Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast! |
- US Update: Nexus S, RIM, Skyfire, iPad adapter
- FBI arrests Apple, Dell and RIM insiders
- Ultimate iPad adapter: the swiss army knife of connections
- Apple iPad adds Vevo HD player, Skyfire coming soon
- RIM shipped 14.2 million smartphones in the third quarter?
- Google Nexus S contour screen actually flat?
- Facebook facial recognition: the social network will find you
- Teatime Tech: Android 2.4, Samsung smartphone stat clash and the Wii going to waste?
- Google Nexus S vs Samsung Omnia 7
- The Wii’s TV talents are going to waste
| US Update: Nexus S, RIM, Skyfire, iPad adapter Posted: 17 Dec 2010 07:00 PM PST 
The Google Nexus S is a killer device, but a teardown of the handset has revealed that the display night not actually be contoured after all. A total disassembly of the device has revealed the glass is curved, but the actual Super AMOLED display is flat, just like the other Galaxy S smartphones. RIM has released their third quarter financials and the big shocker is that they shipped 14.2 million units, beating Apple's 14.1 million. Is this a coincidence or did the Canadian smartphone manufacturer really beat Cupertino's camp? The Apple iPad has added a Vevo HD app which brings a library of 25,000 HD music videos to the palm of your hands, without the need for Flash. Also announced today is Skyfire for iPad and we have your video demonstration of the app in action. Yesterday we showed you the 3-in-1 iPad Camera connection kit, today we do you two better. The new 5-in-1 connection kit adds audio and video output to the mix, turning your iPad into the living room media powerhouse. Last up this morning is news on a FBI sting which took down four key players trading insider secrets about Apple, Dell, RIM and other top tech firms. The investigation began nearly 18 months ago and we've got the details. That wraps up things this fine morning from the states. Thanks for spending your morning with us as we break the headlines fresh off the press from our side of the world. Until Monday, this is Nick saying over and out. Related posts:
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| FBI arrests Apple, Dell and RIM insiders Posted: 17 Dec 2010 06:00 PM PST 
The case centers around Primary Global Research, a company that sold consulting services to investors about the tech industry. According to the FBI, James Fleishman, an exec at the company, paid three men employed at top tech firms to gather insider information. In the world of Hedge funds information is key. Hedge fund managers paid large sums of money to Fleishman to speak with his "consultants", better known as the big three. For Apple, Fleishman was recorded having conversations about the features and sales forecasts for the iPhone 4, eight months before it was released. The allegations extend beyond Apple, Dell and RIM, even AMD trade secrets were exchanged by the group including sales figures for desktop PCs, notebooks, servers and embedded processors. One thing is for certain, there's no shortage of evidence against the group. The FBI has recordings and email conversations covering the past 18 months. If you're curious as to how the interactions took place, here's a quick sample pulled from an email aimed at gaining some insight to the iPhone 4: “I am sending this email as a gentle reminder to all of us that the [Flextronics business unit] and Apple are covered under both a Non Disclosure Agreement and [Master Development and Supply Agreement] This…will protect the work we have done with them up until now as well as the joint work we are doing with Apple…on process improvements for the [next generation] of iPhone.” The NDA ploy is a creative twist, we must admit, however that will not save Fleishman and Primary Group Research if the FBI has their way. More details on the case will certainly follow, but for now it's safe to say the FBI is ready to play hardball. The next time someone tries selling insider secrets as a "consulting service", they'll likely think twice. via CNet Related posts:
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| Ultimate iPad adapter: the swiss army knife of connections Posted: 17 Dec 2010 05:00 PM PST 
Here's what you'll get with the new iPad connection kit: a USB, mini USB, SD, microSD and AV-out port. There's also an included RCA-jack adapter with cables included in the box so you'll be ready to take your iPad show to the living room in no time. The only catch, like yesterday's adapter, is that you'll need to secure an order from China of at least 50 units. The aforementioned features earn this little gadget the nod as the swiss army knife of iPad connection kits. via Micgadget Related posts:
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| Apple iPad adds Vevo HD player, Skyfire coming soon Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST 
If you are a fellow connoisseur of music videos, odds are you've watched a video or two on YouTube released by Vevo. Today, Vevo HD is available on the iPad for the US and it brings that immense library of videos in tow. There's more than just music videos with the app, in fact: "The app has a few special features created especially for the iPad, including our favorite one, Music Maps, which gives you a window into what videos people are watching in your neighborhood and around the world."
