Tag: iPhone

Self-Healing iPhone Case: The Clumsy/Angry Smartphone User’s Dream

If you’re as haphazard with your iPhone as I am, it probably didn’t take you very long to figure out that a nice, solid case was in your best interest. And it probably wasn’t very long before that case was dinged up, nicked, scratched and gouged to pieces from repeated contact with walls and floors (both intentional and unintentional, of course).

Nissan wants to make dinged up iPhone cases a thing of the past, as they have just announced the Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone Case, billed as “the world’s first self-healing iPhone case.”

“Self-healing” means that when you scratch your case, it will automatically fix the blemish. Easy as that. This works because “the outer ‘paint’ is made from polyrotaxane, which means that when damage occurs to the coating in the form of a fine scratch, the chemical structure is able to react to change back to its original shape and fill the gap.”

The healing process will take anywhere from an hour to a week, depending on the size of the scratch. This paint technology was originally developed back in 2005, and is currently in use in Nissan automobiles like the Murano, 370Z and X-Trail, as well as some Infiniti models.

The Scratch Shield case touts other beneficial features, as Nissan says the flexible, tight-fitting case sports a tactile gel-like surface as opposed to a glossy surface – which cuts down on scratches in the first place and provides a better grip.

So when can you get your hands on one? According to Nissan, hopefully later this year. The first batch of prototypes is going through beta testing with a select group of consumers. If all goes according to plan, you could have your self-healing case before the end of 2012.

This isn’t the first time this scratch technology has been used outside of automobiles:

“We’re really excited about the possibilities provided by this technology, said Bob Laishley, Overseas Program Director Business Development for Nissan in Europe. “In Japan, we’ve already linked up with world-leading mobile operator NTT DoCoMo to allow them to use the Scratch Shield technology on its Style Series N-03B mobile phones, and we think this technology has real scope beyond the automotive world. We’re passionate about innovations that get people excited, and that means not being restricted to one industry or genre.”

For anyone whose iPhone case takes a beating on a regular basis, it’s a no-brainer that they might want to at least give this new case a look.

[Images Courtesy JapanTrends]

January 17, 2012
Wozniak Says Android Beats iPhone In Some Ways

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has a history of irritating Apple’s faithful fans for statements implying that Android might actually be a decent operating system. It seems The Woz might be in trouble again this week after suggesting in a recent interview that Android might actually be better than iOS in some ways.

Speaking to The Daily Beast, Woz insisted that the iPhone was still the better phone – his primary phone, in fact – but that “I wish it did all the things my Android does, I really do.” A major advantage of Android over the iPhone, he says, is Android’s built-in navigation system. Though the iPhone has apps for that, Android users get a quality navigation system right out of the box.

Wozniak also spoke about the competitive relationship between Apple and Google in the smartphone market. Many have compared it to the competition between Apple and Microsoft, especially in the ‘90s. Wozniak admits that there is a similarity, but says that the situation is different becase “[t]here’s not as big a difference as there was between Mac and Windows.” In other words, while Windows was (in Woz’s view) always significantly inferior to Mac, Android is much closer to iOS in quality.

Wozniak also had some interesting things to say about Siri, the much-vaunted killer app of the iPhone 4S. Wozniak says that the quality of Siri’s answers has suffered since the iPhone’s launch, often delivering incorrect answers or misunderstanding the question. To make matters worse, Siri’s need to connect to servers via the internet has become a hindrance. Wozniak says “With the iPhone 4 I could press a button and call my wife. Now on the 4S I can only do that when Siri can connect over the Internet. But many times it can’t connect. I’ve never had Android come back and say, ‘I can’t connect over the Internet.’”

Wozniak also voiced a complaint shared by virtually every iPhone 4S owner since the device’s launch in October: battery life. He says that “[w]ith the iPhone, something happened with the new OS or the new phone, and it just started running through the battery so fast. I’ve had a lot of issues with things I have to turn off just to save the battery life.” Lousy battery life has been the chief complaint about the iPhone 4S. Shortly after the device’s launch Apple issued iOS 5.0.1 which was supposed to help address the issue. The forthcoming iOS 5.1 is supposed to offer a fuller fix to the problem.

