TechCrunch Blog

Samsung Series 9

2012-07-07T01:15:00.000-07:00

just high-quality materials and some narrow bezels did the trick. Our only gripe: those smooth aluminum surfaces are a magnet for fingerprint smudges, which can be tough to wipe away. The metal isn't totally immune to scratches, either, though nicks weren't nearly as big a problem as the grease stains.

The 13-inch version of Samsung series 9 a shrunken version of the bigger model: just as gorgeous, with one less USB 3.0 port in tow. Even now that Ultrabooks are flooding the market ahead of back to school season, the Series 9 remains one of the most stunning options out there, with a unibody aluminum chassis that's as rigid as it is lightweight. As ever, what we appreciate most about the design is how simple and unadorned it is: Samsung didn't need an embellished hinge or fancy penmanship to demonstrate that this is a premium laptop.

iRobot The war gadget

2012-06-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

iRobot's Bedford, Massachusetts headquarters is literally crawling (well, rolling) with robots of all shapes and sizes, from friendlier household fare like Scoobas and Roombas, to the 450-pound Warrior battlefield 'bot, which patrols the perimeter, looking for mock IEDs.

The highlight of our trip this week, however, had to be the time we spent with 110 FirstLook. Sure, durability is job number one, when you're building products for the military, but the plucky little robot takes things to a whole new level. At five pounds, you can pick the thing up and toss it -- in fact, the company encourages such action. The FirstLook was built to be thrown into dangerous areas, and it's rugged enough to smash through plate glass windows to get there. The 'bot has a patch of skateboard-like grip tape on its top, opposite the bendable antenna, so you can easily grab it with a single hand. You toss the FirstLook side arm, like a frisbee, and no matter what side it lands on, the rubber treads will cushion the blow a bit. If it happens to hit the ground upside down (with the antenna on the bottom), the triangle wings on either side can be slowly extended in either direction to right the robot. Same goes for when it bounces down a flight of stairs, unharmed.

Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook

2012-06-26T05:33:00.000-07:00

The 14 does at least borrow the XPS 13's metallic flap covering the Windows serial number and all the various numerals and certifications the product passed on its way to retail.

This hides all the unsightly logos and stickers and makes for a much cleaner look. The edge of the 14 is comprised of an aluminum ring punctuated throughout with ports, lights and the big hinge along the back. On the left, starting at the back, you'll find a hole for that unsightly AC adapter, followed by Ethernet, HDMI, Mini DisplayPort and a pair of USB 3.0 ports. Turn to the right and there's much less clutter, just a Kensington Security Slot, an SD card slot and a combination 3.5mm headphone / microphone jack. On the front, there's just a single sliver of a light and nothing more. It's a reasonably healthy complement of ports, and we welcome the addition of the SD reader that was sadly missing on the XPS 13, but with all that room on the right we wouldn't have minded another USB port or two. There's certainly space. We also miss the battery charge indicator found on the 13.

Samsung Galaxy SIII

2012-06-26T03:12:00.000-07:00

It's a strange feeling, receiving such a keenly anticipated phone to review. The hubbub of launch events, hands-on previews and heated debates suddenly dies away, leaving you with one small and intensely silent cardboard box.

In this instance, the packaging contained the "marble white" version of the Galaxy S III (not the more daring "pebble blue") alongside one burning question: apart from all the hype, do this handset's paper credentials translate into a product that is worthy of serious cash and a 24-month commitment? Those credentials are certainly more subtle than those of other recent devices.

There's no unusual camera, stand-out display or unibody build. Instead, we get an abstract design statement about the phone being "inspired by nature" alongside a list of incremental hardware improvements such as a quad-core processor, as well as fresh additions to Samsung's customized Android 4.0 skin. As it turns out, these specs forgo immediate swagger in favor of creating a solid workhorse of a smartphone that is intent on attracting a long-term following. Read on and you'll discover just how it pulls that off.

Features
50GB of free Dropbox storage
Swiping contacts to call or message them
Face unlock
S Beam
S Voice

Samsung launches new Quad-core galaxy mobile chip

2012-06-26T00:40:00.001-07:00

Samsung will introduce quad-core silicon chip into its new upcoming smartphones and make their performance better. according to news source from Samsung exynos 4 Quad consists of four processor cores and formed in the company’s cutting edge 32-nonometer production process. This special chip operates at speeds above 1.4GHz”.

Mark Suckerburg NASDAQ Bell Ringing on Friday , Married on Saturday

2012-06-24T00:44:00.000-07:00

In a surprise ceremony, Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg married his longtime girlfriend, Priscilla Chan, in a private wedding at his home in Palo Alto, Calif. on Saturday.

