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Apple – Stylus Patents Approved

Apple had applied for two patents for styluses for capacitive touchscreens and other surfaces last year, but the US Patent office has approved them only yesterday. The first patent is for a stylus with a heated conductive tip which would be charged when it is inserted back into the phone to be used with touchscreen devices.

The second patent is for a stylus which could be used to write on any surface, with the results appearing on a computing device; a phone, tablet or computer, which is programmed to receive the input. This would be similar to the already existing Livescribe pen. These patents leave us wondering just what kind of devices does Apple have is store for release.

July 9, 2011
Dell Peju tablet leaked, 10.1-inch , Windows 8 and Core i5?
A new source of information for the upcoming Dell Peju tablet has surface. Looks the the device is a 10.1 inch tablet has a gorilla glass front and with its internals clocking Core i5 and Windows 8 os. The Device is set to launch in october this year (if the source is to be believed)

Other Specs Include
- CPU: Intel Core i5 processor
- Memory: 4 GB
- Storage: 64 GB SSD or 120 GB SSD
- Display: 10.1-inch, wide-angle, 1920×1080
- OS: Windows 7 Pro / Windows 8 Compatible
- Slots/ ports: 2-USB, Mini VGA, HDMI, microSD, audio, SIM (3G)
- Battery: integrated, 5,500 mAh, 6 – 8 hour real-world battery life
- Connectivity: WiFi b/g, Bluetooth, 3G & 4G
- Webcam: 1.3 MP Front Facing & 5MP Rear Facing Camera
- Input: Touch, Stylus, Bluetooth Keyboard, & USB Keyboard. via the docking station. (Keyboard not included)
- Dimensions: 10.8 x 6.7 x 0.63 inches, 1.9 lbs.
July 9, 2011
Swype Comes to iPhone, IPod and iPad Courtesy Jailbreak : How To
The most popular keyboard from the Android OS has finally been ported to iOS via Jailbreak. So , if you have already Jailbroken your device, follow the step by step below to add swype to your device

Step 1:
- Open Cydia and move to Manage tab
Step 2:
- Tap on Sources > Edit > Add
Step 3:
- When you tap on add, a window will pop up asking for a URL, type following URL:
- http://wynd.x10.mx
- Then tap on Add.
Step 4:
- Once repo is added and packages are downloaded.
- Go to the “Changes” Screen and Tap on “Swype”
- Tap Install
Step 5
- Once Installed Respring Your Device
- Swype is enabled on your standard keyboard
A quick Video Demo is coming up shortly

[@WyndWarrior (Twitter)]
July 9, 2011
Apple iOS 4.3.4 will Fix the Jailbreak and Security Flaws.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he PDF exploit that was used in JailreakMe last year which allowed a one tap Jailbreak and a fast unlock for users. Apple had fixed the flaw in its early stages and now its back. Looks like that is the reason for the quick iPad 2 Jailbreak and the new exploit the Jailbreakers have been enjoying. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple acknowledged the exploit, and is working on an update. The said update will not only fix the JailbreakMe 3.0 exploit but also another exploit that could allow unwanted eyes to your information.

[Wall Street Journal]

July 8, 2011
Apple Struggling with iADs, Minimum Buy-In Reduced

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he reinvention of basic products like the Notebook computer , personal media player and a common man’s phone has been an easy task for Cupertino based Apple Computer inc. But looks like mobile advertising is yet to become their forte.

When iAds started Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that the minimum Buy-In for Advertisers was 1 Million US $. But, earlier this year Apple had dropped its minimum buy in to half of the original resting it at US $ 500,000 . Now according to a report filed by Bloomberg, because agencies are taking business elsewhere from Apple due to lower costs from competition like Millennial Media, Greystripe, and Google’s AdMob, Apple is further reducing its iAd Buy-In to just US $ 300,000.

GroupM ( the ad booking unit) committed to over $1 Million in spending, will now allow its clients to buy packages of US $ 300,000. The actual price of 1 cent / impression and $1 / tap remains unchanged.

Mobile App developers are only filling up 15-20 % of their portfolios using Apple iAds, and looks like the company is facing a hard time getting the right type of clients.

July 8, 2011
The Apple App Store Crosses the 15 Billion Downloads Milestone

Apple has claimed that over 200 million devices running its mobile operating system, iOS, have been sold to people across 90 countries. With over 425,000 apps in its app store, the company claims that it has crossed the 15 billion app downloads milestone. Of these 425,000 apps, over 100,000 have been specifically optimized for the iPad.

