Hasta La Gadget!

Apple has been granted a patent for a predictive text keyboard on mobile devices that will automatically increase the size of touch targets without actually doing so visually. Although this patent, which Apple Insider dug up, is bit confusing in concept, it’s execution makes sense. In fact, the idea of implementing this idea without visual indicators actually makes this whole idea much more functional. More »

Here’s a fun and trippy hack made by programmer Peter Nitsch. Nitsch’s website converts feed from Google’s Street View to ASCII art in real time. You can also search for locations, just like in the vanilla web app. And yep, it has a “green mode.”

Here’s a closer look at that shot:

And here’s the Matrix mode:

You really should see it for yourself. Nitsch recommends using Chrome or Firefox 8 and above. The characters change as the view slowly pans. It’s like looking at the world from the point of view of a computer.

[via Waxy]

Making that jump from an old-fashioned feature phone to a smartphone can be pretty intimidating for a lot of consumers, and Verizon and Pantech are looking to do something about that with the new MARAUDER. Not only is the MARAUDER inexpensive, but it also comes with a number of features that will help newbies ease into the world of smartphones. Of course, those who don’t need an introduction on using a smartphone will also be covered, and even better is the fact that the MARAUDER won’t break the bank.

Verizon and Pantech’s announcement mostly talks about the MARAUDER’s Starter and Standard modes. By switching the phone to Starter mode, users will be getting a more “intuitive” setup that includes four home screens, preset widgets, and a quick-dialer that allows for making calls directly from the home screen. In other words, it’s meant to give new users an introduction to smartphones that won’t overwhelm. Standard mode unlocks the full Android experience for users who already know what they’re doing, unleashing the full set of seven customizable home screens. Users will be able to switch between both modes freely without losing any saved settings, so if you jump into Standard mode a bit too early, you’ll be able to return to Starter mode with everything still in place.

On the technical side of things, the MARAUDER comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 4-inch screen, a dual-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth 3.0 and mobile hotspot capabilities, a 5-megapixel camera, a microSD slot, and is 4G LTE ready. It also comes equipped with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which is getting on in days. The specs will leave something to be desired for smartphone aficionados, but the MARAUDER wasn’t exactly made with them in mind anyway. Overall, this sounds like it’ll be a decent phone for getting your feet wet, but we wouldn’t be surprised to hear that consumers are moving on from the MARAUDER after they’ve had their first taste of the “smartphone experience.”

The MARAUDER will be available at Verizon starting August 2 (that’s this Thursday), and will cost $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. Even with the mail-in rebate, you’ll still need to sign a two-year contract to get the MARAUDER for that price, so keep that in mind. Finally, Verizon also says that those who purchase the MARAUDER will be required to sign up for its Share Everything plan.

[via Android Community]

Pantech MARAUDER heads to Verizon with 4G LTE on the cheap is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Samsung and Apple lawsuit is currently ongoing in US courts, and you can be pretty sure that the US is not short of corporate courtroom drama, with patents being the new form of ammunition for huge companies. According to Microsoft, they are looking forward to a time of patent peace with Motorola Mobility, a unit of Internet search giant Google. At point of publishing, Microsoft is embroiled in patent litigation with Google’s Motorola Mobility, and the former hopes to arrive at a comprehensive settlement of disputes which have to date, limited sales of Motorola Mobility products in both the US as well as in Germany.

Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith and Horacio Gutierrez, head of Microsoft’s intellectual property group, mentioned, “This particular litigation now stands at a crossroads. Google can take one of two paths: it can choose either to engage in serious discussions to search for patent peace or persevere in its diversionary tactics. We hope it will choose the first course, and we stand ready to engage in good faith if it does.”

To date, Microsoft managed to convince the US court to ban US imports of Motorola Mobility handsets which make use of a particular patented feature that will help coordinate schedules between smartphones and one’s computer. Not only that, Microsoft managed to pick up a victory that limits sales of select Motorola Mobility products in Germany that were based on other Microsoft patents. Do you think Motorola will be able to work something out for a happy ending that everyone wants?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google perform evasive maneuvers to avoid US smartphone import ban, US judge will allow Microsoft to continue selling their products with disputed patents,

If you so happen to have $150,000 in spare cash lying around somewhere, or money that you have access to, and are looking for something to invest all that moolah in, perhaps it is time to look beyond the regular vehicles of investment such as property and financial instruments, or even less traditional modes such as wine, comic books or vintage cars. How about video game memorabilia? Enter the pre-release prototype of Nintendo’s first Legend of Zelda game which hit eBay earlier this morning? Yes sir, a seller going by the name “tjcurtin1″ has put up his copy of a pre-release prototype version of The Legend of Zelda, in addition to a totally new and sealed copy of the game up for auction – with an asking price of $150,000. Here is what tjcurtin1 has to say.

This is a complete version to my knowledge and as far as I know does not differ from the released version. The simple label reads “HP NOA 2-23-87 Legend of Zelda.” The actual release of the game was August 22nd 1987. I can only speculate that the 2-23-87 refers to the date they completed this prototype and being so close to launch is why there are no differences from the released version. Again I’m speculating. If you google NES Zelda Proto you will see the history of this particular cart. I will be happy to add pics, answer questions (to the best of my ability) and field offers for this title. If you look through my 100% positive eBay history you will see I am a regular purchaser and seller of video games. This is without a doubt the pinnacle of my collection and I challenge anyone to come up with anything more important in the video game collecting scene. Stadium Events? How many carts are out there? Hundreds. NWC Gold Cart? Again how many? There is one Prototype in the world for the NES Zelda, one prototype that started the launch of a generation of gamers and you are viewing it.

What do you think of such geekery and the amount of commitment to the cause?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Zelda NES case mod features a light-up Link [Updated], NES controllers given a new lease on life as wallets,