Apple is going to replace Touchscreens with Voice control

No one knew a decade before what apple is and what it’s going to bring forth for us. Ten years later Apple changed the way of telephonic conversation, they brought new and innovative ideas which other companies failed to meet and Apple became king company of Smartphone’s. The mobile phones and tablets from apple were much lighter, thinner and more powerful than any other company produced. Their products are more user friendly and easy to handle. Now the question is, are they looking for a horizon beyond touchscreen as well. Because a few days before one rumor suggests that Apple could spearhead that future early next year, in the form of the iWatch.

A Chinese blog claimed that Apple is trying to produce a new and innovative smart watch in collaboration with Intel. The features of iWatch include a 1.5-inch OLED screen and the device would be connected to an iPhone through a low powered Bluetooth 4.0. Using the Siri it will enable you to answer calls and operate other functions of the iPhone.

Whether this rumor is true or not but Siri is going to replace touch screens with voice in our mobile devices for Apple company. Apple thrives on making tech products behave less like tech products, and more like natural human tools. When taken to its extreme, this could result in a device with a conversation-based interface.

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Always be sure where your baggage is!

Los Angeles – January 7, 2013 – According to the SITA, nearly 26 million bags go missing each year from airports around the world. Air travelers concerned about their valuables now have a simple, affordable luggage tracking solution from Trakdot™.  The Trakdot Luggage™ tracker fits into a checked bag and reports city location in real time to any mobile, Apple, Android, or SMS capable devices.  For the first time, Trakdot Luggage gives airline passengers unprecedented control at a wallet-friendly price, allowing them to keep track of checked-in luggage anywhere mobile phones work.

Trakdot Luggage is built for travel convenience, with a palm-sized tracker that is ultra-light and fits easily into any size bag.  The luggage locator system delivers city-specific information on the whereabouts of checked baggage in real time.  Even if the Trakdot protected bag does not reach the desired destination, passengers will still have the reassurance of knowing which city their luggage is in.

Once the device is registered on the Trakdot website and placed inside a checked bag, it will deliver location information directly to the user’s mobile phone or SMS device via text or email.  Alternatively, travelers can track their luggage on Trakdot.com or use the free Trakdot Luggage app.  An additional app alerts passengers as their baggage approaches on the carousel, making it easier than ever for them to find their bag.

“A recent passenger survey from the International Air Transport Association showed that 81% of travelers are interested in tracking their bags in real time,” explains CEO Harry Steck.  “Trakdot Luggage empowers travelers to do just that, with a revolutionary product that is inexpensive as well as simple and convenient to use.”

The retail package includes the Trakdot Luggage device, luggage tag, and batteries.  It works globally with any cell phone or SMS enabled device for a low annual price.  Each device can be linked to multiple phones, and each phone can track multiple devices (as with family applications). For added convenience, Trakdot Luggage owners can track or locate bags on the web at www.Trakdot.com using a secure log-in.

The product will be available March 2013 for $49.95 MSRP with an activation fee of $8.99 and an annual service fee of $12.99.  Media, sales, and distribution inquiries can be made by appointment during CES at LVH Meeting Room MP25639.


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Samsung Galaxy S IV Early Rumor Roundup: 8-Core Exynos 5 Chip, 5″ 440ppi Display, Wireless Charging

Here we are again, in the midst of Galaxy S IV rumor season, and this year’s brought about a bountiful harvest. The latest rumor in the bunch is that Samsung’s next flagship will feature a hardcore Exynos 5 Octa processor clocked at 1.8GHz, according to SamMobile.

For what it’s worth, that’s eight cores.

However, don’t get too instantly excited, considering that the Exynos chip in the Galaxy S III was swapped for a Snapdragon processor here in the states. On the other hand, the Galaxy Note 2 kept its Exynos processor, so anything could happen.

In either case, the Galaxy S IV is sure to delight and surprise.

For one, AnandTech spotted a Galaxy brand roadmap at CES that promised a 5-inch 440ppi display on a device set to launch in the first quarter of 2013.

You know what else is set to launch in Q1 2013? According to an anonymous Samsung official, the Galaxy S IV is going to debut at MWC in February and see a global launch in March.

Rumors and leaks have also suggested that the phone will pack 2GB of RAM under the hood, and sport a 13-megapixel (1080p video capture) rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel front camera capable of 720p video capture for video chat. And just yesterday, DDaily reported that the Galaxy S IV would support Qi wireless charging.

But hopefully you’re not too attached to the home button. One allegedly leaked press shot of the Galaxy S IV doesn’t seem to have any physical home button on the device. Interesting (scratches chin).

Past that, we also expect to see Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean out of the box.

