Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast!

US Update: Galaxy S, AMD, CES 2011, Evo Shift 4G
HTC Evo Shift 4G specs leaked by Walmart
Eye Scope: turn your iPhone into an optical cannon
Vizio Via: Android smartphone and tablet incoming
AMD and Wired magazine CES 2011 sneak peak
Facebook valued at £32.3bn according to New York Times
Samsung Galaxy S: ten million units sold in seven months
FacePad: Facebook iPad app rocks Twitter style
Google Nexus S supercharged to 1.2Ghz!
LG THINQ smart grid: future house revealed!

US Update: Galaxy S, AMD, CES 2011, Evo Shift 4G

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 07:00 PM PST

The week of CES 2011 has officially kicked off and we've got nothing short of a boatload of news to dock this morning. In today's US Update we breakdown the latest Galaxy S sales numbers, dig into Facebook's incredible valuation, get a sneak peak at AMD's CES booth and much more.

First in, Samsung has reportedly sold a jaw-dropping ten million Galaxy S smartphones to date. The largest market is the US where all four major carriers sell their own variant. The New York Times is reporting that Facebook just landed a new round of funding. The social network is reportedly valued at £32.3bn.

AMD and Wired magazine have teamed up for CES 2011. We've got a first peak on their "Make a Scene" exhibit and news on some of the daily giveaways and prizes you can win from home. Vizio, best known for their affordable HDTVs, is entering the world of Android with the Via Android smartphone and Via Android tablet. Both devices will be at CES and should go on sale in Summer 2011.

If you've been looking for a way to bring optical zoom to your iPhone 3G or 3GS, Eye Scope has you covered. The kit adds 8x optical zoom to your mobile and comes with a kit that includes a tripod. The kit is currently on sale for just £29.99.

Last in this morning is a leak from an unlikely source — Walmart.com. The shopping site which works with letstalk.com for it's mobile phone sales, has launched a product page for the HTC Evo Shift 4G. The phone was rumored to go on sale on January 9th for $149.99 and now we have confirmation and the full specs.

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 tomorrow, this is Nick saying over and out.

HTC Evo Shift 4G specs leaked by Walmart

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 06:00 PM PST

The HTC Evo Shift 4G, set to be released on January 9 for $149.99, has just been leaked by Walmart, complete with the full specifications. Any doubts over whether this 4G-capable smartphone would come to life at CES 2011 can officially be put to rest. Here's what we know about the Evo Shift 4G.

The HTC Evo Shift 4G features a 3.7 inch capactive touch screen, full slide-out QWERTY keyboard and runs Android 2.2. Thanks to Sprint's 4G WiMax network, the Evo Shift can cruise the web at speeds of five to eight megabits per second. There'e an eight megapixel camera with dual LED flash on the back, 3.5 mm headphone jack and support for SDHC microSD cards up to 32GB in size.

Overall the HTC Evo Shift looks to be a decent Android handset coming to Sprint in the US later this week. Whether you call it the HTC A7373, HTC Knight or HTC Speed, the Evo Shift is certainly a Desire Z variant. We'll have our chance to test the Evo Shift 4G in just a few days, any questions you'd like answered?

via Walmart | Engadget

Eye Scope: turn your iPhone into an optical cannon

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 04:05 PM PST

Optical zoom is the missing feature when it comes to mobile phone optics. To fill this void for iPhone 3G and 3GS owners, Eye Scope has come to the rescue — delivering up to 8x optical zoom. If you are looking to take your iPhone camera skills to the next level, this could be a match made in heaven.

Digital zoom is nice, but even a semi-serious photographer knows that the bread and butter of imaging relies on optical zoom. The Eye Scope kit attaches to either the iPhone 3G or 3GS and brings some serious zooming capabilities. Since steady hands are a prerequisite to quality shots, you'll be glad to note that kit includes a tripod.

The attachment itself looks pretty solid and Eye Scope certainly expands the photo capabilities of your iPhone. If only the kit worked with the iPhone 4 then we'd really be stoked. Any guessers at how long before the paparazzi starts using the Eye Scope?

Out Now | Eye Scope | $46 (£29.99)

Vizio Via: Android smartphone and tablet incoming

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 03:43 PM PST

Vizio, best known for affordable HDTV sets, is making a huge leap into the world of Android smartphones and tablets in 2011. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the company will unveil both the Via Android smartphone and Via tablet at CES 2011.

Here's what we know about the Vizio Via Android smartphone. It features a four inch WVGA display, five megapixel rear camera and front-facing video camera for video calls and runs a custom UI on top of Android.

