Consumer Electronics Daily News

Cellphone Round-Up

• Has Apple been doctoring images of its competition's products in order to have them banned from sale? The question came up early last week, after the company was discovered to have doctored images of the Galaxy Tab in the process of seeking an injunction against the device in a German court. Last Friday, Apple was bitten again:

  Apple has filed inaccurate evidence again in a case against Samsung, this time in the Netherlands, where the company is arguing Samsung's Galaxy S smartphones are too similar to its iPhone 3G.

  So, is Apple faking evidence in an attempt to squash its rivals in court rather than competing with them in the marketplace? Chris Foresman attempts to make the case that they aren't doing any such thing. We link, you decide.

  (Pictured above: the Samsung Galaxy S 4G.)

• Speaking of Apple: "iPhone 5 release date rumors are swirling again as a new report says an AT&T vice president has confirmed plans to launch the phone in early October," reports Radhika Marya.
• Is Mango, the latest iteration of Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system, finally done cooking and ready to be served? Jordan Crook catches a Twitter post from Peter Wissinger, Microsoft's Director of Mobile Business in Northern Europe, that says just that, while Brad Molen reports that a Tokyo retailer is already taking pre-orders for the Fujitsu IS12T Mango phone.
• We were off the grid last week, catching up on an unrelated deadline, so we missed covering the big news that Google had agreed to purchase Motorola Mobility and its juicy catalog of patents (oh yeah, and a hardware-manufacturing concern—let's not forget that). Still, if you haven't lost the apetite for news on the subject a full week after the fact, here's Ben Parr with word that phone manufacturer HTC is still betting big on Android.

Morning Round-Up for August 22, 2011

Headlines

• Joel Hruska reports that China's decision to cut back on the export of rare-earth minerals could result in a rise in the cost of computer hard drives:

  Although rare earth magnets are only a small part of a hard drive's total cost, China cut exports last year by 40 percent, which drove pricing for these particular components up an estimated 20-30x. At that point, a rare earth component that originally cost 25 cents is suddenly $5—and given how cheap hard drives have become, that translates into a 5-10 percent increase to the retail cost. With the HDD market divided between Western Digital, Seagate, and Toshiba, there's no room in rock-bottom margins to absorb the cost jump, so the major manufacturers will have no choice but to pass it on.

  "The good news is," Hruska continues, "it's doubtful that anyone will notice." Click the link for his reasoning.

• Citing privacy laws, authorities in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein have "ordered all government offices to remove the [Facebook 'like' button] from their Web presence and shut down any Facebook 'fan' pages." Eric Mack has the details.
• "Verizon Communications said today its workers are heading back to work August 22 without a contract, signaling some progress on a new contract," according to Roger Cheng, ending a conflict that began some two weeks ago. For an economist's take on the underlying issues leading to the strike, you might want to consider the argument put forward last week by Atlantic Senior Editor Megan McArdle:

  Maybe you've noticed if you live or work near a Verizon facility, or if you are the sort of journalist or wonk who follows these issues. But unless you fall into one of those two categories, chances are you weren't really aware that it was happening. The workers who are striking are the ones who service land lines. And land lines are simply no longer central to American lives, or the economy.

Hardware

• The Wall Street Journal's Lorraine Luk is reporting that the next generation of Apple's iPad, allegedly set for trial production in October, "is expected to feature a high resolution display—2048 by 1536 compared with 1024 by 768 in the iPad 2—and Apple's suppliers have already shipped small quantities of components for the sampling of the iPad 3. Suppliers said Apple has placed orders for a 9.7-inch screen device."
• Amazingly, Microsoft might not miss the boat on tablets. Here's further commentary from Peter Bright.
• Are we entering the post-PC era? Todd Wasserman isn't so sure.

Software

• Can any web browser really be considered safe from phishing attacks or malware? Dennis O'Reilly attempts to answer the question.
• Web-browser pioneer Marc Andreessen explains why software is eating the world.

