Sunday, December 26, 2010

At 60,000 feet Google's Nexus S works fine


LONDON: Google techies have been taken by pleasant surprise after Nexus S, the new Android smart phone the company launched early December, was found ticking even from the Earth's outer atmosphere - at 60,000 feet.

The tiny Androids strapped to seven payloads to test the outer limits of Nexus S were carried into the Earth's outer atmosphere using weather balloons, the Daily Mail reported.

"We wanted an opportunity to collect some interesting data about the sensors in Nexus S - GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer," the report quoted Zi Wang of Google Android as saying.

The phones were running a variety of applications such as Google maps for Mobile 5.0 (with offline map data), which allowed the team to check what was directly below the balloon and Google sky map to identify the stars and report their location.

It was found that Nexus S could withstand temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees celsius, while the GPS kept track of the phone up to 60,000 ft and started working again on the balloon's descent, the report said.

The balloons reached heights of over 100,000 feet and travelled at up to a speed of 139 mph at the top of their flight.

They were equipped with still and video cameras. Footage published last week showed the moment when the helium-filled balloons popped and the plucky "Android astronauts" plummeted back to the Earth.

All seven high-altitude balloons were launched Nov 13. The average flight lasted two hours and 40 minutes with the descent taking around 34 minutes, said the report.

The Android team managed to locate all the payloads by using windcharts and GPS beacons, which transmitted the latitude and longitude of the balloon every two minutes.

The Google Nexus S is the first Android 2.3 smartphone (using the Gingerbread operating system). It was launched Dec 22 at 429.99 pounds for a SIM-free phone or free on 30 pounds a month contracts.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Dell Streak Tablet for $100

Get Dell Streak Tablet for $100 @ Best Buy

Best Buy is offering the Dell Streak tablet for $99.99.
Geeky Gadgets points out that Best Buy is currently selling the 5-inch Dell Streak tablet for $99.99. Naturally the low cost comes with a hefty price-- a signed 2-year contract with AT&T. Currently the wireless carrier is selling the Android-based device for a heftier $299.99 pricetag in-store, so in some aspects the Best Buy sale is a rather tasty deal for tablet hunters this holiday season.
Available in both black and white, the Dell Streak features a 5-inch WVGA capacitive multi-touch display with a default resolution of 800 x 400. Under the hood, it sports Qualcomm's 1 GHz Sanpdragon QSD8250 processor, built-in GPS, 512 MB of RAM, 2 GB of internal system-locked storage, a microSD card slot capable of up to 32 GB (but with a 16 GB card already installed), and 3G and 802.11 b/g connectivity. It also has a 5MP rear-facing auto focus camera and a VGA front-facing camera.
Recently Dell announced that the Streak tablet sold by AT&T won't receive the highly-coveted Android 2.2 (Froyo) update until sometime next month even though the tablets have already received the update overseas. "The reality is that there are a lot of moving parts in the mobile space," the company said. "Offering a product like Streak means working with multiple carriers in multiple regions. Many times that translates into multiple timetables. That’s part of what’s happening here."
Currently Dell offers an "unlocked" version which can be purchased directly from the company starting at $399.99. Although this version does actually include Android 2.2, it doesn't come with AT&T's ball-and-chain and can be paid off on a monthly basis. Still, the $99.99 deal at Best Buy isn't bad, however consumers with less-than-stellar credit will be required to shell out an insane $750 deposit before AT&T will seal the deal. That's a hefty penalty considering the tablet itself can cost as little as $399.99.
It's currently unknown when Best Buy will end the $99.99 Dell Streak sale, however it's probably a given that both Dell and Best Buy are trying to flush out the current stock to make room for Dell's newer dual-core Streak models (possibly) hitting shelves next year

Acer's Tegra-based Android Tablet on Video

Leaked videos show Acer's 10-inch Android tablet in action.
Engadget points to three videos listed on YouTube that briefly demonstrate Acer's upcoming 10-inch Android tablet. Currently very little is known about the device, however it will supposedly be powered by Nvidia's dual-core Tegra 2 platform and offer custom Acer Android apps.
As seen in the three leaked videos, Acer is utilizing the tablet's gyroscope to allow touch-free page turns. It also appears that Acer is trying to use the gyroscope for zooming in and out of photographs without using fingers, however in its current state, the function doesn't appear to be working correctly.
There's also a humorous moment in one of the videos as the user was practically stabbing the screen with her fingertip in order to get the tablet to load the image at full screen. Once the tablet played nice, the image appeared as if pasted into an actual photograph book-- the user flipped through the pages by tilting the tablet from side to side.
Judging by their appearance, the leaked videos were shot during internal testing. One clip even revealed that the tablet is currently using Froyo although Acer clearly said that it's waiting on Honeycomb before the tablet hits the market.
To see all three videos (with Engadget commercials), head here. One of them has appeared on YouTube which can be seen below.

LG E90 Ultra Slim LED Monitor Is Just 7.2 mm Thick

FrontHaving announced this 21.5-inch LED-backlit monitor globally earlier, LG has launched it in India now. Among the highlights, are the full-HD resolution (1920x1080 pixels), 2ms response time, and lower power consumption as it uses an LED backlight (most LCDs use CCFL backlight instead). The "ultra slim" title of course, is because the LG E90 is claimed to be only 7.2 mm thick - less than one cm, which would make it the slimmest monitor in the market so far


For connectivity to PC, the LG E90 offers DVI, HDMI and VGA input ports. The power socket and power supply for the monitor are placed behind its stand, which LG calls "EZ cabling". The E90 is claimed to be on display at the CES 2011 Innovations Awards, where it will be recognized as an "Honoree" product in the computer peripherals category. The LG E90 Ultra Slim 21.5-inch LED monitor will retail at Rs. 16,900; a price premium of about 50% over other LED monitors in the market.
"As always, we have tried to provide an innovative offering that would meet the need of the consumers through the advanced technology of LG E90. We are positive that the monitor's great features and design will set new benchmarks in the LED monitor segment," said Mr. R. Manikandan, Business Head - B2B, LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd. "Also, recent recognitions at the market place reflect the acceptance that our products enjoy amongst consumers and motivate us further to come up with such new unique offerings."
Front Rear Side profile of the E90
The two images above show a front and rear profile respectively, of the LG E90. Notice how the video input connectivity ports are located at the rear, on the stand itself at the bottom, which is unusual. The image on the right hand side showcases a side profile of the monitor, which does look extremely thin.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

What will the next sony PSP look like?

