Blog World Four o'clock Blog

Italian coast guard says 2 bodies found aboard stricken cruise ship; toll now at 5

2012-01-15T09:37:00.000-08:00

Italian coast guard says 2 bodies found aboard stricken cruise ship; toll now at 5

GIGLIO, Italy — Coast guard divers searching the submerged part of the Costa Concordia on Sunday found the bodies of two elderly men still in their life jackets, authorities said, raising to five the death toll after the luxury cruise liner ran aground and tipped over off the Tuscan coast.

Divers scouring the bowels of the ship in the murky, cold sea discovered the bodies at the emergency gathering point near the restaurant where passengers were dining when the ship carrying more than 4,200 people hit a reef or rock near the island of Giglio, Coast Guard Cmdr. Cosimo Nicastro said.

Loading...
Comments
Weigh InCorrections?
Video

Two survivors of a cruise ship grounding have been found inside the ship nearly a day after it rolled onto its side. They have been identified as a South Korean couple on their honeymoon. (Jan. 15)
Video

Survivors from a luxury cruise ship that ran aground and tipped over, leaving at least three dead and 69 people still unaccounted for, described the event as a chaotic evacuation. (Jan. 14)
The discovery reduced to 15 the number of people still unaccounted for after an Italian who worked in cabin service was pulled from the wreckage Sunday and a South Korean couple on their honeymoon were rescued late Saturday in the unsubmerged part of the liner when a team of rescuers heard their screams.

“We are still searching” for any bodies, “but (also) in the hope that there might have been an air pocket” to allow the survival of others, Nicastro told Sky TG24 TV dockside.

Authorities are holding the Italian captain for investigation of suspected manslaughter and abandoning his ship among other possible charges. According to the Italian navigation code, a captain who abandons a ship in danger can face up to 12 years in prison.

The ship’s chaotic and panicked evacuation has added to the difficulty in tracking down survivors — with six of those unaccounted for crew members and the others passengers. Two of the unaccounted for passengers are American, the U.S. Embassy in Rome said.

In the first hours after the accident late Friday night, three bodies were found in the waters near the ship. The victims discovered Sunday were two elderly men who were wearing life vests, said Coast Guard Cmdr. Francesco Paolillo.

“The divers had to remove the life vests to get the bodies out,” he said, because they could have floated away. Their nationalities were not immediately released.

The divers’ search through the ship, which is lying on its side with a huge gash, was already dangerous because of the risk the vessel could suddenly move and sink into waters over a nearby lower sea bed.

Their safety was increasingly threatened by floating objects in the belly of the 290-meter (nearly 1,000) foot long liner, as well as muck drastically reducing visibility, Nicastro said.

“There are tents, mattresses, other objects moving which can get tangled in the divers’ equipment,” Nicastro said. Officials were going to huddle soon to see how long the underwater search could safely continue, he said.

Divers say they are using a kind of long cord they hook near the point of entrance and unroll as they work, so they can find their way out when finished.

Prosecutor Francesco Verusio confirmed reports that prosecutors are investigating allegations the cruise liner’s captain, Francesco Schettino, abandoned the stricken liner before all the passengers had escaped.

Asked Sunday by Sky TG24 about the accusations, Grosseto prosecutor Francesco Verusio replied, “unfortunately, I must confirm that circumstance.

Can I customise a Kindle? Is it possible to change something I don't like about my Kindle?

2012-01-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

Can I customise a Kindle? Is it possible to change something I don't like about my Kindle?

Can I customise a Kindle? Is it possible to change something I don't like about my Kindle?

I really love my Kindle e-reader, but I have one small niggle. I wonder if there is any way of changing the pictures that appear when it is switched off? They are very repetitive and I do not care for some of the authors and images displayed. Preferably I would like to substitute some pictures of my own, as I can with the desktop and screensaver on my PC. Can this be done?
Margaret Keith, by email
Yes it can, and it is called Jailbreaking, but I should warn you that it’s not an authorised procedure and there is a risk, albeit a very small one, that you could lose your downloaded books or if you really muck it up, even damage the device. It involves downloading a couple of pieces of hacking software to your PC. The first one carries out the Jailbreak, the second one creates an accessible screensavers folder into which you load your pictures. Don’t worry, your old screensavers are automatically saved and you can still use the ones that you like. The two programs have to be installed and run on the Kindle in sequence, so you need know how to connect it to your computer by USB cable and copy and paste files. Ready made Kindle screensavers are available but if you want to use your own images you’ll need a suitable picture editing program on your PC to convert them to the correct format, which is 600 x 800 pixel, 8-bit greyscale and saved in .png format. As you can see it’s not for absolute beginners. That said, if you follow the instructions carefully it is not too difficult and there are plenty of tutorials on the web. I would start with the one by How-To Geek, which includes links to the necessary files for all Kindles up to version 3.2. As far as I’m aware there is as yet no Jailbreak for the new Kindle 4, but someone is bound to be working on it.

Can I customise a Kindle? Is it possible to change something I don't like about my Kindle?

Angry mob pelts eggs at Apple store in China over iPhone 4S release An angry crowd shouted and threw eggs at Apple's Beijing flagship store after it failed to open on schedule on Friday to sell the popular new iPhone 4S model

2012-01-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

Angry mob pelts eggs at Apple store in China over iPhone 4S release An angry crowd shouted and threw eggs at Apple's Beijing flagship store after it failed to open on schedule on Friday to sell the popular new iPhone 4S model

Hundreds of people waited overnight in freezing weather for the sale at the Apple store in the Chinese capital's Sanlitun district. Some said they were paid to wait by merchants who planned to resell the popular phones.
The crowd erupted in anger after the shop failed to open on schedule at 7am. Some people threw eggs and shouted at employees through the shop windows.
Police cleared the area and employees later posted a sign in the window saying the iPhone 4S was out of stock. The area was sealed off with police tape at midmorning.
Apple spokespeople in Beijing and at the company's California headquarters did not respond to phone and email messages.
Apple's iPhones are hugely popular in China and stores are mobbed for the release of new models, which can be resold for large markups.
Last May, the Sanlitun store was closed for several hours after a scuffle between an employee and a customer during the release of the iPhone 4.
"On the one hand there is poor organisation and on the other there were just too many people," said a man waiting Friday outside the Sanlitun store, who would give only his surname, Miao. "I don't think they prepared well enough."
Apple's other major outlet in Beijing in the Xidan district on the west side opened on schedule and the iPhone 4S was sold out by 10.30am, according to an employee who answered the phone there. She refused to give her name or any other details.

Nave affondata, trovati due coreani Ma all'appello mancano 38 persone

2012-01-14T22:40:00.001-08:00

Nave affondata, trovati due coreani Ma all'appello mancano 38 persone

La coppia, in viaggio di nozze,
è rimasta chiusa nella stanza
per più di 24 ore. I soccorritori continuano a perlustrare le stanze in cerca di altre persone.
Arrestato il comandante: è accusato di naufragio, omicidio colposo e abbandono della nave.
Proseguono le indagini per capire
le dinamiche dell'incidente
PORTO SANTO STEFANO (GROSSETO)
Sono arrivati a terra all’isola del Giglio i passeggeri ritrovati vivi nella notte a bordo della Costa Concordia incagliata, all’interno di una cabina. Sono due coreani di 29 anni, un uomo e una donna, in viaggio di nozze. I due stanno bene e sono scesi a piedi dall’imbarcazione dei vigili del fuoco. Sono stati portati via in ambulanza per essere sottoposti a controlli.

