When Anton Willis moved to San Francisco, he had to retire his kayak – after all, a 12-foot-long boat takes up too much valuable square footage. That’s when the idea for a folding kayak took shape, literally. Along with cofounder Ardy Sobhani, he raised over $440,000 on Kickstarter for the new Oru Kayak, a 12-foot-long,...
The post The Portable Oru Kayak Folds Like Origami appeared first on Tech Cocktail
Source: http://tech.co/the-portable-oru-kayak-folds-like-origami-2013-01
In Chinese smog interview
If there's a film crew visiting your office you really should be careful what you're seen doing. Especially if you are in the background of an interview with your boss. And even more so if you work for the Chinese government.
During a news broadcast about the smog-filled skies over Shanghai, Shanghai TV News interviewed a senior meteorologist about the impact of the adverse weather while an assistant could clearly be seen in the background playing Three Kingdoms Killers (Sanguosha), China's favourite online card game, rather than actually doing his job.
Around 25 seconds into the news clip, the leather jacketed employee seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that State news is filming him "goofing off". To make matters worse, it's become quite a viral over the last few days.
Gossip blog Shanghaiist reports that "netizens" have been registering reactions across social networks since its original broadcast on 25 January.
One posted, "Isn't it normal to go to work in order to play Sanguosha?" Another, "I've heard that the Sanguosha game is the favourite computer game of government employees. I'd say this is fairly representative of their normal working-state."
The report comes after another revealed that the Chinese government may be looking to lift its 13-year ban on home games consoles. Maybe this will speed up the proposal.
Weatherman caught playing online game on TV originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:33:00 +0000
Source: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/49530/weatherman-caught-playing-online-game-tv
Music to our ears
Rdio has confirmed that it will offer free music to desktop and web users of its streaming music service in the UK?for six months
Until now, customers have had just seven days free music and before being forced to pay for the service.
According to Rdio: "This new offer is specifically designed to appeal to people with ears and hearts." Many suspect however, that it is because listener numbers aren't where the company wants them to be and that it?needs to drive adoption rates higher if it is to complete with the likes of Spotify.
READ:?What is Rdio and how does it compare to Spotify?
Users who take advantage of the six-months' free offer will get access to over 18 million tracks.?But don't expect free to mean unlimited.
"A meter at the top of user profile pages lets people know how much free music they have remaining each month," says the site. "It’s easy to upgrade any time to one of Rdio’s subscription plans for unlimited streams and access to Rdio’s acclaimed mobile apps."
Rdio is hoping users will then opt to upgrade to the ?4.99 a month unlimited web streaming package, or ?9.99 to be able to use it on their phone as well.
It comes a month after rival Deezer also adopted a freemium model.?The French music streaming service launched to an ad-supported 12-month free plan to attract new subscribers globally too.
Rdio now free for first 6 months in UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:22:00 +0000
Source: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/49551/rdio-now-free-6-months-trial
TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS TRANSACTION SYSTEMS ARCHITECTS
While TUAW has reported on a number of stands that are designed for the full-sized iPad, there's a dearth of designs for the iPad mini. Today I'll introduce you to a simple, but solid iPad mini stand from UK-based Mu Mu. The iPad mini Deskstand is priced at an extremely reasonable £20 and is an attractive addition to any desk or table top.
The Mu Mu team is famous for designing beautiful accessories out of wood. As with the Slide 2.0 iPhone cases reviewed last year, the Deskstand is lovingly crafted out of laminated hardwoods. Other than the small anti-slide bumpers on the bottom of the unit, the Deskstand is nothing but wood. The Deskstand comes in three varieties: maple and walnut, walnut and maple, and walnut. In case you're wondering what the difference is between the first two options, maple and walnut features light maple wood on the top surface, while walnut and maple has dark walnut on top.
The design of the Deskstand is so simple I expect to see a lot of these made in high school wood shops soon. Basically, it's a roughly trapezoidal piece of laminated wood with two horizontal grooves in it. The front groove is where the iPad mini sits, the back groove can house Apple's Smart Cover for the mini.
Surprisingly enough, I don't have an iPad mini that I could test the Deskstand with and my first-generation Kindle Fire was too chunky to fit into the slot. You'll just have to imagine what the mini looks like when placed into the Deskstand. I've included a few photos from the Mu Mu website in the gallery; the rest of the product photos are of the stand by itself.
While the Mu Mu iPad mini Deskstand is one of the first stands for the iPad mini that we've had the pleasure to use, it's certainly not going to be the last. It's an attractive, low-cost and simple solution for holding a mini in place on a desktop, and the use of sustainable hardwoods in manufacturing is a total win.
While we usually give away our review samples online, the Mu Mu iPad mini Deskstand and a Slide 2.0 case for iPhone 4/4S are on their way to San Francisco where they'll be given away to some lucky attendee at the TUAW Meetup on Friday night.
Mu Mu's iPad mini Deskstand: simple, solid, sustainable originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2013/01/28/mu-mus-ipad-mini-deskstand-simple-solid-sustainable/
INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM) INTERDIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
New Grand Theft Auto V artwork arrives as part of a preorder campaign at US retailer GameStop.
Two new bits of Grand Theft Auto V artwork have surfaced, with the pictures framing a preorder campaign set to launch in US retailer GameStop.
The two pictures, spotted by GTAV.net, could potentially be of repo man Franklin and back-in-the-game bank robber Michael. GTAV will feature a third character, Trevor, in its triumvirate campaign that will allow players to switch leads between missions.
Rockstar has said it plans to launch the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of GTAV sometime in spring 2013.
