Acer C720P Touch Chromebook Review

Acer C720P Touch Chromebook Review
In October, we reviewed Acer's C720 Chromebook, a Haswell-harboring notebook with excellent battery life and performance to match. The one thing it lacked, however, was a touchscreen, something Acer has addressed with its latest Chrome OS offering: the Acer C720P Touch, a similarly-designed laptop with a touchscreen display. We've got our hands on the Chromebook to see how it holds up compared to its non-touch brethren, which we've detailed for you in our full SlashGear review.

Hardware

With the Acer C720P comes a somewhat thick body with a textured feel that greatly resembles the C720 -- the biggest difference, in our case, is that we've got our hands on a white model this time rather than the grey one, though that color is available for the touch model as well. The lid has the same familiar design as the Acer Chromebooks before it, with an off-center Acer logo and Google Chrome stamp in the corner.

The keyboard is a low-profile offering with the same slightly textured feel of the chassis, and -- a bonus, in my opinion -- the keys have a very solid near-mechanical feel to them when typing. Those who do a lot of typing will find it meets nicely on the crossroads between solid and silent (though not completely silent, there is some clickety-clack to it); typing fatigue isn't likely, despite the Chromebook's small size.

As far as ports go, the Acer C720P comes with a single USB 2.0 and a single USB 3.0 port, as well as a full-size HDMI port, which is convenient for those using an external monitor. There's Bluetooth 4.0 compatibility, 802.11 a/b/g/n, and all of it is complemented by an integrated VGA-resolution webcam and an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 touchscreen display.

The audio port is a combination headphones/microphone jack, and is accompanied by an SD card slot and lock. Overall, the number -- and type -- of ports is excellent for such a small and inexpensive laptop, and those performing business or anything more than casual usage will have enough spots to connect their various wired devices. In total, the Acer C720P weighs in at 2.97 lbs and is 0.78-inches thick.

Software

As far as software goes, what you get with the C720P is the same as you get with the C720 and any other Chromebook -- Chrome OS and 100GB of Google Drive storage to complement the 16GB SSD drive that's on board. Those new to Google's services can also sign up for the 30-day free trial of Google Play Music All Access, which, thankfully, plays perfectly smoothly while browsing, unlike with the HP Chromebook 11.

Touchscreen

The touchscreen is a wonderful addition to the Acer Chromebook, and makes for expedited browsing and similar activities, as well as enabling finger-painting -- something those who buy the inexpensive laptop for a child will appreciate. The display itself works wonderfully, registering touches without any issues or hiccups, flowing smoothly down pages and across apps. I tried it out with various activities ranging from drawing to browsing, and it performed like a champ through them all.
Visually, those who are used to working on high-quality monitors or displays will notice the panel isn't very high in the quality department -- it would be disappointing for photographers looking for a cheap laptop to download and review images on while out and about, for example. I compared the color in photographs to that of high-quality displays, and it skews towards presenting yellows as reds -- nothing noticeable or bothersome for any casual browser, but something to keep in mind for those with more particular needs. When compared to its fellow Chromebooks in the same price range, the HP 11 is still at the top when it comes to the display (though none of them compare to the Chromebook Pixel, obviously).

Wrap-Up

There was a lot to like about the Acer C720, and there's even more to like about the C720P. The laptop is very solid when held, and though plastic from top to bottom, it doesn't necessarily feel like a machine that costs $299 USD. The touchscreen is a wonderful addition, enabling functionality that the Chromebook lineups have generally been missing and allowing users to forgo the small track pad (though, it should be said, the track pad is of quality).

As with the previous model, the C720P has excellent battery life. When using it for near-constant browsing and occasional music, we pulled in over 6 hours, and when used carefully (reduced display brightness and such), you can get it over the 7 hour mark. In summary, it is small, light, and inexpensive, three markers that make it appeal to many varieties of users. Those who have been holding out for an inexpensive Chromebook with a touch display will find the Acer C720P to be an excellent choice, doing all the things a Chromebook does best.

Beyond Glass: Inside Epson’s scheme to make the de-facto smart glasses

Beyond Glass: Inside Epson’s scheme to make the de-facto smart glasses

Epson can forgive you if your first thought when you hear augmented reality is Google Glass, even though you're wrong. Google may never had actually described its wearable as an AR device, but a combination of the over-promising original concept video and a general naivety about the segment overall led many would-be Glass wearers to be surprised at what the headset really is: a convenient notifications pane in the corner of your vision. If you're looking for true AR, though, Epson might have the answer. We caught up with the company to check out its latest headset, the Moverio BT-200, and find out why it's confident it can become the de-facto choice for augmented reality.

We're not unfamiliar with the Moverio BT-200. In fact, we briefly tried out the wearable back at CES 2014 in January, an update to the original BT-100 first released in 2012.
Where Glass has a monocular eyepiece pushed up out of your line of sight, the Moverio range goes in entirely the opposite direction. Each lens of the broad eyewear has its own display, and they're right in your field of vision when you put them on. Because there are two, and because it's independently controllable as to what each shows, the BT-200 can handle 2D and 3D graphics.

