CrunchGear |  |
- Amazon Is Only Launching A 7″ Tablet? Genius. (Plus A Mockup!)
- Video: “Der Kritzler,” An Automatic Scribbling Machine
- Call Of Duty’s $50 Per Year Subscription Service Heralds An Expensive Future For Gaming
- Amazon’s Kindle Tablet Is Very Real. I’ve Seen It, Played With It.
- Terrahawk’s M.U.S.T. Is A Mobile Guard Tower In A Shady-Looking Van
- Office Depot Now Fulfilling At Least Some 32GB TouchPad Backorders
- No Kristopher, We Won’t Buy You An iPad
- Barnes And Noble Preparing Nook Color 2 For September Launch?
- Nike Apologizes For Nike+ Issues, Promises Fixes, New Platform Soon
- Samsung CEO, “We Don’t Want HP’s Garbage” — Or Something Like That
- Bright 3D Drive: Epson Introduces World’s First HTPS-TFT 3D Panel
- Woot Offers TouchPad Buyers Star Wars Jokes And Partial Refund
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, Galaxy Note Not Launching In The US? Ever?
- Evul Todai: A Relaxation Lighthouse Lamp For The Living Room
- Daily Crunch: Dolly
| Amazon Is Only Launching A 7″ Tablet? Genius. (Plus A Mockup!) Posted: 02 Sep 2011 05:59 PM PDT  The Amazon Kindle tablet is real. Very much real. As in, MG has held it in his very own hands. I threw together the mockup above based on what he shared with me. As MG explained, we now know that the Kindle tablet won’t initially ship in both 7-inch and 10-inch variants, contrary to previous rumors. After a change in plans earlier this summer, Amazon only intends to launch with a 7-inch model. That decision might just be the best one that Amazon could have possibly made — and it ought to have Samsung and all of the other Android tablet manufacturers shaking in their boots. Before we dive in, we need to establish some numbers. So far this year, the iPad has maintained roughly 70-80% of the tablet marketshare. While certain Android tablets are undoubtedly more popular than others, that only leaves 20-30% of the market for all of the Android tablet manufacturers to split. While Apple sits with the biggest piece of the pie all to themselves, the Android tablet manufacturers are battling for left overs. Even if the entire Android tablet marketshare belonged to one tablet (which, again, it definitely does not), said tablet still wouldn’t have sold even half as well as the iPad. From this, we’ve learned at least one thing: competing with the iPad by trying to be the iPad.. doesn’t really work. Over the past few months, I’ve noticed something strange. Among my geekier circles, I’m always hearing the same question: iPad, or Xoom/Galaxy Tab/Android-tablet-name-here? Among less tech-minded folks (you know, like the majority of the population) though, the question seems to shift: iPad, or Kindle? Now, it’s not that the less tech-savvy people wouldn’t like an Android tablet… they just don’t really seem to know they exist. There are just too many strikingly similar tablets, all battling for that one smaller sliver of the pie. To go all anecdotal again here for a second: just this past Monday — as I do every Monday — I was playing trivia at a pub in the Bay Area. Trivia Night at this pub is something of a huge deal, with around 25 teams (4-6 people each) playing each week. Mid-way through the second round, the trivia master asked: “Two pointer here, folks: What is the name of Motorola’s tablet device? What is the name of Dell’s tablet?” Three teams could name Dell’s tablet. Six teams got Motorola’s. Out of 25 teams, each made up of a handful of drinking-age adults, less than a third could conjure up the name of one of the biggest Android tablets around. Though we’ll gladly babble on it for days on end, the tablet market is still something of a niche — and in a niche market, recognition is everything. The iPad is the iPad. Everything else is.. well, everything else. If they were to launch with a 10″ tablet, Amazon would be throwing themselves in with everything else. But they’re not. Rather than taking on Apple on their own court, they’re moving to keep a lock on a game they’re already kicking butt at (the e-reader market), while upping the odds that anyone weighing “iPad or Kindle?” will be swayed in their favor. By launching with a 7″ tablet (and only a 7″ tablet), Amazon is making it clear: they don’t want the Kindle tablet to be the iPad. They want it to be everything the iPad is not. They want it to be small, and comfortable to read in bed. This is a Kindle, after all. For many folks who just want something to read in bed or throw into their bag to read on the train, the iPad’s nearly 10-inch display can feel a bit gigantic. They want it to be cheap. Smaller displays are cheaper right up front, require less plastic for the body, and can get by with a lesser battery and a smaller backlight. More than a year after launch, the cheapest iPad you can buy new will set you back $499. According to the same source whose Kindle tablet we used, Amazon currently has it priced at half that: just $250. Even launching a 10-incher alongside would increase R&D costs, as well as lead consumers to believe that the 10″ model is the flagship (thereby throwing it up directly against the iPad and everything else.) Meanwhile, they’re