HARD TO FIND, BUT WE GOT PLENTY OF IT
WE LOVE PLAYING GAMES
And more often we are playing games on our mobile devices. It’s easy to understand why, we carry it with us all the time everywhere we go. We can play a quick game during lunch break, or kick in an hour-long session laying on the couch.
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Intel is reportedly on the cusp of delivering something that consumers around the world have been wanting for a long, long time.
Kelly Clay at Forbes reports Intel is going to blow up the cable industry with its own set-top box and an unbundled cable service.
Clay says Intel is planning to deliver cable content to any device with an Internet connection. And instead of having to pay $80 a month for two hundred channels you don’t want, you’ll be able to subscribe to specific channels of your choosing.
Here’s the key paragraph:
This set-top box, said by industry insiders to be available to a limited beta of customers in March, will offer cable channels delivered “over the top” to televisions anywhere there is an Internet connection regardless of provider. (Microsoft Mediaroom, for example, requires AT&T’s service, and Xbox has limited offerings for Comcast and FiOS customers). For the first time, consumers will be able to subscribe to content per channel, unlike bundled cable services, and you may also be able to subscribe per show as well. Intel’s set-top box will also have access to Intel’s already existing app marketplace for apps, casual games, and video on demand. Leveraging the speed of current broadband, and the vast shared resources of the cloud, Intel plans to give customers the ability to use “Cloud DVR”, a feature intended to allow users to watch any past TV show at any time, without the need to record it ahead of time, pause live tv, and rewind shows in progress.
This is a holy-grail of sorts for people that subscribe to cable.
We’ve been skeptical of Intel’s ability to make a dent in the TV market. If it somehow manages to deliver this unbundled channel option, we’re more optimistic Intel could have success.
Before anyone gets too excited, Janko Roettgers at GigaOm is skeptical it happens. Roettgers knows the TV business very well.
The reason its unlikely to happen is that content companies don’t really want to see cable blown up. It’s been very good to them.
Last summer, Peter Kafka at All Things D poured cold water on the idea of Intel unbundling. Not only is going to be hard to make it happen, it’s unclear if it would even save money for cable subscribers:
Those bundles are core to today’s TV ecosystem. And the TV guys insist that consumers really don’t want “a la carte” programming, because if they do, the channels/shows they like today will end up costing much, much more.
Disney, for instance, charges TV distributors about $5 for every subscriber that gets ESPN. And, by some estimates, only about 25 percent of cable customers actually watch ESPN on a regular basis. So if you unbundled ESPN, the per-subscriber cost might shoot up to $20 or more, to account for the 75 percent drop in its customer base.
The Second Screen Experience for your iPhone 5
popSLATE is an E-Ink screen in an iPhone 5 case. That means it’s low-power, always-on, super-readable in direct sunlight, and totally customizable. It’s a blank slate you can populate with the images you love. Now you can express yourself to the world, share cool stuff with friends, and always have your favorite app functionality at a glance.
Express Yourself
Yoda
Camera to Pop
You can Pop just about anything to the back of your phone. Snap a picture. Grab images on the Web. Take iPhone screenshots. Plug in to your other photo sharing platforms, like Instagram. Receive pictures from friends. You can Pop ‘em one by one, or quickly set up a slideshow.
Always-On Productivity
always-on
Don’t you hate it when your iPhone screen keeps turning off when you need to view something every few moments? Or, you’re in a meeting and need something important from your iPhone, but you just can’t get away with looking at it on the sly?
Since the popSLATE screen is ultra-low-power, it is always on. This opens up a bunch of possibilities. Urgent notifications, sports scores, maps, notes, calendar, talking points—you name it—will now be available at a glance.
Micro E-Reader
Kindle? iPhone? Who wants to carry both? Get a popSLATE instead. The E Ink screen is readable even in the brightest sunlight. Try doing that with your glossy LCD screen.
Open API
We will be developing an API to let you build always-on applications. With popSLATE you will be able to create entirely new ways for people to interact with the phone.
Share With Friends
sharingWith the Popslate app, you can manage your digital image library, pass along cool things for your friends to Pop, and plug in to your other photo sharing platforms, like Instagram.
How It All Works
The popSLATE case includes the latest, ruggedized, E-Ink screen, so it protects your iPhone just like any ‘dumb’ case. In fact the screen is nearly indestructible.
