_7-10019188.html" style="border: 0px; color: #768696; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The eight not-so-great: 2013's handset duds (pictures)</a></h4>
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<li style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 10px 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6452_7-10019188-3.html" style="border: 0px; color: #39434c; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em !important; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="157" src="http://asset1.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/06/14/LG-Envoy-II-35791990-6732_220x157.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 157px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;" width="220" /></a></li>
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<li style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 10px 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6452_7-10019188-5.html" style="border: 0px; color: #39434c; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em !important; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="157" src="http://asset0.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/11/26/Huawei_Pal_35826995-9022_220x157.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 157px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;" width="220" /></a></li>
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Smartphones that make their way onto this list usually do so because of other reasons, in addition to poor performance. For example, the ZTE Groove and the Alcatel Authority are outdated right when they come out of the box. Also, there's nothing like the laggy processors found in the Cricket Engage LT or the Alcatel One Touch Evolve to bog down the user experience.</div>
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What do you guys think, do you agree? Whether you think we overlooked another superb device, or didn't give a disappointing phone its due regard, let us know in the comments section below</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-26387616220171596932013-12-17T12:06:00.001-08:002013-12-17T12:06:15.973-08:00AmazonFresh vs. supermarket: A hands-on shopping test<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="407" src="http://asset0.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/12/16/Amazon_Fresh-1205_610x407.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="610" /><div class="image-caption" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.133em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
An AmazonFresh deliveryman scans my bags to confirm their arrival.</div>
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In 1999, an online grocery-shipping company caught my attention. As a kid who had absolutely no say in what made the pantry cut, I shouldn't have cared so much. But the idea of summoning a pile of food through a few mouse clicks was simply magical.</div>
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My plan to get Mom onboard -- hours of adding items to a virtual grocery cart to await her quick credit card swipe -- didn't quite pay off, however; online grocers never made it into her circle of Internet trust. Besides, she said, "it's too expensive." WebVan came and went, and we continued visiting the local supermarket for our weekly food stock.</div>
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But Friday, my 14-year-old dream came true. Five years after Amazon launched AmazonFresh in its hometown of Seattle, the service arrived in San Francisco. Without thinking twice, I signed up for the free 90-day trial and began adding my usual items to a virtual grocery cart.</div>
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Here's how it works: If you place an order by 10 a.m., groceries will arrive "by dinner," while orders placed later in the day will arrive as early as the following morning. For some ZIP codes, you'll have to be present during a one-hour window to pick up your food, while other areas allow for drop-off delivery. If your order is over $35, delivery is free (but don't forget to tip your driver.)</div>
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The catch is that after the free 90-day trial, AmazonFresh will set you back $300 per year, which also includes Amazon's regular Prime membership.</div>
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CNET's San Francisco office is nestled in one of the few ZIP codes covered by Fresh, and is also close to a Safeway, a popular supermarket chain mostly found in the western and central states. And me? I'm your typical Bay Area grocery shopper who shops once weekly, likes dollar-off coupons, and tries to shop in season.</div>
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Not scientific, but the variables were good enough to run a test that compared price, quality, and shopping experience.</div>
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Mom's complaint was always that online groceries and associated fees were more expensive than Safeway's prices, so I was surprised and happy to find that when it came to individual items, AmazonFresh is very competitive.</div>
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<tr class="header" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><th style="background-color: #e6ecef; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Item</b> </th><th style="background-color: #e6ecef; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">AmazonFresh </b></th><th style="background-color: #e6ecef; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Safeway </b></th><th style="background-color: #e6ecef; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Notes</b></th></tr>
<tr class="odd" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Skirt steak (1 pound)</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$8.99</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$6.05</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td></tr>
<tr class="even" style="background-color: #cccccc; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Frozen spinach</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$1.28</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$1.19</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td></tr>
<tr class="odd" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Clover 2 percent milk</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$3.99</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$4.19</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td></tr>
<tr class="even" style="background-color: #cccccc; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Honeycrisp apple</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$1.49</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$1.26</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td></tr>
<tr class="odd" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Organic eggs</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$3.99</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$4.99</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td></tr>
<tr class="even" style="background-color: #cccccc; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bananas</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$1.49</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$2.18</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td></tr>
<tr class="odd" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cilantro</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$0.99</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$0.50</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td></tr>
<tr class="even" style="background-color: #cccccc; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Organic baby carrots </td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$1.49</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$1.99</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td></tr>
<tr class="odd" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Baked beans</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$2.99</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$2.99</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td></tr>
<tr class="even" style="background-color: #cccccc; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2 Hass avocados</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$2.50</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$2.50</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td></tr>
<tr class="odd" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Shredded mozzarella</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$2.69</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$3.99</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BOGO deal </td></tr>
<tr class="even" style="background-color: #cccccc; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Delivery tip</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">4</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td></tr>
<tr class="odd" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">35.89</b></td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">31.84</b></td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n/a</td></tr>
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For example, the eggs on Fresh were $3.99, compared with $4.99 at Safeway. Cilantro was 50 cents cheaper at Safeway, but baby carrots were 50 cents cheaper on Fresh.</div>
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Still, I had to make sure any instances of lower prices weren't a fluke. I asked for comment and it turns out that "[Amazon keeps its] prices on grocery items in line with what you'd find at your local supermarket." The prices I paid, though, are only true for San Francisco. Though all customers see the same prices in an entire metro area, prices will vary from city to city.</div>
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So the two sellers are essentially even, but there's a big, huge $300 elephant in the room -- Amazon's annual fee.</div>
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To find out if AmazonFresh's annual fee is worth it, I had to do a little math. For starters, I already pay $60 yearly for Prime membership, which brings the actual cost of Fresh (for me) down to $240. Then, I calculated my annual gas expense using <a href="http://www.icommutesd.com/commuters/calculator.aspx" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">this handy calculator</a>: $7.78.</div>
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On average, the time-honored American tradition of getting in the <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/car-tech/" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">car</a> and heading to a supermarket (maybe two for picky shoppers), adds up to about 44 minutes per trip, according to the USDA, not including time spent traveling or planning. It involves traveling no more than 5 miles, and spending an average of $116.52 weekly, according to the Food Marketing Institute.</div>
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For me, shopping at AmazonFresh doesn't quite break even after gas and the included Prime membership, but if time is money (more on that later), AmazonFresh might be worth that extra $232.22 per year.</div>
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Shopping in-store allowed me to check produce items before adding them to my cart. (Click to enlarge.)</div>
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But there's more to consider here than price.</div>
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<b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Quality</b><br />Over the years, I've discovered little tricks for ensuring that a fruit or vegetable is just right. I like tomatoes on the firm side, while avocados should give just a little. As for oranges, the heaviest ones are always the juiciest.</div>
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Putting trust into the hands of robots and employees who aren't necessarily as observant isn't easy. While Amazon does let you choose between "ripe" and "not ripe" avocados, everything else is a gamble.</div>
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At Safeway, I followed my usual routine, checking produce for ripeness and quality. There was even a nice employee unpacking bananas who let me choose from his new selection. Freedom to choose was all mine, and chatting with fellow humans didn't hurt, either.</div>
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In the end, my skepticism about online produce was reinforced by the sad, inedible "ripe" avocado I received via Fresh. Several of the vine tomatoes were also too mushy for my liking, echoing the worry I had upon ordering produce online.</div>
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Though Amazon will refund unsatisfactory orders, replacing those items would require me to wait until the next day's delivery, or head to the local store and choose them for myself.</div>
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<b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Selection</b><br />The variety of local, national, and international grocery items on Fresh is astonishing. A search for tomatoes returns pages of options -- canned, fresh, Roma, vine, organic, Hot House, you name it.</div>
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Left: Safeway. Right: AmazonFresh.</div>
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There's also an abundant selection of local meats, baked goods, cheese, and even restaurant items that vary by city. Things like fresh, local bread can be ordered with a click.</div>
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Sometimes, items (like Clover Organic Milk) are labeled "Out of Stock" without any information about when they'll become available. This seems to happen most with local items, but those are often available on the following delivery day.</div>
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Safeway, on the other hand, had everything on the list. The selection of tomatoes and other produce wasn't as plentiful, but the run-of-the-mill essentials I needed were there.</div>
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<b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Shopping experience</b><br />I'll admit it: I love grocery shopping. But not everyone gets as energized as I do about an activity that consumes nearly an hour weekly (and a whole lot more around the holidays), not including travel time.</div>
