That is a significant milestone because consumers in many developing countries, where the market is growing the fastest, tend to purchase cheaper feature phones rather than more expensive smartphones. IDC reports that mobile phone vendors shipped a total of 418.6 million mobile phones globally during Q1. During Q1 of 2012, mobile phone vendors shipped 402.4 million devices.

Global shipments of 418.6 million devices for Q1 of 2013 is a decline compared to Q4 2012. In Q4 2012, global mobile phone shipments totaled 483.2 million units. However, a decline between Q4 and Q1 sales numbers is expected due to increased holiday shopping in the last quarter of the year. Looking at smartphones alone, IDC reports that there were 216.2 million smartphone units shipped in Q1.

That number is 51.6% of total phone shipments for the quarter marking the first time smartphone shipments exceeded feature phone shipments. Looking at individual vendors, Samsung maintained the top spot for the global smartphone shipments. Apple took second place, followed by LG in third. Fourth place went to Huawei and fifth place went to the ZTE.

[via IDC]

A company called Edimax has an interesting new solution to providing you with more bandwidth for your wireless network called the AC1200 Router + AC 1200 USB 3.0 Adapter Dual Pack. This system comes with an 802.11ac wireless router and an USB 3.0 802.11ac USB 3.0 adapter for your computer. 802.11ac protocol wireless networking promises as much is three times the speed of 802.11n wireless networks.

Whereas the data throughput of 802.11n wireless network tops out at about 300 Mbps, the802.11ac wireless protocol allows for speeds of up to 867 Mbps, at least those speeds are available theoretically. The router and USB 3.0 adapter support dual concurrent bandwidths of 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz. The higher 5 GHz bandwidth is used for interference free streaming of video games and high-definition movies.

The 2.4 GHz connectivity is used for services that don’t require as much bandwidth such as chatting, surfing the web, or downloading small files. According to the manufacturer, using the USB 3.0 port for the wireless adapter is required to get the full bandwidth. Bandwidth on the USB 2.0 port tops out at 480 Mbps, whereas the USB 3.0 port is good for up to 5 Gbps. In real world use Edimax says that its router and adapter combo is good for speeds of up to 360 Mbps. The router and USB 3.0 adapter combination pack are available online for $149.99.

[via Edimax]

Traditional espresso machines are sizable affairs, packing one or more boilers into a huge countertop appliance that effectively hides the brewing process from the customer, or alternatively forces the barista to turn their back to them. That, Spudge reports, isn’t something that affects the Modbar: by shifting the boilers and other components under the counter, there’s a clear viewing path to all parts of the drink preparation area.

Visibility isn’t much good if the hardware itself falls short, but it sounds like Modbar has thought about that too. The system supposedly goes from cold to operating temperature in just five minutes – figure on at the very least 30 minutes (but more like an hour) for a typical commercial machine, a time-consuming process that means many cafes simply leave them switched on 24/7, making them hardly eco-friendly – while an actively-heated stainless steel grouphead uses a thermoblock (to raise the temperature itself, rather than wait for hot water to do that) and special boiler controls to achieve 1-degree F temperature stability.

Everything is controlled by a 3.2-inch color touchscreen, a single panel operating all of the interconnected modules. As well as temperature, there’s control for volumetric dosing (i.e. where the machine pushes out a set quantity of water) and current espresso fashion pressure profiling, where the pressure of the water at the grouphead is varied during the roughly half-minute brew so as to adjust the overall extraction. A display on the espresso group itself shows volume, and everything has overrides for tinkering with the particular shot in progress.

As for the pour-over – something else that’s fashionable in coffee right now – that gets a sleekly designed dispensing wand with a choice of outlet heads with different hole patterns, to suit different brewing methods. A braided wand dispenses a set amount of either liquid volume or time.

The coffee world hasn’t been short on attempts at innovation, and not all of them have found success in the market. However, Modbar does have some notable support from an industry heavyweight: La Marzocco, founded in Italy in 1927, and a brand you’ll find on high-end coffee machines in cafes all over the world. The company’s portafilters (the bit where the ground coffee goes) are used by Modbar too, and production of the modular system has already begun, albeit in limited numbers.

As for pricing, a single espresso module will be $5,399, while the steam module will be $3,995, and the pour-over module $3,687. If that sounds expensive, then consider a Slayer – notable for being one of the few machines that supports pressure profiling – comes in at around $18,000 for the three-group model.

The thermostat is called the Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat and it uses a design that allows homeowners to customize the thermostat to match their home decor. The bezel of the thermostat appears to be metallic silver. The customization comes in being able to choose from a number of colors and patterns for the background of the LCD screen.

The device has a touchscreen and is able to send mobile and e-mail alerts to notify you if the home is too hot or too cold or if the humidity level gets too high or too low. The thermostat can also send you messages to let you know when it’s time to change the filter or if the power at your house goes out. Alerts are also built-in to notify you if you lose Internet connectivity at home.

