Drobo begins pre-orders for Mini and 5D storage arrays with Thunderbolt and USB 3.0

Data storage company Drobo is announcing the beginning of pre-orders for its Mini and 5D arrays, which we got to check out at its headquarters last month. The products are its first to add Thunderbolt (in addition to USB 3.0), and like its others, they let you use multiple disks of various speeds and capacities to keep a redundant backup of all your files. The approach, while expensive, gives you more protection against disk failure than a single backup drive, but is simpler to build and maintain than most RAID options.  The bigger 5D starts at $849 and takes up to five 3.5-inch drives, as well as a single optional SSD over mSATA to speed things up. The smaller Mini is the company's first design to use smaller 2.5-inch laptop drives, resulting in a much smaller, portable package. Otherwise, it has the same bay for an optional SSD, and starts at $649. Pre-orders are available right away (a list of retailers is available at the source link below), but there are still a couple of months to wait — Drobo is planning to ship "by the end of September."

[Source: The Verge]

 

Angry Birds comes to Samsung Smart TVs

We first caught wind of Angry Birds' impending arrival on Samsung Smart TVs earlier this month, and now the war against pigs is available as a free download on some of the company's silver screens. Thanks to a built-in camera and the firm's Smart Interaction tech, which typically help users navigate menus and browse the web, gamers can smash through swine defenses using gesture controls. In order to download the app from the Samsung Smart Hub, you'll need a television in the Plasma 8000 range or a 2012 LED 7500 or higher. If your TV's not as intelligent as Samsung would like, however, the avian protagonists can already stage their skirmishes on your tube with a Roku, and come this holiday season, they'll be soaring on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

[Source: Engadget]

London bans wireless access points at Olympics

If you thought the list of banned items at the Olympic Games couldn't get any longer, now the IOC is gunning for that mobile hotspot in your pocket. The prohibited list includes all of the things you'd expect (weapons, alcohol, toxic materials) but also this:  "Personal / private wireless access points and 3G hubs (smart devices such as Android phones, iPhone and tablets are permitted inside venues, but must not be used as wireless points to connect multiple devices)" Probably best to leave that router at home and make sure you only activate your smartphone's hotspot when you're hidden in a crowd, folks.

[Source: Engadget]

 

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity set for UK Launch August 31st

 

The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, already out in the US as well as other parts of Europe, has finally been priced and dated for the UK market. It'll be available from Amazon UK on August 31st in 32GB or 64GB configurations, with an asking price of £599.99 (around $930). It's unclear what exactly you'll get for your money right now — Engadget reports the £599.99 price is for a 64GB model with included keyboard dock, while Phandroid maintains it's for a 32GB tablet.  No matter which site turns out to be correct, it's safe to say that the Transformer Pad Infinity is one of the more expensive tablets around — so what will you get for your money? Well, there's a 1920 x 1200 10.1-inch Super-IPS+ display, a quad-core Tegra 3 SoC clocked at 1.6GHz, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, and, of course, the keyboard dock accessory, which transforms the tablet into an Android-powered laptop. The Transformer Pad Infinity will arrive with Android 4.0 installed, and Asus has confirmed that its tablet will get an update to Jelly Bean in "the coming months."

[Source: The Verge]

 

Watch your favourite live and recorded TV anywhere in the world with Belkin’s @TV Plus

(Rushden, UK). – 25 July, 2012 – Belkin has today unveiled the latest addition to its entertainment line-up, with the introduction of @TV Plus. Belkin’s @TV Plus allows you to watch live TV on your mobile devices – wherever you are in the world. Whether you’re traveling on holiday or on business, commuting by bus or train, or just enjoying the sun in the garden, you needn’t miss your favourite TV show or live sports event ever again.

Belkin’s @TV Plus turns your iOS or Android tablet and smartphone, or your laptop into a TV,enabling you to watch and control all of your home TV channels from anywhere in the world, as long as there’s a WiFi or 3G/LTE connection. @TV Plus also allows you to record live TV directly onto your mobile device so you can watch your favourite TV when it’s convenient for you, even if you don’t have access to WiFi*.