Zuckerberg, who just became a billionaire as a result of the Facebook IPO on Friday, reportedly placed a ring on his wife’s finger during the ceremony — the ring, said to be designed by Zuckerberg himself, was described as featuring a “very simple ruby.”

"Inside Twitter" -pictures-San Francisco

2012-06-24T00:06:00.003-07:00

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Facebook Launches London Olympic Portal

2012-06-23T02:02:00.000-07:00

Facebook olympic portal

Facebook has announced a dedicated portal for London 2012 to allow fans to "connect with their favourite Olympians" at the Games. The section features dedicated pages for athletes and sports, including a complete timeline history of the competition since the 1800s. The IOC said the portal would create a "social media stadium". However, restrictions on what athletes can or cannot post will restrict some content from being published. Participants are subject to tight guidelines over content posted on Facebook and Twitter, particularly in relation to brands and broadcasting deals. It restricts the posting of any video from within an Olympic venue.

Apple iPhone 5 - When ?

2012-06-22T03:39:00.001-07:00

The iPhone 5 might not be arriving any time soon, but that hasn’t stopped artists and design firms from creating their own mock-ups.
After analyzing the various iPhone 5 rumors, Italian designer Federico Ciccarese came up with these gorgeous render.

New Intelegent Search engine - WolframAlpha

2012-06-22T03:37:00.000-07:00

A new internet revolution for a generation will be unveiled this month with the launch of software that will understand questions and give specific, tailored answers in a way that the web has never managed before.

The new system, Wolfram Alpha, showcased at Harvard University in the US last week, takes the first step towards what many consider to be the internet's Holy Grail – a global store of information that understands and responds to ordinary language in the same way a person does.
Although the system is still new, it has already produced massive interest and excitement among technology pundits and internet watchers.

Next step of Android - "Google jelly Bean"

2012-06-22T03:20:00.000-07:00

Google has announced that the next version of Android will be called “Jelly Bean” and that it will appear in the new Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ phone.The phone showed up briefly on Google Play before Google took it down.

The blog Droid Life took a screen grab of the listing, which placed the price at $409.

The listing in Google Play also may confirm reports that Google plans to sell the next Nexus directly, a la Apple. That was also the game plan for the Nexus One in 2010, but Google eventually pulled the plug on that effort because of lack of demand for the $529 model.Though the report lists Jelly Bean as “Android 4.1,” other rumors have said that’s the code-name for Android 5.0. Google is said to be switching strategies for Jelly Bean, allowing multiple manufacturers early access to the OS. Previously, Google had partnered with a single manufacturer to provide a “reference” for other models.

Thimble from Mozilla - Web design made easy

2012-06-19T01:47:00.001-07:00

Thimble, a web-creation tool that promises to make the act of creating a website easier than ever. Aside from a basic page creation tool, Thimble has a number of interesting tutorials built in to help teach you HTML, and by extension, how to create your own page. One of the tutorials, called Hack a Map, gets you started by showing you some pretty advanced code. But the tutorial isn't about learning the advanced code, it's about learning the basic errors that are causing the page at the left to show up incorrectly. Thimble will show you exactly where the website is broken — say, in showing you where a missing HTML tag should go. Even though you're doing light work, you're doing that work on a complicated page. The whole process feels far more enjoyable than your usual tutorial, as if you're learning by doing something important. Even if that something important is a map filled with a Minecraft pig, CatBread, and a triple rainbow.

News courtesy of yahoo

Microsoft Launches surface tablet

2012-06-19T01:40:00.000-07:00

The touchscreen computers will be powered by its upcoming Windows 8 system and contain a choice of an Intel or ARM-based processor.The ARM-based tablets are 9.3mm (0.4 inches) thick - slightly less than the iPad - and run the Windows RT version of the new system. The Verge reported that the chipset will be built by Nvidia.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the Microsoft Surface tablet. The Microsoft Surface is a companion to Windows 8, with Microsoft saying that it's "a tablet that's a great PC, and a PC that's a great tablet.

