Retina on mobile devices is brilliant. Both literally and figuratively. When Apple was able to pull off Retina screens on the MacBook Pro line, it was even more impressive. It’s akin to the feeling of gazing wondrously at the world right after you put on a fresh set of contact lenses.

And now, Samsung fans can scoff at the Retina screen.

Let’s take a look at numbers, because we all know that numbers don’t lie.

Pixel density comparison
Retina MacBook Pro 13-inch: 227 pixels per inch
Chromebook Pixel: 239 pixels per inch
Samsung’s new display: 276 pixels per inch

Need more numbers?

Based on a Business Wire press release, Samsung is set to release this display panel along with others. (Emphasis mine.)

Samsung Display is also exhibiting a 10.1-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) LCD for tablets and a 13.3-inch WQXGA+ (3200 x 1800) LCD for notebooks, which each can deliver 30 percent greater power-savings than that of existing LCD tablet displays, by decreasing the number of driver circuits and increasing the efficiency of the LED BLU.

Take note of those high numbers – 3200 x 1800. Compare that with the MacBook Pro’s 2560 x 1600 and the Chromebook Pixel’s 2560 x 1700.

Not only do we get to see things displayed on the screen more clearly, but the power savings are supposed to be impressive as well.

That’s all we know about the display panel for now, though, and there is no news whether we’re going to see it in the next generation of ultrabooks or not. When Samsung’s new display is used on laptops, though, will we see a decline in MacBook sales?

[Image via The Verge]

The post Samsung’s New Display Resolution Blows Away Macbook & Chromebook appeared first on TechBeat.

Instead of creating a smart device and add clock functions to it, the creator of the Vachen smartwatch, Won Rhee, came up with a timepiece to which he added various smart features such as email and text notifications.

The Vachen smartwatch retains the esthetics and foremost functions of a traditional timepiece, but it offers some very interesting features that really make buying such a gadget worth it. The Vachen connects for both Android and iPhone devices, and it runs on Android Gingerbread. It is equipped with a 1 GHz processor, but also with WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.

With a battery life of 48 hours, the watch’s LCD display measures 1.54 inches and has a 240×240 resolution, basically the same pixel density and size as the sixth iPod Nano. The device displays the time but also SMS, call and Google alerts. Other useful features are the alarm, timer, moon data and tide graph, compass, stopwatch and the possibility of using it for motion-based control of various smart devices, smart TVs included.

What makes the Vachen really irresistible is the fact that users can customize its appearance anyway they like. Buyers will have access to over 100 different watch face designs when the device is launched. But the Vachen website also offers access to a free tool with which users can create their own designs and then upload them to the product’s app store. The watch also comes with different straps, to match the various face designs.

The Vachen app store has not yet been opened, but this is scheduled to happen in the very near future. The developers are also planning to give the watch Facebook app and Windows phone support after the launch.

Until then, the project still has to secure its $100,000 goal on Kickstarter. The crowdfunding campaign is currently at over $76,000 and has one week left. Backers can get their own Vachen smartwatch with a unique case, for prices ranging from $169 to $279.

[Images via Kickstarter]

The post Vachen Smartwatch: Traditional Look with Smart Features appeared first on TechBeat.

The game continues the trend of movie-video game tie ins, although history has shown us that the sooner this trend disappears, the better. Virtually all video games that tie in with a film are more or less epic failures. But World War Z seems intent on changing this fact.

The game was developed by Chicago-based Phosphor Games and will be released for iOS and selected Android devices on May 30, Paramount Digital Entertainment announced. This is encouraging news, since Phosphor Games has an impressive track record and its latest title, critically acclaimed Horn, won several Game of the Year awards last year.

The trailer for the World War Z game looks good too, almost comparable to the quality we see in some PC and console releases. The game was built around Unreal Engine 3, Phosphor Games said, promising to offer a fully immersive gaming experience, top notch graphics and the studio’s trademark multipass blended textures and ambient occlusion lighting.

The game is set in the same universe as the movie and the player seems to be pitted against even more zombies than we would have thought possible after seeing the feature film’s trailer. Players will have to go through 28 levels and battle zombies in various scenarios and with different kinds of upgradeable weapons.

We really hope this release will prove game-film tie in naysayers wrong and actually offer players a quality gaming experience. Especially after the previous release from Paramount Digital Entertainment, Star Trek The Video Game was a not so enjoyable an experience, other than the voice acting from the cast of the movie Star Trek: Into Darkness.

[Image via lytherus]

The post World War Z Game to Be Released May 30th appeared first on TechBeat.

In fact, NASA’s requirements are such that it needs a computer that operates at a speed at least three thousand times faster than conventional computers. And that is what the agency has done. NASA has reportedly bought and installed a computer that uses ‘quantum physics’ effects to increase its speed. According to reports, the speeds it can reach are at least 3,600 times quicker than the computer you are using at home or office.

Keeping in mind NASA’s needs, one feels that even this might be slow for them. Given that they are pushing new boundaries in terms of scientific and technological innovations and space exploration, they need equipment that can enable them to do so. Obviously, the fancy equipment also comes with a heavy price tag. In this case, the computer costs $15 million.

