http://phys.org/electronics-news/consumer-gadgets/ en-us PhysOrg Team Phys.Org provides the latest news on consumer electronics, electronic gadgets and electronics. The Apple iPad extended its lead in the global market for tablet computers at the start of 2012 while Amazon's Kindle Fire flamed out after a sizzling introduction, a survey showed Monday. http://phys.org/news258046039.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-06-04T16:27:32-07:00 Microsoft on Monday stepped up its quest to be at the heart of home entertainment by synching Xbox 360 videogame consoles to smartphones and tablets while adding more blockbuster content. http://phys.org/news258043336.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-06-04T15:42:24-07:00 (AP) — Samsung's new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III, will be launched by all of the Big 4 national U.S. wireless carriers this month, starting at $199, the phone maker said Monday. http://phys.org/news258026054.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-06-04T11:10:01-07:00 Goggles that trick the wearer into thinking the plain snack in their hand is a chocolate cookie, or make biscuits appear larger have been unveiled in Japan, offering hope to weak-willed dieters everywhere. http://phys.org/news258003812.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-06-04T04:43:53-07:00 Taiwan PC makers Acer and Asus on Monday took another shot at gaining a foothold in the tablet market, unveiling several new products running on Microsoft's much-anticipated Windows 8 operating system. http://phys.org/news258003136.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-06-04T04:32:34-07:00 His kids might commandeer the TV before bedtime, but online game designer John Comes still gets his prime-time fix. Just on a smaller screen. http://phys.org/news257767428.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-06-01T14:40:06-07:00 Going ... going ... going crazy for the Apple 1. http://phys.org/news257767041.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-06-01T12:00:01-07:00 When it comes to smartphones, I'm an iPhone guy. But I've long appreciated HTC's Android phones. http://phys.org/news257766940.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-06-01T11:30:03-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu attracted attention at this week’s 2012 Wireless Japan expo, with their transparent, dual-sided smartphone touchscreen. This is a see through 2.4-inch display prototype with touch sensors on both the front and flip sides. The demo showed how the user’s hand can go behind the icons on the screen to use touch, while the full display on the front remains unobstructed. With this display, the user can deploy touch on the front, back, and sides or just on the front panel or just the back or sides, or touch both screens at once, depending on desired actions. http://phys.org/news257746866.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-06-01T05:21:33-07:00 (AP) — Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. says it is upgrading its current displays to make them slimmer and clearer. http://phys.org/news257744136.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-06-01T04:50:01-07:00 (AP) — Taiwan's struggling computer makers will use next week's Computex show to promote a new generation of ultra-thin laptops that might be their last hope of turning back the seemingly unstoppable momentum of Apple's iPad and other hot-selling tablets. http://phys.org/news257744103.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-06-01T04:40:02-07:00 Cricket Communications said Thursday it would be the first US carrier to offer the iPhone to customers under a prepaid plan, a move expanding the footprint of the wildly popular Apple device. http://phys.org/news257681079.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-05-31T11:04:47-07:00 Intel Corporation and Lenovo Group today announced the general availability of the Lenovo LePhone K800 in China, Lenovo’s first smartphone with Intel Inside. The LePhone K800 will be available on Lenovo’s official website, 360Buy.com, selected Suning & GOME stores and Lenovo retail stores and is priced at approximately RMB 3,299 ($524 USD). Today’s announcement also marks an important milestone between both companies and a long-standing engagement of collaboration and innovation which spans many facets of mobile computing. http://phys.org/news257670441.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-05-31T08:20:01-07:00 Online retail powerhouse Amazon.com on Tuesday announced a collaboration with Microsoft to begin streaming films and television shows to Xbox 360 videogame consoles. http://phys.org/news257574014.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-05-30T05:20:22-07:00 (AP) — Google will try to win more converts to a computer operating system revolving around its popular Chrome Web browser with a new wave of lightweight laptops built by Samsung Electronics. http://phys.org/news257523178.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-05-29T15:13:27-07:00 (Phys.org) -- With the introduction of the tablet computer, users of such devices have been forced to make some tradeoffs regarding keyboards. Virtually all tablets make use of image display and finger touching or tapping to create a virtual keyboard, which for many, is not nearly the same as one that provides the tactile feedback of keys being pressed and released. To get around this, many have resorted to purchasing wireless keyboards, which do offer the ease of typing, but detract from the portability that is so critical to the tablet experience. Now, according to Patentbolt, Chinese hardware maker Lenovo has applied for a patent that gives users the best of both worlds. http://phys.org/news257497690.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-05-29T08:40:01-07:00 Mobile phone operator Softbank on Tuesday unveiled a smartphone that can measure radiation as consumers in Japan clamour for reassurance following last year's Fukushima nuclear disaster. http://phys.org/news257481659.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-05-29T04:00:01-07:00 Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest maker of mobile phones, said its third-generation Galaxy S smartphone went on sale Tuesday in 28 European and Middle Eastern countries, hoping to cement its lead over Apple's iPhone. http://phys.org/news257481503.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-05-29T03:50:01-07:00 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 2012-05-28T18:22:44-07:00 (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 2012-05-26T18:05:08-07:00 The sixth-generation iPhone is expected to have a larger screen, and several iOS developers say they would receive that change with a warm welcome. http://phys.org/news257075234.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-05-24T11:00:01-07:00 It seems there is a new crop of Android phones every few months, which is great if you're in the market for a new phone. http://phys.org/news256464978.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-05-17T10:50:01-07:00 (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 2012-05-17T05:26:24-07:00 South Korea's LG Electronics on Thursday unveiled a new version of its Optimus smartphone with greater memory and a more powerful battery, in an attempt to catch up with its rivals. http://phys.org/news256450218.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-05-17T05:10:40-07:00 Apple Retina displays are reportedly already in the supply channel for the rumored redesigned MacBook Pros, but they are not going to come cheap. http://phys.org/news256411844.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-05-16T20:30:02-07:00 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 2012-05-16T15:13:03-07:00 Leading Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo on Wednesday unveiled its first smart phone specially designed for elderly users, as the company bids to tap into an ageing consumer population. http://phys.org/news256394100.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-05-16T13:35:04-07:00 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 2012-05-16T05:15:14-07:00 Panasonic Corporation announced today it will start shipment of its 65-inch "Interactive Plasma Display" (TH-65PB1), incorporated with electronic pen functions, in Japan, the U.S., and Europe at the end of June, followed by other parts of the globe for the use of professionals. Panasonic also plans to commercialize an 85-inch model, the size of a standard whiteboard, and the world's largest 103-inch model by the end of this year. The TH-65PB1 and an 85-inch prototype will be exhibited at the Educational IT Solutions EXPO to be held from May 16 in Tokyo. http://phys.org/news256289413.html Electronics - Consumer & Gadgets 2012-05-15T08:30:20-07:00 (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 2012-05-14T16:00:06-07:00