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    Facebook buys Face.com for an estimated US$80 to $100 million

    Gadgets Team
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    Facebook buys Face.com for an estimated US$80 to $100 million

    Just this year, Facebook acquired several companies including Instagram, Tagtile, Glancee, Lightbox, and Karma. The social networking giant has added to this list recently through its purchase of Face.com, an Israeli-based face recognition platform. This suggests that Facebook was after Face.com’s facial recognition IP and will now get more serious with its desktop tagging recognition and tagging on-the-go. The startup company was bought for an estimated US $80 – $100 million. According to Face.com’s blog post, third-parties using its API will continue to be supported.

     

    Acer unveils Iconia Tab A510, has Tegra 3 processor, priced at 24,900

    Gadgets Team
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    Acer unveils Iconia Tab A510, has Tegra 3 processor, priced at 24,900

    We’re here at Acer’s event in Mariott, and we’ve managed to score some time with Acer’s Iconia Tab A510. This particular tablet is the newest device from Acer’s Tab line, and is a 10.1-inch Android 4.0 tablet. The display is a 1280 x 800 one, and has 1GB of DDR2 on-board. Acer has also seen fit to skin this particular tablet in their own UI overlay, and sports the company’s Clear.Fi technology for seamless sharing across different devices. The Iconia Tab A510 is powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 processor running at 1.3GHz, so it’s definitely ready to go toe-to-toe with other similarly specced tablets like as far as processing power is concerned. The Acer Iconia Tab A510 is priced at 24,900 for the 32GB version, though that’s only for the Wi-Fi version. No 3G version has been announced as of yet.

    [album: https://gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/[email protected]/Acer A510/]

    Microsoft announces Surface tablets, Windows 8 and RT versions, will challenge the iPad

    Gadgets Team
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    Microsoft announces Surface tablets, Windows 8 and RT versions, will challenge the iPad

     

    Microsoft’s big announcement turned out to be exactly what the tipsters said – Microsoft has officially entered the tablet game, and has announced their own line of tablets called Surface. There will be two variants of Surface, one made for Windows 8 Pro and uses Ivy Bridge Processors, and one made for Windows RT which uses ARM processors. The overall design of the tablet is pretty impressive – it’s only 9.3mm thin (13.5mm thin for the Windows 8 Pro version) and is built using an all Magnesium case with a custom production process called VaporMG, which treats the surface of the device that gives it a finish akin to a luxury watch. The Surface tablet has an integrated cover much like the iPad (complete with the magnetic connection), with a very big difference – the cover also doubles as a keyboard, so users will always have two (and in the case of the Windows 8 Pro version, three, including the pen blocker) input choices when using the device. Microsoft has also included full-sized USB ports into the tablet, as well as an integrated kickstand to allow you use it as a video player with ease. There will different versions of the two tablets – the Windows RT version will come in 32 and 64GB flavors, while the Windows 8 Pro will come in 64 and 128GB versions. Both will sport 10.6-inch ClearType HD Display. The new tablets should arrive right after Windows 8 is officially released. As for pricing, well, there isn’t one yet – though Microsoft has said that the new tablets will be priced “competitively” with similar tablets – for the ARM model anyway.

    Surface for Windows RT

    • OS: Windows RT
    • Light(1): 676 g
    • Thin(2): 9.3 mm
    • Clear: 10.6” ClearType HD Display
    • Energized: 31.5 W-h
    • Connected: microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae
    • Productive: Office ‘15’ Apps, Touch Cover, Type Cover
    • Practical: VaporMg Case & Stand
    • Configurable: 32 GB, 64 GB

    Surface for Windows 8 Pro

    • OS: Windows 8 Pro
    • Light(1): 903 g
    • Thin(2): 13.5 mm
    • Clear: 10.6” ClearType Full HD Display
    • Energized: 42 W-h
    • Connected: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae
    • Productive: Touch Cover, Type Cover, Pen with Palm Block
    • Practical: VaporMg Case & Stand
    • Configurable: 64 GB, 128 GBSource: Microsoft

    Samsung Series 5 Slim announced, AMD A6 4455M on board with HD 7500G discrete graphics, will retail for only Php 29,900

    Gadgets Team
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    Samsung Series 5 Slim announced, AMD A6 4455M on board with HD 7500G discrete graphics, will retail for only Php 29,900

