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| Samsung Preparing Itself for Production of Flexible Displays? | |  Time after time, a display manufacturer will come up with some ideas for making a flexible screen, and end up showing it off at a trade expo. Over the years, we've seen variations on this tech keep popping up, but we still haven't been at the place yet where anyone's ready to produce a finished, commercial product. That's not to say that some of the prototypes we've seen haven't been very impressive, but it seemed like the manufacturers involved may still be struggling to figure out a way to integrate these kind of systems with smartphones that feels actually useful, and not just like a gimmick. Samsung may be preparing itself to make just such a leap and actually release a flexible display, or at least that's the impression given by the company filing for trademark protection for the name of its latest flexible display tech. Samsung will apparently call its OLED-based flexible screen YOUM, which gets itself a logo in addition to trademark protection. It's not clear yet if that's supposed to be an acronym, but Samsung has been using the name in all-caps. YOUM basically takes a standard OLED design, and replaces both the glass substrate and encapsulation layers with flexible polymer sheets. As a result, the screens should be especially durable and even a bit lighter than existing components. Samsung goes so far as to call it unbreakable; we'll withhold judgment on that one until we get our hands on a YOUM device ourselves; they could start showing-up as soon as sometime next year. Source: Samsung, USPTO Via: Droid-life |
| 10 Waterproof Smartphone Cases to Prevent Disaster | | 12:58:12 AM | Stephanie Buck |
|  The weather is warming up, which means you're ready to take on the elements. In preparation for summer swimming, cycling and singing in the rain, make sure to keep your smartphone well-protected. We've gathered 10 waterproof smartphone cases that'll help prevent many an accident. Looking for an everyday waterproof iPhone cover? Or maybe a kooky dry bag for a number of smartphone devices? We've got you covered -- literally. SEE ALSO: 8 Handy Tablet Styluses to Boost Your Creativity Have you ever wished you had a waterproof cover? For instance, when you accidentally left your phone in your jeans pocket and then did the laundry? Yeah, we've been there. |
| Meet a New Friend, Robotic Puppet TJ* | | Monday, April 09, 2012 9:13 PM | Sonia Paul |
|  If you've ever been looking for a robotic puppet, your day has finally arrived. Meet TJ*. He's one part toy and one part science project. Just like a puppet, his owners -- or rather, his puppeteers -- can use a remote control to move his eyes up and down and left and right. And they can move TJ*s jaw too. And just like a robot, TJ*s "brain" is essentially a computer system. He's able to move because he has a servo-controlled head, which contains the Arduino open-source processor. That means that you're not just limited to using the remote control's set functions to move TJ*. You can write your own software and reprogram TJ*'s brain so that he can do whatever you want. TJ* is a Kickstarter project by Jeff Kessler, a mechanical engineering graduate student at Stanford. Kessler originally started TJ* for a film project -- he wanted to make a movie with a custom puppet -- but when he realized what other people could do with TJ*, he decided to make the project bigger. That's when he started writing more code for the Arduino processor and opened up the Kickstarter campaign. Kessler sees the robotic puppet not only as a toy, but as an educational tool and tinkering platform for adults and children alike. "I think TJ* is a really fun way to learn about Arduino and server robotics," Kessler says in his Kickstarter pitch. "I would love for TJ* to help you get started telling your own stories, or building your own cool robots." Kessler was originally hoping for about $2,500 with the Kickstarter campaign, but with five days to go until it closes, he's received more that $32,000 -- a phenomenal feat. That's not all. While TJ* is currently made out of fiberboard, with "upgrades," you can get him in colored plastic, paper "skin" and LED eyes. And Kessler's also working on an "Emotive TJ*" that can show feelings like smiles or frowns. What do you think of TJ*? Would you be interested in playing with this robotic puppet? |
| 'Time to Enjoy' App Finds Local Events When You've Got Time For Them | | Monday, April 09, 2012 8:38 PM | Emily Price |
