We’ve seen reports of Apple working on different models of large-screen devices in the past but this is the first time we’ve really heard about a possible release date.

It’s early to make any kind of judgement about these claims, but we know that Apple’s iPhone will probably have a bigger-screened version soon. And although curved glass manufacturing seems quite expensive at this point, especially when launching two new devices, it may happen as well.

N.

And it’s called iPad Air.

The device is 43% thinner (bored) and weights only a pound, so it’s 181 grams (0.4 pounds) lighter (bored).

It has an A7 chip, 64-bit architecture and dual microphones. It’s also the first iOS device with MIMO wireless capability.

The devices will start from $499.

I think it’s time for me to finally upgrade my old iPad 2.

N.

The patent, which was filed in December of 2011, covers a pack that consists of several different cells connected through a laminate layer, designed to “allow the battery to be shaped to fit a form factor of the electronic device.”

Like a wristsrap for iWatch.

This patent, combined with the recent iWatch trademark filings, looks like another herald for iWatch’s coming. But then again, Apple patents a lot of innovative technology that never sees the light of day.

We’ll bring more news on this…

N.

iOS 7.

The new OS features a much thinner lettering. The icons have been redesigned and are flatter as expected. There are also updated typography and new animation for images. The design goes edge to edge on the display, taking more advance of real estate. The Desktop moves as you do, creating “a new experience of depth.”

Among the new features, is the much wanted Command Center. A swipe up from the screen bottom now lets users change wireless modes, screen brightness and music playback. There’s also quick shortcuts to the camera, calculator, timer and a flashlight.

Something interesting, a new company called Anki and its iOS app called Anki Drive, which centers around AI and robotics. Anki features smart cars that are capable of driving themselves and communicate with your iPhone using Bluetooth LE but you can take over control at any time.

Anki Drive will be available this Fall exclusively on iOS. Until then, we hope you’ll download our app here from the App Store to learn more about the technology that makes Anki Drive possible and sign up for a coveted spot in our beta program to get a hands-on look.

Also,  AirDrop will be featured in the new iOS. The file-sharing feature will be available.

The new OS will arrive on the iPhone 5 and retina iPad and will be supported on the iPhone 4, iPad 2, iPad mini and 5th-generation iPods.

iOS 7 will be released this fall.

N.

As you can see, not anymore. This is the new, drastically redesigned Pro.

It morphed into a cylindrical chassis which is one-eighth the size of the previous generation, but 2.5 times as power. It comes equipped with Xeon E5 12-core processors, dual AMD FirePro GPUs, ECC memory and six Thunderbolt 2 ports which can support 4K.

Do you like it?

N.

Apple was reported of working on a touch-enabled smart watch, dubbed as iWatch, with a team of about 100 designers. Samsung, Google and LG too are reported of working on a similar devices.

Back in 2004 Microsoft fielded a product named SPOT (Smart Personal Object Technology), which used FM radio signals to send instant messages from Messenger, stock info, news headlines and weather forecasts as a paid service. But production stopped in 2008, and the SPOT  project was finally canceled last year.

And then, Microsoft researcher Bill Buxton appeared last month, speaking at length on the 37-year history of smartwatches, wonder why…

N.

]]> http://techandle.com/2013/04/16/microsoft-working-on-a-smart-watch-too/feed/ 0 ningauble microsoft-white-635 http://techandle.com/2013/02/21/apple-patents-flexible-amoled-device/ http://techandle.com/2013/02/21/apple-patents-flexible-amoled-device/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2013 20:24:18 +0000 http://techandle.com/?p=2858 ]]> Apple is pretty serious about that iWatch thingy…  Today, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Cupertino which was was made in August 2011 – a while before this buzz over iWatch. It includes a small flexible screen that’s paired with a “bi-stable spring.” That means a bracelet-like screen that can snap around your wrist and go flat again. Nokia delved into slightly similar depths back in March 2012.

Apple states that with a multitouch display, the user “can accomplish a number of different tasks including adjusting the order of a current playlist, or reviewing a list of recent phone calls. A response to a current text message can even be managed given a simple virtual keyboard configuration across the face of the flexible display.”

The concept mentions AMOLED screen tech, also the device could house a sensor, allowing the device to configure itself to each user. Apple also contemplates utilizing a solar panel beneath the display as well as take advantage of kinetic energy.

This is an application so it’s not set in stone, but new ideas include a “kinetic energy gathering component” within the band – like the trickle charge feature found on watches.

We’ll see if this iDevice will make an appearance or not.

N.

Photofast, maker of i-accessories like the iPADock, has released a successor to its original i-FlashDrive – the second-generation i-FlashDrive HD. This two-way, multi-use storage drive extends memory capacity and is designed to manage, swap and sync data between Mac or PC and iDevices.

On one end the i-FlashDrive HD is compatible with Apple 30-pin devices and, when using the Lightning adapter, also with the iPhone 5 and 4th gen iPad. The other side of the device has a standard USB connector for use with a computer. In between the two connections rests the flash drive itself, which comes in 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB flavors.

Besides its use as a simple storage drive, the unit handles – in conjunction with a free downloadable app – tasks like playing videos and MP3s directly from the external memory, contacts backup/restore and file management functions. It has a multi-format document viewer, voice recorder and text editor, added dropbox support and finally, security encryption in case it falls out of your kit bag.

