Gadget...aki

Renshui rethinks the bathroom faucet

2010-07-12T13:31:00.001+03:00

True revolutions in faucet designs may be few and far between, but China's Renshui is certainly doing its part to shake things up, and has now introduced yet another faucet sure to amaze and confuse visitors to your humble abode. In addition to breaking with the usual faucet design, this model packs a touch panel that will let you switch between hot and cold water, or dial in the exact temperature you want -- which is, of course, displayed on the faucet itself (it'll even warn you if the water is getting too hot). No word on availability over here, but it did recently win a red dot design award, so the chances of a release may have gotten a bit better.

Google Open Spot alerts Android users to freed parking spaces

2010-07-12T12:29:00.003+03:00

Oh, sure -- this has certainly been tried before, but given that things like this need a critical mass of followers to be effective, we're particularly jazzed about Google's own initiative. Dubbed 'Open Spot,' this bloody brilliant Android (2.0 and up) application enables motorists to search for unclaimed spaces that have been reported by other Open Spot users, and once they head elsewhere, it allows them to mark their spot as open and available. Once a spot is marked, the color gradually fades from red to yellow the longer it remains unclaimed. We've given it a quick test here on our end, and while it seems snappy enough (and yes, we definitely received a Karma Point for every space we dropped), the obvious omission is the ability to add notes to each marked place. There really should be a way to denote whether a spot is metered, covered by some wacky city permit law or submerged in a foot of water -- here's hoping the next update will enable comments. Hit that source link (or just open up the App Market) to grab it for free, and jump on past the break to see how your fellow city dwellers feel about this marvelous invention.

Super AMOLED vs AMOLED vs LCD in direct sunlight... fight! (video)

2010-06-23T09:12:00.001+03:00

By now you know that (one of) AMOLED's Achilles' heel is readability in direct sunlight. But Samsung's been working hard to fix that with its new Super AMOLED technology. Techblog took the display to task by pitting the Samsung Galaxy S (4-inch, 480 x 800 pixel Super AMOLED) against the HTC Desire (3.7-inch 480 x 800 pixel AMOLED) and Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 (4-inch, 480 x 854 pixel TFT LCD). It's clear from the video embedded after the break that the LCD still has the edge in the harsh Greek sun, but the Super AMOLED certainly makes a much stronger showing than its AMOLED sib. In fact, differences in visibility between the LCD and Super AMOLED are often indistinguishable, like the picture above. That'll be good news for us just as soon as Samsung can start meeting demand... regardless of what Stevie J has to say. Check the video after the break and be sure to click the source for some more side-by-side pics, including a few taken indoors where that Super AMOLED display really shines.

2010-06-22T09:00:00.001+03:00

Samsung Galaxy S Pro specs leak out?

Can't confirm these ourselves, but if Android Central's sources are to be believed, these Samsung Galaxy S Pro specs are mighty impressive. Here's what we're looking at: a Sammy-borne 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, a Super AMOLED screen that may or may not be the same 4-inch, 800 x 480 window on the Galaxy S, a strong QWERTY slider with raised keys, front-facing VGA camera, 5 megapixel back camera with 720p video recording capabilities, WiMAX support, and Android 2.1 with some TouchWiz 3.0 customizations. As for qualms, the source does drop "plastic-y" a couple times in a none-too-flattering light. Still, for those who find a lack of physical keys a dealbreaker for the EVO 4G, this might end up being a proper alternate. We'll have to wait and see -- not too long, right Sammy?

iOS 4 now available for your iPhone 3G, 3GS, newer-generation iPod touches

2010-06-21T20:33:00.000+03:00

Right on time, Apple has unleashed iOS 4 for owners of the iPhone product codes 1,2, 2,1, and 3,1 -- in other words, the 3G, 3GS, and yet-unreleased iPhone 4. Owners of more recent iPod touches are also in luck. Interestingly, the build is 8A293 -- the exact same that was released to developers before as a GM seed -- so Apple apparently found no showstoppers pressing enough to necessitate a new build before pushing it to the public at large. It's coming up in iTunes now, so go on -- what are you waiting for?

2010-06-21T09:51:00.000+03:00

Motorola Droid 2 stars in its first video, touts 1GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM

It was inevitable, really, that a phone as widely leaked as the Droid 2 would end up caught on video. Doing the honors for us today are Android and Me, who've compared the new Droid to the classic variant. Funnily enough, they didn't find too much deviation from Motorola, describing the two handsets as "virtually identical," with the major physical change being the replacement of the previous keyboard's navigation pad with arrow buttons. The front end's soft buttons have also changed to Moto's Blur options, but otherwise you're still looking at a 3.7-incher with a 5 megapixel imager. The big improvement seems to have been under the hood with a new 1GHz TI OMAP3630 processor and 512MB of RAM (PowerVR SGX530 graphics unit remains the same) driving the Droid 2 to some robust benchmark scores. Of course, we don't see the handset booted up in this hands-on video, so treat these specs and results as provisional until we hear from the official horse's mouth in a couple of days.

