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    Apple looking for further Samsung sales ban, wants $707 million more in damages

    Gadgets Team
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    Apple looking for further Samsung sales ban, wants $707 million more in damages

    Seems like Apple wants to put Samsung out of commission, at least in the US. After its victory over Samsung about a month ago, the firm from Cupertino is looking for a sales ban on all infringing Samsung products in the US that applies to “any of the infringing products or any other product with a feature or features not more than colorably different from any of the infringing feature or features in any of the Infringing Products.” Reading between the lines, that particular request means that most of Samsung’s current products would fall under the ban, which includes their recently launched Galaxy S III. In addition to that particular sales ban, Apple is also looking to get $707 million on top of the $1 billion that they’re getting from Sammy.  Of course, the Korean firm isn’t going to take this lying down, and has responded by asking for a new trial. “The Court’s constraints on trial time, witnesses and exhibits were unprecedented for a patent case of this complexity and magnitude, and prevented Samsung from presenting a full and fair case in response to Apple’s many claims,” Samsung said. Samsung also directly challenged Apple over their overly aggressive litigation, saying that “It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies.”

    Source: Reuters 

    iPhone 5 disassembled by iFixit – somewhat easier to fix, still uses Apple’s proprietary Pentalobe screws

    Gadgets Team
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    iPhone 5 disassembled by iFixit – somewhat easier to fix, still uses Apple’s proprietary Pentalobe screws

    As a new iPhone is launched, it’s inevitable that the new device would be taken apart by interested third parties looking to make repair guides for it. One such site is iFixit, and as expected the website has already splayed the iPhone 5 apart for all to see. The crew over at iFixit has commented that the iPhone 5 uses the same pentalobe screws that are present on the iPhone 4S, which is good news for part-time tinkerers who have already taken the iPhone 4S apart. What’s even more surprising is that the device is opened front to back, which means it’s easier to repair than the iPhone 4S, which by their account, takes 38 steps to separate the display. This means that the iPhone 5 is the step forward for the company, from a repair standpoint. Other things that the crew discovered is that the iPhone 5 uses a 1440mAh battery, and the lens cover that protects the iSight camera is pretty sturdy, and is tough enough to withstand vigorous scratching from a steel tool.

    Source: iFixit

    Asus set to announce PadFone 2 on Oct 16

    Gadgets Team
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    Asus set to announce PadFone 2 on Oct 16

    Asus has just sent out invites to foreign press delegates about the imminent announcement to the successor of their groundbreaking device, the PadFone. Seems like the firm has set a simultaneous launch on Taipei and Milan on Oct 16., the date when they’ll unveil the replacement to the phone/tablet hybrid that unfortunately, wasn’t sold locally. Rumors are running amok though on what particular hardware the device will be running, though one rumor that’s being oft repeated is that the device will run a at 1.5 GHz with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, and a 1280 x 720 display. We’ll try to get same day coverage of the launch, so keep your eyes glued on the front page.

    Source: Liliputing

    Apple’s iPhone 5 A6 processor has a triple core GPU, dual-core processor

    Gadgets Team
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    Apple’s iPhone 5 A6 processor has a triple core GPU, dual-core processor

    When Apple announced the iPhone 5 about a week ago, it didn’t dive into the nitty gritty of what exactly their new A6 processor was. Well, the good people at UBM TechInsights have taken the task to analyze the new A6 chip, and they’ve released the first diffusion images of Apple’s A6 SoC. The images reveal that the new chip uses three GPU cores (one less than what’s on the new iPad) and has a dual-core processor. This possibly means that the iPhone 5 is capable of pushing better graphics than ever before, which was demonstrated during the actual launch event with Real Racing 3. Surprisingly, UBM also thinks that the manufacturer of the processor is bitter tech rival Samsung, which goes to show that no matter how bitter the fight between the two brands has become, life still goes on as far as selling components go.

    Source: UBM TechInsights

    Pinoy_Blogfest 3.0 happens tomorrow!

    Ren Alcantara
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    Pinoy_Blogfest 3.0 happens tomorrow!

     

    We live in a world whose borders are shrinking. Getting access to information has never been easier, and as such, people find that getting what they want is simple, particularly when you aren’t picky about how to get it. Yes, we are talking about piracy. People who pirate tend not to care about whom they are hurting and how, and we’re tackling that at the Pinoy_Blogfest.