moving away from the direction that most other Android tablets have taken. This isn’t a be-all, do-all machine — it’s a new and improved Kindle, just as the name will imply. They’re aiming for simplicity, distilling the homescreen down to a Cover Flow-esque arrangement, making the entire experience all about your books, movies, and other media. And if you happen to want it to do other stuff? Sure, it can do that — they even have their very own App Store! But this isn’t an Android tablet. It’s a Kindle, and it just happens to run Android. As for Samsung, LG, Motorola, and all the other tablet makers out there: unless they’re happy with whatever sliver of the minority chunk they’ve nabbed so far, they better take this as a shot right across the bow. For Android tablet manufacturers, the next big step will be figuring out how to ensure that the general consumer has any idea that their tablet exists — and here comes Amazon, swooping in with their cheap, small tablet and bringing the iconic, incredibly well-established Kindle brand (and their incredibly powerful distribution channel) with them. Genius.
|
| Video: “Der Kritzler,” An Automatic Scribbling Machine Posted: 02 Sep 2011 04:40 PM PDT  An automatic scribbling machine sounds less than useful, admittedly, but it’s really just the style of line created by this motorized drawing machine. It’s reminiscent of ASCII art, in which heavier characters are used to create darker tones; in this case, the more jiggle added to the drawing platform, the more ink is put on the drawing surface. It’s kind of mesmerizing. Check out the video (there’s another here): It’s put together from mostly off-the-shelf parts (Arduino-powered, naturally), though it’s far from simple. The process uses vector graphics and turns it into a tone map, and given a known starting point for the pen, it “prints” by moving the pen along rows and adding jitter to darken the “pixels” to whatever degree is necessary. It looks like it has about four discrete tones it can make — not the greatest range, but in aggregate it works quite well. You can read how it was put together at the creator Alex Weber’s blog, and he has also put the source, documentation, and so on up on Github.
|
| Call Of Duty’s $50 Per Year Subscription Service Heralds An Expensive Future For Gaming Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:42 PM PDT  The world’s largest game franchises have become businesses unto themselves. World of Warcraft supports a huge halo industry of gold farming and grey markets. Farmville and its ilk have turned microtransactions into millions. The teams developing individual games like Assassin’s Creed or Gears of War are larger than many entire companies. So it’s not surprising that the stakes keep getting raised. Call of Duty is among the most popular games in the world, and although selling millions of copies of the game at $40-60 is a real source of revenue, Activision is hoping that their new Call of Duty Elite service will bring in recurring revenue and rally the fanbase. But will that fanbase accept a yearly $50 fee on top of the game itself? Part of the Elite services will be available for free, like mobile apps, stat sharing and analysis, and official clan creation. But the paid portion of Elite has just been detailed, and what it implies about the new gaming order is equally exciting and discouraging. The primary draw will be the new content, in the form of maps, modes, and presumably weapons and character decorations. There will also be daily refereed tournaments with prizes like iPads. Activision described a “nine month DLC season” with around 20 pieces of content — a lot by any standard, and perhaps more than even CoD’s fans are willing to stomach. Many developers are already being accused of selling half the game at launch and doling out the rest over the next year or so, and although the boxed game will likely be enough for many, the emphasis placed on after-purchases is distressing. So far, so predictable, but the larger implications are more interesting. Valve has talked about “games as services,” but their idea of DLC is slightly less money-grubbing than Activisions. The Team Fortress 2 community and the dozens of add-ons they’ve done aren’t an example everyone can follow, but you’re unlikely to find a more satisfied gaming community in the world. This idea of Activision’s puts CoD practically in the territory of Second Life or alternate reality games than anything else. People are already very serious about their “careers” in online games, but the social integration we’re seeing (like Battlefield 3′s Battlelog, above), the increased level of integration with other platforms, and the huge increase in money involved make this next generation of “big” games pretty serious business. It’s a bit like TV adding premium channels like Showtime and HBO back in the day. You kind of have to commit to it, and the community created is parallel to the more mundane one surrounding networks, but far more dedicated. But there can only be so many Showtimes, especially if the currency in trade is time. Someone with money can afford to purchase all the