Cool Technology

• "Over the last several months, SpaceX has been hard at work preparing for our next flight—a mission designed to demonstrate that a privately-developed space transportation system can deliver cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS). NASA has given us a Nov. 30, 2011 launch date, which should be followed nine days later by Dragon berthing at the ISS."
• On the same topic, Patrick Manning of Fox News takes us behind the scenes at the world's first spaceport, in rural New Mexico, which is nearly ready to open for business.
• Auto manufacturers are testing in-car brain sensors.
• Your "the kids are all right" moment for the day: Seventh-grade student Aidan Dwyer was walking in the woods one day and noticed the way that branches were growing on the trees around him. After a bit of experimentation, this observation allowed him to demonstrate a new breakthrough in solar power.

Miscellany

• TorrentFreak looks at the battle to stop the world's "first camcorder pirates"—in the early 1920s.
• The 21st century, defined in a single photograph.

Smartphone Round-Up

Meanwhile, in non-Google/Motorola news...

• "Sources within Apple's supply chain claim that the company revised its total expected iPhone sales for the second half of 2011 up from 50 million to 56 million units. That projection might not be unreasonable given the record number of iPhone sales Apple has logged so far this year," according to Ars Technica's Chris Foresman.
• Speaking of Apple: Boy Genius Report's Jonathan S. Geller brings word that the company's carrier partners are testing iPhone 5 models that sport LTE capability.
• Amar Toor notes that the Verizon BlackBerry Bold 9930 (pictured above) has been listed for sale on the carrier's website, selling for $250 (with a two-year contract) or $510 (without the contract).

Morning Round-Up for August 15, 2011

Headlines

• With its Android operating system beset by a seeming swarm of cellphone-related patent lawsuits, Google today announced that it would buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. As TechCrunch writer Erick Schonfeld explains:

  With the acquisition, Google gains a portfolio of 17,000 patents and another 7,000 patents pending globally, an area where it is a currently a laggard. But more than anything, it signals how crucial it is for Google to control the Android experience from soup to nuts.

  Stephen Shankland rounds up quotes from Google's biggest Android partners, Samsung, HTC, LG Electronics, and Sony-Ericsson, who are unsurprisingly pleased to see a the search-engine giant beef up its patent portfolio. Arik Hesseldahl sees an anti-trust investigation in Google's future. For further coverage and commentary, see Darrell Etherington, Casey Johnston, John Paczkowski, Ryan Kim and Jeff Jarvis.

Patent Watch

• "Apple has filed two patent applications that describe an approach as well as file formats and APIs to eliminate the printer driver as a requirement for users to access a printer and print documents," writes Wolfgang Gruener.
• Apple has also filed a patent to keep touchscreens free of fingerprints, using a method that, quite frankly, sounds more than a little kludgy. Boonsri Dickinson has the details.
• Are software patents the "scaffolding of the tech industry"? Writing for Ars Technica, Timothy B. Lee takes up the question.

Commerce

• TechCrunch writer Leena Rao spoke with Jason Spero, Google's head of mobile for the Americas, about the company's strategy to combine mobile telecommuinications with local services.
• Six creative uses of the iPad for small retailers, courtesy of Lauren Drell..
• From the same website: Mashable's Christina Warren offers advice on how to protect your business on Twitter.

Cool Technology

• The NASA Mars Rover Opportunity has sent back photos from the Endeavour Crater. Incidentally, here's a look at some of the cutting-edge tech slated to go into the next Mars Rover.

Wellcore unveils NewYu fitness device

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2010, a new startup named Wellcore launched a fall detection system for aging in place. This week Wellcore officially announced the launch of a new product called NewYu, a fitness monitor that can identify specific body movements and track fitness progress via an Android app. The device weighs less than an ounce.

Quite a pivot for a fall detection startup except the original Wellcore device included some activity monitoring services, too. The startup’s first device was designed by Frog Design founder Dr. Hartmut Esslinger.

NewYu’s sensor device, worn on the waist, shirtsleeve, or collar, distinguishes between running, cycling, an elliptical machine or everyday activities and tabulates the number of calories burned doing each. The device will retail for $99.99 and is expected to be available in September, according to the company.

“The NewYu team has developed groundbreaking motion detection technology that can distinguish a wide variety of physical movements in the human body… The more accurate the tracking, the more likely users are to reach their goals,” stated Van Krueger, President and CEO of Wellcore, in a press release.

The biometric data is synced via Bluetooth to an online dashboard that can also be viewed via an Android app. The online portal includes ConnectYu, an online social community where users can connect with each other to find workout partners, get encouragement and more. There, users can get fitness information from experts, who can view clients’ fitness and diet progress everyday and then offer exercise and diet recommendations.

