New Gadgets

Previously, on Apple Versus Samsung: Cupertino’s finest sued Samsung for making “similar” products — a legal spectacle that most recently culminated with an injunction blocking the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 across Europe (with one exception). The case hinges on Apple’s assertion that Samsung is ripping off its designs, but tech site Webwereld spotted signs that perhaps Apple’s claims are exaggerated, and that the outfit might have even gone so far as to alter images of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to suit its case.

The comparison shot you see up there is lifted from page 28 of a filing made by Freshfields Bruckhaus Derringer, Apple’s European lawyers. Both devices look pretty identical with an aspect ratio of 4:3 — except in reality, the Tab has a 16:9 16:10 aspect ratio and is far narrower than Steve’s magical slate. Of course, we might never know if this was actually a malicious move on Apple’s part — certainly, Samsung’s legal team isn’t saying anything. For now, though, if you’re game to play armchair attorney, head past the break for a comparison shot of the competing tabs as we actually know and love them.

Yes, we all know that many eyes are trained on the iPhone 5 that is touted to arrive sometime in September or October, but that doesn’t mean Apple does not own any other high value “targets” – the iPad family being one of them. It seems that whispers are on the street, touting a premium version of the iPad 2 being in production, where it is intended to appeal to certain segments such as publishing – at least according to analysts.

Ashok Kumar, an analyst at Rodman & Renshaw says that “Apple is…expected to roll out a premium version of iPad 2–a higher resolution screen, front-/rear- facing HD cameras–in the current quarter. It looks like Hon Hai is going into production with this new SKU.”

Do you think any of these analysts’ claims hold water, considering the iPad 2 was just announced back in March, and a hardware refresh so soon after is not quite Apple’s style. If this was meant for a new iPad release next year, then it might be more plausible. Of course, we won’t really know unless we’re in the select group of people whom Steve Jobs trust, but a professional version of the iPad sounds more like hogwash to me at the moment. What about you?

An International Trade Commission (ITC) judge has ruled that Kodak did not infringe upon camera patents held by Apple. Reuters is reporting that an administrative law judge rejected the Cupertino-company’s claims, with a final decision by the ITC due on September 19th. Kodak, although not as prominent as it once was when film reigned supreme, still holds a treasure-trove of patents.

“Many investors see Kodak’s value in its lucrative portfolio of intellectual property,” reads the report. “It has more than 1,000 patents and it made an estimated $630 million in 2010 from its licenses. But analysts have said this revenue from licenses is unpredictable and the portfolio might eventually dwindle.” Kodak has a pending suit filed against both Apple and Research In Motion, again surrounding smartphone camera technology, that is set to be decided upon on May 23rd.

There are gobs of accessories on the market today for iPads and iPhone as well as all the other iPod models that Apple pushes. With the raging popularity we are allows seeing new accessories for the line of music devices surface. A company called Stem Innovation has launched with a new accessory for your iPhone/iPod/iPad called TimeCommand.

The clock is made to sit at your bedside and is round rather than the rectangle that I have seen from everyone else. The round design is cool. It also has some interesting features like the ability to control the lamp you have at the side of your bed and wake you by light. You plug your normal lamp in and the clock will act as a dimmer and wake you with the light from the lamp and your own music.

The clock dock can also turn the light off for you when you go to sleep. The clock has an app that lets you customize dual alarms for waking and has snooze controls and more. The audio is tuned using Sonic iQ tech and the curved LED on the front gives more viewing options. The docking connector pivots and promises to fit devices with cases installed. The device is only in Apple Retail Stores right now for $99.95 and will be offered for sale online soon.

Apple has filed for a patent application  related to methods and apparatus for connecting together two electrical devices in which mating connector on each device are of different sizes.

The mismatch of physical design can be overcome by the use of an audio adapter that is constructed from a plug having one dimension, a jack having another dimension and a coupler that physically and electrically connects the plug and jack together, forming a single unit. Such a design would allow a device like the iPhone to be coupled with devices such as the Ameriphone – cell phone for the deaf – and use Bose’s QuietComfort headphones. If such a design improved the accessibility of Apple’s iPhone, it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

Users of Apple’s Magic Mouse might be frustrated if they find that they have to change the battery too often, and Mobee is looking to capitalize on that by coming up with the Mobee Magic Charger for Apple’s Magic Mouse.