premium channels, but with Call of Duty, WoW, Halo, and so on all expanding to become entire worlds to live in, a gamer can only do so much. This trend will continue, because there’s a hell of a lot of money in it. Will we stop seeing “traditional” games that just sell for $50 and then that’s it? Something has to give when companies like Valve and Activision can afford to provide more for the money (though they may extract more from you later). The rise of inexpensive downloadable games on XBLA and PSN seems to offer a middle path. I’d expect way more titles between $5 and $20, hits like Braid and Bastion that don’t attempt to build a platform, just tell a story and have some fun. In the meantime, you’ll be paying more and more for the premium experience of the big dog franchises. Is it a pro for gamers? Once the pricing and exclusivity hiccups work themselves out, I think so. People really enjoy these deep gaming experiences, and while I don’t share their need to, say, publicize my achievements, I can certainly see the draw. Clearly Activision does too, and they also see opportunity. Let’s hope the transition isn’t too rough. The generation that grew up with cartridges and arcades might have to give way. It had to happen some time.
|
| Amazon’s Kindle Tablet Is Very Real. I’ve Seen It, Played With It. Posted: 02 Sep 2011 01:26 PM PDT  It’s called simply the “Amazon Kindle”. But it’s not like any Kindle you’ve seen before. It displays content in full color. It has a 7-inch capacitive touch screen. And it runs Android. Rumors of Amazon making a full-fledged tablet device have persisted for a while. I believe we were one of the first to report on the possibility from a credible source — the same person who accurately called Amazon’s Android Appstore. That source was dead-on again, it just took Amazon longer than anticipated to get the device ready to go. They’re now close. How do I know all of this? Well, not only have I heard about the device, I’ve seen it and used it. And I’m happy to report that it’s going to be a big deal. Huge, potentially. First of all, before every commenter asks, no, sadly, I don’t have any pictures to share. That was the one condition of me getting this information. So instead you’ll have to rely on my prose to draw a picture of the device in your head. Or you can just look at a BlackBerry PlayBook — because it looks very similar in terms of form-factor. So here’s what I know and what I saw: Again, the device is a 7-inch tablet with a capacitive touch screen. It is multi-touch, but from what I saw, I believe the reports that it relies on a two-finger multi-touch (instead of 10-finger, like the iPad uses) are accurate. This will be the first Kindle with a full-color screen. And yes, it is back-lit. There is no e-ink to be found anywhere on this device. Earlier this week, reports suggested that a 7-inch Amazon tablet could be released in October, with a larger, 10-inch version to follow next year. That’s somewhat accurate. As of right now, Amazon’s only definitive plan is to release this 7-inch Kindle tablet and they’re targeting the end of November to do that. The version I saw was a DVT (Design Verification Testing) unit. These have started floating around the company. It’s ready, they’re just tweaking the software now. If it’s not in production yet, it will be very soon. Originally, Amazon had planned to launch a 7-inch and a 10-inch tablet at the same time. But that plan changed this summer. Now they’re betting everything on the 7-inch. If it’s a hit, they will release the more expensive 10-inch tablet in Q1 2012. So how much will the 7-inch Kindle cost? $250. Yes, Amazon has been able to trim the cost of the device to half of the entry-level iPad. And it will be the same price as Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color, which this will very obviously compete with directly. Both have 7-inch color touch screens. Both run Android. And this is where things get really interesting. As anticipated, Amazon has forked Android to build their own version for the Kindle. Simply put: it looks nothing like the Android you’re used to seeing. The interface is all Amazon and Kindle. It’s black, dark blue, and a bunch of orange. The main screen is a carousel that looks like Cover Flow in iTunes which displays all the content you have on the device. This includes books, apps, movies, etc. Below the main carousel is a dock to pin your favorite items in one easy-to-access place. When you turn the device horizontally, the dock disappears below the fold. Above the dock is the status bar (time, battery, etc) and this doubles as a notification tray. When apps have updates, or when new subscriptions are ready for you to view, they appear here. The top bar shows “YOUR NAME’s Kindle” and then the number of notifications you have in bright orange. It looks quite nice. There are no physical buttons on the surface of the device. You bring up a lower navigation menu by tapping the screen once. This can take you back home, etc. But the key for Amazon is just how deeply integrated all of their services are. Amazon’s content store is always just one click