The Earth that Neil Armstrong left forever last month was a different planet than the one he re-entered in 1969. They won’t be making any more like him: a Navy test pilot with middling grades in his aeronautical engineering classes, husband of a home economics major, a man with so little media training that he bungled the first words spoken from the surface of the moon. The philosophy of his work was primal: “we’re required to do these things just as salmon swim upstream,” he once deadpanned at a press conference. I don’t even think they let people have last names like “Armstrong” anymore — a little too nail on the head.
via Mars is the new moon: why space explorers will never be the same | The Verge.
The US Marshals Service USMS, which is responsible for apprehending fugitives across the country, has signed a deal with Clear Channel Outdoor to use the companys digital billboards to display “hot pursuit messages” about wanted criminals. Drafted by the USMS and local law enforcement, the messages will interrupt regular advertising for an initial half hour before repeating throughout the day.According to a press release, the scheme — which involves more than 960 billboards across the US — is beginning immediately, with messages having been posted about Clyde M. Hall, Jr., a so-called “career sex offender” currently wanted after failing to report to a halfway house in New York. The USMS will use location information to restrict the messages to specific geographical regions, creating a targeted system that can be used as a first-response tool for crimes in local communities.
We do love products that only exist to circumvent the finer points of legislation hello there, Aston Martin Cygnet, but even better are the ones that actually serve a purpose. To comply with the European Commissions insistence that all smartphones must have a microUSB connector, Apple is putting out a Euro-specific adapter for its new Lightning standard. Its turned up in the UK and French stores so far, setting you back £15 / €19 $25 — and we imagine it wont be long before some entrepreneurial soul starts buying them in bulk to sell to microUSB users Stateside.
via Apple appeases European lawmakers with Lightning-to-microUSB adapter — Engadget.
Prior to the iPhone 5 event we saw a lot of rumors floated about NFC (Near Field Communications) and whether or not Apple would include it in their new, flagship device. Now that the event is over, the iPhone 5 is here, and NFC isn’t, many people are surprised by the ommission, and by the ommission of wireless charging. In an interview with AllThingsD’s Ina Fried, Apple Senior VP Phil Schiller laid out the reasons for the lack of NFC and wireless charging in the iPhone 5:
It’s not clear that NFC is the solution to any current problem, Schiller said. “Passbook does the kinds of things customers need today.
On the topic of wireless charging, similar ideals were stated:
Schiller noted that the wireless charging systems still have to be plugged into the wall, so it’s not clear how much convenience they add. The widely-adopted USB cord, meanwhile, can charge in wall outlets, computers and even on airplanes, he said. “Having to create another device you have to plug into the wall is actually, for most situations, more complicated,” Schiller said.
In speaking of the new dock connector, Schiler highlighted how thin the new iPhone 5 was and stated that design has been in use since iPods as far back as 2003, in order to meet the size demands of today and create products as thin as what Apple unveiled, a change and adoption of the new “Lightning” connector was needed
“This is the new connector for many years to come,” he said.
In other words, yes, you may have to pick up some accessories but those accessories will be able to be used over the next few years. Anyone think Apple’s making a short-term mistake and NFC and wireless charging will be must-have competive features this year?
Source: All Things D
via Phil Schiller explains why there is no NFC or wireless charging on the iPhone 5 | iMore.com.
The only thing more predictable than the iPhone 5 itself was the world’s response to it. Months of leaks, photos and videos leading up to yesterday’s unveiling meant that we all knew exactly what was coming from Apple’s AAPL new iPhone, but years of public response to iPhone launches painted an even clearer picture. Just as in years past, people went into Apple’s event on Wednesday looking for the Cupertino, California-based company to shake the Earth with its announcements. And just as in years past, many were disappointed when all they got was what is arguably the best smartphone on the planet.Let’s look at exactly what Apple announced on Wednesday.The new iPhone 5 is one of the thinnest flagship smartphones in the world. Not the thinnest, despite the claims of Apple’s marketing boss, but definitely one of the thinnest. What we can safely say, however, is that the new iPhone will be the most solid, well-built smartphone in the world when it launches next week. The iPhone 4S is already a cut above the competition when it comes to build and materials, and the iPhone 5 is a further improvement by all accounts.
via iPhone 5 announcement analysis: Is Apples iPhone 5 disappointing?.
We weren’t aware that people used FaceTime so frequently, but the tech world erupted recently when AT&T T confirmed that it planned to force customers into a new shared data plan in order to use FaceTime over cellular data connections. Major U.S. wireless carriers Verizon Wireless VZ and Sprint S will not need to worry about similar backlash as both have confirmed that FaceTime will be free for their iPhone-wielding subscribers. Of course, this was already known in both instances — Sprint confirmed the The Wall Street Journal back in July that it will offer the service for free, and BGR exclusively confirmed in August that Verizon will not charge its subscribers for FaceTime calling. iOS 6, which will bring FaceTime over cellular capabilities to U.S. iPhone users, becomes available on September 19th.
via FaceTime cellular cost: Verizon, Sprint confirm free FaceTime.
Apple just announced that the iPhone 5 is going to cost $200 and release on September 21st. Get ready because that’s about a week and a half from now. If you want to be smart and skip the line though, you can pre-order the new iPhone starting on September 14th.
The iPhone 5 comes in the same 16GB/32GB/64GB white or black models as before for the same $200/$300/$400 under contract, respectively. And just like last year, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint will carry the iPhone 5 with T-Mobile still inexplicably on the outside looking in.
Not to be left out, last year’s iPhone’s 4S gets a price cut too. It’ll now start at $100 and look like a pretty awesome phone for those not convinced in the elongated body of the iPhone 5. The iPhone 4 is completely free. [Gizmodo Live, Image Credit: Ars Technica]
via The iPhone 5 Will Cost $200 and Release on September 21st, Pre-Orders Start September 14th.
The new iPhone is finally here. Yes, people would line up to buy it even if it was made of bottle-caps and dog-poo, but it isn’t. It’s predictably a very good phone. How good? Let’s see how it compares to the top competition.
The following chart is a look at how these phones measure up by the numbers. Now, numbers certainly aren’t everything, but they aren’t nothing, either.
Note: the chart below compares the U.S. versions of all these phones. In the U.K. the One X and Galaxy S III both have quad-core processors, but here in the U.S. those don’t work with our LTE (yet), so we’ve got the dual-core Snapdragon S4 in there. Also, the prices are where each phone starts (the iPhone 5 has three levels for different storage sizes) with a carrier contract. Got it? Good.
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