    Head over to our Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/gadgetsmagazine, send us a message with your details, provided and we’ll save you a slot in the evening program, and where we’ll be discussing the piracy problem with a panel of experts, including ADMU PolSci professor, Filipino Freethinker and author Leloy Claudio, Jason Conanan from the Terno Records band Hidden Nikki and Lawyer and former IPO Consultant Mark Robert Dy.

    Make sure you drop by for the afternoon sessions as well and learn a few photography tricks, the legal side of IP and a local kickstarter for creatives. We’ll be at the Alphaland Tents at Chino Roces tomorrow starting at 1pm. We’ll see you there!

    iOS 6 maps are buggy, inaccurate and just plain wrong

    Gadgets Team
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    iOS 6 maps are buggy, inaccurate and just plain wrong

    As expected, Apple announced iOS 6 the same time as their iPhone 5 unveil. One of main changes of iOS 6 from the previous version was that Apple was cutting ties with Google’s Map service, and replacing it with their own. It made sense really – Apple is waging patent warfare with several of Google’s partners, and Android, Google’s own mobile OS, is the biggest threat to Apple’s mobile ambitions. There’s just a big problem: Apple’s iOS 6 maps are buggy, inaccurate and nowhere as good as the one Google supplied. US users have found that the accuracy of the maps functionality in iOS 6 is nowhere as good as Google’s, and doesn’t have the same accuracy when it comes to locating addresses of businesses and landmarks.

    It gets worse for people outside the US: there’s almost no street information for overseas locations, and for locations that do have that, the maps in iOS 6 label locations incorrectly: Airfield Garden, a working farm in a residential area in Ireland has been tagged as an actual airport. Ireland’s Minister for Justice,  Alan Shatter had this to say:

    “I am surprised to discover that Airfield, which is in the centre of my constituency in Dundrum, has, in Apple’s new operating system iOS 6 maps application, been designated with the image of an aircraft. Airfield, a 35 acre estate with working farm, formal gardens and café is of course a famous and immensely popular, important local amenity. ” 

    He further adds that “Clearly the designation is not only wrong but is dangerously misleading in that it could result in a pilot, unfamiliar with the area,  in an emergency situation and without other available information, attempting a landing.”

    And that’s only the beginning. It’s gotten so bad that frustrated users has taken to submitting iOS 6 fails to http://theamazingios6maps.tumblr.com, where people are documenting the bugged locations in iOS 6.

    Apple for their part, has released a statement about the maps in iOS 6. Apple spokeswoman Trudy Miller has issued the following statement on the issue on AllThingsD.

    “Customers around the world are upgrading to iOS 6 with over 200 new features including Apple Maps, our first map service. We are excited to offer this service with innovative new features like Flyover, turn by turn navigation, and Siri integration. We launched this new map service knowing it is a major initiative and that we are just getting started with it. Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.”

    Source: AllThingsD, BGR, Sociable

     

     

    A history of game console redesign

    Gadgets Team
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    A history of game console redesign

    The PlayStation 3 (PS3) revealed its new “super slim” design in yet another redesign of the console, and having owned multiple versions of game consoles over the years, I’ve noticed that a lot of consoles have what I would call the “fat” and “thin” versions of their product. Most companies who make consoles usually released the “fat” version first and then came out with a “thin” version later on, as you see in the in the photo above. So why does a console go through a redesign? Advances in technology, corrections of previous design flaws, and cost seem to be the leading reasons why.

    In almost every case, these new designs have updated hardware to reflect the pace at which technology advances. In some cases, a redesign is meant to correct serious flaws in the console’s design. For example, the “fat” PlayStation 2 (PS2) used to have a hardware error known as the Disc Read Error, where the lens that would read the CD would eventually fall out of alignment and fail to read the CD in the system. You would then have to restart the console multiple times in order to get the CD to read, and you would be lucky if it did at all. The solution was either to send it in for repairs or fix it yourself by opening the console and re-aligning the lens (and thus void the warranty), which was very complicated for those who did not know console hardware. The “fat” Xbox 360 had what we all would call the “red ring of death” (RROD), which would indicate a hardware failure of some sort (one or three red lights), or a sign of overheating (two red lights) or a problem with the AV cable (four red lights). Some of the user fixes ranged from opening the console and applying new thermal paste to the CPU (which would void the warranty) or strangely, wrapping the console in cold towels, and surprisingly some of these fixes worked, but only temporarily.