More importantly, the layout allows Epson to overlay computer-generated graphics directly on top of what's happening in the real world around you. By adjusting the brightness of each display - in fact a pico-projector module housed in the hinge section on either side - and the color of the on-screen graphics, the degree to which the virtual blends with the real can be managed. Dark colors are more likely to be transparent on the Moverio; bright colors will generally stand out from the real.
"I think you have, going into it, this consumer perception where most people haven't tried Glass and they don't understand that it's a very small screen outside of your field of view" Eric Mizufuka, product manager for new products at Epson America, told us. "Glass did an awesome, awesome job of finding a use-case and building for that use case, which is a comfortable way for a always-on, out-of-the-way device that fits naturally into your lifestyle. Whereas we want to be in your field of view, we want a large image, we want to do 3D, we want to be the de-facto augmented reality smart glasses."
Hold your phone out in front of you, maybe a foot or two so away from your face. If you've got an Android phone, all the better, since Moverio runs Google's OS. Now imagine that display is actually transparent: you can still see what's going on beyond the screen through the Android graphics.

That's what Epson's smart glasses offer, the chunky plastic frames dropping a 960 x 540 resolution display in front of each eye. It takes a little getting used to at first, particularly when starting from the Android homescreen: we found our eyes trying to either focus on the virtual screen or the world we could just make out behind it. The temptation was to look down and over the screen to keep eye-contact when we were talking with Mizufuka.
After a while, however, and particularly with apps intended for augmented reality purposes, seeing both real and virtual simultaneously becomes more natural. That leads just the physical design: Epson has at least addressed those who wear existing prescription eyewear from the outset, and you can twist up the nosepiece so that it rests on top of your frames if you prefer, while a clip-in prescription frame set will be included in the box if you want a more lightweight system. Nonetheless, it's noticeably wide despite being 60-percent lighter than its BT-100 predecessor.
"The reason why it's broad is really to fit over glasses. So, these are designed to fit over most prescription lenses, so that's why we've gone a little bit wider with the form-factor," Mizufuka explained. "If you look at the smart glasses market, what we really need is a lot of different SKUs. But that's a huge investment in terms of the manufacture to produce more than one SKU. So we really just went with one SKU to suit everybody."
Scale - and early-adopter cash - will help there, though. "Once we start to see enough penetration, when we start to sell enough of these, that we can say "okay, this business is huge, it requires more investment; let's start by building that second SKU."" the wearables spokesperson predicted. "So maybe the non-glasses SKU would be a lot... we could immediately go less wide, or have a version for prescription glasses wearers, or even just a more customized fit."

Augmented reality isn't new - the first example dates back to 1968, though the term itself wasn't used until the early 90s - but some of the key challenges those early pioneers faced are still topical. Both generations of Moverio use an external control box, which in the case of the BT-200 accommodates the 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4460 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage (with a microSD card slot too), WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0 radios, and a touchpad used for navigation. Most importantly, though, it holds the separate battery, unlike Glass' all-in-one design. That, Mizufuka concedes, is the trade-off Epson demands for its more capable displays.
"We have much larger displays [than Glass] and we have two of them; we have an always-on use-case, they're always on" he pointed out. "Since we also see ourselves as the augmented reality platform of choice for smart glasses, the camera's also always on. So there are big power requirements, which [the separate box] addresses. You get up to six hours of battery life. Obviously there are some technological things we can do to lessen the power consumption in the near term."
The displays may be Epson's biggest battery headache, but they're also the company's secret weapon. Turns out, manufacturing large quantities of high-quality lenses that don't give the wearer migraines and without having to throw away a large proportion of the less-then-perfect ones in the process is a skill few possess.

"When you talk about competitive advantages in the smart glasses space, I would definitely say it's Epson's ability to scale and produce in mass" Mizufuka confides. "Particularly the lenses. These lenses are POC polycarbonate, so manufacturing them at scale is relatively inexpensive because the material is inexpensive. But the manufacturing process to be able to produce these in mass... like, typically for a lot of manufacturers their yield is very low, because they're so hard to produce with high precision."
That'll pay dividends when the wearables market explodes like many expect it to over the next 3-5 years, with Epson ready to cater to predicted demand whereas other firms are still effectively running closed-betas.
"Once we start shipping in March we're going to be widely available: we can manufacture these things in the hundreds of thousands," Mizufuka insists. "We don't need to just go out to small sets of owners, it's going to be widely available."

That explosion won't solely be based on availability, however, despite the clamor for even expensive wearables like Glass (Epson's BT-200 is up for preorder at $699, a fraction of what Google is charging for a spot in the exclusive Glass Explorer club). It'll take compelling use-cases and applications to do that, and there too Epson has taken a different approach than Google.
Google opted for control, limiting what software developers can run locally on Glass, and instead insisting that services run through its Mirror API - effectively a locked-down pipeline between the cloud and the wearable. Initially only a handful of partners were invited to create Glassware, though Google launched its broader developer program back in October 2013; still, the number of apps on offer - particularly through Google's own My Glass app - is limited.
That's the exact opposite of Epson's attitude, Mizufuka says, clearly admiring how Google has tackled usability on Glass but arguing that it was not the best approach for his company. "Google's taken a huge challenge on in building a unique UI, which is really cool but, for Epson, we needed to be as widely usable as possible. We wanted to utilize native Android" he pointed out. "So the touchpad actually provides relative seamless experience, it works with most Android apps out of the box."

