interweb ink » Gadgets

Why you might care about NFC (near field communication)

Savan Thongvanh — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:14:05 +0000

There’s been a good amount of talk lately about what will be included in the iPhone 5. Just as much talk about that has been going on as there has about whether the iPhone 5 is even going to be released this year. Based on Apple’s other iPhone releases, it will. One of the most talked about features is near field communications or NFC.

What is NFC you ask? Well it’s actually a pretty cool way for radios to communicate with each other with electromagnetic fields. Since these fields have some energy they can transmit they can wake up another NFC radio just by being next to it. Pretty cool eh? The radio doing the transmitting is said to be the active and the other is the passive radio. Both can be active but I think the active/passive model is the cooler one because it means one of the devices can run with lower power.

Great, one radio can wake another radio up. Why do I care about that you might ask. Well, ever since phones started to do more than make calls people have been using the term “convergence device” to describe them. Meaning that many every day functions done with different devices or on paper have converged on the phone. Calendar, contacts, calculator, radio…you get the idea. This is just another step in that direction. Some uses that have been prototyped are payment systems, social networking applications, medical monitoring devices, electronic ticketing, and more. Imagine checking in at the airport and checking in by just waiving your phone over the kiosk, AMEN!

The jury is still out on whether NFC will be included in the iPhone5 and only time will tell. However there are some devices that already have it. Unfortunately until there’s a big push of implementations of payment systems, kiosks, or ANYTHING it’s basically vaporware.

Hopefully we’ll see some cool stuff soon tho! What cool ideas have you seen for NFC?

iPod to phone hack

Savan Thongvanh — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:43:40 +0000

Well we’ve seen iPod to iPhone hacks before. Here’s a much more “refined” one posted up at lifehacker. This hilarious bug eyed looking case is strangely well designed. No not designed as in something you buy, designed as in something you make. That’s right. This iPod mod uses the iPods own packaging.

Check this out from lifehacker:

http://lifehacker.com/5748831/turn-your-ipod-touch-into-an-iphone-with-its-plastic-packaging

Maybe not an alternative to the ATT for VZW iPhone but cool none the less.

iPhone iOS4 Signal Strength Software Update

Savan Thongvanh — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:15:29 +0000

Today Apple announced that they’d be releasing an update for it’s operating system iOS4. The update is said to fix an incorrect equation used for calculating and showing signal strength. The fix is to be released in “a few weeks”. The update also contains a change to make the first few bars of the signal strength indicator taller and consequently easier to see..

The press release sticks with the company line that’s similar to a line in a viagra commercial, I paraphrase “it’s ok it happens to everyone”.

To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.

Let the flame wars begin! It’s already started on the internets. People that care are still irate about the apparent mediocrity of the fix. The fix, in effect, just shows the bars differently. How can this affect the reception?

Unless the software update also includes fairy dust gripping the phone in the suspect manner will STILL affect the reception. It’s a mechanical problem, not a software problem. I can’t wait to see what happens when people apply the update and calls are still dropped. I guess we’ll find out next week.

At the end of the letter Apple goes back to another snobbish retort, if you don’t like it, take it back.

As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

Classic.

Sourc: Apple

Apple iPhone 3gs iOS4 upgrade experience

Savan Thongvanh — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:15:20 +0000

I just wanted to do a quick hit on my upgrade experience for my iPhone 3gs.

I came home for lunch today so I could do my upgrade. I hit up iTunes PRAYING that I wouldn’t get queued up for download like last time. Also in my prayers was that after going through the trouble of downloading that I wouldn’t get the dreaded “cannot contact activation server” error.

Well, it looks like this time I lucked out. My iOS4 download only took 17 minutes. I’m seeing people tweet now that the download is taking upwards of half an hour. No problemo there.

After I got the download iTunes started to backup my iPhone. Thank you. The backup status bar seemed to sit on 2%ish for EVER. After about 15 minutes of looking like it was doing nothing it jumped to about 25%.

