Apple smart watch set for Valentine’s Day release?

There have been rumours that Apple could be targeting V-day to release its smart watch.
Although it’s slated for early 2015, no date has been confirmed yet. February isn’t exactly prime time for shopping like the December holidays, but people will still be on the hunt for fashionable and expensive gifts.

Apple has launched other products around that time before, such as iOS device storage capacities and pink coloured models. However The Information claims that someone briefed by the Apple department involved in shipping the watch was joking that the tech giant would be “lucky to ship it by Valentine’s Day”.

The Information continued that the smart watch was expected to come out in time for the holidays, but it wasn’t ready. In an interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Cook and Apple Senior VP of Operations Jeff Williams confirmed they missed their 2014 target.

“We want to make the best product in the world,” said Williams. “One of our competitors is on their fourth or fifth attempt, but nobody is wearing them.” Cook added: “We could have done the watch much earlier, honestly, but not at the fit and finish and quality and integration of these products.
“And so we are willing to wait.”

Apple’s smart watch will be its newest category since the Steve Jobs era, which puts a lot of pressure on the company to get it right. This will be somewhat of a risk for the Cupertino firm.
Only 11 percent of consumers want an Apple smart watch. Perhaps they’re turned off by the price, which is estimated to be as high as $1200 (around £739). Or maybe they’re not so keen on having to charge it every night.

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Samsung shows off battery-sharing cable for your mobile devices

Samsung's latest tech accessory is the Power Sharing cable, a battery buddy-up system that'll let you drain juice from one device and power up another. The cable is double-ended with micro-USB connectors, meaning it's good to go with any micro-USB-friendly device.

In terms of Samsung, that means it's good for all the latest category flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Galaxy Tab S, and the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. "The new Power Sharing cable gives multi-device users a versatile way to charge their devices - it lets users share the power of their Galaxy battery with either thei own devices or a friend's no matter where they are," says the Korean tech firm.

To work the new wares, you'll first need to download Samsung's Power Sharing app from either Samsung Apps or the Google Play Store. Once that's sorted, you can then select the amount of power you want to shift over, and then plug in both devices. Voila, instant juice. Sammy also says its cable is teeny enough to 'fit in a pocket and purse'.

The Power Sharing cable ships in two colours, namely black or white, and retails for £15 - although Samsung says it's nearly out of stock, so get your bids in quick if you're keen.

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Facebook's Wi-Fi Drones Start Testing Next Year

By this stage, Facebook’s plan to bring internet to the whole world with a fleet of drones and lasers is pretty well documented: what’s a little vague has been the details — until now. Speaking at the Social Good Summit in New York, Yael Maguire, the engineering director at Facebook Connectivity Lab, spilled a few details.

The ‘unmanned planes’ (Facebook seems to be steering clear of the term ‘drone’, given what US-made drones are normally associated with doing over foreign soil) will be about the size of a 747, but far lighter and solar-powered.

In theory, that combination of huge wingspan (and, presumably, quite a few solar panels on top) will let the ‘planes’ fly more or less indefinitely, at high altitudes — 60,000 feet (18,000m) or more, in order to stay above the weather and other aircraft.

In terms of timescale, Maguire wants a prototype aircraft flying sometime in 2015, with actual internet-beaming-goodness following in 3-5 years’ time. As for who will actually deploy these things? That’s still to be determined, in typical Silicon Valley solution: build the technology, and the market will create itself.

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News India's Space Probe Successfully Enters Mars Orbit

India just cemented its place as a space power and put NASA’s billions to shame, with the news that its $US74 million space probe just entered Mars orbit. The orbiter, dubbed Mangalyaan, dropped into orbit following a burn at 10.30 EST (12.30am AEST), making India the first country to successfully reach Mars orbit on the first try.

Actually, the history of Mars missions makes for pretty sobering reading: the first three attempts failed to even reach Earth orbit, and it took until Mariner 9 for the USA and NASA to get a probe into successful orbit without anything accidentally blowing up.

By contrast, Mangalyaan has been run on a shoestring budget — just $US74 million — and managed to reach orbit first time round. For a full list of updates, you can follow the Indian Space Research Organisation’s page here.

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10 Alternative DIY Wall Decor Ideas

There are such interesting ways to decorate a space without using regular painted canvas, using a variety of materials and technics the possibilities are pretty much endless. So this week instead of the top 5 I searched the web for alternative decorations and found these inspiring ideas. Enjoy!