These figures represent a considerable challenge for rivals like Hewlett Packard and Google who also offer online application storefronts. Of these competitors, the Android Marketplace possibly comes the closest to Apple’s App Store with hundreds of thousands of applications available to users on their mobile devices running Google’s Android OS. However, out of all the hundreds of thousands of apps available, a very tiny fraction have been optimized for tablets running Android which gives Apple’s iPad a huge advantage.

With the release of OSX “Lion”, Apple will be including a built in Mac-App store with the ability to download full screen applications for the companies line of Desktops and Laptops. This change shows how Apple’s advances in mobile software have affected its entire product line.

Apple’s soon to be released iOS5 will offer a huge number of improvements over its predecessor, some of which seem to be directly targeted towards its competition. The iMessage feature seems like a direct answer to RIM’s Blackberry Messenger service. Perhaps the most anticipated feature of iOS5 will be iCloud. The iCloud service allows users to keep all their devices and media in sync, over the cloud. It is also integrated with applications to allow them to push updates wirelessly. It remains to be seen how this update will affect the sale of Apple’s products as well as its competition.

July 8, 2011
YouTube – Cosmic Panda Interface Now Available

With the beta test of Google+ we’ve seen an across the board redesign of most of Google’s services. Google search got the black bar on top. Gmail got two new themes for users to try out. Now it’s YouTube’s turn.

Google has announced the availability of the Cosmic Panda Interface for users to test. The interface sports a clean and professional look which gives more emphasis to video space. The interface is designed to be quite dark, which might be an effort by Google to reduce electricity consumption across the world.

The first thing that you notice when you use the new interface is the video. It has been brought to the center of the screen and the clutter around it has been removed. It is very easy to switch video sizes from the buttons at the bottom of the interface. The comments section has been placed under the video in a better interface which makes viewing comments easier.

Another feature to note is that Google has increased the size of the related video preview images. This makes it easier to view related videos but the downside is that it requires users to scroll a bit more. One feature we really liked is the redesign of the video player itself. The progress bar has been coloured in such a way that the loaded section is grey and blends into the background. The section that has already been played turns red like the old interface.

The channels interface has gone through an upgrade as well. The video links are now much larger and the latest video player has been removed. Chrome users will benefit from a really cool feature called “Keep Watching” which lets you watch a video and browse a users channel at the same time to queue your next video. The video that is playing gets reduced to a small thumbnail on the top of the screen. You can queue videos and resume watching the currently playing video simply by clicking the thumbnail.

You can test out the new interface and leave your feedback with Google at http://www.youtube.com/cosmicpanda.

July 8, 2011
Plushtography’s Lenstastic Pillows

Are you an avid photographer? Do you keep thinking about how to get the perfect shot? Well do we have the accessory for you. Plushtography has come out with a line of pillows that are ‘pre-hugged by a team of koalas to ensure maximum huggability.’

The pillows come in various designs ranging from the Canon 50mm and 24-105mm to the Nikon 35mm. Each pillow is hand sewn and made with a secret mixture of fleece, felt and a little bit of love. They range in price from $35 to $65 each and can take upto 10 days for delivery. They won’t imbibe you with any special photography skills but they will make for an interesting conversation starter.

July 7, 2011
Toshiba Thrive Tablet goes up for Pre-Order on Amazon
The Toshiba Thrive tablet has gone up for pre-order on Amazon.com, the tablet was already on preorder in various places including Best Buy. The 8 Gb Thrive is priced at 429.99 $ with the 16 and 32 GB versions for US$ 479.00 and US$ 579.00 respectively

Specs include
- 10.1-inch multi-touch widescreen display
- Adaptive Display Technology, supporting 720p
- NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core mobile processor
- Android operating system 3.1 Honeycomb
- 5.0 MP rear camera with autofocus and
- 2.0MP front-facing webcam
- Stereo speakers with Toshiba sound enhancements
- 8 /16/32 GB internal memoryUSB
- Mini-USB, and HDMI ports and full-sized SD card reader
- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity supporting Adobe Flash
- Easy Grip non-slip interchangeable rubber backplate
- User-replaceable prismatic lithium battery
[Amazon]
July 7, 2011
How To: Move your Facebook Photos to Picasa

With Google+’s popularity on the rise, a lot of users are looking for an easy way to shift their albums from Facebook to Picasa. The aptly named move2picasa.com website allows you to log in with your Facebook id and copy all your photos to Picasa. Please note that the photos would be moved without captions etc.

If you have a lot of photos, it could take you a few hours to transfer them. Apparently, the more photos that you and others try to transfer, the slower the service will be. Despite the wait, this seems to be an adequate solution for most people. One other thing, you either move all your photos or you move none. There is no feature to select or filter which images are copied.

Once your photos are in Picasa, sharing them with your circles is very easy. The web app was built by AmiWorks’ Aman Kumar Jain and Amogh. According to the website, some 300,000 photos have already been moved.

