Facelift for Galaxy SIII ?!

Minor changes are expected For Galaxy S III at the hardware level.

Currently at the rumor level, Samsung is preparing a new star model starting from last year's flagship Galaxy S III. It talks about an increase in battery capacity 2100 mAh how is currently to 2400 mAh and also an improved display. There is no known exact data on how this technology could be used for a better display, but I think it would be a bad idea to see a Super AMOLED panel with a RGB matrix against the existing solution.

It should be taken into consideration that all the buzz is currently focused on the launch of the Galaxy S 4 and most likely we will have to wait until a Galaxy S III Plus will make its appearance on the. Judging by the new movement made ​​by Samsung with the Galaxy S II Plus I’m quite tempted to think that we have a Plus version for the third member of the Galaxy S family. The Korean manufacturer probably will try in this way to maintain its interest and thus sales of the S III to an acceptable level because they are likely to collapse with the release of S 4.

Xi3 Piston available for pre-order

Xi3 Piston, the minimalist computer for video games, is now available for pre-order. It will hit the market late this year, but if you want to have a $ 100 discount, you will need to order right now.

Piston is the first device that fits in the category of "Steam box" but is not an official product made ​​with Valve. The Xi3 Company tries to offer top performance in a very small package, appealing to a unique design. The entire computer is modular, and various internal components can be changed over time to always run the latest games.

Unfortunately, the hardware offered now, at $ 999 is a bit high. Even after reducing the pre-order price at $ 899, is not really justified. But we know now that in the aluminum housing there is a 3.2 GHz AMD Trinity, a Radeon 7000 series graphics chip, a 128 GB SSD and 8 GB of DDR3 memory.

Piston Xi3 was presented live at the SXSW and so we can see the first small computer interface, which is now referred to by the nickname "console". Obviously, the operating system is Windows, which received a custom interface. Below you can find the official video presentation with a video interface.

Samsung Galaxy S4 apears in an official Samsung video

Samsung Galaxy S 4 and has appeared this time in a picture posted on the official Samsung Mobile USA Twitter account.

As can be seen with the naked eye, Samsung has not been generous with details. Basically we have a geometric shape more than a cell phone and only if we dare to say that we are dealing with a new and much awaited Samsung Galaxy S 4. At first glance, such a pattern is forming thick shadows not very different from Galaxy S III, the same generous, rounded shape.

Those from gizmag.com have reached the conclusion that has striking resemblance to the current Samsung flagship. Probably most fans would be disappointed by this decision, but on the other hand Samsung would have to invest major development, testing and manufacturing for different housing materials used either alone or the shape.

Probably will be some design differences from last year's model, but most likely the set of specifications will have to impress. Of course a major impact would have a premium casing, made of shiny plastic and eventually a futuristic shape.

A Nexux Q clone will help you to run Android TV

With a complex connectors, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and design inspired by Nexus Q's from Google, Giayee is a dedicated gadget for running Google TV.

Last year, Google tried to revive the market for electronic products made in the US. The product behind the revolution was a top box set called Nexus Q. This ball runs Google TV and has a comprehensive package of useful functions mainly dedicated to Android users. Because price was "slightly" exaggerated the product suddenly disappeared from the market.

With a similar target audience, in part because of the same design lines, Giayee announced this gadget. This new sphere has Android 4.1 pre-installed, Giayee IPTV is a simple and efficient solution to run Android TV applications. For easy interaction in the package seems to be included and an ergonomic remote control.

Although it’s hard to say whether Google will attack the manufacturer for breaking design patents, inside Giayee IPTV hides a high performance hardware configuration. A Rockchip ARM Cortex-A9 RK30066 dual core processor is helped by an ARM Mali 400 GPU and 1GB of RAM for things to run perfectly. Because it would be shame not to integrate this gadget into the local network, the back of the device there is an integrated Ethernet port, while inside there is an 802.11n wireless chip. In addition, there is an HDMI port, audio out, 2 USB ports and a micro SD card reader.

There isn’t price for this toy yet, because the producer is looking for partners for distribution. Whatever happens next, there is little chance that this gadget will not appear in the coming months.

Google shoes

 Because we do not have enough motivational accessories, Google has announced a project that includes sensors in shoes and smartphone applications.

At this stage of development are called Google Shoes, the project by Google seems to be in a fairly advanced stage. Interestingly, however, this link between a smartphone app, a pair of shoes and some other smart features under open source operating system can experienced by anyone without a problems.