The rest of the install included expanding the download and restoring my data from before. All in all it took me about 50 minutes to upload 17 for the download and about 35 for the backup and install.

Now on to playing around iOS4 and seeing how gimped it is on my iPhone 3gs.

More to come on the features and limitations on the 3gs.

UPDATE: This article is actually about updating a 3G, not 3gs but all info is still applicable.

UPDATE:After trying to update a second iPhone 3G I got all the way through the install process and got the activation problem that seems to be common. Servers are evidently swamped now. I’ll try later tonight to upgrade the 2nd phone.

Google’s Nexus One to be available in stores

Savan Thongvanh — Mon, 17 May 2010 14:02:30 +0000

On May 14th Google announced that the Nexus One will soon not be available for purchase via Google.

In a post on the Google blog they basically said oops, although Android has done better than we thought, we realize now that people like to play with phones when they’re buying them.

But, as with every innovation, some parts worked better than others. While the global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the web store has not. It’s remained a niche channel for early adopters, but it’s clear that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and they also want a wide range of service plans to chose from.

So, in the US as they did in Europe Google is going to “work with partners” to offer the Nexus One “through retail channels”. I read that as they’ll soon be selling them in Verizon stores. Once all the retail distribution has been set Google will take the Nexus One off the web store and you’ll only be able to window shop there.

Not only will they be showcasing their wares but they’ll also be showing off other handsets that run Android.

No timing for this great plan was given.

See the original post from the Google blog

iPhone 4.0 Leaked: Lost and Found (by gizmodo)

Savan Thongvanh — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:00:30 +0000

Gizmodo may have the scoop of the year with their story today on the possible iPhone 4.0 prototype that was found in a bar. Where else would it be found?

According to their tear down

front facing camera
the battery on this iPhone is 25% larger
the screen is smaller
it will take a micro SD card
Size is 4.50 by 2.31 by 0.37 inches
has separate volume buttons
higher resolution screen than the 3Gs

Engadget hinted at what may have been the iPhone in a iPad leak photo earier this year (http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/18/iphone-4g-proof/)

Now Gizmodo has done a bit better with actual hardware. Although they weren’t able to get the iPhone running they think they have enough evidence that it’s the real deal.

I’m sure they’ll be getting a call from you know who very soon…

March 27th Apple App Store Roundup

Savan Thongvanh — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 13:45:19 +0000

This week’s app is called Chalkboard Stunts and it’s done by Manta Research. I’d sum this game up as excite bike on a chalk board with a truck. Except you can’t build your own courses. Aside from that it’s a fun little app from the company who’s also done other games like Cubes, Cubix, AppSniper, and Virus.

The objective of the game is to navigate your truck through various obstacles using the controls provided. Four onscreen buttons allow you to go forward or backward and also rotate your truck clockwise and counter clockwise in case you get flipped over.

Chalkboard Stunts is a sort of 2d road rally game played on a chalkboard. It comes with 25 tracks and you start with one car and through the Chalkboard Stunts Store you can buy upgrades for $.99. In the store you can also buy upgrades for the game’s level building feature.
There is a handy little tutorial at the beginning of the game although you could probably figure it out on your own.

On the “home” screen you can sort the 25 tracks in alpha order, by target finish time length, or you can star your favorites and bring them to the top of the list. Of course you also get the proverbial high scores. There are however some other pretty cool options like the aforementioned store for upgrades, the ability to upload and download home made tracks, and the ability to flip your controls.

And here’s the rest of this weeks Top 10 Free iPhone Apps

Chalkboard Stunts by Manta Research
Shut Up Button by Shaved Ham
Solitaire by MobilityWare
Simon: Classic by Category 5 Games
Racing Live by Storm8
Race or Die 21 by The Godfather
Adult Sex Strip by IntroWizard LLC
Pets LIVE by Storm8
Spearfishing 3d by Yossi Malki
redbox by redbox

HTC Evo 4G Android phone coming to Sprint this summer

Savan Thongvanh — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:54:05 +0000

Sprint has announced that this summer it will be releasing the HTC Evo, a 4G Android phone. It seems like people have given up on an “iPhone killer” but this is quite a powerful phone.