Sony's PlayStation Portable could be in for a serious makeover.
Speaking to The New York Times yesterday, Sony Computer Entertainment chief Kaz Hirai said that the next PSP could boast both a touch screen and conventional controls to give casual and hard-core gamers the opportunity to play titles in a way they prefer.
"Depending on the game, there are ones where you can play perfectly well with a touch panel," Hirai told the Times. "But you can definitely play immersive games better with physical buttons and pads. I think there could be games where you're able to use both in combination."
Hirai acknowledged that the portable gaming space is changing, which could prompt Sony to offer more than just physical controls. He told the Times that his company is "seeing people who never had an interest in games join the gaming population."
A key reason for that change has been the popularity of mobile apps, like Rovio's Angry Birds, which have captivated smartphone owners around the globe. Earlier this month, Rovio announced that Angry Birds has been downloaded 50 million times. The game is played 200 million minutes each day around the world.
But the popularity of smartphone-based games is nothing new.
Earlier this year, Flurry Analytics revealed that through 2009, Apple's iOS market share in the portable gaming space increased to 19 percent, up from the 5 percent market share it captured through 2008. Sony's PlayStation Portable, on the other hand, saw its market share decline between 2008 and 2009 from 20 percent to 11 percent.
Through 2010, the PSP's performance has been similarly bleak. Last month, video game retailer GameStop reported that PSP sales have been "a disappointment." In August, the last month NPD reported hardware sales figures, Sony sold just 79,400 PSP units. That figure was down 43 percent from the 140,300 it sold in August 2009.
Whether a touch screen can help boost PSP sales remains to be seen. But Hirai's comments seem to fall in line with previous reports claiming the PSP2 would boast both a touch screen and physical buttons. That rumored device is expected to hit store shelves at some point in 2011.


Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20026503-17.html#ixzz18yCOoLHk

Skyfire iPad App with Flash Added to App Store

Does Skyfire App Really Bring Flash to the iPhone? Hands On
Skyfire's iPad app, which brings Flash content to the Apple tablet, was added to the App Store Wednesday night.
The app is available now for $4.99. It acts as a Web browser, converting Flash video into HTML5 and playing it back in a separate window. With the iPad version, that window can be expanded to full-screen mode to take advantage of the iPad's 9.7-inch screen.
While Flash videos are supported, Flash games and apps are not. That being said, not every Web video site - like Hulu - will work with Skyfire for iPad. "We are working hard at it," the company said. Users outside the U.S. might also not be able to access their local TV Web site since some stations do not stream to Skyfire's U.S.-based servers. It is currently only available in English.
The iPad version also includes many of the social-networking components Skyfire recently added to its Android app. The bottom menu bar includes links to Facebook, Twitter, and Google Reader, so users can read and interact with their news feeds or followers within the Skyfire app. A "Fireplace" option, meanwhile, pulls up all the links Facebook friends have shared, so you can open up news stories or watch videos within Skyfire. A "Popular" link also shows links that have been shared by friends and the Facebook community in general. Skyfire for iPad also includes a universal "Like" button, so you can like any page on the Internet and have it show up on Facebook.
There is also the option to browse privately so cookies and browser histories are not left behind.
The Skyfire iPhone app made its debut in the App Store in the U.S. in early November, but the initial demand quickly overwhelmed the company. The app, which sells for $2.99, was temporarily pulled from the store, but returned after Skyfire made some capacity adjustments. Recently, Skyfire extended support for its iPhone version to Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Armenia, Malaysia, Mali, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. It's also available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and all of Europe.
Skyfire recently provided a sneak peak at the iPad app; the video is below. For more about the iPhone app, see PCMag's full review.

update 2012 nokia terminal mode

Most of the changes to the restyled 2012 C-Class are under the hood and in the car.
Most of the changes to the restyled 2012 C-Class are under the hood and in the car.
(Credit: Mercedes-Benz)
Mercedes released photos of its updated 2012 C-Class, adding to the entry vehicle lineup a generous handful of technology upgrades and improved fuel economy.
The vehicles are set to receive Attention Assist, Adaptive Highbeam Assist, Parking Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, and Blind Spot Assist for added safety. The next generation infotainment and navigation system will get new features, including the ability to display text messages. But it may also add Nokia Terminal mode, according to an article in Telematics News.
Citing AutomobilWoche.de, Telematics News reports that the 2012 C-Class will feature COMAND Online, which brings in Internet access and functionality through the occupant's smart phone. Using Terminal Mode, occupants will be able to access the Internet on the in-dash display using the vehicle's infotainment interface. Nokia is the only phonemaker that has announced support of Terminal Mode, although BlackBerry's subsidiary QNX also promoted this capability at the Society of Automotive Engineers conference in October.
Technology changes aren't limited to safety and telematics. Mercedes adds a new aluminum hood to reduce weight and increase fuel economy on all versions. The carmaker will now be offering a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine on the new C250 model, which is expected to achieve 24 mpg on the highway. The C350 Sport Sedan will be outfitted with Mercedes' new V6 engine. The new 6-cylinder engine adds 34-hp more than the 2011 model year yet manages to receive a slight uptick in fuel economy to a combined 21 mpg. All C-Class models will now receive the 7-speed automatic transmission


Read more: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20026547-48.html#ixzz18y8kjfTq

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Pogo Jumping Robot Could Rule Low Gravity Worlds


Programming robots helps youngsters learn

  Youngsters can learn while having fun with LEGO� robots in Stretching Mind s courses 

Two computer-whizz mums are providing fun learning courses for children which combine a classic construction toy with the latest technology.

Caroline Piper who lives in Southam and her colleague Geraldine Spelman of Coventry have launched Stretching Minds, a company which uses robots made from LEGO® to teach youngsters various skills in fields such as IT, mathematics, design and technology and science.
Pilot sessions held at after-school clubs have been well received and the pair will offer their first course to the public at Coventry Transport Museum in January.
Mrs Piper, a former IT projects manager, said: “Most children are familiar with LEGO® and quickly become captivated by what they can do with the robots.
“We are already planning to run more Saturday courses as well as holiday camps, parties and school workshops.”
As well as building the robots, youngsters can program them to carry out different tasks.
They download the programs from computers to the robots and can adapt them as necessary.
Mrs Spelman, a former secondary school teacher with a background in computer programming, said: “It’s great that an activity with so much educational value is perceived to have such a fun factor that children are now asking for this as part of their birthday party.”
The four-week course in Coventry is suitable for ages eight to 14.
Youngsters will work in pairs and each pair will have the use of a computer and a robot.
Places cost £36 if booked before Christmas

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Nvidia: Gaming on Intel's next-gen chip

