Potentially ideal for checking recent text messages or emails, a breakthrough in LCD and contact lens development could result in amazing applications.
Covered by The Telegraph yesterday, a research team at the Ghent University Centre of Microsystems Technology in Belgium have developed a new type of contact lens that uses the entire surface of the lens to display letters and symbols. Prior to this point, researchers have only been able to create a LED lens that displays a single pixel. However, the technology behind this new development offers the ability to display a large range of pixel sizes as well as a significant volume of pixels on a LCD display. To show off the technology, the prototype shows a large dollar sign across the entire curved surface of the lens.
Conceptually, an image could be displayed on the lens in order to see scrolling text messages or emails that have been sent to a smartphone. Even more interesting, GPS driving directions could actually appear in the field of vision while someone is operating a vehicle.
In the medical field, these lenses could be used to limit the amount of light a person can see after they experience a form of trauma to one of their eyes. That could also be programmed to naturally allow more light into the damaged eye as the healing process progresses.
Researchers also indicated that the technology could create adaptive contact lenses that lighten or darken depending on the sunlight in the immediate area. Similar to eyeglasses that are coated with a light-transitioning material, the contact lens would provide the same function as a pair of sunglasses when outside. In addition, people could utilize the lenses to cosmetically change the color of their eyes and select different colors at any time using a mobile application.
Regarding the timeline for application development, head researcher Professor Herbert De Smet stated “Now that we have established the basic technology, we can start working towards real applications, possibly available in only a few years.” When asked about the development process by The Inquisitor, De Smet said “Normally, flexible displays using liquid crystal cells are not designed to be formed into a new shape, especially not a spherical one. By using new kinds of conductive polymers and integrating them into a smooth spherical cell, we were able to fabricate a new LCD-based contact lens display.“
While Kodak continues the bankruptcy process started during early 2012, Apple and Google join forces to snag Kodak's imaging patent library.
Reported by Bloomberg recently, smartphone competitors Apple and Google have submitted a joint bid of more than half a billion dollars for Eastman Kodak’s 1,100 imaging patents remaining in the company’s portfolio. Both Apple and Google had attempted to purchase Kodak’s patents separately, but all attempts were unsuccessful up to this point. Apple was working with Microsoft and Google as working with a variety of unnamed Android smartphone manufacturers when the original bids of $150 to $250 million were placed during Kodak’s auction. Representatives for both Apple and Google have declined to comment on the reported partnership and Kodak representatives hasn’t disclosed the total amount of the joint bid from the two companies.
After CES 2012 came to a close in early January, Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to dwindling revenue from camera film sales as well as increased competition in the digital imaging space. At the time of the filing, Kodak reported approximately five billion dollars in assets and nearly seven billion dollars in total debt.
During November 2012, Kodak was able to secure $830 million in exit financing. However, access to that money was contingent on the sale of Kodak’s imaging patent portfolio for a price above $500 million. Prior to the patent auction in August, Kodak estimated the entire patent portfolio was worth between $2.2 to $2.6 billion.
While the partnership between Apple and Google clearly doesn’t give either company an edge regarding patent ownership, it will allow both companies to avoid spending money on litigation over the Kodak patents in the coming years. Strategically, it also halts Kodak representatives from spurring a continued bidding war between the two companies. Without a strong bargaining position, Kodak will likely be forced to take the offer in order to finalize the bankruptcy process unless a new bidder comes forth.
Not sure how many gigabytes of data you want to get? We give some basics on how much data services cost and what activities you may want to avoid unless you're on a Wi-Fi network.
So you have finally decided that you are ready to buy a new smartphone, but you aren’t sure how much data you will need on a monthly basis. We can’t help you afford data plans these days, but we can help you figure out how much data you’re likely to use per month. Picking the wrong data plan can end up costing you hundreds of dollars a year in either unused bandwidth or overages, so it pays to know how much data you will be using.
Below we have broken down the most popular ways people consume data on their phones, and provide a rough estimate on how much data you can use for each category.
Email
Email is one of the oldest and most used features on smartphones, and luckily it uses up hardly any data. If you are just sending regular old emails without any pictures, videos, or any other attachments you can basically send an endless amount of emails without using up much data. For example, if you were to send or receive a total of 5,000 emails each month, you would have a hard time breaking 100MB of data. So if you plan on sending a normal amount of emails each day, you won’t have to worry about how much data you are using per email.