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<img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="407" src="http://asset2.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/12/16/Amazon_Fresh-1186_1_610x407.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="610" /><span class="image-credit" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.133em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)</span></div>
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AmazonFresh is fantastic for those who want grocery shopping to be a quick sport. After choosing a delivery time and date, the shopping begins. Searching for grocery items is just like shopping on Amazon, user reviews and all. The browser panels are kind of confusing, and search terms can't be too specific, but I found the items I needed in a snap.</div>
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Upon checkout, I was asked to include a tip (with a suggested amount) before confirming the order. Total time: 20 minutes flat.</div>
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At 11 a.m. the next day, I went downstairs to my office lobby and waited patiently for my delivery, which was slated to arrive within the hour. As I waited, I found myself wishing Amazon had some sort of delivery-tracking system, or a 10-minute warning via text message.</div>
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Finally, at 11:41 a.m., a big green truck rolled up, and out came three large, reusable grocery bags. The bags, each with their own QR code, were scanned with the deliveryman's smartphone, and the groceries were mine.</div>
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Shopping at Safeway after the Fresh experience amplified the differences between online and in-person shopping. Though I had a shopping list and plan of attack, it took me longer to find the items I needed. At one point, I found myself evaluating and squeezing a pile of tomatoes before realizing they were organic, and not the "regular" ones I needed. D'oh.</div>
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Picking up a skirt steak wasn't easy, either. After several minutes of searching for it at the unattended meat counter, I stalked an employee, who then called another employee, who finally came to my rescue. By that time, 10 minutes later, I had, of course, found what I was looking for.</div>
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Despite the obstacles, I simply <i style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">enjoyed</i> shopping in-store. I was surprised to find a buy-one-get-one offer on the shredded cheese, and I had a happy conversation with the woman at the checkstand -- there's an element of spontaneity with an in-person experience that one simply doesn't get online.</div>
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With travel and time spent shopping, getting my groceries at Safeway did set me back nearly an hour, with 41 minutes spent in the store. If time is money, brick-and-mortar grocery shopping is three times the cost.</div>
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Of course, Amazon isn't the first company to tackle online groceries after WebVan's epic $1.1 billion failure. FreshDirect's name is already synonymous with online groceries in the New York metropolitan area, shipping pantry and perishable items to hungry doorsteps. After launching in Roosevelt Island in 2002, the company spent the next 10 years expanding to Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, and now serves most New York City addresses.</div>
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Amazon's approach was similar. The company first launched AmazonFresh in its hometown of Seattle, targeting only the densely populated ZIP codes for maximum efficiency and profit. It was only five years later, in June 2013, that its Fresh service made its way to Los Angeles' most concentrated neighborhoods.</div>
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Now that it's available to arguably one of the more suitable populations on the map, San Francisco, I'll eagerly await AmazonFresh's expansion across the bridge to the East Bay, where I can have groceries delivered to my home -- at least on those occasions when I'm not planning to feed 20 with fresh vegetable stir-fry.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-25917333573387548942013-12-17T12:01:00.000-08:002013-12-17T12:01:54.553-08:00Apple's 2014 won't be like 2013,Why?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #768696; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -0.5px; line-height: 24.390625px;">It's not just about the next hit product. Apple is preparing for a future beyond phones, tablets, watches and TVs, in which it's the premium brand for life in a fully digital age.</span><br />
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<img alt="Hundreds of people await the iPhone 5S and 5C launch at Apple&#39;s Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan. " src="http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/09/23/010_AppleCubeStoreIphone5sLineNYC_610x407.jpg" /><br />
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As 2013 draws to a close, Tim Cook is feeling good. The holiday quarter once again proved that Apple's products and stores can draw a crowd. Pent-up demand for new iPhones and iPads was satisfied once again, and Apple's reputation as a purveyor of objects of desire was reaffirmed. As a reward, Apple' stock price hit a 52-week high this month.</div>
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Apple's precision-engineered, meticulously designed, mass-produced objects of desire are not the most advanced or clever computing machines. Many <a href="http://www.cnet.com/android-atlas/" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Android</a> devices are tricked out with more pixels and features. Nor is Apple the undisputed market share leader, which is not the company's first priority.</div>
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After its initial breakthrough product and domination of the market, Apple cedes share to followers and carves out a highly profitable niche. Like BMW in the automotive industry, Apple is not trying to blanket the market. The Android platform now maintains the majority market share by far, especially outside the US, but for contestants other than Samsung the profits are slim or none. And, Apple's mobile platform, iOS, accounts for more than 50 percent of mobile Internet usage, according to <a href="http://www.netmarketshare.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Net Market Share research</a>.</div>
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Mobile and tablet worldwide market share of operating system usage for November 2013. Net Market Share collects browser data from a worldwide network of over 40,000 websites. (Credit: Net Market Share)</div>
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In the coming year, Apple will continue its <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57608720-37/apples-success-formula-wash-rinse-repeat-reinvent/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">wash, rinse, repeat cycle</a>, incrementally refreshing the iPads, iPhones, and Macs with more speed, less weight, longer battery life, additional sensors, and improved apps.</div>
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There are also hints that 2014 won't be another year of just incremental improvements like 2013. Apple could reveal something more dramatic and groundbreaking than adding a fingerprint sensor to an <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/ipad/" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">iPad</a> or delivering iPhones and iPads with bigger screens and better cameras, or finally shipping the powerful R2-D2- looking <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/apple-mac-pro/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mac Pro</a>.</div>
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It's been four years since the company's last market-defining product, the iPad, was unveiled. Here's what Steve Jobs said at the time: "iPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price. iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before."</div>
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Apple is rumored to be working on several products that could be eventually pitched as the "most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price." According to reports, Apple has in excess of 100 people working on an "<a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57594406-37/apples-quest-for-an-iwatch-on-every-wrist/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">iWatch</a>." The company has <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57591923-37/apple-extends-iwatch-trademark-filings-to-more-countries/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">trademarked the iWatch name </a>around the world, and has filed 79 patents containing the word "wrist."</div>
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Neptune's Pine is among the upstarts trying to lead the next wave of wearable computing. (Credit: Neptune)</div>
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Following its usual product strategy, Apple isn't rushing to market to join the pack. Pebble, Samsung, Sony, ZTE, Martian Fitbit, Basis, Neptune, Metawatch, Qualcomm already have wrist wearables in the market, and LG, Google, and even Dell might be working on similar products. No one so far has a hit product. Apple hopes that an iWatch can follow the same pattern as the <a href="http://www.cnet.com/ipod/" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">iPod</a>, iPhone and iPad -- not the first in its category, but the one that redefines a market and dominates it for the first phase of adoption.</div>
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That will be a far more difficult challenge than in the past with all the innovative startups chasing the dream. And, the bar is set much higher for Apple.</div>
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It may be that an iWatch will focus on a few apps, such as health and fitness, and serve as more of an accessory to the iPhone. You don't have to take it out of your pocket to browse alerts and other information or talk to Siri. An iWatch with a beautifully curved, sapphire touch screen and sleek band would be more fashion statement than game-changing product.</div>
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In fact, Apple is on a mission to become more fashion forward. The company added two major fashion industry icons to its executive ranks. Former Yves Saint Laurent CEO<a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57592082-37/apple-hires-yves-saint-laurent-ceo-paul-deneve/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Apple hires Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve -- Tuesday, Jul 2, 2013"> Paul Deneve joined as a vice president</a> to work on "special projects," and Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts was tapped to lead retail operations, managing the online store and more than 520 brick-and-mortar outlets.</div>
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Apple TV user interface concept.</div>
<span class="image-credit" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.133em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Credit: <a href="http://www.ajambrosino.com/apple-tv-ui-concept/?curator=MediaREDEF" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Andrew Ambrosino</a>)</span></div>
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That enhanced fashion IQ could be applied to a range of entertainment products, another area that Apple wants to transform. The company could launch a stylish, large-screen 4K TV with Apple TV built-in or a set-top box this year, accompanied by apps that plug into iOS ecosystem and take the pain out of managing and controlling what's on the screen or in the box.</div>
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Apple is also <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2013/04/30/in-ios-7-apple-wants-to-own-your-cars-console-with-maps-and-siri-integration/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">working with automobile companies</a> to integrate features like Siri, Apple Maps, and iTunes into the built-in displays of cars.</div>
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<img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="259" src="http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/12/14/Screen_Shot_2013-12-14_at_12.20.11_PM_270x259.png" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="270" /><div class="image-caption" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.133em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
One Apple patent describes a head-mounted goggle system for providing a personal media viewing experience. The goggles could be linked to a devices, such as computers, televisions, smartphones, and gaming systems.</div>
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And, don't be surprised is you start hearing rumblings about eyewear from Apple. The company has many <a href="http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=08605008&IDKey=0998B26F0EAD&HomeUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526d%3DPALL%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsrchnum.htm%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526s1%3D8%2C605%2C008.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F8%2C605%2C008%2526RS%3DPN%2F8%2C605%2C008" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">patents for head-mounted displays</a> and other technologies relevant to augmenting-reality devices like the Oculus Rift and Google Glass. Apple will play the tortoise to Google's hare, watching the landscape evolve and taking its time to create a more perfect device that will attract tens of millions of buyers.</div>
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What's becoming clear is that Apple isn't just focused on trying to create another hit product. The company has long been preparing for a future in which technology is deeply woven into the fabric of everyday life. It's about creating an experience and brand that represents the best of the digital future.</div>
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iPhones, tablets, watches, glasses, TVs, sensors, robots, and cars are vehicles for enabling Apple's software and services to flourish. It's about becoming the premium brand for living in a fully digital age, in which billions of people and tens of billions of objects gathering and sending signals are connected.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-6007256169785573412013-07-04T17:48:00.000-07:002013-07-04T17:48:06.794-07:00iPhone 5s Rumors<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's inevitable... but when will it happen? The rumor roundup for Apple's next iPhone starts now.<br />
