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- iPad 3 Retina display confirmed by LG: quadruple iPad 2 pixel count incoming!
- LG’s Android handset line up revealed: smartphones to super phones
- Samsung Galaxy 3D to battle EVO 3D and Optimus 3D in late 2011
- Behind the scenes at Cambridge Audio: How a tiny London team uses cardboard cut outs to create world class sound
- Apple keyboards now include dedicated Launchpad and Mission Control keys, but still no backlighting
- Electricpig readers give BlackBerry a grilling over beer and PlayBooks!
- New Apple iPod touch leaked: white, sexy and coming soon
- How the latest Google doodle responds to real world physics
- Mac OS X Lion Flash flaws: Adobe admits Apple is not to blame
- Nokia Oro review: Pricey, not classy
| iPad 3 Retina display confirmed by LG: quadruple iPad 2 pixel count incoming! Posted: 22 Jul 2011 10:01 AM PDT
This is not the first time we've heard that Retina displays would be gracing the face of the third generation iPad. In fact, DigiTimes, Korea Times and Daring Fireball's John Gruber have independently confirmed the bump in resolution. The difference today is that we have the display's creator, LG, stepping up to the plate to corroborate these reports. The iPad 3's purported Retina display would feature a 2048-by-1536 pixel count, four times that of the first and second generation iPads. With twice the horizontal and vertical resolution, Apple could easily scale current apps, but developers would likely update their apps to take advantage of the sharper displays. One piece of the iPad 3 puzzle is down, but we're still a ways away from nailing down the remaining upgrades. Will Apple introduce its first quad-core processor in the third generation slate? Let us know what you think in the comments section below. via 9to5Mac Related posts:
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| LG’s Android handset line up revealed: smartphones to super phones Posted: 22 Jul 2011 08:10 AM PDT
We begin with the LG Prada K2. This dual-core smartphone will be the LG's new Android flagship for the second half of 2011. Packing a 4.3-inch NOVA LCD display with a claimed brightness of 1,000 nits, we have strong expectations for this handset. Thickness is set at 8.8-millimeters, there's a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera and eight-megapixel rear shooter, 16GB of internal storage, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and HSPA+ 21 Mbps support. Expect the K2 to land this holiday season. Next up is the successor to the LG Optimus One, the LG E2. Little information is known about this entry-level successor, but a QVGA display, sub-gigahertz processor and three-megapixel camera are expected. If you thought the Optimus One was affordable, wait until LG reveals the pricing on this bad boy. Last up is the LG P930. According to PocketNow, the P930 will be LG's first 720p resolution phone, touting a jaw-dropping 4.5-inch display. The pixel density of said display should meet or exceed the standards set by Apple's iPhone 4. How you like them apples? So which will it be, the LG Prada K2, E2 or P930? We're sure you'll find a winner no matter which of the three handsets you call your own. via PocketNow Related posts:
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| Samsung Galaxy 3D to battle EVO 3D and Optimus 3D in late 2011 Posted: 22 Jul 2011 07:44 AM PDT
Following in the footsteps of HTC with the EVO 3D and LG with the Optimus 3D, Samsung has failed to depart from its flagship prefix with the Galaxy 3D. Though the name is bland, the specs are impressive. SammyHub is reporting the smartphone will feature Samsung's 1.2 GHz dual-core Exynos processor, 4.3-inch 3D LCD screen and dual 8-megapixel cameras. A Galaxy S II with a 3D display doesn't sound like a bad offering. We'd go so far as to say it's a compelling alternative to the EVO and Optimus 3D. The bigger question is whether 3D smartphones are simply a fad or whether they’re here to stay. Let us know what you think about the shift from 2D to 3D and whether a 3D-capable Galaxy S II will find its way into your gadget collection later this year. Coming Soon | Samsung | TBD Related posts:
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| Posted: 22 Jul 2011 07:26 AM PDT London might be one of the economic centres of the planet, but when it comes to gadgets, it's not a world leader. Sure, there's Silicon Roundabout, but when it comes to actual hardware, very little actually gets made within the M25. Nokia has a design office in Soho, and well, that's about it. Except, we discovered when we paid a visit to its London offices this week, Cambridge Audio. The high-fidelity audio brand has been around for more than forty years, and for the last two decades, has been working out of a building tucked away in a side street in Borough – and the story of how all its products come together in the UK is fascinating. Join us as we look at how hi-fis, iPod docks and media streamers come together in the Big Smoke.