There is a big difference between text emails and emails with attachments. If you were to send the same 5,000 emails each with a picture attachment you could be looking at over 2GB of data used per month. Assuming you don’t quite have the time to take and send that many pictures, you won’t have to worry too much about emailing pictures. If you can keep it to a couple of pictures a day, you should use around 100MB of data.
Web browsing
Much like emailing, Web browsing is a required feature of every smartphone. Depending on the webpages you visit it is also very economical on your data budget. Of course, every website is different, and if you visit pages with lots of multimedia features, your data numbers will be much different. If you are planning on doing some light Web browsing on your phone, then you should expect to use less than 100MB of data a month. On the other hand, if you are browsing some data-heavy sites that aren’t optimized for phones, you could find yourself using over 1GB of data. There is a big difference between the two extremes, but unless you know for sure that you are going to be surfing a lot, you shouldn’t be using more than 200MB a month.
Social Media
Browsing Twitter and Facebook is a big draw for people to get a smartphone, but just how much data can you expect to use on these social networks? Both Twitter and Facebook are pretty optimized to go easy on the data, so for general browsing you shouldn’t expect to see a big increase in your data usage. Unless you decide that you will start uploading countless pictures to either social network you can expect to use less than 100MB of data each month. Like everything else so far, this number greatly depends on just how much you use these services, for example if you decide to post 10 pictures a day to Facebook you can expect to use about 400MB of data on social networks alone.
Downloading Apps/Games/Songs
Downloading anything eats up data, so just be mindful of what you are downloading. If you download a single app, game, or song each day you can expect to see around 100MB a month in data. It is likely that you won’t be downloading something every single day, but those Angry Birds really add up. App updates are also getting more frequent and larger in size. Only download updates and apps while on Wi-Fi.
Streaming Audio
This is where the data really starts picking up. Streaming songs is very data intensive, and as a general rule you will want to try to avoid streaming music or audio podcasts while using your data service. Try to only do this while on a Wi-Fi network. If you wanted to listen to music all day every day at work you are looking at more than 6GB of data a month. If you are able to average about an hour a day then you will rack up just under 1GB of data a month.
Streaming Video
Just like with streaming audio, streaming video is very data heavy. If you wanted to watch a 30 minute TV show on Netflix every day, you can expect to consume almost 2GB of data. That number goes up to 5GB a month if you are trying to watch a movie every day. You will likely see less than a gigabyte a month if you are mindful of how much you are watching. Again, like streaming audio you should try to avoid watching video unless you are on a Wi-Fi network, unless you have a hefty data plan.
Add it all up
So now you can figure out what you want to do with your phone, and about how much data those hobbies use up. While it is always smart to give yourself a little wiggle room in case you have a randomly heavy data month, but there is no reason to pay too much every month for data you will never use. Unless you are planning on streaming audio or videos on a regular basis, most people will have a hard time passing the 2GB a month data threshold. If you are very worried about going over your data limit, and don’t think there is a plan that can provide you enough data, you can always opt for an unlimited data plan but those aren’t offered by every carrier. The biggest tip we can give you is to set your phone up to auto connect to your Wi-Fi networks at work and home. Download things in advance while on Wi-Fi and enjoy them throughout the day.
Motorola has updated the software update schedule for its Android devices, clarifying approximately when some of these eligible devices will be getting the coveted Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update.
Starting with the US market, the RAZR M update has already started rolling out in November whereas the DROID RAZR HD, DROID RAZR MAXX HD and the ATRIX HD will be getting the update in December, 2012. The ELECTRIFY M will get the update in Q1, 2013.
The PHOTON Q, ELECTRIFY 2, DROID RAZR, DROID RAZR MAXX, DROID 4, DROID BIONIC will be updated to Jelly Bean at an unspecified date.
In Canada, the RAZR HD and ATRIX HD will be updated in Q1, 2013.
In the Europe, Middle East and Africa, the RAZR HD rollout begins in December, RAZR i in Q1, 2013 and the RAZR and RAZR MAXX at an unspecified date.
In Asia Pacific, the RAZR, RAZR M and RAZR HD will be getting the update depending upon the carrier and location.
In Latin America and Mexico, the RAZR, RAZR MAXX, RAZR HD, RAZR i will be getting the update, again, depending upon the carrier and the region.
For more detailed information, click on the source link below.
Apple and Google may be about to form an unlikely alliance to snap up Kodak's vast army of imaging patents, according to reports this weekend.
