Startup company Übi is using Microsoft Kinect technology in a new and exciting way that could point to the future of business and school based presentations. By connecting its own software and hardware to the Kinect system and a computer Übi has managed to turn any surface into an interactive touchscreen.

Based out on Munich the startup claims that its technology can be applied to virtually any surface, allowing for interactive touchscreen presentations without the need for a clicker, mouse, pointer or any other type of hardware based device.

Übi built its system using Microsoft’s Kinect for Windows software development kit and the project was partially funded by Microsoft’s Kinect Accelerator program.

Übi uses the Kinect to capture images and then its own software analyzes and processes those images in order to create a touch-friendly display. The software generates commands from gestures which allows users to click, drag and edit screen elements as if they were doing so on a traditional touchscreen based device.

According to the startup the software can be retrofitted into any existing projection system without too much effort.

The Übi project is still in development and the company is not offering any hints at the availability of the system although it claims the platform will have a low cost of acquisition once ready for mass sales.

Here’s a diagram that provides a basic explanation of the Übi systems setup:

Is the  Übi Kinect touchscreen system you would be willing to use for business or school presentations?

[via WiredUK]

Übi Turns Any Surface Into A Touchscreen Using Microsoft Kinect is a post from: The Inquisitr

A few pieces of Apple history will be going up for sale next month at a Sotheby’s auction. A working Apple-1 computer, one of only 50 left in the world, and a memo Steve Jobs wrote to Atari, are expected to be the big money winners at the auction.

Computer World reports that Steve Jobs worked breifly at Atari before he founded Apple.

In 1974, Jobs wrote a memo to Atari, making a few suggestions that the company could make to improve its World Cup Soccer Game. The hand-written note by the then 19-year-old Jobs is expected to fetch more than $10,000.

The auction will also include an Apple-1 computer. Sotheby’s reports that there are about 50 Apple-1 computers left in the world, but only 6 are in working condition. Sotheby’s expects the Apple-1 to fetch around $150,000.

Christie’s sold an Apple-1 computer in 2010 for over $213,000 but that computer also came with a letter from Steve Jobs.  According to Mike Willegal, an engineer who has identified and indexed 41 Apple-1 computers, said that the letter made the Christie’s computer even more rare, and therefore more valuable. Willegal said:

“This unit works, and is fairly complete with documentation and original cassette interface, so it should draw a pretty good sum… It doesn’t have a receipt with Jobs signature, so I don’t see it reaching the Christie’s number.”

Both the Atari memo and the Apple-1 computer could far exceed their estimates. Sotheby’s notes that in 2011, the original contract, signed by Wozniak, Jobs Ron Wayne to found Apple Computers fetched nearly $1.6 million. The contract had an estimated value of $150,000.

The auction is scheduled for June 15th.

Steve Jobs’ Memo To Atari, Working Apple-1 Computer, To Hit Auction Block Next Month is a post from: The Inquisitr

With the popularity of iPhone and Android-powered handsets causing rapid declines in the Blackberry line of smartphones Research In Motion (RIM) is expected to fire 2,000 more workers according to several sources.

Those insiders tell AllThingD that the move would allow the company to restructure in such a way that RIM could streamline its operations as executives have previously said was needed to keep the company profitable and moving forward.

If the rumor is true the layoffs would begin in June, just prior to RIM’s first fiscal quarter closing. The firings would follow last years layoffs which also occurred after a badly performing quarter. This new round would cut RIMs global workforce from 16,500 to 15,500 before the end of the summer. The layoffs are expected to hit every department and may even include some of the company’s executives.

The move to layoff executives has been a much talked about strategy as RIMs own OS has fallen by the wayside while Apple and Google have created systems that went from consumer friendly to relative business powerhouses in only a few short years.

The future of many RIM employees will likely be tied to the company’s 2012 successes which will include a BlackBerry device and an updated version of its operating system.

According to AllThingD:

“RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has vowed to improve execution at the company, streamlining operations and saving $1 billion by the end of fiscal 2013. His plan for achieving that, as explained by CFO Brian Bidulka: “Primarily by optimizing the cost position of our products and services and improving overall resource effectiveness and organizational efficiency.”

RIM To Lay Off Another 2,000 Workers [Rumor Mill] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Manhattanhenge sounds like it’s maybe a druid-themed bar on the Lower East Side or something, but the phenomenon is actually more natural and akin to its obvious namesake.

And like many cool things that have to do with celestial bodies, we have Neil DeGrasse Tyson to thank for coining the term “Manhattanhenge,” a portmanteau of the city’s most notable borough, Manhattan, and a circle of standing stones in the south of England.

Just as the sun aligns with the stones on solstices, so too does the setting sun fall into line with the skyscrapers of the Big Apple on the days in which the semi-annual occurrence is visible. There is a date that usually falls at the end of each May and again at the beginning of July (also known as the “Manhattan solstices”), when Manhattanhenge is visible in certain parts of the city- ideally from an eligible rooftop with an ice cold beer or sangria as the sun sets over the busy grid of traffic.

Luckily for those of us who would like to learn a bit more about Manhattanhenge, Dr. Tyson wrote up an explanation of the phenomenon and explains Manhattanhenge’s 2012 dates:

“For Manhattan, a place where evening matters more than morning, that special day comes twice a year. For 2012 they fall on May 29th, and July 12th, when the setting Sun aligns precisely with the Manhattan street grid, creating a radiant glow of light across Manhattan’s brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the borough’s grid.”

Tyson continues:

“…A rare and beautiful sight. These two days happen to correspond with Memorial Day and Baseball’s All Star break. Future anthropologists might conclude that, via the Sun, the people who called themselves Americans worshiped War and Baseball.”

You can read Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s full Manhattanhenge explanation over on the website of the Museum of Natural History.

Manhattanhenge Approaches, City Skygazers Ready Your Cameras is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone in “pebble blue” coloring will likely be delayed according to several sources close to the tech firm.

Delay rumors were escalated on Sunday as online retailers emailed customers to inform them that pre-orders were being delayed because of shipment issues at Samsung.

Sources close to Samsung claim that that delay has been caused by production issues involving the smartphones back case, although specific flaws with its design have not been revealed at this time.

According to reports at XDA Developers Samsung disposed of nearly 600,000 rear casing units for the Samsung Galaxy S III and is retooling the production process to fix the issue as quickly as possible. In the meantime the Samsung Benelux still shows an early June shipping date for the blue Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone.

Samsung is not the only company in recent memory to have issues with smartphone casing production, Apple ran into a similar issue in 2010 when attempting to outfit the iPhone 4, a delay that cost the company nearly 10 months of production time as they attempted to debut a white cased iPhone 4 model. Apple during its own investigation discovered that the iPhone 4 experienced proximity sensor issues with its original white casing design and that the production used for the cases would not allow the white cases to withstand the test of time.

At this time Samsung is not offering any specific information about the casing issue and officials are not estimating a ship date for the Samsung Galaxy S III with its fancy new “pebble blue” color.

Samsung Galaxy S III In “Pebble Blue” Likely Delayed Following Production Issues is a post from: The Inquisitr

The SceneTap smartphone app is receiving pressure from female bar customers after they realized the program has the potential to stalk them and send creepy guys to the locations where the most women are in abundance.

Receiving favorable early reviews the SceneTap app works by using facial-detection software and cameras placed strategically around bars and nightclubs. The app then tells users the age and gender makeup of each establishment.

The biggest complaint so far is that not all users are aware they are being video recorded, something one privacy advocated called just plain “creepy” and an “invasion of privacy.”

The SceneTap application is installed in bars from San Francisco, California; Austin, Texas; Athens, Georga.; Bloomington, Indianapolis.; Chicago; Gainesville, Florida.; and Madison, Wisconsin.

After using facial-detection to estimate information about bar and nightclub customers the app created a rundown of ages and sexes which is provided to users in real-time.

On the one hand the app can send customers to meet up with other bar and nightclub attendees that match their age and sex preference, on the other hand some women worry that creeps will hunt them down like prey.

According to SceneTap CEO Cole Harper in an interview with The Week the app is simply meant to help people find the crowd they are looking for, avoiding the type of prospects that might leave them feeling they are in the wrong “scene” for their lifestyle.

In a funny statement regarding the application Violet Blue at ZDNet wrote:

“This “bro-app” is designed to help “brotards” get liquored up and go straight to the bars “with the most chicks in them,” which is “sure to make women feel a little more like hunted prey” than they do already.

In San Francisco so many complaints have been filed that several bars who had agreed to the program chose to back out. ‘

You may recall the “Girls Around Me” app which suffered a close down after similar complaints were given by various mobile app using females.

According to Harper the SceneTap app won’t collect any user information. He tells The Week:

“It’s not recorded, it’s not streamed, it’s not individualized. You actually give up more information when you hand a bouncer your ID at the door.”

Do you think SceneTap is creepy or perhaps even an invasion of privacy?

SceneTap App Let’s Guys Stalk Women At Bars Using Facial Detection, Bar Installed Cameras is a post from: The Inquisitr

In a rather frank statement Microsoft told customers that if they had not started”the migration to a modern PC, you are late.”

Microsoft will completely abandon Windows XP in April 2014 even though 42 percent of Windows’ non-home installed base continues to operating using the Windows XP system. Microsoft predicts that 11 percent of Windows users will still be running Windows XP when security patches stop in 2014.

Windows XP will finally be completely orphaned by Microsoft with no further support or patches in April 2014, nearly 13 years after it launched.