Per estrarli è stata necessaria un’ora e mezza di lavoro. I loro nomi sono Hye Jim Jeong e Kideok Han, entrambi dell’83. Quando sono scesi all’isola del Giglio dopo il salvataggio avevano i volti provati, ma erano tranquilli. Il vigile del fuoco Fabio Bargagna, capo della squadra speleo-alpino-fluviale (Saf) che li ha tirati fuori, racconta così le fasi del salvataggio: «Abbiamo perlustrato la nave, iniziando dal ponte 6, controllando cabina per cabina. Arrivati a poppa, abbiamo chiamato, con la speranza che qualcuno ai piani inferiori ci rispondesse. E così è stato». I due coreani erano erano nella cabina 303 all’ottavo ponte e sono rimasti sempre chiusi lì dal momento del naufragio. «Sentivamo i vostri rumori - hanno raccontati ai soccorritori - ma non siamo riusciti a farci sentire. Poi finalmente ci avete trovato». Ai vigili del fuoco i due sposini hanno anche detto di non nè visto nè sentito altre persone intorno a loro in queste 24 ore.

La giornata
Dopo 24 ore passate tra paura e conta dei dispersi (ancora 38), in serata arriva la svolta: il comandante della nave Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino, 52 anni, campano, viene fermato e portato in carcere. Tra le accuse contestate, oltre a naufragio e omicidio colposo plurimo, anche l’abbandono della nave naufragata a 50 metri dall’isola del Giglio, mentre c’erano ancora molti passeggeri da trarre in salvo. Secondo quanto risulta agli inquirenti, avrebbe lasciato la nave attorno a mezzanotte a mezza. È il procuratore capo di Grosseto, Francesco Verusio, che ha passato il pomeriggio nella caserma dei carabinieri di Orbetello a interrogare quanti tra i membri dell’equipaggio potevano aiutare a ricostruire l’accaduto, a confermare il fermo di Schettino e a spiegare che è indagato, per gli stessi reati, anche il primo ufficiale in plancia.

Quanto alla dinamica dell’incidente, secondo il magistrato, il comandante «si è avvicinato molto maldestramente al Giglio, la nave ha preso uno scoglio che si è incastrato sul fianco sinistro, facendola inclinare ed imbarcare tantissima acqua nel giro di due, tre minuti». Ai comandi «c’era Schettino», ed è stato lui «ad ordinare la rotta: questo è quanto ci risulta. È stata una manovra voluta». Al vaglio degli inquirenti anche il fatto che il passaggio molto vicino all’isola del Giglio sia stato deciso per far «salutare» ai croceristi i paesi dell’isola illuminati nel buio. Un’ipotesi questa fatta anche dal sindaco del Giglio Sergio Ortelli: la rotta delle navi che da Civitavecchia «risalgono» verso la Liguria, come la Costa Concordia, è a circa 2-3 miglia dall’isola. Accade anche che «molte navi passano dal Giglio a salutare con un fischio di sirena gli abitanti. Ma questa volta è andata male». Sempre secondo quanto spiegato, l’impatto sullo scoglio è avvenuto alle 21.45 di ieri «ma - aggiunge il procuratore - non è stata avvertita subito la capitaneria». «Il mio assistito - commenta l’avvocato di Schettino, Bruno Leporatti - comprende le ragioni del fermo ma come suo difensore vorrei dire che diverse centinaia di persone devono la vita alla perizia che il comandante della Costa Concordia ha manifestato nell’emergenza». Leporatti era con il suo assistito quando è stato notificato il provvedimento di fermo al comandante, che non è stato sentito dai magistrati. Intanto la nave è stata posta sotto sequestro dalla magistratura così come la ’scatola nerà, ovvero la registrazione di quanto avvenuto in plancia durante la navigazione. Acquisiti anche i tracciati della rotta. E proprio la rotta seguita dalla nave e su quale scoglio sia andata a sbattere sono tra le questioni al centro degli accertamenti.

Prima di essere fermato il comandante Schettino aveva riferito: «Mentre navigavamo ad andatura turistica abbiamo impattato uno sperone di roccia che non era segnalato. Secondo la carta nautica, doveva esserci acqua a sufficienza sotto di noi». Attorno al Giglio ci sono delle isolette, come ’Le scolè, che si trovano a 500 metri dal Giglio e sulle quali si è ipotizzato possa essere finita la nave, tutte però, secondo un’abitante dell’isola, «ben segnalate sulle mappe. Chi va per mare questo lo sa». Quanto alla rotta nel corso della giornata si era parlato di «rotta sbagliata: la nave non doveva trovarsi nel punto dove ha impattato lo scoglio», da chiarire il perchè, e successivamente di impatto avvenuto a qualche miglia dal Giglio dove poi la nave si è diretta, dopo aver cambiato rotta. Sulla vicinanza della nave all’isola il dg della compagnia marittima Gianni Onorato, che ha assicurato massima collaborazione con le autorità, ha specificato: «Non è corretto dire che la nave era fuori rotta. È stato un evento imprevedibile aggravato da una non prevedibile inclinazione della nave». Quella penale non è l’unica indagine aperta sulla tragedia: è stata avviata anche un’inchiesta amministrativa, da parte del ministero dei trasporti.

Apple halts iPhone 4S sales in its China shops

2012-01-14T10:05:00.000-08:00

Apple halts iPhone 4S sales in its China shops

Apple’s strategy of fanning Chinese consumers’ desire for its products backfired as a riot at its flagship store in Beijing prompted police action.
The company stopped sales of the iPhone 4S in its shops in China on Friday and the Apple store in the Sanlitun district in central Beijing stayed closed after a crowd waiting to buy the model on its launch in the country pelted the shop with eggs and started fighting with security guards.
More