"But we're definitely investigating all options," he added, "and as we get more familiar and build out more applications that are smart glasses specific, we'll evaluate the design."
So just what are these killer apps that will persuade the everyday consumer that they'll want to see the world through a pair of digital lenses? Mizufuka is upfront about the fact that Epson doesn't really know, at least not yet, though he has some ideas based on what developers have been doing over the past couple of years with the Moverio BT-100, in addition to a lucky few who've been playing with pre-production BT-200 sets.
"Some of the interesting consumer applications that are being explored are second-screen experiences" he explained. "[For instance] an app that, you look at your TV, and you see your Twitter feed to the side, and actors and actresses above it, and maybe an IM chat with your friends about the game. And it all organizes around the TV, you're not looking down [at a phone or tablet], it's right there."
It's implementations like that - Epson effectively saying "hey, you watch TV, and you're usually playing on your phone or tablet too, aren't you; wouldn't it be great to integrate them better?" - which the company is counting on to challenge the lingering non-technical headache. An awful lot of people either can't see the point of wearables, think they look ridiculous, or both.

"There's still a stigma attached, public perception" Mizufuka concedes. "To overcome that, we're targeting some opportunities to get consumers more comfortable with practical use cases and practical applications, like augmented reality exhibits in museums, or even working with sporting venues to put up, like, the first yard marker, or instant replays. So they can have some positive experiences with the technology, get familiar with seeing people with them, and having them on."
We had the opportunity to try out some of the early games for the BT-200 that Epson's developer partners have cooked up. In one, the glasses flipped into 3D mode and showed us a virtual assault course to navigate, collecting gems as we went.

Samsung moves to dominate smartwatch brand recognition

Samsung moves to dominate smartwatch brand recognition

There’s nothing like going out for a brisk walk through your workplace with your brand new smartwatch only to have it mistaken for another brand. How harsh is it to be the victim of brand dominance? If you’ve got a smartwatch and it’s not made by Samsung, you likely already know what I’m talking about.

The Samsung Galaxy Gear TV advertisements have taken hold. Compared to the coverage the rest of the smartwatch universe is getting, Samsung’s efforts with the Galaxy Gear are all but crushing the entire market. There’s only one product we’ve ever seen in our modern technology industry that has taken this much of the public eye in recent memory.

Tesla opens for EV business in China: Heavy traffic predicted

Tesla opens for EV business in China: Heavy traffic predicted

Telsa has begun taking orders for the Model S in China, with the first deliveries of the EV expected to begin early in 2014, and car industry analysts predicting a huge increase in demand. Having opened a showroom in Beijing in November, its first in the Chinese market, Tesla began accepting preorders online, taking reservation down-payments of around $41,000 apiece. However, the overall price of the car is expected to be considerably higher than in the US market.

A combination of taxes and other factors could well see the Model S finish up at around the equivalent of $145,000 or more, in fact. In contrast, in the domestic market a Model S currently starts out at $53,570, though that’s after a federal tax credit of $7,500. Even without those credits, however, the US pricing is still considerably lower.Nonetheless, Tesla isn’t expected to have any issues finding buyers for the all-electric car. CEO Elon Musk predicted eventual sales of around 10,000 in Europe and perhaps 5,000 in Asia, but analysts are already estimating 10,000 to 20,000 sales “in a couple of years” CNBC reports.
In the Model S’ favor is its luxury cachet and exclusivity, not to mention the growing awareness of emission-free vehicles and the need for them in heavily polluted cities like Beijing.
However, it may be the Model X which particularly lights a fire under Chinese drivers. The SUV, which is expected to arrive in the US in early 2015, will have distinctive gullwing doors and a more dominating road presence; Tesla is also taking early reservations in China for the car.
Meanwhile, anticipation for a more affordable Tesla, dubbed the Model E, has built in recent months, with the company now saying it expects to reveal the car in early 2015. Expected to be smaller than the Model S – perhaps more akin to a Chevrolet Volt – and have a roughly 200 mile all-electric range, the Model E is tipped to come in at around $25,000 to $35,000 with subsidies, and considerably extend Tesla’s range into the mass market.

iPad mini Retina Display review – the holy grail of tablets

iPad mini Retina Display review – the holy grail of tablets

It’s the iPad mini we’ve been waiting for: Apple’s smaller tablet that, thanks to a Retina display and brand new A7 processor, now punches above its size and makes a legitimate alternative not only for compact-screen Android and Windows rivals, but Apple’s own iPad Air too. That Apple has achieved all that with minimal compromises on weight and battery life seems almost too good to be true: could the iPad mini with Retina display be the best tablet in the range? Read on for our full review.

Hardware and Design

At first glance, it’s hard to tell the difference between the first-generation iPad mini and this Retina upgrade, at least as long as they’re turned off. Height and width are exactly the same, at 7.87- and 5.3-inches respectively, making for a short slate that can be held in the grip of one hand in portrait orientation, assuming you have average-sized hands or larger.

