Information of New Stuff

Love You Siri [video]

2011-10-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

We’re not going to lie, we’re kind of in love with Siri. Whether it’s using the personal assistant to tweet or forcing her to answer absurd questions, we dig the technology and the app.
Jonathan Mann shared his love in the form of a song-of-the-day duet, Siri style.
In the song, Mann sings a number of our favorite
Siri questions and quips. I love it.
What’s been your greatest Siri discovery? Let me know in the comments.

Source: Mashable

Fantastic Quality in iPhone 4s [VIDEO]

2011-10-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Just how good is the video camera on the iPhone 4S? If a short video from Benjamin Dowie is any indication, we’re going to chalk it up to “amazing.”

Dowie shot the footage just after getting his iPhone 4S and as he writes on Vimeo, “Couldn’t believe it came out of a phone.” Looking at the footage, we’re inclined to agree.

Dowie gives strong marks to the automatic stabilization, but what really caught our eye was the amazing depth of field. The DoF on my Panasonic GF-1 with a 20mm prime lens just barely outpaces the iPhone 4S — and that’s really saying something.

Of course, in the hands of a pro-shooter, any camera can produce good looking footage. Dowie, who runs Beanpole Productions in Australia, is a pro. Your own footage may not look quite as beautiful.
Still, it’s impressive to see just how much camera optics are improving. Phones have already replaced the day-to-day pocket camera for many users — with the death of the Flip and improvements to video sensors, phones could start to replace low-level video cameras too.

What do you think of this video? Are you considering replacing your video camera with an iPhone 4S? Let us know.

via :John Gruber

New Social Network. [Have a look]

2011-10-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

What happens if you combine Twitter-like sharing, the depth of blogging and the voting mechanics of Reddit? You might get Chime.in, UberMedia’s take on social networking.
Chime.in, which makes its public debut Tuesday, shares some similarities to Twitter’s interface, but UberMedia CEO Bill Gross argues that his social network tackles completely different problems than Twitter or Facebook. Unlike Twitter, which describes itself as an “information network,” Gross describes Chime.in as an “interest network.”

Like other social networks, Chime.in lets users share content with others. It has a newsfeed, profile pages and a system for following other users. The social network doesn’t have status updates, though. Instead it has “chimes,” which are a cross between a Facebook status update and a blog post.

Users are allowed to write short articles on Chime.in — up to 4,000 characters. A chime displays a headline, the first few sentences of a chime, a piece of multimedia (an image, a video, etc.), a profile picture, interest tags and options for liking, commenting and sharing. Chimes included threaded comments that include a Reddit-style up or downvote system for surfacing the best comments to the top of a chime.

Gross says that having “yet another social network” isn’t a winning strategy, so Chime.in has a few differentiating factors that he believes will tip the scales in its favor. The biggest selling point is that users have control over their profiles, including the advertising and sponsors that run on the page. Users can include their own ads on the page and keep 100% of the revenue, or they can let UberMedia sell ads for their page and split the revenue 50-50.

Gross believes that control over revenue makes Chime.in more appealing to publishers that want to monetize themselves in social media. UberMedia has already struck deals with E! Online, Disney, Bravo and other publishers who will promote Chime.in while keeping control of the revenue they generate from it.
Chime.in is also built with the mobile world in mind. The mobile apps (iPhone, BlackBerry and Android) allow for all of the actions the website contains. Because of its complexity, the network isn’t available to feature phones, but in return the mobile versions of Chime.in work very much like the website.
One of the problems the social network’s app solves, Gross argues, is quick access to content. Gross says that getting content from Twitter’s mobile apps is a painful process: one has to go to the tweet, open the link and wait for the page to load. In contrast, Chime.in content loads almost instantly, thanks to caching and Chime.in actually hosting content rather than just linking to it.

UberMedia has a long road ahead to making Chime.in a success. The world is already flush with social networks and user fatigue. The company will have to convince millions of people that Chime.in is different enough and useful enough to use in addition to Facebook and Twitter.Gross believes that Chime.in’s focus on interests and its offer to let publishers keep the revenue they generate will make it an attractive choice for users, publishers and companies.

Source: Mashable

Samsung Galaxy Player 4 Available in U.S. Market

2011-10-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

Samsung‘s two-fold answer to the iPod touch, the Galaxy Player 4 and the Galaxy Player 5, is now available in the U.S.

These Android Gingerbread-based devices both closely resemble an Android smartphone, but they lack the phone component, just like the iPod touch. They’re a good choice for someone who already has a phone but wants all the perks of Android as well as access to the apps in Android Market without having to sign a two-year contract.