Samsung's 7-inch 'Galaxy Tape' to run Android 2.2 on 1.2GHz A8 processor?

2010-06-14T12:47:00.001+03:00

More details about Samsung's new tablet have emerged courtesy of Tinh te and from what it claims is a highly reliable source. This time around, the Vietnamese site is claiming that Samsung's 7-inch Tab will be running Anroid 2.2 (Froyo) on an A8 processor clocked to a peppy 1.2GHz. It's all powered by a 4,000mAH battery that contributes to the tablet's 370-gram weight with 16GB of on-board storage and up to 32GB of microSD expansion. Oh, and the 7-inch panel is said to be of Samsung's Super AMOLED variety which should make it readable outdoors judging by its smaller sibs. Sounds hot, but we'll have to see how Samsung's TouchWiz UI holds up to being stretched across all that very expensive screen-estate.

The New Iphone 4 ... Live!

2010-06-07T20:52:00.000+03:00

http://www.macrumorslive.com/

Acer beTouch E130 kicks it BlackBerry-style, but runs Android 1.6 (video)

2010-06-07T11:59:00.000+03:00

It's not everyday that we come across an Android phone with an exposed keyboard, so naturally Acer's beTouch E130 caught our eye here at Computex. The BlackBerry-esque phone is equipped with a 2.6-inch QVGA touchscreen display, a scroll ball and a full QWERTY keyboard. In hand the device felt really solid, and though the screen is smaller than most Android phones, the rough-feeling scroll ball is great for navigating the menus. The keyboard is probably our favorite part of the phone -- like Nokia's E71, it has a rubber-like coating giving the keys a nice bounce. But all of that good stuff came to a bit of a halt when we realized that the E130 is part of Acer's lower end BeTouch line -- it packs only a 416MHz ST-Ericsson CPU, 256MB of RAM, and 512MB of ROM. Additionally, it runs a now-dated Android 1.6 OS. We guess we can't expect every smartphone to boast a 1GHz Snapdragon and a beta version of Froyo, though. Vid's after the break, if that's what you're into.

Unboxing Htc Hero

2010-06-05T19:53:00.001+03:00

BlackBerry Bold 9800 gets some glamour shots, looks like the slider of our dreams

2010-06-05T18:15:00.002+03:00

The verdict is still out on OS 6, but there's hardly any doubting the assured design and form factor that RIM has gone with for the BlackBerry Bold 9800 slider. Our latest look at the device comes courtesy of BlackBerry Times in China, who has what appears to be an early version of the device. They expect the smooth plastic back to be replaced by the leather look RIM favors on its higher end devices, but otherwise the unit looks to be pretty solid and far along. The Google-translated Chinese seems to confirm again that the screen is not SurePress. Not a lot of landmark news to be gleaned here, but we're mostly stoked about these delicious bokeh-filled shots of device -- it's really looking good, and the comparison shot with other recent BlackBerries (check after the break) is rather helpful for sizing this thing up.

Unboxing HTC Legend

2010-06-04T19:47:00.000+03:00

Unboxing HTC Imagio

2010-06-03T17:44:00.000+03:00

Unboxing HTC Touch Pro2

2010-06-02T16:42:00.002+03:00

Unboxing HTC HD2

2010-06-01T14:34:00.002+03:00

PlayStation 3's first 3D title updates coming June 10th to Japan

2010-06-01T13:51:00.000+03:00

Good news / bad news, folks. First with the smiles: PlayStation 3's first 3D-enabling updates are due out on June 10th for downloadable titles Super Stardust HD, WipEout HD, and Pain. The first two games get the added dimension for gratis, but Pain lovers (who should be accustomed by now to its abundant premium add-ons) will need to fork over ¥300 (approximately $3.28) for the benefit. The other stickler is that these updates are so far only announced for Japan -- and by merit of a Bravia promotion, Europe as well. So what's a North American gamer with a penchant for wearing special glasses to do? Keep waiting, true believers.