PC and Wii U versions are also being considered, says the publisher.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/new-gtav-artwork-shows-a-motorbike-and-a-bank-job-6402996
chundered churned out its usual mix of half-truths, nonsense, and guffaw-worthy speculation.
TSMC's big expectations for its 20nm chips suggest negotiations with Apple (AppleInsider)
This is pretty bland as rumors go, which means there's probably a kernel of truth in it. TSMC has been rumored to be in the running to build Apple's chips for quite some time, replacing Apple's rival Samsung as lead supplier of A-series chips for iOS devices. Considering Apple's fraught relationship with Samsung, it's really a matter of when, not if, Apple will find someone else to fulfil its chip orders.
Two new 4-inch iPhones set to debut this year, iPhone with larger display to launch in 2014 or later (BGR)
This report, "sourced" from Digitimes, claims a bigger iPhone won't launch this year after all. Given Digitimes' record on Apple rumors, it's kind of hard to call this one; all I'm saying is if Digitimes said grass was green, I'd be sure to go outside with a camera and make certain before passing that info along.
Digitimes refutes its own larger iPhone rumor, now agrees with WSJ/Bloomberg (9to5 Mac)
Reporting on the same story, 9to5 Mac notes that Digitimes' new rumor contradicts its own, earlier rumor about the iPhone Grande. I'll give kudos to 9to5 Mac for pointing out the contradiction, but sadly some sites won't see it that way; when it comes time for the end-of-rumor-cycle accuracy checks, Digitimes only gets credit for the one or two things its gets right while the mountains of stuff it gets wrong is swept under the rug.
So now, whether an iPhone Grande launches this year or not, someone will credit Digitimes for being right about it. Brilliant move there, Digitimes. Looks like you get to have it both ways on this one.
Apple analyst Gene Munster says Apple HDTV with new remote coming in 2013, again (AppleInsider)
I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I say some of my fellow Apple bloggers are starting to become genuinely concerned for Gene Munster's wellbeing. You do have to kind of feel sorry for the guy. He's stuck his neck out there so many times when it comes to the Apple HDTV, and mean old Apple just won't release one. If the Apple HDTV ever does come out, I imagine Munster standing at the announcement event, reeling on his feet, perhaps weeping -- for then he'll have no worlds left to conquer.
Apple job listing tips new API, framework for next version of iOS (AppleInsider)
EXCLUSIVE: Next version of iOS to have new APIs and frameworks! Just like every major version of iOS before it! More on this incredible, late-breaking story as it becomes available.
iPad mini won't help Apple's sliding tablet share, according to new report (BGR)
Oh, that sounds bad. Who wrote this "report?" Wait, what? Digitimes? Now those guys, of all people, are piling on the "Apple = DOOMED" bandwagon too? That settles it: Apple will be a trillion-dollar company by the end of the year.
Apple's cheaper iPhone could use 'a less powerful lower-end Snapdragon' processor (BGR)
Some analyst claims Apple will source cheap, low-end Snapdragon processors for its cheap, low-end iPhone as a means of cost-cutting. Sure, why not? It makes perfect sense for Apple to buy CPUs from a third party, because there are no existing lower-powered options within Apple's own stables, and Apple has shown no commitment to taking ownership the design of its iOS devices' SoC from the transistors on up.
I still haven't closed the
On Apple's iPad 5, iPhone 5S, and Plastic iPhone | iLounge Backstage
iLounge makes a grab-bag of claims about upcoming products, few of them managing to stand out from pre-existing rumors. The iPad 5 will supposedly look almost exactly like a bigger version of the iPad mini (I think everyone is expecting this already), the iPhone 5S will look virtually identical to the iPhone 5 (ditto), and Apple may/may not release a cheaper iPhone and/or bigger iPhone sometime between March 2013 and the heat death of the universe.
A Few More iPad 5, iPhone 5S, and iPad mini 2G Details | iLounge Backstage
The iPhone 5S is supposedly coming in July with a 13-megapixel camera. The iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 allegedly follow in October, and the iPad mini will get a Retina display. We'll see.
Photos claim to show components bound for Apple's iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 (AppleInsider)
These blurrycam pics of random bits of electronics, divorced from any context as to their use, could be destined for literally almost any electronic device. They could be for an iPhone, but they could also be for a Samsung Galaxy, an HDTV, a dishwasher, a hoverboard, a time machine... anything.
Apple ready to release additional iPad model; likely 128GB version (9to5 Mac)
Juicy headline. But what's this? "While it is certainly plausible that this new iPad model is the 128GB iPad, we are currently not confident enough to outright claim that, but it seems likely based on the evidence."
Hmm. Well, at any rate, this at least seems plausible. Rather than an entirely new iPad, this will supposedly be just an iPad 4 with a 128 GB capacity (or some other differentiating feature), tacked on to the expensive/premium end of the line. Allegedly we can expect to find out what this new iPad is in the very near future.
Whatever it turns out to be, I'm sure it'll be Apple's downfall. I mean, what isn't?
Rumor Roundup: Having it both ways originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2013/01/28/rumor-roundup-having-it-both-ways/
FEI COMPANY FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR INTERNATIONAL FAIR ISAAC FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS
Actor Ashton Kutcher threw himself into the role of Steve Jobs for a biopic, "jOBS," about the Apple cofounder's life.
Trying a fruitarian diet put him in the hospital, he said at the film's premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Filmmaker Chris Barrett posted video of Kutcher's discussion on his YouTube channel.
Kutcher also mentioned that he got a firsthand take on Jobs from Path CEO Dave Morin, a former Apple employee.
The wisdom Jobs shared with Morin: "There's no virtue in saying 'no' to the things that are easy to say 'no' too."
Here's a clip:
Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.
Join the conversation about this story »