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iPhone 5S: Will it look the same as the iPhone 5?</div>
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iPhone rumors are like flies at a summer picnic: they're nearly unstoppable. Collected in one batch are all the iPhone 5S/6 rumors CNET has reported so far, with some commentary on where these rumors came from.</div>
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We always have long wish lists for newer features and further redesigns, but the bottom line is this: nobody knows exactly what we'll get until Tim Cook reveals it on stage later this year.</div>
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That said, we've got plenty of educated guesses. But before we get started:</div>
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Odds are strong that the immediate successor to the iPhone 5 will debut in September or October-- the last two iPhones were announced within the same window.</div>
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The release will all but certainly coincide with the availability of <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/apple-ios-7/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">iOS 7</a> and the new phone's design should follow the iPhone 5's.</div>
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Beyond those obvious notes, the areas that seem most ripe for updating on the "iPhone 5S" would be the resolution of the cameras. And now that there's a <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57566376-37/apple-ipad-jumps-to-128gb-starting-at-$799/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">128GB iPad</a>, maybe there will finally be a 128GB iPhone option, too.</div>
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<b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What we don't know:</b></div>
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Everything else is pretty much a crapshoot. A bigger screen? CEO Tim Cook <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2013/01/bigger-iphone-screen-apple-ceo-tim-cook-says-no/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">says no</a> -- but saying one thing and doing the opposite would hardly be a first for Apple. Beyond a screen size change, though, Apple could also go with a different technology -- say, <a href="http://ces.cnet.com/8301-34435_1-57562862/at-ces-sharp-explains-benefits-of-its-igzo-display-tech/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Igzo</a> or OLED.</div>
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There are plenty of other unknowns, too. Will there be another iPhone that debuts with a fall model? Could the iPhone product line split into several differently sized models? Will an affordable "new" budget-line iPhone emerge? Will Apple finally add NFC to the iPhone, as part of a new mobile payments scheme? Anything could happen. Or not.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-64514049387355340232013-07-04T16:19:00.001-07:002013-07-04T16:19:51.824-07:00Microsoft shows Amazing 3D monitor that responds to touch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="dropc" style="float: left; font-family: arial; font-size: 58px; line-height: 51px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 3px 2px 0px;">P</span>resenting tomorrow's touchscreen displays. Microsoft has shown off a 3D monitor that, thanks to some sorcery, is able to give real haptic feedback to whoever touches it. The haptic feedback on the monitor isn't a simple vibration that lets you know you've touched it. Instead, it mimics the feedback you would get when touching the object in the real world. Microsoft demonstrated this with cubes made of different materials on the monitor. Touching the stone cube would result in the same hardness as a real stone, while touching a sponge cube made the monitor softer. <br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Microsoft has explained this on its <a href="http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/3-dhaptic-060413.aspx" rel="nofollow" style="color: #0099cc; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Research blog</strong></a>. According to the blog, haptic technology does<em style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">“</em><em style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">for the sense of touch what computer graphics does for vision.”</em></div>
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<img alt="The monitor makes use of haptic technology to let users " height="348" src="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/jul/touch3dmonitor_041128411451_640x360.jpg" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="620" /></div>
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The monitor makes use of haptic technology to let users "feel" the hardness of objects</div>
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<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />This is done through the use of a robotic arm that "pushes" back from inside wherever users touch it. The force of these pushes vary according to the object on the screen.<em style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> "The force-feedback monitor responds to convey the sensation of different materials: The stone block “feels” hard to the touch and requires more force to push, while the sponge block is soft and easy to push,"</em>reads the blog post.<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Along with haptic technology, Microsoft is using 3D technology that tracks the user and automatically adjusts the angle and size of the object being displayed. This gives it the illusion of depth. According to Microsoft Engineer Michel Pahud, this combined with haptic technology is enough <em style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">“for your brain to accept the virtual world as real.”</em><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Pahud goes on to describe the possible uses of this technology, such as in medicine. <em style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">“I could see an image of the front of a brain,” </em>says Pahud, <em style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">“and pushing a finger through the layers of the brain to travel through the data. I could imagine receiving haptic feedback when you encountered an anomaly, such as a tumor, because we can change the haptic response based on what you touch.”</em><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />“<em style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">You could have different responses for when you touch soft tissue versus hard tissue, which makes for a very rich experience.</em>”</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-86901571167403994292013-07-04T16:14:00.000-07:002013-07-04T16:14:14.742-07:00Driverless cars and OLED headlights by AUDI CES 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A car that drives itself through traffic jams and does the parking for you was showcased alongside shape-shifting OLED headlights by German car brand Audi at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.<span id="more-281620" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
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<img alt="Audi at CES 2013" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-281686" height="334" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/01/dezeen_Audi-at-CES-2013_1.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Audi at CES 2013" width="468" /></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Above: banks of LED headlights and indicators</em></div>
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<a href="http://www.audi.com/com/brand/en.html" style="color: #6c6e95; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Audi</a> also unveiled electronics systems to integrate the car with services such as Google Maps and Google Earth View as well as social networks like Facebook and Twitter.</div>
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<img alt="Audi at CES 2013" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-281689" height="328" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/01/dezeen_Audi-at-CES-2013_4.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Audi at CES 2013" width="468" /></div>
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Piloted driving will soon allow drivers to let the car take control when stuck in a traffic jam, Audi engineers believe.</div>
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<img alt="Audi at CES 2013" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-281687" height="428" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/01/dezeen_Audi-at-CES-2013_2.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Audi at CES 2013" width="468" /></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Above: OLED technology creates a continuous light surface</em></div>
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The self-driving technology will be able to stop and start the vehicle in slow-moving traffic, as well as manoeuvring it in and out of parking spaces.</div>
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<img alt="Audi at CES 2013" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-281688" height="428" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/01/dezeen_Audi-at-CES-2013_3.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Audi at CES 2013" width="468" /></div>
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Cars could also be networked to alert each other to hazards such as icy roads or heavy traffic, Audi suggests, while communication with traffic lights would enable the vehicle to drive itself through green lights.</div>
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<img alt="Audi at CES 2013" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-281694" height="334" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/01/dezeen_Audi-at-CES-2013_9.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Audi at CES 2013" width="468" /></div>
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LED headlights are already available in many car models, but at <a href="http://www.cesweb.org/" style="color: #6c6e95; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">CES 2013</a>Audi unveiled its Matrix LED system, which uses a camera to detect the road and vehicles ahead so that it can swivel its headlights or lower the intensity of the beam when needed.</div>
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<img alt="Audi at CES 2013" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-281692" height="382" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/01/dezeen_Audi-at-CES-2013_7.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Audi at CES 2013" width="468" /></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Above: LED headlights that can bend and swivel</em></div>
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OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology would also turn the car's rear into a continuous light surface with many tiny points moving together like a shoal of fish. The lights would flow to the right when the car turns right or flow rapidly forwards when it brakes, for example.</div>
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<img alt="Audi at CES 2013" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-281691" height="334" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/01/dezeen_Audi-at-CES-2013_6.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Audi at CES 2013" width="468" /></div>
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Last month Dezeen filmed a movie that showed how glowing walls, windows and furniture made from OLEDs could replace light bulbs and LEDs in homes.</div>
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<img alt="Audi at CES 2013" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-281697" height="560" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/01/dezeen_Audi-at-CES-2013_12.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Audi at CES 2013" width="468" /></div>
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We also recently reported that <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2012/12/19/audi-announces-new-car-design-strategy/" style="color: #6c6e95; text-decoration: none;">Audi is bringing its interior and exterior design studios together</a> as part of its new design strategy.</div>
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<img alt="Audi at CES 2013" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-281695" height="488" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/01/dezeen_Audi-at-CES-2013_10.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Audi at CES 2013" width="468" /></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Above: a customisable virtual display</em></div>
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We've also featured <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2012/12/11/r18-ultra-chair-by-clemens-weisshaar-and-reed-kram/" style="color: #6c6e95; text-decoration: none;">an ultra-lightweight chair developed in collaboration with Audi</a> and <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2009/07/07/audi-sculpture-by-gerry-judah/" style="color: #6c6e95; text-decoration: none;">a huge sculpture created for the car brand at a motoring festival</a> – see <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/tag/audi/" style="color: #6c6e95; text-decoration: none;">all our stories about Audi</a> »</div>
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<img alt="Audi at CES 2013" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-281690" height="334" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/01/dezeen_Audi-at-CES-2013_5.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Audi at CES 2013" width="468" /></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Above: smartphone integration for maps and satellite views</em></div>
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<a href="http://www.dezeen.com/tag/oleds/" style="color: #6c6e95; text-decoration: none;">See all our stories about OLEDs »</a><br /><a href="http://www.dezeen.com/tag/cars/" style="color: #6c6e95; text-decoration: none;">See all our stories about cars »</a><br /><a href="http://www.dezeen.com/design/transport/" style="color: #6c6e95; text-decoration: none;">See all our stories about transport »</a></div>