The thermostat also has Smart Response technology allowing it to learn how long it takes to heat and cool a home allowing it to maintain the temperature homeowners want all the time. What that means is if the thermostat knows you leave home at 7:30 each day, it can turn off the air conditioning to save you money. The device will also know that it takes three hours to cool your home back down to the comfortable 72° you prefer and if you get home at 6:00, it will begin to cool your home down at 3:00. The thermostat interfaces with a free smartphone app available in the iTunes Store and Google Play. The Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat will be available across the country in May for $249.

[via Honeywell]

The sensor unit that straps onto a glove is designed to fit onto the Velcro strap of a golfing glove and monitors your swing. That sensor is very lightweight weighing only about half an ounce, yet it has sensors inside to detect acceleration, velocity, tempo, position, and posture. The sensors inside the device are able to sample data at over 1000 times per second.

The manufacturer says that its small sensor is within 3 mph of Doppler radar system such as TrackMan and laser systems like the GolfAcheiver. The application that gathers all the data from the sensor is available for the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Android devices. Once the sensor records the data and sends it to your smartphone, and the application will provide in-depth swing analysis.

The application will also make recommendations to you to help you improve your swing in your game. For instance, if you’re backswing is to slow the app will tell you and if you’re hitting the ball too early or decelerating before impact, the app will tell you that as well. The application also saves data on your swing so you can compare your progress over time. The sensor is available in white or black colors for $129.99.

[via GolfSense]

GameStop has announced that it is expanding its electronics trade-in program to cover additional smartphone models. The trade-in program is now valid for cash or in-store credit on smartphones from Samsung, BlackBerry, and Motorola at all of the game retailers US locations. People looking to trade devices in soon can also take advantage of a special deal.

From now until April 28 GameStop is offering some additional incentives. On items with a trade-in value between $20 and $49.99, you get an extra $10 of in-store credit. Items valued at $50 to $124.99 are eligible for an extra $25 in store credit. If you trade-in an item valued at $125 more you can get an extra $50 of in-store credit.

Customers that are PowerUp Rewards Pro members can get even more extra in-store credit with an extra $15, $35, and $70 of in-store credit for those same three trade-in value levels. The sort of trade-in program is a nice way to get rid of devices you have put in your desk or sock drawer and use the money to buy some new video games or game hardware.

[via GameStop]

News Corp’s Amplify tablet will come bundled with a lot of education apps. There will be Google apps for Education, educational music, video games, online textbooks, Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, a graphic calculator, and a search engine that can find millions of hours worth of lessons and homework. There will also be access to videos from Khan Academy, as well as CK-12 textbooks. There will be lesson planners for teachers, principals, and parents, as well as tools to help them monitor their students’ performance.

The tablet is fully-equipped to provide a great education for students. Joel Klein, head of News Corp’s Amplify brand, stated, “The last thing we need is another pile of used laptops at the back of the classroom. This time is different. This is a fully integrated teaching and learning solution.” Klein states that if News Corp didn’t design a tablet that “really facilitates and changes teaching and learning, then we’ll be where we’ve been in the past.”

This new tablet could be a game-changer for education, and it could completely modify the way we homeschool children. But how much will this tablet really cost you? For the Wi-Fi only version, the tablet is $299, however you’ll have to pay a $99 annual subscription fee to Amplify for two years. It’s essentially a two year contract. To buy the 4G tablet, it’ll cost you $349 and a $179 annual fee for two years. The subscription includes all of Amplify’s educational materials, tech support via live chat, phone and e-mail, and professional development for teachers. While innovative, this tablet does have a pretty hefty price tag.

[via Fast Company]

Without getting into whether or not this project will ship as expected, we can say that as of today it has almost 700 backers with a total pledged of $36,177 towards a goal of $75,000. Before we get to the Keyport Slide 2.0, lets begin with this, the Keyport Slide is a little gadget that consolidates your keys and other gadgets. Some of the other items include a bottle opener, flash light and even USB flash drive with up to 32GB of storage. Each Keyport can hold up to six items in total. Aside from consolidating keys and other little gadgets, the Keyport Slide has a nice recovery program — just in case you ever lose it.

Moving forward the Keyport Slide 2.0 will also have an option to add a pen. More important though, the Keyport Slide 2.0 is said to have been redesigned to be lighter, stronger, more customizable and more affordable. The customization will deal with colors as well as logo plates. According to details coming from the Kickstarter page, the funds will be used to “accelerate the production of 2.0.”

The pledge levels vary depending on what you need and/or are looking for. Perhaps the one most appealing would be the Keyport Slide 2.0 Tech Bundle (for $89) which give a Slide 2.0 in black, white or red along with a button set, flash light, 8GB flash drive and 4 standard key blades. Basically, enough to get started. You can always purchase extras from the Keyport website. Alternatively, there is an option for current Keyport owners — a $33 pledge level that will give you a Slide 2.0 and set of buttons.

[via Kickstarter]

It took only a few hours for the project to raise the $30,000 it was seeking on Kickstarter. A pledge of only $50 meant early backers via Kickstarter would get them one of the 3Doodler pens. As of the time of writing, the project has raised $456,373 and still has 32 days to go.