In practice, we don’t even have a well-designed product, but rather an experiment based on a pair of Adidas shoes. Before anything, the demonstration video below from Google at SXSW take part in the initiatives of Art, Copy and Code. The combination of 3 words defines a marketing program whose purpose is to show how we can use objects to tell online stories. “This description was made by Aman Govil, advertising director at Google.

Before iPhone became The iPhone

We all seen them pop up on eBay or in leaked photos. But most of them where just approximations of the first iPhone released in 2007 or later models.

What we don’t usually see are Apple prototypes, mainly from the early models before the iPhone started to look like an iPhone. Here we have a series of early 2005 model.

As shown the as a prototype few ports usually seen on computers then mobile devices , including USB ports , Ethernet port and even a serial port.

Apple didn’t intend to put all of these into the final product, these were just for the development prototype.  The Ethernet and serial were included just to make the device easier to work with.

This early prototype was quite large at around 7"×5" and about two inched think. At the time it was  impressive running on a version of OS X.

The chip resembled a variant of Samsung's S3C2410 clocked at 200-233 MHz, while the first iPhone used a 620 MHz chip under clocked to 412 MHz. 

Barista bots and Latte art

The art of drawing various shapes in coffee is called latte art. When we add robots into the equation, like Barista Bots, who are able to draw in skim milk with German accuracy this art already becomes more spectacular.

Everything happened overseas, besides the SXSW technology fair in Texas. Coffee was served to passers was arranged by a similar robot to a 3D printer.

Bots Barista is the name of robots able to take an image from a computer and try with relative success rate to reproduce it in coffee. The whole thing is done by a movable head which can move both in deep and surface coffee. In principle, the precision of work which is carried out depends on the strength of milk foam, coffee and milk temperature, plus the speed of the robot. Taking these criteria into account, both are equally impressive initiatives.

So, is given a rare opportunity to express the artistic talents in the kitchen, not just speed and efficiency in cooking, barista Bots become a coveted gadget in the industry. What do you think?

Turning Atari 2600 in Iphone dock

For the art of modifying has no limits, a creative gentleman made ​​two audio dock for iDevice's from Atari 2600 consoles.

In a time where amateurs of classic consoles will be tricked to pay fabulous sums of money for a good Atari 2600, a Brit put two such consoles out of order. Because they couldn’t be repaired, the two devices have been turned into audio docks.

An audio dock that can accommodate an iPad and one that can accommodate an iPhone were the results of an experiment from Cult of Mac. Peter Morris is the man who brought out the work in such an elegant way, that you’d say he’s working on building a concept for store product. Inside the plastic and wood cases were introduced a digital audio amplifier, a 3.5 mm jack for other audio sources and an infrared sensor for interaction with a remote control.

From melancholy or just the need of money, both creations could be purchased with $ 269, and $ 224 iPad version and the iPhone version. Problems with the sale didn’t exist, because the level of enthusiasm is so high for such unique gadgets, that doesn’t see them sitting too long on sites like eBay.

Turn your smartphone into thermometer

Thermodo is a smartphone accessory designed to warn you of the outside temperature.

A new day, a new interesting Kickstarter funding project was found: a temperature sensor can be connected directly to the smartphone to provide exact details on temperature.

 We’ve seen quite a few accessories before that turn your smartphone into an ordinary room thermometer. What is so special about Thermodo? Well first of all it can be connected directly to the phone via the audio port and gives temperature information recorded near the phone. In other words if you want to get out and don’t know how thick to dress, just get the phone outside the window

If you're wondering how this toy works, know that Thermodo send an audio signal from the temperature sensor. Sound intensity is influenced by temperature recorded and thus smartphones capture a signal that is then analyzed by a compatible app. Thermodo comes supplied with a special trinket in the few days after its launch enjoyed an incredible support from fans, managing to raise nearly $ 150,000 in four days.

Thermodo is fully compatible both with iOS and Android platforms, making it extremely versatile and easy to use for the majority of smartphone owners. The producing company, Robocat managed to raise the $ 35,000 to start production and still fights for more funding to launching new variants of color or materials.

Currently anyone can support the For the minimum contribution of 25$ you will be able to get this great toy.

Samsung Galaxy S4 ?

A few days before the official presentation of the new Samsung Galaxy S 4, rumors intensified more than ever. Also on this chapter, rumors can enter and circulate new images online who are supposed to present the new flagship Samsung even before its release. The pictures were loaded on a forum in China and shows a Samsung phone Galaxy Note quite similar to 2, but has some unique elements that could be recommend to the successor of Galaxy S III.