Graphics-chip supplier Nvidia says it will do just fine despite claims by Intel that its next-gen chip will offer the best gaming performance to date.
Nvidia discrete graphics chips are in Apple's 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros.
Nvidia discrete graphics chips are in Apple's 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros.
(Credit: Apple)
Slated to debut at the Consumer Electronics Show on January 5, the Second Generation Intel Core--aka, "Sandy Bridge"--boasts improved graphics performance, allowing PC makers to offer low-cost laptops that are more adept at games and multimedia. In short, no extra graphics chip from Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices will be required in certain laptop models.
But Rene Haas, general manager, notebook products, at Nvidia, says the need for standalone GPUs, or graphics processing units, to handle increasingly demanding games and multimedia data streams above and beyond the capability of Intel's built-in--or integrated--graphics won't change next year. "As we get into 2011 and look at Sandy Bridge, our perspective is that the world is not going to change very much relative to our discrete (standalone) GPUs," Haas said.
Haas continued. "We've talked to a lot of [PC makers] about this. The feedback that we received is that many of the same issues still exist relative to [Intel's graphics] performance. If you look at the ability to play next year's games, what's going to be the future-proofing component for integrated graphics? For example, Windows 7's DX-11 (DirectX 11) does not run on Sandy Bridge integrated graphics. And GPU acceleration is now coming to browsers--IE9, Mozilla (Firefox), Chrome (Google). [Browser acceleration] is not all there yet, but having that ability to offer it is going to be pretty huge," he said.
To back its assertion that demand for GPUs is healthy, Nvidia quoted an analyst in a release sent out on Thursday. "Demand from [PC makers] for discrete graphics solutions remains strong and above historic levels," according to the statement from Dean McCarron of Mercury Research, which tracks the graphics-chip market. "Mercury Research forecasts that discrete GPU shipments will double between 2009 and 2014."
And Haas says its Optimus technology, that can seamlessly switch between Intel's integrated graphics and Nvidia's discrete GPUs--depending on power-savings and performance requirements, respectively--will be offered on most of the 200 plus Nvidia-equipped laptop models coming in 2011. Optimus toggles the system between Intel and Nvidia silicon based on the application, Haas said. "Optimus decides, based on the classification of application, what processor (Intel or Nvidia) to run on. For example, any game will run on the GPU. If it's standard-definition video, such as DVD, it will run on integrated graphics because the integrated graphics will run standard definition at lower power. High-Definition video will run on the GPU," he said, as just a couple of salient examples.
Nvidia says it has verified design wins at Acer, Alienware, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba in 2011


Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20026050-64.html#ixzz18UzOKtLL

Friday, December 17, 2010

android 2 2 update for intercept galaxy s froyo



Sprint is one of the most popular carriers over Android thanks to their 4G network and the inclusion of the HTC EVO 4G. However, just like pretty much every other carrier on the market they have seen delays when it comes to the Android 2.2 update. Luckily, they have been quite good getting the updat eout and today they have exciting news for owners of the Android powered Samsung Intercept.

If you couldn’t guess, yes, the Android 2.2 update is officially rolling out for the Samsung Intercept and will finally give consumers a some sweet Froyo. However, that’s not all this update will be bringing with it as a few bug fixes are also included. You can check out the fix list below:

Enhancements/Fixes:
- Sprint Navigation
- Dropped calls after unacknowledged call waiting
- Force Close message when opening up contacts

Important Notes:
-The software version is: S:M910.05.S.DL05
-The build version is: Froyo.DL05

Those of you who have not yet noticed the update sit tight as Sprint assures us the update will be pushed out in waves over the next couple of days.

alif.estates@gmail.com recommends iPad hits 50,000 apps in eight months

alif.estates@gmail.com has shared an article with you.


http://www.tuaw.com/2010/12/16/ipad-hits-50-000-apps-in-eight-months/?a_dgi=aolshare_email
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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

LG STEAM DISHWASHERS – GOOD FOR YOU AND YOUR DISHES

by Julie - on December 2nd, 2010

Theres a big difference between what I wish my dishwasher could do, and what it actually does. I guess if I’m trying to be honest, I pretty much wash my dishes BEFORE I put them in the machine, and my grandmother’s china has never even seen the inside of a dishwasher, until now.

The folks over at LG have revolutionized dishwashing with the advent of the Steam Dishwasher. No longer do you need to run separate cycles for crusted pots and pans and delicate glassware. This baby lets you choose different spray settings for the top and bottom racks with their Dual Intensity Mode. This line of LG dishwashers also has a cycle that will quickly and carefully rid your precious china of all the dust it has accumulated because you never wanted to actually use it. All the while using less water and the gentle power of steam.

It has an adjustable 3rd rack built in food disposer and an incredibly quiet operation. The new LG Studio Series Fully Integrated Steam Dishwasher can be in your home for around $999.99 from  http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp;jsessionid=45618654D9B9844BCBE5384F0AD988F8.bbolsp-app04-26?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=3561079312728980058&id=pcat17071&type=page&st=LG+LDF7932ST&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960 Now that my husband doesn’t have to soak the pots and pans anymore, I’m going to have to find something else for him to do. Hmmm.. They don’t  make a self cleaning refrigerator, do they?

Source:  http://www.lg.com/us/appliances/dishwashers/LG-LDF7932ST.jsp


View the original article here

The Parker Brothers Choppers makes Tron Light Cycle

by Mark R - on December 3rd, 2010

I’m sure that we all know that this Tron Legacy film is probably going to be a hit amongst geek sectors (unless it utterly sucks).

Of course, what really has kept the Tron legacy alive for over 30 years is that super-cool looking light cycles. If you have ever wanted one of these in real life, you will be able to get your chance as Parker Brothers Choppers has made some street-legal ones.

Granted, it doesn’t have the ability to make a wall in its wake, but it does have a steel frame, fiberglass bodywork, and a V-twin engine from a Suzuki TLR1000. The bike weighs 474 pounds and is 100 inches long and 23 inches wide. The driver itself sits about 28.5 inches above the ground, and can hopefully zip around as easy as the world of Tron.

I’ve got to admit that I have never heard of Parker Brothers, unless it was related to games. I’m surprised that the Orange County Choppers guys didn’t get involved in this. Then again, it probably would have been one of those episodes where they just argue all the time. Then again, that is every episode, isn’t it?

Orange County Choppers and Tron. Wow. That would be like teaming OCC with John and Kate plus 8. Oh wait, they actually did that.