The project has 5187 backers so far. Currently the cheapest pledge that will get you a pen via Kickstarter is for $75 or more. That pledge will get you the pen and two bags of mixed color plastic along with a Hall of Fame mention. A pledge of $99 or more will get the pen and 10 bags of plastic.

The company also still has both of its $10,000 or more pledges available that get a pen, a membership to exclusive beta tester mailing list for future projects from the company, and a day with the people behind the project. The company hopes to deliver the finished product by November of 2013. The 3Doodler would certainly make for cool gift for Christmas.

[via Kickstarter]

David M Barreda from ChinaFile recently compiled a map using data from the updated list of suppliers that Apple released last month. This particular report offers the major manufacturing locations of suppliers providing raw materials and components or who perform final assembly for Apple products. The report is only the second time that Apple has released detailed information on suppliers, including addresses.

While Apple gets most of its components and final assembly from China and other locations within Asia, there are a number of suppliers outside of Asia. Apple lists 748 suppliers, and 600 of them are in Asia. 331 of those suppliers are located in mainland China. However, there are also a number of suppliers within the United States.

Apple lists 26 suppliers on the West Coast, 19 suppliers in the central US, and 37 suppliers on the East Coast. Apple also has 41 suppliers located in Europe and five in the Middle East. The map the publication created is very interesting and allows you to drill down on each continent that has multiple suppliers and find for those individual suppliers are located. For instance, drilling down in the data allows you to discover that Apple has a supplier located in Cheshire, Hazel Grove in the UK called NXP Semiconductor N.V.

[via ChinaFile]

The idea of the product is that you can keep your iPhone secure inside a pocket or bag with no risk to the phone in the event of the crash or drop and still have access to needed information. The RFLKT has buttons on the side allowing the user to control the app, change data screens, start and stop the timer, and control other app functionality including the ability to play music. The little bike computer is only 2 ounces and measures 2.4 x 1.6 x 0.5-inches.

A replaceable coin cell battery powers the bike computer so you don’t have to take it off your bike and remember to recharge before each ride. The computer connects to the iPhone using Bluetooth 4.0. Since bike computers are likely be subject to bad weather and accidents, the RFLKT is IPX7 certified for all types of weather and terrain. The device is compatible with the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S.

The bike computer is compatible with multiple applications, including the new Wahoo fitness version 3.0 app for cycling. It will also work with other cycling apps that will be coming soon including Cyclemeter and Strava. The RFLKT bike computer is available now for $129.99.

[via Wahoo Fitness]

The BarkLimiter series is first on the list, and it’s pretty easy to figure out what these collars do based on the name alone. The BarkLimiter series is obviously meant to keep your dog from barking, using “bark identification technology” and an accelerometer to tell the difference between your dog’s bark and other noises. Once your dog starts barking, the collar will being delivering “correction,” starting a low level and increasing as long as the dog keeps barking. These collars also come equipped with what’s being called a Bark Odometer, which you can use to measure how many times your dog barks when you aren’t around. There will be two variants of the BarkLimiter offered: the standard BarkLimiter, which comes with a non-rechargeable 10-month battery, and the BarkLimiter Deluxe, which uses a rechargeable three-month battery.

Next we come to the Delta series. The collar to focus on in this series is the Delta Sport, which serves as a training collar and a bark collar rolled into one. It includes the same features as the BarkLimiter, has a range of three-quarters of a mile, and even comes packed with a handheld LCD display. Through this LCD display, users can set up to five different training profiles while controlling as many as three different collars at once. The idea is to use the Delta Sport to make training easier while also using it to correct behavior you don’t approve of. For those who don’t need all of the bells and whistles, Garmin is also offering a standard Delta, which is missing the BarkLimiter features and only has a half-mile range and three training profiles.

The BarkLimiter and BarkLimiter Deluxe will cost $79.99 and $99.99 respectively, while potential owners will have to shell out $199.99 for the Delta and $249.99 for the Delta Sport. Make no mistake, we’re working with some serious collars here, especially in the case of the Delta series. All four collars will be available at some point during Q1 2013, though Garmin hasn’t set specific dates yet.

What we’ve seen this week is a wide variety of devices, services, and events that collectively give us a basic idea of what we’ll be seeing from developers, manufacturers, and creators of all kinds over the coming set of months. CES 2013 has presented the usual undeniably intense next-generation in televisions, too massive to use, more accessories than we’ll ever have time to use, and whispers of this Spring and Summer’s mobile device offerings.

NOTE: We brought more people than the photo above suggests, but planes take off early, and it’s rare you get a minute to take a photo with the SlashGear truck!

Interestingly enough, we only saw a few devices in the mobile market that we’d not seen before. Groups like NVIDIA and Lenovo presented smart mobile devices while Samsung, LG, Nokia, and Motorola all but abstained from the “CES reveal” method. Instead they stuck to their refrigerators, software upgrades, and re-commitments to the devices they’ve already got out.

What we’re expecting from the companies that did not present (only represented) is either a big showing at Mobile World Congress (next month) or their own device reveals spattered throughout the coming weeks. We shall see soon enough!

