Archive for the ‘Tech’ Category
RIM To Sell BlackBerry 10 Smartphones Beginning In February | TechCrunch
RIM will start selling smartphones based on its new BlackBerry 10 operating system beginning in February, 2013 according to Bloomberg , the month after it officially unveils them January 30 at an event announced yesterday. That’s according to RIM COO Kristian Tear, who followed up with that information after the company announced BB10′s public launch.
“We want to do it as quickly as possible,” Tear told Bloomberg in an interview, saying that the company hopes to get its first BB10 devices out to consumers within 30 days of the official launch party in “multiple continents.” The company had originally not specified a date, saying only that BB10 hardware would arrive in the first quarter of 2013, and a later report suggested that they might actually not make it to market until March, at the very end of that quarter.
via RIM To Sell BlackBerry 10 Smartphones Beginning In February | TechCrunch.
Meet Shine: The Elegant Activity Tracker That Has A Neat Trick For Syncing With The iPhone | TechCrunch
Several months ago, we found out that a company co-founded by Apple’s former CEO John Sculley and a couple of hardware veterans who make those iPhone-connected glucose meters popular with diabetics were working on some stealth wearable computing concepts. Their company Misfit Wearables raised $7.6 million in a round led by Founders Fund and Khosla Ventures back in April.
Now we’re finally getting a peek at a close-to-finished product.
Called Shine, Misfit Wearables’ first device is a sleek activity tracker that records how much you’re moving like the FitBit or Nike’s Fuelband do.
The form factor is simple and elegant. The Shine is a small, circular disc that’s about the size of a quarter. It has an all-metal, aluminum casing that took the company months to perfect.
Most Popular Passwords – Business Insider
In light of the recent LinkedIn security breach, there’s been a lot of attention on password security lately. ZDNET points to a study from security consultant Mark Burnett. Burnett came up with 10,000 of the most-used passwords, but here are the top 25. Number eight is really naughty.
In the Sinofsky Departure, Bill Gates Sided With the Other Steve – Kara Swisher – News – AllThingsD
Sometimes — even in the most complex of organizations, which software behemoth Microsoft most certainly is — it does come down to a simple choice.
And in the case of the seemingly sudden departure of Windows head Steve Sinofsky yesterday, several high-level sources at the company said that it came down to former CEO and co-founder Bill Gates’s backing of current CEO Steve Ballmer in the controversial decision to part ways with the powerful exec.
The goal? To better allow various units to work together more closely going forward.
While Gates — who is now chairman of Microsoft’s board — has had a longtime and very close relationship with Sinofsky, he supported the move by Ballmer to promote more integration of Microsoft’s other divisions and also involve other top executives more significantly than ever before in the planning and development of the next version of Windows.
This more collegial cross-division effort was different from the closely held, command-and-control and even secretive method for which Sinofsky had been well-known throughout the company. In fact, numerous sources said, it was anathema to him.
“There was Steve’s way or no other way,” said one exec, in a common sentiment about Sinofsky’s iron-handed rule of the flagship Windows business. “Now, in the new world we’re competing in, it’s about creating strong areas of integration among all our products.”
via In the Sinofsky Departure, Bill Gates Sided With the Other Steve – Kara Swisher – News – AllThingsD.
Google Wages War With Apple And The Rest Of The Tablet Industry, Unleashes Impressive Nexus 7 +Mobile | TechCrunch
In July, after the Google I/O developer event, I reviewed the newly unveiled Nexus 7 tablet after using it for a bit. Most people fired off snap reactions about their thoughts, but I decided to put it through its paces, and I’m glad that I did. Another guy who took some time to sort out his thoughts was our very own MG Siegler.
I also wrote a review about the Nexus 10 recently, the larger model of Google’s tablet line. In that review, I pointed out that Android’s operating system is, in my opinion, better suited for the tablet experience versus that of what you’ll find on a phone with it installed. That’s why I was looking forward to the updated Nexus 7 line, which include mobile capabilities, something both tablets had been lacking. WiFi only is limiting, and I don’t want to have to tether.
I’ve always been averse to using the phrase and concept of “war” when it comes to technology companies, usually because it’s way overused. I even chided my now-colleague Josh Constine for doing this. I’m eating crow, because with the release of the mobile version of the Nexus 7, this is war.
Duke University Scientists Unveil Centimeter-Scale Invisibility Cloak | NBC 7 San Diego
Harry Potter fans, rejoice. A cloak of invisibility, like the one featured in the movies, is now a reality — on a much smaller scale at least.