away. The book reader is a Kindle app (which looks similar to how it does on Android and iOS now). The music player is Amazon’s Cloud Player. The movie player is Amazon’s Instant Video player. The app store is Amazon’s Android Appstore. Google’s Android Market is nowhere to be found. In fact, no Google app is anywhere to be found. This is Android fully forked. My understanding is that the Kindle OS was built on top of some version of Android prior to 2.2. And Amazon will keep building on top of that of that over time. In other words, this won’t be getting “Honeycomb” or “Ice Cream Sandwich” — or if it does, users will never know it because that will only be the underpinnings of the OS. Any visual changes will be all Amazon. They are not working with Google on this. At all. There is a web browser (of course), and while it’s styled a bit to match the Kindle UI, it looks pretty much the same as the Android’s WebKit browser. Yes, it has tabs! And yes, Google Search is still the default (the Kindle also has its own search tool to find content on your device). Overall, the UI of this Kindle felt very responsive. You can flick through the carousel seamlessly. This is something Amazon has apparently been working on quite a bit, I’m told. And they continue to. Some of the page-turning touch mechanics still needed a bit of work in the version I used. I believe the visual web reading app Pulse will be bundled with the Kindle. A game like Angry Birds may be as well. Again, it uses Amazon’s Android Appstore, so all of the content accepted into that store will play well on this device. Apps, games, content, you name it. Amazon creating their own app store is starting to make a lot more sense, and looks potentially very smart (as anticipated). A few more bits about the hardware: I believe it is running on a single-core chip (though I’m not 100 percent sure). My understanding is that the 10-inch version, if it comes, will have a dual-core chip. I also believe the device only has 6 GB of internal storage. The idea is that this will be more of a “cloud device” for things like music and movies. The storage is meant for storing books and apps There were a few references to an SD card expansion, but I couldn’t find a slot on the hardware itself. This initial version of the device will be WiFi-only. Amazon is supposedly working with carriers to possibly product 3G-enabled versions (as they have with their other Kindles), but that won’t be the case at launch. I’m not sure what the battery life is like (I only played with it for about an hour), but I imagine it is very good and in line with other tablets — 10 hours or so. The back of the device is rubbery — again, it’s very similar to the PlayBook (it’s black as well). The power button is underneath if you’re holding it vertically (which is a bit odd — but it’s obviously to the side if you’re holding it horizontally). There’s a micro-USB port (presumably for powering the device as well). The speakers are of the top of the device (again, if it’s being held vertically). There is no camera. So why will people buy this device instead of a Nook Color? Well, beyond the deep Amazon services integration, there will be two other reasons, I believe. First, Amazon is going to promote the hell out of this thing on Amazon.com. Second, the plan right now is to give buyers a free subscription to Amazon Prime. The service, which Amazon currently sells for $79 a year, gives users access things like free unlimited two-day shipping, and no minimum purchases for free shipping. More importantly for this product, Prime users get access to Amazon’s Instant Video service. There will be more Kindle-related perks, I imagine. As far as the existing e-ink-based Kindles, all I’ve heard is that they’ll continue to co-exist with this new tablet (though the DX may or may not stick around). They’ll simply be the low-end, low-cost Kindles, whereas this new one will be the high-end one (at least until the 10-inch version comes out, if it does). One source said it doesn’t seem likely that Amazon is going to release a touch-screen e-ink Kindle, like the new Nook, anytime soon. But none of that is confirmed, it’s simply speculation based on the emphasis on getting this new tablet to market. Oh and one more thing: Amazon has been working on a multi-touch screen/e-ink hybrid tablet device. But that’s nowhere near completion, I’m told. So for now, this new Kindle will have to do. That’s all for now. I suspect even more information (and pictures) will start leaking out soon — again, the new Kindle is very close to being done. Not only is the device real, from what I’ve seen, it’s solid. I suspect it will be on many people’s holiday wish-list this year. Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is a leading global Internet company and one of the most trafficked Internet retail destinations worldwide. Amazon is one of the first companies to sell products deep... Company: ANDROID Website: http://www.android.com In July 2005, Google acquired Android, a small startup company based in Palo Alto, CA. Android’s co-founders who went to work at Google included Andy Rubin (co-founder of...