So for now you’ll want to head to our massive CES portal for everything CES 2013 and stay tuned to SlashGear for a set of wrap-up posts you wont want to miss!

There was a time in the technology industry that it didn’t matter how much a company had in its marketing budget. If a company’s products were really great, they would be discovered by the tech addicts out there, and then eventually shared with the rest of the world. It was our job as tech lovers to find the good stuff and tell the “average consumer” why they needed something special.

Over the last several years, though, we’ve let our guard down. We’ve allowed companies like Apple and Samsung to get us too excited, and forgotten about the smaller companies that deserve attention. While we’re telling everyone to get an Apple TV, we forget about recommending a Slingbox. Such scenarios play out across the industry.

So, in 2013, I can’t help but hope that small companies find some more success. The real innovation in the marketplace is not coming from Apple or Microsoft, but from companies run by energetic entrepreneurs that have a really great idea. And each year at the Consumer Electronics Show, those people are packed into corners of the showroom floor hoping that just one or two of us will actually pay attention.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve fallen into the trap. I’ve spent too much time focusing on my iPhone and iPad, and not enough time trying to hear about the really great products from companies I’ve never heard about. Once upon a time, those companies were Apple, Google, Samsung, and Sony. And it’s important that I don’t forget that.

Unfortunately, the technology industry has grown in such size that money matters more than ever. Companies that spend billions of dollars in advertising every year are far more likely to increase sales than those who only have a few hundred thousand. And although innovation was once the key element that determined success, nowadays, it’s a forgotten art.

There’s also the issue of acquisitions. The big companies keep getting bigger. And as they do, they’re finding it much simpler to acquire a small upstart before it gets too big rather than try to compete. The result? That really great product idea is incorporated into something else, and we never see it again.

I know what I’m hoping for is something that will likely not happen. But why shouldn’t we try? Chances are, the people reading this column are as tech-obsessed as I am. And when they come across a really great product, they can’t help but tell the world.

So, rather than looking in the obvious places, why don’t we spend 2013 checking out the unique, unknown products out there. We might just reveal to the world the next great company.

We’ve had an amazing year, and we’d like to thank you – the readers, the manufacturers, the PR teams, and the advertisers – for helping make it possible. You’ve supported us, entertained us, driven us to do better and know more, and not been shy in telling us when we’ve got it wrong, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Still, it’s sometimes easy to lose track of one of the best parts of modern technology: the fact that it helps us to be with the people we love. Whether it’s the excitement of sending messages on your new smartphone, or making Skype calls with distant relatives, technology helps narrow the barriers between us and, in a very human way, earns its place among our obsessions by the value it brings to our lives.

There’s plenty to look forward in the new year, with CES 2013 the closest on the calendar but a host of phone, tablet, home entertainment, photography, and other events expected in the coming months. We’ll look forward to exploring it with you all!

Chief among these features is 360-degree vision. Essentially, the FlyVIZ headset is a modified Sony Personal 3D Viewer that takes advantage of a mounted panoramic camera. This panoramic camera allows users to see in all directions, but it can’t do all of the work by itself. Instead, software on a PC is needed to remove distortion and compress the captured video down so it fits the user’s field of view.

You’d think that all of the extra work being done by the companion software would help reduce any kind of nausea, but apparently you’d be wrong. Users will have to go through an adjustment period of around 15 minutes, during which time they’ll have to fight off getting sick. After that 15 minutes has passed, however, most users adjust and are able to enjoy how awesome the FlyVIZ is.

All in all, it sounds like a pretty nifty piece of technology. You can see it in action with the video posted above, just don’t expect to understand anything unless you can speak French. We’ll be keeping an eye out for more details on the FlyVIZ, so keep it tuned here to SlashGear for more.

[via Newlaunches]

Next it only makes sense to thank our sponsors, without whom we’d still be able to write, but we’d have a lot less food at home to keep our stomaches full. We thank you for continuing to see the tech and gadget publishing world as the strong force it continues to be today. You remain one of the vital connections we make each day and we’re glad to help you reach your consumer base as well.

We’d like to thank the PR teams we get to work with on a consistent basis as well – you’re the unsung heroes that keep us connected with the gadgets and technology we love so well – while under the hood we’d like to thank the UK2Group for sponsoring our CDN for the past 2 years. Thanks too to the companies which have supported us with giveaways; we’re hoping to have more of those soon too.

The teams running both Pepcom and ShowStoppers continue to deserve props for bringing us a more personal experience to the tech event world during gigantic events like CES (coming up again in just 46 days from now) and during the year in-between larger conventions. And every company that has launched a new product this past year, and kept us curious about the consumer electronics world as a whole, today’s the day we toast you!

Of course I’d like to thank my teammates – bosses, new recruits, and everyone in-between – for continuing to create a unique environment in which my unique set of abilities – and your unique set of interests – can match up on the daily. Let us know what and who you’re thankful for as we load up on the only thing we love more than electronics – massive amounts of food!