    Sometimes they redesign game consoles for financial reasons, so that so much money won’t be spent on the materials that make up the console. For example, the “fat” PS2, released in 2000, measured in at a bulky 301 x 178 x 78 mm, while the “thin” one, released in 2004, is a mere 230 x 152 x 28 mm and reduced the system’s volume by 75%. Similar things were done with earlier consoles, such as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), which was one of the first systems to have “fat” and “thin” versions, with the redesign of the NES being a top loading console. The Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, and Nintendo 64 also had the top loading design, but those were mostly limited to cartridge based consoles. Sometimes, with redesign comes minimalism; at launch the “fat” PS3 had four USB ports; the “thin” PS3 only had two, and the “thinner” PS3 also has two.

    Other times, consoles are redesigned to improve the console by adding new features. For example, the original “fat” PlayStation would only plug into a TV; the “thin” PlayStation allowed you to attach a screen to it so you could take it on the go. The “fat” PlayStation 2 had an expansion bay for a modem at launch; when the “thin” version was released, the modem was built into the system.

    Handhelds were more often redesigned than their console counterparts: for example, the Game Boy Pocket was less bulky and only required two AA batteries, while the original Game Boy required four and could barely fit into your pocket. The Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS were also similarly redesigned, along with the PSP.

    However, a redesign isn’t always necessarily a good thing: the “fat” PS3 had backwards compatibility all the way to the original PlayStation, so you could play all your older games on it, while the “thin” and “thinner” versions do not. The same goes for the Nintendo Wii: it scrapped GameCube backwards compatibility when it was redesigned last year. So a redesign can work both ways, and it shouldn’t necessarily be the reason why you get a “thin” version of a console. As the old saying goes: if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 Update: Sara Black holds a digital photography workshop

    Gadgets Team
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    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 Update: Sara Black holds a digital photography workshop

    Want to learn a thing or two about digital photography? Come to Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 and listen to Canon Crusader of Light Sara Black as she gives us some photography tips!

    Sara is one of the country’s leading beauty and fashion photographers. She has photographed models and celebrities for almost all of the country’s fashion and lifestyle magazines. This roster includes Dawn Zulueta, Kristine Hermosa, Maricel Soriano, Anne Curtis, Korina Sanchez, Imelda Marcos, Carmina Villaroel, Ruffa Gutierrez, Willie Revillame, and Former Vice President Noli de Castro. She released a book in 2009 entitled When I Look in the Mirror, which is a series of portraits of women with imperfections meant to expose society’s obsession with perfection.

    Catch Sara this Saturday at Pinoy Blogfest 3.0, where you will not only learn a lot—you’ll have loads of fun, too!

    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 takes on the Digital Divide

    Gadgets Team
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    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 takes on the Digital Divide

    Give each side a chance to air their story—that’s one simple solution to settle the feud between pro- and anti-Internet piracy supporters. Pinoy Blogfest 3.0, an annual event staged by Gadgets Magazine, aims to do just that. Everyone—no matter which side of the issue you’re on—is invited to be part of this instructive yet fun event, happening on Saturday, 22 September 2012 at the Alphaland Tents (EDSA cor. Chino Roces, near Magallanes MRT station) in Makati City.

    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 is themed Caught in the Web: Both Sides of the Digital Movement, and promises a whole afternoon of exciting activities. Whether you’re a tech geek, a music buff, a gamer, a fashionista, or just someone who wants to learn and discover new things, we’ve cooked up something special just for you.

    The afternoon program is free and open to the public. It begins with a digital photography session courtesy of Canon Crusader of Light, Sara Black. Next on the program is a talk about Intellectual Property law by Atty. Ann Edillon of Bengzon Negre Untalan (BNU) Intellectual Property Attorneys. Diego Mapa of OPM bands Pedicab and Tarsius, and Mark Laccay from local creative funding platform Artiste Connect will also share how crowd funding can bridge the gap between consumers and content-makers.

    Color It Red, Downdraft, Taken By Cars, and Ciudad will be there for special guest performances. You can win gifts and prizes from our sponsors when you participate in various activities, including a fun segment by Edifier. You can also pick out awesome finds in our fashion aisle courtesy of Supersale Bazaar, while gaming rigs from Sony will be set up for those who want free gaming action.

    In the evening program, there will be a panel discussion on Internet piracy and digital rights. To give this interactive dialog are Filipino Freethinker Leloy Claudio, former IPOPHL consultant Atty. Mark Dy, and Engr. Jason Conanan from local band Hidden Nikki. Legal luminary Adel Tamano, Director for Public Affairs and Communication of Coca-Cola will be the evening’s Keynote Speaker. Concluding the program will be the announcement of the winners of the GoodBlog Awards, music from local bands Runmanila and Black Summer, and the raffle draws.

