Jul 29
Jul 29
Thanks to a non-profit, undercover safety investigation into Apple supplier, Pegatron, we apparently have confirmation that Apple is indeed getting ready to release a cheaper, plastic-backed iPhone.
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Jul 29
Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you’ve come to the right place. Our sister site gdgt tracks price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they’ve found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won’t last long.
Today’s hottest deals include one of the best smartphones on the market, the Samsung Galaxy S 4, at half price with a Sprint contract, as well as a cheap deal on an entry-level Canon PowerShot. Want the latest deals delivered to your inbox? Join gdgt and add the gadgets you’re shopping for to your “Want” list. Every time there’s a price cut, you’ll get an email alert!
Jul 29
We’ve seen our fair share of cockpit simulators, and it always seems that the next one we come across continues to amaze us. 40-year-old French father Laurent Aigon built a life-size and fully functional cockpit simulator and stuffed it in his kids’ bedroom, out of all places, giving his kids something to do during their free-time.
Of course, we’re not sure how old Aigon’s kids are, but you’re never too young to learn new things, and the Boeing 737 simulator looks like a great way to learn how to fly. Aigon actually always wanted to be pilot, which was the motive for building the cockpit in the first place.
Perhaps the most impressive bit about the simulator is that it didn’t come as one big chunk, but rather Aigon built it over time, buying individual parts whenever he could find them and then put them together gradually until he had a fully-functional model. Aigon also hooked up five displays together to simulate the windshield.
All in all, the project has taken thousands of hours and thousands of dollars to complete, but Aigon isn’t stopping there. He’s hoping to complete the five-year certification process in order to build professional flight simulators for a living, since he’s currently a restaurant waiter that’s looking to make a career change.
As for his kids and their thoughts on the simulator, there are no words yet on what they think, but seeing as how the cockpit simulator was mostly for Aigon’s benefit, we think that his kids don’t mind having one of the coolest toys chilling out in their bedroom.
VIA: Gizmodo
SOURCE: Sudouest.fr
Boeing 737 cockpit simulator built by dad in kids’ bedroom is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 29
Plastic Casing For Apple’s Low-Cost iPhone Gets Confirmed In A Supplier Responsibility Investigation
Posted in: Today's Chili
Apple’s plans to release a low-cost iPhone got a solid confirmation from a new report by China Labor Watch this morning. The unlikely source of the new product info was an undercover investigation into Pegatron to shed light on working conditions at the Apple supplier (which also acts as a partner to other consumer electronics makers).
A description plucked from a diary entry by an undercover investigator posing as a worker reveals the salient details around the low-cost iPhone and its plastic back, as first reported by Computerworld. Here’s the relevant segment in full:
Today’s work is to paste protective film on the iPhone’s plastic back cover to prevent it from being scratched on assembly lines. This iPhone model with a plastic cover will soon be released on the market by Apple […] The new cell phone has not yet been put into mass production, so quantity is not as important.
The key details here are first that the leaks we’ve seen showing a plastic casing for an iPhone are likely true, and that the “coming soon” release window is also accurate, though there’s no telling whether this is gearing up for a fall launch. The phone is also notably not yet in the mass-production phase, though there’s still time for that to take place between the time the information was recorded in the report and a late fall release date, as appears to be most likely for Apple’s upcoming iPhone refresh.
The report isn’t meant to tease iPhone production details, of course; it’s actually supposed to depict working conditions at the factory, and suggests that Apple isn’t keeping up with the promises it makes in its Supplier Responsibility materials on its site and in its regular reports on the subject. The report says that Chinese workers are doing six-day weeks, with 11 hour shifts and making only around $1.50 an hour for a total of $268 per month, which is far under the local monthly average of $764 and not enough to qualify as a living wage for Shanghai, China Labor Watch says.
China Labor Watch and other groups consistently try to draw attention to working conditions in the country, often using Apple as a particularly high-profile example. Ironically, this report may be its biggest attention draw yet, since it features solid information about an unreleased product that many investors and consumers are watching in the West with bated breath.
Jul 29
A team of researchers at the National Taiwan University have created a Wi-Fi enabled sensor that is embedded in the mouth. The sensor is capable of collecting data on daily habits such as eating and smoking, the current prototype reportedly has a 94 percent accuracy in collecting such data. The sensor is capable of differentiating between coughing, speaking, eating, smoking, drinking and breathing. This collected data can then be sent to a doctor.
For now, the sensor needs an external power source, but researchers are working on fitting an internal power solution. It can be embedded between two teeth or mounted on dental hardware such as braces. The sensor has to obviously be waterproof so as to avoid any damage, it also needs to be securely fixed to avoid the possibility of it becoming loose and accidentally being swallowed. Researchers are also working on adding Bluetooth support, this would enable doctors to download the data on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets easily. Right now, the current solution requires that all of the collected data first be uploaded to a server over Wi-Fi. [Image via The Verge]
Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | Tooth Sensor Collects Data On Your Daily Eating And Smoking Habits original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jul 29
The Apple Store is a hectic place in China, so hectic that if you try to go in for a repair without an appointment, you can expect to wait all day. No big deal. This is what the black market for Genius Bar appointments is for.
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Jul 29
So it seems that PlayStation 4 owners will have more friends than their Xbox One counterparts — well, you know, in theory, at least. Sony announced this morning, by way of rather chipper Q&A video, that the PS4 will have a Party Chat to call its own, along with friends lists that support up to 2,000 users — that’s double the number that Microsoft announced toward the end of May (though, all said, both numbers are a big improvement over the last gens’ 100-person cap). Good news for social PlayStation gamers, though you might want to start saving up now — that’s a whole lot of extra birthdays gifts next year.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, Sony
Via: Joystiq
Jul 29
Strategy Analytics: Android beats iOS in Q2 tablet shipments, Windows gains ground
Posted in: Today's Chili
All in all, global tablet shipments were up for Q2, according to new numbers released by analyst firm Strategy Analytics. Factoring in white-box units, the market saw 51.7 million tablets shipped in that time period — that’s up 43-percent compared to the same time last year. A lot of that good news can be chalked up to Android’s success. The OS saw a healthy bump from 18.5- to 34.6 million units shipped, a number that has Google’s mobile operating system holding 67-percent of the market. The news is a little less cheery on Apple’s side of the OS wars, with shipments dipping from 17- to 14.6 million units, decreasing its marketshare to 28.3-percent, according to the firm. Microsoft, not surprisingly, saw a healthy increase in shipments from last year — though it’s still got a ways to go, calling around 4.5-percent of the market its own.
Jul 29
We heard last week that Nokia was developing a host of new Bluetooth enabled accessories. Today we get the first indication of one such accessory, which according to The Verge, is going to be called ‘Treasure Tag.’ It uses both Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC to track lost items from a Windows Phone device. The Tag itself will pair with the device through NFC and will have a loop strap through which it can be attached to any item, like a bunch of keys.
A Treasure Tag app has reportedly been built by Nokia for Windows Phone, it will allow users to manage their accessory as well as locate it when its lost. The Tag’s location will be displayed on a map that’s aided by Nokia’s LiveSight augmented reality view. The Tag will also allow users locate a phone that’s paired with it, there will be a button on the device which when pressed will sound a notification alert on the phone, but it has to be within range. Treasure Tag is said to be “always-on,” it might have a battery that will be good for at least six months. The accessory is expected to be released in the coming weeks, after Nokia releases the Amber Windows Phone 8 update that brings support for Bluetooth 4.0.
Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | Nokia ‘Treasure Tag’ Accessory Will Make It Easy To Locate Lost Items original content from Ubergizmo. 
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