Source

View the original article here

iBoss – Keeps kids safe without all the yelling.

by Julie - on November 25th, 2010

My daughter is only 7, she has her own computer but has yet to develop a cruising style. She goes to a few kid-friendly sites, plays some PC based games and has a limited e-mail account. She is not allowed on Facebook or MySpace and would have no idea what to do there without my help. But I am keenly aware that the need for some sort of internet security is fast approaching, and Mom the eagle eye just isn’t going to be enough.

Enter the iBoss, an internet filtering device that allows you to control the on-line activities in your household with computer hardware, not an easily bypass-able software program. The iBoss lets you to share your Internet connection safely at home with all of your wired and wireless computers and provides a powerful system that lets you control AND monitor internet usage, without all the yelling

Detailed parental controls allow you to restrict access to specific categories of information and allow you to decide how much time, and at what times internet access will be available. If a bypass of the system is attempted, you will be alerted. If access at an inappropriate time is attempted, you will know that too. The system will also generate internet activity reports that can be e-mailed to you automatically. Wow, the little weasels that live in our houses wont be able to get away with anything… I like it!

Simply connect the iBoss to your broadband Internet connection to safely share and protect all of your family’s wired and wireless computers for $49.95 includes a 1 month subscription. Also available for business.

Source: ibosswebfilters.com


View the original article here

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Battelle TAILS is the grappling gun you always wanted

by Mark R - on November 24th, 2010

We have reported on the T-PLS Grappling Gun before, and I’m not certain if this Battelle’s Tactical Air Intiated Launch System (TAILS) is the same one, but they sure do look the same.

Clearly, the TAILS is meant to capture a dream we all have. That is, the one where we can just shoot a grappling hook and swing or climb to where we get to go.

The TAILS has the ability to shoot a titanium grappling hook attached to a Kevlar line up to 100 feet up in the air and 60 feet away.

The TAILS looks like it is perfect for spies, because the shooting the hook itself doesn’t make any noise, as it is pneumatic. Of course, it might make a huge metallic “clang” when it hits its target.

As usual, I haven’t heard if this TAILS will be available to the general public. I’m guessing no, because someone could probably shoot someone with it.

As you can see, this grappling hook gun is somewhat bigger than the one that Batman keeps on his belt. I suppose that if Batman put one of these one his belt, the Joker would probably tell the Dark Knight “Is that a grappling hook gun on your belt, or…(do I really need to finish this paragraph)?”

Source


View the original article here

Apple Patents 3D Projection – no glasses required

by Julie - on December 6th, 2010

Okay, okay, I know what I’m dealing with here. There are huge fans of Apple, and then there are, well, everyone else. Honestly, I’m not a diehard fan either way, I find uses for both a Mac and a PC. I really love the iPad, but I’m no snob, show me something that does more stuff, and I’ll switch in a heartbeat. That being said, I am still excited about Apples jump onto the 3D bandwagon.

Apple has a patent for a 3D display that doesn’t require glasses, this patent was approved only several days ago, even though it was applied for in September of 2006. Of course Apple is not the first company interested in these displays. However, Apple’s patent covers a really amazing technology involving a system that could deliver high-quality 3D images to multiple viewers with no funky glasses required. Yes!

It sort of works like this, the image would be projected onto a reflective, textured surface, that somehow would allow the pixels to be bounced into a viewer’s left and right eye separately, producing the 3D effect. it actually senses the locations of both eyes of each viewer, so multiple people could watch from many different angles. Coolness.

So if I have this correct, someday soon we could be sitting around our living room watching a sort of hologram in front of us… I don’t know about you, but THAT’S what I’ve been waiting for. And somehow, like it or not, Apple is probably just the company to make it happen, just that way. I hope they get it done, they usually do. I’ll bring the popcorn.

Source: www.patft.uspto.gov


View the original article here

ANYBOTS – Finally, a robot that will go to work for you

by Julie - on November 24th, 2010

I’m still laughing… since I was a child I had dreams about the future, and how one day, I would be able to sit in my pajamas all day with the TV on and still be able to make the big bucks. I’m not exactly sure how this next product fits into that dream, but I’m having a darn good time imagining it.

The Anybot is a robot that becomes your eyes and ears, anywhere that you are not. It allows you to be a part of whatever’s happening, from wherever you are. Connected via the internet with a Wi-Fi connection, the Anybot utilizes a speaker, camera, microphone and video screen in order to bring your presence to the masses. You can broadcast live video of yourself, or just throw up a still picture for the coveted pajama days I spoke of earlier.

Sit back and imagine if you will, your Wednesday afternoon mandatory sales meeting, attended by your Anybot, while you relax in your local pub with a cold one and your laptop. Your Anybot allows you to interact with the entire office, gliding around quietly, effortlessly, chatting up your fellow employees in real time. Try to imagine the fun at the water cooler. Your Anybot will make sure your presence is felt throughout the entire facility.

It weighs about 35 pounds, plugs into your USB to charge, works with your current operating system and just about any compatible headset… no sick days, no missed fishing trips… or conversely, if you really want to relax a little, keep going to work and leave this at home to keep an eye on your kids.

Available for pre-order for $15,000.


View the original article here

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Augmented Reality, now in candy form

by Mark R - on December 2nd, 2010

We have talked about augmented reality more than once on this site, and usually it is about putting things in front of a webcam to create some interesting 3D graphics that the user can manipulate by moving the object around.

This would be the first time that I have seen augmented reality come in the form of taste and not sight. I’m not certain whether you can call it augmented reality, really, but hey, we might as well use the buzzword.

Keio University’s TagCandy allows the user to put a lollipop candy on some sort of fancy stick, and then connect the stick to a computer. Apparently, the user can control the taste by controlling the vibrations that will come to his or her mouth. Apparently, if you want fizzy soda or crisp apple, that is totally a matter of programming. Check out the video after the jump for more.

Then there are other flavors that aren’t part of the usual flavor wheel including fireworks, with vibrations and “explosions” to simulate a Fourth of July in your mouth, I guess.

I can’t help but feel that this is something that Willy Wonka would make in his giant chocolate factory. I also can’t help but think that this is the future of candy is one particular food unit that we can all control with the power of technology.

Source


View the original article here

Friday, December 10, 2010

Ark Encounter park in Kentucky attempting to build a lifelike Noah’s Ark

by Mark R - on December 3rd, 2010

It’s always a matter of finding the coolest attractions when it comes to amusement parks. That Ferrari roller coaster certainly looks thrilling, as well as the Harry Potter ride.

However, this particular new exhibit in Kentucky goes back to biblical roots for inspiration. The designers fully intend to create a full scale Noah’s Ark, with live animals on it.

