Preorders Back for Microsoft Surface Book…But Wait Time Slips
Posted: October 15, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: App Store, Best Buy, China, Fry's, Google Play, iPhone, Microsoft, Microsoft Surface Book Leave a commentMicrosoft temporarily shut down preorders for the new Surface Book combo laptop/tablet, but they’re back online. That’s the good news, if you want one of the powerful new devices. The down side? Cnet.com reports that ship times have slipped to between 6 and 8 weeks…two months! If you really want to get one sooner, some vendors…including frys.com have shorter ship times, or you can roll the dice and show up at a Microsoft store October 26th. Best Buy will carry the Surface Book, but their website only says ‘coming soon.’
Since the introduction of larger screened iPhones, China has rocketed to being Apple’s biggest market. TechCrunch.com says that App Annie’s analysis shows that China led all countries in absolute growth 3rd quarter of this year, both measured by app downloads and revenue. Google Play still has more downloads than Apple’s App store in China, but iOS App Store revenue is 80% higher than Google Play! Most of that action is in social video apps and games.
UberRush is Now Live in New York and San Francisco
Posted: October 14, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: BigCommerce, Home monitoring, Internet of things, Perch, same-day delivery, Samsung Accelerator, Shopify, Uber, UberRush Leave a commentUber has launched UberRush in New York and added San Francisco and Chicago. The same day delivery system had been piloting in New York, with the price of delivery ranging between $5 and $7. According to recode.net, businesses can either sign up for the program directly, or access it through e-commerce software like Shopify and Bigcommerce. Other partners include delivery.com, ChowNow for food, BloomNet for floral services, and the Clover digital cash register service. Uber is going after smaller local retailers and restaurants, as big name retailers have been tough for them to pull into the program. Diliv, Postmates, and Sidecar are already in this rapid delivery space, so Uber doesn’t have totally clear sailing…or in this case, driving.
Gadgets and software to repurpose old devices into monitors for your home are already out there, but not for free…until now. Perch is a startup from the Samsung Accelerator program, and right now, you can download their software for free to turn an old USB-based webcam, smartphone, or tablet into a security monitor. Thenextweb.com reports that it allows for two way communication, too, so you can turn on the audio and tell your pooch to stop barking. It’s movement based, and they claim it’s smart enough not to send you an alert if a dog or cat moves, just a person. You can also use it to turn on internet of things gadgets like smart light bulbs and appliances. It’s out for Android 4.1 or later, and Wi-Fi only for now. iOS and Smart TV support is on the way.
New 4K 21.5 Inch iMac is Out Now
Posted: October 13, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 4K, Apple, ClearForce, Galaxy S7, Huawei, iMac, Kickstarter, Laser razor, Samsung, Skarp, Synaptic Leave a commentAs expected, Apple has rolled out a new 21.5 inch iMac, featuring a 4K video display. Theverge.com reports it will sell for $1499, and in addition to the eye-popping new screen that can show 25% more colors, it has faster RAM and processor, and bigger storage options. It ships today with a new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and optional $129 Force Touch trackpad. The 1080p model stays in the lineup starting at $1099.
Meanwhile, over at Samsung, a completely un-shocking rumor is floating around. According to 9to5google.com, they’re working to add pressure sensitive touch screen to the next Galaxy smartphone, the S7. It will be the ClearForce hardware from Synaptic, which we reported was being shopped around to Android makers and which is already in the Huawei Mate S. The Galaxy S7 will also come with a new Snapdragon processor.
We had previously reported on the Skarp, that laser razor on Kickstarter, which has now raised $4 million. Well, Kickstarter has kicked them off the platform, claiming they are quote “in violation of our rule requiring working prototypes of physical products that are offered as rewards.” Kickstarter says the ‘semi-functional prototype’ in Skarp’s video isn’t enough. We expect the gadget to pop up on another crowdfunding site anyway, considering they got 4 million worth of interest on Kickstarter. [Update: It’s already on Indiegogo!]
Future iPhones Could Be Inductively Charged-WITHOUT Added Parts!