[UPDATE: Sprint has not yet announced pricing.]

Android 2.1 isn’t the only cool thing this phone comes with. The HTC EVO 4G will arrive with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, DUAL cameras – 8 megapixels for shooting forward and 1.3 megapixels for shooting backward. The forward facing camera will be able to do stills as well as HD video.

In terms of wireless yes, it’s a 4G phone, it’s got Wi-Fi, AND it has the built in ability to act as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to eight, read again, EIGHT, devices.

Much to Apple’s dismay it will also come with, gasp, a Flash player and pinch to zoom. The jury is literally still out on whether Apple will let HTC keep the latter.

What’s the deal with 4G? Well, Sprint claims that their 4G at 6 megabytes per second is up to 10 times faster than 3g, if that’s the case it’s blazing fast. Equally as fast as most home services but alas, no 4g in my neighborhood yet.

According to Sprint, “Sprint currently offers 4G service in 27 markets, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., San Antonio and Seattle. Following is a comprehensive list of markets by state where Sprint 4G is currently offered: Georgia – Atlanta, Milledgeville; Hawaii – Honolulu, Maui; Idaho – Boise; Illinois – Chicago; Maryland – Baltimore; Nevada – Las Vegas; North Carolina – Charlotte, Greensboro, (along with High Point and Winston-Salem), Raleigh (along with Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham); Oregon – Portland, Salem; Pennsylvania – Philadelphia; Texas – Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Killeen/Temple, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, Waco, Wichita Falls; Washington – Bellingham, Seattle. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G. ”

Hopefully you can find some 4G-ness around you so you can really take advantage of the speed, I can’t.

Lastly here are some of the more interesting specs on the phone:

3G/4G capability
Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 1GHz processor
4.3” capacitive display with pinch-to-zoom
Android 2.1
Sprint Navigation turn-by-turn driving directions and 3D maps
Visual voicemail
3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capability for up to eight devices
8MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash and 1.3MP front-facing camera
720p capture
Output pictures, slides and videos in HD quality (720p) via HDMI cable (sold separately)
Live video sharing with Qik
Built-in kickstand
FM radio and Amazon MP3 store
Bluetooth® 2.1 with A2DP Stereo and EDR
Built-in WiFi®: 802.11 b/g
Digital compass, G-Sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, GPS
Expandable memory: 8GB microSD card included; supports up to 32GB
Main display: 4.3” WVGA (800×480) 65K colors

Google’s Nexus One gets Sprint friendly

Savan Thongvanh — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:38:06 +0000

Nexus One(TM) is planned for the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network with twice the network coverage of AT&T and ten times the network coverage of T-Mobile, both by square miles; Expands Sprint’s Android(TM) portfolio

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Mar 17, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Nexus One, the first wireless phone sold through Google(TM)’s web store, is planned for Sprint’s 3G Mobile Broadband Network. Sprint (NYSE:S) will announce pricing and an exact availability date soon. Nexus One will benefit from Sprint’s 3G network with twice the coverage of AT&T and 10 times the coverage of T-Mobile, both based on square miles.(1)

Sprint currently has America’s largest voice calling area of any carrier reaching more than 307 million people in the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands with a Sprint phone and plan that includes roaming. PC World recently said no one has a more reliable network than Sprint in a 13 city 3G performance test.(2) Customers can check the quality of network coverage with street level mapping at sprint.com/coverage.

“Nexus One is a powerful device that belongs on a powerful network. This is another step in our continued partnership of innovation with Google,” said Fared Adib, Sprint vice president of product development. “Sprint customers already have the option of two amazing Android devices with Samsung Moment(TM) and HTC Hero(TM). It is a natural fit for us to add Nexus One to the list of choices available for Sprint customers who want the best value in wireless with the best in Android.”

