Where is Apple in all this? Selling a lot of iPads. Where are the textbook publishers? Trying to steal the pudding of the record companies at the home for obsolete business models.

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Is this Apple’s plan for the textbook market?

Tags: Apple, education, iPad, textbook

This article was originally posted on Mighty Gadget

In trying to find interesting products for makers, I came across some machine screws that are smaller than fleas, 0.2mm across the shaft. The Matsumoto Industries product was exhibited using a microscope. If you are making something very small, that’s your screw.

They were too small for me to get a clear handheld photograph in their booth, so here is a product shot:

While this screw was likely the smallest object exhibited at CES, there was one category that was pervasive: tablets. In addition to the familiar Motorola, Samsung, ASUS, and other leading brands, numerous manufacturers with names like Universal Microelectronics, Michley Electronics, Maylong Group, and dozens of others, were showing tablets, mostly running Android, built in their factories in southern China. The result is that the price of smaller tablets is falling like a stone.

Inexpensive tablets are a hackable commodity. Anyplace some switchgear and lights or an LCD display are needed, a tablet can provide a user interface with a responsive capacitive touch panel, a seven (or perhaps five) inch color LCD display, WiFi, Bluetooth, perhaps a camera, and an assortment of other sensors, all for about $100.

Universal Microelectronics MP202 Tablet

That may look like overkill, but the benefit of putting a color display and touch input on a device comes with such a low price that the unused pieces are of no consequence in weight or cost. That is, it’s cheaper to scavenge what you need from a finished product than to put it together yourself.

Inexpensive tablets are also appropriate for automotive projects, and for fixed kiosk-like applications in home automation, office information – e.g. meeting room availability – and other projects requiring a fixed display and input device, particularly since the price of wireless IP connectivity is so low.

This is going to affect the way you create a man-machine interface (MMI) in several ways: Color, animations, audible indicators and feedback, and other techniques that can make interfaces easier to comprehend and less error-prone become available to you. The switchgear on the front of my espresso machine is lovely to look at, but, after more than 10 years of using it, I still can get the order in which I set the switches wrong.

In addition to providing a platform for a better MMI, using a tablet gives you remote control possibilities for smartphones and general-purpose tablets: Your MMI is an app, and it can run in your device, in a fixed control panel, and in devices that can connect to your project, and running the same MMI interface, provide remote control.

If you need to hack Android and/or the underlying Linux to provide device drivers or other code not present in the Android that comes with the tablet, you can roll your own. Android is more hackable now that the PandaBoard is a build target for the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). The combination of a supported build target and widely available development board means that you can start your software development for a tablet deployment on a PandaBoard, and based on the chipmaker’s Linux kernel for Android, build for your device.

Bio:
Zigurd Mednieks is an author and consultant specializing in mobile devices and telecommunications product development. He is the co-author of Programming Android and Android Application Development.

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This article was originally posted on Make

What could possibly be one of the bigger announcements at CES this year Intel and Lenevo have announced the first Intel Medfield powered smartphone the Lenovo K800. While details of the specification are slim right now we know that the phone has a 4.5-inch 720p display and rear 8 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash. There is also the usual 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS connectivity. The phone will be running a modified version of Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Medfield platform uses a 32nm fabrication process and the K800 uses the Penwell SoC that has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2460 CPU with 512KB L2 cache. On the GPU side it has the tried and tested PowerVR SGX 540 which has been clocked at a slightly higher than usual 400MHz and dual-channel LPDDR2 memory. The CPU in Penwell is only a single-core right now but Intel plans to come up with dual-core versions later, along with a faster GPU.

While a single core CPU does sound a bit poor compared to todays dual core smartphones (and quad core tablets), Intel have released some impressive benchmarks for the CPU

The Lenovo K800 is set to launch in China by Q2 this year, and it is believed Motorola will also be releasing a Medfield powered phone by the end of the year

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First Intel Medfield Smartphone revealed, the Lenovo K800

Tags: Intel, Intel Medfield, K800, lenovo, Lenovo K800, Medfield

This article was originally posted on Mighty Gadget

PIDs are often used in Sous Vide cookers, too. (Here’s how to make one). If you are looking for a reasonably priced PID controller, here’s a new source: Brett Beauregard’s open source PID controller, for $85.

Brett’s pal, 3ric Johanson (author of Beam Weapon for Bad Bugs in Make Vol 23), says:

My friend Brett Beauregard has been working on this sweet open source PID controller.. and he’s finally published information online about it here.