According to the report, 42 percent of Windows’ non-home installed base continues remains on Windows XP. If current migration trends continue, 11 percent of all Windows users will still be running XP when the security patches stop in 2014.

In a white paper published on the official Microsoft blog the company points to a three-year hardware lifetime while pointing out that information technology workers’ time and worker productivity costs jump by 25 and 23 percent respectively in year four. When technology reaches year five those costs increase by 29 percent for IT and 40 percent for worker costs. One of the biggest costs appears to be support time losses since workers are typically supporting users with older, slower computers compared to Windows 7 PCs.

In the meantime the new upgrade requirement will cost IT teams as they may need to create new compatible software for badge printers, industrial controllers or security hardware.

Windows XP Costs Microsoft Five Times More To Support Than Windows 7 is a post from: The Inquisitr

A day after the SpaceX unmanned Dragon capsule docked with the International Space Station, astronauts floated aboard the world’s first privately owned supply ship.

Donald Pettit, NASA astronaut, was the first to go inside the docked capsule, according to Syracuse. Pettit noted that the Dragon could carry about as much cargo as his pickup truck in Houston, and that it smelled like a brand new car. He also stated:

“I spent quite a bit of time poking around in here this morning, just looking at the engineering and the layout, and I’m very pleased.”

The Space Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group, said in a statement, according to Syracuse, that:

“This event isn’t just a simple door opening between two spacecraft — it opens the door to a future in which U.S. industry can and will deliver huge benefits for U.S. space exploration.”

During a news conference on Saturday, Fox News reports that Pettit stated:

“This is kind of the equivalent of the golden spike. And one other interesting detail — nobody remembers who pounded that golden spike in. The important thing is to remember that the railroad was completed and was now open for use.”

NASA is handing over orbital delivery work to American business, in order to focus on bigger objective, such as getting astronauts to asteroids and Mars, according to Fox News. The space agency is hoping that the successful mission of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, will allow for ferry trips of astronauts to begin soon.

Fox News reports that SpaceX hopes its Dragon capsules will be carrying space station astronauts up and down from the ISS within three or four years.

Astronauts Enter SpaceX Capsule Dragon, Report ‘New Car Smell’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Obama campaign was charged $35,000 following a February stopover in Corona del Mar for a campaign breakfast.

Revenue officials in the city reportedly sent the bill, totaling $35,043.04, which covers the cost of extra police officers, reserve officers and overtime pay that the city contributed to the President’s visit, according to The Huffington Post.

The Corona del Mar Today reports that the invoice was City Manager Dave Kiff’s idea. Kiff stated in an email that:

“I think it is appropriate to treat it like a private event – if another private event that large and which required that much police presence occurred, we would bill the event sponsor. If the President was here on presidential business, we likely would not have billed for that.”

The memo was reportedly sent from the city’s Revenue Department to the Obama For America office in Chicago. There was no response or payment by Thursday evening, according to Tara Finnigan, a Newport Beach spokeswoman.

Residents in Corona del Mar agree with Kiff’s idea to invoice the president. The Huffington Post reports that Scott Mason, who lives on the same street that the President held his fundraiser, stated:

“I don’t care what the political party is … I am not in the President’s party. If you are using the public sector to support fund-raising … you have to pay for that.”

CBS Local reports that Sam Porter, who also lives in the affluent community, agrees with Mason, stating:

“He should pay it back. He should pit back to the police force. He should pay it back to the administration. He should pay it back to the city and the people of California.”

The breakfast on February 16th was held at the Shore Cliffs home of Jeff and Nancy Stack, according to the Corona del Mar Today. Entrance for the breakfast was $2,500 per person, and guests were offered a $10,000 photo reception and breakfast option and a $35,800 “greet + breakfast” option.

Obama Campaign Slapped With $35,000 Bill From Newport Beach is a post from: The Inquisitr

Team internet assemble! Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian is partnering with an internet rights advocacy group to create an ongoing strategy to harness web outrage.

Remember when, for a few says this winter, large swaths of the web talked frequently or solely about pending SOPA and PIPA legislation, laws that threatened internet freedoms we’ve taken for granted since we hung out in AOL chat rooms to talk about the latest episode of The Real World?

The coordination of big name sites like Wikipedia, Reddit and those on the Cheezburger network along with individual users talking about SOPA and PIPA on networks like Facebook and Twitter led to large and quickly disseminated knowledge about the dangerous legislation.

But Ohanian and the web rights group Fight for the Future realize that there’s a small threshold for outrage fatigue on the internet, and have come up with a solution to stop that- a handy problem to address considering that following the massive SOPA and PIPA backlash, passing rights-killing laws is far better accomplished in small bits rather than via sweeping, Orwellian legislation.

According to Forbes, Ohanian says of the “Internet Defense League”:

“People who wish to be tapped can see, oh look, the Bat-Signal is up. Time to do something,” says Ohanian. “Whatever website you own, this is a way for you to be notified if something comes up and take some basic actions…If we aggregate everyone that’s doing it, the numbers start exploding.”

Of the dangers that face web users now that lawmakers know SOPA and PIPA tripped outrage sensors, the site quotes Ohanian:

”You can only cry ‘Oh my gosh, they’re going to shut down the Internet so often,’” he says. “We’ve scared [Congress] from doing anything as egregious as SOPA and PIPA again. But the new challenge is this endless series of smaller bills that try to unravel internet rights.”

So far, Cheezburger, Reddit, Imgur and the EFF are among the names that have pledged support to the “bat signal of the internet,” or the Internet Defense League.

Reddit Founder Plans ‘Internet Bat Signal’ to Defend the Tubes is a post from: The Inquisitr

GameStop is noew selling Android tablets at 1,600 of its locations, according to a press release.

GameZone reports that the devices will be from makers like Acer, Asus, Samsung, and Toshiba, and will all come preloaded with a few free games, like the Conic CD and Riptide, as well as the Kongregate Arcade app.

The press release states:

“Android tablets purchased at GameStop come loaded with valuable extras including a hand-picked selection of free games, like Sonic CD and Riptide, the Kongregate Arcade gaming app and a free issue of Game Informer Digital. As with all products sold by GameStop, these items can be purchased with trades of games, consoles and even an old iPod®, iPhone® or iPad®.”

Slash Gear reports that the new merchandise appears to be a decision GameStop has made after realizing that the gaming industry is changing, and it must adapt to the changes in order to remain competitive.

One example of the retailer adjusting to new gaming styles shows that they are now selling downloadable content (such as Blizzard’s Starcraft, World of Warcraft and Diablo games) in stores, despite the fact that gamers can easily download the games directly from their consoles or computers.

According to Slash Gear, GameStop offering this option allows customers to use cash, trade-in credit, or gift cards, instead of using a credit card.

David Sanchez of GameZone writes that:

“If you’re looking to purchase one of the several Android tablets on hand at GameStop and you’ve also got some games you want to get rid of, you’ll be able to cash them in for some in-store credit, which should make that tablet a bit less pricey.”

Do you think you will go to GameStop and trade in some old games for an Android tablet?

GameStop Now Selling Android Tablets At 1,600 Stores is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you plan on stealing a development team from another tech company you might want to give Google’s recently play on the HP webOS Enyo HTML5 team. The search giant has been slowly hiring members from the HP project one-at-a-time.

According to a report by AllThingsD Google managed to grab half a dozen of the programs top workers including project chief Matt McNulty. Original reports had stated that most of the team had been snatched up by Google.

Despite losing some of its key members HP released the following statement regarding Google’s power play:

“We’re pleased with the traction Enyo has gained to date and plan to continue its development along with the open source community. The Open webOS project is on schedule and we remain committed to the roadmap announced in January.”

Since acquiring webOS from Palm the team at HP has repackaged the software for the open-source community and Open WebOS has become heavily dependent on Enyo for both its app and browser rendering. Developers have already downloaded Enyo 40,000 times since it was released just three weeks ago. After Google’s acquisition of major team members some in the developer community were worried the project would be abandoned which led HP to release its statement.

In the meantime it is easy to understand why the HP webOS Enyo HTML team would so easily jump ship, HP has already laid off upwards of 275 webOS employees.

After several months of negotiations the former HP employees are all expected to join Google in June.

Google Hires Several Key Members From HP webOS Enyo HTML5 Team is a post from: The Inquisitr

The International Space Station and SpaceX’s Dragon capsule made history on Friday morning when the stations crew used a robotic arm to capture the Dragon capsule and then dock it with the ISS.

By successfully completing its first mission the Dragon capsule becomes the first commercial spacecraft to dock with a space station.

SpaceX which signed a $1.6 billion deal with NASA had been testing the Dragon capsule and its Falcon rocket for weeks, however delayed caused by systems issues caused the delivery to be postponed on several occasions.

The Dragon capsule was captured on Friday morning by astronauts Donald Pettit and Andre Kuipers who maneuvered the Space Station and its robotic arm around space for several hours before successfully grabbing the capsule.

The SpaceX project is an important stepping stone for NASA’s future, by handing over basic orbital flights to private business NASA engineers will be about to focus on bigger missions, such as landing on asteroids and sending its first astronauts to Mars by 2033.

In the meanwhile SpaceX has shown how a private company can create space technology faster and more efficiently then NASA and other space agencies that are marred in bureaucratic red tape. The SpaceX project was privately bankrolled by billionaire investor Elon Musk, co-founder of Paypal.

The Dragon capsule will now remain in space for nearly a weeks time after which point it will be released by the International Space Station and then return to earth with a load of experiments inside its capsule.