Under the name of GT-I9502, the phone seems to be a variant specially designed for China operator Unicom and largely confirm rumors about the specifications of the new top smartphone from Samsung. The so called Galaxy S 4 has a 1080p display, runs on Android 4.2.1 and comes with a chipset "Universal5410" (most likely a Octa Exynos 5410) a1.8GHz processor, 2GB RAM and  PoverVR SGX 544MP graphics.

In all the photos can be seen a slightly different material used for the housing (another texture), but still glossy and a slightly different shape of main camera. Otherwise the phone looks like Galaxy S III Notes 2 and but a bit too much if you were to ask me. Given the efforts of the competition in terms of housing design: One HTC, Xperia Z, iPhone 5, is natural to expect that Galaxy S 4 to offer something more than the same glossy plastic.

On the other hand, if the phone will be able to impress with its performance and the unique features such as Smart Scroll (scroll activation depending on the position of the eyes) or Smart Pause (stops playing when your eyes move elsewhere) is likely to convince fans without an awesome design. For now the information is unconfirmed, as well as the images that could be just a test version, a figment of a fans imagination or just another phone model (if you judge by the symbol showing dual SIM on the phones screen). However, in three days we will find how it looks and how strong is the new Galaxy S 4 in the launch event held in New York.

Samsung Galaxy Pop

Galaxy Pop is the new smartphone launched by Samsung, which fits perfectly into the design lines of the older Samsung Galaxy S III.

If you’re not tired of the same rounded and glossy plastic casing, Samsung brings to the market a new smartphone similar to the famous Galaxy S III. Galaxy Pop is interesting but "common" in terms of external appearance. Why do I say that? Because although I appreciate the work the South Korean manufacturer, I can’t help of noticing that the new phones are other released versions of Galaxy S III.

Virtually all Samsung smartphones borrowed the lines, shape and design of last year's flagship, Galaxy and Galaxy Express and Galaxy Grand being just two examples found at MWC 2013. Leaving aside the form, the new Galaxy Pop boasts a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels, a quad-core processor at 1.4 GHz, 1GB RAM, 8 or 16GB of internal memory, support for micro SD card and a 2100 mAh battery.

As we had expected in terms of camera, Galaxy Pop fits into the family to which it belongs, with an 8 megapixel camera capable of 1080p Full HD. Undoubtedly, the 4G LTE compatibility is one of the most important differences that set it aside from the rest of the Galaxy family, with a less common casing color: loud orange.

The new Galaxy Pop is expected to arrive in the near future on South Korean market with an unknown price.

Palm top Theater turns your Iphone into a 3D Display

Eager for 3D panels and holograms, only those from Palm Top Theater remembered that a similar effect can be reproduced cheaply with optical tricks.

For only $ 36 it’s a gadget which aims to provide a means by which you can consume content in three dimensions from images displayed on your iPhone screen. Palm Top Theater is a product based on a hundred year technology which provides a plausible 3D experience.

Actually, Palm Top Theater is an iPhone case that turns your phone into a device capable of displaying 3D content of a particular format. Construction involves three panels hinged to the gadget placed one in front of the other when you open the case. In the back is a large mirror placed and in the front there are 2 half mirrors mounted. The role of mirror to reflect images on the iPhones screen to looks like a holographic experience.

On the content side, as expected, is about a proprietary format. Proprietary formats goal is to share a video or a still image in three parts one for each mirror. Thus, the content of each plan of action is associated with a matching mirror and at the same time it’s displayed vertically.

With a specified price at around $ 36, it is obvious that this gadget should be purchased, whether you do that trick in front of friends, or play a few hours a night.

Gigabot, The biggest household 3D printer

Gigabot is a new project on Kistarter which will remind us that 3D printers are fashionable and are likely to reach your home in a few years.

Because most home 3D printers are often limited to small objects, like phone cases or figures, the company re: 3D wants to shatter this myth with a new product. Gigabot is a large format printer. The largest object that you can print with it is 24 x 24 x 24 inches. The spectacular dimensions are due to a metal frame and automatic control of several motors that allow the print head to move in three axes. Passing over the fact that this device can generate objects up to 30 times larger than a current household 3D printer, the whole assembly is so complex that comes with a laptop stand on the side.

Operation side, Gigabot is like any other 3D printer. It comes with a similar program like other printer program, while the print materials used are the same as for other models.

