IBLOG SPACE

Samsung has pipped Apple to the post and won the coveted GSMA Best Smartphone award at Mobile World Congress, the Galaxy S II taking the crown in devices and Samsung itself named Device Manufacturer of the Year. The news follows Apple’s surprise victory with the iPhone 4 at MWC 2011 – despite not even attending the show. However, Samsung’s tablets were less fortunate, with the iPad 2 grabbing the Best Mobile Tablet award as a product “that has defined the market.” The iPad 2 was “a unanimous choice for a tablet that has defined the market and dominated sales” according to the GSMA judges, and it’s hard to argue with their justifications. Android slates gained some momentum in 2011, but even Samsung itself admitted to having dropped the ball in tablets. Now, the third-gen iPad is on the horizon, with Apple confirming yesterday that it would hold an event next Wednesday, March 7. Still, Samsung earned some praise despite the tablet lapse, having “success across the board with progress in

An asteroid was discovered in 2011 and was named 2011 AG5. Since the asteroid’s discovery, scientists have plotted as much of its orbit as they can. According to the scientists, there is a very small chance that the asteroid could impact the Earth in February 2040. However, there is no need to wake up Bruce Willis just yet. The scientists have only watched the asteroid for half of its orbit so they can’t say for certain at this point where it will be 28 years from now. The asteroid has an elliptical orbit and is about 450 feet across. Right now NASA’s Near Earth Object Program has calculated the risks the asteroid will impact the earth in 2040 at 1 in 625. The scientists say that they will be able to closely monitor the asteroid’s orbit next year and again in 2016. NASA is predicting that the odds of impact will significantly decline as they refine the asteroid’s orbit. The odds are expected to drop to zero as more observation is conducted. The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful

It’s strange to see a vehicle here at MWX 2012, especially one running BlackBerry – but here it is, a QNX Porsche 911 working also with a set of BlackBerry PlayBooks. This vehicle has the ability to connect to your BlackBerry smartphone using NFC to stereo telephony, while connections between devices then works instantaneously from there on out with Bluetooth. Control the music at the front of the car with the PlayBooks set in the seats in the back, play video from one part of the car to the other, and roll out on the web throughout the vehicle. What we’re seeing here is a an application platform, the QNX CAR 2 application platform which isn’t necessarily going to be brought out to the real world, but is certainly an awesome project to be working on and sitting in. You’ve got the entire BlackBerry PlayBook software stack including HTML5 and a a handful of consumer technologies, this meaning BlackBerry isn’t necessarily going to bring this setup exactly to the market, but that groups in

The Raspberry Pi $35 open-source computer has gone on sale, and early demand for the incredibly capable mini-PC has already seen retail partner sites melt down under the stress. Announced back in 2011, as part of the $25 computer project, the $35 version is the more advanced “Model B” unit which has seemingly grabbed the attention of developers and tinkerers. Meanwhile, the $25 “Model A” version is going into production now. Although the Raspberry Pi was intended as an educational tool, with the foundation behind the computer hoping to motivate schools into teaching programming skills as part of the curriculum, its surprisingly potent processing power quickly grabbed the focus. Early demos showed it capably running Quake III, with subsequent demos showing unofficial AirPlay support. In fact, the Model B is tipped to have twice the GPU power of the iPhone 4S and be capable of roasting NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 in raw grunt. You can find details on how to buy over at the Raspberry Pi site, though

Google has revealed its latest homepage doodle, celebrating composer Gioachino Rossini‘s 220th birthday along with Leap Day, and with a distinctly froggy theme. The composer – who was born on February 29, 1792 – is best known for the opera The Barber of Seville , depicted in Google’s doodle as being performed by a selection of leaping frogs. The frog connection is an obvious link to the “leap” year, where February gets an extra day tagged on every four years so as to accommodate the actual time it takes for the Earth to fully revolve around the sun. That actually lasts six hours longer than the regular 365 day year, and every four years they accumulated time is wrapped up into a 366th day. According to the Washington Post, however, the frog theme may be even deeper than that. They point out that Chuck Jones’ Warner Bros. cartoon One Froggy Evening features a singing and dancing frog that just so happens to perform the Figaro aria from The Barber of Seville . The doodle is the handiwor

