TouchTV comes to LG Smart TV, iPads: catch news clips at home, on the go
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TouchTV comes to LG Smart TV, iPads: catch news clips at home, on the go originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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HP Raids Minority Report for Wall of Touchscreen
When the San Francisco 49ers started thinking about selling seats in their new billion stadium in Santa Clara, California, they knew they’d need something special to win over fans in the tech savvy Bay Area. So when HP invited 49ers Sales VP Al Guido over to its Cupertino Campus to check out a wall-sized touchscreen monitor it was developing, he jumped at the opportunity. The VantagePoint is six 47-inch HP 4730G displays stuck together. They fit into a big aluminum frame with an infrared touch overlay that can recognize 32 fingers simultaneously, all programmed to work as one giant, 11-foot touchscreen.
iPad 3: Super-High-Res Displays a Go, But Yields Will Be Low
It’s the most definitive assurance yet that Apple’s next iPad will include a screen with a near “retina display”-quality resolution: DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim has told CNET that “production has started” for 2048×1536, 10-inch-class tablet screens, and three manufacturers — Samsung, Sharp and LGD — are supplying parts to Apple.
Android this week: Sprint’s $99 Conquer 4G; the U.S. of Android; Wearable Displays
Those looking for an inexpensive entry level Android phone but still wanting a fast mobile broadband connection received good news this week. Sprint will offer the Samsung Conquer 4G with integrated WiMAX on August 21 for with contract. This price point means the phone may not have all of the features that a high-end handset may have, but still looks capable on paper. The Android handset is the first 4G phone from Sprint under the 0 barrier.
So where are corners cut in terms of hardware? The Conquer 4G uses a 3.5-inch touchscreen, which is fairly common, but the resolution is a lower 320×480 pixels; most Android phones of today are a minimum of 480×800. The screen may not be as clear as most other phones then, but the Conquer 4G does have some compelling features at this price: front and rear cameras, 1 GHz processor, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and is GPS capable. A microSD card slot can handle up to 32 GB memory cards and the phone comes with a 2 GB card pre-installed. In addition, the 3G and 4G radios can be used as a wireless hotspot for up to five Wi-Fi devices.
Although Sprint is a national carrier, it could be that the Conquer 4G does better in the south and west regions of the U.S. A detailed look at ad clicks on the Jumptap mobile advertising network this week painted an interesting picture of the country. Android users tended to click more ads in these parts of the country while iOS devices showed a higher bias in the northeast corner of the U.S. Obviously, ads are clicked on various mobile devices and platforms, but the map shows that advertisers want, and can get, more granular information on mobile users. That could help them better target specific platforms, devices and locations in the future.
Speaking of the future, I expect we’ll see more wearable displays and watches in the coming years. The latest is a module by WIMM Labs, which was introduced this week. The WIMM module runs on Android, so developers can create “micro-apps” for the 1.4-inch capacitive touchscreen.
Inside the module is essentially the basic guts of a low-end smartphone, minus the capability to connect to a cellular network. The WIMM does have Wi-Fi, however, so it could interact with the web in a hotspot. The idea behind the WIMM and others is to provide information at a glance, so don’t expect to play Angry Birds on it; at least not yet.
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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DIY Fireworks Blow Away Factory-Made Displays
On the Fourth of July, the sky above towns across the nation will glow in a blitz of factory-made colors. But some of the biggest, best and most innovative fireworks won’t be on display during the holiday. Instead, they’ll be tucked away in the garages and home workshops of amateur hobbyists.