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<img alt="Audi at CES 2013" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-281696" height="554" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/01/dezeen_Audi-at-CES-2013_11.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Audi at CES 2013" width="468" /></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Above: smartphone integration</em></div>
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Here's more information from Audi:</div>
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Audi at the CES 2013</div>
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“Electronics trends over the next decade” will be the banner for Audi’s presence at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which will be held in Las Vegas from January 8 to 11, 2013. At the world’s most important electronics trade show, the brand is presenting its technologies of today and its solutions for tomorrow. The spotlight will be on networking the car with its environment – with a particular focus on future piloted driving and mobile communications.</div>
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Audi will be showcasing a wide range of assistance systems already on offer that make driving more comfortable and safer. These assistance systems are closely integrated, providing them with a high degree of intelligence and outstanding capabilities. Tomorrow’s systems will be even smarter – they will reduce the driver’s workload should the driver so wish.</div>
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Piloted driving will be technical feasible before the decade is out – Audi will be showcasing what being caught up in a traffic jam will entail in future. In congested traffic at speeds up to 60 km/h (37.28 mph), Audi’s piloted driving helps the driver to steer the car within certain limits. It also accelerates and brakes the vehicle autonomously. In future, piloted driving will also be able to maneuver the vehicle autonomously into and out of parking spaces – such as in tight roadside parking spaces, in garages, or even in parking garages.</div>
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“At Audi you’d be hard pushed to find an innovation that isn’t related to electronics nowadays,” explains Ricky Hudi, Head of Electrics/Electronics Development. “These enable us to implement full networking. A defining feature of the last decade was that we integrated all the functions in the car. This decade will see us network the car seamlessly with the environment, under the Audi connect banner – with the driver, the Internet, the infrastructure, and with other vehicles.”<br /><br />Audi connect services and technologies bring the Internet into the car and the car onto the Internet. For customers the new technology means greater comfort and greater driving pleasure. The new wireless communication standard Long Term Evolution (LTE) will soon support communications with the World Wide Web, opening up the possibility of high-speed transmission of large amounts of data.</div>
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Audi connect provides the driver with tailor-made services, ranging from navigation with Google Earth images and Google Maps Street View, through Audi online traffic information and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. In the new Audi A3 and in the Audi A3 Sportback the driver can have e-mails read aloud and dictate (SMS) text messages. Audi intends to expand this range of services further.</div>
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Audi is working flat out on new operating and display concepts – concepts like the freely programmable instrument cluster. The driver can switch around the virtual displays to suit their own requirements. Visually they are barely distinguishable from the physical instruments, but provide much more flexibility.</div>
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The brand also has new technology for hi-fi aficionados – 3-D sound brings a three-dimensional, large acoustic stage to in-car music playback. This inspirational technology can be experienced in the “Audi Q7 sound concept” directly in the vehicle and on the booth.</div>
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The architecture of the modular infotainment platform enables for the first time hardware components to be kept constantly up to date with minimal effort.</div>
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For many years Audi has been a leading brand in terms of lighting technology - at present LED headlights are available in many model series. Electrics/electronics also pave the way for major development advances in this technology area. The lighting on tomorrow’s Audi models will react actively to environmental conditions, thus increasing active safety further.</div>
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Audi has developed a broad spectrum of expertise in all areas of vehicle electronics, thus enabling it to explore new ways of co-operating with its suppliers. As part of the Progressive Semi Conductor Program (PSCP) seven semiconductor manufacturers have acquired the status of strategic partners and are therefore integrated into development.</div>
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“In all our technical areas the innovation cycles are short, and the competition is cut-throat,” says Ricky Hudi, Head of Electrics/Electronics Development. “At Audi we see that as an obligation to become even more progressive, more agile, and more innovative.”</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-84509592457651900062013-07-04T16:05:00.000-07:002013-07-04T16:06:26.565-07:00World's first solar-powered family car to race across Australia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.dezeen.com/news/" style="color: #6c6e95; text-decoration: none;">News:</a></strong> students at the Eindhoven University of Technology have unveiled what they claim to be the world's first solar-powered family car.<span id="more-331437" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
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Called Stella, and resembling a squashed, wingless aeroplane, the vehicle can seat four people and can travel up to 600 kilometres, powered by solar panels mounted on the roof.</div>
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The vehicle has been developed to take part in the new Cruiser Class category of the <a href="http://www.worldsolarchallenge.org/" style="color: #6c6e95; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">World Solar Challenge</a> - a biannual 3,000km race race through the Australian outback from Darwin to Adelaide.</div>
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This new category will be introduced for the first time at this year's event, taking place from 6-13 October, to reflect the growing interest in commercially viable solar cars.</div>
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<img alt="Solar-powered family car by Eindhoven University of Technology" height="312" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/Solar-powered-family-car-by-Eindhoven-University-of-Technology-2.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="468" /></div>
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Unlike the other categories, where speed is the main concern, the Cruiser Class is judged on criteria including comfort and usability. Cruiser Class vehicles must also carry a passenger as well as a driver.</div>
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"The design of the car of the future has to meet the needs of modern consumers," says <a href="http://www.solarteameindhoven.nl/" style="color: #6c6e95; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Solar Team Eindhoven</a>, which is based at Eindhoven University of Technology. "The car must be capable of transporting a family from the Netherlands to France in one day, it needs to be suitable for the daily commute to work, and it needs to achieve all this in comfort."</div>
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"Since the Solar Team Eindhoven wants to contribute to the development of a car of the future, the design demands more than just a focus on speed," the team adds. "Comfort, ease of use, and feasibility are all key terms."</div>
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The carbon and aluminium car features a buttonless, touchscreen dashboard and a responsive steering wheel that expands or contracts according to your speed.</div>
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<img alt="Solar-powered family car by Eindhoven University of Technology" height="702" src="http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/Solar-powered-family-car-by-Eindhoven-University-of-Technology.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="468" /></div>
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Solar panels on the car's roof will generate around half the energy it requires, with the remaining power coming from solar recharging stations.</div>
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Solar Team Eindhoven's website provides more details of the World Solar Challenge race. "A large part of the energy to be used will be collected by solar cells as we travel," it says. "During the race, there are only three opportunities to recharge the relatively small battery, which means the car has to be able to independently drive a minimum of 750 kilometers on electric energy. Besides the issue of energy and its management, navigation, safety and support will be essential.</div>
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"Once the race starts in Darwin, the teams are permitted to drive until 5.00 p.m. in the afternoon. After that, they have to set up camp in the outback and be ready to leave again at 8.00 a.m. The teams must be completely self reliant and must reach all seven checkpoints."</div>
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Photos are by Bart van Overbeeke/TU Eindhoven.</div>
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Here's some info from Eindhoven University of Technology:</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">TU/e student team unveils world’s first solar-powered family car</strong></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Solar Team Eindhoven starts World Solar Challenge in Australia with four-seater family car</strong></div>
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The Solar Team Eindhoven (STE) of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) presented the world’s first solar-powered family car today. ‘Stella’ is the first ‘energy-positive car’ with room for four people, a trunk, intuitive steering and a range of 600 kilometers. This is the car being entered by the student team in the Cruiser class of the World Solar Challenge that starts in Australia in October 2013.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A car that produces electricity</strong></div>
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The solar cells of ‘Stella’- Latin for star and also a reference to the family character of the car – generate more electricity on average than the car uses and that means the surplus electricity can be returned to the power grid, thereby making the car ‘energy-positive’.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The car of the future</strong></div>
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Solar Team Eindhoven has set itself the goal of developing the car of the future. By combining aerodynamic design with lightweight materials like carbon and aluminum, a very fuel-efficient car has been designed, which also has ingenious applications like a LED strip and touchscreen that make all the buttons and knobs we know today superfluous. Intuitive driving is enabled by a steering wheel that expands or contracts when you are driving too fast or too slowly. STE will have the car officially certified for road use to prove that this really is a fully-fledged car.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">World Solar Challenge</strong></div>
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University teams from all over the world will be competing in a 3,000 km long race through the Australian outback. Solar Team Eindhoven is taking part in the Cruiser class in which the emphasis lies on practical and user-friendly solar cars rather than on speed. The ‘solar race’ takes place from 6 to 13 October 2013. Back in the Netherlands there will be a tour of high schools to promote engineering and science in education.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The engineer of tomorrow</strong></div>
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Thanks to Solar Team Eindhoven entry, TU/e is represented for the first time in the Solar World Challenge. A multidisciplinary team (with 22 students from six different TU/e departments) has spent a year on this project that involves challenges from the fields of energy and mobility. Cooperation with industry has given the students an opportunity to become familiar with top-notch entrepreneurship, thereby underlining TU/e’s vision of educating the engineer of tomorrow. TU/e professors prof.dr. Elena Lomonova and prof.dr.ir. Maarten Steinbuch are members of the steering group.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Eindhoven University of Technology</strong></div>
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Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is a research-driven, design-oriented technology university with a strong international focus. The university was founded in 1956 and has around 7,200 students and 3,000 staff. TU/e is geared to the societal challenges posed in the areas of Energy, Health and Smart Mobility.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-42970823625107227312013-05-24T12:17:00.000-07:002013-05-24T12:17:50.491-07:00How Google Glass Could Augment Our Realities and Memories<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Countless wearers of Google Glass stalked the halls of this year's Google I/O developer conference, but only a lucky few were sporting the prescription model, which makes room for lenses in a more conventional glasses frame. Among those lucky early adopters with imperfect vision was Thad Starner, a Georgia Tech professor who, in 2010, was recruited to join a top-secret project at Google's fabled X Lab. That project, as it turned out, was Glass, and Starner's role on the team as a technical lead would be a vital one.</div>
