Hasta La Gadget!

Elon Musk’s next big idea has been making the rounds lately. It’s actually an idea that’s been around for a while, but it’s just now gaining some real steam across the internet, mostly thanks to an announcement by Musk that he would be unveiling plans for the Hyperloop system by August 12, leaving us waiting in anticipation. While the idea sounds really cool and it makes sense on paper, is Hyperloop something that can realistically happen?

A quick primer on the basic idea of Hyperloop: It would essentially consist of a network of tubes spanning across the US, and capsules would be shot through these tubes at tremendous speeds (similar to how the capsule and tube system works at your local drive-thru bank). These capsules would be able to fit 6-8 people at a time, leaving room for luggage as well. Musk calls the Hyperloop system “a cross between a Concorde, a rail gun, and an air hockey table.”

How fast would these capsules be able to travel? The theoretical speed we’re talking about is somewhere around 4,000 mph, and this would be possible using Maglev technology that is currently used on bullet trains that allows them to travel at over 350 mph. However, since the tubes will be vacuumed and airless, the capsules will be able to travel at much higher speeds, similar to how a spacecraft can zoom through space at ridiculous speeds, thanks to the lack of air friction.

On top of that, Musk has said that the entire system would be incredibly low-powered, and it could run off of solar panels placed above the tubes, leaving energy costs at a minimum. Based on the speed that these capsules could travel at, a 2,500-mile trip from New York to Los Angeles would take only 30-45 minutes — a trip that normally takes 5-6 hours by commercial plane. People have been sketching out what a Hyperloop system would look like, and Elon Musk has pointed out a sketch that’s the closest anyone has gotten so far:

Another sketch shows the possible network of Hyperloop tubes stretched out across the US, with main hubs in New York, Chicago, Amarillo (in Texas), and Los Angeles. Then, each of these hubs would have separate branches extending out that could take passengers to surrounding cities. For instance, you could stop at the Chicago hub and get on another capsule that would take you to either Minneapolis, Detroit, Cincinnati, or St. Louis.

Plus, since the energy costs of Hyperloop would be so low, Musk says that a trip from New York to Los Angeles in one of the capsules would cost much less than an airline ticket. It also wouldn’t experience delays due to weather, since the tube system would be able to withstand most forms of bad weather. We’ll see how robust the system will be, but we wouldn’t be surprised if a tornado or hurricane caused a bit of damage.

This all sounds quite amazing, and it seems to work on paper, but is it practical and realistic? The US is having a hard time as it is just to bring high-speed rail into the country, mostly because the US doesn’t have the money and infrastructure for such a big project, and Hyperloop would cost just as much as (possibly even more than) a high-speed rail network.

However, if Musk ended up funding the project himself, this could be something that may actually get built, but it would also have to get approval from the government, and who knows how long that would take.

Check out our other recent coverage below for more on Elon Musk’s latest happenings.

Hyperloop: great on paper, but is it practical? is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’re planning on picking up the Verizon iteration of the HTC One, you’ll do well to know the battle said phone will be facing when it appears amongst the 4G LTE smartphone ranks of the big red carrier. What we’ve done here is to run down the rest of the devices that will be carried by Verizon at the time the HTC One will be released (likely August 1st), along with reviews if we’ve got them (if they’re on the market already, that is), or connections to information on potential specifications if they’re not.

Non-Android

Before we get too far into this competition and analysis, lets go ahead and get the devices NOT running Android out of the way. If you’re here in the summer of 2013 looking for a smartphone and are considering the HTC One, you already know you’re not going to want to pick up anything with iOS or Windows Phone 8 running on it. That much can be readily assumed.

If on the other hand you’re one of the odd folks out there that’ve found yourself in a predicament where you absolutely must decide between the operating systems, there really are only a few devices you’ll be deciding between.

Starting with the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S, you’ll either be paying $199.99 for the newest in new or $99.99 for the next-best thing. There’s always the iPhone 4 if you only want the form factor and the cool factor, and that’s free, but as far as getting anywhere near the processing and photo/video power that the HTC One has, the iPhone 5 is your only choice.

If you’re all about Windows Phone 8, Nokia’s 920 family entry with the Lumia 928 will indeed be the cure you’re looking for. It has a display that comes nowhere near the sharpness of the HTC One – or the iPhone, for that matter – but if you’re looking for high-quality photos and video and the most solid package running this mobile OS, the Lumia 928 far and away beats any other Verizon-bound machine at this time.