If you’re still a fan of the original DVR (and there’s a lot of them out there) we’ve got good news: you’ll soon be able to purchase TiVo‘s new Whole Home DVR Extender. Even better, you can get it through your cable or satellite provider or buy it yourself, as the units are headed to electronics retailers as well. The nugget of information came from TiVo’s quarterly financial call, and while there’ no exact information on exactly when the DVR Extender will arrive or for how much, you can expect them to appear on TiVo’s website sometime in the summer or fall. The Whole Home DVR Extender is a competitor to similar devices that have been available for a while now. Basically it acts as a media access point for any one of Tivo’s DVR Hub devices like the Premiere Elite DVR, allowing televisions in other rooms to access TV or Internet content stored on the central server. The Extender can connect to the Internet independently for web apps like Pandora, but doesn’t require an extra CableCard c

It’s been slow going for the world’s first commercial passenger space program, but Virgin Galactic is slowly but surely making progress. While it’s already gotten its SpaceShipTwo sub-orbital craft beyond the reaches of Earth’s atmosphere in successful tests before, it only did so with the help of a carrier vehicle, then glided back to earth and landed conventionally. The company hopes to install and test the craft’s rocket engine before the end of 2012, marking a major milestone in Virgin Galactic’s plans to create a space tourism business. Virgin’s vice president of special projects broke the news while speaking to the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference, noting that while exact dates haven’t been set, the company expects to overcome the technical challenges before it. Virgin Galactic has already pre-sold almost 500 seats on the 8-person spacecraft at a whopping $200,000 a piece. and if all goes well with the testing in 2012 and 2013, they could begin some time next yea

Ford’s SYNC system is one of the best uses of in-car technology out there that’s included by a manufacturer – but since its inception in 2007 it’s been relegated to North America. The company aims to end that sad state of affairs next week at the Geneva Motor Show, when it introduces SYNC to European customers in the new 2013 B-Max crossover. he optional add-on will be added to other models afterwards. Currently the company hasn’t said when the B-Max will hit the road, or how long after that it’ll take to expand the current line-up with the SYNC option. If you’re not familiar with SYNC, it’s one of the more advanced in-car entertainment/navigation/voice control systems available. Co-developed by none other than Microsoft, the SYNC system combines touchscreen, voice controls and standard buttons to control navigation, climate control and other functions, including a cell phone connection via Bluetooth or Android and iOS apps. There’s a considerable safety element, as it adds built-in h

Desktop gaming computers are getting more over-the-top every year, and with triple and quadruple SLI and Crossfire X motherboards now on the market, those who need the absolute maximum in performance also need a ton of power with which to achieve it. Enter OCZ’s latest power supply, the 1000W Fatal1ty PSU. It’s not the first kilowatt power supply around, but it is the first to feature the branding of pro gamer Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel – an instant way to make PC gamers sit up and take notice. System builders may (or may not) respect the name, but what they live and breathe is specifications. First of all, it uses the modular cabling system that neat freaks (like yours truly) can’t live without, allowing users to add and subtract power rails as necessary. Connections include a single +12v rail, one 20+4 pin for the ATX standard, two 4+$ rails, six 6+2 rails, 8 4-pin rails and 12 5-pin SATA rails. Even with the largest and most capable of rigs, it’s hard to imagine someone exhausting

