Ben Kersey

Author Archive for Ben Kersey

Mysterious HP tablet spied in new commercial

Ben Kersey, Jul 30th 2012 Discuss [2]

Several companies are working on Windows 8 tablets behind the scenes, with HP among them. Did the company just leak its Windows 8 tablet via a YouTube commercial? Its new “Make It Matter” commercial shows one individual using an HP branded tablet at the 56 second mark, showcasing a basic design with what looks to be a metallic back along with a black antenna strip running across the top of the device. Read The Full Story

Xbox 720 Durango dev kit sale gives early taste of next-gen console

Ben Kersey, Jul 30th 2012 Discuss [5]

A Microsoft Durango developer kit reportedly emerged on a developper forum over the weekend, commanding a sale price of $10,000. The kit, which is said to feature an Intel CPU, NVIDIA GPU, and “more than 8GB of memory”, is used for Xbox 720 development. The fact that the kit looked like a plain black PC tower running a regular debug launcher led many to believe it was nothing more than a hoax, but Digital Foundry decided to reach out to several sources and developers, discovering that the kit was in fact the real deal. Read The Full Story

iPad mini and next iPhone tipped for September 12th reveal

Ben Kersey, Jul 30th 2012 Discuss [0]

Specs and case parts for the next iPhone continue to leak out, and now iMore has it on good authority that the next iteration of Apple’s smartphone will be announced on September 12th. As is often the case with Apple’s announcements, the product will follow soon after, hitting retail shelves on September 21st. iMore’s sources also indicate that the iPad mini will be shown off at the same event, although no launch date was provided for the tablet. Read The Full Story

Parrot partners with senseFly and Pix4D on mapping UAVs

Ben Kersey, Jul 27th 2012 Discuss [0]

Parrot, the maker of the famous AR.Drone, has today announced two new ventures with companies chasing similar goals. The first is a $2.5 million investment with aerial mapping specialist Pix4D. That will see drones creating mapping solutions and geographical information using Pix4D's software. Pix4D will be providing the necessary imaging algorithms that helps the drones make 3D maps of the areas they fly over, while Parrot’s investment will help boost development. Read The Full Story

Intel SMARTi UE2p enables low-cost 3G

Ben Kersey, Jul 27th 2012 Discuss [0]

Intel has clearly been busy behind the scenes, announcing a new solution that integrates 3G power amplifiers directly onto radio frequency circuits. The resulting SoC is smaller in size, is more power efficient, and is less complex for developers to work with. Dubbed the SMARTi UE2p, Intel believes the chip will help enable lower cost 3G handsets and spur development for the Internet of Things, allowing devices to be constantly connected thanks to the low-power 3G solution. Read The Full Story

OnLive pledges support for Ouya Kickstarter console

Ben Kersey, Jul 27th 2012 Discuss [2]

Kickstarters flocked to the Ouya gaming platform when it was announced, with the project recently surpassing $5.5 million in funding. Now the console has scored a major content partner in the form of OnLive. Streaming games will be available on Ouya from launch thanks to the creation of an OnLive app for the console, which is running a modified version of Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Read The Full Story

Virgin Mobile aims at entry-level with $79.99 PCD Chaser

Ben Kersey, Jul 27th 2012 Discuss [0]

If you're still rocking a flip phone and want to make the jump to a smarter category, then Virgin Mobile might have the inexpensive phone that'll help ease the transition. It today announced the PCD Chaser, costing just $79.99 without a contract commitment that can be used on the network’s unlimited $35 a month plans. The Chaser comes with a 3.2-inch screen, 800Mhz processor, and a 3-megapixel camera, all running on Android 2.3, Gingerbread. Read The Full Story

Samsung reinstates local search on international Galaxy S III

Ben Kersey, Jul 27th 2012 Discuss [0]

An update to the international Galaxy S III removed the local search ability from the handset not too long ago, prompting the ire of users across Europe. Samsung quickly admitted its mistake, telling TechRadar that it planned to reimplement the feature in a future update. Android Central now reports that an OTA update is currently being rolled out that restores the functionality to the handset. Read The Full Story

Apple purchases security firm AuthenTec for $356m

Ben Kersey, Jul 27th 2012 Discuss [1]

Apple has today purchased mobile security firm AuthenTec for the sum of $356 million. AuthenTec provides mobile security solutions for various platforms, including Android, and the company has worked with Apple in the past for security solutions for Mac OS. AuthenTec has provided fingerprint scanning solutions for Mac OS X, and more recently signed a mobile VPN agreement with Samsung for its Android devices. Read The Full Story

Apple patent reveals iPhone’s NFC ambitions

Ben Kersey, Jul 27th 2012 Discuss [2]

Companies seemingly patent anything and everything, so it’s always best to take these listings with your recommended daily allowance of salt, but Apple looks to have filed for a patent relating to pairing controllers using NFC capabilities on an iPhone. It doesn’t mean that Apple is working on a game controller, but does suggest that the company is keeping all its gaming options open, entertaining the idea of pairing multiple devices using NFC and even turning the iPhone into a digital controller. Read The Full Story

Microsoft admits that Surface may hurt partner relations

Ben Kersey, Jul 27th 2012 Discuss [10]

Microsoft is taking quite a risk by producing and releasing its own Windows 8-based tablet. While the company maintains that it isn’t trying to compete with its OEM partners, Acer has been vocal about the move, with reports also indicating that manufacturers weren’t exactly thrilled with the Surface announcement. In a new document submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission discovered by the New York Times, Microsoft admitted that the releases of its own tablet could weaken support among its Windows partners. Read The Full Story

UK High Court overturns Twitter joke conviction

Ben Kersey, Jul 27th 2012 Discuss [0]

Back in January 2010, Robin Hood Airport was closed thanks to a flurry of snow. Paul Chambers took to Twitter over the closure, posting: “Crap! Robin Hood Airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to get your sh*t together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!!” The tweet was intended as a joke, yet a UK court didn’t see it that way, convicting Chambers in May 2010 of sending a “menacing electronic communication.” After several appeals, Chambers has finally overturned the conviction. Read The Full Story