iRobot for iPhone released – Artificial Intelligence arrived to iPhone!
Not only iRobot has smart alec attitude to the questions that you ask his robotic highness, but it also reminds you that in future the world will be overtaken by robots:
Not only iRobot has smart alec attitude to the questions that you ask his robotic highness, but it also reminds you that in future the world will be overtaken by robots:
Since iPhone has capacitive display it is easy to make apps that simulate reality. Such games on resistive touch-screen displays would be impossible practically because you would press something and then wait long time for answer that would never come.
Most apps that simulate some stuff are vanity apps for fun. We can’t imagine that this revolver app can be used for any useful purpose, but you can play Russian roulette with it and you can just show it off (but be careful that policeman could pull real gun in reaction!).
Here is how this app looks like (note: it is free so sometimes it is displaying banners from AdMob):
MocoNews have a little article regarding the usage ratio of mobile and fixed line broadband usage. There are some quite interesting figures as the take up of mobile broadband seems to be steadily rising. My interest lies solely in the fact that whilst fixed line is ever so popular there are many areas, especially in the UK that lack any decent broadband service. Mobile broadband is a much more viable option however there are even bigger holes and pathetic service provided around the edges. Read on for the article.
Let’s face it; if you are reading this post the chances are you’ll understand that the love of technology can get expensive. Now, I can justify spending close to £3,000 on a new plasma TV , but spending over £100 for a HDMI cable? Now that just seems wrong! That is why I am glad I found a US based company called Optimization-world.
Now I know that some of you reading will own very high-end home-theatre kit and will be thinking that I should spend plenty on the cables and interconnects that I use. However for the average consumer £20 is about as much as they are going to want to spend.
Need HDMI Cables? Then look no further. Optimization-world is an inexpensive, high quality and customer service oriented company. They also receive their HDMI rating from the same North American plant as monster cables. Same quality cable, way different price (£75 vs. £9) and in this case, a different price is a really good thing. So if you are looking to save money, without sacrificing quality, check out www.optimization-world.com Optimised Cable Company.
I bought a set of HDMI cables from these guys and I’m impressed with the price and the quality.
Posted by: Matt
GENERAL
What do washing the car, cutting the grass and exercising, all have in common? Everyone tries to find ways of making them more enjoyable, I prefer to listen to music. Before MP3 players I would put my car stereo on or turn the radio in the kitchen up. Then an MP3 player came along that would fit in your pocket and my neighbours where happy, although I found whether I was cleaning the wheels on my car or lifting weights in the gym the headphones wire would always get in the way. So when I was offered the chance to review this MP3 player with built in headphones I jumped at the chance.
HIGHLIGHTS:
LOWLIGHTS:
Connectivity
Memory
Playback & display
General data
Supplied accessories
REVIEW
After receiving my green Sony Walkman W Series I put it on charge straight away, the colours available are black, white, pink, green and purple. They charge from a standard mini USB connection or you can put them on the desk stand (included), I went for the desk stand. Although a full charge takes about 1.5 hours and will last roughly 12 hours you also have a option for a quick charge. You leave them charging for 3 minutes and they last for 90, which is excellent if you forget to charge them before heading to the gym.
As soon as they where connected to the PC they where recognised and the contents of the 2GB storage was displayed, a few files and folders. I selected to install the software as this enabled ZAPPIN™ which I will attempt to explain later. The software is actually held on the Sony W Series memory, which I think is a great idea as it cuts down on the amount of packaging needed and also means that if you get a new computer you do not have to worry about finding the CD again. It was a very quick installation and the ‘Content Transfer’ window appeared. The manual listed three ways to transfer music to the NWZ-W202, you can use the content transfer software, Windows Media Player 11 or just the manual method of dragging and dropping using Windows Explorer. I thought I would try out the content transfer software and Windows Explorer. I transferred 319 MP3 tracks (1.51GB) using the included software and it took around 45 minutes, I then tried the drag and drop method and it only took 13 minutes. Just as a side note you can drag and drop your songs from iTunes, but it will not play any DRM songs. The W Series supports most popular formats, including MP3, AAC and WMA.
You are probably wondering why you would use the included software at all as it takes 3.5 times longer. Well it’s called ZAPPIN™, while the content transfer software is coping your music over it ‘listens’ to the tracks and picks out the most used melody which is normally the chorus, then during playback you can switch to ZAPPIN™ mode. This then plays the selection it picked as a 3 or 10 second clip allowing you to skip through songs. Then when you find the song you where looking for you can take it out of ZAPPIN mode and it plays the full song. This is obviously to make up for the lack of screen, I found it to be a nice feature and it also works with the 10 or so tracks I listened to it got the chorus on all of them.