The Vizio Via Android tablet on the other hand uses an eight inch display, uses WiFi for data, has three built-in speakers and a front-facing camera for video calling. There's no word on what resolution the tablet is running at, but we couldn't imagine it would be lower than the Via smartphone.

Now for the rub — the Vizio Via smartphone and Via tablet were developing in the past year and a half by a team of less than ten people. This team included "mobile specialists from Nokia" so they certainly had a solid foundation. The goal of the phone and the tablet is to offer affordable and compelling alternatives to the iPhone and iPad.

In a move to embrace the electronic ecosystem, Vizio is taking a page from Apple's playbook. Both the Via phone and Via tablet will work in conjunction with the company's line up of product in 2011. This means you'll be able to use both devices as remotes and possibly even do some media sharing, similar to the AirPlay function on iOS devices.

As far as a release date, the Unwired View believes Vizio's Via smartphone and Via tablet will be commercially available in Summer 2011. Both devices will be on hand at CES 2011 this week so we'll have plenty of time to put the shiny gadgets through the paces. For now, we'd like to ask if there's anything

Coming Soon | Vizio | TBD

AMD and Wired magazine CES 2011 sneak peak

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 03:18 PM PST

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Wired magazine are teaming up for CES 2011 for "Make a Scene". The two forces will transform the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center into the ultimate stomping grounds where attendees will have a chance to tinker with the latest products from AMD and the Wired Store in NYC.

AMD-enabled innovations will be focus of "Make a Scene". In the grand lobby next-generation Internet, facial recognition, AMD Eyefinity multi-display gaming, and stereo 3D entertainment with our without glasses will be on display.

The Wired Store in NYC is bringing some serious gadgets as well. We've confirmed the Transforming Uno Motorcycle, Panasonic 3D camcorder, Withings Wifi Scale, Native Union Moshi Moshi Pop Phones, Davone Ray Speakers, and the Herman Miller Sayl Chair.

What fun would CES 2011 be without some prizes and giveaways? AMD and Wired Magazine have you covered, in fact there's currently a Xbox 360 with Kinect bundle (retail value $399) up for grabs if you register on the site. Opting in to AMD's SMS and Twitter promotion will line you up for a chance at additional daily giveaways.

In addition to the Xbox 360 Kinect bundle, AMD will have an AMD-powered notebook for the top rated video entry of the day for the "Make a Scene" video contest and one grand prize of an HP all-in-one system with printer and digital camera bundle chosen at random out of all the "Make a Scene" contest entries submitted throughout the show.

Our team arrives at CES tomorrow, but the convention doesn't officially kick off until January 6th. We'll have full coverage of the "Make a Scene" grand lobby entrance and plenty of products to report. What are you hoping to see from AMD at CES 2011?

via BusinessWire

Facebook valued at £32.3bn according to New York Times

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 02:45 PM PST

According to the New York Times, Facebook is worth much more than an arm and a leg. Details from the latest round of funding for the social network reportedly imply a value just over £32.3bn. Goldman Sachs and Digital Sky Technologies are the latest investors, but how much is Facebook really worth?

The New York Times and the Financial Times have reported that Goldman Sachs and a Russian investor (Digital Sky Technologies) have made significant investments in Facebook though the number vary. The Finanical Times reports that Goldman invested $375 million and Digital Sky $75 million whereas the New York Times reported $450 million and $50 million respectively. Officially neither Facebook nor Goldman Sachs would comment on the news.

The actual dollar amounts are trivial, the real story is the unnamed sources, who claim the terms of the deal implied a value of £32.3bn for Facebook. If the figure is accurate, Facebook is now worth more than eBay and Time Warner. For Facebook employees and early investors the news could mean a chance to cash in.

Whether or not Facebook is worth the reported £32.3bn remains in question. Valuing the private market is difficult which is why the SEC has been closely monitoring the company's growth. Concerns surrounding the ability to bypass public disclosure requirements could push Facebook towards a public listing. We know this would go against Mark Zuckerberg plans, but it seems inevitable.

Until Facebook moves towards a public listing, we'll just have to take the £32.3bn valuation with a grain of salt. The worlds of practice and theory rarely align in finance when it comes to valuations. Let us know what you think about Facebook's £32.3bn value — do you think the social network packs the punch?

via BBC

Samsung Galaxy S: ten million units sold in seven months

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 02:09 PM PST

The world has taken a liking to the Samsung Galaxy S since first going on sale in June 2010. According to Samsung Tomorrow, cumulative sales now exceed ten million. With Galaxy S models on all the major US carriers it comes as no surprise that four million units were sold stateside. Ready to find out the complete breakdown?

