Hasta La Gadget!

There’s a brand new Android device out there in an HTC factory somewhere called the “Proto”, and it’s just bursting at the joints to get out here to the global market. This device has been tipped earlier this year as a step between the higher-end HTC One models and the midrange smartphone HTC One V. Here the device is pictured with a body that’s rather similar to the rounded shape of the HTC Sensation but with specifications that make it much more 2012.

This device clearly has a reinforced metallic back, lovely HTC design language in its curves on all sides, and what must be a high-end camera with a single LED flash. What’s confusing here is that the device still has the Beats Audio logo at the bottom back, this not quite adding up with their recent announcements that they’d be parting ways sooner than later with the audio company. Perhaps this device still falls under the fold though – we certainly wont be expecting any Beats-branded earbuds.

This device also has three capacitive buttons, similar to the rest of the HTC One series, letting us know that it’s got at least Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich if not the newer software Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Other specifications for this device have had it carrying a 5 megapixel camera on the back, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, and a processor twice as powerful as the HTC One V.

Above: the HTC Sensation, an obvious design reference for this new device.

We’re expecting that this device would have at least a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, but nothing’s confirmed as of yet. The HTC Proto will also quite likely have global connectivity for carriers around the world. HTC has also recently been reported as preparing an HTC One X for T-Mobile – they’d better get a move on!

[via The Verge]

HTC Proto pictured with global intent is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Lovin’ the bold look of those new Nikes? If you’re up to date on the athletic shoe scene, you may notice that sneaker designs can give way long before your soles do. A new decaling technique could enable you to “erase” labels and other artworks overnight without a trace, however, letting you change up your wardrobe without shelling out more cash. A prototype device, called Shader Printer, uses a laser to heat (at 50 degrees Celsius, 120 degrees Fahrenheit) a surface coated with a bi-stable color-changing material. When the laser reaches the “ink,” it creates a visible design, that can then be removed by leaving the object in a -10 degree Celsius (14 degree Fahrenheit) freezer overnight. The laser and freezer simply apply standard heat and cold, so you could theoretically add and remove designs using any source.

For the purposes of a SIGGRAPH demo, the team, which includes members from the Japan Science and Technology Agency and MIT, used a hair dryer to apply heat to a coated plastic doll in only a few seconds — that source doesn’t exactly offer the precision of a laser, but it works much more quickly. Then, they sprayed the surface with -50-degree Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit) compressed air, which burned off the rather sloppy pattern in a flash. There were much more attractive prints on hand as well, including an iPhone cover and a sneaker with the SIGGRAPH logo, along with a similar plastic doll with clearly defined eyes. We also had a chance to peek at the custom laser rig, which currently takes about 10 minutes to apply a small design, but could be much quicker in the future with a higher-powered laser on board. The hair dryer / canned air combo offers a much more efficient way of demoing the tech, however, as you’ll see in our hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Shader Printer uses heat-sensitive ‘paint’ that can be erased with low temperatures (hands-on video)

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household

Shader Printer uses heat-sensitive ‘paint’ that can be erased with low temperatures (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Windows Phone 8 handed tipped to be among Nokia’s new range has leaked, borrowing the unibody design from the Lumia 800 and 900. Etched as a prototype, the handset shared by WPDang has a distinctive yellow finish- a color we’ve not see Nokia use for its polycarbonate devices to-date – and the offset Nokia logo itself, pushed far to the right of the earpiece, is also new.

The UI also marks the unnamed phone out as potentially something special. The smaller iconography – which now fits up to four Live Tiles to each line – is a feature of Windows Phone 7.8 and Windows Phone 8; it’s unclear which version of the platform this device is running or, indeed, if it’s merely showing a screenshot of the updated interface.

Muddying the waters is Nokia’s close work with Microsoft and the existing confirmation that the company has been providing reference hardware for Windows Phone testing. One such device, not intended for commercial production, was demonstrated back in June, complete with a dualcore processor, 720p HD display and integrated NFC.