Ematic has announced a new tablet aimed specifically at kids called the
Sony Reader PRS-T2 Review is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. ]]> http://www.slashgear.com/sony-reader-prs-t2-review-17247632/feed/ 0 http://www.slashgear.com/fitbit-one-and-fitbit-zip-break-cover-17247859/ http://www.slashgear.com/fitbit-one-and-fitbit-zip-break-cover-17247859/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2012 09:37:49 +0000 Shane McGlaun http://www.slashgear.com/?p=247859 Read The Full Story]]> Anyone who’s tried to get in shape knows that dieting and keeping track of all the calories you consume can be a huge pain. Thankfully, there are some new gadgets coming to market that help make it easier to track your activity and how many calories you burn. One of the companies offering some of the more interesting devices is called Fitbit.

Fitbit has a new device called the One that can be pre-ordered right now for $99.95. The One is designed to track all sorts of things so you don’t have to. During the day, it can act as a pedometer tracking your steps, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed.

At night, the device is designed to measure your sleep cycle to help users learn how to get better sleep, and it will wake you in the morning. The device has an integrated silent alarm that vibrates to wake you in the mornings. It will give you statistics such as how long and how well you slept and how many times you woke during the night. The device syncs with the iPhone or iPad or your computer wirelessly using Bluetooth and will soon support Android devices.

The Fitbit Zip is a simpler device available now for $59.95 in multiple colors. It’s an activity tracker and is able to track how many steps you take, how many calories you burn, and the distance you travel. It’s basically a high-tech pedometer that can wirelessly sync using Bluetooth technology to your iPhone, iPod or a computer. It too will get support for certain Android devices soon.

Of course we know that Google Glass is meant to give us hands-free smartphone functionality, but The Wall Street Journal‘s write-up goes a little bit deeper than that. That tiny little screen you see on the right side of the glasses houses the heads-up display, which is navigated through voice commands. The heads up display offers a number of different options, from using the camera to record video and take pictures to opening up Google Maps. The author of the story, Spencer Ante, says that the expensive pair of specs weighs only a few ounces, has a built-in battery that has taken up residence in one of the arms, and features two microphones to pick up your voice commands.

While that all sounds exciting, unfortunately Google didn’t have most of the big features up and running when Ante got to test them out. The ability to snap a picture was there, as was time-lapse functionality, allowing users to snap a new picture every few seconds. Other than that, however, it seems that Google Glass is still very much in the prototype phase, as other other features like Google Maps and calling hadn’t been implemented yet.

The idea is certainly solid, but at the moment, it seems that Google hasn’t implemented enough features to be able to recommend picking up a pair of the $1,500 glasses. Google Glass is currently scheduled for an early 2013 launch, and you can bet that by the time headsets become available for purchase, they’ll be much more fleshed out than they are now. Stay tuned, because we’ll undoubtedly be hearing more about Google Glass soon.

Specifically, the patent is for a “ball that provides normalized images of a ground-based target subject captured over the course of the arc of its airborne trajectory.” The ball makes use of position sensors and high-speed cameras, and once it’s in the air, the camera uses its own position, orientation, and trajectory to determine its “precise relationship to a subject of interest.” The camera can use this knowledge to “stitch together” a collection of images into a video, and if the ball has multiple cameras in it, it can keep perspective on a specific subject while it’s in the air.

In baseball, the camera could take us through a pitch and subsequent hit from the ball’s point of view. The camera would be snapping shots from the time it’s pitched, and in the case of a ball that has multiple cameras in it, it could keep the focus on the batter as it flies through the air. It’s a very interesting patent, and Hollinger has already started work on the first-generation prototype of his idea, calling it “Squito.” Squito comes equipped with “three cameras, an array of position sensors, a microcontroller and image processor,” and it’s capable of taking a spherical, panoramic shot of its surroundings when it reaches the apex of its trajectory.

There really isn’t any denying that this is a pretty cool idea, and hopefully we’ll be hearing more from Hollinger about Squito soon. As stated above, this patent could have some applications that are potentially life saving, so here’s hoping that Hollinger’s invention gains some steam. Keep it right here at SlashGear, because you can bet we’ll be watching the development of Squito.

The device claims to be the world’s first iPhone powered by trainer and promises to allow cyclists and triathletes to set resistance and accurately measure their power using app-based workouts. The device will debut in the US this November and uses Bluetooth 4.0 and ANT+ technology. While pedaling the user will be able to increase or decrease the resistance and simulate the real world bike courses while using the iPhone as the control. The resistant adjustments are instantaneous.

Users are able to replicate everything from a flat or rolling hill course to coasting downhill after a climb. The device uses a wheel off design and a flywheel to produce a realistic road feel. Wahoo Fitness promises that the device delivers a feel equivalent to the inertia of an actual rider on the road.

The system works with top cycling applications, including Trainer Road and Kinomap Trainer. The device can simulate different rides from coasting down hills to pedaling up a 15% grade. The rider can measure their power output in watts and their speed via apps. Wahoo also says that it’s one of the quietest trainers on the market. Pricing is unknown at this time.

