Orbotix launches new Sphero AR tools to get the ball rolling on development

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" /> <div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/06/second-hed.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Even the appeal of piloting a remote control toy ball around your carpet tends to wear off after a while. As such, Orbotix has been pushing the augmented reality aspect of its Sphero hardware pretty hard for the past several months. Now the company is announcing the availability of a new AR SDK through Github, as well as a Unity-based plug-in that lets developers build games around existing 3D models. The latter was created for iOS, with an Android version coming shortly. The company's also announcing an "App Bounty" program, promising the gift of funds to developers who build genre apps that hit on "pre-determined requirements" from the company. Roll on past the break for more info on all of the above.</div><div class="pr_box open" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="pr_box_button">Hide Press Release</div><div class="pr_text"> <em><strong>Sphero Makes Augmented Reality Technology Available To Developers</strong></em><br /> <em>Orbotix, the masterminds behind Sphero, the first robotic ball and gaming system controlled by smartphones and tablets, today announced new ways for developers to tap the potential of Sphero and offer even more mind-blowing ways for consumers to enjoy the gaming system using their augmented reality technology.<br /> <br /> Along with a new Sphero Augmented Reality SDK available today on Github, Orbotix has created a new Sphero Augmented Reality plug-in for Unity, a flexible development platform used to make intelligent, interactive 3D and 2D content. Now, developers can simply insert their 3D models and create games around them – all using Sphero as the moving fiducial. The plug-in provides vision detection by automatically coordinating the camera and ball position, distance, orientation and more. The plug-in forms a bridge between Unity and Sphero's native Android and iOS SDKs. Designed for iOS, with an update that will include Android coming soon, this is the first Unity plug-in that allows developers to create augmented reality apps for physical devices.<br /> <br /> "Until now, there hasn't been a simple way for developers to experiment in augmented reality, especially for gameplay," said Adam Wilson, co-founder and chief software architect of Orbotix. "We're constantly looking for ways to break the boundaries and redefine gaming. By making Sphero easily accessible on virtually all development platforms, we hope to inspire a new class of creative game developers and designers to build games that truly merge the physical and virtual worlds."<br /> <br /> "Right now is the perfect time for augmented reality to gain new momentum because hardware finally has the needed sophistication of built-in cameras," said Orbotix Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Ian Bernstein. "Interest from developers and companies in augmented reality is growing, and we're excited to make this technology more attainable for everyone."<br /> To further incentivize developers, Orbotix announced a new Sphero App Bounty program. Developers are invited to create new apps for Sphero within selected genres. A complete list can be found on the Sphero Developer site at http://developer.gosphero.com/bounties. "If the app meets the pre-determined requirements, the developer gets paid. Simple as that," said Ross Ingram, head of developer relations for Orbotix. "It's a fun way for developers to build cool games."</em><br /> </div></div></div>

Orbotix launches new Sphero AR tools to get the ball rolling on development

Even the appeal of piloting a remote control toy ball around your carpet tends to wear off after a w...

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Visualized: HTC folding and 'double-dip' colored cases for the One

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/htconeaccessorieshands-on.jpg" width="640" /> </div><div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">If you're looking to prop up that incoming HTC One for extended viewing or simply protect it from pavements and other hard surfaces, the company is demoing two different series of cases alongside its new phone. First up, a leather-finish foldable cover will protect corners and edges, with the back folding out to create a horizontal stand for the One. The second option takes a page from the style guide of HTC's Windows Phone 8X with a two-tone plastic cover. Both end pieces (which are a different color to the main part) are removable and exchangeable, adding another color option to the white and black base units. We've also been told that an in-car mount will also be available, but HTC didn't have pricing on any of the new additions just yet. Some older add-ons were on display as well, including a 6,000mAh Battery Bar, Car Stereo Clip and HDMI kit. Check 'em all out in the gallery below.</div></div>

Visualized: HTC folding and 'double-dip' colored cases for the One

  If you're looking to prop up that incoming HTC One for extended viewing or simply protect it from pavements and other hard surfaces, ...

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NTT DoCoMo's Xi gets 10 million subscribers on the LTE bandwagon

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="372" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/docomospring31-1358834374.jpg" width="640" /> </div><div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Lately, NTT DoCoMo hasn't had to push its customers to LTE so much as give them a gentle nudge. Just half a year after it notched up 4 million customers on its Xi service, the Japanese carrier has already reached 10 million -- no mean feat when it took the carrier a year following the 2010 launch to get its first million. Of course, it's not too difficult to explain just why adoption has been accelerating. Along with expanding coverage and improved speeds, DoCoMo has been releasing LTE phones aplenty to virtually guarantee that customers will move to 4G. Still, we don't see any sign that the trend will stop when the carrier is launching a slew of high-end devices to catch 3G stragglers.</div></div>

NTT DoCoMo's Xi gets 10 million subscribers on the LTE bandwagon

  Lately, NTT DoCoMo hasn't had to push its customers to LTE so much as give them a gentle nudge. Just half a year after it notched up...

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Ubuntu for tablets revealed with split screen multi-tasking, preview for Nexus slates coming this week

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/ubuntu-tablet-image.jpg" width="640" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Here it is: the fourth and final piece of the Ubuntu puzzle. We've seen the OS on smartphones, on TVs and of course on desktops, but the tablet version has spent a little longer in its dressing room. Fortunately, Canonical feels that the last stage in its four-screen strategy is now ready for the limelight and has released a video of the software in action. The clip is embedded right after the break, where you'll also find details of the preview code coming to the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 this Thursday, plus our take on why this is such a big deal.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Starting with the preview, you heard it right -- the tablet OS will be made available to devs and enthusiasts at the exact same time as the smartphone preview on February 21st. So in addition to the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4, you'll also be able to get a taste of touch-based Ubuntu on a Nexus 7 or Nexus 10. Canonical is promising to provide installation tools and instructions to smooth the process of flashing the early build to your device. (Note: this isn't to be confused with the older desktop version of Ubuntu which could be made to run on a Nexus 7.)</div><div class="more-info" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <h3> More Info</h3><ul><li> Ubuntu for smartphones hands-on</li><li> Ubuntu for Android hands-on</li><li> Ubuntu TV demo</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Commercial tablets containing Ubuntu aren't likely to be available until well into 2014. The latest we've heard is that a barebones smartphone will arrive early next year (albeit with some indications of a possible October launch), followed a few months later by a high-spec smartphone with access to an app store and docking mode, and then by tablets at some point after that. Although Ubuntu has made good progress in recruiting an unnamed silicon company to optimize its chips for the OS, it has yet to cement any deals with device manufacturers or carriers.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Regardless of precise dates, why would someone bother with such a latecomer to the mobile OS game? There are actually a few good reasons. Most importantly, Ubuntu is so lightweight that -- by the time Ubuntu 14.04 rolls around -- it'll be able to use the <em>same code</em> across all four form factors, with the same security features, user profiles and UI fundamentals.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Since the OS will be a constant, a smartphone-oriented app will work on an Ubuntu tablet or any other Ubuntu device without having to be ported or even tweaked. (Although devs will still have the option of adding functionality or UI elements that are specific to one category of device, or that only wake up when a device is docked -- like when a tablet is attached to a keyboard or when a phone is hooked up to a bigger display.)</div><blockquote class="quote left" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> "We've cracked this one in a way that has eluded Microsoft" -- Mark Shuttleworth, Canonical</blockquote><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> This is very different to what Windows offers, for example, with its separate WP8, RT and Windows 8 versions. In fact, Mark Shuttleworth claims to have "cracked this one in a way that has eluded Microsoft," not least because Ubuntu's approach means that smartphone- and tablet-sized apps can run side-by-side on the same device in split screen mode. For example, you could have the Skype phone app running at the same time as a tablet document editor. This feature will be called "side stage," and judging from the video -- which is all we have to go on at this point -- it looks like a nifty approach to multi-tasking, and perhaps slightly more flexible that Samsung's multi-window solution in TouchWiz.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/h384z7Ph0gU?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div></div>

Ubuntu for tablets revealed with split screen multi-tasking, preview for Nexus slates coming this week

  Here it is: the fourth and final piece of the Ubuntu puzzle. We've seen the OS on smartphones, on TVs and of course on desktops, but ...

