iPhone 4 Launch Marred By Reports of Technical Issues
One of the yellow spots plaguing the brand-new iPhone 4s
Today is the day that millions of people around the world have been waiting for: the day that the iPhone 4 is released to the public. People across the United Kingdom and the United States have lined up to endure long waits to shell out hundreds of dollars/pounds to get their hands on the latest and greatest entry in Apple's iPhone saga.
But as the news breaks about crazy turnouts at Apple stores, so do reports of unhappy buyers. The two biggest complaints are of screen and reception issues, which is quite ironic, considering the unveiling of the iPhone 4 emphasized major improvements for both of these components.
Some iPhone 4 buyers are reporting yellow-tinted spots and/or bands on their screens. If you have been keeping up with the leaks and press releases about the iPhone 4, you'll know that they have been emphasizing its "retina display," which features 4x the pixels as the iPhone 3GS, with a 960 x 640 display (326 pixels per inch). After hearing reports about the problem, a few learned parties and eventually Apple support staff themselves have announced that the problem comes from the adhesive used in the manufacturing process. Apple representatives have differed however, in their responses. Some say that the user should bring the phone in to be replaced, while others claim that the adhesive is merely not yet fully dry, and that waiting a few days should resolve the issue.
The second problem comes from the brand new antenna that Apple has designed into the outer structure of the iPhone 4. The new, snazzy-looking metal band that runs along the outside of the iPhone 4 is actually the antenna. Separated in the bottom left corner of the phone into two antennas, each section of the band serves a different purpose. The segment that runs along the right hand of the phone functions as the GMS/3G antenna, while the other serves as a Bluetooth/WiFi/GPS antenna.
A very ingenious design element, except for those who are right handed. Apparently, when users hold the phone in their left hand (as righties would naturally do), their palms connect the two segments via the conductive properties of their skin, which in effect "short out" the antennas, bring reception down to zero bars, dropping calls in the process. Fortunately, this problem can be offset using a case for the phone, which provides a buffer between the band and the users' skin.
Knowing Apple, the problems will be resolved, but this just goes to show the problems that you have to deal with when you are an early-adopter.
Source: Engadget 1, 2, Gizmodo 1, 2
Microsoft Presents New XBox 360 and Kinect at E3
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3 for short, is one of the most anticipated events in the gaming and electronics world. The biggest and best names in video games and other entertainment electronics always show off their latest and greatest creations to audiences that "Ooh," "Ahh," and drool with anticipation.
Entertainment and PC juggernaut Microsoft brings us the first big announcement from the LA Convention Center, unveiling a new XBox 360 and Kinect.
The new XBox 360 is a thinner version of the existing one, with a new paint job to boot. Now black and glossy, it radiates cool, and has already been renamed "Stealthbox" by tech news site Engadget. It launches today for $299 in the US, and on July 16th in Europe. It's got a host of new features, which you can read in the fact sheet Microsoft offered up to the press. Check it out below:
Kinect, formerly known as Project Natal, is a motion sensing add-on to the XBox 360 system, allowing for controller-less entertainment, as well as features such voice and motion sensing, face recognition, and video chat (via a Windows Live Messenger and XBox Live matchup). Kinect (visible below) will be available for (a rumored) $149 on November 4th, right in time for the holiday season.
Source: Engadget 1, 2, 3, 4
Apple Now Officially Taking App Applications for iOS4
According to the Apple Developer site, applications for apps for the iOS 4 (previously known as iPhoneOS 4) are now being accepted. This is a big milestone, since iOS 4 is the first iPhone operating system that will allow multitasking, unlike Google's Android OS, which has a big head start in that respect.
Despite all the hubbub about the introduction of multitasking, however, there will be certain restrictions. Only certain apps will qualify for multitasking. Apps that run constantly in the background will not work, and like all other apps, they all must pass Apple's approval process. Things just might change though, since some developers are already asking for a little more leeway with app criteria and developer tools.
We'll report back when more information surfaces.
