Tech News : Computing and IT
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id America Spark In-Ear Headphones Review
When you look for a quality pair of earbuds for your day to day activities like riding the bus, sitting in the commons at your school listening to some tunes at lunchtime, or just walking to and from your vehicle at the office, you want a few things specifically. One of those things is for the audio to sound great. The next thing, and this is two for two so far with the Spark, is for the phones to either have a high or low-profile look to them. Lucky you, Spark can come in either black as night or bright as the sun shines in the noon time.
Spark in-ear Headphones, as they’re called, will cost you a cool $59.95, and before we go any further I can say this: they are worth it. These phones are made of metal and other high-quality materials that will not wear out with general use, they sound great, and they look great. They’ve got additional features that a person might look for in a pair of buds such as the one-button controller/microphone that sits down the side of one of the bud cords, and they’ve got replaceable rubber buds with several sizes right inside the box, so you’ll have the correct fit as you so choose it.
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New privacy policy standards agreed to by world's major app store owners
The California Attorney General has struck a deal with the world's major app store opperators that will see new privacy policy standards put in place. Apple, Google, Microsoft, HP, RIM and Amazon have all agreed to require any software that uses personal information to provide a privacy policy that can be viewed in the store before an app is downloaded. The agreement will bring the various markets in line with the California Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires developers provide such a policy. In addition to providing links links to the relevant documents in an obvious and consistent location, the companies will have to offer a simple way for users to report devs that violate the rules. For more details about the deal check out the PR after the break.
Continue reading New privacy policy standards agreed to by world's major app store owners
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Chaotic Moon's Board of Awesomeness gains mind controls, becomes Board of Imagination
Remember the Board of Awesomeness we took for a spin back at CES? Well, the folks from Chaotic Moon went back to the lab to make it even better with a new control system, swapping out the Kinect sensor bar for an Emotiv EPOC headset and re-christened it the Board of Imagination. So, instead of using your hand to control the throttle, you simply visualize and focus on where you want to go, and the headset tells the board how fast to go to get there. The brains of the thing are still housed in a Samsung slate running Windows 8, and it can still shred asphalt at speeds up to 32mph, but now it's a truly mind-blowing experience. Don't believe us? Check out the Board of Imagination in action after the break.
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SCEA Senior VP hints Hulu may be headed to PS Vita
By now, we're sure you have that shiny new PlayStation Vita all unboxed and have logged several hours on the thing playing games, Tweeting and watching vids on Netflix. But, if those apps we told you about earlier weren't enough to fulfill your entertainment needs, you'll be happy to know there could be more in stock for you. SCEA Senior VP Guy Longworth may have spilled the beans when he told The Hollywood Reporter "we have a partnership with Netflix and Hulu; this is a new way for them to distribute content." An interesting statement given the fact there's no Hulu app available now that Vita has launched. Good news is, the previously unknown hook-up indicates we may be be able to catch some episodes of Gossip Girl at some point in the future on our monstrous quad-core handheld.SCEA Senior VP hints Hulu may be headed to PS Vita originally appeared on...
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Google Sees a Bright Future in Smart Shades
Reports that Google is working on special glasses that will stream information to a display in one lens in real time have once again surfaced. The glasses will apparently hit retail shelves by the end of the year. They will be priced in about the same ballpark as new smartphones, meaning they'll likely fall into the $250 to $600 price range. The glasses will reportedly run on Android. "The technology is not that far away for glasses that would even include enough processing [power] to support Android or other OSes," said Paul Travers, CEO of video eyeware maker Vuzix.
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Canon patent app hints at mirrorless cameras ahead
Canon may finally be entering the Micro Four Thirds or mirrorless interchangeable lens camera market, according to a new patent filing that recently surfaced. The premier camera manufacturer had long been obstinate about this new mirrorless sector, even saying that competitors were diving in due to poor DSLR performance—a statement from a Canon exec, who may have to eat his words soon.