In addition, the the Vevo HD app includes Twitter feeds from artists, includes sharing features and of course link to purchase the music or buyer tickets to concerts. For now the app is limited to the US, but the company has plans to take the application global so stay tuned. The second big announcement, Skyfire for iPad, is ready to be released pending Apple's approval. The company confirmed the software on its website while also offering some insight on how the iPad version would compare to its counterpart on the iPhone. Facebook, Twitter and Google integration will be included, along with the same familiar interface. In the video demonstration below you can see exactly how the application will perform once released on the iPad. The major difference between Skyfire for iPad and Skyfire for iPhone is that the new app makes use of the larger, higher resolution screen. Using quickview functions, a pop-up window appears within the browser without having to navigate away from the current page. We'll admit, the quickview function is very clever, and quite possibly the killer feature in the release. With deep social sharing integration, Skyfire for iPad looks to be another hit for the company. Whether it beats the 300,000 downloads of the iPhone version within the first few hours remains to be seen, but we wouldn't be surprised. The world of iPad is rapidly expanding. With the announcements of Vevo HD and Skyfire, Flash video support is becoming increasingly less important. Let us know what you think about the two announcements. Is the lack of Flash still as pronounced as it once was or has its importance diminished through well polished applications? Related posts:
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| RIM shipped 14.2 million smartphones in the third quarter? Posted: 17 Dec 2010 03:00 PM PST 
Whether RIM would like to admit it or not, Apple and Android have taken away market share from the business smartphone giant. With the addition of Exchange support on both Android and iOS, the need for a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) is simply not a compelling case for IT managers these days. Why stack BES ontop of an existing Microsoft Exchange Server when you can cut costs with a single deployment? In RIM's third quarter results, the company reported that smartphone shipments hit 14.2 million, an increase of 40% over the same quarter last year. Promotions such as the buy one get one free on Verizon Wireless here in the US helped fuel the sales increase. Assuming the 14.2 million shipments is accurate here are the surprising details: RIM only added 5.1 million new BlackBerry subscriber accounts. The majority of their growth relies on existing BlackBerry users, an install base which now measures 55 million strong. The BlackBerry Torch was not the blockbuster RIM expected and now there's word the Playbook will not ship until March 2011, leaving the door wide open for the iPad 2. We can't help but speculate that RIM cleverly chose to eclipse Apple's reported 14.1 million handsets shipped in the earning report. Maybe we're just reaching here, but sometimes a coincidence is just too good to be true. On the plus side for RIM, revenue is up 19 percent from the previous quarter and 40 percent from the same period last year. No matter how dated their OS seems, they are still managing to get customers to the cash register. So now it's your turn to sound off. What do you think about RIM's latest earning report? Is it a coincidence or did RIM actually top Apple by a mere 100,000 units. Yes the quarters do no exactly align, but RIM and Apple are in a heated enterprise war especially now with the corporate adoption of the iPad. Let us know what you think! Related posts:
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| Google Nexus S contour screen actually flat? Posted: 17 Dec 2010 02:00 PM PST 
Tearing down the Google Nexus S will require a few simple tools – a heat gun, Phillips screwdriver and plastic opening tools. If you are daring enough to give it a go, you'll be rewarded with some interesting details about the latest Google flagship device. With a simple plastic opening tool you'll peel the NFC module off the back cover and immediately notice the 1500 mAh battery, slightly larger than the 1400 mAh on the Nexus One. The site reports that, "the design of the motherboard is peculiar to us. It is designed such that its inner perimeter encloses the battery. We’ve seen oddly-shaped PCBs before, but rarely do they have giant holes in the middle of them".