SpaceX will now focus on bigger delivery projects for NASA, this first docking test carried only basic supplies such as food and water.

The next company to launch a commercial cargo ship into orbit will be Orbital Sciences Corp, its capsule is expected to launch in late 2012.

SpaceX Dragon Capsule Makes History, Docks With International Space Station is a post from: The Inquisitr

When the United States sent Neil Armstrong to the moon it was a momentous occasion that arguably shifted the attitude of the cold war in favor of the United States. Now the famed astronaut has revealed that the mission actually had only a 50-50 chance of succeeding.

Armstrong sat down for an interview with the Certified Practicing Accountants of Australia where he revealed:

“I thought we had a 90% chance of getting back safely to Earth on that flight but only a 50-50 chance of making a landing on that first attempt. There were so many unknowns …”

One of those “unknowns” occurred when Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were heading towards the moon’s surface in the Eagle lander when the on-board computer attempted to steer them towards a steep, rocky area. According to Armstrong:

“I took over manually and flew it like a helicopter out to the west direction, got into a smoother area without so many rocks and found a level area and was able to get it down there safely before we ran out of fuel.” while he added that there was “something like 20 seconds of fuel left.”

 When asked about the various conspiracy theorists who claim the moon landing wasn’t real Armstrong said:

“People love conspiracy theories … but they were never a concern to me—because I know that one day somebody’s going to fly back up there and pick up that camera I left there.”

So why did Neil Armstrong open up to a group of accountants? The best guest so far is that his father was an auditor.

Neil Armstrong Reveals: Moon Landing Had 50-50 Chance Of Succeeding is a post from: The Inquisitr

Monkeys that sneeze in the rain, orchids that bloom at night, and a mushroom named after SpongeBob SquarePants, arejust a few of the new species on Arizona State University annual Top 10 New Species list on Wednesday.

The list, which has been released every year for the last five year, helps show how much biodiversity exists in the world.

Quentin Wheeler, director of ASU’s International Institute for Species Exploration, told the Daily News.

“We’re trying to draw attention to diversity, trying to make people aware of how little we know about species… There’s growing popularity for the idea of making sure we have sustainable biodiversity. We’re trying to bring attention to the science of taxonomy.”

The NY Daily News reports that close to 18,000 species were discovered in 2011. Two hundred of those were nominated for the top 10 new species list, which is comprised of mammals, plants, and bugs.

Wheeler said:

“All plants, animals, fossils, everything — the only criteria is that they have to have been officially described within the prior calendar year.”

Wheeler said that every year thousands of new species are discovered and he doesn’t expect the pace to slow down. The devil’s worm, for instance, was found miles below the surface of the earth. Wheeler said:

“I don’t think anyone suspected a multicellular organism to be living that deep in the Earth. It makes you wonder what else is out there. The biosphere is a lot bigger than we think it is.”

Here are the photos from the top 10 new species list.

Sneezing monkey

Bonaire banded box Jelly

Nepalese autumn poppy

Night-blooming orchid

Sazima’s tarantula

Walking cactus

Giant millipede

Spongebob Squarepants mushroom

Devil’s Worm

Dive-bombing wasp

Top 10 New Species List Brings Attention To Biodiversity is a post from: The Inquisitr

NASA scientists are hoping to put its first astronauts “near” Mars by 2033. According to the agency the astronauts would arrive in Mars’ orbit and bit up a canister from the planets orbit after he had been launched back into space by some type of Mars Rover device. The canister according to officials would contain rock samples from the planets surface which scientists could then research.

The agency’s plans were revealed in an internal NASA study group document which aimed at replanning the agencies Mars program.

The agency’s study group is tasked with finding ways in which humans and robotic devices can better work together. According to Nature:

“In return for supplemental funds from the human program and the technology office, the robotic science missions might, for instance, include experiments useful for the human programme, such as radiation detectors or optical communication demonstrations.”

The 2033 date would coincide closely with President Obama’s previously announced timeframe for missions to Mars.

In the meantime NASA admits that simply “making plans” is not going to help meet their deadline. The agency must develop new types of rockets to reach Mars and to ensure they can get the human astronauts aboard those ships back home once again. The agency must also create new materials to shield astronauts from “intense radiation” and to shield their ships from space particles which can tear through conventional materials without a second thought.

If all goes as planned the agency will then move on to look at the possibility of landing an astronaut on Mars surface.

NASA Wants Astronauts Near Mars By 2033 is a post from: The Inquisitr

In address the mobile optimization issues surrounding governmental websites President Obama said ”it is time for the federal government to do more. For far too long, the American people have been forced to navigate a labyrinth of information across different government programs in order to find the services they need.”

As President Obama points out in the memo, some services are poorly optimized while other services simply fail to work all together on smartphones, tablets and other portable devices. In the statement the President continued:

“Americans deserve a government that works for them anytime, anywhere, and on any device. By making important services accessible from your phone and sharing government data with entrepreneurs, we are giving hard-working families and businesses tools that will help them succeed.”

According to to the President’s release, by 2015 there will be more people in the United States accessing the web through mobile phones than through desktop computers.

To prepare for the conversion to mobile accessibility President Obama has paced U.S. Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel in charge of creating a comprehensive mobile road map.

President Obama also announced the Presidential Innovation Fellows program which brings outside innovators to Washington D.C. where they can work with governmental officials on new technology projects including open data initiatives and health records.

President Obama Orders Government Agencies To Optimize Websites For Mobile Web Accessibility is a post from: The Inquisitr

Do you have some samples of bigfoot’s hair lying around? A group of researchers from Oxford University and the Lausanne Museum of Zoology would probably like to talk to you.

The researchers are hoping to analyze DNA from several bigfoot hair samples in order to prove, or disprove, the existence of bigfoot.

The Associated Press reports that the scientists are calling for all bigfoot aficionados to contact them with hair, blood, or other samples related to the mythical beast. Bryan Sykes of Oxford University said that he has already received several samples and the group is ready to start genetic testing.

Mark Thomas, a professor of evolutionary genetics at University College London, said:

“If the Yeti is real and somebody has found bits of their hair, you should be able to tell from the DNA in the hair if this is actually a Yeti… If Yetis have survived for the last 30,000 years, they have probably had a pretty miserable existence and are a small population vulnerable to extinction… It’s not as insane an idea as many might think, but the chances are pretty small.”

Thomas, who is not connected with the study, said that the DNA testing could show whether the Yeti is a new species or if it’s related to apes or humans. Of course, it could also prove that bigfoots (bigfeets?) are actually  elves.

The new bigfoot study has the conspiracy theory community pretty excited, but David Frayer, a professor of biological anthropology at Kansas University, warns sasquatch lovers not to get their hopes up. Frayer said that hair studies have been done in the past. It turns out, most yeti hair comes from buffalos.

Frayer said:

“No serious scientist (would) treat Yeti as a worthy research project. (Previous studies have been done) and they turned out to be from a bison.”

What do you think about the new yeti study? Do you have any bigfoot hair samples that you want analyzed?

A bigfoot finger was put through some DNA testing last year. It turned out to be just a really old finger.

Bigfoot Hair Samples Wanted For Sasquatch DNA Study is a post from: The Inquisitr

A robot that can survey a room, identify all of the objects in it and where they belong, and then put them away, has been trained by researchers in Cornell’s Personal Robotics Lab.

There are already robots smart enough to scoop poop, fold towels, and pour beer, but the new robot, programmed at Cornell, puts all of those to shame, according to Science Blog.

Ashutosh Saxena, assistant professor of computer science at Cornell, stated that previous work has dealt with teaching the robot to place single objects on a flat surface. Science Blog reports that Saxena went on to explain:

“Our major contribution is that we are now looking at a group of objects, and this is the first work that places objects in non-trivial places.”

MSNBC notes that the robot has complex algorithms that allow it to consider the object’s nature, before deciding what to do with it. Yun Jiang, a graduate student in computer science, and also a member of the research team, stated:

“It learns not to put a shoe in the refrigerator.”

There is a learning curve, of course, but over time, the robot improves as it repeats the tasks and gets more familiar with its environment.

MSNBC reports that the robot is 80 percent accurate to start out, and improves to 98 percent accuracy, which is almost as good as doing it yourself, without the hassle. The robot can pick up and put away dishes, books, clothing, and toys, making it the perfect present for teens, college students, and busy families.

Science Blog reports that the robot starts its process by surveying the room using a Microsoft Kinect 3-D camera (originally made for video gaming), which is commonly used by robotics researchers. The images are then stitched together to create a picture of the room. The robot then examines each object, deciding on the appropriate and stable placement for it. Finally, it creates a graphic simulation on how to put the object where it belongs, then carries out the movements.

Saxena noted that these movements by the robot are practical applications of computer graphics that are far removed from gaming and animating movie monsters.

Check out more information about the room-cleaning robot, as well as other robots at Cornell University’s Robotics Lab here:

Robot Smart Enough To Clean Your Room is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ph.D. candidate Dave Smith and his team of MIT researchers have solved a problem that has vexed man since the beginning of time…how to get the damned ketchup out of the bottle.  No more violent shaking of the bottle, no more sticking in a knife and having to wrap it in a napkin and no more smashing the “57″ on the top of the bottle.

Smith’s team, consisting of mechanical engineers and nano-technologists, over the past several months has created “LiquiGlide,” a non-toxic coating so slippery that when you tilt the bottle the ketchup flows out of the top like milk out of a carton.  Not just quickly but the ketchup (or any other thick liquid) comes out to the last drop.

