It goes without saying, that everyone is a reviewer nowadays. However, more & more often many companies publish reviews, or analysts pass judgement on products with very little hands-on time with them. If you are interested in follow the topic that really needs addressing, you can see the conversation below.
Google’s human cyborg Glass project will take further shape later this month when the company sends out the Explorer Edition to early testers. The futuristic wearable tech, which was unveiled by Google last year, promises to completely change how we experience our daily lives. Instead of having your hands firmly grasped around a smartphone or two, Glass will bridge that gap between our growing social disconnect and digital dependency.
“This month Google hopes to ship Glass Explorer Edition, designed for the first people to examine the potential uses of Glass,” a Google spokesperson said on Wednesday. “Developers can tinker with Glass and consumers can try it out in the real world.”
Forget the potential of the technology: how will people realistically react to people wearing Glass out in public? Curiosity, disgust, apathy, intolerance. How long before one of these early devices goes missing? Glass is expected to cost around $1,500 when it’s released to consumers later this year, so the fee of admission certainly isn’t cheap. With early access provided to developers, it’ll be exciting to see what possibilities are thought up.
The practical applications we’ve seen so far are quickly replying to texts and snapping quick photos, among other handy uses. Google will definitely need to work on the aesthetics of the product itself; the concept isn’t exactly foreign, but an existing product certainly is. We’re approaching the halfway point of April, so the arrival of Glass is nearly upon us if Google can keep to its expected release.
[Source: TechnoBuffalo]
Electrical and wireless technology has progressed massively in the past decade and all of us are excited about what the future will bring. Few associate clothing with high-tech, though recently there have been developments in the field of material technology which could soon affect us all! If scientists get their way, in the future your kids’ outfits could be very different from simple boys sandals and polo shirts. Intrigued? Check out how far our threads have come with these predictions for the future…
Woollen bullet-proof vests?Most of us are more used to wearing this natural fibre in the form of a cosy cardi, but wool could have more beneficial properties. Many bullet-proof vests are made from Kevlar, a synthetic fibre, though wool could soon be added to this to improve their energy and water absorption making bullet-proof vests lighter and cheaper.
Spray-on clothingBody-con clothing and jeggings have been on-trend for a number of seasons, but for a really skin-tight look how about spaying on your clothing!? One Spanish designer has managed to create spray-on clothing which can be removed, washed, worn again or dissolved. This innovative fashion idea is courtesy of Spanish designer Manel Torres, a former student of the Royal College of Art. He collaborated with a professor of particle technology at Imperial College London in order to provide a unique way of dressing, as well as hoping to contribute to the future of the medical, transport and chemical industries.
Eco-conscious garmentsBeing environmentally-friendly is an aim for many of us, and in the future this could easily extend to our clothing too. Scientists and designers are looking to developdevelop textile which do not harm the environment, using polymer chemistry which doesn’t depend on non-renewable energy-sources. Producing and using more manufactured fibers is also a goal for the future, as well as looking for more unconventional clothing fabric, like recycled products. Designer Anke Domaske has used milk to create a new fabric called QMilch and US-based clothing company StaWarm has created a line made from recycled coffee beans.
Keeping warmKeeping warm in sub-zero temperatures whilst wearing clothing that allows easy movement and mobility has been a tricky dilemma. A new material developed by sportswear company Hanesbrand aims to solve this, and provide the ultimate in cold weather insulation. Zero-Loft Aerogels is a thin, silica material that is made up of 90% air. It offers almost three times the insulation of traditional down, without being bulky.
Active smart-wearSmart clothing involves building computing technology into clothing which allow more comfort for the wearer. Just innovations include fabrics which sense the environment and react accordingly. Clothing that changes density depending on the temperature, jackets which store solar energy to be used as power and built-in sensors may all be arriving at a high-street near you at some point in the future!
While EE scrambles to spread its LTE network far and wide before the other UK carriers get into the 4G business, it also wants to flex some spectrum muscle. The network's announced it's planning to double the LTE allocation on its 1800MHz band (from 2 x 10MHz to 2 x 20MHz), which it claims will increase download speeds to an average of 20 Mbps, topping out at 80 Mbps. Ten of the 11 original 4G launch cities will be seeing this bandwidth boost first: London, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield.EE doesn't want you to think it's done expanding, though, and says it'll continue to make use of its MHz and GHz by rolling out boring, normal LTE in new areas whilst doubling up in others. The first ten cities are due to receive "double-speed" 4G by summer, which we assume means around the time summer is supposed to happen.
Update: EE's Howard Jones has added on Twitter that the network will start trialing carrier aggregation, LTE-A (that's even better 4G) later in 2013. We've asked for more details and will fill you in when we hear more.
EE will be trialling carrier aggregation, LTE-A, for 4G within 2013. We'll be the first anywhere in the world to do so. #onestepahead
- Howard Jones (@howard_jones) April 9, 2013
[Image credit: Lazygamer, Flickr]
[Source: Engadget]
O2 customers will enjoy free Wi-Fi on the London Underground from the beginning of June, joining subscribers of Virgin Media, EE and Vodafone in not having to pay extra to get on the Intertubes while they're on the Tube.