A PID (proportional–integral–derivative) controller is a device which use hardware feedback with an algorithm; this allows the operator to maintain a target value (temp). Cruise control in car is the classic example: Set it at 60mph, and it will increase the accelerator until you hit 60. There are all sorts of things which can go wrong with closed-loop control systems – – overshoot, ringing, bias, etc. As this device is all open source, as it will make debugging these devices much easier.

It’s currently on “presale” for $85. I think this is a sweet deal. If you want to make your own Sous-vide cooker, this is the ticket. Go buy one, as I want to make sure this type of hardware is available to the masses. I’m excited to get mine.

This article was originally posted on Make

Wanting to hook up Netflix to the new flatscreen? Well the job just got easier with the announcement of the debut of the Roku box in the UK and Ireland today.  Currently available for preorder only through Amazon, the little box that has allowed so many in the US to cut  cable or satellite bills by streaming content over the internet, can now spread its lie in inducing goodness here as well.

Roku LT

Roku will initially offer two models from its current lineup, the Roku LT at £49.99  and the upmarket Roku 2 XS at £99.99. Other than price, the main difference between the two products is that the LT does not have external storage options and is limited to 720p. Nor is it Bluetooth capable. The Roku 2 XS supports, true HD 1080p, has a slot for an miniSD card, Bluetooth, and both Ethernet and USB ports.The XS also has an enhanced game controller to get your Angry Birds on.  Because you don’t have enough addictive time wasters in your life, each set also has a free copy of Angry Birds. Both devices support b/g/n Wi-Fi.

Anyone familiar with the history of Roku would not be surprised by the introduction of the tiny player  following hot on the heels of the Netflix rollout. Roku started out as a division of Netflix, tasked to create a simple and easy to use device to stream video content over the internet to subscribers TVs, which was released in 2008. The group was quickly spun off as Netflix realized the need to be on as many products as possible and the creators of the Rouku box realized there was a lot more content out there than Netflix. The result was a win-win, with Netflix applications on the Sony Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360, not to mention many of the newer SMART TVs and Rouku becoming the streaming device of choice for over 2.5 million users, with access to over four hundred channels in the US, including HBO GO, Crackle, the Wall Street Journal, the TWIT tech network, and many music and international interest channels.

The press release issued today showcased Netflix the Wall Street Journal, Ultimate Fighting Championship, MLB.com, and  games such as Angry Birds.  The movie service Crackle will be available in the UK but not in Ireland. Music is also a bit thin on the ground, with Tunein and Classical TV on offer. In fact only forty channels were announced, although Roku officials were quick to add that they expect more channels to be added prior to the expected launch date in late January.

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Roku Players set to land in United Kingdom and Ireland in late January

Tags: Amazon, Internet, Netflix, Roku, streaming

This article was originally posted on Mighty Gadget

Don’t you just hate it when your smartphone runs out of juice? If you’re like me, you’re probably not far from an open USB port, so you’re set if you’re the type that always carries around a spare cord. But that rarely happens, right? Not if makers Lucky, Nate, and Mark have anything to do about it. Their Cord-On-Board case for the iPhone 4 takes care of the need to always carry around a cord because it keeps one handy inside its durable PVC shell. [via TC]

This article was originally posted on Make

When his was this was released Sony were asking for iPhone-esque prices so for such a big price drop is fantastic for the end user (unless you paid full price in the first place).

The phone itself is a decent size with a 4-inch capacitive multi-touch LCD touch screen with a 480×854 pixel resolution and 16.7 million colours, and a 5.1-megapixel camera recorder with autofocus, flash, image stabilizer and geotagging. It is obviously rather chubby due to the built in controller (119 x 62 x 16mm) and it weighs 175 grams.

It currently runs Gingerbread 2.3.4 and we found it to be very snappy with no obvious lag at all. There is 400MB of internal memory, but an 8GB microSD card is included and this can be expanded up to 32GB. The internal space is an issue if you want to install a lot of games/applications, but with the microSD you have plenty of space for media.

Obviously the major selling point of this phone is the fact it is the “PlayStation Phone” and comes with a slide out controller, and there is no question about it, this is the best way to control games. It is by no means perfect, but comparing it to controlling games via the screen it is infinitely better.

Where the Xperia truely shines, and makes it well worth the investment, in my opinion, is gaming emulation. Sony have released a few games themselves, which have been good, but they are few and far between. However there is a full range of emulators for most old games systems giving you thousands of games to choose from and a phone that can be used to play them properly!

I was also quite surprised with the battery life of the Xperia. I currently use a Galaxy S2 as my main phone, and the battery has been well reviewed, but I have found it hit and miss, however I found the Xperia would often outlast my S2 on daily tasks. Thinking about it, it is not surprising really the S2 has a 1650mAh batter and the Xperia has a 1500mAh batter, but the Xperia has a smaller screen, and a single core processor. It is still nice for your phone to last a good day though!