In spite of his complaints, though, Woz still says that the iPhone is the best smartphone on the market, especially for Mac users and people who want a phone that is simple and easy to use:

The people I recommend the iPhone 4S for are the ones who are already in the Mac world, because its so compatible, and people who are just scared of computers altogether and don’t want to use them. The iPhone is the least frightening thing. For that kind of person who is scared of complexity, well, here’s a phone that is simple to use and does what you need it to.

Do you agree with Woz about iPhone and Android? Let us know in the comments.

[Source: The Daily Beast]

January 16, 2012
iPhone 4S Jailbreak Almost Ready For Prime Time

We have previously reported that a jailbreak solution for Apple’s iPhone 4S and iPad 2 was on its way soon. Noted jailbreak developer pod2g posted last week that an untethered jailbreak of iOS devices running on Apple’s A5 processor (the iPhone 4S and iPad 2) would be ready in “a matter of days.”

Though it seems that those days aren’t quite up yet, there shouldn’t be many of them left. A video posted on pod2g’s blog this morning shows an iPhone 4S running an untethered jailbreak. Along with the video pod2g promises “only a few to wait now.”

An untethered jailbreak – i.e., one that does not require the phone to be re-jailbroken every time the phone reboots – has proven elusive on A5 devices. Owners of these devices who have been anxiously awaiting a jailbreak should really have no more than a couple of days to wait now. Check out the video below, and let us know what you think in the comments.

[Image Credit: Jason Wong]

January 16, 2012
ROAR Brings Affordable Mobile Apps to Churches And Nonprofits

Ever since Apple launched their App Store alongside the iPhone 3G in 2008, mobile apps have been an increasingly important platform for brands of all kinds. With the addition of similar app marketplaces for Android, Nokia, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone, it has become increasingly important for certain kinds of companies and organizations to have their own mobile apps. Unfortunately, though, smaller companies, nonprofit organizations, and churches have had difficulty getting into the mobile app space, due to the expense of developing their own apps.

One developer is seeking to change that. ROAR has announced their new mobile development platform, designed to allow organizations of various kinds to create and host their own applications for a modest fee. The program allows customers to bring their online presence – on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. – into one place, and display it on a customized interface.

Churches and nonprofits can get a customized app iOS app from ROAR for $250, or iOS and Android apps for $500, with a hosting fee of $30 for one app or $50 for both.

Is this the kind of thing you might use for your organization? Let us know what you think in the comments.

[Source: ROAR]

January 16, 2012
Waterproof iPhones?

Have you ever ran your cell phone through the washing machine? many of us have and the end result is not always pretty, but there is help on the way according to makers of microscopic technology. The new technology is a film that would protect the internal components of phones, resist water, and also not interfere with the devices functioning.

The technology is called HzO. There is a lot of interest from most of the major manufacturers and at the forefront of all this, as always, is Apple. here’s a video of the HzO technology in action:

So if your one of those forgetful Apple enthusiensts who likes to launder their devises there might be some upgrades coming for 2012/13 which will make your life a little easier and your gadgets a little more impressive.

[Source: gigaom.com]

January 16, 2012
Apple Joins Fair Labor Association Amidst Criticism

The Fair Labor Association has announced that Apple has become the first tech company to join as a Participating Company. The agreement means that Apple will allow the FLA to independently examine the facilities of its supply chain members, and will agree to uphold FLA’s Workplace Code of Conduct, as well as their Principles of Fair Labor and Responsible Sourcing. This agreement is a follow-up to the FLA’s cooperation with Apple last year to examine the training programs Apple offers employees of its supply chain companies.

This announcement follows the release of Apple’s Supplier Responsibility Progress Report (PDF). The report examines the practices of the companies in Apple’s supply chain for their practices regarding labor and human rights, worker health and safety, and environmental impact. It also examines how well suppliers adhere to Apple’s own code of conduct. As part of this year’s report, Apple released a list of its suppliers. The list, which consists of 150 companies, is an unprecedented relaxing of Apple’s normally fierce secrecy. In an email to the company, CEO Tim Cook said that the goal of both the progress report and the company’s decision to join the FLA is to “make sure that working conditions are safe and just,” and said that “if a manufacturer won’t live up to our standards, we stop working with them.”