Both devices sport a 1 GHz CPU, 512 MB of RAM, 8 GB of storage memory, expandable with microSD memory cards (up to 32 GB) and dual cameras. The Galaxy Player 4 has a 4-inch touchscreen and costs $230. The Galaxy Player 5 has a much more video-friendly 5-inch display, comes with a bigger battery and costs $270.

For comparison, Apple’s iPod touch with 16 GB of storage memory costs $199, while the most expensive version with 64 GB of memory costs $399.

You can pick up the Samsung Galaxy Player 4 and 5 at Amazon and other retail stores.

Source: Mashable

First Look At Motorola Droid RAZR

2011-10-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

Ahead of the official unveiling of the Motorola Droid RAZR on Tuesday, Motorola sent media outlets a code that lets you unlock an image of the device, piece by piece. Needless to say, it didn’t take very long for someone to crack the puzzle and publish the first official image of the Droid RAZR in all its glory.

From what we can see on the image, the Droid RAZR will be an incredibly thin and stylish smartphone with rear and front cameras, a metal/carbon fiber case and four capacitive buttons on the front.

You can also check out the official teaser video over at reveal.motorola.com, but the video merely proclaims that the Droid RAZR will be “faster, thinner, smarter and stronger” without actually showing us any imagery of the upcoming phone.

Source: DroidLife

Tribute To Steve Jobs

2011-10-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

California Gov. Jerry Brown officially declared Sunday (10/16/2011) Steve Jobs Day in California, and Apple is holding an invitation-only memorial event for Steve Jobs at Stanford University. To commemorate Steve Jobs Day, I found a video I think he would have liked.
Of the dozens of memorial videos that honor Jobs, I thought this one was the most appropriate for the occasion, created by a musician who calls himself AzR. Here’s how he describes the production of this profoundly moving work of art:

“I made this song using only sounds from Apple products and Steve’s 2005 Stanford commencement speech. Every instrument, including drums, has been sampled from a Mac product, tuned by ear, and replayed in the context of the song.”

If you take away nothing else from this day, just remember what I think is the most important quote ever said by Steve Jobs: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

Source: Mashable

With ColorWare now You Can Add Colour to iPhone 4s

2011-10-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

We’re guessing that by now the harsh reality has sunk in: The iPhone 4S is physically more or less identical to its predecessor. If you want to be special, however, there is a way to make your new toy stand out from the rest and shine in many magnificent colors.

ColorWare, the company known for its custom-colored Apple products, has added the iPhone 4S to its roster.
ColorWare‘s interactive website lets you choose a number of solid, glossy or metallic colors for your iPhone’s frame, back, button, SIM card tray — even the earbuds.

It comes with a steep price: $1,500 for a 16 GB model, $1,700 for a 64 GB one, or $250 if you opt to send your iPhone 4S to ColorWare and let them work their magic with it.

Source: Mashable

Samsung trying to Block iPhone 4S Sales Abroad

2011-10-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

Samsung filed preliminary injunctions to block iPhone 4S sales in Japan and Australia Monday, citing technology and user-interface patent infringements in Japan, and wireless telecommunications standards in Australia. The device went on sales in both countries last week.

The Korean electronics manufacturer also asked Japan’s Tokyo District Court to halt sales of the iPhone 4 and iPad 2.
The filings are part of a larger international patent battle between the two companies — one that is likely to end in cross-licensing deals, analysts told the Wall Street Journal. Samsung has already filed similar patent infringement complaints against the iPhone 4S in several other countries, including France and Italy.

Source: Mashable

4 Million iPhone 4s Sold in the First Weekend

2011-10-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

Apple sold more than 4 million iPhone 4S devices in the first weekend on the market, the company announced Monday.
This is a new record for Apple’s smartphone. It took three weeks for Apple to sell 3 million iPhone 4 units, and it took 74 days to sell the first million units of the original iPhone.
For comparison, Samsung has sold 10 million Galaxy S II smartphones in the first five months on the market.

This is another important milestone for the iPhone and a success for Apple, but it hardly comes as a surprise after the announcement that pre-orders for the iPhone 4S topped 1 million in the first 24 hours.
The math is simple, and the timing works in the newest device’s favor. Those two-year contracts with AT&T are expiring; the iPhone 4S is a great upgrade from the iPhone 3GS, and the device is now available with all major U.S. carriers. Even though many expected Apple to launch an entirely new model, those three factors combined have already turned the iPhone 4S, which is merely an evolutionary upgrade of the iPhone 4, into another winner for Apple.

The iPhone 4S is available in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the UK, and it’s coming to 22 more countries on Oct. 28 and more than 70 countries by the end of 2011.