Google’s online consumer channel was created to provide an efficient way to connect online users with selected Android phones. Nexus One will not be available in any Sprint retail channels. It will be available directly from Google at google.com/phone. The online experience of Google’s web store is designed with a focus on simplicity allowing consumers to match a phone with the service plan that best meets their needs.

“While a pricing plan has not yet been determined for Nexus One, we are confident that it will be consistent with Sprint’s commitment to deliver more value than our competitors and keep pricing simple,” Adib said. “Right now, our Sprint Everything Data 450 plan with Any Mobile, Anytime(SM) gives customers unlimited calling with any mobile phone in America, unlimited text and unlimited Web for just $69.99 per month – the same price AT&T and Verizon charge for just unlimited talk. Our Everything Data plans include unlimited GPS Navigation at no extra charge and annual phone upgrades with Sprint Premier.”

Nexus One runs on Android 2.1, a version of the platform’s Eclair software, which offers advanced applications and features including:

* Google Maps(TM) Navigation: offering turn-by-turn driving directions with voice output.
* Email: multiple Gmail(TM) accounts; universal inbox and Exchange support.
* Phone book: aggregate contacts from multiple sources, including Facebook(R).
* Quick Contacts: easily switch between communication and social applications.
* Android Market(TM): access to more than 30,000 applications.

Hardware features of Nexus One include:

* Display: 3.7″ AMOLED 480×800 WVGA display
* Thinness: 11.5mm; Weight: 130g
* Processor/Speed: Qualcomm Snapdragon(TM) 3G QSD8250 chipset, delivering speeds up to 1GHz
* Camera: 5 megapixel auto focus with flash and geo tagging
* Onboard memory: 512MB Flash, 512MB RAM
* Expandable memory: 4GB removable SD Card (expandable to 32GB)
* Noise Suppression: Dynamic noise suppression from Audience, Inc.
* Ports: 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with four contacts for inline voice and remote control
* Battery: Removable 1400 mAh
* Personalized laser engraving: Up to 50 characters on the back of the phone
* Trackball: Tri-color notification LED, alerts when new emails, chats, text messages arrive

In addition, Nexus One offers new functionality and software enhancements including:

* Enter text without typing.
* Use a voice-enabled keyboard for all text fields: speak a text message, instant message, tweet, Facebook update, or complete an email.
* Tell your phone what you want it to do.
* Search Google, call contacts, or get driving directions by just speaking into your phone.
* Take personalization to the next level.
* Dynamic, interactive, live wallpapers react to the touch of a finger.
* More widgets and five home screen panels allow for further device customization.
* Capture camera-quality pictures and video with your device.
* 5 megapixel camera includes LED flash, auto focus, zoom, white balance and color effects.
* View pictures and Picasa Web Albums(TM) in the new 3D Gallery.
* Record Hi-Res MPEG4 video, and then upload to YouTube(TM) with one click.
* Read your voicemail messages.
* Get transcribed voicemail with Google Voice(TM) integration, without changing your number.

For more information on Nexus One, please visit www.Google.com/phone. Follow Sprint on Twitter @sprint to keep up with news on Nexus One for Sprint’s 3G Mobile Broadband Network.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving more than 48 million customers at the end of the fourth quarter of 2009 and the first and only 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The company’s customer-focused strategy has led to improved first call resolution and customer care satisfaction scores. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

Google, Nexus One, Android, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Voice, Picasa Web Albums, YouTube are trademarks of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.

Facebook(R) is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

(1)Coverage comparisons based on publicly available information as of 1/01/10 inclusive of Sprint roaming partners.