    The evening program, which starts at 6:30 pm, is a BIO (By Invitation Only) event. If you wish to attend, please visit www.facebook.com/GadgetsMagazine and send a private message with your name and contact details so the organizers can put you on the guest list.

    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 is brought you by Gadgets Magazine and Coca-Cola, in cooperation with Edifier, NEO Laptops and AOC Monitors, and support from Canon Philippines, HP, Sony, Mili and Divoom, Ginebra San Miguel Premium Gin, Reebok, Supersale Bazaar, Artiste Connect, The Ateneo Musicians’ Pool, and official media partner Manila Bulletin. For more information, please visit www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/pinoy_blogfest3.

     

    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 Update: Artiste Connect talks about “crowd funding”

    Gadgets Team
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    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 Update: Artiste Connect talks about “crowd funding”

    If you’ve been visiting torrent sites, you’d know that some of the most common types of content that are being pirated online include music and movies. Albums, films, books, and other kinds of art are made widely available online. But there are times that the manner in which these items are made available is against the law. When music and movies are shared through illegal channels, there are risks that the artists won’t get their proper compensation.

    There are, however, certain movements online that attempt to bridge the gap between consumers and producers of content. Online funding (“crowd funding”) platforms for creative projects have begun to sprout on the web, giving the consumers a chance to actually become engaged in the artists’ production of content. An example of such a platform is Kickstarter.


    In line with the theme of this year’s Pinoy Blogfest, we’ve lined up two resource speakers—Mark Laccay and Diego Mapa—from local artist funding site, Artiste Connect, to share with us how crowd funding works and how it benefits both the artist and the consumer.

    Mark is an is an Audio Engineer, Music Producer, Artist, Entrepreneur, Educator, and Art Advocate. He owns a audio post company called Click Multimedia Inc. and has won various awards for Best Sound in Cinemalaya 2007-2010. As an educator, he is the Curriculum Consultant for Audio Department of Myanmar Media Development Center and the Head Audio Consultant for MRTV4 and Forever Group Corporation Limited in Myanmar. Mark is also an Audio Consultant of yearly lectures on the correct audio practices for TV Broadcast Media and Cinema for ABS-CBN and GMA7.

    Diego is Artiste Connect’s Web Manager and the company’s Music Advocate.  He has been active in the country’s music scene since 1997 as a recording artist and live musician for local bands Pedicab, Cambio, Monsterbot and Tarsius. His band Tarsius is the first local band to press a Colored Vinyl Record in the country without a Vinyl release after 20 years, with the help of Artiste Connect. He is also a gig promoter and owns a private audio post studio.

    Catch Mark and Diego at Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 on Saturday, 4PM! If you’re into music, here’s a treat: three bands affiliated with Artiste Connect will be playing live at the event! These are: Color It Red, Taken By Cars, and Ciudad. See you on Saturday, folks! Don’t forget to bring some friends.

    What you should know about iOS 6

    Gadgets Team
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    What you should know about iOS 6

    The new operating system for the iPhone (3GS, 4, 4S and 5), iPad (iPad 2 and iPad 3), and iPod Touch (4th and 5th generations), iOS 6, is now rolling out worldwide and should be available if you update your software simply by going to Settings, then to General, and hitting Software Update, just as you would for any new updates to the iOS platform. However, Apple says that there are over 200 new features to iOS 6, and here are some of them.

    Siri returns in iOS 6, with a lot of new features. Did you miss a game and want to know the score? Want to know the reviews of a certain movie or restaurant? Open your apps via voice command? Just ask Siri, and it will tell you, and open the apps for you. For example, you can say “Launch Angry Birds” and it will immediately open Angry Birds. You can even integrate it with Twitter and Facebook, and speak your tweets and status updates into your phone.

    The Maps application has been completely redesigned, and will now include 3D imagery, navigation by TomTom, and will be integrated with Siri. The app is also integrated with Yelp, so you can see not only where a place is, but its reviews as well, so if you’re in a new city, you can find out not only where to go, but where to stay, where to eat, and interesting landmarks in the city.