One of the notable features of Wellcore’s fall detection system was that the company offered a simple fitness tracking service as part of the offering. The seeds of NewYu were present in the startup’s first product offering, but NewYu is clearly meant for a broader user group than the aging in place market. More on the fall detection device and service here.

HTC partners with Beats by Dr. Dre

HTC Corporation, a global designer of mobile devices, today announced a strategic partnership and investment with Beats™ Electronics LLC, the company redefining the audio market with its iconic Beats by Dr. Dre™ audio experience. The two fast-growing brands will focus on bringing high performance sound to HTC phones.

“The HTC and Beats by Dr. Dre partnership is an opportunity for two world-class companies to redefine the smart phone industry and define the future,” said Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Beats by Dr. Dre and Chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records which is a division of Universal Music Group and a stakeholder in Beats. “For Beats by Dr. Dre, this represents a critical step in our continued mission to clean up the destruction of audio caused by the digital revolution; and reengineer how sound is delivered so that the consumer feels the music the way that the artist intended.”

HTC® and Beats™ have been working together to create superior mobile audio experiences for consumers, which will result in a line of HTC devices integrated with Beats sound innovations, available this fall.

“Beats has found a unique way to harness popular culture in a manner that is unlike any other brand today,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “It’s an exciting brand that has been built around providing something very special, and we believe our strategic partnership will provide customers with unbeatable sound on HTC phones. We obsess over every detail of a consumer’s mobile experience and audio is a critical part of that experience.”

HTC is known for unifying content, services and devices into unique mobile experiences. And Beats is known for its unique consumer brand appeal and ability to reproduce the full spectrum of sound captured in professional recording studios, allowing consumers to hear music the way the artist intended. Bringing these two great brands together will create superior mobile music and sound experiences, while accelerating HTC’s entry into the youth and accessories markets globally.

Beats Electronics will continue to operate autonomously with Iovine as Chairman and Luke Wood as President & COO with its current business partnerships that include Monster Cable Products Inc., Hewlett-Packard and Chrysler Group LLC. Iovine will also continue serving as Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records.

“Our customers have clearly responded to Beats and HTC, and Best Buy is proud to feature their products in our stores,” said Brian J. Dunn, CEO, Best Buy. “We are committed to offering innovative and entertaining technologies that help consumers enhance their lives. Our customers expect that from us. The unique HTC Sense experience and the great sound of Beats provide prime examples of that focus.”

V-MODA releases Crossfade M-80

Los Angeles – August 11, 2011– V-MODA, the multi-platinum selling maker of headphones trusted by the pros and elite, has released the Crossfade M-80. Tuned by a legion of legendary musicians, producers and DJs, M-80 packs unique materials, professional acoustics, natural noise isolation, ultimate ergonomics and military-level ruggedness into a design 53 percent smaller than the Crossfade LP. M-80’s first-class materials are virtually indestructible including a steel frame, STEELFLEX headband, interchangeable brushed metal shields, durable microfiber suede and replaceable memory foam cushions. The M-80 also comes fully loaded with two Kevlar-reinforced microphone cables for universal smartphone compatibility and an exoskeleton carrying case for added road warrior armor.

Pure Sound – Bespoke Fit

The nucleus of M-80 is its patent-pending and biggest-in-class 40mm Dual-Diaphragm Drivers that deliver multi-driver sound with the energy efficiency and consistent quality of a single driver. To recreate a pure balanced sound analogous to Vinyl, M-80 uses no batteries or artificial sound processing and instead relies on immortal acoustic techniques. The  V-PORT V3 provides natural noise isolation, life-like staging, vibrant bass, vivid mids and vivacious highs. By utilizing a 31-band EQ with select master musicians and producers, every step of the frequency response curve was finely sculpted.

The headphone also offers long-play comfort through a tailored, fashionable fit without unsightly gaps and minimal pressure on the head and ears, the result of years of ergonomic research. Since the fit is the sound, M-80 utilizes replaceable supple memory foam cushions, a bespoke STEELFLEX headband and tactile arm extensions.

