current technology

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The new iPads: Want thrills? Look elsewhere

Credit: iStockphoto

Apple today showed off new iPad and iPad Mini models. In the month before the iPhone 5c and 5s were announced, there were constant rumors about what they would sport. On the whole, the rumor mill was very accurate, no doubt thanks to a little help from Apple to keep the iPhone top of mind. By contrast, there were few rumors circulating about the new iPads.

Did that mean Apple has shocks in store -- or there's not much to say about them? It was more of the latter. As expected, the new iPad -- named the iPad Air -- uses Apple's 64-bit A7 processor and M7 motion coprocessor (both introduced in the iPhone 5s), but not the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. The big deal is that it is 20 percent thinner and much lighter, weighing 1.0 pound versus 1.4 pounds. The cheaper iPad Mini gains the Retina display and A7 processor, though it doesn't run as fast. They begin shipping in November at the same prices and configurations as the previous models.

[ Mobile security compared: iOS vs. stock Android vs. Samsung SAFE vs. Windows Phone 8 vs. BlackBerry 10. | See InfoWorld's recommendations for a road warrior's must-have mobile toolkit, and discover the best productivity apps for your iPad. | Keep up on key mobile developments and insights via Twitter and with the Mobile Edge blog and Mobilize newsletter. ]

Apple updated its iPad covers, but did not add built-in keyboard, à la Microsoft's Type Cover for its Surface Pro, as some rumors suggested. Apple also announced the significant updates promised earlier this year to the iWork suite for both iOS and OS X.

But for most people, new iPads are what's hot. A 64-bit iPad, coupled with the 64-bit iOS 7 and apps designed for 64-bit processing (there are now extremely few), could be a powerful alternative to a lightweight laptop. It could even run complex or compute-intensive apps such as Adobe Photoshop that today need more horsepower than what a tablet delivers.

I know many people who carry only an iPad while traveling, and at the Interop networking conference a few weeks ago, I met several CIOs who expected to have sizable tablet-only user communities in a few years, particularly for sales forces and field forces. The group could even extend to desk workers who require little beyond email, the Web, and core office productivity capabilities that you can already get on an iPad and and that Google, Microsoft, and Apple are all working to deliver via the Web.

But more is needed.

Source: http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobile-technology/the-new-ipads-want-thrills-look-elsewhere-228836?source=rss_infoworld_top_stories_
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Ahoy mateys! US to stop printing nautical charts

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is going into uncharted waters. It is deep-sixing the giant paper nautical charts that they've been printing for mariners for more than 150 years.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday that the traditional paper charts won't be printed after next April.

NOAA's Capt. Shep Smith said the agency will still chart the water for rocks, shipwrecks and dangers, but mariners will have to see the information using private on-demand printing, PDFs and electronic maps.

The 4-by-3 foot roadmaps of the oceans won't be printed because of the Federal Aviation Administration. Smith said the FAA took over federal chart-making in the 1990s and recently told NOAA it will stop making the charts to save money.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ahoy-mateys-us-stop-printing-nautical-charts-172350223.html
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Nokia’s 'Black' WinPho Update: RAW Photo Support, New Apps and More

The latest update to Nokia’s Windows Phone build (which expands upon Microsoft’s GDR3 release), named Black, brings with it some features you may be surprised to learn Nokia handsets didn’t already contain…but here’s a big one for you: It also brings RAW support, not available on any smartphone before.

Nokia debuts its first Windows tablet, two 'phablets,' and three cheap phones

Nokia has added a tablet and two large-screen smartphones to its Lumia family, and is once again counting on its camera technology to attract buyers.

The Lumia 2520 tablet -- which runs Microsoft's much-criticized Windows RT operating system, has a 10-inch HD screen and is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor. It has a 6.7-megapixel camera that can take pictures in low light conditions, unlike those on other tablets, according to Nokia. The screen is also bright enough to be read in sunlight, the company said.

Nokia has developed a keyboard with an integrated battery that can add up to five hours of extra life after the integrated 8000 mAh battery has given up. Unlike Microsoft's Surface 2 tablet, whch was released today, the Lumia 2520 has LTE as well as Wi-Fi.

Additionally, the Lumia 2520 includes Storyteller, a Nokia-developed app that combines images and videos as a story on a map, as well as Nokia Video Director, which offers the ability to edit videos shot on the tablet.

