Gadgets Magazine | The Philippines' First Tech-Lifestyle Magazine

Akai EIE Pro USB audio interface

Archives

-

6 Feb 2012

Akai Professional, whose credibility comes from its legendary MPC and wealth of top-quality music production gear used on most successful records in the past couple of decades, has released an affordable audio interface for portable recording.

Introducing the Akai EIE Pro, a desktop space-friendly USB audio interface that comes with four 48v phantom power inputs, 4 outputs, a 3-port USB hub, Midi I/O, and a headphone out. Offering 48kHz recording at 16-bit resolution, each input includes an Akai preamplifier to get your signal to the right level during recording, and if its sound shares anything in common with the renowned analog warmth and texture delivered by Akai’s top-end gear, then you can be rest-assured that your audio recordings will have that coloration you’re looking for.

The box’s front panel comes with 2 classy-looking VU meters in addition to the necessary volume and gain knobs. This interface was really built for the road as seen with its ultra-durable cast-aluminum chassis. Whether for travel or as the main audio interface in your home or project studio, this unit is certain to give you great audio recordings at an affordable price of $249 (approximately Php 10,500).

SOPA: nonsense from the era of the dinosaurs

Archives

Gadgets Team

-

5 Feb 2012

0

SOPA: nonsense from the era of the dinosaurs

Remaining true to his position against any form of piracy, Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky Lab, said in his blog that there should be other forms of regulating content distribution without having to enforce laws that would otherwise protect only a few.

Kaspersky argued that the SOPA is only protecting the rights of Americans while distancing itself from non-US artists’ rights. Kaspersky warned that putting SOPA into law is essentially an “Americanization” the Internet whereby the US can prosecute anyone regardless of location.

“Under this law, the interests of non-American authors/creators are not protected at all, while the nationality of the perpetrators is of no importance…. If we accept this law, hundreds of thousands of lawyers will suddenly appear out of the woodwork because almost any website can be accused of copyright infringement! This law will lead to major legalized extortion,” Kaspersky said.

The outspoken internet security software developer also likened the SOPA to the time of the dinosaurs wherein “Jurassic” old world laws are being forced down on a new world thus preventing progress. “The Internet age has no place for the rudiments of the bygone age of vinyl, which is a far cry from today’s technologies, customer demands and reality in general. Just because this old style of business can’t or won’t change, it is trying to lead the Internet marketplace to any early grave with the help of SOPA and the like.”

“This is complete and utter nonsense from the era of the dinosaurs – and we know their brains were the size of a pea,” he added.

Nevertheless, Kaspersky insisted that he is completely against any form of piracy noting that artists and developers are commercially obligated to earn as this would provide them the financial incentive to develop more and better products. “Not only do the authors have to eat, they need money to create their products, this intellectual property, which is sometimes a rather cost-based thing.”

Instead, Kaspersky said that distribution processes have changed and consumers are now able to acquire songs, movies, and applications using different methods. He cited iTunes as one such distribution method, which allows users to purchase whatever songs and videos they want for a certain cost. He said iTunes also protects the rights of copyright holders.

“Content should be distributed in newways, that is, low quality content is free –you can take as much as you can eat. Medium quality content should be quick and cheap while high/professional quality should be expensive,” he summed up.

Why Ubisoft’s always online DRM solution is a bad idea: legitimate players will be denied access while Ubisoft changes servers, pirates play hassle free

Technology

Gadgets Team

-

5 Feb 2012

0

Why Ubisoft’s always online DRM solution is a bad idea: legitimate players will be denied access while Ubisoft changes servers, pirates play hassle free

We’ve blasted Ubisoft’s draconian always online DRM policy before, and for good reason – it basically limited your access to a game that you legally bought when your internet goes down. Here’s another reason why the whole technology is laughable and should be abolished: some players that legally bought Ubisoft titles won’t be able to play their games starting Feb. 7, as the company moves “transitions the hosting of many of its online services from a third-party data center to a new facility”. Meanwhile, the people who pirated the game aka people who did not pay a single penny will STILL be able to play the titles without interruption. How exactly is that fair Ubisoft? If you’ve bought any of the games below legally, you can expect not to be able to play them as the company completes its move:

Assassin’s Creed–Mac
Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2–PC
Might & Magic: Heroes VI–PC
Splinter Cell Conviction–Mac
The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom–PC
The Settlers–Mac