That’s because, for starters, these earphones sport a frequency response of 5 to 46,500 Hz, allowing for a “lifelike sound image.” The hardware in these earphones is held in a ceramic housing, and as you can see from the image, the have quite a nice-looking finish. The star of these earphones is the Sennheiser-developed Extra Wide Band (XWB) driver, which comes in at only 7mm in diameter and provides excellent sound quality with perfect timing.

Also included in this package is Sennheiser’s new vented magnet system, which is meant to bring distortion to a minimum. “The oscillating motion of the diaphragm produces an air flow in the magnet system housing that causes the diaphragm to wobble slightly,” said Senior Acoustic Engineer Axel Grell in a company statement. “By positioning two precisely defined vent holes in the housing directly under the magnets, we can cause the air to flow in a specific direction. This minimises the wobbling motion of the diaphragm and reduces total harmonic distortion to less than 0.06 percent.”

Sennheiser also claims to have solved the problem of masking – which is when low-volume frequencies are masked by louder low-frequency sounds – through the use of a new absorber. These absorb all of the extra energy from the loud low-frequency sounds, allowing users to hear all of the frequencies without having to worry about masking. Sennheiser has also developed new oval-shaped ear adapters that allow for a better fit, but the company also includes the more common round ear adapters should you decide that you prefer those.

They sound pretty impressive at the end of everything, but you’ll be handing over a hefty chunk of change if you want to get your hands on the IE 800 earphones. They come in at $999.95, so only those who are very serious about sound quality need apply. They’ll be available in the US “later this fall” but other that, we don’t have a solid release date. Are you going to pick up a pair of these, or are they a little too expensive for your tastes?

First of all, we can see Microsoft Office running on the tablet in one of the images. The keyboard also appears to be backlit, and PocketNow points out that the keyboard isn’t detachable – it’s on there for good. That, when coupled with the office setting of the images, leads us to believe that the VAIO Duo 11 will be aimed more at business people than mainstream consumers.

We can also clearly see a stylus in a few of the images, but it’s unclear how big of a role that will play. You’d probably be able to get away without using the stylus given the touch-friendly nature of Windows 8, but once again, that stylus reinforces the idea that this is a tablet for business professionals. As you can see from one of the images, the tablet can fold over and hide the keyboard, despite the fact that the keyboard is a permanent feature of the Duo 11.

Sadly, PocketNow’s source left the most important information out of this particular leak: pricing and a release date. If Sony aims for a price around that of the Surface, the VAIO Duo 11 could end up being quite a worthy challenger to Microsoft’s upcoming tablet. With the release of Windows 8 just under two months away now, we can probably expect an official reveal from Sony soon, so stay tuned.

It’s easily mounted on a helmet, allowing viewers to see the events through the athlete’s eyes. It isn’t limited to what it can do by its tiny size, however, as it also comes with the ability to connect wirelessly to other devices through Bluetooth or WLAN. This means an athlete could connect the camera to a harness to track heart rate, and the INCA can also work with “object recognition and voice detection systems.”

Of course, the hardware it comes equipped with only skims the surface. Since it’s Android-based, the INCA can meet the needs of many different situations through apps. Fraunhofer says that the camera is “powerful enough to handle professional film and TV productions” and process that video in real-time despite its small, 2x2x8 cm size. Don’t let the size fool you however, as the INCA is capable of handling less-than-pleasant conditions. The INCA can handle bouts with sand, dust and cold, which means that it isn’t going to cut out if athletes are using it to broadcast an extreme sports competition.

Wolfgang Thieme, who managed the group of researchers that developed INCA, says that the camera can offer so much while being so small because of its OMAP (Open Multimedia Applications Platform) processor. “As the heart of the camera, this is comparable to a CPU that you find in any ordinary PC,” Thieme said. “The difference is that additional function blocks for various tasks have been integrated into the OMAP. Without these blocks, the system would neither record HD video images nor process and issue them in real time.”

INCA isn’t available at the moment, and Fraunhofer’s announcement gives no indication of when it will be. The announcement does say that attendees of IBC in Amsterdam will be able to try it out though, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for more news around then. Stay tuned, because this could potentially give us a new and interesting way to watch sports.

Behold the power of my fully functional tea infuser. Our resident Brit will appreciate the Death Star Tea Infuser that will sell for $19.99 when it comes in stock later this month. The tea infuser is a perfect stainless steel likeness of the Death Star with a little Tie Fighter on a chain so you can dip it into your glass of hot water to make your preferred tea.

One of my favorites is the Star Wars Lightsaber Ice Pop Makers. The kit comes with four light up lightsaber hilts. Two of the hilts look like Luke’s saber and two look like Vader’s saber hilt. You put whatever liquid you want into the saber molds and then freeze them to make your own popsicles. You can even press a button and make your frosty treats glow. These are expected to be in stock in November for $34.99.

The final product is for the Star Wars geek professionals out there. It’s called the Han Solo in Carbonite Business Card Case. You can pretty much figure out what this is from the name alone. It’s able to hold about a dozen business cards depending on how thick the card stock is. It’s estimated to be available in one to three weeks at $24.99.