Coming in second place is Europe with two and a half million units sold, followed by Asia with two million. The ten million unit mark is quite an achievement, especially for a smartphone. In Samsung's long and successful history, the manufacturer has seven other handsets which have eclipsed this mark. The Samsung Galaxy S becomes the second fastest mobile to reach ten million, just a month slower than the Samsung Star (S5230).

With CES kicking off this week and plenty of dual-core Android smartphones scheduled to be unveiled, how do you think Samsung's Nexus S will fare in 2011? Will the Galaxy S line continue to flourish, or will faster Android handsets with dual-core processors dominate the new year?

via Samsung Tomorrow | Engadget

FacePad: Facebook iPad app rocks Twitter style

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 08:06 AM PST

The world of Facebook iPad apps has been a little bit muddled for some time with Facebook itself declining to develop an official app for the iPhone’s bigger brother. Thankfully third party developers have stepped into the breach and a new Facebook iPad app, Facepad, has popped up, taking some of its design clues from the Twitter for iPad application.

When you tap on a link in Facepad, it slides a new window onto the right of the screen meaning you can jump between articles and Facebook profiles smoothly. At its heart, Facepad is a reskinned version of touch.facebook.com, the official web app optimised for touchscreens).

However, Facepad says it’s working to make the app feel more like a native iPad application including making flicking through photos in Facepad like jumping through snaps in the iPad Photos app. An official Facebook app is apparently in the works but is likely to be HTML5 as Mark Zuckerberg believes the firm does not have enough resources to develop for every platform. If you’ve grabbed Facepad, click the headline and head for the comments to let us know how you’re finding it.

Out now | £free | iTunes (via Techcrunch)

Google Nexus S supercharged to 1.2Ghz!

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 07:05 AM PST

The Google Nexus S is pretty impressive but you can crank up the performance. The Google Nexus S packs a single core Hummingbird processor but you can overclock that puppy to speeds on a par wih the LG Optimus dual-core level. An XDA Forums users called morfic overclocked the processor in his Nexus S to 1.2Ghz with a new kernel based on the Bionix NS1 mod. Using that mod for your Google Nexus S is pretty easy. You need to flash from recovery, reboot and your done. Warning though: the firmware is not complete yet as there’s no support for bluetooth. Also beware that overclocking can damage your device and you mod your Google Nexus S at your own risk.

Out now | £varies | Google Nexus S (via Android Community)

LG THINQ smart grid: future house revealed!

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 06:04 AM PST

LG is going Smart Grid mad at CES 2011. The firm has announced a slew of cool connected home appliances and we’ve got the skinny on them. The new kit will be enabled with LG THINQ tech which includes Smart Grid, Smart Diagnosis, Smart Access, Smart Adapt and Food Management features. Not sure what all those terms mean? Read on to find out about LG’s plans for the home of the future or, at least, this year’s version of the home of the future…

The LG Smart Grid feature is a smart meter that ensures the new LG appliances will use the minimum amount of electricity possible at the least expensive rates. New LG ovens will use the Smart Grid feature to offer low, middle and high energy settings while LG firdges will pack an algorithm to automatically adjust settings to reduce energy bills. The LG Smart Grid-enhanced appliances will come packing an LCD display to show daily, weekly or monthly reports on enegy consumption.

LG Smart Diagnosis is a feature to allow you to quickly troubleshoot issues with your LG appliance without needing to call out an engineer. LG Smart Access gives you remote access to your LG appliance via your smartphone, iPad/Samsung Galaxy Tab/generic Android tablet or laptop. It’ll let you turn on your LG washing machine from the office, tweak the fridge temperature or turn off machines when you’ve forgotten in the morning. The system will also allow you to access the HOM-BOT robotic vaccuum cleaner (a rival to the iRobot Roomba) remotely and access its camera to check up on your house.

LG Smart Adapt will allow you to grab quick updates for your appliances via Wi-Fi. That means both firmware updates and customisation allowing you to grab new features that suit your lifestyle. Finally, LG Food Management lets you drag and drop food icons on the fridge’s LCD display and use voice recognition to find out what’s in the fridge, where those items are located and when they go out of date. You can also access that information remotely to check on what you need while shopping.

Hit the comments and let us know: what do you make of the LG Smart Grid tech?

Out 2011 | £TBC | LG