Source: Engadget
Solar Powered Nokero Light Bulbs Give Hope to Impoverished Areas
It's official. The "world's only solar-powered light bulb" has been invented! Or at least, that's what the company that makes it, Nokero, claims.
Designed for use in impoverished countries where electricity is intermittent or even non-existent, the N100 is a heavy duty light bulb made from durable plastic, five LEDs, four solar cell panels, and a nickel metal hydride battery. It can last for up to two hours if left in the sun all day, and when fully charged can provide four hours of illumination. As you'd expect, it's rainproof and designed to survive the roughest of conditions.
Based in Hong Kong, Nokero is offering the N100 at $15 a pop individually, but bulk orders could bring the price down to $6. From what can be gathered from the video below and their name, it seems that Nokero puts a strong emphasis on eliminating the need to use kerosene for light, which is dangerous, polluting, and considerably more expensive than their product. Check out the promotional video below for more information, or the source link to check out their site.
Source: Engadget, Nokero
iPhone 4 Officially Announced
For those who are interested in late-breaking tech news, the official unveiling of the iPhone 4 at Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) today was nothing they hadn't seen before. Due to an Apple tester losing his prototype iPhone 4 at a bar in California a few months ago, the world had already seen what it looked like. Unfortunately for the information-hungry public, the phone was remotely shut off and the full extent of the specifications of the phone remained unexplained until today.
In typical form, Apple CEO Steve Jobs MC'd the WWDC '10, and unveiled numerous changes to the iPhone. Some have already been guessed at by the tech community, but others came as a surprise:
- A stainless steel antenna that runs around the side of the iPhone
- 4x the pixels as the iPhone 3GS (a 960 x 640 display at 326 pixels per inch)
- 800:1 contrast via an IPS display
- A4 processor (the same one that is found in the iPad)
- A 25% thinner form
- A larger battery, which can provide 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video, and 40 hours of video
- 802.11n WiFi technology
- 5 megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom, as well as improved nighttime photo-taking
- An HD video camera which can record 30 fps at 720p
- A gyroscope for 6 Axis control (for a better gaming experience)
It'll be available for pre-order in a week and on sale in stores on June 24th in the US, Japan, Germany, France, and the UK. Those who can make do with just the 16 GB model will have to shell out $199, and those who want the top of the line 32 GB model will have to pony up $299.
Check out the source links for more info, and hands-on demonstration from the guys at Engadget.
Source: Engadget 1, 2
German Scientists Modify Fruit Fly Larvae to “Smell” Light
Researchers at Ruhr-Universitaet-Bochum in Germany have managed to genetically engineer the larvae of Drosophila melanogaster, commonly known as the fruit fly, to smell blue light. Although this doesn't have any direct consequences for what most of us do on a daily basis, it paves the way for future research and could lead to some very interesting applications.
The researchers achieved this by taking a gene for a protein that is activated when in the presence of blue light, and splicing it into the olfactory cells of the fruit fly larvae. This meant that whenever the larvae were in the presence of blue light, it would stimulate their olfactory system to pick up on a certain smell. The smell itself was something that the researchers could tweak to their pleasing, so depending on what they were tweaking, the larvae would smell things like rotting fruit, marzipan, or glue.
This is an interesting breakthrough, but how does it relate to the wider scheme of things? Well, the next step for the researchers is to try to recreate this experiment with adult fruit flies. If it should ever be successful in larger animals that are similar to human being and there were no laws to prohibit it, this sort of thing could be seen in humans, although it would be many years away.
Source: MIT Technology Review via Engadget
Apple Being Questioned by Justice Department Over Possible Antitrust Violations
Too much success can be a bad thing, as Apple may be learning soon.
Apparently, the US Justice Department (DoJ) has begun asking questions of Apple regarding iTunes and how successful it has been in its sales of music. Specifically, the DoJ is interested in whether or not Apple is breaking any antitrust laws through their extremely popular online music portal.