Source: Mashable

Top Tech Lunched These Week [Pics]

2011-10-15T22:52:00.000-07:00

1. Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook: Slim Like a MacBook Air, But With a Slimmer Price

Who says Apple's the only slim-laptop maker in the world? Take a gander at this 3-pound piece of aircraft-grade aluminum with a 13.3 -inch screen. Alluring, isn't it? And the best news of all: The cheapest model will only set you back slightly less than $900. [via Engadget]

2. iPhone 4S Hits the Streets

Despite the sameness of its exterior, the tech under the hood lights up this iPhone 4S. And that Siri intelligent agent is a hoot, too. [via right here at JiroTech]

3. 360-degree Flight Simulator for Fighter Jet Pilots

Today this simulator resides in a multimillion dollar facility, but tomorrow, your living room? [via Boing Boing]

4. Weird Recreational Vehicle from the Future

This 500hp cruisemobile is 40 feet long and has a fireplace inside. Oh "eleMMent," where were you when we were going to the high-school prom? Now available for preorder, and if you have to ask how much it costs, you probably can't afford it. [via DVICE]

5. iOS 5 Released

This super upgrade fixed a lot of what we didn't like about iOS 4, and busts out great new features such as snazzy notifications, tight Twitter integration, quick access to the camera and new sounds. It even made my old iPad seem new again. [via TechEBlog]

6. Roku LT Streams 320 Channels for $50

It's only slightly larger than a hockey puck, and now its price is even tinier than any other already-affordable Roku boxes. Roku LT gives you Netflix and 319 other channels on board, and adds HBO GO (for current subscribers) to the mix. Behold, the best value in streaming video today. [via Roku Blog]

7. Judge Leaning Toward Apple in Suit Against Samsung

The case hasn't been completely decided yet, but in the courtroom, the judge did reportedly hold an iPad and a Samsung tablet, one in each hand, and seemingly couldn't tell them apart. [via Ubergizmo]

8. iPhone 4S Lots Faster Than Its Predecessor

The iPhone 4S dominated most of the news cycles this week, and some geeks ran benchmarks on it, showing it to be a whole lot faster than the iPhone 4. That extra burst of speed, along with its sharp new motion-stabilized 8-megapixel camera and 1080p camcorder, makes it a keeper in my book. [via anandtech]

9. Windows 7 Now More Popular than Windows XP

Popularity contests notwithstanding, kudos to Microsoft for overcoming the Vista curse and creating the most popular operating system in the world. I use Windows 7 every day and marvel at its rock-solid stability and friendly user interface. That Lion's roar is starting to sound like a meow to me. [via BGR]

10. Wireless Braking for Bicycles

Modern aircraft use fly-by-wire tech, and there's even been wireless gear shifting for bicycles for a while now. Now braking on cycles can go cable- and lever-free, thanks to propellerheads at Germany's Saarland University. Is it reliable? Almost -- it's said have a failure rate of only three times out of each trillion braking attempts. [via Gizmag]

10 Questions Answered By Siri [Pics]

2011-10-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

The classic question

Captain Kirk destroyed a computer with this question. Siri shrugs.

Thanks to Josh at "This is my..." blog for this one.

This is the correct answer, sort of.

Let's start a band!

She kept saying my name....

Siri can't answer the probing question posed by noted intellectual Jessica Simpson.

She has her limits, but is still helpful.

Fill in the rest for yourself. And no, she won't make you a "sammich."

Thanks, Siri.

What happened when we put the iPhone 4S’s (somewhat) intelligent agent Siri on the spot, asking her absurd questions? You’d be surprised.

Source: Mashable

Unboxing Apple iPhone 4s

2011-10-15T02:30:00.000-07:00

iPhone 4s Box Top

Hard to tell that there's anything different about this iPhone from the box alone.

Apple iPhone 4s Box Side View

Look closely and you can see the shiny "4S" on the side of the box, which is the exact same dimensions as the old iPhone 4 box.

Apple iPhone 4S in The Box

Lift the lid and there's the iPhone 4S, looking just like it's iPhone 4 cousin. Apple has changed nothing about how it packages this product.

iPhone 4s iCloud Sticker

Ah, what's this? The first indication that things are different here. The little iCloud logo.

iPhone 4s Box Back

Can't find anything surprising or special on the back of the box. It does warn that some features require an Apple ID.

Inside the iPhone 4S Box

The rest of the iPhone 4S gear sits underneath the phone. There's a power adapter, cable and headphones.