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HTC One coming to Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T in the US, arriving in UK on EE, Vodafone and O2

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/htc-one-carrier-pricing-2-19-13-01-1361273815.jpg" width="640" /> </div><div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Now that the HTC One is out in the open, you might be wondering where to get one, right? Fortunately, a number of carriers have stepped up: if you're in the UK, you'll find it with LTE on<span> </span>EE "mid-March" for <span>£70 on a 2-year,</span><span><span> </span>£41 1GB data plan and at O2 and Vodafone on March 15th, with pricing for the latter two still to come. If you'd prefer an off-contract buy, Clove is selling the 32GB model in black or silver for </span><span>£425 (plus VAT); pre-orders are <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7080182682816192337" target="_blank">open now</a>, with first shipments expected on March 15th.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <span>Stateside, Sprint, AT&T and </span>T-Mobile will also offer 4G versions of the fresh handset -- but none have mentioned pricing or availability, yet. Meanwhile, Canadians will see the One on Bell, Rogers and Telus, and HTC said that that its new flagship would launch in "80 countries over 185 mobile retailers and operators," making it "the largest rollout ever" for the company. Naturally, we'll keep you up-to-date with all those dates and prices the instant we lay eyes on them.</div></div>

HTC One coming to Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T in the US, arriving in UK on EE, Vodafone and O2

  Now that the HTC One is out in the open, you might be wondering where to get one, right? Fortunately, a number of carriers have stepped...

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HTC One software hands-on: Sense 5, BlinkFeed, Sense TV and new Sync Manager

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/htconesoftware.jpg" width="640" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Now that you're done drooling over the HTC One's shiny body, let's take a look at the phone's generous bundle of software features. Sense 5 on Android 4.1.2 is quite possibly the boldest step HTC's ever taken in terms of Android interface, in the hopes of offering a <i>radically</i> simple experience out of the box. First off, the phone comes with just two soft keys: Back and Home. You can still access the app-switching page by double-tapping the Home key, but instead of the old 3D interface with dozens of app cards, you'll now only get a grid of nine app cards to keep things simple. And like before, simply flick the cards up to dismiss the corresponding apps. Read on for more and our hands-on video. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <span>By default, there will only be two home screen panels out of the box: a "BlinkFeed" page and a classic Android home screen on the right. Yes, just </span><em>two</em><span> panels, as HTC found out that 80 percent of users have three panels or less, and surprisingly, 35 percent of the same group use just one panel! But fret not, as power users can always add more. Similarly, the app tray is set to a leaner 3 x 4 grid by default (which we found to be rather pleasing to the eye), but you can also switch back to the usual 4 x 5 version for nostalgia's sake.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Now, BlinkFeed. This is simply a Flipboard-like tile interface that sits permanently on the main home page. Created in collaboration with Mobiles Republic, this tool pulls in content from various publications and social networks (Twitter, Plurk, LinkedIn, Flickr, Zoe Share and more), as well as your calendar and TV shows from the TV app (more on that later). You won't be seeing emails here, as HTC positions BlinkFeed as a place for more ambient info rather than critical updates. Regardless, the feed can be customized to suit your needs, though the first version won't let you add custom RSS feeds just yet. On a related note, an SDK will be provided for developers to let their apps publish to the BlinkFeed. As you'd expect, fresh content automatically comes in from the top, and it does so every two hours over mobile data, but more frequently over WiFi. Either way, HTC's conducted many tests and is pretty confident that battery life won't be a big issue here. The good news is that should you eventually find this feature slightly stale, you can disable BlinkFeed altogether and just have the plain old Android home screens.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Visually, Sense 5 benefits from a new choice of font -- Roboto, in a specific weight -- along with a simpler keyboard with little gap between keys (but performance unaffected, of course) and cleaner widgets (though the classic HTC flip clock widget is still available). Likewise, the new music player has received an interface redesign, as well as a visualizer and automatic lyrics scroller. Here's hoping that HTC will eventually add a vocal suppressing feature to satisfy the karaoke freak inside you.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="HTC One software handson Sense 5, BlinkFeed, Sense TV and new Sync Manager" data-src-height="412" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/htconegallery-1361294879.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Continuing the multimedia theme we have the Sense TV app on the HTC One, which is actually a Peel-powered universal remote software that combines a good-looking electronic program guide with the IR blaster embedded within the phone's power button. At launch, the app will support all major US cable services along with Hulu integration, whereas the UK will get some love from the likes of Virgin Media, Sky, Freesat and Freeview. We've heard that other regions will provide similar EPG support for the One's Sense TV app, so keep an eye out for your local announcements. Alas, there's no Netflix support at launch, but we assume HTC is still working on that end.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> The TV app's interface needs little explanation, and it'll come with a huge library of remote control IR codes to ensure maximum compatibility with your TV or set-top box. Once the app is activated, you can access the basic controls and recent channels in the notification tray, and you can even use the controls on the lock screen. The best part of this is that you can set to have upcoming episodes of your favorite TV shows to show up in BlinkFeed as a reminder. Pretty neat for couch potatoes, huh?</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Now, here are a couple of software features that help new owners set up their HTC devices. The first one is HTC Get Started which, if you haven't seen it work with the One X+ already, lets you set up your phone from the web on your desktop. After all, it's probably easier to type out your credentials for your various email and social network accounts using the desktop keyboard and display. Additionally, the service also lets you configure your feeds, apps, sounds (including an MP3 ringtone trimmer), bookmarks, wallpapers and lock screens; so this is quite a nice improvement from the existing version of Get Started.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> The second feature to support new users is a beefed up version of the HTC Sync Manager. Where previously you could only transfer iOS contacts to an HTC device over Bluetooth, now you can use the new Sync Manager to grab your various types of iOS content: contacts, calendar, pictures, DRM-free videos and DRM-free music. The trick? This is actually done via iTunes, so you'll need to make sure it has the latest backup of your iOS device before you start the migration. Sadly, there's no way to sync text messages and matching apps across the two rival platforms just yet, but it's probably just a matter of time.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Things are more straightforward with Android-to-Android migration: with phones as old as HTC devices carrying Sense 3.6, you can directly transfer the same set of data plus text messages, bookmarks and a bunch of Android settings directly from one to another, all done without going through the Sync Manager; whereas older Android devices can still only transfer contacts over Bluetooth like the good old days.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Once you get the ball rolling, you can use the cloud backup feature in Sense 5 to dump an encrypted backup on either Dropbox or Sina Vdisk (in China, where Dropbox is blocked), and these are tied to either a Facebook account or a Sina account (since Facebook is also blocked in China), so in the future you can restore by simply logging in using either credentials. Here's what you can back up: BlinkFeed, TV, home screen layout (including folders), accounts (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, Exchange and Hotmail), user dictionary, alarm clocks, widgets, apps (sans data) and over 150 system settings. Pictures and videos aren't included, as HTC believes that many users already use other methods to back them up, which is fair enough.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> To summarize, this is certainly a generous and much improved package HTC is offering with the One, but in case you missed it, do also check out Zoe in our HTC One camera post. That's the real wow factor of the show.</div></div>

HTC One software hands-on: Sense 5, BlinkFeed, Sense TV and new Sync Manager

  Now that you're done drooling over the HTC One's shiny body, let's take a look at the phone's generous bundle of software...

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HTC One hands-on: design and hardware

