Techubbub

Sunday, 16 September 2012

Amazon launches new Kindle Fire HD tablets

Last week at an event in California Amazon has unveiled three new Kindle tablets, a new version of the current tablet and the Kindle Fire HD in two screen sizes, 7in (17.8cm) or 8.9in (22.6cm).

The upgraded version of the existing device is faster and has a longer battery; and it will cost £129.

The Fire HD models run a modified version of Google's Android operating system and they are powered by a processor made by Texas; They feature two Wi-Fi antennas, stereo speakers, Bluetooth connectivity, an HDMI port, a laminated touchscreen, MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) radio wave technology, an 11-hour battery life, a camera, new gaming tools and 16 gigabytes of storage. There will also be a 32GB version of the 8.9in HD device with 4G connectivity. The 7in Kindle Fire HD will cost £159 in the UK while the 8.9in Kindle Fire HD will be available in November. DNP9FQ5JWVYB

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said: "Not only does Kindle Fire HD feature the most advanced hardware, it's also a service.”

Bezos also announced the Kindle Paperwhite e-reader which will be thinner than the Kindle Touch. It will have 62% more pixels, a higher resolution screen, Backlit e-ink and eight weeks of battery life.

Bezos said “It will have a touchscreen and be lit with a fiber-optic lighting system that has been in development for four years “

Paperwhite will be released in October in the US.

Wednesday, 12 September 2012

Apple unveils new iPhone 5

Apple today at an event in San Francisco unveiled the new iPhone 5 which is 18% thinner and 20% lighter than the iPhone 4S and made of glass and aluminium. It has a larger 4-inch screen which allows users to see five rows of apps.

The new iPhone 5 will run IOS 6 operating system and features a faster processor called the A6, an 8MP camera which has a better low-light performance and faster image captures, a new "Lightning" connector which is 80% smaller than the old 30-pin dock connector and 4G LTE connection. It also includes a full-screen version of the Safari web browser and an improved version of the Siri voice-control system.

Vice president of marketing Phil Schiller said: "iPhone 5 is the best phone we've ever made."

iPhone5 will be available on September 21 in the United States.

Saturday, 1 September 2012

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 launched at IFA 2012

Samsung this week at IFA (one of the world's largest consumer electronic event) in Berlin has unveiled the new Samsung Galaxy Note 2 “phablet”, a hybrid between a phone and tablet.

The new Samsung device runs on Google's latest Android operating system Jelly Bean and features a 5.5-inch screen, an 8MP camera on the rear with an LED flash and a 1.9MP camera on the front with HD video recording, 2 GB RAM memory, a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor, WI-FI, HSPA+ and 4G LTE connectivity, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0 and a 3,100mAh battery. Also it includes the S Pen stylus which is thicker and uses a new Air View feature.

“Last year at IFA, we launched the Galaxy Note, which opened a new category of smart mobile devices. This year, again at IFA, we are delighted to introduce the Galaxy Note II, which will encourage users to unleash their creativity.” Said Simon Stanford, Vice President of Telecommunications and Networks, Samsung UK and Ireland.

It will be available in Marble White or Titanium Gray colour, the release date is set as October in the UK.

Thursday, 23 August 2012

Facebook sued for stealing Timeline idea

The Chinese company Cubic Network claims Facebook has stolen its Timeline feature which allows people to tell the story of their lives in chronological order. The Chinese start-up founded four years ago claims they launched the same layout in 2008 and is suing Facebook for potential patent infringement. Mark Zuckerberg is believed to have attended a talk about the Timeline feature held by Xiong Wanli, the founder of Cubic Network at Stanford University.

Facebook unveiled its own Timeline feature in 2011, three years after Cubic Networks, at F8, the social network’s annual developer’s conference. Zuckerberg said at the conference: “Millions of people curate stories of their lives on Facebook every day and have no way to share them once they fall off your profile page; we have been working on Timeline all year; it’s the story of your life and completely new way to express yourself.”

Timeline has just been made mandatory in the UK, some users are not happy with the forced change due to the radical departure from the previous layout and the way members show their personal information.

Saturday, 4 August 2012

TshirtOS: the world's first programmable T-shirt

Whiskey maker Ballantine’s and the London-based clothing company CuteCurcuit have developed “TshirtOS”, the world's first wearable, washable and programmable T-shirt which could announce a new era of wearable digital technology.

This prototype features a 1000 RGB LED screen, a USB port, two headphone sockets, an accelerometer, a built-in camera which according to its makers will be the smallest in the world, measuring 2.5 by 2.9 by 2.5 millimetres; and Bluetooth that allows TshirtOS to connect to your Smartphone to share Twitter and Facebook updates as well as Instagram pictures. Also it will be able to play music and videos.

Peter Moore, global brand director said “The T-shirt is the original canvas of self-expression. Whether you wore the Smiley Face, Che Guevara or Frankie Says Relax, your favourite T-shirt tells the world something about you. Ballantine’s has taken that thought and made it bigger.”

Wednesday, 1 August 2012

Kuratas: the world's first giant boardable robot

The boardable robots era has come; the Japanese company Suidobashi Heavy Industry on Sunday in Tokyo at the Wonder Festival unveiled a 13ft combat robot called “Kuratas” which can be controlled from inside as well as remotely via 3G. Engineers Wataru Yoshizaki and Kogoro Kurata have been working on the robot since 2010, the company also released a video where the pilot Anna gives step by step instructions of how to operate the Kuratas.

Kuratas has 30 hydraulic joints which can be moved by the pilot using Motion Sensor technology, the diesel-powered robot weighs 4.5 tonnes and includes two humanoid arms and four wheeled legs, and it can run at a top speed of 10 km/h.

Kuratas is inspired by Japanese comic book “mecha”, it features a "shot-proof" armour and a futuristic weapons system which includes two gatling guns capable of shooting 6,000 BB bullets a minute, which fire when the pilot smiles; Suidobashi call this "the smile shot", and a Lohas launcher, a rocket launcher that fires water plastic bottles.

The rumoured price tag is $1 million (£637,000).

Friday, 27 July 2012

Apple releases latest version of its Mac operating system

Apple on Wednesday has released OS X Mountain Lion, the latest version of its operating system for Mac computers, which includes features already implemented on its mobile devices.

The operating system introduces iCloud internet storage service which allows users to connect their emails, contacts and calendars across several computers, iPhones and iPads. Another important feature is iMessage which enables users to send messages, photos, videos and documents to anyone on an Apple device running iOS 5, too.

Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing said "People are going to love the new features in Mountain Lion and how easy it is to download and install from the Mac App Store."

Among other features the new software allows users to share information on Twitter through an app available on the Mac App Store. It also includes a notification centre which collects user activities such as an email, a message, a software update, a calendar alert and makes it accessible in one spot.

Mountain Lion is available to download from the Mac App Store and will cost £13.99.