Not too long ago wrote about the Hermes iPad 2 cases (above), and it got us thinking–at $820 it’s rather expensive. From there we went on to round up all sort of gadgets cases–for devices like the iPad, iPhone, laptops, and a camera–that cost more (often much more) than the products they protect. Whether […]
Google+ looks… a little different. Almost as if it didn’t even come from Google. And those drag-and-drop circles? Luscious. Turns out, there’s a reason for everything, and he goes by Andy Hertzfeld. According to an investigative piece put up by Wired, Andy’s actually credited as being the “original Mac guy,” responsible for software and user interface design while working for Apple between 1979 and 1984. He picked up a new role at Goog in 2005, but according to the report, “he had previously felt constrained because its design standards didn’t allow for individual creativity.” That all changed with Emerald Sea, a diddy that would eventually become known as the search giant’s most ambitious foray yet into the wide world of social networking. It’s bruited that Andy was given the freedom to go wild whilst designing Google+, and it shows — the interface throughout is about as intuitive as one could ever hope. ‘Course, it takes more than good design to seal a project, but there’s no doubt that this is one heck of a start. The rest of the story? Tucked away in that source link, just south of here.
Andy Hertzfeld, ‘former Macintosh wizard,’ designed the Google+ Project originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple Thunderbolt cable, Promise RAIDs now available to get your 10Gbps interconnect on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Half a million Android activations per day is impressive, however you look at it
According to Google’s Android boss Andy Rubin, half a million new Android devices are being activated daily. Not only that, the the numbers are growing by over four percent every week. Those numbers are frankly astonishing.
Back in January, Apple announced (in a roundabout way) over 360,000 daily iOS activations, and at that time Google was seeing 300,000 activations. It’s certain that Apple’s numbers have jumped significantly since then, especially considering the launches of both the Verizon iPhone and the iPad 2 in the meantime, but have they yet reached the 500,000 mark?
It’s impossible to know. Surely Rubin’s announcement via Twitter will set “analysts” a-shaking their magic 8-balls to help them pluck another made-up number from the air (possible answer: “Reply hazy, try again”), but until Apple makes an official announcement, we won’t know.
My own guess is that either Apple hasn’t reached 500,000 yet, or has already jumped so far past it that it is waiting to hit the magic million mark before saying anything. I’m no analyst, though, so what could I possibly know?
Also, Steve Jobs has in the past accused Google of juicing the Android activation numbers by including updates and reinstalls. Given that Rubin’s last Tweet before today’s announcement was 82 days ago, I don’t expect clarification soon, at least not via that channel.
However you slice it, though, those are big — and very impressive — numbers.
Andy Rubin’s Tweet [Twitter]
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Sure, you could have fired up Fring to make four-way video calls from your iPad 2 this whole time, but you’d have saddled with an iPhone-sized interface on your 9.7-inch IPS screen. And, as we say around the Engadget compound — tablet optimized or get the frack out. OK, we don’t really say that, but everything is better when it’s designed for the screen you intend to use it on. So, we’re very pleased to tell you that Fring has been updated with proper iPad support (cue cheers). Basically there’s no reason to use Facetime now, with its lame single-caller and WiFi only limitations. Hit up the source link if you’re in the group video chatting mood.
Fring optimizes its four-way video calling app for smiley iPad 2 owners originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 06:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
A Thunderbolt cable, resting and ready for eventual action
Up until today, owners of Thunderbolt-equipped Macs were pretty much left to dream of the super-fast port’s potential. The only useful thing you could do with the Mini DisplayPort shaped hole was to plug in the same Mini DisplayPort monitor cable you plugged into your old Mac. Thunderbolt has been pretty boring.
Now, at last, you can buy a Thunderbolt cable from Apple. The two-meter length of plastic and metal will cost you a hefty $49, steep even by Apple’s standards. Still, even this pales to some of the still-rare Thunderbolt-equipped peripherals available. Apple will also sell you a Promise Pegasus 4×1TB RAID drive for $1,000. And no, the cable doesn’t come in the box. You’ll have to buy it separately.
And if you’re lucky enough to own both a new MacBook Pro and an iMac, you can connect them together in Target Disk Mode. This lets you mount one computer as an external drive on the other, just like in the old FireWire Target Disk Mode. This should be ridiculously fast.
The Thunderbolt cable, as well as a Thunderbolt software update for compatible Macs, is available now.