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Starner <em>invented</em> the term "augmented reality" in 1990 and, after experimenting with wearable technologies for 20 years now, offered us a rare perspective on where the stuff has been and where it's headed. So, then, we were very glad to get a few moments to chat with the man at I/O and get his insight into how we got to be where we are and, indeed, get some suggestions from him on where we're going from here.</div>
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Starner says he's been wearing computer devices of some form or another daily for the past 20 years, a claim that few others can make. Before becoming an assistant professor at Georgia Tech, he founded MIT's Wearable Computing Project. It's in these years that he made the acquaintance of a pair of grad students named Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The group had discussions about the future of search and, given Starner's tech persuasions, how wearables might fit in to that:</div>
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We talked about how it would make you more powerful if you could have web search on your eyeball ... One of the problems was simply making a search engine that was good enough that the right hit was in the first four links, versus AltaVista which was the first 14 links. That took way too long to navigate.</blockquote>
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They went their separate ways, Starner continuing to refine his wearable prototypes while Page and Brin built themselves a little search engine. After about a decade, Starner thought that it was time to reconnect:</div>
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About 2010, I sent Sergey an email saying, "Now that you guys are doing Android and you're doing these phones, you should really take a look at the wearable computing technology that we've been working on in academia. Why don't you come out to Atlanta and I'll show this stuff to you?" Next thing I know I'm on a plane out [to Google Headquarters] to join the Glass team. They had the same kind of thoughts. The time was right. The next thing you know I'm working on it too, making the early prototypes.</blockquote>
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The term "augmented reality" comes from Starner's earlier work, a 1990 fellowship proposal. (Fun fact: this wasn't actually Starner's preferred term. "Artificial reality" had already been used by Timothy Leary to describe a drug-induced state.) However, his concept of a life augmented by technology is rather different than the "AR" that we generally think of when describing things like the <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/layar/" style="color: #1e82ad;">Layar</a> browser.</div>
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Starner's term for augmented reality simply referred to "information .....................</div>
<a name='more'></a>you can use while you're doing other things." He continued: "Your point on a map is in some senses augmented reality. Knowing what restaurants are nearby is augmented reality." What we typically think of as "AR" is an extension of augmented reality called registered graphics. In this way, a system is fully aware of your 3D position in space plus your orientation and is able to use that information to virtually paint information over the landscape.<br />
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"You're really trying to make interfaces that allow people to augment their eyes, ears and mind, but not get mired in the virtual world."</blockquote>
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This, for many users, is the perceived Holy Grail of wearable technologies: a fully immersive experience where virtual displays appear and disappear at will, where every friend you spot in the real world is highlighted by an icon floating over their heads and where you can always find your way by following the all-knowing green arrow hovering over you. For Starner, these applications aren't nearly as compelling as a system that quickly provides information when you need it and then disappears just as quickly:</div>
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The big thing that people don't realize is that it's not about the full-field-of-view, registered AR experience. It's much better to have something you can interact with in micro-interactions. That's what Glass is all about, having these short interactions throughout the day. You're really trying to make interfaces that allow people to augment their eyes, ears and mind, but not get mired in the virtual world.</blockquote>
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There's value in physicalities, he continued: "There's a lot to the tangible nature of devices and their interfaces that make a lot of sense. I'm loathe to give up on tangible interfaces ... Having an actual physical object that everyone is looking at and sharing is an important thing."</div>
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In this way, Glass is already in good shape on the AR front. That, though, is only one of three key aspects that are, for Starner, crucial to wearable devices. In a 1993 article called "The Cyborgs are Coming," he suggested two other crucial features.</div>
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The first is augmented memory, which is simply the ability to look up information previously learned, but possibly forgotten. For Starner, the primary focus has been conversation. "Having access to your education, having access to your everyday conversations on that level, so you can actually use it in face-to-face education, is invaluable," he said. "It makes professors seem smarter than they are -- which is a very big thing when you're a professor!"</div>
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He gave us a quick demonstration of a system called a Remembrance Agent, which he runs on all manner of wearable devices. It is, effectively, a massive text buffer of everything he's said or thought was worth typing down. Through this he can quickly and easily search within using a single-handed keyboard called a Twiddler. (Despite its one-handed nature, Starner is quite proud of his ability to type at 130 words per minute.) Using a little regex search, Starner can query through <em>decades</em> of textual memories. The results aren't great, but there's potential, he said:</div>
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Everything I say goes into a text buffer and then it automatically searches my past history for things that are relevant. Most of the time it pulls up garbage, stuff that doesn't matter. But 5 percent of the time it pulls up something that's really relevant. All it takes is a one-line summary to remind me of what was so important. It's not that it's replacing my memory; it's helping me recall stuff. Computers are really good at recall and really bad at recognition. People are the other way around.</blockquote>
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The final, and in some ways most complicated, aspect is the development of what Starner calls "intellectual collectives." These are, effectively, social networks -- but not in the Facebook or (more appropriately) Google+ kind of way. These networks are much more focused on real-time information sharing and collaboration. In other words: they make people <em>more</em> productive, not less.</div>
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"You try to read your email while you're having a conversation, you lose 40 IQ points."</blockquote>
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Starner described the process of interviewing candidates on the Glass team at Google: face-to-face conversations between a single candidate and a single interviewee while other members of the team watched remotely, conversing with the interviewer actively while he or she in turn conversed with the interviewee. It all sounds horribly distracting; a side-channel that Starner said is actually perfectly intuitive:</div>
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Because it's focused on the conversation you're having, it's not distracting. You try to read your email while you're having a conversation, you lose 40 IQ points. When you actually are taking notes and doing stuff that's related to your conversation you can do it just fine.</blockquote>
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In this way the entire team could participate in the interview at the same time without physically needing to be there, hitting the hapless interviewee with questions from multiple minds all delivered through a single mouth. An intimidating process for the recipient, perhaps, but it certainly beats the typical corporate interview procedure of bouncing between offices and getting asked the same questions over and over again.</div>
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Starner described another situation, talking about wearable technology at the National Academy of Science. As ever, he was sporting some headgear, which in this case showed him a sort of chat room full of students back at Georgia Tech. The students watched a live stream from Starner and used the chat room to provide information and ask questions.</div>
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This was also shown to the physically present Academy members on a larger display. At first, the students provided information to Starner about what he was discussing and asked questions. Eventually, the members of the Academy began conversing openly and directly with those students, none of whom were actually in the room. In this way, the collective was formed.</div>
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But could this be done on Glass? Absolutely, said Starner, but he isn't confident there's a lot of priority for it:</div>
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One of the academics will do it. The question is whether there's a commercial reason for it. When you make something like this that has a clear focus, has a clear use, stuff that's well-baked, stuff that's compelling -- but when that hardware gets out to all my buddies [at universities] you'll see them adapting to some very interesting uses.</blockquote>
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And that's where a line may need to be drawn, dividing Starner's vast experience in wearable technologies and the future of Glass and other derivative devices. In an academic setting, when you actively research something new and contribute to a broader project, you can get away with wearing a backpack full of circuitry while constantly adjusting a weighty pair of glasses on your nose. After all, you're doing it for science.</div>
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When it comes to the commercial world, however, to the creation of a profitable and thriving ecosystem used by average people in the average world, the standards are higher. Devices must be smaller, their interfaces must be intuitive and everything must simply work and work simply. From a researcher's point of view this is an unworkable limitation. From an engineer's point of view, this is a necessary challenge. From a consumer's point of view, this is just the way it is.</div>
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In some ways, Glass in its current form is limited compared even to the devices Starner wore years ago. The real question, of course, is whether it offers enough to finally bring wearables to the mainstream? That remains to be seen, but if it does, remember this: Thad Starner did it way before it was cool.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-58570838043401224082013-02-26T16:41:00.000-08:002013-02-26T16:41:08.353-08:00A Plane You Can Park in the Garage:Video<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Steen Strand and Kirk Hawkins, founders of ICON Aircraft, describe the features of their groundbreaking A5 light-sport aircraft. They show video demonstrating the personal aircraft handles more like a Jet Ski than a Cessna.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">-----</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Kirk and Steen speak to design's power to unleash new markets. They tell the story of how ICON Aircraft set out to maximize the vast potential of the FAA's regulatory changes by creating, for the first time, a recreational powersport for flying.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">They discuss the challenges in the development of the ICON A5, an airplane that makes flying more accessible, safer, and more enticing than ever before. - IDEO Know How Talks</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Before graduating from Stanford Business School in 2005 and founding ICON, Kirk Hawkins flew F-16s in the U.S. Air Force and 767s for American Airlines. Prior to the USAF, he worked in both aviation and aerospace engineering most of his early career.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">After earning his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University, he was the Director of Engineering at an aerospace contractor before returning for his Masters in Engineering from Stanford University in 1995, specializing in manufacturing.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Steen Strand is a seasoned sports product entrepreneur with 14 years of hands-on operational startup experience. Strand's expertise is in product design, marketing and brand building. Early in his career he worked at IDEO, one of the world's leading design consultancies before founding Freebord, a skateboard company with a global subculture of fanatical riders.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">He later served as COO and Director of Product at Secara, a funded healthcare startup. Steen received his MS in Product Design from Stanford University, where he periodically instructs courses in Product Design. Steen's designs have been featured in numerous TV shows, websites and magazines, including Time, Forbes, Newsweek and Wired.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-71779741456359056802013-02-26T16:29:00.000-08:002013-02-26T16:29:30.043-08:00World's first manned flight with an electric multicopter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">On October 21st, 2011, Thomas Senkel of e-volo made the first manned flight with an electric multicopter, the so called volocopter VC1, at an airstrip in the southwest of Germany. The flight lasted 90 seconds, after which the constructor and test pilot stated: "The flight characteristics are good natured. Without any steering input it would just hover there on the spot". This could be the future of aviation, piloting a device as easy as a car.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-24111698390324989372013-02-26T16:22:00.001-08:002013-02-26T16:22:38.081-08:00The Mycestro 3D wearable mouse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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While we now have scroll-wheels, wireless connections and touch-surfaces, the basic form factor of the computer mouse remains remarkably similar to the box-with-a-button <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/engelbart-computer-mouse-and-other-innovations/17113/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">first demonstrated</a> by Douglas C. Engelbart back in 1968. This doesn't mean there haven't been attempts to shake-up mouse design though, and the latest to cross our desk is the Mycestro 3D mouse – a thumb-activated, wireless mouse that attaches to your index finger.</div>