The screen only uses power when the image changes so it sips negligible power from the phone. We use the lightning connector for both power and data exchange. For shortcut navigation, we’re also integrating a tactile interface based upon the phone’s accelerometer. Double tap the back of your phone to cycle through images or accept Pops from your friends.
Then there’s popSLATE app on the iPhone side. You can take pictures with the camera, browse the image gallery, manage your library, connect with other users, send/receive images and messages, and Pop what you want, when you want it.
Specs
Screen: Ruggedized, 4” diagonal E-Ink screen
Case dimensions: 5.35” x 2.56” x 0.54”
Weight: <75 grams
Case Color: Black or White
Compatibility: iPhone 5
Belkin’s WeMo Switch($50) is an app-controlled device works with your home’s wi-fi to give your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch the ability to turn on or off anything that plugs in. And the app also allows for you to schedule devices on or off time. Operates over Wi-Fi and mobile internet, at home and away. Cool
India’s Tata Motors is working on a revolutionary new concept car, Airpod concept car. It’s small and futuristic looking like many other models, but unlike those vehicles, this one runs on compressed air. It’s a tiny little three-seater designed for urban driving. The small size also helps the power generated from the engine better propel the car. It holds about 175 liters of air that will take you about 125 miles; Tata reports top speeds of around 50 mph.
Writing in The Atlantic Cities, John Metcalfe explains how the Airpod works:
“Sadly, these vehicles do not function by farting out a loud stream of gas that propels them forth. They instead are built with pneumatic motors that use pressurized air to drive pistons. In the case of Tata, a company that’s developing a line of “nano” cars (including this bulletproof dwarf tank), the engines come from Luxembourg firm MDI, which has been tooling around with air automation for more than two decades.
Tata bought the rights to sell MDI’s creations in India five years ago, but the project’s proven difficult to get popping. But in May, the motor giant announced that it had completed the “first phase” of the Airpod, successfully testing out the engines in two vehicles. The Airpod team presumably is now in Phase 2, polishing up on the hardware in advance of a commercial launch.
So what does this auto of the future look like? Following the smartcar trend, it resembles something that stumbled out of Pixar’s Cars. The mid-sized model fits three passengers, although one must face backward like he’s being punished for something, and is streamlined almost to the point of becoming a sphere. Its tank can hold 175 liters of air, which a driver gets either at a specialized fueling station or by activating an onboard electric motor to suck it in. Its makers say that filling er’ up will cost a paltry €1, and that a full tank of air can last for roughly 125 miles. ”
While the battle between Samsung and Apple has been waging on in court systems around the world, Samsung decided to take the battle to your living room. The Verge has discovered that the same girl who stars in the latest Apple 4S commercial is now featured in a Galaxy Tab 8.9 commercial in South Korea.
At the core of the feud between the two companies is Apple’s claim that Samsung is copying the style and design of the iPhone/iPad and iOS in general. We can’t help but think the company hired the actress with the sole purpose of annoying Apple in a public, but legal, way. Whether public opinion will take their side remains to be seen, but Samsung has definitely upped the ante in the battle.
Although the Samsung commercial has been pulled from their official website, both commercials can still be seen on YouTube.
The Camera Table Dolly from Photojojo is a compact table-top camera dolly for your DLSR and iPhone.
“Your camera simply threads onto the dolly’s tripod mount and is ready to roll! Literally. With 2 sets of rotating wheels under a stable arm that holds your camera, you’re all set for some stunningly smooth panning.”
Your phone will change colors with this cool heat sensitive backing($12). This heat adhesive iPhone backing with the ability to “change colors in the range 90 to 95 degrees F – or just below body temperature”. Jump more to watch the video of it changes color with heat from your hands.
These LED slippers($40) allow you to easily move around dark areas without turning on any lights. Good idea.
Two powerful LED lights will illuminate up to 20-25 feet ahead and automatically turn off when you remove the slippers (built-in weight sensors).
The BubbleShield Reusable Waterproof Sleeve($20; a pack of 5) for your iPhone, a double-zipper bag with a hook. The hook is there for easy transport, while the pattern at the back is interrupted in the general vicinity of the iPhone’s camera, allowing you to still take shots with it.
“Protected against water jets – Water projected at all angles through a 6.3mm nozzle at a flow rate of 12.5 liters/min at a pressure of 30kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.”
