Posted by newbieThursday, February 2, 20120
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If the smartphone had existed in 1987, it would have looked like this Robocop- inspired re imagining of the Blackberry Bold 9900. Packing a 1.2 Ghz processor , HD video and Blackberry OS 7, the P9981's sharp, angular form and blocky keypad lettering take us back to a time when curves weren�t king. It�s the phone Dick Jones would have used to steer ED-209 towards a Robo dust-up � once he had the right app,
Research in Motion, regardless of how you may view its recent history or its long-term future, still has a stronghold on the corporate world. Its lineup of BlackBerry smartphones are known for great battery life, comfortable keyboards with intuitive shortcuts, top-notch native email and Enterprise clients and -- most important to businesses -- unrivaled security features. Sure, its influence is waning as competitors have caught up in some areas (and surpassed it in others), but there are plenty of companies that have clung to their CrackBerries and held on tight.
RIM's been hard at work trying to regain lost momentum by introducing a series of new devices featuring its latest OS, BlackBerry 7, and the BlackBerry Bold 9900 / 9930 series has been the star of the show so far. The problem is, it's not flashy enough. How is a C-level exec supposed to walk proudly on the golf course with a $300 (subsidized) phone? Talk about embarrassing. Have no fear, poor corporate top dog, luxury brand Porsche Design has come up with a solution: the $2,300 BlackBerry P'9981, a Vertu-ized version of that lesser handset you wouldn't be caught dead using.
Apple�s iPad 3 will use the quadcore Apple A6 chipset and offer a combination GSM/CDMA/LTE radio, according to a new leak from a source claiming to have access to the next-gen tablet
itself. Details of the third-generation iOS slate were culled via debutting tool iBoot, BGR�s source suggests, with the same J1 and J2 model references as spotted in an iOS beta, now believed to refer to the WiFi-only and WiFi + 3G/4G variants.
The Apple A6 processor, meanwhile, has the model number S5L8945X. Details on the A6 have not been released by Apple, but the chipset is expected to have not only four cores but upgraded graphics capabilities driving a �Retina Display� panel running at 2048 x 1536 resolution. Despite their legal differences currently clogging up courts worldwide, Samsung is believed to be manufacturing the A6 for Apple.
As for connectivity, LTE has been well-rumored and would certainly fit in with Verizon and AT&T in the US. The combination modem would also make sense for the multiple countries without 4G LTE networks, presumably offering HSPA+ connectivity as well.
Of course, this sort of screenshot would be relatively straightforward to fake, and so � as with most Apple rumors � we�ll take them with a heaped serving spoon of salt. It�s unclear whether the tablet will be the iPad 3 or, as other rumors have indicated, that Apple will push out an iPad 2S first as a more incremental update.
Webcams aren�t new, and WiFi isn�t new, but it�s taken a while for WiFi-enabled video streaming cameras to come down to a level where remote home surveillance is reasonably affordable. Dropcam�s second-gen offering, the Dropcam HD, is a compact webcam with integrated wireless network connectivity, together with a suite of online and smartphone apps that all link up with the company�s cloud-based backbone.
We�ve been under the watchful eye of the Dropcam HD; check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Hardware
Dropcam�s is rightly proud of the HD: its first-gen hardware, the Echo, was designed externally, but the company brought development in-house for this new model. The end result is something that looks far more consumer-friendly than the blocky white Echo. The Dropcam HD itself is a small glossy black puck that slots into a detachable metal stand with a posable base: together, they�re 4.5-inches high and about 3.15-inches across.
The hinged base is stiff enough to stay at whatever angle you set it to, and you can tilt the Dropcam HD itself in the stand to fine-tune things. Power is courtesy of a compact AC brick with a long microUSB cable up to the camera itself; unlike the previous Dropcam models, there�s no ethernet option, only WiFi b/g/n, though that�s no great loss for the consumer market. A rubber foot for the stand has a clip to keep the power cable in place.
Setup requires plugging the Dropcam HD into your computer via USB, creating an account through Dropcam�s site and punching in your WiFi network credentials. After that, it automatically logs on overtime it�s powered up. There�s a 12-LED infrared light array around the lens, for nighttime use, along with a speaker and a microphone.
Service
Part of the easy setup of the Dropcam Echo is the absence of any local software to install: everything is accessed � and stored � in the cloud. The company offer several tiers of service: the free �Basic� package allows you to log in and view live streaming video, either through the regular browser or the iOS app, but no recording functionality. There are also email and mobile (iPhone-only) alerts triggered by the sound and motion sensors. For $9.95 per month and the �Plus� package you get live streaming together with seven days of archive access (and the ability to download select clips or photos to your own computer).