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Science A Bunch Of US High-Schoolers Broke The Paper Airplane World Record

A ‘science’ project for high school kids normally involves making a poster of the periodic table, or perhaps torching things with a small gas burner if your science teacher is a bit Walter White. If you’re also a cadet with the Civil Aviation Patrol, on the other hand, you can make a computer-controlled, record-breaking paper airplane.


To achieve the record-breaking height (96,563 feet), the students attached their one-pound plane to a helium weather balloon, then launched it upwards.

Eventually, the balloon burst, the on-board computer (yes, this paper aeroplane had a computer) severed the tether, and the plane glided 81.9 miles before landing. [ Fox Valley Composite Squadron ]

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Gadgets Panasonic Goes Old-School With Its Cassette-Shaped Voice Recorder

Panasonic is clearly targeting a certain demographic, or at least a specific age group, with its latest voice recorder. Because anyone who grew up before the age of MP3s, or even compact discs, will spot the RR-S30′s uncanny resemblance to an audio cassette tape.

To anyone younger, it will simply look like something they vaguely remember seeing in their parent’s garage — or a museum. To help really sell the whole cassette thing, the RR-S30′s LCD display features a pair of faux reels that rotate during recording or playback.

But in terms of more practical functionality, on a pair of AAA batteries the recorder will capture up to 180 hours of audio at its lowest quality setting, from either a set of built-in stereo mics, or an external one that’s been plugged in.

It will be available next month, in Japan at least, for about $US83, so nostalgia seekers should mark their calendars. Panasonic (Japan)

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Are There Any Non-Terrible iPhone 6 Cases?

Smartphone cases are the devil’s handiwork. We know that. But that still doesn’t change the fact that, until our phones magically become 100 per cent scratch proof, we’re more or less forced to wrap our phones in the wretched things.

We’ve already looked at the iPhone 6 Plus, and now it’s time to outfit the smaller model. Have you seen any decent iPhone 6 cases out there?


This should (hopefully) be easier than scrounging for a decent iPhone 6 Plus case. Sleeker phones mean sleeker cases, which theoretically means a case less likely to offend our most base senses. So share any gems you may have discovered down below. Hopefully it’s not too bleak out there, and godspeed.

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Entertainment You Wish You Could Hack Like This

This Sunday, Network Ten will be broadcasting a new hit TV show: Scorpion. It’s about hackers and geniuses and hacking and the genius hacks that they hack. Which means, of course, that even in the first ever episode, there’s a particularly brilliant moment in computer science.
 

According to CBS, Scorpion “is an American drama television series based on the life of self-proclaimed genius and computer expert Walter O’Brien. In the series, O’Brien recruits other geniuses to help solve complex, global problems.” (O’Brien isn’t a real person, we should clarify. He’s a fictional figure.)

It sounds like standard fare, garden variety prime-time filler in the vein of CSI and The Mentalist. But honestly, if you’re interested in NCIS or any other shows of its ilk, you just might like Scorpion. I’ll reserve my judgment until I can see a complete episode or three. You can find a quick first look at the show here, or watch the official trailer on YouTube.

But wait. Wait until you watch this clip on io9 to make your decision. I wish I could embed it here, but trust me, clicking through and making the effort to load that video is so worth your time. I don’t want to spoil it for you. Suspend your disbelief, leave your preconceptions at the door, and prepare to be wowed.

Checkout the YouTube

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Geek Out Learn Just How Crazy Russian Smokejumpers Are

To be a smokejumper — the front-line firefighters who parachute into forest fires — in the US, you’ve already got to be a little unhinged. To do the same job in Russia, with antique equipment, for no pay, you must be certifiably insane.


The National Geographic has an in-depth feature following a band of Russian firefighters through their work, and the differences compared to US teams are stark.

Equipment is said to be incredibly simple — hand-made shovels, beating down fires with boughs, and burying it in sand is a far cry from an airliner dropping thousands of kilograms of retardant. It’s definitely worth the read

>> National Geographic

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Here's A Guy Bending An iPhone 6 Plus With His Bare Hands

Earlier today, we started hearing reports that a small sampling of iPhone 6 Plus owners have experienced a slight bend to their phone after putting the device in their front pockets.