|
| Terrahawk’s M.U.S.T. Is A Mobile Guard Tower In A Shady-Looking Van Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:35 PM PDT  National Security isn’t always about the flashy solutions. Not everything can be rail guns and one-winged drones. Sometimes you just need a sort of seedy-looking van that slowly, slowly turns into a climate-controlled guard tower. That, at least, is the goal of defense researcher Terrahawk’s M.U.S.T. platform. That’s Mobile Utility Surveillance Tower if you must know. Check out this video of its deployment. I have to say, it’s different in the movies and such where these things tend to exist. But I suppose in the interest of stability and durability they can’t have big feet that fire out like jackhammers, and a tower that pops up like a jack in the box. Although it looks like something you can shoot out of, I don’t think that’s really recommended. It’s a fairly vulnerable target — a speeding car or RPG could easily topple it. Terrahawk recommends it for “emergency response, public event crowd control, [and] general surveillance.” It’s got lights, thermal cameras, and ground radar for monitoring borders, so drug runners beware. They’re doing a big demonstration of the MUST for the House and Senate next Thursday, at which many Representatives will be overheard to say “couldn’t it go a little faster?” And Terrahawk will respond “well, right now your options are taking two days to build a guard tower, or two minutes to put one of our things up.” The Representative will nod and check his phone.
|
| Office Depot Now Fulfilling At Least Some 32GB TouchPad Backorders Posted: 02 Sep 2011 10:47 AM PDT  TouchPads are in hot demand right now and it seems as if Office Depot just is ready to ship out another round. This comes from an email set to us that indicates at least some 32GB TouchPad orders were canceled, which the retailer is ready to use to fulfill the backorders. Chances are that if you’re part of this group, there’s an email waiting for you from Office Depot right now. If you don’t have said email, you’re probably going to be waiting a little longer if not indefinitely — unless the retailer you entrusted receives part of the last run of TouchPads.
[Thanks for the tip, Dan!]