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<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/mycestro-3d-wearable-mouse/26261/pictures#1" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="The Mycestro 3D wireless mouse that attaches to your index finger to track hand motions (P..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/mycestro-0.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="The Mycestro 3D wireless mouse that attaches to your index finger to track hand motions (P..." /></a></li>
<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/mycestro-3d-wearable-mouse/26261/pictures#2" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="A touch sensitive panel provides capability to control cursor movement in 3D space, left, ..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/mycestro-6.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="A touch sensitive panel provides capability to control cursor movement in 3D space, left, ..." /></a></li>
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The traditional mouse has its limitations when it comes to certain human-computer interface scenarios we find ourselves in these days: the cramped train commute, crowded coffee shop, and not forgetting the airplane fold down table that was the original inspiration for the Mycestro design.</div>
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The founder of Ohio-based Innovative Developments LLC Nick Mastandrea has been working on the design for around two years. The current prototype uses 3D space recognition to control your computer without any requirement for dedicated mouse space or a touch pad on your device.</div>
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The Mycestro is the size of a Bluetooth earpiece and designed to be worn on the index finger. It uses a combination of sensors and algorithms to collect finger movement information and a touch sensitive panel located on the side of the finger closest to the thumb. Like removing your hand from the mouse, the Mycestro is inactive until you touch and hold anywhere on its side panel, which means you can type or make a coffee without having to remove it. Once the cursor becomes active, finger movements combined with the active thumb press direct it to the desired location, whilst further thumb motions on the touch panel button sections provide a full range of mouse clicks and scroll functionality. The 3D mouse also enables users to personalize programmable gesture commands in addition to the usual mouse functions, such as a flick or swipe movements.</div>
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The Mycestro uses Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy (BLE) Protocol to give it a range of 30 ft (9.1 m). It's compatible with Bluetooth Smart Ready devices including iPads, MacBooks, and any PC with a compatible BLE dongle. According to its creators, Android devices should be on-line by the end of the year. The current version has two interchangeable clip sizes to cater for different digits an it's charged via USB, with one charge said to provide eight hours of battery life depending on usage.</div>
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A Kickstarter campaign is underway to raise funds for tooling and a preproduction prototype run. The Innovative Developments LLC team hopes to have the first products available for delivery around October 2013. Kickstarter prices range from US $79 for a white version, and US$ 99 for a choice of colors.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-75900536813630444632013-02-26T16:17:00.000-08:002013-02-26T16:17:12.318-08:0013-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When Apple released the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display last June, it started at US$2,200. When the 13-inch model arrived last October, it rang up at <em>only</em> $1,800. Progress, I suppose – but still a pretty penny. Now, however, Apple has dropped the prices on all Retina MBPs, and the entry level is now $1,500. With its more affordable price tag, perhaps you’re eyeing its gorgeous 2,560 x 1,600 screen. Is it worth it? Read on, as we review the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display.</div>
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<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/retina-macbook-pro-13-inch-review/26373/pictures#1" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="This is the difference between the Retina MacBook Pro's 2560 x 1600 display and the MacBoo..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/retina-macbook-pro-review-0.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="This is the difference between the Retina MacBook Pro's 2560 x 1600 display and the MacBoo..." /></a></li>
<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/retina-macbook-pro-13-inch-review/26373/pictures#2" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="The rMBP's design isn't a radical departure from previous MacBooks" src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/retina-macbook-pro-review-1.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="The rMBP's design isn't a radical departure from previous MacBooks" /></a></li>
<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/retina-macbook-pro-13-inch-review/26373/pictures#3" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="The MacBook Pro with Retina Display is slightly more compact than other MacBooks" src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/retina-macbook-pro-review-2.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="The MacBook Pro with Retina Display is slightly more compact than other MacBooks" /></a></li>
<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/retina-macbook-pro-13-inch-review/26373/pictures#4" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Apple's excellent keyboard hasn't changed from previous MacBooks" src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/retina-macbook-pro-review-3.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="Apple's excellent keyboard hasn't changed from previous MacBooks" /></a></li>
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For this review, we handled the entry-level (128 GB, 2.5 GHz) model. Apple recently upgraded the 256 GB model with a slightly-faster 2.6 GHz chip, but otherwise the two machines are identical.</div>
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Hardware and design</h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/retina-macbook-pro-13-inch-review/26373/pictures#9" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="The MacBook Pro with Retina Display runs Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/retina-macbook-pro-review-8.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></a></div>
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In terms of size and weight, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display (rMBP) splits the difference between the (still on the market) non-Retina MacBook Pro (MBP) and the svelte <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/macbook-air-vs-macbook-pro-retina-specs-comparison/26244/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">MacBook Air</a>.</div>
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The Retina MBP is over 20 percent thinner and 21 percent lighter than the non-Retina MBP. On the other hand, it’s 21 percent heavier and 10 percent thicker than the MacBook Air. It’s really more than 10 percent thicker than the Air, but we’re comparing the uniformly-thick Retina Pro to the tapered Air's thickest point.</div>
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The 13-inch rMBP feels great in hand, and comfortable on the lap. If you’re accustomed to using a MacBook Air, you’ll notice a difference. A bit heavier, but closer than you might expect.</div>
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Its secret is that – like the MacBook Air – it loses the old optical drive, and adds a speedy solid-state drive (SSD). So if you aren’t ready to bail on CDs and DVDs just yet, you’ll want to avoid the rMBP for now (or invest in an external DVD drive).</div>
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The Retina Pro’s design is <em>mostly</em> familiar. It looks a lot like a thinner version of the (non-Retina) MacBook Pro. That, however, is a good thing: same responsive (backlit) keyboard, multitouch glass trackpad, and unibody aluminum build.</div>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/retina-macbook-pro-13-inch-review/26373/pictures#2" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="The rMBP's design isn't a radical departure from previous MacBooks" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/retina-macbook-pro-review-1.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></a></div>
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One subtle difference is a thinner black bezel surrounding the screen. In fact, the laptop’s entire surface is slightly smaller than both the Air and its Pro predecessor. Shedding some excess millimeters around the keyboard and trackpad gives it a more focused appearance – and a smaller footprint in a backpack.</div>
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On its sides, the rMPB has two USB 3 ports, two Thunderbolt ports, an HDMI port, a headphone jack, and an SDXC card slot. The computer charges with a MagSafe 2 port, which uses the new T-shaped connector (the older L-shaped chargers require an adapter).</div>
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Display</h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/retina-macbook-pro-13-inch-review/26373/pictures#1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="This is the difference between the Retina MacBook Pro's 2560 x 1600 display and the MacBoo..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/retina-macbook-pro-review-0.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="529" /></a></div>
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So, great: it looks like a thinner MacBook Pro without an optical drive. But what about that Retina Display? That’s what you came for. All 4,096,000 pixels of it.</div>
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It doesn’t disappoint. Though the Retina MacBook Pro has fewer pixels-per-inch than the 3rd and <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/ipad-4-review/24849/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">4th generation iPads</a>, it doesn’t show. In fact, it looks noticeably sharper than the iPad. This is because a laptop’s screen typically sits about 8-10 inches farther away from your eyes than a tablet’s does. The rMBP’s <em>perceived</em> sharpness is, right now, about as good as it gets.</div>
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On the Retina MacBook Pro, high-res photos reveal levels of detail you aren’t accustomed to seeing. Text is razor-sharp, allowing more sophisticated fonts to pop in ways that they can’t on other displays. Colors are vivid, and appear accurate under default settings.</div>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/retina-macbook-pro-13-inch-review/26373/pictures#16" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="The magnified section is the exact level of detail you'd see in this screen" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/retina-macbook-pro-review-16.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></a></div>
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There is one downside. Software that hasn’t been optimized for Retina Displays doesn’t look so hot. The Mac App Store’s Twitter app is a great example: it looks like garbage, with fuzzy text and pixelated images. Fortunately, most other prominent apps have shifted to Retina graphics.</div>
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Make no mistake. For all of the rMBP’s great qualities – its thinner, more compact build; its high-end performance; its great battery life – the Retina Display is <em>the</em> reason to buy it.</div>
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Performance</h2>
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Performance-wise, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display offers similar results to its non-Retina cousin – with the added benefit of a zippy SSD.</div>
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On a technical level, the entry-level rMBP rocks a dual core 2.5 GHz (with Turbo boost to 3.1 GHz) Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000.</div>
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... and on an experience level? Most apps open instantly (a bounce or two in the dock at most). Processor-intensive tasks like high-res content-aware fill in Photoshop complete in a few seconds. All but the very heaviest power users will find plenty of punch here.</div>
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If you need more power, the updated 256 GB 13-inch Retina MBP (with 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5) is about 3 percent faster than this entry-level model. Apple also offers built-to-order models with a 3 GHz Intel Core i7 for the most extreme power-hungry users.</div>
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Battery life</h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/retina-macbook-pro-13-inch-review/26373/pictures#5" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Our mixed-use battery test yielded six and a half hours of uptime" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/retina-macbook-pro-review-4.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></a></div>
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Apple estimates that the Retina MacBook Pro’s battery will provide “up to seven hours of wireless web” use. Does it live up to the company’s promises?</div>
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My highly-unscientific testing conditions included web browsing, writing, reading, and Photoshopping high-resolution images. Brightness ranged between 50 percent and 75 percent.</div>