Smith told Fast Company,

“It just floats right onto the sandwich,”

Smith stresses that it isn’t just ketchup but any thick liquid that can benefit from “LiquiGlide”. The coating can be applied to a variety of surfaces, glass or plastic, and could conceivably work with all kinds of thick sauces or industrial solvents.  For Smith the benefits speak for themselves.

According to Smith, the coating is completely unique because of the qualities it possesses.  He said,

“[It's]kind of a structured liquid — it’s rigid like a solid, but it’s lubricated like a liquid. It’s funny: Everyone is always like, ‘Why bottles? What’s the big deal?’ But then you tell them the market for bottles — just the sauces alone is a $17 billion market. And if all those bottles had our coating, we estimate that we could save about 1 million tons of food from being thrown out every year.”

MIT Researcher Finally Solves The “Ketchup Problem” is a post from: The Inquisitr

Smartphones have come a long way over the last 5 years and are now responsible for many of the emails we send, music we listen to and even the social networks we connect with. For that reason it should not come as a surprise that the mini-PC driven devices are now dominating the mobile phone market.

According to a study released by iGR, consumers in May 2012 have purchased a record number of Smartphones. According to the firm of the entire mobile phone market 71% of devices purchased for the month were Smartphone based.

Consumers reported that only 28 percent of the mobile handsets they have purchased recently were “basic” mobile phone models, while also revealing that 69 percent of the handsets they plan to purchase in the future will be smartphone based.

That trend is good news for manufacturers as smartphones make up a higher margin from buyers. For example the average cost per smartphone is now $114.23. Consumers also revealed they would be willing to spend up to $127.25 on average for their future smartphone purchase.

Interestingly consumers revealed that they would be willing to pay $135.90 on average for an Apple iPhone but just $124.65 for a Google Android phone, despite the fact that the Android OS is in higher demand.

According to iGR president and founder Iain Gillot:

“Smartphones have become the new norm. 60 percent of the survey respondents iGR interviewed reported using a smartphone.”

The study also revealed that while many smartphone users are under 45 years old the market is quickly shifting and older users are beginning to buy Smartphones at an increasing rate.

71% Of May 2012 Mobile Phone Sales Were Smartphones [iGR Survey] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Comcast on Tuesday rolled out free a free WiFi calling platform for current voice customers. Under the new plan Comcast customers who subscriber to home phone service will be able to make calls from their iPad, smartphone and other mobile devices at no additional charge.

Users looking to take advantage of the free WiFi calling need only download the Comcast mobile app and then connect to a WiFi hotspot. The new system currently offers apps for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android smartphones.

While customers can also make free voice calls from their 3G or 4G wireless data plans the company warns that carrier data usage will still apply.

Comcast customers will find the service under the name Voice 2go and it is only available to Comcast Xfinity Voice subscribers.

As part of the services customers will also be able to forward their home phone calls to up to four additional phones or other connected devices. Call forwarding can be enacted for other landlines, iPhone, iPad, iPod Toucha nd Android devices.  Customers can also setup four “personal phone numbers that can be used to make calls and send text messages over Wi-Fi networks.

By jumping into the free WiFi sector Comcast is now competing against the likes of Google Voice, Skype and various VoIP based carriers. While Comcast Xfinity might be competing against Skype they also just recently rolled out Skype video capabilities for triple play subscribers.

How many customers will take advantage of the Voice 2go program and then continue to use it in order to save money on cellular and other phone calls has yet to be seen but the more competition that arises in the VoIP market the better.

Comcast Voice Subscribers Now Have Free Wi-Fi Calling is a post from: The Inquisitr

IBM employees are more than welcome to bring an iPhone to work but they are forbidden from using the phone’s voice-activated digital assistant known as Siri.

Officials at the company have become wary of Siri because it sends all inquiries to Apple’s Maiden, North Carolina data center where Siri-launched searches, e-mail messages and other information appear to disappear into a black box of informatino.

Speaking to MIT’s Technology Review IBM CIO Jeanette Horan revealed, “The company worries that the spoken queries might be stored somewhere.”

Perhaps IBM is going to far but Wired’s Robert McMillan did some TOS diving and found the following statement in the iPhone Software License Agreement:

“‘When you use Siri or Dictation, the things you say will be recorded and sent to Apple in order to convert what you say into text,’ Apple says. Siri collects a bunch of other information — names of people from your address book and other unspecified user data, all to help Siri do a better job.”

The agreement then goes on to state:

“By using Siri or Dictation, you agree and consent to Apple’s and its subsidiaries’ and agents’ transmission, collection, maintenance, processing, and use of this information, including your voice input and User Data, to provide and improve Siri, Dictation, and other Apple products and services.”

IBM is not the only agency worried about how Siri stores information, several months ago the American Civil Liberties Union issued a warning about Siri technology.

In the meantime Siri developer Edward Wrenbeck compares worries to Siri to worries over general internet privacy:

“I really don’t think it’s something to worry about. People are already doing things on these mobile devices. Maybe Siri makes their life a little bit easier, but it’s not exactly opening up a new avenue that wasn’t there before.”

Apple and Google are not commenting about the Siri ban at this time but perhaps Apple would be smart to learn from Google and begin anonymizing search results.

IBM Bans Siri, Thinks Apple Might Be Spying is a post from: The Inquisitr

Robert Moog, the man who revolutionized music by introducing electronic synthesizers, is being honored with a Google Doodle today, which would have been his 78th birthday–and, if you’re prone to getting distracted at work, it’s a Doodle that just might be a productivity killer.

To honor Moog, Google slapped a fully functional synthesizer–complete with all sorts of knobs to fiddle around with that alter the sound–directly above the search bar that can be controlled with the mouse or the keyboard. And if you happen to be any good at playing the synthesizer, you can also save your work by clicking on the record button to the right of it.

Moog, born May 23, 1934, took interest in musical instruments at a very young age. At age 14, he had already built his own theremin, which later led to him starting his own company. After that, Moog created his self-named synthesizer, which you can see on today’s Google Doodle.

Moog wasn’t the first person to create a synthesizer, but his synthesizer caught on in a way that others didn’t due to its small size, light weight and versatility. In fact, The Beatles took notice of Moog’s synthesizer, and used the machine on the album “Abbey Road.”

“We wanted to make completely new sounds,” Moog said in an interview (via National Post) before his death in 2005, “sounds that nobody had ever heard before.”

For an idea of what you can do with the Robert Moog Google Doodle, check out the video below.

Robert Moog Honored With Google Doodle is a post from: The Inquisitr

The water in Gijon Harbor in Northern Spain are about to get cleaner thanks to a group of robot fish.

European Scientists have moved the robot fish out of the testing lab and into the sea with the hopes of cleaning up some of the pollution in the water. The BBC reports that the artificial fish will be a mainstay of the harbor and will be able to give coastal official real-time monitoring of pollution.

Luke Speller, a senior scientist at the research division of BMT Group, said:

“The idea is that we want to have real-time monitoring of pollution, so that if someone is dumping chemicals or something is leaking, we can get to it straight away, find out what is causing the problem and put a stop to it.

Speller says that coastal officials typically take pollution readings once a month. That means that a ship may enter the harbor leaking oil and by the time it’s been detected the ship has moved on up the coast. The robot fish will be able to detect leaks much more quickly.

Speller added:

“A ship could come into the harbour, leak some chemicals somewhere, then it’s gone, all the way up the coastline. The idea is that we will use robot fish, which are in the harbor all of the time, and constantly checking for pollution.”

Ian Dukes from the University of Essex, said that the machine was designed to mimic real fish. Dukes said:

“Over millions of years, fish have evolved the ultimate hydrodynamic shape, and we have tried to mimic that in the robot. They swim just like fish; they are really quite agile and can change direction quickly, even in shallow water.”

Here’s a video of the robot fish swimming.

Reuters reports that the fish are about five feet long and currently cost about $31,000.

Robot Fish Take To The Sea To Stop Pollution [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The MacBook Pro 2012 series may soon be upon us. Apple is not exactly secretive about the upcoming release of new products, while they made hide specs, the design of those products and other details there is always one obviously giveaway that a new product line is coming soon, Apple product price drogs.

Best Buy this week began reducing its prices for older MacBook Pro models starting at savings of $100.

The least expensive MacBook Pro (baseline model) receives a $100 discount while the higher-end models are going for $200 off current retail pricing.

You may recall that the iPad 2 received a $50 rebate at Best Buy in February, just in time for the new iPad to arrive.

Apple is banking big on the new MacBook Pro models which many analysts believe will offer a display on par with the company’s 2012 iPad which contains the company’s “retinal display” technology for crystal clear output.

While reports have circulated that the MacBook Pro 2012 will look more like an Apple MacBook Air it will likely require a bigger battery and perhaps the loss of the optical drive to fit the newly required power system.

Throw in the newly created Ivy Bridge processors and NVIDIA graphics and its likely that we will also witness a bigger push towards gaming and app sales. Add in USB 3.0 and Apple could have a winner on its hands, not that it would surprise anyone.

In the meantime we’ll take the price reductions as a sign that the Apple MacBook Pro 2012 models are on the way, after all Apple has been pulling the same price reduction stuntss since the iPod became popular in the early 2000′s and was met with constantly updating models and reduced pricing for older models right before those releases.

MacBook Pro 2012 Release Hinted By Price Drops is a post from: The Inquisitr

Steve Jobs was honored during Monday’s 16th annual Webby Awards by Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, vice president Al Gore, U2 frontman Bono and more.