Thunderbolt Cable [Apple]
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You probably wouldn’t pay $6 for an iPhone app that lets you browse through car models and pump stereo exhaust sounds directly to your drums. But a $6 Aston Martin Experience app that also displays speed and Gs as you film your drive from behind the wheel of a 2011 Rapide? We might be in love. The British automaker’s latest app can do all of the above, and also includes a list of “top roads” — most of which are in Europe. Our friends at Autoblog paired the app with a loaner Rapide (and we thought playing with cell phones was cool), driving up California’s Aston-approved Pacific Coast Highway. The reviewers may have spent more time focusing on the car than the app, but when you’re driving a $200,000, 477 horsepower aluminum beast for the first time, the iPhone easily becomes an afterthought. Aston claims that the Experience can be had with any other car, but if you’re looking to get the experience, be prepared to spend a little more than six bucks.
Aston Martin Experience could be the ultimate iPhone accessory, but you’re gonna want the car originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 02:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The iPhone 4 was released in June 2010. Rumors peg Apple's next iPhone to launch in September this year. (Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com)
Should we expect to see two new iPhones in September? Although it’s an interesting possibility, it doesn’t seem very likely.
Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore claims that Apple will be releasing two iPhone models in September: a completely new model — referred to as the iPhone 5 — and an essentially souped-up iPhone 4 called the iPhone 4S.
“With Nokia and RIMM struggling, the time is right for Apple to aggressively penetrate the midrange smartphone market (i.e. $300-500 category) to dramatically expand its [total addressable market] and market share,” Whitmore says.
Whitmore believes that an unlocked iPhone 4S with a $350 price tag and a prepaid voice plan would be able to penetrate markets that previous iPhone models have been unable to. Such markets include Africa, Asia and Latin America, where prepaid voice plans far outnumber post-paid plans, which dominate here in the United States.
Image: Deutsche Bank
The rumor of an affordable, prepaid iPhone has been floating around for several months now, particularly from financial analysts — and often with little to no actual proof. The most evidence for such a phone stems from statements by Apple COO Tim Cook that Apple understands “price is a big factor in the prepaid market,” especially in China, and that it is “not ceding any market.”
Other rumors about the upcoming iPhone that carry a bit more clout include the September launch date, improved A5 chip and 8-megapixel camera sensor and stylistic changes such as curved glass and a flat metal back.
A dual iPhone-model release seems pretty unlikely for several reasons. Firstly, financial analysts typically have a pretty poor track record at predicting anything Apple-related — although they did get a few things right about the iPad before it launched. Whitmore has no proof to substantiate his claim.
And as for affordability, Apple substantially reduces the price of previous iPhone models whenever a new one becomes available. The iPhone 3GS is currently sold for $50, for example. Apple and its carriers, AT&T and Verizon, would only need to introduce a new prepaid pricing option for older iPhone models; there’s no need to create an entirely different phone model for markets that favor prepaid voice plans.
Apple also recently made its GSM model available unlocked for $650. Not cheap, but an option for those who don’t want to stick with AT&T or Verizon’s standard data plans here in the United States, or for those who want to use it internationally.
Apple just has no need to release two new iPhone models in September, or whenever the company decides to lift the curtain on its latest smartphone.
Apple’s fondness for anorexic handhelds knows no bounds, and if this alleged deal with the Asian foundry holds water, expect to see its waistband tighten further. Rumoured back before the iPad 2 launch, the house-that-Steve-built’s reportedly been eyeing Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp to produce an ‘A6’ for its upcoming iPhone refresh. While it’s easy to dismiss this purported move as a direct diss to Samsung, what’s more likely is that Cupertino’s engaging in a competitive bit of size does matter — specifically, the A5’s 45nm process. A transition to newer, lower power 28nm ARM chips would give Jonathan Ives’ employer a distinct market advantage, dwarfing even TSMC’s current 40nm in the process. While it’s all still just speculation for now, only time and an iPhone 5 tear-down will tell for sure.
Apple’s A6 processor may come courtesy of TSMC, Samsung left to wonder why originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It’s been about two weeks since Apple announced its iCloud service at WWDC, but two weeks is enough time to keep MobileMe customers wondering what services will transfer over to iCloud. Apple has now published a helpful FAQ to answer all those lingering questions that went unanswered during the WWDC keynote. Apple said MobileMe’s main […]
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