Holding the iPhone 4S

The phone feels like it weighs the same as my iPhone 4 from Verizon. This despite the fact that my phone has just 16 GB and the 4S has 64 GB of storage space.

iPhone 4S and Verizon iPhone 4 (bottom edges)

Direct comparisons on the iPhone 4S (on the left) and the Verizon iPhone 4 on the don't offer any clues to major differences. Same two screws. Same speaker. Same microphone.

iPhone 4S and Verizon iPhone 4 (side one)

When Apple introduced the Verizon iPhone 4 (on the right), it moved the buttons ever-so slightly from their position on the AT&T iPhone 4. It also changed the antenna bands around the phone. The iPhone 4S on the left has basically that same new design. This means all Verizon iPhone cases will fit the new 4S.

iPhone 4S and Verizon iPhone 4 (side two)

Here's a look at the other side of the two phones. The iPhone 4S is on the left. Note the lack of a removable SIM card slot cover on the older iPhone 4 on the right.

iPhone 4s and AT+T iPhone 4 (side)

This time we lined up the iPhone 4S (left) with an AT&T iPhone 4. Note the differences in the toggle button and the antenna bands.

iPhone 4s and AT+T iPhone 4 (backs)

Good luck seeing any differences between the iPhone 4S on the left and the AT&T iPhone 4 on the right.

Do You Want to Use Siri

I love that the iPhone 4S asked me if I even wanted to use the voice-recognition system. Yes. Yes I do.

iOS 5 Welcome Screen

This new iOS 5 welcome screen is pretty classy -- and brand new.

iPhone 4S Language Setup

The iPhone 4S defaulted to English.

iPhone 4S Location Activiation

Some of Siri's best features work when it can recognize if you've entered or left a certain geographic area. So I activated this feature.

iPhone 4S Sign In

As the box noted, some features require an Apple ID sign-in.

Siri's Answer to Who is Steve Jobs

This was probably the third question I asked Siri. It showed me this page.

There is a certain joy in unboxing virtually any gadget for the first time, but Apple raised the event to an art form with its always stylish packaging. The Apple iPhone 4S box, though, doesn’t mark any new style breakthroughs.
Apple’s signature white box is a doppelganger for the iPhone 4 packaging. Inside, the phone looks and feels like the previous iPhone 4. This gallery’s comparison photos bear that out. Setup, though is a bit different, thanks to iOS 5. There’s a large, gray-patterned “Welcome” screen and that motif carries through until you have the phone ready to go. Those of you who downloaded the mobile operating system on Oct. 12 and updated your older devices are probably already familiar with these screens.

Once you’re done with initial setup, you can dive into the iPhone 4S device’s newest toy: Siri: The intelligent Assistant. This voice-recognition system works pretty much right out of the box. The first question I asked it (by popular demand) was “When is the iPhone 5 coming out?” Siri’s first answer was that I didn’t have anything on my calendar for at 5 p.m. The second attempt fared better though and Siri told me, “Everything you need to know about Apple products is at Apple’s website.” Below the response, which it both spoke and printed on the screen for me, was Apple’s URL. Later I asked Siri, “Why are you so cool?” Its response: “I just am.”

Most of Siri’s responses came quite quickly and Apple execs explained to me that it’ll actually improve over time as it personalizes for my voice (I can also clear this personalization, if I choose). More interesting is that Siri will crowdsource to eventually improve for all users.

Apple Store Lines:Waiting for iPhone 4S

2011-10-15T02:22:00.000-07:00

“What a tourist trap,” muttered one man in a suit to another as he passed the large crowd in front of New York City’s flagship Apple store on Friday morning.

Moments later, a petite woman with gray hair broke from her jog as she passed the barricaded crowd — some of whom had been waiting in line to buy the iPhone 4S since Sept. 27. “Why don’t you get a life?” she yelled.

It’s true that the people who spent hours in a line so large that it requires dedicated crowd control are, in some ways, wasting their time. AT&T, Verizon and Sprint stores — which also started selling the new iPhone Friday — had small lines and no camping gear in front of them this morning. Most people waiting in the long line at the flagship Apple Store will probably receive their phones later than those who sauntered into non-Apple stores around 8 a.m.

But nobody in the line seemed to care about the practicality of the situation. Here’s what doesn’t happen at the AT&T store: Every major broadcasting channel does not show up. Nobody hands out beach balls. And it’s less likely that someone will show up with live animals in hopes of promoting their startup. There is no crowd countdown to the store’s opening, and no happy group of uniformed twenty-somethings to line your path as you enter the store, cheering you on as though your intent to buy a phone is a major accomplishment.
Nobody will sponsor you to hang out in front of the AT&T store, as Gazelle has sponsored the New York City 5th Avenue store’s first in line.

As line leaders emerged from the Apple with blue bags in hand around 8 a.m., they all said it was worth it.