Technical details of the new 'i' cars from BMW

The i3 will tip the scales at 2,755 pounds, while the i8 will come in under 3,300 pounds. While that might sound slightly chunky, consider that the average gasoline-powered car converted to EV duty normally tacks on around 500 pounds courtesy of the battery, motor and cooling system. When looked at in this way, both models could be considered rather svelte. The carbon fiber “Life” structure that envelops the i3′s passengers is so strong (yet very light) that BMW's engineers didn't have to include a B-pillar for structural rigidity.



2DayBlog.com, Technical details of the new 'i' cars from BMW

Buttons: blind camera concept

Here is one interesting camera you won't find on sale. Called Buttons, this camera is unlike any other camera you've seen before. Featuring no optical components at all, it is essentially a blind camera that relies on other people to take photographs for you. The brainchild of Sascha Pohflepp, Buttons is a camera that doesn't capture photographs in the traditional way. In fact it doesn't even “capture” photographs.

When you hit the shutter button, that exact time you pressed the button is stored on the camera (which actually features a Sony Ericsson phone that's running a modified operating system).

Ubergizmo, Buttons: blind camera concept

Facebook rewards researchers who reporting security holes

Facebook has just launched a new bug bounty program where it rewards researchers who find security holes in the social network. The reward will be paid in dollars, which starts off at $500 and has no maximum set. However, they will have to follow Facebook's Responsible Disclosure Policy and agree not to go public with the vulnerability information until Facebook has fixed the problem.

Ubergizmo, Facebook rewards researchers who reporting security holes

Software Update Causes Headaches for Some Droid Customers

A recent update to the Droid X has owners up in arms.Photo: Stefan Armijo/Wired.com. A software update is supposed to deliver the latest and greatest features to your device. It's not supposed to cripple your device. And yet that's exactly what happened to a number of customers who received the most recent update to their Droid X phones.

In early June, Verizon began rolling out Android operating system version 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) to the Droid X, which previously ran Android 2.2 (Froyo). Shortly thereafter, the grievances started rolling in on Motorola's online customer message board.

Complaints about the update spanned the entire gamut.

Gadget Lab, Software Update Causes Headaches for Some Droid Customers

It's official: the HTC Evo 3D will only become available in the UK in September

The HTC Evo 3D has been available in the US on Sprint for a while now, and we were glad to see that it was going to also have a GSM-based version that would be sold in Europe. HTC acknowledged that much and then announced that the Evo 3D would be in stores in Europe this month. That hasn't happened yet, what's more some retailers are taking pre-orders (at least in the UK) with projected shipping dates in September. So a rumor started that the Evo 3D was delayed in Europe.

Unwired View, It's official: the HTC Evo 3D will only become available in the UK in September

Samsung Galaxy S II one step closer to a US launch, sign up page goes live

Samsung USA has just put up a sign up page for its Galaxy S II flagship smartphone, which obviously means the handset will be released stateside soon. Sure enough, we've previously reported that the S II would hit the US market in August, but it's good to see this (kind of) confirmed on Samsung's official website. We already knew that Verizon, AT&T and Sprint would offer at least one version of the new Galaxy each.

Unwired View, Samsung Galaxy S II one step closer to a US launch, sign up page goes live

Google Fiber puts boots on the ground, begins detail engineering in Kansas Cities

It's been quite some time since Google first talk about their fiber-based ISP. From beta tests, to hopeful communities, to Topeka fools day, to selecting not one, but two Kansas Cities. Now it's “boots on the ground” time according to the Google Fiber blog: detail engineering starts now.

2DayBlog.com, Google Fiber puts boots on the ground, begins detail engineering in Kansas Cities

Motorola Shipped 4.4 Million Smartphones, 440,000 XOOM Tablets in Q2

Motorola has give the rundown of their Q2 earnings, finally answering the question of much debate among industry analysts since the release of the Motorola XOOM: How many tablets would Moto move. While we still don't have an answer to how many were sold 440,000 units were shipped for the quarter, matching or slightly outdoing what most expected. Smartphones fared a bit better with shipments topping out at 4.4 million.

Android Phone, Motorola Shipped 4.4 Million Smartphones, 440,000 XOOM Tablets in Q2

Samsung Galaxy S II US Sign Up Page Goes Live

The Samsung Galaxy S II US sign up page that went semi-live last night is now ready to accept your information in exchange for the latest updates on the handset that has been selling like hot cakes in other regions of the world. Word from Samsung is that the phone is on schedule for an August release in the states, a timeframe corroborated by numerous rumors and recent leaks.