Unboxing Iphone 3gs

2010-05-31T19:21:00.002+03:00

Nokia N8 first official video demo comes out, not bad at all

2010-05-31T18:56:00.000+03:00

Nokia has obviously put a lot of eggs in the N8 basket and is keen to convince us that it's a phone worth having. Nokia has just released the first of a trilogy of videos that demonstrate the new Symbian^3 user interface and the N8 speed and responsiveness.
The first video focuses on customizing the new homescreen, messaging, internet browsing and maps. As it turns out the Symbian^3 brings quite a lot of new stuff, despite what the early preview we saw claimed.
More eye-candy is added, the number of available widgets has been increased and the task manager has been completely redesigned. Threaded messaging is also there and the virtual QWERTY keyboard has been refreshed. There are also several other minor changes that we noticed but those should be the most crucial in terms of user experience.
We cannot say that the Nokia N8 is the fastest handset we have seen but it doesn't seem to be on the slow side either. And with a few months left before it hits the shelves things might improve even further. Here goes the video in question so you can see for yourselves.

Unboxing iPad Keyboard Dock

2010-05-31T13:27:00.002+03:00

Unboxing Ipad

2010-05-30T19:25:00.001+03:00

Wi-Fi Sync now compatible with Windows and iPad

2010-05-30T10:07:00.003+03:00

Wi-Fi Sync is quite the gem (at least we think so) but it had some limitations -- namely, it only worked on OS X for desktop, and only with iPhone / iPod touch. Developer Greg Hughes pinged us earlier today to let us know he's thrown the gates off such restrictions. The jailbroken app now works for both iPads and Windows -- XP, Vista, and 7. The desktop client is free to download but it still cost just a hair under $10 for the appropriate mobile device. Worth the price of breaking free from wires? Your call.

Sound ID's 510 Bluetooth headset has iPhone app to match

2010-05-29T22:06:00.002+03:00

Occasionally, we long for simpler times -- times when "handsfree" meant little more than connecting a corded earbud to your phone and calling it good. Nowadays, of course, things are a little different: Bluetooth is quite literally everywhere, headsets have their own frickin' apps, and bone conduction tech is the real deal. Take this Sound ID 510, for example, featuring its very own iPhone app (which Sound ID made sure to get approved by Apple ahead of the actual hardware's release) that lets you control a number of settings, check your battery level, and find the set if you misplace it. To be fair, it's not the first time we've seen an on-phone companion app for a Bluetooth earbud, and something tells us it won't be the last; that's right, welcome to our frightening new reality. Look for the 510 to hit shops in early June for about $130.

Toshiba AirSwing UI puts you on the screen with your data

2010-05-29T19:05:00.000+03:00

We've seen a Minority Report-esque interface or two hundred by this point, but Toshiba's AirSwing really caught our attention. Using little more than a webcam and some software, this bad boy places a semi-transparent image of the operator on the display -- all the easier to maneuver through the menus. And according to Toshiba, that software only utilizes about three percent of a 400MHz ARM 11 CPU -- meaning that you have plenty of processor left for running your pre-crime diagnostics. There is no telling when something like this might become commercially available, but the company plans to bundle it in commercial displays for malls and the like. Video after the break.

Sony's rollable OLED display can wrap around a pencil, our hearts (video)

2010-05-26T11:11:00.000+03:00

Nothing says "future" quite like a rollable display. Today Sony's giving us a glimpse into what will one day be with its 80μm-thick organic TFT-driven OLED display. The 4.1-inch display integrates Sony organic thin-film transistors and OLED technology onto a flexible 20μm substrate lacking any rigid driver IC chips. As such it can be wrapped around a cylinder with a 4-mm minimum radius. Display specs include a 432 x 240 pixel resolution (121ppi) supporting 16M colors while exceeding 100nits brightness and a 1,000:1 contrast. It's still research, but it's clearly advancing towards product... someday. See it in action after the break.

Lenovo IdeaCentre A300 now on sale, offers less value for more money

2010-05-25T19:10:00.002+03:00

If you set your heart on the sexy, swiveling Lenovo IdeaCentre A300 desktop when you saw it at CES, the time has come to lay down your cash -- the all-in-one PC is now available for order. It's kind of a shame that it'll take eighteen days to arrive on your doorstep after you write the check, and we're not terribly jazzed that there are only two last-gen Core 2 Duo Mobile configurations on offer for hundreds of dollars more than Lenovo originally promised, but hey -- form over function, right? Just make sure you opt for the $950 version if you plan to watch any LOST reruns on the glossy 21.5-inch screen, as Lenovo no longer includes a TV tuner in the base model. Yeah, what with the company calling it a "hi-def TV" and all, we're as surprised by that omission as you.