Google’s Talking Shoe
The search giant also showed off a goofy
“talking shoe” at SXSW 2013. So what does this talking shoe do? Unfortunately,
it doesn’t issue warnings telling its wearer to avoid dog poop and other
roadside hazards. Instead, Google’s latest toy “aims to translate movement data
[into] witty messages to users and their friends.”
In a Google video promo the sharp-tongued
shoe mutters, “This is boring” when its wearer is loafing on a park bench but
perks up when he breaks into a trot, enthusing, “I love the feeling of wind in
my laces.” The gamesmanship starts in earnest when a Google talking shoe owner
steps onto the basketball court and starts raining jumpers “Call 911, because
you’re on fire.” the soliloquizing sneaker declares.
At
the ready for witty messages
Apparently, these pronouncements also
appear on a user’s Google+ page, or at least they’re presented in that format
in Google’s promo video. The bad news – don’t expect to order up a pair of
these pontificating clogs any time soon. They’re just a concept developed for
interactive arts collective ‘Yes Yes No’ via Google’s ‘Arts Copy Code’ project.
Samsung HomeSync outed
Apple TV has finally started branching out
to various parts of the world, in a bid to make Apple products a part of living
rooms across the world, but it looks like Samsung won’t let this Apple products
a part of living rooms across the world, but it looks like Samsung won’t let
this expansion by Apple slide by. In an announcement at MWC 2013, Samsung
unveiled a new HomeSync media set-top box, to compete with Apple TV.
Samsung
HomeSync
The new media streamer is said to run
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and packs some impressive hardware. For starters,
there’s a 1.7GHz dual-core processor along with 1GB of RAM to ensure no
performance bottleneck. And to make the deal sweeter, there’s also a 1TB hard
drive built in to appease media hoarders. The Samsung HomeSync box will also support
running of all Android apps, meaning, you can play all those popular games on
your big screen in full 1080p HD. We’re sure Samsung will be coming up with
some sort of a touch or motion controller.
Currently, there’s no word on the
availability or the price of this new media streamer, but be rest assured, when
it does release, it will be competitively priced with respect to the Apple TV.
Lenovo’s new budget Jelly Bean tablets
At MWC 2013, Lenovo announced three budget
tablets: the 7-inch A1000, the 7-inch A3000 and the 10.1- inch S6000. All the
three tablets will be available starting Q2 2013. No pricing details have been
unveiled, but the company says the tablets will be priced very aggressively.
All the tablets will run on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and are expected to be
IdeaTab branded. Two of the tablets are quad-core (S6000 and A3000), while the
last (A1000) is dual-core.
The
Jelly Bean tablets will be available in the 2nd half of 2013
If Lenovo is targeting the budget tablet
consumer with the launch of these tablets, it isn’t the first. We’ve seen Acer
launch the Iconia B1 recently in India.
Nikon D7100 launched in India at $1,369
Nikon announced its latest DSLR, the
DX-format D7100 for the Indian market in March. The D7100 sports a completely
new 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor, 51 AF points with 15 having cross-type focus and
EXPEED 3 image processor. The sensor on the D7100 doesn’t have the optical low
pass filter (OLPF) which is generally used to minimize moiré effect or scenes
with repeating patterns. But this comes at the cost of image sharpness.
According to Nikon, the absence of OLPF in the D7100 will improve image
sharpness.
Nikon
D7100 launched
The camera comes at a price point of $1,359
(body only). Add in an AF-S Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR kit lens and the
price goes up to $1,624. If you want the wide-angle AF-s Nikkor 16-85mm
f/3.5-5.6G ED VR kit lens, the camera will set you back by $1,932