Belkin’s @TV Plus is easy to install and use, connecting to your digital set top box and to your router via it’s built in wireless connection, or via a wired connection if preferred. @TV Plus streams the signal from your digital TV service to up to 8 devices simultaneously within your home network, or to one mobile device located outside.

@TV Plus also turns your mobile device into a remote control, allowing you to scroll through channels and tap to record live programs with the SurfSwipe integrated channel guide. The @TV Plus App works on Android and iOS platforms for tablets and Smartphones, and is available from iTunes and the Android Play Store. Windows and MacOS player and configuration software is also provided.

@TV Plus (G1V1000) - £149.99/€199.99

  • Control your digital set-top box using your smart device whenever you want, wherever you are
  • Record live television to your smart device’s internal memory*
  • Surf channels at the flick of a finger with SurfSwipe integrated channel guide**
  • Wi-Fi enabled for easy placement in any room of the house
  • Built In security with Cloud-based connection, built-in firewall and NAT traversal
  • App for iOS and Android tablets and smartphones
  • PC and MacOS player and configuration software
  • @TV Plus will be available in August.

*In the UK, record feature can only be used while on your home network
**In supported countries

New Canon X Mark I Pro Launched

The X Mark I Pro is the latest addition to our award-winning X series line-up already consisting of business function calculators, mouse, keypads, pointer and portable printing calculators. The new model’s 610 advanced functions are the highest available in Canon’s X series line-up. It is intended for those customers who demand not only advanced functions, but also seek a unique and luxury product with a stylish design.

LOL … gotcha !!! I bet you thought this was a new camera.

The Best Looking Phones of 2012

9L6A0206Let’s keep it realistic: mobile phones are much more than simple devices used to make phone calls. Let’s get even more realistic however, and declare that they’re even much more than tools used to play video games, watch videos, listen to music, and do whatever other functions now possible on our smartphones. Mobiles are fashion accessories, in every sense of the word. Now we’ve got that basic truth off our chest, it’s time to discern which models are the best looking of the year.

 

Sony Xperia S
If mobile phones were a woman, the Sony Xperia S would be a cross between Beyonce and Jennifer Anniston in their prime. Well that might look a little bit weird actually but I think you get my drift, for the phone is THAT good looking. 
The Sony Xperia S’s inventive mono-bloc style design is seductive to say the least, and its outer layer which comes in both silver and black delicately adds a strong touch of class to the model. This touch is further enhanced by the silver strip running across the phone near its bottom.

 

Samsung Galaxy SIII
Perhaps it’s the sheer aura of the phone due to its capabilities, or maybe it is the design that makes the phone’s capabilities seem that extra bit better. Either way, the Samsung Galaxy SIII has had people scouring mobile phone deals just to behold the device as if it’s some kind of treasure. 
It may very well be some kind of treasure, as it certainly looks like one. The phone’s white silver encasing represents something of extreme value and the blue version is just as – if not even more – beautiful. 
The only problem with the phone however, is that unlike the Sony Xperia S, it costs as expensive as it looks at some half a grand in pound sterling. Still, as Samsung will tell you, it costs money to look this good.

 

HTC One X
Admittedly, the HTC One X isn’t quite as attractive as the Galaxy SIII and Xperia S. However, this is more a credit to the other two, rather than a criticism of HTC’s One X. This phone just looks both neat and solid, which is a hard combination to pull off. 
With a back end just as attractive as its front, the One X is a phone that looks equally great in white and black, with a design that’s chic and stylish.

 

OS X Mountain Lion Launching Tomorrow, July 25

In Apple's earnings press release issued just moments ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook officially announced that OS X Mountain Lion will indeed be launching tomorrow, July 25.

“We’re thrilled with record sales of 17 million iPads in the June quarter,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’ve also just updated the entire MacBook line, will release Mountain Lion tomorrow and will be launching iOS 6 this Fall. We are also really looking forward to the amazing new products we’ve got in the pipeline.”