Finally, the �Pro� plan offers 30 days of online recording for $29.95. It�s worth noting that the subscription fees increase per camera you add: $4.95 per extra for the Plus plan or $14.95 per month for the Pro plan. If you have, say, three cameras and want a month�s historic access to the footage each records, you�re looking at almost $60 per month. The Android and iPhone apps themselves are free and work with all tiers of service, though there�s no iPad-specific version. If you have a device with Flash support in the browser, you can log into the Dropcam site and stream video that way instead.
Performance
Where the original Dropcam was limited to QVGA 320 x 240 resolution video, and only offered streaming two-way audio on a more expensive model, the Dropcam HD promises both 720p HD footage and sound as standard.
Unfortunately video quality is only average, suffering particularly in low-light, though it�s reasonably smooth thanks to the 30fps refresh rate. Audio quality is fair, and the microphone is actually quite sensitive, though we noticed a significant amount of crackling both through the desktop UI and the mobile apps. The speaker � used for two-way audio � is small and subsequently suffers very low volume, and there�s no audio output for plugging in a more vocal system. With observed a roughly 2-3 second delay on audio.
Desktop
iPhone 4S
Galaxy Nexus
Motion and audio detection are both very sensitive, and lack controls to adjust exactly what they�ll respond to. Each will mark the online timeline (in the Plus and Pro subscription packages) to indicate when noise or movement was spotted; both packages, plus the Free plan, can optionally send out an alert to let you know something has happened. Their effectiveness is generally down to where the camera is positioned, and if you have pets you can expect plenty of false alarms.
Still, the automatic flagging makes reviewing footage a lot more straightforward than scrubbing through the entire timeline, and you can request a download clip of any section that comes through in MP4 format with audio.
Wrap-Up
Setup, convenience and � if you opt for a subscription � functionality can�t be criticized in the Dropcam HD. The camera is compact, discrete and easy to place, especially if you use only the puck central section, which blends reasonably well into the shadows, and the desktop UI and mobile apps are straightforward to use.
Although the subscription-free option is welcome, we can�t really recommend it for any but the most casual of users. Even with the real-time movement alerts, you�ll probably struggle to access the webcam feed quickly enough to see what has been happening; that�s when the online DVR feature comes in most useful.
That said, the $149 starting price for the Dropcam HD is just that: a starting figure after which you have to take into account subscription fees. Dropcam offers a year�s access to the Plus plan for $99.95 if you pay upfront; still, scale up to a few cameras spread about the house, as many home surveillance enthusiasts would prefer, and you�re looking at a few hundred dollars each year. Contrast that with Logitech�s Alert camera system, which offers local DVR-style storage on your home network (and premium remote access to recordings for $80 per year, per system).
The Dropcam service is certainly easy to use, and there are handy sharing features, which allow you to send clips and images to others � great for showing grandparents what the baby is up to � but it�s an expensive way of doing things. In the end, you pay for the privilege of Dropcam�s simplicity. -dropcam HD
Posted by newbieWednesday, February 1, 20120
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�iPhone 5 this is going to change everything all over again, again�. We already told you that iPhone�s next iteration �the iPhone 5G can showcase an 8MP camera with Sony providing the lens module and 4G network support. Accordingly, the iPhone 5's preview video after the break is totally mind boggling, check it out.
iPhone 5G New Features:
It�s invisible
Float in mid-air
Can be small or larger as you wanted it to be
Very advance texting method (telepathy)
High resolution face-to-face picture
MSRP US$800
It is more than what we think of Pranav Mistry�s sixth sense, hell ya, this was totally �revolutionary�.
A research firm said that Android grabs more tablet market share during the fourth quarter of last year but Apple�s iPad still dominates the category.
Based on the report, there is a 39 percent increase in the fourth quarter on Android tablet market share compared to the 29 percent the previous year. They were able to ship 10.5 million Android tablets on the same quarter. On the other hand, Apple was able to sell 15.4 million iPads but compared to the previous year; there has been a decrease in the market share wherein they only got 58 percent compared to the 68 percent a year earlier.
Strategy Analytics director, Peter King, said that during the fourth quarter of 2011, Global Tablet shipments hit a record of 26.8 million units which is up to 150 percent increase from the same period a year ago.
�Apple shrugged off the much-hyped threat from entry-level Android models this quarter,� King said.
Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston said �Android is so far proving relatively popular with tablet manufacturers despite nagging concerns about fragmentation of Android�s operating system, user-interface and app store ecosystem.�
Also according to the Strategy Analytics, aside form Android and Apple, Microsoft Windows powered tablets also got 1.5 percent share on the tablet market.
�The upcoming release of Windows 8 this year cannot come quickly enough for Microsoft, so its hardware partners can start competing more effectively in the tablet space,� it said.
Last year, global tablet shipments hit 66.9 million units, which are up 260 percent from 18.6 million in 2010, according to Strategy Analytics.
�Consumers are increasingly buying tablets in preference to netbooks and even entry-level notebooks or desktops,� it said.