Translucent Mod Kit for iPhone 5

Robot Rock Band: Compressorhead – Ace of Spades

Bringing a new meaning to the term “heavy metal”, this all-robot rock band called Compressorhead will drop your jaw straight to the floor with their cover of Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” played during a rehearsal somewhere in Berlin. I wonder how their groupies look like..

http://brosome.com/robot-rock-band-compressorhead-ace-of-spades/

Google Android Baked Into Rice Cookers in Move Past Phone

Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android software, the most widely used smartphone operating system, is making the leap to rice cookers and refrigerators as manufacturers vie to dominate the market for gadgets controlled via the Internet.

Android-based products ranging from Royal Philips Electronics NV’s PicoPix pocket projector and LG Electronics Inc. (066570)’ Smart Thinq refrigerators to Parrot SA (PARRO)’s Asteroid car stereo systems and Samsung Electronics Co. (005930)’s Galaxy Camera will be on display this week at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

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The Google Inc. logo is reflected in water droplets in Washington. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

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Jan. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Deirdre Bolton looks at Google's cool office in New York City. She speaks on Bloomberg Television's "Money Moves." (Source: Bloomberg)

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The $600 Panasonic Corp. Android-controlled SR-SX2 rice cooker. Source: Panasonic Corp.

Extending its free operating system to new devices could let Google collect more data to build its lucrative search business and one-up software rivals Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Apple Inc. Android also is an easy to-use-platform that helps appliance makers like Samsung and Philips add product features and benefit from demand for Internet-connected devices -- a market IDC predicts will reach more than $2 trillion in 2015.

“Android is sitting pretty in this space to take more share from the incumbents,” said IDC analyst Al Hilwa. “The fundamental advantage with Android is that the vendor can take a bigger chunk of the software and own it.”

Since the first Android-based phones went on sale in 2008, devices based on the mobile operating system have surged in popularity. Smartphones running the software held 72 percent of the market in the third quarter, while Apple had 14 percent, according to Gartner Inc.

Intelligent Systems

Building Android directly into devices can make it easier for electronic equipment and appliances to exchange information with less human intervention. A television, for example, might show a pop-up message from a clothes dryer in the basement, indicating that the homeowner’s jeans are not yet dry. The user could press a button on the TV remote to automatically add 15 minutes to the dryer cycle. A connected rice cooker could determine what type of rice is being used and set cooking instructions accordingly.

Making more intelligent, connected appliances and electronics has been a goal of manufacturers for years. And recent efforts to broaden Android beyond phones and computers haven’t all panned out. Google tried to push into the living room via its Google TV product. The set-top boxes and software for televisions made by Sony Corp. and Logitech International SA didn’t meet sales goals after their introduction in 2010. LG, Hisense Electric Co. and Vizio Inc. plan to demonstrate models that boast an updated version of Android for TVs in Las Vegas.

Fragmented Market

This time will be different, manufacturers say. Companies are competing to develop operating systems that can span a variety of devices and attract a loyal base of developers and consumers.

The market for so-called intelligent systems, or devices capable of receiving and transmitting over the Internet, will double to almost 4 billion units in 2015 from more than 1.8 billion units and more than $1 trillion in revenue in 2011, according to IDC. The market now is fragmented among more than 30 software makers, including QNX Software Systems Ltd. and companies’ home-grown development efforts.

“The Android circle is getting bigger,” Android founder Andy Rubin said in May at a press conference. “Everything should be Androidified -- is that the word?”

Smartphone-Controlled

Android’s proliferation offers broader access to hundreds of downloadable applications developed specifically for Web- connected gear, letting electronics makers create a family of products that can exchange information, said Frederic Albinet, marketing manager at Parrot, which began selling its $600 Asteroid Smart car system in October.

“There are many apps in the Android Marketplace we get access to, and our Asteroid developers have an operating system that everyone’s becoming familiar with,” he said.

Last year in Japan, Panasonic Corp. began selling a range of home appliances, from microwaves to air conditioners, that can be controlled by smartphones while providing information to users. Its $600 Android-controlled SR-SX2 rice cooker lets users search for recipes on their Android phones and then transmit them to the cooker. It also provides information such as how much electricity it has used.

The company’s NR series refrigerator counts the number of times that the door has been open and closed in order to make it run more efficiently, and it displays instructions on how to fix problems when they occur.

Samsung and LG, two of the earliest adopters of Android in smartphones, have begun integrating the software into cameras and appliances to stimulate sales in markets that haven’t been growing rapidly.

Support Needed

While Android’s free software allows for easy adoption, device makers may have to do more work than they would with software bought from a company like Microsoft, which supports development, testing and troubleshooting of such systems as Ford Motor Corp.’s Sync information and entertainment-system software, said Carl Howe, an analyst at Yankee Group.

“The open part isn’t as important as the reliability,” Howe said. “It requires support and courting of customers. If Google has no interest, it’s not going to go anywhere.”

While Google only counts devices delivered by its network of 58 manufacturing partners, the company said in an e-mailed statement that the free Android operating system is available to any developers that wish to use it. Google declined to comment further on Android’s expansion into electronics.

Intel’s Customers

Intel Corp. (INTC), the world’s largest computer-chip maker, said it has no shortage of interest in Android-based systems. Intel’s Wind River Systems software division is receiving an increasing number of customer requests, said Jim Douglas, vice president of products and global marketing.

Electronics and appliance makers are taking advantage of falling prices for LCD screens and wireless technologies to consider connecting all manner of devices. Powerful processors that are becoming more affordable also are adding to the trend, Douglas said. He said the operating system could also be used in big-ticket industrial machines, though he declined to identify specific customers.

“You can now start to put pretty robust operating environments and applications on just about everything,” he said. “Google’s done a nice job of building an open platform that it’s easy to develop on top of it. People are becoming familiar with it.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-08/google-android-baked-into-rice-cookers-in-move-past-phones-tech.html

Tablets Will Outsell Notebooks in 2013, for First Time Ever

Christopher Mims

 for Quartz 4 hours ago

In 2012, tablets outsold notebook computers in the US and China, but 2013 will be the year this trend goes global, according to NPD DisplaySearch. That's three years ahead of analysts' earlier estimates, and reflects a projected 64% growth in tablet purchases in 2013 versus 2012.

This growth is driven primarily by a surge in purchases of smaller 7-inch and 8-inch tablets, which will represent 45% of the 240 million tablets sold in 2013. Notebooks, meanwhile, will sell 207 million units in the same year.

NPD projects just a 17% market share in 2013 for the original size, 9.7-inch iPad, compared with just under a 40% market share for the iPad in 2012. Due to sales of the iPad mini, which could overtake sales of the original iPad in 2013, Apple will still sell 97.6 million tablets, leaving its overall tablet market share unchanged.

Chinese will buy 27% of tablets sold in 2013, projects NPD, but most will be made by "small local brands." These ultra-cheap tablets, of course, are what are fast becoming the default computing devices in emerging markets.

http://mashable.com/2013/01/08/tablets-outsell-notebooks/

Trade-in value on broken iPhone 4S as much as mint condition Galaxy S2

Here are some interesting charts from Gazelle at CES that compare trade-in values of the iPhone versus the competition. As you can see from the images above and below, the iPhone, like many Apple products, have tendency of retaining a higher trade-in value longer than other devices. In many situations, months after the release of a device, a broken iPhone 4S with a completely shattered display is worth more or about the same as a seemingly mint condition Galaxy S2 orGalaxy Nexus. A gallery of all the stats: http://9to5mac.com/2013/01/08/trade-in-value-on-broken-iphone-4s-as-much-as-mint-condition-galaxy-s2/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook#d 

Sony’s One-Piece Waterproof Walkman: 1 Hour’s Playback From 3 Minutes Charging

If workouts take you from pounding the pavement to plunging into the pool with little time to spare between, Sony's new one-piece Walkman might be of some interest to you.

The one-piece design looks light and unobtrusive, while the 4GB of storage should offer enough capacity for most people's workout music. Of most interest here, though, are two other features. First, this thing is super-fast to juice up: 3 minutes charging will provide at least an hour of playback. Second, it's waterproof, so you should be able to wear it in the pool with no problems. Available in black, blue, white, and pink from March this year, it'll cost $100. [NDTV]

Full size

http://gizmodo.com/5974059/sonys-one+piece-waterproof-walkman-1-hours-playback-from-3-minutes-charging?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_twitter&utm_source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Facebook begins rolling out new single-column Timeline with greater emphasis on messages

Facebook has begun rolling out a new single-column design for Timelines which better organize users’ personal pages and places greater emphasis on communication between friends.

The revamped Timeline has gone live for users in New Zealand, which is regularly Facebook’s first port of call for new rollouts. As screenshots from TNW contributor Owen Williams show, all communication from friends and status updates placed in the left-hand side column only. This left side column has been made larger to place greater emphasis on messages, with the right hand side now made smaller as a result. For example, the Friends box is now 3×3 instead of 2×4.

Update: A Facebook spokesperson tells TNW that the company has “no other details to share right now”. That means that New Zealanders will be the only ones to enjoy it, for now, but we’ll keep tabs on future developments.

Content in the right-side column is now ‘fixed’ to show Friends, Recent Activity and other non-messaging updates. Highlighted posts — such as life events — can no longer be stretched across the page when starred in the new design.

The new redesign also tidies Timeline headers. Boxes that link through to ‘Friends’, ‘Photos’, ‘Maps’ and ‘Likes’ have been removed, these items are now listed in a menu which, when clicked, brings them up separately. Interestingly, relationship information has been removed from the header, which could perhaps be a focus on keeping personal details more private.

It was confirmed that Facebook was testing this redesign on a fraction of users around October time last year and, as was the case with its recent new privacy settings (and many other updates), it has gone live in New Zealand before any other country. That almost certainly means it will make its way to other countries worldwide shortly, but we’ve contacted Facebook for the finer details.

Our initial observation is that the new Timeline is indeed cleaner and easier to navigate. Previously, it could get awkward when messages would appear on both right and left columns, making it easier to miss or gloss over an update from a friend. Of course, the new design does have the issue of wasted space on the right hand side as you scroll down a Timeline but, since most people want to keep up with the latest information — which doesn’t require much scrolling — we think that the positives outweigh the negatives.

There is no new information in the revised About page but it does lists all the details that Facebook has relating to work, education, relationships and contact information in one place.

The More tab allows you to view a range of activities — beyond About, Friends and Photos — which includes Maps, Movies, TV Shows and Music, as below. There are also setting for activity from Open Graph apps, such as Instagram, Spotify, Foursquare and Flipboard:

http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2013/01/08/facebook-begins-rolling-out-new-single-column-timeline-with-greater-emphasis-on-messages
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Hyundai announces support for Apple's Siri Eyes Free

At this week's Consumer Electronics Show, Hyundai announced a number of new vehicle technologies, including integration with Apple's Siri-powered "Eyes Free" mode.

New Hyundai vehicles will integrate their infotainment systems with Apple's voice-driven personal assistant software. The system requires a compatible iPhone, iPad or iPod touch running iOS 6.

The announcement makes Hyundai the tenth major auto maker to announce support for Siri Eyes Free control. The other partners are BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, Toyota, Chrysler, Honda, and GM, which announced support for its Chevy Spark and Sonic models in November.

Apple first announced Siri Eyes Free in June when the company took the wraps off the iOS 6 mobile operating system. With Hands Free, the iPhone screen stays off, so it will not distract the driver, and Siri talks back to a user out loud, allowing them to keep their eyes on the road.

Support for Apple's Siri Eyes Free is one of a number of technology-driven partnerships Hyundai announced at CES. Other additions include:

• Dragon Drive: Developed by Nuance, this automotive-grade voice services platform enables drivers to speak naturally and conversationally with in-car systems for tasks such as dictating messages, searching for music, finding real-time weather and asking for directions.
• Mobile High-Definition Link: Delivers 1080p60 uncompressed video with up to eight channels of digital audio from a mobile device to a dashboard display, all while charging the device.
• Next-Generation Hardware: Hyundai's new vehicles will feature the latest hardware with high-resolution multi-touch displays, Bluetooth 3.0, and Wi-Fi/3G connectivity options.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/01/07/hyundai-announces-support-for-apples-siri-eyes-free

My suitcase landed where?! Your phone knows

Globaltrac demoed a device at CES Unveiled that tracks your luggage in real time.

Trackdot tracks your luggage.

(Credit: Paul Sloan/CNET)

LAS VEGAS--A company called Globaltrac is hoping to make a big business out of the painful reality that airlines are so good at losing luggage.

Globaltrac, based in Los Angeles, is at CES 2013 to show off Trackdot, a small, battery-powered device that sits in your suitcase and tracks your luggage -- whichever airport it might end up at. The device works using GSM -- the Federal Aviation Authority won't allow such devices to use GPS -- and sends messages directly to as many cell phones as you assign to it. So if you're flying to Paris, and your luggage flies to London, you'll get a message on your phone saying that's where your bag is. Still a pain, of course, but at least you'll know.

As for demand? That seems easy. Mayer Alexander, Globaltrac's VP of sales for North America, rattled off some stats from the FAA: of the 140 million people who flew more than once last year, he said, 26 million lost their luggage -- or, more correctly, an airline lost their luggage. Which explains why Alexander says the company has been flooded of preorders. He said the Trackdot, which costs $49.99, will be available in March.

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-34441_1-57562335/my-suitcase-landed-where-your-phone-knows/?ttag=fbwp

CES 2013: HP unveils the U160, its first portable monitor

HP has unveiled the U160, a 15.6-inch monitor that has been specifically built for portability, according to Engadget. The monitor can connect to laptops through USB and includes a foldable carrying case that can also double as a stand. The HP U160 15.6-inch portable monitor The 15.6-inch screen has a resolution of 1366 x 768 and the carrying case is made of leather. It weighs 3.4 pounds and is 1.2-inches thick. For comparison's sake, this is slightly heavier than the average Ultrabook. The contrast ratio and brightness levels for the monitor are said to be comparable with the average notebook screen. HP hasn't revealed any other specifications for the monitor, even though it is set to be available towards the end of January for $179, which roughly translates to Rs 9,700. The main utility of the monitor can be seen in scenarios like needing to give a presentation, or even something as simple as a bunch of friends wanting to watch a movie or something on a bigger screen while travelling. The monitor could also be useful for those who travel a lot. Some users like the ability to quickly jump to a second monitor while working on the go. The unveiling of the monitor is no surprise as it is basically what HP has been doing for the CES. The U610 is still notable though, as it is the first portable monitor from HP. http://tech2.in.com/news/17inch-and-below/ces-2013-hp-unveils-the-u160-its-first-portable-monitor/672662