Comics As ‘Top-Level’ Category For New iPad

The new bookstore for the iPad (see “Is iPad a Gamechanger?”) will include comics and graphic novels as one of 20 “top-level” categories, according to the blog on AppSlice, a new tool for browsing and finding apps. Manga will be included as a sub-category within the comics and graphic novel category, along with others. The 20 top-level categories will include around 150 sub-categories over-all.

This represents a significant improvement in the merchandising of digital comics as compared to the current sales through Apple’s app store, which will make comics easier to find for readers using the new device.

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Oppo Multitouch Android Smartphone

OPPO is known as a portable media player manufacturer in its early years in China. The company will launch their first Android-powered smartphone in the first quarter of 2010. The phone will comes with a 3.5-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen, a side slide QWERTY keyboard and a Wi-Fi connectivity. The name of the model is still unavailable at this time. Stay tuned for more updates.

[Cloned In China]

The Physics Of Space Battles

Joseph Shoer is a Ph.D. candidate in aerospace engineering, studying how modular spacecraft could be assembled, and hoping that they will be the telescopes and human exploration vehicles of the future, and not for crushing the dreams of Martian colonists.

I had a discussion recently with friends about the various depictions of space combat in science fiction movies, TV shows, and books. We have the fighter-plane engagements of Star Wars, the subdued, two-dimensional naval combat in Star Trek, the Newtonian planes of Battlestar Galactica, the staggeringly furious energy exchanges of the combat wasps in Peter Hamilton’s books, and the use of antimatter rocket engines themselves as weapons in other sci-fi. But suppose we get out there, go terraform Mars, and the Martian colonists actually revolt. Or suppose we encounter hostile aliens. How would space combat actually go?

First, let me point out something that Ender’s Game got right and something it got wrong. What it got right is the essentially three-dimensional nature of space combat, and how that would be fundamentally different from land, sea, and air combat. In principle, yes, your enemy could come at you from any direction at all. In practice, though, the Buggers are going to do no such thing. At least, not until someone invents an FTL drive, and we can actually pop our battle fleets into existence anywhere near our enemies. The marauding space fleets are going to be governed by orbit dynamics – not just of their own ships in orbit around planets and suns, but those planets’ orbits. For the same reason that we have Space Shuttle launch delays, we’ll be able to tell exactly what trajectories our enemies could take between planets: the launch window. At any given point in time, there are only so many routes from here to Mars that will leave our imperialist forces enough fuel and energy to put down the colonists’ revolt. So, it would actually make sense to build space defense platforms in certain orbits, to point high-power radar-reflection surveillance satellites at certain empty reaches of space, or even to mine parts of the void. It also means that strategy is not as hopeless when we finally get to the Bugger homeworld: the enemy ships will be concentrated into certain orbits, leaving some avenues of attack guarded and some open. (Of course, once our ships maneuver towards those unguarded orbits, they will be easily observed – and potentially countered.)

Now, Let’s Talk Technology

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Verizon’s Droid Update Improves Some Features

Though it’s only been available for a few weeks, Verizon Wireless already has released an update package for the Motorola Droid, an Android-based smartphone. A Verizon spokesperson said the update started Monday and will continue for about a week.

Verizon’s web site says the update offers 14 improvements or corrections, including stabilization of the operating system, three-way calling enhancements, improved camera autofocus, longer battery life, and better audio.

Tinkering Needed

The update, which is being done at low usage times to avoid inconveniencing users, is a good move, said William Stofega, program manager for mobile device technology and trends for IDC. "Like a lot of new devices, the Droid needs some tinkering," he said. "For instance, focusing the camera is an issue and voice quality is an issue. At lot of these things can be done in software rather than hardware."

Stofega said the update touches on key functions which, if left uncorrected, could hurt the Droid’s popularity.

"They’re really important. There were some flaws. The camera was the most advertised. There always are some software bugs that get into [the product] that happen out of the box. It is very important and significant that they confront it and do it fairly quickly," Stofega said. "I think its good Verizon is listening to customers and making sure they get the code updates to them before the real complaints start, and especially before they are faced with considering whether or not to get it for a gift."

First Impressions Last

Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for the NPD Group, agreed that the update is a good step. "The Droid update that Verizon is reported to be rolling out is a minor update, albeit one that can create a meaningful improvement to its users’ experience," he wrote in an e-mail. "In an age of advanced smartphones, it…

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Forget Skype, Google Acquires Gizmo5 VoIP Startup Instead

Wow, remember a few weeks ago when Skype was beset by multiple legal actions from its founders and was in talks to acquire VoIP startup Gizmo5 to replace the underlying codebase that they were being sued over? Well things seem to be moving fast in the VoIP world because today, not only did Skype and its founders come to an agreement and save the underlying codebase, but Gizmo5 got acquired after all–just not by who’d we expect.

Google pounced on the peer-to-peer VoIP provider Gizmo5 just as its chances of being acquired by Skype had been dashed. Gizmo5 is an unscaled, but proven peer-to-peer VoIP provider. It has six million users for its SIP-based P2P VoIP service. The service would add the a PSTN link to allow incoming or outbound calls to real phones which Google Voice currently lacks. According to TechCrunch sources, Google has bought Gizmo5 for $30 million, but the official announcement has yet to be made.

According to the Washington Post, Skype was going to purchase peer-to-peer VoIP startup Gizmo5 for around $50 million. The purchase was part of a back-up plan in the event that it’s lawsuit with Joltid resulted in the company not having access to the underlying code Skype uses to make VoIP calls.