All this comes amid criticism about the labor practices in the facilities of some of Apple’s suppliers. This American Life recently conducted a study of conditions at Foxconn, the main manufacturer of Apple’s iPhones and iPads, and found conditions there were troubling. The report, a transcript of which can be found here, claimed that Foxconn was in the habit of employing underage workers. Outside inspections tend not to find these workers because Foxconn knows when the inspections are about to happen, and replaces its underage workforce with older workers.

Though the claim that “Your iPhone was built by 13 year-olds” is certainly an overstatement, the report from This American Life is disconcerting. However, it looks like Apple is making – or trying to make – positive steps towards improving the conditions for the workers who make its products.

[Source: Fair Labor Association]

January 16, 2012
CES 2012: Samsung Denies That Jobs “Cracked” The iTV

If this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, which ends today, could be said to have a theme, it would have to be HDTVs. New and remarkable TV designs were unveiled by Sony, LG, Samsung, and others. Yet one widely-rumored TV that was physically absent but present in everyone’s mind was Apple’s rumored iTV.

Apple first dipped its toes into the TV market with the Apple TV, which Jobs famously called a “hobby” several years ago. Things got more serious with the launch of the much-improved second generation Apple TV in 2010. Ever since then, rumors have been flying that Apple would eventually integrate the functionality of the Apple TV box into an HDTV. These rumors have been heating up in recent months, to the point that it looks as though Apple really does have such a device in the works.

Part of the impetus for this round of rumors comes from Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography of Steve Jobs, wherein Jobs reportedly said that Apple had been working on a TV for years, and that shortly before his death Jobs “cracked it.” Though the company has remained characteristically quiet about the project, that statement has been taken by most to assume that Apple really is preparing to launch an iTV.

The tech industry being what it is, Apple’s competition is not inclined to take such statements lightly, even from a man three months dead. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald Philip Newton, director of audio-visual for Samsung Australia, insists that Samsung does not see Apple’s rumored iTV as a threat. He insisted that the kind of connectivity Jobs reportedly “cracked” has already been in the TV market for a year, and was in fact “nothing new.” The newness, he claimed, only applies to Apple, who have never participated in the TV business before. Newton also said that although some of Samsung’s competition might suffer from an iTV, Samsung itself was not worried.

Of course, Newton may well be right: Apple is new to the TV market, and notwithstanding the success of the Apple TV, the iTV may turn out to be one of many HDTVs offering internet connectivity. On the other hand, in 2007 Apple launched the iPhone and entered into another market it had no experience with, and we all know how that turned out.

[Source: Sydney Morning Herald]

January 13, 2012
Words With Friends Saves A Man’s Life

Everybody loves Words With Friends. Whether playing against Facebook friends or challenging random strangers, Zynga’s not-quite-Scrabble game is the go-to time waster for millions of people. Now it looks like the game might be useful for more than just teaching our friends to hate words like “qi” and “za.”

Using the game’s ability to pair players with random people, Beth Legler of Blue Springs, Missouri started a game with Georgie Fletcher, who lives in Australia. Through the game’s chat feature, the two became friends. When Georgie mentioned that her husband Simon was feeling ill, Beth relayed his symptons to her husband Larry, a doctor. Larry advised that Simon go to the hospital immediately, where doctors discovered 99% arterial blockage. Had Simon not received medical attention when he did, he would almost certainly have died that day.

Words With Friends is available on a variety of platforms. It’s 2009 iPhone debut was followed by Android and iPad versions, then Zynga (makers of Farmville, Cityville, and more) brought the app to Facebook. The Facebook version is free, and the iOS and Android versions come in paid and ad-supported varieties. If you’ve never played it, give it a try. The life you save might be your own.

[Source: Ozarks First]

January 13, 2012
Apple Looking Into 3D Display Interface For iPhone

The U.S. Patent Office has published a patent application by Apple for “[a] three-dimentional (“3D”) display environment for mobile device.” The user interface would rely on on-board sensors to determine the device’s orientation in space, and use that information to construct a 3D display interface on the iPhone’s screen.