Apple halts iPhone 4S sales in its China shops

ON THIS STORY
Apple identifies suppliers for first time
Analysis Tablets vie for iPad’s crown
Record 1.2bn app downloads over Christmas
Week in review Apple seeks renewal
Apple in race to keep ahead in 2012
ON THIS TOPIC
‘Wintel’ aims for grip on portable PCs
Bring-your-own-device projects cut costs
Lex Netbooks
Daniel Thomas Apple outsmarts opposition in mobile wars
IN TECHNOLOGY
XP Power’s shares fall after revenues shrink
SAP bucks pessimism with record results
CES 2012 Gadget feast in age of austerity
Phishing pays off for email security providers
Many people had been queueing all night in freezing temperatures outside the shop in an upscale shopping mall. But at sunrise, a guard told them sales would not start after all.
“Stores in China have already sold out,” said Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu. “Unfortunately, we were unable to open our store at Sanlitun [in Beijing] due to the large crowd, and to ensure the safety of our customers and employees, [iPhone 4Ss] will not be available in our retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being.”
Customers can still order the devices from Apple’s online store and through China Unicom, the country’s second-largest mobile operator and the only official channel through which Chinese consumers can buy the iPhone 4S apart from Apple itself.
Chinese consumers have proved as eager for Apple’s gadgets as their counterparts in most Western markets. Apple accounted for 10.4 per cent of China’s rapidly growing smartphone market with 5.6m iPhones sold in the first nine months of 2011, according to Gartner, the research firm.
But sentiment against foreign brands can turn sour very quickly in China. Hundreds of protesters besieged a Porsche store in Shenzhen earlier this month after a customer said the foreign company had insulted him. Some internet users criticised Apple on Friday for making its Chinese customers “freeze and hunger”.
Apple has moved much more slowly than other multinational brands to build a distribution and retail network in this market and launches most of its products in China several months after they go to market in the US. It has lost control over much of how iPhones, iPads and other popular gadgets are marketed here.
Through a vast grey market, fed by parallel imports, the products are normally available in China immediately after their US launch. Upon the official China launch, most iPhones and iPads are snapped up by black marketeers, who resell them with a hefty mark-up.
It was such people who turned violent on Friday morning, said witnesses. A middle-aged woman was still arguing with the guards at noon, saying she needed to “deliver the merchandise”.
The launch of Apple’s iPad 2 tablet computer triggered similar violence in May last year. Back then, the same Sanlitun store saw a fight between queueing customers and security staff, which left four people injured and a glass pane smashed.
Apple’s sales in China have grown at a rapid rate during the past few years, jumping more than fourfold to $12.5bn, including Hong Kong, in the year ended September 24.
Despite the surge, China accounts for just 12 per cent of the company’s total sales, with the US making up 39 per cent.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2012. You may share using our article tools.
Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.

Apple halts iPhone 4S sales in its China shops

IBM claims to have cracked Moore’s Law

2012-01-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

IBM claims to have cracked Moore’s Law

Tech news from around the web:
IBM claim that they have finally broken one of the most frustrating trends in computing history – that the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years, known as Moore’s Law – by creating a memory bit about 100 times more dense than current memory systems.
IBM claims to have cracked Moore’s Law
The technology company said that it had managed to reduce the number of atoms needed to store information from 1 million down to just 12, as part of a five-year project.
They did this by using an antiferromagnetic, instead of a ferromagnetic, structure – in other words switching the atoms in the structure from pointing towards each other (like in a fridge magnet) to pointing away from each other. This allows for less interference, which is important when storing data in 12-atom blocks.
“Looking at this conservatively … instead of 1TB on a device you’d have 100TB to 150TB. Instead of being able to store all your songs on a drive, you’d be able to have all your videos on the device,” said Andreas Heinrich, IBM research staff member and lead investigator on this project.
The discovery may take between 5 to 10 years to turn from a theoretical discovery into a practical technology for use in machines.
IBM claims to have cracked Moore’s Law
“You want to build this cheaply for a mass environment, and that’s a huge engineering challenge,” Mr Heinrich added.
More news:
Google announces Ice Cream Sandwich style guide – CNET
One in three US airplanes are drones: report – Daily Tech
Dish to close more Blockbuster stores than anticipated – Engadget
Cricket broadcaster in unique approach to catch streaming pirates – GigaOM

IBM claims to have cracked Moore’s Law

Firebug Release Notes

2012-01-10T17:32:00.000-08:00

to red more:
http://getfirebug.com/firstrun#Firebug%201.9.0
Firebug Release Notes

Firebug 1.9.0
6 January 2012 | 7:28 pm
Firebug Working Group (FWG) is proud to announce the final Firebug 1.9 release! Firebug 1.9 has been uploaded to AMO (but it can take some time to go through caches). Compatibility Firefox 4.0 with Firebug 1.7.3 Firefox 5.0 – 11.0 with Firebug 1.9 Firefox 12.0 (nightly) with Firebug 1.10 alpha Firebug 1.10 alpha 1 will [...]
Firebug 1.9b5
23 December 2011 | 1:35 pm
Firebug 1.9b5 has been released (compatible with Firefox 5-12). Firebug 1.9b5 fixes 11 issues. A problem with HTML edit (issue 5058) is fixed in this release. This should be the last Firebug 1.9 beta. In case there are no critical problems or blockers found, we’ll release Firebug 1.9 final in January. Happy firebugging! Post feedback [...]
Firebug 1.9b4
16 December 2011 | 3:18 pm
Firebug 1.9b4 has been released (compatible with Firefox 5-11.0a1). Firebug 1.9b4 fixes 8 issues. Among other things, we fixed couple of bugs (issue 3009 and issue 1189) in the Style side-panel (the one within the HTML panel) and we are keen to get a feedback so, don’t hesitate to create a report if you run [...]
Firebug 1.9b3
2 December 2011 | 2:32 pm
Firebug 1.9b3 has been released (compatible with Firefox 5-11.0a1). See AMO archive for all Firebug final and beta releases. Firebug 1.9b3 fixes 10 issues. Try it out and let us know how it works for you! We are also still hard working on reducing amount of memory Firebug needs and we appreciate any specific test [...]
Firebug 1.9b2
25 November 2011 | 5:50 pm
Firebug 1.9b2 has been released. At this point (beta phase) we are focusing mainly on: Stability and regression bugs Memory Leaks Let us know if Firebug causes higher memory consumption. Several leaks have been already fixed and so, we expect improvement in this area! We would also like to encourage all Firebug users to download [...]
Firebug 1.9b1
11 November 2011 | 4:08 pm
getfirebug.com has Firebug 1.9b1 Also uploaded on AMO beta channel. Firebug 1.9b1 fixes 11 issues. We have started a beta phase for Firebug 1.9 since we think that this branch is in good shape and much better than 1.8. We also hope to get more feedback from beta testers! If you are a Firebug extension [...]
Firebug 1.8.4
4 November 2011 | 2:38 pm
getfirebug.com has Firebug 1.8.4. This release has been also uploaded on AMO (it can take some time to pass the review process). Firebug 1.8.4 is just a quick compatibility update. This version is compatible with Firefox 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 Beta channel on AMO is also updated (1.8.4b1 is the same as 1.8.4). [...]
Firebug 1.9a5
28 October 2011 | 1:34 pm
getfirebug.com has Firebug 1.9a5 Firebug 1.9a5 is compatible with Firefox 5 – Firefox 10 (nightly). There is one bug in Firefox that prevents using Firebug’s debugger on Aurora. It’s already fixed in Firefox Nightly and currently being ported to Aurora. Update: Fix for the bug has been ported to Aurora. Firebug 1.9a5 fixes 6 issues. [...]
Firebug 1.9a4
21 October 2011 | 3:19 pm
getfirebug.com has Firebug 1.9a4 Firebug 1.9a4 is compatible with Firefox 5 – Firefox 10 (nightly). Firebug 1.9a4 fixes 25 issues. Some highlights from this release. Resend a HTTP request (issue 2225). This feature allows resending any HTTP request. Just right click on an entry in the Net panel and pick Resend. Tooltip for a conditional [...]
Firebug 1.9a3
23 September 2011 | 6:13 pm
getfirebug.com has Firebug 1.9a3! Firebug 1.9a3 is compatible with Firefox 5 – Firefox 9 (nightly). Firebug 1.9a3 fixes 16 issues. Some highlights from this release. Autocompletion in Firebug Command line has been improved (issue 3622 and issue 4803) Vertical position (line number) is preserved across page reloads (issue 1413) Also, Firebug Working Group has a [...]