Clearly, these designers have been hearing the call of Evan Almighty to create this exhibit straight out of Ned Flanders’ Praiseland. Yes, I realize that those are two comedic references, and to make this report even more comedic, this Ark will have dinosaurs.

That’s right, it will apparently have dinosaurs. After all, most Creation scientists seem to agree that those big bones in natural history museums had a place on the ancient world. Of course, they cannot get live ones. I’m going to guess that these will be animatronic.

Apparently, that dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark is going to be a source of some controversy. However, I think if you are going to go for some realism, then you should try taking care of all these real animals for forty days and nights. Then we’ll talk about how realistic the legend of Noah really is.

Source


View the original article here

Wii Connect 24 service

Nintendo Wii - White Color

Product Details

Design
Featuring a compact design that makes it a natural addition to any television setup, the Wii console is white in color and can be displayed either vertically or horizontally.

Size
About 8.5 inches long, 6 inches wide and less than 2 inches thick (roughly the size of 3 DVD cases stacked on top of each other).

Network
The Wii console communicates wirelessly with the Internet via wireless or a Wii LAN adaptor. Wii also can connect wirelessly with Nintendo DS.

CPU / GPU
PowerPC CPU (code-named Broadway), made with a 90nm SOI CMOS process, jointly developed with and manufactured by IBM; GPU developed with ATI.

Media
A single self-loading media bay plays single- or double-layered 12-cm optical discs for the Wii console, as well as 8-cm Nintendo GameCube discs.

Input / Output
Input: Four Wii Remotes can communicate with Wii, which features a bay for an SD memory card.
Output: An AV Multi-output port for component, composite or S-video.

WiiConnect24
The Wii console can communicate with the Internet even when the power is turned off. The WiiConnect24 service delivers a new surprise or game update, even if the system is idle. Users can connect wirelessly or by using a Wii LAN adaptor.




 

iPad 2 begins shipping from Foxconn in February for April launch?

By Thomas Ricker posted Dec 7th 2010 1:15AM The source is DigiTimes so take this rumor for what you will. Nevertheless, the Taiwanese tattle house is citing sources at local component makers claiming that Foxconn has been notified that it must ship Apple's "iPad 2" within the next 100 days or as early as the end of February. DigiTimes says that Apple's plan to start mass production in January had to be pushed because of ongoing firmware testing. Note that this doesn't mean that the second generation iPad will ship to consumers in February since Apple would be stockpiling units ahead of a global launch in April, according to DigiTimes. The original iPad was announced in January and began US shipments in April before starting its relentless global march in May.

View the original article here

DARPA creates flying Humvee with the TX

by Mark R - on December 3rd, 2010

Every once in a while, you see DARPA flexing its military and scientific muscles, and you’ll see some sort of cool device that looks like it has leaped out of a science-fiction story.

Take this particular vehicle that is half Humvee and half helicopter, and the TX (which is what this vehicle is called) has the ability to do 65 miles per hour on land and 150 mph in the air.

It is hard to believe that this thing can actually fly, but it is apparently made from a composite anti-blast armor and ballistic proof windows.

I don’t really know if this particular vehicle has retractable wings or if those long appendages are permanently there, but it really looks like they can’t switch back. If nothing else, you got some sort of vehicle that looks straight out of the next G.I. Joe movie. Yeah, definitely blast some Cobra with this one with the machine guns and cannons.

Of course, this always brings up the still futuristic notion of the flying car. In other words, why should the soldiers have this helicopter Humvee with machine guns, when the average person is still having to deal with two-dimensional driving.

This TX should cost about $203,000, and it will hopefully be ready by 2015.

Source


View the original article here

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Electro Hub universal wireless charger to debut at CES 2011

by Mark R - on December 2nd, 2010

We have reported on many supposedly wireless chargers before, such as the Powermat and Wildcharger. There was also that one from Energizer that is Q1 certified, so that someday, we will all just lay down our mobile devices on charging pads and we’ll say good-bye to our charging cords forever.

This is the ElectroHub, another wireless charging station to join the club, and is planned to make its shining debut at CES 2011. As someone who is thrilled to see that their invitation to CES has been accepted, I can’t wait to see it.

One thing that is promised to make the ElectroHub unique is that it occasionally doesn’t require the device to have a special case, but actually provides ElectroHub batteries, which come in both AA and AAA. That means that you can take any device that takes those aforementioned batteries, like a Wiimote, and swap it out for an ElectroHub one. As far as the devices with non-replaceable batteries, it does require a protective case that works as a converter to charge the device’s internal battery. I guess we aren’t to the Q1 case-less stage yet.

The ElectroHub is slated to be on sale during the first quarter 2011, and should cost $39. There are other battery sets that can be purchased separately for about $10.

Source


View the original article here

Google Chrome OS gets detailed, first laptops from Acer and Samsung coming mid-2011

By Nilay Patel posted Dec 7th 2010 2:20PM Google just demoed Chrome OS running on a piece of reference hardware at its event in SF. It just takes four steps and less than a minute to set up a brand-new Chrome OS machine -- it pulls all your Chrome themes and settings from the cloud, so it's ready to go almost right away, and changes can propagate in less than a second in some cases. The reference machine demoed was able to come back up from sleep almost instantly -- Google says the limiting factor is actually how fast the user can move their hand. (It wasn't that fast in the demo, but it was still really fast.) The OS also supports multiple accounts with a guest account that runs in Incognito mode, and all user data is encrypted by default. The OS itself is loaded on read-only memory that can't be altered without physical access -- a tech which enables verified booting. (A "jailbreak mode" switch on the developer units lets you install whatever you want, but we'll see what the final machines support.) What's more, the OS will be automatically updated every few weeks -- the goal is for it to get faster over time, not slower.

There's also offline capability -- Google Docs was demoed running offline, with changes synced when the machine reconnects. It seems like that's an app-specific feature though -- apps on the Chrome Web Store have to be built for HTML5 offline to work, obviously. Google also demoed Google Cloud Print, which allows you to print on your home printer from anywhere. Chrome OS devices will also be able to use new Verizon 3G plans for offline access -- you'll get 100MB of free data per month for two years, and then plans start at $9.99 for a day of "unlimited access" with no contracts required. (There will eventually be international options, but those weren't detailed.)

There are still some unfinished bits though -- there's no support for the USB ports on the machines yet, and there are still some performance tweaks and bug fixes to come. The OS will come on Intel-based machines from Acer and Samsung in mid-2011 -- and "thousands of Googlers" are using Chrome OS devices as their primary machines. An unbranded 12-inch reference machine called Cr-48 will be available for developers -- read more about that here.