Regarding the price, if it reaches it’s funding of $ 40,000 witch Kickstarter need to make the Gigabot able to be purchased with $ 2500. 

Who will sell smartphones in 2013?

 Nokia, ZTE, RIM, Sony, HTC, LG and Lenovo take, in that order, places from 4 to 10 sites in top sales, with a range of rates from 3.6 to 5% of the market. These minor differences in sales fake for a great dynamism of the market in 2013. So, it is almost impossible to predict what's next. Sony is just one of the companies who promised to be in of the 3^rd place. Motorola dropped from the top 10 last year and the rest don’t matters enough to be mentioned.

High expectations this year come from Apple, Samsung and BlackBerry. The list should be completed by Nokia, the Finnish company which unfortunately is struggling to survive. Two years after Nokia decided to embrace production of Windows Phone, it becomes obvious that they signed their sentence. Windows Phone 7 was a revolution, unfortunately Windows Phone 7.5 and WP8 were the same "revolution", and changes aren’t insufficient to attract a remarkable number of users. Windows Phone’s ecosystem has no problems. Nokia smartphones products are of high quality and most reviews come with positive remarks when it comes to the hardware. The problem is that no one has patience. Small problems, missing applications from the Marketplace and slow evolution of the entire system have caused the shortage of users.

BlackBerry had an excuse last year, but 2013 will not be available. Blackberry said that in 2012, former RIM took a break. There was an announcement about BlackBerry 10 who went from inertia. Terminals with the new operating system appeared only at the end of last month. The first reviews, although positive, describing some high performance terminals of and quality but that’s about it. Even if systems problems are solved through a framework who runs intermediate Android applications on BlackBerry 10, this is not enough. BlackBerry will need something revolutionary to leave you stunned. In a market where Apple and Samsung make the cards, the Canadian company had to reinvent the smartphone we to chip a spot off the supremacy of the two companies. If BlackBerry 10 is the greatest achievement that has emerged from their research laboratories BlackBerry, it isn’t inconceivable that in another 12 months the company's market share to decline, rather than increase significantly. We should take in consideration that the problems iOS and Android had in the last two years to enter the corporate environment have been resolved. Basically, the strength of the platform invented by Research in Motion has disappeared.

Cheapest smartphone with a Full HD screen

The Chinese aren’t known for making quality products, especially when the most important factor of creation is affordability. That policy doesn’t mean that they can’t generate some truly outstanding products.

Trying to enter the smartphone trend with a Full HD screen of 5 inches, GizChina have be reportedly working on N003 Neo. The new terminal should be available in two versions, one for users on a budget ($ 241) and one for those with a tiny budget ($ 145). The two versions, Youth and Premium, will include a quad core processor by MediaTek called MT6589 and a 5-inch Full HD panel. It is not known at this time if it will a have an LCD or OLED screen. Although it is possible to be some small aesthetic differences between the two versions of Neo N003. Significant difference will be related to storage space. Most likely it will be with 4 or 8GB of internal memory and a 32GB version in the Youth Premium.

Most times, these terminals don’t leave the Chinese market. However, considering that there competing with companies such as Apple, it is possible that domestic high quality terminals with low prices, will prevail over global influences.

Who sold smartphones in 2012?

Samsung had a great year. For the first time in the company's history, the South Korean giant has received the title of largest global producer of smartphones. Given that we are talking about a company that deals exclusively for smartphones, the achievement is even more spectacular. This performance is measured in 215 million smartphones sold and a market share of 30.9 percent, up from 18.7 percent the previous year. Compared to 2011, Samsung has brought in the hands of users 136% more smartphones in 2012.

In theory, Apple had a very good year. I say in theory because although last year Apple sold 135.8 million iPhones compared to 93.1 million in 2011, this amount was reflected in an increase of only 0.4 percent of the market share. Therefore, if in 2011, Apple was the first producer of smartphones in the world, with 19.1 percent, and in 2012, came second with 19.5 percent. Together, Samsung and Apple currently owns over half of the smartphone market. By the rest of the producers, the difference from heaven to earth.

Huawei is in third place with 7.9% and must work incredibly hard to keep this place in the rankings because other companies like Nokia, BlackBerry, HTC and Sony are also competing to enter the top three in 2013. The problem is that only third place will be available.

Nokia had last year 5% of the market, given that in 2011 had 15.9%. RIM's market share was 4.8%, down from the 10.8% the previous year. HTC took 4.5% of the market compared to the 9.2 in 2011. All went down, with very few exceptions. You may be tempted to boast Huawei or ZTE results. In reality, these increases were due exclusively to the Chinese market, so small that there is little chance that the next phone you buy will be a ZTE, especially if you look at a high-end terminal or if you previously had a Samsung Galaxy S or Apple iPhone.

