Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S3 at the start of this month and although it has yet to go on sale many are expecting it to be the biggest selling smartphone of the year and, like the earlier Galaxy S2, win a lot of awards for innovation. How does the Galaxy S3 compare to Motorola’s latest flagship phone, the Razr Maxx? Although it was only released recently, the Razr Maxx draws a lot of inspiration from 2011′s Razr.

Processors

The Galaxy S3 is the first quad core phone from Samsung and features a quad-core 1.4GHz Exynos chip and 1GB RAM, which seemingly overshadows the 1.2GHz dual core chip found on the Razr Maxx. If HTC’s current One  series has taught us anything though, with the dual core One S proving to be more popular than the quad One X, it is that a lot of consumers are not too keen to rush out and buy a quad core phone. Many people consider quad core an unnecessary level of power that will merely result in reduced battery life.

Battery

And battery life is one area that the Razr Maxx excels. While most manufacturers are keen to throw in as many resource hungry features as they can in order to win customers over, battery life is one area of phone design which usually gets ignored. This results in all-singing all-dancing handheld gadgets that can only just about survive a full day’s use if all of their key features are disabled.

The Razr Maxx has an unprecedented 3300 mAh Lithium Ion battery which really is the unique selling point of the phone, a certainly more durable and long lasting than the 2100 mAh Lithium Ion battery found on the S3. Even though it might not be quad core, the Razr Maxx still comes with a great range of features that you would normally expect to rapidly deplete your battery life.

Display

The Razr Maxx is also one of the few non-Samsung phones to come with a Super AMOLED screen, which is arguably much higher quality than a standard LCD. At 4.3 inches it is not as large, and with qHD resolution not as sharp, as the 4.8 inch HD screen on the S3. Yet, the Razr Maxx’s screen is in the same league as the Galaxy S2′s, which was a phenomenally successful phone, while larger handsets such as the S3 may be off-putting for a great number of potential buyers.

Android

The Galaxy S3 does benefit from Android Ice Cream Sandwich, while the Razr Maxx is, for now, limited to Gingerbread. Samsung has spent a lot of time adding in its own excellent software features to the S3, including S-Beam, S-Voice and gesture controls, and there is no guarantee that the Razr Maxx will see an ICS update any time soon.

Camera

The Galaxy S3 performs better in the camera department too. Although both phones feature 8 megapixel cameras with 1080p video, the S3 comes with new social tagging features and perhaps the finest facial recognition found on any smartphone. The S3 also features a slightly better camera.

In terms of the smartphone market just a few months ago, the Razr Maxx would easily have outperformed its competition. With quad core launching at Mobile World Congress and now Samsung launching the S3 with all its unexpected eye tracking and gesture control features, the Razr Maxx may feel a little bit less impressive to some. It is still an excellent phone although those who need the latest and greatest technology may be seen turning their noses up to it. The saving grace of the Razr Maxx is its unrivalled battery performance, which for a great deal of people is far more important than a list of impressive but unnecessary gimmicks.

The Razr Maxx also benefits from being much cheaper than the Galaxy S3, which for many people will be a big deciding factor in which phone to pick. For most people, the extra features on a phone or great to play around with for the first month but after extended ownership the phone is mainly used for its primary purpose: calls, text and web browsing. After the initial honeymoon period is over it things like battery life which really make an impression on people and influences their choice of whether or not to stick with a certain phone brand.

On a side note, the Galaxy S3 has been criticised for its physical design which many feel is quite ugly. In this respect the Razr Maxx may have the upper hand, with a more appealing appearance reminiscent of the Galaxy S2.

© simon for Coolest Tech Blog, 2012. | Permalink | No comment |

A magnifier was always thought of as a magic lens… But what if you wanted to take snapshots of what this magic lens provides you with? Phones’ zoom isn’t always a good idea, so here’s what we’ve got.

A rubber band that can be popped around any phone!

Get amazingly great detailed shots of almost anything!

“Keep it in your wallet

or on your wrist.”