A pertinent example of the computer’s speed is that during the testing phase, it completed a certain task in less than a second. Using the hardware and software of a general computer, the same task would have taken at least 30 minutes. This shows that the ‘quantum’ computer can perform the task 3,600 times (30 x 60 / 0.5) in the time it takes your computer to do it once.

The computer has been developed by D-Wave and is kept in a box the size of a garden shed. The box is important to keep the computer chip cool. NASA is expected to start using after autumn this year.

[Image via slate]

SOURCE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22554494

The post NASA Investing In ‘Quantum’ Computer appeared first on TechBeat.

The Arduino Robot Kit is the company’s first robot and the first product to go beyond microcontroller boards. The Arduino Robot is made of 2 circular boards based on a design created together with robotics soccer world champions Complubot.

The two boards are both equipped with ATmega32u4 from Atmel and connected by ribbon cable. The entire robot kit measures about 10 cm in height and 19 cm in diameter.

The Arduino Robot’s top board is provided with color LCD display, a slot for microSD card, EEPROM, speaker, compass, and various other button. The bottom board hosts 4 AA NiMH batteries, a couple of wheels and motors, power connector, switch and infrared sensors. The top board is in charge of controlling the display and the I/O, while the bottom board manages power and drives the motors.

Arduino’s robot kit is basically a platform designed to help users build interactive machines and learn how to program robots. It is easily customizable thanks to the existing prototyping areas and connectors. The kit was sold for $275 at the fair and will also be available online as of July.

The Wi-Fi enabled Arduino Yun

Besides the robot kit, Arduino also unveiled the Arduino Yun, the first of a series of Wi-Fi enabled products. The Yun puts together a Leonardo board (also with Atmel’s ATmega32u4) and an Atheros AR9331 WiFi Soc. The platform runs a Linux derivative called Limino and is also provided with Ethernet, USB port, microSD slot. The board will be available in June, at a retail price of $69.

CastAR game system

One of the major highlights of the Maker Faire was the CastAR augmented reality game system, created and unveiled by two ex employees of game publisher Valve: Jeri Ellsworth and Rick Johnson. The two set up a company called Technical Illusions and have finally revealed the product they had been working for before leaving Valve: a pair of 3D augmented reality glasses.

What separates castAR (AR obviously stands for augmented reality) from other similar systems is that it does not actually try to keep the user immersed in the virtual world while blocking everything from the real world. The CastAR allows wearers to still see what goes on around them, thus mixing reality with the virtual world. This makes the experience smoother and more fluid and will prevent wearers from feeling nauseous or disoriented.

Ellsworth said she is planning to organize a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to be able to turn the prototype into a final product. She added that she wants the whole kit, which contains glasses, camera, projector and reflective surface, for less than $200.

[Images via Make: blog & Phys.org]

The post Arduino Robot Unveiled at Maker Faire appeared first on TechBeat.

Xbox One was presented along with a new Kinect sensor and a completely redesigned gamepad. The console is rectangular and looks more like a cable TV set-box, rather than building on the previous Xbox model.  Its one-piece controller looks elegant and easy to handle.

At the Tuesday reveal event, Microsoft presented the console as the ultimate all-in-one home entertainment system and that is because beyond its gaming capabilities, the device will offer movies, music and live TV. This pits the new product not only against its traditional rival, Sony’s PlayStation, but also against providers of similar movie and music streaming services such as Virgin Media or Sky.

The Xbox One can bridge the gap between gamers and TV watchers, which still make up the largest market portion. It can be perfectly integrated with your living room and is able to play and record TV shows, it can rent movies, surf the Internet, review upcoming TV shows. The console can do all of these things at the same time and requires little effort from the users: it can answer to voice commands and simple gesture controls. The console can switch between these different functions instantaneously and even run several of them simultaneously in what was described as the snap mode.

Technical specs

The Xbox One matches nicely with PlayStation hardware, being equipped with an eight-core processor and 8 GB of memory. It also has a Blu-Ray drive and the updated 1080p high definition Kinect 2.0 motion control sensor. The console was also provided with Skype functionality. And in spite of earlier speculation, the Xbox One will NOT require an always-on connection to work. More details will be made available in the next few weeks.

What games to expect

In what regards the gaming content users should expect to run on the new console, Microsoft announced that it has several games in development. A total of 15 exclusive titles will be released in the first 12 months after the console is officially released for sale. Eight of these games will be new franchises. Among the most anticipated titles already announced are Forza Motorsport 5, Call of Duty: Ghosts from Activision, Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and others.

Pricing details about the new Xbox console have not yet been revealed, but we expect more details to emerge at the E3 event in Los Angeles on June 10. What do you think of Xbox One? Do you think its enhanced entertainment capabilities appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike?

[Images via digitaltrends & WPCentral]

The post Xbox One, an All-in-One Entertainment System appeared first on TechBeat.

According to the study those smartphones including premium options and low-end devices offered at steep discounts to bargain shoppers.

