http://phys.org/electronics-news/consumer-gadgets/ en-us Phys.Org provides the latest news on consumer electronics, electronic gadgets and electronics. Facebook hopes to release its own smartphone by next year, as the newly public social networking giant looks to boost its revenue in the mobile Internet market, the New York Times reported Monday. http://phys.org/news257448153.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 28 May 2012 18:22:44 EST news257448153 (Phys.org) -- Headline after headline talks about vendors’ tablets in the wings as likely number-one contenders for the iPad. Such claims have justifiably been taken with a grain of salt, considering iPad’s continued market success. This week, though, leaked specs on the Dell latitude 10.are convincing many to claims that this may be the one to shake things up in the tablet space. The Dell Latitude 10 will have a 10.1-inch display, HD capacitive and multi-touch screen at 1366 x 768 resolution. As per Neowin, this will be a Dell Latitude 10 Windows 8 tablet. Microsoft is expected to launch its Windows 8 operating system late 2012, and some reports bet on October. http://phys.org/news257274293.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Sat, 26 May 2012 18:05:08 EST news257274293 (Phys.org) -- "Can you hear me? You’re dying? Oh, you're drying. Are you talking into your phone?" While smartphones continue with noisy attempts to deliver stunning visuals and entertaining apps, the fundamental problem of hearing a phone caller properly remains a less strident but universal pain. Kyocera, for one, is a company that wants to be a hero in commercializing smartphones with improved sound quality. This week, Kyocera is introducing smartphones in Japan that carry its special bone conduction system technology. http://phys.org/news256451170.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 17 May 2012 05:26:24 EST news256451170 Apple has begun preparing to launch an iPhone with a larger screen than its previous models, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. http://phys.org/news256399944.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 16 May 2012 15:13:03 EST news256399944 Japanese technology titan NEC has unveiled a gadget that allows users to control their TV, mobile phone or tablet computer using a virtual input device. http://phys.org/news256363885.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 16 May 2012 05:15:14 EST news256363885 (Phys.org) -- So what's a hot new Galaxy S3 smartphone doing with a PenTile AMOLED display like this? That is a question that surprised developers and smartphone blog sites earlier this month when Samsung announced in London its new Galaxy S3 with a 4.8-inch 720p resolution display that uses a PenTile subpixel layout. Expectations were that the Galaxy S3 would carry another type of upgraded display The PenTile design had drawn disappointed reviews when it had earlier appeared on the Galaxy Nexus phone. This week, however, a Samsung spokesperson stepped forward to explain why PenTile was still chosen: Samsung wants the S3 phone displays to last longer. http://phys.org/news256227814.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 14 May 2012 16:00:06 EST news256227814 Asus' new Transformer Pad TF300 is among the first of a new class of convertible devices that are heading toward store shelves. http://phys.org/news255954509.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 11 May 2012 11:28:44 EST news255954509 South Korea's Samsung Electronics on Thursday unveiled its new-generation premium television as global manufacturers seek to drive slowing sales with lucrative models. http://phys.org/news255872013.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 10 May 2012 12:33:41 EST news255872013 Microsoft began testing whether a pricing strategy that has been a hit with smartphones will invigorate sales of its Xbox 360 videogame consoles. http://phys.org/news255669591.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 08 May 2012 04:40:01 EST news255669591 Apple's iPad outmuscled its Android-powered tablet computer rivals in early 2012, in a global market suffering from post-holiday hangover, a survey showed Thursday. http://phys.org/news255274288.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 03 May 2012 17:40:01 EST news255274288 Research In Motion (RIM) on Tuesday unveiled a revamped BlackBerry platform that discards the smartphone's trademark keyboard to embrace apps, touchscreens and other trendy features. http://phys.org/news255102321.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 01 May 2012 14:45:35 EST news255102321 (Phys.org) -- Japanese robot designer Hiroshi Ishiguro is fast becoming a sort of roboticist for the people, in Japan anyway. Instead of terminator style robots meant to do a lot of serious work or to serve on the battlefield, his robots are soft and cushy, cute and perhaps a little smooshy. He’s also created a robot in his own image. Now he’s introducing something he calls the Hugvie, a robot that looks sort of like a generic mono-legged human baby, or perhaps a doll with no eyes, fingers or toes. It serves as the medium through which people converse in a new way using a smartphone. While holding, or pressing the Hugvie against the face, it vibrates slightly at the same frequency as the voice on the other end, adding another degree of intimacy to the conversation. At least that’s the idea. http://phys.org/news255079095.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 01 May 2012 09:10:01 EST news255079095 (AP) -- There is no snooze button. If you unplug it, a battery takes over. As wake-up time approaches, you cannot reset the alarm time. http://phys.org/news253273371.