Bloomberg sources have claimed the companies have abandoned separate bids to acquire the 1,100 patents and have instead teamed up on a $500m (UK£311, AUD$476m) proposition.
The package of patents has been up for grabs since the iconic film and camera firm entered bankruptcy in January this year and had courted interest from Apple-led and Google-led consortiums.
If indeed Google and Apple do team up on the deal it would offer both companies insurance against future courtroom battles.
Peace process
Although bitter rivals in the smartphone and tablet industry, both sides are looking for ways out of the interminable patent wars that have dominated the headlines in the last couple of years.
Agreements such as these, among rivals, neutralise any potential legal action.
Neither Apple nor Google have so far commented on the story.
Looking to buy yourself or someone like you a new tablet for the holidays? We're here to help. Here are our favorite small and large tablets for the holidays.
In 2012, the tablet grew up and grew down. Nearly every smartphone and PC maker tried their hand at cracking the iPad’s iron grip on the tablet market this year, but few of them have faired well. By sheer volume, we’re beginning to see some erosion of Apple’s lead, but for the third year in a row, we still think that the iPad has the best overall ecosystem behind it. There were a lot of good tablets out this year, but this article is about the best. Right now, the best tablets for the best prices come from Apple, Google, and Microsoft.
In a bid to stay ahead of the competition, Apple updated the market-defining 9.7-inch iPad not once, but twice this year. In mid-March it released the third iPad, which looks the same, but packs a screen with more pixels than a 1080p HD television. If that wasn’t enough, those who chose to hold off on buying the third iPad were rewarded in October as Apple replaced it with the fourth-generation iPad (iPad 4), which looks the same, but packs more than twice the processing power and uses Apple’s new Lightning Connector.
Whether you choose to love or hate Apple, the iPad is still the best tablet money can buy. At $500, it’s now more expensive than most of its rivals, but that’s only because it’s won the war of attrition. Most tablets have been forced into the $200 – $400 price range because, really, if you’re going to spend $500, you might as well get an iPad.
Aside from its speedy, fluid user interface and remarkable hardware design (always a strength of Apple), the key to the iPad’s success is its app ecosystem. By requiring developers make apps specifically for the iPad, Apple has amassed more than 300,000 original apps. Android and Windows 8 tablets simply cannot compare. At the end of the day, the measure of a tablet is what you can do on it. Here, Apple wins.
Amazon and Barnes & Noble were the first companies to release $200 tablets, but Google’s the first one to release a really good $200 tablet. The Nexus 7 debuted in July and it’s been climbing the popularity charts ever since. Designed in conjunction with Asus, the Nexus 7 is the best tablet if you’re a fan of Android or hope to avoid the iPad. With the Nexus 7, Google rethought its tablet strategy from the ground up. Instead of trying to imitate computer desktop interfaces, Google has made this Android tablet look and feel identical to an Android phone. It’s just bigger.
Normally, we feel that 7-inch tablets are a little too small to get anything substantial done, but somehow the Nexus defies this rule. It can run the few tablet apps Android has very well, but also runs Android phone apps in a surprisingly adept fashion.
Though many people seeking out the Nexus will be hunting for a bargain, what you’re really getting is more of a steal. The Nexus 7 has highly competitive specs and is as fast and slick as any tablet, but costs about half the price of most of its competition. It’s a far more fluid and usable device than a Kindle Fire HD, which has a poor email client, limited app selection, and still tends to get laggy. With the Nexus 7, you have access to going on a million Android phone apps/games on the Google Play Store, including many by Amazon and B&N, like the Kindle app, AmazonMP3 app, or the Nook app. You don’t have to give up their services to get a good tablet.
After spending years reviewing tablets in every shape and size, we’re happy to report that the iPad Mini’s 7.9-inch screen is probably the best-sized tablet display to date. It’s noticeably larger than a 7-inch tablet, which gives you valuable screen real estate, but still small and light enough to hold with one hand or store in an abnormally large pocket. Best of all, because it’s basically a shrunken iPad 2, every full size iPad app works out of the box.
If you own a newer iPad, you will notice one luxury missing. The iPad Mini has a 1024 x 768 pixel screen. In 2011, this would have been an awesome resolution, but after Apple raised the bar with the Retina screen on the iPad 3, times have changed. The iPad Mini’s screen looks noticeably more pixely than you may like. This annoyance fades in time and has no real bearing on the performance of the tablet. If you really want a Retina screen, you should hold out for the iPad Mini 2.