Skype introduces calls to toll-free numbers

With over 140 million downloads since the company started, Skype™ just made another great announcement about full free access to toll-free numbers. The company also announced earlier this week that VoIP rates are will be reduced by an average of 15 percent in order to celebrate the one year launch anniversary.

Currently the following countries and number ranges are supported. "We’re working on the rest of the world" says Jaanus Kase, Manager of share.skype.com space.

• France: +33 800, +33 805, +33 809
• Poland: +48 800
• UK: +44 500, +44 800, +44 808
• USA: +1 800, +1 866, +1 877, +1 888

How it works?

In Skype, just enter the number in international format in the Address Bar (start with +1 for USA, +44 for UK etc) and hit the big green button. Couldn’t be easier! You can also add the numbers to your contact list and call them “coach”, “life coach” or wherever else you’re calling. The free calls are effective immediately and supported on all platforms where the Skype client is available.

See the SkypeOut Dialing Wizard if you need help dialing. (Since this is a very new change in the system, the dialing wizard may still show those calls being priced, even though they’re actually free. We’re updating the prices in the dialing wizard shortly.) 

New version of artrage for iPad released

The new version of ArtRage for iPad v. 1.2 includes a Script Recorder that can record your paint strokes and play them back at higher resolution in ArtRage Studio 3.5 (Win and Mac) for further editing, enhancements and larger prints.

ArtRage doesn’t just move colors around on a flat canvas, it knows exactly how much paint is on your brush and how much you left behind in your last stroke. It simulates the physical process of blending and smearing real volumes of paint, not just by applying a simple image process. This makes for expressive strokes, bold colors, and a sense of real texture as you work with your fingers on the virtual canvas.

New Features in ArtRage for iPad 1.2:

ArtRage Script Recorder:

Record your paintings and play them back at higher resolution on a desktop computer. The Script Recorder can be turned on when creating a new file to record every stroke you paint, which can then be exported via iTunes or sent directly by email. Note: ArtRage Script Files exported from ArtRage for iPad are compatible with ArtRage Studio and Studio Pro v. 3.5 announced last week. See www.artrage.com for info.

PNG Export:

You can now export PNG copies directly to the shared file space in iTunes, as well as being able to email and save copies of your paintings to the Photos app.

More Improvements & Fixes:

• Help section on 'Files' updated to cover scripts and explanations improved on how to handle files in ArtRage.

• Troubleshooting tips added to the Help section for users who experience speed problems.

• Import Image to Layer adjusted to scale to fit the current canvas on import.

• Fixed problem importing images larger than 1440 x 1440 to layers and references fixed.

The new version of ArtRage for iPad v. 1.2 is now available for review. All current owners can download the update free of charge at the iTunes App Store at: http://itunes.apple.com/app/artrage/id391432693?mt=8.

Bluelounge releases MiniDock

Bluelounge, the award-winning international design studio known for sleek, functional, design-forward cable management and home/office organization products, today announced the market-wide availability of MiniDock, a cord-free wall charger and display-docking station made for Apple iPhone and iPod devices that uses the existing Apple USB Power Adapter. MiniDock represents the latest in a series of sleek, innovative cord management products from Bluelounge, all designed specifically for Apple iPhones and essential for travel and household charging needs.

MiniDock allows consumers to charge and display their iPhone in an upright position in any electrical outlet without disorganized cords. Intended for use with existing Apple USB Power Adapter, iPhone or iPod can now plug directly into an electrical outlet. Ideal while traveling or in any home or office environment, MiniDock is lightweight, cord-free, and allows users to simplify and de-clutter the charging areas normally occupied with the unsightly and wayward cords. Users no longer need to deal with untidy cords while packing or when charging their device. With MiniDock, the user can charge their Apple devices upright, directly into their Apple USB Power Adapter, conveniently and seamlessly anywhere where an electric outlet is available.

“Our customers are passionate about their iPhones and their accessories,” said Dominic Symons, Bluelounge Principal and Creative Director. “People are proud of their devices so they treat them with care and worry about their phones getting damaged when in use or while traveling. MiniDock meets the public’s desire perfectly, with a sleek and innovative charging station that doubles as a display stand, so proud iPhone owners can use their hardware efficiently while they charge it. Our unique design keeps their phones safe, off the floor and out of harm’s way—all at the same time.”