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HTC Droid Eris Shows Off 5MP Camera

Hey, HTC — we’re onto you. We know you’re a little upset that the lower-end Droid Eris isn’t getting much attention now that the DROID is all over Verizon’s marketing agenda, but it’s not like we don’t feel your pain.

For those interested in spending a full Benjamin less on their next Android handset (on Big Red, anyway), the Droid Eris looks to offer that very solution, and now a few more sneak peeks have shown that a 5 megapixel camera (with a video record mode) is gracing the rear. We’re also told that WiFi will be onboard (right, VZW?), and a bundle of joy will also be thrown in after mail-in rebate. Whatever that means.

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A Modular Aquarium For Fish Who Like To Roam

I think that humans are probably the only animals who feel a need to have rooms in their domicile. A bear can sleep in a wide-open cave, a fox can sleep in a tiny hole, and a fish, when in captivity, sleep in a bowl.

If we lived like our pet fish, then we would all live in studio apartments that would, at best, have more useless space. Now this aquarium is something that would give any fish bragging rights. I mean, I can just see a celebrity fish boasting about this “bowl” on a fish version of Cribs.

I mean, look at the thing! It’s like hamster trails designed for fish! This is definitely one place a fish would not mind sharing with other fish. If Gil, the Willem Dafoe fish from Finding Nemo, was in this castle of a fish tank, he never would have tried to escape. This is what Oscar should be living in when he got rich in Shark Tale. Yeah, not many people make references to the latter movie.

Do you those rich people who spend a lot of money on their pets? Consider this $6500 investment a diamond-studded collar for your fish. Yes, that’s is how much this fish tank (if you can even call it that) actually costs. Why shouldn’t fish get some of the rich-doting action that is usually reserved for dogs and cats?

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Myvu Unveils Crystal EV Video Eyewear

How many of you out there use video eyewear to view your favorite movie in a compressed format? I think it is pretty useful especially when you’re on a plane and would just want to shut the world out while being tricked into thinking that you’re sitting in your very own flying theater (or on the ground if you happen to take a long road trip through rail and asphalt). Not only that, you can always watch naughty videos without having other people catching you doing it. The downside would be being unable to see what’s going on around you, but that’s no biggie when you’re on a long haul flight, right? Myvu Corporation has long released a line a video eyewear that have improved over the years, and their latest addition to an ever growing family would be the Crystal EV which debuted at InMotion Entertainment airport stores nationwide.

The Crystal EV, being the latest release from Myvu, would naturally come with upgraded technology to make it stand above the shoulders of its predecessors. Improvements over the original Myvu Crystal include the addition of Myvu’s SolidOptix technology, bringing a 64? equivalent screen size right in front of your eyes, which is a vast 30% increase over the original Crystal. In addition, you don’t have to worry about incompatibility problems concerning Apple products and the Crystal EV since Myvu is the only video eyewear company to achieve Apple iPhone Certification and Nokia Forum status.

There is no word on just how much the Myvu Crystal EV will cost, but it sure sounds cool enough to wear for long hours on end without suffering from pains or aches. What you see above is a past Myvu product, and we are pretty sure that Myvu will continue to retain the sleek lines and design that made them so attractive in the first place.

Press Release

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T-Mobile Will Launch HTC Touch Pro2 This August

T-Mobile will be lining up HTC’s Touch Pro2 when August 12 rolls around later next month. This powerful yet stylish business-class device is pretty much similar to many other high end smartphones in the market, where it boasts an intuitive touchscreen display and a user interface that makes it a snap for customers to simplify their communication and mobile Internet experience while staying connected and informed at all times - subject to battery life, of course, as these kinds of high end devices tend to sap battery power like nobody’s business. Folks who want to pick up the HTC Touch Pro2 in mocha finish from T-Mobile can do so from August 12 onwards.

Easily making room for T-Mobile’s 3G network and helping you remain connected in most public places using built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) connectivity, one can definitely tell that the HTC Touch Pro2 is not meant for casual users who check their email accounts only once a week. The HTC Touch Pro2 boasts superior data delivery and an enhanced Web-browsing experience, where you will also be able to use this as an impromptu GPS navigation device as well as location-based services. The 3.6? color WVGA touchscreen display can slide back and tilt upwards to reveal a full-QWERTY keyboard that would definitely go some ways in helping one decide whether you like to type messages using a virtual or actual keyboard. The screen’s position and size is good enough for reading and composing email, surfing the Internet, running applications and playing games on-the-go.

Other features include a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus capability, Straight Talk technology that integrates e-mail, voice and speakerphone experience into a simple manner that responds to e-mail via a call, making it a snap to organize conference calls from group e-mail.

There is no word on pricing, so we’ll just have to keep a keen eye out on this. Rest assured, the next 12 days ought to see more details revealed for the HTC Touch Pro2.

Press Release

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Build Your Own paintball Turret

Looking for a fun weekend project, but aren’t interested in building a birdhouse or a spice rack? Well, I’ve got something for you that’s a little more, well, adventurous. Like building a paintball turret that will strike fear into the hearts of any and all neighborhood kids that see it.

Inventgeek is now offering up a set of full plans and instructions for building your very own paintball turret free of charge. All you’ll need are the materials. And once you have the project complete, not only will you have the feeling of satisfaction that comes from finishing a project, but you’ll have the feeling of power that comes with having a functioning turret in your driveway. Win-win!

Via Inventgeek

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