Price is the other big issue. $330 is a lot more than the $200 it costs to buy a Nexus 7. They are both great tablets. We would edge Apple’s tablet ahead because of its app selection, screen size, and comfort, but only you know if that’s worth $130.
The Nexus 10 is not our favorite tablet on this list, but it is better than your ordinary 10-inch Android tablet. Like it did with the Nexus 7, Google has made the large tablet version of Android 4.2 feel more like a phone. It’s a lot easier to pull down notifications and get what you need to get done on the Nexus 10 than most other tablets. And did we mention the screen? Google got screen envy of the iPad 3 and 4, so it packed 2560 x 1600 pixels into the screen – even higher than Apple’s Retina. The Nexus 10′s screen looks gorgeous and it has enough processing power to punch a baby.
Like all big Android tablets, it will suffer from the Google Play Store’s lack of solid tablet apps. Things are getting better, but be prepared to run some hideous apps until all developers customize their goods to the big, pixel-dense screen. But for $400, you’re getting the fastest, prettiest 10-inch Android tablet we ever laid our eyes on.
Should the Surface RT be on this list? It depends on who you are. For those of you who want to try out the new version of Windows, the Microsoft Surface is one of the best ways to do it. It’s built well, has a nice kickstand, and we love the magnetic TypeCover attachment. The problem is Windows RT. It walks and talks like Windows 8, but can’t run any Windows 7 applications. That means you can’t install any software on it that doesn’t come from the Windows 8 Store. Want the Chrome browser, iTunes, Spotify? You’re out of luck. The Classic desktop is difficult to use with a touchscreen and feels slow. Still, Microsoft is issuing fixes pretty regularly and is committed to Windows 8′s success. If you want a new, different kind of tablet, give it a go.
A key Apple patent which governs the use of multitouch technology on its mobile devices has been temporarily ruled invalid.
On Friday, the United States Patents & Trademarks Office (USPTO) struck down all 20 claims within the touchscreen heuristics patent '949', also known as 'the Steve Jobs patent'.
The filing, in which the late Apple founder is named as one of the inventors, covers a "touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics."
The validity of the claims will now be reexamined and any decision could have major ramifications in the ongoing patent wars.
May yet survive
Samsung was found guilty of infringing this patent by an International Trade Commission (ITC) judge back in October, while Motorola had also been accused of infringing 'the Steve Jobs patent.'
However, this temporary ruling, known as a first Office ruling, doesn't yet spell doom for one of Apple's most important mobile patents.
Florian Mueller of the excellent Foss Patents blog explains: "I have said on various occasions that first Office actions and other non-final Office actions are just preliminary.
"Many patent claims that are rejected at this stage do ultimately survive."
BBC iPlayer viewers can now enjoy full screen playback from the comfort of the new Apple iPhone 5.
The Corporation has issued an update for its popular on-demand app, optimising the aspect radio for the elongated 4-inch Retina Display.
Viewers can now kiss goodbye to the annoying black bars at either side of the picture when catching up on Top Gear or Doctor Who on the iPhone 5.
Beyond the video player optimisation, the Beeb has also taken the opportunity to fix a few bugs and introduce a couple of extra features.
TV playback
iPhone users - like their iPad-toting comrades - can now plug the device into their TV and view video that way, which is great for those without a Smart TV.
Within the playback screen there's now a prominent 'More' button, which allows users to seek out further episodes or likeminded series.
Users can also hit the Live Channels buttons when watching live TV in order to flip between the various BBC stations.
The launch of a new Nexus phone has become as traditional an event as the coming of the usual Christmas debauchery.
Google started this trend with the HTC-made Nexus One back in January of 2010, followed by the Nexus S a little under a year later, then the Galaxy Nexus and this year's extremely tempting Nexus 4.
The latest Nexus always arrives accompanied by a new version of Google's Android OS, so as well as a new lump of hardware to play with we also see a refresh of the Android code arrive, too.
It is all very exciting indeed.
So, now that Google and its hardware partners are preparing for the fifth generation Nexus for launch at the end of 2013, we can't help but start to wonder what it'll be like.
Will LG still be making it, after this year's Nexus 4 stock debacle? Or will previous rumours of Sony getting a go at making it turn out to be true? And what of Android 5.0, or Key Lime Pie as Google insists we reluctantly call it?