(2)PC World’s test included Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile in 13 major cities in all regions of the country during December 2009 and January 2010. In all, roughly 9,000 individual tests of Sprint’s 3G service were conducted from 280 testing locations. Testing sessions were one minute in duration per location, and network performance can be highly variable from neighborhood to neighborhood. In laptop-based tests, Sprint tied with another carrier for first in 3G network reliability.

SOURCE: Sprint

Media Contacts:
Sprint
Michelle Leff Mermelstein, 703-592-8357
Michelle.Leff@Sprint.com

Application Performance Increases By Up To 20 Percent with Latest ATI FirePro™ Graphics Driver

Savan Thongvanh — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:29:53 +0000

SUNNYVALE, Calif. —3/11/2010

AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced professional graphics users can access several new ATI FirePro™ graphics driver features designed to accelerate application performance and enhance reliability. Available for download, version 8.702 of the ATI FirePro™ graphics driver incorporates tremendous application tuning efforts, resulting in significant performance improvements − more than 20 percent –for Dassault Systèmes CATIA, Autodesk® 3ds Max® and PTC® ProENGINEER® users, for example1.

“With more than 20 percent performance improvement for many industry leading applications, this new performance driver increases the value for both existing and new ATI FirePro users,” said Janet Matsuda, senior director, AMD Professional Graphics. “Certified on more than 90 professional applications, ATI FirePro graphics drivers provide the right combination of application performance, reliability and feature support today’s professional need.”

Key features of the ATI FirePro graphics driver:

* Compared to previous drivers, version 8.702 provides Dassault Systèmes CATIA users more than 25 percent performance improvement, and Autodesk 3ds Max and PTC Pro/Engineer users more than 20 percent performance improvement1.
* Adobe® Photoshop® CS4 users can now render images with 10-bit2 per component color, helping provide exact representation of colors
* between Photoshop and their 10-bit display, as well as the ability to maintain an enhanced end-to-end 10-bit color workflow.
* In addition to current support of numerous active, passive and autostereoscopic displays, blue-line stereo3 for synchronizing 3D glasses is now supported.
* DisplayPort audio is now enabled on select ATI FirePro professional graphics cards, with support for 5.1 Dolby Digital and 5.1 DTS surround sound as well as 8-channel and 2-channel uncompressed audio4.

Later this year, AMD plans to issue reliability, application performance and feature enhancements in bi-monthly driver updates for notebooks that feature ATI FirePro™ professional graphics. AMD is working closely with workstation notebook manufacturers to ensure support for this initiative.
Resources

* Download: ATI Catalyst™ display driver version 8.702
* Certification page: ATI FirePro graphics have received more than 90 application certifications
* More information: ATI FirePro™ professional graphics
* Twitter: Follow AMD professional graphics updates @ATIFirePro
* Facebook: Become a fan of AMD technology on Facebook

About AMD

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is an innovative technology company dedicated to collaborating with customers and technology partners to ignite the next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work, home and play. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.

1. Based on SPECViewperf® 10 benchmark scores as tested by AMD performance labs for Dassault Systèmes CATIA, Autodesk® 3ds Max® and PTC® Pro ENGINEER®, using ATI FirePro™ V3750, V5700, V7750, and V8700. Testing compared ATI FirePro™ graphics driver version 8.603 vs. version 8.702. Testing performed with the following configurations: HP Z400, Intel® Xeon® quad-core 1xW3570 @ 3.2 GHz, Intel® X58, 3GB DDR3, Microsoft® Windows® XP 32-bit SP3.
2. Requires 10-bit monitor for true 10-bit color display; only on Microsoft® Windows® XP.
3. Blue-line stereo: Blue-line stereo support is available on following Operating Systems: Microsoft® Windows® XP, Windows Vista® and Windows 7.
4. Available on the following ATI FirePro™ professional graphics: ATI FirePro V3750, V5700 and V7750. Audio formats achieved will depend on what audio formats the DisplayPort display supports, as well as which audio driver is used.

AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, ATI, the ATI logo, FirePro, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Vista are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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