What is it about robots that makes them so darn cool? I believe it is the idea of imparting human-like intelligence (artificial intelligence) to a bunch of electrical and mechanical parts and then controlling it (or letting it do what it is programmed to do) that makes us feel powerful. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and features: from basic one trick ponies like a toy Transformer to one of those awesome ASIMO robots from Honda.
Although Apple is still floating on a fluffy cloud of victory after the weekend’s verdict in their San Jose trial against Samsung, they will understandably just be wishing that the legal system was simple and straightforward that forced Samsung to pay their dues and allow both companies to move in with minimal fuss. Unfortunately, the world doesn't work that way, and although the nine man jury found in favor of the fruit company in pretty much all of their claims, there are still additional court dates required to determine the next steps for both companies.
It's approaching that time of the year again when the live iTunes Festival begins, this time featuring a string of well-known artists who will descend on The Roundhouse in London to entertain the masses. One of the fantastic things about the festival is that every ticket is totally free of charge and lets music lovers see performances from their favorite artists while also letting Apple heavily promote the iTunes brand that has been so influential in the music industry over the last decade.
Users’ data and how it’s compromised to malicious sources is improving at a very fast pace today, but the way we set our passwords and log in to services is still very much stuck in the past. The general assumption is still the same: that the complexity of a password (multiple unique symbols, numbers, upper and lower case letters) is proportional to its security. Password guessing algorithms now take these patterns (using ‘@’ instead of ‘a’, randomly capitalizing letters etc.) into consideration and this means we need to change the way we set our passwords, perhaps even add an extra layer of authentication when signing into online services.
Google has released a public statement in which it tackles the recent legal goings on between both Apple, and the largest Android phone maker, Samsung. While both Samsung and Apple were keen to release statements following the court's decision to order the Korean firm to pay over one billion dollars to the iPhone maker. The whole thing revolves around Samsung's use of technology which infringes upon Apple's patents, and with Android beating at the heart of Samsung's smartphones, many wondered what Google would have to say about the matter.
Nobody truly knows everything that goes on behind the closed doors at companies like Apple and Samsung, even though they have been forced to expose more than they would like in the last few weeks with a lot of their inner workings coming out during the recent patent trial in San Jose, it's unlikely that we ever will have a full understanding of the design and development process that goes on internally when designing a new product.
Do you remember 1984? It was the year Apple, under the effective management and public speaking skills of Steve Jobs, introduced the revolutionary Macintosh. It was the first mass market computer to come with a graphical user interface that made use of a pointing device named after an animal. A lot has happened at Apple since then, but some enthusiasts’ enthusiasm about the Macintosh still remains the same.
You can tell a lot about a person by just looking at their wallpaper. Are they using the same wallpaper that came with their device? From that, you can tell hey probably aren’t very tech savvy. Do they use a photo of Emma Watson as their wallpaper? They have a celebrity crush on her, guaranteed. Does the wallpaper significantly decrease text readability? Well, they could use a few tips on design. Does their wallpaper collection include photos of sweeping vistas? You’ve got a travelling fan right there. This is just how I sometimes read people.
Japanese Apple blog Macotakara - a little hit and miss when it comes to inside information - seems to believe the smaller iPad will definitely receive the "mini" moniker, while the iPod nano will be treated to some Wi-Fi connectivity - allowing users to connect to the cloud in order to access music.
Up until this week, it had been presumed Apple would announce the next iPhone, iOS 6, and a new, smaller iPad at a single event, but John Gruber - as informed as ever on the ins and outs of the Cupertino company - leaned towards the idea of the smartphone dropping first in September, with the "iPad mini" following in October.