|  Finding something to do around town is pretty easy. Finding something to do around town when you actually have free time, however, can sometimes pose quite the challenge. A new app called Time to Enjoy helps you discover events near you at times you're looking for something to do. "When you think about planning something to do, it always comes down to choosing a time," said Jan Anton, CEO and co-founder of Time to Enjoy. "This inspired us to create a time-driven app designed to sync with your calendar, so you can sift through events that fit your free time and lifestyle with just a few simple clicks." Rather than focusing on the "what" in event planning, Time to Enjoy focuses on the "when." The app aggregates details on millions of hyper-local events ranging from sporting events and concerts to art exhibits, yoga classes and kid's activities. The app can be synced with your calendar and suggests activities that are being held when you might be able to attend them. For instance, if you work 9-5, the app might suggest that you attend a book reading at 6 p.m., but it would leave out info about a wine tasting at 3 p.m. The app offers information about events, and in some cases directions or the ability to buy tickets directly from your phone. Once you've decided which events you plan on attending, you can invite your friends via email, SMS, Facebook or Twitter from directly within the the app. "Today's mobile technology is completely changing the way people search for the information they need," said Brendan Boyd, marketing director and co-founder of Time to Enjoy. "Our app is reinventing mobile search, requiring as few as three clicks to find any kind of event. Instead of having to call or text friends to join, app users can click to share with contacts." The iOS version of Time to Enjoy is available Monday. The Android version of the app is expected to be released later this year. Do any of you currently use an app to find things to do? What do you think of Time to Enjoy's approach? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. |
| Nokia Lumia 900 Hard To Find On Launch Day, Still Selling Well [VIDEO] | | Monday, April 09, 2012 7:35 PM | Emily Price |
|  Nokia held a huge launch party for the Lumia 900 in NYC's Times Square on Friday night. But when it came time for the phone's release on Sunday it was hard to find the handset anywhere near where the celebration was. According to New York Times writer Brian Chen, nearly all 39 AT&T stores located near Times Square were either closed for Easter Sunday, or did not answer phone calls when he called to inquire about the handset's availability. The stores that were closed also played an automated message that advertised the availability of the iPhone 4S -- but didn't mention the Nokia Lumia 900's existence. The Lumia 900 handset runs on AT&T's super-fast LTE network. The HTC Titan II is currently the only other Windows Phone smartphone that is capable of doing the same. The Nokia smartphone sports a unique high-quality design, and has been a hit with reviewers, many who have called the handset the world's best Windows Phone 7 handset. The $99 Lumia 900 is Nokia and Microsoft's best horse in the smartphone race, and both companies have a lot riding on its success. iPhone and Android have a stronghold in the smartphone market in the United States, and both companies need a winner to put both Nokia and Windows Phone on the map stateside. Prior to its launch, AT&T said that the Lumia 900 would be "one of its biggest launches ever". Advertising for the handset has likened it to the iPhone, and Nokia even launched a nationwide ad campaign called "smartphonbetatest" -- implying that the all other smartphones prior to the launch of the 900 were just beta versions. The smartphonebetatest site counted down to zero when the phone was supposed to be revealed. But the ultimate effect of it was somewhat dampened. The clock hit zero at least three times Friday evening, then added an arbitrary amount of time. Launch day woes don't seem to have affected Nokia's sales of the Lumia 900, however. The phone was available for pre-order before Sunday, and made its way into the hands of customers over the weekend. The handset is also currently the top selling phone on Amazon (taking both the #1 and #2 slots), a coveted title definitely worth getting excited about. What do you think about the Lumia 900 launch? Do you think Nokia, Microsoft, or AT&T should have made a bigger deal about it on Sunday, or was offering pre-orders for the phone enough? Tell us your thoughts in the comments. |
| Electric DeLorean Races Toward 2013 Release [PICS] | | Monday, April 09, 2012 6:08 PM | Samantha Murphy |
|  The not-yet-released electric version of the iconic DeLorean sports car featured in the Back to the Future films has arrived at the 2012 New York International Auto Show, touting an iPhone dock, Bluetooth capabilities and a battery-powered engine. The electric DeLorean, which will hit the U.S. market in 2013, was originally announced in October 2011 but it's making a surprise appearance at the auto show this week. The latest DeLorean still comes with recognizable gull-wing doors, a stainless steel body and a rear-mounted engine. However this sucker is electrical: It features a 32-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion phosphate battery system. It's still sporty, too: The car can go from 0 mph to 60 mph in less than six seconds. Although DeLoreans typically run for $65,000, the electric model will cost $95,000. "The electric DeLorean is a natural progression for the vehicle -- it has everything that people expect in cars today that you couldn't get back in 1981 with the original model," James Espey, vice president of DeLorean, told Mashable. The DeLorean may be best known for its role as the unlikely time machine in the Back to the Future movies, but it has attracted the attention of car collectors and fans years following the movie's 1985 debut. SEE ALSO: Porsche Unveils High-Tech SUV, Sleek Sports Car to U.S. Market "People still love that movie and as younger people see