Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Jul 3, 2010

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Saga of the iPhone 4 antenna (one that has still not ended)
Washington State to have an “electric highway”
RoboCar from ZMP one more step for AI: Automotive Intelligence
Lolly makes waffles on a stick
Yu Kwang Soo’s Speaker Furniture
Kitchen Scale Wall Clock
Gadget Thumbnails for 01-Jul-2010
Ville, the shopping cart bicycle

Saga of the iPhone 4 antenna (one that has still not ended)

Posted: 02 Jul 2010 04:23 PM PDT

Okay, we all know about the iPhone 4, and I’m sure we all know about the problems it is having with its antenna. If you haven’t heard, the reception in the iPhone will be greatly reduced (sometimes cut off) if the user holds it in a certain way.

This has caused quite an uproar amongst the iPhone 4 community, who have began to call this problem “the death grip”. Especially by those who waited in line on launch day only to find that the newest version of the popular smartphone was not at peak efficiency.

It has now been determined by Apple that the problem is some sort of internal problem with the formula used to calculate the bars of signal strength. They intend to fix it “in a few weeks”, and are offering a money-back guarantee to those who return their iPhone 4 undamaged within 30 days of purchase.

You can read the full letter from Apple explaining this problem after the jump.

Dear iPhone 4 Users,

The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple’s history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.

To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.

At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds of emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than the iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience and testing. What can explain all of this?

We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.

To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.

We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same- the iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety we may have caused.

As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

We hope you love the iPhone 4 as much as we do.

Thank you for your patience and support.

Apple

By the way, many Apple users were getting fake emails from someone claiming to be Steve Jobs that read: “Retire, relax, enjoy your family. It is just a phone. Not worth it”. Apple has stated that these are completely false.

Source

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Saga of the iPhone 4 antenna (one that has still not ended) copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Washington State to have an “electric highway”

Posted: 02 Jul 2010 03:55 PM PDT

This is a stretch of Interstate Highway 5 (I-5), which is not far from where I live. I’ve just learned that a part of I-5 spanning from Oregon to Canada is planned on receiving a huge makeover.

In fact, the government has granted $1.32 million dollars to turn this part of I-5 into an electric highway. This is not a highway that is completely electric, but one set up for the electric car. It will have 10 Level-3 charging stations at 80 mile intervals. Considering that the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf can handle about 100 miles on a single charge, that sounds like good spacing.

Of course, my source was quick to point out that charging a normal electric car could take as long as 30 minutes, and that would make for a long trip to the border. However, I wonder if that is what could make these electric stations on the electric highway stand out. I’ve seen many stops on the side of the highway which have business because they offer food and entertainment, so why not these electric stops?

Well, whatever the case, it is one more step into an electric car future. I suppose that if all the oil runs out like doomsayers say it will, then we will need more electric highways.

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Washington State to have an “electric highway” copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

RoboCar from ZMP one more step for AI: Automotive Intelligence

Posted: 02 Jul 2010 03:32 PM PDT

When I saw this photo, I couldn’t help but think that it was cute. After all, it is a car with a cute little robot head on it. I started to have Speed Buggy flashbacks.

As it turns out, this car is part of a serious car robotics platform study by a Tokyo-based robotics company ZMP. Apparently, these people believe that cars of the future will be intelligent vehicles, able to move and interact with each other independently.

They may not be able to drive around on auto-pilot like Knight Rider, but they can communicate with each other, which will allow scientists of the future to figure out how to avoid traffic jams. These robot cars will probably have some other terrific features like parking automatically and such.

So, are we looking at a future where the cars are these robots? I’m not certain whether I want my next automobile to have a giant head on its hood, even if it has the CCD stereo camera, range of sensors, and infrared laser system like these Robocars from ZMP.

Still, the idea that cars can be intelligent, even semi-intelligent, fascinates me. I really don’t see how having smarter cars could prevent traffic jams. You would think that drivers would simply avoid them. That, or make the cars so they could fly.

Source

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ RoboCar from ZMP one more step for AI: Automotive Intelligence copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Lolly makes waffles on a stick

Posted: 02 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT

Any food that you can put on a stick just becomes ten times better. Thankfully now instead of just sitting at a table and cutting up your waffles like you do every single time, you can eat your waffles off of a stick. I’d bet you didn’t think that waffles could get any better, but they just did. With this odd little waffle iron you’ll be able to eat your waffles in the proper manner.

The waffles on a stick aren’t exactly short either, each one measures 9.4 inches long. When it cooks a round for you, it can make sure they’re cooked in just under 2 minutes. The Lolly Waffle Iron looks like it works like your average waffle iron, it just happens to involve sticks. You can purchase one for €715 or about $894. Sorry, it’s by no means a cheap novelty kitchen item.

Source: Geekologie

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Lolly makes waffles on a stick copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Yu Kwang Soo’s Speaker Furniture

Posted: 02 Jul 2010 10:00 AM PDT

If you’re bored of looking at all of the furniture with speakers built into it that are currently out on the market, you should check out these new items from the designer Yu Kwang Soo. It all has a very luxurious feel and makes sure that your music is always nearby. It’s all being created for the DMY International Design Festival Berlin 2010, but those of you that won’t be making it to the festival can at least take a look at things online.

Of course were this ever to be created and put up for sale, I’m sure this furniture wouldn’t go for cheap. However, it’s fun to see how designers integrate speakers into random pieces of furniture. These are made to work with all of you portable music players, but it can also play CD’s as well. You can view the rest of the Korean designer’s work by going here.

Source: BornRich

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Yu Kwang Soo’s Speaker Furniture copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Kitchen Scale Wall Clock

Posted: 02 Jul 2010 08:25 AM PDT

This wall clock may appear to be nothing more than a very retro looking wall clock that attempts to mimic the look of a record. In reality this kitchen clock does double duty. As well as letting you know the time, this thing also can weigh things while you’re cooking in the kitchen. That way you have it handy for those particular recipes that give weights instead of cups or numbers of items.

Sure, it’s more accurate to have someone measure by weight, but I always hate cluttering up my cabinets with one more kitchen gadget. Thankfully this can hang on the wall, keeping you from going on gadget overload when it comes to the kitchen. You can purchase the scale for £23.99 or about $36 through LazyBone UK.

Source: Bookofjoe

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Kitchen Scale Wall Clock copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gadget Thumbnails for 01-Jul-2010

Posted: 01 Jul 2010 10:01 PM PDT

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Gadget Thumbnails for 01-Jul-2010 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Ville, the shopping cart bicycle

Posted: 01 Jul 2010 05:14 PM PDT

I know that there are a lot of countries where the bicycle is a primary form of transportation and not the car. I would imagine that daily trips to the grocery store are needed just to get supplies, and it would be handy to have a bike such as this.

This is the transforming Ville, a bike that can fold in half in order to become a shopping cart. It may not be a cart that can hold a week’s worth of groceries, but if you just need to get enough to fill two baskets, this is probably your deal.

Not only that, you have a bike with two baskets that enable you to bring home quite a bit. As someone who once used a bike as his primary form of transportation, it does help to have that basket on the bike, even if it does look a little dorky.

I also know the perils of having to chain up your bike, only to have some jerk beat up the front tire so it is bent out of shape. It would be nice to just take the bike in the store and use it as something to hold all the items I am intending to buy.

Yep, it really just makes sense to build a bicycle like this. Unfortunately, it is just a concept at this particular moment.

Source

Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ Ville, the shopping cart bicycle copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]