The awards ceremony, called the “Oscars of the online world” are intended to honor online excellence, like websites, interactive advertising, online film, mobile apps, and more, according to Fox News.

The awards were held in New York City, and Obama stated of the late Apple creator:

“…the truth is, when we talk about Steve Jobs, we only need one word: amazing.”

Apple Insider reports that Richard Dreyfuss, who voiced an iconic “Crazy ones” commercial, took jabs at both Google and Facebook, prior to announcing the video honoring Jobs. He stated:

“Before we talk about Steve, I just want to say: Mark Zuckerberg, Eric Brin [sic] have you thought of the words quid pro quo? If you’re going to take our privacy away from us, why don’t you tell us something private about yourselves. And if you’re going to change our world, why don’t you pay for it, because it’s theft.”

He went on to say, according to Fox News, that:

“[Steve Jobs] wanted to make one statement that defined his company, defined his goals, defined his source point — where he started from, how he caught and held the attention of a world drowning in loud hyperbolic fraud.”

The Webby Awards, known for their “five-word speech” format, boast the shortest thank yous of all awards ceremonies. Each person remembering Jobs was required to stick within this format, leaving Clinton, Bono, and Vice President Gore to say short, but to the point thank yous to the late Apple genius.

Fox News reports that Clinton thanked Jobs for, “For spreading American ingenuity worldwide.” Meanwhile, Bono thanked him, “For saving lives with (RED).” Gore was even more to the point, saying, “Steve Jobs was insanely great.”

Two films are currently in production to tell the story of Steve Jobs life.

Steve Jobs Honored At Webby Awards is a post from: The Inquisitr

A mechanical glitch in one of the engines might have delayed the launch of SpaceX’s Falcon rocket last Friday, but today the California-based company made history. After a successful launch from its Florida pad at 03:44 EDT, it has become the first private firm to make a cargo delivery in space.

The Falcon rocket that launched early Tuesday was topped by an unmanned Dragon freight capsule, and will re-supply the International Space Station (ISS) later this week.

After launch, the rocket climbed rapidly to an altitude of 340km above the Earth in just under 10 minutes. Shortly thereafter, the Dragon capsule was ejected from the rocket, and successfully opened its solar panels. The Dragon vessel is expected to reach the ISS on Thursday, when it will come within 2.5km of the orbiting outpost.

On Friday, the capsule will be steered to within 10 meters of the station, at which point ISS astronauts will grab the ship with a robotic arm and berth it to the station. Once the capsule is securely in place, it will be emptied of its load – 500kg of food, water and equipment. It will then be set back for a return to Earth at the end of May.

SpaceX has been backed in its endeavors by NASA, which is hoping to contract out routine unmanned and human spaceflight operations in low-Earth orbit to private companies. If commercial companies can take responsibility for such tasks, this would free NASA up to undertake more long-range missions, such as trips to Mars and various asteroids.

NASA has set SpaceX a list of development milestones, and when these are complete a $1.6bn ISS re-supply contract kicks in.

No Glitch This Time As SpaceX Celebrates Successful Launch is a post from: The Inquisitr

Lucid dreaming is not a common occurrence for most slumbering people, yet two 30-year-old investors have created a sleep mask they claim can make your dreams a reality or at least controllable. Known as the Remee Sleep Mask the gadget uses specially timed LED lights to notify you of your dreams.

According to the inventors the mask contains six red LED lights that are bright enough to grab your brains attention but not bright enough to wake you up as you sleep.

As your brain realizes the red lights are flashing during REM sleep you are suddenly aware of your dreams and therefore able to control them.

According to the inventors the ability to lucid dream is not easy to realize and therefore the mask likely will not work every single time you put it on.

While the idea of controlling your dreams might sound far fetched a lot of people are already on-board with a Kickstarter page raking in $572,891 for a product that originally requested just $35,000 in funding.

The money raised comes from more than 6,000 backers who want to try out the $95 Remee sleep make for themselves.

The Remee sleep mask starts shipping in July and if it doesn’t work at least buyers will have a cool new psychedelic sleep mask to wear while they sleep.

In the meantime here is a video from Kickstarter which explains the Remee sleep mask in more detail:

Have you taken the bait and signed up for a Remee sleep mask of your very own?

Remee Sleep Mask Allows You To Control Your Dreams [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Facebook is, if you’ve used it for any particular length of time, clearly a new battleground for airing grievances, hinting at slights or resentments or otherwise allowing people to indirectly say things they may not have had the courage to say directly to the face of a loved one of friend- so it’s probably not surprising that now fully one-third of divorces mention the social network in filings.

As recently as a year or two ago, Facebook was a culprit or contributing factor in one-fifth of divorces, divorce lawyers reported. But now as it becomes more prominent, it seems many more people are citing Facebook as at least one of the reasons their union headed to splitstown in the official record.

And again, we’re faced with the new question of whether Facebook ends marriages, or whether the social network just often serves to throw the match on a gasoline-drenched union, enabling the flames to rise up and burn it all down.

As for whether the role of Facebook in divorces is common, it’s difficult to measure. But the Wall Street Journal quoted a divorce lawyer in Connecticut as confirming that Facebook is becoming ever prominent as a reason marriages break up:

“‘I see Facebook issues breaking up marriages all the time,’ says Gary Traystman, a divorce attorney in New London, Conn. Of the 15 cases he handles per year where computer history, texts and emails are admitted as evidence, 60% exclusively involve Facebook.”

The previous stat of 20% and new one of about 33% both came via UK company Divorce-Online, which measured divorce data in a survey.

Facebook Now Mentioned in More Than One-Third of Divorces is a post from: The Inquisitr

Foxconn is continuing to expand its operations as Apple’s iPhone and iPad lines continue to generate increasing sales. The Asian manufacturer on Monday announced plans to build a new $210 million production line in Huai’an.

According to China Daily the new facility which has already been announced by local officials will cover more than 430,556 square feet and will employ 35,800 people. The new production line is also expected to be worth 6 to 7 billion yuan ($949 million to $1.1 billion) with an import/export value of $55.8 million.

Construction on the new plant is expected to start in October and Foxconn has not announced which Apple devices will be produced at the new state of the art manufacturing facility. There is the possibility the plant will be used to supplement iPhone and iPad production, however it is also likely that it could be used to produce Apple’s upcoming TV set or even the rumored Apple iPad 7-inch model which has not yet been confirmed or denied by Apple executives.

Foxconn’s growth means plenty of jobs in Huai’an, the company is already planning another factory in April which will employ thousands of more workers. Foxconn already has more than 200,000 people working in the city of Shenzhen, those employees build products for some of the worlds largest tech firms include Apple, HP and others.

In the meantime the new Huai’an plant comes at a time when Foxconn and Apple are trying to prove that they have increased employee safety and worker rights amid international concerns over the working conditions at various Foxconn production plants.

Foxconn Announces Plans For New $210 Million Apple Production Line is a post from: The Inquisitr

Apple’s iDevices that run on cellular networks, the iPad and iPhone, will soon be getting 3G cellular support for FaceTime video calls according to Apple rumor website iDevice. FaceTime, the video calling app that runs on iPads, iPod Touches, iPhones and Macs, currently only works when the device on which the app is running is connected to a wifi signal. Apple has been concerned that users of iPhones will experience bad quality video calls, with jerky video and laggy audio, should the devices be able to make such calls over the cellular 3G data network.

The late Steve Jobs was quoted as saying that the mobile carriers had stated that they did not want FaceTime to operate over their networks. However, such video chatting services such as Skype do work over the networks without much issue.

However, iDevice reported, an error message that pops up in iOS 5.1.1 running on iPhones states that “disabling 3G may end FaceTime.” This error occurs when users go into their iPhone’s settings menu and disable their iPhone’s 3G connectivity.

“In addition,” Amog.com noted,  ”the iOS also displays another warning message when a user turns the 3G back on. But the same with turning off the connection, it won’t interrupt the FaceTime video call over Wi-Fi.”

While the warning message does seem to indicate that a future version of iOS for your 3G/4G iPad and iPhone will include such a 3G enabled FaceTime calls, you currently cannot get FaceTime to work over 3G without jail-breaking your iDevice.

Let’s hope it appears on the new 4-inch screened iPhone 5.

3G Support For FaceTime Revealed In iOS Warning Messages [VIDEO] is a post from: The Inquisitr

A vegetarian shark sounds kinda like a vegetarian vampire in that when you take away the snapping jaws and blood in the water, much of what makes either of them compelling rapidly vanishes as well.

Yes, a vegetarian shark is probably more fun to swim with, but picture what Shark Week would be like if the programming was interspersed with footage of our fierce, ocean-dwelling friends laying the hell into a Factory Salad at the Cheesecake Factory instead of some unsuspecting, docile fish. For some reason, a vegetarian shark chomping into a loosely-tossed plateful of organic field greens doesn’t have the same appeal.

Florence is a vegetarian shark living in a British sea life center, and perhaps like Carlisle Cullen, she didn’t start out life quite so benignly. But circumstances changed, and along with them, Florence made the switch from murderous sharky creature to peace loving, veggie eating hippie shark.

How did it happen? io9 explains that surgery to remove a fishing hook prompted six-foot-long Florence to shift from meat eater to vegetarian shark:

“Three years ago, when Florence arrived at the National Sea Life Centre from Florida, her caretakers discovered that she had a fishing hook lodged deep inside her mouth. She received a groundbreaking out-of-water surgery, making her the first shark to survive such an operation.”