Overall I found the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play to be a great phone (at its current pricing) and would make a wonderful Christmas present for someone. It is no iPhone, and 3 don’t even do it anymore with the only Sony on 3 at the moment being the Sony Xperia arc S.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Review

Tags: Review, Sony, Three, Xperia, Xperia Play

This article was originally posted on Mighty Gadget

The folks at Ardic Technologies in Istanbul seem to have developed a prototype for the ultimate tablet user experience. Isn’t this what we all secretly wish our handsets and tablets would do out of the box? Didn’t you expect you’d be able to smoothly transition from mobile device to a massive touchscreen effortlessly, like ten years ago? In any case, if Ardic can get their device to market, they’ll have one of the nicer presentation tools out there. I imagine this would go well with some of the newer apps from Adobe and Autodesk. [via Engadget]

This article was originally posted on Make

The efficient business function has now arrived in the world of mobile technology, too, so running a business has never been easier. Businesspeople can now schedule, make and join a conference call in the palms of their hands and most services are completely free. Applications like PowWowNow and PGi can be downloaded to your iPhone or Android from the iTunes Store or the Android Market for free.

Conference calling on your mobile adds a whole new dimension to running a business. It allows you to manage your time much more efficiently and, inevitably, fit more into your day. You won’t have to waste time travelling to and from meetings and, if you do need to go to a face-to-face meeting, you can hold another conference on the way.

Perhaps the best thing about mobile conference calling is the fact that you can record every meeting you hold or attend, so there is no need to frantically scrawl the most important points down during the call – the app will do it for you so you never miss a thing.

Similar applications are available via the internet, downloadable to desktops and laptops, and these go some way to improving the efficiency of the business world. Skype, for instance, is a great web app through which you can make free voice calls and chargeable video and group calls to your employees and business partners. This is great if you are sat in your office or at home, but it is not quite as portable as the applications you can get for your phone. In fact, that is exactly why Skype introduced a smartphone and iPhone app of its own.

PowWowNow is free so the caller only pays for the cost of their local call, which makes it both a time and cost efficient business tool. With this app, you can send reminders to all the participants of your calls and even choose the music that plays when you put users on hold. It’s the little things that matter. So, if you’re looking to make a free conference call UK providers are where you need to turn.

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The benefits of mobile conference calling

Tags: Mobile Conference Calling, VOIP

This article was originally posted on Mighty Gadget

The recent flooding reported in Thailand is definitely going to impact the computer hard drive supply for at least the next six months, with Western Digital reporting that as much as a fifty percent reduction in production.  Western Digital’s main facility is mostly under water, and precision tools and clean rooms do not respond well to large quantities of muddy water.  Since many of the component suppliers for hard drive manufactures are located in the same general area, the entire industry will be affected as companies clean up, purchase new equipment and retool.

What does this mean for the consumer? Because computers are assembled largely in the Pacific Rim nations and work on a “just in time” supply basis, expect greater delays in receiving new machines and higher prices. In fact, be prepared to not be able to get certain size drives at any price.  There have been reports that the supply chain is already starting to increase the price on existing stocks.  The smart money would be to go ahead and purchase a new hard drive now, especially the higher capacity drives, even if you don’t expect to use it for a few months.  The other alternative would be to simply wait out the shortage, as often industries that suffer a supply chain problem over build and create excess product and prices drop accordingly.

The growing push toward cloud computing coupled with the price reductions in solid state drives (SSDs), at least in the 120 to 150 gigabyte range may push some PC laptop vendors to offer SSD drives while marketing cloud solutions to access user data. A lot will hinge on SSD suppliers willingness to cut prices further, possibly in exchange for significant order commitments from laptop OEMs to justify ramping up production.  It is a big gap to consider. A 120 gigabyte SSD drives costs anywhere from $99 to $140 USD.  $70 USD can buy one a top of the line two terabyte SATA drive.  For most users, it is not even a question.  Bear in mind while these are retail prices, the gulf between the respective cost per gigabyte is almost prohibitive.

Unless you don’t have a choice, which is where the PC OEMs are or you see a chance to really gain a foothold in the market, which is the opportunity that the natural disaster in Thailand has created for the SSD makers.

We shall see.

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Hard Drive Shortages Lead to Higher Prices-And SSDs in the Cloud?

Tags: hard drives, SATA, shortages, SSD, supply

This article was originally posted on Mighty Gadget