The Nokia Lumia 2520 will cost about $499 before taxes and subsidies, and will start shipping in the U.S., the U.K. and Finland before the end of the year. Additional countries to follow shortly after, Nokia said.

"Nokia is fully aware of the challenge it faces in tablets. The 2520 will be a difficult sell owing to the challenges of Windows RT, but Nokia is rightly playing to its strengths," said Geoff Blaber, director of devices and platforms at CCS Insight.

The Lumia 1320 and Lumia 1520 smartphones, revealed today as well, both run Windows Phone 8 and have 6-inch screens. The 1520 is the high-end model, with a full HD screen, LTE, and a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor. The device has 32GB of storage, which can be expanded by another 64GB using a MicroSD card slot, something that has been missing from recent Nokia smartphones.

Nokia is leaning on its camera technology to differentiate its products from rivals. The Lumia 1520 has a 20-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization. Nokia has also developed a new app called Camera that lets users access settings more easily, the company said.

The Lumia 1520 will start shipping this quarter in Hong Kong, Singapore, the U.S., China, the U.K., France, Germany, and Finland. The price will be $749, before taxes and subsidies.

The Lumia 1320 will cost $339 before taxes and subsidies, but only has a dual-core processor and 720p screen resolution. It also has a simpler 5-megapixel camera, but users can still access the Internet using LTE. Nokia expects to start shipping it in the first quarter of 2014 in China and Vietnam, followed by other Asian markets, India, and Europe.

The lower price will make the smartphone a good fit for the Chinese market, said Pete Cunningham, a principal analyst at Canalys.

Both devices will run a new version of Windows Phone 8 called General Distribution Release 3, to which Nokia has added enhancements such as its Camera app. The software will also be offered to users of existing Lumia devices via an update called Black.

Instagram and Vine will soon be available on Lumia devices too, Nokia announced. App availability is still Windows Phone's Achilles heel, but the availability of those two third-party apps is a step in the right direction.

With these two large-screen smartphones, often called "phablets" due to being halfway in size between a smartphone and a tablet, Nokia is entering a competitive market, up against devices including the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the HTC One Max.

Nokia also hopes to better compete with low-end Android devices with three new Asha phones, including the Asha 503 with 3G for US$99.

Source: http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobile-technology/nokia-debuts-its-first-windows-tablet-two-phablets-and-three-cheap-phones-229250
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Amanda Seyfried: Out with Man’s Best Friend in Manhattan

Showing some love to her canine companion, Amanda Seyfried took her pooch for a stroll in New York City on Sunday afternoon (October 20).

The “Big Love” lady and her beloved dog navigated the West Village streets while dodging the paparazzi and getting some exercise.

In career news, Seyfried recently signed on to star opposite Russell Crowe in the forthcoming “Fathers and Daughters” flick.

Directed by Gabriele Muccino, the film “moves back and forth between the 1980s where Jake Davis, a famous novelist and widower, struggles with mental illness as he tries to raise his 5-year-old daughter, Katie, and 30-year-old Katie’s life in present-day Manhattan where she battles the demons that stem from her troubled childhood.”

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/amanda-seyfried/amanda-seyfried-out-man%E2%80%99s-best-friend-manhattan-946739
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US seeking to soothe France over NSA snooping (The Arizona Republic)

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Whitney Houston Gets Wax Treatment in London

Her untimely death is still fresh in the air, and Whitney Houston was immortalized in wax thanks to Madame Tussauds.

The “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” songstress’ likeness was unveiled in London on Monday (October 21), and a choir of 30 gospel singers also showed up to provide a proper welcome.

Madame Tussauds’ Nicole Fenner told press, “We are very excited to be welcoming Whitney Houston on to our London music stage for the next eight weeks. This is a very special figure as it was created after Whitney’s very sad and untimely death with the close co-operation of her family, who were delighted by the results.”

Colin Vassell of the London Gospel Factory Choir added, “Whitney Houston is one of the most talented singers of her – or any – generation and we were delighted to welcome her wax figure to London. She is a personal hero of mine so to get to stand alongside her and sing was a slightly surreal but awesome experience. We chose a song she performed in the film ‘The Preacher’s Wife’ because it is so uplifting and great fun to perform. We hope we did her justice.”

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/whitney-houston/whitney-houston-gets-wax-treatment-london-946791
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