And now, here’s what appears to be video proof that — yep, this smartphone sure can bend. Although it sure takes some effort.


Lou from Unbox Therapy puts the rumours to the test with his bare hands, and though it clearly takes quite a bit of force, he is able to give that handset one hell of an angle.


The glass hangs in there, though, so it’s still functional. And while it’s clearly not something that will happen with normal use, the fact that it could happen at all is a bit concerning.

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Watching A Falcon Hunt Down A Crow In The Air Is Pretty Terrifying

Seeing a falcon hunt down a crow from the falcon’s point of view in an aerial pursuit is not unlike seeing an aeroplane dogfight or a crazy aerial chase scene from an action movie.

Only this is happening in nature all the time. And this particular crow has no chance against the falcons. A user found the footage and it’s sort of horrifying to see but also impressive that we can get these sort of POV shots in nature now.

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Bend-gate: An Apple iPhone 6 story

Reports have emerged that suggest Apple's supersize iPhone 6 Plus handset is prone to bending in pockets. Irate customers have taken to the MacRumors forum to voice concerns over the fact that the handsets are being damaged under normal use. The first to kick off the Bend-gate furore was a user called 'hanzoh', who posted an image of a clearly warped iPhone 6 Plus handset.

Yesterday, I left at 10am with the iPhone in my left front pocket of my suit pants," wrote Hanzoh, in his post. "I drove 4 hours to a wedding, which also involved a lot of sitting during dinner, but also 2-3 hours of dancing. As I lay it on the coffee table and sat down on the couch to relax from the drive, I saw the reflection of the window in the iPhones slightly distorted. Now I lay it flat with the display side on the table, take a look.

And sure enough, Hanzoh's handset was deformed, with the iPhone unit not lying flush with the table. It's important to note that this isn't an issue of the protruding camera causing a wobble effect - the images posted are display-side down. Since Hanzoh's revelation, many other iPhone users have spoken out about similar issues with their own handsets, launching fierce discussions across Twitter and Reddit.

Some argue that users should be more careful with their handsets, and make sure not to sit on them.
Others suggest that keeping a phone in a front pocket is considered normal usage, and the iPhone should have been designed to withstand minimal pressures.

The reason for the bending issue is pretty clear at this point - Apple's iPhone 6 Plus is made of aluminium, is very large and, most importantly, very thin (at 7.1mm). This makes it incredibly susceptible to warping compared to other handsets.

Apple's yet to comment on the #bendgate debacle, but it's probably wise to use your iPhone 6 Plus with care for the time being. If there is in fact an issue with smartphone warping then this is a huge design oversight on Apple's part, especially considering the phone's are under a week old.

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Samsung's putting a stopper on laptop sales in Europe

Samsung is killing off its laptop business across the whole of Europe, according to a company spokesperson. The Korean firm appears to be following Sony's suit, after it revealed it was killing of the Vaio range earlier this year. Samsung revealed the news to PC Advisor, explaining that the move was a response to current tech trends.

We quickly adapt to market needs and demands. In Europe, we will be discontinuing sales of laptops including Chromebooks for now," the spokesperson explained. "This is specific to the region - and is not necessarily reflective of conditions in other markets.

The PC and laptop business has been struggling in recent years, notably caused by the rising primacy of smartphones and tablets. Mobile devices have replaced their bulkier forebears for many consumers, and it seems Samsung's got its finger firmly on the pulse of the market.

Fortunately for die-hard notebookers, Samsung's spokesperson did add a caveat that suggests all might not be over for the Korean company's PC business. "We will continue to thoroughly evaluate market conditions and will make further adjustments to maintain our competitiveness in emerging PC categories."

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Google Now's latest trick is finding you a cheaper flight

Google Now has been showing off alternate info for when your flight's been delayed for a bit, and as of late the app's looking to take another bite out of air transit frustrations: keeping an eye on ticket prices.

Poking around on Google Flights for a trip will drop a card into the search giant's digital assistant now and will alert you when prices change based on your recent destination or itinerary searches. It's sort of like what Airfare Watchdog does, but is possibly more convenient.

As pointed out by by Android Police, however, it doesn't look like searching for a flight on the likes of Kayak or Travelocity will trigger the same activity.

From the looks of it, Mountain View's aiming to provide end-to-end help for your trip, from sidestepping traffic jams en route to the airport to finding diversions at your destination.