Surface for Windows RT tablet

Processor: NVIDIA Tegra-based ARM chip
Weight: 676 grams
Thickness: 9.3 millimeters
Display: 10.6-inch ClearType HD capactive touchpanel
Battery: 31.5Wh
I/O: microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2x2 MIMO antennae
Software: Windows RT + Office Home & Student 2013 RT
Accessories: Touch Cover, Type Cover, VaporMg Case & Stand
Capacity: 32GB / 64GB
Availability: "Around" the Windows 8 launch (fall 2012)
Pricing: To be determined

Surface for Windows 8 Pro tablet

Processor: Intel Core i5 (Ivy Bridge)
Weight: 903 grams
Thickness: 13.5 millimeters
Display: 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD (1080p) capactive touchpanel
Battery: 42Wh
I/O: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort, 2x2 MIMO antennae
Software: Windows 8 Pro
Accessories: Touch Cover, Type Cover, VaporMg Case & Stand, Pen with Palm Block
Capacity: 64GB / 128GB
Availability: "Three months after" the Windows 8 launch this fall
Pricing: To be determined

Nokia 808 available soon through Amazon at $699

2012-06-19T00:22:00.000-07:00

Nokia 808 PureView announced for US, available soon through Amazon at $699
Nokia has announced the availability of its 41-megapixel 808 PureView smartphone for the United States, which will be distributed through Amazon. If you've been patiently waiting for your opportunity to wield this highly competent cameraphone for yourself, just know that you can soon stake your claim in line: pre-orders are set to begin later this week, and you can sign up on Nokia's website to receive that all-important notification. As for price, expect to pay $699 outright for this bulbous beauty, which offers support for AT&T's 3G network here in the US.

US Military Mission on to create a 'universal remote' for drone fleets

2012-06-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

Group inside the Pentagon is looking to help cut down on unmanned aerial fragmentation, attempting to develop a way to manage all of the different models with a universal drone controller. It's something the military has tried and failed to accomplish in the past, but this time it's taking a more smartphone-esque approach to the matter, according to Wired. The key would be to create an underlying software architecture that allows pilots to control fleets of unmanned vehicles. On top of that would be specific applications that are "down-loaded to suit individual user taste and productivity," a Pentagon official told the site. The approach would make it possible to control different models with differing functionality as a connected fleet.

US 3G and 4G networks face off once more

2012-06-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

Competition for the US cellular speed crown is certainly fiercer than it was last year, when Verizon's 4G LTE let it walk over the competition unimpeded. With AT&T's LTE in the running, though, have the ranks changed? No, but only just barely: as PCMag discovered in its annual countrywide testing, Verizon mostly trumped its fellow telecom giant in upload speeds and reliability. AT&T could once more claim to be best in a category with the fastest downloads, although it's counterbalanced by having a considerably smaller LTE network. For everyone outside of T-Mobile and its still very respectable HSPA+ network, it's better luck next year. We'll be most intrigued then, quite frankly -- in addition to 2013 giving us a genuinely functional Sprint LTE network, that's when we could see a blistering-fast T-Mobile LTE-Advanced produce an upset victory.

Google considering on Government censorship requests

2012-06-18T04:48:00.000-07:00

Google's published and updated its transparency report to show how many times governments worldwide sought to censor search results, ban YouTube videos or look at user data in the second half of last year. Each request is logged and detailed, with the most filings coming from the US, UK and India. The requests varied from censoring a video where a Canadian citizen creatively destroyed his passport (not complied with) through to blogs promoting hate speech and violence (complied with). Mountain View's list makes for interesting reading, but it's not all bad news: where videos were merely critical or satirical of the local authorities, Google refused to pull them, respecting private citizens right to free speech in a great majority of cases.

Experience Facebook 2012 Olympics Hub

2012-06-18T04:15:00.002-07:00

Facebook lances one stop hub for 2012 Olympics which fans can look for information about the Olympics with links to athletes, teams and sports.

The hub includes links to Michael Phelps, Aly Raisman, Jessica Hardy and Logan Tom, among others. Fans can also follow teams from various countries, including Team Ireland, the Swiss Olympic Team and, of course, the US Olympic Team.

Moborobo - Your best Android companion

2012-06-18T04:05:00.000-07:00

Moborobo is a leading Android Smartphone Management Software that can be installed on your Windows PC. With Moborobo, the management of your Android Smartphone becomes fun and easy. Manage contact data: Sort, find, organize and backup your contact data, such as your contact list as well as your messages. You can create groups for your contacts and import/export them between your pc and your device.

Sony Launches NSZ-GS7 Google TV set-top box

2012-06-18T03:55:00.000-07:00

Sony-the worlds largest electronic and digital goods manufacturer launches its new NSZ-GS7 Google TV set-top box at $199, a more reasonable price point, especially for a device running the latest version of Google TV. it is equipped with QWERTY keyboard remote and track pad+button on left side,motion control, a microphone (for "voice commands") and a touchpad, and it's said to work with most of Sony's 2012 TV lineup. There still seems to be no word on this streaming box's exact specs, but you can hit the source link to secure one for yourself in the meantime.