Hasta La Gadget!

Xiaomi’s Facebook page is currently tickling your fancy at the moment, where a device cheekily hides behind a red curtain, and since there is no point of reference in order to make out just how large (or small) the device could be, the Facebook administrator for Xiaomi asked in a manner where Grammar Nazis would pounce on them right away, “Is it Xiaomi Pad? Or Xiaomi Smart TV? Or Xiaomi New Smartphone?” What we like would be the preceding sentence that mentioned, “Something NEW is coming!” which is rather obvious judging by the secrecy shrouding the upcoming device.

How about you? What do you think that this particular device would end up as? Most folks would claim that this is the upcoming Xiaomi Mi3 smartphone that will be the company’s new flagship, and while that has yet to be confirmed, it still is the most likely end result considering how anything else would be a real surprise since we have not heard of such rumors that mention otherwise. We do look forward to when Xiaomi would perform the full unveiling of this mystery device. [Facebook Page]

Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | Xiaomi Facebook Page Teases New Device original content from Ubergizmo.

For those of you eagerly following the seemingly never-ending legal battle between Apple and Samsung (cue crickets), a recent decision by the US Patent and Trademark Office has thrown a wrench into Apple’s master plan. According to documents filed by Samsung in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on Sunday, Apple’s Patent No. 7,844,915, which covers the two-finger pinch-to-zoom gesture, was found wanting by the USPTO due to it being anticipated by other patents and declared otherwise non-patentable, much like its “overscroll bounce” claim. Apple has up to two months to dispute the decision, though whether or not that action would gain the company any ground, either with federal court or the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, remains to be seen.

Filed under: Misc, Apple, Samsung

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Via: PC World

Photography has come a long way since its beginnings, but there are still some amazing things to be discovered by looking at how things worked back then. Inspired by the early days of photography, this lens has been re-engineered from one that was invented in the 19th century.

The team of Lomography have released their Petzval lens, which is supposed to replicate the lens that was originally invented by Joseph Petzval in Vienna, Austria, in 1840. It will work with Nikon F-mount and Canon EF-mount DSLRs.

The original Petzval lens was used to create beautiful portrait shots, and the new lens keeps the same strong color saturation, depth of field, bokeh elements, etc for which the lens was lauded.

Lomography launched their project as a Kickstarter campaign, and it’s been wildly successful so far. They’ve already amassed over $833,000 versus their goal of $100,000 – so this lens will definitely be made. There are 25 days left of funding, but you’ll have to pledge $400(USD) to get yours.

It’s unknown why, at the moment, the teams at Sony and Panasonic have decided they’d like to keep the standard-sized optical disk (CD-sized, that is) alive, but they’ve announced just that this morning. In an effort to create next-generation professional-use disks with capacities of at least 300 GB, these teams will join forces here and now. Their aim is to create this new media by the end of 2015.

This announcement comes after the next-newest advancement in disk technology – the Blu-ray – has been on the market since 2003. That’s ten years since the first prototype Blu-ray player was released, and another three years before that when the first Blu-ray was prototyped. Sony and Panasonic aim to take this size and format into the future with its full collection of strengths from the format itself and both companies’ unique solutions living in the same storage universe.

Panasonic’s contribution comes in the form of the LB-DM9 series optical disk storage device, made to house twelve 100GB optical disks in a dedicated magazine coming in at a thickness of 20.8mm. Meanwhile Sony’s solution came back in September of 2012 with their file-based optical disk archive system working with technology created for its XDCAM series of broadcasting products.

Each of Sony’s system’s disks (all twelve of them) were held within a single compact cartridge, each of them coming in at 25GB capacity. Storage capacities between 300GB and 1.5TB were offered, while Panasonic’s solution worked with 90 magazines with a storage capacity of 180TB in all.

We’ll be seeing this one solution, this one disk with storage capacity of 300GB or more by the end of 2015 complete with the good bits that’ve been with disks for several generations. Water resistance, humidity resistance, and ease in storage will live on.

Now we’ll get to see how the companies that’ve moved well beyond the disk universe will respond. Can we expect a return to drives? Or will Sony and Panasonic concentrate on the professional end alone?

SOURCE: Sony

Sony teams with Panasonic for 300GB optical disks – the slot lives on! is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

BMW has officially revealed the production BMW i3, the company’s first i-Series electric car for the market, a carbon-fiber clad urban vehicle set to reach roads from November. Based on the i3 concept first shown off in early 2011, the new i3 will manage 80-100 miles on a full charge in its cheapest $41,350 form, though a hybrid-style version with a compact two-cylinder engine will effectively double that for an extra $1,150.

BMW took the wraps off of the production car at a simultaneous event in New York, London, and Beijing today, ahead of deliveries beginning in Europe this November. The US release, along with availability in China and Japan, will follow on sometime in the first half of 2014.

According to BMW, running costs for the i3 should work out roughly 40-percent less than its 320dA sedan, in Germany at least, over the first three years. That advantage could be even bigger, the firm suggests, depending on the level of local subsidies. It’s worth noting, though, that the first three years of life is unlikely to include a change of the 125 kW Li-Ion batteries.

BMW i3 Concept:

Those batteries, paired with a 170HP electric motor, are good enough to propel the BMW i3 from 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds, with a top speed limited to around 93mph for what the company claims are efficiency reasons.

The compact “range-extender” is a two-cylinder gas engine mustering 34HP and mounted above the rear axel by the electric motor; rather than drive the wheels directly, it’s used to keep the batteries charged up. BMW says that, with a full battery and a full tank of gas, drivers can expect more than 180 miles in range in regular driving.

Carbon fiber has been used to keep weight down to 1,195kg, with a passenger cell of the lightweight material wrapped around an aluminum chassis. Inside there’s room for four, along with BMW’s Connected Drive and 360-degree ELECTRIC systems.

BMW i3 production car revealed is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.