According to the latest rumors, we won’t have long to wait to know the truth. Nokia is expected to announce a press event in early September, shortly after IFA 2012 and ahead of the predicted iPhone 5 unveil, at which it’s tipped to reveal its new Windows Phone 8 line-up. Commercially availability is said to be due before the holiday shopping season.

[via Softpedia]

Nokia Windows Phone 8 prototype reportedly leaks is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The back and forth of Apple and Samsung’s spat can be tiring, it’s true, but the legal debacle has its moments. Cupertino’s Scott Forstall, for instance, took the stand on Friday to give some insights on the beginnings of what Apple called “Project Purple,” and the secrecy that surrounded the first iPhone’s development. “We’re starting another project,” Forstall would tell potential recruits to the project, “It’s so secret I cannot tell you what the project is. You are going to have to give up nights and weekends for a couple years.” These were the words that conscripted much of the team that would eventually build Apple’s first phone. Forstall said that the engineers he recruited weren’t told anything about the project or even who they would report to — eventually, Apple locked down one of its Cupertino buildings, affectionately calling it the “purple dorm” for its vague pizza-like aroma.

When Apple’s attorney questioned the senior vice president of iOS software about how the Project Purple team drove innovation, Forstall went on to describe the challenge of building a touch-centric OS. “Everything we dealt with before was based on mouse and keyboard, and here we were changing the entire user interface to be based around touch. We had to rethink everything about what big controls would be knowing where you are in the document, knowing when you reach the list… Every single part of every device had to be rethought for doing touch.” Samsung’s legal team was more concerned with how Project Purple was inspired by competitor devices; Forstall responded by saying that Apple simply tested Purple’s call performance against other devices, noting that “it’s fine to benchmark for performance reasons, it’s not OK to copy and rip something off.”

The comments are interesting, but they probably won’t weight too heavily on the jury’s final decision. Still, the stories are entertaining, and worth a read for those interested in the iPhone’s origins. Even so, we’ll be glad when the patent wars are finally over.

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets

Apple exec talks about the iPhone’s early days, the secrecy of ‘Project Purple’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Aug 2012 10:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all know about the ultra-rare and super-valuable Nintendo World Championship cartridges that pop up from time-to-time, but this prototype cartridge for The Legend of Zelda you see pictured below has a price tag that will make even the serious game collector cringe. Currently available on eBay, the cartridge comes with a Buy It Now price of $150,000.00. To be fair, seller tjcurtin1 is also including a factory sealed and graded copy of The Legend of Zelda, but the main star of this listing is clearly the yellow prototype cartridge.

It isn’t much to look at, but the seller says that it still works and still even saves – not bad for a cartridge that is apparently dated February 23, 1987. If the cartridge was indeed made around that date, that means this copy of The Legend of Zelda was making its way around Nintendo of America’s offices six months before the retail version released. For those doubting the cartridge’s authenticity (or the claim that it’s still in working order), the seller made a YouTube video demonstrating that the cartridge boots up just fine when popped into an NES. Check it out below.

Sadly, there don’t seem to be any differences between this prototype and the retail version that hit shelves in August of 1987. The seller does point out that he hasn’t played through it all the way yet, so there could very well be some differences which remain undiscovered, but if you’re planning on buying, you should probably keep that little caveat in mind. If it isn’t different from its retail cousin, you’re buying the prototype because it’s a prototype, and not because it provides an ultra-rare glimpse at gameplay elements that were left on the cutting room floor.

So far there have been 37 offers made on the prototype, and while a few are currently pending, most have been declined. That means there’s still time to secure this bad boy, but the seller obviously won’t abide low-ball offers. $150,000 is a lot to pay for a cartridge, and with this supposedly being the only one in the world, it’s difficult to put a value on the prototype. We’ve got some pretty serious game collectors walking this planet, however, so the seller may just make his sale by the time everything is said and done.

Legend of Zelda prototype cartridge comes with hefty price tag is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.