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Under this hodge-podge of light and heavy conditions, the rMBP lasted six and a half hours.</div>
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My use was – on average – a bit more intense than Apple’s “web use” estimate, so I’d say the seven-hour claim for web use is sound ... and perhaps even slightly understated.</div>
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Wrap-up</h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/retina-macbook-pro-13-inch-review/26373/pictures#3" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="The MacBook Pro with Retina Display is slightly more compact than other MacBooks" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/retina-macbook-pro-review-2.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></a></div>
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The MacBook Pro with Retina Display hasn’t quite dipped into the consumer laptop price range. The MacBook Air’s flag is still firmly planted in that territory.</div>
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But it is inching closer. For $300 more than the 13-inch Air, the entry-level rMBP gives you better performance, the same outstanding battery life, and – oh, yes – that utterly breathtaking display. The tradeoff is <em>some</em> extra weight and a <em>slightly</em> thicker build.</div>
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Someday soon, more affordable MacBooks (and other laptops) will sport similar displays. One rumor even suggests that the MacBook Air will join that club later this year. If you can wait a year or two, you’ll get a similar machine for cheaper. But that will always be the case with any tech product.</div>
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The MacBook Pro with Retina Display is still a bit too expensive to recommend for everyone. But if your needs lean a little toward power use – and you appreciate a cutting-edge display – then you may find it to be worth an extra $300 over a MacBook Air (or an extra $400 over the non-Retina MacBook Pro). If nothing else, your eyeballs will love you for it.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-68409756115415034422013-02-26T16:13:00.000-08:002013-02-26T16:13:25.135-08:00Marussia and CarDesign.ru reveal concepts for new car for President Putin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It appears that Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t like his car. Tired of seeing Russian officials being carted about in Mercedes and BMWs, Mr. Putin ordered that a Russian domestic limousine be designed to replace them. Unfortunately, according to the <em>Moscow Times</em>, Mr. Putin apparently didn’t much care for the Zil-4112P that Russian car maker Zil came up with, and told them to have another go. Seeing a chance to get in on the action, car rivals GAZ and Marussia Motors are jumping into the game with Marussia and CarDesign.ru teaming up for a public competition to find “A car for the President.”</div>
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<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/cardesign-president-putin-concepts/26383/pictures#1" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Concept by Alexander Galaktionov (Image: Cardesign.ru: Transportation Design) " src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/putin-car-1.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="Concept by Alexander Galaktionov (Image: Cardesign.ru: Transportation Design) " /></a></li>
<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/cardesign-president-putin-concepts/26383/pictures#2" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Concept by Alexander Bukarev (Image: Cardesign.ru: Transportation Design) " src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/putin-car-0.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="Concept by Alexander Bukarev (Image: Cardesign.ru: Transportation Design) " /></a></li>
<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/cardesign-president-putin-concepts/26383/pictures#3" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Concept by Sasha Gusev (Image: Cardesign.ru: Transportation Design) " src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/putin-car-2.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="Concept by Sasha Gusev (Image: Cardesign.ru: Transportation Design) " /></a></li>
<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/cardesign-president-putin-concepts/26383/pictures#4" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Concept by Alexander Krasnov (Image: Cardesign.ru: Transportation Design) " src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/putin-car-3.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="Concept by Alexander Krasnov (Image: Cardesign.ru: Transportation Design) " /></a></li>
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During the Cold War, Soviet luxury cars were nothing to write home about – except to express disbelief. The limousines that chauffeured the likes of Brezhnev and Kosygin were massive, ugly creations with gearboxes like coal scuttles, the turning radius of a container ship and huge engines that, paradoxically, provided hardly any power.</div>
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Two decades after the fall of communism, CarDesign.ru with Marussia Motors are using their “A car for the President” competition to put those days behind them with a call for a completely different model, and have released images of the entrants’ concepts</div>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/cardesign-president-putin-concepts/26383/pictures#8" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Concept by Gerardo Delgado (Image: Cardesign.ru: Transportation Design) " src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/putin-car-7.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="528" /></a></div>
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For those who are used to competition concepts showing cars that defy gravity, violate the laws of physics or are simply impossible to get into, the proposals for the Russian President’s future runabout do seem a bit on the conservative side, with many of them looking like tweaked Cadillacs and Bentleys. This isn’t surprising, since the competition rules are very specific about the basics of the cars. They have to fall into three classes – limousine, minivan or SUV – they must be front engined, rear-wheel drive, fit inside a specific set of dimensions and “stand on a par with competitors from Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, etc.”</div>
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The rules also recommend starting with current Russian models and going on from there. Given this and the fact that the target demographic are heads of state who have their offices in the Kremlin, it's small wonder that they look more like something for going to a summit meeting rather than tearing up the track on the weekend.</div>
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According to CarDesign.ru, the competition received 40 entries from students and professionals and over 80 amateur entries with some from abroad. The winner of “A car for the President” will receive cash prizes plus a chance to work on developing the actual cars. The concepts are currently being reviewed by a jury of car experts and Marussia Motors.</div>
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The results will be announced May 1.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-52621767440359720722013-02-26T16:09:00.000-08:002013-02-26T16:09:22.545-08:00Accidentally Extraordinary headphones feature capacitive touch controls in the cable<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Due mainly to the influence of the iPhone and iPod, a good many headphones have a playback/call control unit of some sort bulging out from the audio cable. Though undeniably useful, this can add some unwelcome weight (particularly with earbuds), but more often the housing just gets in the way or adds its own thump to the music as it bangs against your upturned collar. California-based Accidentally Extraordinary is looking to change all that, with a pair of elegant studio headphones featuring a capacitive touch control interface on the surface of the cable itself.</div>
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"I was just about to go to sleep while listening to music and I started getting annoyed that my headphone buttons located on the right cable kept getting in the way," founder and CEO of Accidentally Extraordinary (AE) Kunal Dalal told us. "Long story short, I thought about how easy it could be to wrap flexible touch electrodes directly on the cable of the headphone, get rid of this remote/mic housing and create a sleek, asymmetrical look to earbuds and headphones."</div>
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Development started in September last year and, with a few prototypes under his belt, Dalal took his idea to the Eureka Park section of CES 2013. Four days later, Dalal walked away from the Vegas Convention Center with an address book full of useful contacts and some very positive feedback from both the press and public.</div>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/accidentally-extraordinary-headphones-touch-control/26394/pictures#2" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="The AE design centers on nano-carbon graphene touch sensors that are printed directly onto..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/ae-touch-2.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="516" /></a></div>
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The AE design centers on nano-carbon graphene touch sensors that are printed directly onto the surface of the cable using graphene-based Vor-ink. In much the same way as existing in-cable controls, this flexible and durable touch strip will allow users to play/pause or skip tracks with a tap/double tap, but will also change volume with a swipe of the finger.</div>
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The design features swipe-to-turn-on and lock functionality, though the strip won't be accidentally activated by inanimate objects. While the prototype images show the red touch section flanked by slightly bumpy metal strips, the whole interface will be flush with the rest of the cable in the production models.</div>
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Users will also be able to customize touch commands and gestures using a smartphone/tablet app (in a similar way to the Jay One Plus headphones). AE has confirmed that a built-in microphone is planned for inclusion some time in the near future.</div>
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"We are looking to address the limits placed on us by the different operating systems," said Dalal when asked about device compatibility. "Our original prototypes controlled volume internally so, regardless of the device, users would be able to control their volume via touch. While we are still exploring that option, the additional power requirements will determine the feasibility of that route. This option may be available in a high-end model geared specifically to the audiophile crowd, powered internally to work across all devices – including your old record player or Walkman."</div>
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At this stage in development, the headband and earcups are made from a strong and abrasion-resistant thermoplastic polymer called Delrin, which has been found to lend some crispness to the audio. Foam ear cushions are covered in a soft synthetic fabric and there's a foam cushion on the underside of the headband (not pictured). Dalal says that the design team is currently experimenting with memory foam for the cushions to give users an improved, snug fit.</div>
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For the audio side of the development equation, AE is working with an experienced (but as yet unnamed) California-based audio company. At the time of writing, all we can tell you is that the current prototypes use closed acoustics, low impedance (~32 Ohms @ 1 kHz), and high-quality dynamic drivers.</div>
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To get this technology into the hands of consumers, AE has launched on Kickstarter. An early bird special of US$160 will get you one of the first 200 off the production line. After that, you'll need to part with at least $200. The campaign closes on March 23 and the product launch has been penciled in for June/July, with delivery to backers scheduled to start in August.</div>
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While failure to reach the funding target won't mean the end of the AE project, it will likely result in significant delays in bringing this product to market.</div>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/accidentally-extraordinary-headphones-touch-control/26394/pictures#3" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Kickstarter backers are being offered a set of non-capacitive earbuds that sport a soft bu..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/ae-touch-0.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="341" /></a></div>
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AE is also working on some earphones with a capacitive touch strip built into the cable, but they won't be ready for a public debut at the close of the funding campaign. As an exclusive Kickstarter special $60 pledge level, however, backers can get a taste of things to come with a set of non-capacitive earbuds that sport the same red section along the audio cable, but this is a soft button that can be used to control playback and answer calls on iOS, Windows and Android smartphones (in addition to offering volume control for the latter).</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-62765513595540524502013-02-26T16:04:00.000-08:002013-02-26T16:04:28.684-08:00SD college tests fingerprint purchasing technology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<(by Amber Hunt, YahooNews) RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - Two [stores] on South Dakota’s School of Mines and Technology campus are performing one of the world’s first experiments in Biocryptology - a mix of biometrics (using physical traits for identification) and cryptology (the study of encoding private information). Students at the Rapid City school can buy a bag of potato chips with a machine that non-intrusively detects their hemoglobin to make sure the transaction is legitimate.