Posted: October 9, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: ACLU, Apple, EFF, Inductive Charging, iOS, iPhone, Privacy, Stingray, Warrant Leave a commentA patent application by Apple is all about inductive charging…which several other smartphones have had for a while. Bgr.com reports that this is different because NO additional parts are required…a clever idea from thinness-obsessed Apple. Using software, Apple’s system uses electric coils already in the speakers, microphones, and haptic engines in iOS gadgets. It may even be possible to charge older iOS devices in this manner, using a dock designed for inductive charging. Amazingly, the tiny speakers and microphones would still be able to do their normal duties while charging. Since these coils are tiny, don’t expect rapid charging with them, and no word on when…or if Apple will introduce the feature.
Here’s a biggie for those of us in California that value what little privacy we think we have left…yesterday, Governor Brown signed into law an act that requires police to get a warrant before collecting email, IP addresses, or other electronic information. The new law has been pushed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and ACLU, and it should apply to the notorious Stingray, the surveillance gadget that scoops up your info by posing as a cellular tower. Washington state has a similar new law, and the US Department of Justice has vowed to obtain a warrant when they utilize such tech.
Reactions Emoji May Be the Facebook ‘Dislike’ Button
Posted: October 8, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Dislike Button, Etsy, Facebook, Handmade, Like Button, Reactions Emoji Leave a comment
Today, in Spain and Ireland, Facebook rolled out Reactions emoji alongside the thumbs up with the like button. Techcrunch.com says this may be their answer to a ‘dislike’ button that Mark Zuckerberg talked about last month. The little emoji are for like, love, haha, yay, wow, sad, and angry. Facebook says the reason for Spain and Ireland is that both have largely in-country friend networks, so work better as test groups…and of course enable testing in both English and Spanish. Right now, Facebook isn’t planning to add them to Messenger or other stand alone products. The emoji will eventually make it to their analytics dashboard, so social media managers will have a more granular idea about how people are responding to a particular post.
Amazon is moving in on Etsy’s territory. The giant online marketplace has launched ‘Handmade,’ with over 80,000 items from jewelry & stationary to party supplies and furniture. Users can filter by location to buy locally, or search the world. Sellers have their own profile pages where they can tell the story of themselves and their handmade products. According to geekwire.com, 600 of the items are eligible for Amazon Prime free 2 day shipping initially. Amazon is launching with a special promotion where they will just take a 12% cut until August 1st of next year…then their piece of the pie will be per existing category averages.
New 4K 21-1/2 Inch iMac Out Next Week; iPad Pro Coming
Posted: October 7, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 3d Touch, Android, Apple, ClearForce, Huawei, iMac, iPad Pro, Retina, Synaptics Leave a commentApple will start selling it’s 21.5 inch iMacs with 4K Retina displays next week, probably Tuesday. According to 9to5mac.com, they’ll keep the current form factor, but will sport the new 4096×2304 screens and noticeably faster graphics cards. No pricing yet, but expect them to be bumped up from the non-4K current version. It’s also not clear if the Magic Mouse 2 with Force Touch and updated Bluetooth Keyboard with better battery life will be out by next week. The iPad Pro looks set to drop in early November now.
Apple’s killer feature for the iPhone 6S and Plus may see Android competitors soon. According to thenextweb.com. Synaptics has announced its ClearForce tech, which works very much like Apple’s 3D Touch, will be integrated into Android phones that should be shipping early next year. Huawei has already showed a pressure sensitive display on it’s Mate S phone, so expect a slew of high end Android smartphones to horn in on Apple’s 3D Touch turf by 1st quarter of 2016.
Microsoft’s Rollout Event
Posted: October 6, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Hololens, Lumia, Microsoft, Microsoft Surface Book, Surface 4, Xbox Leave a commentToday in New York, Microsoft showed their latest and greatest in Lumia phones, Surface Tablets, Microsoft Band 2, Xbox, and Hololens. First off, a new custom Halo 5 Xbox with a Terabyte of storage…that’s out October 20th for $499. The Hololens will have what Microsoft calls Console Class Graphics. It puts virtual game enemies right in your room, and is untethered…no wires, phones, or PC connection needed. According to theverge.com, Microsoft is taking applications for a Hololens development kit, and it should be out 1st quarter of next year for $3000.