The site continues, describing the aftermath of Florence’s life-altering surgery. Spoiler alert: no surfers were munched upon:

“But after Florence healed up, she didn’t return to her protein-rich diet. When her keepers offer her fish, she refuses to eat, instead stealing vegetables meant for her green turtle roommate. A nurse shark eating the occasional bit of algae isn’t unusual, but for a shark to turn down meat entirely is unheard of.”

Whether or not the vegetarian shark sparkles has not been disclosed by the National Sea Life Centre.

This Vegetarian Shark Threatens The Appeal of Shark Week is a post from: The Inquisitr

A new iPhone 5 rumor suggests the forthcoming smartphone will rock a 4-inch screen, as Apple attempts to stay ahead of its Android rivals.

Heavyweights such as the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Reuters have all focused on the speculation about a 4-inch display, lending the rumors some extra credence.

And in a way, it makes perfect sense. Throughout its evolution, the iPhone has always stuck to a 3.5-inch screen – even when other smartphone makers were increasingly designing phones with screens measuring over 5 inches (the Samsung Note is one of the biggest, with a 5.3-inch display).

Yet a Tokyo correspondent for Reuters reports that LG, Sharp and a new firm, Japan Display, will combine forces to produce the 4-inch screens for iPhone 5 from next month. That, suggest several pundits, could allow Apple to start production in August, ready for an iPhone 5 launch in October – October being a popular month for Apple launches.

So far, Apple’s response to having a smaller screen than many of its rivals has been typically impressive, with some thoughtful interface design maximising the 3.5-inch display. Yet with a run of 4.5-inch-plus Androids now flooding the market, the company may have to expland, literally.

Is a 4-inch display too big? Personally, I think it’s at the outer edges of what is acceptable for a smartphone – I always found the Samsung Note a tad large to smoothly transfer from hand to pocket. Beyond 4.5 inches, I’d prefer a tablet. What say you, readers? Let us know in the comments.

iPhone 5 Rumor: New Smartphone To Have 4-Inch Display is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sony on Sunday confirmed to CNet that the entire line of Sony tablet devices in all regions will receive an over-the-air update which brings with it Android 4.0. The company says the new updates will be made available via over-the-air updates.

Sony had previously announced its plans to offer the Google Android 4.0 update but did not provide a timeline for those updates until Sunday afternoon.

Some Sony Tablets have already received the upgrade including the Sony Tablet S in the United States, however other tablets, specifically those located in Europe and Japan have been left with the older and less stable Google Android 3.2.1 system.

Some of the top updates for Google Android 4.0 include a panoramic camera mode, an updated gallery viewer with SD card access and browser enhancements among other bug fixes, security updates and other new features that users have generally found worth the update.

Google and Sony are hoping that the international roll-out for Google Android 4.0 will appease customers who have long complained that the fragmentation of Google Android has let to varying regional timetables for new product releases while other devices have skipped over Google Android upgrades all together. Apple in comparison is able to update any devices they choose at the same time, allowing iOS to more easily be adapted as upgrades become available on a worldwide basis. Apple up until this point has included all iPad versions in their upgrades including the original and now outdated iPad.

The exact updates for each tablet region are not known, Sony however will send a message to each users device when the time for an upgrade has arrived.

Sony To Update All Tablets With Google Android 4.0 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google and Motorola Mobility Holdings received some good news on Saturday when officials in China approved the $12.5 billion purchase which was initiated and announced by Google in late 2011. Under the acquisition it is expected that Google will begin to develop and manufacture its own line of smartphones.

The acquisition has been closely scrutinized by governments around the world as it will immediately provide Google, Inc. with thousands of mobile patents that it can use to create technology and also hold competitors hostage in an ever increasing patent lawsuit environment.  Motorola currently holds more than 17,000 patents and 7,500 patent applications.

The Google/Motorola Mobility merger was approved by U.S. and European regulators in February 2012, a move that left only Chinese regulators to potentially halt the dea.

After China announced its final approval on Saturday Google spokeswoman Niki Fenwick said:

“Our stance since we agreed to acquire Motorola has not changed, and we look forward to closing the deal.”

In the meantime Google’s Android mobile operating system is the best selling mobile OS in the world and that operating system will remain free and open for five years in order for Google to receive Chinese approval for the buyout.

Also speaking about the deal was Motorola spokeswoman Jennifer Weyrauch-Erickson who said of the Chinese approval:

“We are pleased that the deal has received approval in all jurisdictions and we expect to close early next week.”

Do you think the Motorola Mobility acquisition will allow Google to make a huge splash in the smartphone market?

China Gives Google Go Ahead To Purchase Motorola Mobility Holdings is a post from: The Inquisitr

Apple recently won an appeal court victory that suggests Samsung should never have been allowed to sell the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the United States and now Apple has filed a new motion for an injunction to pull the Google Android powered tablet from US shelves.

Apple and Samsung are set to begin high-level settlement talks on Monday which could keep the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in circulation, in the meantime if those talks fail a new injunction request could be ruled on by as early as June 7.

You may recall that Apple declared a similar court victory in Germany over the Galaxy Tab 10.1 however a judge in that case overturned Apple’s injunction, claiming that the Tab 10.1 was “sufficiently different” enough to avoid the injunction. The product in Germany known as the Galaxy Tab 10.1N is not sold in the United States.

Apple’s Tuesday victory vacated Judge Lucy Koh’s original ruling that Apple’s case had no merit in terms of the iPad argument, although she left the iPhone part of the case intact.

In the original case Circuit Judge Kathleen O’Malley wrote the dissenting opinion in which she said Apple should be granted an immediate injunction because of harm caused to sales by the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The other two judges in the case ruled that the Apple vs. Samsung argument should simply be placed back into the original court for review.

Since Judge Koh never actually ruled on the iPad design patent which had previously been deemed invalid she is now overseeing settlement talks between the two company’s.

If talks fail Samsung must produce a response to the injunction request by May 25th.

While sales are not expected to be hurt by the final outcome it is likely that Samsung will change the design of its tablet devices to avoid future litigation with Apple.

Apparently Apple now owns the rights to flat rectangular objects. Actually Apple didn’t think up the iPad design on their own they just slimmed it down, check out this video from 1994 which conceptualized a very much iPad friendly looking tablet:

Do you think Apple’s patent claims over the design of the iPad devices is valid or proof that the patent system is in need of a major overhaul?

Apple Attempts To Block Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Sales In United States After Courtroom Victory is a post from: The Inquisitr

New MacBooks Pros will look very similar to the current MacBook Air line, the tech media has been reporting. The new laptops will be super thin and light according to a report in tech blog Gizmodo. “Apple is revamping their MacBook Pro line in 2012 in a radical way—not merely evolutionary,” the website stated, with further details about the expected features of the new thin and light pro units in Apple’s laptop stable.

According to Gizmodo, the new MacBook Pros will be much less like the current generation and much more like the MacBook Air, the progenitor of the Ultrabook category, which was called the future of computing by the late Apple founder Steve Jobs.

Just like the Air, the new Pros are expected to drop many legacy technologies. This means that they will likely ditch optical (DVD) drives as well as Hard Drives, which will be replaced by speedy but more expensive SSDs. The new units will most likely also ship without ethernet network ports, just like the Air, and will rely on a combination of wi-fi and, possibly, 3G or 4G cellular connectivity if the new iPad is any indication.

Here is what Gizmodo is guessing will be in the new MacBook Pros:

“Faster Guts”- The new pros will “use Ivy Bridge, the new Intel 22-nanometer architecture with 3D transistors that will provide quite a speed boost over the current MacBooks.”

“No Hard Drives”- HDDs are “antiquated technology with a negative impact on battery life. Apple loves SSD and Apple users love SSD. They may not be the cheapest, but it’s the fastest, safest and most power efficient storage technology for mobile devices.”

“No Legacy Stuff”- The new Pros wil “get rid of…optical drives, and no more Ethernet port and FireWire. These machines will have nothing but a bunch of Thunderbolt and USB ports, plus the SD memory card reader, just like the MacBook Air.”

“Retina-ishDisplay”- While the rumor is that the new MacBook Air will get a full on retina display, Gizmodo claims that the Pro will not get the complete retina treatment but that the new displays will be “close enough.”

Perhaps Apple will just increase the resolution to 180 or 200ppi. Given the distance from your eyes to the screen, 200ppi will be enough to achieve close to the effect of a “retina” display in the iPhone, the point in which you can’t see pixels. And still, it will be a lot of extra pixels.

The most exciting features, discounting the better battery life and killer graphics, will be the “redesigned enclosure” and a “full surface trackpad.”

The new enclosure will be “the biggest selling point of these new MacBook Pros” Gizmodo reports.

These things will have a super-slim wedge profile. Perhaps even more so than the Macbook Air, given that they will have a largest surface to spread the components. They will also be really light compared to the current machines, all thanks to the saving achieved by getting rid of so much legacy crap. Although maybe they will be less aggressive on the weight shaving and increase the space used by the battery.

In my mind though, the best part would have to be the rumored “full surface trackpad.”

This is something that has been rumored before, but now I believe it may happen: the entire palmrest of the new MacBook 2012 will be a multitouch trackpad. It’s obvious that, technologically, Apple can accomplish this. They have patents that cover detection of palm touch vs finger touch vs accidental touch. Even a Wacom Bamboo tablet can distinguish between my fingers and my palm.