    Facebook is also fully integrated into iOS 6. “Now it’s easier than ever to interact with the world’s largest social network. And there’s no need to leave your app to do it. Share a photo to Facebook right from Camera or Photos. Post your location right from Maps. Brag about a high score right from Game Center. If you have your hands full, just ask Siri to post for you. You need to sign in to Facebook only once, and you’ll be off and sharing. Never miss another birthday or get-together, since Facebook events are integrated into Calendar. And your Facebook friends’ profile information is integrated into Contacts, so when they update an email address or phone number you automatically stay up to date. Now that’s something to post about,” Apple says on its official website.

    On the new Photos app, you can stream your photos on Apple TV, and even share them with people who aren’t using Apple devices through the web. People can like individual photos and make comments on them as well. One of the big pluses to the new Photos app? Your shared photo streams don’t count against your iCloud storage, and they work over Wi-Fi and cellular networks.

    Passbook is brand new to iOS 6, and basically you won’t have to fish for things like boarding passes, movie tickets, coupons, or loyalty cards in your purse or wallet ever again, as they are all now in the Passbook app. You can scan your iPhone or iPod touch to check in for a flight, get into a movie, and redeem a coupon. You can also see when your coupons expire, where your concert seats are, and the balance left on that all-important coffee bar card. Wake your iPhone or iPod touch, and passes appear on your Lock screen at the appropriate time and place—like when you reach the airport or walk into the store to redeem your gift card or coupon. And if your gate changes after you’ve checked in for your flight, Passbook will even alert you to make sure you’re not relaxing in the wrong terminal.

    FaceTime also received its own facelift, as you now can use it over cellular networks as well as WiFi. Now that you can use FaceTime with iPad, you can use it any time, on any device. The new Phone includes the ability to decline an incoming call and instantly reply with a text message or set a callback reminder. You can even turn on Do Not Disturb mode and only let certain contacts contact you at any given time.

    Lost your iPhone? You can still find it via Lost Mode, making it even easier to use Find My iPhone to locate and protect a missing device. Immediately lock your missing iPhone with a four-digit passcode and send it a message displaying a contact number. That way a good Samaritan can call you from your Lock screen without accessing the rest of the information on your iPhone. And while in Lost Mode, your device will keep track of where it’s been and report back to you anytime you check in with the Find My iPhone app.

    Want to find your friends or keep track of your kids? Those who share their locations with you appear on a map so you can quickly see where they are and what they’re up to. And with iOS 6, you can get location-based alerts—like when your kids leave school or arrive home. Find My Friends can also notify others about your location, so you can stay connected or keep track of the ones you love.

    Smart fires back against Globe’s statement, says Globe performed “selective reading of the test results”

    Gadgets Team
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    Smart fires back against Globe’s statement, says Globe performed “selective reading of the test results”

    Smart has officially sent out their reply to Globe’s statement, hot in the heels of Globe’s presscon earlier today. In their press release, Smart calls Globe’s interpretation of the NTC benchmarks as “a selective reading of the test results defies arithmetic, and, more importantly, flies in the face of consumer experience.” Smart says that according to the same benchmark, they managed to rate higher in four of the five parameters, which include  1) Drop Call Rate; 2) Call Set Up Time; 3) Average Signal Quality; and 4) Average Receive Signal Level.

    Smart also accuses Globe of manipulating the test results, which concerns the Average Receive Signal Level. Basically Smart is saying that Globe mentioned in their statement that “the final metric is the Average Receive Signal Level with a minimum acceptable range of -85 dBm,” and that both telcos did not make it to the standard.

    This isn’t true, says Smart as both telcos actually passed the standard, with Globe registering a score of -69.83 dBm, while Smart had decisively better results, at -62.63 dBm. This particular parameter deals directly with signal strength, and Smart stresses that their signal level is five times stronger than Globe’s.

     

     

    Globe says their legacy network better than Smart’s upgraded network

    Gadgets Team
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    Globe says their legacy network better than Smart’s upgraded network

    The network wars is heating up. Globe has given us a heads up yesterday that a recent NTC benchmark has said that Globe’s legacy network is better than Smart’s upgraded network when it comes to the Grade of Service. Grade of Service or Call Setup Failure Rate is touted as the most important metric in the telco industry, as this particular metric determines if you will be able to call whoever you want. Globe has managed to nab 4.45% (lower is better) while Smart got 9.95%.  Globe says that this score was achieved  using Globe’s legacy network, while Smart’s score was achieved using their upgraded network. By the way, both networks have failed that particular metric – NTC’s standard is 4%, so it’s fair to say that both have failed on that particular metric, it’s just that Globe failed closer to the passing grade than Smart.