|
| No Kristopher, We Won’t Buy You An iPad Posted: 02 Sep 2011 10:30 AM PDT  Remember when Sears.com temporarily listed an iPad for $69? It was obviously a mistake made by one of Sears’ third-party vendors, but a good deal of people attempted to buy the tablet on the off-chance Sears would do the right thing and actually ship the product for the listed price. That didn’t happen. Sears of course exercised their rights detailed in their terms of service and cancelled the orders apologetically, but most buyers were left irritated including one very persistent man named Kristopher. Kristopher reached out [his rage-filled email is after the jump] this morning to TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Engadget, Gawker, and several other sites in a last-ditch effort to finally get an iPad out of this experience. You see, Kristopher, kept what seems like a very detailed log of his dealings with Sears — a good practice by the way — and is willing to “trade my 180 page email trail (compiled into a single PDF doc for your convenience)” for a 64GB iPad. Tempting, but no dice, sir. We’re not buying you an iPad but I’ll tell your dumb story anyway. Original email with names omitted to protect those just doing their jobs
Working retail sucks. Like the popular saying states, the job would be great without the people. I feel for the guy, but come on, retailers make pricing mistakes, and as long as it’s not part of a bait and switch scheme, they’re within their rights to change the price or cancel the order. That’s the risk involved when jumping on a crazy-low deal — there’s only a tiny chance you’re going to get it. You ordered a 64GB iPad for $520 under list and you expect the retailer to ship it to you? Have you heard the one about the wooden iPad in a box? Sears’ Terms of Service under the Disclaimer heading
I’m clearly not a lawyer but quick Google search confirms that retailers are within their rights to include that clause in their terms of service. Several so-called legal experts state that it’s slightly shady if the cancellation is done after the order is fully processed, though. But, if it’s not, the fine print of the terms of service gives the retailer an out. We’re not talking about your grocer mispricing a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese here. TechCrunch isn’t going to buy you an iPad, Kristopher; good luck with that. Fighting the man is important, but so is knowing when to walk away, which it sounds like was 35 days or so ago in this case. You can always cut your loses and see if you can snag one a TouchPad in the next shipment. That’s a better tab anyway. Owning a TouchPad is a free ride to hipster stardom. I reached out to Sears’ legal counsel, who was conveniently included on the mass email, but have yet to hear anything back.
|
| Barnes And Noble Preparing Nook Color 2 For September Launch? Posted: 02 Sep 2011 08:44 AM PDT  Barnes and Noble’s Nook Color eReader is a fan favorite, not only because it’s great for reading, but also because with a little hackery it becomes a surprisingly decent Android tablet. A new report from Taiwan today indicates that Barnes and Noble has a sequel in the works, and that it could hit stores shelves as early as this month, potentially before Amazon’s own big unveiling. Details about the new reader are sparse, but Digitimes reports that it retain the original’s 7-inch screen size. Hardware vendors are already lined up and ready to ship components: TPK Holdings is reportedly responsible for for supplying the device’s touch panels, while Inventec will handle the assembly process. Interestingly, Digitimes also fingers E Ink as providing e-paper backplates for the Nook Color 2, which seems highly suspect. It may well be among the first mass-market devices to offer a color e-paper display, but it seems doubtful if only for one reason: it would probably kill the Nook Color 2′s tablet potential. Getting your choice of custom Android ROM onto a Nook Color is fairly trivial these days, and has certainly driven Nook Color purchases among the geekier crowd. They become infinitely more useful in the process — my favorite Korean restaurant uses one as a menu for first-timers — and a color e-paper display could put that all at risk. Battery life among other things would probably improve, but it could otherwise stymie certain owners of the original from buying a new model. For now, the true nature of the Nook Color 2′s display (and the rest of its specs) will remain a mystery, but hopefully it won’t be long before it makes its official debut.
|
| Nike Apologizes For Nike+ Issues, Promises Fixes, New Platform Soon Posted: 02 Sep 2011 08:37 AM PDT  Jayme Martin, VP and GM of Nike Running, has emailed a letter to Nike+ users, apologizing for the platform’s performance over the past few months. He says that Nike is aware of a number of issues that have been affecting its users, including problems logging in, syncing devices, sharing runs and editing profiles. “Just like you, we hold ourselves to incredibly high standards,” writes Martin, “and right now Nike+ isn’t living up to them.” The letter also revealed Nike’s plans for a new Nike Plus platform that will resolve these issues as well as add more features. Nike+ is a comprehensive sensor-assisted platform for runners, which uses an accelerometer either strapped to the body in a watch, band or other gadget. It can also use the iPhone’s accelerometer in combination with an app which adds GPS details to the data it collects. With Nike+, runners can record the details of a run, including how fast they went, how far they ran, how long the run was, how many calories were burned and more. However, for the past several months, the Nike+ platform has been experiencing problems. Not all users have been affected, notes Martin, but clearly enough were to require this emailed apology. You can see some of the examples of the examples of the types of login and syncing issues users were experiencing here on Nike Running’s Facebook page, plus here, here and here (check the comments), for starters. And some of these go back further than just “a few months.” “Wow, this is embarrassing,” the Nike Running rep wrote on Facebook around three months ago. In fact, they even admitted that the Nike+ page wasn’t fully compatible with IE9, a browser that went public in mid-March, but had been available in developer previews starting in March 2010. Embarrassing, indeed. And I’m sure it has nothing to do with the Flash-based monstrosity that is the Nike+ website. Nike says that it has now resolved the issues related to the slow logins and login failures and has improved the ability to sync devices, log runs and post that information to Facebook. An updated version of the Nike+ GPS app (iTunes link) is arriving soon, too. In addition, Nike is promising a completely revamped Nike+ platform that will include better coaching, maps and challenges. The new platform will be “faster, more social and easier to use” and will launch alongside some other “really exciting new products and services.” No word on what those are just yet, but as a former (OK, occasional) Nike+ user myself, I’m holding out for an HTML5 site before I return. The full letter is below:
Nike, Inc. designs, develops, and markets footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessory products worldwide. The company offers various categories of shoes, including running, training, basketball, soccer, sport-inspired urban shoes, and...