Source: Gamespot.com

Apple battles with Motorola for the right to sell iPhones, iPads in Germany

Technology

Gadgets Team

-

5 Feb 2012

0

Apple battles with Motorola for the right to sell iPhones, iPads in Germany

It’s no secret that Apple is waging an expensive legal war with multiple companies over patent claims around the world. Last Friday, the company tussled with another competitor in a familiar battleground. Motorola Mobility managed to force Apple to withdraw their 3G iPad 2, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4 from the online German Apple store, with Motorola Mobility citing that Apple infringes on one of their patents essential to the GPRS standard. If you remember, the firm managed to win the suit it leveraged against Apple, which means if Apple wants to sell its products on German soil that uses the technology in Motorola’s patents, it’ll have to pony up dough for the privilege. Apple rejected the injunction, and said that Motorola Mobility refused to license the patent on a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) basis. While Apple managed to suspend the enforcement of the injunction, the company is in for a bit of a fight, as the company is now beset on all sides with lawsuits from other tech giants like Samsung.

Source: The Verge

Samsung Mobile Unveils Galaxy Tab 7.7

Gadgets Team

-

4 Feb 2012

1

Samsung Mobile held an open event this afternoon at Eastwood Mall, showcasing the company’s release of its new Galaxy Tab 7.7. Sporting a ton of features and running on the Android Honeycomb 3.2 OS with a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, the new tab boasting a Super AMOLED™ Plus touchscreen display aims to provide a possible laptop replacement for the most on-the-go people.

The metallic black gadget allows easy access to YouTube^™, Google Talk^™, Google Maps^™and more than 400,000 apps on the Android Market™. Measuring a mere 7.9 millimeters thickness and weighing only 340 grams, the Galaxy tab packs a lot of punch and performance for a unit that can be grasped single-handedly. Its brilliant display enables its users to watch movies and play games at high-definition 720p resolution, while the included QuickOffice^® Pro HD is a powerful office suite for advanced Microsoft^® Office functions. A plethora of other applications and functions ensure that even your most demanding everyday activities, whether for work or play, are carried out.

Hosted by Gabe Mercado, the event was packed with a pretty solid program. Speakers Jim Paredes, Aids Tecson and Carlo Ople shared with everyone just why they love the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 and how it has improved their style of living. Attendees were given a chance to win Samsung goodies and treated to great music from local bands such as Radio Active Sago Project as a welcoming celebration for this new product that marks a growth in tech-lifestyle.

Google’s keeping the riff-raff out of Android with Bouncer

Technology

Gadgets Team

-

4 Feb 2012

0

Google’s keeping the riff-raff out of Android with Bouncer

Google’s open approach to things is a double-edged sword when it comes to apps. On one hand, there isn’t a huge barrier to entry to try and make a app and make it available to the marketplace but on the other hand the lack of policing or app review makes it extremely easy to slip malicious code through the store to wreak havoc on individual users. Google hasn’t been sleeping though, and have created a service named bouncer that takes care of the malicious apps that try to get into club Android. Though only detailed a few days ago, the service has already been in place for quite some time now, which basically scans and analyzes apps being submitted to the marketplace and runs it against a background check of known virus signatures and behaviors. Since the appearance of the service in the first and second half of 2011, Google says that there’s been a 40% drop in the number of potentially dangerous downloads from the Android market.

This doesn’t mean you should download everything in sight however. Android users should always be wary of potentially malicious apps in the marketplace, and should always use a hefty does of common sense when downloading anything.

Source: Google Mobile Blog

Smartphones outsold PCs for the first time in Q4 2011

Technology

Gadgets Team

-

4 Feb 2012

0

Smartphones outsold PCs for the first time in Q4 2011

Perhaps hinting what is to come in the following years, research firm Canalys has reported that there smartphones have outsold PCs for the first time, with the firm estimating that the former has sold 158.5 million units in Q4 of 2011 as opposed to the former’s 120.2 million units. It’s worth noting that Canalys also considers tablets as PCs, though if you took out tablets from the count, PCs sales would be a lot lower, clocking in at 93.7 units sold. While this is welcome news for both Apple and Google, it’s possibly dire news for Microsoft – who for years have depended on PCs to power its business forward. With PCs sales declining, the pressure on the firm from Redmond is at an all time high, and if they can’t make good on the promise of Windows 8 (or make Phone 7 perform better) then the company might be heading towards a slow decline into irrelevance.

