Since the iPad was announced, there were plenty of imitators that released their own version of the tablet, running either Windows 7 or Andriod. However, none of them was as hyped up as the Samsung Galaxy Tab. There are supposedly two sizes available, 7in and 10in, but the 10in is not being released yet. Anyway, with the release of the 7in Galaxy Tab coming very soon, an official promotional video has been released. Obviously trying to show that it's better than the iPad, Samsung just had to poke fun at the iPad's lack of features, I suspect partly in revenge for the accusations Apple shot at Samsung a few months earlier.
While the iPad is basically nothing much than a bigger and more glorious iPod Touch. Its hardware is rather simple and functionality is limited to the apps that can be created on it. Where the Galaxy Tab shines is the smaller and more portable size, 7 inch is easier to hold with one hand and its lighter. To add more features than the iPad, it can browse the web in its entirety with Flash enabled, take photos, do video chat and even stream video to watch on a nearby TV. Since it runs Andriod OS, it's open to the over 80,000 apps on the Andriod Market.
To me, a big plus is that the 7in size is a good balance between comfort, portability and convenience. Based on the video too, it looks like it's more comfortable to use than an iPad, although I find that the iPad might be better at playing games, though that's not I will plan to use the Galaxy Tab for if I had one.
We've all encountered and hated that the powerpoints sockets are always just barely out of reach when we need them the most. The usual drill thereafter is that we either mutter some vulgarities and fetch an extension cord or just grumble and move nearer to the powerpoint. If both aren't possible, then a big sigh of disappointed, probably followed by more cursing. The team at Yanko Design (Japan), however, had a different approach. So instead of being verbally provocative, they provoked their brains. The result, why not build an extension cord into the powerpoint itself? By making the powerpoint extend-able, there is no more need to go into a frenzy whenever your laptop battery is out of juice. Simply pull out the powerpoint from the wall socket, plug in your laptop AC unit and everyone's happy. Probably the only thing that the person will be unhappy about is to get out of the chair and pull out the powerpoint, but that's not the fault of this invention anyway. Check out the pictures below, taken from the Yanko Design webpage itself.
An example of a use of the invention. I've encountered the exact same scenario depicted.
Game companies will do anything for money, especially when it comes to exploiting a celebrity (think Hannah Montana). Now that Michael Jackson has passed on and his legacy is very much alive, Ubisoft was quick to take advantage and made a MJ-dancing video game for the Wii. Check out the trailer in the main post. While the trailing is actually quite impressive, reminding me of the "This Is It" movie trailer, I have a strong inkling that the game is going to be quite thrashy. I wouldn't criticise the graphics, given the limitations of the Wii. With that, I would say the visuals are not too bad, though MJ looks a bit.. erm.. gay? However, I doubt playing the game will make you feel as accomplished than if you were to say, learn the real dance moves. I know I'm being mean, but there are much better ways to appreciate MJ than to dance unnaturally while grasping a wiimote.
Newton, especially in physics, is an important word. The father of physics and the SI unit of force. Issac Newton is so respected in the physics world that his name is synonymous with physics itself. While generally everything in the world obeys the laws of physics, there are always some that don't. In this case, non-newtonian liquids. A non-newtonian liquid is one that is liquid in nature but behaves like a solid. There are lots of examples out there, including shampoo, tomato ketchup, paint and even our blood. I'm not really a scienc-ey person, ever since I graduated from junior college four years ago. So, I shall let the video below do the explanation. It's kind of like Mythbusters style, except that its on a much lower budget and is somewhat quite entertaining too. And like this post, its from G4TV too. Haha.
Apple iDevices are always touted as being able to do everything, even to the point of saying "there's an app for everything". NewsDay, a newspaper app on the iPad made this interesting advert to show that the iPad can really be used for everything. The only drawback is that the device may not work as intended after that. "Read more" to view the video.