Overall, Chrome OS is very much a modern riff on the "thin client" idea from the 90s -- an idea that Eric Schmidt himself pioneered while at Sun. Indeed, Schmidt took the stage at the event to explicitly draw the connection, saying that "our instincts were right 20 years ago, but we didn't have the tools or technology." That's a pretty wild statement -- and now Google has to deliver.



Developing...

View the original article here

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

SkyKap – It’s like a caddie in your hat

by Julie - on December 2nd, 2010

Let’s face it, to some of us golf is more than just a game. Okay, to some of us, it’s a lot more. Some of us are completely addicted to it. In fact, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat around on a Sunday and wondered just how long it was going to take that golf loving husband of mine to come home. Geez.

Maybe the SkyKap Advisor, is just the thing to get him home faster. A hands free, voice activated microcomputer GPS system contained in the brim of a regular golf hat. With some pretty amazing technology, The Advisor provides personal audio responses activated by the golfer’s commands. The Advisor gives the distance to greens, bunkers, water, boundaries and a whole lot more.

First, your completely devoted and unselfish spouse (who just happens to play golf every single weekend) searches and downloads course information by hooking their hat to the PC using the supplied USB cable. Incidentally, if your beloved’s course is not mapped, the hat will actually record green distances to be shared with other um, lovely golfers.

I for one refuse to buy anything that encourages  any more golfing, but maybe this thing would make the game a little quicker. Then again if he played better, he would just play more. I cant win can I? Available from  www.rangefinders.com for around $300.00.

Source: www.skykapllc.com


View the original article here

Dell Streak is the strongest contender

The good: The Dell Streak offers an unprecedented combination of processor power, screen size, and design quality. Support for 3G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth hit all the wireless sweet spots, while photo, camcorder, and calling capabilities blur the boundaries between tablet and phone.
The bad: Battery life isn't great, the touch-screen keyboard is awkward, music quality is below average, and the position of the camera tends to cloud photos and video.
The bottom line: The Dell Streak is the first Android tablet worth taking seriously, though its size puts it on the fence between tablets and smartphones.
Review:

Photo gallery: Dell Streak
Photo gallery:
Dell Streak

Editors' note: The following review has been updated with pricing.
Everyone is eager to see a serious competitor for the Apple iPad tablet computer. For the moment, the Dell Streak is the strongest contender we've seen, though its pocket-size design and phone capabilities have us wondering if it shouldn't really be judged as a smartphone. However you want to define it, the Streak's features and design quality are simply too tantalizing to ignore, even if its price ($299 with a two-year AT&T contract, $549 without contract) is tough to swallow.
Design
The most notable aspect of the Dell Streak is its design. Chances are, you already know what Google's Android operating system is capable of, and the Streak's phonelike hardware capabilities (camera, touch screen, memory expansion) are nothing we haven't seen before.
When you pick up a Streak for the first time, the first thing you'll notice is its size. At 6 inches wide, 3.2 inches tall, and 0.35 inch thick, the Streak is about the size as a pocket Moleskine notebook. It breaks the norm for smartphone dimensions, yet it's nearly a third the size of Apple's iPad tablet.
The size charts new territory in the middle ground, and potential buyers should be aware that it does not fit naturally as a replacement for your phone or your laptop. That said, if you're having a Goldilocks moment looking for that "just right" compromise between convenience, portability, and features, the Streak should be at the top of your list for consideration.
Putting the issue of size aside, the design quality of the Streak is solid, and befitting of the $500 price range. The 5-inch capacitive touch screen is covered in a seemingly indestructible Gorilla Glass, developed by Corning, though the tapered edges to the left and right of it use a more conventional scratch-resistant plastic. These same edges also conceal three soft keys (back, menu, home), an earpiece, microphone, and a front-facing VGA-resolution camera. We carried the Streak loosely in a messenger bag for weeks, along with keys, loose change, and an iPod, and failed to make a dent or scratch in its finish.
On the flip side of the Streak you'll find a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with an integrated LED flash. The camera is awkwardly placed, so your left hand tends to obscure the lens when holding the Streak in its prescribed landscape orientation. Anyone with common sense will, of course, reposition their hand before snapping a photo or recording video, but the fingerprints left on the lens through regular use do tend to cloud the image quality.
The back of the Streak also includes a small speaker grille at the edge of a large battery cover. Along with a removable, rechargeable battery, the Streak battery compartment also offers access to a SIM card slot and the included 16GB microSD memory card. Both the SIM and microSD cards can be swapped out quickly, but removing the door to the battery compartment will automatically shut down the Streak as a safety measure. A cold boot after removing the battery cover takes about 40 seconds.
Slim buttons for volume, power, and camera mode run across the top edge of the Streak, along with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack (in-ear headphones come included). Our only complaint with the buttons is that the power and camera buttons have an identical shape and are place directly next to one another, making it easy to confuse them.
Finally, the bottom of the Streak offers a 30-pin connection, which is similar to (but not compatible with) the iPad's. A USB cable compatible with the connection comes included, along with a wall-charging adapter. The 30-pin connection is also compatible with Dell's AV dock accessory, which is sold separately and includes connections for HDMI, mini-USB, and audio line-out.
Features
The Dell Streak fits right in with today's superbly specced Android smartphones. It ships with Android 1.6 installed, which is a little antique compared to the snazzy Android 2.1 OS available on a device like the Motorola Droid X. Dell is promising an over-the-air update to Android 2.2 down the line, but until then, features such as multitouch gestures, multiple e-mail in-boxes, live wallpaper, and Flash video support, are out of reach.
While the Streak doesn't break much new ground in the world of smartphones--as an Android tablet, it's without equal. Similar offerings, such as the Archos 5, or Archos 7 Home Tablet, simply don't have the speed, the specs, or the design quality to match the Streak. They've also all lacked one critical feature: the Android App Market.


Read more: http://reviews.cnet.com/dell-streak-review#ixzz17SPfvzb5

Microsoft’s plan for shape-shifting touchscreens

by Mark R - on December 1st, 2010

One of the problems with touchscreens is that they are way too…flat. That, and there is often very little tactile feedback. If I want to type, I want to feel physical keys underneath me. That way, if I hit a “g” instead of an “f” key, I can feel it. I don’t want to have to look at my text to find out that I screwed up.

According to my Source, Microsoft filed a patent last year that “details a light-induced shape-memory polymer display screen. In a nutshell, that means a touch screen that has a real texture and tactile feedback to it, making people feel as if they’re touching an actual object”.