Source: Business Insider

Meet an Android smartphone made out of Bamboo: the ADzero

Archives

Gadgets Team

-

3 Feb 2012

0

Meet an Android smartphone made out of Bamboo: the ADzero

We’re no stranger to exotic materials in our smartphones but who would’ve thought that Bamboo would be a suitable material to build an Android smartphone out of. A student in the UK, that’s who. The majority of ADZero’s components are made out of Bamboo and is supposedly ultra-lightweight because of the weight savings involved. We gather that because of how wood grains work, each ADZero will be unique, which certainly adds to the appeal of owning one. The device is supposedly getting backers in China and is pushing for a 2012 launch, though aside from the curious choice in material, there isn’t really a lot of information available for the device. Here’s to hoping that this little project pulls through.

Source: Droid Life

IDC: Nokia top handset maker, followed by Samsung and Apple

Technology

Gadgets Team

-

3 Feb 2012

0

The latest numbers from research firm IDC are in, and wouldn’t you know it, Nokia is right on the top of the heap followed closely by Samsung and Apple. The latest figures have been culled globally as part of the firm’s fourth quarter analysis. The firm from Espoo shouldn’t drop their guard however, as the report cites Nokia actually 8.2% of its market share from last year. In sharp contrast, Apple has been growing like crazy, and has experienced massive 128.4% growth compared to last year’s numbers. Samsung also posted 20.9% growth this year compared to last year. The biggest loser for this year? That other phone manufacturer from Korea, LG. IDC reports that they lost a a massive 42.2% of their market share compared to last year.

Top Five Mobile Phone Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share, Q4 2011 (Units in Millions)

Vendor	4Q11 Unit Shipments	4Q11 Market Share	4Q10 Unit Shipments	4Q10 Market Share	Year-over-year Change
Nokia	113.5	26.6%	123.7	30.7%	-8.2%
Samsung	97.6	22.8%	80.7	20.0%	20.9%
Apple	37.0	8.7%	16.2	4.0%	128.4%
LG Electronics	17.7	4.1%	30.6	7.6%	-42.2%
ZTE	17.1	4.0%	15.7	3.9%	8.9%
Others	144.5	33.8%	135.9	33.7%	6.3%
Total	427.4	100.0%	402.8	100.0%	6.1%

Source: IDC

Review: Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Gadgets Team

-

3 Feb 2012

2

When Google decides to push out a new revision to their Android operating system, they’ve always made it a point that there’d be a “hero” device that went with it to demonstrate the capabilities of the new version. That’s how it went for Android 2.1 with the Nexus One and Android 2.3 with the Nexus S. With the release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, comes the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. One of the first things you’ll notice with the Galaxy Nexus is its sheer size. With dimensions of 135.5 x 67.9 x 8.9mm, its overall size is pretty substantial, and almost the same size as the HTC Sensation XL we reviewed earlier this month. The device sports a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED screen that’s capable of 720 x 1280 resolution, which is quite higher compared to other devices we’ve reviewed in the past.

There’s a 5-megapixel camera located at the back, with a lower resolution front facing camera for video calls.

Despite the Galaxy Nexus’ size, it’s pretty easy to hold and sits in the palm of our hands nicely. The Galaxy Nexus screen curves slightly inward, which makes it more comfortable to use when calling. As is with Samsung’s previous offerings, the device is primarily made out of plastic. That doesn’t mean that it feels cheap, actually it’s quite the opposite – the device feels solid, with no flex or creaks anywhere on the body. One major departure from the typical Android devices is the absence of the four Android keys (capacitive or otherwise) on the bottom of the device. These have been removed and replaced by the three main keys that we’ll tackle in more detail in a bit.

The Galaxy Nexus is powered by a dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 processor with 1GB of RAM. It’s also equipped with NFC right off the bat, so it’s pretty much future proofed for Google Wallet and other cash-less payment system that pops up later on.

We’ve seen quite a few Super AMOLED equipped smartphones in the past, but to be honest, we never get tired reviewing them. That’s because Super AMOLED panels are simply beautiful – colors just pop, black levels are truly black and everything is just mind bogglingly gorgeous. Even if you put up a picture of a toothless hobo on the screen, you’ll still be mesmerized at the color, quality and clarity of the picture, right before you realize you’re staring at a picture of a toothless hobo on the screen.

Of course, the real star of the show here is Android 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich. There’s quite a lot to take in so we’re only going to talk about the most important ones. First off is the color scheme. Google’s gotten rid of the default green on black color scheme and replaced it with a light blue on black motif instead. Android 4.0 also uses Google’s brand new Roboto font liberally across the device, which is great, as the typeface feels way better than what the firm used before. Users will notice that there are only three capacitive buttons on the bottom instead of three – back, home and recent apps. The first two are pretty self-explanatory, while the third is a bit of a departure.