Recently, the NPD Group, a market research firm, reported that Apple's iTunes online store accounts for 28% of all music sales in the United States, and it holds 70% market share. An impressive feat in-and-of-itself, but the DoJ is apparently more interested with iTunes and how it relates to Amazon's music services, which holds second place in terms of market share at just 10%. Apparently, there are questions over whether iTunes unfairly interfered with certain albums and artists with which Amazon had exclusive early-release agreements.
More to come as the situation develops.
Source: Reuters via Engadget
Foxconn CEO Dispels Facility Comparison to Sweatshop
In a statement released to the Chinese press yesterday, Guo Tai-ming, the CEO of Foxconn, stated that "We believe that we are definitely not a sweatshop." His statement comes in response to a growing number of reports that have brought to light the harsh working conditions and strenuous living conditions that have caused 11 suicide attempts this year. Out of those eleven, nine have been successful (the last one occurring just this morning). This along with the fact that Foxconn manufactures iPods, iPads, and iPhones has brought it widespread publicity
A new video of an undercover report has brought to light the fact that Foxconn has been losing about 50,000 workers each month (the facility that has experienced the suicide attempts holds a team of about 800,000 people) and has been trying desperately to get more employees, at the expense of hiring standards. Aside from identification, no additional documentation has been required to work for Foxconn recently. What's more, the video reveals that workers are forced to sign an affidavit that mandates 60-100 hours of overtime each month (the legal limit in China is 36 hours of overtime). The report also highlights verbal abuse from managers towards the workers, as well as random subtractions from their checks.
So far, 50 counselors have been hired to help with the string of suicides that an exorcism by monks was not enough to curb.
Source: Engadget
Toyota and Tesla Lend Each Other a Helping Hand
Last Thursday, Toyota and Tesla Motors announced that they have decided to scratch each others backs by teaming up and combining their strengths for a sweet deal.
Toyota is suffering from a tarnished reputation as a result of a massive recall that sought to address the problem of "sticky accelerators" in some of their automobiles, while Tesla has fallen prey to production problems, pushing back the anticipated shipping date of their Model S to 2012.
So how exactly do they plan to help each other? According to the agreement, Toyota will buy $50 million worth of Tesla stock when the electric-sports-car manufacturer goes public, as well as letting Tesla use a factory in Fremont, California that they closed last year. In addition, Toyota will lend the startup automaker the expertise of their own staff to help with any problems Tesla might run into while getting production going.
In return, Tesla will share with Toyota a closer look at the unique technology that powers their cars. Toyota will benefit by having a leg up on the competition in their EV endeavors, as well as getting a ton of good publicity for reopening a factory that once was the source of almost 5,000 jobs. The fact that the new jobs will be "green" only adds to the good karma Toyota is cooking up for itself.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that a Tesla-powered Toyota will be available before the Model S is released, and it is safe to assume that when it does hit the streets, there will probably be a Toyota part here and there under the hood.
Source: Wired
Bionic Arms No Longer Science Fiction
Just when we thought it was safe to assume that the latest and greatest prosthetic arm was the iLimb Pulse, German medical technology company Otto Bock Healthcare blows us away.
Using a technique called targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR), Otto Bock has created a prosthetic arm that can be controlled by its user's mind. That's right. A robotic arm, controlled by the mind. The process of TMR works in this way: the nerves of the arm that was lost are in a way moved around and re-implanted in the chest of the patient. This allows the electrical impulses that the brain would send to the missing arm's nerves to muscles in the chest.
Electrodes located on the surface of the chest pick up these amplified electrical impulses, and communicate them to a micro-computer, which interprets the signals to control the prosthetic arm.
The prototype of this system has actually been in testing for about 4 years, with a patient named Christian Kandlbauer. Kandlbauer lost both arms in an electrical accident, and currently has one of these extremely expensive prosthetics functioning as his left arm. It has allowed him to drive, work, and even hold a beer!
Patients in the UK may be able to try this technology for themselves in the next few months, but no news about it coming state-side just yet.
Source: BBC via Engadget