Last week T-Mobile finally announced its plants to upgrade its network to long-term evolution (LTE) speeds, now that the possibility of being acquired by AT&T is off the table for good. The LTE portions of T-Mobile network won’t be online until next year at the earliest, but in the meantime the company had planned to upgrade all of its HSPA+ towers to a mind-boggling 84 megabits per second. Alas, that’s no longer the case – due to the intense cost and preparations needed for the LTE network, T-Mobile’s “4G” HSPA+ network won’t get above 42MBps maximum. LTE rollouts are no easy matter – Verizon’s is the largest in the country, but even they can’t seem to get outside city limits in most cases. AT&T’s LTE network is still in its infancy, and though they’re adding new devices and markets all the time, they’ve still got a lot of work to do. The lower half of America’s “big four” is stuck playing catch up, and in T-Mobile’s case, a year spent on the sidelines waiting for a merger tha

Last week we held our Spring Developers Project featuring the WIMM One developer kit, a lovely tiny device with the power to run Android and a slew of “Micro Apps” which take full advantage of the fact that this object functions best as a watch! We had developers and everyday average brilliant citizens submit ideas for their own futuristic Micro Apps the whole week, and the results were more than encouraging – they were downright excellent! Ten of our favorites were chosen from the pack, and what we’ve got here is one final reminder that each of the following users had what we consider the latest and greatest in submitted Micro App coolness! Each of the following TEN submissions to the SlashGear half of this project are eligible to collect a WIMM One developer kit from SlashGear courtesy of WIMM. If you are one of the people below, please be sure to contact us at giveaway[at]slashgear.com as soon as possible with your name, mailing address, and phone number so we can send you your WIMM

Privacy is a hot topic at Google, and chairman Eric Schmidt wasted no time in cultivating an MWC 2012 keynote around personal freedoms, the role of the internet as activist, and safeguarding of our individual information. Yet what Schmidt’s appearance did show us more than anything is that the chairman is consumed with an obsession around the topic, either attempting to convinced us that we have the option of anonymity, or outlining the dance which Google follows trying to balance between the public and the private. Those of us hoping for Android@Home information, or details about Android 5.0 Jelly Bean or even Google I/O 2012 left Schmidt’s keynote disappointed. Android was name-checked – Schmidt was particularly keen to stress the activation figures – and a brief, three minute demo of Google Chrome for Android took center stage for a moment, but otherwise Schmidt grabbed the opportunity to outline his vision of the future of the internet, of connectedness-powered social activism, and

Microsoft Research showed off some fascinating new technology concepts with three demo videos, two of which heavily integrate Kinect sensors. The projects include a 3D desktop concept, the IllumiShare remote sharing system, and the Holoflector augmented reality mirror, all of which can find diverse applications in gaming, education, and business. The Kinect-integated 3D desktop involves a transparent display that folds up so that your hands lie on a keyboard behind the screen. Objects and graphics on the screen appear in a virtual 3-dimensional space in which your hands can virtually manipulate them from behind the screen. The system also tracks eye movement so that 3D objects appear correctly on the screen. The IllumiShare is a virtual workspace system that looks like a simple desk lamp. It actually consists of both a camera and projector to simultaneously capture and project video. The challenge is for it to be able to differentiate between that which it has projected versus that whi

Like it or not, mobile ads are coming if they haven’t already, and once they get here they’re here to stay. Such is evidenced by Twitter, which just updated its mobile ad platform to increase the amount of sponsored content you’ll see while browsing what your friends and favorite celebrities and companies are talking about. It’s not meant to be an inundation, but rather a targeted and relevant ad stream. In an official announcement, Twitter explained, or should we say spun, the news as such: “Initially, a small number of users may see Promoted Tweets near the top of their timelines from brands they already follow. Initially, a small number of users may see Promoted Tweets near the top of their timelines from brands they already follow.” The site emphasized that this is no more ad content than already exists on the dekstop version of Twitter.com. In continuing its explanation of the new ad structure, Twitter said, “This will help ensure that people see important Tweets from the brands t

