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Submitted by actz
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Tuesday, 02 June 2009 |
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There's only one thing more pointless than an eight megapixel cameraphone: a twelve megapixel cameraphone...
Yes in an effort to keep up with the competition/ram an even more needless resolution down our throats Samsung has announced the 'Pixon 12' (M8910) - a ground breaking new way to use up your memory cards.
I've said it before, so I'll just copy and paste: "more megapixels does not make for better picture quality. In fact, it can make for far worse picture quality - and at far larger file sizes - if the processing behind the image isn't up to scratch. Given this isn't yet the case with dedicated compacts it's all rather pointless cramming them into camera phones with horrendous lag. 5MP is fine, just fix the engines behind them!"
On the plus side, at least with a Xenon flash you'll get half decent exposure, plus the two second picture time is better than most while auto-focus tracking, smile shot, etc make their usual appearance.
That out the way the rest of the handset is more interesting with a 3.1in AMOLED touchscreen display though much like the meaningless megapixels, it sports a very high dynamic contrast ratio (the other no-proof-of-quality spec) measured at 10,000:1. On top of this you'll find HSUPA, WiFi, GPS, an FM tuner and 720 x 480 30fps video capture. On board memory is a rather pitiful 150MB but it will sport the (outside Cupertino) ubiquitous microSD slot.
No news on a 3.5mm jack (*screams*) or size/weight but expect the larger sensor to add something to the weight of the 107.9 x 54.6 x 13.8mm and 121g of the original Pixon (M8800). After all, falling for marketing fluff comes with an Idiot Tax.
The Pixon 12 will touch down in Europe this month and I kid you not when I say I've a nine year old 2MP Canon Digital Ixus which knocks spots off any cameraphone yet released. When it does eventually lose out I'll be quiet. Until then can we all agree this is getting rather silly...
Link:
via AkiharaNews |
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Submitted by actz
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Thursday, 28 May 2009 |
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Up until today, Google had been distinguishing between development tracks 1 and 2 of its Chrome Web browser. Track 1 (last known build version 1.0.154.65) was the company's production edition, though a link on the same page where you could download 1.0 could take you to the "test" version instead, version 2.0.177.1. Google's always had interesting variations on the "beta" theme. Anyway, today the company stated on its blog that it's "updating to a faster version" of Chrome, quoting an internal benchmark score giving its JavaScript processing 32.1% better speed in the new version over the old version. Well, that new version -- as Betanews verified today -- is actually 2.0.177.1, which is the same "new version" it's been for a few weeks now. Users of version 2 -- which other services had been distributing as the "most recent release" -- will notice no difference in performance. Full Article
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Submitted by actz
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Wednesday, 27 May 2009 |
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North Korea has warned of a 'military' response after South Korea joined a U.S.-led programme to intercept and search its ships for weapons of mass destruction. The country, which shocked the world with the explosion of a nuclear device the size of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs on Monday, said the South signing up to the proliferation security initiative was tantamount to a declaration of war. It has also declared that it no longer considers itself bound by the truce that halted the Korean War in 1953. Technically, the armistice has meant the war between the two countries never ended.
Enlarge  Rally: North Korean soldiers, officials and people celebrate the firing of a second nuclear missile The declaration comes as fears grow that North Korea has restarted a nuclear plant. This is based on data from spy satellites which spotted vapour emerging from a known facility. View Full Article |
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Submitted by actz
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Wednesday, 27 May 2009 |
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I wanted a charger for my iPodTouch and the MintyBoost was definitely my first choice. I wanted to take it a bit further and make it not only rechargeable but also solar powered. The other issue is that the iPhone and iPodTouch have large batteries in them and will deplete the two AA batteries in the MintyBoost rather quickly so I wanted to increase the battery power as well. What I really wanted was a MightyMintyBoost! Apple has sold over 30 million iPodTouch/iPhone units- imagine charging all of them via solar power.... If every iPhone/iPodTouch sold was fully charged every day (averaging the battery capacity) via solar power instead of fossil fuel power we would save approximately 50.644gWh of energy, roughly equivalent to 75,965,625 lbs. of CO2 in the atmosphere per year. Granted that's a best case scenario (assuming you can get enough sunlight per day and approximately 1.5 lbs. CO2 produced per kWh used.) Of course, that doesn't even figure in all the other iPods, cell phones, PDAs, microcontrollers (I use it to power my Arduino projects) and other USB devices that can be powered by this charger- one little solar cell charger may not seem like it can make a difference but add all those millions of devices together and that's a lot of energy! There are some really nice features about this charger: It's solar powered! It's small. Large battery capacity- 3.7v @2000mAh On board charger charges via solar, USB or wall wart. Accepts input power from 3.7v to 7v. Remove the solar cell after charging and you have a nice compact USB power supply. Unplug the solar cell and use the Velcro to secure the MightyMintyBoost inside a backpack or messenger bag- now plug in a larger solar cell attached to your bag for even faster charging. Using a slightly larger solar cell (6v/250mAh) you can generate enough power to fully charge an iPhone in about 5.5 hours and an iPod Touch in 4 hours. Building this is really easy and straightforward- it only took me around an hour so follow along and build one for yourself! Safety note and general disclaimer: Be careful cutting the Altoids tin as it can have some really sharp edges- file them smooth if necessary. Assemble this at your own risk- while it is really easy to build, if you mess something up there is the potential to damage the electronic device you are trying to charge. Be careful in your assembly and soldering work and follow good safety practices. Only use a type of battery charger specifically designed for the type of battery you are using. Please read through the entire Instructable before asking questions- if there are are any questions just ask and I'll help out as best as I can!