This charger is an inductive charger that consists of a mini-USB base station and a battery pack that fits nicely into Apple’s mouse. According to the specifications, on a full charge, it’ll be able to keep the Magic Mouse running for 6 days of constant use. An inductive charging mouse pad was originally considered, but they decided to reduce the footprint and keep it portable and inconspicuous, allowing users to use the surface of their choice. Expect to pay $49.90 for the Mobee Magic Charger when it ships worldwide in October.

Steve Jobs announced smaller and thinner iPods today at Apple’s Fall Music Event. With smaller, new designs for the iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano and a thinner, more powerful iPod Touch, Apple is poised to hit the entertainment market in music, movies and gaming like never before. And just in time for the Holidays.

Let’s start with the iPod shuffle. As if it couldn’t get smaller, it does. And the best part is, Apple has brought back buttons along with voiceover to make navigation of songs easier. The Shuffle is a tad larger than your thumb, has a clip, and has over 15 hours of battery life. In 5 colors (Blue, Pink, Green, Yellow, and Silver), the Shuffle will sell for $49 for 8GB.

The biggest change has come in the iPod Nano, which is now 46% smaller and is multi-touch. That means that Apple has dumped the control wheel and gone to complete touch navigation. It’s slightly larger than the Shuffle, which shows how small it really has become. Apple has dropped the video camera feature but has brought in a clip to make it easier to wear (which is great for athletes and runners) , has an FM Radio, Nike Pedometer, and 24 hours of battery life. Comes in seven colors (the same colors as the shuffle plus black and red) and starts at $149.

Lastly, is the new iPod Touch, which has Apple’s blazing A4 processor and Apple’s pioneering HD Retina display with four times more pixels and an ultra sharp 326 ppi and 24-bit color. The iPod also sports the 3-axis gyro control and Apple also announced GAME CENTER, a social networking vehicle which will allow players to take on each other via WiFi in cyberspace playing a wide variety of games including a new game from Epic Games called Project Sword, and action packed RPG adventure with action happening in real time.

Additionally, the Touch will be able to take advantage of dual cameras and FaceTime with which it can communicate to iPhone 4 users and iPod Touch users over WiFi Video conferencing. And the latest iTunes has a great new social network called PING which enables fans to listen to new music from friends playlists, comment socially about it and download them on the spot. The iPod will also enjoy high dynamic range photography and HD video and be able to edit courtesy of the iMovie App.

The new iPod Touch goes on sale next week, just in time for Christmas for $229 / 8GB, $299/32GB and $399/64GB. With gaming, music, and HD movies, the new iPod Touch is going to be a hot item come Christmas.

Apple is now moving on to updating their software after months of releasing new gadgets. The new Apple TV 3.0 software aims to up your TV experience, and battle it out with other television manufacturers.

The new software from Apple has a redesigned main menu that makes for easier browsing. Its content is definitely easier and simpler to manage. This will enable you to enjoy the largest selection of on-demand HD movie rentals and purchases, HD TV shows, music and podcasts from the iTunes.

You can also now enjoy iTunes Extra and iTunes LP in full screen display with your Apple TV. More, the software includes Genius Mixes and Internet radio via a home theater system.

In fairness to Apple, the new software will not rob you off your hard-earned money. It will come free (download) to those who already own an Apple TV. But for those who doesn’t have an Apple TV yet, it will come bundled with the 160GB edition for $229.

During its regular conference Apple announced that 10 million iPhone were sold in 2008 calendar year, since last month has been sold more than 6.8 million iPhone 3G. Executive Director of Apple, Steve Jobs said: “Apple has surpassed RIM! And RIM – a quality company selling quality products. Apple became the third largest global supplier of mobile phones.

iPhone 3G together with Apple TV brought $11.7 billion revenue and $2.4 billion profit. But given the status of the Apple TV, this profit is largely a credit to iPhone.
Nokia and Samsung are the first and second handset manufacturers respectively, and RIM sold 6.1 million BlackBerry smartphones at the moment.

Despite the fact that such popular products from Apple, as iPhone or player iPod Touch, has no problems coping with video playback, but sometimes you want to watch interesting videos with friends, so this miniature projector from Honlai Technology will help you.

This gadget is a docking station for Apple phones and players. It also has audio and video inputs, allowing connection of various devices. The projected image size of 15-37 inches (0,5-1,5 m) has a resolution of 640×480 pixels, brightness of 10-15 lumens and contrast ratio of 200:1. The sound is played through the built-in 2 Watt speakers.
This quality is of course difficult to compare with those that provide the home theater, but it is still better than the small screen of mobile devices.
Dimensions of this gadget are 76x102x54 mm.