Converge Docking Station For IPad And IPhone Quirky Converge Docking Station for USB charging devices

2012-01-10T16:25:00.000-08:00

Converge Docking Station For IPad And IPhone Quirky Converge Docking Station for USB charging devices

Converge docking system for Apple iPad and iPhone is designed not only to keep devices in position but also to manage the charging cables. Its "Stash" cable management makes it easy to stow wires and it keeps the wires out of sight. BUY it here | $39.99

Converge Docking Station For IPad And IPhone Quirky Converge Docking Station for USB charging devices

Converge Docking Station For IPad And IPhone Quirky Converge Docking Station for USB charging devices

Converge Docking Station For IPad And IPhone Quirky Converge Docking Station for USB charging devices

Converge Docking Station For IPad And IPhone Quirky Converge Docking Station for USB charging devices

This review is from: Quirky Converge Docking Station for USB charging devices (Personal Computers)
I found the converge on a random tech website that rants about new trends, and I can definitely see the converge taking off as something everyone has at home. Here's a breakdown of the pros and cons I found while using it (about 3 weeks at the time of writing this)

video review: [...]
pros:

sturdy as hell:
I've sat on this thing by accident and it still works without any problems. It supports my ipad without so much as a creak from the support.

beautiful:
kudos to the designer. The glossy finish and glowing led have a very apple-esque feel to it

charges:
pretty important for these kind of products to actually do what they promise, and the converge does not fall short here. There is pretty much no difference between charging the devices individually and charging them on the converge.

all my cords are gone:
Interestingly enough, the converge provides a little patch of space in its "s" shaped design that can hide away cords very nicely

BIG:
it's a lot bigger than the pictures show. I can easily fit an ipad, HTC Desire HD and 2 ipods on here at once without a problem

cons:

a tad pricey:
I bought it for the original $59.99, so I guess seeing them knocking $20 (33%) off the price is pretty great, but it does mean the original buyers lose out a little. Oh well, can't complain.

only has US adaptor (at least when I bought them):
I live outside the US and though i can use my own adaptor, it does make it a bit clunky and less portable than i would like

iPhone Apps : Is Foursquare toast? - What Went Wrong & What They Should Do Next

2012-01-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

iPhone Apps : Is Foursquare toast? - What Went Wrong & What They Should Do Next

iPhone Apps : Is Foursquare toast? - What Went Wrong & What They Should Do Next

A pioneer in the red-hot field of location, Foursquare's smart little location-based gaming app caught everyone's attention last year and got geeks all hot and bothered. The technorati were scrabbling to check in to their local supermarket in ever-escalating battles to become mayor of their branch of Tescos.

Foursquare married a cool new technology - GPS-locators on phones with a fun social gaming aspect. A year ago it was everyone's hot tech tip, but over the past 6 months Foursquare seems to have lost its mojo.

I think we can pinpoint four reasons....

WHAT'S GONE WRONG?

ONE: Facebook
Three months ago Facebook introduced its Places function, copied Foursquare's format and "check-in" idea and opened it up to all users of their iPhone app. It's now on Blackberry too and should be arriving on Android anytime now. Commenters read it as a death blow to Foursquare. Even Google struggles to compete with Facebook and it's almost impossible for small start-up to do so.

Sure there isn't the gaming element in Facebook Places, but the huge membership of Facebook means that almost anything they do is bound to be a success.

There's not much Foursquare can do about that. Facebook recognised a good idea when they saw one and copied it. I guess Foursquare should start looking for ways to distinguish themselves from Facebook Places and doing things that Facebook can't do, before they lose their fanbase.

TWO: Gaming is not Enough
The check-in system in Foursquare is cute, and the gaming element where you get badges according to the number of check-ins is fun for a while. But I found at least that it just wasn't sticky enough. When designing an app for adults you need something more incentivising than a "virtual badge" or a competition to be mayor of a place. Once you've checked into Tescos 254 times, you start to wonder why you should keep doing it ad infinitum. The gaming just isn't sticky enough - people play games for a month or two, but they will come back to Facebook day after day for years.

THREE: Failure to get brands on board
Giving FourSquarers freebies and deals was a great idea for rewarding users and getting them checking in time after time. It could have reboosted interest just as people got tired of collecting badges. The problem is that Foursquare just didn't push this hard enough or fast enough. Gestures were made by Foursquare towards getting brands and shops on board. Some deals were cut - Mayors of Starbucks outlets got free lattes - but there needed to be more deals and better deals. Foursquare should have been doing something like Groupon - striking some hard bargains with shops and getting eye-catching deals for their users. The vouchers or freebies on offer aren't yet a compelling reason to use Foursquare.
FOUR: Foursquare just didn't get Social quite right
I felt Foursquare never quite hit the mark with the social thing. You could add people as friends.. and get tips and push notifications from them if you were in the same area, but the main interaction with other people was engaging in competitive check-in battles for mayoral supremacy. Sure it appealed to some people, but compared to all the creative interaction and feedback you get on Twitter and Facebook, it just felt a little flat.

iPhone Apps : Is Foursquare toast? - What Went Wrong & What They Should Do Next

Also.. where Facebook tends to reinforce and strengthen real world socialising (you get invited to events there, then memorialise the events after with photos and videos), Foursquare seemed to get in the way of it. See posts like Why Foursquare makes You Sad for one man's complaint about how checking in on Foursquare got in the way of greeting friends and wound up being really anti-social.

Foursquare is halfway between being closed like Facebook and being an open discovery network like Twitter. Facebook are almost flawless with their social intuition and understanding of how people behave, and in comparision Foursquare seemed a little clumsy.

If these things improve - Foursquare definitely does have a future, it's a great app and at the tender age of two years, these guys are the veterans of social location. The field is only going to grow and that expertise is invaluable.

iPhone Apps : Is Foursquare toast? - What Went Wrong & What They Should Do Next

Related: The dark side of FourSquare #1: Mayor Rage : Shiny Shiny

iPhone Apps : Ten best 8mm Vintage Camera combinations: what looks best on retro video iPhone app

2012-01-08T20:51:00.000-08:00

iPhone Apps : Ten best 8mm Vintage Camera combinations: what looks best on retro video iPhone app

It's like a Hipstamatic for iPhone video... and it makes your phone vids look the work of a Russian master from the 1920s. The app 8mm Vintage Camera offers a range of different lenses and films to colour your iPhone videos all shades of retro beautiful. (£1.19 on iTunes)

iPhone Apps : Ten best 8mm Vintage Camera combinations: what looks best on retro video iPhone app

It will make that snowy walk video more artistic, and give dignity and gravitas to the one of your mate downing a pint and make your cat look like it's from the 1920s. You know. Whatever you want to use it for it's worth checking out the different lens/film options.