$15.

[via bookofjoe]

© Mostafa for Coolest Tech Blog, 2012. | Permalink | One comment |

Global Wave have previously presented their Pic3D sheet, which when applied to a regular LCD monitor transforms it into a glasses-free 3D display, but guess what, it’s currently available and no longer out of stock!

As opposed to other films already on the market which use a parallax barrier to display the 3D image, Pic3D utilizes a lenticular lens system, Global Wave state that this method offers a light transmission level of 90%, and claim to have improved the field of view to 120°.

There are several sheets of different sizes, for the time being, sheets for 12.1-inch, 21.5-inch and 23-inch monitors are available as well as sheets for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch screens.

In addition, there’s an application that is compatible with both, Windows & iOS.

“Basically it will work with video files which are in the side by side format, and if you input URLs for side by side formatted content on sites such as YouTube, it will work with them too.”

Visit their site yourself,  the prices are relatively too low for such a great offer!

on www.pic3dus.com

images via diginfo

© Mostafa for Coolest Tech Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 5 comments |

Cocorobo can also say simple greetings!

“For example, if you use Cocorobo every day, or speak to it every day, it gets in a good mood. Depending on how it feels, its words and movements vary a lot, so you can gain a feeling of closeness with it. Regarding Cocorobo’s learning capability, we’re planning upgrades that will make it evolve rapidly.”

Cocorobo also has a 1.3-megapixel camera, an LED light, and wireless LAN connectivity. This enables the user to check the state of a room remotely, with apps available for both Android and iOS.

By connecting to it over the internet, Cocorobo can move 50 cm away from its charging stand, and then take four photos at 90 degree intervals, covering 360 degrees which you can check with your smartphone. You can also use the smartphone like a radio controller, to move Cocorobo forward or rotate it while watching the streaming video. If you set Cocorobo to automatic, you can also keep watching it move.

“Cocorobo now avoids obstacles by using ultrasound sensors, in an echolocation system. There are three sensors, on the front and 45 degrees to either side. With infrared sensors, transparent glass and black furniture can’t be recognized, so Cocorobo would bump into them. But with ultrasound sensors, it recognizes those items from the reflected sound waves, so it isn’t prone to bumping into things.”

Cocorobo is to be released in early June. The full featured version, the RX-V100, will be priced around US$1,600 (130,000 yen), and the basic version without a camera, the RX-V80, will be around US$1,100 (90,000 yen).

Here’s a video!

Source: diginfo

© Mostafa for Coolest Tech Blog, 2012. | Permalink | One comment |

The SLR controls:

Lighting

Lighting is the single biggest determinant of how your camera needs to be set. With only a few exceptions, you can never have too much light. Use this slider to experiment with different indoor and outdoor lighting conditions.

Distance

Use this slider to simulate how close or far you are in relation to the subject.

Focal length

Moving this slider is the same as zooming in and out with your lens. A wide, zoomed out setting creates the greatest depth of field (more things are in focus) while zooming in creates a shallower depth-of-field (typically just the subject will be in focus).

Mode

The exposure modes of an SLR let you control one setting while the camera automatically adjusts the others. In Shutter Priority mode, you to set the shutter speed while the camera sets the aperture/f-stop. In Aperture Priority mode, you set the aperture/f-stop while the camera sets the shutter speed. Manual mode is fully manual—you’re on your own! Refer to the camera’s light meter to help get the proper exposure. Although every real SLR camera has a “fully automatic” mode, there is not one here—what’s the fun in that?

ISO

ISO refers to how sensitive the “film” will be to the incoming light when the picture is snapped. High ISO settings allow for faster shutter speeds in low light but introduce grain into the image. Low ISO settings produce the cleanest image but require lots of light. Generally, you will want to use the lowest ISO setting that your lighting will allow.

Aperture

Aperture, or f-stop, refers to how big the hole will be for the light to pass through when the shutter is open and the picture is snapped. Lower f numbers correspond with larger holes. The important thing to remember is this: the higher the f number, the more things in front of and behind the subject will be in focus, but the more light you will need. The lower the f number, the more things in front of and behind the subject will be out of focus, and the less light you will need.