Basically, recent apps display all the apps you’ve used recently with a little thumbnail of the app. You can switch to the app directly by pressing on the thumbnail, or flick it to the right if you want it closed. For legacy apps, a small menu button will appear on the far right (represented by three stacked dots).

Once you go into the app tray, you’re greeted by a slightly tweaked interface. The app tray no longer scrolls vertically, and doesn’t stop once you reach the end of your apps – It’ll simply switch to the widgets page.

Another nice feature of ICS is the integrated data monitoring app – basically, you’ll be able to monitor the amount of data you use, and set upper limits as to how much data your device is allowed to consume. Once those limits are reached, your data connection automatically shuts off.

Performance-wise, we were expecting the Samsung Galaxy Nexus to perform at least as well as the Samsung Galaxy S II as they have roughly the same processor in them. Unfortunately, our standard benchmarking tool AnTuTu isn’t optimized for ICS, and as a result it was showing lower than expected scores for the Galaxy Nexus which to be honest, did not match our experience with the device. Our time with the Galaxy Nexus is, simply put, the best we’ve ever experienced on an Android device, period.

Battery life is pretty good, and with moderate to heavy use, the Galaxy Nexus managed to go about a day and a half on a single charge. The Galaxy Nexus is able to do this because of its power efficient Super AMOLED display, a trait that it shares with its older brother, the Galaxy S II. Calls were also pretty clear across the board, with the Galaxy Nexus consistently getting excellent reception.

Possibly the only thing that we would have changed with the Galaxy Nexus is the camera. In a world where high-end smartphones have 8 megapixel cameras at a minimum, it was odd to see a 5-megapixel deal on the Galaxy Nexus.

Should you get one? Short answer is yes. The sheer beauty of the 4.65-inch Super AMOLED screen alone is well worth the price of admission, and when you combine that with the improvements Google has done with ICS, then the Galaxy Nexus becomes one of the best smartphones to become available this year. If you do decide to get one however, you’ll have to go through Smart to get it, as they’re currently the exclusive carrier for the Galaxy Nexus here in the Philippines.

What’s Hot:

Super AMOLED 4.65-inch screen

Fast, responsive, boots up web pages quickly

Excellent battery life

What’s Not:

Camera is a bit underwhelming

No microSD card slot

Bottomline:

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is one of the best phones we’ve tested this year. Grab one if you can.

Buymeter: 4.5

Tech Specs

Operating System: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
CPU: Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9
Screen size: 4.65-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen,
Physical Dimensions: 135.5 x 67.9 x 8.9 mm
Weight: 135g
Band: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
Internal memory: 16/32 GB

Pentax officially announces K-01

Gadgets Team

-

3 Feb 2012

0

What was first just a rumor has now been officially announced. Pentax confirms the upcoming release of their newest model, the K-01, which is a K-mount mirrorless interchangeable lens camera and the first of its kind in the industry. The K-01 comes standard with a new ultra-thin DA XS 40mm F2.8 kit lens, which reduces the camera’s size to close to that of a point-and-shoot while delivering the same image quality of a high-end DSLR thanks to its new Prime M engine. Boasting ultimate flexibility, the unit natively supports the entire SLR lens lineup, all current DSLR Pentax lenses, legacy and manual lenses, as well as third party ones. Users will enjoy full HD and 720p video recording up to 60fps with its 16.28 Megapixel CMOS sensor. In addition to this, we also have not yet seen an 81-point contrast-detect autofocus system as the primary autofocus mechanism on a K-mount camera.

Although it will probably not replace your DSLR just yet, the release of this new Pentax camera on March 15^th (not sure when it’s released in the Philippines) is a good start and truly something to be excited for. The K-01 will be available in black, white, and yellow at a price of USD$749 (approximately Php 31,500) for the body only and USD$899 (approximately Php 37,800) with the 40mm kit lens included.

Sony shakes up top leadership – Kazuo Hirai will become President and CEO

Technology

Gadgets Team

-

2 Feb 2012

0

Sony shakes up top leadership – Kazuo Hirai will become President and CEO

Seems there’s been some major changes at Sony – the Japanese firm has just confirmed that Kazuo Hirai has been appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer once April 1, 2012. Hirai’s predecessor, Sir Howard Stringer, will become Chairman of Sony’s Board of Directors. The change comes as Sony faces massive challenges in the consumer electronics space, with the company recently posting a Q3 loss of 159 billion yen (about 2 billion USD). For his part, Hirai acknowledged that the company faces challenging times, saying that “were it not for the strong leadership of Sir Howard Stringer these past seven years, we would have been in a much more difficult position.” He adds, “I am grateful to Sir Howard and to the Board for their confidence in me, and I look forward to working with everyone at Sony more closely than ever before to build a strong future for our customers, shareholders, partners and employees. The path we must take is clear: to drive the growth of our core electronics businesses – primarily digital imaging, smart mobile and game; to turn around the television business; and to accelerate the innovation that enables us to create new business domains.”