Thickness and weight have increased a little, primarily it seems to accommodate the higher resolution display and the battery technology it demands. Still, the differences are minor: depth is now 0.29-inches, versus 0.28-inches before, and weight for the WiFi-only model has risen to 0.73 pounds from 0.68 pounds. Opting for the WiFi + Cellular version adds another 0.02 pounds to the scale.
So, there’s a difference, but you’ll only really notice it if you have old and new side-by-side on your desk, and peer across them to see that point-zero-one of an inch. Still present – and still welcome – is the sturdy, smooth aluminum unibody casing, now finished in a choice of Space Gray (slightly lighter in tone than the black 2012 mini) or Silver, and which feels both tactile and reassuringly resilient; some tablets we second-guess dropping into our bag, but not the iPad mini.


The changes, then, are beneath the skin for the most part. We’ll touch on the incredible Retina display in the next section, but of equal importance is Apple’s choice of processor. Where the original mini used the A5 chip, a compromise between performance and longevity, the iPad mini with Retina display makes no such sacrifices.
In fact, it has the same processor as in the iPad Air and the iPhone 5s, Apple’s latest A7. Apple has tweaked it just a little for the mini, though not in any way that should worry end-users, but the end result is a powerhouse that delivers performance akin to the Air but undercuts it (in both size and by $100).
All new iPad mini with Retina display models get WiFi a/b/g/n (with 2.4/5GHz support and MIMO antennas for better range, though not 802.11ac), Bluetooth 4.0, and a digital compass, along with Apple’s Lightning port for charging, synchronizing, and accessories. Sensors include a three-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, and an ambient light sensor.
A 5-megapixel camera is on the back, with a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime HD camera on the front, which works well with the dual-microphones which allow for background noise cancelation. Apple now offers four capacity options, starting at 16GB for $399, and topping out with a new 128GB model for $699.

The WiFi + Cellular version, meanwhile, throws in LTE, HSPA+/DC-HSDPA, and EV-DO Rev.A, along with Assisted-GPS, for $130 more. Unlike the first-gen iPad mini, there’s now a single version with cellular data baked in, rather than different versions to suit different sets of carriers: Apple has included a huge fourteen bands of LTE support which means, since it sells them SIM-unlocked, there are more places where you can drop in a local SIM card and get online without paying roaming rates while traveling. The iPad mini with Retina display is undoubtedly the tablet-of-choice for the frequent traveler who demands ubiquitous connectivity.

Display

Impressive as it was, the first-generation iPad mini always felt like the less-capable little sibling of the full-sized iPad, and a big part of that was its display. Apple opted for a 1024 x 768 panel rather than Retina resolution, and prompted a year of arguments about whether that was sufficient or made the 7.9-inch tablet feel like a compromise.

Those arguments are settled with the iPad mini with Retina display, and conclusively. Just like the iPad Air, its an LCD IPS screen running at 2048 x 1536, with hugely broad viewing angles, strong and even backlighting, and accurate colors. However, all those pixels are compressed into a smaller panel, which means pixel density is higher: 326ppi, the equal of the iPhone 5s in fact, versus the 264ppi of the Air.

Let’s be frank, we didn’t exactly find ourselves disappointed by the detail the iPad Air can offer. Retina resolution squeezed into the iPad mini’s diminutive chassis is practically magical, however: it leaves the display mesmerizing. Text is as crisp as in a printed novel; photos look incredible; games have a degree of detail that was simply lacking on the old model.
There’s also something to be said for a 4:3 aspect display. While tablets from the Android and Windows camps have for the large part followed laptops in adopting widescreen aspect ratios – the 2013 Nexus 7, for instance, runs at 1920 x 1200 but on a 16:10 display – the resulting long, narrow shape can prove more restrictive than the arguably more flexible iPad mini screen.
A good example is usability in portrait and landscape orientation. Although there’s obviously a difference when you flip things 90-degrees on the iPad mini, you don’t get that narrow, pinched feeling that we sometimes feel when using the Nexus 7 or other 16:10 tablets in portrait orientation. The downside, of course, is bigger black bars top and bottom when you’re watching widescreen movies on the iPad, but we still prefer its more squared-off screen in daily use.

Software and Performance

Like the iPad Air, the iPad mini with Retina display runs iOS 7, Apple’s latest – and perhaps most controversial – platform for phones and tablets. Opinions of iOS 7 are divided. Some miss the “skeumorphic” design of previous iterations, with their faux leather and baize; others like the cleaner, more graphically-crisp appearance of this new version. It’s a matter of taste, but then again there’s no going back: the iPad mini, like the Air, were designed with iOS 7 in mind, and so that’s what you get.