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/htconehandson2-1361297526.jpg" width="640" /> </div><div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">The HTC One made quite an entrance in London and New York today with a slick-looking design and re-imagined Android user experience. It's a significant departure from last year's One X -- our favorite handset of 2012 -- and represents the company's most important product to date. The HTC One is positioned to become a true global flagship, a phone that's available unmolested on all carriers worldwide, a device that really competes with the Galaxies and iPhones of the world. We spent some time with the HTC One to understand the direction the company is taking with this handset. Join us after the break for our hands-on video and detailed hardware impressions, then go read our software and camera posts as well. </div><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="349" id="viddler-f67925d9" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="//www.viddler.com/embed/f67925d9/?f=1&offset=0&autoplay=0&secret=26988138&disablebranding=0&view_secret=26988138" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="545"></iframe> <div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">There's no doubt about it -- the HTC One is a fine piece of kit. It's particularly beautiful when viewed from the back and sides, with a semi-pyramidal shape reminiscent of HTC's own J Butterfly and phones like the Xperia Ion. The front is more staid and channels the BlackBerry Z10. Look a little closer and the attention to detail is staggering -- this is a product that stands shoulder to shoulder with the iPhone 5 in terms of materials and build quality.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">The unibody polycarbonate design of the One X gives way to a machined aluminum shell that seamlessly incorporates polycarbonate accents. Basically the aluminum is etched to create channels into which the polycarbonate is inset using zero-gap injection molding. It takes 200 minutes to machine one shell, and the result is absolutely stunning -- a solid block of anodized aluminum, white polycarbonate and glass with chamfered, polished edges. HTC even sourced custom-grade aluminum that's harder than what's found on the iPhone 5. The polycarbonate forms a ring around the edge of the device, covers the top and bottom ends and bisects the back with two lines, one of which flows around the camera lens below -- it reminds us of circuit-board traces. Since aluminum can be anodized in different colors and polycarbonate comes in many hues, we'll leave you to imagine the combinations possible beyond the silver and white handset we played with.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="HTC One handson design and hardware" data-src-height="412" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/htconepost2.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">In front are two aluminum bands (top and bottom) separated by a vast sheet of Gorilla Glass 2 covering a gorgeous 4.7-inch 1080p (468 dpi) Super LCD 3 display. This layout is similar to the Z10 and the chamfered, polished edges remind us of the iPhone 5. Both of these bands feature a matching set of perforations that conceal a speaker (and likely a mic in the bottom piece) -- that's right, the HTC One boast stereo speakers, each with a dedicated proprietary amp design that minimizes distortion and maximizes volume. The top piece also incorporates the proximity / light sensors, a notification LED and a 2.1 megapixel with f/2.0 wide-angle (88-degree) front-facing camera capable of recording 1080p video. You'll find HTC's brand under the glass just below the screen, flanked by two -- yes, just two -- capacitive buttons: back on the left and home on the right. How does this work? Holding the home button brings up Google Now and double-tapping shows the recent apps. There's no menu option.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Other than the aforementioned polycarbonate accents and prominent HTC and Beats logos, the back of the device is home to the main UltraPixel camera and a single LED flash (to the left of the lens). Basically you're looking at a 1/3-inch 4 megapixel BSI sensor with large 2µm pixels capable of gathering 330% more light than the 1.1µm pixels usually found in phones. This sensor is mated with a 28mm f/2.0 autofocus lens which is slightly recessed for protection and equipped with optical image stabilization (OIS), just like Nokia's Lumia 920. HTC's ImageChip 2 handles image processing and enables a bunch of new tricks like 1080p, 60fps and HDR video capture plus an interesting new feature called Zoe Share. Our very limited time with the camera confirms that performance is top-notch -- after all, photography isn't just about megapixels, and the HTC One checks all the important boxes.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="HTC One handson design and hardware" data-src-height="412" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/htconepost4.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Along the edges of the HTC One you'll find a power / lock key (left) and standard headphone jack (right) at the top, a machined aluminum volume rocker on the right side, a micro-USB / MHL port on at the bottom (right) and the micro-SIM holder and matching pin hole on the left side (near the top). The power / lock key is black and doubles as a bidirectional IR blaster for the handset's TV remote software (powered by Peel). Just like with the One X, the battery (rated at 2300mAh) is sealed and there's no microSD card slot. At 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm and 143g, the new phone is slightly taller, thicker and heavier than its predecessor -- it feels solid yet comfortable in hand and just exudes quality. This, combined with the premium looks, make for a very desirable product indeed.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="HTC One handson design and hardware" data-src-height="412" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/htconepost3.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">The HTC One is powered by Qualcomm's newly minted quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 paired with 2GB of LP-DDR2 RAM and 32 or 64GB of built-in storage (depending on the version). Wireless functionality includes WiFi a/ac/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, GPS / aGPS, NFC and DLNA -- sadly there's no wireless charging support. Two devices will be available, a U model which includes GSM and WCDMA radios (HSDPA 42Mbps / HSUPA 5.67Mbps) and a UL model which adds LTE (100Mbps download and 50Mbps upload). It's still unclear exactly which bands are supported for which regions -- we know it's coming to most carriers in the US (and indeed, the world), except Verizon. The handset incorporates the Droid DNA's delightfully loud and clear 2.55V headphone amp (it operates with or without Beats audio enabled, but we much prefer it without). HTC's also outfitted the device with HDR microphones which can handle wide range of sound levels without clipping.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="HTC One handson design and hardware" data-src-height="412" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/htconeback.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">In the end, we walked away tremendously impressed with what the HTC One has to offer, especially in terms of hardware. Be sure to take a look at our software and camera posts (spoiler: Sense 5 runs on top of Android 4.1.2). With this phone, HTC's crafted something truly special -- it's now critical that the company follow through with strong marketing and prevent the carriers from fragmenting its vision. Will this be the one? We sure hope so.</div></div>

HTC One hands-on: design and hardware

  The HTC One made quite an entrance in London and New York today with a slick-looking design and re-imagined Android user experience. It...

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HTC One early hands-on!

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/htconehandson.jpg" width="640" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">The HTC One launch event has just begun, but we've already got our first hands-on! Not a lot of details at this point, as the phone is still being announced on-stage, but a kindly gentlemen sitting in the audience who had a handset let us try his out for a few moments. Early impressions are that the phone feels great in the hand, very thin and very well made. The UI customizations, meanwhile, are another story entirely. Very Windows Phone-like, we're not sure traditional Android fans are going to love it. Enjoy the pics for now, we'll be back with more details soon!</div></div>

HTC One early hands-on!

The HTC One launch event has just begun, but we've already got our first hands-on! Not a lot of details at this point, as the phone is ...

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HTC One unveiled: 4.7-inch 1080p display, 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600, UltraPixel camera, Android 4.1.2 with Sense 5

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="440" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/htc-onesilver3v.jpg" width="640" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Despite the abundant fanfare and critical acclaim, HTC's One X just couldn't quite mark the spot in 2012. No wonder, then, that the company's lopped off that extraneous letter in favor of a fresher start and renewed brand focus for its latest flagship: the One.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Gone by the wayside are those pure polycarbonate hulls -- HTC's Sense 5-laden Android Jelly Bean (4.1.2) handset comes crafted with an all-around premium look and feel, housing its 4.7-inch 1080p Super LCD 3 display (boasting 468 dpi and protected by Gorilla Glass 2) in a machined aluminum unibody. And, in a bid for the top spot on the mobile totem pole, the One also bears the distinction of being (one of) the first smartphones to feature Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon 600, clocked here at 1.7GHz and paired with 2GB RAM. <span></span></div><div class="post-gallery" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em><span>Pssst, our full hands-on can be found here.</span></em></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> For all its premium, metallic construction, the One cuts a relatively light figure, weighing in at 143 grams and measuring 5.4 (137.4mm) x 2.7 (68.2mm) x 0.37 (9.3mm) inches -- a thickness that puts it on par with the BlackBerry Z10. Take note, that slim silhouette accommodates for the integrated 2,300mAh Li-polymer battery, radios for WiFi a/ac/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and 32GB or 64GB of storage (sorry, there's no slot for microSD expansion).</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Looking at the load of innovations HTC's crammed into the One, it's clear this is a handset for the social oversharing set. Even its front face alone tells that story. From the dual stereo speakers (featuring dedicated amps) surrounding the screen to the 2.1-megapixel camera with 88-degree wide-angle lens capable of 1080p video, to the simplified soft keys (one for back, one for home), to the IR blaster (integrated in the power button), to the default BlinkFeed homescreen (a Flipboard-like social feed); it's safe to say, the One's aggressively embracing the role of smartphone as multimedia powerhouse. And that's just what it offers <em>head-on</em>.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> HTC's taking a risk with the One. Flip the handset around and you'll find an unassuming rear shooter in the midst of that clean aluminum body. Or, as the company calls it, the UltraPixel camera. Tackling the "myth of the megapixel," HTC's outfitted the One with a 4-megapixel BSI sensor and f/2.0 lens, such that each pixel is meant to gather 300 percent more light than the current crop of smartphone sensors. The camera unit also features optical image stabilization and HTC's ImageChip 2 for HDR, 1080p and 60fps video. But that's not the end of HTC's imaging focus. It's also introducing a new feature / service dubbed Zoe, which allows users to capture and share short videos, much like Vine, via HTC's dedicated site.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Whether or not HTC will finally strike gold with the One, only time will tell. But it's certainly not for lack of effort. This is a smartphone at the top of its class (for now, anyway); a zeitgeist-y take that should please both power and social users alike. Look for it to rollout globally this March in both HSPA and LTE models.</div></div>

HTC One unveiled: 4.7-inch 1080p display, 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600, UltraPixel camera, Android 4.1.2 with Sense 5

Despite the abundant fanfare and critical acclaim, HTC's One X just couldn't quite mark the spot in 2012. No wonder, then, that th...