Between the start of the London 2012 Olympics and the end of January, anyone with a Wi-Fi-enabled device could freely connect to the network, which is currently offered in over 100 stations across the Tube. After that period, Virgin Media turned its corporate focus to profits over positivity and locked down the service to its own customers, and those of networks who ponied up.
Now O2 has joined the party and struck a similar deal to EE and Vodafone, opening up the service for free to all its customers.
Customers of Three will be left disappointed -- it's the only mobile operator to not offer its customers free Wi-Fi on London's famous train network.
"Wi-Fi on London Underground has gone from strength to strength and we're delighted the majority of Londoners are staying connected for no extra cost," said Mark Williamson, head of Virgin Media's London Wi-Fi division.
Twelve more Underground stations can boast free Wi-Fi from this week -- Acton Town, Baker Street, Bank, Caledonian Road, Earl's Court, Holland Park, Ladbroke Grove, Maida Vale, Queen's Park, Sheperd's Bush, Sloane Square and West Ruslip.
[Source: CNET]
The 56-inch OLED TV Sony trotted out at CES may not be headed to the consumer market, but it is becoming a reality, at least in the professional sector. The company showcased a pair of 4K OLED prototypes at NAB 2013, outing a 4,096 x 2,160 30-inch model as well as a 3,840 x 2160 56-inch display. Both panels boast of wide viewing angles and low color shift, promising accurate signal reproduction for industry professionals working with 4K content. No word yet on pricing, but professionals can look forward to upgrading sometime in next year. Sony also announced a refresh for its existing line of professional OLED displays. The A series will replace seven older skus, again promising better viewing angles and color shift than the previous generation. Hit the break for the official press release, item skus, and a quick break down of what products the A series will be replacing.
Update: The 30-inch 4K OLED prototype is looking at a 2014 release date, while the A series monitors will be available in May.
[Source: Engadget]
A redesign of the Google Play app appeared briefly on a Google+ account before the post was pulled.
YouTube’s Eileen Rivera posted a screenshot of a redesigned Google Play app to her Google+ page, but the link now comes back as broke, and perusing her main feed also yields nothing. It appears that perhaps this was not yet meant for public consumption.
As AndroidCentral points out, if you look in the top left hand corner of the screenshot you will see a dog bowl. This is likely a reference to this being a “dogfooding” – or internal company usage – version of the app. That could also mean that there will be some more tweaks before it is released.
Seeing as the image has been pulled, there is no real indication of when, if ever, this refresh could make its way to the public. With Google I/O right around the corner, though, it seems like that would be a likely timeframe for this to make its debut.
[Source: TechnoBuffalo]
Fears have been allayed over whether the 4G networks that'll launch this summer will interfere with Freeview telly signals.
A trial conducted by at800 found that a makeshift 4G network using the 800MHz band only affected Freeview reception in 15 out of the 22,000 homes surveyed, The Register reports. at800 originally predicted 120 households would experience problems. Those that did have trouble were remedied quickly with a cheap filter.
The trial was held in Cradley Heath and Rowley Regis, near Dudley.
When operators join EE in rolling our their 4G networks this summer, they'll need to use the 800MHz band, which is the same as Freeview (EE uses the 1,800MHz). Hence concern that your viewing would be interrupted because someone upstairs is browsing on their blower. Campaigners claimed up to 2 million households could be affected.
The operators chucked £180 million at the problem, but will get that back, seeing as it looks like at800 will have nothing to spend it on. Unless it throws a massive party.
All 15 homes that had reception issues featured a signal booster. The filters that come to the rescue have to be fitted between the aerial and the booster -- easy-peasy if the booster is near the back of the TV, but a pain in the backside if it's on top of a tower block, serving a lot of flats. So some households could still have issues.
Bigger trials are needed for a better grasp of the problem, but for the moment it looks like the vast majority of us will be able to watch telly while browsing the Web at super-fast speeds.
[Source: CNET]
Sky customers have been complaining in their droves after being deluged with thousands of irrelevant messages after the company switched email providers.
Sky switched from Google to Yahoo, but it's been far from a smooth transition, the BBC reports. Sky customers have been receiving old and deleted messages again and again, meaning hours of wasted time clearing out inboxes. Now Sky has offered a solution, but you're not going to like it.
Sky promised to have a fix sorted by 5pm yesterday, but it missed that deadline. It has posted astep-by-step guide to fixing your inbox, but it basically consists of 'delete any emails you don't want'. Which is exactly what many customers have been doing, and what had them up in arms in the first place.
Over on the support forums, one customer complained of having to sift through 17,000 unwanted emails. Others are also grumbling about not being able to send email, aliases being deleted, filters being reset, and Outlook just plain not working since the switch. Some say they can't even access their email accounts through a browser or on their mobiles, which will impact business and well as personal use.
I think the entry under "Everyone's Tags" at the bottom of this page sums up customer feeling on the matter.
Sky, which has more than 4 million broadband customers, says the problem occurred during migration of all email addresses to Yahoo's servers. As soon as the servers synchronise, the issue should be solved, according to Sky. Though there's no word on when that will be.