Breaking down the motherboard, you'll find the SanDisk 16GB NLC NAND flash and 1 GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor. An interesting tidbit exposed by the teardown is that the Nexus S uses a Broadcom WiFi chip, the same chip used on the 3rd generation iPod Touch. One of the biggest complaints we've had with Android devices is the WiFi range when compared to iOS devices, this is a great sign.
Now for the rub, the supposed contour display. A side-view of the Super AMOELD display and front glass panel proves that only the front panel is curved, the rest of the "components are flat as a board, just as any other phone on the market". The Super AMOLED display is just like any other Galaxy S smartphone, flat, but the glass casing is curved.
So there you have it, the Google Nexus S has the same screen we've seen on the other Galaxy S smartphones, it's just the outer glass case that's curved. You've read our review and even some of our readers had a chance to play with the phone. Does the tear down of the Google Nexus S change your feelings about the device or is it simply a minor detail? via iFixit Related posts:
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| Facebook facial recognition: the social network will find you Posted: 17 Dec 2010 01:50 PM PST 
For all the good that Facebook brings the world, sometimes you simply want some memories forgotten. Unfortunately, thanks to Facebook's upcoming facial recognition feature, it may be considerably more difficult to forget the past. Using a comparison search which analyzes current uploaded photos to those previously tagged, the new feature will track down all relevant images and present the user with a simple interface to bulk tag. The problem, of course, is that Facebook users have no control over which photos their friends upload, just ask Miley Cyrus if you need case in point. However, in the spirit of Facebook privacy, the social network has confirmed the ability to turn the feature off. Officially the site announced, "if for any reason you don't want your name to be suggested, you will be able to disable suggested tags in your Privacy Settings. Just click "Customize Settings" and "Suggest photos of me to friends".
If these instructions are to be believed then you can prevent your friends from tagging you in photos on a large scale. Officially, Facebook will be rolling out the facial recognition feature in the coming weeks. There was no word on whether or not there would be support for mobile devices, but it wouldn't surprise us if it did. Now it's time to sound off. What do you think about the new facial recognition feature coming to Facebook? Should we be worried or is this just another great feature by the social giant? Let us know what you think in the comments section below. Coming Soon | Facebook | Free Related posts:
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| Teatime Tech: Android 2.4, Samsung smartphone stat clash and the Wii going to waste? Posted: 17 Dec 2010 09:57 AM PST 
First up, it’s been quite a week in the world of media streaming. The PS3 got a massive boost with the addition of two new catch up services. But one console that’s going to waste is the Wii – can Nintendo ever change its attitude? Over in smartphones meanwhile, we looked at how the Windows Phone 7 Samsung Omnia 7 stacks up against the Google Nexus S in a stat clash, and heard a rumour that the next version of Android might be 2.4, rather than the hallowed 3.0. Finally, intrigued by all this Android talk? You’ll want to check out our Sony Ericsson LiveView ultimate guide then: we’ve got everything there is to know about the ultimate Google phone accessory. Still want more news? No problemo: head back to the homepage for all the stories you can handle. It’s updated around the clock! Related posts:
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| Google Nexus S vs Samsung Omnia 7 Posted: 17 Dec 2010 08:05 AM PST 
 Keyboard Software Internal memory Extras Verdict Related posts:
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| The Wii’s TV talents are going to waste Posted: 17 Dec 2010 07:32 AM PST 
The third party mini game tat it’s inspired I can forgive, when the company itself continues to set new standards with its own games. But in light of the recent PS3 4oD and ITV Player update, and the launch of a slew of new, high profile media streamers, what I’ve become most disappointed with is the gaming giant’s refusal to take advantage of its own technology. The Nintendo Wii could be an Apple TV for the masses. Instead, it’s going to waste.