In a nutshell, you would navigate a phone with this technology in much the same way that you would look around a room. Instead of swiping from screen to screen or opening and closing app folders, you would actually move your phone around, looking for whatever you wanted. The interface would rely heavily on the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer, gyro sensor, magnetometer, light and proximity sensors to determine the iPhone’s position. This position data would determine how the interface is displayed on your phone’s screen.

Of course, patent applications always require a particular brand of skepticism. The fact that Apple has filed one does not mean that we will be seeing this kind of 3D interface in Apple’s devices soon, if ever. A patent application only means that Apple is exploring the technology, not that they have it in any sort of consumer-ready form. Even so, it’s a unique take on the smartphone interface, and it would be interesting to see it come to life.

[Source: Patent Application]

January 13, 2012
New iPhone Will Be Slimmer, Run On All Networks

According to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty, Apple’s next iPhone will be slimmer than the iPhone 4S and would be capable of running on all 3G and LTE networks.

In a note to clients, Huberty said that the forthcoming iPhone would take advantage of new touchscreen technology (possibly Gorilla Glass 2?) that would allow the device to be thinner than the iPhone 4S. She also said that the new iPhone would include a new quad-mode chip from Qualcomm that would enable it to run on all of the 3G and LTE networks currently in operation – including T-Mobile, the last of the four major carriers not to offer the iPhone.

As to when the next iPhone would launch, Huberty speculated that it would be ready at the end of the second quarter, but that it would launch sometime in the third quarter, depending on competition.

Huberty also had some insights into the forthcoming iPad 3. Though she avoids the phrase “retina display,” she does say that the iPad 3 will have a better display than the iPad 2. She predicted that the iPad 3 would be going into production during the first quarter and release sometime in the spring.

Finally, Huberty expect demand for Apple’s products to remain high, even as the rest of the market suffers a slight dip.

[Source: AppleInsider]

January 13, 2012
CES 2012: Smartphone Integration Reaches Hilarious New Heights

For the business worker who needs a phone in their phone, Nvoxia has you covered.

File this one under silly and unnecessary, the Invoxia NVX 610 being shown off at CES combines a desktop phone with an iPod, iPhone or iPad to make and receive calls.

The NVX 610 is a desktop phone with a port to fit your favorite iDevice in to replace the office phone. The calls are made from the iDevice and can be made to either office or phone contacts. The same is true for incoming calls as the device allows for integration of both contact lists. It uses Skype or SIP to make calls.

The phone’s main selling point is that it features excellent sound quality. The stand on which both phones sit is a speaker that can be used in hands-free mode for conference calls. It also allows the user to listen to all music and sound related apps on the iDevice.

The device can be remotely updated by the company so any and all future iDevices will be supported.

It features two USB ports on the back, one of which is taken by the corded handset. It also has two ethernet ports with one of them being a Power over Ethernet port to power the phone. Also features Bluetooth technology for wireless communication with your iPhone or iPod. It can also pair the phone with a wireless headset, thereby invalidating the need for the handset.

This may be the most needless device I have seen at CES this week. Every device has a market and I’m sure the NVX 610 will find a market. I just don’t see why we need to integrate a smartphone into everything. The NVX 610 represents the pinnacle of needless smartphone integration because it integrates the smartphone with a phone.

Is the NVX 610 a needless product? Are you tired of seeing smartphone integration with every other device? Does it seem useful to you? Let us know in the comments.

January 12, 2012
PowerTrekk: A Battery Charger That Runs On Water

It’s my favorite time of day right now: that time when we learn about sock-knocking-off technology that sounds like it was born on the bright side of the future. To quote one of my favorite animators, “When the aliens come they will be so great in so many different ways that everything we ever thought was cool will make us ashamed.”

Ready to bring the shame? I hope not, because lucky for you (this time) the bringers of awesome future technology are from Team Earth (Sweden, in fact) and the awesome they’ve brought us is a slick piece of eco-friendly technology called PowerTrekk, tomorrow’s battery charger.