Android Phone, Samsung Galaxy S II US Sign Up Page Goes Live

Sprint Motorola Photon 4G available now (only online)

Although you won't get the chance to see it in stores before the very last day of July, the brand new Motorola Photon 4G can be ordered as of today online at Sprint's official website. As you probably already know, Sprint is selling the Photon 4G for $199.99 on contract, or $549.99 outright. Sprint touts the Photon as “the gaming guru's weapon of choice” although, of course, the handset is not just about gaming.

Unwired View, Sprint Motorola Photon 4G available now (only online)

HTC Ignite and HTC Prime spotted online

Looking forward to two new Windows Phone handsets. Well it looks like HTC's upcoming WP7 devices are on their way to the market pretty soon. The HTC Ignite and the HTC Prime have been spotted on the website of Phone House, the Dutch version and subsidiary of the Car Phone Warehouse UK (a cellphone retailer), as “coming soon”. Not much is known about the two phones but the HTC Ignite was leaked previously as a low end WP7 handset, with a 3.7″ display and an 800MHz processor, while the HTC Prime is a leaked WP7 slider-phone with a 5 megapixel camera.

Ubergizmo

See also:
techabout, HTC Ignite and HTC Prime spotted online

2X Telephoto Camera-Phone Lens Is Ready for Its Closeup

Photojojo's new telephoto lens doubles the magnification of your cellphone's camera. Photojojo's new add-on cellphone camera lens will double, yes double the focal length of the lens you have on there already. Like the wide-angle and macro lenses it joins in the lineup, the 2X telephoto snaps onto a tiny magnetic donut that sticks to your phone, surrounding the camera like the attractive washer it is. Nope, you're not seing things.


Gadget Lab, 2X Telephoto Camera-Phone Lens Is Ready for Its Closeup

Asus: UK Eee Transformer Android 3.2 update arriving on August 2nd

So yesterday we had two possible candidate days from the US and Germany for the launch of Android 3.2 on the UK Eee Pad Transformer, now today Asus UK has given us a firm date for the specific UK launch of the latest Honeycomb upgrade – August 2nd. This date comes via the company's ever helpful Facebook page. We've taken a screencapture of the happy news. Thanks for asking, Tim:

Sooner or later we're going to have to surrender to the massive weight of public opinion and just buy one of these tablet things.

Eurodroid, Asus: UK Eee Transformer Android 3.2 update arriving on August 2nd

Sony releases new Walkman PMPs

While the original Walkman might be dead, the brand name still lives on. Sony has just announced new additions to its Walkman portable media player line up: the A860, S760 and the E460. All three models come with a sleek, curvaceous new design, and are touted to have a generous battery life for longer listening. Best of all, they support easy drag-and-drop for transferring music through the use of iTunes or Windows Explorer.

Ubergizmo, Sony releases new Walkman PMPs

New Sony Walkman pops up on UK retail site

The portable cassette players once nearly universally identified as the Walkman may have seen better days, but their spirit is still alive, so far as Sony is concerned. The company is apparently set to release the latest entry in the line, the slick-looking NWZA865B, a 16GB portable media player with wireless file sharing and music streaming capabilities. CNET points out that the device likely won't have built-in WiFi, due to evidence from the FCC, which does seem to limit the aforementioned streaming options. The 16GB model is also likely one of a number of capacities to be offered, ranging from 8GB to 64GB.

2DayBlog.com, New Sony Walkman pops up on UK retail site

Electric Car Prototype Does Not Require Expensive Rare Earths to Run

Ever wonder why electrics cars are more expensive than gas-guzzling vehicles. Part of the reason is the use of rare earth elements needed to power the motor. Only one country holds the monopoly of these rare substances: China, which currently produces an astonishing 97 percent of all rare earths used globally. Such dependence on rare earth elements need to stop, and this is what a Japanese professor wants to achieve with his invention. Professor Nobukazu Hoshi of Tokyo University of Science has developed an electric car that does not need any kind of rare earth elements.