July 7, 2011
LG sees 40% Increase in Smartphone Sales in H2 , Cuts Targets

LG Electronics Inc , the world’s No.3 handset maker expects its Smartphone sales to rise by 40% as it launched its LG optimus 3D in South Korea Today. The number is estimated at 14 million units in Q3-Q4.

Our overall performance is gradually improving…but it’s difficult to give a precise prediction when our business will turn around due to a fast changing external market environment,” Park Jong-seok, head of LG’s handset division, told reporters.

LG also said that they believe a target of a total 24 million Smart-phones can be achieved this year as they completed 10 Million in the First Half of 2011. Overall handset sale on the other hand will rise only 30 % above the First Half total of 50 Million units.

[read]

July 7, 2011
Mole Rats May hold the Cure to Cancer

The naked mole has wrinkly skin, no hair and out-sized teeth and resembles something akin to a saber-toothed sausage. While it doesn’t look like much, this rat may hold the key to curing cancer. The mole rat has a life span of close to 30 years, almost seven times longer than an average rat, and it seems to be immune to most diseases including cancer.

The mole rat is uniquely adapted to survive the deserts of East Africa. It lives underground, is impervious to pain and can survive the severely depleted oxygen levels in its burrows. Dr Joao Pedro Magalhaes, who led a team at the University of Liverpool unravelling the animal’s genetic blueprint, hoped one day it would provide therapies to treat conditions in humans.

The level of resistance it has to disease, particularly cancer, might give us more clues as to why some animals are more prone to disease than others. With this work we want to establish the naked mole rat as the first model of resistance to the chronic diseases of ageing.

Scientists cut out sections out of strands of DNA using chemical ‘scissors’, which allowed them to read the strands and insert them back into the genome. Their investigations will now focus on the methods by which cells repair themselves and protect against disease.

Larger animals usually live longer than smaller ones, but scientists were stumped with the mole rats almost a decade ago as they just did not seem to die. In the US, scientists started to focus on their lifespan instead of the primary reason they were being researched in the first place, their social habits.

Mole rats tend to live in large groups of upto 300 individuals with a single reproducing queen. During mating season, the queen mates with upto three males and the remaining males in the colony suppress their reproductive tendencies to focus on their roles in the defence of the colony against predators such as snakes.

July 7, 2011
New Swift to be More Economical

Maruti Suzuki Swift, is one of india’s best selling hatchbacks. After nearly six years in service, the car is finally due for an overhaul. The new Swift which is due to launch next month is said to be more fuel efficient and will come in 1.2l Petrol and 1.3l Diesel varients.

The new Swift is built on a slightly longer platform and engineers have managed a substantial weight reduction by replacing the metal fuel tank with a plastic one. This has improved the car’s mileage by almost 13%. The new model will be produced in the company’s Manesar Facility. The petrol version is said to give a mileage of around 20 kmpl as compared to the existing mileage of 17.9 kmpl. Similarly, the diesel variant will give a mileage of around 23.8 kmpl as compared to the existing mileage of 21 kmpl. No pricing details have been shared by the company as yet.

According to an industry expert, plastic fuel tanks are usually 25-35 per cent lighter than the conventional metal tanks. Besides the decrease in weight, these tanks are corrosion-free, durable, non-explosive and easily recyclable. Maruti may also offer a four-speed automatic transmission option in the petrol version of the new car.

July 7, 2011
HTC receives Eight Design Awards (PR)

HTC has been awarded eight design awards for its creations including the IDEA Gold Award .

The HTC Droid Incredible was given a Gold award, the HTC EVO 4G was recognized with a Silver award, and the HTC Legend garnered a Bronze award. The HTC Aria was also named a finalist in the communications tool category. Amongst others.

Read the full PR below for the total information.

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HTC Recognized for Global Design Leadership

Honored with Eight Awards, Including the Prestigious IDEA Gold Award

New Delhi, India – July 6, 2011 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of mobile phones, has been honored by three separate international organizations for excellence in product design, reflecting the company’s commitment to creating perfect experiences for everyday life that make consumers’ lives a little better.

HTC’s philosophy of designing mobile phones for the individual passions and pursuits of consumers is reflected in each winning product line, resulting in recent awards from IDEA, and earlier in the year from red dot and IDA.

“Countless HTC employees came together to earn the recognition we received at IDEA 2011, red dot 2011 and IDA 2010,” said Scott Croyle, Vice President of design at HTC. “Our award-winning designs span multiple disciplines and regions around the world. Our teams listened to and observed customers, recognized their differing needs, and partnered to design products that have these customers’ desires at heart.”