Cambridge Audio may be a venerable name in hi-fi, but the company's HQ locale, opposite a council estate in South East London, proves to be quite a surprise when we rock up to the front door on Thursday morning. “Side door” might be a more accurate description: there's no reception, just a stairwell cluttered with employee's bikes. Are we in the right place?  Some of the brands run by Audio Partnership out of the company's London offices As we're greeted and ushered inside by marketing director Simon Hewitt, our fears are allayed – and it's not just Cambridge Audio working out of the building. Cambridge Audio is actually one of several brands owned by Audio Partnership, which distributes equipment through Richer Sounds. You might have heard of Mordaunt Short, for instance, or Opus Technologies, whose astounding in-ceiling speakers we reviewed last year (And, as it turns out, sell home control systems to crazy rich people in Dubai. You know Palm Island, that awful artificial peninsula that looks like a tree from space? All the houses on it have its kit pre-configured.) They're all here, and to our amazement, every single product they sell is designed and developed here, before being manufactured by a subsidiary in China and shipped to 55 different markets. After signing some rather stringent non-disclosure agreements (There's lots more we'd like to be able to tell you about, but can't yet), Hewitt and product manager Ben Beaumont take us up to the top floor of the offices, where 30 engineers are beavering away on all of Audio Partnership's new kit – around 65 products in total right now.  A typical desk on the engineering level at Audio Partnership Expecting white labs and sound proofed rooms? Guess again: everyone's working on regular L-shaped desks. Wires and printed circuit boards are scattered everywhere, with communal shelves in the middle of the room, almost as tall as a person, stuffed full of transistors and cables. It's also strangely quiet: no-one's testing out how anything sounds right now, anyway.  Shelves and shelves of spare parts provide engineers with all the equipment to craft brand new sound systems On the desk nearest us, an engineer is working on a new Cambridge Audio 650A amplifier, soldering in supports for USB playback, while another is working on integrating network streaming support. Further on, someone is testing HDMI connections. Of most interest to us however is the company's expanding design and software departments – it isn't enough for hi-fi kit to sound great anymore. It has to look the part, and work seamlessly too.  Software engineers work on upcoming audio gear Further down the open plan offices, more engineers are working on the code for the same platforms we saw being put together – and they're becoming ever more vital, as Audio Partnership relies more and more on bespoke code. In fact, the department has increased from one employee to nine in the space of just a few years. Technical director Matthew Bramble tells us that "software is becoming more and more of what we do. Everyone of these has got loads and loads of software."  Alex Edge works on the company's apps Also working out of this department, slaving away on a MacBook Pro, is the company's full time app developer, Alex Edge. He's responsible for Cambridge Audio's UuVol network streaming audio app for iPhone and iPad, and is working on a version for Android, likely to arrive at the end of the year with Google's Ice Cream Sandwich release. Edge is actually also the developer behind Twitcher, one of the most popular bird watching apps on the iPhone.  Some of the images designers are using for inspiration. They're not making a car, though, obviously.  A speaker being put together on PC - rendering programs are used to check everything fits before any mock-ups are made. Hewitt has saved the best until last however, as we enter the design department. Print outs of inspiration (curvaceous sports cars seem to be the order of the day) litter the desks. Rival products from the likes of Bowers & Wilkins and Sonos sit on the shelves as a reminder of the stiff competition they face. One designer is working on a 3D render for a new remote control, while more are working on a top secret product due out next year. The company clearly has lots of checks in place to make sure everything works as it should do, and that there are no obvious flaws – the team even use a program called KeyShot to simulate how much light from LEDs will seep out through the material of the buttons on a device. Designer Nick Brown says it's a collaborative effort, with the final designs whittled down from the hundreds of originals he comes up with.  A previous Cambridge Audio product, from 3D print to finished model  A 3D printer - not quite as high tech as you were expecting, is it? Mock ups are then made using the company's 3D printer, no bigger than an old-school photocopier and tucked away in a corner office, but to our surprise, the team makes use of a much more lo-fi solution in: cardboard cut outs. That's right: they print out flatpack designs and glue them together to see what they look like in the flesh. Sadly we were unable to take photos to show you, but it's as sticky-back-plastic-and-empty-yoghurt-pot as you can imagine. "The more the products move to the consumer area, the more looks are important," Bramble says. "We think about the design of these, the outside and the internals as well…can we do anything sexy, do the lights fade in, what do they look like?" Lift the top off any Cambridge Audio equipment, and you'll find PCB printed blue and embossed with the brand's logo, a flourish only a few will ever discover.  Cambridge Audio's demo room, with super shag carpeting. Mmmmm. Last stop on the tour is a demo room on the ground floor, furnished with leather sofa, free standing speakers and all the network kit you could care to buy. Thick shag carpet covers most of the floor to damp sound, but there's still a hint of echo: Beaumont tells us it's to better simulate a real life living room, with all the acoustics of clutter form fireplaces to shelving. Even so, the sound coming from the speakers is divine – and yet somehow, being pumped out of a mere iPad. Impressive stuff – and to think, it's the work of a few score people wielding soldering irons and Pritt Stick. Related posts:
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| Apple keyboards now include dedicated Launchpad and Mission Control keys, but still no backlighting Posted: 22 Jul 2011 07:09 AM PDT
Mission Control and Launchpad are the bread and butter of OS X Lion. For those that only sparingly took advantage of Spaces and Expose, Mission Control will unlock a new level of productivity. To make the jump to Lion as seamless as possible, Apple will update the F3 and F4 keys, replacing Expose and the Dashboard Widget keys with Mission Control and LaunchPad. It should be noted that within System Preferences in the Keyboard Shortcut section, one can easily assign a dedicated key for Launchpad. The downside, of course, is that assigning Lauchpad to F4 is not possible since that key was previously used by the Dashboard Widgets. So for now you're stuck using the next best key, F5. Now that the MacBook Air has been treated to backlit keys, how much longer until the Mac desktop line sees the same love? If the impact on battery life was minor, I'd pick one up in a heartbeat, how about you? Coming Soon | Apple | TBD Related posts:
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| Electricpig readers give BlackBerry a grilling over beer and PlayBooks! Posted: 22 Jul 2011 06:58 AM PDT
Moreover, congratulations to Gautam Vaidya of Wembley, who walked away with a brand new PlayBook and a selection of rather fetching accessories including a bright pink case (which he declared an ideal gift for his girlfriend). Whether she’ll ever get her hands on the PlayBook is another matter… Anyway, that’s enough back-slapping. Normal service will now be resumed. Keep checking the site for details of the next prize-laden VIP reader evening. Thinking of buying a PlayBook? Here’s some interesting stuff about it: Top 10 BlackBerry PlayBook accessories Inspired by Goldilocks and a surfboard: Design secrets behind the BlackBerry PlayBook Cupholders? This car’s got a built in PlayBook! Related posts:
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| New Apple iPod touch leaked: white, sexy and coming soon Posted: 22 Jul 2011 06:44 AM PDT
Every September Apple holds its annual iPod event. In 2010 that event included the second-generation Apple TV (ATV2) and now, in 2011, it may include a white iPod touch. The reason I say "may" instead of "will" is that 9to5Mac has been tipped the fifth generation iPod touch, scheduled for a 2012 release, will also be available in white and that it will share the same design as this year's model.
Based on that tidbit of knowledge, the leaked images of the white iPod touch casing could belong to either fourth or fifth generation products. How nice would a white iPod touch, white iPhone and white iPad be this year? It appears Apple is on track for an all white Christmas. Let us know what you think about the white iPod touch. Will this be another home run in Apple's storied career or will its release fail to generate significant demand? Coming Soon | Apple | TBD Related posts:
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| How the latest Google doodle responds to real world physics Posted: 22 Jul 2011 03:35 AM PDT
Using HTML5 Canvas, the image of the mobile moves when you click and drag the individual elements, simulating the momentum and interaction you’d get with the piece in a real life sculpture. Most impressively, if your laptop has an accelerometer inside, rocking your machine makes the image swing with it. There are conflicting reports on which browsers work with this Google doodle but we found both Firefox 5 and Chrome play along nicely. Check it out and notice how the shadow underneath the search box moves too! Out now | £free | Google Related posts:
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| Mac OS X Lion Flash flaws: Adobe admits Apple is not to blame Posted: 22 Jul 2011 03:08 AM PDT
As part of a long document detailing Adobe product issues following the Mac OS X Lion upgrade, Adobe originally seemed to blame Apple for the problems but it’s now changed its tune… The notes originally said: “Flash Player may cause higher CPU activity when playing a YouTube video. Possibly related to disabled hardware acceleration.” That suggested that Apple had changed settings and caused the problem. Adobe has now updated its guidance and the picture looks a little different:
Worryingly the wording used by Adobe there suggests it put Flash through its paces on just one version of Mac OS X Lion despite developer previews having been available since February. Other Adobe software listed as having a hard time with Mac OS X Lion includes Acrobat, Adobe Drive, Contribute, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash Builder, Flash Catalyst, Illustrator, Lightroom, LiveCycle, Photoshop and Premiere Pro. Have you been frustrated by Flash while using Mac OS X Lion? Let us know in the comments. Out now | £free | Adobe Related posts:
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| Nokia Oro review: Pricey, not classy Posted: 22 Jul 2011 02:59 AM PDT The Nokia Oro isn’t intended for the likes of you or I, it’s a play-thing for the cash-rich, for those who like the idea of owning a smartphone but only if it’s dripping in gold and jewels. Costing twice the price of a Nokia C7, on which it’s based, is this smartphone a ‘bad boy’ or just ‘bad taste’? Find out with our Nokia Oro smartphone review.
