Industry insiders know that Android has been growing at a fantastic rate, but if you really want a sense of exactly how fast, the folks over at Android Developers has created a video visualizing activations of Android from its initial launch to today. It’s fascinating to see the spike of Android users corresponding to major product launches (which inlcudes the Motorola Droid and the the Samsung Galaxy S). The video is embedded below for you to enjoy.
You want a Galaxy Tab? Well listen up. Samsung wants to know how far you’ll go to grab yourself a Galaxy Tab of your very own. Mechanics are simple: create a 30 to 90 second video detailing how far you’ll go to own a Galaxy Tab of your very own. The most impressive and original entry will be the lucky owner of a brand spanking new Galaxy Tab. Want in on the action? Well, all you need to do is to go to the contest link www.facebook.com/samsunggalaxytabcraziestthings, like the page and away you go.
“Look Ma, no hands!”
I yelled that at my mother countless times when I learned to ride a bike. At first she freaked out when I let go of the handles and then eventually her anxiety turned into annoyance. Now I wonder how she’d feel if I did that with the new AutoNOMOS project, BrainDriver.
The car is attached with drive-by-wires and controlled by an EEG sensor. This “cap” of 16 sensors measure the electromagnetic signals produced by the brain.
Basically, you wear the sensor cap and you calibrate your brain with the computer, which learns to associate two different brain patterns with left or right directions. You test the computer by moving a cube on the screen in either direction by just your thoughts.
The same goes with operating the car, you wear the sensor cap and get into a specially-designed car equipped with video cameras, radars and laser sensors so the car can get a full three-dimensional view of its surroundings. In a semi-autonomous drive, the car automatically drives itself to the corner and then at the intersection the “driver” orders the car which direction to turn.
While AutoNOMOS claims that BrainDriver is still a demonstration and is not roadworthy yet, they also say that human-machine interfaces like this could play a big role in the future of autonomous driving.
Don’t worry Ma, it probably won’t be for a long time.
Source: AutoNOMOS Labs
Famed pinoy cosplayer and all around cutie Alodia Gosiengfiao wants you to play with her in Alter Space, the first Philippine-made Facebook game that addresses the ways we can help the environment. Developed by Cleanergy from AboitizPower, Alter Space is geared towards educating people about the concepts of carbon footprint and renewable energy with a distinctly pinoy twist.
“The great thing about Alter Space is that it’s not just any typical game you play. In a creative way, it actually teaches people to be conscious of the carbon foortprint they produce, which means changing their habits for the good of the Earth.” says the 22-year-old Alodia.
The game’s premise is simple: player’s are tasked to take care of their own planet. Players will need to keep their carbon footprint levels low while keeping happiness levels up. Every choice a player makes affects their environment, and the game gives constant fe
edback to the repercussions of these choices. Players can also invite friends to be their neighbors, and their overall carbon footprint as a community will be calculated.
To join its fan page, you can visit www.facebook.com/AlterSpaceGame
If you haven’t heard, Google has already sent the latest OTA update to take the Google branded Nexus One and Nexus S into Gingerbread territory. The update sends some NFC goodness your way, as well as fixing random reboot issues that some Nexus S users have been complaining about.
Source: Engadget, Google Twitter
Hewlett-Packard helps us “Discover A New HP World” in Shanghai, China (Feb. 23-24) where we will be stepping into a connected world of new INNOVATIONS; new EXPERIENCES; and A BRAND NEW ECOSYSTEM. This New HP World assures an experience that is HIGH on the entertainment and experiential quotient. This event will also mark the official launch of HP Personal Systems Group’s “Everybody On” marketing campaign in Asia Pacific. The new campaign celebrates how people around the world are using HP technology to pursue their personal and professional passions.
Today’s whole day event will include a “State of the Union Update” by Jos Brenkel, Senior Vice President, Personal Systems Group, HP Asia Pacific and Japan, a keynote speech on “The Connected Life” by Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Personal Systems Group, Phil McKinney, an introduction to the WebOS by Steven McArthur, Senior Vice President, Personal Systems Group as well as a product unveiling. Tomorrow will hold sessions for executive interviews on Consumer Products.
Stay tuned as we keep EVERYBODY ON!
First, there were the Twitter and the Facebook Adidas Superstars Originals by designer Gerry Mckay and boy did it make our mouths water. This time, it’s Nike’s turn with these geek-friendly, customized Dunks inspired by Firefox, Twitter and Google.
These cool, customized sneakers designed by David Reese will definitely appeal to both sneakerheads and geeks. Love them too? You can also check out more unique sneaker designs at Brass Monki.
This story was originally posted on The Next Web.
That’s according to Nokia’s chief executive Stephen Elop, in a talk with Finnish journalists last Friday. “”We have become convinced that we can do that very quickly” Elop adds. It seems only natural of course that Microsoft might be open to move away from their strict hardware requirements that it puts on manufacturers that want to create a Windows Phone 7 based smartphone. There’s already talk of using non-Qualcomm chips on future Phone 7 units, which would be a good thing – cheaper components would mean cheaper smartphones down the line. Coupled with Nokia’s experience and track record of creating cost-effective mobile devices, Elop’s promise sounds good to us.
Source: Reuters
Freelancer.com, the world’s largest outsourcing marketplace that connects over 2.2 million professionals from around the globe, opens a regional site in the Philippines to bring affordable outsourcing to the country.