There’s also the BlackBerry Z10 and the BlackBerry Q10. If you’re thinking about purchasing the HTC One and you’ve also got either one of these devices on your “maybe” list, please do yourself a favor and hold either of them in your hand and the HTC One in the other. Mobile OS completely aside, the HTC One makes both of these BlackBerry devices appear as though they’ve been released more than a year ago – they’d be better suited to do battle with the original HTC One S, and even then your humble narrator would choose the latter based solely on software ecosystem – and the HTC One S wasn’t even carried by Verizon. You’d be better off waiting for the BlackBerry A10 instead.

Samsung

With the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Note II, HTC’s biggest competition comes in two hero-styled form factors. You’ll be able to see our full Samsung Galaxy S 4 vs HTC One run-down in a separate article – such is the nature of this topmost competitor for the HTC device. Both machines have the same processor, both have nearly the same display sharpness and size, and both are aimed squarely at being king of the heap.

The Samsung Galaxy S 4 rings in at $199.99 while the Galaxy Note II still costs $299.99 – a surprising price point given its makeup vs the GS4 and the notion that a next-generation Galaxy Note III is well on the way. The Galaxy Note II remains a high-powered beast of a unique addition to the Verizon lineup, on the other hand, continuing to be the one machine to offer a stylus built in to its body – and not some half-effort capacitive pen, either, a real value of an accessory in and of itself.

Have a peek at our Samsung Galaxy Note II review and Verizon hands-on to see why this device has only yet been size-checked by the HTC-made DROID DNA on Verizon – we’ll get to that soon.

LG

At the moment there’s no real competitor both made by LG and carried Verizon that can compare to the HTC One. There’s always the LG Intuition if you want to, once again, just be as unique as possible, but if you’re going to that device for its stylus, you’ll still be better off with a Galaxy Note II based solely on its software updates and relatively solid future-proof styling.

Verizon may get the LG Optimus G2 later this year, but it’ll be – at the very least – two months after the release of the HTC One that this fabled powerhouse is set loose with any carrier – and there’s no guarantee it’ll be released with Verizon either way. The LG Optimus G2 event is set for August 7th, if you’d like to follow along.

Motorola

There are three devices running on Verizon’s 4G LTE network right this moment that could very well be updated in kind by the end of September – or very soon thereafter. There’s a Verizon event scheduled for July 23rd to bring DROID back up to speed and based on every leak and tip we’ve come in contact with over the past few weeks, it would appear that these three machines are on the docket for replacement.

There’s the DROID RAZR HD, the slightly larger battery capacity-toting DROID RAZR HD MAXX, and the palm-ready smallest family member of the pack in the DROID RAZR M. As each of these smartphones runs with the same software, the same processor, and has effectively the same update schedule set from Motorola and Verizon, we must recommend them all the same.

Each has proven itself to be a top-to-bottom solid experience, and though they’re certainly not going to win any photography contests, each device has proven itself an effective workhorse for our everyday mobile communication device needs.

• Motorola DROID RAZR HD Review
• Motorola DROID RAZR HD MAXX Review (vs RAZR HD)
• Motorola DROID RAZR M Review

If you’ve waited this long for the HTC One to hit Verizon and you’re willing to wait a little longer for this DROID trio to bring on a reboot, we certainly wouldn’t hold it against you.

Until that reboot is made official, keep this in mind: if the DROID RAZR HD MAXX can back up both Chris Burns here on SlashGear and Android Community’s Cory Gunther through the entirety of CES 2013 (earlier this year, that being the most intense week of on-site tech reporting of the year), this line is certainly good enough to continue trucking into a competition with the HTC One.

Though they may not be as stylish – depending on your perspective – as the HTC One or the Samsung Galaxy S 4, the DROID RAZR HD family is a high-class match of 2013 smartphone abilities with rugged cant-bust-em bodies to boot. That’s a rarity on the market today, and we’re expecting Google to make the most of it with the DROID line reboot – not to mention the Moto X.

You’ll also want to check out the Moto X since it’s tipped to be hitting Verizon before the end of August as well – there you’ll find what’s essentially a cousin of this DROID family reboot, only made to seem of paramount importance to the future of Android in its push by Google as they push Motorola, a Google company. Expect the Moto X to seem a lot cooler than the DROID family reboot, though a specifications battle it will not win, by any means (that’s not the idea, after all).