The Nokia Oro is subtle in the same way that Lady Gaga is understated. The box it ships in kind of reminds us of that giant egg Gaga presented herself in a short while back, it that it's all theatre, all about making an entrance. Okay, so the box isn't egg-shaped but the gold and black design and attention to detail makes the same impact, peel back the layers and you’re presented with a glorified Nokia C7 and a matching white and gold-plated Bluetooth headset.
There are two versions of the Nokia Oro available, Dark and Light Editions, of which we were sent the latter to check out. Nokia has taken the basic mid-level Nokia C7 and instead of upping the tech-spec, it’s decided that a makeover is in order. So we get 18-carat gold plating on the bezel, camera housing and function buttons, with a sapphire on the Menu button and the leather from some exclusive Scottish cow on the back plate. Lil Jon would be all over this. All about body imageAll this extra trim makes it slightly fatter than the original version (132g compared to 130g) but the Nokia Oro is still nice and slim and feels pretty good in the hand. The leather back cover we may not visually like but it but does mean the Oro doesn't slip in your hands, a failing the Nokia N8 and Nokia E7 have both suffered from of late.
The 3.5-inch AMOLED screen has the standard 360 x 640-pixel resolution and images look bright and clear. There is a screenlock on the side, gold-plated of course, or you can simply press the Sapphire pimped Menu button and then press the onscreen Unlock icon. To remind you you’re using an exclusive phone, there is a special Light Gold theme pack installed that changes the icons to a uniform gold colour, which we like. Such a pity then that any apps you install are still in colour, which spoils the effect Nokia is clearly trying to get over. Symbian Anna
Nokia has been slow to get with smartphone program and while Windows Phone is coming down the line later this year, for now we have to contend with the same old Symbian platform. Things are slightly better, as the latest Symbian Anna update comes preloaded on the Nokia Oro. The phone feels faster and slicker than the original Nokia C7, for example, but it’s still nowhere near matching the latest Android phones, or iOS. While the UI feels more stable and obvious than before (though the baffling array of settings for Wi-Fi, rather than On/Off, will leave most of the Russian popstars likely to buy this phone scratching their heads), we’re still left with the same under-pinning OS, which is clunky and out-dated and clearly seems to be on its last legs. Of the new features, the web browser is the most impressive, as it actually means you can search and surf without throwing the phone away in frustration and blemishing that “veautiful” finish. Then there’s the Pportrait QWERTY onscreen keyboard, which works well enough, but reminds you that it should have been there from the start! Feature set
When it comes to features, you'll find Nokia plays for the mainstream market. The 8-megapixel camera is fairly standard these days and being EDoF based delivers decent snaps, once you get used to the rather awkward fixed lens nature of it all, and the inability to nab decent macro shots. Multimedia aspects of the Nokia Oro seem to be pretty much what you'd expect: they work well once you've got them loaded but with too many taps needed to pull up your music or videos in the first place, if feels like a chore. Like the Nokia C7, you'll also find NFC built-in, which hasn't really gone mainstream enough for people owning the Oro to consider using. Plus if you can afford this phone, you can probably have asssistans buy stuff for you anyway. On top of this you have WiFi, HSDPA and Bluetooth, so connectivity and staying in touch is well catered for. VerdictIf you're looking for something technologically advanced you can buy two Nokia N8s for the price of the Nokia Oro but that's not what this smartphone is about. It's aimed at people who don't see the price tag, just the lifestyle and while taste is a fickle beast it may sell well on looks alone. Related posts:
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