Even though Nokia still has the global smartphone lead, the trend for the Finnish company is moving in the wrong direction. One of the main reasons for this slide is the relative lack of native apps on the Symbian platform. So now Nokia is upping the stakes by offering $10 million in various prizes for their "Calling All Innovators" contest.
The contest will feature 17 different categories: 6 game, and 11 general apps. Nokia will choose 170 finalists , then a panel of AT&T and Nokia judges will dole out the prizes. Winners of individual categories will win $150,000 in cash. Two apps, and two games will win their developers the additional grand prize of $100,000 cash and $1.9 million in marketing.
The process seems a little convoluted, and users apparently won't get a say in the matter. Still, some devs will probably be anxious to be considered. Nokia stresses that winning apps will need to be responsive and attractive. If you're interested in the contest, check out the official page here.
One-touch, no-fuss espresso that actually tastes good
For much of the world, the aroma, flavor, and lightning bolt of energy that a café dopio delivers are magic. But a big part of the delight is also the ritual of preparation: grinding the beans, tamping the portafilter, and pulling the shot yourself.
So what can we make of Nespresso’s CitiZ Automatic Espresso Maker, which eschews this loving ritual in favor of a push-button system? Insert an espresso capsule, press a button, and 18 seconds later, you get a shot of espresso.
A YouTube user who goes by the name "x313xkillax" posted what may end up being the first hands-on look at HP's upcoming Windows 7-based Slate in prototype form.
Naturally there's some chatter that the video could be fake, and we can't say that it isn't. But if it is a ruse, it's a convincing one. The 4-minute video starts off with a tour of the external features, which shows a textured backing, built-in camera, SD card on the side, a keyboard button to bring up the virtual keyboard, volume buttons, USB port, and a few other accoutrement. There's even a CTRL-ALT-DEL key and a home key.
The second half of the video shows the device booting up and browsing the Web, as well as a brief look at the virtual keyboard.
Check it out below and then tell us what you think.
Dell seems to be taking a graduated approach to tablets. While other big names around it seemed unwilling to commit themselves in a hurry, Dell was quick to enter the nascent market with the 5-inch Streak, which marked a very circumspect foray into uncharted territory. Dell was probably trying to hedge its bet by letting the Streak function as a phone. The PC maker now seems ready to raise its tablet game a notch.
There was one question about the Streak that Jon Phillips, Maximum PC's editorial director, could not answer while reviewing the device: “Smartphone, tablet, GPS navigator, what is it?” He wasn't alone, though.
“We’re going to take Dell up on the tablet designation, which is why it receives a 6 verdict – two verdict points lower than what we gave the iPad in June. With even a 7-inch screen (which is rumored, by the way), the Streak would warrant a solid 7,” reads the business end of that review.
The odds of the next Dell tablet receiving more than 6 verdict points from MPC have certainly improved with this announcement.
We're not sure what's more disheartening, the fact that Brianna Hendrickson, a 13-year-old from Brooklyn, New York text messages her friends and family 7,000 times a month, or that doing so prepared her to win this year's LG U.S. National Texting Championship and bring home $50,000 for her efforts.
Either way, little Miss Hendrickson has a good jump on her college tuition after beating out 500,000 other texters who participated in the challenge. During the final battle, Hendrickson triumphed over two other teens and a 48-year-old woman from Chicago by being the first to accurately type, "Old McDonald had a farm, Ei, ei, oh! And on this farm he had a champ. W/a txtr here, and BFF there. Here a text, there a text, erywhere a text-text!"
"I was really nervous when I saw the final phrase and worried my fingers wouldn't be fast enough," Hendrickson said. "Hearing my name announced was amazing and shocking all at the same time."
Hendrickson is now eligible to compete in the LG Text for Good Challenge, in which she could double her cash price, plus another $50,000 for a charity of her choosing.
Wires are the bane of any neat freak's home theater setup, so it should come as good news that AuraSound went and developed the industry's first wireless 5.1 soundbar for TVs.
"We are very excited to introduce the wireless 5.1 soundbar which will immerse individuals in a rich audio experience from their home entertainment systems," Mr. Harald Weisshaupt, President and CEO stated. "The response from both our retail and OEM customers has been outstanding."
The wireless soundbar measures 42 inches and includes four 3-inch hand-built mid/bass transducers and two 3/4-inch aluminum dome neodymium tweeters. A pair of satellites and a wireless subwoofer round out the package. Equipped with a 6.5-inch long throw driver, the sub's frequency comes rated at 35Hz up to 80Hz, so it's not going to trade low blows with the likes of Outlaw, SVS, or Hsu subwoofers, but it's all about reducing clutter here, and AuraSound's subwoofer can be placed within 60 feet of the soundbar (with a clear line of sight). As for lag? AuroSound claims a latency equal to the speed of sound (1ms/ft).
Volume shipments have already begun, and from what AuroSound tells us, it's "selling like hotcakes at almost all the major U.S. retailers." MSRP for the 5.1 system is $429.
Motorola Droid X owners will be happy to know that Verizon has begun rolling out Android 2.2, otherwise known as Froyo, as an over-the-air (OTA) update. If you haven't already, you should be receiving it within the next few days.
Android 2.2 brings a number of enhancements to the Droid X, some of which include:
Native Adobe Flash Player 10.1
Enhanced browser performance
Automatic app updates
Improved Exchange support
Transition from Wi-Fi and 3G without losing data connection
For those of you feeling impatient, you can force an update immediately. To do so, tap Menu from the main menu, select Settings - About phone - System updates. Mash the download button and follow the on-screen instructions to install.
A new report (PDF) by market firm DisplaySearch suggests that even though 3D is making a strong push to penetrate the notebook market, consumers are a little reluctant to buy into the hype.
"Is the market ready to accept 3D in a notebook PC? If the sales this year are any indication, then it seems that consumers are, so far, hesitant to embrace 3D notebook PCs," DisplaySearch said in its report. "Since the beginning of the year, less than 100,000 3D-equipped notebook PCs have been sold in a market of more than 100 million notebooks. That is less than one-tenth of one percent of the total notebook PC market."
In another recent study -- this one conducted by Nielsen -- consumers who viewed 3D content became less interested in purchasing a 3D TV. Factor in higher costs and concerns over having to wear 3D glasses, it could be awhile before 3D truly enters the mainstream.
Do you think 3D is here to stay, or just a passing fad?
The Arctic from Wicked Lasers is a spectacular affirmation of the forward march of technology. But should a 750-milliwatt, handheld blue laser even be legal for sale?
The article you’re about to read is a story of furious power unleashed. It’s a story about technology that must be seen to be believed, but causes serious concern among federal agencies.
The USB 2.0 drive can, of course, also write onto CD-R (24x), CD-RW (16x), DVD-RAM (5x), DVD+/-R (8x), DVD+/-R Double/Dual layer (4x), DVD+RW (8x), and DVD-RW (6x). It also doubles up as a 3D Blu-ray player.
According to Sony, the BDX-S500U will retail for $200 when it becomes available later this month. That said, it is already available from a few online retailers.
maximumpc: Episode #203 of the No BS podcast is up - this time around we discuss the GTX 780 and answer your questions: http://t.co/aWaHpQfIbd22 hours 1 min ago
maximumpc: Microsoft hopes Xbox One developers make games unplayable offline - what???? http://t.co/jzVz3PtCcD via @DailyTech1 day 5 hours ago
maximumpc: @R3ality_Ch3ck Thx for the RT!1 day 6 hours ago