Microsoft Band 2 is more circular, and has a curved Gorilla Glass 3 OLED screen. It has Built in GPS, UV monitoring, sleep and calorie tracking, a barometer to track elevation, and Cortana elevation. For golf, it knows if you’re putting, doing practice swings, or crushing the ball down the fairway! It works across iOS, Android, and Windows. It’s $249, and out October 30th. Trick or Treat!
The Lumia 5.2 inch 950 and 5.7 950 XL smartphones feature adaptive antenna tech, octacore and hexacore processors, and liquid cooling tech. There’s a 20 megapixel camera, better image stabilization, triple LED flash, and a dedicated camera button. 32 gigs of storage and USB C connector. They recharge to 50% in 30 minutes. The new Lumias run full Windows 10, and will be out in November starting at $549 for the 950 and $649 for the 950 XL.
The Surface Pro 4 tablet will have a fingerprint sensor on the keyboard and a larger GLASS trackpad. It has a 12.3 inch display, and thinner cover. It gets a hybrid cooling system and 6th generation Intel Core processor, with 16 gigs or RAM and 1 terabyte of storage. Microsoft claims Surface 4 is 30% faster than Surface 3, and 50% faster than a Macbook Air. The pen attaches magnetically to the side…it doesn’t need charging for a year! Double click one end and it launches One note…hold the ‘eraser’ button and it launches Cortana. Preorders open October 7th and it starts at $899.
New to the lineup is a 13.5 inch laptop they’ve dubbed Microsoft Surface Book. The display detaches into a tablet, which they claim is the thinnest and lightest Intel Core i7 tablet. The whole thing is 1.6 lbs, and 7.7 millimeters thick. It starts at $1499. Preorders start October 7th, and it’s available October 26th.
Your Internet May Be Coming Via Lightbulbs Before Long
Posted: October 5, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Airpaper, Comcast, Cord cutting, Internet of things, LED bulbs, Li-Fi, wi-fi Leave a commentThe news this week had a story of a random hacker stealing Wi-Fi passwords, and having been hacked a few years ago by someone parked outside my home, I’ve always worried that even the top security level and a strong password aren’t enough for Wi-Fi. As thenextweb.com reports, we may all be safer and have better coverage with the next big thing…Li-Fi. As more of us add LED bulbs around the house…my son has them in every single fixture, I have them in about half…we also gain the ability to transmit signals on light frequencies…which can’t be hacked if your curtains and shades are closed, and will make available far more spectrum to handle the traffic of ‘the internet of things,’ like your fridge, thermostat, and virtually everything else electric with a chip that lives in your home with you. There are already companies in Scotland and France offering Li-Fi. It could be in your home in the next few years.
Perhaps nothing is as aggravating as trying to cancel a service, especially a tenacious one like Comcast cable, which actually has a manual and trains people on how to block your cancellation every step of the way. TechCrunch.com says there’s a new service called Airpaper that will do it for you for 5 bucks. You do, of course, have to give them your name, address, phone number, and Comcast account number. They claim not to use the info for any other purpose. It could get hacked…they could sell that info, but I’m betting a lot of people will roll the dice anyway, just to not have the hassle of dealing with trying to cut the cord.
Samsung Says TVs Don’t Have a ‘Volkswagen Problem’
Posted: October 2, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Apple Watch, Best Buy, ComplianTV, European Union, Motion lighting, Samsung, Target, TVs Leave a commentA testing group in Europe funded by the European Union accused Samsung of using software to make its TVs look better in regulatory lab tests yesterday. Now cnet.com reports that Samsung has strongly denied its gaming the system. The feature is called motion lighting, and it reduces screen brightness, and therefore energy consumption when the picture on screen is in motion. ComplianTV said they detected the behaviors, but were unable to prove that Samsung was gaming the system…but they got that impression. Samsung says motion lighting is a default setting that works in the lab and at home to reduce environmental impact. This reporter confirmed that on his own TV after digging through a deep stack of menus. Let’s just be glad we don’t have diesel TVs!
Apple will begin selling some models of Apple Watch at some Target stores this week. Expect to see the Watch at target.com by October 18th, and at all Target stores effective October 25th. According to thenextweb.com, there will be 20 models available, priced from $349 to $599, in both the 38mm and 42mm sizes. In other words, Target will have all but the expensive Edition models. By adding Target to Best Buy, Apple is giving a more mid-market aura to the watch heading into the holidays.
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