Gadget.com, Electric Car Prototype Does Not Require Expensive Rare Earths to Run

Olympus SZ 11 Digital Camera

It seems that compact digital camera makers still continue to add many features to their devices despite their small size. Credit it to new advanced technology to cram other features to a compact digital camera for better images. One digital camera of note is the recently announced Olympus SZ 11 Digital Camera. The Olympus SZ 11 is the latest compact digital camera announced by the company. It features a 14Mp sensor and comes with a 20x zoom to give it some super-telephoto capability that are usually only found with DSLR's.

Gadget.com, Olympus SZ 11 Digital Camera

MSI GE620DX 15.6-inch Laptop

MSI today introduced a new gaming-grade notebook computer, the MSI GE620DX. The laptop is powered by a 2.0GHz Intel Core i7-2630QM processor, up to 8GB DDR3 memory, up to 750GB hard drive, a DVD burner or an optional Blu-ray, a 2GB nVidia GeForce GT 555M discrete graphics card and a 15.6-inch HD (1366×768) LED display. The MSI GE620DX also adopts the company's GPU Boost technology, which automatically switches back and forth between the discrete graphics card and the standard graphics chip.

TechFresh

See also:
digitalblog, MSI GE620DX 15.6-inch Laptop

Canon Unveils 3-in-1 Mouse with Calculator and Keypad

If you are using a laptop at work and suddenly felt the need of using a keypad to calculate stuff, you realize the hassle of having to hold one button while crunching in the numbers. Worse, if the keyboard does not have function buttons that serve as a keypad alternative, you end up using the number row. You definitely need this latest offering by Canon: a three-in-one laser mouse with calculator and keypad. The X Mark | Mouse Lite, which was designed by the Canon camera team, features three mouse buttons, a scroll wheel, support for Bluetooth 2.01, and even a low battery indicator.

Gadget.com, Canon Unveils 3-in-1 Mouse with Calculator and Keypad

Kobo Working on Web App to Bypass App Store Restrictions

Kobo hopes that a web app will help it skirt Apple's App Store rules. E-book and e-reader seller Kobo is planning an HTML5 web app to bypass Apple's latest restrictions on its iOS devices. In the last few days, Kobo's iOS app, along with Amazon's Kindle app and Barnes & Noble's Nook app have all been forced to remove links to their online e-book stores.
This is in response to Apple's rule which bans apps from allowing access to retail channels other than its own in-app purchase option, of which Apple takes a 30% cut.

The rule makes things worse for users.

Gadget Lab, Kobo Working on Web App to Bypass App Store Restrictions

STATS: Smartphone sales comparisons for all major manufacturers

Analyst IMS Research has just sent out some data regarding the global smartphone market, estimating that a total of 420 million smartphones will be sold around the world during 2011. It doesn't really tell us anything else of note, but there is a rather excellent graph pitching all the manufacturers against each other. Here's how the WAR ROOM has been playing out between Q1 of 2010 and Q1 of 2011.

Eurodroid

See also:
alldigits, STATS: Smartphone sales comparisons for all major manufacturers

Finally Ditch the Paper With Plustek's Book Scanner

At last, you can get rid of those last few dirty, dusty paper books. Picture this. You have wholly converted to e-books. The very thought of buying another bundle of paper fills you with revulsion, and all your reading is done on an e-reader or a tablet. But one problem remains. You have a stack of old, out-of-print books which you still love, but which are taking up space. Worse, you can't even buy digital versions as it would seem that their publishers hate money. What can you do?

The answer is to scan them yourself. You can do this with cameras and home-brewed software, or you could use the new Plustek OpticBook 3800.

Gadget Lab

See also:
itcrowd, Finally Ditch the Paper With Plustek's Book Scanner

WP7 Mango is now ready, manufacturers get it first

Microsoft has announced it is finished working on the Windows Phone 7 Mango update and it has been released to manufacturing (RTM). Mango is coming this fall on all the available phones and will be pre-installed on the new ones. Windows Phone 7 Mango update is the next evolutionary step for the MicrosoftÂ's mobile OS.

GSM Arena, WP7 Mango is now ready, manufacturers get it first

A new Sony Walkman pop-up out of nowhere on a British Online-Store

It seems that the guys over at CNET has found one of Sony's up coming Walkman, the NWZA865B available for purchase on the Online-Store Play.com. While we haven't heard anything official yet from Sony Japan, US or Europe we will have to rely on the few information that we have for now.