The next Mac OS X will only get deeper into multitouch, just like Microsoft is doing with Metro and Windows 8. A full surface trackpad—not a touchscreen—will be the key in this transition for laptops and the desktop (for an idea of how this could work you only need to see the video next to these lines).

New MacBook Pros To Look Similar To MacBook Air [VIDEO] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Windows Phone handsets are outselling Apple’s iPhone in China’s emerging mobile market, Microsoft officials claim, Engadget reported. Michel van der Bel, the COO of Microsoft’s China division, stated that the Windows Phone has gained a seven percent market share, edging out Apple’s iPhone by one point.

Redmond is heavily invested in the Chinese market, with over 2,500 developers working for the company in its Chinese R&D lab.

However, the COO admitted, Microsoft lags far behind Google’s Android platform, which currently rules the roost in China.

Despite being far behind Google Microsoft has ”only just begun,” Van Der Bel stated, citing his company’s “smartphone and PC-tablet hybrid, which is suitable for the consumer, but also easy to insert in an existing business infrastructure.”

Windows Phone has not taken off in the US, despite rave reviews on tech sites and its adoption by Apple co-founder Woz.

“I also surmised that Steve Jobs might have been reincarnated at Microsoft, due to a lot of what I see and feel with this phone making me think of a lot of great Apple things,”  Woz said regarding the Windows Phone.

Windows Phone Outselling iPhone In China [VIDEO] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has just announced its support for gay marriage. The NAACP stated that same-sex marriage is a civil right and the LGBT community should be allowed the same rights as heterosexual couples.

According to NAACP Officer Maxim Thorne, the organization’s Board of Directors voted to endorse gay marriage with a 62-2 vote.

Thorne wrote on a Twitter:

“The NAACP Board of Directors has just endorsed marriage equality unequivocally. Only two opposed! An historic moment.”

The NAACP said in a statement:

“The NAACP Constitution affirmatively states our objective to ensure the ‘political, education, social and economic equality’ of all people. Therefore, the NAACP has opposed and will continue to oppose any national, state, local policy or legislative initiative that seeks to codify discrimination or hatred into the law or to remove the Constitutional rights of LGBT citizens. We support marriage equality consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Further, we strongly affirm the religious freedoms of all people as protected by the First Amendment.”

Metro Weekly reports that several NAACP members have announced their support for gay marriage previously, but today’s announcement puts the whole organization behind the cause of marriage equality.

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey praised the NAACP for their support. Carey said:

“We are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the NAACP working together on the many issues that affect all of our lives. Whether it be fair access to education and jobs, an end to voter suppression and racial profiling, the right to love and be who we are free of discrimination — these issues affect all of us, our families and our country. Today the NAACP did what it does so well — inspires and affirms our common humanity.”

Evan Wolfson, the founder and president of Freedom to Marry, also said that he was proud to see the NAACP stand behind gay marriage. Wolfson said:

“The NAACP has long been the nation’s conscience and champion for an America where all share equally in the promise of liberty and justice for all. Today the NAACP resoundingly affirmed that the freedom to marry is a civil right and family value that belong to all of us, and that discriminatory barriers to marriage must fall. The toxic tactics of anti-gay groups like NOM to ‘drive a wedge between blacks and gays’ will be washed away in the wave of righteous affirmation.”

President Obama announced earlier this month that he supported same-sex marriage. Obama’s announcement has forced several public figures to announce their support of, or opposition to, gay marriage. Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney reiterated his position against gay marriage, saying that “Marriage is the relationship between one man and one women.”

NAACP Officially Endorses Gay Marriage is a post from: The Inquisitr

Angry Birds recently saw its one billionth download, and now seems to be celebrating their success by launching a new line of luxury jewelry.

If you have a little bit of extra cash lying around, say $290, then you can be the proud owner of a Limited Edition Mighty Eagle silver ring, priced very ambitiously, considering most users only pay 99 cents to download the mobile app.

Primesmith has been brought in on the project, and is collaborating on the project with the app’s designer, Rovio. According to Forbes magazine, the company will also debut cheaper product lines that are more suitable to mass marketing, after the debut of the silver ring.

The new jewelry will include pendant and bracelet charms, and will be priced at about $50. Kristian Saarikorpi, the product line’s designer, intends to create strong 3D shapes which were formerly locked in 2D environments.

Saarikorpi has also worked as a head designer at Tillander, a house that has been described as Scandinavia’s Tiffany. He has also been named Finland’s Goldsmith of the Year. Forbes believes that the inclusion of such a well-known designer reflects Rovio’s intention to make the Angry Birds brand a global phenomenon.

Forbes details that when speaking about the line’s flagship Mighty Eagle ring, Saarikorpi stated:

“Rovio guards the image of the Mighty Eagle character jealously. Just as in the games, only a portion of the powerful bird is depicted on the ring – his shape is never shown in full.”

Newser reports that the jewelry maker, Primesmith is also developing lines for other digital franchises seen in smartphone and Facebook applications.

Rachelle Epstein, Creative Director for William Goldberg Corp, an international diamond house, stated:

“For a cartoon jewelry franchise, mass market-priced earrings and pendants are likely to be the big product lines. Creation of expensive luxury items based on cartoon characters has proved to be challenging.”

Check out the Angry Birds Mighty Eagle here:

Angry Birds To Unleash Luxury Jewelry Line is a post from: The Inquisitr

A study by NASA using their Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has led to a new assessment in the number of asteroids that are potentially hazardous to Earth. The results also revealed new information about their origins, and how many asteroids are around Earth.

The PHAs (potentially hazardous asteroids, are a part of a larger group of space rocks near Earth. This specific type has the closes orbit to Earth, at 5 million miles nearby.

According to NASA.com, they are also capable of surviving entry into Earth’s atmosphere, potentially causing massive damage.

Amy Mainzer, NEOWISE principal investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory wrote that:

“Our team was surprised to find the overabundance of low-inclination PHAs [potentially hazardous asteroids]. Because they will tend to make more close approaches to Earth, these targets can provide the best opportunities for the next generation of human and robotic exploration.”

Space.com reports that the survey found about 4,700 potentially hazardous asteroids, give or take about 1,500 space rocks. Each of these is more than 330 feet wide. Of course, only about 30 percent of these PHAs have been found to date.

According to Huffington Post, Lindley Johnson, a program executive for NASA’s near-Earth object observation program wrote that:

“The NEOWISE analysis shows us we’ve made a good start at finding those objects that truly represent an impact hazard to Earth. But we’ve many more to find, and it will take a concerted effort during the next couple of decades to find all of them that could do serious damage or be a mission destination in the future.”

Previous data from the WISE spacecraft estimated about 20,500 asteroids over 100 meters in length orbited around Earth, but they have not been given the “potentially hazardous” classification.

NASA Report: 4,700 Asteroids Currently Threaten Earth is a post from: The Inquisitr

Analyzing the content of Twitter’s tweets has become a new way to gauge public sentiment on an issue, albeit a self-selecting method of culling data- and in recent weeks, the microblogging service has proven what appears to be a shift in public position on policy surrounding gay marriage.

While the legalization of gay marriage probably can’t come quickly enough to those who are suffering due to lack of equal rights afforded gay people, what feels so striking about sentiment about same-sex unions expressed in forums like Twitter is how quickly public opinion shifted on the issue even from less than a decade ago.

Gay marriage as a political issue really became hugely divisive in the mid-00′s, exploding during the 2004 election (PDF) and leading many to cynically say afterwards that the issue was fabricated as a wedge to motivate a confused voting populace. Just eight short years later, support for gay marriage seems to be far outweighing vocal opposition for it, and the default has very clearly shifted to viewing the latter as bigotry- comparisons to opposition to interracial marriage are commonplace now.

Twitter is just one place where the spread is measurable, and the internet in generally is visibly warm regarding the issue. Per The Atlantic:

“Via tweet-crunching computers at Crimson Hexagon analyzing the content of tweets, Pew finds that 41 percent of same sex marriage-related tweets were positive, 43 percent were neutral, and a scant 16 percent were negative. A similar pulse-taking of the blogosphere yielded basically the same result: a 40 percent level of support gay marriage during that period, with only 14 against.”

The mag notes that while Obama’s historic show of support unequivocally for gay marriage upped the volume of tweets on gay marriage, the tone of tweets and their split between those for and against remained consistent to levels just preceding the President’s coming out.

Twitter Reveals Gay Marriage Supporters Outnumber Opponents Two to One is a post from: The Inquisitr

Computing has come a long way since the days when computers could take up entire rooms just to complete basic mathematical equations, now there are products like the MK802 PC, a USB sized Google Android 4.0 based PC that can plug into any display with an HDMI port.

Billed as an alternative to the Raspberry Pi, the Model MK802 PC is now selling on AliExpress for the ridiculously low price of just $74.

For that price buyers receive a decent single-core 1.5GHz Allwinner A10 ARM Cortex-A8 process that runs on 512MB of RAM with 4GB of storage. While power users will likely scoff at those specs, business users who want to quickly setup and showcase slideshows and other business presentations should fine the product very useful.

It should be noted that unlike the Raspberry Pi which connected directly to an HDMI port the MK802 PC uses an HDMI connector which requires an HDMI cable to take advantage of a display. Once connected however it supports 1080p HD video playback with support for various formats.

The MK802 also offers HTML5 and Flash playback along with plenty of audio format support.