Shutter speed

Shutter speed is how long the shutter needs to be open, allowing light into the camera, to properly expose the image. Fast shutter speeds allow you to “freeze” the action in a photo, but require lots of light. Slower shutter speeds allow for shooting with less light but can cause motion blur in the image.

Happy simulating!

Learn How to focus as a professional photographer here:

Visit the creator’s website: http://camerasim.com

© Mostafa for Coolest Tech Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments |

Witches Vanessa, 26, and Melissa, 32, have claimed to have a hotline to the world of the spirits that also included providing spells that protected from the devil,  & so gained hundreds of thousands of dollars through tricking people while using high-tech surveillance equipment and simply Google Search engine and social networks!

They would simply search for their customers’ data on Search engines and social networks and pretend the information reached them from the dark world.

According to austriantimes:

Victims who were amazed by the women’s knowledge of their activities then paid large sums to speak to dead relatives and gain protection from evil forces.

One woman told how she had believed the two Roma women were genuine mystics, and had been persuaded to take tens of thousands of pounds and go to a nearby lake for a midnight ritual. She had been told that she had to release herself from the burden of her money and throw it all in the lake – but when she hesitated a demon like figure had emerged from the water and in a panic – she had thrown the money into the water and run away.

But police discovered that the water devil was in fact a pal of the pair who had put on diving gear and a mask to terrify the unsuspecting victim.

Police said the information gathering activities of the two witches included Googling them, looking at social network sites, tapping phone calls and using hidden cameras.

But a police investigator told local media: “Proof if any was needed they they were fraudsters came when they managed to bribe prosecutor to get the charges dropped, unfortunately the man himself was under surveillance and we arrested all three of them as they handed over the money. If they had been any good – they would have known not to try.”

As well as fraud the pair are also facing charges under the National Security Act for using illegal professional surveillance equipment.

As for me, I really think that google, along with the power of social networks, turns out to be a real crystal ball after all!

© Mostafa for Coolest Tech Blog, 2012. | Permalink | One comment |

Although the app is gesture based and uses soft-keys, there are only six keys which leave ample room on a typical smartphone touchscreen. In use, the fingers remain relatively still, ideally holding the device face down and typing with six fingers, one for each key. The act of typing with the app closely mirrors that of using a Braille standard keyboard. The app speaks each of the letters typed aloud so that it is clear if typing errors are made.

Although it is hoped many smartphone users will adopt the app, a particular aim of the project is to develop a portable system for the visually impaired users that would be more practical than lugging around, connecting and protecting a US$1700 Braille keyboard. In this respect its aspirations are similar to Adam Duran’s tablet app we looked at last October.

The Brailletouch app won the MobileHCI 2011 competition for design. An Android version of the app is currently under development. You can see a demo of the iPhone version in use below.

Here’s the video!

Source: Gizmag

© Moalla Ilani for Coolest Tech Blog, 2012. | Permalink | No comment |

To beach or not to beach: A sand replica titled British Literature William Shakespeare at the Sand Museum in Tottori, Japan

 Taxi! Leonardo Ugolini finishes a Olympics-inspired sand replica titled Big Ben in Westminster

 

Grain Britain: UK artist Nicola Wood with her creation Imperial Guards In Front of The Palace

The exhibition hosted by the world’s first ever sand museum is focusing on the theme of Great Britain as the nation celebrates it’s hosting of the London 2012 Olympic Games

The sculptors created structures based on British themes such as the British empire, modern London and landmarks of London

Artist Karen Fralich completes the replica “British Science The Legend of Sir Isaac Newton & Charles Robert Darwin”

Russian Sculptor Alexey Shchitov working on his “Queen Elizabeth II With The Horse Wagon”

A team of 15 artists from around the world created everything from the Tower of London to the inside of a Great British pub

© Mostafa for Coolest Tech Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments |