GM: Chevy Volt Battery Warranty is eight years/100k miles

The Chevy Volt is finally coming together. GM just went public with the details surrounding its battery warranty and it’s on the same level as the Prius’s. The auto maker will cover the Volt’s LG Chem lithium-manganese pack for eight years or 100,000 miles. This comes after extensive testing over a three-year period in which testers logged over 1 million miles of driving and 4 million hours on the battery packs. Needless to say that GM tested the entire system thoroughly.

GM-Volt posted some of the Volt’s key features that actually validate a lot of the questions I had during my Volt mule test drive last year.

Thermal Management: the intrinsic thermal management system allows teh pack and car to operate flawlessly from -13 degrees Fahrenheit (-25 C) and as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit (+50 C). In cold weather the cells are warmed by the generator and in cold weather they are chilled.
Diagnostics: there are more than 500 diagnostic tests on the pack that run 10 times per second. 85 percent ensure the pack is operating safely, 15 percent ensure durability.
Cell design: the LG chemistry ensures high power and long life.
Energy Management: by not fully charging or discharging the battery ensures the longest possible life.

It’s good to see GM backing the Volt’s battery system with a long warranty. Batteries degrade over time and since the Volt’s powertrain is directly powered from the battery unlike in a traditional hybrid where they simply assist, owners should not have to worry about their life for a while.

Techtyphooon

Apollo 16 site photographed from orbit

I love seeing the shots that NASA has been releasing from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter! The latest is from the Apollo 16 site, and they really timed this one right. The LRO was passing over the site exactly at noon (local time of course) so there’s a minimum amount of shadowing, and a maximum amount of contrast.

The resolution on the picture is truly amazing, you can see where the lunar module landed, where they parked the LRV, and even trails where the astronauts walked across the surface. There’s even a mark leading to where the astronauts conducted moonquake experiments by setting off explosives! This picture is much cleaner then the previous shot, which showed the Apollo 14 site, but was taken at a different time of day and had significantly more shadowing.

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Video: The first Chevy Volt commercial advertises silence

Video: The first Chevy Volt commercial advertises silence

Chevrolet apparently has started advertising the Chevy Volt but you won’t see anything about batteries, expected range, the price or any of the Volt’s novel traits — only silence. Click through for the ad spot.

Techtyphooon

New Mirror app coming to an iPhone 4 near you.

New Mirror app coming to an iPhone 4 near you.

Now it will be easier than ever to keep a kempt appearance while on the go. Ladies, leave that compact at home and guys, stop sqinting at your sleeping iPhone screen as you peer for post-lunch crumbs in your beard.

DLP Mobile, is preparing to release an app for iPhone 4 that capitalizes on the new device’s front facing camera, adding mirror functionality.

2011 Ford Mustang : Blue Blood Racing

2011 Ford Mustang

Let’s not call this article a review. I’m not going to drone on about interior creature comforts or available options. I’ll just state up front that they are on par for a $22k+ car and besides, other outlets have covered those items extensively.

No, what follows is a description of what the 2011 V6 Mustang feels like to drive. This car is something special. It’s a rare amalgam of real power, affordable price and driving excitement that hits you hard and makes you beg for more.

Before I lay out my heart for this car, let’s set the scene. The Mustang I drove for a few days is the Mustang Club of America edition – a mostly appearance package for the V6 model that adds a billet grill, fogs, side stripe, rear decklid spoiler and 18-inch stainless painted aluminum wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero rubber. The engine is the base-level all-new aluminum block 3.7L V6 that outs 305HP and 280 lb.-ft. of torque and 31MPG capable while cruising on the highway. My tester was fitted with the smile-inducing six-speed manual transmission. Simply put, this car wants you to have fun.

The interior (I know, I said I wasn’t going to do this. Hang in there.) is as retrotastic as the exterior sheet metal. A warm leather-wrapped three-spoke wheel draws you in and keeps you firmly grounded while the stick begs you to take advantage of it. The dual-gauge cluster with tall and monolithic numbering helps complete the time warp.
Truth be told, the interior and exterior are simply an evolution of the previous design. Nothing is radically different — that’s a good thing — but softer lines replace the almost-trying-too-hard design found in the 2005-2009 models. It’s almost as if Ford simply stopped using mid-’60s Mustangs as design inspiration, and moved on to the 1967-1970 models.

That’s just fine. This series, thanks to the awesome new engine and transmission options, finally completes what Ford has been attempting since the 2005 throwback design was announced: a true-to-the original everyman’s sports car.

There was a time when American muscle rumbled through the streets of suburbia every Friday and Saturday night. A time when factory workers could afford the sports cars they were building. A time when an enterprising high schooler could work hard for a couple of summers and actually afford a car nearly as good as his dad’s. That’s what this new Mustang offers.
The 305HP V6 mated to its optional six-speed transmission is more than capable of breaking the tires loose when thrown even into third. It has plenty of power to slam its occupants into the leather seats. The standard dual exhaust produces such a throaty rumble that unknowing gas station onlookers will look on with envy even though there’s only a V6 underneath the (somewhat deceptively large) hood.

Forget about buying the 412HP V8. You’ll rack up plenty of excessive noise and speeding tickets with the smaller block — and it’s 7k less.

That’s sort of my point. This car is a bargain. The fun starts out at $22,995, which includes all the important hardware of the V6, six-speed manual transmission, four-wheel disc brakes, and stainless-steel dual exhaust. That’s a cheap mid-life crisis remedy right there. A few more thousand and you can fit the car with several different appearance packages, including the Mustang Club of America edition that I drove.

But that’s not what the Mustang is really all about. The Mustang was the original pony car that championed the process of a low-cost “family” sports car. The first generation utilized many items from Ford’s parts bin to keep suggested retail price down to $2,368 — a price tag easily reachable by many households. The Mustang might not be that affordable now, but it is, and has been, one of lowest costing sports cars available. The 2011 model, though, offers so much more power, ability and fun than any previous generation that you really should give the new crop of Mustangs a second look.
The Mustang has long been a comfortable daily driver. The advent of proper traction control a few years back even allows the Mustang to be cold weather capable. The new models don’t break that mold. The 2011 Mustang makes a fine cruiser, one that’s actually gentle on the gas with an EPA highway rating of 31MPG. (see my averages below) It’s just fine in the city, as well. The new six-speed transmission makes for a bit more wrist work, but it’s smooth enough.

Yeah, the 2011 Mustang is a fine city car and probably wouldn’t mind living out its days in a quiet suburb, porting someone back and forth to work for years. However, living this way for the Mustang is like how an English Setter can survive chasing birds in a large fenced in back yard. It’s just not proper. Both need a wide-open space to live in the way their creators intended.
The Mustang was born to run free. It lives to tear up a gravel road and exploit its live rear axle. It wants nothing more than to power slide through corners, throwing dirt and rocks off its rear tires. It knows that this same live rear axle and rear-wheel drive configuration will keep it from winning any sort of off-roading rally race, but is fine with that fact. The older Mustangs proved over and over again having fun is just as important – and like I said previously, this car is simply fun.

I might go as far to say that this newer and more powerful Mustang is such retro fun that it would make even the most straight-laced banker grow out his hair, don a Twisted Sister cut-off t-shirt, and jam to some Grand Funk Railroad. But I won’t. We’re talking about the Mustang, not the Camaro, after all, and its drivers tend to derive from a Lynyrd Skynyrd sub-culture. Still, there’s no doubt that either of these next-gen pony cars will stir something up that you thought you left in high school.

Joking aside, the 2011 Mustang has a lot in common with the 2011 Camaro. They both offer six speed trannys mated with a 305HP engine (31mpg) in the Mustang’s case and a 304HP (29mpg) engine in the Camaro. They both start at $22k and both sport retro designs. They are, however, different beasts geared to slightly different demographics. But both are great vehicles worthy of at least a test drive. That is, of course, unless you were born with Ford-blue blood or received a Heartbeat of America tattoo before kindergarten.

It’s erroneous to say that the sports car has returned because, well, we’ve always had sports cars. American car makers have pumped out Mustangs, Camaros, and countless other muscle cars since the ’60s. What has returned is the low-cost and high-performance mixture that was missing for so long. The 2011 Mustang is full of annoying quirks that bug the hell out of me — 80 mph is at the top of the speedo instead of 70, the cup holders are in-line with the stick, the USB port doesn’t charge, the backseat is nothing more than an open storage compartment — but none of that really matters. This is a pure pony car and the only thing that matters is the large engine under the hood and the amount of fun it produces.

Drive stats:
Miles driven: 660
Average highway fuel economy: 27.1
Average city fuel economy: 21.5
Number of impromptu gas station conversations: 3

Techtyphooon

Apple unveils iPhone 4 with clearer screen

Apple unveils iPhone 4 with clearer screen

Techtyphooon

Zen launches loaded handset for Rs 1, 649

A domestic low-cost mobile phone brand Zen Mobile has launched a features-rich model X390 at a price of Rs 1, 649.

Embedded with a string of features, the X390 handset comes with a camera, wireless FM, FM recorder, MP3/MP4 player with stereo sound, TFT screen and supports watching movies and videos on the go.

The mobile facilitate the use of dual SIM cards, besides offering internal storage capacity for saving over 500 contacts. Other features include a 3.5mm jack, a powerful torch, talk time for a minimum period of four hours, and usage of both English and Hindi language.

Techtyphooon

Nokia launches Linux-based N900 in India

Nokia launches Linux-based N900 in India

The much-awaited Nokia's first phone running on Linux Maemo operating system, N900 has finally made its debut in the Indian market.

Sporting a wide 3.5-inch touchscreen display, Nokia N900 packs a QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens, LED flash with 3X digital zoom and GPS.

Also called internet tablet, Nokia N900 also offers full Adobe Flash 9.4 support. The phone packs a Maemo 5 operating system and is powered by ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz processor. As for memory, the phone comes with 32GB internal storage which can be expanded upto 45GB.

Other key features include Wi-Fi, 3G, FM transmitter and Bluetooth. Nokia N900 promises upto 6 hrs 30 min of 2G talktime and upto 4 hrs 30 min of 3G talktime.

The phone will be available in the later part of June and will come for Rs 30,639.

Video: What just smashed into Jupiter?

Video: What just smashed into Jupiter?

http://vimeo.com/12292912

Awesome video is awesome? Yes, yes it is. Something smashed into Jupiter a few hours ago, and an amateur astronomer caught the event on video. A similar event happened almost a year ago to the day.

Now, does this mean that THE MAYANS WERE RIGHT or some other nonsense? No, of course not. What it does mean is that, now more than ever, amateur astronomers armed with impressively powerful telescopes, and they train these telescopes on individual celestial bodies (like planets, like Jupiter) 24 hours per day. Those giant NASA/ESA telescopes aren’t spending every waking hour trained on one planet or whatever, so they may “miss” when something like an impact occurs.

We’re just more vigilant now.

If you can, try to track down “Wonders of the Solar System.” It’s a pretty great documentary.

Techtyphooon

Acer Ferrari-and-Android Liquid E

Acer announces Ferrari-and-Android-powered Liquid E variant
So, what do you get when you cross one of the most powerful cars in the world, with one of the most powerful mobile operating systems in the world?

Red, apparently. A whole lotta red.

Acer has been Ferrari-fying their laptops for a great many years now, but this is their first Ferrari phone, and — more to the point — it’s the first Ferrari (and luxury) phone to have a decent OS behind it.

The crimson beast is packin’ the same specs as the unfortunately-named Liquid E — that is, Android 2.1, a 768 MHz Snapdragon Processor, a 3.5″ 800×480 display, Wi-Fi, GPS, 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM, and a 5MP autofocus camera — but comes packaged in a subtly different body.

Of course, the feature that matters most to any Ferrari fan — branding — isn’t missing, either. The bright red colour and Scuderia Ferrari logo are tastefully matched with Ferrari wallpapers, videos, and engine-noise ringtones.

Sadly, there is no release date or price just yet. Don’t expect it to be a bargain, but also don’t expect Versace prices, either.

Techtyphooon

Samsung - Android Galaxy S

Samsung to launch the Android-powered Galaxy S superphone in 110 countries simultaneously:


In the grand world of electronics, it’s pretty much customary to launch in one country, wait a few days, launch in another, and so on. At most, companies launch their new toys in two or three countries at a time – it’s just really the only sane way to do it, you know?

Remind me not to ever call Samsung sane.

According to a Korea Times report from this morning, ol’ Sammie is planning on launching the Galaxy S in not one, not twelve, but one hundred and ten countries around the world on the same day. To put that in perspective: there are only 192 (or 195, depending on who’s counting) countries in the world. If Korea Times’ report pans out, Samsung’s going to be attempting to launch a handset in roughly 57% of the world simultaneously.

On one hand, it’s a clever move; as the Android space starts filling up, it’s getting harder and harder to standout. By pinning a worldwide launch on one day, they can dump money into playing up that one day’s importance in a global, unified advertising campaign. On the other hand, it introduces one hell of a lot of points of failure. Launch day stories leave lasting impressions, setting people’s perceptions of a device in stone.

Go big or go home, right?

Techtyphooon

ARM processors to power Google TV

British chip designer ARM Holdings said its technology is ready for "Google TVs" and could be in the Internet-based devices next year if its partners can come out with products based on its designs.

If ARM's processors can find a spot in Google Inc TVs or other similar televisions, ARM aims to have more than a 50 percent share in the global set-top box and digital TV market in the next three to five years, versus about 30 percent now. "The traditional PC market is changing.

Computing is not dead. Computing will continue and the growth and excitement is in new form factors and new business models and obviously TV is an example of that," ARM President Tudor Brown told Reuters.

"I am very confident that we will have a processor in a very high percentage of those TVs over a few years," Brown said in an interview in Taipei ahead of the start of Computex, the world's second-largest PC trade fair.

"We are already halfway through this year. It's not really us, it's our partners. It's people like TI, or Nvidia or Samsung." "We have the basic technology capability to do it. ARM products are fast enough to do that, but the question is which semiconductor companies want to build."

Earlier this month, Web search king Google showed off a risky attempt to marry the Web to television and reach the $70 billion TV advertising market, chasing a dream that has eluded even archrival Apple Inc Google is joining hands with Sony and Intel on the TV project. The key to Google TV is an on-screen search box, just like on Google's Web site.

TV search box accesses Google's search engine to look through live programs, DVR recordings and the Web, delivering a relatively compact list of results that can be accessed with a push of the button. TV could be a new growth engine for ARM, which has dominated the cellphone market.

It designs processor cores for chips that power more than 90 percent of the world's cellphones, and earns licence fees when chip makers agree to make chips based on its designs and royalties.

Companies including Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, and Nvidia are developing devices based on ARM-technology that would be suitable for use in many other portable gadgets, including mini, low-cost netbooks. Brown added that his company has been cooperating with many Taiwanese companies, which can also ride on the consumer boom.

"You can do a tear down of a Sony TV and see that it has a Mediatek chip in it which is ARM powered," Brown said।

Techtyphooon

Seagate confirms its working on a 3TB hard drive set for a 2010 launch

A few weeks back a story broke about Seagate’s plan to release a 3TB 3.5mm hard drive this year. Well, apparently that’s the case although if your system happens to be running a 32-bit OS like XP, you’re going to be out of luck. This drive, and any other hard drive larger than 2.1TB, will require the a modified versions of Linux or the 64-bit version of Windows 7 or Vista. Sorry, kids. It’s time to upgrade.

It all goes back to the days of DOS when the LBA (logical block addressing) standard was developed. The original LBA standard developed by IBM and Microsoft sets an address for each sector of the hard drive, therefore limiting the compatible size to 2.1TB. Of course that size seemed absolutely gigantic back in the 80’s, but now it’s one of the many issues Seagate had to work through in this drive’s development.

32-bit OS’s will see the drives, but Seagate found that it might limit the available size to only 990MB.

But there’s other issues as well. MBR’s don’t like the large hard drives either and require a GUID partition table that’s built into the just-released UEFFI system. Even RAID systems and hard drive controllers will need new drivers for the larger drive.

Yet Seagate trudging on and still plans on releasing its first 3TB drive sometime later this year। Sure, there are issues to work through, but at least it’s clear Seagate is prepared to meet them head on.

<बी> तेच्त्य्फूओं

RIM working on a Blackberry for the blind

RIM recently filed a patent application showing a very interesting change to their basic Blackberry design. The patent talks about something called a “multi-tap keyboard user interface”. The intent appears to be adding auditory feedback when pressing keys to help visually impaired users.

The patent suggests that users will press a short series of keys to activate the multi-tap interface, and then use a pre-designated set of keys for typing out numbers or text. The user would be alerted via an audio queue what number or letter they have typed, and also be able to choose different menu choices while browsing their email. For all the details (such as they are) you can read the patent application yourself.


Techtyphooon

Canon Rebel T2i DSLR camera

Short version:
An outstanding consumer DSLR and liberating video recorder, the T2i is a powerhouse media device in a small and relatively affordable package. What I think of as killer features, however, may not be viewed as such by the buying population at large.

Features:

* 18-megapixel images/up to 1080p video
* ISO 100-6400
* 3″ high-resolution LCD (1040K dots/720×480px)
* Mic in and HDMI out ports
* MSRP: $800 (body only)

Pros:

* Great image and video quality
* A better camcorder than “real” camcorders at similar prices
* Beautiful LCD

Cons:

* Compact body isn’t for everyone
* Built-in flash is limited; AF strobe is a pain
* Could really use a thumb wheel

Full review:

Let me just, right of the bat, say that for serious image quality comparisons, you should head over to DP Review. I don’t have the kind of setup necessary to test chroma levels between seven different cameras at once. This review, like all our reviews, is more anecdotal than analytical. From what I’ve seen (and read), the T2i’s image quality is comparable and sometimes better than the other cameras at its price level, depending of course on the lens. I put a pair of unmodified sample shots (RAW –> JPEG) here, but the image quality of DSLRs at this level is pretty solid across the board.

But to continue: the T2i is a camera I’ve been looking forward to for a long time, I freely admit. I bought the Rebel XT, skipped the XTi, bought the XSi, and skipped the T1i. They were clearly onto something with DSLR video, I thought, but it needed more time to mature. I think the T2i is the fulfillment of the promise made with the T1i. While it’s clearly a consumer camera, it’s extremely versatile piece of electronics, almost as much so, I feel, as the Casio Exlilim FC-100 (my favorite compact camera).

Its main selling features are a highly improved LCD, a more complete video mode than its predecessor, and of course an increase in megapixels. Other than these features, the T2i is pretty much still the Digital Rebel we know and love. At $800, it’s not exactly an entry-level camera, but for enthusiasts and casual moviemakers, it’s a huge value.

The body is almost identical to earlier rebels, and slightly thicker than my XSi. the other changes I noticed are largely shared with the T1i: molded buttons instead of circular, a more aggressive cut to the hand grip, and a dedicated live view button. I found the dials to be a little bit stiffer than on my XSi, but they’ll probably loosen up with use. And is it just me, or is the movie mode at the wrong end of the dial? Maybe they should have it on both ends.

The new LCD is a smart move on Canon’s part: the T1i had a similarly high-resolution screen (this one is 720×480), but the new 3:2 aspect ratio means your photos will no longer be cropped or letterboxed when they’re displayed. If you haven’t experienced the new resolution, get ready for a treat; I’ve spent a lot less time zooming into my pictures to check focus than I did on my XSi or other DSLRs. Other than that, the interface seems unchanged, and as before the D-pad is only just sufficient for navigating your photos. I know it’s considered a high-end feature, but a thumbwheel would go a long way towards making this camera more fun to use.


The pop-up flash is still really only useful for snapshots, and focusing in low light produces the strobe effect familiar to Canon shooters, dazzling your subjects and giving them a confused look in the actual exposure. But if you’re really serious about flash photography, you probably already own a Speedlite or some such.

As I mentioned before, image quality is best tested systematically, and DP Review has that covered. The new 18 megapixel sensor certainly creates larger images, and low light performance is improved somewhat over the T1i. I still recommend setting the ISO manually to avoid unnecessary noise. Other general photography tips can be found in forums and other reviews.

Video is really the fun part of the T2i. Within seconds of trying shooting 1080p at 24 FPS, I knew the T2i was a winner. If you put a reasonably fast lens on the camera, with a decent focus ring, you’ll feel like a serious filmmaker in no time. The fidelity, sensitivity, and ease-of-use are off the chart; there are plenty of perfectly nice little camcorders out there right now, but the fact is that their image quality is pretty rotten, and low light performance is just plain terrible across the board. I’ve said some things about DSLR video, and I stand by them, but for anything less than a professional production, a T2i or 7D (or K-x or other brand of video-shooting DSLR) is a great option.

It is important that you actually want to do more than the average Flip camera. If all you want is a single button and automatic YouTube uploads, of course a $100 pocket cam will be sufficient. But for those of us frustrated by the annoying interfaces and limited customizability of current camcorders, something like the T2i is a dream come true. A few minutes of experimentation had me changing settings like a champ, playing with depth of field, manual follow focus, and so on. I won’t bore you details of the cinematic experiments I attempted, but in almost every case I’ve found that the T2i acquitted itself wonderfully. You can watch the video below, but to see it in high definition please click here!

I shot mostly at 1080/24p, but you can also shoot at 720p or 640×480, though both are inexplicably limited to 60FPS. I have no idea why that is, but it’s annoying. If people ask for it, Canon might consider putting alternate frame rates into a firmware update, but at the moment it is worth consideration if you care about that sort of thing. There’s still plenty of skew when you move the camera around quickly, which is something that’s hard to explain but you’ll notice it during playback. It’s a flaw shared by most non-pro digital video cameras, and Canon’s is better than Nikon’s right now, but it’s something to be aware of. Other than that, I found video quality to be quite good and not too affected by encoding artifacts. You’ll get some smearing, of course, but that’s the same for any device recording live to H.264. Check out this frame grab from a video that was taken in the middle of the night (late ferry) — there’s very little noise to speak of and yet the darks are dark and the brights are bright.

Keep your workflow in mind (and final product too) when shooting — I found that my computer would crash when trying to re-encode a bunch of 1080p/24 under certain circumstances, and of course most web video has 720p/30 as a reasonable maximum.

I stuck with manual focus throughout the review, despite the wimpy focus ring on my 35mm F/2, because the contrast-based autofocus is too slow for any kind of action. It was accurate, sure, but you don’t always have the luxury of a spare five seconds in which for it to work itself out, when it could be as simple as a twist of your hand. I’m sure they’ll be improving that sometime, but probably not any time soon, so if you’re uncomfortable using manual focus for video, I’d stick with the fixed focus pocket cams. They’re still great for a ton of stuff, and they’re a lot cheaper.

The downside of shooting video is pretty obvious: it drains your battery and fills up your card extremely fast. SD cards are cheap these days, but in my newfound love for high-definition video, I’ve already started filling up the hard drive on my laptop. It’ll be a while before I get that under control. One minute of 1080/30p took up about 340MB, and the lower-end VGA/60p video was a little less than half that, by my estimation.

The combination of a cropped sensor and no image stabilization means that your video will probably be pretty shaky. I’d recommend picking up a cheap or portable tripod, or looking into DIY stabilization solutions. If you don’t have a 1080p-capable monitor either, you might want to pick one of those up too. You see? It’s kind of a gateway drug.

You’ll also want to think about getting an external microphone. The on-camera mic is tiny and records in mono; sound quality varies widely and the best thing to do is to just get a small one that perhaps clips onto the hot shoe.

Conclusion

The T2i is a great success and a great value. I know I’m biased as a Canon shooter, but I think it really is the best value on the market right now for an all-purpose imaging device. Stills are excellent, video is fun. As long as you are aware of the shortcomings of digital video in general and DSLR video specifically, this is a great buy for a home video connoisseur. Beyond the improved video and body, it’s the same winning Rebel formula, backed by the same great Canon lens selection. Seriously though, if you want to shoot great video, get a fast prime with a big focus ring. It’ll hurt at first but you’ll thank yourself later.

HP releases new Pavilion notebooks

If there’s anything better than consumer grade sub-$800 notebooks, God kept it for himself. HP just announced the dm4, dv5, dv6, and dv7 notebooks. All are running the latest processors and the dm4 and dv7 support discrete graphics. The dv6 is a touchscreen laptop, which is great for people who like to touch their screens.

The models reflect HP’s “MUSE” (materials, usability, sensory appeal and experiences) design philosophy of fusing a rich mix of materials that create textured finishes, easy-to-use features for improved usability, a blend of artisan elements for sensory appeal, and intuitive features for simple experiences.

So that’s nice. Anyway, all available May 19. Head over to the shops.

Techtyphooon

Samsung S-Pad coming in August?

Well, we’re apparently in the time of the tablets. First it was the netbooks, then the e-book readers, and now the big thing is everyone has to have a tablet to peddle. Samsung is doing things a little differently, but I don’t know if it’ll be different enough to make an impact in the (soon to be) flooded market.

Word is, Samsung is making a 7-inch AMOLED tablet, expect to launch in South Korea in August. Like the iPad, it’ll sport 3G and Wi-fi, but it’ll also have USB and access to Samsung’s Apps. No word on pricing, we’ll let you know if we hear anything more.

Techtyphooon

Hands-on with the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G Slide

In a perfect world, every phone would be like the T-Mobile MyTouch Slide. It’s small, it’s light, it has a keyboard, and it’s easy enough for almost everyone to use even if it’s running one of the most powerful mobile OSes out there. Built by HTC to T-Mobile’s specifications, the MyTouch Slide with full QWERTY keyboard is, in actuallity, one of the best feature phones I’ve seen in a long time.


The second in T-Mobile’s MyTouch line, the Slide adds a keyboard and a unique user interface to the mix. Instead of My Faves, the phone allows you to create “cards” for each of your favorite contacts. From these cards you can dial them, read all their messages, and text them instantly. This, in short, “pops out” your favorite contacts with a single click.

The Slide comes in three colors and runs HTC’s sense UI with a few special T-Mo tweaks. It is, in short, a T-Mobile phone and if you’re looking for something to for texting, music, and emailing, this may be the successor to the Sidekick you’ve been looking for.

Pricing and availability will be announced later.

T-Mobile USA is announcing a new addition to its exclusive line of Android-powered T-Mobile myTouch 3G smartphones – the T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide. Anticipated to be available in June, the new myTouch 3G Slide combines a roomy slide-out QWERTY keyboard with an incredibly crisp, high-performance touch screen powered by the latest Android software (Android 2.1). Designed to help families stay connected to those they care about most throughout their busy days, the myTouch 3G Slide offers several new, exclusive features, including:

Faves Gallery: Life is hectic so it’s easy to miss opportunities to connect with loved ones so Faves Gallery presents up to 20 of your favorite people and all of their communication – calls, texts, email, instant messaging, social networking updates – in a dedicated application accessible through a soft button and an easy-to-use widget complete with photos, contact information and one-touch ability to respond. All of your Faves get special status on your myTouch 3G Slide; anytime they communicate with you or update their social network you get a notification in the notification pane. Even if you’re not using your phone, a custom green light lets you know you’ve got a communication waiting from one of your Faves. And you can respond right from the Faves Gallery, without launching mail or social apps, so you connect more quickly and more often with the important people in your life.

myModes: myModes helps you draw the line between work and home by creating different themes with home screen apps, widgets and wallpapers to empower people in the different roles they play daily. You can program myModes to switch at a designated time, by location, or manually with the option to create and store up to 10 customize modes. myModes removes clutter and makes you more efficient both at work and at home. Want to forget about work on the weekend? No need to hide your “work phone” or switch to another device; just put away your work tools, like e-mail and your calendar by switching modes, and bring forward all the things you love to do on Saturday.

Genius Button: With the Genius Button, you press one button, talk, and it delivers. The Genius Button is an easy-to-access button on the front of the new T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide (powered by Nuance’s Dragon Dictation solution) allowing the use of voice commands to control the phone and it’s features including making calls, compose and send texts and emails, search the web or your surroundings. The Genius Button will also read text messages aloud.

With the Android 2.1 software, the myTouch 3G Slide offers a rich mobile Web experience and access to thousands of applications on Android Market from games to location-based social networks to on-the-go shopping and more. Like the original myTouch, the new Slide was designed to facilitate personalization. A 5-pane home screen, with the option to increase to 7-panes, offers plenty of real-estate for your favorite widgets, applications and themes.

Designed by HTC exclusively for T-Mobile, the myTouch 3G Slide features a 3.4-inch HVGA touch-screen display with virtual keyboard as well as a roomy, slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Less than 15mm thick, the elegant design slides easily into your pocket proving that Android brains don’t have to come in a sci-fi box. The myTouch 3G Slide also features a 5-megapixel camera, a music player with a pre-installed 8 GB microSD memory card, and enhanced video capabilities to make it easy for users to record and share pictures and videos, whether via e-mail, MMS or one-click upload to sites such as YouTube™ and Picasa™.

Techtyphooon

There could quite possibly be a BlackBerry pad coming soon

What a treat! Based on rumor and innuendo, the Internet is all a tizzy about BlackBerry most probably potentially building a tablet.

BBLeaks feels that the “BlackPad” or the “Cobalt” will be smaller than the iPad and run the BlackBerry OS or, at the very least, be compatible with BlackBerry OS.

Sure BBLeaks could be making stuff up, but why would they. They also note that the image above is not the real BlackPad. It’s a mock-up.

*NOTE* The image used in this article is a rendition of what a BlackBerry tablet could look like. Please do not say “Hey, that’s just an iPad with BlackBerry written on it”, because you’re right, and it’s obvious.

Techtyphooon

Official Twitter App Launched For Android 2.1

After acquiring Tweetie, so they can launch an official Twitter app for iPhone, and after working with RIM to make an official Twitter app for BlackBerry, Twitter have now released an official app for Android.

Sadly, it is only compatible with Android 2.1 devices — the unfortunate side-effect of Android’s break-neck pace of development.

The app actually looks really good, both visually and feature-wise.



I currently use Twidroid Pro, and have dabbled with Seesmic (I’m loose like that), but this app seems like it could replace them both (just as soon as HTC pump out that European Hero 2.1 update… *shakes fist*).

It has some interesting features, such as the ability to sync tweets with your phonebook contacts so you can view your pal’s latest tweets straight from your phonebook, or anywhere that uses Android’s QuickContact bar.

The standard features, such as search, lists, geolocation, and profiles are all there, but with some nice additions, such as in-line previews of images in your stream (a feature I’ve longed for since I left Jaiku for Twitter), and a home-screen widget that you can both view and post from.

Finally, upon opening the app, you are greeted by the Twitter bird serenely floating through animated clouds. Trending topics then bubble up on screen, and clicking them will initiate a search. A really nice way to implement a handy feature. To see what I mean, take a peek at Mobile Burn’s hands-on video, which I’ve embedded below.

Interestingly, Ev Williams mentioned in the official blog post that the Android team will soon be open-sourcing the project, so expect some of these neat-o features to appear in other apps soon.

Techtyphooon

Rolex Deep Sea Special: Water resistant to 35,840 feet

Sure, you think you’re pretty special with your Timex that’s water resistant to 100 meters. Maybe you even have a Seiko Orange monster, or something else that’ll go down to 300 meters. They don’t have anything on this Rolex, it’s been down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, and came back alive.

I’m not a fan of Rolex in general, (ok, except for maybe the Daytona) but this is just an awesome story. If you’re not familiar with the story of the Trieste, it was teh experimental bathysphere that two men piloted down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench 50 years ago. Along with flashlights and a few other necessary supplies, the two men piloting the craft took a very special Rolex with them. On the outside of the ship. No human (or timepiece) had ever gone that deep before, or since. Rolex recently sponsored a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the event, and they allowed a few lucky individuals the chance to view the Deep Sea Special. One lucky blogger had the opportunity to attend, and actually interview LT Don Walsh, one of the two men who piloted the Trieste to the bottom of the sea. He took quite a few pictures which I encourage you to check out, and also wrote an excellent article about his experience.

Techtyphooon

World’s largest telescope to open in Chile

The European Southern Observatory will construct the world’s largest telescope in Chile. They’re calling it the European Extremely Large Telescope, and it’s being constructed in Chile because the night sky there is totally clear some 320 days per year.

The name isn’t just some gimmick. The telescope’s primary mirror will be 138 feet wide, dwarfing other, similarly large telescopes. (One such telescope in Hawaii has a 33-feet wide mirror.)

Any guesses as to how much it costs? I mean, how much is a enthusiast telescope these days? A fancy one will run you maybe in the $100 range (give or take).

Try one billion euros ($1.3 billion). Chump change!

If all goes well, the telescope could be up and running by 2018.

Techtyphooon

James Cameron helping design 3D camera for new Mars rover

Awesome. So this January, it seems that Cameron found time in between money-counting sessions to pitch NASA about putting a 3D camera on the Curiosity Mars rover, set for a 2011 launch. Incredibly, they went for it. I’m guessing it had something to do with budget — probably something along the lines of “my movie is making more per month than your department does in a year, I got this one.”

The camera, which will certainly be something very different from what Cameron used to shoot Avatar due to space and weight restrictions, will be put on the “mast” of Curiosity and used to… well, take 3D footage of the Martian landscape. I’ve seen a few 3D Martian panoramas in my time, and I have to say it’s probably a good idea.

The question is whether they can sell it to audiences without epic space battles?

Techtyphooon

Mahru: Meet Korea’s awesome dancing humanoid

It’s not only Japan, but Korea is developing advanced robots, too. Case in point: Mahru, the dancing humanoid, made by the Korea Institute of Science & Technology (KIST). And this robot is way more impressive than similar models we’ve seen before.

The way it works is that the robot can mimic dance (and other) moves of a nearby human operator wearing a motion capture suit. And that happens (almost) in real-time), as explained in this video:


Techtyphooon

The top 5 HP products we would like to see, post-Palm buyout

HP didn’t just drop $1.2 billion on Palm to simply sit on the assets. There have to be major plans in the works to leverage webOS and slam out some killer consumer devices. This could be huge for not only both companies, but for you and me.
Yup, a webOS tablet




Of course a webOS tablet makes sense. The OS is already optimized for web content and can run on nearly any hardware right now. All HP engineers would need to do is, well, install it. WebOS could lead to some legitimate iPad contenders with Flash support natively built into the slick OS that already has an established developer’s channel.
Lots more webOS phones


HP doesn’t do small. It thinks huge, so expect multiple webOS phones targeting the high, mid, and low price points. The company has the manufacturing might and cash to even release loss-leaders in order to leverage the brand and build upon the webOS customer base quickly. HP doesn’t need an instant best seller in order to eventually be a major player in the arena.
Media players


The PMP market might not be what it used to be, but connected players like the iPod touch and Zune HD are still selling well. There’s nothing stopping HP from stripping away the cellular goods and outing a sexy media player — or two.
A webOS DreamScreen


The DreamScreen launched last year to lots of criticism partly because of the lame UI. webOS could change that. HP could even market it as a baby-slate or something less than a tablet but slightly more than a digital photo frame.
webOS in the corporate world


HP is a huge presence in the corporate world and currently uses Windows Mobile on many of their connected devices. However, webOS is a much more modern operating system and while some companies might scoff at the huge upfront cost of either switching totally over or running both systems, it could pay dividends later on. Plus let’s not forget that Microsoft is moving onto Windows Mobile 7 and will not support 6.xx forever.

Techtyphooon

What is Android?

What is Android?

Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. The Android SDK provides the tools and APIs necessary to begin developing applications on the Android platform using the Java programming language.
Features

* Application framework enabling reuse and replacement of components
* Dalvik virtual machine optimized for mobile devices
* Integrated browser based on the open source WebKit engine
* Optimized graphics powered by a custom 2D graphics library; 3D graphics based on the OpenGL ES 1.0 specification (hardware acceleration optional)
* SQLite for structured data storage
* Media support for common audio, video, and still image formats (MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG, GIF)
* GSM Telephony (hardware dependent)
* Bluetooth, EDGE, 3G, and WiFi (hardware dependent)
* Camera, GPS, compass, and accelerometer (hardware dependent)
* Rich development environment including a device emulator, tools for debugging, memory and performance profiling, and a plugin for the Eclipse IDE



Android Architecture

The following diagram shows the major components of the Android operating system. Each section is described in more detail below.

Android System Architecture
Applications

Android will ship with a set of core applications including an email client, SMS program, calendar, maps, browser, contacts, and others. All applications are written using the Java programming language.
Application Framework

By providing an open development platform, Android offers developers the ability to build extremely rich and innovative applications. Developers are free to take advantage of the device hardware, access location information, run background services, set alarms, add notifications to the status bar, and much, much more.

Developers have full access to the same framework APIs used by the core applications. The application architecture is designed to simplify the reuse of components; any application can publish its capabilities and any other application may then make use of those capabilities (subject to security constraints enforced by the framework). This same mechanism allows components to be replaced by the user.

Underlying all applications is a set of services and systems, including:

* A rich and extensible set of Views that can be used to build an application, including lists, grids, text boxes, buttons, and even an embeddable web browser
* Content Providers that enable applications to access data from other applications (such as Contacts), or to share their own data
* A Resource Manager, providing access to non-code resources such as localized strings, graphics, and layout files
* A Notification Manager that enables all applications to display custom alerts in the status bar
* An Activity Manager that manages the lifecycle of applications and provides a common navigation backstack

For more details and a walkthrough of an application, see the Notepad Tutorial.
Libraries

Android includes a set of C/C++ libraries used by various components of the Android system. These capabilities are exposed to developers through the Android application framework. Some of the core libraries are listed below:

* System C library - a BSD-derived implementation of the standard C system library (libc), tuned for embedded Linux-based devices
* Media Libraries - based on PacketVideo's OpenCORE; the libraries support playback and recording of many popular audio and video formats, as well as static image files, including MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, and PNG
* Surface Manager - manages access to the display subsystem and seamlessly composites 2D and 3D graphic layers from multiple applications
* LibWebCore - a modern web browser engine which powers both the Android browser and an embeddable web view
* SGL - the underlying 2D graphics engine
* 3D libraries - an implementation based on OpenGL ES 1.0 APIs; the libraries use either hardware 3D acceleration (where available) or the included, highly optimized 3D software rasterizer
* FreeType - bitmap and vector font rendering
* SQLite - a powerful and lightweight relational database engine available to all applications

Android Runtime

Android includes a set of core libraries that provides most of the functionality available in the core libraries of the Java programming language.

Every Android application runs in its own process, with its own instance of the Dalvik virtual machine. Dalvik has been written so that a device can run multiple VMs efficiently. The Dalvik VM executes files in the Dalvik Executable (.dex) format which is optimized for minimal memory footprint. The VM is register-based, and runs classes compiled by a Java language compiler that have been transformed into the .dex format by the included "dx" tool.

The Dalvik VM relies on the Linux kernel for underlying functionality such as threading and low-level memory management.
Linux Kernel

Android relies on Linux version 2.6 for core system services such as security, memory management, process management, network stack, and driver model. The kernel also acts as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the rest of the software stack.

Techtyphooon

Sony to stop manufacturing Floppy discs after 30 years

Remember Floppy discs? In case you haven’t noticed (like I didn’t), Sony is actually still making and selling those discs. But soon it’s time to say goodbye, as the company now said [JP] it will stop production in March next year. Sony rolled out the world’s first 3.5-inch floppy disc back in 1981. And believe it or not, even in 2008, the company could still sell 8.5 million units in Japan alone.

Not too surprisingly, Sony cites rapidly plunging demand as the reason (demand apparently peaked in 1995 and has shrunk more than 90% since). Hitachi Maxell and Mitsubishi Kagaku Media, two other major makers, withdrew from floppy disc sales as early as in the spring of last year.

Quietly, Sony wrapped up international sales of floppy discs last month, with the exception of India and a few other parts of the world. The company already stopped producing floppy disc drives last September.

Techtyphooon

Lok-it secure USB drive protects your data

I love this device. It’s always bothered me that if you lose a USB key, you lose the data as well. The Lok-IT secure USB device makes it so I don’t have to worry about losing it. Well, other then the purchase price. The technology is pretty cool in that the computer can’t see the drive until the PIN is entered, so it’s not easy to hack. So the bad news is, we have no idea on the price. For whatever reason, LOK-IT didn’t put any pricing on their website. If you want to buy one, you’ll just have to contact them directly.

Techtyphooon

Space-Bound Antimatter Detector Gets Last-Minute Overhaul

The long, strange tale of one of the more ambitious particle physics experiments ever conceived just got a bit stranger. Just 3 months before it was scheduled to lift off aboard the very last space shuttle flight and be installed on the International Space Station (ISS), physicists working on a particle detector called the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) have decided to swap the 2350 kilogram doughnut-shaped superconducting magnet at the heart of the experiment for a weaker permanent magnet that was used in a test run on the space shuttle in 1998. The change will delay by several months the launch of AMS, which will look for antimatter lingering from the big bang, particles of dark matter, and other oddities. However, it will enable AMS to run much longer in space, says Samuel Ting, a physicist and Nobel Laureate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, who dreamt up the experiment in the 1990s.

The change is being made in part because tests this month suggest the magnet will generate more heat than expected.

The magnet operates at 1.8° above absolute zero, and to keep it that cold for 3 years the plan was to send along 2500 liters of liquid helium, which would be vented to space. But tests suggest that AMS would exhaust its helium in about 20 months, Ting says, or in 28 months if parts of the cooling apparatus were upgraded. Originally, the space station was to be "deorbited" in 2015—so a lifetime of 3 years for the device was sufficient, Ting says. But under President Barack Obama's new plans for NASA, officially announced in March, ISS will keep circling the globe until 2020 and perhaps beyond, Ting says. That means AMS could run for 10 years or more, but only if it uses the permanent magnet, which requires no coolant. So Ting made the audacious decision to switch.

The modification will reduce the spectrometers mass resolution slightly and will require a lightning-fast reconfiguration of some components. However, Trent Martin, an engineer and AMS project manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, says he's thinks the AMS team can pull it off. "I spent the last 3 weeks in Europe looking at whether this is possible, and I'm comfortable that they can make the change."

This is hardly the first change of plans for AMS. Physicists had originally hoped to launch it in 2005, only to have those plans derailed by the loss of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003 and NASA's subsequent rethinking of shuttle missions. From 2005 to 2008, NASA had no plans to launch AMS at all. Now, AMS will have to wait even a few months more to make it into space. No new launch date has been set.

Build Your Own Cellular Network

The task of running a cellular network has usually been reserved for major carriers. But now an open-source project called OpenBTS is proving that almost anyone can cheaply run a network with parts from a home-­supply or auto-supply store. Cell-phone users within such a network can place calls to each other and--if the network is connected to the Internet--to people anywhere in the world.

The project's cofounder, David Burgess, hopes that OpenBTS will mean easier and cheaper access to cellular service in remote parts of the world, including hard-to-reach locations like oil rigs and poor areas without much infrastructure. OpenBTS has already been used for cellular service at the Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada and on the island of Niue in the South Pacific, among other locations.
a. universal software radio peripheral

A relatively inexpensive piece of hardware, easily purchased online, can be tuned to provide various types of radio signals. Someone running an OpenBTS network would use it to send and receive radio transmissions between the base station and a user's cell phone.
asterisk software

A typical GSM base station, Burgess says, can't do anything without a suite of components that maintain databases, perform call-­switching functions, and so forth. This infrastructure is expensive (typically around $250,000) and complicated to configure, and it needs to be stored in an air-conditioned room. Obviously, that's impractical in the kinds of places ­OpenBTS is designed for. As a result, the system replaces much of the physical infrastructure of the core network with VoIP software--in this case, an open-source program called Asterisk that can be installed on any off-the-shelf PC.
IP Connection

Cell-phone users on an OpenBTS network can reach each other even if the system isn't connected to the Internet, but reaching someone outside the network requires an Internet connection. On Niue, the group used five-gigahertz IP radios to link the BTS unit to Telecom Niue's wired Internet infrastructure, four kilometers away. Burgess says that response time can get a bit sluggish if the Internet connection isn't very good, but it doesn't take much bandwidth to make the system functional.
power supply

The system deployed on Niue draws about 60 watts of power, supplied by three marine batteries of the type that many locals use on their boats. Because the system's power requirements are so low, Burgess says, a base station could also run on solar or wind power.
gsm handset

OpenBTS re-creates the technology behind GSM (the global system for mobile communications), which is used by the majority of mobile phones in the world. Any GSM phone will "see" an OpenBTS network as a standard cell network and interact with it normally.
antenna

Like any cell network, an OpenBTS system requires an antenna to facilitate signaling. Different types of antennas can be used, according to the range the operator wants the network to have.

Asus Eee Pad coming in July

We’re about to see another manufacturer throw their hat into the Tablet PC ring. ASUS is expected to show out their EeePad in June at Computex, with a July launch date. Of course, ASUS has a reputation for needing to push those launch dates out a little bit, so we’ll see if things go as planned.

After their market domination with the netbook PC, ASUS is looking to repeat that success by addressing the complaints that are cropping up with that other pad computer out there. ASUS has stated that they are planning on running Android, including a webcam, and a USB port. The only thing that worries me is the price, I think they’ll need to come in lower then the iPad if they want to compete. Current estimates put the EeePad at between $479 and $500. I’ll be honest, I’m a little more excited about this then I was about the iPad.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

Specifications
General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 900 / 1700 / 2100
HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 - X10a for Americas
Announced 2009, November
Status Available. Released 2010, March
Size Dimensions 119 x 63 x 13 mm
Weight 135 g
Display Type TFT capacitive touchscreen, 65K colors
Size 480 x 854 pixels, 4.0 inches
- Scratch-resistant surface
- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
- Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
- Timescape/Mediascape UI
Sound Alert types Vibration, MP3 ringtones, composer
Speakerphone Yes
- 3.5 mm audio jack
Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
Call records Practically unlimited
Internal 1 GB storage, 384 MB RAM
Card slot microSD, up to 16GB, 8GB card included, buy memory
Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps
3G HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, DLNA
Bluetooth Yes, v2.1 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB
Camera Primary 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Features Touch focus, image stabilization, geo-tagging, face and smile detection
Video Yes, WVGA@30fps
Secondary No
Features OS Android OS 1.6
CPU Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon 1 GHz processor
Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push email, IM
Browser HTML
Radio No
Games Yes
Colors Sensous Black, Luster White
GPS Yes, with A-GPS support
Java Yes, via third-party application
- Digital compass
- MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player
- MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV player
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk
- Facebook and Twitter integration
- Document viewer
- Voice memo
Battery Standard battery, Li-Po 1500 mAh (BST-41)
Stand-by Up to 415 h (2G) / Up to 425 h (3G)
Talk time Up to 10 h (2G) / Up to 8 h (3G)
Misc SAR US 0.87 W/kg (head) 0.81 W/kg (body)
SAR EU 1.25 W/kg (head)

Sony Mylo: Media Player With WiFi, Skype, Browser, and Messaging

Compared to most Sony gear we've seen over the past few years, the mylo is a breath of fresh air. The media player does MPEG-4, digital audio, and pictures. But it also has a WiFi connection and a QWERTY keyboard, for chatting on Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger (No AIM support, sorry.) Wait, wait, wait! It also works as a wireless Skype phone! And it has an Opera browser. And it can wirelessly stream music to other mylo owners in the area, ala iTunes. Without cellular connectivity, its not going to best a Hiptop, but we love the open standard support. Full Stats and a video review after the jump.

The mylo has 1GB of flash memory, backed by a Memory Stick Pro Duo slot. Its screen is a 320 by 240 pixel 2.4-inch LCD. It'll retail for $350 in US when it hits the shelves in September.

The next iPhone uncovered...

You are looking at Apple's next iPhone. It was found lost in a bar in Redwood City, camouflaged to look like an iPhone 3GS. We got it. We disassembled it. It's the real thing, and here are all the details.

While Apple may tinker with the final packaging and design of the final phone, it's clear that the features in this lost-and-found next-generation iPhone are drastically new and drastically different from what came before. Here's the detailed list of our findings:
What's new

• Front-facing video chat camera
• Improved regular back-camera (the lens is quite noticeably larger than the iPhone 3GS)
• Camera flash
• Micro-SIM instead of standard SIM (like the iPad)
• Improved display. It's unclear if it's the 960x640 display thrown around before—it certainly looks like it, with the "Connect to iTunes" screen displaying much higher resolution than on a 3GS.
• What looks to be a secondary mic for noise cancellation, at the top, next to the headphone jack
• Split buttons for volume
• Power, mute, and volume buttons are all metallic
What's changed

• The back is entirely flat, made of either glass (more likely) or ceramic or shiny plastic in order for the cell signal to poke through. Tapping on the back makes a more hollow and higher pitched sound compared to tapping on the glass on the front/screen, but that could just be the orientation of components inside making for a different sound
• An aluminum border going completely around the outside
• Slightly smaller screen than the 3GS (but seemingly higher resolution)
• Everything is more squared off
• 3 grams heavier
• 16% Larger battery
• Internals components are shrunken, miniaturized and reduced to make room for the larger battery

This Is Apple's Next iPhone
How it was lost

Here is a detailed account of how the phone was lost.
Why we think it's definitely real

We're as skeptical—if not more—than all of you. We get false tips all the time. But after playing with it for about a week—the overall quality feels exactly like a finished final Apple phone—and disassembling this unit, there is so much evidence stacked in its favor, that there's very little possibility that it's a fake. In fact, the possibility is almost none. Imagine someone having to use Apple components to design a functioning phone, from scratch, and then disseminating it to people around the world. Pretty much impossible. Here are the reasons, one by one.

It has been reported lost
Apple-connected John Gruber—from Daring Fireball—says that Apple has indeed lost a prototype iPhone and they want it back:

So I called around, and I now believe this is an actual unit from Apple — a unit Apple is very interested in getting back.

Obviously someone found it, and here it is.

The screen
While we couldn't get it past the connect to iTunes screen for the reasons listed earlier, the USB cable on that screen was so high quality that it was impossible to discern individual pixels. We can't tell you the exact resolution of this next-generation iPhone, but it's much higher than the current iPhone 3GS.

The operating system
According to the person who found it, this iPhone was running iPhone OS 4.0 before the iPhone 4.0 announcement. The person was able to play with it and see the iPhone 4.0 features. Then, Apple remotely killed the phone before we got access to it. We were unable to restore because each firmware is device specific—3GS firmware only loads on 3GS devices—and the there are no firmwares available for this unreleased phone. Which is another clue to its authenticity.

It is recognized as an iPhone
This iPhone behaves exactly like an iPhone does when connected to a computer, with the proper boot sequence and "connect to iTunes" restore functionality. Xcode and iTunes both see this as an iPhone. Mac OS X's System Profiler also reports this as an iPhone in restore mode, which is a natural consequence of remotely wiping the phone, but report different product identifiers (both CPID and CPRV) than either the 3G or the 3GS.

It uses micro-sim
The fact that it uses a micro-sim is a clear indicator that this is a next-generation iPhone. No other cellphone uses this standard at this point in the US.

This Is Apple's Next iPhoneThe camouflage case
The case it came inside was a fully developed plastic case to house this phone to disguise it like a 3GS. This wasn't just a normal case; it had all the proper new holes cut out for the new switches and ports and camera holes and camera flash. But it looks like something from Belkin or Case-Mate. It's a perfect disguise.

The fact that it's in the wild right now
Logic can also narrow down why this phone is this year's iPhone, rather than next year's model or one from the previous year's, just because it was found in the wild right now. It makes no sense for Apple to be testing 2011's model right now, in super finished form—they wouldn't be nearly finished with it. The phone also can't be last year's test model, because last year's model (based on the iPhone 3GS teardowns) components were way different. No micro-sim, much bigger logic board, no flash, no front camera, smaller battery and an inferior camera. That only leaves the 2010 model.

This Is Apple's Next iPhoneThe guts, the definitive proof
And finally, when we opened it up, we saw multiple components that were clearly labeled APPLE. And, because the components were fit extremely well and extremely conformed inside the case (obvious that it was designed FOR this case), it was evident that it was not just a 3G or a 3GS transplanted into another body. That probably wouldn't even be possible, with the size constraints of the thinner device and larger battery.

This Is Apple's Next iPhone
The New Industrial Design

At first sight, this new iPhone's industrial design seems so different from the previous two generations that it could be discarded as just a provisional case. Even while the finish is so perfect that it feels right out of the factory, some of the design language elements that are common to all Apple products are not there. Gone is the flushed screen glass against the metal rim. Gone is the single volume button, replaced by two separate ones. Gone is the seamless rim, and gone are the tapered, curved surfaces.

Despite that, however, this design is not a departure. Not when you frame it with the rest of the Apple product line. It's all the contrary: This new iPhone gets back to the simplicity of the iMac and the iPad. In fact, you can argue that the current iPhone 3GS—with its shiny chrome rim and excessively curved back—is out of place compared to the hard edges and Dieter-Ramish utilitarianism of the iMac and the iPad. Next to the iPad, for example, the new iPhone makes sense. It has the same feeling, the same functional simplicity.

But why the black plastic back, instead of going with an unibody aluminum design? Why the two audio volume buttons? Why the seams? And why doesn't the back have any curvature at all?

This Is Apple's Next iPhone

Why the plastic back?
The plastic back is the most obvious of the design choices. The iPad, with its all aluminum back, has seen its Wi-Fi reception radius reduced. The 3G version comes with a large patch on the top, probably big enough to provide with good reception. But the new tiny iPhone doesn't have the luxury of space: It needs to provide as much signal as possible using a very small surface. I'm sure Jon Ive is dying to get rid of the plastic back, and go iPad-style all the way, but the wireless reception is the most important thing in a cellphone. A necessary aesthetical-functional trade-off.

Why separate volume buttons?
This new iPhone uses separate buttons for the volume instead of the single button that you can find in the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. It's one of the factors that may indicate that this is a provisional case, until you think about one of the most requested features for Apple's phone: A physical button for the camera. The new iPhone has a bigger sensor and a flash, which means that the camera function keeps gaining more weight. It's only logical to think that Apple may have implemented this two-button approach to provide with a physical shutter button. It makes sense.

Why the seams?
The seams are perhaps the most surprising aspect of the new design. They don't seem to respond to any aesthetic criteria and, in terms of function, we can't adventure any explanation. But they don't look bad. In fact, the whole effect seems good, like something you will find in a Braun product from the 70s.

It's doubtful that the seams are arbitrary, however. Either they will disappear from the final product, or they have a function we can't foresee at this time.

Why no tapering or curves?
As you will see in a future article, the new iPhone is so miniaturized and packed that there's no room for the tapered, curved surfaces. Everything is as tight as it could get, with no space for anything but electronics.
The hardware specs

The phone measures 4.50 by 2.31 by 0.37 inches. It weighs 140 grams. The 3GS weighs 137 grams on a postal scale (and 135 on Apple's official measurements). So, in comparison, it's 3 grams heavier. The battery is 5.25 WHr at 3.7V, compared to the 3GS battery, which is 4.51 WHr at 3.7V. On the back of the phone, it said it was XX GB, but since we were unable to get the phone to a running state, we couldn't see exactly how large it was.

This Is Apple's Next iPhone
How it feels

Freaking amazing. As a person who never really liked the round mound of a back in the 3GS, the sleeker, flatter, squarer design is super welcome. It feels sturdier than the 3GS, and much less plasticky. The metal buttons give it a heftier feel—less of a toy—than all previous generations. The closest analog to it would be the original iPhone, which is more square and heavy than its newer brothers.

It feels completely natural up to your face, and the fact that both the front and the back are glossy makes no difference on how well you can hold it without the phone slipping. And because it's thinner, it feels even nicer in your pants.

This Is Apple's Next iPhone
What all this means

Apple has updated the exterior drastically different from the 3G and 3GS. That design is old, it felt out of place compared to the rest of their products and needed desperately to be killed. Now you have a thinner body, a much more pleasant form factor with no wasted space and lots of hard lines. But the design isn't the most important part that's changed.

They've delivered many of the features people have been waiting for—that damn front camera!—while at the same time upgrading everything else. Flash, better back camera, better battery life and another microphone for better voice clarity. People who bought the 3G two years ago and are now in the perfect position to upgrade and get a dramatically different, and better, phone. If confirmed this summer, and if it performs as we expect, this next-generation iPhone looks like a winner.