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أبرز التقنيات الحديثة التي ظهرت خلال الأسبوع

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="ImgArticle" style="text-align: center;"> <b><img alt="نظارات Privacy Visor" class="news-section-img" height="481" id="article_img" src="http://images.alarabiya.net/d8/8a/436x328_43640_262913.jpg" title="نظارات Privacy Visor" width="640" /> </b></div><div class="ImgArticle" style="text-align: center;"><b>نعيش اليوم في عالم يشهد وتيرة متسارعة فيما يتعلق بالتقدم التكنولوجي وتطورات في كافة جوانب حياتنا المعاصرة، من هذا المنطلق سنستعرض في إطلالة سريعة أبرز التقنيات التي ظهرت خلال هذا الأسبوع:</b><b><br />أولاً : نظارات "Privacy Visor" لحماية مستخدمي أجهزة الحواسيب وغيرها من انتهاك خصوصياتهم بواسطة برمجيات التعرف إلى الوجوه، حيث صُممت من قبل باحثين يابانيين بالمعهد الوطني للمعلوماتية بطوكيو، تنبعث منها الأشعة تحت الحمراء لتحول دون إمكانية رصد وتتبع كاميرا المراقبة للوجوه وتعيق عملها، وتجعل وجه مرتدي النظارة غير مرئي بالنسبة للكاميرات التي تستخدم مثل هذه البرمجيات، المطورة من قبل عمالقة الإنترنت مثل "جوجل" و"فيسبوك".</b><b><br />هذه النظارة، التي أثارت اهتماماً بالغاً في اليابان، مازالت قيد التطوير، فهي عبارة عن نموذج أولي مصنوع من مادة البلاستيك، مزودة بسلك وبطارية توضع داخل الجيب.</b><br /> <div class="paragTitle"> </div><div class="contentParagraph"> <div class="contentMultimedia"> <div class="mm_ImgContainer"> <b> <img alt="طائرة هجينة Flying Wing" class="PopBoxImageSmall" height="481" id="id7096742485292793" src="http://images.alarabiya.net/2_20454_9194.jpg" width="640" /> </b> </div><div class="mm_textContainer"> <b><span>طائرة هجينة Flying Wing</span></b> </div></div><div class="with-margin"><b>ثانيا: طائرة هجينة "Flying Wing" مطورة من قبل فريق عمل من مهندسي فضاء وكالة "ناسا"، تتمثل في دمج جناح الطائرة ضمن بنية وهيكل الطائرة نفسها، ووضع المحركات في الجهة العلوية لمؤخرة الطائرة، مستخدمة تقنية جديدة من شأنها تقليص وزن مكونات الطائرة الهيكلية بنسبة 25% وتقليل استهلاك الوقود بنسبة 50 %، وتخفيض صوت المحركات بشكل ملحوظ.</b></div></div><div class="under-link-objects"> <div class="share-count-container-buttom"> <div> <div class="right-side-under floating-left"> <div class="right-sdie-export-link"> </div></div></div><div class="fb-twitter-container"> <div class="tweetBTN"> </div><div class="facebookBTN"> </div><div class="gPlusBTN"> </div><div class="pintBTN"> <b><a class="pin-it-button" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A//www.alarabiya.net&media=http%3A//www.alarabiya.net&description=http%3A//www.alarabiya.net"><br /></a></b> </div><div class="diggBTN"> </div></div></div><div class="recommend-btn"> </div></div><b> </b></div></div>

أبرز التقنيات الحديثة التي ظهرت خلال الأسبوع

  نعيش اليوم في عالم يشهد وتيرة متسارعة فيما يتعلق بالتقدم التكنولوجي وتطورات ...

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أبل تصدر النسخة التجريبية الخامسة من iOS 6.1 للمطورين

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="ImgArticle" style="text-align: center;"> <b><img alt="" class="news-section-img" height="328" id="article_img" src="http://images.alarabiya.net/d3/31/436x328_58755_262882.jpg" title="" width="436 " /> </b></div><div class="ImgArticle" style="text-align: center;"><b> أطلقت شركة "أبل" النسخة التجريبية الخامسة من نظام "آي أو إس" 6.1 للمطورين، لأجهزة آيفون، آيباد بالإضافة إلى "الآيبود تاتش".</b><b><br />وحملت النسخة الجديدة تحسينات للمطورين والمُستخدمين، حيث وفّرت للمطورين واجهة برمجية مُحسّنة لنظام خرائط أبل الجديدة. </b><b><br />أما المُستخدمون فيُمكنهم الآن حجز تذاكر صالات السينما عن طريق "سيري"، بالإضافة إلى تحسين التحكم بالموسيقى عن طريق شاشة قفل الجهاز، مع حل العديد من المشاكل التي كانت موجودة في النسخ السابقة.</b><b><br />ولم تُعلن شركة أبل حتى الآن عن موعد إطلاق النسخة الثابتة من نظام "آي أو إس" 6.1، ولكن أشار العديد من القراصنة حول العالم إلى أن النسخة التي أطلقتها أبل اليوم ليست نسخة للمطورين، حيث لا يحتاج المُستخدم إلى حساب مطوّر لكي يقوم بتثبيتها.</b><b><br />الجدير بالذكر أن شركة أبل تخلّت عن خرائط جوجل في النسخة السادسة من نظام "آي أو إس"، وواجهت الكثير من النقد مما اضطر الرئيس التنفيدي للشركة تيم كوك لتقديم الاعتذار لجميع مُستخدمي هذا الإصدار.</b></div></div>

أبل تصدر النسخة التجريبية الخامسة من iOS 6.1 للمطورين

   أطلقت شركة "أبل" النسخة التجريبية الخامسة من نظام "آي أو إس&q...

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"HTC Mini" جهاز يتحكم في هاتفك الذكي عن بعد

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="news-container-left-side" style="text-align: center;"> <div class="ImgArticle"> <b><img alt="" class="news-section-img" height="328" id="article_img" src="http://images.alarabiya.net/8f/fa/436x328_62184_262730.jpg" title="" width="436 " /> </b></div><div class="ImgArticle"><b> </b><b>يشهد عام 2013 ازدهاراً ونمواً غير مسبوقين للهواتف الذكية ذات الشاشات كبيرة الحجم، فعلى الرغم من أن الشاشة الكبيرة ميزة جيدة، إلا أنها تُشكل عائقاً لمعظم المستخدمين، الذين تؤرقهم هذه الشاشة، وذلك لصعوبة الإمساك بها بيد واحدة.</b><b><br />بناء على ذلك أطلقت شركة "إتش تي سي" التايوانية المتخصصة في صناعة الهواتف الذكية، جهازاً جديداً يحمل اسم "HTC Mini"، صُمم خصيصاً ليتيح لمستخدمي هاتفها الذكي الجديد "Butterfly" التحكم به عن بعد.</b><b><br />يبدو جهاز "HTC Mini" كهاتف محمول يتم اقترانه بهاتف "إتش تي سي" الذكي عبر تقنية الاتصال قريب المدى أو المعروفة اختصاراً بـ"NFC"، ليتسنى للمستخدم الاطلاع على المكالمات الواردة أو الرسائل النصية القصيرة أو رسائل البريد الإلكتروني وغيرها من المهام عبر شاشة الجهاز الصغيرة دون الحاجة إلى إخراج الهاتف الذكي الأصلي من الحقيبة أو الجيب.</b><b><br />إلى جانب اتصاله بالهاتف عن طريق تقنية "بلوتوث"، لتتيح إمكانية الرد على المكالمات الهاتفية بواسطة "HTC Mini" عبر منفذ خاص بالسماعة مدمج به.</b><b><br />بالإضافة إلى استخدامه كجهاز تحكم عن بعد، حال اتصال الهاتف الذكي "Butterfly" بشاشة التلفاز الذكية عبر منفذ "HDMI"، لبث المحتوى الرقمي من الهاتف إلى التلفزيون مباشرة، وبذلك يتمكن المشاهد من استخدام "HTC Mini" كـ"ريموت كنترول" ينتقل عبر القوائم بواسطته.</b><b><br />ولم يقتصر الأمر على ذلك فحسب، بل يتميز جهاز "ميني" باحتوائه على خاصية "Find My Phone"، وهي ميزة تمكّن الشخص من العثور على هاتفه في حال فقده أو نسيانه في مكان ما داخل المنزل أو العمل.</b><b><br />يتوفر هذا الجهاز في الوقت الراهن بالأسواق الصينية، حيث يباع هاتف "Butterfly" مصحوباً بالجهاز الإضافي "HTC Mini"، لكن للأسف لم تفصح الشركة عن موعد طرحه بالأسواق العالمية أو حتى سعره.</b><br /> <div class="under-link-objects"> <div class="share-count-container-buttom"> <div> <div class="right-side-under floating-left"> <div class="right-sdie-export-link"> </div></div></div><div class="fb-twitter-container"> <div class="tweetBTN"> </div><div class="facebookBTN"> </div><div class="gPlusBTN"> </div><b><br /></b><div class="diggBTN"> </div></div></div><div class="recommend-btn"> </div></div></div></div></div>

"HTC Mini" جهاز يتحكم في هاتفك الذكي عن بعد

    يشهد عام 2013 ازدهاراً ونمواً غير مسبوقين للهواتف الذكي...