it for the first time, they go online and learn more about the DeLorean," Espey said, noting that orders for the DeLorean are mostly placed by people in their 30s and 40s. "We are never going to be a mass production type of company, but for low-volume, niche-market cars, there is a demand." Espey said that the electric DeLorean will get about the same mileage as a Nissan Leaf, running about 100 miles on one electric charge. "Anyone can buy a Prius or a Tesla, but if you want something collectible and different than what anyone else has, this is it. It certainly attracts attention." Moving forward, the company plans to add iOS controls to the vehicle with the inclusion of apps. The first deliveries of the car itself will take place in February or early March of next year. "Starting in January, we will be making three DeLoreans a week," Espey said. "Depending on order volume, it will be a mixture of gas and electric -- one week we may do two electric and one gas or vice versa." Are you excited about the electric DeLorean? Tell us why or why not in the comments. |
| What to Eat Tonight? DinnerSpinner App Puts Your Pantry In Your Pocket | | Monday, April 09, 2012 5:25 PM | Emily Price |
|  Deciding what to make for dinner just got a little easier with Allrecipes' updated Dinner Spinner app. The updated app now allows you to keep track of what food items you have at home in a virtual pantry, and scan items at the grocery store with your smartphone to find recipes to make with that item. "We found through the comScore MobiLens report that 58 percent of smartphone owners use a phone while in brick and mortar stores to shop, and 1 in 5 use it to scan barcodes," Allrecipes.com Director of Communications Stephanie Robinett told Mashable. "Integrating this technology into our app allows us connect a massive database of millions of grocery products to our collection of trusted recipes. "With one click a home cook can scan an item, and with another add it to their shopping list, search for a recipe or save it in their scan history creating a virtual pantry on their mobile device so they know what they have at home when they're at the store." With the app, you can scan items you've run out of and add them to a shopping list. If you run into a bargain while you're out shopping, you can scan the well-priced item to see what fantastic dinner options you can potentially create. Since you're keeping up with your food in a virtual pantry, you can also easily see what you have at home while you're out shopping, preventing you from purchasing something you might already have on hand. Allrecipes currently has more than 12 million downloads of its Dinner Spinner and Dinner Spinner Pro apps for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7 and Kindle Fire, and the Allrecipes.com Your Kitchen Inspiration app for iPad. While both Dinner Spinner and Dinner Spinner Pro offer some of the same functionality, the Pro version of the app also allows you to save recipes and create shopping lists on the site and then access that information later on your mobile phone. So, what sorts of things are people cooking? Allrecipes says the top recipe is "Good Old Fashioned Pancakes." Second place goes to "World's Best Lasagna," followed by Banana Banana Bread, Easy Meatloaf, and then Easy Sugar Cookies. Epicurious also has a mobile app that helps you discover recipes based on what's in your refrigerator, create shopping lists and store recipes. The app is also built into many Samsung fridges. What do you think about Allrecipes update? Can you see yourself using the new features in the app? Let us know in the comments. |
| Many Instagram Users Already Heading for the Exits | | Monday, April 09, 2012 4:29 PM | Christina Warren |
|  Now that Facebook has purchased Instagram, third-party services that offer access to photos and feeds are getting hammered by users. Although Instagram is a mobile-only social network, the service makes an API available to developers who want to access the stream of user photos and comments. This has allowed for the creation of Instagram web and desktop viewers, including Followgram, InstaGrid, Ink361, Instagrille, Carousel and InstaDesk. As users contemplate deleting their Instagram accounts forever, many of these sites are becoming popular destinations for those who want to preserve their photos. SEE ALSO: Deleting Your Instagram Account? Here's How to Save Your Pics Instaport's ability to offer easy-to-access archives of a user's photos is in hot demand. The site is still standing, but we've seen lots of nginx server errors and slow download times. Meanwhile, Followgram is also facing heavy user activity, which is causing slower than normal load time and access to full photo feeds. At this point, it isn't clear if the services themselves are the bottleneck, or the API calls these services are making to Instagram's servers. Meanwhile, it's unclear what the Facebook ownership of Instagram will mean for APIs going forward. Are you having a hard time accessing any third-party Instagram website? Let us know in the comments. |
| Touchscreen Directories Are Coming to NYC Phone Booths | | Monday, April 09, 2012 3:59 PM | Joann Pan |