    Here’s an unexpected model to be announced tonight at Samsung’s event: the Samsung Series 5 Slim. At first glance, it kind of looks like the Samsung Series 5 Ultra, aside from the obvious change of color (from grey to red). Internally though, it’s a whole new machine – it has AMD’s A6 4455M APU on board chugging along at 2.1GHz and has discrete graphics in the form of itss HD 7500G GPU. Additionally, this particular notebook has 4GB of memory in it – all in the sleek, slim chassis that we all know and love. We’re not sure what kind of storage device this is rocking, but we’re positive it’s using either 320GB or 500GB HDD in it (with the former more likely) and no SSD component to keep costs down. Speaking of costs, would you believe that the price of this thing is only Php 29,900? Yeah, we were surprised too. At that price, it’s an extremely appealing notebook for people who are looking to have a thin, portable and stylish notebook who doesn’t wish to empty their bank accounts by buying a proper ultrabook.

    [album: https://gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/[email protected]/Samsung Series 5 Slim/]

    Samsung Series 9 announced! Retails for Php 76,900

    Gadgets Team
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    Samsung Series 9 announced! Retails for Php 76,900

    As predicted, Samsung unveiled their Series 9 ultrabook at their event tonight in the Peninsula in Makati. This particular notebook is Samsung’s heavy hitter as far as their ultrabooks are concerned, and its specs reflect this – Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor, 8GB of DDR3 memory, 256GB SSD storage and 15-inch, 400 nit brightness screen. Hailed by the Korean company as the thinnest 15-inch notebook, this particular ultrabook has been engineered by Samsung as the be-all and end-all of ultrabooks. It also commands a premium price – the Series 9 ultrabook will retail for Php 76,900.

    [album: https://gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/[email protected]/Samsung Series 9 /]

    Samsung Convergence Event Liveblog!

    Gadgets Team
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    Samsung Convergence Event Liveblog!

    Hello kiddies! We’re on the ground right now at Samsung’s Convergence Products launch, ready to give you a blow-by-blow liveblog of the festivities. We’re just waiting for the event to start, so join us below!

    Western Digital enters the router market

    Gadgets Team
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    Western Digital enters the router market

    We all know Western Digital for the dependable hard drives they make. Just a few days ago, we learned that the company entered the wireless networking market, which honestly is not that surprising. They’ll be facing a lot of competition in this field though, but due to reputation, might be able to get a fair share of it.

    They’ve begun offering a range of simultaneous dual-band wireless N routers that include three basic models—the My Net N600 with 4 fast Ethernet ports and 300Mbit wireless on the 2.4 and 5GHz bands, the My Net 750 with gigabit Ethernet and 450Mbit wireless on the 5GHz band, and the My Net 950 with 7 gigabit Ethernet ports and 450Mbit wireless on the 2.4 and 5GHz bands. The company now also has the My Net N900 Central, which is a combination of the N900 router’s features with a built-in 1TB or 2TB hard drive. Devices outside a user’s home network can access files stored on these routers throughWestern Digital’s web portal or the company’s Android and iOS apps.

    Nokia’s 41-megapixel PureView 808 is now on sale in the Philippines for Php 26,550

    Gadgets Team
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    Nokia’s 41-megapixel PureView 808 is now on sale in the Philippines for Php 26,550

    Remember Nokia’s 41-megapixel phone, the PureView 808? Well, we’ve gotten word that it already has received channel pricing, and is set to retail for Php 26,550 in the Philippines. That means you can go to a Nokia retailer and buy the 41-megapixel shooter off the shelf today if you desire. Wondering what the Nokia PureView 808 can do for you? Well, you can check out the announcement post here, or if you’re lazy, we can rattle off the specs for you: Symbian Belle OS, single core 1.3GHz processor, 4-inch screen with a resolution of 360 x 640 ( nHD). We’ll have a sit-down with Nokia for the PureView 808 this Wednesday, so you can see what our initial impressions are of this phone/imaging juggernaut is.

    Mozilla unveils prototype browser for iPad

    Gadgets Team
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    Mozilla unveils prototype browser for iPad

    Mozilla has announced its plans to rise from the browser graveyard as it prepares for its first shot at unleashing a challenger against Safari on the iPad. Here comes Junior—Mozilla’s solution for your iPad browsing needs.

