Hasta La Gadget!

Despite featuring an original design and gathering good reviews, including from our own team, the first Surface (RT) had a hard time finding a market. As a result, Microsoft had to write down a substantial amount of money, but has decided to soldier on because abandoning the tablet market is just not an option. Microsoft needs Surface to show the way for other OEMs, and to do just that, Surface 2 has arrived.

This second edition still runs on an ARM platform: the NVIDIA Tegra 4 to be precise (the original Surface RT had a Tegra 3 chip). This hardware update and potential optimizations in Windows 8.1 bring a much faster machine,  to the market, and that translates directly into a better user experience. At the same time, the Windows Store apps quality has risen, especially for “top apps” from companies that have the engineering resources to handle many platforms. So, how is it to use the Surface 2 in the real world? Read on… (more…)

Surface 2 Review original content from Ubergizmo.

San Francisco is not large, but it does contain multitudes. Though many have left their hearts in the seven-by-seven mile spot at the tippy-top of this Pacific Ocean-lined peninsula, each and every loyal local and on-the-road vagabond who’s made his way through the beautiful Bay Area hub forms a highly personal take on the place.

Read more…

A new patent application published by the USPTO this week (via AppleInsider) indicates that Apple has been thinking about how to practically deliver the benefits of solar power to mobile devices, without requiring clumsy and gigantic external converters. Solar charging is still fairly fringe when it comes to the general gadget-using population, but Apple’s patent, filed originally in 2012, looks like it could provide a way to make getting your power from the sun something that’s generally palatable within a few years’ time.

The system in Apple’s patent is a power management array for accepting both power adapter and solar power direct from gathering devices or traditional mains-based chargers. So in other words, you could plug in your MagSafe or iPad/iPod adapter, or alternatively hook a MacBook or other piece of hardware directly to a solar panel with a simple cord. There’s also a means for accepting both inputs at the same time, according to the patent, for a power balance that would likely charge your device quicker but with more economical use of juice from the grid.

The key to this patent is that the system described is both composed of readily available power management techniques achievable with existing hardware, and; able to be built using componentry that takes up very little space, making it theoretically possible to integrate it into existing device designs without much modification. Both of those indicate that Apple could build this into products sooner, rather than later, should it choose to go that route.

I’d still expect this to take a while to come to fruition, if it does at all, but it is one way that Apple could explore the possibility of expanding device battery life in non-traditional usage situations, like while out and about in nature and separated from any mains access. The key will be whether this can be done without making any sacrifices to battery or device size, and that seems to be where Apple is focusing its R&D efforts around solar, according to this application at least.

EA Games and DICE released Battlefield 4 this week on current-generation consoles and PC, which we’re sure many of you are probably decided to catch up on a bit of news in between matches. If you haven’t picked up Battlefield 4 yet, there’s still some good times left in Battlefield 3 to experience, especially if you have the “best Battlefield 3 player ever” on your team. (more…)

Battlefield 3 Player Uses Military Terms During Match For A Hilarious Experience original content from Ubergizmo.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Panasonic is throwing in the towel on plasma TVs.

The electronics giant announced on Thursday that it will stop manufacturing plasma TV panels as of December. Production of the panels has ended completely at one factory and is currently stalled at a second factory. Business operations at these two factories and at a third factory will conclude by the end of March 2014.

Panasonic also said it will stop selling plasma TVs to consumers by next March, which will mark the close of its current fiscal year.

In its decision, the company cited the weakening demand for plasma displays in a market dominated by LCD panels:

Until now, due to the superiority of the picture, Panasonic’s PDPs (plasma display panels) have received high appraisal and there has been firm demand from customers worldwide. However, due to rapid, drastic changes in the business environment and a declining demand for PDP in the flat panel display market, it was judged that continuing the business would be difficult and a decision was made to stop production.

Panasonic added that it will develop new products for the display market. At last January’s Consumer Electronics Show, the company unveiled its first OLED TV prototype and is currently eyeing ma… [Read more]

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