HTC

Here at the birth of the Verizon HTC One ends Verizon’s push of the DROID DNA. It was because of the DROID DNA, make no mistake, that the HTC One was so very “delayed” as such. Whenever Verizon has a hero smartphone like the DROID DNA (aka the HTC Butterfly J, as it’s known internationally), you’ll find a frame of time that’s placed between it and any other smartphone that directly conflicts with its specifications – this is especially true when there’s another phone made by the first phone’s same manufacturer.

Because the DROID DNA and the HTC One are so very similar, Verizon’s release of the HTC One will soon be followed by a distinct lack of interest by the public – and by Verizon – in the larger smartphone. If you’re not too worried about software updates – especially if you’re a hacking-friendly user – the DROID DNA remains a lovely device in its own right. Especially since it’s current price at $49.99 is well below any other device rolling with a 5-inch display with sharpness so HD.

The DROID DNA offers the same amount of pixels that the HTC One does, spread out a bit more (so it’s just slightly less sharp) with a set of specifications that are more than ready to continue feeling impressive through the end of the year. Of course with the HTC One you’re getting better external speakers, a better set of cameras, a processor that’s literally the next generation replacement of the one living in the DROID DNA, and you’ve got a metal body instead of the DROID DNA’s plastic, too.

But maybe plastic – polycarbonate, that is – is more your style. For you there’s also the competition in the Samsung Galaxy Note II, a device with a rather similarly-sized display and the added bonus of Samsung’s own S-Pen. If you’re not all about Samsung’s software family and don’t feel the need to write with an accessory such as that, the DROID DNA still has a feature set that’ll continue to fight with the Samsung “handheld.”

Verdict

The HTC One is one of the most celebrated smartphones of the year, and it continues to be a smartphone worth releasing by Verizon even though it’s been out on several other carriers for weeks – and out internationally for months. As it also appears as a pure-Android HTC One Google Play edition, it should be clear how good a job it was that HTC did with this smartphone.

We’re expecting HTC to release a smaller and a larger edition of the HTC One by the end of the year – code-named for now (only because the company hasn’t given them full official final names) HTC One Mini and HTC One Max. Though these devices may offer unique perks in and of themselves when they’re revealed fully, they’ll be based in hardware and software largely on the HTC One, the original hero for HTC’s 2013 generation of smart mobile devices.

You can expect HTC to continue to support the HTC One’s software for many moons, as its placed so much of its faith in this machine that it’s all but annihilated any other efforts they’ve pushed for the rest of the year. Remember any other HTC smartphone releases since the HTC One was made official earlier this year? There certainly have been a few, but none championed nearly so hard as the One.

Expect the HTC One to grow in its software abilities well into the future while the hardware remains a solid package through the next several seasons with ease. Don’t go away without making sure you’re up-to-date with our AT&T HTC One Review and our original HTC One Review (international edition) before we get our hands on the Verizon edition – soon, and very soon!

Verizon HTC One prepares for civil war: here’s what it’s up against is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google has quietly patched a Glass security exploit that could have allowed hackers to take control of the wearable by showing it a QR code, the researcher who identified the flaw tells SlashGear. The exploit, discovered by Marc Rogers, Principal Security Researcher at Lookout Mobile Security, took advantage of Glass’ streamlined setup process that saw the camera automatically – and transparently to the wearer – spot QR codes in images and use them to trigger WiFi connections and other configurations. By creating malicious codes, and hiding them in images, Rogers was able to get Glass to connect to a compromised network, show details of all network traffic from the wearable, and even take full remote control.

The exploit – which we referred to in our June interview with Rogers, though without specific details as Google and Lookout were still addressing the fix at the time – has been fixed as of Glass firmware XE6, released on June 4. It’s a turnaround the Lookout researcher is impressed by, after only informing the search giant of the issue on May 16. “This responsive turnaround indicates the depth of Google’s commitment to privacy and security for this device,” he says, “and set a benchmark for how connected things should be secured going forward.”

At the root of the issue was how Google attempted to handle Glass setup, given the non-traditional input options the wearable offers. Without a keyboard, and with only voice-recognition and minimal trackpad access using the small panel on the side of the headset, the Glass team turned instead to visual setup tools.

Using QR codes – the glyphs also known as “2D barcodes” – Glass could be set configured to connect to a certain WiFi network, Bluetooth device, or something else. So as to minimize the need for the user to strum through the menus, Glass would automatically identify any QR codes in images snapped with the camera, and act on them automatically.