Inventors have been working toward this for a while now, but researchers with Duke University discovered a new way to tweak existing technology, ExtremeTech.com reported. The theory is that invisibility can be achieved using metamaterials, man-made materials that bend electromagnetic waves, like visible light, around objects to create an illusion. But past methods reflect some light back, which ruins the effect. Duke’s new design uses those same metamaterials, but arranges them in a diamond pattern, which cuts back on the reflective glare.
via Duke University Scientists Unveil Centimeter-Scale Invisibility Cloak | NBC 7 San Diego.
Meet The ReadyCase: The Frankenstein Of iPhone Cases, Plus Extra Stabby Bits | TechCrunch
Apple’s iPhone 5 was bound to shake up the accessory market, as it always does. That means new cases, with new features. One new one debuting on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo today called the ReadyCase packs more features than I think any I’ve ever seen, all into a low-profile design that actually only adds 3mm of thickness, and will ship in both iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 versions.
So what do you get with ReadyCase? Here’s a list:
Two kickstands, for both portrait and landscape orientation.
An interchangeable lens ring for macro, fisheye and wide-angle conversion lenses.
An 8GB or 16GB USB flash drive.
A multi-tool, complete with standard and serrated knife blades, a flathead screwdriver and bottle opener, available in either black or silver.
A headphone clip.
The case is made from a durable composite material that’s supposed to be pretty rugged, and the best part is that it doesn’t add bulk. There’s actually an opening on the back, though, so it’s not like it’s an Otterbox or anything and scratches are still a possibility, but for the survivalist, outdoorsy-type who also wants to carry important documents and media around on a readily available flash drive, this thing looks to be the tops.
via Meet The ReadyCase: The Frankenstein Of iPhone Cases, Plus Extra Stabby Bits | TechCrunch.
Samsung’s Black Galaxy S III Said To Launch In October With 64GB Of Storage | TechCrunch
Samsung’s Galaxy S III is a pretty lust-worthy gadget to begin with, but the Korean electronics giant just won’t leave well enough alone. First they put together a model that managed to combine both an LTE radio and an Exynos quad-core chipset, a combination that unfortunately hasn’t trickled out of the country yet.
Now it seems that U.K. phone retailer Clove has the skinny on yet another hardware revision. The folks at Phandroid spotted a landing page for Clove created for that handsome new black GSIII that’s been spotted in the wild that mentions it will ship with 64GB of internal memory in October.
Better late than never, I suppose. Galaxy fanatics may remember that Samsung promised a 64GB Galaxy S III at the company’s ostentatious London launch event, but the device failed to appear in due course. Naturally, many assumed that particular model got the axe at some point, a notion that Samsung eventually denied — according to them, the 64GB version was instead slated for a launch during the “second half” of 2012.
It shouldn’t come as much surprise that there isn’t much information on what the mildly-tweaked handset will cost, or when we can expect to see it embark on a world tour. In fact, Samsung hasn’t even officially confirmed the device’s existence, but that’s all right — third-party retailers and carriers (including T-Mobile USA, which is a bit of an eyebrow-raiser) are apparently more than happy to spread the word anyway.
via Samsung’s Black Galaxy S III Said To Launch In October With 64GB Of Storage | TechCrunch.
The iPhone 5 Has Arrived: But Which iPhone Is The Best Value? | TechCrunch
The iPhone 5 is now on sale in most launch markets starting today, and as daylight approaches on the U.S. west coast, the coveted device will be hitting that market as well. According to early reviews, it’s a great device, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right one for everybody. Even if you’re still a potential iPhone buyer, the lineup has never looked so good. The iPhone 4 and the 4S remain on the market, and they both have a lot to offer, too, at a considerable discount.
Here’s a handy guide to what you get with each device, created by TechCrunch. We’ve tried to distill it down to the most important factors, and when you combine this with our chart detailing what each model does and doesn’t get with the iOS 6 update, you should have an easier time deciding which one to pick up.
via The iPhone 5 Has Arrived: But Which iPhone Is The Best Value? | TechCrunch.
Apple Announces Record Pre-Orders For iPhone 5: 2M in 24 Hours, 2X iPhone 4S Day One Sales | TechCrunch
Apple today announced that it managed to rack up 2 million pre-orders for the iPhone 5 in 24 hours, two times as many as it managed for the iPhone 4S last year, which sold over 1 million devices during its first 24 hours of pre-order sales. That’s a new record, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s been watching the progress of iPhone pre-order sales since the device originally hit the market.
The iPhone 4S eventually went on to sell more than 4 million devices over the course of its first weekend actually on store shelves, so expect the iPhone 5 to blow past that milestone, too. The iPhone 5 is initially available in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the U.K., adding two new countries (Hong Kong and Singapore) to the list of launch regions for the iPhone 4s, so expect that to influence early sales as well, especially since Hong Kong is a popular destination for those looking to resell the iPhone at a premium on the grey market in China.