Researchers figure their technology would provide a critical safeguard against a morbid scenario sometimes found in spy movies in which a thief removes someone else’s finger to fool the scanner.<br />
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On a recent Friday, mechanical engineering major Bernard Keeler handed a Red Bull to a cashier in the Miner’s Shack campus shop, typed his birthdate into a pay pad and swiped his finger. Within seconds, the machine had identified his print and checked that blood was pulsing beneath it, allowing him to make the buy. Afterward, Keeler proudly showed off the receipt he was sent via email on his smartphone.
Fingerprint technology isn’t new, nor is the general concept of using biometrics as a way to pay for goods. But it’s the extra layer of protection – that deeper check to ensure the finger has a pulse – that researchers say sets this technology apart from already-existing digital fingerprint scans, which are used mostly for criminal background checks.
Al Maas, president of Nexus USA – a subsidiary of Spanish-based Hanscan Indentity Management, which patented the technology – acknowledged South Dakota might seem an unlikely locale to test it, but to him, it was a perfect fit.
“I said, if it flies here in the conservative Midwest, it’s going to go anywhere,” Maas said.
Maas grew up near Madison, S.D., and wanted his home state to be the technology’s guinea pig.<img alt="image699" src="http://www.studentnewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/image699.jpg" /><br />
He convinced Hanscan owner Klaas Zwart that the 2,400-student Mines campus should be used as the starter location.
The students all major in mechanical engineering or hard sciences, which means they’re naturally technologically inclined, said Joseph Wright, the school’s associate vice president for research-economic development. ”South Dakota is a place where people take risks. We’re very entrepreneurial,” Wright said.
After Maas and Zwart introduced the idea to students this winter, about 50 stepped forward to take part in the pilot. ”I really wanted to be part of what’s new and see if I could help improve what they already have,” said Phillip Clemen, 19, a mechanical engineering student.
Robert Siciliano, a security expert with McAfee, Inc., minimized potential privacy concerns. ”We are hell bent on privacy issues here in the U.S. We get all up in arms when someone talks about scanning us or recording our information, but then we’ll throw up everything about us on Facebook and give up all of our personal information for 10 percent off at a shoe store for instant credit,” he said.
Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst with the American Civil Liberties Union, said fingerprint technology on its own raises security issues, but he called “liveness detection” a step in the right direction. ”Any security measure can be defeated; it’s a question of making it harder,” he said.
The key to keeping biometric identification from becoming Big Brother-like is to make it voluntary and ensure that the information scanned is used exactly as promised, Stanley said.
Brian Wiles, a Miles mechanical engineering major, said it’s exciting to be beta testing technology that could soon be worldwide. ”There was some hesitation, but the fact that it’s the first in the world – that’s the whole point of this school,” said Wiles, 22. “We’re innovators.”
- See more at: http://www.studentnewsdaily.com/daily-news-article/sd-college-tests-fingerprint-purchasing-technology/#sthash.634fL1aO.dpuf</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839659488695408319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455844879919264279.post-9740102829716066192013-02-26T15:59:00.000-08:002013-02-26T15:59:44.036-08:00New York’s Technology Future: Is It a Bubble or a Lasting Boom?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Amid the hullabaloo about New York’s growing innovation scene lurks a big question about the future. “Is New York’s rise in technology a combination of the mayor’s exuberant personality, things that are happening organically, and the overall growth of tech?” asked Steven Rosenbaum, CEO of Magnify.net. “Or is there a fundamental shift happening?”</div>
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Last Thursday during the many Social Media Week events happening across the city, he moderated a panel that included local entrepreneurs, representatives of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration, and a pioneering venture capitalist who offered a few opinions on the matter. Rosenbaum’s company Magnify.net is a provider of cloud-based video curation service. He is also entrepreneur-at-large with the New York City Economic Development Corp. (NYCEDC).</div>
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Joining him in the discussion were Scott Anderson, chief strategy officer with the Control Group; Matthew Burnett, CEO of Maker’s Row; Alan Patricof, managing director with Greycroft Partners; Ann Li, managing director and executive vice president with the NYCEDC; and Jonathan Bowles, executive director with the Center for an Urban Future think-tank.</div>
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Rosenbaum wondered if a landmark IPO or other exit by a startup in New York could give the city real bragging rights in its rivalry with Boston over which region follows Silicon Valley in the list of top tech hubs.</div>
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New York to some extent is still waiting for a big win among its startups, according to Anderson of Control Group, a technology innovation strategy company, but he also cast doubt on the necessity of achieving such a milestone. “That doesn’t mean business isn’t happening or people aren’t making money,” he said. “Hanging our hats on that big win is a mistake.”</div>
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<a href="http://www.xconomy.com/new-york/2013/02/25/new-yorks-technology-future-is-it-a-bubble-or-a-lasting-boom/attachment/m/" rel="attachment wp-att-222401" style="color: #3e5682; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-222401" height="298" src="http://www.xconomy.com/wordpress/wp-content/images/2013/02/Burnett-300x298.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 20px; padding: 0px;" title="Matthew Burnett" width="300" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="color: #555555; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding-right: 20px;">
Matthew Burnett, CEO of Maker’s Row, listens to fellow panelists discuss the city's prospects.</div>
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Maker’s Row co-founder Burnett told Xconomy after the panel it is getting easier for some startups in the city to reach customers thanks to such e-commerce platforms as Etsy and Fab.com. “They are creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to create their own goods and run their own businesses,” he says. Maker’s Row is an online marketplace that connects small and midsize businesses with American manufacturers. Burnett previously founded fashion accessory company The Brooklyn Bakery. “[Fab.com] helped me be able to pay rent for so long as an entrepreneur,” he says.</div>
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The growth of the local startup community, according Greycroft’s Patricof, is not likely to halt anytime soon. “New York is like a meteor at the moment,” he said. “The momentum has been started; you can’t stop it now. This train is moving.” An early player in the private investment world, he was a founder and chairman of New York magazine and founded private equity firm Apax Partners, now based in London, prior to forming Greycroft.</div>
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Patricof said investments in the past focused largely on technology semiconductors and</div>
<a name='more'></a> computers whereas today many deals are about the advertising industry andcontent. “You can’t be in those areas without being in New York,” he said. “The whole ad tech business is centered in New York.”He also offered a few opinions on the rival technology scene in Beantown. “Boston has lost a lot of its luster,” Patricof said. “It’s really more of a biotech type of environment.”<br />
Looking at the overall funding ecosystem, he voiced concerns about the amount of seed capital fueling the rise of startups. That can lead to copycats and me-tooism, which muddles the landscape. He said there is not enough Series A money around for all the companies that have proliferated. “An awful lot of stuff we’re seeing is very imitative of other operations,” he said. “There are just too many of the same thing.”<br />
The efforts by Bloomberg’s administration to nurture the local innovation community might lead to more original technology being created in New York, according to NYCEDC’s Li, but it will take time and a lot more engineers. She talked up the Cornell NYC Tech $2 billion project underway to establish an applied sciences campus on Roosevelt Island.<br />
“New York is really underweight in the number of engineers we produce when compared to the size of our economy,” she said. Existing academic institutions in the city produce their share of technology professionals, Li said, but New York clearly wants to prove it can be an even bigger player in innovation. “There was just no way we were going to achieve our ambition of being a tech hub through organic growth on the talent front,” she said.<br />
The forthcoming Cornell NYC Tech campus on Roosevelt Island and other efforts in the city, she said, are expected to double the number of graduate-level engineers in New York—in about 20 years. “In the short term we’ll have a lot more students in New York,” she said, “in the long term we’ll have a lot more intellectual property.”<br />
For its part, the Center for an Urban Future sees the need for more innovations from the city’s academic institutions needs to be commercialized. “If New York is going to continue to take the next steps, we’ve got to have more entrepreneurs and growth companies coming out of our universities,” Bowles said.<br />
Whoever succeeds Bloomberg—whose third and final term ends in December—as mayor of New York will also have to maintain a positive outlook even if things sour. “There’s going to be a lot of startups that fail in New York in the years ahead,” Bowles said. “So many have started in the last few years, they’re not all going to succeed. The next mayor has got to be supportive even in light of some negative press that may come.”<br />
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