It’s that automation – which came with no notification to the user that codes had been spotted and acted upon – which opened up the loophole Rogers could take advantage of. By reverse-engineering Google’s QR codes, he could create a range of his own glyphs that would instruct Glass to connect to a WiFi network of his choosing. Using the software tool SSLstrip, he could then gain access to all of the network traffic from the wearable, such as messages, emails, and Hangouts calls.

Taking it one step further, by pushing Glass to a page on the wireless access point that took advantage of an Android 4.0.4 vulnerability, Rogers could then hack the headset itself and actually take control of it, even to the point of remotely turning on the camera and seeing what the wearer was looking at.

As of XE6, Google has changed the Glass software so that the camera will only identify QR codes when the user specifically triggers scanning through the settings, rather than looking for them proactively. The use of 2D barcodes for settings was seen as a first step for the technology and wearables; more everyday examples could have been automatically translating menus in foreign languages, or automatically downloading music tracks from QR codes discretely embedded in band posters.

The Lookout researcher doesn’t expect this to be the last vulnerability identified in Glass, though he also argues that it’s probably a good thing. By running through the hardware and software in limited “Explorer Edition” public trials first, he points out, by the time the consumer version arrives – expected sometime in 2014 – users will be more “able to trust Glass … because it has been tested.”

Still, it’s indicative of a largely unconsidered issue as more and more devices get not only smarter but increasingly autonomous. “When you have billions of connected devices, without UIs, how do you manage updates?” he asked, rhetorically, warning that we could see a new age of potential loopholes as ways of patching flaws lag behind functionality.

Next up, Lookout intends to pare through other connected devices in other fields – Rogers told us he’s looking at car manufacturers, environmental controls, and smartwatches – to see what exploits he can uncover. If the developers of those gadgets are looking for a good example of updating practice to follow, though, they could do worse than mimic Google, he says. Otherwise, poorly-managed security could lead to the public simply not trusting tomorrow’s gadgets.

“There’s a risk that we will get a little bit scared by new things, and there’s a risk that we could miss out on cool things [as a result]” Rogers explained, if the flaw hadn’t been spotted until the commercial model. It’s an example of how the so-called “internet of things” raises new challenges to security experts and manufacturers, he says, especially given that some of the companies developing such devices are specialized in either software or hardware, but seldom both.

Google Glass exploit hacked wearable with QR codes is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Zeiss is a name best known for its camera lenses, but the company also has entertainment in mind with the Cinemizer OLED wearable display. A chunk set of oversized video glasses, where Google’s Glass takes the approach of augmenting the real world with digital tidbits, the Cinemizer blocks out the real world and allows you to replace it with 2D/3D video and motion-tracking games. Is all that worth the $750 price tag, however? Read on for the SlashGear review.

Hardware and Design

Video glasses aren’t new, though they’ve traditionally been oversized and clunky in their design. Zeiss takes a more streamlined approach: if it wasn’t for the blank white expanse where lenses might normally be found, you could mistake the Cinemizer for sunglasses when viewed head-on. Their depth gives the game away from any other angle, though, with large rubber eyepieces fixed to a thick display assembly.

Inside, there are two OLED displays – one for each eye – that each runs at 870 x 500 resolution. That’s obviously less than HD, in fact short of 720p never mind 1080p, and so while the Cinemizer has an HDMI input, you’ll not be seeing anything in Full HD resolution through it. That input is in the battery box, a compact black block that offers both HDMI and analog connections, along with a 450 mAh rechargeable power pack which Zeiss claims is good for up to 6hrs of runtime, depending on what you have connected.

There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack, if you want to use your own headphones, though the Cinemizer has a pair as well. Those who would normally wear glasses get individual diopter adjustment for both sides, with dials shifting them from -5 to +2. As with any such system there’s a limit to how much you can accommodate – if you have an astigmatism, for instance, there’s no option to adjust for that – but if you wear a relatively straightforward prescription then you should be able to make the setup comfortable.

Comfort and Performance

Overall, the Cinemizer headset tips the scales at 120g, with the battery box adding another 60g to that, and the HDMI adapter a further 30g. However, since part of the weight of the video glasses themselves is supported by your ears, Zeiss quotes around 75g of weight on your nose specifically.

In practice, they’re comfortable enough for up to a couple of hours playback, but after that point they start to feel noticeably heavy. It’s a similar problem we’ve observed with other wearable displays; Google gets around it with Glass by only offering a monocular screen and trimming the battery down, bringing its wearable to 36g in total, but then again Glass isn’t exactly made for immersive movie consumption.

