The iPad's screen is amazing--but for lovers of magazines, photos, and videos, there may be some unexpected downside. The newest iPad's new Retina display is a marvel of engineering: a combination of exacting manufacturing, advancements in LCD technology (smaller transistors lead to smaller pixels, which equals higher pixel density at lower power), and possibly some gypsy magic paid for with Jonathan Ive's toenails. With four times the resolution to work with, apps are going to look almost painfully sharp. But it's not an immediate win/win: almost everything that currently looks crystal-clear on an iPad's screen will need a high-resolution overhaul to look equally good spread across 3.1 million pixels. And that comes with some drawbacks, both for app developers and consumers. Continue reading
Forget 3D Screens—We Need 3D Audio, Like in Real Life
Some decades ago, a salesguy in a high-end audio shop badly misjudged my socioeconomic status and treated me to an ultrahigh-quality recording of an obscure jazz ensemble, played on a $10,000 audio system in an acoustically perfect room. I staggered out goose-bumped and hair-raised, a newly minted audiophile wannabe. I was sure that this was just the beginning of a journey into ever-more-amazing sound experiences. The equipment in that room consisted of glowing tubes in big metal cases, vibrating domes in massive wood cabinets, and spinning platters of plastic. No doubt technological innovation would one day shrink this clunky system into something small enough to carry around and cheap enough to avoid triggering the reckless-behavior clause in my prenup. More important, I was sure that even grander realms of audio quality lay ahead. By 2011, who could imagine what sort of incredible sonic delights would await? Continue reading
This Is My Remote Control
A few weeks ago, a company called VooMote sent me a press kit that included two universal remotes. The first was a VooMote Zapper, a little infrared dongle that turns your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch into a customizable universal remote. The other was the QuantumFx REM-115, a sled-sized slab of blackish industrial plastic outfitted with buttons big enough to be operated with your forehead. The conceit: "look how far remotes have come!" But here's the thing: the QuantumFx REM-115 the remote I actually want to use. The QuantumFx is massive, clumsy, physical, tactile, primitive. And useful. We called for a new breed of truly futuristic remotes a few weeks ago, and our position still stands: we're not wowed by gadgets that use trendy technologies because they're trendy. Touchscreens on remotes immediately qualify, in my book: I've never used a touchscreen remote that felt as useful and natural as a regular buttoned remote. Continue reading
Improve The Functioning Of Your Car With Chip Keys
A chip key can make your car a lot more successful than actually before. It not simply delivers security from your intruders but also performs a number of capabilities with your car which can make it a ought to have instrument for the car. A microchip resides from the top of the key includes a code variety which can be uniquely defined to just about every car key separately. The chip key features a digital chip for identifying stereo frequency that is securely embedded inside its mind. Control models of the chips send a request towards the vehicle to confirm the encrypted coding. The corresponding unit inside car receives the stereo signals and checks no matter whether the code would be the appropriate one. In the event the car isn't in a position to read the signals with the chips, it is not going to respond. This ensures that no one can discover your car with a different fixed of keys. Even if a thief breaks into your car and tries to hotwire it, it won't start out rather trigger an alarm and notify you by way of your key. Continue reading
Apple, Google and Intel sued by former employees
Unlikely bedfellows or co-conspirators against the working man? A judge says they must stand up in court for what they are being accused of having done. Google, Apple, and Intel have loads of former employees accusing them of colluding to keep wages down, through a choking of competition. It is not only these three, either. Toss in Adobe, Pixar, Intuit, and Lucasfilm. Now you have the makings of a conspiracy theory, right? Not according to a U.S. Judge. A class action suit was opened against all of these companies for collaborating on riding themselves of competition, which ultimately eradicated mobility and limited the wages. How did these big guys do it? According to the suit, they agreed to refrain from poaching each others’ employees. Continue reading