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تطبيق ينظف حساب "فيسبوك" من المشاركات غير المرغوبة

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="news-container-left-side" style="text-align: center;"> <div class="ImgArticle"> <b><img alt="" class="news-section-img" height="328" id="article_img" src="http://images.alarabiya.net/84/49/436x328_68205_262729.jpg" title="" width="436 " /> </b></div><div class="ImgArticle"><b> قام ثلاثة من طلاب جامعة "كنت ستيت" الأمريكية بإطلاق تطبيق ينظف حساب المستخدم على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي "فيسبوك" من التعليقات وتحديثات الحالة والصور غير المرغوبة.</b><b><br />وأطلق الطلاب الثلاثة اسم "FaceWash" على التطبيق الذي يقدم إمكانية البحث عن كلمات محددة ضمن حساب مستخدمه على "فيسبوك"، ليقوم بجلب كافة التعليقات والمشاركات التي تتضمن الكلمة موضع البحث، وبذلك يعطي للمستخدم خيارات مثل التخلص منها تماماً، أو جعلها غير مرئية للعامة أو للأصدقاء.</b><b><br />ويرى مطورو هذا التطبيق أنه مناسب لمن يريد إعطاء حسابه على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي "فيسبوك" شكلاً أكثر رسمية أمام أصدقائه الجدد.</b><b><br />ويمكن البدء في استخدام التطبيق بنسخته التجريبية، إلا أن التطبيق لن يعمل قبل موافقة المستخدم على إعطائه صلاحيات الوصول إلى معلومات حسابه الأساسية على "فيسبوك" مثل البريد الإلكتروني ومعلومات المستخدم والصور والتحديثات.</b><b><br />يشار إلى أن التطبيق لا يعمل حالياً إلا باللغة الإنكليزية، وقد وعد مطوروه بإضافة المزيد من اللغات قريباً، وكذلك طرح نسخة خاصة من التطبيق لموقع التواصل الاجتماعي "تويتر".</b></div></div></div>

تطبيق ينظف حساب "فيسبوك" من المشاركات غير المرغوبة

   قام ثلاثة من طلاب جامعة "كنت ستيت" الأمريكية بإ...

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إطلاق لغة برمجة عربية تدعى "قلب"

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="ImgArticle" style="text-align: center;"> <b><img alt="لغة البرمجة الجديدة تمكن المستخدم من كتابة أوامره باللغة العربية" class="news-section-img" height="328" id="article_img" src="http://images.alarabiya.net/dd/d9/436x328_60256_262640.jpg" title="لغة البرمجة الجديدة تمكن المستخدم من كتابة أوامره باللغة العربية" width="436 " /> </b></div><div class="ImgArticle" style="text-align: center;"><b> أطلق المبرمج رمزي ناصر مؤخراً، لغة برمجة عربية تحمل اسم "قلب"، وذلك خلال المؤتمر السنوي لمركز Eyebeam’s في مدينة نيويورك الأمريكية الذي يقام بين 17 – 26 من شهر يناير/كانون الثاني الجاري.</b><b><br />وبعدما كانت عملية البرمجة تعتمد على تعليمات باللغة الإنكليزية، تمكن رمزي من كسر هذه القاعدة، حيث يستطيع المستخدم كتابة تعليماته باللغة العربية لتنفذ أمامه مباشرة. </b><b><br />وتتميز لغة البرمجة الجديدة بمجموعة من الخوارزميات، مثل خوارزمية حساب عدد فيبوناتشي، وفيبوناتشي هي متتالية تبدأ بـالأرقام 0,1,1 وتنتج الأرقام فيها عن طريق جمع آخر رقمين معاً، إضافة إلى خوارزمية لعبة الحياة.</b><b><br />وقال ناصر رمزي مبرمج اللغة، إن كتابة البرامج باستخدام اللغة العربية كانت مهمة صعبة، خصوصاً مع المشاكل التي تحدث لمُحررات الأكواد عند التعامل مع اللغة العربية، وهو ما دفعه لكتابة كل الأدوات من جديد لكي يتجنب وقوع مشاكل التوافقية مع اللغة العربية.</b><b><br />ويمكن للمستخدم تجربة اللغة من خلال المفسر المبني بواسطة لغة جافا سكريبت، والمساهمة باللغة من خلال الدخول إلى الموقع الرسمي قلب-لغة-برمجة.com<br />الجدير بالذكر أن لغة "قلب" لا تعد الأولى من نوعها بين لغات البرمجة العربية، حيث سبقتها لغة عرفت باسم "جيم" من تطوير الدكتور السوري محمد عمار السلكة.</b></div></div>

إطلاق لغة برمجة عربية تدعى "قلب"

   أطلق المبرمج رمزي ناصر مؤخراً، لغة برمجة عربية تحمل اسم "قلب"، وذل...

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"آبل" تقيم مصنعاً لتجميع حواسيب "ماك" في كاليفورنيا

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="ImgArticle" style="text-align: center;"> <b><img alt="" class="news-section-img" height="328" id="article_img" src="http://images.alarabiya.net/b4/47/436x328_55559_262626.jpg" title="" width="436 " /> </b></div><div class="ImgArticle" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>وضعت المجموعة الأمريكية "آبل" مصنعاً جديداً في كاليفورنيا قيد التشغيل لتجميع حواسيب "ماك"، ملتزمة بالتالي بالتعهد الذي قطعته في العام 2012 والقاضي بإعادة جزء من إنتاجها إلى الولايات المتحدة.</b> <b><br />وأضافت المجموعة موقعاً تابعاً للمصنع التايواني "كوانتا كمبيوتر انك" في مدينة فريمونت في كاليفورنيا (غرب الولايات المتحدة) إلى قائمتها الخاصة بـ"مواقع تجميع القطع النهائي" والتي تتضمن مواقع صينية عدة.</b> <b><br />وكان المدير العام لـ"آبل"، تيم كوك، قد أعلن في مقابلة أجريت معه في السادس من كانون الأول/ديسمبر أن المجموعة تعتزم تصنيع إحدى نسخات "ماك" في الولايات المتحدة، وذلك ابتداء من العام 2013.</b> <b><br />يذكر أن "آبل" تنتج جزءاً كبيراً من منتجاتها في الخارج، ولا سيما في الصين، حيث تعرضت مجموعة "فوكسكون" التي تتعاقد معها لانتقادات متكررة بسبب ظروف العمل السيئة التي تفرضها على عمالها.</b> <b><br />غير أن تيم كوك شدد على أن جزءاً من القطع التي تستخدمها "آبل" تنتج في بلدها المنشأ، مؤكداً أن المجموعة قد استحدثت حوالي 600 ألف وظيفة في الولايات المتحدة.</b></div></div></div>

"آبل" تقيم مصنعاً لتجميع حواسيب "ماك" في كاليفورنيا

    وضعت المجموعة الأمريكية "آبل" مصنعاً جديداً في كاليفورنيا قيد ال...

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قردة أمريكا تعشق اللعب على أجهزة "أيباد"