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:44:57 EST news253273371 Once the dominant maker of smartphones, Nokia Corp. is hoping to reassert itself by challenging the new top players, Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. http://phys.org/news252866033.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:20:02 EST news252866033 (PhysOrg.com) -- Epson America is now shipping Android-powered projector glasses that place your favorite videos, or games, literally in your face, Epson’s Moverio BT-100 wearable display glasses can simulate an 80-inch screen and deliver 3-D viewing. The Moverio BT-100 wearable display launched in Japan last November and is now available in the U.S. The device is on sale through Epson, resellers, or via Amazon. http://phys.org/news252479028.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Sun, 01 Apr 2012 06:50:01 EST news252479028 Google is teaming with Asia-based hardware makers on a low-priced, 7-inch tablet computer to challenge offerings by Amazon.com and Apple, reports said. http://phys.org/news252297927.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:45:37 EST news252297927 (AP) -- Beware the new iPad, not because it's an inferior product, but because it's a superior one. Using one is like living the life of a millionaire for a day, then getting dumped back in your regular life. Your eyes are now opened to how miserable your existence is. http://phys.org/news251563827.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:50:41 EST news251563827 A vaunted consumer watchdog organization on Tuesday warned that Apple's new iPad is a bit hot to handle. http://phys.org/news251477273.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:47:58 EST news251477273 Apple appears to be making less of a profit from each new iPad than it did when it launched the previous model a year ago, according to a research firm's analysis. http://phys.org/news251304091.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:41:43 EST news251304091 (PhysOrg.com) -- Recognizing that the much heralded paperless office hasn’t really come about as many expected, Toshiba has taken a new approach to cutting costs, creating a system whereby regular printer paper can be reused by printing on it with toner that can be erased. http://phys.org/news250510424.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:50:01 EST news250510424 Apple gave the new iPad a bunch of new features but no new name. http://phys.org/news250350162.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:42:53 EST news250350162 Water-powered clocks, eye-controlled arcade games and pole-dancing robots: this year's CeBIT tech fair, the world's biggest, showcased gadgets ranging from the useful to the downright nerdy. http://phys.org/news250315845.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 07 Mar 2012 04:11:14 EST news250315845 Apple is holding an event Wednesday in San Francisco, and has hinted that it will reveal a new iPad model. Rumors speak of an updated tablet with a speedier processor, a sharper screen and an option for faster wireless broadband access. http://phys.org/news250275758.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:02:51 EST news250275758 When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note in September, the South Korean tech giant pitched the Note as a gadget that offers the best of a smartphone and a tablet in one groundbreaking new category of device. http://phys.org/news249971174.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Sat, 03 Mar 2012 04:29:02 EST news249971174 A radical new camera that lets you adjust the focus after you take a picture began shipping this week. http://phys.org/news249843724.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:02:44 EST news249843724 Mobile phone users are tantalisingly close to the day when they can power up any phone with the same charger. http://phys.org/news249742872.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:01:19 EST news249742872 (AP) -- Apple is expected to unveil a new version of the iPad at an event in San Francisco next week. http://phys.org/news249655654.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:47:51 EST news249655654 (PhysOrg.com) -- Yet another alternative to the conventional computer mouse is being marketed, this time a pull-on glove that behaves as a mouse. The Ion Wireless Air Mouse Glove is from a Cocoa, Florida-based company, Bellco Ventures, which describes itself as specializing in new product development and marketing. The mouse glove can serve up functions carried out in the conventional mouse—right click, left click, scrolling, and more. http://phys.org/news249627483.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 28 Feb 2012 04:58:36 EST news249627483 (PhysOrg.com) -- Cell phones are great, but one of their limitations is the size of the screen, which of necessity has to be small. To get around this problem, engineers have been for years toying with the idea of building a projector into the phone so that images can be displayed on any nearby flat surface. Unfortunately, until now, such phones proved too bulky for users to accept. Now, however, Samsung appears to have jumped that hurdle as it announces the Galaxy Beam, a new, small, thin and lightweight phone that has a projector built into it that allows users to project whatever is on the screen onto any nearby surface. http://phys.org/news249559664.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:08:34 EST news249559664 Asian mobile telecom giants Huawei and LG on Sunday launched a new generation of ultra rapid smartphones, in a race to catch up with market leaders Apple and Samsung. http://phys.org/news249485377.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:29:50 EST news249485377