The many components of the next Nexus are still up in the air, which is as good a time as any to come up with some ideas regarding what shape the phone should take when it falls into place at the end of 2013.
So here's our Nexus 5 fantasy wishlist.
The Nexus S. Nice, but largely overlooked, despite introducing a subtle curve to the display surface.
Nexus 5 Display
The Nexus 4 features a great 4.7" display, with LG's screen running on its own True HD IPS technology and outputting at 768 x 1280 resolution, minus a bit at the bottom for Android 4.2's now standard software buttons.
That's something we'd expect to change when it comes to next year's Nexus, though, as several Android hardware makers are now talking about 1080p resolution displays for future mobiles, with the rumoured Sony Yuga said to be arriving early in 2013, with a maximum HD resolution 1920 x 1080 screen.
We'd expect to see 1080p screens become the norm for high-end Android models during 2013, as the makers continue to try and out-do each other, so whoever ends up making the Nexus 5 surely has to make it operate at today's commonplace 1080p res.
Perhaps Google will also sell the things in a decent quantity next year?
Nexus 5 release date
This one's pretty easy to compute, as the Nexus range of phones operates outside the usual February Mobile World Congress reveal and spring launch cycle, instead appearing in the winter months to give Android fans something to look forward to during the dark days.
The Nexus S arrived in December, the Nexus One in January and the Galaxy Nexus and LG's Nexus 4 both launched in November, so expect the Nexus 5 to stick to that schedule and appear in time to feature on the Christmas present lists of the world's smartphone enthusiasts next year.
Nexus 5 specs
This one's harder to guesstimate, as power seems to vary depending on the whims of the maker.
Last year's Samsung-made Galaxy Nexus was only a moderately-powered model, while this year's Nexus 4, complete with its cutting-edge Qualcomm S4 Pro quad-core processor and 8MP camera, is about as high-end as you can get right now.
What we've seen emerging from LG recently is the news of the LG Optimus G2, a phone supposedly built around a 2GHz version of Qualcomm's S4 Pro chipset.
With the Nexus 4 based around the chassis of the original Optimus G, we could see the G2 appear as the Nexus 5, should Google and LG team up again for the next Nexus phone.
We should also beg Google to change its mind when it comes to locking down the physical aspects of the hardware.
We've seen plenty of Android models arrive with sealed cases, fixed batteries and no SD card support, which is putting some users off the idea of plumping for a Nexus.
The lack of SD-card expansion is becoming accepted and seems like it'll become the norm in 2013, but surely a nerd-focused phone range like the Nexus series ought to feature an SD card slot? Especially with the move to HD media and photography, which makes the Nexus 4's limited 8GB model seem rather poor.
We'd also expect the Nexus 5 to feature LTE support, something missing (officially) from the Nexus 4. Even the UK will have a decent 4G network by 2013, so it must be in the next model.
The LG Optimus G, which LG stuffed into a different case, loaded up with Android 4.2 and renamed it the Nexus 4.
Nexus 5 design
This is the one area where the Nexus range has traditionally lagged a little, with Google seemingly issuing orders to its makers not to try anything too avant garde, or to stray too far from the curved, black rectangle aesthetic when making the Nexus models.
This year's LG Nexus 4 bares quite a few visual similarities to last year's Galaxy Nexus from Samsung, with only its sparkly back to add a little excitement to the Nexus range.
We'd love it if the Nexus models could start to set a standard for design as well as software, as the vast number of boring black Android phones isn't setting anyone's loins on fire.
We're not suggesting pink snap-on after-market back covers, but something a little more thrilling would help differentiate the Nexus line from the competition.
Also, LG has come into quite a bit of stick for copying Apple's idea of sticking a glass back on the phone, with plenty of early Nexus 4 buyers claiming it's a bit on the fragile side. Perhaps a return to robust Korean plastic might be in order for the Nexus 5?
Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie?
We always expect a new Nexus phone to arrive with an equally fresh version of Android, so we might reasonably demand to find Android 5.0 arriving on 2013's Nexus handheld.
Thing is, that's nearly an entire year away, and with Android 5.0 already showing up in online benchmaking tools, we may see that version of Google's code appear sooner rather than later.
So - and this might sound a bit bonkers - we could therefore see the Nexus 5 arrive with Android 6.0 or maybe something less drastic like, say, 5.1 or 5.5.
And Google's chucking out new versions of Android so fast we could easily hit double figures by this time next year.