And here comes the best part: PowerTrekk is a darkness-defeating fuel cell charger that runs on – ready – WATER! It runs on approximately one tablespoon of WATER! You can charge your mobile electronics with the stuff that drips out of clouds and public fountains. This brilliant piece of future “cleanly and efficiently converts hydrogen into electricity” via PowerTrekk’s Proton Exchange Membrane. That sounds intense, but all you have to do is place one fuel pack, called PowerPukk, into the the PowerTrekk and “add water to provide instant and limitless power on the go.” Watch it in action:

UH-mazing.

myFC, the company that has created this device, promotes PowerTrekk as the ideal accessory for “business professionals in developing countries who seek freedom from wall charging either because they work in remote areas (where the grid is absent) or in cities where, from time to time, the electrical grid is unreliable.” Whether you’re charging your phone, camera, or even an iPod (because when you are completely removed from electricity the first thing to worry about is what jams you need to set the mood), simply plug the device into PowerTrekk’s USB port and – presto – you’re off like a battery-charging bandit. Take a look at all of it’s gadgety wonder:

So let’s recap: No power outlet? No problem. No car battery? No problem. No spare batteries? NO. PROBLEM.

The next time you’re venturing out into the wild, whether that’s an unfamiliar city or the actual wild that you see on Discovery Channel, take a look at your communication devices and ask yourself: Which one of these cute geometry-morphs do you hope to be:

January 12, 2012
Meet The iPhone Case Made Out Of Space Shuttles

This new iPhone case is out of this world – literally.

Divoti, makers of expensive magnetic health bracelets, revealed their new Case Titan for iPhone 4/4S at CES. The case is made out of the same titanium that is used in NASA space shuttles.

The base of the Case Titan is pure titanium and germanium. The base apparently improves the quality of music so much that users will hear a dramatic increase in audio quality even while using basic headphones.

“The Case Titan is unlike any other iPhone case out there,” Ronald He, CEO of Divoti, said. “While there are other titanium and metal iPhone case, this is the only case that dramatically improves the audio quality of music you listen to. It’s so unique that we have patented it.”

This supposed sound quality is what convinced Gutwire, a high-end audiophile accessory company, to partner with Divoti on the case.

Improved sound quality is not the only benefit of this ridiculously expensive case. The “99.99% pure germanium granules” that are embedded on the back of the Case Titan absorbs the heat from the user’s hands and the battery. It apparently releases negative ions that lowers the radiation output of the phone. You heard it here first folks, the Case Titan prevents cellphone-induced cancer.

All joking aside, there is something to be said about luxury iPhone cases. They are intended for the wealthy to flaunt their wealth. Now they can prove their wealth and prevent iPhone cancer. It’s a win-win.

For those interested in the iPhone case of the gods (and bank execs), it can be pre-ordered now for $179.99.

January 12, 2012
iPhone 4S, iPad 2 Jailbreak Imminent

The jailbreak community has been waiting a long time for developers to crack iOS 5 on the iPhone 4S and iPad 2. While an untethered jailbreak has been avialable for awhile now on older devices, the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 have proven tough nuts to crack. Both devices run on Apple’s A5 processor, which has presented jailbreak developers like pod2g with considerable trouble.

Now it seems those waiting to jailbreak their A5 iOS device may be nearly done waiting. On his blog today pod2g announced that, with the help of a few other notable names in the jailbreak community, the final hurdle to an untethered jailbreak had been cleared. Though he refrained from offering a precise date, he said that “it should be a matter of days” before the jailbreak is ready.

This will certainly be welcome news to would-be jailbreakers. We will let you know when the jailbreak becomes available.

[Source: pod2g’s blog; Image Source: AppAdvice]

January 12, 2012
New Report Shows Top Holiday Gadget Complaints

FixYa, a website specializing in troubleshooting Q&A for electronic devices, has released a report showing the top problems people had with their gadgets over the 2011 holiday season. The data from the FixMas Holiday Report was gathered by examining the kinds of questions users were asking and what devices they were asking about most during the period from November 2011 to the beginning of January 2012.

Consoles were the biggest troublemakers overall, accounting for more than 60% of the total questions posted on the website. In fact, of the top 7 problematic products consoles took the first three spots. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was the most troublesome console, with 5,000 more questions reported than Sony’s PlayStation 3, which in turn had over 30,000 more complaints than Nintendo’s Wii. The biggest problem for Xbox 360 users was the dreaded Red Ring of Death, which signals massive failure of the console’s hardware (usually due to overheating), and was responsible for 45% of reported issues.