|  New York City's dilapidated phone booths are getting a high-tech makeover. Hundreds of phone booths will soon be outfitted with iPad-like touchscreen devices for directions and hyper-local news. New Yorkers will see 32-inch smart screens in neighborhood phone booths starting next month, as part of a Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications-sanctioned pilot program. If this public project is well-liked, more of the city's 12,800 free-standing phones will morph into Internet-enabled data stations. Future kiosks may become Wi-Fi hotspots with email and Skype capabilities. "While any final determinations are still some time off, we'll soon begin seeking public input about what New Yorkers would like to see the payphone of the future entail, and we view the City 24x7 pilot program as an innovative, engaging way to help inform those efforts," said Nicholas Sbordone, DoITT director of external affairs. For now, the directories will show information about local eateries, area shopping, traffic alerts, directions and safety alerts. And, no quarters are needed. These touchscreen devices will be free to use, throughout the five boroughs. Locals may also use the smart screens to report a problem to "311." People will be able to read the screens in over 10 languages. NYC has signed on City24x7 a mobile communications company that works with tech-savvy cities around the world. City 24x7 says the project will bring an "up-to-the-minute public communication system" to NYC. The outdoor devices will be waterproof and dust-proof to allow for regular hose downs. City24x7 will be responsible of the maintenance and repair of the screens. The pilot program will cost the city nothing, according to Sbordone. In the future, the program will display ads, covering the installation and upkeep of the touchscreen directories. The city will also post reminders ads about tax refunds, bike sharing services and park events. Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, Matt Long, Image courtesy of DoITT |
| Nokia and Microsoft Take on the iPhone -- By Going Local | | Monday, April 09, 2012 2:56 PM | Pete Pachal |
|  Windows Phone just got a big boost from the Nokia Lumia 900, the first phone on the platform to boast an ultra-fast LTE network connection -- something you can't get with the iPhone. The Windows Phone camp also has a plan to attack Apple's iOS platform where it's strongest: the app catalog. The strategy, in a nutshell: Go local. Microsoft's Windows Phone Marketplace recently passed 80,000 apps -- much more than the 7,000 or so apps it had when it first announced the deal with Nokia, which basically saw Nokia abandon its in-house platforms to become a Windows Phone manufacturer. Eighty thousand is a healthy app catalog, but it's still about an order of magnitude less than the big-league platforms of iOS (600,000) and Android (500,000). Apps are essential to a smartphone platform -- akin to the number of stores in a town. With lots of them, the town becomes a bustling city; not enough and it rapidly becomes a ghost town as residents abandon it for the active streets of metropolises nearby. However, if your town has some beautiful shops that are very in tune with its residents, then that town can thrive without the scale of a big city. This is the approach Microsoft and Nokia are taking with the Windows Phone app catalog, giving special prominence. "Every customer today thinks of apps as something essential to their lives," says Marco Argenti, Nokia's head of developer experience and marketplace. "They want to have apps that are relevant to what's around them. Nobody is happy with 10k flashlight apps -- they want apps of the local newspaper, the local transportation company, the local bank." SEE ALSO: Nokia Takes on Apple in 'Hidden Camera' Ad Campaign/a> The Marketplace thus isn't a monolithic, centralized entity -- it varies from region to region. In addition to popular apps like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, the store serves up apps that are specific to the user's location. Argenti says this serves both the user and the developer. "Developers today are asking first and foremost: How do i monetize?" he says. "The problem on any other platform is if they are not in the top 25, it's very hard. For us, we merchandise the Marketplace on a country-by-country basis to make sure the local apps are surfacing. So if you open the store in turkey, you'll see a bunch of local apps. You won't just see the top 25 global list." Besides giving local apps better placement in the Marketplace, Nokia and Microsoft are investing a lot of time and money in hand-holding developers through the platform. Besides seeding the developer community with 25,000 devices, Nokia says it runs workshops and builds relationships with developers. As a result, Argenti says 80% of the developers who were creating apps for its legacy operating systems (Symbian, MeeGo) have switched over to the Windows Phone. "We don't just carpet-bomb devices out there," he says. "We follow the developer's journey. We follow up, we ask if they need help developing apps and we providing training. For example, we've recently done a lot of events in asia -- Vietnam, Indonesia -- addressing local developers." What do you think of Nokia and Microsoft's locally fueled strategy for Windows Phone? Have your say in the comments. BONUS: Nokia Lumia 900 in Photos |
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