According to NPD the number of prepaid smartphone sales increased by 11 percent year-over-year through Q1 2013.

The overall smartphone market witnessed a 42 percent year-over-year spike which means prepaid smartphones actually witnessed an even bigger jump that we might assume.

As more customers ditch “feature” phones in the developing world they have begun to purchase smartphones. Those prepaid smartphone buyers despite their new devices still typically engaging in calling, texting and the same light internet usage they engaged with via their feature phones.

If NPD’s numbers are correct, and they tend to be fairly accurate, that means prepaid smartphones sales have experienced a 10-point sequential increase from the last quarter of 2012. The study finds that post-paid smartphones now account for 68 percent of the market, down from 79 percent year-over-year.

According to NPD the lack of a new Galaxy smartphone or Apple product has led customers to focus on the value of their dollars and not the technology they are receiving. Those customers instead look at older models that offer lowering pricing such as the Galaxy S2 and iPhone 4S which are two years old but still among the list of the top five purchased prepaid devices.

While LG has struggled to gain a huge following in the post-paid smartphone market the NPD study shows LG ranked second overall for prepaid smartphone sales. LG tends to offer a lot of entry-level Android devices that specifically do well in the prepaid smartphone sector.

Here is the NPD list of the top five prepaid smartphone sellers based on market share:

• Samsung (32 percent)
• LG (22 percent)
• Huawei (11 percent)
• HTC and Apple (tied at eight percent).

It looks like T-Mobile’s ‘UnCarrier’ concept may have been a very smart move during a potential pivot point for the wireless industry.

Are you surprised by the consumer shift towards prepaid smartphones in place of traditional post-paid smartphones?

[Images via TechnoBuffalo, NPD]

The post Prepaid Smartphones Now Account For One-Third Of US Sales appeared first on TechBeat.

Considering that it is a crowdfunding venture, the amount of money the project has been able to raise is staggering. In the past, there have been projects where more money has been raised for developing hardware. Yet, given the humble origins of the Pebble smart watch, one cannot help but be impressed by its outreach and popularity.

Initially, 68,000 people joined forces on Kickstarter to provide the funding required for creating a prototype of the smart watch. The original fundraising exercise was able to generate $10 million for the project, which is one of the reasons it has been able to reach this stage. Available in different colors, the smart watch is definitely an impressive product and well worth every penny the investors put into it.

Following hot on the heels of the first app related to the smart watch designed by a third party developer, the project has gone ahead with launching a new official SDK. It is known as the PebbleKit. Currently, the most famous smart watch in the world runs on the Android and iOS platforms only. Work is being done to make it compatible with other operating systems but it could be a while before that materializes.

It is now up to the people to determine whether there is a market for smart watches or not.

[Image via mashable]

The post Pebble Smartwatch Secures $15 Million and Launches Official SDK appeared first on TechBeat.

Aside from the size, what else do we know about the Surface Mini?

Operating system
It looks like Microsoft’s mini tablet will run Windows RT. That in itself is nothing to get excited about, especially with critics bashing the OS left and right. In this respect, one could even say that the Surface Mini is dead before its birth.

How much?
There is the matter of pricing, though. It’s been proving all throughout time: if something is priced low enough, even if it’s not the best option, there will always be takers. This just might prove to be the saving grace of the Surface Mini. IF Microsoft gets the price tag right.

At the moment, speculation is rife and wild. Price tags as low as $249 and as high as $399 have been mentioned, and we can only wonder.

The price will reign supreme
At the end of the day, whatever Microsoft decides as to the pricing, this is what’s going to determine whether or not the mini tablet will have a fighting chance. Bear in mind the price tags of other tablets in the same range – $199 for the Kindle Fire HD and the iPad Mini at $329.

Will you consider getting a Surface Mini? What price are you willing to pay?

[Image via Extreme Tech]

The post Microsoft Surface Mini: Does it Have a Chance? appeared first on TechBeat.

Instead of taking a defensive approach and trying to diffuse the situation, Google’s Chairman has decided to deal with it head-on. This involves inviting the general public to debate the tax laws Google follows when paying its taxes. Eric Schmidt has clearly laid out four points on which the international tax reforms can be discussed and debated.

According to him, the laws that apply to multinationals and taxes they pay are quite complicated and not simple enough for a common man to understand. That makes it difficult for people to comprehend them and they end up criticizing Google without knowing the full facts. Moreover, he clarifies that the laws his company has been following have not been set by Google but by the men in power. Thus, Google cannot be held responsible for adhering to them.

Also, Schmidt is quite clear on bringing about some reforms to international tax laws to make payments more transparent. Given Google’s tax scandal in the UK, this does make sense. He further states that Google uses the profits it generates to fund new projects and create jobs. Not all the profits are retained by the company. He has already made it clear that taxes should be applied on taxes and not revenues.

Putting these points forward, Eric Schmidt has invited people to debate international tax reform.

[Image via sociable]

SOURCE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/18/google-tax-reform-eric-schmidt

The post Google Open to Discussing International Tax Reform appeared first on TechBeat.