Another needed feature is that it doesn’t come with Internet access, with Leap Frog instead offering it’s own library of learning apps and games. It’s backward compatible with LeapPad cartridges, so if you owned the original LeapPad, you don’t have to worry about buying all new cartridges. Applications for the LeapPad2 cost $5.00 each, while cartridges cost $24.99.

In addition to the new processor and the souped-up memory, the LeapPad2 also comes complete with front and rear-facing cameras and sports a longer battery life than the original LeapPad. It comes in green and pink, but there’s a special edition Disney Princess LeapPad2 available as well. The green and pink versions come in at $99.99, while the Disney Princess edition will set you back $129.99.

All in all, not too bad if you want to get your child a tablet to keep them occupied, but don’t want them getting on the Internet and racking up a huge download bill. There’s also the added benefit of the apps and games being educational, so your kids actually stand to learn something while playing. The LeapPad2 is recommended for children ages 3 to 9, and is available right this very instant from Leap Frog.

[via Leap Frog]

The memo itself comes from Printing and Personal Systems Group boss Todd Bradley, who says that Torres will be starting on September 3. After tackling the consumer tablet space, HP Mobility GBU will then “expand to additional segments and categories where we believe we can offer differentiated value to our customers.” Torres will not be taking the reins on HP’s incoming commercial tablet, as that will be staying with HP’s PC Global Business Unit, overseen by James Mouton. The same goes for HP’s notebook teams, but Bradley seems to suggest that the Mobility and PC GBUs will be merging (or at least collaborating) at some point in the future.

According to the memo, Torres’ initial duties will be to “accelerate our tablet strategy and begin to execute products against our consumer/SMB target.” It sounds like HP wants to ramp up on this second shot quickly, but it has a tough road ahead. Most of us can still recall HP’s difficulties with the TouchPad after all, and it’s pretty clear that the company will be doing all it can to avoid another failure like that.

Torres has a couple weeks left to go before he begins at HP, but we’re thinking that once he’s there, HP will waste no time in putting him to work. Even though the TouchPad can’t be labeled a smashing success, it did have some redeeming features, so the idea of HP getting serious about tablet development does get us excited. Stay tuned to SlashGear for more information, as we imagine that HP will be making some announcements not long after Torres officially joins the team.

At the time, we didn’t know some of the key details on the Little Printer. The launch date was a very vague “2012″ and pricing wasn’t mentioned. If you found yourself intrigued by the Little Printer, new details are now available. The device is up for preorder right now and will be available in about 60 days.

The retail price is pegged at $259 plus shipping. Since we initially heard about the printer, the BergCloud software that runs the device has been updated to allow you to pull updates to print from additional places. It now supports sites such as foursquare and Google. That means you can print out task lists, location updates, and other messages from friends.

I still think this is a very strange little device. I wonder if it uses standard thermal paper that you can purchase office stores, or if you have to order special paper. If you don’t remember this device from last year, check out the video for a few more details.

[via Engadget]

Microsoft should be planning for the future too, since the tablet industry moves at a breakneck pace. If Microsoft wants to compete with the big boys, it’s going to need to be offering new things at a pretty fast rate, which is precisely why it has put these job ads out. The job ads were posted between June and August of this year, and include positions like component specialists, mechanical engineers, and materials experts.

In other words, Microsoft isn’t planning to merely update Surface, but to build new products in the Surface line. We already knew that Microsoft was planning to make Surface into a family of products, and it looks as if the company is already beginning to work toward that. These job ads all say “We are currently building the next generation and Surface needs you!” so Microsoft’s intentions seem pretty clear.

So there you go – we may all be anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first Surface, but Microsoft is already gearing up for the next generation. Don’t expect Microsoft to explain these job ads anytime soon, as the company will definitely want to keep any work on the next devices in the Surface line as secret as possible. We’ll update you when new information surfaces, but for now, just know that Microsoft is taking this Surface deal very seriously.

What’s interesting about this shell is that it’s completely solid – there isn’t any hole for a rear-facing camera. That isn’t all that uncommon in smaller-sized tablets these days, as the Google Nexus 7 gets along just fine without a rear-facing camera. All in all though, this metal case looks similar to the rear shell of its full-sized brother, only in a smaller form.

MacRumors points out that the person who leaked these photos doesn’t have a history of Apple leaks, so it’s hard to establish credibility in this case. That fact alone makes us hesitant to say these photos are the real deal, and indeed, it’s always a good idea to approach rumors and leaks with a healthy amount of skepticism. The truth is that we don’t even know if Apple is planning to release an iPad Mini – though the evidence seems to lean in that direction – so nothing is confirmed until Apple makes an announcement.

Still, this is pretty intiguing stuff, especially with all of the hubbub about an incoming iPad Mini reveal. Current rumors claim that Apple will be announcing the iPad Mini alongside the iPhone 5 at an event in September, so we may not have that much longer to wait before we find out if these are legitimate or fake. Despite all the mystery, one thing is for sure: this whole thing about Apple planning an iPad Mini just got a lot more interesting. Stay tuned.