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Nokia Releases 3D Print Files For Lumia 820 Smartphone. Got A 3D Printer? Custom Print Your Own Removable Shell

Now this is cool: mobile maker Nokia has released 3D print files for one of its smartphones so owners of 3D printers can custom print their own removable shell. Nokia already sells different colour shells for the handset in question, the Lumia 820 — which has a removable backplate — along with shells that add wireless charging to the device or offer a bit more protection to standard plastic shells. But the company has decided to spice things up further by releasing a 3D template so people can print their own custom designs.

It’s calling this a 3DK for short — see what they did there? Writing in a blog post on Nokia Conversations, Nokia says: “We are going to release 3D templates, case specs, recommended materials and best practices — everything someone versed in 3D printing needs to print their own custom Lumia 820 case. We refer to these files and documents collectively as a 3D-printing Development Kit, or 3DK for short.”

The mechanical drawings for the shell are available for download here, here and here. Nokia claims it’s the first “major phone company” to release 3D templates for hardware. It’s certainly a bold move for a big corporate company to allow users to remix its design without any checks and balances on what they produce. But it’s also a savvy one — which recognises that building a community of engaged users necessitates giving up some control by giving people opportunities to get more involved in the creation process.

R&D is already something that, increasingly, does not just take place behind the closed, locked doors of corporate research labs. Witness the success of the online crowdfunding model — via sites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo — where many projects take soundings from backers and incorporating their views into the final product.

Nokia’s mechanical drawings add to a growing pool of 3D templates up for grabs — from sites like 3D printer maker MakerBot‘s Thingiverse — where custom designs for all sorts of smartphone cases and docks can be found, often licensed for use under Creative Commons.

Nokia says it uses 3D printers internally for rapid prototyping of devices but envisages 3D printing having a much larger role to play in smartphone design in future. “In the future, I envision wildly more modular and customizable phones,” writes John Kneeland, a Nokia Community & Developer Marketing Manager, on the blog.

Kneeland speculates that Nokia could sell a printable phone template in future — allowing entrepreneurs to “build a local business on building phones precisely tailored to the needs of his or her local community”. ”You want a waterproof, glow-in-the-dark phone with a bottle-opener and a solar charger? Someone can build it for you — or you can print it yourself!”

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10 iPad Apps for Teaching Kids About Science

Compared with mastering multiplication tables, struggling with Shakespeare or memorizing a slew of dates, science class has always been pretty lively. After all, where else could you play with volatile chemicals, fire, magnets and even the occasional dead frog (OK, so maybe that part wasn't "play" for everyone).

Now, thanks to some very smart people who paid attention during science class (and a few other periods), we have another way to study science: the iPad. In just a few short years, this ubiquitous tablet has proved its versatility and usefulness in all sorts of ways. Perhaps most valuable among these is education. Science apps written for the iPad let us explore space, look inside the human body, test out theories and yes, even dissect a frog (although with much less mess). Science itself has made educating people about it more fun and interactive than ever.

Here we present 10 iPad science apps that are so engaging and entertaining that kids won't even mind that they're learning while using them.

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Apple Locks App Screenshots To Ward Off Scammers

Apple has announced that app screenshots will be locked in iTunes Connect once an app is approved. New screenshots can only be added when developers submit a binary for an updated to an existing or new app.

This move will help combat a common scam tactic that tricks people into buying fake apps with screenshots stolen from more popular or non-iOS games. Past examples include fake descriptions for  various apps titled Halo 4 that were actually just a chess or racing game and a non-functional “Pokemon Yellow” app. Many scam developers managed to get past App Store monitors by using different screenshots when they first submitted their apps for approval and then later changing the store description.

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Amazon’s “AutoRip” Service Goes Live, Giving Customers Free MP3s For CDs Purchased On Amazon As Far Back As 1998 (Hands-On)

Amazon is today introducing a new service called Amazon AutoRip, which automatically gives customers free MP3 versions of any CDs they’ve purchased from Amazon since the launch of its Music Store back in 1998. Customers will also have access to a growing number of new releases. The digital music is being placed in users’ Amazon Cloud Player accounts, the company’s answer to Google Music, iTunes Match, Rdio, and other services that store users’ own music collections in the cloud.

News of the service’s debut was leaked last night by CNET, which said it would be arriving “soon.”

At launch, the AutoRip service is offered for over 50,000 albums on Amazon.com, with more on the way, including both back catalog and most new releases. The option has been made possible by deals made with record labels and music publishers, Amazon says. According to Steve Boom, Amazon’s VP of Worldwide Digital Music, the company now has deals in place with the three major labels (EMI, now a part of Universal; Sony; and Warner) as well as hundreds of independent labels. On the publisher side, Amazon has participation from all the major music publishers and “hundreds, if not thousands,” of smaller publishers, says Boom.

Amazon’s customers won’t have to take any action to switch on AutoRip. In fact, even if users have never signed up or downloaded the Cloud Player software, the option will be enabled if they’ve ever purchased a CD on Amazon. In that case, those customers will receive an email shortly after the service’s launch today informing them that a digital copy of that purchase (or purchases) is now available in the cloud for free.

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