Source: Sony

BlackBerry OS 7 devices get certified for US and Canadian gov’t use

Technology

Gadgets Team

-

2 Feb 2012

0

BlackBerry OS 7 devices get certified for US and Canadian gov’t use

RIM is a happy camper today – the US and Canada has recently announced that BlackBerry 7 and BlackBerry 7.1 devices have have been awarded FIPS 140-2 certification by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC), which means that the devices running on the OS can now be used by their respective government agencies. FIPS 140-2 certification means that the devices are capable of a certain level of cryptographic security – we don’t want people knowing about the aliens in Area 51, do we now? This means you can expect the “man” to start sporting BlackBerry Bold 9900’s, Torch 9810’s, and all the other BlackBerry 7 OS powered devices.

SmartNet gets an update, goes on other Android devices, iOS

Technology

Gadgets Team

-

2 Feb 2012

2

SmartNet gets an update, goes on other Android devices, iOS

Arguably one of the best things about Smart’s NetPhone 701 and Galaxy Y was their groundbreaking suite of applications, SmartNet. SmartNet allowed people to check their Facebook and Twitter for free, without incurring data charges and added a whole range of functionality that things like giving load and other services easy and convenient for subscribers. Now Smart has announced that a new version of SmartNet will be rolling out, with a new look and a number of key improvements to give users the best internet experience possible on their mobile devices.

One of the main improvements Smart made for SmartNet is a cleaner home screen, which allows for easier navigation. Aside from overhauling the look of SmartNet, the telco also improved the performance of SmartNet related apps in the new version. Smart Broadband Internet and Data Services Head Gio Bacareza says that the improved apps, “launch more quickly and uses less battery power, thanks to the modifications we made on the software.” Gio says that the improvements significantly increased the response time for chat, which he says now has a delivery time of .8 seconds to your friends.

Smart also took the opportunity to update us in the performance of SmartNet and their NetPhone devices. The telco proudly says that they’ve sold more or less 100,000 NetPhone devices, with an overwhelming number of those being sold to postpaid subscribers. This is substantial, because an overwhelming amount of Smart’s customer base are pre-paid customers.

So it’s not surprising that Smart is looking to infuse SmartNet into a large swath of internet capable mobile devices. During the press briefing earlier today, the telco showed us a couple of other devices running SmartNet, which included several high-end phones including the HTC EVO, and an iPhone 4S. Yes folks, Smart has a working SmartNet app for iOS, and though Smart says that the iOS version of the app is still being tweaked, the functionality of SmartNet on the iPhone present during the event was substantial. Will we see a NetPhone branded iOS device? Probably not, but once the app successfully navigates the labyrinthian maze that is Apple’s app approval process, you can turn your own iOS device into a SmartNet compliant gadget.

Could OnLive on an Android device be the future of video games?

Gadgets Team

-

2 Feb 2012

0

Could OnLive on an Android device be the future of video games?

For those who are not familiar, OnLive is a gaming service that has been around for about a year that allows its users to play high resolution games over the internet. Of course, you must first have a computer or Android/iOS device that is powerful enough to run the particular games you want to play and a fast enough internet connection to stream them. What makes the app different from the rest is that it can bring games that are usually exclusive to consoles (such as the Xbox and PlayStation) and PCs to your smart device, turning your device into a portable gaming console. Games such as NBA 2K12, L.A Noire, Assassin’s Creed, Fallout and Street Fighter IV have already been converted for OnLive play. Although every game has been redesigned so that the controls translate well on a touch screen, some games do still require a real controller and there are many controllers out there that can be purchased to attach to your smart device. OnLive also offers the OnLive Game System, which includes the OnLive MicroConsole TV adapter, a wireless controller, and the needed cables and accessories, allowing users to play using their TV.

Although hard-core gamers may currently still prefer consoles and PCs, the fast-developing smart device industry keeps making faster and more powerful devices that could perhaps one day equal the specs on your game console and PC. Perhaps by that time, the OnLive style of gaming could take over the industry and transform it.