Of those people who answered in the affirmative, 32% said they suffer dropped calls multiple times per week or more frequently. Though we’ve only got 32% of polled cell phone users saying that they experience dropped calls frequently, the number that say dropped calls are still an issue is pretty staggering. Looking at the chart above, we can see that 6% of users say they deal with dropped calls on a daily basis, and another 6% say it happens multiple times per day, which we imagine is endlessly infuriating.

Elsewhere in Pew’s report, which was authored by Jan Lauren Boyles and Lee Rainie, 69% of users say that they occasionally receive unwanted marketing calls, with 25% of users claiming that it happens a few times per week. 79% of cell phone users say they text message, and 69% of those texters claim to occasionally receive spam messages. Finally, we come to mobile Internet download speeds. 55% percent of cell phone owners use their phones to access the Internet, and 77% of those mobile Internet users claim to be hit with “slow download speeds that prevent things from loading as quickly as they would like” every once in a while.

The sad news is that smartphone owners report these problems more frequently than “other cell owners.” Looking at the second chart from Pew, we see that smartphone owners report problems with dropped calls, unwanted calls and texts, and slow download speeds more often than the rest. Pew says that the poll took place during March and April 2012, and that the non-profit polled a total sample of 2,254 adults to get these rather interesting results. At least now you know that you aren’t the only one suffering when you experience a dropped call, right?

The amount of money being pledged to the Oculus Rift project is still rising fast, sitting at $411,303 as of this writing. This first batch of headsets is intended for developers only, with a version aimed at consumers planned for release next year. Given the Kickstarter’s meteoric rise to success, that consumer version of the Oculus Rift seems like it has an excellent shot at becoming a reality.

Most of the lower tiers get you Oculus Rift posters and t-shirts (some of the signed by the Rift team), and it isn’t until pledging $275 that you get the actual unit. The headset for the $275 tier comes unassembled, tasking developers with putting it together themselves. Pledging $300 gets you a pre-assembled unit, and all tiers featuring the Oculus Rift as a reward also come with a copy of Doom 3: BFG, the first (of what we hope is many) Rift-optimized game. Of course, with this campaign aimed squarely at developers, all of the higher tiers come with access to the SDK, so developers can start plugging away as soon as they receive their Rift.

We have to say that doing a Kickstarter for Oculus Rift developers is a pretty good idea. Not only does it allow the Oculus team to receive early feedback from those who will be working with the product the most, but it also gives developers ample time to experiment before the consumer version becomes available next year. It looks like we’re not the only ones who think that, as people continue to throw money at this Kickstarter. With 30 days left to go, Team Oculus has the potential to raise massive amounts of money, so stay tuned.

Oh, it also has straight edges, which gives it more of a mechanical look. It’s a little bit strange when you’re used to the rounded corners that grace current iPhone models, but once you get used to them, they start to grow on you. This next one, which comes with an N90 designation, appears to be an early concept for the iPhone 4. We’re thinking that most will be happy Apple went with its current design for the iPhone 4, but this one does appear to have some notable qualities – such as the fact that it appears to be smaller than the iPhone 4 we know and love.

These last few all appear to be relatively old (some of them more so than others), as a couple of them lack any kind of face button entirely. The model you see pictured below is one such example, which actual corners and no home button to speak of. It’s just you and that touchscreen, baby!

This one seems to be a pretty old prototype of the iPod Touch. Unlike the model pictured above, this prototype does have a home button, but it’s been labeled “menu” instead. It also looks quite a bit smaller than the i-devices we’re accustomed to seeing, which leads us to believe that it could have been a planned version of the iPod mini, only this time with a touchscreen.

Finally, we arrive at the beast you see pictured below. This model is quite thick, so it has to be pretty old. The front is all touchscreen too, so perhaps this is one of Apple’s earliest touch-based models? We don’t know. We do know that it looks pretty bland, though.

And that’s that. It’s been a pretty exciting couple of days for the Apple fanatic, and even if you don’t count yourself among Apple’s biggest fans, it’s cool to look back and see which ideas Apple has played around with in the past. Check out the full-size images in all of their glory in our gallery below!

[via BuzzFeed]

There’s just one tiny problem: neither Facebook nor HTC have confirmed that this phone actually exists. We wouldn’t be surprised one bit to find out that it does, however – after all, more and more people are accessing Facebook through their smartphones, and releasing a phone that’s centered around the social networking service would make it easier for Facebook to monetize its mobile efforts. Facebook and HTC want to keep this project secret for at least a little while longer, apparently, so the truth is that we won’t know if the phone is real until one of those companies choose to comment on the currently-circulating rumors.

Hearing that Facebook and HTC may be working together to bring us a new phone brings back some bad memories of the HTC ChaCha and the HTC Salsa. Both of those devices were marketed as Facebook phones, and even though there wasn’t anything especially terrible about them, they both crashed and burned after launch. We’re sure Facebook and HTC both remember those bombs just as well as we do, so if there is in fact a new Facebook phone in the works, you can bet that HTC and Facebook are thinking of everything they can do to avoid a repeat. Stay tuned.