Meanwhile, the iPhone topped the list of troublesome smartphones by a wide margin. There were nearly 100,000 complaints about the iPhone, compared to just shy of 40,000 for the second place Samsung Galaxy S. Forty percent of the iPhone complaints dealt with battery life, while a further 15% were concerned with dropped calls.

Apple fared far better in the tablet department, however. The iPad WiFi was at the bottom of the list of tablets, and had less than a third the complaints of the leader, the Coby Kyros. The iPad also got fewer complants than the Samsung Galaxy and the Amazon Kindle, again by a considerable margin.

Did you have any of these problems over the holiday break? Let us know in the comments.

[Source: FixYa]

January 11, 2012
CES 2012: iPhone Finally Coming to T-Mobile?

With the launch of the iPhone on Sprint last year, every major carrier in the country offered Apple’s flagship device. Except one. T-Mobile has been left to twist in the wind for years now. Though rumors of a T-Mobile iPhone have cropped up periodically, nothing has ever materialized. With the collapse of the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile merger, it was beginning to look like T-Mobile might never get the iPhone.

It looks now, though, like that might be about to change. Speaking at CES in Las Vegas, T-Mobile’s chief technology officer Neville Ray says that the next iPhone will carry a chipset that supports T-Mobile’s unique wireless network. The band of spectrum that T-Mobile uses for its phones, called AWS, is considerably different than that used by AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon. That difference has presented an obstacle to bringing the iPhone to T-Mobile’s network. Ray claimed that the chipset in Apple’s next iPhone will support AWS, though he admitted that Apple may choose not to make the necessary deal to bring the iPhone to T-Mobile.

With the launch of the next iPhone still several months away, it will be some time before any possible deal between Apple and T-Mobile could be confirmed. A deal between the two companies would not be a surprise, however. Though T-Mobile is the smallest of the four major carriers, their customers still represent an untapped market for Apple. Look for more news on this front in the coming months, but a formal announcement is not likely to come before the iPhone’s unveiling later this year.

[Source: CNet]

January 11, 2012
CES 2012: PriceGrabber Launches DealGrabber To Find Local Deals

Daily deal programs like Groupon, LivingSocial, and the like have been gaining significantly in popularity recently. These sorts of services offer amazing deals on a wide variety of products and services. Navigating and sorting through all the deals that these sorts of programs offer is not always easy, though. Whether its an inbox full of emails, each with different deals, or multiple apps on your smartphone, keeping all these deals straight can be a bit tricky.

To make sorting your daily deals easier, PriceGrabber has launched DealGrabber [iTunes link]. Announced at CES today, the free iPhone app collects deals from several daily deal sites and displays them for you in a single convenient list. Users can view deals from Groupon, LivingSocial, Restaurant.com, Eversave, Gift City, and more. The app includes a variety of sorting options, allowing users to see which deals are newest, which end soonest, and which are closest to them. Unfortunately the app does not include support for signing in to your individual accounts with these deal sites, which means you’ll have to sign in and pay for the deals manually – either via the web or the various services’ native apps.

Other features of the app include a map view that allows users to see deals by location, and a hybrid view that merges the map and the list. The app accesses the iPhone’s on-board GPS, allowing users to see the deals closest to their current location (it also allows you to input location manually). It also includes the ability to email deals to yourself, or to share them on Facebook. Filtering by price, location or category, as well as home screen customization and the ability to save favorite searches make finding the kind of deals you want easy.

The app is currently available in the iTunes Store for the unbeatable price of free. Check it out, then come back and let us know what you think in the comments.

[Source: PriceGrabber Press Release]

January 11, 2012
CES 2012: Mercedes Debuting New Line Of Smart Cars

The one thing that was not expected at CES this year was the emergence of the smart car.

Mercedes-Benz USA is introducing and launching mbrace2 today. The service provides drivers top-of-the-line features related to safety, infotainment, personal assistance and vehicle care.

The service was developed by Hughes Telematics and was made to work seamlessly inside and outside the vehicle. It features a new control module with two all-new categories of services: Internet and remote access capabilities. It also updates all software via a cloud network so users will always be on top of new technologies being developed for the service. It also includes a remote app for iPhone and Android smartphones. It’s first appearing in the MY13 SL-Class in the spring and will be standard in most MY13 passenger vehicles.