The whole setup weighs in at 18 grams (0.63 ounces) and is compatible with iOS 6, OS X and Windows XP through Windows 8. Some guides for transfer speeds are quoted by Photofast at 10 MB/s for USB, 2.5 MB/s for iPad 2 and 1.5 MB/s for iPhone 4.

Overall, the i-FlashDrive HD looks to be a useful accessory for memory-hungry Apple aficionados, utilizing software-enhanced functions for everyday use, especially for those working with large files, temporarily without power sockets for other storage devices or – heavens forbid such a calamity – in the absence of wireless or mobile networks.

The i-FlashDrive HD is available from US$99 though to US$329, depending on the storage size.

Source: Photofast

MacBook Pro

First Apple announced the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display: 2,560 x 1,600 resolution, Thunderbolt and HDMI. The base model will cost $1,699 and comes with a 2.5GHz i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of flash memory. At the top end you can expect 768GB hard drive, atop a Core i7. And of course, they are slimmer.

Mac mini

It’s Apple’s smallest desktop, the Mac Mini. And it just got a spec update just one year after its last refresh. Now, there are two new Mac Minis, one, a $599 model with a 2.5GHz dual-core i5 Ivy Bridge processor, 4GB of RAM and 500GB HDD, and the other, a $999 server model with a 2.3GHz quad-core i7 Ivy Bridge, 4GB of RAM and dual 1TB HDDs.

Graphics are handled by an Intel HD 4000 GPU and Bluetooth 4.0 is handling wireless devices. Four USB 3.0 slots come built-in, as well as an SD card reader and HDMI out. Apple says the new Mac Mini has a Thunderbolt port, as well as SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet, and FireWire 800 ports.

Nex-gen iMac

Screen sizes remain the same and include both a 21.5-inch, 1080p model and a 27-inch, 2,560 x 1,400 model, these models share 720p-capable front cameras with dual microphones as well as NVIDIA’s GeForce 600-era graphics, up to 32GB of RAM. They will have options of 3TB of spinning storage, a 768GB SSD or Fusion Drive that mixes both 128GB of flash with 1TB or 3TB of conventional storage. There’s no optical drive.

The 21.5-inch model will cost you $1,299 for a 2.7GHz Core i5, 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive; the 27-inch model will be priced at $1,799 and you’ll get a 2.9GHz Core i5 as well as the same memory and storage.

4th generation iPad

Although, it’s essentially a hardware refresh for Apple’s 3rd gen tablet, it still came out as a surprise. New iPad packs A6X silicon with quad-core graphics that the company claims provides double the performance of the old A5X chip. It also gets dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, a 720p FaceTime camera round front and the new image processor first seen in the iPhone 5. Of course, it also gets the reversible Lightning port, and will be available in both black and white. Pricing stays the same as its predecessor, with a 16GB WiFi version for $499 and a 16GB model with cellular data on board costs $629.

7.9-inch iPad Mini

This one, wasn’t a surprise at all. Apple’s iPad Mini is a 7.9-inch tablet that’s designed challange Google’s Nexus 7. Packing the same 1,024 x 768 resolution as the iPad 2.  This little guy has the same anodized edges as you’ll find on the iPhone 5 with a 1,024 x 768 display, A5 CPU and optional LTE for $329.

It will pack a 5-megapixel camera and LTE, it’s running the last-generation A5 CPU*, but combined with that less-dense display.

N.

Designed as a deliberate counterpoint to the cold metal, plastic and glass aesthetic of most modern technology, Robbie Tilton’s take on Apple’s wireless keyboard is instead fabricated from wood and moss. The production methods used are bang up to date, however.

Though the materials used for the one-off keyboard may harken back to a bygone era (if, that is, you pretend for a moment nothing is made out of wood any more), there’s nothing archaic about the production techniques. The project was designed by Tilton, with fabrication partner Danny Rozin, as a demonstration of digital fabrication. An Apple wireless keyboard was chosen for its relative simplicity. Its parts are few.

Tilton began by creating a CAD model of a standard version of the keyboard. Tilton would have to set about replicating the parts in woods, laser cutting the parts from only two sheets of wood. Having an intricate injection-molded design, the keys presented something of a challenge, and an alternative means of keeping the keys elevated needed to be found. Rubber springs, ahoy.

The main body of the case is made from 1/32″ (0.8-mm) plywood, which was soaked in water in order to achieve the curved form.

Unfortunately Tilton was forced to turn to fake moss to complete his design, apparently because “growable moss is quite hard to find in NYC”

“I was passionate about creating this because I feel the aesthetic of modern technological objects are cold and lifeless,” Tilton writes. “Surrounded with tech gadgets made of glass, metals, and plastics—I believe that as a society—we are constantly removing ourselves from nature and have drawn ourselves into a motif of objects that are visually very clean, but also visually bland and tactilely inept. What if our technology lived and breathed? If it required us to water it at night in order to allow it to bloom? If it were both visually and tactilely stimulating would user interactions change and would their relationship toward the object change?”

Source: Robbie Tilton, via Treehugger