|
| Samsung CEO, “We Don’t Want HP’s Garbage” — Or Something Like That Posted: 02 Sep 2011 07:08 AM PDT  The future of webOS is a little less uncertain now that Samsung’s CEO, Choi Gee Sung, grabbed rumors of buying HP’s webOS business by the cuff, laughed in its face and then coldly stabbed the rumor in the heart. Choi, in response to a report’s question about the recent analyst report, stated, "It's not right that acquiring an operating system is becoming a fashion,” and that Samsung would “never” pursue such a deal. After HP announced it was getting out of the webOS hardware game, several analyst released reports indicating that several key players were interested in picking up the fallen OS. These reports put Samsung as the main buyer, but that’s clearly not the case. Besides, while HP killed its webOS hardware division, the company isn’t abandoning software development — yet. In fact if HP spins off its PC business, this newly created company could revive the TouchPad along with other webOS hardware devices. Samsung is instead focusing on building out its Bada OS, which many of our commenters pointed out in our original post on the subject. The company just rolled out three new Bada handsets this week, including one with NFC capability. CEO Choi essentially reaffirmed that Android and Bada is Samsung’s future, not buying a second-hand OS. But with Samsung out of the picture, if HP was looking to off-load webOS, there are not many companies left to run with Palm’s fallen banner. HTC is firmly entrenched with Android, RIM is developing its next generation of BlackBerry smartphones around the QNX platform, Motorola will soon be owned by Google, and Nokia has lucrative deal with Microsoft. Who’s left? Maybe Tiger Electronics will buy webOS and remake the Game.com portable. I’d buy it.
|
| Bright 3D Drive: Epson Introduces World’s First HTPS-TFT 3D Panel Posted: 02 Sep 2011 06:31 AM PDT  Epson has been working on HTPS (high-temperature polysilicon)-based TFT panels for years now, and yesterday the company announced the launch of the world’s first such panel for 3D 3LCD projectors. There will be two models, one measuring 0.74 inches (pictured) and another one with 0.61 inches, both will full HD resolution. According to Epson, the new devices use a technology called “Bright 3D Drive” that helped to boost the image refresh rate from 240Hz to 480Hz. As a result, 3D pictures produced by the new panels are said to be 1.5 times brighter than those created by 240Hz models. Epson has already started mass-producing their HTPS 3D panels and will offer them to other projector makers, too.
