Microsoft’s newest Surface, the Surface Pro 3, is an interesting gadget. Akin to its predecessors, it sits somewhere between a tablet and a laptop. In Microsoft’s estimation, the Pro 3 can replace your laptop while providing the utility of a tablet. It’s a big claim. TechCrunch got its hands on a Pro 3 here in San Francisco, and sat it next to its predecessors and… Read More
Meet the 5-Tiles Keyboard, (yet) another contender taking aim at disrupting Qwerty — and hoping to increase its chances by first targeting smaller wearable devices, such as smartwatches. The rational being that’s a more realistic way to drive a wedge between Qwerty and its users’ fingers. As challenges go, disrupting Qwerty is akin to attempting to pass… Read More
This Week On The TC Gadgets Podcast: Microsoft Surface Pro 3, Bug A-Salt, And OnePlus One
Posted in: Today's Chili It’s been a wild week in the land of gadgets.
Microsoft unveiled its latest and greatest generation of the Surface Windows-powered tablet, while Matt discovered a fun new toy to help him conquer summer bugs in the house. Meanwhile, Darrell takes a closer look at the OnePlusOne smartphone, which offers premium Android specs at an affordable price.
We discuss all this and more on this… Read More
DARPA Is Using Oculus Rift To Build The ‘Mega Man Battle Network’ Of Cyberwarfare
Posted in: Today's Chili In a surprising amount of futuristic visions of how hacking will work in the future, the experience is immersive, rather than something done hunched over a computer looking at lines of code scroll by. DARPA appears to agree with the full-body submersion vision of hacking’s future, as it’s working on an Oculus Rift-based interface for use by U.S. military hackers, one part of its Plan… Read More
Samsung SmartCam HD Pro Review: A Dropcam Competitor That Works Well, But Lacks Charm
Posted in: Today's Chili It was inevitable that major OEMs would try to beat startup Dropcam at their own game, by providing inexpensive, HD IP camera for home security enthusiasts, people with babies and folks who just in general like to watch. Samsung has a few entrants in this category, and the SmartCam HD Pro is their most recent offering. The camera is very capable, and will meet the needs of most, but it does so… Read More
Google is reportedly working on a tablet version of its Project Tango advanced mobile vision device, to be launched starting next month with around 4,000 initial developer beta units, the Wall Street Journal reports. The tablet would sport a 7-inch screen, along with a complement of cameras that include two on the rear with built-in infrared sensors for figuring out depth and mapping a space… Read More
A well-placed source has confirmed rumors that Apple’s acquisition of Beats “is happening” but was close to falling apart multiple times. The source said with “70% certainty” that Apple’s planned multi-billion-dollar acquisition of headphone maker Beats will go through. But Apple isn’t buying Beats for the technology; it’s buying the… Read More
The Era Of Good-Enough Smartphones
Posted in: Today's Chili And they aren’t just getting affluent consumers to purchase them. As NPD Group data shows from 2013, iPhone sales grew 64 percent among consumers with incomes below $30,000. One reason for this sales growth is that both companies have provided consumers with more affordable options, either by introducing new models or cutting prices on existing ones. Apple continues to sell the iPhone… Read More
Metaio is demoing a new possible future in the evolutionary path for input control of wearable computing devices and it should be no surprise that Augmented Reality plays a role. There is a known UI problem with which many software and hardware makers have grappled: What is the best way to interact with the HUD (heads up display) and to control it, for example, if you are looking at a… Read More
Samsung is prepping an Oculus Rift competitor of its own, according to a new report by Engadget. The Korean electronics giant is no stranger to stepping into emerging market categories, and virtual reality appears to be next on the docket, as Samsung is said to be currently building a VR headset with a planned announcement date of this year. The hardware is already with a group of early… Read More