This screen would be coated with certain polymers that can change and hold their shape, provided different wavelengths of ultraviolet light hit them from below.

You will note in the image this particular ripple effect at the touch of a finger, but I am looking forward to the day when the user can take the surface of a Microsoft Surface and shape it as if it were Play-Doh.

As it is, I’m not certain how physical shapes such as a keyboard could be made in this shape-shifting touchscreen. I’m going to leave that question to the experts that clearly have the know-how to make something like this, really.

Source


View the original article here

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Dell Streak review

Streak. It needs no introduction, as this slate's been gaining a lot of attention amongst gadget lovers around the world. Thanks to the UK launch last Friday, we were one of the first on this planet to procure Dell's finalized Android 1.6 phone from O2. Yep, you heard right -- Engadget's now in possession of two Streaks, with the older one still in its original and somewhat unstable prototype state. Our new toy sports a matte "carbon" finish instead of chrome (no word on future availability; the red version's coming in two weeks' time), and now 399MB of RAM instead of 405MB (according to Android System Info app; it's actually a 512MB chip). Anyhow, now that we have the real deal, there's plenty to go through, so join us after the break to see if the Streak's really going to start a new trend.

Hardware

Following the conventionally sized Mini 3 / Aero, Dell decided to plunge into an untouched territory with its second-ever smartphone. The result is an unusual form factor -- a 10mm-thick slab with a five-inch 800 x 480 LCD (much like the Archos 5 PMP but with capacitive touch overlay), and it's one damn good screen that's usable under the sun, too. Of course, we've seen it all back in February, but our enthusiasm has not dwindled in the slightest -- the final Streak still has the same sexy figure, is still as rigid, and is still as pocketable in our regular-fit jeans. No, really -- there's been a lot of debate on whether people would actually put the Streak in their pockets, but like we said before, as long as you're not into hippie-tight pants, the slate should happily fit in like a regular phone. The only time that you might struggle is when you're walking up stairs, but a quick push to the outer side of the pocket should do the trick. More on that in the video below.


Our four-month ownership of the prototype has proven that the Streak's quite the attention seeker, even before we revealed to the intrigued passers-by that it's also a phone. We even gave the screen's Gorilla Glass some real beating, although such toughness doesn't seem to extend to the plastic parts on the two sides of the phone -- we're already seeing some fine scratches there. But of course, the more important question is: is this form factor practical at all? Well, let's start with the grip -- the rounded edges on the two shorter sides allow us to hold it comfortably like a PSP. We can even hold the 220g (7.76 ounces) device single-handedly that way with little effort, but we tend to hold on the left to avoid accidentally touching the capacitive buttons on the other side. As for holding in portrait position (when making a phone call, for instance), the flat edges mean our finger tips can securely grip onto the phone. We don't have a preference for either posture, as it really depends on what you're doing -- obviously video playback is best in landscape, whereas web browsing can work both ways depending on the text layout, and e-book reading is ideal in portrait mode due to shorter lines. If you're all for making phone calls in a more discrete manner, you can always opt for the handsfree kit or a Bluetooth headset (2.0 with EDR) instead.

Apart from the three capacitive buttons (back, menu, and home) and a mic on the right, you'll find four physical buttons along the top ridge -- volume rocker, power, and camera (two-stage button i.e. press half-way to focus). The 3.5mm headphone jack is right next to the volume keys, which can be a nuisance if your headphones rock a straight plug. Luckily, the bundled handsfree kit -- with an L-shape plug -- has pretty impressive clarity and moderate bass, plus you get three sets of rubber buds to suit your ears. Other accessories include a USB mains adapter (with UK and EU plugs; the US will obviously get something else), USB cable (with clip), and a microfiber pouch (which doubles as a wiping cloth). Disappointingly, the gorgeous HDMI dock -- due to arrive in the UK over the next two weeks -- is not included, and Dell's still mum on pricing. Well, at least for now we can tease the company for the artwork blunder on the box -- the illustrator somehow assumed the screen does edge to edge. Ah, if only.

Going back to the phone: there's a front-facing VGA camera between the earpiece and proximity sensor (for disabling the screen while making a call), ready for video chat apps such as Fring and Qik -- neither of which were able to use the Streak's secondary camera just yet. On the back of the phone you'll see a five megapixel autofocus camera with its dual LED flash (more on the picture quality later), a mono speaker that produces loud sound with less distortion than most other phones, and a sliding battery door (which is now tightened by two little paddings not seen on our prototype). Now, be warned: if you remove the door while your phone's running, failing to replace it within a few seconds would turn it off. We were told that this is actually a data-loss prevention mechanism, so we'll assume the phone will actually quit all the processes before killing the power.

Anyway, the chamber underneath the cover houses the SIM card, microSD card (ours came with SanDisk's Class 2 16GB silicon), and a 1530mAh battery. To grill the battery, we had the Streak connected to 3G (HSDPA) only, continuously played music, had background sync enabled (including the Facebook widget, RSS widget, and Twicca), occasionally browsed the web on it, and took a few photos and videos. Guess what? Surprisingly -- especially given the screen size -- we managed to get almost ten hours per charge! On a more realistic usage like less music playback and more reliance on WiFi 802.11b/g, we even squeezed out at least 12 hours of sweet battery juice. This certainly makes the HTC Desire look feeble with its mere six-hour gig from a similar usage.


The Streak's battery life may well be impressive, but what about its performance as a phone? Pretty good, we'd say -- last night we made a 25-minute call with the Streak held against our face the whole time, and our hand and arm were still alive after that. We also did our usual noise test and the Streak managed to suppress a fair amount of background noise, as you can see in the video above. That said, we do have some minor complaints about the dialer, but we'll talk about that later.

Software

Well, here's the meat. Like we said earlier, this final firmware performs much smoother and is more stable than what we have on our prototype. Dell's also put on its own skin over the Android 1.6 OS -- homescreen icons are put in shaded boxes, the menu drops down from the top and can shrink to a favorites bar, and on the top bar you get a homescreen-switching button, notifications area, plus a status area, all of which can be triggered by just a tap instead of a drag action. Unlike most other Android phones, to remove a homescreen icon on the Streak you have to hold down on it until it goes red, and then press the menu button for the remove option (and some widgets, such as the RSS reader, will also show a "Widget options" button). This makes sense, as dragging an icon across a five-inch screen isn't really ideal.