In this day and age, almost any job can now be outsourced online. Through the freelancer.com website, employers can hire freelancers to do work in areas such as software, writing, data entry and design right through to engineering and the sciences, sales & marketing, and accounting & legal services. Projects start as low as US$30, with an average of under US$200, which makes it cost-effective for small businesses to get work done. The new sites will have a number of local features over time, together with local support and the ability to transact in local currencies.
The new marketplaces will dramatically help the millions of small businesses and entrepreneurs across the region by increasing productivity while cutting costs at the same time. Additionally it will offer a great resource for freelancers to find jobs online across a diverse range of over three hundred different industries.
This story was originally posted on The Next Web.
Global antivirus firm Trend Micro has noted activity of various cybercrime groups of “pairing up” and joining forces to unleash threats on the Web to earn more money for themselves.
“…When they join forces, they could be even stronger and much more malicious in their ploys,” said Trend Micro senior threat researcher Nart Villeneuve in a press briefing last Thursday at TrendLabs, Trend Micro’s global research and development facility in Manila.”
The ploys these cybercriminals pull include credential theft (or credit card and identity theft), pay-per-install which involves the installation of fake antivirus software and pay-per-click which is when bot masters earn income when users click on links supplied by an affiliate.
This partnership presents challenges for law enforcement, the security industry and the computing public in general.
Source: The Philippine Star
Used to be, if you wanted gaming on the go you would had to settle for handhelds. While this is usually ok for kids and teens, hardcore gamers chafed at the thought of compromising their gaming experience with them. If you’re one of those people you’re in luck, because GAEMS (no, that’s not a typo) has just released the G155: a portable gaming carrying case that allows you to use your console of choice anywhere, provided that anywhere has a power socket. It has a 15.5″ LED HD display, with HDMI connection, storage for all your cables, controllers and other accessories and is pretty darn durable. You can pre-order the G155 via their website linked below.
Source: GAEMS
As spotted by 9to5 Mac, Apple has halted selling MacBook Pros, possibly due to the expected lineup refresh that is likely to happen this week. The screenshot shows that the MacBooks won’t ship until 3 to 5 business days, which may be in time for the big announcement.
Additionally, we reported earlier about the speculated five new MacBook Pro SKUs that were spotted in BestBuy. Rumors say that we might actually see the product refresh as early as Thursday, February 24.
All the signs are indeed pointing to the possibility that Apple may have something up its sleeves for us this week. We will update you as soon as more details come out.
This story was originally posted in The Next Web.
BMW is scheduled to hold a press conference in Germany today announcing the a new “i” sub brand which will offer a badge to all the upcoming BMW electric vehicles.
The “next premium” automobile, as BMW calls it, was previewed through designer sketches back in 2010 when BMW’s Chief Designer Adrian Van Hooydonk shared BMW’s future strategy and electric mobility. BMW aims to become the world’s leader in premium electric vehicles with the new Megacity family of electric vehicles.
In a past interview, Van Hooydonk said: “The sub-brand offers a chance to innovate as well as feature BMW’s customary design quality and detailing.”
The Megacity will be offered in a two-door, four-seat configuration. The car will measure around 157 inches. In the future, the MCV sub-brand will include two additional models. First one due in 2015 and dubbed ICV, short Intracity Vehicle, will be a two-door, two-seat car. In 2017, UCV – Urban Commuter Vehicle -will extend the length of the initial MCV and has four doors while hosting five people.
BMW Megacity is powered by a lithium-ion battery with 35 kWh of capacity placed below the vehicle’s floor. Rear-wheels approach remains in BMW’s philosophy and the power is sent to the rear wheels through a rear-mounted 150-hp electric motor. Driving range is expected to top at 100 miles and top speed at 95 mph.
Source: BMWblog
On Wednesday, 23 February 2011, Globe Business is hosting Globe Negostar forums in seven locations nationwide: Quezon City and Makati in Metro Manila; San Fernando, La Union in northern Luzon; San Fernando, Pampanga in central Luzon; Bacoor, Cavite in southern Luzon; Cebu City in the Visayas; and Davao City in Mindanao.
Globe Negostar focuses on the specific business requirements of SMEs which can be addressed by superior business solutions developed and packaged especially for the SME market.
According to Manny Aligada, head of corporate and SME segments at Globe Business, “Our thrust is to support Filipino entrepreneurs as they manage their day-to-day operations, improve the way they do business and grow their bottom line.”
Throughout the rest of the year, pocket sessions will be held in other areas to attract more SMEs to take advantage of Globe’s affordable, innovative and easy-to-use business solutions designed for the needs of small and medium enterprises.
Some of the services offered by Globe Business include the GPS Tracker, WebEye, Inventory Ordering System, TxtConnect, and packages like Business Plus, Buz Talk, Biz Landline, etc. For more information, visit www.globe.com.ph/negostar.
While a couple of mobile companies are hi-fiving themselves at their successful tablet launches in Barcelona, they might be in for rude shock come production time. DigiTimes has just reported that Apple has just secured 60% of global touch panel capacity for their own use. What this means is that other tablet manufacturers that don’t have their own manufacturing capability might have some trouble acquiring touch panels that they’ll use for their own tablets. Unfortunate coincidence or strategic move for Apple?
Source: DigiTimes