    Understandably, Ernest Cu, President CEO has lashed out against the negative ads that Smart has been running lately, saying that there’s a bigger chance of you not being able to call on the other network than on theirs. He adds “We know our network isn’t perfect, but that’s the reason why we’re spending 700 million dollars to improve our network.” The NTC benchmark was made during the second quarter of the year, in 16 cities in Metro Manila using network drive tests with a sample size of 1,506 on-net calls. Cu adds that it’s important to note that even though Globe only managed to get one metric up on Smart, they’re pretty much on parity with Smart on 3 of the other metrics (there are five including the CSFR).

    As for the attack ads against Globe, Cu shrugged it off and said “when you spend 250 million pesos for those ads about this issue, you’ll end up sensitizing the public.”

     

     

    Smiley emoticon celebrates its 30th birthday

    Gadgets Team
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    Smiley emoticon celebrates its 30th birthday

    You see it almost everywhere on the Internet and text messaging. You put it in your texts, Facebook messages, and tweets to your friends or followers for sometimes no particular reason at all. However, the smiley emoticon has been around a lot longer than the commercial Internet.

    In 1982, Carnegie Mellon’s Computer Science department were using Internet bulletin boards, the precursor to today’s Internet forum, where faculty, staff, and students could hold discussions. Many of the posts were serious: talk announcements, requests for information, and things like “I’ve just found a ring in the fifth-floor men’s room. Who does it belong to?” Everything you see today on Internet forums, such as flame wars, off-topic comments and controversial opinions, were all part of the bulletin board society back in the early 1980s.

    However, the bulletin board also had humorous material as well, despite the fact that the Internet was just restricted to a few industries back then. The problem was that if someone made a sarcastic remark, a few readers would fail to get the joke, and seriously respond to the remark. That would stir up more people with more responses, and soon the original thread of the discussion was buried. In at least one case, a humorous remark was interpreted by someone as a serious safety warning.

    Then came the smiley emoticon, and emoticons in general, and Scott Fahlman and his colleagues are generally thought to have invented the smiley emoticon. Once the smiley emoticon started gaining common use in Carnegie Mellon, other universities caught on as well because universities were one of the few places to have Internet access in the 1980s. “I do remember writing a longer message in which I explained the need for a humor-marker in more detail, and suggested the :-) symbol, along with :-( to indicate anger or real unhappiness. But this longer message must have come later–perhaps a later bboard post or an E-mail message that I sent to someone. In any case, that more detailed post did not turn up in our search,” Fahlman said. “Within a few months, we started seeing the lists with dozens of ‘smilies’: open-mouthed surprise, person wearing glasses, Abraham Lincoln, Santa Claus, the pope, and so on. Producing such clever compilations has become a serious hobby for some people. But only my two original smilies, plus the ‘winky’ ;-) and the ‘noseless’ variants seem to be in common use for actual communication. It’s interesting to note that Microsoft and AOL now intercept these character strings and turn them into little pictures.”

    “Some people have told me that the :-) or :) convention was used by teletype operators in the old days. Maybe so. I haven’t seen any examples of this, but it’s plausible, given the limitations of the character set in that medium. So, the smiley idea may have appeared and disappeared a few times before my 1982 post, but it is pretty clear from the timing that my suggestion was the one that finally took hold, spread around the world, and spawned thousands of variations,” Fahlman also said, noting that even though he didn’t necessarily “invent” the smiley emoticon, but at least he made it popular.

    HTC announces Windows Phone 8S – 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, 4-inch WVGA display

    Gadgets Team
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    HTC announces Windows Phone 8S – 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, 4-inch WVGA display

    Along with the top-tier Windows Phone 8X, HTC also announced the lower specc’d Windows Phone 8S today. This particular smartphone will have a 4-inch, WVGA display, and will be powered by a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor with 512 of RAM. Storage-wise, you’re looking at a measly 4GB, but you’ll be able to increase that by stuffing in a microSD card.

    There’s a 1,700mAh battery inside the WP 8S, which should keep everything running for a good long while considering the hardware isn’t exactly power hungry. Imaging-wise, you’re looking at a 5-megapixel camera, and there’s an obvious omission of a front-facing camera, so if you’re looking for a smartphone to do video chat with, this ain’t it. Still, the WP 8S looks pretty ace, and we wouldn’t mind owning one of these when it drops later on in November. No price has been set yet.

     

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