As for the phone dialer, we're slightly disappointed that Dell's still using the same dull skin as seen on our prototype -- we have no issues with the dialpad layout, but the overall style just looks unfinished, plus we'd prefer to see the call log displaying pictures alongside contact numbers. Also, we're shocked that the Streak doesn't support smart-dialing, but then again we've only seen HTC offering this feature on its Android phones. Of course, provided that you're in a quiet environment, you can always just use voice search to get to a contact, and you get two options for this: the default voice search app, or the Nuance Voice Control app that can be launched by just holding down your handsfree kit's button. The latter can even take dictated numbers, although it never worked for us, and we suspect our British accent is to be blamed.

Another preloaded app is QuickOffice, which not only can view Microsoft Office documents (.doc, .docx, .xls, xlsx, .ppt, and .pptx), but also makes a great file browser and can open other file types using their associated apps. Just too bad that it can't edit Word and Excel files, plus the text on some of the PowerPoint slides didn't render well, but the app's there if you need it. Corporate users may also be interested in the 30-day demo of TouchDown suite, which grabs your email, contacts, calendar and tasks via Exchange ActiveSync.

Moving on to the built-in apps, let's start with the browser: as expected on a 1GHz Snapdragon device, rendering and pinch-zooming are pretty quick and smooth, but we find it strange that we can't tap to zoom. Also, the text doesn't reflow to the width of the screen, but given the screen size, most of the time we're happy with the original text layout. Next we have Google Maps: well, there's not much to say except that you get so much more real estate than you can on other phones, and we have several pictures to prove it -- just perfect for car navigation. Annoyingly, pinch-to-zoom is still disabled in Maps thanks to the 1.6 OS, but we'll live through it for now.

So here's the "Photos & Videos" app, which is actually ArcSoft Mobile Media Gallery. As you can see above, Dell and ArcSoft have gone for the timeline approach, and have put up 18 sensibly-sized thumbnails at a time. The overall performance is pretty smooth too, but understandably the further down the timeline you go, the more likely you'll experience some lag while older thumbnails are being loaded. This implementation is great for viewing media captured using the Streak's camera, but to browse media files that you added manually, you'd best be using QuickOffice to find them. Also, we'd like to see Flickr and Picasa integration here, as implemented by the Desire and Nexus One respectively.


Speaking of media, the Streak's supposed to support H.263/H.264, 3GP, MPEG4, and WMV videos. Like our prototype, this final Streak played our MP4V-encoded 480p and 720p clips (up to 7.4Mbps bit rate) without a hitch, although for some reason it wouldn't open full-length films that were encoded the same way, even at 3Mbps and lower. More disappointingly, we had no luck with any of our H.264 clips despite the bit rate limited to 3.2Mbps, so we do wonder if this codec's supported at all -- maybe Archos can lend Dell a hand? On a brighter note, our WMV clips -- both VGA and 720p -- came out as good as the MP4V videos. Last but not least, YouTube videos looks great on the five-inch screen, but we've noticed a bug: if you have music playing in the background, the YouTube app simply plays video over the music rather than pausing it (like the Nexus One and Desire do). We're certain that Dell's team of talents can easily fix this (and we certainly hope that they're reading this).

We won't go too deep into the music player as it's pretty much identical to what we've seen before, but we've found a couple of new features. Firstly, the app will actually automatically grab mugshots of the artists, so we were a bit surprised to see Lady Gaga flashing her legs on the Artists page. Secondly, we discovered that you can skip a track by clicking the handsfree button twice, but here's a caveat: we often found ourselves clicking too fast for the Streak to respond properly, whereas the iPhone wouldn't have a problem with the same click rate. Also, for some reason, you need to have the screen turned on -- regardless of phone lock state -- for the music player to respond to clicks. Very bizarre, but probably very easy to fix.

Before we wrap up our multimedia rant, we'd like to talk about the lack of FM radio -- don't know about you folks in the US, but us Brits still fancy the occasional live audio shows while commuting, especially in 3G-congested areas. We're not sure if the hardware's there, but if it is, a small statue will be made in honor of whoever can hack it. So, it's time to whine about other things. First of all, the keyboard: it's not everyday that you see a numeric keypad on a phone's virtual keyboard, and there's a good reason for that -- it ruins the phone's ergonomic symmetry as our right thumb has to stretch over the numpad while typing. We were hoping that maybe Dell would put in a numpad-free keyboard as an option in Settings, but as far as we can see, we've got nothing. Nevertheless, both keyboards are still pretty responsive. Second thing: while the Calendar app may look delicious on the five-inch screen, we were surprised that the entries in week view mode bear no text description, whereas the 3.7-inch Nexus One (with Froyo) manages to pack in those details. Finally, we're puzzled by the missing contacts pictures -- we were expecting the Streak to pull photos off Facebook, and the box has definitely been ticked for this in Settings. Hopefully our friends in the States won't be suffering from these bugs next month.

Camera

Looking back at our old sample pictures, it looks like Dell's dialed up the sharpening settings on the five-megapixel autofocus camera. As you can see in the gallery below (with picture quality set to "Fine"), the outdoor shots are pretty good except for the slight over-saturation in general, but nightshots are just hopeless. As for the camcorder, not much has changed for the 640 x 480 clips -- picture quality's acceptable despite the same saturation and nightshot flaws, plus the lack of 720p option puts the Streak slightly behind the game. That said, unlike the latest HTC phones, the Streak's camcorder doesn't suffer from reduced frame rate when filming in a dark environment -- see for yourself after the gallery.





Wrap-up

So, let's go back to the question that the whole world's been asking: what is the Dell Streak? In our humble opinion, it's most certainly a smartphone. A large and sexy smartphone that still fits in a pocket. Sure, a five-inch phone may not be everyone's cup of tea, but with devices starting to join the 4.3-inch party, consumers will undoubtedly be considering devices with more screen real estate -- the Google Maps screen comparison above probably says it all. We applaud Dell for taking one step ahead and going for the pocketable size limit, and the company's definitely earned its worldwide attention. The work isn't finished yet, obviously -- on top of the bugs list we've compiled, many potential buyers are holding back due to the aging Android 1.6 OS. Don't get us wrong, though, as the Streak's running like a well-oiled motor as it is, but we're hoping to get 2.2's sweet tethering action and a bit of Flash on that stunning screen as well. Rumor has it that O2's already road-testing a 2.x upgrade for next month, so let's keep our fingers crossed there'll be some Froyo in that cupboard.

Remember, big gadgets come with big responsibilities, so whether you like it or not, be prepared for some social interaction when whipping out the Streak in the wild. And please, if anyone comes up to you and asks if your Streak is an iPad, just kindly point them to our pictorial comparison

 
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