We've compiled a helpful guide...

Films: "five grainy, discolored, dusted and aged films from different eras.."
1) Sakura - a pinky, fuzzy one
2) Xpro - a sharp, high contrast film with bluish shadows
3) Sienna - a fuzzy brown-tinged film
4) 1920 - a black&white old movie effect
5) 7OS - a clear film giving sharp details

Flash:
1) Clear // 2) Flickering frame // 3) Spotlight // 4) Light leak // 5) Colour fringing

Flip through, just remember - it's actually for video - these are just screengrabs.

iPhone Apps : Ten best 8mm Vintage Camera combinations: what looks best on retro video iPhone app

iPhone Apps :The Situationist: App encourages random interactions with strangers

2012-01-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

iPhone Apps :The Situationist: App encourages random interactions with strangers

iPhone Apps :The Situationist: App encourages random interactions with strangers

Fancy making your life more surprising and unpredictable? Fancy having strangers coming up to you in the street and high-fiving you?

There's an app for that. An app called Situationist. More than just a piece of software, the Situationist is based on a Marxist philosophy about how we should all interact more with the world and how strangers could be our friends..

They explain:

"Situationist is an iPhone app that makes your everyday life more thrilling and unpredictable. It alerts members to each other's proximity and gets them to interact in random "situations". These situations vary from the friendly "Hug me for 5 seconds exactly" or "Compliment me on my haircut", to the subversive eg "Help me rouse everyone around us into revolutionary fervour and storm the nearest TV station".

It's sort of like hacking social interaction. I'm scared. But also excited.

Most of the interactions you can request from strangers are fairly safe and cute: high-fives, waves, compliments. But you can also ask strangers to chat you up, massage your shoulder or to give you all the money in your left pocket - ones for the social thrill-seekers rather than the more timid among us.

Try it out Shiny readers. And if you see me around you can high-five me for sure.

The Situationist is free on iTunes
The Situationist website

iPhone Apps :The Situationist: App encourages random interactions with strangers

iPhone Apps :APP OF THE DAY: Instant Wild allows you to monitor wildlife from your phone

2012-01-08T17:37:00.001-08:00

iPhone Apps :APP OF THE DAY: Instant Wild allows you to monitor wildlife from your phone

iPhone Apps :APP OF THE DAY: Instant Wild allows you to monitor wildlife from your phone

If you're a nature enthusiast or a wannabe conservationist you'll be happy to learn that the Zoological Society of London needs you to help identify some of the rarest and most threatened species on the planet all from your iPhone.

The society has developed a new application called Instant Wild, which basically delivers live photographs from across the globe of wild animals to you so you can identify them and learn more about them too.

There are numerous motion sensor camera traps in places like Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Kenya. You select which cameras you'd like to follow and then if an animal walks in front of them you'll receive a notification. You can then zoom in to get a better look and attempt to identify the animal based on the special Fied Guide gallery. If you can't figure out what it is then don't worry, you can see what other people think and learn more about the species. After all, it's probably best to be a bit hasty instead of just guessing you've rediscovered a triceratops.

Not only is it pretty cool that you can watch animals in random and exotic locations all over the globe, but it's amazing that you could potentially be the first to discover a new species, or rediscover an animal once thought to be extinct.

It seems you can genuinely play a role in helping out conservation scientists too, it's not just a sneaky gimmick (we're far too cynical here at Shiny Shiny). The Instant Wild website states:

"When you identify the wild animal by matching the photo with the relevant image in the Field Guide you save conservationist thousands of hours by helping to sort the images by species group. This enables scientist to analyze the data much faster and assess whether the threatened animals are increasing or decreasing. This knowledge is essential for effective conservation."

You can also discuss what you've discovered with other users too and view live opinions on the Instant Wild website.

Available from iTunes for Free.
http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=1099X506012&site=shinyshiny.tv&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Finstant-wild%2Fid464812695%3Fls%3D1%26mt%3D8&xguid=1e4155ae91f5bfdf07299e716515d30c&xcreo=0&sref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shinyshiny.tv%2Fmobile_phone_ap%2F2.html

iPhone Apps :APP OF THE DAY: Instant Wild allows you to monitor wildlife from your phone

iPhone Apps : How to give an iTunes app as a gift this Christmas

2012-01-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

iPhone Apps : How to give an iTunes app as a gift this Christmas

It may seem like a strange choice of present, but there are some mobile apps available on iTunes that really would make great gifts this Christmas (look at our list below if you're not convinced). Now we're not saying you get your boyfriend (or husband, girlfriend, etc...) an app when they're planning on buying you an all-inclusive holiday abroad or something equally fancy, but it'd make a great, last minute 'stocking filler' for that special someone or it could just be a nice little festive token for one of your friends.

iPhone Apps : How to give an iTunes app as a gift this Christmas

How do you give an app as a gift?

It's pretty simple.

1. Go to iTunes and find the app you want to give as a gift.
2. Go to the arrow next to the price button and click 'Gift This App'.
3. The green 'Give a Gift' screen will then appear and ask you for more information.
4. Fill everything in (like the delivery method, etc) and click 'Continue'.
5. You'll then be asked to enter your iTunes details and if it all looks correct click 'Buy Gift'.
6. You'll know that everything is done and dusted if you see the 'Thank You' screen, where you'll just click 'Done' or 'Gift Again'.

iPhone Apps : How to give an iTunes app as a gift this Christmas

Which apps would make good gifts?

Djay

Now don't let the rather cheesy name of the app put you off, Djay is an advanced turntable and mixer application which actually works. It stands out from similar offerings on the market because you can split tracks using Griffin's DJ Cable, which means you can play tracks at the same time but hear them each in isolation.

Available from iTunes for £13.99 (you'll need Griffin's DJ Cable to go with it too).

iVIP Black

Now before you get too excited about this app, we're going to warn you that its called 'the Millionaire's app', because it gives you access to exclusive rates, priority access to events, surprise gifts and upgrades that you'd still have to be absolutely loaded to take advantage of.

Available from iTunes for £699.99. Yes that's right, an app that's the same amount as some people's monthly wage. Eugh.

Batman Arkham City Lockdown

The version of the popular video game Batman Arkham City, specially for iOS devices.

Available from iTunes for £3.99.http://go.redirectingat.com

Golfshot: Golf GPS

Like your own personal caddy within your phone, the Golfshot app uses GPS to track distances, keep score, monitor your performance and set goals. Ideal for budding golfers who take their sport/hobby rather seriously.

Available from iTunes for £20.99.http://go.redirectingat.com

Oxford Deluxe

This may seem like a boring one, but it'd make an ideal companion for english students.

Available from iTunes for £37.99.

Mobile Phones : Thousand pound Bill Amberg Blackberries selling like hot cakes

2012-01-07T14:56:00.000-08:00

Mobile Phones : Thousand pound Bill Amberg Blackberries selling like hot cakes

People are so keen to buy a designer £1000 Blackberry Bold that there is actually a waiting list for the device in Selfridges, even though the customised version costs £550 more than it normally does.