The sub-HD resolution means you’ll get better video performance from your regular TV, and the supplied earbuds aren’t exactly audiophile-standard. They lack bass, and the trebles don’t have the sparkle that rivals offer. Zeiss’ use of OLED means that the colors and contrast are at least impressively rich – though there’s a purple shadowing in paler areas of the display – and the rubber eyepiece keeps out most extraneous light. Zeiss suggests you’ll get the equivalent of a 40-inch TV viewed from 2m away, and there’s 3D support that looks clear and has minimal crosstalk.

Thanks to HDMI, you can easily hook up a console or computer to the Cinemizer, but our results are mixed. The 870 x 500 resolution means anything with significant amounts of text needs outlandishly large font sizes if the writing isn’t to be fuzzy, and most games assume there’ll be more pixels on hand whether they’re PC or console.

The Cinemizer also supports head-movement tracking, though we weren’t particularly impressed by how usable it is. For a start it’s an add-on dongle, which costs extra on top of the Cinemizer itself, snapping onto the earpiece and making the whole thing even more cumbersome. It hooks up via USB to your PC where it’s basically recognized as a mouse: moving your head left and right, or up and down, and the mouse pointer moves. In games, you can do the same thing, though we struggled to achieve the same efficiency of control as with a regular mouse. It’s also not full VR, as you might get with the Oculus Rift.

Zeiss quotes up to six hours of battery life when you’re using the AV input, or up to 2.5 hours when you’re using the HDMI port. In practice, we saw roughly that sort of runtime, though the battery invariably lasted longer than we could handle wearing the Cinemizer.

Wrap-Up

Personal video is a concept that has been around for some years now, each generation with its own advantages and, it must be said, flaws. With the Cinemizer, Zeiss addresses some of them – the headset isn’t quite so clunky as previous iterations from other manufacturers – but neither, with its separate battery box, various cables, and adapters, is it as streamlined as something like Glass.

Glass and the Cinemizer represent very different markets, of course, though it’s hard not to compare today’s wearables. The difference is, where Glass’ Explorer Edition is presented as a test move to iron out kinks, the Cinemizer is billed as a final product, complete with a $750 price tag.

At that level, it’s hard to recommend. The image quality is reasonable but lacks in resolution, and we can’t see gamers getting much use out of the head-tracking functionality, especially with the adapter itself costing extra. As wearable video displays go, the Cinemizer is probably the best we’ve seen, but we’re left unconvinced that the segment is mature enough to warrant the expense.

Zeiss Cinemizer Review is written by Vincent Nguyen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple has released Logic Pro X, the company’s latest version of the music workstation software, and seemingly settling concerns that the new app would be dumbed-down to GarageBand-level in the process. The new version is billed as the most advanced to-date, in fact, with more instruments and effects out of the box, together with a virtual percussion accompaniment called Drummer that can automatically play along with your track. Logic Pro X also comes with the new Logic Remote app, which turns an iPad into a remote control for mixing and mastering music.

Logic Remote can be used to adjust levels and track playback, or even as a roving instrument. the app supports keyboard, drum pad, or guitar fretboard layouts, along with a mixing board or transport control.

Apple’s Logic team has refreshed the UI for Pro X, with options to now either maximize the controls that are visible or hide them when you’d rather focus on being creative. There are also Smart Controls, which adjust multiple plug-ins and other parameters from a single place, for quicker tweaking.

Flex Pitch works like the infamous autotune, adjusting out-of-tune vocals but also capable of finessing individual musical notes within a waveform. Paired with Drummer, even the most amateur of bands should be able to coax out something halfway musical, with Apple turning to professional session players and recording engineers for the core algorithms that power the backing system. A Drum Kit Designer allows a virtual kit to be pieced together, and then played by Drummer.

As for playing, playback, and recording, there’s Track Stacks for combining and decluttering large groups of tracks, together with a new Arpeggiator, new Retro Synth for classic 70s and 80s sounds, and various electric piano, B3 organ, and clav modeling in the new Vintage Keyboards option. In fact, the whole sound library has been updated in Logic Pro X, with Apple claiming to have over 1,500 instrument and effect patches.

Over at The Loop, Jim Dalyrmple praises Logic Pro X’s continued inclusion high-end features while also making newer users at home with more straightforward controls.

Logic Pro X is available today, priced at $199. There’s also a new version of MainStage, v3, which is intended to convert Logic Pro X – and the Mac it runs on – into a performance system. It’s also available today, priced at $29.99. Logic Remote is a free download, though requires Logic Pro X of course.

Apple Logic Pro X released with Logic Remote iPad controller is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.