HTC garnered four top awards at the 2011 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), known as the “Oscars of Design,” and sponsored by Fast Company magazine and the Industrial Designers Society of America, for devices in the communications tools category. The HTC Droid Incredible was given a Gold award, HTC EVO 4G recognized with a Silver award, and the HTC Legend garnered a Bronze award. Additionally, the HTC Aria was a finalist in the communications tool category.

“The rigor of selecting the best of over 2,000 entries culminated in three days of intense dialogue and debate that was stimulating and rewarding for the 20 expert jurors—we are proud of the work we have chosen to represent the best from our profession,” said IDEA’s Jury Chair Davin Stowell, founder and CEO of Smart Design.

Started in 1980 by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the International Design Excellence Awards Program (IDEA®) fosters business and public understanding about the impact of design excellence on the quality of life and the economy.

HTC Receives “red dot” of Approval from Global Jury

In March 2011, HTC won three awards from red dot. The EVO 4G won the highest product design award: the “red dot: best of the best” award, recognizing trailblazing design. In addition, the HTC Legend and HTC Aria won a red dot, a quality seal awarded to devices with high design quality, that stand apart from comparable products.

Red dot was judged by a jury from across the globe, whose background gives them unique insight to assess the special intercultural aspects of design. The red dot awards are sponsored by the Red Dot Museum in Germany and Singapore. The competition is aimed at all those who would like to distinguish their business activities through design.

“HTC’s drive to connect with consumers through design was apparent in the winning selections,” said Professor Dr. Peter Zec, president of the competition. “Each year we seek out brands that successfully harness the power of design to the masses.”

International Design Awards (IDA) Gives HTC Gold

In May 2011, the IDA, a four-year-old awards program honoring smart and sustainable design, recognized HTC’s pioneering design by awarding the HTC Legend a Gold at the 2010 IDA Awards.

“This competition year has been our largest to date, with entries from over 65 countries,” said Jade Tran, competition director. “We were very excited to see design that was so committed to design theory and creating a strong connection between consumer and product. HTC certainly exemplified this in the Phone and Communications Technology category.”

A handful of designers, thinkers and entrepreneurs created the International Design Awards in 2007 as a response to the lack of recognition and celebration for smart and sustainable multidisciplinary design.

About HTC

HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative devices that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

Follow HTC India on:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HTC_in

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HTCIndia

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July 7, 2011
Liquid Robotics to Launch Wave Gliders to collect Oceanographic Data

Liquid Robotics, a Silicon Valley startup, makes remote controlled robots that cruise the open ocean and gather data. The company plans to collect this data and offer it up to consumers on the web. The machines, called Wave Gliders, can keep track of all sorts of data including whale songs, wave heights and the presence of nearby ships. The company plans to sell these robots to governments, research institutions and energy companies for between $1,50,000 and $5,00,000 a piece depending on the included components.

The wave glider features a 6-foot, 10-inch-long floating section equipped with solar panels, a battery and sensors. Tethered 23 feet below the float in the water is a similarly sized glider with metal wings and a rudder that propel and steer the device.

The inventor of the device, Robert Hine, originally made the device for a friend who wished to study whale songs off the coast of Hawaii. He started designing and fabricating the machines in 2005, taking every other week off from his job as a semiconductor engineer. He experimented with different Electric Engine designs, but they all failed. After much research, he came up with a design that harnesses the natural energy in waves, like a sailboat harnesses the wind.

The gliders ‘wings’ use the up and down motion of the waves to propel the device forward at a pace of around 1.5 miles per hour. Operators are able to map out a route and have waypoints transmitted to the robot via satellite. It then uses GPS signals to follow the programmed route. The robot is unable to remain still but can criss-cross the same area.

Because the gliders are essentially floating platforms that can be programmed to go anywhere, there are many possible uses. They can measure ocean and air temperature to help predict storms and water currents and wave height for shippers trying to determine the safest route for their vessels. They also can help oceanographers monitor whales and other aquatic life. In crowded areas like the Gulf of Mexico, gliders could collect location, speed and destination information for ships—information that now is sent through radio signals—and display the information on a map. There are less obvious uses as well. Mr. Vass imagines equipping gliders with cellular towers to provide coverage in the middle of oceans. Also, gliders could be programmed to dispense fish food, creating fish farms that move around at sea.

Liquid Robotics isn’t the only company that makes unmanned sea vehicles for data collection. iRobot Corp., creator of the Roomba vacuum cleaner, makes a glider that collects information up to 3,000 feet under water, surfacing from time to time to transmit its findings and collect new instructions. The Slocum glider from Teledyne Technologies Inc. works in a similar way. Both gliders can collect information from far deeper in the ocean than the one from Liquid Robotics, but aren’t able to transmit data continuously.

July 7, 2011