Mobile Phones : Thousand pound Bill Amberg Blackberries selling like hot cakes

"Customers have not been perturbed by the £1,000 price tag" according to Selfridges. The Bold 9780 on sale has been augmented with coloured leather from fashion designer Bill Amberg - with what is essentially a new panel on the back and a nice leather case.
There are six colours available and there is a limited run of ten in each. The case and leather outer are individually numbered, we like the yellow one above.

Mobile Phones : Thousand pound Bill Amberg Blackberries selling like hot cakes

If you didn't get hold of the Amberg phone and fancy something a little more blinging, Selfridges have a series of blinging Vertu phones, which start from £3,500. Apparently, demand for its £5,900 Constellation Quest (with sapphire keys) is still strong following last month's launch. All phones offer Vertu's famed concierge service and international keyboard options. We're not sure about the handset features..
Related: Someone actually spends £5million on an iPhone

Mobile Phones : Thousand pound Bill Amberg Blackberries selling like hot cakes

Mobile Phones : LG launch world's first dual-core chip - for a phone: LG Optimus

2012-01-07T14:53:00.001-08:00

Mobile Phones : LG launch world's first dual-core chip - for a phone: LG Optimus

Mobile Phones : LG launch world's first dual-core chip - for a phone: LG Optimus

Dual-core chips have fuelled a boom in laptop processing power by doubling the amount of info that can be channeled through the processor. Now LG have put one in a phone.

The LG Optimus 2X uses a high-performance Tegra 2 processor which makes for faster, smoother web browsing and applications and lets users multitask with virtually no screen lag. Mm, nice.

Exceptional graphics make for strong gaming performance and video playback as well. And a shed load of power features make this a real barnstormer of an Android phone.

LG say:
"Developed by graphics processor powerhouse NVIDIA, the dual-core Tegra 2 system-on-a-chip found in the LG Optimus 2X runs at a clock speed of 1GHz and boasts low power consumption and high performance for playing video and audio. Users will experience faster web browsing and smoother gameplay compared with single-core processors running at the same speed as well as instantaneous touch response and seamless multitasking between applications."

The phone will connect to HD TVs... The smartphone also includes both rear- and front-facing cameras, microSD memory expandability, Micro-USB port and a hefty 1500mAh battery.

Full specs:

Mobile Phones : LG launch world's first dual-core chip - for a phone: LG Optimus

>> 1Ghz Dual-core Processor (NVIDIA Tegra 2)
>> 4-inch WVGA screen
>> 8GB memory (up to 32GB via microSD)
>> 1,500 mAh battery
>> 8 megapixel rear camera and 1.3 megapixel front camera
>> HDMI mirroring
>> 1080p MPEG-4/H.264 playback and recording

It will be launching in Korea next month and Europe and the US shortly after...

Mobile Phones : LG launch world's first dual-core chip - for a phone: LG Optimus

Mobile Phones : Japan’s Dream Project is a farm run by robots

2012-01-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

Mobile Phones : Japan’s Dream Project is a farm run by robots

The tsunami and earthquake that hit Japan last March saw thousands die, homes destroyed, a nuclear reactor meltdown, and power issues for many months afterwards. But Japan is recovering slowly, and using the disaster as an excuse to try something new in areas of the country affected by those events.

One of the most interesting new ideas is called the “Dream Project.” It’s a new farm being planned for a 600 acre site in Miyagi Prefecture that was flooded with sea water during the tsunami. This farm isn’t very typical though, as it will be run entirely by robots.

The farm will grow fruit, vegetables, rice, soybeans, and wheat. They will be planted and harvested by robotic tractors, and then boxed up by other robots before being shipped for us humans to enjoy.

As well as being unmanned, the farm also aims to minimize the use of chemicals and pollution. With that in mind, the carbon dioxide produced from the robotic tractor engines will be stored and fed back into the crops. Pesticides are out, in their place will be special LED lighting.

The company’s involved in the farm project include Ajinomoto, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Ito-Yokado Co., NEC, Panasonic, Sharp, and Yammer. Meaning we’re sure to see some advanced robotic designs and behavior.

Considering the size of the site and technology involved, there is significant investment required to set the farm up. $52 million will be invested over the next 6 years by the Japanese ministry of agriculture, with a further $78 million of investment coming from private companies.

If successful, the robotics and techniques used will certainly filter down into machinery for all farms. We may even one day get the chance to turn our home gardens into mini-farms run by robots and producing fresh food for us to eat everyday.

Read more at AFP

TOKYO — Japan is planning a futuristic farm where robots do the lifting in an experimental project on land swamped by the March tsunami, the government said Thursday.
Under an agriculture ministry plan, unmanned tractors will work fields where pesticides will have been replaced by LEDs keeping rice, wheat, soybeans, fruit and vegetables safe until robots can put them in boxes.
Carbon dioxide produced by machinery working on the up to 250-hectare (600 acre) site will be channeled back to crops to boost their growth and reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers, the Nikkei newspaper said.
The agricultural ministry will begin on-site research later this year with a plan to spend around four billion yen ($52 million) over the next six years, a ministry official said.
Land in Miyagi prefecture, some 300 kilometres (200 miles) north of Tokyo, which was flooded by seawater on March 11, has been earmarked for the so-called "Dream Project".
The tsunami, sparked by a 9.0-magnitude quake, inundated the country's northeast, killing more than 19,000 people, according to the latest figures.
It also badly polluted the land, leaving it laden with salt and depositing oil on fields, with around 24,000 hectares of once-fertile farmland damaged by the tsunami, earthquake and fallout from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.
Meltdowns at reactors at the plant sent radiation into the air, sea and food chain, badly denting public trust in local produce.
The atomic disaster and the ravaging of farmland were the latest blows to a struggling and ageing farm industry that is also facing the threat of renewed competition from abroad as Tokyo eyes a Pacific-wide free trade pact.
High-tech companies such as Panasonic are to be invited to get involved in the project in a bid to give a much-needed boost to the beleaguered sector, the ministry spokesman said.
"We hope the project will help not only support farmers in the disaster-hit regions but also revive the entire nation's agriculture," he said.
Among other companies expected to join the project are Fujitsu, Hitachi, Sharp, NEC, Yanmar, Ajinomoto and Ito-Yokado Co., according to the Nikkei business daily.
The paper said total investment, including funds from the private sector, would be around 10 billion yen.
Management of the land during the six-year project is expected to be entrusted to local farming corporations and production will begin once salt has been removed from the soil, the Nikkei said.
Once the six-year lease period is finished, the government plans to urge local farmers to consolidate their farmland under the farming corporations, the paper added.
Copyright © 2012 AFP. AFP text, photos, graphics and logos shall not be used for commercial purposes, reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP shall not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP content, or for any actions taken in consequence. AFP materials may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer except for personal non-commercial use. As a newswire service AFP does not obtain release from the subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, graphics or quoted in its text. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted material where the marks and material are included in AFP photos or content. You shall be solely responsible for obtaining any and all the necessary releases from whatever individual or entity is necessary for any of your uses of AFP material. You agree to indemnify AFP from any losses, damages and expenses (including reasonable attorney fees) it incurs as a result of any claim based on your use of its materials in violation of these terms.