Shame it's not as confident as it was the other week about possible network strain.
[Source: CNET]
The HMV chain of music retail stores in the United Kingdom has been purchased, pulling it out of administration status.
HMV filed for administrative protection – the U.K. equivalent of bankruptcy – this past Jan. while it went in a search of a buyer. Despite having closed 66 of its stores during this time, the company has indeed found a buyer in Hilco, the company that also holds the Canadian HMV stores, has agreed to purchase the remaining 141 stores which are comprised of 132 HMV branded stores, and the remaining nine Fopp locations.
Hilco plans to retain all of the 2,643 employees in the company, and will move away from a plan that would have seen the HMV stores move deeper into tablets and away from music and video.
While no price of the purchase was announced, The Hollywood Reporter stated that some reports pegged the price of the company at £50 million, or approximately $76 million USD.
The 141 stores included in the sale are:
Aberdeen, Ayr, Banbury, Bangor (Wales), Basildon, Basingstoke, Bath, Belfast Donegall Arcade, Birmingham Bullring, Blackpool, Bluewater, Bournemouth, Bradford, Brighton Churchill, Bristol Broadmead, Bristol Cribbs, Bromley, Bury, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Canary Wharf, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Chester, Chichester, Colchester, Coventry, Crawley, Cwmbran, Darlington, Derby, Doncaster, Dundee, East Kilbride, Eastbourne, Edinburgh Fort Retail, Edinburgh Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh Princes Street, Exeter, FOPP Bristol, FOPP Cambridge, FOPP Covent Garden, FOPP Edinburgh, FOPP Glasgow Byres Road, FOPP Glasgow Union Street, FOPP Gower Street London, FOPP Manchester, FOPP Nottingham, Gateshead, Glasgow Argyle, Glasgow Buchanan, Glasgow Fort, Gloucester, Grimsby, Guernsey, Guildford, Hanley, Harlow, Harrogate, Hastings, Hatfield, Hereford, High Wycombe, Horsham, Hull, Inverness, Ipswich, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Islington, Jersey, Kettering, Kings Lynn, Kingston, Leamington Spa, Leeds Headrow, Leeds White Rose, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool One, Livingston, Llandudno, Maidstone, Manchester 90 Market Street, Manchester Trafford, Mansfield, Merry Hill, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Newport (Wales), Northampton, Norwich Gentlemans Walk, Norwich Chapelfield, Nottingham Victoria, Nuneaton, Oxford, Oxford Circus, Peterborough Queensgate, Plymouth Drake Circus, Poole, Portsmouth Commercial Road, Portsmouth Gun Wharf Quay, Preston, Reading Oracle, Romford, Selfridges Oxford Street, Sheffield High Street, Sheffield Meadowhall, Shrewsbury, Solihull, Southampton, Southend Victoria, Southport, Speke Park, Staines, Stevenage, Stirling, Stockport, Stratford upon Avon, Stratford City Westfield, Sunderland, Sutton, Swansea, Taunton, Thanet, Thurrock, Truro, Tunbridge Wells, Uxbridge, Westfield London, Wimbledon, Winchester, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Worthing, Yeovil, York.
[Source: TechnoBuffalo]
A lot of folks have serious privacy concerns about Facebook's new Home application. Questions about location gathering, message reading, and the general "safeness" of Facebook tracking what you do on your Android phone. We have our own here as well, and have had plenty of internal discussion.
Facebook doesn't want folks to worry, so they released a privacy FAQ about the new product. It's a short read that everyone who might install the app needs to look at, but here are some highlights:
We're not going to judge any of these policies -- that's for you to do. We are going to tell you about them and direct you to the full statement so you can read it and discuss. And you should.
[Source: AndroidCentral]
There's a great disturbance in the gaming world, as Disney has stopped game development at LucasArts, putting all its current projects on ice.
Millions of gamers' voices will suddenly cry out in terror at the news, which sees the studio behind classics like The Secret of Monkey Island, Grim Fandango and X-Wing hang up its development hat.
The LucasArts name may not die out completely, as Disney will be licensing the studio's games, Wired reports. In terms of making new games however, LucasArts' time is done, and has made significant layoffs across the board.
Development on both Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault has been halted, though a source 'with knowledge of the decision' told CNET that neither game is being fully shut down.
Don't hold out too much hope though, as Kotaku also cites anonymous sources who say that "both games are effectively dead forever." Ouch.
Star Wars 1313 looked particularly tempting, and earned itself a spot in our 'Most exciting games and gadgets of E3 2012' rundown. The game was set to put you in the metal boots of a bounty hunter on Coruscant, blasting your way through a hive of scum and villainy, and it looked eye-bleedingly gorgeous.
It's a shame to see the studio's creative side die out, and it's certainly grim to see developers facing layoffs. Disney took control of LucasArts when it bought Lucasfilm last year, and confirmed that it would be cooking up a number of new Star Wars films. Since that acquisition, Mickey and pals have also cancelled the animated Clone Wars cartoon.
[Source: CNET]