    Junior is an iPad browser that, according to Mozilla, “makes browsing more fun, more ergonomic and re-thinks browser user experience from the ground up.” The prototype was introduced and demonstrated by the folks at the Mozilla Product Design Strategy team in a video presentation.

    “We wanted to make something entirely new. We wanted to look into how we could reinvent the browser for a new form factor,” said Alex Limi of the Product Design Strategy team.

    So what does Junior look like?

    Well, according to an article I read on The Verge,  Junior offers a full-screen interface. It has two basic buttons—a Back arrow and a multifunctional plus sign. Tapping the plus sign opens a page that’s divided into three portions. The topmost portion contains a stream of recent pages. The middle portion contains an icon-heavy list of favorites and bookmarks. At the bottom third of the screen, there will be a search bar and a virtual keyboard. When you input text in the search bar, the middle portion will display the search results.

    Mozilla claims that the two main buttons have up to a total of six functions, although these functions haven’t exactly been specified. Other functions included in Junior are Reload, Forward, and Print.

    Junior also enables separate user accounts for your private browsing pleasure. By swiping to the left of the main navigation page, the user login page will appear. You tap the icon of your account, and Junior will ask for a login password. That should keep your nosy brothers and sisters away from your bookmarks and browsing history.

    Though Mozilla is bent on making an impact on iOS with Junior, it claims that it is still under development in the hands of the Product Design Strategy team. The developers are still deciding on the features, but this prototype sure looks promising.

    Image Source: Engadget

    Alan Turing should have become a household name

    Gadgets Team
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    Alan Turing should have become a household name

    When one thinks of computers, we often think of two names: Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. They made personal computers popular and are at the forefront of the computer industry, founding Microsoft and Apple respectively. But what about the man who practically began the computer industry, Alan Turing (1912-1954)? Long forgotten, except for tech geeks and industry veterans, namely because of his controversial personal life.

    June 23 would have been Alan Turing’s 100th birthday, and in 1936 he published a paper that would give rise to the very idea of computers: On Computable Numbers, which introduced the ideas of algorithms and computing machines, two building blocks of today’s technology. After World War II, Turing then worked on the Automated Computing Engine (ACE) and the Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (Edvac).

    In 1950, Turing proposed the idea of artificial intelligence (AI) in a paper called “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”. In the paper, Turing made a test in which a computer would be judged intelligent if another human could not tell the difference between the responses of a human and the artificially intelligent machine.

    Turing’s ACE designs made it onto the first personal computer, the Bendix G-15 (1956). At the time, computing systems took up entire rooms, and the G-15 was a compact 1.5 m x 1 m x 1 m and cost $49,500 ($60,000 with peripherals) and weighed “only” 450 kg (950 lb). Like most computers at the time, it was designed for scientific and industrial use. However, it is considered a “personal” computer because it did not need a dedicated operator and anyone could access the machine. Only 400 of them were made and only a few survive today.

    The legacy of Alan Turing is being celebrated in 2012, which the scientific community calls the “Alan Turing year”, with series and lectures based on Turing’s work taking place all over the world.

    Buffalo’s AirStation Wireless N-Router ideal for home or office

    Gadgets Team
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    Buffalo’s AirStation Wireless N-Router ideal for home or office

    Buffalo has recently released the AirStation Wireless N-Router and Access Point WCR-G300 with double adjustable 5dBi antennas ideal to wirelessly connect networked devices, including smartphones, at home or at the office to the Internet. Combined with 802.11n technology, data transfer rates can go as high as 300 mbps, giving a swift delivery of online content to all, and is even backwards compatible with older 802.11g/b devices.

    The signal is also capable of bypassing objects, therefore ensuring that your signal remains strong despite being in another room and reduces the number of dead spots. The Wireless Distribution System (WDS) on the router expands wireless coverage with other Buffalo routers with WDS support, reducing or even eliminating dead spots that hinder and even prevent network functioning and Internet access, which is useful at home and in the office, where interior walls, corners, and other objects reduce or block signals from less powerful conventional routers.

    The router also supports multiple forms of wireless security: WPA2-PSK (AES), WPA-PSK (AES) and WEP (64/128 bit). In addition, it can support up to four wired devices and its energy saving feature allows it to use 28% less power than other routers.