Mobile Phones : Photoshop for tablets: Five things you need to know about Adobe 5.5

2012-01-07T14:20:00.000-08:00

Mobile Phones : Photoshop for tablets: Five things you need to know about Adobe 5.5

Mobile Phones : Photoshop for tablets: Five things you need to know about Adobe 5.5

Adobe the makers of creative software from Photoshop to Soundbooth have announced some major changes today with the launch of Adobe Creative Suite 5.5. The new suite of creative tools will make it easier to design for tablets and will let you use tablets to do the creative work that you'd have previously need to do on your laptop. You'll be able to retouch pictures on the bus and edit HTML5 animations lying on the bed with a Motorola Xoom.

Here are the five big changes they have announced.

1) More products, more frequently. Adobe are updating their Creative Suite more regularly - now mid-cycle as well as once a year, so each release will have a new 0.5 release as well as a full new one. In a faster-paced environment with a lot of new devices hitting shelves, they want to stay on top of changes.

2) New emphasis on HTML5 the web building language is a rival to Adobe's own brand Flash, but HTML5 is the system which looks set to be the new default for design on the web. Apple still refuse to accept Flash on their iOS devices (iPhones and iPads) so it makes sense for Adobe to invest in the HTML5 format and in making the two systems compatible. That's what they've done with CS5.5.
Adobe say: "packed with innovations in HTML5 and Adobe Flash authoring tools, empowering customers to create, deliver and monetize rich content and applications for virtually any screen"

3) Third party apps for Photoshop
There isn't yet an Android or a Blackberry app for Photoshop, but Adobe have just opened up the SDK so that developers can create ones for the platforms Adobe hasn't. They can also make apps that forefront different parts or different functions of Photoshop.

Mobile Phones : Photoshop for tablets: Five things you need to know about Adobe 5.5

Adobe say: "A new scripting engine in Adobe Photoshop and an enhanced Photoshop Software Development Kit (SDK) enable developers to build tablet applications that interact with Photoshop from Android, BlackBerry and iOS devices."

4) Adobe on iPad - three new Photoshop apps
Adobe also announced three new iPad apps they have designed themselves.
They say: "These apps demonstrate the creative possibilities of using tablets to drive common Photoshop workflows - Adobe Color Lava for Photoshop, Adobe Eazel for Photoshop and Adobe Nav for Photoshop."

5) Indesign 5.5 caters for the design of iPad magazines... by allowing you to add video, audio, zoom and the 360 rotation of objects... There are links to Adobe Publisher to ensure that the content will work on an array of different tablets - from the iPad to the Motorola Xoom.

prices and more on the adobe upgrade on Adobe UK

Mobile Phones : Photoshop for tablets: Five things you need to know about Adobe 5.5

Mobile Phones : Thanks for the memories: Why a quarter of us hang on to our old mobiles

2012-01-07T13:59:00.000-08:00

Mobile Phones : Thanks for the memories: Why a quarter of us hang on to our old mobiles

It's a fast-paced world, technology, and you'd think the rush to have the latest kit would make old mobiles redundant the moment you have a shiny new item in your hands.

But not so much so, according to a study from Orange. 23% of people between 18 and 24 will hold on to their old phones, for reasons none other than nostalgia.

Orange estimates that £2.7 billion worth of unused phones are scattered around in Britain's drawers, as four out of ten people have never recycled a mobile phone. Consumers are encouraged to do this for environmental reasons, but as the upgrade cycle gains speed there is also potential to get cash for old kit. The average price paid for an old phone is £45.

The Orange study showed that iPhones remain the most desirable phones, but also the ones most likely to be recycled. Maybe the nostalgia is most applicable to the old handsets - after all, we all fondly remember our first phone.

Mobile Phones : Google buys Motorola - so what now for LG, Samsung and HTC?

2012-01-07T13:38:00.000-08:00

Mobile Phones : Google buys Motorola - so what now for LG, Samsung and HTC?

So today's shock story is that Google is buying Motorola, well the handset division Motorola Mobility, for a whopping $12.5 billion. That's a 60% premium on its closing price on Friday and represents quite an investment.

The interesting bit for me though is where does this leave Google's Android partners like HTC and Samsung? Is it Google's intention to to create a complete phone eco-system like Apple and the iPhone, in that it owns the hardware the operating systems and the mechanism for delivering he apps? I guess it is.

If so where does this leave the other Android makers? Are they going to become second class Android citizens? Will Google be pushing the Motorola brand to the point where it is state of the art as far as Android goes and is inevitably delivering phones and tablets that are technologically superior to the other brands?

It could be that the real winner in all this is Microsoft. It already has Nokia working on its Windows phones and has a good relationship with LG, which might now fancy pushing MS phones more than Android ones. Maybe HTC and Samsung will also think that the Windows platform offers more a fairer playing field than the Android one.

Mobile Phones : Samsung's Galaxy Note comes with a pen for sketching and more

2012-01-07T13:21:00.000-08:00

Mobile Phones : Samsung's Galaxy Note comes with a pen for sketching and more

Mobile Phones : Samsung's Galaxy Note comes with a pen for sketching and more

And one last biggie from Samsung at IFA - the Galaxy Note. It is quite clearly a smartphone but it does boast a 5.3 inch display, so it could almost be a baby tablet. It isn't the first gadget to sport this sized screen, you might remember the similarly specced Dell Streak from last year.
What makes this a bit different is that it actually comes with a pen on board. The S Pen means that you can use the device's big 5.3" HD Super AMOLED display for everything from sketching to note-taking. It also comes with a planner - the S Planner, which is a professional planning tool that integrates the phone's To-Do list and schedule.

Interestingly Samsung plans to release the S Pen SDK allowing app developers to create fundamentally new applications and services incorporating the pen functionality.

Samsung also claims that the bifg screen makes the device useful for things like PowerPoint presentations (yawn), web-pages, news apps and e-books.

It also boasts a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, HSPA+ and LTE (4G) connections, runs Android 2.3(Gingerbread) OS and packs an eight mega pixel camera. Full specs below.

Network

HSPA+ 21Mbps 850/900/1900/2100
EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900

Processor

1.4GHz Dual Core Processor

Display

5.3" WXGA(1280x800, 285ppi) HD Super AMOLED

OS

Android 2.3(Gingerbread)

Camera

Main(Rear) : 8 MP with LED Flash

Front : 2 MP

Action Shot, Beauty, Panorama Shot, Smile Shot, Share Shot

Video

Video : MPEG4, H.264, H.263, WMV, DivX, Xvid, VC-1
Recording 1080p@24~30fps, Playing 1080p@30fps

Audio

Codec : MP3, AAC, AMR, WMA, WAV, FLAC, OGG

Music Player with SoundAlive

3.5mm Ear Jack, Stereo FM Radio with RDS

Value-added

Features

Samsung Apps

Samsung Kies 2.0/ Samsung Kies air

Samsung ChatON mobile messenger service

(Downloadable via Samsung Apps)