First, let’s set the perspective here. Nintendo has sold a staggering amount of Wiis in Britain: more than 6million, in fact. Now granted, one in ten people doesn’t sound like a huge number, but break it down by household and it’s astonishing: there are 24.7million households in the UK at the last count (2004), which means the Nintendo Wii could be in a quarter of British homes. In fact, by that count, it’s the single most accessible gadget for the largest number of people in the UK. That popularity is reflected in the one video streaming service, YouTube aside, available through the Wii, BBC iPlayer. More than one million users have installed the BBC iPlayer channel on the Wii, and at the latest count (November 2010) makes somewhere in the region of 3 percent of the 139million episode requests per month – approximately four million shows are watched through the Wii per month. Lots of people, right? So you’d think it’d make sense to add to that, especially since Nintendo makes a profit on hardware sales of the Wii, and doesn’t have to rely on game sales to subsidise that. And yet, since that early, savvy introduction in 2008 by Auntie, Nintendo has entirely failed to make use of its video streaming abilities by adding any other services. Now we could sit around complaining about the Wii’s lack of HD visuals, the lack of DVD playback, and the inability to play video files from an SD card, but the fact is that its Opera powered web browser is capable of playing Flash video. It can be done. Netflix rolled out movie streaming in the US this year through the Nintendo Wii. In the UK, Lovefilm appears to be experimenting with it (And declined to comment for this article). And that should be enough for the likes of Channel 4, ITV and Five to be gagging to get on it, since none offer HD visuals through their desktop on demand services either. But that’s only half the battle. Making it readily available with as few clicks as possible is just as important. Sony took a browser based approach so it could push the services straight to the XMB, no firmware upgrade or app download required. Nintendo’s dashboard of channels ought to make adding shortcuts to new services easy. Not in the slightest – in fact, Nintendo doesn’t even want you to apply. I spoke to Joe Costello, CEO and co-founder of Orb Networks, a company that allows you to stream your media from your PC to a web browser with Flash support. Right now, it’s the best option for watching download video on your TV through the Wii. it’s been available on the console since just a few weeks after the launch of the Nintendo Wii in late 2006. Currently, you have to access it through the Nintendo Wii’s Internet channel, as a six figure number of users do, but back then, Costello had ambitious plans to allow for personalised channels for Orb users to install on their Wii dashboards. However, even after three years of trying, Nintendo still doesn’t want to know. Costello even flew out to meet with a Japanese Nintendo executive to explain the pitch, and while he personally liked the idea, Costello got a frank answer. “He met with us, he listened to our story. He nods and says it’s really a great idea and I love what you’re doing, but it will never happen,” Costello told me this week. “He was very even handed, and said the problem is, we’re a games company, it’s in our DNA. You’re talking about things that are entertainment oriented, and they just don’t have their head around that. I just don’t think its useful trying to have conversations with us, you’ll waste your time”. The problem is, with Nintendo’s huge install base, slowing sales and the rise and rise and rise of IPTV, the company doesn’t have the luxury of just being a games company anymore. Especially when it’s nigh on the only company making enjoyable games for the platform, too. It needs to make better use of that browser and that WiFi connection connected to millions of TVs, and start delivering everything that people want, not just the games. Costello agrees that the Wii’s potential is going to waste. “Oh yeah, you could so so much more,” he says. “Their install base is equal to the PlayStation and Xbox combined….if they decided to really get their act together, or even open it up in an easy way, they could turn things around quickly and easily.” Now a lot of this is obviously to do with Nintendo’s Japan-centric outlook. Nintendo in Japan does the heavylifting, while Nintendo of America and the like have little to say. But Sony and Microsoft have both shown they’re willing to localise and get the services that matter most to their customers, country by country, be it Hulu in the US or Sky Player or 4oD over here. There’s a new frontier, one where do it all set top boxes are taking over, but in the UK at least, it feels like Nintendo can’t be bothered. My ideal solution? An a la carte movie streaming service to match Zune and the PlayStation Network for quality and convenience, and an approval system for new Channels on the Wii dashboard. Not just those from game developers, but entertainment services too. There’s so much you can do with just an internet connection and a browser. It’s time Nintendo realised this. What do you think? Could the Nintendo Wii be the media streamer to go mainstream? Should Nintendo just stick to what it’s good at? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Related posts:
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