Hasta La Gadget!

Well, there wasn’t any word about it from the stage yesterday, but we’re happy to report that the iPhone 5 will be going pre-paid from (almost) day one. The contract-free Cricket will be first to offer the latest from Cupertino in a pay-as-you-go format, repeating its claim to fame with the 4S. Price is still up in the air, but we expect the 16GB iPhone 5 and 4S to land at the same price points already on the books for pre-paid iOS handsets — $499 and $399, respectively. It doesn’t look like there will be a pre-order period, so you’ll just have to carry yourself down to your local Cricket shop on September 28th if your want your 4-inch iOS without the commitment. You’ll find the exceedingly brief PR after the break.

Continue reading iPhone 5 coming to Cricket September 28th, keeps the pre-paid faithful happy

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

iPhone 5 coming to Cricket September 28th, keeps the pre-paid faithful happy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 07:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has released a gallery of iPhone 5 photo samples, demonstrating just what the smartphone’s 8-megapixel camera is capable of. The shots – which you can see in our gallery after the cut – are intended to showcase the iPhone 5′s updated sensor and lens system, which pairs a backside-illuminated CMOS with sapphire crystal glass and improved low-light performance.

The camera is also tipped to be faster in operation, something our hands-on time with the iPhone 5 bears out, though it’s the final quality that will settle things for most. Apple took a considerable step forward with the iPhone 4S camera, both in still and video capabilities, though the marketplace has a few other key contenders aiming for the “best camera on a smartphone” crown.

One such example is the Nokia Lumia 920, which bears the company’s PureView branding. That has a slightly higher resolution sensor than the iPhone 5, but pairs it with a special “floating lens” assembly that adds optical image stabilization. Unfortunately, Nokia also squandered some of its goodwill by mocking up early samples of what the Lumia 920 is capable of, though that shouldn’t detract from subsequent examples actually taken from the phone, which bear up to scrutiny well.

Android phones, meanwhile, continue to pile on the megapixels, with LG’s Optimus G expected to bring a 13-megapixel sensor to the party. Samsung’s Galaxy S III and the HTC One X make do with 8-megapixels, like the iPhone 5, but each adds its own take on camera software – including panoramic modes, as Apple has added in iOS 6 – and f/2.0 lenses for better performance in low-light.

Apple’s photos from the iPhone 5 certainly look solid, though there’s no telling how many were junked before these six were selected, and none show low-light performance specifically. Let us know what you think in the comments, and we’ll be looking forward to putting the camera through its paces in our iPhone 5 review.

iPhone 5 camera samples take on PureView and more is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Brits ready to stake their preorder claim this Friday might have a harder time deciding between the myriad of networks offering the device. While all of the major UK carriers will be ready to offer you the iPhone 5, that LTE radio will only be working on the newly-christened EE from the start, with Three likely to use that purchased spectrum (after getting the okay from Ofcom) to similar effect in the near-future. Unfortunately for Vodafone and O2, the forthcoming Ofcom spectrum auction is gearing up to sell off the 800MHz (Band 20) and 2.6GHz (Band 7) frequencies — neither of which are found on Apple’s multiple iPhone 5 models, and the latter being a bigger problem in Europe and Asia, where LTE networks already make use of the 2.6GHz frequency. However, Apple have followed up an initial phone launch with additional network-specific models before — so there’s a slim chance we could see another model at a later date. All the UK carriers are keeping their contract prices a tightly-guarded secret at the moment, but we’ll update as soon as we hear more. Meanwhile, those on that little European isle can expect to pay £529 for the entry-level iPhone 5 from the source when pre-orders start this Friday.

Update: Pocket-lint‘s been told that those looking to grab the EE iteration will need to initially register with either Orange or T-Mobile, with your service bizarrely migrating across on a later, as-yet unconfirmed, date. This is because its new 4G network won’t be ready when the iPhone 5 first hits shops on September 21st. Before that, you’ll have to make do with HSPA+ speeds.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

LTE iPhone 5 coming to EE and Three in UK, but not O2 and Vodafone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 07:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic has announced a new home theater projector called the PT-AE8000U that supports full HD 3-D images. The projector is also equipped with advanced customization features and promises to be one of the more interesting 3-D projectors on the market. The projector has 2400 lumens of brightness and works in 2-D mode as well.

The contrast ratio for the projector is 500,000:1. Panasonic equips the projector with a new 220W Red Rich Lamp for increased red intensity allowing it to produce brighter images and deliver improved color reproduction. The projector also uses Panasonic’s Pure Contrast Plates to generate deeper blacks and eliminate light leakage.

Panasonic Pure Color Filter Pro and Dynamic Iris technologies work together to allow for the 500,000:1 contrast ratio. The 3-D technology used in the projector creates alternating right and left images using an active shutter system for smooth and properly positioned 3-D effects. The system uses active shutter 3-D glasses and includes an integrated IR transmitter that has a 20-foot range.

The projector uses a two times zoom lens with a wide range of lens shift. The projector supports a 120-inch diagonal screen from as close as 11.8 feet away or as far as 23.6 feet away. The projector has +/-100% vertical adjustment and +/-26% horizontal adjustment. Pricing on the new projector is unannounced and it will launch in late September or early October.

Panasonic shows off new PT-AE8000U 3-D home theater projector is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Double Robotics’ telepresence bot showed up on our radar a few weeks back, and today we got to chat with its creators and see the thing in person. As a quick refresher, Double is a two-wheeled self balancing bot that turns your iPad into a telepresence screen. Company co-founder Marc DeVidts shared a few more details about his bot, letting us know that it’s powered by a 28.8V, 2.9Ah lithium ion cell. And, it turns out the Double’s controls aren’t app-dependant — it can be operated by either an iPad running the company’s app or by web browser. For now, it’s iPad-only, but because Double communicates with Apple slates via Bluetooth, the possibility for Android compatibility does exist, even though the company currently has no plans to make it happen. While you iPad owners wait for the one you undoubtedly just ordered to arrive, check out our video of Double’s deliberate moves after the break.

Continue reading Double telepresence bot spotted in the wild, we go eyes-on (video)

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Double telepresence bot spotted in the wild, we go eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 06:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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