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Google Chrome plugs into iOS 8 app extensions

Enjoy how Chrome and other apps share data back and forth on Android? Now you can get that feeling on iOS, since Google has updated Chrome to take advantage of the app extensions supported by iOS 8.

That doesn't mean you'll be able to install any of Chrome's desktop extensions -- it just means links can be shared directly to any other apps on your iDevice, as long as they also support the feature. The update is rocking "iOS 8 compatibility" but no tweaks for the extra size of the iPhone 6 family have appeared yet

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Huawei's just bought an internet-of-things startup

Whenever we talk about Huawei, it's normally within the context of the company's growing smartphone business. What we don't talk about as much is the Chinese giant's massive networking operation -- but it's this department that's making a big entry into the Internet of Things.

Huawei has announced that it's buying Neul, a Cambridge-based startup that specializes in building low-power wireless sensors for monitoring in various industrial and medical applications. Neul is probably most famous for having built the UK's first smart road, a 50-mile chunk of highway designed to monitor traffic flow and avoid congestion.

Huawei has pledged to use its vast resources to turn Neul's Cambridge HQ into an "internet of things stronghold" which, we're sure, will go down really well with those people who refuse to deal with the company on security grounds.

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BlackBerry put a $2,000 smartphone into our pauper's hands

BlackBerry may have fallen out of favor with the majority of mainstream smartphone purchasers, but the company has always held a certain appeal with the, erm, super-rich.

That's why it's no surprise to see the Porsche Design P'9983 getting unveiled here at London's Harrods, a department store where personal submarines and gold-plated Xbox Ones sit side-by-side.

The phone is the latest collaboration with the German design outfit, which crams BlackBerry hardware into its own chassis, and we got some time to find out how this thing feels in our hands.

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Apple managed to flog 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units on launch weekend

Apple's sales statisticians have been hard at work on their abacuses (abaci, perhaps?), and reckon that the firm has managed to flog upwards of 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus units. The flagship smartphone duo landed on store shelves on the 19th September, putting on-sale time at just three days so far.

The phenomenal initial sales were marked by huge queues around the world, with some die-hard Apple fanatics reportedly camping out for days in advance of the launch. Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were officially unveiled on the 9th September at a keynote event in Cupertino, California, with CEO Tim Cook showing off the fruity pair of handsets.

Sales for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus exceeded our expectations for the launch weekend, and we couldn't be happier," says Cook, in response to the sales news. We would like to thank all of our customers for making this our best launch ever, shattering all previous sell-through records by a large margin.

His message, however, came laced with regret and scorn, as Cook subtly slammws supply chains for their part in hindering iPhone sales. While our team managed the manufacturing ramp better than ever before," explains Cook, "we could have sold many more iPhones with greater supply and we are working hard to fill orders as quickly as possible." Ouch, that's cold.

The new iPhones are currently available in the UK, US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, and Singapore, with plans to add a further 20 countries to the roster by September 26th. Apple also promises that its latest smartphones will be available in 115 countries 'by the end of the year', which is sure to send the sales figures sky-rocketing in the run-up to Christmas.
The new iPhones ship in two different size models - the iPhone 6, at 4.7-in, and the iPhone 6 Plus, at 5.5-in.

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Is Microsoft killing off the Nokia name?

It seems as though the Nokia name isn't long for this world, as Microsoft rejigs the Nokia home site to point all fingers at its own domain. Nokia's UK site, although still live, suggests you move across to Microsoft's website, with most pages forcing a redirect anyway.

The home page reads 'Step inside our new home', paired with the tagline 'Nokia devices and services have moved to a new website." Although seemingly insignificant, the change could indeed be part of a larger intention to drop the 'Nokia' tag altogether.

Upon following the link, you're taken to the Microsoft Mobile Devices page, where references to 'Nokia' are relatively scarce. Earlier this month, The Verge reported it had confirmed materials that suggested Microsoft would be dropping the name.

"As part of our phased transition, we will drop the manufacturer name [Nokia] from product references during the Holiday campaign," read one of the slides in question. It remains to be seen whether the Nokia website will be booted entirely as we approach the holiday season - we'll keep you posted.

Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia was finalised earlier this year. Since then, Microsoft has announced huge job cuts - 12,500 to be precise - in the Nokia departments, as part of the takeover.

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