OS X Mountain Lion will be priced at $19.99 and will be available via the Mac App Store. 

Apple followed a similar tactic last year, announcing at the start of its July earnings conference call that OS X Lion would launch the following day.

[Source: MacRumors]

Apple Reports Results for Q3 2012: $8.8 Billion Profit on $35 Billion in Revenue

Apple today announced financial results for the second calendar quarter and third fiscal quarter of 2012. For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $35.0 billion and net quarterly profit of $8.8 billion, or $9.32 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $28.57 billion and net quarterly profit of $7.31 billion, or $7.79 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.

This will be considered a big "miss" for Apple, as it is dramatically weaker than what analysts were expecting. The company did beat its own guidance, however. Last quarter, Apple said it would make $34 billion in revenue and earnings of $8.67 per share.

Gross margin was 42.8 percent, compared to 41.7 percent in the year-ago quarter, and international sales accounted for 62 percent of the quarter's revenue. Apple's quarterly profit and revenue were both company records for the June quarter. Apple also declared a new quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share payable on August 16 to shareholders as of the close of trading on August 13.


Quarterly iPhone unit sales reached 26.0 million, up 28 percent from the year-ago quarter, and the company sold 17.0 million iPads, up 84 percent year-over-year. Apple sold 4.0 million Macintosh computers, a unit increase of 2 percent over the year-ago quarter. The company also sold 6.8 million iPods, representing a 10 percent unit decline year-over-year.

“We’re thrilled with record sales of 17 million iPads in the June quarter,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’ve also just updated the entire MacBook line, will release Mountain Lion tomorrow and will be launching iOS 6 this Fall. We are also really looking forward to the amazing new products we’ve got in the pipeline.”

Apple's guidance for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 includes expected revenue of $34 billion and earnings per diluted share of $7.65.


Apple will provide live streaming of its Q3 2012 financial results conference call at 2:00 PM Pacific, and MacRumors will update this story with coverage of the conference call highlights.

[Source: MacRumors]

Apple to Update iPod Touch with 4-Inch Display, A5 Chip, Buffed Aluminum Rear Shell?

In line with a fresh report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claiming that Apple will be updating the iPod touch later this year with an "all-new" design using the same in-cell touch display technology rumored to be used in the next iPhone, Japanese blogMacotakara reports that Apple will also be moving the iPod touch to a 4-inch display from the current 3.5-inch display. Apple is otherwise said to be basing the iPod touch's internals on the iPhone 4S, although the case will include a "buffed aluminum" rear shell rather than the glass back of the iPhone 4S or the mirrored stainless steel of the current iPod touch.

According to asian source, new iPod touch (5th generation) will have 4 inch LCD which is the same size with coming iPhone 5.

CPU or other spec is considered to be same with iPhone 4S, and has different back-case design, which will be not mirror polished but buffed alminum one. And it seems to be prepared black and white color model.

The report's source also indicates that there is an additional hole in the lower portion of the rear shell, separate from the camera found on the current model. It is, however, currently unknown what the function of the hole will be.

[Source: MacRumors]

Samsung announcing 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II at August 15th press event?

A 5.5-inch successor to the Galaxy Note will be announced at Samsung's August 15th press event, according to BGR's anonymous source. This aligns well with previous rumors, which could indicate that the company's unbreakable plane display technology (UBP), 12-megapixel camera, and Android 4.1 are coming along for the ride. Then again, Samsung's August 15th event could be the launchpad for a different stylus-equipped device, the Note 10.1.

[Source: TheVerge]

Apple's New Barcelona Retail Store Opens July 28

 

Apple today announced that its new Passeig de Gràcia retail store in Barcelona, Spain will officially open this Saturday, July 28 at 10:00 AM.

The store has gained some notice for Apple's use of mosaics in the store's logo and construction barriers honoring the style of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, with the mosaics being made up of pieces of icons from Apple's iOS apps.

[Source: MacRumors]