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="news-container-left-side" style="text-align: center;"> <div class="ImgArticle"> <b><img alt="القردة تفاعلت مع جهاز "أيباد" من خلال الضغط بالإصبع" class="news-section-img" height="328" id="article_img" src="http://images.alarabiya.net/b9/91/436x328_47286_262563.jpg" title="القردة تفاعلت مع جهاز "أيباد" من خلال الضغط بالإصبع" width="436 " /> </b></div><div class="ImgArticle"><b> </b><b>يعشق "Bonnie" البالغ من العمر 26 عاماً اللعب والدق على الطبلة الافتراضية، إحدى الألعاب الافتراضية الموجودة بجهاز أبل اللوحي "أيباد"، بينما يستمتع "Kyle" البالغ من العمر 16 عاماً بسماع الموسيقى والعزف على البيانو، فيما يتصفح "Iris" وعمره 25 عاماً الصور على شاشة الأيباد. </b><b><br />هذه الأسماء ليست أسماء أشخاص عاديين، بل هي أسماء لحيوانات أصبحت تهوى وتعشق اللعب على الأجهزة اللوحية.</b><b><br />لم يقتصر الشغف بالحواسيب الكفية ذات الشاشة اللمسية على الإنسان فقط، بل امتد ليطال الحيوانات أيضاً، ففي تجربة وخطوة فريدة من نوعها حصلت حديقة حيوانات "سميثسنونيان القومية-Smithsonian National Zoo" الأمريكية الواقعة في شمال العاصمة "واشنطن" على موافقة لتزويدها بأجهزة "أيباد" اللوحية، لتكون وسيلة لتسلية وتنمية ذكاء "أورانغوتان-Orangutans"، وهي فصيلة من القرود موطنها الأصلي "إندونيسيا"، وتعني الكلمة باللغة العربية "إنسان الغاب".</b><br /> <div class="paragTitle"> </div><div class="contentParagraph"> <div class="with-margin"><b>ونظراً لذكاء هذه الفصيلة وملاحظة شغفها من قبل القائمين على حيوانات الحديقة بالأيباد وسرعة استيعابها لكيفية التعامل مع شاشتها اللمسية، طور فريق بحث من مهندسي البرمجيات مجموعة من التطبيقات المتوائمة والمناسبة لهذه القردة، وعددها 10 تطبيقات حتى الآن، ومن المتوقع تطوير تطبيقات أخرى ذات طبيعة تناسب هذه الحيوانات، وهذه القرود جزء من برنامج أٌطلق عليه اسم "App4Apes-تطبيقات خاصة بالقرود"، صُممت خصيصاً كي تتيح لهؤلاء الحيوانات سهولة التعامل بأصابعها مع شاشة الأيباد اللمسية، في محاولة لتسليتهم وتنمية ذكائهم.</b><b><br />ومن بين التطبيقات المطورة لهذا الغرض برامج للعزف واللعب على آلات موسيقية وبرامج خاصة بالرسوم المتحركة وأخرى للرسم بجانب تطبيقات أخرى تتعلق بالألعاب الإدراكية سهلة الاستخدام، كي تُسهل تفاعل القردة مع هذه التطبيقات. </b><b><br />في هذا الصدد يقول "Becky Malinsky"، المسئول عن القرود في حديقة "سميثسنونيان"، التي تُعد واحدة من أقدم حدائق الحيوانات في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية: "إن تطبيقات القرود هذه مناسبة وموائمة تماماً للحقبة الجديدة التي تعيشها حيوانات الحديقة". وأضاف أن "هذه المبادرة من شأنها تغيير طريقة حياة حيواناتنا اليومية"، مشيراً إلى رغبة إدارة الحديقة في تغيير نمط حياتهم من حيث طريقة إطعام وتلهية هذه الحيوانات وكذلك أسلوب تفاعلها ومشاركتها الاجتماعية مع الآخرين، بما يناسب عصرنا الحالي، لاسيما في وقت أصبح فيه الأيباد وسيلة تعليمية رائعة لنا ولأطفالنا، فلم لا ننتهج هذه الطريقة في تنمية حيواناتنا الذكية، بالإضافة إلى أن جهاز "أيباد" يعتبر وسيلة وأداة جيدة لتحفيز وتنشيط حواس السمع والبصر والتذوق لهؤلاء القردة. </b><b><br />جاءت هذه الفكرة المذهلة كمبادرة من قبل منظمة "Orangutan Outreach" غير الربحية والتي تتبنى برامج لتوعية وتربية وترويض فصيلة "إنسان الغاب" المهدد بالانقراض، وغيرها من الحيوانات، وهي ليست بالجديدة كلياً، فقد استخدمت الحديقة فكرة الشاشة اللمسية منذ عام 1994 كجزء من دراسة لاختبار الذاكرة المعرفية لدى الثدييات. </b><b><br />ويُظهر فيديو توضيحي مدى تفاعل هذه القردة مع جهاز "أيباد" من خلال الضغط بالإصبع على شاشة اللوحي يمسكه حارس الحديقة لها، فلوحظ شغف وتفاعل ودهشة "أورانغوتان" عند مشاهدة أفلام فيديو تعرض سلوك حيوانات أخرى أو قردة من نفس الفصيلة، وتأمل حديقة الحيوانات الأمريكية من خلال هذه الحملة القوية أن تتجاوب هذه الحيوانات الذكية مع هذه التطبيقات، وأن يأتي يوماً يستطيع فيه العاملون التواصل والتفاعل مع حيوانات الحديقة عبر مؤتمرات الفيديو أو اللقاءات المرئية. </b><b><br />وتدعو هذه المبادرة زوار الحديقة للمشاركة فيها من خلال تقديم تبرعات تتمثل في شراء أجهزة أيباد جديدة أو حواسيب قديمة يود أصحابها التخلص منها أو التبرع ببطاقات أيتونز كهدايا.</b><b><br />يُذكر أن هذه المبادرة لا تقتصر على حديقة الحيوانات المحلية الأمريكية فحسب، بل وفق استراتيجية المنظمة سيتم تعميمها على 12 حديقة حيوانات أخرى على مستوى العالم.</b></div></div></div></div></div>

قردة أمريكا تعشق اللعب على أجهزة "أيباد"

    يعشق "Bonnie" البالغ من العمر 26 عاماً اللعب و...

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Gizmo Board is an AMD-powered embedded system for developers and tinkerers

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr /> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Gizmo Board is an AMDpowered embedded system for developers and tinkerers" data-src-height="450" data-src-width="600" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/amdgizmosphereboard.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> GizmoSphere and AMD are targeting independent developers, embedded system makers and tinkerers with the Gizmo Board -- a four-inch square powered by a dual-core 1GHz G-T40E. The x86 CPU and Radeon 6250 GPU put a lot of power and flexibility in your hands, though, the 1GB of soldered on RAM does limit it somewhat. In addition to being able to run Android, Linux or Windows, there's also a host of connectivity options packed in. There's a VGA connector and two USB 2.0 ports, along with an Ethernet jack and a pair of custom I/O connectors -- one of which can be hooked up to GizmoSphere's Explorer board, which has a keypad, LCD and an area for prototyping. You can pick up the Gizmo Board direct from the company's site (at the source) for $199 which certainly makes it more expensive than options like the Raspberry Pi, but there's also a lot more horsepower under its passively cooled hood. Check out the PR after the break for more.</div><div class="open" id="pr_box"> <div id="pr_box_button" style="text-align: center;">Hide Press Release</div><div id="pr_text"> <div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>GizmoSphere Launches an AMD APU-based Gizmo Board for Embedded Systems Inventors and Hobbyists</strong><br /> AMD is a Founding Member of GizmoSphere Embedded Developer Community</div><div style="text-align: center;"> SUNNYVALE, Calif. -1/24/2013<br /> AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced that the newly launched Gizmo board, a low-cost board geared toward x86-based embedded system development available from GizmoSphere, is powered by an AMD Embedded G-Series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU). Gizmo is a 4-inch by 4-inch x86 development board that can run a variety of operating systems including Android, Linux®, RTOSes and Windows®. AMD is a founding member of GizmoSphere, a not-for-profit organization whose collective goal is to drive and enable technology projects of interest to independent developers, with a focus on stimulating and encouraging innovation around multicore heterogeneous computing using APUs.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> The Gizmo board includes the G-T40E dual-core processor running at 1.0 GHz, combined on a single die with AMD Radeon™ HD 6250 discrete-class graphics. The board provides a performance capacity of 52 gigaFLOPS (GFLOPS) at less than 10 watts. Custom high- and low-speed edge connectors enable a full range of functions. This unprecedented level of integration between serial and parallel processing offers a power-efficient foundation for high-performance multimedia content delivery across a broad range of embedded designs such as digital signage, x86 set-top box (xSTB), IP-TV, thin client, information kiosk, point-of-sale, casino gaming, media servers and industrial control systems.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "Gizmo is an excellent board for the next generation of embedded systems development," said Kamal Khouri, director of Embedded Products, AMD. "The new board will serve the diverse and growing embedded development community and is especially useful for those wanting to incorporate the advanced capabilities possible by harnessing a heterogeneous architecture. Developers ready to take advantage of a high-performance, full I/O-featured x86 development board will find tremendous value in Gizmo."</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Packaged as part of a development kit, the Gizmo board is available now through GizmoSphere.org for $199. GizmoSphere's founding members include AMD, Sage Electronic Engineering, Texas Multicore Technologies and Viosoft.</div></div></div></div>

Gizmo Board is an AMD-powered embedded system for developers and tinkerers

GizmoSphere and AMD are targeting independent developers, embedded system makers and tinkerers with...

