Hasta La Gadget!

Earlier this morning, we looked at possible leaked images of the upcoming iPhone 5, and it seems that there was more to it than met the eye. Everything about it looks dapper and pretty much run on the mill, but if you were to take note of the new square chip subsystem located right at the top, it might just be the elusive NFC hardware that was speculated in the past – at least according to the eagle-eyed folks over at Macotakara. Since NFC code was discovered in hardware dumps from soon-to-come iPhone prototypes, chances of NFC technology being employed in the new iPhone 5 is pretty high, falling just short of a confirmation.

The implementation of NFC technology into the iPhone 5 would also mean a more connected hardware ecosystem, as iPhone 5 owners will then be able to share files from one device to another in a jiffy, assuming they all run on the iOS platform, of course.  I guess all that we need to do now is sit tight and wait for the September 12th event to pass us by.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple to update iOS to support NFC in 2012?, Next generation iPhone rumored to have improved antenna,

If a wireless light bulb wasn’t quite the Jetson’s style future you were hoping for, perhaps Panasonic‘s planned expansion of its smart home appliances will better scratch that itch. From next month, there’ll be an Android app to let you remotely operate appliances, view energy savings and program settings via NFC. Hardware-wise, the electronics giant is introducing connected air conditioners, refrigerators, washer-dryers as well as smaller devices such as blood pressure monitors and calorie meters. Along with remote control, there appears to be some supportive cloud-based services too, such as reporting device faults to customer service and generating reports (from the healthcare products). When can you get a taste of the future? September 25th if you live in Orbit City Japan. As for the rest of the world? We’ll just have to be patient.

Continue reading Panasonic expands smart home appliance line, adds Android Smart App, cloud services

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Panasonic expands smart home appliance line, adds Android Smart App, cloud services originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 05:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We mentioned back the beginning of the month that Google Wallet now supports all major credit cards and debit cards. One of the last major credit card holdouts was Discover, and as of today, Discover is offering up more details on its support for Google Wallet. It appears that Discover is making it easier for users to add their credit cards to their Google Wallet.

Discover has announced that it has partnered with Google to allow card members to save their credit card information directly into Google Wallet by logging into the online Account Center. That account center for adding the card to Google Wallet is at the URL Discover.com/googlewallet. When the card is added to a compatible phone with NFC technology inside the user can pay using their phone rather than digging out the credit card at participating retailers.

Discover says that once members are logged into the Account Center, adding the card is a simple process of making a few clicks. The credit card will sync automatically to the Google Wallet application for users with NFC smartphones. Users can also add the card directly through the Google Wallet mobile application.

I think Google Wallet is finally starting to go mainstream. I live in a more rural area, and I’ve noticed that several retailers now have signs up that they accept Google Wallet. I’m still concerned that by finding my phone, nefarious sorts would have access to my credit card information. Granted, if they found my wallet, they would have the same information access.

Discover makes it easy to add card to Google Wallet is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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We’d been hoping that Huawei’s flagship Ascend D Quad would roll by the FCC, hinting that the long-in-waiting hardware was soon to become a reality. It’s here, and it looks to be the XL version we were promised back in Barcelona, with no mention of the LTE that some US carriers love so well. Like the Ascend D1, though, it’s carrying pentaband HSPA+ that would let its 3G fly at full speed on any North American GSM carrier. There’s a slight surprise in the camera. Schematics mention a 12-megapixel sensor as a possibility alongside the officially announced 8-megapixel shooter — that said, whether it’s a quiet upgrade, a regional variant or just a discarded dream isn’t made obvious here. More certain references can confirm video out through HDMI and MHL as well as the increasingly de rigueur NFC. We don’t need the FCC to confirm launches that start late this month in China and October in Europe, but the approval guarantees that there won’t be rude surprises for the release or for any imports, whether they’re unofficial or through a carrier deal.

Filed under: Cellphones

Huawei Ascend D Quad XL hits the FCC with North America-friendly 3G, 12MP camera mention originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whenever we see a smartphone optimized for China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA 3G, it usually represents one of two things: it’s either a China-specific variant of a phone we already know, or it’s a local-only model that’s unlikely to ever travel abroad. Marvell has just unveiled a new mobile processor platform that could allow for a lot more globetrotting with those basic designs. The PXA988 is limited to China Mobile’s technology for data, but its PXA986 doppelganger can fit the same slot to offer regular HSPA+ 3G without forcing phone makers back to the drawing board. Both run on a dual-core, 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 at their heart — nothing exciting in mid-2012, although they’re well-enough equipped to capture 1080p video and tout extras like NFC. Only test samples exist today, but there’s a chance we’ll soon see phone designs that are just as much at home in Berlin as they are in Beijing.

Continue reading Marvell PXA988, PXA986 chips support 3G for China, the world without reinventing the wheel (or phone)

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Marvell PXA988, PXA986 chips support 3G for China, the world without reinventing the wheel (or phone) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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