There are some notable improvements along the way, however. The Retina version has twice the RAM of its predecessor, which means multitasking – which looks far better than in iOS 6, with useful previews of the apps you can switch to – is faster as the iPad can keep more in its memory at one time. Similarly, where we’ve encountered crashes in Safari on the iPad mini as hefty webpages suck up all the spare resources, that simply didn’t happen in the same way on the second-gen model.
Apple also includes a number of free apps this time around, offering its iLife and iWork suites for iOS for download as soon as you set up the iPad mini. That means iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand, alone with Pages, Numbers and Keynote, covering the bases from entertainment and lifestyle through to business and home office work. Of course, you also get the usual iOS apps like Apple Maps, Siri, iBooks, Photo Booth, and access to Newsstand and Game Center, and not least Apple’s App Store, which still puts rival platforms to shame with the breadth of tablet-specific apps it has to offer.
Combined with the improvement in performance and the higher resolution display, however, suddenly actually using both the iLife and iWork suites seems far more practical a prospect on the iPad mini with Retina display. Whereas the lower-resolution panel and occasional breathlessness of the original version meant that processing 1080p video or doing photo editing could become frustrating after a time, the step up to Apple’s A7 processor leaves the new iPad mini flying along at the same rate of knots as the iPad Air.
In fact, the second-gen iPad mini makes a strong candidate as a portable video processing studio. It’ll record video itself, of course, but we found the best results came from importing footage filmed on the iPhone 5s’ excellent camera, and then using iMovie to do the sort of editing we might normally have waited until we were in front of our regular computer to complete. Being able, with nothing more than a compact tablet and a phone, to piece together professional looking footage without it taking an age is hugely impressive.
With the same A7 chip as the Air and the 5s, unsurprisingly video exporting times came in roughly the same. We were able to crunch through a five minute long 1080p video in iMovie in just 2 minutes 10 seconds: on a par with what the iPad Air managed. In fact, the iPad mini was able to keep up with all of the media tests we ran on its bigger sibling, without getting more than mildly warm to the touch.
That bears out in the benchmarks, too. In Geekbench, the new iPad mini scored 2,515, more than three times what its predecessor achieved, at 757. In SunSpider, the browser-based test of JavaScript performance, the new iPad completed the trial in 414.3ms; again, that’s a fraction of the 1,698.9ms the old iPad mini took to run through it.

Battery

Apple’s slight increase in weight and thickness with the new iPad mini is for the large part down to the tablet’s bigger battery. A Retina display and an A7 chipset make big demands on power, and so more cells have been squeezed in so as to continue to achieve the ten hour runtime Apple promises.
What’s always been impressive is how accurate an estimate that usually is for the different iPad models we’ve seen, with many even proving Apple’s numbers conservative. The same certainly seems to be the case with the iPad mini with Retina display. With everyday to heavy use, we comfortably hit Apple’s figure; it took extreme use in one day to put a dint in the mini’s lifespan, and even then we got more than seven hours active use and eight hours standby with juice still on the gage.
One of the particular strengths of the old iPad mini was its longevity while acting as a mobile hotspot. In fact, the first-generation tablet managed an incredible full day of use while sharing its LTE connection, besting with ease what the average standalone hotspot can manage. We’ll be testing out the iPad mini with Retina display’s abilities under the same conditions over the coming days, and will update accordingly.

iPad Mini with Retina display versus iPad Air

Opting for the iPad mini used to be a case of choosing size over performance. Not any more; with the same A7 chip inside, and the same Retina technology up-front, it’s now a decision of size alone.

In the iPad Air’s favor, it’s a hugely compelling tablet. As we already found, battery life is excellent, the new design of the larger tablet is superb, and the combination of speed and display quality makes it our pick of the full-sized slates right now.

However, the iPad mini with Retina display effectively matches it on speed, is more portable, keeps up in battery life, and even undercuts the iPad Air by $100. Those who primarily watch video, or do multimedia editing, might prefer to opt for the Air’s 9.7-inch screen, true. Still, it’s hard not to see the Retina-blessed iPad mini as the holy grail of tablets.

Wrap-Up

As upgrades go, you can’t fault the iPad mini with Retina display. Apple took the two biggest complaints – speed and screen – in hand, and returned with a tablet that looks great, performs great, and still delivers on battery life and portability. The tempting option might have been to dilute the update so as to leave the iPad Air clearly in the lead as the full-sized flagship, but Apple is obviously so confident in the equal allure of each model, it has no reason to artificially delineate the range.

That confidence seems prescient. With specifications taken care of, we’ve already seen a divide forming between those opting for the Air and those who prefer the pocket powerhouse of the mini. Our own leaning is toward the iPad mini with Retina display, and we’d take that $100 saving and put it toward adding LTE for truly wireless flexibility. In doing so, we’d be buying a tablet that has, with its combination of performance, software availability, and overall quality, extended the lead ahead of its rivals exponentially.

Nissan 3E head-mounted display teased in dark video

Nissan 3E head-mounted display teased in dark video

The Tokyo Motor show is sure to bring on its fair share of oddities rather soon, one of the more face-friendly being the Nissan 3E HUD – a heads-up display made for Nissan vehicle driving specifically. What you’re going to find with this device is a system in-tune with the vehicle as you drive it, allowing you to see a variety of detail points on the inner workings of the car while your traditional dashboard collection of meters gives you the rest of the layout per usual. Now we’ve just got to see how this device actually works.

By the looks of it, the Nissan 3E attaches to one’s head with a rather simplistic wrap-around band that requires that you’ve got both ears fully intact on your head. The computing bit rests entirely in a rather sizable component up and to the left of the wearer’s left eye. A single piece of glass sits at an angle in front of the left eye to show a display projected from the larger unit.
This device has not been priced, not has it been given a full release schedule in any way shape or form. Instead we’ve got one extremely stylized teaser video showing the “birth” of the machine on an especially pumped-up fellow who must live in a state where it’s legal to drive shirtless. Have a peek!

It’s important to note also that this machine is currently in a prototype stage. The presentation in full – as well as this teaser, of course – comes in a form that’s made specifically for the Tokyo Motor Show and should not be looked upon as a final product in any way at all.
You’ll find inspiration enough to check back in SlashGear’s Nissan tag portal and/or the larger SlashGear Car Hub for our full jump into the Tokyo Auto Show as a whole. Stick around as we see the full details pop up sooner than later. This piece of technology specifically will be appearing in full in just over 8 days from now.

BlackBerry Z30 hits Verizon with 5-inch display

 BlackBerry Z30 hits Verizon with 5-inch display
This November those wishing to roll forward with the BlackBerry 10 universe will be able to see it happen on the biggest and most powerful handset ever to run the operating system. This device works with a 5-inch display with 720p resolution and a 1.7GHz processor under the hood. It’ll be available from Verizon exclusively, too, so you know you’re amongst a somewhat elite club of owners – so to speak.


For those of you wondering what the draw will be fore users of this machine in the near future given the recent news with BlackBerry’s financial affairs: there’s always the software. The newest news has been from the most recent CEO of the company, he suggesting that both hardware and software production will continue through the company’s current transitional state.
This particular device will be appearing working with BlackBerry 10.2 right out of the box – that’s the newest version of BlackBerry OS, coming with the newest in new BB features as well.
For legacy BlackBerry users, this means you’ll be getting features like BBM Now – that’s the ability to see a preview of any BBM as it arrives on the device without interrupting the user’s current activities. You’ll work with the new BlackBerry Hub and the Priority Hub, allowing you to see the conversations that are most likely to be important to you – smart stuff!

This device also works with Qi-standard wireless charging. This means that the massive amount of standard wireless chargers released over the past year will work with this machine and its built-in 2880mAh battery. This device is suggested to work with 25 hours of mixed usage on a single full battery charge.

Verizon notes today that the BlackBerry Z30 will be available for $199.99 with a new two-year contract starting online Thursday, the 14th of November. There’s also a Verizon Edge plan for this device that’ll allow users to upgrade for $22.91 per month for a cool 24 months.

Panono throwable panoramic ball camera one step closer to launch

 Panono throwable panoramic ball camera one step closer to launch

All the way back in 2011 we had our first look at the Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera – well before it was ready to be manufactured as a consumer product. Here at the tail end of 2013, taking full advantage of the current craze that is crowd-funding, the same fellow who headed the project two years ago is taking a real stab at making the machine a reality. We had a chat with Jonas Pfeil, the creator of Panono, here on the day of the launch of this device’s first Indiegogo push.

The team as it exists today consists of Jonas Pfeil, president, co-founder, and creator of the Panono along with Björn Bollensdorff, CEO and co-founder, Qian Qin, CTO and co-founder, and Ralf Coenen, executive advisor to Panono. Together they’re creating a ball that you toss up into the air, capturing a 360-degree spherical panorama at its highest point.

The device as it exists today is 4.33-inches in diameter, weighing in at 0.66 pounds (300 grams), and is surrounded by “tough clear plastic”. The ball works with 36 fixed focus cameras with a total resolution of 72 megapixels – and the whole machine works with mobile apps for iOS 6 and above as well as Android 4.0 and above.

You’ll be able to take photos without connecting to a smartphone or tablet, if you like – the initial model is able to take approximately 400 panorama photos on its internal flash memory. Connecting to a smartphone or tablet is done with Bluetooth or Wi-fi, while the ball’s battery is recharged with a simple USB port.

See a full-window-sized version of the above demo at Panono’s demo page and see the beginnings of a full network at their Panoramas listing index.

As we’ve been excited about this project since well before it became a product ready for public consumption, we had quite a few questions for Pfeil the week before this iteration of the ball camera went public. For your benefit, what you’re reading is all the juicy bits on Panono.

SG: Back when the throwable ball camera was first introduced as a concept, we were just entering an age of “smart cameras” and now wearable smart products – how does this device pave its way in the world as a unique product?

Jonas Pfeil: It’s the only camera that can snap super high resolution panoramas (72 MP) in a split second. Capturing everything around you, even if it is moving (like people). This enables anybody to capture his memories completely. Everybody is on the picture, even the photographer (did you ever look at your holiday pictures suddenly realizing that one person is always missing?).

Panorama apps for smartphones for example will not work properly if the people in the picture are moving (same goes for other things, like cars, ocean waves etc.). Also with such an app taking a panorama takes forever :)

Our camera connects directly to your smartphone and tablet which gives you an instant preview of the panorama (important if you do Vadering for example ;) The app also uploads the 36 single images to our free stitching service. Once in the cloud stitching is super fast (currently under 2 minutes, should be even faster later) and doesn’t drain your phones battery.

After stitching is complete you can share the URL of the panorama with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and so on. Much like you would do with a YouTube video. Of course the panoramas can also embedded on another website.

SG: Will the images produced be able to be uploaded to services like Google+ with photospheres?

JP: Yes, we will definitely add this feature!

SG: Do you plan on working with any smartphone manufacturers specifically to optimize performance, or is this more of a universally usable machine?

JP: We plan to support as many different smartphones and tablets as possible. We are designing the Panono app as universally compatible as possible and are doing optimizations for specific phones where necessary. We already have a working iOS and Android app. Basically all modern iOS devices are supported. On Android we specifically tested with the S3, S4 and Nexus 4 so far. We will continue to test and optimize for more phones as we go along.

SG: What plans can you share on second-generation projects (after this first camera is made real)?

JP: One thing we like to do at one point is make the camera waterproof so you can go diving with it :) The model we are offering on Indiegogo should already be able to withstand a few drops of rain though.

SG: What sort of reactions have you gotten from people seeing the prototype cameras out in the wild?

JP: Basically every time we go out people stop and ask what that thing is. When you tell them it’s a ball camera most are pretty amazed :) One of the most fun things that happened was when we were out filming with a TV crew a tourists came by and told his friends all about the camera, so we didn’t have to do anything!

At the moment it would appear that the machine is going to cost users – early adopters, at least – a slightly shocking $549 USD. The results are going to have to be mind-blowing to get widespread adoption at that sort of point – but then again, your average smartphone costs no less off-contract.

Have a peek at the Panono’s current Indiegogo listing to see additional bits and pieces as this machine heads towards its final form. Will the public attach for this unique product, or will the prototype be the one and only edition we’ll ever see? That’s all up to you, really. Let us know what you think!

Lytro 3D joins visualizations roster for perspective-shift camera

Lytro 3D joins visualizations roster for perspective-shift camera


We appear to be in an age where the way we capture photos – followed by the way we display them – is in a state of evolution. Today’s update from the folks at Lytro unveils a new way to view the photos taken with the Lytro camera – you’ll soon be able to see these photos displayed in 3D. With the light field camera created by Lytro, users will be able to see the photos they’ve captured and processed for Perspective Shift in full 3D mode with a variety of devices.

At the moment, Lytro suggests that users work with a 3D-capable TV to see this new feature in action. The “Lytro 3D experience” can be seen through two apps – Lytro Desktop 3.1 and Lytro Mobile 1.2 – but only through a 3D-capable TV. Your computer or smartphone must be displaying the images in one of these apps and connected to the TV with HDMI or Apple AirPlay.
The Lytro camera itself is currently up for sale at a variety of retailers – including through the Apple Store itself. This sort of sale setup is rare, Apple generally only selling accessories like printers, cases, and hard-drives through the hardware side of their store to match up with their OS X or iOS-running smart devices galore.
As Lytro suggests, they’ve created an experience which is the world’s first one-button shoot to capture 3D photos for the average consumer. Meanwhile we’re seeing solutions for expansion in the photography universe from groups like Panono for 360-degree panoramic photos and Neorocam for taking photos when you think. Every different way to capture a photo must be found!

Pills-To-Go

Pills-To-Go

OLPC XO Tablet availability expands to additional retail stores

OLPC XO Tablet availability expands to additional retail stores

OLPC‘s XO Tablet was unveiled way back in January of this year, and went up for sale on July 9. As we reported, the device was promised to be available from multiple retailers, but the slate had been exclusively available from Wal-Mart. Starting today, buyers now have additional retailer options, with the tablet showing as in-stock and shipping from both Target and Amazon.

Earlier today, as OLPC News noted, Wal-Mart was showing the tablet as being out of stock online, but a look at the company’s website now shows it as being in-stock and available. The same goes for Target and Amazon, with all three retailers having the slate priced at $149.99 USD. The first round of availability kicked off on July 16.
As with OLPC’s other products, the XO Tablet aims to be a cheap slate that provides children with an education-based device. The design has the distinct green color we’ve come to expect, and it is designed for use by children. The display comes in at 7-inches, while the entire device measures in at 4.68 x 0.37 x 7.75-inches. The software is Android-based.
The rest of the hardware is basic – there’s a dual-core 1.6GHz processor, 8GB of internal storage space, and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi. The language can be toggled between English and Spanish, opening it up to a wider range of users, and comes with parental controls for customization by parents and teachers based on the user’s age and needs.
There’s access to the Google Play store, and the XO Tablet comes pre-loaded with 100 educational apps and 100 books. The software includes a dashboard reserved for the parents that displays things like the user’s learning style and their usage of the device, furthering its mission to be an education-based slate.

HTC One and GALAXY S 4 Google Play Editions receive Android 4.3 OTA update

HTC One and GALAXY S 4 Google Play Editions receive Android 4.3 OTA update
The HTC One and Samsung GALAXY S 4 Google Play Editions feature pure Android sans the common Sense and TouchWiz interfaces, and for some users, that Android has been bumped to version 4.3 with an OTA update this evening. Though not all owners have received the update yet, reports are starting to roll in from those who have, and we’ve got the details on it for you after the jump.

The update is showing up as build JWR66V, with the Samsung GALAXY S 4 version being the larger of the two at 180MB, while the HTC One version is 150MB. Among the changes that are coming with the update are larger icons on widget panels, tethering via Bluetooth for the GALAXY S 4, and the menu background has been switched from black to a lighter gradient.
As we noted in our review, the Google Play Edition versions of the two devices feel snappier when being used than their conventional counterparts, though purely in terms of benchmarks the two varieties aren’t much different. The GALAXY S 4′s software size comes in around the 6GB mark, a couple gigabytes lower than what you get with TouchWiz. As far as hardware goes, however, the handsets are relatively unchanged.
As mentioned, the update is coming OTA, and not everyone is seeing it yet, so if you’re still waiting, it should arrive shortly. Not familiar with Android 4.3? The latest Android version brings with it enhancements, improved rendering, and some changes for developers like On-screen GPU profiling. You can check out the entire gamut of what’s new in our SlashGear 101.

Samsung denies abandoning desktop PC business

 Samsung denies abandoning desktop PC business

Samsung has denied stepping away from desktop computers, despite reports claiming executives from the company had confirmed it would instead focus on tablets, all-in-ones, and notebooks. “Samsung will continue to offer diverse PC products according to consumer and market needs” a spokesperson told The Next Web Asia, describing the claims as “groundless”.

Claims that the desktop business was being marginalized came from two unnamed executives speaking earlier this week, speaking to Korean press. “Demand for conventional desktop PCs is going down” one Samsung Electronics senior told reporters, and that instead the plan was to “allocate our resources to popular connected and portable devices.”
However, even with Samsung’s new-found enthusiasm for its desktop business, it’s tough to see evidence of that in its product line-up. There are currently no desktop PCs listed in either the consumer or business sections of Samsung USA’s site, with the company instead focusing on all-in-one PCs for those who want a desk-bound machine.
Meanwhile it would be hard to criticize bypassing desktops as a strategy in computing over the next few years. According to recent Gartner research, sales of traditional PCs continue to slump, and that’s only expected to get worse in 2014.
In contrast, tablets, all-in-ones, and ultraportables – all areas in which Samsung is particularly active – are tipped to grow considerably. There’ll also be more space in the market for more unusual form-factors, such as hybrids that can convert between tablet and notebook. Samsung unveiled the ATIV Q, just such a machine, at its Premiere 2013 event last week.

OUYA retail sales begin (and immediately sells out)

Android games console and Kickstarter success OUYA has begun its assault on stores, with sales kicking off in the UK and already seeing stock shortages. The open-source console, which raised more than $8.5m last year on the crowdfunding site, showed up on Amazon US and on Amazon UK earlier today and is already listed as “temporarily out of stock” as demand outstrips supply.

The OUYA controller, which connects via Bluetooth and features both traditional gaming controls and a touchpad for navigating around the customized Android OS of the console, is also out of stock at Amazon. UK retailer GAME is expected to have supplies of OUYA today, though there’s no stock indication on its webstore.
Best Buy, meanwhile, suggests online orders will ship in one working day, though GameStop has no online stock. Target is only selling online, though there’s no indication of current stock levels.
OUYA’s path to market hasn’t been a simple one. The start-up was initially near-overwhelmed by interest in the console, which far exceeded what had been the predicted demand. That was followed by a very public development process, as the OUYA team attempted to wrestle the supply-chain into order while also managing backer expectations and engaging with game developers.
Even now, on the day that in-store sales are starting in the US, Canada, and the UK, some of the original Kickstarter backers are still waiting on their own units. In an email update sent this week, OUYA blames issues in shipment and fulfillment for the delay.
“When you receive a tracking number, you expect it to work immediately, but sometimes these tracking numbers don’t do that” head of operations Ken Stephens wrote. “The reason for this is that when the product leaves Hong Kong, the tracking process does not initiate until it arrives for the first scan at your country’s local depot. As a result, you could have a period of up to 10 days within which the product appears in limbo. This, we all agree, is very frustrating.”
According to Stephens, the “vast majority” of those still waiting are international backers.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra phablet official with 6.4-inch Full HD display

Sony Xperia Z Ultra phablet official with 6.4-inch Full HD display

Sony has officially launched the Xperia Z Ultra, an even larger version of the Xperia Z fronted by a 6.4-inch Full HD display and waterproof just like its smaller sibling. Billed as the world’s largest Full HD smartphone, the Xperia Z Ultra features Sony’s TRILUMINOS technology – as on the company’s BRAVIA HDTVs for more accurate colors and contrast.

There’s also X-Reality for mobile for optimizing photos and video to look their best on the panel, including upscaling lower resolution content to suit the 1080p the Xperia Z Ultra offers.
Just as Sony pushed its waterproofing on the Xperia Z, the Z Ultra is also unafraid of a dip in the pool. In fact, it’s even more resilient than the previous model, now certified to IP58 versus the IP55/IP57 of the Xperia Z. Sony says it’s the same width as a passport, which the company claims makes it fit more readily in the hand; actual specs are 179 x 92 x 6.5mm and 212g.

As for software, Sony has fettled its media application suite, with a new WALKMAN app, Movies app, and Album app. They get updated sharing functionality, as well as better integration with the cloud. Underneath is Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Inside, there’s 4G LTE connectivity along with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 quadcore processor running at a whopping 2.2GHz. That’s paired with an 8-megapixel Exmor RS camera and a battery good for up to 14hrs talktime or 790hrs standby, Sony claims. NFC, WiFi, and Bluetooth are all included.
Interestingly, the touchscreen will also recognize “any” stylus with a conductive tip, including a regular pencil, allowing Xperia Z users to sketch or make notes with whatever comes to hand.

The Sony Xperia Z will be available in three colors – black, white, and purple – and sold alongside a new accessory, a water-resistant Bluetooth “mini handset” presumably for those times when holding a 6.4-inch phablet to the side of your head feels somewhat ridiculous.
No word on pricing at this stage, but the Xperia Z Ultra will launch globally in Q3 2013.