After all my songs had copied over and I had given the W Series a nice long charge it was time to test them out. What to do first? Should I take a quick ride round town or should I lift some weights. I went for the obvious choice of washing the car, I thought this would be nice and easy just to get used to them. Once I’d had fitted them properly I set about washing the car, the controls where very easy to get used to and after a while I forgot I had them on. I didn’t think they sounded quite right though, so after I had finish washing the car I went to read through the manual to see if I could adjust the base level. I was very surprised to find that you could not, I tried a few different tracks and in the end decided that they had a great sound quality but not enough base for my liking. I then thought I’d try and see if I could make them fall out, I will not give you the entire list but after star jumps, squats, press ups, sit ups and some running they sat firmly in my ears. I have to admit at this point I had been wearing them for about two hours and it had started to hurt my ears, I do not know if this is due to the fact that they are heavier than normal headphones or whether I am not used to inner ear headphones!
CONCLUSION
Would I buy a pair? Yes, although the 2GB version is still small and my current MP3 player is great. I do not feel that you need anymore than 319 MP3 tracks for going to the gym and all the slight disadvantages are still not enough to put me off not getting wires caught in the gym equipment. If you do a lot of jogging or cycling I definitely recommend this MP3 player, or if you just want an MP3 player for housework and gym visits I recommend that you take a look at these.
Review by: Russell
So it looks like Orange have decided to get in on the blogging action and are now regularly producing their own unboxing and phone demo videos. Not sure that this is a good thing as they are obviously selling the phones they are talking about so you must bare that in mind when watching.
This one is the Orange exclusive Samsung i8910 which is the much hyped Omnia HD, you know the one that can capture 720p video. What we find strange is how this phone exploded onto the scene at MWC 09 but the launch has been anything but hyped. Video after the break.
Well looks like the first proper review of the Palm Pre has now been posted. We knew that BGR had got their hands on one after we saw some photos a few days back. They have now posted up a review which to be fair is going to be more of a first impression than a complete review as they have only had it a few days but all the signs are positive. Take a look after the break for a few snippets.
Android Community have done it again and uncovered some more information on the HTC Hero this time in the form of a promo video. Demonstrating a gloss-red Hero seemingly running the new “Rosie” GUI, the video shows the phone going online, accessing the Android market and generally flaunting its OS capabilities.
Take a look at the video after the break.
These offers are only available through the links below which are active between 11am and 4pm UK time on Friday the 29th of May*. Normal pricing will precede this time and resume at 4pm on Friday.
Samsung Q1 Ultra UMPC800MHz, 1GB, 80GB, XP Tablet Normally £874.99 Now £794.99 Save £80
http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=183022&partner=tracyandmatt
Vye S41A Mini-V Notebook – Vista Home Premium Normally £449.99 Now £399.99 Save £50
http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=180735&partner=tracyandmatt
Flip Video MinoHD Camcorder -The world’s smallest HD camcorder Normally £164.99 Now £144.99 Save £20
http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=182997&partner=tracyandmatt
Samsung i200 – Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard Normally £99.99 Now £89.99 Save £10
http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=182998&partner=tracyandmatt
Philips SPC210NC/00 Webcam 10-Pack
Normally £44.90 Now £29.90 Save £15
http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=182975&partner=tracyandmatt
SiPix A6 Pocket Printer (Blue)
Normally £27.99 Now £17.99 Save £10
http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=179641&partner=tracyandmatt
These deals are available on Friday the 29th of May 2009 between 11am and 4pm by following the links above only. Normal pricing will apply outside of these hours*.
*Voucher codes do not apply with these deals. Limited to 2 units per customer, available while stocks last.
Posted by: Matt
[ Post Tags: expansys, deals, special offers, tracyandmatt.co.uk ]
Taking the stage as the grand finale at the “D: All Things Digital” conference today, Palm’s executive chairman Jon Rubinstein and Elevation Partners’ managing director and co-founder Roger McNamee celebrated the excitement surrounding webOS by sharing a few new details about the hotly awaited platform.
In an onstage conversation with Walt Mossberg, personal technology reporter for The Wall Street Journal (which produces D) and veteran technology reporter Kara Swisher, Jon and Roger shared details about Palm media sync, a webOS feature that synchronizes seamlessly with iTunes to easily transfer DRM-free music, photos, and videos to your Palm Pre. Media sync complements other methods for getting media onto Pre, including USB file transfer and WiFi downloads from the Amazon MP3 store.
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.