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Pebble smartwatch review

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr /> <div class="copy post-body"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Pebble smartwatch review" data-src-height="413" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/pebble2f0a6577.jpg" /></div><div class="more-info" style="text-align: center;"> <h3> More Info</h3><ul><li> Pebble smartwatch hands-on</li><li> Pebble smartwatch unboxing</li><li> Pebble smartwatch raises $100,000 in two hours</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: center;"> What is Kickstarter? The answer you'll hear, as long-winded as it may be, will likely touch on Pebble. If it doesn't, you'll probably want to ask someone else -- with more than $10 million pledged, the people's smartwatch catapulted past the crowdfunding site's records and the startup's own expectations. It achieved a $100,000 funding goal in two hours, and it was clearly a favorite among our readers. Of course, there were doubts that Eric Migicovsky, the company's founder, would deliver such an appealing and seemingly powerful product for $125, but following our first look during the company's CES press conference, that dream became real.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So, what is Pebble? It's not a smartphone for your wrist, as we've seen attempted before. In fact, it's far less sophisticated than you might expect -- the lightweight device reads out basic text, lets you skip through music tracks and, of course, displays the time. It's hardly the greatest achievement of our generation, or even the device of the year. It's become incredibly popular, sure, but despite the hype, you certainly don't <em>need</em> to own one. Yet, somehow, even the most technologically inept people in our lives have heard it mentioned on morning talk shows, FM radio stations or from pre-teens anxious to impress their friends. Having a smartphone alone isn't enough anymore. Or is it?</div><div class="post-gallery" style="text-align: center;"><h3 class="title"><strong>Pebble smartwatch review</strong></h3><ul class="thumbs"><li class="thumb" data-count="14"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/zsh2f0a6502_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="14"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/zsh2f0a6503_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="14"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/zsh2f0a6507_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="14"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/zsh2f0a6509_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="14"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/zsh2f0a6515_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="14"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/zsh2f0a6519_95x95.jpg" /> </li>See all photos</ul></div><h3 id="title0" style="text-align: center;"> Hardware</h3><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span>We tested a black Pebble, which is the first color to ship. The face is slightly glossier than renders implied, but otherwise the production device looks nearly identical to early prototypes. There's a 22mm rubber strap for mounting the device to your wrist -- you'll likely be able to swap in your own band with matching dimensions. It's a fairly attractive combination, though regardless of the strap you choose, you'll probably want to leave Pebble behind during formal events, or walks down the runway.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Pebble feels very comfortable when fastened on the wrist -- it's relatively lightweight, and the smooth edges maintain their distance from sensitive skin. Still, it feels solid enough for regular use, and thanks to waterproofing down to 50 meters (164 feet), it can stay on your wrist during laps in the pool (or in the ocean), and it'll work just fine in the shower as well. There are two exposed metal connectors, used to pair up with the proprietary magnetic USB charging cable (the only accessory that ships in the box), but the housing appears to be properly sealed.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> The secret to Pebble's weeklong battery life and daylight readability is a technology that's penetrated the lives of bookworms young and old: an e-paper display. The 114 x 168 black-and-white screen sports nearly 20,000 pixels, letting you view emails and a time readout in several fonts, along with watch faces and other indicators. The display looks great both indoors and out, though we did notice some odd black spotting while viewing the panel in direct sunlight -- adjusting the angle eradicates the issue.</div><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Pebble smartwatch review" data-src-height="413" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/pebble2f0a6537-1359133970.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> There's a simple backlight that illuminates the panel briefly at night, automatically when you receive a notification or manually when you activate any of the four side-mounted buttons. It's fairly dim, enabling you to avoid disturbing fellow moviegoers or that patient significant other sharing your bed, but still bright enough for you to catch every detail. Pebble will reflect even a small amount of ambient light, however, so your backlight usage is likely to be fairly minimal.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Pebble doesn't offer much functionality without a smartphone. You'll need one (and an accompanying app) to get started, and although you'll be able to display the time while disconnected (in Airplane Mode, for example), software updates, feature additions and notifications all require a Bluetooth connection. Fortunately, there's Bluetooth 4.0 support, which offers speedy performance with reduced energy consumption. This also contributes to Pebble's weeklong battery life, and a reported five to 10 percent hit to your smartphone's longevity.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We'll detail the user interface more in the section below, but since there's no touch functionality here, you'll need to navigate using the four side-mounted buttons. There's a home (or back) button on the top left side, which brings you back to Pebble's main configuration page. Positioned to the right of the e-paper panel: a top button scrolls up, a smaller center button makes selections and the control on the bottom scrolls down -- through messages, menus or tracks while controlling music playback. All of these buttons require a firm press, rather than a tap, and while you won't accidentally activate the controls, registering input can take a bit of effort.</div><h3 id="title1" style="text-align: center;"> Software</h3><div style="text-align: center;"> Pebble's two apps -- one for Android 2.3 or later and the second for Apple devices running iOS 5 or later -- enable everything from initial setup to push notifications. There's no user manual in the box, so you'll need to download your respective app to get started. Pairing takes a few seconds, and then you're good to go. The smartwatch will automatically adopt the local time on your smartphone, and you can select from a few default watch faces, ranging from Text Watch, which you're probably already familiar with, to Classic Analog.</div><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Pebble smartwatch review" data-src-height="412" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/pebbledsc05423.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> To take full advantage of the device's functionality, you'll need to head back over to the smartphone app, where you can push additional watch faces (there are currently just five to download, including TicTockToe). Eventually, this custom app store will include third-party apps, such as the bike computer and golf rangefinder that the company pitched on its Kickstarter page, though they're not available now.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> The app's Settings page is where you'll select notifications to push. Based on the apps installed on our Galaxy Note II, we were able to choose from incoming call alerts, text messages, calendar reminders, email previews, Google Talk messages, Google Voice messages and Facebook messages. Each option has a checkbox, so if you want to use your Pebble for caller ID but don't want to be bothered with Facebook messages, that's perfectly OK. With each notification, the watch will vibrate once, the backlight will flip on (for a few seconds) and the message will pop up.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Theoretically, you can simply shake your wrist to dismiss the notification, though we were only able to accomplish this by pressing one of the buttons. You can choose from large and small fonts for notifications, but regardless of the size, you can scroll to see more using the up and down buttons. You'll need to hop over to your smartphone to read the full message or send a response. Similarly, when you receive a call, your only option on the watch is to dismiss the notification, but doing so won't send your caller to voicemail.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Unless you're looking at your watch every few seconds, there will likely come a time when your inbox contains multiple messages. Unfortunately, Pebble will only display the very last notification received, so it won't completely eliminate a need to check your smartphone. Also, it's not currently able to display certain languages -- a message we received with Chinese characters rendered as several lines of rectangles on the display.</div><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Pebble smartwatch review" data-src-height="450" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/pebblescreen-1359140340.png" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> At this point, all of the interactions between Pebble and a connected smartphone go in one direction -- from your handset to the watch -- with one exception. The wristwatch's music player controls playback on your Android or iOS device, including play / pause and track skipping. There's no volume control, which seems reasonable given the limited number of buttons. With our Android phone, the watch was able to identify and control music from the native app, but not third-party services, such as Spotify.</div><h3 id="title2" style="text-align: center;"> The competition</h3><div style="text-align: center;"> Although it may seem to be the case given the excitement surrounding this launch, Pebble is not the only smartwatch on the market. Sony and now Toshiba are two of the giants behind similar tech, and the former company's SmartWatch is even reasonably priced, at $149. Allerta, the company behind Pebble, released its own wearable several years ago, called inPulse, but smartphone compatibility was limited to BlackBerry models and certain Android-powered handsets, and the device uses an OLED display. Similarly, WIMM Labs' WIMM One was made available to developers, but is no longer in production.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Pebble's success stems from the promise of third-party apps and the practical e-paper display, along with the marketing power of Kickstarter. Functionality remains somewhat limited, but this is a first-generation device from a small manufacturer that's currently only in the hands of a very limited number of lucky backers. If consumer interest is any indication, developers will likely soon be hard at work on a variety of unique applications, if they aren't already. The platform is incredibly young, and the best is yet to come.</div><h3 id="title3" style="text-align: center;"> Wrap-up</h3><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Pebble smartwatch review" data-src-height="413" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/pebble2f0a6502.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span>We've really enjoyed our time with Pebble so far -- it's not a fashion statement, necessarily, but we wouldn't be surprised to see it pop up on many wrists in the weeks and months to come. Functionality is still quite limited at this point, and considering how fresh the device is, that's to be expected. The features that are already available work well, and the smartwatch has been a pleasure to use.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Taking price into account, Pebble is an excellent value, especially for lucky Kickstarter backers who were able to take advantage of $99, $115 and $125 pre-orders. We're very optimistic for the device's future -- our chief concern relates not to the hardware, but how it will affect behavior: If you thought that friend who glances at his smartphone every few minutes was rude, just wait until they own a Pebble.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Update:</strong> Pebble's fearless leader, Eric Migicovsky, responded with the answers to a few of our questions. He confirmed that the goal is to fulfill all Kickstarter orders within the next 6-8 weeks, with preorders following. The device may eventually end up in retail stores, but there's no firm timeline there. Pebble is powered by an ARM Cortex-M3 processor, with a 140mAh battery keeping you up and running for up to a week with occasional use, or five days with frequent notifications and backlight activation. On the cosmetic front, the dark spots we saw in sunlight was likely a Mura Effect from the lens -- it's possible that other users will notice this as well. Finally, English is the only language currently supported (which explains why our Chinese characters rendered as rectangles), but others will soon follow.</div></div></div>

Pebble smartwatch review

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Richard Collins, head of Ubuntu mobile products