Akihabara News, A new Sony Walkman pop-up out of nowhere on a British Online-Store

3G-enabled iPod Touch Unveiled

A picture depicting a 3G-capable iPod touch has been found on Apple's website. This picture shows a fourth-generation iPod touch with a signal strength indicator and “3G” symbol in the upper left hand corner of the interface. Too bad, there is no official confirmation from Apple. Stay tuned for more updates.

TechFresh, 3G-enabled iPod Touch Unveiled

[Toyota Safety Day] We tested Toyota's latest wonder the world largest Car Simulator

Back in 2010, Lexus America made sensation with the video below, where the company shows to the American the world largest car simulator. And today, well last week actually, we at AkihabaraNews among some other selected journalist around the world had the chance to get our very own test, well short test behind the wheel of this amazing piece of technology.












Akihabara News, [Toyota Safety Day] We tested Toyota's latest wonder the world largest Car Simulator

Microsoft updates OneNote Mobile for iPhone to version 1.2

Microsoft OneNote users will be excited to know that the app has now been updated to version 1.2 with a whole bunch of new features. Released earlier this year in January, OneNote for the iPhone is an app that allowed users to easily capture notes, ideas, create lists and stay organized. Syncing with SkyDrive, and accessible on other platforms such as your desktop, OneNote is like Microsoft's version of Evernote.

Ubergizmo, Microsoft updates OneNote Mobile for iPhone to version 1.2

Digital Tattoo Gets Under Your Skin to Monitor Blood

Bioengineering doctoral student Kate Balaconis shines the iPhone reader against her tattooless arm. Maybe tattoos aren't just for Harley riders or rebellious teens after all. In a few years, diabetics might get inked up with digital tats that communicate with an iPhone to monitor their blood.
Instead of the dye used for tribal arm bands and Chinese characters, these tattoos will contain nanosensors that read the wearer's blood levels of sodium, glucose and even alcohol with the help of an iPhone 4 camera.

Dr.


Gadget Lab

See also:
digitalarts, Digital Tattoo Gets Under Your Skin to Monitor Blood

Turtle Beach Ear Force X12 Gaming Headset

Turtle Beach clearly intends to stamp its foot down in the video gaming peripheral industry with their latest release, the X12 gaming headset that will be compatible with both the Xbox 360 and PC. Just what kind of performance is the X12 capable of delivering for your ears. How about its huge 50mm speakers for starters, giving you enhanced audio immersion while the In-line Amplifier is perfect for precision audio control right at your fingertips. The inclusion of Microphone Monitoring and Variable Bass Boost will also enhance your listening experience – and Turtle Beach claims you won't burn a hole in your pocket either.

Ubergizmo, Turtle Beach Ear Force X12 Gaming Headset

Google Books app disappears and reappears on the Apple App Store

Yesterday the Google Books app mysteriously disappeared from the Apple App Store and now it's back again. But this time around, it's been neutered. Just like the eBook apps from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Kobo, Google Books no longer allows in-app purchases for new books. This is in compliance to Apple's updated App Store rules that requires apps to split revenue made from in-app sales.
Since eBook retailers already need to split revenue with the book publishers, they've been unwilling to give up even more of their profits to Apple to allow in-app purchases from their apps.

Ubergizmo, Google Books app disappears and reappears on the Apple App Store

Kyocera DuraCore and Kyocera DuraMax Direct Connect rugged handsets on Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel's first Direct Connect handsets which will enable the use of PTT (Push To Talk) over a CDMA network come in the form of the Kyocera DuraCore and Kyocera DuraMax, where both of them are rugged in their very own way. Push To Talk comes in handy during emergencies, especially when there is no power around and everyone on a normal cell phone cannot make a call, you can always chat freely on your PTT handset. These two phones will roll out to the masses sometime in Q4 later this year, with a Motorola model following closely behind.

Ubergizmo, Kyocera DuraCore and Kyocera DuraMax Direct Connect rugged handsets on Sprint Nextel

Elecom Japan introduces a new pair of Bluetooth Keyboards

Elecom Japan announced today two new Bluetooth QWERTY keyboards (US) with the TK-FBP018 and the TK-FBP019 Series. While the first series, the TK-FBP018 is apparently made for Android devices and where the TK-FBP019 is designed for iOS devices, Elecom Japan also mentioned on its announcement that both models are fully compatible with any PC, MAS or Linux PCs as well as Sony's PS3 gaming device.







Akihabara News, Elecom Japan introduces a new pair of Bluetooth Keyboards