LG is usually not the first name you think of when you talk about mobile phones and televisions. But that doesn't mean that they are not trying to be ahead of the curve. At the ongoing IFA Consumer's Electronics show in Berlin, they have unveiled some new products and technology, including a prototype Windows Phone 7 and the world's thinnest OLED TV.
World's Thinnest OLED TV (2.9mm Thick)
When you talk about thin televisions now, Samsung's LED TV or Sony's Monolith TV are the few that will pop to mind. Technology in TV sets has always been improving, from Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), to Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), to Plasma. More recently, they have evolved to Light Emitting Diode Backlit (LED) to achieve thinner displays with a high contrast ratio, of which Samsung is the forerunner.
Samsung LED Backlit TV, it's already as thin as it can get
However, there was also another technology quietly sitting in the background. It's called Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED). It offers the very good colour reproduction, the best viewing angles and highest contrast ratios among all current technologies. It is also the thinnest and is very flexible, in the literal sense of the word. Check it out in the video below.
While OLED is already in widespread use in electronics nowadays, the main drawback of it is the high price when it comes to bigger screens. Thus it hasn't been heard of in current television sets, though there were some shown by Sony a couple years back at about 5mm thick but those were only about 11" wide and cost a few thousand (wow!).
Sony's 11" OLED Display at 5mm thickness
Now LG Electronics have revealed their newest TV that uses OLED technology. It is only a prototype, unfortunately. Regardless, it is an amazing TV set to behold. It is the world's thinnest at only 2.9mm thick! You can see it in the video below. The viewing angles are just wonderful, images can be seen the moment you can see the screen. And the colours are deep and rich. No price has been put on it or whether it will go into mass production soon, but it's such a beautiful TV.
LG Optimus 7 - A Windows Phone 7
As mentioned above, LG is not one of the first companies that comes to mind when talking about smartphones. They did try, if you remembered, with the LG Cookie and LG Arena. Ultimately, LG can make a good phone but their user interface and OS just simply do not offer a nice experience. Today, almost every new smartphone has at least a 1Ghz processor, good graphics capabilities and multitouch screen. But what sets them apart are the interfaces and operating systems. There are currently iOS, Andriod, Symbian, Meego, Windows Mobile 6.5, Blackberry OS, WebOS, Bada OS, etc, each with their own design and features.
There is a new, highly anticipated operating system, due to release later this year. That is Windows Phone 7, not to be confused with Windows Mobile OS. It is an entirely new operating system developed by Microsoft and offers a fresh new way to integrate your lifestyle into a phone. The interface is totally unlike what we've seen in iOS or Andriod. Various demo videos have surfaced on YouTube and the OS is currently looking very sleek and professional and smooth running.
Windows Phone 7. It's homescreen features "Live Tiles" which shows you important information on the go.
Many big companies have already signed on with Microsoft to bring this WP7 into the market when it is released. Among them is LG. The Optimus 7 is a prototype Windows Phone 7 that they are showcasing in IFA 2010 right now. Interestingly, Dell is also joining the smartphone industry and came up with some cool looking phones, including a Windows Phone 7 phone. You can read about it in my earlier post here.
LG Optimus 7 Phone
I am not too sure but I think Microsoft do not allow Windows Phone 7 phone makers to skin their devices, unlike Andriod, so there is not way to distinguish one WP7 phone from another. The only way is to provide native apps to their phones to enhance the experience. What LG has done instead is to make their devices work with one another. For example, this LG Optimus 7 allows you to stream photos and videos from the phone to a pair LG TV via DLNA wireless technology. It is not really a new thing but LG has made it more fun by introducing "flicking" gestures. You can view the photos on the phone and if you like what you see and want to share with everyone in the room on a big screen TV, simply flick the photo off the screen to the TV and the TV will display the photo. Pretty neat huh? It can also be done with videos and looks really interesting. Check the two videos below to see it in action.
Technology-wise, LG Electronics has shown that they are not too far behind in the smartphones and television race. They have shown some innovative ideas and will not be overshadowed by the larger companies like Samsung.