Japanese website Egami first spotted the Canon patent filing, which is for an 18-45mm f/3.5-5.6 lens with 12 elements in 11 groups. The lens works with an APS-C sized sensor, meaning that it would have approximately a 29-70mm focal length compared to lenses using a standard 35mm-sized sensor. The lens appears to be designed for a mirrorless camera system.
Currently, rivals Nikon, Sony, Olympus, and Fuji have already jumped into the ring of mirrorless cameras. But it seems like it’s not only a matter of when Canon decides to join the bandwagon but also how. Although a bit...
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Synaptics ClearPad 2200 offers precise multi-touch tech for smaller screens
Although high-end smartphones are all the rage right now, Synaptics, whose touchscreen technologies are used by Apple and many other major manufacturers, isn’t neglecting the mid-range and entry-level markets. The company announced today a new Synaptics ClearPad 2200 touchscreen controller technology aimed at lower-range devices with screens smaller than 4 inches.
The new ClearPad 2200 capacitive multi-touch screen will be the company’s first to use its SignaClarity technology, which boosts the signal-to-noise ratio for improved accuracy in finger tracking and separation. It uses advanced filtering and noise mitigation algorithms so that other components won’t interfere while it can still be flexible enough to support various sensor stack-ups.
Since the latest and greatest smartphones are all measuring at least 4.3-inches in screen size these days, with some going the extreme of tablet-phone hybrids, such as the Galaxy Note, the ClearPad 2200 will target smaller entry-level smartphones. This will give lower-range devices improved touchscreen response and accuracy. The new screen will be shown off at Mobile World Congress next week in Barcelona.
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Google Docs for Android update adds real-time mobile collaboration
The Google Docs for Android app got a welcoming update today that should make many a road warrior pleased. The app finally now has the ability for real-time editing and collaboration while on the go. This was something not quite easily done before if at all and usually required taking you from the app to a web browser for editing, while completely lacking the collaborative aspect.
With the update, you can now access your Google Docs via your Android phone or tablet and edit them directly from within the app without bringing up the browser. You can simply join a document with a tap and see changes made to it in real-time like what’s offered in the Google Docs desktop version.
Other improvements include a slight face lift to the interface that makes working with documents easier while on the go. There’s now pinch to zoom, focus on a specific paragraph, and the ablity to quickly glance a whole document at once. Also added are rich text formatting, including quick bullet lists, changing document color, and bolding text. For a good overview of the updated features, you can watch the video below.
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Google setting up high-speed fiber TV and web service
Here in the United States its becoming more and more evident that Google is preparing for a big product, one that not only brings hard-wired internet to your home, but brings you the streaming web you’ve grown accustomed to as well via Fiber. Google has been busy with the FCC lately, most recently (this week) seeking approval from the group to launch a video service over the fiber network it’s already begun building in Kansas City. This service (perhaps only in a limited form) could very well be launching inside the next two months.
According to the Wall Street Journal who uncovered the FCC filing and spoke with an unnamed media executive involved in licensing talks with Google, the service is getting close to launch already. This is almost certainly tied to the Kansas site Google has in motion already with web speeds so fast your eyeballs will blow out of your head. Check out the video...
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How Low Can Nokia Go?
Nokia is ramping up for a far more interesting Mobile World Congress than in recent years: having opted out of a presence in 2011, rumors have it that the Finns have at least two new Windows Phones to bolster their range. After the original Lumia 800 and 710, and the imminent Lumia 900 headed to AT&T, we’re also told to expect a new, higher-end device in the shape of a European 900 variant, along with an entry-level model that should cater to a more affordable price point. Question is, with Symbian’s appeal souring ahead of schedule, has Nokia done enough to shave away smartphone pricing.
Economy of scale and a track-record of pumping out cheap phones that still maintained solid build quality was cited in Nokia’s initial Windows Phone announcement. Microsoft’s first generation of handsets, though reasonably broad in number, clustered around a mid- to high-tier price point,...