Apple may soon have to fight the flames of another privacy-related controversy, this time involving a loophole in their iOS apps that allows developers access to users’ photos. There’s already been controversy over iOS apps accessing users’ address books without permission, but now it appears the situation is actually much worse. The apps can also secretly access users’ photos and upload them to a remote server once users allow apps permission to their location information. According to a NYT report, after a user allows an iOS app on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to have access to location information, the app can upload the user’s entire photo library without further notification or warning. Generally, the first time an app asks for permission to access location data, it will also note that location information in photos and videos will also become accessible. “Conceivably, an app with access to location data could put together a history of where the user has been based on photo loca

After an apparently massive success with its trial of accepting PayPal payments at the point of sale, Home Depot has decided to bring the revoutionary POS technology to nearly all of its 2,000 stores in the US. It’s the first time in recent memory that a major retail chain has allowed a way to pay at the register that doesn’t actually require customers to have a physical product (whether it’s a credit card, a mobile phone, or a dollar bill). The process works like this – customers first need to activate their PayPal account online to allow for in-store purchases. This requires linking the account to a specific phone number. Once that’s done, they receive a special PIN. At any time after that, they can walk into Home Depot and key in their phone number and PIN, and their purchase is automatically deducted from their PayPal account. Those who prefer a piece of plastic also receive a special “payment card” that only works at authorized retailers. PayPal has the platform set up to be a ne

Microsoft is offering a new Xbox 360 limited edition bundle that will be especially desirable to those who lust after shiny white gadgets. It seems like special edition white versions of popular devices have become a common trend and are especially coveted. Well, this bundle does the same trick, bringing you the Xbox 360 console, the Kinect hardware, and a controller, all in white. The Xbox 360 Special Edition 4GB Kinect Family Bundle, as it’s called, has begun shipping today and is already temporarily sold out on Amazon. In addition to the hardware mentioned above, the bundle packs a copy each of Kinect Sports and Kinect Adventures along with three months of complimentary Xbox Live subscription, all for $299.99. If you need an extra Xbox 360 game controller to go with the bundle or simply want one white controller for your existing setup just to be different, you can purchase it separately for $49.99. The bundle begins shipping worldwide today, except for in Europe and Brazil, where i

IBM scientists have set three new records in the realm of quantum computing, the company announced today at the Annual Physical Society meeting in Boston. Significant advances were achieved by the team in developing a quantum computing system that’s stable enough to be scalable, bringing it one step closer to reality for practical computation. We’re certainly not all quantum physicists here, so we won’t get into the nitty gritty, but essentially quantum computing allows for solving mathematical problems at speeds currently not possible by any other means. Based on quantum physics, quantum computing starts with the use of a qubit, unlike in traditional computing, which uses a bit. A bit can exist only in two possible states, “0″ or “1″. A qubit, however, has a third state known as superposition, where it can be both. This may not seem like a huge deal, but mathematically, this makes a big difference in the amount of processing power. Quantum computers can work on millions of computation

Attention, PlayStation gamers – the online PlayStation Network service will be going under the knife on Thursday, March 1 for nearly the entire day. This is to address bugs, optimize performance, and perform necessary maintenance. The service is expected to be down starting at around 11:00 AM Eastern Time and will not be back online until after midnight. This means that PS3 users will not be able to download videos or games, play online against other players, access services like Netflix or Hulu Plus, sign into Music Unlimited, or do anything that requires an Internet connection. The same goes for anyone trying to access online features on the PSP or PlayStation Vita. In addition, websites that use PSN authentication, like the PlayStation Blog, will not have PSN services. This marks the first scheduled PSN downtime since the launch of the Vita in the US. Of course, for those who lived through the great PSN outage of 2011, this won’t be too big of a deal. Nevertheless, Sony says it apol