“The connected services included in mbrace2 will enhance both the driving experience and the ownership experience for Mercedes-Benz customers,” Steve Cannon, president and CEO, MBUSA, said. “Traditionally, in-vehicle technology is finalized more than a year before a vehicle comes to market and is difficult to upgrade. The mbrace2 system solves the vehicle electronics lifecycle conundrum in a unique way, creating a truly networked vehicle that is always online, always upgradeable.”

To that tune, mbrace2 features 3G network connectivity. The new Internet-based service is called “Mercedes-Benz Apps,” and includes the usual apps like Facebook and Google. It also includes open browsing, stocks, Yelp! and news headlines.

Facebook in a car sounds dangerous and rightly so. People get into accidents over updating their Facebook while driving. Thankfully, the Facebook app is disabled when the car is in motion preventing text entry according to a Mercedes’ product manager speaking to Reuters.

The remote access apps allow drivers to check on their vehicle with their phones. The apps include geo-fences, vehicle health diagnostics, curfew minder, driving journal, speed alerts, valet protect and remote horns and lights. This is good news for people who want to know where their car is and what it is doing at the moment. I can see this appealing to those who want to feel like Batman, controlling their car from a distance with a remote device.

For those worried about the car not being safe with all these apps possibly distracting drivers, the company rests those fears by offering over 60 apps dedicated to safety and security. Now if only there can be an app that cures reckless driving.

January 10, 2012
iPhone 5 Is The Most Anticipated Gadget Of 2012

A new year tends to make us thoughtful. We reflect on what happened in the year that’s ending. We think about what we expect and hope for in the year to come. Now SodaHead, a website that specializes in collecting opinions, has put together an infographic showing some of the things we most anticipate in 2012. Highlights include The Dark Knight Rises narrowly beating The Hobbit for most anticipated sequel and Ron Paul’s surprising victory over Barack Obama and Mitt Romney for President. The next generation iPhone beat out a variety of other gadgets – including the iPad 3 – for most anticipated gadget launch of 2012. The full infographic is below. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments. To take the survey yourself and see more current results, go here.

January 10, 2012
CES 2012: Gorilla Glass 2 Could Mean Thinner Smartphones

If there has been a theme to this year’s CES so far, it has been thinner gadgets and better TVs. And thinner TVs, for that matter. Corning, makers of the Gorilla Glass that you probably have in your smartphone screen, has definitely jumped on the “thin is in” bandwagon this year with their Gorilla Glass 2. Last week we covered Corning’s announcement that they would be debuting Gorilla Glass 2 at CES. It seems that they unveiled it late yesterday.

Gorilla Glass 2 delivers the same remarkable strength and durability of the original Gorilla Glass, but sports several improvements. Promised improvements include better image quality and touchscreen responsiveness. The big news, however, is that the new generation glass is a remarkable 20% thinner. Considering that the thickness of many of our handheld devices – tablets, phones, and even some computers – is measured in millimeters, that is a big reduction. There is little word on when we will start to see Gorilla Glass 2 in new gadgets, but once we do, we can probably expect to see those devices start getting even thinner. First generation Gorilla Glass has reportedly been in most of Apple’s iOS devices, though neither company has formally acknowledged it. The iPad 3 is rumored to be getting a bit thicker. If Gorilla Glass 2 is ready in time, that may not be the case after all. Either way, look for your already skinny devices to shed another millimeter or two after Gorilla Glass 2 goes into production.

Meanwhile, MacRumors has posted a video showing Gorilla Glass 2 in action. Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments.

January 10, 2012
Comparing Apples to Apples

When someone says the word apple, what’s the very first thing that comes to mind? Is it the fruit or the tech company? I bet plenty of people see an iPhone or Steve Jobs’ face in their mind’s eye when they hear the word.

Apple has come to represent one of the biggest companies in the world. This infographic, courtesy of MBAOnline, explores the differences and similarities between the edible apple and the not-so-edible Apple.

Surprising similarity: The iPhone 4S weighs about as much as an average apple.

Also, if you think 400 varieties of Apple products is a lot, you’ll be interested to learn that there are over 7,500 varieties of apples in the world.

Enjoy the full infographic below:

January 9, 2012