image not found o top: 0.7493333333333333, left: 0.682, width: 0.126, height: 0.128, text:"iPodTouch- it's charging!" }  iPodTouch- it's charging! Full Guide Here
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Submitted by actz
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Wednesday, 27 May 2009 |
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Microsoft is taking aim at Apple once more, this time hoping to knock the iPod touch off its perch with the Zune HD.
The look is certainly high-end - sleek, slim and with plenty of brushed metal for a premium finish. Dare we use the word 'classy'? We just might. The Zune HD is also the first to feature a touchscreen, a 3.3-inch 16:9 widescreen capacitive OLED screen with multitouch to be precise, offering up zippy control and multitouch web browsing, using a portable browser based on Internet Explorer.
Other features of note include that 'HD', which refers to HD video-out (via an optional docking station and HD radio, the first portable media player to offer the latter. We suspect the inclusion of this DAB-equivalent indicates this is yet another Zune not heading to these shores. At least, not in this form. To complete things, the Zune HD also throws in an accelerometer and Wi-Fi connectivity. No details on the amount of flash storage on-board, but we suspect you'll be well catered for.
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Submitted by actz
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Tuesday, 26 May 2009 |
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With these 30 apps you can create to do lists, invoice for contract work, access your computer remotely, manage all your online accounts in one place, print files to your phone, and more. We’re hoping that these handy apps can make 2009 the most productive year for you and your mobile lifestyle. |
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Read more...
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Submitted by actz
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Tuesday, 26 May 2009 |
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Not even a year ago, there were those who questioned the hoopla over the iPhone. And here we are now, secure in the knowledge that Apple’s micro-Mac isn’t just a radical new phone, it’s a revolution in computing, communication, entertainment, and connectivity. If you disagree, well, you probably don’t own one. And that’s not meant to be snotty–I’ve arrived at this conclusion after testing nearly every smartphone available and then stepping up with my own precious cash for the iPhone and monthly unlimited calls and data. It’s a spendy conclusion, but oh-so-worth it. |
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Read more...
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Submitted by actz
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Tuesday, 26 May 2009 |
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The official launch of the Windows 7 Release Candidate last May 5 was soon followed by another version of the software, only that this other version came with a malware surprise. A file being hosted in popular torrent sites posing as a copy of the Windows 7 RC was found to be a Trojan by security researchers. The file which arrives with the file name setup.exe is detected as TROJ_DROPPER.SPX. TROJ_DROPPER.SPX drops TROJ_AGENT.NICE. Both files are detected by the Smart Protection Network. Windows 7 Release Candidate was leaked a couple of weeks prior to the official release, and was also hosted by and downloaded from popular torrent sites. This was followed by a reported downtime in the download page for the Windows 7 Beta, which was attributed to too many download requests. |
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Submitted by actz
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Tuesday, 26 May 2009 |
Nokia has entered the mobile applications business with the official opening of the Ovi Store. The portal will host a variety of applications to around 50 million customers worldwide so far and users in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Singapore, Spain and the United Kingdom will be able to purchase immediately and get billed by their network operator. "Ovi Store is open for business and we've stocked the shelves with both local and global content for a broad range of Nokia devices," said Tero Ojanperä, executive vice president of Nokia Services.
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Submitted by actz
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Tuesday, 26 May 2009 |
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PC World - Google's upgrade of Chrome to 2.0 is exceedingly underwhelming --- there's so little new that if you blinked you'd miss the changes. It's baffling that a company that keeps fully featured software like Gmail in beta for years has jumped to 2.0 for a browser with so little to offer. After the upgrade, you won't notice a change in Chrome at all --- it looks just like the previous version, and largely behaves like it as well. There are a few little tweaks, though, such as a full screen mode available via the F11 key. There's also a form filler for filling in Web forms, something other browsers have had since the Dark Ages. You can also remove thumbnails from the "New Tab" pages that launch whenever you open a new tab. And you can zoom better. |
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Submitted by actz
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Friday, 22 May 2009 |
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Members of 4Chan and eBaum's World were apparently behind a mass campaign of uploading pornographic content to the world's most popular online video website, Youtube. The videos were uploaded as part of the "celebrations" on the 20th of May 2009 of Porn day and almost all the videos that have been screened out do not carry any indications that they are for adults only. It is believed that as many as several thousands of videos have been uploaded. The rogue uploaders generally append genuine content like an interview or a music video before the adult content gets played. Attackers have been using popular tags like "Hannah Montana" to attract Youtube users to view the videos. To add further confusion, many users actually flagged the fake videos as their favourites and rated them highly. The BBC caught up with Flonty, one of the many uploaders who took part in the scheme, and said that he did it because Youtube Keeps deleting music. |
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