|
| Woot Offers TouchPad Buyers Star Wars Jokes And Partial Refund Posted: 02 Sep 2011 06:27 AM PDT  Before the TouchPad dove head first into the bargain bin, HP tried a little pricing experiment. Early in August, they dropped the TouchPad’s price by $50, and very shortly after, the discount was bumped up to $100. It was a sweet deal, but in retrospect, some buyers may not be too happy with pulling the trigger when they did. Woot sold the TouchPad for $379, but they reportedly feel like “scruffy nerf herders” about it and are offering buyers a $100 partial credit and an email laden with Star Wars jokes. Slashgear was sent a copy of the email, and it states that people who bought Woot TouchPads and like them enough to keep them should have already seen the credit post to their account. Even so, affected users may want to fire up their banking website of choice just to check. If the whole price drop situation just has you seeing red, don’t fret: after a quick email to Woot’s support line, you’ll be able to return the thing for a full refund. Alternately, at Woot’s suggestion, you could “dress up as a palace guard, sneak into some alien crime lord’s fortress, and put some mystic revenge plan into motion.” Best of luck if you go that route. Woot is personally one of my favorite online retailers in general, and stuff like this just seals the deal: they didn’t have to do a thing, but they’re reaching out to customers and taking the hit on returns and credits just to make sure those people stick around. I only wish they’d get their Star Wars references straight: those pigfaced trolls on Cloud City were called Ugnaughts, and Lobot wasn’t a droid but a guy with electronic earmuffs.
|
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, Galaxy Note Not Launching In The US? Ever? Posted: 02 Sep 2011 06:03 AM PDT  Sigh. Samsung is apparently not planning on launching two of its latest tablets in the states. This comes right from an IFA Samsung rep who stated there are no plans on bringing the tablets to the kind citizens of the US of A. Of course this rep might not be in the know, but most of the time these flacks abstain from using absolute statements, instead using their fancy marketing circle talk. But this rep shoot nearly all hope. The two tablets in question here, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and the Galaxy Note, were some of the biggest hits at IFA this year. They both sport beautiful AMOLED screens in slender, size-appropriate casings. The 7.7 is a fine update from the original Galaxy Tab, which also debuted at German’s IFA show back in 2010. The Note then takes up the banner dropped by the canceled Dell Streak 5 but comes supercharged with an active digitizer stylus. It’s not without precedent that a manufacturer will sell different models in different regions. This move by Samsung, if it’s actually true, could be a response to its European legal dealings with Apple. If Sammy can’t sell the GalTab 10.1 then they’re going to hit the market with a volley of unconventional tablets. In fact instead of going head-to-head with the iPad, Samsung should have employed this tactic from the get-go and hit the market with, if you will, anti-iPads that offer different use-cases through smaller form factors. This leaves US buyers in the dark, though. Sprint, Verizon and AT&T still sells the original 7-inch Android 2.x Galaxy Tab and the newish 10.1 iPad clone. The US market is getting the just-announced 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab in both 3G and WiFi flavors. Perhaps the kingpins at Samsung thought any more than three models would confuse the average American shopper although most tech pundits assumed the new GalTab 7.7 would replace the very old 7-inch model. Oh well, that doesn’t sound like it’s going to happen. But, as is with everything Android, another manufacturer will likely out nearly identical models including a smaller tablet like the Samsung Note and launch here in the States while Samsung is testing the waters in Europe.
|
| Evul Todai: A Relaxation Lighthouse Lamp For The Living Room Posted: 02 Sep 2011 06:02 AM PDT  Lighting gadgets and accessories are a dime a dozen, but the so-called Evul Todai from Japan manages to stand out. The device is designed like a Japanese-style lighthouse and behaves like it, too: while the top part glows, the middle part rotates to project one out of a total of 15 patterns (in one of 5 colors) throughout the room. The Evul Todai uses a heat convection turning system for the photo lens, and because there is no motor, the device doesn’t produce any annoying sounds when it rotates (the turning intervals are adjustable between 4 and 22 seconds). Users can also drop their favorite essential oils into the hollow on the top of lamp, which the device then slowly burns off over time (no flame needed). Each Evul Todai is manufactured in Japan, in parts by a “third-generation potter “(see below), and comes packaged in a high-quality box – which is probably why it’s being marketed as a “premium relaxation light". The lighthouse lamp is Japan-only, but available for everyone living outside this country through specialized site Japan Trend Shop for $239 (they’ll ship it anywhere).
|
| Posted: 02 Sep 2011 01:00 AM PDT  Here are some recent posts on TechCrunch Gadgets:
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from TechCrunch » Gadgets To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