In the same category as ZTE and Huawei might go Lenovo. However, the performance of the company, which has since has grown to have its headquarters in North Carolina, is completely different. Lenovo didn’t made phones three years ago. The fact that in 2012 managed to sell 24.9 million devices, proves that Lenovo found a recipe that many have had it in the past and lost it. 

Who dominates the smartphone market ?

In the first months of the year, the major statistics companies are fighting to tell us who dominates the smartphone market. Based on this information, to see what has changed in the last 12 months and especially how hard it is to change something in a field dominated by two players.

It seems simple. Manufacturers launch more and more powerful phones, sign contracts with mobile operators and consumers end up changing their phone every year ... really that simple? But the reality is that most manufacturers impress increasingly less. For these devices the market is growing from year to year, but there are fewer manufacturers getting richer from this.

The current phenomenon reminds me of the launch of the first iPad, a device that wasn’t described in megahertz, megabytes or milliamps. Again, specs matter less the brand name increasingly more. Obscure or less obscure companies launch phones that you do not buy, even if in terms of specifications might be close those of the S3.

In 2013, when we think of smartphones, we are talking about a customer base that craves for the latest Galaxy or dreaming of the next iPhone. Companies have created fans as if where rock bands. Launching new devices seem like concerts and the first reviews are no longer limited to tests and specifications, but the impressions, feelings and systems. In this system, users of the Galaxy S II or S3 and will not buy anything than a new Galaxy S or possibly a Note. The same is true with iPhone users who would not abandon their precious iDevices.

if Apple made microwaves

If apple produced microwaves , people will still put their tents in front of Apple stores ? 

Chinese, smartphone copies and consumer choices

Smartphones are produced almost exclusively in China. In large part, the Chinese have access to the complete technology, owning the practical schemes of these devices.

Copies of smartphones are becoming more diverse, certainly the most copied is new product of a top of the range manufacturer. Most of these products go to the European market or the U.S. market and, to the surprise of many, even very successful. Price is one of the most important factors. When you have a product similar to one that cost 600 euros, and the final selling price for your product barely reaches 200 euros, you have all chances of immediate success.

Samsung Galaxy S3 copies are very successful, both in terms of design, as well as that of functionality and performance. You cannot see the difference in touchscreen or operating system. Android is a free product that facilitates passage to Chinese products, which until now were trying to copy iOS or Symbian with their products.

Absolutely all manufacturers who have introduced products at MWC 2013 is looking for distributors in Europe. Are willing to sell their products at a price of 100 dollars for those who offers to buy more than 2000 pieces - this is somehow the lower limit. Of course for larger quantities the price can drop even more. Add the taxes which can reach up to 300%, provides a healthy profit to those who engage in such business.

An important element is product liability. Not like renowned manufacturers like Samsung, components aren’t tested so well and they are not as reliable. Quite common problems of poor quality are batteries or devices who cease to function after only 2-3 weeks of use. Therefore, the products look very good, but the internal processor and all components have a short life span. Nobody can guarantee for their operation and their manufacturer assumes no responsibility.

As a whole even these Chinese phones are worth a look, but the decision lies with the costumer. Consumers should think if they pay 100-150 euros on such a device, cheaper than the devices of renowned companies, or if they prefer brand products with all warranties included.

Sol Computers launches a Pixel Qi display for bright light

Although I read a lot of information about Pixel Qi’s panel skills, the creation of Sol Computers is one of the only commercially available.

Sol Computers has launched a very interesting display for those who want to make presentations on the move or who work in bright sunlight. Exclusively powered by a USB port, the monitor has a diagonal of 10 inches.

His great advantage over other similar portable screens is given by incorporating a Pixel Qi panel. Such screens are some of the most popular in the world when it comes to spectacular performance in natural light conditions. Those who have played with such screens describe the experience as similar to an electronic ink panel. The significant compared to other screens available on the market is the function to activate and deactivate of retro-illumination panel. Thus, in interior light illumination is activated for strong colors and a spectacular view, while, in natural light, disables the backlight to get a clear picture similar to that displayed on black and white panel.

Unfortunately, such a monitor for demanding professionals is not very cheap. Although no advantage to make a presentation in the park will overcome the cost .For those who want it is no less than $ 800.