    At P1,800, it doesn’t break the bank. The Buffalo AirStation Wireless-N Router and WCR-G300 is locally distributed by MCI-ECS. 

    LG announces L5 debut in Europe, Asia, the Philippines and other regions to follow

    Gadgets Team
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    LG announces L5 debut in Europe, Asia, the Philippines and other regions to follow

    Ever since we finished our review of the LG Optimus L3 and L7, we wondered when the middle child of the L-style series of devices would make it’s appearance. Well, seems like it’ll be hitting our market soon – LG has just announced that the L5 has made its debut in Europe, and has promised that it would make a splash to other regions (including Asia) soon. This 9.5mm smartphone bears a 4-inch display, 800MHz processor, dual-SIM capabilities (for Asian markets) and NFC “Tag & Play” (for Europe and North America). If LG follows the same release schedule it has made for the other L devices, you can expect the L5 to hit our shores two to three weeks from now, and you can expect it to bear a lower price point than  the L7 – if we had to guess, you can expect it’s price to hit around 8K-12K once it lands in the Philippines.

    [album: https://gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/[email protected]/LG Optimus L5/]

    Apple will supposedly charge $199 for a battery change in the next generation MacBook Pro

    Gadgets Team
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    Apple will supposedly charge $199 for a battery change in the next generation MacBook Pro
    Image courtesy of iFixit

    We’ve discussed how Apple’s new Retina display equipped MacBook Pro is a headache to repair (at least, to amateurs). Here’s another thing to consider before buying Apple’s latest and greatest: battery changes. MacRumors is reporting that a battery change for the new MacBook Pro will supposedly cost $199 (that’s Php 8,400) an increase from the standard $129 (about Php 5,450) charge on the previous generation MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. And forget about servicing the battery yourself – as we discussed before, the battery of the next generation MacBook Pro is glued to the body of the assembly, which means there is a chance that a user will be break the batteries or assembly when they try to pry it out themselves (if you could get past the proprietary Pentalobe screws). In Apple’s credit, they do offer a standard 1-year warranty and say that the new battery included with the MacBook Pro is good for up to 1,000 charges before the battery capacity drops to 80%.

    Source: MacRumors

    AOC’s 23-inch AIRE iPLAY display doubles as an iPod/iPhone dock

    Gadgets Team
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    AOC’s 23-inch AIRE iPLAY display doubles as an iPod/iPhone dock


    AOC has just introduced their 23-inch AIRE iPLAY display that also doubles as an iPhone/iPod dock. This particular display is a slim, 12.9mm thin deal that’s capable of running content from either your iPhone or iPod on its 23-inch, LED full HD screen. The screen has integrated speakers on the bottom, so you won’t have to worry about sound as far as your content goes. The display is also capable of running console games on its 23-inch display, which lends itself to being more versatile than your regular desktop monitor. AOC promises a 2ms response time and 50M dynamic contrast ratio. This particular display is already listed in AOC’s US site and retails for $280 (or about Php 11,800) though there’s no word on its price and availability here in the Philippines.

    [album: https://gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/[email protected]/AOC AIRE IPLAY/]

    Leaked Microsoft document details XBOX 720, coming 2013 with improved Kinect hardware

    Gadgets Team
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    Leaked Microsoft document details XBOX 720, coming 2013 with improved Kinect hardware

    The Verge has reported that a leaked 56-page document that’s supposedly from Microsoft details the company’s plans for their next gaming console, the XBOX 720. Hardware-wise, the XBOX 720 is an incremental improvement over their old machine, and will carry Blu-ray support, native 3D output and glasses, concurrent apps, and additional sensor and peripheral support. The document promises 6x the performance jump from the old machine, and will either have six or eight ARM  or x86 cores running at 2GHz each with 4GB of DDR4 memory with three PPC cores clocked at 3.2GHz for backwards compatibility with old XBOX 360 titles. On the Kinect side, you’re looking at higher accuracy when replicating movements, four player tracking, higher voice recognition accuracy, better RGB camera and dedicated hardware processing. The document also details “Fortaleza” Kinect Glasses, a research project that the company has been working on. From the description, the project seems to be similar to Google’s Project Glass, though the document details a 2014 launch target date, so it’s unlikely that it’ll show up along with the XBOX 720 next year.

    Source: The Verge

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