The tiny little gadget doesn’t stop there it also managed to pack in a full-sized USB ports and a micro-USB port while offering 802.11b/g Wi-Fi capabilities. Wireless N capabilities would have been nice but honestly with the processor and storage specs that have been made available it wouldn’t have made much of a noticeably difference.

For power users this device could in theory support Linux OS and even dual-boot capabilities but that’s a hack for experienced users to try out.

Android 4.0 On A Stick. AliExpress Starts Selling Model MK802 PC is a post from: The Inquisitr

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and his team of engineers have been testing their Falcon Rocket and Dragon capsule endlessly for weeks and if all goes well the commercial space company will launch its first mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday at 4:55am ET.

While the launch is historical because it marks the first commercial launch of a rocket to work alongside NASA in delivering goods to the ISS, company founder Musk stressed to the New York Times that issues will likely arise:

“I think there’s a significant chance the mission does not succeed.”

SpaceX’s Dragon capsule is carrying low-priority items to the ISS supply station including food, clothes and even some high school science projects. This first launch is considered a “test launch” by both SpaceX and NASA.

Among the high school science experiments is a bottle of wine meant to test whether it will ferment faster in space.

SpaceX was suppose to reach the International Space Station in 2009 but those efforts were slowed as they encountered hardware and software issues that prevented them from travelling to the station. Yet despite issues on the engineering side SpaceX has never had a failed rocket launch once all systems were go.

While nearly three years worth of delays might seem like a big deal, that is still much faster than NASA’s own testing processes which can be delayed for far longer periods of time as previously disasters have caused NASA scientists to walk on egg shells when it comes to new product launches. It is the speed at which SpaceX works that led NASA to award the company a $1.5 billion contract.

SpaceX Preps For Historical International Space Station Launch is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amazon is about to give e-reader and tablet users a reason to keep reading in the dark. The company is currently prepping a front-lit version of its Kindle e-reader and a new, bigger version of the Amazon Kindle Fire.

A source close to the company’s production tells Reuters that plenty of prototypes for the new devices have been shown with a built-in external light attachment.

According to the source the new devices are going to be released in July.

While the new light will likely be appreciated by readers who want to use e-ink technology in the dark there is a trade-off, the new light consumes battery life and adds around $10 to the cost of the tablet.

The new Kindle will be available in 3G and Wi-Fi versions, giving plenty of connectivity options to users.

It’s believed that the light technology for the new tablet and e-reader will comes from an acquisition of Oy Modilis, a company that was purchased by the online retailer in 2010. Through its acquisition Amazon acquired various lighting technologies.

In the meantime the Kindle Fire is expected to feature an 8.9-inch display, bringing it more in line with the Apple iPad line of devices.

Other sources have pointed to the released of a color Kindle e-reader, a rumor that is now largely being shot down for the short-term by sources close to the company’s research and development teams. Amazon is still planning to release the technology according to one source, but not until the technology used to power the color Kindle is improved.

Amazon Kindle, Kindle Fire Both To Receive Front-Lit Options is a post from: The Inquisitr

Apple iTunes store customers attempting to buy the Thin Lizzy album “Jailbreak” were met with the name “J*******k” in its place after Apple on Thursday attempted to censor the word before changing its mind a short time later.

Other instances of the word jailbreak were also censored in what is believed to be Apple’s newest attempt to thwart developers who try to jailbreak iPhone based devices.

Not all cases of “jailbreak” were removed during the blackout period and by Thursday afternoon the alleged censorship appeared to have been removed.

Apple has not officially revealed whether or not the removal of the word was a direct attempt at silencing Apple iOS jailbreak applications. Apple has went so far as to void the warranties on hardware when a device has been jailbroken and even disrupting jailbroken exploits by forcing hardware updates that override the jailbreak settings.

Apple in the meantime continues to argue that forcing sales through the Apple App Store ensures the security and functionality of iOS devices and reduces piracy. Of course Apple’s main focus is to continue its dominance of its platforms marketplace where the company receives 30% of each application and in-app purchase sold with the device.

It’s likely that censoring the word “jailbreak” would have a marginal effect on jailbroken iOS devices as most savvy users find methods through Google and other searches and not directly through the Apple iTunes store.

Do you think Apple can help halt the spread of Apple iOS jailbreak users through iTunes store censorship?

Apple iTunes Store Censors Word “Jailbreak” For Short Period Of Time is a post from: The Inquisitr

UltraBooks, the super thin laptops often featuring a silver wedge shaped/tapered design, have often come under attack as being copy cat of the very popular Apple MacBook Air for its many similarities. However, contrary to its many similarities in design, UltraBooks actually have their own brand of performance, looks, and features.

While the razor thin design, silver body, black chiclet keyboard, and tapered wedge shape of UltraBooks can be compared to Apple’s ultraportable, HP design executive Stacy Wolff tells Engadget in an interview its just how technology has developed and has nothing to do with mimicking Apple’s design:

“I would go back to the TC1000 [Tablet PC] from about 10 years, and that’s a tablet. I think if you look at the new Spectre XT, there are similarities in a way, not due to Apple but due to the way technologies developed. Apple may like to think that they own silver, but they don’t. In no way did HP try to mimic Apple. In life there are a lot of similarities.”

He continues to state:

“We’re a Windows ecosystem and we’re building a product that is basically genuine to HP. I think that the struggle is as we, again, drive to that simplicity, the shape just becomes one. I don’t think a lot of other companies are purposely designing to be copycats. I think a few might be.”

PC World compares the differences in not only design, but also function of the many different designs of UltraBooks versus Apple’s MacBook Air including Sony’s Vaio x505, coming out five years prior to Apple’s introduction of the MacBook Air. The Vaio X505 weighed 1.8 pounds, tapered down to 0.4 inches at the front and had the sleek metallic body of today’s Ultrabooks.

Some makers have added their own improvements to the design. While Apple uses an aluminum body with no pattern, HP went a step further and made their Envy Spectre XT with a magnesium body and a brushed design.

The LG P430 has a brushed aluminum shell and black chiclet keyboard, but LG uses a thin bezel to cram a 14-inch (on the diagonal) display into the P430’s 13.3-inch footprint.

The list goes on and on with various subtle differences in the overall outward design and appearance.

Inside is another story.  Besides running Windows, using Intel processors, and meeting the thinness requirement, laptop makers are free to adapt Intel’s specifications for UltraBooks as they see fit.

UltraBooks tend to offer more ports that are standard than the MacBook Air does. The Portege Z835 also adds VGA. You’d need to buy adapters if you want ethernet,VGA, or HDMI capability on the MacBook Air.

UltraBooks: Not Just Copies of MacBook Air is a post from: The Inquisitr

McAfee VirusScan Enterprise will be partnering with Iomegato offer enterprise class endpoint protection along with Iomega’s newest PX series network products.

Iomega announced today it will be including a three year subscription to McAfee’s VirusScan Enterprise for Linux software with its new StorCenter PX series products beginning later this year.

According to PR Newswire the combination of the two represents an industry first: enterprise-class endpoint protection running natively on desktop and rackmount network storage products designed specifically for small and medium businesses, remote office and branch office installations, and distributed enterprises.

Mike Nikzad, Chief Operating Officer at Iomega Corporation stated his excitement for the team up:

“The addition of McAfee VirusScan on Iomega PX series network storage products means SMBs and distributed enterprises have a valuable new protection layer against data corruption and virus attacks – a strong point of differentiation compared to other network storage solutions in the marketplace…Users of Iomega’s PX series products will experience the seamless integration of McAfee VirusScan, giving them a greater comfort zone in their IT administration and data protection priorities. McAfee VirusScan is a premium feature for our customers as well as a technology innovation and collaboration of industry leading innovators.”

 Jay Krone, senior director of network products at Iomega, tells Daily Channel News:

“There are characteristics of the Iomega space that are different than what EMC sees in higher level products.. In smaller business, the Iomega storage array is typically the biggest computer on the site, and that’s not true of an EMC storage array on enterprise sites. Since we are the biggest thing in the installations, customers hold us accountable and want us to do everything. That’s where the McAfee motivation comes from, because customers want us to do virus scanning, since we are the ‘king of the hill.’ So now we can provide virus scanning on the storage for people who can’t or won’t do it for themselves.”

McAfee VirusScan Enterprise for Linux is expected on all  new shipments of StorCenter PX series network storage products starting in the second half of 2012.

McAfee And Iomega Collaborate To Offer Enterprise Security On StorCenter PX Series Network Storage Products is a post from: The Inquisitr

Last month, there were reports that Apple was looking to introduce an iPad Mini at some point around fall of this year, and now a new report from Business Insider seems to back up those rumors.

“Following up on comments made last week, recent research still leads us to believe that Apple may be planning to add another form factor to its iPad line in the 7″ range for the fall,” the report reads, citing analysts with Barclays.

“We believe that this type of product could be useful in promoting Apple’s agenda in education with e-textbooks. Also, the form factor could make sense in gaming, which could become a bigger platform for Apple over time.”

Under Steve Jobs’ rule, it’s safe to say that an iPad Mini wouldn’t happen–he famously went on a rant about 7-inch tablets back in 2010, calling the smaller tablets, which he said couldn’t compete with smartphones or standard tablets, “dead on arrival.”

With Tim Cook now holding Apple’s reigns, an iPad Mini doesn’t sound too farfetched, and all of the discussion over the past several months suggests that Apple is up to something, at the least. Whatever that is, we’ll likely have to wait until later this year to see it.

iPad Mini Coming Late This Year, Analysts Say is a post from: The Inquisitr