Samsung TouchWiz/ Samsung L!ve Panel UX

Smart Note Apps

S Pen / Pen UX

Social Hub
- Integrated Messaging(Email, SNS), Contacts/ Calendar Sync

- Basic: POP3/IMAP Email

Social Hub, Readers Hub , Music Hub

GoogleTM Mobile Services

- GmailTM, Google TalkTM, Google SearchTM, YouTubeTM, Android Market TM,

- Google MapsTM with Google Places and Google Latitude

A-GPS

Enterprise Solutions

- ODE, EAS, CCX, MDM, VPN, WebEx

NFC (optional)

Connectivity

Bluetooth® technology v 3.0 + HS

USB 2.0 HOST

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct

Sensor

Accelerometer, Light, Digital compass, Proximity, Barometer

Memory

16/32GB Internal Memory + microSD (up to 32GB)

Size

146.85 x 82.95 x 9.65 mm

Battery

Standard battery, Li-on 2,500 mAh

Mobile Phones : Latest iPhone rumours - iPhone 5 and upgraded 4 on sale in UK October 14th

2012-01-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

Mobile Phones : Latest iPhone rumours - iPhone 5 and upgraded 4 on sale in UK October 14th

The web is awash with iPhone rumours but we are going to take this one seriously. The Guardian has just posted that there are two new iPhones on their way - the iPhone 5 and an upgraded 4 - and they will be on sale in the UK on October 14th.

A 'source' told the paper.

"All we know is, there will be two devices, we will put our pricing in to Apple as soon as Tim Cook goes on stage, and we hope to get agreement to announce prices on Thursday," said a source at one UK operator, who also confirmed the 14 October shipping date.

According to The Guar the other big news is that all five UK networks will have access to the new phones on day one. Carphone Warehouse is understood to have done a deal directly with Apple for the first time, which means it will be able to sell phones "unlocked" - free from contracts with particular networks.
Well as rumours go this sounds pretty on the money. We'll find out soon enough

Home Interior News : Pop Plastic By Donatas Žukauskas

2012-01-07T07:59:00.001-08:00

Home Interior News : Pop Plastic By Donatas Žukauskas
Lithuanian designer Donatas Žukauskas has sent us images of his Pop Plastic collection of interior decor pieces that are made of paper.

Home Interior News : Pop Plastic By Donatas Žukauskas

Description fromDonatas Žukauskas:

Featured Video

I am an interior designer. I graduated from Vilnius Art Academy in 1992 where I studied design. Another area of my activities is detail making of the interior decor. The idea to take up this activity occurred to me after I saw unusual works of art made of paper. I got interested in this rare genre of creative work and felt like changing a usual paper function in the process of creative work I wanted to look at paper as material to be put into practice with the help of various creative ideas. While experimenting with paper mass, I realized that paper has got very extensive possibilities of plastic expression. I was fascinated by its natural material, form, colour, texture, lacework, plasticity and other qualities. Attracted by those possibilities, I started making decorative objects meant for modern interior.

My works are unitary handmade creations that are technologically complex and require a lot of job and patient. Paper mass mixed with glue, desiccated and processed newly gets qualities of a wood – strength, color, naturalness, facture.

Visit Donatas Žukauskas’ website – here.

.

Home Interior News : Pop Plastic By Donatas Žukauskas

Home Interior NewsContact us Privacy Policy Sitemap
Fresh Interior Space Arrangement in a Custom Contemporary Home Delightful Loft Renovation By ixdesign [Before and After Photos] Industrial Archeology Furniture by Mieke Meijer Facebook Addicts, Rejoice! FacebookBed Concept by DevianTom Adapted to a Challenging Terrain: Villa Midgård in Stockholm Salon Furniture Collection by Lee Broom Ultimate Holiday Retreat: Ayada Maldives Resort Serene Apartment Invaded by Color in Madrid Inspiring Architecture and Tasteful Interior Decorations: House 02

Facebook Addicts, Rejoice! FacebookBed Concept By DevianTom

2012-01-07T04:24:00.000-08:00

You see your friends on Facebook, you chat on Facebook, why not also eat and sleep on Facebook? This is probably what Croatian designer Tomislav Zvonarić of DevianTom had in mind when creating this unusual bed. FBed concept is shaped like the logo of the worldwide famous social network and I believe I even see some “like” buttons on the small pillow and sheets there. According to the designer, “FBed is a conceptual multipractical bed design that would allow you always to be up to date and close to your online friends even when you sleep. The idea is that you may hoop in front of your screen directly from your bed when you wake up, and inverse when you get tired and wan’t to go sleep…” Honestly, I don’t think that such a bed was necessary for most of the people out there to go online on Facebook as soon as they wake up. They do it anyway. Do you find the idea behind this bed practical or exaggerated? Please leave your arguments in the comment section below.

http://homeinteriornews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dc48d_Interior_Design_facebook-bed-3-540x387.jpg

Home Interior NewsContact us Privacy Policy Sitemap
Fresh Interior Space Arrangement in a Custom Contemporary Home Delightful Loft Renovation By ixdesign [Before and After Photos] Industrial Archeology Furniture by Mieke Meijer Facebook Addicts, Rejoice! FacebookBed Concept by DevianTom Adapted to a Challenging Terrain: Villa Midgård in Stockholm Salon Furniture Collection by Lee Broom Ultimate Holiday Retreat: Ayada Maldives Resort Serene Apartment Invaded by Color in Madrid Inspiring Architecture and Tasteful Interior Decorations: House 02

Welcome 2012 Guessing Game #9

2012-01-07T04:01:00.001-08:00

Guessing Game #9

Welcome 2012 with this brand new episode of the Guessing Game. For the record, this is game number 9. Rules stay the same…look at this picture and make an educated guess as to what this could be. Each correct guess wins our love, admiration and respect! Leave your answer in the comments below!

All the best!

The right answer is: Proinjector – Microwave Projector Concept

Based on the theory that microwave poses a greater health risk to pregnant women, children and the silver generation; Proinjector has been designed to project a realtime image of how the food is cooking onto a wall. The cooking can be monitored from afar without risking unnecessary exposure. Basically keeping an eye from a distance; smart!

Designers: Jungjoon Hwang & Jaeryong Lee

Proinjector
With a built-in image projector, this microwave oven allows the food within to be observed from a distance.
It has been suggested that standing in front of a microwave oven can pose health risks due to radiation exposure. In particular, it has been suggested that the elderly, pregnant women, and young children are at particular risk due to exposure to electromagnetic waves. Proinjector combines a microwave oven and a projector, allowing users to view their cooking food from what is deemed to be a safer distance. The projected image can be focussed with a dial to suit any space.

red dot award
design:

Hwang Jungjoon Lee Jaeryong

Garlic Mincer – Leifheit Garlic King

2012-01-07T03:29:00.000-08:00

Garlic Mincer – Leifheit Garlic King
This innovative garlic mincer is practical and dishwasher-safe kitchen utensil, which works more like an accurate garlic cutter than a crusher. The smart design of Leifheit Garlic King allows you to mince garlic quickly and importantly, without contact. You just use your own weight to press the sharp rasp on the individual garlic clove, which is being finely cut in the process. Made of a high quality plastic and stainless steel. Leifheit.

Garlic Mincer – Leifheit Garlic King