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr /> <div class="copy post-body"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP The Engadget Interview Richard Collins, head of Ubuntu mobile products" data-src-height="436" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/ubuntu-iv-lead3.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Don't ask, don't get. That's why we rang up Canonical and requested an early build of Ubuntu for the Galaxy Nexus. (Politely declined.) Next, we asked if maybe the company could speed up development of its dual OS solution for Android, since we're really looking forward to it. (Funny looks.) Finally, we wondered if there was any possibility of dropping by the London HQ and interviewing someone in charge. ("Come on over!") We promptly found ourselves sitting across a desk from Richard Collins, who left the Symbian Foundation 18 months ago to work at Canonical, and who has a very firm grasp of how Ubuntu is going to be hauled into the mobile era. He explains everything after the break, so if you have a big OS-shaped gap in your belly, or if you're just intrigued to hear the proposition of a new player, read on.</div><h3 id="title0" style="text-align: center;"> Ubuntu for Smartphones</h3><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP The Engadget Interview Richard Collins, head of Ubuntu mobile products" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/ubuntu-hands-on-620-ces2013-1359133315.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>How is Ubuntu on a smartphone really the same Ubuntu we know from desktop PCs? </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> It's the same code base, with our Unity UI, adapted to provide a very particular experience according to the device it's running on. That makes it straightforward for developers to say, "here's an Ubuntu application that I know works brilliantly on the desktop, I only have to adapt it using the tools that Ubuntu provides in order to make it work on a smartphone."</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>But legacy desktop apps will still have to be ported?</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Legacy apps will have to be adapted. They'll need to compile on ARM processors, but that's not a significant amount of work. When we start launching products, we'll include an SDK which will allow developers to build apps which work on both the smartphone and the desktop interface.</div><div class="more-info" style="text-align: center;"> <h3> More Info</h3><ul><li> Hands-on with Ubuntu for smartphones</li><li> Canonical's Mark Shuttleworth at CES 2013</li><li> Ubuntu core apps project launched</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Since Android is also Linux-based, is there any plan for Ubuntu to run Android apps? </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Many Android developers already use Ubuntu as their desktop OS and we have a very close affinity with them. We intend to encourage them to make their Android applications run on Ubuntu, but we won't engineer any middleware for running Android apps. Developers are intelligent and capable enough to make their apps run on our devices. We have an active initiative right now to directly help them achieve this. [See More Coverage below.]</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Will you have a full app store ready for the launch of your smartphone? </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span>In terms of our first go-to-market product strategy, the intention is not to have an application store full of ready-made applications that are there to download. We have a very definite approach in terms of addressing an important part of the market where users are primarily interested in being able to use a core set of applications.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><blockquote class="quote right"> <span>"The intention is not to have an application store [at launch]</span>"</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>You're saying people interested in low-cost phones don't need lots of apps? </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> At launch, we'll have the capability for a mobile app store, but at this stage we don't believe it is essential for the entry-level smartphone market we're targeting. However, we won't just be saying "there's your basic applications, that's all you're going to need." Our strategy includes giving carriers and manufacturers ways of delivering services in conjunction with us -- we plan to give them more influence.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Do you want people buying your entry-level phone, in China for example, to know the Ubuntu brand?</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Yes, of course. I want them to associate Ubuntu with a very interesting, relevant and enjoyable experience. The challenge for us is to take the success we have with developers, with enterprises, and take that into the consumer market.</div><h3 id="title1" style="text-align: center;"> Budget rivals</h3><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP The Engadget Interview Richard Collins, head of Ubuntu mobile products" data-src-height="389" data-src-width="600" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/geeksphone-1359134013.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Are you going after the same market as Mozilla's Firefox OS?</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> [Mozilla] has a very particular type of technology. We believe that a rich user experience requires a native capability -- it can't be entirely addressed by a phone that only runs web applications. Web apps sit on servers in different parts of the internet, so it's hard for them to interact and share information.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>You're also going up against Nokia's Asha series running on S40...</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Nokia's S40 is <em>only</em> defined as being a low-end smartphone platform. Ubuntu is engineered to run across different devices, and it's engineered to scale up to higher-end devices.</div><h3 id="title2" style="text-align: center;"> High-end rivals</h3><h3 id="title3" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP The Engadget Interview Richard Collins, head of Ubuntu mobile products" data-src-height="413" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/surfacepro-1359134060.jpg" /></h3><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>What advantages do you have over Android as a smartphone OS?</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> With Android, it's implicit that if you want to run Google services then there's a levy associated with that. Our model is entirely different. We're working with industry partners who want to have more influence over the way services are provided to end users. We won't try to lock people into licensing our services.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Windows already straddles the divide between x86 and ARM. Has Microsoft stolen a march on you?</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><blockquote class="quote right"> "Microsoft generates uncertainty and conflict..."</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: center;"> We compete with them, in that sense. There are ways in which Windows is a very costly OS to build hardware on. We have an alternative approach that is more software-based, more collaborative, more open, and offers more promise for developers who want their apps to run on desktops, phones, TVs and so on.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Microsoft generates uncertainty and conflict in the way it's trying to gain market share. They're in conflict with their own hardware partners. There's a very different stance in the way we propose to work with people.</div><h3 id="title4" style="text-align: center;"> Ubuntu for Android</h3><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP The Engadget Interview Richard Collins, head of Ubuntu mobile products" data-src-height="339" data-src-width="600" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/ubuntu-for-android-2-1359133333.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Many people are waiting on mobile Ubuntu because they want to see boundaries pushed and the market disrupted. Won't your first phone jar with those types of users?</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Not if we're clear about where we want to take Ubuntu. We're planning to very quickly follow our initial launch with a high-end converged device, which will have high-performing system components that will allow Ubuntu to run as a desktop OS when docked. It'll also have full access to the Ubuntu Software Center. So we need to be clear about our roadmap -- we don't have tunnel vision around low-end products.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Speaking of which, are you okay with how long it's taking Ubuntu for Android to come to market?</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> It takes a long time to release a software-based product and turn it into a hardware-based product. But I can tell you that you might not have much longer to wait before you see something on that side.</div><h3 id="title5" style="text-align: center;"> Makin' money</h3><div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP The Engadget Interview Richard Collins, head of Ubuntu mobile products" data-src-height="363" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/ubuntuos2.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>You're not going to be like Microsoft or Google, but how will you make money?</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The simplest model would be per-unit licensing. Then there's also the fact that hardware manufacturers and carriers don't want to focus on software. They want people like us to manage that on their behalf and it might be possible to commercialize that.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>So you'd directly look after the software -- including updates, for example?</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Yes, absolutely. There's no fragmentation in terms of the way we will progress our OS. Each update will come on a six-monthly basis and manufacturers will be able to rely on that. They'll be able to deliver their services without worrying about OS versions.</div><div class="more-info" style="text-align: center;"> <h3> More Info</h3><ul><li> Ubuntu for Android -- prototype hands-on</li><li> Ubuntu lands on Nexus 7 slates</li><li> Kite tablet flies Android 4.0 and Ubuntu 12.04</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>How would those services run regardless of OS version?</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Because often those types of services will be web-based. With Ubuntu, web applications can feel more like part of the main operating system. We can make them feel very native.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Will you try to advertize on mobile Ubuntu?</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> That has to be done in conjunction with carriers and manufacturers. But part of what we're doing with the OS is providing direct access to services that the user has subscribed to, and putting them in the main UI -- like with Amazon.</div><h3 id="title6" style="text-align: center;"> The Future</h3><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Where do you want to be in two years' time? </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I want to be shipping in mass volume, in the millions of units, and for Ubuntu to be recognized globally as one of the major platforms. Our analysis says there's the opportunity to gain a 7-8 percent market share by 2016. There's a window of opportunity for a new player to capture that kind of share.</div></div></div>

Richard Collins, head of Ubuntu mobile products

Don't ask, don't get. That's why we rang up Canonical and requested an early build of Ubun...

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MIDI spans 30 years at NAMM with Commodore 64 and Animoog (video)

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;" /><div class="image-container" style="text-align: left;"><img alt="MIDI spans 30 years at NAMM with Commodore 64 and Animoog (video)" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/dsc04208-1359143409.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">You may have heard that the Musical Instrument Digital Interface protocol (aka MIDI) celebrates its 30th birthday this year. And where better than NAMM would the MIDI Manufacturer Association be able to fully demonstrate (and celebrate) the persevering protocol's coming of age? Part of the MMA's installation was a set-up destined to get geek hearts racing. A 1983 Commodore 64 connected to a Sequential Circuits Model 64 sequencer cartridge (with MIDI interface). From these vintage parts, the regular 5-pin MIDI cable heads out through the decades and into an IK Multimedia iRig MIDI, into an iPad, finally feeding its information into the Animoog app from equally longevous Moog. Watch old meet new in the gallery and video below.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="349" id="viddler-1b83cc19" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="//www.viddler.com/embed/1b83cc19/?f=1&offset=0&autoplay=0&secret=91390144&disablebranding=0&view_secret=91390144" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="545"></iframe></div>

MIDI spans 30 years at NAMM with Commodore 64 and Animoog (video)

You may have heard that the Musical Instrument Digital Interface protocol (aka MIDI) celebrates its 30th birthday this year. And where bette...

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