This year’s Mobile World Congress has turned out to have more than a couple surprises, and the highly quotable Eric Schmidt is no exception to the rule this week in the Google keynote address. Speaking to the entire world via webcast as well as an audience of press and mobile enthusiasts alike on not just the state of the mobile world today, but the future in which the developing world will be utterly changed for the better by a web-connected community. In addition, both privacy and the most recent release for Android by Google: Google Chrome, were touched upon by both Schmidt and Android’s Hugo Barra. Starting the event off with a product (in the form of an app,) Hugo Barra spoke of the release of Google Chrome for mobile as well as how it was sort of inconsequential that they were releasing it on a mobile platform because, as he said, “Android is a real operating system.” Schmidt himself spent some time extolling the virtues of Chrome, calling it by far the safest browser available.

There have been rumors that Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox console, which some term the Xbox 720, is codenamed “Durango.” The report first surfaced on Kotaku, which claimed to have heard the name from multiple sources close to the project. But today, a now-pulled Tweet from a Crytek game developer inadvertently confirmed the codename and revealed a secret developer summit underway in London for the new console. Crytek developer Sean Tracy Tweeted earlier today: “Enjoying the Durango developers summit in London. So far, great swag and interesting talks.” Crytek has been rumored to be developing a TimeSplitters 4 game as one of the launch titles for the next-gen console, although it denied the reports. The Xbox 720 or project Durango is expected to debut at this years E3 gaming conference in June. The Tweet has since been deleted, but the Durango codename now seems firm. Although it won’t be the actual name of the console at launch, we’ll likely be hearing plenty of the name along with the Xb

Audi has announced that it will be launching its first pilot program in the US for its fleet of A3 e-tron all-electric battery-powered vehicles. The hatchbacks will be deployed in four major US cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, and Washington DC, where Audi hopes to enlist beta testers to get real world day-to-day usage data. The A3 e-trons were first introduced last April and sport 26.5-kWh lithium-ion battery packs that have a 90-mile range and offer a 100-kW, or 130 horsepower, motor for a front wheel drive that can handle 199 pound-feet of torque. There’s no backup gas engines in these models, although Audi’s selection could eventually include plug-in hybrids and extended-range electric vehicles as well. As for performance, the A3 e-trons top out at 90mph and reach 60mph in about 11 seconds. Those figures aren’t very impressive, but Audi places emphasis on the A3 e-tron’s 400-volt rapid-charger, which can fully recharge its battery pack in less than four hours.

Game studio Bethesda has posted a new job listing for a next-generation console programmer, which gives us insight into what Bethesda’s insights are for the Xbox 720 and potentially the PS4. There are some surprisingly specific details about what the position will entail. The job is titled “Future Generation Console Programmer,” something we expect will be changed before any business cards are printed. Nevertheless, the teasing title does not mention any specifics but says applicants should have “extensive experience programming and optimising for the Xbox 360 and PS3.” From a developer perspective, hopefully that means that coding for the next-gen systems are accessible to those who have made titles on the current platforms. We know that moving from PS2 to PS3, for example, was a huge struggle and developers essentially had to learn the process from scratch. The job listing also points out that it needs someone with DirectX 11 experience, which all but confirms that either the PS4 or

Apple’s iPad 3 event invite doesn’t just confirm the March 7 launch of the third-gen tablet: it’s also the most official suggestion so far that a Retina Display is indeed on the slate’s spec sheet. Take a look at the invite graphic Apple included – complete with the tagline “We have something you really have to see. And touch” – and the on-screen graphics certainly look smoother and more precise than what the current 1024 x 768 iPad 2 offers. The so-called Retina Display hasn’t exactly been a mystery component. While rumors about the higher-resolution screen have circulated for several months, in recent weeks the LCD IPS display itself has been caught in the wild, at least according to the rumors. Close-up images of the panel have indicated far denser pixels. As with the iPhone 4 and its Retina Display, Apple looks set to give the tablet industry a sharp kick with the new iPad. Higher resolution means smoother icons, HD video support and – for app makers – a whole new ballgame when it